Page 8 of Lane (East Dremest Mafia #5)

ALTON

The flu was making its rounds in the Altair building. I had déjà vu from the last time I was here for the same illness. Back then, Jordan worried over Vail and Hartley, who weren’t his partners yet. Today, numerous guards were sick.

I’d already tested Ava, which came back positive, but she was rebounding fast. I didn’t give her an antiviral.

Fortunately, Jordan and his partners didn’t come down with it.

Unfortunately, it was spreading through the others in his staff.

I’d been around countless patients with it and even fought a bout of it myself.

I stopped on the fifth floor to check in with Vail. The scent of homemade chicken soup floated to me before I was even in the door of his kitchen. Vail was busy at the stove with two big stock pots in front of him.

“Still feeling okay?” I asked.

Vail brushed his hands on his apron and lifted his head.

Dark-brown hair fell onto his forehead, his face sweaty from cooking.

He smiled. “Hey, Alton. Yeah, still good. I can’t say the same for the others.

I think Sheldon might finally be over the worst of it.

I’m trying to keep them hydrated, but it’s not easy. ”

“Barry sent me a list of who I need to see. I’m going to visit them individually to lessen the spread.”

“At least they’re all vaccinated.”

“I’m grateful they take me up on it when I offer vaccines. Without it, this would be much worse.”

“Stop by for some soup on your way out. I’m making it in bulk.”

I grinned. “Will do.”

Everything that came from Vail’s kitchen was amazing. He could have opened his own restaurant, but he enjoyed caring for the people in this building.

I decided to tackle the patients from the top down, starting with Reghan. Barrett had texted me this morning he was vomiting and looked gray.

Barrett answered when I knocked on the door. His light-brown hair was going every which way, and his T-shirt was covered in wrinkles. “Oh, thank fuck. I don’t like him being sick.”

“When did the symptoms start?”

Barrett gave me the details as I walked into their bedroom and found Reghan curled up in bed, shaking from chills beneath the blankets.

I examined him quickly and did the rapid test. Sure enough, he had the flu.

After giving Barrett a list of dos and don’ts, I sent in a prescription for an antiviral.

My guess was there were going to be quite a few of them.

One of the guards would run out and pick them up.

Neither Raiden nor Marshall caught the virus and were both steering clear of those who did. That meant I wouldn’t see Raiden on my trip to the building today. It was probably for the best. He didn’t say much to me anyway.

Next, it was to the eighth floor where Sheldon was. As Vail had said, he wasn’t in great shape, but much better than Reghan. I listened to his lungs and made sure there was nothing else going on I had to treat him for.

I saw a few more patients before knocking on Lane’s door.

I hadn’t had much interaction with him. When I did, he was always friendly.

There was also the fact he was very attractive.

Lane was the type of man who knew what he offered.

He was confident, not cocky. Kind, not cruel.

From what I’d gathered after overhearing others talk, he was doing well, given the situation he’d come from.

I knocked on his door. My phone started vibrating, so I withdrew it from my pocket to find a text from a number I didn’t recognize.

Unknown: I’m too sick to move.

He texted me the code to get into his apartment.

The door opened into a kitchen to my left with an island.

There was no counter separating the kitchen from the dining room; it flowed from one room to the next.

Past the dining area was the living room, where Lane was lying on his side on the couch, a fluffy blanket pulled up to his chin, and the TV remote on the coffee table in front of him.

“Enter at your own risk, Doc. You don’t want to catch this shit.” He started coughing and had to sit up and take a sip of water to calm it down. “This cough is terrible. The only time I feel like I’m going to puke is when I can’t stop coughing.”

“Can you stay seated for me?” I sat my bag on the dining table.

He did and started coughing again. I didn’t like the sound of it.

Not wanting him uncomfortable for too long, I was quick with my exam like I’d been with the others who were sick.

His flu test was positive, and he had bronchitis.

I sent in the prescription for him, but since he was the last person I had to see, I wasn’t ready to leave yet.

What reason did I have to stay though? To make sure he didn’t get worse?

There was a building full of people here to help him.

A knock on the door had me getting to my feet to answer it. Vail was on the other side with a large container of soup. “If you’d please give this to Lane. I have other deliveries to make.”

“Of course.”

With the door shut, I stepped into Lane’s kitchen and found a bowl to put the soup in. “How much would you like?” I asked.

“A bowl full would be good, but you don’t have to do that. I can get it.”

“Nonsense. I’m here. I can help.”

I took the bowl to the living room as Lane was getting comfortable and handed it to him.

“You can have a seat, but if you catch this, it’s not my fault,” he said.

“I’m not worried about me. I don’t have to be back to work until Wednesday.” I had already planned on taking Monday off but decided to add Tuesday. The break was much needed. Since I had the coverage at work, I was taking advantage of it.

Lane glanced at me as he sipped his soup and I sat down. “What would you be doing if you weren’t here?”

“Nothing,” I said honestly. “I don’t live a very exciting life.”

“I beg to differ. You’re the doctor for Jordan and everyone here who works for him, plus you have your own practice. That’s not dull.” He set the soup down and scratched at his facial hair. The other times I’d seen him, it was cut close to his face. Now it had more growth and was coming in thicker.

“Every couple of weeks, I have dinner at my sister’s house.”

“You get along well with her?”

“I do. She’s due to have her first baby in a couple of months.”

“Congrats. You’re going to be an uncle.”

A smile tugged at my lips. “Thank you.”

“At least you’ll be the appropriate age, not like Hartley, Forest, and me. I’m younger than them, yet I’m their uncle.” He winced. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to turn the conversation to me. That was shitty. Blame the illness for fucking up my head.”

“It’s fine. I like hearing about you. I only know what I’ve overheard from others.”

“That could go either way. I’m not sure which I’d prefer.”

I propped my leg on the couch so I could turn to face him fully. “You want me to think badly of you?”

“I’m not sure. You know Raiden has a thing for you, right?”

I choked on my own spit and started coughing. That was the last thing I’d expected him to say.

“Caught you off guard, did I?” He coughed again while I caught my breath.

“Yes,” I rasped. “And the answer to your question is yes.”

“Well, what if I didn’t think badly of you? What if, in my sickened state, I thought you were pretty hot in your khakis and button-down? God, I just heard that out loud and regret saying it. Ignore me. Blame the fever.” He leaned to the side and rested on the arm of the couch.

“Your temperature was ninety-eight point nine.”

“Great. I can’t even use that as an excuse.”

“Lane?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t date my patients.”

After another coughing spell, he said, “I’m not sure what kind of ethical boundaries you’re trying to stay within, but you literally patch up guys who’ve been shot because they were carrying out illegal activities.

Dating a patient is the least of your worries.

” He had a point. I still shouldn’t contemplate it.

“It doesn’t matter. You and Raiden could be together and leave me out of the equation.”

“What is wrong with you and him? I’m seriously asking.

He has you on a pedestal, and you deny yourself the chance to be with him.

I don’t know why either one of you pay any attention to me.

God, I need to shut up.” He slid down farther until he was in the fetal position with his head on a throw pillow.

Why did I find this man so charming? Maybe it was his raw honesty. Maybe it was because he called me on what I didn’t voice.

The TV was on, but it was muted. Lane’s eyes kept drifting from it to me where I sat facing him. “Why are you still here? I’m a mess.”

“I’m a doctor. I want to care for you.”

“That’s the lie you’re telling yourself?”

I grinned. It felt good as it pulled the corners of my lips. Even when he was sick, he made me smile, and he had me wanting to lean close to get more of him. “What would you like me to say?”

“The truth.”

“I wasn’t lying.”

“No, but it wasn’t all of the reason you’re still here.” Before more coughing could start, he took a drink.

“Has anyone ever said you have an infectious personality?”

“I have an infection. You told me that after you got here. That’s about as close as I’ve come to what you said.”

“Lane?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I stay longer and take care of you?”

“It’s your choice, Doc. If you get sick, don’t expect me to know what to do for you. I wasn’t exactly brought up in the best environment.” I’d heard enough in passing from others to know he loved his mom. The rest of his family… not so much.

“You care about others though. While your upbringing wasn’t good, you’re kind.”

“That’s debatable.”

“You’re going to keep arguing with me, aren’t you?”

“Now you’re catching on.”

I faced forward when he unmuted the TV and returned to focusing on it.

Time passed, and my eyes became heavy. We weren’t talking, simply being near each other.

I must have fallen asleep because when I woke, the room was bathed in darkness, the TV was off, and a warm body was pressed to mine.

When I looked at the clock it was around dinnertime.

Somehow, I ended up on my side with Lane in my arms, his head beneath my chin and his body wrapped around me. The blanket was even up to our waists. How tired was I to not wake while we moved into this position?

Did I get up? If I did, I’d wake him. He was sick and needed sleep. Would he think I was trying to force something with him? Oh, god, this could go downhill fast.

“Stop thinking, Doc, and keep holding me,” Lane murmured.

“I didn’t know you were awake.”

“As soon as your heart started beating against your ribs, I woke up. Is it that awful to be here like this with me?”

“Of course not.” I held him tighter to prove the truth of my words.

“In case you haven’t figured it out, I’m a cuddler. If I’m asleep and someone is near me, I latch on to them like Velcro. You’ve just been introduced to my epic warmth and snuggling abilities.”

“Maybe we should get you to bed where you’ll be more comfortable.”

“If we go in there, my cock will want in on the fun. Right now, he’s weighing if it’s worth it to party or not.”

I groaned. “You’re torturing me.”

Lane ran his nose along my throat. “I’m not, but I could be.”

“You have the flu and bronchitis.”

“And you accepted your fate when you sat down to spend time with me. Lean into it.”