chapter 51

word count: 2892

trudy put on the finishing touches,, and surveyed her look in the mirror.. “a little bleary around the eyes,,” she said to her reflection,, “ thank god i look a lot better than I feel..”  

she finished off her cocktail,, and headed down to the kitchen to fix another.. the first one had taken a bit of the edge off,,  but she going to need at least one more to even get straight enough to be able to face yet another day slinging hash.. 

“augh!” she let out a loud groan, “i feel like shit!”  trudy cried out loudly, as she descended the staircase, dressed in her white work uniform and a pair of black danskos,, she could hear john and lisa in the living room still talking,, ‘why is she still here?’ she wondered to herself.. she had been wishing  lisa and the kid would be gone by the time she got ready for work..  she was really not in any mood to make small talk.. 

“ah! there you are,” john started in on her as she made her way down the stairs. “lisa and i were just talking,, she seems to think it would be a good idea for adam to go home with her,, but adam doesn’t want to go.. he wants to stay here.. i told him i would have to talk to you first.” he rambled.

“do whatever.” trudy stated flatly, as she walked right past them and into the kitchen. what did she care, she was gonna be at work all day anyway,, and right now the only thing that really mattered was getting  a slug or two in her before she had to leave.. 

“well i guess it’s decided then,, trudy doesn’t seem to have any objection, so i guess adam can stay here.. it’s saturday after all,, let’s let the boys spend the weekend together,, and then we can take it from there.” john paused, took a deep concerned breath before he continued, “who knows maybe adam will open up to elliot a little bit.. poor kids got so much on his plate..”

“well if you are sure it’s not a problem,, it’s ok with me if he wants to stay the weekend.. maybe by then we’ll know a little more about what’s going on with his parents. i just don’t know what they are gonna do now.. they don’t even have a house to come home to.” lisa said as she stood up and grabbed her purse off the sofa.. 

“you ready to go?” john asked. he really didn’t want her to go. this was the  first ‘normal’ woman he had had the pleasure of getting to know since he hooked up with trudy. and if the truth be told,, he was really starting to enjoy himself..  “i was kinda thinking you could stay for breakfast. i mean if you don’t have to be anywhere right away.. i make a mean pancake!!”

“pancakes huh?  yum!!l that really sounds good. and it would give me a little more time with adam too.. that kid worries me..”  lisa said looking at her time on her cell.. “well, it’s only 8:00, erik doesn’t have to be at soccer till noon.. let me call the sitter real quick, and make sure she can stay another hour or so.”

“excellent!!” exclaimed john, truly delighted about the prospect of lisa staying for breakfast,, there was just something about her,, something  that intrigued him. something that made him feel like he would like to get to know her better..  

“i’ll go see trudy off while you’re on the phone,, and then if all is well on your end, we’ll get some flapjacks and coffee going.”

“sounds great!!” lisa replied as she, scrolled through her contacts, and touched the screen to dial her home number.. 

“back in a jiffy!” john said as he crossed the room. . he entered the kitchen just in time to catch trudy  funnel and flask in hand..

“is that really necessary?” he said with a deep disgusted sigh..

“shut the fuck up!” trudy growled back..

“c’mon trudy!! we have company!! do you think you could at least pretend to be a decent human being,, while lisa is here.. she is really quite a nice woman,, and i would like to think she will leave here thinking the same about you!”

trudy set the bottle down, and turned to face john.. “i said, ‘shut the fuck up!’” she whispered sarcastically.. “there.. how was that?” she spewed as she dropped the flask in her purse and grabbed her apron off the counter. 

john exhaled loudly,, turned around and promptly left the kitchen.. he was better off just staying away from her at times like this.. ‘why do i put up with it?’ he asked himself as he rejoined lisa in the living room.

“well? what’s the word?”  john queried, genuinely hoping lisa was going to get to stay,, he could use some ‘normal’ human contact for a change..  interacting with trudy outside the bedroom was really taking its toll on him..

“all set!” exclaimed lisa, “she can stay till ten if i need her that long..”

“excellent!” john responded,, as if he hadn’t a care in the world.  “as soon as trudy leaves for work, we’ll take this little party in the kitchen, and i will proceed to blow you away with my culinary talents!”

the back door slammed loudly.. “oup!! there she goes!! sorry she didn’t even pop in to say good bye..”  john continued apologetically,, “trudy is  just not a morning person. she means well,, she just has a rather strange way of showing it at times.”

“no worries!!” exclaimed lisa, “i am sure she and i be seeing a lot of each other while adam is more or less in limbo, and the millers get things straightened out.”

“i am sure you will.” john replied as he thought about how glad he was that he too would be seeing a lot of lisa over the course of the next few weeks.. there was just something about her….

***

on their way over to the hospital to break the bad news to buzz and jeannie,, hank and gil tried to plot out how they were gonna break the news to the millers in the softest possible manner..  

“he’s gonna know something is up,, us just showing up at this hour and all.” hank stated..

“i know,” continued gil, “but we can’t take the chance of them finding out any other way, especially not off the TV.. i wanna get to them first.”

hank wheeled into the red zone just outside the front doors of the hospital.. he turned the ‘official police business’ placard over on the dash, and he and gill exited the car.. “no time like the present, i guess!” hank said uneasily. he was really dreading being the messenger on this one.. 

buzz and jeannie had spent the remainder of night talking.. they hadn’t really talked to each other in years.. once they got started,, it was as if the flood gates had been opened.. 

buzz assured jeannie that adam was in good hands,, he told her they had called hank,, and he had arrived to pick adam up just as buzz was being loaded in the bus.. 

jeannie knew hank well,, and hank was a great guy.. he had raised three fine kids of his own,, she was sure adam would be well taken care of.. 

as soon as they had adams well being under control,, buzz started filling jeannie in on exactly how he had ended up in the bed next to her at the hospital.. he made light of the fact that he had been hospitalized with gastrointestinal distress,, he didn’t mention the fact that he thought he had been poisoned.. he realized she had more than enough to worry about without him filling her with interjections..  he glossed it over, saying it was probably just a bad case of gas,, and turned the focus back to jeannie,, and her cancer,, and how he wished she had come to him with the news as soon as she got it.. 

jeannie, hesitatingly at first, explained to buzz why she had been reluctant to tell him about the cancer.. how she didn’t feel it was right to burden him with the news,, as he already had so much on his plate.. she explained that she knew how hard it was on him, being laid up like he was,, and with all the stress he was under,, what with physical therapy every day,, and so many high profile cases in the news right now,, she just didn’t feel she had the right to add to his stress.. 

buzz assured jeannie that she could come to him with anything.. he apologized for the years of brutish behavior he had inflicted upon her..  he opened up about all the memories that had come rushing over him,, as he watched her sleep,, attached to all those machines, looking as frail and helpless as a little child. he explained to her how those memories had really opened his eyes, as if for the first time.. he continued by telling her he’d been up all night thinking about things,, and now he truly believed that he could see things in a whole new light..  he admitted he had never really realized all that jeannie had sacrificed when she agreed to become his wife,, and would have to continue to sacrifice as the wife of a homicide detective.. he promised her,, things were gonna be different.. that he was really going to put his best foot forward,, and be a husband to her,,  the kind of husband,, he knew now,, that she really deserved.. she would see,, he assured her,, things would be different,, when they finally got out of here,,  when they finally got home..

“knock!  knock!”  a familiar voice rang out from the doorway.. “you two decent?” hank said in jest as he and gil entered the room,, pleased to find both buzz and jeannie not only awake,, but looking a lot better than the last time he had seen them.. 

“what goes on?” gil smiled as he walked over and shook buzz’s hand. “you both look so much better today!! you really had me worried last night!!”

“me too!” hank chimed in, as he too gave the boss’ hand a firm shake..  “you both look great,, and just so you don’t worry,, i wanna let you know adam is fine.. i had my daughter lisa watching him,, but he wanted to spend the night with his friend elliot.. so lisa and i thought that would be the best thing for him.. you know,, being with someone he knows,, someone he is already familiar with.. all this is pretty tough on the little guy,, and we just thought it best that he be where he is comfortable..”

jeannie let out a relived sigh,, “thank you so much, hank.. i don’t know what we would have done without you!!”

“good job hank, i knew i could count on you!” buzz exclaimed  in a jovial tone neither of them had ever really heard him use before.. gil and hank looked at each other, it was silently understood that the real reason behind their visit had to be revealed,, the task at hand seemed even more unpleasant now,, seeing them both seemingly so happy,, and looking a whole lot healthier.. 

hank took a seat,, and started in a noticeably somber tone.. “i hate to be the bearer of bad news,, especially when you guys are both laid up like this.. but there is a matter of great importance that needs to be discussed, and gil and i agreed that we would rather you hear it from us than anyone else.”

“what the hell??” exclaimed buzz as he raised the head of his bed into a sitting position. “what the hell is going on?? you just said adam is in good hands??”

“and he is.” assured hank.. “ this has nothing to do with adam,, you can rest easy on that note..”

“i guess there is no better way to go about this than to just straight up tell you.” gil started,, buzz noticed he had assumed the authoritative tone he always took on when they were on the street working a case.. 

“although the forensics are yet to come in,, i feel safe to say, that someone set fire to your house last night.”

buzz and jeannie gasped in unison.. 

“no, no, oh my god, no! jeannie cried out as the tears began to stream down her face..

“jesus christ!” buzz cried out in confusion,, “what the hell do you mean someone set fire to the house? who the hell..”

hank cut him off.. “and i am afraid to say, the bad news does not end there.. you see the fire set off a natural gas explosion. the house, the cars,, everything.. it’s a total loss..” hank rested his head in his hands.. this was even harder than he expected it to be.. 

jeannie sobbed silently into the blanket on her bed, as buzz shot off in a million directions at once.. 

“what the hell do you mean a total loss?? everything?? everything is gone?? what the fuck? how could this be? who is doing this to me,, to us?? do you have any suspects?? do you know how the fire was set?? what makes you so sure it was arson?? holy christ!!” buzz cried out, clearly in distress..

“let’s take this one step at a time.” gil started in the same authoritative tone. “let’s everyone relax..what is done is done.. we will fill you in on everything we know..”

he was interrupted by the loud ring of the hospital room phone.. “hand me that phone!” buzz barked..

“hello!” buzz shouted into the phone.. it was john. adam wanted to talk to his mother.  

“put him on,,” buzz directed. “let me talk to him.” there was a long pause,, as john spoke and buzz listened.. 

“i,, i can’t imagine,, i mean,, i have no idea why he would feel that way,, why he would say something like that.. no, no, that’s ok,  i understand,, i totally understand.. thanks for telling me. yes,, yes this is something his mother and i needed  to know.”. it was obvious buzz had received yet another blow.. 

“here she is,, tell him i am putting his mom on the line now.. and thanks, thanks again..”  buzz held out the phone,, and gill accommodated him,, and handed the phone off to jeannie,, who was trying her best to compose herself.. 

“adam!! adam,, my baby….” jeannie tried the best to talk between her tears… 

“hank, gil, pull up a chair,, come over here so jeannie can have some privacy,, there is something i need to talk to you about..” buzz directed,, as hank and gil grabbed their chairs and pulled in close to buzz’s bedside.. 

“what’s up?” gil queried as hank made himself comfortable.

“that was adam’s friend elliot’s step day,, i can’t remember his name,, i’ve only ever met him once.. but, anyway,  he said,” buzz paused and shook his head in confusion. “he said that when they told adam about the fire,, his only response was to say, that he wished i had died in the fire. he wouldn’t even get on the phone with me. the guy asked him and i heard him in the background saying that he wouldn’t talk to me,, he would only talk to his mother..” the color had washed from buzz’s face,,  he was as white as the sheet he was laying on.. 

“what is going on here?? what have i done?” he pleaded as tears welled up in his eyes.. 

as much as both hank and gil silently agreed that buzz was a worthless piece of shit as a husband and a father,, they couldn’t help but take pity on him now.. 

a long period of silence took over,, as jeannie made small talk with adam,, trying to sound healthy and confidant for the sake of the boy.. 

finally,, gil looked buzz straight in the eye.. you could tell he was about to say something,, and whatever it was it was serious.. 

“might as well get it all out in the open boss,, after all with all the bad news you’ve had already this morning,, one more piece of insanity can’t possibly do to much more collateral damage.. “ gill hesitated,, as he looked to hank for strength.. 

“the only reason i haven’t told you about this before now,, is that i wanted to wait till you were back on your feet again.. but it looks as if there is no reason to avoid it any further.”

“just say it man!! just say it!! my whole world is crumbling around me as it is! what the hell are you trying to say??” buzz bellowed..

“it’s about adam.. you see,, while i was undercover working on the brown case,,  i caught a call on the dispatch.. a kid was on a bus headed my way, that was suspected of being in possession of a concealed weapon…”

“oh my god!!” buzz exclaimed as he collapsed back onto the bed.. “please, god!!!  tell me it wasn’t adam!!”