Chapter 3
1346 Words
Brandon hated evening calls. Reed was small enough that his deputy, Sam, and he could usually handle all the calls themselves without having to pull the junior deputies off their regular shifts.
Unfortunately, no one told that to the eighteen wheeler that jackknifed off of Interstate Twelve just three miles outside of town. No one was hurt, thank God, but the truck had been carrying live poultry to the processing plant two towns over.
Nothing like trying to dodge traffic and catch ninety angry chickens at the same time to set the tone for the night. Sam managed to stop traffic and enlist a handful of volunteers to help with the round-up, but the whole scene looked like a sketch from Saturday Night live.
After being pecked for the fifth time by creatures he only wanted to see fried with gravy, Brandon had been grateful to field another call. He could still see Sam’s face when he told him he had to leave.
After twenty-five years as friends and a hellish six months at the F.B.I. academy together, he knew Sam well enough to know his buddy would get even at the earliest opportunity. He only hoped the poor guy didn’t get mites from all those feathers.
Brandon stole a glance at the man slumped in the seat next to him. He had heard tales of how good looking the new doctor was, but the bits of gossip he’d heard didn’t do the guy justice.
He was shorter than Brandon, maybe five-eleven, but his body was well sculpted and muscled. His chocolate eyes were red-rimmed, but still beautiful, as was his fine-featured face.
His hair was dark blonde and spiky, a look which suited him. Brandon felt a familiar pull in his groin just thinking about the sexy doctor.
He never would have figured Nathan Morris as gay. Certainly the female population of Reed didn’t know he was. Of course, Brandon didn’t exactly fit the gay stereotype, either. Then again, none of the gay men he knew did. There wasn’t an effeminate one in the bunch.
The ride to Chicago was silent, but Brandon figured his passenger was in too much pain to talk, if the grimaces and grunts he was making were any indication.
He wondered what the good doctor would sound like in bed. He forced himself to stop thinking about it when the bulge in his jeans started to rise.
He pulled the SUV into one of the spaces marked for police vehicles and cut the engine. He got out and was around to open Nathan’s door before he could get out by himself. Brandon took Nate’s elbow and helped him to the ground.
Nathan’s voice, low and rough, made Brandon want to jump him right there in the parking lot. “Thanks, Sheriff, but I can go in by myself.”
“Call me Brandon.”
“O.K., Brandon. I can do this by myself. I did my residency in a hospital a lot like this one. I know the drill and most of it is hurry up and wait.”
Brandon smiled and started walking him towards the emergency entrance, locking the doors of the SUV with the remote on his keys.
“Normally, I would agree with you, but I just happen to know someone who works here. He actually owes me a favor, so I think he’ll be able to get us in and out of here a little bit faster.”
While he was talking, he led Nathan past the emergency wing to a row of elevators inside the hospital proper.
“Where are we going?”
“Relax, Doc. We’re going up to the third floor to neurology. The guy I told you about has an office up there.”
Brandon pushed the button for the elevators. The one closest to them opened, allowing a woman and four half-grown children to get off. One of the larger boys bumped into Nathan, nearly knocking him off his feet in his already addled state.
Brandon caught him to his chest, trying to ignore the arcs of electricity that went through his skin when he wrapped his arms around Nathan and pulled him to his chest. Both the woman and the boy apologized, but Brandon’s only focus was the man he held in his arms.
“Doc, are you O.K., man?”
“Nathan.”
“Huh?”
“My name is Nathan, or Nate. I figure if you’re going to hold me in your arms like we’re about to do the tango, the least you can do is call me by my name.”
Brandon pulled back to see the grin on Nathan’s face, the first smile he’d since the moment he walked into the doctor’s office. “If you’re joking around, you must be O.K.”
“That’s what Amy says. Do you want to let me go now?”
Brandon pulled him close again. “Do you really want me too?”
“Considering we’re in the middle of a hospital lobby waiting on an elevator and being watched by dozens of people, yeah. Thanks for catching me, though.” He lowered his voice and cast his eyes down a bit. “It felt kind of nice to be held again.”
Not certain how to respond, Brandon let him go, immediately missing the warm heat from his body. He stayed close enough to catch him again, if necessary, as they boarded the elevator.
Other people crowded in, making conversation difficult. The silent ride gave Brandon a chance to tamp down some of the lust he was feeling.
The third floor of Chicago General wasn’t as crowded as the lobby, so Brandon was able to lead him through the hall at a fair clip. When Nathan stumbled, he immediately apologized.
“Sorry, Doc. I forgot how fast I was going.”
Nathan grinned again, making Brandon’s own knees feel weak. “Normally I can keep up, but I think I’m just a little punch drunk.”
“Maybe we should have called an ambulance. Are you even supposed to be walking around?”
“Amy checked me over before we left. This whole hospital thing and MRI is just a precaution. I do feel guilty that you have to spend your evening here with me, though. I feel like I’m messing up your plans.”
Brandon stopped in front of a row of doors and said, “If by ‘messing up my plans’ you mean taking me away from the glamorous prospect of sharing a frozen pizza with my dog, then I can only invite you to mess up my plans more often.”
“No family? No boyfriend?”
“I have plenty of family, but I don’t live with them anymore. I figure thirty-two is a little old to be sharing a set of bunk beds with my kid brother. As for the boyfriend, I had one of those too, but he belongs to someone else now, thank God.”
Nathan said, “I’m sorry, man. I didn’t mean to bring up any painful memories.”
Brandon shook his head. “You didn’t. Jeff and I broke up four years ago. He subscribes to the theory that gay men are incapable of fidelity; I don’t. Seems he had a fondness for twinks that I didn’t share.”
Brandon almost laughed at the shocked look on Nathan’s face. “He had an affair?”
“Affairs, as in plural.”
“That must have hurt.”
“Maybe the first time I caught him in bed with another guy. By the third time, I was glad to be rid of him. I think the only reason I stayed as long as I did was because I felt like I had made a commitment. I guess he didn’t see it that way.”
“Damn. That’s harsh.”
Nathan shrugged. “It was a long time ago. Come on. Let’s get you checked out.” He knocked on the door they were standing in front of.
- Writer
