"Can you make sure you get it to us, please?"
"Sure. Sure." Horse could do that. He shook his head. "How did he know where to find us? He's like three or four hours away, and I didn't know him from Adam."
"What about this doctor? Is he real?"
"All I know is that the guy Andy dumped Jim for was apparently a doctor. But Jim's only got the guy's word for it. I mean, for all we know, he's a janitor and was just trying to intimidate Jim." Horse shook his head. "I honestly don't know."
"This is complicated. Still, let's keep a man on the door."
A wave of relief went through him at those words. The cops believed him. They were taking this seriously. They weren't brushing it under the rug because it involved a bunch of gay men.
"Thank you."
"Just doing our jobs. He lost his arm in the service?"
"That's right. He's a hero. He deserves better." Hell, Horse believed Jim had deserved better right from the start, but this took the cake.
"Yeah."
A nurse brought Jim's phone out, and Horse unlocked it, showing missed call after missed call listed, each within moments of each other, as well as hysterical texts that Jim hadn't even noticed, or hadn't told him about.
Horse was stunned. "Jesus. He'd been pretty much ignoring it since he answered it the other day. This is...this is crazy." Like honest to God crazy. Medication crazy. Loony bin crazy.
"We'll need to take the phone as evidence, sir."
"Yeah. Yeah." Horse handed it over. "I don't think he wants it back." He'd buy Jim a new fucking phone. One that psycho-asshole didn't have the number to. "You need anything else from me?"
"Your number and address, please."
Horse gave it to the cop, then shook his hand.
"You've got my contact information now, so please keep us updated." If they let Andy go, he wanted to know so they could be ready for batshit to show up at their door.
"We'll leave Officer Rob Reynolds here. Rob, this is Mr. Grundy. He and the man in that bay are yours."
"Yes, sir. I'm on it."
God, the man was a baby-cop. Still, he was an extra man guarding his Jim, and Horse would take it. Right now Horse was feeling a little like he was in combat.
Horse started pacing again as Officer Rob settled by the entrance to Jim's bay. Why hadn't anyone come out yet to tell him what was going on? To tell him that Jim just needed to sleep it off and he was going to be just fine.
The doctor finally came out. "He's awake and asking for you. He was injected with a GABA receptor. Fast-acting, very little chance of complication. He doesn't remember the attack at all, which is one of the intended side-effects--we see this drug's use most often in rape cases. We'll keep him here for a few hours, just as a precaution, but he's going to be fine."
"I'll be able to take him home tonight?" He didn't care if it was two in the morning, he wanted to get Jim back to the beach. They both needed that.
"You should, yes."
"Thank you. I can go see him now?" It wasn't really a question, he was going in.
"Sure. Sure. Just make sure he stays in bed."
"No road trips down the halls, got it. Thanks, doc." Horse made for the bay, eager to see Jim. Maybe needing to.
Jim was on the bed, half-reclined, his eyes open, waiting for Horse. "What the fuck happened?"
"So you really don't remember?" That was freaky. Like honestly.
"Do I look like I remember?"
No. No, Jim looked like he was going to lose his shit.
"Okay, I'll tell you everything. What's the last thing you do remember?" He'd start from there.
"Steak. We were having steak and it was good."
"Yeah, it was fucking amazing. And you were looking really hot." He sat on the edge of the bed. "That's when Andy showed up." Horse couldn't believe he was telling this story
again.
"Andy? Like the ex. Wait. Wait, he...asked me to dance?"
"No, that was me. He asked you to go with him. Begged you. And then he drugged you."
"Why?" Jim's nose wrinkled like he was smelling a rotting onion.
"As far as I can tell, his plan was to get you to go back with him by any means necessary. Once you were down, he claimed you were epileptic and that some guy he was with was your doctor. I think it was his doctor, the one he left you for. I just don't get why this guy would want you back in Andy's life."
"This doesn't make sense. Nothing does. He drugged me?" Jim looked gobsmacked.
"I know it sounds crazy--shit, it is crazy. If I hadn't seen it all go down, I'm not sure I'd believe it. But I saw him stick you with that needle. That's when I punched him. Apparently he's pressing charges." Horse would wear that arrest like a fucking badge; he'd been protecting his own and he'd do it again.
"Fuck him." Jim pulled off the blankets, growling deep in his chest.
"Hey. Hey. You have to stay in bed, let your body get rid of the drugs. And don't worry, I made sure the cops knew we wanted to press charges, too." He put his hand in the middle of Jim's chest, holding him down.
"I--I want to find him. He drugged me?"
"He's at the police station being questioned. Let them handle this." Because if anyone was going to beat Andy to death, it was going to be Horse. "And yes. He drugged you. The doc said a...a GABA receptor inhibitor?"
"Okay. Is that a thing?"
"Apparently. The doc said memory loss is one of its side effects and one of the reasons it's used. It's fucked up, baby.
He
is fucked up." Horse was still trying to wrap his head around it all.
"How did he find us? Has he been to our house--your house?"
"I don't know, Jim. But when I gave your phone to the cops, there were dozens of missed messages and tons of crazy text messages. Like honestly insane."
"Let me get you a hotel for the night," Jim offered.
"Nope. They're going to spring you before morning and I'm not going anywhere you aren't." Horse was not leaving Jim at the mercy of Andy or his new man.
"I don't understand." Jim looked at him. "He hooks up with this asshole after I lose my arm and now...he wants me back?" Jim's eyes went wide. "Where's my arm?"
"Oh, Christ. Back at the restaurant." Horse thought about it for a moment. "I bet Barton has it. He's a good guy."
"Back at the... Okay. Okay, cool." It seemed to calm Jim back down.
"I can call him and check if you want."
"Please. I can't get a replacement until god knows when."
Horse knew it - the red tape could be a nightmare.
"I bet Barton has it." Horse pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked up the number to the restaurant.
Barton answered.
"Hey, man, it's Horse."
"I got your man's arm. He okay?"
Horse gave Jim the thumbs up. "Yeah. Yeah, he is. They're keeping him for a few hours for observation, then they'll spring him. Look man, I'm really sorry this all went down in your place."
"Better here than somewhere not-friendly. You want me to bring it to the hospital? The arm, I mean."
"Oh man, that would rock." Normally he'd go get it himself, but he didn't want to leave Jim's side, not if he didn't have to.
"Sure. Sure, no problem. I'll be there after I close."
"Thanks, Barton. We owe you." For dinner, too, as they'd kind of dined and dashed. In a very elaborate way. God. He was losing it.
"I'm sorry, Horse," Jim said quietly.
Horse put his phone in his pocket and shook his head. "No. This isn't your fault. "
"I just..." Jim growled deep in his chest. "Damn it. I was happy, you know? Home here."
"Hey. You're going to be happy again. This was a blip. A fucking Andy blip. The man's insane, though, and they'll lock him up."
"Either that or he'll kidnap me and try to keep me in a basement." Jim was maybe trying to lighten the mood with some macabre humor, but Horse was taking it seriously.
"I'm not letting anything happen to you and I'm not letting him drive us out of our home." That beach was theirs. They loved their home.
"Our home? Still?"
"You think I should drop your ass on the side of the road because your ex is insane?" It wasn't going to happen.
"No. I think we should drop-kick the ex off a cliff."
Oh, now there was an idea. "I like it." He looked at Jim. "I like you more."
"Good. What are we going to do, man? No more scary drugs."
"No shit. No more drama, either. We gave at the office." They were back from active fucking duty. They deserved a quiet life and Horse was going to see that they got it.
"Fucking A. No drama. We're fucking retired."
"Exactly. I'm going to buy a sign for the front lawn. Two. 'Retired' and 'Gone fishin'," he suggested.
"If the house is rockin', don't come knockin'," Jim added.
Horse started laughing, the sound growing a little hysterical. Jim reached out for him, took his hand, and squeezed. He got himself under control, holding on tight to Jim.
He wasn't letting go.
James signed the last of ten thousand pieces of paper, then sighed. "Can I go now?" He was exhausted and he wanted to go home.
"You can," the administrator told him. "The orderly will be here with your wheelchair shortly."
"I'm not going in a wheelchair." No way. He was walking out of here with Horse and the nice guy from the restaurant.
The administrator began fluttering. "Sir, hospital policy is a wheelchair to the curb."
"I--" A commotion started out in the waiting area, and Jim frowned. Horse was out there. Dammit. He pulled back the curtain.
"I don't care who you are, Jim's doctor has already cleared him. And I'm taking him home." Horse and Barton were standing like a pair of bulldogs, glaring at a guy in a white coat.
"You'll be leaving AMA, do you know how dangerous that is?" the doctor was saying.
Wait...
"Horse! That's him! That's the dude living with Andy." The dude was distinctive, only because he looked weirdly like Tim Curry. Who really, was kind of creepy, so maybe James should have guessed something weird would happen.
Horse grabbed the guy's arm. "Officer Rob. This guy is with the stalker."
The guy started struggling, but Horse held on.
"No shit?" Officer Rob--who, okay, looked like Howdy Doody--turned to James. "You're sure?"
"I am. That's Andy Johnston's lover."
"Sir, you're going to have to come with me," Officer Rob called into his radio. "Base, this is 9-17. I've got a suspect in the GABA case."
Andy's doctor began to struggle and was handcuffed for his trouble.
Horse came back to James; he put an arm around his shoulders. "You okay?"
"Take me home. Take me the fuck home, Horse." He was going to lose his shit.
"You got it." Horse waved at the guy from the restaurant, who waved back, and they headed out.
Officer Rob called out after them, and the lady administrator did as well, but Horse just kept moving.
Thank fucking God.
James kept walking, kept going, one step after another. Just kept walking.
Horse's truck was out there in the parking lot, another car next to it with an old lady leaning against it, smoking a cigarette.
"Here's your arm, man. The two of you need to come back and have dinner on me sometime." Barton handed over his arm, then settled against the car, next to the old woman.
"Thank you." James was beginning to shake, to crack down the middle.
"Thanks, Barton." Horse nodded stiffly. "We owe you."
"You can owe me another one. Mom and I'll follow you."
Horse shook his head. "You don't have to do that, man."
Barton snorted. "But I'm going to. We're going to make sure no one's there waiting for you."
Barton's mom nodded. "I don't like this bullshit."
No, neither did he.
Horse got James into the truck, his arm resting across his lap. Then they were off, driving through the night. James didn't even know what time it was. He closed his eyes, swallowing over and over. He had to breathe. Just breathe.
Horse's hand landed on his leg, solid and warm.
"You want to go home or to a hotel, Horse?" James would pay for the room.
"I want to go home, Jim. I want to get into our fucking bed and hold you."
Oh, thank God.
"Works for me."
"Good."
There was a state trooper vehicle outside the house, and Horse frowned as he parked the car. Climbing out, Horse went and spoke to the driver, then returned in short order to open Jim's door for him.
"Everything's okay. They wanted to put someone outside the door, just in case." Horse helped him get down, his legs still not the steadiest.
"I feel like a newborn colt," James admitted.
"Yeah, you seem a little unsteady on your feet. Best get you horizontal, ASAP." Horse's arm sat, solid and warm, across his back, supporting him, and James couldn't miss the teasing tone.
"We didn't get our dance."
"Well, I have a music player in the bedroom."
"That works. And it's a soft place to fall."
"I'm not going to let you fall," Horse promised.
Horse unlocked the front door, then very firmly set both locks once they were inside. They made their way down the little hall to Horse's bedroom. To their bedroom. They'd moved all James' shit into the master bedroom days ago.
Horse put his phone in the dock and picked a slow song. He turned to bring James up against his solid body. James leaned in hard, letting himself feel every inch, every bit of strength. Horse's arms were around him, keeping them together as they rocked to the music.
His lips were on Horse's throat, resting there and every breath he took was flavored with his lover. He swore he could feel Horse's heartbeat beneath his lips, thudding a strong, even tattoo.
"I called you my partner tonight," Horse told him.
"Yeah? That cool with you?"
"Yeah. I know we haven't talked about stuff really, but...well, it was the best fit for what you are."
"Yeah." That satisfied him down to the bone. "It is. I'm in it for the long haul."
Horse squeezed him tight. "Me, too, Jim."