The Burden of Love: Ryan O'Rielly Revised
by tarskeewee08
Stepping out of her black on black Land Rover into the cool evening breeze Charlotte closed the door and pulled her black cashmere three quarter inch coat closed. Shivering she rubbed her gloved hands together blowing out an icy breath watching as the frosty smoke curled from her lips.
She hated Chicago winters.
Walking around her truck she looked up at the modest ranch style home that she found located at the end of a desolate road. The house was a pale yellow with a brick front. A dark blue pickup truck sat parked in the driveway. All the windows where dark with draperies and she got an unsettling feeling when staring at it.
She had to drive all the way over to Joliet to see this Ryan O'Reilly. She wasn't happy about the trip but she needed to know what Cletus was mixed up in now. Slipping her gloved hands into her coat pockets she walked quickly up the side walk toward the front door. The sun was about to set and she didn't want to be out here too late in the night.
Ringing the doorbell she waited impatiently for someone to answer. She hated she left her skull cap in the car. Vanity won out on most evening when she didn't want to smash her precision curls flat because of the hat. Sighing as the winter chill caused her to shiver again she banged on the door harder this time. The little curtain that covered the small square shaped window at the top of the door moved and a man's brown eyes peered out at her.
Smiling sweetly she rose on her tippie toes to get a good look at him. "Hi my name is Charlotte Pryce and I'd like to talk to you about Cletus Jones"
The man opened the door a crack and looked at her "What do you want!" he barked out and Charlotte frowned at his rudeness. He didn't scare her though. She grew up in south Philly and had dealt with tougher men than him. She looked him up and down and wondered why a middle age white man would be hanging out with a juvenile delinquent like Cletus.
The guy looked to be in his late fifties but surprisingly fit. Wearing stained jeans and a checkered red and blue shirt his massive arms squeezed out his rolled up sleeves and his chest bulged underneath. His beard was thick and scruffy fully covering the lower portion of his face. He reminded her of Grisly Adams with his long wavy hair.
"Cletus is in some trouble and you may be able to help…" she said cautiously.
The man licked his lips covered mostly by his thick mustache and stared at the pecan brown beauty before him. "Maybe we should talk" he said smiling sheepishly.
He stepped aside and held the door open for her to enter. Charlotte looked at him then back behind her into the night and dimly lit street. Deciding helping Cletus most important she walked inside Ryan O'Rielly's delight and he closed the door behind her.
Driving down I-290 headed to Oak Brook, John flipped on his windshield wipers to catch the light snow flurries that were beginning to fall. The information he got from Wess back at the FBI said that Ryan O'Reilly's place was off Cleveland Street. John needed to get there and see this man that killed his father face to face. He hadn't thought of what he'd do or say but a meeting between them was his destiny.
Exiting the expressway he gripped the steering wheel tightly and thought of her. To see her again was really surprising. She breezed into Barnaby's office with that confident stride he remembered. Oblivious to him behind her he let his eyes travel her body resting on the swell of her hips he loved to hold onto when she was pinned beneath him. After all this time the sway of her long silky man and soft tone of her musical voice stirred his loins and torched his heart. He was as much as in love with her today as he was the day she lied asleep next to him and he almost opened up his heart.
He had no idea she fled to Chicago of all places. Well he should correct that, she didn't flee. She walked away from him and that's a big difference. Her reaction to him wasn't the least bit surprising. They barely were speaking before she left and probably had forced all memory of their love from his mind.
Sighing he hit his signal turning right as the navigation system in his rental told him how many more miles until he reached his destination. The pedestrian street in the neighborhood had cars parked on both sides of the roadway. He saw that he was in a urban area of Chicago and many of the houses looked abandoned. It figured that O'Reilly would pick here to put down roots.
The navigation system responded that he had arrived at his destination and he parallel parked the car in front of a run down two story white house. Turning off the car he looked up out of his window to the house with the boards on the front and sighed. He knew chances weren't great that he would find O'Rielly but he had to start somewhere. Opening his door he stepped out into the light snow and cool evening breeze that blew his hair from his face. Shivering he zipped up his leather jacket slipping his car keys in his left pocket.
Closing to the door he went to the trunk that he had released from inside the car and got his gun and flashlight. He slammed the trunk and looked around the desolate neighborhood. No one was out on the streets and the other houses looked unkept and abandoned. Slipping his gun under his jacket in the back of his pants, he walked away from the car toward the sidewalk. He knew that vagrants and junkies sought shelter on streets like these against he Chicago winters. He needed to be alert.
Reaching the front of the house he opened the iron gate and raced up the sidewalk to the steps. Trying the door handle he found it locked and grimaced. Immediately he went to the window on the left and put his face to it. Seeing that the furniture inside was covered with sheets, it became more than clear that this place was definitely abandoned. Turning back to the street he blew out a stressed breath and tried to decide if breaking and entering was something he should engage in for the night.
Shrugging it off he stepped down from the porch walking around the side of the house. The windows that lined the house were boarded tight and he didn't see any way to break in with the sun still setting. The walk space between the house and the other was covered in shadows but not completely concealed from the street.
Coming around the back he saw the backdoor had a screen door attached. John went up to it snatching it forcefully and breaking the flimsy lock that held it in place. Placing his shoulder up against the wooden door inside he slammed his body against it hearing it creak but not give. Lifting from his crouched position he then rushed the door again. This time when he slammed against it harder the door split with a crack running down the middle. One last forceful slam knocked it in.
Immediately he was greeted by the stale smell of something spoiled and mildewed. Flipping on his flashlight he walked around the table in the kitchen and entered the living room. John ran the beam of the light over everything seeing mostly furniture and nothing useful.
The light then swept across a door to the left of the room and he stared at it curiously. Walking over to the door he turned the knob and saw it was a stairwell that led into the basement. John reached for the light switch and found the place had no electricity. Not surprising him at all he walked down into the dark basement with the flashlight illuminating the way.
The closed off stale air of the basement was stifling. He coughed and swiped at long cobwebs that hung from the wooden beams. This address was about 10 years old still he couldn't imagine the place had been abandoned since then. Going over to the shelf he saw tools and some boxes with household items.
He found nothing of interest as he swept the beam across the room and became disappointed by another dead end. The light caught a shelf off to the right of the stairwell in the corner with boxes crammed inside.
Walking over he ran the light across the labels on the boxes stopping on the one that read Ryan's Things.
Putting the flashlight in his mouth he picked up the box and carried it over to the table on the other side of the room. Flipping the lid off and sticking his hand inside a large gray spider scuttled across it and he shook it loose.
He hated fucking spiders.
Holding the flashlight again with his left hand he went through the papers. O'Reilly wasn't charged with his dad's death but he did do a 7 year stint in prison for a robbery they were able to pin on him. Finding a folder that said New Jersey Correctional Facility John pulled it loose. Opening it he saw the release papers for his parole. He ran the light across the document and his heart stop as the light beam fell on one particular name. The officer that gave a recommendation for his early release was Jacob Barnaby
"What the hell!" he growled.
John frowned and looked at the name again. Why would his dad's best friend do anything for the man that may have killed him? He had his suspicions but he would make that bastard tell him why. Grabbing the box, he headed for the stairs. He would go through all of the documents in detail back at his hotel.
Evangeline fell across her bed. She was exhausted and weary from the day's events. Seeing John wasn't something she expected to do again. Of course the world was small but this was too much. Reaching for the phone she called her best friend for reassurance.
"Hello"
"Nora?"
"Hey Van,
how are you sweetie?"
"Did you tell John I moved to
Chicago?"
Nora started to choke. Apparently Evangeline called her while she was eating or drinking. Listening to her friend gag and wheeze she smiled "Are you okay?"
"Whaaa…"
"Nora
are you okay?"
"Yes…yes I'm fine. Now what is this about
John?"
Evangeline looked up at the ceiling fan twirling lazily
above her bed. "He's here"
"Here where?"
"Here in
Chicago…did you tell him where I was?"
"Of course not!"
she said quickly.
"Then why is he here?"
Nora grew silent "Van, John has problems. He quit the force and pushed everyone away. None of us see or speak to him he…."
"Problems?" Evangeline said frowning and focusing on that word. "He never resumed his therapy?"
"I don't know sweetie, I just know
Bo said that he quit and left."
"Then maybe he did come here
to see me" Evangeline said her stomach tightening.
"What did
he say?"
She frowned "What do you mean?"
"When you saw
him, what did he say?"
Evangeline blew out a deep sigh "I
didn't give him a chance"
"Okay I'm confused"
Chuckling
she closed her eyes and blushed at her foolish behavior "I acted
like an idiot. I ran into him at the Chicago Police Department then
turned and ran out!"
"You did what!"
"I was shocked!"
"Oh god Van…."
"I know I feel like a complete idiot. I
mean he was in with the superintendent of the police
force…he"
"What?" Nora asked confused that she stopped
"He
didn't seem to be focused on me. I think he was actually there to
see Barnaby"
"Well there you go….it was a coincidence"
"Some coincidence"
"You two are destined for these kinds
of anomalies!" she said laughing
Evangeline laughed and then
they both grew silent before she spoke again "Nora…it was so
weird seeing him"
"I can imagine."
"I mean I know our
time is over but to see him standing there smiling at me in that old
familiar way….it just..."
"Reminded you of your love for
him?"
"I'm not in love with him" Evangeline said quickly,
correcting her.
"Calm down….I said your love for him"
Still chewing on her lip she nodded "Yes my love for
him."
"Well there is nothing wrong with that. It's only
natural. But do yourself a favor if you do see him again don't run
Van. You can handle John"
"I'm not sure I can…"
Nora
frowned into the phone and signaled for Mathew to bring her his
homework over to her for her to check and sign "Of course you can,
you did it before you even left Llanview"
"I hid from him
in Llanview you know that"
"Well you still stood on your own
two feet and stayed out of that catastrophe he created with 'she
who will remain nameless' "
Evangeline giggled. It was there rule that they never speak of Natalie. "I love you so much"
"I love you too, now are you sure you're okay?"
"I
am now! Kiss Matt for me"
"Night sweetie"
"Bye"
Hanging up Evangeline sat up on her bed. She thought about how he walked out of the station confident yet brooding. John was here for a reason and she was really curious as to what. Rising from the bed she took off her suit jacket and walked out into her living room. Nora was right. She could handle John and seeing him again. Hell for all she knew he could have left for the airport when she last saw him.
Sighing she digested a hidden truth that she kept buried deep within. She was so deeply in love with him still. He was and is the only man that has touched her heart in such a profound way. Seeing him today she entertained the thought that he came to Chicago to find her. To profess his undying love and tell her he wanted to start again. It was a fantasy she played over and over in her head during the most private moments. Going into her kitchen to take out something for dinner she smiled lightly to herself. It just wasn't easy to get over John McBain.
3 AM that morning
Larry was freezing and determined to find shelter in the artic blast. The snow was falling much harder now and this was the worst time to be homeless. He fought in Vietnam dammit! This country owed him at least shelter in the storm.
But he was all to familiar with where the government stood on people like him. They cared very little for their veterans in his opinion.
Walking down Chester Street where the pizzeria was he headed to the back of the building. There was a large dumpster that remained empty on most nights. He prayed it was at least halfway empty tonight so he could warm himself.
Humped over he shuffled along in his tattered clothes and run over tennis shoes. He tried not to feel sorry for himself but his hunger and exhaustion from the cold made that a impossible task on a night like tonight.
Stopping he looked up confused by the sounds of a man grunting. Larry squinted through the white storm and stared ahead. A tall formidable man in a thick camel jacket with a red baseball cap was pulling the tarp back on his blue pickup truck.
Larry stepped closer to the wall into the shadows and leaned over to see the man pull out what looked to be a young woman from the back. Throwing her over his shoulders Larry saw her hands hanging downward and knew she was black. The man went to the dumpster raising the lid then tossed her inside.
Larry's heart stopped. He didn't know what to do. Turning and running back out into the snowstorm he wheezed and stifled the panic attack he felt coming on. Seeing dead bodies was too much. He dealt with it in the war but he couldn't deal with it now. Besides that man could find him and although he was dirty, homeless and sick with hunger, he still wanted to live.
