"Midnight Clear" 41
Trouble.
By Gaedhal
Pittsburgh, December 2005
Before Michael could stop him, Brian jumped into an elevator. The door closed and it went up.
The Intensive Care Unit seemed hushed compared to the bustling, businesslike atmosphere of the rest of the hospital. The nurse's station was quiet this early in the morning. A miniature Christmas tree twinkled on the desk, while a green plastic wreath proclaimed 'Merry Christmas!' from the wall.
It's Christmas, thought Brian. I completely forgot.
Fucking Christmas!
Our anniversary.
He closed his eyes and steadied himself.
"Excuse me. I need to see Justin Taylor."
The nurse looked up at him from behind the desk. "May I help you, sir?"
"I said I need to see Justin Taylor," Brian repeated. "My partner. I know he's here! I have to see him!"
The nurse frowned. "And you are?"
"His partner!" The words came out louder than Brian had intended and they echoed through the corridors. "I'm Brian Kinney. I just came in from San Francisco. I flew all night! And now I need to see Justin!"
The woman stood up and backed away from the desk. She looked around nervously. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kinney, but the patient isn't allowed any visitors."
"Please call Jennifer Taylor," Brian pleaded. "I know she's here. She'll let me see him!"
"I think you better leave now," said the nurse. She reached for the telephone.
An elevator opened on the floor and Michael rushed out. "Brian! What's going on?"
He turned to his friend. "They won't let me see Justin! It's fucking bullshit!"
"Please leave," the nurse said firmly. "Now! I've already called security!"
Michael touched Brian's arm. "Come down to the waiting room at the end of the hall. That's where Ma is. They'll let us sit in there."
"I don't want to sit in some fucking waiting room!" Brian blasted. "I want to see Justin! I NEED to see Justin!" Brian glanced around. "Where is he? Which room is he in?"
Another nurse appeared and blocked Brian's way. "I must ask you to leave, sir."
"Fuck you!" Brian countered. "I'm seeing my partner if I have to tear this fucking place upside down!"
Two men in scrubs came out of a room. "What's all this racket?" asked the shorter, older man.
"Dr. Bentley, this is Mr. Kinney," said the nurse behind the desk. "He insists on seeing Justin Taylor."
"I'm sorry, sir," said the doctor. "The Taylor family isn't allowing any outside visitors. Justin Taylor has been very seriously injured and it would be better for him if there were no disruptions."
"So you think I'm a disruption?" Brian felt his blood rising. "I'm his fucking partner! We live together! He's not a child! He's 23 years old! He would want me there... next to him. Is he awake? Tell me that much!"
The doctor looked grim. "He's still unconscious. We're monitoring his condition. There's nothing you can do for your... your friend right now. I suggest you go home and wait for further developments."
Brian leaned towards the doctor as Michael grabbed his arm and tried to hold him back. "You want me to go home? Are you fucking INSANE? I have to be here! What if Justin wakes up and I'm not there? Not next to him? What if he wakes up and I'm not... not holding his hand? What will he think? How will he feel?"
"I'm sorry, but only family is permitted," Dr. Bentley pronounced.
"I'm his fucking family!" Brian shouted. "Don't you understand, you fucking homophobic bastard!"
Hearing Brian's voice, Debbie came out of the waiting room and hurried up the hallway. "Brian! You got here!"
"They won't let him in, Ma," said Michael. "They won't let him see Justin."
"So what the fuck else is new? Please," Debbie begged the doctor. "If he knows Brian is here, I'm sure Sunshine will wake up! All he has to do is hear Brian's voice!"
"It's not that simple," said the doctor. "The boy can't hear anything. He's in a coma."
The elevator door opened again and two security guards got off, followed by a Pittsburgh PD cop. "What's going on here? We've had a report of a disturbance."
"That's the man!" The nurse behind the desk pointed at Brian. "He refuses to leave the floor!"
"Come on, sir," said the cop. The two security guards puffed themselves up behind him. "It's time to go."
But Brian turned away from them. "Where's Jennifer Taylor? I want to speak with her! Jennifer! Can you hear me? You know Justin would want to see me!"
"That's enough!" the cop roared. "There are sick people here!"
"What the hell is going on?" Craig Taylor came out of one of the side rooms and glared at Brian. "This is the man I told you about, Dr. Bentley. I knew he'd come here and cause trouble!"
"I'm not causing trouble," Brian insisted. "I only want to see my partner. I have a right to see him!"
"You have no right to do anything!" Craig sneered. "You're the reason Justin was almost killed! You and your disgusting lifestyle! Justin wouldn't have been wandering around Liberty Avenue in the middle of the night if you hadn't corrupted him! He wouldn't have been attacked by some pervert! Or should I say, some OTHER pervert, since you're the first pervert who had your filthy way with him!"
Brian looked at Debbie and Michael. "Was... was Justin sexually assaulted? Is that what happened?"
Debbie shook her head. "We don't know, honey! No one will tell us anything!"
"Just let me see Justin!" Brian begged Craig Taylor. "For two fucking seconds!"
"Officer!" Craig shouted. "Are you going to get this man out of here?"
"Brian! Come with me and Ma!" Michael implored. "Please? We'll come back later. We'll figure out a way to see Justin! Carl will think of something!"
"Forget it, Mikey!" Brian spat at Craig. "This supercilious fucker will never let me see him!"
"Officer?" Craig turned to the cop. "Are you going to do your duty and remove this pervert?"
"Okay. That's enough!" the cop nodded. "If you don't come along now, sir, we'll have to cuff you."
"Then do it!" Brian said defiantly. "Fuck you! Because I'm not leaving here voluntarily!"
The two security guards seized Brian by the arms and the cop cuffed his hands behind his back.
"Is that really necessary, officer?" Debbie asked as they dragged Brian towards the elevators. "Do you have to arrest him? I'm Debbie Horvath. My husband is Lt. Carl Horvath."
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Horvath," said the cop. "But we're taking this man downtown. And I suggest you and the other gentleman go home, too. These people obviously don't want you here."
"That's an understatement!" Craig snorted. "I want you freaks to leave me and my family alone! Because you're never going to see Justin again if I have anything to say about it!" And Craig turned and marched back into the ICU.
"Don't worry, Brian!" Michael called. "We'll call Carl! And Melanie! We'll get you out as soon as we can!"
"Yeah, right, Mikey," said Brian right before the elevator doors closed. "Oh -- and Merry fucking Christmas!"
***
By Gaedhal
Pittsburgh, December 2005
Before Michael could stop him, Brian jumped into an elevator. The door closed and it went up.
The Intensive Care Unit seemed hushed compared to the bustling, businesslike atmosphere of the rest of the hospital. The nurse's station was quiet this early in the morning. A miniature Christmas tree twinkled on the desk, while a green plastic wreath proclaimed 'Merry Christmas!' from the wall.
It's Christmas, thought Brian. I completely forgot.
Fucking Christmas!
Our anniversary.
He closed his eyes and steadied himself.
"Excuse me. I need to see Justin Taylor."
The nurse looked up at him from behind the desk. "May I help you, sir?"
"I said I need to see Justin Taylor," Brian repeated. "My partner. I know he's here! I have to see him!"
The nurse frowned. "And you are?"
"His partner!" The words came out louder than Brian had intended and they echoed through the corridors. "I'm Brian Kinney. I just came in from San Francisco. I flew all night! And now I need to see Justin!"
The woman stood up and backed away from the desk. She looked around nervously. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kinney, but the patient isn't allowed any visitors."
"Please call Jennifer Taylor," Brian pleaded. "I know she's here. She'll let me see him!"
"I think you better leave now," said the nurse. She reached for the telephone.
An elevator opened on the floor and Michael rushed out. "Brian! What's going on?"
He turned to his friend. "They won't let me see Justin! It's fucking bullshit!"
"Please leave," the nurse said firmly. "Now! I've already called security!"
Michael touched Brian's arm. "Come down to the waiting room at the end of the hall. That's where Ma is. They'll let us sit in there."
"I don't want to sit in some fucking waiting room!" Brian blasted. "I want to see Justin! I NEED to see Justin!" Brian glanced around. "Where is he? Which room is he in?"
Another nurse appeared and blocked Brian's way. "I must ask you to leave, sir."
"Fuck you!" Brian countered. "I'm seeing my partner if I have to tear this fucking place upside down!"
Two men in scrubs came out of a room. "What's all this racket?" asked the shorter, older man.
"Dr. Bentley, this is Mr. Kinney," said the nurse behind the desk. "He insists on seeing Justin Taylor."
"I'm sorry, sir," said the doctor. "The Taylor family isn't allowing any outside visitors. Justin Taylor has been very seriously injured and it would be better for him if there were no disruptions."
"So you think I'm a disruption?" Brian felt his blood rising. "I'm his fucking partner! We live together! He's not a child! He's 23 years old! He would want me there... next to him. Is he awake? Tell me that much!"
The doctor looked grim. "He's still unconscious. We're monitoring his condition. There's nothing you can do for your... your friend right now. I suggest you go home and wait for further developments."
Brian leaned towards the doctor as Michael grabbed his arm and tried to hold him back. "You want me to go home? Are you fucking INSANE? I have to be here! What if Justin wakes up and I'm not there? Not next to him? What if he wakes up and I'm not... not holding his hand? What will he think? How will he feel?"
"I'm sorry, but only family is permitted," Dr. Bentley pronounced.
"I'm his fucking family!" Brian shouted. "Don't you understand, you fucking homophobic bastard!"
Hearing Brian's voice, Debbie came out of the waiting room and hurried up the hallway. "Brian! You got here!"
"They won't let him in, Ma," said Michael. "They won't let him see Justin."
"So what the fuck else is new? Please," Debbie begged the doctor. "If he knows Brian is here, I'm sure Sunshine will wake up! All he has to do is hear Brian's voice!"
"It's not that simple," said the doctor. "The boy can't hear anything. He's in a coma."
The elevator door opened again and two security guards got off, followed by a Pittsburgh PD cop. "What's going on here? We've had a report of a disturbance."
"That's the man!" The nurse behind the desk pointed at Brian. "He refuses to leave the floor!"
"Come on, sir," said the cop. The two security guards puffed themselves up behind him. "It's time to go."
But Brian turned away from them. "Where's Jennifer Taylor? I want to speak with her! Jennifer! Can you hear me? You know Justin would want to see me!"
"That's enough!" the cop roared. "There are sick people here!"
"What the hell is going on?" Craig Taylor came out of one of the side rooms and glared at Brian. "This is the man I told you about, Dr. Bentley. I knew he'd come here and cause trouble!"
"I'm not causing trouble," Brian insisted. "I only want to see my partner. I have a right to see him!"
"You have no right to do anything!" Craig sneered. "You're the reason Justin was almost killed! You and your disgusting lifestyle! Justin wouldn't have been wandering around Liberty Avenue in the middle of the night if you hadn't corrupted him! He wouldn't have been attacked by some pervert! Or should I say, some OTHER pervert, since you're the first pervert who had your filthy way with him!"
Brian looked at Debbie and Michael. "Was... was Justin sexually assaulted? Is that what happened?"
Debbie shook her head. "We don't know, honey! No one will tell us anything!"
"Just let me see Justin!" Brian begged Craig Taylor. "For two fucking seconds!"
"Officer!" Craig shouted. "Are you going to get this man out of here?"
"Brian! Come with me and Ma!" Michael implored. "Please? We'll come back later. We'll figure out a way to see Justin! Carl will think of something!"
"Forget it, Mikey!" Brian spat at Craig. "This supercilious fucker will never let me see him!"
"Officer?" Craig turned to the cop. "Are you going to do your duty and remove this pervert?"
"Okay. That's enough!" the cop nodded. "If you don't come along now, sir, we'll have to cuff you."
"Then do it!" Brian said defiantly. "Fuck you! Because I'm not leaving here voluntarily!"
The two security guards seized Brian by the arms and the cop cuffed his hands behind his back.
"Is that really necessary, officer?" Debbie asked as they dragged Brian towards the elevators. "Do you have to arrest him? I'm Debbie Horvath. My husband is Lt. Carl Horvath."
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Horvath," said the cop. "But we're taking this man downtown. And I suggest you and the other gentleman go home, too. These people obviously don't want you here."
"That's an understatement!" Craig snorted. "I want you freaks to leave me and my family alone! Because you're never going to see Justin again if I have anything to say about it!" And Craig turned and marched back into the ICU.
"Don't worry, Brian!" Michael called. "We'll call Carl! And Melanie! We'll get you out as soon as we can!"
"Yeah, right, Mikey," said Brian right before the elevator doors closed. "Oh -- and Merry fucking Christmas!"
***