Chapter Seven

When Justin opened his eyes the next morning, he found Rob's prediction had come true. They had reversed positions during the night, and he was now the little spoon. Being surrounded by Rob"s large body was more comforting than he would have expected. He felt like nothing bad could touch him. Despite knowing he really didn't need Rob's protection, he burrowed a little closer to the warm body behind him. The lingering scent of sex on the sheets drifted toward him, and his regularly scheduled morning wood throbbed with arousal.

His butt encountered Rob's morning erection, and he sighed. He could maneuver himself onto the tantalizing, hard cock, but knew his body would nag him about the folly of that decision. All his wiggling must have woken Rob because he tightened the thick arm banded around his waist.

Rob's voice, still sleepy, grumbled, "Morning."

"Hey," he returned quietly.

"You know this is the first time I've ever woken up with another person?"

Justin twisted around so they were facing each other and watched those bright blue eyes blink open for the first time in the morning. He wrapped an arm around Rob's neck and tilted their foreheads together. "So what's the verdict?"

"Much better being wrapped around you than my pillow."

Justin leaned forward to kiss the tempting lips, which were only inches from his. He rubbed his cheek across Rob's morning stubble. Beard burn be damned. Justin wrapped his hands around Rob's neck, clutching at him like he would a life preserver in a storm. Rob kissed him back, stealing his breath and making Justin"s heart race. Rob stroked his back then gripped Justin"s ass to pull their cocks together. Their mouths shared simultaneous moans. Justin finally pulled back and took a moment to calm his body.

"There is another advantage to waking up with someone. Well… someone you care about, anyway. Well… okay, someone you're already having sex with," Justin stammered between kisses.

Their legs tangled beneath the sheet, and his hands grappled for purchase on the expanse of Rob's back.

"Oh, yeah?" Rob moved his head down and nibbled on Justin's neck.

"Uh-huh."

His brain was shutting down, and his breathing became labored. He arched his head back so Rob had more room.

"You going to tell me?" Rob goaded.

"I'd rather show you."

He rolled them over so Rob was on top of him. He loved the feel of his partners pressing him down into the mattress. Arching his hips up, he ground their stiff cocks together. The already leaking tips assisted in the slide. Rob answered the thrust with one of his own.

"Yes, I can see now why waking next to you has this advantage. I get to feel your warm, just-slept-in skin rubbing against mine. Your scratchy morning beard sends tingles down my spine as it rasps on my neck. But most of all, I get to hear you cry my name when you come because I do this." Rob pushed his hips down over and over, rubbing their hard cocks together.

Justin dug his fingers into Rob's back as he met each thrust. He looked up. Rob's eyes were open wide and locked on him. The intensity of their stare sent shock waves coursing through his body. Rob broke the hypnosis when he bent his head, took one of Justin's nipples between his teeth and bit down hard.

"Rob!" Justin exclaimed, coming.

His release shot up and covered their stomachs. Seconds later, he felt another fiery blast, and the enormous body above him shook.

"J… I wish I could lie here with you all day." Rob lifted his head and gently brushed back the wisps of hair over Justin's forehead.

"That would be nice. But unfortunately, I have to go to work in—" He looked over at the clock. "Damn, twenty minutes. Okay, note to self, allow more time for wakeups on sleepover nights." He pushed at Rob. "Let me up, hulk. Must shower unless you want me to smell like sex all day long. Not a bad idea, though it might give Mike and all our patients the wrong idea." He winked and wiggled his butt as he walked away.

He heard Rob growl and, out of the corner of his eye, saw him leap off the bed, giving chase. Justin screeched and took off for the bathroom at a run. Rob"s arms locked around him and pulled him back into his steel-hard chest, catching him.

Rob snarled into Justin's ear, "Mine. I don't share."

Justin let his weight relax against Rob and tilted his head to rest on his shoulder. He rubbed his hand down the arms locked around him, then lifted Rob's hand to his lips, kissing the palm. He pried open his human cage and turned around. Stretching up on his toes, he framed Rob's face between his hands and looked directly into those blue eyes that always captivated him. "Neither do I. Not you. Not ever. If that's a problem, tell me now."

Rob laced their fingers together and pulled them down to his chest. "No problem. This is a big step for me, as I"ve already mentioned. I wouldn"t risk it if I weren't absolutely sure. You were my friend, now you"re my lover, and I think there lies the potential for us to be much more. I know this relationship won't be easy until I retire. It's a lot to ask of someone, and I recognize that—"

Justin stopped Rob's speech with a finger to Rob's lips. "I understand your concerns. I promise to do everything within my power to make you happy you took this chance. Like I said last night, we'll take this one day at a time."

Rob scooped his hands underneath Justin's ass and lifted him up. Justin wrapped his legs around the lean hips for balance and crushed their lips together. His world shrank down to the existence of that hard mouth crushing him. He bit at Rob's lips and licked inside the hot mouth.

The tiny bites Rob took out of his lips drove him insane. Justin fused their lips together. He sampled Rick like he was his last meal. Something felt different, though.

Oh good, Christ, he's still holding me up!

Breaking away, he gasped, "Put me down! Are you insane? I'm too heavy for you to be carrying around like this. What if you hurt your back? You have one of the biggest fights of your career in two months!" He squirmed until Rob had no choice but to release him, as both of them would have fallen to the floor.

"Justin, calm down. It's true you're no lightweight, but you're not that heavy. You only weigh what… 170 pounds? I bench press 300. You're compact and fit perfectly in my arms. I'm going to exploit that when it"s just the two of us—especially since we can't be openly affectionate in public. Now, let's get you showered and off to work. I have to meet James at the gym in an hour, so I'll leave with you."

Justin whistled as he entered the firehouse forty-five minutes later. He checked in with the captain and went to find the third-shift guys he was relieving. He heard a sarcastic voice behind him.

"Nice of you to join us, Floyd."

Looking over his shoulder, he saw Manny, his good buddy and an all-around smartass.

"I'm only fifteen minutes late. I called the captain, and I know he told you, so quit your bitching. Plus, it's the first time in six years I've been tardy. Unlike someone I know." He stared Manny down and raised one eyebrow.

"Hey, that was not my fault. The amount of vomit coming out of my kid was like witnessing the live-action version of The Exorcist. I kept waiting for his head to spin around."

"Yeah, yeah. All you family men have built-in sympathy excuses, but us poor single schmucks get endlessly razzed about being a few minutes behind schedule. I ask, is there any justice in this world?"

Mike came out into the garage and flung his arm around Justin in solidarity. "Yes, Manny. Where is the justice for us poor single schmucks?"

"You poor single schmucks get to eat, sleep and fuck whenever and whomever you want. I think that evens out the world karma." He spun around and exited out the bay doors. "Have a good shift, boys."

Justin laughed as he waved. "Bye, Manny. Hope your little demons behave themselves."

Oh… little demon children turning into actual demons… that's funny!

He was still laughing when Mike dragged him away to do their first inspection of the bus for the shift.

"What the hell has gotten into you? Wait a minute… you're laughing, you're joking around, and you're walking funny." He stared intensely into Justin's eyes. "You got laid last night! More than once, if I guess right?"

Justin walked toward the ambulance, holding up three fingers. Climbing into the rear area, he started checking the supplies.

When Mike climbed in, he asked, "So you're saying I'm normally a grumpy miser?"

"Yes, a real Ebenezer Scrooge. So who is he?" Mike picked up the first responder bag and checked the inventory.

Memories of his and Rob"s night together flashed through his consciousness like a movie reel. His fingers fumbled with supplies, and his heart raced. Justin"s body tightened with need, but a sudden crack jolted him out of his daydream.

Mike snapped his fingers in front of Justin"s face again, and he shook his head. "Judging by the look on your face, this could be serious."

Justin smiled. "It could be. He's fun, smart," he looked over his shoulder at Mike and wiggled his eyebrows, "built, and made me see stars."

"We need two more trauma dressings. So does this paragon have a name, occupation and Social Security number?"

Justin marked down the items needed on the checklist and looked up the calibration chart in the logbook. "The Celox is low, too, and according to the chart, it's time to calibrate the ECG and BP monitors. And the answer to all those questions is yes."

"Are you going to tell me?" Mike asked, getting frustrated.

Justin tried not to look cagey. "I don't want to jinx it. If things work out, you know I'll tell all, eventually."

Mike stopped counting IV needles. Justin turned, faced his best friend beside him on the gurney, and waited for the inevitable question.

"Is he in the closet?" Mike asked, placing his hand on Justin's shoulder.

"Yes, and no. His parents know, but he can't come out at work."

Mike released a resigned breath. "Justin… you and I know that it's hard for some people to be honest about who they are. If they choose to live their life that way, it's their choice. But he doesn't have the right to make you go back, after you've already fought so hard to live openly. Doesn't matter if he is the potential love of your life. It won't work, I'm telling you. You'll regret it and come to resent him for it."

"Gee, thanks, Mr. Sunshine. You're taking this the wrong way. He's not asking me to go back in the closet. No matter what happens with this man, I don't plan to deny who I am. And we don"t plan to never be seen in public together or something that extreme. We"re just not going to publicize the intimate side of our relationship. I'm okay with that. It won't always be this way. Only for a short while, at the most, a couple of years. In the grand scope of things, that's not long."

"If you say so. Personally, I think the deeper a connection two people share, the intimacy of their relationship is obvious when people look for the signs. If he's staying quiet because of work, why only a couple of years? Does he know something about winning lottery numbers I'm missing, or is he independently wealthy and only working to experience life as a normal human for a short while?"

"No, nothing like that, but most likely, he'll be changing jobs. Then it won't be an issue. Look, I appreciate your concern. I even understand it, given your recent experience, but I'm asking you to let this go. As my friend."

"Okay, for now. But if I see this is making you unhappy, then the gloves come off."

The alert buzzer went off, and Justin listened to see what message dispatch was about to transmit.

"Station one, Engine one, squad one. 411 Northwest Flanders. Apartment 511. Report of injured tender-age male. No information about structure."

Justin looked over at Mike, and the two of them flew into action. The two of them, along with the crew from engine one, quickly donned their turnout gear. Since they knew nothing about the status of the building itself, there was always the possibility that Justin might need to jump in to assist with fire suppression until additional crew arrived on the scene.

Mike drove the ambulance and pulled them out of the fire station just behind the engine. Their district of downtown Portland was mostly high-rise condos and businesses. Mike took them down Ash Street to Fourth Avenue. It should take them less than five minutes to get to the scene.

"Goddamn it! Move over!" Mike blasted the horn as he shouted at an oblivious driver who changed lanes and got between them and the engine.

Justin glared at the driver as they passed the car. "I swear, people just don"t care anymore. They see a first responder going down the road and get right behind us to get through traffic faster."

"Right? It"s not like people"s lives are on the line or anything when we"re trying to get to a scene. And then the public gets all judgy about our response times. Here"s a novel idea. Get out of our fucking way!"

They pulled up in front of the building. The five stories had storefronts at street level, then condos on top. He thought it was one that had sprouted up downtown about twenty years ago. The antique red brick and black-iron balconies gave the exterior an older look, but inside, the lobby had a minimalist contemporary design. Justin and Mike got into the elevator with the gurney and pushed the button for the fifth floor.

"Nice building," Mike said.

Justin shrugged. "I guess. Not really my kind of place."

The doors opened. Justin took one step into the hallway and froze. A girl stood in the hallway, tears streaming down her face.

Justin ran toward her. "I"m with the Fire Department, sweetie. Are you okay?"

She nodded, then shook her head. "My… my brother. He"s hurt bad."

Mike kneeled in front of the girl. "Can you take us to him? We"re paramedics. We can help."

The other elevator dinged, and his captain, along with the crew from engine one, got out. He looked down at the little girl. "Stay here with my friend. We"re going to find your brother."

They took off down the hallway, but a piercing scream had Justin spinning around and looking behind him.

"No! You can"t go. Help him!"

Captain Rhees looked at Justin. "We"ll check out the apartment. Go with the girl."

The little girl took Justin"s hand and dragged him back into the elevator. Her little finger trembled as she pushed the button for the bottom floor.

"I thought the call said apartment 511," Mike said.

Justin nodded. "Where"s your brother?"

"He fell," she said as she wiped her nose on her sleeve.

"From the fifth floor?" Justin mouthed to Mike. "What"s your name?" he asked the little girl.

"Angie. My brother"s name is Milo."

The elevator dinged, and Angie led Justin and Mike to the interior courtyard. They went out, and Justin immediately saw a little boy lying on the concrete. He rushed over and began his initial assessment. The boy was unconscious and had irregular respirations with a rapid pulse. He looked to be five, maybe six years old. Justin noticed he had a depressed skull fracture and dried blood around his mouth.

This is not good.The boy groaned, and Justin quickly put the neck collar on him. "We need to get him to OHSU. We have a possible TBI and spinal cord injury."

Mike pushed the gurney over with the backboard. Together they slid it beneath the little boy, then lifted him for transport.

"Wait. What am I supposed to tell his parents?" cried out the teenager who"d been hovering over Milo when they got to the courtyard.

"Walk with us," Mike ordered. "What happened?"

"We were doing yoga on the balcony of my apartment. I live in unit 105 and was babysitting these two. Milo started bouncing on the exercise ball, and next thing I knew, he flew over the rail of the balcony."

"Call his parents. Tell them we"re taking him to Doernbecher Children"s Hospital." Justin glanced at Mike, then back at the clearly terrified young woman. "I"d tell them to get there quickly. You did good by not moving him and getting him help."

"Angie was the one who called you guys."

Justin and Mike got Milo in the ambulance. They radioed the captain to let him know what was happening. He looked out at the girls. He wanted to reassure them, but time was ticking, and they needed to get Milo to the hospital as quick as possible. "You did good."

Mike slammed the doors of the ambulance, and seconds later, the sirens came to life and the ambulance roared down the street.

"We"ve got about a twelve-minute trip."

Justin activated the mic on his radio and contacted the hospital. "This is PFD 8103. I have a tender-aged male with possible TBI. BP is one hundred over seventy. Irregular respirations are slow and twenty to thirty seconds apart."

He got an IV started and placed the electrocardiogram pads on Milo"s check. He noticed Milo"s arms and legs started moving. His elbows, wrists, and finger curled inwards, and his feet flexed upwards, his toes splaying outwards.

"We have decorticate posturing and seizure activity," he added. "Mike, step on it!"

"Going as fast as I can. Three minutes."

Justin pushed some diazepam through Milo"s IV and intubated him. It was tricky with the cervical collar, but not something Justin hadn"t done before. He carefully monitored the little boy"s vital signs. The cases where they had no choice but to bulldoze through the city in a box truck to get the help a young life needed were the most stressful, and while Justin wasn"t a man of faith, it was times like this he asked for someone out there to pay a little closer attention to his patient.

They pulled up to the emergency room. Justin flung the doors open and found the trauma team waiting for them. He gave them the most up-to-date vitals and briefed the doctor on what brief case history they knew. He raced with the team into the hospital. All the scents of a medical facility and weight of desperation and fear hung in the air. They reached the trauma room, and he helped the staff transfer Milo to the hospital bed. Now all he could do was watch as the doctors and nurses worked to assess Milo and hopefully save his life. Justin took a deep breath, then turned, picked up the backboard, set it on the gurney, and left the room. He pushed the gurney through the emergency department, taking his time to allow his heart rate to slow down. Up ahead, he saw Mike standing at the nurses" station, chatting with one of the women. Justin came to a stop and gave her a nod.

"Hey, Lila."

"How"s it hangin", J?"

"Little wilted at the moment."

She nodded. "Looked like a rough one. Want me to not call you later with an update?"

Justin smiled. "Please don"t. And also definitely don"t tell me the long-term prognosis."

"You got it. Have a good shift, gentlemen."

He and Mike made their way back to the ambulance. If this was how his shift started, then it was going to be a long twenty-four hours.