Page 180 of Should the Sky Fall

“Cal,” Dawson says again, fully awake now. “Oh my god. You’re awake.”

“I’m awake.”

“Fuck.” A heart-wrenching sob is torn out of Dawson, and throws himself at Cal. Cal swallows a grunt, willing to take any discomfort if it means he gets to hold Dawson. “I thought I lost you.”

“Never,” Cal promises, pressing a kiss to his hair. “What happened?” He remembers pain and collapsing in their kitchen. And then, Sienna…

Dawson pulls away, wiping tears from his face. “You had a heart attack. I thought it was because of all the donuts,” he tries to joke, but it comes out as another sob.

Cal summons a smile. “It’s not?”

“The doctors said it’s likely linked to you having had a major surgery and a history of cardiovascular diseases.” He shakes his head, framing Cal’s face with his hands. “You had me so scared, Cal. I really thought that was it this time. Please, don’t do this again.”

Cal catches his wrist, thumbs rubbing over Dawson’s pulse point. “I’ll try my best.”

Giving him a crooked smile, Dawson leans in to press their lips together.

Cal closes his eyes, chasing Dawson when he starts pulling away. He needs to make it last, make every kiss count. He doesn’t know which one will be the last.

Dawson must sense something is wrong because he pulls back. “Hey, what’s wrong? Are you in pain? Do you need—”

“No. I’m okay.”

“You sure? You’re acting weird.”

“Weirder than usual?”

“Well…” They both laugh, and Dawson kisses him again. “It’s fine. I kind of like you weird.” He smiles. “I love you.”

Cal blinks back tears. “Dawson, there’s something I need to—”

The door opens, and a doctor walks in. He comes to a stop when he sees them. “Oh, hello, gentlemen. I can see someone is awake.” He smiles. “I’m Doctor Moore. How are you feeling, Cal?”

“Fine. A little dizzy.”

The doctor nods. “That’s perfectly normal. Mind if I do a quick check?”

“I should probably wait outside, get out of your way,” Dawson says, starting to rise.

Cal catches his hand. “Don’t go.” So much for wanting Dawson to go home and rest.

“I’ll be right outside,” Dawson reassures him. “I’m not going anywhere. Also, I promised Ellis I’d keep him updated after he left.”

“He was here?”

“Yeah. I called him right after I called an ambulance for you. He wanted to stay, but there was no reason for both of us to be here.”

At the thought of Ellis, Cal feels a hollow sensation of loss. He knows that Ellis isn’t his brother, but he’d started to feel like one. Is Cal about to lose him now too after they’ve started rebuilding the bridges between them?

“Tell him I said hi.”

“Will do.” Dawson gives him a quick kiss before turning to leave. “Love you.”

So much for telling Dawson the truth. Maybe it’s okay to wait. There’s no harm in enjoying a few more moments together, is there?

Cal will tell him when it’s time to go home.

There’s not much space to enjoy those last moments. Since Cal’s heart attack was one of the milder ones, he gets an ‘all clear’ by the end of the day and is to be discharged tomorrow. Ellis visits again in the evening, coming straight from work judging by his suit. He gives Cal a speech on how important it is to have a low-cholesterol diet and manage stress if he doesn’t want tokick the bucket at fifty-eight like their old man, then hugs him for the first time. He leaves in a rush after that, like he’s embarrassed for showing emotions.