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Over the Hills and Far Away	By : OpenPage Category: 1 through F > 21 Jump Street Views: 2103 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own 21JS or the characters. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. All characters and events in this story are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is coincidental.

Chapter List
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Groaning loudly, Dennis’ eyes fluttered open and immediately closed when a bright light shone into them. He could hear distant voices but could not make out the words, they sounded garbled, as though they were being spoken underwater. Slowly, the fog in his brain lifted and he again opened his eyes, this time focusing on the face of a young man. He tried to sit up but gentle hands pushed him back down. “Relax Mr. Booker,” the man said in a soft voice. “You’re in the hospital.”
“Hospital?” Booker muttered, turning his head to look at his surroundings. He was in a curtained cubicle in what he assumed was the Emergency Department. He was aware of soreness in his chest and his head throbbed painfully. “What happened?”
The young man sat on the bed and stared at him intently. “You don’t remember?” he asked.
Dennis screwed his eyes closed and tried to think. Suddenly the words “I liked them having sex with me…” filtered into his mind and he slowly recalled the day’s events. Tom’s therapy session… Tom’s secret confession about his time in El Salvador… walking out and driving to the bar… drinking… getting into his car… a loud crash… spinning around… blackness.
Opening his eyes, Dennis managed a weak smile. “I think I was in a car accident.”
“That’s right,” the doctor replied. “You were brought in by ambulance yesterday. Given the severity of the impact, you were very lucky. You have bruised ribs and a minor head injury but a CT scan has not revealed any cerebral contusions or fractures. I would like to keep you in for observation for another twenty-four to forty-eight hours, just as a precaution.”
Licking his dry lips, Dennis looked worriedly around him. “The other car… is everyone okay?” he asked.
The doctor smiled and patted Booker’s leg. “They’re fine, they didn’t even need to come to the hospital.” Standing up, he drew back the curtain. “I’ll be back to see you a little later. Is there someone we can notify?”
The impact of his accident suddenly became clear. Struggling to a sitting position, Dennis gasped as his bruised ribs flared painfully. “Tom!” he panted, wrapping an arm around his ribs as sweat broke out on his forehead. “Oh God, he’ll think I’ve abandoned him! Please… you’ve got to call him… tell him I’m here… tell him I still love him!”
Walking back into the cubicle, the doctor gently helped Dennis to lie back down. “You need to keep calm and rest Mr. Booker. I’ll get the nurse to bring in a phone and you can call your friend.”
Dennis’ eyes misted over. “He’s not my friend,” he whispered, choking back a sob. “He’s my everything.”
Understanding filled the doctor’s eyes and he smiled kindly. “I’m sure Tom is just as worried about you as you are about him.”
Relaxing back against the pillow, Dennis sighed and nodded his head. Surely Tom would not leave without saying goodbye, not now, after everything they had been through over the last few weeks. Closing his eyes, he pictured Tom’s beautiful face and he longed for the moment when he walked through the curtain and told him that he still loved him.
**
Gerald Cooper turned to Tom and smiled. “So what do you think?” he asked as he walked around the small room of the boarding house. “It’s clean and quiet and the Turners are decent landlords, they’ll see you right.”
Despair filled Tom’s heart but he managed to keep it hidden. Smiling broadly, he sat down on the bed. “It’s nice,” he enthused. “Thanks for helping me out Gerald, I’ll never be able to repay you.”
Sitting down next to Tom, Gerald gave him a serious look. “My repayment will be for you to promise to stay clean and keep attending your therapy sessions. I don’t ever want to see you back on the streets.”
Tom lowered his eyes and nodded, he owed Gerald a lot. When he had phoned to see if there was a bed available in the shelter, Gerald had assured him that he would organize something and that he had nothing to worry about. When Tom arrived, the refuge was full but Cooper offered him to stay at his apartment until he could arrange permanent accommodation. Cooper’s knowledge of the system was invaluable and he managed to fast-track Tom’s pension so that he now had a regular income. He had also spoken to Doctor Landon who had referred Tom to a Community Health Center that specialized in low cost therapy. Lastly, he had found a boarding house that had an empty room, a place that Tom could now call home. Hanson knew he should feel grateful but as he stared around the tiny, sparsely furnished room, he felt depressed and lonely. This was how his life was destined to be, sitting alone in a room whilst the world outside, carried on without him.
Standing up, Gerald held out his hand. “If you need anything Tom, you know where I am. I hope you’ll call by the shelter now and then and have a cup of coffee or a meal.”
Shaking Cooper’s hand, Tom managed another fake smile. “Thanks Gerald, I will.”
When the door closed behind Cooper, Tom lay back on the bed and stared at the peeling paint on the ceiling. A single tear trickled down his cheek as he thought about Dennis. He regretted telling him about what had really happened in El Salvador and he wondered if he had purposely sabotaged their relationship because he felt he did not deserve Dennis’ love. He knew now that he had made a mistake entering into a relationship with Booker before he had allowed time for his mind and body to heal from the ravages of street life. By doing so, he had lost the only friend he had and he was now truly alone.
Rolling onto his side, he pulled his knees up to his chest and closing his eyes, he allowed his imagination to take himself back to the days when life had been good and he was Tom Hanson the son, the police officer, the friend and the lover.
**
Opening the door to his apartment, Booker let out a sigh as his last spark of hope of finding Tom still there faded when he saw the apartment was empty. Tossing his keys into the bowl on the bookcase, he closed the door. He had left numerous communications on his answering machine over a two day period, desperately hoping that Tom would hear one of the messages and come to the hospital. But Hanson never came and it was then that Booker started to resign himself to the fact that Tom was gone. It had pained him to think of his lover all alone with nowhere to go but he had eventually pushed the thought from his mind. He had to let go of his feelings for Tom and start thinking about himself. It would take several weeks for him to recover from his accident and his financial situation was becoming dire. He needed to get back to the office and find work, otherwise he too would be out on the street.
Walking over to his desk, he hit the play button on his machine and listened to the messages he had recorded. He smiled bitterly as he listened to the desperation in his voice as he begged Tom to forgive him. The last three years of his life had led to this point in time and he realized that this was now the end of the story. Tom had gone and he did not have the mental energy to search for him again. He knew if Hanson walked back through the door he would welcome him with open arms but he could no longer spend his time and money searching for a man who did not want to be a part of his life, no matter how much he loved him.
Reaching out, he hit the delete button and erased the messages. As he turned to walk away, he suddenly stopped and looked back at the phone. Picking up the receiver, he pressed the redial button. The phone rang for several seconds before a man’s pleasant voice answered. “Helping Hand Shelter, Gerald Cooper speaking.”
Dennis’ heart began to pound in his chest and he quickly tried to gather his thoughts. “Hello?” the voice on the end of the phone queried. “Is anyone there?”
Nervously wiping his hand over his mouth, Dennis managed to reply. “Um hello, I’m not sure if you can help me but I’m trying to locate a Tom Hanson.”
There was a long pause before Gerald spoke, his voice sounding guarded. “May I ask who’s speaking?”
Booker felt his legs start to tremble and he pulled out the chair and sat down heavily. “My name is Dennis Booker. Tom was living with me up until a few days ago. I need to know if he’s okay and to let him know that I’d really like to speak to him.”
A long silence hung in the air before Cooper spoke again. “I’m happy to give Tom a message but as you can appreciate, I can’t reveal his whereabouts.”
Leaning an elbow on the desk, Dennis rested his aching head in his hand and closed his eyes. There was so much he wanted to say but he wanted to say it directly to Tom, not through a third party. He did not want Tom to feel pressured into coming back. If there was any chance of them repairing their shattered relationship it had to be because Tom wanted it, not because he felt he owed it to Dennis to try again. Deciding to keep it simple, Dennis relayed his message. “Just tell him I’d really like to speak to him, he knows the number.”
After Cooper promised to pass on the message, Dennis hung up the phone. Standing up, he opened the window and stepped out onto the fire escape. The late afternoon breeze wafted through his hair, as he stood silently staring out over the city. Tom was out there somewhere and all he could do was hope that when he received his message, he would pick up the phone and call.
**
Three months later
Unlocking his office door, Dennis walked in and sat down at his desk. He was tired but happy. It had been a long few weeks but he had finally closed his latest case and he had just come from the bank after depositing his payment. He had been working around the clock the last few months, partly so he could start replenishing his savings and partly to keep his mind from thinking about Tom. When he had received no word from Hanson, he threw himself back into his work, grateful for the distraction. As the months passed, the pain in his heart slowly eased and he began to consider dating again. It had been a long time since he had put himself on the market. After Ben had died he had a few one-night stands but they left him feeling unfulfilled. Then he had started searching for Tom and he pushed all thoughts of relationships to the back of his mind. Now he felt ready to share his life with someone. He still missed Tom but he knew the longer he held on to the memory, the harder it would be to move on.
Checking his watch, he decided to call it a day. He had met a guy at the local coffee shop two days before and they had arranged to meet for dinner. George was tall and athletic and worked as a legal clerk. Booker had not felt the heart stopping attraction he had felt when he first saw Ben and Tom but he was physically drawn to George. It was early days but if he did not start dating again, he would never find a partner.
Arriving back at his apartment, Dennis threw his jacket onto the couch and kicked off his boots. As he headed towards the bathroom, he saw out of the corner of his eye that the red light of his answering machine was blinking, signaling a new message. Walking over to his desk, he pressed the play button. At first, there was only silence and then Tom’s hesitant voice sounded out from the speakers. “Hey Dennis, it’s Tom. Um, I know it’s been awhile but I thought maybe we could get together and talk. You can reach me at 555-3232. Okay… well I hope you’re okay and… um… I guess I’ll wait to hear from you.”
Dennis stared at the machine for a moment before turning away and walking into the bathroom.
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Over the Hills and Far Away