Through the Rain

Chapter 2

Justin saw bright flashes of red and blue through his eyelids, and slowly let them flutter open. He felt so weak, so drained. A blonde paramedic was running towards them, concern spreading over her features. She looked like Lindsay. Justin blinked, choking back another sob.

"Were you the only ones in the vehicle?" She asked Justin, shining her flashlight over them, illuminating the pouring rain. Justin winced and shook his head.

"Two more. They're dead." Even saying it, Justin didn't believe it. They couldn't be. She nodded grimly.

"You guys look pretty bad. You were lucky to get out." The paramedic motioned for assistance and turned back to Justin.

"It's mostly me. He doesn't look like he's hurt physically." Gus was whimpering into Justin's shoulder, his body still shaking with tremors.

"I'll take him and get him checked out while someone looks you over." The paramedic slipped her hands around Gus's waist and tried to pull him away from Justin. The boy let out a scream of terror and grabbed onto Justin's hair. He yelped in pain and surprise.

"Gus, you need to go with the nice lady so she can make sure you're alright," Justin said softly, smoothing his hands down Gus's back.

"No! No, no, no! I'm not leaving Jus'n! No!" Gus screamed, shaking his head back and forth. He wouldn't remove his face from Justin's neck, and he could feel Gus's hot tears soaking his skin. Justin's features hardened.

"I'm going where he goes," Justin said adamantly.

"Sir, you have lost so much blood. It's amazing you're still conscious. You need serious medical attention."

"Then Gus is coming with me."

"Is there anyone else close to the boy that we could call? He could come to the scene and take care of Gus while we treat you." Justin furrowed his brows thoughtfully. Whoever they called would find out Mel and Linds were dead. He didn't know who to call. Only one name came to mind.

"You can call his father. Brian Kinney."

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Brian sat at his computer, eyes red and scratchy from too many hours in front of the glowing monitor. All the campaigns started to blur together, swirls of colors and slogans. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes.

"There's no rest for the wicked," he muttered to himself. He spun around in his chair, letting his eyes sweep over the loft. He hated to admit it, but he had missed Pittsburgh. Six months in New York City to help organize and establish a new branch for their firm had seemed like a dream, but it wasn't where he belonged.

He got out of his chair and padded across the hardwood floor, enjoying the feel of it under his bare feet. He absently rubbed his stomach. He felt uneasy, on edge, and he had no clue why.

He leaned against the counter and poured himself a glass of Beam. One gulp flooded his mouth and burned its way down his throat. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand and jumped when the phone rang.

He looked over at the offending object, suddenly afraid of it. He strode over to it and picked it up apprehensively.

"Hello?" He asked gruffly.

"Mr. Kinney?"A delicate female voice asked. Brian's heart sped up.

"Yes?"

"My name is Ashley Connelly. I'm a paramedic for the Pittsburgh Fire Department. I'm afraid I have some bad news."

Brian gripped the edge of the counter and gulped. He heard rain pouring down in the background, as well as sirens and shouts.   "What is it?"

"There has been an accident. Your friends Melanie Marcus and Lindsay Peterson were traveling with your son and a family friend, Justin Taylor." Brian felt tears spring to his eyes. He knew what was coming, and he didn't think he could handle it. "The rain made conditions on the back road they were traveling on very dangerous. They spun out and collided with the center divider head on at high speed. Ms. Marcus and Ms. Peterson didn't make it. I'm so sorry, sir."

Brian slid to the floor, his bare back burning with the friction as it slid along the wood. Tears flowed down his cheeks and the phone slipped from his hand. Lindsay couldn't be gone. Not his best friend, not the mother of his child. His child. She hadn't said anything about Gus. He scrambled for the phone and brought it back to his ear.

"What about Gus? Is Gus ok?"

"Gus seems fine physically, Mr. Kinney. Mr. Taylor took most of the damage, but he got Gus out of the vehicle safely before it caught fire."Mr. Taylor? Who the fuck was Mr. Taylor?

"Who is Mr. Taylor?"

"He says he was a good friend of the deceased, sir. He is Gus's babysitter. Gus won't leave his side. We need to treat Mr. Taylor. He has lost a dangerous amount of blood and it is very important that we get him to the hospital as soon as we can. Gus won't let go of him. I want to know if you can come to the scene and try to calm Gus and take over with him so we can treat Mr. Taylor."

"I'll be there as soon as I can. Tell me where to go." Brian was already up and getting dressed. He pushed his pain to the back of his mind for now, a well-developed trick. His son needed him now, and that was all that mattered.

The paramedic gave him directions and he pulled on his long coat as he ran out the door. Once he was sitting in the driver's seat of his jeep, he let himself go. Sobs ripped through his lips and he slammed his hands against the steering wheel. The pain overtaking him was like nothing he had ever experienced. Lindsay was always a constant in his life. Always there, never questioning, always loving him. She was his best friend, his mentor, his student, and a significant part of his life. He couldn't imagine life without her.

He screamed, letting out his anger and frustration. He took a deep breath and wiped his eyes with the palms of his hands. He put the key in the ignition with shaky fingers and drove off, towards his son.

He turned onto Bell Road, inching along in the rain. He saw blue and red lights, a dark omen of what lie ahead. He saw Mel and Lind's station wagon smashed into the cement divider. The hood was smashed back to the windshield. Firefighters were at the door, trying to pry it open. Brian pulled over, sobs overcoming his body once more.

Melanie and Lindsay were in there, dead. Brian turned off the car and hit the steering wheel again. He closed his eyes and opened them again when he no longer heard rain on the roof of his car. He opened his aching hazel eyes again. The rain had stopped.

He got out of his car and walked towards the ambulance, walking in a wide circle to avoid the wrecked hunk of metal housing the dead bodies of two of his best friends. He and Mel had never really gotten along, but he never expected her to die. It stung him just as bad.

He rounded the ambulance and saw a young blonde boy cradling his Gus. They were sitting on the sidewalk, soaked to the bone. As he approached he saw the vast amount of blood staining their bodies. He was soaked in it. Gus was soaked in it. Brian felt himself go pale.

He clutched the side of the ambulance to keep himself steady. He felt sick to his stomach and swallowed back the bile that was rising in his throat. A young blonde paramedic walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Mr. Kinney?" He recognized her timid voice from the phone.

"Ms. Connelly. Tell me what to do." Brian pleaded. His mind was fogged, clouded with distress. The paramedic led him over to the two figures huddled together.

"Justin, Mr. Kinney is here." The blond looked up and Brian found himself staring into the biggest, bluest, saddest eyes he had ever seen. They were glazed over with pain, and his already alabaster skin was frighteningly pale.

"Brian? I'm sorry we couldn't meet under better circumstances." Brian meekly nodded his head.

"There's so much blood. Is any of it Gus's?"

"No," Justin shook his head and wavered as he grew closer to losing consciousness. "It's all mine."

"You need to get to the hospital." Brian dropped to his knees and placed his hand on Gus's back. "He's shaking so much."

"He's in shock, Mr. Kinney," the paramedic explained. "We can only get a response out of him if we try to remove him from Mr. Taylor."

"Gus," Justin nudged the boy's forehead with his chin. "Gus, your daddy is here. Can you go with your daddy so the doctor can take care of me?" Brian tried to lift his son from the blonde's lap. Gus screamed in protest and scrambled into Justin's lap. He blanched from the pain. Brian noticed most of the blood seemed to be coming from his stomach.

"Gus, listen to me," Brian whispered to him soothingly. "Justin is really hurt, and he needs to go to the doctor. We'll ride with him to the hospital, but you need to let go of him so the doctors can fix him up. I'm here, Gus. Can I hold you so they can fix Justin?" The frightened boy looked up into a matching pair of hazel eyes.

"Jus'n broken?" He asked softly.

"Yes Gussy, Justin is broken." Brian replied. He glanced up at Justin and noticed he looked very out of it. He found himself feeling very protective of the young man that had saved his son's life. "But if you come with me, the doctors will fix Justin. Ok?" The toddler nodded and loosened his grip from Justin's battered body. He held his arms out to his father, who quickly gathered him into his strong arms. His skin was freezing to the touch, and Justin's blood stained Brian's clothing.

As soon as Gus was out of his grasp, Justin fainted. His body slumped over and his eyes rolled back in his head. Ashley and three other paramedics worked to put him on a stretcher, shouting orders to each other. Brian grew even more worried as he saw Justin lose consciousness. They rolled him towards the ambulance and Brian followed, Gus's face buried in his neck.

"We're going with you. I don't want to hear any arguments," Brian stated strongly. The paramedics nodded and lifted Justin into the ambulance. Brian dared a glance over at the mangled car. They had cut off the passenger side door, and he spotted a body bag on the ground near the car. He swallowed hard and climbed into the ambulance, feeling a need to protect this man his son was so attached to.

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