Safe Place, page 3
"If you have any questions you can talk to Shay at the front window." Frank turned and walked out.
Aydin sighed. If this is what his stay here would be like, he wasn't looking forward to it. He noticed an old clock on the wall above the door. If it was correct, it was just after noon. He had a few hours to look around before he could head over to find something to eat. He was going to have to get used to being hungry with only dinner available. At least until his food stamps came in. Even then, he had nowhere to cook. His options for meals would be limited until he found a job, saved enough money, and got a place to live.
The room was eerily quiet as he tossed his bag on the bed and sat down beside it. The bed sagged from his weight. Who would have thought he'd miss the uncomfortable bed at the hospital? Compared to this bed, the hospital was a five-star stay.
He tried not to think about his comfortable pillow, favorite quilt, and the rest of the stuff he'd left behind at Jason's house. He didn't have a lot, but the stuff he did have was important to him. Pictures and other family mementos were what he would miss most.
"Get it together," he mumbled as he refocused. The first thing he had to do was find a job. One that wouldn't care that he didn't have a home, transportation, or even clothes to change into. He would wait to use the clothing vouchers until he figured out what kind of job he would be able to get. He had a degree in accounting but doubted anyone would hire him for a job like that with his current living situation. He'd take what he could get, even if that meant working fast food. They key was to get money and a place to live, then he could focus on finding another job. Determined to make the most of every hour, Aydin slung his bag over his shoulder and headed out. He doubted he could find a job today, but he could put in some applications and hope for the best.
CHAPTER FIVE
Kent set the cup of coffee down on the patio table and looked over the backyard, trying to find the motivation to mow the grass and take out some of the weeds that were overtaking the small garden he'd planted. The idea of fresh vegetables had sounded good when he'd planted them, but he'd forgotten how much work it was to keep a garden. With the long hours he'd been working, he wouldn't be winning any gardening awards. Still, he did have fresh tomatoes and squash, though the weather was changing quickly, and he'd be without for a few months again.
He had all day to work or procrastinate, and he wasn't sure which. It would take at least another cup of java before he would be able to think clearly enough to plan his day. He sank down on the chair, watching two birds that stared at him from the fence around his yard.
He'd bought the house almost two years ago, tired of living in a small apartment. He wanted a place to make his own. Wanted a yard to garden in. His dreams had been bigger than time allowed with work seeming to take up all his time. As much as he loved being a cop, work took up most of his week. He couldn't recall the last time he'd worked a normal shift without staying late for one reason or another.
"You alive over there?"
Kent grinned as he looked up to see his neighbor standing at the fence. "Barely." He grabbed his coffee cup before heading across the lawn to visit with Matt. The grass felt soft under his feet as he walked to the fence. "You're chipper this morning."
"Got up early and went for a run. Looked to see if you had any lights on so you could join me, but your house was dark." Matt nodded to the coffee. "First cup?"
Kent took a long gulp of the caffeinated nectar and nodded. "Slept in. Didn't get home until after midnight. Was a tough shift."
"Did you have to deal with the shooting downtown last night?" Matt asked.
"Thank God, no. Not that the drunks I had to haul out of the club were much better. Six college football players are probably worried about their position on the team after their drunken actions last night." Kent never would understand the need to go out and get shit-faced drunk and put your future at risk by destroying property and fighting. "At least dead guys wouldn't be taking swings at me."
"Don't know how you do it. I'll stick to my safe desk job." Matt lifted a water bottle to his lips.
Kent liked Matt. They'd become quick friends when Matt had moved in just about a year ago. They were both about the same age so with both of them spending a lot of time in their backyards, talking over the fence had become a natural thing. That led to a few early morning runs during the week, and then to taking in a few basketball games during the season since Matt had season tickets. While they were both gay, the attraction didn't go beyond friendship. "That desk job would bore me to death." He couldn't imagine not being out, driving around, and seeing what was going on in the community.
"Got any plans today?" Matt asked.
"Mow the lawn, weed the garden, maybe hit the grocery store."
"How about I grab a couple of steaks for tonight and we can barbeque and watch the game? Sox are playing tonight. Should be a good one."
"You just want to watch it on my big screen." Kent laughed.
"Maybe, but I am offering steak as a trade." Matt raised a brow. "I'm the hottest date around."
"Then why are you spending the night with me watching baseball?" Kent lifted his brows in question.
"Because no one has realized I'm the hottest date around yet. Just wait. It will happen."
Kent nodded. "Sure, it will. Just like I'll find love while out there dealing with criminals all day. We both need to face the fact that we're not going to find anyone as long as we're in front of the TV, eating steak together. Sooner or later one of us needs to get a life."
"Yeah, maybe next year." Matt shrugged. "So, are we on?"
"Sure, why not? I've got beer, you bring the steak. As I said, I'm off to the grocery store later, I can grab some corn cobs and salad too."
"That works. See, it's a date." Matt grinned.
Kent rolled his eyes. "This is what my life has come to."
"Yours and mine both." Matt sighed. "Someday our prince will come."
"Until then, it's you and me." Kent took the last swig of his coffee. "I need more caffeine. I'll see you later tonight. Come over whenever you want."
"I'll see you around five." Matt wandered back to his patio table.
Kent went in and poured himself another cup of coffee, then sat down at the kitchen table. While he loved hanging out with Matt, he really wanted to get back into dating. He hadn't been on a date in months, and his last relationship was over three years ago. He was tired of coming home to a cold bed. Tired of not having anyone to hold.
Dating was hard for him. Most nights, he was tired and just wanted to come home and decompress from the day he'd had. He needed to decompress from the things he'd seen. If he didn't, everything built up. He saw the worst in people many days, and he wasn't always the best company once he got home. And talking about work just wasn't something he wanted to do with a guy he was dating. It was bad enough that the images were in his head. He wasn't about to share them with someone else.
The long hours were hard to handle as well. He worked evenings, so he didn't even get off work until late. Everyone was in bed, sound asleep by the time he even pulled into his driveway. By the time he got the weekend off, he was tired and not in the mood to go out and meet new people. He needed to change his thinking if he ever wanted to find someone. If he didn't, he'd grow old with Matt coming over for game night.
Maybe next weekend he'd talk Matt into going out for a few beers. He hated the club scene, but where else would he meet anyone? He wasn't into all the online dating apps. He'd seen too many things go wrong there. He couldn't count the number of calls he got from people being attacked after meeting someone they met online.
The sudden sound of his cellphone had him jumping and he laughed at himself for being so on edge. He reached for it and sighed, seeing it was someone calling from work. He knew before he answered what the call would be.
"McKay." He tried to sound more motivated than he was.
"Hey, Kent, it's Jared. I know it's last minute, but I was wondering if you could cover my shift tomorrow. Overtime for you has been approved."
Kent closed his eyes, so tempted to refuse, but the truth was, he had nothing better to do. He might as well be making money. He hesitated just a moment, not wanting to seem too willing before he said, "sure, I can cover it."
"Thanks, Judy's father had a heart attack. I really don't want to leave her at the hospital alone. I'll make it up to you some time."
"I'll say a prayer for your father-in-law. It's not a problem at all. I can use the money. Just take care of Judy and give her my best. I hope everything turns out okay." Kent had met Jared's wife a few times over the years.
"Thanks, I will. Again, I'll cover for you anytime you need me. It's really appreciated."
"No problem. Glad I can help." He ended the call and sat back. He was a sucker and everyone knew it. He seldom turned down the chance for extra hours, but at least this time, it was for a good reason.
Determined to do more than think about how pathetic his life was, Kent stood and headed for the bedroom. He'd get the yardwork done, then hit the store. At least tonight he wouldn't be home alone. Matt would keep him entertained, even if it wasn't the kind of entertainment he was craving. Sex was overrated anyway, right?
He sighed again as he changed and headed out to take on the yard.
CHAPTER SIX
The streets were nearly empty other than the homeless leaning against buildings and talking in small groups. Being a Sunday, most of the businesses in the area were closed. It was almost peaceful without the traffic being heavy like usual.
After almost a week, he was getting used to things. At least the best he could. He still hadn't found work, but that was only because he'd had to wait for a doctor's release to come in which had taken three days to get. He should have gotten one before leaving the hospital. The job counselor on site wouldn't even let him look at job postings until she'd had it and the walk to the local Job Service building was more than he could do in his current condition. Again, he needed a bus pass, which he'd found out yesterday the counselor should have offered to him when they'd first met when he'd seen her the day after arriving at the shelter. The whole place was an unorganized joke.
He got that not everyone was as motivated as he was to find a job and get off the streets, and that many of them men staying there were just looking for whatever they could get free, but he wasn't one of them. He would do whatever it took to get a place to live, to have his life be normal again.
Walking was the only thing he could do to relax, but too much and he really felt his ribs start to ache. But even sitting hurt his ribs at times. The pain was horrible, and he couldn't imagine what broken ribs would feel like if cracked were this bad. His tongue was healing, the stitches a distraction. He tried to eat soft foods, but eating at the food shelter, he had to take whatever was being served.
As he headed down the road toward the closest park, he tried to ignore the group of people obviously shooting up in the shadow of one building. He'd always heard drug use was high in this area, but he was really seeing it now. Even inside the shelter where they claimed they watched for such stuff, it was happening everywhere.
It was depressing to be surrounded by it and unable to do anything to change his situation. If something big didn't happen Monday, he was going to lose his mind because he wasn't the type of guy to sit around waiting. He wanted a job. The fact he couldn't just walk into a place and get one made him angry. He'd considered using Jason's address on his applications, but the last thing he needed was for Jason to find out where he was. Or even worse, his tax papers and other things getting mailed to him there in a few months. Aydin would never get them if Jason had them.
Deciding to forget the park, he turned and headed back to the shelter. At least there, he could sleep. It was the only time he could forget about what he was facing and stop his brain from over thinking everything.
No wonder people gave up so easily. The feeling of hopelessness was consuming when you had to fight to just find a meal every day. He had to get out of here by winter because he couldn't imagine how horrible it would be standing in the lines at the soup kitchen in the middle of a snowstorm.
He made his way back inside the shelter, noticing how dark and dingy it was. There weren't many windows, and the lighting was limited. It was easy to see how people could get away with drug use in the far corners of the building. One of his biggest fears was when his time in the medical section was up and he'd have to move out here with so many others and fight for a cot every night.
The hallway to his room was cold, which was usually a relief after the afternoon heat, but today it chilled Aydin and made him want to climb into bed and wrap up in a thick blanket. He pushed the door to his room open and stopped, finding another man sitting on the bed opposite to his.
"Hey." The guy lifted his head.
Aydin gasped. "My God, are you okay?" He hurried into the room as he got a good look at the young man whose face was a pattern of swollen black and purple bruises.
"I will be." The man's voice was scratchy. "Doctor said nothing is broken."
"You should be in the hospital."
"I think so too, but the doctor said there was no reason. Believe it or not, he claims I don't have a concussion and since there's nothing broken, they sent me here." The man peered through swollen eyes at him. "I'm Carson."
"I'm Aydin. What can I do to help you?" He took a step closer, trying to guess the man's age, but it was impossible with his face so swollen. He had short brown hair, a thin build, and was dressed in hospital scrubs.
"I don't think there's anything we can do. I've got ice packs."
"Did they give you something for pain?"
"Yeah, but it's wearing off. I was at the hospital for about eight hours in the emergency room while they tried to decide what to do with me."
Aydin sighed. "They should have kept you." He pulled off his backpack and pulled out a bottle of water. "Here. It's not cold, but it's wet."
"Thanks." The man lifted a shaky hand to take the bottle. He twisted the cap and swallowed half the bottle. "How long have you been here?"
"About a week. I'm still recovering from cracked ribs, and I've got stitches in my tongue," Aydin admitted. He'd been careful to hide his injuries from everyone, but this guy wasn't in any condition to attack him or hurt him in any way. Aydin wasn't sure how the man was even conscious. "After you've rested a bit, I'll tell you more about the place and the stuff they probably didn't tell you when they brought you here." He set the backpack on the food of his bed and sat down across from Carson.
"Am I safe?" Carson asked.
"Probably safer here than where you were, but I can't say there isn't danger outside that door. So far, no one had tried to bother me in here."
"Were you hurt here?"
"No, my ex-boyfriend put me in the hospital for a week. They sent me here when I was discharged. I'm trying to find a job and get back on my feet."
"I have a job. At least I did. I don't know if they'll let me have the time off I'll need, and I can't go in looking like this." Carson sighed. "I was going to get a motel room, but all my money was in a joint account with Tim, and he cleaned it out sometime after I was taken to the hospital. Left around twenty dollars in it. I'd just gotten paid Friday. There were thousands in there."
"They didn't arrest him?" Aydin asked, shocked.
"He was gone before police got there. When one of my neighbors tried to stop him from killing me, he ran. Police are watching for him, but last I heard, he hadn't returned to the apartment."
"You pressed charges, right?"
"Yeah, and so did the apartment manager for damages. It was bad. Holes in the walls, sliding-glass door broken, mirror shattered. He's holding my stuff for me until the end of the month, but if I don't get it by then, I'll lose everything. We've both been evicted. I've got a car I can put stuff in, but Tim's got my keys. I called a couple of friends to see if I could stay with them, but one is scared Tim will come after me at her place and the other just didn't have room but said I could store stuff in his garage for a while once I get it."
"At least you can get your stuff. I don't dare go back for mine."
"Have the police go with you. That's what they told me to do." Carson touched his cheek and cringed. "Fuck, I feel like a balloon."
Aydin wasn't going to admit that Carson's face looked like one. "Hopefully, the swelling will go down quickly."
"It'll take a week or more for the bruises to fade. I'm a realtor. I can't show homes looking like this." He waved a hand in front of his face. "I don't understand why he did this to me."
Aydin didn't have an answer. He was trying to figure out that same thing. What made someone attack and hurt someone they were supposed to care about? "I'm not sure we'll ever understand. Was it the first time?"
"Yeah. I mean we'd fight, but just verbal arguments, maybe some shoving, but nothing like this. It was like he was a whole different person. It makes no sense." Carson eased back on the bed with what sounded like a whimper. "I hurt everywhere."
"I've got some ibuprofen if you need it," Aydin offered.
"Maybe later. Thanks for offering." Carson sighed. "I don't know what I'm going to do."
"Do you have a family?"
"My mom's in Tennessee. She'd let me stay there if I can get to her, but without my money…"
"Call her later and see what she says. Right now, take any help you can get." Aydin eased back on his pillow.
"What's with the guy in the next room? He keeps coughing."
"He's been like that for several days. Came in about four nights ago. Spent the first night vomiting. I've gotten so I can almost tune him out. There's a guy across the hall that wakes up in the night screaming. No clue what is going on with him but be prepared for it."
"This place sucks."
Aydin agreed, but what good would complaining about it do? "There will be people to talk to tomorrow who can help you figure things out." Aydin hoped Carson had better luck than he had with the people who were supposed to be helping him. "Rest now. There's nothing you can do until Monday and your body will need the time to start healing."
