Page 69 of Frat House Fling

I couldn’t hide my surprise as I stared at his tired face. He was worried, he was tired, and he was concerned that a man he cared about was going to die. And yet, he was still concerned about the ethics of his actions.

He was such a good man.

“You’re not like them.” Though he didn’t acknowledge it, I knew he’d been talking about Bennett, and maybe Grant too. It wasn’t hard to see why he didn’t want to be like them, and I understood now why he was upset. In his concern for someone else, he’d become the kind of man he disliked.

Temporarily.

“You get a pass when it’s someone you care about.” I drew his hand closer and pulled it on my lap, still holding it in mine. “You see all the time on TV how a family member is upset, demanding answers from the doctor that’s wheeling away their loved one on a stretcher. They’re rude and they’re pushy because they’re scared. You wouldn’t blame them for that, would you?”

He sighed, his head bowed, his gaze on the spot where our hands were linked. “No. I guess I wouldn’t.”

“Good.”

He leaned back, resting his head on the back of the sofa. I scooted closer, and he lifted his arm, putting it overmy shoulders. I leaned against him feeling his warm body supporting me.

And we waited together.

It was a long night. Thanks to Ian’s name dropping before, we got regular updates, which Ian understood but I didn’t. But it sounded like it was pretty touch and go for the older man.

When the sun rose, I went to get us some coffee. I bought a donut for Ian, but he turned it down.

I had class this morning, but for Ian’s sake, I’d miss it. He needed me.

Still, as I curled up next to him, my head on his shoulder I couldn’t help worrying. I was already struggling in my class, and exams were coming up.

But then an hour before class, Theo arrived. Ian had finally drifted into a light sleep, so I eased myself off the sofa and went over to him.

“I heard what happened,” he said softly. “Thank you for being with him. Are there any updates?”

I told him what little I knew.

His eyes narrowed as he took it all in. It was a serious situation. “You can go now,” he said.

“What?” Apparently now that he’d arrived, I was dismissed.

“You have class, right?”

“Oh, Yes. Are you sure?”

“Of course. Do you need a ride to campus?”

“No.” Miller Hall wasn’t too far from here. I regretted my misunderstanding about Theo’s intentions. He wasn’t dismissing me at all—he was helping make sure I got to class on time. “But thanks. Can you keep me updated, please?”

“Sure.” He gave me a one-armed hug. “Be a good student,” he whispered in my ear.

I’d try. But that sure didn’t seem like the most important thing right now.

The next two weeks were busy. Ian went to his classes and then rushed over to the hospital. His advisor didn’t have any remaining family. John’s wife had died years ago, and they didn’t have children. He was eventually upgraded to a regular hospital room, but it sounded like the situation was still pretty grim.

Whenever Ian came back to the house, which wasn’t often, there were dark circles under his eyes.

Theo was just as concerned as I was, but there wasn’t much we could do, at least not until John was moved to a nursing home very much like the one my grandfather had been in. Then we were able to visit the older man for short amounts of time and bring flowers and chocolate.

I was glad it seemed like he’d eventually recover, but I still worried about Ian. He looked like he’d aged ten years in a few weeks.

Perhaps because of how painful it was to go to the nursing home here, I skipped my Saturday volunteer shift at my grandpa’s old nursing home for the second week in a row.

I explained it all to Naomi by text, and she suggested we meet for coffee. To be honest, I didn’t really have time. The coursework for my class was getting more intense as the summer semester headed into the final stretch, and at the house, the guys kept me hopping. But I valued the friendship I was developing with Naomi, so I agreed to meet her on a Thursday morning when I didn’t have class.

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