Unusual Circumstances

Part IV: Dealing With the Cops

Keith smiled tiredly at the cops- detectives, he saw- and stood up to meet them, noting somewhere in the back of his mind that it was already night and that he had missed his interview, to shake their hands. "Keith Matthews," he introduced himself. They said their names were Detective Fisher and Deputy Detective Collins. Collins smiled at him warmly, while her older, grumpier partner merely raised an eyebrow as if he already expected Keith to disappoint him. Collins immediately took the lead.

"Mr. Matthews, can you explain to us what happened?"

Keith quietly heard Dorothy mumble in his mind, Don't tell them about...Y'know. This. I wouldn't want my first actual friend in several years to be condemned to a mental asylum. She chuckled to herself and Keith mentally rolled his eyes.

"Well, officers," Keith started. "I was on my way to my interview when I heard a groan from the alley. Now, I'm not saying that I'm a prime citizen or anything, but I know that it would have been wrong to ignore it, as we can all plainly see. I wandered in and nearly tripped over Dorothy," he said, gesturing towards the doors of the ER. "She showed me her wound and I called 911."

"And at what point did she tell you her name, Mr. Matthews," Fisher asked suspiciously. "When the paramedics got to her, it looked like she couldn't talk at all."

Keith stifled his apprehension and instead channeled it into mild irritation. "I'm getting to that part, Officer."

You go, Keith! You tell 'em how it went down! Oh wait, you're lying. Keith couldn't see her but he knew that she had to be grinning.

"So," he continued. "I dialed 911 and I saw that she was nearly unconscious and, well, I've seen the movies. I know that it's not a good idea for someone who may be fatally wounded to fall asleep because they might never wake up. So I talked to her. I asked her her name and that was about as far as I got before she couldn't talk anymore. So I talked at her, telling her random stuff about my life-" But not your favorite flavor of chocolate, you wicked boy. Ooh, milk as well, huh? I suppose you can be forgiven, then, Brown-Eyes. No finger munching tonight! "- and I kept her awake, snapping my fingers in front of her eyes when she drifted."

"Son," Officer Fisher began, "We're getting her prints and yours ID'ed so we'll know soon if you're-" He was interrupted by his and Collins' phone ringing from a text. They both frowned and checked their pockets. Keith relaxed marginally, only to tense up as he heard Dorothy's voice in his head, rushed and worrying.

Cowboy- don't question the name- they're giving me a mild sedative so I may not.. She interrupted herself with a huge mental yawn and sounded barely awake when she came back. I'll be fine, but please don't.. Please don't leave.. And then she was gone.

Keith looked up to the two officers eyeing him warily and he noticed that his hands were curled into tight fists. He quickly relaxed them, surprised by how much he already cared for Dorothy. Her voice missing from his head felt like a noticeable absence, already sorely missed- hey, cut the kid some slack; he was tired and couldn't make clever similes. Neither officer commented on his fists.

"Son," Fisher said again, but in a calmer tone. "You may not know this, but Dorothy Stevens has been missing for 6 years. Her family hasn't been contacted yet- the doctors say that she'll make a full recovery and she'll have the option to contact her family since she's over 18- but I thought you should know."

Keith widened his eyes in surprise- which was incredibly difficult to do because he could barely keep his eyes open. "I sure as hell didn't know that, officers. I mean, I don't know what to do about it and I don't know why you're telling me." He paused as the policemen were silent. "I'd like to sit back in my chair and wait for Dorothy to be available to visit if that's alright, officers. Do you have a business card that I can take or..?"

Keith smiled tiredly at the officers, lifting a hand to meet Collins' little wave as he sat down and leaned his head back. He closed his eyes just to relax them for a brief moment and yawned appreciatively of the comfortable chair.