"Ashton, the patient in 27 window needs pain meds," the nursing assistant mentioned quickly to the nurse as they passed in the hallway.

"Ugh, doesn't she always," Ashton sighed, rolling his eyes at the small smile on the girls face. That patient was always asking for pain medication as soon as it was time again.

Ashton had been a nurse for seven years, having finished nursing school by an accelerated program. It only took 3 years for him to complete his BSN and he was offered a job immediately following at the hospital he currently was in. The 28 year old was grateful for the job he had. His coworkers were all right, a bit needy, but nothing he couldn't work with. The pay was amazing, he was constantly getting merit raises for just showing up and doing the bare minimum--although he did pitch in more than his fair share and help when overtime was needed.

This hospital was one of the best in Connecticut. It had received 'magnet certification' three years after Ashton started. Magnet meant it was certified by the American Nurses' Credentialing Center to have a higher level of care from the doctors and nurses. It was an amazing thing, and took years to achieve. They'd had week long celebrations when they were granted the cert, and Ashton was proud of where he worked.

He reached up to hold his badge, swiping it in front of the scanner to unlock the door to the medication room. The med room was a small closet off the nurses station. The door was locked, only the nurses and higher ups having access to it, just so that no one was able to go in and steal meds without permission.

He punched in his four digit code--his boyfriends birthday--which unlocked the drawer so he could get the appropriate medication. Samantha had back surgery so she was due for oxycodone and the muscle relaxer, which she always took as soon as she was able to.

Upon retrieving them, he exited the room, holding the door for Maria, one of the senior nurses and went to 427 with his computer.

"Hey, Sammy, how's your pain? Melody said you wanted your meds?"

Sammy sighed, long and drawn out, like she was suffering.

"Yeah," she gasped. "I'm having spasms like mad, and I can't handle this anymore. I'm so uncomfortable,"

"What's your pain from 1-10?" the nurse asked, retrieving the scanner from his computer cart and scanning the patient ID bracelet as well as the medications. Before administering any medication, the patient ID needed to be scanned as well as the barcode on the drug to ensure the patient didn't receive the wrong medicine.

"Probably like a 10," she groaned, tensing up as another supposed spasm wracked her body. She loved to complain, but Ashton knew she acted up when the staff was around to get more meds. She'd been in the hospital previously and had abused medications for years. She got high levels of pretty major meds right off the bat because she had a high tolerance.

"Okay, you can have a 15 of oxy, and I have a muscle relaxant which should help the spasms,"

"Oh, yes, that's what I need," she moaned, brown eyes opening wide at the mention of the meds Ashton had in his hand. He double checked the label, a habit of his (even though it got scanned and appeared on his screen) before opening the tablet and dumping the two pills into a small medicine cup.

"Can you tell me your name and birthday?" Ashton asked. That was another policy of the hospital: 2 step verification. Before medication was administered, food was delivered, blood sugar was taken, or anything official, the patient stated their name and birthday to make sure the right patient was getting the right treatment.

"Samantha Buffet, 12/3/76," the woman droned, having repeated that phrase over 50 times in the three days she'd been there. It got old fast, and she was eager for her meds.

"Great. I've got two small pills for you," Ashton handed it over, then once she'd had it in her grasp, picked up the cup of water from her brown bedside table and handed it to her. She ravenously dumped the pills into her mouth, swallowing them quickly before snatching the cup from Ashton and downing some water. Ashton kept the emotion off his face as he continued. "If you're still having pain after an hour, call for someone and I have some breakthrough meds you can have then. Hopefully this will kick in soon and you'll get some relief," he said, picking up the empty wrappers from his computer cart and throwing it in the small waste basket in the corner of the room.

The rooms in the hospital were very small. They weren't designed for a lot of furniture, and when there were two patients in a room, separated by a thin curtain, two beds, two tables, two chairs, IV's, bags, clothing, walkers...nothing else would fit. It was a nightmare trying to move IV poles around to get patients standing up out of bed to use the bathroom, or to get to the small cardiac monitors that were mounted to the walls in the top corner of the room. Usually the staff had to awkwardly clamber over the chair in the corner and hope they could reach the monitor to do what they needed. It was like a losing game of tetris attempting to organise the furniture, but that's what they did. Whatever was best for the patient was done.

"Thank you, Ashton. I'll call back in an hour,"

The man smiled. He knew she would.

"Is there anything else you need? I have the time," he recited the line that administration ordered them to say. It sounded so stupid and fake, and anyone who looked at them and saw how quickly the nurses ran around knew it wasn't true, but policy was policy, and if that's what they wanted him to say, he'd say it.

"I'm so uncomfortable,"

"What can I do to fix it?" he asked, already moving the bedside table forward so he could slip in to the small space between her bed and the wall. He took a pair of gloves from his white scrub pants and rolled them onto his fingers.

"Maybe I need to go to the other side," she contemplated.

"Sure, let me raise the bed and then we'll roll you over, kay?" he lifted the bed to save his own back—something he got into the habit of doing quickly. After one shift of bending down and straining himself, he knew he needed to change something fast. It was okay now, after 7 years, as long as he lifted the bed to a reasonable height for his 6'3" frame.

He grabbed the blue chuck from underneath her and informed her he was going to pull it. "I want you to grab the railing on the other side of the bed and pull yourself that way,"

"It hurts, oh god, it hurts!" she whined, breathing deeply as she moved her body the way Ashton instructed.

"You're doing good, honey, keep going. Great, you got it. I'm going to pull this, tell me if you need to stop," Ashton did as he said, stopping when she cried out before asking if it was okay for him to continue. He didn't know why she didn't have the aide do this when she was there earlier, but he'd help her if she needed.

After about 10 minutes of repositioning pillows under her back, blankets by her feet, and the table in the perfect place, he was finally able to leave.

Once he was out of the room, the smile stretched across his lips dropped and he rolled his eyes. These people were so needy, it was annoying.

He couldn't wait until 7:30 when he was able to leave and go home. Only about an hour left until freedom.

After he'd given report to the night nurse (the last half hour of the shift was the current nurses informing the oncoming nurses about any updates on the patients conditions, new medications, doctors orders, etc) he hurriedly got his jacket and bag from the locker room and booked it. He couldn't wait to get home.

He also always felt bad because he had to stay the extra half hour because the two boys he carpooled with got off at 7, so they had to wait for him. He always tried to be done as soon as possible. He even offered to drive himself some days when he knew he was going to have to stay late, but they never minded. They said they liked waiting for him because that meant they could spend time together.

And that's what they were doing when Ashton got to the car that night.

"Oi, quit making out without me and drive," he smirked at his boyfriends when they blushed and pulled apart at his sudden arrival.

Ashton had been in a poly relationship with 2 guys who also worked at the hospital for almost 5 years now. They'd met at work, Ashton taking Luke out on a date after he realised how cute the pharmacist was. Then they'd met Michael who worked in the morgue and he completed them.

Ashton was the loud, talkative one who always took charge when needed. He just had that dominant personality the others loved. Luke was the opposite, more passive and shy, but he had broken out of his shell when he got comfortable with the other two boys, and he was much more assertive and likely to speak his mind. The only thing Luke wasn't shy about was cuddling—he was always attached to one of the others. Michael was a mix of the two and could get into moods where he liked to be by himself, but he also liked to be the life of the party. He was an ambivert at heart, but also had slight anger issues and if he wasn't careful, he could get explosive, like Ashton.

The three of them worked well together, because if one of them went off, the others were there to calm him down. If someone needed some alone time, there was another boyfriend to cuddle and be cutesy with. Ashton didn't know why more people didn't have more than one partner; it was convenient as hell.

"What are we having for dinner?" Ashton asked as Michael pulled out of the hospital parking lot, speeding down the road. The man had a lead foot like no other and had gotten countless speeding tickets, but that never slowed him down. Luke had twisted around in the front seat to look at his hot boyfriend who was sprawled across the back seat.

"You look good today, baby," Luke winked a the nurse. He had a thing for Ashton in his scrubs, especially when the man wore all white. Nurses were able to wear combinations of white and blue scrubs, a white shirt and blue pants, blue shirt white pants, or all white. The only thing they couldn't wear was all blue because that what the respiratory therapists wore.

Ashton looked angelic in white, the tight shirt displayed his broad frame beautifully, showing off his muscly arms and tattoos that he gratefully didn't have to cover up. As long as the content wasn't inappropriate, the staff was allowed to have any markings on their body. Luke thought he couldn't look better, his curls out of place, creating a halo around his head. Luke was constantly in awe of the brunette.

"Thanks, Lu,"

"To answer your question, Ash," Michael cut in. He was used to Luke getting all excited at Ash when he got off his shift and had to redirect the conversation often. "I was going to make burgers,"

"But isn't it too cold for the grill?" Luke asked, turning around because he was getting too uncomfortable staring at Ashton. It was mid-March and there was still a slight chill in the New England air.

"Nah, it'll be fine, Lu, it's 45 degrees today,"

"Ah, a real heat wave," Ashton rolled his eyes. Michael could do whatever he wanted, he was going to shower and snuggle up on the couch with a bunch of blankets. He thought he might turn the electric fireplace on, maybe they could have a movie night.

"Whatever. Do you want something else?"

"No, that's fine," Luke insisted. "Just don't want you to get hypothermia, Mikey,"

Michael scoffed and Ashton rolled his eyes.

"Baby, he can't get hypothermia when it's not below freezing," Ashton interjected, looking out the window as the neighbourhood they lived in passed by.

Luke was silent for a moment as Ashton and Michael discussed one of their neighbors houses--these people didn't take care of their lawn--when Luke spoke up.

"Yes you can, it says you can get hypothermia if the temperature is in the 40's and you're wet," he stated proudly, holding up his phone and displaying an article before slipping it into the pocket of his black jacket. Pharmacists usually wore a combination of white, black, and grey scrubs, and Luke had chosen to wear black pants and jacket with a white shirt. He was always getting cold in the office.

"Right, so are you planning to douse me with the hose?" Michael glared at him as they pulled into the driveway. Ashton laughed as he got out of the car, ignoring the pouting Luke in the front seat as he quickly walked inside. "I'll be fine, pumpkin, but if it makes you feel better I can make something warm inside if you want. We can barbecue another day."

Luke nodded sharply, still pouting as his arms stayed crossed over his chest. One of his blonde curls fell into his face and his eyes crossed as he glared up at it. Michael chuckled, finding his childish attitude cute, and planted a little kiss on his forehead as he brushed the curl back.

"Anything you want, dollface, you'll get. You know you just have to tell me and Ash if something bothers you, right, baby?"

Luke nodded again, smiling at his boyfriend as they got out of the car, holding hands as they joined each other to walk inside the house.

"Maybe I'll make enchiladas," Michael mused as he put his bag down on the small bench in the kitchen. Michael was the only one of the three who could cook, so that was his chore. Luke enjoyed cleaning, so that was left to him, and Ashton took care of the yard in the summer and shovelled snow in the winter. He also helped Luke out when there wasn't much for him to do. They all helped each other whenever someone needed it, communicating properly to ensure nothing went unsaid or misunderstood. It helped them stay together the last five years.

"Oh, I love your enchiladas," Luke brightened up at the mention of the food. It had been a while since he'd made them.

"Enchiladas it is," he booped Luke on the nose, grinning as the boy giggled cutely, and turned around to gather the things he'd need.

Their kitchen was pretty impressive, Michael thought. Since they all worked at the hospital, they made pretty good salaries and were able to afford a great home. They took pride in their house. The kitchen had all top of the line stainless steel appliances, light blue marble countertops, and a dark wood floor. In the middle of the room was an island with a double sink on one side, a counter wrapped around half of the wall with a stove in the middle underneath a window that showcased the backyard. The fridge stood in the corner by the back door, and on the other side of the fridge was the entrance to the den. The three often spent most nights cuddled up in that room, loving one another and talking about anything in the world. If they weren't in their room or eating in the kitchen, they were there.

Michael set about making their dinner whilst Luke put away his and Michael's work things. He went upstairs to their bedroom to change out of his scrubs, setting an outfit on the bed for Ash once he got out of the shower.

Their house had 3 bedrooms, and they had an office that could be a bedroom if needed, but since the three had always shared the master, there was no need. Beds were still kept in each room, just in case someone needed space (or was being punished for something and their penalty was solitude) but the three were always in the king bed together if they could help it.

Ashton emerged from the ensuite bathroom, towel wrapped low around his waist and steam pouring out from all around him. The glow from the lights behind him made him look like a silhouette, and the water still dripping from his curls made Luke's mouth dry out. He quickly sat down at the end of the bed to watch Ashton move around the large room.

"Hi, baby, whatcha doin?" Ashton asked as he flipped the light on and crossed the room to his dresser. Everyone had their own clothes in the closets in their own rooms, but usually clothes ended up in any drawer in the main bedroom and they just had to look for it.

"I got you clothes, Ash," Luke coughed out, clearing his dry throat.

Ashton, knowing the reaction he was causing to the blonde boy, smirked as he turned around.

"You did?" Luke nodded, looking up at Ashton with adoration and another spark that made Ashton puff up with pride. He saw the hunger in Luke's eyes and it filled him with pleasure, knowing Luke was still as crazy about him as he was the younger man. "Thank you, baby boy, that was very nice of you."

Luke opened his mouth to speak when Ashton dropped the towel, picking up the clothes Luke had so thoughtfully laid out for him. A small squeak left Luke's throat as his pants got a little bit tighter and red erupted over his cheeks.

Ashton changed quickly, hiding his body with the joggers and maroon long sleeve shirt Luke had gotten him. As much as it pained Luke to cover the man up, he knew when he was home, Ashton liked to be cosy, so the long sleeve shirts—no socks—were his preference.

Ashton walked over, kissing the top of Luke's head.

"I missed you today, Lukey,"

Luke sighed happily, scrambling to lift himself up and wrap his arms around Ashton.

"Missed you too," He breathed in the scent of Ashton, the spearmint and basil smell of his soap permeating his nose as he inhaled deeply. That smell would always mean Ashton to him, and it comforted him immensely. "You didn't come see me today," Luke still had his nose pressed into Ashton's shoulder, and Ashton was holding the man up as he kneeled on the bed to hug him.

"I know, got so busy upstairs, we sent the aides to do the runs," Ashton explained.

"Yeah, I saw Alyssa twice," he mentioned one of the nursing assistants on Ashton's floor. Ashton liked her because she was good to the patients and was always willing to listen to his orders. She liked being bossed around and was always more than willing to do anything anyone asked of her.

"Yeah, I never got the chance, sorry baby. Maybe next time."

"I'm gonna hold you to that," Luke mumbled, rubbing his nose into the shallow divot in Ashton's shoulder. He pulled Luke off the bed, arms securely around his waist as he set him down. "I like after you shower and you can cuddle me," Luke mumbled, face still buried in his boyfriends shoulder.

Ashton never let Luke hang all over him after a shift because he never knew what he encountered during the day and wouldn't be able to live with himself if he transferred anything to the boy and he got sick. Ashton sat in the backseat and immediately showered upon getting home, just to be safe. Luke wasn't always happy he had to wait so long to hug his boyfriend, but it was always worth it. Ashton was the only one who dealt with patients and their families, as only staff spoke to Luke through a window and the only people Michael saw were dead, so Ashton was the only one who quarantined himself until after he was cleaned.

"I know you do, baby, that's why you're always here waiting for me," Ashton bent slightly, scooping Luke up by his thighs and lifting him up, laughing at the surprised squeal the man let out, but he wrapped his legs around Ashton's waist anyway. "Now let's go see what Mikey's up to, see if we can help him, and if not, you're not leaving my side the whole evening and we're planting ourselves on the couch till we pass out,"

Ashton knew that would never happen, Michael always made them get up and eat at the table and later on they had to brush their teeth before going to bed. The bleach blonde couldn't sleep well on the couch he said and much preferred the company in his bed.

"Sounds good," Luke let Ashton carry him down the stairs carefully as they joined their other partner in the kitchen.

"God, that smells so good, Mikey." Ashton complimented, setting Luke down on the counter and standing between his legs, hands possessively on the thin thighs.

"Lu wanted enchiladas," Michael leaned his cheek out for a kiss as he stood at the stove, knowing Ashton would never deny him something like that. As he thought, the man left a whiny Luke on the counter and put his arms around him, peppering his jaw with small pecks. "Don't make me burn the chicken," Michael scolded, trying to pull back from Ashton, face flushed and breathless.

Ashton chuckled, pulling back and going back to tend to his needy baby.

"You're in rare form today, sweetheart," Ashton smiled at Luke, holding his cheeks in his hands.

Luke shrugged.

"I just love you,"

"And I love you," Ashton smiled. "Both of you."

His family wasn't conventional, but he couldn't ask for a better life than the one he had right now.

***

Soooooo, thoughts? What do you think of their relationship??

I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS BOOK!!! 🥳🥳 I hope you enjoy.

~ashtonfortherwin