Chapter 35 Tallus
Tallus
Araucous commotion outside my curtained area in the ER announced Diem’s arrival long before I saw him. The doctor signing off on my prescription painkillers glanced up from his pad with a frown.
Before he could race off to see what was going on, I announced, “That would be my ride. Told you he was coming.”
Ten seconds later, Diem tore the curtain aside with a clatter of metal rings and blew into the tiny exam room on a wave of fury and panic. “Tallus.”
“Hey, Guns. Are you causing trouble?”
His face was blurry. Without glasses, everything was blurry, framed with sharp edges of pain. I had a roaring headache that was threatening to turn into a migraine, and no one could figure out how to dim the lights.
The doctor handed me a script, and I squinted, bringing it closer to my face to read what miracle drug he’d prescribed.
“Ice it frequently for the first twenty-four hours,” he said.
Diem shoved the doctor aside and took my face roughly between his hands, tilting my head up so he could examine the injury.
I was well on my way to a matching pair of black eyes and had a jagged split on the bridge of my nose that had required a tiny dab of medical glue—thanks to my glasses snapping in half and stabbing me.
I hissed and laid a hand on his forearm. “Gentle. I hurt.”
“Oh my god. What the fuck happened?” The growl in his voice told me he already suspected.
“Luke happened. That asshole has a right hook you would be proud of. Broke my nose and…” I held up what remained of my shattered glasses. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why this keeps happening.”
“I don’t care about your glasses. I care about you. Look at your face.” He gently stroked my nose.
“Not too pretty anymore, huh?”
“You’ll always be beautiful to me. Are you okay?”
“I’ll live. The swelling is going down. A nasty nurse made me ice it until my face was numb. The doctor reset it. It made me cry. He promised it wasn’t misshapen. Is it misshapen? Am I an ogre now?”
Diem’s face crumpled. “Are you kidding? You’re the sexiest man alive.”
“I think that honor went to Jonathan Bailey.”
“I don’t know who that is.”
“He’s an actor. Have I taught you nothing?”
Diem cradled my head against his chest. His heart beat a tattoo beneath my ear. “I was so worried about you.”
“You’re the reason Luke didn’t get away. Unfortunately, it had nothing to do with my cunning skills as a PI.”
“What do you mean?”
“You called the police. You told me not to, then you went and did it anyway. They arrived as I was chasing him, and they saw him hit me. He put me flat out. Fucking hurt like a bitch. You know what’s weird?
I didn’t see birds like in the cartoons.
Sparkles and fireworks, yes, but no birds.
I always thought there would be birds. What a rip-off. ”
“I’m signing you up for self-defense.”
“It wouldn’t have helped. He surprised me. Lay in wait around a corner. Then bam. Sneaky asshole.”
I closed my eyes, exhaustion hitting like a truck. Whatever they’d given me for pain had made me sleepy. My thoughts swam. My headache became a dull pulse behind my eyes, no longer ailing.
Diem threaded his fingers through my hair, continuously kissing my head over and over, whispering that he loved me, that I was an idiot, that I was never allowed out of his sight again. No more crazy plans. Desk work from here on out. And I love you, Tallus. I love you, I love you, I love you.
I smiled and soaked up the attention, even as I drifted on a cloud.
“I didn’t think the police would believe me when I told them what Luke was up to,” I murmured, hardly able to form sentences any longer. “But they arrested him for assault and said it would give them time to look into things. I sent them after Aaron. Said he had proof.”
“You did good.”
“Are you mad?”
“No. Scared, Tallus. I was scared.”
“I’m okay, D. Kind of sleepy.”
He squeezed me tighter.
“Aaron? What happened to Aaron?”
“They took him in. I gave him a line of bullshit, and he believed me. He had no idea that without those files, the police probably wouldn’t have been able to press charges. I convinced him to flip on Luke. I told him it was his only way out.”
I chuckled. “He believed you?”
“Yep.”
A sudden thought hit, and I jolted into a panic. “Darcy?” The world tilted and wobbled, and I clung to Diem to steady myself. “Where’s the kid? Is he okay?”
“I’m here. I’m okay,” said a voice from outside my line of sight.
I squinted at the opening in the curtain but saw only a blurry, indistinguishable impression of a person. “Darcy?”
“Yeah. You’ve got blood on your fancy shirt.” He stepped forward, but his image wasn’t any clearer.
I whimpered, examining the stain I’d discovered earlier, then fingered the fresh hole in my trousers. “My pants are ruined too. I fell in my stupid shoes when that asshole made me run on gravel.” I peered at Diem, whose expression remained pinched with worry. “I’m a failure as a PI.”
He brushed his knuckles delicately over my cheek, avoiding my busted nose. “You’re an amazing PI, but I suggest buying yourself proper running shoes for the future. The job is physical at times and requires random bouts of cardio.”
“I can’t run for shit. Shoes won’t help.”
He chuckled. “You could practice.”
“Diem Krause, don’t get any ideas. I will quit before I ever run on purpose.”
“Don’t do that. You have other worthwhile skills.”
“True. I can charm the pants off a straight man if I want to.”
“I have no doubt.”
I burrowed against his chest again, closing my eyes. “I’m surprised Aaron didn’t end up with broken fingers before they arrested him.”
“Who said he didn’t?”
“You forget I know you, Guns. You’re all bark and no bite.”
“I’ll bite if provoked.”
“Aaron was never a threat. Not to you.”
“I know. I was never worried.”
“Not even a little?”
“No.”
“I love you, Guns.”
“I love you,” he murmured, burying his nose in my hair and inhaling.
“Ugh. You two are so sappy. I’ll be in the waiting room.” Darcy exited with a rattle of curtain rings.
“He’s such a brat,” I mumbled. “Oh, Tia had the baby. A boy, but we knew that already. I don’t know which hospital, but I told him we’d visit once they’re home.”
“I don’t do babies.”
“Neither do I, Guns, but it’s required. Plus, they can’t be worse than teenagers.”
He chuckled and squeezed me tighter. “Are you allowed to go home?”
“Yeah. Got to ice my face regularly and take these for pain.” I held up my prescription. “I’m tired. I need a nap.”
“I was thinking a latte and a cookie might help.”
“You are my favorite person ever. Don’t ever forget that.”
He kissed my temple. “I won’t.”
***
Later that afternoon, Diem woke me, armed with a carefully wrapped ice pack. He lay beside me on the bed and held it over the bridge of my nose until I whimpered about the cold and shoved his hand away.
“Enough. Don’t be like the mean nurse.”
He set the pack aside, and I cracked an eye studying him where he rested beside me. Perpetual worry still marred his brow, and I smoothed it with my thumb.
“Where’s the kid?”
“Watching TV with Echo. His programming choices are worse than yours.”
“Worse than The Bachelor?”
“Way worse. He’s obsessed with anime.”
“Aw, you poor thing. Does that mean he’s occupied?” I wiggled closer and trailed my fingers over the contour of Diem’s shoulder.
“For now, but you can not possibly be in any condition to get frisky.”
“You underestimate me.”
I’d stripped to my underwear for my nap, but thoughts of sexy time vanished when I clocked Diem’s distraction.
His gaze traveled over my chest. He traced the chain I wore around my neck until he came to the ring he’d given me.
Boone’s ring.
Diem’s promise of forever.
His mind seemed to drift, and he didn’t say anything for a long time, transfixed on the antique, rubbing it between his fingers.
I squinted, doing all I could to see his thoughts, but they were locked up tight.
“You’re doing it again.”
He blinked from his daze. “Doing what?”
“Thinking too hard, and not letting me in.”
His smile didn’t wash away the worry lines across his brow.
“Have you heard anything from the cops?” I asked, hoping to distract him from whatever troubles had taken him hostage.
“No. Don’t expect to. If Aaron keeps his promise, they won’t come looking for Darcy.”
“Are we keeping the pup?” I wasn’t sure how I felt about Darcy, but I knew how Diem felt, so I had decided to be okay with whatever he decided.
“I don’t know what to do. I can’t send him back to that house, and he’s technically nineteen and doesn’t need a guardian, but—”
“But you don’t want to put him out onto the streets of Toronto either.”
“No.”
“He could sleep on the couch for a bit. You could help him find a better job and get him assistance if he qualifies. Find him a cheap apartment. Hell, make him go back to school. He doesn’t have a high school diploma.”
The wariness in Diem’s eyes conveyed how concerned he was for the kid and how fearful he’d been that I might put my foot down and kick him out. “Are you sure? He’s kind of a handful.”
“I don’t mind, Diem. He’s a brat, and he disrupts our lives, but so long as you take him for regular walks, ensure he doesn’t make puddles on the floor, keep him away from my clothes, be sure he doesn’t drink all the cereal milk, or eat my peanut butter, we can make it work.
I got used to Baby. Sort of. I can get used to Darcy, too. ”
“It will only be temporary.”
“It will be whatever it needs to be.” I pressed a hand to his stubbled cheek. “It’s fine, D. Stop fretting.”
He turned his face and kissed my palm. “Are you still tired?”
“Nah, but I don’t want to get up yet. Cuddle me?”
Diem dragged me against his chest and wrapped me in his arms. We lay like that for a long time, the steady thrum of his heart an extra layer of comfort.
“Would you care if…” he started to say. “I think…”
It took Diem a few minutes to find the right words, but I waited. His mind had been busy lately, and in times of stress, he still struggled to communicate.
“I’m going to take your dad up on that fishing trip.”
Surprised, I lifted my head, meeting his gaze. “Really?”
His brow crinkled. “Yeah. Do you mind? He said it was in April.”
“Go. I think that’s great. Heath will be thrilled.”
“But if Darcy—”
“We’ll be fine. I promise not to kill him… unless he touches my things… or changes the channel when I’m watching my shows… or—Wait! He can take care of Baby, so I don’t have to. It’s perfect.”
“I’ll only be gone for a weekend. Baby doesn’t need to be taken care of.”
“She’s a snake.”
“A boa.”
“A snake! And she needs to be watched at all times. What if she escapes and tries to eat me? I’ve seen those shows.
They lie beside you to measure and see if you’ll fit in their belly.
Darcy can protect me, and if he’s in the living room on the couch, he would be the optimal first meal.
She won’t need to eat again for at least a month after that, and—”
Diem covered my mouth, laughing. “You’re more of a brat than Darcy. I’m not sure it’s safe to leave you two together for three days.”
I peeled his hand off, smiling. “I’m kidding. We’ll be fine. Go have fun. Learn to fish. Let Heath talk your ear off.”
I laid my head down again, and Diem caressed my back.
I had never expected him to take my dad up on fishing.
Whatever Diem’s reasons, I was glad he decided to go.
He might not be ready to share my family, or call my parents Mom and Dad, but every day, Diem’s world and the people in it grew a fraction larger.
Every day, he opened up a little more.
Diem was learning to trust people. He was learning to love and be loved in return.
And finally, he seemed to understand that he deserved it.