Chapter 14
Who knew that you could be allergic to bees without knowing it? Apparently it took one sting first for most people to have the next one be horribly dangerous. Izzy didn’t want to think what would’ve happened if he’d been alone somewhere in nature or something. He would’ve never made it out before his airways swelled and he died.
He’d felt fine a few days after, but now he always carried an EpiPen in his pocket, just in case. He felt horrible for having put Justin through the extra expense of ordering more EpiPens as he made sure all that they had on site were still good. Apparently the things expired, too and were expensive.
Justin had told him they needed epinephrine anyway because the bees and other potential allergic reactions. He’d said all it would take is a worker having a nut allergy and touching or accidentally eating a cookie or a piece of chocolate with nuts in it. It wasn’t just Izzy, was the point.
He tried not to feel guilty, but it was a process.
He also hated that he’d worried Wyatt so much. He could tell it in every touch and kiss now. Wyatt was scared of losing him. Izzy guessed that the urgency and fear would lessen over time, when Wyatt relearned that he wasn’t going anywhere.
Speaking of that, Justin had also sat him down and told him that they were slowly going to introduce even more bees to the greenhouses so they didn’t have to manually pollinate the plants, and what that might mean for Izzy.
Even if Izzy himself was ready to take the risk of being stung, he knew Justin wouldn’t play with anyone’s health like that. So they needed to figure out a way to make working there safe for Izzy or…yeah, no more job here.
It wasn’t that urgent yet, though, Justin had said it would probably be at least six months if not more until that would become an issue, and that they would revisit the conversation when the time came.
Cutely enough, new signs with big, black and yellow bumblebees were now on every door leading to the greenhouses that had the things buzzing around inside. Apparently, Patty had wanted to make sure nobody went in unaware, and Izzy could appreciate that.
* * * *
One night, maybe two weeks after the bee incident, Izzy and Wyatt met in that spot where they’d met first. They had a blanket to put on the ground and a camping lantern. They sat there together, listening to the nature around them, watching stars and just being together.
“As nice as this is, I wish we didn’t have to hide,” Izzy said quietly after they lay down together, just cuddling there and soaking in the closeness.
“Yeah.” Wyatt’s tone was a bit weird. It wasn’t the first time Izzy had heard it, either.
“What’s on your mind? I know something’s been bothering you.” He didn’t let go of Wyatt when he tried to get up. “No, stay. Talk to me just like this.”
Don’t turn away from me, even if it’s a hard thing to talk about.
Wyatt stopped moving and rested against his side tensely again. Eventually, he mumbled, “I just…we never talk about why you were in prison.”
Oh.
“I thought Justin would’ve told you.”
“He doesn’t talk about anyone’s stuff. Maybe he consults Dad, I don’t know, but he has people vetted and, you know. He says it’s not for him to tell.”
“Okay.” Izzy shrugged. Well, I was in prison because back then I used a lot of drugs.”
The way Wyatt jerked at the admission scared Izzy a lot. “Oh…”
“I didn’t sell, and I didn’t directly do anything wrong, other than well, destroy my body and brain with the stuff.”
“But you were arrested.”
“Yeah. The guys I hung out with then, one of them was giving me a ride and I knew the car was stolen. He did that stuff, got money from it, all the time. I was high, really, really high. And then I guess he lost control of the car or something. We hit a woman who was pregnant.”
Wyatt gasped, and this time Izzy didn’t hold him back when he scrambled away from him.
“Izzy, that’s—”
“Horrible. I know. There were drugs in the car. Not mine, but there was no way to prove that. And I guess…I guess I just…” Izzy sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. He’d never spoken these words out loud.
“What?” Wyatt whispered.
“I guess I deserved the sentence I got. I know I wasn’t driving, and I couldn’t have done anything to prevent it other than make that guy not drive a car while high. It’s just…I was stupid. I could have got out. It wouldn’t have saved that woman’s life, but it would have saved me. But I didn’t. I deserved what I got.”
