Page 98 of Devil and the Deep Blue Fish

The Holes Fish Dig

HENRY WASstill in the critical care unit, mostly because the dumb asshole had gotten himself a fever.

“Look at you,” Jackson all but snarled, taking in the bright crescents of heat next to his pale skin. “You look like shit. You people tell me that sitting by your bedside andwillingyou to be better won’t work, but I haven’t seen a damned thing to prove it wouldn’t have better results.”

Henry peered at him through half-open eyes. “Look at you, all big with ego. I didn’t get shot to piss you off, sensei—it just fucking happened.”

Jackson scowled and threw himself into the vacant chair by the bed. There were two very nice chenille throws in blues and golds on the chairs, and Jackson picked one up and frowned at it.

“Did Lance do this?” he asked, his temper cooling for a moment.

“Galen,” Henry said, smiling through cracked lips. “There is no emotional path so fraught that Galen can’t approach it with a little bit of retail therapy.” Jackson managed a weak smile, and Henry added, “Where’s Cody? I got a whole earful about how you two went out and rescued children without me last night. Rude, is all I’m saying. I’m out of it for a little bit, and everybody gets delusions of grandeur.”

Jackson’s smile got a little stronger. “Take it easy, Han Solo. Cody stayed in the hallway in deference to your doctors, who only want one visitor at a time. I came in to tell you….” He paused, not sure how to phrase this. “To tell you that what you were doing? Taking care of that one kid, watching IsabelleRoberts and keeping her safe? That was a big deal, Henry. Nobody expected it to be such a big deal. We all knew Cowboy probably heard a… a murder. But it’s so much bigger than that. Just, you know. When you’re all better and getting pissed off because healingsucksand I know it, remember you did a big thing.”

Henry grunted. “That’s sweet,” he said. “Now get to the part about how you look worse than I do.”

A harsh sound escaped Jackson’s throat. “Buddy, in a week, you’re going to be at home, and I’m going to be playing video games with you so you don’t die of boredom. I’ll tell you about my shitty childhood—”

“Now,” Henry muttered. “It’s been eating at you for weeks. Now.”

“The difference between you and Ellery,” Jackson said, hoisting himself out of his chair, “is that—”

“I don’t want to see you naked,” Henry interrupted. “Now spill.”

“I was going to say, Ellery can tell me what to do,” Jackson said with dignity, falling back into the chair.

“Please?” Henry asked. “It’s been bothering me. You know all my secrets, Jackson. You know about my abusive ex-boyfriend, you know how I betrayed my family—”

“He did that,” Jackson said harshly.

“Yeah, and you believe that. So you should know I won’t hold this against you. Maybe you tell one person besides Ellery—”

“And his mother,” Jackson muttered.

“Ouch,” Henry commiserated. “Come on. I’ve been lying here, trying to keep Lance from losing his shit, and it occurred to me that I know how to handle boyfriends, but you’re my firstrealfriend. Please? Let me be a real friend too.”

Like with most big painful secrets, this one was easier to tell the second time. Jackson finished the story about how he’d called child services on his one living family member in a relatively short time and then stood, avoiding Henry’s eyes.

“So see?” he said. “Not too much to tell.”

“Jackson?” Henry said softly.

“Yeah?”

“You’re still my first real friend.”

Jackson gave him a wicked grin. “Well, I’ve got scads of them. Millions. I could go to the corner and find another Henry Worrall and—”

“Shut up,” Henry said, and he was falling asleep, but he was also laughing.

“Only because that wasn’t true,” Jackson told him. He didn’t want to get too close—he was wearing a mask, but one never knew what kinds of nasty bugs occupied space with a person just walking around. He did take Henry’s hand, though. “You hang in there, brother. I’ve got plans to drive you batshit insane when you’re getting better. I owe you.”

“You gonna bust Shitbag Retty?” Henry asked plaintively, and that made Jackson pause.

“What if I told you I think she’s already dead?”

Henry’s eyes popped open, and he grimaced. “My head hurts like a motherfucker, and you’re springing that on menow?”

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