Married. Wait! What?

by Virginia Nelson

  Panic crept back up his spine. “He said he’s out at the lake, alone and in the middle of nowhere.” A tear rolled down his face and for the first time in his life he didn’t care who saw him crying.

  Eric moved closer and gave him a few stiff taps on his back. “We’ll find him.”

  Alex managed a weak smile for Eric, but he sure didn’t feel it. God, please don’t take him from me. I love him. I know that now, please bring him back to me. Silent tears flowed as Eric gave him a quick but cold bro-hug. He remembered the feel of Jacob’s arms as they were wrapped around him this morning. That was only this morning? Seems ages ago.

  As his phone vibrated in his pocket, Alex couldn’t untangle himself from Eric fast enough. Digging into his pocket he pulled it out even as he pushed Eric.

  “It’s him.” He swiped the answer button and slammed the phone to his ear. “Jacob? Are you alright?”

  “Sir. This is St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Henderson. I see you are the last person in contact with our patient, that’s why I’m calling.”

  “Jacob, is he okay?”

  “Sir, can you please notify a family member of his destination?”

  The calm voice was going to send him over the edge any moment. He wanted to crawl through whatever connection existed and strangle the woman on the other end. Instead the steady voice of Jacob rang through his head and told him to hand the phone to Eric, which he did.

  Alex could only listen at this point, not an active participant in his own husband’s medical emergency. “My name is Eric McKenzie, I am Jacob’s cousin. How is he?”

  Alex hung on the hope the EMT would divulge some information to Eric. “I understand. Yes.” Their eyes locked and he shook his head. Alex’s heart seized as Eric stood and turned his back to him. All he wanted was to be with Jacob, and Eric’s back was not reassuring. He left him with his phone, and headed for the taxi stand. He knew where his love was, now to get there.

  As the taxi rolled up and the valet opened the door, Eric shoved him in as he climbed in after. “No, he doesn’t have any drug allergies that I am aware of.” He covered the microphone and hissed at Alex, “I can’t believe you were going to leave me behind!”

  “Where to, folks?”

  Alex waited for Eric to take over everything but when that didn’t happen he leaned forward a bit, “St. Dominican in Henderson please.”

  “Know it well, great place when you need it.” He turned on the meter and pulled away from the curb. “We should be there in about half an hour.”

  Thirty minutes? Fuck. Alex leaned into the seat back frustrated.

  “I can see this is more than just a visit.”

  “Is there a faster route? My friend…my husband had an accident. The nurse won’t tell me anything.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.” The words sunk in through the fog Alex had been in since he got the second text.

  He looked in the rearview mirror, waiting for the cabbie to look back. When he did, “Thanks man, appreciate it.”

  “No problem. I know some back roads.”

  Alex felt like a fool. The fact Eric had been relaying medical history should have clued him in that Jacob was alive. He nestled back into the seat and stared out the window at the mountains surrounding the valley. How could I have been such an ass to him this morning? He doesn’t even know how much I missed him. God why didn’t I tell him how I felt?

  Eric handed him back his phone as he pulled up a number on his own. He’d ended the call with the EMT, so Alex hit redial. After a few seconds, he heard Jacob’s mellow voice. “This is Jacob, strange, but I can’t answer this right now for some reason. Leave a message or you could just send me a text.” The steady pace, and strong tone of Jacob’s recorded voice settled some nerves deep inside even as it stirred memories he’d thought long dead. The first kiss they’d shared, Jacob owned his heart that night. Alex knew it then but fear of his grandfather’s recusal kept him silent. Alex ended the call and waited for the longest thirty minutes of his life to pass. He’d be silent no more. Jacob was his.

  Eric practically flew from the cab as it rolled to a stop outside the emergency room, leaving Alex behind without a backward glance. Asshole. Alex pulled his wallet out as he looked at the meter. He handed the driver five twenties as he scrambled out of the cab after Eric.

  Alex entered the ER scanning everyone for Eric until he spotted him sitting at an intake station. I should go over there. He’s MY husband. Eric appeared to be filling out paperwork so Alex found two chairs together and sat, his right leg tapping out an insanely fast rhythm as he waited. He can answer their questions better than I can, after all it’s been ten years. Even then, I couldn’t have answered anything about his medical history. He stood as Eric stood, hopeful for some bit of news, but he disappeared through a door with the nurse he’d been talking with. Alex rushed across the room to the door, but the lock clanged into position as he reached for the handle. He knocked, while looking through the small window as Eric turned a corner out of sight.

  “Can I help you, sir?” Alex turned to the man standing beside him. His stern look could still water. Alex looked through the window at the now empty corridor.

  “Yes, please. My husband was brought in and my cousin just went back to see him. I’d like to go too.” He tried to keep the anxiety from his tone, tried to maintain the semblance of being calm and in control. But the sneer on the man’s face informed Alex he would not be getting that privilege.

  “Sorry sir, we only allow one person back at a time.” Alex did a double take at the large burly man whose response was polite and not at all angry as he had expected. “If you’ll take a seat, I’ll let you know when you can go back.” A massive paw of a hand landed on Alex’s shoulder and gently guided him over to a nearby chair. “Tell me your husband’s name?”

  “Jacob McKenzie. He was brought in due to a rattlesnake bite and broken leg.” Alex sat and looked at the man again, his eyes were gentle and not judging as he’d originally thought. “No one has told me anything. Can you tell me if he’s going to be okay?”

  “Give me a minute.” The gentle giant moved to the intake area and started working on a computer. Alex watched every twitch the man produced, the subtle way he bit his lip as he frowned at something he’d read, the slick head tipped to the side when he read something else, a raised eyebrow followed by a sigh and his fingers dancing across the keyboard. Alex was acutely aware of each action and the concern on the man’s face wasn’t helping to calm his frayed nerves.

  The man came over to Alex, “Please follow me.”

  “Is everything all right? How’s Jacob?” The man kept walking and Alex started to walk faster as an ominous feeling began to overtake him. “Please tell me something.”

  Alex pulled up short, stopping a mere inch from the large form. “Like I said, hospital policy is one visitor at a time, not because we are trying to keep people from their loved ones, we don’t have a lot of space back here for extra people. But I think you should be with your husband when he needs you.”

  He opened the door and they continued down the hall. “He’s sedated right now.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, he has a hairline fracture to his shin, and because of the snake bite they are unable to cast it right now. His leg’s in a splint. The doctor decided a solid night’s sleep with some good pain meds would help him through some of the pain. He’ll probably sleep for several more hours.”

  A large hand reached for the curtain before them and drew it back only enough for Alex to slip through, finding himself staring at Jacob, but not Jacob. This man had tubes coming out his nose, and machines making noises from all sides. Alex looked around the small space, the width of one person on either side of the bed, a little more at the foot, nowhere for him to sit.

  Where’s Eric? Confused, Alex made his way toward the head of the bed on Jacob’s right. He picked up Jacob’s hand without the IV, slowly stroking the back with his thumb as he brushed back a wayward st
rand from his forehead. “I’m here now. I won’t leave you Jake.” He leaned in closer, kissing the back of his hand.

  “Alex, come away. There is nothing you can do for him right now, he just needs to sleep.”

  The voice was distant. Familiar. And wrong. He could do plenty right where he was. He ignored the voice. He felt the tug on his arm and shrugged it off.

  “Alex, please. He doesn’t know you’re here and he needs to rest.”

  Alex pulled his gaze from Jacob’s face to look into Eric’s stern visage. “My place is here. If you need sleep, then go.” As he spoke he watched Eric’s face change, any real concern faded. The color of Eric’s face morphed from his normal tone to a slight red, the vein at his temple pulsing. “I’ve been standing here for I don’t even know how long. Where the hell have you been while your cousin is hooked up to machines and drips and whatever else is keeping him alive?”

  “Dramatic much? Geez, I never pegged you for a flamer. I had paperwork to fill out and phone calls to make. His family can’t get here until tomorrow, and I’m making arrangements to get them from the airport to here.” With each word his voice rose until he was practically yelling the last few words.

  An orderly entered the tiny space, looking from Alex to Eric. “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. This is a place of healing and your yelling is not helping.” He pulled the curtain aside and gestured for Eric to leave.

  Alex felt the daggers fly from Eric’s eyes and pierce his flesh and didn’t bother to acknowledge his attitude toward him. He turned back to Jacob, leaned down and kissed his sleeping husband’s lips. “God, he’s a dick.” Did Jake just smile?

  “I don’t understand why I have to leave.” The venomous words were thick with indignation. “He’s MY cousin. He’s not even related.”

  “I am not leaving my husband’s side until I know he’s out of danger.”

  Alex noticed the man place his hand on Eric’s back and guide him from the small cubicle. “They are married. Spousal privileges take precedence here.”

  6

  Jacob

  Jacob kept his eyes closed as he listened to Alex defend his place in Jacob’s life, and his heart swelled with happiness. He also couldn’t avoid hearing Eric’s snide comment, the realization kicked in; his family had accepted his status as long as he didn’t flaunt it in their faces. Now, what remained of his family would no longer be his family since he married a man. The slight weight of Alex’s hand on his sent a comforting wave of warmth through him. Jacob reached for his nose to scratch an itch, the tube got in his way, why do I have tubes? Where am I anyway? His brain was foggy and unfocused. He tried to think of the last thing he did. He remembered looking at the lake but then what? He couldn’t think. His whole body felt heavy so he went with it and drifted back into the land of nod.

  When he woke next, he cracked open his eyes briefly before clamping them shut again. The brightness of the white room shot a bolt of lightning to his brain.

  “Ah, I see you’re finally going to rejoin the living.” The hushed voice was unfamiliar, yet friendly. Jacob tried to open his eyes again but cringed at the brightness. “Hang on, let me close the blinds and dim the lights.”

  Jacob heard the rustling and waited for the brightness piercing his lids to dim before slowly opening his eyes again. The darker room made it easier to lift his heavy lids and look around at the unfamiliar yet easily recognizable room. He was in a hospital. But why? He opened his mouth but nothing came out.

  “Alex has only recently fallen asleep. I’m going to remove the oxygen tube, you don’t need it.”

  “Water.” Jacob swallowed and his throat felt like it was coated in sandpaper. “Please.”

  The man stepped forward and handed him a cup of ice chips.

  Jacob took a mouthful and crunched the cool bits of ice. Once he swallowed them he managed to gather his saliva and swallowed it down before trying to speak again. “Thank you.” He took another mouthful of chips and swallowed them down, soothing away the fire from his throat.

  “He’s not left your side since he got here.” Jacob looked at the man before he turned to his left and took in the sleeping form of Alex, awkwardly curled up in the chair next to the bed, his brows furrowed with worry, yet he still looked serene.

  While continuing to munch on the ice chips, Jacob watched Alex sleep. “Seems you’re out of danger from the snake bite. It was touch and go there for a little while.” Jacob pulled his attention from Alex and looked back at the man who was clearing a dry erase board. “And you have a hairline fracture to your shin. You’ll have the splint for a few weeks.” He grabbed an exam stool and sat next to Jacob. “He’s a very devoted husband. You’re a lucky man Mr. McKenzie.”

  “I am, thank you.” Jacob looked again at the sleeping form.

  “The doctor should be by before lunch, she’ll let you know when you can be discharged. It looks like you have questions. Fire away. I’ll do my best to answer them.”

  The ice in the cup had melted enough to provide one swallow of cold water. Jacob swished it down before beginning. “What’s your name? Where am I, hospital I know, but where?”

  A broad smile smoothed out some of the hard lines from the man’s face. “Name’s Isaac, I’m a physician’s assistant. You are at St. Dominican in Henderson because you were in the desert and got bit by a rattler and fractured you shin. You were sedated, been sleeping for almost a day. Your cousin provided us with a lot of the necessary information we needed and then left so Alex could stay with you.” Isaac paused for a moment, “That about sums up the last twenty-four hours.”

  “Eric was told to leave because he was being an ass as usual. And Alex stood-up to him. Defended our relationship. Wasn’t expecting him to accept things so easily.”

  “Easy?” Alex’s groggy voice grabbed the men’s attentions. Jacob watched him unfold from the chair, a sliver of tanned flesh visible at his waistband as he stretched toward the ceiling. Delicious noises slipped out as he moved before Alex narrowed in on him. “There was nothing easy about watching you almost die, Jacob.”

  “Aww, babe, of course there wasn’t. That’s not what I meant.”

  “I’ll be around, let me know if you need anything before the doctor gets here. Alex, you know where to find me.” With that, Isaac left them alone.

  Still staring at the closed door, Jacob jumped a little when Alex brushed a stray hair from his forehead. “You scared the hell out of me, Jacob.”

  The words were harsh, but the concern in Alex’s cool green eyes was all Jacob cared about. He wasn’t the same man he’d left in the hotel room. Dare he hope he’d come closer to accepting their connection?

  “It’s not like I planned on getting snake bit.”

  “Well don’t do it, or anything like it, again. In fact I think you need to be wrapped in cotton and kept locked in a padded room.”

  Wicked thoughts floated through Jacob’s mind. “You couldn’t handle me…”

  Jacob gasped as Alex captured his lips, cutting off the rest of his statement. He struggled to gain control but Alex was clearly in charge. Teeth rasped over his tongue before nipping his lower lip. God! Such a turn on.

  The kiss ended with a light brushing of lips as Alex drew away. “I know what you meant Jacob. And I know I would have accepted you and us today anyway. You need to know that I have changed. I’m not the acquiescent boy I used to be.”

  Jacob brushed a finger across his lips, “I can tell.”

  One corner of Alex’s mouth tipped into a crooked smile. “I do like my control.”

  “You certainly controlled things…last night? Was it just last night?”

  Alex kissed Jacob before he sat on the stool Isaac had occupied. “Yes, it was last night. But I still don’t remember much. But I’ll tell you something that I know.”

  “What’s that?” Jacob adjust in the bed to sit up a little straighter.

  “After sitting here all night listening to the monitors I’m ready to acce
pt what I’ve always known but was afraid to admit.”

  Jacob looked into the piercing green serene pools and saw love as he waited for Alex to continue. The beeps on the heart rate monitor gave away his anxiety as they sped up. He ignored the obvious telltale sign and tried to sound calm. “And what is it you’ve always known, Alex?”

  Jacob watched Alex as he moved down to the foot of the bed and up the other side so he could sit on the stool Isaac vacated. He wanted to reach out to Alex, needed to feel the heat of the man beside him, but fear, or anticipation, he wasn’t sure which, kept him still.

  Alex kept his gaze down which was so out of character for the man that Jacob’s nerves began to throb, which caused his heart to beat faster which in turn had the heart rate monitor beeping faster. Placing his hands on Jacob’s shoulders. “Shh, it’s okay. Calm down, Jacob.”

  He started to feel light headed due to hyperventilation and tried to take slower, deeper breathes as Alex cupped the side of his head. “Breathe Jacob, slow your breathing. Everything is fine.” As the beeping in the room became less erratic and his body started to relax Jacob watch as a smile spread across Alex’s face followed by a wickedly sexy gleam in his eyes. Alex leaned in and kissed him on the forehead. “I’ve got you. Everything is fine.”

  Jacob kept his breathing steady and closed his eyes as he felt the remaining tension ease out of his body.

  “Hello. How are we doing this afternoon?” Jacob startled awake as a lady approach the monitors on his right. He felt the squeeze on his left hand and knew Alex was still there. “Everything looks good here.” The doctor turned and looked at Jacob. “How are you feeling Mr. McKenzie?”

  “I’m okay. A little groggy, but not bad.”

  “He’s been asleep most of the day. He’s had a cup of ice chips and some water. When can we leave?”

  “Alex, as I told you yesterday, I have to assess the patient, not you.” Jacob smiled at her admonishment of Alex, quickly wiping it away as the doctor turned her attention back to him. “I’m going to check some reflexes and see how you respond.”