On the first day of the fifth week, Rowan slept in. Sage was confused, but he did not question it. He was not his real husband. It was not his job to make sure the other got up for work. So, Sage got dressed in his light green scrubs, tossed his coat over himself, and left for his shift at the nearest hospital for his travelling work by calling for a cab.
Like the last location, it was regularly busy like his own medical facility was. At least it wasn't filled with sick people, but it was bloodier. People who had gotten into fights and rough situations. There were people going in and out with problems. Sage got to do stuff, and he even got asked to stay for a little longer.
Naturally, he would never decline any work his way. Sage handled what he could. As someone who was not a set doctor at the hospital, he could not do as severe as things on his own without being told. Sage was not assigned to procedures or patients who were coming in for regular follow ups or surgeries, which was a little different since he was his hospital's primary surgeon. His job dealt more with helping in the emergency department where it applied to working on the spot. The ER team there was fascinated by his work.
Since it was late when Sage returned, he did not order any food or take out. He headed straight for the shower to rinse off the sweat and grime. Rowan was in the same spot he had been when Sage left that morning, still passed out on the couch. Sage wondered if he was even alive. How could someone do nothing all day? Lazy.
Whatever. Sage took the bed for two nights in a row.
Sage managed to get pulled into something new every time. First, it had been girl talk. Then he played the role of an attached and flirty husband. Now, whatever happened this time.
Rowan explained to Sage his sudden laziness. The scheduled job was for a check on a previous client. Instead of Rowan needing to hand out advice, he needed to look over the data that had been concluded from his consulting the last time he spoke with them. It was revealed that it had been great! Absolutely perfect! After speaking with Rowan, they prospered. They were invited to dinner by the thankful pair of business partners who had a successful outcome to Rowan's advice. The pair scheduled a reservation for Rowan and his 'husband' around noon on their second day after arriving in the city to allow them a day of settling in.
Since Rowan was familiar with the couple already, he did not dress as formally as he did before. His outfit consisted of black slacks with a loose, white designer shirt that had a deep v-cut a little ways down his chest and short sleeves. It was baggy and airy, allowing for skin to show and a breeze to pick through. Comfortable for the warm air of the city. A golden watch sat on his wrist that looked bulky and heavy. Sage had never noticed it before until then.
So, Sage did not over dress either. He wore plain, white pants, and a large, white sweater with puffed sleeves, tight collars, and a mid-high neck. His hair was pulled back and simple, taking all of it with him, but it was bundled up in a small ball by his neck.
"Aren't you afraid to wear that?" Rowan asked him as they stepped out of the car.
Sage raised an eyebrow at him. "Why would I be afraid?"
"It's all white."
"I'm an adult, Rowan. I can handle white clothes." Sage walked over and poked Rowan near the chest. "You're a different story."
"What?" Rowan's stomach dropped as he looked down quickly, searching for a stain, but when he saw Sage's grin, he knew the other was messing with him. "Oh, you are not funny," he grumbled. Sage laughed and waved for Rowan to follow.
They waited in the lounge room of the restaurant. There was a seating area for patrons who were to be seated. Since they were a little early, they were patient.
Rowan was incredibly friendly with other people. Though Sage stood off with his back leaned against a wall while he waited, Rowan took conversation with other patrons who were also waiting for a table. Sage watched him, taking in the different features of Rowan's face.
Like, his eyes crinkled at the corners, and his pupils would get a little larger and take up some of the dark colors of his eyes, and his cheeks would get a little red under his eyes, and when his smile stretched back far enough, the pair of dimples were to be seen.
Sage looked for too long. Eventually, Rowan felt someone staring at him. He turned his head and caught Sage's eyes. His first thought was to tease Sage for staring. He smiled wider and began to make his way over to him, but the room suddenly went quiet. The entire restaurant did. When it was struck in deafening silence if any noise was made then it would be sure to be heard.
A noise came from one of the center dining areas. It sounded like a struggle. Sage's feet moved before he could stop himself. In the main hall a man with short brown hair clutched his throat. He first gripped onto the table and then he fell to his knees. His face began to shift different shades from green to red to purple.
Sage rushed over quickly. The instincts of a doctor kicked in. People around were unsure what to do, leaving a large circle of empty space around him. Only a middle-aged woman was on her knees by his side. She didn't seem to mind that seafood had crashed down and stained her white and silky dress. Sage assumed it was his wife.
He had no time to show etiquette to her. Sage felt a little bad, but he pulled the man from his wife's arms. She cried but had no strength in her body to fight back; she was weak with devastation and fear. Sage came up behind him and placed one hand on the man's chest, pulling him into an upright position. He raised his other arm and slapped the man hard five times on the back. Then he wrapped his arms around him, making a fist, took a deep breath himself before he did five abdominal thrusts.
The chunk of meat lodged in the man's throat flew out on the extra third abdominal thrust, landing a few steps away. Sage dropped to his knees slowly, allowing the man to lay on the floor to finally catch the oxygen through his lungs. Color began to find the man's face once again, no longer a mix of a sickening pale purple, red, and green. He was still out of it from nearly losing his last breath to a chicken wing, so his words of "Thank you." came out as air.
"Sage." a voice called. Sage looked up. Rowan stood over him and crouched down to eye level. With a hint of shock on his face, Rowan whispered, "What's—is he okay?"
"If he wants to throw up just to be sure, but this should have been enough. He's breathing fine," Sage answered.
"How would he do that?"
"Throw up? He wouldn't do anything. I would shove my fingers down his throat."
Rowan's face went pale. He grabbed Sage's arm, tugged it, and gently cleared his throat, saying, "Alright. You did your job. Time to act a little more civilized now. Don't shove your fingers down a guy's throat." and pulled Sage up from the dirty floor. He grinned and teased him, poking him in the side with his finger. "Told you about the white," he whispered.
"Shut it," Sage hissed.
Since Sage's outfit had been ruined by seafood, he needed to change. Rowan contacted the pair of business owners they were meant to meet and briefly explained the situation. They had been on their way, but they decided to find a different place to meet tomorrow. Rowan and Sage agreed.
So, Sage took a shower when they got back to the inn. Since it was deep red sea food that he had kneeled in, the white outfit was ruined, so he tossed it away. There was a tiny bit more room in his suitcase with one less outfit. He didn't figure he would end up ruining any of his clothing. Sage wondered if he should dip into the city and shop around.
He tied his hair up after his shower, pulled back the loose, damp strands, and looked at Rowan sitting on the ground. "Are you going to shower?" he asked.
"Why?" Rowan asked. "I just got dressed and drove a bit," he added. A bowl of popcorn sat on the floor next to where he sat sitting on the carpet at the edge of the bed. He flipped through channels on the large, flat screen television in the room.
Sage shrugged. Fair enough point.
"You're really amazing, Sage," Rowan suddenly said.
"It was the small chance something happened wherein I could show off," Sage humbly replied. "Probably won't happen again." He thought about it for a moment and said, "You're more impressive, I think."
"Mm?" Rowan paused completely. He pulled his attention away from the screen and looked at Sage. The doctor hardly complimented, so Rowan was immediately drawn in by his words and wanted to hear more. "What do you mean?"
"You offer intel of multiple different varieties of business to people around a few several cities and keep in contact with them and their updates on it."
"I guess." Rowan shook his head and said, "but I've been practicing that stuff since I was a kid."
"That doesn't dismiss your talent," Sage pushed. He crawled on the bed and laid down on his stomach toward the end of the bed so that he was near Rowan. Laying like that, his head was level with the other's head. "Turn something interesting on."
"You never watch TV."
"Well, if you find something interesting, I might."
Rowan nodded. He suddenly felt determined. His eyebrows knocked inward, concentration suddenly struck his face. Sage smiled at the look, thinking that he looked quite cute.