Can't You Save Me?

•9•

Over the next few days, Pete tries to help Patrick get rid of his demon. It’s not an easy task considering that Pete isn’t a therapist, doctor, psychiatrist or any of that shit. He’s winging it and is sure Patrick knows that as well but he’s too desperate to care.

Patrick constantly worries over what Vaughn might be doing whenever he’s silent for a while. The boy thinks that he’s planning something harmful, something that would ultimately hurt him and whoever else that may be around. Pete tells him not to think so negatively and not to think about Vaughn too much. The more he worries himself the more paranoid he’ll be. He will run himself ragged thinking about what Vaugh may or may not be doing.

During most nights, Pete is awakened by Patrick’s night terrors. He screams himself awake sometimes and mutters pleads in his sleep. Sometimes it’s not his dreams that wake Pete but the sound of him bursting into the bathroom to vomit. Pete honestly feels bad for him, and with the state that he’s in why would anyone think to leave him alone. Doesn’t he have family? He’s still young, where the fuck are his parents? Pete doesn’t know much about Patrick’s past but tries not to get too involved in it, although it would answer some important questions such as when and why did Vaughn show up. He should just ask what happened but Patrick’s not ready to answer and Pete isn’t ready to ask.

When Patrick wakes up from his nightmares during the night, Pete gets up out of his bed and goes to him. He comforts him as best as he can, trying to calm him down with the ‘it’ll be alright’ talk. It’s rough for both of them, neither of them get enough sleep which is worse for Pete because he still has a job to go to. Joe checks up on Pete when he’s at work, bringing him coffee and telling him to relax for a while or take some time off. Andy, one of the medical examiners, calls every now and then to make sure everything’s alright. Pete just hopes that they won’t come by for any surprise visits because if that happens, both Pete and Patrick will end up in the slammer.

Pete is under a lot of stress between helping Patrick, work, and keeping this all hidden from everyone he knows. It’s hard to keep up with and is wearing him out but it’s only been a week. He feels bad that Patrick is blamed for something beyond his control. He’s being threatened to do things he wouldn’t normally do in any lifetime. So what if the person tormenting him is occupying his mind, he hasn’t always been there, at least that’s what Pete thinks. If Vaughn just one day showed up out of nowhere, then he could disappear in the same matter. Pete wants to help, he does. Patrick shouldn’t be punished for something that isn’t his fault. It just isn’t right.

***

“How’s the research going?” Pete asks.

Andy looks up from his microscope and rolls himself backward in his swivel chair, rotating so he could face the other man. His ID badge is clipped to the pocket of his navy blue scrubs and his hair is pulled back into a low ponytail, a few loose strands peeking out from his hairline.

“Painfully slow.” Andy says while pushing his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose. “I’ve found nothing and all I have to go on is the victim’s DNA from the school. Some guy named, Tyler-something. I don’t really remember. The assailant must have been extremely careful with this, seems like they planned this out.”

“And very well at that.” Pete instantly thought of Patrick and the first thing that came up was how lost he looked the other night. Pete didn’t want to believe that Patrick was capable of the things typed on the papers in his file. He couldn’t even envision it happening and he’s tried.

Without samples it would be almost impossible to know for sure but there are other methods. Maybe a stray hair, or a fingernail, shoe prints, anything. Maybe it wasn’t Patrick, maybe it was some other psycho that had it out for the kid they found in the locker room. Pete wanted so badly to believe that.

“Think this might be a Stump thing?” Andy asked.

Pete shrugged. “Could be. Was anything else found with DNA on it?”

“Yeah, tons of stuff.” Andy rolls back over the microscope. “Brendon and I usually split the evidence to speed up the process but he takes forever to figure things out sometimes. But we probably won’t be finished until next week.” Andy busies himself once more, writing some notes onto the clipboard beside the microscope.

“Okay, let me know if anything else comes up.”

Andy gives him the thumbs up without looking away from his work.

Pete leaves the lab and starts for his desk when he catches sight of the clock on the wall outside the lab. It’s almost eight p.m. and he’s been there longer than he’d realized. His shift ends at six but he had to catch up on so much paperwork and look over a few other cases. Pete pulled his phone from his pocket and looked for Patrick’s number.

***

Patrick’s phone buzzes to life on the nightstand, jolting him out of his sleep. He groggily grabs for it, the light beams brightly into his eyes and causes him to squint at the name on the screen. Pete. Right, who else would it be?

wrkn late.

Well Patrick guesses that means that Pete won’t be home for a while which gives him extra time to sleep in an actual bed. It’s been a month since he’s slept in an actual bed because Pete’s apartment lacks a second bedroom. Though tonight, Patrick gets to sleep in.

Patrick replaces his phone on the nightstand then falls asleep shortly after.

“Patrick! What the hell is wrong with you?! You want to be rid of me, huh? Is Pete your savior, your knight in shining armor? I will end both of you!”

“What’s your deal, you’re still here aren’t you?”

“Fuck you, Patrick!” Vaughn’s voice turns to a whisper that sounds like he’s hissing right in Patrick’s ear. “If you take me out, I will take you bitches down with me.”

“Patrick.”

Patrick’s eyes fly open and catch sight of a very overworked Pete. His shirt was wrinkled and half tucked into his pants, his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and his tie hung loosely around his neck. Dark pools flooded beneath his eyes and his voice sounded like sandpaper. It reminded Patrick of when they first met.

“Pete.”

“You're in my bed because...?”

“Uh, you weren’t here and the couch is kind of uncomfortable.”

Pete groans and scrubs a hand down his face. “Whatever, I don’t care.” He pulls off his work clothes and tosses them aside, revealing a tank top and grey boxer shorts. Pete is in a mood that indicates that he give no fucks right now. He’s exhausted and it’s well past eleven o’clock and he just wants to sleep.
Patrick stares for a moment, taking in the designs of ink on Pete’s body. He knew about the tattoos on his arms but not the one around his neck. Usually Pete would walk around in a t-shirt so it was covered normally, but he looked so…wait, Patrick’s not going to finish that thought, he can think gay thoughts about someone he barely knew later, like, maybe when he’s not around and- back up. Gay thoughts?

“Look, I’m tired and I really don’t want to move or talk anymore to make you get out so just, move over.”

Shouldn’t Pete be afraid of him or something, afraid that Patrick may flip at any moment and try to kill him in his sleep? Even Patrick is afraid because Vaughn had already made it clear that he had it out for Pete.

Patrick obliged and moved over without another word, turning his back to Pete and facing the other way. The opposite side of the bed dips and Pete fights with the blanket trying to get comfortable. He goes still after a few seconds and his breathing evens out, right when Patrick thinks he’s actually asleep he hears him mumble, “G’night,” He inhales deeply then breathes out a, “‘Trick.”

He must be on the verge of sleep as Patrick is but manages to mumble back, “Night, Pete.”