The Good Samaritan
A modern AU Musketeers story by Deana

My entry in the 'Fete des Mousquetaires' contest for November!

Sorry, I accidentally re-posted 'Just Thinking' and MissRedhead PMd me to let me know! Whoops!

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Aramis wished that he'd never gotten out of bed.

First, he'd woken with a migraine that had grown worse and worse as he got ready for work. He'd taken Tylenol but completely forgot to take his thyroid pill until he was just walking out the door. He mentally kicked himself, knowing that he had to wait at least an hour after taking it before he could eat breakfast, which was why he always took it the second he got out of bed.

Five minutes after leaving, he realized something else…he'd forgotten his cell phone.

Muttering under his breath, Aramis had turned around and headed back towards home. He drove faster than he should've, so when his left back tire suddenly blew, his car swerved and he hit the brakes and turned the wheel, which spun his car around in a circle before it stopped.

Eyes wide open, Aramis gasped with shock, unable to believe that he hadn't hit anything; not a pole, not a car, not a person. He sat there in a daze for a minute, unable to move…until his migraine reacted to the unexpected incident.

With a groan, Aramis closed his eyes as pain thumped through the right side of his head, as if there was a heart beating inside it. He raised a hand to cover his eyes, not noticing the sound of someone walking over to his car.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Aramis lowered his hand, automatically reaching for his gun until he realized that the concerned man looking at him didn't appear to be a threat. "I'm fine," he replied.

The man looked skeptical. "You don't look it. Your tire blew."

"I know," Aramis told him. He reached for the door handle to get out of the car, but winced when his headache increased again.

"Did you hit your head when you spun out?" the man asked.

Aramis sighed. "No, I have a migraine."

"Stay in the car," said the stranger. "I'll change the tire for you."

Aramis was surprised. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I'm the Good Samaritan," the man said. "Pop the trunk."

Aramis was surprised, to say the least. Despite his headache, he opened his door and got out, and finally realized why this random stranger was being so helpful.

A van was parked behind his car…a CVS Samaritan van.

Aramis covered his eyes for a moment. "Oh, am I dense," he remarked.

The man laughed. "No, you're in pain and just narrowly escaped an accident. I'll change your tire; it's my job, after all." He stuck out his hand. "Jim Cabrera."

Aramis shook it. "Aramis d'Herblay, and thank you, I appreciate it."

"I recognize your name," said Cabrera. "You're an NYPD detective, right?"

Aramis nodded. "Yes."

"I'm even gladder to help a police officer," Cabrera told him. "Pop the trunk?"

Aramis reached into his car and hit the button, watching as the man took out his spare tire.

"This is one heck of a fancy Camaro," Cabrera remarked.

Aramis smiled. "2016, with the black accent package."

Cabrera nodded. "I've seen a few…it definitely looks best in the color red."

Aramis nodded. "My thoughts exactly!" He squinted his eyes against the sunlight, wishing that it had been a cloudy day. He walked over and sat on the curb, leaning against a pole and closing his eyes.

"Aramis!"

He'd dozed off and tuned out the traffic noise, so Aramis didn't notice the sound of a vehicle parking in front of his Camaro. He opened his eyes to see Porthos and Athos heading towards him.

"What happened?!" Porthos exclaimed.

"My tire blew," Aramis told him.

"Are you hurt?" Athos asked.

Aramis winced. "No, but I have a migraine so please keep your voices down!"

"How bad is it?" Porthos quietly asked as he sat beside him. "And why is your car facing the wrong direction?"

Aramis sighed. "I've had worse. I forgot my phone, so turned around to get it."

The others weren't surprised; when Aramis had a migraine, it always discombobulated him into forgetting things.

"Did you remember to take your pill?" Athos asked.

"Yes," Aramis told him, leaving out the fact that it was an hour late. He rubbed his forehead against the pulsing throbs, looking up when Cabrera started walking over to them.

"All set," Cabrera said.

Aramis and the others stood. "Thank you very much; I could never have changed it myself with this headache."

Cabrera smiled. "Anytime, that's what we're here for!" He shook their hands, got into his van, and left.

"Come on," Porthos said to Aramis. "I'll drive you home for your phone. You should stay there though, actually. A computer screen at work won't help your head."

Aramis hesitated, considering it since the Tylenols hadn't helped the pain at all.

Porthos had a blast driving the Camaro, and the three men headed up to Aramis' apartment.

"You're stayin', right?" Porthos said.

Aramis sighed. His head felt like there was a heart beating inside it.

"Your silence is your answer," said Athos. He took Aramis' arm and pulled him into his bedroom, making him sit on the bed.

Porthos found his phone and brought it to him before going back into the kitchen. He returned with a tray containing three bottles of water, the bottle of Tylenol, a package of cookies, and a big bowl of Lucky Charms. "Lie down and rest. We'll bring takeout after work."

Aramis chuckled and reclined against the headboard, taking the bowl of cereal. "Thank you."

Porthos nodded and put the rest of the stuff on the nightstand.

"I texted the captain," said Athos. "He has no problem with you staying home."

Aramis wasn't surprised. "Thank him for me."

"We will," said Porthos. "Text us if you need anything."

"Thanks," said Aramis, with a mouth full of cereal.

His two friends left, and Aramis finished his cereal before putting the bowl on the nightstand. He laid down flat and found with relief that the Tylenols were finally starting to help the pain. Closing his eyes, he dozed off before waking again when an idea popped into his head.

Aramis picked up his phone and turned on the screen, wincing when the light blasted his eyes. He quickly lowered the brightness before googling 'CVS Samaritan' and clicking 'leave review'.

A big 'thank you' to Samaritan Jim Cabrera. My tire blew today, but I have a migraine and could not have changed the tire myself. As a police detective, I'm used to rescuing people, and it was refreshing to be rescued when I was the one who needed help. Thank you Jim, for showing the same compassion as the original Good Samaritan.

Aramis clicked 'submit review', put his phone down, and went to sleep, glad to know that there were still good people in the world.

THE END