Page 127 of Affair
He was healed.
Now, somehow, Poe had to have the same strength to watch him leave and never come back.
As soon as Gamble finished his fish, he glanced at his watch.
It was noon.
He needed a nap, and not to have this discussion. It was breaking him in a way he never expected again.
His heart hurt.
“Thank you for fixing me, Poe. If I forget to tell you, I want you to know I appreciate everything you did for me to save me.”
That sounded like a goodbye.
And Poe knew it.
A part of him wanted to rage and fight, getting the man to stay. Another part of him knew he was too big of a coward to do any such thing.
He wasn’t a warrior.
He was…just a doctor.
“It has been my pleasure,” he admitted, sad to know his time was almost up. “Whatever happens, Gamble, thank you for coming into my life. It’s been an…adventure, and I’ll never forget a single solitary second of it.”
At his words, Gamble’s heart skipped.
He heard the emotion.
“I’m going to catch a few hours of sleep,” he admitted. “I have to head out when it starts to get dark. It’s a few hours back to your home, and then back here. I’ll be gone around five hours.”
Poe sat there.
He was struggling to think.
“And if they catch you?” he asked, knowing that he would be trapped in here between the spiders and the unknown.
ALONE.
Like he’d be when Gamble walked away from him healed and himself again.
Poe was destined to be alone.
Forever.
Why wasn’t he surprised?
A big, strong man like Gamble, and a nerdy doctor like himself were never going to have a chance. This wasn’t some fairytale.
It was life, and it hurt more often than not.
Poe had no chance in Gamble’s world.
NONE.
The man worked for the government and saved people from the bad guys. Where could he possibly fit into that?
Poe already knew the answer.
