by Layla Dorine
Vic frowned, unfamiliar with the name. “Who’s Gray?”
“Guy I’ve been seeing.”
Vic jerked, surprised and fighting to keep it from showing on his face. No, there was no way Nicky was seeing someone. He would have mentioned him; wouldn’t he? Who the hell was this guy to just swoop in and snatch Nicky up when he’d been waiting for the right moment to ask him out?
“Vic?”
Nicky’s voice snapped him out of his inner tirade and Vic blinked, staring down at his friend’s pale and bandaged face and realizing that he’d forgotten to answer. “Yeah, I’ll call him for you. Just get some rest; okay?”
“Okay,” Nicky responded as he closed his eyes.
Vic left, his emotions a whirlwind of conflict as he wondered how the hell Nicky was going to bounce back from this, and how the hell he’d hooked up with someone without Vic knowing about it. Down in the waiting room, he walked over to River, who was still talking to Nicky’s sponsor.
“I’ll be submitting a formal letter tomorrow,” Nicky’s sponsor said.
“Do you think there’ll be an inquiry?” River asked.
“There better be.”
“Hey,” Vic called out.
“That bad?” River asked.
“Worse,” Vic said. “After you go up and see him, can I get a ride from you back to the track so I can grab his truck?”
River nodded. “No problem. Is it okay if I go up and see him now?”
“Yeah, you should. He looked about ready to pass out. Room 417.”
“Okay.”
River headed for the elevator. Vic stopped pacing and stalked over to Terry.
“You’re not going up there to see him,” Vic told him firmly.
“Dammit, Vic, I didn’t do it on purpose,” Terry insisted.
“That’s not why you don’t get to go up there. You don’t get to go because of all the shit you’ve done leading up to today,” Vic snapped. “If I have to get into a fight with you right here and now and get us both thrown out of the hospital, I will.”
Terry’s jaw dropped. He stood, looking ready to take a swing at Vic. “And how will that help Nicky?”
“It would be keeping you the hell away from him, which is the best that I can offer him right now.”
Terry hung his head, all the fight draining out of him. “All right. I deserve that. We’ll go, for now, but if I don’t hear from you regularly on how his condition is, I’m coming back down here, and not you or anyone else will be able to stop me.”
“You’ll get your damned calls,” Vic told him. “And Terry, if you do come back, leave the boy toy at home.”
Terry glared, but said nothing as Vic stepped aside to allow him and Dirk to go.
***
Upstairs, River found Nicky’s room and opened the door. Seeing Nicky lying there, one eye covered, the other half-closed, leg in traction and arm swathed in bandages, his first reaction was to take a step back.
Nicky’s good eye opened a little bit more, and River watched him struggle to focus on him.
“I was at the race,” River said, back pressed to the door.
“I’m kinda wishing I hadn’t been,” Nicky muttered.
“Yeah, I can, umm, see why.” River took a few steps forward.
Nicky tried to sit up and groaned.
“You probably shouldn’t do that,” River said as he closed the distance between them. “Not sure you should try to move at all.”
“Just wanted to see how bad it was. Judging by your face, I’m pretty messed up.”
“Sorry, I, yeah, you’re pretty messed up, and I hate hospitals.”
“Yeah, so do I.” Nicky closed his eye.
River stared for a moment, then kicked himself for being so awkward around his friend. “You really got some air on some of those jumps. When you get out of here, you’ve gotta show me how you do it.”
“I can’t wait to get back on the track. I’m gonna have to bust my ass to earn my sponsor back.”
“Yeah, but you’re one of the best riders out there; being in here isn’t gonna change that. I’ll help you train once you’re healed—every day after work. We can get you back into racing shape.”
“Thanks,” Nicky said softly.
There was a pause. Nicky’s eye remained closed, and he was shivering a little. River immediately unfolded the blanket by his feet and pulled it up over him.
“Vic said Terry hit me,” Nicky said.
“Yeah, he did. Well, he caused it. I’m not sure who hit you while you were lying on the track.”
Nicky’s eye fluttered and opened, his voice wavering when he began to speak. “You were there. You saw it. Did he do it on purpose?”
River took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “He jerked the wheel to hit you as you tried to pull away from them. Yeah, it was deliberate.”
Nicky swallowed hard and nodded, eye closing again, but River could see a small tear shimmering beneath his eyelashes that slowly escaped to slide down his cheek.
“He’s an asshat and your sponsor is going to petition to have him banned, or at the very least suspended for a long, long time. He doesn’t deserve to be racing.”
Nicky said nothing, but another tear followed the first.
“I’m sorry.” River sighed. “You didn’t deserve this or any of the shit at work either.”
“Th-thanks,” Nicky choked out.
River patted his good shoulder. “You should probably sleep or something, you know, so you can heal fast. I’ll come back later and see how you are; okay.”
“Yeah,” Nicky muttered. “See ya later, River.”
“See ya,” River said before heading out the door. He leaned against the wall on the other side, eyes closed, jaw clenched, warring with anger and sadness. What he wanted was to punch Terry in the face. Repeatedly.
With that thought in his head, he pushed away from the wall and headed downstairs, hoping like hell that Terry was still there, ’cause fuck assault charges, he could afford the bail. It would be worth it anyway.
But when he reached the waiting room, it was only Vic, staring out the window into the night. River growled and tried to uncurl his fists. There were crescent-shaped indents in both his palms, but he really didn’t give a shit.
“That fuckin’ coward left?” River grumbled from behind Vic.
“I told him to,” Vic said, looking over at River. “Looks like it was a good idea too. You don’t need to get arrested in a hospital waiting room.”
“Wouldn’t be the worst place I’ve been arrested,” River muttered.
Vic shot him an odd look, and River just shrugged. “Come on. I’ll drive you back to the truck.”
Vic nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”
***
The drive back to the track was silent except for the radio. Every now and then Vic would look over and watch River drive with a white-knuckled grip and tense jaw. All he could do was hope that River calmed down before work on Monday, or all hell was likely to break loose at the shop.
When River pulled up beside Nicky’s truck, he finally looked over at Vic. “I’m gonna make him pay.”
“We’re gonna make him pay,” Vic said. “But the best way to do that is to focus on getting him banned; okay?”
“Yeah, fine.”
“Seriously. Nicky wouldn’t want you to lose your job or go to jail defending him. You know how he is; he’d feel guilty until he found a way to make it up to you.”
River groaned, but finally nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah, I know.”
Vic got out the car and shut the door, then pulled the keys to Nicky’s truck from his pocket as River drove away. In the glove box, he found Nicky’s phone, scrolled through the sparse collection of numbers to find Gray’s, and dialed it.
“Hey Nicky. I was wondering.”
“Umm, this isn’t Nicky,” Vic said. “My name’s Vic. I’m a friend of Nicky’s. He asked me to call you.”
Gray’s voice came back a bit guarded. “
Oh?”
“He had an accident in his race. He’s in the hospital.”
“Shit, how bad? Which hospital?”
Vic could hear the worry in Gray’s voice, and it pissed him off a little that this guy he didn’t know was already so in to Nicky. “It’s pretty bad. He’s down here at Valley Central.”
“What happened?”
“A bike clipped his, and he was thrown. He landed on the track and got hit by another bike.”
“Christ,” Gray cursed. “I’m coming down.”
“He’s in ICU,” Vic informed him. “They only let visitors in for ten minutes.”
“I don’t care how short a time they let me in for as long as they let me in,” Gray responded. “Thanks for calling.”
“No problem.”
Vic hung up. It was a problem, but what more was he going to say about it? He drove the truck home and made it as far as the couch before he realized how bad he was shaking. For the longest time he sat with his head in his hands and the accident replaying in his mind. Nicky’s screams echoed in his head, and he doubted that he’d get any sleep. Turning on the TV, Vic stared at a cartoon, barely seeing it. Nicky must have been watching the damned thing last. Looking around, Vic couldn’t help but wonder if anything would ever be the same after this. Time passed slowly while he just lay there, staring absently at the screen until, mercifully, he drifted off to sleep.
***
Gray drove down to the valley, worried for Nicky and wondering what he was going to see when he got to the hospital. Sitting at the restaurant, waiting for Nicky to show, all he’d been able to think about was the surprise he had in store for him after the meal. The city’s Saturday Night Out was featuring a drum circle and Native storytelling, and Gray had been excited at the prospect of enjoying it with Nicky. He’d been to many over the years, but knew Nicky had never attended one. His plan had been to sit with Nicky in his arms, watching him experience the moment before heading to the beach to enjoy wine and dessert beneath the stars.
When Nicky hadn’t shown up, Gray’s thoughts of a pleasant evening had turned to self-doubt and more than a little internal chastising. He was thirty-three years old for Christ’s sake; there was no way he’d be able to hold the interest of a gorgeous twenty-four-year-old for long. Who had he been kidding? Nicky had likely had a much more promising, and younger, offer after his race and run off without a second thought about their date. Each time he tried to picture the moments he’d shared with Nicky over the past week, he kept being drawn back to Nicky’s eyes. How expressive they were, how open, how much Gray had enjoyed staring into them, especially when he was buried balls-deep inside him.
He closed his eyes at a set of lights and instantly regretted it as an image of Nicky, soaked from the ocean and laughing, filled his mind. That had been their first real date. Swimming and a picnic: two things Gray hadn’t done in ages. The carefree way Nicky had run down the sand was still burned into his mind. He could only hope that whatever damage was done wouldn’t take too long to heal. He couldn’t picture Nicky forced to be still for long.
Walking into the ICU, Gray saw Nicky struggling to move his hand, his efforts jerky and awkward. As his eyes trailed down, he caught sight of Nicky’s arm, bandaged heavily, and splinted so it couldn’t move. His leg was in traction, and his face was half covered in bandages, the edge of a stitch peeking out. Coming around the bed, Gray grasped Nicky’s hand gently and kissed a small patch of exposed skin, grateful that he was alive.
Nicky struggled to focus for a moment and groaned.
“How you doing?”
“Hurts,” Nicky gasped, writhing a little.
“You need a nurse?” Gray was already reaching for the call button.
“Yeah,” Nicky groaned.
Gray hit the button and a nurse came right in. She checked Nicky’s vitals, then reviewed the doctor’s orders and upped his morphine a bit. Nicky soon settled right down.
“Better?” Gray asked as he brushed the hair back from Nicky’s eyes.
“Yeah, thanks.”
“You’re a mess,” Gray remarked, trying to lessen the tension as he stroked Nicky’s hair.
“It’s pretty bad, huh?”
“Yeah, you’re gonna be laid up awhile.”
“Yeah.”
Gray moved from stroking his hair to stroking his face, running his hand lightly down Nicky’s arm. “I’m going to be here every day. I’ll come down in the mornings and sit with you awhile.”
Nicky gave a small smile and his eyelids drooping.
“Get some rest,” Gray urged, moving back to stroke his hair again, continuing to do so until Nicky fell asleep. Looking down at the bandages and casts, Gray bowed his head and said a prayer for Nicky before pressing a kiss to Nicky’s forehead and silently slipping from the room.
Sunday morning, Gray arrived as early as visiting hours allowed, shocked that someone had already beaten him to Nicky’s room. While he waited, he checked with the nurses on Nicky’s progress overnight and was informed that they couldn’t give any information to anyone who wasn’t family, so, with a sigh, he took a seat, wondering if the dark-haired young man in the room with Nicky was family.
He doubted it; they didn’t look anything alike. Oh, the other man was fit, just like Nicky, though he lacked Nicky’s definition and build. He looked taller, though, closer to Gray’s own height than Nicky was, and seemed far more serious too. His gaze wandered around the room several times, stern to the point of almost being cold. His short hair was darker than Nicky’s, parted on the side and combed over in one of those preppy business styles that Gray couldn’t ever imagine wearing.
The man ran his fingertips lightly over Nicky’s hand and Gray bristled a bit, wanting to go in there and demand to know who he was and, more importantly, what he was to Nicky. The jealousy surprised him. They’d never put a label on or attempted to define their relationship, but Gray had hoped that soon they would. His one night stand had turned into something he had no desire relinquish. Nicky was the light that Gray had never realized was missing from his life.
Which was why, as soon as the man stepped from Nicky’s room, Gray stood and crossed the hall to meet him.
“I didn’t think anyone else would be here to see Nicky so early,” Gray said as he stuck out his hand. “I’m Gray.”
The man’s eyes drifted over Gray before finally meeting his gaze. The look was angry and challenging, and it gave Gray a moment of pause.
“I’m Vic. I’m the one who called you. I’m Nicky’s roommate.”
“Were you at the race?”
Vic nodded. “Yeah. I, umm, figured he’d appreciate the support since, umm…it was a big race. It was important to him.”
“I know. I wanted to be there, but I couldn’t find anyone to cover my shift for me. Wish like hell I’d told them I didn’t give a shit and been there anyway.”
“You wouldn’t have wanted to see that,” Vic said, shivering. “I’ve known Nicky a long time, and I’ve never seen him hurt this bad.”
Something in Gray’s chest relaxed a little; hearing about the long-term friendship made him consider Vic as less of a threat. Vic had the time and opportunity, after all, and yet it was Gray that Nicky had been spending every shred of his free time with. Gray whose bed Nicky had burrowed into.
“How long have you lived together?” he couldn’t help but ask.
“Since we graduated high school,” Vic said with a slight smile. “Four years now. Did you meet Nicky at the track? I’ve never seen you around.”
“No. I don’t live in the valley. Nicky was just driving through the mountains and happened to drop in at the diner where I work. We got to know each other over pie. Well, Nicky had the pie; I was the one serving it.”
“It’s a long way to come for someone you’re just getting to know.”
“Maybe. But I don’t see it that way.”
Gray watched as Vic seemed to struggle with whether to accept his answer or not. In the end Vic
pulled his phone from his pocket and held it out.
“Why don’t you program in your number?” he suggested. “And I’ll give you mine. That way, if something changes, I don’t have to hunt through Nicky’s phone to find your number again.”
“Thank you,” Gray said as he took the phone and entered the number. “Call me anytime something changes. I’ll find a way to make it here if Nicky needs me.”
“Okay, I’ll do that. I’ve got to run. It was, um, nice meeting you.”
“You too,” Gray said as Vic took his phone back and walked away.
Gray turned his attention to Nicky’s door and pressed his hand against it, glad for the chance to see Nicky, but wishing it was anywhere but here.
***
As the days wore on, Gray and Vic visited Nicky as often as they were allowed. Nicky’s improvement was slow; the concussion left him dizzy at times, and tired. Vic came in one evening around suppertime and saw Gray stroking Nicky’s hair and trying to calm him down. Nicky seemed disoriented and agitated.
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. He woke agitated and cussing about Terry. I just hit the call button for a nurse.”
“Nicky?” Vic called close to his ear. Nicky turned toward him, eyes confused and angry. Vic was glad to see that the bandage over the right one had been removed, though the stitches in his eyebrow and cheek stood out against his skin.
“Why’d he do it, Vic?” Nicky asked. “What the hell did I do to him to make him hate me so much?”
“Wasn’t you, Nicky. It was just Terry being selfish,” Vic tried to assure him. “You gotta calm down.”
“Shoulda let him have the damned sponsor,” Nicky moaned, trying to roll and ending up pulling out his IV as the nurse came in. She checked his arm and added more morphine.
“Should you be giving him so much?” Gray asked.
“He’s agitated and in pain. If he doesn’t calm down he’s going to end up hurting himself.” The nurse’s tone was gentle, and soon after, Nicky fell asleep.