Love Wins Page 8

  He’d had Fili and Kili since they were two-year-old kittens, cage buddies at the rescue where he saw them with Chris. They’d been with him for five years. He met Ryan over a year ago. He swore never to be some bastard who set aside their pets for a fling. No matter what. His cats were loving, playful creatures. He could never forgive himself if he set them aside. Ryan wouldn’t want him to do that.

  For the past three months, Ryan’s allergies had worsened. Even if the cats weren’t around and Seth carefully vacuumed and dusted, Ryan sneezed, his eyes watered, and he became uncomfortable almost immediately. Even with his pills and shots, nothing seemed to help him push back the allergies. They couldn’t keep the cats trapped in a room for days.

  They’d tried to stay at Ryan’s place instead of at the house, but both felt uncomfortable. Especially when Corey had Jenna over and the apartment got smaller—fast. While Corey was good friends with Ryan, not giving a shit about his sexuality, they couldn’t say the same for Jenna. She didn’t act outright hostile, but things felt cold around them. So Ryan ended up at Seth’s house—though between the fur and the dander, it wasn’t a great solution either.

  “Stop beating yourself up. This wasn’t your fault.”

  At the familiar voice, Seth lifted his gaze to see Chris Easton crouched in front of him. Behind him stood Chris’s new boyfriend, Derick Keyes.

  Derick handed over a Starbucks cup. “Figured you could use a latte. Chris told me your favorite type.”

  “Thanks,” Seth said and took the coffee. He wrapped both hands around it but didn’t take a sip. His gaze returned to Chris. “It is my fault. My cats are killing him.”

  “Seth….”

  “Kili got into the bedroom and was on the bed, licking. Ry sneezed and was having trouble breathing. He tried using the inhaler, but the attack got worse. Now look where he is. Because of my cats,” Seth said.

  “He’s also here because his roommate cares more about his girlfriend’s concerns and issues than his friend.”

  “Corey proposed and she accepted. They’re moving to Houston and Ryan is losing his apartment,” Seth said.

  “Unbelievable,” Chris said and dropped in the chair next to Seth.

  “I don’t think I met this Corey,” Derick said, standing next to Chris.

  “Trust me, hon, you’re not missing anything,” Chris said, taking Derick’s hand in his and squeezing.

  “Oh-kay,” Derick said. He shrugged and drank from his coffee cup.

  “Oh, hey, glad you guys made it,” Justin said when he reappeared. He handed the ID cards back to Seth.

  Seth set aside the cup and carefully tucked the cards into Ryan’s wallet. “Any news?”

  Justin shook his head.

  “This is—” Seth shook his head.

  “Dermott. Who’s here for Ryan Dermott?”

  Seth turned his head and rose to his feet. A nurse stood by the double doors leading back inside the emergency room. He raised his hand holding the paper. “That’s me.” He glanced at his friends, who all encouraged him to go.

  “We’ll talk later. Go see Ryan,” Chris said.

  “Thanks. Umm, Justin, you can have the latte. I didn’t touch it.” Seth went over to the nurse. “I’m Ryan Dermott’s partner, Seth Eldridge.”

  She checked her clipboard. “Yes, I have you down as his contact along with his parents. Where are they?”

  “On a cruise.”

  “Okay. Follow me.” She led him through the doors and into the controlled chaos of Emergency Care.

  Seth tried to spot Ryan but couldn’t. “How is Ryan?”

  “The doctor ordered several rounds of adrenaline, antihistamines, and breathing treatments to help counteract Mr. Dermott’s allergic reaction. Is this the first time he had a reaction of this severity?”

  “This is the first time we couldn’t control his asthma attack. Ryan’s allergic to multiple things, but mostly animal fur and dander. It’s my fault.” Seth wrapped his arms around his belly, holding back the hurt and pain deep inside. “I own a pair of cats. One of them snuck into bedroom and started licking. It set off his allergies.”

  “You have cats and your partner is allergic?”

  “Yes. He takes medication and shots to control all the allergies, but he’s been having worse reactions. I dust, vacuum, and keep the cats away when he stays with me, but….” Seth shrugged.

  “It’s hard to remove all cat fur and dander.”

  “I even purchased multiple air filters and put them around the house and my bedroom. I thought they might help.”

  “Allergies can turn dangerous if not properly controlled,” the nurse said.

  Seth remained quiet, the guilt eating away his insides. This was his fault.

  The nurse pulled open a curtain. Ryan rested on a raised gurney, dressed in the flimsy hospital gown with blankets around his lower body. An oxygen mask covered his mouth and nose. A light cloudy effect appeared and disappeared while Ryan breathed. An IV stand remained a metal sentinel over his bed, bags of fluid dripping into a tube that disappeared into a needle in his hand.

  Another nurse and doctor stood on one side, not far from the IV stand. They flipped through the medical chart and talked to one another. At times, they would address Ryan.

  Ryan met Seth’s stare. He smiled wide behind the mask and lifted his unencumbered hand to beckon Seth closer.

  “You may join your partner, Mr. Eldridge,” the doctor said.

  Seth moved in small measured steps until he reached Ryan’s side. He checked his hands, then Ryan, and looked to a nurse. “Umm. Do you have any sanitizer? I don’t want to set off another attack.”

  “You own the cats,” the doctor said.

  “I haven’t touched them, but….”

  “We’d best take precautions,” the doctor finished, while a nurse left and returned with a bottle of sanitizer.

  Seth used several pumps to cleanse his hands and forearms. When the sanitizer dried, he went to the bed and took Ryan’s hand between both of his. He kissed Ryan’s palm. “Hey, Ry. You’re looking so much better.”

  “Seth, love you,” Ryan said. His voice muffled under the mask. “Not your fault.”

  Tears stung behind his eyes. Seth felt his mouth tremble. Something clenched his heart. It almost felt like guilt punched his solar plexus.

  “Ryan, it is. My cats—”

  “Not fault,” Ryan interrupted. He shook head. “Tell him, Doctor.”

  “Ryan is correct. While he remains allergic to pet dander, it appears his condition worsened over time. In some cases, this happens as a person ages. Ryan also received the wrong type of medication, which didn’t help his body create the correct response to counteract the reaction,” the doctor said.

  “How did this happen?” Seth asked.

  “Unknown at this time. We’ll need to run additional diagnostics, including multiple allergy tests. I want to admit Ryan to keep him under observation considering the severity of his reaction.”

  Seth looked at Ryan, who shrugged but accepted the decision. “Can I stay with him?”

  “Of course. We’ll transfer him when a room becomes available. Until then, you two can stay here. There’s a chair behind you.” The doctor checked over the papers and the machines. “Nurse, switch Ryan to a nasal cannula, but keep the pressure the same.” He turned to Ryan and said, “We can help make you a little more comfortable.”

  “Appreciate it,” Ryan said.

  The doctor hung the chart on the bed and left their area.

  The nurse helped Ryan remove the mask and adjusted the plastic cannula in place. “How is that? Good?”

  “Yes, better,” Ryan said.

  “How’s your breathing?”

  Ryan pulled in and released a few deep breaths. “Still good. Feeling less pain and pressure.”

  “Which means the medication is helping. Don’t hesitate to hit the button if you need help,” the nurse said, then left with the other one.

  Seth twisted to pu
ll the chair closer to the gurney. He placed both hands around Ryan’s hand. He kissed Ryan’s cheek, wanting to place a kiss on his lips.

  “Stop beating yourself up. I know that look,” Ryan said, admonishing Seth.

  Pulling back, Seth met Ryan’s stare and dropped his gaze. “We can’t keep this up. Not if you end up in the hospital.”

  “This is the first time.”

  “Of how many?”

  “Hey, don’t blow it out of proportion. We’ll take care of it.”

  “Ryan—”

  “Stop.” Ryan placed his fingers on Seth’s lips. “Answer one thing. Truthfully. Okay?”

  Seth nodded, kissing Ryan’s fingers.

  “Do you love me?”

  “You know I do.”

  “Are you sure you love me? Allergies and all?”

  “Of course I’m sure. I hate when we’re apart.”

  “Okay. It’s the same for me. This is an obstacle. We’ll figure out what to do. Same with where I’m going to live.”

  “You can’t stay permanently at my place with the cats. You’ll have no break.”

  Ryan yawned hard and long. “Ouch. That cracked my jaw. We’ll figure it out.” Another yawn interrupted anything he would say next.

  “Must be the medicine they gave you. You barely slept since Kili snuck in the room.” Seth paused a moment. “Though this time Fili followed his brother.”

  “Don’t be mad at either one of them, especially Kili. He’s lonely and doing his cat thing.”

  “Cat thing?”

  “Yup. Snuggling and lickfest…” A yawn cracked through the words. “Damn.”

  “Sleep. I’m not going anywhere.” Seth cursed what anyone thought. He leaned forward and kissed Ryan. He nuzzled their bristled cheeks together. Then he sat back and watched over his sleeping lover.

  THE FOLLOWING morning, Ryan encouraged Seth to leave while the allergist and immunologist began the process of diagnostic testing. Seth didn’t want to go, but Ryan pushed him to go home, shower and rest in bed.

  After Justin dropped him off, Seth called his manager to take off the next couple of days. Once he explained the situation, his manager understood and approved the request. With that done, he stripped and showered. Clean, he dropped into the bed and slept hard and deep.

  Rhythmic purring woke him up. The sound vibrated through his chest along with a generous amount of weight.

  Seth opened his eyes to find the ginger tabby Maine Coon, Fili, curled upon his chest. All twenty something pounds of fur. Fili blinked his bright green eyes, flicked an ear, but continued the purring.

  “Hey there, buddy,” Seth said. He scratched behind the cat’s ear, sending the purring into a faster mode.

  Fili closed his eyes and tilted against Seth’s hand for a deeper scratch in one of his favorite spots. He flexed his front paws and the dagger-like claws pricked Seth’s skin.

  “Ow. Hey. Claws,” Seth said. He added a chuckle.

  A thump on the bed announced Kili’s presence. The brown tabby strolled across the expanse and sat near Seth’s hip. He curled and flicked his long fluffy tail.

  “Troublemaker,” Seth said. There wasn’t any heat in his voice.

  Kili answered with a big yawn, revealing his sharp canines, and bent to scratch the back of his ear with a hind paw. He shook his head, scratched again, and licked his back paw-pads.

  Seth grumbled and shoved himself into a sitting position. He dislodged Fili with the movement, but the cat wasn’t grumpy. Fili was the more easygoing one of the pair. He could curl up on Seth’s lap for hours. On the other hand, Kili cuddled with him for a precise amount of time and left.

  Fili laid down and curled on his side near his brother. Both of them stared at Seth with bright eyes.

  Seth studied his beloved babies. He knew a hard decision loomed ahead of him. Something he swore never to do when he became a pet guardian. Could he give up his fur-babies for his boyfriend? He didn’t know the answer.

  Breaking down, he scooped Fili back onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around the fluffy cat, buried his face into the long soft fur on Fili’s shoulders and cried. He listened to Fili purring and felt Kili press a paw against his thigh.

  What was he supposed to do?

  LATER THAT afternoon, after spending a day playing and cuddling with the fluffy Maine Coons, Seth showered away the fur and dander. He dressed in a clean outfit and packed up a bag for him and Ryan. He added two sets of clothes, both their Kindles, a charger, and his laptop. He found Ryan’s phone and tucked it in a pocket. He figured Ryan must be missing the electronic connection by now.

  Seth drove to the hospital. He learned Ryan had been taken for another set of tests. He hated the thought of poor Ryan being constantly poked and pricked, but that was the price to pay to learn what was happening with him. He decided to wait in the floor’s designated waiting area.

  Chris and Derick arrived to sit with him. Derick passed his tavern duties to one of his managers. Chris wasn’t on the guide schedule for the Pirate Pub Crawl Walking Tours through historic St. Augustine, so he wanted to be at the hospital with them.

  Either way, Seth was grateful he wasn’t alone. He continued to beat himself up for all these troubles.

  Chris grumbled and smacked his leg. “Would you knock that off?”

  “Hey.” Seth rubbed his leg. “What’s that for?”

  Derick returned from a coffee run and raised an eyebrow. “Dearest, keep your hands to yourself. Or I’ll smack you.” He handed a cup over to Seth. He held one over Chris until he stole a kiss and gave him the cup.

  “Yes, dear. I’m only trying to make a point,” Chris said. He returned his attention to Seth. “How many times are you going to tear yourself apart? Hmm? How many times are you going to blame yourself?”

  “What the hell else can I do? My cats. My room. My boyfriend who has allergies. Add it all up and what do you get?” Seth pointed fingers at himself.

  “Oh, for the love of Pete,” Chris said.

  “Rather dramatic,” Derick added.

  “Learned from the best.”

  Derick smacked the back of Chris’s head. Chris’s head snapped forward. He shot a glare at his lover.

  Seth laughed. “Thank you!”

  “You’re next,” Derick warned. “Just talk to him, dearest.”

  Chris rested a hand on Derick’s knee. “What do you want? Seth, do you love Ryan?”

  “Why is everyone asking me that? First, Ryan, now you.”

  “’Cause we’re tired of knocking you on the head. Answer the questions.”

  “I want Ryan healthy when he stays with me. I don’t want him to be miserable when he’s at my place. Yeah, I love him. I can see him by my side.” Seth rolled the cup between his hands. “Forever.”

  “So you’re worried about the cats.”

  “I can’t abandon them. I’m not cruel, especially to them.”

  “Okay. We both know you love those furballs and will do anything for them. What about Ryan?”

  “Ryan wouldn’t want me to give them up because of his issues. He dated me knowing all about them. He used to not have major problems, but lately, it’s changed.”

  “It’s gotten worse.”

  “Yeah. Ryan can’t stay around the cats. The EMT said his reaction might have been anaphylaxis. That’s life-threatening. Worse than a simple allergy to dander.” Seth stared down at the cup. “I can’t risk his life.”

  “Would you really give up a chance at love because of an allergy?” Derick asked.

  Seth lifted his gaze to find Derick watching him. After years of avoiding a one-on-one relationship, Derick and Chris had finally found their happiness. It had been crazy to watch it happen. Now anyone could tell how much they loved one another. It was in every look and touch exchanged between them.

  “What is it?” Chris added when Seth remained quiet.

  “I don’t want to lose him. I can’t. It would….” Seth rolled the cup again. “It would kill me. Break
me down to my soul.”

  “Then we discussed an alternate option yesterday,” Derick said.

  “Which is what?”

  “We’ll take the cats and give them a home and love,” Derick said.

  Seth stared at Derick, his jaw lowering in surprise.

  “I know you said you wanted to yesterday, but are you sure? I love ’em, but Fili and Kili are a handful,” Chris said.

  “Cap’n Jack needs some furry pals. We’ll introduce them slowly. See if it all works. If it does, they’ll be staying with us,” Derick said.

  “You have no idea if it would even work. Why would you want to do this? With my cats?” Seth asked.

  “I always wanted to adopt more cats, but I added a boyfriend to the mix,” Derick said. He winked at Chris, who barked out a laugh. “Why not take in a pair of kitties my boyfriend loves and misses. He whines and complains about not having a furry Maine Coon sprawled across his lap.”

  “That would be Fili,” Seth said. “He’s the cuddlebug. Kili will do that on his terms and when he wants.”

  “See. There you go. Chris misses the cats. The cats need a new home. We can provide that,” Derick said. “Let us take care of the cats. You concentrate on loving Ryan. If you need a fix, come and see the cats. Wash up before you return home so the fur doesn’t set off Ryan’s allergies.”

  “This…. I don’t know.”

  “We can do this. Together. For your heart. It’s in the best interest of everyone, including the cats.”

  “It’s too damn generous.”

  “Nah, a few more paws and tails don’t hurt anything. Might be some hissing, but we’ll worry about acclimating everyone,” Derick said. “Together we can afford the extra expense.”

  “There’s another thing,” Chris said.

  “What else is there?” Seth asked.

  Chris lifted a hip and pulled a folded piece of paper from a pocket. He held it out. “You and Ryan can’t stay at the house. You two need a life of your own. Especially now you have that marketing position. Getting out of the tour guide business and stepping up into the corporate world, it’s a change. Ryan is losing his place, so now you two can go in together.”