Hello lovely readers! Bet you weren't expecting us.

After some deliberation and reader input, we decided that Ch. 18 was not a fitting ending, since none of the plot strings were resolved. Therefore, we have changed the break-up of our chapters and Ghost will continue! We apologize for any confusion, and hope you enjoy the rest of the story!

Chapter Summary: Toris takes Holly to the clinic with a little help from Matthew. Suspicions fly: Berwald and Tino contemplate why the dealer ended up in need of their care, Matthew considers a connection to the Beilschmidt murders, and Toris wonders what he's gotten himself into.

Ch. 19: No Time to Lose

Toris has been driving around the same block for twenty minutes, looking for the Clinic with no success. He'd fished through the victim's ripped jeans and found his wallet while he was unconscious. The guy's name is apparently Holly Nethers, an unfortunate name for an unfortunate guy. Toris is close to freaking out; this is bad, bad, bad. Bad enough to make him really scared. The man keeps drifting in and out, and when he finally stops the car on the side of the road Toris realizes he has to do something drastic, now. There are a couple of guys chatting in an alley. He gets out, heading for them.

Matthew looks up as soon as he hears the car door and footsteps. It would be just his luck to get caught in the middle of some trouble, just when he was getting these junkies to talk a little. But the man that's coming toward them looks panicked. Frightened. Of course, fear can make some people very dangerous. He stays put, letting the man come to them.

By the time Toris reaches the men, they're all looking at him very warily. Swallowing hard, he glances back toward the car. "Hey guys." He tries to sound casual, even though every last nerve in his body is freaking the fuck out. "I need to find the Clinic. It's supposed to be on this street."

"Fuck, man, you lookin' for the Good Doctor?" says a junkie, looking him up and down. There's blood on Toris' shirt, but no visible wounds. "You ain't out to cause trouble for the Doc, are ya?"

Toris' eyes widen, and he raises his hands in defense. "No! God, no! I really need his help. My friend, he-" He looks toward the car again. "He's really banged up, and I don't know what to do. I can't take him to the hospital, I can't take him anywhere else - please!"

Matthew's companions are zoning out again, pointing in vague directions that don't make much sense. Well, it's not like he was getting much from them anyway, and if someone needs help, that's more important. He vowed "to protect and serve," right? He snaps out of his dazed look and starts for the car, still a little wary. "Okay. I can take you there. It's a little farther up; there's a part where this street gets renamed, but Belmont starts again in another block."

Thank God. At least, Toris thinks this is a good thing. He half-runs toward the car, praying this guy isn't going to try to hold him up or steal his car, or hates Holly and tries to kill him. When he gets in, he reaches in the back to check the man's pulse. Holly opens his eyes. "Hey. We'll get you somewhere soon, alright? Okay?"

The pain is blocking out everything else, until Holly looks up and sees... Oh God... The guy. Matthew Kirk. He's sliding into the car, talking to the driver and telling him where to go. He opens his mouth, tries to speak, but he feels like his jaw isn't moving.

Mattie chances a glance back to see what they're dealing with. It takes him a moment to recognize Holly through the bruising, but when he does, he's instantly leaning out of his seatbelt, checking the pulse for himself and looking him over. He doesn't know why seeing him like this sends such a panic through him. It's almost like seeing Alfred back there. "Holly! What happened to you?"

Holly tries once again to speak, but the look in Mattie's eyes takes away all conscious thought. He forgot how blue they were. Gorgeous blue, like the sky might be, far away from the city.

Toris looks from one passenger to the other. Clearly, they know each other. That should be more cause for worry, but he shakes it off. "He got in with some bad people. Tell me where to go?" They need to get him somewhere, fast. The man looks so pained... Fuck. What did he get himself into? Is he going to be doing this forever? Be Ivan's body man?

Mattie gives himself a mental shake. Now is the time to concentrate if he wants to be useful. "Next right, then the big driveway on the left. See right there? It's the cleanest thing on the street; you can't miss it."

Toris pulls in and throws his car into park, half-afraid Holly has passed out again. He hasn't. He's too busy staring at their guest with wonder. "C'mon," he mumbles as he drags him from the car and tries to help him to his feet.

Mattie comes around the other side to help hold Holly up. He speaks gently to Holly as they help him stumble toward the door. "Hey, we've got you, it's okay."

Holly's eyes remain on Matthew. He doesn't want to let him go again, not when he's so close he can smell a warm, sweet scent in his hair, can feel him pressing close in a way that makes him feel at ease. He leans on Mattie, breathing him in, because he can barely understand what's happened to him, let alone how he wound up here.

Inside the clinic, Berwald is working alone. All but one of last night's patients are gone, and the only reason the last one stayed is because he was too weak to struggle. The others will probably be back here soon enough; it's an endless cycle. In fact, there's another car now. He can hear the doors, then footsteps. Time to get ready for a fresh round. He heads for the door and peers out from beneath the front light; he only turns it off when his clinic is so full he's sure he cannot help another person, no matter how he'd like to. "What's wrong?"

"He's hurt," says Toris, helping Holly up the step and into the building, holding him up as he stumbles. "I don't know how bad. I just-" He doesn't know how to finish that. "Brought him here." Holly swerves, but he manages to drag him inside with help from the junkie.

Bernie grunts in acknowledgement, wishing he had Tino to help him with a stretcher. For now any thoughts of the nurse must be shoved to the back of his mind. There's work to do. He leads the way to one of the freshly cleaned patient beds, leaving the strangers to set Holly on it while he gets his equipment together. He pushes the fact that Holly is a friend of sorts into the same part of his brain Tino is occupying; it's getting rather crowded there. As soon as he has nothing to think about, this will be one hell of a headache.

Holly is flopped onto something cool and soft. His bed? No. Someone's, not his. A moment later he sees Bernie's face above him, partially covered by a medical mask. Oh. That makes more sense. Somebody brought him to the clinic. Is it that bad? He can't tell anymore.

Matthew has never met 'the Good Doctor' himself, but he's heard enough about him to respect the fact that he's in the man's presence. There's an unspoken agreement at the station to leave the 'charity house' alone, and ignore any incongruity in their activities. Mr. - Dr. Oxenstierna seems to do a hell of a lot more good than the police, despite his less than legal practice. Mattie helps Holly settle onto the bed, carefully peeling away his long coat. It reminds him of that prostitute, Francis. He never did get his coat back.

Mask and gloves in place, Berwald shoos away the strangers, mentally cataloging their faces. Most of the time he sees the same group of people coming around, taking turns as patient and driver, so the newcomers stand out. It's unlikely this will be their last visit. "Holly. Need ya t'stay awake. S'gonna hurt a bit, but I'm all stocked so I might give y'meds t'help. Y'on anything? Tell the truth."

Holly was hung over when he got up this afternoon. Well, he didn't get up. He was taken up. Someone dragged him out in his sleep pants and t-shirt, then threw him in the trunk of some car. He didn't have time to take anything to dull the pain. Shaking his head slowly, he lets his head fall back and tries to concentrate on seeing one of everything instead of two or three. His vision has been blurring in and out.

Out in the front room, Matthew and the driver are pointedly observing one another without actually looking. Mattie is worried about Holly, far more than he should be for someone who is really just a stranger. The man looked like he'd been beaten pretty badly; must've gotten into a fight with another dealer - or someone else entirely. Someone looking for information, or looking to cover up information? He takes a closer look at the driver who is, after all, covered in the drug dealer's blood. The man's hands are shaking. He doesn't seem the type to do this; doesn't look like he has the strength for blows like that. "Hey. You...you did good, to help him."

Toris whips his head up to look at the man he's been trying to ignore all night. Truth is, he's far too clean to be a junkie like he's pretending. It doesn't matter how low he makes himself look, it's clear he's not interested in getting high; which means he's dealing with a poseur or a cop. With his luck, it's the latter. "Thanks. I... Thank you." He doesn't know what else to say. He doesn't want to say anything at all. He's too damn scared. All he keeps thinking is: "Why did I do this? Why didn't I just let things stay as they were?"

Mattie nods. "No problem." There is another space of silence, which he uses to look around the clinic itself. There's a hallway leading to the front door, then a living/dining area connected to an open kitchen. Behind him are a roped-off staircase and the hallway to the patient rooms. That hall has been tiled over and painted white, looking very much like a hospital - though that may just be the overpowering smell of antiseptic. The walls around the waiting room are filled with pictures of a happy family: the doctor, his husband, and a child. There are no signs that a child ever lived here, however. He wasn't around when the clinic opened, but the fact that the older officers don't talk about it says enough. That's enough wondering for one day. He holds out his hand to the driver. "Um, I'm Matthew, by the way."

"Ah- Toris." Toris shakes the man's hand, trying to think of something to say. "Um. Thanks for helping me get here. I had no idea what I was doing, and I really needed to..." He swallows and looks toward the examining room, half-afraid that the man he was supposed to get rid of is... actually gotten rid of.

That name is familiar, and something about the man is too. Mattie doesn't usually forget faces, so he doesn't think they've actually met, but then it hits him. He's seen the man pictured alongside the bar owner in a case file. "You work at the bar, don't you?"

"Yeah." Toris sits back, looking the guy over. "I'm sorry, are you a regular? I'm not really good with faces." He's lying through his teeth. If he's good with anything, it's people.

"No, I went in a couple of times. Haven't been since the owner changed," says Matthew, smooth as he can.

Toris breathes in, something about this whole situation making his instincts tingle. Either this is one coherent junkie, or someone's watching Ivan and the whole bar with him. He decides to test a theory. "I wasn't at the bar before the owner changed. Mostly in the stock room." In his pocket, his phone buzzes. He yanks it out, smiling at the sight of the name.

xoFeliksxo: Coming aftr work 2night?

Toris: soon as I can 3

"Must've been on a busy night, then." Mattie frowns, beginning to wonder if Toris is hiding something. Could that triple homicide have been an inside job? Maybe Braginski gave Toris a better offer, in exchange for taking out Hans Beilschmidt and anyone else in the way. Something about it doesn't add up, but he'll tell the chief they need to have eyes on this one. Toris is smiling now, though, and it really brightens the man's whole face.

xoFeliksxo: Good bc i miss u. *kisses*

Toris: *kisses*

"Maybe." Toris puts the phone back in his pocket and turns back to Matthew, not really looking at him but not ignoring him either. "You must know him. You knew him right off. Is he a good guy?"

The sudden change in topic throws Mattie, and it takes him a moment to catch up. "I...well, I don't know him, really. He's just my dealer." A good guy? He wonders that himself. Holly didn't seem to be particularly cruel or wicked, but good? Can a drug dealer be a good guy? Alfred would say no; Al's always had a black and white moral sense. Police are the heroes, dealers are the bad guys. Mattie was the same way for a while. Now that he's been out in the field he's not so sure the difference between good and evil is so easy to spot - if there really is a difference at all.

"S'alright."

Both Mattie and Toris jump, turning to see the Good Doctor loom out of the hallway behind them. Berwald continues, apparently unfazed by their fright. "S'banged up. Couple of broken ribs, lots of bruises and cuts, so some stitches, but it could've be worse. Thanks for takin' him here. S'...a friend."

Toris nods and stands slowly, not sure what else to do. Should he leave? Would that look suspicious? "Is he okay to stay? I don't know where he lives or anything."

Berwald raises an eyebrow. Clearly the man is new to this; otherwise he would've dropped the stranger on his doorstep and driven off without a word or a care. "'Course. Wouldn't let him leave now anyway." He eyes the blood on Toris' shirt. "Y'alright? Hurt? Y'don't have t'pay, if y're worried."

"No, no, I wasn't..." Involved? Is that the right word? "…involved." It seems to work, and he steps back out of the doctor's shadow. "It's just, I have to go, and I didn't know what to do."

It almost seems like the man's on something, the way he's tripping over his words. Bernie narrows his eyes. Junkies are fine, he can't change their habits so he lets them be. But he does not allow anyone who isn't completely sober to leave his clinic with car keys in their hand. He stares hard at the man. The doctor is an intimidating figure when he's not trying; when he makes this face, even the hardest thugs tend to cower. "Y'high? Y'can walk if y're high. Leave y're keys in the safe and come back tomorrow."

"God no!" Toris shouts. "I don't touch the stuff!" He steps back, half-cowering under the weight of the doctor's eyes. He's terrifying. In fact, he's more terrifying than Ivan at this moment. Ivan... Shit. "I just - I have to go."

"Don't lie!" Bernie growls. There are two things that get him angry. Mattias (with Tino, hurting Tino, hurting Lukas, still after Tino), and people who drive when they shouldn't. Having to deal with both in a matter of days is putting his patience to the test.

Mattie steps between them. "S-sir! He's not lying! He drove over, and he was fine!" He's very good at telling when a person isn't in their right mind. Toris is frightened, but all there.

"I'm not high!" Toris pulls up his sleeves and turns his hands over, showing off the lack of track marks or stains on his fingers. "I don't do that stuff, I swear! You can test me! But I'm sorry, I need to get out of here. My boss will kill me if I stick around here with a-" Cop. He breaks off before he says it, half looking toward Matthew, not really sure how to get out of this. "And my boyfriend, I need to—"

Tino pushes through the back door, dropping more supplies on the dining room table and calling out for Bernie until he reaches the waiting room. "I'm so sorry, I got held over, I- Toris?!" He freezes. The poor guy looks positively petrified under Bernie's gaze. "Oh My God, is everything okay? Is it Feliks?"

Toris looks up fast, thanking heaven that the face he sees is a familiar one. He'd forgotten Tino volunteered here sometimes. "No, no, it's something else. I need to see Feliks, though."

"Go!" He whips out his phone, texting a nurse on duty. "Mona will get you past security."

Mattie has no idea what's going on anymore. He backs off and just watches, hoping he'll get the chance to text Alfred about this little incident. He wants to see Holly, too. He needs to know that he's okay. Plus, it's easier to get information out of people when they're not thinking straight. He should be focused on the second one.

Berwald pushes the glasses back up his nose, watching the driver practically flee his house. "Who?" He asks once the commotion has died down.

"Toris," says Tino. "I've told you about Feliks, right? My favorite patient? That's his boyfriend." Pocketing the phone, he looks toward the other guy, who kind of looks like a junkie twink. "You high?"

Matthew is quite tempted to answer yes. But he really wants to talk to Holly. "No. Can I see Holly? He was...he's been good to me, I guess."

"Who?" Tino looks up at Bernie, waiting for a clue-in.

"Came in with Holly," says Berwald. His stare turns to their other guest. "Y'hurt?"

Mattie shakes his head, backing up just a little under the intense gaze. "No. I was talking to some...acquaintances. Toris was asking for directions. I brought him here." He takes a breath, trying to regain his full composure. "May I see Holly?"

The doctor's eyes narrow. There's something just a tad off about this. However, he's not one to ask too many questions. If Holly owes someone drugs or money, that's his business. Bernie can only keep the dealer safe while he remains in his 'sanctuary.' "There're rules. No weapons, no fights, no business. Y'can see him later if he owes y'somethin'. S'not got much on him now, anyway."

"That's not what I meant! I just...oh maple. I'm worried about him. He seems like...like a good guy." It's the best Mattie can come up with, and he ends up muttering it to the floor with a heavy blush.

Tino raises his eyebrows. "If you have a chart back there, I'll just go check him?" He thumbs toward the examining room, wanting to stay out of the way.

The blush on Mattie's face is almost enough to make Bernie smile. Most of Holly's followers are infatuated with the drugs, not the dealer himself. "Go ahead, Tino. Take this one with y'. Y'can keep an eye on 'im. I'll make food; y'look tired."

Tino smiles a little. "I'm fine! You don't have to!" But Bernie's already headed for the kitchen. Ah well. Time to focus on the junkie, who is blushing and taking surreptitious glances toward the patient rooms. "You want some water? You look like you've had a shock."

Tino stops to offer the man a little paper cup of water from the sink before he leads him into the examining room. It's only then the who of the situation really registers. Holly! His eyes widen at the sight of him so banged up, bare-chested and littered with bruises. It looks like Bernie had to stitch him up in at least a half-dozen places, although his tattoos are intact. Too intact: like someone worked around them. At least he seems to be sleeping well enough.

"I wish I knew what happened to him," says Matthew. "You think someone tried to rob him? He doesn't have his stash."

Tino's eyes narrow as he steps toward the man on the bed, looking him over slowly. The cuts are exact; some of them literally outline the tattoos. There's also that tell-tale bruising on the chin from a pipe. "This wasn't a mugging."

"Then what...?" Mattie takes a step closer. It takes him a moment to make out the mark, but once he does understanding comes quickly. He cannot act like he knows Ivan Braginski's signature, however, and he wants to see what the nurse will do with all of this. Alfred, I hope you know what you're doing over there.

"It looks to me, in my honest medical and personal opinion, like your friend got in with the wrong people. So I highly suggest that you let him know that, as his friend, you'd rather not see him dead," says Tino. He checks the pipe-shaped bruise again and makes a note of it on the chart.

"We..." aren't friends. That's what Mattie is supposed to say. What comes out is different. "Okay." There's a moment of silence as he stares down at the broken drug dealer who is, quite suddenly, his friend. "Hey, you don't think this has anything to do with Gilbert, do you? I mean, I know Holly knew him."

"God knows." Tino shrugs, moving back toward the powder room to wash his hands and put on latex gloves. He knows Bernie took care of this guy, but he wants to make absolutely sure that he caught everything. They always double-check each other. "Given your friend's line of work, and the... whatever it is going on between the gangs in this town, I'd say he just got caught in the middle of Drugs versus Guns. That's apparently the latest."

Mattie files the conversation away. The clinic folks seem like a good resource, as long as he doesn't push the wrong buttons. They probably have a clearer view of things than they realize. "Can I stay here?" For research. That's what he'll be telling Vosh and his partners, anyway.

Tino raises an eyebrow, looking toward the man and finding him slightly red in the face. "You can. But if you try to strangle him in his sleep or rob our supplies, we're kicking you out and banning you. That's the rule."

"I promise," says Matthew. "I just want to sit." And listen, watch, wait. Eventually he'll put this together. He just hopes he manages to figure things out before it's too late and a full-blown gang war breaks out.