But his eyes told Logan he had needed to hear that.
The door swung open again, and Dr. Tierney walked in with his usual calm, professional demeanor.
“Adrian,” he greeted warmly, his voice smooth as he approached the bed. “How are we feeling? Has anything changed since the morning? Any nausea? Irregular pain?”
He approached the bed with quiet confidence, scanning the tablet in his hand while Adrian lifted his head slightly, answering in a voice that tried to be stronger than it felt. Logan sat beside him, one hand resting on the blanket near Adrian’s hip, thumb tracing slow, mindless circles into the fabric—a silent form of grounding, or maybe prayer.
Dr. Tierney listened, nodding, tapping something into his tablet. His brow furrowed with concentration, but not concern. Not yet.
Logan noticed the shift before it happened.
From the corner of the room, Zack straightened. It was subtle—shoulders back, chin lifted, a quiet tension building like a ripple across still water. His fingers ran through his dark hair with casual flair, and then he tugged the hem of his sweater, adjusting it just enough to let it fall better across his frame.
Logan sighed internally.Here we go.
As Dr. Tierney leaned forward slightly to check Adrian’s vitals, Zack took a step closer. Not intrusive, but deliberate—like gravity had shifted slightly and pulled him into the orbit of the doctor. His gaze had sharpened, eyes scanning Dr. Tierney from head to toe with a look that was somewhere between admiration and slow undressing.
Dr. Tierney, for his part, remained focused. At least, he tried to.
Zack cleared his throat, it was a little too loud, a little too performative. “Doc,”
Dr. Tierney turned, polite, measured. “Yes?”
Zack’s mouth curved into a smile, one that radiated wicked charm.
“Could you maybe check me out too?”
Logan froze mid-breath.Oh no. Not here. Not now.
Dr. Tierney blinked in surprise, a fleeting flicker of amusement—or perhaps disbelief—dancing across his features. A subtle blush crept onto his cheeks, a clear indication of the double entendre that Zack had intended with his words, fully aware of the effect they would have. After a brief pause, Dr. Tierney took a moment to gather himself, restoring his composed demeanor once more.
“If you’re not feeling well,” he said carefully, “you can head to the nurses’ station. They’ll—”
“No,” Zack replied, drawing the word out like melted caramel. He tilted his head, letting his voice drop an octave. “I’m actually feeling... very, very weak.”
Adrian coughed—whether from the remnants of laughter or illness, it was hard to tell.
Zack stepped forward again, closer now. Too close.
“It started,” he continued, voice thick with mock seduction, “right when you walked into the room.”
Logan dropped his face into his hands with a groan. “Oh my god.”
Adrian let out a soft, wheezing laugh and quickly pulled the blanket over his face, shoulders shaking with silent amusement.
Dr. Tierney stood completely still, the tension in his posture betraying how hard he was working to maintain composure. His grip tightened on the tablet. His jaw clenched once, then relaxed. Very slowly, he turned back to Adrian, as if Zack had simply ceased to exist.
“I’ll come back once your... visitor is finished,” he said with surgical neutrality.
Adrian, still catching his breath from laughter, simply nodded, wiping the moisture from the corner of his eye. It had been so long since he had laughed like that, really laughed.
The door clicked softly shut behind Dr. Tierney, and the moment it did, Logan turned slowly to Zack, giving him a look so dry it could’ve been dust.
“Really?” he said, voice flat, unimpressed, the rim of his coffee cup hovering inches from his mouth.
Zack, utterly unfazed, simply placed a dramatic hand over his chest, feigning a swoon like some lovesick character in a play.
“What?” he said, blinking innocently. “I think I’m coming down with something. A fever. Maybe even a... burning sensation. Somewhere serious.”
