10. Chapter 10 #2
“Can you be moved?” Tristan asked, and Jax frowned.
“Like carrying me?” At Tristan’s nod, he exhaled. “ Where?”
“What about Owen’s office? It has carpeting. I can get a couple of fresh tablecloths to put over it!” Kate took off before getting a response.
“Isn’t that upstairs?” Fear mixed with the pain on Jax’s face, making Tristan want to hug him, soothe him, and he inched even closer, noticing that Jax’s grip had released a bit and his breathing seemed less labored.
“Are you doubting my manly strength?” That got a hissed chuckle out of Jax. Good. Looking up at the group around him, he gestured toward his headset. “Can someone tell Marci what’s going on and see if Owen’s office is unlocked?
“I think he’s up there with Liam right now,” Emma said, grabbing the headset and turning on the mic.
“I hate this,” Jax ground out, and a sick sadness churned in Tristan’s gut as he realized that he hadn’t understood Jax’s chronic pain at all. He’d been coming from a place of ableism because his knee had gotten better.
But what if it hadn’t? And Tristan couldn’t hike anymore? Or do his job? And what if his knee let him do some things but not others? And his days were a dice roll of good, bad, or worse? The stress surrounding that would be tremendous.
“I’m sorry,” Tristan said softly, putting weight into those words, and they seemed to sink through.
“Owen wants to know if you need help getting Jax upstairs?” Emma asked from above them.
“No, I’m good, but I need someone to get the door to the back stairwell.”
“What about the elevator?” Angelo acted as a second buffer, standing between them and the onlookers.
“Last time I checked, the bride and groom were in the foyer next to it, saying goodbye to everyone.” Tristan didn’t care about disturbing the guests, but he also knew that Jax wanted to be seen by as few people as possible, and the way he scrunched up his face confirmed it.
“Take the stairs,” Jax rasped, and Tristan gave him a nod, reading himself. Leaning in, he put his lips near Jax’s ear.
“I know this will hurt, but don’t worry. I’ve got you.”
Letting go of Jax’s hand, Tristan scooped him up bridal style, and Jax let out another cry that spiked straight through Tristan’s heart.
Adrenaline pumping, Tristan thanked his knee for allowing him to do this as Jax’s arms swung around his neck, holding on.
He heard a murmured thanks, and that unique minty-clove scent teased his nostrils, hardening his resolve.
Taking off, Tristan was out of the kitchen in under a second, making a right toward the back stairwell.
“Okay, I’m almost to the stairs,” he announced, keeping Jax in the loop. Emma had done amazing work organizing everyone because Dylan, The Pointe’s jack-of-all-trades, was holding open the stairwell door. “Thanks, Dylan.”
“Feel better, Jax!” Dylan called after them as Tristan began to climb. While walking straight had been fine, as soon as Tristan hit the steps, Jax hissed.
“Sorry, it’ll be over soon.” Tristan flew up the first flight, taking the second one even more quickly.
Jax didn’t reply, but his hand had curled in the collar of Tristan’s jacket, as if he were using it to anchor himself, and he pressed his forehead into Tristan’s shoulder.
Keeping his arms rigid and core tight, Tristan tried not to jostle Jax at all, grateful to see the open door at the top of the stairs, held by Owen’s younger partner. “Thanks, Liam.”
Stepping into the hallway, Tristan hurried to Owen’s office. True to her word, Kate had laid several tablecloths over the carpet, cushioning it just the right amount, and Tristan knelt, gently placing Jax on top of them.
Jax grunted as he hit the floor, and it took a moment for him to release Tristan’s collar, which Tristan took as a request to stay close.
“Do you need anything? A pillow?” He glanced at the couch, but Owen had already removed one of the cushions, handing it to him when Jax nodded.
“Y-Yeah, under my knees.” After another few gasps and cries, Jax uncurled and settled on his back, his legs on top of the cushion, a hand over his eyes.
“Jax?” Finn rushed in, his eyes wide with fear, Ollie right behind him. “What’s going on?”
“Is it your back?” Ollie asked, both of them crouching down next to Jax, as Marci, Liam, and Dylan quietly slipped in.
“Yeah,” Jax nodded, his hand still covering his eyes. “This is fucking embarrassing, I am so sorry- ”
“Angelo said no sorrys or he’s going to fire you,” Tristan interrupted.
“Embarrassing? There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. We are family here, okay? All of us,” Ollie stated firmly, and the group around them nodded as Jax lowered his arm, his gaze still averted. “Can we get you anything? Ice? Heat? Meds? Do you have any on you?”
Tristan didn’t miss how Owen and Marci glanced at Liam, who kept his face placid.
“I just have to l-lay here for a while, until the spasms stop. I-Is that okay?” Jax’s limbs twitched, as if his pain was overloading him, and Tristan’s heart continued to ache.
“We can stay here all night if we have to,” Finn flicked his eyes to Tristan, who loomed like a lover, but Tristan didn’t care. Jax was important to him, and he put that into his gaze, leaning on his budding fortitude. A second later, Finn nodded once and moved back, closer to Ollie.
“A-And I don’t take meds,” Jax continued, his voice jumpy and weak, his eyes still full of shamed-soaked fury. “Narcotics make me spinny and sick.”
“Yeah, after a while, they did that to me too,” Liam stated conversationally as everyone, including Jax, stopped to listen.
“I was addicted to Vicodin for a while. And I used to take it here, at work. That’s why I don’t want to hear about you being embarrassed, okay?
” It sounded harsh, but Liam delivered it in a perfectly soft tone that held nothing but care and concern for a new friend, and it seemed to work.
“Okay.” Some of the shame drained from Jax’s eyes. “Did you feel like a garbage pile when you stopped? I had to take them for a while, and once I stopped, I thought I had the flu. It was like the muscles in my legs were turning inside out.”
“Yeah.” Liam knelt beside Jax, still speaking easily, as if they were talking about the weather. “I didn’t leave Owen’s bathroom for a few days, but he held me most of the time.” His hazel eyes flicked to Owen, who blew him a kiss.
“Aww, true love!” Marci declared to laughter.
“Does that mean you don’t take anything?” Tristan asked, looking down at their hands, which had somehow become glued together, the fingers interlaced .
“I use a mix of Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen to take the edge off, but nothing I’ve tried gets rid of the pain.” Jax’s face was still pale, but at least his eyes were calmer. “And I take pot gummies to sleep.”
“Oh snap, I have edibles!” Dylan pulled three candy bars out of his jacket pocket. “Will this help?”
“Actually, it will.” Jax’s eyebrows rose. “Do you use it for pain too?”
“Naw, just lovin’ life.” Handing one to Jax, Dylan rubbed the back of his neck, bashful.
“Thanks, man.” Jax’s eyes went wide as he checked the dosage. “Holy shit, I’m going to float home. You need to meet my friend Mae.”
“I shouldn’t be seeing this. Angel, how about you and I go downstairs and check on the bride and groom?” Owen headed toward the door. “Feel better, Jax. I can’t wait for your come back .”
Owen seemed to feed off the groans, while Liam good-naturedly rolled his eyes, patting Jax on the shoulder.
“Stay as long as you need to.” Giving Tristan a quick smile, he left with Owen.
Tristan took the chocolate bar, releasing Jax’s hand to open it for him. “How many squares?”
“Three?” Jax scrunched up his face.
“It looks like you’ve got this handled,” Marci also moved toward the door, Dylan in her wake.
“I’ll head downstairs too and finish up.
Ollie? Finn? I think the bride and groom want a final video and then a shuttle back to the hotel.
” Her eyes flicked between them and the door, and three seconds later, Finn got the message.
“That’s right.” Getting up, he helped Ollie to his feet as Jax began to eat. “Jax, I can drive you home whenever you’re ready. Ollie will take our car.”
“Thanks. It’s going to be a while, though.” Finishing the chocolate quickly, Jax wiped his lips. “I have to wait for this to kick in.”
“We’ll be done with cleanup in ninety minutes. Rest, hun,” Marci ordered, ushering the three men out. Once they were out of earshot, she turned back with a wink. “I’ll leave you two alone.”
Tristan shook his head with a chuckle, and when the door closed behind her, Jax let out a long breath.
“Thank you for everything, Tristan.” He reached for Tristan’s hand again, and Tristan eagerly obliged, pressing their warm palms together as if they’d done so a thousand times before. “You were a real superhero. Hot Bearded Guy to the rescue!”
“It was nothing.” Tristan couldn’t help but laugh, loving the nickname. It was certainly ten times better than Tris . “Hot Bearded Guy?”
“That’s what I called you in my head until I knew your name,” Jax admitted, giving him a weak smile, and at that moment, Tristan fell for him even more.
“Well, since we’re admitting things, I was listening for your name.”
“We should’ve just talked to each other.” Jax looked up at the ceiling. “I heard you on the phone with Rain and I thought you were taken.”
“And I thought you were too young for me.” Stretching out beside Jax, Tristan bent his elbow, propping up his head in his free hand. “We were both wrong.”
“Y-Yeah.” Jax shifted, letting out a short gasp before getting more comfortable, letting out a heavy sigh. “I didn’t want this to happen here.”
“How often does this happen?” Tristan kept his tone low and gentle.