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!Joe Flanigan (![[info]](http://www.journalfen.net/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} dr_dolittle) wrote,@ 2009-11-02 01:18:00 |
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Joe Flanigan, (NPC) Justin Long, and (NPC) Kate Hewlett. Telling the family.
[Takes place the same night that David goes missing.]
It feels like years and years later when Justin finally gets Joe home. He'll stay the night; he'll stay as long as necessary, before going to get Joe and David's vehicles from the shop and bringing them home. He's called Henry and Lee; Justin's made the executive decision that for the time being, the store'll remain closed. Especially since the cops'll probably be there for a while.
"Here we are, Joe," Justin says, gently, setting Joe down on the couch. "Safe and sound."
Pixel gets up from the back of the couch and bounds down onto Joe's lap. Hello. Pet me, please. Where's David?
Joe lets Justin manhandle him over to the couch and starts petting Pixel absently as soon as she's on his lap. Because it's what you do. He just... doesn't do anything else. Doesn't answer her.
Pixel rubs her head against Joe's chest. Where's David? Shouldn't he be home?
"Hey, Joe?" Justin says, tentatively. "You should probably call David's family."
Joe closes his eyes. Kate. He has to call Kate. And he doesn't know what to tell her. "I know," he says, his voice rough. "I... yeah, I know. I don't know where I put the phone." He keeps petting Pixel.
"I'll find it," Justin promises, as he pulls out his trusty iPhone and brings up the Hewlett-Flanigan landline. He can hear an extension ringing in the office; he goes to fetch it, shoos Strider out, and closes the door behind him. "Here, man. Here you go." Justin sits down next to Joe. He finds Kate's number in his phone, dials it on Joe's phone, and hands the receiver over.
Joe takes the receiver and sits there listening to the phone ring, barely feeling Pixel's fur beneath his hand. He doesn't know what he's going to say. What he's going to tell her.
"How's my favourite brother?" comes Kate's voice over the phone a few moments later.
And that's when Joe feels his heart start to break. "Kate, it's me."
"Joe!" Kate sounds happy to hear from him. "My other favourite brother."
He tries to smile, and he can't. He doesn't know how to do this. He almost hands the phone over to Justin, but he can't do that either. This is his responsibility. His job. David's gone, and Joe didn't keep him safe. And whether it's logical or not, he's blaming himself right now so much that he feels like he's going to drown in his own guilt. "Kate... there's..." he starts, and stops, and doesn't know where to start again.
"Joe?" Kate's starting to sound a little nervous on the other end of the phone. "Joe, sweetie, is something wrong?"
Joe nods. It's stupid--she can't see him through the phone--but he nods. "Someone took David."
He can hear her gasp, and then she doesn't say anything for a long moment. When she does speak again, her voice is very tight: "This isn't funny, Joseph."
"I know," Joe whispers. His hand is holding on to the phone so tightly he thinks he might break it.
She's quiet again for a moment. And then she says, "Joe, are you by yourself?"
"Justin's here. Justin... Justin called me."
"Oh my god. Good. No. It's good, that he's there--he's--he'll take care of you, right? And the babies? Because I--I need to call Mum and Dad. And... and I'm going to come. I promise. I'm going to be on the next flight." She can be heard, vaguely, moving around her apartment, stumbling over a pouffy footstool, so she can get to her computer and turn it on and start looking at West Jet and Air Canada's websites.
"Kate, you don't have..." Joe starts to tell her that she doesn't need to come, but he stops himself. He can't do it. Can't pretend he doesn't need her here. "Please come. I need you here," he says, rubbing at his eyes.
"I'll be there soon, Joe. Don't you worry. I'll be there before you know it. And don't you worry about me getting to your place. I'll take a cab. Okay? Don't argue."
"I know better than to argue with Hewlett women," Joe murmurs. It'd be funny, any other day. "Kate, I don't know what to tell your parents. The cops don't know anything, not really. They said they'd 'get a hold of me if they knew anything'." Joe still really, really hates that phrase.
She lets out a shuddery sort of sigh. "I'll call Mum and Dad. You just... take care of you. And all the babies."
"Mars is at the clinic still. I couldn't bring him home yet. They got him with a tranquilizer dart."
"Oh my god. Is he--is he going to be okay?"
"Yeah... yeah, he'll be fine, he's just... I don't know what to tell him," Joe says, his voice getting even quieter.
"Be honest with the kids, Joe," Kate says, gently, as she pulls her credit card out of her wallet. "I'm going to be on a plane really soon. I'll arrive at O'Hare at six a.m. Have you changed your locks? I still have my key, I'll let myself in and be quiet as a mouse, I promise."
"Your key'll work," Joe says. Like he'll be asleep. "I'm glad you're coming."
"Me too, sweetie. Make sure Justin takes very good care of you and the babies."
"He will." Joe swallows hard, not sure what else to say. "See you soon."
"Love you," she whispers.
"Love you too." Joe holds onto the phone for a few moments, then ends the call and lets it slip out of his hands. "Kate's coming," he says, unnecessarily. Justin's right there.
Justin takes the phone and puts it on the coffee table. "Good," he says. "That's good."
Max has wandered into the living room. He sits on the floor by Justin's feet, his tail wagging back and forth across the carpet.
Something's wrong. Pixel tries to climb up Joe's chest. What's wrong? Joe? What's wrong?
Joe eases her off his chest and back onto his lap, and scritches at her ears. "Guys... something happened at the shop tonight. And we don't know why, and we're not sure what exactly, but we can't find David. They're looking for him, but they don't know where he is."
Max whines. I don't understand.
"I know, Max... I don't understand either. It seems that someone came and took David away, and now we have to find him. But he's not here right now. I don't know where he is." Joe's voice is calm and soothing, but his heart is cracking into a thousand pieces.
Pixel climbs up Joe's chest again. Where's Mars?
Justin wishes there was something he could do. He feels kind of broken and lost and scared.
"Someone gave Mars something that made him fall asleep," Joe explains. "He's gonna be just fine, but he's at my office right now, just for the night. Just to make sure."
Max whines again and makes himself very, very small on the floor. David's not coming home?
"Not yet, buddy," Joe says, clearing his throat so he can keep speaking clearly. "It might take a little while. But he'll come home. He's going to come home, I promise." God help him if he's wrong.
[Takes place the same night that David goes missing.]
It feels like years and years later when Justin finally gets Joe home. He'll stay the night; he'll stay as long as necessary, before going to get Joe and David's vehicles from the shop and bringing them home. He's called Henry and Lee; Justin's made the executive decision that for the time being, the store'll remain closed. Especially since the cops'll probably be there for a while.
"Here we are, Joe," Justin says, gently, setting Joe down on the couch. "Safe and sound."
Pixel gets up from the back of the couch and bounds down onto Joe's lap. Hello. Pet me, please. Where's David?
Joe lets Justin manhandle him over to the couch and starts petting Pixel absently as soon as she's on his lap. Because it's what you do. He just... doesn't do anything else. Doesn't answer her.
Pixel rubs her head against Joe's chest. Where's David? Shouldn't he be home?
"Hey, Joe?" Justin says, tentatively. "You should probably call David's family."
Joe closes his eyes. Kate. He has to call Kate. And he doesn't know what to tell her. "I know," he says, his voice rough. "I... yeah, I know. I don't know where I put the phone." He keeps petting Pixel.
"I'll find it," Justin promises, as he pulls out his trusty iPhone and brings up the Hewlett-Flanigan landline. He can hear an extension ringing in the office; he goes to fetch it, shoos Strider out, and closes the door behind him. "Here, man. Here you go." Justin sits down next to Joe. He finds Kate's number in his phone, dials it on Joe's phone, and hands the receiver over.
Joe takes the receiver and sits there listening to the phone ring, barely feeling Pixel's fur beneath his hand. He doesn't know what he's going to say. What he's going to tell her.
"How's my favourite brother?" comes Kate's voice over the phone a few moments later.
And that's when Joe feels his heart start to break. "Kate, it's me."
"Joe!" Kate sounds happy to hear from him. "My other favourite brother."
He tries to smile, and he can't. He doesn't know how to do this. He almost hands the phone over to Justin, but he can't do that either. This is his responsibility. His job. David's gone, and Joe didn't keep him safe. And whether it's logical or not, he's blaming himself right now so much that he feels like he's going to drown in his own guilt. "Kate... there's..." he starts, and stops, and doesn't know where to start again.
"Joe?" Kate's starting to sound a little nervous on the other end of the phone. "Joe, sweetie, is something wrong?"
Joe nods. It's stupid--she can't see him through the phone--but he nods. "Someone took David."
He can hear her gasp, and then she doesn't say anything for a long moment. When she does speak again, her voice is very tight: "This isn't funny, Joseph."
"I know," Joe whispers. His hand is holding on to the phone so tightly he thinks he might break it.
She's quiet again for a moment. And then she says, "Joe, are you by yourself?"
"Justin's here. Justin... Justin called me."
"Oh my god. Good. No. It's good, that he's there--he's--he'll take care of you, right? And the babies? Because I--I need to call Mum and Dad. And... and I'm going to come. I promise. I'm going to be on the next flight." She can be heard, vaguely, moving around her apartment, stumbling over a pouffy footstool, so she can get to her computer and turn it on and start looking at West Jet and Air Canada's websites.
"Kate, you don't have..." Joe starts to tell her that she doesn't need to come, but he stops himself. He can't do it. Can't pretend he doesn't need her here. "Please come. I need you here," he says, rubbing at his eyes.
"I'll be there soon, Joe. Don't you worry. I'll be there before you know it. And don't you worry about me getting to your place. I'll take a cab. Okay? Don't argue."
"I know better than to argue with Hewlett women," Joe murmurs. It'd be funny, any other day. "Kate, I don't know what to tell your parents. The cops don't know anything, not really. They said they'd 'get a hold of me if they knew anything'." Joe still really, really hates that phrase.
She lets out a shuddery sort of sigh. "I'll call Mum and Dad. You just... take care of you. And all the babies."
"Mars is at the clinic still. I couldn't bring him home yet. They got him with a tranquilizer dart."
"Oh my god. Is he--is he going to be okay?"
"Yeah... yeah, he'll be fine, he's just... I don't know what to tell him," Joe says, his voice getting even quieter.
"Be honest with the kids, Joe," Kate says, gently, as she pulls her credit card out of her wallet. "I'm going to be on a plane really soon. I'll arrive at O'Hare at six a.m. Have you changed your locks? I still have my key, I'll let myself in and be quiet as a mouse, I promise."
"Your key'll work," Joe says. Like he'll be asleep. "I'm glad you're coming."
"Me too, sweetie. Make sure Justin takes very good care of you and the babies."
"He will." Joe swallows hard, not sure what else to say. "See you soon."
"Love you," she whispers.
"Love you too." Joe holds onto the phone for a few moments, then ends the call and lets it slip out of his hands. "Kate's coming," he says, unnecessarily. Justin's right there.
Justin takes the phone and puts it on the coffee table. "Good," he says. "That's good."
Max has wandered into the living room. He sits on the floor by Justin's feet, his tail wagging back and forth across the carpet.
Something's wrong. Pixel tries to climb up Joe's chest. What's wrong? Joe? What's wrong?
Joe eases her off his chest and back onto his lap, and scritches at her ears. "Guys... something happened at the shop tonight. And we don't know why, and we're not sure what exactly, but we can't find David. They're looking for him, but they don't know where he is."
Max whines. I don't understand.
"I know, Max... I don't understand either. It seems that someone came and took David away, and now we have to find him. But he's not here right now. I don't know where he is." Joe's voice is calm and soothing, but his heart is cracking into a thousand pieces.
Pixel climbs up Joe's chest again. Where's Mars?
Justin wishes there was something he could do. He feels kind of broken and lost and scared.
"Someone gave Mars something that made him fall asleep," Joe explains. "He's gonna be just fine, but he's at my office right now, just for the night. Just to make sure."
Max whines again and makes himself very, very small on the floor. David's not coming home?
"Not yet, buddy," Joe says, clearing his throat so he can keep speaking clearly. "It might take a little while. But he'll come home. He's going to come home, I promise." God help him if he's wrong.
