A small smile lifted one corner of Colby’s mouth, “Well, how do you feel about personal security?”
“What do you mean?”
Colby pushed the phone button on the radio, “Trust me?” he said as he scrolled through his contacts. His finger hovered over Morgan’s name as he waited for Jaden’s answer.
“With my life,” Jaden whispered.
Colby inhaled sharply as those words slid inside his body and embedded in his heart, filling every hole that had been made when Westley died, when he had cost Westley his life.
Jaden trusted him to keep him safe, to protect him.
That wasn’t just something….it was everything.
“Jade,” he whispered. He didn’t know what else he wanted to say. At that moment he wasn’t sure if he could say anything at all.
Jaden’s warm fingers rested on Colby’s arm, “Make the call, babe.”
Colby’s eyes slid to Jaden and for a moment they were completely connected, their eyes saying everything and nothing at all….because no words were necessary. They didn’t have to speak…words weren’t needed….they just had to….be.
Colby swallowed as he wiped a tear from his cheek, “Yeah, okay, yeah,” he whispered. He pressed Morgan’s name to call him.
The man answered on the second ring, “Doyle.”
“Hey, Morgan. You busy?”
He heard some noise in the background and then a door being closed, “Not at all, what can I do for you?”
“I need your help.”
“With?”
“Someone who may or may not have walked away from the service without going through his exit interview and processing.”
Morgan was quiet for a few seconds. “Colby?”
“Yeah?”
“Did you find him?”
Colby frowned and then he smiled because, of course Morgan would know. “Yeah, Morg, I did.”
Colby heard fingers typing on a keyboard, “Okay. Now don’t get pissed but I’ve already looked into his background.”
“What?”
“Hey. I protect my guys, you know that. So, here’s what I found. He’s not listed as AWOL but his file is still open. Which means if he wants an honorable discharge he needs to appear before a military judge.”
“Do you know a good lawyer for that?”
“Yeah, I do, but there’s a slight problem with that at the moment.”
“What do you mean?”
“Bas is missing.”
“Bas?”
“Sebastian Monroe. We served together for eight years. He’s the best lawyer I know.”
“Is he still in the service?”
“Inactive reserves, which means he can help with this.”
“But he’s missing.”
“Yeah.”
“And you’re looking for him.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you need my help?”
“Are you ready to come back?”
“Yeah, if you’ll have me.”
“Don’t be dumb, Colby. Of course, I want you back. Tell me, though, am I gaining two operatives when you come back?”
Colby could hear the smile in Morgan’s voice. Nothing gets past that man.
“Possibly. I would like to talk about that, if it’s okay.”
“It’s more than okay, Colby. I’ve already looked into his background. I’d love to have him on my team.”
Colby grinned at Jaden, “Okay. We’re going to head back to Drake’s and get things settled there. I’ll let you know once I make flight arrangements.”
“Sounds good.”
Morgan ended the call and Colby started the car with a hope for the future that he’d never had before. And it felt pretty damn good.
Forty-Two
King felt absolutely nothing when his eyes fell on the hogtied Watson, their former team member, on the floor. Their eyes met briefly and when Watson opened his mouth like he was going to say something, King quickly looked away. Nothing that man ever said was worth hearing.
He already knew that Campbell had been injured but was in custody and already screaming for a lawyer.
“Row,” he whispered as he touched the huddled man’s shoulder.
“The flowers. I need to protect the flowers,” Row mumbled into the young boy’s hair.
“You did, babe. You protected them. They’re safe now. But you’re bleeding babe. Can you roll over so I can check you?”
“I, I, it hurts to move,” Row whispered.
“I know babe. How about if I help you, okay?”
Row nodded his forehead over the concrete floor, “Don’t hurt the flowers, okay?”
“I won’t, I promise.”
From where King was kneeling, it looked like Row had gunshot wounds in his right hip and thigh. He slid one hand under his shoulder, the other cupped his torso and, with a curse and a cry, he managed to get Row onto his back…with the young boy firmly cradled against his chest, the boy’s eyes squeezed shut as he clutched Row’s shirt tightly between his small fingers.
“Can, um, can you hand me the flowers, Row?”
Row’s arms released the boy and King gently scooped him up. Huge round eyes, filled with terror, blinked at King. “It’s okay, it’s okay, kid. What’s your name?”
The poor kid was shaking so hard his teeth were chattering, but he didn’t say a word.
“tu nombre?”
The boy’s lips moved but what he said was so quiet that King couldn’t hear him so he put his ear next to the boy’s lips, “Que?”
“Hector,” the boy whispered.
He pulled back and smiled, “Hector. Mi nombre es King. Esta senora,” he said, gesturing to the CPS woman who was hovering behind him, “cuidara de ti (is going to take care of you)”
“Si,” Hector whispered.
The woman smiled and held her hand out. Hector latched on and the woman spoke to him in Spanish as they walked together towards her waiting van.
“King,” Row groaned, bringing his attention back to the man on the floor.
He squeezed Row’s hand, “I’m here, babe.”
“King.”
“I’m here.”
“King.”
King frowned, “What is it, babe?”
Row smiled, “King,” he whispered again and then his head fell to the left.
What the fuck?
He shouldn’t be passing out from leg and hip wounds.
King gripped the center of Row’s black shirt and tore it open. “Oh fuck,” he mumbled when he saw the blood bubbling from a wound on the right side of Row’s ribcage.
“Medic! I need a medic!” he yelled as he tore off his own shirt and pressed it to the wound.
Someone pressed a hand to King’s shoulder, “Let me in, okay?”
Through blurry eyes, King looked up into the face of a young man in blue scrubs, “Save him, please, save him.”
“I’m going to do everything I can. What’s your name?” the man said as he knelt next to King and covered the hand that was pressing the shirt to Row’s wound with his own.
“K-K-K-King.”
“Well, King, I’m Doctor Henry Finn, you can call me Finn, okay? Who is my patient.”
King’s devastated eyes looked down at his unconscious love, “Row,” he whispered then he cleared his throat, “Rowan Bates,” he took a deep breath as he tried to focus, “He appears to have three gunshot wounds, all on the right side; lower chest, hip and thigh. Chest wound is bubbling.”
“Okay, King. Do you have any medical training?” Finn said.
“A little. Military.”
“Good. Do you see my bag there?”
King nodded.
“Bring it next to you. You’re going to be my assistant.”
“A-a-a-assistant? You’re going to operate on him? Here?”
“Yes, King, I am. If I don’t, Row here might die. Do you understand?”
“He’s not dying,” King said with a growl.
Finn smiled, “Not on my w
atch he isn’t. Get the bag and pull out two pairs of gloves.”
King did and handed one pair to Finn.
They both pulled them on, “There’s a blue and white package in there that has a plastic tube in it. Get it and set it on the ground. I need a scalpel, gauze packages and iodine wipes.”
As Finn listed off all of the equipment he needed, King found it and pulled it out of the bag.
As the man worked, cutting a small slit between Row’s ribs, putting his finger in it and then inserting the tube, he talked to King, asking him things like how long he’d known Row, where they met, all things to distract King from the panic that was desperately trying to take hold of him. And it worked.
Row inhaled sharply, signaling that his lung had re-filled with air, and he blinked his eyes a few times.
“Jesus,” King blew out on a breath.
Finn pulled his stethoscope from the back of his neck and pressed it to Row’s chest, listening to his breath sounds. “His lungs sound good. I think it’s time to get him to the hospital. You riding with him?”
King’s eyes snapped up to find Finn grinning at him, “Yeah, I thought so,” he said and then he turned and waved at one of the EMTs. The man wheeled over a stretcher.
“You have someone, special, Finn?” King said as they got Row ready to transport. He frowned because he wasn’t really sure where that question had come from, something that he saw in Finn’s eyes perhaps? But it was out there now and he couldn’t take it back.
Finn’s gaze moved over King’s shoulder and then it turned hard, “No, there’s no one.”
As they all began to move with the stretcher, King looked back to where Finn’s gaze had fallen and he saw another man in blue scrubs, this one with wavy black hair and a body that obviously spent a lot of time in the weight room as opposed to Finn’s blonde hair and swimmer’s build. “Who’s that?” he said as they loaded the stretcher into the back of the ambulance.
“Him? Just someone I work with.”
“Liar,” King mumbled as he settled into the jump seat, out of the way so that Finn could work on Row.
“Do you always ride in ambulances?” King said.
“No but when I heard the call come in, I thought we might be needed on site. Other people didn’t agree with me,” he mumbled as he stared out the back window of the moving vehicle.
“Other people are idiots,” King said.
Their eyes met for a moment before Finn resumed working on Row.
Whoever that other doctor was in the warehouse, King hoped he pulled his head out of his ass before he lost Finn completely.
**************
“Can I get in here to take a look?” a voice said, forcing JD’s eyes away from Brent’s face. He looked surprised to see anyone there.
“You’re a doctor?”
Day nodded, “Dr Ryson Day, you can call me Day. Who is this?”
Tears swam in JD’s eyes as he glanced down, “My husband,” he whispered.
Day smiled as he slowly reached his hands in.
“Brent, his name is Brent,” the man standing silently to the side wearing nothing but black said.
JD’s eyes flicked over to Justice. He frowned in confusion but then glanced at Day again, “Oh, yes, this is Brent, my, my, my….”
JD felt a hand on his back, “Come on buddy, let’s let the good doctor work, okay?”
JD allowed Justice to pull him a few inches away, just enough for the doctor to work. There was no way in hell he was going any farther.
“Okay, there’s quite a bit of blood but luckily for him, the bullet missed the carotid. I need to pack this wound but I’m not going to close it until we can do an x-ray to see if the bullet is lodged inside.”
“He’s going to be okay, right?” JD said on a moan.
“From where I’m sitting, I see two other bullet wounds on him, so he’s looking at one, maybe two surgeries at least. He’s going to need rehab and a lot of TLC but he should be okay.”
JD wiped a tear from his eye as he smiled down at Brent, “TLC, he’s going to milk the shit outta that.”
“He’s lucky to have you around to give it to him. Let’s get him loaded up so I can better assess his injuries, okay?”
JD nodded.
Brent groaned and JD squeezed his fist tight. His lips moved but it was too quiet to hear.
“What, babe?” JD said.
With eyes still closed, a small smile lifted Brent’s lips, “My dick still works, you lucky bastard.”
Justice snorted a laugh.
Day smiled and said, “Priorities.”
JD pressed his forehead to Brent’s, “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”
“I’ll try my best, Cowboy.”
Forty-Three
Silas relaxed back into his chair when he saw that the scene had gone from dangerous and chaotic to clean up and investigation. He was going to find who stole his equipment and used it for….for…for that.
His phone rang and he knew who it was without even looking, “Took you long enough.”
“I had to do some research first,” Cole said.
“And what did you find?”
“Dr. Cecilia Peele. She has a practice with her brother but she’s willing to make house calls until you’re ready to venture out to her office.”
“Cecilia Peele? She sounds straight out of Downton Abbey.”
“I believe she is originally from London, yes.”
“Did you tell her about me?”
“That you’re going to flirt relentlessly? I did. She said she’s used to it.”
“She is?”
“Yeah. Apparently, her brother is the same way.”
“Her brother flirts with her? Gross. What are you getting me into, Cole?”
“No, sicko. Her brother flirts with everyone else, not her, dude.”
“Does he flirt with his patients? Is he cute?”
“No, Silas. That’s what got you here in the first place. You’re seeing the sister, end of discussion.”
“Whatever, Dad.”
“Hey Silas?”
“Yeah?”
“I’ll find who stole your equipment from my warehouse. You concentrate on getting better, okay? I’m going to need you out in the world when I get married next summer.”
Silas’ heart flipped over. What would it be like to have someone love you so much that they wanted to spend the rest of their life with you?
He hoped that someday he got to find that out.
Silas heard a baby cry in the background, “Isn’t the kid supposed to be after the vows, dude?”
“That’s Kelly’s new nephew. We’re visiting.”
“Ah. And does that nephew have your own biological clock ticking?”
Cole was quiet for a few seconds, “It’s funny, Silas. Kids never even crossed my mind as a possibility, not after the childhood I had.”
“But now?”
“Now, I’m kind of feeling like I want to give some kid a better life than I had.”
“You’ll be a good dad, Cole.”
Cole cleared his throat, “Dr. Peele will be there Thursday morning at ten. Make sure you have pants on.”
“I don’t know, Cole. That’s an awful lot of rules you’re sticking on me.”
“Rule, Silas, one rule. Pants.”
Silas laughed, “Fine, pants. Got it.”
“Call me Friday and let me know how it went, okay?”
“Will do.”
Forty-Four
“How is he?”
JD opened his eyes and looked up.
Drake had tears in his eyes and his hair was sticking out in every direction like he had run worried fingers through it a thousand times.
JD figured his own hair probably looked about the same.
Relief flooded through JD’s body and he rose to his feet and grabbed Drake into a bear hug. For a few seconds he couldn’t speak, he was just so overwhelmed at having the support there.
Tears slid from his e
yes onto Drake’s shoulder.
“JD, please tell me he’s okay.”
“Well, he told me to practice up on my sponge bath skills before he went into surgery, what does that tell you?”
Drake chuckled, “That he’s thinking with his dick which means he’s fine.”
JD clutched the back of Drake’s shirt, “This scared the shit out of me, Drake.”
Drake’s hand ran up and down JD’s back, “I know. And I also know that he’d kill you if you benched him after this. He needs to be out in the field and he also needs to know that you’re in charge, making sure everything is running smoothly.”
JD snorted, “Yeah, fine fucking job I did of that this time.”
Drake’s hands gripped JD’s shoulders and he pushed him back far enough to look into his eyes, “Don’t even think about doing that. This Op had disaster written all over it from day one but there was nothing we could do about that. You saved every one of those kids, JD. Every single one. And you gathered enough evidence to put that fucker Campbell away for ten lifetimes. And you did it all in about forty-eight hours’ notice. Nobody but you could’ve done that. Nobody. Including me.”
JD opened his mouth to argue but he just didn’t have the energy for it.
He pulled Drake back into a hug and glanced over the man’s shoulder to find Hunter standing awkwardly in the hall, unsure of what to do.
“Hey, Hunt.”
“Hey.”
“Who’s watching the kids?” Drake and Hunter’s twins, Colt and Annie, were in full-on terrible two’s mode.
“Travis and TJ are with them.”
“So, they drew the short straw, huh?” he said with a grin.
“Pretty much.”
The two of them flopped down into the uncomfortable waiting room chairs.
“Anyone want some coffee?” Hunter said.
JD smiled at him, “That would be great, man. Thank you.”
Drake smiled too, “Thanks, babe. I’d love one too.”
They both watched Hunter walk down the hall. “Okay, so bring me up to date on the case.”
Drake grinned at him, “Just can’t stop working, can you?”
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