Poisoned
Emotions
by Heather and Bonnie H.
Part
One
Drew Carey
stared numbly at the card in front of him. "This isn't
right…" He mumbled to no one in particular. His
mind flashed to the
events of the night before.
"Yes. During `Helping Hands' Then it'll be all over. For Ryan and
his Canadian friend" Drew's lover, Jim, laughed
coldly. He had been
on the phone for hours, revealing his plot for revenge
to the
anonymous person on the other end. Drew's eyes widened
as he backed
away from the cracked door. He scribbled a note and
left it for Jim.
Drew then left.
Jim,
Gone out for a
walk. Be back whenever.
Drew
"I must fix
this" He
thought. "Dan!" Drew flagged down the
producer. "Yes?" The rather short, Englishman
asked. Drew pulled him
aside and spoke softly. "Is it possible to take
`Helping Hands' out
of the line up?" Dan looked to his clipboard.
"Well… if we … No" Drew
cocked his head. "Why?!"
Dan brought his clipboard back to his
side. "If I find a justifiable reason, then I'll
be more than happy
to" Drew opened his mouth to explain, but Dan
burst out laughing.
"No matter what you say or do, the lineup of games remains the same"
"But-" "End of discussion. Now go to wardrobe and get ready for
the
taping" Drew
gave him a frosty glare and did as he was told.
***
Drew walked into
the wardrobe and saw Greg and Ryan chatting
lightly about… of all things… their jobs and
Chip. "I know he's a
good singer and all Ry, but
the other fourth seats need money as
well. I'm not saying I don't like Chip… I love the guy
like a
brother… but me and Jeff and Kathy and Denny need more
airtime."
Greg said, stressing his words with his hands.
"Alright…
I'll talk to Dan and see what I can do. I don't have
much of a say in anything. Dan and Mark are the
decision makers. I just
have the money. But… in this world it doesn't get you
power. I'll ask
him and if we don't see a change within a few days
we'll take him
aside and try again. I don't know if anything will
change. I'll try
my best and I'll get Drew on it too." Ryan
stated, leaning easily
against the wall.
"But-" Greg said.
"Listen Greg… there isn't much I can do. You're
on right now… so get your clothes on and shut the fuck
up." Ryan
quipped and coolly walked out. "Jackass…"
Greg muttered under his
breath, pulling on his suit jacket.
"Hey Greg?"
Drew called out. "Yeah?" Greg called back.
"I've noticed that you weren't happy with the line
up and all… you know Ryan and Colin and Wayne getting
all the
screen time… well… I've decided to let you play Ryan's
part in
`Helping Hands'. Is that okay?"
"You're the boss Drew… whatever you says… goes for me."
Greg walked
out and left Drew standing alone in the wardrobe.
Dear god, Drew thought, I hope Greg
doesn't get hurt.
Part
Two
Dan cued Drew for his line. “Weeelcome
back to Whose
Line is it Anyway? Tonight’s winner…
to lounge at my desk while we” He gestured to Ryan,
Greg, and himself. “Play one of our favorite games.
Right, Ryan?” Ryan smiled fakely and nodded. “Helping
Hands!” The audience applauded. “
scene”
you will provide the hands for Greg while Greg is a
taco chef showing Ryan how to prepare tacos.”
smiled cheezily and they
launched into the scene.
Drew refused to go anywhere near the food not knowing
what was poisoned. Dan stopped the taping and started
yelling at Drew.
Five minutes later, they restarted the
taping and
Drew started picking things up. Greg made the fatal
mistake… he told Drew to put some of the shredded
cheese in his mouth. Drew felt Greg go rigid. Drew
instantly halted the game. Greg's eyes rolled into the
back of his head and he passed out in Drew's arms,
lightly spasming. Instantly… Dan and Mark cleared out
the audience whilst
utter disbelief, realizing that whatever had happened
to Greg was supposed to happen to him. He started to
tremble.
***
Colin stood in the waiting room of the
hospital.
Ryan was in complete shock… he was sitting there with
his head still and his eyes looking straight ahead.
Drew sat there looking ashamed and was muttering 'It's
all my fault.'
his dusky black cheeks. Colin sat down next to him and
put a comforting arm around him.
and Colin patted his head.
“There, there. Don't cry
ok. I promise. I won't let anything hurt you and I'll
try my best to make sure Greg gets through this ok. I
can't promise that he will, but I promise I'll do
everything in my power to help him. If you need
anything, I'll be here for you.” Colin said, lightly
stroking the top of
scared.”
chest.
heart until it slowly made him drift off to sleep.
Colin glanced at his other companions,
Ryan now
looked withdrawn and pale, as if in a very light state
of shock. Drew was no better, then
there was himself
and
What shocked Colin was that he wasn't even the least
bit surprised or shocked that Greg had gotten hurt.
What added to the confusion was the smoldering look
Dan was giving to Drew. The gaze held such a look of
hatred and loathing that Colin jumped back. Dan walked
over to Drew. Colin leaned in close to listen.
“The Good Samaritan isn’t unbeknownst
to the devil”
Part
Three
Drew, his
`glasses' long since removed, looked up to Dan, pure fear
in his eyes. Colin sat back, stunned, as Dan walked
away. Visibly
shaken, Drew leaned back into the semi-padded chair
and prayed. For
Greg, for Ryan, for everyone he loved. A doctor skidded around the
corner and looked in Drew's general direction. She
wrote something
down and put the pen in her breast pocket, while
walking over to Drew.
"Excuse me" She said,
thoughtfully. Drew looked up. "Are
you family
of Greg Proops?" She gestured towards him, Colin, and the
now awake
his back. "How may I help you?" He said with
a small smile. "I'm
Doctor Bren. I have news regaurding
Mr. Proops" Drew stood
fully. "May I speak with
you privatly?" He nodded and followed Dr.
Bren to
her office.
After closing the door, Dr. Bren opened a folder. "Mr…"
"Carey"
She smiled. "Mr. Carey. You may want to sit down for this" Drew
refused politely.
"Apparently, Mr. Proops was poisoned" Seeing
no response from Drew, she continued. "Either
that or he took a
major overdose of asprin.
Drew shook his head. "Uh-uh. I was with him
three hours before the taping until the, erm… inicdent. No way he
overdosed" Dr. Bren
nodded and wrote this information down. "All
right, he was poisoned" Drew nodded lightly.
"But with what?" Dr.
Bren held up a hand to silence him.
"Methyl salicylate"
Drew paled. "For example; One teaspoon, which
seems the right amount, has 7,000 mg of salicylate. That, Mr. Carey,
is equivallant to about 21
regular strength aspirin tablets. Lord knows
the powdered substance is banned in the
know, it's only available in
jaw dropped. "Now, exactly *what* was
poisoned?" Giving into his
jelly-like legs, Drew sat down. "The
shredded cheese. And before you
ask how much; it was about two handfulls"
Dr. Bren nodded.
"Enough of this.
How is Greg?" Sensing his irate mood, she
explained. "Well, since he digested only a small
amount, the
symptoms won't be that extreme. But…" She paused.
"But…" Drew continued.
"But, he was very confused and had auditory acuity. The early signs
of acute salicylism. Checking his medical files, Mr. Proops is mildly
allergic to the… substance. Thus, we should expect mild symptoms" Drew
did not speak. "Erm… we have pumped his stomach, but it may not help.
In the past few hours, he has gone in and out of physical shock, and
has had many seizures" He cocked his head. "In other words, a pre-coma.
A mild symptom" Drew paled. "We've increased his fluid intake, and
his medication. We've done all we can. The rest… is up to fate" He
nodded and stumbled out of the room.
***
Drew walked back
into the waiting room and looked around, Dan
jumped up out of his seat. "How is he?" He
asked, sounding genuinely
concerned. Drew stared flatly at him. The others
gathered around.
"He ate some of a poison called Methyl salicylate.
He is allergic to it.
He has some symptoms… like seizures and some other stuff… but it's
pre-coma related… so we might not have him for a
while. I think one
of us should be with him. I'll volunteer because… I am
the closest to
him." Ryan and Colin looked at him, "I say
this only because me and
him hung out a lot at the after-show parties. I want
to stay with him
I know you guys have known him longer but… as the next boss in line,
since Dan needs to produce the show. I know you may
not all agree
with this but I am the boss and what I say goes"
Ryan opened his mouth to say something,
"Don't Ryan. I've made
up my mind an no argument you can make will change it.
Dan… you said
that if something serious ever happened you'd have a
back-up host…
bring him over. Tell him it might be semi-permanent.
I'm sorry it had
to be like this guys. Please have fun." Drew bowed his head and walked
over to Dr. Bren. They talked for a few minutes and she led Drew away…
Drew turned around.
"Go home guys. I'll call you if
anything changes." With a final
glare at Dan he walked off.
***
Part
Four
Ryan looked at Colin, who shrugged.
phone. They didn't know with who
though. “I don't know
really… he was poisoned… Methyl salicylate…
yeah… he's
allergic to it… pre-coma symptoms… yeah… well… call
Brad and lay it easy on him… he's a woman and
sensitive … alright… come and get us after you get
Brad… bye Chip.”
slipped it into his pocket. They walked out into the
parking lot.
“
politely, and
resistance. Ryan looked his age… he was pale and
drawn… still. Colin looked around and saw
crying again. Colin went over and put an arm around
Dan took a few steps away from the
group and dialed
the number… which happened to quite long. Between
sobs,
not. I’m calling
dripping with sarcasm.
harder. Colin glared at Dan as Dan turned away without
a second glace. Dan listened for a minute and then
said.
“Hello. May I speak to Clive
Anderson, please?… Hi
Clive… it's Dan… I know… everybody does… I didn't mean
to get that tone… I'm sorry… Drop your attitude… I
need your help… Greg's been poisoned… no… I don't know
who did it… well… the American host is staying with
him at the hospital but… I need you to come here… and
host you ninny… no… I'm sorry… I have a bad attitude
too… no… we don't need improvisers… he's fourth seat…
long story… I'll see you in about 15 hours…. Yeah… bye
love.” Dan clicked off the cell phone and handed back
to
“Clive is coming to
shock. “Yes, he
is.” Dan replied. “Why did you call
him love?”
“Culture” Dan replied smugly, then left. “What ever!”
nodded as they walked to their cars. “See you
tomorrow,
***
Drew watched as
the heart monitor beeped steadily.
He wondered if they had called Brad or Chip. He heard
footsteps pounding down the hall and suddenly Brad
burst into the room. He instantly grabbed Greg's hand
and started crying. Drew sat down next to Brad and
grabbed Brad's other hand. Brad looked up, a flicker
of joy shining through the tears. Drew rubbed Brad's
hand and grabbed Greg's other hand. Drew continued
listening to the hear monitor. Fully expecting it to
flat line. Drew stared at the monitor and fell asleep
to the soft beeping sound.
Part
Five
Darkness. Drew tried to looked
around, but he couldn't see. He
heard something woosh by.
Sharply turning, he saw a group of people.
Drew couldn't tell who they were. Then, the silence was shattered
by a long beep. It seemed to go on forever. A dagger
of guilt lodged
itself in his heart. The group parted down the middle
as to let Drew
see. It was a medical bed. He took a step closer. It
was Greg- or the
skeleton of a man he used to be. Drew felt a hot tear
roll down his
cheek. He started shaking his head. "No… this can't
be happening!" He
turned and started running, never looking back.
When Drew did stop, a cold shiver ran
down his spine. Someone was
behind him. He slowly turned around.
"Colin?" When the figure did
turn around, the surroundings had changed to the WL
set. "Hello,
Drew" Drew sighed with releif. "So,
at him. "I'm fine, Drew. Just
peachy keen. What about you, Drew? Kill
anyone lately, Drew? Huh?" He said coldly. Drew
took a step backwards.
"W-what do you mean?" He
tried to keep his voice steady. "You know
what I mean. You knew what was going to happened. You didn't do
anything. You killed him. You killed Greg!" The
tears were flowing
fiercely now. "No.. I-I
didn't mean to!" Colin stalked up to Drew.
"Just like you didn't mean to let the police take the poisoner? Your
lover?!" Drew turned and
ran again, faster than he ever had before.
Everything around him seemed to swirl.
Colin's voice kept yelling
at him. Accusing him. Then it
stopped. Everything was quiet. The only
sound to be heard was Drew's ragged breathing. He felt
a pair of
hands on his shoulders, turning him around. "R-Ryan?"
The tall man
looked down to Drew. "Why?" His hands
remained. "Why what?" Ryan
turned him around again. A dark mood lingered around
as a woman in
black stood with her back turned to him. She was
standing in front of
something. A casket. Drew
slowly lifted a hand to touch her shoulder.
Before he did, the woman whipped around.
"Jennifer?!" She balled her fist. "You killed him you
bastard!"
Drew ducked. But, she never swung. "I-I thought you divorced"
Jennifer nodded. "So?! That doesn't mean I didn't
love him as a close
friend! And now… he's dead. Thanks
to you!" Drew turned to run again,
but when he did he was surrounded. By Greg's family,
and the rest of
the WL cast.
"You killed him" Ryan said.
"You killed us." Drew's eyes widened.
"What do you mean?" Brad stepped forward. "You know what we mean. You
killed all of us. You so called lover. Did you even think for a second
what Greg's death would do to
us?" "I didn't think he would-"
"That's right!"
menacing step towards Drew. "We never even had a
chance. He was
everything to me, and you just took him away.
Bastard" Brad punched
him in the jaw. Taken back, Drew just stared at Brad.
"I'm sorry… I
didn't mean too!" Drew started stumbling back
until he met something
hard. Greg's casket. He
didn't dare turn to look at him.
Then, he felt a pair of icy cold hands
wrap around his neck,
choking him. Drew forced out of the grasp and turned
sharply around.
He gasped. "But… but…" "I should be dead? After
you killed me?"
Drew nodded, dumbfounded. "Well, now I've come back to haunt you."
Greg stepped out of the casket and began choking Drew again. In a few
seconds, everything went black.
Part
Six
Drew bolted up. He quickly looked around. He was in
the hospital room. He put one hand to his neck
and
rubbed it gently. “Jesus Christ” Brad was still
sitting by Greg’s bed, holding his hand. “Nice
nap?”
Brad asked, not moving. “Yea… I guess” Drew lied, eyes
wide. He went over to Greg. “Brad… why don’t you
go
get something to eat. Or some
coffee. You looked like
shit” Brad slowly looked up to Drew, then smiled.
“You
don’t look to good yourself, buddy” He got up.
“You
want anything?” Drew shook his head. “All right”
When Drew decided Brad was out of
hearing range, he
broke down and cried. After his hysterics had passed,
Drew told Greg everything. When Brad did return, he
had a coffee and a muffin. “Drew?”
“Drew…..?” Brad put down his snack and tapped him.
Drew jumped up. “Yes?” Brad reclaimed his muffin. “You
ok?” He nodded. “Yea. Sure. Fine. I have to go make
some phone calls…” Drew left the room. Brad shook his
head and ate his muffin. “Well, buddy” He said around
a mouthful of muffin. “Guess it’s just you and
me”
After making a few calls of his own,
Brad returned
to Greg’s room. He looked at his watch. It was well
past
know you probably can’t hear me, but thanks. For
everything. You’re my mentor, my idol and one hell of
a friend. Thank you”
***
Drew walked into his office and picked
up the phone
to make one of the hardest calls in his life. He was
calling Jennifer Andrews, Greg's recently re-married
ex-wife. A male answered the phone.
“Hello?” Drew took a deep breath.
“May I speak to Jennifer, please?”
“Jen!” A
muffled voice yelled in the house he was in,
“Phone! Here she is.”
“Hello?” Jen's voice said.
“Hi Jenny.
It's Drew, I have something to tell you.
Greg was poisoned and he's in bed shape. He's in
pre-coma state. I don't know what is going to happen
but… you should come down to the hospital… either
myself or Brad will be there waiting for you. I'm
sorry that it was these circumstances that bring us
together again. I'm sorry.” Drew began crying, his
sobs racking through his body. “I'll be right there.”
With that she hung up and Drew let the tears fall.
Drew felt somebody come up behind him, he felt clothe
over his nose, and suddenly, the world turned black.
***
When Drew did regain semi-consciousness,
everything
was black. Smart one, you’re blindfolded. His head was
spinning, but he didn’t dare move. A voice began to
speak. “What do we do with him now, my pet?” It was
familiar, but Drew couldn’t quite place it. “Anything
you want, love” It too was familiar. All to familiar.
“I say we have a bit of fun, don’t you?” Drew’s heart
raced. “Yes…” The other voice cooed.
Part
Seven
Drew felt
strong hands pull him to his feet. He heard a syrupy
British voice in his ear. "We'll show you a good time Drew. Don't
worry… we won't hurt you… too much…" Drew
shuddered as a metallic
laugh filled the room. He felt smooth, familiar hands
running up and
down his back. The hand came up and slapped him
sharply in the face.
"Now, listen you arrogant little
prick. You are going to let me do
whatever I want… and if you don't… I'll fucking hurt
you so bad that
you'll be in pain for the rest of your pitiful little
life and I'll
make sure you live a long one" The hand slapped
him again. "You guys
are fucking cowards, you know that?" Drew
gritted, "If you were real
men… you wouldn't have me in this blindfold." The
hand slapped him
again.
"Shut the fuck up." The
British voice growled in his ear. Drew felt
strong hands pull him to his feet. The hand sharply
smacked him
again. "Now," The other voice said,
"Why don't you be a good boy and
we won't hurt you as much." That strange metallic
laugh filled the
room yet again. Drew shuddered involuntarily… much to
the delight of
his faceless captors.
He felt himself pressed up against the
wall and kissed, roughly. He
tasted blood in his mouth, but he didn't say anything.
He just sat
there and kept his fear in his mind. He felt rough
hands pull his
pants down to his ankles. He felt a pair of hands pin
his hands up to
the wall, while another pair grabbed onto his cock. A
small gasp
escaped his mouth. He felt the hands tighten.
"Oh? You liked that? Well, I'm
afraid you're not allowed to feel
things like that." This time he was punched in
the jaw. He whimpered
and that laugh sounded again. "Bend over."
The English voice said, a
tone of command Drew recognized, but just couldn't
place. He was
shove down to touch his ankles. He felt hands roughly
pull his ass
apart. He felt someone shove in, and his muscles
clenched tight to
keep the intruder out. It didn't work. He felt the
hand smack him
again, but that felt good compared the emotional pain
he was going
through.
Someone began to shove himself roughly
into him and the tears came
down unchecked. He heard maniacal laughter and the
shoving got
harder. God, he thought, it hurts so much. Oh god,
please stop, have
mercy… please have mercy… oh god. He felt the man
inside of him as he
jerked forward, giving a visible sign of his release.
Drew felt
dirty, he felt violated, and most of all… he felt
pain. Immense pain.
He could still feel that first rough
shove, the smacks, and the
punch in the jaw. He heard that laugh again. "Not
so powerful when
you're off that set, are you Drew?" The British
voice cooed in his
ear. The hand came sharply down on his ass, and after
the initial
shock wore off he felt a throbbing pain in his ass.
The tears
continued to fall.
The other guy took over. He slapped his
face again. "Alright you
little prick… we're going to take the blindfold off.
So, close your
eyes" After several minutes he felt the cloth
lifted from his
eyes. "You may open your eyes now." The
British voice. He opened his
eyes and saw the two people.
Jim and Dan.
Part
Eight
Jennifer and Thomas Andrews walked into the
hospital.
She recognized Brad. “Brad!” She called
out. He
turned around and she saw the usually young face
of
Brad Sherwood look a lot older than he was.
“What’s
wrong? He hasn’t died has he???” Jenny shrieked in
panic, Brad quietly shook his head. “Come
upstairs…
I’ll take you to Greg and when the others get here…
I’ll tell you what happened.”
The three of them walked upstairs.
Thomas put a
reassuring hand on Jenny’s shoulder and he rubbed it
lightly. When she walked in the grief of seeing a dear
friend in that state made her weak at the knees.
Thomas held her up. She saw all these tubes, and
monitors. She started to cry, and Thomas was there for
her. Brad walked out into the lobby and was joined
shortly by Jenny and Thomas.
Ryan and Colin arrived together and the
suspicions
of them being lovers rose again; they were together
and they didn’t have their wives with them and they
looked disheveled. Next came
Dan, some guy that Brad didn’t know Laura Hall, Mark
Leveson, and some other guy Brad knew but couldn’t
put
a name to his face.
Brad looked solemnly at the lot of them
and cleared
his throat. “There is no easy way to put this, and I
think you should all sit down.” Brad waited until all
of them were seated. “I called the cops to tell them
that they needed to get Drew back because I didn’t
want him driving in his state. They went to his office
and his car was there, but they searched everywhere
and he wasn’t there. So, he’s missing but the search
is on because there was no sign of struggle. So, we’ll
see how then investigation goes and now… so we can pay
for these medical bills. We need a new host for Whose
Line. Dan, you said you had someone, please introduce
him to us.” Ryan noticed how easily he took control.
Dan stepped forward.
“Yes… I do. All of you here except for
Jeff, and
Kathy, know him. May I reintroduce you to Clive
friendly. They still trusted him and in times of grief
and sadness a familiar face was good. The only person
who didn’t participate was Brad, him being closest to
Greg. The welcome died off. Ryan also noticed how
happy Dan looked. Usually he was an asshole, but now
he seemed… normal.
“Well” Dan began. “Tomorrow we have a
taping. So
Laura, Brad, Colin, Ryan, Wayne, and Clive, go home,
rest. You too, Mark. Chip, if it’s all right, would
you spend the day here? Unless Jennifer would like
too. Anyway, I expect all attending the taping to be
at the studio promptly at 10” Everyone groaned. “Oh,
fine. 11:30” Everyone smiled. Ryan wasn’t Sherlock
Holmes, but aside from the obvious, something was
wrong. Very wrong.
***
Ryan woke up the
next morning, a dull ache in his
back from sitting in a chair all night. He then
remembered he had volunteered to stay at the hospital.
He whimpered, thinking of Drew. Jen walked in. “I’ve
come to relieve you… you have to get to the studio.
You have to tape. Chip is taping with you today. Be
easy on Brad, he’s very hurt right now.” Ryan nodded
and walked out of the room.
He had a dull ache in his back and it
hurt when he
moved. He gripped on to the stair banister and began
to cry, and cursed himself for not taking the
elevator. Ryan walked on, after gaining his composure
enough and thought of the events that had happened…
the poison had been intended for him, he knew this
because he knew that he was the only one on the
American Whose Line that had to have hands provided
for him.
He knew the poison, Methyl silicate;
very well, he
was allergic to it. So, obviously someone had been
purposefully trying to hurt him. But
why? Ryan
thought. I don’t remember hurting anyone enough to
kill me… unless… someone had a grudge against me for
being popular… or for taking their place… or doing
something they wanted to do.
Awww, fuck!!!
He ran to his car and broke about
every traffic law in the book to make it to the studio
in record time. He saw Dan and Clive chatting, Dan
with a rare smile on his face.
“Colin!” Ryan flagged down his best friend. “Yea?”
He pulled the Canadian aside. “Listen. I have to talk
to you about something later. Get the players. Make
sure Brad, Chip, and Kathy are here too. Ok?” Colin
nodded. “Sure, but
...” Ryan silenced him with a wave
of his hand. “Later, we gotta get our mike packs”
Part
Nine
Drew sat against
the wall, nursing the fresh bruise on his left
cheek. He didn't know which was worse; the thankfully
numbing
physical pain, or the unnerving wonderment when his
captors would
return- and what they wanted. His mind drifted back to
when his
blindfold had been removed. Standing before him were
his lover, Jim,
and Dan Patterson. It made no sense.
Why had Jim called Dan love? He's not British… wait… oh my God!
Suddenly, everything, at least Drew thought, clicked. One thing down,
one more thing to go. How the hell do I get out of
here? Jim's words
flashed in his mind. "If you even try to escape,
I'll shove a knife
so far us your ass you'll taste metal" And he'd
do it, too. Bastard.
Drew shakily stood up and started feeling along the walls. Maybe
there's a light switch or something. Suddenly, his
foot met something
hard and he tripped, landing on his wrist. Drew
screamed out in
pain. "Son of a bitch!"
He scrambled to a sitting position and
gripped his probably sprained wrist. A few tears
rolled down his
flushed cheeks.
A door opened and shed light into the tiny space. Drew looked to his
wrist. It had turned a dark shade of plum. A figure
entered the
space. Lord, just kill me now. He screamed mentally as
the figure
grabbed him by his bad wrist and hauled him out of the
room.
***
Ryan, Colin, Brad, Kathy, Chip,
gathered in the green room. After they were sure that
Dan and Clive
left- oddly enough, together, they went to the green
room to discuss
the situation. The taping had gone fairly well. Aside
from the
occasional questions and regular glitches- it had been
practically
perfect. Dan had not stopped games like usual. Its as if they were
back in
"I'd like to thank you all for coming" Ryan began, taking command, as
usual. Jeff raised his hand. "Yes, Jeff?" He
cleared his
throat. "What was the audiences
reaction when Drew or Greg wasn't at
the taping?" Ryan nodded. "Well, we told
them that they had the flu
and that they'd be out for a while. I don't know what
the real scene
is though. I think maybe we'll be able to keep that
rumor up for a
while as long as no one lets anything slip.
Next." Kathy raised her
hand. "Yes Kathy?"
"Is this going to affect the line-up at all… besides the thing about
putting other people in Greg's place, I mean, Dan and
Clive aren't
going to pull British people in here to take us
over."
"I don't believe so, I'll try my best as an executive producer, that
if that situation arises, to stop them from doing
that, so, I think
we'll be ok there. Next." Brad raised his hand.
"Yes Brad."
"Is he going to be alright? Either of them?"
Brad looked crushed.
"I'm afraid I don't have that information at this time. I'd love to
say yes, but since we have no clue what is going on
with Drew, and
Greg doesn't look to good, I can't say. We can only hope. Next."
"Do you have any guesses on who the poisoner/kidnapper might be?"
"I do have my beliefs, and I also know that that poison was meant for
me, but I think it might be John Sessions." Chip
shook his head
solemnly. Ryan looked at him. "What do you mean
no?"
"I overheard Clive telling Dan that John Sessions died two months ago
in a car accident… he was hit by a drunk driver."
Ryan looked shocked. He stared at Chip for a moment with the
expression that vaguely resembled a gaping fish.
Despite the
circumstances Brad started laughing. His laughing soon
turned to
hysterics, and in the end he wound up crying. All in
the space of two
minutes.
"Shhh, don't cry Brad. Don't cry."
forth. Brad snuggled against
looked helpless. Ryan looked around and his eyes
showed he was deep
in thought again.
***
Drew was dragged to an office, one that had a certain British
producer in it. "You fucking bastard!" Drew
snarled at him. Dan
smiled smugly. "Well… I guess it's true about the
beast thing then.
How're you doing love?" Dan asked politely. Drew growled deep in his
throat and was about to lunge at Dan, Jims hand
tightened around his
wrist. Drew yelped in pain. Dan smiled a slightly
maniacal smile.
He laughed that chilling metallic laugh, and Drew suppressed a
shudder. Dan looked critically at his wrist. He
laughed again. He
beckoned Jim and Drew over. Jim shoved Drew over, Dan
grabbed Drew's
wrist and squeezed it. Drew gasped in pain. Dan smiled
evilly and
laid Drew's wrist over the edge of the desk, and bent
it all the way
backwards. Drew howled in pain.
Dan, seeing a great advantage, called Jim over. He whispered his
plan, and Jim grinned. They approached Drew, whose
eyes widened.
Part
Ten
Ryan stared into
his cup of coffee. He stared until
his face was just a blur. So he wouldn’t have to see
himself. His guilt was immense. He wanted so bad to
just die, to just be swallowed up into a hole and
never ever see the world again. He felt something tap
his shoulder. Go away! his
mind screamed I’ll hurt you
like I’ve hurt them. Just like I’ve hurt my other
friends!! He felt the tapping on his shoulder again.
He finally tore himself out of his self pity. He found
himself looking into the eyes of Colin. He sighed.
“What do you want Colin?” Ryan
asked, his voice
sounded wary and tired. Colin noticed with some alarm
that Ryan looked his age. Colin looked down
sympathetically.
“They are holding a meeting, Dan and
Clive; they want
you to be present.” Colin said; his voice soft. Ryan
wearily got up and stretched. Colin heard Ryan’s back
pop. Colin winced when he saw the pain contort Ryan’s
face. Ryan stood there for a while and his face
reverted back to the cold indifference it had been
sporting for a while. Colin let Ryan go ahead and he
shook his head sadly. This isn’t the Ryan I know,
Colin thought sadly, this man is a shell of the man I
knew. This man, is not who he claims he is. Colin
followed Ryan and they went into the conference room.
He saw Chip have his arms protectively around Brad and
giving a death glare to
hands up defensively.
“It was a joke!”
“That isn’t something to fucking
joke about!” Dan
yelled. Ryan and Colin looked at each other.
“Don’t worry about it.” Jeff
whispered as they slid
down into the chair nest to him. “
comment about Greg not living and Brad started crying.
It’s not important really. Everyone is really edgy.”
Colin shook his head and Ryan remained indifferent. He
knows something, Colin though, He won’t tell anyone
though. The meeting went smoothly without
interruptions after that.
***
Before Colin left the conference
room, Ryan pulled
him aside. After looking around the room, he whispered
to Colin. "I really think something is wrong
here.
Meet me at my car in twenty minutes" Colin nodded and
the two went on their separate ways.
***
Brad sat with his
knees to his chest, slowly
rocking. He had wanted to kill
He ignored the soft knocks on his dressing room door,
until they became annoying. He slowly stood up opened
it. It was Chip.
"Hey, man" Brad grunted and resumed his
position on
the couch. Chip
frowned.
"I'm real sorry for what
him.
"You have no idea" Chip looked hurt.
"Tough times, man. You're taking it pretty hard. Wanna
talk about it?" He sat down next to Brad.
"No"
"You sure?"
"No" Chip gave Brad a friendly hug.
"Might help…" Brad got into a regular sitting
position.
"Since when did you become the studio's counselor?"
Chip shrugged.
"I'm scared" Brad murmured. "I’m sorry?" Brad sighed.
"I'm scared" Chip nodded.
"We all are" Brad shook his head.
"No… I'm scared. What if Greg never gets better?"
Chip interrupted him. "Not what if, when."
"Wishful thinking. Anyway, what if he never does?
I'm
just scared that…"
"That you'll never be able to tell him how you feel?"
Brad looked to him, shocked. "How'd you know?" Chip
smiled.
"It's so obvious" Brad giggled.
"Like Ry 'n
"Naw. You two are
different" Brad reached over to the
table and grabbed his pint of ice cream.
"How so? Are they…?" He spooned out some ice
cream.
"They are SO fucking" Brad smiled widely, then looked
at his watch.
"I have to get going" The two stood.
"All right. See you tomorrow" Chip waved and
left.
Brad set his ice cream back into the mini-fridge,
grabbed his keys, and went to go visit Greg.
Part
Eleven
Ryan leaned
against his car and looked at his watch. He looked up
to see Colin approaching him. "Gee, 9
already?" Colin rolled his
eyes. "Shut up. I was just snooping" Ryan
faked surprise. "Mild
mannered Colin Mochrie, snooping? Oh
my Lord!" He opened the
door. "Just get in" Colin nodded and did so.
Ryan got in on the other
side and started the car.
"So what's this about?" Colin asked, sipping some of his soda.
"Well,
some strange things have been going on" He rolled
his eyes. "Aside
form Greg going into coma, Drew disappearing, Clive
coming, and Dan
not being a prick? Gee, I never would've guessed"
Ryan glared at
him. "Shut up. Anyway, I think that Dan has
something to do with
this" Colin agreed. "Well, it is odd that
suddenly Drew disappears,
Clive comes, and Dan is happier than I've ever seen. However, I've
found something even more disturbing…" Ryan waved
a free hand in
front of Colin's face. "Hello?" He snapped
out of his reverie. "Huh?
Oh, sorry. Clive and Dan, Dan's office. Behind the
desk, half-naked,
doing God knows what" Ryan stifled a laugh.
"And HOW did you know all
this?"
"Windows."
"'95 or '98?" Colin spilled the remainder of his soda into Ryan's
lap. "Bastard!" He
yelled, as he struggled to keep control of the car.
"Bitch" Colin retorted with a smile. Ryan looked to him with a wry
grin. "The speed limit's 40, right?" Ryan
cocked his head. "Not
anymore…" The two grinned evilly.
***
Pain. That was the only sensation Drew could
recognize. It was like
every his every nerve was on fire with no fire trucks
within a 100-
mile radius. He tried to scream- or had he been? It
was hard to tell.
He writhed in agony. When Drew thought he had found a way to get
comfortable, the screaming pain came back- a thousandfold. When it
finally became too much, he prayed, Drew passed out
into the
comforting darkness.
***
Drew looked around. It was dark again. Was he awake? Was he dead? Is
this Hell? "Hello, Drew" His heart leapt.
"Brad?" He turned. I'm in
Hell. "Brad, I'm so sorry… I never meant for this to happen!" Brad
stepped up to him and placed a finger over Drew's
lips. "Shh"
"But.." Brad pressed his lips to his. When
they separated, Drew stood
stunned. "What was that fo…" Before he could finish, Brad punched him
sharply, knocking him down.
"What the fuck!?" Drew scrambled to a
sitting position. "Love/hate
relationship, get used to it, babe" Brad helped
him up. "I can
understand the punch… but… why…" Brad interrupted
him. "You know why"
Drew shook his head. "Look deep into your sub-conscious. You know
it's there" He turned. "Tell me
something" Brad nodded. "Shoot"
"Where am I? Is this Hell, or what?" Brad placed a hand on Drew's
shoulder and turned him around. "Dreams are
windows into the soul.
Hopes, memories, desires" He kissed Drew again.
Not as surprised, Drew relaxed. When they broke, he looked into
Brad's eyes. "Remember too, love. Dreams are what
we want… and what
can be" With that said, everything swirled around
Drew, and
disappeared. Back came the roaring pain. He was gone.
Drew huddled
and cried, ignoring the pain and just hoping that his
dream would
come true.
***
Brad sobbed into his cherry and chocolate ice cream as he watched
Titanic. Watching a sad movie and pigging out usually
made him feel
better. When he had entered Greg's hospital room,
sight had
overwhelmed him. Greg, or the man he used to be, lay
there,
practically a skeleton, with twice as many machines
and tubes coming
from him. Brad couldn't take it, and ran out of the
room, coming back
home to wallow in self-pity.
Usually, it took a week of constant pigging to feel completely
better. What would usually make Brad huge, disappeared
after two
weeks of not eating. It was his system of depression
management.
Wasn't the best, but it did the trick.
After the movie ended, Brad got up and put Mariah Carey's `Musicbox'
into the CD player. He grabbed the remote and plopped
back down on
his mountain of pillows. Pressing number six, `Without
You' started
playing.
No I can't forget this evening
Or your face as I was leaving
But I guess that's just the way
The story goes
You always smile but in your eyes
Your sorrow shows
Yes it shows
No I can't forget tomorrow
When I think of all my sorrow
When I had you there
But then I let you go
And now it's only fair
That I should let you know
What you should know
I can't live
If living is without you
I can't live
I can't give anymore
I can't live
If living is without you
I can't give
I can't give anymore
Well I can't forget this evening
Or your face as I was leaving
But I guess that's just the way
The story goes
You always smile but in your eyes
Your sorrow show
Yes it shows
I can't live
If living is without you
I can't live
I can't give anymore
I can't live
If living is without you
I can't give
I can't give anymore
As, the song ended, Brad's cheeks were wet. He got up from the
pillows, got his jacket, and started walking. There
was one place he
knew he could always go- Ryan and Colin's.
Part Twelve
Brad walked all the way to Ryan’s house, only to
find
out they weren’t there. They must’ve gone to
Colin’s
he mused. He walked the block and a half to
Colin’s
house and saw both cars there. With relief he
walked
to the door and knocked. Ryan answered, with no shirt
on.
“Hello Brad, can I help you?” Ryan
said, Brad noticed
Ryan’s ears were bright red along with the rest of his
face.
“Hey, can I hang out with you guys?’
Brad asked
timidly. Ryan grinned.
“Hold on...” Ryan shut the door and
walked back into
the house. A couple minutes later he came back,
dressed again. He noticed Ryan was in a suit. He
giggled. Ryan motioned him in and he gasped at what he
saw. Colin was in a very nice emerald green evening
gown. Brad looked at Colin. Ryan pulled him into the
bathroom. By the time Ryan was finished, Brad was
dressed in a black evening gown complete with press on
painted nails and make-up, and a wig. He noticed Colin
had put one on too. Ryan pulled them outside and took
them to his car. They drove for a couple minutes and
arrived at The Black Sherry, a fancy restaurant in
downtown
more than he should have. When they got home, they all
got naked and were lying in Colin’s bed. Ryan ran his
hands over Brad’s chest.
“God, you’re beautiful…” Ryan
muttered, kissing
Brad’s shoulder, and down his arm. Brad shivered a
little and burrowed back into Colin’s chest. Colin
smiled benignly down at Brad. Brad’s hands began to
wander over Ryan’s chest. Colin kissed Brad on the top
of the head and began to massage his back. Ryan leaned
in and kissed Brad, the sudden coverage of his mouth
made him dizzy, and moments later. He blacked out.
***
Greg screamed out in frustration.
After the
thousandth attempt to break the constraints of his own
mind, he was furious. No nicotine and no movement make
Greggie very angry… "Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Why
isn't
this working?!" He'd tried dynamite, nuclear
bombs…
he'd even tried Barbra Streisand. For Christ's sake!
Why did I have to have such strong mental control?!
ARGH! "Coma sucks" He kicked the darkness. "Even Drew
had it better than I did! Sure… it was TV… but it's
practically the same" He shook his head.
"Jesus, I'm
babbling"
Suddenly, it struck him. "If a
coma is anything like
a dream…" He concentrated at his hand. A ball
appeared
in it. "Lucid coma! Sweet!" He threw the ball in the
opposite direction. "This is gonna take some
time…"
He concentrated even harder. A lamp appeared. "Better
get some light…" He turned it on.
He was standing in a white room.
"I'm in a room
that's totally white… and its friggin
black in here!
Well… now that I got a lamp… let's get some lights…"
The room brightened and the lamp disappeared. He
smiled. "I got plenty of time… I'm gonna have
some
fun…" All of a sudden, Greg was lifted off the
ground.
He floated to the left and the right, and then did a
somersault. "Woo hoo! I
can FLY!!!" Hissing sounds
filled the room, immediately alarming Greg. He gently
landed. This had happened whenever someone entered the
hospital room. The respirator.
There were many people.
"Doctor" A British voice called. Clive?! What the
Hell?! "Is... will he pull through?" There was despair
in his voice. "I don't know a defiant answer. But
I do
know, and am sad to say, there is a low chance he will
wake up" Everything around Greg darkened. DAMMIT!
Someone had lost hope. "You're wrong" A small voice
said. "He will wake up, I know it. So don't you
even
dare give up on him" It protested through tears.
Brad,
you're one of a kind. The lights had come back on.
Part Thirteen
Drew sat in the small room he had been held captive in.
He didn't
know what time it was, or what day it was. He didn't
know if he'd
been in here for minutes or hours, or days or weeks.
He looked at
himself, he was dirty, and he had stubble growing on
his cheeks and
chin. He felt tears start running down his face. The
door cracked
open and Dan stepped in. Drew snarled. Dan grabbed his
unhurt arm and
pulled him to his feet.
"I need to know what size
clothes you wear. Please take a
shower and get cleaned up. Jim is making lunch for
you. You've been
here for a week if you were wondering. I have some
explaining to do.
And I need to do it before my conscience eats me."
Dan looked down at Drew's wrist.
"We'll get that set that for
you." Drew
nodded numbly and followed Dan into the bathroom. "I'll
wash you, you are in no condition to be doing this
yourself. Undress
and I'll cut your hair for you too. It looks a little long."
Dan
smiled at Drew, and Drew, in spite of himself smiled
back. After
Drew's shower, Dan clipped his hair down to the appropriate length.
Dan walked Drew downstairs and sat him at the table. A balding,
slightly heavyset man set two sandwiches, a salad, and
a can of coke
in front of him. He sat down next to Dan. Drew
finished the food
rather quickly, and the balding man smiled fondly. Dan
looked at him
and opened his mouth.
"I'm sorry for being so harsh. I
know that what I did was wrong.
However, the only reason why Clive wasn't hosting was because that
ABC didn't want a British host. So, when they signed that contract
that said if you were ever hurt or killed I could
bring in another
host. I did this so Clive could come over here and be
with me. Drew
Carey, meet my fiancée, Clive Anderson."
***
Brad sat in the
dim hospital room looking at Greg. He gently
stroked his hair. "You know what Greg, I heard
that sometimes when
people are in comas, they can still hear. Well… I hope
you can. I
really wished you weren't here. I miss you a lot. I
don't why but for
some reason we've gotten really close, and I think I'm
falling in
love with you. No… scratch that… I *am* falling in
love with you. I
don't know how it happened… but it did.
It tears me up to see you like this. It
does. I just want to hold
you and cuddle you." Brad feels hot tears
streaming down his face
as he continues, "And… I wish that *I* was there
instead of you,
because I'd give my life to you, because I love you more than I love
myself. You always made me feel
so good about myself.
Anytime I was depressed you'd talk me out of doing anything stupid,
and you'd make those cherry sundaes. I remember how
you'd never tell
me the recipe, so I went through your recipe book and
found it. Greg,
if you can hear me… please, please, pull through. I
love you and I
need you. I refuse to let you leave me. I won't let
you leave me and
I'll do everything in my power to prevent you from going away. I love
you way too much for you to go wandering off without
me. Please Greg…
don't go. Please." He started sobbing so much he couldn't speak
anymore. He felt arms wrap around him, it was Ryan.
***
Greg faintly
heard a voice, but couldn't understand what it was
saying. He couldn't distinguish words, but the voice
sounded sad,
then despaired, then nostalgic, and then hopeful, and
lastly forceful
and adamant about something. He wish
he knew what. He knew that
whoever was talking had such a hope in him, because
every time this
person came into the room, his coma power got weaker
and he felt
himself drifting to the real world. Then another
person walked in the
room, and the room got so full of despair Greg
couldn't move anymore.
He wondered what was going on.
Part Fourteen
Drew sighed deeply. He had been put back in the tiny
room. It just
doesn't make sense. First he beats me, rapes me, then pretend
everything is fine! What the Hell is going on?! Clive
Anderson…he…
was the host of the British Whose Line? Oh my God…
Suddenly Drew
heard something. Loud. He
pressed his ear to the thinnest wall and
closed his eyes.
A door shutting. A bed creaking.
A light voice cooing. Jim. Silence.
Jim's raised voice. Dan apologizing. Bed creaking again. Groaning.
Drew bolted away from the wall,
disgusted. He felt as if he were
going to throw up. Then another
sound. Yelling. Drew pressed back up
against the wall.
"What the Hell
is up?!" Jim yelled. "When this Clive character
comes, you're practically all over him. Then you
totally ignore me! I
want to know what the fuck is going on!"
Something crashed. "Listen,
babe. Nothing is going on. He's just an old friend.
And us being all
over each other? I don't know what you mean…"
Something else
crashed. "Bull shit!" Silence.
"Let me show you how much I love you…"
Urp. "You think sex will solve everything?!
You're wrong, you
bastard. I'm out of here. See ya"
The bed room door slammed. Then the
front door. Dan sighed. "Oh well. I don't need
him anymore anyway"
The bedroom door opened, then closed.
Drew sat back. "Didn't need him
anymore… Dan was fucking using him
the entire time!" Drew punched the wall and
cringed. Fuck. He slid
down the wall and landed on something hard. "The Hell-?" He reached
down. "Jesus Christ!" Drew held up his cell
phone. Must've been too
numb to notice this… He pressed the power button.
Nothing happened.
He shook it. Pieces inside the phone rattled. "Shit" Drew threw the
useless item against the wall and pouted. "God, I
hope someone
figures it out…"
***
Greg sighed. The voices around him
never ceased to stop. Moreover,
he felt so very tired and old. He just couldn't figure
out what was
happening to him. Everything around Greg seemed to get
darker. Then
something pierced the darkness. Brad's
voice. "I love you" Greg
teared up, then stumbled.
What the hell was I drinking? He laid down
to stop the spinning. Before he lost `consciousness'
there was one
last sound. A long beep that seemed
to go on forever.
Everything clicked. He was dying.
"I love you too, Brad" Greg
choked out before blackness claimed him one last time.
***
Brad grabbed Greg's hand. After
announcing his undying love for the
man, Brad could not stop crying. Something snapped him
out of teary
state. That sound. "No!" Greg's heart
monitor had gone flat. Before
he knew it, doctors were gathered around the bed,
trying to save him.
But they failed. One doctor hung his head and ushered the others
away. "I'm…sorry… there's nothing we could've
done" Brad looked at
the doctor as if his heart had been torn out of his
chest. "No.. no…
I won't let it be this way!"
He pushed the doctor aside and started
giving Greg mouth to mouth.
The doctor shook his head and looked to Ryan. "Sir, it's
no…"
Suddenly a sound of gasping filled the room. Brad moved aside to
reveal the source. Greg. He gasped for another breath,
eyes wide. The
doctor did a double take and rushed to him. He called
the other
doctors in. They were astounded.
After a half-hour of tests, they
finally left. Leaving Ryan, Brad,
and Greg alone. Noticing the look of Brad's face, he
decided to
leave.
Brad smiled widely. He gave Greg a bear
hug and cried into his
shoulder. "I thought you…" Greg silenced
him. "I know. It's ok. I'm
not. Thanks to you" He said in a raspy voice, the
after-affect of not
talking for a while. "Brad, I head what you
said" Brad paused. "And,
I love you too" The two smiled and embraced tightly, both shedding
tears of joy.
"Don't ever do that to me again,
Gregory Proops" Brad said
sternly. "Wouldn't dream of it" The two
smiled as Ryan looked in from
the doorway. He was happy for their new relationship.
He wiped away a
tear of his own. "Congrats guy, congrats. You two
deserve each other"
Part
Fifteen
Chip and
about something, but Chip wasn't listening very well.
He felt a hand
on his shoulder, and he stopped.
"Are you even listening to
me?"
younger man's eyes.
"Sort of, I'm a little tired,
and I'm sick of trying to be
responsible… but, someone has to be strong for Brad.
And not many of
us can do that. So, I'm trying but, it isn't working
out great. I
don't want to be the shoulder anymore! I want to cry
for once! I
never ever get to cry. I need to relax, I need to calm
down." Chip
exclaimed.
"C'mon, we'll go to my
apartment. It's just around the
corner."
They walked in silence, they reached
the apartment building and got
inside. As soon as Chip sat down
smiled gratefully, and then laughed seeing the video
games and
consoles piled around the T.V. Chip saw a Dreamcast hooked up, two
controllers laying on the ground. He picked one up.
"God, I love this system!"
Chip exclaimed.
"Wanna play?"
"Depends, what're we going to
play?"
"DDR?"
"Kick ass! Put it in!"
"Already is."
November came on.
a grade and Chip got a D. Wayne found this highly
amusing, and he
burst into a fit of giggles. Chip threw a throw pillow
at
He thrust up at the contact.
neck, and he nibbled slightly on his neck. He gasped
as the teeth
grazed against his ear, down his chin, on his neck.
Slowly,
began to nibble off the buttons of his shirt. One by
one he popped
them off and launched them across the room.
Chip shuddered as
clamped onto the waist of his khaki pants. Chip jerked
his hips
upward. He felt a strong hand push his hips down, and
keep them
there. He whimpered in anticipation.
and pulled them down. His underwear came next.
penis. It was like a pop-up book, where the pictures
come springing
at you. He slowly started to take Chip in his mouth.
Chip gasped and
tried to force himself farther and deeper into
hand still held his hips down and he didn't make much
progress. Inch
by inch
became increasingly faster as his hips were let go and
he could
thrust himself up into
Chip wasn't prepared, and it had been
too long for him. He exploded
into
himself out of
other and fell asleep spooned together.
***
Jeff walked into
his house and looked around. He sighed and scanned
his belongings. It was so clean,
pristine… it was almost like no one
lived there. Truth was… whenever he was stressed he
cleaned. And his
week had been pretty damn stressful. He thought that
maybe he'd go
out and get a massage or something… but… his
ex-girlfriend had taken
his credit card. He didn't have any cash because he
had out it all in
the bank. His ex-girlfriend had also taken his debit
card, pulled all
his money out, and closed his account. He didn't get
paid until next
week, he was out of milk, and he was broke. He cursed
his ex-
girlfriend mentally. He sat down on his couch and
began to cry. He
sobbed; he didn't know why… it wasn't that bad.
It felt so good though, he hadn't cried
in forever. He remembered
the last day he had cried.
***
He was on his bike
and he was racing with his friends. He was
whizzing by his house. He saw Cinnamon, his dog, in
the middle of the
sidewalk. He swerved. It had just rained, he hit the
grass and he
slipped. He hit a curb. He felt himself get flung off
of his bike. He
went up 4 feet in the air. He fell down on the street.
He didn't even
see the car coming, and it ran over his arm. He
screamed. He felt a
shadow over him. He felt the tears stream down his
face. He saw the
person get out of the car. It was his father. His
tears came down
faster. He felt a sharp slap across his face. He
looked at his dad.
"Listen here you little bitch. Boys don't cry. And that means you
don't cry. So get up and take it like a man." His
father walked off.
***
Jeff sighed as his body finished
convulsing. My life sucks
you know that? Jeff thought. He looked around again.
He ran a hand
through his hair and groaned. Need to get in the
shower. He thought
absentmindedly. He walked into his room and pulled out
a pair of
black jeans and a black turtleneck, and clean
underwear. He walked
into the bathroom and clicked on the light. He sighed
yet again as he
looked at his reflection in his full length mirror. He
had dark
circles under his eyes. His face was pale and haggard.
His face was
etched with worry and he looked tired. His eyes didn't
shine.
They were dull, and lifeless. He took
off his clothes. He looked at
the rest of his body, it was thin… well… thinner than
usual… he had
stopped eating.
He didn't really care about much anymore. He could
see his ribs without straining. He sighed. I need to
eat, the
unbidden thought came, after I get out of the shower…
He bent down
and turned on the water. He turned the shower head on
and stood under
the spray. He felt it cascade down his body. He
grabbed his soap and
started washing. He washed everywhere, he scrubbed
hard. He was
punishing himself, but he didn't know what for. He
grabbed his
shampoo and put some in his hand… he ran his hands
through his hair,
and he massaged his head to get the shampoo deep down.
He rinsed
himself off and stood there for a while.
He turned the shower on massage. His
thoughts started to wander, to
his life, and then to something deeper. He started to
think about
love, actually, the man he was in love with, Wayne
Brady. His hands
traveled down as he grabbed himself. He started to
stroke his shaft,
up and down, up and down. As his mind went deeper into
his fantasies
his hand sped up. It went faster and faster. He felt
his knees go
weak, and weaker. His body jerked involuntarily as he
released.
He slumped down to the floor of the tub
and let the water stream
over him so more. He finally got up and turned off the
water. He got
out of the shower and toweled himself off. He got
dressed and he went
out. He went into his kitchen and began rummaging
through his fridge.
Well, this isn't surprising…
He thought as he saw the fridge was
almost empty. Except for some
milk and something in a container he didn't even want
to touch. He
went through his cupboards, again there was nothing.
He sighed. He
went through his jackets and found 20 dollars from
last winter in
there. He smiled. He grabbed his keys and walked out
of his house. He
jumped in the car and drove off.
Part
Sixteen
Jim walked down
the street with his head hung. How could he have
done this to me? I thought he loved me. He sulked.
Deciding it was
better to get drunk; he started walking in the
direction of his
favorite bars.
He smiled as he walked up to the
front door. A big neon sign hung
above the door. It read The Dragon Fire. His friend,
Matt Damon, had
introduced him to this bondage bar. Walking in, he
nodded to the bar
mistress as he sat down. Ignoring the quicky back rubs and butt
slaps; Jim ordered the most alcoholic drink there.
Downing it in one
gulp, he asked for another. "Sorry,
Jim. Unless you want to spend the
night in the hospital, I can't give you another
one"
"Come on, Nik!
Jush one
more… pleash?" Nicole shook her head. Jim
turned red. He reached across the black marble bar and
grabbed her
shirt. "One more. I beg
you" Nicole grabbed his hand and set it
down. "You're drunk. Go home" Seething, Jim
took his empty glass and
broke it against the bar. Holding it close to her
throat, Jim
screamed. "Dammit, Nicole!
I said give me another one!"
Carefully looking to her right, she
nodded to a leather clad man.
He stormed over to the bar and got Jim in a bear hug. "All right,
let's go" He struggled, but the man struggled
right back. Getting to
the door, the man threw Jim out to the pavement.
"You don't treat a
lady like that. Now stay out!"
Jim yelled as he landed on his broken
glass. He bolted up and
cradled his side, not caring to look at the blood now
pooling around
him. He lay down and waited for blackness. It isn't a
great way to
go, but I'm not picky. Before he passed out, one last
thought crossed
his mind. It's all your
fault, Dan!
***
Drew lay immobile on the floor of his
prison. He couldn't move.
Every breath he took was like a jagged knife into his chest. Even his
mind had a slight stutter. Drew had heard Dan's rantings when he
found out Jim had left. Dan plugged his rage into its only working
socket- Drew.
Now a toy for his amusement, Drew
didn't feel like a person
anymore. Then, one single solitary thought ran through
his mind.
Brad. Oh, how Drew wished he could just be with him, if only for a
second. To have Brad hold him, to
ease the pain, to… Don't fool
yourself, Man! You're going to die here, you know it!
So don't tease
yourself with things you'll never have! He cruelly
reminded himself.
The only thing you can count on is Dan'll be back…
with a vengeance.
***
Colin smiled, as he looked at Greg and
Brad together. Two days
after "the incident," they were adjusting
rather quickly. Ryan
leaned over to him. "Remember when we were like
that? Not-so-young,
cute, and agile" He smirked evilly. "Oh, let
them enjoy it while they
can, Grandpa" Ryan stuck out his tongue.
"Coy.." Colin replied by
pressing his lips to Ryan's. Brad snickered loudly,
making the two
break off the kiss.
"Grow up!" Greg stifled a
laugh. "Don't give him any ideas,
Brad turned around and pouted. Ryan glared at Greg and hugged Brad
tightly. "Shh… it's ok
Sweetie." Colin smirked at the look on Greg's
face. A cross between a sad
out the elves were blowing Mrs. Claus.
In response, Greg marched up to Colin
and shoved his tongue down
his throat, practically gagging Colin. Ryan turned to
face him, black
fire burning in his eyes, and no one missed it.
"Greg.. He was
playing…" But Brad's warning came too late, for
Greg was a bloody
heap on the ground.
Brad resisted the urge to kick Ryan's
ass, although Ryan was a good
3 inches taller and 30 pounds heavier than he was.
"C'mon, Sunshine,
back to the hospital" As he carried Greg to the
car, he
sneezed. "Jackass!"
Ryan snapped his head around, only to see the
picture of innocence.
"Ryan, next time, leave him conscious, kay, hun?" Colin said with a
side-glance. "It just depends on how far he
shoves his tongue"
To
be Continued.