“I can do this a lot longer.” Brian wasn’t sure he could hold out for hours, but the pain was nothing like the blinding agony of a few weeks ago. “I’m pretty much normal.”
Charlie laughed, and Nick tapped him with a light punch that grazed his ribs.
“Shut up, you. His normal. Which is very useful.”
“I bet.” Charlie sobered. “Are you okay, Nick?”
“Me? I’m not the one doing the work.” Nick bent, his hand clenched on Brian’s shoulder and took hold of the clip with the other hand. “I mean it. Let her go for now. Thank you but… let go.”
Brian had to force his fingers to uncramp from around the ribbon. Nick took it, and as the clip left Brian’s skin, he let the trace go free too. The green slipped away, out of his sight. He blinked hard and focused on Nick instead.
Is he happy? Sad? Worried? The shininess of Nick’s eyes was worrying, and Brian couldn’t read his expression. “I have her trace now. Once and forever. So, you know, I can Find her anytime. If you want me to.”
Charlie said, “No wonder people want a piece of Brian.”
Nick nodded.
Charlie tilted his head like a curious dog. “What now, Rugo? Are you going to ask him to Find Ariana? Or hang about being moody?”
“I’m not moody!”
Brian said quickly, “At least you know she’s alive.”
“Yes.” Nick’s forehead smoothed out. “Thank you. Yes. That’s huge.”
“She’s probably doing fine. I mean, most people are, right? Maybe short of money or something, but doing okay. You don’t have to go looking.”
A muscle in Nick’s jaw twitched. “I will. Someday.” He squeezed Brian’s shoulder. “What about you? Do you need to lie down? Eat something?”
A sudden wash of fatigue hit Brian, fading everything under its weight. His headache thinned and spread; Nick’s face blurred. “I might stretch out till Lori gets back.”
Nick shifted his grip to slide under Brian’s arm. “Come on. We can toss that mattress down on the floor in the bedroom.”
“Okay.” He wasn’t about to pass out but his legs didn’t want to move, and he didn’t mind Nick’s wiry strength as he made it to his feet.
Charlie smiled warmly at him. “That was a good thing you did.”
He lifted a shoulder. “Was simple.”
“Still. Knowing she’s alive, even if Nick’s too chickenshit to ever go look for her? That’s a big deal. For me too, after all the time I spent helping Nick search. So thanks.”
He managed a smile in return, pulled free of Nick’s grip, and stumbled for the bedroom. Nick went ahead of him to tip the mattress away from the wall. The bed frame was still waiting to be assembled, but the mattress hit the floor with a thump and a puff of dust.
“Ugh.” Nick waved a hand in front of his face. “There. Lie down and take it easy.”
“Thanks.” Brian sat down carefully and didn’t protest when Nick knelt to take off his shoes.
Nick rubbed Brian’s feet as he set the sneakers aside. “How bad was it? You want painkillers? You look like your head hurts.”
“Some. Not that much. It’s been lots worse than this.”
“No shit. I’ve seen you pass out. Doesn’t mean you’re okay.”
“I’ll be fine. I don’t want drugs.” He looked up at Nick. “I’m so glad she’s not dead.”
“Ah, hell.” Nick sat down beside him, more of a fall than a deliberate movement. Brian wrapped an arm around Nick’s back, and Nick sighed so long it was like all the air leaving his body. He said, “I had so many nightmares… you know? Where I couldn’t save her, and she died a hundred ways. Now they’re gone.”
“Good.” Brian hugged him harder despite the throb in his forehead. “I’m glad.”
Nick returned the hug, then pushed away and stood. “You should rest. I’ll let you know when food gets here.”
“Okay.” Brian leaned back and let himself fall flat onto the mattress. The faint scent of Nick in it soothed him. Home. He closed his eyes, listening vaguely to Nick rustling around with something. A soft weight drifted down over him. He cracked an eyelid to see the green fuzz of a well-known blanket inches from his nose.
“Get some sleep.” Nick’s voice came from far away.
“Mm.” It was too much effort to look. Brian let his eyes drift shut again. “Love you.” He could at least say that much, but there was no response and he wasn’t sure Nick heard him. No matter. He’d say it again, often. He curled up under the warm wool and hugged himself. I did something important for Nick. He’d often felt like a burden to Nick, a weight, a risk, but this? This was something big he’d given in return. He fell asleep repeating that, for the pleasure of it.
Chapter 6
Nick had to admit Charlie’s new place was nicer than his own, but it was up a freakin’ steep flight of stairs. He eased down the iron bed frame he’d carried up and glanced around to make sure he was alone before rubbing his aching back. Charlie and Lori didn’t have much stuff, but neither one of them was supposed to be doing heavy lifting. And both of them were damned stubborn. One hint that he wasn’t perky as a feather, or whatever, and they’d be insisting on helping. Which was not happening on his watch.
He straightened fast as Charlie came into the room.
“Thanks, man.” Charlie lowered a bag full of bedding to the floor.
“No problem. I’ll think of a way for you to pay me back. But seriously, the one-armed man and the fat broad, and you picked a second-floor duplex with no elevator?”
“Hell, yeah. Decent rent, fast move-in, three bedrooms, big fenced yard, and best? Two freaking full bathrooms! Ding, ding, ding. Winner, second floor or not.”
“Only ’cause you have friends to do all the work.”
“What else are friends for?”
“Buying the beer?”
“That I can do. When you’ve earned it.”
Nick waved at the iron frame leaning against the wall. “Hey, you now have a bed. What more do you need?”
“A mattress might be good. You and I could—”
“We could wait for Brian and Doc to show up, is what we could.” He pushed past Charlie into the short hallway. “Come on, there’s more small crap in the truck.”
Charlie followed him out onto the landing. Downstairs, the front door opened and Lori came in with a laundry basket. Nick yelled, “Hey, set that down and I’ll lug it up the stairs.”
She tipped her head to look up at them. “I think I can carry ten pounds. I bet this kid already weighs more than that.”
“Yeah, looks like he’s big as a moose.” Nick jogged downstairs, with Charlie following more slowly. “Still, why hike up and down when I’m volunteering.”
Lori’s expression suggested she couldn’t decide whether to get mad or thank him. She shoved the basket full of towels at him. “When you put it that way, here. Run this up for me.” With a sharp tug of the door she went back outside.
Charlie said, “Why do you keep ragging on her?”