“Parker.” I say his name in utter disgust. “Are you serious?”
He shrugs but the move pains him, so I feel kind of badfor teasing him. “It’s basically a real-life role-playing video game. I’ve never played, but I like listening to it because it’s fun.”
“Sounds fun,” Parker says with a sigh, tipping his head back against the headrest.
I plug the directions to the diner into the car and navigate us onto the street. The sky is bright blue and the sun is high up in the sky, probably a perfect day to be outside. I try not to glance over at Parker as I drive, but it’s hard because my body is so attuned to his presence now. By the time we pull up to the diner, my hands are wrapped so tightly around the steering wheel that I’m afraid I’ve permanently lost some circulation.
“Hey,” Parker says.
I tip my head to look at him. “Yeah?”
“Mandy doesn’t have real patients. It’ll just be me, you, and her in the clean room at the back of the diner.”
“I’m not anxious.”
Parker purses his lips as if he doesn’t believe me but stays quiet. After hopping out of the car, I jog over to his side to open his door, offering help if he needs it. But I’m learning Parker is strong and resilient, but also stubborn as a mule. He keeps a hand tucked against his side to support himself as he hobbles into the almost empty diner despite it being prime brunch time.
It smells like pancake syrup and slightly burnt coffee, which kind of works together in an odd way. A few old guys sit in the corner chatting over what looks like their third cup of coffee, and the sound of cooking echoes from the kitchen. Mandy swears at the counter and moves toward us, tossing a dishrag over her shoulder.
“You look like you’re in pain,” Mandy notes with a glance up and down Parker.
“’Cause I am,” Parker deadpans.
Mandy tuts and nods toward the back. “Come on, kiddo. I’ll set you right.”
I follow along behind them with my hands tucked under my armpits to avoid touching anything or anyone. Parker pauses after Mandy enters a sterile-looking medical room and leans against the door so I can walk through without touching a thing. I mouththank youtoward him, and he mouthsyou’re welcomeback, and it feels like this little moment I want to fold up and keep in my pocket forever.
Mandy pats the angled exam chair in the middle of the room. “Hop on.”
Parker grimaces but does what she says. “Left ribs.”
“And how did that happen?” Mandy asks curiously, one eyebrow raised.
“No comment,” Parker says evasively.
“Hmm.” Mandy lifts his sweater carefully, helping to slip his arm out of the sleeve so his sweater is tucked around his neck to give her room to investigate. “I kind of want to do an X-ray, Parker. This looks like you could have a broken rib or two.”
Parker stares her down. “Mandy, be serious.”
“Parker, broken ribs can give you a punctured lung.”
“What will I get when they’re just bruised?”
“Less bed rest,” Mandy quips.
Parker gasps and narrows his eyes. “You don’t have the authority?—”
“Fuck you, I do.” Mandy narrows her eyes in return. “You think if I called Hayden right now and told him?—”
“Excuse me,” I say, interrupting them both. Mandy swingsher head toward me as if she forgot I exist. I clear my throat and give her a nod in permission. “He’ll do the X-ray.”
Parker’s jaw clenches but he doesn’t argue. Mandy’s smile is wide and knowing when she looks between us, but thankfully she keeps her mouth shut. The next ten minutes are full of helping to arrange Parker around in a back room that contains an X-ray machine and what looks like surgical equipment. He hands me his glasses and I hold them carefully to avoid getting smudges on the lenses.
“This is just for instances like this. When it’s really bad, like it was for Reid and Dante, we meet Eric at his hotel downtown,” Mandy explains to me from behind the protective wall. I can see Parker standing against the other wall with an irritated scowl, but he can’t see us. The X-ray appears and Mandy leans forward with a relieved sigh. “Well, fuck me. It’s not a break. Probably just a handful of painful contusions causing the bruising and swelling. He still needs to rest for at least a few days. Can you make him do that?”
I swallow hard. “Yeah.”
“I’ll tell Hayden and he can hate me for it.”
