It’s late. Or… early. It really depends on your perspective. Either way, it’s dark outside. It isn’t physically cold, but it sure feels like it. Where a party once sat, there are only three left. The rest abandoned them for sleep, or food, or a more comfortable chair…. You know, things that people need. But not Shawn. Not today, or… tonight. He sits in the middle of the two others, staring blankly into space. Gus, on his left, looks like he’s about to fall asleep, but everyone present knows that that is far from the case. He stares at the ceiling, thinking. Juliet, of course on the other side of Shawn, keeps her gaze trained steadily on her boyfriend. She’s noticed how held together he’s managed to stay and would applaud him if it didn’t almost disgust her. He should be allowed to be afraid, sad, mad, and everything but what she knew he was feeling; guilty. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and keeps staring at his, oblivious, cheek.
His knee bounces up and down. His calf hurts like hell but it’s either that or tap his fingers on the chair, and nobody needs that obnoxious noise. He is aware of how together he appears, and frankly finds it kind of strange. He also knows that both of the people next to him are extremely conscious of that fact. He knows that Gus is in his own little world, reflecting on all the lessons he tried to teach both boys in their adolescence, but only one managed to hold on to. He knows that Juliet knows that he was not okay. And that he doesn’t feel alright with this. And that at this moment, he doesn’t feel like being optimistic. He knows all of this, but all he can focus on is why he knows it. Sure genes had a little bit of a role, but that was all Henry’s doing. He doesn’t care that people- tens of people, maybe hundreds, depending on how fast word spread through the station- are worrying about him, though he hates to be worried about. He isn’t focusing his energy on himself. Someone else is on his mind. And it’s pretty obvious to all, who.
Juliet rubs his back absently, and he reclines in his chair, wincing soundlessly as his back twists and cracks. Accidentally, he mimics Gus’s position, leaning his head against the wall, staring at the ceiling. He stretches his arms over his head and Juliet takes the opportunity to sit in closer to him. She focuses on his teeth dragging across his lip, and watches as a spot of blood appears where his teeth once were. Her eyes gloss a bit as an ounce of exhaustion overtakes her cop persona.
“Gus.” His voice and the movement of his lips snap her out of her waking sleep state. It’s the first time any of them have spoken in over two hours. At least five since he himself has uttered a word. Gus snaps out of it immediately, not speaking, but leaning in toward his best friend with concerned eyes. Shawn lets out a breath through his nose and turns away slightly, inching away from the contact, only to be stopped by Juliet. He shrinks into his seat, as far away from both of them as possible and they both back off a little. Juliet feels the slight squeeze on her shoulder telling her not to go too far. She understands though. He just needs a little space. But not too much. At least, not from her. Shawn notices Gus’s Adam’s apple bobbing up and down, indicating his nervous swallows. “Go home man.” He drags his hand down his face, and over his lip. He looks down at it inquisitively, and noticing the thin strip of blood on his hand instantly makes him want to hurl. So much blood… He clears his throat and looks his exhausted, but hesitant, friend up and down. “You have work in like,” he looks at his wrist, remembering where his watch is; in the sand.covered in blood. “A-a really short time. Go home. Try and sleep.”
They go back and forth for a while, but as much as Gus wants to stay, he really should go. He looks to Juliet for a split second, and she nods. It does not go unnoticed, but it does go unacknowledged. Shawn closes his eyes as his best friend looks to him. He yawns, which is the nail in the coffin. “Call me the moment you hear anything, you hear me?” Shawn nods and Gus places a hand lightly on his shoulder.
Shawn’s eyebrows knit in thought as he watches his retreating best friend’s figure stagger towards the door. “Should he be driving?”
“I don’t think so.” Shawn’s eyes grow with concern, and Juliet feels his arm tense over her. She slides closer to him. “He’ll be fine.” Shawn looks at her at the same time that she realizes what he thinks she meant. Extremely gently, she reaches over with one of her hands and grabs his. “Gus.” He bites his lip, closing his eyes, and turns to face forward simultaneously, nodding his head. As much as he wants her to be able to reassure him that Henry will be fine, there is no guaranteeing anything at this point.
So, they sit. And they wait. And they wait some more. Every time the door marked ‘Authorized Personnel Only’ opens, his eyes snap towards it. It’s never for him. Juliet leans on the wall with her eyes closed, at least half asleep. She yawns. Shawn laces his fingers with hers. “Jules.” She snaps awake, and looks at him apologetically. He puts his hand on her cheek before letting it slide down to her shoulder, then her hand. “Go home.” Juliet shook her head adamantly. “Jules. You have to be at work in like three hours. I will come to your place as soon as I know for sure. Either way.”
“Shawn, I can take the day off, I mean…” She gestures to the door into the bowels of the hospital before trailing off.
“Jules, I’d much rather you didn’t do that.” He looks at her sweetly. If there is one thing Shawn Spencer hates, it’s being pitied. She purses her lips while looking at him. “Go.”
“Are you sure?” She looks at him skeptically. He is not the worst at hiding his feelings.
“No. But yes. Go.” She breathes out a sigh, leaning over to land a peck on his lips; one or four seconds too long to be considered any form of friendly.
“Bye.” She looks to him for one last final reassurance that he’d be okay enough by himself. He nods. “Call me.”
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Now, it’s early. Shawn can see the light coming in from waiting room doors, as he enters his umpteenth hour in that stupid chair. Since Juliet had left, the time has been passing understandably slower. Even when you aren’t talking, it’s still nice to have someone who cares next to you. He gets up for the fourth time in the past two hours and stretches his legs as he walks up to the desk.
“Come on, he’s been in surgery for like twelve hours, and you can’t tell me anything?” Shawn rests his elbows on the desk.
“I’m sorry, sir. I’m just an intern, I really don’t know anything.” His head drops on the counter. The young twenty-something behind the desk shoots him a sympathetic glance and shrugs apologetically.
“What’s your name again?” He remembers, of course.
“Sarah.”
“Sarah…” he feigns ignorance.
“Longly. Sarah Longly. And you are Shawn Spencer.” She points at him.
“You remember.” He shoots her a half-hearted smile.
“Well, it was just two hours ago. You aren’t the only one with special skills.” She gestures to newspaper on her desk, headlined, Psychic Detective Solves A Decades Old Case. “I am sorry sir, I-“
“Shawn. And those newspapers don’t get all the facts.” He looks down,
“Shawn. I would help you if I could, but I really can’t tell you anything. All I handle is the check in and-“
“Well, can you maybe, please, find someone who can find something out? Please, Sarah, I’ve been here forever.” She bites her lip and fiddles with her long, dark, ponytail.
“I’ll see what I can do, Shawn, but no promises.”
“I like you a lot better than Meredith.”
She leans in close and whispers, “So does everybody. I’ll be back. Lauren!” she gestures to another girl about her age. “This is Shawn. Can you cover the desk for a second while I go back for a minute to get him something?” The girl nods. Shawn, uninterested, turns away from the desk, en route to his chair, only to come face to face with his mother.
Without thinking about it for even one second, he steps forward and wraps his arms around her. She shakes against him, and he closes his eyes. “Mom, how did you even find out about this?” Shawn asks, genuinely surprised. He pulls back from her, holding her at arm’s length. He is not especially surprised to find tears in her eyes.
“Gus called me as he was leaving the hospital. I was in Colorado, I got on the first plane I could find. What, happened, Goose?”
Shawn opens his mouth to speak, but lets the breath he had gathered go. “We should sit down. This is a long story.”
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
“So the guy was banging his sister, who killed his father, who killed her mother-“
“Whose mother?”
“The sister-slash-lover’s mother.”
“Who got pregnant with whose baby?”
“The guy that I punched in the face’s father that the sister-slash-lover’s mother murdered.”
“You punched someone in the face?”
“Well, he was threatening Jules.”
“He was threatening Juliet?!”
“Well, no, that was actually one of Henry’s old cop buddies. But I thought it was him, so I punched him in the face because I thought it was him that punched me in the face, because I was in the process of figuring out that he was behind everythin.”
“Someone punched you in the face?”
“What, you can’t tell? Yeah, another one of Dad’s old buds. Or the same one. I’m still unclear on the details for that one, actually. And also, he didn’t anything wrong. I think he’s the only one in the whole thing who didn’t get arrested or injured, save for a beautifully inflicted black eye.”
“But Lou was a good guy right?”
“Oh, no, the whole thing started with the others, but Lou was definitely involved. And it’s finishing with this Carp guy.”
“So where are they now?”
“Well, Lou’s dead, as you know. Carp and the other two are in custody, waiting to be interrogated. And… Dad’s on an operating table somewhere and I have no idea what’s happening, and it’s all my fault….” He looks to the door, hoping someone would come out of it for him. He turns back to his mother and pats her clasped hands. “I’m really glad you’re here, Mom.”
“Of course, Goose.” She squeezes her sons hand.
“Okay, where is this Sarah girl, anyway?” He turns toward the door, and it swings open. He almost jumps up, but the doctor that comes out walks up to the woman across from him. He sighs.
“Shawn?”
“Hmm?”
“It’s not your fault.”
“Mom, you don’t understand, two of Dad’s closest friends were dirty and I didn’t even look into the third one. If I did, this never would have happened.”
“Goose….”
“Don’t, Mom, don’t do that, okay?”
“Okay… but just… he didn’t see it either.”
The door opens, and out comes Sarah, looking uneasy. “Shawn?”
Story Notes:
I'M BACK BITCHES. Well, at least a little bit. I had a car ride today so I got a bunch done. Except, nothing from my big stories, but I finished and made progress on several of my 17 one shots that are partially written, so you'll be seeing more of me, at least for a little while.
Author's Chapter Notes:
I've had this idea kicking around in my head for a lot of time. I've taken a tremendous break from writing, so the beginning really bunched together. There's something like nine hundred words before someone even talks, but it's all important, so. ENJOY!
Chapter End Notes:
I've said this before, and I'll say it again. I hate saying things are a cliffhanger when they aren't, so know I'm going out on a limb by saying* Ohh! Cliffhanger! I just feel so weird about this I already have the second chapter done, so I'll release it from captivity in a day or two or eleven, depending on your cooperation. I've been driving for ten hours, I'm feeling evil. -TRJ
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