This story is dedicated to Betty – with grateful thanks for all her help and support both in beta reading my stories and for being a friend.??

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Missing

by

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FRIDAY EVENING

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“I am SO tired,” Jesse Travis announced as, with a huge sigh of relief, he closed the door of BBQ Bob’s after the last customer had finally - thankfully - departed.??? “And I’m due back on shift at the hospital in ...,” Consulting his watch, which informed him it was 11.45 PM, he raised his head, his weary eyes meeting those of Steve Sloan, his friend and business partner. “Seven hours,” he added wistfully.

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“Go home,” Steve’s tone was both decisive, and final.?? “I can easily finish up here.”

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“Are you sure?”??

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Much as he hated to opt out of his share of the work, the young doctor was utterly exhausted and thus more than grateful for his friend’s offer.????

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“Get going Travis,” Steve mock growled.?? “Before I change my mind.”

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---

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It was a little after 12.15 AM when Steve left the restaurant and walked over to his car, the only vehicle in the now deserted lot, his thoughts firmly fixed on a long, hot shower followed swiftly by bed.??

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“Freeze,” a voice whispered in his ear at the same time that he felt the barrel of a gun jammed firmly into his back.??

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“Reach into your jacket - real slow - and hand me your wallet, and don’t try anything stupid. I’m not afraid to use this thing,” his unseen assailant snarled.???

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Careful not to make any sudden movement, which might be viewed as resistance, Steve handed over his wallet.

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“I want the keys to your car too,” was the next barked command.

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Steve dutifully complied.??

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“If you’re worried about whether or not I’m going to kill you, don’t be,” his attacker whispered.?? “All I want is your wallet and your car.?? Of course I’ll have to ensure that you don’t raise the alarm for a while, to give me time to get away.”

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Even as the words were spoken, a rough hand grabbed Steve firmly by the collar, jerking his head back violently, before slamming it forward to connect brutally with the edge of the car roof.???????

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---

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He must, he realised, as he slowly regained consciousness, have been in some kind of an accident.?? How else could he account for the fact that he was lying on the cold, hard, ground with his head feeling as though someone had used it for football practice?

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Rolling over slowly, careful not to exacerbate the crushing pain in his head, Steve pulled himself into a sitting position, struggling against the waves of nausea which threatened at any moment to overwhelm him.???? It was several more minutes before he felt confident enough to stand, even more before he was able to take a few unsteady steps.??? He wasn’t sure where he was going, only that he had to get away from some vague, unknown, threat that hovered in the periphery of his mind.

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And so he began half-walking, half-stumbling along the sidewalk, with no destination in mind, only the overwhelming need to escape, to flee the nameless, faceless, danger.

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An hour later, his body was screaming for rest, his legs barely able to support him, his breath coming in short, harsh, ragged, gasps.??? The front of his shirt was soaked with blood, which had been flowing in a steady stream from a ragged gash on his forehead, the hot, coppery, smell of which was causing his stomach to roil.??? He had no choice but to stop and allow his body a respite, no matter how brief, before he continued to ...... Just where he wasn’t sure.?? He had no particular destination in mind, all he knew was that he had to keep going, to put as much distance between himself and .... Whatever it was that had threatened him, as he could.

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But, for now, he would stop.?? Just for a little while.??? That decision made, he stumbled gratefully into the doorway of an abandoned building, where he sank wearily to the ground and succumbed to the black void of sleep.

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7 AM SATURDAY MORNING

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The first indication Mark Sloan had that anything was amiss was when he realised that his son’s car wasn’t parked in the driveway.????? While it wasn’t the first - and certainly wouldn’t be the last - time that Steve had spent the night elsewhere, he always, without fail, given the nature of his job and the fact he knew his father would worry, called.?? And, while Mark hadn’t heard the phone, given that he had fallen into an exhausted slumber a little after midnight, that didn’t mean to say Steve hadn’t rung and left a message on the answer phone.

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Mark checked.?? There was no message.

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Before he allowed himself to succumb to the alarm rapidly welling up inside him, Mark decided to check Steve’s apartment, because there was always the possibility that Steve’s car had refused to start and, rather than wait around for the AAA, he’d come home in a cab.

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The apartment was empty.?

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---

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“I left Steve at the restaurant around 11.45 last night,” Jesse informed Mark, thereby dashing the last vestige of hope the older man had been clinging on to; that perhaps Steve - too tired to drive back to the beach house - had opted to spend the night on the young doctor’s couch.??

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“Did you try ringing his cell phone?”

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Even as he uttered the question Jesse mentally kicked himself for the stupidity of it.?? That would, after all, have been the first thing his friend and mentor would have done.

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“I’ve tried calling his cell phone and the precinct,”? came the anguished reply.??? “I got a dead tone,” Mark shivered as he uttered those words, “In the former case, and the desk sergeant at the precinct told me Steve wasn’t there and neither was he expected today.???? And he’s not staying at your apartment so ....,” his voice tailed off for a moment as he was forced to face the unpalatable truth that his son was missing.

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HALF AN HOUR LATER

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There was no sign of Steve’s car in the parking lot at BBQ Bob’s.?? There was, however, to Mark’s considerable consternation, a large pool of congealed blood in the space where the car would normally have been parked.??? Of Steve, there was no trace.

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“Your son’s cell phone was found over by the trash cans.?? It’s been totalled,” Captain Newman informed Mark.?? “Someone obviously didn’t want him calling, or being called.?? Right now we’re looking at the possibility that he’s been abducted Mark, by a person or persons as yet unknown.?? I’ve pulled all of his case files going back six months,” he continued, trying to ignore the fact that the distinguished doctor was visibly crumbling in front of his eyes, “To see if they’ll yield up some clue as to who might be responsible.?? In the meantime I’ve got an APB out on the vehicle.??? We’ll find him Mark,” he smiled reassuringly.??? “I promise you that.”

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10 AM

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He woke with a start to find himself being dragged, none too gently, out of the doorway in which he had taken shelter in the early hours of the morning, and hurled – quite literally - into the litter strewn street.

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"This is my space you cheap bum,” an angry voice yelled.?? "Go find your own.”

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As he struggled to his feet, Steve took an involuntary step backwards to escape the overpowering stench of alcohol and god knew what else that was emanating from the wild haired young man who swayed precariously in front of him.

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"Ain't no one got no respect for other people or their property no more,” the boy grumbled, taking a heavy pull from a bottle encased in a brown paper bag which was grasped very firmly in his right hand, before settling down in “his” doorway.????

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The bottle served as a painful reminder to Steve of just how thirsty he was.?? As though reading his thoughts, the boy hugged the precious receptacle against his emaciated body.???

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“It’s okay kid,” Steve murmured.?? “I’m not going to take what’s yours.”

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“You’re … not?”? The disbelief in the boy’s voice was evident.???

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“No,” Steve replied reassuringly.?? “All I want to do is get out of here.”

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“To where?”

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That simple question threw Steve as he realised that he had no idea as to where he was going, only that he knew that here was most definitely NOT where he wanted to be.

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“What’s your name, man?”

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“I ….,” Steve’s brow furrowed with consternation as he realised that he couldn’t – wasn’t able to – remember something so basic, so simple, as his name.?? “Don’t know,” he admitted.

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“And I thought I was in a bad way,” the youth muttered as he took a heavy pull on the bottle.? “At least I still know my own name.”

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NOON - THE BEACH HOUSE

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“There’s really no need for you to be here Amanda,” Mark gently admonished his colleague as she busied herself in the kitchen fixing him a light lunch which both of them knew he wouldn’t eat.

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“Yes, there is,” Amanda’s tone was resolute.??? “Do you think that I – that Jesse, would let you face this alone???? Jesse will be here just as soon as his shift ends, and in the meantime, I’m here, and you,” she levelled him with the same sort of glare she directed at her fractious 2 year old son, “Are going to eat what I’ve cooked.?? Mark,” she continued swiftly, as the older man began to protest, “You have to keep your strength up.?? You’ll be no good to anyone if you collapse.?? Now,” she said sternly, placing a plate of scrambled eggs in front of him.? “Eat.”

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Recognising the sense in his colleague’s argument, nonetheless never having felt less like eating in his life, Mark picked up his fork and poked apathetically at the food.

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“Mark!” Amanda protested, just as the phone rang, whereupon the sprightly doctor abandoned the food and raced to the kitchen counter to snatch up the receiver.

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“Mark Sloan.”

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“Dr. Sloan?” Mark recognised Captain Newman’s voice and, for a moment he couldn’t speak, his vocal cords totally paralysed.

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“Mark?”

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“Yes,” Mark managed to force the word out.?? “I’m here Captain Newman.??? Have you any news?”

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“We found Steve’s car abandoned down on East 11th a little over an hour ago,” Newman replied.

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“And …. My son?” Mark asked hesitatingly; not wanting, but needing to know, the answer to that question.

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“I’m sorry Mark, but there was no sign of him.”? Newman’s voice was heavy with regret.?? “I’m having forensics check the vehicle thoroughly for prints,” he continued.?? “I’ve also instigated a thorough search of the area where the vehicle was found.??? I’ll call you just as soon as there’s any further news.”

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2 PM

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An hour later and his surroundings were, if anything even more dilapidated, even more desperate.??? Whereas before there had at least been buildings - albeit boarded up - Steve now found himself in a deserted waste ground full of bricks, rubble, rubbish and people, as dilapidated as their miserable surroundings, huddled around braziers to keep warm, despite the fierce afternoon heat, their rheumy eyes following him warily and resentfully.

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“Hey you,” one of them yelled.?? “You ain’t got no right to be here.”

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In the next instant a bottle smashed at his feet, shards of glass flying up to bite deeply into his face.??? More missiles were hurled in his direction along with a steady stream of abuse.?? The message was quite plain: he wasn’t welcome.

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On legs that were fast becoming unsteady, with a body that was screaming out for sustenance, Steve stumbled relentlessly on.??? The cruel sun blazed down upon him, it’s harsh light and heat baking the ground and blinding his sight.??? His body was soaked with sweat and his clothes were filthy with a combination of dust and dirt.???? He was beginning, he realised, as he staggered ever onwards, to smell as bad as the young man he had left far behind him.

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SUNDAY MORNING - 11 AM

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“You should try and get some sleep,” Jesse counselled, his concerned gaze travelling over Mark’s exhausted features.

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“No sleep,” came the obdurate answer from the older man who reached to refill their mugs with yet more coffee.??? Jesse’s stomach roiled at the sight of the brew; he’d already imbibed far more than was healthy, his beleaguered heart doing a steady tap dance inside his chest.?? Even if he were able to persuade Mark to lie down, he realised that it was highly unlikely the older man would even be able to sleep; the caffeine in his system would surely prevent it.?? Nonetheless he had to try.

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“Mark I really think…..”

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He got no further, the strident ring of the doorbell interrupting him.

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“I’ll go,” he volunteered, when it became apparent that Mark either wouldn’t – or couldn’t – move.?? That he was anticipating bad news – the worst news – was only too apparent from his ashen face.

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“Please no,” Jesse silently prayed as he stumbled to the door.?? “Please, please let Steve be okay.”

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“Hello Dr. Travis,” Captain Newman’s face was a mask of impassivity.? “May I come in?”

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---

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“Forensics came up with a match on the prints we found in Steve’s car,” Newman informed Mark, wincing at the older man’s dishevelled appearance.?? “They belong to a small-time crook called Tom Cray.??? A police patrol picked him up at his apartment this morning.?? I’ve just gotten through with questioning him personally.”

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“And?”?? Mark croaked.

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“Cray is small time, as I said but,” Newman sighed, “He has an expensive habit and his dealer was pressing him for payment.?? He was on his way to make a small down payment when he spotted Steve leaving the restaurant.?? He decided to make use of the opportunity, figuring that he could pacify his dealer with the contents of your son’s wallet and his car.? He ….,” Newman hesitated for a moment, “Knocked Steve out, trashed his cell phone to prevent him from calling for help until he’d gotten away and then … I’m sorry Mark,” he apologised.??? “From the facts that were presented to us at the time I assumed – quite wrongly – that we were looking at an abduction.? Whereas, what we’re now facing is quite clearly a mugging.?? That doesn’t excuse the crime, of course it doesn’t,” he added swiftly as he saw the look of anger flash across Mark’s face.?? But maybe it explains why your son hasn’t been in contact,” he added softly.

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“You HAVE to find him – and quickly,” Jesse declared.??? “He may be suffering from a concussion, in which case we need to get him to the hospital as fast as possible.”

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“We’re doing our very best to locate him Dr. Travis, Mark” Newman’s compassionate gaze swept over both men.?? “And, since he’s on foot he really can’t have gone that far.???? I’m having patrols cover the area for a radius of 10 miles.?? In the meantime I’m having a description of Steve faxed to all the hospitals and clinics in the area.??? I’ll let you have any news the moment I receive it.?? You have my absolute guarantee of that.”

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3 PM

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After another hour of aimless wandering, the rubble and waste-ground produced an unexpected oasis in the form of streets and buildings and, to his overwhelming relief, Steve discovered that he was back in civilisation.?? For a moment he could only stand, transfixed with wonder, as he adjusted to the sights and sounds of streets filled with traffic, teeming sidewalks and gaily coloured shops, and then his overwhelming need for a drink spurred him on, sending him stumbling into the small 7-11 where, without giving a second thought to his appearance, he staggered towards the counter.

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“God dammit,” the indignant store owner cursed under his breath as he spotted the indigent scrap of filthy flesh and clothing headed towards him.

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“You,” he yelled at the top of his voice, as he vacated his position and bore down on the swaying man.?? “Get out of here.?? Right now.”

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“Please,” Steve croaked, raising his hands in a gesture of supplication.? “I? just need ….”

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He didn’t even get the chance to finish the sentence, being unceremoniously grabbed by the collar of his shirt and manhandled roughly out on to the street where he was contemptuously thrown to the ground.

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“Please,” Steve begged, raising himself slowly, painfully, to his feet.?? “I need a drink.”

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At that statement the store owner’s mouth curved into a cruel smile.

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“Oh you need a DRINK do you buddy??? Well you just wait right there and I’ll get you one.”

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“Thank you,” Steve said politely, already anticipating the clear, cold water sliding down his arid throat.?? While he waited for the owner to return, he slumped against the window of the store, grateful for its support.

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“Here’s your drink.”

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At the sound of the man’s voice, Steve turned – only to be deluged with cold, soapy water.

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“That’ll clean you up too.?? Now get the HELL away from my store before I call the police,” came the angry threat.

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Scrabbling desperately to rid his eyes of the soap, Steve staggered backwards, his feet slipping off the kerb, causing him to tumble into the road.??? A horn blared, tyres squealed in protest as they bit into the tarmac and he was suddenly borne aloft, rolling on to the hood of an approaching vehicle, the driver having little or no chance to avoid the pedestrian who had suddenly appeared in front of him.

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ER DEPARTMENT - COUNTY GENERAL HOSPITAL - 4 PM

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“We have a white male - approximately 39 years old, injured in a collision with a vehicle.?? He’s a vagrant,” the paramedic added by way of additional information to the harassed young doctor on duty in the ER at County General.

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“Oh terrific.”??

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Robert Manse took a deep steadying breath before approaching his insentient patient, readying himself for the noxious fumes that would be sure to emanate from the malodorous and possibly infectious body.?? He was therefore more than a little surprised to discover that, apart from the pungent aroma of sweat, the patient exuded none of the less than savoury odours he’d come to expect from the homeless scraps of humanity that arrived in the ER on a depressingly regular basis.???

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Closer examination also revealed that the man’s clothes, while both torn and filthy, bore none of the usual stains generally associated with the impoverished population who lived - and more often than not died - on the hard, unforgiving streets.????

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Lastly there was the man’s body.?? As Manse conducted a thorough - but gentle - examination he couldn’t fail to notice his patient’s tremendous physique.?? This was not someone who had been living on the streets for very long, if indeed at all, thought Manse, some vague suspicion worrying away at the back of his mind.

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And then it hit him.

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“Fetch me that fax we received from the LAPD this morning would you please Nurse?”

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The nurse complied, returning a few moments later with the requested document.?? Manse studied it carefully for several moments before his weary face creased into a delighted smile.

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THE BEACH HOUSE - 5 PM

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Despite himself, Jesse was unable to keep his eyes off the kitchen clock, the hands of which crawled slowly, interminably, around its face.??? When he did manage to wrench his gaze away, he found it was very quickly drawn back, whereupon he was shocked to discover that mere minutes, rather than hours, had passed.

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They’d run out of small talk hours ago and now sat nursing their mugs of cold coffee, waiting - waiting for the phone or doorbell to ring.

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So, even though they were anticipating it, the strident ringing of the doorbell startled them both.??? The fact that it didn’t ring once; that the person on the other side appeared to be leaning on it and, as if that weren’t enough, then began hammering on the door, brought both men swiftly to their feet.???

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“He’s been found, he’s safe” Newman announced as soon as the door opened.??

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“Oh thank God,” Mark cried, slumping back against the wall with relief.??? “How....????? Where....?”

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“He’s at County General.? I received a phone call from a Dr. Manse to tell me that Steve had been brought there a little over an hour ago.??? He’s okay,” Newman continued, noting the way Mark blanched at that piece of news.??? “Manse says he’s going to be just fine.??? Cuts and scrapes and .... Well he can fill you in when you get there,” he added.

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COUNTY GENERAL – 6 PM

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“Steve was admitted earlier this afternoon Dr. Sloan,” Manse informed Mark as he accompanied Mark to the room where Steve was residing.??? “As well as suffering from severe dehydration, he also sustained numerous injuries as a result of the car accident.”

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“Car accident?” Mark queried.

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“Your son was knocked down outside a 7/11 earlier today, as a result of which he suffered four fractured ribs as well as multiple cuts and bruises to his face and upper torso.??? He has a rather nasty gash to his left temple, although that injury is older than the others and I suspect occurred prior to the accident.??? There was also some damage to his left kidney.?? I’ve carried out an abdominal CT scan and I’ve also scheduled Steve for an intravenous pyelogram first thing tomorrow morning so that we can check the kidney function.?? However, I’m confident that, since the damage appears to be very slight, the bruising to the kidney should heal spontaneously.?? He’s in here,” Manse informed Mark, coming to a halt outside the door of a small, private, room.

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“Stay as long as you like,” he murmured as Mark slid quietly into the room.?? “And if you need to discuss anything with me I’ll be in the ER.?? If I’m not there then I’ll be in the doctor’s lounge, probably asleep on the sofa,” he added, grinning.?

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“Thank you,” Mark said gratefully before closing the door softly and crossing swiftly over to the bed where he stood for the longest time just drinking in his son’s sleeping features.

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“You’re safe now,” he whispered, reaching out to brush a stray strand of fine, brown, hair back from his son’s forehead.

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Blue eyes slowly flickered open, meeting and locking with Mark’s.??

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“Hi there,” Mark smiled warmly.

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“Where ......?”

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“You’re in the hospital,” Mark supplied the answer to the half-formed question.?? “You’ve had a rough few days but you’re going to be just fine now,” he added, smiling.??? “Just as soon as Dr. Manse says it’s okay to do so I’m going to have you transferred to Community General.”

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Steve lay regarding his father solemnly.

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“Steve?” Mark felt a frisson of alarm course through him at the way in which his son was regarding him, almost as though he were a stranger.

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Steve’s next words served only to confirm Mark’s fears.??

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“Who are you?” he demanded.

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---

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“Amnesia is fairly common after a head injury,” Jesse said reassuringly, handing Mark a cup of coffee.??? “Most people start to remember things after a few days at the very least.?? The main thing to concentrate on as I see it,” he continued, smiling warmly at his worried friend and mentor.?? “Is to give Steve all the support and reassurance that we can.”

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---

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“So you’re both doctors at Community General and you,” Steve fixed Jesse with a hard stare, “Tell me that you’re my friend and business partner, while you,” he gazed coolly at Mark, “Claim to be my father.”

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“Not claim to be,” Mark corrected.?? “Am.”

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“And of course you expect me to believe that statement without producing any kind of tangible proof to substantiate your claim?”

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Jesse stood regarding his friend with astonishment.???? The head wound hadn’t just taken away Steve’s memory; it had robbed his friend of his amiable nature.???

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“Son …,” Mark got no further as Steve rudely interrupted him, announcing: “I’m tired.? I’d like you both to leave so that I can get some rest.”

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MID MORNING THE FOLLOWING DAY

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“The intravenous pyelogram reveals that your left kidney is functioning well, but you’ll still need to take things very easy for a while until the bruising subsides,” Manse informed Steve when he called to discuss the results of the test he’d conducted earlier that day.??? “I don’t anticipate that you’ll experience any further problems, but if you do start to feel any discomfort; nausea, back pain or fever,” he elucidated, “Please don’t ignore them.”??

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“Your ribs will heal in approximately six to eight weeks,” he continued.??? “Just remember to take it easy and take pain relief as and when you need to.? Now,” he said briskly, “All that remains for me to do is to arrange for you to be transferred to Community General.?? I know that your father is very anxious to have you back under his roof so to speak.??? A few more days there, and you should be well enough to go back home.”

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“If I could just remember where home is,” Steve’s tone was wistful.

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“Your memory will come back Steve,” Manse said reassuringly.?? “It will just take time, and the more you worry about it, the longer it will take, so just try and relax okay?”

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“That’s easy for you to say,” Steve muttered to the young doctor’s retreating back.?? “You’re not the one suffering from amnesia.”

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3 PM COMMUNITY GENERAL

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“I brought along a few things for you to have a look at,” Mark smilingly informed his fractious son as he placed a slender buff coloured folder on the edge of the bed.?? “Your birth certificate, passport, and some photographs of the two of us together.?? I’ve also included some documents that prove I am who I say I am,” he added.

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“Documents can easily be forged Dr. Sloan,” Steve said testily as he shifted position in the hard, narrow, bed.

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“Yes they can,? Mark acquiesced .??? “Although I’d like to hear your reasons as to why you think I might want to carry out such an elaborate plan.?? Unless you think I’m after your money - not that you have very much,” he added, laughing in an attempt to inject some levity into the otherwise sombre situation.??? “Steve,” he continued in a more serious tone of voice, “I know that the past few days have been very hard for you and, if you want to talk about what happened ….”

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“No!” Steve snapped, glaring up at Mark.?? “I just want to forget about it okay??? Now - please - would you just leave me alone?”

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“Okay,” Mark murmured.??? “But I’ll leave that,” he nodded towards the folder, “Here.?? Just in case you want to have a look through it.”

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THE DOCTORS’ LOUNGE

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“I don’t understand it Jess,” Mark confided in his young friend and protégé.?? “It’s almost as though Steve doesn’t want to believe I’m his father.?? And he’s so …..,” he searched for the right word, “Aggressive,” he concluded sadly.

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“Well,” Jesse raked a slender hand through his spiky blond hair.???? “It’s a well documented fact that head trauma can sometimes cause personality changes.??? And Steve did suffer a very heavy concussion, so it’s quite likely that could be the cause of his aggressive behaviour.”

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“I hear what you’re saying Jesse, and while it’s a perfectly feasible, and logical, explanation, I think there’s more to it than that.??? It’s almost as though,” he hastened to explain, noting Jesse’s puzzled expression, “He’s afraid to trust me; afraid to trust anyone.”

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---

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Mark had almost - but not quite - hit the nail very squarely on the head with regard to his son’s current state of mind.??? It wasn’t that Steve was afraid to trust anyone, it was just that, after his recent experiences of the vagaries and treacheries of human nature, he was highly suspicious of placing himself at the mercy of people he didn’t know or, more specifically, couldn’t remember.??? He’d learned the hard way over the past few days that people could be duplicitous; the store owner being a perfect case in point.??? All he’d done was ask the man for a drink and he’d wound up in the hospital.??? Thus, until he was happy and secure in his own mind that he could trust Mark Sloan and Jesse Travis implicitly, he was determined to keep his distance.

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LATER THAT EVENING

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“So, did looking at any of the documents Mark left with you help to jog your memory at all?” Jesse enquired brightly as he pulled up a chair and sat down next to Steve’s bed.

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“No,” came the surly reply from his fractious friend.

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“Oh well, never mind,” the young doctor continued, choosing to ignore Steve’s gruff manner.???? “It’s early days yet.?? Your memory will? .....”

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“Return in time, yes I know that Dr. Travis,” Steve interrupted.??? “But what I want, what I need to know from you,” his eyes swept over both men.??? Is just what the hell I’m supposed to do in the meantime?”

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“You come home with me,” Mark said quietly.

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TWO DAYS’ LATER

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“Nice place,” Steve commented politely as he followed Mark into the beach house, his eyes roaming the interior dispassionately.

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“Thank you,” said Mark, trying not to let his disappointment show at the fact that, despite being back in familiar surroundings, Steve recognised nothing.??? Well what had he expected, he mentally chided himself??? Miracles only ever happened in the movies after all.

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“Let me show you to your apartment,” he offered, turning to lead the way downstairs.?? “I’m sure you’d like to take a hot shower and to change into some clean clothes,” he added, receiving a quiet grunt by way of an answer.??? “While you’re doing that I’ll fix us some lunch.”

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---

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To say that lunch was an ordeal for both men was an understatement; it was nothing short of tortuous.?? Conversation was both limited and severely strained until finally, with sweat breaking out on his brow at the effort of having been reduced to making small talk about the weather, Steve announced that he was going for a walk.???? Mark’s offer to join him had been met with a terse “No thank you, I’d like to be alone.”

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Whereupon Steve had pushed back his chair and all but bolted for the deck, taking the stairs leading down to the beach three at a time, ignoring the shriek of protest the action elicited from his damaged ribs.

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Mark watched him leave with a heavy heart.??? As he busied himself stacking the plates in the sink he couldn’t help but allow his thoughts to drift back to countless other times, countless other meals, father and son had shared together.?? Meals during which they had engaged in a combination of endless banter and good natured insults before - more often than not - retiring to the balcony for coffee or, if it had been a particularly hard day, a beer or two; sometimes speaking, but more often not, sitting together in companionable silence.

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As his eyes tracked Steve’s slow progress along the beach, Mark could only hope and pray that those halcyon days would soon return.

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---

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“Stop it Tony.?? Don’t be so MEAN.”

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Steve was dragged from his reverie by the indignant protestation.?? Glancing over to his left, he saw two tow-haired children playing side by side on the sand, the little girl trying her hardest to build sandcastles, which the boy appeared equally intent on destroying.?

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As he stood silently watching the two warring children Steve felt … something … a sensation, like a door had opened in his mind; just a fraction, but enough to allow a fragment of memory to slip through.?? In his mind’s eye he quite clearly saw children, a boy and a girl, playing together on the beach and knew instinctively that the boy was himself, while the girl was ......

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“Carol,” he murmured softly.

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---

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“Who’s Carol?” he demanded of Mark the moment he returned to the beach house.

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At the question, Mark’s hopes rose.?? If Steve remembered his sister’s name then, hopefully, other memories would swiftly follow.

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“Carol is your sister,” he replied in answer to the terse question.

?

“And does she live here too?”

?

“No she ...,” Mark hesitated for a moment before continuing.??? “Your sister she ..... Met a man we … I,” he swiftly corrected himself, unwilling to inform Steve that he too had been instrumental in his sister leaving home, “Disapproved of.??? She left,” he added softly.

?

“When?”

?

This time it took Mark longer to answer the question because even now, some six years after the event, the memory of his daughter’s departure still cut him to the quick.?? They had argued fiercely, all three of them, father and son trying their hardest to convince the wayward woman that the man she had fallen in love with would never - could never - make her happy.

?

Their protests and arguments had, however, been to no avail; Carol furiously informing both men that they had no right to interfere in her life, rounding angrily on her brother and telling him that she was no longer prepared to stay in a home where she had not just one father, but two.??

?

And then, picking up her case, she had walked out of the house without a backward glance.

?

“Carol left six years ago,” Mark said sadly.

?

4 AM

?

Hard, rough, hands grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and manhandled him roughly out on to the street where he was thrown contemptuously to the ground.

?

“Please,” he begged, raising himself slowly, painfully, to his feet.?? “I need a drink.”

?

“Oh you need a DRINK do you buddy?” The surly store owner growled.?? “Well you just wait right there and I’ll get you one.”

?

“No,” Steve moaned, twisting and turning in a frantic effort to free himself from the nightmare’s insidious grip.

?

“Here’s your drink.”

?

At the sound of the man’s voice, Steve turned – only to be deluged with cold, soapy water.?? He staggered backwards, rubbing desperately at his eyes in a frantic attempt to rid them of the irritating substance.? A horn blared, tyres squealed in protest and a sudden, agonising, pain radiated throughout his entire body.

?

“NO!” he yelled, the shouted protest breaking the hold the bad dream had imposed over his slumbering body, and jerking him back to reality.????

?

“Are you all right,” a disembodied voice enquired, at the same time that a dark shape loomed up out of the darkness, hands outstretched.

?

Hard, rough, hands grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and manhandled him roughly out on to the street where he was contemptuously thrown to the ground.

?

“Stay the hell away from me,” Steve hissed angrily.

?

“It’s okay Steve, it’s me, your d ...... Mark,” the older man swiftly corrected himself, placing a gentle hand on his son’s shoulder.

?

“I said GET AWAY FROM ME,” Steve yelled, rolling over to and out of the far side of the bed, where he stood up and whirled round to face his father, his cobalt eyes blazing with anger.

?

“Steve,” Mark raised his hands in supplication.??? “I just came to see if you were okay that’s all.?? I heard you cry out.”

?

“I’m fine,” came the curt reply.?? “Now, if you don’t mind I’d like to get back to sleep.”

?

Whereupon Steve slid back into bed, pulled the covers up to his chin and - very pointedly - turned his back on his father.

?

THE NEXT MORNING

?

The atmosphere between the two men the following morning was not so much icy, as arctic.?? After greeting Mark coolly, Steve poured himself a cup of coffee and promptly went outside to sit on the deck.

?

Mark deliberated for a long moment as to the right course of action to take before deciding that he could hardly make matters any worse than they already were.?? Thus decided he followed his son outside, pulled up a chair, and sat down.

?

“About last night ….”

?

He got no further; Steve standing up so abruptly that he knocked his chair over.

?

“I don’t want to talk about it ” he snapped.??? “Just leave it okay,” he added as Mark opened his mouth to speak.??? “I had a bad dream.?? It was no big deal.?? Now please …,” he broke off abruptly, gasping as a knife-like pain shot through his lower back.

?

“What is it??? What’s wrong?”

?

Mark was at his son’s side in an instant.

?

“Nothing,” came the impatient reply.?? “It was an ache that’s all.?? It’s gone now.”

?

“What sort of an ache?” Mark persisted.

?

Any reply he might have received from his infuriated son was - perhaps fortuitously - forestalled by the chimes of the front doorbell.

?

---

?

“I called by to see how Steve was doing,” Captain Newman informed Mark, just as the detective came striding in from the deck.? His eyes flickered over their early morning visitor, but no trace of recognition showed on his face.

?

“I’m going to grab a shower,” he informed Mark curtly, before brushing past both men and heading for the stairs leading down to his apartment.

?

“Well you could at least stop and say hello,” Newman said reproachfully.

?

“Hello,” came the terse reply.

?

“Steve!” Mark admonished, thoroughly mortified by his son’s blatant discourtesy.??? Even if he didn’t recognise the Captain there was no excuse for such rudeness.

?

“Oh get off my back,” Steve snapped, to the utter astonishment of Newman who had never - in all the years he’d been working with both men - heard them exchange a harsh word.??? Quite forgetting the fact that he wasn’t in the office, Newman bawled out “SLOAN!” at the top of his voice.

?

At the sharp rebuke Steve froze in his tracks.??? A slow, lazy smile spread across his face as he turned to face the man who was, and had been, the bane of his life for the past couple of years and who had managed, with just one word, to push the doorway in his mind open just a little further to allow more memories to slip through.

?

“Hello Captain Newman,” he said quietly.

?

NOON

?

“Hey Mark,” Jesse called out cheerfully, running lightly up the steps of the deck to join Mark, who sat nursing a cold beer.?? “I thought I’d call round and see how the two of you are doing.?? “How’s Steve?” he enquired.

?

“Oh he’s ….,” Mark’s voice tailed off, his eyes focusing on the solitary figure sitting on the sand some 300 yards away.?? “Quiet,” he concluded, before going on to inform Jesse of recent events, culminating in what had occurred earlier that morning.

?

As he sat listening, Jesse’s concerned gaze travelled over the older man, noting Mark’s drawn and haggard countenance, dull, lifeless, eyes and stooped appearance.?? His friend had suffered agonies while Steve was missing; was still suffering now, thought Jesse, because, in a way, Steve was still missing.

?

“I called round to suggest lunch at BBQ Bob’s,” he said after Mark had finished updating him on progress thus far concerning Steve’s amnesia.??? “Steve hasn’t been back there since the …. Accident and I thought that maybe he might remember something if he re-visited the place.?? It’s worth a try don’t you think?” he enquired hopefully.

?

“Yes it is.”

?

Despite his low spirits, Mark couldn’t help smiling at Jesse’s obvious enthusiasm and eagerness to help his friend.????? And, even if the idea didn’t work, at least the three of them would enjoy a pleasant meal in pleasant surroundings.

?

---

?

“Hey big guy.”???

?

Undaunted by the ferocious glare he received at his cheerful greeting, Jesse sat down next to his friend.??

?

“I came to ask you and your dad to join me for lunch at BBQ Bob’s,” he continued blithely.??? “I know that Mark would like to go and I figure it might do you some good too Steve.”

?

“Returning to the scene of the crime you mean?”

?

“If you like - yes.?? Well I figure anything is better than sitting on your butt in the sand feeling sorry for yourself,” Jesse bravely ventured and this time he did flinch at the ferocity of his friend’s gaze.

?

“I am not feeling sorry for myself,” Steve said coldly.

?

“Good.?? Then you’ll come?”?? Jesse was on his feet before Steve had a chance to protest otherwise.??

?

Sensing that he had been very neatly backed into a corner, and seeing no way out of it, Steve figured that it couldn’t do any harm to fall in with the diminutive blond’s suggestion.?? He was, he suddenly realised, very hungry.??? He hadn’t eaten breakfast, having felt too nauseous to consume even a single mouthful of the food Mark had prepared for him, so he was ready, more than ready, for some lunch.????

?

As he got slowly to his feet his hands went automatically to his back, which had begun to ache ferociously.

?

“Are you okay?” Jesse enquired.

?

“I’m fine Dr. Travis,” Steve replied somewhat testily.?? “Just a little cramped from sitting on my butt for too long,” he added sardonically.

?

BBQ BOB’S

?

“So this is the infamous BBQ Bob’s,” Steve remarked as he hauled himself out of Mark’s car, surprised at how tired, and heavy, his body felt.?? “It doesn’t look very inspiring,” he added dismissively.

?

“Wait until you see inside,” said Jesse.??? “You’ll be impressed, I promise you.”

?

But Steve was far from impressed, and he wasn’t backward in coming forward about letting Mark and Jesse know it.?? The place was poky, he informed them, the décor left much to be desired, the tables were too close together and, finally; his most damning condemnation of all, there was SALAD on the menu!

?

“Real men don’t eat salad right?” Jesse queried, his bright blue eyes twinkling with mischief.?? “That’s exactly what you said when I suggested we put it on the menu.??? I had to all but twist your arm behind your back to convince you I was right.”

?

‘“I find that hard to believe,” Steve muttered, his scathing gaze sweeping over Jesse’s slight form.

?

---

?

Despite Jesse’s high hopes, lunch was not the success he had hoped for; Steve simply retreating behind an impenetrable wall of silence, which neither he nor Mark were able to pierce.??? It was a relief when the meal was finally over and they headed back to the car, Steve walking slightly ahead of them, making it clear that he’d had more than enough of their company for the moment.

?

But, as he approached the vehicle, his steps slowed.

?

It was late and he was tired,? his thoughts firmly fixed on a long, hot, shower followed by bed.??

?

But as he approached his car, a harsh voice in his ear snarled “Freeze,” at the same time that the barrel of a gun was jammed very firmly into his back.??

?

“Are you okay, Steve?”? Mark enquired, having noted the way his son had ground to a sudden halt and now appeared to be rooted to the spot.

?

Jesse, who was closer to his friend than was Mark, reached out and placed a tentative hand on the detective’s arm, an action he instantly regretted as he was immediately seized, spun round, and slammed up against the side of the car, which violent action drove all the breath out of his body.

?

“I’m sorry,” he managed to gasp, just before he passed out.

?

---

?

“Are you SURE that you’re okay to drive?” Mark enquired, his face creased with concern as he swept a professional eye over Jesse, whose colour was only now, an hour after they’d arrived back at the beach house, begun to return.

?

“I’m fine - really,” Jesse assured the dubious looking doctor.?? “I’m just sorry that my idea didn’t work.?? I have to go Mark,” he added as he headed towards the front door.?? “I’m due on shift at the hospital in half an hour.”

?

“Well, if you’re sure.”?

?

“It wasn’t Steve’s fault, Mark” said Jesse, as though reading his friend’s mind.?? “I must have triggered a memory of the attack and he just …. Reacted instinctively,” he concluded lamely.

?

---

?

No sooner had Jesse left than Steve headed down to his apartment knowing that if he didn’t lie down - and fast - then he was going to collapse. The pain in his back was growing worse with every minute that passed and all he wanted - needed - to do was take some Excedrin and then curl up in a ball on the bed and wait for the pain to go away.

?

Just as he reached the door to the bathroom, however, a white hot bolt of agony lanced through his lower back.?? The world tilted on its axis, his vision dimmed, and the last thing he saw before blackness descended was the floor rushing up to meet him.

?

---

?

“It wasn’t Steve’s fault.”

?

Jesse’s words resonated in Mark’s head as he strode back into the house, turned sharp left and headed down to his son’s apartment where he fully intended to remonstrate with Steve over the unforgivable - and totally unacceptable way - in which his son had behaved towards his? friend.??

?

While he acknowledged that Steve had obviously experienced some sort of flashback when Jesse had touched him and, while he could also understand his son’s reaction, there was simply no way he was prepared to accept - or condone - the events which followed.???

?

It had been quite bad enough that, after rendering Jesse unconscious, Steve had merely stood watching impassively while Mark tended to the dazed young man, making little, in fact no, attempt to help his stricken friend to his feet and into the car.??? It had been worse still when, upon arriving back at the beach house, Steve had settled down on the couch, switched on the TV and proceeded to ignore them both.

?

Well, enough was enough, Mark thought grimly.??? Steve’s amnesia was no excuse for his ill-mannered behaviour and he was going to make damn sure that his son knew how thoroughly displeased he was with him.???? Without even pausing to knock on the door, he strode into the apartment where he was confronted by the sight of Steve lying in a crumpled heap on the floor.

?

---

?

“Steve - son - can you hear me????? I want you to try and open your eyes for me.?? Can you do that?”

?

The soft voice pierced the miasma which surrounded the insentient detective, pulling him back to consciousness.?? As his eyes flickered open, he saw hands reaching toward him.

?

Hard, rough, hands grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and manhandled him roughly out on to the street where he was thrown contemptuously to the ground.

?

Steve braced himself for the inevitable pain which he knew would follow.??? But, to his surprise there was none.??? He blinked in confusion, his vision slowly clearing until he was able to discern Mark’s anxious face hovering above him, his features creased with concern, his blue eyes filled with ...... With ..... As he fought against the waves of pain that were wracking his long, lithe, frame, Steve recognised the expression on Mark’s face.???

?

It was love.??

?

All his doubts, suspicions and fears fled, only to be replaced with a sense of overwhelming shame as he realised how wrong, how terribly wrong, he had been in placing Mark in the same category as the others who had so weakened his faith and trust in human nature.???

?

“I’m ..... Sorry,” he rasped as he struggled to sit up, the action immediately stayed by a firm, but gentle hand on his chest, pressing him back down.

?

“Don’t move,” Mark counselled.??? “I’ve called 911 and an ambulance should be here very shortly.??? Just rest.”

?

“I owe you .....,” Steve was unable to suppress a moan as a knife-like pain ripped through his back.???? “And Jesse, an apology,” he added when he was finally able to speak.

?

“There’ll be time enough for that later,” Mark soothed.??? “Right now we need to get you to the hospital.”

?

COMMUNITY GENERAL

?

“How is he Jesse?” Mark anxiously enquired when, some three hours later the young doctor joined him in the lounge where he’d sat drinking cup after endless cup of the foul brew that masqueraded as coffee while Jesse operated on his son.

?

“He’s going to be just fine,” came the reassuring reply.??? “His left kidney was bleeding heavily but I’ve stopped that.?? The area has been suctioned out and everything looks perfectly normal.?? Of course Steve will have to take it easy.?? Very easy,” he stressed.?? “I’m talking total bed rest for two weeks, minimum.”

?

“Oh he’ll rest.?? I’ll make sure of that,” Mark said firmly.?? “I need to see him Jess,” he added.

?

“Of course,” Jesse smiled.?? “Right now he’s in the ICU but that’s only for the next 24 hours to monitor his progress.?? After that he’ll be moved to a surgical ward for a few days and then he can go home.”

?

If only, Jesse thought regretfully, as he watched Mark stride out of the lounge, Steve were able to remember that the beach house was his home.

?

FOUR HOURS’ LATER

?

Ungluing his eyes, Steve allowed his gaze to drift around the room, his eyes taking in the all too familiar surroundings of a hospital room before coming to rest on his father who was fast asleep in a chair by the side of the bed.??? Steve hated to wake him but he really REALLY needed a drink.

?

“Dad,” he croaked in a voice barely above a mere whisper.????? Clearing his parched throat he tried again.???

?

“Dad.”?? This time his voice was louder and evoked an immediate response from Mark, whose eyes flew open, his face wreathed in a smile as he realised that Steve was conscious.

?

“Hi there, how are you feeling?” he enquired.

?

“Thirsty.?? Could I have some water please dad?”

?

“Of course.”

?

Mark stood up, stretched, yawned, and was just about to comply with Steve’s request when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.?? A broad grin spread across his face as he turned to face his son.

?

“Do you realise what you just said?” he queried, barely able to conceal his delight.

?

“Sure dad,” Steve replied, yawning.?? “I asked you if I could …,” his voice tailed off as recognition dawned.??? “I remember,” he declared in a voice that threatened to break as tears of relief and emotion welled up in his throat.?? “You, Jesse, the beach house - everything.?? Even,” he laughed, as he reached up to wipe away the tears that were streaming down his face, “How much I love the food in this place.”

?

TWO DAYS’ LATER

?

“How much longer have I got to stay here Jesse?” Steve grumbled.

?

“You know, I think I preferred it when you called me Dr. Travis?” his mischievous friend replied, grinning wickedly.

?

“Jesse,” Steve growled threateningly.

?

“You can go home tomorrow.”

?

At which news Steve breathed a sigh of relief.

?

“But,” Jesse continued sternly.?? “You are to have absolute, and I mean, absolute rest Steve.?? I’ll be calling in to check on you on a regular basis and the most strenuous thing I expect to find you doing is changing the channel on the remote!”

?

“It’s a deal Jess,” Steve agreed.

?

“There is just one more thing.”

?

“And that is?” Steve regarded his impish friend warily.

?

“It would be kind of nice to hear you call me Dr. Travis just one more time,” replied Jesse, ducking just in time to avoid the glass of water Steve threw at him.

The End
?

?