diff --git a/server/client.go b/server/client.go
index 456bc438..802b5d37 100644
--- a/server/client.go
+++ b/server/client.go
@@ -1008,10 +1008,19 @@ func (c *client) writeLoop() {
 
 // flushClients will make sure to flush any clients we may have
 // sent to during processing. We pass in a budget as a time.Duration
-// for how much time to spend in place flushing for this client. This
-// will normally be called in the readLoop of the client who sent the
-// message that now is being delivered.
+// for how much time to spend in place flushing for this client.
 func (c *client) flushClients(budget time.Duration) time.Time {
+	return c.flushClientsWithCheck(budget, false)
+}
+
+// flushClientsWithCheck will make sure to flush any clients we may have
+// sent to during processing. We pass in a budget as a time.Duration
+// for how much time to spend in place flushing for this client.
+// The 'clientsKindOnly' boolean indicates whether to check kind of client
+// and pending client to run flushOutbound in flushClientsWithCheck.
+// flushOutbound() could block the caller up to the write deadline when
+// the receiving client cannot drain data from the socket fast enough.
+func (c *client) flushClientsWithCheck(budget time.Duration, clientsKindOnly bool) time.Time {
 	last := time.Now().UTC()
 
 	// Check pending clients for flush.
@@ -1032,7 +1041,7 @@ func (c *client) flushClients(budget time.Duration) time.Time {
 			continue
 		}
 
-		if budget > 0 && cp.out.lft < 2*budget && cp.flushOutbound() {
+		if budget > 0 && (!clientsKindOnly || c.kind == CLIENT && cp.kind == CLIENT) && cp.out.lft < 2*budget && cp.flushOutbound() {
 			budget -= cp.out.lft
 		} else {
 			cp.flushSignal()
@@ -1184,7 +1193,7 @@ func (c *client) readLoop(pre []byte) {
 		}
 
 		// Flush, or signal to writeLoop to flush to socket.
-		last := c.flushClients(budget)
+		last := c.flushClientsWithCheck(budget, true)
 
 		// Update activity, check read buffer size.
 		c.mu.Lock()