J2 Fic. Count A Lonely Cadence - 2/?
Title: Count A Lonely Cadence - 2/?
Author: Blueeyedliz
Word count: 5,388 (this part)
Summary: Jared’s eighteen when he first starts hearing her. Jensen is an intern at a psychiatric hospital and Jared is the patient who turns his life upside down.
Pairings: Jared/Jensen.
Warnings: Issues of mental illness, character death (not main), past attempted suicide, self-harm, bad language and m/m sex scenes (bottom!Jared).
Disclaimer: I know nothing, I own nothing.
A/N: Huge thanks to Heatherofnight and Pussycatbelle for their betaing and support. This wouldn't have been posted without them.
Part Two
Jensen’s never actually been in the boiler room before.
He only really knows about it because he’s seen the janitor-Fred something-disappearing through the thin metal door on an almost daily basis. Jensen doesn’t know Fred all that well, although Fred will always throw him an easy ‘Mornin’ whenever he sees Jensen, and Jensen will smile and return the greeting.
The room is filled with cobwebs and smells of damp and engine grease. Dark too, the florescent strip lighting is faulty, flickering on off on off, which really adds to the whole creepy-horror-movie-set ambience.
The boiler’s huge, has to be to give off enough heat for a building this size and the room is filled with a steady mechanical rumbling noise that sets Jensen nerves even more on edge, if that’s possible.
The anxiety twisting up in knots inside Jensen’s gut means this whole situation is frighteningly similar to reliving his high school prom night all over again. Jensen’s prom date was Mindy Hemingway, a cheerleader with a horribly selfish personality but the best breasts in their entire year. She practically came with a guarantee to put out stamped across her ass cheeks.
The condom he’d borrowed from his big brother’s stash had burnt a hole in his pocket all night before Mindy made a move on him in the limo on the drive home and Jensen opened the door on his side of the car, before it had stopped moving, and ran for it.
This is different though. Jensen is older, wiser, definitely gayer and he’s positive he might want more than a no strings fuck from this encounter.
He paces, sweat running in wild rapid rivers down his spine. For a long moment all Jensen can hear is a recollection of his momma’s voice. Her excited bird-song chatter in his ear, as she helped him load his bags into the trunk of his beat up second-hand Ford Mustang on the morning he prepared to leave for college. “I’m so proud of you, my baby boy.”
What would she say if she could see him now?
Jensen settles himself down on the floor, leaning heavily against the wall, cold quickly starting to seep through his thin clothing. He weighs up his options, it’s not too late to leave, to go and eat his lunch in the safety of the break room with Mike and Katie.
Jensen throws his head back so it connects with the wall. Not hard, just hard enough to make his teeth rattle. He’s not going to run away.
When the door swings open, Jensen jumps out of his skin. It’s Jared, only Jared, of course and he laughs nervously with a mixture of relief and embarrassment, watching Jared’s face break into an instantaneous smile.
“M’sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.” Jared says, closing the door and shuffling forward, eyes moving to Jensen’s face and then drifting away again.
Over the last few weeks, they’ve grown to know each other so well. They’ve already moved on from being just friends but this is new, frightening and a little awkward. Not a first date as such because they’ve kissed-been there, done that, got the t-shirt and the matching key-ring.
Hot and heavy groping? Yeah, cross that off the list too.
This is...this is being truly alone, with endless possibilities of how to spend their time-and Jensen has an impressively long list of all the things he’d like to do to Jared clogging up his brain. Providing he can fit it all into the too short hour allowed by his lunch break.
Jensen rubs a hand across the back of his neck, unconsciously telegraphing his nerves. “Nah, I’m cool as ice.”
“I can see that,” Jared says, not hiding his playful sarcasm. He crosses the room, timidly reaching out for Jensen’s hand at the same time as Jensen tries to lean in for a kiss.
They end up bumping noses and burst into a fit of loud laughter, quickly clamping hands down over their mouths to stifle the sound. The tension in the air lifts a touch, shoulders relaxing as their bodies start to loosen up. “I was so scared you wouldn’t be here.” Jared says, lips still twitching.
“Almost wasn’t,” Jensen answers putting his hands in his pockets to stop them from moving of their own accord, from touching every inch of Jared that they can reach. He meets Jared’s eyes and feels his cheeks warm up, he adds, “That’s a lie. I really want this...you have no idea how much.”
“Oh,” Jared’s sucks at his bottom lip and then lets it pop free, shiny and wet. “I think I do, Jensen,” he whispers and Jensen looks at him, waits for more but nothing comes. Jared just edges closer, puts a hand on Jensen’s hip and Jensen feels electric tingles spread throughout his body right down to the soles of his feet.
Jensen points to where he’s laid a travel blanket from his car on the floor, “This alright?” He asks, blatantly anxious.
“Perfect,” Jared replies, smiling happily and that does it for Jensen. The conversation quickly dries up. Descending into frenzied kisses and the rushed act of removing their shirts in the quickest, shortest, space of time possible.
Minutes fly by, images caught only in flashes. Jensen’s too overwhelmed with a deluge of pleasurable sensations to take it all in lucidly.
Jared’s long fingers rub at the bulge in Jensen’s pants before he tugs down Jensen’s zipper. Those same fingers, work their way inside his boxers and move persistently over his dick with long hard strokes. He moves his hands up to Jensen’s face, traces the soft pad of his thumb over Jensen’s bottom lip before Jensen opens up and sucks it inside his mouth, biting down gently on the tip with sharp teeth while Jared mews and ruts demandingly against him.
Jensen speaks but a lot of what he says is simply Jared’s name on constant repeat. His tongue feeling swollen and too large for his mouth. Jared, Jared, Jared.
He already loves the way Jared’s eyes spark at the sound of his own name when it’s travelling on a moan from Jensen's lips. How each letter slips out, smooth as velvet, wrapped in good ole Texan twang and accompanied with tiny gasps of gratification.
Lips meet lips and move in sync, a perfect rhythm. Jensen’s tongue sliding out to steal a taste of Jared’s mouth before moving down, licking over his jaw and lingering at his neck. Taking the time to lap at the sweat gathering in the dip of his collarbone.
Later, with pants and briefs discarded, Jensen’s tongue removes salty pre-cum from the weeping head of Jared’s cock and licks it into his tight hole. The muscles quivering and contracting with every tonguing thrust.
Balls throbbing hot and his dick so hard it’s verging on painful, Jensen pushes carefully inside.
He braces himself with his hands on Jared’s thighs, feels his grip slipping in the slick of sweat gathered there. Snapping his hips, he plunges deeper, Jared’s eyes shooting wide open as he comes, riding out the stimulating wave after wave of his orgasm.
Jensen’s orgasm happens mere seconds afterwards. Jesus...Fuck. He flops down, boneless on the floor. Jared crawls up the length of Jensen’s body, every place his hands touch seem to burn Jensen’s skin. He wraps himself around Jensen like a blanket, as Jensen shudders through the come down and it's so perfect it doesn't matter that they're in a dark dingy boiler room.
The afterglow is fucking stupendous. They could be in the honeymoon suite of a beachfront Hawaiian hotel.
Jensen doesn’t remember ever feeling this good. Doesn’t matter that he’s got dust mites in crevices he doesn’t even want to begin to think about or that his back aches from lying on a hard concrete floor. He has a warm body tucked tightly under his arm and Jared’s drawing random patterns in the drying come on his belly, a light tickling touch that causes Jensen’s stomach muscles to tremble, trying to hold in the laughter wanting to break free.
They’re a mess, the air around them heady with sex and Jensen has ten minutes to get back to work before his colleagues are going to start noticing his absence.
He’s not entirely sure how the whole, ‘going home to walk a neighbour’s dog’ lie worked but maybe he’s worrying too much. Mike had seemed disinterested when Jensen told him he what he was doing. Mike was probably already thinking about the sandwich waiting for him as he scuttled past Jensen to the break room.
But for all the risks and lies and uneasy guilt already weighing heavily on Jensen’s conscience, they’re going to be doing this again. That’s certain now.
Jensen kisses Jared’s neck. He latches on and starts to suck, drawing blood to the surface of the skin before he stops, thinking better of leaving a bruise there, where everyone can see it. No matter how much it turns him on to think of people seeing his mark on Jared’s flesh, it’d be a mistake.
Instead he presses his lips against the jugular vein, so that he can feel Jared’s pulse tremble. He closes his eyes and tries to commit as much of this moment to memory as he can. The long lean lines of Jared’s beautiful naked body, the taste of sweat and come mingling in his mouth and-with his nose buried in Jared’s hair-the faint scent of hospital issue shampoo and shower gel. “We need to go back.”
“No, I don’t wanna go back.” Jared lifts his head, rests his chin on his arm and pulls an over-exaggerated sulky face complete with an impressive pout.
Jensen laughs fondly as he climbs shakily to his feet, holding out his hand to pull Jared up to standing too. They hurry to get dressed, both stealing hungry glances at each-other when they should be concentrating on drawing on their own clothes.
It physically hurts to watch Jared walk away, heading off to his room to try and avoid rousing suspicion but Jensen doesn’t look away. He stays cooling his heels in the corridor until Jared’s long out of sight. Then he straightens his uniform, licks his palm and rubs it over his hair. He’s still occupied with trying to tame a cowlick that he almost walks straight into Katie.
Katie, who takes one look at his appearance. The flushed face, messy hair and crumpled clothes and says, “Jensen, you’re a sly dog.”
“What?” Jensen’s sure he might pass out. His heart is hammering that loudly against his rib cage it’s a wonder Katie can’t hear it.
“Mike said you’d nipped home. Something about needing to look after a neighbour’s dog? But I’m betting what you’ve been looking after is the neighbour. Is she a hot Mrs. Robinson type? Come on, spill it. I need juicy details to compensate for the suck fest which is my love life.”
“Mr. Robinson.” Jensen answers simply, then instantly regrets putting himself out there so easily. He forces a stiff grin onto his face and scuffs his shoes against the floor.
“You’re gay?”
“That going to be a problem?”
“Not at all. Although hark,” Katie cups her ear with her hand, “I think I hear the sound of female hearts breaking.” Katie slaps his arm and smiles as they start walking, moving in step, shoulders touching. “Hey, Jensen? The post of fag hag isn’t already taken is it?”
*
The boiler room becomes their meeting place.
They both love the open air of the hospital grounds but it's just too risky and in a way, the boiler room starts to feel like their private space. Somewhere they can do what they want without the fear of being found out. It’s a flimsy, flawed, sense of security but they cling to it.
They don’t always have sex, sometimes they talk too.
“I want to go to a club,” Jared says. He’s sharing Jensen’s lunch, despite politely refusing initially; Jensen knows that Jared keeps missing meals so that they can steal some time to be together. Jared’s clearly hungry because he’s already down to the crusts of one half of a thick-sliced baloney sandwich.
It's been a few weeks since this new development started and they're so relaxed in each-other's company now that they're practically horizontal.
Good thing that’s their preferred position.
Jared walks over to where Jensen is sitting on the floor, eating an apple, and prods him with the end of his sneaker until Jensen stops chewing and gives him his full undivided attention. Jared continues, “I used to go to this one place in downtown San Antonio all the time. Chad and me, we were always sneaking out and we both had these totally shitty fake ID’s. I was Jay Walker and he was Mike Rotchitches.” Jared’s grin widens, eyes distant, deep in nostalgia. “They still got us served in bars more times than I can remember.”
“Jay Walker, huh?” Jensen repeats with a smile, “So you like dancing?”
“I like dancing but it doesn’t like me. Meggy says that when I dance I look like a cross between C3PO and someone having an epileptic fit.”
Meggy. Jensen's brain sticks on the name like glue. He knows he has to choose his next words carefully. “She’s your little sister, right?”
Jared’s smile slips. He tenses instantly, obviously realizing what he’s said and holds up a hand, “Don’t-I don’t want to talk about her.”
Jared tries to walk away but Jensen stops him, curling his arm around Jared's tiny waist and drawing him in for a hug. Jared's whole body is held tight and Jensen puts his chin on Jared's shoulder. Laying a few wet kisses on the nape of his neck, he watches Jared’s Adam’s apple work. “Hey, hey, shhhh, it’s okay. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to.” Jensen keeps gifting Jared with kisses until he’s satisfied that the skittish look on Jared’s face is starting to withdraw. “You want to dance now? With me?”
“Now? Are you nuts?” Jared says, eyes coming to life again, slowly reigniting with genuine amusement. He glances around their gloomy surroundings. “There’s no music.”
“Trust me,” Jensen holds out his hand, smiling when Jared takes it.
It's awkward at first, like a Regency Ball for the chronically uncoordinated then-as Jensen starts to sing softly-they stand toe-to-toe and hit upon something resembling a genuine beat.
Jensen leads, still crooning the words to ‘Iris’ by the Goo Goo Dolls and mostly getting the lyrics right. He smoothly guides Jared in a slow-dance that rotates around the room, both of them convulsing with fierce giggle fits whenever they falter. Finally, Jared breaks away, laughing and giddy. “I need to go. My group therapy session starts in fifteen minutes and afterwards I’m making models with ice-lolly sticks in the art room. Rocks to be me, huh?”
“How’s that going by the way?” Jensen asks, cautiously, bending down to collect the waste remnants of his lunch together.
“My model making skills are unsurpassed. I did a bust of Abraham Lincoln last week, perfectly to scale too. Why are you asking? Are you scoping for an ashtray?”
“You know what I mean. Lately, you seem...”
“Happier?” Jared supplies. “That’s because I am. My meds are actually working for a change and then there’s you.”
“Who? Me?” Jensen jabs his thumb at himself, feigning surprise.
“Y’know, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m crazy about you.” Jared bounces on the balls of his feet, biting his lip nervously. “Okay, bad analogy but I am. You're incredible. You’re smart and kind, you make me laugh...and you actually like me despite the whole-” Jared holds up a finger by the side of his head and spins it in a circle. “Not to mention the fact that you’re so hot you should come with a warning-or protective goggles."
Jensen flushes, covers his mouth, feeling ridiculously overcome with a surging wave of affection for Jared. "Ditto,” He mumbles. It’s all he can manage before he’s closing the space between them, putting his lips to Jared’s in a firm, possessive, kiss.
*
Things are good, things are awesome until Jensen takes some annual leave to go on vacation to Florida with his family.
*
On Jensen’s first day back he finds Katie waiting for him as he goes to hang his coat up inside his locker. The grim look on her face instantly sets alarm bells ringing inside his head. “Wha...”
“Come with me, Jen.” She hisses, taking his hand and quickly dragging him out of their break room and away from the curious stares of their co-workers.
Jensen follows her, apprehension clawing at his insides. Has his relationship with Jared been discovered? That’s the only thing he can think. A headache starts to throb behind his eyes.
They pass the nurses’ station and Dr. Morgan’s office but Jensen’s too afraid to ask what’s going on. Instead, he stays deathly silent as they take the back staircase, going down to the ground floor.
Katie enters a four digit key code and pushes through the double-doors, only coming to a stop when they’re both standing outside the row of isolation rooms.
When she finally meets Jensen’s eyes, she’s on the brink of tears and that only adds to Jensen’s alarm. “I’ve not seen him this bad since he was first admitted. He won't listen to anyone. Won’t calm down unless he’s sedated. The moment the drugs wear off, he gets upset again...”
“Wait,” Jensen stops her with a raised hand. “Are you...Are you talking about Jared?” He shouldn’t need to ask. He knows, he already knows.
Katie nods, sniffing. “Who else? He seems to think you’ve been taken away from him, as punishment. Don’t ask me why because I honestly don’t know. He’s not been eating, we had to insert an I.V. just to get some fluids into him.” Katie worries her bottom lip. "He's gotten worse. Like all the progress he's made since he's been here counts for nothing. He's making himself so sick and..." She covers her face with her hand and the next sentence is muffled but Jensen deciphers it, then instantly wishes he hadn’t. “Doctor Morgan wants to transfer him to a crisis centre in Dallas.”
Jensen staggers back until he hits the wall. "Katie?" Jensen reaches out and gently tugs away the hand that is covering her face, wanting to see her eyes.
Katie lifts her arms and then drops them down against her sides again. The next time she speaks, her face is still solemn but there's anger there now too. “I didn’t know what to do, you’ve put me in a terrible position, Jensen. I know what’s been going on!”
Jensen can feel all the blood leave his face, “W-What?”
Katie's chin wobbles, fresh tears springing up in her eyes and she sighs heavily, "I saw you kissing Jared, a few weeks ago. You were coming out of the boiler room together. I didn’t say anything to anyone because I could see how happy you were, how happy Jared was. I shouldn’t have kept my mouth closed, I thought it was for the best but...look what’s happened, Jensen. Look at what you’ve done."
Jensen can't find the words to deny it, to say it’s all a big misunderstanding, that Katie is mistaken. He can’t think straight because Jared is down here somewhere, hurting. “I need to see him, Katie. Now, please?” Jensen’s already moving towards the locked numbered doors, trying to peer through the small panel windows to see which room contains Jared. When Katie doesn’t move he swings around, turns pleading eyes on her. “Katie, please!”
“You need to stop this, Jensen. Stop and think about what you’re doing! I like you, I really like you but you’re flushing your career down the drain and Jared. Jared’s sick...you’re making him worse!”
Jensen nods stiffly, nausea turning his stomach. “I need to see him, talk to him. I’ll explain....” Jensen mutters weakly. Finding himself leaning against the wall again for support, he puts his head into his hands, mussing up his short gelled spikes and rubs at his temple.
He’ll explain what? That he doesn’t want Jared when he so obviously fucking does? When every molecule in his body wants Jared? But...Katie is right. She’s absolutely right! He simply can't do this anymore. He can’t. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, one that won’t go down, sticking in his throat and making him gag. His career is one thing but if he's affecting Jared's recovery then this has got to stop.
Katie catches his eye as she passes him the key card which will unlock Jared’s room. “He’s in room six. Look, we shouldn’t even be down here so don’t be long, okay? Mike’s doing the rounds this morning and he’ll not cover for you. If he finds you down here he’ll run to Kripke’s office so fast you’d think his ass was on fire.”
Jensen is already walking away but he turns and mouths ‘thank you’ as he slides the card down the corresponding lock.
The room is empty except for one bed, on which Jared is laid. Ankles and wrists secured in soft restraints. Jensen exhales heavily as he crosses the floor, crouching down at the top of the bed by Jared’s head.
“Jared?” Jared’s clearly not sleeping. His eyes are open but glazed over, focused on some point on the stark white ceiling tiles. Jensen’s not sure what medication he’s doped up on but it must be heavy duty stuff to leave him this unresponsive.
“Jared?” Jensen tries again.
Jared is slow to react but this time, Jensen notices that his eyes are battling to try and move. Finally they do a slow roll in Jensen's direction, pupils widening significantly when they discern the face hovering above him. “Where were you? They took you away from me.” Jared rasps, wrists tugging weakly at the restraints as he tries to lift his arm to touch Jensen.
“Nobody took me away. I was on vacation. I told you I was going, remember? I went to spend some time with my family for a few days.” Jensen holds Jared's head still, trying to force Jared's drifting eyes to stay focused on him.
“Family?”
“My mom, dad, little sister, big brother.”
“My family...”
“Visit when they can, I know. It’s okay.” Jensen leans over and only at the last minute manages to stop himself from pressing a kiss to Jared’s sweaty forehead. “Why’d you have to go and get yourself so worked up, huh?”
“I thought they took you from me, to punish me for...being happy. For being in love with you.”
Jensen heart breaks with Jared's admission. They've never said as much before but it’s not unrequited. Jensen loves Jared so much he could forget to breathe for thinking about him. “Jared.”
“I thought they were hurting you. I shouldn’t be happy, I don’t deserve to ever be happy, I shouldn’t, I shouldn’t....”
“Shhhhh, it’s okay. I’m okay, see. I’m just fine. Nobody took me away. I wouldn't let that happen.” He gives in, powerless to hold back and lets his hand tangle in Jared's hair, stroking across his brow. A repetitive action that seems to soothe them both.
Jared's pronounced breathing is still too fast and Jensen gently runs the pad of his thumb over Jared's face, over his sharp cheekbones and along the edge of his jaw. He lowers his voice to a whisper, "You'll give yourself a panic attack. Please, calm down...I couldn’t bear it, JT." I couldn’t bear it if they transferred you to another hospital, one where all the rooms had locked doors and bars on the windows. One where you couldn’t go outside to walk in the sun. Nobody as beautiful as you should be kept out of the sun, Jensen doesn’t say.
Jared’s breathing starts to slow, eyelids fluttering despite his apparent best efforts to keep them fixed on Jensen. Jensen stays knelt by the side of the bed, as if in prayer. Jared’s hand held tightly in his own, his thumb moving in lazy circles on the inside of Jared’s large curled palm until the younger man’s grip goes limp, finally slipping away into a medicated sleep.
*
It’s three more days before Jared is released from the isolation ward and allowed to mix with other patients in the communal areas again. Jensen’s stayed away the whole time, keeping himself distracted with doing his job. It’s for the best, he tells himself- it’s the best for Jared-and tries to convince himself that he really believes that to be the truth.
He knows he needs to talk to Jared and when Jensen sees him disinterestedly reading a magazine in the Day Room, he decides now’s a good a time as any.
“You’re looking better.” Jensen says, walking with forced breeziness over to Jared’s chair as though everything’s fine. As though the last time they saw each-other, Jared wasn’t losing his shit in a padded room.
As though Jensen doesn’t want to grab hold Jared and never let go.
“God, I’ve missed you,” Jared says as he swiftly stands up, the magazine forgotten, dropping out of his lap and onto the floor. After glancing around to make sure there’s nobody nearby, he puts his hand on Jensen’s cheek, not missing the flinch which passes over Jensen’s expression. “What is it? Is everything alright?” Jared asks, so softly Jensen has to strain to hear him.
“We can’t...I need to stop this.” Jensen eyes are prickling. “I should never have started it. It was wrong, irresponsible, of me to take advantage-”
“No,” Jared begs, his words tumbling out. “You know that’s not what happened. You never did anything I didn't want. I’m not-I’m not your victim, Jensen!”
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. It's over.”
Jared steps closer, his dark eyes shifting from hurt to angry and Jensen shuffles back. “Ever since I lost Meggy, everyone’s been deciding what’s best for me but no-one ever asks me what I want. It’s as though I’m a non-person, a non-entity. I don’t have any misconceptions about why I’m here, Jensen. I’m insane, not an idiot!”
“Don’t make this harder than it already is. Jared, please, don’t.”
“Why? When it’s the truth? I thought you were different. That you were the one person that looked at me and saw me. Not some whack job who’s only good for shoving under a microscope. Were you trying to impress Dr. Morgan? Spending time with me, studying me? Was I worth it?”
Jensen clenches his jaw, grinding his teeth, “That’s not...”
“Stay away from me.” Jared hangs his head, long hair tumbling forward across his face like a curtain.
“Jared...” Jensen desperately curls his fingers in Jared’s t-shirt, the material pulled taut enough to rip. It was never going to go well but he didn’t want it to go down like this.
Jared pushes at Jensen's chest with a force that sends Jensen tottering backwards. “LEAVE ME ALONE!”
Jensen holds up his hand when an orderly bursts into the room, ready to step in and deal with what he must believe to be a violent outburst by a patient. “It’s okay, I’ve got this.” Jensen hisses through clenched teeth at the man. The last thing on earth he wants to see right now is Jared being tackled to the ground and sedated.
“Leave me alone.” Jared repeats, stumbling in his rush to get out through the door. It’s everything Jensen can do to not chase after him.
*
A few hours later, Katie tracks Jensen down when he’s helping Aldis with a finger-painting which Aldis claims is a self-portrait but looks more like a potato with legs.
“Jensen, I need you...uhm. Can you come and help me with this thing?”
“What thing?” Jensen asks raising an eyebrow as he wipes his paint covered hands clean on a cloth.
“Now! Jensen.”
“I’d do what the lady says,” Aldis whispers in Jensen’s ear with a knowing smile and Jensen shrugs, follows her out of the art room.
The minute their out in the corridor, Katie spins around to face him. “Jared’s gone.”
It takes a moment for it to sink in. “What?”
“I’ve looked everywhere. He’s not in the hospital or out in the grounds.” Jensen open his mouth to speak but Katie butts in, “No and he’s not in the boiler room either, I’ve checked there.”
“Oh God.” Jensen rubs a hand down his face. “Katie, don’t call it in. Buy me some time, I’ll find him...Please?” Katie looks doubtful and Jensen tries one last time. “This is my fault. I fucked up and I’m the reason Jared’s missing. I need to find him myself. You can turn me in to Kripke if you want to, just please...please give me a chance to try and find him?”
Katie frowns, huffs out a long breath through her nose, “You’ve got two hours, then I’m calling it in.”
“Thank you,” Jensen hugs her tight and then runs towards the staff parking lot, digging out his cell from his back pocket as he runs.
*
“Chad?”
“Yeah?” The voice on the other end of the line sounds oddly breathless and Jensen pulls his cell away from his ear to check he’s dialled the number correctly. “Who is this?”
“Chad, it’s Jensen.”
“Dude you have the worst timing. Oh yeah, just like that, baby. The Chadsterprise is going to open fire with full photon torpedoes...”
“Chad!” Jensen cringes as he hears the sound of tinkling female laughter reverberate over the phone line, “Chad, this is important.”
There's whispering and the female laughter in the background finally quiets down to a stifled giggling. “What’s going on, is it Jared?” Chad asked, suddenly deadly serious.
“Yes, it's Jared." Jensen growls. "Have you seen him?”
“Not since I visited last week. Why?" Chad's voice is muffled and Jensen guesses he must have his hand cupped over the mouthpiece on his phone, "What’s going on? He alright?”
"Is there any place he would go?"
"Jesus Christ. He's done a runner? What the fuck did you do Jensen? What the fuck is going on?"
"I’m wasting time. I need to find him." A violent shudder passes over Jensen. He swipes roughly at his eyes, finding them wet. His vision keeps blurring and he blinks to try and clear it. "Could he have gone to the cemetery, to visit Megan’s grave?" Jensen presses, his brain whirring into overdrive.
"Oh man! Oh man, this is bad. Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Chad's panicky voice tapers off, he talks in hushed tones to the girl in the background before he returns to the phone. "Okay, there's this place back home, Woodlawn Park." Chad says, "It's near our old high school. Well, there's a bridge, which cuts over Woodlawn Lake, and we used to hang out there all the time as kids. Jared used to say it was like being in a jungle and he'd pretend to be an explorer and sometimes Meggy would tag along and we’d make her be a princess so we could save her from the swamp monster." He’s starting to ramble, talking too rapidly for Jensen to keep track.
"CHAD! Come on!" Jensen orders, trying not to yell.
"Okay, okay...Uhm, the first night after Meggy died, when Jared was released from the hospital. He disappeared from his parents’ house and his mom was having hysterics because they couldn't find him anywhere but I knew. I knew he'd be there, man. He wouldn't go to the cemetery. That’d be too hard for him, like he’d be accepting her death. Jensen you've got to find him, you've got..."
“I’ll find him.” Jensen snaps his cell phone closed. Fuck, he’s so damn scared it’s eating him up inside.
Home for Jared is San Antonio. By car it’s just over an hour’s drive from Austin but Jared could have hitchhiked if he was determined enough. It’s highly plausible because god knows what's going on inside his head right now.
And that's what Jensen's really afraid of.
~TBC~
Part Three.