by Tia Fielding
“Oops?”
“Yeah, yeah….” They made a shooing motion with their hand, trying to look stern.
“We could get one of those tiny ones. Would be easier to take with us when we go on rides.”
“Now you’re just sucking up to me. You know I love Yorkies especially.”
“Bye, guys!” Kaos called after them as they wandered out, still talking about dogs.
THE CLINIC was supposed to close around five, so Kaos drove straight home instead of stopping. It made no sense to have Hestia go nuts in the clinic, after all, and they’d be home soon anyway.
He’d gotten groceries the previous day, so he was chopping mushrooms for a cream of mushroom soup when his phone rang.
“Hey, honey, what’s up?”
“Hey, we’re going to be a bit late. There’s a car accident north of town, and they had dogs in the car. The owners refuse care if their dogs aren’t seen to, so I’ll go check it out. It’s nothing serious, though. An hour and a half max,” Padraig promised.
“Is Hestia going to be okay? It’s been a long day.”
“Yeah, I gave her a bone at work, and she’s sitting quietly in the back seat right now. She’ll be fine. I’ll talk to you later, love.”
“Okay, drive carefully. I’ll have food ready when you get here.”
“Will do. Love you!”
“Love you too.” Kaos put the phone away and continued to cook with a smile on his face.
Once things had settled down after the appliance incident, it had taken him a while to get his brain to understand that Padraig wasn’t dangerous. He would still flinch sometimes without meaning to, his mind overriding everything and making his body move without his command. Luckily, Padraig understood.
It seemed weird that he hadn’t been scared of Padraig, just wary, when he’d first moved in. He’d felt about him like he would any new person he spent time with, including Emil, for fuck’s sake, and Emil was the least threatening human being he’d ever met. The incident had affected everything, and he knew he’d be lucky if he’d ever get over it completely. Fortunately his sometimes-absentminded veterinarian was on the same wavelength with him.
Living together as an official couple had changed some things. They now had pet peeves when it came to each other. Somehow they managed to discuss them, though. It had been eye-opening to find things about Padraig he didn’t really like, and to realize it went the other way too.
He didn’t like the way Padraig sometimes whistled along with commercial jingles or other music on TV, because somehow his ears hated whistling in general. It made his skin crawl. Whistling once to a dog was fine, but whistling a tune was horrible.
Padraig, on the other hand, strongly disliked going to take a bath in the big guest room and finding that Kaos had forgotten to clean it after his own bath the previous day. Apparently having a ring of soap was horrible for him.
There were also things, like eating something the other had left in the fridge for later, or forgetting the laundry in the machine and having to wash it twice—or on one notable occasion, three times. Those things, Kaos had realized, were the things that made up a relationship.
He wasn’t sure if he’d ever had that with Trev. Probably, to some extent, but then the bad stuff had started and…. Yeah, Kaos was happy now. Ridiculously so.
And he really, really wanted to get from cuddling and hand jobs to something more soon. Not tonight, probably, since he was wiped out in a way he hadn’t been in a while, and he had to actually pay attention to using the knife because his body was so tired after tattooing all day. But soon.
The soup was ready, and he had some garlic bread in the oven, when he realized that it had been quite a while since Padraig had called.
He checked the time and saw that two hours had gone past really quickly. He didn’t want to worry, so he shot a text Padraig’s way, and then snacked on the bread when it was done. He was hungry now, but his stomach was knotting, and he felt off, like something was wrong.
Blaming his overactive imagination and fear of losing more people, he forced himself to eat a bowl of soup, knowing Padraig wouldn’t mind. Then he sat on the couch and waited, feeling more and more anxious each time he looked at the clock.
A little over three hours from the initial call, he was about to cave and call Padraig, just to make sure they were okay, but then he heard a car in the yard and sighed in relief.
“Jesus… good to worry yourself to death, Kaos…,” he murmured, and got up to receive what would most likely be a tired but enthusiastic dog.
Except… that didn’t happen. Instead, the doorbell rang, and Kaos froze for two seconds, before his brain kicked into gear and his feet took him to the door.
Behind it was Deputy Forrest with Hestia on a leash.
“W-what’s going on?” Kaos grabbed the doorframe and reached to block Hestia’s joyful greeting with the other.
“There was an incident at the clinic. Doc is fine, but he’s been taken to the hospital to be checked, just in case. I wanted to bring the dog home and explain things for you. May I come in?” Forrest asked, looking genuine for once, with no sneer in his expression or coldness in his gaze.
“Y-yeah, sure. Give her to me.” Kaos took the leash and backed inside, then waited until Forrest closed the door before letting her off leash.
He’d filled her bowl with dinner, so she ran directly to the kitchen, and Kaos hung the leash by the door. Then he gestured awkwardly to the living room.
Forrest waited for him to sit down and took the armchair. “From what we gather, Doc checked the dogs at the scene of the accident we called him to, then said he was going home. But then Mr. Miller called into the station, asking why your dog was howling in Doc’s vehicle by the clinic.”
“What?” Kaos felt confused as hell.
“We think he forgot something at the clinic, maybe. I didn’t have a chance to ask, and nobody called me yet.” Forrest looked apologetic about that, and Kaos appreciated it.
“Okay, so Hestia was howling in the car?”
“Yes, and we had couple of people at the station, so one of them went to take a look, because it was dark and we all know Mr. Miller would’ve gone himself. So just in case…. Anyway, the side door had been broken open, and the deputy found Doc on the floor. He had a head wound, had been knocked out, which I guess is why Hestia started to howl.”
Kaos felt colder and colder on the inside the more Forrest spoke. “W-was he conscious when they took him to the h-hospital?”
“Yes, but we think he’ll be kept for observation. That’s usually how it is with head injuries.”
Kaos nodded. “I know. I’ve been beaten up a couple of times.” Something difficult to read passed Forrest’s expression, and something either masochistic or cruel made Kaos add, “My ex was abusive.”
“Oh…,” Forrest said and swallowed awkwardly.
“Is there a way for me to contact him, even though I’m not his next of kin? I think his sister or Francis would be?”
For some reason Forrest seemed to blush lightly, then cleared his throat. “I think it would be his sister, yes. His phone is pretty much toast, and it’s in evidence now anyway. Just in case whoever broke in touched the phone.”
“So you didn’t catch them?” Kaos felt colder again.
Hestia trotted into the room and instantly came to him, getting on the couch and pressing against his side.
“No, but we have the whole department and people from Mercer looking. They fucked up, so they won’t stick around.”
“Okay. Will you let me know if you find out anything? I have a dog here, but….” Kaos felt unsafe, somehow.
“Sure. Is there anyone you can call, maybe? Get some company until Doc gets home?”
“Yeah, I’ll call Makai and Emil, and I’ll let Francis know. He might want to get here faster if Padraig’s injury is worse than we think now.”
“Uh, Doc’s friend is coming to visit?” Forrest asked, looking weird again.
“Oh? Okay, that’s…,” Forrest said, got to his feet, and started to make his way toward the door. “Uh, I’ll let you know if we find out anything more. And if you’re contacting your friends, the sheriff might put in a word at the hospital so they’ll give you information, or he should have the room number if you want to call Doc or something. I’ll just….” Forrest gestured at the door and basically fled the house.
What the hell was going on with the guy? Had his queer quota for the day filled up suddenly?
Curling up on the couch, he called Makai.
“Hey, Makai, uh… I need you again,” he said before Makai had time to say a word.
“We’re at home and it’s snowing, so thirty minutes. Hang in there.” Makai disconnected the call, but even with a couple of short sentences, he’d calmed down the tidal wave that Kaos could feel trying to surge up in his mind.
He couldn’t go there yet, not until he had more support than just Hestia here, and definitely not before he knew any details.
His phone rang five minutes later, and he answered the call, feeling scared. “H-hello?”
“Kaos, it’s Sheriff Newman. I got your number from Makai. I’m at the hospital with Doc Donovan, waiting for his MRI results.”
“How is he? I-is he going to be okay?” Kaos clamped his teeth to his lower lip to keep from crying.
“Yes, absolutely. He’s a bit out of it still, and they took him directly to the MRI, but he’s been conscious if dizzy. I’ll stay with him until we know something more, and I’ll call you as soon as there’s news, okay?”
“Thank you so much,” Kaos sobbed out. It meant the world to him that someone steady and kind was there for Padraig when he couldn’t be.
“Of course, son.” The sheriff’s tone held a smile, which made Kaos feel better. “I assume you’ve called Makai and Emil?”
“Yeah, they should be here soon.”
“Make them stay the night. I would think, barring any surprises, that they’ll release Doc tomorrow afternoon at the earliest.”
“Yeah, okay. Can you leave Padraig my number? I doubt he remembers it without his phone. Let him know to call tomorrow?”
“Of course. I’ll let you know any changes, but if you don’t hear from me, it’s all fine. I want you to try to get some rest, son, if you can.” The fatherly tone Sheriff Newman took then was foreign to Kaos, but he found it comforting.
“I’ll try. Uh… thanks again.”
“No problem. And scratch that brave and smart dog of yours for me, will you?” With that, Sheriff Newman ended the call, and somehow the little words about Hestia made Kaos break. He cried and buried his face into her fur when she tried to lick him.
Hestia barked and ran to the door some time later. Kaos couldn’t bring himself to get up, because he knew the door was unlocked.
Makai and Emil let themselves in, and soon Kaos was folded in Makai’s arms.
“This is becoming a habit I don’t want,” Kaos spoke against Makai’s chest.
“Dad called us for your number, so we knew something was going on. By the time you called, we’d already made sure everything was okay with the cats and such and packed a bag. We’re staying over,” Emil announced, making Kaos smile and hiccup and cry. “Oh, Kaos.” Emil sat on his other side and wrapped his arms around him, pressing himself against Kaos’s back.
It felt wonderful, being cared for like this. Again, pure thankfulness rushed his brain, and he stayed in their arms until he could gather his wits again. He explained what was going on exactly, and both Makai and Emil showered Hestia with attention and maybe a few too many treats.
“I can’t believe how clever you are,” Emil told her for the tenth time, play-wrestling with her on the floor in front of the fireplace.
“Did you call Francis yet?” Makai asked quietly, pouring them all some tea.
“Shit, no. I should probably do that.” Kaos reached for his phone, when it rang with unknown number. “Hello?”
“Kaos, dear, it’s Mary. They called me from the hospital, as I’m his next of kin. I got here as fast as I could.”
“Oh, uh, that’s great, Mary.” Kaos must’ve seemed wide-eyed, because Emil and Makai looked at him with obvious amusement.
“Yes, well, I thought I’d let you know I’ve my knitting and my book, and I let the sheriff go home to the missus. I’ll call you if there’s any news, but so far they say there’s a small bleed in his brain that should be fine. It’s not as scary as it sounds.” Her no-nonsense voice was a female version of her brother’s, and somehow that made Kaos relax.
“Is he conscious?”
“Your boy is asking if you’re conscious,” Mary’s muffled voice said.
Padraig obviously said something, and then his voice came through. “Kaos?”
“Oh God, Padraig,” Kaos breathed out the words, tears starting anew.
Padraig’s voice was scratchy when he rushed to reassure him. “It’s going to be all right, sweetheart, I promise. Is Hestia okay? I can’t quite remember.”
“Yes, she’s fine. She saved you, maybe. She howled her head off in the car until help came.”
“How did she get home?” Padraig sounded puzzled, and it broke Kaos’s heart, but he could remember the confusion after a bad concussion.
“Deputy Forrest brought her. Everyone is very impressed by her.” Then, because it needed to be said, Kaos added, “I love you. Please get better.”
“Oh, sweetheart, I love you too. My doctor is here. I’ll give the phone back to Mairead now.”
“I’ll let you know if there’s anything major going on, but he’ll call you in the morning, all right?” Mary—apparently called something quite Irish really—said in a rushed tone.
“Yes, thank you, Mary. Talk to you later.”
“Bye!”
When Kaos looked up at his friends, they were both staring at him with identical slight smiles on their faces.
“What?”
“Kaos and Padraig, sitting in a tree…,” Emil started, and Kaos grabbed the closest pillow to throw at him, making Emil giggle wildly.
Hestia jumped on top of Emil’s stomach to get to the pillow she wasn’t supposed to play with, and it all went merrily downhill from there.
ONCE THEY’D cleaned up the feathers from everywhere in the living room, they settled down with some ice cream and a movie. Kaos woke up when Makai shook his shoulder somewhere about two-thirds through A Knight’s Tale. It was a comfort movie he’d seen several times, so it was fine, but he still felt awkward for having fallen asleep.
“It’s okay, don’t worry about it. Why don’t you go upstairs, and we’ll take care of the little miss and bring her to you before we go crash in your old room, okay?” Makai looked at him with his infinite love and fucking gentleness, and Kaos felt a bit choked up.
“Okay.” He took his phone—now out of battery—and went up to the bedroom. He plugged the phone into the charger and went to take a shower. Once he got back, Hestia was in her spot at the foot of the bed, and his phone showed messages.
They were from Francis.
“Oh shit.” He didn’t even look at the messages but swiped to call Francis instead. “I’m so, so sorry!”
“Hey, it’s okay, Kaos. Mary called me, actually, so it’s fine,” Francis said, obviously trying to calm him down.
“But I didn’t call you first! He’s your best friend and—”
“Stop that, right now.” Francis’s firm tone came as a surprise, and Kaos snapped his mouth shut. “It’s all right. She called me right once the doctor had left after they called you. As much as we don’t like each other, she respects that I’m her brother’s best friend. So I know everything there is to know about the situation, and I even called the hospital and spoke to a nurse. Nurses talk, we have an understanding, so I’m pretty confident that you’ll have him back tomorrow evening and he’s going to
be just fine.”
Kaos wiped his eyes again, feeling grateful once more. “Thank you, Francis,” he whispered. “When will you be here?”
“I’ll try to get there sometime on Wednesday, day before Valentine’s, I hope. Unless something comes up.”
“Okay. You know, I mentioned to Deputy Forrest today you were moving to town when he brought Hestia home, and he was a bit strange about it. I have no clue what his deal is.”
“Uh, about that—” Someone called something in the background, and Francis yelled a few words back. “Sorry, I have to go. My friends here are making me go to one last play with them. I gotta run. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Yeah, go. Have fun. Thanks again, Francis.”
“No problem. Take care, Kaos.”
LUCKILY, KAOS didn’t have work on Sunday, so he could make a big breakfast for the guys, and they all played in the snow with Hestia for a good hour before lunchtime. Who knew building walls and having a snowball fight after creating Epic the Snowman would be so therapeutic?
They even got a carrot from the kitchen and some coals from the fireplace for Epic—a name Emil insisted on giving it—and then had to prevent Hestia from eating the coals. At least the thing was high enough that she couldn’t quite reach the carrot.
Once their clothes were all soaked, they went back inside and made lunch together.
“Thanks for coming, guys,” Kaos said, when they were loading the dishwasher and cleaning up the kitchen.
“Anytime. I know you’d do same for either of us.” Makai gave him a hug.
“Yeah, we’re all family, right?” Emil asked, and a hint of vulnerability was visible in his gaze.
“Yeah, we are,” he replied, and got a beaming smile in response, as well as an armful of Emil.
Once the hugging was done, Kaos promised to at least message them when Padraig was safely back home, then waved as Makai and Emil drove off.
FOR THE rest of the day, he didn’t hear from Padraig, but to his surprise, Kaos didn’t feel worried. He knew that he’d get any news and that Padraig would call if there were delays.