Back in the Rain

by Elen Chase

  "Thank you. Thank you," I said.

  "Drew, are you crying?" said Dan, teasing me.

  "I'm not, shut up," I said.

  "Shutting people up is rude, Annie," added An, tickling me.

  "You shut up too," I said, grabbing her hands. "This is the best present I've gotten in my entire life."

  ◆◆◆

  "So, where are we going?" I asked Dan while getting ready to go out.

  "To Uptown, we need to make a plan to get close to that doctor."

  "And why do you look so tense?"

  "I don't," he said, but I knew that face he was making very well.

  "Are we stopping somewhere before going?"

  "Now that you mention it, I have some things to give back..."

  "Oh, your girlfriend! That's why you're edgy, now I understand," I said, faking surprise. He glared at me while closing the door.

  "Ex-girlfriend. That makes it even worse."

  "Ha-ha, I can't believe you always try to look so cool and now you're scared of your ex!"

  "I'm not scared."

  "Sure as hell you're not," I said, laughing.

  He had filled a big backpack with all the girl's stuff in his closet, and he put it behind his feet on the motorcycle. We drove toward Uptown, on the same road we took when he first brought me there. The girl's house was in an apartment complex at the boundary between Uptown and Downtown. Apparently, she lived there so she could easily reach the center of Uptown, where she attended classes, and Downtown, where all her friends lived. Dan seemed to know the place well, and we headed straight for the entrance of the building. He rang the bell, she saw us through the intercom and opened the external gate without saying a word. We took the elevator up to the fifth floor and reached her apartment door, which she had left open.

  "Chloe, we're coming in," said Dan. I followed him into the apartment, which I found clean and cozy. The girl was in the living room, drinking coffee at the table, wearing a short silk gown. She was blond, with slightly wavy hair to her shoulders, big gray eyes and full lips. And hers was indeed a perfect body. She wasn't as tall as Sara, but she had beautiful legs and sexy curves. In one word, she was hot. Unbelievably hot. I tried my best not to stare at her.

  "I'm glad you found your way back, I thought you would forget it as fast as you ran away from here the last time I saw you," she said, visibly angry.

  "Chloe, I'm so—"

  "Don't sorry me, Dan! You're way too used to doing whatever you want and getting away with a stupid ‘sorry.’" I could tell why he was so nervous. It seemed impossible to argue with that girl.

  "You're right Chloe, I have no excuse," he admitted then.

  "And who are you?" she asked me, studying me with a mysterious expression.

  "Oh, excuse me, my name is Andrew," I introduced myself and we shook hands. I was feeling uncomfortable there, both for being the third wheel, and because I couldn't freaking stop staring at her.

  "Nice to meet you, Andrew. It would be lovely if you could look me in the eyes instead of my breasts, thank you," she said with a sweet voice. I wanted to disappear. Also, from the cryptic way she was glaring at me I couldn't understand if she was being sarcastic or if she was flirting with me.

  "It's better if we go now," said Dan, as she was still looking deeply in my eyes. I was now almost sure she was flirting. His words made her move her gaze away from me, and I silently let out a sigh of relief.

  "Before you go, can I have a word with you alone, Dan?" she asked.

  "I'll be waiting at the entrance," I said, and left the room to go wait in the hallway, happy to get away from them. I closed the door behind my back but from a glass decoration on it I could see them talking in the other room. They were close; I could tell they were intimate with each other. When they were done talking, I moved away so that they wouldn't think I was spying on them.

  "Sorry to make you wait," said Dan.

  We left the apartment, when she suddenly called me back. "Hey, Andrew, I almost forgot," she screamed from the door and ran to the outside hallway. She took my hand and wrote something on it. "It's my ID. If you want to get a drink, let me know," she said, blinking her eye.

  "Sure," I said, and saved her ID on my watchpad. Then I went back to Dan. "I think I know now what you meant the other day," I told him.

  "What?"

  "That she's pretty intense."

  "I hope you're not gonna call her."

  "Nah, it would be weird."

  "Right, it was awkward enough to see how you looked at her today."

  "Honestly, I couldn't help it."

  "Yeah, she totally saw right through you, and she loves being in control."

  "Why did you break up?"

  "I left her six months ago, when I got out of Rosedeer. I've been an asshole to her more than to anyone else."

  "You don't want to get back with her?"

  "No, it's better this way. Especially for her, and she knows it."

  "How long have you been together?"

  "Two years."

  "Well, not a lifetime but it's quite some time. And you didn't tell her anything about what you were doing?"

  "No, at first it wasn't serious between us; it was mostly a sex thing. Later on things changed, but somehow I lost any chance to tell her the truth. One day it seemed too early, the next day already too late. When I left her, it was awful. I do feel bad about it."

  She must have suffered a lot being left so suddenly after two years. "It's strange to hear you could make such obvious mistakes with other people. I always saw you as one who can get away with it in every situation."

  "You have always overestimated me."

  "I remember that I often thought that you looked like my dad more than me, always knowing what to do and what to say. Everyone, at school and at home, truly respected you. I used to think that you would be a better son to him, compared to me."

  "I was just trying to imitate him, he was my role model. Your parents were way too kind to me, but I never thought I could take your place in the family. I’m sure they never thought that either. I consider myself lucky enough for being able to spend those years with you in Uptown." Hearing those words made my chest hurt. Even though he had so many dreams to chase there in Uptown, he gave up on everything, making all the years we spent together just a good memory to look back on with a sad look in his eyes. What will happen to him when everything is over? Will we say goodbye again? Forever this time? Is there any hope everything can go back to how it was? Thinking of all that, I didn't even realize we had arrived to our destination. We were going to follow John Marshall to figure out how to get close to him.

  Chapter 10

  Tailing people is the worst, awfully different from what you see in fiction. Either they follow a fixed routine, and every day is the same boring shit, or they never stop, driving you crazy. In the case of John Marshall, he left his house every morning at eight o' clock. He would go to a cafe to meet his colleagues and read the news, to be at the University Hospital at 9 a.m., until he usually finished his working hours at 6 p.m. On Wednesdays, he had to go home in a hurry, since at 7 p.m. they held a poetry meeting at his house. His wife was, on the other hand, always going to different places, may it be an exhibition or the gym, making it impossible to anticipate her movements. Not even once we saw the daughter, Robinson's fiancée, even though she was supposed to be at her parents' house. Since Dr. Marshall was the easiest one to track, Dan thought of a way to make contact with him. We had been spying on them for ten days.

  "When he goes to the cafe he always leaves the car in the same spot across the street. We can take advantage of the fact that there are no surveillance cameras on that side of the road; I'll damage his tire so he won't be able to use the car this evening after he finishes his turn. Since today's Wednesday, he would probably decide to call a taxi to get home, and will have the car assistance go there tomorrow. So tonight is when we act. We will casually meet him at the hospital parking area and offer to get him home. You ca
n pretend to remember him, doctors are usually so egocentric he will believe you immediately, and he will want to repay his debt to you."

  "How are we supposed to get him home?"

  "I asked Chloe to lend me her car."

  "What? Have you even seen her since the other day?"

  "Yes, we met yesterday, while you were following the wife."

  "So you leave me with the boring stuff and go hang out with your ex?"

  "We weren't hanging out, we had things to sort out."

  "Whatever."

  We proceeded with the plan. Dan used a knife tied to his shoe to damage the tire without anyone noticing. I was scared that poor man would get into an accident, but Dan assured me that he had enough time to get to the hospital before the tire started deflating. Later we took Chloe's car and left it parked at the hospital, waiting for Marshall. Around 5:45 p.m., we went back to the parking lot, but we found something unexpected in front of it. A man was standing there, his stare fixed on the car and a furious look on his face.

  "Oh, shit," said Dan.

  "What's happening?"

  "That's Chloe's father, a detective. He hates me."

  "What? What do we do now, can't you just send him away?"

  "He'll never let me go before torturing me for a while," said Dan, angry, "you will have to think of something yourself. Can you handle it?"

  "Wha— fine, I'll come up with something."

  I guessed we had been too lucky in the previous days; it was karma. We got separated in the parking area, and I saw Dan go talk with the detective in front of the car, while I looked for Marshall. I finally saw him getting in the car, but something was off. He didn't notice the flat tire! Driving a car with that tire meant a sure accident. I had to stop him before he could get on the road, so I jumped in front of the car, trying to warn him. He had already turned the engine on, and, probably startled by me, he accidentally hit the accelerator. The car jumped forward, hitting me in the stomach and making me fall. Marshall stopped the vehicle with no hesitation and got out, and, following the noise, Dan and the detective ran to see what had happened too. I remember seeing them leaning close to me and telling me something I couldn't understand. The last thing I remember was Dan's worried face as I lost consciousness.

  After a dreamless sleep, I slowly started to detect sounds again and I heard a familiar voice calling my name.

  "Drew! Look, he's waking up." My mother was sitting next to me in a hospital room, and my father was standing by her side.

  "Mum, Dad," I called them, and they looked incredibly happy. I tried to move, but I felt a strong pain in the stomach. "What happened?" I asked, a bit confused.

  "You were hit by a car, do you remember? You were trying to warn a driver with a flat tire and he accidentally hit you. They brought you immediately here to make a check-up. Thank God it’s just some bad bruises. They're sending you home tomorrow morning, but you’ll have to rest for a while."

  "I see," I said. I wondered what excuse Dan had prepared to justify our presence there at the hospital.

  "You know, the driver you warned is a friend of mine. He apologized for what happened and he said he will be forever grateful for your warning. He wants to thank you in person, so he'll probably call you soon. I'm proud of you for trying to help him," said Dad. I felt terribly bad, since it would have essentially been our fault if he were caught in an accident.

  "Where is Dan? He was with me, right?" I asked, thinking of our plan.

  Mum and Dad looked at each other for a long instant and then she replied, "Last time we saw him, he was in the waiting room. He was very worried for you." Was he? He must be. I remembered he looked shocked when I lost consciousness.

  "So, the friend you've been staying with is Dan?" asked Mum.

  "Well, yes."

  "I see. I had no idea you got back in touch with him. But I'm glad you have someone nearby who cares for you," she said.

  "Drew, will you come back home tomorrow? Of course, Dan can come too. It'll be nice being all together again," said Dad.

  "Mum, Dad, I'm sorry I'm making you worry so much. But I still don't feel like going home. I still need time... "

  "I see. You're an adult now, we can't force you to come home if you really don't want to. Just, please, let us know more often how you’re doing and take better care of yourself. I really am proud of you for how you acted today, but don't forget to value your life. Not only for you, but for all the people who love you. You have no idea of the hell we went through when we heard of you caught in an accident," said Dad, resolute but with a cracked voice. He was right, I couldn't even imagine how they must have felt, receiving a call about their kid being hit by a car, exactly like when my sister died.

  "I'm really sorry, I promise you I will be more careful from now on."

  "And next time you come here, call me and let's drink a coffee together, okay?" he added, smiling.

  "Yes, I'll do it for sure."

  Someone knocked on the door. I hoped to see Dan coming in, but it was Sara instead. She looked like she had run there in a hurry.

  "I'm sorry to interrupt. May I come in?" she asked.

  "Oh, sure, is she a friend of yours, Drew?" said my mother.

  "It's very nice to meet you, Mr., Mrs. Lowell. My name is Sara, I'm Andrew and Dan's friend." She sat down on the edge of my bed and took my hand. "Are you alright, Andrew? I ran as soon as I was called."

  "I'm fine, hurting a bit but I guess it's still better than being shot," I said, teasing her. She blushed and let go of my hand.

  "Ha-ha-ha, like you know what that feels like," she said, smiling nervously.

  "Ha-ha-ha, you're right," I replied. "So, who called you?"

  "Dan. He already left the hospital; he said he had things to do. I'll be staying here tonight to get you home tomorrow." So he had already left. He didn't even come to see how I was doing.

  "I see. But are you sure you want to spend the night here?" I asked her.

  "Of course, I've been worried sick for you!"

  "I see, thanks, Sara."

  The next morning my parents came back to see me off when I was discharged. They had a long talk with Sara, who had even helped me eat my terrible hospital breakfast. There wasn’t really any need for that, but I appreciated how she wanted to make herself useful. "Alright, do you need help getting dressed?" asked Sara, and after a second, she realized my parents were still in the room and jumped up. "Oh! No, I mean, should I go call someone? I think I'll go call someone, I'm sorry, Sir, Madam, goodbye," she said, completely flustered, and ran away to the corridor. I did my best not to laugh at my parents' embarrassed faces and silently got changed.

  When I was ready, I hugged them and promised I would call them soon. Before leaving the hospital my mother asked me, "Drew, are you feeling better now that you’re living with your friends?"

  I thought about it for a little while and replied, "Yes, a lot better." I smiled at them and entered the car, which I found out was the old lady's. While going home I wondered where Dan could have gone. We still had Chloe's car, so he probably went to bring it back. And the detective? I wondered if his presence caused any problems. The old lady was waiting for me in the apartment with a big fruit basket to wish me a quick recovery. After she left, Sara stayed to take care of me. Dan wasn't home, and I didn't even know where he was. He never called to ask about my conditions. He came back later that evening looking pale and distressed.

  "Drew, how are you feeling?" he asked as soon as he got home.

  "I'm fine, where have you been?"

  "I had that bastard running after me all day. He asked me a hundred questions about the car, why we were at the hospital and things like that. If somebody asks, we were visiting a hospitalized friend."

  "What about yesterday night?"

  "I came to sleep here, after bringing the car back to Chloe. I'm never asking her for a favor again."

  "Why does that guy hate you so much?"

  "He saw me with his daughter, and he kno
ws what I've been doing. When I worked for Jim, he was hot on our trail and almost arrested me a couple of times. He considers me the worst kind of scum in the world, and he's not afraid to show it to me. Yesterday, I should have known, things never go as planned. And you paid for this in the end," he lowered his voice, and then stopped talking. He seemed exhausted.

  "Dan, it's alright. I would feel worse if that man had an accident because of us. And even if the situation turned into this, it's not so bad; Marshall said he will call me to thank me for trying to help him, so we reached our goal."

  He listened to me and sat close to me on the bed. "I’m sorry, Drew. I'm only putting you in danger," he said.

  "No way, you're babysitting me. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have lasted a day here. Really, don't worry. Go rest, you look awful."

  With a hint of a smile on his face, he went to his room.

  Chapter 11

  It took me a week to recover completely. Sara took good care of both me and Dan, who since that day seemed a bit depressed. He didn't mention our investigation at all, and limited our conversations to asking me how I was feeling, or just small talk. Being forced in bed all day, I couldn't help noticing he was sleeping way more than before: basically every time he was at home for more than fifteen minutes. That probably wasn't good for his mood, but his physical condition improved a lot. He didn't have bags under his eyes anymore, and thanks to Sara's food he had gained some weight and wasn't as pale as before. He had started to look more like the Dan I remembered from when we were fourteen. On the eighth day since the accident, I was finally able to spend a whole day on my feet. Sara convinced me to go out to the river, and I forced Dan to tag along. The river spot, like Sara called it, was famous for being the closest thing Downtown had to a park; it was unusually clean, and it was possible to relax on the grass without sitting on a syringe or other junk. The weather was getting warmer, it was nice to finally go out and breathe some fresh air. April was almost over. We sat on the grass, just by the river, and ate the sandwiches Sara had prepared for us. Not far from us, kids were playing soccer and arguing over the ball.