CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

“Still no luck?” Noah asked Braden, as the other man approached him. It had been two days since Cooper’s accident. He came back every day but they wouldn’t let him in. They didn’t transfer calls through, and no one answered Cooper’s cell. It was killing him.

No matter what happened between him and Cooper, he couldn’t walk away without seeing him. Without witnessing with his own eyes, that he was okay. He’d been forced away from Cooper one other time, and he wasn’t letting that happen again.

He fought to push those thoughts away. Thoughts that no matter what Cooper wanted, he might not be able to go forward with this. Not if he hadn’t even been able to tell his family Noah was here. Was he embarrassed of Noah being gay? Of what people would think of him? He didn’t know, and it wasn’t important now. Not as important as Cooper’s well being.

“His uncle told them not to let me in either, which I knew he would do. They won’t let him have any visitors. His uncle has been in touch with the captain but he won’t share any information with us at work, either.”

“Fuck!” Noah yelled. A couple looked at him and then scurried inside the building.

He could hardly keep still, adrenaline pumping through him as though it was on tap. What if he lost him?

“I’ll be back. I have…just wait here and I’ll be back.” Braden walked away, but Noah paid no attention. He didn’t care.

Wes came over and stood beside him. The man hadn’t left his side since last night. “You should be home with your sister,” Noah told him.

“She understands.”

Noah wanted to tell him, thank you. Who would have thought Wes would be someone he called a friend? He couldn’t bring himself to do it right now, though.

“He lied to me, Wes. He didn’t even tell them I was here. I’ve been here months and he didn’t even tell them I was here. I don’t think…”

“Now’s not the time to think, anyway,” Wes interrupted.

He wished he could turn it off like that. “Thinking is all I can do right now. He’s not ready. I wanted to believe so bad he was, that it didn’t matter that he’d never been with a man before. We loved each other and that’s all that counted, but hell, he didn’t even want his family to know we’re friends again.” Which confused the hell out of Noah. Vernon had been so fucking angry the other day. There’d been more to it than finding out about Noah and Cooper. A deep seeded hatred that Noah didn’t understand.

“I saw the way he reacted that night at the bar. He’s in this just as much as you are. I don’t give a shit if this is his first time with a man; he wants you. Don’t think he doesn’t.”

Noah couldn’t deny that. “I believe he wants me. I even believe he loves me. But that doesn’t mean this will work. He kept everything about me hidden.” Noah had seen people ignore the signs. Seen his dad ignore them, not wanting to believe his mother had cheated again. Hell, he’d ignored them with David, too. He couldn’t ignore this. Actions spoke louder than words.

“I can forget the rest of it for now, though. I just need him to be okay.” Noah ran a hand through his hair. “I can’t fucking lose him like this.”

It was then that Braden walked up with a redheaded woman. She looked around as though she was nervous stopping in front of him.

“Well, I’ll be damned. So you’re the reason Cooper Bradshaw told me he couldn’t meet up with me anymore.”

Noah dropped his head back. What the hell had Braden been thinking? Like he was in the mood to see a woman Cooper used to sleep with. Plus, this was Cooper’s private business. He had no right to share it with this woman. But then he looked at her again, noticed the scrubs she wore. Fuck yes.

“Can you get me in to see him?”

She cocked her head. “If he wants to see you.”

“He does.” He did, right? Cooper would want to see him. Wait. “Is he awake?”

The woman, Adrianna her nametag said, glanced away. He was awake yet he hadn’t asked someone for Noah? He hadn’t called? It’s over…. He’s decided he can’t do this.

“Look, unless Cooper tells me he wants to see you, I can get into huge trouble for this. Let me see what I can do. I’ll try to talk to him today. Meet me at seven thirty, and I’ll see what I can do, okay? That’s usually when his family goes to dinner.”

“Thank you,” Noah told her. “And please, he hasn’t…people don’t know.”