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Copperheads. Surprisingly, TK hadn’t dealt with them a lot. They weren’t very common in Manhattan, but he had been living in Austin for about three years now- if anything, he was surprised this hadn’t happened earlier.
The bastard jumped out at him while TK was digging in the bush to find Buttercup's stray toy. He wasn’t aware that house sitting for his dad also included dog sitting, but Buttercup had grown on him. So much so that the first thought he had after the snake jumped out at him was concern for his fluffy pal.
He had now moved on to concern for himself.
The puncture wounds on his lower calf had started to swell with bruising and redness, and so, so much pain. It was the type of searing pain that you couldn’t imagine until you were feeling it. This was bad.
He swayed in place as the dizziness tried to take him down, and TK almost gave in. But as much as his body was screaming for him to collapse, he knew he had to get inside to a phone and call for help before it was too late, before the venom took him over completely.
***
TK wasn’t answering his phone. Carlos was trying not to worry; most likely, he was taking a mid-afternoon nap or a long shower, some of his favorite day-off activities. He was a little insulted that TK hadn’t asked him to join. Would it be a clingy sucker move to stop over? Maybe TK was sending him a hint that he wanted some space? Carlos sent another text with a single red heart emoji, hoping that it conveyed everything that was in his mind.
Maybe he would swing by with some takeout. He could always just leave it on the doorstep if TK really didn’t want to see him, but who turned down a free meal? Carlos convinced himself that this was neither pathetic nor lonely, but instead sweet and romantic. RIght?
He heard the sound of barking from a few houses away. Something was wrong; Buttercup was never this upset. At least, he thought it was Buttercup because what other oversized dog would be throwing a fit at the Strands?
“Hello?”
Carlos rapped his knuckles against the door, but as he called out, his pulse only grew faster with each passing moment, and there was still no answer from TK and no respite from the barking. It was so loud he was certain that she had to be in the backyard or near an open window. Maybe she was hurt?
He moved around the side of the house towards the back gate, testing its lock before deciding to just hop over. He didn’t want to have to explain to Owen that he broke his fence down because he was worried.
Buttercup practically pounced on him as he swung his legs over the gate. Something had her excited, and Carlos was fairly certain it wasn’t his presence.
“Hello? TK?”
When he planted his feet to the ground, Buttercup stopped barking and started nudging him towards the back patio like a sheep dog.
“What do you want, girl? Oh, shit.” Carlos’s heart stopped as he saw TK sprawled across the lawn, halfway onto the pavement as if he was crawling towards the door.
“TK!” He dropped to his knees to feel his pulse, carefully flipping him over to make sure his airway wasn’t blocked. TK’s entire body was drowning in sweat; every couple of seconds, his limbs would begin spasming in something that didn’t look like any seizure Carelos had ever seen before.
That was when he saw the fang marks. Red and ugly against his skin, they had already made a bruise crawling up half his leg, now swollen to double the size it should be.
Immediately, Carlos pulled out his phone and dialed 9-1-1, scanning the yard for the snake that might have done this. The creature must have been long gone, scared away by Buttercup's barks, because it was clear.
“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”
“This is Officer Reyes of the APD. I need an ambulance immediately, there is an untreated snake bite, patient has lost consciousness.” Carlos did his best to channel his calm officer voice, but he knew that it cracked towards the end.
“Wait, Carlos?”
His eyebrows lifted in surprise as he recognized the operator on the other line. “Grace? It’s TK. We’re at Owen’s place.”
“Alright, baby, I dispatched a crew and they’re on their way. What can you tell me about the bite? How long ago was it?”
“I don’t know how long ago; I just found him. The wound is on his leg, it looks pretty bad, and…he’s shaking.”
“The most important thing you can do right now is make sure that his leg is lower than his heart. If he’s still on the ground, can you lift his torso up? Medics are just around the block.”
Carlos pulled TK’s upper half towards him and away from the ground. His eyes were still rolled to the back of his head, but he tried to take solace in the fact that he could still feel a heartbeat. Rapid, yes. But a heartbeat nonetheless.
He heard sirens approach and let himself breathe when the paramedics came through the gate, stretcher in hand.
“They’re here. Thank you, Grace.” Carlos made a mental note to buy her flowers or something, because her cool head might just have saved TK.
“I’m glad I could help, baby. Now I expect a call from the hospital for an update when you two arrive.”
“Of course.”
***
TK woke up in the ICU with a throbbing in his leg and tubes coming out of his arms. This must mean he made it in time?
“How are you feeling?” The whisper of concern came from the chair next to him, and Carlos’s presence washed over him like a calming wave.
“Like I got bit by a snake. How did you-?”
“Find you? I got worried when you weren’t answering. Then I heard Buttercup freaking out; she led me right to you.”
TK smiled. He knew that was a good dog. He shook his head. “So I never actually made it to the phone in time…I just lucked out to have the most concerned and badass boyfriend around.”
Carlos smirked before planting a peck on his forehead. “And a badass operator. Grace helped me know what to do while the ambulance arrived. She’s going to stop in after her shift to say hi.”
“And he’s humble? Get out of here,” TK laughed as he pulled Carlos in closer.
His day off may not have gone exactly like planned, but having Carlos an inch away from his face was where he wanted it to end up in the first place.
“Love you.”