Jason kept his eyes squeezed shut as the door slid open. He waited for the bed to dip or the covers to be pulled back. However he was still waiting less than a minute later when the door was closed quietly and footsteps receded down the hall. He sat up in the large bed rubbing the
sleep out of his eyes before looking around the room. His clothes were folded on a chair in by the door. Spotting them he slipped out of bed and pulled them on quickly
They were cleaner than anything Jason had worn in a long probably since before his mom had got really sick when she still used to go to the laundromat. He sniffed at his ratty
sleeve, the doc used the good washing stuff.
He stuck his head out into the hall and listened, there were sounds of movement but he
wasn't sure if he was allowed to leave the bedroom. He stayed put just in case. There was no need to rile up Dr Elliot when there was the possibility of more food if he behaved. He made the bed before sitting on it. He figured Elliot would go in for that sought of thing he obviously like things to be neat.
He didn't have to wait long before footsteps stopped outside the door. Elliot didn't knock but it was his place, Jason supposed the guy could barge into a damn room he liked. The red haired man flicked his gaze around the room before landing on Jason. He didn't smile but he didn't scowl at him either which Jason took as a good sign. "I see you're not devoid of all manners then. Come along you may have some breakfast before I have to go to work."
He turned and left the room abruptly leaving a Jason to scramble after him. "Good morning to you too Doc! I slept great thanks. Jeez and you say my manners are bad. I don't know any better what's your excuse? You always treat your guests this way?" The man raised a sculpted eyebrow at the ragged boy from his seat at the table.
"You, boy, are not a guest you are my charitable deed for the week. Now eat your oatmeal." Jason snorted and took his seat. The oatmeal wasn't bad it definitely wasn't the powdered stuff that came in different flavours his mom used to buy but it was ok. Once they'd finished Elliot rose from the table and strode to entrance hall. Jason trailed him reluctantly, sure the Doc was pretty nutty but his place was so warm and outside would be even colder than yesterday, he just knew it. Still he had even fed, got his clothes cleaned and gad gotten to sleep in a soft clean bed and Elliot hadn't once tried anything, even while he was naked in the
shower. He waited silently while Elliot donned his long coat and retrieved his bag and key from the table by the door. The man turned to him a strange expression on his face. "Well, I have to go to work now and you, you have to go to school I suppose." Jason nodded not bothering to tell the man he hadn't been to school in well over a year. He followed Dr Elliot out through the building to the street. Before he could make his goodbyes or try to thank the man the Dr thrust a hand under his nose. Jason instinctively flinched back a little before he realised what was clutched in it. The man shook the bills at him like he would shake a bone at a dog or something. Jason snatched the money and stuffed it in his pocket. "Thanks man, uh see you around I guess."
Elliot shook his head. "No I shouldn't think so, I'm far too busy to be wasting my time with a child. Spend that money on food Jason not drugs. Now run along, uh be good." Jason cringed as the ADR awkwardly patted his head, yep the guy was cracked did he think he was five or something? Still he'd done him a good turn and as he watched him walk away he felt a little bad that he might not see him again, that Dr Elliot obviously didn't want to see him again. He kicked a rock as he trudged back to his own side of town. He could blame the guy really, if he was some rich doctor who lived in a fancy apartment he wouldn't want anything to do with a street rat like himself either.
Tommy gave a sigh of relief as he shrugged into his over coat and grabbed his brief case. Another day of annoying spoilt patients, whining and moaning. He chose to walk home again even though the rain was threatening again. He didn't see the boy, he wasn't trying to peddle
any weeds in the street and he wasn't waiting on Tommy's doorstep to beg for another free meal. Not that he had thought he would, Tommy had explicitly told the child they wouldn't see each other again. He was not disappointed. He wasn't, he had simply entertained the idea that the boy may have not listened to him.
The warmth of his apartment felt exquisite after the biting cold outside, his thoughts briefly went to Jason again. He quashed the image of the boy huddled in a frozen doorway somewhere. He was most likely fine, he was probably staying with a friend eating dinner as Tommy stood in his hallway with his coat half off.
Again and again his mind strayed to the boy. As he ate his own dinner (tender chicken wrapped in Parma ham and crisp green vegetables, a favourite from the restaurant down the street) he wondered what Jason would be dining on that evening. As Tommy read by the fire
and glanced out of the window to see the rain had intensified, he wondered if the boy would have a roof to shelter him from it. Damn! This was not his problem, why should he be even remotely bothered about some grubby street urchin. He didn't have the time to waste on a child he wasn't even related to, it's not like the boy was even pleasant to be around. His manners were atrocious, he was grossly uneducated with an accent that grated on the man's ears. No he definitely did not regret telling the boy to leave him alone. And he absolutely felt no guilt whatsoever.
The thunder cracked as he drove his car down the slicked streets, the further Tommy got from his own apartment the more decrepit the buildings became. He scanned the streets, squinting through the heavy rain half hoping he wouldn't see a flash of red hoodie in the dark.
The doctor had almost given up when he reached park row. On a night such as this even here the streets were empty the derelicts having found shelter from the rain somewhere. His half hearted search seemed futile and he turned the car around deciding to go straight home and give up on this nonsense. What had he been thinking? As if he could just drive down here and Jason would be conveniently waiting for him on a street corner. Ridiculous.
Jason watched a pair of headlights briefly illuminate the alley entrance as he struggled and failed to get to his feet. His newly washed clothes were once again soaked with freezing rain water which still pounded down on him where he lay. The bastards had jumped him after he'd bought his chilli dog from the cart. They must've seen the cash he'd been given by the doc. When he didn't give it over easily enough for them they worked him over. His fucking ribs burned and each breath was like a knife twisting between them. He should have stayed uptown. He probably could have found somewhere to crash, maybe Dr Elliot might have even run into him again and changed his mind. If he had just been more polite last night maybe the doc would have asked him to come back, he wouldn't have even card if he had
wanted something in return. He managed to get to his feet using the wall to prop himself up and shuffled to the mouth of the dirty alley. He could see headlights coming down the road again as he stumbled onto the sidewalk the places where his assailants feet had bruised him jarring on the cold concrete. As he slipped into unconsciousness he thought he heard a car door slam and familiar footsteps hurrying toward him.
The first thing Jason noticed when awoke was the pain in his abused ribs. The second was that he wasn't lying crumpled in the dank alley in Park Row. The bed was soft and clean. The subtle vanilla scent coming from the sheets was strangely familiar, when he managed to make his eyes open, he saw why. Jason was back in Dr Elliot's home in the same Rome
had slept in. He was confused to say the least, the last thing he remembered was getting jumped and robbed and subsequently beaten to a pulp. How the hell had he got back here? Looking around the room he noticed several changes from his last stay. The beeping monitor by his bed for one and Dr Elliot sat in a chair by the bed, watching him. Also Jason realised he was completely naked. "Did you undress me? You pervert."
Jason, please. I'm a doctor. Besides I wasn't going to let those filthy rags touch those sheets. They're Egyptian cotton." Jason didn't really understand why where the cotton came from had
anything to do with the Dr undressing him but he tried to control the anger and sliver of panic he felt at being in such a vulnerable state. He noticed his ribs had been bandaged and he could feel a band aid on his fore head. The doc had obviously patched him up. "Whatever, what'm I doing here anyway? How'd you find me?" The Doctor merely raised a brow
in Jason's direction and preceded to fiddle with the machine the boy was currently attached to. 'Did you bring that home from the hospital? Is that allowed?" Another elegant brow arched at the boy, "oh man! You totally stole it! How did you even manage that? S'not like you could just stick it up your sweater or someth-"
"Be quiet," ordered the doctor as he pulled the covers away from Jason's torso. At the panicked look that the boy gave him Tommy held up the stethoscope, "I'm just
going to listen to your lungs. I want to make sure nothing is perforated, you're lucky no ribs were broken but the damage you did sustain could have got to your lungs." The boy jumped when he pressed the gold mettle to his chest and Tommy didn't suppress the chuckle he
gave out. "Sorry I didn't think a tough boy like you would need the head warming. I thought that was just for babies. " the murderous glare Jason sent his way made him laugh again. He was glad to see the boy felt up to glaring, in the night he had been afraid that he had made the
wrong choice in tending to him himself rather than taking him to the hospital. He nodded with satisfaction upon hearing nothing to concern him and replaced the covers over the boy who had begun to shiver slightly. "You can borrow a night shirt of mind for now." He felt the
boy's eyes track him across the room and out of the door as he went to retrieve a shirt.
Jason was, apparently, unimpressed with the shirt a Tommy brought back. "I ain't wearing no dress! You are a perv, is it that what you sleep in? Nah I bet yours has got frills on or some
shit like that." Rationally Tommy knew Jason's reaction and words were a defence mechanism he used when he was feeling vulnerable. However jus own mouth didn't quite seem to grasp that idea. "If you don't like it and continue in this ungrateful manner. I shall deposit you back outside
in your current state and lock the door behind you. Now lift you arms so I can put this on you, you brat." Thankfully the boy complied and so Tommy was not compelled to toss his bare bottom into the greying sludge outside. Once the little wretch realised the comfort of the garment and was tucked back into the bed properly he seemed a little mollified and agreed to try to sleep a little, not that his agreement was needed as the milk Tommy had just given him had been heavily laced with a sedative. Compliance was always nice though.
Tommy stopped at the bedroom door to turn the lights off and looked back at the sleeping
boy. The almost sick feeling he had had last night was gone and he went to his own bed with a rare smoke on his face. He still didn't really understand why it should matter to him if the boy was snug in his spare bedroom or freezing on some park bench. All he knew was that tonight the boy was safe and warm and it was all down to him. He, Thomas Elliot had saved the child from probably dying in that alley of exposure and had patched up his wounds himself. He was a Good Samaritan now, he supposed. He wondered briefly what his mother would have said and fell asleep with the half laugh still on his lips.