The drive to the facility was eerily quiet, considering the amount of people in the truck. Granted the guards were in the back where the crate was securely fastened and had likely been ordered not to speak, but even in the front, there was complete silence. We stopped for a bathroom break once at a rest stop, and about two hours later, we arrived. The six hour trip had me fidgety to get out and check on Callem and Mellac.

The second the truck pulled into the loading dock for the exhibit, I jumped down and ran to the back. They were already getting a makeshift tunnel set up so the mers could walk in by themselves. There was no window in the truck, but there was a small one in the tunnel they were pulling out. I quickly ran over to it and looked in, but the mers hadn't moved yet so I couldn't see them.

"Excuse me? Are you Doctor Parker Ryans?"

I whirled around to see a redhaired business-like woman walking toward me with two of her own security guards.

"Uhm, yeah. That's me."

The woman smiled and reached out a hand. I took it on instinct, wincing slightly when she tightened her grip on mine.

"Nice to meet you, I'm the curator here, Mrs. Smith. Doctor Warren said you were coming and may be able to help move the two mers without us needing to sedate them."

I nodded, licking my lips before chancing a look back at the window.

Still haven't moved...

"Alright then, what do you need us to do?"

Let them go.

"Um... is there a way to open one of the small windows in the tunnel?"

She raised a brow and shook her head.

"No, they are all sealed with bullet-proof glass and do not open."

"Oh... uh, then I may need to go in with them."

"That is not possible. They are extremely dangerous."

I fought to keep my face from showing any anger or annoyance, the only two emotions I was honestly feeling right then, and instead schooled it to seem almost patient.

"They will not hurt me, but if you drug them, it could cause adverse effects."

She seemed to consider my words but shook her head anyways.

"I cannot risk another life just to get them to move without being tranquilized."

The woman motioned her guards forward, which I now realized had tranquilizer guns strung over their broad shoulders.

"Wait. They'll come for me. Uhm, let me call them from the other end of the tunnel. Th-There's a safe place close enough for me to shout so they can hear me, right?"

She thought for a moment, then looked up at her guards.

"Hold on, Marco, Jacob. We're going to let him try first. I'd rather not dart them if possible."

Both guards turned, eyeing me suspiciously. I glared back, but when Mrs. Smith began walking toward the enclosure they had prepared for the mers, I quickly followed. To say that I was surprised by what I saw was an understatement. The exhibit was actually quite nice, if small. The area was clean and well-maintained, and as I looked around at nearby ones, they all actually looked pretty good.

I suppose it's better than what I expected, but this still isn't a place for a mer to live.

"You can call them from right here."

Looking sideways, I noticed Mrs. Smith standing by the bars that lined the back area we had just walked into. They separated the small concrete room into two different spaces, one for the keeper to work and another for a shifting area where the mers will stay when the keepers need to clean the main exhibit. It looked like it was built how an elephant's back area would be, but I suppose it would work as long as no one got close enough to the bars to get grabbed. I walked over to stand beside her, then glanced into the dark tunnel.

"Are they ready?"

She held up a finger and turned up her walky-talky, then pressed the talk button.

"Are they ready to come inside?"

There was static for a moment before a slightly distorted voice came over the speaker.

"Yes. Everything's ready."

She nodded to me and smiled. I returned it, but it was definitely forced.

"Alright... Callem!"

I began to reach forward so I could wrap my fingers around the thick steel bars, but Mrs. Smith quickly nudged me back. I knew she only wanted to protect me, but at this point, I really didn't care. It was just making me angrier.

"Mellac, you need to come here."

There were quiet sounds coming from the tunnel after a moment. It didn't take long for Mellac to appear, his brother only a few steps behind him, holding his left hand. The second they noticed Mrs. Smith next to me, Callem nudged closer to Mellac and growled.

"Thank you, gu—" Mellac's claws came out of nowhere, nearly catching me right across the face as I jumped back to dodge the attack. His snarl echoed throughout the enclosed room, reminding me of what he had said before they closed him and his brother up in the crate for transport.

He wants to kill me.

"Mellac."

"Shut up, human!"

Shit. His gills were flaring, even the smaller ones on his neck.

"Come here, human. Come here!"

Okay, Mellac might be the one who could communicate better and acted more like a human, but right then, he was halfway up the bars, easily holding his weight using his uninjured arm with both feet tilted on one of the bars for balance. He looked so much like an angry ape. If I hadn't known that he understood English, I might have been swayed that he was feral.

"This is Smith, is the exhibit ready? They are getting pretty aggressive back here."

The walky-talky beeped, then a response came.

"Yes, ma'am. The last keeper just walked out, and the doors are all secured. You can let them out."

She nodded and walked over to a lever system that operated the shift door that allowed them out into the main exhibit. I wasn't too sure how they were going to clean the outside area once Mellac figured out how to lift the door, because I'm sure it's sixty pounds would be nothing for him, but I supposed they could deal with that when the time came. The second that door lifted, though, both mers bolted out. They had to duck a bit, but as soon as they saw the large pool, they dove in and shifted, drawing quite a lot of excitement from the crowd watching in the observatory area.

The exhibit was split and partially dropped below ground so people could actually watch them swimming, and from the sound of the screams coming from the observation area, they were definitely enjoying seeing the mers. I was just about to go watch them for a moment when I saw Mellac suddenly jump out of the water looking extremely distressed as he swatted at his ears. Callem was close behind him, showing the same behavior, and whining like a seal pup.

"I think the people are too loud..." I said, turning to Mrs. Smith as I spoke.

"Surely not, they should be used to boat motors coming and going and they can be fairly loud themselves, so people cheering shouldn't be an issue."

Hmmm.

"Mellac!"

He looked up and glared, but I just ignored that and shouted again.

"Is it too loud underwater?"

I could tell that he wasn't happy about even acknowledging me, but when he looked down at his little brother rolling around in the sand in pain, he looked back up and nodded. I turned to Mrs. Smith quickly and spoke.

"See, they need that area quiet, or they won't be able to get in the water. The human voices are probably a different frequency than what they are used to hearing underwater and are possibly amplified from the echo in the observation area."

She didn't seem happy about it, but thankfully she did turn and stalk away from the keeper area. I followed after her down into the viewing area where people were still squealing with excitement over the new additions.

"Excuse me, everyone, they have extremely sensitive hearing while underwater so please be sure to remain quiet if you'd like to see them swimming."

I was honestly surprised she didn't already have a sign that told guests to be quiet and not use flash photography, which is just normal protocol for new animals, but I suppose it wasn't my call to make. At least the patrons quieted down, and after a few minutes, Callem and Mellac returned to the water. Neither seemed very interested in showing off for the guests, though, as they just calmly sank to the bottom of the pool.

"Well, I guess I should go now... don't want to miss my ride."

I definitely didn't want to leave but if I stayed, I might do something stupid, and I had to catch my ride back with the truck or risk losing my dumb job.

"Alright. Thank you for helping with them. I appreciate it."

I just nodded and headed for the door.

"Wait. What did you call them again? So I don't confuse them."

Hunching my shoulders, I forced myself not to mumble.

"Callem is the one with black hair, he doesn't understand very much so he needs to stay with his brother or he panics. His brother I call Mellac. He understands English but is much more aggressive than Callem. They both have injuries but seem to be healing, Callem on his foot and shoulder and Mellac on his arm."

"Alright, thank you, Doctor Ryans."

I gave a slight wave in acknowledgement and then quickly ran out the door. The truck was just moving away from the loading area so it could head out as I pushed my way through the back gate. The driver noticed me waving as I ran and slowed, allowing me just enough time to jump in the front before driving off. Leaving Callem had been something I knew I would have to do from the moment I saw him, but to leave him at such a place... He belonged in the ocean with his brother, not some marine park. Shaking my head, I bit my lower lip and stared out of the passenger's side window. Thinking about this any further was just going to make me upset and irrational.

I need to put it behind me.

And that's what I did.

Four days later, they let Jay come home from the hospital, and I devoted every second I wasn't working to making sure he was taken good care of. His skull had miraculously managed to avoid being cracked, but they said to just make sure he stayed in bed as much as possible and, of course, didn't bump his head on anything.

"I picked up some dinner for you."

He smiled but didn't open his eyes. I thought he might lose weight after what he'd gone through, but the guy was as serious an eater as ever.

"Taco Bell?"

"The one and only."

His eyes slowly opened before he reached out, taking the bag I quickly extended to him. I had made sure he was propped up on his pillows well enough to eat without choking but also be comfortable enough to sleep. It wasn't easy. As he dug into his first taco, I knew something was on his mind, and hell, something was on my mind too so I supposed I'd go first while his mouth was full.

"Why do you have ropes in your bedroom?"

He didn't even bother looking surprised at the question and instead swallowed a bite of taco and replied with nonchalance.

"I like it rough."

I, on the other hand, coughed as my mind came up with another certain person who liked it rough... in the lab... against the wall...

Ah!

Shaking my head quickly, I squeezed my eyes shut and sighed.

"You're thinking about him again."

Jayson could always read me pretty well so I simply shrugged, looking down at my shoes before sitting myself down to lean against his bed.

"You did the right thing."

I felt his fingers gently begin to sift through my hair, allowing me a tiny bit of relief from all the stress I'd kept bottled up ever since I left Callem and Mellac at that stupid marine park.

"While I would have been much happier with him at Sea World, at least they cleaned up a lot," Jay said soothingly as I rested my forehead on my knees and gave him a quiet grunt in response before whispering back.

"I know. It's just..."

"You wanted him to go back to the ocean with his brother."

"Yeah."

"Well, maybe he stayed close to shore because he couldn't hunt anymore? He does still have some problems with his tail, even though it healed quite a bit before they took him. It's unfortunate for his brother, but I think them taking Callem may have saved his life."

He stayed for me. His tail was okay. Not perfect, it may never be perfect, but he can definitely hunt with it now.

"I... guess so."

"Hey, Park."

I looked up when he didn't elaborate, but he had been waiting for just that. His soft lips pressed against mine for a quiet moment before he leaned back against his pillows and winked.

"I may be ready to shove my dick up your butt now." He made a face and shivered. "Uh... maybe in a week... or three."

Okay, that made me laugh out loud. He pouted but then grinned. Haha! The guy might not be gay, but he sure as heck knew how to cheer me up.

"I'll be waiting."

I winked back with a smile before pushing myself to my feet and tossing the taco I had gotten for myself at him. He caught it but then offered it back with a stern look.

"You need to eat, Parker. You've barely eaten anything since you came back a few days ago."

"Y-Yes, I have."

"You stutter when you're lying or nervous."

"I'm not nervous."

"So I'm that hot?"

Scowling, I flicked his nose and walked off, ignoring the chuckles coming from his room as I shut the door behind me. I wasn't really that hungry, even though he was correct that I hadn't eaten much, but a nice glass of cold water sounded like heaven so I headed for the kitchen. Except, my phone's ringtone made me pause midreach for a glass.

Don't wanna answer it.

It was probably my work, though, which I had to answer.

"Bah."

Grabbing the phone from my back pocket, I flipped it open, then raised it to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Is this Doctor Ryans?"

Huh? Sounds like Mrs. Smith... but how did she get my number? Well, probably from my lab or Doctor Warren.

"Yes."

"The smaller mer hasn't eaten anything since he arrived and is starting to go downhill in terms of health."

"What?"

"He's followed his brother around since he came, but he refuses to eat, even when the other male tried to offer him food, and now he won't come out of the back area."

I wanted to scream at her, asking why she hadn't called me before it had gotten this bad, but I already knew the answer to that. I wasn't authorized to deal with them any longer.

"I don't have authorization."

"I'm giving it to you. I already spoke with Doctor Warren. He gave the okay for you to come up here if it is in the best interest of the mers, and I believe it is. So, can you please come soon?"

My gaze darted back toward Jay's room.

"My friend..."

"We'll pay for his care. Doctor Warren said you may not come because of the injury he sustained from the larger mer. I will gladly pay for someone to watch over him for the time you are here."

"Mmm, man, that lady talks loud," Jay mumbled sleepily. Blinking, I realized he was walking toward me and blushed.

"Uh, hey, Jay."

"I'm not staying here if you're going up there."

"You can't come."

"Like I'll listen to you."

Rolling my eyes, I turned my back on him and continued speaking into my phone, though I fidgeted a bit when Jayson's arms gently wrapped around my waist and pulled me against his firm chest.

"He'll come with me."

"Oh, okay. Well, are you okay with heading out today? I'll pay for your hotel."

"Yeah, that's fine. We'll head out soon."

"Perfect. Thank you very much, Doctor Ryans. I will see you soon."

"Yup, bye."

"Bye."

As soon as I hung up, I turned in Jay's arms and gave him a slightly disapproving smirk.

"Time to pack for a road trip."

"I would say I'm mad that you're going back to them, but after being stuck in a bed for the past few days and my obvious like for marine life, I couldn't really force you to stay, especially if Callem is doing as badly as she said."

My lips curved into a smile, and I gave him a small hug before ducking out of his arms and heading to my room to pack. It didn't take too long since I hardly ever put away my clothes. When I tugged my full suitcase out of my room, Jayson was doing the exact same thing across the hall.

"Ready to go, Doctor Ryans?"

I rolled my eyes and nudged his shoulder with my own as I grabbed my keys and we headed outside. The drive was long, but thankfully Jayson found a few good radio stations and made me sing along with half of the songs so I didn't have much time to focus on what was happening with Callem. We ended up driving straight to the hotel, and I gave Mrs. Smith a call as we pulled in, giving her the hotel name and after we checked in, the number of the room. She said she'd take care of the bill and asked if I could come over right then because they would be feeding them soon. We were up in the hotel room by then, and I looked over at Jay, who had fallen over on the bed and was beginning to pass out already.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Mmmm, yeah. I just took two painkillers, I'm feeling greaaaat."

Hah, someone's gonna be out cold soon.

"Mind if I run over and see if I can get Callem to eat? She said she'll be trying to feed them soon."

"I would say that I do, but you'll just do it anyways, and then I would say be careful, but knowing you..."

I chuckled at that but couldn't argue.

"I'll do my best to come back alive."

"Please do."

After being sure he would be okay, I slipped out the door and headed down to my truck, then over to the park. I left it in the back personnel lot since it was closest to where the mers' exhibit was. There were a few keepers looking in from one of the outside barriers, but as soon as I approached, Mrs. Smith appeared and motioned me over to the keeper area.

"He's in here. His brother is still in the main exhibit so we shut the shift door."

"You separated them?"

"Yes, he wasn't moving much this morning and wouldn't leave the back area so we didn't want to have to dart both of them if we ended up needing to call in our vet."

Well, good to know they actually have their vet on call at least. Though why the hell isn't he here now?

We stepped into the back area, and I could immediately tell something was wrong. Callem was extremely dehydrated, considering his skin looked like flaky scales in several spots along his bare body. He was also curled up, facing the wall, giving his back to things he considered dangerous. He definitely wasn't feeling well.

"Callem?"

He moved a small amount when I spoke but then settled again.

Hmmm.

Kneeling down by the bars, I motioned behind me for a fish, which was quickly placed in my hand.

"Callem, can you come here please?"

He whined, but at least that meant he was paying attention to me.

"Callem, I have a fish for you."

I reached into the enclosure slowly, holding it out.

"Come?"

He slowly rolled over, letting me see a big patch of rising scales on his previously-smooth chest.

"He needs water, is there a hose back here?"

"Yes, one moment."

I heard her shuffling around behind me, then the sound of water running.

"Put it near the bars so it can flow toward him."

She did as told, and I sighed with slight relief when it began to run into the enclosure and at least wet Callem's side and legs.

"Callem, come please."

He looked up, and I immediately noticed his eyes were a solid dull blue, something I'd never seen with him. They were almost always more than one shade and color and were usually swirling like the ocean. Now they just looked... dead.

"I need to go in."

"I can't allow that."

Growling, I got up and turned on her with a glare.

"You want him dead? He'll die if I don't go in there."

"You will die if you go in there, he's dangerous."

"I don't care. He's important. Do you want to be responsible for killing one of the two mers left in the world?"

She flinched, pursing her lips as her gaze lowered to Callem, then rose back to me.

"Fine. But if he begins to get aggressive, you get out. Do you hear me, Doctor? And if he stops you from be able to, I'll be forced to shoot him."

"Yeah yeah, just open the door."

She walked over to the entrance and unlocked it, opening the door for me to step inside before shutting it quickly.

"I'll leave it unlocked unless he makes a move for it."

"Okay."

My attention was completely focused on Callem since I was now in his territory. Well, I don't think he considered this any kind of territory to be honest. He looked so broken lying on the cold concrete floor as I approached.

"Hey there, Callem."

I knelt next to him, finally getting a small positive response when he pushed himself up to lick my cheek.

"There you are. You worried me."

He leaned in a little more and licked my neck a few times before I sat down, getting more comfortable by crossing my legs... and then suddenly there was a Callem snuggling in my lap.

"Awww, c'mere, you."

I wrapped my arms around him as he nuzzled into my neck with a stressed purr. One might think he was happy, but I knew from the tenseness in his body that he was afraid.

"It's okay. I'm right here, Callem."

I tilted my head a bit so I could lick his cheek a few times, then picked up the fish that I had dropped from surprise when he'd climbed into my lap so suddenly.

"Hey, Cal, want some fish?"

He gave a quiet bark but just kept his face against my neck.

"No fish?"

It definitely wasn't super fresh, but it was a decent amount and looked clean. I silently sat there for a moment and tried to wrack my brain for some way to get him to eat. I doubted shoving pieces of fish in his mouth would work much, but then I remembered something.

"Callem?"

He glanced up but didn't lift his head from where it now rested on my right shoulder.

"Um... fish to Callem."

His eyes widened immediately, and he sat up in my lap, hands on either of my thighs.

"Parker?"

I held up the fish in my left hand, gesturing that he should take it.

"Parker... fish to Callem."

"Fish?"

His lips twitched slightly, making my own form a small smile as I nodded.

"Parker fish to Callem."

He looked at the silvery fish in my left hand and hesitantly took it, then lifted it to his lips. I nodded fast, eager to see him take a bite. When he finally did, I felt a heavy weight lift free from my shoulders.

Thank god he isn't so far gone that he won't eat.

He took a few big bites before setting the fish aside and rubbing his cheek against my own, smearing fish blood on it. Eh, I didn't care, though, I was just so happy that he'd eaten something.

"Parker Callem's."

I smiled and replied calmly as my left hand began to rub along his strong back.

"Yes, Parker Callem's."

I would say anything to get him healthy again, but for some reason, I felt that it meant a little more this time than it had previously.

"Parker Callem to go."

"Huh?"

"Parker... Callem to go. Callem go."

My brows furrowed as I tried to figure out what he wanted when I heard something that sounded like metal sliding along... oh. Shit. Mellac stepped beneath the shift door, which he easily lifted without any aid from the lever system that normally was used to raise the heavy steel sheet. When he straightened, I swallowed hard and shrunk against Callem.

"He wants you to take him away from here, but you won't be going anywhere, human."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Mrs. Smith grabbing for a dart gun, but Mellac also noticed, and he didn't need to reach for his weapon. A deafening screech ricocheted off the solid walls of the small enclosed room, making pain pierce through my head a second before darkness overtook me.