Chapter 19
Chapter nineteen
Gray
Patrick was out like a light right after sex, which was a good thing. He needed the rest. But I sat awake, enjoying my buzz and the feeling of having him close. My mind went over the events of this whole crazy day.
It was hard to escape the conclusion that there was something very deliberate and orchestrated about the series of unfortunate events that Patrick—and then me and Patrick—had been through.
I was not one to believe that God moved the pieces of our life around like a game of chess.
I was more of a "God helps those who help themselves" type.
But I couldn't deny that Patrick and I had been pushed together by a whole lot of extreme coincidences.
Was that a bad thing? Had we been manipulated?
I thought about it. But no. We didn't have to go along with it.
I didn't have to offer to drive him home, or agree to eat in a restaurant, or accompany him on his quest. And, while the curse landed Patrick in the ER repeatedly, nothing had forced him to flirt with me or be so bluntly honest. Well, maybe the concussion had, but that just meant his filters had been down, and he'd expressed what he was feeling openly.
So maybe the trap had been laid for us. But we'd both walked into it smiling.
I hugged him closer and buried my nose in his hair.
God, twenty-four hours ago, I would have laid odds that I'd be alone forever, that I was too work-focused and too traditional to have a chance of finding happiness in a world that valued quick and dirty over real connection, trendy looks over heart, and social media followers over authenticity.
But here he was in my lap—a man who was smart and dedicated, funny and beautiful, someone honest and thoughtful, someone who also wanted something more.
Boyfriend? I tested the idea in my head. My boyfriend is a lead coder at Myth Monster Games.
It sounded as foreign as gibberish—and also pretty damn great. Maybe even, someday soon, there'd be a new photo at my workstation in the ER. Right there, where everyone could ask me about it. I thought I'd really like that.
I fell asleep at some point because I was shaken awake by Patrick.
"Gray. Gray!"
"Huh?" I opened my eyes. Light flooded the car—the white light of an early winter morning.
He pointed at the window where a cop was looking down at us with an unreadable expression.
Oh. Shit.
I sat up straighter, nearly sending Patrick off my lap. He maneuvered to sit beside me revealing the fact that my legs were numb from his weight and that my pants were unbuttoned.
The cop motioned for me to get out of the car and then politely took a step back so I could arrange myself.
A bout of giggling bubbled up in my chest, but I fought to contain it. "I haven't been in this situation since I was sixteen," I gasped, hastening to button up and straighten my coat.
"Tell him my mom said it was okay for you to take me out," Patrick quipped.
I gave him an amused look. "Funny. Are you okay?"
"I'm good," he said, waving at the window. "Show him your doctor badge. Maybe you won't get a ticket."
"Or arrested for indecent exposure," I muttered.
"Don't worry, I won't press charges," said Patrick.
I got out of the car. "Er… Hello, Officer. I'm glad you came by. We could use some assistance."
"What's the trouble? This isn't a great place for you to park."
"I didn't park here on purpose. My car ran out of gas last night, even though I thought I had half a tank. I was lucky to get it onto the shoulder."
"You were here all night?"
"Yes." I shivered and zipped up my coat. Now that I wasn't cuddling with Patrick, it was damned cold.
"Uh-huh. I'll need your license and registration. And would you mind trying to start your car for me?"
I blinked. "Um… sure."
I got into the driver's seat. The keys were still in the ignition. I leaned over to get the registration from the glove compartment, and the passenger side door opened. Patrick hopped in, pulling in his boot after him. He visibly shivered.
"I know it's cold," I said. "Sorry. At least now we can get a tow truck."
I tried to roll down the window to give the cop my license and registration, but the power window didn't budge. Without thinking, I turned the key in the ignition. The car started immediately and purred like a kitten.
I looked at Patrick and he looked at me, eyebrows raised.
"Thanks, Krampus," he said dryly.
I rolled down the window. The cop's face was still impassive as he looked over my license and registration.
"You're a doctor?" he asked.
"Yes. ER doctor at Northwestern Memorial downtown."
He handed me back the paperwork and leaned over to peer in through the window at Patrick. "You all right, Sir?" he asked.
"Never better." Patrick reached over and took my hand.
The cop looked back at me, mouth in a flat line. "Next time, doctor, look for a place farther off the road. This is no lover's lane. You could have been hit."
"But I swear, last night the car wouldn't—"
"Merry Christmas, you two." The cop tapped the roof and strode back to his car.
I looked at Patrick in surprise. "Oh my God, Patrick. It's Christmas."
Patrick leaned over and placed his good arm on my neck. "Merry Christmas, Gray."
"Merry Christmas."
I put all the feeling I could into the words and then into the kiss that followed. Which was interrupted by a loud honk from the cop car as he rolled by.
I broke the kiss, laughing. "I think indecent exposure is still a possibility."
"That's okay. We can go. I need coffee. And aspirin."
"And the heater," I added, turning it up full blast.
I almost pulled out, then had a thought. I put the car in park again and opened the door.
"What now?" Patrick asked.
I got out of the car and looked at the road next to us, then in front of the car, and behind it.
There were no paw prints at all.