by T. M. Smith
“I understand Kory; we will meet you there.” And with that, the line went dead.
***
Kory made his way through the crowd of bodies that surrounded Grove Street, dragging Gabe along behind him. It was very surreal and almost like an out of body experience. There were lights, sirens, screaming, loud voices trying to talk over everything all at once. But everything came through to Kory as a low hum. He had managed to shut everything out, except the need to get to the bar and find his lover.
They had continued to listen to the news on a local AM station on the drive in. Victor probably broke more than one law to get Kory and Gabe into the city and to their men as fast as possible. It was no surprise that they didn’t pass even one cop car during the drive. They knew that it was over before they arrived at the scene, the voice on the other end of the radio telling them that while the NYPD initially suspected more than one shooter, it had only been one gunman. He had turned his gun on himself in the end, but not until he had killed three people and wounded at least a dozen more.
Kory called Jon’s cell phone more times than he could count, frustration mounting, until the last time he tried and it went straight to voicemail. Kory almost stopped breathing. When they finally arrived in the city, Victor got them as close as possible, but between the barricades and the crowd, they had to park six blocks over from the club.
“While the exact numbers are still unconfirmed, we are hearing that several NYPD officers were injured in the gunfire that ensued when the Thirteenth precinct rushed the building.”
Victor didn’t even have the car in park when Kory flung his door open and hit the ground running. They all caught up with him two blocks down when he had to stop at a barricade. He grabbed Gabe’s hand and ducked under the barricade, sprinting toward Grove Street, ignoring the cop that shouted for them to stop.
When they could go no further, Kory stood on the sidewalk across the street from the club. He had managed to tune out the screaming and the sirens completely by now, focusing only on the ambulances that stood by, waiting to transport people to the hospital or the morgue. Gabe stood next to him, squeezing Kory’s hand in his, shivering.
“Hey! You two, you can’t be here!” Kory turned to see a cop walking toward them, yelling and pointing back the way they had come. “This is a secured area for emergency personnel only. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“And I’m going to have to tell you to fuck off.” Kory stated very matter of factly, turning back to stare across the street.
“If you won’t leave willingly, I will have you forcibly removed, sir!” the cop yelled, closer to them now.
“That’s okay Morgan, this is Brennan’s partner, I’ve got this.” A familiar voice wove its way through the bodies that crowded the scene. Kory turned and saw Robert, the older cop he met at the pub jogging toward him.
“Oh God, Robert, where is he? Was he in there? Is he okay? Was he one of the officers that was injured?” Kory rattled off a barrage of questions in about five seconds.
“Whoa, easy, slow down there before you hyperventilate, Kory. Now, before I answer your questions, I want you to promise me you won’t freak out, okay?”
Kory whimpered, his knees almost giving out. Robert would not be saying those words if Jon wasn’t hurt. Kory took a deep breath, locked his legs and nodded his head jerkily.
“All right, they’ll be bringing Jon out in a few minutes and transporting him to the hospital. He took a round here...” Robert pointed to his neck where it joined at the shoulder. “…where the Kevlar didn’t cover.”
“Gio, what about Gio, Kory?” Gabe’s tiny voice reached his ears.
Kory hugged him tighter to his side. “Gabe’s boyfriend Gio is a bartender; he works downstairs. Do you know anything about him? He’s black, about six feet tall, has a lot of tattoos.” Kory described Gio as best as he could, given how scattered his thoughts were right then.
Robert shook his head. “I wish I could help you Kory, but I don’t know any more than what I’ve told you. I haven’t been here long myself.” Robert turned when someone called out his name. “Ah, here we are now, Kory.”
Kory followed Robert’s gaze and saw a stretcher being wheeled closer to them. Jon was laid out on it, oxygen mask on his face, his arm folded over his chest, and the blood… there was so much blood that it made Kory feel faint just to see it. He moved toward Jon, then stopped and turned back to Gabe.
“It’s okay, I’ve got him Kory. You go on with Jon. I phoned the Chief and the family will meet you at the hospital,” Robert told him, wrapping an arm around Gabe and pulling him close. Gabe didn’t question it, didn’t even flinch really. He just stood there, staring across the street. Kory hesitated until he caught sight of Victor weaving his way through the crowd, heading for Gabe, with Andrew and Mattie trailing behind him. As soon as the EMT’s had Jon loaded into the ambulance, Kory climbed in and took a seat in the corner where Tony pointed and told him to sit as the doors closed and the ambulance sped away.
~ Chapter 10 | Everything Changes ~
“I’m Robert, a friend of Jon’s on the force.” Robert held his hand out to Victor then Andrew.
“Any word on Gio?” Andrew asked, winded from running.
Robert shook his head. “Now that you are here to stay with Gabe, I can go see if I can find anything out.”
Victor nodded, wrapping an arm around Gabe. Robert jogged off toward the chaos and Gabe just stood there. Staring, waiting, hoping that Gio was okay. It seemed like hours had passed before he caught sight of Robert heading back their way. For the briefest moment, Gabe was relieved, and then he saw the grim look on Robert’s face. Gabe turned and buried his head in Victor’s chest, the tears coming immediately.
“Are you for certain?” Victor asked.
“From the description that Kory gave me, yes. Here, take my card; if you need anything just call.” Robert gave Victor his business card before he gently touched Gabe’s shoulder. He waited for Gabe to look at him. “I’m so sorry Gabe. You let me know if there is anything you need, okay?” Gabe nodded. “Do you want to see him? Before they take him to the morgue?”
Gabe just nodded again, dragging Victor along with him as they followed Robert into the eye of the storm.
***
Kory paced the small waiting room like a tiger waiting to pounce. A couple had opened the door not long after Kory arrived and when he turned and growled at them, they thought it best not to anger the obviously uncaged animal, turning and closing the door, going back the way they came. Thankfully, Tony, Colton’s boyfriend and one of Mattie’s oldest friends, was one of the paramedics in the ambulance that brought Jon in. He led Kory to the waiting room before he went to go check on Jon, promising to stay with Jon and come tell Kory any news since they wouldn’t let Kory go back with him.
Kory jumped when the door flew open again, Sophia, Gran and Jon’s three brothers crowding into the already tiny space the room provided, sucking all the air out. “Kory! Is he okay?! The nurse said you came in with Jon, is he okay?” Sophia shrieked, grabbing Kory’s hands as soon as she reached him.
Kory shook his head, about to tell her he didn’t know when he noted that Sophia was staring at his hands. Looking down, he saw his hands were covered in dried blood, Jon’s blood. Sophia slowly lifted her head and met Kory’s eyes. “Kory, is that Jon’s blood?” Kory couldn’t speak, he tried, he thought, the words not reaching the surface. “Kory, is my boy okay? Please tell me he’s okay.” Tears quickly filled Sophia’s blue eyes.
Kory stepped backwards, staring down at his hands in horror. He turned them over and saw the dried blood caked under his finger nails. He couldn’t breathe. The walls of the small room were caving in on him. When Kory’s back hit the wall, he slowly slid down it, trying to catch his breath. Someone called his name, but they sounded so far away, Kory couldn’t focus on them. He couldn’t focus on anything but his fucking red hands. The ringing in his ears sounded like a train horn, loud and st
eady, and the room was spinning.
“Can’t… breathe.” He managed to choke out as his vision went blurry. He felt a hand on his chest and tried to focus on the voice that was saying his name, but the blackness was closing in. And then he heard a familiar tune, the song Jon would hum to Kory when he had a bad dream. His breathing started to even out and the ringing in his ears started to fade. As his sight slowly came back to him, Kory saw a familiar face and he blinked a couple times. “Tristan?”
“Welcome back.” Tristan chuckled. He was sitting on the floor in front of Kory, legs crossed, elbows resting on his knees. “You were hyperventilating, almost passed out.”
“That song, Jon hums that song to me when I have bad dreams. What is it?” Kory asked.
Tristan chuckled again. “It’s an Irish lullaby that Gran used to sing to us when we were kids.”
Kory just nodded. Tristan stood and held a hand out for Kory. He reached for it and blanched when he saw his red hand again. Tristan bent and lifted Kory up, dragging him toward the bathroom. “Let’s get you cleaned up, Kory.”
Tristan all but carried Kory into the bathroom, closing and locking the door before turning the water on and shoving Kory’s hands into the running water. Kory felt the tears burning his eyes as he watched the water run red. He jumped when Tristan spoke, as if he had completely forgotten the man was in the room with him.
“Let’s get that shirt off of you, can’t do anything about the pants.” Tristan lifted Kory’s shirt over his head and tossed it into the trash can before shedding his own coat and sweater. Tristan was wearing a t-shirt that read ‘This is my happy face’ under his sweater. Kory couldn’t help it; he cracked up, laughing hysterically until he started crying as Tristan slid his sweater over Kory’s head.
“Are you gay?” Kory blurted it out without even thinking.
“Wow, rude much?” Tristan replied. “No one but Jon and my parents know, but yes, I am. Why do you ask? Seems to me you are already taken.” Tristan gave Kory a sideways grin that made Kory laugh again.
He closed his eyes and sighed. “Oh god, I’m sorry Tris, I’m a mess right now. Just ignore me.”
“It’s okay Kory, I completely understand. I’ve gotten really good at hiding my emotions or else I probably would have been losing my shit right along with you out there.” Tristan shook his head and grinned, pulling his coat back on and buttoning it before unlocking the door and dragging Kory back out into the shoebox sized waiting room. Sophia stood and opened her mouth as soon as she saw them, but Tristan shook his head, silently telling her to back off.
Kory’s phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket, looking at the caller ID. “It’s Victor.” He walked to the other side of the room and answered the phone.
“Tristan, what did he say?” Sophia asked.
“Not much Mom. Calm down, if it was bad I’m sure we would know something by now, okay?” Tristan pulled his mom into a hug, both of them jumping when they heard Kory’s phone hit the wall and shatter.
Tristan was across the room in two steps, reaching for Kory. “Kory, what is it?” Kory leaned into the Coke machine, pounding his fist into the hard plastic. Tristan grabbed his arm, spinning Kory around to face him. “Kory, what did Victor say?”
“Gio is dead.”
“Okay, I need you to calm down, Kory.” Tristan held the young man by his shoulders. “Who is Gio?” Tristan tugged Kory over to the nearest chair before pulling out his wallet and shoving a twenty into Sal’s hand to go get coffee and water. Kory had just finished filling them in on the evening’s events, from seeing the story on the news, to driving into the city, and riding to the hospital in the ambulance with Jon when a doctor came into the room, followed by Tony.
“Tristan Brennan?” The doctor read the name off the papers on the clipboard in front of him. Jon and Tristan had both listed each other as next of kin on all their medical and legal paperwork. Both knowing they were sane enough to set feelings aside and make the right decision if it were ever necessary.
“Yeah?” Tristan answered him. Kory jumped out of his chair, a literal bundle of nerves, before Tristan grabbed him by the hand, forcing Kory to stand beside him instead of bolting over to the doctor and peppering him with an erratic game of twenty questions.
“I’m Doctor Walters.” The doctor introduced himself and shook Tristan’s hand.
“I wanted to let you know that detective Brennan is out of surgery. We removed a bullet from his left shoulder, but it nicked an artery when it went in and he lost a lot of blood. We have him in the transfusion room right now, trying to get his blood count back up, and he will be in ICU until we are certain he is out of the woods. The next twenty four hours are critical. Mr. Brennan, we will be keeping a close eye on your brother and keep you informed of any changes.” The doctor waited for Tristan to acknowledge what he’d said before turning to leave the room.
“When can we see him?” Kory asked. The doctor turned and looked around the room.
“Let me tell the nurses you are coming, and only two of you at a time, immediate family only.” The doctor turned to leave, but Tristan stopped him again.
“His partner will want to see him first.” Tristan said, holding Kory’s hand, pulling Kory closer to him.
“I’m sorry, immediate family only. Your brother’s partner will have to wait until Officer Brennan is out of ICU.” The doctor was obviously an idiot. He even had the gall to add a shot of venom to the word partner. Tony stood behind the doctor, arms crossed, glaring at him.
“Are you… you’re shitting me right now, right?” Tristan was dumbfounded. The doctor either had a death wish or lived under a rock. Not even realizing the weight the name Brennan held.
The doctor rolled his eyes and turned to leave, running right into a very pissed off Chief of Police. Shay Brennan was easily six foot three, with insanely red hair and usually vibrant green eyes that, at the moment, were rimmed in black as he stared down at the wormy doctor in front of him.
“Are you the doctor that operated on my son?” Shay asked. The doctor just nodded. “Well, thank you for saving my boy’s life, but right now, you need to turn your ass around and apologize for disrespecting his partner, his brothers, his mother and his grandmother the way you just did.”
“I did no such…” the doctor tried to argue but Shay just held his big hand up, halting the words.
“Oh but you did. You see, when you belittled my son’s partner you also belittled him and therefore, everyone in this room. Thank fucking Christ you didn’t know my son was gay before you operated on him. Your hate may have clouded your judgement and then I would have had to kill you.” Shay growled at the man.
“Shamus James Brennan, ya step away from that wee man this instant! And ye be asking the lord above for forgiveness this Sunday at mass for taking his name in vain!” Gran chastised her son.
Shay stared down at the doctor for a few intense moments before stepping aside and let the man out of the room. “And I be praying for ye on Sunday, ya miserable little bastard!” Gran yelled after him.
Tony cleared his throat, trying very hard not to laugh. “Okay, who wants to go see Jon first?” he asked.
Shay held his hand out for Sophia and led her through the door, but instead of following her down the hall, he stopped and held his other hand out for Kory. He pulled their hands together and gave them a gentle shove down the hall. “He’s in the last door on the left; give him a hug for me, Soph.”
Kory just stood there, giving Shay a questioning look. Gran wormed her way around her son. “Jesus, Mary and Joseph! We be wanting to see him too ya buffoon! Get along with ya, go see yer man.”
Kory laughed at that and turned, following Sophia down the hall. They both sort of sprinted down the hall until they came upon the last door, slowing down to a crawl. Sophia slowly pushed the door open and tiptoed into the room. Sophia and Kory both froze next to Jon’s bed. His skin looked almost grey, and there were dozens of wires connected to three different ma
chines at the head of the bed. Kory saw that the left side of Jon’s body, from just below his ear and down past his rib cage, was covered in bandages. There were small cuts and scrapes across one side of his face, his eye already black and blue from bruising. It took everything Kory had to maintain a modicum of composure and not break down right there.
Sophia made the sign of the cross, lifting the rosary that hung loosely around her neck and kissing it, before moving over to the far side of Jon’s bed. “You gave us quite the scare my sweet boy.” She said, leaning down and kissing Jon on the forehead.
She continued to talk to Jon, having a very one sided conversation with him. It set Kory’s mind at ease though, listening to Sophia talk to Jon very matter of factly, completely normal, even pausing occasionally as if she expected Jon to sit up and argue with her about something she had said. Kory took a seat in the chair next to Jon’s bed, scooting close enough that he could hold Jon’s hand. He sat there watching Jon, rubbing his thumb over Jon’s knuckles, just like he did on their first date.