Everyone's Man – 15

 

 

Running his hands through his hair in frustration, Marc hung up the phone. Apparently safe houses in the area were geared towards battered women and abused children, not towards men who had been harmed by someone, be it partners or otherwise. Even the rape crisis center was stymied as to where to send Colin to keep him safe. The problem, of course, was that Marc wasn't willing to break Colin's trust and tell anyone that the attack was anything less than random. Marc knew the immediate response should have been to call the police. That would have been the wisest move, too, in any case. But Marc's first duty was, and would always be, his responsibility to the patient.

 

Besides, with unnamed assailants and given the fact that he was an admitted 'whore', it was possible, Marc thought, that the police would write it off as a male prostitute with an axe to grind because he'd been stiffed on his payment.

 

Hearing the door open, he turned and smiled. "Done with your rounds?" he teased.

 

Colin nodded soberly. "That was a real eye-opener. I guess I just thought…" he shrugged.

 

"That it was only sick people in here, or maternity cases?"

 

"Yeah. Stupid, I know." Colin sat down carefully on the hard wooden chair across from Marc. "It's the kids that really get to you."

 

"Trust me, I know." He noted Colin's pallor and nodded to the worn sofa along one wall. "If you want to rest for a while I should be finished up in about half an hour."

 

"Naw, I'm good. So, did you find someplace?" Colin realized he still had the cap on and pulled it off, shaking out his thick, black hair. He combed his fingers through it until the line from the hat was gone. Marc suspected it was because his ego demanded that his hair be perfect, even if his life wasn't at the moment.

 

"Not yet, I'm afraid," Marc admitted.

 

"That's okay. Just take me to the bus station and I'll catch one back to where I was living before…before all this shit went down."

 

"Not happening, Colin. If push comes to shove, I'll take you home with me."

 

Colin's face lit up for a second. Then he sighed. "Not a good idea. Tabby said you have a partner. He might not want company."

 

"She told you that?"

 

"Yeah, well I guess I asked, sort of." Colin looked down at his hands.

 

"She's right, I do, but we have a spare bedroom. He won't mind you using it, under the circumstances," Marc knew it was a lie, but he wasn't ready to see Colin go off on his own until he knew he'd be safe, both physically and emotionally.

 

Colin chewed his lip, then lifted his dark eyes to look at Marc. "You're sure?"

 

"Yes. I am."