Chapter 2 #2
“No. I live down the street. I maintain computer systems and stuff like that. I happened to see what was going on, and Grant was willing to listen to what I had to say.” And because of the two of them, they were visiting Bobby in the hospital, and he was looking so much better than when Grant found him.
He tried not to think about what might have happened if Marty hadn’t offered his suggestion.
Though Grant liked to think that when he and Dexter searched the basement the second time, they would have found Bobby. Still, this was a great moment.
“I wanted to stop up and see how you were doing.” Grant rested his hand on Bobby’s small shoulder. “You be good for your mom.”
“Does Dexter have to go?” Bobby asked, his lower lip pooching out. It was hard for Grant to not smile. “Just five more minutes?”
Grant nodded. “We have to go back to work, trying to keep everyone safe,” he explained, giving Bobby and Dexter a few more minutes. When he had to leave, he called Dexter and headed for the door. Bobby’s mother got to her feet and came right up to give him a firm hug.
“Thank you for bringing him back to us,” she said softly and then stepped back, wiping her eyes.
“You’re very welcome. I’m just glad that Marty and I were able to help.” He smiled as she approached him and hugged Marty as well.
“Do you need to go too?” Bobby asked Marty.
“I do. But you have your mom, and she’ll make sure you’re safe. Okay?” Marty and Bobby did a fist bump, and then he followed Grant out of the room. “It’s so good to see him awake and doing so well.”
“Yeah, it is,” Grant agreed. He shivered uncontrollably, and Dexter whined at his feet. He strode down to the elevator and pushed the call button as the hall began to swim a little.
“Hey. What’s going on? Do you need something to eat?
” The elevator doors opened, and Marty ushered him inside and pressed a button.
When the doors opened again, he and Dexter guided him down a hall to the cafeteria and got him to sit down.
Grant forced his mind to the present and away from the darkness that threatened to engulf him.
“Drink this,” Marty said and shoved a bottle of cold juice into his hand. Grant downed some of the juice and sat back, closing his eyes, willing the past to stay the fuck where it belonged. “Are you feeling better?”
The heavy feeling in his chest dissipated, and when he opened his eyes, the room felt more normal. “Yeah. Thanks.”
“Are you diabetic or something?” Marty asked. “My cousin was, and we always gave him juice when he got a little spacey.” At least that explained Marty’s actions.
“No. It’s not that. It was a damned panic attack, and I haven’t had one in years.
” He took a deep breath and another gulp of juice.
“When I was seven, I got separated from my parents in the grocery store. So I went to wait by the car because I couldn’t find them.
A man saw me alone in the parking lot, grabbed me, and put me in his car.
He told me he would hurt my mom and dad if I did anything, so I sat there as he drove. ”
Grant hadn’t told anyone this story since he was a kid.
It was one of those things that he kept locked away.
But it seemed that was no longer possible.
“I was frightened and I didn’t know what to do.
So I waited until he stopped, and then he got me out of the car.
He told me to be quiet and that he wanted me to take off my pants.
My grandma had told me that only a bad man would do that, so when he crouched down to get close to me, I kicked him in the nuts really hard, because that was what Grandma told me to do.
He fell forward, and I kicked him again and then ran away as fast as I could.
There was a house, and I ran there. I told them what happened, and they called the police and my mom and dad for me.
Mama made sure I knew her phone number.” He released a breath he hadn’t known he was holding.
“Mama and Daddy came and got me, and the police caught the man.”
“What happened to him?” Marty asked gently. “Did he get punished?”
“Yes. There were witnesses to him taking me, and when the police found him, he was still on the ground. Mom told me years later that I ruptured his balls and that he wasn’t all man after that.
” At least he was able to smile. “God, I haven’t told anyone that in so long.
” And he had no idea why he had told Marty, other than the fact that he probably needed to get it off his chest.
“Do they know at work?” Marty asked.
Grant shook his head. “It was in Kansas when Dad was stationed there. We moved away not long after that.” It felt like a lifetime ago, and in a way it was.
“Your secret is safe with me,” Marty said. “This sort of thing is yours to tell and no one else’s.
“Thanks. I’m glad you were here.” He wanted to die of embarrassment. He was a cop, someone who was paid to help others and to handle dangerous situations, and yet he had a panic attack after visiting a six-year-old boy. It was rather pathetic.
“Stop,” Marty said from across the table.
“I can almost see you berating yourself. It’s not necessary and it’s counterproductive.
You didn’t have anything to do with what happened to you back then, and it was a traumatic experience, especially given your current profession where you are fully aware of the ramifications.
You may not have been then, but you are now, and that’s getting all mixed up in your head. ”
Damn, he had Grant pegged to a tee, and under normal circumstances that would freak him out a little.
But it didn’t with Marty, and he sort of wondered why.
He knew he was a classic commitment-phobe.
He didn’t tend to let a lot of people get close to him.
So his usual operation would be to back away.
But he didn’t want to at the moment. “I haven’t thought about what happened to me in years, until this happened. ”
“Yeah. But it hit you when you were with Bobby, and it took you by surprise. It’s understandable, and I’m willing to bet that it won’t happen again.”
Grant intended to make sure it didn’t. The last thing he wanted was for the guys at the station to see him break down like that.
There were certain expectations when you were a police officer, and one of them was to stay cool under pressure, because the lives of the other officers depended on it.
The last thing anyone wanted was to have to rely on someone they didn’t trust or who they thought would wither under the stress. “It can’t happen.”
Marty shrugged his shoulders and continued watching him.
“Like I said, it isn’t likely because you’re aware of it now.
You’ll be ready for it, and it won’t be able to sneak up on you now.
That’s the thing about old horrors—they lie dormant until you’re tired or vulnerable, and then they sneak through the cracks and try to overwhelm you.
” He tapped the bottle, and Grant drank the rest of the juice.
“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience,” Grant said as his police officer curiosity kicked in. “There’s a story there.”
Marty’s lips curled into an enigmatic smile. “Maybe.”
“I told you mine, so you tell me yours.” Grant actually found himself smiling a little as the heaviness inside him truly lifted away. He had told someone what happened to him, revealing one of his darkest secrets, and Marty had been supportive and helped him.
“Don’t you need to get back to the station?” Marty asked, and Grant checked the time. He really did need to return, but his curiosity was piqued.
“Yes, I do. So maybe you can tell me your story over a beer, another time?”
Marty seemed rather surprised. “Yeah. Um, sure. Well, the beer part, anyway. The storytelling, that’s still up in the air.
” Marty handed him a business card from his wallet.
“You can call me if you want.” The touch of indecision in his voice made Grant wonder.
Marty had been strong and even steamrolled over him when they had been looking for Bobby.
Not many people would do that with a police officer.
That took courage and conviction, and yet Marty seemed almost insecure and shy now.
In a way it was cute, but like other things with this man, it pinged his brain and made him want to know more.