by Lane, Shawn;
Barnaby kissed her. “Okay, sheesh. Calvin here?”
“Of course. You know he’s always prompt.”
Barnaby mumbled something and headed into the house and Nathan was left facing his lover’s grandmother. He cleared his throat.
She folded her arms across her small chest. “Well.”
“Ma’am?”
“What do you have to say for yourself? Calvin says you’ve already broken my boy’s heart once.”
He swallowed. “I didn’t mean to. I can only say I’ll never do it again.”
“Is that so?” She gazed out in the distance for a moment. “I lost their mother, you know?”
“Barnaby told me.”
“To a man who claimed he would love her forever. Those boys are all I have.”
Nathan nodded solemnly. “I’ll do anything and everything for him. For the rest of our lives. I promise.”
The old woman snorted. “All right. Come inside before you catch a cold or something.”
He smiled and moved past her. “Thanks.”
Barnaby waited for him just inside the door. He looked questioningly at Nathan.
He grabbed Barnaby and kissed him thoroughly. “I think I passed the first test anyway.”
Barnaby glanced at his grandmother who’d come inside. “I would say so. Come on. Let’s go sneak a piece of birthday cake.”
THE END
Only His Heart
Chapter 1
Matt Walton was having a pretty decent second day. Sure his feet hurt. Whose wouldn’t when they hadn’t been allowed much rest in the last forty-eight hours? Finally, he had a few moments to take a lunch.
He glanced around the basement cafeteria. Only a handful of people were there, not surprising as it was close to one in the morning. He didn’t recognize any of them, but it was only his second twelve-hour shift.
Matt walked over to the food area and decided on a small salad and a slice of peach pie along with a cup of coffee. As he approached the register, he couldn’t help but notice a pretty young thing sitting by himself at a table in the corner drinking something out of a Styrofoam cup, his eyes downcast. The young man was dressed in scrubs and Matt figured he was probably an orderly or a lab tech.
Even as he was paying at the register he couldn’t keep from staring at the pretty young man. He was just Matt’s type.
Matt, who had come out as a teen, didn’t bother to hide his sexual orientation from anyone. He was out and proud and had participated in a number of gay pride events.
And this kid was seriously hot. Damn, he hadn’t been hit with such a wave of lust across a room like this in…a long fucking time.
Everything about him was gorgeous. His dark sandy blond hair, the porcelain skin, and those big pouty lips. Matt wondered what color eyes he had. He would guess blue. No reason not to find out.
He took his tray and walked to the corner table. He was really hoping this beautiful man was gay. Probably not, knowing Matt’s luck, but he could dream.
“Hey, kid, is this seat taken?” he asked as he stopped at the table.
The pretty young thing, who had blue eyes Matt noticed when he looked up, gave him the coldest look he’d ever seen. He stared daggers is how it was referred to, and lesser men would no doubt have been felled by it.
“That would be Dr. Lassiter to you…nurse.”
Matt’s jaw dropped. Whoa, this was Dr. Lassiter? Since the moment he began his day yesterday the other members of the nursing staff had warned him about Calvin Lassiter. Biggest prick you’ll ever meet, as cold and arrogant as they come, and even guy is an ice queen. This reminded Matt that when the nurse who said that about the doctor found out Matt was gay, she’d apologized all over herself, saying she hadn’t meant anything bad. Dr. Lassiter was gay, though, which is how he got the nickname.
“Sorry, doctor. Can I sit anyway?”
Dr. Lassiter didn’t respond, he just raised his cup to his stunning lips and took a sip.
Shrugging, Matt sat across from him and stuck his hand out. “Matt Walton.”
“I know who you are.” He didn’t take Matt’s hand. “You almost ran me over today in the parking lot with your motorcycle.”
“That was you?”
“You really ought to drive more carefully in a hospital parking lot. We don’t need any more patients.”
“You walked in front of me and I was barely able to swerve to avoid,” Matt angrily retorted. “Maybe you should watch where you are walking.”
The doctor sighed. “Even if I did, there will be lots of people in the parking lot doing the very same thing. Families visiting loved ones. I’m sure as a nurse you don’t want to be responsible for running over some child coming to visit a sick mother, do you?”
His jaw tightening, Matt nodded. “Okay, point taken. I’ll slow down.”
Dr. Lassiter’s full lips curved up in a slight smile that was too damn adorable for such a jerk. He hated being a sucker for a pretty face.
“I have to say, Walton, I’m kind of surprised.”
“At?”
He shrugged. “I would think someone who is a nurse, one working in an emergency room, no less, wouldn’t be so careless as to ride a motorcycle.”
Okay, now the good doc was sounding like his mother.
“I’m a safe driver,” Matt replied in a tone to match Lassiter’s.
One blond brow rose. “Even so, car drivers may not be so safe. I’ve seen too many motorcycle accident victims here not to be concerned.”
Matt tapped his fingers loudly on the table, realized he was doing it, and hid his hand in his lap. “So, doctor, you don’t see car accidents, too? Just motorcycles?”
“Of course I see both.”
“Hmm, so do you tell all the staff you’re surprised they drive cars?”
“No.”
To Matt’s delight, Calvin Lassiter turned a light shade of pink. Unfortunately, it made him even more appealing, damn it.
“Okay, then, I appreciate your concern and I’ll be sure to be more careful driving through the hospital parking lot.” He stabbed his fork into the salad. Then something occurred to him. He looked up, staring. “You look kind of familiar. Have we met?”
“No, you probably recognize me from when you nearly killed me.”
He ignored that and stuffed a bite in his mouth. “No, it’s something…Lassiter. I’ve heard that name before.” He tilted his head to the side, studying the sexy doc. “Wait, I know.”
Lassiter scowled when others in the room looked their way. “Keep your voice down.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. I remember now. I should have thought about it yesterday when the other nurses were talking about you.”
That got him another icy glare. “And what were they saying?”
He felt himself heat in a blush this time. He cleared his throat. “How great a doctor you were. A-anyway, I guess I didn’t connect it then, but now that I see you, it makes sense.”
“I’m glad to hear it. What?”
“You have a brother named Barnaby, don’t you?”
Dr. Lassiter grimaced. “Former lover?”
“What? No.”
“You looked sort of like his type. His old type, I should say.”
Matt wondered what type he looked like, but decided to let that pass, at least for the moment. “My stepbrother is Nathan Llewellyn.”
Matt’s stepbrother, Nathan, had brought his new boyfriend, Barnaby, along for a family gathering about a month ago. He’d been surprised because he thought Nathan went for stuffy lawyers just like himself, not pretty boys in makeup.
He had to admit Barnaby was very attractive, but Matt thought his brother, Calvin, was even more beautiful.
“Right. I do seem to recall Nathan mentioning a stepbrother who is a nurse. I don’t think he ever mentioned your name.”
Matt nodded. “Yeah, we aren’t very close. We see each other maybe twice a year at family things. His father married my mother several years ago and we share so
me half-siblings.”
“Hmm.”
Silence descended over the table and Matt felt the need to break it. “So, you and your brother are both gay?”
Lassiter stiffened and pushed aside his Styrofoam cup and stood. “I don’t discuss my private life with the nursing staff. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back.”
Matt turned and watched the doctor walk away. Apparently his fellow nurses had been right. Calvin Lassiter was not the friendly sort. He finished his lunch, cleaned up, and prepared to return to work.
As soon as he got back to the emergency room, Matt got busy all over again and almost forgot about Dr. Lassiter, even though he saw him several times working on patients with other nurses.
He didn’t get a moment to breathe again until his shift was nearly over, close to seven in the morning. He leaned against a wall, closing his eyes briefly.
“Rough night, huh?”
Matt opened his eyes to see another nurse, Valerie, smiling in sympathy at him.
“Yeah, I’m exhausted. And starving, too.”
“You didn’t get a lunch?”
“Several hours ago I had a salad down in the cafeteria. Food was all right, the company not so much.”
“Don’t tell me the female nurses are already bugging you?”
Matt laughed. “Nah, nothing so frightening. I made the mistake of introducing myself to Dr. Lassiter.”
“Oh.” She nodded.
“Guy’s just as bad as everyone said.”
Valerie’s expression was one of vague uneasiness.
“Uh, sorry, is he a friend?”
She sighed. “Not exactly. Look, I’m not saying he’s warm and fuzzy or anything, but he had a really bad night. He lost a patient. Motorcycle accident victim brought here in full cardiac arrest. He couldn’t save him.”
Matt’s gut twisted. He felt like the biggest jerk all of a sudden. “I didn’t know.”
Valerie patted his arm. “You’re almost off. Lucky you. See you tonight?”
Matt was due back in for his next twelve hour shift at seven that night. “Yeah, thanks.”
When his shift ended, he headed outside. The morning was overcast and he seemed to recall they had predicted rain later that night. He was about to head out to where he’d parked his motorcycle when he spotted Dr. Lassiter coming outside.
The sexy doc had changed from his scrubs into tailored beige pants and a maroon button-down shirt. Even more beautiful if that were possible.
“Hey, doc, you going home, too?”
Lassiter jumped.
Matt grinned. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You didn’t scare me, just startled me.”
“I wanted to apologize.”
The doctor frowned. “For?”
“I didn’t know about the…you know, the patient. I’ve had patients die on me, too. Once a little boy who I’d been caring for in the critical care unit passed when I went off shift. It was horrible.”
Dr. Lassiter nodded, but didn’t respond. He looked away and then up at the sky.
Matt watched him for a second, just gazing at the pure male beauty. Then, he cleared his throat. “I was gonna grab some breakfast. Want to join me?”
He lowered his gaze and those blue eyes focused on him. “Aren’t you tired?”
“Sure. I intend to go to bed at some point, but right now, my stomach needs to be taken care of. There’s a diner just around the corner.” Matt had noticed it yesterday. “Meet me there?”
“I—”
“You need to eat, don’t you?”
Lassiter nodded. “All right. I’ll see you there.”
“Okay, good.” Matt waved and headed toward his motorcycle, looking back once to see the doctor heading toward physician parking. He wondered if the good doc would actually join him or if he just agreed with the intention to blow Matt off. He hoped it was the former.
Chapter 2
Calvin didn’t know why he drove into the parking lot of Benji’s Diner. For one thing, he didn’t think much of the food there, and for another he didn’t like Matt Walton. Not at all.
Perhaps the night had been too hard on him. Calvin had lost patients before. But it never got easier. Not for him. And this one had been a young man who’d reminded him of his brother, Barnaby. He’d been about Barnaby’s age, too. His chest had caved in from the accident. Calvin could still hear his mother’s inconsolable wails.
He could never be a doctor who viewed patients as faceless, nameless people. Perhaps it would be easier that way, but Calvin didn’t do easy.
Calvin pulled into a space, turned off his car and got out. Matt, who had already arrived ahead of him, speeding no doubt, had parked his cycle and was standing by it.
He watched the man walk toward the entrance of the diner, his faded jeans obscenely hugging his lower body. On the upper half he wore a simple white T-shirt, although it looked almost painted on, and over that a beat up leather bomber jacket.
The last thing he needed was to be sitting down to breakfast with some hotshot dark-haired bad boy with eyeliner, chocolate eyes, and muscular arms like tree trunks. He had silver studs all up and down the cartilage of both ears, too. Barnaby would approve. Calvin did not.
“Hey, I wasn’t sure you’d come,” Matt said as he met Calvin at the door. He held it open for Calvin who stepped through and told the hostess there were two of them.
He followed after the gum-chewing teenaged girl to a cracked and peeling booth in the corner.
“Your waitress will be with you in a moment,” she declared and then sauntered off toward the entrance.
Matt sat across from him and smiled his man-eater smile, flashing white teeth and dimples, for God’s sake. How irritating.
“I’m starved. How about you?” Matt asked as he picked up his stained menu. “Says here Benji’s has been here since nineteen forty-two.”
“Yes, I think the menus are original.”
The waitress, a middle-aged skinny African-American woman named Betty came up to their booth.
“Coffee?”
“That would be great,” Matt said enthusiastically.
“Don’t bet on it. Tea. Green, if you have it.”
Betty looked down her nose at him. “Dr. Lassiter, you know we don’t have that.”
“I haven’t given up hope that if I request it enough times you’ll get a clue and start carrying it.”
“Don’t bet on it,” she mocked him. “Lipton?”
He sighed. “Yes.”
“Be right back.”
Matt studied him curiously. “They seem to know you here.”
“Twenty-four hour diner near a hospital. Yeah, everyone comes here at some point. They’ll know you before long, too.”
“What are you going to have, Dr. Lassiter?” Matt pushed a strand of his jaw-length hair behind his ear.
“You may as well call me Calvin.”
“Oh, okay.” Matt grinned.
“Outside of the hospital anyway.” He didn’t expect to see much of Matt outside the hospital, of course. “The one egg breakfast with bacon.”
“I think I’m going to have the Big Man breakfast.”
Calvin wasn’t the least bit surprised. The Big Man, which had been offered at Benji’s for many decades, consisted of three eggs, bacon and sausage, hash browns, and pancakes. “You must work out if you eat like that every day.”
Matt nodded. “I do and I don’t. Meaning, I do work out, but I don’t eat like that every day.”
Betty returned with their drinks and took their orders.
Matt sipped his coffee and grimaced. “Not the best.”
“You’ll learn to order tea.”
“How long have you been at the hospital?”
“Four years counting my residency.” Calvin added a packet of honey to his tea, thoughtfully brought by Betty who remembered he drank it that way.
“Lucky. I’ve been trying to get in here for months.” He grimaced again and added a big dollo
p of cream and several packets of sugar. “I liked the hospital I was working at before, but I moved to Glendale and it was getting to be too much of a commute.”
Calvin vaguely recalled most of Nathan’s family lived south of Los Angeles, including his stepbrother, and he wanted to ask Matt why he moved from Orange County to the Los Angeles area. But since he’d told Matt he didn’t discuss his private life, he could hardly be nosey with the man.
“This is a great hospital with a terrific reputation. I can see why you’d want to work here.”
“Definitely. You working tonight?”
“No. I’ve got the next few days off. I’ve got some sleeping to catch up on.”
“Yeah, and I’ll bet your boyfriend misses you,” Matt said with a sly look.
Calvin couldn’t help but smile just a little at his not so covert attempt to get the information he wanted out of Calvin. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“Oh.” Matt pretended to look mildly curious. He could tell it was a pretense. “I’m pretty sure Barnaby or Nathan said you were gay, though. Right?”
He could see the man just wasn’t going to quit until he admitted his sexual orientation. “Yes, I am gay.”
Matt nodded, as though satisfied. “Beautiful man like you? I’m surprised you don’t have a significant other. What’s wrong with the men in Los Angeles?”
“I really don’t have time for a relationship anyway.”
Betty brought their breakfasts and refilled Matt’s coffee and his hot water. “Enjoy.”
Calvin mixed his over easy egg with his hash browns and added just a smidge of salt. He’d been blessed with perfect cholesterol. “What about you?”
“Well, actually, I did have a boyfriend. Moved up here from Orange County to be with him. Too bad he turned out to be a cheating jerk.” Matt shrugged. “I decided to stay here anyway, get a new start.”
“That’s too bad about your boyfriend.”
Matt smiled a little and dug into his breakfast. He chewed several bites before he spoke again. “You know you aren’t so bad.”
“Excuse me?”
The other man waved his fork. “You have sort of a reputation at the hospital.”