by Alan Wild
It took three hits for the door to fly open. Oliver went in first. The smell of death hit him, and he began to cry. No, it can’t be him. Nora grabbed his arm and said, “Hold it together and go find him” Ajay and Summer began clearing each room, one by one. From upstairs, Summer yelled, we are going to need an ambulance.” Ray flew up the stairs. Summer walked to the top and shook her head, indicating that it wasn’t Noah. Oliver walked to each room on the main floor. Covering his nose with his T-shirt, he said, “I need to find the door to the basement.”
Holding his breath every time he opened a door; he finally found the door to the basement.
Opening the door, He heard the noises first. Without concern for his own safety, He moved faster than his body wanted to allow. Pain shot through his hip, and his head felt like it split open again and was pounding. Oliver made it down the stairs. He stopped and listened to the movement. He couldn’t see anyone because there were stacks of boxes. The cat lady must have been a hoarder on top of a cat lady. He moved through the room slowly.
He saw the light reflection off of the knife first. Moving as fast as he could, Oliver made it to the knife. It took him a moment to take in what he was witnessing. Oliver tried to jump in to save Noah, but his foot got caught on some of the shit in the basement. He fell face first. He rose just in time to see Noah punching Sal, he poured some chemical on Sal’s face, and Noah tried to cover his nose with his hands. Appearing as though he was out cold, Noah had straddled Sal and had the knife held in both hands over his head, ready to plunge it into Sal’s chest.
Oliver yelled, “Noah, NO! Don’t do it. Honey, please. You will never be able to take it back. This is something you can’t undo.” Noah didn’t seem to hear; it appeared that he was in a trance. Oliver screamed louder while trying to make his way over to Noah “Stop, please, Noah, I love you, you are better than this.”
Nora made her way to her brother and took the knife from him. She pulled him off Sal and pushed him into Oliver’s direction. Feeling for a pulse, she screamed, “We need help down here, and another ambulance.” She began CPR as Oliver held Noah with everything, he had in him. He said the only thing he could think to say. I love you, Noah! Sobbing tears of joy or tears of relief, not sure which, Oliver kept repeating himself, “I love you; I love you, Noah, I love you.
The paramedics removed someone from the top floor first, then Sal was taken. A third ambulance was called for Noah. As he was being rolled out, Noah grabbed Ray and pulled him down. With a raspy voice from screaming, Noah whispered something Oliver couldn’t hear.
Ray looked at Oliver and back to Noah. He took off down the stairs to the basement while Noah was loaded up in the ambulance. Oliver rode to the hospital with Noah and didn’t even feel bad for refusing to allow anyone else the honor.
Tears still flowing down his cheeks, the paramedics kept pushing Oliver back, telling him that Noah was going to be okay. He is only going in to be checked over. Noah looked at Oliver and said, “I am okay, I promise. I’m okay.” Oliver shook his head and asked, “Where do you hurt?” Before Noah could answer, Oliver asked the paramedics, “Is anything broken?” Noah responded first, “Oliver, I hurt everywhere, but nothing is broken. Really, I am going to be fine.”
Oliver was sent to a family waiting room after the nurse, and a paramedic threatened to call security if he wouldn’t go to the waiting area. Pacing the floor, wincing with every step, Oliver made his laps, he didn’t know if it was ten or one hundred laps around the waiting area. NelDean and Nora arrived with the person he assumed was Noah’s mother. His mother made her way over with tears in her eyes; she said, “Thank you, honey” She wrapped Oliver in her arms “Thank you for saving my son.” Oliver once again began to sob. NelDean pulled her mom away, seating her in the most comfortable chair. She was in tears as she said, “Come here, you big lug” I am so sorry for everything you have been through.” Hugging Oliver as though her life depended on the embrace. She suddenly broke free and Sat down. Nora wrapped her arm around Oliver and said, “Come on and sit. You need to rest because you still need to heal. I will be right back; your stitches are bleeding.”
The nurse came in and cleaned up Oliver’s wound. One of the stitches broke when he fell in the Cat Lady’s basement, and he didn’t even realize it. They were Joined by Ajay, Owen, and Willa. Ajay offered to do a coffee run. With orders placed, he excused himself. Willa asked, “How long has it been?” Nora looked at her phone and said, “We have been here for about an hour or so.”
Willa pulled out her laptop and began typing away. She stopped her frantic typing after 20 minutes, lifted her head, and made eye contact with Nora, and said, “Honey, you need to go check on him.” Nora flew out of the room with NelDean on her tail. Both sisters had the look of terror in their faces.
Oliver asked Willa, “What’s going on, Willa?” She began to explain, “I hacked into the hospital's computer software, I found Noah in the system, but I am not sure what any of the information means. It doesn’t look good, though. Oliver could tell that there was something that she was keeping from him. Owen looked over at Willa’s screen after a moment, he said, “Oliver, I will sit with Noah’s mom. Why don’t you go check to see what is taking his sisters so long? Willa will go with you to help you get there faster. Just please let her help you.”
Before Oliver left, he made sure Noah’s mom was okay with him going. She said, “Honey, I’m fine. Noah will be fine. Mothers know these things. My son has survived much worse. Now, go check, so you feel better.” Moving as fast as his hip would allow, he joined Noah’s sisters. They were speaking with a nurse. Just as Oliver arrived, the nurse walked away. Nora said, “She is going to send a doctor to come to talk with us. She wouldn’t tell us anything other than that he is stable.” Walking back to the family waiting area, everyone sat and waited for the doctor to provide an update.
A thought came to Oliver, so he asked Owen and Willa, “Who was taken to the hospital other than Noah and Sal? Was it our neighbor?” Willa glanced at Owen and said, “The guy didn’t have identification on him. He may not survive; he was missing a hand, so we are almost positive it is Tristan Willoughby. Noah’s mother raised her head at the sound of his name and asked, “Who did you say that was dear?” Willa repeated herself, “Tristan Willoughby is the guy the paramedics transported to the hospital first.”
Oliver asked, “Willa, can you work some of your magical keyboard skills and find out what is going on with him?” Shaking her head, she said, “Sorry Ollie, He came in without ID, so they assigned him a number. I don’t know what that is.”
Ajay returned with coffee for everyone. He was passing it out when the doctor came in. He had a concerned look and said, “I am here to talk to the family of Noah Blain.” Nora said, “That’s all of us” The doctor identified himself and said, “When Noah came in, he was in shock. He presented with severe bruising in his abdominal area. We ran tests and discovered he has internal bleeding and damage to his spleen. We are doing everything we can. Noah is in surgery right now. We will update you as soon as we have additional information.” Oliver asked, “How did this happen?” The doctor said, “Blunt force trauma to the abdominal area. We would have to hear from Noah, but I would say he was punched several times with excessive force.”
Chapter 26
Oliver Thaddeus
Oliver asked Ajay and Owen, “Can you get my phone from Ray and make sure the house is locked up? What are Summer, Dario, and Darian doing?” Ajay said, “Dario is probably eating all of the cookies. Seriously though, Nora and NelDean brought some information with them that involves the case. They are still working on it with the FBI, and I should have more information soon.” Confused, Oliver opened his mouth to ask for further clarification when Noah’s mom shouted, “Tristan Willoughby is Salvatore Petrelli’s Godson. Well, I guess it really is Alvatore Petrelli now, isn't it?”
Oliver asked, “How can this be? I am so confused.” Ajay placed his hand on Oliver’s shoulder and said, “
That is a side effect of the Rohypnol, Ollie. Give yourself a break. Let us worry about it.” Ajay asked Owen if he could sit next to Noah’s mom and ask questions. Owen, who was holding her hand, stood and rejoined Willa. Ajay entered all the information collected on his phone. He thanked her for the information, turned to Willa, and said, “Can you pull up the database and watch for Tristan Willoughby’s name? I will be back in a second. I need to make a call.”
With his call placed, Ajay returned and said, “Ray will be here shortly with your phone. Your house is still being used by the FBI. Don’t worry about strangers in your house unless you consider Dario, he is pretty strange.” Oliver said, “The only thing that matters to me now is that Noah is Okay.” Owen asked, “Oliver, I know the FBI isn’t part of the team, do you mind if I order them food anyway?” Oliver said, “No, I don’t mind. Please do. Does anyone know how Nate is doing?”
Ajay said, “Nate is cracking the whip, making sure that the FBI is respectful. I guess Nate’s father is a big wig in the FBI. Dario is going to do an interview with updates soon, we should watch so we can stroke his ego and tell him how well the camera captures his beauty.”
Owen rolled his eyes, lowered his phone, and asked Ajay, “Are you always this snide? Oliver has just survived a horrible experience; he is still loopy because of the drugs he was injected with. He is waiting while someone he loves is fighting for their life.” Oliver had a slight smile, looked at Owen, and said, “He is always like this, it is the coping mechanism he uses when he is upset. Wait, I take that back. When he is upset, he uses a target. In this case, Dario is his target. Dario must have pissed him off in one way or another.”
Ajay stood with an incredulous look on his face; he said: “Fuck you both, I am trying to keep everyone from dumping their emotional baggage in an epic bomb of destruction on each other.” Looking at Owen, he said, “And, please forgive me, Mother Superior, for upsetting you and tainting your delicate ears with my snide remarks,” Ajay walked out of the room. Oliver shook his head and said, “I will go talk to him; I hate to imagine who else is losing their shit. Ajay is the glue that always held us together in school.”
Oliver sat there for a moment and tried to get up and winced. Owen said, “Stay there, I will get you something for the pain. Then I will talk to Ajay and apologize. I’ve had to do that a lot lately.” Oliver agreed to let him go because the pain was at its peak. Willa said, “Owen, you sweet little vanilla pop, I got the pills, you go calm the storm.” Willa dug around in her bag and pulled out a pharmacy bag. Oliver said “No narcotics, I hate how they make me feel,” Willa said, “No babe, I have them, but you need to know what is going on around you so let’s just stick with the over the counter stuff.” Handing Oliver two Motrin and two Tylenol, she asked, “Do you need more Coffee?” Oliver looked over at Noah’s mom and said, “I am surrounded by people who want to take care of me” Noah’s mom said, “Well, you caught the attention of my Noah. He is one tough nut to crack, so you must be something special.” Looking at Willa, she asked, “Dear, may I have some also, please?”
Nora asked NelDean “Did you bring mom’s pills?” NelDean rolled her eyes, “Only the strong shit. Willa handed over the bottles and said, “Don’t worry, I got you. Oliver stocks up on everything. He has a case of each brand.” NelDean said, “Jesus, not only is he hot, but he is also prepared for anything. Are you sure you are gay, Oliver?” Oliver gave her a sad smile and said, “I am sure, thanks, though. I am officially taken and in a relationship.”
Owen walked back in with his arm wrapped around Ajay. Oliver stood and opened his arms to Ajay. Wrapping his friend up in his embrace, he said, “I’m sorry for giving you a hard time Ajay, I know you have to be working overtime to keep us all in check. I appreciate you. You know I love you, you’re my best friend. Will you forgive me? Ajay rolled his eyes, with a pout in his lip he said “Yes, of course. It’s not a big deal. We are all on edge.”
Owen said with a smirk, “Wait, why do you automatically forgive Oliver but tell me that I have to make it up to you?” Ajay winked at Owen, smiled, and said, “Nothing gets past you, does it? Don’t worry your pretty little head, payback will be painless.” Ray walked in and handed Oliver his phone and a charger. Oliver thanked him and asked if he knew what was happening with Tristan Willoughby. Ray explained that he arrived in bad shape. “All I know is that he has a serious infection. We know he is involved and has helped Salvatore. We have a confession from Salvatore, thanks to Noah. He was taken to Denver Health, from what I understand, he has been a pain in the ass. He acts like a damn caged animal, spitting on the nurses and threatening everyone he comes in contact with. How is Noah?”
“We don’t know anything other than he is in surgery,” Oliver said. Heaving out a heavy sigh, Ray said, “Ollie, I really fucked up. I owe you an apology.” Hugging Ray, Oliver said, “Let's not do this here, okay? We will work everything out, I promise you. We both need to have an honest heart to heart, and you deserve my full attention, I owe you that.”
Blowing out an exasperated sigh, Oliver asked, “How long are they going to take before they let us know how Noah is doing? This is taking forever!” Ray started for the door and said, “I will go check. He is a key witness, and we will have an officer in recovery.” Willa said, “I got you boo.” Ray had a suspicious look on his face, “Willa, do I even want to know what you are up to?” Willa laughed and said, “Sugar, if you don’t ask then I won’t have to lie. See how that works? We make a great team. Looking at her laptop screen, she said, “Noah is being moved to recovery and then to ICU.”
“Oh, thank god! I have been a damn wreck. Noah promised me that he was fine, then they push me out and threaten to call security on me. Then he is being rushed to surgery. Where is the disconnect?” NelDean shook her head and said, “My brother is like a walking brick wall. He will tell you that he is fine even when he isn’t. He thinks he is protecting himself and us, but that is why lives alone like a hermit.” Oliver got a smirk on his face. NelDean said, “What are you smirking for Mr. Oliver Thaddeus?” Oliver let his smile take over his whole face, and he didn’t even care who noticed. “I think that’s a topic you need to have a conversation with your brother about.”
“Bullshit Oliver, Spill it! If we have to wait for Noah, we will find out after the fact and possibly 5 years after that.” NelDean crossed her arms with a pout. Laughing, Oliver said, “He isn’t living alone anymore. He agreed to move in with me. We are going to be working together in the new building. After seeing his abilities with the stock market and money management, I think I will have him be the managing partner.” Nora asked, “What are you talking about? At that point, Oliver realized he said too much. “Now, that really is a conversation you need to have with Noah. I think I just betrayed his trust.”
The Doctor came in and let everyone know that the surgery went well. “The damage to his spleen wasn’t as bad as we initially thought. We repaired the tear in his stomach, and he should heal and be good as new. The nurse will let you know when you can go back.
Walking to the door, Ray advised the doctor that he will have an officer with him at all times.
“if you have Sal in custody, then why have an officer posted with him?” Ray glanced at Ajay and said, “It is not over Ollie, far from it. The FBI is still working the information, and as soon as I can share the details, I will.”
Crossing his arms, acting like a petulant child, Oliver said, “Great, more waiting!” After a moment of silence, using a factious tone, he said, “That is exactly what I am good at, waiting!”
Willa laughed and said,
“And…Five…Four…Three…Two,…And One.” Everyone in the room waited for something to happen. They all were looking at Willa, waiting for an explanation. They didn’t even hear the door open. The nurse asked for the family of Noah Blain. She let them know he was awake and asking for his boyfriend. Oliver lit up brighter than a supernova and said, “Boyfriend?” Letting out a little giggle, he said, “That wou
ld be me. Can we all go in?”
The nurse looked around the room and said: “I’m sorry, we just don’t have the space for that many people in recovery.” Ajay asked, “How about just four people?” The nurse smiled and said, “Now that is a number I can work with.”
Walking in the recovery room, Oliver let his family go first, and he stood back. Emotion overtook him the second he saw Noah. Covering his face, he allowed himself to cry. Noah looked up at his family and was confused. “What are you guys doing here? I thought I was hallucinating when I saw Nora, I guess I’m not losing my mind after all.” His mom grabbed his hand and said, “Oh honey, my little monkey. You had us all worried.” Nora and NelDean couldn’t help but smile. Noah smiled at the nickname and said, “I am fine. You don’t need to worry. How are you feeling? Before she could answer, Noah looked up and saw Oliver.
Oliver felt like time was standing; still, Noah let the tears flow. NelDean broke the silence “Well, get over here ya big lug! Don’t make my brother wait.” Oliver got to his side, afraid to touch him. He didn’t want to hurt him. Noah reached up and pulled his man down and kissed him. Pulling back, both men began to speak at the same time. Oliver said, “You first.” Noah wiped his face, “I thought Sal killed you. Once I found out you were alive, I had to fight. I knew I needed to stay strong and fight for my life. I needed to fight for us.”
“It took several people and a sedative to keep me from leaving the hospital to find you. A few hours later, for some reason, they rushed me out of the hospital. The second I had an idea where you were, I took off. Everyone tried to stop me and make me wait for a search warrant. When I didn’t have the strength the sledgehammer required, Nora took over.”
“Now that I have you in my life, I can’t imagine living a life without you.” Noah took Oliver’s hand and said, “You don’t have to imagine life without me. I am here to stay, as long as you will have me in your life.” Nora moved to cover Noah with a blanket. Noticing the bruising, she pulled the sheet back. Seeing the injuries, his mom gasped and covered her mouth. The bruises on his face were terrible, the rest of his body was horrendous.
