Unexpected Love

by J. O Mantel

  “H-hello?” Hunter scrambled to find his words.

  “Hunter? Where are you? Is Andy with you?” Carter’s voice traveled through the phone.

  “Andy?”

  “Yeah. Andy was supposed to be here forty minutes ago and hasn’t shown up. I’ve tried calling the house and cell, but there’s been no answer.”

  Hunter swallowed. His thoughts started to spin, and he was trying hard to keep his eyes open and focused.

  “Hunter?” Carter called.

  “Yeah?” Hunter replied.

  “Hunter, is Andy with you, or not? I’ve got a ton of paperwork to do and—”

  “Andy’s in the hospital,” Hunter’s voice was shaky and barely audible.

  “What?” Carter asked.

  “Last night… there was… a situation.”

  “Situation? What sort of situation?” Carter asked.

  Hunter’s hand began trembling as he held the phone to his ear.

  “Hunter?”

  “I’m here, sir,” Hunter told him, feeling his heart skip a beat. He bit his lip, holding back the tears he could feel rushing to the surface.

  “Hunter! What is going on? What’s happened to Andy?” Carter kept asking.

  “Last night, we were ...” but Hunter couldn’t find the words to finish the sentence. All he could think about was how horrified he’d been when he saw the state of Andy when Stephanie had opened the door and Andy had fallen into her arms.

  “Hunter, I’m coming down there. Where are you?” Carter’s voice traveled through the phone.

  “New York-Presbyterian. But, Carter, don’t, Andy’s parents are here,” Hunter managed to finally say.

  “What on earth happened, Hunter? Talk to me.”

  “I’ll… I’ll explain when I get there,” Hunter said, quickly disconnecting the call.

  Punching numbers into the phone, he called his mom and told her that he was heading to the station to explain the situation to Carter.

  “Of course, sweetheart. Lili’s still asleep. We’ll both be right here, waiting for you, when you get home,” her voice trembled through the phone.

  A taxi pulled up, and Hunter sat in the passenger seat, staring out the windscreen. His hands started shaking, his heart was pounding a million miles a minute, and his mind was racing. He was a fucking mess, and the tears in his eyes impaired his vision. Wiping at them with his sleeve, he put on his seat belt and gave the driver the address to the station.

  By the time Hunter reached the station and found Carter sitting in his office, his mind was one fucking confused mess. The minute Hunter stepped through the door, Carter got to his feet and walked over to him. His mind was a giant ball of confusion. His hair was messed up, his face was red, his eyes were bloodshot, and he looked as if he hadn’t slept in days.

  Carter pulled Hunter in for a hug. Hunter couldn’t do anything except stand there, staring at the blank wall in front of him, while Carter continued to squeeze him tight.

  “Sit down,” Carter ordered, closing the door behind him.

  Hunter couldn’t stop shaking. As Carter walked back toward his chair, he grabbed his jacket from the coat rack, and placed it around Hunter’s shoulders.

  “Tell me what’s going on,” Carter insisted as he sat.

  Hunter’s brain went into overload, trying to process and piece together the events of the past twenty-four hours. As he sat there and looked at Carter, he couldn’t say anything. But as Carter’s dark brown eyes gazed back at him, Hunter lost the ability to stay strong, he went weak and totally lost it.

  “Andy came over during the day and told me we had plans to go out. I said that it wasn’t a good idea, and that I didn’t want to, that I was happy to stay home and continue with some renovations around the house while Mom watched Lili. But Andy insisted that we went out. Reluctantly, I agreed to go, but I told Andy that I still wasn’t happy with the suggestion. Anyway, we went to this bar… a club, a few blocks away from home.”

  Carter sat in his chair, his eyes never leaving Hunter’s. “What sort of club?” Carter asked.

  “Um ...” Hunter squinted his eyes as if trying to read the sign outside the club from within Carter’s office. “I … I don’t know, I can’t recall the name, it was some LGBT bar downtown… Cher performed there last night.” Hunter suddenly remembered that part.

  “Delta’s,” Carter told him.

  “That’s it, Delta’s,” Hunter confirmed.

  “So, what happened?” Carter asked.

  “When we got there, I found it a little … awkward trying to fit in. When I noticed Andy with some friends, I said I was heading to the bar. I sat at the bar and started having some drinks with the bartender.”

  Hunter swallowed, remembering his encounter with Stephanie and how much alcohol he’d consumed last night.

  “I’d had a bit to drink, and while I was speaking with the bartender, we noticed that Andy had disappeared. When I phoned, Andy mentioned being outside waiting for an Uber with some friends, something about not wanting to leave them by themselves. I continued to drink some more and talk with the bartender. Before I knew it, it was two o’clock and Andy hadn’t returned.”

  “Who is Stephanie?” Carter questioned.

  “The bartender; she’s also the owner of the club. Anyway, after she finished closing up the club, there was a knock on the door. At first, she ignored it, telling whoever it was that she was closed and to come back in the morning, but when they didn’t listen and continued knocking, she went over to the door and opened it.” Hunter stopped and sucked in a breath. Carter stared at him, and he was sure the man could see the heartache and anguish on his face. What he’d seen that night was horrific. Carter got out of his seat and dragged it around the table, next to Hunter. He sat down and wrapped his arms around Hunter, pulling him in for a tight hug.

  “It’s okay,” he whispered in Hunter’s ear.

  “No!” Hunter said, pulling himself away. “No, it’s not okay. Andy’s lying in that hospital because of me.” Hunter wept.

  Carter pulled Hunter toward him once more, and with a whisper that was barely audible, he asked, “What happened, Hunter?”

  “As she opened the door, Andy, oh god …” Tears flooded down Hunter’s cheeks, and he was powerless to stop them. As Carter squeezed him tighter, Hunter took another shaky breath and repeated the words that had been haunting him since he’d heard them come out of Andy’s mouth. “Andy was raped.”

  Even saying the words to Carter made him sick. Hunter felt his insides churn. He quickly pulled away from Carter, jumped out of his chair, and placed his hand over his mouth as he ran over to the trash can behind Carter’s desk. He bent over and vomited.

  “I’m sorry,” Hunter said, when his guts were empty. As he wiped his mouth with a tissue he could feel himself getting sick again, but he quickly sat down in Carter’s chair to stop the room from spinning around him.

  “There’s no need to apologize,” Carter told him.

  “Everything just happened so quickly. One minute, Andy was there with us dancing, and the next Andy was telling me that they’re all going outside to wait for an Uber. I should have fucking done something. I shouldn’t have left Andy out there all alone, in the middle of the night. If only I’d … none of this would have happened.” Hunter wept uncontrollably as he relived the horror of the previous night.

  He hadn’t cried this much since Bree died, and now with Andy, he felt as if he was reliving a whole new nightmare. Andy was his colleague, his rock, and also his best friend, and the one person who’d been there with him and Lili whenever Carter or his mother couldn’t. He could pick up the phone and Andy would be there, anytime, day or night, and last night, he couldn’t even be there for Andy. His lips started to quiver, and Carter was quick to throw his arms around him once more, fighting back his own emotions, trying to comprehend, not only what Hunter had witnessed but also the ordeal that Andy had been through.

&n
bsp; “It was horrible. When Andy collapsed into Stephanie’s arms, I thought … I thought ...” Hunter didn’t need to finish that sentence, because he was sure Carter knew exactly what he was thinking.

  “You thought Andy was dead.”

  Hunter’s heart and chest ached so much he was finding it almost impossible to breathe. Carter, noticing that Hunter was struggling, poured him some water. “Slowly, don’t gulp it down all at once,” he told him.

  “Stephanie and I cleaned Andy up as best we could. Andy was in shock and wasn’t saying a word. We didn’t know what to think, we didn’t even know what to do, so we did what we thought was right. We called 9-1-1 for an ambulance. Andy was in too much pain and still reliving the trauma. We followed the ambulance to the hospital, and the police did their questioning there.”

  He raised his eyes to meet Carter’s, who seemed in as much shock as Hunter was. People had now started to arrive at the station for their shift. Hunter wiped his face while Carter quickly got Alex’s attention through the glass.

  “Alex!” Carter yelled from the entrance to his office.

  Alex joined them and immediately noticed Hunter sitting at the desk.

  “What’s going on?” Alex asked.

  Carter quickly closed the door before looking at Alex and then back at Hunter.

  “Something serious has happened, Alex. Are you okay to hold the floor until I get back?” Carter asked.

  Alex’s eyes scanned from Hunter to Carter, and although it was clear Alex wanted answers, getting them right now wasn’t an option.

  “Sure, sir. I’ll take care of everything,” Alex assured him.

  “Great. Hunter, I’ll drive you home.”

  “No, sir, it’s—”

  “That wasn’t a question, Hunter. It was an order.”

  “Someone needs to pick up Andy’s car. It’s still parked at the club.”

  “Alex, can you organize that after your shift?”

  “Of course, but—”

  “Thanks.” And without going into further detail, Carter helped Hunter through the door.

  On the way to his house, Hunter remained completely silent, trying not to fall apart. Carter threw him the occasional glance, just to make sure he was still there. He wanted to know what was going on inside Hunter’s head, but at the same time, he was trying to process all the information inside his own head. With one hand firmly on the steering wheel, Carter placed his other hand on Hunter’s thigh and gave it a gentle pat. He wanted to tell Hunter, to reassure him, that none of this was his fault, but he had a hard time trying to form the sentence. Instead, he focused on the road ahead. Hunter shut his eyes and willed himself to stay calm and not lose his shit, not here in the car.

  Hunter barely noticed his mother, who was going out of her mind with worry when he walked through his front door. Simply raising his eyebrows at her, he scooped his daughter into his arms and kissed her gently on the cheek before placing her back down on the floor.

  “I’m going to take a shower and get some sleep,” he said, walking through the door leading to the bathroom.

  “What happened?” Judith asked. “Hunter said that Andy was in hospital.”

  Carter didn’t know what else to do, so he looked at Judith and simply said, “Hunter will tell you when he’s ready. Until then, I suggest you let him sleep. He’s had a rough night.”

  Carter leaned down and kissed Lili on the cheek before saying goodbye to Judith. He walked to the door, and as his hand reached for the knob, he turned and looked back at Judith. She had her hand to her mouth, and he could see that her eyes were filling with tears. Fighting the urge to have his own breakdown, Carter simply forced a smile before opening the door and walking through it.

  Several minutes passed until Judith finally heard the water in the bathroom turn off. Making sure Lili was occupied with her dolls, Judith made her way toward Hunter’s bedroom. His door was closed, and she thought very hard before gathering up the courage to knock on it gently.

  “Hunter?” she called.

  There was no answer, but she could hear his heavy breaths coming through the cracks in the door. She knocked again, and when he didn’t answer a second time, she reached for the knob and pushed the door open. Judith watched as Hunter squeezed his eyes shut and put his hands over his face, rubbing his burning eyes. He was exhausted. He raised his head and finally noticed his mother standing there with a look of worry and tears streaming down her face. Hours had passed since Andy had been taken to the hospital. Marion and Jack had told him they would notify him the second Andy’s condition altered.

  Get a grip, Hunter. Andy’s probably sleeping.

  Sleep … that was exactly what Hunter needed right now. To crawl into his bed, squeeze his eyes shut and fall asleep, and hope that when he woke, he’d be able to talk to Andy properly.

  “Hunter?” He heard his mother’s broken voice call to him.

  Although he acknowledged her with a stare, he remained silent and focused. She took a step forward before she finally sat down on the bed next to him.

  “Hunter?” she whispered again.

  “Mom?” Hunter finally spoke on a shaky breath.

  “How are you, sweetheart?” she asked, combing the wet hair out of his face.

  Hunter rubbed his eyes and blinked as his mother placed a hand on his shoulder. Hunter leaned down and rested his head against it, taking a deep breath to keep himself calm.

  “Where’s Lili?” he asked.

  “She’s playing with her toys. I told her to go to the playroom,” Judith said.

  Hunter swallowed, holding back the tears that threatened to re-appear.

  “I know this isn’t the best time for you, and I’m not going to push. Get some rest, and we can talk about this when you’re ready. Don’t worry about Lili, I’ll take care of everything. I’ll stay here for as long as you need me.”

  Will I ever be ready to talk about this?

  Hunter didn’t say a word to his mother, but as he pushed the tee over his head and climbed into bed, Judith knew he’d understood. Hunter’s eyes closed almost immediately after his head hit the pillow, and as Judith pulled the covers over him, she leaned in and kissed his forehead. “Goodnight, sweetheart,” she whispered before she turned and headed back out to the kitchen.

  HUNTER HAD MANAGED to get some sleep, although he did wake several times, reliving the nightmare of seeing Andy come through the club door all bloodied and bruised. Carter had given him the rest of the week off on the condition that he looked after himself and reported back to him with regular updates on Andy.

  The sun had risen almost thirty minutes ago. Hunter stared at the clock in Andy’s room—it was just after 7:30 a.m. He left home early this morning and wanted to get to the hospital so he could be there when Andy woke up. He raised his arms and stretched them over his head, his neck was still a little stiff, so he cracked it from side to side as he sat in the same chair he had when Andy was admitted to the hospital.

  Andy still hadn’t spoken, not properly anyway, and although there were no life-threatening injuries, it was the mental state the doctors were worried about. That was the reason the doctors were keeping Andy in hospital. Marion and Jack hadn’t left Andy’s side, and as Hunter’s eyes met Marion’s, he noticed that she looked … terrible. Her hair was a mess, and her eyes and cheeks were red from all the crying she’d done. The stubble on Jack’s chin was also an indication of how long it had been since he’d been home and shaved, they looked exactly how Hunter felt.

  “Hunter?” Jack’s voice carried across the room.

  Hunter raised his head and locked eyes with his.

  “Can we talk for a minute … outside?” he asked.

  Hunter nodded in agreement. He got up from his seat and followed Jack out the door, and the two of them stopped just outside the room.

  “What is it, Jack?” Hunter asked.

  “Andy’s in a rough way. Of course, I don’t need t
o tell you that. What I do need is your help … more of a favor, really.”

  “You know that I’ll do anything for you and Marion, Jack; the three of you are part of my family.”

  It was true, Hunter would give anything, even his life, for Andy’s family.

  “What I would like, Hunter, is for you to have Andy come and stay with you for a while. I have to head to France on a business trip. I wanted to take the entire family, but I know traveling is out of the question for Andy right now. I wish there was another option that would allow me to cancel this trip, but unfortunately all the arrangements have been made. Marion’s only agreed to come with me on the strict condition that Andy has a place to stay and is safe, which is why I’m coming to you now. I know how lonely it can be on your own … I know you’re not totally alone, but the truth is, we want someone we can trust, someone we know will look after Andy. Since Piper …,” Jack’s voice trailed off.

  It had been many years since Andy’s sister had left home to be with a man she’d only known a short time. The family had never met the man, and when they gave her an ultimatum, she’d chosen her new boyfriend over them. She’d quickly moved out of home to be with the man she loved and hadn’t spoken to her family since. Andy never spoke about her, and avoided any conversations about her, period.

  “Of course Andy can stay with me. You know it’s the best thing for Andy to be in the care of someone trustworthy right now, and that person should be me, after all—”

  “Don’t!” Jack warned. “Don’t you dare go blaming yourself for any of this. This was not your fault.”

  He knew that statement to be true, but he still couldn’t help but feel responsible for what happened.

  Hunter felt ready to lose it again, and as Jack reached out and pulled him in for a hug, he felt safe because Jack was more of a father to him than his own father had ever been.

  “Don’t even go there, Hunter. You’ve always been like a son to us, and you know that Marion, Andy, and I will always be there for you and Lili. You don’t ever have to worry about that.”