they'd be here in the first place? He hadn't even made a reservation for fuck's sake. Had the bastard followed them? How fucked up was that?
If that was the case it also meant he knew where they lived. Glaring, Horse stood, finally drawing Andy's attention. "Okay, buddy, I think you'd better go." Before he made Andy go.
"Jimmy needs to talk to me. I love him. I made a mistake."
"Yeah, but I didn't," Jim said quietly.
"Have some pride, man." Horse was gearing up to take this outside. Jim deserved better than this.
"Sorry about this, Horse." Jim was really calm and quiet, but Horse could see the dull color in Jim's cheeks. "You ready to go? I'll pay."
"No man, we were going to have dessert and maybe dance, right?" Why should they have to give up their evening out? This Andy jerk was the one who had to go.
"I'd like that." Jim nodded and turned to Andy. "Look. You made your choice. Live with it. I'm done with this bullshit."
"I made a mistake. And you're making one now. We have seven years together. You belong to me and I am going to have to insist that you come with me." Andy sounded like he had a screw loose.
Something flashed in Andy's hand and the next thing Horse knew, the man had pushed a needle into Jim's neck and depressed the plunger, filling Jim with God knew what.
"Horse!" Jim's knees started to buckle, his grip on Andy's arm fierce. "Don...Don'choo let him get 'way."
"What did you do? You asshole!" Horse curled his fingers into a fist and popped Andy in the face as hard as he could.
"Whoa! What the fuck?" Barton headed over at a run. "You want me to call 911?"
"Yes, please. Now! He's shot Jim up with something." Horse moved around the table, but he wasn't in time to grab hold of Jim before Jim hit the floor. Thank God, his head hadn't hit anything on the way down and Jim had crumpled forward rather than fallen outright.
"Make sure that asshole is down for the count and do not let him go before the cops get here," Horse ordered.
They'd drawn a crowd and he waved them away. "Everyone back off, give him some air."
Jim's eyes were open, staring at him, trying desperately to keep his eyes open.
"Don't you go, Soldier. You stay right here with me. The fucking medics are on their way." He could hear the sirens.
"He's out of his mind," Andy screamed. "He doesn't understand! We want him!"
We? Who the hell was we ?
Meanwhile Andy was being held back by two other patrons.
"Don't make me come over there and hit you again." Horse would have already beaten Andy down if he didn't need to make sure Jim stayed awake.
"Sarge..." Jim grabbed for him. "Sarge, I don'..."
Horse gripped Jim's shoulder. "I'm right here, and so are you, God damn it. You hang on. I know you're a stubborn son of a bitch. Prove it."
Andy began shouting. "He hit me! He hit me! I want to press charges--fucking bastard!"
"This man?" A hand landed on his shoulder and Horse shrugged it off, turning to glare. Right into the face of a cop.
"Yes! That's him! He broke my nose!"
All his attention turned back to Andy, and if Horse hadn't been cradling Jim's head, he would have hit Andy again. He growled. "And I'd do it again."
"Who is this?" the cop asked, frowning down at Jim.
"My husband!" Andy said. "I have a doctor here to help. He has epilepsy!"
Wait a goddamn minute. Jesus Christ, Andy's lover was in on this, too? What the hell was going on?
"No! No, that man gave Jim something. He shot him up with something. No one but the EMTs treat him." They could arrest Horse if they had to, but no one related in any way to Andy was touching his Jim.
The cops were pulling him away, and someone he didn't know knelt by Jim. Horse struggled to get away, to stop the stranger from doing anything more to Jim. "No! No! Don't let that man touch him!"
Barton stepped in. "Dude, I know Horse and Jim. I never seen this guy before."
Oh thank fucking God.
"All right, everybody just stop, right where you are." One of the cops holding Horse gave him a steady
If that was the case it also meant he knew where they lived. Glaring, Horse stood, finally drawing Andy's attention. "Okay, buddy, I think you'd better go." Before he made Andy go.
"Jimmy needs to talk to me. I love him. I made a mistake."
"Yeah, but I didn't," Jim said quietly.
"Have some pride, man." Horse was gearing up to take this outside. Jim deserved better than this.
"Sorry about this, Horse." Jim was really calm and quiet, but Horse could see the dull color in Jim's cheeks. "You ready to go? I'll pay."
"No man, we were going to have dessert and maybe dance, right?" Why should they have to give up their evening out? This Andy jerk was the one who had to go.
"I'd like that." Jim nodded and turned to Andy. "Look. You made your choice. Live with it. I'm done with this bullshit."
"I made a mistake. And you're making one now. We have seven years together. You belong to me and I am going to have to insist that you come with me." Andy sounded like he had a screw loose.
Something flashed in Andy's hand and the next thing Horse knew, the man had pushed a needle into Jim's neck and depressed the plunger, filling Jim with God knew what.
"Horse!" Jim's knees started to buckle, his grip on Andy's arm fierce. "Don...Don'choo let him get 'way."
"What did you do? You asshole!" Horse curled his fingers into a fist and popped Andy in the face as hard as he could.
"Whoa! What the fuck?" Barton headed over at a run. "You want me to call 911?"
"Yes, please. Now! He's shot Jim up with something." Horse moved around the table, but he wasn't in time to grab hold of Jim before Jim hit the floor. Thank God, his head hadn't hit anything on the way down and Jim had crumpled forward rather than fallen outright.
"Make sure that asshole is down for the count and do not let him go before the cops get here," Horse ordered.
They'd drawn a crowd and he waved them away. "Everyone back off, give him some air."
Jim's eyes were open, staring at him, trying desperately to keep his eyes open.
"Don't you go, Soldier. You stay right here with me. The fucking medics are on their way." He could hear the sirens.
"He's out of his mind," Andy screamed. "He doesn't understand! We want him!"
We? Who the hell was we ?
Meanwhile Andy was being held back by two other patrons.
"Don't make me come over there and hit you again." Horse would have already beaten Andy down if he didn't need to make sure Jim stayed awake.
"Sarge..." Jim grabbed for him. "Sarge, I don'..."
Horse gripped Jim's shoulder. "I'm right here, and so are you, God damn it. You hang on. I know you're a stubborn son of a bitch. Prove it."
Andy began shouting. "He hit me! He hit me! I want to press charges--fucking bastard!"
"This man?" A hand landed on his shoulder and Horse shrugged it off, turning to glare. Right into the face of a cop.
"Yes! That's him! He broke my nose!"
All his attention turned back to Andy, and if Horse hadn't been cradling Jim's head, he would have hit Andy again. He growled. "And I'd do it again."
"Who is this?" the cop asked, frowning down at Jim.
"My husband!" Andy said. "I have a doctor here to help. He has epilepsy!"
Wait a goddamn minute. Jesus Christ, Andy's lover was in on this, too? What the hell was going on?
"No! No, that man gave Jim something. He shot him up with something. No one but the EMTs treat him." They could arrest Horse if they had to, but no one related in any way to Andy was touching his Jim.
The cops were pulling him away, and someone he didn't know knelt by Jim. Horse struggled to get away, to stop the stranger from doing anything more to Jim. "No! No! Don't let that man touch him!"
Barton stepped in. "Dude, I know Horse and Jim. I never seen this guy before."
Oh thank fucking God.
"All right, everybody just stop, right where you are." One of the cops holding Horse gave him a steady
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