In His Sights Read online

  He strode over and climbed on to Mason’s bike. He carefully pulled out onto the road and followed the directions the police had given him to the hospital.

  Noah tried to keep his thoughts on his driving and away from Mason. His worry would do nothing to help the situation. The best thing would be for him to arrive at the hospital safely, there he’d find out about Mason. And how Noah could take care of him. Because that was exactly what Noah planned to do—be there for Mason no matter what. Regardless of how Mason felt about it.

  Forced to follow the laws of the road, Noah took nearly thirty-five minutes to reach the hospital. What would he do if the attendants wouldn’t allow him in to see Mason? He wasn’t family. He could feign being his boyfriend. It wouldn’t be hard to do. But even that wasn’t a guarantee they’d let him in. It’d depend on who guarded the gate.

  About to enter the hospital, Noah spotted a familiar face. One of the paramedics from the accident, and she headed right toward Noah. Noah released the breath he held and changed his course with plans for interception.

  Linda glanced toward him and smiled. “Hey, you made it here fast.”

  “Yeah. The tow truck said they’ll take care of everything, I could go ahead.”

  “That’s great.” Her smile grew. “Your man is set up in his own curtained cubicle.”

  The your man struck Noah, but he wasn’t sure with what. The usual fear of someone suspecting he liked men wasn’t bearing down on him like an out of control tank. Instead, he felt good, very good, with Linda thinking he was Mason’s man. Or rather, Mason was Noah’s. Either way worked for him.

  “Are you okay?” Linda asked, pulling Noah from his thoughts.

  He felt foolish and didn’t want to mention where his thoughts had traveled, so instead he said, “I was thinking they might not let me in.”

  “We can’t have that. Come with me.” Linda grabbed onto Noah’s hand and proceeded to walk them down the hall. After a few seconds, she released him and pointed. “There’s a door up ahead. Stay close to me, and try to look like you belong.” Giving Noah another glance, she said, “Better yet, just act regular. You already have that ‘don’t mess with me’ swagger. We’ll get you right in.” She gave him a conspiratorial wink.

  Right at that moment, Noah was grateful Linda had been one of the people charged with taking care of Mason.

  “He’s right in here.”

  “Thank you.” Without thinking, Noah pulled Linda into a hug. “Thank you for everything.”

  Linda wore a huge smile when she pulled back. “Tell him when he wakes up, he needs to get well soon. You’re too good a catch to leave out in the world alone.”

  Noah walked into the curtained area and a bout of nausea hit him. With his first sight of Mason, the sensation intensified. Mason lay in the bed, his complexion pale. Someone had cleaned some of the blood off his face, and a bandage hid his wound.

  It was hard to distinguish whether he lay asleep or still unconscious. Noah’s belief it was the latter had his chest constricting. Noah moved over to the bed, his pace slow. Mason appeared fragile, and Noah was afraid if he moved too close, he might actually break the man.

  Noah made it to Mason’s bedside and let his finger graze up Mason’s arm. “Hey, baby. It’s Noah. I just got here.” Noah’s gaze moved to focus on the heart monitor. The beep meant to be reassuring instead drilled into Noah’s mind the reason they were there. Why they were actually hearing the noise. Noah tore his gaze away, and it raced back to Mason’s face. Mason’s skin seemed clammy, and Noah wanted to wipe it, but he remained still, afraid of touching Mason. Hurting him.

  “Everything’s going to be all right. You just need to wake up.” Noah heard the pleading in his voice and didn’t care. He’d kneel on the floor and beg in front of the nurses and doctors if he thought it would help Mason wake up quicker.

  Footsteps behind Noah caused him to turn around as a nurse entered the makeshift room. She stopped mid-step when she noticed Noah. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize anyone was in here besides the patient.”

  Noah stared at her. She seemed too young to be a real nurse. Maybe she was there with her mom, playing dress up.

  “I’m Mary. And you are?” The authority in her voice told Noah she was the real thing.

  “I’m his brother.” It was the first thing that popped into Noah’s mind. He wouldn’t be thrown out because he was of no relation to Mason.

  She looked at the paperwork in her hand. “So, you’d be listed on his medical files as—”

  Noah cut her right off. “No. I don’t live local. I just happened to be visiting when this went down.”

  “Okay.”

  Noah unclenched the fists he had crammed in his pockets.

  The nurse lost interest in Noah. She moved closer to the bed and took Mason’s vitals. When she finished, she glanced at Noah and smiled. The lust in her gaze sent another clue she was at least of legal age. Deciding to use her obvious attraction to his advantage, and the fact she believed Noah was Mason’s brother, he asked her about Mason.

  “What do they think is wrong with him?”

  “Our main concern is head trauma. The doctor will be back in shortly.”

  Noah lost track of time. All he knew for sure was that it was hours later. He sat in the seat next to Mason, after the doctor had told him all Mason’s tests had come back okay, and now they felt concerned as to why Mason remained unconscious.

  The temperature in the room went up. Noah stood to pace around the room. He wasn’t daring to head outside for concern over having to come back in. Instead, he circled halfway around Mason’s bed one way, then back the other. After about the one hundredth time, a thought struck. Noah moved over to one of the chairs where Mason’s belongings were to find his phone. Noah needed to contact Mason’s mom to let her know about Mason.

  Her number would be on Mason’s phone. Noah couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought about calling her earlier, but he’d cut himself some slack. This whole accident had him acting and feeling way the hell out of his comfort zone. Hell, he’d been in firefights while outnumbered ten to one, captured by enemies and tortured, and even hurt beyond what was thought to be fixable, but he’d never been as scared as earlier when he’d first spotted Mason’s truck. He took a deep breath, wanting to slow his pounding heart. It would do Mason no good for Noah to get worked up. He needed to keep his cool and be here for when Mason needed him.

  Noah peered in Mason’s bag of clothing. His phone wasn’t there. Noah checked again, not finding the phone.

  He waited until the nurse came into the room. “Excuse me. Do you know if they put the rest of his things somewhere else?”

  “Should be everything in that bag. That’ll go with him once they move him into a room.”

  Those words perked up Noah’s ears. “You think they’ll be moving him soon?”

  “I’m pretty sure they’re just waiting for another room. Maybe a couple more hours.” The nurse pouted her lips. “If you’d like to take a break, I’m heading down to the café in about ten minutes. You can come along.”

  Noah wouldn’t allow himself to get upset with the nurse’s blatant flirting. It was his own fault. He had told the first nurse he was Mason’s brother, so why should this one suspect anything else? It wasn’t as if he and Mason were kissing cousins. Regardless, Noah turned her invitation down.

  The nurse had been right. Another two hours passed before they moved Mason into his room. And thankfully, the room was private. Noah spotted the chair in the corner, and he swore his ass cheeks wept. He’d learned long ago how to sleep anywhere and as far as some of the spaces were, the chair in the emergency area had felt like a luxury five-star hotel. But in the more recent months, his ass had come to expect higher quality.

  With Mason lying quietly in his bed, Noah checked his watch. It was 01:00 A.M. when he finally settled and closed his eyes.

  Later, his eyes flew open. Someone in the room moved. It took him a second to realize the noise had
been Mason and what that meant. He jumped out of his seat instantly and ran to Mason’s side.

  “Holy shit. You’re awake. Thank God. How do you feel?”

  “Noah, stop.”

  “I need to call the doctor. Tell him you’re awake.”

  “Noah. Please.”

  Noah didn’t hear Mason right away. He was too busy flipping out that Mason woke up.

  It was when Mason took Noah’s hand and squeezed that Noah actually stopped talking for a second, giving Mason enough time to interject.

  “Noah. Where the hell am I?”

  That can’t be good. “What?”

  “I mean…I can tell it’s a hospital. But what the hell am I doing here? What happened?”

  “You were in a car accident.” Mason stared at Noah, fear filling his gaze.

  “What?” Mason closed his eyes. And his face scrunched up as if he were in pain.

  Noah had a tightness in his chest. “Hold on. I’ll get the doctor.”

  Mason held on to Noah. “Wait. Don’t. Not yet.” Mason took a deep breath, then opened his eyes. “Tell me everything that happened first.”

  “You don’t remember?”

  “No. I remember heading to the office. And that’s about it. Guess I never made it.”

  Noah tightened his grip on the railing. His mind raced. Mason had no clue he’d reached the office. But he’d been awake at the scene.

  “You don’t remember being at the office?”

  “No. I didn’t make it, did I?”

  A commotion at the door cut Noah’s next words off and had both men turning around.

  “I thought I heard talking in here. Does that mean our patient’s awake?” the new nurse, Noah couldn’t remember her name, said. “I’ll get in touch with the doctor, I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear you’re up.”

  “He doesn’t remember the accident or what happened before it,” rushed out of Noah’s mouth.

  “That happens sometimes. No need to get worked up over it just yet.”

  The nurse continued to look over Mason even as she answered Noah. “How are you feeling otherwise, Mr. Carlyle?”

  “My head hurts. Body aches a little. And my mouth is dry. But besides that, I’m okay. Tired.”

  “All right. Let’s grab you some ice chips and we’ll see what we can do about the pain.” She brought her attention back to Mason’s medical file. “Okay. The doctor’s prescribed some pain medication. I’ll set you up with that, then I’ll contact your doctor.”

  “He’ll be available now?” Noah asked, glancing at his watch and noticing the late, or rather early hour.

  “Sure. There is always a doctor on call.”

  Mason’s eyes closed even before the nurse walked out of the room. Hearing his slight snore echo through the room comforted Noah.

  Another hour and a half passed. Mason slept the time away while Noah watched the second hand on the clock move at an unusually slow pace. Or at least it felt longer than normal. Noah continued to listen to the noisy puffs of air coming from Mason as if they were a lifeline. Every once in the while Noah stood up and made his way over to Mason’s side. Noah needed a visual. He needed the vision of Mason’s chest rising and falling taking in the air necessary for him to live. All the while, Noah’s brain tried to comprehend how bad Mason had been hurt. In the military, there’d been plenty of times when Noah had witnessed people blocking out traumatic events. So yeah, he could grasp Mason not remembering the accident. But the fact Mason didn’t remember what he’d done the rest of the day, had Noah concerned. Noah hoped whatever caused it didn’t mean something worse than what the doctors originally thought. And where the hell was the doctor? A lot of time had passed since the nurse said she’d call him. Should Noah head over to the nurses’ station?

  Chapter 27

  Noah paced the small area around the bed. The earlier nurses had given him permission to spend the night, at least until Mason woke up. If he walked out and made a commotion about the doctor coming, the new nurses might rescind their offer, and there was no way Noah would leave. Not without a police escort. His only choice was to sit tight.

  He should use the time to contemplate his reaction at finding Mason hurt, and the feelings he’d dealt with ever since. The ones which had Noah realizing if something worse had happened to Mason, Noah wasn’t sure how he’d have dealt with it. But instead, Noah would hold off on those thoughts until they confirmed Mason’s condition hadn’t worsened. Or maybe until Mason came home—safe and sound.

  Noah jerked upright in his chair and peered at the door when loud voices broke through the quiet. Before the first person stepped foot in Mason’s room, Noah stood and raced to Mason’s bedside.

  A tall man with graying hair and a tight smile, walked in with the nurse. Before the man made his way to Mason, he spotted Noah and walked over to him. The guy held out his hand. “Hi, I’m Dr. Belamy. And I just received news someone woke up.”

  “Hi, doc. I’m Noah. Mason’s ah…brother.”

  The doctor peered from Noah to Mason and back. He seemed to give Noah’s words some thought.

  Noah held his breath.

  The doctor’s smile relaxed, and Noah’s did the same. Whatever the man thought, it didn’t seem he planned to blow Noah’s cover.

  The doctor walked over and picked up Mason’s charts. “Great. All the tests came back clear. Everything’s working the way it should.”

  “No. Not really.”

  The doctor watched Noah with his head tilted. “What has you concerned, Noah?”

  Noah glanced at the nurse, then back at the doctor. He appeared as if he wanted to hear what Noah had to say.

  “At the scene of the accident, he spoke to me. He was coherent. He told me things. Even asked me to do him a favor. But now. Tonight. When he woke up, he’d forgotten everything. Not only the accident, and what he said to me, but also what he’d done before the accident. Where he’d gone.”

  The doctor shook his head. “That’s normal sometimes. After a traumatic event, to protect itself, sometimes the mind shuts down.”

  “Even if he remembered everything earlier?”

  “Yeah. We didn’t find anything wrong with the tests. I’d say there’s a good chance it’ll only be temporary. It might take a little time, but he should get his memory back.”

  “Can you tell when?”

  “No. It’s dependent on the individual, and there’s really no way to tell.”

  “Should I fill him in? Tell him what he missed? Help him remember?”

  “You could. But I recommend letting him figure everything out by himself. But if it’s something he needs to know, like a death in the family, or his livelihood is dependent on his memory returning, then I’d say you could tell him. Either way, you should be careful. Pushing him too hard could cause the memory loss to continue longer.”

  “Then I’ll keep my mouth shut.” Noah thought about how pushy Mason was. He let out a small laugh. “Unless he gets on me about telling him.”

  “That could happen,” the doctor agreed with a smile on his face.

  As Noah and the doctor finished talking, the nurse moved away from the bed, appearing as if she’d finished what she needed.

  Mason fussed in the bed, but his eyes stayed closed.

  “Hey, Mason. It’s Dr. Belamy.” I wondered if you mind waking up so we can talk.”

  “Hmmm. Go away. Come back later.”

  Everyone standing laughed. Mason moaned. It wasn’t the I’m in pain kind of moan, it was a leave me alone kind of sound.

  Noah, standing at the bedside, ran his fingers up Mason’s arm. “Come on, Mas. We need you to wake up for a little while.”

  “Let me be.” Mason sounded stronger than he had earlier. “And stop stealing all the covers.” He tugged at the blanket and pulled the material out from where it was caught. “That’s better.”

  Noah’s face heated, and his heart raced. Fear of what he’d spot on the doctor’s face had him ignoring the other man, all h
is focus on Mason.

  When Noah heard the doctor laugh, he peered at him. The doctor gazed at the door, as the nurse made her way from the room. That left only Noah, Mason, and the doctor.

  The doctor laughed again. “I thought for sure you were twins.”

  Noah peeked at the doctor’s smiling face.

  “It’s all good. I’m not telling anyone.” He winked at Noah. “I know how it was for my husband and me before we were married.”

  Noah had never been so relieved to learn someone was gay. The thought flushed away from Noah’s mind with a moan coming from Mason. This one sounded as if he was in pain.

  Noah needed to wake him up. “Mason. Come on. The doctor’s here. He wants to meet you.” Noah carefully shook Mason’s shoulder. More comfortable, Noah glimpsed at the doctor and said, “He’s not usually this hard to wake up.”

  “It could be the medication.”

  Mason slapped Noah’s hand away, and Mason opened his eyes. Even though they appeared bloodshot, Noah was happy to see them open. Then, just as fast, they closed.

  “What the fuck, Noah. It’s zero-dark-thirty. What’s your problem? Go back to sleep.”

  Noah smiled. Yeah, that was the Mason he’d come to know and lo—Fuck. “Mason, you’re in the hospital. The doctor’s here. He wants to talk to you.”

  Mason opened first one, then the other eye. He gazed around to take in Noah, the doctor, and the nurse, who’d come back in the room.

  “Fuck.”

  “I thought you’d say that,” Noah agreed.

  “Good morning, Mr. Carlyle. It is rather early, but we thought it would be a good time to check you out, as you just recently woke up.”

  “Yeah. But I fell back to sleep.”

  “I’m sorry about that. We’ll check you over quickly, then you can go back to sleep. At least until a more reasonable hour, when the nurses come back, pushing and prodding,” the doctor said.

  “Not that reasonable. We still have our morning rounds to do.” The nurse peered at her watch. “That’ll be in about two and a half hours.”

  The doctor spent the next half hour reviewing all the things they’d done and all the information they’d found out. Which had been almost nothing—they hadn’t come up with a reason for Mason losing consciousness.