I will never leave you.

“Mac,” a man’s voice said softly. “Are you afraid of death?” “No…” came the same quiet reply. “But I’m afraid of Marchenko.” Jim was holding Mac’s hair, trying to pull him away from his neck. “Mac… It hurts…” Miller said, breathing heavily. MacReady slowly pulled away, realizing what he had done. He’d bitten too hard. A drop of blood ran down his collarbone. “I’m sorry.” Mac whispered. “I’ve been thinking about all the terrorist attacks in the last six months, and that ambush in Dubai.” Jim looked at him questioningly. “I know this isn’t the best time to talk about this, but what if Marchenko is being directed by someone to destroy Brown and get more votes for the Humanity Restoration Act?” “Save that conversation for later.” Miller reached out to McReady, giving him a hug. He nuzzled his nose into the curve of his neck, inhaling the pleasant scent of Odekalon. “You always knew how to pick out the Odecalons.” The soft scent of Creed Aventus, which was Miller’s favorite, caressed his receptors, allowing him to fully immerse himself in this fruity paradise. “It was more of a perfume than an odicolone.” Jim buried his nose in the man’s hair. “And you always knew how to choose shampoos. Your hair looks stiff, but when you touch it, you realize it’s soft.” “Are we going to compliment each other like teenagers?” “Maybe.” They sat in silence for about ten minutes, just enjoying the moment of solitude. Well, at least that’s how it seemed until Miller was spoken into Miller’s ear. “James M-” Jim pulled out his earpiece and tossed it somewhere in the direction of the kitchen. “Mandarley’s gonna kill me the next time I see him.” “Why don’t you come to my place? It’s safer. At least I think so.” Miller thought for a few seconds about Mac’s suggestion. “Why not? It’s night. Rain. Just you and me. Sound romantic?” “Don’t forget the curfew and a bunch of police on the streets.” “Don’t worry. They won’t get in our way much. Besides, you don’t live that far away.” “Then get ready.” MacReady got up to help Miller up. “I’ll wait for you by the door. If you need help, you call me.” He looked at his hand. “You might need it.” “Don’t worry. I’m a big boy. I can handle it.” Jim pecked Mac on the cheek. “Go on. I’ll be down in ten minutes.” “You’re ten minutes late.” MacReady crossed his arms over his chest. “I know. I’m sorry.” Jim scratched the back of his head. “Putting on a T-shirt with a broken arm is harder than I thought.” “I told you to tell me if you need help.” Mac’s rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Sometimes I think you’re kidding me. At least take some pride at home.” “It’s not too embarrassing to admit you need help, is it?” “Uh-huh. Okay, whatever.” MacReady kissed Miller. “How do we go? Walk to the apartment or take the subway?” “Let’s walk.” “Whatever you say.” They left the apartment, locked the door and went to the backyard. The house was a well with a small pond in the middle. Why it was there was unclear, but it was beautiful. Jim was walking behind Mac, so he decided to have a little fun. He quietly dipped his hands into the pond, scooped up the water, snuck up on MacReady, and poured it over him, laughing. “Where’d you eat immortality?” grinned Mac, walking over to Miller, dousing him with water as well. “Come here.” Jim started to run away from his newfound boyfriend, continuing to laugh. MacReady caught him in the apartment, pressing him against the wall, immediately kissing him passionately. “I love your laugh.” Mac said, pulling away. I could tell from his voice that he was already aroused. “We’re like two idiots in love.” “I know. Don’t act like that at work.” Miller put his legs around MacReady’s waist. “I want you.” “Somebody’s getting excited. I didn’t think you’d be so quick to agree to sleep with someone after your divorce.” “I trust you.” Jim whispered, biting Mac’s ear. He groaned, threw Miller on his shoulder, and went to his apartment. MacReady lay beside Jim, catching his breath. Miller moaned softly, processing in his head what they’d just done in bed. “Ah, I never thought I’d be breaking the rules for a cause.” Jim muttered, turning to Mac and putting his hand on his chest. “What do you mean?” MacReady asked, putting his arm around Miller’s shoulder. “Actually, the rules say I’m not supposed to be in bed with you. I could get fired for that.” Jim turned around again, staring at the ceiling. “The bosses were cool with relationships when I was married, but Neil wasn’t my subordinate, unlike you, so we can’t be in a relationship.” MacReady turned to Miller, noticing the tiny droplets of tears. “Do you still love him?” No answer. “Jim? If something’s bothering you, you can tell me. I’ll listen.” “I’m fine. I’m really fine.” “Jim, I can tell something’s wrong.” “I said I’m fine.” “Jim, men lie, no matter who they are to each other. At least let’s not do that.” “Ah. Wasn’t I--” Miller took a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll tell you. What exactly do you want to know?” “What exactly happened between you and your ex?” “Are you kidding me? I told you not to ask about my personal life.” “And I told you to tell me if you needed help.” “1: 1” Jim took another deep breath. “Neil and I met about five years ago*. I was still in the Australian Tactical Assault Group. I was coming back from a hard day’s work, if you could call it that, and I ran into Neil.” Miller smiled. “Naturally, we knocked each other down. Apologized for about fifteen minutes. I didn’t realize if it was love at first sight or if the feelings came later. From that day on, we often crossed paths on that street. After about five months we started dating, getting to know each other better. Kissing, the first time. You know how couples in love act. A year later we got married, and then we decided to have children, but since neither of us can give birth, we had to go to an orphanage. That’s where we adopted Susie and Ethan.” suddenly the smile on Jim’s face was gone. “Everything was fine until we found out that our daughter had a spinal problem and needed an augmentation. I wasn’t sure about the doctor. I’m afraid of losing her. I want to find a good doctor who can really help. Neil wants to do everything now. We had a fight about it and now I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what I’m afraid of, that she’ll be abused or that the doctors will make a mistake. Honestly,” Mac turned to Miller, “am I a bad father? “No. Of course not.” MacReady sat down. “What you’re doing is the right thing to do. Being unsure of the doctor doesn’t mean you don’t want to help your daughter. I think you’re one of the best fathers ever.” Mac lay back down. “Hmm.” Jim chuckled. There was a moment’s silence that pressed hard on Mac’s ears. “I had a son.” McReady spoke suddenly. “He was only four years old.” Miller turned to the man. “It was a few days after the incident. My wife and I found out that our son had a heart problem and needed an augmentation. So I got scared. I just didn’t know what it was. My wife and I ended up in a fight and divorced. She gave our son to some doctor and he died because of a medical error. I didn’t find out until a month later. All I had to do was find a good doctor. It would have taken some time, but at least Ryan would have lived.” Mac’s voice got quieter. “You still have a chance to save your daughter. You have a brother who probably has excellent doctors. Contact him, ask him for help.” “I wish. I don’t even know his number.” “Ask Jensen. I’m sure he’s in touch with his former boss.” “David will be at Apex. I’ll talk to him there.” “At least that way.” Suddenly, there was an explosion, knocking the couple into the wall. McReady was able to cover Miller with himself. “Holy shit.” Jim hissed. “Mac?” “I’m all right, don’t worry.” Mac rose slowly, shaking off the dust. “We’ve got to get out of here.” MacReady looked around and realized that the bedroom windows were intact. He got dressed and walked over to them. “Get dressed quickly. There’s no one outside, so we can escape.” The man turned to Miller, who was sitting on the floor with his hands over his face. “Hey, what are you doing?” “It’s all my fault.” Jim said. “If Marchenko hadn’t threatened me, none of this would have happened, and now it could have gotten us killed.” “Jim,” Mac came up to the boy. Miller raised his head, and MacReady put his hands on his neck, propping his head up with his thumbs. “Don’t say that. It’s not your fault. Marchenko threatening you is bad, but it’s not your fault.” Jim looked away. “Look at me. Jim, you’re the best thing that ever happened to me. The only one who loves me for who I am. Look, no matter what happens, I’ll always be there for you and I’ll always help you.” Mac kissed Miller gently. “Come on, we have to leave.” Jim got dressed and followed MacReady.