Hudson sat. Or fell. It was hard to tell which. The chair caught him and he dropped his head forward, blood rushing in his ears.
"Thought you were military," Shaw said, amusement lacing his voice.
"Shut up," Hudson muttered into his knees.
"Can't handle a little medical procedure?"
"I can handle it fine."
"If you say so."
Mitchell finished whatever she was doing and stepped back. "Ice it. Twenty minutes on, twenty off. If it's not better in two days, come back."
Shaw flexed his hand, testing the range of motion. "Thank you.”
She focused on Hudson, still folded over in the chair. "Besides the sudden dizziness, is there anything else you need checked out?”
“Nope. All good.”
“All right. I’ll clear you. Try not to faint in the hallway."
Hudson straightened slowly, waiting for the room to stop spinning. Shaw jumped off the exam cot, cradling his hand against his chest. His gaze went to Hudson’s face immediately, checking.
"You okay?”
"Yeah,” Hudson croaked. “Just stood up too fast."
Shaw’s mouth twitched. "Sure."
They walked out together, Hudson still feeling vaguely light-headed and Shaw clearly trying not to laugh.
"Not a word," Hudson said as they reached the hallway.
"You almost face-planted in a medical exam room because of a little hand injury."
"I did not almost face-plant." Hudson scoffed.
"You went gray."
Hudson stopped walking and turned to face him. "You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"
Shaw smiled. Actually smiled. Not a smirk or a half-formed thing—a real smile that made Hudson’s stomach do a stupid, complicated flip.
"Yes. I really am."
Hudson shook his head. "You're an asshole."
"So I've been told." Shaw flexed his wrapped hand again. "Try not to pass out on your way back, Hale."
"Screw you."
Shaw walked away, still smiling, leaving Hudson standing in the hallway like an idiot.
That evening,Hudson found himself in the rec room. It was worn down, consisting of a few beaten-up couches, a table with mismatched chairs, and some ancient magazines no one read.
He was simply looking for somewhere quiet to decompress. The fact that Shaw was in the corner reading—the only one here—had nothing to do with it.
Things had been weird between them since the locker room, and Hudson’s default response to weird was to walk directly at it until it stopped.
