Higher Education: Interlude
copyright 2001

Interlude:

Johnny was sitting in his tub soaking out the sore muscles. He'd worked a hard shift and knew that Roy would be home that afternoon and he wanted to have the house clean and the laundry done. He soaked for a half hour then got out and got dressed in his favorite pair of jeans">

Higher Education: Interlude copyright 2001   *^*^*^*^*^*^ Interlude: Johnny was sitting in his tub soaking out the sore muscles. He'd worked a hard shift and knew that Roy would be home that afternoon and he wanted to have the house clean and the laundry done. He soaked for a half hour then got out and got dressed in his favorite pair of jeans, worn in all the right places. He pulled a short sleeve sweatshirt over his head as he slipped into his tennies. He still wore worn out canvas tennis, these black high top Converse. He then ran around the house picking up the dirty clothes and starting a load of colors, he then headed into the kitchen. Looking around the room, he sighed. "Roy's gonna kill me." He said out loud as he started cleaning. Roy had been down in San Diego visiting his children for the last week and a half. His ex-wife had gotten sick, and she needed someone to help with the kids since her folks were out of the country. Johnny just knew that he'd be in big trouble if Roy got home before he finished cleaning. Johnny was feeling all the OT he'd worked the past week and just wanted to sleep, but the kitchen called. Johnny sighed as he threw the next load into the washer. Starting both the dryer and washer, he walked back into the kitchen. He looked around. "It'll just hafta do." He said. He then pulled the broom and mop out of the closet. He first swept the floor starting in the great room and heading for the kitchen. Once that was done, he walked around and opened all the windows and doors, letting the soft spring breeze blow through. He then filled the bucket with hot water and a mild soap. He then mopped the hard wood floors following the same pattern as he had when he'd swept. He paid close attention and noticed that the floor in the great room was fine but the floor in the kitchen needed to be waxed as well. Once the floors were dry, Johnny took the clothes upstairs and put them away. He looked longingly at the bed, but instead of laying down, he made the big king size bed with fresh sheets and a lightweight bedspread. He smiled as he finished and then swept the floor and put the throw rugs back on either side of the bed. Back downstairs, he readied the equipment needed to wax the kitchen floor. He did that floor in twenty minutes. He heard the dryer buzz just as he finished the kitchen. Looking up, he noticed that he had started at the wrong end. Johnny took everything out onto the deck then walked around to the side door and into the mud room. He pulled the clothes from the dryer, folding them as he went along, then transferred the next load from the washer. He started the dryer and debated doing the last load. Sighing, he started the last load consisting of sheets and towels. He then walked around again and started dusting the furniture. He was almost finished with the downstairs, when he looked at the clock. "Damn, no time to do the bathroom, unless I skip lunch." Johnny headed upstairs and started on the first bathroom. This is the one the kids used when they came to visit. He then went into what was called the guest bath and noticed that all it needed was to be wiped down. He then went into the master bath. He had to admit, he was a slob. He had managed to get both sinks messy and there was gobs of toothpaste on the sink, floor and unbelievably, the mirror. Johnny looked at the clock in the bathroom and started worrying. "Roy's gonna be home in less than twenty minutes, there's no way I can get all this done. He's gonna be so mad." Johnny talked to himself as he started cleaning. Roy smiled when he walked into the house he'd been sharing with Johnny for the past eight months. He knew that Johnny probably knocked himself out cleaning, but it couldn't deter from the way he was feeling. He was happy, his kids were healthy, his childhood friend, and mother of his children was healthy now and he was home where he belonged. Roy headed up the stairs, following the sound of running water. He frowned at the sight that came upon him. Johnny was slumped on the floor by the tub with tears running down his face. He looked up at his lover through tears, "I'm sorry, please, don't be mad. I'm almost done." Roy sat down next to his lover, "Johnny, look at me." He lifted Johnny's chin. He didn't like the shadows under the eyes or the lines of fatigue criss crossing the face. "I am not mad at you." "But, I didn't finish cleaning before you got home. I know that I'm supposed to have the house clean, but I was working so hard and was so tired. I tried, really I did." Johnny couldn't go on. He gave into the tears. He also shrugged off Roy's attempts at comforting. "No, don't touch me. I don't deserve you." Roy sighed and headed downstairs to get a glass, he filled it with a bit of scotch and took it back upstairs. He knew that the only way to calm Johnny down when he got like this was to get him to drink the small amount of alcohol and then sleep. He liked the fact that the booze acted as a sleep aid when his lover was upset. "Johnny, love?" Roy called as he walked into the room. He looked around not seeing the younger man. He stood still in the middle of the room and listened. Johnny was sitting in the dark corner of the large walk in closet. He had to be quiet or he would be found. He tried to quiet his crying, but it was so hard. He pulled a jacket down from the hangers and wadded it up in his lap and put his face in it. He sobbed into his jacket covered lap. "I fucked up again, Mother and I don't want to get hit." He was lost in his grief, thinking he was back on the ranch he'd grown up on, unwanted and unloved by his parents and siblings. Roy listened for a full five minutes, then he heard it. A muffled sob and someone talking. He headed for the closet. He put the drink down on the dresser then got down on his knees. He'd only come across Johnny like this twice, but he knew that this was one of the places he went when he was upset. He thought back to the first time he'd found his friend in a closet crying. *^*^*^*^*^*^ Four years prior in a small one bedroom apartment in Carson California. Roy knocked on the door, yet again. He knew that Johnny was upset by the prank Chet Kelly had played on him. Johnny looked younger than he was and acted younger a lot of times, he also wore his heart on his sleeve often, and this tended to get the young man hurt by people who thrive on the weaker of the population. Chet Kelly was one of those. He had hurt Johnny by making fun of the clothes he'd worn to work. His jeans were torn and shirt was in need of an iron, but the worst, was his shoes. Johnny kept his uniforms in top shape, he was proud of them, but his street clothes, he had a hard time with. They tended to be in need of some repair or other and his shoes tended to be shoddy. He just didn't know how to fix the problem. Roy sighed then used the key he'd gotten from Johnny the week before, when he'd been in the hospital for smoke inhalation and needed Roy to go over to water his plants. He let himself into the small apartment. Looking around, he knew that the young man was upset. The apartment was clean and neat, but lacked anything personal. Roy did something that he would later use as a way to find his partner. He stood still in the middle of the living room and just listened. There, coming from behind that door. Roy walked over to the closet door and pulled it open. He was not ready for what met him. Johnny gasped when the door opened. "NO! I TRIED TO FINISH, HONEST. NO!!" Johnny yelled as he pressed himself closer to the back of the wall in the small closet. "Shh, come on Junior, it's me, Roy. Open your eyes please." Roy's heart was breaking. He wandered yet again, who had hurt this gentle person so bad. "Come on out of there. I want to make sure you're all right." Johnny sat rocking with his arms wrapped around his knees. He had tears running down his face as he quietly cried. "No, please, don't hit me anymore." Roy sat on the floor and made himself as small as possible. He then scooted closer to the distraught young man. "Johnny? Hey there, Junior. You need to come out and eat. I know you're hungry." Johnny stopped moving. He wiped his face off on his arms and looked around. "Roy?" He whispered. Roy backed out of the closet to give Johnny room to move. He hoped that the young man would talk to him. Johnny sniffed and crawled out of the closet. He looked like a little boy who was so lost. "Roy?" He again asked as he emerged from the dark confines of the closet. "Yea, Junior, it's me." Roy sighed. He watched as his friend moved slowly around the room. "I'm so sorry." Johnny said over and over. "Johnny, stop!" Roy said a little too rough. This made Johnny stop in his tracks. "I said I was sorry!" Johnny burst forth. He then started towards the bedroom. Roy followed and cut him off when he went to the closet. "Johnny, we need to talk. Are you all right?" Roy took the younger man into his arms and walked him out to the living room. "Please, talk to me. What's wrong?" "I don't know. I feel so lost and alone. No one likes me. Chet told me so." Johnny blew his nose on a tissue and set it on the coffee table. "Why doesn't he like me?" "Chet likes you, Johnny. You just need to stop letting him get to you." Roy looked around the room. He noticed the last time he was here that Johnny kept no alcohol in the house. Not even beer. "You want something to drink?" "Uh, yea, some water please?" His voice was small, lacking it's usual strong tenor. It occurred to Roy that Johnny's voice was still going through changes. He'd heard the tell tale squeak last week on a run. "Sure, kiddo, I'll get some. You just lay here and calm down." Roy helped Johnny drink the water and settle down. He then covered his partner with a thin blanket and went over to the phone. "I don't know, Jo." He whispered into the phone. He pulled the instrument into the kitchen alcove. "He seems so lost and alone. I wish Kelly would leave him alone." "How old is he, Roy?" Jo asked softly. She knew her husband and the soft spot he had in his heart for the underdog. "I looked at his app for the program, he's twenty-two, but I have a feeling he's younger than that. You only need to be Nineteen to be in the department and he's been in for almost three years." Roy continued to talk to his wife for several more minutes. "I hope to be home for supper. Mind if I bring Johnny?" Roy smiled when his wife told him that if he didn't he needn't bother coming home himself. "See you in a few hours, Jo." They said their good byes and Roy hung up. He then smiled as he watched Johnny sleep on the couch. "Yea, you sure do look just like a kid whose lost and alone. I hope I can take that look away." *^*^*^*^*^*^ Roy came back to the here and now when he heard a louder sob. "I'm coming, love." He whispered. Roy was on his knees at the door, slowly turning the door knob. He knew from experience what to do and what to expect. He braced himself and finished opening the door. "Junior? You doing all right?" "NO! I didn't finish, I should be punished." Johnny cried. "Ah, baby, come on out and we'll talk about it." Roy sighed as he backed out and watched Johnny follow. "Now, why are you so upset?" "I didn't finish my chores. When I don't finish my chores, I'm supposed to be punished. Please, don't punish me, I hate it when I get hit." Johnny curled up on the floor just outside the closet door and gave into the sobs. Roy reached out and ran his hand in circles over the back that was facing him. He's seen the scars, and knew not to ask about them. "Shh, it's all right, I am not going to hit you or let anyone else hit you. You just feel better." Johnny cried for a few more minutes before letting Roy pick him up and place him on the bed. "You lay here and drink this." He handed his love the small glass of Scotch. Johnny nodded then swallowed the liquid. He squinched his eyes shut as the liquid burned it's way down his throat. "Thanks." He managed to croak out. "Now, lay down and get some rest. I'll finish the bathroom and laundry." Roy headed to the bathroom. "NO! I'll finish!" Johnny exclaimed as he struggled to stand. The alcohol was doing it's job and making Johnny drowsy. "Johnny, please? Lay down and don't worry about the house work. I'll tell ya what, I'll go work in the garden while you sleep." He sat down on the bed beside his friend and lover. "Okay?" "Okay." Johnny yawned and stretched out. He felt Roy remove his tennies and jeans then maneuvered him under the blankets. He kissed the man softly on the head. "Sleep well my love." Roy whispered. He then went downstairs and pulled the sheets out of the washer and set them in the basket. He then took them outside and hung them on the clothes line. He liked his towels and sheets dried outside. He then mowed the front and back yards and weeded the new garden that he'd planted two weeks prior. *^*^*^*^*^*^ Johnny slept several hours. He started thrashing as the dreams came. He didn't like these dreams. They always hurt. Roy came upstairs to check on his lover. He noticed that Johnny was thrashing about. He quickly went to the bed. "Shh, babe, it's all right. Wake up now." Johnny snuggled into the arms that held him and let the bad dreams go. He breathed a sigh and went back into a deep dreamless sleep. Roy continued to hold his love for several more hours, eventually falling asleep with Johnny in his arms and a smile on his lips. *^*^*^*^*^*^ Johnny woke with a start. "Shit! The laundry!" He said as he tried to get out of bed. Roy pulled the younger man closer to him. "Shh, laundry's done." "But, I was supposed to finish it." Johnny then again struggled to get out of the arms. "I'm sorry, I'll finish the bathroom." Johnny finally out of his lovers arms and headed to the bathroom. It was then that he noticed he didn't have his pants or shoes on. He gasped and ran to his jeans, struggling into the too tight pants. He then went back into the bathroom and finished cleaning in it. He tried to keep calm and not let his fear take over his life. Roy had told him that they had to talk, but they hadn't done that because he'd fallen asleep. He finished then went out the door. Roy wasn't in the bedroom, so Johnny remade the bed and pulled on his shoes. He then headed downstairs. "Dinner, I need to make dinner." Johnny wasn't the best of cooks, but it was his turn to cook. "Hey, you feeling better?" Roy asked as Johnny walked through the great room and to the kitchen. "Yea," He said. His head was still down and his voice held a sigh, "I guess." "Well, if you need to talk, you know where I am." Roy then turned his attention back to the game on the television. He hadn't even noticed that Johnny hadn't come back out of the kitchen until almost a half hour had passed. Johnny was in the kitchen slicing potatoes to fry up with dinner. He figured that he needed to make something fast and simple. He cursed when he looked at the clock and saw that it was almost five p.m.. "Gotta get goin'." He murmured to himself. Roy stretched as the game cut to a commercial. He looked at his watch and then at the chair where Johnny normally sat. It was empty. He then heard the noise coming from the kitchen. Standing, Roy headed in to see if Johnny needed any help. "Hey, you need any help?" Roy asked. He then saw the look that came across Johnny's face. "Huh? Oh, sorry. I'm so sorry, Roy, but dinner's gonna be a little late tonight." Johnny swiped at his eyes with a corner of the apron he wore around his waist. He was slicing onion now and it seemed to be making him tear up. "Hey, no hurry." Roy then went to the cabinet and pulled out a glass. Pouring a glass of tea, he gave Johnny a slight squeeze then headed back to the game. "Miss you out here, though." Johnny picked his knife back up and finished chopping the onion, he then added it to the frying potatoes. He then covered them and went to the fridge. He pulled out the makings for salad and two ears of corn. He husked and trimmed the corn and put on a pot of water to boil, then he made the salad, checking the potatoes every few minutes. When the potatoes were done, he pulled them out of the oil and drained them on paper towels. He then emptied the oil into a mason jar, to be set aside for disposal later. He then put the cubes of left over pot roast into the skillet to heat, and checked the progress of the corn. Finally, Johnny looked around. "Table's set, dinner's cooked, salad's served." Johnny wiped his hands on his apron then stood in the doorway separating the two rooms. "Dinner's ready, Roy." The two men ate in silence. Roy trying to figure out a way to help his lover with whatever was bugging him, and Johnny, just trying to keep from crying. He couldn't understand the reason he was so upset. "Great dinner, Babe." Roy smiled at his lover as he took his plate and glass to the sink. "I'll do up the dishes." Johnny only nodded. He hadn't eaten much of his meal, was mostly staring at his plate. "Thanks." He then got up and left the room. Roy began to think that he couldn't help his love. He quickly did the dishes then set out on a mission. *^*^*^*^*^*^ Johnny curled up further on the couch when he heard Roy close the door behind him. "I knew it wouldn't last long." He mumbled then felt the tears come again. Roy pulled up the lane thirty minutes later. He noticed that the lights were off in all rooms but the kitchen. There the light over the sink was shining. Roy had left this on when he'd left. He picked up the bag and hoped he didn't hurt his friend. Roy put the paper bag on the kitchen table. He walked into the great room and watched Johnny sleep on the couch. "Oh babe." He then went back into the kitchen and filled two glasses with ice and grabbed the bottle of Whiskey, taking both to the great room. Johnny stirred as he heard something splashing around. He opened his eyes and pushed himself up. "Uh, Roy? What'ch ya doin'?" "You need to calm down and relax and this is the best way to do it." He continued filling the glasses with the amber liquid. "Just sip it slowly." Johnny had never really drank, since he didn't like the way he acted when he got drunk. "Roy, this isn't a good idea. I mean, getting me drunk." "Don't worry. You're at home and I won't let anything happen to you." Roy handed Johnny the glass. Johnny took a sip. He grimaced but let the liquid go down his throat. He sighed as he took some more sips feeling the alcohol take effect. "So, you feel like talking about it?" Roy asked. "I told you once, Roy, no I've told you several times, I am not gonna talk about my childhood. Not with you, or Cap or a fuckin' shrink. There's nothing to talk about." Johnny gulped down the rest of the drink and poured another. Roy continued to sip at his. He knew that for this to work, he'd have to stay as close to sober as he could. "I know. But that's not I want to talk about." "What do you want to talk about?" Johnny spat out. He was feeling the alcohol warming his body and loosening his tongue. "Why you were sitting in the closet. I wasn't mad at you, and if you hadn't had everything done and had been working at the station, I still wouldn't have been mad at you. I love you. I hate seeing you hurt or be hurt." Roy spoke softly, forcing Johnny to listen to him. "I don't know why I sit in the closet, Roy. Hell, half the time I can't even remember what happened to make me do that. I get scared sometimes, you know? Real scared. All I can do is hide. I get these memories that come out and are just there. No reason at all, they just pop into my head." Johnny sighed and poured another drink. He was getting real drunk now. Roy looked at his friend. "So talk to some one about them. Brackett will help, I will too." Johnny lost it then. "I DON'T NEED TO TALK TO ANYBODY! DAMMIT, WHY WON'T YOU LISTEN TO ME?" He struck out then. Connecting with Roy's face to hit the man on the chin. Johnny watched as if in slow motion as Roy fell out of the chair he was in and sank to the floor. "Roy, God, Roy? I'm so sorry." Johnny ran then. He ran up the stairs and into his bedroom. He stood in the middle of the room looking for a place to hide. "Gotta hide. Can't be found." Johnny then went into the closet and pulled as much clothes off the hangers as he could and covered himself up. He fell asleep there in the closet. Roy came too several minutes later. He looked for Johnny, even in the closet, but he was so out of it from having his brains rattled that he didn't notice the lump that was moving in the back corner of the big walk in closet. He turned and headed out of the bedroom. He looked all over the house and barn. He finally gave up and sat down on the couch. He fell asleep there on the most comfortable couch he'd known. *^*^*^*^*^*^ Johnny woke up wondering why he was so hot and why his stomach was so queasy. He then remembered hitting Roy and running upstairs. He unburied himself and practically ran out of the closet and into the bathroom where he lost all that he'd eaten for the past day. He washed his face and brushed his teeth when he was done. Johnny pulled on a clean pair of sweats then headed down stairs. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked around. He was almost positive Roy had left him. He took a deep breath and headed for the kitchen. He didn't bother looking at the couch or he would've seen Roy laying curled up on the couch with the afghan over his body. Johnny made some coffee, but then thought he'd better not drink it since the smell turned his stomach. He didn't dump the coffee, just poured himself a glass of ice water from the fridge and took some aspirin. He was sitting at the table with his back to the great room when Roy came in woken by the coffee aroma. "Mmmm, you made coffee." He said in a normal tone of voice. "Roy?" Johnny squeaked. "Yea, that's me." Roy smiled at Johnny. His eye was swollen and he had a nice shiner, but he wasn't mad. He couldn't be mad at Johnny. "How are you this morning?" "Not so good. I thought you'd left after what I did to you last night." Johnny spoke with a soft voice and tears in his eyes. "Why would I do that?" Roy sat down next to Johnny and tilted his chin up with a finger. "Johnny, answer me this one question. Okay?" "Sure." Johnny looked at the bluest eyes he'd ever seen. He fell deeper into those eyes that day. Deeper then he had all those years ago when he'd first seen them watching him in that grocery store. "Do you love me?" Roy asked softly. "Yes." Johnny sighed. "Very much. With every part of my being. I love you Christopher Roy." Roy pulled Johnny into his arms. "I love you too, John Roderick." "Roy? Can I ask you a question?" Johnny asked. Roy nodded against Johnny's neck. He didn't want to let go of this man. "Do I make you happy?" Johnny whispered. "Really and truly happy?" "Oh, Johnny. Of course you make me happy. Really, truly and honestly. Happy every morning when I wake up and watch you sleep. Happy every night we make love and you lay in my arms afterwards sleeping softly and peacefully. I am happy when you are happy. When you get one over on the Phantom, or a run goes right for a change. I'm happy when you sleep through the night with out a night terror. But mostly, I am happy because I know you return my love with all your heart and soul." Roy then kissed Johnny softly on the lips then watched his lover for his reaction. "Help me?" Was all Johnny said. *^*^*^*^*^*^ the end of this Interlude Back to the Stories Page Webpage and Design Copyright 2002 by krys