He opened his eyes properly as a man in a white coat walked in, followed by another guy in blue scrubs. He guessed at least one of them was a doctor.
“Doctor,” his mom exclaimed. Finn absently noted the stupid cow had managed to make sure she was wearing lipstick. “How’s my son?”
The guy in the white coat came close to the bed. “I don’t know. Mr. Mayer, perhaps you can tell us how you are feeling?”
Finn took a deep breath and pulled his hand out of his mother’s vicelike grip. “Get her out of here.” He ignored his mom’s horrified gasp. “I want her out of here now.”
“He’s hysterical, the poor boy,” his mom said. “He has a head injury, doesn’t know what he’s saying.”
“I am perfectly lucid,” Finn ground out.
The guy in the scrubs grinned at him and turned to his mom. “Either you leave, ma’am, or I will have to call security.”
“You ungrateful child,” his mom fumed. “After all I’ve done for you.”
Finn shut his suddenly stinging eyes and waited while his mom’s footsteps and loud protests could no longer be heard in the corridor. He opened his eyes again. The doctor was quietly writing notes on the chart.
“Doctor? A patient…. Adam Mackenzie?”
The doctor put down the chart and smiled. “We’re keeping him sedated to give his body a chance to heal. He will make a full recovery.” He came and stood by the bed. “And before you ask, you were brought in yesterday. Severe concussion, but your scan was clear. You can be discharged if your boyfriend will be staying at home to look after you. There’s no way you can be on your own.”
“My b-boyfriend?” Finn stammered in shock, and the doctor looked up quickly.
“I’m sorry. Did I make assumptions?”
Finn looked around the room as if he were waiting for his imaginary boyfriend to appear.
The doctor sighed. “Your partner, then? Agent Valdez? He was here all night with you until your mom arrived and had him banned from your room.”
“She did what?” Finn said incredulously.
“I’m afraid until you were awake to make your own wishes known, she is your next of kin, and the hospital had no choice but to abide by her wishes.”
Finn rubbed his eyes. His head still hurt like shit. Talon stayed with him all night? A warm feeling settled somewhere in his chest. “What? I mean, where?” Finn tried to get his sluggish brain to sort the words he needed.
“They’re in the other waiting room,” the doctor said, correctly guessing at Finn’s question as he hung up the charts. “You have quite a crowd waiting for you. I had a feeling you might feel differently when you woke up, so I just put them somewhere out of your mom’s way.”
Finn smiled. “Thank you so much.”
The doctor grinned. “You’re welcome. My husband’s always telling me I’ll get into trouble with the hospital one of these days.” Finn’s smile widened, and the doctor left.
He laid his aching head back down and wondered if he could get some painkillers. He heard the door open again after a few seconds and opened his eyes. He stared as it seemed like everyone trooped in. He looked in shock as Talon, Vance, Gael, Sawyer, and finally Eli came in.
“Hey, kid,” Gael said. “Nice to see you’re finally awake.”
“Yeah,” chuckled Vance. “These probies are always lazy. Lying in bed while we’ve sat in waiting room chairs all night.” Vance flushed slightly as he realized what he said.
Finn swallowed. They’d been in the waiting room all night? He looked at Talon, but Talon was looking at the floor. “How is everyone, the hostages?” Finn asked.
“They’re all fine. Even the old man,” Gael said. “Bobby wants to know if he can visit you as soon as you feel up to it. He’s got a serious case of H-E-R-O worship.” Gael spelled the name and chuckled.
“They said I can go home,” Finn started.
Talon looked up and spoke immediately, his blue eyes clashing with Finn’s own. “Not on your own, though.”
“What about your mom?” Sawyer asked cautiously.
“I said she was to leave. I hope the security guard’s thrown her out.”
Gael and Vance laughed.
Finn remembered something and glanced at the closed door and then looked at Sawyer. “That was you, wasn’t it?”
Sawyer smiled sheepishly. “Yeah.”
“Does Gregory know?” Finn asked.
“Not officially,” answered Talon, “but he suspects our abilities are evolving.”
“That is so awesome,” breathed Finn and did a double take at Eli. “I swear,” he said, putting a hand to his head. “Hallucinations are caused by a head injury, aren’t they?”
Talon took a hurried step forward. “Why? What is it?”
Finn closed his eyes and leaned back. “Eli just smiled.”
Chapter Sixteen
FINN OPENED his eyes and looked around in shock as Talon turned off the truck’s engine. “Where are we?” He seemed to be in a garage, and for one moment, Finn thought they were back at the field office.
“My place,” Talon answered.
“Your place?” Finn parroted.
Talon smiled. “I have a dog, and you weren’t allowed to be discharged if you were going to be on your own. So we’re here.”
Finn looked around in surprise as Talon got out of the truck and started walking around to Finn’s side. He scrambled for the door handle, and in his haste to not have Talon waiting on him, he jumped down.
Really fucking stupid thing to do, Finn.
Talon lunged for him just as his legs refused to hold him up, and he nearly face-planted.
“What the hell, Finn. You trying for another concussion?” Talon said in exasperation.
Finn’s head swam sickeningly, and he leaned into Talon, his legs refusing to cooperate. Talon grunted, and the world swayed as Finn was swung up into Talon’s arms. Finn hovered between shock, embarrassment, and trying not to lose the small breakfast he’d had to keep down in order to be discharged. To be honest he felt too bad to give a fuck, and he relaxed as Talon tilted him safely against his chest in his strong arms.
Leather. Finn breathed it in and closed his eyes. He didn’t bother opening them even as Talon jostled him a little, and from the movement, they were clearly in an elevator. Talon must have an apartment was Finn’s thought, but to be honest, he was past caring. He figured if Talon needed to put him down, he would. Talon moved him again as the elevator doors opened, and Finn heard a key in a lock, then claws scratching on tiles and a whine.
“Hey, Charlie. There’s a good girl. Let’s get him settled, and you can say hello.”
Finn giggled helplessly at the inane thought that Charlie was a girl. More words drifted over Finn, but his eyes were so heavy, he couldn’t summon the strength to look at the dog.
He felt Talon lay him down gently on a bed, heard him say something about having to wake him up a little later, but that he was okay to sleep for a little while. Finn was happy to agree.
TALON STRAIGHTENED from laying Finn on his bed. Finn hadn’t questioned his insistence about looking after him. They were partners, and Finn’s mom was an absolute joke. He also hadn’t questioned Talon’s decision to bring him back to his place because, as he said, he had a dog to look after.
But as he stared at Finn’s white face against the chocolate-brown sheet, Talon had to admit he had no justification for walking straight into his own bedroom and laying Finn down on his bed. He had a perfectly good spare bed. One or more of the team had crashed there on a few occasions. It seemed automatic, bringing Finn in here. Talon stared at him and absently petted Charlie’s cold nose as she shoved her head under his hand. She whined and sniffed at Finn.
Talon hesitated. He’d thought he might have to help Finn undress to get into bed, but he didn’t expect Finn to go out like a light as soon as he got him laid down.
The doc was clear. Mild painkillers. Plenty of rest and water. Check for alertness every few hours for
the first twenty-four, but the CT scan was okay, so they weren’t expecting further problems, just being cautious. He could expect Finn to be dizzy and confused for a while. Maybe have some short-term memory loss. Apparently concussions were never the same for any two people. Some only took a few days to recover; some could take weeks. He had a list of indications to watch out for that meant Finn had to be brought back to the ER immediately. He spoke to Agent Gregory briefly at the hospital and told him he was taking Finn home. Gregory said to keep him posted, and Talon could worry about work later.
Vance and Gael both said they would handle the debrief, as the team had been camped in the waiting room for twenty-four hours. All Talon had to worry about was Finn.
If only it were that simple.
Talon leaned over and flicked the top button on Finn’s jeans. He couldn’t decide if he was hoping for the Superman shorts or the delicious blue briefs that hugged his package so firmly. Talon frowned and lectured his dick about not lusting after unconscious young men. His dick wasn’t getting it, though, especially when he spied a red pair of briefs exactly the same as the blue.
Finn turned his face and moaned slightly in apparent pain, and Talon held his breath and glanced at Finn’s face. Talon felt his own dick wither almost at the livid swelling and purple bruising down the left side of his face. Talon left Finn in the plain white T-shirt he had dressed in at the hospital. Something told him it was Sawyer’s, since after sending Sawyer and Eli back to Finn’s apartment to get some things, they said the only clean clothes were wet in the washing machine. They brought his shaving things and a toothbrush, though. Whatever else he needed, Talon would send the team out for it.
Talon covered Finn up but made sure the air was at a comfortable temperature. He got out the pills they were sent home with and a glass of water. Then he quickly took Charlie out to the dog park opposite his apartment block. She wouldn’t need much. Talon paid his neighbor’s kid to take her out twice a day, and the way she ignored her full food dish told him she’d been around at their house for lunch also. Charlie was getting on in years and a gentle soul. Mr. Takei’s youngest had Down syndrome. Andrew and Charlie bonded nearly straight away, and he often lost Charlie next door even when Talon was at home.
He checked on Finn immediately when they came back in, and he was sleeping soundly. Talon resisted the urge to brush some hair that was lying across Finn’s forehead. He inhaled sharply as he remembered the image of Finn’s flushed face with his hair sticking to him as they both lay there panting.
Talon replaced his jeans with an old pair of shorts and stretched out in the armchair next to his bed, his long legs easily balancing on the end of the bed.
“UGH….”
Talon snapped his eyes open immediately at the soft sound. Finn was struggling to sit up. “Hey,” he said softly and stood to put an arm around him to draw him easily and slowly upright. “What do you need?”
Finn blinked his dazed green eyes. “Where am I?”
Talon sat on the bed. “My place. I have a dog,” he repeated in case Finn didn’t remember him saying so before. Even as he said it, he was half expecting to get called out on it. He’d used Charlie as a justification for bringing Finn home when he knew full well all he had to do was call Mrs. Takei and Charlie would spend the night curled up on the bottom of Andy’s bed.
Finn didn’t reply, though, and Talon felt him sag a little against Talon’s shoulder.
“Are you thirsty?”
Finn groaned as if remembering the reason he’d woken. “I need to piss.”
“Okay,” Talon said quietly and stood without rocking the bed much. He’d been warned Finn might be nauseous for a few days.
Finn slowly slid his legs to the edge of the bed, but even in the half light from Talon’s drawn blinds, he saw the grimace on Finn’s face brought on by the movement.
“Go slow,” he cautioned, steadying Finn as he stood.
“Fuck,” Finn groaned and swayed a little. “Hangover without tying one on the night before.” His lips tilted wryly. “Not fair.”
Talon chuckled in relief. Finn didn’t protest the help, and he seemed to be aware of what was happening. He’d even tried a joke. The doctor had scared him shitless with all the things he had to look out for that could suddenly go wrong with a head injury.
He led Finn into the bathroom but didn’t turn the main light on. Apparently bright lights weren’t doing anything for Finn’s headache, but he worked that one out himself when the hospital was less than sympathetic, as they needed the lights on full all the time. Talon noticed Finn shielding his eyes more than once. He eased Finn toward the toilet. “What do you need?”
Finn groaned in embarrassment. “I can manage.”
Talon wanted to protest with the death grip Finn had on the sink, but he got him as close to the toilet as he could and then left to stand outside the door. He was back in the second he heard the toilet flush.
Finn wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead, then bent to pull up his briefs. His knees gave out, and Talon caught him before he hit the floor. “I bet you played ball when you were a kid.” Finn gasped as he let Talon take his weight.
Talon ignored the briefs on the floor and the fact that Finn was now almost naked. “Huh?” he grunted, wrapping his arms firmly around Finn’s waist.
“You keep catching me,” murmured Finn.
Talon didn’t have an answer, as the innocent statement seemed so loaded.
He deposited Finn on the bed and handed him the water as he took two pills out of the plastic bottle. He stood over Finn while he obediently swallowed them. “Are you hungry?”
Finn shook his head and winced.
“You’re only allowed over-the-counter meds,” Talon said in sympathy. “But the doc thinks you’ll start to improve tomorrow after a decent night’s sleep. It’s hard to get any rest in the hospital.” Talon pressed his lips together firmly to stop any more verbal diarrhea from spewing from his mouth.
Finn bent forward to put the glass down and yawned widely. “Sorry,” he muttered and brought up his hand gingerly to his face.
Talon smiled. “Don’t worry. You’re still beautiful.”
Finn looked at him, puzzled, as the words registered, and Talon now wanted to slit his own throat. He was bashed up, sick… and Talon was flirting with him?
“What time is it?” Finn asked.
“A little after eight.” Talon looked at the closed blinds. The light around them was dimming. Finn sighed, his shoulders drooping, and Talon lifted the sheet. “How about you try to get some more sleep?” He managed to not offer the platitude of feeling better in the morning.
“Have you heard how… everyone is?”
Talon swallowed hard at the stilted question, but there was no censure in it. He was sure for a second Finn was going to ask something else, but he wasn’t thinking clearly and his words were still a little slurred.
The gunman didn’t get a weapon drawn, but Gregory was satisfied it was a valid shot. They hadn’t found out much about the enhanced gunman. He had no ID on him at all, and the other two were dead. The cops were waiting to be given the all clear to question him, but that wouldn’t be anytime soon. EnU were guarding his hospital bed, but the guy was still doped up from the surgery.
“The older couple have both been discharged into their daughter’s care this afternoon. The gunman is out of danger.” Was that what Finn meant?
“What will happen to him?” Finn asked quietly.
“You know he’s enhanced?”
Finn nodded carefully, as if the movement hurt.
Talon shrugged. “There are two specially made prison units for enhanced, both in New York. But they’re altering one at the moment here, seeing as how our unit is based here.”
Finn’s eyes widened. “Really?”
Talon stared at the huge green eyes in the pale face that was covered in bruises. He didn’t understand why it was worrying Finn. Finn didn’t shoot the guy. Talon had.
H
e checked Finn didn’t want another drink, and the room grew quiet.
“Where are you sleeping?” Finn murmured suddenly, the catch in his voice betraying the reluctance to voice the question.
Talon considered his answer. It wasn’t an invitation. Did he know he was at Talon’s? Did Finn think he was somewhere else? Whatever it was, Talon recognized the need for reassurance when he heard it. He stretched out. “Right here,” he said firmly. “Go to sleep, kid.”
He wasn’t immediately sure what woke him the next time he opened his eyes. The room was black, but it didn’t take him long to distinguish furniture. He got up quietly and switched on the low bedside lamp. It was about time he checked if Finn was okay. Talon took a step to the bed and caught Finn’s arm suddenly as he thrashed it across his side. Talon searched Finn’s face. His eyes were tightly closed. He shuddered, parting his lips as if he were going to say something, then moaned in distress. What the hell?
Talon sat on the chair and reached to take Finn’s hand. Were you supposed to wake people from a nightmare? “Finn,” he urged. “Finn, wake up.” Talon smoothed the hair away from his eyes. “Come on, kid, wake up. Finn,” he tried again a little louder.
Finn opened his eyes on a gasp. “Talon?” he said, and Talon’s heart broke at the fear behind the question. Finn had been having a nightmare, and Talon was well used to those.
“You’re safe, Finn. You’re here to rest up, and the docs say you’re gonna be fine.” He tried to keep his voice soothing as Finn took a few hurried breaths and calmed down a little.
Finn took a steadying breath and gazed at Talon. “We’re at your house,” he said as if asking for confirmation.
“Uh-huh,” Talon agreed, relieved that Finn knew where he was, and held Finn’s head while he sat up enough to gulp some water.
Finn swallowed and looked at the chair Talon was in. “That’s dumb,” he said.
Talon looked over at the chair, suddenly nonplussed. “What is?”
Finn heaved another sigh. “You sleeping in the chair. The bed’s huge.” He lay back down and closed his eyes, a dimple flashing at the side of his mouth. “I promise not to jump you.”
Five Minutes Longer Page 17
