he’d held on to Nick with last night. Nick met Zane’s eyes, nodding at him. There really wasn’t anything they could say. Nick stood to shake his hand, though, but Zane surprised him by stepping closer to hug him.
“Please bring him back alive,” Zane whispered as he clung to Nick.
Nick nodded jerkily. “I promise.”
Zane released him and sat next to him, his jaw tight and his shoulders rigid. He leaned forward, his head lowered and his fingers twined together. Nick could imagine what was going through Zane’s mind. Nick had never had to leave someone he cared for behind, not until now. He understood what the heartbreak felt like.
Ty finally managed to extricate himself from Kelly’s hug, and he and planted himself on the floor at Zane’s feet, sitting with his seabag behind him as a backrest.
“What happened to your neck?” Ty asked Kelly, pointing to the fingerprints still left under Kelly’s chin.
“Nick got carried away during rough sex,” Kelly answered, deadpan. Nick muffled a laugh and glanced at Kelly, who winked in return.
Ty rolled his eyes. “Whatever. What time are we expecting Johns and Digger?”
“I’ll check the arrivals again,” Kelly told them, patting Nick on the shoulder before he walked off, moving slowly and holding his hand to his side. He had grown increasingly restless now that he was on the mend, wanting to push himself more and more.
Nick watched him go, filled with anger and regret that they were here at all and not back in Colorado on Kelly’s deck, looking at the stars. That wasn’t the only regret on his mind, though. He didn’t like having secrets, and though he and Kelly had decided it was best to let this one stay quiet until they returned home and figured things out themselves, it wasn’t the only secret Nick was harboring right now.
“What’s going on, Irish?” Ty asked as soon as Kelly was out of earshot.
Nick shook his head.
“You look guilty. What have you done?”
Nick glanced at Zane, then back at Ty with a nod. There was no point in trying to hide it once Ty had called him on it. The airport bustled around them, but Nick barely took notice of any of it. He took a deep breath, steeling himself. “I really fucked up this time.”
“I’m going to go get some . . . coffee,” Zane said as he made to stand.
Nick waved a hand. He sat forward, rubbing his eyes. “It’s okay, Garrett. Stay.”
“What happened?” Ty asked.
Nick checked to make certain Kelly wasn’t on his way back before he took a deep breath. “At the hospital in New Orleans, the day they were releasing the Doc,” he said, beginning to tremble as he thought about what Kelly’s reaction would be to his admission. “I was getting coffee as we waited for the papers. I saw two sailors at the front desk, getting information.”
“Sailors?” Ty asked. “They were there for Doc?”
Nick shrugged. “I don’t know. I thought they were. I went back upstairs, found his doctor, and . . .” Nick pushed at the back of his teeth with his tongue, trying to work up the nerve to finish. “I bribed him to say Kelly was no longer fit for service.”
Ty sat up straighter, eyes wide. “You what?”
Nick rubbed at his chin, lowering his head.
“Jesus Christ, Nick,” Ty whispered he glanced over his shoulder. “Does he know?”
Nick shook his head.
“He can barely walk; there’s no way he’d have been called back, regardless,” Zane pointed out. “Right?”
“I have to tell him,” Nick said.
Ty put his hand on Nick’s knee to draw his attention back. “You can’t do that, man.”
“You didn’t see the way he reacted when they came for me and not him. I can’t leave him behind thinking he wasn’t good enough to come with us.”
“That is your guilt talking and making you sound like an idiot,” Ty hissed. “He’s not physically able to go back. We know that. He knows that. He’s not stupid. No matter what you did, Doc wouldn’t be coming with us. Nothing
“Please bring him back alive,” Zane whispered as he clung to Nick.
Nick nodded jerkily. “I promise.”
Zane released him and sat next to him, his jaw tight and his shoulders rigid. He leaned forward, his head lowered and his fingers twined together. Nick could imagine what was going through Zane’s mind. Nick had never had to leave someone he cared for behind, not until now. He understood what the heartbreak felt like.
Ty finally managed to extricate himself from Kelly’s hug, and he and planted himself on the floor at Zane’s feet, sitting with his seabag behind him as a backrest.
“What happened to your neck?” Ty asked Kelly, pointing to the fingerprints still left under Kelly’s chin.
“Nick got carried away during rough sex,” Kelly answered, deadpan. Nick muffled a laugh and glanced at Kelly, who winked in return.
Ty rolled his eyes. “Whatever. What time are we expecting Johns and Digger?”
“I’ll check the arrivals again,” Kelly told them, patting Nick on the shoulder before he walked off, moving slowly and holding his hand to his side. He had grown increasingly restless now that he was on the mend, wanting to push himself more and more.
Nick watched him go, filled with anger and regret that they were here at all and not back in Colorado on Kelly’s deck, looking at the stars. That wasn’t the only regret on his mind, though. He didn’t like having secrets, and though he and Kelly had decided it was best to let this one stay quiet until they returned home and figured things out themselves, it wasn’t the only secret Nick was harboring right now.
“What’s going on, Irish?” Ty asked as soon as Kelly was out of earshot.
Nick shook his head.
“You look guilty. What have you done?”
Nick glanced at Zane, then back at Ty with a nod. There was no point in trying to hide it once Ty had called him on it. The airport bustled around them, but Nick barely took notice of any of it. He took a deep breath, steeling himself. “I really fucked up this time.”
“I’m going to go get some . . . coffee,” Zane said as he made to stand.
Nick waved a hand. He sat forward, rubbing his eyes. “It’s okay, Garrett. Stay.”
“What happened?” Ty asked.
Nick checked to make certain Kelly wasn’t on his way back before he took a deep breath. “At the hospital in New Orleans, the day they were releasing the Doc,” he said, beginning to tremble as he thought about what Kelly’s reaction would be to his admission. “I was getting coffee as we waited for the papers. I saw two sailors at the front desk, getting information.”
“Sailors?” Ty asked. “They were there for Doc?”
Nick shrugged. “I don’t know. I thought they were. I went back upstairs, found his doctor, and . . .” Nick pushed at the back of his teeth with his tongue, trying to work up the nerve to finish. “I bribed him to say Kelly was no longer fit for service.”
Ty sat up straighter, eyes wide. “You what?”
Nick rubbed at his chin, lowering his head.
“Jesus Christ, Nick,” Ty whispered he glanced over his shoulder. “Does he know?”
Nick shook his head.
“He can barely walk; there’s no way he’d have been called back, regardless,” Zane pointed out. “Right?”
“I have to tell him,” Nick said.
Ty put his hand on Nick’s knee to draw his attention back. “You can’t do that, man.”
“You didn’t see the way he reacted when they came for me and not him. I can’t leave him behind thinking he wasn’t good enough to come with us.”
“That is your guilt talking and making you sound like an idiot,” Ty hissed. “He’s not physically able to go back. We know that. He knows that. He’s not stupid. No matter what you did, Doc wouldn’t be coming with us. Nothing
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