Burn Zone (Hotshots 1)

A kinder man than Linc would have sent him packing, would have made him go search out a bed at least, but after the day they’d had, Linc was honestly glad of the company. And if bad news came about Garrick, at least he wouldn’t be alone.

“Maybe you can get a room near here later. But shut your eyes for a while first? Like you said, we don’t have to work everything out tonight.”

“Okay.” He gave another yawn as Linc used his controller to lower the bedside light. Not dropping Linc’s hand, Jacob slumped in his seat, not quite sleeping but not talking either, and Linc let himself revel in his presence, in the fact that they were here, that they’d survived, and that Jacob had promised him a second chance.

They dozed together a time, but then a red-haired nurse came in, quieter than most, rousing Linc for a vitals check, while Jacob snoozed on at his side.

“Your friend needs to go,” the nurse whispered to Linc. Plump and motherly, she reminded Linc a little of Jenna. “Technically, we have visiting hours...”

“Don’t kick him out,” Linc pleaded in a low voice, surprising even himself by how much he needed Jacob there.

“Sometimes we make exceptions for immediate family, but not usually friends.”

“Please. He’s...” Linc took a deep breath. He’d told Jacob he was going to do better. And that meant being honest, including with himself. “He’s the closest thing to family I’ve got. Don’t make him go.”

“Oh.” She made a noise of startled understanding, eyes drifting down to their intertwined hands. “It’s like that, huh?”

The old Linc would have stumbled and faltered at the direct question, unsure how much to reveal. But the new him simply nodded. “Yeah. It is.”

“Okay. I’ll make a note in your chart that he’s good to stay as long as he’s not interfering with your rest. Is he who you want as next-of-kin if we have questions about your care?”

Another question. Another step. Another easier answer than he would have thought. “Yeah.”

“All right. I’ll make it happen.” She gave him a tired smile on her way out of the room. “You stay out of trouble. Keep resting.”

Next to him, Jacob groaned and stretched. “Funny how they want you to sleep, then go and make that impossible with all their checking.”

“Yeah. You...uh...you were awake?”

“Wasn’t all the way asleep.” He offered Linc a sly smile. “Next-of-kin, huh? You do know she was assuming something other than...brotherly between us, right?”

“Believe you’re the one who said there’s nothing familial about us.” He stroked the back of Jacob’s hand. “Except I meant what I said too—you’re the closest thing to family I’ve got now. Not brotherly, but...” He trailed off, not sure exactly how to say all the words clogging his throat. “Important. You’re important. More important than anyone else. And I’m sorry—”

“Shush. We can’t have you apologizing every ten minutes.”

“But it’s true.”

“I’m trying to believe you.” Jacob worked his jaw, eyes still weary. “I’m just saying, I don’t need constant apologies. We’ll work it out from here, okay?” Leaning out of the chair, he brushed a kiss across Linc’s forehead.

“Okay.” That ghost of a kiss went a long way to calming Linc down. Maybe there was still a chance for them after all and that made him smile, despite all the uncertainty that remained. They drifted back to silence, and after the next vitals check, Linc made a concerted effort to get Jacob to go find a nearby hotel room to try for some real sleep for himself.

“We’re already halfway through the night. Waste of money,” Jacob grumbled. “Besides, I wanna be here. Stop trying to get rid of me.”

“I’m not.” Linc tried to tell him with his eyes that he wasn’t going to get rid of Jacob at any level, and apparently the message was received because he got another quick kiss in return, this one on the lips.

“Mmm.” Linc used a hand on the back of Jacob’s head to keep him close when he would have pulled away. “Needed that.”

“We’re not getting up to anything here,” Jacob warned, even as he had a soft grin for Linc and moved to perch on the side of the bed. There was something about being together like this, alone in the middle of the night, when they’d come so close to never having this again, that made Linc’s insides bubbly.

“Trust me. Certain checks my body can’t cash tonight anyway. Just... I missed you. That’s all.”

“I missed you too. So much.” Jacob gave him another kiss, more lingering this time, and Linc kept it going a nice long while. For what felt like the first time, it wasn’t about getting off or accompanied by other emotions like guilt and shame. No, it was about comfort, plain and simple. It had been a long damn forty-eight hours, and they both needed this. Having Jacob so near, he was able to let go of some of the fear still churning in his gut. They’d come so damn close to losing it all.