Note: I just wanted to say how incredibly sorry I am for the very long
wait. I guess I got a little more busy than usual, and haven't really
thought about updating. But I finally said enough is enough, and finally
found some time to update because it's not fair to you guys to keep you
waiting and I again apologize for the long delay. I usually never take this
long to update a story, and I promise you I won't from now on. So here's
the next chapter, and I hope you all enjoy. Thanks!:-)
**
"Well, I'm off to work! Need anything before I go?"
Steve sighed and shifted his position on the couch. "Dad, for the millionth time, no, I'm fine. Now go."
"Oh come on, I haven't been bugging you that long, have I?"
"You mean, ever since you woke me up at six by checking my foot, and now in the past two hours have bugged me every two minutes? No dad, of course you haven't been bugging me. I would never think of you as the bugging type."
Mark quietly nodded and grabbed his jacket. "I'll uh, call you at lunch... Okay, okay. I'll talk to you later tonight at dinner," he replied, turning away from the glare coming from Steve's way.
"Bye, Dad."
Mark waved as he closed the door behind him, leaving Steve with a sigh of relief. "Finally. Okay, what shall I do today? Ah, maybe a little television," he stated to himself as he grabbed the tv guide and flipped through it. "Let's see.. Jerry Springer, News, Cartoons, The Dick Van Dyke Show, chick flicks... Ah well, I didn't want to watch tv anyway," he said throwing it back on the coffee table. "Hm. Maybe a little nap. After all, I didn't get as much sleep as I would have liked to. Ah, some fantastic four days this is going to be..." **
"Morning, Lacey!"
"Dr. Sloan, you expect me to get better, right?"
Mark looked slightly confused. "Well of course I do. Why do you ask?"
Lacey responded by taking her spoon and running it through a white substance in her bowl, then witnessing it as it traveled down her spoon and back into the bowl as runny as soup. "Does that answer your question?"
"Is that, uh, what- uh, well you know you need to keep up your strength so I expect you to eat uh... That."
"Do you even know what it is?"
"Uh, milk without the cereal?"
Lacey shook her head. "Oatmeal. The mystery is, I don't even see a single chunk in here that would represent an oat."
Mark examined it more closely and sighed. "I see your point. Look, I'll uh, get you some normal cereal in here and uh, throw this to the dogs out back."
"Why should we make them suffer?"
Mark grinned after he set aside the tray and directed his attention back on Lacey. "So, how are you feeling?"
"Better."
"No more strange dreams last night?"
Lacey hesitated a moment, soon hearing familiar words fill her head. "You disappointed me today, Lacey. You weren't supposed to tell anyone.Bomb planted at four tomorrow. I want you to call Lt. Sloan and tell him, but ONLY him."
Mark gave a confused look Lacey's way. "Lacey? Is something wrong?"
Lacey shook her head and cleared her throat. "Uh, no, nothing's wrong. Just tired I guess."
"Well no wonder. I'd be tired, too, after getting out of bed about three times yesterday and above all, stopping people, including my son, from being killed."
"Well I heard what you did. I think you were real brave for what you did."
"But it never would have happened if it weren't for you. I owe you a huge thanks," he replied, giving her a hug.
"Uh, sure, no problem."
"Well, I'll let you rest, and go find something decent for you to eat."
"Thanks Dr. Sloan."
"Hey, no problem!" he replied happily walking out of the room.
"Bomb at four. You will do it, understand?"
Lacey shook her head. "I don't know if I do..." **
"Lacey? Lacey, remember me?"
Lacey nodded, still halfway conscious. "Yes. You were here last night."
"And I hope you're not having any doubts. Are you? Just remember what will happen if you don't cooperate this time."
"I understand."
"Good. I thought you might. Now after you wake up it will be close to four. You remember what you must do, don't you?"
"Yes. Call Lt. Sloan, but only him... No police..."
"Very good. Now I'm going to leave and will be back later tonight. And you'd better pray that Steve Sloan is killed in that blast or least of all seriously injured from being there when the incident will happen... Or you will have to suffer the consequences my dear. Understood?"
"Yes. Must kill Steve Sloan."
"Very good, Lacey. That's very good." **
A while later, the phone was the only sound in the Sloan household other than the snoring of Steve, who was sprawled out on the couch in a light sleep.
As the phone kept ringing, Steve turned over and groaned. "Oh, dad. Bobby Reed is going to beat me up today, so I don't wanna go to school. I wanna sleep..."
The phone kept ringing, finally startling Steve so much that he suddenly flipped off the couch, making him cringe in pain from landing on his foot. He then sighed and made his way over to the phone, swearing a little on his way over. "Well, let's see what's so important dad, that you had to wake me this time."
He then picked up the phone and sighed. "Hello?"
"Mr. Sloan?"
Steve's interest was suddenly brought to the surface as soon as he heard a young girl's voice on the other end. "Yes? May I ask whom this is?"
"Uh, a friend. Look, I need you to meet me at the mall on twelve avenue right away. I have some info on a crime but I need us to be alone. So please, don't bring any cops. Just you. Meet me by the food court. I'll come to you."
"Wait a minute, who is-"
"I'm already here. Just please come."
The next thing he heard was a dial tone. He sighed and placed the phone back in its place and stood up. "Well, I've got nothing else better to do." **
Lacey sighed as she placed the phone back on its cradle. "I hope I'm doing the right thing." **
Steve parked his car in the mall parking lot twenty minutes later, and carefully got out, a crutch under each arm. "There, I can drive. It's not that bad."
"Hey, Sloan, what are you doing here?"
Steve turned to find one of his coworkers standing behind him and smiled. "Hey, John! I'm just uh, here to meet someone."
"Ah, a lady perhaps?"
"Uh, something like that."
"Man, even collecting them when you're down. How do you do it? The little poor-me-I-got-injured-in-the-line-of-duty sort of thing?"
"John, you... Well, let's just say you have a lot to learn about women, my friend."
"Well, how about you give me some pointers as we walk, or shall I say, hobble in together?"
"Uh, sure, I've got nothing else better to do."
They then walked up together near the entrance, only to be jolted back suddenly when then explosion hit them. As John went one way, Steve went another as he suddenly banged into a parked car then rolled off, soon tasting the blood in his mouth and soon letting the darkness overcome him.
TBC..
"Well, I'm off to work! Need anything before I go?"
Steve sighed and shifted his position on the couch. "Dad, for the millionth time, no, I'm fine. Now go."
"Oh come on, I haven't been bugging you that long, have I?"
"You mean, ever since you woke me up at six by checking my foot, and now in the past two hours have bugged me every two minutes? No dad, of course you haven't been bugging me. I would never think of you as the bugging type."
Mark quietly nodded and grabbed his jacket. "I'll uh, call you at lunch... Okay, okay. I'll talk to you later tonight at dinner," he replied, turning away from the glare coming from Steve's way.
"Bye, Dad."
Mark waved as he closed the door behind him, leaving Steve with a sigh of relief. "Finally. Okay, what shall I do today? Ah, maybe a little television," he stated to himself as he grabbed the tv guide and flipped through it. "Let's see.. Jerry Springer, News, Cartoons, The Dick Van Dyke Show, chick flicks... Ah well, I didn't want to watch tv anyway," he said throwing it back on the coffee table. "Hm. Maybe a little nap. After all, I didn't get as much sleep as I would have liked to. Ah, some fantastic four days this is going to be..." **
"Morning, Lacey!"
"Dr. Sloan, you expect me to get better, right?"
Mark looked slightly confused. "Well of course I do. Why do you ask?"
Lacey responded by taking her spoon and running it through a white substance in her bowl, then witnessing it as it traveled down her spoon and back into the bowl as runny as soup. "Does that answer your question?"
"Is that, uh, what- uh, well you know you need to keep up your strength so I expect you to eat uh... That."
"Do you even know what it is?"
"Uh, milk without the cereal?"
Lacey shook her head. "Oatmeal. The mystery is, I don't even see a single chunk in here that would represent an oat."
Mark examined it more closely and sighed. "I see your point. Look, I'll uh, get you some normal cereal in here and uh, throw this to the dogs out back."
"Why should we make them suffer?"
Mark grinned after he set aside the tray and directed his attention back on Lacey. "So, how are you feeling?"
"Better."
"No more strange dreams last night?"
Lacey hesitated a moment, soon hearing familiar words fill her head. "You disappointed me today, Lacey. You weren't supposed to tell anyone.Bomb planted at four tomorrow. I want you to call Lt. Sloan and tell him, but ONLY him."
Mark gave a confused look Lacey's way. "Lacey? Is something wrong?"
Lacey shook her head and cleared her throat. "Uh, no, nothing's wrong. Just tired I guess."
"Well no wonder. I'd be tired, too, after getting out of bed about three times yesterday and above all, stopping people, including my son, from being killed."
"Well I heard what you did. I think you were real brave for what you did."
"But it never would have happened if it weren't for you. I owe you a huge thanks," he replied, giving her a hug.
"Uh, sure, no problem."
"Well, I'll let you rest, and go find something decent for you to eat."
"Thanks Dr. Sloan."
"Hey, no problem!" he replied happily walking out of the room.
"Bomb at four. You will do it, understand?"
Lacey shook her head. "I don't know if I do..." **
"Lacey? Lacey, remember me?"
Lacey nodded, still halfway conscious. "Yes. You were here last night."
"And I hope you're not having any doubts. Are you? Just remember what will happen if you don't cooperate this time."
"I understand."
"Good. I thought you might. Now after you wake up it will be close to four. You remember what you must do, don't you?"
"Yes. Call Lt. Sloan, but only him... No police..."
"Very good. Now I'm going to leave and will be back later tonight. And you'd better pray that Steve Sloan is killed in that blast or least of all seriously injured from being there when the incident will happen... Or you will have to suffer the consequences my dear. Understood?"
"Yes. Must kill Steve Sloan."
"Very good, Lacey. That's very good." **
A while later, the phone was the only sound in the Sloan household other than the snoring of Steve, who was sprawled out on the couch in a light sleep.
As the phone kept ringing, Steve turned over and groaned. "Oh, dad. Bobby Reed is going to beat me up today, so I don't wanna go to school. I wanna sleep..."
The phone kept ringing, finally startling Steve so much that he suddenly flipped off the couch, making him cringe in pain from landing on his foot. He then sighed and made his way over to the phone, swearing a little on his way over. "Well, let's see what's so important dad, that you had to wake me this time."
He then picked up the phone and sighed. "Hello?"
"Mr. Sloan?"
Steve's interest was suddenly brought to the surface as soon as he heard a young girl's voice on the other end. "Yes? May I ask whom this is?"
"Uh, a friend. Look, I need you to meet me at the mall on twelve avenue right away. I have some info on a crime but I need us to be alone. So please, don't bring any cops. Just you. Meet me by the food court. I'll come to you."
"Wait a minute, who is-"
"I'm already here. Just please come."
The next thing he heard was a dial tone. He sighed and placed the phone back in its place and stood up. "Well, I've got nothing else better to do." **
Lacey sighed as she placed the phone back on its cradle. "I hope I'm doing the right thing." **
Steve parked his car in the mall parking lot twenty minutes later, and carefully got out, a crutch under each arm. "There, I can drive. It's not that bad."
"Hey, Sloan, what are you doing here?"
Steve turned to find one of his coworkers standing behind him and smiled. "Hey, John! I'm just uh, here to meet someone."
"Ah, a lady perhaps?"
"Uh, something like that."
"Man, even collecting them when you're down. How do you do it? The little poor-me-I-got-injured-in-the-line-of-duty sort of thing?"
"John, you... Well, let's just say you have a lot to learn about women, my friend."
"Well, how about you give me some pointers as we walk, or shall I say, hobble in together?"
"Uh, sure, I've got nothing else better to do."
They then walked up together near the entrance, only to be jolted back suddenly when then explosion hit them. As John went one way, Steve went another as he suddenly banged into a parked car then rolled off, soon tasting the blood in his mouth and soon letting the darkness overcome him.
TBC..