Leaving him was tough on both of us. I really didn't know when I would be able to get back over to see him. I knew I would talk to him on the computer and by phone, but it wasn't the same. I had to keep him bolstered and encouraged so that he would throw himself into his recovery. He had all his new identification and things he needed to start his life up in Portland and I had sent him an email with a virtual tour of his house included in it. Emmett and Rose were heading over in a few days to see him and taking his truck to him along with the keys to his house and all the other stuff he would need. I just hoped he would accept it and leave without doing anything crazy, like try to get revenge.
They were still keeping him on the security ward for the time being. It wasn't that he was a threat to anyone else, but like me, they were just a little concerned about his mental state and the doc thought that until he talked to the shrink a little more, it would be better if they could keep a close eye on him. He wasn't happy but he knew it was only for a short amount of time, and then he would be free.
Promise me you will eat and do your exercises?
"Yes, I will."
No more just sitting around feeling sorry for yourself? I don't want to come back and find you in that shape again.
"You wont, I am looking forward to getting the hell out of here, so I will be doing what I am supposed to be doing. Ill give you a nightly report."
Ill be looking forward to it. I hugged him tightly and kissed the top of his head. Emmett and Rose will be here to see you in a few days, take care of yourself until then, okay? I am working on getting things wrapped up over there and when we have him, I will be up there with you. Ill be back over here to see you before you leave.
We were disturbed from our goodbyes by a knock at the door as an orderly came to fetch him for his first counseling session with the new shrink. He scowled briefly, but I caught his shoulder, Remember, you said you would try? So please, try? He nodded and headed out the door behind the orderly, and I followed after, turning towards the exit as they headed towards the offices further down, Remember, Jas, you promised? "Yeah, well…remember you did too. Ill see you soon?" I nodded and quickly turned and headed through the exit.
Emmett and Rose arrived the following week with his truck. The hospital kept his keys and his wallet along with the rest of the things that would have granted him immediate freedom, locked in the safe and that rankled, but he was still under a physicians and psychologists care and still considered a risk to himself due to the severity of his injuries and the extended recovery time. His meeting with the psychologist had uncovered some not so deep seated problems and anger that he needed to address, so his counseling sessions had been intense and draining but motivation as well, he combined that with vigorous training session that helped to build his appetite and he rapidly began to build his old shape, so at the end of 5 weeks, he hardly needed the cane at all, and he had managed to pack close to 15 lbs of muscle back onto his frame. He still looked small and a little frail, but he was gaining ground.
The phone conversations and Skyping had helped to keep him positive and focused. Most nights when he showed up on screen he was fresh from the shower and looking pretty damn tired, so I knew he was doing a pretty rough training program to get back into shape. I didn't have much to tell him about what was going on back in AZ, the Feds had gotten pulled back to work a case over on the East Coast where some kids had gone missing and it turned out that it was more than a couple kids in a one time incident. Kids always seem to take precedence over everything else, and while I didn't begrudge them that, it did slow down progress in the case and put more people at risk because Gunny seemed to be as willing as ever to be abrasive and abusive to those he considered, "Queer".
Sitting in my office, working on reports and waiting for the day to end so I could get home and talk to my boy, I was surprised to look up and see the sheriff standing there.
What can I do for you, sir?
"You got a few minutes, Ed?"
Anytime for you, boss. Come on in and take a load off. He came in and shut the door behind, locking it. His face was somber and I knew this was not going to be a regular social call.
"Are you doing okay?" I looked at him. I had been doing the same as I ever did, following my routine and just maintaining. Not letting anything show, there was too much on the line.
What do you mean, sir? I am the same as always. Just doing my job.
"No, you aren't. You haven't been the same since Whitlock died. Nothing has been the same since he died. I knew about you, you know that don't you? I knew you two were more than friends and it didn't matter. My youngest son, well…he's always been different too. It makes you start to see things in a different light after you have a child of your own. I am sorry about his loss. He was a good officer and he was good for you. I guess what I am saying is that, you need to move on. Maybe find someone else?"
My stomach was in my boots. I honestly didn't know if he was telling me the truth or fishing for information. I had known the man for nearly 15 years and I had no idea he had a gay son. I decided to play it very neutrally.
Sir, all I care about is finding the killers of my friend and one of our best officers. He deserves justice. He didn't deserve to die the way he died no matter what he may have been or who he may or may not have been involved with. He was a good man, a good Marine and he was cared about and respected by many at this department and in the community. If I didn't catch his killer, I would be failing in my job as a cop and as a human being, and this department would be failing as a department. His killer will be caught and they will face justice, no matter what.
He smiled at me. "I am glad to hear it Ed, just watch your 6 and be careful. Sometimes the bad guys are closer than you think. I have fought them for over 15 years and I am getting tired, I am thinking that I will probably call it good at the end of this term and I wanted to see if you were up for a run with my support? I like that you bring a new perspective to things and that you would protect the interest of everyone. Think about it, and if you decide you want to give it a shot, I will introduce you around to the folks who can help you get it going."
This was both news I had always wanted to hear and now dreaded hearing. I had wanted to be sheriff since I first pinned on a badge. I knew I could do a good job at it, and it would afford me the opportunity to clean up the department in the ways it needed cleaning up, including firing Gunny and his cronies, but it would also mean that I would not be moving to Portland with Jasper. I couldn't let him find out because he wouldn't go if he thought I was staying. I was going to have to lie and lie well to keep him on mission.
Jasper was bored. He was ready to leave the hospital and he wanted to be on to the next part of whatever was going to happen in his life, even if it meant that he and Edward were going to be apart for a little while longer. Laying on his bed waiting for lunch, he never expected to look up as a shadow crossed his door and see the very person he was thinking about standing there looking at him.
He about knocked me down with the force of the hug when he slammed into me. I guess he had missed me?
" What the hell are you doing here in the middle of the week? I'm not supposed to get out until Monday."
Cant I come and spend some time with you before you leave for Portland? I had hoped you would want to get out of here for a few days and hang out with me. I got you a pass for a few days and I thought we would fly up to Portland and see the place together before you drive up there on your own.
The light of his grin made my heart ache. I helped him pack up a few things and we checked out with the charge nurse, and headed to the airport. It was a short flight, but a whole nuther world when we arrived. It was chilly and we both shivered in the moist air as we walked to the rental car.
It's a damn sight colder up here than it is where we just came from." He was shivering pretty hard as I cranked the car up, so I got the heater kicked on and set the GPS for the address of the house, telling him to keep a look out for a mall on the way there. The moisture in the air had played hell with his hair and caused the curls to run riot all over his head, making him look like he was barely over 18, and the way he kept trying to look everywhere at once as we drove though all the streets lined with beautiful Craftsman homes and huge trees, made him seem even younger. Before too long we were pulling into the drive of his very own Craftsman, and the look on his face was priceless.
The garage off to the side was painted to match the house and the colors were classic Texas, with maroon and dark blue set against a sedate tan that blended nicely with the neighborhood. A pair of huge oak trees bracketed the front yard and nicely set off the wrap around front porch that already had a pair of slat back rocking chairs waiting for him. I handed him the keys and we walked up the front steps to a front door that had a Texas Star carved into it.
Walking into the front entry we were met by a sign that said, "Welcome home, J.D.!" The home was already warm and Jaspers art was already hanging up over the mantle in the living room. What he didn't know was that I had gotten him a signed album cover from that band he loved so much, and had had it framed along with pictures of the band, and that was all down the hallway to his bedroom. His bedroom already had his bed set up in it, with brand new sheets and a bunch of thick, soft looking pillows on it that had to be Roses doing. The living room was a mans den with all the bells and whistles that he could want. Emmet had surrendered the couch that they had bought together, and he had gifted an equally huge TV and electronics set up with the note stuck to it that said, "XBOX LIVE and I am soo kicking your ass as soon as you are up and running!" in Emmett fashion. There was a stack of video games waiting by the machine, but Jas walked right past them to his guitar that was sitting in a rack next to the new electric that I had bought him for the Christmas he had missed.
'I dreamed of playing so damn often, I missed her." I smiled as he put her down and picked up the electric, looking at it in shock. 'Where the hell did I get a Gretch Setzer edition?" Uhh…you got it for the Christmas you missed along with the amp that's in the cabinet over there and the Marlin Yellowboy that is currently in my gun cabinet back in AZ.
He sat down, cradling the guitar to him. I walked over and sat next to him and putting an arm around him tried to make him feel better, but I knew he was starting to realize just how much had gone on around him. If it makes you feel any better, when you didn't come pick up the fiddle by Christmas, they called the house and I went down to see what was up. Thank you, for the best present ever. I have been working on learning a couple of old traditional hymns and I may get them down before I die of old age. He laughed and wiped his face on his sleeve.
C'mon, you still have to see the rest of this place before it gets dark. The best is outside. We walked out onto the back deck and he saw what I was talking about, the hot tub to end all hot tubs, already filled, cleaned and probably well broken in by Emmett and Rose. That skeeved both of us out a little bit, but I knew there was copious cleaning chemicals in use so I set it to kick on and start warming up for later as we walked the rest of the yard, checking out the privacy fence and the trees, as well as the garden that picture framed the yard. We went back in and found that the kitchen was stocked with everything but the most perishable of items. "BEER! Oh hell yes! It has been weeks since I have had a nice cold beer and I intend to have a beer or six. Why don't we throw a pizza in that oven and you tell me how the hell I was able to afford such a nice place?"
We ended up sitting at the breakfast bar while I explained to him that making me his executor of his estate before he got hurt, as well as the beneficiary of his insurance, had left me in a bit of pickle when it came to dealing with things. The feds knew he wasn't really dead, but he technically and legally was, so it made payment of his insurances tricky. They finally agreed that he was dead, and since the money would be getting used to establish his new identity, they could figure out the accounting as we went along. His medical bills were all paid as well as any further care he would need for the next couple of years, the house was actually a repo that had been a steal and was totally paid for. His vehicle was his own and had been maintained by me and Emmett while he was in the hospital.
You aren't rich, but you aren't going to starve. You have a job waiting on you when you are ready to start, and about 50k in the bank, so if you want to just play music and travel for awhile, you can do that too. The phone is on my account and the bill comes to me, so you don't even have to worry about that. You could even go to school again if you wanted, your new identity is also covered by the G.I bill and your back story is the same as your real back story, except you were never in Arizona. You were in California's VA recovering from injuries received in Afghanistan. You had been a cop that got deployed. You don't remember much about that, have no family.
He seemed to digest all the information he had been told and process it pretty well. "So where do I work?"
You work city now and are assigned to the narcotics unit. it's a great team and they have been looking for someone to help find out who is supplying the drugs to the club scene, so you would be attending concerts and working the crowds to see who is doing what, and dealing what to whom. Nothing too heavy to start off, and only when you feel ready. You would have to put in some range time and qualify, as well as pass your pt test, but they are eager to have you and you wouldn't even have to get a haircut.
That haircut comment made him smirk, "I knew there had to be a reason you were setting me up with city boys, you like the hair, don't want me getting it cut I am assuming?" I have to admit, it had really grown on me and the dark, dirty blonde, wavy hair made him look like a real guilty pleasure. "How about we find me a tattoo studio I can visit? I am in need of getting some work taken care of as soon as possible." Already done. If you would look at the card on the fridge, Emmett swears that guy does fantastic work, has a stellar reputation is clean and very discreet. We can call him tonight and probably be in tomorrow. Do you know what you want?
"Yeah, I have a couple of things that I need done, so we are probably going to need to see if he has a helper who can work on my upper back while on works on my lower."
You do know that they might not be able to cover that up, don't you?
"Oh that's not getting covered up, it stays as a reminder to me. I'm just getting all the smaller stuff taken care of that was already grafted. I will never lose that on my back. I have a feeling it will be needed one of these days."
We ate home cooked pizza and then soaked in the hot tub after that, appointment for his tattoo starting at noon tomorrow and stretching until the artist got to tired to work. It was a beautiful, but chilly night and I planned on going and looking for some winter gear for him while he was under the needle, as well as making sure the kitchen was better stocked for the next few days and then his arrival the next week. The shower was as spectacular as the hot tub, obviously designed with gay men in mind and I had to marvel at the difference in quality of life a change in location could bring, and for a moment I did consider just chucking it all and coming with him, but then the thoughts of how I could best take care of Gunny and his cronies crept into my thoughts and I let that dream die as we crawled under the obscenely soft and warm sheets, chuckling at the bottles of lube we found stuffed under the pillows and in the bedside tables along with boxes of condoms and other toys that were wrapped in smiley face wrapping paper.
"We have very demented friends, you know that don't you?" Yes, I am well aware of that. I have no idea what the hell we are supposed to do with a strap on, but I am not calling and asking for the receipt or why its out of the packaging, tonight.