Doc Cedarwood

by Megan Slayer

  “Give me the chance to prove we can be more than that. Owning the shop, running it together and being the way we used to be.” Aaron flattened his palms on the counter. “Right?”

  “You’ll always be my closest friend and my best worker.” He wasn’t so sure about the best worker part, but if he could neutralize the problem with Aaron, he’d lie a little. “Aiden needed me and I’ve been here pretty much every day since we opened. I deserved a day off that didn’t involve me being at the hospital. Yes, I went with him, but it wasn’t like we fucked the day away. His father had a stroke. If I hadn’t gone along, he would’ve made it, but he’d have been a mess. I know you needed me here, but he needed me too. This was one of the few times. This is still my business and my priority.” He’d have to take a few days off here and there because life demanded it. If Aaron didn’t like it, he’d have to deal. “Okay?”

  “I’m sorry I got angry.” Aaron stood beside him at the desk. “I’ll get my head out of my ass so we can get the invoices and work orders figured out.”

  “Thanks.” He appreciated Aaron coming clean to him, but two hours later he still wanted to throttle his employee. Matt waded through the paperwork until he found the bottom of the stack, but the entire time, Aaron stayed too close. Matt tensed and kept scooting away, but there was only so far he could go. If he moved much more away from the archaic computer, he’d have to sit on Aaron’s lap in order to type.

  Aaron kept watching him too. Not just glances or anything, but full-on staring. Matt’s skin crawled. Aaron had never been this…clingy before. He wanted to ask Aaron a hundred questions, like why in the hell was he sitting so damn close, but he kept his inquiries to himself. He still had to work with Aaron.

  Matt cracked his knuckles and wished for acetaminophen. Just a little something to dull the ache in his shoulder from sitting at the computer. “Whew. That took longer than I expected.” He sent off the order for the next round of parts, then moved the tablet out of the way. “Orders up to date, paperwork crisis dealt with and I’m not totally broke.” Tomorrow, he’d tackle properly cleaning the lobby.

  “I’m a slob.” Aaron stood beside Matt. “Between getting behind and just not feeling like myself, I let everything slip.”

  “I did see the disaster on the counter.” He knocked on the acrylic sheet on top of the desk. “I threw the wrappers away and tossed the empty soda can.”

  “I eat when I’m depressed.”

  “I thought you worked out.” He stared at the wastebasket full of wrappers. Confusion hit him hard. “Don’t you?” Matt assumed Aaron was a gym junkie. Whenever he wasn’t at the shop, Aaron claimed to be sweating it up hard at the fitness center.

  “It’s a vicious cycle.” Aaron winked. “You should know. You think you’re level, then it all goes to pot. You had your vices and mine’s food.” He shrugged. “I need to get back to the Chevy. Regaining my groove helped.” He touched Matt’s hand and lingered longer than Matt would’ve liked.

  Matt stifled his groan. He knew exactly what Aaron was getting at—all the things he’d hinted at. He’d turned to painkillers and alcohol to dull his heartache and the aftereffects of knee surgery. But he’d overcome his addictions. Aaron appeared not to have, despite his beliefs. Then there was the hint about getting together. Aaron hadn’t wanted him to date Aiden. Not a chance. He couldn’t have known the shooting would occur, but even so, he’d probably assumed Aiden would be out of Matt’s life by then.

  Matt massaged his temples. He had too much stress in his life. Unfortunately, he’d created most of it.

  The bell on the front door dinged. When Matt looked up, Jordan strolled into the lobby. Matt cringed. He’d forgotten all about the meeting he was supposed to have had with the officer. Fuck. “Hi.”

  “Hi yourself.” Jordan closed the door. “You appear to be up to your eyeballs in God knows what. I’m guessing you haven’t eaten lately or checked your phone.”

  Matt froze. He wasn’t even sure where he’d left his phone last. He slapped the counter to no avail.

  Jordan pointed to the potted plant by the candy display. “You put the phone over there beside the plant. Did you switch the setting to silent?” He offered up the phone. “Or was the workload that strenuous?”

  “I forgot where I put it.” Matt turned the sound back on and checked the status. Seven missed calls, six texts and two voice mails. He swiped to the missed calls—all from the police department. “Sorry. I see you called. A lot.”

  “I did. You didn’t show up for our meeting and I was worried, so I came looking for you.” Jordan folded his arms and widened his stance. If he was going for intimidating, he’d found the right look. He tilted his chin. “Everything okay?”

  “I’m tired,” Matt blurted. He hadn’t realized just how much coming back to work would wear him out. Maybe it was dealing with Aaron and his shenanigans… He wasn’t sure. “My coworker didn’t keep the books like I would’ve preferred and he made a mess of the lobby-slash-office, so there’s that. Since the robbery, I’ve changed my personal status to in a relationship.” He refused to call the night of the robbery a shooting. Screw that. “Then Aiden’s father had a stroke. We went to see him and reassure Aiden. Besides all that, my shoulder aches and I have no idea who wanted to rob me or why. I’d love to know what’s going on and I missed the meeting because I got busy putting out fires. Would you like to know anything else?”

  “You’ve summed it up nicely.” Jordan leaned on the counter. “Aaron won’t help? I heard you hired Molly Daniels’ nephew. He’s not working out?”

  “Deighan? No, he’s great. It’s Aaron. I know half of what’s gotten into him and I don’t want to know about the other half.” Matt pinched the bridge of his nose. “So yeah. I’m sorry.” He wasn’t sure what else to say.

  “Is Aiden’s father okay? Len’s a good man. Forthright and opinionated, but his heart’s in the right place.” Jordan half smiled. “He’s funny too.”

  “I didn’t know you’d met him.” He tried to hide the shock and the streak of jealousy. “Did you date Aiden?” He didn’t want to think about it if Jordan had, but everyone had a past.

  “No. His father visited the hospital right after Aiden was hired on…six or seven years ago. They’d finally opened the renovated pediatrics wing and the whole town had a party. Don’t you remember? Maybe you weren’t there. I thought you were.” Jordan frowned. “Anyway, there was a big bash and Len showed up with his partner. How’s Keye handling the situation?”

  “He’s dead. Has been for five years.” He hadn’t meant to blurt that part out, but he seemed to have lost all tact.

  “Oh.” Jordan wobbled against the counter. “I’m sorry to hear that. Aiden mentioned he was sick, but I assumed it was a cold or something.” He shook his head. “I guess that’s why I hadn’t seen him in forever. I should’ve said something before now.”

  Matt toyed with the pens in the chipped coffee cup. He didn’t know all the details with Keye and didn’t think he should be discussing someone he’d never met.

  “Then you aren’t kidding. You’re dealing with a lot.” Jordan stood tall. “Most of the time when people say they’re stressed, it’s just because I’m there. You’ve… Yeah.”

  “Yep.” He tapped one of the pens against the blotter. “So, what did I miss in the meeting?” Part of him wanted to know, but the rest of him wanted the whole damn situation to disappear.

  “We’ve got three people of interest on our radar but haven’t brought anyone in yet,” Jordan said. “They’re not the easiest individuals to find. But we’ve matched the bullet from the wall to bullets used in another robbery. Oddly enough, the gun from that case was recovered—clean of any fingerprints—two days ago. The striations on the test bullets matched the ones from a robbery on Tenth Street and yours.”

  “Can you connect the crimes?”

  “Nothing’s impossible, but since we don’t have anyone in custody and no leads, it’s harder. I’m hoping we get a few
tips and can bring at least one of the persons of interest in for questioning.” Jordan tipped his head to the side. “If that happens, we’ll bring you in to view a lineup.”

  “I’ll do whatever you want,” Matt said. “Anything to get this over with.” He hated living with fear that whoever had robbed him might come back. He could replace vehicles, money and other objects, but not his life, and he had too much to live for. “What do you think they wanted? Why would someone target me?”

  “The cash in the register, the credit card numbers on the receipts and the cars in the lot would be my guess. They could use the numbers to make charges or sell them. The car parts, even on the cars still, have value.” Jordan rubbed his chin and sighed. “There haven’t been a rash of robberies otherwise or complaints in this area. Trust me. This situation not getting solved has the chief stymied and pissed. It’s crazy. How can the man from the video just disappear? You didn’t know him, did you?”

  He’d been asked that question a hundred times and he still didn’t know the identity of the robber. “I’ve never seen him before, but I’d be able to pick him out of a lineup. I’ll never forget his eyes. Blue, but dark and piercing. Unique.” He paused. “No one’s come forward? Really?” He would’ve thought someone would’ve seen something.

  “Nope. No tips, false leads…anything. We put up a five-thousand-dollar reward for information on the case and it’s brought in zip.”

  “Jeez.” He would’ve assumed the offer of that kind of money would’ve brought in crank calls, cold leads and anyone else wanting what seemed to be easy cash.

  “Well, I’m glad you’re okay—as much as you can be. I’ll keep you posted on our progress. Tell Aiden I said hi. Farin and Steve are back from their honeymoon, all tan and happy. I love them, but I hate them. I keep promising Colin we’re next, but I can’t seem to get a wedding organized.”

  Matt snorted. Weddings, honeymoons, cold cases… Jordan had a lot more on his mind than Matt. “If it’s meant to happen, it will.”

  “You’re right. I’m just glad the coalition crap has died down.” Jordan rapped his knuckles on the counter. “Speaking of coalitions, we’re going to have a single-parent mixer after Halloween. I know you’re not a single parent, but you’re welcome to come. Bring Aiden. Dance, party and eat. Oh, and if it tickles your fancy, Colin’s having a special comic-book gathering the night before the next superhero movie comes out. I haven’t been able to make the last two, but I hear they’re a lot of fun.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.” He rounded the counter and followed Jordan out to the parking lot. The last vestiges of sunlight streaked through the trees and across the pavement. “Thank you.”

  “Remember, the invitations are always open. We deserve to go back to our regularly scheduled life.” Jordan waved, then climbed behind the wheel of his cruiser.

  Matt remained outside until Jordan’s car disappeared around the corner in the direction the hospital. Everything seemed so chaotic but calm at the same time. He’d found a great man and had him in his life. The shop was getting back to normal, albeit slowly, and the person who’d robbed and turned his world upside down was still roaming around free. He wanted to be scared, but what would that do? Give him an ulcer and not much else. The only option was to keep his faith in the Cedarwood police as well as the sheriff’s office. Until the person was rounded up, he had to live his life like nothing had happened. Not the easiest thing, but less of a challenge with Aiden around. Good thing I found Aiden.

  Chapter Ten

  Aiden parked in the staff lot and groaned. Matt had to work, and he needed to earn his paycheck too. He climbed out of the car and glanced into the back seat. Well, crud. The flowers from Matt were still there and now crispy. At least they were dried out. He’d put them in a vase at home once he went back to his place. But maybe his and Matt’s conflicting schedules were what would doom the relationship. He had to think about that.

  Aiden gathered his bag and locked the car then headed into the building. He waved at a few of the nurses. Being called in early wasn’t his idea of fun, but he’d deal. He tossed his things into his locker. Based on the noise in the hospital, the place was already hopping. He changed and logged in.

  He joined the nurses at the shift briefing. The sheer volume of patients never ceased to amaze him. Two gunshot-wound victims, a kid with a broken arm and a woman in labor, not to mention a man with Norovirus.

  “Going to be exciting,” Madison said. “Oh, I’ve got a surprise for you.”

  “You do?” Is Matt here? Having his man show up without a major wound would be nice. He headed into the main bank of ER bays.

  “I don’t know how he knew, but he’s got timing.” She yanked the curtain back. “He came in just at the moment you did too.”

  Aiden stared at the man in the bay. His excitement dimmed. Not Matt. “Lucky.”

  “Hi.” Lucky held his ribs and chest. “Long time, no see.”

  “I guess so. What’s wrong?” He moved Lucky’s hospital gown out of the way. “No bruising at all. What did you do?”

  “Nothing much.” Lucky gave him a shit-eating grin. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Right.” Madison tugged Aiden over to the computer and closed the curtain. “He claims he was crushed while playing touch football. He was tackled and piled onto.” She brought up the chart and lowered her voice. “Not so sure I buy that answer.”

  “I doubt that’s what happened too.” He pulled the stethoscope from around his neck. “I’ll check him out.”

  “I’m sure you will.” She elbowed him. “But what’s your thought?”

  “He hates sports,” Aiden murmured.

  “So the ex we heard about and never saw really exists and he’s a liar?” She frowned. “No.”

  “Yes, that’s him, and he’s got a way with storytelling.” He groaned. “He’s got timing too.”

  “I thought that was him, but damn.” She stepped between Aiden and the computer. “I’m jealous.”

  “What? Why?”

  “The way you talked about him…I didn’t think he looked like that.” She grabbed his shoulder. “The way you look at him, I’d think you still have feelings for him. Didn’t end well, did it?”

  “It was fine. I’m with Matt.” He wasn’t sure why he had to say that so loudly. “I’m involved, remember?”

  “Nothing surprises me about you any longer.” She rested her hands on her hips. “I don’t know if he really hurt himself playing football, but he needs you. Go to him.”

  Aiden rolled his eyes. Sure, there were doctors having affairs with other doctors on staff. Some of his colleagues were sleeping with anyone they could find to fill their bed. A few of the nurses were known for their prowess in the bedroom—not that he knew firsthand. He wasn’t into carrying on with a bunch of people. Matt was enough. So why was he still reminding himself of that fact?

  Aiden moved the curtain out of the way. Lucky sat on the exam bed. He’d shrugged out of his hospital gown, leaving him exposed from the waist up. His upper body was still defined. His muscles flexed as he breathed. Damn, the man was still model perfect. Bruising started on his ribs, but nowhere else.

  Aiden’s breath caught in his throat. He’d thought he was over Lucky, but the old feelings came rushing back. He’d walked away from him. They’d been horrible together. They were mismatched and the sex had been decent. He doubted any of their past could be good again. He wobbled on his feet. Holy shit. What was he doing? Was he considering another go-round with his ex? He had Matt now and thought he loved him. Why was he thinking about Lucky?

  “Hi.” Lucky straightened up. “Aiden?”

  “Dr. Connor.” Aiden forced himself into professional mode. He was here to do a job, not hook up. “How are you feeling? According to your chart, you were injured playing football. Correct?”

  “That’s what I told the girl.” Lucky smiled. “Yep. Football accident.”

  I’ll bet. Aiden looked over the lack of bruising. “I’m sendi
ng you to X-Ray. I want to check for broken bones and anything I might have missed.” He typed the code into the computer, then logged out. He stared at Lucky. “Level with me. You hate sports.”

  “Hate is such a strong word,” Lucky said, his voice smooth.

  “Uh-huh.” And he’d thought he was the doctor. Lucky sure knew how to operate. “It’s also correct.”

  “So?” Lucky shrugged.

  “Why were you playing football? It’s raining.” He folded his arms and tried his best to look authoritative. “Or was that a lie?”

  Lucky squirmed. He didn’t answer right away or look Aiden in the eye. “It started as football.” He drew up into himself and hugged his waist. “He didn’t like how I knew nothing about the sport. After the game, Ethan let me know he wasn’t happy.”

  “With?” He wasn’t sure he believed his ex, but he had little reason not to.

  “His fists.” Another shrug. “Couple of times.”

  “You can report it.” He checked Lucky’s ribs again. Getting so close, he smelled Lucky’s cologne, and his skin prickled. Oh, shit, he was in trouble. “No one has the right to hurt you.”

  “Because you still care?” Lucky rested his hand on Aiden’s. His breath hitched. “I never stopped caring about you.”

  “Lucky.” He should’ve seen this coming. Damn it.

  “We’re good together,” Lucky said. “Really good. Remember?”

  “I do.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “You used to cut on me because I didn’t make enough money and I was never home. All we had was sex. Is that what you’re musing over?”

  “I can handle your schedule.” Lucky batted his eyelashes. “I’m not the same guy I was before.”

  “I’m seeing someone.” The words came out more growly than he’d planned.

  “See me too.” Lucky held tight to Aiden’s hand.

  “I’m not that kind of guy.” He pulled away from Lucky. He refused to divide his loyalties and be a total jerk to Matt. Besides, Lucky was a horrible choice for him. “I’m needed by my patients. I’ll be back after you’ve been down to X-ray.”