Page 17 of Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang Us, Daddy

“I’m right here, baby. Don’t worry. Dad’s coming. He’s gonna make it all better.”

I close my eyes for what feels like a second, but when I open them, Benji’s kneeling on one side of me, and Nate is on the other, his hand caressing my cheek. I blink, trying to figure out if this is just part of some fever dream. But each time I open my eyes, he’s still here, staring down at me like the fate of the world depends on me, and he’s going to protect me with all the strength he’s got.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to have all that much strength at the moment. His face looks how I feel. Exhausted. Sweaty and icky. There’s even a light-green hue to his face, but that could just be my fever kicking up.

“Nate,” I croak, my eyes watering. I hate how needy I sound. Benji is the one who needs coddling, not me. I don’t need anyone to dote on me or treat me like I matter, because I don’t.

“Hey, little guy,” he answers, sounding pained. He kneels next to me and places his hand on top of Benji’s, which is cupping my cheek. Nate’s thumb brushes across Benji’s knuckles a few times, but his eyes are locked on mine. “I think we’re both in the same boat, right now.”

“You’re sick, too?”

He nods. “Yeah, I’m really sorry you’re not feeling well, buddy. I wasn’t feeling great at dinner, then I let you sleep next to me and probably breathed in your face all night. I’m so sorry.” He’s studying me closely. If he were anyone else, I might even say a little too closely, but Nate’s not just anybody. He’s safety and security. He’s endless sunshine bursting through the rainclouds, making the whole world just a little bit brighter.With Nate, I don’t mind the intrusion. He’s a kind man with a good heart, and for some reason, he seems smitten with us. Wanting to thank him for coming all the way down here to check on me, I hold a hand out for him. Benji’s got his face buried in the crook of my neck, offering me affectionate comfort in lieu of prescription pain relievers. Nate takes my hand and gives me a gentle squeeze. “What do you say we get out of here?”

I nod, whining, “Please? Hate this stupid place. Hate this stupid job. Wanna go home.”

“Home,” Nate coos. “That’s right, buddy. Home.”

“Wait,” a familiar voice calls out, and when I look up, Meadows is jogging across the small waiting room as if he’s trying to catch a train leaving the station. Considering I’m still sitting down, unable to move, there’s really no need for him to rush, but I guess he lives for the drama. He quickly makes his way toward the reception desk, his wavy red hair bouncing like aBaywatchdaddy. He’s got a bottle of Powerade and a package of cheese crackers. When he reaches us, he hands them both to me. “Hey, Bennet.” He’s got the same concerned look on his face as Nate and Benji. Like the rest of them, he holds the back of his hand against my forehead, checking my fever. “Fuck. You really are burning up.”

“Language,” Nate scolds before remembering who he’s talking to. He scolds everyone for using bad words, but he’s clearly forgotten he’s standing in the presence of an actual killer. Maybe? I mean, I know he’s a surgeon, but maybe he moonlights for extra cash? I know he’s one of the heavy hitters here. From the training material he gave us, there are only two people above him in the agency’s company hierarchy.

“Excuse me?” Meadows says. He doesn’t look angry, just taken aback. I don’t think he’s used to anyone talking back to him. At first, I think Nate might backtrack, apologizing out of fear.

Instead, with trepidation still present on his face, he clears his throat and deepens his voice, saying, “There’s no need to be crass. I’m trying to teach my boys right from wrong, and you throwing out four-letter words like Mardis Gras beads doesn’t help the situation in the slightest.”

Meadows watches Nate, his eyebrows lifting in amusement. “Your boys?”

Nate nods. “Yeah. My boys—and right now, one of them needs me. So, I’m going to take him home, and I’d appreciate it if you’d watch your mouth around Benji when I’m gone.”

“What?” Benji asks, jerking away from me. “You’re leaving me here?” While he’s asking the question, Nate’s still laying into Meadows, leaving just me and Benji to soak in the meaning of Nate’s statement. “I have to stay here? Without you?”

After everything we went through with Nito, I made a promise to myself to never leave him alone again. I spent a week without the other half of my soul, and it felt like I was emotionally bankrupt the entire time. I grab my half-heart necklace as Benji reaches up to grab his. Benjican’tbe away from me, and I don’t want to be away from him. He gets scared so easily.

Nate blinks a few times, still looking really tired. Suddenly, it’s like a light switches on and he realizes what a ridiculous thought it was. “What? No. Sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking. Of course, you’re coming home too. You’re a package deal. I’m not feeling my best, buddy. I’m sorry for scaring you.”

Meadows stands beside Benji, petting his hair like he’s some kind of lap dog. I want to slap the hand away, but the man has an entire surgical wing in this underground labyrinth, so I’m pretty sure he could do a lot worse to me. Doesn’t stop me from doing it, though.

“Stop bothering him,” I growl, placing my hand where Meadows’ just was. Instead of rage, my threat is met with soft laughter. When I look up, Meadows is smiling warmly.

“My bad,” he says, holding his hands up in surrender. He kneels in front of Benji and widens his smile, probably to put my best friend at ease. “You can go if you want, but if you stay, I’ll make it worth your while. I really could use the help with the filing. We’re almost a year behind.”

Benji blinks at him. “Worth my while? How?”

Meadows chews his cheek as he thinks. “How about I drive you home after work, and we can stop at the Dairy Queen and get ice cream?”

“A chocolate dipped cone?”

Meadows wriggles his eyebrows. “I’ll get youallthe chocolate dipped cones.” When Benji finally nods his approval, Meadows lets out a sigh of relief.

“Okay. Yeah. I’ll stay. But . . . Mr. Meadows?”

“Yeah, kid?”

Benji cocks a brow at him. “If you think you’re bribing me with a goddamn ice cream cone, you’ve got another think coming. Cash. I want cold hard cash. Wanna buy my dad something pretty, because he’s the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Language,” Nate barks, though his cheeks are pinkening from the compliment. He quickly smiles at Benji, saying, “Thank you, son,” before jerking his neck in Meadows’ direction, hissing, “You see? This is what I mean. Less than half a day with you and you’ve got him swearing like he’s in a PG-13 film. I won’t stand for it, son.”

Meadows snickers. “I’m thirty-five.”

---