A Phone Call Away (Part 5)
A Phone Call Away Part One
A Phone Call Away Part Two
A Phone Call Away Part Three
A Phone Call Away Part Four
It was midday and Jesse still hadn’t gotten a call from Mike yet. He was starting to worry. He had just finished packing his car in his closed garage when he heard a car pull into his driveway. Panicked that it might be the DEA, he froze beside the cardoor. He heard the front doorbell ring.
“Jesse Pinkman?” called a voice too distant and muffled to recognize. “Saul Goodman sent us.”
Jesse was only slightly relieved but it was enough to spur him into motion. Silently, he entered his house and made his way to the front door. Checking out of the window beside it, he saw the red-headed guy and that fat body guard, Saul’s goons.
“What do you want, yo?” Jesse asked, managing to sound annoyed despite his fear.
“”We’re to take you to see Walter. We’d prefer if you make it easy on us and just come along.”
Jesse hesitated. With Hank’s brother digging for evidence and witnesses, Jesse was probably first on the chopping block. But…Mr. White had warned him in the first place…why would he do that if he was just going to kill him?
“Pinkman, don’t make Huell have to break down the door.”
It was an empty threat, Jesse knew, but part of him was certain that he didn’t really have a choice. He placed a shaky hand on the knob and opened it.
***
“Jesse, will you let me help you?” Mr. White pleaded. “I don’t like to see you hurting.”
But Jesse wasn’t hurting. Jesse was scared, like pissing his pants scared. Here he was hours from freedom and Mr. White had him cornered in the middle of the desert.
“Maybe it’s time for a change.”
“What kind of change?” Jesse asked, heart racing faster with every step Mr. White took towards him.
He then launched into a sales-pitch for Jesse to change his identity and never come back to ABQ. He pulled out all the stops and compliments, planting seeds of hope for Jesse’s future, sounding all concerned and fatherly the way he knew Jesse needed him to sound. Conveniently, Mr. White made no mention of him ever being able to see or speak with Brock and Andrea again. He probably forgot their names, Jesse thought bitterly.
Finally, when he finished spewing his bullshit, Jesse stepped away from the car and turned on him.
“Would you just for once…stop working me?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Can you just, uh, stop working me for like ten seconds straight? Stop jerking me around.”
“Jesse, I am NOT working you,” Walter said in faux innocence.
And that did it. Jesse let him have it. All the fear and anger that had been building up in him since he quit, no maybe even since they started this whole thing, just flew out of him like projectile word-vomiting. Jesse was hyper-aware of the fact that he was alone and unarmed and somehow that knowledge made him more furious until he finally got to the core of the problem.
“Just tell me you don’t give a shit about me, and it’s either this…it’s either this, or you’ll kill me the way you killed all of Mike’s guys! I mean isn’t that what this is all about? Us meeting way the Hell out here…” Jesse said, choking up. “In case I say no and you have to tie up loose ends? COME ON! Just say it! Just tell me you need this!”
Jesse sniffed, shivering and taking small steps back as Mr. White approached him. He didn’t know what to expect. A knife to his stomach? A boxcutter to his neck, but no…Mr. White put his arms around him, hugging him. For a moment Jesse stood and shook in his arms. He was still so terrified, so certain that death was seconds away. Yet the hug continued, deepened even and Jesse found himself simply falling apart in Mr. White’s arms. If Mr. White weren’t holding him, he’d be curled up in the dirt. He didn’t know how long they stayed like that. Only that when he found his voice, he was considerably less scared.
“You wanna know…” Jesse whispered. “the stupidest part of all this?”
“Yes, Jesse,” Mr. White said, patting his back. “What is it?”
“You didn’t have to tell me to go,” Jesse said softly. “I’m all packed and going to meet up with Mike today.”
“What?”
“I said I’m all packed to go with Mike today.”
Walter’s whole body had gone rigid and when Jesse dared to look up he saw Mr. White staring down at him incredulously. He exchanged the look with Saul, who appeared both horrified and disbelieving.
“What?” Jesse asked, pulling away from the hug and wiping his eyes and nose with his sleeve. “What is it?”
“Jesse…” Mr. White began hesitantly, then looked at Saul again.
Jesse turned to see Saul shaking his head.
“What is it?! Jesus! Didn’t we just talk about just saying stuff? No games!”
Walter looked down at his feet guiltily, and when he raised his head Jesse was surprised to see something like remorse in his beady eyes.
“Jesse, Mike is dead. Mike’s been dead for months.”
A Phone Call Away Part Two
A Phone Call Away Part Three
A Phone Call Away Part Four
It was midday and Jesse still hadn’t gotten a call from Mike yet. He was starting to worry. He had just finished packing his car in his closed garage when he heard a car pull into his driveway. Panicked that it might be the DEA, he froze beside the cardoor. He heard the front doorbell ring.
“Jesse Pinkman?” called a voice too distant and muffled to recognize. “Saul Goodman sent us.”
Jesse was only slightly relieved but it was enough to spur him into motion. Silently, he entered his house and made his way to the front door. Checking out of the window beside it, he saw the red-headed guy and that fat body guard, Saul’s goons.
“What do you want, yo?” Jesse asked, managing to sound annoyed despite his fear.
“”We’re to take you to see Walter. We’d prefer if you make it easy on us and just come along.”
Jesse hesitated. With Hank’s brother digging for evidence and witnesses, Jesse was probably first on the chopping block. But…Mr. White had warned him in the first place…why would he do that if he was just going to kill him?
“Pinkman, don’t make Huell have to break down the door.”
It was an empty threat, Jesse knew, but part of him was certain that he didn’t really have a choice. He placed a shaky hand on the knob and opened it.
***
“Jesse, will you let me help you?” Mr. White pleaded. “I don’t like to see you hurting.”
But Jesse wasn’t hurting. Jesse was scared, like pissing his pants scared. Here he was hours from freedom and Mr. White had him cornered in the middle of the desert.
“Maybe it’s time for a change.”
“What kind of change?” Jesse asked, heart racing faster with every step Mr. White took towards him.
He then launched into a sales-pitch for Jesse to change his identity and never come back to ABQ. He pulled out all the stops and compliments, planting seeds of hope for Jesse’s future, sounding all concerned and fatherly the way he knew Jesse needed him to sound. Conveniently, Mr. White made no mention of him ever being able to see or speak with Brock and Andrea again. He probably forgot their names, Jesse thought bitterly.
Finally, when he finished spewing his bullshit, Jesse stepped away from the car and turned on him.
“Would you just for once…stop working me?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Can you just, uh, stop working me for like ten seconds straight? Stop jerking me around.”
“Jesse, I am NOT working you,” Walter said in faux innocence.
And that did it. Jesse let him have it. All the fear and anger that had been building up in him since he quit, no maybe even since they started this whole thing, just flew out of him like projectile word-vomiting. Jesse was hyper-aware of the fact that he was alone and unarmed and somehow that knowledge made him more furious until he finally got to the core of the problem.
“Just tell me you don’t give a shit about me, and it’s either this…it’s either this, or you’ll kill me the way you killed all of Mike’s guys! I mean isn’t that what this is all about? Us meeting way the Hell out here…” Jesse said, choking up. “In case I say no and you have to tie up loose ends? COME ON! Just say it! Just tell me you need this!”
Jesse sniffed, shivering and taking small steps back as Mr. White approached him. He didn’t know what to expect. A knife to his stomach? A boxcutter to his neck, but no…Mr. White put his arms around him, hugging him. For a moment Jesse stood and shook in his arms. He was still so terrified, so certain that death was seconds away. Yet the hug continued, deepened even and Jesse found himself simply falling apart in Mr. White’s arms. If Mr. White weren’t holding him, he’d be curled up in the dirt. He didn’t know how long they stayed like that. Only that when he found his voice, he was considerably less scared.
“You wanna know…” Jesse whispered. “the stupidest part of all this?”
“Yes, Jesse,” Mr. White said, patting his back. “What is it?”
“You didn’t have to tell me to go,” Jesse said softly. “I’m all packed and going to meet up with Mike today.”
“What?”
“I said I’m all packed to go with Mike today.”
Walter’s whole body had gone rigid and when Jesse dared to look up he saw Mr. White staring down at him incredulously. He exchanged the look with Saul, who appeared both horrified and disbelieving.
“What?” Jesse asked, pulling away from the hug and wiping his eyes and nose with his sleeve. “What is it?”
“Jesse…” Mr. White began hesitantly, then looked at Saul again.
Jesse turned to see Saul shaking his head.
“What is it?! Jesus! Didn’t we just talk about just saying stuff? No games!”
Walter looked down at his feet guiltily, and when he raised his head Jesse was surprised to see something like remorse in his beady eyes.
“Jesse, Mike is dead. Mike’s been dead for months.”