Third Time's the Charm

by K. Evan Coles

  “What does that mean? Ella-type stuff? You can talk to me about that too, Luke.” Guilt prickled at him as uncertainty flickered over Luke’s face. “You can. I wasn’t super enthusiastic about being the third wheel in the beginning, and I know Ella hasn’t exactly been a fan of mine, but I’m good with all of it now.”

  Luke’s face fell. “You’ve never been a third wheel, Finn. I’m sorry you thought that you were.” His soft voice made Finn ache.

  “I think I did it to myself, to tell the truth.” Finn scooted his chair closer and slipped his arms around Luke. “I wanted distance from that part of your life because I wasn’t ready for it, and you tried to give that to me. I don’t feel that way anymore and things are different now. I’m different. And I’m ready for more. I think we both need more than lunch and sex when our schedules line up, too. Which I love having with you, by the way, so please never stop.” He smiled at the gleam in Luke’s eye.

  “I like those afternoons too,” Luke said. “But you’re right. Things are different now for both of us. So let’s work on it together and figure out what we want.”

  “What, right now?” Finn’s heart lightened at the way Luke narrowed his eyes at him.

  “No, you nerd. Not right now, but going forward.” He paused again and his expression became melancholy.

  “Ella’s okay with you, Finn, I promise,” Luke said. “More than okay, I think. Pretty sure she actually likes you, though she might not admit it.” He ran his fingers over his coffee cup. “We’ve been talking about some of her feelings the last few days. She’s been struggling with Pete being away, and my meeting you threw her for a loop. Not because she didn’t like you, but because she didn’t know how to handle you. I told you once that sometimes Ella needs more from us because of the things she went through when her mom left, and some of that stuff has come into play here.”

  Finn nodded. Though his heart grew heavy for Ella, he couldn’t help feeling relieved Luke was talking to him about it and sharing some of the weight of responsibility. Luke carried that burden alone far too often.

  “I can’t say I understand, exactly, but I’m listening,” Finn said. “I hear you, Luke. And I want to figure this out. Or start over again from the beginning, if that’s what it takes.”

  Luke’s lips quirked up. “We already started over, Finn. Is a third do-over even a thing?”

  “Totally a thing if we need it to be,” Finn said. “We can start over as many times as we need to get it right. I’ll even take you across the Common and stand under the awning at Paul and Mick’s again, though that’s going to have to wait a couple of days. I’m too fucking tired to walk over there today.”

  He smiled at Luke’s laugh and couldn’t resist kissing him. He raised his hands and cradled Luke’s face in his palms, each brush of their lips soothing. Lazy pleasure lapped through Finn when they came up for air.

  “What do you say?” he asked. “Think we’re worth starting over again? Because I do.”

  Luke flashed a brilliant smile. “Yeah. I do, too.”

  Finn moved in for another kiss but the front door opened, so he settled for a quick peck instead. He and Luke exchanged wry smiles at Ella’s hollering.

  “Luke!” She rushed into the kitchen and her eyes went round when she caught sight of Finn. “Oh, hey! I didn’t know you were coming over.”

  “I didn’t know myself until about an hour ago,” Finn replied. He and Luke sat back and a lovely, fond feeling came over Finn at Ella’s smile. “How’re you, Ella? Want a bagel? There’s a cinnamon crunch one with your name on it and honey cream cheese.”

  Ella’s face lit up. “Zomahgod. Yes, please, and thank you,” she said, her tone fervent.

  Finn felt more than a little smug at her unbridled delight, but Luke’s satisfied gaze when he caught Finn’s eye warmed him even more.

  Finn chatted with all the Ryans while Ella ate her bagel, and he couldn’t help noticing how closely she watched him and Luke. Ella’s expression was gentler than usual and she didn’t roll her eyes at him or turn away or any of the things she might have done to let him know his presence was an afterthought.

  By the time Luke and his family headed out for Salem, Finn felt lighter than he had in days. He’d promised to come back the next day—after his next shift and Luke’s race—so they could eat dinner with Ella and he and Luke could keep talking and putting things back together.

  Finn’s Sunday night shift passed in a blur of patients and surgeries, and the sun had risen by the time he headed home to sleep. He’d have driven to Salem in a flash if he could, but he settled for sending a message to Luke instead.

  Rock your race, big guy.

  He smiled when his phone buzzed almost immediately with Luke’s reply.

  Thanks, Doc. Ella says hi.

  It was almost two in the afternoon when Finn dragged himself out of bed. He showered and dressed in jeans and a navy cable-knit sweater, but he was still bleary-eyed as he contemplated shaving. Finn’s desire for coffee was so strong he almost ignored his phone when it buzzed on the nightstand. However, Luke’s name on the screen put a grin on his face and he scooped it up.

  “Hey, I was just thinking of you! How’d it go today?”

  A strange pause followed. Finn heard bursts of background noises that sounded oddly familiar, and as the pause stretched out, he drew breath to speak again. He fell silent as an unexpected voice spoke on the other end of the line.

  “Finn?”

  Finn went still. “Ella?”

  “Can you come here?”

  “Where?” A nameless dread crept over Finn. “Where are you, Ella? Where’s Luke?”

  “We’re downstairs where you work? A car hit us and, um, the ambulance brought us here. Luke says this is your hospital.”

  Goosebumps rose on Finn’s skin. Ella’s voice sounded small compared to the buzz around her—noises Finn recognized as hospital staff at work—but he heard her. She sounded scared.

  “I’m coming.” Finn’s drowsiness disappeared utterly. He grabbed his hospital ID and wallet from the dresser and dashed toward the door, stopping only to slip on his running shoes. “I’m across the street at my place and I’m coming right now. Are you and Luke okay?”

  “Luke got hurt. He hit his head and there’s blood. The ambulance guys put a thing on his neck.”

  Cervical collar, Finn thought and swept his keys from the hook on the wall. Collars were standard protocol for trauma victims transported from a scene, but it had to look alarming to someone with no understanding of EMS.

  “That’s to keep Luke from moving too much,” Finn told Ella. He rushed out of the door and locked it behind him with a shaky hand.

  “Um. That’s what the nurse said, but I…it looks like it hurts him.”

  Finn pressed his lips together at the waver in Ella’s voice. He took off running for the front gate and kept his voice easy. “I know it looks weird, but it’s not hurting him, I promise.”

  He kept up the chatter as he moved, as much to center himself as to reassure Ella. Finn covered the distance it normally took ten minutes to walk in five, even with afternoon traffic, and he was still talking breathlessly when he dashed into the ED. He headed for the section reserved for acute care.

  “I’m here, Ella. Looking for you guys now.” He scanned the glass-fronted triage rooms and spotted a small figure in a purple jacket and dark jeans almost at once.

  There.

  Ella stood outside the door of a triage room not far from Finn. She seemed dwarfed in size by the ebb and flow of personnel moving around her and something in Finn’s chest twisted.

  “Ella!”

  He cut off the call the instant she turned toward him and he ran to her side. Ella lowered the phone as Finn squatted down to her level. Her eyes were wide, the color gone from her cheeks, and she looked spaced out and lost. Finn reached over and grasped her free hand.

  “Jesus, Ella. Are you okay? Have you seen one of the doctors or nurses yet?”

&nbs
p; “M’okay.” Ella curled her fingers tight around Finn’s. A rusty smudge above her lip and several spots on her jacket told Finn she’d recently had a bloody nose. “One of the ambulance guys checked me after they got us out of the car. He said I was okay and could ride with him and Luke.”

  “Thank God.”

  Finn cut a glance at the triage room and his chest went tight. Luke lay on the bed, his face pale above the bulky neck brace and bloodied from a laceration on his left temple. A nurse was cutting his shirt off to allow the doctor to perform an exam and his eyelids were at half-mast. Luke’s focus fixed on Ella, as if he were afraid to look away. After several blinks, his attention shifted to Finn and his expression changed immediately, becoming almost pleading.

  “She’s okay, Luke. Ella’s okay,” Finn called out, his voice pitched loud enough to cut through the din. He knew he’d answered Luke’s unspoken question when Luke clenched his eyes closed.

  “Finn.”

  A familiar voice tore Finn’s attention from Luke, and he noticed only then that Paul was the doctor palpating Luke’s torso. Finn gave him a quick nod and turned back to Ella.

  “That’s my friend, Dr. Gallagher,” Finn told her, “and the nurse’s name is Salena. I’m going to go and talk to them for a second so we know how Luke’s doing, okay?”

  Ella eyes went even wider. “Can I stay?”

  “Of course you can,” Finn replied. Carefully, he guided her to the left side of the doorframe. “Stay here by the side so no one bumps you. I will be right over there and I’ll come back for you.” He waited for Ella’s nod and gave her hand another quick squeeze before he stood.

  Finn crossed the triage room in two steps, his focus on Luke’s pained expression. He jammed his phone into his pocket and took hold of Luke’s hand. “Hey,” he said, his voice as calm as he could make it.

  Tears stood in Luke’s eyes when he opened them. “Hey,” he croaked and clutched at Finn’s fingers.

  Finn’s pulse thundered in his ears. “I know, baby,” he murmured. He bent and gently cupped Luke’s cheek with his other hand. “Take it easy for me, all right?”

  “Is she okay? I can’t—” Luke clamped his lips shut. His chest hitched and Finn shushed him as the tears slipped down the sides of Luke’s face.

  “Ella is fine, Luke. She’s totally fine. EMS checked her out before they brought you in.” Finn wiped at Luke’s tears with his fingers and forced himself to focus on Paul. “What have we got?” he asked.

  “Vitals are steady, and no sign of fractures or internal bleeding,” Paul replied. “Ella needs an exam, but EMS said the impact to Luke’s vehicle was focused on the front driver’s side and that’s why he’s a lot more banged up.”

  Finn glanced back down at Luke while Paul continued.

  “Beyond the facial lac, he’s groggy and emotional and had some difficulty focusing during the cognitive assessment. No loss of consciousness, but EMS found vomit at the scene. He’s also suffering from vertigo.”

  Finn licked his lips. Luke blinked at him blearily, trying to focus despite the haze that clouded his eyes. “Concussion?” Finn guessed. He knew the signs as well as Paul.

  “Yes.” Paul waited until he had Finn’s attention again before he continued. “I’ll suture the lac and we’ll keep him under observation.”

  “I’ll get someone to give Ella an exam,” Finn said. “Salena, see if you can find Luke’s wallet when you get him changed, please—we’ll need his insurance info for the paperwork.” He glanced back to Luke when he made a plaintive noise. “What’s wrong?”

  “You do it,” Luke said, his tone weary. “You do the exam, okay? Ella knows you, Finn, an’ you’ll take care of her.”

  Finn nodded at once, even though a tiny part of him balked at leaving Luke. The idea of letting him go for even a few minutes made Finn’s insides squirm. He understood then that Luke could only be going through the same thing right now, looking at Ella and not knowing if she was okay. Worse, Luke couldn’t even sit up, let alone walk over to check on her himself.

  Finn squeezed Luke’s fingers. “Okay. I’ll do that while Paul stitches you up.”

  “We’ll do that right now.” Paul asked Salena for lidocaine to numb the wound and a suture kit, then turned back to his patient. “I’d try not to screw up that sexy hair of yours, but I’d say that deed’s been done. You’re a mess, girl.”

  The fear weighing Finn down lightened as Luke’s lips twitched in a tiny smile. Finn ran a thumb over his knuckles. “We’ll come right back, okay?”

  A familiar worried line worked its way between Luke’s eyebrows again. Finn knew from the way he pursed his lips that Luke wanted to say more. He waited, unsure if he should push, but Luke stayed quiet and the silence dragged out for several moments before he nodded. “Okay.”

  The apprehension in Luke’s eyes followed Finn as he turned back to Ella, but the moment Salena twitched the privacy curtains closed, Ella’s tense expression crumpled.

  Finn pulled the glass slider shut behind him and got down on one knee, taking her hands in his. “Hey, what’s wrong? Are you hurting?”

  “No,” she whispered. “What’s wrong with Luke? Is he okay?” Finn’s heart dropped. Ella was trembling from head to toe, no doubt from plain old fear on top of one hell of an adrenaline crash.

  “Ella, Luke is doing just fine. The cut on his forehead needs to be closed up, and Dr. Gallagher and Salena are taking care of that right now. Once they’re done, we can go back in there, all right?”

  Ella nodded, but the dam had broken and her emotions got the best of her. Finn climbed to his feet as she burst into quiet tears. Without a word, he led her into the next empty triage room and guided her to a chair. He found some tissues on the supply cart and squatted down beside her, talking softly and rubbing Ella’s back while she put her face in her hands and cried. Her tears tapered off after a few minutes and when she raised her head, her expression was tired but much calmer.

  Finn held up a tissue. “Better?”

  “Yeah.” Ella sighed and blew her nose. “It felt like my head was gonna explode.”

  “I hate that.” Finn’s heart hurt in a nice way at her almost-smile. He handed Ella another tissue so she could wipe her eyes some more.

  “Is Luke really okay?”

  “Yes.” Finn took her hand again. “I told you that Dr. Gallagher is my friend but he’s Luke’s friend, too. He’ll take good care of him.”

  “I’ve never seen Luke cry before.” Ella swallowed and Finn’s heart squeezed. Watching Luke fall apart had taken a toll on them both.

  “I know that must have been scary,” he said. “Dr. Gallagher and I think Luke has a concussion. That can happen when a person hits their head hard enough to shake up their brain. The concussion is making Luke dizzy and it probably made him cry, too. If you want, you can help us keep an eye on him after he’s stitched up and make sure he’s okay.”

  Finn smiled at Ella’s eager nod. Giving her permission to help with Luke’s care was exactly what she needed.

  “Luke asked me to look you over and double check the EMS guys did their job right,” he said then. “You okay with doing that while we wait to see him?”

  “Yeah, okay.” Ella glanced around the triage room. “In here?”

  “Yes.” Finn tipped his head toward the bed. “Wait right over there and I’ll ask one of the nurses to help us. I’m going to close this curtain so you can change into a gown.”

  Ella groaned. “Oh, crap. I’ll get my own clothes back, right?”

  “Is there anything weird on them? Besides the little bit of blood I saw?”

  “Well, my shirt says ‘Stay Weird’…so, yes?”

  Finn chuckled. “That figures. Don’t worry—you’ll get them back.”

  He took a few minutes to request help at the nurses’ station, then hunted down the attending physician on duty to give her a heads-up he’d be performing the exam. Ella was seated on the bed in a pediatric gown and red striped socks and c
hatting with Ashley, one of the nurses, by the time Finn returned to the triage room. She looked relaxed as Ashley measured her blood pressure, but relief streaked across her face the moment she caught sight of Finn.

  “How is Miss Ryan, Nurse?” Finn asked. He made his tone grave and winked at Ella’s snort of laughter.

  Ashley smiled. “Vital signs are good, Doctor.”

  She handed the chart she’d started to Finn, which he scanned and set aside. Finn carefully pushed Ella’s hair back over her shoulders so he could palpate her neck.

  “How’s your head feel, Ella?” he asked. “Any aching?”

  “Not really,” she replied. “Kind of tired from all the emotions.”

  Finn nodded. “I feel you.” He pressed her trapezius muscles where the neck met the shoulder. “Sore here?”

  “A little. Kind of like the time I went to Six Flags and rode everything twice.”

  “Gotcha. C’mon down from there for a sec so I can see how you move.” Finn helped Ella off the bed, then checked the range of motion of her neck, back and extremities and was pleased to note she moved with ease.

  “You had a nosebleed earlier, right?” He helped Ella back onto the bed. “How’d that happen?”

  Ella grimaced. “I smacked myself in the face with the seatbelt when the firemen came to get us out.”

  “Yikes.” Finn traced a faint bruise on the right side of her nose with his fingers. “Did that take a long time?”

  “Yeah. Luke made me wait in my seat because there were too many people and cars around.”

  “I see.” Finn fought off a chill at Ella’s words. He held up an ophthalmoscope and switched on the light in the instrument. “I’m going to check your eyes.”

  “This always makes me see spots,” Ella complained. She went quiet as Finn examined her pupils and checked the optic nerve for swelling.

  “Looking into your eyes like this gives me good info about your health,” Finn said. “Plus, I can see your brains.” He smiled as Ella cracked up.

  “Get out!”