Here it is! Chapter 3. I waited a while cause of the editing, but I couldn't have gotten it done without my beta reader KrisEleven! So props to her and enjoy the chapter!

Shiv Shank

Chapter 3:

Happy Hour

My car headed for the hospital like I'd planned, stopping to snag a few donuts. The traffic was a feeding frenzy of honking cars and swearing drivers. As I took a bite of my glazed bear claw, I listened to the obscenities that flew through the air. It made think of my hospitalized foster sister. I could feel her beside me, screaming with the symphony of road rage. And soon she would be.

I parked outside the hospital, exited my car and made my way towards the waiting room. I returned the smiles given by the medical staff as I made my way through. These types of people felt numb to death, seeing it everyday. Fakeness was easy for them. Like me, they could put on a mask, but unlike me, they did it for compassion. It was a need for secrecy for me. They healed people, in contrast to how I sent them to their deaths.

On a side note, I loved hospitals. I've visited these places for more than the usual doctor's appointment. My foster mother had been a constant guest before she died of cancer. Harry and my sister had their share of visits as police officers and the job involved a certain degree of risk. Whenever I came here, the pristine white walls and squeaky clean floors were a comfort. The chill of air conditioned hallways was also relaxing. But what drew me in the most was the operating room.

It may be my fascination with blood, but I have long admired the handiwork of surgeons. It's wondrous how they are so precise, so neat. Also, like myself. It is remarkable the way they use such sharp tools and yet they use them to save lives instead of taking them. I would have liked to have been a surgeon if my dark urges weren't gnawing my soul. But I brushed these regrets aside and entered the waiting room.

Deb was waiting, seated in a cushioned chair, hands gripped tight and head down.

"You okay, sis?" I put a concerned hand on her shoulder.

She jumped at the sound of my voice. The events of last night still haunted her. No one could blame her. Someone had strangled, bound, gagged, drugged, and attempted to kill her. And the guy who'd done it to her was on the loose.

If I could feel guilt, I would have. After all, I was the one Brian had wanted. She was mere bait so that I would come to him.

That and her almost-killer was crashing on my couch.

"Dexter." Her voice was so full of emotion that I wondered if I had the wrong person.

I started a 'hello', but she hugged me like it was the only thing keeping her from breaking down. Deb may have a slender frame and a nice face, but she wasn't a cop because of her looks. I felt like she was trying to squeeze my organs out of my body.

I hugged her back and tried to avoid wheezing. "Are you okay?"

She sniffed, an uncharacteristic sound coming from her. "Fine."

We stayed like that for I don't know how long. My ribs began to creak from the strain.

"Uh, Deb?" I patted her shoulder at some attempt at comfort. "You're crushing my lungs."

She laughed. "Deal with it, bro." She squeezed harder and I thought I would vomit up my bear claw.

To my relief, she let me go.

"Damn, I'm glad you're here." She emphasized her enthusiasm with a punch to my arm.

That's my sister. At least I knew she still had the strength to bruise.

I groaned with melodramatic flair, rubbing my arm. "You have a very painful way of showing it."

Deb gave me a wide smile, something I hadn't seen since she heard Brian's so-called proposal. It was a welcome sight. I managed a real smile in return, a rare occurrence for me.

A nurse came up to us, interrupting our family moment. "Dexter Morgan?"

She was holding a clipboard, looking at me with a pen in her hand and a blank expression on her face.

I gave her my best dazzling smile.

My charm didn't phase her. She shoved the clipboard and pen into my hand. "Please fill out the following paperwork before you leave."

I kept the smile plastered to my face as she left. I turned back to Deborah to see she was scowling.

"Now do you see why I need to get the fuck out of here? The nurses here are like fucking zombies. The doctors aren't much better. Not to mention the smell." She pinched her nose. "They're suffocating me with this smog of Lysol."

"It's called cleanliness, Deb." I scribbled down random bits of information on the form given to me. "You can actually see their floor. Unlike yours."

She punched my arm again. "Fuck you, Mr. Neat Freak. You can be an OCD perfectionist, but that doesn't mean the rest of us have to."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

I didn't feel insulted by the remark. I took pride in being a neat monster. It was what Harry had taught me.

The thought of Harry made my stomach twist. I ignored it and smiled at my sister.

She snorted. "You would."

I finished the forms and passed it to the nurse as we exited the building.

The silence that followed wasn't like Deb. She didn't talk until we strapped ourselves in our seats and I put the key into the ignition.

She turned to me with a smile. "Thanks, Dex, for everything. I mean it. I'm glad I have you for a brother." The goofy look on her face faded and she frowned again. "But if you tell anyone I said that I'll kill you got it?" She held up a playful fist.

I winced. "Like anyone would believe me if I told them."

We both smiled again and I felt something. Something like love, but not. I grasped it, but it slipped from my fingers.

I tried to shake it off and addressed my sister. "Rita will be glad to see you're okay."

Deb frowned. "Are you sure she's okay with this?"

"She's the one who insisted on it. She says she's happy to let you stay there until you can get back on your feet."

Deb glanced through the window. "No offense to Rita, but why can't I stay at your place?"

I had expected this, but I still wish she hadn't asked. "It's safer at Rita's. He doesn't know where she lives. He knows where I live. Plus, he won't expect you to be at Rita's. You'll be altogether safer there."

"What about you? You were you the one that stopped him from fuckin' killing me in the first place." She glanced back at me. "You sure he won't want revenge?"

Since he was staying at my place, no. But Deb didn't need to know that.

"You're more important. You're the one he tried to kidnap, not me. He might try it again. You're the department's main priority right now."

She scowled. "Fuck them. You're the main priority too. Besides, their top concern should be bringing this motherfucker in, not babysitting me."

"It's only for a little while. A month at the most. Until they can catch Rudy-" Oops. And I had tried so hard to keep from mentioning it.

I glanced across at her.

Deb stared at the floor. "I-it's okay, Dex." I hadn't heard her voice shake like that since our father died. "I'm okay."

She was anything but okay. It was clear from the rare tears spilling from her eyes. I opened my mouth to protest, but she stopped me with a hand.

"So…" She took a deep breath. Putting on the face of the brave cop. So much like Harry.

"Catch this son of a bitch once and for all, okay? Can you promise me that?"

I couldn't respond. My brain was numb from the torrent of conflicting thoughts raging through my head. Again, fate had to make me decide. Deb or Brian. Foster sister or blood brother. Lie or truth. An impossible choice. I was fond of them both but in different ways. It may be selfish of me, but I wish I could have both.

I decided to lie. "I promise, Deb." It was for her own good.

To lighten the mood, I grabbed the box of donuts from the back seat and handed it to her. "Breakfast? But leave me a bear claw."

It seemed to console her as she wiped her tears on her sleeve and laughed, grabbing a maple bar from the box. I grinned.

We thought in silence on the way to Rita's, stopping at a coffee stand. One for me and Rita. Deb stated she couldn't look at coffee after that gruel she had tasted at the hospital.

It was a pretty smooth ride to Rita's. No honked horns, a rare feat in Miami. She was taking the trash out when we walked in.

"Decaf mochaccino. Nonfat, no whip. Your favorite." I handed her the coffee with a smile.

She gasped and embraced me with relief. "Dexter, Deb. Thank God you're both okay."

She released me and hugged Deb instead. "Are you all right?"

My sister seemed a bit surprised but returned it. "Yeah, I'm fine."

She held Deb at arm's length. "You poor thing. You've been through so much."

Deborah smiled. "It's fine, Rita. I'm doing okay. I'm sorry for imposing."

Rita was all cheer and soft smiles. "It's my pleasure. You and Dexter have helped me so much. I want to return the favor."

The kids came bounding into the living room and tackled me to the floor. "Dexter!"

"Hey!" I hugged them. "How are my favorite munchkins doing?"

Astor spoke first. "We're fine."

"We're playing ninjas!" Cody giggled while still attached to my leg.

I gestured to Deb. "Hey, why don't you go play with my sister Deb? She's a secret agent ninja."

Deb rolled her eyes.

Cody stared up at her in amazement. "Cool! Do you know any ninja moves?"

Deb smiled down at him. "Tons."

Cody grinned. "Can you teach us?"

She winked at me. "Sure. Come over here and I'll show you."

She took his hand, and led them into the living room, leaving me and Rita alone.

You wouldn't peg Deb as having a soft spot for kids from her rough personality. But I thought she had a certain maternal instinct deep down.

I turned to Rita. "I'm grateful for you doing this." I sipped my coffee. White chocolate mocha, my favorite.

She glanced over to where Deb, Cody, and Aster were practicing their martial arts. "She's brave. The way she maintains her calm, after all that's happened."

"Deb's strong. Like her father. Like my foster father." My lying foster father.

Rita glanced back at me. "You too. Are you sure you're okay?"

I took her hand in mine. "I'm fine, Rita"

Rita clenched my hand. "You could stay here too, Dexter. There's enough room for both of you. It's like you said on the phone, it's too dangerous at your apartment right now."

I shook my head. "I'll be fine after some extra time with you." I brushed some hair from her face. "And the kids."

She smiled. "I wish that psychopath wasn't out there. Makes me worry about you."

"The Ice Truck Killer's after Deb, not me. The police are right on his tail. I'm sure they'll find him soon." Another lie. This was becoming a bad habit.

"I hope you're right, Dexter."

I entrusted Deb to the care of Rita and the kids. I told her I'd come by the next day and drop off some clothes from her apartment. She told me "be fucking careful", though the kids weren't close enough to hear the swear, and hugged me goodbye. The kids got their goodbye hugs and Rita walked me to the door. We stopped on the front step and I turned to her.

"Next time, tell me when something's happening, all right?" She adjusted my collar with nervous hands. "You don't answer my calls." She smiled up at me. "I get worried."

"Of course." I kissed her forehead and waved goodbye.

As I walked to my car, a brief fluttering of wings rustled in my ear. A soft whisper from the Dark Passenger sent me on high alert. I took in my surroundings with silence, trying to find the source.

And I did, to my misfortune.

A few feet away, nestled in the driver's seat of a maroon Ford Taurus was a black, heavy muscled male with a police badge. His two piercing gray eyes drilled into mine.

Doakes.

He smiled at me. It wasn't a happy smile, but a dark one. A mirror image of my predator's one.

I frowned. The incident with my brother had aroused his suspicions at last. My devil had danced with his demon but the fiddler's tune wasn't close to over. I could imagine the look on his face if he found his missing murderer was my long lost blood relation. Or that Brian was using my apartment as his new base of operations. Would it be glee that he was correct or horror that the Ice Truck Killer was my brother? After that, it wouldn't take much to discover my murderous activities. And wouldn't that be an interesting reaction?

I didn't want to find out, so I took a deep breath and drove home, thoughts of my new stalker dancing in my head.

~o~

I closed the door to my apartment and leaned against it, exhausted. My heart was still pounding in my from the run in with Doakes. He had followed me all the way home, as I'd expected, but it didn't keep my heart rate from skyrocketing. I couldn't try to lose him, lest I stir up his paranoid fanaticism. The irony of it, instead of doing the stalking, my prey was stalking me. If this kept up, I wouldn't be able to have a second to myself. It made me wish he was a fit for Harry's Code. I could strap him to the table, my knife in hand. And with a flash of silver and neat slice-

"What's wrong?" Shit. I had forgotten Brian was staying with me.

I eyed my brother from my place at the door. He was sitting in my arm chair again, flipping through some files he must have gotten from my desk. It made me embarrassed since the files I kept there were those of potential victims. The kind of embarrassment a teenager feels when caught with Playboy magazines.

Brian had that smile as well. The one that said he'd been waiting all day for my reaction. But I wasn't in the mood. With concern for Deb's safety, Doakes shadowing me, and my brother's mind games, I set a timer for when my brain imploded.

So, my tone of voice was a bit harsher than I intended. "What do you think?"

"I think…" He seemed amused by my irritation. "Someone followed you."

I blinked.

He chuckled. "It's written all over your face, little brother." He looked up at me.

I flopped on the couch next to him. "Is it that obvious?"

He smiled that smug smile. I gazed in silence at the ceiling for a minute before he spoke again.

"So who was it?"

"Doakes." The name brought a bitter taste to my mouth.

"The police officer that hates your guts?" I wasn't going to ask how he knew that.

"With unyielding obsession."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Does he know?"

He meant my little playtime escapades.

"I always gave him 'the creeps'. The Ice Truck Killer case helped affirm his suspicions." The last few words I said with a hard undertone.

My brother was silent, but I could see he felt genuine guilt. Feelings again. My glare softened.

I decided to drop the accusations. "How am I going to kill anyone with Doakes on my back?"

It was amazing how comfortable Brian's presence could make me. For once, I could voice my doubts to someone without worrying that they'd call the police.

He paused, his dark eyes boring into mine. He placed the file on the table and leaned towards me with an air of absolute seriousness. "There is an easier way of ridding yourself of the problem, Dex."

That made me stiffen, aware the last time we had breached this subject, I had been close to chopping up my sister. This situation called for caution. I had forgotten how persuasive my brother could be.

My voice was on guard. "You know I can't do that."

His voice was pleasant, but his shadow snickered. "Then I guess you have to put up with it for a while."

He was mocking me, dangling a piece of meat in front of my eyes that he knew I couldn't eat.

I grit my teeth, but wouldn't give in. "That's the only other option? To wait?"

I knew what he would say, but I couldn't help but ask it.

His smile widened. "Your decision, Dex."

I knew it.

Silence. I was beginning to hate silence.

Then, my brother gave a soft chuckle and gestured to a six pack that I hadn't noticed sitting on the table between us. "On the bright side, little brother, I got some beer out to celebrate."

And like that, the tension lifted from the room. I felt my nerves settle a little.

I raised an eyebrow. "Celebrate what?"

He smiled and it was real this time. "Our family reunion of course!"

My mouth curved upwards in a return. Doakes could wait. For the moment. "…Pass one over here."

It was a bit hard to write this chapter since the last time I updated was so long ago. My writing's a bit rusty when it comes to characterizing Dexter and Brian. I'm not sure how to feel about it. But Brian, as always, was fun to write so I guess it wasn't all bad. Thanks for reading and reviews are appreciated!