Third Time's the Charm

by K. Evan Coles

  “Thank you.” Luke was beginning to feel tired again. “The nurses put everything together over there with my shoes. Fu—crap, I don’t know where our stuff from the rental car is. Ella had a bag and so did I,” Luke frowned and tried to remember where he’d last seen everything.

  “No doubt everything’s still locked in the car at the towing yard,” Simon said. “Don’t worry—I’ll track it all down.”

  “The rental agreement is in my wallet with Finn,” Luke murmured. “We were near the Science Museum. We had the light and I went to merge onto Storrow Drive.” He shivered and the slider opened and closed.

  “We were moving and… I don’t know what happened.” Goosebumps rose on Luke’s skin. A remembered blur of sound and motion washed over him. Ella screaming. A bone-jarring crunch and a fracture web splashing across the car’s windshield, and Luke feeling trapped in his seat. His head spinning so badly he didn’t know which way was up. “I never even saw the car that hit us,” he whispered.

  “It was so loud,” Ella said. “Just bam and bam and cars beeping. You told me everything was going to be okay and not to worry and to stay in the car.” The wonder in her voice made Luke feel sick all over again.

  “The first car ran a light,” Finn said.

  Luke opened his eyes and found Finn watching him, his jaw tense. He rested a hand on Luke’s shoulder, and the touch centered him instantly.

  “The cops are here to follow up and I talked to one of the officers who processed the scene,” Finn said. “The first impact pushed you into a car traveling in front of you and yours ended up sideways. Then the driver behind you couldn’t stop in time and plowed right into your door.” Finn let out a big gust of air. He appeared shaken, now that Luke was looking. “You okay to answer questions and give them a statement?”

  “Sure.” Luke licked his lips. “I, um, gotta take a leak.”

  Finn rubbed his arm. “I’ll help you.”

  Luke dragged his gaze back to Ella’s. “How about you go home with Simon, honey? No sense in staying here when you could be comfortable. You’ll have more fun with Gram and Pops anyway, and they’ll be really happy to see you’re okay.”

  “But what about you?” Ella asked.

  “I’ll be here,” Finn replied even before Luke could formulate an answer. “I’m not working for a couple of days and I don’t mind waiting with Luke.” He worried his lips with his teeth and glanced back at Luke. “It could be late when we get out of here, though, and the stairs in your building are a nightmare.”

  The thought of climbing three flights of a winding staircase with a head that felt stuffed full of sawdust and rocks made Luke swallow down another wave of nausea. “Ugh.”

  “Maybe come back to my place tonight?” Finn asked. “It’s closer to the hospital and you’ll be tired by the time we get out of here. Plus, no crazy stairs.” He turned to Ella. “You think that’s okay?”

  Luke watched with wonder as Ella’s features relaxed and something unspoken passed between her and Finn. She nodded. “Yeah. That’s a good idea.”

  Finn nodded, too. “Call me if you want to talk, and we’ll text Simon and your Gram later to let you know what’s going on.”

  “Don’t I get a say?” Luke teased.

  Ella scoffed. “No way, dude. Not ’til Finn and Dr. Gallagher say you’re okay.”

  She climbed off the bed while Finn took Simon aside to discuss Tylenol doses and exchange phone numbers. Luke noticed Ella’s expression growing uncertain, and he wrapped a hand around her elbow.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Who’s taking me to school tomorrow?”

  “Probably Gram. Or maybe Pops if he’s feeling his coffee.” He pursed his lips at Ella’s hesitation. “Is that okay?”

  “Yeah. You’ll be home tomorrow when I get home, right?”

  “That’s the plan.”

  “What about the stairs?”

  “I think I’ll be okay by then. If not, I’ll ask Finn for help.” Luke didn’t know if Finn would still be with him at that point, but it didn’t matter. He’d get home one way or another. He pushed Ella’s braids over her shoulders and tried not to fret at the tears that sheened her eyes. “El—”

  “I’m glad you’re okay, Luke.”

  With care, Luke guided her into a one-armed hug and swallowed against the lump that rose in his throat. “I’m glad you’re okay too,” he whispered. “So glad.”

  * * * *

  Time and medication eased Luke’s symptoms over the course of the evening and slowly, he felt much closer to normal. Shaking or nodding his head made it pound, and his balance wasn’t quite back to one hundred percent. His brain also seemed somehow too large for his body. However, the world no longer slid around every time he got vertical and he managed to eat without being sick, and Luke counted both as a win. He said so to Ella, his parents and Simon when he spoke to them and sent them a blast text after he was released just before midnight.

  Even so, a short Lyft ride from the hospital to Finn’s put a serious drain on what remained of Luke’s energy, and he’d gone woozy by the time Finn locked the door behind them.

  “You want anything to eat?” Finn asked while Daisy twined her body around their ankles. “Or maybe take a shower?”

  “Not hungry. I’d love a shower,” Luke replied, then stopped. Standing under a stream of hot water sounded like heaven, but he honestly didn’t know if he could trust his own body to cooperate. He felt ready to drop.

  Finn cocked his head. “What is it?”

  “I’m so fucking tired.” Heat spread across Luke’s cheeks at the understanding in Finn’s face.

  “I’ll help you.” Finn took hold of Luke’s elbow, his grip gentle. “C’mon. The sooner we get you in there, the sooner you can go to bed.”

  “Hey, hang on.” Luke planted his feet and looked at Finn—really looked at him—for the first time in what felt like ages. Lines of stress and exhaustion were drawn into Finn’s face. His color was wan against his blue sweater and dark circles spread under his eyes. Hell, he’d worked a night shift and spent the day taking care of Ella and Luke instead of sleeping—he was probably more tired than Luke.

  Luke pulled his arm free and grabbed Finn’s hand. “You don’t have to babysit me anymore,” he said. “You need sleep as much as I do.”

  “I’m… Fuck, I’m fine, Luke.” Finn smiled, but the angles were wrong on his face. His eyes blazed with an emotion Luke couldn’t pin down, but before he could speak, Finn was leading him toward the bedroom.

  “Wait a sec,” Luke said as they neared the foot of the bed. “Hey.” He gripped Finn’s hand until he stopped moving, and his insides tightened at the distress in Finn’s face. “What aren’t you saying?”

  “You guys scared the hell out of me today.” Finn pressed his lips into a grim line before he spoke again. “Ella called and asked me to come over because a car hit you and, Jesus, Luke, I didn’t know what to think. I almost jumped out of my skin when I saw her standing outside of that triage bay. All I could think was thank God she was okay, then I saw you.” His big eyes were haunted as he stared at Luke.

  “I’m sorry,” Luke whispered. He pulled Finn into a hug. “Damn, I’m sorry, Finn.”

  “What the fuck are you sorry for?” Finn’s voice cracked.

  “For scaring you.” Luke sighed. “And for not telling you I love you before now.”

  Finn made a broken noise, and Luke drew back to kiss him. Finn raised his hands and held Luke’s head in his palms, each movement gentle despite the desperate hunger in his kisses. Luke held him tight against the tremor that went through them both.

  Neither moved from that spot for a while, which suited Luke fine. With his secret out of the bag, he had no idea what tomorrow would bring. He couldn’t bring himself to care, though. Right now, Finn was what he needed and the rest could wait. He felt dizzy for a completely different reason when Finn pulled back, his eyes shining.

  “I know we said we’d ta
lk more, but it’ll keep.” Luke rubbed the tense muscles between Finn’s shoulders.

  “We can talk tomorrow,” Finn offered.

  “All day, if you want. I have doctor’s orders to stay home for a couple of days.”

  “I’m off, too. And we’re both so tired we’re about to fall over.”

  Luke smiled. “So let’s sleep. Because that’s all I want right now. To sleep and hold you until I wake up again. Is that okay?”

  “God, yes. I want that, too.”

  He helped Luke change into a T-shirt and sleep pants, then checked Daisy’s water bowl while Luke brushed his teeth. Finn had changed too by the time Luke emerged, and nothing could dissuade him from escorting Luke to bed and tucking him in.

  Luke’s bones liquefied as he stretched out on the bed. Daisy curled up by his hip on top of the duvet, and a moment later, the mattress dipped under Finn’s weight. Luke waited for Finn to settle beside him, and he made sure their bodies touched at every point possible. He laid his cheek on Finn’s shoulder, his heart full as Finn let out a quiet sigh.

  “Come with me to my place tomorrow?” Luke asked, his voice thick and sleepy.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “El’s gonna make you listen to her terrible jokes again if you stay for dinner.”

  Finn smiled against Luke’s temple. “I’ll look forward to that.” He sounded pleased and almost shy, and Luke had no doubt he meant every word.

  Luke spread one hand wide over Finn’s sternum. “Thank you for taking care of us today, Finn.”

  Finn said nothing for a long moment, but he tightened his hold on Luke ever so slightly. When he spoke again, his voice was as gentle as Luke had ever heard it. “You’re welcome.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Despite his deep fatigue, Finn slept restlessly. He woke every few hours and stared into the dark silence of the room around him, his heart beating fast from dreams he didn’t really remember. Luke’s safe, he told himself each time. Luke’s fine and right here beside me. Then he’d count Luke’s breaths until his eyelids grew heavy again, and the cycle would start over.

  He lay awake with gray light creeping under his window shades when his phone vibrated on the nightstand at six-thirty a.m. He saw half a dozen messages on the screen from Paul, Mick, Simon and Gillian, all asking how he and Luke were doing. The most recent message made him smile, though, because while the number belonged to Joanna Ryan, Finn identified the actual sender easily.

  Hi, Finn.

  Hi, Ella, he replied. How’re you feeling?

  Finn set the phone down and turned back to Luke, who was sprawled on his belly with his face mashed into the pillow. Finn pressed a careful kiss over the bandage on his temple, then stuck a hand under the duvet and ran it over Luke’s back.

  “Luke. Wake up, handsome.”

  Luke stirred under Finn’s petting. A sleepy rumble went through him and he looped an arm over Finn’s waist. Finn closed his eyes. He nuzzled at Luke’s hair until the phone buzzed again behind him and didn’t need to check the message to know what Ella would ask.

  “Ella wants you.”

  Luke sighed. “M’kay.” He gave Finn a long squeeze before they let each other go.

  Finn turned back to the nightstand as Luke rolled onto his back, and the phone buzzed again.

  I feel OK but kind of like I fell down 100 times, Ella wrote. Is Luke there? He’s not answering his phone yet.

  “Sounds like she’s feeling sore,” Finn said. He handed the phone to Luke. “Remind her to take the pain relief if she needs it.”

  “Okay, Doc.”

  Finn went to the kitchen with Daisy at his heels and talked to her while he emptied and refilled her food and water. He used his tablet to reply to the rest of his messages, one ear tuned to the low rise and fall of Luke’s voice in the other room. Finn’s stomach rumbled and he thought about making breakfast, but his eyelids were heavy, and he went back to the bedroom when he heard Luke say goodbye.

  He found the bed empty and the bathroom door closed, so he stretched out on the mattress to wait Luke out. The next thing Finn knew, Luke was beside him and drawing the bedding up over them both. He spooned up behind Finn, his broad chest warm and solid against Finn’s back and his breaths steady over the nape of Finn’s neck.

  “Sleep some more,” he said, his voice low in Finn’s ear.

  “Was gonna make food,” Finn mumbled.

  Luke hummed. “Later, okay?”

  “Okay. You all right? You drink some water?”

  “Yep. I’m fine.”

  Finn sighed as Luke dropped a kiss behind his ear. “How’s Ella?”

  “She’s good,” Luke replied. “She tried to talk my parents into letting her stay home from school, but her Gram’s not having it. I told her we’d be over later.”

  “M’kay.”

  * * * *

  Finn didn’t know how much time had passed the next time he surfaced, but the light behind the shades was much brighter, and Luke was still wrapped around him like a limpet. Carefully, Finn shifted in the bed to face him and quelled the impulse inside him to doctor.

  The bruising around the cut on Luke’s forehead had spread and blackened his eye, but his face bore no other physical signs of his injury. His eyelids trembled and his breathing changed as he dreamed, and his full lips came together in a pout.

  He’s okay, Finn told himself for the hundredth time, and this time, he recognized the words as true. Luke really was okay. He was here with Finn, and he’d told Finn he loved him.

  Finn’s throat ached. A wild sense of joy and near disbelief filled him at the idea that Luke could love him. But Finn knew Luke never said anything he didn’t mean. There were things Finn wanted to say to Luke, too, words he’d thought too risky only yesterday, and they would keep until Luke had rested and was ready to put up with Finn’s awkward bumbling.

  Finn climbed out of bed and went to the kitchen to make something to eat. He brewed coffee and fried a half pound of bacon, and the clock read noon before he heard noises from the bedroom. Luke sauntered in, dressed in Finn’s borrowed clothes and his hair a wreck, with Daisy riding on his shoulder like a furry little gargoyle. Finn smiled and used his tablet to snap a photo.

  Luke lowered Daisy to the floor. “What’s all this?”

  “Bacon sandwiches.” Finn picked up a roll and slathered it with butter. “There’s coffee if you want some, or juice and water in the fridge.”

  “Can I help?”

  “Everything’s done, but if you could grab some plates, that’d be fantastic. I haven’t had a chance to buy groceries this week, but I figure this’ll do since it’s lunchtime anyway. Besides, I’m about to eat my hand, I’m so hungry.”

  Luke grinned. “I hear that.”

  They chatted over the meal and Finn again tried to refrain from doctoring Luke too much. He couldn’t help noticing things that told him Luke didn’t feel his best. Luke didn’t shake or nod his head, and every once in a while, he’d close his eyes for several seconds, as if centering himself.

  “Ella asked me if you were okay when I talked to her earlier,” he said as Finn reached for another sandwich. “She said you were really worried about us yesterday.”

  Finn’s cheeks heated. “She doesn’t miss anything, does she?” he asked.

  Luke smiled at him. He wiped his lips with his napkin. “Nope. She sees everything, even when it seems like she’s not paying attention. And Ella likes you, though she might not say it all the time. If you were worried, she’d notice and feel concerned.”

  Finn swallowed a mouthful of food. “Paul’s an excellent physician, but it was hard seeing you all banged up and not be your doctor. Then checking Ella out to make sure she was okay—I’ve never had to do that for people I care about before.”

  For people I might actually love, Finn thought. Jesus. He swallowed. He wasn’t ready to say anything like that aloud. Not yet, anyway.

  “So, yeah, I was worried,” he said. “And Simon’s face wh
en he showed up…” Finn shook his head. “I knew if he lost it, I would too. I guess I didn’t do as good a job as I thought of hiding it.”

  “El said you were great. You even stuck a light in her eyes and she hates that.” Luke covered Finn’s hand where it lay on the table with his own. His expression grew somber. “I’m sorry we put you through that. And it means a lot to me knowing Ella had someone she could trust when I couldn’t be there for her. Thank you, Finn.”

  Luke’s raw gratitude humbled Finn and hollowed him out. “I’m glad I could be there for you both,” he murmured. “Ella and I talked a lot yesterday, about all kinds of stuff. She asked me if I’d ever want to move back to Chicago, actually.”

  Luke nodded. God, he looked so sad. “She’s been worried about that. I had no idea, or that she’d want to distance herself from you because she felt a need to protect herself.”

  “It’s okay.” Finn turned in his seat and slipped his arms around Luke. “We know now. And I told her I don’t have plans to go anywhere. I like where I am.”

  The corners of Luke’s mouth tilted up. “Yeah?”

  “Hell, yeah,” Finn said. He ran his hands over Luke’s ribs through his T-shirt. “I got caught up trying to figure out how I could fit your family into my life, but I figured out I don’t need to do that at all. You’ll make space for me.”

  “Yes.” Luke pressed his forehead to Finn’s and closed his eyes. “I’ll give you the room you need, Finn. I need to know what you want, too, though, and make sure you get it. Because with my life and family, there’s a ton going on there. It’s a lot for any one person to handle.”

  Finn’s chest tightened. Luke really got it. “I know. Thank you for thinking about me.” He kissed Luke’s cheek. “But I told you on Sunday morning over bagels—I want more of you in my life, no matter what kind of weird shenanigans you’re getting up to by yourself or with Ella. The homework and taekwondo practice, heck, even the rainbow foods. You should know I’ll probably fall asleep and drool on you after every shift, though, even while you’re nerding out over Star Trek.”