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“Well that was eventful,” Carlos said as he slid the loft door shut behind them, clicking the lock into place.
“That’s an understatement babe,” TK chuckled, kicking off his shoes and moving into the living room. “I just wish we could have one normal date. I’m sorry our plans got ruined.”
“It’s not your fault baby. Why don’t you go grab a shower? I’m gonna set the alarm and then I’ll join you.”
TK looked down at himself and cringed. He’d been able to clean most of the blood off his hands and arms before leaving the restaurant, but his shirt looked like a lost cause.
“At least it’s not my blood this time?”
“I’d prefer you not have any blood on you. I’ll soak that shirt before we go to bed, and see if I can save it.”
“Don’t worry about it, babe. They make a thousand just like it every day.”
TK stripped in the bedroom, throwing his ruined shirt in the trash and depositing the rest of his clothes in the hamper. Their date had already been ruined, he didn’t want Carlos to get more upset by the site of his clothes strewn across the bedroom floor. He turned the shower on and sat on the closed toilet lid, placing his head in his hands.
He was starting to be convinced they would never have a regular date. Natural disasters, emergencies, and other out-of-this-world occurrences had often interrupted their plans. He had hoped that the universe might be on their side for their first wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, he wasn’t that lucky.
They’d scheduled their anniversary date months ago, knowing it fell on the weekend before Valentine's Day. Even in October, tables for the restaurant Carlos had chosen were filling up fast and he was lucky to get a reservation for them. They’d made sure to take off work well in advance, planning for their night. Carlos wanted everything to be perfect. TK couldn’t help but think about what people said about best-laid plans.
In the beginning, everything had gone smoothly. They’d ordered drinks, Carlos specifically choosing a place with good mocktails and alcohol-free wine, which was much better than TK expected it to be. They held hands across the table as they swapped stories about their shifts from the week and Carlos didn’t roll his eyes like he usually did when TK reached across to steal some of whatever was on his plate. It wasn’t until they put in their desert orders that everything went to hell. They had been keeping a sneaky side-eye on the couple next to them. They’d been arguing quietly for most of their dinner and the two of them had been making up a backstory for them like they were soap-opera characters, trying to figure out what the problem was between them.
The guy was twitchy, hands going to his pocket, then moving abruptly. The fifth time he bumped the table on the way back up, his girlfriend snarled at him, asking what the hell his problem was. The guy had stood on trembling legs, pulled a box out of his pocket in got down on one knee.
Carlos cringed, squeezing TK’s hand. “I’m so glad you didn’t propose to me in public,” he whispered.
“I learned my lesson the first time,” TK whispered back.
Carlos made a sympathetic face but ultimately turned back to the trainwreck happening not ten feet from them. TK did the same, just in time to see the girl grab her wine and throw it in his face. He cringed, watching as the disaster continued to unfold. She began ranting about how she couldn’t believe him, that he thought a proposal would fix everything. TK found himself not being able to look away as she continued to rant. He couldn’t get the full gist of the conversation other than they never stopped fighting (which TK believed wholeheartedly) and she’d come here tonight to let him down easy.
That right there was the true breaking point. The guy had lost it, flinging the ring somewhere across the room and beginning a rant of his own. He and Carlos watched the two of them go back and forth, heads bobbing like they were watching a tennis match. Then the man picked up his steak knife.
TK felt a bit like he’d blacked out. One minute he was watching the weirdest argument of his life and the next he was on his knees trying to stop the girl from bleeding out while Carlos restrained her boyfriend.
TK snagged one of the cloth napkins, wadding it up in his hand and applying as much pressure as possible.
“Someone call 911!” he shouted, whipping his head frantically.
A member of the restaurant staff approached him with a first-aid kit, kneeling next to him, “Ambulance is on the way. I have dispatch on the line.”
“Dispatch this is TK Strand, paramedic 126. I have a female with a knife wound to the neck, I think there’s damage to the carotid.”
“TK?”
“Grace Ryder, I have never been so happy to hear your voice.”
“EMS is about five minutes out TK.”
“I don’t think she has that long Gracie,” TK said worriedly. “I’ve got pressure on the wound but it’s still a lot of blood.”
“Can you get her vitals?”
“No, I’ve sort of got my hands full. Hang on. Carlos!,” he shouted to where his husband was handing off the boyfriend to the cops.
He jogged over, dropping to his knees next to him, “What do you need me to do?”
“Please tell me they train you to take a pulse?”
“They train us, doesn’t mean I have a lot of practice.”
“Do your best baby. I just need to know if she has one. Pointer and index finger on the thumb side of her wrist.”
Carlos grabbed her hand as gently as possible, placing his fingers where TK instructed him.
“There’s a pulse but it’s really hard to feel.”
“TK,” Grace’s voice was tinny across the phone speakers. “Do you have any IV fluids?”
“Check the first aid kit,” he instructed the staff member who was still lingering by their side. “Carlos I need you to take over holding pressure for me so I can start an IV.” He made to move his hands but blood began to spurt between his fingers, soaking the front of his shirt. Carlos covered his hands with his own, giving TK an opportunity to pull away before resuming pressure.
“I’ve got saline.”
“Perfect.” TK snatched the IV bag and tubing offered to him. He did his best to prime it quickly before hanging it on the underside of the table. He did his best to clean her arm with the tiny alcohol swabs provided in the pack. He took a deep breath and let Tommy’s voice fill his brain as he mentally walked himself through the procedure.
“Okay, Grace I have fluids running. And EMS is here,” he breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of sirens and approaching footsteps.
He stepped away, letting the team from the 105 take over. Carlos placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
“Let’s get you home and cleaned up.”
That’s how TK found himself in the shower, staring at the tile floor as dark red blood swirled down the drain. He didn’t move as the glass door opened, only shivering slightly as the cool breeze hit his wet body. Carlos stepped in behind him, closing the door and wrapping gentle arms around his waist.
“I’m sorry our date got ruined baby,” TK apologized again, dropping his head back on his husband’s shoulder.
“TK a man assaulting his girlfriend with a knife is absolutely not your fault. I am so proud of you babe.”
“Why?”
“Because you saved her life. You were calm, you were collected, and seeing you in your element impresses me every time TK. You’re an amazing fucking paramedic. So our date wasn’t what we planned? We have the rest of forever to make up for one bad anniversary date.”
“I love you,” TK whispered.
“I love you more.”
TK slept better than he thought he would that night, utterly exhausted from the night’s events. When he woke, the bedroom was still dark (thank god for black-out curtains) but Carlos’s side of the bed had long gone cold. He was shocked by what he found when he padded into the kitchen.
“It looks like Valentine’s Day threw up in here,” TK chuckled, taking the mug of coffee he was offered.
“Target was a little short on decorations so I improvised.”
“What is all this?”
“This is our anniversary celebration. I figured since our date didn’t work out as planned, we could celebrate here at home. Just the two of us.”
“God I love you.”
“You’ll love me even more when I tell you there are cinnamon rolls in the oven.”
“I’m so glad I married you.”
“Me too babe. Me too.”