Tried & True (THIRDS 10)

“Hudson told her?”

Dom nodded. “Well, yeah. They’re best friends. Also Hudson couldn’t keep her in the dark now that Rafe knows.”

“Shit. Rafe knows?”

Dom arched an eyebrow at him. “Like you’d keep this shit from your brother.”

Dom had a point. And it wasn’t like Hobbs didn’t know. It made sense for the brothers to all be on the same page. Wait. “Does Rafe know about Hobbs being a TIN Associate?”

Dom nodded. “He wasn’t happy about it. You know how protective big brothers are.” He winked at Dex, who chuckled.

“I wouldn’t know anything about that.”

“Yeah, all right. I think I need to sit somewhere else so I don’t get hit with the bolt of lightning that’s about to fry your ass.”

Dex laughed. He really liked Dom and was glad to have him be a part of their ever-growing family. Dom was larger than life, for a Human. He had muscles upon muscles, but he was also smart, sharp, and despite his gruff demeanor and the fact he cursed almost as much as Ash, he was a genuinely good guy. Very sweet and always looking out for those he cared about. Very much a heart-on-his sleeve kind of guy.

“Anyway, Hudson’s happy for Nina because she’s been at the THIRDS longer than he has, so in his opinion, it’s about damn time she gets promoted to Chief Medical Examiner. She’s worried for Hudson, but she’s excited. I think she’s also really hopeful that you guys can find a way to help Rafe and Thomas.”

Dex nodded. He was determined to find something, anything to help the two Hobbs men. “If there’s anything out there that will help, we’re going to find it.”

“I hope so. Rafe’s not going to be able to hide his condition from his parents much longer, and that’s just going to shatter Thomas. I think that’s really what’s driving Seb with this whole TIN thing. He resented the way it happened, but now he’s had time to think about it, and whatever he’s heard or seen has him on board.”

A thought occurred to Dex. “What’s Hudson’s new title?”

Dom cast him a sideways glance, amusement in his eyes. “The doc hates it.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s typical government posturing bullshit, and long as fuck, so it needs to be abbreviated, but you know no one’s going to know what the fuck it means.”

“Oh my God, you have to tell me.” There was nothing more entertaining than listening to Hudson rant, no matter what he was ranting about, and nothing irked him more than pretentious, unnecessary titles and government posturing courtesy of the bigwigs in Washington. Dex couldn’t wait to poke Hudson. “Tell meeee,” Dex pleaded.

“THIRDS International Chief Forensics Consulting Officer.”

Dex fell over laughing.

“You should have seen his face when he read the official letter,” Dom said, unable to hold back his laughter.

“Wait,” Dex said gasping for breath. “I know exactly what you’re talking about. His expression goes all blank, which scares the shit out of you because you’re like ‘fuck, he’s broken,’ then he narrows his eyes before he goes all deadpan and says in a very calm, collected British voice whatever string of swear words come to mind, and then he loses his shit.”

“Yes!” Dom laughed harder. “The doc is fucking hysterical, and he doesn’t even realize it. I swear, the shit that comes out of his mouth sometimes….” Dom shook his head, and wiped a tear from his eye. “Not even Seb expects half the stuff that comes out of that man’s mouth. It’s priceless.”

“They’re adorable,” Dex said, sitting up and looking out across the lawn and laughing at the Therian leapfrog going on. Seb, Hobbs, and Sloane were doing their Felid thing, lying in the grass for a lazy cat rest, but because they were a few feet apart, Hudson and Calvin were hopping over them like they were kitty hurdles. They jumped over Sloane, then Hobbs, then Seb, ran circles around them, Hudson’s tail wagging before they did it again, jumping over one and then the next. Seb chuffed, and Hudson’s ears perked up. He trotted up to Seb and pushed his nose against Seb’s before dropping onto the grass in front of Seb. He rolled onto his back, paws up, and Seb threw a paw over him as Hudson licked at Seb’s muzzle. When he was done, Seb began to groom him. Man, Dex loved those dorks. Calvin seemed to like the idea, and he dropped onto the grass before playfully annoying his boyfriend by tugging on one ear, then the other, poking until Hobbs pounced on him, making him laugh.

“While you’re on your honeymoon, Seb will be getting an operation.”

Dex stared at Dom. What the hell? “What are you talking about?”

“TIN. They’re bringing in some of the best surgeons in the world. They’re going to repair his knee and perform some new unheard-of procedure that’ll stop whatever’s causing the tissue damage. Hudson explained it to me. Sounds like something out of a science fiction movie.”

“You’re worried.” If Dom was worried, Dex could just imagine how worried Hudson was.

“Yeah, but I tend to do that,” Dom replied, laughing softly.

“He’ll be okay.” Dex turned at the group headed their way. “There’s Rosa and Letty.” He waved at the girls as they came toward Dex and Dom with Ash, Cael, and West in their Therian forms. Cael dashed over to Dex, chirping happily. He flopped all over Dex, making him laugh. “Yeah, yeah. I’m happy to see you too.” He gave Cael a good scratch before looking up at a preening Ash.

Dex gave Ash a nod in greeting. “Mufasa.”