Page 2 of Gabe

“I’m Agent Long,” he said after several awkwardly silent moments with only the sound of the freezing rain on the metal roof to accompany us. “But just call me Gabe.”

It was a pleasant surprise. I’d been expecting further arguments from the man and didn’t even have to fake my smile.

“Glad to meet you, Gabe. I’d shake your hand, but I’m a little preoccupied at the moment.”

That seemed to be as much heart-to-heart as Gabe could handle at once, because he merely nodded at a spot down the road to point out that our destination was coming up.

The road opened into a clearing in the trees, revealing a small house among the foliage. At the sight, I was equal parts relieved and annoyed. Relieved that we had finally reached the end of our journey, and annoyed that Gabe hadn’t told me how close we were to the end sooner. The drive would have been a lot less stressful if I knew there were only a few minutes left.

I brought the RV to a stop right next to the front door, leaving just enough space for the motorized handicap lift. Getting Sebastian unloaded from the vehicle and inside the house was another ordeal. One that had us all grumbling in frustration, especially as the icy rain turned to sleet. The wheels of Sebastian’s mobile bed stuck in the mud and wouldn’t budge until both Gabe and Damien worked together to literally lift the entire thing.

However, after a lot of sweating and swearing, we were all safely inside. We were wet and cold, and probably looked like a pack of half-feral dogs, but we were unharmed.

Well, no more harmed than we had been when we started the journey. No one could look at Sebastian’s state and call the man unharmed.

“Careful,” I heard Newt say. “Try not to move around. I’m worried about that leg. It’s been out of traction too long. If it starts healing the wrong way you may need more surgery to fix it, so keep your leg as still as possible until we get you set up.”

Something warm, yet unsettled, squirmed in my chest. It was the same feeling that arose whenever one of my patients wasn’t doing well. I hated that they were suffering, but I was glad I had the skills to do something about it.

No matter how tired I felt, and how much I just wanted to curl up on the first flat surface I could find and go to sleep, I couldn’t rest until I knew everyone under my care was okay. Gathering my braids in my hands, I tied them back in a low ponytail to keep them out of my face. The familiar gesture acted like a trigger, putting me into work mode.

“Hey.” I placed a hand on Newt’s shoulder. “Come on. This place must have a bed somewhere. Let’s get your man comfortable.”

The bed that we’d stolen from the hospital didn’t want to roll over the house’s carpet, especially not with mud clogging the wheels. Newt and I struggled to keep the bed moving without shoving it, but when I looked back at Gabe and Damien to ask for help, I found them engaged in an intense conversation.

It was probably a good idea to not interrupt men armed with guns, even if those guns were kept in hidden holsters under their jackets. Newt and I could take care of Sebastian on our own.

The house was small, so we didn’t have to look very hard to find a bedroom. It was a room, with a bed, and that was it. There wasn’t even a nightstand or a wardrobe to give the space a little character.

Between Newt’s dual experience as a paramedic and a nurse, and my job as a physical therapist, we had plenty of practice on how to maneuver a patient. Yet, it still took all of our training to smoothly transfer Sebastian from the rolling hospital gurney to the proper bed.

I couldn’t help but flinch. The man must be in so much pain, but he didn’t make a sound. We’d given him as much pain medication as we’d dared, but drugs could only do so much.

From there, it became a flurry of activity as we got Sebastian’s leg suspended back in its traction and checked his stitches and bandages. Everything seemed to still be in place, but only time would tell when it came to his internal injuries.

If the new pins in Sebastian’s leg had shifted, or his broken ribs had been compromised, we likely wouldn’t know until it was too late.

I tried not to think about it. There wasn’t much we’d be able to do anyway, out in the middle of nowhere. This man needed to be in a hospital, but that wasn’t possible right now, so Newt and I would just have to be good enough.

As soon as we got Sebastian secured in the bed, the man almost immediately fell asleep. It was no surprise. I felt ready to collapse myself. None of us had slept much over the last two days.

There wasn’t anywhere to sit, so Newt and I turned the floor into our chair, with our backs against the wall and our shoulders leaning against each other.

“I can’t believe it’s been less than a week.”

“Hmm?” I didn’t remember closing my eyes but forced them open when I heard Newt’s voice. “What do you mean?”

Newt wasn’t looking at me. His gaze remained locked on his boyfriend.

“Less than a week ago we were celebrating the fact that Sebastian was finally up and walking unassisted. Now we’re here. How did we even get here? It all seems like a blur.”

He finally looked at me, tears making his blue eyes even bluer.

“I’m so sorry you got dragged into this, Frankie. You were just trying to help me and now I’ve ruined your life.”

“Hey, hey, hey. None of that. You did not ruin my life.” I bumped his shoulder with mine. “Although, I’ve definitely won the competition for ‘Best Friend of the Decade’. I expect a medal. And a statue. A statue of me wearing a medal. Don’t you think it would look really good standing right at the hospital entrance? Much better than that weird modern art... thing they commissioned last year.”

Newt giggled. It was a tired but happy sound. Despite everything that had happened, his spirits weren’t broken.

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