Trent had the courtesy to look abashed. "I didn't mean to imply you wouldn't have, uh, or I mean... shit." Trent laughed. "I'm sorry. I'm really shitty at first impressions." He smiled wide, and it reached his eyes. "I don't care that you're marked, and I don't think anyone else should either. I just meant that despite what obstacles you clearly faced, you rose above all that shit. I admire you."
Hudson peered at him. "You really don't care?"
Trent shook his head. "Why should I? It's none of my business. All I see before me is a very successful, smart, beautiful man."
Hudson opened his mouth, then closed it, uncertain of how to respond. His cheeks felt warm, and he bit his bottom lip. Bollocks! He was blushing.
"Anyway, I just came by to introduce myself, and make an ass of myself apparently." He laughed, embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I'll, uh, leave you to more important things." He turned, and Hudson called out to him.
"Wait, Trent."
Trent paused, then turned back, smiling at him. "Yeah?"
"You didn't make an arse out of yourself. Thank you for stopping by."
Trent nodded. "Thanks. I better go, or I'll just stand here all day listening to that accent of yours. What part of England are you from?"
"Kent," Hudson replied.
Trent smiled, and with a wave, he walked out. Hudson sat, unable to help his smile. His cheeks were still somewhat flushed, which was a strange sensation--mostly because someone other than Seb had put it there. At times he wondered if anyone else in his unit felt the same as Trent and simply didn't approach him out of respect for Seb, which was silly, considering Hudson was no longer with Seb and had no obligation to him.
"Who was that?" Nina walked into his office, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. The familiar tag at the end of the tiny white string dangling from beneath the lid gave it away. She placed it on his desk before depositing herself in the chair Rafe had vacated.
"Thank you. And that was Agent Trent Carson from Philadelphia HQ. He's filling in for Taylor while he's on leave." He removed the lid from the steaming-hot cup of tea, unable to help his contented sigh. This was just what he needed. Now that Trent was gone and Nina was here, it brought him back to Rafe's visit. He took a sip of his tea and closed his eyes for a moment. Nothing soothed him like a good cup of black tea with a little milk and sugar.
Nina took a sip of her coffee, and Hudson could tell she was trying hard to make it appear as if nothing was wrong. They'd been playing this little game for months now, skirting each other, being polite, cracking the occasional smile. Nina would sit with him in his office, much like now, and they'd have their tea or coffee, but whereas before it was filled with lighthearted banter, gossip, and teasing, now there was a heavy silence, a thick fog of hurt between them. Hudson missed his friend. One thing was for certain; they couldn't continue like this. Rafe's visit gave him a lot to think about.
TWO DAYS later, as promised, Hudson once again accompanied Dex and Sloane to the TIN facility holding Taylor. Sloane waited in a separate room as he had the first time, only now he was a little more at ease since he no longer feared Dex would lose a limb. He'd been relieved the first encounter had gone without incident, until Dex recounted what happened, and Sloane all but had a bloody aneurism after he learned Dex had stuck his hand inside the cage while Taylor had been feral. Sloane's blustering left him red-faced and winded, and Hudson couldn't help but pat Sloane's shoulder in sympathy. A few sweet kisses and a little purring from Dex helped soothe Sloane and his bristled jaguar Therian half.
Hudson and Dex were led to an infirmary of sorts, and inside they found Taylor resting. The back of the bed was inclined, so they smiled when Taylor opened his eyes. He smiled in return.
"You came back." Taylor's voice was still rough, and he clearly had quite a bit of recovery to do, but he certainly looked better than he had two days ago.
"Of course," Dex replied, coming to stand by Taylor. "Let me get you some water. I'll be right back." Dex patted Taylor's shoulder and walked to the door. Hudson studied Taylor as he followed Dex's every move. The yearning in his eyes was unmistakable.
"I'm sorry," Hudson said quietly. "I didn't realize."
Taylor gave a start, as if he'd only just remembered Hudson was there.
"You care for him."
Taylor shook his head, his frown deep before he let out a shuddering sigh. "I don't know when it happened, when it went from just wanting to... sleep with him, to thinking about him all the time. It's not like we get to talk on callouts, or any other time, really, but when I'm around him, he just... he takes my breath away, and that's never happened to me before. I know I can't have him, ever, but a part of me keeps hoping, and I hate myself for it because he's happy. If Sloane left him tomorrow, I wouldn't care that he's marked."
"You wouldn't?" Hudson blinked at him, stunned by the intensity in Taylor's gaze.
"No." Taylor let out a heart-wrenching sigh. "I don't know what to do. I need to forget about him. To move on. How do I do that?"
"He's getting married," Hudson offered gently.
Taylor scrunched up his nose, the gesture clearly more to keep his emotions at bay than anything else. He pressed his lips together in a thin line and nodded. "Yeah." His voice broke, and he cleared his throat. "That'll do it, then. Thanks, Doc."
Hudson nodded. He knew what it felt like to love someone
and want nothing more than to move on with your life, yet find yourself unable to do anything but wish to be in that person's arms. If he could provide Taylor with any solace, help him leave behind the torture of pining for a man he couldn't have, then Hudson would do what he could.
Dex returned with a pitcher of water and a stack of paper cups. He placed them on the small tray table beside the bed before taking a cup to pour Taylor some water. Hudson declined the offer. While Dex and Taylor made small talk, Hudson removed his tablet from his messenger bag and swiftly typed away, taking notes of everything that had occurred up to this moment. Hudson wasn't merely here as Dex's personal physician. He was here to witness and document everything for Dex, and for reasons Hudson had yet to uncover, TIN was allowing it. Hudson had every intention of getting answers from Dex once they were in private, away from TIN.
"Can you tell me what you remember?" Dex asked, leaning forward, his hand on Taylor's arm.