Chapter 19- Luther
THE LIGHT SHINES on my face, and I try not to blink. After a few seconds, however, I close my eyes and rub my face.
“Sorry,” the male nurse says. “You’re all good. Pupils definitely reactive.”
“Glad to hear it, Cedric.” I share a smile with the man and put on my shirt.
I’m sitting in the exact bed where Max was all those weeks ago.
Taz insisted I stay overnight for observation and get a full physical exam.
I was too tired to fight him, so I slept overnight in the infirmary.
As for checking my status, there’s no one to ask other than Cedric, our full-time nurse practitioner.
The man poked and prodded me every few hours, as is customary, to make sure my exposure to the Other Side wasn’t particularly harmful.
Curiously, he didn’t use any magic to check me over all night. Huh.
“And you have a clean bill of health.” Cedric hands me a paper with his signature on it. He’s listed all sorts of numbers about my current status. I’m not used to receiving hand-written notes that don’t fly to my desk here at work. But conserving magic is important, I suppose.
“Nice.”
“You are now free to go about being a kickass agent of SPELL.” He shoots me a funny grin as he sits down on the rolling stool.
He almost sounds doleful or sarcastic, but everyone knows he does good work.
Cedric took care of that witch boy when he almost died here in the Union, as well as Max after his hexing. Everyone owes Cedric big time.
“Thank you, sir.” It feels weird saying that, but he appears to be a few years older than me.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a conversation with him.
My regular, mortal doctor always took care of me, and I haven’t had so much as a concussion on the job.
But the man wearing scrubs to my left knows the ins and outs of the magical world, so if he says I’m good, then I’m good.
“Just try to stay out of dark dimensions.”
I snort and cross my fingers. “Here’s hoping.”
“It could have altered your physiology. After all these years, we still have so little research on humans visiting the Other Side.”
My smile falls. “Right.” I flex my hands and gaze at my fingers. Everything seems to be in place, but who knows what lingering effects might manifest.
“You’re fine, Luther.” Cedric stands up. “But get your bloodwork checked by a mortal doctor. And have them send the results to my clinic.” He hands me a card with his address; Cedric’s everyday practice is in Cosmo, as well.
“The others said I was only gone for a few minutes. But time works differently there. There may be long-term consequences,” I say, both to Cedric and to myself.
“Come see me if anything out of the ordinary happens. Just be glad you limited your exposure. As for the other guy you brought back…” Cedric shivers and walks me out of the room. “The number of check-ups I have to do for him…well, no amount of magic can undo being trapped in there for years.”
I frown in concern and pocket the bill of health. “We all have a lot of work to do when it comes to helping him. I’m just glad he’s doing alright.”
“I’ll be the judge of his health. You work on whatever it is you superheroic field agents do.”
We share a laugh. “You know you’re the most important agent of SPELL, Cedric.”
I put out my fist, and he pounds it. “Yes, but it’s good to hear it out loud on occasion.” We laugh again as he walks into the neighboring infirmary room.
As he enters, Taz steps out and looks between us with confusion and concern. “Since when were you two all chummy?”
“We have literally never had a conversation before today.”
“And now you’re laughing together?” He puts his arm around my hips, and I grin. It’s only us in the hallway, but it’s the most privacy he and I have shared in what feels like ages. The last twelve hours have been torturous, and I want to nap for days. Preferably with this man by my side.
“He checked me out. I stayed overnight at your discretion.” My lips are an inch from his, and I bet my challenging smile mirrors his.
“Oh, so other guys are checking you out?”
“He sure did. A prostate exam and everything.”
His smile falls as he steps back, and his eyes are blown wide. I crack up and rub his arms. “You fell for that so easily.”
“It’s not funny!” he replies, laughing.
“You can’t seriously be threatened by the nurse practitioner of the Union.”
“I can when they’re handsome Asian blokes.”
My laughter dies down, and I hold him closer. “Cedric is cool. We’re just coworkers. He said I have a clean bill of health. I have the paper to prove it.”
“Glad you’re in one piece.”
“In fact, he suggested I get my bloodwork done.” I lean closer to his ear and run my fingers through his hair. “I could get tested so we can have raw sex,” I whisper in an almost sing-song voice.
He shoots me a pleasantly surprised grin, then pecks my lips. “You almost die, but you’re still horny. I hit the boyfriend jackpot with you.”
Warmth prickles my cheeks. No one has ever valued me this much.
I kiss his hand, and he leans his head on my shoulder as we gaze into the small window.
We watch as Cedric checks out Vikrum’s arms. The man doesn’t really resemble my boyfriend―he’s shorter, and his hair is darker, where Taz is blond―but in the twelve hours he’s been back on Earth, he appears to be in good health.
“How is he?” I ask.
“As well as one can be knowing they lost, like, fifteen years of their life.”
“It seems like he was frozen that whole time. I recall him being in a coma.”
“Yeah. He hasn’t aged a day. I consider it a blessing, he’s got this fountain of youth thing going on.”
We both chuckle, and he turns to me. Holding my hands, Taz looks me up and down. “I can’t thank you enough,” he says, voice so soft and delicate. We’ve shown each other vulnerability, but Taz seems so exposed in this moment.
“Hey, you saved me. Plus, we’re boyfriends.” I kiss his hand and shrug. “It’s what we do.”
He shakes his head as his eyes begin to water. “No, they don’t. Because I was so ready to pull you out, to forget my brother. And if the roles were reversed, I don’t think I would have risked it.” I reach up and wipe the tear from his face. “You’ve given me everything, Westbrook.”
My heart feels like the sunrise after a cold winter’s night. “We’ll continue to help each other, Devries. That’s the deal when you love someone.”
He nods against my palm. “I’ve never loved anyone as much as I love you.”
“I feel the same way.” After kissing him gently, I smile. “Hey, now that I have a clean bill of health, why don’t we go back to my place and continue to love each other?”
“I’m dead tired, babe. My bones ache like mad.” We both chuckle. “So maybe a couple of shower hand jobs.”
“Deal,” I say through a giggle. Before we can saunter off, we spot Necia walking towards us with a determined look in her eyes.
“Oh no,” I say.
“Oh yes.” She nods. “Chief wants us in his office.”
Five minutes later, we’re gathered in Chief Tuttle’s small office. Necia, Max, and Girish are seated to the right, but it feels like Taz and I are the only ones about to be chastised.
The chief stares at the reports on his desk and rubs his eyebrows. “I just want to clarify some things,” he says in a strained, exhausted tone. “The dark cultist perp…teleported away. Meanwhile you…were pulled into the Other Side?”
It’s quiet, so I take that as my cue to answer. “The dark cult had lined up sacrifices and already killed one by the time we got there. We didn’t realize there was a blood magic ritual in progress. Perhaps if we had noticed the runes carved into the ground…”
The chief waves my explanation away. “So then, a small rift opened up?”
The five of us nod at each other.
“And you were pulled in? You were actually exposed to the Other Side?”
I nod. “But Cedric gave me a clean bill of health.”
“And you only got back out because of…” He points to Girish, who pushes his glasses up.
“I, um…had a vision…of how to do that.”
“Convenient,” the chief mutters. He turns to Taz and says, “And your brother was in there?”
Taz, to his credit, doesn’t flinch. “Yes. And I don’t regret pulling him or Luther back out. Luther is your lead agent. And Vikrum is my brother.”
“How long was he in there for?” Chief Tuttle asks, exasperated.
“About…fifteen years.”
“Fifteen…ugh.” Chief Tuttle runs his fingers through his hair. “This is unprecedented. The physiological effects and ramifications of prolonged exposure to the dark dimension could be dire,” he says through a whine.
“Again, I will not apologize,” Taz says with conviction. He exchanges looks with the other three, then nods. “If you want to kick me out of the Union, so be it.”
“Slow your roll, Joan of Arc.” The chief points at him, and Taz’s eyebrows raise.
“You’re no martyr. I’m not kicking you out.
You may not be an official agent, but you’re still an incredibly valued asset.
Everyone in the magical community owes you a debt.
Really, all of you work well together as a team. ”
I smile at my boyfriend―he’s not being fired!
Chief Tuttle continues, “I’m happy to report that we now have all three pieces of the gauntlet secured.
However, the lead cultist got away. It’s only a matter of time before the Cult of the Unheard starts dabbling in other dark rituals.
” He puts his hands together on the desk.
“And I’m sorry to be so blunt, but your brother is a liability. ”
“Pardon?” Taz tenses up, but I put my hand on his to get him to stay seated.
“What I mean is, there is no precedent for someone living in the Other Side.”
“He was in a coma!” Taz argues.
“Be that as it may, we think it best if he lives under close monitoring.”
“Like what, here at the infirmary? Who can live like that?” Taz asks in an angry tone.
“Not here. While I do need Cedric to regularly evaluate him, I was thinking closer to the Union, rather than out in the world doing who-knows-what.”
“He can live with me in Cosmo, on my couch,” Taz says.
“Or he can live in the portal manor in Cosmo,” I counter. Everyone turns to me, and I nod. “Think about it: the portal is right there, and we can all visit him regularly.”
“I thought no one lived in the actual portal mansion?” Taz asks.
“Um, I live there.” We all turn to Girish. “He can like…live in one of the guest rooms, I guess.”
“Perfect!” I say.
“That’s my call to make, Agent Westbrook.” The room is quiet as the chief studies his hands. “But…you’re right. That is…acceptable. Meeting adjourned.”
We all stand up, and the others file out of the room. Before we can leave, the chief walks up to Taz and me. “Mr. Devries, I’ve been having a serious discussion with the High Council.”
Taz looks at me and audibly gulps. “Yes?”
“We’d like to offer you a series of exams to initiate you into being a full-fledged agent of SPELL. It’s unorthodox, but really, nothing about this program has a precedent.”
Taz seems stunned. “But you seemed disappointed in my actions.”
“I also said you were a valuable asset. You’d be able to work alongside your other half over here.”
He hooks his thumb at me, and my eyebrows rise.
“Just think it over.”
With that, we walk out of the chief’s office. “Do you think I should do it?” Taz asks.
“You get a stipend.” I shrug as we walk. “And you can go on missions with me.”
He chuckles. “You’ve sweetened the pot, Westbrook. Perhaps I’ll become a full-time agent just to keep your ass safe.”
“You do keep me safe.” We stop, and I square him a serious look. “And you challenge me, you always have. I’m a better wizard when you’re around. I should have seen that when we were kids, but now…”
He takes my hand and gives it a squeeze. “Now you’re stuck with me, Lulu.”
We laugh, and I lean in and kiss him slowly, right there in the Union for everyone to see. I’m more than happy to be stuck with Taz. We may only have been dating for a few weeks, but a future with the man who’s always driven me wild is starting to sound ideal.