Page 21 of Capturing Perfection

Damn it. Why do you always have to make sense when I least want to hear it?

That’s what makes me the brains of this operation and I get paid the big bucks.

Tim, I keep telling you—those colorful bills the LT gave you? Not legal tender. That’s Monopoly money.

Maybe. But I bought three fake hotels and emotionally bankrupted Internal Affairs with it, so who's laughing now?

Sheath thy sword, drama queen.

Afraid my sword’s too big for you to handle?

Oh, I’m sure your sword is mighty... mighty underwhelming. Like a lightsaber from Wish.

BTW…Thanks

NP. Call me when he's in recovery.

He closed the app. Tim really was the best. Two months ago, he'd taken his partner toThe City Tap Houseand come clean about his and Logan's full backstory. He didn't share any part of Logan's history before entering the foster system, but honesty was critical to his and Tim's partnership. As much as they all tried to deny it, personal lives bled into professional ones, and Tim needed to understand the depths of Clay's involvement with Logan. He'd shared where he and Logan came from, where they were now, and their hopes for the future. The recent shift in their relationship shocked Tim; he had assumed Clay and Logan were just one of those on-again, off-again couples.

This past week, Clay had been a nervous wreck, and his partner had seriously stepped up. He and Sam had welcomed Logan into their lives with open arms. Clay knew the pair were eager to see how Logan would do once the implants were activated. Emails reviewed and organized into folders for priority review later, Clay browsed through an audiobook website and selected the latest release from one of his favorite authors. He'd listened to several of their books because the narrator brought the pages to life. He didn't care what anyone claimed. An AI generated audiobook never stood up against an authentic voice actor. He opened the file and set about escaping into the world of intrigue, espionage, and sexy spies.

He sat with his eyes closed—captivated by the drama unfolding through his ears—but jumped when a hand tapped him on the shoulder from behind. He spun his head and saw a nurse standing there with a smile on her face.

Clay removed the earbuds.

“Sorry. I was pretty engrossed in what I was doing.”

“It’s fine. I can be pretty oblivious when I have mine on. I wanted to let you know Mr. Callen is out of surgery. The doctorwill call you in a few moments. After you’re done with the call, you'll receive a text message when you can head back to the recovery area to see him.”

Clay looked at his watch, surprised to see that another hour had passed. “Thank you very much.”

Clay packed up his stuff. He started his audiobook again, but couldn't concentrate on the story. He opened one of his social media apps and mindlessly scrolled. When his phone rang through his earbuds, he almost threw it across the room.

“Hello?”

“Mr. Phillips?”

Clay tried to make his voice sound far more stable than he actually was. “Yes.”

“This is Dr. Cleary. Mr. Callen’s out of surgery, and he did beautifully. The procedures went as planned. He’s in recovery and should wake up soon. I need to caution you that with his history of vestibular insult from the head injury, he may be very dizzy for the next couple of days. How he is when he wakes up will determine how long we keep him.”

Clay let out a heavy breath. “Thank you, doctor.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll be checking on Mr. Callen in a little while.”

Clay hung up the phone, and for the first time all day, a huge smile crossed his face. The desk attendant gave him a smile and a wink. Clay went back to the phone and impatiently waited for the text. He'd listened to another two chapters when the screen flashed Logan was ready for visitors. He went up to the desk.

"Excuses me?" He held up his phone. "Logan Callen?"

The attendant typed on his computer for a few seconds. "Yes, Sir. They moved him to a surgical recovery wing. If you go down the hall and take the purple-colored elevators to floor five, you’ll see the signs directing you. He's been assigned to room 578."

“Thank you.”

Clay’s feet carried him swiftly in the direction the nurse instructed. He visited a gift shop en route. Investigating the offerings, Clay searched for just the right item. There were the usual flowers, but that might be a bit too much. He saw nauseatingly cute stuffed animals and balloons that said get well, but none of them called to him either.

He was about to give up when he spied a book entitledHospital War Games: How to capture that extra cup of pudding.He figured Logan would appreciate the humor. Once he paid for the souvenir, he returned to his original mission. He found Logan in his assigned room. Logan still had an IV attached to his right hand, and someone had wrapped his head like a mummy, but to Clay, he looked beautiful.

Clay quietly walked up to the bed and placed his hand on the lump of Logan’s foot ensconced under the covers. Logan’s eyes opened, meeting his. Clay squeezed the foot and mouthed, “Love you.”

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