Finally, after way too long Ryan was free. He took off his apron and stashed it under the counter before jogging over to where Scott was waiting patiently by the exit doors. Not knowing what was wrong, and not wanting to make a scene, he took Scott's hand and led him outside and around the corner of the building, out if the way of foot traffic. There, he wrapped his arms around his fiance's torso, squeezing tight as they leaned against the wall.
"I'm sorry you had to wait," Ryan said quietly as he felt Scott's arms wrap around him in a similar fashion.
Scott buried his face in Ryan's hair, inhaling his smell with a shuddering breath. "It's okay."
"Do you want to tell me what happened?"
"Let me hold you a little longer first?"
Ryan complied, rubbing Scott's back soothingly as the minutes ticked by. Scott held him almost possessively, though Ryan thought he could almost feel Scott trembling. His mind raced. What could possibly have happened to put his fiance so out of sorts? Was it something at work? Please, don't let it be something with his family! Ryan was already dreading the answer.
Scott finally spoke. "I found out that one of my patients died."
"I'm sorry, Cuddle Bug..." Ryan almost- ALMOST let out a sigh of relief for knowing Scott's family was okay, but he caught himself. Maybe he didn't know the person, but Scott did, and it obviously upset him. Ryan hugged him just a little tighter.
"She had a high risk pregnancy." Scott's voice was monotone. "I advised her to terminate, but her husband wouldn't consent. She ended up passing during delivery. The baby is in critical care. The husband came in today ranting about how it was my fault for not doing enough to help her... We saw her every week... I tried to talk them into a surrogate, or an adoption… but they were set on her going through the pregnancy herself… She was clearly deteriorating but…"
Ryan waited until he was sure Scott was finished before he spoke. "I'm sure you did everything you could. There's no way it was your fault. They did the exact opposite of what you told them to."
"The husband came in to yell at us this morning… about how it was our fault she was gone. You want to know the crazy thing? As soon as I'd been told what happened, the first thing that came to mind is what I would do if something happened to you... My first thought as I stood face to face with that angry, grieving man, was what I would do if I ever lost you..."
Ryan pulled away just far enough to look Scott in the eyes. He wasn't sure what to say to that. His fiance's face was melancholy, but it didn't look like he was going to start crying. He brushed a stray bit of hair away from Scott's face. He didn't know what to do. He'd never been in a situation like this before. What was he supposed to do?
"You look tired," Scott sighed.
"Yeah, I worked last night. I'll probably go home and crash as soon as I'm done here."
Scott pulled him close again. "Do you work again tonight?"
"I've got a midnight shift, unfortunately..."
Ryan couldn't see Scott pouting, but he could picture it by the way Scott squeezed him that much tighter. For the first time he felt guilty for having to work. The shipping company paid the highest out of all his jobs, and he couldn't really afford to skip a shift if he could help it. Scott obviously needed him though, right? He should call out, right?
"You haven't eaten yet, have you? How long do you get for lunch?" Ryan asked, not knowing what else to say.
Scott chuckled, and sighed. Here he was getting worked up over a hypothetical, and his fiance, who he's still not sure is getting enough to eat, is trying to make sure he doesn't forget to eat! "Are you saying you're worried about me?"
"Of course I am! If you're upset, why wouldn't I be worried? I'm just... new to this. So, I'm not too sure what to do... But, I want to help!"
"How are you so perfect?" Scott kissed Ryan's forehead. "Getting to hold you has already helped more than you know. Something about the way you smell just puts me at ease."
"Me too..." Ryan put his head in Scott's shoulder, savoring the contact.
Honestly, it was a little cold where they were standing, being that it was in the shade of the nearby buildings, but Scott was warm. He wasn't sure he was really much help with this, all things considered, but if Scott said hugs help, that was one thing he could do.
From inside the store, you could hear the intercom blazing: "RYAN TO YOUR REGISTER PLEASE!"
"Break's over..." Ryan groaned dejectedly.
"I'll let you get back to work. I don't want to get you in trouble."
They broke apart unwillingly and made their way back inside, hand in hand. Ryan suggested Scott get something from the store's deli for lunch, and they both had a laugh about avoiding the sandwiches. He offered to call out tonight, but Scott insisted he would be okay. He then asked if Scott wanted him to cook him dinner, or if he needed some bedroom activity, fishing for something more he could do to make his fiance feel better.
Ryan's manager bellyached about him having taken slightly more than fifteen minutes, threatening a written warning should it happen again. Ryan just put his apron back on and paid him little mind. Never mind that the floor employees slacked off constantly, or took several smoke breaks in a shift. Being tied to a register meant Ryan was "important." Mostly because if he was off his register for whatever reason, that meant a manager was on one, and they supposedly had more important things to do, like watching football on their phone while "processing payroll."
After all the fuss, Ryan wasn't able to see where Scott went, other than the fact that he went further into the store. He couldn't dwell much on it, his line formed quickly, and he couldn't focus on much else, until he spotted Scott further down in his line, arms full of something. The wait at other registers may have been shorter, and Ryan was still concerned about how much of his lunch break Scott was using, but it was nice to think he'd get a second chance to say bye. At least his fiance wasn't looking as melancholy as when he first walked in. Ryan put a little extra oomph in his ringing up of customers to get to Scott faster.
"Good choice!" Ryan complimented as he rang up Scott's food. He'd gone with some boneless fried chicken and a small container of potato salad. He had a few other small things as well.
"It smelled pretty good, so I figured it was worth a shot. By the way, what's your favorite candy bar?"
"You don't need to get me a candy bar." Ryan was talking his time checking Scott's stuff out.
"Well, I need one, and I'm not getting myself one without getting you one too. Speak now, or forever be stuck with plain chocolate." Scott brandished the candy, threatening to put it on the belt.
Ryan grinned, happy Scott was feeling better enough to joke. "Fine! If you really insist, I'm a fan of the wafer bar."
Scott swapped the candies with a wink and paid for his stuff. Ryan made sure to print a duplicate receipt to wrap around his candy bar so he wouldn't get in trouble, and stashed it under the counter. Transaction complete, and with the next customer waiting, they leaned over the scanner to share a quick kiss. That was when Scott slipped something small and cold into Ryan's hand.
"A key?" Ryan asked.
"A copy of my apartment key. Sorry it's a little overdue, but I figured it'd be a good thing for you to have. I know you're working tonight, but you're welcome to use the bed and shower if you want. I'll bring home dinner? We could have some couch time? I'll give you a ride later?" Scott was nearly begging. He was desperate for more time with Ryan, he just wanted it to be Ryan's choice.
"You realize I have to go in at midnight?"
"I don't mind."
The next customer in line butted in, "Would you two hurry up? I've got somewhere to be!" Ryan apologized and started ringing up their stuff. Scott moved out of the way.
"What do you think?" Scott asked again.
Ryan didn't really have a reason to refuse. It would be an inconvenience to Scott, but he was the one who suggested it in the first place. Besides, given the day's events, how could he turn him down?
"Okay. I'll have to swing by my place to get a change of clothes. I'll text you when I get to your apartment."