Sudden Response (EMS #1)(19)

"You are."

His answer was an amused snort. "Good luck with that, sweetheart."

"Keep it up and I'll be adding an appetizer and a dessert to my list of demands," she whispered softly back.

He was quiet for a moment. She assumed that he was probably wondering when this guy was going to get around to talking to the patient instead of standing there shifting nervously near the bed.

"Are you planning to put out?" he whispered, his warm breath teasing her ear and neck, sending goose bumps racing along her skin.

It was a little unnerving that she almost shouted, god yes. Her reactions to him were seriously starting to creep her out a bit. This was Eric, her best friend, the guy she'd grown up with and most likely the guy she'd fight with over the last tapioca pudding in fifty years at whatever nursing home was stupid enough to accept both of them.

She needed a real vacation, some rest and she definitely needed to start dating again. That was the only explanation for her reactions to him. It had been way too long since the last time she'd been with a man. Was it May or June of last year that she ended things with that cop from Northville? A year and a half without sex was obviously making her crazy.

Okay, so in all fairness she'd been aware of Eric that way for far longer than a year and a half. What heterosexual woman in her right mind wouldn't be? He was devastatingly handsome in that bad boy way that she really liked. He was also smart, funny and great to be around. If he wasn't her best friend she would-

There was no use finishing that train of thought. The fact was he was her best friend and nothing more. Not that she wanted things to change. She didn't. She loved that they were comfortable with each other and could tell each other everything. He was her rock and if he was anything more than her best friend she'd be lost. He was the guy she bitched to, not about.

"Only if you let me get ice cream with my dessert," she countered back softly, forcing her mind to jump back into the rhythm of their relationship and stay there.

Eric let out a disappointed sigh. "Damn, if only you weren't a little gold digger."

"If only," she mumbled distractedly as she watched Donny finally grow a pair and approach the patient. Of course his willingness to get it over with might have something to do with Tyler standing next to him looking pissed. No doubt he was.

"Adam, you need to wake up and take your pills," Donny said nervously.

"No," Adam said firmly as he rolled over to glare at Donny.

One look at the man that instilled fear in everyone in the house left her a little confused. He was small, smaller than her and thin. Granted she knew that didn't always mean the person was weak, but seriously this guy had a man the size of a football player quaking in his drawers.

Did he have a history with weapons? Fire? Mutilation? It really would have been nice if they'd given them a little heads up, but then again the patient wasn't technically their patient yet and that meant they had no legal rights to his medical records. Apparently they were just here to scare the hell out of him into taking his pills and hope he didn't flip out in the process.

This plan sucked.

"Adam-"

"I SAID GO AWAY!" Adam bellowed as he jumped to his feet on his bed and swung at Donny, who thankfully stumbled back in surprise seconds earlier.

"Oh my god!" Donny cried as he ran from the room, leaving the three of them to deal with him.

Great. Just great.

"Relax," Tyler said in a soothing tone.

Adam looked like he was about to say something when his eyes landed on them. He gestured at them wildly as he shifted from foot to foot on his bed. "I'm not going with you!" he screeched.

Without a word they both stepped forward and broke off to flank the officer. Joe moved to Tyler's right, keeping her hands loose by her sides and visible and without looking she knew Eric was doing the same.

They learned long ago that approaching a combative patient with your palms up was a bad idea. Most people probably thought the gesture was placating, but in reality it usually put people on the defensive pretty quickly. In a stressful situation like this one it could be taken as a defensive stance and the last thing any of them wanted at the moment was to make this guy feel like he needed to protect himself.

"Adam?" she said, keeping her tone friendly. "My name's Joe. Do you know why we were called tonight?"

Adam's eyes darted cautiously over the two men. "You're here to take me back to the hospital. I'm not going! I haven't done anything wrong!" he said, shifting again.

She shook her head. "No, we weren't called to transport you."

"You're lying!"

"I promise you that we were not called to transport you tonight. We were actually called because the staff here isn't sure if you've been taking your pills."

His eyes shifted to her quickly before shifting back to Tyler and Eric. "They're lying. I've been taking my pills."

"Did you take them tonight?" Eric asked.

"Yes!" Adam said without any hesitation.

"No, you didn't, Adam," Donny scolded from the doorway, obviously feeling braver with the three of them separating him from Adam. "You refused your pills tonight."

"Shut up!" Adam screamed, taking a threatening step towards Donny. Joe automatically shifted to the right to block the man. "I took my pills!"