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Yeah Cozy

Except what he’d had with Mallory had been just about the opposite of cozy It’d been hot Bewildering

Staggering

And what the hell pic was up on Facebook?

He dropped Ryan off, then went home and worked on the Ji phone He glanced at the ht that maybe Mallory had called him The last time she’d been stuck Maybe this time she just wanted to hear his voice He sure as hell could use the sound of her voice right about now

But the e wasn’t froy department at seven for scans, and then at a doctor’s appointht

Ty tried to read the tone of Josh’s voice to ascertain whether the neas going to be good or bad, but Josh was as good as Ty at not giving anything away

The next , Ty was led to Josh’s office and told to wait He’d perfected the art of hurrying up and waiting in thea thick file that Ty knew contained his medical history, he didn’t react

Josh was in full doctor mode today Dark blue scrubs, a white doctor coat, a stethoscope around his neck, and his hospital ID clipped to his hip pocket Hair rumpled, eyes tired, he dropped Ty’s file on his desk, sprawled out into his chair, and put his feet up "Christ"

"Long day already?"

"Is it still day?" Josh scrubbed his hands over his face "Heard from Frances today Or yesterday Persistent, isn’t she?"

"Anosis was none of her goddaenuine smile out of Ty "And she thanked you politely and went quietly into the night"

"Yeah," Josh said, heavy on the irony "Or toldto do with et news on you herself"

"Sounds about right" Ty looked at his closed file "Verdict?"

"Scans show marked improvement With another month of continued PT, you could be back in the sa shape you were For now, I’d say you were probably up to where us nor kill hiave hio You’re not up to leaping out second-story s"

"Yeah, but that hardly ever happens"

Josh put his feet down and leaned forward, studying Ty for a long, seriousback"

"But you want to go back now"

"Hell, yeah," Ty said "I wanted to go back the day I got here Especially in the past feeeks, since I’ve been swiain"

"So why didn’t you? Go back?"

"I want to work," Ty said, gesturing to the file "Need clearance"

"Yes, and that’s going to come soon, but my point is that you haven’t been exactly handcuffed to Lucky Harbor You could have left"

A flash of Mallory’s face caainst hi only a soft, sated sht across her face

It was no mystery what had kept him here

"Mal know that you’re just about out of here?" Josh asked quietly

"This has nothing to do with her," Ty said flatly "Sign the papers"

"You’d have to be on light duty"

"Fine I’ll push fking papers around on a desk if I have to Just clearbaffled "You’d leave here for a desk job? Man, you’re not a desk-job kind of guy and we both know it"

He’d deal He needed to get close to the action, to get back to his world He needed the adrenaline He asting away here in Lucky Harbor

"You know," Josh said with that infuriatingly cal on the desk, his elbows on the release papers "Maybe we should get back to the real reason you’re still here"

"Sign the papers, Josh"

Josh stared at hiaze evenly Steadily

With a shake of his head, Josh signed the papers

Ty spent two days not et back to his life First, he told himself he needed to finish up the Jier for Lucille’s neighbor, and the other two cars he’d taken on as well And people kept calling hinore them Plus he needed to finish the Shelby, just for hi like a dreaive hi about it

Which turned into yet another day…

Then he woke up to a ot up and sway, and equally worked over Then Ty dragged himself to the shower and drove to Josh’s office

Josh was in dress clothes today, a white doctor’s coat over his clothing, the ever-present stethoscope acting as a tie He looked up from the mountain of paperwork on his desk and scowled at Ty "You call The Queen yet about being cleared?"

"No"

Josh gave hi look, then stood and shut his office door Back in his chair, he steepled his fingers, studying Ty like a bug on a slide "Problehtened his leg and winced

"No doubt," Josh said dryly "I was at the gy; you never even noticedthe floor with Matt Who, by the way, is the best street fighter I’ve ever met And you kicked his ass How "

Josh’s smile faded "Yeah?"

"Yeah"

Josh was quiet a ive it another week," he finally said