The Sound of Your Voice Ch. 02

Evan laid awake staring at his ceiling. It was Friday. He had met Josh on Monday, and had spent every moment since silently kicking himself for not making a move. As he sat up, he sighed, and glanced at the clock. 9 am. It was his day off. He liked to sleep in on his days off, but today that wouldn't be the case.

He showered quickly, and dressed. His brother and sister were already off at school, tonight was the night of the big game. His mother and grandmother had left earlier, saying something about doing a little shopping 'in town', as they referred to Louisville, so for the moment, Evan was alone in the house, except for the family cat.

As he wandered down the stairs, he found himself going out the back door to stand on the porch and overlook the garden. Most of the summer flowers had faded away, and even with the heat, he could sense the approaching fall. In another week, it would be cool during the day, and the nights even colder. He glanced around the garden for a moment before letting his eyes drift to the rolling hills of the farm, and in the distance, the banks of the Ohio River. His family's home sat on well over a hundred acres of land, and as a child, he'd ridden or walked over every single inch of it. He loved it, it was home, but right now, he wanted to get away.

Turning, he quickly walked through the house, snatching up his keys, and locking the doors behind him. In a few minutes, he was heading into Louisville, not quite sure where he would end up, or what he would do. He glanced at the clock, nearly 10 am. From the corner of his eye, he noticed the purple sign of Shelly's Bakery. Slowing, he pulled into the parking lot.

It took him a moment to work up the courage as he sat there in the car, wondering what exactly it was he was thinking. Taking a deep breath, he got out of the car and headed into the bakery.

Stepping inside, he took a deep breath of the delicate smells of pastries, and sweets that filled the building, and with a nervous smile, he greeted Shelly Hamilton. "Hey Shells. Uh...I was wondering...is...uh...Josh around?"

Shelly Hamilton raised one eyebrow. "Nice to see you Evan. He's in back, just a minute." She quickly stepped through the swinging doors into the back part of the bakery, leaving Evan to fidget as he waited in the otherwise empty building. When he heard the doors swing open again, he turned to see the surprised look on Josh's face.

"Hi," Evan said.

Josh blinked. "Hi. Shelly said you wanted to see me?"

Evan nodded. "Uh, yea. I did. Could we step outside for a moment?"

"Sure," Josh said and headed to the door. Once outside, he turned toward Evan. "What is it?"

Evan swallowed, hard. "Um...well. I...don't...really know."

Josh raised both eyebrows. "You came here and asked to talk to me only to tell me you don't know? Nice waste of time, Evan." He turned to walk back inside.

Evan reached out with one hand, just barely touching his arm. "Wait. I'm sorry. Its just..." he stammered out.

Josh turned around to look at him once more. "Just...what? Spit it out already."

"Fuck. I'm sorry. maybe I shouldn't have come," Evan said.

Josh shook his head. "Whatever." Once more, he turned to walk inside.

"Wait, wait!" Evan exclaimed. "I just...I..."

Josh turned with a huff. "Either tell me what you want, or let me get back to work."

In a fit of frustration, Evan pressed Josh against the brick wall, and quickly covered his mouth with his own. For a split second, Josh was surprised, but only for a second. Quickly, he wrapped his arms around Evan's neck, and held him in place. For a long moment, they remained locked together, until finally Evan pulled back. "Damn...wanted to do that from the moment I saw you," he mumbled.

Josh grinned. "See, that wasn't so hard, now was it?"

Evan shook his head, and quickly pressed another kiss to Josh's mouth, this one shorter, and softer. "You have no idea."

Never quite letting go of Evan, Josh smiled. "Is that what you wanted to tell me?"

Nodding, Evan grinned. "Yea. Um..." He was intensely aware of the heat of his body pressed up against Josh's. Slowly, he stepped back just enough to give them the smallest amount of space between them. "Um...would you like to go out with me tonight? My brother has a big game tonight, and well, I'd like it if you'd come." Quickly realizing what he'd said, he amended. "With me. I mean. Shit." He stammered. "Come with me to the game."

Josh laughed. "Sure. I get off at three."

Evan nodded. "I'll pick you up at three then. The game is at eight."

Josh nodded. "Okay...but...what are we going to do with the five hours in between."

Evan grinned. "Easy, you're going riding." Josh just smirked.

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Josh sighed. He knew his thighs were going to be sore tomorrow, and not quite for the reason he had thought when Evan had mentioned riding. Still, he had to admit, horseback riding across Evan's family farm had been a great way to spend the afternoon, and he had thoroughly enjoyed the company. Now, sitting in the stands as they watched the Cardinals go against the Bearcats, he shivered slightly. It had gotten cooler than had been expected, a sure sign that fall was on the way.

Casually, Evan wrapped an arm around Josh's shoulders, pulling him a little closer. He seemed to not notice the appraising glance Natalia gave Josh, or the smile his grandmother gave when she thought he wasn't looking.

Josh leaned in to Evan's side a little more, and Evan's arm slide down, the hand coming to settle upon Josh's hip. With a small smile, Josh watched the rest of the game. The game was over all too quickly, and before long, Josh found himself standing outside the entrance to his friend's apartment.

Evan smiled and pressed a soft kiss to Josh's mouth. "So...um...I'll see you tomorrow?"

Josh grinned and nodded. "Yup."

They fell into a familiar pattern after that, spending virtually every free moment together. The weather grew colder as the days shortened, and the nights lengthened, and quickly they found themselves in October. It was a particularly cool day when Evan picked Josh up at the bakery. After a much needed kiss, they set out.

"I just wish you'd have chosen somewhere a little more..." Evan started.

Josh sighed. "A little more what? Closer to you? I mean, your grandmother offering me the apartment over the carriage house was sweet and all, but I need my own place."

"Fine, fine." Evan focused on the road ahead of him.

Josh leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Besides...it gives us a place to...relax."

Evan smirked. "Relax. Right."

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Evan carried the last of the boxes into the apartment. It was small, but well maintained, with a great view of the city. As he set the boxes down, he turned to Josh. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay tonight?"

Josh nodded and smiled. "I'm sure. You have to work tonight, and I need to unpack." When Evan nodded, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Besides, its supposed to rain, and you know how I love storms."

Evan smiled. "Yea. I'll see you later, okay?"

Josh nodded. "Yup."

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The storm raged outside as Evan sat in his office. It was impossibly dark, even for 9pm. He sat reading over patient reports and profiles, and trying very hard not to think about Josh. He was just about to call him when his pager went off. He glanced down at the number and sighed. Another call from the ER. Setting aside the reports, he stood, stretched, and headed out into the hallway.

The trip to the ER didn't take long, and once he arrived, he noticed the sheer amount of soot covered people. "Great," he mumbled, "A fire." He stepped into the nurse's station, and glanced over the files for a moment before one of the young nurses, who's name he couldn't remember came up beside him.

"Ah, Doctor Corinth. There is a patient here who asked for you by name," she said.

Evan blinked. "By name?" He'd worked with a lot of patients since being hired as the resident psychologist for Louisville's University Hospital. "What happened exactly?" he asked.

"Lightning struck an apartment building. Apparently the apartment it hit was empty, but the whole building went up pretty quickly. You know how those older buildings are," she answered, and then gestured with the clipboard to one of the small rooms that lined the ER. "He's in 13."

Evan nodded, and walked to the door, quickly taking up the chart. He flipped to the listing of injuries, and scanned over it. Still looking it over, he stepped inside. "Hello, I'm Doctor Corinth, psychologist. How can I help you...Mister..." he flipped back to the first page, and his heart stopped. Looking up, he saw the soot covered face of Josh staring back at him from the bed.

Dropping the chart, he was immediately at the bedside. "Oh shit! Baby, are you okay?" He was looking him over when Josh coughed.

"I'm fine. Just smoke inhalation." Josh smiled weakly. "First and last night in my new place."

Evan sat down, huffing as he did so. "Damn. I'm sorry. I..."

Josh shifted onto his side and smiled slightly. "Its not your fault. Lightning struck the apartment across from mine. Whole place went up." He looked down. "The...firefighters said it was a complete loss. Everything I own, just gone." He tried to hide the tears that formed in his eyes.

Evan swallowed hard. Rising from the chair, he moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Quietly, he gathered Josh into his arms, and held him as he cried, not caring that his clothing was becoming covered in ash and soot. "Shhh, baby, its okay. We can replace it all..."

Josh shook his head. "I can't afford to. And now I've got nowhere to live and..."

Evan interrupted him with a soft kiss. "Yea, you do. You're coming home with me."

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It took a moment for Josh to remember where he was when he awoke. They had kept him overnight at the hospital for observation, and Evan had pulled a few strings to get him a private room. Thinking of Evan, Josh rolled onto his side, and there, sound asleep, with his arms folded and his head resting upon them atop the bed as he sat beside it, was Evan.

Smiling, Josh lightly brushed his fingers over Evan's forehead, and was rewarded with a soft sigh of pleasure from him. As Evan slowly opened his eyes, Josh smiled. "Morning."

Evan groaned softly, and closed his eyes once more, mumbling. "What time is it?"

Josh glanced at the clock. "Um...almost ten."

Evan sat bolt upright. "Shit! I'm late!" He started for the door, and just as he was opening it, stopped and turned. Quickly, he leaned over the bed and pressed a kiss to Josh's mouth. "Morning." Grinning, he turned and opened the door. "I'll be back in a bit."

As the door shut behind Evan, Josh stretched out in the hospital bed. He turned his head to look out the window. It was going to be another long and rainy day. He had just closed his eyes when he heard the door open. Turning, he smiled, thinking it was Evan, only to be greeted by the tall lanky figure of a man he hadn't seen in six months.

"Tom!" Josh exclaimed, his eyes going wide. He scooted back into the bed, rapidly pressing the call button for the nurse. "What are you doing here?! Get out!"

Tom Ryland was an arrogant man, and standing at 6'2, he was a tall man, though he was lean. Smirking, he stepped forward. "Now is that anyway to greet your lover?"

Josh rapidly shook his head. "You are not my lover. Not after what you did."

Tom chuckled. "That's where you're wrong. I own you."

Josh was trembling now, as memories of the abuse he had endured at Tom's hands came flooding back. As his eyes teared up, he heard the door open once more.

As Evan stepped into the room, he had a slightly panicked look on his face, which only grew worse when he saw Josh's expression. "Baby, are you..." he blinked as he noticed the other man in the room. "Can I help you?"

Tom smirked as he turned to face Evan. "Yea, you can get the papers so I can sign my boy out, and we can be on our way. I'll pretend you didn't call him 'baby' and not beat your ass. Now run along doc."

Evan's brows knitted together. He turned and looked at Josh. "Do you want to go home with him?" He asked simply.

Josh rapidly shook his head. "No! I never want to see him again."

Evan nodded and turned back to Tom. "You heard him. Get out." He didn't move in time to avoid the backhanded slap that hit him. Licking his lip, he tasted blood, and nodded. "Well then," he glanced at Tom. "I can see you don't intend to take no for an answer. I'll be back with the paper work I guess. I don't want a fight."

Josh paled. "But..."

Tom laughed as Evan stepped through the door. "See 'baby', even he knows you're just a cheap whore. Or did you think you could leave that all behind? The way you used to beg for it from every guy I brought in..." Tom sneered. When he heard the door open, he turned, expecting to see Evan with the paper work. The two armed security guards, both with pistols pointing at him were a shock.

Evan, standing behing the guards smiled. "Oh...wrong paper work?"

Tom glared, his anger visible as his nostrils flared. "This is not over...I'll fucking kill..."

He was interrupted by one of the guards. "I hope you aren't about to issue a threat in our presence. After all, aggravated assault in a hospital will net you a few weeks in lock up." Tom just shook his head as one of the guards stepped forward to cuff him and read him his rights.

Evan stepped forward, around them, and sat on the bed in front of Josh. Gathering him into his arms, he kissed his forehead. "Its okay angel, you're safe."

"No you're not!" shouted Tom as he was being taken out of the room. "I'll get you! I'll get you both! You belong to me bitch!"

In Evan's arms, Josh just trembled.