Boystown Season Four Read online

  “Can I see him?”

  “Of course,” Mateo said. “He won’t be awake for some time; he’s been sedated to help him rest and heal, but you can see him for a few minutes.”

  Justin looked at Gino, who anticipated his question by responding, “Go ahead. I’m fine and I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Come on,” Mateo said. “I’ll take you to his room.”

  “Get some rest,” Justin told Gino, who smiled and shifted slightly in his bed to get more comfortable as Mateo led Justin from the room. Lying on the tray next to the bed, Gino’s cell phone began to ring. Gino carefully reached over and answered it. “Father.” Gino listened as his father spoke. “Haha, Father. I’m going to be fine. Just like I told you when we spoke a few hours ago.” Gino paused again. “You’re on your way here now? Father, I told you that you don’t need to come here. I’m going to be – well, I guess it’s too late now. You’re on your way here already.” Gino listened to his father. “Yes, yes. I’ll see you soon. I love you, too, Father.” Gino ended the call and returned his phone to the tray. Then he closed his eyes to try to get some rest.

  A few floors below Gino’s room, David Young and Cole O’Brien were sitting in the hospital cafeteria in front of the large window that overlooked Lincoln Park.

  “This coffee sucks,” David said. “We should get out of here and get some real stuff. Besides, you need to get some rest.”

  “I’m fine. It’s a broken rib, you know there’s nothing they can do for it.”

  “But that doesn’t mean you don’t need to rest. Why don’t you let me take you home so you can sleep a bit?”

  “David, you know I can’t leave until I know how Derek is.”

  David turned away from Cole to look out the window. “It’s funny, isn’t it? All those people out there jogging and walking in the park. They have no clue about all the hurt and suffering that is going on just a few feet away from them here in this building.”

  Cole reached across the table and grabbed David’s hand. “Hey.” Cole paused as David continued to stare out the window. “David, look at me.” Eventually, David looked back at Cole. “I’m with you now, not Derek. It took me a long time to realize that you are what’s best for me.” David tried to smile as Cole continued to speak. “But I still want to make sure he’s okay. We have shared a lot, him and me.”

  “I know,” David said with a sigh. “It’s just hard for me where he’s concerned. I don’t want his shooting to change things for us.”

  “I haven’t forgotten what he did to me. I could never forget that. Just as I could never forget how amazing you have been to me.”

  “Thank you for saying that, Cole.”

  “Jesse will tell you that I can be stubborn. And I can be a bit of a hopeless romantic, too. But the events of the past few weeks have really opened my eyes to who Derek is. And who you are, too.” Cole stopped for a moment and then continued. “You have nothing to worry about.”

  “I’m glad. And I’m sorry for sounding like a jealous teenager. Of course, you want to make sure Derek is okay. I do, too. He was my client and my friend.”

  “Exactly,” Cole said. “Our happiness doesn’t need to depend on anyone else’s bad news.”

  David stood up from the table. “Come on. Let’s go see if there’s any update. Once we know he’s going to be okay, we can head home, clean up, and get some rest.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Cole said, smiling, as he stood up slowly to minimize the pain in his side. David assisted him until he was standing fully upright and then they left the cafeteria together.

  While David and Cole searched for news about Derek, Jesse Morgan was speaking with his mother Jacqueline in the hallway outside of Logan’s hospital room.

  “Ben is dead?” Jesse asked his mother in disbelief.

  “It’s true,” Jacqueline explained. “They found some belongings and what was left of his body in the basement of the club.”

  “What the hell was he doing there?”

  “They think he started the fire.”

  “Oh, for God’s sake. He’s insane!”

  “Was...” Jacqueline corrected her son. “They are conducting a full investigation but they already discovered that some of the exits were locked from the outside. And they found empty barrels of what they think were flammable liquids in the basement rubble. That fire was set deliberately.” Jacqueline paused and then added, “And as one of the officers pointed out to me, it makes sense that the fire started after I left, because Ben wouldn’t harm his own child.”

  “But he died in the fire? How did that happen? It doesn’t make sense.”

  “They don’t know,” Jacqueline said, shaking her head. “They think maybe he got trapped in the basement. But they don’t know for sure.”

  “That fucking asshole. Look at all the damage he caused.”

  “The police wanted to know if he had any family or relatives they should contact. I told them I wasn’t aware of any. Are you?”

  “No,” Jesse stated. “Hell, we don’t even know if Ben Donovan was his real name, right?”

  “Ben. Shawn. Damn. At least it’s over now,” Jacqueline said. “He can’t hurt anyone else.”

  “Poor Logan.”

  “How is he?”

  “Not good,” Jesse said, his eyes filling with tears. “Oh, Mom. His burns are bad. Even with the skin grafting, some of the damage is permanent.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Jacqueline replied, embracing her son. “He’s such a good man.”

  “He hasn’t seen himself in a mirror yet. I’m afraid for him.”

  “You have to be there for him. To be strong for the both of you.”

  “I know, but it’s going to be difficult.” Jesse released his mother from their hug.

  “You two have survived difficulties together already. You’ll survive this, too.”

  “I’m so sorry for all the pain I caused him and you. It took all my effort to protect you from Ben and, in the end, the person who kept you from Ben was Ben himself.”

  “Honey, I forgave you a long time ago. And so did Logan.”

  Jesse smiled. “I know. We were really in a good place before the fire.”

  “And you will be again. Count on it.”

  “We’ll see...”

  Max Taylor walked down the hallway and greeted Jacqueline and Jesse. “How’s Logan?”

  “That’s what we were just talking about,” Jacqueline replied.

  “He’s pretty badly burned,” Jesse added.

  “I heard,” Max said. “That’s terrible.”

  “There’s more,” Jacqueline added. “Ben’s dead and they think he caused the fire last night.”

  “I know,” Max said. “I just met with a police officer downstairs. And my insurance agent as well.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Jacqueline said. “I knew he was crazy, but never thought in a million years that he’d--”

  “It’s not your fault,” Max declared. “I hired him to work for me, too. We all underestimated the lengths he’d go to in order to hurt people.”

  “But your home, your club -- they are destroyed.”

  Max put his hand on Jacqueline’s shoulder. “We will rebuild. I’m more concerned about those who were injured.”

  “I understand.”

  “And at least Ben is out of your life -- and all our lives -- for good now.”

  “I’m a widow,” Jacqueline said softly. “Didn’t see that coming.”

  “It’s for the best,” Jesse stated. “Now you’re safe. We all are.”

  “It’s the one good thing that came out of all this,” Max said.

  “How’s Emmett?” Jacqueline asked.

  “He’s a bit groggy from the sedative but doing much better.”

  Jacqueline smiled. “I’m glad.”

  “Can I see Logan?”

  Jesse looked at Max. “He’s resting now. You should probably come back another time.”

  “Okay,” Max agreed. “I’ll come bac
k later. Excuse me.” Max turned around and walked away down the corridor.

  “You could have invited him in to see Logan,” Jacqueline said.

  “Like I said, Logan’s resting.”

  “You just don’t want him around Logan.”

  “He’s Logan’s past. I’m his future.”

  “But he’s your father,” Jacqueline said. “You’ve got to try to get along.”

  “He’s a sperm donor as far as I’m concerned. That’s all. Like Ben was to the baby you’re carrying.”

  “Ben’s dead. Your father is very much alive. That’s a very big difference.”

  “We don’t get to pick our parents. At least I have one who is truly amazing.”

  “Max is trying, Jesse. You need to try, too.”

  “I need to check in on Logan. Excuse me.” Jesse quickly kissed Jacqueline on the cheek and then disappeared into Logan’s room. Jacqueline watched Jesse go and headed toward the elevator at the end of the hallway.

  At the same time, Joyelle and Tyler were speaking with Mateo outside of Derek’s room on the intensive care floor of the hospital.

  “Like I said,” Mateo explained, “he’s not out of the woods yet. But he’s doing much better.”

  “Thank you,” Tyler said.

  Joyelle peered through the window of Derek’s room to look at her husband. “He seems so weak and vulnerable with all those machines attached to him.”

  “His strength will return. He needs to rest and we’ll continue to monitor him.”

  “Has Justin been here to see him?” Tyler asked.

  “Justin has been rotating between here and seeing Gino and seeing Emmett.”

  “Good,” Tyler stated.

  “I feel so helpless,” Joyelle said.

  “There are ways you can help,” Michael said as he walked over to them. “I’m sorry to interrupt.”

  “Michael,” Joyelle said.

  “You know my brother?” Mateo asked.

  “Your brother?” Joyelle asked. “You’re kidding.”

  “Totally serious,” Mateo said with a smile.

  “Small world, eh?” Michael added. “Anyway, I need to speak with you about the shooting.”

  “Sure, what about it?” Joyelle asked.

  “Excuse me,” Mateo said. “I’m going to check on some patients.”

  “Thank you,” Tyler said, as Mateo walked away down the hallway.

  “I’ve been assigned to your husband’s case,” Michael explained.

  “His case?”

  “Why don’t we find someplace more private to talk?” Michael asked, gesturing for Joyelle to walk with him down the hall.

  “There’s an office right across the way,” Tyler said.

  “Perfect.”

  Michael and Joyelle followed Tyler down the hall a bit and into a small office.

  “Do you mind if Tyler stays?” Joyelle asked Michael.

  “Not at all,” he replied. “That’s up to you.” The three of them sat down around a small table in the room after Tyler closed the door.

  “I was called into the station this morning for a variety of reasons, one of which was to discover that I have been assigned to lead the investigation of your husband’s shooting.”

  “Well, we know you are an outstanding, honest police officer,” Joyelle said. “You have helped all of us a great deal in the past. And you are a true friend.”

  “Thank you for saying that,” Michael said. “There is reason to believe that your husband was shot deliberately, that someone purposely tried to kill him.”

  “What?”

  “How do you know that?” Tyler asked.

  “Well, we may get a better understanding of things once we can finally speak directly to your husband. But a preliminary review of the crime scene suggests no break in, no foul play of any kind...other than the shooting itself. There are no signs of a struggle. Your condominium remains locked and secure, just as we assume that Derek had left it. No neighbors we spoke with saw or heard anything or anyone suspicious. And there is no evidence on Derek’s body of a mugging or attack. Your neighbor’s nanny found Derek lying on the ground when she was leaving for the night.”

  “My God,” Joyelle said, looking at Tyler. “Who would do something like that?”

  “That’s a question that I need your help answering,” Michael declared.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Until we can speak to Derek himself, we need to know if there is anyone you can think of who might want to see your husband dead.”

  “Derek?” Joyelle shook her head. “Michael, I know there are a lot of people who have been upset with him these last few weeks, me included, but no one who would want to kill him. You can’t just go around accusing people of attempted murder.”

  “Joyelle, I’m afraid you don’t get to decide that,” Michael said. “I mean that respectfully, of course, but we need to talk to anyone and everyone who may have a bone to pick with your husband.”

  “That may be a long list,” Tyler stated.

  “Then let’s start at the top of it and work our way down.”

  “Michael, this makes me really uncomfortable. I can’t just start giving you names of people that my husband -- Derek -- annoys. That seems really inappropriate, especially if it causes trouble for them.”

  “Joyelle, all you’re doing is providing a list of names. I’ll take things from there. You have to understand that time is of the essence in any investigation like this.”

  “Michael, can you please give us a moment alone?” Tyler asked.

  “Of course,” Michael replied. “I don’t mean to pressure you but--”

  Dr. MacMahon interrupted Michael as he entered the office. “Excuse me for interrupting, Joyelle, but your husband is awake.”

  “What?” Joyelle asked, jumping up from her seat. Tyler and Michael rose from their chairs as well.

  “Dr. Martinez is in with him now. He sent me to get you.”

  “Thank you,” Joyelle said as she followed Dr. MacMahon out of the office.

  “Come on,” Tyler said to Michael as they followed the others.

  When they entered the hallway and approached Derek’s room, they saw Cole and David staring through the window into the room. Cole turned and locked eyes with Joyelle as she arrived. Dr. MacMahon opened Derek’s room door, stepped inside, and closed the door behind him.

  “Joyelle,” Cole said. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” Joyelle said. She opened her arms to Cole, who hugged her in return. Tears streaming down her cheeks, Joyelle added, “I know how much you care about him.”

  “He’ll be okay,” Cole stated quietly.

  “Justin and the doctors are in with him now,” David said. “They asked everyone else to wait out here.”

  “Hopefully, there will be some good news when they come out,” Michael stated.

  “Joyelle,” Cole said, “I wanted to tell you that Derek and I--”

  Joyelle put her index finger on Cole’s lips. “Shh. None of that matters now. Let’s just pray he’s okay.”

  “Do any of you have any idea who might have done this to him?” Michael asked.

  “Done this to him?” David asked. “What are you talking about?”

  “Michael, please,” Joyelle said. “Not now.”

  “You are going to have to discuss this sooner or later. All of you.”

  Before Michael could continue, Justin and the two doctors emerged from Derek’s room and immediately garnered the attention of everyone in the hall.

  “How is he?” Cole asked Mateo.

  “He’s doing better, I’m happy to say,” Mateo replied. “He’s stable and he’s coherent.”

  “Oh, thank God,” Joyelle sighed.

  “He’s still very tired,” Justin added, “and a bit out of it from all of the medication.”

  “But he’s going to be okay?” Joyelle asked.

  Mateo smiled. “There’s no reason to think otherwise. Our surgeons did a fantast
ic job.”

  “Well, we are the best medical staff in the city,” Tyler said with a smile.

  “Only the city?” Mateo asked, jokingly. “When they convinced me to take this job, they said it was the best in the country.”

  “Can I see him?” Joyelle asked.

  “He asked to speak to Cole,” Justin said.

  “Oh,” Joyelle mumbled, looking at Cole.

  “Only for a minute, okay?” Mateo told Cole. “He’s still very weak and tired.”

  Cole nodded in agreement, patted David on the shoulder, and quietly stepped into Derek’s room, closing the door behind him.

  “Mateo, it’s important that I speak to him as well,” Michael said. “I need him to help us understand what happened.”

  “Oh, no, brother,” Mateo said, raising his hand. “He’s far too weak for one of your interrogations. Let him get through the night and you can try to talk to him in the morning.”

  “But--”

  “You may be in charge at the station,” Mateo continued, “but I’m in charge here. Derek needs his rest -- so do all of you. Justin, you haven’t left since you arrived yesterday. I want all of you to go home and get some rest. You can come back in the morning.”

  “I’m okay,” Justin said.

  “Doctor’s orders. All of you.”

  As Mateo dismissed the visitors, Cole quietly sat down next to Derek’s hospital bed. The room was dimly lit and the sounds of the machines monitoring Derek’s progress echoed throughout the room. Derek lay quietly on the bed, his eyes closed.

  Cole leaned forward toward Derek’s ear. “Derek, it’s Cole.”

  After a moment, Derek opened his eyes partially and looked toward Cole. “I’m sorry. For everything.”

  “What are you talking about?” Cole asked.

  Derek slowly raised his hand up and Cole took it in his own. “I really screwed us up, didn’t I?”

  “Derek, that doesn’t matter now. You just have to get better so you can get out of this hospital.”

  Derek forced a smile. “I love you, you know that?”

  “I love you, too,” Cole said, kissing Derek’s hand. “Always have.”

  “Ever since we met in Boston, I knew there was something about you. And all I did was push you away.”