THE NEXT MONTH WENTby pretty smoothly for Mav and me. We had a few hiccups, but what relationships didn’t? Throw in the long distance obstacles and it did make things harder for us, but nothing we didn’t work through. We were talking things through better when they upset us, but it was hard when I wanted to reach out and touch Maverick’s face or hug him to reassure him that things would get better. It had taken longer than I hoped to find another doctor that Justin and I thought would be a good fit.
Maverick would get frustrated with everything that delayed me moving back home permanently. I resented all the time he spent coaching baseball, especially since Derrick was his assistant coach. We weren’t able to talk on the phone on the nights his games ran late. I was proud of him for stepping in, happy to hear the excitement in his voice when he talked about the team, but I wanted to be his number one focus.How fucking selfish was that?
The time finally came when everything clicked into place and I was able to pack up the rest of my things and say goodbye to my life in D.C. I enjoyed the time I spent there, but I was anxious to get onto the next phase of my life with the man I loved. I had one final goodbye to make before I headed home.
“Hi Liam, is Jack in tonight?” I asked Liam who was working behind the bar of Bottoms Up when I stopped in. Liam gave me the same happy smile he always did when we saw one another.
“He’s in his office. Did you come to say goodbye to him?” The smile slid off of his face. I had already told Jack that I was leaving and he had met with the other doctors, but I couldn’t just leave without saying goodbye.
“Both of you, actually.”
Liam nodded and gestured for me to follow him. Liam led me to a back hallway and we stopped outside a closed door. He gave a quick knock and then let us inside his office. Jack looked up from his paperwork and greeted his husband with a warm smile.
“Is this it?” Jack asked me, rising to his feet.
“Yep. I just didn’t feel right taking off and not saying goodbye.” I extended my hand and he shook it firmly. Looking at him, a person would never have guessed how close he had been to giving up.
“I’m so excited for you, Noah,” Liam said when he hugged me. Liam wasn’t nearly as reserved when it came to personal space and showing emotions and feelings as his husband. Of course, he hadn’t been my patient for over two years so it was more acceptable for me to hug him.
“Thank you,” I said when I pulled back from him. “I want to extend an invitation to you both to come south for a visit. Maverick and I have plenty of room. We’re dog lovers too,” I said, gesturing to Charlie.
“We might take you up on that,” Jack said with a smile. “How’s January sound? I fucking hate cold weather.”
“You’re welcome anytime, guys.”
Early the next morning, or the middle of the night depending on your point of view, I set off for home. I couldn’t sleep worth a shit, so when I woke up at 1:00 a.m. and couldn’t nod off again, I decided it was time to return to Maverick and Madge. I didn’t bring Madge with me on my final trip to D.C. She seemed perfectly happy to stay at home with her other daddy instead of spending most of her days at doggy day care. I missed my best girl, but it did mean fewer stops so I could shave some time off and get back to my man and beast sooner. I loved the idea of crawling into bed with him and kissing him awake like I had done on many trips home. Just that thought alone kept me wide awake during the long trip.
My imaginings got dirtier and dirtier with every mile that brought me closer to Maverick. Mmm, I wanted to roll him onto his back, straddle him, and slide his dick inside me. I pictured myself taking my time and loving him the right way, knowing that we had every day for the rest of our lives to love each other. Sure, we’d have our ups and downs outside the bedroom, but we’d always find a way back to one another.
I was surely wearing a stupid, sappy grin on my face right up until a car swerved into my lane. It happened so damn fast that I didn’t have time to react. There was a blinding light from headlights, the hideous sound of crunching metal, and then there was nothing but silence and blackness.
“Hey, kid,” a soft voice said, pulling me out of the darkness. “It’s not your time yet.”
My eyelids felt heavy and it took every ounce of effort I had just to open them. I blinked several times and wasn’t sure where I was. I was in a room bathed in blinding light. I heard the beeping of machines nearby and so many voices talking over one another. Several people dressed in scrubs were peering at me, poking me, but none of them acknowledged that I was awake. Whose voice had I heard?
“Pulse is fading.” One voice said.
“Blood pressure is dropping,” said another.
Who were they talking about? Was there someone else in the room with me? I strained to raise my head, but it felt like it had been weighted down with a concrete block. I started to panic that I couldn’t move and that maybe the doctors and nurses were talking about me. Was I dying? Who had talked to me? Had I imagined the voice?
A tall figure moved in between two doctors. I blinked several more times, because surely I was hallucinating. The man was beautiful with long flowing blond hair and piercing blue eyes. If his looks didn’t shock me then his clothes certainly did. He wore a white, billowy shirt and it looked like brown leather pants. He looked like a pirate, but… I had to be dreaming. This must all be a horrible dream. I’d wake up and find myself back in my bed in D.C.
“The name is Octavius Jones. I believe you’ve heard of me.” He winked at what had to be my shocked expression. Yeah, I was definitely fucking dreaming.
“Yeah, sure. That means I’m dead then,” I said, playing along.
“Not yet, but you’re pretty close.” His words were followed by a long flat sound and then an alarm beeping on the machine. “Now you are.”
“Flat lined. Paddles!” A doctor said, his voice was calm but firm.
“What? I’m not dying. I’m talking to you!” I said in a panic.
“You’re talking to a man who’s been dead for a hundred and seventeen years, kid.” He cringed when the doctors pressed the paddles to my chest. I felt nothing, but I saw my chest jerk in the air as they attempted to restart my heart. “It’s not your time yet, kid.” Octavius repeated to me. “I need you to do something for me, okay?”
His voice was getting quieter and his features were starting to blur. “Okay.” My voice sounded weak and faded.
“Tell Elijah that I’m still waiting for him. I’ll always wait for him. I don’t know why he’s hanging on so hard, but I need him to let go. It’s time for him to return to me. Did you hear me, Noah?”
