Page 30 of Finding Jeremy
“You’re okay though, right?” Jeremy asked Gray, twisting around in his lap so he could inspect Gray’s arms and lean over his shoulder to pull at the string holding the top of his robe closed, just so he could see the skin on his back.
Relief washed through him when he saw that there wasn’t a mark on him, immediately followed by a question.
“Why are you in a gown if you weren’t hurt?” Jeremy asked, twisting around to lean over and check his legs.
A stiff crack on the ass got his attention when he started lifting the front of Grayson’s gown. Jerking, Jeremy would have fallen off Gray’s lap if Gray hadn’t grabbed hold of the back of his T-shirt.
“Owe,” Jeremy grumbled, sitting up and shoving a hand between them so he could rub his stinging backside.
Gray shot him a stern look and raised his eyebrow. “Behave.”
“I was,” Jeremy snarked. “I was checking to make sure you weren’t bandaged up somewhere I couldn’t see.”
“I’m not,” Gray said. “I got the wind knocked out of me when I smacked the ground and again when the bike slammedto a halt. I’ve got a bruise on my chest from the handlebars, but otherwise I’m good. Gonna need a new set of chaps, and the sleeve of my jacket got shredded to hell. Tore a big-ass hole in the ass of my jeans too, which is why I’m not wearing them. What was left on one cheek was less protective than this flimsy gown.”
“Least you got to keep your boxers,” Haven quipped.
They all burst out laughing at that.
“There are coveralls in the storage box in the back of the flatbed with the rest of the tools,” Haven offered. “Want me to grab you both a pair?”
“Might as well since the fuckers cut my jacket and t-shirt to shreds,” Chaos said. “Thanks, kid.”
“Cops gave me a card for the towing company,” Reggie said. “I’ll help you load up their bikes. It’ll give Jeremy a chance to calm down and make sure these guys are all good.”
Haven shot a look at him, and Jeremy knew just what it meant. They’d been friends for more than half of their lives; how could he not? He’d do whatever Jeremy needed him to.
“Yeah,” Jeremy said, nodding even while his fingers tangled in Gray’s hair. “You go get the bikes; we can figure out how to get everyone home once you guys get back here.”
“That’s easy enough,” Haven said. “You guys can take the flatbed back to your place, and Reggie can drop me back at the shop. Maddox has another late night again, so I was gonna stay late and see if I could finish another car. The sooner we clear the bays, the sooner we can all enjoy a well-deserved three weeks of lazing around doing nothing.”
“Can’t begin soon enough,” Gray grumbled.
“You’re telling me,” Haven said. “I’ll grab the coveralls, then we’ll go get the bikes. Hopefully they’ll be ready to let you guys get out of here by the time we get back.”
“I won’t hold my breath,” Chaos grumbled. “Whoever the hell reads their x-rays must be on the longest coffee break in history.”
“Relax, Pops, before you make that monitor thing spike and they decide to keep you,” Jeremy chided, drawing a glare from his old man.
“Keep it up, and I’m gonna tell Gray to put you over his knee.”
Jeremy just cocked his head and smirked. “It’d be a lot more fun if he still had his belt on him.”
Gray slapped a hand to his face, chuckles half muffled behind it, while Chaos just groaned. Jeremy could hear Haven giggling as he left with far more care than he’d exhibited as they came in, while Reggie just stood and stretched.
“Despite the way it ended, I want to thank you guys for today,” Reggie said. “We’ll have to do it again soon, without the semi-truck and ER visit.”
“You’re all a bunch of smartasses,” Chaos complained.
“We get that shit from you,” Jeremy and Reggie said at pretty much the exact same time, earning them a middle finger salute from Chaos.
“They do have a point,” Gray remarked, chuckling when Chaos turned that scathing look on him.
“Don’t you start too,” Chaos warned.
“What do you intend to do about it?” Gray shot back. “You aren’t escaping that bed until they free you from those wires and that immobilizer.”
“Which gives me plenty of time to plot my revenge.”
