Hot as Hall

Chapter Forty Five

Tanner

"I'm sorry, you want me to do what?" The look on my face must be hilarious, because Dr. Keller chuckles. I almost start laughing myself because if he said what I think he did, he's got to be joking. He sure as hell better not be serious.

"I want you to rest. Maybe even take a few days off." He repeats, crossing his arms over his chest as he rests against the counter. "It's reinjured, and if you don't let it heal properly this time, you're going to do permanent damage."

"How the hell could it be reinjured? You just cleared me a few months ago."

Dr. Keller shrugs, and it infuriates me how nonchalant he's being about all of this. As if my entire career isn't riding on this. As if he's not holding my future in the palm of his hands. "Honestly, Tanner, it could be a lot of things. Overuse, another work injury. You might have even tweaked it by doing something as simple as walking up the stairs. It's not serious right now, which is why I'm only suggesting rest, but if it gets much worse, you'll need surgery again."

"Can't I do physical therapy or something?" I'm about ready to explode at this point. An injury, even a threat of injury, is the very last thing I need.

When I made this appointment, I really thought I was only doing it to placate Zoe and maybe get some painkillers or something. I never in a million years actually expected something to be wrong.

"You can, but only after it heals properly. Let's give it a few weeks, and see where we're at." Dr. Keller suggests.

"Doc, you can't pull my clearance." I insist. This is just the ammunition Morgan needs.

"I'm not pulling it, Tanner. At least not yet." He says. "I'm trusting you to take care of this before it becomes a bigger problem. Let some of the other guys handle the heavy lifting for once."

That's easier said than done when I'm trying to prove my worth to a cocky battalion chief who is looking for any excuse to bench me. If I can't heal this on my own, then Morgan will sure as hell have me out for another few weeks.

"Okay." I reluctantly agree. What else can I do at this point?

"I want to see you back here in two weeks, and I don't want to see that this has gotten worse. Otherwise, I'll pull the clearance. Got it?" Keller looks over his glasses at me. As the department doctor, his word is law and I know he means every word of it. I need him on my side, so I'll have to play by his rules for now.

Keller gives me a prescription and sends me on my way, still a little dumbfounded. I've been doing mental gymnastics, trying to show I'm emotionally ready to be back, but maybe I've neglected what my body's been telling me in the process. If it's only for a few weeks, I can probably pull this off. Cut down on the workouts and the beach volleyball. Give my orders from the sidelines and let my team work the calls. It's not my preference, but if it saves me a little grief, it'll be worth it.

When I get back to my car and check my phone, I see a missed call from Zoe. I immediately dial back, anxious to hear what Ruiz had to say. Hopefully, one of us had a successful afternoon.

It goes to voicemail, but I also see a text from her letting me know she's picking up pizza and will meet me at home. I can't help but notice how she calls my house home, and a smile stretches across my face. Regardless of the other troubles going on in our lives right now, Zoe makes facing them a little less daunting and each moment I am more and more thankful for her.

At the house, it's usually quiet in the front room, so I make my way into the kitchen and the sight I find nearly knocks me off my feet. Zoe's at the sink, swaying to music playing through the speaker, and both Lucas and James are at the kitchen counter working on their homework. For a second, I wonder if I've stumbled into some kind of alternate universe, or at the very least, the wrong house. Usually, it's like pulling teeth to get the boys to do their homework before dinner, but it doesn't seem like there is any protesting at all.

I almost don't want to interrupt and just enjoy this moment from the outside, appreciating that it's mine, but the floor creaks underneath me and all three of them look up at me. It's not lost on me the way Zoe flinches, her face relaxing when she realizes it's just me and not someone else. It could just be from the trauma in general, but that doesn't feel very promising for her conversation with Ruiz.

"Hi guys!" I say, taking my jacket off and hanging it up on the back of the chair. Jesus, it's good to come home to all of this. It's something I could definitely get used to.

"Hi dad!" Lucas grins, rubbing his forehead as if he's completely exhausted. "Zoe got pizza for dinner! We're celebrating!"

"Oh, yeah?" I arch my eyebrow at her. "What are we celebrating?"

Zoe's smile is strained. "Well, the police think it's safe enough for me to go back to my house now. This is the last night I'll be here and then I'll move home tomorrow."

That doesn't sound like much of a celebration to me, and I can tell by the look in her eyes that there is much more to this, but I follow her lead and don't push her on it in front of the boys.

"That's great news!" I say, trying to be supportive.

"Can Honey stay here when you go home?" Lucas asks, shoving his work to the side.

"Lucas..." I shake my head with a laugh. The kid can be so adorably clueless. He and James are so polar opposite that sometimes it's hard to imagine they were raised the same way. "Why don't you guys go wash up and we can eat?"

Both of the boys disappear, giving me a few moments alone with Zoe. It's not nearly enough time to talk about all the things we need to, but it's long enough for me to sweep her into my arms and give her the kiss I've been anticipating all day long. Slow and sensual and just enough to leave her wanting more. Something about the way she tastes is intoxicating, and I can already feel my stresses melting away. I'll have to wait until later to get the release I've been craving.

"Okay, what kind of voodoo black magic did you do on the boys?" I smirk, pulling back just a bit.

"Excuse me?" She laughs, draping her arms over my shoulders as I hold her against me.

"They've never willingly sat down to do their homework like that. The house is clean, everything is in order. You have to have drugged them or something."

Zoe purses her lips, tilting her head to the side.

"Honestly, I don't even care. I just want to know your secrets."

"I don't know..." She shrugs. "I just asked, and they did it."

I rub my forehead in disbelief. "Just asked, and they did it, huh?"

She nods, giggling.

"You really are a natural with them. You'll make an incredible mother." My words hang in the air for a second, a bit of awkwardness setting in. We haven't had the kid conversation yet and I don't even know if she wants to be a mom, but that's exactly what she'll be if our relationship progresses. At some point, we'll need to talk about it, but for now, I change the subject. "So things went well with Ruiz?"

When her face falls, my guard automatically shoots up. "It went okay. I'll tell you all about it later. Let's just enjoy dinner and not make things weird for the boys. How was your appointment?"

"That's probably an after dinner conversation, too." I grimace. It's not so much about admitting she was right, but admitting that I was wrong, and that I'm not actually at my best.

Zoe's face twists, but before I can answer, James and Lucas are back and I watch as she hands them some plates, and they set the table. We sit down for dinner and have the most perfect, normal family evening I could ever imagine. I don't like that she's leaving tomorrow, but I don't know how to even broach that conversation with her. This is all still so new and I don't want to jump the gun and mess anything up, but I'm all in here — there is no denying that — and I hope she is, too.

I can't even picture my life without Zoe anymore and it's time to make some decisions so that I never have to.