Reckoning - 30. Chapter 30

Adam left a tip before leaving the diner taking a slow walk back to his building. The night air grew chilly as he pulled up his collar. He checked his cell for any message from Patrick finding none. His dad’s probably telling him he made a huge mistake being with me, he said, eyeing his jeep. What am I waiting for? I should be with him, telling his father to back off and let his grown son be with the man he wants to be with—me. Adam boarded his jeep and drove to claim his lover.

His heart pounded in his chest as he left the city limits and entered the quiet country road. The roads wind with no stop signs or traffic lights. Adam turned on his high beams as he maneuvered the twist and turns. A deer jumped out, and Adam’s slammed on his brake pedal, getting no results. Lucky for him, the deer kept running as he continued going. He tried pumping the breaks with no outcomes. He navigated the narrow two-lane road; he looked for a field or grove, but the area was too dark to even chance to drive off the road. His jeep could burrow into a wall of thick trees or worse off a cliff. Patrick told him a river ran close to his parent’s home it was nearby. Adam took his foot off the gas and opened his windows. He pressed the clutch and downshift to the lowest gear. He could feel the jeep slowing down as he came to a turn in the road. His hand clenched the emergency brake as he eased into the bend when high beam headlights appeared from behind, blinding him. The impact happened quick as Adam’s jeep left the road.

The last thing Adam remembered was being shoved hard. He regained consciousness and saw more blinding lights.

“Hang on, we got you,” a voice called out.

Adam vision was hazy thinking he was floating as they placed him down on a gurney.

“I know this man.”

Adam swore he knew the person talking.

“Take him to the main house. The doctor will meet you there. Adam, if you can understand me, it’s Philip. We’re taking you to the manor. You’ll get treatment there. Do you understand?”

Adam blinked rapidly but didn’t answer.

“Okay, I’m coming with him.” he told the EMT. “One of you drive my car up and retrieve his jeep as soon as possible,” He told the security team who Philip called when he came across Adam’s jeep hanging partially off a cliff. They had to ripe Adam’s driver door off to get him out. He had been wearing his seatbelt, which the EMT said saved his life.

When he awoke, he found himself in an unfamiliar room rustic high beams with earth-tone furniture. He rested in a four poster bed with a hand carved headboard and covered in the softest bedding he had ever touched. Double doors with panel windows led to the outside. Another door stood open, and he wasn’t sure, but assumed it was the bathroom. A third door opened and Patrick stepped into the room first with a worried expression. Then when he saw Adam’s eyes opened, a bright smile spread across his face as he rushed to the bed, kneeling over him, kissing his face and running his fingers through his hair until he stopped at his lips. Adam grabbed the back of Patrick’s neck and held him there as their kiss deepened.

Pain shot through Adam’s arm, causing him to let Patrick go. Patrick gasped as his eyes filled with tears, but his smile remained.

“I worried you wouldn’t wake up,” Patrick said, sniffing and wiping away his tears.

“Why would you think such a thing?” Adam asked.

“Adam,” he said concerned. “You crashed your jeep.”

“What?”