Jensen/Jared - The Past Never Stays There - Chapter 13b/14
Title : The Past Never Stays There - Chapter 13b/14
Author : angels3 aka Angela
Beta : munimula - who is the best beta ever and any mistakes left are so mine, and there will probably be a plenty as I had to rework some things after she sent it back to me. I hope I got all the mistakes as I had to do this twice. Don't ask you don't want to know
Word Count : 5356 this part - total 10,730
Pairing : Jensen/Jared
Supporting Characters : Eric, Kim, Sera, Mike, Tom, Chris, Steve, Chad, Kylan (who is a figmant of my imagination
Disclaimers : They don't belong to me because if they did.............................
Warnings : RPS M/M sex , not this chapter though.
Summary : This is the sequel to When Things Come Crashing Down. It starts immediately where that story left off.
You know that person that Chris never had the name for? Well he may soon get it. Jensen and Jared have to deal with someone from Jensen's past.
Chapters - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12a 12b 13a 13b 14
Kylan
PDF for The Past Never Stays There
Jared was thankful that Jensen fell asleep before he could answer. He didn't want to lie, because there was no way he was going to wake Jensen up when he obviously still needed the rest. He slipped out the door so he could make the call, but stayed right by the door so he could hear if Jensen needed him. Jared knew whoever answered the phone was going to be worried, phone calls before six in the morning usually never meant good things.
"Jared?" Josh asked, worry coloring his query.
"Yeah."
"What's wrong? Is Jensen all right? Did something happen?"
Jared could tell Josh was moving around as he spoke, probably trying to find his wallet and keys. He knew how Jensen felt now when he rattled off non stop.
"Jensen's fine," Jared reassured. "He woke up a little while ago, I just wanted ya'll to know before you got here."
Josh let out a huge sigh and Jared could imagine him flopping back into a chair.
"Jesus Christ, you scared the shit out of me!" Josh finally exclaimed.
"Sorry, I just thought you would want to know."
"No, it's fine, I did, it's just when the phone rings like that you're hoping for the best but expecting the worst. You know?" Josh explained.
"Yeah," Jared nodded even though no one could see him.
"Is he still awake? Can I talk to him? Wait! Has he still got the tube in?"
"No, no and no," Jared answered each question in turn. He fell back asleep right before I came out here to call you. I think the pain medicine they have him on is still working through his system. Dr. Patterson took the tubes out late last night, or maybe it was early this morning," Jared mused as he tried to remember. "Anyway, he can talk but his throat is still really sore from the tube, or it could be from the bruising, more than likely a little of both.
"Don't remind me," Josh growled. "Damn good thing the bastard is sitting in a jail cell right now, instead of where I can get to him."
"Didn't you just yell at Chris for that a couple of days ago?" Jared asked.
"I was still worried about Jen being okay. I didn't have time to be worried about what he was doing as long as I knew the police had him. Now that Jensen's awake, I can concentrate on making that piece of shit pay."
"I don't think I can deal with thinking about him until I get Jensen home and healed," Jared confided.
Josh hummed in understanding, "I'm going to wake everyone up so we can get over there. I'll see you in a few."
Jared agreed, hanging up and returning to Jensen's room to settle into a chair and wait. He felt like he could finally take a deep breath without the weight of fear pressing down on him. Jared knew Jensen wasn't anywhere near well, but just having him awake and talking felt like the greatest victory of all time.
Dr. Patterson showed up a little while later and spoke to the nurse and Jared a few minutes before he tried to rouse Jensen. It took a few tries, but Jensen finally blinked his eyes open. He could see the confusion clouding Jensen's eyes before reality caught up with him. Jared watched Jensen's frantic search around the room until his eyes landed on him and reassured himself all was as he remembered it from his previous jaunt into consciousness. Jared saw how Jensen's body relaxed when he found what he'd been seeking and the willingness to focus on the doctor once he'd calmed.
"Jensen, how are you feeling?" Devon asked as he took Jensen's pulse.
"A little worse for wear actually." Jensen answered hoarsely.
"I'm glad you've decided to rejoin us," the doctor said. "It's much easier to do my job when the patient can tell me what's bothering them," he said grinning.
"Yeah, well, I'd hate to make your job too hard, and Jared would have been calling me lazy before long," Jensen answered, pushing himself up in the bed a little.
"Hey," Jared protested.
"Don't let him pick on you too much." Devon responded, winking.
Jared sat back, crossing his arms and pouting. He didn't mind playing the part of the offended party, not when he could see Jensen's eyes spark with mischief. Jared couldn't maintain the pout for long though, his mouth turning up at the corners.
Devon checked all of Jensen's vitals then went over each injury with him, making sure he knew what each were and at what point in the healing process they were. Jensen acknowledged that his ribs were still giving him a good bit of trouble and his throat was sore, but that he only remembered bits and pieces of his time in the ER.
Devon explained it wasn't unusual to lose pieces of time even when you held complete conversations. The trauma he'd endured could cause periods of memory loss, as well as remembering things out of sequence. He told them both that he thought Jensen would get most if not all of it back over time, but sometimes the memory may be foggy or almost like it had happened in a dream, or in this case a nightmare. Devon suggested that Jensen keep a notebook handy so he could write things down as he remembered them.
"Why would he need to write them down?" Jared asked, confused at the odd suggestion. He glanced at Jensen who seemed at a loss as well.
"There's actually two reasons, the first being recording what you remember helps purge it somewhat from your brain, even if doesn't help you forget. It's like talking about an issue instead of holding it in to fester. Sometimes you may not be ready to talk to someone about it but still need to get rid of it in some way. The other reason is Garrett is going to need whatever you can give him, and it needs to be as accurate as possible when the case goes to trail."
Jensen blanched at the thought of having to go to court, but there was no way in hell he was going to let Kylan get away with the things he'd done.
Jared stood up as soon as he saw what little color Jensen had drain away. He squeezed the hand he was holding and was relieved to feel Jensen squeeze back briefly in return. Jensen nodded his head in understanding, stiffening his resolve even as Jared felt the fine tremors under his hand.
"I'll do whatever I need to, to make sure he can't hurt anyone else," Jensen stated somberly.
"I know you will," Devon patted his shoulder. "I'm sure your family is in the waiting room by now so I'll go let them know we're through, and I'll call Garrett and let him know you’re awake.
"Okay," Jensen agreed yawning, exhaustion starting to creep up on him.
"I'll be back this afternoon to talk about tubes you're still hooked up to," Devon said before he left the room.
Jensen blushed at the reminder that machines had been taking care of almost all his bodily functions.
"Damn, I haven't had to have one of these since I was a kid," Jensen grimaced at the thought of having the catheter removed.
"Good times," Jared snarked.
"Shut up," Jensen shot back weakly, blushing again.
The doors swished open before Jared could offer a response, and Jensen's parents came into the room.
Jared leaned over and kissed Jensen on the forehead. "I'm going to give you some time with your parents."
"You don't have to leave," Jensen said, grabbing Jared's arm.
"I'm not leaving, I'm just going to the waiting room to call the guys and let them know you're awake," Jared explained, rubbing the hand Jensen had wrapped in his sleeve.
He waited until Jensen relaxed and let his hand fall to the bed before he straightened up and moved away so Alan could get closer to his son. He smiled as he made his way to the waiting room, relieved that he finally had something good to report for a change. He waved at Josh and Mackenzie as he waited for someone at the house to pick up. Steve answered the phone right before it would have clicked over to voicemail. He had been in the shower and Chris was still asleep. Jared told him the good news and could literally hear the weight lifting off the other man’s shoulders, Steve promised to tell Chris as soon as he hung up and wanted to know if Jared needed him to call the other guys.
Jared refused the offer since he knew once Steve woke Chris up and told him, Chris would be pushing them out the door to get to the hospital. He made the call to Chad next and asked him to bring a few things that would make Jensen more comfortable while he was at the hospital. He called Tom and Mike, who both promised to be there later in the morning after they took care of the gifts that had been piling up at the CW offices. They had been going through everything to make sure there was nothing in them that would upset Jensen in any way.
When Jared made it back to the room, Josh and Mackenzie had taken their parents’ place and were visiting with their brother. Jared watched from the doorway for a few minutes, smiling when Mac threatened to braid Jensen's hair in his sleep if he ever decided it would be fun to scare her to death again. He waited a few more minutes, not wanting to interrupt the time Jensen spent with his family, but when Jensen looked towards the door searching, his body relaxing when he caught sight of Jared, he moved into the room.
Jared stayed in the room through all the visits. Chris and Steve showed up no long after Jensen's family, and they stayed for an hour, promising to come back sometime that night. Tom and Mike showed up around noon, Mike all excited about the tons of chocolate that Jensen had waiting at the house when he got home. Jared had a feeling they'd be seeing a lot of him until all the goodies were gone, not that he really minded, it'd be one more person to duck Jensen's frustration when he started feeling well enough to complain about the restrictions he'd be living under until cleared by the doctor.
Jensen fell asleep shortly after everyone left and Dr. Patterson made a return visit eliciting a promise from Jensen that if he gave the clearance to remove the catheter that he wouldn't try a trip to the bathroom without assistance. Jared shouldn't have been so happy to see Jensen meekly agree, but if it meant one less thing to worry about then he was all for it. Devon told them that Garrett would be by some time that afternoon and it might be a good idea to get some sleep while they could since both had yawned through his entire visit. He informed them they were starting to give him a complex, between the not wanting to visit and the yawning he felt like a poor host.
Jensen just rolled his eyes and snorted, but he smiled, which made Jared happy. He didn't know how Jensen could be as okay with things as he was, and he was worried that everything was going to come crashing down on top of them before long. Jared knew there was nothing he could do but be there when the inevitable reality of the past week sunk in and support Jensen in any way he could. Jensen was displeased that Jared refused to crawl in the bed with him, but quieted down when Jared pulled his chair alongside the bed, dropped the railing, and lowered the bed so it was closer to the chair's height. It wasn't a perfect solution, but it put them close enough that Jensen could feel Jared beside him, and he drifted off to sleep with Jared close behind him.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Jared had been awake for about twenty minutes and Jensen had just woken up when Garrett came by around three in the afternoon. Jared had told everyone that visited the detective was coming later that day so no one asked Jensen about the particulars of what happened. None of them wanted him to have to relive the memories more than necessary, Jared included. As much as he'd like to have asked before Garrett had gotten there, he wasn't sure he could hear it twice, much less put Jensen through it.
Garrett shook both their hands being careful of Jared's injuries and Jensen's IVs. He took a seat and pulled out a small recorder which he set on the hospital tray and a notebook he kept in his lap.
"Jensen, I'm going to record our interview if you don't mind," Garrett said, waiting for Jensen's okay before moving on. "I'm still going to take notes while we talk, but this keeps me from having to come back and see you too many times," he explained.
"Okay," Jensen acknowledged, trying to get comfortable.
Jared stood and adjusted the bed to a better angle and then helped rearrange the pillows behind Jensen's back to support his body and take pressure off his injuries.
"Jared, you can talk, but try not to issue any threats seeing as I'm taping this, and they'd be mighty hard to ignore with it being recorded for posterity," Garrett requested, smiling at Jared's scowl.
"I'll do my best, but I'm not promising anything." Jared growled.
Garrett nodded his head in understanding. "Jensen how are you feeling? Think you're up to this?"
"I feel like week old road kill, but it's better than I was earlier," he confessed, looking at Jared's stiff posture. "Let's just get it over with."
Garrett picked up the recorder and recited his name, the date and time, who he was interviewing, and who was present at the time. Once that was done, he set the recorder back on the hospital tray and asked Jared and Jensen both to acknowledge they knew the interview was being taped.
"Jensen, I want you to start off with what you were doing the afternoon of the 10th," Garrett requested.
Jensen cleared his throat, thinking back, "I'd just gotten out of the shower. Jared and Chris were at the set and the guys were supposed to come over but Steve called them and asked them to come later." Jensen paused and cleared his throat again.
Jared handed him the cup of water, wrapping his hand around Jensen's to steady it. Jensen took a couple of sips before relinquishing his hold so Jared could set it aside.
"Everyone had been at the house so much, not that I don't love them, but I wasn't allowed to go out," Jensen cut his eyes in Jared's direction who just smiled back and blew him a kiss. "I was starting to go stir crazy, it felt like the walls were closing in around me every time someone else stopped by. So Steve and I were going to play some guitar and just relax for a little while."
"I remember getting out and drying off on the way into the bedroom. I didn't take my clothes in because steam from the shower always makes them feel damp," Jensen explained.
"I was drying my hair off, and I heard a noise and thought Steve had come in, but when I went to turn someone put a rag over my face."
"Can you remember what it smelled like?" Garrett asked, making a notation in his book.
Jensen closed his eyes casting back in his memory for the answer. "It was sweet smelling. You know that smell when it's so sweet it makes you sick to your stomach?" He waited for confirmation that Garrett understood. When the detective nodded, [he] Jensen continued.
"I took a deep breath right to start with because it scared me, by the time I realized what was happening and tried not to breath, whatever was on the rag was making me dizzy and lightheaded."
"Taking a deep breath is an automatic reaction when someone's startled. It's the bodies' way of gearing up for an attack or a surprise," Garrett explained.
"Sort of like when you hit the water you automatically take a breath and hold it?" Jared asked.
"Exactly, it's a built in defense mechanism. Unfortunately, it sometimes does the opposite of what it's meant to do, like your getting a huge whiff of what was probably chloroform. Can you tell me what happened next?" Garrett asked.
"I'm not sure... I remember thinking I needed to fight, but I can't remember if I actually did. Everything went black pretty soon after that I think."
"Do you remember being transported at all?"
"No, I didn't wake up until I was at that place," Jensen answered.
"The hunting shack?" Garrett asked for clarification.
"Is that what it was?" Jensen asked.
Jared could feel Jensen's whole body tense, and it pissed him off that he couldn't do a damn thing to help. Jensen squeezed his hand and smiled when Jared brought his eyes up from their clasped hands to look at him. Jared swore Jensen could read his mind most times, but in all honesty, he pretty much knew what was going through Jensen's head just by watching his eyes. Jared squeezed back gently, stroking his thumb along Jensen's knuckles.
"When you woke up were you restrained?'
"Yeah, but I was a little muddled to start off with so it took me a few minutes to figure it out. I didn't try to open my eyes right away because I was feeling so nauseous and there was a gag in my mouth, so I was trying not to throw up. I didn't know I was cuffed until I tried to move my arm."
"Your hands were cuffed?" Garrett asked, glancing at Jared.
Jared was angry. He knew Garrett had to ask the questions, and God only knew what court was going to be like, but he didn't understand why the detective had to ask ones he already knew the answers to.
"I have to ask, even if I know, because I need your statement in your own words, and I know it's hard to go through it all again. If there were another way, I can promise you every detective in the world would have been using it. For instance, if the person changed bindings or moved you from place to place these are important facts that help us obtain evidence," the detective explained.
Jensen nodded his head in understanding and the explanation made sense to Jared, but it didn't make him any happier that Jensen had to relive every little thing he'd been put through.
"You feel like continuing?" Garrett asked.
"Yeah, let's keep going." Jensen said, leaning into Jared.
"Okay. Was the person there when you woke up?"
"No, I stayed quiet at first, trying to figure out if someone was there with me, but the only thing I could hear besides my heart trying to break my rib cage was the fire. When I tried to move, that's when I realized I still didn't have any clothes on."
"Can you tell me how you were restrained?"
"My hands were cuffed above my head through a slat in the headboard, but my feet were tied with rope a little bit apart. I remember trying to decide which one hurt the most, the metal digging into my wrists or the ropes scraping the skin off my ankles."
"Did the person come back at anytime when you were still at the shack?"
"Yes," Jensen said softly.
"Take all the time you need, but I need to know what happened."
"I pretended I was still unconscious, but he knew I was awake." Jensen's voice wavered.
Jared forced himself to stay quiet even though the need to yell was about to make his head explode.
"Did you know who the person was?"
"It was Kylan. He started talking to me, and then he sat down on the bed and started to touch my face. I tried to move away from him, but I couldn't get far. He was telling me why he picked me, and how he was going to make sure I understood my place. He crawled on top of me. I couldn't see him, but I could feel the weight on my legs." Jensen stopped and cleared his throat, trying to prepare himself for the rest of what he had to tell. He glanced at Jared trying to gauge how he was feeling.
Jared could feel Jensen's eyes on him, and he refused to give his boyfriend anything else to worry about. He leaned into Jensen's body, offering silent support, making sure to look Jensen in the eyes until he was ready to continue.
"When he put his full weight on me, I couldn't breath. The only thing I could think about was that I was happy the blanket was between us because I if he touched me skin to skin, I was going to throw up and the gag was still in my mouth. I wasn't really surprised when he started rubbing against me and at some point he leaned up, so he could finish himself off." Jensen's voice cracked but he couldn't stop now, he had to get it all out so he wouldn't have to think about it for a little while.
"I don't really know what happened for a minute or two because I was trying not to be sick, between him and the rocking motion, I thought I was going to lose it. He finally took the gag off after that though, so I could take my pill. He propped a pillow under my back so I was sort of leaning to the side. It was apparently too much to ask for water because he just pushed the pill down my throat, told me he knew I could take it that way, I was good at it after all." Jensen stopped to clear his throat again, partly due to the pain, the rest to the huge ball of disgust lodged right behind his Adams apple.
He was pretty sure he heard Jared growl, but when he looked over, Jared was patiently waiting with the cup of water, holding the straw in place so it wouldn't dance around the cup. Jensen didn't think Jared could get anymore tense without setting off tremors that would register on the Richter scale, but so far he hadn't erupted.
Garrett waited until Jensen had finished drinking before continuing. "Did he take the blindfold off at any point?"
"No, he wanted me to hear what he was doing, but he didn't want me to see it right then. I don't know, maybe he thought it would be the ultimate surprise, or he thought it would scare me more to hear and not be able to see what was going on. I heard him moving furniture, and I heard some drilling and chains hitting the floor and clinking around. I had already made up my mind if he left me alone long enough I was going to get the hell out, no matter where out was."
"So, he did leave you at some point?"
"Yeah, he said he had some more things to get so my training," Jensen made air quotes, "would be done properly this time."
"After he left what did you do?"
"I waited a little while to make sure he was really gone and not just standing somewhere watching me, and then I started trying to get the blindfold off. It took me a little while, but once that was off, I could see that there wasn't really any hiding places for him to be in so that helped. There were wires running along the headboard, I'm not really sure for what..." Jensen stopped as a distressed noise escaped Jared.
Jared shook his head and motioned for Jensen to continue, not wanting to interrupt and drag the questioning out any longer than it had to be. He'd talk to Jensen afterwards unless Garrett saw fit to explain.
Jensen continued to watch him with a worried look but started where he left off. "I used them to pick the cuffs. I've never been so happy to be playing a delinquent in my entire life. I'd have made Dean proud." He smiled when Jared chocked back a shocked laugh, knowing he'd eased some of the tension in Jared's frame.
"Once I got the ropes off, it took me a few minutes to get the circulation going again. I kept thinking he was going to come back before I could get out of there."
"Jensen, we found vomit beside the bed. Can you tell me who was sick and what happened?"
"It was me," Jensen answered in a small voice. "I forgot about the mess he'd made earlier on the blanket and when I was trying to get my feet loose, it touched my arm..." he trailed off not sure what to say. "I kind of lost it," Jensen finished weakly.
"I'm sure anyone in that position would do the same," the detective said. "Can you tell me where you got the clothes from? Were they Mr. Barclay's or were they some he'd brought with him?"
"I don't think so, everything was scattered around the shack. The boots were under the sink in what passed for a bathroom and the clothes were on a shelf. I found the knife under the sink too, and I made a sad holder to strap it to my leg."
"So, Mr. Barclay didn't come back before you could leave?"
"No, once I found everything I could, I got the hell out."
"Jensen, can you tell me what was in the room when you finally got the blindfold off?"
"You mean the room itself, or what he'd put in there?" Jensen asked, not sure if he understood what the detective was asking.
"Whatever looked like didn't fit into the cabin's normal use I guess." Garrett asked, trying not to lead with the question.
"Well, not that I ever saw it any other way, but I don't think a chair bolted to the floor with chains as an accessory was part of the owner’s plan when he brought his catch there, but I could be wrong," Jensen quipped, trying to break the tension.
Jared snorted beside him and Jensen could tell he really wasn't happy with the situation being made light of, but he appreciated the attempt in spite of himself.
"All right, there's going to be some pictures I need you to look at just so we're clear on what you saw, and what he added later but we can do that another day. I think you've had enough for our first interview and I have most of what I need so I'm going to get out of here and let you rest. I'm going to talk with the D.A. and see if there's anything else he thinks he'll need before I set up our next appointment," Garrett told them, standing and turning off the tape before collecting the rest of his stuff.
He wished them both well and told them if they had any questions, or Jensen remembered something, to give him a call. Jared already had his card, so he made his exit, leaving Jensen to quietly watch as Jared ground his teeth.
"I know it's not okay, but I made it. I'm still here," Jensen said softly.
"You have no idea how much I love you do you?" Jared said, leaning in to place a gentle kiss on Jensen's forehead, the tip of his nose, and then finally a soft brush of lips, sliding together.
"I think I have an idea. The thought of you kept me going," Jensen said, snuggling down into the covers. "Every time I thought I couldn't get up, or it got so cold all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and go to sleep, I would think about getting to you, and it kept me moving."
Jared choked on the effort not to break down and cry. He wanted to know what Jensen had done after he got away. There was two days not accounted for, and he needed to know what Jensen had been through.
"Can you tell me how you made it down and to the other side of the lake?" Jared asked, sliding onto the bed and pulling Jensen carefully into his arms.
"There's not all that much to tell really. I just kept walking. I tried to avoid any roads, whether they were true roads or just trails. I wasn't sure how much time I had between me leaving and him coming back."
"Where did you spend the night? It was freezing and you didn't have a coat. How did you survive?" Jared asked, putting his chin on top of Jensen's head, content to feel every breath Jensen took, every vibration rumbling through his body as he spoke.
"There was a crevice with an overhang. It was just big enough for me to make a small fire and curl up around it," Jensen murmured.
"How did you break your ribs? You didn't say anything about him hitting or kicking you."
"I think he was a little rough getting me in and out, because I was sore all over, but I fell and hit some trees going down one time. I probably did it then." Jensen laughed a little.
"What?" Jared asked.
"When I was in that hole, I thought Kylan had found me. I heard something moving around outside, and I was worried about the fire leading him to me, but I knew I wouldn't survive the night without it."
"But it wasn't him was it?" Jared asked, tightening his arms a little, but careful of Jensen's battered body.
"No, it was a deer. I'm not sure who was more scared, me or it. I'll confess, though, I was scared shitless and I didn't have a way out so I think I won." Jensen said through a yawn.
"Jared?"
"Yeah?"
"How did I get from there to here?"
"You don't remember?" Jared asked, surprised.
"Not really, I remember falling several times and laying there telling myself I had to get up, get to you. The last time I fell, that was it, I tried to get up and nothing would move. I heard someone talking to me and then being moved. I'm assuming there was an ambulance, seems like I remember the siren."
"You fell out on a snowmobile track. There were some kids out that way, and they found you, scared them to death, but they got you help and one of them stayed with you the entire time. They covered you with their coats until help got there and the one that stayed said he talked to you while he was waiting for them to get back."
"I'd like to meet them. Did Garrett get their names?"
Jared snorted, "I'm sure he did. I don't think much gets past him. Do you remember talking to Chris and Dr. Patterson when you first came in?"
"Yeah, mostly. I was worried about Steve because Kylan said he was dead. Chris swore he was fine, but I knew he was leaving things out." Jensen's voice had that edge to it that proceeded the famous Ackles interrogation.
"I'll tell you after your nap. You've seen him and talked to him right? So you know he's okay," Jared soothed.
"Okay, but I want to know after," Jensen qualified. "Chris said you were up there with Kylan, and I freaked. I remember I told Devon what happened. Chris was really mad but he said I did good." Jensen mumbled around another yawn.
Jared smiled, rubbing his cheek over Jensen's hair. "You did real good," he whispered listening to Jensen's even breathing and thanking God he still had this, that it hadn't been taken away.