“That’s just a few blocks from my clinic. Why don’t you take a taxi there and I can be there in an hour to help you myself.”
He held his breath. His wolf stirred, restless and angry at the idea of someone touching their human. The fact that it would be a medical professional made little difference – it would still be an unacceptable trespass.
“Are you sure? I’m already here, and I’m sure that it won’t be that long of a wait.”
August huffed, relieved that Dylan wasn’t saying no. “Yes, I’m sure. I’ll call ahead and tell the lobby front desk that I’m sending over a patient and that they should let you go up.”
“Thank you.” Dylan hesitated, and August started to get worried again.
“Was there something else?”
“No, nothing else,” Dylan said. He let out a trembling breath. “I just missed you guys this week.”
The words put a smile on August’s face.
“We missed you, too,” he said, grinning into the receiver. “And don’t worry. We’ll get you sorted out in no time.” Curious, but also wanting to know what he was dealing with, he asked, “What was it that got stuck?”
Dylan hesitated before answering, and when he did, he sounded mortified.
“A shampoo bottle.”
Ryker snorted, and August chuckled.
“Really?”
“A small one!” Dylan defended himself. “And I didn’t mean to push it all the way in. My fingers just slipped and I-”
“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” August cut him off. “We’ll get you sorted, don’t worry.”
Dylan said nothing, his humiliation palpable. August felt a little bad for enjoying it as much as he did.
“We’re getting into the SUV now,” he said, changing the subject. “I’ll call and let you know our ETA when we get into the city.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to you later.”
They said goodbye and hung up, and August opened the door to the SUV and climbed into the passenger seat. He dropped the key-fob into the cupholder and scrolled through his contacts for the front desk at his building so that he could let them know Dylan was coming.
“So I take it that breakfast is canceled?” Steve asked, looking disappointed. August looked over, surprised to see that Ryker was still standing next to Steve and not rushing into the driver’s seat.
They were in a hurry!
“Not necessarily,” Ryker said, glancing at August. “It shouldn’t take that long to get him fixed up, right? We can have breakfast after and just bring Dylan along.”
August frowned, not at all on board with Ryker’s plan. Now that he was allowed to see Dylan, he wanted to spend the rest of the day with him.
“It shouldn’t take long, no.” He put down his phone. “Though Dylan might not want to go out. I think we should take him home and make sure he’s okay.”
Steve rolled his eyes, and August resisted the impulse to jump out of the SUV and sock him in the jaw. He looked at Ryker, willing him to be on the same page as him.
Ryker looked tempted, but in the end he shook his head. “No, we’re sticking to the plan. You’ll help him out, keeping it strictly professional, and then we’ll go out for breakfast. After that, we’ll send him home and wait until Tuesday as planned.”
August knew when Ryker could be moved, and this was not one of those times. He sighed in defeat.
“Fine.” He reached for the door. “Get in the car, we’re wasting time.”
“I’ll follow you guys,” Steve said, reaching into his pocket for his keys.
“If we get separated, meet us at The Blue Man Diner on Apple Street,” Ryker instructed. “Ask for a booth at the back.”
