Uncertainty.
Michael had been staring out the window from his bed, getting lost in his thoughts as he stared blankly at the view of the skyline, when the sound of the door closing made him turn towards the door at once. He had been expecting a nurse, since he was almost due for another dose of medicine, but instead it was Stephen the one who gave him a smile and walked over to the chair next to his bed. This was the first time he was seeing Stephen alone since his hospital stay, and the first time he was lucid enough to talk, so he smiled very slightly. "I never thought I'd say this, but...it's really good to see you."
Stephen chuckled as he sat down once he set a small paper bag down on a table. "It's good to see you, too." He nodded towards the bag. "My mom sent you some homemade donuts. The ones you used to like when we were kids."
Michael's face lit up at once. "Oh man, it's been years since I had one of those. Heh, between your mom and Elise I think I'll probably gain back the weight I lost these past few days."
With a chuckle, Stephen shook his head. "That's good. Elise is a really nice woman. You still can't call her 'mom' yet?"
Even if it was a simple question, somehow the fact that it was Stephen asking it made him feel annoyed. Maybe it was because he was starting to feel sick again since the medicine was wearing off, or maybe it was that he was just tired, but he didn't want Stephen to ask him about such private things from his life. He owed the guy his life now, but he wasn't ready to be as close to him as he once had been.
"You know," Michael said after a moment, changing subjects, "you still haven't told me what happened the night you got me out of wherever I was."
The change of subjects wasn't surprising; Stephen had already been expecting it, so he just answered, "I did tell you, you probably just don't remember. You were too drugged up, I think." He took a deep breath, leaning back against the chair. "We caught a guy that worked with Charlie, and we made him talk. He told us where you were, so we got you."
"Did you catch them?"
"The men that were keeping you there? Yeah, most of 'em. We smoked a couple."
"And Charlie? And Alena?"
Stephen sighed, momentarily looking away. "Charlie's in custody, awaiting a hearing. We couldn't catch Alena, though."
Not surprised, Michael nodded. "And Jack?"
At the question, Stephen stared at Michael for a second, confused. "Who?"
"Jack. You know, the bastard that we once worked for...?"
"I know who Jack is. But we killed him, Mike. Last year, remember? He's dead."
Michael frowned. "He didn't die. He's alive, Stephen. I saw him, he was there."
Although Stephen smiled at him, he couldn't stop himself from frowning at the same time. "Michael, we were both there when we shot him. We saw him on his desk, bleeding out. I was there when he got to the hospital, dead."
"I know that, but you have to listen to me: He was there. Marc Walsh is his brother. Half... Step brother, something. Alena-... She was behind the whole thing, too. And Charlie-..." Michael had to stop then; he was so wound up that he started to have problems breathing, and the pain he had been able to ignore before was suddenly too much to withstand.
At once, Stephen stood and called for a nurse before standing next to Michael. "Mike, he's dead. Don't do this to yourself, he can't be alive."
"He is alive," Michael insisted through clenched teeth but Stephen shook his head, which made Michael look away as he groaned loudly in both frustration and pain. "God, you're so fucking stubborn!"
"You remember what the doctor said about what Charlie was giving you? PCP? That...thing that's like acid? It causes hallucinations, Michael; you were probably...I don't know, dreaming the whole thing. It was Charlie the one that had you there, and Alena."
Suddenly the nurse rushed in, and Stephen moved quickly out of the way so she could help Michael. As he watched how she administered the medication through the IV line he was hooked onto, his mind was already racing. Jack couldn't be alive. He just...couldn't be. As he turned around to head towards the door, Elise was about to walk in so he walked towards her after making sure the medicine was already helping Michael mellow out.
"Mrs. Lawrence," he said as he walked to her and noticed the look of confusion and worry on her face, "he's okay, he just... I was talking to him about the people that did this to him and he got very agitated." He turned towards Michael, who shot him a glare before turning towards the window. Sighing, he turned back to Elise and walked out of the room with her. "He says someone else was involved in the whole thing. Not just the ones we thought."
Elise, now looking alarmed, frowned. "What? Is it true? Who is it?"
"It's a man named Jack, but he can't... It can't be. That man is dead. But Michael seems so sure of it, and..."
"But why would he be lying about that?"
Stephen shrugged. "I think he was hallucinating, with that drug they were giving him. The doctor said it's a side effect. Damn it, but he can't be alive. He's supposed to be dead..."
Elise stayed silent for a moment, staring at Stephen. "Then how come you're not sounding, or looking, too convinced about it?"
Stephen didn't answer, because he was asking himself the very same question. "I have to talk to his doctor. I need to see what the chances are that it was really a hallucination."
"And if it wasn't?"
'Then we pray for the best,' he thought immediately, but he just gave her a smile. "Then we'll catch him, too."
Although Elise had started to like Stephen, since he seemed like a good guy and had been helping them out a lot, his answer and his smile didn't fool her. Not when it came to the safety of her son - a son that she was not willing to lose again. "Is that before or after he gets to my son, Detective?"
Stephen was taken aback for a second by the sharpness of her voice, but nonetheless he answered firmly, "I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen, ma'am." He smiled slightly at her before heading towards the nurse's station to locate the doctor.
Stephen chuckled as he sat down once he set a small paper bag down on a table. "It's good to see you, too." He nodded towards the bag. "My mom sent you some homemade donuts. The ones you used to like when we were kids."
Michael's face lit up at once. "Oh man, it's been years since I had one of those. Heh, between your mom and Elise I think I'll probably gain back the weight I lost these past few days."
With a chuckle, Stephen shook his head. "That's good. Elise is a really nice woman. You still can't call her 'mom' yet?"
Even if it was a simple question, somehow the fact that it was Stephen asking it made him feel annoyed. Maybe it was because he was starting to feel sick again since the medicine was wearing off, or maybe it was that he was just tired, but he didn't want Stephen to ask him about such private things from his life. He owed the guy his life now, but he wasn't ready to be as close to him as he once had been.
"You know," Michael said after a moment, changing subjects, "you still haven't told me what happened the night you got me out of wherever I was."
The change of subjects wasn't surprising; Stephen had already been expecting it, so he just answered, "I did tell you, you probably just don't remember. You were too drugged up, I think." He took a deep breath, leaning back against the chair. "We caught a guy that worked with Charlie, and we made him talk. He told us where you were, so we got you."
"Did you catch them?"
"The men that were keeping you there? Yeah, most of 'em. We smoked a couple."
"And Charlie? And Alena?"
Stephen sighed, momentarily looking away. "Charlie's in custody, awaiting a hearing. We couldn't catch Alena, though."
Not surprised, Michael nodded. "And Jack?"
At the question, Stephen stared at Michael for a second, confused. "Who?"
"Jack. You know, the bastard that we once worked for...?"
"I know who Jack is. But we killed him, Mike. Last year, remember? He's dead."
Michael frowned. "He didn't die. He's alive, Stephen. I saw him, he was there."
Although Stephen smiled at him, he couldn't stop himself from frowning at the same time. "Michael, we were both there when we shot him. We saw him on his desk, bleeding out. I was there when he got to the hospital, dead."
"I know that, but you have to listen to me: He was there. Marc Walsh is his brother. Half... Step brother, something. Alena-... She was behind the whole thing, too. And Charlie-..." Michael had to stop then; he was so wound up that he started to have problems breathing, and the pain he had been able to ignore before was suddenly too much to withstand.
At once, Stephen stood and called for a nurse before standing next to Michael. "Mike, he's dead. Don't do this to yourself, he can't be alive."
"He is alive," Michael insisted through clenched teeth but Stephen shook his head, which made Michael look away as he groaned loudly in both frustration and pain. "God, you're so fucking stubborn!"
"You remember what the doctor said about what Charlie was giving you? PCP? That...thing that's like acid? It causes hallucinations, Michael; you were probably...I don't know, dreaming the whole thing. It was Charlie the one that had you there, and Alena."
Suddenly the nurse rushed in, and Stephen moved quickly out of the way so she could help Michael. As he watched how she administered the medication through the IV line he was hooked onto, his mind was already racing. Jack couldn't be alive. He just...couldn't be. As he turned around to head towards the door, Elise was about to walk in so he walked towards her after making sure the medicine was already helping Michael mellow out.
"Mrs. Lawrence," he said as he walked to her and noticed the look of confusion and worry on her face, "he's okay, he just... I was talking to him about the people that did this to him and he got very agitated." He turned towards Michael, who shot him a glare before turning towards the window. Sighing, he turned back to Elise and walked out of the room with her. "He says someone else was involved in the whole thing. Not just the ones we thought."
Elise, now looking alarmed, frowned. "What? Is it true? Who is it?"
"It's a man named Jack, but he can't... It can't be. That man is dead. But Michael seems so sure of it, and..."
"But why would he be lying about that?"
Stephen shrugged. "I think he was hallucinating, with that drug they were giving him. The doctor said it's a side effect. Damn it, but he can't be alive. He's supposed to be dead..."
Elise stayed silent for a moment, staring at Stephen. "Then how come you're not sounding, or looking, too convinced about it?"
Stephen didn't answer, because he was asking himself the very same question. "I have to talk to his doctor. I need to see what the chances are that it was really a hallucination."
"And if it wasn't?"
'Then we pray for the best,' he thought immediately, but he just gave her a smile. "Then we'll catch him, too."
Although Elise had started to like Stephen, since he seemed like a good guy and had been helping them out a lot, his answer and his smile didn't fool her. Not when it came to the safety of her son - a son that she was not willing to lose again. "Is that before or after he gets to my son, Detective?"
Stephen was taken aback for a second by the sharpness of her voice, but nonetheless he answered firmly, "I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen, ma'am." He smiled slightly at her before heading towards the nurse's station to locate the doctor.