He shot to his feet, eyes blazing.“You thought I was dead?What happened to ‘no man left behind’?Huh?That’s what they beat into us, over and over.You left me.You left me to rot.You let them—”
His voice broke.He turned away, pacing, breathing hard.
“Do you know what they did to me in that place?What I lived through?The fear?The humiliation?Every second I thought I was going to die, and worse—I thought no one cared.That I wasn’t worth coming back for.”
Ty stood, too, reaching for him.“Oren—”
“Don’t.Just—don’t, Ty.As far as I’m concerned, Dale made his choice.He left me.And now—now he’s dead to me.”
He stormed out.
Dale made a strangled noise, half rising from the couch.
Ty grabbed his arm.“No.Let me.He’s going to run.I know him.Let me stop him before he does something stupid.”
He bolted out after Oren, heart pounding.
He found him in his room, yanking his bag from the wardrobe with shaky hands.Ty stepped inside, shutting the door behind him.“You’re not leaving.”
“The hell I’m not,” Oren snapped, not turning.
“Oren—stop.Talk to me.”
“What, so you can justify it again?”he threw the bag onto the bed.“I was a fucking ghost.A burden.You moved on.”
“We never moved on,” Ty said, voice calm but firm.“You were never a burden.You were everything.”
Oren’s fists clenched.“Why didn’t you fight harder?Why didn’t you come sooner?”
“I did.I fought like hell.And Dale—he has blamed himself every damn day.”
Oren spun, eyes wild, and Ty saw the tear tracks on his cheeks.
Ty crossed the room, pulling him close.Oren resisted for a second, then crumbled.The sobs came in waves, silent but body-wracking.Ty held him, guiding him to the bed, gently stripping him down to his underwear.He pulled the covers back, tucked him in, stripped to his own boxers and climbed in beside him, pulling Oren to lie against his chest.
Dale appeared a few minutes later, face lined with sorrow and grief.He said nothing, just kicked off his shoes and stripped off his jeans and shirt before sliding into bed behind Oren.His arm slipped around Oren’s waist, resting against Ty’s back.
He pressed gentle kisses to Oren’s shoulder.“I’m sorry.I will earn your forgiveness if it takes me the rest of my life.If I’d known I would’ve never left.I would’ve never stopped looking.”
“Neither would I,” Ty added softly.“We stayed by your bedside for ten days.You were in a coma, and we sat there, telling stories, holding your hand.I was already in love with you back then.”
Dale’s voice was thick.“I fell for both of you.Ty—for his fierce loyalty and love.And you, Oren, through the stories Ty told.Leaving was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.But seeing you again?It felt like fate giving me a second chance.”He paused, breathing in deep.“Please, give me a third.”
Oren turned his head, eyes glistening, and kissed Dale.It was soft.Trembling.But real.
“There’s no need for a third chance,” Oren whispered.“I’m sorry I lost it.I won’t let my past take this away from us.”
Ty leaned in, pressing a kiss to Oren’s lips, then to Dale’s.“Get some sleep.It’s been an emotional day.Tomorrow’s a day off.We’ll see what the morning brings.”
The three of them lay tangled together, hearts still battered but beating in time.It was a beginning.
