Jem straightened up, but the grin stayed where it was.
“Just say it,” Tean said.“Get it out of your system.”
“Say what?”
Tean wanted to shout, but it came out in a furious whisper instead: “You know what!”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.But I do think it’s nice that you got a compliment.”
Something between a growl and a scream got caught in Tean’s throat, and he turned and started down the hall again.He had no idea where he was going, but that didn’t really matter because Jem caught up with him, still looking way too pleased with himself, and took the lead.
They turned at two intersections before Tean finally said, “This makes absolutely no sense.That was horrible, and humiliating, and—and objectifying.Why in the world do I feel better?”
“Everybody likes being told they’ve got a nice butt.”
That growl-scream, with a hint of a groan, started trying to escape again.
Jem rubbed his back and, without even seeming to think about it, kissed the side of Tean’s head.“Game time, babe.That’s Daniel’s room.”
Tean slowed, considering the door.Nothing marked it as special—there was no police officer on duty, no sign that indicated extra security, no evidence that the person inside had almost been murdered.“How’d you find him?”
“I told you: I made some calls.”
“Hospitals aren’t supposed to give out that kind of information.”
“Oh, yeah, I know.”
It was the voice that gave Jem away—a little too casual, a little too pleasantly surprised.
What worked surprisingly well with an overgrown man-child, in Tean’s experience, was silence.And eye contact.And patience.
“I might have—maybe—let them think I was Ben Doherty.”
“Who is Ben Doherty?”
Jem mumbled something and glanced over his shoulder.
“Jem, who is Ben Doherty?”
“The South Jordan chief of police.But look, I’m not responsible—”
“Why would they assume you were Ben Doherty?”
“I don’t know, babe.”Jem laughed.“Oh!You know what could have happened?Maybe the real Ben Doherty was calling at the same time, and someone put him on hold, and then they picked up my call, and they got confused.”
Tean waited about three seconds before he said, “Isthat what happened?”
“Well…not exactly.”
“Jeremiah.”
“Okay, are we going to be grateful for the fact that I found Daniel, or are we going to ask all kinds of judgy questions and do that thing where your eyes look really pointy and I have to tell the truth or I’m going to shrivel up and die?”
“What we’renotgoing to do is lie— Wait, what do you mean my eyes look pointy?”
“Ready, set, go,” Jem said in a rush, taking Tean’s elbow again and propelling him forward.
The only acknowledgment that Daniel had been the victim of a serious attack seemed to be that he had been given a private room.It looked like the other hospital rooms Tean had been in: the bulk of equipment, the whiteboard with Daniel’s name and information on it, the sharps container mounted on the wall.On the little table next to the bed was a plastic cup with the remains of what looked like a smoothie, and a fuzzy BYU blanket lay across the foot of the bed.