The Fault Next Door

Chapter 32

Nolan couldn't believe how good of a weekend he and Ryder had after things had almost ended between them. They'd grown closer probably because of the strife they'd faced together. Sure, they had a lot to work through, but they weren't letting their past destroy their future.

Ryder still felt odd that Andrew had been driving the vehicle that had lost the tire, causing the wreck that Amy had died in, but Nolan saw that Ryder had come a long way since that Saturday morning when his mom showed up and threw a fit. At least now Ryder didn't blame Andrew. After reading more articles, he realized it really was just a terrible, awful event.

Nolan had half-expected Ryder's parents to show up at some point, but no one disturbed them. They worked in the barn for a few hours, then spent the next few hours wrapped in each other's arms. If asked, he would say they'd gone from sex to making love. The time they spent together felt deeper.

When he walked into work on Monday morning, two of the women who worked in the office seemed to stare more than usual. He guessed rumors were really swirling now. He couldn’t help the things people said, but he wasn’t going to give them more to talk about.

Nolan did his job as usual and ignored the whispers. They were about an hour from closing when someone brought in a child who’d been riding his bike about a block away from the clinic and had weaved into traffic. Luckily, the car that hit him hadn’t been going that fast.

His injuries weren’t terrible, but they needed to get the bleeding stopped before he was transported to a larger hospital. The mom, who’d been watching as her child rode his bike, made a face when she saw he was working on her child.

“I don’t want him touching my child!” the woman yelled.

Nolan's stomach tightened as the woman yelled something more. He was about to walk away, but then Dr. Moore looked up and hit the woman with a hard stare.

"If you don't want gay people working on your son, then you might as well start planning his funeral. More than half the doctors and nurses I know are gay, bi, or lesbian."

The woman sputtered as one of the medical technicians led her from the room. Dr. Moore didn't miss a beat as he went back to working on the child. No one said anything to the doctor about what he'd said. The child was stabilized and then transported to the hospital.

Nolan was in the back room, getting ready to leave, when Dr. Moore stepped in. Nolan turned to the doctor, ready to thank him, when Moore held up his hand.

“Don’t you dare thank me. That woman shouldn’t have said what she did. I don’t know how she found out you’re gay, but Wade is in town now, and I’m not hiding who I am.”

A smile crept over his lips. “Good. Maybe that’s what this town needs.”

Lila stepped in and chuckled. “I don’t have a partner right now, but maybe I need to start dating.”

Dr. Moore raised his eyebrows. “Oh, I didn’t know you were part of the community.”

“Lesbian until the day I die,” Lila said.

Nolan put his hand on his hips. “I’m tired of hiding.”

“Just be careful,” Lila said as she patted him on the shoulder.

“I will be. I know it will take time.” He just hoped Ryder didn’t get too upset that most of the town probably knew he was gay by now. No one knew they were together, but it wouldn’t take much for someone to find out.

They’d both been through so much already. Ryder was strong, but this would challenge even the strongest of souls.