No More Time

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Brian hung up the phone, his brow furrowed and a look of concern on his face. All he was getting from Mel’s phone was that damn recording. Brian dialed the number to Lindsay’s house. He didn’t want to alarm her, but something was wrong. “Hello.”

“Hey, Linds. It’s me.”

“Brian. How’s Justin? Is everything going ok?”

“Yeah,” Brian lied, hoping his voice didn’t betray the truth. “Umm, have you talked to Mel lately? She said she was going to call me this morning, but I haven’t heard  from her. Something about Ethan.”

“No. Brian, what’s going on? Carl called here looking for her, too. I’m  starting to get worried.”

“It’s probably nothing. She may have got hung up at the courthouse or had car trouble. If you hear from her, have her call me. I’ll do the same.  Try not to worry.”

“How about if Gus and I come over there for a visit. Is Justin up to it?”

“Don’t come over here, Linds.” It was more of an order than a request. If there was a chance that Ethan was stalking around, he certainly didn’t want Lindsay and his son in  the middle of things. “I mean, Justin’s still tired, and I don’t think he’s ready for a two year old bouncing on him. Maybe in a day or two?”

With a sigh, Lindsay agreed and reminded Brian to call when he heard from  Mel, then hung up.

Justin was still asleep, tangled in the dark blue sheet. Brian decided to join him. If they couldn’t go for a walk, spending time in bed together was the best alternative.

Justin turned from his stomach to his right side and put his arm over Brian’s chest and snuggled closer to his lover. But something wasn’t right. He felt a warm stickiness on his arm. “Brian?” No answer. He opened his eyes. Brian’s chest was covered with blood and Ethan was standing next to the bed with a large knife in his hand.

“Now, you can never have him, J. You have to come back to me.”

Justin sat up, horrified at the site. “Nooo. What did you do? Brian, Brian,” he screamed as tears ran down his face.

Brian was instantly awake as Justin’s screams penetrated his sleep. “Justin, Baby, wake up. I’mright here. Justin, it’s a dream. Come on, Baby, wake up.”

Justin slowly opened his eyes as Brian’s voice brought him from his  nightmare. “Bri...an.” He sobbed, and grabbed Brian around his waist. “Ethan was here. He had a knife and he stabbed you, there was blood all over. I saw him.”

Brian tightened his hold on the trembling blonde. “Shhh, I’m fine. Ethan’s  not here. It was a nightmare, Justin. I’m fine. Look. He’s not going to hurt you, or me.” He continued to comfort Justin with his words and caresses until he stopped crying.  In his mind,  Brian cursed Ethan, like he cursed Chris Hobbs, for causing Justin this kind of pain. The emotional  pain that lasts far beyond the physical pain. The pain that won’t let him get through too many nights without remembering. The pain that takes over when a one year old child swings his  new plastic baseball bat. The pain that makes him cringe and want to hide when he’s touched, who has to hold on to your arm tightly just to walk down the street, in the sunshine, with everyday crowds. The pain that makes him too scared to be alone in his own home for too long. And you  live with the pain and feel the pain, too. The pain you feel when you know he’s remembering, the pain you feel when you want to blame yourself, the pain you feel when he wakes up crying  and shaking, and you want it all to go away. For both of you.

Brian closed his eyes and calmed himself. He could feel Justin relaxing in  his arms. “Come on, Sunshine. Splash some cold water on your face, then come eat lunch. That can of Spaghetti-O’s is still there.” Although he tried, Justin couldn’t quite get his lips to  form into a smile, but he went into the bathroom and splashed some cold water on his face. He felt better, but the dream was still a little too real. He joined Brian in the kitchen hoping he was kidding about Gus’ Spaghetti-O’s. OK, if they’re the ones with the little meatballs, it wouldn’t be too bad. Justin finally let a smile, albeit a little one, come to his face. That’s what  Brian saw when he looked up from the cutting board, where he was chopping boiled eggs, onion and celery for tuna salad.

“Horvath called a few minutes ago. No word yet on...E...him. And nothing from Melanie, either. But, there is a squad car out front with two of Pittsburgh’s finest.”

Justin’s nod was almost imperceptible, but the smile quickly disappeared. ‘Reality sucks,’ he thought. Everything had been so good yesterday. It seemed that nothing ever stayed good for long in his life. He climbed onto one of the counter stools, propped both elbows on the counter and supported his face between his hands. Brian set a glass of juice in front of him. “Do you need a pain pill, or anything?”

“No. Where do you think he is, Bri? Do you really think he’d come back here?”

Brian set the bag of hard rolls down and walked to where Justin was sitting, turning him around in the chair so that he was standing between his legs. He put his hands on Justin’s shoulder and leaned down, forehead touching forehead. Hazel eyes looked into blue. “I  don’t know what’s going to happen, except that I won’t let him hurt you again. Do you  understand me? I love you, and I want you here with me for a long, long time. We’re going to be okay.” Justin let Brian hold him for a long moment. Before letting go, they kissed. Justin knew he wanted to be here with Brian for a long, long time, too.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

The two policemen had been sitting outside the apartment house for over an hour. It was boring, tedious work, and no one liked this kind of assignment. Frank Zimmer  was the veteran. He had turned down the offer to make detective several times, rather, liking to be “where the action was”- the streets.  He was considered the best training officer in the division. His partner for the last six weeks was a rookie everyone called Cal. Actually, C.A.L. were his initials. He was dubbed Cal in the second grade by a boy who laughed at the initials on his sweater. Cal never wore the sweater to school again, and the boy who laughed at him, Danny, became his best friend. They went through the police academy together, and Danny and his partner were due to relieve Frank and Cal in two hours. Cal was one of the few people who knew that Danny was gay.

“Frank?”

Frank  looked around. His sharp eyes hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary. “Do you see something?”

“No, relax. I was just wondering what you thought the chances were that this guy would come back here. I mean, they found the car he stole in McKeesport and I know he was there because of his sister. Do you think he’d really take the chance to come back here and maybe get caught, then, logically,  he could be hundreds of miles away from here by now? He’s charged with attempted murder. Serious, but not as serious as murder or even manslaughter.”

Frank enjoyed teaching his young partner the ropes. He learned quickly and never forgot a lesson. Cal would be a good cop someday, but with only six weeks under his belt, he still had a lot to learn. “Cal. Criminals aren’t always logical. We have to cover all the possibilities. While we’re sitting here, he could be on his way to Canada, Mexico or  Punxsutawney. But he could also be in that alley over there, trying to figure out how to get past us and into the building. And that’s why we’re here. So memorize that picture and keep your eyes peeled.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Ethan stood up to stretch his back and legs. The mechanical room was small and hot, but it served its purpose. It’s not that he minded the pain from the tightening muscles, he just wanted to make sure he would be able to move quickly when the time came. He had heard the phone ring a little while ago and wondered who it was. Horvath, probably, letting  them know he was still missing. Little did they know. He brought his hand to the leather case on his waistband. Undoing the snap, he pulled the hunting knife out and held it up in the semi-darkness. Running his thumb down the blade, he could feel his skin being cut by the sharp edge, and taste the coppery tang as he brought his bleeding thumb to his mouth. The only good thing he could say about his brother-in-law was that he took good care of his hunting equipment. He saw the knife at his sister’s house and easily slipped it into the waistband of his jeans, knowing it would comein very handy.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Mel moaned softly as she slowly regained consciousness. The brick wall was still in front of her, but her arm was numb and no longer hurt. “Thank goodness for small favors,” she thought, with a little laugh, that came out more as a grunt. She tried to move, but waves of nausea and dizziness told her that moving was a bad idea. Her memory was returning in bits and pieces. The cab ride. “Why was I in a cab?” She looked around, realizing she was in an alley. And it was dark. No, the sky is still light, so it’s still daytime. Shadows, that’s why it’s dark here. What else? What else? She had to warn them. Ethan! Ethan wasn’t in jail. “He’s here,” her mind screamed. No,  not here with her, not any more. He’s in the loft. This is  Brian’s building. No, no “Oh, God, no. Please don’t let them be hurt.” She knew she had to get help, but how?


Brian was finishing in the kitchen while Justin was trying to draw. Nothing  was working. He sighed deeply as Brian approached the sofa. “What’s wrong? I mean besides the obvious.”

“I really want to go out. I’ll go crazy if I have to stay cooped up in here much longer. The only time I’ve been outside in almost two weeks was yesterday, coming home from the hospital. If the cops are outside, what would it hurt?” Justin knew he sounded like a whiny little kid and was embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Brian. I’m being childish, I know. It’s just that...”

“I know, Baby. This is hard on all of us. But it’ll be over soon. Ethan will be back in custody and we can get on with our lives.  Now let’s watch a movie or something.” Brian picked up a stack of DVD’s and shuffled through them, finally, holding one up for Justin to see. Justin nodded and Brian popped The Matrix in to the player and sat on the sofa. Justin laid down with his head on the arm of the sofa, and his feet on Brian’s lap. Brian could feel how cold his feet were even through the socks. He smiled, remembering all the times those cold feet were pressed against his legs in bed, the shock waking him from a sound sleep.


Ted picked up the phone, turning the volume down on his Bose. “Hello?”

“It’s Lindsay, Ted. Have you heard from Melanie today at all? She’s not in her office, and she was supposed to be at Brian’s this morning, but she never showed up and I can’t reach her on her cell. I’m really worried.”

“Hold it, Linds. She called me early, around eight. Said her car was in the shop.  She was at the courthouse then, but was taking a cab to Brian’s and asked if I could  pick her up there later, said she’d call me when she was ready to leave. That’s the last I heard from  her. I figured she got a ride or just took another cab.”

“Ted, I’m really worried. Can you pick me and Gus up and take me to Brian’s. I have to find out what’s going on and I don’t think I can drive myself right now.”

“Sure. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. And Linds, try not to worry.” “That’s what Brian said, but it’s hard not to worry, you know?”

“I know. I’m on my way.” Ted hung up his phone, and turned the CD off. Mel  would have called to let him know if she changed her plans. It wasn’t like her to make him wait all day. That little nagging feeling he had for the past few hours was now real concern. He grabbed his keys andheaded to his car.

A half hour into the movie the phone rang. Brian moved Justin’s feet from his lap, and reached for the phone. Lindsay was almost in tears as she told him she and Ted were on their way over.

“Lindsay. I asked you not to come over....No, I haven’t heard from Mel...I know you’re worried....Okay. There’s a police car out front...Ethan escaped from jail.  It’s just a precaution. Let them know you’re coming up, and have one of them escort you up, ok?.....See you then.”

Brian walked back to the sofa. “Lindsay’s really worried about Mel. She hasn’t been to her office yet, and her car is in the shop, so she’d have to take a cab here.  Shit. Where could she be.”

Justin sat up. “Think you should call the hospitals? Maybe she was in an accident, or something.”

“I’m calling Carl.” He dialed the number Carl left with him and told him the situation. Carl said he hadn’t heard anything from Mel, either, and there had been no word of any accidents involving her. Brian hung up, and waited for Lindsay and Ted.

As Ted drove Lindsay to the loft, Frank and Cal’s replacements showed up. Sgt. Silvers stopped his patrol car alongside Zimmer’s car, and called to the two men sitting there. “Hey, you two deadbeats, sitting down on the job I see.” After pulling up and parking in front of the other car,the four officers got out and met on the sidewalk.

“Anything?” Silvers asked.

“No. No one’s gone in or out since we’ve been here. The door has a security lock, so you have to buzz the apartment you want to be let in. I let this Kinney guy know we were here when we first arrived. They were okay.”

“Good. Guess you guys are headin’ home now. Off duty, huh?”

“Yeah. Home to the wife and kids. Now, Cal, here, I’m sure he has a hot date lined up, right,  Kid?”

“Real hot, Frank. Hot dogs and a baseball game on the tube.”

“Let’s go. I, for one, am looking forward to a home cooked meal and my beautiful wife.”

“Hey, Danny. I’ll call you tomorrow. Maybe we can fit in some gym time in the morning,” Cal called to his friend as he walked around the car to the passenger side.

“Great. I should be up by nine or so.” Danny answered, as his friend got in the car, and Frank pulled his car out and headed down the street.

Silvers walked over to the front door and tried the latch. Locked. Good. “Okay, Lassiter. Let’s keep our eyes open.” They both got into the car and slammed the doors.

“Cars. Someone’s there.” With renewed hope, Mel tried to think about how to let them know where she was. With adrenaline racing through her body, she managed to sit half way up and survey her surroundings. She saw the little pieces of her phone lying around, but nothing big enough to draw attention if thrown. “Think, Mel, think.”

Ted pulled up in front of the loft and helped Lindsay get Gus out of his car seat. They walked back to the police car and explained who they were. Danny had noticed Ted right away. Something about him said he was gay, even though he got out of the car with a woman and child. He had to be careful, though, because Silvers didn’t know he was gay, and he wanted to keep it that way. After seeing their ID, Silvers got out and buzzed the  loft. “There’s a Ted Schmidt and Lindsay Peterson here to see you, Mr. Kinney.” Brian said to send them on up as he released the lock. Pulling open the door he hollered to his partner. “Hey, Lassiter, escort these people to the fourth floor. Make sure they get in ok.”

Danny got out of the patrol car and stepped onto the sidewalk. Ted caught  his eye briefly, a knowing glance between strangers. They all got on the elevator and waited as  it made it’s way slowly to the fourth floor. Sgt. Silvers leaned against the car and waited  for his partner.

Ethan heard the elevator as it rose in the shaft. He smiled. “Finally. My chance.”

Return to the Time series