Chapter Thirteen - Let Me Be The One To Hold You
Ruslan had slept fitfully throughout the night, his so-called rest plagued by nightmares, or better said, pieces of them that made no sense at all. He willed himself to stretch over to the nightstand and check his phone. There were no missed calls, no messages.
What could have caused Johnny to get up and leave like that? And why all the secrecy? Weren't they together? A part of him wanted to revolt, but another was gripped by fear. What if Johnny had left for good? What if it was something he had said? Ruslan knew he could be dense sometimes.
The phone rang, and he almost sent it flying to the floor, that fast he tried to move to reach for it. "Papa," he mournfully said as he answered.
It wasn't like he could keep things hidden from his parent.
"What's wrong, Russy?" the old man's voice came through.
"Nothing, I guess." Ruslan tried to shrug it off for the moment. "Are you calling about dinner? Papa, I don't think -"
"Actually, I wanted to ask you about Johnny. He's not picking up," his father interrupted him.
"I know," Ruslan said softly. He squeezed the phone hard in his hand.
"Did you two fight over something?"
Ruslan exhaled. "No. I mean, all seemed fine. Just that, yesterday evening, he got a phone call and left in a hurry. He didn't tell me what it was all about. He just ... left."
It was hard to pretend he was okay, now that he was saying the words out loud. He left.
"There can be many explanations for that. And you are coming to dinner, Russy, with or without Johnny."
His papa's voice was stern. Ruslan knew that voice and what it meant. That he had no reason to fear and that he needed to reach inside and find his peace.
"But what if -" he started.
"No 'what ifs', Russy," his papa interrupted him. "You know what this means. It means nothing. Johnny had an emergency, and he will be back. If he preferred being alone, that was his choice. Have a bit of trust in him."
Ruslan knew his father was right. Still, he could not stop the inner tremble that had started since the moment Johnny had been out the door.
"You know you'll always have us, Russy," the old man said quietly.
"I know," he whispered.
"And Yanis. See? Even I agree that your good for nothing friend actually has his uses. And don't worry. I will investigate this. If Johnny is in trouble with a certain someone -"
"Do you mean Nigel?!" Ruslan didn't want to believe that. Had he put Johnny in danger simply by being stupid and letting himself drugged by that asshole?
"Don't worry, Russy. I will let the Davenports know that my protection extends over Johnny."
"But what if it's too late for that?" Ruslan shouted.
"No 'what ifs', Russy. That's the deal." His papa was back at being firm.
"Okay," he murmured.
"I'll let you know as soon as I get hold of the man. Dinner tonight, Russy. We won't be able to enjoy our meal without you."
His heart was just a tiny bit less heavy when he got off the phone. If his papa was on it, he would find out about Johnny sooner or later.
***
"Mr. Bryne, I understand that you wanted to see me." A woman dressed in white approached him.
"You're the one in charge?" Johnny asked gruffly, as he stood up from the tiny plastic chair.
For hours, he had sat there, waiting for news.
"Yes." The woman straightened up as if she tried to compensate for the difference in height between them.
"Then tell me how the hell something like this could happen!"
Johnny knew that shouting wouldn't solve anything, but at least it was a way to get rid of some of the anger boiling on the inside.
"Mr. Bryne, I suggest that you keep your voice down. Patients need their quiet. Please, follow me, and we'll talk in my office."
Johnny nodded without another word. He towered over the woman in white by at least half a foot, but it was like his life was in her hands.
He sat on a chair that sighed under his weight after the woman gestured at him to sit down.
"What do you want to know, Mr. Bryne?" The woman placed her hands neatly on the table and stared at him through her thick-rimmed glasses.
"How the hell could a thing like this happen? And why isn't she in a real hospital?"
"Language, Mr. Bryne. This is not the ring, as you may well see."
Johnny ground his teeth hard. It could have been easy to reach over the table and strangle the woman until she was left breathless.
"Now." The woman stared at him without one trace of fear in her gray eyes. "Your mother has been unwell for years now."
"Tell me why she was left to wander around this goddamn place. It's November, for fuck's sake!"
The woman exhaled. "She was not left to wander. This is not a prison, Mr. Bryne. The patients are not exactly kept under lock and key."
"Shouldn't someone be in charge of them, though? Some of them are," Johnny struggled to find his words, "not all up here, are they?" He gestured for his temple.
"Someone is in charge," the head nurse agreed for once. "It is unfortunate that this happened. Believe me. The one responsible will be severely reprimanded."
"Reprimanded," Johnny scoffed. "My mom wanders off and catches pneumonia, and what do you do? Why the hell am I paying you, people?"
"Mr. Bryne," the woman said in an even tone, "you are free to take your mother and your money somewhere else."
He stared at her. This time, there was a small sign of fear, just a speckle, but enough to tell him that his face inspired enough respect.
"We can assure you that we are offering your mother the best care, as we speak. There is nothing for you to do now, and we only wanted to keep you informed. That is all. We didn't ask you to come down here to cause a scandal."
"I want to see her."
"She is resting."
"I want to see her," Johnny repeated, and this time, he said the words through his teeth.
"Fine." The head nurse stood up. "Come with me, but no nonsense from your part, Mr. Bryne. Your mother needs to get well."
The woman's moves were brusque. Johnny could tell that she wasn't pleased with him.
He followed her down the corridor to a door that looked different than the ones leading to the regular rooms.
