“Look at me! Not him!” Simon’s voice had the desired effect and Dion’s eyes flicked to his, wide and full of fear. “What. Have. You. Done?” Simon enunciated every word, his own fear escalating with each word spoken, but Dion finally started answered him.
“It was an accident.” Dion swallowed heavily before continuing. “I tried to shut him up and the chair fell, and… I don’t know, I just wanted him to stop talking, and the pen was in my hand and I just… I just pushed it in. I wasn’t thinking! I swear I didn’t mean to.” Simon’s chest tightened with each word out of Dion’s mouth.
He’s injected a full pen load of insulin into Patrick? And there was no way that was an accident because he damn well had to have dialed up the dose and plunged it in!
Dion appeared to run out of breath and slouched against the wall. He scuttled along, putting more distance between him and Patrick.Good. He couldn't be far enough away. Simon clenched his fists at his sides and glared. "You keep away from him. If I so much as see you blink, I'll be on you in an instant." He forced his hands to relax and punctuated his next words with a finger aimed at Dion's chest. “Do you understand me?” Dion slumped even further, as if he was trying to make himself invisible, but he nodded. He pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his knees, making himself as small as possible.
Patrick mumbled, drawing Simon's attention back to him, but it was only when it was evident Dion wasn't going to make a move that Simon looked away from the man and focused on Patrick.
The gray cast to Patrick's skin didn't look good. He was much too pale, and he was trembling. Some of it could be shock from the whole incident, or the fact he’d taken a knock to the head, but Simon feared that the insulin was having an effect. It should take ten to fifteen minutes to have an effect in normal circumstances, and he wasn't sure how much time had passed since Patrick and Dion had had their scuffle. Plus, there were other factors at play. When had Patrick last eaten? Given it was nearly dinner time, and the scent of roasting chicken filled the room as Patrick had been preparing a meal for the two of them, Simon assumed it would have been hours ago. All these questions raced through his mind in a matter of seconds. He needed to deal with the potential insulin problem first, get that out of the way before he could assess Patrick’s head injury. He dropped to his haunches and reached for Patrick’s wrist. The pulse under his fingertips felt fairly regular, which was reassuring.
"I'll be back in a minute." Patrick gripped Simon’s hand. He placed his other palm on Patrick’s cheek as he spoke, attempting to keep his voice calm and even. The last thing Patrick needed was to sense Simon’s own panic. “I’m not leaving you. I’m not even leaving the room. I’ll be right back. Okay?” Patrick looked up with large eyes and nodded.
Simon jumped up and rushed to the fridge. He glanced back to Dion as he pulled open the door, relieved to see him in the same position, head down, resting on his knees. He scanned the contents of the refrigerator until his gaze landed on the bottle in the door.Perfect!He didn't bother with a glass, instead heading straight back to Patrick with the bottle of orange juice.
Simon dropped to his knees and unscrewed the lid. Patrick's eyes were wide as he searched Simon's face; there was fear but also trust in his gaze. Patrick smiled and reached for the bottle, aiding Simon in holding it to his mouth. He took a couple of mouthfuls, then pushed the bottle away.
"Just a bit more, babe," Simon said. Patrick nodded and opened again, drinking more of the sugar-rich fruit juice. A single drop ran down his chin and Simon used a finger to catch it before it fell. As soon as Patrick had enough juice, Simon discarded the bottle. He jumped to his feet and grabbed a slice of bread from the loaf on the counter; the slower-acting carbohydrate would further help Patrick’s blood sugar levels stabilize. Simon knelt by Patrick’s side and passed him the bread as he fumbled for his cell phone.
It took only a moment to place the call to emergency services.
Once he disconnected the call, he sat on the floor, pulling Patrick to him and holding him close and encouraging him to nibble on the bread. The skin beneath his fingers was clammy but the trembling had stopped. He rested his head against Patrick’s damp hair, lightly stroking his arm and whispering that everything would be okay.
Dion rocked quietly in the corner, still curled in on himself.
They stayed that way, Patrick and Simon wrapped around one another, and Dion taking no notice of them—although Simon didn’t let the man out of his sight—until help arrived. Even though he knew Patrick would be okay, Simon didn’t breathe properly until he was safely in the back of the ambulance being tended by his colleagues and ruling out any further injury. And he didn’t start to relax until he saw the paramedics finish treating Dion and loading him into the back of the other ambulance, the police observing every movement. Simon had answered the police questions, and obtained reassurance they’d check and lock up the house. He promised to go to the station to make a formal statement.
But Patrick was his first priority. He climbed in beside him and nodded to Brian. The paramedic gave him the thumbs-up, and Simon made his way to the seat at the head of the gurney. Simon placed a hand on Patrick’s arm, relieved that the skin felt dry and the trembling had stopped. Even his color was returning to normal.
Simon pushed the lock of dark blond hair back from Patrick’s forehead and looked down into his gray eyes. “Hey,” he whispered, before placing a gentle kiss on Patrick’s temple.
Patrick stopped him from drawing away, with a hand to Simon’s cheek. They stayed that way for a few quiet moments, resting awkwardly together with Simon bent over to the top of the gurney, until Patrick softly spoke. “Thank you.” Simon pulled away slightly so he could see his eyes again. Patrick’s eyes shone, but he smiled. “I knew everything was going to be all right.”
“Yeah?” Simon smoothed Patrick’s hair back from his face again.
“I knew it would be okay because I knew you were coming. I knew you’d be there for me.”
Simon smiled. “I’ll always be there for you.”
Patrick reached for Simon’s hand and placed it palm-down over his heart. Simon could feel the beat of Patrick’s pulse beneath his fingers, strong and regular. “I know.”
