Page 22 of Fire
“Roger!” Jake Hawthorne did not sound like he was bleeding out. That was good for Roger’s heart, though it didn’t improve hischances of eating supper while it was warm.
“Jake. Whatcha need?”
“Hey, can’t I call just to check in? Don’t want you going stir-crazy with no one to talk to.”
Usually, the boys called either once every other month—or five times a week when they ran into a tricky hunt. A call tonight was unusual but not improbable. “I was about to have a nice conversation with my dinner, actually. If you just want to chitchat, call back tomorrow.” Roger started to replace the receiver—if the Hawthornes really wanted to talk, they would redial after calling him an asshole a couple times.
“Hey, Roger.” That was Tobias, his voice hoarser than usual. Roger stopped, the phone a couple inches from his ear. “We’re sorry to b-bother you—this will only take a minute.”
“Remember telling me about that spirit that shows up in Rapid City only once a year, at the first spring thaw?” Jake asked.
“Yeah, you told me you’d take care of it.”
“Yup, that’s why we’re here, been staking it out all night every night for the last week. Only thing is, Toby’s coming down with something.”
“It’s just a cold,” Tobias said, and he was definitely congested. “But I don’t want to pass it on to Jake right before this thing strikes.”
“He wanted me to leave him behind at some other motel, and I told him fat chance,” Jake said. Roger could hear the eye roll. “But he won’t let up about being quarantined. So I was wondering if I can bring him to your place instead. Just for a few days.”
“I won’t be in your way,” Tobias said hurriedly, his voice a low rasp. “It’s just a cold, I can take care of myself. You won’t need to do anything?—”
“Like hell,” Jake broke in. “Roger had goddamn better keep an eye on you?—”
“—I can keep to myself?—”
“—and make sure you’re drinking enough water because youknowyou forget.”
“He doesn’t have to,” Tobias argued. Roger was pleased to hear the stubbornness in his voice, even over something so simple (and stupid, for Hawthornes) as whether or not the kid needed someone to watch him when he was sick.
“Uh-huh,” Jake said, skepticism and fondness pretty evenly balanced. “Roger, I’d really appreciate it if you let him stay. You up for that?”
“ ’Course I am,” Roger said. “Not the first time I’ve had a sick Hawthorne on my hands. You know I’m not much of a nursemaid, but you boys always have a bed here to crash on. I’ll make sure he gets his liquids.”
“Thanks, Roger.” The relief was clear in Jake’s voice. “See, Toby? I told you he’d be fine with it.”
“How far out are you guys?” Roger asked.
“We’re not going anywhere tonight. Gotta get our beauty rest. But we’ll see you before lunchtime tomorrow. Speaking of food, anything you want us to pick up?”
* * *
Jake and Tobiasarrived the next day, hauling in bags of groceries. Well, Jake was hauling. Tobias had some bags, but he had to stop frequently to blow his nose or cough. The food they piled on the counter was far more than the list Roger had read off and more than he had expected them to bring, even with Tobias sick. His meager counter space filled up with cans of soup, loaves of white bread, and about a year’s supply of cough drops and other over-the-counter meds.
“This is everything I’ll need.” Tobias coughed into his elbow. “You won’t need to do anything for me.” He took his duffel bag into the spare bedroom, and Jake turned on Roger, his eyes glinting.
“Don’t let him shut himself in his room all day. Or say he’s not hungry. Sometimes he’s really not hungry, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t eat something, right? Feed a cold and all that. If he tells you he’s fine but he won’t look at you, then he’s not. And don’t let him clean everything. It’s like, a habit. I tell him he’s supposed to be resting, but that doesn’t seem to help.”
“You want to write all that down?” Roger popped the top off a beer and offered it to Jake. He took it, huffing out a breath while Roger grabbed another one for himself.
“Hell, maybe.” Jake took a long pull on the bottle. “I’ll call every night, but you gotta let me know if he starts acting funny. Sometimes, when he’s sick—” Jake hesitated. “He falls back on the old rules. It feels safer.”
“Right.” Roger took a swallow of his own drink, buying a little time before answering. Finally he said, “We’ll manage. So, tell me about the stakeout in Rapid City.”
They settled in the living room while Jake went over the details of the case, comparing his and Tobias’s notes with Roger’s. Tobias reappeared eventually and slumped onto the couch beside Jake. He looked half asleep or exhausted, his head lolling back toward Jake’s shoulder, his fingers curling over the hem of Jake’s shirt.
Roger and Jake’s conversation carried on at a good clip, but the sensation of time slipping past hovered just beyond the talk of recent monsters hunted or law enforcement personnel narrowly avoided. Finally, with the sun dipping low in the sky, Roger brought up the obvious. “Jake, don’t you need to get back to Rapid City?”
Jake winced, looking at his watch. His other hand found Tobias’s. Tobias woke with what was almost a full-body flinch, until he realized who had touched him. Then his hand wrapped around Jake’s as well.
