Page 2 of Sean's Sunshine

“There’s a drought,” Sean said weakly, going almost boneless in the hot water.

“Come on, Saint Kryzynski. Indulge a little.”

“I’m not a saint,” he mumbled, suddenly exhausted.If I was a saint, I wouldn’t be drowning in your eyes, would I?

He heard movement on the other side of the curtain, and a hand intruded to fiddle with the spigot. The blissful water shut off, and Billy was there with a giant fluffy towel—one of his favorites—ready to wrap Sean up and dry him off like a child.

Sean was embarrassingly weak as Billy helped him up.

“Crap,” he muttered. “We forgot to bring clothes.”

Billy snorted. “This is your place!” he said. “What’s to dress? You walk commando to your room, let the boys get some air, get dressed there. Jeez, you reallyarea saint.”

Sean grunted. “I have three siblings,” he murmured. “I’m not used to having room for the boys to fly.”

“Yeah, well I had five, so the minute I was in a place where nobody cared about my boys, they got all the air I could handle.”

“Had?” Sean asked, suddenly very curious about this beautiful boy helping him through the weakest period of his life.

Billy’s face, which had softened for a moment, closed down. “No Catholic family for gay boys, Kryzynski. I learned that lesson good.”

Sean made a hurt sound. “You need to tell my mother that,” he said, and then right when he was about to make his first step unattended, his knees went out.

Billy caught him, swept Sean’s scrawny ass into his arms like Sean was a damsel in distress.

“If it’s all the same to you,” Billy told him, hauling Sean down the hall to his bedroom, “I don’t really need to meet your mother.”

Sean had enough oxygen to snort. “What makes you think you’ll have a choice?” he said, trying not to wheeze. “She’s been waiting for me to get out of the hospital before coming to visit. She lives in Turlock, so it’ll probably be this afternoon, with a reprise in the morning.”

Rivers, his boyfriend Ellery Cramer, and their assistant, Henry, had left shortly after they’d cleaned up Sean’s living room from Jesse Carver’s DVD tantrum—which was almost immediately after Billy had arrived. Sean’s partner on the force, Andres Christie, had stayed a little longer, until Sean had dozed off in his recliner like a grandfather. Sean had awakened soon after, sweating and disoriented,beggingfor a shower.

He had obviously not thought that plan through.

“Aw, man,” Billy muttered as he shouldered his way through the doorway of Sean’s bedroom. Sean gave a weak look around to make sure Jesse hadn’t had a tantrumhereand was somewhat reassured when he realized that his cuff-link box was right where he’d left it and his toiletry kit was perfectly arranged on the vanity.

“You have a problem with mothers?” Sean asked Billy, finding himself deposited gently on the bed with minimal fuss.

Billy gave him a dark look. “Could you not tell her what my day job is?” he asked, looking really uncomfortable.

Oh.

“You’re a friend of a friend, working his way through school. Your apartment got crowded, and I needed help. How’s that?”

The gratitude on Billy’s face was humbling. “Thanks for that,” he said. Then he straightened up and adopted a crisp, military attitude that Sean sort of appreciated. “And now I get to dry off your skinny body and see you naked. Don’t worry, I won’t take advantage.”

Sean glared—but it took his last drop of energy. “You’re really, really awful. I can see why Jackson picked you.”

Billy gave an indelicate snort. “Backatcha. Now drop the towel and get used to me seeing your junk.”

Sean had no choice but to let the towel hit the floor while Billy helped him into his boxers, some sleep shorts, and a T-shirt, but he vowed then and there to break all sorts of healing records so he would under no circumstances be obligated to let this kid with the cynical eyes be in any way responsible for his junk.

THEY BARELYmade it. Sean had just gotten completely dressed, and Billy had helped him back to his couch, when there was a knock at the door. Billy gave him a meaningful look, one that screamed “stay put,” and then moved to open the door.

The woman on the other side had frosted blond hair, warm blue eyes with crinkles in the corners, and seemed decidedly bemused.

“Sean?” she asked, peering inside.

“I’m…,” Sean wheezed, and Billy scowled at him.