To Hell and Back for You

Chapter 16: Just Shoot Me

"Dude, that's pretty intense," was Devin's reaction to my story.

I hesitated, "So you believe me?"

"I don't see why I shouldn't," he said simply, "Especially with all the proof you can show me when we get out of here."

"You mean from Ames?" I asked.

"Hey, that's a good idea! We can go to Daytonsville and you can introduce me," the man beamed.

"Wait, wait!" I threw my hand up to reiterate the command, not expecting the suggestion, "I can just do a web search, ya know? No need to make a trip."

Devin laughed, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't think about it. You probably don't want her to know you were the one that brought him back."

I sighed heavily, pushing my chair out from the table and standing, "I'm going to see if I can find that newspaper now."

I strolled over to the door where a female nurse named Sandy was standing.

"Hey, Mark, is everything alright?" she asked politely.

"Yeah," I offered a weak smile, "I was just wondering if there was a newspaper or something I could read."

"Oh, they usually keep a couple of copies behind the counter," she answered, "I can go check for you."

"Thanks, I'd appreciate that."

The woman nodded at me, then made a gesture with her arm at a male nurse standing on the opposite side of the room before going out into the hallway. After she left, I made my way back to the table where Devin was patiently waiting. I plopped down in the same seat and let out a long breath.

"Ya know," he started in, "If you want to see her again, you don't have to tell her."

"What?" I asked, my agitation showing as I scrunched my face.

"I'm just saying, she doesn't have to know about your meeting her dad," Devin clarified.

"I'm not going to lie to her," I spat back, "Besides, she's basically a stranger. I'm not going to show up at her house, uninvited, and with a guest. Certainly not another man she doesn't know."

"Hey," Devin leaned forward, seemingly offended as his eyes narrowed on me, "What's wrong with me being a man?"

"Well, nothing," I responded awkwardly, shying away from the harsh tone I'd been using, "It's just, she's a woman and it kind of looks bad for strange guys to just show up at a lady's place."

Devin eased back in his chair, his expression also appearing to relax, "I guess that makes sense. Would it help to know I'm gay?"

What? I didn't realize he was... Wait, was he just saying he was gay because he wanted to meet her or was he really gay? And why was he so interested in seeing her in the first place? Not only would the internet have all the information on McGraff, it would be easiest and cheapest to go about it that way rather than drive all the way to Daytonsville and hope Ames was around. 

"I don't think so," I finally said, "She wouldn't know you were gay and even if you told her, how would she know it was the truth?"

The man in front of me laughed, throwing his arms over his head and bending them so that his hands were resting on top of his skull, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Just sounded like a fun idea to go on a trip with you."

"No offense, but I'm not really focused on 'fun' right now," I exhaled.

Once more, Devin's demeanor became solemn, his posture changing likewise, "Sorry. I just meant that it would be nice to be able to help you out and I thought going back there might."