Catastrophe in Pittsburgh-4
Author: Elsa Rose Bryant
Brian continued to meet Justin each morning for coffee. Neither one of them actually spoke about it. It was just something they did; a silent agreement of sorts. Of course, Brian’s absence from the diner was discussed frequently by his friends. It was decided that Michael would be the one to find out why his best friend no longer had the time for breakfast coffee on most mornings in his favorite back booth.
It was Saturday and Hunter walked in having slept in. Debbie had him scheduled for a shift that started just before noon. “Hey guys,” Hunter said as he slipped into the booth beside Michael. “What’s up?”
“You, finally,” Michael joked. “I thought ma was going to have to drag you here.”
“I’m not going to miss my shift. The tips are awesome here.” Hunter reached over and picked up Michael’s coffee and drained it. “I needed that.”
“Get your own,” Michael said, even though he didn’t really mind.
“Can’t I’ve got to get to work.” Hunter started to stand up when he stopped and said, “Hey, Brian’s got himself quite the catch. I’ve seen him with Doctor Justin everyday at the bagel shop. Even today, which is kind of surprising because it’s Saturday and all. I would have thought that Brian could have sprung for breakfast somewhere with a little more class. Hunter shrugged, “Maybe he’s into fresh bagel.” He turned and headed toward the back to start his shift.
“Just a minute there. What in hell are you talking about?” Michael’s voice was a high-pitched squeal.
“Don’t get your panties in a bunch Daddy Mike,” Hunter grinned. “Brian and Doctor Justin have coffee every morning at the bagel shop near Kinnetik. It’s no biggie.” He grinned at Michael, “Of course,Dr. J is a hottie, I’d do him if I wasn’t into girls.”
“How do you know this, Honey?” Emmett asked. “I really don’t think Brian would meet someone every day at least not the same someone.”
“Well, that’s the way I go to school and unfortunately I go there every day. And wonders of all wonders, Brian and Doctor J are always sitting at an outdoor table at the bagel shop. I saw them there last week and the week before. I even saw them there this morning on my way to the diner. What can I say; Brian appears to have a life of his own.” He patted Michael on the head. “Maybe you should get one too.”
Emmett couldn’t help but laugh at the look on Michael’s face. Ben glanced up from the book he was reading and said, “I saw Brian at the bagel shop with a blond the other day. I didn’t think anything of it. You know how Brian is. But the young man with him didn’t actually seem to be Brian’s type.” Ben shrugged, “It was none of my business.”
Michael opened his mouth to say more, but saw that it wouldn’t be any use to continue the subject of Brian’s bagel shop interest. He’d have to find out for himself. And the best way to do that would be to go to the bagel shop himself in the morning.
“I wasn’t expecting you to be here this morning,” Justin said, almost shy when he’d seen Brian sitting at their usual table. “I mean it’s Saturday and everything. You weren’t here last Saturday.”
“I’m here today.” Brian held out a coffee. “Your coffee is getting cold.”
Pleasantly surprised and extremely pleased, Justin sat down. “I was actually just on my way home. I’ve been up all night,” he sighed. “There are times when I almost hate my job.”
“It can’t be that bad,” Brian said. He looked at Justin with concern. Justin’s blue eyes, normally sparkling with laughter, were dull and sad.
“It’s life Brian and sometimes it sucks. Look, thanks for the coffee, but I don’t really think I’d be great company this morning. I’m going to go to bed and try and get a couple of hours sleep before my shift this afternoon.”
“Do you want some company?” Brian wasn’t sure it was his voice asking the question. “I mean… he hesitated. “Actually, I don’t know what I mean,” he laughed. “I make my living with words, but somehow around you they don’t come across quite as smoothly as they do in one of my campaigns.”
Justin smiled, it was a hesitating one, but never the less it was a smile. “I don’t think we’re quite ready for any kind of intimate relationship. I mean we only know each other from here.” He looked around, wanting to change the subject, “That bagel looks good.”
“It’s a chunky chocolate chip one. I thought it kind of suited you,” Brian smiled. “I don’t know what kind of a relationship you and I are working into. But I do know that we’re definitely going to have one; a relationship I mean. If you aren’t ready to take me to your home, I understand.”
“It’s not that. I don’t mind if you want to come to my place. I’m just saying I’m tired, I’ve had a shit night and I need to sleep because I’m on duty later.”
“I’ve had a hard week myself. I could use some down time. In fact, if it hadn’t been for a certain blond who likes bagels and coffee in the morning, I’d no doubt be sound asleep right now. More than likely I’d be sitting in a back booth at the Liberty Avenue Diner listening to my friends talk about their Friday night conquests at Babylon.”
“Either one sounds appealing to me right now.” Justin broke off a bite of the bagel and spread some pineapple cream cheese onto it. “Hey, this is good. You should try a bite.”
Brian leaned over and kissed Justin, surprising them both. The kiss was intense and they broke apart not sure of what to do or say. “Not bad, pineapple and chocolate,” Brian finally said.
“Come on Brian, you might as well know the whole me,” Justin sighed. “I’m too tired to make out in front of the bagel shop. He stood up and held out his hand. “I sure hope you like cats. I mean other than the ones you have, because Ese and Mais take some getting used to.”
“Are you sure Justin?” Brian stood up and Justin couldn’t help but notice that the man looked even better in blue jeans and a tee shirt. Armani was hot, but this was amazing.
“Why not,” Justin smiled shyly. “I’ve never actually had another man in my apartment. I mean I’ve had my dad up there, but never[…] you know[…] a man that I’m kind of liking.”
“Why not?”
“Oddly enough, I’ve been busy. I was busy with school for years as well as working rotation shifts at various veterinary clinics while I attended school. I barely managed to eat and sleep for a couple of years. I was sure that long periods of sleep were simply fantasies,” he chuckled. “It’s not that bad now, but I don’t have a lot of ‘me’ time. Generally, our morning half hour has kind of been it.”
Brian took Justin’s hand, letting their fingers entwine. “Lead me to your lair,” he laughed.
As Michael stood on the corner he stopped and gaped at the scene he was witnessing. Brian, laughing down at the blond whose hand he held as they walked across the street and into the Veterinary clinic. Michael ran through the morning traffic to catch up, but they had disappeared somewhere inside before he could get there. He tried to stick his head in the door but it was locked. There was no sign of either Brian or his friend.
“This is the Veterinary Clinic,” Brian said as they walked through the door.
“No shit,” Justin said with a laugh. The reception desk was empty. Clinic hours on Saturday didn’t begin until ten. He made sure the outside door was locked and moved quickly to the elevator that was hidden behind a marble pillar. “Welcome to my home.”
“You live in a vet clinic?” Brian looked around as he stepped into the elevator. “Kind of unusual.”
“Not if you: a) you own the building, and b) you are a veterinarian,” Justin laughed at the look of surprise on Brian’s face.
“No shit, this is where I brought my cats but I didn’t see you.”
“I do occasionally have some time off,” Justin said with a laugh. “You probably had Doctor Evans helping you. She’s pretty good with feline medicine. That’s my specialty by the way.” The elevator had reached his loft apartment. “Watch yourself, Ese and Mais have been acting very weird lately.” Justin keyed open his the elevator door. “I don’t like surprises. The elevator is kept locked from the public. This is my home. I share it with two rather spoiled Siamese.”
Brian stepped out of the elevator and into the large open foyer of Justin’s loft apartment. It was considerable larger than his own apartment. He walked into the center of the room and looked around. “It’s amazing Justin.”
While there were cat climbing trees placed here and there, they had been styled to look more like art sculptures rather than the ugly, green shag carpeted thing Brian had bought. From the top of one, hidden but able to observe sat Ese. Across the room, on top of the bookcase and hidden in morning shadow was Mais. “The very nerve of daddy bringing that man home with him,” Mais hissed so quietly that only Ese heard him.
“Oh, the man is very beautiful and he has such a nice smile. Look at how he touches daddy. Daddy is purring; he likes it very much.”
“He is not purring. That’s just a noise he makes. It’s nothing like a purr. Daddy shouldn’t bring the man home.” This time Mais’ voice was a definite snarl.
Brian and Justin both looked startled.
“I am going to chase him away.” Mais began to hunt; he lowered himself until he was almost flat. He could see both Brian and Justin searching for where he was hidden, but he knew that if he was patient they would never find him.
“Stop that brother.” Ese jumped down level by level from her perch. She ran to where Brian stood and wound herself around his ankles, in and out a sinuous, sleek, furry snake.
“Geeze, she looks like that Disney cat,” Brian said trying not to shudder. His Mrs. Sophie Cat may have had a lot of Siamese in her, but she wasn’t quite so scary looking as this cross-eyed cat. “What’s she doing?” Ese was making chirping noises as she rubbed the side of her jaw against Brian’s pant legs.
“She’s putting her scent on you, marking you as hers. And she’s telling you that she likes you.” Justin bent down to scratch Ese under her chin. She looked up at Brian, her cross-eyes filled with adoration. Without seeming to move a muscle she sprang up onto his shoulder. Brian stifled a squeal, hoping Justin hadn’t heard him. The cat was content to drape herself over his shoulder; she hadn’t even used her claws.
Brian put his hand up instinctively to steady the cat. He didn’t want his shoulder raked by her rather lethal looking claws. “What in hell is she doing on my shoulder?”
“Sitting there,” Justin snickered. “She likes you otherwise you wouldn’t even see her. If you notice, Mais isn’t making his presence known other than by his baby Cougar yowl.”
“I guess in the cat world, the females are attracted to me and not the adult males.” Brian glanced warily around searching for the other cat.
“It could be worse.” Justin took Brian’s hand and led him around the apartment. “This is it, the apartment over the store.”
“Do you let the cats out on the decks?” Brian asked.
“Only when they have their harness and leashes on. Otherwise, I’m afraid they’d chase something over the edge. I’m looking into enclosing at least the south side, but I haven’t had a chance to do it yet.”
“Justin, didn’t you want to sleep?” Brian could see the fatigue in Justin’s eyes and the set of his shoulders.
“Yeah, I do.” He turned away from the window looking over the patio. “This does seem kind of silly, but the bedroom is over here.” Justin headed toward the large room that was his bedroom, out of the corner of his eye; he could see Mais creeping along one of the catwalks that ran around the room. He knew what the cat was up to and he wanted to get Brian out of the line of fire. Mais would come around eventually, but for now he was not a happy kitty. And while it was all very well for Ese to jump up on Brian’s shoulder, she was six pounds lighter and considerably more agile than her larger, heavier, clumsier brother.
Justin all but pushed Brian through his bedroom door tossing Ese off of his shoulder and shutting the door all in one smooth move. “Sorry, but you were under attack.”
“And here I thought I was going to get lucky,” Brian grinned at Justin.
“You’re lucky you’re in my bedroom and not ‘prey’ for Mais.” Justin peeled off his shirt. “I have to take a shower. I had a bad delivery last night. An over bred Persian, lost all but one of her kittens and damn near lost her life. If I had my way her owner would have been shot. They want to breed them because they’re champions and they can get a couple of grand for the kittens. Well great, but give the poor mother a chance to recover from one birth before you get her knocked up again.” Justin finished speaking and leaned into the shower to turn on the water. He adjusted it to the temperature he liked, dropped his pants and stepped under the water where he stood letting it wash away his tension.
Brian picked up Justin’s pants, emptied the pockets and dropped the dirty pants in the laundry basket along with Justin’s shirt. He pulled the spread down and closed the drapes that covered the full-length windows. The large room was now filled with shadows. He could hear one of the cats cursing loudly and figured it was the hunter. Brian shuddered at the thought of ten lethal claws coming at him. He remembered the Disney movie when the cat held up its paws and the claws twinkled.
Justin stepped out of the shower and Brian came up behind him, wrapping the blond in a thick bath sheet. “Dry off, brush your teeth and come to bed,” Brian said kissing Justin’s ear from behind. “What side do you want?”
“The left.” Justin loved that Brian had picked up after him and wrapped him in the towel. It just seemed so coupley.
When he turned off the bathroom light and walked into the room, Brian was already under the covers, he held them up for Justin to slip under with him. Justin did, not sure about what was happening. He’d been serious about not wanting to start anything right now when he couldn’t give everything he had to Brian.
“Shut your eyes and your mind off, Sunshine,” Brian said. He reached over and spooned against the younger man. “Time for sleep, you can analyze us later.”
He kissed the back of Justin’s neck and shut his eyes. Brian actually wasn’t planning on sleeping. He never slept during the day, but it was nice to hold Justin and relax; a few hours of doing it wasn’t going to kill him.
“Brian, thanks,” Justin whispered before his breathing slowed and he fell asleep.
The loft was filled with quiet sounds. Brian held Justin as he lay beside him and listened to the cats on the other side of the door. To the muted sounds coming from the clinic on the floor below and to the Saturday traffic outside. Brian found himself drifting off and soon he was sleeping soundly his body cupped around Justin’s.
The loud and rather irritating squealing of a cat woke both men. Justin reached over and picked up what Brian had been sure was a rather tacky cat ornament. It was a cat phone. “Dr. Justin.” He sounded alert and alive, even though Brian could clearly see that the blond was barely conscious. “Calm down and speak slowly.” Justin listened carefully to the person on the other end of the line. “Lindsay can you put Miss Kitty in her carrier and bring her to the clinic? Okay, I understand. I’ll be right there. I’m sure she’ll be fine.” He hung up the phone and jumped out of bed. “Brian, there’s a bit of an emergency with Gus’ cat Miss Kitty. I have to go there right away.”
Justin was pulling on a pair of sweat pants at the same time as speaking. “My bag is in my car. I keep one there for just such fun times,” he grimaced.
“I’m coming with you.” Brian was already dressed. “What’s wrong with the cat?” he asked as they quickly moved through the loft.
“Lindsay said that she’s foaming at the mouth and in distress. Which of course is what’s making Gus distressed. Miss Kitty had been outside; I hope she didn’t get into any kind of poison.”
“Fuck,” was all Brian could think of to say.
The next few minutes were filled with tension as Justin drove quickly to Lindsay’s house. Brian wasn’t used to being the passenger, but knew that he had to bide his time. Justin’s kit was in his car and the blond was very obviously in charge. Gone was the uncertain almost too young blond man and in his place was a decisive and sure professional who knew exactly what he was doing. And knew that he did it well.
Justin parked in front of Lindsay’s house. He was all business, getting his bag from the trunk and walking swiftly to the front door. Lindsay threw open the door, not taking in that Brian was right behind Justin until Gus threw himself in his father’s arm, tears streaming down his face. “Miss Kitty is really, really sick, just like mamma,” he said; his voice filled with heartbreak.
“Where’s Miss Kitty?” Justin asked.
“She’s in the laundry room. I didn’t know what to do.” Lindsay wrung her hands. “I’ll show you.” She walked quickly to the back of the house. Justin followed but not before asking Brian if he’d keep Gus out of the laundry room.
The cat huddled in the corner of the laundry room. Her eyes were filled with terror and she mewed pitifully. Justin scooped her up. “Do you have garden slug problems?” he asked Lindsay.
“I’ve seen some, but I don’t know if they’re a problem.” Lindsay wondered what he was talking about.
“Miss Kitty has bit into a slug. When that happens the slug gives off a slimy white foam through its skin. It’s something they do to discourage cats or anything else from biting them and it’s damn effective. I doubt very much if Miss Kitty will ever take a bite out of a slug again. Now if you don’t mind, help me get her into this bag.” He had taken a heavy canvas bag out of his kit. It had a hole at one end and strong zipper the full length of it. It wasn’t easy putting the cat that suddenly developed a dozen legs and ten thousand claws, into the bag with only her head sticking out. The zipper seemed to stick at every inch but finally she was bagged and not happy at all. Justin sat on the floor with the cat firmly between his legs. He reached into his kit and took out some heavy cotton tipped sticks and began the long job of cleaning the sticky slug slime from Miss Kitty’s mouth.
Heart wrenching cries from the cat brought Gus and Brian running. They both stood in the doorway watching Justin work on the cat in the bag. Lindsay explained what had happened and that Miss Kitty was healthy but angry. Brian couldn’t keep the smile and then the laughter out of his voice as he spoke to Gus and then Justin.
“Can you drive?” Justin asked as he and Brian walked to his car. “I only got a couple of hours sleep and the adrenaline from the call has sapped me completely.”
“Get in, Sunshine.” Brian opened the passenger side door and helped his soon to be lover inside. “That was some amazing thing you did in there.”
“What, clean slug slime out of Miss Kitty’s mouth?” Justin laughed. “I wish it was all that easy. But trust me Brian it isn’t.” Justin leaned back and closed his eyes. “Thanks for coming with me. And thanks for keeping Gus calm. It’s pretty scary having someone or something you love be hurt and to not be able to do anything about it.” Justin was sad as his eyes looked far away into a past he’d tried to put behind him.
Brian knew that whatever had happened to Justin, it was something bad and something he tried his best to put behind him. He put his hand on Justin’s thigh offering his reassurance silently through his touch. This wasn’t the time to talk. Justin sighed, pleased that Brian understood. “Can we go home now?” Justin asked.
“We’re on our way.” Before starting the car and heading back toward Justin’s home, Brian leaned over and kissed Justin tenderly, their lips barely brushing.
At the clinic, Brian waited patiently for Justin to replenish his travel kit and write up his call out visit. He stood back and watched the younger man as he dealt kindly and with patience to enquiries and questions from his staff and from pet owners as he made his way through the clinic. It was apparent that the blond was well liked and respected. It was also apparent that his being with Justin was causing a lot of quiet speculation and general whispered gossip between the women who worked for him.
Justin ignored it all, only occasionally shooting Brian an amused glance when a comment could be heard. Finally, he turned to him and said, “I think I could use some coffee.”
“Why don’t you go upstairs, I’ll go over to Starbucks and get us coffee. I’ll pick up something from the bagel shop too if you’re hungry.”
“I’m always hungry, but I’m not sure I’m up for a bagel. I was thinking more like a hamburger or something.”
“In that case, let me introduce you to the Liberty Avenue Diner,” Brian suggested.
“I’m tired, Brian.”
“I know you are. But I hear that their food isn’t half bad.” He looked suddenly shy. “I’m pretty sure my friends will be there. I’d like to introduce you to them.”
“Really, your friends?” Justin’s smile beamed. “Let’s go. Suddenly I’m wide awake.”
“They’ll tell you what a shit I am,” Brian cautioned. “And how I spend my nights tricking.”
“Well you haven’t lately,” Justin giggled as he linked arms with Brian. “We’ve talked on the phone each night for hours.”
“You are quite the motor mouth,” Brian teased. He held open the door of his car for Justin.
“I just lay quiet and listen to you.” Justin reached up and kissed Brian. “You know I kind of like being courted.”
“Courted?” Brian snorted. “In your dreams,Sunshine.” He flushed though and with a puzzled expression looked at Justin. “Is that what’s happening here, I’m courting you?”
“If you look under rule thirty two in the gay boy’s handbook, it clearly states that you are courting me by phoning every night, having coffee each morning, and sending those flowers that came yesterday with no tag, but from the florist beside Kinnetik, well Brian they clearly sealed rule number thirty two,” Justin grinned up at him. “But that’s okay, good even. I happen to like it. In fact, I’m smitten.”
“Smitten?” Brian laughed. He looked deep into Justin’s eyes. They were silent for a moment as each one contemplated what had been said. Brian leaned into the car and let his hand trace Justin’s face. “I guess we both are Sunshine, I guess we both are.”
The end
September 12, 2005
Authors Notes: I know you may feel that more could have been written as far as this story is considered – but let’s just use our imaginations as to how our two favorite characters get together.