"Damn straight."
"So, I'm in the hospital a second time, and Abir is..."
"Well," Jack said. "I was getting to that."
"I'm intrigued," Demarco said, more derisive than enthusiastic.
"Because of the first shooting—the fake assassination attempt—at Dupont circle... and it's involving the potential defection of Middle Eastern royalty—gayMiddle Eastern royalty, that is—and all the scandal that has ensued hence... interest has now piqued within the entertainment industry."
"Did you just use the wordpiqued?"
"Yeah," Jack said, confessing slyly. "I read it in the paper this morning."
"What else did you read?"
"Apparently, Bravo is in negotiations with Abir for his own reality show—a potential companion show to something else...The Shahssomething..."
"The Shahs of Sunset."
"That's it. How do you know this stuff?"
"Because I watch too much television," Demarco said. "So, that little shit did exactly what he planned."
Jack put his hand on Demarco's shoulder. "He got what he wanted... I don't think it was how he intended to do it but... c'est la vie."
"C'est la vie? Piqued?Who are you?Did some weirdInvasion of the Body Snatchershappen while I was out? Where is my real Jack? He doesn't talk like that."
Jack leaned down and kissed Demarco. "I do now. Catastrophic events change your point-of-view, D—you said it yourself. My priorities have shifted... and now, you're number one."
"Mm-hmm... and apparently, learning French."
Jack cocked his head, his face still close. "I've always wanted to go to Europe. Now, I have someone to go with."
Demarco pushed him away. "Easy for you to say. You have a job. I have a cane!"
"Not forever, D. You're lucky."
"I don't feel lucky at all."
"Don't worry about all this now. I spoke with Alec's lawyer, Shep. He's looking after you. Standridge and Stramous will serve time. I doubt you'll be seeing anything from them... and I would venture to say they don't have a lot of money anyway. But maybe Bravo..."
"No," said Demarco. "That's not how it works, Jack. They'll use Abir's celebrity status to build a new show. It will have nothing to do with me. They'll go forward with that ridiculous housewife formula they use on all of their shows. They may bring his mother over—that would be a good thing, for her—unless he was lying about that too."
"His face has been in the papers almost as much as yours."
"And yet I'm stuck paying the bill."
"Nope. I told you, Shep is looking out for you. The Kicklighter's have plenty of money... and they want to bury this whole thing as fast as possible."
"Well, that makes sense."
"You're not paying for any of this, D. Shep's probably going to want to meet with you soon though, to get the ball rolling."
"Come here."
He leaned in again and Demarco pulled his face closer for a kiss. Jack's lips were warm and soft. "I'm sorry about the fight."
"Me too. It's the past, D. No more fighting... only the future. Rehab will be a bitch, but I'll be there to help you with it. If you'll have me."
