Surgeon – Chapter Thirty-One

***A/N: Reminder! There’s a vote for book two at the end of last chapter!

NOT EDITED

Chapter Thirty-One

Friday: January 17, 2020

8:00 AM; CLINSTONE POLICE DEPARTMENT, LAB

As soon as Jacob stepped into the lab, he knew something was wrong, something other than the fact that Bo wasn’t sitting there. The lab was back in its usual state of disarray. What had once been organized and neat was now messy again. Jacob peeked into the morgue, finding the same kind of mess he had seen in the lab.

He headed upstairs. He knocked on the open door of Myra Cooper’s office. “Hey, Leu?”

“What can I do for you, Jake?” Myra asked, looking up at the detective.

“Where’s Bo?”

“He didn’t tell you?” Myra asked. “I thought for sure he would have. Bo went back to the LAPD.” She laughed. “Can’t take a man away from Jamal Pitman, no matter how hard you try.”

8:23 AM; LOS ANGELES AIRPORT, LOBBY

Bo set Acamas’s pet crate on the floor and pulled Bridget into a hug. “I really didn’t think you’d be here when I got off the plane.”

Bridget pulled back, slapping a hand against his chest. “Of course I would be here! I said that I would be.”

Bo smiled. “Yeah, I know. Just… thank you.”

“You are very welcome. I have missed you so damn much, Bo.”

“I know. I-I missed you too.” Bo cleared his throat, grabbing Acamas’s crate. “I’m sorry for… leaving without telling you. And cutting you off. I’m sorry.”

“I’m not angry at you. I was worried about you. But never angry.” She brushed his hair away from his face, a soft smile coming to her own. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Bo whispered. He nodded. “Following you.”

“I heard about that case you solved. That was impressive,” she said as they stepped out of the airport.

“Nothing I haven’t done before,” he said as Bridget unlocked her car.

“Doesn’t mean you can’t take credit for the kickass work.” Bridget cleared her throat. “I can’t help but notice you’ve only got your laptop and a small bag with you. How long are you staying?” she asked, pulling open the back door.

Bo carefully lifted Acamas’s cage into the backseat. “I haven’t decided yet. I don’t plan on living here. I… I can’t,” he said, shutting the door. “It’s too much for me, you know?”

Bridget nodded. “I understand. It’s… a lot.” She waved a hand. “Come on. Get in.” Once they were both seated in her car, she sighed. “Where to first, Bo?”

Bo checked his watch, swallowing roughly. “The prison.” He cleared his throat. “Kathy.”

9:00 AM; LOS ANGELES PENITENTIARY, VISITING ROOM

Bo folded his hands in his lap, staring at the metal table. He felt like he had been sitting in the room for an eternity, waiting. He heard Kathy’s footsteps long before he saw her. He lifted his head just as she sat down in front of him.

Kathy smiled. “Bo,” she said, drawing out his name. “They didn’t tell me the visitor was you.”

He swallowed. “You look well,” he said quietly.

She snorted. “Thanks.” She reached up, tucking her brown hair behind her ears. If she truly had started chemotherapy, she must not have yet hit the losing hair stage. “You, however, look as though you haven’t been sleeping.” She circled a hand in his direction. “You look worse than usual.”

Bo tried not to let that bother him too much. He wasn’t here to let her get under his skin. He wasn’t here for her. He was here because Dallas would inevitably ask if Bo had seen her yet and how she was. “That’d be because I haven’t been. And I’m very aware of how I look.”

“Mm.” She leaned back in her chair, clearing her throat. “You seen Tex?”

“He’s my next stop.”

Kathy nodded. “Holden visits him for me sometimes, tells me how he’s doing,” she said. She tapped her fingertips against the table. “He adopted my children so we could make sure Jamal couldn’t take them. You know, after the whole… imprisoned thing.”

Bo shifted in his seat. “I had heard that. The, uh, adoption part. I didn’t know it was so Jamal couldn’t have them.”

“I will break out of here and kill that fucker before he ever gets to see my kids again.”

Bo cleared his throat. “They love him, you know.”

She laughed. “I don’t care. I won’t give him the satisfaction.”

After a moment, Bo offered a nod. “Dallas… will ask how you are. I need to know what you want me to tell him.”

“Mm. Let’s see… ‘Bo helped Jamal torture all of my dad’s family friends, got me tracked down, made my kids watch Mommy and Daddy get arrested, destroyed my name, dragged me through the mud, and got me locked up in prison. Oh, and I have cancer. But I’m doing so good because he came to visit me and tell me he’s sorry.’ How’s that?”

“I… actually didn’t come to say I was sorry. I did that in the beginning, and you rubbed my face in it every time we spoke afterward. So I don’t waste my breath on that part anymore. But I’ll be sure to tell him the rest.”

Kathy blew out a sharp breath as Bo rose to his feet. “I’d watch your back, Bo.” He stilled, but he didn’t turn back to face her. “There are still people out there that I know, people who knew my dad and absolutely hated everything about Jamal Pitman. People who would, well… kill for the opportunity to get their hands on the bastard who testified against me to get me thrown in here. I’d watch yourself. You know, if you gave two shits about keeping yourself alive.”

“Luckily for both of us, I don’t.” Bo tapped his fingers against the corner of the table and smiled. “See ya.”

10:32 AM; LOS ANGELES MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON, PHONES

Bo’s gaze remained focused on his lap as he pressed the phone to his ear. His heart pounded in his chest as he prepared himself to meet Dallas Silver’s gaze. Slowly, he looked up, locking eyes with Dallas.

Dallas, a tall black man, smiled, his blue eyes brightening. “You kept your promise.”

“Only as good as my word.”

“Yeah,” Dallas whispered. “How’s my best man, huh? You doin’ okay?”

Bo offered a faint smile. “I–I’m good. How are you?”

“Just talked to Jaeden yesterday. He’s doing great in school, loves being around Holden and the kids. Loves New York,” Dallas said. “I’m… great. Miss Kath, but shit happens. She’ll be out in a few years, you know, good behavior and whatnot. Jamal will realize he needs her, and he’ll work his magic and get her out.”

“Yeah,” Bo said after a moment. “I’m sure he will.”

“Have you spoken to her?”

“Yeah. Uh, she’s doing well. Chemo is… treating her well.”

“Good,” Dallas whispered. “Good. Thank you for checking in on her for me.”

“Uh-huh.”

Dallas cleared his throat. “What about you, Bo? Finally got someone other than Acky in your life?”

Bo shook his head. “No, just… just me and Acamas.”

Dallas waved a hand. “Ah, that’s great. Don’t need a relationship with another person to add value to your life. Nothing wrong with being besties with your cat.”

“Thank you, Dallas.”

“Of course.” Dallas watched him for a moment. “How did the case in Clinstone go?”

“I… just finished it up yesterday.”

“Oo, tell me more, tell me more,” Dallas said. 

Bo smiled softly. Dallas’s voice had jumped up in pitch ever-so-slightly, his own little way of referencing the movie Grease. “Our primary killer lost his wife and daughter in a car accident several years ago, and he didn’t want to give them up, so he was kidnapping women that looked similar to them and rebuilding, per say, his wife and daughter with the help of his son.”

“Dude, talk about fucked up,” Dallas said.

“I know,” Bo said, shaking his head. “I cuffed the son, though. He was holding the girl that was supposed to be his sister hostage and he had a gun on me. I talked him down and cuffed him with the handcuffs I stole off of the detective I was working with.”

Dallas grinned. “Did you unload the gun like I showed you?”

“Yes.”

“Austen, I have never been more proud of you than I am right now,” Dallas said.

Bo smiled. “Thanks, Dallas.”

Dallas nodded. “God, Bo, I have missed talking to you more than I have missed… just about anything since I’ve been here.” He shook his head. “No one in this place will ever hold a candle to you when it comes to smarts and conversation.”

Bo’s smile faded. “I’m sorry this happened, Dallas,” he said quietly. “I am… so sorry.”

“Don’t be. Life bites us all in the ass eventually. I’m just glad I got to have a family of my own for a little bit before that happened,” Dallas said. “You may not be able to tell because we’re staring at each other through a damn piece of plexiglass, but I had the time of my life with Kath, and that was because of you. I never would’ve ended up with Kathy if you hadn’t told me she had gotten divorced, if you hadn’t told me it was okay to pursue her afterward.”

Bo tried not to think about that, but it was one of many things that haunted him just about every night. “So stop blaming yourself for this shit, Bo. I’ve had a cell with my damn name written on it ever since my first kill, Bo. There’s nothing you could’ve done to change that. The only thing you ever changed was the quality of my life, and you only made it better. The only part of it I would change is making sure you knew who I was and what I was before Kathy made us run off. I would’ve never left you in the dust like that if I could go back and change it. But outside of that? Not a single fucking thing, Bo. Not a thing.”

---

Enjoying the story? Consider dropping a comment or a like down below!!

---