As Worlds Fall Apart
Patrick sighed, head resting on Jack's naked chest as his thoughts once more turned to Mary. His 'beloved' wife, joined in holy matrimony until death, was constantly on his mind. Although, despite what his family and friends believed, he was not the perfect 1950's husband he appeared to be. For he was in love with his colleague, Jack.
Patrick turned to face his lover one last time, luxuriating in the comfort of his bed. It was easy to spend nights like this, lost in the wonder of the man before him. Patrick brushed a stray hair off Jack's youthful face before standing, collecting his clothes and leaving the room silently. He had hesitated long enough; it was time to tell Mary of his affair with Jack, lest he go to hell for more ways than one.
The phone rung piercingly against the silence of the office. Jack answered the call promptly, speaking with calming yet reassuring tones as he dealt with the situation at hand.
"000. What is your emergency?"
The voice on the other end was of the phone not who he expected. It belonged to cursed Mary Malone, the one true person who stood between him and his true love. Despite his hatred of the woman, however, her hysterical tone caught him off-guard.
"Patrick! He's dead!"
Jack's world stopped at those words. He paused momentarily, vision spinning as the words registered in his head. 'He's dead'. Breath quickening in panic, Jack stared at the phone in shock, not quite believing what he was hearing.
"Are you sure?" Jack questioned, calm despite his terror, heart beating as his knuckles turned white and he grasped the phone like a lifeline. Patrick couldn't be dead! It just wasn't possible! The man he loved, and would take a bullet for, would never leave him like that.
At Mary's confirmation, Jack's throat constricted painfully as a sob came unbidden from his chest. Taking a moment to conceal his unprofessional display of emotion through a cough, Jack replied with professional impassiveness that he had learnt from many years in the police force.
"We'll be right over Mrs. Malone. Just stay right there."
And just like that, he sent a dispatched team of men to the house of the man he loved while his world shattered apart.