Page 70 of Darkness

More facts Morrisey didn’t want.

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Morrisey settled on a gurney in a medical bay beneath the compound, braced for the worst. The fact that they even had a medical bay beneath the compound was enough to raise the hackles of the toughest sonofabitches Morrisey knew. The steady beep of a monitor tracked his heart rate—elevated now through equal parts fear and excitement. On the one hand, this might help him track down a killer. On the other hand…

Even Morrisey didn’t want to see in his own mind some days, a jumbled mess worse than his apartment on a bad day. Probably looked like a twisted, multicolored skein of yarn with something sticky poured over.

“Relax,” Farren said from the other gurney. “Remember, push the thoughts you want to share to the front of your mind.” He squeezed Morrisey’s hand.

Yeah. Thoughts he wanted Farren to see. Maybe five, at most.

Leary and a nurse Morrisey now knew as a Nutrix stood nearby.

“You ready?” Leary asked in bland tones, never taking his eyes off his phone screen. He tried to make everyone think he was super busy at all times, but he probably watched cat videos or Judge Judy or some shit.

A hard swallow didn’t dislodge the boulder in Morrisey’s throat. He nodded instead of answering, heart thumping a staccato beat. Oh, God. What was he doing?

He could take some of those cat videos about now.

Farren’s reassuring smile fell short of the mark. “I’m ready.” He closed his eyes, appearing deceptively peaceful for someone who’d be technically dead for up to two minutes.

Morrisey closed his too, willing yesterday’s memories to the forefront of his mind. The kid in the hoodie. The train. The stranger who’d smirked.

Farren.

Wait! What? No matter how hard Morrisey tried, he couldn’t keep Farren off his mind: his fantasy of a naked Farren at his door, how Morrisey thought he’d seen an angel the night Farren rescued him in the alley.

Morrisey envisioned himself sprawled on the ground in the foul-smelling alley, feeling fear for the man lying before him.

Wanting desperately for him to live. Wait! Those weren’t Morrisey’s thoughts. They must be Farren’s.

The thoughts spun again to a beautiful young man, breathing out his last while his body endured…

The same young man, lost, alone, afraid.

Morrisey and Farren connected in their loneliness. A soothing presence told Morrisey he wasn’t alone. For a moment in time, his thoughts blended with Farren’s. Then there were the tender feelings when Farren looked Morrisey’s way. The magnetic pull.

Morrisey hadn't felt whole in a long time until now.

His mind suddenly veered back to the scene at the train tracks.

“Morrisey? Morrisey, wake up!” Something hit Morrisey’s face. Huh? He blinked open his eyes, fist ready to fly. Leary and the Nutrix stared down at him, Leary stepping back a cautious few inches.

“What happened?” Morrisey unclenched his fist, dropping his hand onto the gurney. Fuzz filled his brain.

Leary frowned, lines showing around his mouth. He stayed near enough to overwhelm Morrisey's senses with a blend of soap, coffee, and doughnuts. “We don’t know. You two went for five minutes. I couldn’t wake you up.”

Five minutes? At the hospital, he’d been told to worry at two minutes. Morrisey glanced at Farren, who blinked hard a few times. “Are you okay?”

Farren flung an arm over his eyes. “I’ll be all right. I’m not sure what went wrong since I’ve done this many times.”

Many?

“Did you get what you needed?” Leary asked, impatience showing in his growl. Yeah, so much for concern over his employees.

“Yes.”

The Nutrix hummed, bustling around, checking monitors. “They both seem to be operating within acceptable parameter.” She unhooked the monitors and tugged Leary’s arm. “Just rest, both of you. I’ll check on you soon.” She and Leary shuffled away, heads together.

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