by Jake Biondi
“Shh,” Cole said, tears forming in his eyes. “We’re all just so happy you’re alive and you’re going to be okay.”
“How’s Joy?”
“She’s worried about you; we all are.”
“Look after her, will you? Make sure she’s okay. For me.”
Cole nodded. “Of course. I’ll make sure she’s okay.”
Derek closed his eyes. “I’m so tired.”
“You need to get some rest,” Cole said, gently placing Derek’s hand back onto the bed.
“I...love...you...” Derek sighed as he fell back to sleep.
Cole stood up, leaned forward, and kissed Derek on the forehead. “I love you, too.” Then he quietly left the room.
While Cole left Derek’s room, Max was in Emmett’s room speaking with his fiancé, who was sitting up in bed.
“You look better,” Max said with a smile. “More like your handsome self.”
“Thank you,” Emmett said. “I just want go home.” Emmett paused a moment. “Home...that’s funny. We don’t have a home anymore.”
“Babe, wherever we are together is ‘home.’ The building doesn’t matter.” Max leaned forward and kissed Emmett. “Joyelle said we can stay at her place. Derek will be here a while and she’s staying with her mother. That condo has been our home before and it will need to be again until we figure out a more permanent arrangement.”
“They told me Derek is doing better. I want to see him before we leave.”
“Of course,” Max said, “whatever you want.”
“What I want is for this whole nightmare to be over.”
“Well, we got great news on your HIV test; you’re negative for good. That’s a huge relief.”
“Agreed. One nightmare down, one to go.”
“We’ll get there. One day at a time.”
“Have you seen Jensen? He was here earlier. He needs to know he can stay with us at Joyelle’s.”
“About that,” Max said. “With all that’s going on, maybe he should find a place of his own?”
“No,” Emmett said firmly. “We promised him a home and a job -- and we’re going to keep that promise.”
“But--”
“Max, I owe him my life. He saved me from that fire, while you were busy saving Logan.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Max stated.
“Ridiculous or not, it’s true. Jensen saved me and you saved your ex.”
“Why are you being like this? You’ve been acting oddly for weeks now.”
Before Emmett responded, Keith appeared in the doorway of the room. “Hey guys.”
“Speaking of exes,” Max mumbled.
“Just stopping by to see how you’re doing,” Keith said. “Am I interrupting?”
“Not at all,” Emmett said. “Come on in.”
“You keep him company,” Max said. “I’m going to take a walk.”
Max rushed past Keith and out of the room. Keith watched Max leave and then took a seat next to the bed. “What was that all about?”
“We just don’t connect anymore, I guess.”
“You’ve been through a lot. Things will get better once you’re out of here. And you two can focus on positive things, like planning your wedding.”
“I’m beginning to think that wedding is never going to happen.”
As Max left Emmett’s room and headed down the hallway, he passed Gino’s room where Carlo was visiting with his sons. He was seated next to Gino’s bed while Rachel and Marco were standing along the window.
“Father, I’m fine,” Gino insisted. “They’ll release me tomorrow.”
“And I will take you home to rest and recover,” Carlo added.
“I can recover just fine here in Chicago,” Gino said.
“This isn’t your home,” Carlo continued. “You need to come home.”
“Father, don’t forget that the people who saved my life all live here. I think I’m in good hands.”
“You were very lucky,” Rachel added.
“You said that Justin Mancini is one of the three people who rescued you?”
Gino smiled. “That’s right, Father. I told you he was a good guy.”
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” Marco said.
Gino addressed his brother: “He was inside that fire with me and refused to leave without me. You were safely across the street watching.”
“That’s not fair,” Marco replied.
“Neither are your comments about Justin.”
“Enough,” Carlo said. “Who were the other two who saved you? You said the police officer Michael?”
“Michael Martinez and Cole O’Brien,” Gino clarified. “They were great. I owe them my life.”
“I am in debt to them for saving my son,” Carlo stated. “I will reach out to them and thank them.”
“That would be great,” Gino said with a smile. “They are good people.”
“This is all personal,” Marco said. “And they are good people. But it doesn’t change anything as far as the business is concerned.”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” Gino said, rolling his eyes.
“Your brother is right,” Carlo said. “Personal matters and business matters are two different things.
“Speaking of which,” Rachel said, stepping forward from the window. “You are looking at a major share owner of Mancini Global.”
“What are you talking about?” Marco asked.
“I told you that I was going to get twenty-three percent of their company and I did,” Rachel said pulling some papers from her purse.
“Let me see those,” Marco said, taking the documents from her hand.
“What have you done?” Gino asked.
“How the hell did you get Emmett Mancini to sign over his part of the company to you?” Marco asked, examining the documents. “These actually look legit.”
“That’s because they are,” Rachel said, taking back the paperwork. “As you know, I can be very persuasive.”
“My God,” Carlo said. “Very impressive, my dear.”
“Together with our eight percent--”
Rachel interrupted Marco. “--gives us a total of thirty-one percent.”
“Us?” Gino asked.
“See? I am good at math,” Rachel said, mocking Marco and then kissing him on the cheek.
Marco smiled. “You sure are.”
“Us?” Gino asked again.
“Yes, us,” Rachel said. “Didn’t Marco tell you the news? Maybe he didn’t have a chance with the craziness of the fire and all.”
“What news?” Carlo asked.
“We’re getting married,” Rachel announced with a wide smile.
A while later, David and Cole were talking in Cole’s living room. Upon arriving there from the hospital, they had showered and Cole had given David some of his own clothes to change into. Both wearing Notre Dame hooded sweatshirts and sweatpants, David and Cole were seated on the couch, each with a bottle of water on the coffee table in front of him.
“That was really nice of Joyelle to let Max and Emmett stay at her condo,” David said.
“Well, she’s staying with her mother and Derek is in the hospital,” Cole stated. “Max and Emmett lost so much in the fire. Their home, all their belongings. It’s awful.”
“They have a lot of friends who love them. We will all do whatever we can to help them rebuild.”
“Absolutely,” Cole said, taking a drink from his water bottle.
“How’s the rib?” David asked.
“It’s okay. Just hurts when I move certain ways. I’m not complaining, though.”
“You never do.”
“Well, a broken rib is minor compared to what happened to some of the others yesterday.”
“Seems like a lifetime ago, doesn’t it?”
“I know. Jesse still hasn’t been home from the hospital.”
“He’s very dedicated to Logan,” David stated. “Poor guy was burned pretty badly.”
“I feel so bad. T
hey had just overcome all the issues between them and got back together. And now this?”
“This may make them even closer,” David said.
“True,” Cole said.
“And what about us?”
“What do you mean, David?”
“You’re the first person Derek asked to see when he woke up.”
“I know...”
“I would never ask what he talked to you about. That’s your business. But I--”
Cole looked into David’s eyes. “You’re so sweet. You have nothing to worry about, believe me.”
“I wish I could feel as confident as you about that.”
“I have no secrets from you, David. I will tell you what Derek said.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know I don’t have to -- but I want to. For us.”
“Okay.”
“He told me that he loves me and he apologized for being an ass over the past few weeks. And he asked me to look after Joyelle while he’s in the hospital.”
“Well, that’s awkward.”
“What part?”
“All of it. If he still loves you, that means he wants you back. And asking you of all people to watch over his wife? You’re the man he cheated on her with.”
“Joyelle and I have our own friendship. Odd, I know. We were friends first, independent of Derek.”
“True.”
“And as for getting back together with Derek, we were never really together in the first place. I love him, David. I always will. But I’m not a fool. I have heard this all from him before -- over and over again, in fact.”
“But--”
“You have nothing to worry about.”
“I won’t let him have you back.”
Cole smiled. “I told you that I have moved on from Derek with a wonderful guy...you!”
“Aww,” David sighed with a smile.
“You are my future, David,” Cole said, leaning in and kissing him. “Besides, Derek would never wear my Notre Dame clothes and you will.”
David laughed, adding, “Willingly.” David folded his arms around Cole and kissed him again. Their kiss progressed, becoming more passionate. David unzipped Cole’s sweatshirt, carefully peeling it from his chiseled body. As he leaned forward to kiss Cole’s chest, David removed his sweatshirt as well. Their hard chests pressed together, David ran his hands down Cole’s back, digging his fingers into it as they worked their way down toward Cole’s butt.
Cole kissed David’s neck and shoulders while his hands explored David’s biceps. Then, as he tried to kiss David’s chest, Cole moaned in pain from his rib.
David stopped moving and smiled at Cole. “Aww, babe. I’m sorry.”
Cole laughed at himself. “No, I am.”
“Here,” David said, wrapping his arms around Cole. “How about this?” They adjusted their positions on the couch so they could lie down with their arms wrapped around each other. “Better?”
“Perfect,” Cole said with a smile as he cuddled with his boyfriend.
David kissed Cole once more and the two drifted off to sleep together.
Later that night, Derek rested quietly in his dark hospital room. The monitors attached to him showed stable vital signs as the moonlight from outside the window created strange shadows in the room.
Out of the shadows stepped a figure dressed in surgical scrubs. The person approached the bed and momentarily watched Derek sleep. Then the individual pulled a syringe from one of its pockets. Carefully, the figure inserted the syringe into one of Derek’s I.V. bags, injecting it with all the contents of the syringe. Hearing a noise in the hallway, the person dropped the empty syringe onto the floor and fled from the room unnoticed, disappearing down the hospital hallway.
Not far from St. Joseph Hospital, Max stood in front of the rubble that used to be his condo and restaurant. The entire area was surrounded by yellow police tape and the streetlights lit the area just enough for Max to see the remnants of chairs, tables, and other items from the restaurant and club.
Carefully, Max stepped over the police tape and walked through the black, sooty mess. He reached down and picked up a blackened plate with the restaurant logo on it. After a moment, he tossed it back to the ground and took a few more steps forward. Seeing part of a photograph, he leaned over and picked it up. He stared at what was left of the photo of Emmett and himself.
Someone walked up behind him and touched his shoulder. Startled, Max dropped the photo and turned around to face Dustin Alexander.
“Hey,” Dustin said.
“What are you doing here?” Max asked.
“I thought you might be here and I didn’t want you to be alone.”
“Look at this mess. We’ve lost everything. Everything,” Max said, as he started to cry.
Dustin wrapped his arms around Max and held him tightly as Max cried more. “No,” Dustin whispered. “Not everything.”
Ben Donovan’s plan to destroy lives and relationships may have strengthened some instead.
Episode #34
Michael Martinez didn't realize he was in the presence of danger or that the source of the danger was someone he knew. As he stood outside of Derek Mancini’s hospital room, Michael recalled the conversation that he had had with his boyfriend Keith Colgan the previous night when they were getting ready for bed.
“I’ve been dying to see you all day today,” Michael told Keith as he poured two glasses of wine in his kitchen.
“I’m sorry we missed each other at the hospital,” Keith explained. “After I visited with Emmett, I got called into the office to handle an emergency. I guess I forgot that the entire world wasn’t caught in that fire; the rest of the world keeps moving forward as if nothing has happened.”
“I know what you mean,” Michael stated, handing a glass of wine to Keith. “But I have been dying to tell you something. I wanted to tell you first.”
“What is it?”
“Well, putting me on the Mancini case wasn’t the only reason my boss wanted to see me at the station this morning.”
“What other reason was there?” Keith asked, taking a sip of his wine.
“I’m being promoted to commander.”
“Commander? Holy shit! Michael, that’s huge.”
“I know,” Michael agreed. “I was in shock.”
Keith hugged Michael. “I’m so proud of you. Congratulations.”
“Thanks, Stormy. I couldn’t wait to tell you and wanted you to be the first to know.”
“Your brother will be excited for you, too, I’m sure.”
“We’ll see,” Michael said, sitting down on the sofa.
“You haven’t said much about him since his arrival in Chicago,” Keith said, taking a seat next to Michael.
“Well, we haven’t had much of a chance to talk with all that’s been going on.”
“You don’t seem too excited that he’s in town.”
“He’s my brother and I love him. But he and I don’t always see eye to eye on things.”
“Sounds like normal brothers to me.”
“He did some stupid shit when he was younger.”
“Haven’t we all?”
“Let’s just say he had a hard time keeping his pants zipped up.”
Keith laughed. “Ah, I see.”
“He has a fantastic son, Hugo -- and I must say that he is a great father.”
“And a successful doctor, too. Chief of Staff is a big deal.”
“It is. It’s not commander, but it’s still pretty impressive,” Michael said, jokingly.
Keith took another sip of wine. “You know, as commander you’re going to be much more in the public eye.”
“Most likely,” Michael agreed.
“Does that worry you at all? I mean, the public can be nasty sometimes.”
“You mean as an openly gay police commander?”
“Yes...”
Michael put his arms around Keith. “Have you ever known me to run away from a challenge?
”
Keith smiled. “No. But just be careful, okay? I worry enough about you as it is.” Keith kissed Michael softly.
Michael was pulled from his daydream when Mateo came out of Derek’s room.
“How is he doing?” Michael asked his brother.
“He’s resting now. I think your interrogation wiped him out. You have always had that effect on people.”
“I’m sorry,” Michael said. “But someone tried to kill him again last night. I had to talk to him.”
“I know,” Mateo said. “I’m just giving you shit.”
“Just like when we were kids,” Michael said with a laugh. “I checked the security camera video from last night. Nothing of use there. We’re lucky that the nurse who found the empty syringe on the floor acted so quickly to remove the I.V. bag from Derek or he may not be with us today.”
“She did well.” Mateo paused and pointed to the notepad in Michael’s hand. “That’s quite a list of suspects you have there.”
“I know. I think Derek surprised himself when he listed all the people who don’t like him.”
“You’ll be questioning people for the rest of the year with that long of a list.”
“Well, it’s a place to start.”
“I tried to talk Justin out of hiring a private security guard for Derek, but he wouldn’t hear of it.”
“Well, hospital security didn’t help much last night.”
“I’m looking into that,” Mateo said. “Clearly, there’s room for improvement.” Mateo paused. “Hey, got time to grab a coffee with me downstairs? My treat. It’d be great to sit and catch up finally.”
Michael looked at his watch. “Sure, I have some time before Joyelle arrives. And I want to hear all about that handsome son of yours.”
“Great,” Mateo said putting his arm around his brother as they headed toward the elevator at the end of the hallway.
While Michael and Mateo headed for the cafeteria, Jesse Morgan was visiting Logan Pryce in his hospital room. Logan sat up in his bed, gauze bandages still on his cheek, neck, and chest.
“You look better today, babe,” Jesse told Logan.
“No, I don’t,” Logan said. “Tell me the truth, please. How bad are the burn scars?”
