Avery's Desire Pt. 12

As Rick sat down he noticed the childish drawings that had been stuck to the refrigerator, probably the work of Boomer's grandkids. One such drawing was of a little girl holding a doll. It was done in crayon and though was little more than a stick figure, had the details and color scheme of a potential future artist.

Rick had to smile when he saw the drawing. It was cute with the smiling sun shining down on the girl. She was wearing galoshes over her stick thin legs, and a small puddle remained to her right that had not yet been dried up by the impossibly yellow sun in the upper right hand corner.

The little girl's hair was a mass of red ringlets that hung down on each side of her head, and held in place by a large pink bow that matched the pink and white, ruffled dress that she wore. The doll she held was a small rag doll. One single curl adorned its head and it wore a white bib over a blue sleeper, suggesting that it was a boy. In the bottom right hand corner, scrawled in blue crayon was the Childs name, "Marley."

Rick cracked a grin as he read the name. He knew this child. She was Cole's six year old daughter, and she was a real spit fire. "Right on Marley," Rick Whispered. "You got real talent kid."

Carla entered the kitchen with a bright smile. Rick greeted her and she hugged him tight. "How are you holding up, sweet heart?" She asked him.

Rick shrugged. "I've been better."

She folded her hands together and looked at him sympathetically. "The police are going to find him honey, don't lose heart, okay?"

Rick nodded. "I'm trying not to."

"Can I get you anything?" Carla asked. "Are you hungry? I can make you a sandwich."

"No I'm fine, but thank you."

"Alright Hun, just let me know if you need anything, anything at all. I'm going to put on a fresh pot of coffee. People have been stopping by all day and the police officers sure do like my coffee." She beamed brightly, speaking and filling the coffee pot with water at the same time.

Carla always had a very pleasant disposition. She worked as a nurse in a local retirement home, but for years before that she had waited tables. Caring for the elderly and waiting tables seemed to be polar opposites but they were fundamentally the same. To do either job you had to have a lot of patience and a desire to help people. Someone without a real love for their fellow man wouldn't do well in either profession because you had to be a real people person.

Whether you're a waitress or a nurse, you deal with people all day, and there is such a diverse group of people that you may encounter; people of other cultures, ethnic backgrounds, religious beliefs, and social standing. You have to be respectful of each of them, be caring and friendly, and still be able to take a lot of abuse. Sometimes either could be a real thankless job, but then there were times when you know that you've helped someone and they appreciate you for your hard work.

Carla was the type of person that fit well into either position. She could brighten the darkest room and make anybody feel welcome and loved. Everyone was sweetie to her, or honey, or sweet heart. She walked with a bounce in her step and was always eager to cater to everyone's needs.

Boomer had first met her when she was waiting tables in a bar. She had taken his order and then stood there talking to him for a long time. When the bar started to pick up some she had to leave him to go wait on other customers, but Boomer knew then and there that she was the woman he was going to marry.

Carla was in her fifties but she was still beautiful. She had long blond curls that reached the middle of her back, though most days she kept her hair in a pony tail that fell past her shoulders in golden ringlets. Her eyes were the color of the ocean, and they were always bright and smiling. She was very slender, and not too tall, having a very petite frame. Rick found it hard to believe that the woman had actually given birth to four children.

Carla loved kids, and was ready to take in and foster any child in need. She had only met Rick and Avery a couple of times but she instantly fell in love with them and assimilated them into her family without a moment's hesitation. She was very motherly, even to Trash whom she regarded with great admiration and love, though she refused to call him Trash. Carla was probably the only person (besides Kat) who could get away with calling him Tracey.

Rick couldn't help think that Boomer was a lucky man. Carla was a wonderful woman and on the verge of sainthood. Boomer was madly in love with her, even after all the years that they had been married, he still adored her, and he treated her like a queen. They've had their ups and downs, especially in the aftermath of their son's suicide, but they managed to stick together through even the worst of times.

It eased Rick's mind a bit, knowing how Boomer felt about his wife. He knew that Boomer understood all too well what Rick was going through and how he felt because if anything similar had ever happened to Carla, Boomer would be beside himself.

Rick looked up, and smiled. He was so immersed in his thoughts that he'd forgotten that Carla was still there. She wasn't overbearing, Rick liked that about her. She realized that Rick needed his space, and time to sort out his feelings. She busied herself with the task of preparing the coffee but at the same time she was softly humming to herself, which was something that Rick could remember his own mother doing as she worked in the kitchen. It was also something that Avery had a habit of doing while he was cooking or cleaning.

Rick thought about the last time he'd seen Avery. He was getting ready for work and Avery was in the kitchen washing up the dishes left over from dinner. He'd made spaghetti, Rick's favorite, and surprised him with it by setting up a small candle lit dinner. There was no special occasion. Avery just liked to do things like that. He loved the look on Rick's face whenever Avery did something nice for him. Avery loved to make Rick happy.

And Rick was happy, he was more than happy. He'd felt like every bad thing in his life had been canceled out when Avery came into his life. Every day he grew more and more in love with him until the point where just being away from him for the eight hours while he was work was excruciating.

He didn't want to leave Avery alone, but his job was important to him, for more reasons than he'd let on. He'd been working over time, trying to save up a little extra cash for something he wanted to do for Avery, something that would be the ultimate testament of his love for him.

Avery of course had no idea what Rick was planning, or even that he was planning anything. Rick wanted it to be a surprise and he figured in about another month or two he would have the money he needed to do it. It was torture not being able to tell Avery what he had in mind but he really didn't want to ruin the surprise so he did his best to stay quiet about it.

Avery wasn't suspicious at all. He went about his normal daily routine, happy and humming to himself as he always had and as Rick stood in the doorway watching him he thought to himself how shocked Avery was going to be when he was finally able to reveal the surprise to him. Rick wanted to see the look on his face, the gleam in his eyes, and that rosy blush that consumed his beautiful features every time he became excited over something.

Everything about Avery was just so wonderfully amazing and Rick couldn't believe just how lucky he was that Avery was his. He'd honestly, never felt such happiness in his entire life as he did when he held Avery in his arms.

Avery looked up and smiled when he saw Rick standing behind him. "Hey you," He hummed softly. "How long you been standing there?"

"A while," Rick told him. "I just like watching you. You're so beautiful."

Avery flushed red. "You're going to give me an inflated ego, you know that."

Rick grinned. "I'm just telling the truth. You are beautiful, and you're kind, loving, so generous, and selfless. You're the best person I know Avery Alexander, and I love you more than I have ever loved anyone in my life."

Avery was speechless. No one had ever treated him so kindly; no one had ever been so caring or loving to him. He never thought he deserved this kind of love but here he was, standing before this man who had declared his undying love for him and Avery was so touched and taken with him that tears had actually begun to form in his eyes.

He dropped the wash rag into the sink of soapy water and went to Rick who opened his arms wide to embrace him. Avery lay his head on Ricks shoulder and wrapped his arms around him as he closed his eyes, listening to the constant beat of Rick's heart.

"I love you more than anything." Avery had whispered.

"I love you more than anything." Rick repeated with a smile.

They kissed. After that Rick had to leave for work and Avery was left alone. Rick never imagined that he would come back to find an empty apartment and the love of his life missing, but that was the reality that he was now living in. Avery was gone, and he had no idea where he was, or even if he was still alive.

So many thoughts had crossed his mind since he'd come home that morning. What if he'd stayed? What if he'd called Trash and had him come over for the night, or left Avery at Boomer's house? Why didn't he call on his break? At least then he would have had some idea that something was wrong. He could have had someone come by and check on Avery.

There were so many things that he could have done, so many other options that he could have chosen from, but he chose the wrong one, and Avery paid the price for that. Rick laid his head on the surface of the table and sighed. It was now going on one PM and still no one had any idea where he might be.

Avery had been missing for over twelve hours, which didn't bode well for him. Rick knew that if a missing person wasn't found within the first twenty four hours of their abduction, the chance of finding them alive was slim to none. The window was closing, time was running out, and Avery was still out there, somewhere, hurt and alone.

______________________________________________

"Hey bro?" Trash looked up as Rick walked slowly into the living room. His face was ashen, dark circles had formed under his eyes. He was wearing the same clothes as the night before, his hair was a mess, and he hadn't shaved. He looked horrible, but Rick wasn't concerned about his outward appearance. He didn't really care about anything in that moment, anything besides Avery.

"Hey Trash." He said.

"You look like shit." Trash was never one to sugar coat things. He preferred a direct and honest approach to most situations and this time was no different. "Why don't you eat something buddy?"

'Not hungry." Rick protested. He ran a hand through his mass of unruly hair and sighed.

"Well come over here and sit with us." Kat patted the couch cushion beside her. "Boomer was just telling us stories about when Cole was a kid. I can't believe what a nerd he was."

Cole smirked some and blushed. His three kids were scattered about the living room. The oldest was texting a friend on her phone while the younger two played with blocks on the rug. Marley, the artist, was trying to show her baby brother how to build a tower. Once they had the tower built though he promptly knocked it down with an incredible hulk figurine, growling "Hulk Smash!" in a loud, gruff voice, followed by a series of giggles.

"Daddy!" Marley howled with anger. "Danny keeps knocking my tower down!"

Cole chuckled. "Well, go get wonder woman and have her protect it then."

Marley smiled, a huge, childish smile, her eyes wide and happy. "Okay!" She chirped as she jumped up and ran off to get her wonder woman action figure.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the company of the children, even Kat. Rick would have too on any normal day, hell, he's been known to get down on the floor and play with them. Avery sure as hell would have. But on this particular day, he just didn't feel much like socializing.

"Come on Rick." Kat said again. "Sit down; try to get your mind off Avery for a bit."

'Yeah like I could ever do that.' Rick thought. He shook his head. "Thanks but I think I'm just going to go lay back down for a while. I'm really tired and I have a bit of a headache."

Kat nodded. "If you need anything..."

"Thanks." Rick stuck his hands in his pockets and walked back to the guest room where he collapsed on the bed.

Finally, some peace and quiet. He loved everyone, and he was grateful for their support, but he just couldn't deal with the looks of pity all the time, or people asking him every two seconds if he was alright, or if he needed anything. People were treating him like some poor, injured animal, and it was really starting to irk him.

The guest room was nice and quiet though and he could relax there. It was a small room, but cozy. There was a twin bed in one corner and a small chest of drawers in the other. Next to the bed sat an old writing desk and chair and a small TV sat on top of the dresser. There were a few toys in the room, most of them in a toy box that sat in front of the closet. Rick assumed that the room was used for the grand-kids when they stayed over.

Boomer's house had four bedrooms; the master room that he and his wife shared and three smaller ones that presumably were his children's while they lived at home. Rick wasn't sure, but he thought that the room he was in might have been Cole's.

It was either his or one of the other two kids who were still living. Devin's room was at the end of the hall and as far as Rick knew, had always remained closed up and unused.

Rick couldn't even imagine what it must be like, walking past that room every day, remembering what had happened in there. Walking in and finding your kid dead had to be the worst possible thing for any parent to go through. Rick had no idea how Boomer and his wife could even stay in the house after that.

He'd already made up his mind that if Avery...well...Rick knew he wouldn't able to stay in the apartment. It wasn't so much the cost of it but knowing that Avery was attacked there. Rick would never be able to stay in that place and not think about it.

He pushed those thoughts out of his head as he laid back and attempted to relax some. There was no way that he could sleep, but maybe if he could just rest his eyes, it would calm his nerves a bit. He was so tired, but he couldn't allow himself to sleep; not until he knew for sure what had happened to Avery.

Until he knew the truth, he would stay locked in this zombie like state. Alive but not really living; just going through the motions and trying his best to make everyone else think he was okay. He would never be okay though, not after this. He would never be okay until the person or persons who attacked Avery were brought to justice, and made to pay for what they did.

Rick hadn't been in the room more than twenty minutes when he suddenly heard a knock at the door.

"Rick?" It was Boomer. "Can I come in a second?"

Rick sat up on the edge of the bed and rubbed his eyes. "Yeah Boom." He yawned. "Come on in."

Boomer slowly pushed the door open and walked into the room. "I'm sorry if I woke you up." He said.

"Naw, it's cool." Rick told him, "I wasn't really sleeping."

"Oh okay." Boomer walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. He didn't look at Rick but rather focused on the grey carpeting that covered the bedroom floor. Something seemed a little off about him. He was upset, he'd been upset all morning, but this was different. He was calm, his hands were still, but the look on his face was a mask of pain and fear.

Finally he looked up at Rick and Rick could tell that he had tears in his eyes. Rick's heart leapt into his throat and the first thing that popped in his head was 'No, Don't say it, it's not true.'

"What's going on?" Rick asked at last. "Did...did you hear something?"

Slowly, cautiously, Boomer nodded. "Hanson just called. They found him."

Rick couldn't breathe. He was excited, but at the same time terrified. What concerned him the most was that Boomer's reaction to the news was the exact opposite of what Rick had hoped for. It should have been good news, a cause for celebration. Avery was found he wasn't missing anymore, so why didn't Boomer seem happy about it? Why did he look like he'd just received the worst news of his life?

Rick took in a deep breath then asked the obvious question, "Is he...is he dead?"

Boomer looked up and a look of panic crossed his features as he immediately shook his head. "No, God no! I'm sorry if I gave you that impression, it's just..."

"Well that's great news!" Rick jumped up as a rush of adrenalin suddenly restored all of his strength and energy. "Where is he? Do that police have him? Is he at the station? Let's go, come on Boom this is what we all hoped for!"

Rick made a bee line for the door but Boomer grabbed his arm and stopped him. "Wait a second son." He said. His voice was grave and his eyes told Rick that something was wrong. "Just sit down a minute Rick."

Rick stared at him, his eyes wide. What was he waiting for? Avery was alive, Rick needed to be with him, but when Rick saw the serious and stern look in Boomer's eyes he suddenly felt compelled to obey. He walked back to the bed and sat down beside him.

"Rick..." Boomer said. He was searching for the right words to say; the best way to handle the situation. Hanson had asked him over the phone if he would prefer he come and talk to Rick but Boomer declined. Rick was like a son to him, and it was his responsibility to tell him. It was better that Rick heard it from family anyway.

"Son, it's not good. He was dumped off outside the emergency room this morning with no identification on him or anything. His phone was found up near the Elmwood tunnel, in a field near Molly's creek. The police searched the entire area but didn't find anything. In the meantime, Hanson was checking out those John Doe cases and he came across one that matched Avery's description.

Hanson went up to the hospital to check it out and...well...It's him Rick, it's Avery. At first he wasn't sure but I sent him a text message with a picture of him and he confirmed that it's him. He's not in good shape though. He's unconscious; he's lost a lot of blood, and has multiple injuries. They had to rush him into emergency surgery and now he's resting in the ICU, but Hanson says it's been touch and go for a while."

Rick closed his eyes and breathed deeply as he tried to take it all in. Avery was alive, but he was in bad shape. He gripped the edge of the bed and squeezed it tight. "Do they know what happened to him?" Rick asked.

Boomer nodded. "He was beaten, badly."

Rick stared at him. "Anything else?" He asked.

Boomer knew what he was asking but he couldn't answer that. He just shook his head. "He couldn't tell me very much. You're going to have to talk to the doctor when you get to the hospital."

Rick nodded. "Fine, let's go."

He stood up, and waited for Boomer. Boomer slowly stood up from the bed, he put his hand on Rick's shoulder, and looked at him, his expression serious. "Are you ready for this?" He asked.

"Yeah..." Rick breathed. "I have to see him. I have to see him with my own eyes before I can believe he's alright."

"Okay." Boomer whispered. "I'll drive you."