cab,” Nick said. Ty threw an
arm over his shoulders. “Then I’ll get the boys and we’ll meet
you there.”
“Feels like my insides are being torn apart,” Ty groaned.
When they hit the lobby, it was relatively empty, but two
of the young bellhops soon took notice of them.
“Does he need help?” one of them asked Zane as they
came toward them.
“We’re going to the hospital,” Zane said, taking a lot of
Ty’s weight onto himself as Ty bent in pain. “We need a cab
or the hotel shuttle.”
88
One of them turned to jog for the entryway and hail a
cab.“Too many hurricanes?” the younger man asked with a
knowing smile.
“Bad gris-gris,” Ty muttered to him. The man hopped
away from him as if he’d said he had the plague.
“It’s just food poisoning,” Zane insisted.
Ty growled, pul ing away from Zane and Nick to stand on
his own and pace several steps. He held to his side. He couldn’t
seem to stay still. He would stalk back and forth and then curl
as pain overtook him, then start the whole thing again.
In a matter of minutes, the hotel’s courtesy shuttle was
pul ing up outside and they were on their way to the hospital.
Ty rocked in the backseat, fumbling with the little red bag
he’d snatched from Zane’s hand as he tried to get it open.
“Give me that,” Zane said, taking it out of Ty’s hand and
putting it in his pocket. “Let’s not scare the locals any more
than we have to until we find out what’s wrong.” When the
van pulled up to the emergency entrance, he climbed out of
the van and reached back in to help Ty out.
Ty gripped his hand hard and practically fell out of the
van. Someone called to them, asking if he needed a wheelchair.
Ty nodded wordlessly. It seemed he wasn’t going another step.
“I know what it is, Zane,” he gasped. He looked up at Zane,
and Zane could have sworn that he was smiling. “Fucking
kidney stone.”
Zane groaned and covered his face with his hands for a
moment, ashamed to be relieved by Ty’s self-diagnosis. “And
you know this from experience, I take it?”
Ty practically fell into the wheelchair that was brought
to him, and he leaned over and began the incessant rocking
89
again. “Last time was like the most pain I’ve ever been in . . .
in my life,” he told Zane haltingly. His eyes were watering; he
was very nearly in tears. He was smiling, though.
Zane leaned over and put one hand on each of the arms of
the wheelchair so he could look Ty in the eyes. “Considering
I know what sort of injuries you’ve had, that doesn’t make me
feel better. At al .” He stood up and gestured for the orderly
to push Ty inside.
“At least it won’t kill me,” Ty replied as he was pushed
away.
Ty stared at the ceiling tile and the block of light above
him. The nurse had put something he couldn’t pronounce into
the IV in his arm about two minutes ago, and the space-time
continuum had opened up shortly thereafter. His ears buzzed,
his eyes wouldn’t blink, he couldn’t feel his extremities, and
there was a low sound in the distance that might have been
his own breathing.
But he no longer hurt.
The lady who’d taken his insurance information had
promised to go retrieve Zane, and Ty was simply reminding
himself to continue breathing until he got there.
“Hey, how are you doing?” It was Zane, finally. Nick and
Digger were with him, looking more bemused than worried.
Ty turned his head slowly, his eyes focusing on Zane with
what he could only consider utter contentment. “Better,” he
managed to answer. “Kidney stone.”
“Yeah, somebody’s stoned,” Digger said with a laugh.
Zane stopped at the bedside, hands in his pockets. “Did
they give you something for the pain?”
90
“Oh yeah,” Ty practically crooned. He shifted on the
narrow hospital bed, pul ing the blankets around him to ward
off the chill caused by the saline being pumped into him.
There was still discomfort
arm over his shoulders. “Then I’ll get the boys and we’ll meet
you there.”
“Feels like my insides are being torn apart,” Ty groaned.
When they hit the lobby, it was relatively empty, but two
of the young bellhops soon took notice of them.
“Does he need help?” one of them asked Zane as they
came toward them.
“We’re going to the hospital,” Zane said, taking a lot of
Ty’s weight onto himself as Ty bent in pain. “We need a cab
or the hotel shuttle.”
88
One of them turned to jog for the entryway and hail a
cab.“Too many hurricanes?” the younger man asked with a
knowing smile.
“Bad gris-gris,” Ty muttered to him. The man hopped
away from him as if he’d said he had the plague.
“It’s just food poisoning,” Zane insisted.
Ty growled, pul ing away from Zane and Nick to stand on
his own and pace several steps. He held to his side. He couldn’t
seem to stay still. He would stalk back and forth and then curl
as pain overtook him, then start the whole thing again.
In a matter of minutes, the hotel’s courtesy shuttle was
pul ing up outside and they were on their way to the hospital.
Ty rocked in the backseat, fumbling with the little red bag
he’d snatched from Zane’s hand as he tried to get it open.
“Give me that,” Zane said, taking it out of Ty’s hand and
putting it in his pocket. “Let’s not scare the locals any more
than we have to until we find out what’s wrong.” When the
van pulled up to the emergency entrance, he climbed out of
the van and reached back in to help Ty out.
Ty gripped his hand hard and practically fell out of the
van. Someone called to them, asking if he needed a wheelchair.
Ty nodded wordlessly. It seemed he wasn’t going another step.
“I know what it is, Zane,” he gasped. He looked up at Zane,
and Zane could have sworn that he was smiling. “Fucking
kidney stone.”
Zane groaned and covered his face with his hands for a
moment, ashamed to be relieved by Ty’s self-diagnosis. “And
you know this from experience, I take it?”
Ty practically fell into the wheelchair that was brought
to him, and he leaned over and began the incessant rocking
89
again. “Last time was like the most pain I’ve ever been in . . .
in my life,” he told Zane haltingly. His eyes were watering; he
was very nearly in tears. He was smiling, though.
Zane leaned over and put one hand on each of the arms of
the wheelchair so he could look Ty in the eyes. “Considering
I know what sort of injuries you’ve had, that doesn’t make me
feel better. At al .” He stood up and gestured for the orderly
to push Ty inside.
“At least it won’t kill me,” Ty replied as he was pushed
away.
Ty stared at the ceiling tile and the block of light above
him. The nurse had put something he couldn’t pronounce into
the IV in his arm about two minutes ago, and the space-time
continuum had opened up shortly thereafter. His ears buzzed,
his eyes wouldn’t blink, he couldn’t feel his extremities, and
there was a low sound in the distance that might have been
his own breathing.
But he no longer hurt.
The lady who’d taken his insurance information had
promised to go retrieve Zane, and Ty was simply reminding
himself to continue breathing until he got there.
“Hey, how are you doing?” It was Zane, finally. Nick and
Digger were with him, looking more bemused than worried.
Ty turned his head slowly, his eyes focusing on Zane with
what he could only consider utter contentment. “Better,” he
managed to answer. “Kidney stone.”
“Yeah, somebody’s stoned,” Digger said with a laugh.
Zane stopped at the bedside, hands in his pockets. “Did
they give you something for the pain?”
90
“Oh yeah,” Ty practically crooned. He shifted on the
narrow hospital bed, pul ing the blankets around him to ward
off the chill caused by the saline being pumped into him.
There was still discomfort
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