The Feud

Day was letting his soup simmer while God continued to nap. It was almost four and Day had to admit that he was getting a little stir-crazy or cabin fever, whatever the hell it was called. After leaving the station at the end of a day he’d either go home and work in his yard, build model cars, cook, always something. Day didn’t like to just sit around and do nothing. After exercising, he’d showered and put on some more of God’s clothes. He peeked in the bedroom and saw that God had shifted to his side, but still slept soundly.

He fixed another pot of coffee and went into the living room. After checking in at work he decided to see what was so special about the video games that God loved so much.

Hmm. Grand Theft Auto, that sounds interesting.

Day had been playing for over an hour when he heard God begin to cough.

“Hey, sleeping beauty.” He sat on the side of the bed. He used the back of his hand to feel God’s forehead. No fever at all and hardly any sweat. Very good.

“You’ve been asleep for almost five hours. I’m sure you’re hungry by now. I kept the soup warm. Sit tight while I fix you some.” Day waited for God to nod his head before getting up.

Day got God’s food and some more warm tea. He was just getting ready to take the food back to the room when he heard the little boost phone buzz with an incoming message. He put the bowl down and pulled up the message. The text was simple.

I’ll be there tomorrow at three.

Day smiled. He was finally going to meet some of God’s family. He already began making a mental list of what he was going to ask the little brother.

He wanted to know if his partner was a brat growing up, did he have pimples, did he ever get caught sneaking out of the house, was he grounded a lot.

I want to know it all. Day took God his dinner.

God had slept a lot better last night. Now he was propped up against the headboard waiting on Jax to come take out the IV and catheter.

“You look a lot better, babe. How are you feeling?” Day asked, his body stretched across the foot of the bed. He had his head resting in his palm on his bent elbow. He watched God bring both hands up and wipe his face.

“I’m better. I want out of this bed, Leo,” God huffed.

“Uh. Nope. As soon as my brother gets here we’ll see,” Day said, trying hard to stifle a laugh at God’s irritation.

“I’m going to hurt you bad Leo, if you don’t let me out of this—” God couldn’t finish because his bitching caused a coughing fit.

Day jumped up and grabbed the washcloth. He rubbed God’s chest in soft circles as the coughing slowly subsided.

“Fuck.” God coughed. “Okay, maybe I’m not ready.”

Day looked at his man and shook his head. “Lie down and get some rest before Jax gets here.”

After Jax’s exam, he regretfully informed God that he was not cleared to go back to work. While he may not be contagious anymore, he would still be impaired as long as he was on the pain medication. Jax only stayed about twenty minutes. He gave God a couple prescription bottles of medicine and told him to call if he was needed.

Day walked his brother to the front door and told him he owed him tickets to the next Braves game. After Day fixed another cup of coffee for himself, he prepared a large bowl of homemade soup for God and went back to the bedroom. God was sleeping so peacefully that Day hated to wake him. He set the bowl on the nightstand and sat gently beside his partner. The nurse had cleaned him up again and he looked more like God. His skin was back to its normal color. His facial hair had grown out some, but it looked sexy. He stroked the side of God’s cheek with the back of his hand.

“Babe, wake up. I got your breakfast,” he said softly.

God slowly opened his eyes. “I’m tired, Leo.”

“I know. But eat just a little for me, okay. Then you can go back to sleep.” Day was already propping him up on the pillows so he could eat.

“What’s going on with the case?” God asked around a mouthful of noodles.

“Still doing surveillance on the locations, nothing major. Don’t worry; there’ll be plenty of asses to kick when you get back.” Day smirked. His smile quickly faded when God grabbed his chest during a hard cough. “Here, drink some tea.”

Day helped his friend sip the warm liquid.

“I think I can hold my own cup and spoon now, Leo,” God said with a slight smile.

Day blushed and handed over the cup. He watched him take a few careful sips.

“I need to get up and walk around.”

Day was already shaking his head no, but God ignored him and slowly began to swing his legs around to the side of the bed.

Stubborn man.

Day helped God sit up on the edge of the bed. God swayed a little in his arms. “Cash, is this really necessary? You just took some medicine. What if you fall?”

“Then catch me.” God winked.

“That’s not funny,” Day chided.

“Not trying to be. But I need to build up my strength and I have to pee.”

“Oh, okay. You should’ve just said that. You made it sound like you wanted to go on a field trip or something.” Day let God drape his large arm around his neck. While he was still very heavy, God was supporting a lot of his own weight.

“My head feels like it’s going to explode,” God groaned.

“You can take a pain pill after you use the bathroom,” Day said. He helped him into the small bathroom and moved to untie God’s pajama pants until he stopped him.

“I can manage from here.” God looked more amused than anything.

“Oh. Well I can hold it for you if you want.” Day inched closer to God and gazed up at him with his sexiest leer.

“Get out, you nympho.” God braced one hand on the sink while using the other to nudge Day out the door.

Day laughed and stood guard outside the door just in case he heard a thud. After several minutes he asked while trying not to laugh, “You need something to read?”

“Shut up, Leo,” God huffed.

After several more minutes Day heard the toilet flush and the sink running. When God opened the bathroom door he looked exhausted. Day didn’t joke anymore. He simply slid his arm around his friend’s waist and helped him back to bed. It took several minutes but God was finally lying comfortably. He turned off the television and hit the lights on his way out.

After playing some more Grand Theft Auto, Day heard a hard knock at the door.

What the fuck?

Day pulled his 9mm from under the futon cushion he was sitting on and moved quickly to look out the peephole. Intense green eyes were focused on the door. Day was able to see the person’s entire face and realized he was looking at a younger version of his partner. Day tucked the gun in his waistband and pulled his T-shirt over it.

He opened the door and smiled wide at his partner’s baby brother.

“Hey, man. You must be Genesis. Come on in.” Day stepped to the side, and waited for Genesis to enter.

His wide shoulders were set and tense. Day didn’t know if the big kid was nervous or what.

“I wish I could say that Cash has told me a lot about you but he hasn’t. I’m Leo, Cash’s partner.” Day held his hand out for the young man to shake. Day watched, as Genesis looked him up and down with a hard scowl while completely ignoring his outstretched hand. Day slowly pulled his hand back. “I can see the family resemblance,” he said dryly.

“Who are you?” the kid asked again. He even sounded like God. That slow country drawl encased in a deep baritone voice.

“I’m Leonidis Day. Everyone calls me Leo. Has God really never mentioned me.” Day said as a statement rather than a question. He couldn’t believe that God never told his family about him. Day’s whole family knew who his partner was, who he trusted with his life while out on the streets. God had been to so many of his family’s barbeques, birthday parties, and even weddings. Hell, God was a pallbearer with Day at his father’s funeral for Pete’s sake.

Genesis was still standing there with a dumbfounded look, and Day began to wonder if the boy was slow.

“I work with your big brother. I’m a detective too.” Day pointed his finger at his chest.

Day jerked his head back when he saw Genesis grinding his teeth together.

“Hey, look, dude, I know you and your brother have had your differences, I mean what brothers haven’t. My big brother still rides my ass and I’m over thirty years old. Sometimes I have to tell my brother, ‘Look, I’m a man now. I got hair on my chest and my balls. So stop treating me like the snot-nosed kid that used to follow you around.’” Day laughed and slapped Genesis on his back trying desperately to lighten the mood.

“Leo. That’s your name?”

Day nodded, his brow furrowed with confusion.

“I don’t know what Cashel told you, but he’s no goddamn brother of mine.” Genesis fumed. “Does he live here? Your text said he was sick. Is he dying? Because if he’s not, I’m going to fucking kill him. He said he didn’t live here in Atlanta. Is he stalking my mother?”

Day stood there with his mouth hanging open. This kid was outraged, and Day just realized that his feud with God’s went way beyond the normal brotherly squabbles.

“Genesis, please lower your voice. Cash is sleeping and he’s still very sick. Look, I called you because I needed to run some errands and I thought you could come over and keep an eye on him, but obviously that was not a good idea, so you can leave and—”

“Oh, hell no. I’m not going any damn where.” Genesis glared at him.

Day’s hackles rose and he was afraid he was going to have to remove Genesis by force. Before Day could react, Genesis ran past him down the narrow hallway. He burst into the bedroom and stopped short. Day stood in the doorway watching Genesis as he watched God.

“Please don’t bother him,” Day said in a stern whisper. “Whatever is going on between you two can continue after he’s better.”

“Fuck that,” Genesis barked. “You asshole! You said you didn’t live in Atlanta!”

Day grabbed Genesis by the arm but he forcefully yanked it from Day's grip. After Genesis’s loud rant, Day saw that God was now fully awake and glaring at his brother. Or was it aimed at Day?

“Gen, what are you doing here?” God croaked. He tried to sit up but ended up coughing.

“What am I doing here? Really? What the hell are you doing here? You said you didn’t live here. Are you stalking my mother?” Genesis yelled loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear.

  God continued to try to rise; he slowly swung his legs over the side.

“Cash, stay in bed,” Day yelled over Genesis. “You.” He pointed at God’s brother. “Get out.”

“You called me, asshole,” Genesis yelled back at Day. “I thought you were Mr. Eudall, but you said your name was Day. So I want to know why you are helping this murderer.”

Day saw God’s eyes snap up to him. The look he saw in God’s eyes was pure anger and Day couldn’t stop the chill that flowed over him.

“You called him,” God growled. He slowly stood to his feet. “Did you snoop around in my truck and get that phone and call my family… my mother? You had no fucking right, Leonidis.”

Day didn’t have time to respond before Genesis yelled.

“We are not your family!” Genesis charged forward, head first, as if he was a defensive lineman aiming for the other team’s star quarterback. Day yelled out right before all of Genesis’s two-hundred-plus pounds barreled into God’s midsection, hurling them both over the bed and off the other side onto the hard floor.

God ended up on the bottom. Day leapt over the bed and grabbed at Genesis, but not before the bastard landed a hard left jab to God’s midsection. The wail that escaped God’s mouth was heart wrenching. It had to have hurt like hell.

Day was having the hardest time pulling Gen off his friend. The bastard was solid muscle just like his big brother. His entire weight was pinning God and God didn’t have the strength to push him off. God yelled out again when Genesis elbowed him in the ribs. Day actually thought of pulling his weapon, but quickly dismissed that thought. He put Genesis in a chokehold that had him gagging and gasping for air.

“Let him go, Leo!” God yelled from the bottom.

Day couldn’t believe God was yelling at him. This kid was trying to kill him, so why was he being told to let go? Genesis threw an elbow back and Leo just barely dodged the sharp bone hitting him in his cheek.

“Get off him!” Leo yelled.

But Genesis was a raging bull and he wasn’t budging. Day could see God’s face, not only was he in agonizing pain, but he was hurting emotionally. Day could see now that God wasn’t even trying to fight back. In the midst of all of their yelling and fighting, Day heard the front door to God’s apartment burst open and loud steps making their way to the bedroom.

Day quickly moved off Genesis’s back and pulled his weapon from his waistband, thinking maybe Genesis came with backup. Seconds later God’s thug neighbors appeared in the door to the bedroom. Day lowered his gun and let the big guys pull Genesis off God. While being dragged off, Genesis’s large boot caught God in his thigh right next to his groin, the strike bringing tears to God’s eyes.

The thugs pushed Genesis up against the wall. Two men had his arms while the other held him from behind with a meaty forearm around his throat. Everyone was so busy snarling and cursing at Genesis that no one saw God work his way to his feet until the room echoed with the sound of God’s Desert Eagle chambering the first bullet. The loud click made everyone pause and shut the hell up.

“Release him and get the hell out!” God had the gun aimed steady but he wavered slightly on his feet.

Everyone was so shocked at the feral look in God’s eyes that no one budged.

“I said get your goddamn hands off my brother, now!” God’s deep voice was like thunder, his glare hard like steel.

The thugs released Genesis.

“Now get the fuck out.” God spat the words out like venom. His neighbors didn’t question what was happening. However, the look they gave God said, “all bets are off,” and Day knew God had picked up on it.

Day heard the front door slam shut hard enough to rattle the thin windows. Day was breathing so hard that he had to flop down on the bed.

Day saw Genesis inch toward God again.

“Don’t you even fucking think about it,” Day snapped.

“You’re not worth the fight, murderer. You get the fuck out of Atlanta and I mean it. We don’t want you anywhere near us, and my mother doesn’t want to see you.” Genesis’s face was hard and angry. His words were striking harder blows than his fist ever could. Day could see it in God’s face, he could read the hurt in those beautiful green eyes, and it was breaking Day’s heart.

“If you come near my mother”—Gen stepped even closer until he was right in God’s face, looking him in his eyes—“my mother, not yours, murderer. If you come near me or her, I’ll get a restraining order against you.” Genesis turned to walk out the door. He paused at the doorframe and turned back to look at God. “You’re dead to us, just stay away. We don’t want to ever see you again. We’ll never forgive you, so stop trying.” On that note, he turned and left the apartment.

Day had fucked up big time. This was his fault, all because he couldn’t keep his nosy ass out of other peoples private business. Day rushed to God’s side.

“I’ll help you ba—” Day didn’t know how, but God had found enough strength after that beating to push him so hard that he flew into the dresser, knocking it and all the items on top of it to the floor, including the television. Day rolled a few feet, the dresser just missing falling on top of him.

“Cash, what the fuck!” Day cursed.

He rolled to his side and winced at the sharp pain in his ribs from coming into contact with the dresser.

“I was trying to help you get into bed.”

“Get the fuck out, Leo.” God’s face was an unyielding mask. For the first time in their four years together, Day couldn’t read what the hell was going through God’s mind.

Day stood slowly. “God, I only called him because I needed to go—”

“It doesn’t matter why you did it! You had no right! You have no clue what you just did!” God yelled. “Now get out!”

“Cashel, please. Just hear me out,” Day pleaded. His eyes begged God to see the sincerity in them. He really didn’t mean for any of this to happen. “Cashel, I swear. I didn’t know any of this was happening between you and your family. You should’ve told me. Why was he calling you a murderer?”

No matter what, Day couldn’t turn off his detective side.

Day watched God squeeze his eyes shut. He went down on one knee and clutched his chest when the hard coughing started again. God’s eyes were full of water and pain. Day timidly eased over to God’s side but God cut his eyes at him, daring him to come any closer.

Day had to fight the moisture in his own eyes. “I just want to help you into bed.”

“Day, if you don’t get the fuck out of my house, I’m going to show you why he called me a murderer,” God said through clenched teeth.

Day couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped his lips, or the pain that radiated through his chest, as if his rib cage had been torn open and his heart ripped out. Day kept his eyes on God as he knelt to pick up the dresser, then the television. God watched him as well. Day didn’t say anything as the rogue tear fell down his face without his permission. Day went around to the opposite side of the bed and pulled a pen and piece of scrap paper from the drawer, still watching God carefully. He really didn’t like the look on his best friend’s face. He’d seen the look before, but he’d never had it leveled at him. Day scribbled a couple of phone numbers on the paper.

“This is Jax’s office and cell number. Please call him if you’re hurt.” Day turned and walked out the door.