by Carol Lynne
After parking the truck, he wandered inside. “Where you at old man?”
“Who you calling old?” Gill asked, sliding out from under Nate’s Mercedes.
Hal was surprised to see Nate’s car in the shop. “What’s wrong with it?” Hal gestured toward the black convertible coupe.
Gill shook his head and wiped his hands on a rag he’d pulled from his back pocket. “Not a damn thing. This car’s a masterpiece of machinery.” Gill brushed the back of his hand across the passenger side door. “I asked Nate if I could borrow it to study for a week or two while things were slow.”
Shocked, Hal shook his head. “And he said yes?”
Hal would have sworn he saw the big black man blush. “Well, he asked me for a favour, and I told him this was the payment.” Gill shrugged.
“So what was the favour?” Hal asked sitting on a stool close to Gill.
“Kyle needed someone to fix the wheelchair lift on his van.” Gill shrugged. “It was no big deal.”
Hal studied his friend. He just wasn’t acting like himself. He knew Gill was interested in someone in town, but Hal had never pried into whom. “You like him, don’t you?”
“Nate? Yeah, he’s a nice enough fella.” Gill stood and walked toward the sink to wash up.
Hal grinned. “I was talking about Kyle Brynn.”
Gill started scrubbing his hands with vigour. “What are you doing here anyway? I thought you had a building to finish and a man to take care of.”
Even though he hadn’t answered the question, Hal now knew the answer. Deciding to let it drop, Hal walked toward the sink. “I thought maybe you’d like to get something for supper.”
Pulling some paper towels off the roll, Gill turned around. “What’s going on?”
“What do you mean?” Hal scratched the side of his neck before shoving his hands in his coat pocket. “I just needed a break from my thoughts, no big deal.”
“Deb’s?” Gill threw the towel into the trash and started unzipping his coveralls.
Hal was always surprised by the shear muscle mass of Gill’s body. You couldn’t see it in his customary work gear, but despite having been out of professional football for eight years, Gill looked bigger and stronger than ever. He walked into the office and waited for Gill to lock up. “You wanna just follow me? I thought I’d stop by and do some work on the hall afterward.”
“Meet ya there,” Gill said walking toward his truck.
It was almost seven o’clock when Hal parked in front of the church. Hoping a couple of hours work on the addition would set his mind at ease, Hal got out and started unloading the tile and adhesive.
With the first load set on the floor, he made a pot of coffee. It should be ready by the time he had all the boxes unloaded, and he had a feeling it was going to be a long night. After readying the pot, he plugged it in and noticed a little spark. Hal studied the outlet for a few seconds. He’d have to bring in his voltage tester in the morning. Shaking his head, he walked back out to the truck.
Sipping his first cup of coffee, Hal thought about Casey. Gill had reminded him that the annual lighting ceremony in the park was at eight-thirty. He knew Casey had never witnessed Beauregard Park lit up in all its glory. Was what Hal was feeling worth having Casey miss it?
He pulled out his phone and called home.
“Kuckleman residence,” the soft voice said.
“Hey,” Hal said. “I thought maybe you’d like to come into town and go to the lighting ceremony.”
Hal held his breath when Casey didn’t immediately reply. “Well, I just got off the phone with Nate. I tried to call, but you had your phone turned off. I left you a message. They’re going to pick me up. Would you like to meet us at the park?”
“Sorry, I went out to eat with Gill.” Hal blew out a breath. He really didn’t feel like competing with Nate tonight. It also annoyed him that Casey said Hal could meet them at the park. His temper surged. “Forget it. I’ll work on the building. See you later.” Hal hung up without waiting for a reply. He was sure it was a childish thing to do, but he wasn’t feeling grown-up just then.
Picking up the broom, he decided to sweep up. He had a pretty good sized crew of volunteers coming the next day to paint. After that, he could get started on the trim work and the floor.
The longer he worked, the more guilty he began to feel, or was it jealous? He wanted to share the lights with Casey. The thought of the smaller man wrapped in his arms drinking hot chocolate was too much to resist. He just hoped Deb’s Diner was still open.
Shrugging into his coat, Hal ran out the door. If he was lucky he could get the cocoa and still make it to the park in time to find Casey.
He didn’t know why he’d even come. The lights were beautiful, but they didn’t sparkle for him. Casey looked over at the threesome, happily cuddling up to each other as they laughed and joked. Rio, Ryan and Nate had tried hard to include him, but some things you couldn’t share.
Casey thought about his earlier phone conversation with Hal. He’d been so upset and worried after Hal left the house. It took him by surprise when Hal had told him he’d eaten dinner with Gill. Knowing there wasn’t anything between the two men didn’t make the sting any lighter.
The fact was, Hal was in a good enough mood to go out to eat but not good enough to ask Casey. It was times like this, Casey wished he was a cussing man. A few choice words directed at Hal would probably make him feel much better.
“You look like you’re ready to go,” Nate said walking over.
“Yeah.” The last thing he wanted was to go back to Hal’s house and wait for him. “Would you mind dropping me off at my place?”
Nate looked at Casey for a few seconds. “You sure?”
Casey nodded. “If Hal wanted to see me he’d be here instead of working on the addition.” Casey shoved his hands in his coat pockets and walked toward the parking lot.
As they passed the church, Casey spotted Hal’s truck around back. A sharp pain hit him in the stomach. He wasn’t sure if it was the ulcer flaring up or seeing Hal’s truck and knowing he couldn’t go after him. Casey pressed his fist to his gut, hidden in the darkness of the backseat.
Nate stopped the SUV and turned to look at Casey. “You sure this is where you want to go?”
“Yeah. Hal has a few things he needs to work out. I’d just be in the way.” He received a nod from Nate in reply. Opening his front door, he waved back before stepping inside.
As soon as he crossed the threshold, Casey tore off his coat and made his way to the bathroom. “Please don’t let me throw up,” he moaned as his stomach started to roll. He felt a little better after splashing his face with water, so he decided to take a shower and just go to bed.
With two large cups of hot chocolate in hand, Hal made his way through the thinning crowd. When he didn’t see who he was looking for, he asked Mayor Madison if he’d seen Casey.
“I saw them leave about an hour ago,” Quade replied.
Stopping long enough to dump the full cups into the trash, Hal headed home. Even though he’d yet to make peace with his past, Hal knew Casey was definitely his future. The important thing now was to make sure Casey knew it.
When he arrived home, he was surprised to find the house dark. “Casey? Baby?” When no reply came, Hal quickly walked from room to room. Finding no sign of Casey he called Nate.
“Hello.”
“Hey, it’s Hal. I just got home and Casey isn’t here, are you guys still out somewhere?”
There was a slight hesitation before Nate answered. “Casey wanted us to drop him off at his house. He said you had some things you needed to work out and he thought it best that he stay at his house until you do.”
“Oh.”
“Sorry, man.”
Hal felt numb. “No problem, he’s right. I need to get my head on straight and deal with some stuff. Thanks for taking him tonight.”
“No problem.”
“Bye.” Hal hung up the phone. He admitted to
himself that Casey’s attitude hurt. Yeah he needed to do some more heavy thinking, but he thought Casey understood it no longer had anything to do with their relationship. Evidently, Casey thought differently.
Grabbing a bottle of whiskey out of the cupboard, Hal poured himself a drink and walked toward the living room.
Casey wasn’t sure how long he’d slept before he woke, with a persistent pain in his stomach. Sitting up in bed, he rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock. It was only eleven so he hadn’t been in bed long.
Deciding maybe some antacid pills would settle him down, he rose and walked toward the kitchen. Grabbing the bottle out of the cupboard, he went to the sink for a glass of water. Looking out the window, he saw the lights were still on in the addition seconds before he noticed the smoke. “God help me,” he said reaching for the phone. After a quick call to the fire department, Casey was out the door racing toward Hal and the burning building in nothing but his underwear.
He was surprised to find the door locked. He banged several times, calling for Hal. When he got no answer, Casey tried looking in the window. The smoke was getting thicker by the second, and he could barely see a couple of feet. Afraid Hal had been overcome with smoke, he quickly searched around for something to break the window.
Coming back with a large rock, Casey broke the glass, yelling once again for Hal. With the mutton bars on the windows, he knew there’d be no way he could climb in. Reaching his arm up as far as he could his fingertips brushed the lock. Taking a calming breath, Casey tried again, feeling a brief sting as his fingers managed to flip the lock.
Hearing sirens in the distance, Casey pushed the window open and hoisted himself inside. “Hal!” Casey tried to cover his nose and mouth with his arm. He felt the sticky wetness of his own blood against his face and looked down. A large jagged cut on his upper arm made him a little woozy. He hated the sight of blood.
Shaking it off, he pulled his underwear off and held it against the wound as he continued to search the large room. Not finding Hal in the main room, he quickly ran toward the bathroom. He was glad the fire seemed more smoke related than anything else. Just as he was coming out of the women’s restroom, the door to the outside was kicked in.
Casey looked up at the fireman, complete with oxygen mask. “I can’t find Hal,” he cried, seconds before passing out.
Chapter Ten
The ringing phone brought Hal slowly out of a deep sleep. He ran a hand over his face and realised he was still on the couch. His second thought was a phone call in the middle of the night was never a good thing.
Scrambling for the phone, Hal managed to reach it before it clicked over to the answering machine. “Hello?”
“Hal, its Ryan. I just got a call from dispatch. A fire was reported at the church.”
“Fuck.” Hal ran a hand over his bristled jaw. “The church though, right? Not Casey’s house?”
“No, looks like the addition. Casey’s the one who phoned it in. I’m headed there now.”
“Right behind you,” Hal said and hung up.
He quickly ran to the kitchen and slipped his boots and coat on before rushing out the door. As he drove down the drive, he tried calling Casey’s house. He knew he wouldn’t reach him, but he had to try.
The closer he got to the building, the more a sense of urgency overwhelmed him. Fire? How had the building… “Oh fuck,” Hal said. A sudden vision of the coffeepot came to mind and the small spark earlier. Had he inadvertently burned down Casey’s church by leaving it on, or was the wiring the culprit? Neither option sat well, nor was he prepared for the sight before him. Not only was there a fire truck in front of the church but an ambulance as well.
Hal was out of the pickup and running toward the ambulance in a split second. Please don’t let it be Casey inside, he thought as he wove through the milling crowd of onlookers. He reached the ambulance just as two paramedics were lifting a stretcher into the back. “Casey,” he yelled, pushing past the fire fighters.
“Hal,” he heard the muffled reply. Looking over the paramedic’s shoulder he could see Casey, white as a sheet, with an oxygen mask over his face. He looked so small on the stretcher it almost dropped Hal to his knees. He started to climb in, but Zac, the new paramedic in town, stopped him.
“Sorry, Hal, but you’ll have to follow us to the clinic.”
Warring with himself between arguing with the paramedic, and letting them get to the clinic, Hal nodded. Looking at Casey, he held up his hand. “I’ll be there before you are, baby.”
Without giving a second look to the building behind him, Hal ran for his truck. He was waiting for the ambulance as it pulled up to the back emergency entrance to the clinic.
Hal stepped through the automatic doors and acknowledged Dr. Sam Browning. He didn’t know Sam well but had met him on several occasions. He knew all three physicians in practice at the clinic were good, he just hoped Sam was the best.
As soon as Casey was wheeled into the brightly lit room, Hal saw Casey wince. Hal took his place at Casey’s side. Reaching for his lover’s hand, he noticed the blood soaked bandage for the first time. “What happened?” Hal asked Zac.
“He cut himself trying to unlock the window to get into the building,” Zac said after filling Sam in on Casey’s vital signs.
Sam looked at Hal. “I need to get him into the operating room and get the bleeding stopped. Wait out here and I’ll let you know.”
The gurney carrying Casey disappeared behind a swinging door, and Hal turned to Zac. “Is he gonna be okay?”
“Probably,” Zac said, taking off his latex gloves and tossing them into the trash in the nurses’ station. “He was inside searching for you when the fire truck arrived on scene.”
“Looking for me?” Hal asked, running his fingers through his hair.
“Seems he saw the work lights on and thought you were still in there.”
“He risked his life thinking I was in danger?” Hal asked, more to himself than Zac. He couldn’t understand it. Hal cursed under his breath. It was totally his fault Casey was in that room. First whatever he’d done to catch the damn building on fire, and then being in such a hurry to find Casey at the park that he’d left the lights on.
Needing some air, Hal made his way toward the entrance only to be stopped when Ryan, Rio and Nate pushed through the double doors.
“How is he?” Ryan asked.
“I don’t know. They brought him in and took him immediately to one of the exam rooms. His arm was bleeding pretty badly though.” Hal scrubbed the heels of his hands over his eyes.
Ryan’s hand landed on Hal’s shoulder in sympathy. Nate didn’t stop there but instead wrapped his arms around Hal’s waist. “I’m so sorry.”
Giving Hal’s shoulder a slight squeeze, Ryan released him. “The actual damage to the addition was minimal. They won’t know for sure until they have a few more hours to go over things, but it seems a power surge might’ve been the culprit. The coffeepot was left on.”
“Shit,” Hal said and closed his eyes. Could there possibly be a bigger arrow pointing toward whose fault all of this was?
Hal was distracted when Sam came into the waiting room. “How is he?”
“He’ll be fine. Casey lost a good amount of blood, but his pressure’s doing fine and we’ve got him all stitched up. I’d like to keep him overnight, but he’s insisting he be allowed to go home.” Sam chuckled and shook his head. Yeah, Hal could just imagine his little man standing up to the doctor.
“So I can take him home?” Hal asked, rubbing his hands on his jeans.
“Give him a few more minutes on oxygen. He inhaled a little smoke but nothing damaging. He’ll need some clothes though.”
“Huh?”
Sam blushed, “It seems he was only wearing his underwear when he entered the church. After seeing his arm, Casey did the smart thing and used what he had to hold against the wound.”
Despite the fact Casey was safe, the idea of even a handful of people seeing
his man naked didn’t set well with Hal. “I’ll take him home in a hospital gown. Bill me for it if you need to.”
Hal left the hospital with a very drowsy Casey wrapped in a hospital gown and blanket. Through a little creative buckling, Hal managed to secure Casey so he could stretch out in the seat beside him.
With Casey’s head on his lap, Hal pulled away from the clinic. “The church?” Casey asked, his voice still a little scratchy.
“I haven’t seen it, but Ryan assured me the damage wasn’t anything that couldn’t be repaired.” Hal threaded his fingers through Casey’s hair. He was glad nothing more serious had happened. “I’m sorry, babe.”
Casey turned his head and kissed Hal’s hand. “I was so scared you were in that building. All I could think about was getting to you.”
“When I realised I’d been a shit-head, I decided to surprise you at the park with hot chocolate. You were the only thing on my mind and like a complete ass I left the lights and the coffeepot on.” Hal sighed. “I’ll pay for the damage and do the repairs free.” He wanted to ask Casey for his forgiveness, but Hal knew he didn’t deserve it.
“Hey,” Casey said, looking up at him. “When I saw the smoke? I didn’t give two thoughts to that building. It was you I was worried about. Still am.”
Hal tried to watch the road, but his eyes kept drifting down to Casey’s face. “I love you.”
“Good, because you’re going to be seeing a lot of me for the next ten days.”
“I hope for a little more than ten days, babe,” Hal said with a grin.
“Oh, you’re not getting rid of me. I meant I’ll be working beside you during the day and sleeping beside you at night.” Casey gave him a smug look, and Hal shook his head. Before he could protest, Casey continued. “It’s more stress for me to sit at your house and worry about the building getting done in time. At least this way, I’ll be doing something about it. I may not be the most experienced help you’ve ever worked with, but I’m the cutest.”