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Charlie huffed a laugh and crossed the yard. Will slid to the far end of the swing, making room for Charlie to join him. The old wood creaked under Charlie’s weight, and the metal chains clicked softly as he changed the rhythm of their movement, speeding it up a tiny bit.
“You know, I was just thinking that you seemed more worried,” Charlie admitted. He stretched his right arm out, resting it on the back of the swing. To his extreme delight, Will leaned his body against Charlie’s, cuddling closer and resting his head on Charlie’s shoulder. Will chuckled, but he felt it in the shaking of his frame rather than actually hearing the sound.
“And that’s the reason for your worried look?”
Charlie shrugged. “Among other things.”
“What percentage of those other things are related to me?”
“Sixty percent?”
Will hummed softly as if that was what he’d expected to hear.
“How about you tell me what’s got you worried, and then I’ll tell you what I’m worried about?”
Will lifted his head and cocked it to the side, eyes narrowing on Charlie. “Seriously? You’ll really tell me what’s got you worried?”
“We promised we’d talk, right? Tell the truth so things don’t go to hell all over again?”
“No, you’re right. I’m just…surprised. I thought I’d have to fight you over it.” He settled back against Charlie’s shoulder and released a heavy sigh.
“I’m not claiming to be perfect at this. I’m going to forget or make the excuse that I’m hiding stuff to protect you. Then, you’ll smack me and remind me that I’m being an idiot.” Charlie leaned close, pressing his lips to Will’s hair as he growled, “I’ll get on my knees, beg you to forgive me, and show you exactly how sorry I am.”
A shiver ran through Will from head to toe, and he burrowed closer into Charlie’s larger frame. “Yeah, I bet you’re going to be so good at begging.”
“So, start talking. What’s bothering you?”
“Carlos,” Will immediately said.
“It’s only been four days since you last saw him. How often did you visit him in the hospice?”
“Usually just once a week. He also has an oncologist who sees him regularly, and there’s another doctor on staff at the hospice,” Will explained. “The new doctor who’s taking over the clinic is in town now, too. I’ve already talked to him on the phone, explaining that I’m having a family emergency myself and can’t see any of my old patients. He was going to take them all over anyway. It’s just happening sooner than anyone had planned.”
“It sounds like everything is under control. What’s the problem?”
Will shrugged his shoulders against Charlie. “I’ve done this dozens of times, but I’ve always been there to walk the new doctor through all my notes and share my insights. I could look them in the eye and answer their questions. This…it’s all so fast and feels haphazard. People’s lives are depending on me, and I feel like I’m shirking my responsibilities.”
“No, you’re staying alive.” Charlie wrapped his arm tighter around Will’s shoulders, holding him even closer. “If you’re spotted in Buenos Aires right now, you’re going to get yourself killed. And probably one or more of us, because you know we wouldn’t let you go alone right now.”
“True.” Will sighed.
“I’m sure this doctor is a professional. He’s going to take good care of your patients. Everything is going to be fine.”
“I know. I also talked to Carlos briefly. Told him that things didn’t go well recently and that I had to leave town for a little while. He’s been warned about the new doctor. I know he’s worried about me, but he understands the situation.”
Charlie grunted. “The man lived during the period of Los Desaparecidos. I’m sure he gets the need to lay low when things get too hot.”
“Yeah, I just want to return to check on him as soon as possible.” Will tipped his head up to look at Charlie. “I’ve been careful every time I made my weekly visit with him. No one has followed me or asked about my patients. I feel pretty confident that Perez doesn’t know about Carlos.”
The one thing Charlie didn’t want to point out was that Will wasn’t the only weak spot for Carlos. There was also Francisco. He could only hope that the man was truly out of town and avoiding all notice. They simply didn’t have enough people on hand to protect Carlos right now. West and Ed were recovering but still needed more time. Kairo was busy rebuilding all his equipment for their next attack on Perez. And Charlie wasn’t willing to leave his lover’s side while he was still in danger.
“All right, that’s what’s eating at me.” Will shoved into an upright sitting position and narrowed his eyes on Charlie. “What’s bothering you?”
Charlie flinched. Five minutes ago, this had sounded like a brilliant idea. Now that he was sitting here, faced with actually putting into words the fact that he wanted to cover Will in bubble wrap and hide him away from the world, it seemed much harder.
