Locked Hearts – Chapter One
Disclaimer – I don't own them.
A/N: It's a short start, but once the story gets moving the chapters will be longer. This is just the beginning to the winding road that Patrick and Jennifer will travelling. Enjoy and let me know what you think!
Patrick walked down the stairs slowly, the pain in his chest from his mugging growing more searing with every step he took. Reaching the landing, he leaned against the white railing for support before attempting to walk into the living room. Jennifer swung the kitchen door open and found him standing there, immediately rushing to his side.
"Patrick, you really shouldn't be up. You need to rest," she said, swinging his arm over her shoulder and supporting him as they walked into the next room.
"I'm okay, really, I am." Patrick allowed the sweet softness of the couch reach his bare back, relaxing as Jennifer made sure he was comfortable enough.
"Are you sure you're okay? Is there anything I can get for you?" Jennifer asked sincerely, running her hand down Patrick's strong arm.
"Actually I could use a glass of water. If you don't mind, of course."
"No, of course I don't mind. It's the least I can do for you after all you have given me."
She felt as if she was forever in debt to him for saving her baby not once, but twice. She sprung off the couch and made a beeline for the kitchen.
Jennifer wasn't gone long when she came back, a fresh cold glass of sparkling water in hand. Patrick felt his mouth overcome its parchedness even before the crystal glass was in his hand.
As he takes his first savory sip, the doorbell rang and Jennifer bounded across the room to answer it. The opened door reveals a distraught Bonnie standing in front of Mickey, who seemed just as stressed.
"Is Patrick still here?" Bonnie asked impatiently, craning her neck to see past Jennifer.
"Yeah, he's in the living room. Come on in," Jennifer said, taking Bonnie's coat as she flung it off her shoulders in a single fluid motion. Mickey stood back with Jennifer as Bonnie fled to the next room where Patrick sat, sitting his water on the table and watching Bonnie with shock.
"Mom, what are you doing here?"
"Oh my God, honey, what the hell happened to you?" Bonnie shrieked; her previous worries shot down with one look at her wearied son.
Noticing that Jennifer and Mickey were standing in the doorway, he bit back the insinuating remark. "It's nothing to worry about."
"Nothing to worry about! My God, Patrick, you look like you were bucked by a bull!" She sat down next to him, taking a closer look at his healing wounds.
"I was just mugged by the guy who stole Jennifer's bonds. He had a few of his thugs with him and took me from behind. I didn't even get a good look at them."
"Dear lord!" Mickey exclaimed, overhearing Patrick's recollection.
Bonnie eyed him skeptically. "Did you call the police?"
"I don't have a case against them. I don't know what they looked like." Patrick stared at her icily, threatening with a single look not to interrogate him further.
"Well, I guess you're right." Bonnie dropped the subject like a hot potato.
A cumbersome silence blanketed them. Mickey softly gripped Jennifer's arm and pulled her aside with the intention of inquiring about her bonds.
"Don't worry Uncle Mickey, they're safe now. I locked them in the fire safe in my bedroom, so unless the intruder manages to get the key no one will be touching those bonds but me."
Bonnie waited avidly for Jennifer and Mickey to leave earshot before divulging her not-so-secret intentions with Patrick.
"So how are things with Mrs. Deveraux?"
Bonnie winked, sending across her message loud and clear.
"I already told you, I'm not going to take advantage of Jennifer," Patrick related. "And I advise you to do the same with Mickey."
"Who said anything about taking advantage of them? You're looking too deep into this. You're friends with Jennifer, right?"
Patrick didn't like where this was headed.
"Yeah…"
"So you play on that until you have her full trust, then you make your move!"
Bonnie was almost jumping ecstatically.
"You disgust me. You're only in it for the money, and I refuse to play your demented game with her mind."
Patrick meant every word of it, too. His feelings for Jennifer went deeper than he ever thought possible. But he would never let Bonnie in the loop on that little detail.
"Oh come on, I see the way you look at her! You want her, and you know it." Patrick was about to speak when she silenced him with the wave of her confident hand. "Don't even deny it!"
Jennifer and Mickey breezed into the room, thankfully missing Bonnie's accusation.
"Oh, Jennifer, just the person I need to talk to!" Bonnie shouted, running to her side. Patrick groaned. They walked to the door as Mickey entered the living room with Patrick.
"Bonnie, what is it?" Jennifer asked expectantly.
"I just wanted to talk to you in private about Patrick."
"If it's about Julie jumping to conclusions and thinking that Patrick was the thief, it's okay. Everything is smoothed out in that area," Jennifer said thankfully.
"That ties in with what I wanted to talk to you about. You see, Patrick has always been like a drifter, so he's never really had a real nice place to call home-."
"He's welcome here as long as he wants, I really don't mind. He's actually been a lot of help lately."
"Really?" Bonnie asked enthusiastically.
"Yeah! He helped me get my wedding ring out of the drain, and not to mention all he has done for me and the baby," Jennifer said, drifting off as she thinks about the man sitting in the next room.
"Oh, well that's a relief," Bonnie said with phony appeasement. "Now I don't have to worry about whether or not he can find a meal or a warm bed to sleep in at night."
Jennifer grinned pleasantly.
"Now that that's settled," Bonnie said, clapping her hands and walking back to Patrick's side. Mickey stood up tiredly.
"Mickey, are you ready to go?" Bonnie asked sweetly, sucking up like she'd never sucked before.
"I'm ready when you are," Mickey said, shifting to face Jennifer. "Make sure to keep those bonds locked up, you hear?"
"Loud and clear, Uncle Mickey," Jennifer said sweetly, hugging him before he left the room to grab up Bonnie's coat.
Bonnie swiveled to face Patrick and whispered, "You remember what I said tonight," so that only the two of them could hear. She slid off the couch onto her booted feet and said her good-byes to both Patrick and Jennifer, sending a wink in Patrick's direction.
"You take it easy. Let this wonderful young lady here take good care of you," she said, wrapping her arm around Jennifer and smiling. Patrick felt a ripple of repugnance run down his spine as Bonnie interlocked her arm with Mickey's and swayed out the front door, sending a wave back to them, which Jennifer returned gratefully.
As the door closed on the world outside, Jennifer contemplated the meaning of her newly uncovered feelings for Patrick. Could she really want more than just a friendship with him? She quickly brushed it off as nothing and went upstairs to see if Abby needed any help with her homework.