"You're right," I said. "I'm sorry. We shouldn't make you be the grown-up."
"You don't--"
"Yes, sometimes we do," I said as Gabriel walked back in. "I'll stay another night, and get some rest."
"As long as you're in that place, you can't rest." He exhaled a loud sigh. "Fuck. I don't know. Are you staying in the city or going home?"
"We hadn't..."
"You hadn't planned that far." Another sigh. "Can we do that, then? I know you'd be more comfortable in Cainsville, but I'd like you closer to a hospital. You're welcome to stay at my place. I'm supposed to do some work with my dad tonight, but I can either skip that or Gabriel can watch you until I get back."
Gabriel gestured for me to hand over the phone. If he can overhear a conversation, he doesn't see the point in pretending otherwise.
"I do have a plan," he said. "Whatever Ricky might think."
"I never said he didn't," Ricky said.
"Hash it out with him," I said, passed the phone over, and thumped back on the pillows.
--
Two hours later, I was heading to Gabriel's condo. His plan included a nurse drop-in visit Thursday morning and a more thorough visit from Dr. Webster in Cainsville on Friday.
When we got up to his apartment, he declared it a work-free night. We'd do something fun. How about...? Cue two minutes of awkward silence.
"I have this," I said, waving Patrick's book.
"I said fun. If you'd like a novel, I have some that I suspect are more to your taste."
"I thought you didn't read fiction?"
"If you'd like quiet time, that's perfectly understandable." He went into his room, fetched pillows, and returned to the sofa. "But I thought we could do something together."
"Sure."
"Perhaps..." Ten seconds. Then, "You like movies. We'll watch one of those."
"Uh..." My gaze swept the screen-free condo. "On what?"
"Oh. Yes. Of course." He looked around. "Maybe on your laptop."
"How about cards?" I said. "You've gotta be able to play, considering you put yourself through college running an illegal gambling ring."
"Allegedly."
"Um, no. You confirmed that, remember?"
His lips twitched in the barest smile. "Ah, right. I certainly can play. However, you may also recall that I'm rather gifted at--"
"Cheating?"
"I was going to say sleight of hand."
"Same thing."
"Allegedly."
I smiled. "Well, I'm not going to wager. We will, however, need cards. Do you have a deck?"