"You sure it was a Copperhead?" Rob asks as they lay Austin on one of the beds.

"Yeah." Tim answers weakly as he stares in shock at his brother.

"Are you sure it wasn't just a water snake?" Rob asks as he begins to check Austin's blood pressure.

"I KNOW WHAT A D*MN COPPERHEAD LOOKS LIKE, ROB!" Tim shouts before calming his voice and shaking his head. "I'm sorry."

"That's okay, Timmy." Rob smiles. "I know you're a little overwhelmed right now. Jenika, why don't you take Tim to the waiting room so he can calm down some. Get him something to drink."

"No! I can't leave him!" Tim says once again shaking his head.

"Tim." Chance says as he grips Tim's shoulders. "Austin is going to be fine. We need to check his vitals and if needed, we'll give him something for pain and do what we need to do. Okay? But you, yourself, need to calm down."

"Come on, Bubba." Jenika says quietly as she takes him by the arm. "Let the doctors do their job."

She leads him to a chair in the waiting room and gets him a glass of water. Tim sighs and takes a deep breath as he leans over resting his head in his hands.

"Honey, you know a Copperhead bite is rarely ever fatal. Especial to a young, healthy guy like Austin." Jenika says in a calming voice as she rubs Tim on the back. "He'll be okay."

Jenika realizes it is past time to open when she hears frantic knocking on the front door.

"Just sit here and relax." Jenika says as she rubs him on the back of the head. "I forgot to unlock the door."

As she walks to the front door, she sees a very panicked looking Adam and Olena at the door.

"Oh, Lord." She whispers to herself. "I'm making a mental note to ask Rob for a raise later."

"Where's Tim?! Is he Okay?!" Adam asks as he rushes in after she unlocks the door.

"Okay. You two stop. Let me explain what happened before you freak out too much." Jenika says. "Tim is fine. He's in the waiting room trying to calm down." She has to catch Adam by the arm to keep him from running off. 

"Oh, my God. It's Austin?" Olena asks as the color drains from her face.

"Sweetie, Austin was bitten by a Copperhead. Now before you go into hysteria, their bites are normally only fatal to the elderly, young children or someone in bad health. Austin is none of those. He's going to be fine." Jenika explains.

"Can I see him?" Olena asks as a tear rolls down her cheek.

"Why don't y'all go to the waiting room with Tim and I'll check to see, okay?" Jenika says.

Tim sat in the waiting room, slowly rocking back and forth. He could not get the image of Austin out of his mind. So weak and pale. That was his baby brother. It was his job to protect him.

"Baby?" Adam says softly as he sits down in a chair next to his husband.

Tim quickly looks up at the sound of his husband's sweet voice.

"Are you alright?" Adam asks as he brushes back Tim's hair.

Tim nods but grabs Adam in a bone-crushing hug.

"God, I was so scared." Tim whispers near Adam's ear.

"I know but he's going to be okay." Adam says calmingly.

Tim releases his hug from Adam. He reaches over and takes Olena by the hand.

"He did great. Stayed pretty calm. Much better than I was." Tim smiles as he gently squeezes her hand.

"Guys?" Jenika says as she walks into the waiting room. "Austin is resting. The doctors gave him some antibiotics and something for the pain. He's going to be fine. Y'all can go back and see him. I can watch Bailey for you if you want?"

"Thank you." Olena nods as she hands Bailey over to Jenika.

"She can help her Aunt Jenika do some filing." Jenika giggles as she carries the child back to her desk.

"You heard what she said. He's going to be okay so I want you both to remain calm." Adam says as he takes both Tim and Olena by the hand. "Promise me?"

They both nod before making their way down the hall to the room that Austin was in.

Chance glances up from putting a bandage on Austin's wound. He gives them a comforting smile when he sees the fear in their eyes.

"Austin?" Olena says softly as she sits down by his bed, taking him by the hand.

"He's not gonna answer you, Olena. The pain medicine kinda knocked him out." Chance says as he stands up from the stool he had been sitting on. 

"So. Tell us what's going on." Tim says as he takes the stool and sits on the other side of the bed. Adam stands behind him, gently massaging his shoulders.

"Well, he is in a lot of pain. And he will be for several days. His blood pressure is still pretty low and he's extremely weak. BUT that's all normal for a Copperhead bite." Chance says. "The bite will bruise, turning all different shades. Which also is common. It'll have to be kept clean so infection won't set in."

"Are you going to keep him here?" Olena asks as she loving rubs her boyfriend's cheek.

"For a day or two so we can monitor him. We'll continue his antibiotics. We want to make sure his vitals are pretty much back to normal." Chance answers. "We'll give you more directions once he is released."

"Is it alright if I stay with him tonight?" Olena asks, looking up at the bearded doctor.

"Sure." Chance answers with a shrug. "But he'll probably be asleep all night. I promise, you guys, we'll take good care of him."

"I still would like to stay though." Olena says.

"But...." Tim says as he glances nervously up at his husband. "But what about Bailey? You know it didn't go too well last night with us babysitting."

"You guys were babysitters?" Chance chuckles.

"Yeah, and let me tell you it wasn't a very pleasant experience." Tim says, shaking his head.

Rob laughs as he walks into the room after overhearing the conversation.

"What? And no video?" Rob laughs.

"I felt pretty bad about laughing at Tim's first try at diaper changing." Olena smiles.

Rob has to remove his glasses to wipe the tears from laughing so hard.

"Excuse me. But I didn't think it was one d*mn bit funny." Tim says, raising a brow.

Adam even chuckles slightly and kisses his husband on the back of the head.

"Oh, Hell naw." Tim growls as he turns and looks at his giggling lover.

"Sorry." Adam says as he covers his mouth.

"Well, let me see if I can save you from a repeat of your unpleasant experience, Timothy." Rob chuckles. "HEY, JENIKA?"

"Yeah?" Jenika answers as she walks in with Bailey.

"Listen, it looks like it's going to be a very slow day today. Olena is wanting to stay with Austin. So she's in desperate, let me rephrase that, Tim and Adam are in desperate need of a babysitter." Rob chuckles. "You want to take the rest of the day off?"

"Oh, I would love to babysit this little angel." Jenika smiles.

"Angel? Yeah, right. Just wait till she sh*ts and you have to change her diaper." Tim says with a nod.

"That means that we'll have the house to ourselves tonight." Adam leans down to whisper in his husband's ear.

"Yep." Tim replies as he leans back against Adam and tilts his head back to look at him. "It's a shame that you went and spoiled it by laughing at me."

*********

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