“My house is here.”
“I know. You wanna go check it out? Make sure everything is fine. I’d like to see it myself,” Hart said with their foreheads together.
“Okay.” Free smiled.
Hart stroked his thumb along that sweet bottom lip
“I wanna show you something I been working on, too.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Mmhmm. Inspired by you, actually.”
Hart’s tried not to preen like crazy and overreact.
“And I want you to use the first prototype.”
Prototype? What has this genius done? “Show me,” Hart said, his curiosity running wild.
He had to duck to enter the camper. Free hadn’t been lying about it being small. It was maybe thirty to thirty-two feet long, max. Steele had parked it close to the garage door on the left side and Hart still had plenty of room to get his truck out. The driver’s cab of the RV was nice and spacious. Inside had been completely gutted—except for the kitchen sink and a two-burner stove—and replaced with lab tables and one drafting table where maybe a dining area used to be. Computers, monitors, wires, tools, gadgets and systems were all around him. Holy shit. It looked as if Free could’ve operated a NASA launch from in there. Besides the queen-sized bed in the overhead compartment, the only furniture was two office chairs. His tech guru had turned his home into a computer lab.
“Seems weird, huh? You were expecting a nice entertainment center, sofas and window treatments. Not a lab. What type of person lives like this, huh? In a camper?” Free turned away sadly. “It’s easier to jump up and leave that way—no packing required—if I feel…unsafe.”
Hart hugged Free from behind like he’d done a moment ago. It’d felt amazing to him, so hopefully it did the same for Free. He whispered behind his ear. “None of this is weird. It’s who you are. And, maybe being parked here will make you feel safe, and you won’t have to leave again.”
Free nodded, accepting his comfort.
“And for the record…no. I wasn’t expecting a Martha Stewart mobile home, complete with window treatments. I was expecting to see you, baby. And all of this…screams you. I like it. A lot.”
Free laughed lightly, his shoulders easing down.
“Better.” Hart kissed his earlobe, “Now. Show me this idea that I inspired.”
Free’s demeanor went from somber to elation in seconds. It was a small comfort that he wasn’t the only one struggling with some insecurities in this relationship. Free wanted Hart to like all the parts of him. The good, the bad, the dangerous and the weird. It made Hart feel like he didn’t have to be the best at this relationship stuff. Free was winging it, too.
“Okay. Over here first.” Free sat in front of a low metal table littered with wires and thingamajigs. He pointed for Hart to take the other chair, “Come closer.”
He had no clue what he was staring at. Free put on some latex gloves and picked up what looked like a pair of extra-long tweezers. “This is my first prototype.”
“Awesome.” Hart inched closer, staring down at the narrow, oblong silicone-like object Free had placed on a glass dish. “What is it?”
Free smiled and gave him a little shrug. “I believe it’s the most advanced emergency communication device there is. Perfect for police, military, FBI, CIA, or whichever.”
“What’s it do?” Hart asked.
“Hopefully save a life.” Free explained, “The clear mold blends in with the skin, making it completely undetectable. Inside this slender gel pad is a complex network of cables that can detect and convey data. From the moment it’s attached to the skin, the red wires will sense the tiny electrical signals that are sent from the heart and communicate the person’s medical condition. Most importantly, it’s also wired with the process of trilateration. Meaning the high functioning GPS can literally pinpoint a person’s location.”
Hart crouched to try to get a better view, but the device was already small, then it had micro-wiring intricately woven inside.
“Here.” Free reached over their heads and pulled down a large magnifying glass.
“Thanks.” Hart laughed. “Okay. Now I see them. Wow! How the hell did you get those little tubes in there?”
Free clicked on a laptop nearby, rotating a digitalized diagram of an ear. “It wasn’t easy. I’ve been working on this for two months. If I want I can send off for the patent—in Tech’s name, of course, just like the others—since I have the prototype ready. I just need a name for it. Maybe I’ll call it The Heart Locator.”
A patent. Named after me. Hart’s chest was almost bursting. This was some real ground-breaking technology right there in front of him. In his driveway! A life-saving mechanism that could be used on their troops to help save their lives if they got separated from their squad or taken hostage. Well, I’ll be damned. And his boyfriend had made it.