by Cathy Roberts
John sighed, then headed for the door, not caring if Kerry followed him. He wanted to wake up and find out this was all just a nightmare, but he knew that wasn't going to happen.
The detective was leaning up against the building, smoking a cigarette. He stubbed it out against the bricks as he watched John approach him.
"Kerry said that you know who owns the gun that killed my uncle?"
"That's right. It was registered to Dennis Gant. Kerry tells me that you and Mr. Gant were roommates prior to his death."
"Doctor."
"Excuse me?"
"Dennis was a doctor," John frowned. He didn't remember Dennis owning a gun of any kind. Dennis had mentioned going hunting with his father, so obviously he knew how to shoot.
"Sorry. Do you know if the gun was taken back to Georgia?"
"I don't remember Dennis having a gun in the apartment. He never mentioned owning one. The day that Mr. Gant arrived to pack up Dennis' stuff, I took him to the apartment, but I had to return to work. He might have packed it while I was gone."
"Do you have a telephone number for Mr. Gant? I'd like to ask him about the gun."
John had it, but he really didn't want to give it to him. He didn't want Clark Morgan dredging up painful memories by his questions.
"I can get it from Personnel if you don't have it, but that will take more time. I don't know about you, but I'm anxious to get this case closed one way or another."
"That would be nice," John sarcastically replied. "I have the number, but it's at home."
"Then I guess I'll go to Personnel. You know, Doctor Carter, there are times when I get the feeling that you don't want me to find the person who killed your Uncle. I can understand that you might not feel any remorse or grief over his death, but I would think that, if nothing else, you would want to thank the person who did it."
"Murder is never right, Detective Morgan. If it even is a case of murder. I would have been perfectly happy if the police department would have ruled it a suicide and let it go at that. That way, my Aunt Emily could have buried that bastard in peace and gotten on with her life. Now she has to wait until the police department tells her it's okay for her to bury him. She has to live with the knowledge that he was a...a child molester. I'm sure that by now, she's heard about me and I'm also sure that she'll never want to have anything to do with me again. And all thanks to the Chicago Police Department."
Without waiting for a response, John turned around and went back inside.
"I'm sorry," Kerry said.
Clark shook his head. "There's nothing for you to apologize about, Kerry. He has a right to be upset. What he needs is to see a therapist about all of this or else it will eat him up inside."
"His parents and I talked about that, plus I've urged him to get counseling. John's a stubborn man, but I know that he'll seek help. He has seen a psychiatrist before, back when Dennis Gant died. A lot of staff members sought counseling at that time."
Clark nodded. "Good. Now, if you would be so kind as to point me in the direction of the Personnel office?"
"Of course."
It was a little over an hour later when Mark heard Malik call for him from down the hallway. As Mark waited for Malik to reach him he noticed that the male nurse looked worried.
"What's up?" Mark asked.
"It's Carter. I went into the drug room and found him sitting on the floor in there. He refuses to come out. He just keeps saying that maybe Joe, whoever that is, won't find him in there."
Mark sighed as he nodded. "Thanks, Malik. I'll see what I can do."
"I've never seen Carter like this, Doctor Greene. It's a little scary, you know what I mean?"
"Yeah. I know what you mean. I'll go talk to him. Can you do me a favor?"
"Sure."
"Find Kerry and let her know, okay? And Malik, keep this quiet."
Malik nodded, then headed off to look for Kerry while Mark headed for the drug room. As he was about to enter the area, he could hear John inside, crying and pleading for someone to leave him alone. He opened the door and stepped inside. John was huddled in the corner, looking up into the other corner, his tear stained face a clear testament to his frustrations.
"Please just go away and let me do my job," John said to the corner.
"Carter? John?" Mark knelt down in front of him, trying to get his attention. "John, look at me."
John turned his head to look at Mark. "He won't leave me alone," he whispered.
"And why should I? You were right there with that cop and he had told you that they knew who owned the gun that I was shot with and what did you do? You ran away from him. You could have helped him find my killer, Johnny. I swear, you act like you're glad I'm dead."
"I am!" he shouted, looking back over to Joe as he scrambled to his feet. "I wished for so many years that you would just drop dead and leave me alone. I'm happy that you're dead. Now go away and leave me alone."
"Shh, it's going to be all right, John," Mark softly said as he gathered John into his arms. "You need to calm down right now though, okay? Everything will be all right."
John buried his face in Mark's shoulder, sobbing. "I'm glad he's dead, so very glad that he's dead. Is that so wrong?"
"No, John. It's not so wrong. He hurt you and you have every right to feel that way." Out of the corner of his eye, Mark saw Kerry enter the small room, a syringe in her hand. He shook his head and she put the syringe in the pocket of her lab coat, then stepped up to them.
"John? Why don't I take you home now?"
"It won't matter. He'll be there, too. He's everywhere I go, Kerry. I just want him to leave me alone."
"I know, honey. I know." She reached out and gently smoothed down his hair. "Let's go home."
John slowly nodded and allowed Mark and Kerry to escort him out. They stopped by the admit desk long enough for Mark to tell Randi that he and Kerry were taking John home but that he would be back. Then they went out to Mark's van.
Kerry crawled into the back seat with John, cradling him against her chest the entire trip home, talking to him in a low voice. She was doing her best to convince him to see a psychiatrist so he would have someone to talk things over with. Someone who would know what to say or do to help him.
"The only help I need right now is for him to leave me alone, Kerry."
"I know you believe that, John, but there's a lot more bothering you than Joe Thielen's ghost. You need to deal with what happened. All of it."
"I have dealt with it. I have a good life, Kerry. I just want him to leave me alone."
"We'll find a way to make that happen, okay?"
He nodded.
Mark came to a stop in front of Kerry's house, then helped her get John inside and to his room. It didn't take much convincing on their part to allow them to sedate him. He remembered that while he had been out of it last night, Joe had been unable to bother him. As a matter of fact, the only thing that had happened while he was asleep was that he dreamt about his brother. Bobby kept telling him that things would get better soon. John wanted so much to believe that, but deep down he knew it wasn't going to happen.
After getting John tucked into bed, Mark and Kerry went back upstairs.
"If something like this happens again, then I won't be able to just bring him home, Kerry."
"I know." She sighed, resigned to the fact that Mark was determined to get help for John one way or another if this didn't stop. If only she could convince Mark that a ghost was tormenting John, then maybe Mark would be a little more understanding. After all, no one called for a psych consult when he tore the lounge apart not so long after his beating.
"Do you want me to come over later?"
She shook her head. "No. We'll be fine. I can handle John."
"Can you? What if he gets violent?"
"He won't get violent, Mark. Trust me, I can handle John."
"I guess I have to trust you, don't I?"
She nodded. "That's true. You need to get back to work before Romano notices that we're both gone. You're going to have to come up with some kind of an excuse for why John and I aren't at work."
"I'll think of something. Benton mentioned earlier that Carter didn't look well, so I might be able to get by with telling Romano that Carter got sick and you didn't want to leave him alone.
Kerry nodded. "That should work."
"Kerry, call me if you need anything."
"I will."
Mark left and Kerry locked the door, then she went upstairs to change out of her work clothes. Their exit from the hospital had been so sudden that all three of them had left wearing their lab coats. It wasn't a problem for Mark since he was going right back, but Kerry made a mental note to remember to take hers back to work with her in the morning. And to make sure that John took his in as well.
It was after six in the evening when Clark Morgan caught up to Kerry at home.
"I heard there was an incident at the hospital," he commented as she poured him a glass of tea.
"Yeah." She wearily sat down. The frequent trips she kept making to the basement to check on John were beginning to take a toll on her. "So, what brings you here?"
"I'd love to say it was you and only you, but that's not true. I called Mr. Gant and he told me that he did ship the gun back to Atlanta. He remembers putting it into the box and then packing some more items. Then John got home and they went out to dinner. After that, he packed away some more items, then sealed the box for shipping. He's never opened the box. It's been sitting in his garage all this time. I asked him to make sure that gun was still there, so he went and opened the box. When he got back on the line, he was a little upset. Hell, he was more than a little upset."
"The gun wasn't there, was it?"
"No. According to Mr. Gant, the box was still taped the way he had taped it here in Chicago. The way I see it, there are only two people who could have removed that gun from the box before it was sealed."
"Mr. Gant and John."
"Right. And Mr. Gant had no reason to remove it."
"Neither did John."
"Maybe. Maybe not. Perhaps he felt that if he had a gun then he could threaten Joe Thielen. Make him stay away from him and anyone else."
"John told you that he didn't even know that Dennis had a gun."
Clark shook his head. "No. He told me that he didn't know Dennis kept a gun in the apartment. That's not the same thing, Kerry."
"John did not take that shotgun."
Clark took a sip of his tea. "I pulled the file on Dennis Gant. There were a lot of interviews done."
"The police ruled that it was an accidental death. They said the witnesses at the scene were pretty certain that Dennis fell and didn't jump." She didn't bother to tell him that John had never believed that. In John's mind and heart, he knew that Dennis Gant had killed himself.
"A few of them got more elaborate. They described it more as if a person had pushed Dennis Gant off the platform."
Kerry looked up sharply at that and noticed that Clark was eyeing her intently.
"That sounds like a strange way to describe someone falling," she noted.
"Yes, it does. Usually, people say that the person lost their balance or tripped. I've never read an account where a witness, where more than one witness, said it looked as if someone had been pushed."
"Is there a point to all this, Clark?"
"I'm thinking that maybe Dennis Gant didn't die accidentally."
"Which means he committed suicide."
"No. It could mean he was murdered."
"Clark, I think you probably dream about murder conspiracies." Kerry shook her head. "Next thing I know, you'll be trying to tell me that John is somehow involved in Gant's death."
Clark raised his eyebrows. "He wasn't on the platform that morning. He was at work. Just like he was at work when Joe Thielen died from a gunshot wound inflicted by someone using Dennis Gant's shotgun."
"Is there a point to all this?"
He shrugged. "I dunno, Kerry. I'm not so straight laced that I haven't given some thought to the idea that John isn't imagining that his uncle is haunting him."
"Do tell."
"I also am not so besotted with you that I don't realize you are John Carter's only alibi for the time of day when Joe Thielen was shot. You've already told me that you care about him, Kerry. It would be possible that you would lie for him, especially if you suspected or knew he had been abused as a child."
"I think you're really reaching now."
"Maybe. I'm just throwing ideas around, that's all. Someone killed Joe Thielen and I think that someone killed Dennis Gant as well. The only connection between the two men just happens to be John Carter. John Carter also happens to be the only person with opportunity to take Dennis Gant's shotgun from the box it had been packed into."
"And he's managed to keep it hidden all these years?" Kerry shook her head again. "You are definitely reaching erroneous conclusions, Clark."
"Maybe. Maybe not. Let's just say that John Carter has now made the list of suspects. Maybe he didn't shoot Thielen. Maybe he just gave the gun to someone who did."
"I think you should go now." Kerry stood up and started walking to the door. He had no choice but to follow her.
"I'll keep you updated." He paused at the door, looking hopeful. He knew that he shouldn't get involved with a person connected to a case, but he couldn't help himself. He liked Kerry Weaver and he had thought she liked him.
"Just be sure that you keep me updated on the facts and not any wild fantasies, Clark. Good night." She pushed him out the door, then closed it in his face. With a sigh, she went back to the basement to check on John.
Kerry stood by the side of his bed, watching him sleep. The sedative had really knocked him out. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a man address her.
"He sure is cute when he's asleep."
She looked up to see a man leaning against John's dresser. She had seen his photo so she knew who he was.
"Joseph Thielen."
He nodded, a grin on his face. "In the ...well, I guess I'm sure not in the flesh anymore, huh?"
"So John hasn't been imagining things."
"As if you ever doubted him. I could tell that you believed him when he spilled his worthless guts."
"Why are you so insistent on tormenting him? Haven't you done enough to him?"
"Johnny and I are close. Very close. I knew I could count on him to find my killer. I want revenge, Kerry Weaver. I want to find the person who killed me and make him pay for what he did." He looked derisively at John. "He's useless to me now. I've told him who to talk with and what to do, but he doesn't want to help me. I even threatened you and that made him jump for a short while, but he still hasn't helped me."
"And why should he? You molested him and threatened those he cares about. I wouldn't help you either."
"Oh, really?" he asked, a decidedly evil smile playing around his lips. "I'm willing to bet that you will. I think that you can be of enormous help to me."
"And why would I help you? You're slime, Mister Thielen, nothing but pure slime."
"That may be your opinion, but it shouldn't prevent you from helping me. I don't think you'd want to see Johnny spending the rest of his days locked away in a psychiatric hospital. I can put him there, Kerry, and you know it."
Kerry shook her head, amazed at the persistence of the ghost. "I can't stand back and allow that to happen. And I won't help find your killer. I think the police can handle that just fine. As a matter of fact, wouldn't you be better off to just follow them around?"
"I can't do that. I can't be seen by those who don't believe in me."
"Clark Morgan believes in you. Go haunt him. I think he might like having you around."
"I'm not interested in his justice. I'm only concerned with my own."
"If you were concerned with justice, then you wouldn't be here right now."
Kerry swung around to see who was behind her. The boy looked familiar, but she couldn't place him. Just how did he get into her house, she wondered.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded to know.
"Helping Johnny," he replied.
The figure on the bed began to stir and he sat up, sleepily rubbing his eyes and looking past Kerry at the boy.
"Bobby? Is that really you?"
"It's really me, Johnny." Bobby Carter smiled at his "little" brother.
Kerry wearily sank down to the mattress. Now she had two ghosts to contend with. She could only hope that Bobby Carter was really there to help John, but she was concerned that in his present frame of mind, any unworldly help might just be too much for John to handle.
Joe snorted. "You can just leave here, Bobby. None of this concerns you."
"All of it concerns me, Uncle Joe. You hurt my little brother. You scared him into silence by making him think you had murdered me, when the truth was that I died from leukemia."
John looked over at his brother, a look of disbelief in his eyes. "Is that true? He didn't kill you?"
Bobby nodded. "He didn't kill me, Johnny. He threatened me, just like he threatened you. Johnny, the letter I wrote to Dad, well, it wasn't just about you. Uncle Joe had been after me, too. And using the same threats he used against you, telling me that if I did what he wanted, then he wouldn't hurt you or Chase. I believed him and I kept quiet. Then you broke down and told me what he had done to you and I knew I couldn't keep quiet anymore. I told him that I was going to tell Dad and Uncle Joe laughed at me. He threatened to hurt you unless I kept my mouth shut and then he left my room. I was so weak that day. I woke up feeling tired and just kept getting more and more tired as the day went on, and then I died. But, Johnny, Uncle Joe was not in my room when I died."
John looked over at Joe. "You lied to me. All of these years I've believed that I was responsible for Bobby's death and all because you lied to me. You didn't kill Bobby."
"No. He killed me." John and Kerry both jerked their heads around at hearing the voice of Dennis Gant.
"Dennis?" John weakly asked.
"Yeah, John. It's me. I didn't jump to my death and I sure as Hell didn't fall. This bastard pushed me off the platform. Bobby met me on the other side and told me who the man was, but I never knew why he pushed me that morning."
"And you took your own gun out of the packing box?" Kerry asked him.
Dennis nodded. "Bobby and I knew it would come in handy some day. John would have nightmares about what this bastard had done to him. I was too scared to ask him about the nightmares though. I just let it go and hoped he would find some peace on his own. I was wrong. As his friend, I should have confronted him about the reasons behind dreams so bad that they made him scream at night." Dennis looked at John, a sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry I wasn't a better friend to you, John."
John shook his head. "No. I'm the one who was a lousy friend. I was so caught up in my relationship with Abby that I neglected you. I'm sorry."
"I know. I've heard the things you've said since I died, and Bobby explained to me how Benton discovered you and Abby. I realize that you were scared for her, afraid that Benton would ruin her career by telling Anspaugh about finding the two of you together. I understand that, John. I just wish you would have felt secure enough in our friendship to have confided in me about what was going on."
Kerry tried to keep her surprise hidden. John had been having a relationship with Abby Keaton? It had to be Abby Keaton that Dennis was talking about; she was the only Abby at the hospital that Dennis, John and Peter would have known at that time. There would be time to ask John about Abby later. And she also felt guilty about all the times she had heard his faint cries as he had nightmares. With her upstairs and him in the basement, she had not realized how bad they might have been. Like Dennis, she had found it easier to ignore John's dreams and just hope they would pass.
"I had to push you. You were standing on that platform muttering things about Johnny under your breath. I knew you were his roommate, and I thought it was a stroke of luck that placed us on that platform at the same time." Joe grinned.
"I remember that I was thinking about confronting John about his nightmares, making him tell me what was going on."
"Exactly. Only you weren't just thinking, you were talking out loud and I overheard you. I couldn't take the risk that Johnny would tell you the truth, so I decided to get rid of you. If I was lucky, you would die. If I wasn't lucky, then you would be injured,but at least you wouldn't be able to press Johnny for answers right then and I would buy myself some time to either remind him to be quiet or to find another way to silence you."
"You bastard," Kerry hissed. "How could you do such a thing?"
"It was easy," Joe grinned. "I just did this." He shoved his hand forward, illustrating how easy it had been to push Dennis Gant to his death.
"You killed Dennis," John muttered, drawing his knees up to his chest and hugging them tightly. His elation at finding out he had not been the cause of his brother's death was dashed over his discovery that he had, indeed, been the cause of Dennis' death.
Kerry shot a worried look in John's direction. This was not making things better for him. In her opinion, things were getting worse. Much worse. But, before she could say anything, Bobby spoke up.
"You've been haunting John in an effort to make him find your killer. Well, take a good look at me, Uncle Joe."
Before their eyes, Bobby began to grow and fill out until he had assumed the form of the man he would have been had he lived past the age of twelve. An older and even more handsome version of John, Kerry thought.
Joe looked aghast as he recognized him as a man. "You're the one who shot me!"
"That's right. Over the years, I've built up enough strength to be able to hold a gun and pull the trigger. Now you know who killed you, so you can leave him alone."
"And why should I? I happen to enjoy tormenting Johnny. It's fun."
"Fun time is over. There are some beings who would like a word or two with you about your actions here on earth," Dennis grinned at him.
"Dennis is right. You're coming with us."
Dennis and Bobby rushed Joe, slamming him into and through the wall. The pitiful ghost never had time to scream.
The basement was silent as both Kerry and John kept their eyes glued to the spot on the wall where the three ghosts had disappeared.
"Well, that's going to be a Hell of a thing to write in a report," Clark Morgan commented from the stairs.
Kerry slowly turned to look at him. "How did you get in here?"
"You didn't lock the door. I wanted to talk to you about something else, but when I knocked on the door, there wasn't an answer. I became concerned and tried to open the door. Since it was unlocked, I came on in. I figured you would be down here with John, so this is where I headed."
"Then you heard it all?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "I heard it all, saw it all, too. I don't think that Joseph Thielen is going to be haunting John any more though."
Hearing John's name reminded Kerry that her young boarder had not been looking too well a few minutes ago and she rushed to his side. Tears were falling down his cheeks and silently falling to his sheet covered knees.
"It's over, John." She reached out to put a comforting hand on his arm and he looked up at her, barely nodding.
"He killed Dennis," he softly said.
"But, he didn't kill Bobby, and in the end, Bobby and Dennis took care of him."
John looked away.
"I'll look after him."
Kerry looked up to see that Bobby, in his adult form, had come back. He sat down beside John and gathered his little brother into his arms.
"Can you let us have some time alone?" Bobby asked them.
"Of course. We'll be up in the kitchen."
Kerry and Clark headed up the steps, leaving them alone.
"Johnny, you can't let this eat away at you. You've spent years feeling guilty because you thought you caused my death. You didn't. And even if Uncle Joe had killed me, it wouldn't have been your fault. Each of us are responsible for our own actions. Uncle Joe chose to kill Dennis, you didn't tell him to do that and it isn't your fault that Dennis died that day."
"But, he killed him because he heard Dennis saying something about me."
"Joseph Thielen was a sick individual, Johnny. He would have latched on to any excuse he could find to justify his actions. You were not at fault. Dennis doesn't blame you, so why are you so intent on blaming yourself?"
"He doesn't blame me?"
"No, I don't blame you, John." Dennis sat down on the other side of the bed and he patted John's shoulder. "I have never blamed you. Once I got to this side, Bobby told me all about what that bastard had done to you all. He asked for my help to get revenge on Thielen and I readily agreed to do whatever it took to stop him. I'm only sorry that it took this long for the two of us to get strong enough to send him to his own death. A lot of kids have been hurt by that monster."
"I should have told Daddy about it a long time ago. He would have stopped him."
"Daddy would have killed him and then you'd be blaming yourself for him being in prison. Johnny, you have a bad habit of placing blame upon yourself, even when it isn't deserved. The world does not have to rest on your shoulders, little brother. Besides, he went after me before he ever touched you. I'm the one who should take the blame for all of this."
"And what if you weren't the first child he molested?" John asked.
"That's my point, Johnny. We don't know who his first victim was. All we know is that each of us suffered from his hands. I don't have to worry about the suffering any longer, but you do."
"He's right, John. You should give some serious thought to seeing Nina Pomerantz again. You were comfortable talking with her after I died."
"That was different. I can't tell her about this. She'll lock me away the minute I tell her that dead people were talking to me."
"Then I guess she'll lock up Kerry and that cop, too? They heard us and saw us. Kerry will affirm that this was not your imagination, Johnny. Promise me that you'll see this woman? Please? I can't go back to where I belong unless I know that you're going to be all right." Bobby pleaded with him.
John felt his strength and resolve dissolve away and he nodded. "I'll go to see her. I'll talk to her."
"And you'll try to keep from blaming yourself for things that you have no control over?" Dennis asked.
Again, John nodded. "I'll try."
"Good." Dennis smiled.
"We have to go now, Johnny. I want you to go upstairs and tell Kerry that you want to make an appointment for tomorrow with Doctor Pomerantz. Will you do that for me?"
"Yes. I'll do that for you, Bobby." John pushed himself away from his brother, even though he didn't want to break off the contact with Bobby. "I miss you."
"I miss you too, Johnny. But, before you know it, we'll be together again."
Dennis rolled his eyes. "There will be no peace in Heaven once that happens."
John actually smiled then and so did Bobby.
"That's what I like to see; a smile on your face. Keep smiling, Johnny. I love you."
"I love you. And you, too, Dennis. You were the only best friend I've ever had."
"I know. But, I won't be the last. You just have to be willing to keep your heart open enough to let another one inside. I'll be watching over you from time to time, John."
And then they were both gone. The only noise in the basement was the steady blowing of cold air through the air conditioning ducts. Then that became silent as well and from upstairs John could hear Kerry cursing as she realized that the air conditioning had quit on her once again.
He got out of bed and pulled on a pair of pants, then headed up the steps to see if she wanted him to get the fan back down from the attic and to tell her he would need time off to see Nina Pomerantz. He knew that hearing that would take her mind off of the fact that her air conditioning system had probably bitten the dust for good this time.
A week later, John returned home from his family counseling session with Nina to find that the house was blissfully cool. Kerry was curled up on the couch in Clark Morgan's arms and they both looked up and smiled at him.
"I see that the new system has been installed," he commented as he sat down in the chair across from them.
"Yes, and it feels so wonderful, doesn't it?"
"It sure does. Of course, there's a cold front headed this way, so you won't need it tomorrow." Clark said.
She playfully poked him in the chest, "Don't ruin my pleasure, Clark. I just might decide to keep the air on for the rest of the year."
"And freeze John out?" he asked with a laugh.
John laughed as well. "As cold as it gets in the basement in the winter, I doubt if I would notice. So, did you finally figure out a way to close the case?"
Clark nodded. "It took some doing, but I finally convinced my Captain that it was a suicide and that Thielen had been the one who stole the gun from Dennis Gant. So, the case is officially closed now. So, how did your session go?"
"Not too badly. I didn't realize just how much guilt Dad picked up in such a short time. I'm glad that he and Mom decided to go for counseling. Hell, the entire Carter family was there, including my grandfather. There was a lot of anger expressed, but not at Chase or me. It was mostly directed at Uncle Joe and themselves. Nina assured them that it was natural for them to feel that way. She's pretty good."
John had seen her every day that week and Kerry had noticed a big difference in him already. She and Mark had given him the entire week off, but he was due back at work in the morning. Mark still had a few reservations about his mental and emotional state, but Kerry had assured him that John was doing fine.
John cleared his throat as he got to his feet. "Well, I had better get changed and on my way. Randi called to invite me to join her and some of the others for a concert at the Pier. Chuni's friend from urology will be there, too. Chuni thinks I might be able to convince her to go out with me."
"Oh really? And just how much convincing is this going to take?" Kerry asked, grinning.
"Chuni said that if I say, "Gina, would you like to go out to a movie?" then Gina will say yes."
"So much for you not dating nurses, hmm?" Kerry teased.
"Hell, dating doctors hasn't been lucky for me, so maybe dating nurses will be. Anyway, let me get downstairs so the two of you can get back to making out."
"We weren't making out," Kerry protested, a deep blush spreading over her face.
"Sure we were," Clark reminded her. "And if he gets downstairs fast, then I just might be able to remember where we left off when he came in the door."
"I'm out of here, already." John hurried downstairs, smiling. It was nice to see Kerry getting involved with someone. When he wasn't busy being a cop, Clark Morgan was a nice guy and John hoped that things went well for the two of them.
As he changed clothes, he reflected that things were beginning to go well for everyone. He was glad that he had promised to see Nina. Being able to talk with her was making a big difference for him. And, she was even going over to the Kenner Institute to talk with Chase. Not that Chase could do much talking on his own behalf, but Nina had assured John that she felt she was reaching through to Chase. Just because he was brain damaged, it didn't mean he couldn't remember what had happened to him as a child. And his parents had vowed to attend counseling sessions for as long as Nina thought beneficial. There was a lot more to work through for them, but John felt pretty confident that the family would work through all of their problems. He nodded to his reflection, then glanced over at the photo of Bobby on the dresser.
"Thanks, bro."
Then he turned to leave, never seeing the figure that appeared beside the dresser. The twelve-year-old smiled and nodded, then faded away once more, secure in the knowledge that his little brother was going to be all right.
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