by K. C. Wells
“That doesn’t mean we’re not worried,” Will added. “We look at the calendar and count off the weeks until October.”
“This operation,” Ed began, speaking hesitantly. “Is it dangerous? I mean, I know people ’ave implants fitted all the time, but still, Nathan’s just a baby.”
Blake scanned the garden quickly. Sophie was still in sight, Angelo crouching down beside her. “We’ll tell you what’s involved, but not now. Little ears, guys. We don’t want her hearing this.”
“Can you stay for dinner?” Will asked. “I don’t know if you have plans for this evening, but you’d be most welcome to eat with us. We can talk when Sophie’s gone to bed.”
“Angelo and I have no plans. We’re seeing Elena tomorrow for Sunday lunch. I’m sure Angelo won’t mind.”
Ed glanced at Colin. “You wanna stay?”
Colin smiled. “Actually, I think that’s a good idea.”
“It helps, doesn’t it, being around others?” Blake said quietly.
Colin nodded, and to Blake’s mind, he relaxed a little.
“Er, never mind about dinner.” Ed gave Will a mock-glare. “We ’aven’t ’ad so much as a sniff of lunch yet.” He flicked his head in Nathan’s direction. “At least he got a bottle.”
Will laughed. “It’s ready. And if you’re that hungry, you can help me bring it out.”
Ed got to his feet and followed Will into the house, muttering under his breath, “What did your last slave die of?”
Blake shook his head, smiling to himself. Never a dull moment with Ed around. Thank God.
* * * * * *
“Okay, then what’s the sign for this?” Ed asked, pointing to Sophie’s glass of milk. She mimicked pulling a cow’s udders, and he laughed. “Really?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Blake said, standing up from the couch, “and it’s time for our little sign language teacher to go to bed.”
“I want to stay up with you and Daddy.” Sophie pouted. “Can’t I stay up?”
Blake gave her a hard stare. “And since when do you argue? You’re going to be staying up late when we go to Rick and Angelo’s wedding, right?”
“Yes, Papa. But—”
Blake said nothing but regarded her steadily, unblinking.
Sophie stood up. “Yes, Papa.”
Will smiled to see this interaction. “Good girl. Now say good night.” She went to each of their friends, arms wide for a hug. Will had watched her spend at least half an hour teaching them all the signs she’d learned, and it was good to see how they took her seriously.
He gave her a big hug and kissed her on the cheek. “Sleep well, precious.”
“Good night, Daddy. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Blake scooped her up into his arms and lifted her onto his shoulders. Will had to smile. Sophie loved it when he did that. He could hear her giggling as they went upstairs. Nathan was already asleep in his cot, the baby monitor switched on. Will closed the door to the hallway and sighed.
“Okay, who’s for another glass of wine, or maybe something stronger?”
“You got any brandy?” Ed inquired.
Will nodded and went over to the drinks cabinet. “Anyone else for brandy? On second thoughts, I’ll just bring over the bottle and some glasses.
“Something soft for me,” Angelo said. “I’m driving.”
Will saw to their guests, and then sat on the couch, a glass in hand.
“’Ave you written yer speech yet?” Ed asked him with a cheeky smile.
Will laughed. “No one word.” He winked at Rick. “Not worried, are you, about what I’m going to reveal?”
Rick snorted. “Put it this way. I think I’ve got less to worry about with you, than Angelo has with Maria.” He rubbed his hands together gleefully. “I can’t wait to hear all her tales about him growing up.”
Angelo stared at him. “She wouldn’t embarrass me—would she?” Rick merely arched his eyebrows and he groaned. “Of course she would.” The others laughed.
“How’s Lizzie doing? She must be on maternity leave by now. Is she still coming to the wedding? It must be close to her due date.”
“She’s due at the beginning of September,” Ed told Will. “She’s been on maternity leave since the end of June.” He chuckled. “The last time I spoke with her, she was complainin’ about Dave. Seems he’s not up to speed with gettin’ the baby’s room ready.”
“Do they know the baby’s sex?” Will asked. He felt a flush of guilt that he hadn’t been in touch with her or Dave for a while. Then he reasoned that there had been quite a lot going on in their lives to account for that.
“Yup. It’s a girl. An’ Lizzie wanted Dave to repaint the room, seein’ as he’d painted a racin’ car on the wall for Justin.” Ed snickered. “This one took ’em by surprise.”
Blake poked his head around the door. “They’re both asleep.” He peered at the coffee table. “Shall I bring some snacks through?”
Will smiled. “Thanks, babe. Great idea.” Blake retreated and Will got up to check the baby monitor’s volume level. There was no sound from Nathan’s room. He sat down again and picked up his glass.
“So, tell us about the op,” Ed said quietly. “Will Nathan ’ave to stay in overnight?”
Will nodded. “The surgery takes about three to four hours usually.” Blake came in with bowls of crisps and snacks, and placed them on the table. He sat beside Will and then picked up the glass of brandy Will had poured for him. Blake sat back and reached for Will’s hand, their fingers intertwined on Will’s thigh.
Will tapped behind his ear. “This is where they’ll go in. It contains a honeycomb of air pockets, and they use a drill to open these up to go in deeper.”
Blake sighed. “We’ve read up on this so many times, not to mention watched videos of the procedure, that we know what happens step by step.” Will tightened his grip on Blake’s hand, and Blake gave him a grateful glance. “The short version is they make a hole from one to one and a half millimetres wide through the bone of the cochlea, and that’s where they insert the electrodes.”
“Electrodes.” Rick shuddered, and then gave Blake an apologetic look. “Sorry. It just seems hard to connect that word with the little boy I was playing with in the garden.”
Will huffed. “You get an idea of how we feel, then. I keep telling myself that the end result will be worth it, because Nathan will have a much better chance of communicating once he has the implants.” He met their gazes. “He’s going to have two implants. We’ve discussed it with Dr. Michaels and we’ve decided that’s the way to go.”
“There’s a receiver part, isn’t there, that fits onto the electrode?” Colin asked.
Blake nodded. “They create a slight indentation in the bone further back on the skull, which is where the receiver stimulator part sits at the end of the operation. Then the wound is sutured closed and on go the bandages.”
“And three weeks after that is activation day,” Will concluded. His gaze met Blake’s. “When the hard work really begins.”
Blake nodded. “And we’ll be ready for it.”
“Any time you want an ’and with anything, you only ’ave to ask, you know that, right?” Ed said, his tone earnest. Beside him, Colin was nodding.
“And that goes for us too,” Rick added. “Babysitting, shopping, whatever. If there’s things we can do to make it easier for you, name them.”
“There’s one thing we can all do,” Colin said suddenly. “You can e-mail us the link for those online lessons in sign language. Just watching Sophie this evening was an eye-opener. She knows so many signs, and she’s only four.” He smiled. “All four of us have been a part of her life, and I see no reason why we won’t be part of Nathan’s. So that means we need to communicate with him too.”
Will’s throat tightened, and he turned his head to gaze at Blake. “You do realize this gives us a problem?”
Blake blinked. “What problem?”
Will
gestured to their four friends. “How the hell do we choose which of them is going to be Nathan’s godfather?” It was a joke between them that while Sophie hadn’t had a church baptism, she did have several people who considered themselves to be honorary godparents.
Blake grinned. “That’s easy. All of them.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
August 11th
Colin put down the phone and made a few notes in the file on his screen. The sheer scale of this project was impressive, but he relished the challenge. When the new building was finished, it would be eye-catching and maybe even a little controversial, but innovation always pushed boundaries in his opinion.
The phone buzzed. “Ready for your coffee now?” Marion asked.
Colin glanced at his watch. Ten-thirty and the day already showed signs of being long but productive. “I think I can manage a coffee break.”
“I’ll be five minutes.”
He stretched, his spine popping. Outside the temperature was climbing, but in his office the air con kept the room at a far more reasonable temperature. He gazed at the brilliant blue sky above the line of buildings, not marred by a single cloud, and the first thought that came to mind was Ed on that beach the previous summer, lying face-down on a towel, while Colin leisurely applied sun screen to his back and legs.
I think I need a holiday.
Not that it was an option right then. Not while Ray…
Colin leaned on his desk and put his head in his hands. The previous night, Ed had been on the phone with Rick, talking about the wedding. Colin had half listened, not really taking anything in. He couldn’t drum up any enthusiasm for the event, but he put that down to current events. He hoped that by the time the big day arrived, he was in a better frame of mind. Because if he still felt the same, he was half inclined not to go. Rick and Angelo didn’t need him and his poor mood spoiling their wedding day.
When his personal phone rang, one look at the screen sent his stomach plummeting. It was the hospice. Colin stretched out his hand toward it, but it was as if he was reaching through treacle, a thick sludge that impeded his every movement. The call connected and he recognized Julie’s voice, quiet and lilting.
“Colin? Hi, it’s Julie, the Staff Nurse from the hospice. Is this a convenient time to call?”
Seeing as there were only two possible routes their conversation could take, he resisted the urge to tell her that this was always going to be a bad time to call. He steeled himself for the inevitable. “It’s fine. How is he?” What surprised him was that he wanted Ray to still be alive, for them to have the opportunity of one last conversation.
“How soon can you get up here?”
Shit. They were apparently down to the wire.
“This afternoon if I get my skates on.” And if my boss is willing to grant me a leave of absence for a few days…
“I think that would be a very good idea. I don’t think Ray has long left, and he’s asking for you.”
“Then I’ll do my best.” He said goodbye and disconnected the call, all the while trying to decide who to talk to next—his boss or his fiancé. Get the practicalities out of the way. I can call Ed later when I’m en route.
Two minutes later he was peering around the office door at Simon’s secretary. “Is he busy?”
Trish smiled. “You’re in luck. He’s just this minute finished a conference call. Go right in.”
Colin pushed open the door and stepped into Simon’s light, airy office that occupied a corner of their building. Behind his desk was a tall cabinet containing all their awards and press releases. Simon glanced up from his desk and smiled. “Good morning.” Then the smile faded. “Are you all right?” He gestured to the deep chair facing his desk. “Sit down.”
Colin did as instructed. “I’ll come straight to the point. You know I’ve been spending a few weekends in Scotland these last couple of months.”
Simon nodded. “A sick friend, I think you mentioned once.”
“By the way, thank you for those occasions when I was able to finish work early to catch a flight.”
Simon’s smile made a brief appearance. “Don’t mention it. I like to think of everyone who works here as being part of a family. And isn’t that what you do with family? You help them when they need it?”
It fitted Colin’s experience so far of working in the company. “Yes, but not every business treats its staff as you do.” He paused. “Ray was my ex. I’ve been visiting him because I recently discovered he has lung cancer.”
Simon drew in a sharp breath. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I take it by your expression that the news isn’t good?”
Breathing, speaking—both acts were a real chore right then.
“I’ve just received a call from the hospice where he’s—”
Simon held up his hand. “You don’t have to say another word. That told me all I need to know. Would you like a leave of absence?”
Colin’s throat threatened to seize up, and he coughed. He got his breath back. “I’m sure I’ll only need a couple of days.”
Simon shook his head. “You take as long as you need, okay? And if there’s anything I can do, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
Colin stood and extended a hand over Simon’s desk. “Thank you,” he said, gripping Simon’s hand tightly. When he released it, he stepped back. “I’ll go and arrange a flight.”
Simon nodded. “My thoughts will be with you.”
Colin gave him a grateful smile and hurried from the office. Once he was back at his desk, he took a moment to regain his composure before calling Ed.
“Nice timin’,” Ed announced as the call connected. “I’m just ’avin’ me coffee break.”
“Julie called,” Colin said quickly.
Ed’s manner changed in a heartbeat. “When are ya going?”
“On the first flight I can get a seat,” Colin told him. “There’s one around one-thirty, I think.”
“Right. You ’aven’t got time to go ’ome, so go as you are. You can buy toiletries at the airport. Get your arse to Gatwick an’ I’ll meet you there. Leave the tickets to me. ’Ave you got yer passport?”
“It’s in my laptop bag. Wait—you’re coming too?” His head was spinning.
Ed sighed. “You didn’t think I’d let ya go there on yer own, did ya? I figured you’d need me.” He went quiet. “Was I right?”
God bless Ed. “Like you have to ask. Thank you.” He hadn’t realized until then just how much he dreaded the journey to Edinburgh, for what was in all likelihood the last time.
“Thank me when you see me. We’re wastin’ time. I’ll meet ya outside the North Terminal, all right? I’ll text when I’ve got the flight times. Just get there as fast as you can.” He hung up before Colin could say another word.
Ed’s brisk manner broke through his dazed state, and Colin packed up his laptop, grabbed his coat, and headed out of the office, trying not to think about what awaited him at the end of his journey.
* * * * * *
The speed with which Julie led them to Ray’s room was enough to set Colin’s heart racing. She’d met them at the door when they got out of the taxi, greeting them with a few words.
“We told him you were on your way,” she said as they walked briskly through the hallways. “I’ll show you in then I’ll leave you alone. There’s a buzzer to call me if you need me.” She stopped outside his door. “Just so you know? He signed a DNR order this morning. He said he’s ready.” She patted Colin’s arm. “It won’t be long now.” Julie held the door open for them, and Colin walked slowly to the bed.
Ray was breathing laboriously, the air mask fogged with condensation. His eyes were closed. The only sounds were the monitor beside his bed and the torturous rasp of his breathing. Colin gazed down at him, conscious of Ed’s hand on his back, a comforting presence.
“Hey there,” he said softly.
Ray’s eyes flickered open, and he smiled. “You’re here.”
Colin sat on the bed and took Ray
’s hand in his. “You knew I’d come, right?”
Ray grasped the air mask and pulled it aside. “Something… you have to know…. Saw… a solicitor… this morning.”
“Please, put the mask back on,” Colin begged.
Ray gave a slight shake of his head. “Important. You’ll get…. a letter… naming you as… executor… ”
“You want me to take care of things for you?”
Ray gave a slow nod. “Not got… much…. Just the… flat. Sell it. Proceeds to go… to an AIDS charity… Trust you to… pick the right one…. All in the… letter.”
Colin blinked back tears. “You got it.”
“Want you… to go there… Go through… my stuff. Choose something… to remember me by.”
Colin wiped his eyes. “Like I could ever forget you.”
Ray put the mask back, his own eyes growing moist. Colin held his hand gently, stroking the back of it. Ray glanced at Ed. “You’ve got… a good man here.”
“Don’t I know it.”
“So tired,” Ray murmured. “Maybe I… should sleep.” He closed his eyes.
“You sleep if you need to.” Colin kept up the gentle stroking, hoping it soothed him.
Suddenly Ray’s eyes flew open. “Loved you… ” Before Colin could respond, he closed his eyes, his breathing changing. His face relaxed, all the lines smoothing away. It was only the continual low whine of the heart monitor that told Colin he was gone.
Colin sat there, still clasping Ray’s hand. “He went so quickly.”
Ed rubbed his shoulder. “It’s like Julie said. He was ready.” He leaned forward. “I’m gonna step outside for a minute, okay?” Colin turned to regard him, and Ed stroked his cheek. “Thought you’d like to say goodbye on yer own.” He patted Colin’s shoulder and then left the room.
Colin stared at the still form of his first lover, so many memories clouding his head, coming at him thick and fast. He got to his feet and leaned over Ray, cupping his face. Carefully, so, so carefully, he removed the air mask and placed it on the pillow beside Ray’s head.