Dom held open the door for me to slide inside. Once he was in the cab, he told the driver, “Dirksen Senate Office Building on Constitution Northeast, please.”
The driver hit the meter, and we were on our way. Dom turned to me. “Austin went by the guy’s apartment on his way to Davidsonville this morning. The guy is a grad student at Georgetown University, and he lives not far from here. They put a pin in his leg, but he’s expected to make a full recovery. He said he had no idea who hit him, but the vehicle had cut him off at the previous stoplight, and he noticed there wasn’t a license plate on the back. Uncle Gabe said it was probably a coincidence and nota diversionary tactic. Basically, the guys in the Tahoe were just assholes.”
“Yeah, probably. So, I’m going to see two senators and then head over to the Rayburn House office building to speak to two House members before we go meet Marvin Thompson and Senator Eileen Rowe for drinks. Is that a problem for you?”
I remembered that Jeri wasn’t bothered by my drinking, but I didn’t really know Austin and Dominic. I didn’t want to put either of them in an awkward position by forcing them to sit in a room with folks drinking if it made them uncomfortable. They were incredibly nice to me, and I wanted to return their kindness. I wasn’t completely heartless.
“Do I get to have a drink?” Dominic asked, a grin on his face.
“Hell yeah. I’m buying.” We both laughed.
The cab pulled in front of the Dirksen, and after I paid him, we got out and headed toward the doors. I hoped to hell the meetings were productive and I was able to change hearts and minds regarding the necessity for gender-affirming care for trans youth. I would fight to the death to help my brothers and sisters stay healthy, happy, and most importantly, alive.
The meetings I’d had on The Hill that morning were fifty-fifty. The congressman from Iowa walked the party line and said I was scarring children by advocating that puberty blockers be prescribed to kids, refusing to listen to my explanation that the blockers slow the onset of puberty. They didn’t stop it forever. He told me I was a lying child abuser. It was all I could do to keep from punching the fucker in the mouth.
The congresswoman from Alabama listened to my statistics and my stories from the families of young people who committed suicide due to being denied gender-affirming healthcare. The tears she tried to hide were not for show. A person with any kind of heart couldn’t hear those stories and not be touched.
Senator Walter Jeffers from Arkansas quoted verses from his Bible that had nothing to do with what I wanted him to understand. He finally said, “If they end their lives themselves, well, maybe that’s for the best.” I couldn’t believe my ears. The motherfucking asshole had no soul.
I stormed out and went to the men’s room down the hall. Every fucking time I had to meet with some of these assholes, I wanted a scalding hot shower, or I wanted to puke. Since no shower was available, I succumbed to the latter.
The door to the men’s room opened, and Dominic Torrente walked inside, standing outside the stall where I was kneeling. “Sean? I’m assuming it went badly, and I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?”
“Can you call Jericho? I need him,” I whispered as I continued to dry heave.
Why I needed a man I’d barely known for ten days wasn’t something I could address as I expelled everything in my gut. For the first time in my life, I believed to my core that someone cared about me. I hadn’t had that in a very long time.
“Sure. I’ll call him. Austin is on his way back, but he can turn around, Sean.” He stopped talking and paced around the men’s room for a moment. “What if he can’t get away?”
One more dry heave and I stood, dusting off the knees of my slacks as I flushed the commode. I opened the door and glanced at Dominic, who was over six feet. “I’m sorry. Don’t bother Jericho. He’s got his horses and his mom. I have no right to ask him to drop his life and come hold my hand.”
Dominic chuckled. “I get the feeling he’d be here if he could, Sean. We need to get you to the restaurant for your other meeting if you’re feeling up to it. If not, I can call Mrs. Lambert to cancel it for you.”
I splashed water on my face as I bent over the sink, finally feeling the nausea subside. I stood and grabbed some paper towels, drying my face and exhaling. I glanced into the mirror to see Dominic with several paper towels in his hands. “How bad was it?”
“Walt Jeffers from Arkansas fed me Bible bullshit and then said, ‘If they end their lives themselves, well, maybe that’s for the best.’ How in the fuck can anyone say that about children who are most likely living in misery? I can’t begin to fathom it.”
Dominic sighed. “I hear what you’re saying, Sean, but those are the exact people who need you. You can’t stop fighting, and I’m not going to let you give up. Let me check in with Austin.”
We walked out of the restroom and toward the stairs to leave the building. When we got to the first floor, I was surprised to see Austin standing at the front door waiting for us.
When he saw us through the glass, he opened the door with a big grin. “I have our vehicle over here,” he said as he pointed to a curb spot.
The black SUV at the curb was still running. As I walked toward it, the back door opened, and there stood my gorgeous cowboy. I wanted to run to him, but I had a reputation to maintain. When Jeri smiled at me, I caught my breath.
“How’d you get away from Gayle and the horses?” I stood in front of him, unable to process what I was seeing.
Jeri took off his cowboy hat and placed it on my head with a big grin. “Cody and John Langer are taking care of the horses for me, and John’s father, Kenny, is hanging out with Mom. Apparently, he’s the new cock of the walk, according to Mom. So, what are we doing?”
I pulled him into my arms and, for the first time in a few days, took in a deep breath of him. Why did I think Jericho Hess had burrowed into my soul? I had no idea, but there he was, right inside me.
Chapter Sixteen
Jericho
“Jeri, someone’s pulling up the driveway,” Mom said as she stood outside the barn door with a glass of lemonade on Monday morning.
I locked Libby’s stall door after I gave her a bath. She was an amazing cutting horse, and her owners were away for the summer, so I didn’t mind riding her. The only problem was that I didn’t have calves for her to practice on. But she’d been doing her job for a long time, so it was as though Libby was on vacation too.
