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.He scanned the grass around him for something to defend himselfwith, but found nothing.Adam walked slowly toward him, smiling as he closed thedistance between them. You ready for that lesson in minding yourown business I was talking about?Josh stood his ground.The roaring fountain would drown out anycry for help. Do you really want to do this? Is it worth going to jail? I don t know what you re talking about, asshole.Nobody knowsI have it out for you but you, me, and Caleb. Ed knows, and so do Mike, Donkey, and Bull.You ll getcaught. No, I won t.They don t even know I m here.Nobody does butyou.Adam had chosen a dark area hidden from the street for hisambush.If Ed was on his way back from Starbucks, Josh couldn t besure that he could see what was happening. You re twice my size, Adam.If you re going to kick my ass,why don t you lose that bat and fight me fair and square?Adam smiled. Because I m not interested in kicking your ass.I m going to kill you.Josh again thought of running, but it was too late.Like it was inslow motion, he watched Adam swing the bat.He saw the bat comingfor his face and noticed it was a Louisville Slugger.He turned his head,but was unable to move fast enough to dodge it.He saw stars, then feltan explosion of pain and cool wet grass against his cheek beforeeverything went dark. UNTIL THANKSGIVING 139" 32 " THAD, wake up.Philip sat on the edge of Thad s bed, shaking Thad s shoulder towake him up.Thad figured they were going on another outing together,and that Philip had, as usual, waited until everything was packed andready to go before waking him. Wake up, Thad.We re needed at the hospital.Thad sat up. Are Mom and Dad okay? Your parents are fine.Ed just called.He was blubbering so muchI had a hard time following him, but apparently, someone beat Josh uplast night in Dupont Circle.Thad leaped from the bed and grabbed the jeans folded neatly onthe back of his desk chair. Oh, my God! I thought they were going tothe Eagle.Are they okay? Ed is fine.I m not sure about Josh.Thad fought back a thousand questions as he dressed.He slippedinto loafers and ran down the stairs.Philip unlocked the passenger door and motioned for Thad to takea seat.Normally Thad would have driven.Philip started the car andheaded for the hospital at breakneck speed.Neither man talked.Nervous energy powered Thad s knee up anddown in a steady, staccato rhythm.Philip reached over and placed hishand on Thad s knee.He stopped bouncing and placed his hand overhis uncle s, grateful for the touch and the silence.His thoughts werefull of regret.If only I d told Josh how I felt about him, then hewouldn t have been out with Ed.Things would have turned outdifferently.He pushed his bangs away from his glasses.140 Michael RupuredWho am I kidding? I have no reason to think Josh feels anythingfor me at all.Telling Josh how I feel probably wouldn t have changedanything.He sniffed and squeezed his eyes shut to keep any tears fromfalling.Thinking about what he might have done differently kept himfrom imagining the extent of Josh s injuries.Both trains of thoughtupset him.He squeezed Philip s hand and tried to focus on the road.When Philip pulled into the hospital parking lot, Thad opened thedoor and nearly leaped from the moving car. Let me out here.I ll meetyou inside. No, Philip said. We ll go in together.Another two minutesisn t going to change anything.Reluctantly, Thad agreed.He waited as Philip maneuvered theLexus into a parking place.His uncle s presence would make adifference, especially for Ed, who was closer to Philip than he was tohis own family.The doors parted as they hurried through the emergency roomentrance.The smell of blood, antiseptic, and unwashed bodiespermeated the air.Thad saw Ed across the waiting room, talking to apolice officer.Pulling Philip behind him, Thad headed toward them.The officer wrote on a clipboard, looking up now and then to askanother question.When Ed saw them, he said something to the officer, then ranstraight to Philip.He threw his arms around Philip, burying his face inthe ample neck, sobbing.Philip whispered in Ed s ear and patted hisback.Seeing Ed cry was too much for Thad.The dam broke.Tearsstreamed down his cheeks.Philip saw him and raised an arm.Thad slidin, burying his face in Philip s neck.Philip hugged him close as he andEd cried.Eventually, Philip released his grip. Ed, where s Josh?Ed stepped back from Philip and wiped his eyes with the back ofhis hand. I m not sure.Last I heard they were taking him over for X-rays.Philip nodded and offered Ed a handkerchief. I see.The policeofficer is waiting for you.Answer the rest of his questions and thenwe ll talk. UNTIL THANKSGIVING 141Ed wiped his face, pocketed the handkerchief, and returned to thepolice officer.Philip steered Thad to a group of chairs in a quiet cornerof the waiting room. Wait here while I see if I can find out anythingabout Josh.Thad looked at the clock.The second hand ticked slowly toward4:00 a.m.Tick.Tick.Tick.After the officer had finished with him, Ed sat down beside Thad.He looked tired& exhausted.He leaned his head back and massagedthe area around his eyes.Thad waited for Ed to say something, but hejust kept rubbing his temple.Finally, Thad spoke up. Is Josh going to be okay? What happened?Ed dropped his hands to his knees and looked at Thad. He s hurtpretty bad.I don t know if he ll be okay or not.It s all my fault.I nevershould have taken him to the Eagle or left him alone in the park.Thad wanted to slap him and had to bite his tongue to keep fromtelling Ed to shut up about himself. What happened, Ed? Adam Gordon jumped him and beat him up pretty bad.Thad s throat clinched. Adam Gordon? Oh my God! Why? He hit on Josh at Omega one night, said he would call, but neverdid.We ran into Adam and Caleb at Annie s the other night.Josh waspissed about Adam having a lover and hitting on him, so he saidsomething in front of Caleb, implying they had hooked up.Caleb musthave believed him because rumor has it he kicked Adam s ass.Thad was too shocked to speak.Adam and Caleb were bad news.Getting between them was asking for trouble. Adam was alone at the Eagle.He and Josh got into a littleshoving match, but security broke it up before things got out of hand.We left, and since it was fairly early, decided to sit and talk on one ofthe benches in Dupont Circle before going back to his apartment.Ed sat silent as big tears rolled steadily down his cheeks.Thadtried to be patient. Then what happened?Ed sniffed and wiped his face with Philip s handkerchief. I wentto Starbucks to get us some coffee.Adam must have followed us fromthe Eagle.I got back just in time to see him hit Josh in the head with abaseball bat.Thad gasped. Jesus!142 Michael Rupured I called 911 on my cell phone and took off running to help.Joshwas down on the ground.Adam was kicking the shit out of him.Thad fought back a wave of nausea.The idea of Josh helpless onthe ground while Adam kicked him made him sick and more than alittle angry. Adam didn t see me coming.I grabbed the bat and wrested itaway from him.He turned back to Josh and I whacked his back.Got ina couple of good hits, but it didn t seem to faze him. Josh wasn t moving.There was a big puddle of blood around hishead.I thought he was dead.When Adam turned and looked at me, Ijust knew killing me was next on his to-do list [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]