Closer: Bay City Paranormal Investigation, Book 4

fluid cultures, chest X-ray to rule out pneumonia although his index of suspicion for that is pretty low. Of course, I believe the chemical caused both the seizure and the fever, but I can hardly tell the doctor that.” Bo shifted again. The over-large hospital gown slid off his shoulder, revealing a corner of surgical tape from the bandage covering the better part of his back. “They’re giving me anticonvulsants, Sam. You know what that might mean.”
Sam did, and the realization gave him a surge of hope. “If your brain connected with those fucking things and the portals the same way mine does, the anticonvulsants could keep it from happening again.”
“If your theory is correct, yes.”
“I really hope it is.”
“So do I.” Letting go of Sam’s hand, Bo pushed the button to raise the head of the bed. He stopped, wincing, after it lifted a few inches. “Damn. I think I’m going to ask for that pain medicine now.”
“It’s about time.”
Sam reached inside the bedrail, feeling for the nurse call button. Bo’s hand on his stopped him. He looked at Bo, eyebrows raised.
“Thank you, Sam,” Bo whispered.
Sam smiled. “I haven’t pushed the button yet.”
“Not that.” Bo’s fingers caressed Sam’s. “Thank you for sticking with me through these past few days. For saving me last night. And most of all, for still believing in me in spite of everything.” His dark gaze bored into Sam’s, serious and intent. “That means more to me than I can possibly tell you.”
Sam’s throat constricted. Rising to his feet, he leaned over, cupped Bo’s face in his hands and kissed him. Bo’s lips parted, his tongue stroking warm and soft against Sam’s. It felt wonderful, even more so than usual because of all that had happened. Morning breath and chapped lips didn’t matter. Bo was alive and safe, and he was himself again. To Sam, everything else paled beside that simple fact.
When they broke apart, Sam curled back into the recliner while Bo pushed the call button. The day shift nurse came in a few minutes later and injected morphine into Bo’s IV line. By the time she left the room, Bo was already blinking drowsily at the wall. He drifted off a few minutes later, one hand still tucked beneath his head and the other hanging off the edge of the mattress.
For a long time, Sam sat and watched Bo sleep. His mind whirled with thoughts of the theories he and Bo had just discussed, and what they might mean for Bo’s future and his own. If Sam was right, the anticonvulsants would keep the otherdimensional beings from finding their way into Bo’s brain again. And if he was wrong…
If he was wrong, the possibilities didn’t bear thinking of.
He reached out and stroked Bo’s fingers, from the short, blunt nails to the rough skin over his knuckles. “I’d better be right.”
Epilogue
    “It looks different.”
“Must be the sunshine.”
“And the crowd.”
Sam smiled, his shoulder just brushing Bo’s. “I think
    I like it better this way.”
Bo nodded. “So do I.”
They stood at the center of Fort Medina’s courtyard,
    which did indeed look different than it had during the investigation, or during their brief visit after hours the previous month. The bright July sun and the swarms of tourists made the place seem smaller and friendlier.
    “Do you feel anything?” Bo asked, his voice barely audible.
Sam shook his head. “No. But I didn’t expect to. The portal’s closed, for good.” He glanced at Bo. “What about you?”
Looking around, Bo smiled. “Nothing. Of course, that’s what I expected as well.”
They’d both gone with Andre and the rest of the BCPI crew in June, when the group returned to present the findings of their investigation to Joanne. Sam and Bo had gone with the sole purpose of making sure the portal was closed, and the things on the other side could no longer get into Bo’s brain.
Neither of them had any idea whether having been activated once would make the unclassified chemical easier to reactivate. Because of that, Sam hadn’t wanted Bo to go, even though Bo had been on Dilantin for three weeks by then. Bo had pointed out that if the chemical in his body could still be activated in spite of the Dilantin, he’d rather find out then, when they were both ready for it and there were relatively few people around.
Even Sam hadn’t been able to find any logical flaw with that argument. So they’d both gone back, wandering through the closed and darkened fort while their