Page 75 of More Than a Spark

The waitress dropped off some glasses of orange juice for us all, then left.

Ryder fisted his juice and stared at it. “Too bad we can’t pick who births us.”

“Ryder James Scott, that’s not nice.” Greg’s gaze grew hard. “She loves you, like it or not.”

Pressing his lips together, Ryder flicked his gaze to his father’s. “I’m sorry.” He gave me a sorrowful look. “I’m sorry to you, too, Milo. I don’t know what to do.”

“How about we see how it goes? It sounds like it’s been a long time since you’ve seen your mom and Hazel said she’s mellowed out, right?” As my heart ached for him, I wound an arm around his shoulders. He was hurting, it was clear to see. God, I hoped we could turn things around for him when we met her for dinner. “Let’s not expect anything.”

“I think that’s a good plan, Milo.” Greg gave me a warm grin. “You’ve always had a level head on your shoulders.

I scoffed a laugh. “Oh, I don’t know about that.” If he knew what I’d done to his son last night, he might not be saying that. Heat crept up my neck and I cut my gaze to my coffee cup.

“Okay, so we won’t be obvious at dinner, but if she suspects something and asks, we’ll tell her the truth.” Ryder ticked his head, lifting the edge of his mouth.

The waitress set our food down.

“Works for me.” I picked up my fork and dug into my scrambled eggs. I still wasn’t sure what he meant by not being obvious, but we had time to work that out. We had five days.

* * *

Midweek,I was in full on study mode and had just finished my last class for the day. I swung my backpack over my shoulder and beelined it for the metal doors leading to the afternoon sunshine. As I strolled across a paved walkway, I gazed up at the rows of palm trees lining the path, swaying in a gentle breeze, my heart light.

Ryder and I were officially in love and life was good. He might come out to his mom in a few days and he was figuring out how to best do it at work. At least he had the support of Russ, the new recruit he liked so much. It would probably help to have straight people who were on his side.

My phone buzzed in the back pocket of my board shorts, and I stopped and tugged it out. The screen read,Greg Scott. My heart jumped in my chest. Why would he call me? I answered the phone and held it to my ear, students passing me by in either direction. “Hello?”

“Milo, thank God you still have the same number.” He breathed into the phone.

“Yeah, uh, what’s up?” I twisted on the walkway, looking around me, but at nothing, my heart thrumming. It didn’t sound good.

“It’s Ryder. He was rushed to the ER in Tempe. He was hurt at the academy during a training exercise. I’m way out in New River right now and can’t leave the job site for at least another half hour. Can you?—”

“I’m on my way. Tempe St. Luke’s?” I dashed off down the walkway, hopping around students in my way, toward the parking lot.

“Yes, Tempe St. Luke’s. I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he said.

“Don’t worry, Greg. I’ve got him.” I hung up the phone and quickened my pace into a full-on sprint. Fuck, he’d better be okay. I couldn’t lose him, not now.

* * *

After parking,I rushed through the emergency room doors at the hospital and stopped in the stark white waiting room. A family huddled in a corner, sitting on the blue and chrome chairs, and an elderly woman gave me a blank look. Shit, I hated hospitals. The only times I’d been here was when Axel had gotten shot and when Mia, Silas’ ex-girlfriend, had overdosed. I stepped to a woman behind a desk in blue scrubs, her computer screen covering the lower half of her face.

“Um, can you help me? My boyfriend was brought in here. He’s a firefighter in Chandler, but still in the academy?” I rubbed my hands together, then glanced behind me. I didn’t see any firefighters around, not even outside the glass doors of the ER entrance.

“Oh, you mean Ryder Scott. Yes, he’s here. His training officer, Captain Schilling, brought him in with another man.” She typed on her computer. “Are you Milo Richardson?”

“I am.” I nodded, my gut knotting. How did she know who I was?

“Good. Ryder’s father gave permission for you to see him. He told us you’d be coming.” She stood up, then walked around her desk, and pushed a big, square button on the wall. “Go through the doors.”

The large doors swung open, and I stepped through them, into a maze of hallways under fluorescent lights, staff in scrubs scurrying about. The place looked busy, like when Axel, Silas and Caleb had been in the mass shooting. Had there been a big accident? “Is he okay? What happened?”

She waved for me to follow her. “He’ll have to tell you. I’m not sure of his status.”

I followed her past draperies wound around beds and patients, then we stopped at a closed drapery in the corner of the room.

“Ow, fuck, doc. Can you be a little gentler with that thing?” Ryder’s voice carried out from behind the curtain.

---