15. Cas
15
Cas
I nodded. “Okay. Okay, I get it. I still don’t like it but I get it.” I studied him for a long moment. I didn’t like the splint on his nose, but it wasn’t very big, and I could only see a bit of swelling on his handsome face.
“My flight leaves at 6:20,” Rishi said. “I should be there no later than noon, probably closer to 10 or 10:30, depending on how busy the airport and traffic are. I’m getting a new rental car, so you’ll need to reregister it with the rental office, but this way we’ll be able to go to your appointments without anyone knowing what we’re driving again, at least for a while.”
I smiled in spite of myself. Rishi was so dedicated to keeping me safe, even, apparently, in ways that I knew I didn’t need. I wished I could kiss him and show him how much I appreciated his care.
After a few minutes of inconsequential chatter because I didn’t want to hang up the phone yet, I saw Rishi lift his head and greet someone. “Jason, I’m talking to Cas,” Rishi said.
“Oh? Nightly check-in?” A deep voice said in the background, and a very large, very blond man stuck his head into the edge of the camera and gave a little salute. “Nice to meet you,” he said. “I’m Jason.”
“Cas Hallie,” I said, once again sitting up. I was glad I was wearing a shirt, but I was mostly curious about this friend of Rishi’s.
“Don’t worry about Rishi; he’s fine. Just a little dust-up. I might have sprained his ex a little.” Jason grinned. “I’ve wanted to do that for ages.”
Rishi hissed through his teeth and shoved at Jason without any real strength behind it. Jason remained where he was, grinning into the camera. “I’ll feed him and put him to bed on my sofa and send him off to you in the morning.”
I smiled at his effort to reassure me. “Thanks,” I said. “I appreciate it.”
Jason saluted me again and disappeared from the frame.
“I’ll text before I put my phone on airplane mode in the morning,” Rishi promised, before telling me goodnight and hanging up.
“How is he doing?” Luis asked from the doorway. “You seemed a little…” he trailed off, clearly not sure how to finish.
I huffed a sarcastic laugh. “Worked up?”
Luis shifted from foot to foot and nodded. He was clearly younger, mid-twenties at most, and while I got the sense that he was entirely confident in his abilities as a bodyguard, his personal interactions were much less so. He was not meek, but he was quiet and obviously shy.
“Rishi’s ex hit him and broke his nose. He’s staying with his friend Jason tonight and coming home in the morning. Did he tell you about that?”
“He told me that he wouldn’t be home tonight. He didn’t mention the ex,” Luis said. “He’s okay?”
“Yeah, he’s okay. I switched it to a video call, and other than a splint, he looks fine.”
Luis nodded. “Good. Well, good night, then.” He nodded again and closed my bedroom door.
I lay back and pictured Rishi’s face with the splint, frowning. I was irritated that he hadn’t told me, but I was even more bothered that he had been hurt at all. I was anxious for him to get back, and tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough.
***
Rishi knocked on the door at 10:20 the next morning. Luis let him in, of course, and Rishi came to me and dropped to his knees in front of my chair so I could hug him. Once I gave him enough room to move back, I cradled his jaw and turned his head to inspect his nose. He had bruising beneath both eyes, and his face was a bit puffy, but it didn’t look nearly as bad as other broken noses I have seen. I pinched my lips at him as he watched my expression steadily, and I got the impression that he was waiting for judgment.
That wouldn’t do. I leaned in and tilted my head so I couldn’t bump his nose with mine, and kissed him carefully. “I’m glad you’re back,” I said.
Rishi was smiling a little when I opened my eyes after the kiss. “I am, too. I think California suits me much better than Denver.” He leaned in and laid his forearms on my armrests, resting his forehead against mine.
***
We laid low for two days, but the day after that had a full schedule. I was up before dawn, anxiety forcing me out of bed and into my chair. I went through two sets of the upper body exercises my PT gave me trying to work off the nerves while Rishi watched me from the bed. He lounged, a nice change up from our usual morning positions of him knocking out his workout while I enjoyed the show. He wasn’t supposed to raise his blood pressure too much since his nose was still tender, so his weights sat in the corner awaiting his recovery.
After I finished the second set, I transferred back into bed and rolled into Rishi’s waiting arms. “Enjoy that?” I asked him.
“Mmhmm,” Rishi said quietly and kissed me. “You’re not usually up so early. Worried?”
“Yeah,” I said. I was meeting with the prosthetics specialists today to find out when I would be getting my first prosthesis, and then I had a meeting with Captain Donovan and the chief to find out when I would be able to at least return to desk duty.
Rishi rubbed his hand up and down my bare back, digging in here and there to make me hum happily. Before long, he chuckled and pushed me over onto my front, grabbing a squirt of lube to use as massage oil. “Jesus Christ,” I breathed as he zeroed in on my shoulders and upper back. He was using deep pressure that stopped just short of too hard. Rishi seemed to be fantastic at knowing exactly where that line was in all pursuits, and he had me burying my face in the pillow to muffle my groans of enjoyment.
“When Luis leaves, I’m going to make you moan so loud your captain will hear about it,” Rishi promised, and the combination of his words, the low, growly tone he used, and the twingy-in-the-best-way something he did just above my left scapula had me hard in an instant. I turned my head and let him hear my groaning laugh.
“Hm?” he asked, and I could hear the smirk in his voice. “All on board with that?”
“Christ, yes,” I said.
Rishi was very thorough, and he took his time with my back, then held me in his lap against his chest and stroked a slick hand down to my erection. He brought me to a brain-melting orgasm while he held me back against him and whispered what else he'd like to do to me in my ear, interspersed with nips to my neck and shoulder.
After, while I was still mostly a man-shaped pile of goo, I slid down the bed and pulled his dick down my throat, encouraging him with pressure on his ass to fuck my face. It took him no time at all to get the idea. He buried both his hands in my hair, pulling just the way I like, and came with an awed groan.
Every time we had sex, it was better than the time before. I wondered briefly as I lay half on top of Rishi, trying to recover, if it might get so good that it would kill us. I decided it was worth the risk.
The reason I was up and worked up before Rishi distracted me came back full force when I finally pried myself out of bed to get dressed. I had two appointments that day; the first one with a prosthetics specialist to find out when I could get my first prosthesis. The second was with Captain Donovan and the Chief of Police to discuss when I could return to duty.
I was worried about both of them, though which worried me more varied depending on the moment.
We took Rishi’s new rental, with Luis driving and Rishi in the back. Rishi would come to my doctor's appointment with me, but he would not be attending the meeting with my boss.
I was able to try on my new prosthetic limb at the appointment, but it wasn’t quite right. I had gone through a very long appointment to take measurements for the new limb, but fitting it perfectly to me would take some more adjustment. I knew that was the likely outcome of this appointment, but a small part of me was hopeful that I’d just be able to put it on and go. Instead I scheduled a new appointment in a week for another try on session to see how today's adjustments worked out.
I was able to stand on two feet for the first time since my injury, though bearing weight on the prosthesis was uncomfortable. The physical therapist recommended making an appointment with the orthopedist to clear me for crutches so I could get a pair fitted to me at my next appointment. Rishi was at the edge of the room watching me stand, and when I looked at him, he beamed at me. He mimed a wolf whistle, and I grinned like a fool.
When we got to the car, I was tired, but I felt optimistic. The specialists had been helpful, and I had felt very heard. They understood that I wanted a prosthesis that I would be able to run on, and while part of the cost had to come out of my savings, that was what they were making me.
“I like tall men,” Rishi murmured in my ear as he pushed me out of the building.
I grinned again, my stomach flip-flopping in response to the tone he was using.
Luis smiled at me when we reached the car, and I got into the passenger seat. I could tell he was curious but didn’t want to ask. “All quiet out here?” I asked him.
He nodded. “Nothing of interest.”
“Great. We’ll be back here in a week for another fitting.”
Luis frowned, and I shook my head. “It’s okay. The fitting appointments take several sessions so it’s absolutely, perfectly tailored.”
Luis nodded, frown smoothing out. “Oh. That’s all right then?”
“Yes,” I said. “I’m one step closer to being on my own two feet again, with a small upgrade.”
Rishi’s warm hand landed on my shoulder and squeezed lightly.
Rishi walked me into the building when we reached the precinct but stayed in the lobby while I got into the elevator and went up to the second floor where I was supposed to have the meeting.
Captain Donovan met me when I got off the elevator and shook my hand. “Good to see you,” he said.
“You, too. Hopefully, I’ll see more of you sooner rather than later,” I said and wheeled myself into the conference room.
The chief sat at the table, along with a small Hispanic woman who I didn’t recognize.
“Officer Hallie, it’s good to see you. This is Ms. Perez, from HR,” Chief Graves said. He rose and shook my hand, then indicated the woman, who nodded politely.
“You as well, sir. Thank you for this meeting,” I said. “I’m pleased to report that I am healing well and should have my prosthesis within the next several weeks, but I am ready to return to desk duty as soon as you see fit.”
The chief nodded, glancing at Ms. Perez. She cleared her throat and smiled at me. “Mr. Hallie,” she said.
I felt a stone fall into my stomach, though I made certain that my pleasant expression did not falter.
“Mr. Hallie,” she said again. “I do not believe that we will be able to approve a modified return to duty at this time. It is important that everyone can pull his or her weight, and your previous role was very forward-facing. In the future, we may be able to offer you an administration position, but at this time, while you are, of course, still a protected employee under the Family Medical Leave Act, we cannot offer you any kind of role within the department. We can only suggest that you remain on medical leave as you heal, and then we can re-evaluate the situation down the road.” She smiled again, folding her hands on the sheet of paper on the table in front of her, then picked it up. “This is the current printout of your medical leave benefits. You have four weeks left, and, of course, there are options for continuation up to a point.” She tilted her head. “You also have quite a tidy package of vacation pay built up.”
I took the sheet of paper. I knew that my medical leave was nearly up, which is one of the reasons why I was hoping to return to work. I had never expected to be fired instead, and I could only nod politely. “Thank you, ma’am,” I said, then looked at the chief and at Captain Donovan, fighting not to let any emotion show. “Sirs. I’ll show myself out.”
Captain Donovan raised his hand, but I shook my head once with a terse smile. “No need to help me, sir, I’m quite capable on my own,” I said and maneuvered myself out of the room and down to the elevator.
Rishi was smiling when he saw me come out of the elevator, but it died immediately when he saw the look on my face. “Cas?”
I shook my head. “We’re done here.”
I’m done here.