Chapter Eight

Recovery Position

Ollie opened his eyes to darkness. Strong arms wrapped around him from behind, and the warmth of the fluffy duvet mixed with the heat coming from Jacob had covered his body with a sheen of sweat. He blinked, trying to focus without his glasses through the hazy pitch-black, when suddenly it hit him.

Ripping free of the embrace, Ollie sat up and looked desperately around the room. It was dark. Too bloody dark. The full-length window at the far back had blinds designed to keep out any rare ray of sun, and there wasn’t a single trail of light peeping out of anywhere. He started to panic, until a hand soothed up his bare back.

“You okay?” Jacob asked.

“It’s dark,” Ollie stated rather stupidly. “Time? Work.” His throat was too hoarse and croaky to form any sentences.

The soothing hand slid away from the small of his back, and the mattress dipped as Jacob moved away. A low whir indicated the docking station to his side had been switched on, and a faint blue glow illuminated the numbers on the digital clock.

“It’s okay. Eleven.” Jacob rolled to face Ollie and placed a calming hand on the small of his back once more. “Those are blackout blinds. And my guess, it’s probably snowing again.”

Ollie rubbed his eyes. Considering it had only been an hour since he’d passed out in Jacob’s bed, feeling ridiculously tired was justified. He’d have quite liked to curl up and get the much-needed, and recommended, seven additional hours before starting his next night shift, but the memories of what had happened came raging down on him, and his stomach began to churn.

Jacob propped up on his elbow, his fingers brushing his skin. “Ollie?”

He couldn’t avoid it any longer. Ollie locked eyes with Jacob now he could see in the dim blue lighting. The churning in his stomach soon made way for fluttering. Jacob, even more arousing on first wake-up, ruffled his hair over his face, and it stuck up on top like a mop. His lips were red and swollen, and his penetrating eyes seemed weary. Ollie swallowed.

“Sorry,” he said. “I must have fallen asleep. I should go home.”

Jacob didn’t break his intense gaze and lifted up to sit beside Ollie and kiss his shoulder. His hair tickled Ollie as it fell onto his skin. He drew in a breath.

“Stay,” Jacob replied softly. “I like having you to hold.”

His voice was quiet, almost as though he was self-conscious about saying what he did. It only made the delivery that much more adorable, and Ollie finally relaxed after the abrupt wake-up.

“Come here,” Jacob commanded and wrapped an arm around Ollie’s chest to push them both down on the bed.

Ollie obliged, allowing himself to be caressed as Jacob rubbed the tip of his nose against his shoulder. Ollie wriggled, getting comfortable, and soon turned to catch Jacob’s lazy gaze.

“I guess this was always going be the awkward part,” Ollie said. He might as well be honest. This whole thing was riddled with an anxious air.

Jacob kissed his shoulder again and breathed in deeply. “It doesn’t have to be.”

Ollie bit his bottom lip. “You know,” he started and wondered how to put into words what he needed to explain. “I could be in serious trouble for this.”

Jacob lingered on Ollie’s shoulder and closed his eyes. He nodded and kissed him again.

“Because I’m a patient’s father?”

“Yeah,” Ollie agreed. “I mean, it’s pretty much point one in the rule book of nursing. No fraternizing with patients or their families.” Ollie swiped a hand through his hair. “That and don’t kill your patient,” he added. Jacob leaned away, and Ollie quickly turned back with wide eyes. “Sorry,” he rushed out. “Sorry, that was totally inappropriate. And see? Another reason why, right there. Nurse sense of humor. Can be cutting sometimes. Sorry.”

Ollie took another gulp of air. This was the second time he’d needed to shut his mouth around this man. He should have shut it two hours earlier when he’d said yes to all this. Jacob’s eyes pierced through the hazy blue light and a small smile curved his lips. He leaned back to Ollie and ran a thumb across his cheek.

“It’s okay,” Jacob replied. “All of it.”

Ollie chewed the inside of his cheek, wondering how that statement could even be true. Jacob must have noticed his unease and wrapped his arms around him once more in a tightening embrace.

“It’s not like I’m going to tell anyone.” Jacob rubbed his forehead on Ollie’s shoulder. “I understand this is difficult for you. But, seriously, the last thing I need is to give Becky more ammunition to not let me see Daisy. So, you’re safe. This won’t go further than this room, I promise.”

Ollie could see the sincerity in Jacob’s eyes. He knew what Jacob said was meant to reassure him, but something was niggling away at his mind. All the fear he’d had before leaping into bed with this stranger started to bubble back to the surface. He couldn’t help but wonder if this was a reactive cathartic release for a man so pent-up with stress. If I’m simply a distraction. And if Jacob’s promise of discretion meant that this was a one-time thing, to stay locked in this room forever, never to be reenacted. Ollie always fell for the wrong man. Which was why he wasn’t supposed to be feeling anything.

“Well, I guess my pondering on whether you were actively gay was answered this morning.” Ollie tried to tread carefully, but he needed to know.

Jacob’s brow furrowed at the question, and Ollie had difficulty in not laughing at it.

“You knew what you were doing,” Ollie explained. “So I’m guessing this isn’t some rebound from Becky?”

“Oh.” Jacob stroked his feet under the duvet and found Ollie’s. “I haven’t been with Becky coming on six years.” He fondled his toe along Ollie’s foot. “Met her at school. I was a complete nerd back then and a late bloomer, I should say. She was the first girl to show me any attention. The fact she was stunningly attractive and popular made me think I’d be foolish not to take her up on her advances.”

Jacob slid his hand down to Ollie’s chest, and his soft fingertips tickled Ollie’s smooth skin. Jacob drew little circles around Ollie’s nipples and propped himself up on his elbow for a better look while he did it. Ollie watched on in awe. The man clearly had more to say.

“We dated. I lost my virginity to her at eighteen, and she got pregnant soon after.” Jacob sighed and splayed his hand out on Ollie’s chest. “I knew there was something off about it all, but I didn’t really know why. Once she was pregnant, I did the right thing. I got a job, we rented a flat, and we lived as a family. The love I felt for Daisy was instant, and it’ll never make me regret having her. But things with Becky were always…difficult.”

Ollie hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath, and when he finally let out a lungful of air, Jacob rested his hand on Ollie’s deflating chest. He smoothed it down to Ollie’s stomach and over to his hip. Just the mere descent made Ollie’s groin spark, and he desperately tried to calm it. This wasn’t the time to get turned on.

“Couple years after Daisy was born, I started to explore what I’d been hiding,” Jacob continued, hopefully oblivious to Ollie’s inner turmoil. He took a deep breath and leaned down to rest his chin on Ollie’s chest. “I started the new job and was away a lot, so it was the perfect opportunity. I joined an online thing, posted an ad saying I wanted to explore my sexuality, which was responded to quite quickly—”

“I can imagine,” Ollie cut in before he could stop himself. He bit his lip and shrugged. “Ultimate gay fantasy. Bend a straight man.”

Jacob snorted, sliding the hand on Ollie’s hip to his back and squeezing. “Yeah. Before I knew it, I was meeting men wherever I was away. But I was still trying to make it work with Becky. We were a family, and with Daisy being poorly, I couldn’t just walk away.”

Ollie ran his fingers through the flowing locks of Jacob’s hair. He understood. He did. Everyone had baggage. He shut his eyes at that thought.

“Becky found out,” Jacob continued. “For an IT genius, I didn’t encrypt my passwords too well. Left my laptop open one night, and she found the ad I’d posted.”

“Shit,” Ollie muttered.

“Yeah. Needless to say she was a bit angry. She chucked me out and has tried to prevent me from seeing Daisy ever since. Using my…‘promiscuity’ as her solicitor called it, to say I was an unfit father. I stopped everything after that. Came offline. Never set up any meets. Concentrated on proving I was a decent man. That I could be a father. Damage was done, though, and Becky, as you may have noticed, is still bitter.”

Ollie nodded, seeing Jacob’s sincerity and thinking this was the end to the explanation. He wasn’t sure how he really felt about it. So Jacob used men to get off and discarded them, continuing his life. That bit stung. But was Ollie any better? What he’d been doing with Dr. Rawlings was no different. There was no future in it, yet he did it anyway. And why? Because the doctor met his needs. He gave him what he craved. Why should it be any different for Jacob?

“I never wanted to bring Daisy into that life.” Jacob lifted up from Ollie’s chest, his face inches from Ollie’s. “I never thought there would be a man worthy to risk that for.” He breathed in and kissed Ollie’s lips. “Then I met you.”

Ollie erupted in goose pimples at that kiss and the words. Whether or not Ollie was a rebound or a distraction, he was sure Jacob really believed what he said. He knew men who lied. He knew men who cheated. And he knew players. Jacob didn’t seem like any of those. Whatever he had done in the past could be explained by desperation at being trapped so young and not knowing the right thing to do. So Ollie reacted the only way he could: he kissed Jacob back, and, as the man melted into him, Ollie knew he was in serious danger.

“You really are beautiful, Ollie.” Jacob nudged the tip of his nose against Ollie’s. “And I know this was fast and can have bad repercussions for both of us.” He kissed him again. “But I don’t regret it.”

Ollie smiled. He nodded and wrapped his arms around Jacob to pull him closer. Sliding his hands down Jacob’s back, Ollie reached the curvature of Jacob’s pert arse cheeks, forcing him to shuffle on top. After a while of exploring each other’s mouths, Jacob pulled away and up onto his arms to look Ollie in the eye.

“Do you always do night shifts?”

“No,” Ollie replied. “We’re on a rota. Some nurses choose night shift only, and they get paid a little more for it. But I do the shift patterns. I switch to day next week, so have four days off to recover and get my body clock back on track.” Ollie cocked his head. “Why?”

“I just wondered when I’d get to see you when Daisy comes home,” Jacob admitted with a slight tinge to his cheeks that the dim blue lighting couldn’t shield. “If you work nights and I work days, that’ll make it hard.”

That mere sentence made Ollie grin. He ran his hands up Jacob’s back, to his hair, and swiped it away from his face.

“We’ll figure something out, I’m sure.” Ollie kissed him.

Jacob smiled and released his arms to fall into Ollie and roam his body with his lips. He’d almost reached Ollie’s fluttering stomach when a loud buzz echoed around the flat. Jacob lifted his head and sucked in a breath. Ollie peered down—his dick now fully up to start the day—and raised his eyebrows. Jacob waited a moment longer, and when no further buzz came, continued his kissing descent. His chin hit Ollie’s eager cock, and Jacob hummed deeply. Ollie felt the vibrations in his groin and slid his fingers through Jacob’s hair that blocked his view. But before Jacob could respond any further, another buzz blasted out. This time it didn’t stop. Whoever pushed that button didn’t want to be ignored.

“Shit.” Jacob kneeled up in between Ollie’s legs. He ran his hands up Ollie’s thighs, the annoyance of the intrusion evident across his face. “Don’t move,” he ordered with a point of his finger.

Ollie nodded, happy to obey that order. Jacob rolled off the bed, grabbed a dressing gown from a hook behind the door, and stomped out of the room. Ollie shut his eyes and allowed the ridiculous grin to spread. His whole body convulsed in sheer delightful anticipation.

Until he heard Jacob’s voice outside the door.

“No, you can’t come up.”

Ollie couldn’t hear another voice so assumed Jacob through a speaker to the other person standing outside on the pavement.

“No, Becky.”

Ollie froze, his previous squirming delight instantly replaced with overriding fear. He pulled the duvet over his naked body to his chin and sat up against the headboard, listening. A muffled curse, followed by a loud thump, shook the walls. A few moments passed, and the front door opened.

“Luckily you have nice neighbors,” Becky’s voice rang out. “We need to talk.”

“Couldn’t you call me?” Jacob replied.

“I did. Several times already this morning, and you haven’t answered,” Becky said. “I told you we needed to talk. Leaves me no choice but to come seek you out in your bachelor pad.”

The fierce clacking of her shoes rattled the bed as they stomped farther into the flat. The door slammed shut, and Ollie began to tremble. Lifting his knees to his chest, he hugged them over the duvet and didn’t know whether to stay there, hide in a cupboard like some sordid teenager, or attempt to get dressed. He glanced at the floor. His clothes weren’t there. They were littering the floor of another room in Jacob’s flat, along with his glasses; he would need to find somewhere to hide. He banged his head onto his knees.

“Jesus Christ, Jacob,” Becky barked. “You’re a fucking slob.”

“What do you want, Becky?” Jacob’s voice bellowed with annoyance and exasperation. “Why couldn’t you wait till I was back at the hospital? And who’s with Daisy?”

“My mum’s sitting with her,” Becky replied. “Why? Have I walked in on one of your rendezvous?”

The final z sound of that word was particularly hissed out. There was a pause and whatever face Jacob must have displayed made Becky snort violently.

“Is there a man in here?”

“No,” Jacob replied far too abruptly.

“Christ!” Becky screamed. “You know what? I don’t even care anymore.”

Ollie heard more clomping, as if Becky was roaming the hardwood flooring of the open-plan flat. The bedroom door. Damn. Jacob hadn’t shut it completely. The light from the main living space drifted in to make a yellow line across the bed, focusing on Ollie like a spotlight. The sweat dripping from his forehead trickled his skin for a whole different reason.

“I needed to tell you I’m taking Daisy to Ireland.” Becky’s voice vibrated along the walls.

“What? No, you can’t!” Jacob declared.

“I think you’ll find I can,” Becky replied. “As soon as she’s recovered, I’m taking her over there. Simon’s family are all out there. They own a farm. It’ll be good for her. Fresh air, out of the city.”

“For a holiday?” Jacob’s voice quivered.

“No, Jacob. We’re moving there.”

Ollie didn’t hear much else—the blood rushing through his veins went straight to his eardrums. He heard further muffles from Jacob, whose voice had quietened in the revelation. Ollie wanted to rush to him, to comfort him and tell this bitch where she could stick her precious Simon. But he couldn’t. He was stuck there, naked, in the man’s bed, where he really shouldn’t be. A few more tense moments of silence. Then the click of the door and clacking of heels indicated she had left. Ollie waited a few breaths more. If Jacob didn’t come back in this room soon, Ollie would march out there with everything on display.

Luckily, the door clanged open and Jacob shuffled in, carrying Ollie’s discarded clothes. Ollie slid his legs down to lie flat, and Jacob sat with a solemn sigh at the foot of the bed, dropping Ollie’s clothes next to him. Ollie could have cut the silence with Dr. Rawlings’ scalpel. Eventually, he slid out of the duvet and crawled over to Jacob, draping his arms around his shoulders and kissing his cheek.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

Jacob tapped Ollie’s hands clutched together across his chest and leaned back into the embrace. It was short-lived, and he curled angry fists into the duvet. “How can she just take her?”

Ollie was sure the question was rhetorical and Jacob merely mumbling the words rather than expecting a reply. Ollie squeezed him closer and stroked his forehead along the back of Jacob’s shoulder. He felt for this man—he couldn’t deny it anymore. To hell with not getting involved in patient-family conflict.

“You could get a doctor’s declaration saying she isn’t fit for traveling and has to remain near to her consultant,” Ollie suggested, voice light and low, carefully treading a line he wasn’t sure he should even be on.

Jacob twisted around to face Ollie, his eyes glistening. “I can do that?”

“It’s a starting point. You’d need to speak to Daisy’s doctor before Becky does. And as far as I am aware, she hasn’t declared the intention yet, or it would be in his notes.”

“Her doctor?” Jacob confirmed. “Dr. Rawlings, you mean? Your Dr. Rawlings.”

Ollie sank back into the bed. He nodded, then shook his head. “He was never mine. He belongs to all his patients.” He looked Jacob in the eye. “He’s a narcissistic, emotionally inept sociopath. But he’s a great doctor, and, if you want, I can talk to him for you.”

“No.” Jacob shook his head. “No,” he stated again more firmly. “I’m not giving him another reason to use you.”

The fluttering in Ollie’s chest released something in him he couldn’t quite place. Jacob leaned back and kissed him.

“I’ll figure it out,” he said, but the slope to his shoulders told Ollie he was defeated. “I’m going to take a shower. Place is yours.” Jacob waved a hand and stood. Running a hand through his hair, he marched out of the bedroom.

Ollie fell facedown onto the bed and banged his forehead against the mattress. This was exactly the sort of thing his New Year’s resolution had meant to help him avoid! Baggage. Stuff that came before him. Getting involved with someone who had so much else going on that Ollie didn’t know where he fitted. This year was meant to be Ollie, flying free, playing the field, becoming the player. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. Who am I kidding? I’ve never been like that. He’d always been the one to be played because of his goddamn inability to not feel a fucking thing.

He heard the whirring of an electric shower and turned toward the bedroom door. He sighed. Might as well go the whole way. What was the point otherwise? He rolled off the bed and padded toward the noise, finding a slightly ajar door opposite the bedroom and pushing it open. Jacob, behind the splattering glass of a walk-in shower, scrubbed his hair underneath the waterfall spray. Ollie bit his lip and watched the outline of Jacob through the fuzzy glass. He really was a delight for any eye to see. Even eyes that were blurred without the use of prescription eyewear. Breaking his resolve once more, he walked farther into the glossy black-and-white bathroom and slid open the shower door.

Jacob turned on his heels and staggered a little in shock.

“Thought I’d save you some hot water,” Ollie said.

Jacob launched in for a demanding kiss, slapping Ollie against the cool tiles, and Ollie was happy to be this man’s distraction from torment for a while.

Later, Ollie sorted through the clothes bunched up on the bed and checked the display on the docking station. He still had enough time to get home and at least sleep some of this all off before his next shift. Jacob, towel hanging low on his hips, rummaged through his wardrobe. Ollie smiled and shook his head at the absurdity of the whole situation. Dropping yesterday’s underwear onto the unmade sheets, he cocked his head.

“Any chance I can borrow some boxers?” he asked, scratching the back of his neck and trying desperately not to sound embarrassed about it.

Jacob peered around his wardrobe door, raked Ollie’s naked frame with his gaze, and chuckled. “Sure.” He pointed to a chest of drawers.

Ollie hobbled over to pull open the top one and rooted around for something that might fit him. Jacob was probably a couple sizes broader than he, so whatever he found in there would be too big. But he didn’t have much of a choice. He pulled out a pair of black mesh Iso Chill boxers from Under Armour. They should fit a little better, being more workout-style. He pulled them on, snapped the waistband across his hips and twisted to Jacob.

“So, you work out?” Ollie said.

Jacob popped his head through his sweater and Ollie laughed and waved a hand. “You don’t really have a computer-nerd body.”

“There’s a gym here in the basement.” Jacob secured his belt buckle on his dark-denim jeans. “And I ensure that whatever hotel I get holed up in for work has one too. What else is there to do when you live on your own?”

“Fair point.” Ollie pulled on the rest of his clothes. Before he could tuck his foot into his jeans, Jacob clamped his arms around him from behind and tugged him close, nipping at his neck, and Ollie’s grin hurt his jaw.

“How about you?” Jacob asked. “Or is this body all from being on your feet for those long shifts?”

Ollie snorted. “I cycle, mainly. Gyms are boring. Staring at the same wall for hours? No, ta. I need the air.” He shrugged. “Or smog. I only use the gym for its sauna and steam room.”

Jacob hummed against his shoulder blades. “I can get on board with that.”

Ollie chuckled and wriggled his hips. “Now stop it, or I’ll never make it home before work.”

Jacob reluctantly let him go, and Ollie managed to dress without further harassment. Picking up his coat, he checked in the pockets for his phone. The display illuminated several missed calls and a voice mail message.

“Shit,” he cursed on instantly recognizing the number.

“Everything okay?”

“It’s the care home.” Ollie tapped in his voice mail number and held the phone to his ear. Holding his breath, he listened to the message. Ollie’s heart pounded, and he swallowed the lump forming in his throat. He shoved on his coat.

“Ollie?”

Ollie turned, having forgotten Jacob was even there. “It’s my dad. He’s had a fall. I need to go to him.”

* * * *

Ollie didn’t refuse when Jacob came with him. He wasn’t sure why. He didn’t say anything when Jacob shoved on his coat, marched him along the bustling Shoreditch High Street still illuminated with twinkling Christmas lights, through the packed Urban Street Food festival and bundled him on to the Overground. Ollie, mind elsewhere, didn’t even think to ask if Jacob knew where he was going. Nor did he question it when they arrived at the gate of the care home and Jacob followed him in. It could have been that Ollie just focused on getting to his father. Or, perhaps in some small part of Ollie’s frazzled subconscious, it felt comfortable. Like, why wouldn’t Jacob come with me for support?

But as soon as he entered his father’s room and saw the frail outline of his pops lying on the bed rather than in his usual chair, propped up by pillows and bearing a nasty bruise on his cheekbone, Ollie thought otherwise. Having Jacob there to witness his vulnerable side might not be such a good thing. It was, however, like everything else that had happened these last couple of nights: too late.

“Hey, Pops.” Ollie rushed to perch on the edge of his father’s bed.

Jacob hovered by the door, probably feeling the awkwardness just as much as Ollie.

“You been fighting again?” Ollie joked and stroked his fingers across the bruise on Gregory’s cheekbone.

His father had tried to take a bath by himself, slipped and fallen, hitting his face on the sink. The task of bathing wasn’t something his father was allowed to do by himself, but Ollie presumed his dad had wanted to regain some lost control and had attempted it regardless. Especially as he hated to be told what to do by “pretty young things” who could be the same age as Ollie’s sister. That was what his pops maintained, anyway. Ollie tried not to take offense. His father was of a generation where such derogatory terms to describe nurses were the norm. Before the second phase of dementia had hit, he had been nothing but supportive of Ollie’s choice of profession.

“I gave him my best shot,” Gregory croaked out.

Ollie laughed and curled his hand around his father’s. He looked deep into his eyes, trying to find the man he knew behind them, but fell short as Gregory’s vacant gaze flickered around the room as if he wasn’t sure if there was anyone there, or if so, how many.

“Try not to get in trouble, here, Pops,” Ollie said. “You’ll get a bad rep with the nurses, and they might start leaving the sugar out of your tea.”

“Yes, yes,” Gregory replied with repeated nodding. “I’d really like a tea. Is it English breakfast, Doctor?”

Ollie hung his head and sighed. He glanced over at Jacob, who threw back a reassuring smile, one Ollie returned before addressing his father once more. Gregory turned his head on the pillow and caught sight of Jacob lingering by the doorway.

“Is that…” Gregory lifted a frail, trembling arm to point a finger. His brow furrowed, and he swallowed uneasily.

“That’s Jacob, Pops,” Ollie replied. “From the hospital.”

“Yes, yes,” Gregory said. “And the operation went well?”

Jacob’s brow furrowed much the same as Ollie’s father’s. Ollie shook his head, hoping to convey some silent message that his father wasn’t really making much sense to him either. And probably wasn’t referring to Jacob’s daughter’s operation. Ollie doubted his father would have recalled their last conversation so easily.

“Yes,” Ollie breathed and slid his hand from his father’s. “Tilly is fine.”

“Good, good,” Gregory said. “But I am worried.”

“What are you worried about? Everything is fine. Tilly is fine. You just rest yourself, you hear?”

“It’s Oliver.” Gregory shut his dry eyes.

Ollie grabbed Gregory’s hand firmly.

“Yes, Pops.” Ollie smiled. “It’s me, Oliver.”

Gregory stared vacantly at Ollie, as though he knew he was there but couldn’t place him. He held his breath, and his lips trembled. He gazed at Jacob.

“Jacob?” Gregory narrowed his eyes as if trying to recall a memory.

Ollie nodded in confirmation and was surprised his dad had even remembered the name. Dementia defied all logic.

“Yes, Pops, that’s Jacob.” Ollie was startled to see a welcoming grin on his old man’s face.

“Oh, Jacob.” Gregory nodded with an unusual knowing smile. He waggled his finger that barely left the mattress and chuckled, which was an odd sound Ollie hadn’t heard in quite some time. “You better treat my Tilly, right.” He leaned back against the pillows, his eyes drifting closed. “She’s got a protective older brother, you know.” Gregory heaved a painful sigh.

Jacob’s expression displayed his confusion. Ollie shrugged, and Gregory’s head flopped to the side, a brief snore emanating from his lips. Ollie decided to leave it there and walked around the foot of the bed with a renewed feeling of calm. His father was okay, and Jacob was smiling at him like some dopey sod. Ollie returned the grin, but it slowly faded as Jacob was ushered aside by a hand curling round his arm.

“Oliver.”

Ollie’s eyes widened into saucers, and he swallowed. “What the hell are you doing here?” He silently begged Dr. Rawlings not to turn around or recognize the man he’d just shoved away.

“When there’s an incident and they can’t get hold of you or your mother, they call me.” Dr. Rawlings glanced down at the bed, and Ollie shot a look over the doctor’s shoulder in the hope that Jacob would understand to leave.

Again, like everything else in the last few hours, it was too late. Dr. Rawlings narrowed his eyes from Ollie to Jacob.