Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 5

stupid little shit. You know better than to drive on your migraine meds."
    Travis flinched. His already pale face grew a shade paler before a tide of red swept up from his chest, across his throat, and washed against his high cheekbones. "Fuck you, Aaron."
    Aaron smirked at him. "Later, honey. I'm pretty sure your dad's expecting me to at least put an engagement ring on your finger first."
    Travis gaped at him, and then his glorious hazel eyes lit from within. An answering fire burned in Aaron's gut. Pushing past the nurse who was far more interested in their by-play than in removing the I.V. from Travis's arm, Aaron leaned down, brushing his lips carefully against Travis's mouth. Pulling back a fraction of an inch, he slowly moved his mouth until it hovered right above Travis's ear and breathed his next words low enough that only Travis could hear.
    "The doc didn't want me in here, so your dad told him I'm your fiancé. That was pretty clever of him, huh?"
    He pulled back, a grin stretching his lips wide over his teeth. Travis closed his mouth. All the sparkle drained from his eyes as he nodded. Aaron's gut clenched again.
    "Yeah. Dad's real good at thinking on his feet." Travis's voice sounded hollow.
    Aaron raked his eyes over the younger man. "You were driving on your meds, weren't you?"
    Travis looked down, his chin moving down as he dipped his head forward in an infinitesimal gesture of affirmation. Aaron bit down on the desire to hit something.
    "We're going to talk about that when we get home."
    Travis shrugged. He closed his eyes, turning his head away from Aaron. "They want to keep me for observation."
    Aaron's heart started up the crazy south-of-the-border rhythm he hadn't felt since the day Timothy died. "Why?"
    Travis ignored his question. "Can you get the nurse? My head hurts really bad again."
    The mariachi playing in Aaron's chest sped up. "Travis—"
    Travis turned his head back toward Aaron. His opening eyes revealed a vast well of pain in their depths that pulled the air from Aaron's lungs. "Please, Aaron. Get the nurse."
    Aaron stumbled back. The memory of Teresa saying something about Travis being kept for observation floated to the front of Aaron's mind. Travis had blacked out. Right. Okay. And his head hurt now. Right.
    "Yeah. Yeah, T, right away."
    Aaron stopped in the doorway. They had call-thingies in the rooms, didn't they? Casting his gaze around, he spotted a red button on the wall. He figured it would bring someone, and there was no way he was leaving Travis anytime soon. He pushed the button, breathing a sigh of relief when it didn't set off an alarm of some sort.
    "They should be here soon, T. Real soon. And I'll stay with you 'til you can come home. Promise."
    Travis didn't answer verbally, but he gave a little half wave with the hand resting on his hip without opening his eyes again. Aaron dimmed the lights in the room and pulled the only chair close to the bed. Then he settled in to wait.
    CHAPTER 4
    Four hours later, when Travis woke from an uneasy doze to the jostling of the orderly unlocking the wheels of his gurney, Aaron was still there. The excruciating jarring of the corner of the bed smacking into the doorframe would have set his head to pounding again, even without adding in the outraged bellow from Aaron. Travis winced and clutched at his head. The poor orderly ducked his flushed face. His slender shoulders crept up toward his ears as Travis watched. Aaron's volume rose. The kid bit his lip, his face angled just enough for Travis to see the bitter resignation in his expression.
    "Please shut the fuck up, Aaron. You're killing my head."
    Aaron thankfully shut his yap, and the dude wheeling Travis up to his room didn't hit anything else. Probably because Aaron promised him backstage passes to the next four Bay Area gigs if he managed it and a lawsuit if he didn't. Travis wished his head wasn't stuffed full of cotton wool and railroad spikes, because Aaron never threw around his star status like that, and even though Travis knew it meant something, right now he doubted he could find his ass with both hands and a road map, much less find the hidden meaning behind Aaron's actions.
    He just stopped trying to figure out the whys of everything and let Aaron take care of things for a change. Easing his eyes shut again blocked out the bright white shards of light from overhead. The low rumble of Aaron's voice sounded once more, and then the bed stopped for a moment. Aaron's big warm