“Jason, you got to at some point. This is as good a time as any. Place is dead.”
“This is fucked up, man. I didn’t think about all the shit that I’d have to deal with. I didn’t get it.”
“Well, I figure if we thought on all of it at once, we woulda hid, huh?” The back door opened and closed, too, the big kingcab echoing. Then Bax was opening his door, hand sliding under his elbow.
His body followed, just like it had a mind of its own, which Jason figured it sort of did but… Yeah. He’d been following Bax for years—why would he stop now? Bax got him going, nice and easy, murmuring to him. Hell, it was like Bax settling him on a bull. ‘A little to the left’. ‘Step up’. ‘You got your sunglasses on…’ He kept his head down, focused on Bax and that thud-slide, thud-slide of the cast on the floor. Three more weeks and it’d be gone, too.
“Okay, we’re at the door.” Bax stopped him, the feel of the air from inside rushing out at him, the smells of burgers and fries strong.
He could hear his heart slamming in his chest, the sounds of beeping and talking disorienting. Okay. Okay. He could do this. He could.
Damn it.
Bax kept on murmuring, the low sound of that familiar voice overriding everything. “Almost there, buddy. Here. Turn left.”
“Okay. Left.” He nodded, kept his head down, trusting in Bax’s voice.
“Here we go.” It was like suddenly being in a bubble again, the sounds out in the restaurant cut off when they stepped into the bathroom.
“Dude. Stinky.” He tried to grin, tried not to look as if he was fucking freaking out.
“It’s a men’s room. Hell, AJ’s guest room bath will probably smell worse. You know that’s where he keeps his porn.”
“Oh. Oh, man. Gross.” He chuckled, stepped forward. “Okay, where’s the urinal? Help me.”
“You know it.” Bax shifted him right where he needed to be, helping him so he didn’t have to touch anything nasty.
“Okay. Okay.” He took a deep breath. Jesus, this was hard. Harder than he’d ever imagined.
“Just pee, man. It’s all good.” Bax was trying to sound so reasonable, but he could feel the hand on his hip shaking.
He managed it, and the relief pissed him off—which, damn. That was funny.
“There.” Helping him tuck and wash up, Bax sighed, leaning on him a minute.
“Thanks.” He hated this. He fucking hated it.
“Shit, Mini. I’m just glad you came in. I got to do my thing now, okay?”
“Yeah. Sink’s to the right?”
“Yep. It’s one of them motion sensor ones.” Bax moved away, the air just barely shifting. Sure. So all he had to do was wave, instead of fumble.
“Hell, you can’t get them to work, and you can see.”
“No shit. You know I hate them things.” Bax could damned near jump up and down in front of them and those sinks wouldn’t come on.
That whole memory made him chuckle and he got cleaned up, feeling ten thousand times closer to human.
“Better, man?” Bax bumped him out of the way a few seconds later, the sink still running so Bax could wash his hands.
“Yeah. Yeah, I might live.” They headed out, right back through the front door and into the fucking truck, this time with him in the back with Bax. It was tighter quarters, but better, Bax’s good leg against him.
Bax patted his leg, got him settled good, humming along a little with the radio. “We got food?”
“Smells like it.”
Coke’s laugh echoed back. “I got them chicken finger dealies and fries and burgers, all.”
