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Being a famous cardiac surgeon meant that Zayne would often have to visit other hospitals across the country to perform surgeries and speak at events. On the rare occasion, the Farspace Fleet would require Zayne’s skills and ask him to help them. He’d been to the Sky Haven hospital many times, but he’d rarely go on missions. He wasn’t interested in going in the Deepspace Tunnel and he wasn’t a trained field medic.
That being said, Zayne still went into Fleet headquarters when he was needed. Caleb pulled some strings to get Zayne to be his primary doctor, too. While Zayne had been angry at Caleb for not telling him he was alive for a year after the explosion, he knew anger would only harm him instead of Caleb. Zayne didn’t pretend to know he knew more than he did. There were things about Caleb he didn’t know. He knew the Colonel hid things from him. Everyone had their secrets. After all, no one knew about Zayne’s curse.
Caleb convinced Zayne to stay at his apartment in Sky Haven whenever he was in the city for business or pleasure. The doctor didn’t mind as it kept Caleb close to him. He never said it outright, but he didn’t want Caleb to disappear again. The explosion had torn Zayne apart the way it hurt Emcee, but instead of spiraling outwardly, he disappeared into his job. He took more surgeries and patients, hiding behind his doctor persona.
“I got you. I got you,” Zayne promised, putting pressure on the bullet wound in Caleb’s lower abdomen. He knew people wanted Caleb gone, but he never expected someone to try in broad daylight. Blood seeped around his fingers, and Caleb groaned. The air temperature was growing colder and colder. Caleb’s would-be assassin was frozen to the ground, Zayne’s evol keeping them in place. They’d suffer for trying to kill his partner.
“I need some help here!” Zayne shouted, voice cracking. Caleb was losing too much blood, and Zayne wasn’t going to lose him again. He couldn’t lose Caleb. “This is going to hurt, but I have to keep you from bleeding out.”
“I trust yo—AHH!” Caleb yelled as Zayne shoved his fingers in the wound to plug up the bleeding. “Warn a guy next…next time,” Caleb grit his teeth, throwing his head back and he tried to stay still. He was no stranger to pain, but Caleb hated the feeling.
Zayne tried to stay calm, to keep his evol under control. He wouldn’t be the reason Emcee had to hear Caleb was dead and he wasn’t coming back this time. Farspace soldiers had arrived on the scene, the assassin was taken into custody while medics were surrounding him and Caleb. “He was shot and bleeding profusely,” Zayne informed the medics. “He could bleed out if I move my hand.”
“Okay, Doctor, we’ll be careful, and just keep putting pressure,” the medic nodded. An ambulance had arrived, and they carefully got Caleb on a stretcher with Zayne hovering over Caleb, hand stuffed in his wound. “We’re taking him to the base infirmary. The hospital might be too risky if someone was willing to try an attack in public.”
“Make sure I’ll have everything I need,” Zayne said firmly. He’d be damned if he let another doctor operate on Caleb, especially a farspace doctor. Who knows what they’d do to him. Zayne knew he couldn’t stop everything that happened to Caleb, but when he was working with the Fleet, he was going to do whatever he could to keep Caleb intact.
The infirmary nurses were waiting for them. Zayne barked orders, falling into his doctor persona with ease. Despite his racing heart and fear of losing his partner, he acted put together and composed. Caleb was put under, and Zayne took his fingers out of Caleb’s wound, moving fast to keep Caleb from bleeding out.
After the surgery, Zayne didn’t leave Caleb’s side. He tossed out anyone who tried to visit the Colonel while he was still unconscious. He’d sent a message to the group chat of all their partners that Caleb had been shot but was okay. He read all of the replies, from Xavier and Emcee’s relief, Rafayel’s dramatics, and Sylus’ promise to take care of the person who shot Caleb. Zayne didn’t have the energy to respond to any of their replies.
“You fool,” Zayne murmured softly, running his fingers through Caleb’s hair. “You take on too much, and you treat yourself like you are expendable. I know you want to protect us, but who protects you?” Caleb looked so peacefully, laying there in the hospital bed. “You don’t get to die again, Caleb. You don’t get to leave us a second time.”
“And people say you’re cold hearted,” Caleb groaned, purple eyes looking at him.
Zayne’s expression darkened and he purposely pressed on Caleb’s bandaged side, earning him a hiss of pain. “Idiot,” he grumbled, ears turning a bright red. Caleb let out a pained laugh. “You’re going to need rest, lots of it. You’re lucky she hasn’t already stopped by to kidnap you.”
Caleb cracked a small smile. “I guess so.” He groaned softly as he moved. “Are you okay?” his smile fading. Zayne looked ragged, bags under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept in days. “You look horrible.”
Zayne glared at Caleb. “Do I look okay? I just had to do surgery on you to remove the bullet. You almost bled out!” Snowflakes materialized in the air. “You could have died, Caleb Xia.” He looked down at the floor. “If you had died, it would have been my fault.”
“Don’t,” Caleb reached for Zayne’s arm. “Don’t say that, Zayne. It’s not your fault. I knew people want me dead, and I still go out and do my job or spend time with my partners.” He squeezed Zayne’s hand. “So please, don’t say it’s your fault.”
Zayne swallowed thickly, squeezing back. “I know. I just…I don’t want you to—”
“I know,” Caleb murmured, kissing Zayne’s knuckles. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Zayne smiled softly. “You’ll come home soon, right? Doctor’s orders.”
“I will,” Caleb mock saluted.
Zayne smacked his shoulder.