Fear - 17

Shawn shook his head, negating Gene's question as he replied, "I tripped coming out of the trailer and took a fall. Landed on my side on a rock and, well, you know." The words came out in a rush, his eyes not meeting Gene's concerned ones.

Very softly, after glancing around to be sure no one was within earshot, Gene said, "Did Jared hit you again?"

"No, he's not doing that now," Shawn protested. "He isn't! Honest. Things are good now." He grabbed the remaining bags Gene was holding, put them in with the others, and closed the truck door. "I gotta go now. I have to put the laundry in the dryers and… and…" He skittered away, making a dash inside the Laundromat.

He might not be hitting you but for damned sure he's abusing you other ways. Anger and disgust had Gene balling his hands into fists. He could see Shawn through the window as he moved the clothes from the washers to the dryers. He looked like a frightened animal caught in a trap with no idea how to escape. And you call what he feels for you love? Damn it, Shawn, when will you realize it's not?

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Gene went into the Laundromat. Shawn had just finished moving the last load and was heading toward the bank of plastic chairs along one wall. Gene followed, sitting down beside him.

Shawn ignored him, other than to whisper, "Go away and leave me alone."

"Have you seen a doctor about your ribs?" Gene replied, ignoring his request to go. "The way you hold yourself tells me they were probably fractured, or worse, unless the supposed fall happened this morning."

"I did fall!"

"Somehow I doubt it, but even if it's the truth you need to go get checked out."

"Why do you care?"

Gene smiled slightly. "Because I'm a doctor and it's my business to care."

"Well take your caring somewhere else," Shawn spat out. "I don't need it and I don't need you hanging around me. Please, just leave me alone." He got up, moving two seats down from Gene, a pleading look on his face.

The last thing Gene wanted was to leave him alone but then the realization hit him. He's terrified someone will see us talking and Jared will find out. Damn it, Shawn, you don't deserve this. Nobody does. Reluctantly, against his better judgment as a doctor who knew Shawn needed help and as a person who cared, Gene stood and walked away without another word. As he did, he vowed he'd figure out some way to get Shawn away from Jared. He just didn't know how.

Fear - 16

Gene thanked the woman in souvenir shop for her help, paid her for his purchases, then put them in his backpack and went out into the warm sunshine that lit the busy street. It took his eyes a moment to adjust after the dark shop. When they did, he paused, frowning.

He saw a slender young man coming out of the grocery store across the way, his arms heavily laden with plastic bags. That looks like Shawn. A second look told him it was. Shawn was juggling the bags, obviously trying to keep his hold on all of them as he turned and headed down the sidewalk.

Gene hurried across the street, coming up behind him, saying, "Looks like you could use a hand with those."

"No, no, I'm fine," Shawn told him, not turning to see who had spoken. Even as he said it, one of the bags started to slip out of his too-full hands.

Gene caught it before it fell, then said again, "Let me help you carry them, Shawn." The expression of pure panic when Shawn finally looked at him almost made Gene step away. "I'm not going to bite," he told him with a grin.

Instead of smiling at Gene's comment, Shawn looked even more fearful. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm on vacation." Gene held out his hand. "Give me a couple of those before you drop them." He saw an egg carton peeking out of the top of one bag and chuckled, trying again to ease Shawn's tension by saying, "Scrambled eggs are good, but not all over the sidewalk."

That did bring a tiny smile to Shawn's lips, even as his glance darted around the area. Then, with obvious reluctance tempered with a bit of relief, he let Gene take the bag.

"Is Jared around?" Gene asked, figuring he probably wasn't since it was a weekday. He instantly knew that was the wrong thing to ask when a flash of fear crossed Shawn's face, his gaze whipping around again as if to make certain Jared wasn't anywhere in sight.

By then they were beside a truck. Shawn put two of the bags down beside it and dug into his jeans pocket for the keys. After unlocking the door, he put the other bags inside behind the seat then bent to pick up the last two. When he did, he hissed softly in apparent pain.

"Here. I'll get those," Gene told him, handing Shawn the bags he was carrying and picking up the two on the ground. "Did you do something to your ribs?" he asked, keeping his voice gentle and non-threatening.

Fear - 15

Shawn winced as he bent to tie his boots. His ribs still hurt from the beating Jared had administered after their night at the bar, although he did his best to hide it from him. It had happened before and Shawn knew they'd heal eventually.

True to his promise, Jared had stopped drinking. He'd even agreed to let Shawn drop him off at the construction site sometimes so he'd have the use of the truck to do the weekly shopping.

Things still weren't perfect though. Jared would check the odometer each time to make certain Jared hadn't gone any farther than he was supposed to and then yell at him if he thought he'd gone beyond the proscribed boundaries he'd set. He also hollered at Shawn for any perceived mistake. Not that he hadn't before, but it seemed to be getting worse, the taunts more vicious, his words meant to hurt and belittle Shawn.

But I do deserve it. Shawn concluded with certainty after one particularly angry tirade because he'd forgotten to take two pair of work jeans to the laundry that Jared had left on the floor half under the bed.

"They're right there, you stupid idiot," Jared had ranted, grabbing Shawn's arm and dragging him into the bedroom. "It's your damned job to keep the place clean and picked up. But did you? Nooo. You left them lying there instead of putting them in the laundry hamper." He'd continued ranting, laying out all Shawn's other faults but he hadn't hit him. He'd looked like he'd wanted to, but he hadn't.

And maybe soon he'll quit yelling too, if I do everything perfectly.

Shawn sighed and began searching to make certain all Jared's dirty work clothes had made it into the hamper this time. Once he was sure he hadn't missed anything, he put the hamper in the truck and went back for the shopping list Jared had left on the counter for him, checked to be sure the windows were all closed and locked, and grabbed his jacket to head into town.

He parked the truck by the Laundromat as always, put the dirty clothes in to wash, and walked up the street to the grocery store.

Fear - 14

Gene's car made it over the Divide, thanks, he was certain, to the new tires. When one of Max's mechanics has shown him the old ones, Gene had been surprised they hadn't blown out long before then.

"You gotta watch those things," Max had muttered. "You're the only decent doctor around here and that includes old Doc Nichols. Personally I'd hate having to deal with him if you went off a cliff."

"Well, your boys are supposed to be watching over my old girl," Gene had pointed out with a grin.

"How about you trade her in on something built after the beginning of the century?"

"I just might then sell this one to the car museum down in the city."

Not that he would. He loved his old girl, dents and all. He just hoped, as he eyed the roller-coaster looking slope leading down to the valley far below the peak of the Divide, that he wouldn't be adding any more dents.

"You'd think after spending half my life living in the mountains, I'd be used to this," he muttered under his breath while he tried not to ride his brakes all the way down. When he got to the bottom where the highway leveled out, he sighed in relief. Ten more miles and I can check into my motel and find somewhere to eat while I regain my shattered nerves

It was just after noon when he pulled up to the entrance of the motel. He registered, drove around to the back of the motel to park his car in the lot, and went up to his room, stopping on the walkway to look at the view of the river only a few hundred yards away. Oh yeah, this is just what I needed.

Twenty minutes later, choosing to walk instead of drive, he headed into town and to the restaurant the desk clerk had said was the best one in the area. The clerk hadn't steered him wrong. The food was excellent and by the time Gene headed back to the motel, he was more than glad he'd left the car behind so he could walk off his lunch.

After unpacking his fishing gear, he went down to the river, spending a lazy afternoon trolling for fish. He didn't even care that he hadn't caught any he decided, as it began to get dark and he returned to the motel. After all, what the hell would I do with them if I did? He smiled to himself. Fishing is just an excuse to sit back and enjoy the down time. Something I haven't done in God knows how long.

For the next three days, he alternated between relaxing by the river, pole in hand, and taking long hikes into the mountains on either side of town. Early on the morning of the fourth day, he decided to explore the town instead.

Fear - 13

"Going on vacation, Doc?" Max asked, when Gene told him he wanted his tires checked and new ones put on if necessary.

"Yep. I finally decided it was time to when I wanted to tell Mrs. Smith she didn't have to come in every time she broke a fingernail." Gene laughed. "Okay, so she's not that bad, but she's a bit of a hypochondriac and I really did want to tell her to ease up on the office visits. When she left, and my nurse scolded me for being grumpy, I came to the decision a vacation was in order."

"I've got some customers like that. The slightest ping in the engine and you'd think their car was going to fall apart on the spot. If I wasn't such a good guy, I'd take their money and run. As it is…" Max shot Gene a knowing look.

Gene chuckled. "Okay, so sometimes I overdo it. Shoot me. I know the insides of people but not cars."

"When are you leaving and where are you going?"

"Tomorrow morning." Gene rested his hip on the corner of Max's desk, keeping a weather-eye on what the mechanic was doing with his car. "I thought I'd head over the Divide, maybe do a bit of fishing and hiking. Just get away and unwind."

"Sounds good to me. I'd do the same if Linda wasn't so adamantly against fishing. Give her a town with a thousand antique stores and she's in seventh heaven but take her off the beaten track and it's nag, nag, nag. Damned good thing I love the woman or she'd drive me crazy."

"Which is why I never got married. I don't need someone telling me what to do, or not do, no matter how good it might be for me."

"Doc, you never got married because women aren't your thing."

Gene looked at Max in total shock. "What makes you think that?"

"Because I know you, and I've spent more than a few nights out on the town with you. You hide it well, but you're the only man I know who doesn't spend half his time in a bar checking out the scenery, especially the pretty young tourist ladies who are flaunting their goods because they're off on their own for a while."

"So maybe I'm just not looking for a one-night stand."

"Nope, Doc, you're not looking, period. And just so you know, I don't give a rat's ass. Never have. Hell, I hired Shawn and trust me, no one would think he was straight, even if he hadn't been hanging around with that bastard Jared."

"Speaking of which, have you heard anything from him?"

"Not ace-deuce. But then, I didn't expect to. Jared's probably got him chained to the bed or whatever to make sure he doesn't do something he shouldn't, like get a job. The son-of-a-bitch never did like Shawn's being here, from what I could tell."

"Poor kid. It would be nice to find out he'd finally gotten up the nerve to leave Jared, but I doubt that'll happen unless Jared beats him half to death—or worse."

"Yeah, some people just never learn." Max looked as if he was going to say more but a customer came into the office so Gene stepped aside, saying he'd be back later for his car, and left.