Double Act

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Emerson couldn’t believe he’d been bamboozled by this stranger. He’d been minding his own business, heading home to Ninotchka, when he saw this guy take a tumble in the street.

Wearing shoes like that in the snow? How stupid could you be?

He hadn’t intended to dive out into the road like that. Honestly, he couldn’t recall the event with clarity. It’d happened so fast. It was still happening fast.

The man was breathing easier now. Right after they’d landed along the edge of the sidewalk, Emerson was sure the guy would faint. His face had been bloodless, his eyes unfocused.

But he was fine now, in the care of professionals, so why had Emerson been forced to tag along?

You let people take advantage. You could have easily said no.

He snorted at himself. No, he couldn’t have turned his back on that desperate plea. His mother hadn’t raised him to be heartless.

They rode in silence, not that the man could talk well with the mask over his mouth. After his earlier remark, he’d fallen quiet, though his eyes still stared at Emerson. He looked young and fashionable, like a model who’d just left a photoshoot. That didn’t give the guy the right to pull Emerson into this mess. Beautiful people expected others to do their bidding. It was the way of life.

The ambulance pulled into the emergency entrance of the hospital. The EMTs opened the door and slid out the gurney. Emerson had little choice but to slide out, too. The man’s grip was beginning to cut off circulation to his fingers.

They wheeled the man through the doors, Emerson jogging to keep up with the swift pace. Inside, they quickly handed him off to a stern looking nurse.

“Thank you,” Emerson called to the EMTs as they headed back to the entrance.

“You’re a lucky guy,” the young woman said with a laugh.

Emerson raised his eyebrow questioningly, but she was already turning away.

“You’ll have to wait out here,” the nurse told Emerson, with a pointed look at their locked fingers.

“No,” the man said. “He stays with me.”

This was a person used to getting his way. The surprising thing was, the nurse relented. She glared at Emerson. “Come along, then. But don’t make any trouble.”

Trouble? Him? He just wanted to get home to his dog.

Two other nurses appeared and pushed the gurney back, Emerson trailing beside. They walked down a long, sterile corridor. At least they weren’t running, like in the movies. This guy’s injuries weren’t life threatening.

The nurses took a sharp turn and deposited them into an empty room. They moved the guy from the gurney into the bed and hooked him up to another machine. It beeped the steady rhythm of his heart.

The three nurses busied themselves around the room for a few moments, then two left. The one who stayed behind looked younger, nicer, and she held a clipboard in her hands.

“Name?” she asked with a wide smile on her lips. The grin showed off dimples in her cheeks.

“Sean Stirling,” the guy answered with his own grin.

She giggled, and Emerson wondered why. Sure, it was a funny sounding name, but it was unprofessional to laugh at it.

“Address?”

“Is it really necessary for me to tell you that, honey?”

Her smile slipped a bit. “I’m afraid so, Mr. Stirling.”

“Please, call me Sean.”

She giggled again.

So, apparently this guy just flirted with everyone. Not that Emerson had been expecting anything out of this. The guy’s—Sean’s—words before had been sort of nice. It’d been awhile since anyone called Emerson beautiful. But it was better to face the truth: this man was nothing but a manipulator.

“Well, if I must, but you have to promise to keep it to yourself.”

“Mr. St…Sean, it’s against the law for someone to use your personal information like that.”

“I know it is, but it helps to be careful.” After a wink, he rattled off his address. He also gave his social security number, birthdate, and even admitted to an allergy to ragweed.

The nurse scribbled it all down. When she raised her head, her smile was subdued. “The details of your accident?”

Sean glanced at Emerson and gave his hand a squeeze. “Emerson will be able to tell you better.”

Emerson blinked when Sean knew his name. Then he remembered telling it to the 911 dispatcher. Sean was a total manipulator.

The nurse nodded. “Emerson. What’s your last name?”

“Willis.”

“Go ahead, Mr. Willis.”

“I, err, well…I guess that Sean slipped on a patch of ice on 40th Street. A truck didn’t see him and it looked like he’d be hit. I sort of pushed him out of the way.”

The details were sketchy in his mind.

The nurse’s mouth was wide open. “You pushed him out of the way of a moving vehicle?”

“Uh…”

“He did,” Sean said with another tender squeeze of Emerson’s hand. “He’s an angel, isn’t he?”

She nodded her head emphatically, then seemed to realize her professional mask was slipping. She cleared her throat. “And are you injured at all, Mr. Willis?”

Emerson hadn’t really thought of it. When he’d tackled Sean, Emerson landed on his knees, then rolled them along the gravelly blacktop. He supposed he did ache, but not enough to mention it here.

“No, I think Sean took the brunt of the fall.”

Sean laughed, and his voice suddenly sounded like chimes, sweet and melodic. “So, you used me for padding?”

“I did not,” Emerson countered. At least not intentionally. “Would you rather I’d left you in the street?”

Sean’s eyes sparkled, and Emerson could see flecks of gold among the green of the iris. “No.”

The door swung open and a man in a lab coat entered. He looked over the rims of his glasses at Sean. “Mr. Stirling, I hear.”

“Yes, Doc,” Sean answered, sending his flirty charm at the new man.

God, Emerson wanted to roll his eyes.

“And how are you feeling?” the doctor asked, smirking slightly.

“Better now, thanks to the excellent care Carol gave me.”

Emerson wondered who Carol was, but then saw the nurse beam happily. He spied a nametag on her uniform.

Manipulator.

“Good work, Carol. I’ll take it from here.”

Carol frowned, but nodded. She shuffled to the door with a sad look over her shoulder. Once the door was closed behind her, the doctor sank onto a stool and came closer.

“My name is Dr. Fields, Mr. Stirling. I hope she wasn’t too interested in you.”

“No, Doc. She was very attentive and professional.”

“Glad to hear it. Now, can you tell me the details of the accident?”

“Emerson will have to give them. It’s all a bit fuzzy to me.”

The doctor’s dark eyes turned to Emerson. Under that penetrating gaze, he tried to recall more information. The man looked like he wouldn’t be satisfied with what he told Carol.

“Sean was crossing 40th Street and he slipped. When the light changed, he hadn’t gotten to his feet. A truck came toward him and didn’t seem to be stopping. I dove at him, and we rolled to the opposite side of the street. Actually,” he said with a mirthless laugh, “I think we’re lucky something wasn’t coming from the opposite direction. I never even glanced that way.”

“Lucky indeed,” the doctor said. He pulled a pair of gloves onto his hands, then shone a light into Sean’s eyes. He must have liked what he saw because he moved on quickly and began to prod at Sean’s forehead. “Looks like a nasty bump, but nothing too serious.” He pulled back. “I’ll get this cleaned up and we’ll get you discharged shortly.”

“Oh, thank God. I really appreciate this, Dr. Fields.”

“You’re welcome, Mr. Stirling.”

The doctor wiped the gash and applied a sterile pad. The cut wasn’t too deep, only bleeding profusely because it was a head wound. With a long strip of gauze, Dr. Fields wrapped the cleaned skin. He stood up with a smile, pulling off his gloves.

“You might be sore, so take acetaminophen if you need it.”

“Thank you,” Sean repeated.

The doctor nodded, then left.

They were alone.

Sean turned his shimmering green gaze to Emerson. “You really did save my life, you know. How can I ever repay you?”

“It was nothing. I’m just glad you’re okay.” The tension was too much, so Emerson looked away and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nearly six. “I should probably be heading home now.”

“Rushing home to your wife?” Sean asked innocently.

“No.”

“A husband, perhaps?”

Emerson snorted. “No. I need to get home to feed my dog.”

“Please stay until they let me go? I really don’t want to be here alone. This place gives me the creeps.”

“Uh…”

A phone rang, and Emerson instinctively reached at his jacket pocket. But it wasn’t his ringtone.

Sean pulled a cell phone out of his pants pocket and stared at the screen. “Jesus,” he whispered, then pressed the button. “Hi, Jake. Listen…Listen…No, I’m fine. Will you just…”

He was silent for several minutes as the voice went on and on.

Sean growled in frustration. “Jake, yes! They’re discharging me right now. Please, just bring the car.”

He sighed, then hung up. His eyes glanced at Emerson again. “Sorry about that. So, my ride’s on its way. Can you stay with me till then?”

Against his better judgement, Emerson nodded. He didn’t want to admit that he’d been taken in by Sean’s pretty eyes, so he told himself it was the right thing to do. Ninotchka would be fine for a while longer.

Sean still gripped Emerson’s hand. Now, Sean’s thumb began to caress the skin gently.

“So,” Sean said casually, “do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend?”

“Uh, no. Not currently.”

“Are you in the market for one? A boyfriend, I mean.”

Emerson chuckled. It was an interesting way to inquire after Emerson’s s****l orientation. “Yes, a boyfriend sounds nice.”

Sean made an interested noise, like he’d just found a new toy. “Well, I happen to be in the market for one, too.”

“Good for you.”

Sean’s eyes widened suddenly. “You…you don’t know who I am.” It hadn’t come out as a question, but as a declaration.

Emerson studied his face. “Should I?”

A mirth-filled bark left Sean’s mouth. It quickly morphed into a fit. He laughed until he was crying, then he clutched his head.

“Oh, this keeps getting better and better.”

The door suddenly opened and the stern nurse was back. She had a wheelchair and wasted no time getting Sean situated into it. With him seated and comfortable, she handed him discharge papers to sign. He reluctantly let go of Emerson’s hand to hold the pen. He put down his name with a flourish then gave them back to her.

“Are you ready?” she asked, as if they were getting ready to go into war.

“Yup,” Sean answered, just as soberly. He snatched Emerson’s hand again.

The nurse, Becca her nametag read, wheeled Sean through the hallway and into the main lobby. There was a flash, and for a moment, Emerson thought it was lighting from a storm outside. Then it happened again. And again. And again.

People surged around them in a wave of bodies. They pressed up against him, trying to get at Sean. Cameras clicked. People shouted questions at them, holding microphones in their faces. Emerson squeezed Sean’s hand and got the pressure returned.

Suddenly, a man in a sharp business suit was there, pushing the people back. He helped them get through the crowd. When they finally made it outside, Emerson wasn’t surprised to see a limo waiting for them. The suited man gripped Sean’s forearm and got him to his feet. Sean pulled Emerson along with him into the back seat. The door shut behind them with a loud thud, and the noise of the crowd cut off.