| Michael is sitting in Buzz�s service station tow truck gripping his steering wheel as though he was strangling it. Stephen approaches him. �Mickey, thank goodness! We need your help.� He walks up to Michael�s pickup door. �I said, Mickey!� Michael finally notices him. �What the hell do you want?� �Joanie Kinney has wandered off, and nobody can find her. Did she come this way?� �Joanie? No, I did see her sitting by Claire�s car by the twenty, but no I haven�t.� He pause for a moment. Then he asks, �Does everyone know about them except me?� �What are you talking about?� �Justin and Brian!� �What?� �Didn�t you see them carrying on! He�s probably slept with him. What kind of a man sleeps with a child?� �Whoa there, Michael. I saw them kissing, but Brian�s not like that. At least, I don�t think he is. And Justin is a grown man, if you know what I mean.� �It isn�t fair! I�ve love him since... since I ever met him...� �Does Brian know?� �Who the hell cares? It's not like it really matters any more. If that runaway, Justin, wasn�t the talk of the town before, he sure as hell is now. Carrying on like that with Brian in front of God and everyone!� �But, everybody was happy and carrying on, Michael. We won for heaven�s sake, and Justin helped pull it off. Look, I know I�m no one to give advice on how to be, but right this second, we need to help Brian and Claire find Joanie. No one seems to know just when she wandered off. Everyone was watching the game.� �Jesus, where would she go?� *** Joaine Kinney cold and confused sits down on a wooden crate beside a dumpster in an alley. From her position, it is impossible to see her from either street. *** Brian is driving his sports car up and down city streets. Justin is driving around and looking for Joanie as is K.C., Josh, Stephen, and Michael. The local sheriff�s office has two cars dispatched to aid in the search. One of the dispatchers is Carl. Claire and her children have returned Jack to his home. He is very upset and starts having a coughing fit that he can not control. �We should... all be there looking for her... Not here, Claire!� �When they find her, they�ll call and bring her back here. So, we�ll stay put. The kids and I will camp out here until she�s found.� �She gets scared... when she gets confused...� �Dad, you need to calm down and breath.� �I can�t I can�t.. get my... breath... Claire... I can�t...� �daddy, no! Daddy, breath! breath! Daddy!� Jack collapses. �John, call 911 quick!� �Where�s a phone?� Claire tries to help her father. �There�s phone in the kitchen!� �Momma, what�s happening?� asks Peter. �Momma!� �John, take Peter into the kitchen with you!� Brian is driving around still searching for his mother. His cell phone rings, and he answer it. The red lights of an ambulance flash around and around as Brian pulls up and rushes into the house. The emergency technicians are working on Jack trying to keep him alive and get him on a gurey. Clarie and Peter is crying. John looks lost and alone. Everyone seems, somewhat, relived to see Brian come through the door. �Jesus, Dad!� �Uncle Brian, Uncle Brian!� Peter cries. He holds out his arms for Brian, but Brian rushes to his father�s side. Peter breaks away from his mother and rushes to Brian. Brian grabs a hold of Peter and pick him up to carry him on outside to the porch. Peter hugs his mother as the technicians prepare to roll Jack out to the ambulance. Brian is unable to put Peter down as he will not let go. �He�s dying, isn�t he! Grandpa�s dying!� �Oh, Sonny Boy, calm down, please. Calm down for me please.� �I don�t want to! Make it go away, Uncle Brian! Make it go away!� The technicians roll out the gurney with Jack on it. �I can�t, Sonny Boy, I can�t.� �Oh, please, Uncle Brian, please! Make him be okay!� �Peter, I can�t. I can�t do anything!� All Brian can do is hold onto his nephew and hug him as Jack is loaded into the ambulance. Peter refuses to let go of Brian, so Claire gets into the ambulance with her father. The flashing red lights bath Brian, Peter, and John with their glow as the ambulance pulls away. Stephen pulls up in front of the Kinney�s home and rushes out of his car. �Did someone find her? Is she okay?� �It�s my Dad,� Brian explains. Peter looks up from Brian�s shoulder. �Jack?� �Dad?� �Peter, are you okay?� �Hell no, he�s not okay!� Brian yells. �And I need to get to the hospital!� �I don�t want to go, please don�t make me go, Uncle Brian.� Peter�s fear is so great that he almost puts a strangle hold on Brian. �I guess, I could stay here with Peter and wait for you, be here if someone calls about grandma,� John confess. Brian gives Stephen a hard cold stare. �Alright! You�re right. I can stay here and keep an eye on things. I can... Peter, would you want to stay here with me. I would stay with you, if you want me to. Then John could go tot the hospital with Uncle Brian if he wanted. And we could be if Joanie, your grandmother, comes back.� Peter looks at Stephen with his tear stained face and doubts that he should trust him. �Come on, Peter. I promise not to leave you until your mother gets back.� �I don�t know.� �Come on, Peter, he is your father, and I want to go to the hospital!� John begs. �I think you can trust him, Sonny Boy, I do. It�s only going to be for a little wile.� �Promise?� �I promise, Peter. I need to help your mom right now.� �Your mother needs Brian right now, and I would like to spend some time with you, if you would like to spend some time with me.� �You never before.� �I�ve been stupid and very wrong, and I�m so very sorry, Peter.� �Daddy.� Peter lets go of Brian�s neck then whispers in his ear. �I love you best, Uncle Brian, always.� Brian puts Peter down, and he walks over to Stephen and takes his hand. �You can go now, Uncle Brian, John. Daddy and I will be okay, �til you get back.� �Thank you, Peter. Do you think you can manage, Stephen?� asks Brian. �I�ll never know until I try, will I?� *** The street lights come on over Joanie�s head, and she looks around with a puzzled expression. She stands up and looks around, and decides to walk out of the alley. *** On a couch at the Groverton�s hospital waiting, John is asleep. Claire is beside him curled up in an overstuffed chair dozing. Brian is searching for change at the coffee machine. Justin enters the waiting room. He still dressed in flag football t-shirt from today�s game as is Brian. �Did you find her?� �No, sorry. I went by their house and saw Stephen and Peter. They told me about...� �He�s His heart�s failing.� Justin walks up to Brian and puts his arms around him, but Brian just stiffens. �Boy, I don�t need this...� Brian pulls away. �Leave me alone, okay.� �What�s wrong?� �My mother is lost. My father is dying, Justin. You should go home to yours.� �I don�t understand. I thought you liked me.� �I have never in my life been any good at figuring out what the right thing to do was... Justin, you�re amazing, but honestly I think I�m much too old, I mean you are much too young for me.� �So you�re just going to throw me away?� �I�m not throwing you away, Justin. It just not going to work out. I�m not the committing type. I�m not want you are looking for. You can do better than me. Believe me.� �But I don�t want anyone, but you.� �Well, you can�t have me.� �Fuck you, Brian Kinney!� �Justin, I�m trying to do what�s right here!� �Bullshit! You�re just a coward! You are just using my age as an excuse.� �Damn it, Justin.� Justin reaches up, pulls Brian face to his, and kisses him passionately. Then he slaps him across the face. �You grow up, Brian, or you go to hell!� Justin rushes out of the waiting room. John wakes up to see Justin leaving. Brian looks at his sister, who was not sleep, as she shakes her head. �What? What!� �Maybe he�s right. Maybe it�s time you grow up, Mr. Pan,� she remarks. Brian simply pushes the button on the vending machine to pour his coffee. When he takes out the hot steaming cup of coffee, he burns his hand with the hot liquid. �Shit!� Brian exits the hospital with his steaming cup of vending machine coffee and begins to pass a man entering the hospital who stops to put out a cigarette. A cloud of smoke floats past Brian�s face. �Say, you wouldn�t mind selling me two of those for a buck, would you?� �Guess not,� the man replies. The man reaches into his coat and pulls out a pack of cigarettes and fishes out two to hand to Brian. �Would you have a light?� The man reaches into another pocket and pulls out several packs of matches and hands Brian one. �It�s a bad habit.� �Smoking?� �No, I always grab matches wherever I go.� Brian hands the man a dollar. �Thank you.� �Sure, no problem.� The man goes on into the hospital. Brian makes his way over to park style bench under a street light near the sidewalk that leads to the hospital�s front entrance. Sitting down on the bench, he exams one of the cigarettes before putting it into his mouth and lighting it. Brian is no stranger to cigarettes and inhales deeply. Stars are beginning to show up in the night sky. Brian inhales again from the cigarette and blows smoke rings toward the sky. He is unaware of Claire walking up behind him. �Dad is dying, because he couldn�t stop smoking, and you�re out here smoking! Please tell me I�m seeing things.� Brian takes another long drag on his cigarette. �You�re seeing things.� Claire sits down on the edge of the bench. �Are you going to drink that coffee or just hold it?� Brian looks down at his coffee, and then offers it to Claire. �Do you want it?� �I wouldn�t mind it.� Brian hands his coffee over to her. �Thank you. So, when did you take up smoking?� �In rehab.� �Somehow, I believe you, but in all the time, you�ve been at my house, you haven�t smoked.� �During my court order rehabilitation, I got up to three packs a day, but was able to quit the day I walked out of there.� �You were able to walk away from cocaine and cigarettes?� �Hey, I passed the drug screening for controlled substance with the police. It was the pain killers which got court to force rehab on me, and 500 hours community service. That�s how, I learned carpentry, really.� Brian flicks his cigarette into the parking lot. Then he put the second one into his mouth to light it. �So, are you going to grow up? Don�t tell you like being alone bullshit.� �I have no idea what Justin thinks he sees in a used up has been like me. Why don�t you have a man in your life? And don�t tell you like being alone bullshit.� �Oh, I�ve stopped looking... believe you me. When there�s nobody knocking, it�s best to stop answering the door. Still, I could use a good hug from time to time and... some great sex from to time would be nice too.� Brian looks at his sister in surprise, and she cracks a warm smile. �Come here,� he sighs. Claire slides in close to Brian on the bench, and he puts one arm around her shoulders. �Tell you what, I�d honored to supply you with a hug from time to time, but you�re completely on your own for the sex.� �It�s a deal. Brian?� �Yes.� �Thank you, for coming back to Groverton. It�s really meant just the world to me and my kids.� Brian wraps both his arms around his sister and stare out into nothing. *** Michael, still driving around in his tow truck, looks down at his wristwatch. It is close to midnight, but he is still searching the streets for Joanie Kinney. He almost doesn�t realize there was somebody sitting inside the phone booth that he just drove past. Turning his truck around, he stops in front of the telephone booth. With the headlights, Michael can see that it is Joanie. Michael tries to open the phone booth door. �Joan, please, you need to stand up so that I can get this door open.� �Do you know the number? I need to use the phone... I need to call.� �Well, who do you need to call?� �I think I need to call my husband. I think I lost the car again.� �You think you lost the car?� �You�re Brian�s best friend... Michael, aren�t you?� �Well, I�m Michael Novotny, anyway. Tell you what, why don�t you let me give you a ride home.� �I couldn�t go home without my car. Jack would have a fit... and what would the neighbors say?� �You can tell them, it�s being worked on. I work at the Conoco station here, and you can tell them I have your car if you like.� �Why do you have my car?� �It�s not running, remember? I came by your house to work on it.� �I remember you. You said you had to order parts for my car before you could fix it.� �That�s right, Mrs. Kinney, and garsh darn if those parts aren�t still on back order.� Joanie opens the phone booth door, and Michael offers her his hand. �I didn�t lose my car then?� �No, Mrs. Kinney. Your car is home in the garage.� �Then why didn�t the hell did you tell me that in the first place.� |
 |