Lucas smiled ruefully. That was about as much approval as he could ever expect.
Paul continued, “So… any thoughts about coming back when this runs out? I could still get you in full-time here. At least you show up on time and manage not to fall asleep at your desk.”
There was a story there, undoubtedly about some other employee who Paul would love to complain about if Lucas let him. He didn’t want any part of it. His brother wasn’t an ogre, though, and he knew his words were what Paul considered positive and helpful. They were such different people. “I appreciate that, Paul. Really. But I’m good where I’m at.”
“Sure,” Paul said, “but you can’t cling to this photography thing forever, you know. You aren’t getting any younger, and youmight like to have a family one day or… something.” The pause bristled with uncertainty. It wasn’t Paul’s fault he saw everything through a heteronormative lens. You got a good job, got married, and had some kids. That was life.
“Well, when I get too old and feeble to lift my camera, I’ll think about giving it up,” Lucas said, though something inside him bristled.
“I’m just saying, it’s not too late to pivot to something that actually supports you.”
“I’m supporting myself now.”
Another pause. “Well. As long as you’re doing okay,” Paul said. “We just want what’s best for you, Lucas. I mean, Mom and Dad do.”
He hated when his brother pulled his older-and-wiser bullshit. Paul was only a few years older than him. Lucas swallowed the sharp reply forming on his tongue and instead said, “Got it. Thanks, Paul.”
They said goodbye, and Lucas stared at the phone for a moment, then dropped it back on the couch. He drained the last of his cocoa and stood, suddenly restless. There was no way he could sit inside now, not with those words lingering like cold breath on the windows. He needed light. Space. He grabbed his camera bag, shrugged into his coat, and slipped out the door.
The neighborhood was closed up and quiet under the looming gray clouds. The snow from two days ago had turned crusty in the cold, and frost rimmed the bare trees like fine silver. Lucas wandered a few blocks on instinct, finally stopping at a quiet corner where the street curved just enough to reflect in a long puddle half-frozen and shimmering in the morning light.
It was perfect. He crouched a little, angling the lens to catch the lines of the sidewalk, the reflection of a tilted stop sign, the delicate scatter of snow along the edges. He lined the shot up inhis mind, stepped backward, adjusted his focus, and shuffled a few inches to the right. His eyes locked on the camera screen.
One worn sneaker came down on a patch of black ice and skidded out from under him. His knee wrenched sideways, his ankle burst into pain, and he hit the pavement hard. A sharp bolt of agony shot up his arm when his elbow hit the pavement, and his fingers spasmed. The camera slipped from his grip and skidded out of reach with a sickening clatter.
He lay there a moment, stunned, trying to catch his breath. “Shit.” Lucas bolted upright and reached for his camera before anything else. A tiny scratch marred the corner of the case, but miraculously, everything else was intact and undamaged.
“Thank you, thank you,” he muttered while he latched it inside the protective case and tightened the strap across his chest. Only then did he bend and straightened his elbow – achy but not broken – and try to get to his feet. He got one foot on a non-icy patch of sidewalk and… Agony flared through his ankle and up his calf, so he dropped back down on his butt on the cold ground. “Shit,” he repeated.
He tried one more time before giving up and pulling out his phone. There was no way he could walk back to his apartment like this, but it wasn’t bad enough to call an ambulance. He couldn’t afford the medical bills anyway. Rideshare? What Uber driver was going to want to pick him up and help him into the car?
His thumb hovered over his favorite contact for a second before he tapped the icon of the golden retriever. He hit call before he could second-guess himself. Ryder could be on call, he could be saving someone’s life right then, could be…
Ryder answered on the second ring. “Hey, Lucas. It’s early. What’s up?”
“Hey,” he said, trying to sound calm and like he wasn’t freezing and in pain. “I, uh… I kinda messed up my ankle andcould use a bit of help. I didn’t know if you were at work, and I don’t want to bother you or—”
“Where are you?” Ryder’s voice deepened, an obvious hint of concern tinging his question.
Lucas rattled off the street name. “Can’t miss me. I’m the only idiot sitting in the middle of the sidewalk.”
“Stay there. I’m on my way.”
Distracting himself from the pain and embarrassment by snapping a few ground-level shots, Lucas scanned the street for Ryder’s vehicle. He pulled up less than ten minutes later, parked close to the curb, and hurried around from the driver’s side without even turning off the engine.
“I’m fine,” Lucas said as Ryder crouched next to him and started prodding his leg and ankle gently. “Really. I just can’t get up.”
“Can you move your toes? Any tingling or numbness?” The bright blue eyes met his. “Did you hit your head?”
Lucas shook his head. “The only numbness is my ass from sitting on the freezing ground. I’m fine, Ry, really. Just stupid. Help me up?”
Ryder’s mustache twitched. “Not stupid. Accidents can happen to anyone. Believe me, I know.” He tucked one thick arm under Lucas’s and eased him upright. Instead of letting go or giving Lucas a shoulder to lean on, he wrapped his arm around his waist and practically carried him to the passenger seat. “Let’s get you checked out.”
***
Despite his protests, Ryder insisted on an X-ray at urgent care. The nurse there recognized the EMT, raised her eyebrows at how close he sat to Lucas, and smiled through the whole check-up. Finally, the ankle injury was declared a bad sprain and otherthan a bruised elbow and pride, nothing else was damaged. They wrapped it, took his credit card payment while he grimaced, and told him to stay off it for a few days.
When they finally made it back to Lucas’s apartment, Ryder carried the camera while Lucas hobbled in using the awkward pair of crutches. “You didn’t have to stay the whole time,” he said as he flopped onto the couch. “I didn’t mean to take over your whole day.”
