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As Fusco drove into the seedy motel parking lot, he wondered yet again what he was doing. To say it had seemed like a good idea at the time seemed like a cliché, but one that he appeared to be repeating quite often at the moment.
He parked and went into the office. The bored youth behind the desk confirmed they had rooms available, took payment and passed the key to Fusco without even bothering to look up. Fusco assumed the room would be easy enough to find; the number was on the key fob. He returned to the car, opened the trunk to get the two bags out and then went round to help Reese out of the vehicle.
“I can manage by myself,” Reese said. “But you’d better carry the bags.”
They walked slowly side by side, with Reese stumbling occasionally. Fusco was glad there was no-one around to see them. He didn’t anticipate there being any problems, but the less attention they drew to themselves the better.
Fusco found the room and unlocked the door and Reese staggered inside before collapsing onto the bed with a groan. Fusco watched as Reese put one hand to his side and then held it up. It looked as though the wound was weeping again.
“Right, we need to get that sorted before we do anything else,” Fusco said.
Reese muttered something, probably an objection, but Fusco had become practised in ignoring them over the last few days.
Fusco unpacked the first aid kit, cleaned and rebandaged the wound and then insisted on helping Reese to finish undressing and get into bed. The furnishings and bedding all looked worn, but at least the room was clean. It would do them for the next couple of nights.
Satisfied Reese was okay, Fusco said, “I’m going to get something to eat. There’s a diner just the other side of the motel, so I won’t be long. Do you want anything?”
Reese shook his head. Fusco nodded. It was almost time for Reese to take some more painkillers, but that was an argument he wasn’t prepared to have before he’d had his intake of greasy carbohydrates.
Later, when Fusco was satisfied Reese was finally asleep, he grabbed a quick shower. The water, although not hot, was pleasantly warm, and Fusco felt some of the tension ease from his back and shoulders. He dried himself and pulled on some pajama pants before getting into bed beside Reese.
Fusco lay on his back, listened to Reese breathing and thought about what had brought them there.
It had been clear they couldn’t stay in the city following the explosion. Fusco had waited as long as he’d dared to allow Reese time to begin recovery from his injuries, but that wasn’t going to be a sensible option long term. At first Fusco had been at a loss where to go, but then he’d remembered a cousin who had a cabin she’d said he could borrow for a holiday at some point, and a quick phone call had confirmed it would be available for the next month, possibly longer. He’d spun a tale saying he was finally accepting his physician’s advice to get a less stressful job and was taking some time out to decide what to do. After all that, all he’d had to do was plan the route there, allowing for suitable stops to allow Reese not to get overtired.
Fusco fell asleep with thoughts of forest and lakes intermingled with high rise buildings and inter-state highways in his head.
When he woke in the morning it was to find Reese looking at him.
“You didn’t have to do it, you know,” Reese said.
“Do what?” Fusco muttered, still feeling bleary.
“Bring me with you.”
“Why not? We’re partners, an item, whatever you want to call it. Of course, I was going to bring you. What did you expect me to do? Leave you behind?”
“It might be better if you had. I’ll only hold you back if we need to run.”
“There’s no reason why we should. I’m being careful anyway, making sure we avoid unnecessary risks. We are doing this together.”
“I’m the one with the experience. I should be taking care of you, not the other way round.”
“You may be the one who does all the hi-tech surveillance stuff, but I’m the one who’s getting us away the old-fashioned way, in a beat-up car, stopping in cheap dives, to stay in a cabin in the back of beyond. But if you’re worried, take a look at this.”
Fusco pulled out his phone and showed Reese a photo.
“That’s Bear!”
“Correct. To be precise, that’s Bear’s Instagram page. Shaw uses it to leave me messages.”
“Do you reply?”
“What do you take me for? If anyone was trying to track me wouldn’t that make it a bit too obvious? No, we’ve got other means of communicating.” Fusco stood up. “I’m going to get some breakfast. Do you want me to bring you anything?”
“Yeah. Whatever you’re having, please.”
Fusco walked slowly over to the diner. He was doing all he could, but he really didn’t think he could cope with Reese challenging him all the time. Part of him understood why Reese was doing it, but the part of him which was having to make all the decisions for both of them was struggling to keep his temper. He got their breakfast and headed back to the motel room.
As soon as he opened the door, Reese said, “Lionel, I’m sorry. I really do appreciate all you’re doing for me. It’s just I feel so helpless, and I really want to take some of the burden off you. You do know I’d be lost without you.”
Fusco smiled. “It’s all right. I’d sort of figured that out. It’ll be easier once we get there. Let’s just get through the next few days, okay?” Before Reese could say anything else, Fusco passed his coffee over and added, “Eat your breakfast. I don’t want it getting cold after I’ve been to all the trouble to get it for you.”
They ate in silence for a few minutes, then Reese said, “If you want to push on today, I’ll be okay.”
“Nah. We agreed one long day of driving, one full day of break was the best way to do it, and we’ll do it that way. Three more days and we’ll be there.”
“How come we decided that was what we would do?”
“I don’t remember. It probably seemed like a good idea at the time.”