Evan and Chan were at Partners, hanging out with Roy and Dustin, when Chan received a call from the hospital, informing him of the death of his parents. Can it be true?Evan has to hold it together for himself and Chan as they head to the hospital to learn the truth. See what's going on in this week's chapter of Super Trooper. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!
Evan stared at his lover in disbelief. He couldn’t
believe what he thought he’d heard. Surely he’d misinterpreted what Chan had
said. Something about an accident. His parents… dead?
One glance at Chan’s stricken face, and Evan knew he
was in a state of shock. He took a deep breath. He had to remain calm, not let
his emotions get the better of him. Chan needed him now, in a way he never had
before. Evan could not, would not
fail him. He’d had to deliver messages such as Chan had just received during
the course of his career as a state trooper, but he’d never been the recipient
of such news. His heart ached for Chan.
For a brief moment, he wondered if maybe the
hospital was wrong. Maybe Chan’s parents were severely injured, in critical
condition, but alive. That would be the first place to begin. Most importantly,
Evan knew he had to take the lead in this, judging by the way Chan was shaking.
He pulled Chan into his arms and for a long moment
simply held him, willing him to calm down through the warmth of his body, the
strength of his love. If the news were true, Chan was at the beginning of a
terrible ordeal. No matter what, though, Evan would stay with him.
Chan raised his head and regarded Evan with
glistening eyes. His lower lip trembled helplessly.
“We’ll go to the hospital,” Evan said. Tucker Falls
only had one, and he knew exactly where it was, having been there far too many
times in the course of his job. Chan nodded.
Evan rose and reached for Chan. Chan latched on to
Evan’s arm, slowly standing. Evan didn’t rush him.
“You ready?” Evan asked. Chan seemed a little
unsteady, not surprisingly.
Chan nodded again, clinging tightly to Evan. Just as
they turned toward the exit, Roy and Dustin came back from the dance floor,
laughing and cutting up. Evan had forgotten about them, his focus entirely on
Chan.
Roy’s grin disappeared when he caught sight of them.
He glanced between them before addressing Evan. “Something wrong?”
“I’m afraid we have to go. There’s been an accident.
We have to get to the hospital.”
He felt the shudder that coursed through Chan,
wished there was some way he could ease the pain of what was about to happen.
“Yeah, definitely,” Evan said, touched by the
concern in Roy’s voice. He considered Roy a friend, one of the few he had. His
words only confirmed that. “I’ll call you later, not sure when.”
“Any time, day or night, doesn’t matter,” Roy said,
and Dustin echoed his sentiments.
Dustin reached out and gently patted Chan’s arm, his
brows furrowed in concern.
“Thanks,” Evan said, before he ushered Chan out of
Partners.
The night felt ominously silent after the continuous
background noise and music inside the bar. Evan took a moment to pull Chan to
him and just hold him. “It’ll be all right,” he whispered into his ear, over
and over. Truth be told, he was far from sure of that, but it felt like the
thing to say. At least until they were forced to face whatever the truth of the
matter was.
“How can it be? H-how can it be?” Chan murmured in
obvious disbelief.
Evan understood just how he felt. An air of
unreality surrounded them, as if they were caught in the middle of a nightmare.
And just maybe they were. Whatever it
was, Evan knew he could handle it. Death was no stranger in his line of work,
and he’d had to face it more than once. But he also realized that, other than
the death of his father which had happened when Chan was very young, Chan had
never had to deal with such loss.
“Don’t worry, I’m here.” He hoped he sounded
reassuring. Kissing Chan softly, he ushered him toward his patrol car, opened
the passenger door and waited for him to buckle up before he rounded the car
and claimed his own seat.
The drive to the hospital was a silent one. Evan
focused on the Friday night traffic which surged about them. The last thing
they needed was to get into an accident themselves. Luckily, most people, on
seeing his cruiser, avoided driving too closely.
Arriving at the hospital, Evan parked around back,
near the emergency room entrance. He managed to get a spot not too far from the
door, before turning to Chan, who’d never uttered a sound for the duration of
the drive. Evan wasn’t sure just what Chan was feeling. His expression gave
nothing away. At least he’d stopped trembling. Evan had been afraid he’d go
into shock.
As Evan helped Chan out of the car, he murmured to
him, “Remember, I’m right here. I’ll always be right here, no matter what.
We’re in this together.” Whatever this was.
Chan nodded his understanding and held tightly to
Evan’s hand as they made their way to the emergency room.
to be continued
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