Earth and Sky

supposed this wasn’t too bad.

    “I’m sure it’ll be very reassuring for Mr. Jarreau to know that part is covered.”

    Hunter nodded. “Can I see him now?”

    “The doctor will be right out to talk to you.”

    Hunter looked at her, but she didn’t meet his eyes. His stomach clenched again. Before she’d left, she was talking about letting him in to see Grant, and now all he was going to see was the doctor? That didn’t bode well.

    She gave his arm another squeeze and then left him alone again.

    Hunter’s mind was a lot clearer now, although his anxiety had grown. He paced the waiting area, happy that there was no one else there to see his apprehension. As the nurse left, he saw a glimpse of another waiting area, where there were more people. Some of them looked sick or injured. Why had they separated him from the other people?

    Hunter didn’t have a lot of time to ponder as the door swung open again and a red-haired man in a long white coat walked in. “Mr. Krause? You came in with Mr. Jarreau?”

    “Yes,” Hunter answered, trying not to let his voice betray his anxiety but failing miserably.

    “I’m sorry you had to wait this long, but Mr. Jarreau took quite a beating, and we had to make sure there was nothing life-threatening going on.”

    “Is he… okay?”

    The man smiled. “He’s bruised and battered, and we will need to keep him for one or two nights to make sure he’s okay, but he seems to have escaped with only minor injuries.”

    “Minor…?”

    “He has a little bleeding around his spleen, which is the reason we want to keep him for observation. Right now it doesn’t look bad enough to operate, though. And he has a few hairline fractures in his pelvis and three broken ribs, but other than being immensely sore for the next few days, he looks like he’ll live.”

    “Can I see him?” Hunter asked quietly.

    “Your name is Hunter? He asked for you. Repeatedly.”

    Hunter swallowed away his fear.

    “I should warn you he looks really bad, but I assure you we turned him inside out. They’re transferring him to intensive care for the night, or I should say for the day, since it’s morning already. Why don’t I take you to see him?”

    Hunter nodded and thought he was going to throw up.

Chapter 26

    Hunter thought his anxiety would drop when he walked into Grant’s room, but it got even worse when he saw his lover.

    Grant was lying on his back, his eyes closed. His short, almost black hair was sticking to his head where they’d tried to wash the blood out of it. He had several bruises along the side of his face, and his eyes were swollen to the point where Hunter almost didn’t recognize him. One of his arms was in a splint, and the other had tubes sticking into it. His torso was bare but also fairly black and blue, and there were stickers on his chest and clips with wires leading to it. Grant was connected to a few machines, one of them making soft but annoying beeping noises that were significantly slower than the heartbeat Hunter felt in his throat.

    When Hunter looked around, he realized the doctor had left him alone in the room. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to startle Grant, so he stood by the foot of the bed for what seemed like a long time until Grant managed to open one eye.

    “Will you come here and sit down? You’re making me nervous standing there, hovering over the foot of my bed like the angel of death.”

    “Doctor says you’re not dead yet,” Hunter answered, feeling some of his fears flood away after hearing Grant’s voice. “You look like shit, though.”

    “Thanks, Cowboy,” Grant replied. “And here I thought you’d be able to lift my spirits.”

    Hunter walked a little closer so he could touch Grant. He brushed his knuckles over the back of Grant’s hand and pulled a little stool closer so he could sit down. “Doctor says you need rest and then you’ll be right as rain again in a few weeks.”

    Grant shrugged slightly, then winced as if it hurt.

    “He says you got really lucky.”

    “Yeah,” Grant said quietly. He took a deep and rather shaky breath in. “What were you doing on that road so far from home, Hunter?”

    Hunter couldn’t look straight at Grant, but he noticed Grant turning his hand until his palm was facing up and opening his fingers. Hunter hesitantly placed his hand over Grant’s, and Grant closed his fingers, gently squeezing Hunter’s hand. Hunter felt tears well up in his eyes,