Page 47 of Carver

And he watched.

Hex gave them the all clear before escorting them through a side door to the outdoor grill area. There were picnic tables, a large grill for when they did BBQs, and some inflatable pools. A few kids’ toys were in the corner as well, though they rarely were used.

Carver tried to picture what it was like to experience this as a new person on the grounds.Did it seem strange to Gideon?Mordecai’s home was much more extravagant, yet he had a feeling his sweet boy never saw much of it.

Before he could ask Gideon how he felt about anything, the boy stepped away from him. He took off toward the shadedarea without looking back. Hex and Carver shared nervous looks before following him.

It was only as he dropped down the ground and crawled forward that it hit him. Gideon was climbing inside the outdoor cage Carver had gotten. His groan was soft enough his sweet boy likely wouldn’t hear. Hex did though.

“Damn,” the other man said. “I thought he was having a good day.”

“Me too. I feel like there's more to this we’re not understanding.”

A scream halted their conversation. Carver rushed over, his arms wrapping around his boy and pulling him from where he’d partially climbed inside the cage. “What’s wrong!?”

Hex made a wounded sort of noise. “Look at his hands, Boss.”

Carver saw exactly what was wrong. Red welts covered Gideon’s skin in the shape of the bars. As Carver checked over the rest of his body, he felt a sense of thanks that his boy’s skin was covered in other places. Who knew how much more damage there could have been?

“We need to get to Doc right fucking now.”

“You take him. I’m right behind you calling him in.” Hex ran over to the door they’d come through and held it open.

Carver took off in a jog through the building. People looked their way, but with Hex shouting at Doc to“get his ass to med bay”they all got a clear picture of what the rush was for.

They ran into Doc in the hall right outside the bay. His eyes widened when he saw the boy’s hands. “Fuck me. How did this happen?”

“Outside. The bars were hot. Didn’t think anything of it before he tried to get inside of it.” Carver’s words were full of self-loathing.

How could he have fucked up so badly? Why did Gideon even trust him? Aside from feeding him and giving him a bed, Carver had failed him in so many ways.

The dark thoughts almost made him leave the room. Gideon would be better off with someone who could be there for him in all ways.

But then his sweet boy reached out in his direction with those badly burned hands. Carver pushed them back to the bed where Gideon laid as he took up a position to watch over him. He ran his hands over the boy’s soft curls.

“It’s ok, sweet boy. I’m here. I’ve got you.” Carver felt the words deep in his bones.

He’d never let Gideon down again.

Twenty-Two

The burnson Gideon’s hands weren’t severe enough to need to go to the hospital, though they did require his hands be bandaged long enough for his body to heal. There was also an ointment for Carver to rub on his skin daily.

All of this was good news. Carver appreciated knowing his boy would be able to recover from this with time and some patience.

What threw Carver for a loop was how much the bandaged hands interfered with Gideon’s daily life. He’d started to take care of a lot of things on his own. Now, he was forced to depend on others—namely Carver.

At lunch, Gideon was too tired to eat. Carver managed to convince him to drink a protein shake they’d concealed as chocolate milk. Food, however, was a no-go.

Dinner was different. Gideon’s stomach audibly rumbled when the scent of food reached their room. Trix was the one to deliver it with a grin.

“I needed to see how y’all were for myself,” he told Carver.

“We’re fine. Just resting and soon to be eating.” Carver’s reply didn’t dismiss Trix the way he expected it to. “Did you need something else?”

Trix looked from Carver to Gideon. When his eyes met his boss’s again, Carver saw what his silence meant. Trix had an update.

What was the update about though? Had he found Gideon’s mom? Were there other developments in the case? Was it something Angels related instead?