by Tatum Throne
“What happened?” Nathan asked.
“Not sure,” TJ said. “Where does it hurt?”
“Fucking everywhere,” Nathan said.
“Whoa…sit down before you fall down,” TJ said.
Pressure was put on his shoulder. Pain shot down his arm in a really bad way. He was walked over to their unmarked. Nathan felt his stomach turn. TJ’s mouth was moving but Nathan couldn’t process anything that he was saying. Everything around Nathan faded to black and white. Nathan reached out, trying to grab the edge of the trunk. His hand slipped, and he fell hard into the street.
Chapter Seven
Life wasn’t supposed to be so complicated. Reed sat in front of his parent’s house, debating whether or not he should go inside. It was really hard for Reed to ignore his father’s invitation that had been left on his voicemail. It had been so long since he saw anyone. It felt as though too much time had gone by. Reed ran his hand through his hair, trying to get the nerve to go inside. Rain continued to hit hard against his windshield with little drops here and there. It was finally tapering off after a downpour. He was hoping that it would ease up before he had to get out of his car.
A little girl passed in front of the window. The little girl’s blonde curls spiraled around her head. Reed knew that this was his twin’s daughter. Reed shut off the Jeep. He wished that Nathan was here with him. Work had gotten in the way. It always would if they stayed together.
“Are you coming inside?”
The sound of his father’s voice startled him awake. Reed suddenly wished he hadn’t driven over to his parent’s house. He did not want to do this today.
“I haven’t decided,” Reed said.
“I told them that you are in town.”
“Why did you do that?” Reed asked.
“They want to see you, son. It’s been too long.”
Reed shook his head. He knew they would never be able to make up for so much lost time. Rainwater splashed down upon his father’s face. Dark clouds kept his father’s face shadowed.
“Have you decided?”
He could only assume that his father was asking about the job. “No, I haven’t.”
“That’s too bad. I was hoping to make the announcement at work tomorrow.”
“You can’t afford me,” Reed said.
A chuckle broke the night air. The sound of his father’s laughter was jarring. He couldn’t remember a time he ever made his father laugh about something he said.
“Perhaps I can. Come inside. Dinner’s getting cold.”
“I’ve already eaten.”
“That’s an order, son. Now move your ass before you upset your mother.”
The rain started to ease as his father crossed the front lawn. Reed sat in his car, trying to get the gumption to go inside. David stepped outside onto the front porch. His little girl ran past him and across the front yard. Reed felt the corners of his mouth tick up into a smile. David’s little girl was really cute and really headstrong from the looks of things. David’s gaze cut to the Jeep Reed was sitting inside. Reed was starting to feel like a tool for not coming inside.
Reed got out of the Jeep. His twin’s gaze cut away from the scar on his face to the ones on the inside of his forearm. Reed felt foolish just standing there waiting for something to happen. David’s little girl toddled over, tripping over her feet as she started to fall. Reed rushed over, catching the little girl under the belly before she landed on her face on the wet grass. A startled cry of laughter erupted from the little girl. David rushed across the yard, picking his daughter up from Reed’s arms.
“She is a bit of a handful,” David said.
Reed stared at his brother. The years had gone easy on him physically, but there was a darkness to his eyes. “I’ve heard that girls are harder to raise.”
“Michelle would agree with you on that on.”
David was frowning hard as though there was a hell of a lot more to the story. Relationships were not easy. From the looks of things, Reed could sense that things were not going well between them.
“How is she?” Reed asked.
“Good. She’s inside. Everyone wants to see you.”
That was the all the confirmation Reed needed to know that David’s marriage was on the rocks. Reed couldn’t think about Michelle without thinking about high school.
“I should go,” Reed said.
“Don’t go yet. Nia wants you to hold her.”
“I’m not very good with children.”
David laughed, handing his little girl over to Reed. “I’m sure you’re not. Are you doing okay?” David asked.
“Things are good. Did Dad tell you I’m working with him at District Four?” Reed asked.
“He mentioned something about you working with him. He didn’t say much about it.”
“I’m reviewing their policies and procedures on tactical training. They’ve had some incidents in the past few months that have gotten them too much attention.”
“Yeah, you can say that again.”
David hesitated as though he wanted to say something. “I was hoping we could catch up soon. I really need to talk with you.”
“Sure. We can go out for coffee this weekend.”
David smiled. “I’d like that.”
Reed followed his twin toward the house. This wasn’t the homecoming Reed expected or wanted but it was happening. His mother was in the kitchen with her bright yellow apron on. She turned when she saw him, dropping the spoon in the mashed potatoes she was stirring. Tears rushed to her eyes as she saw him for the first time in almost five years. Reed nearly fell backward as his mother jumped into his arms, crushing him with a big hug. It wasn’t long before everyone came into the kitchen, giving him a hug.
“About time you boys came inside,” his father said.
They went to the dinner table where his mother was putting out the dinner plates. They all sat around the table. Michelle was distant toward David. Reed knew things were not well. They were not a happy family.
“I always knew you were just like Reed,” Michelle said to David. “Why did it take me so long to see it?”
“Excuse me?” David asked.
Michelle jumped up from the table. “Just stop lying to me! To everyone!”
She ran from the room, but David didn’t bother following her. The bathroom door slammed shut.
“Are you okay?” Reed asked.
David shook his head no and pushed his chair back from the table. Reed’s mom picked up Nia, who had started to fuss.
The kitchen telephone rang, breaking the tension. Reed watched his father go over to it, picking it up and answering it. Nothing good came when the telephone rang at dinnertime. It was either the job or a telemarketer.
“Chief Anderson.”
Reed watched his father’s face go from a golden brown to stone cold grim. Something was very wrong. Instinctively, Reed eased away from the table and headed toward his father who was still on the phone. He wanted to be there to hear the news first.
“I’m on my way.”
“What’s going on?” Reed asked.
“That was TJ. Detective Stow was hurt in the line of duty. They’re on the way to the hospital now.”
“I’m going with you,” Reed said.
Their eyes locked. For a moment, his father looked as though he was going to argue with him to stay put, but then he nodded once yes. Reed pulled the keys to the Jeep from his pocket as he glanced at his father.
“I’m driving,” Reed said.
Tension vibrated through Reed’s body as he drove to the hospital. He couldn’t believe that Nathan had been hurt.
“How bad is it?” Reed asked.
“I’m not sure. He’s being evaluated now.”
Reed nodded, knowing he couldn’t open his mouth again without giving his true feelings away. That was the last thing he wanted to do in front of his father. Traffic was busy around the hospital. Reed parked at the emergency room entrance. They went inside together
and were directed down the hall to a private emergency room waiting area. TJ was standing by the windows with his arms crossed and a glower on his face. Reed went over to TJ to talk to him. From the look on TJ’s face, Reed knew that things did not go well in the field.
“What happened?” Reed asked.
“Nathan saved my fucking life,” TJ said.
“You didn’t want him to?”
TJ ran his hand through his hair. “I was taking the lead on this warrant. Nathan pushed me out of the way when we were greeted at the front door with a shotgun.”
“Fuck.”
“Yep. He took the bullet meant for me.”
“He did good then. How was he when they brought him in?” Reed asked.
“Out cold. It was my fault.”
“No it wasn’t. Things happen,” Reed said.
TJ glared as though he wouldn’t ever agree with him on this matter. Reed couldn’t focus on anything but getting in there to see Nathan. His father walked away to chat with the nurse in charge of the waiting area. Reed hoped he was asking about Nathan’s condition. After a few minutes, he came back over to Reed.
“The emergency room doctor is stitching up his arm. He didn’t need surgery,” Chief Anderson said.
“Good to hear,” TJ said.
“Reed, I want you to look at everything with London. I want to make sure things went down by the book,” Chief Anderson said.
Policies and procedures were the last thing on Reed’s mind. All he wanted to do was get back there to see Nathan to make sure he was okay. He didn’t want to think about work or everything he would need to do to train Nathan.
“Sure. No problem,” Reed said.
“I think Detective Stow is going to need more one-on-one training with you. You’re going to be in charge of that,” Chief Anderson said.
“What?” Reed asked.
“I want you training Stow,” Anderson repeated.
TJ glanced between the men before walking away. Reed didn’t want to be in on this conversation either but there was no way he could walk away from his father right now.
“That’s not a good idea,” Reed said.
“Why not? You’re one of the best I have. London is swamped with retraining officers outside and inside our district. I need our guys solid before they go into the field.”
There was no way Reed could take over Nathan’s training. It was one big conflict of interest. “I can’t.”
“Why the fuck not?” Anderson asked.
Reed looked away. He could not meet his father’s gaze. How was he supposed to tell his father that he was sleeping with Nathan? This conversation was so not happening here and now.
“Isn’t there someone else within the department?” Reed asked.
“No. You’re all I have.”
His father glared at him as though he could see into his mind. That look was notorious for making Reed uncomfortable.
“Fine. How long?” Reed asked.
“As long as it takes. I’ll inform him when we go back to see him.”
Fuck. Fuck. Double fuck. Reed did not want to be in charge of his lover’s future. Nathan will not be happy with this either. It was one thing to sleep with a lover, but it was quite another to train that lover for work. They would have to cool things off until Nathan’s training was over. That was the only way Reed could get through this. From across the room, Reed’s father signaled him that it was time to go back to see Nathan. Reed buried his hands into his pockets when he was nervous. He strolled down the hallway with his father at his side, all the while thinking that this was a big fucking mistake.
* * * *
Pain ricocheted down Nathan’s arm as he worked his shoulder out. The bandage was wrapped around his bicep. His shirt was ruined when the paramedics cut it off. The blood made the flesh wound look a whole lot worse than it was. He didn’t want to admit it to anyone, but he was a big fucking pussy when it came to seeing blood coming from his body.
“Are you sure you don’t want anything for the pain?”
Nathan looked up at the nurse. “No. I’m good.” The nurse looked as though she didn’t believe him. “When can I get out of here?”
“I’ll go get the doctor.”
“Thanks.”
It was getting late. Nathan was starting to feel emotionally zonked out. The adrenaline rush of the encounter had faded an hour ago and was making him feel spent. A flimsy curtain separated Nathan from the rest of the emergency room. The curtain billowed as two sets of feet walked by. Chief Anderson appeared through the break in the curtain. Reed was at his side, looking absolutely delicious and ready.
Nathan’s gaze immediately went to Reed and held there. Something was up. Reed glanced quickly away from his look. Nathan’s legs hung off the side of the gurney. He smiled wryly at Chief Anderson.
“You didn’t have to come out here for me,” Nathan said.
“I heard what you did for TJ,” Chief Anderson said.
“It was no big deal,” Nathan said.
“Regardless, this entire situation was one big fuck up. You’re going to have to go through more training before you go back into the field.”
“Excuse me?”
Nathan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He’d been put through weeks of training to get on the SWAT team. Enough was enough in his mind.
Chief Anderson glared. “You’ll do it if you want your job. Reed will be doing your training. When he signs off on you, then you can get back into the field.”
Surprise vibrated through Nathan’s body. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why is that?” Chief Anderson asked.
The truth was on the tip of Nathan’s tongue. He wanted to tell the Chief that he fucking loved his son and was fucking the hell out of him in his free time. Nathan let his gaze slide to Reed who was giving him a hard warning stare that said he better keep his mouth shut about what they were doing in their free time. Nathan reluctantly swallowed the truth and hated how bitter it tasted going down. He didn’t like the idea of hiding the truth from the people who mattered in his life.
“I’ve had enough training,” Nathan said.
“You haven’t been through my training,” Reed said.
A shiver vibrated through Nathan’s body. He couldn’t look at Reed without the truth of his feelings being displayed for everyone to see. He loved all the submissive training he’d been through with Reed and desperately wanted more of it.
“When do we start?” Nathan asked.
“You can start as soon as the doctor clears you for duty,” Chief Anderson said.
“Are we having fun yet?” Parker said.
Dr. Parker Woods broke the tension in the room as he came in through the break in the curtain.
“Am I good to get back to work?” Nathan asked.
“I’d baby the shoulder for a few days so that the stitches heal. Other than that you’re good to return to the job,” Parker said.
“Great.”
Chief Anderson grumbled something about taking some time off to heal. “Maybe a few days to rest.”
“No. He’s okay to return. It was really just a flesh wound. The bullet tore through the outer side of his arm, leaving more of an abrasion than anything else,” Parker said.
“Make sure he gets home safely,” Chief Anderson said.
“Sir?” Reed asked.
“I’ll have TJ give me a ride home.”
Chief Anderson left, leaving silence in his wake. Parker checked the bandage on his arm. “Thank you for what you did for TJ,” Parker said.
There were tears in Parker’s eyes. It was then that Nathan knew that they were something special together. Nathan let his gaze move over Reed. He wished he had that with Reed, too. A deep sense of longing filled his heart. He wanted everything with Reed but Nathan knew that convincing Reed of that was going to be really difficult. The man put honor and duty above love and life. Nathan loved how focused Reed was on the
job but at the same time Nathan hated how it pushed them away.
Nathan nodded. “It was no big deal. I would have done it for anyone.”
“Yeah. You SWAT guys are like that, aren’t you?” Parker said. “Are you his ride home?”
Reed pinned Nathan with a hard stare. “Yeah. I am.”
“Good. Any more dizziness?” Parker asked.
“No. It was just the sight of my blood that did it,” Nathan said.
“The nurse will be in with your discharge papers in a few,” Parker said. “Thanks again. I owe you one.”
Several minutes later, Nathan was walking out the emergency room entrance with Reed at his side. Reed was unusually quiet as they headed toward his Jeep. Reed opened the passenger side door for him. Their gazes caressed.
“Talk to me,” Nathan said.
“Not here.”
Nathan got into the Jeep, feeling as though something was very wrong. Reed circled the front of the Jeep, getting behind the wheel. Panic moved through Nathan’s heart. He’d been on the receiving end of a breakup before. All the signs were there, but Nathan refused to believe that Reed would break up with him over this training. Reed drove across town, parking in front of Nathan’s place.
“Talk to me, Reed,” Nathan said.
After a long while Reed said, “We can’t do this anymore.”
Tears stung Nathan’s eyes, but didn’t fall down his cheeks. He refused to cry in front of Reed. “Why not?”
“I don’t want to jeopardize your career with the department.”
There was cold hard steel within Nathan’s voice. His delivery was a bit harsh. “My training won’t be forever, babe.”
“It’s over. Just let us go.”
He didn’t know if he could or even wanted to. “Understood.”
Nathan’s heart shattered as he stared at Reed within the darkness of his Jeep. It was really over. Nathan couldn’t believe it was so fucking over. He got out of the Jeep and walked inside his shitty little apartment without looking back.