Page 20 of Help Me Remember
Eric snorted softly as we walked down the sidewalk toward the parking lot where he always parked. It was only half a block from the clinic, but the streetlights weren’t reliable, and I was glad I’d decided to walk with him. “Because hospitals are expensive, and a lot of people around here don’t have the insurance to go to one. We get plenty of donations from the city and private donors. It’s not a huge amount, but it’s enough that we can deal with people when they’re badly hurt…though sometimes we have to send them to the ER.”
“Is this job really worth putting yourself in danger?” I asked, glancing toward the parking lot and the small alley nearby. My eyes latched on as I spotted shadowy movement but I couldn’t make out what or who it was.
“Of course it is,” Eric said, pulling out his keys. “It means I can help people who need it. Maybe people aren’t always appreciative, but that’s more about them than me. I do this to help, and I can help.”
“Careful,” I said, nodding toward the shapes near the mouth of the alley.
“Who is that?” Eric asked after a minute, squinting in the direction I’d indicated.
“You’d know better than I do,” I said, slowing down. “But I don’t think it’d be a good idea to get too close.”
“Yes, thank you, Dylan,” Eric said dryly. “I wanted to go close to the people lurking in the dark alley.”
“Is that…?” I muttered, making out four shapes, three of which stood tall while the fourth was hunched over.
“What is it?” Eric asked.
I heard a soft, pleading sound and immediately recognized Mr. Reyes’ gruff voice, though I had never heard it sound so wary and worried.
“Hey!” I called, walking faster.
“Dylan,” Eric said in a low, warning voice.
I ignored him, walking toward the trio. “I said, hey!”
The one with his back to me finally turned around and eyed me in annoyance. His eyes flickered to Eric behind me, and he hesitated. “Oh…hey.”
“Ryan?” Eric asked in surprise. “What…oh no, please tell me you didn’t get back with your old crew.”
Ryan, who appeared to be the leader of this shit brigade, hesitated, glancing over his shoulder toward his buddies and the frightened old man they’d been harassing. I wasn’t blind, and I saw the shame that rippled over his face before being quickly replaced by the hardness of sheer determination.
“Mind your own business, E,” Ryan growled roughly, then looked at me sharply. “You too, this ain’t—”
“It is,” I said, jabbing a finger at Mr. Reyes. “That’s a good man who doesn’t need your shit, so it is my business.”
“Ryan,” Eric said in a soft, pleading voice. “You told me time and time again you were done with this. You’re better than this, man. You aren’t anyone’s errand boy.”
“This your old boyfriend, Ry-Ry?” one of the man’s buddies asked, leering at Eric and me. “Didn’t know you swung that way.”
“I don’t,” Ryan snapped with sudden ferocity.
“Shoulda told us,” the second man said, reaching down to grab his junk and squeeze. “I might’ve let you have a taste if I was desperate enough.”
The first man wrinkled his nose. “Christ, are ya both fags?”
“You get horny enough, a mouth is a mouth,” the second one mouthed off with an equal sneer.
“Just go,” Ryan warned with a sharp wave.
“Sure,” I said, stepping closer and reaching out toward Mr. Reyes. “C’mon, let’s get out of here.”
Ryan stepped closer, and I immediately looked him over, ready for him to make a move. “I said—”
“So did I,” I snapped, realizing his friends were already moving away from the older man, quietly circling around to reach my flanks. “He’s coming with me, one way or another.”
“Don’t do this,” Ryan warned me, one hand stealing toward his waist.
“Dylan,” Eric warned, his voice tinged with something that wasn’t quite fear, but I could hear the tension thick in his voice. For all his faith and hope in people, he wasn’t blind to the danger around him.