Page 47 of Broken Wheels

“No, but thank you,” Josh said. Dixon repeated the same.

Michael gestured to the black-and-red overstuffed couch near the electric fireplace. “Have a seat.” Another two-seater couch faced it, a few feet away, and this one was lower.

Josh settled back, relishing the warmth, and Dixon sat next to him, their knees almost touching. Josh placed his pad on the floor beside him, and Michael laughed.

“One day I’ll catch you without your pad, and you’ll seem naked.” He took a seat opposite. “The plan had been to take you both to a nice restaurant, but until we get this whole thing settled, we thought it best to keep it somewhere safe.”

“That’s sensible,” Dixon murmured. He frowned. “Is there a purpose to this evening?”

“There certainly is,” Gary announced as he came out of the other room, leaning heavily on his walker. “We have news, and we felt like celebrating.” When he reached them, Michael took his hand and led him to the lower sofa. Gary flopped against the cushions and sighed.

“Any pain?” Michael asked with obvious concern.

Gary smiled. “No, I’m just tired, that’s all. Physical therapy always takes it out of me.”

“I don’t mean to be rude,” Dixon began, “but are you sure we’re not intruding?”

Michael arched his eyebrows. “Are we keeping you from something?”

“No, but…. Well, I figured you’d rather spend the time with Gary.”

Michael chuckled. “You’re probably the only ones who know we don’t live in each other’s pockets. They assume we’re together all day, every day, but Gary’s been tackling the phone stuff, while I….” He smiled at Dixon. “I’ve been out keeping things going in your absence.”

Dixon flashed Josh a glance before proceeding. “Look, if my watching Doc is going to cause problems?—”

Michael waved his hand. “No, that’s not it at all, and I think you know that. We want Josh to have a bodyguard, and you’re one of the best. It’s only right he has you watching him.” He leaned back and put his arm around Gary’s shoulders. “We invited you here because we have some good news, and we wanted to share it with friends first.” He tilted his head toward Gary. “You wanna tell them?”

Gary’s smile revealed where he was missing teeth, and Josh winced.

He went through so much. Even once they’d restarted Gary’s heart a couple of times, Josh had been a mess during that terrible episode, scared he was about to lose his friend, angry that Gary had gone off on his own, enraged that Porter had proved to be such a traitor, and apoplectic that the government had failed them all—again.

“I talked to the doctor,” Gary wheezed, his breath shallow. “I’m not going to lose my eye, and with corrective lenses, I’ll retain about eighty percent of the vision.”

Dixon threw his hands up in the air. “That’s great news! Fuck. I’d been so worried.” He stood and moved to hug Gary, albeit very gently. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Now you know why we wanted to celebrate.” Michael’s smile would not quit. Then a timer dinged, and he got up and went into the kitchen, returning with a veritable feast on a rolling cart. Pizza, mozzarella sticks, onion rings, cheesy garlic bread, sushi….

Josh blinked. Sushi? “That’s a very eclectic dinner.”

Michael gazed fondly at Gary. “It’s what we had on our first kinda-sorta date. I guess I was feeling nostalgic.” He pushed the cart into the space between the two couches, then handed each of them a plate. “Help yourselves.”

Except it was more than fondness that Josh had seen in that gaze. He might never have experienced the emotion, but he knew love when he saw it.

What must it be like to share your life with the person you love?

Love was something he hadn’t really thought about until recently.

“Doc? You okay?”

He jerked his head up. “Yeah, fine. I’m sorry. I zoned out for a moment there. What did I miss?”

“You’re not eating,” Michael said with a smirk.

“Oh. Sorry.” Josh put a few things on his plate and nibbled them. He glanced at Dixon and noted his look of concern.

He’s always watching, making sure I eat enough, looking out for me….

That right there made up his mind. He waited until Dixon and Gary were deep in conversation before reaching for the pad. He held it surreptitiously under the cart, darting anxious glances at Dixon to make sure his attention was focused elsewhere while Josh composed a message.