Part 13
George nods weakly. "I will do it. " He says softly. "I probably am infected anyway." He mumbles not meaning to say it outloud. He is frightening, and feels almost about to cry again. This has left his nerves, all on edge.
Grace looks at him. "You said that out loud, you know."
He frowns. He is unsure how to respond. Sam puts her arm around him, and whispers. "Its okay, George. None of think that you were infected, you shouldn't think that." He backs away from her.
"I agree with Sam, I don't think you were. I think he was affected after you two broke up!"Her beeper goes off. "Your results just came in, we shall see whose right." She hurries off.
"Why do you think you're infected?" Bailey asks, he sits across from George at the table.
"Because I am an idiot.Because I didn't use a condom with Rich. I heard rumors about his affairs, but didn't heed them, and I loved him." he mumbles angrily. "And last night I slept with someone else, and you're going to kill me now, because I am an idiot!I loved Rich, and I still love him, and I can't believe hes doing this, but I know he is deep down.I hate myself for being such an idiot !And you're going to kill me" He puts his head in his hands.
"Why would Bailey kill you?" Sam asks, concerned. She is confused by this, Bailey wouldn't kill him over this would he. She can't imagine what George is feeling, no matter how hard, she tries, it is too hard for her. He have a million things to deal with. And no matter how hard she tries she can not put herself in his shoes, she doesn't even know where to begin, to imagine how hard it would be to imagine you put someone in the postion where they die a painful and agonizing death.How it was to know a loved one, commited an ultimate betrayal, and given you a life sentence, a short one at that, for doing this.
"I am not going to kill you, Georgie." Bailey says, he is about to lose his anger. He know he shouldn't, but why would George think he would kill him.
"You will, because I didn't know about this before, and I slept with someone last night, and you're...." he stops he can't say anything else.
"You slept with someone, okay, its good that you have started a new relationship, and I am sure if you were infected, you can easily explain it to the person. Tell them you made a mistake, and that you are sorry. I know you are. I won't kill you for being human. Why would I kill you?" He knows the younger man needs comfort, but this is an uncomfortable situation. His mind begins to think about why he would kill George over this. Was the person someone he knew? George was gay, so it couldn't be anyone in his daughters, -or- his ex-wife, -or- any of his previous girlfriends, it just couldn't be.
"It was frances." He mumbles.
"What was that?" Sam asks.
"I slept with Frances last night!" George mumbles louder.
"Frances? My Frances?" Bailey questions.He must have heard incorrectly. George gives a weak nod.
"You what?!? You possible infected my eighteen year old daughter with AIDS!! SHe's 18!!! And You're suppose to be GAY!!! And you slept with MY 18 year old DAUGHTER!!! You're suppose to be GAY!!! And now you have gone STRAIGHT!! With my 18 year old daughter!!! She has Her WHOLE LIFE AHEAD OF HER, AND YOU POSSIBLY INFECTED HER WITH THE AIDS VIRUS!!!" Bailey screams, jumping up from his chair. A million thoughts running through his mind. Most importantly, "How could he do this to me, to Frances, what kind of monster would do that?," not realizing it wouldn't have been intinial if George had infected Frances.
"I'm sorry. " George answers, sounding frightened. "I was going to tell you, but then this happened, and I didn't have time to tell you, and I knew it was too late to ask if I can see her. I really screwed up." He starts to cry.
"Bailey, you are overreacting." Sam tells Bailey. She tries to comfort George again, he allows her to put her shoulder around him this time. She brings him into a small hug, for a few seconds, but he pulls away again.
"BUT YOU'RE...." Bailey starts.
"Bailey, don't scream at him! I think he should be able to try the straight life, again, if he is ready, especially since he is clean!!" Grace says walking in. "You're going to have a heartattack, if you keep yelling like that.You had no need to yell at him, hes under a lot of stress right now. Between you and Rich and everything, I am suprised if he decides to give up dating all together!"
"I am sorry, for losing my temper, George." Bailey says more calmly. He realizes how much of a wreck George must be in right now. It hits him, Grace had metioned the straight life again, he begins to wonder what it means, but he keeps his distance from it for now. He will ask George later, now is most definetly not the right time, especially when George needed support right now, and probably had not needed the screaming he had just gotten from Malone.
"I really am sorry about that, its my own fault, I should have been more careful with Rich, and less trusting of him...and.." He can't finish. He continues to cry into his hands.Bailey had every right to scream at him, he was an idiot, and had really messed up. Then something hits him. "did you say I was clean, Grace?" he asks quietly.
She walks towards him,kneels beside and pulls him into a tight akward hug, where he can't squirm out, and is almost halfway out of his chair. "You are clean, honey, the test was negative." She puts the paper in his hands. He pulls his hands away from his face, and reads over it six times before it hits him. He lays still in her arms for a second, trying to compose himself. "I love you, Grace!" he murmurs. He was free, he couldn't believe it, it was hard to believe.
" I know you do honey." He pulls himself out of her embrace, sitting straight in the chair.
Samantha hands him a tissue. He nods, and accepts it, and wipes his face off. It has been a long day, so many emotions running through his head, and he feels drained, but he felt a calm reassurance walks over him. He would almost child himself for being silly eariler, but in a way he had not been silly. He really had needed to cry, it just took this to get the floodgates open, he had been trying to hold back his feelings, and pretend to be perfectly alright, after Rich had yelled at him, George didn't give him enough attention, and he was running off to live with the Italian dancer. He had missed Rich, and it broke his heart, almost as much as it had when an hour before he was to get wed five years ago, he was informed, his fiance had been blown up in a car bomb explosion. George always tried to bottle up his emotions, everyone had enough problems, he could not bear to make anyone else's life more complicated.. In a way he was thankful for days like these, when he was find the breaking point, and was able to let himself be affected by things, which he should have let out months ago.
A calm silence fills the command center for a few minutes, as Grace, Bailey, and Sam give George hugs that he has seemed to have badly needed since this whole thing broke out, almost an hour and a half ago. "We still have someone to catch." Bailey says softly,patting George's shoulder. "Would you still like to help us catch Rich, We can find a way to make sure he doesn't infect you If not, an if you are more comfortable, I can take you off the case.."
George takes a deep breath. "I want to stay on, and I know a way you can make sure I don't get infected." He says, as Malcolm and John slip back into the command center from their investigation of the jewish museum.
(more to come)
George nods weakly. "I will do it. " He says softly. "I probably am infected anyway." He mumbles not meaning to say it outloud. He is frightening, and feels almost about to cry again. This has left his nerves, all on edge.
Grace looks at him. "You said that out loud, you know."
He frowns. He is unsure how to respond. Sam puts her arm around him, and whispers. "Its okay, George. None of think that you were infected, you shouldn't think that." He backs away from her.
"I agree with Sam, I don't think you were. I think he was affected after you two broke up!"Her beeper goes off. "Your results just came in, we shall see whose right." She hurries off.
"Why do you think you're infected?" Bailey asks, he sits across from George at the table.
"Because I am an idiot.Because I didn't use a condom with Rich. I heard rumors about his affairs, but didn't heed them, and I loved him." he mumbles angrily. "And last night I slept with someone else, and you're going to kill me now, because I am an idiot!I loved Rich, and I still love him, and I can't believe hes doing this, but I know he is deep down.I hate myself for being such an idiot !And you're going to kill me" He puts his head in his hands.
"Why would Bailey kill you?" Sam asks, concerned. She is confused by this, Bailey wouldn't kill him over this would he. She can't imagine what George is feeling, no matter how hard, she tries, it is too hard for her. He have a million things to deal with. And no matter how hard she tries she can not put herself in his shoes, she doesn't even know where to begin, to imagine how hard it would be to imagine you put someone in the postion where they die a painful and agonizing death.How it was to know a loved one, commited an ultimate betrayal, and given you a life sentence, a short one at that, for doing this.
"I am not going to kill you, Georgie." Bailey says, he is about to lose his anger. He know he shouldn't, but why would George think he would kill him.
"You will, because I didn't know about this before, and I slept with someone last night, and you're...." he stops he can't say anything else.
"You slept with someone, okay, its good that you have started a new relationship, and I am sure if you were infected, you can easily explain it to the person. Tell them you made a mistake, and that you are sorry. I know you are. I won't kill you for being human. Why would I kill you?" He knows the younger man needs comfort, but this is an uncomfortable situation. His mind begins to think about why he would kill George over this. Was the person someone he knew? George was gay, so it couldn't be anyone in his daughters, -or- his ex-wife, -or- any of his previous girlfriends, it just couldn't be.
"It was frances." He mumbles.
"What was that?" Sam asks.
"I slept with Frances last night!" George mumbles louder.
"Frances? My Frances?" Bailey questions.He must have heard incorrectly. George gives a weak nod.
"You what?!? You possible infected my eighteen year old daughter with AIDS!! SHe's 18!!! And You're suppose to be GAY!!! And you slept with MY 18 year old DAUGHTER!!! You're suppose to be GAY!!! And now you have gone STRAIGHT!! With my 18 year old daughter!!! She has Her WHOLE LIFE AHEAD OF HER, AND YOU POSSIBLY INFECTED HER WITH THE AIDS VIRUS!!!" Bailey screams, jumping up from his chair. A million thoughts running through his mind. Most importantly, "How could he do this to me, to Frances, what kind of monster would do that?," not realizing it wouldn't have been intinial if George had infected Frances.
"I'm sorry. " George answers, sounding frightened. "I was going to tell you, but then this happened, and I didn't have time to tell you, and I knew it was too late to ask if I can see her. I really screwed up." He starts to cry.
"Bailey, you are overreacting." Sam tells Bailey. She tries to comfort George again, he allows her to put her shoulder around him this time. She brings him into a small hug, for a few seconds, but he pulls away again.
"BUT YOU'RE...." Bailey starts.
"Bailey, don't scream at him! I think he should be able to try the straight life, again, if he is ready, especially since he is clean!!" Grace says walking in. "You're going to have a heartattack, if you keep yelling like that.You had no need to yell at him, hes under a lot of stress right now. Between you and Rich and everything, I am suprised if he decides to give up dating all together!"
"I am sorry, for losing my temper, George." Bailey says more calmly. He realizes how much of a wreck George must be in right now. It hits him, Grace had metioned the straight life again, he begins to wonder what it means, but he keeps his distance from it for now. He will ask George later, now is most definetly not the right time, especially when George needed support right now, and probably had not needed the screaming he had just gotten from Malone.
"I really am sorry about that, its my own fault, I should have been more careful with Rich, and less trusting of him...and.." He can't finish. He continues to cry into his hands.Bailey had every right to scream at him, he was an idiot, and had really messed up. Then something hits him. "did you say I was clean, Grace?" he asks quietly.
She walks towards him,kneels beside and pulls him into a tight akward hug, where he can't squirm out, and is almost halfway out of his chair. "You are clean, honey, the test was negative." She puts the paper in his hands. He pulls his hands away from his face, and reads over it six times before it hits him. He lays still in her arms for a second, trying to compose himself. "I love you, Grace!" he murmurs. He was free, he couldn't believe it, it was hard to believe.
" I know you do honey." He pulls himself out of her embrace, sitting straight in the chair.
Samantha hands him a tissue. He nods, and accepts it, and wipes his face off. It has been a long day, so many emotions running through his head, and he feels drained, but he felt a calm reassurance walks over him. He would almost child himself for being silly eariler, but in a way he had not been silly. He really had needed to cry, it just took this to get the floodgates open, he had been trying to hold back his feelings, and pretend to be perfectly alright, after Rich had yelled at him, George didn't give him enough attention, and he was running off to live with the Italian dancer. He had missed Rich, and it broke his heart, almost as much as it had when an hour before he was to get wed five years ago, he was informed, his fiance had been blown up in a car bomb explosion. George always tried to bottle up his emotions, everyone had enough problems, he could not bear to make anyone else's life more complicated.. In a way he was thankful for days like these, when he was find the breaking point, and was able to let himself be affected by things, which he should have let out months ago.
A calm silence fills the command center for a few minutes, as Grace, Bailey, and Sam give George hugs that he has seemed to have badly needed since this whole thing broke out, almost an hour and a half ago. "We still have someone to catch." Bailey says softly,patting George's shoulder. "Would you still like to help us catch Rich, We can find a way to make sure he doesn't infect you If not, an if you are more comfortable, I can take you off the case.."
George takes a deep breath. "I want to stay on, and I know a way you can make sure I don't get infected." He says, as Malcolm and John slip back into the command center from their investigation of the jewish museum.
(more to come)