Homecoming Hearts Series Collection

by HJ Welch

  “Remember. This is what it feels like to trust other people,” he whispered sadly to himself. Because he’d so wanted to have faith in Gabe, to give him his heart. But he’d let him down, just like everybody else.

  Joey hugged himself and watched the snow fall around the branches of the big tree over his head.

  He began singing softly to himself, struggling to keep his eyelids open. Murmurs of sunshine and loneliness.

  He trailed off into an enormous yawn. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to rest his head for just a minute? Then he’d get walking again, make his way towards the interstate and thumb a ride.

  The bench wasn’t comfortable as he lay down, but it was slightly drier than the muddy ground at least. He pillowed his hands under his cheek and blissfully allowed his eyes to close.

  28

  Gabe

  Gabe hung out with Mitch and Mary-Lou for as long as he could. If he wasn’t alone, he was slightly better at not checking his phone every twenty seconds for a response from Joey. But come midnight, Mary-Lou had fallen asleep on the couch with a snoring Timmy, and he felt he’d outstayed his welcome.

  Mitch insisted he’d only had a couple of beers before dinner, so was perfectly fine to drive Gabe back home. Ordinarily, Gabe wouldn’t hear of it. The walk was only about half an hour and through several pretty streets. But the snow was coming down even thicker and piling up on the sidewalk. Gabe would have made the trek if he’d had to, but he’d be a fool to pass up a ride when it was offered.

  He checked his phone again on the way. The message had been delivered, but according to the report, Joey hadn’t read it.

  He sighed and gave in.

  Please, baby, talk to me. This is cutting me up. I don’t want to fight. You mean so much to me xxx

  He watched as the message sent. But after a minute staring at the screen, it looked like this one hadn’t even been delivered to Joey’s phone. That meant it was turned off, or he had no signal. Fuck. Gabe began to worry even more.

  Mitch patted his knee. “Give him time,” he said gently. “He might be sleeping it off. Things will be better in the morning.”

  Gabe couldn’t argue with that. In his experience, things were always darkest before the dawn. He had the morning tomorrow to himself before his shift with the fire department in the afternoon. Hopefully, Joey would reply back to him before then and they could sort all this out. He didn’t think he could take another whole day of this.

  Mitch waved him off and drove away. Gabe crunched down his drive, fumbling with his keys in the stiff, icy wind tearing through the air. With a sigh of relief he entered his hallway and flicked on the lights, just in time to see an orange, brown and white-striped tail disappear around the corner into the kitchen.

  “Oh, Duchess,” he said forlornly. He really could have done with a cuddle right about then.

  Instead, he replenished her empty food bowl and changed her litter box. Despite her persistent shyness, Gabe reassured himself that her life was so much better now than it had been. She was warm and safe and lived in the quiet rather than that noisy shelter. If only she would allow Gabe to give her more affection. He wanted her to understand she was loved.

  He fussed over his cat as much as he could, but eventually, he had to go to bed. No matter how many times he checked his phone, the last message to Joey remained undelivered.

  Mitch was right. He’d probably fallen asleep and not plugged in his phone, so it had died on him. There was nothing Gabe could do but wait until the morning, and try again.

  He pulled the comforter around him and did his best to sleep.

  The alarm woke him several hours later, jolting him from an uneasy dream that he forgot as soon as he opened his eyes. He’d tossed and turned for most of the night, but he’d staunchly refused to look at his messages to Joey again, giving him time to charge his phone and react.

  But now it was eight o’clock. The sun was shining blindingly through the cracks in the curtain, no doubt reflecting off of the freshly fallen snow. Gabe snatched his phone from the nightstand.

  There weren’t any notifications. Gabe’s heart sank, but he still unlocked it and proceeded to check the messages he’d sent to Joey the night before.

  The last one had now been delivered.

  Gabe’s heart jolted. Fine. If Joey was purposefully not looking at his texts, that was one thing, but the delivery report suggested his phone at least had power and/or signal now. He hit the call button before he could change his mind.

  He didn’t know how Joey was feeling after their argument. If he didn’t pick up, he still wouldn’t. But Gabe was much more clearheaded now. Mitch was right. Joey was anxious about trusting anyone and he’d probably been scared off by hearing whatever he’d heard about Gabe this week.

  Although, it occurred to Gabe now that Joey had said he’d seen it, with his own eyes. Gabe wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, but he was distracted as the call was finally picked up.

  “Nurse Mullins speaking,” the voice on the other end of the line said.

  Gabe frowned and took the cell away from his ear for a second to double-check it was Joey he’d called. Sure enough, his name flashed up on the display once Gabe angled the phone enough away from his ear.

  Dread shot through Gabe’s whole body as he jammed the phone back against his ear. “Hello?” he said. “Is Joey Sullivan there?”

  There was a pause. “Are you Mr. Sullivan’s next of kin?”

  Gabe leaped from the bed, panic propelling him forwards as he thrust his legs into the first pair of jeans he laid his hands on. “I’m his boyfriend,” he said, not caring if that was still the case, or ever even had been. “Oh my god, what’s happened, is he all right?”

  “He’s doing okay, Mr…?”

  “Robinson, Gabe Robinson,” he supplied.

  The nurse paused, perhaps writing something down. “Mr. Robinson, Joey is doing just fine, now. He was brought in about two hours ago suffering from the onset of hypothermia. We hadn’t been able to definitely confirm his identity until your call just now. Some of the staff thought they recognized his face, but it’s good you contacted him.”

  Hypothermia. “Oh Christ,” Gabe choked out. He’d managed to get into a sweater and was hastily looking for socks. “Where was he found?”

  “One of the parks,” Nurse Mullins confirmed. There was sympathy in her voice. “On a bench near the baseball field. Luckily an early morning jogger spotted him. Don’t worry, Mr. Robinson, he came to us in plenty of time.”

  “Can I see him?” Gabe asked, already halfway down the stairs.

  “Of course,” she said. “But he’s sleeping now. He needs the rest and time to heal. Visiting hours officially start at midday. But, if you came early, I could maybe sneak you in a little bit before if he’s conscious by then.”

  Gabe pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to hold back the tears. “Okay, thank you,” he said, breathing slowly. “I’ll do that, thank you, Nurse.”

  “My pleasure, hon. See you soon.”

  Gabe closed the call and let out a keening noise. He never should have left Joey with his dad. Gabe had been so mad, but obviously Mr. Sullivan Sr. had been madder. Joey had hinted many times that his dad was capable of throwing him out.

  There Gabe had been fretting over his broken heart, and Joey had slept in a fucking park.

  He let out a shout, no doubt startling Duchess, wherever she was hiding. But Gabe was so furious with himself.

  Okay. Nurse Mullins said she could sneak him in earlier, so he’d aim to leave at eleven and wait. He’d sit by Joey’s side until he woke up. That left him a couple of hours to get things sorted before he left.

  He gripped the banister on the stairs and took a couple of deep breaths. “Shower first,” he said out loud. He needed to wash yesterday’s woes off. Start over.

  Then he had a lot to do.

  When Gabe arrived at the hospital with a bunch of flowers, he felt more nervous than he would have imagined. He was worried in c
ase Nurse Mullins wasn’t around. What if another member of staff didn’t think Gabe qualified as next of kin and wouldn’t let Gabe in? What if, once they’d had his identity confirmed, they’d called his family and his parents were there already? Gabe wasn’t sure that would be likely, but Joey had said he got along with his mom well. What if she had come and didn’t want to let Gabe in?

  Worst of all, what if Joey was awake and he refused to see Gabe? What if, despite the trauma he’d been through, he was still mad at him?

  Gabe would just have to respect him if that was the case. He just really hoped it wasn’t.

  “Hi, there,” he said convivially as he approached the reception desk on the first floor. “I’m looking for Joseph Sullivan? Joey. He was admitted this morning.”

  The elderly woman behind the desk smiled at him and began clicking her computer mouse. “Are you the patient’s brother?” she asked.

  Gabe shifted. “I’m his boyfriend, ma’am.”

  Just as he feared, the woman narrowed her eyes at Gabe. “I see,” she said coolly. Damn it; he should have just said friend. But fuck it, the hospital website specifically said they didn’t discriminate, and that same-sex couples had the same rights as opposite-sex and next of kin. Besides, Gabe had had enough bullshit this week.

  So he simply smiled brighter and tilted his colorful flowers at her. “I’m awfully eager to see him, ma’am. He was rushed into the E.R. this morning, like I said.”

  She pursed her lips and looked back at her monitor. “Yes, he’s still being held in the E.R., but visiting hours aren’t until-”

  “Thank you, ma’am,” Gabe cried, already heading down the corridor. E.R. was one of the most obviously signposted units. He didn’t need her help to find his way.

  His heart was in his mouth as he approached the busy waiting area. The room was filled with people looking very sorry for themselves, and even a couple with an alarming amount of blood on their clothes. Gabe waited patiently at the desk for his turn.

  “Hi,” he said again, hoping he would have better luck this time around. “I was told my boyfriend is still here, Joseph Sullivan? He was brought in with hypothermia.”

  The dude behind the counter was grisly and somewhere in his mid-fifties, but he didn’t bat an eyelid as he typed Joey’s name into the system. “Yes, sir, he’s here. They’re waiting for him to regain consciousness before moving him to another ward.”

  Gabe glanced at the clock on the wall. Twenty past eleven. “Um, is Nurse Mullins still on duty? She said I could speak to her when I got here.”

  The guy nodded. “Take a seat, son, and I’ll grab her when I next see her.”

  Gabe smiled, his relief probably obvious. “Thank you, sir.”

  Gabe found a place to sit between a girl sniffling with what looked like might be a broken arm, and a guy holding a heavy-duty bandage against his hand. The girl gave him a watery smile.

  “Hey,” said Gabe, glancing at her mom. She nodded at Gabe. What a relief, after the shitty week he’d had with all those rumors, not to be treated like a threat. He smiled at the girl again. She could only have been about six. “You look like you’re being awfully brave. Would you like one of my flowers?”

  The girl’s eyes widened. “Can I?” she asked her mom.

  “If the man says it’s all right,” she said.

  Gabe showed them to the girl when she looked over again. “They’re for my friend. But there’s a lot here. I’m sure he won’t miss one.”

  The girl hiccuped and cradled her injured arm. “Can I have a pink one? Please,” she tacked on at the end.

  Gabe fished her out one of the daisies. “Make sure you have your mom cut the end off the bottom and place it in some water. That way, the petals will open up and get even bigger.”

  The girl took the flower carefully. “Wow,” she whispered. “Thank you, Mister.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Robinson,” said her mom. Gabe raised her eyebrows at her, but she didn’t say anything else. She just gave him a slight nod.

  “Mr. Robinson?”

  He turned around to see a middle-aged redhead nurse looking out over the waiting room. Gabe gave the mom and her kid a wave, then stood to his feet.

  “That’s me, ma’am,” he said, walking over. The nerves were back in his belly. It hadn’t even been a full day since he’d last seen Joey, but it felt like a year.

  Nurse Mullins smiled at him, then rested a hand on his arm to guide the way. “He’s still sleeping,” she said. “But the doctors have done their rounds and I’m happy to let you sit with him.”

  “Okay,” said Gabe, nibbling his lip. “Should I be worried he’s not awake yet?”

  Nurse Mullins shook her head. “He had a bad night, I would guess. Poor boy needs his rest. He’ll wake naturally soon enough, I’m sure. We’re doing quarterly vitals – so every fifteen minutes. We won’t miss anything, I promise.”

  She showed him into a small private room. Joey looked so small in his gown under the pale hospital sheets. “Oh, baby,” he whimpered. There were dark circles under his closed eyes and his hair was stuck to his head.

  “We wrapped him in lots of blankets and gave him a warm saline solution through the I.V.” She pointed at the almost-empty bag attached to the drip in his arm. “We’re much happier with his core body temperature now, that’s why most of the blankets are gone. Now it’s just a matter of waiting for him to come round again.”

  Gabe nodded. “Thank you,” he said, stepping closer. He brushed Joey’s forehead with his fingers, sweeping some of his curls away. His breathing was steady and Gabe could see there was a little color in his cheeks now he was closer.

  “We tried contacting his family,” Nurse Mullins ventured. “They’re the ones listed as his next of kin in his records.”

  Gabe raised an eyebrow at her. “And let me guess, they haven’t come.”

  Nurse Mullins sighed. “I believe I spoke to Joey’s father, and, no. He didn’t sound eager to visit.”

  Gabe shook his head and blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. He needed to be strong, for Joey. “It doesn’t matter. I’m here now.”

  Nurse Mullins squeezed his shoulder. “You sure are. Okay, hon. We’re crazy busy here,” she told him. “But someone will be in shortly to check him again. In the meantime, if you need anything, just ring the bell and I or one of my team will do our best, okay?”

  “I’m sure we’ll be fine now,” said Gabe, giving her a grateful smile.

  She nodded then rushed back onto the ward.

  Gabe laid his flowers by Joey’s neat pile of clothes. He should have thought to bring a vase. Joey’s shoes were under the bed. They looked so tattered and damp.

  Gabe let out a heavy sigh and took the plastic chair by Joey’s bed. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, even though there was no one else around. He slipped Joey’s limp hand between both his own. “I shouldn’t have stormed off. But, I hope it counts for something that I’m here now.”

  Joey didn’t respond, but his skin was warm to Gabe’s touch. At least that was something.

  So he settled in to wait. He’d already called to cancel his shift with the fire crew. He didn’t have anywhere else in the world to be other than waiting patiently by Joey’s side.

  29

  Joey

  Joey’s eyes were stinging. He felt groggy and disorientated. This wasn’t his camp bed?

  “Joey?”

  He groaned. His throat was dry. “Gabe?”

  Someone was holding his hand. As he managed to crack one eyelid open, he wasn’t that surprised to see it was Gabe. But everything else was a bit of a shock, he had to admit.

  Gabe was sitting next to him, not lying like he might have expected. For a moment, he had thought they were still in Chicago. But that had been several days ago?

  The argument.

  Joey pulled his hand free of Gabe’s and hugged himself. Was he in a hospital? How had he gotten here?

  Oh fuck. The park.

  He l
ooked at Gabe, who was watching Joey pensively. “How are you feeling?” he asked.

  Joey blinked and sat up. He was definitely in the hospital. “What happened?”

  To his surprise, Gabe’s expression turned cross. “I don’t know. You didn’t answer my text. But,” he said with a sigh. “I’m putting two and two together and guessing your dad kicked you out. Otherwise, why would you be out in the park at five o’clock in the morning?”

  Joey pulled the covers up around him. “Yeah, okay, he did,” he said. “Though I don’t know why you’re mad at me?”

  “Because,” Gabe said, his whole demeanor softening. “You never let anyone in. I wanted to help you. I would never have let you put yourself in danger like that if we’d just talked. If you’d listened to me.”

  There were tears in his eyes. But Joey could feel the lump growing in his throat too. “Look, I saw you, all right. In the park. I don’t want you to string me along.”

  Gabe blinked. “What?”

  “With your ex,” Joey mumbled. “You didn’t need to come to my house and explain your side, or whatever. It was pretty clear what was going on.”

  Gabe’s eyes widened. “Jesus, fuck – Joey! Is that what you thought I was talking about?”

  Joey looked down at his bed sheets as he pulled on one of the corners. “I don’t want to be anyone’s second choice,” he said, managing to keep his voice steady.

  Gabe seized his hand and sat on the edge of the bed in one motion, clutching Joey’s hand to his chest. “Joey. Listen very carefully to me,” he said. A smile was twitching at his mouth. “I asked Lewis to meet with me because I suddenly have some potentially serious legal troubles. He’s a lawyer. I’m guessing you didn’t stick around for long, because when he tried to get it on with me, I pushed him away and told him we’d had our chance. You know why?”

  Joey was trying to digest his words fast enough. “Uh, no?”

  “You. Because of you, you…idiot.” He laughed and cradled Joey’s face. “Lewis was a total dick and told me if we couldn’t try things again, he wouldn’t take my case. And when that happened, all I wanted was to see you, to talk to you, like I should have just done when all this started on Monday.”