"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.
