They were standing outside the airport next morning. Ray had gotten their
hotel number and had called as soon as he'd gotten reservations, and told
them what flight he'd be taking. He was arriving with the 9 a.m. flight.
Barry and Helen had rented a car so they could drive him to the hospital to
see Julie directly.
They were going to drive her home that day anyway. She was being released from the hospital, on her own demands, and Charlotte Lane had made it happen. Helen was thankful the red haired woman had been there, she herself hated hospitals and the staff - they always made everything harder then it should be.
Barry was on his third cup of coffee as they waited in the arrival hall to see Ray. He had been up all night, watching over Helen. He couldn't sleep even if he'd tried. The trashed hotel room was too much of a co-incident to not be linked to his attack.
He glanced at Helen next to him. She'd slept but she'd been having nightmares all night, he'd woken her up every thirty minutes or so. He started to wish they'd never gone to Boston.
"Barry."
The sweet voice yanked him out of his train of thoughts. "Yeah." He looked down on Helen.
"I need go to the bathroom. All that coffee. Can you wait here?"
Barry pulled her closer and gave her head a kiss. "I won't move a muscle." He promised and she smiled.
"Not even blinking?" She joked.
He grinned thougthful. "Well...I'll try but if my eyeballs start itching I can't make any promises in stone."
"Okay, I guess that'll have to do. I'll be back in a sec."
He watched her disappear in the crowd of people and then turned his eyes back to the gate were they expected Ray to come from. He squinted. It wasn't a lot of people there and Ray's flight wasn't scheduled to arrive until another five minutes, but you never knew. He sipped his coffee and kept a watchful eye at the moving crowd.
****
Helen glanced at her wrist watch, standing in the line of the bathroom. It seemed to take forever. Was every woman in the building standing here just to spite her? The line only seemed to be growing in all kinds of ways, not shrinking. She sighed and glanced around. There had to be another bathroom.
She moved away from the line, looking around. The mens seemed to be just as occupied as the womens to her surprise. She wanted to be in time to greet Ray welcome. It had been a long time since she'd seen him. She wondered what he looked like, as she moved down by the little shops with candy and liquor.
She spotted a janitor, picking up a great assortment of different plastic cups from the floor. They lay moshed together with two tipped over buckets of KFC. Helen did a face of disgust. Poor man, there had probably been a not to happy childrens family there. The mess certainly interpreted that.
She moved up to him. "Excuse me sir." She said with a kind smile and he straightened his back. "Do you know were there's a bathroom?"
He gave her a pensive look. "I know you." He said and Helen frowned. She'd never seen the man before in her life. But he seemed quite sure of it, waving his finger at her. "Yes, it's you. From tv. You read the news."
"Oh." Helen smiled. "Yes. I do." She nodded a little. "I don't want to be rude, but I'm in a hurry and I need a bathroom." She tilted her head the way she usually did when she wanted to persudade someone into something, and wrinkled her nose ever so slightly.
The man melted directly. "Oh yes, yes. Of course." He turned halfways pointing at a corner right by some benches. "Take left over there. There are bathrooms right there."
"Thank you." Helen said and moved away from him, she heard him mumbled something about amazing and celebrities but she didn't take time to stay and listen to anything else he might have to say. She didn't consider herself a celebrity.
The bathrooms were empty to her surprise. Apperantly no one else had thought of the idea to go to another bathroom then the one by the arrivals. She shook her head a little and found an empty stall.
When she closed the door behind her she heard a noise. It was like a thud but also a scratch, like a squeaky scratch on a ballon. She frowned but just figured it was some child who was in there.
Then a note was passed under the door and she hesitated in her moves before she leaned down and picked it up. It was blank on the upper side but she could see there was something written on the inside, so she unfolded it, hearing the bells of alarm in the back of her head.
"What ever you do. Don't look up." She read loud and crinkled her eyebrows. "What?" She snorted and then looked up anyway. She didn't see what it was but something big came at her and her scream was soon silenced and she lay unconcious on the white tiled floor.
*********
The crowd had grown a lot in just a few minutes and Barry back off a little to avoid the main stream of people brushing past him. His tired eyes fought to keep open and look for his friend. It struck him that they didn't know what Ray looked like these days. He could've change a lot, some people did.
But when Barry's eyes saw the familiar face in the mosh he could tell Ray hadn't changed a bit since high school. It made him wonder if he looked the same too.
He reached up his arm and waved at the dark haired boy who spotted him and nodded, starting to push his way up to him.
"Hey Barry!"
"Hey man. How's it been?" They didn't hug or anything, it felt stiff enough already.
Ray shrugged. "I'd say same old same old but that would be a lie. College man now."
"Yeah so I heard. Texas huh? Glad that's working out for you." Barry nodded and threw away the empty coffee cup in a trash can close by.
"Yeah well, things got pretty hard here and then when...it ended...I kind of needed to get as far away as possible. Couldn't afford China so Texas was the next best thing."
Barry laughed. "I hear you man." He looked at his friends bag, Ray only carried one. "Travell light. Good quality." He said. He'd planned on offering to carry one of the bags but since there was only one it felt stupid to ask if he should take it.
Ray shrugged again. "Threw some stuff in. Didn't really care. Where's Helen?" He looked around and Barry frowned. He hadn't realised how long time had passed since she'd left. He glanced at his clock.
"She was going to the bathroom but ... that was 15 minutes ago. Weird."
Ray grinned. "Well you know girls. The line is always stretched to infinty. Have no idea why but it always is. She'll probably be back any second." He went over to some plastic chairs by some big windows showing the view of the city.
"Probably." Barry sat down next to his friend, still not consoled.
"So." Ray glanced at his friend. "While we wait. Mind telling me what truck ran you over."
The blonde guy moved his shoulders in something resembling a shrug. "Mugger. Nothing serious." His eyes kept wandering over the crowd, looking for a petite blonde head. Both guys sank into a mind numbing silence. Both of them wanted to get to their girls and get out of this cycle of bad memories.
*************************'
A/N: Sorry it took a while but now there's a new chapter up. It's not long but it's all I got. So please R+R =)
They were going to drive her home that day anyway. She was being released from the hospital, on her own demands, and Charlotte Lane had made it happen. Helen was thankful the red haired woman had been there, she herself hated hospitals and the staff - they always made everything harder then it should be.
Barry was on his third cup of coffee as they waited in the arrival hall to see Ray. He had been up all night, watching over Helen. He couldn't sleep even if he'd tried. The trashed hotel room was too much of a co-incident to not be linked to his attack.
He glanced at Helen next to him. She'd slept but she'd been having nightmares all night, he'd woken her up every thirty minutes or so. He started to wish they'd never gone to Boston.
"Barry."
The sweet voice yanked him out of his train of thoughts. "Yeah." He looked down on Helen.
"I need go to the bathroom. All that coffee. Can you wait here?"
Barry pulled her closer and gave her head a kiss. "I won't move a muscle." He promised and she smiled.
"Not even blinking?" She joked.
He grinned thougthful. "Well...I'll try but if my eyeballs start itching I can't make any promises in stone."
"Okay, I guess that'll have to do. I'll be back in a sec."
He watched her disappear in the crowd of people and then turned his eyes back to the gate were they expected Ray to come from. He squinted. It wasn't a lot of people there and Ray's flight wasn't scheduled to arrive until another five minutes, but you never knew. He sipped his coffee and kept a watchful eye at the moving crowd.
****
Helen glanced at her wrist watch, standing in the line of the bathroom. It seemed to take forever. Was every woman in the building standing here just to spite her? The line only seemed to be growing in all kinds of ways, not shrinking. She sighed and glanced around. There had to be another bathroom.
She moved away from the line, looking around. The mens seemed to be just as occupied as the womens to her surprise. She wanted to be in time to greet Ray welcome. It had been a long time since she'd seen him. She wondered what he looked like, as she moved down by the little shops with candy and liquor.
She spotted a janitor, picking up a great assortment of different plastic cups from the floor. They lay moshed together with two tipped over buckets of KFC. Helen did a face of disgust. Poor man, there had probably been a not to happy childrens family there. The mess certainly interpreted that.
She moved up to him. "Excuse me sir." She said with a kind smile and he straightened his back. "Do you know were there's a bathroom?"
He gave her a pensive look. "I know you." He said and Helen frowned. She'd never seen the man before in her life. But he seemed quite sure of it, waving his finger at her. "Yes, it's you. From tv. You read the news."
"Oh." Helen smiled. "Yes. I do." She nodded a little. "I don't want to be rude, but I'm in a hurry and I need a bathroom." She tilted her head the way she usually did when she wanted to persudade someone into something, and wrinkled her nose ever so slightly.
The man melted directly. "Oh yes, yes. Of course." He turned halfways pointing at a corner right by some benches. "Take left over there. There are bathrooms right there."
"Thank you." Helen said and moved away from him, she heard him mumbled something about amazing and celebrities but she didn't take time to stay and listen to anything else he might have to say. She didn't consider herself a celebrity.
The bathrooms were empty to her surprise. Apperantly no one else had thought of the idea to go to another bathroom then the one by the arrivals. She shook her head a little and found an empty stall.
When she closed the door behind her she heard a noise. It was like a thud but also a scratch, like a squeaky scratch on a ballon. She frowned but just figured it was some child who was in there.
Then a note was passed under the door and she hesitated in her moves before she leaned down and picked it up. It was blank on the upper side but she could see there was something written on the inside, so she unfolded it, hearing the bells of alarm in the back of her head.
"What ever you do. Don't look up." She read loud and crinkled her eyebrows. "What?" She snorted and then looked up anyway. She didn't see what it was but something big came at her and her scream was soon silenced and she lay unconcious on the white tiled floor.
*********
The crowd had grown a lot in just a few minutes and Barry back off a little to avoid the main stream of people brushing past him. His tired eyes fought to keep open and look for his friend. It struck him that they didn't know what Ray looked like these days. He could've change a lot, some people did.
But when Barry's eyes saw the familiar face in the mosh he could tell Ray hadn't changed a bit since high school. It made him wonder if he looked the same too.
He reached up his arm and waved at the dark haired boy who spotted him and nodded, starting to push his way up to him.
"Hey Barry!"
"Hey man. How's it been?" They didn't hug or anything, it felt stiff enough already.
Ray shrugged. "I'd say same old same old but that would be a lie. College man now."
"Yeah so I heard. Texas huh? Glad that's working out for you." Barry nodded and threw away the empty coffee cup in a trash can close by.
"Yeah well, things got pretty hard here and then when...it ended...I kind of needed to get as far away as possible. Couldn't afford China so Texas was the next best thing."
Barry laughed. "I hear you man." He looked at his friends bag, Ray only carried one. "Travell light. Good quality." He said. He'd planned on offering to carry one of the bags but since there was only one it felt stupid to ask if he should take it.
Ray shrugged again. "Threw some stuff in. Didn't really care. Where's Helen?" He looked around and Barry frowned. He hadn't realised how long time had passed since she'd left. He glanced at his clock.
"She was going to the bathroom but ... that was 15 minutes ago. Weird."
Ray grinned. "Well you know girls. The line is always stretched to infinty. Have no idea why but it always is. She'll probably be back any second." He went over to some plastic chairs by some big windows showing the view of the city.
"Probably." Barry sat down next to his friend, still not consoled.
"So." Ray glanced at his friend. "While we wait. Mind telling me what truck ran you over."
The blonde guy moved his shoulders in something resembling a shrug. "Mugger. Nothing serious." His eyes kept wandering over the crowd, looking for a petite blonde head. Both guys sank into a mind numbing silence. Both of them wanted to get to their girls and get out of this cycle of bad memories.
*************************'
A/N: Sorry it took a while but now there's a new chapter up. It's not long but it's all I got. So please R+R =)