Divide & Conquer (Cut & Run #4)(30)
Author: Abigail Roux

Zane was silent for a long moment as he blinked his eyes over and over. “Nothing,” he whispered. Ty reached down and took his hand, squeezing it hard. McCoy had ordered him to go home, but what good was he there? On the other hand, Zane needed nothing but medical care, and Ty knew that when he was in the hospital himself, he hated having people with him. “What can I do?” he asked, feeling helpless and useless.

Zane licked his bottom lip and opened his eyes, turning his face toward Ty. “Dont leave me alone.” His voice actually shook. Ty looked at him worriedly, and he put his other hand on top of Zanes, holding it with both of his hands and letting his fingers slide up his arm. “I wont go anywhere,” he promised.

Zane nodded; it was a jerky, uncomfortable motion. He squeezed his eyes shut as if it would help. “Im a little rattled,” he rasped. Ty petted his arm ineffectually. He had no idea what else to do. “Were going to have to find a third wheel to take care of us when we get hurt,” Ty suggested. “Were not very good at this.”

“Too good. This is new,” Zane said with a soft huff. “Headache.” “Hey, I prefer my run of unlikely finger injuries,” Ty responded as he ran his thumb along Zanes wrist. “And its not new, its just more epic than what I did in New York.”

Zane snorted and seemed to shrink into himself as the silence lengthened. “Sucks,” he finally muttered.

“Think of it as… special training for your other senses,” Ty instructed, faking cheerful.

Zane frowned and took a steadying breath. “If I could see you,” he enunciated, “I would slug you.”

“Must be my lucky day then,” Ty responded wryly. Zane opened and closed his fist between Tys hands, flexing his fingers before letting them rest, curling around Tys wrist. “What now?”

Ty opened his mouth to respond, trying to find either a joke or a silver lining or a nice whitewashed lie. But he could only manage a few soft sounds before closing his mouth again and shaking his head. “I dont know,” he answered instead. “I guess we just wait it out.”

“Wow,” Zane murmured tiredly, head lolling back against the pillow. “Youre scared shitless if thats the best you got.” Ty pressed his lips together and looked at Zane helplessly. He met Zanes eyes, knowing Zane couldnt see him. He was glad for it, though. Zane didnt need to see his fear. If he was this scared, he couldnt imagine how Zane was feeling.

BEING completely in the dark had taken on a whole new meaning. This wasnt just dark; it was pitch-black, no relief, no gray, no hint of light under a door, no bare twinkle of stars in the sky. It was utter nothing.

Each time Zane woke up from dozing—no real sleeping, the nurse insisted, waking him up every fifteen minutes—it was easier to think, and his first thought was always that when he opened his eyes, hed be able to see. But then he did and… didnt.

If it werent for being able to always hear something in the hospital room, he would have totally freaked out. With a sigh, he shifted a little in the bed, very carefully, not sure if something somewhere would hurt when he moved. He heard Ty gasp suddenly and felt him jerk.

“What?” Ty asked in a hoarse, sleepy voice.

Zane frowned. “Ty? Were you asleep?”

“Im not sure,” Ty answered in a voice that told Zane he had definitely been asleep and was still in the process of trying to remember where he was. Zane felt Tys hand brush against his chest, as if making sure he was actually there and he wasnt dreaming. He raised his own hand to cover Tys for a moment.

“Sounds like you were,” Zane murmured. He shifted his eyes to look around even though there was nothing to see. “What time is it?” “Late,” Ty answered, his voice sounding as if he had turned away. “Can you… can you see anything?” he asked tentatively. Zane shifted a little more onto his side, facing Ty, letting his cheek settle on the pillow. “No,” he whispered. His fingers moved slightly on Tys hand. While hed never been touchy-feely, now that he couldnt see, touching was much more important to his state of mind. He wondered how long Ty would tolerate it.

“Damn,” Ty sighed. He gave Zanes hand a squeeze and pulled away as he stood, just like Zane had known he would. “You need anything? Im going to go find caffeine. Maybe some real food.”

Zane resisted shaking his head slightly. It hurt and made him queasy. “No. Have you been here the whole time?”

“Yeah,” Ty answered in a surprised voice. He almost sounded offended that Zane had asked. “Why?” “Chill, okay?” Zane said with a sigh. “I figured you had, which means youve been here awhile without a break. When did you eat last?”

“Lunch,” Ty answered as he moved away completely. “Want me to fi … doctor and see … get some food?” he mumbled, his voice going in and out of earshot. Zane thought he might be looking around the room for something or possibly putting a jacket on. He might have detected some rustling of fabric.

“Yeah,” Zane said, swallowing on the hint of dread that hit him in the chest. He bit his lip and shifted more onto his side and pulled the pillow hard against his chest like he did at home. Damn, he hated this. And he hated even more being scared about it. He squeezed his eyes shut hard.

“Whats wrong?” Ty asked as his voice moved closer again. Zane reminded himself he was a grown man whod faced all sorts of dangerous and really frightening challenges in his life and tried to relax, with only a bit of success. He cleared his throat. “Youll come back, right?” he finally asked. He winced. Damn, he sounded like a baby.

There was silence in response, but Zane could still feel Tys presence beside his bed. Finally, Ty moved, and the denim of his jeans scraped softly. He reached out and put his hand on Zanes forehead. “Itll be okay,” he assured him, then removed his hand.

Some of the tension melted, enough that Zane could breathe easily again. He nodded against the pillow. “Go on. Ill be here.” There was no response, no sound of Ty moving, but it felt like the warmth had left the room, so he knew Ty was gone. Zanes jaw clenched, and he pushed his face into the pillow. This blind shit had been easier to handle when he was mostly unconscious and unable to focus. With nothing else to do, he started listening, closing his eyes and really listening.

A FTERthe claustrophobic hell that was the hospitals crowded food court, Ty found himself rattled and unkempt as he made his way to the elevators. He didnt smile and nod at people as he passed by; he didnt even see the people he passed by.