Tenner managed a weak chuckle, wondering how Ross could make him laugh even when they were both dying of the plague. “But I haven’t told her yet,” he bemoaned, and Ross gave one of those sounds that told Tenner he might have some bad news.
“Ten?”
“Yeah?”
“Look, I have no concrete way of knowing this, and we need to act like I’m wrong, but… uh….”
Tenner pushed himself up on Ross’s chest with a concerned look. “What?”
“Look, everything I know about kids tells me that she might have an inkling. That’s all. So, you know, don’t be surprised if she knows.”
Aw. “So sweet,” Tenner murmured, patting his cheek. “So naïve. Kids really don’t give two shits what grown-ups do. You know that, right?”
Ross met his eyes with bleary amusement. “Sure, baby. Let’s pretend that’s true.”
Tenner collapsed back on his chest. “You make me tired just talking to you. Press Play.”
“What’re we watching?”
“Anything you want. You win today. Maybe tomorrow I win.”
Ross yawned. “Good luck with that. Do we know when she’s coming?”
“Sometime after ten.”
“How do we know that?”
“Because that is the absolute earliest the two of us can be up and showered and in clean clothes.”
“That is totally fair.” He didn’t question any further, but he should have.
But then, Tenner should have too.
THE NEXT morning they felt marginally better—their fevers were still low-grade and exhausting, but they both managed showers, and after two loads of laundry, Ross could wear his own pajama pants and underwear as well.
Pat had awakened them that morning with a half-gallon of orange juice and a big tub of sliced mangos, kiwis, and strawberries. He actually brought it to the door this time and didn’t just drop the supplies and run.
“How you guys doing?” he asked seriously, scowling at them both. “Ross, you’ve lost ten pounds. Tenner, you’ve lost fifteen, and you’re shorter.” He yawned. “I’ll order you guys some groceries. You can eat and sleep for the next two days and maybe make it to work on Tuesday—”
“Wednesday,” Ross said without batting an eyelash.
“But Ross, I can make it back by Tue—”
“Wednesday,” Ross said, looking at Pat meaningfully.
Pat nodded. “Wednesday it is! But Ross, you’ve got to spend Wednesday night at the homestead so the kids know I haven’t killed you and buried the body.”
Ross snorted. “They’re the assholes who gave me the plague. Burying my body would have been a kindness.”
Pat nodded and yawned again. “Yeah. I’m not arguing. They’re going back to school tomorrow, but I think Desi and I are staying home and sleeping. This week, man. It’s like it dropped off the fucking map.”
Pat took off after that, and Tenner and Ross had orange juice and all the vitamin C fruit they could handle—which wasn’t much at this point—and then sat down on the couch, exhausted.
“Why Wednesday?” Tenner asked as Ross found the remote in what felt to be a routine they’d been practicing for years.
“So we can have sex all day Tuesday.”
Tenner stared at him. “Are you shitting me?”
“I don’t know why that freaks you out. Dammit, the world owes me. I fall in love over an eight-week break, and one of those weeks is stolen by the plague? I want some sex!” He let out a little yawn. “Just as soon as we can both get it up, there will be sex.”
“I have never in my life taken a sick day for sex.”
“Heh, heh, heh. Well, technically, it’s a personal day for sex. If you were sick, you wouldn’t be having sex.”
Well, couldn’t fault that logic. “Witness the last week.” Tenner yawned too and checked his phone. Nothing from Nina yet. He slumped against Ross, who in turn slumped against the pillows. Joe jumped up on his backside, determined to get every bit of snuggling out of his two human heating pads, and they both gave a prenap cough, then settled in to watch TV.
Or really, settled in to sleep.
Which was where they were when Nina let herself in.
Reckoning and Wreckoning
“TENNER?” THE voice was unfamiliar, but the tone was everything.
Ross opened his eyes and looked into the face of the enemy.
“Shh!” he said, maybe unnecessarily, because Tenner was limp on his chest and didn’t seem to be waking up for anything. “God, he’s asleep. Do you have any idea how much we would have given for real sleep this last week?”
She gaped at him. A pretty woman—delicate, with dark hair pulled into a ponytail, pale gold skin, and wide brown eyes. She had the cutest little cupid’s bow mouth he’d ever seen. Obviously Piper’s mother, and those wide brown eyes were filling with hurt and anger.
“Sorry,” Ross murmured. “Here, let me….” He wiggled out from under Tenner, who slid to the side and mumbled incoherently before hugging the throw pillow that had been bolstering Ross’s back.
He stood creakily to his feet and grinned at Piper, who threw herself at him without reservation.
“Ross! You and Daddy were napping together—it was adorable!”
Ross wanted to shake Tenner awake so he’d hear that and know Ross was right. Naïve! Ha! But he contented himself with giving Piper a quick hug and then setting her at arm’s length.
“All right, little Piper Cub, you need the rules. Me and your daddy have been very sick for a long time. No more hugs.” Her face fell, and he felt like an ass. “Here, let’s do elbow hugs. Stick out your elbow like this.” She did, shy delight taking over the disappointment, and he matched her stance and rubbed elbows with her. “That’s the only kind of hug we give when we’re sick, deal?”
“Yeah, Ross. Can I go wake Daddy up and elbow hug him?”
“No, Piper—” Nina said, but Ross shook his head, and to his relief, she quieted down.
“Sure, sugar. Just only touch his elbow, okay?”
“Okay! See, Mom? I told you he would take care of Daddy!”
The closed expression on Nina’s face made Ross swear softly under his breath.
“Yeah,” Nina said bitterly. “Ross can definitely take care of Daddy.”
“Don’t be mean,” he said softly. “You being mean in front of Piper is his biggest fear. C’mon, Nina. You’re raising such a happy kid. Don’t wreck that.”
Nina’s expression turned stricken, and she stalked into the kitchen, hauling several bags of groceries. Ross followed, hard on her heels.
“He should have told me,” she muttered, setting the bags down so she could pace. “He should have….” She stopped and swallowed. “He tried,” she said as if to herself. “It’s like I can hear all the things he was trying to say and I just ran right over him. He tried to tell me, taking it slowly. ‘Cause God knows I don’t take surprises well. I suck at it. They make me fucking stabby. But….” She trailed off and looked at Ross in misery. “This was a surprise. It shouldn’t have been, but it was. And now I’m pissed off. And I probably have no right to be, but I am. I’m trying to make myself be a nicer person or a better person, but it isn’t working. And you guys are sick, and I’m pissed, and—”