TAKING OVER TROFIM (Dominion of Brothers series Book 4) (30 page)

“What? No. I’m fine.” Shay swiped both hands down his face and started to scrub the sleep away, but winced when he touched too hard on his bruised face.

“How many?” Pavle asked more assertively.

Shay scrunched up his face, his eyes squinting closed but looked at Pavle’s hand and answered. “Three.”

“What happened to you?”

“I’m fine.” Shay brushed his boss away. “I just got tired and stopped for a coffee. I guess I closed my eyes and fell asleep.”

“I mean, what happened to your face?”

Shay glanced at him then shifted his gaze to the coffee shop “Disgruntled patient.” He answered not meeting Pavle’s eyes when he said it.

Shay always was a lousy liar, so he didn’t usually try. Dodging was his game when necessary. But it was too late and early for either of them so for now he’d let it go.
“Well, come on. I’m late as it is. Let’s get some coffee and get going.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’ll follow you back to the house to make sure you get there and not in my ER this morning. You were heading towards our place, right?”

“Yeah. I haven’t seen Trofim in four days.”

“Then I’m going to see to it you get to him.”

“Thought you said you were late?”

“I am, but I am also the boss. Trace can hold the fort until I get in.”

Shay didn’t argue with him, just nodded and they went in together, both getting a cup of the stronger brew, then got in their cars, and headed back for the house.

Pavle watched Shay’s car just a few paces up ahead. It swayed a little but not enough to persuade Pavle to stop him and drive Shay home the rest of the way, himself. They only had a few blocks left anyways.

He spotted Pyotr and Trofim jogging through the park for their early morning warm up before practice and was surprised he didn’t see Shay’s brake lights light up. Meaning Shay hadn’t seen them. That worried Pavle all the more. There wasn’t anything Trofim did that Shay didn’t dial in on him. That boy was fine tuned to Pavle’s little brother and in the best of ways. But it looked like trouble was on the horizon for the two again and it worried Pavle greatly.

After Shay pulled into the gated driveway, Pavle gave him a honk then turned around and headed back in the direction of work.

His new morning agenda was likely going to be in finding out that they hadn’t had any disgruntled patient last night; putting his mind into overtime of speculations of what might have happened.

When he got to the hospital, he parked and headed in, making a stop at the security station, and poked his head in. “Jeetters around?”

“Ah, no, Doctor. He went down to grab a coffee at the cafeteria. Ours died last week.” The guard threw a thumb over his shoulder to the coffee pot sitting on one of the desks.

“You put in a ticket with maintenance?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Okay, well, have Jeetters go through last night’s tapes. And start with the garage and the two new cameras on the street.”

“What’s up?”

“Someone roughed up one of my doctors and I want to know who.”

“You betcha. Have a time frame I can start with?”

“Start with this morning, maybe around five am during the shift change.”

“I’ll get started on that right now and let Jeetters know.”

“Thanks, Travis.”

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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

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Shay stepped into Pavle’s office, finding him behind his desk filling out some of the day’s never ending river of paperwork. It was now or never, pretty much. A week had gone by since his father’s goons had paid a visit. And neither Pyotr nor Pavle were letting up on it. Pavle had even gone and filed an official report with the local police and was none too pleased when Shay clammed up, uttering not a word to knowing who his attackers were. But the source was going to surface eventually. It was only a matter of time before his father came for Shay himself. So it was time to break the ties, while he had a chance to land on his own two feet and protect Trofim at the same time.

“Dr. Laszkovi?” Shay stood at the door to Pavle’s office.

Pavle glanced up at him, “Dr. Wilks.”

“I was hoping to have a moment with you.”

Pavle quirked his head toward the seat in front of his desk and Shay followed the direction, dropping down in the tweed office chair. “What’s on your mind?”

“I—” Shay paused a moment, gathering his thoughts one last time to be sure he got his testimony out properly, “I wanted to speak with you about my internship. I was hoping you would consider my time completed based on my performance under your supervision. I think I’ve done well in filling my shifts, as well as volunteered extras hours, and in taking nights whenever needed. Performed well—”

“Dr. Wilks.” Pavle interrupted. He pushed up from his desk and walked over to the door and slowly closed it. “All young doctors come in here thinking their excellent performance is enough to warrant their cocky attitude that they don’t have to fulfil their internship or residency agreements.”

“I’m sorry, Doctor, that’s— that’s not how I meant it to come across.”

Pavle held up his hand to quiet him, “Nevertheless, given that I know a little about your— private life—” Pavle stopped at the front of his desk, turned and leaned back on it, sitting on its edge so he stood directly in front of Shay, crossing his arms over his chest with a loud sigh. “Why don’t you tell me what you really meant?”

Shay took a deep breath and told Pavle the
why
he had come. About his father seizing his assets, paying out his medical school payments only as long as Shay complied with his will. But his affair with Trofim was about to be made known without having any ways of stopping it and he needed to be able to draw a salary. He wanted to be able to provide a home and safety for Trofim and for the both of them to be free of his father once and for all.

Shay knew they needed help. There was no way he was going to succeed in his plan without the help of those around him, and the only way to get it was to ask. That started with admitting he was in trouble. So Shay poured his heart out to the man, and did so unafraid of any judgments.

He knew the brothers well enough through his lover; he could do this. Pavle had purposely closed the door giving him permission to allow personal and emotional influences. And that was what Shay did.
He loved Trofim with everything he had. That Sarah would undoubtedly go to her parents with news of his relationship with Trofim didn’t scare him. That Mr. Londonaire might call Shay’s father outraged that years of planning was gone because of a gay lover, no longer scared Shay. It was not being able to provide for them, being on their own, and the debt of two and a half more months of internship that scared him the most.

Pavle was silent as he moved back around his desk and sat down. He tapped a few buttons on the keyboard and glanced over something on the computer monitor. He used the mouse to click over several more screens. Shay couldn’t discern any form of emotion.
What was Pavle thinking of him right now? Did he believe him when he said Trofim was first and foremost in his heart?

Pavle reached into a drawer and pulled out a form placing it on his desk and began filling out the blank spaces. “You will be expected to serve a minimum of two rotations per week in ER as well as twelve clinical hours per week as per your contract terms to be advanced into the cardio ward here at Queens for the next year. At which time your residency scheduling can and likely will change with the needs of the hospital. I will place your file before the review board at the next meeting to determine your salary. I suggest you make a point to be there. And you’ll want to be sure you take your final exam by then as well. I will send the release form from your internship to the examiner’s office that allows you to schedule it. The rest is all on you.” He scribbled a signature on the bottom of the page. “Until which time, you will continue on the wages arrangement you are already on.” Pavle shoved the piece of paper towards him, then stood and held his hand out, “Congratulations, Doctor, you’re about to become a surgeon.”

Shay took a deep breath and let it out, feeling a wave of relief and elation all at once. He practically jumped to his feet grasping Pavle’s hand and shook it excitedly.

“And one other thing,”

“Yes, Doctor, whatever you say, sir.”

“Actually two. Trofim wants to still be on the eight man team when we go to the open Nationals, you’ve done well so far but make sure he doesn’t miss any more practices outside of work.”

“And the second, Doctor?”

“I don’t care how slammed your schedule gets, whether it’s here or any other medical practice, you be sure to find time to make love to your man at least once or twice a week.” Pavle gave him a soft grin.

Shay grinned back and nodded, “I think we’ll over excel in that department.”

“Now go on and get out of here. I got a pile of paperwork to get done and you just added to it.”

Shay shook Pavle’s hand again and left the office.

He felt like he was walking on cloud nine suddenly. Everything that had weighed down on his shoulders was miraculously gone. He and Trofim were free to love and make love without ever worrying about who found out ever again. Shay fished out his cell and called Trofim. To let him know just how happy Shay was. “Hey, sweetheart.”

“
Mmmm
.” The sleeping voice hummed through the phone. “
What are you doing calling at this hour
?” Shay’s lover’s voice teasing him that he might be up to mischief rather than scolding him for waking him.

“Have I told you how much I love you today?”

“
Mmmm, I believe you mentioned it once or twice before you left for work this evening
.”

Shay chuckled and his cock twitched under his scrubs just remembering why, “That doesn’t count, you were giving me the most amazing blow job.”

“
Oh, okay then I guess you didn’t
.”

“Well, I do. I love you so much that since I have tomorrow off, in the morning when I get off, I’m driving up to see my dad and tell him the truth. That you and I are together for good.”

“
What?”

He heard the sudden alarm in his Trofim’s voice, the panic he tried so hard to hide from Shay but he always knew when it was there. There was nothing Trofim could hide from him. Shay knew every detail of the man’s body and every wave of emotion that came from his heart.

“
NO!
’” Trofim suddenly yelled over the phone.

“I’m through hiding us from him.  We don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

“
But what about your position at the hospital? Your residency? Your money?”

“Pavle signed off on my internship tonight. As for the money, good riddance. We’ll be just fine. It just might take a while before I can buy you a house, sweetheart.”

“
I don’t care about that, but are you sure about this?”

“I’ve never been more certain. We’re free, and I love you more than anything in this world.”

There was a long silence.

“Trofim?”

“
I love you too, Shay. Will you call me when it’s over
?”

“Of course. Where do you think you’ll be while I’m gone?”

“
Rowing probably. What else am I gonna do when I’m a nervous wreck?”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. He’ll yell and bellow and then I am going to get up and walk out on his ass. It will feel good to slam the door in his face and never have to go back ever again.” Shay could hear sirens of an ambulance drawing closer, cutting his happy news announcement short. “Look, an ambulance just pulled in. I’ve got to go, so I’ll call as soon as I’m on my way back. Tomorrow night I’ll be able to sleep in your arms a free man.”

“
That sounds good
.”

“Love you.”

“
Love you too
.”

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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

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Despite his excitement when he left the hospital this morning the two and half hour drive to Albany drained him and upon arriving at his father’s house filled him with trepidation, though he could hardly keep on his two feet, let alone turn around and go back.

To his luck, Shay’s father wasn’t home when he arrived and his wife, Eloise, said very little other than the obvious, that his father had been looking for him. Shay hardly said two words back before closing himself up in the guest room. There was no former room in the house that had been his. He’d grown up in their home in Astoria. It wasn’t until his father remarried a year after his mother’s passing that his father bought a home up here. It held no nostalgia for him and somehow that seemed far more appropriate, as he hadn’t felt like a member of the family for a long time. He was merely a prisoner of it. But that too was about to come to an end. Only first he needed sleep, and he crashed within moments of his head hitting the pillow, managing only a quick text to Trofim, on his new phone, letting him know he’d arrived safely and would call later after he got some sleep.

Hours later, Shay sat at the dinner table picking at his plate. He’d already eaten about as much at his stomach would let him. Anymore and the butterflies doing the flip show in there were going to start tossing it back out. He hadn’t slept as well as he normally would. Odd how under most situations he could, but then sleep was his escape. The only time he could shut his brain off. But here, in this house, he could hardly have called it sleep. Every sound the house made or car that drove by outside pricked at the back of his mind. And fear lingered there.

And when the familiar haunting sound of his father’s car door came from the driveway, not even rest could be applied to Shay’s attempt to linger in the bed any longer. So he’d stopped trying.