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!Joe Flanigan (![[info]](http://www.journalfen.net/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} dr_dolittle) wrote,@ 2008-12-28 20:12:00 |
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Joe Flanigan and David Hewlett, with NPC Justin Long. In the alley.
[Sometime in 2006(ish)]
David's up to his eyeballs in inventory. Parts, accessories, books, everything. He damn well hates month-end. He hates doing the reports, he hates being in the shop at seven am, he hates being there until close at nine, and he wonders who the dumbass was who thought that Wizard Computers needed to have a monthly inventory.
Oh, right, that'd be him.
He sighs heavily, then reaches out gratefully for the mocha that Justin's just brought him.
Except Justin? Is not handing over.
"David, I think you should call Joe," Justin says.
"I'm fine!" David says. "I'm not freaking out. Everything's going really well. Really, really, really well."
"No, no, it's not that." Justin puts the coffees down and grabs David's arm and starts dragging him to the door.
"Justin!" David exclaims. "I'm not done, I've got work to do, where are we going?"
"To the alley. C'mon. And be quiet."
"I am quiet."
"Shh!"
And then Justin stops, and he points, and it's at that precise moment that David's heart breaks. "Oh, my God," he whispers. "Look at him. He's so skinny."
"Call Joe," Justin says, insistently.
David hands over his cell phone, then starts further down the alley, slowly, talking in low, soothing tones. "Hey there, little guy. Where'd you come from, huh?"
Justin holds the phone in his hands like it's a priceless treasure. David's phone. Hell. Eventually, he manages to find the number to the clinic.
"Hello, David," says the receptionist. "Month end today?"
Justin winces. "Uh, actually, I work for David. My name's Justin. I need to--"
"Oh my God!" The receptionist sounds horrified. "Is David all right? Oh--"
"No, no, he's just fine," Justin says, "but there is a problem. Is Joe available?"
"Yeah," says the receptionist, "he's in his office. Let me transfer you."
The line goes to adult contemporary music for a moment.
"This is Doctor Joe, how can I help you?"
"Joe, it's Justin."
"Oh my God." Joe's chair scrapes back as he stands. "Is David all right? I've told him and told him--he doesn't have to do this every month. Or he should hire someone to be in charge of it, or something."
"David's okay," Justin says quickly. "He is. But we've got someone here who isn't. We're in the alley between our shop and the cafe, and there's a dog. I think he's a Rottweiler, and Joe, he doesn't look good. At all."
And now Joe's on the move all over again, voice shifting to one that's much more calm, and a lot more businesslike. "Okay--Justin, can you tell me what you mean by 'doesn't look good'? I need to know what I need to bring."
"He's really skinny. He wouldn't let me near him, but David's working some kind of magic and--" He pauses for a moment; on Joe's end of the line David's voice can be heard, though none of the words can be made out. "Okay," Justin says after a moment, "he's got lots of sores, too. David says some of them look infected. And Joe, when I say he looks really skinny, I'm talking, like, runway model."
"Justin, I'm gonna hang up on you for a second--answer the phone when it rings, okay?" Joe says, hanging up the landline and switching over to his cellphone, hands free and all, dialing David's number again and moving around his office, gathering some emergency supplies.
"Hey," Justin says. "Oh my God, Joe, you should see this. He's almost let David right to him. It's unbelievable."
"You don't have to convince me that David's amazing," Joe smiles. "Tell me again where you are, Justin. And can you tell me--does this guy look full grown, or does he look more like a big puppy?" It's hard to tell with Rottweilers sometimes.
"The alley between the shop and the cafe," Justin says. "And I think... I think a big puppy. He's probably not very old."
"Okay. I'll be there as soon as I can. Tell David to keep doing what he's doing. If you've got anything in the office... meat or cheese or anything, grab it, just in case you have to convince him to stick around. Don't give it to him unless you have to, just keep it in reserve. I'm on my way, all right?" Joe promises.
"Okay, Joe," Justin says. "We'll be waiting."
"Just keep cool--it's gonna be fine," he says, hanging up and heading out into the reception area. A quick explanation to the receptionist, and he's out the door, and heading for David's shop.
Justin hurries away, grabbing a few treats and taking a few steps deeper into the alley this time. "David? Joe's on his way. I've got a bit of food here, but Joe said just to hold on to it in case we need to use it to convince the dog to stay here."
"Okay," David says, very softly. He's sitting on the ground in the dirty alley now, just being as close as the Rottweiler will allow. "We'll wait, won't we, bud? You'll like Joe. A lot."
Joe sets a few land-speed records getting to the shop, grabbing a leash that he can loop over the dog's neck to keep him from bolting, a blanket, and not much else for the moment. He can get a better look at him once he's got the dog in the back of his truck. "Hey there," he says, coming up behind Justin. "I'm glad you called. How's David doing?" he says, assessing the dog--puppy, Justin was right--from a distance. God, they weren't kidding. He really doesn't look good, at all.
"I bet he's got a really cold butt right now," Justin says, "but it looks like he's just kind of working miracles right now."
"That's my man," Joe murmurs, giving Justin's shoulder a squeeze and moving into the puppy's eyeline, not wanting to startle him. "Hey there, buddy. I'm Joe, and I'm here to help you," he says, low and soft, as reassuring as he knows how. "I know you're scared, and I know you hurt, but I can help you. David there, he's a good friend of mine, and he could tell you it's okay to trust me." He keeps moving slowly forward, keeping his hands where the puppy can see them.
The puppy looks at David, looks at Joe, and takes a step back.
"It's okay," David says, gently, "Joe's gonna help you. Right, Joe?"
"Shhh--I'm not going to hurt you," Joe promises, crouching lower so he's not so tall and imposing. "I'm here to help. That's my job, buddy. I help make animals feel better when they're hurt." He keeps watching the puppy, listening to him, and a bit of a frown crosses his face, just for a moment.
"He'll help make you feel better," David says, smiling crookedly, still focused entirely on the puppy. "He's a good guy. We'll get you fed, and cleaned up, and take care of you. I promise."
The puppy's dark, haunted eyes turn to Joe, and he just stares at him.
"This doesn't make sense," Joe murmurs, getting even closer. "Hey there... you can hear me, right?" he says, smiling at the puppy, still soft and gentle. "My name's Joe, and I'm going to help you. Can you sit for me? Let me take a look at you?" he suggests. Maybe the puppy can't hear... although that still doesn't explain any of this.
The puppy tilts his head to the side, but he sits down.
"There's a very good boy," David says. He wants so badly to gather this little dude up in his arms and hold him forever, but he doesn't move.
Okay. He can hear. That doesn't explain anything. Joe looks even more troubled. "Hi there," he smiles, crouching down right beside the puppy and reaching a hand out to him, still giving him some distance. "See? I won't hurt you, buddy. You can trust me. I want to take you with me and get you some food, and help you so you don't hurt anymore. I promise, I'll take care of you. Whaddya say?"
"What's he saying?" David whispers, finally looking at Joe as the puppy stretches forward, just a little, sniffing at Joe's hand.
"Nothing," Joe says, completely bewildered, keeping his hand still so the puppy can sniff him.
"Nothing? What do you mean... nothing?"
"He's saying nothing. Absolutely nothing. He can hear me, and he can understand me, but... I'm not getting anything from him." Joe's voice is still calm and gentle, and he's still smiling at the puppy, but he doesn't understand. Even brand new baby puppies have more to say than this guy does. "Do you think you can walk, bud? I can carry you if you want, but it's up to you."
The puppy stays quite still, looking up at Joe, then he looks at David. And then, just one word, in a very small voice: Safe?
Oh thank God. "Safe--yes. You're absolutely safe," Joe promises. "We'll take such good care of you, and I'll make you all better."
The puppy looks up at Joe. Carry.
David's holding his breath as he watches them.
"David? I need you to go ahead of me and open the back of the truck," Joe tells him. "There's a blanket in the back--spread it out, so I can lay him down." That said, he crouches closer and slips his arms around the puppy. "This might hurt a bit, buddy, but it'll be okay soon," Joe promises, lifting him up.
The puppy doesn't make a squeak as Joe picks him up. He watches David go, though, as David hurries through the alley, past a rather confused-looking Justin, and opens up the back of Joe's truck to spread out the blanket. At least David's breathing again.
"See? You're okay, buddy," Joe says, setting the puppy down and stroking his head. "Damn... David, can you drive, or hang out in the back with him while I drive? It could be a bit rough, and he's gonna need someone to watch him."
David looks over at the geek shop. Justin's suddenly right behind him,a nd he shoves at David's shoulder. "Go."
"But--inventory--"
"How long have I worked for you? I know how to do it, David," Justin says. "You go take care of your man and that dog."
"Oh, but--"
"Go."
David starts to climb behind the wheel, but the puppy starts whining. "What is it, bud?" he asks, looking at him.
Stay.
"He wants you," Joe says. "I'm getting a few one word answers out of him now--he said 'stay'. He's picked you, David."
"The dog's talking?" says Justin, still standing right behind David.
Uh oh. Joe winces, and looks at David. He'd been too worried to remember.
David turns to Justin. "Why don't you come over for dinner tonight?"
"Uh--" says Justin.
"Be there at seven."
"Uh... sure. Right. But--month-end?"
"I won't make you work overtime. Whatever you don't get done, we'll finish tomorrow. See you at seven!" David climbs into the back seat of the truck with the puppy.
"We'll explain, promise," Joe says, flashing a grin at him, even though he's in a hurry. "It's just a longer conversation than we've got time for right now. See you tonight," he says, heading for the door of the truck.
"Oh...kay..." Justin steps back and watches them drive off.
"He's not even wearing a collar," David says, softly, reaching out and offering the puppy his hand.
"Just keep talking to him," Joe encourages. Personally, he doesn't think that whoever this puppy belonged to gave a damn.
"Wait till you see the clinic," David says. "It's really neat. All sorts of toys and snacks for you."
The puppy looks up at him, then rests his chin on David's hand and closes his eyes.
"Oh," David says.
"Is he all right?" Joe checks. He's trying to pay attention to the road, and not the passengers, but it's hard. Plus, he's trying to keep things as smooth as possible. That puppy's got to be in some serious pain.
"He's just... got his head on my hand."
And that's the sound of David falling in love. Joe just hopes the puppy's going to be all right. He has to be.
*
David's been playing solitaire on Joe's computer for a long while. He looks up when Joe comes into his office. "How's he doing? Say anything more? Is he sleeping? Is he going to be okay? Did he eat? Should we take him home?"
"Okay--just take a deep breath, David," Joe says, sitting down beside him. "He's seriously malnourished and dehydrated. I'm surprised he was even on his feet when Justin found him," he admits. "I had to sedate him, because it would have hurt him too much to clean all those sores otherwise. I'm gonna keep him like that for a good twenty-four hours so we can pump some fluids into him and give him some time to just rest, plus I want him to have around-the-clock care in case anything comes up." Joe's never regretted making his clinic a twenty-four hour emergency one, even though it's meant a few middle of the night calls.
David sits down heavily. "Is he gonna be okay?"
"I think so, yeah," Joe nods. "His main troubles are the malnourishment and dehydration. The sores look awful, but they should clear up just fine, even the infected ones."
"Well, that's something. Why would someone do this to him?"
"Oh, David... you'll go nuts if you try and figure out an answer for why people do things to animals," Joe sighs, rubbing at his eyes. The things he's heard... there's some things he tries not to take home with him. It hurts too much. "He hasn't told me anything. I think... I don't think he can talk much, honestly. I don't think he knows how. I'm getting instinctual reactions when I get anything. More feelings than actual communicated words."
David holds his head in his hands.
"Hey... David, it's okay," Joe says, moving in front of him. "He's hurt, but he trusts us. He's gonna make it just fine."
David looks up at him and nods. There are tears in his eyes.
"Baby... do you want to keep this one?" Joe murmurs, crouching in front of David.
David nods. "Yeah. I... I really do."
"Okay," Joe nods. "I need to keep him here until he's a little more stable. But then we can take him home with us."
David smiles a shaky little smile. "Good."
"Good," Joe echoes. "I've got to be here for awhile longer, then I can come home. Do you want me to drive you home, and you can get dinner ready, and cuddle Max and Pix for awhile?"
David nods. "Yeah. I'd like that a lot."
"Okay," Joe smiles, leaning up and giving him a soft kiss. "I love you so much. You know that, right?"
"I do," David says. "I love you, too."
"Lets get you home," Joe says, standing up and taking David's hand. "I won't be long. Or... I'll really try not to be too long."
David leans in. "Remember, Justin's coming for dinner." He gives Joe a kiss.
"Right. We should have saved time and explained to him about me at the same time we outed you," Joe sighs, taking his hand. "But it's okay. Just a few appointments and I'll be all yours."
David takes a deep breath, then smiles bravely. "Hindsight and all that. Let's go, gorgeous."
They walk past the reception desk and Joe smiles at the woman behind it. "I'll be back soon. Just have to drive this guy home... let me know if anything changes in the... you know... twenty minutes I'm gone."
"I will," she says. "You making David take a well-deserved break from month-end?"
"Kind of," Joe admits. "Justin helped. He's taking care of things back at the farm."
"Aw, isn't that sweet. You drive safe."
"I'll be back in twenty minutes--half an hour tops," he promises, heading out the door, fingers linked with David's.
*
Continued here...
[Sometime in 2006(ish)]
David's up to his eyeballs in inventory. Parts, accessories, books, everything. He damn well hates month-end. He hates doing the reports, he hates being in the shop at seven am, he hates being there until close at nine, and he wonders who the dumbass was who thought that Wizard Computers needed to have a monthly inventory.
Oh, right, that'd be him.
He sighs heavily, then reaches out gratefully for the mocha that Justin's just brought him.
Except Justin? Is not handing over.
"David, I think you should call Joe," Justin says.
"I'm fine!" David says. "I'm not freaking out. Everything's going really well. Really, really, really well."
"No, no, it's not that." Justin puts the coffees down and grabs David's arm and starts dragging him to the door.
"Justin!" David exclaims. "I'm not done, I've got work to do, where are we going?"
"To the alley. C'mon. And be quiet."
"I am quiet."
"Shh!"
And then Justin stops, and he points, and it's at that precise moment that David's heart breaks. "Oh, my God," he whispers. "Look at him. He's so skinny."
"Call Joe," Justin says, insistently.
David hands over his cell phone, then starts further down the alley, slowly, talking in low, soothing tones. "Hey there, little guy. Where'd you come from, huh?"
Justin holds the phone in his hands like it's a priceless treasure. David's phone. Hell. Eventually, he manages to find the number to the clinic.
"Hello, David," says the receptionist. "Month end today?"
Justin winces. "Uh, actually, I work for David. My name's Justin. I need to--"
"Oh my God!" The receptionist sounds horrified. "Is David all right? Oh--"
"No, no, he's just fine," Justin says, "but there is a problem. Is Joe available?"
"Yeah," says the receptionist, "he's in his office. Let me transfer you."
The line goes to adult contemporary music for a moment.
"This is Doctor Joe, how can I help you?"
"Joe, it's Justin."
"Oh my God." Joe's chair scrapes back as he stands. "Is David all right? I've told him and told him--he doesn't have to do this every month. Or he should hire someone to be in charge of it, or something."
"David's okay," Justin says quickly. "He is. But we've got someone here who isn't. We're in the alley between our shop and the cafe, and there's a dog. I think he's a Rottweiler, and Joe, he doesn't look good. At all."
And now Joe's on the move all over again, voice shifting to one that's much more calm, and a lot more businesslike. "Okay--Justin, can you tell me what you mean by 'doesn't look good'? I need to know what I need to bring."
"He's really skinny. He wouldn't let me near him, but David's working some kind of magic and--" He pauses for a moment; on Joe's end of the line David's voice can be heard, though none of the words can be made out. "Okay," Justin says after a moment, "he's got lots of sores, too. David says some of them look infected. And Joe, when I say he looks really skinny, I'm talking, like, runway model."
"Justin, I'm gonna hang up on you for a second--answer the phone when it rings, okay?" Joe says, hanging up the landline and switching over to his cellphone, hands free and all, dialing David's number again and moving around his office, gathering some emergency supplies.
"Hey," Justin says. "Oh my God, Joe, you should see this. He's almost let David right to him. It's unbelievable."
"You don't have to convince me that David's amazing," Joe smiles. "Tell me again where you are, Justin. And can you tell me--does this guy look full grown, or does he look more like a big puppy?" It's hard to tell with Rottweilers sometimes.
"The alley between the shop and the cafe," Justin says. "And I think... I think a big puppy. He's probably not very old."
"Okay. I'll be there as soon as I can. Tell David to keep doing what he's doing. If you've got anything in the office... meat or cheese or anything, grab it, just in case you have to convince him to stick around. Don't give it to him unless you have to, just keep it in reserve. I'm on my way, all right?" Joe promises.
"Okay, Joe," Justin says. "We'll be waiting."
"Just keep cool--it's gonna be fine," he says, hanging up and heading out into the reception area. A quick explanation to the receptionist, and he's out the door, and heading for David's shop.
Justin hurries away, grabbing a few treats and taking a few steps deeper into the alley this time. "David? Joe's on his way. I've got a bit of food here, but Joe said just to hold on to it in case we need to use it to convince the dog to stay here."
"Okay," David says, very softly. He's sitting on the ground in the dirty alley now, just being as close as the Rottweiler will allow. "We'll wait, won't we, bud? You'll like Joe. A lot."
Joe sets a few land-speed records getting to the shop, grabbing a leash that he can loop over the dog's neck to keep him from bolting, a blanket, and not much else for the moment. He can get a better look at him once he's got the dog in the back of his truck. "Hey there," he says, coming up behind Justin. "I'm glad you called. How's David doing?" he says, assessing the dog--puppy, Justin was right--from a distance. God, they weren't kidding. He really doesn't look good, at all.
"I bet he's got a really cold butt right now," Justin says, "but it looks like he's just kind of working miracles right now."
"That's my man," Joe murmurs, giving Justin's shoulder a squeeze and moving into the puppy's eyeline, not wanting to startle him. "Hey there, buddy. I'm Joe, and I'm here to help you," he says, low and soft, as reassuring as he knows how. "I know you're scared, and I know you hurt, but I can help you. David there, he's a good friend of mine, and he could tell you it's okay to trust me." He keeps moving slowly forward, keeping his hands where the puppy can see them.
The puppy looks at David, looks at Joe, and takes a step back.
"It's okay," David says, gently, "Joe's gonna help you. Right, Joe?"
"Shhh--I'm not going to hurt you," Joe promises, crouching lower so he's not so tall and imposing. "I'm here to help. That's my job, buddy. I help make animals feel better when they're hurt." He keeps watching the puppy, listening to him, and a bit of a frown crosses his face, just for a moment.
"He'll help make you feel better," David says, smiling crookedly, still focused entirely on the puppy. "He's a good guy. We'll get you fed, and cleaned up, and take care of you. I promise."
The puppy's dark, haunted eyes turn to Joe, and he just stares at him.
"This doesn't make sense," Joe murmurs, getting even closer. "Hey there... you can hear me, right?" he says, smiling at the puppy, still soft and gentle. "My name's Joe, and I'm going to help you. Can you sit for me? Let me take a look at you?" he suggests. Maybe the puppy can't hear... although that still doesn't explain any of this.
The puppy tilts his head to the side, but he sits down.
"There's a very good boy," David says. He wants so badly to gather this little dude up in his arms and hold him forever, but he doesn't move.
Okay. He can hear. That doesn't explain anything. Joe looks even more troubled. "Hi there," he smiles, crouching down right beside the puppy and reaching a hand out to him, still giving him some distance. "See? I won't hurt you, buddy. You can trust me. I want to take you with me and get you some food, and help you so you don't hurt anymore. I promise, I'll take care of you. Whaddya say?"
"What's he saying?" David whispers, finally looking at Joe as the puppy stretches forward, just a little, sniffing at Joe's hand.
"Nothing," Joe says, completely bewildered, keeping his hand still so the puppy can sniff him.
"Nothing? What do you mean... nothing?"
"He's saying nothing. Absolutely nothing. He can hear me, and he can understand me, but... I'm not getting anything from him." Joe's voice is still calm and gentle, and he's still smiling at the puppy, but he doesn't understand. Even brand new baby puppies have more to say than this guy does. "Do you think you can walk, bud? I can carry you if you want, but it's up to you."
The puppy stays quite still, looking up at Joe, then he looks at David. And then, just one word, in a very small voice: Safe?
Oh thank God. "Safe--yes. You're absolutely safe," Joe promises. "We'll take such good care of you, and I'll make you all better."
The puppy looks up at Joe. Carry.
David's holding his breath as he watches them.
"David? I need you to go ahead of me and open the back of the truck," Joe tells him. "There's a blanket in the back--spread it out, so I can lay him down." That said, he crouches closer and slips his arms around the puppy. "This might hurt a bit, buddy, but it'll be okay soon," Joe promises, lifting him up.
The puppy doesn't make a squeak as Joe picks him up. He watches David go, though, as David hurries through the alley, past a rather confused-looking Justin, and opens up the back of Joe's truck to spread out the blanket. At least David's breathing again.
"See? You're okay, buddy," Joe says, setting the puppy down and stroking his head. "Damn... David, can you drive, or hang out in the back with him while I drive? It could be a bit rough, and he's gonna need someone to watch him."
David looks over at the geek shop. Justin's suddenly right behind him,a nd he shoves at David's shoulder. "Go."
"But--inventory--"
"How long have I worked for you? I know how to do it, David," Justin says. "You go take care of your man and that dog."
"Oh, but--"
"Go."
David starts to climb behind the wheel, but the puppy starts whining. "What is it, bud?" he asks, looking at him.
Stay.
"He wants you," Joe says. "I'm getting a few one word answers out of him now--he said 'stay'. He's picked you, David."
"The dog's talking?" says Justin, still standing right behind David.
Uh oh. Joe winces, and looks at David. He'd been too worried to remember.
David turns to Justin. "Why don't you come over for dinner tonight?"
"Uh--" says Justin.
"Be there at seven."
"Uh... sure. Right. But--month-end?"
"I won't make you work overtime. Whatever you don't get done, we'll finish tomorrow. See you at seven!" David climbs into the back seat of the truck with the puppy.
"We'll explain, promise," Joe says, flashing a grin at him, even though he's in a hurry. "It's just a longer conversation than we've got time for right now. See you tonight," he says, heading for the door of the truck.
"Oh...kay..." Justin steps back and watches them drive off.
"He's not even wearing a collar," David says, softly, reaching out and offering the puppy his hand.
"Just keep talking to him," Joe encourages. Personally, he doesn't think that whoever this puppy belonged to gave a damn.
"Wait till you see the clinic," David says. "It's really neat. All sorts of toys and snacks for you."
The puppy looks up at him, then rests his chin on David's hand and closes his eyes.
"Oh," David says.
"Is he all right?" Joe checks. He's trying to pay attention to the road, and not the passengers, but it's hard. Plus, he's trying to keep things as smooth as possible. That puppy's got to be in some serious pain.
"He's just... got his head on my hand."
And that's the sound of David falling in love. Joe just hopes the puppy's going to be all right. He has to be.
David's been playing solitaire on Joe's computer for a long while. He looks up when Joe comes into his office. "How's he doing? Say anything more? Is he sleeping? Is he going to be okay? Did he eat? Should we take him home?"
"Okay--just take a deep breath, David," Joe says, sitting down beside him. "He's seriously malnourished and dehydrated. I'm surprised he was even on his feet when Justin found him," he admits. "I had to sedate him, because it would have hurt him too much to clean all those sores otherwise. I'm gonna keep him like that for a good twenty-four hours so we can pump some fluids into him and give him some time to just rest, plus I want him to have around-the-clock care in case anything comes up." Joe's never regretted making his clinic a twenty-four hour emergency one, even though it's meant a few middle of the night calls.
David sits down heavily. "Is he gonna be okay?"
"I think so, yeah," Joe nods. "His main troubles are the malnourishment and dehydration. The sores look awful, but they should clear up just fine, even the infected ones."
"Well, that's something. Why would someone do this to him?"
"Oh, David... you'll go nuts if you try and figure out an answer for why people do things to animals," Joe sighs, rubbing at his eyes. The things he's heard... there's some things he tries not to take home with him. It hurts too much. "He hasn't told me anything. I think... I don't think he can talk much, honestly. I don't think he knows how. I'm getting instinctual reactions when I get anything. More feelings than actual communicated words."
David holds his head in his hands.
"Hey... David, it's okay," Joe says, moving in front of him. "He's hurt, but he trusts us. He's gonna make it just fine."
David looks up at him and nods. There are tears in his eyes.
"Baby... do you want to keep this one?" Joe murmurs, crouching in front of David.
David nods. "Yeah. I... I really do."
"Okay," Joe nods. "I need to keep him here until he's a little more stable. But then we can take him home with us."
David smiles a shaky little smile. "Good."
"Good," Joe echoes. "I've got to be here for awhile longer, then I can come home. Do you want me to drive you home, and you can get dinner ready, and cuddle Max and Pix for awhile?"
David nods. "Yeah. I'd like that a lot."
"Okay," Joe smiles, leaning up and giving him a soft kiss. "I love you so much. You know that, right?"
"I do," David says. "I love you, too."
"Lets get you home," Joe says, standing up and taking David's hand. "I won't be long. Or... I'll really try not to be too long."
David leans in. "Remember, Justin's coming for dinner." He gives Joe a kiss.
"Right. We should have saved time and explained to him about me at the same time we outed you," Joe sighs, taking his hand. "But it's okay. Just a few appointments and I'll be all yours."
David takes a deep breath, then smiles bravely. "Hindsight and all that. Let's go, gorgeous."
They walk past the reception desk and Joe smiles at the woman behind it. "I'll be back soon. Just have to drive this guy home... let me know if anything changes in the... you know... twenty minutes I'm gone."
"I will," she says. "You making David take a well-deserved break from month-end?"
"Kind of," Joe admits. "Justin helped. He's taking care of things back at the farm."
"Aw, isn't that sweet. You drive safe."
"I'll be back in twenty minutes--half an hour tops," he promises, heading out the door, fingers linked with David's.
Continued here...
