Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

A t the hospital, Patrick paced the waiting room floor. Without having to check, he felt Sandy's eyes following each step. Ever since his dad started having issues, Sandy had stayed close. Just having him nearby was a relief, but he'd been helpful in other ways too. While he and his mom fretted, Sandy somehow kept his own energy under control, brought snacks, and entertained them.

A middled-aged woman wearing a lab coat with a stethoscope draped around her neck cleared her throat in the waiting room door to gain their attention. "Pat McCormick's family?"

Patrick held his hand in the air and slid into the seat beside his mother. He placed a comforting hand on hers.

"I'm Dr. Gupta. I've been looking after Mr. McCormick."

"How's my father, Doctor?" Patrick asked.

"He's doing much better now, resting comfortably. Mrs. McCormick, your husband had a panic attack."

"What?" Patrick and his mother said at the same time. His mom gasped and his own mouth dropped open. His dad didn't panic.

The doctor nodded. "He says he's never had a panic attack before or been prescribed any anxiety medication."

She shook her head.

"My dad doesn't—he's never panicked." Patrick answered for her. This is unreal. Dad and anxiety?

"I'd like to do a cardiac work up and monitor him. Please, get something to eat while you wait. We have a cafeteria downstairs."

"I'll eat later," his mom said. "I'd like to see him now."

The doctor nodded and Patrick's mom left with her.

Sandy sat down next to him.

Numb from worry first and then relief, Patrick propped his elbows on his knees. Sandy placed a hand over his.

"If you want to see him, you probably can." Sandy's voice dipped low like he didn't want to disturb him.

"I don't think so. Not yet. I'm still processing."

"That's okay, too." Sandy squeezed his hands. "How do you think your mom is doing?"

Patrick could only imagine. She must be worried, of course, and in as much shock as he was. He didn't know what it was like to have the person you love in the hospital. He hoped his dad would be less stubborn than usual and more open to the idea of slowing down. "Maybe we should get Dad some pajamas?" His mind circled in a tangle of thoughts.

"We can, or we can wait and see if they're going to keep him overnight."

Patrick nodded. What would I have done without Sandy today? He shines brighter than the star on a Christmas tree. He gives me hope. His heart picked up speed. "That's a better idea."

Sandy turned to a side table, sorting through magazines. "Do you want to read one of these?"

Dad's in the hospital. If I learn anything about today is that life is short. How often does a guy like Sandy come to Mayfield? You're his boss. Please tell me we can figure this out. "Will you go out on a date with me?"

Sandy's mouth dropped opened and the magazines fell out of his hand. "What?"

If the abrupt question surprised Sandy, Patrick was amazed by it. He couldn't believe he'd asked, but now that the question was out there, it felt right. He slid his fingers around Sandy's wrist in a smooth move he hoped was both gentle and genuine. "I'm your boss, so you can say no and I guarantee no repercussions. No pressure?—"

Luckily, Sandy seemed unconcerned about that. His face lit up with pure joy. "A hundred times yes!"

He couldn't stop the smile from stretching across his mouth. He relaxed back in his chair, pleased that something good happened.

"Were you seriously worried I'd say no?" Sandy angled his body toward Patrick.

"About this much." He held up his thumb and forefinger squished together.

Sandy nudged him playfully in the shoulder.

Colleen returned from visiting dad. "He looks pale." She took a seat beside him.

"Should we get something to eat?" Sandy asked, leaning forward to make eye contact with her.

"I'm not sure I'm hungry."

Sandy stood and held his hand out to her. "Let's go, and maybe if you see something you like then your stomach will catch up."

A crooked smile appeared on her face.

As they rode the elevator down, Patrick leaned close to Sandy. "You're great with my parents."

"I haven't met any others. I'm honored that yours are the first. Although, how can they not love me? I'm funny, I know a ridiculous amount about pop culture, and my manners are impeccable except when I'm eating ramen. But who can slurp noodles without making a mess? Actually, I take that back. You've seen me eat, so it's no use lying that I'm like a polar bear taking out a seal."

Patrick didn't realize how much he needed that stress breaker until his shoulders lowered, relaxing.

After they finished having dinner, they made their way back to the emergency bay. Patrick yawned as he flipped through an old copy of Sports Illustrated , while his dad slept. His mom hummed as she worked on a crossword puzzle with Sandy, who was only slightly better at it than she was.

Dr. Gupta pushed back the curtain. "His room is ready, so tonight all of you need to go home. We'll talk more tomorrow. Do you have any questions for me?"

His mom shook her head.

"See you tomorrow." The doctor gave a wave and was gone.

"Do you want to say goodbye before we head out?" Patrick asked, knowing she would want a moment with dad before leaving.

"I'll go get the truck warmed up and meet you out front?" Sandy glanced between Patrick and his mom.

"Thanks."

Since his dad was already fast asleep the goodbye was quick. They collected their coats from the rack, slipping them on as they moved. Through the lobby windows, they could see that Sandy had parked the SUV close to the front sliding doors.

Once they were inside the vehicle, his mom patted Sandy on the shoulder. "Thank you, Honey, for being here tonight. You are truly one of a kind."

Sandy's eyebrows bounced. "Hear that?"

Patrick ran a hand over his face. He's too much. And I like it.

As carefully as possible, Sandy drove them to Patrick's home. Normally, he drove almost as fast as his friend stock car driver Bobbi Yoshida-Barnes trying to win at Daytona, but the day had been hectic enough without risking a five-car pileup on these icy roads.

Patrick slipped his phone out of his thumbs started flying over a text. "Checking in with the stores. Mom, do you have Eric's phone number? I need to make certain everything's okay in Madison and tell him he'll need to manage the store for an undetermined time."

Colleen handed her phone to Patrick.

Sandy didn't want to leave Patrick and Colleen alone tomorrow, but helping out at the store might be more useful. If they needed him, he'd be there for them in a heartbeat. Okay, maybe I'm still reeling from the fact that he asked me out. This incredibly cute man wants to spend time with me. "Do you want me to come with you to the hospital tomorrow?"

Patrick's phone vibrated. He read the text then said to Sandy, "Chelsea will handle the store. I think you should join them. There's the stuff for the site, the funding page, and I need Chelsea to play Santa, so you'll have to balance in between that for a couple of hours." He rested his eyes and settled into the head rest.

Sandy turned into Patrick's drive. "No problem."

Patrick's phone vibrated again. Slowly, he scanned the text. "Eric said to keep him posted on Dad and not to worry about the store."

As they exited the SUV, the evening caught up with all of them as they practically crawled to the front door. It looked to Sandy as if they were all traveling in slow motion. Once the front door swung open, Moonshine darted to the front tree.

"Oh shit, I totally forgot her. She's really going to hate me now," Sandy said as the dog ran around the yard, bouncing through the snow.

Patrick held the door for Colleen. "Don't worry. Chels fed her and took her out for a walk this afternoon. She was at the store most of the day. Evidently, they made her a name tag, so now she's an official employee."

"If she gets paid more than I do then I want an opportunity to renegotiate."

"You're saying you'd accept kibble as payment?"

Sandy rolled his eyes, and Moonshine came running up to Patrick, wagging her tail. "Okay, yeah, I see how it is now."

Patrick scratched behind Moonshine's ears.

Sandy entered the house and started removing his outer layers.

Colleen hugged Patrick and then Sandy. "Good night boys and thank you for . . . " Overwhelmed with emotions, her words trailed off, and then she waved a hand as she retired to the bedroom.

Untying his boots, Sandy glanced up at Patrick. "Will she be alright?"

Patrick dried off Moonshine and then started to remove his jacket. "I think so. We've never had a scare like this. The stress from the store, and not exercising have taken their toll on Dad."

Sandy could understand. He couldn't fathom how he'd react if his mom ever got sick or Julia. It was sad to think he only had two people he loved that much. Sandy walked into the kitchen. "I know it's late, but I'm going to make hot cocoa. Any interest?"

Behind him, Patrick's padded feet followed. "Yeah, I could use a comfort drink tonight." He grabbed the milk from the refrigerator, then a pan and some cocoa.

Sandy fired up the stove and started his hot chocolate process. Most of the time his mouth got away from him, but he had to ask about Patrick's missing sibling. "Um, so are you planning on texting your criminal brother about your dad?"

Leaning against the counter, Patrick looked weary. "Am I a terrible person for not thinking of him?"

Shrugging, Sandy stirred the milk. "Ha! Not in my book."

Dropping his head, Patrick's features twisted in thought. "Mom would really like to see Dolan, especially this time of the year and with Dad . . . "

"Will your dad be okay if opens his eyes to see . . . Dolan, was it?" Irish and Scottish names were so unusual. Dolan sounded like a foghorn to Sandy.

Patrick handed the cocoa mix to Sandy. "I'd say we wait on springing Dolan on Dad, but Mom might have other ideas."

"Call me crazy, but that sounds ominous."

From a cupboard, Patrick retrieved mugs and scooted them near the stove. "He's the baby."

Sandy flipped off the stove. "Pfft, that's ridiculous."

With a disbelieving look on his face, Patrick leaned a hand against the counter and moved into Sandy's personal space.

"Don't give me that look. Yes, I'm an only child, so I have no idea what the hell you're talking about."

"Yup, I knew it."

Pouring the liquid, Sandy relished Patrick's invasion of his space. I'm pretty certain it's not the hot cocoa that's warming me up. He couldn't keep his heart from doing backflips nor did he want to. "I'm gonna need you to elaborate on that."

"You have an independent spirit, you want to help people, and you're ambitious."

He slid a mug over to Patrick and shrugged. "These things can be said about a lot of people, and not all of them are only children."

Patrick guided them to the living room couch. "Fair enough." Patrick sat at one end of the leather couch and slid a couple of pillows behind his back.

Sandy took a seat opposite him. "Wow, this couch is cold. Why did you buy this thing?"

Patrick grunted. "My ex. Wasn't the worst thing he talked me into. I might still have a time share in Florida if it wasn't taken out by the hurricane."

Sandy tossed a blanket from the back of the couch over his out-stretched legs. "Sounds horrible. Glad to know I'm not the only one who has terrible taste in men." He tapped Patrick's knee. "Hey, no sense freezing."

Patrick threw his legs up on the other side of Sandy's, and they shared the blanket.

"Do you know where Dolan is?" Sandy sipped his cocoa. The closeness of Patrick made him turn gooey and warm inside. Having a pair of strong well-muscled legs pressed against his made him want to forgo the talking and jump to the making out part.

But Patrick shook his head, and a crease formed between his eyes. Clearly, his thoughts were still elsewhere.

"How do you feel about him?"

Puffing his cheeks out, Patrick ran a hand through his hair. "Angry. Worried. Sad. And it's so annoying to miss him, but I do. He's funny and he's smart even though he never applied himself at school—which was so irritating. Most of the time I don't know if I want to put him in a half nelson or hug him."

Sandy stretched an arm against the back of the couch. He could listen to the soothing timbre of Patrick's voice all night long. Being blissed out on his guy was absurd since they didn't really know one another, but damn if it didn't feel like they did.

Patrick leaned forward and squeezed Sandy's foot. "What's with the look?"

Sandy covered his face with both hands. He wasn't prepared, yet, to confess embarrassing thoughts with him.

And then Patrick crawled over the blanket, and Sandy dropped his hands. Leaning in, Patrick's mouth hovered a scant breath away from his. He inhaled the delicious chocolate scent mixed with pine body wash, providing him with a heady aroma as irresistible as a Christmas morning. Those green eyes stared him down. Gah, you better kiss me now you frickin' handsome-assed Santa. Entranced by Patrick's pink lips, Sandy couldn't take it anymore. He reached up with both hands and pulled him into a kiss. The small grunt Patrick released tickled Sandy to no end. He kicked his way free of the blanket and wrapped his legs around the fit man, bringing him tightly against his hips.

Patrick's body relaxed into Sandy. The weight of Patrick against him made everything brighter. He sneaked his hands underneath the waistband of Patrick's jeans and boxers. Excited to finally get some skin-on-skin contact, he grabbed Patrick's ass. His butt is as cut as the rest of him!

Patrick was the first to break away. He smiled while trying to catch his breath. "I really enjoyed that."

"Same." Sandy moved his hands up from Patrick's tight butt to his sinewy back. "My hands may have gotten away from me."

"I liked it, but . . . "

His scrambled brain strained to come up with a reason for Patrick's abrupt end to their make-out session. "Right. Your mom's here."

Patrick snickered into his arm. "I never got busted making out with anyone when I was young."

"If this is a challenge, I'd be totally game to see how long I can give you a blow job before she catches us."

Patrick's features turned a blazing red.

"You were totally thinking that, too. Right?" Sandy said, razzing Patrick.

Patrick dropped his head into Sandy's shoulder. He inhaled and exhaled. His breath tickled.

"Fine. We won't horrify your mother." He ran his fingers through Patrick's hair, toying with the ends by his neck.

"If you keep that up, I'm going to fall asleep on you."

"We could continue this in your bedroom."

Patrick shook his head. "Thin walls. When we do have sex, I don't want either of us to hold back."

Sandy debated stopping the combing. Patrick was really heavy in that solid, muscle man kind of way, but he liked it. He liked having this thick man weigh him down. I could get used to this kind of thing.