by Aiden Bates
Carter escorted the kids up to their room and put them down for a nap while Paul looked around. The kids had been through a lot today; they didn't even fight the nap, like they normally would. Carter got them settled in and came back to get Paul settled into the master bedroom. "Make yourself at home, Paul. I'll bunk down in the living room, it's not a thing."
Paul's lips were pursed, but it wasn't his usual sour look. "Carter, why are most of your things packed up?"
Carter didn't look away or down. "I got a job offer in San Antonio."
"Oh." He nodded. "Were you going to tell anyone?"
"Well, I didn't think I was going to get to tell the kids, after what happened the last time I saw you guys. It's no secret that you were kind of hoping the plane would crash when I went out there for the conference, Paul." Carter chuckled and stripped the bed. Houseguests deserved clean sheets at least.
Paul covered his mouth. "But you're doing all of this—"
Carter snickered. "Yeah, well. I mean you're still human, you know? You're a person, and you don't deserve this. You don't deserve any of it. You deserve so much better than what Tom has been giving you. We're going to make this right, Paul." He put new sheets on the bed while Paul watched.
"Why?" Paul swallowed hard. "Why would you help me, though? I've been pretty nasty to you."
"Because you're still a person, you still deserve better than that, and because those kids deserve not to see their dad treated like this. I do respect you, Paul. Now tell me what you want me to order for dinner." He grinned a little sheepishly. "I'm afraid my pots and pans are all MIA right now."
***
Finn knew, as soon as he heard that Carter was leaving, that he couldn't let it happen. This was more than his usual competitive, "I cannot lose" mentality. This was the rest of Finn's life, getting ready to get on a plane to San Antonio. This was the man that Finn loved, the one he couldn't live without, getting ready to walk away.
And Finn might have to live with that. He had no idea how Carter felt about him. He thought that he had some idea. He was pretty sure that Carter preferred to be with men with whom he had some connection. Carter wouldn't have tucked him in, wouldn't have made him coffee if he didn't care. Carter wouldn't have tolerated Finn falling asleep on him if he didn't care for him in some way.
Carter had been angry about the miscarriage, not just that Finn had taken his anger out on him. Carter had been upset that Finn hadn't been there for him, to support him through the aftermath. He'd been angry at himself, too, for expecting it of Finn. Carter had wanted Finn in his life, and as more than a casual partner.
Finn just hadn't picked up on it, and then he'd been distracted. He wasn't going to get any more second chances. He needed to do this right.
The only problem was advice. He didn't have a lot of allies in this, and he had no experience in this field at all. If he had, he might not be in this position now. He ran through the list of people that he could count on, and trust, and the list was small indeed.
The name at the top of his list was Bill McCloskey. Bill was pleased to hear from him, although he sounded a little tense at hearing from him again so soon. "How are things going, Finn?"
Finn had never been one to beat around the bush, whether the news was good or bad. "You were right, sir. About Dr. Idoni."
"I know. I usually am." Bill didn't sound at all smug, just sad. "You want to talk about it?"
Finn bit his lip. Bill didn't sound like he had a strategy. He sounded pitying. "I can't let this happen. I know that I've screwed up in letting it get this far. I know that I've been maybe a little too focused on things at work and not as focused on him. But there's still time, I think. I just don't know…"
"You don't know if it's the right thing to do, because he's made his choice?"
Finn did a double take and scowled at the phone. "No, sir. I don't know how to approach the issue with him." He tugged at his collar, momentary irritation forgotten. "This is a little embarrassing, sir, but I wasn't really allowed to date much. My dad wanted me focused on making money. And so I was."
"Ah." Bill's voice softened. "I see. That explains a lot, actually. Well. I assume you guys haven't discussed anything at all."
"I haven't spoken to him since I heard." Finn pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know I'm an idiot, but what am I supposed to say to him? You've got a fantastic offer working for a guy I know you adore, stay here just because I said so and always wonder if you could have done more or been more?"
Bill hummed. "That is a dilemma. He's taking the Obstetrics Chief job in San Antonio, right?" He sighed heavily. "Yeah, Yamashita's not stepping down anytime soon and I wouldn't ask him to. He's doing a fine job doing what he is. I do wonder, though, if there isn't a different role we could slot him into. I don't want to say anything, though. I don't want to get you set on one course of action if I can't pull it off."
"What are you thinking, sir?" Finn tried to fight against the hope that brewed in his chest.
"I'll let you know once it's gelled a little bit. Seriously, though, go talk to your boy. He's an impressive young man with a keen mind, and one of the best in his field. Even from just a purely mercenary standpoint it would be a shame to lose him, Finn. Never mind the personal stuff."
Finn could relax a little bit knowing that Bill was batting for him, but there was only so much that Bill could do. He wanted to reach out to someone else, to try and get his head around why Carter felt like he needed to leave in the first place, but someone reached out to him first. That someone was Dr. Sibley, who had been Carter's mentor during med school. Sibley had sent him the news clipping from Carter's handling of the nursery kidnapper in San Antonio during the conference, so Finn knew who he was and didn't push the man off when he called to talk about Dr. Idoni.
"Is there something amiss with his paperwork? Because I would cheerfully scuttle anything involved with his transfer if it kept him here in Syracuse instead of letting him skate on down to Texas, Dr. Sibley. He's been a true asset here at Silver Oak, for longer than I've been here. He's helped me to navigate a few things around here that I would have screwed up in some very bad ways if I were left to my own devices, and he's helped to patch up the things that I did screw up." Finn stared at the wall as he spoke to the older doctor. His hands were almost slick with sweat, but he didn't give anything away in his voice.
"Well, I'll be honest with you, Mr. Riley. I think we're very lucky to have gotten Dr. Idoni to agree to come down here. He's going to be a fantastic fit, and I'm excited to have him teaching."
Finn snapped his fingers. "Teaching. That's how you got him. I had no idea that he even wanted that."
Sibley huffed out a little laugh. "Well to be honest, neither did he. I mentioned it at the conference, and while it took some doing I helped him to see just how much good he could be doing if he taught a whole class how to help omegas in distress instead of only helping a single patient in front of him. I don't see him ever being willing to abandon patient care, his reasons are personal, but he'd be fantastic at teaching a class a semester."
Finn clenched one of his hands into a fist. How in the hell was he supposed to compete with that? "I think he would. He's been great with the interns and residents he's had, so yeah."
Sibley paused. "Can I be frank, Mr. Riley?"
Finn closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "No one ever asks that unless they're about to be far more frank than you'd like."
"Valid point." Sibley's grin was evident in his voice. "I'm a little concerned about Carter. He doesn't sound enthusiastic. He says he is, and he's got every reason to be excited for this move, but he still sounds sad when I speak to him on the phone. I spoke to his friend Allen, and Allen told me that I might want to speak with you about it."
Damn it! Did everyone know his business? "Look, Dr. Sibley, I'm not sure how much I can say right now. I'm not about to discuss Carter's personal life with an employer, or a future employer. That would get me sued to high heaven, and rightly so."
Sibley let out an impatient little growl. "I'm not asking as his boss. I'm asking as his friend—someone who is concerned for him, and who wants him to be happy. Is there anything going on that might be pushing him to make a change that he doesn't actually want?"
Finn opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He tried again. "There's a relationship. I don't think… I don't think that the guy in question has been clear about his feelings or intentions. Neither has Carter, but that's neither here nor there. I think that he may feel that—ah screw it." Finn pushed his chair away from his desk and dropped his voice. "I have no idea how to tell him that I want him, that I want more from him than just the physical. I think he wants that too, but I haven't had a chance to broach the subject with him. This whole thing kind of hit me from left field."
"I see." Sibley's voice was every disapproving teacher or guidance counselor he'd ever had. "Go on."
"I mean, I didn't even know he was looking."
"He wasn't. At least not that I've heard of. We had the spot available and he was already my first choice candidate. He'd be anyone's first choice candidate. Mr. Riley—"
"Finn, please. You just heard something that should get me fired." Finn wasn't going to tell Sibley that his boss already knew.
"Finn, then. Do you think that you can make Carter happy?"
Finn centered himself. "I think I'll die trying."
"Well, let's not let it come to that point. That probably wouldn't make him very happy at all." Sibley fell silent for a long moment. "I'll tell you what. I'm going to hold off on submitting his acceptance to human resources for a week. Do you think you can get yourself together in a week? This is still a business, you know."
Finn laughed as relief ran through his veins. "Yeah. Yeah, I know." He ran a hand over his face. "Thank you, Dr. Sibley. Thank you."
Finn let Bill know about the arrangement with Sibley, and then he got to work. He didn't know what Bill had up his sleeve, and he was just going to have to trust his boss and hope that it was going to be good. For his own part, he liquidated some assets. He found a realtor, and he found himself a new real estate lawyer.
There was drama about halfway through the week. Tom Geary was arrested for domestic battery and assault and battery of a child five and under. The proceedings were otherwise kept private, as was required for family court cases, but Finn was enraged.
He knew those children. He cared for those children. How dare Tom Geary lift a hand to them?
He couldn't go down to Obstetrics, not yet. Nothing was in place yet, and he hadn't heard from Bill. He called down to Allen Frye's office and asked the nurse practitioner to please come up to his office.
Frye had usually been fairly deferential when they'd encountered one another in the past. That had all gone by the wayside now. He stood with his back straight and his head high, and there was no doubt in Finn's mind that he knew. He decided that he wouldn't dance around the issue at all. "How's Carter?" he asked, once the door was closed behind Frye.
Frye lifted his eyebrows, just a bit. "I'm pretty sure that he misses you, but other than that he seems to be surviving." He shrugged, a little glint coming into his narrowed green eyes. "His stuff's mostly packed, except for the things he uses every day."
Finn already knew that Carter was leaving. He didn't expect the news to hit him the way that it did. It hit him like a speeding car, one that didn't stop. "That must be uncomfortable," he said, when he caught his breath.
"He hasn't said. He doesn't like to complain." Frye looked around the office. "You should have been there for him."
Finn bristled at the arrogance, but he held it back. "You're right. I should have been. I wasn't, and that was wrong of me. I was worried about us getting caught. Turns out apparently everyone knew." He ran his tongue against the back of his teeth. "Look. There are a lot of things that I could have done better by Carter, and a lot of things that I'd like to do better by Carter in the future. Did Tom get to him too?"
Frye shook his head. "No." His face softened. "I can't give you details." He held up a hand when Finn opened his mouth. "Paul is my patient. I literally can't give you details."
"I didn't realize he was your patient. I apologize." Finn bowed his head. "Please, continue."
The judges in Frye's eyes seemed to give him a neutral grade, at least. "They're staying with Carter for now. Paul has filed for divorce, Tom is fighting it when he's sober enough to see the documents. It's weird. They're kind of comfortable. The kids are ecstatic. They're convinced that something's going to happen and 'Uncle Carter' won't have to go away." He snorted and shook his head. "As if, right?"
"You never know." Finn frowned when Frye scowled at him. "Why wouldn't you want your friend to stay here?"
"Because it's bad for him! He's been miserable since you got here!" Frye threw his arms out to his sides. "Between the stuff with you and the stuff with Tom, it's been nonstop misery."
"It hasn't all been misery." Finn met Frye's eyes and held them. "There's a reason that he wants me. Let's see if we can make it work."
"Whatever." He rolled his eyes. "I'm against it, but you knew that. If you can actually make him happy, though, I'll change my tune faster than you can blink."
Finn would have to accept that. "Okay. There is a plan. I'm just waiting to hear from my boss." Finn repressed his own jitters and hoped that Bill would come through in time. If Frye's snort was anything to go by, the nurse practitioner didn't share his optimism.
Chapter Twenty
Carter sat in the playroom with a giant stack of Sandra Boynton books. He'd been at this for a while, but today was a rainy day and the kids couldn't exactly get outside to run their wiggles out or anything. He had the patience to read to them. Right now, Paul did not. Paul was feeling fretful. Paul was handling his nervous energy with laundry, which seemed to be a good use of his time.
Carter would be the first to admit that laundry was not always his thing.
Madison toddled up to him and held out Pajama Time. It was Carter's favorite Boynton book, or at least it was his favorite Boynton book when read aloud in silly voices. If the kids got into it and started dancing, the entire day could be considered to have been made. By about the twentieth cycle through on any given day, though, even this trusty favorite lost its appeal.
The doorbell rang, and Carter tensed. He wasn't expecting visitors, and with Paul and the kids hiding out here he figured he was justified in being a little paranoid. "I need to go check on that. You guys stay down here and don't move, okay?"
All three kids knew that they were supposed to hide. They nodded, eyes wide, and Carter headed up the stairs.
He didn't think that the intruder was likely to be their father. Tom, in the state that he was now, would have hammered on the door. He might ring the bell over and over, until it broke. He might try kicking the door down. He would not simply ring the bell once and wait.
He headed up to the door and hid himself carefully behind it before answering. Tom wasn't waiting for him on the other side of the door, though. Carter couldn't have been more surprised to see the two people on the other side of that door if Toby had come back from the dead.
Carter's face must have shown his surprise, because the realtor looked between her client and her buyer. "I'm so sorry, Dr. Idoni. I know I'm supposed to give notice if I'm going to show the place, but Mr. Riley said that he only had a couple of minutes and that he absolutely had to see the house today. I didn't think you'd mind, under the circumstances."
Carter jerked his startled eyes over to Finn. "What's going on here?"
"Can we—" Finn gestured to the hallway inside the house.
Carter startled out of his shock. "Yeah. Yeah, okay. It's okay, Paul. It's just Finn and Irene, the realtor."
Paul stepped out of the kitchen. Carter knew he'd been hiding in the utility closet. "I'll get the kids."
"Is it that bad?" Finn looked after Paul with a sympathetic gaze.
"We're taking an abundance of cautio
n. Tom's not… he's not doing well right now." Carter bit his cheek. "He got bad enough that Paul didn't have a choice but to grab the kids and go."
"I see." Finn bowed his head. "If I'd known that was going on back when he came to see me, I'd have done more to help."
"He came to see you?" The arrival of Paul and the kids changed the narrative just a bit. "Anyway," Carter said, and shoved his hands into his pockets. This was an inappropriate topic for the children. "Are you seriously looking to buy the house or are you just messing around?"
Finn grinned that sexy grin that always had Carter wanting more. "Oh, I'm serious. I came over here ready to pay cash for this house, today."
