by Lynn Stark
“I’m alive,” he tried to joke through clenched teeth. One more wave of the hideous pain and Fallon thought he just might pass out.
Dale reached out to squeeze Fallon’s shoulder. “Always a good thing, my friend. Now let’s get you out of here. I hope you don’t mind us pampering you for a while?”
Chuckling, Fallon shook his head. He was relieved when they helped him onto a litter. “Not at all.” The words were forced out between clenched teeth. Just when he was getting used to the pain, it had to go to a new level.
“There’s a helicopter waiting in the meadow below here. We’ll only have to carry you about two hundred yards. Don’t worry about anything. You’ll be at the hospital before you know it.”
“Good to know.”
Fallon gave up worrying about anything after that. His relief at being found and transported to the hospital nearly overwhelmed him. He was well aware of how close he had come to dying. Bears were dangerous and to be treated with respect and a great deal of caution. He had been prepared for that. What he hadn’t been prepared for, and he should have been, was someone else not dealing with the situation as they should have. He was, however, relieved that none of them had been hurt or killed.
One helicopter ride and surgery later, Fallon was stretched out on the hospital bed and eyeing green gelatin as if it was potentially radioactive. He hated the stuff and had made a point of not choosing it as he checked off the selections for his evening meal. What was it with hospitals and gelatin, he wondered. Was it like a federal law that all hospitals had to serve it? Pushing it aside, Fallon leaned back with a sigh. He was being discharged in the morning. It wouldn’t be too soon for him. He didn’t do boredom very well.
Of course his family had come to see him several times, always staying a couple of hours each visit. When he had woken after the surgery, it was to see his sister’s face hovering over his. Marla had grinned when she saw that she had scared the shit out of him. “Love you, too, Bro,” she had said, patting him on the cheek and kissing the tip of his nose.
It didn’t surprise Fallon to learn they had gotten to the hospital almost as soon as he did. They had visited him regularly since then. Marla had brought his nephews the second day. She told him she wouldn’t have done so, but they had overheard someone talking about the attack and the older two had demanded to see for themselves that their Uncle Fallon had not been eaten by the bear. They were very impressed with the bandages that covered him from hip to knee.
After three days, however, Fallon was more than ready to go home. No infection had set into the wound. His doctor was monitoring it closely, but was now satisfied Fallon could go home the following day if he promised to not overdo it.
With his father and grandfather vowing to take care of business matters at the store, Fallon had no reason to protest. How could he? The two men had been keeping things in order at the store for decades, and they had learned from the founder, Fallon’s great-grandfather. There was not one argument he could have made to get them to let him do his job.
Chuckling as he gave up trying to think of a way to persuade them to let him at least sit in his office, Fallon reached for the paperback his father had brought for him. It seemed the only action he was going to get was by living vicariously through the macho characters of the action-adventure novel. Too bad they were straight and their love interests had the wrong equipment.
Fallon was almost finished with the second chapter when he heard the door open. Glancing up from the page, he blinked in surprise when he saw Hank standing there with a bouquet of cellophane-wrapped supermarket flowers clutched in one hand and an envelope in the other.
Fallon was more surprised to see the man standing there than he had been by being attacked by a bear. He didn’t know why, he just was. Perhaps it was because, in the back of his mind, he had been prepared to encounter the bear. Nothing could have prepared him to receive a visit from Hank. Not that he was complaining. He liked the guy. It would be easy to be friends with the man. Anything more was presently out of the question, but he wouldn’t think about that at the moment. Later. Much later.
“How are you feeling?” Hank asked when Fallon didn’t say anything. He took another step into the room, allowing the door to swing shut behind him. Fallon watched as Hank glanced back at it uncertainly, as if he didn’t know if he should keep it open or not. He definitely showed signs of nervousness, shifting from one foot to the other and licking his lips. Fallon had the sudden urge to kiss those lips. He forced himself to look into the man’s eyes and not at any part of Hank’s body he might want to molest. Hank was staring at Fallon’s bandaged leg. He was wearing a pair of jersey shorts, leaving his legs exposed. The hospital gown had been tossed aside as soon as his father brought clothes for him. “Did it hurt much?”
“Yeah, it did,” Fallon answered, chuckling.
“A bear really bit you?”
Hank was obviously having a difficult time processing the facts. He also sounded horrified. Well, that was unexpected. “Yep. Are those flowers for me?”
Frowning, Hank’s gaze remained on Fallon for a few seconds as he processed the question. Then he blushed and nodded. “Uh, yeah, I thought you might like them. I like flowers,” he added almost defensively.
Giving the man a smile, Fallon said gently, “So do I. Carnations are my favorite. Did you know the scarlet carnation was the favorite of President McKinley and is also the official flower of the State of Ohio?”
“Really? I didn’t know that. My mom has a greenhouse out in the backyard. She starts all kinds of seeds. Her flowerbeds are beautiful in the summer and fall. In the winter you can go out to the greenhouse and it’s all warm and filled with green stuff. Winters can suck in Buffalo. It makes it extra nice to hang out in. She even has a banana tree.”
Hank began to venture further into the room. Fallon watched his progress with interest.
“Does it get bananas?”
Nodding, Hank came closer. He looked completely lost. “Yes. I really impressed my friends when I was a kid. I’d charge them a nickel to look at it.” Hank smiled weakly and glanced around. “I’m afraid I forgot to get a vase for these.”
“Why don’t you put them in the water pitcher? I’ll get another.”
Fallon watched as Hank carefully removed the flowers from the cellophane wrapper and put them in the water. He didn’t pour in the preservative, but did leave the packet on the bedside table. Fallon was then handed the card.
Opening it, he saw that it was from everyone at the store and not from Hank personally. Fallon felt oddly disappointed, yet pleased that his employees had taken a moment to think of him. “Tell everyone thank you, won’t you, Hank? I’ll thank them personally when I get back.”
“Sure thing. Well, I better get going. Do you need anything? I can get it for you, if you do.”
Not wanting Hank to leave so quickly, Fallon thought of any excuse to have him stick around longer. “How about hanging around and watching some TV with me? It’s pretty boring around here.”
Confidence didn’t seem to be a big part of Hank’s character. Fallon had noticed he didn’t lack it on the sale’s floor, or dealing with his coworkers, but he seemed to fade into the background otherwise. Like now. He was trying to disappear. Had Fallon made Hank uncomfortable by asking him to stay?
Fallon tried to fix it. He would give Hank a way out. “Hey, it’s no problem if you can’t. I’ll probably go to sleep soon anyway.”
“No, no! I mean, I don’t mind staying for a while. I’ll just have to call and tell them I won’t be back to the store for a while.” Hank laughed at this and stared pointedly at Fallon.
Okay, so the guy was not only cute, he had a sense of humor, too. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll talk to the boss.”
Hank snickered. “Which one? Your father or your grandfather? They were both in Sports Wear when I left.”
“They were wearing it, or they were in the department?”
There was a blank stare for
a moment. Then Hank was laughing again. He had a cute laugh, Fallon thought, hoping to hear more of it. “You’re funny!” Hank declared, continuing to laugh. The door opened, and a cart was pushed in. The aide gave them both a smile as he took a covered tray off of it and carried it to the table. Hank’s stomach grumbled loudly. Fallon and the aide both glanced at him. “Oh, hell. That was embarrassing.” He stood up and headed toward the door. “Well, I better leave so you can eat.”
“You don’t have to leave.” He grimaced. “They’re trying to tempt me into eating more. There’s probably green gelatin under that lid. Hate the stuff.”
“Not me! I love it.” Hank was close now and watching expectantly as the aide lifted the cover from the food. “That’s mine!”
Fallon watched with amusement as Hank saved him from the gelatin. The aide laughed and left, promising to bring another tray of food for Fallon’s guest. Fallon didn’t try to stop him. Although he knew he should keep a more professional relationship with Hank, he also knew he was weak where the man was concerned. They could at least be friends. It was like accepting a second place ribbon when you had worked hard for the shiny trophy. It wasn’t very satisfying, but it had to be accepted.
In the end, Hank stayed for another hour. Fallon kept the topics of conversation to strictly generic ones. He learned a lot. Hank shared a love of gardening with his mother. He had two brothers and a sister. He loved watching sports, but had never been much of an athlete, although his siblings had all excelled at them. He had a good relationship with his family and spoke with them at least twice a month. Neither of them broached the subject of what had brought Hank to Silver.
Fallon told Hank about growing up in Silver, how he had hated leaving to go to college in Massachusetts, and how relieved he had been when he was able to return.
Hank’s brow dipped. “I’ve heard people say that a lot. They leave, but they’re glad when they get back here. It seems like a nice place, but is it really that special?”
Nodding, Fallon smiled. “Yes, Silver’s that special. I didn’t just come back because I knew I would be expected to take over the family business. I came back because this is where I want to fall in love, where I want to be married—now that that is possible—and where I want to raise a family. I want my kids to know how special Silver is, too.”
“So you’re gay?” Hank asked bluntly, blushing, but not appearing as if he regretted the question. That told Fallon that Hank was becoming comfortable being around him. They were shifting from employer and employee to friends. Fallon doubted Hank-the-employee would have dared ask the question.
“For as long as I can remember.”
“Yeah, me, too.” Hank stood up, smoothing his hands down the thighs of his jeans. “Well, I better get going. Thanks for the snacks.”
Hank had cleaned off both trays the aide had brought, Fallon only taking half of a turkey on wheat sandwich. He made a mental note to add gelatin to his grocery list in the future, thinking he might be able to tempt the man into coming over.
Hating to see Hank leave, but knowing he had to, Fallon sighed. He forced a smile to his lips. “Thank you for bringing the flowers and card, Hank. Would you be interested in helping me at my apartment? While I’m not supposed to just sit around on my butt, there are some things I won’t be able to do for a week or two. I normally do my own cleaning and shopping. It would really help me out, if you could help me in the apartment for a couple of hours. Then you can finish your shift in the store, if you want. Either way, you will be paid for a full shift.”
Fallon hadn’t really thought Hank would volunteer, but he jumped on Fallon’s request. “I can do that stuff for you. That way you can concentrate on getting better.” His gaze dropped to Fallon’s leg. “I hope it doesn’t hurt much.”
“Only like a bear’s gnawing on it.” Hank winced, causing Fallon to laugh. “My father’s picking me up. I should be home around eleven tomorrow morning. Why don’t you come up to my apartment around noon? You can make lunch, if that’s not a problem.”
“No problem at all. I’m a pretty good cook. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Although Fallon hadn’t really expected it, he felt regret when Hank left. He missed the man as soon as the door closed behind him. There was the possibility that he wouldn’t be able to keep this to a strictly professional relationship with Hank, and knew he should call and tell Hank to forget about coming to his apartment.
Fallon never made that call.
Chapter Three
“Do you have a date or something?” Randy asked as he paused in crunching his way through a bowl of cereal. Randy was one of several housemates Hank had. “I don’t remember you ever smelling so good first thing in the morning.”
“It’s not the first thing in the morning. It’s almost ten thirty. And quit sniffing me.”
He had slept in. This was normally his day off, but he didn’t have to get to Fallon’s until noon. The extra sleep had felt good. Now he was refreshed, filled with energy, and ready to go. How long had he felt the exact opposite? Drugs had ripped away his health quickly, something that had taken time to reverse once he was off of them.
Hank liked living here with these people. The house was owned by Reagan and Noah. The two men had met, fallen in love, moved in together within a couple of days of meeting, and promptly proceeded to take in people needing help, people like Hank and Randy, and a few others. The house was filled with people with different levels of problems. There were rules. Hell, there were a lot of rules. Reagan was a cop, and he liked having rules. Hank didn’t mind, however. He really needed those rules right now. It made him feel as if someone cared, and they did.
Hank stared at Randy, who was staring at him, waiting for an answer to his question. There was a drop of milk at the corner of Randy’s mouth. Hank stared at it. Randy was a cutie. It would be no hardship to hook up with the guy. He could lick away that drop of milk, and he would forget about stupid ideas like falling for Fallon. Feeling his face heating up, Hank turned toward the cupboard with the bowls in it. “No. No date. I’m just helping out a friend today.”
“What friend?” Randy pressed before opening his mouth and shoving another spoonful of sugary cereal into his mouth.
Although he could have told the guy to mind his own business, Hank wouldn’t do that. He had friends now. Real friends he counted on to help keep his life in order, as he would help them. They had all screwed up in one way or another. Hank’s thing had been heroin. Randy had been hooked on cocaine and a variety of prescription meds. He had supported his habit by being a rent boy for more than three years, before he had discovered the program that had essentially offered a new life, a clean life, for the participant. Hank knew Randy had been skeptical about it. Hank had felt the same. But he had owed it to himself and his family to get clean and begin again. Someday he might be able to return to Buffalo.
Why didn’t that possibility fill him with as much pleasure now as it had before? Hank wondered about that, frowning.
“Well, it’s actually my boss, Fallon Connolly,” Hank admitted reluctantly as he sat down and reached for the milk. He screwed off the cap and poured some on his cereal. “He’s getting out of the hospital this morning, and he asked if I would be willing to help him out around the apartment with cleaning and cooking.”
“Wow, that guy’s hot. How are you going to keep your hands off of him?” Randy asked curiously, sounding envious.
Grimacing, Hank shook his head. “There won’t be any problem with that. He’s my boss. That means no touchy-touchy. We’re as different as night and day. I really doubt that there’s anything about my scrawny ass to attract someone like him.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. If I topped, I’d do ya.”
Nearly choking on his cereal, Hank stared at Randy as the guy smugly chewed his own cereal. “You just stay away from me.”
“I just said I don’t top. You’re safe. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to let the guy know you’re available.”
Hank ducked his head, staring at the multi-colored spheres floating in milk. “I was serious about not having anything in common with the man. Besides, why would an upstanding citizen be interested in a former heroin user like me?”
“Hey, you have as much to offer as the next guy. Your boss is gay, isn’t he?” Hank nodded. “Well, you see there, you both already have something in common.”
If it was only that simple, Hank thought an hour later as he rode into town with Carla, one of the other people living in Reagan and Noah’s house. She was in her own little world, singing along to a CD she had put in as soon as they got in the car. Hank didn’t mind. He wasn’t in the mood to talk. He was questioning his decision, his very impulsive decision, to help Fallon out around his apartment during the next few days.
Hank liked helping people. Getting clean and beginning to care about things again, beyond where he would get his next fix, made his life worth living. It gave him hope. But letting his emotions get away from him wouldn’t be a good thing. So far, he hadn’t met anyone he would like to spend the rest of his life with. Someone would come along, and they would be perfect together. Hank smiled at the thought. He liked the idea of falling in love. Sometimes he would try to imagine what his future love would be like. They had to be easygoing. Hank avoided drama like the plague. He had had one boyfriend right after high school that threw a hissy fit anytime he didn’t get his way. It could be something as basic as not wanting mushrooms on even half of the pizza they were ordering. Yeah, drama he could do without.
It would take an imagination greater than his to imagine Fallon having a hissy fit. Hank had never met anyone more even-tempered. There had been incidents at work that might have had others shouting in anger, but not Fallon. He had listened to explanations and offered a reasonable response. Hank had a lot of respect for his boss.