by Erin M. Leaf
We’ll see, Guy thought, remembering how often his wife had defied the doctor’s predictions. He automatically sanitized his hands, and then pulled on some scrubs over his street clothes.
“Not your first time, hmm?” Dr. Hamilton asked.
Guy grimaced. “My wife died of cancer about three years ago.”
The doctor paused. “Oh. But you’re Mr. Fraser’s soulmate?”
“Yeah, well, it was a shock to me, too,” Guy said wryly. “It’s pretty new.” Understatement of the year.
Dr. Hamilton smiled. “Interesting.” He gestured and Guy followed him into the ward. The familiar scent of antiseptic and medical plastic hit him like a slap in the face. He nearly stopped walking, but then he reminded himself that Theo needed him. He followed the doctor past three beds, and then stopped short. Theo lay unconscious on a bed with monitors and lines hooked into him from every direction. “Shit,” he muttered, resisting the urge to cry. “Theo.” He didn’t know whether to reach out or run away. He swallowed, hard.
“How are his stats?” the doctor asked the nurse hovering over Theo’s bed.
“Fair. O2 is at ninety, but his blood pressure’s steady.” She smiled at Guy. “You must be Mr. Fraser’s soulmate.”
“Call me Guy,” he said roughly. He walked forward, staring at Theo’s pale face. “He’s so pale.” He glanced at the bag of blood hung over the head of the bed.
“He lost a lot of blood, but he’s doing as well as can be expected. He doesn’t need a ventilator, which is good,” the nurse said. She patted his arm. “You can hold his hand.”
Guy moved closer, then gingerly touched Theo’s wrist, careful not to jostle the lines going into his arm. “Hey, there.”
Theo’s eyelids fluttered.
“Interesting,” Dr. Hamilton said, staring at the monitor above Theo’s head.
Guy ignored him, and slid his fingers between the sheet and his soulmate’s palm. Theo’s hand was cool. “Listen, I have something for you, Theo, but you have to get better for me to give it to you.” The soulmate rings felt as heavy as lead in his pocket. He wished he’d given them to Theo before he’d left earlier. Was it only yesterday? Midnight had come and gone as Jonathan had driven them here.
“You guys aren’t married?” the nurse asked him softly.
Guy shook his head. “Not yet.” He would fix that as soon as Theo was better.
She smiled. “I didn’t see any rings for him,” she said, then nodded towards the cabinet near the head of the bed. “His personal items are in there.”
“You said you’re a WoodCrafter?” the doctor asked him.
Guy nodded, wishing Theo would wake up and tell them all he was going to be okay.
“You don’t happen to have any soulmate rings, do you?”
Guy looked up, confused. “Why?”
“You and Mr. Fraser are soulmates,” Dr. Hamilton said, slowly. “My grandfather claimed that soulmate rings were imbued with mystical power. Maybe it would help.”
“You’re a doctor,” Guy said, still confused. “Since when does mystical power help someone recover from a gunshot wound?” Even Healers couldn’t magically heal people. Their gift was subtler, and usually worked in concert with modern medicine. If some sort of magical healing power existed, he would’ve moved heaven and earth to help his wife, but that’s not how the world worked. I can’t believe a medical doctor, a surgeon, no less, is telling me to try some mumbo-jumbo hooey on Theo.
“I didn’t say I knew for certain. There are so few soulmate rings anymore that it’s impossible to study them and their effects on their wearers,” the doctor said, looking somewhat self-conscious.
“Huh.” Guy sat back, letting go of Theo’s hand. It couldn’t hurt, right? He slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out the soft pouch. “As it happens, I do have our rings.” He spilled them onto his palm. The wood felt warm, but it didn’t look any different from any other set of rings. He remembered the inherent energy emanating from the rings he’d crafted for Jeannie and Wanda. These rings didn’t hold that energy. They held potential, but nothing else.
“Put them on,” the doctor urged.
“He isn’t even awake,” Guy protested. “He can’t consent. There are no witnesses.”
“As a Healer, I’m a legal witness,” Dr. Hamilton countered. “And didn’t Mr. Fraser set you up as his medical proxy? I know I saw the paperwork. That tells me he went above and beyond in order to claim you as his soulmate.” He tilted his head. “Unless you two haven’t bonded yet? You said your pairing was somewhat new, correct?”
Guy flushed as his mind flashed back to making love with Theo on the sofa. And the bed. Jesus, get a grip, Guy. He’s unconscious and in the hospital. He inhaled, then let it out again. “We bonded.” He looked back down at Theo. “You really think it could help?”
“It can’t hurt,” the doctor said, gently. “They say that there’s an energy transfer when rings are exchanged.”
Guy nodded, remembering Jeannie and Wanda’s rings, and the spark that tied them together after they’d put them on. “There is,” he murmured, reaching out again. He took Theo’s left hand and slid the ring that “felt” like Theo’s on his soulmate’s hand. Nothing happened. He needed to put his ring on. He took a deep breath, and then he slid the ring onto his hand. Electricity buzzed through his bones. “Whoa.” He stared at Theo. Was it his imagination, or did his lover suddenly have a bit more color in his cheeks?
“Witnessed,” the doctor said, tapping something on his tablet chart.
“Doctor, his heart rate is increasing,” the nurse said suddenly.
“Yes, I see that,” Dr. Hamilton said, standing up. He slid his tablet into the oversized pocket of his jacket. He had his stethoscope on and was already pressing it to Theo’s chest. “Heartbeat is strong and steady.” He hooked his stethoscope over his neck, and then put his hands on Theo’s shoulders. “Interesting.” He frowned. “I can feel energy moving through him. He’s healing faster.” He let go and turned to Guy. “Hold his hands, skin to skin.”
Guy stared.
“Come on, man,” the doctor ordered impatiently. “Don’t get squeamish on me now.”
Guy stood up and leaned over Theo, grabbing both of his hands. “Theo,” he whispered, urgently. “Wake up.” He stared down at his soulmate. “You have to wake up. We have so much to do together.” He clamped his mouth shut before he started sobbing. This was what it’d felt like when his wife had died, and it was happening all over again. He gripped Theo’s fingers, wishing he could just heave him up and out of this damned hospital.
“Heart rate is still increasing,” someone said.
“Is he all right?” Guy asked, hoarse with worry. He didn’t let go, but he looked away—everywhere but at Theo’s face. He didn’t want to see the moment Theo left him. He knew he was being irrational, but he couldn’t seem to help it. The initial buzz from the ring exchange had faded. Every other experience he had in a hospital told him to expect the worst. No one answered him. “I can’t do this anymore,” he croaked, about to let go, and then Theo’s voice broke through his panic.
“Guy?”
Chapter Nine
Theo swum up and out of a dark cavern. Light beckoned, warm and golden and somehow welcoming. He wondered when he’d decided to go scuba-diving, but then he realized he wasn’t swimming at all. His chest hurt. His fingers tingled. He heard Guy calling his name. He opened his eyes and blurry shapes hovered over him.
“Guy?” he croaked, trying to figure out why he felt like the weight of an entire ocean was pressed to his chest. He tried to cough, but couldn’t muster the energy. He blinked again, and the faces above him resolved into one.
“Theo.” Guy stood over him, tears running down his face. “Oh my God, Theo.” He leaned down, shoulders heaving as he buried his face in Theo’s neck. “Theo.”
“Hey,” Theo said, and immediately regretted it. A cough worked its way up through his throat, and he grimaced as pain seemed to
radiate around to his spine. What the fuck had happened to him?
Guy jerked up. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”
Theo tried to shake his head, but he was so weak he could barely move. “What happened?” His mouth felt like someone had stuffed it full of dry wool.
“You were shot.” Guy held onto his hands.
Theo squeezed hard. Guy’s fingers were warm, and strong, and everything he wanted right now. “Shot?”
“Mr. Fraser, can you follow my finger?”
Theo glanced past Guy. A doctor, judging by the white coat, stood by the side of his bed. He held up a finger, and Theo dutifully followed it. “Where am I?”
“You’re in MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, in DC,” a woman said. “I’m your nurse, Joy. Can you say your name for me?”
“Theo Fraser,” he said, trying to lick his dry lips. “Can I have something to drink?” He felt better already, but he could really use something to wash the horrible taste out of his mouth.
“You can have ice chips in a moment,” the nurse said.
Theo shifted his attention back to Guy. “DC? What are you doing here?” He frowned, confused. “The last thing I remember was talking to Brechek. He’d resigned as Head.”
“You were shot, outside the Council building,” Guy said, sounding wrecked.
Theo blinked, remembering the Council meeting. “There were some murders up in Massachusetts.”
Guy frowned. “I don’t know anything about that.”
“Where’s Julio and Nick?” Theo asked.
Guy shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“What about John?” Sudden terror stabbed through him. “Oh God, Rose. Is she okay?” He reached up, then exhaled, hard, as pain stabbed through his back. “Fuck.”
“Easy.” Guy ran his palm down Theo’s arm. “Rose is fine. She’s the one who called me. That’s why I’m here,” he said, grabbing his hands. “She’s just outside the ICU, and she’s fine.”
Theo stilled. “What the hell happened to me? Did I have surgery?” He plucked at the bandages on his chest.
“Yes, you just came out of surgery about an hour ago.” The doctor stepped up. “I’m Dr. Mark Hamilton, the guy who sewed you back together a couple hours ago. The bullet missed everything vital, but it tore you up a bit on its way out. You lost a lot of blood, and that’s why you feel so weak. However, I made sure to put you back together so you’ll heal just fine.” He smiled. “You’re going to be okay, Mr. Fraser. Don’t worry.”
“You’re a Healer,” Theo said, sensing the man’s energy and inherent strength.
The doctor smiled. “Yes.” He glanced at Guy. “You didn’t mention he’s an Empath.”
Guy ran a hand over his face. “I’m not thinking too clearly.”
“Understandable.” The doctor smiled wryly, then turned back to Theo. “How are you feeling, Mr. Fraser?”
Theo swallowed, wishing again for those ice chips. “It only hurts when I move. Weak. Alive. Thirsty.” He took a deep breath. The pain wasn’t as bad. “I’m getting stronger.” How the hell was that possible? He’d only just woken up. People didn’t recover from gunshot wounds this quickly. “I shouldn’t even be awake yet, should I?”
“You are doing a lot better than you were fifteen minutes ago.” The doctor looked at the nurse. “You documented his stats?”
Joy nodded. “Of course.”
“You’ll be getting out of the ICU in a little bit, Mr. Fraser. You’ve improved exponentially in the last few minutes, thanks to Mr. Keaton, here.”
Theo didn’t understand. “Guy?”
Guy avoided his eyes, and Theo sensed his guilt.
But guilt over what? It wasn’t the guilt-grief he’d sensed before from Guy, when he’d been mourning his wife’s death. Theo looked at the nurse, but she was grinning at Guy. Theo lifted his hands, pleased that he could move now, and touched Guy’s arm. He was going to shake his soulmate, but froze when he saw the ring on his finger. That’s a soulmate ring, he thought, shocked. “That’s … whoa,” he murmured, confused. Pleased. He lifted his hand up and rubbed it with his thumb. Energy prickled up his arm. It didn’t feel strange at all. It felt like it belonged there. He looked at his lover.
“I should have given it to you before you left,” Guy said, quietly, finally meeting his gaze.
Oh. That’s why the guilt. Theo stared at his soulmate, sensing his disquiet. Guy’s light brown eyes were shadowed. “No. You weren’t ready. I wouldn’t have accepted it.”
“I was a coward.” Guy looked away. “I’m ashamed, but I’m man enough to admit it when I make a mistake.” He met Theo’s gaze again. “I’m sorry, Theo. I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
“No, no need to apologize.” Theo’s heart gave a hard thump. He could feel Guy’s sincerity. “You were a man grappling with a huge life change, in the midst of grieving your beloved wife.” He reached out and touched his Guy’s cheek, pleased he could touch his cheek. “You’re a good man, Guy Keaton.”
Guy grasped Theo’s hands. “I want to be your good man.”
Theo smiled. “You are.”
“The ring and their bond improved his healing faster and better than any modern technique could have,” the doctor said to the nurse, tapping on his tablet.
Theo glanced up, sensing the doctor’s surprise and delight. “Wait, what? Are you serious?”
The doctor nodded. “The energy transfer between the two of you makes you both stronger, and can aid in healing. We’ve had a lot of anecdotal evidence about it for years, but nothing had been documented.”
Theo looked at Guy quizzically.
“Don’t ask me how it works. I’m just happy it does.” Guy touched Theo’s ring. “I made these the day after you and I first met. I had the wood stored away in a cabinet.” He smiled wryly. “Something made me take it out, and then this happened.”
“No one knows how it works, and soulmate rings are so rare, there haven’t been any studies done on them. All we have to go on are stories and myths,” Dr. Hamilton said. “Well, at least until now.” He pointed to the machines circling Theo’s bed. “We have some data now.”
Theo didn’t give a damn about data. “It’s beautiful, Guy.” He closed his fingers around the ring, feeling the warmth in the wood. The ring felt alive. “You can’t take it back,” he told Guy.
“I have no intention of taking it back,” Guy said. He rubbed a thumb over his ring. “It felt very therapeutic to make these.” His smile faded into something more tender. “The tree dropped the burl right into Pamela’s hand decades ago. We thought it meant something, and it did, just … not what I expected.” He snorted softly. “I’ve recently learned not to question fate.”
That’s astonishing, Theo thought, deeply moved. “I’m glad,” was all he managed to say, because he was suddenly fighting back tears.
Guy squeezed Theo’s hands again. “I’m sure Rose will want to come in and see you,” he said roughly, clearly fighting his own emotions. Theo knew Guy didn’t want to discuss their relationship with so many people watching, and he sure as hell didn’t, either. “She was with you the whole time. She’s a strong woman,” Guy added.
“She is, and I’d like to see her, too.” Theo glanced at the doctor. “Can I get into a private room? I shouldn’t disturb the other patients in here.” Now that he was feeling stronger, his empathy was surging, and he could feel their pain too clearly for his own peace of mind. “I’m an Empath, too, so this is becoming difficult for me.”
“Of course,” the doctor said. “If I’d known you were an Empath, we would’ve already made arrangements,” the doctor said, looking over Theo’s monitors. “You’re definitely out of the woods, now.” He looked at the nurse. “Joy will get the ball moving.” He reached down and shook Theo’s hand. “It’s been a pleasure seeing you through this, Mr. Fraser.”
Theo nodded. “Thank you for saving my life.”
“That’s my job.” The doctor smiled.
“Take care.” He walked out of the ward.
Theo looked at Guy, taking in the dark circles under his lover’s eyes. “You look exhausted.”
Guy snorted. “You look worse.”
Theo rolled his eyes. “So. How long have you been here?”
“Not that long. I only just got here.” Guy’s expression darkened. “Your father is here, though.”
“What?” Theo stared at his lover in shock. “Did you say my father is here?”
“Yes. And an older woman I’m assuming is your mother, although Rose didn’t say. She’s a bit upset.”
“My mother?”
“No.” Guy shook his head. “Rose.” He frowned. “Your mother looks mostly annoyed. Why she’s so irritated, I have no idea, unless she’s concerned about you.”
“Yeah, no. She backed my father one-hundred percent when he disowned me.” Theo’s mind raced. “My father must have heard that Brechek wants me to be Head of the Council.” He picked at the tape holding the line in his arm in place. “He probably dragged my mother here to make him look like the family patriarch. The bastard.”
“That’s on the news, too, by the way,” Guy said.
“That my dad’s a bastard?” Theo couldn’t help the note of derision in his voice.
Guy smiled briefly. “No, that Brechek is stepping down. My son, Jonathan, saw it on the news right before we left home to drive down here.”
Theo almost wished he could go back to sleep, but he knew from experience that it wouldn’t help. He’d just wake up and have to deal with the situation anyway. “That’s insane. I only just talked to Brechek about it. Nothing is set in stone, yet.” He looked at Guy, suddenly worried. “You don’t mind, though?” He rolled his thumb over the soulmate ring again, assuring himself that it was real.
“Mind what?” Guy asked.
“That I’m probably going to be the Head of the Council very soon.” Theo thought about what Guy didn’t say. He’d mentioned Rose was here, but didn’t say anything about his bodyguards. He’d have to get started on figuring out who the hell shot him as soon as he was up and around, not to mention deal with the Massachusetts murders. And see if Brechek had anything to do with this. I sure as hell hope not, because that means the corruption of the Council is far worse than I suspected.
