Page 24 of State of Mind

Luca’s entire face went hot. “Seriously?”

“I have a really good friend who works there,” Wilder insisted, and Luca had a vague memory of Raphael saying the same thing.

As horrifying as the idea was, Luca thought it might be a good one. He’d heard plenty of terrifying stories involving dick and balls drama, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to take the risk. But his reputation was already at an all-time low from his allergy freak out, and he wasn’t quite sure he wanted to add to it. Right now, he was tempted to haul ass to the airport for a first-class ticket back to his superficial, pointless life where at least his genitals weren’t at risk.

“Trust me,” Wilder said softly, and when Luca didn’t answer, he moved off the bench and crouched in front of him so Luca couldn’t miss his hands when he signed. ‘Trust me. I’ll go with you.’

Luca groaned, his head falling back, and he dragged a hand down his face. When he looked back down, he realized he wasn’t going to be able to tell him no. ‘I guess my time at the farm is over anyway.’

He was surprised at the look of utter relief on Wilder’s face as he stood up and motioned to where Will was standing at the fence scolding a preening peacock who was busy trying to eat one of the blankets.

“We’re going to take off,” Wilder said, tapping Will on the shoulder. “I’m taking him to Aksel.”

Will looked heartbroken. “I’m really sorry. Kevin’s always been a giant dick, and Dottie’s usually the sweetest.”

Luca waved him off with a weak hand. “I get it. She’s a cow and she didn’t know.” It was a little bit a lie—but Luca didn’t exactly have experiences with farm animals, and he supposed on some level, he probably deserved it.

“Do me a favor and text Aksel—let him know we’re on our way,” Wilder said, then walked back over and offered Luca a hand up.

He still ached. It was painful enough that walking made him feel like he was going to be sick, but he was able to make it out of the barn at a glacial pace, and Wilder supported him to the car.

“The hospital’s only a few minutes down the road,” Wilder said. He reached over and took Luca’s hand. “You can squeeze if it hurts.”

“Not that kind of pain,” Luca told him—and it wasn’t. It wasn’t a sort of sharp, surprising sting. It was a blunt ache that consumed his lower half, and he felt a moment of terror like maybe that cow really had done some damage. “It…it feels like there’s something wrong.”

Wilder’s face paled, which wasn’t a good sign—nor was the way he sped up down the winding road. He got them there in minutes, as he’d promised, and he came to a sudden halt in a parking spot near the ER doors.

Luca managed to lever himself out of the car, but Wilder was there a second later and helped him up the ramp and inside where a small, older nurse at the desk looked at them with expectation on her face.

“Farm animal incident,” Wilder said.

“Kevin again?”

Luca didn’t hear Wilder’s response over the click of the door lock and the humming panic in his hears. He was grateful she bustled them both past the normal triage, and got him right to a room where he was able to lie on his back and take the pressure off his lower half.

“The doctor will be just a minute, dear,” the woman said.

“Thanks.” Wilder touched his hand again. “You want me to go?”

“While some strange, terrifying doctor pokes around my dick?” Luca asked, voice high and tight with anxiety.

“Terrifying, yes. Strange…debatable,” came a voice from the doorway. Luca lifted his head to see a very tall man with soft blond hair and wrinkles near his blue eyes. He was smiling, holding a stethoscope in his hand as he shut the door with his knee.

“Literally no one would debate that,” the man who had to be Aksel said with a grin. “You must be Kevin’s latest victim.”

“I’m horrified that this is a thing,” Luca ground out, holding tight to Wilder’s hand. He wasn’t sure the offer from the car still applied, but he was going to take advantage of it.

“I’m Dr. Aksel Alling, by the way.” He extended his hand, and as Luca took it, he realized it was a prosthetic.

He tried not to falter, though he wasn’t sure if he succeeded because the pain was still there—as present as ever. “Luca Moretti.”

Aksel’s gaze snapped up. “Adriano’s brother.”

Luca covered his face with his free hand. “Please don’t put this on Twitter.”

“I have no desire to be sued to oblivion for violating HIPAA,” Aksel said cheerfully. He hooked his rolling chair with his foot, then lifted it until he was at the height of the exam table, and he sat. “Will texted me about the incident, so I won’t ask you to relive it, but I’m well aware that cows have a lot of strength, and they can damage delicate parts of the body.” He sounded more like a doctor suddenly, which was both worrying and soothing all at the same time.

“I’m scared there’s something actually wrong. It hurts. It still hurts.”

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