Chapter 51

Standing alone in the elevator, Jay glanced at his reflection on the mirrored wall, tugging his shirt straight. He wasn’t sure whether he was checking how he looked to appease his mom’s likely concern over his obvious tiredness, or simply in anticipation of seeing Desi, but he didn’t much care. Though his mom was kind of winning out, since his face was pale with fatigue from hours of thinking way too damned much about everything that had happened in the last forty eight hours or so. Forty eight hours that had taken everything he thought he knew and flipped it up like a juggler, the pieces of his life landing on the ground again in a whole new pattern.


He raked a bandaged hand awkwardly through his thick brown hair, long strands falling forward over his left eye as usual, and he peered suddenly more closely, searching for a resemblance to ‘the Boss’. It almost angered him that he could actually see it now. Could see the similarity in their features, and most particularly the same blue of their eyes. How in the hell had he never seen in before? How had no-one seen it?


Turning impatiently away from the mirror and it’s disturbing truth, Jay shifted his grip on the bunch of flowers he carried. He’d shunned the more usual roses and gerbera daisies in favor of the massed yellow of sunflowers. They were more fitted to his mom than anything else he’d seen in the flower shop.


Finally the elevator doors pinged open, and Jay stepped into the hallway, turning right and heading to her private room. He was maybe halfway to the door when it opened, a woman he didn’t know emerging into the hallway, closely followed by someone he did know. Nick Fabian.


Jay opened his mouth to demand to know what Fabian was doing there, but the words dried in his throat as he saw the unnatural position of Nick’s hands, pinioned behind his back in the unmistakable embrace of handcuffs, and in that instant he knew that it really was true. It really had been Nick who had brutalised his mother so cruelly.


“You sick sonofabitch!” Jay snarled, the sunflowers hitting the floor as he lunged forward, the bandages on his hands forgotten as he swung a vicious punch into Nick’s belly, following up with an equally powerful blow into the unprotected face as Nick doubled over.


“Whoa!” The female detective grabbed his arm as he swung again, the ease of her experience using his momentum against him, spinning him face-first into the wall. “What the hell are you doing?!”


She held him there, pinned to the wall, and Jay heard Nick’s voice gasp painfully behind him, venom in his tone.


“That bastard assaulted me! I want him charged!”


“What’s going……?” Kadie appeared from the room, blanching as she saw the female cop reaching for cuffs. “No! You can’t!”


“He just assaulted the suspect.” The woman said, her voice a mixture of sympathy and confusion. “I assume you know this man?”


“Yes! He’s my……..he’s her son!” Kadie gestured into the room. “Please!”


“Hey, you both saw him attack me!” Nick yelled spitefully.


“Get him out of here.” The female snapped, closing a cuff around Jay’s left wrist as he stood unprotesting, hate blazing in his blue eyes as he watched Fabian.


As the male cop half-dragged Nick away, his partner closed the other cuff around her own wrist for now.


“One minute.” She muttered. “I can give you a minute here, no more.”


“Thank you.” Jay said, heartfelt, then turned to Kadie. “Mom…..?”


“She’s……..”


The answer was obvious as nurses and Doctor Riviello appeared, summoned by Kadie’s repeated pressing of the emergency call button. They headed into the room with barely a glance at the scene outside, far more important things on their minds right now.


“Oh, Jesus, no!” Jay’s knees buckled, Kadie darting in to help the detective steady him. “No! Mom!”


All three of them headed for the room, the two women supporting Jay, but as they got to the door Riviello appeared, closing it in their faces.


“Doctor!” Jay almost yelled it, and Riviello took pity on his obvious distress, allowing himself a few precious seconds to reassure the young man.


“You can’t come in right now, son. She’ll be okay if I can stop the bleeding, but you gotta let me work.”


Jay looked suddenly very young as his eyes searched the doctor’s face, then he backed shakily away.


“Tell her I love her.” His voice fell to a whisper. “Tell her I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect her.”


There wasn’t much Riviello could say to that, and he didn’t even try, just reaching out to grip Jay’s shoulder in a tight, comforting grip for a moment before backing into the room and closing the door, leaving them standing helplessly outside.


“Fuck!” Jay muttered, raising his right hand to punch the wall, but Kadie beat him to it, grabbing his arm.


“Stoppit, Jay!” She yelped. “I’m so sick of having to patch up those hands.”


“Look, I’m sorry, but I have to take you in, Mr Kelsall.” The cop said, and both Kadie and Jay turned to her in surprise.


“You know who I am?” Jay asked.


“Well, she said you were Ms Kelsall’s son…….but, yeah, I recognise you, too. That was one hell of a hit you took from Dixon.” She blushed suddenly. Damn, but she was spending way too much time around the guys at work. “Anyway, I can guess why you did what you did, but it doesn’t change the fact you just assaulted someone - right in front of two cops. I have to charge you.”


“I know.” Jay said, raising his cuffed wrist slightly. “And you need to put these on properly, too, right?”


“Uh, yeah. Sorry.”


“Don’t be. Your job, Detective……..”


“Kellogg.” She supplied as she took the cuff off her own wrist, cuffing Jay’s hands in front of him in deference to the obviously injured hands. And also mindful of the fact he’d been nothing but co-operative.


“Can I come with him?” Kadie asked deferentially, but Jay answered before the detective got the chance.


“Baby, can you stay with mom? I’d feel better if I knew you were here……..”


“You sure?” Her eyes searched his face, then she nodded. “Okay. I’ll stay. Wait! How can I let you know……?”


Detective Kellogg looked between the two of them. She knew she was supposed to stay professionally detached, but dammit……..she couldn’t blame the young player for his reaction to the guy who’d done this to his mom. Reaching into her jacket, she pulled out a card and offered it to Kadie.


“Here. My cell number. Call me - I’ll pass on the message.” She frowned slightly. “Just, for God’s sake, don’t tell anyone. He’s under arrest for assault.” Her brain flicked rapidly, coming up with a possible scenario, and solution, moments before Kadie spoke hesitantly.


“But…….you haven’t read him his rights yet, so how is he under arrest?”


“I’ll get to that. So long as he’s mirandized before we question him, then the lawyers can’t get around it.” The penetrating gaze she gave Kadie was blindingly obvious, at least from a woman to woman perspective, and Kadie’s eyes widened slightly at the implication.


“And if he isn’t mira…….if you don’t read him his rights?”


“Then a decent lawyer - even if your boyfriend here made a full confession - could get him released on a technicality. All down to my inefficiency.”


“But…?” Jay looked from one to the other, the mixture of silent and cryptic communication passing him by.


Kadie gave him a stern look. “Hush, Jay. I’ll call the detective when I have any news.”


“Thanks, baby.” He gave up trying to figure out what in the hell they’d been saying. Right now, his brain hurt from anger.


With a conspiratorial smile toward a grateful Kadie, Detective Kellogg took hold of Jay’s arm, leading him toward the elevator. As they walked, Jay suddenly twisted his head around to look at Kadie, and at the hurt in his eyes she followed them, catching them as they waited for the elevator. She hugged him tightly, kissing him tenderly before stepping back just as the elevator arrived, and the pair stepped into the enclosure. Just before the doors closed, Jay gave a twisted grin, reminiscent of his father.


“Maybe you should let………..them……..know what’s happened. I guess I could use a lawyer.”


Kadie’s eyes widened at his suggestion, his obvious meaning that she should call Richie, should let Jon know he was in trouble. Maybe this would be a first step to his acceptance of his biological father.


When the elevator doors were closed again, she headed for the nurse’s station to beg use of a telephone, pulling Richie’s card from her jeans pocket.