Sweet Blood (boyxboy)

Chapter 20: Helping the cause

" Why do you want to be with someone who does this to you?"
☆

15 long minutes pass with John, waiting for Jamie and Rowan to finish whatever it was they were starting. He really didn't want to know. Both men eventually exit Rowan's office. Each one of the three feeling awkward and uncomfortable.

"I'm....uh...I'm ready to see you now John, you say you have news?" Rowan looks flush in the face. John can see his shirt buttoned incorrectly, a spare one near the top without a hole to fit into, a tiny speck of blood on Rowan's pristine white coat.

John glances at Jamie whose hair looks like it's been brushed by fingers, his lips puffy and almost red.

John blinks a few times in order to erase the images forming in his mind. He clears his throat. "Mhmm, yeah, he said he would come to see you here after work tonight. I explained it would just be a small amount. He said that would be fine."

"That's great!" Jamie places a hand on John's shoulder. "But you shouldn't be here when he is."

"Yeah I know, I need to get back to work at some point. Shawn is probably cursing me as I speak. By the way..." John smirks, looking straight at Jamie. "Can you remove your dirty hand off my shoulder?"

Rowan's cheeks flush. Jamie smacks John's arm. "I'm still your older brother!" John rubs his sore arm, still chuckling to himself as he looks at them both.

"Lock the door next time." John backs away, narrowly missing yet another swipe. "Call me doctor, when it's done." John backs away further before turning around and heads back to the garage.

Jamie curses. "Sorry, he's a little shit sometimes."

Rowan grins. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For letting me in, for letting me know you."

Jamie kisses Rowan on the lips. "No, thank you Rowan."

---*---

As promised, Toby is now sat in a small room within the hospital. He couldn't explain the feeling he had inside. It was a mixture of excitement for sure, mixed with apprehension. Was this even going to work? Toby felt his heart swell. God he wished this would work. Just to be with John without any worries.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." A young woman enters the room. "I'm Dr Lewis." Toby smiles, acknowledging the woman. Toby watches as Dr Lewis goes to the counter top at the side of the room. There on a trolly, is a clear plastic bag, some sort of syringe and a pressure cuff.

"So, have you had explained to you what is happening?" Dr Lewis asks.

"Yes, you're taking some blood to..." Toby doesn't know what this doctor knows. He stops talking.

The doctor smiles. "That's right, just think of it as a mini transfusion, a blood donation."

Toby now goes quiet. He never did like needles, he looks away as the doctor encourages him to relax after rolling up a sleeve. A few minutes pass. "Ok all done." Toby looks down to see a small plaster covering the needle prick in his arm. He rolls down his sleeve. His blood red and slightly transparent sat in the plastic bag.

"That's it?" Toby is surprised.

"That's it. We will get this to John. Just rest a few moments before you leave."

"Oh...ok." Toby stays a few moments before he gets up.  Surely this was too easy. "Excuse me... doctor?" Toby stops and turns around just short of the door.