Jeri pocketed the chain and wiped his eyes with the tissue Jake offered him. “Thank you for sharing, Jericho, and congratulations on earning your eleven-month chip.” Jake placed the chip in Jeri’s hand and gave him a back-slapping hug before Jeri walked away from the front and down the aisle to where I was sitting.
He sat next to me and grinned. I gave his thigh a squeeze, and as I started to pull away, Jeri grabbed my hand and held it, arching his eyebrow in question. I gave him a quick nod and didn’t try to pull away. He was clutching the green chip in his right hand as we listened to three more people talk about their rock bottoms.
I could honestly say that attending that meeting was one of the most touching experiences of my life. Some of the stories were heart-wrenching, and the participants’ honesty was palpable in the room. It was a new thing to witness, especially with me being constantly bombarded with liars and lies in DC.
When the meeting was over, hugs were shared and hands were shaken. Jeri shook a few hands and greeted people, and I only gave them a small smile, remembering the confidentiality rule. None of them asked my name, so I was guessing it went both ways.
Once we walked out of the church, Jeri stopped. Several people were coming out of the church, going their separate ways, and when Jake came out, Jeri led us over to a shaded spot under a large oak tree to wait.
Jake grinned at him before Jeri put his hand on my back. “Jake, this is my friend, Sean. Sean, this is my sponsor, Jake.”
I extended my hand. “Nice to meet you.”
The man eyed us for a moment before Jeri took my hand between both of his because it was obvious Jake didn’t want to shake mine. “He’s in town to meet my mother. He lives in DC,but I thought I’d give him a taste of country life.” Nowhere had the word ‘boyfriend’ been mentioned.
Jake offered a skeptical grin. “That’s nice, I guess. Are you thinking of moving to the area, Sean?” His gaze was challenging.
I didn’t know how the hell to answer the man’s question.
I saw a movie years ago where a couple met at AA. Their respective sponsors told them they shouldn’t have a relationship until each had been sober for at least a year, and when the relationship fell apart, as suspected, they each went back to the bottle.
As I stared at the man giving me a stern glare, I was sure some variation of that scenario was going through Jake’s mind. It was on me to give the man a reason to change his mind about my intentions, though fuck if I knew why.
“I, uh, I work in DC during the week, but I try to keep my weekends open. I can certainly say I’ll do my best to come back,” I said, for lack of a better answer. Jeri squeezed my hand.
Jake nodded and directed his gaze toward Jeri. “I told you that Missy and I are going to see our son in Idaho, but I’ll have my phone if you need to talk for any reason. You know I’m always around, Jericho.”
“Thanks, Jake. I’ll see you when you get back.”
The two of them shook hands again, and Jeri led me to the stolen truck I didn’t think we should be driving around. Surely, someone had reported it by now, right?
Certainly, even backwoods law enforcement read the BOLOs that went out from neighboring law enforcement agencies. I couldn’t imagine why not.
We stopped at the home of the thirty-one flavors and went inside, each getting a scoop of ice cream, then went to a bench outside and sat. I had a question burning in my brain that needed to be answered. “Why’d you introduce me to your sponsor and make it sound like we were in a relationship?”
“Because when he gets back from seeing his son, if this shit hasn’t been resolved, I’m going to bring him in. He’s the director of the FBI’s Baltimore field office. Your job in Washington might be more detrimental to you than you want to think, and I trust Jake would look out for you if I’m not able. I trust Schatz and his guys would take care of you, too, but I’d like someone I know and trust to take a look at it,” Jeri said.
My stomach quivered at his words. “Jeri, I’m not your responsibility. I appreciate your willingness to help protect me, but I’m not your problem. I think I need to go back to my home in DC and deal with this shit alone. Hiding from it isn’t doing anything, and I’ve got two weeks before the Fourth of July holiday break. They go out for summer recess in August, so time is of the essence. There are two bills on the docket that I need to push through, and I can’t do it with phone calls.”
Jeri stared at me in disbelief. “You’re not safe there by yourself, Sean.”
Before I could stop myself, I opened my mouth and the words came out. “Can I ask if you suffer from PTSD?”
It was probably a shit question, but I’d been sleeping next to the man for five nights, and I was more restless than Jeri. Maybe it was because he worked from sunup to sundown and was exhausted when he crawled into bed. I only slept that soundly after a few drinks.
With what he’d been through, I had a hard time imagining Jeri didn’t suffer from some degree of post-traumatic stress. I worried I was developing it myself.
We drove the road to the farm in silence, me refusing to ask the question again. I was embarrassed, knowing I came across as judgmental. What the hell did I know about what soldiers went through after they’d been in battle, especially soldiers who were severely injured in the way Jericho had been?
We stopped by the barn, seeing Jeri’s truck in the driveway with an SUV parked behind it. “Wonder who that is?” He quickly hopped out of the truck, heading toward the house without waiting for me.
I couldn’t get out of the truck fast enough. What fresh hell had been brought to his door this time?
Chaper Twelve
Jericho
I wasn’t sure how to explain the shit I’d been through to Sean, so I didn’t.
