Grant
GRANT
Gentle beeping filled the dimly lit hospital room as entered quietly. Covered in a soft sheet, the patient lay on her back, sleeping. He knew that had more to do with the medicine in her system than anything else. Still, a night’s sleep was what she needed, even if it did come out of the IV bag hanging beside her.
Careful to wake neither her nor the hunched form of a man curled in a chair beside her hospital bed, looked her over, mentally reciting what he knew. Emily Meithos, twenty-nine-year-old legal clerk. Married, two kids. Everyone except her was out for the evening visiting her in-laws when the apartment building caught fire. Third-degree burns along one side of her body, smoke inhalation, and a broken ankle from jumping out of her window to the relative safety of a dumpster below.
She’d been lucky, unlike some patients from the same fire. Some would be lucky to see the end of the week, while others were immediately taken to the morgue. She was still young and in good health before the fire. There would be a brutal recovery process and probably a few skin grafts, but she would make it so long as an infection didn’t drag her down.
lay a gentle hand on hers, whispering softly. “You’ll be home with your family in no time.”
The sleeping form of her husband grunted, rolling to face the bed. The man’s face pinched in his sleep as though haunted by his dreams. couldn’t blame him. Mr. Meithos had nearly lost his wife, the mother of his children. A faint pang twisted in ’s chest, his heart going out to them. They had a difficult road ahead, but from what he’d seen, they would make it. Their love was strong, and while envied them that, he didn’t envy what awaited them on her road to recovery.
“Dr. Andrews?” a soft voice whispered behind him.
turned, smiling at the young nurse in the doorway. “Lydia. Sorry, had to check on her one more time.”
The young woman smiled warmly. “You would have been alerted if there was a change, but that never stops you, does it?”
chuckled, stepping away from the bed and into the hallway. “You can never tell with burn victims. One minute, they can be perfectly fine, and the next thing you know?—”
Lydia shook her head. “And you just have to helicopter doctor her.”
“Just checking,” assured her.
She looked over her shoulder. “Did you already check Mr. Wilson?”
sighed, nodding his head. Mr. Wilson was a prime example of how bad things could have been for the young woman. A sixty-seven-year-old retiree, he hadn’t been as quick or resourceful in escaping the building.
“Stable, just like I told his family,” said.
Lydia nodded, saying nothing. They both knew stable was used to placate people and feed to the press when needed. All it meant was no change to their vitals. After that, it was in the hands of the patient, fate, or God, depending on who you asked. couldn’t help but think Mr. Wilson would not see the end of the weekend.
“I wish they’d figure out who’s starting all these fires,” Lydia said, rubbing her hands over her arms.
“It would certainly make our lives easier.” He gave it some thought and shook his head. “Well, it would spare more people pain.”
Lydia cracked another smile at that. “True, our lives never get easier around here.”
He began returning to the nurse’s station to drop off the charts. “You on for the night?”
“Same as you. Seems neither of us knows how to quit this place,” Lydia told him, taking the folders.
He couldn’t argue. had always been invested in his work. Growing up dirt poor with two working parents had instilled in him the drive to do something more. While he’d inherited his father’s height and size, his parents had insisted he did more than burn his life away working manual labor.
It hadn’t been easy, and it hadn’t been quick, but had given his parents their wish. Devotion to his grades had led to a scholarship. College had been hard, medical school even harder, and his residency hadn’t been a walk in the park. Yet, at forty-four, he could look back on his life with pride.
“Don’t you have a husband to get home to?” he asked.
“Fiancé. Still a few months until the wedding. But he’s keeping himself busy too. We’re trying to save for a nice, long, and happy honeymoon.”
raised a brow. “Not the wedding?”
Lydia waved him off. “Eh, who needs a big fancy wedding? All that money for a dress I’ll wear once and a bunch of flowers that’ll die in a day or two. Better to throw some of it at a reception where we can celebrate with the people we care about.”
“And so the two of you can shack up on some island for two weeks,” finished with a chuckle.
“Oh, damn right. I told Dom I don’t plan on wearing clothes the entire time, so it had better be nice and secluded,” Lydia said with a wiggle of her brow.
shook his head. “Thank you for the visual.”
“Right. And when I get back, you and I are going to talk about finding you a man,” Lydia told him with a knowing look.
suppressed the urge to groan. “Forget I said anything. You can go back to talking about being naked.”
“That’s more fun for Dom to talk about.”
“And your attempts at matchmaking don’t exactly titillate me.”
“Which is why I have to succeed, so you are titillated.”
Bless the woman, but honestly wished she wouldn’t try so hard. Dating had never been his forte, and his luck was even worse. It didn’t help that most of his ‘prime’ dating years had been spent neck-deep in study. By the time he was finally an MD, many of his peers had already married and started a family. Even then, had been focused on making a name for himself, concentrating on the career, no, the calling he had worked toward for so long.
Lydia raised a brow. “When was the last time you went on a date?”
took his phone from his pocket, checking for messages. “A reasonable amount of time.”
“Eight months,” a new voice chipped in.
frowned at Leon as he plopped into the chair behind the desk. “And how would you possibly know?”
Leon tapped the keyboard in front of him. “You’re a little too meticulous for your own good, buddy. You put everything in your schedule.”
squinted. “I’m fairly sure I have never mentioned a date in my appointments.”
“Nope, but you mention every appointment and plan, so they know how to schedule you. Doesn’t matter if it’s the dentist, dinner with your parents, or…” Leon leaned forward, “lunch with Eric, two o’clock.”
“And?” asked.
“And you only use names for personal appointments, and in two years of manning this desk, I’ve never seen an Eric before.”
“It’s disturbing that you know so much about my personal life.”
Lydia snorted. “What personal life?”
Well, that stung. There was some truth to it, but it still stung.
“Thank you, Lydia, you know how to raise morale,” said dryly.
“I’ll raise your morale after I get back from my honeymoon,” she told him.
He knew a lost fight when he saw one. For reasons he couldn’t begin to fathom, Lydia was determined to find him someone. It wasn’t as though didn’t appreciate her attempts. She was, after all, just trying to make him happy. For all intents and purposes, though, considered himself happy. He had a career that allowed him a cozy home and two cats who were both ambivalent and adoring of his existence. And he had enough left over to save money and help his parents.
Sure, it would be nice to have someone to occupy one side of his bed and maybe fill the spaces in his home not taken up by felines. There were nights, because it was always at night, when he’d find himself a little wistful. Loneliness would creep from the shadows of his mind and burrow its way into his heart. Most of the time, he could find his way to sleep, rising refreshed and back to his old self in the morning. Then there were the times when he had to turn to more direct relief. He might not be schooled in dating, but he was familiar with the occasional lay here and there.
“I can promise you I’m just fine the way I am,” told her firmly.
“That’s what you always say,” she countered.
“And?”
Leon snorted. “And you know she won’t be happy until you’re more than fine.”
“She might if someone didn’t give her all the details of my life,” accused.
Leon shrugged. “I was bribed.”
“Bribed,” repeated doubtfully.
Leon nodded. “She knows my weaknesses, and I am not a strong man, Dr. Andrews.”
Lydia rolled her eyes. “I gave him those chocolates he likes so much.”
“Oh, right. The ones with the hot peppers,” said.
Leon sighed longingly. “So tasty, so spicy, I can’t help myself.”
Lydia scrunched her nose. “Dr. Andrews might need a man, but you need to get laid.”
“That’s what days off are for,” Leon informed her.
“And on that note,” Lydia said, swiping the folders up again. “I’m going to go do my rounds. Aren’t you supposed to do clinic hours today, Dr. Andrews?”
“Just the sort of exit I need. Thank you, Lydia,” said, turning on his heel to walk off before they thought of something else.
Their chuckles followed him down the hall before he turned the corner out of sight. Some doctors, especially the older ones, weren’t thrilled by clinic duty. Personally, relished the chance to deal with people’s problems that didn’t involve burns, missing limbs, or other life-threatening issues. Plus, it wasn’t as quiet as the rest of the hospital, and sometimes, a little noise and chaos were just what he needed to keep occupied.
Minutes later, he opened the door to the clinic and blinked at the people milling around. One man sat with his feet propped up, taking up two chairs. Another was holding a wastebasket to his chest, looking decidedly green. Surrounding them were a few dozen people, some holding bandages to themselves, others in the corner, avoiding eye contact.
“Just another day in paradise,” a gruff voice said at his shoulder.
looked down in surprise at the head nurse of the clinic. “Millie. Did I miss something?”
The stout woman frowned up at him. “It’s Friday night, . It’s always like this on Fridays.”
Was it Friday? Lord, maybe he did need to get out more.
“Well, I suppose it’s a good thing I’m here,” said.
“Yep,” she said, shoving a chart into his hand. “And here’s your first one. Have fun with that one. Room four.”
He frowned at her smirk as she stomped off toward the nurses’ station. Millie Thompson had been working at the hospital far longer than he had, and she was well acquainted with the staff. She was probably the only reason the clinic didn’t devolve into complete chaos daily. She was a woman who believed in helping people, but that didn’t mean taking anyone’s nonsense.
“Alright, room four,” he muttered, opening the folder.
As he reached the door, he frowned at the names. “Mr. Matthers and Mr...Atkins.”
The second name sounded vaguely familiar, but it was the sight before him that gave him pause. A nervous-looking man sat on the edge of the examination table, his back to the door. The man tossed his hair out of his eyes as he looked over his shoulder, cringing when he caught sight of .
“Uh, hi. Matthers is me...uh, Brad, hi.”
stepped in, closing the door behind him. “Hello, Brad. And where would Theodore Atkins be?”
From the other side of the table came a muffled but indignant. “Ith Theo!”
Keeping his face neutral, stepped around the table to look in front of Brad. A blanket covered his lap, but there was no mistaking the figure knelt before him. Apparently, someone had been kind enough to give Mr. Atkins a small pillow to kneel on rather than the hard floor.
cleared his throat. “Well, how about you remove the blanket and show me what the problem is.”
Brad cringed. “Isn’t it like...in the file?”
“Oh, for fuckth thake,” came a growl beneath the blanket.
An arm, completely covered in ink, shot out from beneath the blanket and gripped the edge. Brad winced as the man under the blanket fought to throw it off, finally tossing it to the side with a huff. kept his reaction to a slow blink as Theodore came into view. Now he understood what Millie had been smirking about.
Theodore’s mouth was the barest fraction of an inch from the tip of Brad’s penis. It took only a glance to see Theodore’s tongue piercing was lodged in the thick ring through the glans of Brad’s penis. It wasn’t the first sexual mishap he’d dealt with in the clinic, but Theodore’s annoyed huff compared to the sheer embarrassment of Brad was difficult to ignore.
gave them a soft smile. “I see.”
Brad’s cheeks burned with color. “I’ve...never had this happen before.”
nodded. “Well, that’s a risk you take when you have body modifications. That being said, this is an easy fix. I will, however, need to examine the...afflicted area.”
As pulled on a pair of gloves, Brad began to talk rapidly. “I’ve never had this happen. I didn’t think it was possible to get...stuck. I mean, when they gave me the choice of ring, they didn’t tell me people could get stuck on it. This is the most unsexy thing I’ve ever experienced, doctor.”
“Oh, thut up,” Theodore lisped at him.
Brad grew redder as bent down to inspect the piercings. “I’m nervous! This hurts.”
“I’m not e’en puwwing, you big baby.”
kept his face neutral and sighed. “Well, it appears the ball bearing of Mr. Atkins’ piercing is lodged firmly in the loop of your own, Mr. Matthers.”
“What does that mean?” Brad asked, pitch rising.
“It means I’m going to need you to hold still, and you both might feel a pulling sensation,” told him.
“Is this gonna hurt?” Brad asked.
“Oh fo’ fucth thake, juth do it!”
winked down at the irritated man and gave the tongue piercing a little shove. It popped through the ring, earning a hiss from Brad. With that, spun the top of the piercing, twisting off the ball bearing and allowing the thin rod to slide out of the Prince Albert with ease.
“Ah shit,” Theodore hissed, falling back to sit on the floor and placing a hand over his mouth.
Brad immediately covered his groin with a hand. “That...wasn’t so bad.”
chuckled, holding the ball bearing out to Theodore. “I didn’t think it would be. Perhaps in future, you might consider your partner's piercings so we don’t find you in here again.”
Brad nodded frantically while Theodore stuck his tongue out to twist the ball back into place. chuckled softly as he made a note in the file. The fair-haired man was still annoyed but looked pleased to have his tongue back in his mouth where it belonged.
Theodore looked up at him finally, smirking. “Thanks, Doc.”
watched him, eyes sweeping over his arms. They were thin but tightly corded with muscle. More interesting were the tattoos. On the left arm, they started from the back of Theodore’s hand and then, like the right arm, went from his wrist all the way up to disappear under his sleeve. Color peeked out from the collar of the man’s shirt, which guessed could only mean they extended up there.
They were certainly colorful and exceptionally well done, with a kaleidoscope of hues and shapes. could make out what looked like a tiger mid-leap, a phoenix bursting forth from flames, a wooden wheel with twelve spokes, and various symbols dimly recognized from different world religions. It would have taken far more than a cursory glance to make out everything, and he forced himself to look Theodore in the eye.
“No problem. I’m glad you chose to come in rather than deal with it yourselves,” said.
Very few good things came from that .
Theo snorted, sneering at Brad. “ Someone didn’t want to come in. Had to argue with the idiot.”
“Argue? You started...pulling,” Brad said indignantly.
had to cover his face with the folder as Theo hissed back. “Because you wanted to try cutting it off. With pliers.”
“Well,” said, pulling the folder down once he was sure his face was professional again. “I think Theodore’s was the better of the two options. Just try to avoid it again.”
“Avoid him again, you mean,” Theodore grunted. “And it’s Theo . Not Theodore.”
“Well, Theo, enjoy the rest of the evening if you can. Someone will be in to speak to you again shortly,” said.
Theo’s eyes swept up to ’s face. “Sure, Doc.”
The man’s eyes were almost as colorful as the ink on his skin. The yellow-green tone of his hazel eyes danced with the bright light of the examination room and no small amount of mischief. For a moment, was struck with the idea that Theo could see something in , something hidden and locked away. It didn’t help when the man’s lips curled into a knowing smirk before Theo frowned at his phone.
cleared his throat. “Right, well, have a good night, Mr. Matthers and Mr. Atkins.”
Eager to escape that disconcerting, knowing stare, hurried out of the room as fast as possible without looking suspicious. Only when he was in the hallway, the exam room door closed behind him, did he let out the breath he’d been holding. shook his head, making his way to the nurse’s station to drop off the folder and pick up the next one.
Perhaps Lydia and Leon were right, maybe he did need to go on a date. If he was so hard up that the stare from a good-looking guy had just freed from someone else’s penis was enough to get to him, then he might need a little release.
“Enjoy yourself?” Millie asked with a tiny smirk.
held out his hand, hoping his face wasn’t as red as it was warm. “Next.”