Off Base (Out of Uniform 1)

“Pike Reynolds,” Pike said, at the same time that Zack said, “He’s not. Just roommates.”

Morrison’s bushy eyebrows flew upward, twin peaks of disbelief.

“Yup, just friends.” The resignation in Pike’s voice clobbered Zack like a swift right hook to the jaw. “Sorry about your dog, man.”

“Oh he’ll be okay. I just feel bad that I couldn’t fix it myself. Sucker’s really in there.”

“Even you SEALs can’t fix everything.” Pike spoke to Morrison, but his words felt directed at Zack too. “You’re the medic?”

“Yes, sir. Keeping Nelson from killing himself keeps me busy. Wish I’d known about you when we thought Nelson had DCS—I hated seeing him drive home alone.”

Pike glared at Zack at that. “You never told me you were sick.”

“I wasn’t.” Hell. They couldn’t fight like an old married couple in front of Morrison.

“You guys want to grab a drink when we get back from the next training exercise? No idea when that’ll be, but I’d bet end of next week or so. I keep meaning to introduce you to Shelia and some of her friends, and you’d be welcome too, Pike.”

Oh great. Either Morrison had bought his lame-ass excuse and wanted to set him up with single women or he hadn’t and felt sorry for Pike and was going to treat them as a couple. Fuck. No good could come of this.

“You’re going away?” Pike sounded like he was struggling to keep the hurt out of his voice.

“You didn’t tell him we’re going wheels up?” Morrison shook his head like Zack was the biggest dumbass in the world, which he kind of was.

“Mr. Reynolds? The vet wants to talk with you,” the vet tech called from the hallway. “If you’ll come with me?”

“I’ve got to go.” Pike’s eyes were sad, as if he’d already decided that Zack wasn’t following.

“I’m coming with you,” Zack said firmly. He’d already fucked things up with Pike by dropping his hand. No way was he screwing this up too. To Morrison he said, “See you later, man.”

He wanted to warn Morrison not to mention seeing them to anyone else, but he wasn’t sure how to word it that wouldn’t make everything that much worse. Zack hurried after Pike, trying to pretend that he hadn’t left a big chunk of his future there in the waiting room, his fate lying in the talkative Morrison’s hands. Either he was right now texting the gossip around, or he was dreaming up more ways to “help,” neither of which would do Zack any favors. But right then, Zack needed to focus on Pike.

“Sorry,” he whispered as the vet tech led them into another exam room to wait for the vet.

“It’s okay,” Pike said, but his dull eyes said it wasn’t, not really. “He seems like a nice guy.”

“Nice, but he...talks. And the rest of them...” Zack shrugged. “They’re not as nice as him. They’re wouldn’t understand.”

“Think you can keep Morrison quiet?” Voice flat, Pike lowered himself into one of the chairs in the small room.

Fuck. What was Zack supposed to say to that? If he said he hoped so, did he sound like a callous asshole? But if he said he didn’t care, he’d be a liar. Bone weary, Zack took the chair next to him.

Luckily, Doctor Kapowski saved him from himself, bustling back into the room. “Good news! Or at least manageable news—we discovered the culprit. It’s not poisoning. She swallowed something.”

“What?” Zack and Pike said at the same time.

“If I had to fathom a guess, I’d bet it’s a part of a toy, like a bell. We won’t know for sure until we get in there. With your permission, I’d like to operate tonight, then if everything goes well, you should be able to pick her up tomorrow or the next day so she can finish recuperating at home.”

Operation sounded scary and expensive, but recuperate made Zack exhale at the same moment Pike did. “She’s going to be okay?”

“Well, any operation has risks, but yes, I think we caught this in time, and given her overall health, she should make a full recovery. We’ll know the prognosis better after the surgery. Monica will bring you in some waivers to sign for the surgery and explain some of the risks to you.”

“Oh, man,” Pike said to Zack as the vet left, door shutting behind her. He reached for Zack, then stopped himself, tucking his hand back into his lap.

Not letting himself overthink it, Zack grabbed the hand back, held it tight. The worst had already happened. Someone on the team knew. He wasn’t losing Pike too.

Chapter Seventeen

The house seemed strangely empty when Pike entered it after the vet. Or maybe that was his heart. Gizmo came strutting out while they were still removing their shoes in the entryway, his plaintive whines breaking Pike’s heart.

“I know you miss her.” Pike crouched to pet Gizmo’s head. “How about a can of food?”