Chasing the Truth
Part 4
His lungs burning for air, Viggo watched in horror as Billy scrambled the last few feet up the hill. He could see Sean just ahead as he practically plowed over the fence in his desperation to get to Billy before the lorry. His heart in his throat, Viggo dredged up every last bit of speed and bellowed for Billy to stop. Billy�s attention jerked from Sean to himself and Billy slipped. Slipped and stumbled to one knee. It was enough. A blast of air from the passing truck caused the young man�s hair to whip around his face. A face that went white with fright.
The near brush with death froze Billy for a moment. Long enough for Sean to catch up to him. Viggo knew his mate would be furious with Billy. Not just because he�d tried to escape again, but also because of the fright Billy had just given them. Sure enough, Sean grabbed Billy by the arm, pulled him to his feet and slapped him across the face hard enough to make the younger man�s head snap back. By the time Viggo reached the pair, Sean was shaking Billy roughly and screaming at him, red-faced with fear and anger.
�Stop shaking him so hard, Sean. You�re going to give him a concussion.�
�Concussion? Bloody hell, Viggo, he scared the piss out of me! He�s lucky I don�t take a belt to his arse.�
�I�m tempted to let you, but you have to stop shaking him first.�
Taking a deep, calming breath, Viggo let it out in a rush. Sean glared at him but stopped his jerky movements, though he clenched the front of Billy�s borrowed shirt in two white-knuckled fists. Viggo wiped the sweat from his face with a shaky hand. �I think he just scared ten years off my life, and I could hardly afford to lose them. Christ, that was close.�
Sean whispered one more �bloody hell� then released his death grip on Billy�s shirt. Billy was rambling, stuttered apologies and pleas for release between gasps for air. His face was pale. Yesterday�s bruises and the new handprint stood out in stark relief, sweat cutting streaks in the dirt he�d collected from his flight for freedom.
Viggo knew they�d all received a fright and ignored Billy�s rambling. It didn�t stop him from reaching over to box Billy�s ears, though. Someone had to pay for Viggo nearly wetting himself. Grabbing Billy by the collar, he started the long walk back to the car, Sean falling into step beside them.
�I guess this means I don�t get to provide the lad with proper incentive to behave.�
Laughing, Viggo helped Billy crawl between the wires in the fence and ducked through after him. �No, Sean. I think he�s been properly chastised for his actions.�
�I don�t. But you�re the boss. The boss that got us into this mess, if I remember correctly.� Hopping on one foot to regain his balance after catching his shoe on the fence, Sean snorted. �I believe your exact words were, �taking him on the train would just be asking for trouble�. Like this car trip has been a bleeding picnic. I shudder to think what else might go wrong.�
�Thoughts like that certainly won�t help anything. Besides, just think of the trouble he could�ve gotten into on the train. Probably would�ve jumped off between stops somewhere.�
Jerking his arm, trying to release Viggo�s grip, Billy glared up at both of them. �Stop talking about me as if I wasn�t here. You�d have tried the same fucking thing if you were in my shoes and you know it.�
Sean grabbed Billy by his free arm and jerked him around. �You nearly got run over by a fucking lorry, you little shit.�
�Well it would be better than going to prison!�
And there it was. Billy would only get more desperate the closer they got to Glasgow. The young man obviously considered his destination a fate worse than death and that made him very dangerous. To himself, more than anyone else. With a sigh, Viggo tugged him out of Sean�s grip and trudged across the pasture. He hoped their car was still there.
Crossing the fence to the road, Viggo could tell Sean was exhausted. When they finally reached the car, amid curious looks from the other stranded motorists, Viggo offered to take over the driving. They got Billy strapped back into his seat, using the second pair of handcuffs to make sure he couldn�t undo his seatbelt again, then climbed into the front. Viggo slid into the driver�s seat, mildly surprised to see nobody had absconded with his laptop while they�d been gone.
Ignoring Sean�s grumbling about torn trousers, muddy shoes and �how long does it really take to haul a coach off the road�, Viggo went back to his scrutiny of the dry run. Sean finally ran out of steam, recovered from his scare and gave in to exhaustion. By the time even Viggo was out of patience for the overturned coach, it had started to rain and Sean was fast asleep against the door.
�This is ridiculous.� Closing the laptop and putting it back in its case, Viggo dropped it on the floorboard behind his seat and pulled out the map. Surely there was another way around this snarled mess. Tracing the wrinkled paper with his finger, he smiled. Making sure Sean was buckled in, Viggo started the car and did a U-turn. They�d be back on track in no time.
~*~
�You�re lost.�
�I�m not lost.�
�I�m pretty sure you are. Not that I mind. We can drive all over Britain for all I care. Not exactly in a hurry to reach the end of the road, am I?�
�I�m perfectly capable of reading a map. I�m not lost.�
�I bet if you woke Sean up, he�d tell you we�re lost.�
�I bet if you say one more word, I�ll stop the car and shove you in the trunk.�
�Daft American.�
�I heard that. Don�t make me stop this car.�
�What the hell is all the yelling about?� Sean rubbed his eyes blearily and sat up, wincing at his sore muscles. �Where are we?�
One look at Viggo, trying to drive while juggling a map, said it all. �You�re not serious.�
�I�m not lost, Sean.� Viggo sounded defensive, even to himself. �I took a short cut. It was taking too long to get that accident cleared up. We should come out to the highway again in a mile or so.�
With a start, Sean realized it was raining outside. And dark. �How long have I been asleep? Fuck, Viggo, where are we?�
�Told you, Viggo.�
�Billy, for the last time-.� Viggo switched his annoyance from Boyd to Sean as his mate snatched the map from his hands. �You could�ve given me a paper cut, you know.�
�Where the hell are we?� Sean squinted through the window, searching for any kind of sign to let him know where they were, what road they might be on, or even if they were anywhere near a village. Anything to give him some idea how far off they were.
Pulling the map towards him a bit, Viggo leaned over slightly and pointed. �I think we�re right here.�
�You think?!�
�Don�t you trust me to read a map, Sean?�
�Viggo, you�re one of the most intelligent people I know. But you�re shite at reading a map. What possessed you to take a shortcut?�
�Would you pay attention to the road?�
�Shut up, Billy!� Shouted from both at once, it made quite an impression. Turning their attention back to the map, each tried to take possession of it as they argued back and forth.
�You got us lost, you daft wanker.�
�I didn�t get us lost! And you�ve never complained about my wanking before.�
At Billy�s sudden shriek of warning, Viggo snapped his attention back to the road just in time to see a large dog darting out into the lane. Acting instinctively, he jerked the wheel and slammed on the brakes. It was the wrong thing to do, of course, but you never realize that until too late.
The car hydroplaned, Viggo lost control of the vehicle and they slid straight into the ditch. The car ended up on the passenger side, wheels still spinning lazily as the engine died. The dog, naturally, trotted away without a scratch.
Once everything stopped spinning and he realized he wasn�t dead, Billy moaned at the sharp pain in his left wrist. It hurt like blazes. It was fucking cold. And he was wet. It was the last thought that brought reality back. The glass in both passenger doors had broken when they hit the bottom of the ditch and water was rapidly soaking through his clothes.
From his awkward angle, he could see Sean crumpled against his door, water rising up his cheek. Much higher and it would fill his mouth and nose. He�d drown. Billy used his left elbow to lever himself out of the mud and broken glass enough to see Viggo. The lanky American dangled sideways a bit in his seatbelt, head lolling. Both men were out cold. Fuck.
�Viggo! Viggo, wake up for fuck�s sake. Sean�s going to drown.�
Struggling uselessly with the safety belt, handcuffed to keep him from escaping again, Billy shouted frantically for the other two to wake up. More water crept in. Grabbing hold of Sean�s headrest with his good hand, Billy sucked in his stomach and started to wriggle. Pushing with his feet, pulling on the headrest and twisting his hips, Billy strained to escape the safety belt. Turning sideways a bit, he managed to use a knee to lever himself up far enough to get loose. He all but lost his trousers in the process.
Pulling his legs free of the strap, Billy reached forward to lift Sean�s face from the rising water. Turning the older man�s face to the side a bit, Billy cupped some water in his hands and flung it at Viggo. He had more on his mind than an act of revenge, this time.
�Viggo! You have to help me.�
Jerking awake at the sudden dousing of ice-cold water, Viggo was immediately disoriented from his dangled position. �What the hell?�
He quickly remembered recent events, however, and struggled to maneuver around so he could brace himself. �Move Sean over a bit, Billy. I might not be able to control my fall when I release my belt.�
Viggo could hardly breath, the seatbelt was so tight. His head pounded. Once Sean was as safe as he could be, given the situation, Viggo took a steadying breath and pushed the release button. Between the two of them, Billy and Viggo managed to keep Sean from getting stepped on. Crouched uncomfortably in the small car, Viggo reached for the door handle. He had to really push and shove to finally get it to open. With a grunt of effort, he pushed it open and back as far as it would go.
A groan of pain sent a wave of relief through Viggo. Sean was waking up. He hadn�t been sure how he�d get his lover out of the car, unconscious. Twisting to fit in the available space, Viggo knelt down to touch Sean�s shoulder in comfort.
�It�s okay, Sean. Had a bit of an accident, but everyone seems okay.�
�I don�t feel bloody �okay�, Viggo. Christ, my head hurts. And why am I wet?�
�Slid into a ditch. A ditch full of water, I�m afraid.� Assessing the situation, Viggo made a decision. �Let me boost Billy out of here, then we�ll see about getting you onto dry land.�
�Are you daft? He�ll run.�
�That�s the least of my worries right now, Sean.�
Hands cold and fumbling, Viggo found the release for his seatback and pulled. Pushing the back down as far as it would go, he reached a hand out for Billy. �Here, stand on the side of Sean�s seat and I�ll give you a leg up.�
He was glad the younger man did as he was told without arguing. Stepping on the edge of the passenger seat, Billy twisted around so his back was to Viggo and he was facing the boot of the car through the open door. Putting his hands around Billy�s narrow waist, Viggo felt cold, bare skin. Billy�s pants were soaking wet and barely clinging to his hips, a testament to his struggle with the seatbelt. Crooking a small smile, Viggo tightened his grip and pushed Billy through the open door.
Once Billy was outside, Viggo reached down to pull a groggy Sean to his feet. �Did you break anything, Sean? Are you hurt anywhere?�
�Besides my head? No, Vig, I�m fine. Thumping headache, but that�ll pass.� Running a knowing gaze over his partner, Sean returned the concern. �What about you?�
�Knee hurts a bit, and I think we all have headaches, but I�m fine. We were lucky.� Satisfied that Sean was quickly recovering from his knock to the head, Viggo hauled himself out of the car and bent over to peer down at Sean. �Climb on out. I�ll give you a hand if you need it.�
Sean managed to pull himself out onto the side of the car with little trouble, but wavered a bit once he was standing. Viggo braced him and waited until Sean was ready for the climb down. Once the two were safely on solid ground, Viggo blinked against the rain at the car forlornly resting on its side.
Looking at the mess, Sean sighed. �Forget the train. We should�ve flown.�
Viggo wiped strands of rain-soaked hair from his eyes and laughed. �And missed all this? Where�s the fun in that?�
�Suppose anything we had in the boot is still dry?�
�Oh, shit. My laptop.� Viggo climbed back into the car and searched around until he found the laptop wedged underneath the driver�s seat. The case was dry and seemed unharmed. �Thank heaven for small favors.�
Sliding back to the ground, he found Sean prying open the lid to the boot, which had popped open a little when they�d hit the bottom of the ditch. Billy was sitting hunched over on the side of the road, cradling his hands in his lap and shivering. Mentally cursing himself for not checking on him sooner, Viggo searched his pocket for his key.
�You okay, Billy?� Viggo slipped the key into the lock and removed the handcuffs. He could tell the left wrist was swollen. The younger man struggled to talk through the chattering of his teeth.
�Wrist hurts. Broken probably. Nothing else hurts so bad. Fucking cold.� Billy flicked his eyes over to Sean. �Bean okay? Thought he was going to drown before I could get loose. You and your bloody handcuffs.�
Throat tight with emotion, suddenly aware how close he�d come to losing the man he loved more than anything, Viggo pulled Billy into his embrace and hugged the smaller man until he was afraid he�d hurt him.
�I can�t thank you enough, Billy. God, if anything had happened to him-.� It didn�t bear thinking about, honestly.
�I�m glad he�s okay, Viggo. Really. You both scared me a bit.�
Viggo could tell he was being sincere. Such an enigma, Billy Boyd. Kicking and fighting the whole way then, when he got the perfect opportunity to run without being chased, sitting calmly in the rain.
Leaving his laptop with Billy, Viggo joined Sean in his search for dry clothes. �You realize of course, that if we do find anything dry to put on�we�ll be soaking wet again before we got to shelter.�
Sean frowned and dropped the waterlogged duffle he was holding. �You know, Vig. You can really piss me off with your logic sometimes.�
Laughing, Viggo helped him shut the boot as best they could. �Sorry, my love, to rain on your parade. Figuratively speaking, despite the current circumstances. Let�s start walking and see if we can find some help. A village or farmhouse. Anything.�
�I�d settle for a chemist and some Paracetamol.�
�That certainly wouldn�t hurt.� Viggo picked up his laptop case and slung the strap over his shoulder. He then reached out a hand to pull Billy to his feet. The smaller man shivered violently. They really needed to get somewhere dry and warm. Soon.
~*~
Okay, it was time to admit it. They were lost. Viggo had no idea where they were, or how far it was to the next village. They�d been walking forever, it seemed. His soaking wet pants were getting truly uncomfortable and he limped more now than when they�d started. His knee felt swollen and stiff.
It was dark, cold and wet. Only two cars had passed since they�d left their own wrecked vehicle. Neither had stopped for the three weary, disheveled travelers. Viggo knew Sean�s headache was getting worse. Every few minutes Sean would reach up and rub at his temples in a vain attempt to relieve the pain. Stumbling between them, Billy became increasingly lethargic and incoherent. Viggo suspected hypothermia. The young man was thin and small, not able to conserve body heat like his larger companions.
�I need to call Maggie. I call my sister every Thursday night to let her know I�m okay. I�d like to go home, now. Can I go home? I�ve been away so very long. Where are we going? Maggie won�t like us getting water everywhere, you know. Doesn�t like it if you drip on the rug.�
Billy�s accent was getting stronger, making it harder for Viggo to understand what he was saying. Not that much of it made sense, anyway. They really needed to find help. Sean was looking down at Billy, his brow wrinkled in thought, and Viggo raised an eyebrow in curiosity. �Penny for your thoughts.�
�I was thinking of performing a little experiment on Boyd.�
Oblivious, Billy continued to ramble. Wrapping his arms around his chest in an effort to seek a little warmth, Viggo asked, �What kind of experiment.�
�Well, our wee companion seems to be a bit�shall we say, unguarded in his words at the moment. Maybe we could get him to confess.�
�How do you know he�s still not able to lie to us?�
�Good question. Let�s try something.� Sean touched Billy�s arm to get his attention. �Hey, Billy. When�s the last time you wanked?�
Stumbling to a stop, Billy peered up at Sean in confusion. �What day is this?�
�Tuesday.�
�I thought it was Thursday.�
�No, it�s Tuesday.�
�Oh, then I guess it was Sunday night. Or maybe Monday morning. No, it was Sunday night. Was gonna wank this morning�I think it was this morning�but you and Viggo came out of the shower too soon. Bastards. Having all that sex and not inviting me.�
Viggo wiped the rain from his eyes and burst out laughing. �Well, fuck me.�
�No, you�re supposed to fuck me. You can, you know. And then you�ll let me go, yeah?�
The earnest seriousness on Billy�s face and in his voice had Sean near laughter himself. �Billy, another question for you. Who took the money from the printing company?�
�Oh, that was Alexander. I don�t understand, really. He was my friend. He had a lot of money. Why would he take from the company? And why would he blame me? I thought he liked me. Bloody Serkis knows what he did. He�s the accountant. He had to know what was going on. We used to go down the pub sometimes, you know. He was a nice bloke. They were both so nice to me. Then you two started poking around and said you found money in my flat. I never had that kind of money about. A lot of my money went to Gran. What�ll she do now?�
Sean couldn�t be certain, because of the rain, but he thought maybe Billy was crying a bit. Feeling a little bad for tricking Billy in his vulnerable state, Sean pulled the younger man to him in a gentle hug. He looked over Billy�s wet head to meet Viggo�s sober gaze.
�He didn�t do it, Viggo. I feel a right bastard.�
�I know.� With a sigh, Viggo wrapped long arms around them both. �I feel the same. We�ll need proof, though.�
�We�ll figure that out later. We really need to get him out of this rain. God, how are ever going to make it up to him for all this?�
Viggo stepped back and started walking again, unable to answer. Sean pulled Billy to his side and trudged along behind. Maybe a little shared body heat would help. If nothing else, it kept Billy on a fairly straight path.
They hadn�t gone very far when a pair of headlights rounded the bend behind them. Edging over to the side of the road with the others, Viggo waved his arms. Thankfully this driver decided to stop. Jogging over to the driver�s side door, Viggo sighed in relief when the window rolled down and the interior light went on.
�You lads look like you could use some help.�
The deep, cultured voice was friendly and reassuring. The man�s blue eyes shone with intelligence and kindness. Viggo pushed his wet hair out of his face and gestured to his companions. �Our car ran into a ditch a long way back. My friend Sean hit his head pretty hard and Billy broke his wrist. Is there any way you can give us a lift to the next village?�
The older gentleman seemed to hesitate and Viggo became desperate. �Please. If you�re worried, just take Billy. He�s hypothermic, not sure where he is or what day it is. He really needs a doctor.�
That seemed to make up the stranger�s mind. �Well, then, don�t just stand there. Get in the car. All of you.�
�God bless you.� Waving them over, Viggo helped Sean get Billy in the back. Once Sean was safely in with him, Viggo shut the door and climbed in the front. �We can�t thank you enough.�
�Nothing to thank me for, my boy. It�s my duty to help those in need.� Smiling kindly, the older man reached over to turn up the heater. �Young man, you�ll find a blanket on the floor back there. See if you can wrap the wee fellow up in it.�
Turning around, Viggo smiled as Sean all but swaddled Billy in the wool blanket. Only the young man�s sharp red nose peeked out. Facing his benefactor once more, he gave him a grateful smile. �The two in the back are Sean Bean and Billy Boyd. I�m Viggo Mortensen.�
Taking one hand off the wheel long enough to shake Viggo�s hand, the stranger returned the smile. �My name is Ian McKellen. Dr. Ian McKellen.�
�A doctor?� Viggo couldn�t believe their luck.
McKellen laughed at the surprise in the American�s voice. �Yes, a doctor. If it suits you lads, I�ll just take you to my clinic. It�s not far from here and I�ll be able to check over your injuries, get the boy warmed up. Then, if you�d like, you can stay with me tonight. I live upstairs from the clinic. You can call someone in the morning to find your car and pull it from the ditch. Though, I�m sure it will no longer be in running order.�
�Our luck is certainly improving. Thank you, Doctor.�
�Oh, just call me Ian. I sometimes forget I have a name, with people calling me Doctor all day.�
A soft snore drew their attention to the back. Sean�s head was tilted back to rest against the seat, causing him to snore softly as he breathed. Billy was curled up on the seat in his blanket, head pillowed on Sean�s lap. Viggo laughed quietly and shrugged. �It�s a been a very long day. You wouldn�t believe it if I told you.�
�You might be surprised. Try me.�
So Viggo told Ian the whole story. How they�d traced Billy to the pub in London, jumped him on the street and taken him back to their hotel room, followed by their disastrous road trip. With a sigh, he added the guilt they both felt at the final realization that Billy had been telling the truth from the beginning. It had just taken Sean and Viggo two years to finally see that truth.
�I can�t believe McKenzie fooled us so completely. We found the envelope of money in Billy�s bedroom. I searched his computer files and found the overseas transactions. Andy Serkis told us he�d seen Billy at the office very late the night before the thefts were finally discovered. How could we have missed the truth?�
�Do you normally assume your clients are being untruthful with you?� There was no censure in Ian�s tone.
Frowning, unsure where the doctor was going with that question, Viggo shook his head. �Of course not. Though, we don�t take everything they tell us as completely honest, either. Everyone has their own agenda.�
�Yes, but with the evidence against the lad and with what you had been told, it was only natural to come to the conclusion you�d been guided to. Besides which, the court came to the same conclusion, did it not?�
�Yes, it did. And when Billy disappeared before he could be sentenced, it just cemented our belief that he was guilty.�
�The way I see it, then, the one to be blamed in all this is McKenzie. You, Sean and Billy are the victims of the circumstances he set into motion. I can�t really blame the lad for running. I certainly wouldn�t want to be imprisoned for a crime I had not committed. I, like Billy, would be hell-bent on finding the disappearing accountant.�
�I think we should go back to London. Find Serkis again and shake some information from him. Something we can use to prove McKenzie framed Billy. Clear the poor man�s name. Two years.�
There was a world of regret in Viggo�s voice. What a mess. Billy had been on the run for two years. His name raked through the mud, his company sold without receiving a dime, his flat and all his possessions gone when he did not return for them, unable to visit his sister or grandmother�his only remaining family�forced to move from place to place every time Viggo and Sean had come nosing around. How would they ever be able to make it up to him?
As if sensing his self-recrimination, McKellen smiled kindly at Viggo. �There�s no sense in worrying about it now. You boys need at least a day to recover from your little adventure, and find alternate transportation, which will give you plenty of time to sort things out.�
Viggo silently considered their options. The hum of the heater, rhythmic back and forth of the windshield wipers, pinging of the rain on the roof of the car and Sean�s soft snoring had almost lulled him to sleep when the car finally turned into a driveway and stopped.
Ian smiled at Viggo and gestured over his shoulder. �You get the big one. I�ll get the small one.�
Laughing, he did as he was told and bullied Sean from the car. Bleary-eyed and not at all happy to be dragged back out into the rain from his warm dry seat, Sean grumbled and complained the whole way inside. Ian had simply picked Billy up when the smaller man had resisted the doctor�s efforts to wake him up, proving that the older man was stronger than his age made him appear.
After flipping on the lights from the switch McKellen indicated with a jerk of his chin, Viggo followed the doctor down the corridor into an examining room, Sean trailing tiredly behind.
Placing Billy�s bundled form onto the exam table, Dr. McKellen hurried out of the room only to return a minute later with a stack of towels and blankets. �Strip him off and towel him dry. Try to get his hair as dry as possible. You lose most of your body heat from your head. Wrap him in a dry blanket. I�ll be right back.�
Shivering a bit in his own wet clothes, Viggo did as he was told. They got Billy out of his wet clothes and rubbed him vigorously with the towels, careful of the broken wrist. Viggo wrapped him once again in a clean, dry blanket as Sean did his best to dry Billy�s hair.
Returning to the room, Ian nodded in approval and dropped another bundle onto a chair. �Good job, lads. Now, get out of your own wet things, dry off and see if any of those clothes will fit.�
Sean gratefully peeled off his wet, clinging clothing and dried himself off. Sliding on the dry, warm trousers was pure bliss. Pulling on an equally warm jumper, Sean sighed in relief. He grabbed a pair of socks and sat down in a chair to put them on. He looked on curiously as Dr. McKellen removed the plastic wrapping from a bag of clear fluid.
�What are you doing?�
�The lad is dehydrated, so I�m going to start an I.V. on him.�
�He was sick a few times earlier today.�
Pausing in the act of connecting a line of tubing to the bag of saline, the doctor quirked an eyebrow in concern. �Has he been ill?�
Wriggling his toes in the thick socks, Sean shook his head. �No, I think it was just nerves. The thought of going to prison would sure make me a bit nervous.�
�No doubt.�
Viggo finished dressing and sat down in the chair next to Sean, where they both watched as the doctor quickly and efficiently started the I.V. Sean leaned his shoulder against Viggo�s, reveling in the extra warmth.
Finished with the intravenous line, Dr. McKellen opened the blanket enough to check Billy�s upper body for any hidden injuries from the wreck. The left wrist was probably broken. The right bore odd scratches around it. �What happened to his wrist?�
Sean shifted a bit guiltily in his seat. �We handcuffed him to the bed last night so he couldn�t get away from us. He kept pulling on it in his sleep.�
�Ah, I see. I�m guessing most of the bruising is from fighting with the two of you, as well.�
This time it was Viggo who shifted. �I�m afraid so. He was�a lot of trouble.�
Chuckling softly, McKellen finished his examination and wrapped Billy back in the blanket. He smiled reassuringly when a pair of dazed green eyes blinked open and stared at him in confusion. �It�s alright young man. You were in an accident earlier this evening, but you�re going to be just fine.�
The wide, green eyes darted around anxiously. �Where�re Viggo and Sean?�
Moving over so he was no longer blocking Billy�s view, Ian gestured behind him. �They�re right there, my lad. Both are just fine, so there�s no reason to worry.�
�Okay.� And just like that, Billy went back to sleep.
�Well, I wish all my patients were so cooperative.� At the look of concern from the other two, Ian was quick to reassure them. �He�s just dehydrated and exhausted. He�s likely to sleep most of the day tomorrow. Now, you two stay here while I take Billy to x-ray and reset that wrist. We�ll be back shortly.�
Once again lifting a sleeping Billy, Ian carried him from the room. Watching them go, Viggo slouched in his chair and sighed softly. �I don�t know about you, Sean, but I feel like I could sleep most of tomorrow.�
�I dare anyone to wake me up before I�m ready.� Leaning his head on Viggo�s shoulder, Sean suddenly started laughing.
�What�s so funny?�
�Well, with Billy clearly innocent and our client just as clearly guilty�you do realize we�ll not get paid for the last two months� work.�
�Dammit.�
�Maybe we should�ve taken Billy up on his bribe.�
Joining in Sean�s laughter, Viggo poked him in the side. �Which bribe?�
�Mmm. Good point. I vote for the fucking.�
�Me too. I wonder if he�s truly interested, or was just desperate?�
�Maybe a bit of both?�
�We�re not that lucky.�
�No kidding.� Sean snorted in amusement. �If we were lucky, none of this would�ve happened.�
�I don�t know, Sean.� Viggo thought about the events of the day. �We�ve certainly had our share of mishaps, but at least we did find the truth about Billy.�
�True enough.� Closing his eyes, wishing he could crawl into a bed, Sean�s mind wandered back to something Billy had said earlier. �He did say he wanted to wank when he was listening to us in the shower.�
�Back to the sex, Sean?� Viggo smiled and reached up to ruffle Sean�s hair in affection.
�Sex is always first, Viggo. Besides, despite everything�I just can�t help liking the little bugger. He�s a tenacious thing, that�s for certain. He never gave up.�
�Yes, reminds me of you.� A jab in the ribs from Sean�s finger made Viggo laugh and squirm. �I meant the part about never giving up. Hmm�and you both have such beautiful green eyes. Speaking of sex, I can�t wait for this case to end so we can have some.�
�We shagged just this morning, Vig.�
�Was it this morning? This day has lasted so long, it seems a week since our shower.�
�Mmm, I suppose so.� Sean was already starting to nod off.
Falling silent, Viggo rested his head on Sean�s and closed his eyes. He was glad they didn�t have to chase around after villains on every case. No doubt about it�Billy Boyd had worn them out. And not in a good way.
They must�ve been dozing on the hard wooden chairs for some time, because when Viggo next opened his eyes Dr. McKellen was tapping lightly at the hardened fiberglass cast on Billy�s left arm. Seemingly satisfied, McKellen turned to check his other two patients.
�Awake again, I see. I�m afraid we�ll have to disturb Sean as well.�
Jiggling his shoulder, Viggo managed to wake up Sean who grumbled softly about the sudden disturbance. At Ian�s orders, Viggo pulled up his pants leg so the doctor could poke and prod at the sore knee.
�Looks like you gave it a good whack on the dashboard, lad. Nothing seems to be broken or out of place, though I�m sure it�ll be sore for a few days.� Opening and closing a few cabinet doors, Dr. McKellen found what he was looking for and handed a chemical cold pack to Viggo. �Here. Break this, give it a good shake and let it sit on your knee while I see about Sean�s head.�
After feeling the bump on the side of Sean�s head, McKellen clicked his tongue and said he wanted to take an x-ray just to be safe, but felt Sean�s hard head had managed to avoid serious injury.
Ignoring Sean�s protests, the doctor put a firm hand between his difficult patient�s shoulders and pushed him towards the door. �While we�re gone, Viggo, see if you can get Billy into some dry clothes. I took out the I.V., so you don�t have to worry about that.�
The clothes Ian had indicated turned out to be a pair of warm flannel pajamas, probably the doctors� own. Viggo had to laugh at that. The doctor was a good half-foot taller than Billy. At least. When Viggo pulled the blanket down to Billy�s waist to get the top on him, the younger man gave a start and opened his eyes.
�Viggo? �S bloody cold.�
�Sorry, Billy. Here, sit up for me and we�ll do something about that.�
Billy sat up without any resistance and picked at the edge of the new cast in confusion. Viggo held up the pajama top and smiled when Billy obediently pushed his arms in the sleeves. Viggo worked on the buttons while the younger man attempted to push up the cuffs.
�This shirt is even longer than the other one you gave me, Viggo.� Peering that blue fiberglass cast peeking out of the shirtsleeve, Billy frowned. �Where are we?�
Finishing up with the buttons, Viggo picked up the flannel pants. �What do you remember?�
�You and Sean were fighting over the map. There was a dog. We ran into a ditch and there was a lot of water and it was raining. My wrist hurt�and that�s about all I remember.� Billy wiggled his fingers experimentally. �My wrist doesn�t hurt so much anymore.�
�A doctor stopped to give us a lift after the wreck and brought us here. He fixed your wrist. He�s off taking x-rays of Sean�s hard head as we speak.�
�Wonder if he�ll find anything inside Sean�s head?�
Laughing, Viggo handed Billy the pajama pants. �I won�t tell him you said that. Here, put these on.�
Taking the bottoms, Billy suddenly seemed to realize he was naked beneath the blanket. His face flushed a surprising shade of red and he looked down at his lap. Fighting a smile, Viggo reached out to touch his shoulder.
�Billy, it�s okay. It�s just me, and I�m the one that stripped you off when we got here. Let me help you.�
�Well, that�s a bit embarrassing, isn�t it?� With a martyred sigh, Billy pushed aside the blanket and struggled to slip his feet into the pants legs. �Still, I guess I should get used to strange men seeing me starkers.�
Viggo helped Billy off the table so they could get the pants up and tie the drawstring. The legs were entirely too long, of course, but they served to keep Billy�s feet warm. Once Billy was settled under his blanket once again, Viggo sat on the edge and weighed his words carefully.
�Billy, about that. We�re not going to Glasgow. We�re going back to London to find Andy Serkis.� Billy sat up like he�d been stung by a bee and Viggo held up a hand to forestall the questions he knew the man was dying to ask. �I found a few things in my files that I think warrant investigating. Also, when we were walking after the accident you were�very truthful. We just finally realized you were telling us the truth all along. Billy, I don�t know how we�ll ever find the right words to tell you how sorry we are that we didn�t believe you before.�
Anything else Viggo might have said was cut off as Billy lunged forward to wrap his arms around his neck in a desperate hug, his cast nearly whacking Viggo in the ear. When Billy�s happy laughter turned into sobs of relief, Viggo held him and rubbed his hand over the young man�s shaking back. As he listened to Billy sob words of gratitude in his ear, Viggo prayed they�d be able to find Serkis. It was the only way to gain freedom for Billy�and redemption for himself and Sean.
Part 5
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