The Magic in Your Touch (3 page)

 

Brandon smiled at the shocked look on the young tech’s face. “I don’t think being gay caused your claustrophobia, Nate. If you don’t calm down, though, you’re going to hyperventilate.”

 

“I’m trying, man. It’s not that easy. Remind me never to give another one of my patients the ‘fear is only in your mind’ lecture. That is so much bullshit.”

 

Keith and the tech both coughed to cover up their laughter. Brandon glared at his brother before going back to the mike. “Let’s try this. Close your eyes, can you do that?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Okay. I’m going to tell you some jokes. Just try not to laugh too much or you’ll move your head out of position.”

 

Keith said, “I’ve heard your jokes, brother. I don’t think we have that to worry about.”

Nate must have heard him because he chuckled just a little bit. Taking that as a good sign, Brandon said, “I’m going to ignore that and get right to the first joke. A man and his wife check into a spacious lakeside resort on their honeymoon. Night after night the clerk notices that the man goes out at three o’clock in the morning to go fishing. Every day he stays gone well into the afternoon and evening. Finally, on the fourth day, the clerk works up enough nerve to question the guy. He says, ‘Excuse me, sir, but aren’t you on your honeymoon?’ The man nods his head and says, ‘I sure am.’ The clerk says, ‘Well, if you don’t mind me asking, why are you going fishing everyday instead of spending time with your wife?’ ‘That’s easy,’ says the husband. ‘My wife has hepatitis, whooping cough, and typhoid. She’s under quarantine. I can hardly go near her.’

The stunned clerk says, “Well, then why on earth did you marry her?’ The husband says, ‘That’s easy. She’s also got worms and I do love to fish.”

 

Keith and the tech both groaned, but Brandon was almost certain he heard Nathan laugh. The tech pointed towards the monitor. He mouthed, “Keep going. It’s working.”

“Ok. Here comes another one. A guy is going for a drive one afternoon when he passes the county retirement home and sees three little old ladies lying naked out on the front lawn. Immediately concerned, he goes inside and speaks to the administrator. ‘Did you know that there are three old, naked women lying out in the grass?’ The administrator says, ‘You mean they’re still out there? Well, you have to admire their determination.’ Seeing the young man’s confusion, the director rushes to explain. ‘Those women are all retired prostitutes. They’re having a yard sale.’”
This time there was no mistaking the laughter coming through the speaker. Brandon breathed a silent sigh of relief as he watched Nathan’s vital signs return to normal. He kept up a steady stream of jokes and one liners until the tech pronounced the test done. Brandon smiled as he watched Nate come rolling out of the machine. He moved into the room where the machine was and smiled again as Nate looked up at him.

“Thanks for saving me in there, man.”

Brandon moved back so the tech could unhook the strap around Nate’s head. “Anytime, buddy. It’s not often that I have a captive audience for my jokes. Sometimes I try them out on the guys in lock-up down at the jail, but they just don’t seem to appreciate them like you did.”

The tech moved to help Nate up off the platform, but Brandon got there first. He extended his hand and was flooded with warmth the minute Nate’s fingers wrapped around his own. For a moment, they stood still, hands together and eyes locked. Brandon pulled him to his feet but made no move to drop his hand.

Keith and the tech exchanged knowing smiles, but neither commented on the tension between the other two. Keith said, “Why don’t you wait in my office while I read these scans? I would offer to let you read them yourself, Dr. Morris, but you look a little worse for the wear.”

Brandon pulled Nate to his side as he swayed unsteadily. “Come on. Let’s get you to a chair before you collapse.” He felt a lump rise in his throat at the feelings of rightness having Nate pressed to his side evoked.

Brandon led him back to Keith’s office, wincing along with him as he groaned in pain. “Do you need to lie down, baby?” He winced again as he realized he’d let the endearment slip. It had been on the tip of his tongue ever since he’d held Nate in his arms after the mishap at the elevators.

Nate shook his head, either not noticing or choosing not to comment on the slip. “I’m O.K. I don’t think it’s my head that’s making me so shaky. I skipped lunch today and missed dinner. I think my blood sugar probably just dropped down to the low side.”

No sooner were the words out of Nathan’s mouth and Brandon was on his way to the snack machines. He came back with two cokes, a couple of sandwiches, and a pocketful of candy bars. He handed one of the sandwiches and cokes to Nate.

“Thanks, man.” Nate reached for his wallet, but Brandon waved him away.

 

“I was glad to do it. It’s not exactly four star cuisine, but it’ll bring your blood sugar back up.”

 

Nate nodded. “You and Keith look a lot alike. Same hair and eyes. So, what’s the favor he owes you?”

 

“What?”

 

“On the way up here, you said you knew a guy who owed you a favor. So, what does Keith owe you?”

 

“His life. I let him make it to adulthood without killing his sorry ass.” Nate laughed, but Bran noticed he wasn’t eating much. “If you eat all that, I’ll give you a treat.”

Nate’s smile was enough to make Brandon pop a boner right there in his brother’s office. “If I had a dirty mind, my imagination could go hog wild with an opening like that.”
Brandon colored and took the chair next to Nate’s hoping to hide the evidence of his arousal. He couldn’t remember being this perpetually horny since he was a teenager. Hoping to steer the conversation into less dangerous territory, he said, “Actually, I meant that I have a candy bar in pocket.”

Nate’s evil grin returned. “Oh, is that what that is?”

Brandon had just taken a sip of his Coke when Nate said that. He sprayed soda all over Keith’s desk just as the door opened and his brother entered the room. Keith took one look at the cola dripping from Brandon’s chin and the smile on the other man’s face and shook his head.

“I don’t know what you just said to my brother, but I haven’t seen his face that red since the day Megan peed all over him in church.”

 

“Megan?”

 

“Our baby sister.”

 

Nate looked at Brandon. “How many brothers and sisters do you have?”

 

“Mom and Dad had eight kids, counting me.” He pointed to Keith. “That idiot over there is the oldest.”

 

“Where do you rank on the list?”

 

“Third from the top.”

 

Keith took a seat behind his desk. “Do you have siblings, Nate?”

 

Brandon watched the shadows fall across Nathan’s face. “Just one, my brother, Seth. He’s twenty-two, six years younger than me.”

 

Keith was about to ask another question when Brandon shook his head. “What the verdict on Nate’s MRI?”

Taking the hint, Keith said, “Well, the MRI shows no signs of injury, but I do think you probably have a slight concussion, Nate. Do you have someone who can stay with you tonight? I really wouldn’t advise you to stay by yourself. Of course, I’m sure you already know all this.”

Nate nodded. “I can stay with my friend Amy and her husband.”

 

Brandon watched as Keith’s curiosity kicked in. “You live alone then? No partner?”

 

Again Nate’s expression darkened. “No.”

 

“No boyfriend?”

 

“No.”

 

“Any prospects?”

 

Before Nate could answer, Brandon said, “Jesus Christ, Keith, I thought I was the only cop in the family. Leave the guy alone, will ya?”

 

“Sorry. Anyway, as I said, I think you should stay with your friend tonight. I can write you a script for pain killers, if you want.”

 

“That’s alright. I can manage with aspirin, thanks. May I use your phone to call Amy and let her know what’s going on?”

 

Keith pointed to the phone on the desk, but Brandon had already pulled out his cell. “Here. You can use mine.”

 

“Thanks.” Nathan dialed Amy’s number and waited in silence as it rang. After about the sixth ring, he closed the phone and said, “I got the machine. Let me call the clinic and see if she’s still there.”

 

Another call and again no answer. “Not there, either.”

 

Keith said, “Does she have a cell?”

“Yeah, but she only carries it when she’s on call. She’s off for the next three days.” He thought for a minute. “Let me check the service we use for after hours calls and see if she left a message with them.” He dialed another number and waited.

“Hi, Cindy, it’s Dr. Morris.”

 

Pause. “Boy, news travels fast in Reed, huh?”

 

Pause. “No, I’m O.K., just a solid bump to the head. Listen, have you heard from Amy?”

Pause. “She did? When?” He covered the mouthpiece and turned to Brandon. “Mike’s aunt down in Atlanta has been taken to the hospital. Cindy thinks she fell or something. It must be pretty bad because he and Amy just hopped on the first plane out.” He uncovered the phone and said, “Who’s handling our calls?” Another pause. “No, he’s a good doctor, but be sure he knows only to accept the serious calls. The drive from Chicago to Reed is too far for a case of the sniffles. Alright, Cindy, thanks. If you hear from Amy, please tell her to call me at my apartment.”

Before he could hang up, Brandon took the phone. “Hey, Cindy? It’s Brandon Nash.” Brandon rolled his eyes, “No, I didn’t realize your cousin was gay. And single, too, huh? Imagine that. Listen Cindy, tell Amy to call my place for Nate instead.” His left leg twitched while he listened to the conversation on the other end. “No, you can’t ask why. O.K., Cindy, see you at church.”

The minute he turned off the phone, Nate said, “What was that all about?”

Keith almost laughed out loud at the look of innocence on Brandon’s face, but he wisely sat behind the desk and kept his mouth shut. Bran said, “Oh, that. Well, Cindy and I go to the same church. Went to the same high-school, too, but I’m a couple of years ahead of her.”

Nate looked like he was about ready to start cussing. Bran hid a smile behind his hand when Nate said, “That’s not what I meant and you know it. What was all that business about Amy calling your place for me?”

Bran leaned over to better see his face. “Oh, that. Well, it’s real simple, actually. Amy’s out of town, and you live alone. You need someone to stay the night with you, but the only people in town you really know are catching the red-eye to Atlanta even as we speak. That leaves you with one option. Plainly stated, baby, you’re coming home with me.”

Chapter 2

 

Nate woke to the feel of gentle but rough fingertips soothing the swollen skin of his face. He opened his eyes to see the beautiful blues of Brandon Nash staring down at him.

 

“Wake up, Nate. We’re here.”

 

Nate shook himself in a bid to wake up. “I still say I can stay by myself. I hate to put you out like this.”

“We had this argument back at the hospital, Nathan. You’re stuck staying with me tonight. Might as well make the most of it.” Before Nate could argue again, Bran got out of the SUV and moved around to the passenger side to help him into the house.

When Brandon first insisted on taking Nate home with him, Nate expected to be carried to a small apartment or a modest, two-bedroom starter house. He never expected to be taken to a sprawling farmhouse located on several acres of private land.

They went in by the back door, through a nice-size mudroom into the kitchen. It was absolutely perfect. The stove was a refurbished thirties-model gas with six burners and a griddle. The cabinets were natural-stained, knotty pine with black iron hinges and handles. The granite countertops were spotless, but to Nate they looked like they hadn’t been used in a long time. A picture window along the far wall would capture most of the early morning light. Nate could just picture himself cooking breakfast for half a dozen smiling kids all clustered around the central work island. The minute he realized where his thoughts were taking him, he forced his mind back to the reason why he was here. Someone was out to get him. The fact that being with Brandon made him feel safer than he had in years did nothing to improve his mood. He’d learned his lesson about depending on other people.

Brandon broke into his thoughts by saying, “There are six bedrooms upstairs, but I’m going to put you in the one closest to mine so that I can hear you if you need me.”

Nate barely had time to nod before he heard the thunder. No, not thunder exactly, more like feet. Large feet coming towards him at a dead run. He looked up just in time to see a giant blue-gray shadow pummel him to the ground.

“Sasha! Down girl. Dammit, I said down.” Brandon pulled the Great Dane off of Nate as fast as he could, but not before she gave him a healthy kiss right on the mouth.

 

Brandon lead her over to her food bowl and filled it with dry food. Once he was satisfied that Sasha was well occupied, he returned to help Nate up off the floor.

 

“I’m so sorry, Nate. I guess my mom must’ve come by to walk her and forgot to put her back in the sun porch where she stays while I’m at work. Here, let me help you up.”

Nate allowed Brandon to pull him to his feet. “Damn, that thing is a horse, man.” He looked over to where Sasha sat on her haunches chewing a mouthful of kibble. Now that she wasn’t perched on his chest trying to slobber his face off, he had to admit she was a fine looking animal. “She is kinda cute, though.”

Brandon beamed with a look Nate could only describe as pride. “She’s a beauty, isn’t she? Imagine how pretty she’ll be when she’s full grown.”

 

“You mean that monster is still a puppy?”

 

Sasha looked up from her food bowl as he said it, her big brown eyes focusing on Nate. She stared at him for a full minute before turning away and trotting out of the room.

 

“Uh oh. Looks like you hurt her feelings.”

The grin on Brandon’s face was catching. Before he knew it, Nate found himself smiling back. “If you expect me to feel sorry for her, forget it. Any dog that has free run of a house this size and an owner that worships the ground she walks on is not exactly a sympathetic creature.” He looked around the kitchen. “From what I’ve seen of your house, it’s magnificent, by the way.”