The Mormon and the Dom (23 page)

Moving with subtle intent, Ronan got close to them as they came up to the counter. He was careful to be as nonchalant as he could. Unfortunately, being big and tall made stealth impossible. The nurse noticed him, but Noah’s parents didn’t.

“We’re Mr. and Mrs. Cameron? We were called about our son, Noah Cameron?” Everything the man said came out as a question.

Much to Ronan’s dismay, the nurse didn’t tell them much more than she’d told him. She asked them to take a seat and that the doctor treating Noah would be with them shortly. Noah’s mom burst into tears as her husband led her away from the counter and toward two unoccupied chairs.

Unsure what to do, Ronan stood, taking surreptitious glances at them. Ronan didn’t want to do anything that would make their situation more uncomfortable. Looking down at himself, he wondered if he could pass for one of Noah’s coworkers. Since he only knew that Noah was an accountant for a construction firm, Ronan thought he could fake his way through if he had to. Realizing Noah might be in critical condition was what finally got Ronan to take a seat near them.

“Mr. and Mrs. Cameron?”

They both looked over, hope turning to confusion when they realized he wasn’t a doctor. “I’m a friend of Noah’s.”

“Do you know what happened?” Noah’s father asked.

“I went over to Noah’s apartment. The police were there, but they couldn’t tell me anything other than Noah had been brought here. From what the nurse said, he wasn’t conscious when he came in.”

“It’s that man,” his mother said. “Noah wouldn’t do something, and he beat him up.”

“Keith?” Ronan leaned closer. “Did he get out of jail already?”

“That’s the fellow he had the car trouble with?” Noah’s father asked.

“Yes. Keith Kellerman. Was there someone else Noah was having problems with?” Ronan and Noah had talked at length. If there were another man hassling him, it certainly would have come up.

Noah’s parents looked at one another, then down at the floor. In a rush, Ronan realized
he
was the other man. Apparently, his mother thought he was a bully who had lured her son to the dark side of homosexuality and then punished him for some slight. Her attitude made him wonder what kind of horror stories she’d been told.

“How did you say you knew Noah?” Noah’s father asked.

“He’s my friend.”

“You’re Ronan?”

“Yes.”

Noah’s mother leaned back, her eyes wide. The expression on her face was one of outright terror.

“I’d appreciate it if you’d leave.” Noah’s father clearly struggled to keep his voice civil.

“I didn’t do this to Noah.”

“How do we know that?” His father darted his gaze around the room, obviously concerned that other people might be listening in. Now Ronan could see where Noah got his painful self-consciousness. No one was paying them any attention, since everyone was there because they were sick or the person they were with was sick. No one gave a crap about them.

“If I had, would I be trying to find out how he was? I’d know, wouldn’t I?”

“Maybe you’re one of those abusers who feels bad afterward and then tries to get the other person to lie so you don’t get in trouble.” Right after spewing that in Ronan’s direction, Noah’s mother turned away as if she expected Ronan to stand and decry her as a bad mother.

“I’d appreciate it if you’d leave.” This time, there was more of an edge to Noah’s father’s tone.

“I’m not going.” Ronan didn’t want to hurt Noah’s parents, but he wasn’t about to walk out just because they were uncomfortable. He did, however, move to another section. He kept the Camerons in his sightline, waiting for the doctor. As he waited, he felt them staring at him, then looking away. He didn’t mind. They were curious and scared. What impressed Ronan was that Noah had finally come out to them. It must have been so difficult for him to do. Ronan wondered why he hadn’t told him what he was going to be doing, but then he decided that Noah might have been afraid of chickening out. Obviously, if Noah didn’t come out, he didn’t want Ronan to know. Ronan wouldn’t have berated him if he had. Coming out was difficult even with totally hip parents. That Noah had managed to do so with his clearly misinformed parents was a testament to Noah’s strength.

Since Ronan had nothing to do while he sat there and waited, he tried to put together the chain of events. Noah must have gone to his parents’ house right after work to tell them he was gay. After that encounter, which must have taken at least an hour if not two, he’d gone to his apartment. Since his car door was open, it was likely whoever attacked him did so as soon after Noah pulled up. By a rough calculation, Ronan figured Noah had been in the hospital for less than an hour.

When a woman in garishly bright scrubs approached the Cameron’s, Ronan rose and moved closer.

“You’re not welcome here,” Noah’s father said.

“Sir?” The woman, a doctor, eyed Ronan suspiciously.

“I’m Noah Cameron’s boyfriend.”

“Will you keep your voice down?” Noah’s father again scanned the room, just like he had before. No one was looking at them then, and no one was paying attention to them now.

Lifting her hands to them, the doctor said, “I’m not getting in the middle of this. Either you all hear what’s happened, or I can insist on some kind of official order before I proceed to tell any of you.”

“But he’s our son.” Noah’s mother sounded horrified that she could be cut out. Now she knew exactly how Ronan felt.

“He’s my boyfriend.”

“You did this to him,” Noah’s mother accused.

“He did
not
do this to him.” The doctor pointed to Ronan’s hands. “He doesn’t have any fight marks. Trust me. If he was the one who beat up Noah, it would show.”

Feeling vindicated, Ronan realized that though the doctor cleared him using irrefutable logic, that didn’t mean Noah’s parents suddenly welcomed him into the fold. He could save them both from a burning building and they would only be suspicious of his motives.

“Look, folks, it’s been a long day, and I’m in no mood for people who think they’re more important than my patients.” The doctor eyed everyone in turn. “So do we want to hear, or do I walk away?”

“I want to hear.” Ronan held his breath. After what seemed forever, Noah’s father finally nodded.

 “Noah was beaten up pretty badly. He has a concussion, a broken nose, an orbital fracture, numerous contusions, and lacerations.”

“Will he live?” Noah’s mother finally braved the question.

“He will, barring any further complications. But he’s going to need a lot of support.” The doctor again cast her gaze over everyone present. “I don’t know his personal story, because what I do is take care of my patient’s body. But if you people want to help him, then get your crap together somewhere away from him. The last thing Noah needs is drama from the very people who are supposed to love and care about him.”

Ronan wanted peace between himself and Noah’s folks. “I’ll do anything he needs.”

“I don’t want you near my son.”

“That’s what I mean.” The doctor sighed, shaking her head at Mr. Cameron. “That should be Noah’s call, not yours. When he wakes up, I’ll ask him who he wants on his visitor list. If you start picking and choosing who can see him and who can’t, I have a feeling your son will exclude you.”

“He can’t do that.”

“He’s an adult. He can. If I feel you’re harming his progress, I can.”

Noah’s parents looked stricken.

“Get along. Seriously. Whatever your damage is, it’s nothing compared to Noah’s. He’s going to have to undergo extensive surgery for his facial injuries. He is going to need to be in the hospital for weeks, and he has a long and painful recovery ahead of him. Whoever did this wasn’t trying to hurt him. Whoever did this was trying to
kill
him.” The doctor paused to let that sink in. “Instead of getting into some kind of pissing match over your son’s orientation, I say suck it up and put him first, because his welfare is my top priority. Noah is going to be physically scarred for life. I’m not about to let anyone deepen the emotional injuries that are surely there.”

“What can I do?” Ronan had no clue what, if anything, he could do to help.

“He’s in surgery now. It’s going to be a long one. You’re free to camp out here, but you won’t be able to see him until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. I suggest that the three of you go somewhere and come to terms with one another.” She paused long enough to take a breath. “And before another argument can start, I’m going to instruct the nurse to call whoever he says to call when he’s out of surgery and ready for visitors.”

As the doctor spun on her heel and strode away, Ronan was impressed with her attitude. Clearly, she was old enough to have seen a lot in her time as a doctor. Since she worked in emergency medicine, she’d traded delicacy for immediacy. Ronan wasn’t one to make snap judgments, but he felt Noah was in entirely capable hands.

When he turned back, Noah’s parents were watching the doctor, too, as if they hadn’t decided whether or not to trust her. Eventually, she disappeared and they turned their attention onto him.

“Please let me take you out to dinner where we can talk.”

“So you can turn him against us?”

“I would never do that to Noah. He loves you. He was scared to death to tell you. He didn’t even tell me he was going to come out to you.”

“As if you didn’t push him to throw away his whole life for a phase?”

“It’s not a phase.” Ronan was hanging on to his patience because he was sympathetic to Noah’s parents. From their point of view, everything had been going along all hunky-dory until Ronan appeared. It was only natural they would blame him. “Noah’s been unhappy for a long time. Surely you noticed.”

There was a spark in his mother’s eyes. Just a blip. She recalled something in that moment, but she quickly dismissed whatever it was that came to mind. Even if Noah had been waving a rainbow flag and trumpeting at the top of his lungs, she was going to keep right on with her denial.

“This isn’t the time or place for this discussion.” Noah’s father was back to darting his gaze frantically around the waiting room. Ronan didn’t bother to look. He knew they didn’t have anyone’s attention.

“I agree. Can we please go somewhere? I’m sure there’s somewhere close.”

“Come along, Odonna. We’re done here.” Noah’s father placed his arm around his wife, and together they moved toward the exit.

Ronan watched them go. He had tried. There wasn’t anything else he could do other than that. After giving his phone number to the nurse, Ronan took himself home. The ride was uneventful, which was good, because his thoughts were a million miles away. He wanted to hunt down Keith and his friends. He wanted to charge into the hospital and hold Noah’s hand. He did neither. He went home, settled on the couch, and stared at the television. After fifteen minutes, he realized it wasn’t on.

Instead of turning on some show he probably wouldn’t pay attention to, Ronan got up from the couch and paced. Feeling powerless was something he’d never liked. He needed to be in control, and he was comfortable with responsibility. In this situation, there wasn’t anything he could do. He wished he could go back in time and make Noah stay with him.

“I should have insisted. Or I should have gone with him.”

But that wouldn’t have solved the problem either. If anything, it might have only delayed the inevitable. And Ronan was starting to understand what had been happening with Noah. He didn’t see it right off, but Noah had been taking control of his life. He had come out to his parents, which was probably the most difficult thing he’d ever done. That had to be more unnerving than seeking out a Dom with whom to share his fantasies. In the case of a sexual partner, Noah could have always walked away without Ronan ever knowing his last name or his phone number. With his parents, Noah didn’t have that luxury. Even if he said he was only kidding right after his confession, the damage would already be done. They would have looked at him with suspicion for the rest of his life.

Thinking of his parents, it was clear to Ronan where Noah got his looks and his mannerisms. In a better world, Ronan could imagine they would be warm and welcoming people. If Ronan were a woman, they would have taken great comfort in the fact that he was determined to be there for Noah. Since he was a man, they were horrified and ashamed. Noah’s father was far more worried about his image in the community than what was in the best interests of his son.

But that moment, where Noah’s mother had looked away, remembering something that made her wonder about Noah’s orientation. What had happened that stuck in her memory? What had Noah done that made her think he wasn’t what they wanted? Not that it mattered. It was clear they weren’t comfortable with Noah coming out.

Reassessing the situation again, Ronan was willing to cut them even more slack. They’d only found out just hours before their son was hospitalized. Even in a perfectly sane mind, it had to look like one caused the other. Noah being gay led to him being beaten. The two events were completely unrelated, but that didn’t mean his parents were going to be able to grasp that intellectually. At least not for a while. Not when the shock was so raw. All Ronan could do was hope that someday, he and Noah’s parents could at least be civil to one another.

Ronan looked down at his hands. They were unmarked, just like the doctor said. Although, if he ever found Keith, they’d be so broken and bloody they probably wouldn’t work for months. Even if that sack of worthless shit was still in jail, he’d certainly compelled his buddies to go after Noah. What drove Ronan up the fucking wall was that he didn’t know, and he wouldn’t know until he talked to Noah.

With a sinking heart, he realized Noah probably wouldn’t know, either. If they’d jumped him as soon as he’d opened his car door, he might not even know who started what. Unless the police found the men before their wounds could heal, they might get away with what they’d done. Just the idea of that kind of injustice infuriated Ronan. He knew life wasn’t fair, but poor Noah hadn’t done a damn thing but want to park his car in his assigned spot. He’d done everything he could to head off trouble, but he’d gotten trouble anyway.