Page 30 of Carver
“It means one of two things. The boy either succeeds at ending himself and it destroys Prez, or we send him away for help, which also destroys Prez.”
Carver growls at both options. “He’s not fucking leaving.”
With heaving breaths, he stomped over to where Doc kneeled at the bedside. He watched as cream was applied, and bandages redressed. Some might have thought he was judging Doc’s movements. Everyone in this room understood it was more about him learning the process.
Because from that moment forward, the boy was Carver’s to care for. He wouldn’t leave the other’s man’s sight for longer than it took to shower and shit. Even then, Carver thought about leaving the door open in case something went sideways.
As soon as Doc was done, he moved out of the way. Carver slid into his spot. He itched to trail his fingers over the boy’s bruises. While it would serve no purpose in helping, Carver knew it would make him feel better. He might even catch a trace of the boy’s pulse as well.
He wanted the reminder. No, heneededit.
Instead of going for his neck, Carver grabbed the wrist laying in front of him. In seconds, he felt the steady, rhythmic beat signaling the boy was still with them.
“What do you want to do, Prez?” Slash asked in the silence.
It was in that moment Carver made his decision. Releasing the boy, he stood and faced his men.
“Slash, go find some type of containment system that will work for him. Nothing too big but not too small either. Buy three of them. One for my office, one for my room, and another for outside. Hex and Slayer, go find pillows and blankets that arethick. Nothing he can tie or hurt himself with. If one is weighted, that’s even better. Doc and Fury, write up a care plan for him. Work together to assess the best steps ahead for us. I’m going to put in a few calls to people I think might be able to help. Together, we can figure this out.”
The men agreed easily. Several of them appeared to be in better spirits with a plan of action ahead of them. Carver knew it helped him as well.
Once they all left, he sat on the bed beside the boy’s still form. Trix had been called to come stand outside the door to give Carver the privacy he needed while he made the calls. Since his face recognition program could work all by itself, he didn’t need to monitor it all that much.
Plus, all the Angels knew he had access to his systems on his phone. The man wouldn’t miss a beat if there was a new development.
With the wheels in motion, Carver dialed Royce for help first. They answered on the third ring.
“Don’t tell me you already need my help again. I can’t fathom all this communication, Carver. I’m starting to think you like me.”
He snorted at their tone. It managed to have him cracking a smile when the discussion wasn’t anything worth smiling at. But that was Royce’s charm. They simply made others feel good.
“I’m calling because there have been some developments since we last spoke. Our guest has now attempted twice.”
Carver didn’t need to explain any further than that. Royce would understand what he meant. They’d worked together long enough to get the point across without excessive detail. Besides, it would only anger Carver to have to go through it all again. He needed to remain calm if he wanted to get the information he hoped to.
“Fuck. How awful. I’m sorry, Carver. Are you needing me to take him on?”
His growl was instant. “No.”
“Oh-kay then,” Royce drawled, their Southern accent deepening. “Then how can I assist?”
“Resources. Information. Anything you know about dealing with this is appreciated. I’ve got some of the men working on it too, but there can never be too much information.”
Royce hummed. “I know of a few things I can send your way. I wish I could come by for a visit. Not because I’m a professional or anything. I’ve found that some people see me and how others treat me as a sign of their safety. It’s like an internal guidepost or something.”
Carver understood what they meant. The first time he’d seen Royce, he didn’t know what to make of them. Long brown hair, a skirt and heels, a hoodie in bubblegum pink, and makeup that made their eyes pop. It had been a striking combination.
When introduced, Royce had used they/them pronouns. Before them, Carver hadn’t met anyone who did. While it was a learning experience, it also turned out to be a beautiful business connection. Since then, they’d worked together to save hundreds of innocent people.
It had also prepared him for Trix’s distinctive style. He wasn’t shocked when his hacker started expanding their collection of clothes.
“You’re welcome anytime you want to come by.”
The smile in Royce’s voice was clear when they replied, “Good to know. Sometimes getting away from the chaos and expectations here is good. Let’s shoot for next week. I’ve got to press pause on a few things here.”
“As I said, anytime is good. And send over the other stuff as soon as you can, please. I want to get ahead of all this.”
Royce agreed easily, then they hung up. Carver stared at his phone for a moment before dialing the next number on his list. It only rang once when an out of breath man answered the phone.