Come Down From Your Fences

Chapter 24

Tucking the envelope containing his personal belongings beneath his arm, he slid on his dark sunglasses despite the cloudy skies. Freedom somehow made the sky seem brighter and he figured squinting would ruin the image he had playing in his head of the badass ex-con slowly emerging from the dark, dank prison.

This wasn't the first time he'd made such an exit, and part of him supposed it wouldn't be the last. Regardless, he was glad to be out of there. Usually, jail didn't bug him. He liked to brag about his record and most of the time that bragging was genuine. Jail was no big deal; a byproduct of the life he enjoyed living. This time felt different, though - it got under his skin somehow and that unnerved him.

"Dallas," a familiar voice sounded behind him and he stopped in his tracks - halting like an unsuspecting fish caught on a fisherman's hook, jolted out of its reverie by a sharp tug on the line.

He wasn't going to take the bait.

"I'm free, Doc. Served my time and now I don't gotta listen to your crap anymore," he said without turning around, his eyes scanning the deserted road for his ride.

"I didn't realize you'd ever started listening to my crap," Dr. Brown said with a chuckle. Dally sensed him walking up behind him, just outside the chain link fence. Dally didn't respond, but the doctor kept talking. "Maybe one day, you'll remember what I said."

"Whatever you say, Doc. If you ask me, I think you've been writing yourself a few of those psychological prescriptions - dippin' into the pharmaceuticals." Dally finally turned and gave a sly wink. "Don't worry, man. I won't say nothin'. Maybe you can hook me up later."

Dr. Brown laughed again and Dally wasn't surprised. The Doc wasn't going to take Dally's bait, any more than Dally was going to take his.

A car rumbled across the street and came to a screeching halt. Dally looked over his shoulder - his ride had arrived. It was Tim Shepard in a large, green station wagon that Dally had never seen before. Chances were, Tim hadn't seen it before that afternoon, either.

Dally didn't leave immediately and Tim laid on the horn, filling the afternoon with a shrill siren - it was a horrendous sound. How Shepard managed to find a car with a horn that sounded completely annoyed, impatient, and pissed-off all at the same time was beyond him. The car may look ridiculous, but the horn matched the guy perfectly.

"Well, it's been real ... therapeutic, Doc, but I've gotta be on my way." Dr. Brown reached out and grabbed his arm before he could walk away. Both he and Dally slowly looked down at his hand at the same time and the doctor let go immediately. He was lucky Dally didn't deck him; he'd put guys in the hospital for less.

Dr. Brown reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a business card, which he held out for Dallas to take. Dally rolled his eyes behind his dark glasses as he grabbed the card.

"I want you to take that and call me if you ever need anything," the doctor said sincerely.

Dally gave a cynical laugh as he looked at the information printed on the stiff paper. It had the address for the Doc's office and his phone number. Dally turned the card over and noticed that there was handwriting on the back. It was another address and another phone number.

"Those are for my home," Dr. Brown explained. "I mean it when I say you can call me anytime."

"That's sweet and all," Dally said, his voice cold, "but you don't give a guy like me your home address. You do that and one day you'll come home to an empty house."

Dally held the card up and slowly tore it into small pieces. "Doc, you need a serious dose of reality. You ain't gonna save me ... I don't need savin'. Take your bleedin' heart elsewhere and find someone who gives a shit." He tossed the pieces on the ground at the doctor's feet and walked away.