Page 58 of Should the Sky Fall

“Uh, coffee?” Dawson says, bewildered.

Cal makes a face and shudders.

“That bad?” Zeke asks, the corners of his mouth pulled down. “Huh. The extraction was spot on. I wonder if the machine is being a little shit again.”

“Everything you make here is amazing,” Dawson says. “Cal’s taste buds have been going through quite a transformation.”

Cal hums noncommittally, taking a bite of the cinnamon roll to chase away the bitter aftertaste of coffee.

“Interesting,” Zeke says, his eyes sparkling. “Would you like something else instead? Hot chocolate. A milkshake?”

Cal perks up.

“Nuh-uh, no way.” Dawson wiggles a finger at him. “I’m not taking you back to the hospital with a sugar overdose.”

Cal’s shoulders sag and he pouts.

“Damn, Dawson, you run a tight ship,” Zeke comments, shaking his head. “Anyways, enjoy. I gotta go back to work. Gabe looks a little panicked.”

Sure enough, when Cal glances over to the counter, there’s another line with Gabe hurriedly taking orders.

“If I die from this, it’ll have been worth it,” Cal grumbles stubbornly as he polishes off whatever is left.

Rolling his eyes, Dawson sips his drink, but is interrupted when his phone rings.

“Hey, Aubrey,” he says after he picks up. The person on the other end says something that makes him frown. “Well, I mean…” He glances at Cal, biting his lip. “Kind of. But I should probably stay at home.” After a few seconds, he says, “Hold on.” He presses the phone against his chest. “Cal? Would you be okay by yourself if I disappeared for a few hours tomorrow? They had a few people call in sick at the shelter and I already told them I can’t come this week, so they’re short-staffed.”

Dawson mentioned the shelter when visiting at the hospital, showing Cal pictures of all the cute dogs he takes care of.

“Yes, of course.”

Dawson hesitates. “Are you sure? If you’d rather I stayed—”

“I’m sure.” An idea springs to his mind. “Do you think I could come with you?”

Dawson blinks at him. “You’d want to?”

“I’d like to see where you work.”And spend time with you.

“Oh. Yeah, I think…” He waves the phone. “Let me ask. Hey, Aubrey? Yeah, tomorrow is fine. Yeah, really.” He smiles, glancing up at Cal. “Could I bring someone with me? No, he doesn’t. And he can’t do any physically demanding jobs at the moment. Ah, okay. Yeah. That’s great. Thank you. See you tomorrow.”

Cal waits until Dawson’s hung up. “Is it okay, then?”

Dawson nods, still smiling. “Yeah, it’s okay. She got excited that they might get another pair of hands, but there isn’t much that’s safe for you to do right now. Cleaning the kennel, carrying bags of dog food, etcetera. You might get bored, mind you.”

He’s pretty sure he could do something anyway. Dawson worries too much. “I won’t get bored. I just want to be part of your world again.”

Dawson watches him with a strange expression.

“What?”

“Nothing. Just… I never thought you’d—” He cuts himself off, clearing his throat and turning his attention back to his drink. “Nevermind. I’m glad you’re coming with me. Makes my conscience a little lighter.”

That doesn’t sit well with Cal.

“Dawson?” He waits until Dawson looks at him. “I know I’m going to be a lot of work since this is—” He gestures at his head. “A mess, but I promise you don’t have to hold my hand at every step. I don’t want you to put your life on hold just so you can babysit me.”

Pressing his lips together, Dawson gives a curt nod. After a long moment of silence, he says, “If you’re finished, we should probably take you home.”