Last Place in the Chalet

by Sue Brown

  Angel’s eyes were snapping with fury when Noel came to a halt beside him. “That’s the guy I was telling you about. The one in the gray and pink. He’s a nightmare.”

  “He’s out of his depth on this run,” Noel agreed.

  “He’s gonna cause an accident if he keeps skiing like that.”

  Angel looked as if he was ready to stomp back up the slope to confront the man.

  “I agree with you,” Noel said. “He nearly took out a woman just after he got in your way.”

  “I didn’t see that.”

  Noel grinned at him. “She yelled at him. Gave it to him good.”

  “Good,” Angel said fiercely.

  “Are you ready to quit?” Noel asked.

  “One more run? That guy’s upset my rhythm, and I want to get it back.”

  “Sure.”

  They took the lift to the top again and started their descent. Angel was pushing himself harder this time, and he’d lost his relaxed stance of previous runs. So Noel kept his distance to give Angel the chance to work out his frustration.

  About two-thirds of the way down, Noel had to turn sharply as the same incompetent skier picked his path so close he didn’t give Noel room to maneuver. Noel swore at the guy as he carried on down, knowing it was lost on the man, who carried on his erratic path down the mountainside.

  To his annoyance, with an almost empty slope to ski down, the man headed toward Angel. Noel realized he was trying to parallel ski and the guy turned so sharply he careered in front of Angel, who couldn’t avoid him. Angel plowed into him, and they both went tumbling, skis flying, and landed sprawled out in the snow. The dull thud as Angel landed reverberated through Noel’s head.

  “Oh no. Oh no, no, no.”

  Noel pushed himself harder to reach Angel’s side as quickly as he could. By the time he reached them, a red-haired man was kneeling beside the gray-suited man, checking him over. Angel was lying in the snow, staring up at the sky.

  “Angel?” Noel reached him and knelt, reaching out to touch Angel’s face. “Angel? Are you okay?” The feeling of relief when Angel blinked and turned his head to look at him was overwhelming.

  “What the fuck just happened?” He looked shocked as he stared at Noel. He sounded all right, but there was a huge bump on his forehead and blood trickled down his temple from a cut.

  “Are you hurt?” Noel asked.

  “Stay where you are,” the red-haired man ordered, “until I’ve checked you over.”

  “He’s an EMT,” Noel said.

  “Same order applies. I’m a cop. I win today.” The cop looked down at the man he was checking out. “You’re all right but stay where you are until the medics arrive.”

  “What just happened? Did he hit me?” The man sounded as shocked as Angel.

  Noel opened his mouth to defend Angel, but the cop got there first. “You caused the accident.”

  “No, I didn’t,” the man protested.

  “I witnessed it,” the cop said. “You’re only lucky there haven’t been more of them. You need to be on the beginner’s slopes.”

  “You saw?” Noel asked.

  “I saw,” the cop said grimly as he kneeled beside Angel and checked him in the same way he’d examined the other guy. “I watched the whole thing. He’s a menace.”

  “I’m all right,” Angel said, but he sounded dazed.

  “You’re not all right,” Noel said heatedly.

  The cop fixed his gaze on Angel. “Just stay where you are. You’ll still be getting a trip to the hospital. You’ve banged your head.”

  Angel touched his forehead gingerly. “I think the ski hit me as I fell.”

  “I can go for help,” Noel said.

  “No need. They’re already on their way.” The cop pointed to a group of skiers coming toward them. “I sent someone down as soon as it happened.”

  “Thank you,” Angel said.

  Noel took off his glove and held Angel’s hand. He didn’t care if it upset anyone. He was there to look after him.

  The cop didn’t react. He stood and greeted the medic team with terse information as they joined them.

  The gray-suited man protested that he was the injured party as they focused their attention on Angel, but the cop told him to wait his turn, and he deflated. Noel was very grateful that the cop had witnessed the whole incident. It was going to make any chance of lawsuits a moot point.

  Once they found out Angel was an EMT and therefore one of them, he was treated like royalty and taken down quickly to the medic station. They ignored Angel’s protests that he was fine. He was getting a visit to the hospital whether he liked it or not.

  “Thank God for insurance,” Angel muttered as they waited. “This is going to be expensive.”

  Noel smiled down at him. He was still holding Angel’s hand. “I don’t care. I want you checked from head to toe.”

  Angel reached up and touched his cheek. “I bumped my head and took a tumble. I really am fine, Noel.”

  “It was scary to watch.”

  “It was over so quickly I barely had time to think.”

  For Noel it had been like time had slowed when he saw Angel tumble and fall to the snow.

  “I was right, though,” Angel said, somewhat smugly.

  Noel frowned. “Right about what?”

  “That dude was a menace.” Angel smirked. “Did you see his face when he realized the cute cop had seen the whole thing?”

  “You think he’s cute?”

  “You didn’t?”

  Angel had a point. “You’re kind of evil. You know that, right?” Noel said.

  “That’s why you love me, baby.” Angel winced and put his fingertips to the bump. “My head hurts.”

  Noel shook his head. “You just sit there like a good little boy.” He was going nowhere near the love and baby comment.

  Angel scowled at him. At least he tried to. That evidently hurt too.

  THE TRIP to the hospital didn’t take very long, and after a CAT scan, it was established that Angel didn’t have a concussion and was fine apart from a bump on the head and a few bruises.

  “My brains aren’t scrambled?” Angel asked.

  “All intact,” the doctor confirmed. “You were lucky.”

  He vanished, leaving Angel and Noel alone.

  Angel turned to Noel. “You’re going to have to teach me how to get around people.”

  “Done,” Noel agreed, anything to avoid seeing Angel sprawled out on the snow like that.

  A mountain of paperwork later and Angel was discharged with a final warning to Noel from the nurse. “You can take him home, but you bring him back if he starts talking nonsense.”

  “He talks nonsense all the time,” Noel confided with a wink at Angel, who gave him a little growl.

  “You think you’re so funny, don’t you?”

  “You have a cute boyfriend,” the nurse said.

  Noel sobered rapidly, but Angel put his hand in his and it grounded him enough to keep him from speaking.

  They waited until the nurse had vanished before Angel squeezed his hand. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m not sure,” Noel admitted honestly. “I think I am, and then something like this happens, and I get blindsided. It’s stupid really.”

  “It’s been three days,” Angel said, “Of course you’re blindsided. You’re still in shock, Noel. It’s going to take time to get over what Adam did.”

  “You’re sitting there with bumps and bruises, and you’re still trying to look after me,” Noel said. “You’re quite amazing. You have such a generous heart.”

  “I’m fine, and you were by me the whole time.” Angel leaned into Noel, slumping against him with a sigh. “I’m just sorry coming here wasted our afternoon. We could have kept skiing.”

  Noel raised an eyebrow. “And how sore are you?”

  “Pretty sore,” Angel confessed.

  “I thought so. The snow will be there tomorrow. Let’s go back to the chalet.”

>   While Angel was filling out the paperwork, Noel had called Don to ask for a ride back to the chalet. He’d gotten Charlie on the phone, who was incredibly concerned when he heard Noel’s explanation.

  “Is there anything we can do?” Charlie asked.

  “Just the ride if you can, or we can get a car,” Noel said. “Angel just needs to lie down for a while. He’s got a killer headache.”

  Don was there in thirty minutes and was waiting as they left the ER, Noel’s arm around Angel’s shoulders. Charlie rushed out of the shuttle bus and over to them.

  “Perfect timing,” Noel said to him.

  Charlie studied Angel’s face. “How are you feeling?”

  “Like someone collided with me,” Angel quipped. “I’ll be fine once I’ve had a nap.”

  He was smiling and joking but Noel could tell from the lines around his eyes and mouth he was in pain and ready to collapse.

  “Can we get Angel into the bus so he can sit down?” Noel suggested.

  Talking could wait until later.

  “Of course,” Charlie agreed, standing on the other side of Angel. “Let’s go home.”

  Noel helped Angel into the bus and held back from actually buckling his seat belt when Angel snapped, “I can do it.”

  “You did it for me,” Noel pointed out, but he sat down and got settled.

  Don looked over. “Are you ready?”

  “Yeah,” Angel said wearily. As the bus started, he squeezed Noel’s hand. “I’m sorry for being an ass.”

  Noel wrapped his arm around Angel’s shoulders. “You’re forgiven.”

  He filled Don and Charlie in on what had happened as Angel dozed on the journey back, resting against Noel’s shoulder. Don and Charlie growled as Noel told them about the skier and grinned at his description of the cop shutting down any attempt to blame Angel. He stroked Angel’s hair and caught the speculative look on Charlie’s face. Noel felt his cheeks heat at being caught, but Charlie just smiled and turned to face the front.

  Angel roused as they pulled up outside the chalet. “Are we here?”

  “Yeah.” Exhaustion had caught up with Noel by that time, and he was glad to be back.

  He helped Angel into the chalet and then kneeled to take off Angel’s boots.

  “Not a child,” Angel muttered.

  “I know,” Noel said, but he ignored him. When he stood, Angel had made no effort to take off his coat, and he swayed. Noel propped him against the wall and unzipped his jacket. He caught Angel’s mutinous expression. “Say one word about not being a kid, and you’re sleeping in the bus,” he warned.

  Angel snapped his mouth shut, and Noel nodded and slid the coat off his shoulders.

  As they walked toward their bedroom, Maria rushed out from hers.

  “Oh honey, what happened to you?” she said. “Charlie said you’d been taken to the hospital.”

  “Someone collided with me on the slopes,” Angel told her. “I’m fine, just bumped and bruised. But I really need to sleep.”

  “I’m going to have to wake you up a couple of times,” Noel said.

  “I don’t have a concussion.” Angel tried to glare at him but failed miserably.

  Noel gave Maria the key to the room. “Could you unlock the door?”

  She did as asked while he held Angel, who was muttering under his breath. Noel ignored him and guided Angel inside, where he collapsed onto their bed.

  Maria hovered in the doorway. “Is there anything I can get you? A drink? Something to eat?”

  “I’m fine. Just need to sleep,” Angel murmured and rolled over onto his belly.

  Noel gently pushed Maria out of the room. “He’ll be just fine. I’m here to look after him. I’ll call if we need anything.”

  She hugged him suddenly, startling Noel. “Yes, I think you are,” she said, and she went back along the corridor.

  Noel expelled a sigh of relief at finally being alone and went back into the room. Angel was already asleep, snoring lightly, so he tucked the covers awkwardly around him and sat down in the armchair near the window. He picked up his book from the nightstand and settled back to read, glad of the chance to relax. It had been a stressful afternoon and burying himself in a book was just what he needed.

  He’d barely opened it when there was a soft knock at the door. Noel grimaced and went to open it.

  Charlie gave him a tentative smile. “I brought coffee for you and chamomile tea for Angel. Plus some homemade cookies.”

  Noel raised an eyebrow. “Chamomile tea?”

  “I thought it would help him sleep. You know he doesn’t sleep very well.”

  “I do, but how do you know that?”

  Charlie shrugged. “I’m always up early. I don’t sleep very well either.”

  “Thank you for the drinks and cookies.”

  “You’re welcome.” Charlie smiled and vanished.

  Noel shut the door and put the tray on the table. It was nice of Charlie to bring the drinks, but he hoped Angel would sleep a bit longer. He sat back down on the bed, bit into an oatmeal-and-raisin cookie, and held back a blissful moan. He was going to kidnap Charlie and make him his cook. When he sipped his coffee, he reminded himself that he needed to ask Charlie what blend he used. It was the best coffee he’d had in a long while. Noel was a snob about coffee, and he wasn’t afraid to admit it.

  “Coffee,” Angel muttered.

  “Not for you, my boy. You’re drinking chamomile tea.”

  Angel made a noise of disgust. “Not your boy and hate chamomile tea.”

  “Tough,” Noel said heartlessly and tried not to be hurt at the “not your boy” because Angel was right.

  Angel sat up, winced a little, and held his head. “Could you put the lamp on and turn off the overhead? It’s a bit bright.”

  Noel did as Angel asked, plunging the room into a much gentler light. “When can you next take pain meds?”

  The hospital had said he could take over-the-counter meds for his headache.

  “Another two hours,” Angel said. “I’m all right. I just feel a bit sick.”

  Noel grabbed the trash can and rushed it over to Angel’s side of the bed. “If you’re going to barf, do it there.”

  “Thanks.” Angel held his hand out for the tea and made a disgusted face when he took a sip. He put the cup down on the nightstand. “Drinking this tea will make me hurl.”

  “You’re one of those type of patients, aren’t you?” Noel asked with amusement.

  “What type?”

  “A pain in the ass.”

  Noel was secretly glad to know Angel wasn’t perfect. A guy had to have a few flaws.

  “Total pain,” Angel agreed as he lay back down with a sigh and closed his eyes. “Put the do-not-disturb sign on the door? I don’t think I can cope with more visitors.”

  Noel hopped off the bed again and went to the door to open it. He turned the sign and hoped people would take notice. Then he returned to his book and again tried to read.

  “Noel?”

  “Hmm?” Noel had thought Angel was asleep.

  “Would you lie down with me?”

  “I thought you’d want the space,” Noel said as he placed his book on the small table.

  “I don’t want to have nightmares,” Angel admitted.

  Noel was on the bed in an instant, wrapping himself around Angel. “You go to sleep. I’ll be here to keep the nightmares away.”

  NOEL FELL asleep not long after Angel as the stress of the day caught up with him. He’d intended to set an alarm, but he fell asleep before he could do so. It was a gentle knocking on the door that disturbed him.

  He raised his head and mumbled a sleepy, “Yes?”

  “It’s Charlie. Just to give you warning dinner will be ready in thirty minutes. I thought you’d want to know.”

  “Thanks,” Noel said. “I’ll be there. I’m not sure about Angel.”

  “Okay, just let me know.”

  Noel heard footsteps walk away and looked down at
Angel, who rolled over onto his back and cracked open one eye. “Who was that?” he asked, his voice sleepy-slurred.

  “Charlie. Dinner’s in thirty minutes.”

  Angel’s lips curved into a smile. “That man lives to feed everyone.”

  “Do you want dinner?” Noel resisted the temptation to push an errant curl away from Angel’s eyes.

  Angel thought about it for a moment. “I don’t think so. I think I’d rather go back to sleep. But you go on.”

  “I can stay here,” Noel said.

  Angel shook his head. “I’m only going to sleep. You go. Be the social one for a change.”

  “Do I have to?” Noel whined.

  “Yes,” Angel insisted. “I did the first night. It’s your turn now.”

  Noel grumbled, got off the bed, and stretched and rolled his shoulders to ease out the kinks. “I’ll bring you some food, but only if you promise that if you need me you’ll call me.”

  Angel rolled his eyes but then winced and laughed. “I really have to remember not to do that.”

  “If you don’t call me, I’ll make you drink more chamomile tea,” Noel warned.

  “Do you want to make me hurl?”

  “No, but the threat is there anyway.” He pointed at the cup to make sure Angel knew he was serious.

  “Fine, fine.” Angel huffed and rolled over.

  Noel shuffled into the bathroom, this time just to splash his face with cold water to wake up. He combed his hair and went back out into the bedroom. Angel was already asleep, both hands under his cheek and looking angelic.

  Noel’s heart had nearly stopped when he saw that idiot collide with Angel. It was a miracle the man was lying on the bed with barely a scratch.

  “I’m going to be your white knight whether you like it or not,” he muttered to the sleeping man.

  Angel’s mouth curved into a smile.

  Chapter 8—Day 3

  two days before Christmas Eve

  evening

  THE GREAT room was empty when Noel entered. On the small table next to Maria’s favorite chair, he spied an empty glass and the thriller she had been reading. No one else sat in that chair now that Maria had claimed it. Noel settled himself in his favorite place on the couch near the blazing fire. He was going to miss this room when he went home. He sighed and was contemplating whether he had time to steal Maria’s footstool before she returned when Charlie poked his head around the door.