Page 45 of Men of Fort Dale: The Complete Series

Out of habit, he checked the reflection of his closely cut hair in the dark screen, which dimmed the bright blond.

It had the same effect on his blue eyes, which looked darker than they were.

They were gifts from his late mother, with his sharp jawline, thin and high eyebrows, and lips that curled upward naturally as though prepared to smile at a moment’s notice.

The crooked nose was not from her but rather from a drunken brawl several years back, but he thought it added charm.

“Uh, hi. I needed to come in for something real quick,” the man said quietly, looking around furtively.

“Private John Simmons.”

“Morning,” came Dean’s tight reply.

Dean’s eyes flipped to Simmons standing beside Troy, jerking a brow up. “What?”

“Uh, nothing?” John replied warily.

Dean turned his gaze to Troy. “He have an appointment?”

Troy wasn’t going to pretend Dean’s attitude was a surprise.

Normally, Dean was a pleasure to be around, and Troy had enjoyed the last few months working alongside him.

Dean was smart, with a lot of experience, and while he was generally a kind and attentive person, he had no problem knocking a smart ass or difficult soldier down a few pegs to make them behave.

And, for the past week or so, Troy’s friend had been downright foul-tempered.

Troy tried to smile benignly. “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.”

Troy watched him go, worrying his bottom lip as he wondered what the hell was eating at his friend.

Dean usually tolerated Troy’s attempts at playful humor, pretending to be annoyed rather than genuinely frustrated.

Troy strongly suspected Dean’s new mood was due to the man’s new beau, Marco, or his long-time best friend, Sloane.

Simmons turned to Troy with wide eyes. “Shit, what’s wrong with Doc?”

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

Simmons sighed, shaking his head. “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?”

Well, that certainly explained a lot. If anyone could cause Dean to spiral into a foul mood, it would be Sloane.

The two were inseparable, and while Troy didn’t quite get the bond between them, he could see how close they were.

Troy couldn’t recall a time when Dean and Sloane had fought, but he suspected that was exactly what was happening.

At the end of the hallway, a clatter of chair wheels on the tiles announced Dean’s presence. “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?”

Lord Jesus, he was going to have to talk to Dean. As much as Troy didn’t want to be on the receiving end of Doc’s bad attitude, they couldn’t have him snapping at everyone who came in.

Troy pushed Simmons toward one of the rooms. “Right, get your ass in there before you get us both killed.”

“Man, no one seems to like questions around here,” Simmons grumbled, allowing himself to be pushed.

Troy pulled the curtain closed and pointed toward the examination table. “Just...don’t.”

“Are him and Sloane fighting?” Simmons asked as he hopped onto the table.

Troy checked the private’s file once more and grunted. “Ah, you work at the guardhouse with Sloane.”

“Yeah, and he’s been a bear.”

“And how’s that different from any other day?”

Private Simmons snorted. “I’ve been working with him long enough to know when Sloane is being Sloane and when he’s royally pissed off. Thing is, he doesn’t, and don’t tell him I said this, but he seems kinda sad, actually.”

Troy smirked. “Well, how about you do us both a favor and let them sort out whatever’s going on? They’ve been friends for longer than you’ve been out of high school, and I don’t think anything will stop that.”

“You think?”

“Those two are more stuck on one another than white on rice. Just keep your head down and mind your business. Speaking of, what are you here for?”

John shifted uncomfortably, fiddling with the corner of the exam table. “I, uh, wanted to get checked.”

Troy nodded. “Okay, for?”

“Sexual stuff.”

“I’m going to assume you mean an STI check,” Troy said.

Simmons winced. “Yeah.”

Troy tapped the screen, opening up a new addition to the folder. “Have you been exposed?”

“Uh, what do you mean?”

“Unprotected sex, shared a needle, swapped blood with someone, things like that.”

John’s eyes widened. “I mean...I had sex, but it was...I wasn’t dumb.”

“Just a precaution then,” Troy said.

John looked at his lap, cheeks flushing. “I met someone, and it’s getting serious, real serious. I want to...well, you know, be able to go without protection one day if we’re going to be a couple.”

Troy nodded his understanding. “I see. Well, just as a precaution, you should know it’s not going to stop pregnancy unless they’re on the pill.”

Simmons closed his eyes, nodding again. “Yeah, I know.”

Troy hesitated, wondering if he should pry further, but decided at the last minute to pull back.

Dean reminded himself that his patient’s personal lives were only relevant up to a certain point.

Maybe Troy asked a few too many questions, and if the Private’s reaction was any indication, Troy should try holding himself back more often.

“Well, I’ll give you the works, and you should have the full results in a week. How’s that sound?” Troy asked as he finished typing and set the tablet aside.

“That would be great.”

Troy winked. “Then let’s get started.”

With the Private sent on his way, Troy returned to the office. The merciless tapping on a keyboard gave him pause, but he knew he couldn’t stay out of the office forever. Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the room, surveying it quickly and trying to measure Dean’s mood.

Dean paused, looking over his shoulder before seeing Troy and turning back to his computer. The glance was enough for Troy to realize that a great deal of Dean’s anger seemed to have dissipated. More worrisome were the dark circles on Dean’s face.

“Get Simmons taken care of?” Dean asked.

Troy watched him carefully, taking the other chair. “Yeah, he just wanted to get a check for the itchies .”

It took Dean a moment before he snorted. “Really, Troy?”

“What?”

“I shouldn’t have to ask, but you did not refer to an STI test as ‘checking for the itchies’ to him, right?”

“What, worried he’ll be upset? I don’t think he would have noticed after you took both our heads clean off.”

It was said with a wink and a smile, which Dean didn’t see with his back turned to Troy. He couldn’t see Dean’s face but saw the man’s shoulders hunch slightly as though trying to hide it. In Troy’s experience, Dean was an expressive and easy-to-read man who didn’t hide his moods or thoughts often.

Troy decided to push a little harder. “You, uh, seem to be in a better mood now.”

“No, I’m still a miserable asshole. I just can’t keep being a grumpy one.”

It was a point in Dean’s favor that the man knew he was being unbearable. Truth be told, Troy was more worried about Dean than annoyed. As much as he’d tried to play it off in front of Private Simmons, Troy didn’t like the idea of Dean and Sloane fighting.

Troy had never said it, but he liked them together.

Hell, if they’d been a couple, he would have probably thrown a damn party.

Admittedly, Sloane would growl at everyone the whole time, but no one would be surprised.

The two were good together, giving Troy hope that there were bonds out there like the two men, which could get through almost anything.

Kind of like what Troy thought he’d had once upon a time.

Dean looked up. “I’ve been that bad, huh?”

Troy shook himself, glad he’d been quiet enough to warrant a comment from Dean. It was a little too easy for Troy to get lost in thoughts of the past if he allowed it, especially if he started thinking about regrets and lost love.

Troy sighed and shrugged. “I mean, you’ve obviously been one grumpy asshole, but you haven’t been like...terrible.”

“Meaning I’ve been downright unbearable.”

Troy laughed, reaching to pat Dean’s shoulder. “Alright, maybe you’ve been a bit much. Does that make you feel better?”

“Why the hell would that make me feel better?”

“Would talking about it make you feel better?”

Dean scrunched his face up, shaking his head. “Not really.”

“Is that a not really because you and Sloane are eventually going to stop arguing over whatever it was, or a not really because you just don’t want to talk about it?”

Dean looked at him suspiciously. “How did you know it had to do with Sloane?”

“Well, I wasn’t sure until you just confirmed it, but not much else could put you in such a foul mood. And from the sounds of it, Sloane isn’t in a much better mood. So put two and two together, then convince you to tell me like I just did, and voila , I have my answer.”

Dean eyed him. “Thank you for being such a great friend that you tricked the truth out of me.”

“Is it really tricking you? I mean, hell, you could have denied it. I think part of you wants to talk about it.”

Dean fidgeted. “I...it would be nice, but there’s a lot to it.”

Troy looked up at the clock and shrugged. “I’ve got plenty of time, and if it stays quiet, then we have all the time in the world.”

Dean snorted. “I don’t mean it’s just a long story, which it is. There’s a lot to the story, and I don’t think I have the strength to get through it all right now.”

Troy’s eyes widened. “It’s that bad?”

“I don’t know,” Dean whispered.