Page 28

Dean raised a brow. “What?”

Simmons blinked. “Uh, nothing?”

Dean looked at Troy. “He have an appointment?”

Troy smiled. “People can come in here without an appointment, Dean, that’s...kind of how this works.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Save your jokes for the patients, Troy. Excuse me.”

He pushed his way past the two men and into his small cubicle. Plopping down, he jammed his finger on the power button of his computer, cursing when he realized it had already been on. Fuming, he waited until it finished its shutdown procedure so he could turn it back on again.

“Shit, what’s wrong with Doc?” he heard Simmons mutter.

“Um, he’s been like that for about a week now just...don’t mind him.”

“Fuck, man, Sloane almost took my head off today when I asked him what time he got off his shift. Think that’s got anything to do with it?”

Dean shoved at his desk, rolling over to the doorway with a clatter. “I think the two of you should stop gossiping and get back to what you’re here for in the first place. How about that?”

Troy turned, giving Simmons a shove toward the room. “Right, get your ass in there before you get us both killed.”

“Man, no one likes questions around here,” Simmons grumbled as he was pushed away.

Dean continued to glower until the two men were out of sight. That accomplished, he pushed back toward the computer just in time for it to pop up with the login screen. Ignoring the faint sound of quiet voices down the hall, he tapped at the keyboard, jabbing the enter button to get his day started.

The sound of soft footsteps coming up the hallway sent his heart racing. Few people walked that quietly, especially without their presence being announced by the sound of the door. Dean looked up to the doorway of his cubicle, wondering if he wanted it to be Sloane or terrified that it would be. He was spared by the presence of Marco, his hazel eyes shifting over Dean’s face before smiling gently.

Shoving his faint disappointment aside, Dean returned the smile. “Hey, Marco.”

“I can tell you’re not feeling much better.”

Dean sighed. “No, not really.”

Marco leaned against the doorway. “Want to talk about it?”

“No, but I’m open to drinking about it.”

“Is this the part where I remind you you already did that?”

Dean winced. “Can we not?”

The last thing he needed was to remember how abysmally drunk he’d gotten while he was supposed to be on a date with Marco earlier that week. As far as he knew, he hadn’t made a complete idiot of himself, but just the knowledge that he’d been drunk off his ass was enough to make him cringe. His attempts at making light of the situation bit him in the ass as surely as losing his temper with Sloane had.

“I know things have been a little...tense for you,” Marco began.

Dean snorted. “That’s one way to describe it.”

“Which is why I called. You were all but mute yesterday.”

Dean blinked, staring at the blank spot on the wall as he analyzed what Marco had said. After a moment, he realized the man was absolutely right. Dean had been so caught up in what he’d been doing he hadn’t touched his phone more than a few times throughout the day. True, the clinic had been busier than usual, a distraction Dean had welcomed, but Dean hadn’t been any better by the time he got back to his apartment.

Dean winced. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m more out of it than I thought.”

“You’re fine. Last I checked, Sloane was not only your best friend but someone you’ve never fought with before. This has got to be weird for you both.”

Dean laughed. “How are you still willing to give him credit? He didn’t exactly make a good first impression.”

“Anyone you’re willing to devote this much emotional energy to must be worth it. I can’t see you being this close to someone who was awful. He might have been...abrasive when I met him, but considering the circumstances, I can’t say I blame him.”