Chapter Seven
The last time home looked so good was when he returned from the middle east. Drew heaved a tired sigh, taking his keys out of the his keys out of teg He rubbed both his palms on his face before he got out of the SUV. He and the others on the scene of the shooting had been set up to see the hospital's therapist in the next few days. Unlike T.C., Drew and Paul were receptive to at least one appointment. No bullets flew by as they treated the wounded but that didn't mean the fear wasn't still there. For a doctor who hadn't been in a warzone, Paul had managed to ignore the chaos around him. Paul was talented and was going to make a great surgeon. He was already one of the best surgical residents Drew had worked with. Drew had told the younger man that that evening. All the paramedics and doctors had been interviewed before leaving the hospital; not surprisingly they saw nothing in regards to a face for the shooter still at large. But the fact that T.C.'s gunshot patient, the one who would survive but without one kidney and require a colostomy had three .38 bullets removed from her body and the man was died in surgery had a .44 calibre bullet wound in his neck, there had to be more than one weapon-and likely more than one shooter.
Both who still roaming the streets of San Antonio.
There were some worry from the police department the shooter, or shooters had been watching what was on-folding from a distance and perhaps the first responders could be in danger. No doubt, Drew thought, that Rick was going to want to put him in a bullet-proof vest now since it would be more than Rick who would be effected if Drew was hurt, or worse. Drew couldn't mock the concern that he was going to hear when he stepped through the front door. Avery was in her swing looking like she was enjoying the motion. Rick grabbed him the moment he saw him, kissing him deeply before he said a word.
Drew returned the gesture. "I'm okay." He reassured his husband softly. "Hey. I'm here."
"You scared us last night," Rick said. "Thank you for taking time to call."
Drew had taken literally forty-five seconds to facetime his daughter to let her know he was unharmed but he couldn't talk right now. Brianna understood. Drew was okay but now he had to go to try to save lives. As long as her daddy was all right, everything was okay in her world.
"I'm sorry I couldn't add you to the mix but technically I wasn't even supposed to call Bri. But I knew you guys likely saw the news and didn't want neither of you up all night."
Rick nodded and kissed Drew again. "I know. Thank you for that. Just hearing your voice made it okay."
Drew looked over at Avery in her swing. "She looks happy."
"It's a hit. I could have left her there to sleep last night and she would have been a happy baby," Rick said.
Drew smiled, walking over and picking Avery up from her swing.
"Hi Avery," he said, kissing her cheek. "Daddy missed you last night. "
Avery's coos were soothing to Drew as she lay on his chest after he ate breakfast. Whatever she had done last night must have been fun if she was trying to tell him all about it. He fell asleep to her sweet sounds. While she was still in the hospital Avery had undergone the state mandated CF test. Thankfully, she hadn't inherited the disease her sister had. But if the test results had come back the opposite they would have proceeded with the adoption anyway not only because Rick and Drew had made a promise, to Avery's mother, Avery and Brianna but because they had already fallen in love with Avery; for Drew the moment Avery landed in his hands and Rick when he saw her in the nursery. Plus, if Avery had tested positive for CF, the chances of her being adopted were small and she would likely have a long wait. Neither man was letting that happen, either way. Who was more relieved at the results Brianna or her dads, was questionable. Just because Avery was her sister by blood didn't meant she wanted her to suffer the same way she did. It was the last common thing the teen wanted.
Rick took Avery from his husband's chest after he was sure Drew was asleep. He smiled at Drew's sleeping form. His husband probably wouldn't have fell asleep so fast if it wasn't for the warmth and calmness of the infant. Hearing a familiar sound from Avery, Rick sighed but smiled.
"You had to do that now, didn't you? You couldn't wait until daddy woke up? C'mon, let get you in a clean diaper and go to the grocery store."