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he can be. I also understand how upset Tanner has been these past few days. It’s so bad that I’ve been tempted to pin a blue donkey tail to his butt because he’s been just as chipper of Eeyore. ”
    “Really?” All the anger faded from her face.
    “Yeah.”
    “He’s been really, really miserable? Because that’s what he deserves.”
    “I know I do and I would do anything to make it up to him,” Tanner cut in.
    Carlo narrowed her eyes. “Give me one good reason why I should believe you?”
    “Because I haven’t hurt this bad over losing somebody. Not even when my own family cut me off. It’s so bad that I spent all last night eating ice cream and watching Dr. Who reruns.”
    Tears pooled in Carla’s eyes. “Oh, wow. That’s both sweet and amazingly dorky.”
    Turning to Ben, she asked, “So, what are we going to do to get them back together?” .
    Tanner wondered when it’d suddenly became a we problem. He kept his mouth shut though, because he didn’t want to get punched again.
    Ben smiled. “I actually have an idea.”
    She leaned her arms on the nurse’s station. “What is it?”
    “Forrest and Patrick are throwing a huge early Halloween bash. They’ve invited all the people in the gay EMS circle, too, so Tanner or Ricky can drop easily drop by.”
    “Do I get any say in this?” Tanner asked.
    They both ignored him.
    “How can you be certain Ricky will go? We both know he’s not the party type?” Carla demanded.
    “You let me worry about that,” Ben assured her. “We just need to figure out the perfect costume for Tanner. It should be something that will touch Ricky so much that he’ll have no choice but to forgive Tanner.”
    “Oh!” She danced up and down on the balls of her feet. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
    “Yes, it’s time that Ricky got a visit from The Doctor. ”
    Going by the wicked look the pair shared, that comment didn’t bode well for Tanner at all.

    Chapter Eight
    Ricky stared morosely down at his drink as he wondered why in the hell he’d allowed Ben to talk him into coming to this damn party.
    Not that the food and drinks weren’t good. They were top quality. Hell, they even had a live band playing. If Ricky were pressed, he’d have to admit it was one of the best set-ups he’d ever been to.
    It’s just that it seemed like every damn person there was part of a happy couple. They even frigging wore matching costumes. Matt and Lucas were dressed up as a certain caped hero and his younger sidekick. Forrest and Patrick wore Salt and Pepper costumes. Dylan and Kaleb were Bert and Ernie. Jessie and Randal came as Starsky and Hutch. Kiefer and Ray dressed as The Lone Ranger and Tonto, completing their look with stick horses. Calvin was dressed as David Beckham while James came as a giant soccer ball. For some odd reason Dustin and Vaughn had chosen to be Ringo and Paul, completely leaving out poor John and George. Since Clayton was a huge fan of the show Survivor, he and his partner, Justin, came as tribe members, with matching buffs. Chauncey and Brody rounded out the group with their Frodo and Samwise getups.
    And what did Ricky have on? A stupid, borrowed Army costume that reeked of stale cigarettes and Axe Body Spray. Even Ben looked better and he was dressed up as the Red Angry Bird.
    To make things even suckier, all the couples were snuggling and kissing. Each performance of PDA sending Ricky deeper into depression because it only made him think of Tanner.
    Ricky knew he should just let Tanner talk to him. Maybe he wanted to explain or apologize. It was just hard though, because some of the things Tanner had insinuated about being a radiology tech were the exact thing Ricky’s dad had jeered at him about. That left Ricky feeling hurt and a little betrayed because he thought Tanner had more respect for him and his job.
    It wasn’t easy to stay angry though because Ricky missed Tanner—so much so that it caused an ache in his chest. While they