Do These Tacos Taste Funny to You?
Whumptober 2020 prompts: No 22. DO THESE TACOS TASTE FUNNY TO YOU? (Poisoned), No 25. I THINK I'LL JUST COLLAPSE RIGHT HERE (Blurred Vision | Ringing Ears), No 29. I THINK I NEED A DOCTOR (Emergency Room), No 30. NOW WHERE DID THAT COME FROM? (Wound Reveal), Alt 5. Stoic Whumpee
Sam whump.
Tito's Taco Truck
Starving, having missed breakfast because he was running late and lunch when Ed made him run the stairs in the shoot house for being thirty minutes late to workout, Sam plowed through the tacos, essentially inhaling the first six. He paused as he reached for his seventh as Jules eyed him. "What, I'm hungry."
Jules chuckled as she sipped her water. "Those smell awful. Did you even taste anything you ate?"
Mumbling with a full mouth of taco, Sam said, "Un-huh. Good."
Shaking her head, Jules rose. "Doubt it. I'll be back in a moment." She headed back to their SUV to grab one of her tea packets to add to the water bottle. Smiling as she strolled, Jules was glad they were patrolling today and had an opportunity to stop by Tito's Taco Truck outside the civic center.
Food trucks never appealed to her, especially after getting sick after eating BBQ from one about a year ago. Sam, on the other hand, he liked a good deal when it came to filling his stomach. He spotted Tito's sign offering fifty-cent tacos and begged her to pull over, claiming he wouldn't take long. Well, with as fast as he ate, he spoke the truth.
Sam downed half his water bottle as he watched Jules's hips sway … yeah, he liked patrolling with his Sexy Sniper Chick. Returning his attention to his taco, Sam gulped down the seventh … not really tasting anything as Jules surmised. When Jules headed back towards him, Sam took a bite of his last taco and his face scrunched. Reaching for a napkin, he spat out the disgusting mouthful into the paper.
Jules approached, and quipped, "What, not done yet? Thought you'd be ordering seconds by now."
Holding out the taco to Jules, Sam asked, "Here, try this, do these tacos taste funny you?"
Her lip curled as she stepped back. "I'm not eating that … I don't do food truck food."
"Think this one is bad … tasted weird."
Jules's brows arched. "And you wanted me to take a bite? Trying to poison me? Remember the BBQ?"
Sam had the grace to appear abashed, recalling holding a very ill Jules as she prayed to the porcelain god all night long—not something he ever wanted her to repeat. "No. Sorry. Wasn't thinking." He tossed the uneaten portion into the box his order came in along with the napkin.
"Guess I'm ready to go now." Sam stood and chucked his trash in the barrel before finishing off his water and making a two-point swish of the empty container after reaching the SUV.
"Show off," Jules teased.
"Hey, when ya got the skills …" Sam flashed her a WOW smile before hopping in the passenger side and communicating with Winnie they were back in service.
No sooner had Jules sat behind the steering wheel than Winnie's voice came over their headsets. "Team One, hot call. Hostage situation in the main ballroom of the civic center."
"Boss, Sam and I are outside … want us to go in or wait for the rest of the team?"
Greg trotted to the garage with Ed as he said, "Be our eyes … but wait before you make any moves."
As Jules talked to Boss, and they listened to few details Winnie gleaned from the 911 call, Sam slipped out and to the back of the vehicle to obtain their MP5s and a shield. Once he closed the hatch, Jules locked the doors and they rushed into the building.
Civic Center Conference Room
Sam stood rock solid as Jules stayed behind him with her hand on his shoulder while she negotiated with the distraught woman. Things rapidly moved forward after they appeared in the room, and though Boss wanted them to wait, they had to act fast to prevent death. Unfortunately, the action he had to take meant he had to drop the shield, so now he used only his body to protect Jules.
The last half-hour became a grueling test of his constitution and this couldn't end soon enough for him. Sam didn't dare move or he risked escalating the subject. So far no one was hurt by her and he intended to keep it that way as Jules worked to connect with the armed woman and talk her into laying the gun down.
Although Boss tried to interject himself into the scene when he and the guys arrived, that only caused the crazy lady to aim the pistol at the closest man and tell Boss if he didn't go away, she would start killing men. So, in this case, Jules was their only chance of reaching a non-lethal outcome.
Sweat beaded his forehead and his arm ached from having to maintain a steady aim of his MP5 at the volatile subject, but at least he didn't also need to hold the shield. The reason he needed this to end, and quick is his stomach burned and roiled as he fought the desire to hurl … swallowing saliva often. As bothersome as that was, the occasional blurring of his vision and the constant ringing in his ears from the single, loud gunshot worried him more.
Increasing nausea took his mind back to the nasty tasting taco and Sam wondered if he ended up with food poisoning. Wouldn't that give Jules a laugh … she warned me many times about the cleanliness of those trucks. When the bile started to rise again, Sam fought like hell to stop it … Jules's life and the hostages too depended on him remaining stoic and maintaining control over bodily functions that well, functioned without his input … and his gut wanted to get rid of the foul fish he consumed.
With both ears still ringing, Sam found it difficult to hear the details Spike whispered to Jules, and quiet guidance Boss provided her, so he zoned in on their subject. Digging deep into his soldier training, Sam determined to protect the woman he loved. If he bent over and hurled now, the wild-eyed woman, who Sam believed might be on drugs based on her erratic behavior, might start firing again. The one thing he counted on, if god forbid he did ralph, and she did shoot … Ed would take the Scorpio shot.
Taking a moment to process what Boss told her as Spike searched for the piece of data she needed, Jules noticed Sam swaying a bit, and felt the sweat on his shirt. The room was air-conditioned so he shouldn't be perspiring—though he was only protected by his vest, so yeah, maybe a little sweat was expected. She cringed at the situation that caused him to lose their shield … he dropped it to save her from being shot when she revealed herself to stop the little boy from entering the room.
Sam tackled her and rolled and when he gained his feet, aiming the subject, she moved behind him to engage with the disturbed female. Luckily the round missed her and the little boy, and Sam told her no harm when she asked him if he got hit.
Spike provided her the last bit of info, and Jules said, "Carrie, we found Dennis … I need you to put the weapon down … then you can go to him."
The gun dropped to the ground as the woman sobbed. The whole situation made no sense to Jules, but at least it ended. Carrie would be receiving a psych eval and a drug test.
As Wordy and Ed rushed in to secure the weapon and subject, Jules patted Sam's shoulder and blew out a long breath. "I didn't think that would work."
Sam pivoted and marched out of the room, leaving a confused Jules staring at his back.
Jules let him go … aware he might need a moment after being face-to-face with a gun for over a half-hour.
Greg smiled at Jules as he approached. "Great job."
"Thanks. How did you know she would give up when I mentioned Dennis?"
"It was a hunch … glad it worked. Where'd Sam go?" Greg watched as Wordy led a sobbing Carrie out of the room.
"For some air, I think. He was sweating more than normal." Jules puffed out another breath, fluttering her bangs.
"Why didn't Sam have a shield?" Ed demanded.
Jules eyed their TL. "My fault. I tried to stop a boy from going in, and Carrie spotted me. Sam saved my life when she fired towards me."
Ed nodded. "We'll talk this through in debrief."
Spotting Inspector Stainton, Greg said, "Why don't you go find Sam, while I hand the scene over to Stainton for mop up."
Civic Center Mens' Room
Sam barely made it to the bathroom stall before his meal made an unappetizing reappearance. Bent over the toilet, pain rippled through his gut with each heave. He spat when the last of it came up, then pulled a wad of paper off the roll to blow his nose before flushing the evidence of his stupidity down the toilet. Jules would tell him … I told you so. Never trust food trucks.
Though he wanted to sit on the floor and do nothing, Sam knew the team would come looking for him if he took too much longer. It was near the end of their shift, and all he needed to do was make it through debrief before he could go home and spend the night on his restroom floor.
Exiting the stall, he wavered as his vision blurred again and a heavy lethargy cloaked him. He made it to the sink, rinsed his mouth, and splashed water on his face. After drying off … Sam leaned on the counter and pressed his stomach, willing it to stop churning … and hurting.
He'd been deliberately poisoned once during a mission and experienced food poisoning once when he and Matt were MPs, and his gut hurt as much now as both those times combined. Pulling on his stoic mask, the one he used when he first joined SRU, Sam took slow steps to the door, glad at least the ringing in his ears subsided enough for him to hear properly.
Civic Center Main Hall
"There you are," Jules's smile faded as she took in Sam's pallor. "Are you alright?"
Sam tried to focus on Jules, but her image swam before him as he pressed on his stomach. Intense pain shot through his gut and he let out a groan.
Ed spotted Sam and caught the groan as he approached. "Samo, you okay?"
Turning towards Ed, Sam tried to cope with the waves of pain, but they became overwhelming. As his knees started to buckle, he said, "No. I think I'll just collapse right here." He hit the ground a second before Ed could catch him.
Jules dropped beside her boyfriend in the next instant and her eyes widened as she noted crimson seeping between his fingers. "Sam, you're bleeding."
Sam lifted his hand and stared at the blood, confused. His tone thoroughly stunned, he muttered, "Where did that come from? I think I need a doctor."
"No shit, Sherlock!" Ed tugged at Sam's damp, black shirt once he noted a hole in the fabric just below where the vest ended. Ripping off the buttons, Ed revealed a small-caliber wound still oozing blood. "Why the hell didn't you tell me you got shot?"
Jules rocked back to her heels, staggered by Sam's stoic nature. He protected her the whole time he was bleeding and in pain and he didn't say a damned thing. Anger burst forth, but before she could lambast him for being utterly idiotic, Spike appeared with a pressure bandage and Sam moaned, further worrying her.
"Gonna puke." Sam rolled to this side when Spike press on his stomach and began heaving. The only silver lining in his embarrassment is that he disgorged the entire contents only minutes ago so nothing else came up.
Jules softened, her anger ebbing as Sam's pain became pronounced. She shifted to hold his head as Ed supported his shoulders.
Greg hurried over at the same time Wordy rushed toward the team. Both overheard everything on their headsets.
"EMS will be here in five minutes," Wordy said as peered down at Sam. When Sam rolled to his back again, he asked, "Were you aware you got shot?"
Grimacing, Sam shook his head.
"How could you not know?" Spike asked, worry adorning his features.
"Thought the pain in my gut was the fish tacos. They tasted funny. Reminded me of when I got food poisoning," Sam confessed softly. Though he now realized his blurry vision must've been due to blood loss … not poisoning.
"And you still ate them?" Greg's incredulous tone reflected the sentiment of all the guys.
Jules rested Sam's head on her thighs as she stroked his hair. "To be fair, he was so hungry after Ed kept him from eating lunch, he inhaled seven before he ever tasted them. You know how fast he can eat."
Ed groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Samo would always be a challenge … though Ed should've known not to make him miss lunch, he'd only been ticked off about Sam coming in late and wanted to make a point, so it didn't happen again.
As the paramedics converged on them, they all stood and stepped back, giving them room to work on their patient.
Turning to Ed, Greg said, "I need to update Stainton … Sam being shot by the subject changes things a bit. We'll hold debrief tomorrow. I'll join you all at the hospital when I can." Lowering his voice, he added, "Make sure you talk to Jules … she needs to know this isn't her fault. They both did their duty, and bad things happen sometimes."
Nodding, Ed glanced at Jules, noting her eyes fixated on Sam as the medics lifted him to the gurney. Though surprised the chief sanctioned them being on the same team while dating, he was impressed by how professional they remained. If that were Sophie, he wouldn't be as calm as Jules. "Yeah, okay. I'll make sure she gets the message, but we know her … guilt will ride her for a while."
Greg grinned. "Sam will ensure she doesn't drown in guilt." Turning back to the daughter of his heart, he said, "Jules, give Wordy the keys to your SUV. Go with Sam."
She didn't need to be told twice. Jules shoved the keychain into Wordy's hand and followed the medics.
Spike shook his head in disbelief. "Still can't believe he thought a GSW was food poisoning. I hope he's gonna be alright."
Wordy draped an arm over Spike's shoulders. "He will … he's Samtastic."
.
This is for Victoria-Annxx since she asked so nicely for another Sam story.
YEAH! I finished my latest novel in time to play during Whumptober. Been heads down for the past six months working on BREAKPOINTS Slow Spiral Down, the 11th book in the Beauty of Life series ... and I'm happy to announce it is now available.
If you're interested in the novel ... you can enter getbook. at/breakpoints (remove the space between . and at) in your browser to go to the Amazon page for BREAKPOINTS, or go to my website lauraactonauthor. com (remove the space between the . and com) to sign up for my email notifications, and to see sneak peeks of books in the works.
Looking forward to writing a few more whump FF stories before focusing on my next book in the Strike Force Zulu series ... Wounded Honor.