23. Cas
23
Cas
R ishi was a beautiful man. I thought it when I first saw him, I thought it when he was in my arms, and I thought it when he was in my bed.
Right that moment, eyes wildly intense, gun at the ready, and clearly madder than hell, I thought he was more beautiful than I had ever seen him.
The Riverside County SWAT team filled the room. Rishi, Rio, and Luis wound up cuffed, even though I protested that they had come for me, and they were bodyguards hired to protect me.
Rishi did not resist, but neither did his eyes leave me as several paramedics wheeled a gurney in and released me from the chains. They efficiently transferred me to the gurney and checked me over in preparation for moving me.
Captain Donovan came in, already on the phone with someone though I couldn’t hear what he was saying. It was clearly a heated discussion, but I got distracted by the EMT asking me questions, and I could only split my focus so many different ways.
I was wheeled out and put in the back of an ambulance, and I wanted Rishi to come with me so badly, but no one was listening. The younger of the paramedics patted my hand. “It’ll be alright, sir,” she said. “They’ll get it all sorted out, and we’ll get you to the hospital.”
“I want my partner, he’s—” I was insisting, when the door of the ambulance opened again and Rishi climbed up inside, sitting down on the opposite side of the gurney.
“I’m right here,” Rishi said quietly, taking my hand.
The paramedic looked at him skeptically, but Rishi ignored her, gently kissed the back of my hand, and then laid it on the blanket next to my legs, covered with his own.
I could feel Rishi watching me on the drive as the paramedic continued to assess and work on me. I could feel that he was a perfectly controlled mass of rage, burning hotter with each new injury listed. He was entirely still but for his thumb, softly stroking the back of my hand.
Rishi was forced to wait while I was triaged and taken to a trauma room, the variety of injuries I had sustained combined with my recent amputation — and the fact that some of my injuries involved the amputation site — triggering a full-scale response.
After I was thoroughly assessed, my wounds cared for, and several specialists ordered, Rishi was finally allowed into the room.
“Cas,” he said softly, sitting down next to my bed. His eyes roamed the bandages I now wore, and when I met his gaze he looked so sad it broke my heart.
“I’m okay,” I said. That wasn’t strictly true, but I had been worse.
Rishi opened his mouth, searched for words, and closed it.
I smiled at him. “So why’d you send me a heart emoji the other day?” I asked.
Rishi’s mouth dropped open, and I laughed gently at the expression on his face. I held my hand out to him and pulled him in for a kiss, which he delivered with such gentleness that I barely felt it. I returned it, and then, with utmost care, he blanced himself on the very edge of the bed and tucked me into his arms.
John called Rishi later in the evening. He, Rio, and Luis would need to give statements, but none of them were under investigation for the shootings, considering the circumstances, and that none of them had actually killed anyone.
I raised my eyebrows at the word “shootings,” and after we were off the phone he chuckled softly. “Luis tried marijuana during the rescue.”
I couldn’t make the words make sense. “Come again?”
Rishi laughed. “Yes. Well, Rio was well-prepared…” he said, and told me the story from start to finish.
Once he was done, he took my hand and kissed it again. “I’m sorry we weren’t faster,” he said. “I’m sorry he had the time to hurt you this much.”
I sighed. “I didn’t enjoy it, but it could have been a lot worse.”
Rishi ran his thumb along an uninjured patch of skin on my jaw. I had five cigarette burns on my face, a second degree burn along the other side of my jawline from the lighter, and the slice along my throat. Most of the small burns were dressed with burn cream, and the cut was bandaged with a long, thin wound dressing. I imagine I looked like shit, but Rishi smiled at me anyway.
“I sent you a heart emoji because I’m falling in love with you,” he said softly, then smiled at my surprise at the abrupt change of topic. “Is that all right?”
My smile grew, my burns stinging when the skin was stretched, but I couldn’t help it. “It is very all right,” I said. “I’ve already fallen.”
Rishi huffed and kissed me, still so very gentle. “Good. I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
***
I had to stay in the hospital for three days. Saint and Rio came to visit on the second day.
Saint and Rio both offered fist bumps, and Saint surveyed me worriedly. “Cas. Jesus, you—”“Looks like he’s healing after a bad time,” Rishi said, cutting Saint off mid-sentence.
I cut eyes at Rishi, who smiled brightly between me and Saint.
Saint stared at Rishi, then nodded. “Look like you’re healing. How are you feeling?”
“Been better, been worse,” I said, entirely truthfully.
Saint nodded slowly. “I imagine so,” he said.
“So Fernandez is dead,” I said cheerfully.
“Yessss…” Saint said. “Rio told me when he got home that night. I was so fucking happy.”
“Me too, trust me,” I said.
“Rishi, how’s your arm?” Rio asked, and every head in the room turned to look at Rishi, who now looked like he wanted to disappear.
“Rishi,” I said mildly. “What happened to your arm?” I remembered Rishi, Luis, and Rio coming in, I remembered the standoff, and I remembered the swat team pouring in, but I did not remember Rishi hurting his arm.
“It’s fine,” Rishi said. “A scratch.”
I let my eyes slide over Rishi, from his glossy black hair, handsome face with minor swelling around the nose, broad, muscular torso, trim hips, and strong legs. Then I looked at both of his arms.
He wore a long-sleeved black henley with the sleeves pushed up almost to his elbows. A typical Rishi daily uniform. I knew now that he chose it to minimize how many of his tattoos were visible, but it also made him look wonderfully intimidating.
“Rishi,” I said with a deliberately sweet smile and a cajoling tone. “What happened to your arm?”
I heard Rio suck air and had to work to not react.
“A graze when we found the interrogation room,” Rishi answered immediately. “It was small, just a bandage, no stitches.”
I nodded. “Took care of that before I got to my room?”
“Yes,” Rishi said.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Rishi’s face slowly shifted into an expression that I could not name. “Why didn’t I tell you?” he said. “Why didn’t I tell you? When you were burned and cut, and— and— and—” He waved his hands at my legs.
“I’m fine,” I insisted. “Everything is still here.”
Saint let out a strangled sound and turned away from me, hand over his mouth. I wasn’t sure if he was laughing or if he was upset, but I had other things on my mind.
“And I got a bandage on my boo-boo!” Rishi hissed.
“Oh my god,” Rio breathed.
I stared at Rishi, mouth hanging open at his turn of phrase. “You got— A boo-boo ??”
Rishi blinked, opening his mouth to answer, but I shook my head.
“Please, please never use that phrase again, Rishi, if you ever want me to get it up in your presence again.”
His mouth snapped shut forcefully and he nodded.
I took a deep breath and let it out, worry and irritation over Rishi being hurt and not telling me fading, and looked around the room.
Saint’s back was still towards me, and his shoulders were shaking, and Rio was looking at Rishi and I like we were ping pong players, one hand on Saint’s arm.
“Saint?” I asked cautiously.
Saint shook his head, took several deep breaths, and then turned around. His eyes were wet, but he was smiling. “That might have been the most entertaining fight I’ve ever heard.”
I scoffed. “Well, I’m glad we can entertain you.”
He laughed again, shaking his head, then sucked air. “Oh! Fuck, Cas, I forgot to tell you.”
“What did you forget to tell me?” I asked warily.
He had sobered. “I got a phone call.”
Rio entwined their fingers.
“As next of kin, I received a phone call a few days ago. Do you remember Ginny, my sister?”
I nodded slowly.
“Well, she was in jail because of her part in my brother’s assault and stalking case and everything with Greene. She was attacked when she went off on a rant at another prisoner. They don’t know what it was about, but probably something to do with them being a lesbian. Anyway, she was attacked, stabbed, and is currently recovering in the hospital. After that, she will be going to a hospital for the criminally insane.” He shrugged a little. “She pled guilty to killing Fernandez’s man, as well as her part in the drive-by that you were hurt in and several other things. She’s not ever getting out.”
I nodded. “That’s good. I’m sure your brother was happy to hear that she would be taken care of, too. She’s dangerous.”
“Shiloah is happy. Fernandez is dead, Greene is dead, their kids are as safe as gay kids can be right now, and Ginny is locked up.” Saint lifted his hands. “It’s the best outcome we could have hoped for.”
I looked at Rishi, held out my hand, and smiled when he took it and kissed the back. “And you, Shiloah, and I got something else out of the deal, too.”
Rio’s arm went around Saint’s waist. “That’s the best part,” Saint said.