Miss Me

by Mel Spenser

  ***

  Nick had enough sense to hit the button for the front gate and turn on the outside flood lights. Then he turned the lights on in the foyer and left the front door open.

  When the paramedics arrived, Nick was sitting on the bed, holding Andy. Nick reluctantly let go of him and backed out of the way so that they could work on him. He stood next to the wall and watched. They only acknowledged Nick when they needed an answer. Did Andy have any allergies? Was he taking any medications? Did he have any medication conditions? Nick answered every question put to him, his gaze never leaving the unconscious body on the bed.

  What bothered Nick the most was Andy's lack of response and his complete limpness. He was so used to seeing Andy move. Even when he slept, Andy was in motion. But now they couldn't even get the smallest response from him.

  They talked to Andy while they worked on him, as though he was awake and could understand everything they said. However, when they lifted his arm to put in an IV, Nick could see that Andy's hand hung limply, fingers unmoving.

  They continued to work on him. When they were ready, the paramedics lifted Andy in unison and gently laid him on the gurney. Nick followed them down the hall.

  Several police officers were standing around, talking quietly to each other. A second set of paramedics were working on Lee, who had regained consciousness. Nick stopped to look at Lee and their gazes met. Lee gave a slight smirk. Nick looked at him intently, as if trying to memorize the image of the man who'd caused so much trouble. Finally, Lee looked away.

  Nick continued down the hall and followed the gurney with Andy downstairs and through the front doors. Outside, it was surreal. The ambulances and police cars lit up the neighborhood.

  "Mr. Marshall."

  Nick turned, somewhat dazed, to look at a uniformed officer.

  "You need to stay until the crime unit arrives."

  "I need to go with them." Nick gestured to the ambulance.

  "Mr. Marshall, we need for you to tell the detective what happened."

  Nick looked helplessly at the ambulance. They had loaded Andy and the back doors were open. Lights glared from the inside of the vehicle. The paramedics were getting ready to leave.

  "Where are you taking him?"

  They told Nick which hospital they were going to and then left. Nick heard the sound of the siren receding as they took Andy further away from him.

  It wasn't long before the crime unit arrived, but to Nick, it seemed like an eternity. He gave them his statement. They seemed satisfied for the time being and let him go to the hospital. They knew where to find him if they needed him.

  On his way to the hospital he called Sandy. The sound of her crying tore at his heart. Eric got on the phone and Nick gave him the details. Then he hung up and continued on to the hospital alone.

  Chapter 28

  Nick was sitting in a chair with his head in his hands when Sandy rushed into the emergency room. He stood up and they hugged each other.

  "How is he?"

  "He's stable. He's got a concussion, a fractured hand and a broken arm. Fortunately, we got to him before the son of a bitch could do anything else to him." Nick looked at her with dark circles under his eyes. "The bastard broke his fuckin' arm at the elbow, Sandy."

  "Where is he?"

  "They won't let me see him." Pain and frustration was etched in his face. "They won't let me see him because I'm not family. They don't recognize me as being anything to him."

  "That's bullshit! Come on." Sandy headed off to the nurse's station with Nick in her wake.

  Sandy confronted the first person she saw at the desk. It was the same woman that wouldn't let Nick see Andy earlier. "We're Andy Griffin's family. Where is he?"

  "What is your relationship to Mr. Griffin?"

  "I'm his sister."

  The woman looked pointedly at Nick.

  "This is his partner." Sandy said. "Now, tell us what's going on."

  The woman raised an eyebrow at Nick and looked at him with obvious disdain. Making a point to speak only to Sandy, she reluctantly gave up some information.

  "They're getting him settled. They're putting a temporary splint on him until the doctor can get here."

  "When can we see him?" Sandy was insistent.

  "It shouldn't be long. Have a seat in the waiting room and we'll let you know." She gave Nick another look and then said to Sandy. "Then his family can see him."

  Sandy and Nick walked back down the short hall to the waiting room. They sat next to each other. Sandy took one of Nick's hands and held it in both of hers.

  "Tell me," she said.

  "Lee got inside the fence. Somehow he lured Henry into the pool shed. When I got there, I could hear him barking. I let him out." Nick leaned forward and held his head in his other hand.

  Sandy sat looking at the floor, listening.

  "Henry attacked Lee first. Then I beat him unconscious."

  "You?" She looked up, surprised.

  "It looked like he had been tying Andy to a bed in one of the guest rooms when Henry interrupted him."

  "Oh, God," Sandy said.

  She started crying softly and Nick put his arm around her. She leaned into him.

  "It's going to be okay, Sandy," Nick said. And he sincerely hoped he was right.

  A while later, a different aide came into the waiting room. Sandy and Nick looked up at her hopefully.

  "Are you here for Mr. Griffin?"

  They both nodded.

  She smiled at them. "You can come see him now."

  Sandy and Nick entered the curtained area where they had put Andy. He looked small and fragile on the bed. He lay with one hand wrapped. His splinted arm was out to his side. When he heard them, he opened his eyes. Nick saw the beautiful green eyes he loved so much staring at him from a bruised face. Hot tears pricked his eyes. He heard Sandy crying next to him.

  "Andy?" He laid his hand on Andy's shoulder. "Baby?"

  Andy looked up at him. His eyes cut over at Sandy who was standing next to Nick. He could barely speak through his bruised lips so he motioned for Nick to come closer. Nick put his head down near Andy's mouth.

  "How many times have I told you to stop calling me baby around other people?"

  Nick choked out a relieved laugh.

  ***

  During the night, they moved Andy to a private room. After making sure Nick was not going to get any more problems from the staff, Sandy went home to get some sleep.

  Nick pulled a chair up next to Andy's bed. He crossed his arms on the edge of the bed next to Andy and rested his head on them. Nick sat with Andy like that until morning.

  ***

  "Hey, buddy."

  Nick heard the soft voice and woke up instantly.

  "Hi, baby." Nick reached a hand out to touch Andy's hair. "How are you feeling?"

  "Not too bad." Andy slowly blinked. "Really good drugs…"

  Nick gave him a small smile and watched Andy drift back to sleep.

  As he sat there, Nick's thoughts went over all that had happened the previous night. Then he remembered what Sandy had said. She had referred to him as Andy's partner. He knew that she had only said it to give him more clout, rather than being just a boyfriend, so he would be allowed back to see Andy. But now, Nick thought about it. What was he to Andy really? The word partner implied a whole other depth to the relationship. Nick wondered if he and Andy would get to that point. Surprisingly, the more he thought about it, the more he warmed up to the idea.

  Chapter 29

  Andy had had surgery to fix his elbow two days earlier. Now he was sitting up in his hospital bed. His arm was in a cast and Nick had propped it up on a mound of pillows. Nick was sitting in what had become his spot, the chair right next to Andy's bed. This allowed him to fuss as necessary. Surprisingly, Andy didn't seem to mind the fussing in the least.

  Nick was flipping channels on the TV while Andy ate his dinner. Nick settled on something with explosions and then placed the remote down on the edge
of the bed.

  Eric found them like this when he came into the room. He looked up at the TV to see what they were watching. They all mumbled a hello to each other and continued watching the action on the screen.

  "Which Die Hard is this?" Eric asked.

  "Two," they both answered at the same time.

  When a commercial came on, the spell was broken.

  "Where's everybody else?" Andy asked him.

  "They're coming. They had to make a pit stop."

  About that time they heard voices heading their way. Lydia and Libby burst into the room, followed by Sandy.

  The girls settled in to watch TV. Lydia climbed on the bed and leaned back next to Andy. Libby crawled up to sit in the chair squished next to Nick and grabbed the remote. She found a show with funny videos and the five of them became mesmerized.

  Sandy shook her head at them, pulled a book out of her bag and took a seat waiting for the next commercial break. When it came, she jumped at the opportunity.

  "Here," she said as she tossed a sack on Andy's bed.

  Andy looked inside of it.

  "Cool!"

  Nick reached over to help. He pulled the latest Publisher's Weekly and a T-shirt out of the bag. He held up the shirt. It said, Library God.

  "I found it online," Sandy said.

  "Thanks! Can somebody help me put it on?"

  "Don't look at me," Eric said.

  Nick eased Andy's shirt off of him and helped him put on the new T-shirt. Sandy watched Nick babying Andy.

  "You two look like an old married couple," she commented.

  They heard a knock and they all looked toward the door. Detective Sparks was standing there.

  "Excuse me," he said. "Sorry to intrude. But I figured that I'd make one trip and catch all of you here together."

  "Come on in," Nick said.

  "I wanted to stop by and give you an update," Sparks said. "We have enough on Sims to press charges for murder. When he recovers, he will be going to trial."

  "So you're sure Lee killed Briggs?" Sandy asked.

  "We believe that we have enough evidence to convict," he said. "Sims had some of Briggs' personal items that he'd kept," Sparks said. "Often, a killer will keep a trophy. Something personal from the victim. We also found two driver's licenses in his possession. Both belonged to men from Louisiana who had been reported missing."

  "Man!" Eric said.

  Nick and Andy looked at each other. Both realized at the same time how dangerous Lee was and how close Andy had come to being another one of his victims.

  "Well," Sparks said. "That's about all. Now I've got to get going. My wife has tickets to something I'm required to be at tonight."

  ***

  They let Andy go home a few days later. Nick came to the hospital to pick him up. Andy couldn't do much with a cast on one arm and the other hand wrapped. Nick helped Andy get dressed in the cargo shorts and loose shirt he had brought with him.

  "I can't do anything for myself," Andy complained. He was happy to be leaving the hospital, but he was in a pissy mood anyway.

  "That's what I'm here for." Nick knew Andy was frustrated. "Let's get you out of here."

  "Can we get a smoothie on the way home?" Andy asked.

  "Anything you want, babe."

  "Will you hold it for me?"

  Nick laughed, "You poor, pitiful thing. You're going to milk this for all it's worth, aren't you?"

  "Oh yeah."

  ***

  They pulled through the gate into Andy's driveway. Andy was looking at the house and frowning. Nick put his hand on Andy's shoulder.

  "Are you okay, baby?" Nick asked.

  Still frowning, Andy said, "I want to get some fucking trees. And some bushes."

  Nick gave a relieved laugh. "I think we can do that."

  He got out and went to help Andy get out of the car.

  "I feel so fucking helpless."

  "Cut yourself some slack. You have one arm in a cast and the other hand wrapped. And you just had surgery. And general anesthesia, I might add. You just need to take it easy."

  Nick could sense the pissy mood coming back.

  Andy dropped a small pillow that he was trying to carry.

  "Shit."

  Definitely getting pissy.

  Nick got Andy into the house and steered him to the sofa in the TV room. They heard the tapping of toenails coming down the hall and looked up. Henry came into the room. Instead of going crazy when he saw Andy, he gave a small whine. He walked over to Andy and draped his head over Andy's knees. He gave a loud moan, as if tension was leaving his body. Andy couldn't pet the dog, so he leaned forward and laid his cheek on Henry's head.

  As Nick watched, Andy's shoulders started shaking. Nick sat down on the sofa next to him and rubbed a hand over Andy's back while he quietly sobbed.

  "It's okay, baby," Nick said softly. "It's over."

  Chapter 30

  Nick turned onto their street. The glow was almost blinding. Every house on the block had been decorated for the holidays.

  Andy's house was decked out to rival the best of them. The wrought iron fence was gone from the front yard. Landscaping had been put in a couple of months earlier. Shrubs were now along the front of the house and lining the sidewalk leading from the front door to the street. The house and every bush were covered with lights. The front door had an elaborate wreath on it. A large tree could be seen through the living room window.

  "It looks like a couple of gay guys live here," Nick joked.

  "I was thinking of the movie Christmas Vacation." Andy laughed. "I'm going to hate to see the electric bill in January."

  Nick had gotten carried away with the lights. Not having to fight frigid weather and snow inspired him.

  "Really though, Nick, it looks great."

  "So is everything ready for our party next week?" Nick asked.

  "Almost. Sandy has been helping me with the last of the details," Andy said. "She's been getting a lot of RSVPs."

  "Do you think your relatives are going to freak about us?"

  "Well, it was pretty clear on the invitation that we are together and the party is being held at our place," Andy said. "Those who have a problem with us won't show. Besides… if they don't like it, they won't be missed."

  Henry met them at the front door. Nick tossed his keys on the foyer table as they walked past it.

  "I'm going to get a bottled water to take up," Nick said. "Do you want anything?"

  "No thanks. I've had enough tonight."

  "Okay. I'll be up in a minute."

  When Nick got upstairs, Andy was already in bed. He shucked his clothes and joined Andy. Nick got under the covers, pulled Andy to him until they were spooning and encircled Andy with his arm. Andy's hands brushed lightly along the hair on Nick's forearm.

  "Did you have a good time tonight?" Nick asked. He started pressing kisses on the back of Andy's neck, paying special attention to the sensitive area below the ear.

  "Umm." Andy snuggled his back closer to Nick. He could feel Nick's erection nudging against him.

  Nick's hand caressed Andy's chest and toyed with the nipple rings. His hand slid lower, making lazy circles on Andy's stomach. His hand went lower still, and his fingers curled around Andy's cock, which was already filling. He ran his hand down its length and cupped Andy's balls. His hand slowly stroked until Andy's cock was as hard as his.

  "I love you, babe," Nick said.

  With his hand, he encouraged Andy to lift the top leg enough so that he could slip his cock between Andy's thighs. He began rubbing his shaft along the underside of Andy's balls, his pre-come making the going smooth. He continued the back and forth motion while lightly pumping Andy's cock.

  "Nick…want you."

  "Hang on, baby." Nick reached over Andy to the nightstand and removed the lube. He handed it to Andy who popped the lid and poured some into Nick's hand. Nick slicked himself up and got Andy ready. Gently, he lifted Andy's leg, bending it at the knee. He ente
red Andy that way, on their sides. Nick began to languidly stroke inside of him, kissing him on his neck and below his ear. Eventually Nick increased the speed of his thrusts while he stroked Andy with his hand, the lube from his hand and Andy's pre-come making their skin slick.