Chalk Dirty to Me (Madd CrossFit 3)

I looked over at Will, then at the doctor, and shrugged. “Not that I know of.”

“You’d likely know it if you wore latex gloves at the hospital every day,” Will pointed out., using his detective’s brain to make guesses. “Maybe it’s the other stuff?”

The other stuff being his ejaculate.

“Actually,” the ER doc said. “We switched over to non-latex about a year ago. Here, and at the nursing program in town, assuming that’s where you went. More and more people are showing up with latex allergies and don’t know it that the board thought it prudent to go ahead and switch. Not to mention that the president of the hospital has a massive latex allergy, and he’s a large contributor. If you never wore gloves before coming to school…then it’s likely you wouldn’t know.”

I mean, honestly, I’d had no reason to. The only time I could ever pinpoint someone actually using gloves around me at any point in time over my life had been when I’d get vaccinations from the pediatrician’s office when I was younger.

“I had no reason to wear them before,” I agreed. “And I’ve always had issues with a few other things, but I’ve just learned to avoid them.”

“Avocados?” he guessed.

I nodded. “Yes, those. Bananas, and chestnuts. How did you know?”

“Usually when you’re allergic to those, you’re allergic to latex,” he explained. “You said that you think it was the latex condom?”

I swallowed. “Yes.”

“Such short exposure to it…” he hesitated. “If you didn’t do anything but have it touch your skin like you said, then that would mean that your allergy to it would be rather intense. I would suggest getting with your PCP—primary care provider—and getting your own EpiPen for instances just like this.” He hesitated. “And not using condoms with latex in them ever again.”

After a few more minutes of discussion, the doctor tapped his clipboard against the counter, then stood up. “I’m going to have the nurse come in and discharge you with a few instructions for the next couple of hours.”

Then he was gone, leaving me with a silent Will.

I turned to him warily and found him staring at his hands.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, feeling lost with him being so far away, even if he was so close physically.

His eyes snapped up and he stared at me for a few long seconds before he said, “I almost lost you, and I didn’t even know that I needed you.”

My heart seized inside my chest at his words.

“Will…” I hesitated.

I didn’t know what to say to make this better.

Hell, I’d scared my damn self, and I didn’t usually scare myself. Others? Of course. They always scared me. But me literally being scared of something that I’d done? Yeah, that didn’t happen often.

“I have a few unexplained hive incidents over the course of my life that are now explained,” I tried to lighten his mood. “And at least now I know. Next time when we…” I paused, hesitating on the word long enough that a soft chuckle left his lips. “Yeah, we’re gonna need some different condoms, because I don’t want that to happen again.”

“Imagine what would’ve happened if we’d actually done the whole thing with it on?” I shivered.

His hand clamped down on my hip as he said, “I shudder to even think about it. It might’ve happened during the actual act, and then I’d never have been able to breathe again because your brother would’ve beaten the shit out of me before he’d allowed me to explain.”

At that, I burst out laughing, right around the time that said brother came strolling around the corner.

Along with the other four, and my parents.

“Oh, boy.”

• • •

WILL

“This is my mother and father,” Haggard introduced the two older people responsible for bringing up six children, four of which looked like they wanted to murder me.

They’d heard why she’d had the allergic reaction, and needless to say, they weren’t happy.

And Shine was looking at me like an interesting worm that he saw baking on the concrete and considering whether he wanted to save it or not.

“Mom, Dad.” Cannel broke the stare between Shine and me. “This is my friend, Will.”

We hadn’t discussed actual titles with each other, but the one that she’d introduced me as was sufficient enough, even though I probably would have preferred boyfriend even though I hadn’t been a ‘boy’ in a long time.

“Derringer.” Her father held out his hand. “And this is my wife, Reedy.”

I took first Derringer’s hand, and then his wife’s.

It was as I was studying Reedy that Derringer started to laugh. “They were all ten pounds at birth, and no, she had no trouble birthing them.”

My eyes flicked up to Derringer when I said, “How’d you know what I was thinking?”

“Because everyone thinks it when they meet her, and then see the boys and I standing next to her.” He continued. “I don’t know how they all got so big. I mean, obviously it was me, but I at least suspected they’d get some of her in them somehow.”