Kev motions to Chris. When Chris leans in, Kev makes fish lips at Chris until he kisses him. Then Kev whispers something to him.
I can tell Chris feels guilty about leaving his boy. “Let me go talk to the doctors first.” After another round of consults with the medical staff, we finally get Chris heading toward the door.
I hug Chris. “Don’t worry,” I tell him. “No visitors unless I know them personally and know they’re friends.”
He nods. “Okay. And you stay with him if he gets a visitor.”
“Absolutely.”
He’s no sooner out the door and it’s swung shut behind him than Kev lets out a pained chuckle.
I turn to him. “Yes?”
He shakes his head a little. “We taking bets on whether he stays gone, or how many times he calls to check on me?”
I start to arrange my stuff so I can occupy the same recliner Chris used. “No, because I’m not stupid. You gave your Sir and the rest of us a hell of a scare. You think he’s going to let his guard down about you ever again, you’re wrong.”
We settle in with the TV on. I think Kev’s nearly asleep when he speaks.
“Thank you, Leo.”
I turn my head to look at him. “For what?”
“For everything. For how you take care of Shae for us. For keeping our secrets. For being the one guy we all can trust and turn to. For taking care of me out in Montana.”
He doesn’t have to clarify that one. Lauren’s funeral was a special hell for me for more than one reason. Mainly because while Chris had me stay overnight there with Kev, my mind kept thinking about another time in Montana when I had to deal with death.
It was heartbreaking witnessing Kev’s grief up close and personal but, again, I do what I’m told. “Yeah, well, I’m glad Chris talked me into taking the job in the first place.” I sigh. “I feel like I’m actually making a difference, in my own way.”
“How’s Elliot and Jordan?”
I shrug. “Complicated, as always.”
Which…of course that’s amassiveunderstatement.
It’s also a perfect segue. “When were you going to tell me he’s going to run?” I ask.
Kev studies me. Even at his worst, he’s still a skilled political operative miles above my pay grade. “I figured that was a conversation for him to have with you. Not my business.”
“Come on, Kev. Jordan said he was in on the call.”
“There you have it. Your boy told you.”
“Why didn’t you—”
“I’m not getting in the middle of this between you three. That’s not my place.”
He’s right, of course. “Is he going to leave me?”
“Who, Elliot?”
I nod.
“I don’t think so. He hasn’t said anything about that.”
“He also didn’t say anything to me about running. He probably hasn’t said anything about me, period, has he?”
“What do you want me to say, Leo? That maybe it’s time you throw a scare into Elliot and threaten to walk away with Jordan?”
