Explorers Ch. 06
Keywords: Ch., Explorers, 06,
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. .if I can watch Kenny do this to you.'
"We're so glad you're okay," Charlotte was saying over and over, almost in tears. "Kat told us everything. I can't decide if you're so brave I need to cry, or so goddamn stupid I need to kill you."
"What she means is, we're proud of you kiddo," Paul grinned.
"Kat and I went and bought you a few clothes," Charlotte rattled on while Kat drove us toward her apartment. "She told me you didn't have any, that you had to borrow some from someone. Now you'll have something to wear till you get home. What's going on with Daniel?"
I told them all about his shoulder and everything the doctor told us. "I'm taking him home with me to Atlanta for a couple of weeks, until he heals a little. He needs someone to take care of him right now and I'm the only one who works from home, plus I want to do it. I know you brought my car up, but we're going to have to fly to Atlanta. There's absolutely no way Daniel can sit in a car that long. I'm sorry. None of this was decided until today."
"It's okay," Paul shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I'll drive your car down to you when you get back home to Atlanta.
"You'd do that? I'll buy you a plane ticket back, Paul. That's just... you don't know what a weight that is off my mind." I'd been worrying over it since we got everything decided and I was so relieved that it was going to work out, I was practically giddy.
Back at Kat's apartment, Charlotte brought out a home-cooked meal she'd transported up here from home. It was delicious and even though I kept picturing Daniel struggling to eat hospital food, I ate as much as I could hold and then took a long, hot shower. While the hot water pounded down on me, I kept replaying what Michael said and a little voice of doubt in my head started to nag at me. Yeah, Daniel probably would be bored with my life. I'd known that from the beginning. Maybe he wouldn't stay. Maybe he would go back to being a cop. If he did, I couldn't stop him and I wouldn't try. I loved him and I wanted him safe, but I never wanted to be a burden or a weight on his shoulders that held him back. If that time came when he wanted to move on, I wouldn't hang on. I'd never planned on doing that. I only wanted to be part of his life if he wanted me.
Climbing out of the shower, I dried off and got dressed in the new clothes Charlotte had left on the bed. It was so nice to be clean. Michael's little talk had sent me crashing, but I enjoyed relaxing and talking with Kat and Paul and Charlotte for a while. However, it wasn't long before I was glancing at the clock every few minutes. Kat caught me and smiled. "You want to be back at the hospital with Daniel."
"Yeah, I do." Admitting it didn't embarrass me one bit. They might grin and shake their heads at my total devotion but I didn't care. "I know the nurses are taking care of him and his friends are there, but I still need to be there."
"Well I suppose that's natural considering you just watched him get shot," Kat said. "Can't blame you for not wanting to let him out of your sight."
"Yeah... I'm not supposed to be talking to you, by the way." As tired as I was, my mind was jumping around in random bursts, unable to stay on one track for long.
"Says who?" she frowned.
"Special Agent Asshole. Says I can't talk to you because you're a reporter. The case is too sensitive. Told him to fuck off, that I'd talk to whomever I wanted. I can't discuss the investigation with you, though."
"I know. I just figured I'd keep trying as long as I could. Come on, let's get you back before you have a stroke." She got up and grabbed her keys, since I was already pacing back and forth like a puppy wanting to go for a walk. Paul and Charlotte came along with us and hugged me with promises to see me tomorrow.
Heading to the fifth floor, I tipped my head back against the elevator wall and closed my eyes. The lobby and elevator were empty at this hour of night, past normal visiting hours. I was calmer now, but I still dreaded walking into that hospital room and facing Michael and his false niceness for Daniel's sake, or worse, that pitying smile like I was some sort of tragic heroine everyone knows will wither away in the end. Shit. Where did that guy get off?
I was in no mood for his crap. If not for Daniel, hurt and broken in the hospital bed, I would've turned around and kept walking so I didn't have to see Michael. So, when I stepped off the elevator and saw Gray wandering around in the waiting room, coming toward me the moment he saw me, I groaned out loud. Fuck, now what?
"What did he say to you?"
"Oh, you mean your boyfriend? He just followed me to the elevator to tell me that Daniel was only going with me out of gratitude and that as soon as he was in his right mind he'd fall over himself leaving me."
"Argh." Swiping his hand over his face, Gray shook his head. "I'm so sorry, Rylan. I can't believe he did that."
"Don't apologize for him. He might be right, who knows?"
"He's not, Rylan. Danny loves you. It's obvious."
"And it's obvious that Michael can't handle it." I stared Gray straight in the eyes. "So, how long has your boyfriend been in love with Daniel?"
That made him skip a beat and a flush rose in his cheeks. "Um. I don't know that he's "in love" with Daniel, but Michael was really close to Ray. You know about Ray, right?"
"Yes."
"Well, anyway, Ray was like an older brother figure to Michael, a mentor, and when Ray and Daniel got together I think Michael was very hurt even though Ray made it clear that it was never going to happen with him and Michael. So, Michael was drawn to Daniel and I've heard him say that he wished he'd met Daniel first. This all happened before Michael and I started seeing each other, we've been together for about four years now and Ray has been gone almost two. When Ray died, I almost thought Michael would... well. He says it's friendship and I believe him."
Gray shrugged. I stared at him in disbelief. These two were something else. I know I couldn't deal with my lover being hung up on someone else. Fucking someone, getting a blowjob in a club, yeah, but not being in love with another man for the entire relationship. But if Gray could accept it, then who was I to say anything? It was none of my business anyway so I just kept my mouth shut.
"So Daniel is ready to let go of Ray and move on, but Michael isn't."
"Maybe," Gray answered after he blinked for a few seconds. "You might be right about that. But he's going to have to eventually, and please Rylan, just don't let him try to chase you away from Danny. I think his intentions are good but it's not his decision to make."
I had my doubts about Michael's good intentions, frankly, but I didn't share that thought. "Well, I have no illusions that he might not be right, but I'm going to stay around as long as Daniel wants me. Excuse me. I need to see him."
Stepping around Gray, I headed down the hall to the room, where Daniel was propped up and smiling, although still a little pale, at something Michael said. He lit up when I walked into the room and went over to kiss him.
"The doctor said I could go home tomorrow, Ry, that my urine is clear and I can get off the IV in the morning. Isn't that great?"
I smiled, forgetting all about Michael and Gray and all their crap and their drama. Everything else was just an annoyance. To me all that mattered was that Daniel was here, and getting better, and it was all over.
****
Chapter 34
"Rylan. You busy?"
I sighed patiently and hit Control-S to save my work on the dimly glowing computer screen.
"Ready to get out now?" I called back. He was just past the doorway in the master bath, soaking in the tub. I was about to change all his bandages anyway, so as long as he didn't get the wounds in his shoulder wet he could bathe; showers were still out though. He still got tired too easily to stand up that long even with me to support him.
"Not yet... Can you help me a minute? But if you're writing..."
"S'okay, just editing."
I got up and headed through the door. The whirlpool tub in my master bath, connected to my office, had never been used until the past two weeks while Daniel was staying here. He lay back in water up to his waist with his arm strapped in the black sling that kept it tight against his chest. His eyes were shocking blue, contrasting with the white tiles. The rest of him, unfurled in the tub, was lean and naked and beautiful but when I caught a glimpse of the bruised, damaged skin around his bandages, it still made my stomach lurch.
"I wish I could get all the way in the water... sink down up to my neck and turn the jets on. My muscles are so fucking sore."
I sank down to my knees on a towel and grabbed the shower gel off the side of the tub, squeezing a big blob into my hands. It smelled sweet and fruity, like mangoes. Daniel leaned forward slightly, his tanned skin wet and shiny. His hair had grown back enough to look like a standard buzz-cut. He didn't care if he was scruffy but since I liked him clean-shaven, I carefully shaved his face every morning; he could eat with his left hand now but he wasn't coordinated enough to shave himself. About the only thing he couldn't wash on his own was his left arm and his back. I knew he was tired when his head dropped forward and he let out a little groan as I slid my soapy hands over the smooth, silky expanse of his back, his muscles so hard and rippling under the softness of his skin.
"Then you'd miss my great massage."
"Mmmhmm." He melted under my hands, his stiff muscles undulating, stretching. Touching him like this sent a warm ripple over me that filled my cock. Every time we did this, I ended up hard and aching, and so did he. I wasn't in a hurry though. He couldn't do too much, we had to take things very slowly, and also, he was leaving in the morning and I wanted to enjoy every inch of him.
"Who's going to do this after tonight?" I whispered. Watching a drop of water trail down his spine to the crack of his ass, my tongue longed to follow it.
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Keywords: Ch., Explorers, 06,