Page 26 of Consumed
“I….” Con swallowed. “You’re my partner. I’m supposed to look out for you.”
Isaac lifted Con’s filthy right hand off the gearshift knob, brought it to his lips, and kissed the back of it.
They were silent for the rest of the drive.
* * *
Once they were inside the hospital, they got into another argument.
Not right away. First some of the medical staff whisked Isaac away, and then the remaining ones—who had nothing else to do in the deserted ER—insisted on examining Con too. He was fine, other than scrapes and bruises. His legs hurt, but that was normal. He had a chance to wash up a little, which was nice, although his suit was probably a goner. When one of the nurses noticed the state of his cane, she found him a new one. He kept the old one, however, feeling he owed it a place of honor.
Next he had to explain to the doctors and nurses what had happened. He’d briefly considered making up a story: Isaac had gone for a midnight walk and fallen, maybe, and Con had taken a tumble too. Except that didn’t explain the very obvious bite on Isaac’s shoulder. So Con told the truth, which turned out to make a huge impression on the medical staff. In fact, he ended up telling them about the orcs too, mostly to distract himself from worrying about Isaac. They were fascinated.
Finally a nurse brought Con to the exam room where Isaac waited. One shoulder of Isaac’s hospital johnny had been lowered, exposing his professionally rebandaged bite. Other than that he looked pretty good, Con thought, apart from his messy hair. Oh hell, he looked beautiful. The guy couldn’t manage to be plain even after nearly dying.
Isaac’s smile was broad and bright. “Luckily, it’s only my brain. Which is not one of my more important parts.”
Con didn’t know whether to panic or laugh. “I think your brain’s pretty important, actually.”
“Well, it’ll be fine, according to the doc. No harm done.”
Skeptical, Con looked at the doctor, who was scribbling something on her clipboard. “No harm?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Probably not. He’s not showing much in the way of symptoms now, aside from a headache. We don’t have the equipment here to do a brain scan, and your partner doesn’t want to go to Flagstaff and get one. And frankly, I don’t think it’s necessary. I’m going to release him, if you’re willing to keep an eye on him for the next day or so.”
“Of course. But are you sure?”
As Isaac rolled his eyes, the doctor gave Con a reassuring smile. “Observation for twenty-four hours. Bring him back if he shows new symptoms. Otherwise, he needs to rest for at least a couple of days. Nothing that requires physical or mental effort. And nothing that makes him feel worse.”
“That means,” Isaac said, “I get to sit on my ass and watch TV.”
“Our room doesn’t have a TV.”
“Shit, that’s right. Well, then sit on my ass and contemplate the error of my ways.” He sounded unexpectedly cheerful at the prospect, then sobered a little. “You don’t mind babysitting?”
“No.” Con turned to the doctor. “Is it okay if he sleeps?”
“Yeah. People used to believe that if a concussed patient fell asleep, they might end up in a coma. But it turns out that’s an old saw. Sleep is fine—probably for the best, in fact—as long as everything seems okay. You might wake him every couple of hours just to make sure.”
While Isaac grumbled about that part, Con nodded. “Got it.”
After that there were more instructions for Isaac, thankfully in printed form, and discharge paperwork for both of them. Con took care of it all, which made Isaac happy.
It was when the nurse handed Isaac his ruined clothing in a plastic bag that Con and Isaac had the argument. A quiet one.
“I’m going to call the chief,” Con said, taking out his phone. He was getting decent cell service here.
“Don’t. He doesn’t have to know about this.”
“Of course he does!”
“Why? It wasn’t part of our mission. The ghoul’s gone, thanks to you. I’ll be fine. Nobody else was involved.”
“The rules say….” Con stopped himself and took a few breaths. “We’re Bureau agents. You were very nearly killed by a ghoul. He should know about this.”
They went back and forth for a few minutes, Con doing his best to mask his frustration. Finally, though, he crossed his arms. “He’s going to find out anyway from the insurance claim. Would you rather he hear about it from us directly or from Holmes?”
Isaac’s shoulders slumped. “God, not Holmes. Fine. Call him.”
