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."You putthose there, jackass."Woods smirked."Your word against mine, isn't it?"Gabe shut his mouth and looked away.Sean gritted his teeth and clutched the wheelchairhandles.Gabe could back talk anyone, but something about Woods took all the starch out ofhis lover. Your word against his and Trudy's and mine, jarhead.They sure do grow them big anddumb for the Corps, don't they? Sean's mouth ran on its own and he wanted to bite histongue.This was so not the time for inter-service rivalry. Sean, don't bother with this.this twatwaffle.He's not worth it. Woods scowled."The director's gone.Now get out of here.Or maybe next week it won'tbe your meds at all in that bottle." Woods let the threat hang there.Gabe tugged at his wheels."Let's go."Sean exhaled hard, trying to get a leash on his tongue.It kept running anyway."It mustfeel nice to kick folks while they're down.Maybe you should re-enlist.Bet they could use youin Abu Gharib or Gitmo." He turned Gabe's chair for the door and added one of his ownweapons."I'm blogging this." Sean stepped outside quickly, slamming the door before Woodscould get another word out.On the way to Kim's, Gabe sighed."Such a jerk."Sean still gripped the handles too hard."He's a fucking menace.This is getting reportedjust as fast as I can.""Let's just go home.I'm wiped.That was enough for the day. "No can do, Master Yoda.The cupboards are bare.But I'll make it quick.What're wehaving?" he asked when they got into the warm store."Soup? I'm freezing."Sean steered him to the magazine rack."I'll be right back.It's only going to be semi-homemade."Gabe shook out the quilt and looked over the magazines.Sean headed back to thebutcher section.There was a nice soup bone in the reduced section, which made his day alittle brighter.He bought an onion, a bunch of celery, some carrots and potatoes, a bag ofnoodles, then two cans of vegetable beef soup, a can of beef noodle and one of cream ofmushroom.They could have soup for a couple of days running.He grabbed a box of biscuitmix to make things go a little farther.They might eke out three days.He had enough to cover it and Chin-sun gave him a smile.Gabe looked almost back tonormal when Sean had finished checking out.70 Once home, Sean put the bone in their biggest pan and added as much water as he could.He cut up half the carrots and celery and all the onions.He added a tablespoon of vinegar tohelp leach the calcium from the bone into the broth.Gabe wheeled in on his skateboard as Sean sat down to peel and cut potatoes."How long?I'm starved.""It's only eleven, babe.I can make you a sandwich and some cocoa." Getting a nod fromGabe, Sean put down the potatoes and started the kettle.He scooped the mix into the cupsand made sandwiches while the water boiled.They would need peanut butter by the end ofthe week.When Gabe reached up to boost himself into a chair, Sean saw the bruise again on hisarm.He flipped back Gabe's floppy sleeve and stared at it under the merciless kitchen light.Itwas getting darker as some time had passed."Goddamn Woods," he growled, getting angry all over again.Gabe covered up the bruise as quickly as he could get his hand out of Sean's."I don't need to be protected.Don't get any ideas.""Let me get the pictures and send it to the clinic and DHS.We have to report this.""No." Gabe hid behind the cocoa cup.Sean waited until he came up for air."The best thing to do is get him fired.You weregung-ho for it earlier.""I'd love to have him fired.But not by me being a crybaby."Sean looked very stern."Gabriel, he left bruises.That's not you being a crybaby.If I didthat, the cops would be down on me for partner abuse.How is taking a picture of bruises,saying Woods did this and we have a witness, being a crybaby?""And what will Woods say it was? I'll tell you, me being a big baby and blaming him whenI probably dropped my whiny fag ass out of the wheelchair."Sean slammed his cocoa cup onto the table."Enough.Stop defending that asshole.I don'tgive a good goddamn what he says happened.I know what I heard and I bet Trudy saw mostof it.""Some of it," Gabe admitted.Sean got up.As he hunted for the cheap digital camera he'd bought back during theAcademy, he debated the next approach.There was a time for placating and a time forordering things done.He expected Gabe was still enough in the placating mindset fromWoods that he could get away with ordering
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