Small Bump [EN]

Chapter 12

"Is it final?"
"Absolutely. The prosecutor agreed to leave the file just as it is in exchange for evidence. There's no way it will proceed, anyway, but he wants to make sure there will be cooperation."
"So we can make sure no one will be digging around again? The case is definitely closed?"
"I can guarantee it. John Ray is finished."
Jeremy smiled wistfully. "Should be enough to make him stop."
"Is he still making trouble?", Detective Clarke pulled out a cigarette and offered one to the tattooed man before lighting it and then offering to light his own.
"It seems to have become his life's purpose. He's got Justin up to his neck."
"I heard he went back to Canada."
"He was stupid enough not to stay in London for a few more months," he let out the smoke he was holding in his mouth.
"We can make some arrangements..."
"No. Leave it at that. John needs someone to take his anger out on. And if he wants to be that someone, I won't stop him."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. There are benefits we can get and we shouldn't lose them for anything in the world. John is too fickle and easily blinded by his emotions, it's a plus for us and Justin."

***
Justin loosened his tie as he entered the cab. He sighed. It was still hard for him to process what was happening. The thought of Anne's life being in danger terrified him. He still hadn't managed to regain her trust, so the girl was doing her best to keep the matter of her illness secret, which meant he wasn't allowed to know much of what was going on. His best bet had been to bribe Ryan to tell him whenever the girl had to go back to the clinic and follow her. It wasn't the best plan, but it was the only one he had left.

He got out of the cab and made his way to the white building. The blond had told him that Anne would be leaving work and going straight to the appointment with Dr. George for the biopsy they had scheduled. He had tried to leave earlier in case she needed support during the procedure and would let him be by her side, but his boss wouldn't let him. The chances were that the girl would be finished by then, so he would just quietly approach her and offer to give her a ride home.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Anne Ray."
"Are you familiar?"
"I'm...her husband."
The nurse checked the list in her hand. "Room 230. Your father is with her."
"Father?"
"Yes, Miss Ray's father-in-law. He arrived about half an hour ago."

Justin clenched his jaw and started walking toward the room he had been directed to. He really hoped his father wasn't there to bother the girl. This was not the time to try and play some strategy. She had too much on her mind to have to deal with such a problem.

He approached the door marked 230 and, just as he was about to open it, the girl's ironic laughter from the brunette stopped him.

"Do you really think I'll use my time on that? I have better things to do than to be babysitting a man who hasn't managed to grow up in 24 years. He and his whole family are a curse to me and to-"
"To your son, the one who also has our blood running through his veins?"
"Jason won't be like you."
Jeremy laughed. "Yes. I can understand how it feels to think that your son has the blood of a bunch of criminals. But don't forget that your side of the family is no better and even if we turned out to be the worst criminals imaginable, it will never compare to your dad's level of psychosis."

Justin clenched his jaw and opened the door. He could see tears of anger filling the girl's eyes. Her face was drained and anger marked every expression line as if 10 years had suddenly come crashing down on her.

"You must go," he said firmly to her father. He sighed before replying.
He looked at Anne once more. She turned her face to avoid facing him. "If you change your mind, you know where to go."

Justin frowned and watched the man leave the room. He entered slowly trying not to break the girl's tension.

"What kind of person are you?" the girl asked still looking through the window.
"You know who I am, An."
"No, I don't. And I'm becoming more and more aware of it," a tear fell down her face.
"Relax. You need to relax, it won't do you any good..."
"You're a horrible person," she faced him spewing pure anger from her pupils. The boy's heart squeezed.
"An..."
"You're so disgustingly horrible that there isn't a single person who will tell me how wonderful you acted a year ago!"
"Just listen..."
"Your attempts to get Ryan to advocate for you are futile. I know what kind of person you are and, if I forget for some reason, there are too many people around me who can remind me. Now go away, please. I'm not in the mood to see you."
Justin frowned. "You know. You're possibly the only person I give that much of my patience, but I have a breaking point. And believe me, it has nothing to do with guilt, but with the way you disregard my feelings and trample all over them like they're nothing," his eyes quickly filled with tears. "You don't even listen to me or try to figure out what happened, you just accept the things you're told because it's easier for you to accept that I'm an idiot and a jerk than to risk being in love with me," the girl clenched her jaw. "I love you, whether you accept it or not, and I love Jason. All the mistakes in my life will be nothing compared to everything you give me. I'm a man, I'm not perfect, but you can be sure that no matter how many times I screw up or seem to screw up, I will always find a way to make things work," he reached over to the bed and took Anne's hand in his. "I want you to believe me and trust me again. So that I can be Jason's father without you having to repeat yourself every five minutes that he shouldn't be around me. Just give me a chance, okay?"
The girl looked down at their joined hands. "What's the point of that? Having someone visit you when you're in prison?" she pulled her hands away from the boy's grip. "I'd rather not be part of that game."

Justin watched her stunned. The tears in his eyes slowly flowed down. He felt his hopes were perishing and every chance he had fought for was slipping away from his grasp. He was short of breath.

Not quite analyzing what he was doing, he approached the girl and kissed her.