Leon groaned. “Dr. Andrews, please.”
“Remember that week where every time you tried to talk to me, you’d get pulled into something else? You kept complaining that you and I never got a word together.”
Lydia frowned thoughtfully before turning to Leon. “Yes, because a certain someone kept finding me stuff to do! You shit, you were trying to win a bet.”
“It was the only way I was going to win,” Leon admitted.
She huffed. “How much did you lose?”
“Enough that I’ve kept a tally ever since.”
Grant rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he listened to them bicker back and forth good-naturedly. They were professional enough to keep their voices low, so they wouldn’t disturb any resting patients. Grant couldn’t help but wonder what her reaction would have been if Lydia had witnessed his conversation with Theo.
The thought brought another rush of blood to his cheeks, and to his dismay, somewhere farther south as well. What should have been a perfectly normal, friendly chat over a cup of coffee had derailed so fast that two days later, Grant was still trying to figure out what happened.
It had certainly marked a few firsts for him. Namely, it was the first time any patient of his had so blatantly flirted with him. It had also marked the first time anyone had ever offered to refer to him by any sort of nickname. And if the squirming in his gut was any indication, it was the first time Grant could ever remember being affected by a former patient.
Grant had been in doctor mode in the examination room, and while Theo had certainly merited a momentary not so professional glance, Grant had shoved it away. Up close and personal, without the need to be a doctor, Grant had found himself unarmed and defenseless before the charm Theo wielded with all the grace of a sledgehammer.
“Uh, Dr. Andrews?” Lydia asked, piercing through his thoughts.
Grant twitched, eyes flitting up toward her. “Yes?”
“You alright?”
“Should I not be?”
Leon leaned forward, frowning. “You’re blushing.”
Hell. Just what he needed.
Grant cleared his throat. “It’s not hot in here for you two?”
“I’m one degree away from needing a sweater,” Lydia said, raising a thin brow.
“Well, I for one am warm,” Grant said, turning away from them before they could grow anymore curious about his state.
Leon and Lydia were good people, though a little too nosy and persistent for his taste. The last thing he needed was for them to learn that his mind was lingering on flashing hazel eyes and a crooked smile that sent a shiver through him. And he definitely didn’t need them knowing he had stuttered over the wicked wit of a clever and impish man who had taken great pleasure in teasing Grant.
He stopped outside the door of the first room on his rounds, shaking himself. Theo was obviously young and willful. Probably a little too young if Grant was honest with himself. And on the subject of being honest, he’d have to admit that getting so wound up over one of his patients was a good sign that he needed to get out again, it had been a little while after all.
Taking what he hoped was a calming breath, he stepped quietly into the room. Grant took a few soft steps and froze at the scene before him. His patient was awake, his features scrunched up and hazy. Yet his attention was devoted fully to the man sitting next to his bed. The patient reached forward, cradling the other man’s neck in a gesture tender enough to send an ache through Grant’s chest.
Stepping back out of sight, he checked the file one more time to have the man’s name at the ready, First names were intimate, but they tended to make patients feel more at ease, at least when they were laid out in a bed injured. Those in the clinic tended to deal better on a more formal basis, something Grant had never been able to puzzle out.
Stepping a little heavier, Grant walked back into the room. “Oh, good, you’re awake.”
They both turned to him, and the patient, Elias, slowly pulled his hand away from the other man. Neither of them looked particularly embarrassed by the gesture, though the blond-haired friend looked a little nervous.
“Good evening, I’m Dr. Andrews. It’s nice to see you awake Elias, how are you feeling?” he asked him, smiling warmly.
Elias winced. “Awake, but a little confused.”
“I was starting to tell him,” explained the friend.
Grant nodded. “It seems there was an explosion at the fire you were helping to put out. The blast wasn’t too bad, but you and your partner here were close enough to get knocked off your feet. And you were unlucky enough to end up buried under the rubble.”
“Would that explain my back?” Elias asked with a wince.
The man was lucky that the worst he’d come away with was a few bumps and bruises and a sore back. Elias had been thrown clear of the worst of it, but the falling debris could have been deadly. Grant had seen a case not that long ago where an unfortunate man had been well out of the blast range, only to have his head caved in by a flying piece of concrete.
Not that he was going to lay that on his new patient.
So instead, he chuckled. “That it would. Seems a large beam fell on you. Honestly, from the sounds of it, you’re a very lucky man. That beam could have easily killed you. Now, this is only a guess, but I suspect it hit the ground, where most of the force went. You did, however, take quite a beating in the process.”
Elias let his head fall back. “What’s broken and how long am I stuck in bed?
“We’re still making sure you’re okay, but all in all, you’re a lucky man with only a few marks.”
“Feels like more than a few,” Elias muttered.
“Yes, I imagine it does. You’ll find your back is going to hurt for a while, but we’ll give you something for it.”
Elias’ nose wrinkled, waving a hand at him. “Don’t.”
“Elias,” his friend protested.
“I’m not dealing with pain killers. Those things fuck you up.”
“This really isn’t the time to be stubborn. You almost died, dumbass.”
Grant couldn’t help his small, private smile at the insult. There was real affection behind it, and it lacked any real vehemence. The men were incredibly close, and while Grant didn’t want to make assumptions, he was leaning toward them being lovers. And close ones at that.
Elias’ face pinched. “And I’m not having my body freak out because it wants drugs. And who are you calling a dumbass? You’re the one sitting there bandaged up and not having taken a shower.”
That earned a snort. “I’ve been here, waiting for you to wake up. Dumbass.”
Grant’s smile became public as he spoke. “Well, now that we’ve established that. By all accounts, you should be out in the next day or two. Would you say no to not a pain killer but a reliever? I’m sure we can scrounge up some ibuprofen for you, with a little more kick the than over the counter sort.”
“That I won’t say no to,” Elias said.
Grant shoved his hands in his pockets. “Good, then I’ll send a nurse in to give you your pills. You should at least try to get some rest in the meantime.”
“Isn't that what I have been doing?” Elias asked.
Grant gave him a wry smile. “Try for some more then.”