Page 24 of Should the Sky Fall

“But he’s your brother,” Dawson finishes for him, turning to face him, a glass of water in his hand.

Ellis makes a sour face. “Unfortunately.”

An unexpected wave of affection fills Dawson’s chest. Ellis nearly raised all hell when the doctor refused to let him see his brother, but after what Dawson had told him last night, he’s been acting strangely protective.

Summoning a reassuring smile, Dawson says, “I get it.” And he does. He’d be a hypocrite if he gave Ellis grief.

Ellis studies him. “Do you want to come?”

Dawson averts his gaze. Even though Ellis knows now, it doesn’t stop Dawson from feeling guilty for not wanting to stay by his husband’s side after he’s been in an accident. Are the nurses and doctors going to talk about him when they notice how little he’s invested in Cal’s well-being?

“Not really. It’s not like it’d make a difference.” That’s what he’s been telling himself. What good would it do if he spent day and night at the hospital while Cal is sedated? “I have a shift starting in two hours.”

“I never asked what you do.”

Dawson laughs bitterly. “I don’tdoanything. I volunteer at a local dog shelter.”

Ellis’ face softens, not with pity, but something else. “That sounds nice. We had a dog when we were kids,” he says, his tone nostalgic. “A border-collie. Teddy.” His lips twitch. “He was such a crazy fucker. I loved him.”

Dawson smiles at the admission. Cal never mentioned having a dog when he was younger. “Cal never let me have a dog.”

Ellis huffs in amusement. “Teddy liked peeing in his shoes. Guess he never got over it.”

A giggle bursts out of Dawson unexpectedly. Jesus, he can’t imagine. Well, he can imagine it a little, and it’s hilarious.

Dawson just now notices Ellis has a suitcase with him. “What’s with the suitcase?”

Ellis looks at it like he’s forgotten it’s there. “I found a hotel. Thank you for letting me stay but I think it’s better if I get out of here.” He looks around the apartment with distaste. “The place is giving me the creeps.”

Dawson tries not to look disappointed. He was kind of looking forward to getting to know Ellis and, well, not being alone. “Fair. How long are you staying for?”

“Well, the shitstorm at work will take a few days to blow over. And I’d rather not go back until I know that Cal’s out of the woods.”

Poor guy. He has his work cut out for him. “That could be a long time.”

“Yeah, well.” Ellis shrugs. “It’s what you do for family.”

“You want coffee before you go?” Dawson points at the five grand coffee machine.

Ellis makes a face like Dawson just offered him dish water. “Yeah, no. I’ll just get one from a coffee shop on the way to the hospital.”

“Jesus, you really are brothers.” Spoiled brats.

“Excuse me, I’d never have a coffee from something that pretends to be a coffee machine,”

“It’s literally—” Dawson cuts himself off. “Nevermind. Go visit your equally privileged brother.”

Ellis glares at him. “I will not dignify that comment with a response.”

Dawson snorts. “Just get out already, before I kick you out.”

“Fine.” Ellis throws the door open, but before he disappears, Dawson gets a glimpse of a grin.

It’s weirdly quiet when Ellis is gone, and the apartment seems to close in on Dawson. It’s not the first time he’s felt claustrophobic in the open space, but for some reason, it’s more pronounced this time.

He makes quick work of brushing his teeth and dressing, then grabs his keys and phone and leaves the apartment like he’s on a schedule. He’s not, he just needs to get out. He still has two hours before his shift starts, so he heads toLost and Ground, the only place that, ironically, doesn’t make him feel so lost.

For eight o’clock, the place is unusually quiet and Zeke notices him before the door even closes behind Dawson.