by A. E. Wasp
A middle-aged white woman with hair like a bleached helmet raised her eyes but not her head from her files. He saw her glance slide down him, from his hair to the child in his arms and the plain white t-shirt, sizing him up. “Yes?”
“I’m trying to find out some information on a patient. Benito Quintaña? He was brought in by ambulance about twenty minutes ago.”
She peered at Chris and frowned. “Like I told your friend. He is in here, but I’m sorry, I can’t give out any more information.” She looked back down at her paper.
Mikey held back his eye roll. He knew the reasons why she couldn’t tell him. He understood how overworked, and underappreciated nurses could be. They had been his lifeline during the whole thing with Julia, and he knew this woman was just doing her job. But still, it was supremely frustrating.
Jasmine peeled her sticky face away from Mikey’s neck. “Is Benny dead?” Her tiny voice wavered, and tears fell from her red-rimmed eyes.
Mikey’s heart broke, and he blinked away his own tears. God, he fucking hated hospitals; this one in particular.
The nurse melted. Her hand covered her mouth. “No, honey.” She looked around to see if anyone was listening, and then glanced down at her desk, and jogged her papers sharply. “Are you family? Because if you were family,” she emphasized, “I could give you some more information.”
Mikey walked right into that opening. “Yeah. Yes. I’m his husband. Michael. Michael Washington.” He resisted the urge to lower his voice or look behind him and mentally begged Jasmine to not contradict him just this once. He really hoped the woman didn’t have any kind of homophobic baggage to match her casual racism.
“Oh.” She leaned forward, and he leaned in to meet her. “My son is gay. His name is Jake. Lives in California with his boyfriend.” She raised her eyebrows conspiratorially.
Mikey’s shoulders tensed as Frances, George, and Chris walked up behind him. Had they heard the husband comment?
Mikey wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say. Was he supposed to know Jake? He nodded and smiled. “That’s nice.”
She smiled and flipped through some papers on her desk, clicked a few keys on the keyboard. “It looks like Mr. Quintaña was conscious when they brought him in. Oh, and look, there is a note to call a Michael Washington. That’s you. Sorry.”
Mikey bared his teeth at her in what could almost have been a grin.
“He is conscious. Right now, they’ve got him in for some testing. MRI, CAT scan. If you’ll have a seat, someone will call you when he’s done.” She smiled at Jasmine again. “Would you like some stickers?”
Jasmine nodded solemnly.
The nurse dug around a drawer and pulled out a sheet of kitten stickers. “I think you’ll be able to talk to your daddy a little later, okay? Don’t cry.”
She handed Mikey a clipboard full of forms. “Since you’re the spouse, I have some paperwork for you to fill out.”
He could feel the Youngs’ eyes boring into the back of his neck. Flipping through the forms quickly, it because obvious that he had no idea about most of Benny’s personal information. “Thank you.”
“Uh huh.” She was back at her paperwork already, so Mikey left.
George, Frances, and Chris followed him back to the chairs in the waiting area like a line of anxious ducklings. He could see by the tightness in George and Frances’ eyes, and the way Frances clung to her husband’s arm, that they were as unhappy to be here again as he was.
Jasmine didn’t want to be here either. Mikey would have sworn she hadn’t been able to remember anything about the last time they’d been at this hospital. She had been barely two when Julia had died. But she obviously had a strong connection between the hospital and death. He’d read that scent was one of the main carriers of memory. He wouldn’t be surprised if the smell of the hospital had triggered Jasmine’s distress.
Mikey sat back down with a groan. Carrying Jasmine got a little harder every year. He hugged her tightly when he sat, kissing her on the top of her head. “How you doing, baby? You okay?”
She nodded, her hair tickling under his chin, face rubbing against his shirt.
He rubbed circles onto her back, something that had worked to calm her since she had been an infant. “Can you go sit with Grandma or Grandpa for a while? I have some paperwork to fill out.”
“Okay.” She slid off his lap and walked over to where Frances sat.
Frances lifted her up, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Do you want to watch a show on my phone?”
Jasmine nodded, and she and Frances starting looking for videos to watch.
George looked at Mikey, and eyes narrowed. Oh, yeah. He’d definitely heard the husband comment, and Mikey could tell he had questions. They would have to wait.
Chris slumped down in the chair next to him, hands shoved deep in his jeans pockets, legs spread out and jittering wildly, the rubber soles of his sneakers squeaking against the faded linoleum.
Mikey put a hand on his leg, and it stilled. “Hey. Help me fill these out?”
Chris exhaled and nodded. “Man, I hate hospitals.”
Mikey huffed out a laugh. “Yeah. Me, too.”
Chris craned his neck to look around Mikey. “Jazzy, too, huh?”
Mikey shifted in his chair, putting his back to Julia’s parents and her daughter, and leaned over, balancing the clipboard on his knees. He looked steadfastly at the papers. “Her mom died here.”
Chris sucked in air between his teeth. “I’m sorry, man. I never even thought...I didn’t even ask.”
“It’s okay. You and I have really just met.”
“I’m glad we did. Benny’s been so much more,” he waved his hands as if he could snatch the word out of the air, “present since you came into his life. He was just kind of existing, you know what I mean?”
“Yeah,” Mikey laughed. “I know what you mean.” He checked back quickly to make sure Jasmine was still entertained. She was leaning back in Frances’ lap, laughing at some video on the phone. “I never thought Jasmine would remember this.”
“Kids are...well, they remember things.” He pulled himself upright in the chair and rubbed his arms. “It’s freezing in here.”
Mikey could see in Chris’ eyes that he was ready to make a run for it, and he remembered that Chris went to the AA meetings with Benny, and probably had his own issues. He couldn’t let Chris go off alone in this state of mind. Who could he call? Then it came to him. “What’s the address of the studio and the phone number?” He asked Chris. “And Jay-Cee’s whole name? They’re asking me all this info, and I don’t know shit.”
Chris rattled off the info, and Mikey wrote it down. He stopped brow furrowing as the read the next section. “They’re asking me about his health insurance. I don’t think he has any.”
Chris peered over at the form. “He has to have something. It’s the law, isn’t it?”
“I thought so. What do you have? You guys work at the same place.” Mikey rubbed his forehead. Distraction wasn’t working. All he kept thinking about was Benny. Whatever had happened had to be related to the brain injury. Was it a stroke? How bad was the damage? How long had he lain alone in the sun, unconscious? Was he scared? Did he know Mikey was here waiting for him?
Chris scoffed. “I’m twenty-two. I’m still on Daddy’s insurance. They haven’t seen me in three years, but the bills keep getting paid. I’m such a rebel.”
Mikey did not have time to unpack that right now. Chris’ issues would have to wait.
He tapped the end of the pen against his teeth and read further. “Next of kin? That I know. I guess his parents. Thank god they’ve had the same phone number for the last thirty years.” The thought of Mr. and Mrs. Quintaña sounded an alarm somewhere deep in Mikey’s brain. “Oh, fuck!”
“Curse, daddy!” Jasmine chirped from behind him.
Of course, she’d heard that.
Chris laughed silently at him. “What’s wrong?”
Mikey twisted the
odd dreadlock at the base of his neck. “Benny’s parents are flying in today.” He checked the time and cursed silently. “They’re going to land in an hour and a half. Jesus.”
“I can go get them.” Chris looked grateful for the opportunity, but Mikey wanted to keep him close.
He put a hand on Chris’ arm. “I need you here. Please. You know Benny better than anyone else. You’re his best friend.”
Chris started to protest, but Mikey waved him quiet. “You are. And I’m really glad he’s had you for this last year.”
Chris’ baby blue eyes opened wide, and he looked so young. Had no one ever told him they were grateful for him before? Mikey sighed and let his eyes unfocus for a second. “I need to make some phone calls,” he told Chris. “Can you keep an eye on...?” He jerked his head back, encompassing not only Jasmine but Julia’s parents. “And let me know if the nurse or someone comes looking for me. I’ll be right outside the door.”
“Yeah. Sure.” Chris scrubbed his hands through his hair, then smoothed it down. He puffed out his cheeks, the exhaled sharply. He looked at Mikey and gave a small smile. “Okay.”
Mikey stood and clapped him on the shoulder, letting his hand linger and squeezing slightly. Chris covered Mikey’s hand with his and squeezed back.
The heat outside felt good after the artificial chill of the waiting room. Mikey stretched his neck as the sun warmed his shoulders. The weight of his hair was starting to get to him, so he pulled it out of the braids and let it hang loose. He tried not to think as he dialed the first number, staring at nothing across the parking lot as it rang.
“Hello?” The voice that answered was deep and confident.
“Jay-Cee?”
“This is he.” Mikey could hear some faint music in the background. Classical maybe.
Shit. He wasn’t even sure Jay-Cee knew who he was. “It’s Michael Washington, Benny’s, uh, boyfriend.” That might have been the first time he’d said that out loud. Saying husband had been easier because it was a lie. This was true. “Benny’s in the hospital. He fell or something. We don’t know the details yet.” Mikey turned back to the doors. Chris was standing and talking to George. Mikey could tell from his body language that George and Frances were getting the whole Chris show. He didn’t know whether to be appalled or grateful.
“How can I help, son? I can be there in twenty minutes. Is your daughter being taken care of?”
So Benny had talked about him then. Jay-Cee sounded rock solid. Mikey could see why Benny liked the man so much.
“She’s fine, thank you for asking. She’s with her grandparents. I just need some insurance info, but really, I think it’s Chris who needs you.” Mikey stared across the parking lot into the line of trees at the far end.
There was a pause. “Chris?” Jay-Cee’s voice sounded a little different now, losing some of the solidity it had had before. Interesting. He made a mental note to ask Benny about that.
“He was the one who called me. The hospital called him first. Chris was already at the hospital when I got here, but they wouldn’t tell him anything. I think he’s freaking out a little. And I didn’t know who else to call. I don’t want him doing a runner if you know what I mean.”
“I know exactly what you mean. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” Jay-Cee hung up without saying goodbye.
One call down, two to go.
From across the lobby, Mikey watched George and Frances with Jasmine. Their faces looked drawn and stressed, but every time they looked at Jasmine, he could see the love shining from their eyes. He’d been selfish, not without his reasons, but still. Hurting and scared, he’d cut Jasmine and himself off from anyone that wanted to help them. Sure his parents were thousands of miles away, but they’d offered to Facetime, Skype, send video, anything to keep in touch, and Mikey hadn’t done it.
Time to make some changes.
He walked up to the small group.
“Okay. Jay-Cee’s on his way.” Chris visibly relaxed, shoulders sagging in relief. “Vanessa’s coming to pick up Jasmine, and she can take you two back to your hotel, too.”
“We’re staying, son,” George said.
Frances nodded firmly. “We can’t leave you here alone, Michael. I would never do that to you.”
Tears sprung to Mikey’s eyes, surprising him. He thought he was holding it together, but maybe not as well as he thought. If they could just get some fucking news about Benny. He wiped his eyes, not bothering to hide it. “Thanks. That means a lot.”
“I called Troy,” he continued. “He’s going to get Benny’s parents from the airport and bring them here or Benny’s house depending on what’s going on.”
“Does he know what they look like? Do they even know who he is?” Chris asked.
“Nope. He told me he’s going to stand at the top of the elevator where everyone comes up and hold up a big sign with their name.”
“I have faith in him,” Chris said. “By the time they get up here, they’ll be in love with him. Everybody loves Troy.”
“I look forward to meeting him,” Frances said. “We were getting worried about Mikey being here alone. We didn’t think he had any friends.”
They’d been worried about him? As soon as he could find the time to do it, Mikey had a nice long breakdown scheduled.
George cleared his throat. “Do Benny’s parents know that you’re,” he cleared his throat, “living together?”
Now would really be the time to explain to George that he only said he was Benny’s husband to get the information; that there was nothing between them like that. But to do that felt like a slap in the face to Benny. He was tired of having to hide it from Jasmine out of fear of who she would tell. Falling back on his legal training, he answered exactly what he had been asked, not the unvoiced question they could all hear clearly below it. Do they know you’re gay? “Yeah, they know. Mikey and I have been friends since we were twelve.”
“You never mentioned him. Not once.” Frances sounded more curious than angry.
“It’s a long story, Frances. I’ll fill you in later, I promise.”
The doors slid open, and Angel came running in, long pink hair flying out behind her. “Mikey!”
Mikey turned just in time to get tackled. He wrapped his arms around her, and she hugged him fiercely. Angel did everything fiercely. “What’s going on?” She wore her Vincent’s t-shirt and a dirty apron tied around her hips. An order pad stuck out from the apron pocket.
“We barely know anything,” Chris said.
Angel hugged him, too, kissing him on both cheeks, then turned to George and Frances. “You must be Jasmine’s grandparents.”
By the time Mikey make quick introductions, Vanessa was walking in the door, and there was more hugging and kissing. Mikey held onto her tightly. “He’s going to be okay,” she whispered.
Vanessa greeted George and Frances, exchanging air kisses with Frances. She looked cool and collected as always. “It’s so nice to see you again.”
“I’m sorry it had to be in the hospital. I fear we’ve spent much too much time here.” Frances said with a weak smile.
To Mikey’s surprise, Dmitri was the next person through the door. He carried a tray of coffee cups and a paper bag.
Mikey met him halfway across the floor. “Dmitri, what are you doing here?” he asked, taking the coffee from him. “Besides bringing coffee.”
“I know what hospitals are like. Plus I’m the closest thing to a doctor we’ve got in this group. Figured I would help translate.” He smiled.
Mikey felt a release of tension he hadn’t even known he was carrying. “Oh, thank God.”
Dmitri’s eyes were kind, and despite his easy sense of humor and joking manner, there was a steadiness to him. Mikey looked forward to getting to know him better. “Doctor’s suck. I know.”
Dmitri kissed Angel hello and nodded at Chris as he handed out the coffee.
“None for me?” Angel asked incredulously.
“I didn’t kn
ow you were here.”
Despite the fact that Dmitri was tall, pale, and blonde, and Angel was small, dark and probably brunette under the pink, they interacted like brother and sister. It reminded Mikey of him and Vanessa, and he found their bickering soothing in an odd way.
Angel put her hands on her hips. “Why wouldn’t I be here? I didn’t know the hospital was boys only. Mikey and Benny are my friends, too.”
Dmitri held out his hands. “I know. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
“Sorry, I didn’t get enough. I got a special one for Jasmine.” He handed her a small cup. “It’s a raspberry steamer. Be careful it might be a little hot still.”
“Thank you, Mister Tree. Is Sweetie with you? Or Moby?” Jasmine blew noisily across the top of the cup.
“Sweetie is with Troy. And Moby is too crazy for a hospital.” Dmitri patted her head. Jasmine was obviously the mascot of this odd little family that was forming around Mikey. And he had Benny to thank for all of it.
“That’s okay.” Jasmine yawned and slumped against Frances.
Vanessa reached for Jasmine. “I think it’s time for little girls and big girls to go home. Let’s go, and we can snuggle on the couch and watch a movie. How does that sound?”
“Sounds awesome,” Angel answered. “Can I come?”
Vanessa looked surprised, then she tilted her head and smiled. “Sure. If you want to. How do you feel about kids’ movies?” Vanessa took Jasmine’s hand. “Is it okay if Angel comes and hangs out with us?” she asked. Jasmine nodded yes.
“She could use a bath,” Mikey pointed out.
Vanessa held up their joined hands. “I can tell.”
The doors swished open, and all heads turned as a striking-looking man walked in. He had silver hair swept back from a strong forehead and a neatly trimmed silver beard. But what really caught the eye were the full-color tattoos running down his muscled arms, up his neck, and across his collarbone. They showed beneath his sleeveless undershirt and denim overalls.
Chris started a few feet forwards, then stopped. The man waved him over, and Chris closed the distance in a flash, wrapping the man in a tight hug. He must be Jay-Cee.
