Mark stood there in a trance, hardly able to comprehend what was just told
to him. "I... I need to see... I-"
Amanda put a hand gently on Mark. "Uh, Mark, they're wheeling him to my lab probably as we speak so I can do an autopsy... So-"
"No! No autopsy," Mark said suddenly.
Amanda and Jesse looked a bit taken aback. "But Mark," Jesse spoke up, "don't you want to find out for certain how he died? I mean for all we know that crazy lunatic that blew up Bobs could have done something to kill Steve. We-"
"You're not going to cut up my son like he's some kind of..."
Mark trailed off and without a word walked off, leaving a devastated Amanda and Jesse behind. **
Meanwhile, someone learking in the shadows smiled to himself as he watched the sad drama before him. "Well, well. Looks like we have one down and three to go. And you Sloan, will be my very last victim. Because I always save the best for last..." **
Later that day, Amanda sighed as she pulled back the sheet only to see Steve lying there as pail as a ghost. She turned her head and quietly composed herself, then turning back around and throwing the sheet back over him.
"You have to do it sometime," Jesse said, entering quietly.
"How? How can I- I mean he was- I loved him so much, Jesse..."
"I know, I know. Come here," he said pulling her into a gentle embrace. "I loved him, too. But he's in a better place now. And he's not alone. He's with Carol and Katherine."
Amanda nodded and sniffed quietly. "I know. It's just not right..."
"I know. I-" he then noticed some nurses peeking into the lab, and made his way over to the windows, closing the blinds and door to ensure their privacy.
He then turned back around and saw Amanda starting to roll Steve into one of the refrigerator compartments that all bodies were kept in for a short while, and gasped. "Uh, Aman-"
"Hey, I didn't sign up to be a Popsicle here!"
Amanda laughed slightly as she heard Steve's voice come from under the blanket. "So what, I can't have a little fun?"
Steve sat up and glared at her. "Ha, ha. If this is the treatment I get when I'm really gone, then I request another paleontologist."
Jesse grinned. "Well at least we were convincing. We have to be with this guy."
Steve nodded. "Okay, so I'm dead. Now what?"
"Well, now we wait until he tries show himself or do something again, and we bait him!" Jesse said.
"And this was dad's idea, again?"
"Yup!" Mark said, making his way inside and shutting the door behind him. "I tell ya, I don't know what I'd do if you were really gone. Even just pretending is hard enough."
Steve sighed. "Dad-"
"I'm okay, son. Because now you're protected, so that's all that matters."
"Yeah, but how exactly are we going to do this? Am I just going to stay hidden forever?"
"No, just until we can catch this guy," Jesse stated.
"Mm, easy for you to say. You're not a walking dead guy."
"No, but that'd be awesome! Kind of like 'Night of the Living Dead!'"
Amanda gave Jesse a look. "Would you please be serious for once in your life?"
Jesse looked a bit uneasy. "I'm telling you, it's not looking so good right now."
Mark grinned. "Allright you two, we need to discuss some things now... And seriously," he said, giving a glance towards Jesse's direction.
Jesse held up his hands, with his mouth wide open. "Hey, I can be as serious as you want me to be! Just give me a minute or two..."
"Uh, anyway, where am I supposed to stay until this guy is caught?"
"Uh, in Arkansas with your uncle Stacey," Mark said.
Steve's eyes grew wide, as he jumped off the gurney. "With Stacey?! Dad, I am not going to stay with him, much less leave the state while you all are still at risk!!" "Look, Steve, it's the only safe place I could think of. It's either that or your aunt Dora."
Steve cringed. "No. I'm not staying with either one and that's final!"
"Young man, just this one time I would appreciate it if you would cooperate with me. I me-"
"Cooperate?! How much more could I be cooperating?! I'm making everyone think I'm dead for crying out loud!"
"Yes, but there's more involved with this plan and I-"
"Yeah, throwing me out of the state to stay with a soda shop owner or a crazy old-"
"Steve, I don't want to argue with you. I will throw you on that plane if I have to!"
"And I'd like to see you try!"
"Whoa, guys! Come on, chill out here!" Jesse said, stepping in. "I mean, we're trying to catch a killer and arguing isn't going to solve anything here!"
Steve sighed. "He's right, dad. I'm sorry."
Mark smiled. "I am too, son. It's just that I'm worried about you, you know?"
"I know, dad. But you have to realize that I'm an adult and can make my own decisions."
"Boy, don't I know it. It just seems like yesterday you were a teenager and we couldn't agree half the time because you thought you could make your own decisions."
"And he's still like that whenever we're working together at Bobs," Jesse replied.
"You mean, used to work at Bobs?" Amanda stated.
"Oh yeah. Thank god for that."
"Okay, what is this, pick on the dead guy time? Maybe you all would appreciate me more if I were really dead."
"Depends. What'd you leave me in your will?" Jesse replied.
Amanda smacked his arm suddenly. "Would you just keep your mouth shut from now on?!"
Mark held his hands up. "Okay, okay. As much as I hate to say it, we need to get moving along with our plan."
"Great," Steve agreed. "So where exactly am I staying?"
Everyone stayed silent for a few moments as they pondered the thought, and soon heard Amanda's voice breaking it with an idea. "Hey, aren't your neighbors, the Walker family, renting out their house for the summer?"
"That's right! That's a great idea, Amanda!" Mark replied.
"I think so, too," Steve broke in. "Now I'm far enough away to where he won't spot me, but close enough to keep an eye on you, dad."
"Steve-"
"AH!! Let's not start it, again," Jesse said.
"I agree," Mark responded, peeking through the blinds. "Allright, now it's not too busy at the moment, so if we were to sneak you out of here about now, than we should be okay."
"Okay, let's do it!" said Jesse. **
"So how was my funeral?"
Steve heard a sniffle on the other end of the phone line and then a broken up voice. "It was beautiful, man!"
"Jesse-"
"What?! Look, I'm just joshing' you. It was you know... A funeral. People were sappy."
"Sappy? Look, Jesse, I want to know is, was it believable?"
"Well, yeah. For a few times there I had to keep reminding myself that you weren't really dead. I mean even your dad... wow. He's a damn good actor, I'll tell you that right now. Boy, I'd hate to see how he acts at your real funeral."
"What, you think I'm not going to outlive my father or something?"
"Well, with as accident prone as you are..."
"Yeah, it's called being a cop, Jesse!"
"Yeah, but I've never seen just one cop get admitted to hospital as much as you."
Steve sighed. "Look, Jess, just be careful before you get admitted. Whether it'll be by me or this guy is the next question."
"Ha, ha, very funny, wise guy. What the- hang on, there's some punk kids yelling outside of my window again. I just wish for once they could hang out somewhere else..."
Steve waited patiently as he heard the phone bob up and down, followed by a window opening and Jesse's voice to go with it. "Hey!! I'm on a very important phone call here! How about some peace and- AHH!!!!"
Steve sat up straight when Jesse's scream followed by the phone dropping filled his ears. "Jesse?! Jesse, are you allright?! Jesse, talk to me!!"
He then listened in horror, as the only sound he heard was the phone line going dead.
TBC..
Amanda put a hand gently on Mark. "Uh, Mark, they're wheeling him to my lab probably as we speak so I can do an autopsy... So-"
"No! No autopsy," Mark said suddenly.
Amanda and Jesse looked a bit taken aback. "But Mark," Jesse spoke up, "don't you want to find out for certain how he died? I mean for all we know that crazy lunatic that blew up Bobs could have done something to kill Steve. We-"
"You're not going to cut up my son like he's some kind of..."
Mark trailed off and without a word walked off, leaving a devastated Amanda and Jesse behind. **
Meanwhile, someone learking in the shadows smiled to himself as he watched the sad drama before him. "Well, well. Looks like we have one down and three to go. And you Sloan, will be my very last victim. Because I always save the best for last..." **
Later that day, Amanda sighed as she pulled back the sheet only to see Steve lying there as pail as a ghost. She turned her head and quietly composed herself, then turning back around and throwing the sheet back over him.
"You have to do it sometime," Jesse said, entering quietly.
"How? How can I- I mean he was- I loved him so much, Jesse..."
"I know, I know. Come here," he said pulling her into a gentle embrace. "I loved him, too. But he's in a better place now. And he's not alone. He's with Carol and Katherine."
Amanda nodded and sniffed quietly. "I know. It's just not right..."
"I know. I-" he then noticed some nurses peeking into the lab, and made his way over to the windows, closing the blinds and door to ensure their privacy.
He then turned back around and saw Amanda starting to roll Steve into one of the refrigerator compartments that all bodies were kept in for a short while, and gasped. "Uh, Aman-"
"Hey, I didn't sign up to be a Popsicle here!"
Amanda laughed slightly as she heard Steve's voice come from under the blanket. "So what, I can't have a little fun?"
Steve sat up and glared at her. "Ha, ha. If this is the treatment I get when I'm really gone, then I request another paleontologist."
Jesse grinned. "Well at least we were convincing. We have to be with this guy."
Steve nodded. "Okay, so I'm dead. Now what?"
"Well, now we wait until he tries show himself or do something again, and we bait him!" Jesse said.
"And this was dad's idea, again?"
"Yup!" Mark said, making his way inside and shutting the door behind him. "I tell ya, I don't know what I'd do if you were really gone. Even just pretending is hard enough."
Steve sighed. "Dad-"
"I'm okay, son. Because now you're protected, so that's all that matters."
"Yeah, but how exactly are we going to do this? Am I just going to stay hidden forever?"
"No, just until we can catch this guy," Jesse stated.
"Mm, easy for you to say. You're not a walking dead guy."
"No, but that'd be awesome! Kind of like 'Night of the Living Dead!'"
Amanda gave Jesse a look. "Would you please be serious for once in your life?"
Jesse looked a bit uneasy. "I'm telling you, it's not looking so good right now."
Mark grinned. "Allright you two, we need to discuss some things now... And seriously," he said, giving a glance towards Jesse's direction.
Jesse held up his hands, with his mouth wide open. "Hey, I can be as serious as you want me to be! Just give me a minute or two..."
"Uh, anyway, where am I supposed to stay until this guy is caught?"
"Uh, in Arkansas with your uncle Stacey," Mark said.
Steve's eyes grew wide, as he jumped off the gurney. "With Stacey?! Dad, I am not going to stay with him, much less leave the state while you all are still at risk!!" "Look, Steve, it's the only safe place I could think of. It's either that or your aunt Dora."
Steve cringed. "No. I'm not staying with either one and that's final!"
"Young man, just this one time I would appreciate it if you would cooperate with me. I me-"
"Cooperate?! How much more could I be cooperating?! I'm making everyone think I'm dead for crying out loud!"
"Yes, but there's more involved with this plan and I-"
"Yeah, throwing me out of the state to stay with a soda shop owner or a crazy old-"
"Steve, I don't want to argue with you. I will throw you on that plane if I have to!"
"And I'd like to see you try!"
"Whoa, guys! Come on, chill out here!" Jesse said, stepping in. "I mean, we're trying to catch a killer and arguing isn't going to solve anything here!"
Steve sighed. "He's right, dad. I'm sorry."
Mark smiled. "I am too, son. It's just that I'm worried about you, you know?"
"I know, dad. But you have to realize that I'm an adult and can make my own decisions."
"Boy, don't I know it. It just seems like yesterday you were a teenager and we couldn't agree half the time because you thought you could make your own decisions."
"And he's still like that whenever we're working together at Bobs," Jesse replied.
"You mean, used to work at Bobs?" Amanda stated.
"Oh yeah. Thank god for that."
"Okay, what is this, pick on the dead guy time? Maybe you all would appreciate me more if I were really dead."
"Depends. What'd you leave me in your will?" Jesse replied.
Amanda smacked his arm suddenly. "Would you just keep your mouth shut from now on?!"
Mark held his hands up. "Okay, okay. As much as I hate to say it, we need to get moving along with our plan."
"Great," Steve agreed. "So where exactly am I staying?"
Everyone stayed silent for a few moments as they pondered the thought, and soon heard Amanda's voice breaking it with an idea. "Hey, aren't your neighbors, the Walker family, renting out their house for the summer?"
"That's right! That's a great idea, Amanda!" Mark replied.
"I think so, too," Steve broke in. "Now I'm far enough away to where he won't spot me, but close enough to keep an eye on you, dad."
"Steve-"
"AH!! Let's not start it, again," Jesse said.
"I agree," Mark responded, peeking through the blinds. "Allright, now it's not too busy at the moment, so if we were to sneak you out of here about now, than we should be okay."
"Okay, let's do it!" said Jesse. **
"So how was my funeral?"
Steve heard a sniffle on the other end of the phone line and then a broken up voice. "It was beautiful, man!"
"Jesse-"
"What?! Look, I'm just joshing' you. It was you know... A funeral. People were sappy."
"Sappy? Look, Jesse, I want to know is, was it believable?"
"Well, yeah. For a few times there I had to keep reminding myself that you weren't really dead. I mean even your dad... wow. He's a damn good actor, I'll tell you that right now. Boy, I'd hate to see how he acts at your real funeral."
"What, you think I'm not going to outlive my father or something?"
"Well, with as accident prone as you are..."
"Yeah, it's called being a cop, Jesse!"
"Yeah, but I've never seen just one cop get admitted to hospital as much as you."
Steve sighed. "Look, Jess, just be careful before you get admitted. Whether it'll be by me or this guy is the next question."
"Ha, ha, very funny, wise guy. What the- hang on, there's some punk kids yelling outside of my window again. I just wish for once they could hang out somewhere else..."
Steve waited patiently as he heard the phone bob up and down, followed by a window opening and Jesse's voice to go with it. "Hey!! I'm on a very important phone call here! How about some peace and- AHH!!!!"
Steve sat up straight when Jesse's scream followed by the phone dropping filled his ears. "Jesse?! Jesse, are you allright?! Jesse, talk to me!!"
He then listened in horror, as the only sound he heard was the phone line going dead.
TBC..
