Stepping Stones-7 Chad/Hank/Sam/TC/Luis/Miguel
 by WillowsAngel
 
 

Stepping Stones Ch. 7

Chad had the car drop him off at the edge of Harmony. He still hadn’t come up with an excuse for his absence or his bruises. The obviously expensive car would have been unexplainable. He just hoped that Kay would be all right. He had given her his cell phone number and told her to call him if she needed anything. He still wasn’t sure how she would handle being alone.

He snapped back into reality when he heard Sam and Hank from the front of the B&B. He started to back away but was seen by Miguel before he got far.

“Hey Chad, you’re back.” Chad kept the groan from escaping, he couldn’t believe he had been caught by Miguel of all people. He immediately felt bad, the kid might be clueless but he had always a good friend to him.

“Hey Miguel, what’s going?” He tilted his head toward the B&B. Chief Bennett was never at the B&B. Chad wasn’t sure if he could look Kay’s family straight in the face and not tell them about her. The Bennett’s took him in when his sky fell in. They were good people.

“I’m not sure, I think it’s the monthly poker game. Luis is supposed to be here soon.” Chad raised his eyebrow at the look of discontent on Miguel’s face at the mention of Luis. Apparently things at chez Lo-Fitz were not as happy as he thought.

“Oh, I better go. I gotta work in the morning.” Chad quickly edged his way past Miguel. This was going to be trickier then he thought. As soon as he walked into the B&B he scanned the place. Sam and Hank were no were to be seen. Quickly he moved to the stairs.

He wasn’t quick enough.

“Chad, where’s the fire?” Hank's voice stopped him cold. Cursing his luck she turned and faced Hank. To his surprise Sam, Luis, Miguel and TC were starring at him also. 8 pairs of eyes watched as he tried not to recoil from the hatred burning in TC’s gaze.

“What happened?” Miguel voiced the question running through all the men’s minds. Chad shoved his hands in pockets so they wouldn’t see his raw knuckles.

He shrugged. “I got into a fight.” All ears perked up at his admission. Sam and Luis wondered why Chad wouldn’t meet anyone’s gaze if it were only a fight.

Hank studied Chad, as he stood tense and ready to bolt. The con man in him told him that something was off. He didn’t know what Chad would be doing that would set off his alarms. He doubted Chad was going to fill him in. Though the guy had been brutally honest since he’d arrived in Harmony. When he met Luis’s eyes, he realized his best friend had the same questions he did. He’d give Beth a call later tonight.

TC just watched the Crane Bastard with disgust. He was demon spawn, his wife’s worst mistake. He wasn’t surprised Chad had picked someone to take his anger out on, he just felt sorry for the other guy.

“With who, why?” Miguel seemed oblivious to the tensions in the room. Chad would have snapped at the kid, but he could have sworn he saw shadows pass through Miguel's eyes. When Chad blinked they were gone. Maybe there was more going on inside that head then anyone knew.

“Some guy wouldn’t listen. The lady said no. I just made sure he understood what she meant.” The restrained rage running through his body was easy for everyone to see.

Hank stopped Sam from asking who the lady was. He didn’t get to Luis in time.

“So what happened to her?” Chad unclenched his fists, wondering how he was going to answer their questions without lying to everyone who trusted him.

“I don’t know what happened to the pig who attacked her, but she didn’t want to go to the police. I made sure she got home safe.” Briefly a flash of Bobby laying bloody and still in front of him shook Chad.

“I’ve gotta go. I don’t want Beth angry at me.” Chad skillfully withdrew from the gathered men.

“What was that about?” Hank’s question was met with silence. Sam was trying to figure out why Chad’s actions seemed so familiar. There was something niggling at the back of his mind. He’d been a cop long enough to trust his instincts. It would come when it was ready.

“Hmm…I don’t know Hank.” TC sneered at Sam’s reply as Miguel slipped out into the nights to try to stop the thoughts racing through his head.

Hank watched TC and Sam, musing about their relationship. Would TC ever forgive Sam for taking in Chad? Would Sam ever forgive TC for making Eve throw out her son? It was never discussed out loud but everyone was aware of the wall.

After being friends for 40 odd years Sam and TC could have entire conversations without saying a word.

At one time Hank had assumed that he would have that kind of relationship with Luis. Until he had left and Luis had turned into a self-righteous jerk. Now their friendship was shallow, never allowing any true emotion to get in the way.

Hank winced. He needed a life. He had been reduced to contemplating the state of his relationship with his best friend. He needed to call Beth. Maybe he’d get lucky and she’d want to talk dirty with him.

“Sammy, I’m gonna call it a night. You to TC.”

Sam had been waiting for TC’s explosion all night. This time he was ready for it. He was not going to let anyone, especially his best friend browbeat him. He wasn’t disappointed.

“Sam, you’ve done a lot of stupid things in your life, sleeping with Ivy, Lying to your wife about it, cheating on your wife. But helping out a Crane takes the cake.” TC was angry. Chad was a constant reminder of the lies his wife had told him. Chad was evidence that Eve did not live up to TC’s expectations.

“TC, I’ve let you insult me over and over again, but not now. Because of my respect for our friendship, I’ll only say this once. Chad is not “A Crane”. He is your wife’s firstborn. He is a bright, honest, dependable young man. He grew up with nothing and I will not judge him for something he cannot control.” Sam took a deep breath before continuing.

“I know I’ve done a lot of stupid things in my life. The worst thing I’ve ever done was ignoring my children. If I had been a better father I would not have a daughter alone god knows where. I will not do that to Eve.”

TC turned to look at Sam at his last statement. Even through his anger TC could feel the anguish emanating off of Sam. Whitney or Simone out alone in the world was not to be thought of. That didn’t stop the anger. Sam was his friend, he was supposed to support him.

“I know you don’t want to listen to me TC. But we’ve always been honest with each other. We’ve always told each other when we’ve been idiots. You’re being an idiot. Do you want to lose Eve? Do you think Eve would be with you if Chad had left town? What are you doing TC? Do you want to destroy your marriage and your family?”

Sam’s questions hung in the air unanswered. TC just glared at Sam one more time before slamming the door on his way out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chad twisted underneath the sheets on his bed. He reached out to the phone but stopped before he picked it up. It was the third time he in 15 minutes. Kay would call if she needed anything. He could stop worrying about her. As Chad drifted off to sleep he tried to forget the nightmares she suffered from. He couldn’t be there all the time. She would have to learn to deal.

It didn’t make him feel any better. He prayed for Kay to feel peace tonight. He never realized how many people heard his request.

Heaven rejoiced and Hell screamed in anger. The battle had begun.