by B L Maxwell
I slid them out of the bag and looked at them all. The pictures of Zane haunted me, he looked so happy, carefree, and healthy. Why would he be out there all alone if he had a family that, from the pictures, seemed to love him. Everything I learned about him left me with more questions. More questions that only he could answer.
Sleep finally claimed me as the sun was rising, one more sleepless night to add to many. I stayed in my apartment for most of the day, since school was out for Thanksgiving. I couldn’t seem to relax, though, or keep my mind off Zane. I cleaned, did my laundry, put together a simple soup recipe in the Crock-Pot, and made a list of groceries and other things I’d need when I went shopping next. When I was done, I sat on the couch and tried to watch a movie, but it didn’t hold my attention. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I gave up and drove to work. If Bruce didn’t need me, I’d sit in the back room and work on an assignment. Anything had to be better than sitting here alone thinking about Zane.
“Hey, kid,” Bruce called out as I walked through the door. “Still raining?” He laughed.
“Yep, still raining. Thought I’d come in early and see if you needed some help.”
“We can always use help, you know that. Get busy on those dishes, we’re way behind from the lunch crowd.” I breathed a sigh of relief and tied on an apron, more than ready to start my shift early. And since it was busy, there was plenty to do.
Chapter Seventeen
Snow and Yams
“Tommy, do not be late, we’re counting on you,” Bruce said, his voice serious.
“I won’t, and I’ll bring the yams with me. Geesh, it’s not like I’m bringing the turkey.”
“The yams are just as important, I’m trusting you to make sure they arrive on time, and intact.” It was Wednesday night, and just like every year, we were packed. It was old-school night, and every person who was in town visiting had gone out tonight for dinner and a drink.
“Don’t worry, I have everything I need. I’ll cook it in the morning and bring it to your house while it’s nice and hot.”
“Don’t forget the marshmallows.”
“Dude, you have a serious issue with yams, has anyone ever told you that?”
“Nope, never.”
“I’m thinking that’s not true at all. Guess I’ll be having a little chat with John tomorrow. He can fill me in.”
Bruce laughed at that. Everyone was in a great mood, the holiday atmosphere was contagious, and with the great crowds and everyone tipping so well, none of us complained that we were slammed. After the last group left, Bruce raced after them and locked the door.
“Okay, everyone, great job, now let’s get this place cleaned up so we can go home and start our own holiday celebration.” It didn’t take us long. Everyone was so amped up and ready to leave, we were all motivated to make a fast and efficient end of the day. “That’s it, we’re good to go,” Bruce finally called out.
“See you tomorrow,” I said as I walked out.
“Don’t forget the yams,” Bruce called, and I smiled all the way to my car despite the rain and cold. I was happy, and when I went to bed that night, I fell right to sleep.
I was just taking the yams out of the oven when my phone rang. “Hey, Bruce, I’ll be on my way in just a few minutes.”
“Okay, kid, I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.”
“Yes, I have the yams, see you in a few.”
“Be careful driving over here, have you looked outside yet?”
“No, I was busy making your yams and getting ready to go.”
“You might want to take a look.” I held the phone to my ear as I walked over to the window and pulled open the blinds. I couldn’t stop the shocked breath that escaped me.
“Snow?” I shouted.
“Well, it was on the forecast, about time they were right about it. Now get your ass over here but drive slow and careful. You’ve driven in snow before, right?”
“Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “Yes, I’ll take it slow, don’t worry, your yams will make it.”
“See you in a few.”
“Bye, Bruce.” I opened the door and stepped out into what had become a winter wonderland while I slept. It wasn’t much snow, but enough to coat everything and make the world look new and beautiful. I shivered, and realized I’d walked out without a coat on, so I stepped back into my apartment to gather together everything I was taking with me.
By the time I had it all packed and ready to go, there were a few inches of snow on the ground. I hopped through the deep parts and made it to my car with everything intact. I started the engine and turned the defroster on, hoping it would help to clear the snow and ice that had built up on the windshield. After twenty minutes it was clear I’d need to scrape it off. My defroster just wasn’t up for the challenge. I dug in my pocket for a rewards card from one of the grocery stores and proceeded to scrape enough off so I could see.
It was coming down pretty steady, which really was shocking since Sacramento never got snow. Not in the years since I’d been here anyway. Finally, after a few more minutes, I could see enough to attempt the drive to Bruce’s. I was never happier he lived so close. I crawled along and was thankful the roads were pretty deserted. Seemed I was one of the few crazy enough to be out here driving in this mess. I turned onto Bruce’s street, and the back end of my car threatened to slide out. I corrected, put one hand on the yams, and slowed down even more. I parked in front of his house and breathed a sigh of relief before I opened the car door to walk to the house.
There were a lot of cars parked here already, taking up every space in the driveway, and a few right out front. I’d been lucky to find the one I did. I started to knock when the door flew open.
“The yams okay?” Bruce asked, voice frantic.
“Yes, and I’m fine too, slid around one corner, but no problem.”
“I’ll take those for you,” he said and disappeared into the house.
“Tommy, come on in,” John called from the kitchen. I stepped in and shut the door. The house was packed; there were a lot of familiar faces, and a lot of new ones too. “Let me introduce you to everyone.” He proceeded to lead me around and introduce me to more people than I would ever remember, before he went back to the kitchen. I walked around the room and talked to a few people I recognized from the restaurant. There was a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes sitting there talking to an older guy. I stood and watched her for a moment, not sure why I was drawn to her, but I stepped closer, and eventually she made eye contact with me.
“Hi, I’m Chloe, how do you know John and Bruce?”
“I’m Tommy, I work for Bruce.”
“Oh yes, he’s mentioned you before.”
“Did you work at the bar and grill before?” I asked, making small talk.
“No, John helped my brother out of a tough situation. He didn’t want any credit for it, but I tracked him down anyway. I wanted him to know how much I appreciated it. Took me a little while, but eventually I found him.” She stood, and I noticed her round stomach. She patted it and smiled.
“Congratulations,” I said and motioned at her stomach.
“Oh thank you, it’s my brother’s. Well, not my brother’s, my brother-in-law’s.” My eyes went wide with shock. “No, sorry, that’s not—”
“What she’s trying to say is that she’s having a baby for her brother and his husband. She’s their surrogate,” John explained as he leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Chloe here is one of those good people who wants to help everyone. She’s helped me and many others.”
“Oh stop. I owed you for helping Caden, but even if you hadn’t, I have a feeling we would have ended up meeting eventually. How much longer until we eat anyway? I’ve got to stop by their house later for Thanksgiving number two.”
“Not much longer. Hey, did Tommy tell you about the guy he’s been helping?”
“No, what guy?” she asked, her attention once again on me.
“His name is Zane, he’d been
staying behind the restaurant, but he’s been gone for almost two weeks now.”
“Is he homeless?” she asked, her face painted with concern.
“Yeah, I wish I knew where he was, I’ve been really worried about him. He doesn’t have a lot. He’s got to be freezing in this weather.”
She squeezed my arm. “It’s almost time to eat, but don’t worry, give me a description of him and I’ll put some feelers out at the local shelters and see if I can find out anything about him.”
“I don’t know much, but I’d appreciate anything you can find out. I just want to know he’s okay.”
“Try not to worry, and I’ll let you know what I find. Now, if I don’t eat soon, I’ll probably pass out from lack of food.”
“Come and get it everyone,” Bruce yelled, and Chloe clapped, and I followed her into the kitchen, more excited than I had been before our conversation.
Chapter Eighteen
Thanksgiving
The next few hours were filled with laughter and food—lots of food. I found out that Chloe worked at an organization that helped some of the local homeless shelters. She’d been doing this since she was a teenager and planned to do as much as she could until everyone had a warm place to sleep and plenty of food. She was probably the nicest person I’d ever met.
“I meant what I said earlier, Tommy, give me your number and I’ll see what I can find out about Zane. If he’s out there, someone will have seen him.”
“She means it, she found me,” John added between bites of pie.
“You did not make it easy either,” Chloe said as she ate her second piece of chocolate cake. “I won’t lose you again, though.” He smiled at her with a look that said how thankful he was to her.
“If you hadn’t found him, we’d never have met again,” Bruce said. “Funny, it’s a bit like in that movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, how everyone’s lives are connected and one little change can affect everyone.”
Chloe leaned in closer to John and put her head on his shoulder. “You’re right, it is. If my parents hadn’t been the assholes they are, and kicked my brother out for being gay, I would have never met any of you. I’m not saying I’m happy they did that, because it was horrible, but I’m so glad to have met you all.” She looked around the room at all the people gathered.
“You’ve helped everyone here, haven’t you?” I asked, full of awe for this young woman who seemed to have an abundance of caring.
“No, not everyone, but some have helped me. In more ways than they know.” She smiled at Bruce and scooted to the edge of the couch to stand. “I need to text Rio, he’s picking me up. There was no way they’d let me drive in the snow. Even if I didn’t have their little bundle of joy.” She stood, and a few people rushed around to help her, me included. As we were standing there, John stepped closer to me.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” he asked.
“Of course, what’s going on?”
“I just wanted you to know, I’ll help you find Zane if you want. I know what it’s like to be on the street and not want anyone to find you. If you want to take a drive around the area, I’ll go along and offer any help I can.”
“I’d appreciate that. I’ve been driving around, but I really have no clue where to look for him, and the snow is making me worry even more. He’s not dressed for this weather at all. Even the coat I got him wouldn’t be enough.” While John listened, his eyes reflected his sadness and his worry.
“We’ll find him. Let me talk to Bruce, and we can go drive around. You’re right, no one needs to be out there on a night like tonight. It’s supposed to get a lot colder than it is now. He’ll need to get inside, it’s not safe.”
“Hey, sorry to interrupt, my ride’s out front. I’m going to take off, but it was great meeting you, Tommy. Give me your number and I’ll send you a text so we’re connected. I’ll let you know if I find out anything. And hopefully he finds a warm place to hunker down until the weather gets better,” Chloe said as she pulled on her coat. I gave her my number, and she tapped out a quick text.
“Got it, I’ll let you know if I have any luck,” I said. She made a quick pass around the room and hugged everyone before I heard a horn blow out front.
“That’s me, thanks again, everyone, I had a great time. Now onto part two of this day.” Everyone waved goodbye as John helped her out to the car. While he was gone, Bruce walked over to me.
“Kid, when everyone leaves, John and I will drive around and look with you. Maybe if we take separate cars, we’ll have more luck. We can cover more ground.”
“That sounds good, John offered earlier too.”
“The fact that you care really means a lot. We’ll help you, no problem. Hopefully we find him before the weather gets any worse.”
“Thanks, Bruce.” I wandered back to the couch and sat there trying to focus on conversations I couldn’t keep up with. My mind went to places I didn’t want it to, where we found Zane, but he wasn’t okay. I couldn’t let that happen, not without a fight. After one of the best Thanksgiving’s I’d ever had, I was ready to leave, and get busy looking for Zane.
Chapter Nineteen
Warmth
The snow was coming down heavy now. What had been a few inches on the ground was now close to six inches. I drove as slow as I could, but it was coming down so hard, and my windows were steamed up from the cold, making it impossible to see anything.
“Tommy, this weather is getting really bad. I think we need to go home, or one of us will end up in an accident,” Bruce said through my car’s speaker. We were both driving around, hoping to find Zane, but there was no way we’d find him in this.
“I think he’s right, Tommy, we can look again first thing in the morning,” John said.
“Yeah, I think you guys are right, I can’t see anything. I’m close to my house so I’ll go ahead and drive home. Thanks, you guys, for helping.”
“Sorry we didn’t find him, but we’ll look tomorrow.”
“Thanks, John, you guys be careful driving in this,” I said before we said our goodbyes and hung up. The weather was horrible. Even if Zane had the proper clothing it would still be a rough night to sleep out. I was distracted as I pulled into my usual space and didn’t notice the shape just outside my door until I was close enough to realize what that shape was.
“Zane?” I asked as I rushed over to him. He was slumped on the ground with the snow already covering him. I brushed it off his face and shook him, hoping he’d answer and not be dead. His skin was like ice and he was soaking wet; his eyes were shut and his lips blue.
“Zane.” I tried again, but still he didn’t respond. I rushed into my apartment and grabbed some towels and ran back out to him. He hadn’t moved at all from where he was. I dried him off as much as I could with him on the ground, and then realized I needed to get him into my place. I tried again to wake him up, but he still hadn’t moved or even tried to open his eyes. I put my arms under his back and his legs and easily lifted him into my arms.
I carried him into the living room and set him as gently as I could onto the couch. I was shaking so badly I had a hard time getting my hands to work. I panicked for a moment and didn’t know what to do. He was cold, really cold, and wet. I rushed to my bedroom and grabbed my comforter off my bed before I ran back. I had to get him out of those wet clothes, or I’d never warm him up.
He had the same plaid shirt on he’d had the last time I’d seen him. It felt like months had passed, not just a couple of weeks. I unbuttoned it and slipped his arms out of the sleeves. Dirt caked his skin, and his clothes were in even worse shape. I pulled him up off the couch and slipped his T-shirt over his head. When I set him back on the couch, I couldn’t stop the shocked gasp that escaped me. He was riddled with bruises. Some were still healing, but some looked new. I rushed into the bathroom and wet a washcloth with warm water and hurried back to start wiping him down, trying my hardest not to hurt him.
I went back and rinsed the washcloth several
times, and finally his chest and arms were clean. I wiped at his face and he groaned. I pulled back, waiting to see if he’d wake up. But he didn’t. He didn’t make any other sounds, so I kept wiping him off. He was a handsome guy, I thought absently, his nose perfectly straight, and I knew those eyes were bright with excitement and intelligence. I toweled off his hair, and on the back of his head I felt something that stopped me. I turned his head to the side to get a better look. When I moved his hair, I found a huge bump and a serious gash. I wiped at it and fresh blood started to flow. I pressed one of the towels against it and eased his head back down on the couch.
I knew I needed to take his pants off too—they were soaked, and snow was still frozen to them—but I didn’t want him to think I was taking advantage of him in any way. I couldn’t leave him in them, though, I knew he needed to get out of his wet, cold clothes if he had any hope of warming up. So I slipped his shoes off and discovered he had no socks. His toes were blue, and I tried to remember what I knew about frostbite, which wasn’t much. I did know I needed to warm him up, so I unbuttoned his pants and slid them down. I tried to ignore the bruises on his legs, and the wounds on his knees and shins. He was so thin, so much thinner than I had realized before. Or maybe he’d lost weight since I’d seen him.