“I can’t believe the two of you kept this a secret from me!” It wasn’t anger Steve was displaying as he paced the length and breadth of the office--it was horror. “The man’s a cold-blooded killer and you didn’t tell me! Why?”
Amanda wisely kept her mouth shut and let Mark do the talking. The older Sloan’s voice trembled as he stood to face his son. “Steve, I’m sorry, but if you think about it a minute, you’ll know why. Jesse’s life depends on Penrose’s expertise. Nobody else can put him back together after the baby is born. If you arrest him and he goes to prison, what’s going to happen to Jesse?”
Steve stopped in midstride and put a hand over his eyes in prescient understanding. “Oh, god. He took Jesse.” he said. “Dad, where does he live?”
“I can find out.” Mark went directly back to his computer and began typing in commands. “You think he took Jesse to his house?”
“Where else would he take him?”
“He has a laboratory somewhere. He talks about it.”
“We’ll search both places. Just get me the address. And after we find him, I want to talk to you about a few things.”
“Steve, I...” Mark’s distressed eyes scrutinized him for signs of forgiveness. “If you choose to press charges against me for withholding evidence, I’ll understand.”
“You could have talked to me about it!” Steve rebuked him. “I’m your *son*!”
Mark released a short sigh and hit the print button on his computer. The printer whirred into action. “I’m sorry, Steve. Jesse means a lot to me. You know that.”
“He means a lot to me, too, Dad.” Steve went to take the paper from the printer. He paused to lay a hand on his father’s shoulder. “Come with me. Let’s go get Jesse.”
The doctor looked even older than his years as he got up to follow him.
********
Jesse tested the door one last time and carefully descended the steps into the basement. He was locked in with no escape. A captive. He collapsed on the futon, wrapping himself in a blanket. “I just couldn’t keep my mouth shut.” he sobbed.
His day had been terrifying. A few of his belongings had been transported to Penrose’s house, and were now stored in the basement, as was he. Books, clothing and other personal items were in boxes along the wall. The futon belonged to Penrose.
Something smelled bad. Covering his mouth and nose with a pillow, Jesse grimaced at the stench in the room. He stretched to flip on an overhead light, speaking aloud to the bare walls. “It smells like death in here.”
The sound of his own voice echoed by grayness made him cringe. He peered around ominously for the source of the smell, finally leaving the pillow and the safety of the futon to wander to the four corners of the twenty by twenty foot room. He followed his nose to the toilet area, trying not to breathe too deeply. He lifted the edge of a folded tarp and stirred the smell tenfold. “Oh, god!” he groaned, hurrying for the toilet. He was thankful he hadn’t eaten since breakfast.
When he stopped heaving, he reached for tissue and wiped his mouth. Holding his nose, he bent to examine the tarp and found the inside layer was covered with black fungus. He was a doctor. He knew what it was.
Blood. Old blood and other decomposed body fluids.
Someone had died here.
Jesse gasped and hurried back to the futon, curled up on his side and pulled the blanket over him.
*******
“It’s a nice house.” Mark commented as Steve parked at the curb.
“Jesse’s here. I can feel him.”
“You can *feel* him? Are you having psychic episodes?”
“I don’t know. All I know is that he’s here, and he’s scared.” Steve turned and pressed a palm to his father’s chest. “You stay by the car.”
Mark wanted to argue. Reluctantly, he obeyed, cautioning him as his tall son drew his weapon and proceeded to the front door. “Be careful, Steve.”
Steve moved to the door and knocked sharply with the butt of his handgun. After a short wait, he knocked again. “Penrose! Open up!” he called.
The door was yanked open by the obstinate resident, Dr. Homer Penrose. “What the hell do you want, Sloan?” he demanded.
“Jesse.” Steve answered bluntly. “Now. Where is he?”
“It’s not my job to keep up with him. Why would you come here looking for him?”
“He’s here.” Steve pointed the gun at him. “I’m coming in, so just back away from the door with your hands raised.”
The angry doctor presented his hands. “You’re going to be sorry for this, Sloan. You’re making a big mistake here.”
“I don’t think so.” Steve said. “If I am, I’ll be sure and apologize later. For now, turn around.”
Penrose whirled, arms stretched above his head. “If you intend to search the house without a warrant, you’ll be doing more than apologizing.” he said. “You’ll be out of a job and the LAPD will be compensating me for this grievance.”
“I can live with that.” Steve said. “At this time, I’m holding you for questioning and I *am* searching the house. If I find Jesse here, you’ll be under arrest for kidnapping.”
“Kidnapping?” Penrose laughed raucously. “I’d like to see you make that one stick. I hope you’re keeping it in mind that Jesse’s life hangs in the balance. Two lives, his and the baby’s, depend on me. If you arrest me, he’ll die and the baby may die.”
“Call me optimistic, but I’m willing to bet there are a thousand other doctors who can do that surgery.” Steve said, clapping handcuffs on the man’s wrists. “I think you told everyone you were the only one who could do it so they would *think* his life depends on you.”
“You’re willing to take that risk?” Penrose asked.
Steve shoved him roughly into a chair. “Yeah, I’m willing.” he answered. He went to the door and called, “Dad, you wanta come keep an eye on him while I look for Jesse?”
Mark entered the house and took the handgun Steve offered him. “What do I do?” he asked.
“If he moves an inch, blow his brains out.” Steve answered. “You can handle that, can’t you?”
“Oh, I think so.” Mark gave Penrose a look of deadly conviction.
“Be right back.” Steve left him in charge of their prisoner and went to search the house.
*******
The basement door swung open and feet appeared on the first step. Jesse burrowed deeper beneath the blanket, shuddering at the thought of what Penrose had in store for him. The shoes stepped down another step, then another until he could see long legs in blue trousers. He shivered, thinking about attempting a break. He felt weak, too weak to make any such attempt. He knew he would only be overpowered and punished for his efforts.
As the man descended the stairs slowly, a voice broke through the gloom of the basement. “Jesse? Are you here?”
The young doctor sat upright so quickly he felt dizzy. “Steve!” he cried. “Steve!” Jumping up, he rushed into the arms of the captain, hugging him desperately. “God, I was so scared! Steve, how did you find me so fast?”
Steve kissed his forehead, his nose, his cheek, his lips, lifted him up and hugged him tightly. “I just knew you were here. I don’t know how. I just knew.”
“I love you.” Jesse kissed him again, and received several more kisses in return. “I knew you’d find me.”
“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
“No, but he threatened to. He hurt someone, though. Take a look at the tarp over there. And hold your nose.”
Steve glanced over, unwilling to let go of his lover. “I’ll look later. It’s a dead body?”
“No, but that’s what *was* wrapped in it at one time.”
“Are you sure?”
“Pretty sure.”
“Then we’ll call forensics and get them down here to take a look.” With that, Steve turned with him and led him back up the stairs to freedom.
*******
Penrose was glaring when they approached him. “He came here of his own free will.” he said. “I invited him to live with me and he accepted.”
“Is that why you had him locked in the basement?” Steve asked, seating Jesse on the sofa. He took the gun from Mark’s hand and pointed to the phone. “Call for backup. This man is going to jail today on two counts. One is kidnapping, the other is suspicion of murder.”
Mark nodded. “Can we make the murder charge stick?”
“We can if that tarp in the basement has any evidence on it, and Jesse thinks it does.”
“Good.” Mark went to the phone and called the police.
“Jesse, you were a guest in my house.” Penrose said. “If you locked yourself in the basement, it’s not my fault.”
“I’m pressing charges.” Jesse said firmly. “You kidnapped me and I’ll testify to that.”
“You’ll also have to explain to the world about your baby.” Penrose reminded him. “This project wasn’t going to be widely publicized, but now it will make the front page news of every magazine in the world. You’ll be known as the ‘pregnant male doctor’, and no one will ever forget it. Are you willing to live with that kind of publicity? And there’s something else you’re forgetting. I’m the only one who can undo what was done to you in the implanting of the womb. They may get another doctor who can save your life, but you will never have use of your male reproductive system again unless *I* perform the operation to restore it.”
Jesse swallowed hard and glanced at Steve before he spoke. “I don’t believe you. But even if you’re telling the truth, I’m fine with it. Somehow, that just isn’t important to me right now.”
Hanging up the phone, Mark sat beside Jesse and put an arm around him. “We’ll find a doctor who can do it.” he promised. “Don’t worry.”
Penrose shook his head, unable to hide his contempt for them. “If you just hadn’t started up this stupid love affair with this bastard, everything would have been okay.”
Mark’s quick glance proved he understood what the man was talking about. He scanned Steve, who didn’t react, then Jesse, who looked down. “Actually, everything would not have been okay because I figured out what happened to those two young women who had been killed for their fetuses. You killed them, and the child in Jesse’s body is one of those babies, isn’t it?”
“The child in Jesse’s body belongs to me. I made it and I will take it when it’s born. My child will be superior, and no one else should raise it. She will need training so she can live up to her potential.”
“Sorry, you gave up the right to be a parent when you made me the other parent.” Jesse said. “Not to mention the murder and kidnapping thing. She’s *my* baby, and I will raise her--with Steve and Mark’s help.”
Both Steve and Mark smiled proudly at him.
[Reviews - 0] [Kudos - 120]
Download story PDF format or ePUB format or MOBI format
Table of Contents
Download story PDF format or ePUB format or MOBI format
Table of Contents