Behind Jamie, Trevor saw Kyle roll his eyes, though the look on the sniper’s face was fond. They both knew better than to ignore Jamie’s overprotective streak after a night like this.
“Understood, sir.”
“Not your captain right now.”
“You’ll always be my captain. I’ll talk to you later.”
Jamie left without another word. Trevor hooked an ankle around the closest chair and sank into it, eyes on Brendan’s vitals.
4
Washington, D.C.
USA
Regeneration of a person’s skin,limbs, or organs took time; it just varied for each wound or need. Trevor passed the hour it took for the regen regime to be completed by taking Brendan’s statement after letting him rest for a bit. Based on Brendan’s recollection, Trevor hadn’t missed much of the action before arriving when he had.
“I’m just glad you showed up,” Brendan muttered, staring at the ceiling.
“So am I. Haven’t had an adrenaline rush like that in a while.”
Brendan turned his head, pupils a little dilated from painkillers. “Do you miss it?”
“Fighting?”
“Serving.”
It was a distinction most people wouldn’t get. Considering the family Brendan came from, and his job, Trevor had a feeling he understood.
“Sometimes,” Trevor admitted slowly. “I have an ability that very few others do. Part of me thinks I’m wasting it by no longer working with the MDF, but I’ve always wanted to be a doctor.”
“It’s just a different way of helping.”
Trevor eyed Brendan thoughtfully. “Yes. I’ve always thought that.”
Brendan lifted his hand, forgetting that it was the arm with the regen machine on it. Trevor placed his own hand over Brendan’s to keep it on the biobed. He left his hand there for a few seconds to make sure Brendan wouldn’t move before reluctantly pulling away.
“Sorry,” Brendan said, making a face. “Forgot this thing was still on.”
“That would be the painkillers talking. Not much longer until it’s finished.”
Trevor took a moment to forward Brendan’s recorded statement to whichever agent was on duty back at the base. He might not be active duty anymore, but Trevor still hadn’t lost direct access to the agency.
Some minutes later the regen machine made a persistent beeping noise, signaling the treatment was finished. Trevor carefully removed it from Brendan’s arm, using gauze to wipe off the gel-like substance left behind.
The skin on Brendan’s arm was pink and new, but the color would fade in the coming days. It would take longer for the area to match Brendan’s skin tone without an application of skin dyes, but he didn’t seem the type who cared about things like that. In Trevor’s experience, first responders were crap about caring for themselves. They were all hardwired to look after others first.
“Ready to go?” Trevor asked as Brendan got off the biobed with a yawn.
“Yeah.”
It took about ten minutes to flag down the same doctor from before and have her sign off on Brendan’s discharge. Once he was cleared, Trevor steered Brendan out of the hospital and toward the staff and student parking garage across the street via a circuitous route to keep out of sight of the media. The police and MDF had cordoned off the area, but Trevor had seen more than a few camera drones in the air outside.
“My uniform is a mess. I’m gonna get blood all over your car,” Brendan said when they finally made it to Trevor’s sports car on the fifth level.
Trevor gently pushed Brendan into the front passenger seat. “You really think that’s going to bother me?”
Brendan blinked tiredly at him, and Trevor fought against the desire to lean down and kiss away the stress. Trevor’s protective instincts were rising hard and fast, and part of him wanted to give in to them. Brendan was certainly easy on the eyes, but he had just been through something traumatic. Trevor knew better than to crowd someone after an experience like that. He shut the car door and walked around to the driver’s side to get behind the wheel.
