Mechanical Michelangelo part 31
THIRTY ONE The Night Watch
Cameron sat on the concrete step at one of the back entrances to the hospital, hiding from the trickle of media that just wouldn’t go away, those select few who just had to have a statement from Justin’s hustler friend and big shot tattoo artist, Bren McKay.
Cigarette butts littered the ground around his feet and a half smoked cigarette rested between fingers that wouldn’t seem to stop shaking.
He flipped open his phone and turned it on, ringing Leon and waiting for the other man to answer. “Where are you, man?” He needed his family around him, needed the strength of the group, he’d not felt this alone since he’d met Justin three years before.
“About ten minutes away if I don’t get lost. Your car is a heap of junk, man. Don’t know how it’s got us this far.”
Cam laughed softly. “Just make sure it gets you this far. Hurry up, I’ll meet you out front.”
“See you in ten.”
He shoved the phone back in his pocket and finished his smoke before walking back inside, ready to face the glares of Jennifer. She didn’t want him or Bren there, but they weren’t leaving. She didn’t understand that they’d practically lived in each others pockets for the past three years, that they were closer than family.
She wouldn’t like it when Leon and Pete got there either, but Justin needed them, he needed them to be there and that’s where they wanted to be. It didn’t matter that they would be losing money, they wanted to be here for Justin, for their family.
Bren sat silently, drawing in the small sketch book that never left his side, and Cam felt his heart ache. It was wrong to see just one of them sketching.
“Look, I’m really grateful that you guys came here, but his family is here now. Craig is coming down later and we’re going to talk about insurance and hospital bills. It’d be better if you weren’t here.” Jen said, finally stopping her pacing to face them.
Cameron tensed, saw the pencil pause on Bren’s page. “And why would you worry about insurance now, when he has a successful, fulltime job and has ample coverage?” Bren’s voice was deep, calm and deadly. “He’s not a seventeen year old boy that needs help anymore.”
Jen frowned, knowing she’d been insulted but not quite sure how. “He’s a twenty one year old man that needs medical attention and the support of his family.”
“You might think that Mechanical Michelangelo is some back town dump that pays a pittance and probably uses dirty needles, but if you’d ever bothered to come over when Justin asked you, you’d find we are one of the top tattoo salons, with waiting lists over three months long. Tattooing can be a risky business, all my employees get insurance, there is no need to worry about his medical needs.”
“You didn’t worry three years ago, didn’t it keep you awake at night, wondering what had happened to him, how he was supporting himself?” Cam raised an eyebrow and shook his head, unable to keep quiet.
He hated Jennifer more than he hated his own mother, at least she made no pretence about loving him, she was straight with him from the word go, whereas Jennifer sent so many mixed signals Justin didn’t know which way to turn most of the time.
“I have to go meet the guys.” Cam stood and smiled half heartedly at Bren.
“Who?” Jennifer asked.
“Our friends.” He looked pointedly at her and she gulped, knowing by friends he meant fellow hustlers.
Jennifer clutched onto his arm as he walked past. “They won’t talk about Justin’s-past will they?”
He shrugged her off, looking down at her with disdain. “No, but they might want to punch whoever gets in their way. It might not be the right way to deal with it, but it’s because they care. Justin is one of us, and we’re family.”
He walked out of the hospital and spotted Leon, behind the wheel of his car, face like thunder as a reporter tried to corner him.
Cam was glad he’d told Leon he’d meet them outside. It didn’t matter about hospital policy or security; at least one reporter had to stay and try to catch them long enough to give a statement.
He watched Leon and Pete exit his old car, and another three men fall out the back. Tears of relief filled his eyes as he saw them, then anger settled in as the reporter jumped at them.
Cam reached them first and pushed the microphone away. “Fuck off.”
“Did you hustle with Justin? Please, just say a few words!”
“Has he been there all night, dude? Man, I can show you a much better way to make money.” Leon clutched his crotched, laughed at the man’s expression then allowed Cam to lead them away.
Once they were in the privacy of the hospital Leon’s bravado disappeared and in its place was a young man who was very worried for his friend.
“How is he?” Pete asked, jogging behind to keep up with them.
Cam took a deep shaky breath and related what the doctor had told them. “They drained the blood, but he’s in a coma. They say it’s his body’s way of coping with the trauma.”
“When will he wake up?”
“They don’t know. Today, tomorrow, next month, next year…” ‘Never’ went unspoken, but not unheard.
“He’ll be alright though, when he wakes up?” Pete asked, wanting it to be true, hell they all wanted it to be true.
Jennifer was sitting next to Bren when they all arrived, she looked up and did a double take, eyes widening, pale skin becoming paler and disgust evident on her face. Cam could hardly blame her for that. Out of the familiar streets they called home they looked like ducks out of water.
Men, little more than boys really, at least when they started out, hovered around, all dressed in denim and cotton that clung to lean frames, and although Cam could see the worry etched into every line and every restless stance, he was sure all Jen could see were cocky prostitutes intent on making money while they were at her child’s bedside.
“Err, thank you for coming.” Jennifer said to them, not forgetting her manners. “But really, this isn’t a hotel, you should come back visiting hours and I’ll update you.”
Bren put a hand on her shoulder. “It is visiting hours.”
Cameron bit his lip, resisting the urge to tell her that it was him who should stay with Justin, like it had been him who’d been there every night since they’d met.
“Look, we don’t want to cause trouble, we just want to see him,” Leon said, “He’s our friend…and we’ve come a long way.”
A tear slipped out of the corner of her eye and she wiped it away on her sleeve. “Alright. They’re doing more tests right now…but when he’s back. And I need to go fetch Molly, make sure she’s got enough things for tonight.” She frowned, having trouble concentrating on all the things she had to do.
Michael, of all people turned up, standing next to Jennifer and offering his support. He had a tub of what looked like homemade pasta in one hand. “Mom made this for you, she said to eat it all up and save your strength for Sunshine. I’ll stay here while you’re taking care of Molly and we’ll phone you if there’s any change.” Mikey said.
When Jen left everyone relaxed somewhat, Leon slumped into a chair, Pete close to him, both with identical expressions of worry on their face. They ignored Mikey as he sat a little away from them.
“He’s been on the news back home too.” Pete commented, breaking the silence. “They’re saying some dick hit him with a baseball bat, is it true?”
Cam closed his eyes, shuddering, unable to picture it in his mind, but knowing it had happened. He’d seen Brian covered in the aftermath of the accident, he’d held Justin’s hand as he slept a deep, unnatural sleep. “Yeah, it’s true.”
“Where is he? The fucker that did it to him?”
“In custody for now.”
“Shame.”
Cameron knew what Leon meant, he too wanted to hunt Chris Hobbs down and beat out his own kind of revenge. Beat him like he’d beat Justin…Chris Hobbs was lucky, because he was safe from Justin’s friends where he was, if he’d been let out already there would be no hope for him.
Cameron sat on the concrete step at one of the back entrances to the hospital, hiding from the trickle of media that just wouldn’t go away, those select few who just had to have a statement from Justin’s hustler friend and big shot tattoo artist, Bren McKay.
Cigarette butts littered the ground around his feet and a half smoked cigarette rested between fingers that wouldn’t seem to stop shaking.
He flipped open his phone and turned it on, ringing Leon and waiting for the other man to answer. “Where are you, man?” He needed his family around him, needed the strength of the group, he’d not felt this alone since he’d met Justin three years before.
“About ten minutes away if I don’t get lost. Your car is a heap of junk, man. Don’t know how it’s got us this far.”
Cam laughed softly. “Just make sure it gets you this far. Hurry up, I’ll meet you out front.”
“See you in ten.”
He shoved the phone back in his pocket and finished his smoke before walking back inside, ready to face the glares of Jennifer. She didn’t want him or Bren there, but they weren’t leaving. She didn’t understand that they’d practically lived in each others pockets for the past three years, that they were closer than family.
She wouldn’t like it when Leon and Pete got there either, but Justin needed them, he needed them to be there and that’s where they wanted to be. It didn’t matter that they would be losing money, they wanted to be here for Justin, for their family.
Bren sat silently, drawing in the small sketch book that never left his side, and Cam felt his heart ache. It was wrong to see just one of them sketching.
“Look, I’m really grateful that you guys came here, but his family is here now. Craig is coming down later and we’re going to talk about insurance and hospital bills. It’d be better if you weren’t here.” Jen said, finally stopping her pacing to face them.
Cameron tensed, saw the pencil pause on Bren’s page. “And why would you worry about insurance now, when he has a successful, fulltime job and has ample coverage?” Bren’s voice was deep, calm and deadly. “He’s not a seventeen year old boy that needs help anymore.”
Jen frowned, knowing she’d been insulted but not quite sure how. “He’s a twenty one year old man that needs medical attention and the support of his family.”
“You might think that Mechanical Michelangelo is some back town dump that pays a pittance and probably uses dirty needles, but if you’d ever bothered to come over when Justin asked you, you’d find we are one of the top tattoo salons, with waiting lists over three months long. Tattooing can be a risky business, all my employees get insurance, there is no need to worry about his medical needs.”
“You didn’t worry three years ago, didn’t it keep you awake at night, wondering what had happened to him, how he was supporting himself?” Cam raised an eyebrow and shook his head, unable to keep quiet.
He hated Jennifer more than he hated his own mother, at least she made no pretence about loving him, she was straight with him from the word go, whereas Jennifer sent so many mixed signals Justin didn’t know which way to turn most of the time.
“I have to go meet the guys.” Cam stood and smiled half heartedly at Bren.
“Who?” Jennifer asked.
“Our friends.” He looked pointedly at her and she gulped, knowing by friends he meant fellow hustlers.
Jennifer clutched onto his arm as he walked past. “They won’t talk about Justin’s-past will they?”
He shrugged her off, looking down at her with disdain. “No, but they might want to punch whoever gets in their way. It might not be the right way to deal with it, but it’s because they care. Justin is one of us, and we’re family.”
He walked out of the hospital and spotted Leon, behind the wheel of his car, face like thunder as a reporter tried to corner him.
Cam was glad he’d told Leon he’d meet them outside. It didn’t matter about hospital policy or security; at least one reporter had to stay and try to catch them long enough to give a statement.
He watched Leon and Pete exit his old car, and another three men fall out the back. Tears of relief filled his eyes as he saw them, then anger settled in as the reporter jumped at them.
Cam reached them first and pushed the microphone away. “Fuck off.”
“Did you hustle with Justin? Please, just say a few words!”
“Has he been there all night, dude? Man, I can show you a much better way to make money.” Leon clutched his crotched, laughed at the man’s expression then allowed Cam to lead them away.
Once they were in the privacy of the hospital Leon’s bravado disappeared and in its place was a young man who was very worried for his friend.
“How is he?” Pete asked, jogging behind to keep up with them.
Cam took a deep shaky breath and related what the doctor had told them. “They drained the blood, but he’s in a coma. They say it’s his body’s way of coping with the trauma.”
“When will he wake up?”
“They don’t know. Today, tomorrow, next month, next year…” ‘Never’ went unspoken, but not unheard.
“He’ll be alright though, when he wakes up?” Pete asked, wanting it to be true, hell they all wanted it to be true.
Jennifer was sitting next to Bren when they all arrived, she looked up and did a double take, eyes widening, pale skin becoming paler and disgust evident on her face. Cam could hardly blame her for that. Out of the familiar streets they called home they looked like ducks out of water.
Men, little more than boys really, at least when they started out, hovered around, all dressed in denim and cotton that clung to lean frames, and although Cam could see the worry etched into every line and every restless stance, he was sure all Jen could see were cocky prostitutes intent on making money while they were at her child’s bedside.
“Err, thank you for coming.” Jennifer said to them, not forgetting her manners. “But really, this isn’t a hotel, you should come back visiting hours and I’ll update you.”
Bren put a hand on her shoulder. “It is visiting hours.”
Cameron bit his lip, resisting the urge to tell her that it was him who should stay with Justin, like it had been him who’d been there every night since they’d met.
“Look, we don’t want to cause trouble, we just want to see him,” Leon said, “He’s our friend…and we’ve come a long way.”
A tear slipped out of the corner of her eye and she wiped it away on her sleeve. “Alright. They’re doing more tests right now…but when he’s back. And I need to go fetch Molly, make sure she’s got enough things for tonight.” She frowned, having trouble concentrating on all the things she had to do.
Michael, of all people turned up, standing next to Jennifer and offering his support. He had a tub of what looked like homemade pasta in one hand. “Mom made this for you, she said to eat it all up and save your strength for Sunshine. I’ll stay here while you’re taking care of Molly and we’ll phone you if there’s any change.” Mikey said.
When Jen left everyone relaxed somewhat, Leon slumped into a chair, Pete close to him, both with identical expressions of worry on their face. They ignored Mikey as he sat a little away from them.
“He’s been on the news back home too.” Pete commented, breaking the silence. “They’re saying some dick hit him with a baseball bat, is it true?”
Cam closed his eyes, shuddering, unable to picture it in his mind, but knowing it had happened. He’d seen Brian covered in the aftermath of the accident, he’d held Justin’s hand as he slept a deep, unnatural sleep. “Yeah, it’s true.”
“Where is he? The fucker that did it to him?”
“In custody for now.”
“Shame.”
Cameron knew what Leon meant, he too wanted to hunt Chris Hobbs down and beat out his own kind of revenge. Beat him like he’d beat Justin…Chris Hobbs was lucky, because he was safe from Justin’s friends where he was, if he’d been let out already there would be no hope for him.