The Long Road Ch. 03

One of the other people raised their hand. "I have an immediate opening in Hate Crimes. I'm familiar with Agent Williams' service record and would love to have him join us." Several others stated similar sentiments.

"Agent Williams, what are your feelings in this matter?"

"First, let me express my appreciation to you and your staff, Investigator Franks. I love being an FBI agent. It's all I've ever wanted to do. Being part of the organized crime unit has been interesting, but it's not enough. With all due respect and appreciation to the other unit supervisors assembled here, I would absolutely love to be a part of Hate Crimes. I really think I can make a difference there, should I be reinstated."

"Agent Williams aren't you the one who cracked the Matthews murder case that brought down the Cimmera crime family?" the Director asked.

"Yes sir. I had helped with that particular investigation."

"It's my understanding that you followed up on a supposedly cold lead no one else could be bothered with, and it was that lead that cracked the case.

Jayson paused for a moment. It was not in his nature to take credit for a team effort, but what the Director had said was true. No one else wanted to investigate the cold lead. "Yes sir."

He took a moment to scan the report in front of him. "Well, if EEO hadn't recommended reinstatement, I would have done it anyway. We can't afford to lose talented, dedicated agents such as you. Welcome back, Agent Williams."

"Thank you, Director."

Investigator Franks spoke up. "I have another recommendation. My initial recommendation was that Supervisor Hicks be reprimanded for his conduct and be required to take sensitivity and diversity training. I rescind that recommendation in light of this memo." She held up the memo from Hicks. "Instead, I recommend that Supervisor Hicks be terminated for his willful and gross violation of policy."

The Director turned to the Director of Human Resources. "Mrs. Morris, please file whatever paperwork is required to reinstate Special Agent Williams to full duty and a transfer to the Bias and Hate Crimes unit, both effective immediately. I want him to receive six months' pay as punitive damages for what he was put through. Lastly, Charles Hicks is to be terminated, effective immediately for conduct unbecoming a unit supervisor, knowing and willful violation of the non-discrimination policy and harassment."

"No problem, Director. Consider it done."

"Thank you everyone for coming. I appreciate you taking the time out from your busy schedules to put this matter to rest." Investigator Franks said. As everyone filed out of the room, she grabbed Jayson. "Have you had any luck finding your missing boyfriend?"

Jay looked at Kris who shook her head sadly. "No, ma'am" he replied in a trembling voice.

"Well, my door is always open if you need someone to talk to."

"Thank you, but you've done more than enough for me. I can't thank you enough for getting me reinstated and transferred."

"You're more than welcome. I'm glad I could help. If there's one thing I can't stand, its bigotry. I'm so sorry you had to go through that, but know this; no one else will ever have to endure what you did. The Director is making an example of Hicks, and anyone who shares his bigotry will think twice about acting on it. Enjoy your new assignment." She left the room.

"Agent Williams, do you have a moment?"

"I have to find out where the Bias and Hate Crimes squad room is and report to the unit supervisor there for assignment."

"I'm the unit supervisor. Jack Jamison." He held out his hand to Jay, who shook it.

"Please to meet you, sir."

"Call me Jack. Anyway, I'm very happy to have you on my team. Our squad room is on the seventh floor. You'll be partnered with Special Agent Erik Hunter. I'll take you up there and introduce you to him."

"No need for introductions. I went through the FBI Academy with him. He's one of my closest friends."

"Great. That will make your transition a lot easier. As far as reporting in, consider it done. Take the rest of today and tomorrow off to take care of whatever paperwork HR needs you to do and I'll see you on Monday at eight. I would like to talk with you about the Matthews. I'm curious to know why you decided to follow that cold lead and how it cracked the case. I also want to be brought up to speed on the Kyle Matthews investigation, which I understand is what brought on this debacle."

"That won't take long. There was no sign of forced entry, forensics didn't find any clues and there's been no ransom demand. The investigation is completely stalled. I need to be up front with you about it. Kyle Matthews has been my boyfriend for over five years. We live together." Jay cringed internally. So now I find out how my new boss feels about me being gay. I'm out and I never want to go back into the closet. I want Kyle and I to be able to show affection to each other in public. If he has a problem with that, it's best to find out now.

"That does create one problem. Because he's your boyfriend you are emotionally involved. Your objectivity and judgment could be compromised. This could ultimately create a situation, however inadvertently, where the perpetrator or perpetrators could walk, and we definitely don't want that. Worst case scenario, it could cost your boyfriend his life, or you yours, and those are senseless tragedies we need to do everything in our power to prevent. You need to remove yourself from the investigation for the good of the investigation. Surely you understand what's at stake here from working with the organized crime unit. You know what these people are capable of."

Jay breathed a sign of relief. He's obviously okay with me being gay and in a relationship with Kyle. "But" Jay began.

"I'm sure that it's going to be hard for you, to stand idly by and let someone else take over the investigation. I understand your need to find him. I promise you that you will be kept in the loop. Have a good weekend, and I'll see you Monday morning."

Jay's shoulders drooped. "I understand. Thank you, sir, I mean Jack. I'll see you Monday morning."

When they were alone, Jay sank down into a chair tears flowing down his cheeks. Kris sat next to him and put an arm around his shoulder. "Hey, what's all this? You've been reinstated, you're getting a huge chunk of change, that asshole Hicks is gone and you've got an awesome new assignment."

"I know, Kris. It's just that I need to find Kyle. I need to hold him, to hear his voice..."

She started rubbing his back. "I'm going to submit a request to take over the investigation, and when I do find him, I promise you'll be there when we go get him. You have my word. You will be there. Now, you get along home and make yourself pretty. I'm taking you out to celebrate."

He laughed a mirthless laugh. "Okay."

Monday morning, Erik looked up as Jay walked into the Bias and Hate Crimes Unit squad room. Surprised to see him there, Erik greeted him. "Good morning, Jay. What brings you up here?"

"Hey, Erik, this is my new assignment. EEO had me transferred here. I filed a complaint against Hicks after he fired me when I came out."

"Cool. I was told I was getting a new partner, but they wouldn't tell me who it was. So you're totally out now?"

"The only thing in my closet now is my clothes. Oh, check this out." Jay rummaged through his briefcase and took out some paperwork, handing it to Erik.

"What's this?"

"It's domestic partner registration paperwork. Once Kyle signs it, we'll legally be domestic partners. It's what he always wanted, for us to be a real out couple. No more hiding."

"Jay, you said this was what Kyle wanted. Are you sure YOU want to do this?"

"Absolutely" Jay responded without hesitation. "In fact, when we find him, I'm going to ask him to marry me. Would you be my best man?"

"I would be honored to. But first we have to find him."

"I just wish I knew where to look. I've been wracking my brain for the last three months trying to remember something - anything - about where I was held, sounds, smells, etc. but there's nothing. I even had the Bureau shrink put me under hypnosis to see if there was anything in my subconscious that might give us some type of clue as to where I was held. Nada. Zip. Zilch. I've never felt so fucking helpless in my life..." Jay's voice trailed off.

"Jay, we've been friends since our academy days, and I hate to be the one to bring this up, but in light of the threat made against Kyle by that scum bag and the length of time he's been missing, we have to face the very real possibility that we may never find him."

"Believe me, it's been in the back of my mind since he disappeared, but I have to believe that he's still alive and that we'll find him. Besides, I believe his abductor is only after sex. There's been no ransom note."

"True, but...." Whatever Erik was about to say was lost as the phone rang, interrupting him. "Hate crimes, Hunter. Bring him up. Thanks." He hung the phone up and turned to Jay. "Tommy Adams is here. He says he has some information that might help us find Kyle."

"I wonder what that might be." replied Jay, who nearly pounced on Tommy as soon as he was escorted through the door. "If what you have to tell us helps us find Kyle, I'll be indebted to you for the rest of my life." Jay exclaimed, giving Tommy a fierce hug before escorting him to a chair next to his desk. "What's the information you have?"

"I don't know if this will help or not, but Kim gave him a new cell phone for his birthday. Is there any way you can put a trace on it, like they do on TV?"

"We've already tried that. Either he's in a dead zone or it's turned off."

"But I thought that GPS worked everywhere, whether the phone was on or off."

"Wait a minute. Tommy, are you telling me that his phone has a GPS chip in it?"

"Yeah it does."

Jay grabbed him and gave him a quick, grateful kiss on the cheek. "You may have just saved his life." He grabbed for the phone, but Erik was already on it. "Mark, this is Erik in Hate Crimes. I need a priority GPS track on a cell phone. What's the number, Tommy?"

"555-7984."

Erik repeated the number. "Please call me as soon as you have something. Thanks."

The three of them made small talk while they waited. About ten minutes later, the phone rang. "Hate Crimes, Hunter. Great work. What's the address? Got it. Thanks." He hung up. "It worked! We've found him!"

As Jay raced towards the door, Erik intercepted him. "Jay, I understand you have an overwhelming need to rescue him, but we have to be careful. If we go in there full tilt with lights and sirens, we may spook the perp. He might kill Kyle. Lord only knows what he's capable of, and whether or not he has any weapons. We have to be smart about this. We don't want to give him any opportunity to get away or kill Kyle. He's eluded the authorities this long, so he's obviously not stupid. If we want Kyle back safe and sound, and bring that ass-wipe to justice, we can't afford to make mistakes."

Jay stepped back from the door and sighed. "You're right, of course. It's just..." his voice trailed off, choked with tears.

"I know, buddy. I know." Erik said softly, putting an understanding hand on his shoulder as Tommy took his hand in both of his. "We'll do everything by the book to make sure the perp doesn't walk."

Jay nodded then gave Tommy a big hug. "Thank you." He whispered.

"I'm just glad I could help. Now go get him and bring him home." Tommy said. His eyes were moist with the emotion of having his prayers answered.

A short time later they arrived at the empty building where Kyle was being held. Barely conscious from several severe beatings, dehydration and malnutrition, Kyle woke to the sound of an outer door being forced open, shouting and gunfire. The door opened suddenly and Jay gathered Kyle into his arms. "KYLE!!!!!!" Jay screamed, crying tears of relief. "Kyle, talk to me." But there was no response. Kyle had lapsed back into unconsciousness.

Chapter 24

Several hours later, Kyle slowly opened his eyes. "Where am I?"

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Kyle. How are you feeling? And don't just shrug your shoulders like you did the last time. As I told you before, we can't fix what we don't know about."

"Doctor Foster? I just had the strangest dream. I dreamt we had found Jay then I was kidnapped and raped. He rescued me."

"It was no dream, Kyle. It really happened. Look." Doctor Foster pointed to a chair in the opposite corner of the room that held a sleeping Jayson.

"Jay?" he called out. He was immediately awake and by his side. They hugged tightly, both men crying tears of joy. "Jay! I thought I would never see you again. I love you so much! I'm so very, very sorry for what happened. Please come back. I can't live without you. I was such a fool and an asshole to have ever doubted you. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Kyle, we've already been through all of that. You moved my stuff back into the house. Remember?"

Kyle frowned, confused.

"Kyle, what is today's date?" Doctor Foster asked suddenly concerned.

"May 27th."

Jay shot Doctor Foster a frightened look. "Actually, Kyle, its July 15th. Doc, what's going on? What's happened to Kyle's memory?"

"It's nothing to be concerned about. Temporary short-term memory loss is quite common in these cases. His memory will return in a few days."

"And if it doesn't?"

"We have things we can do to restore it."

"How long does he have to stay here?"

"I'm not sure as we need to fix up his broken ribs and have the proctologist examine him to make sure to further injuries were sustained. We also have to evaluate him for psychological trauma. There is one thing we need definitely to discuss."

"What's that, Doctor?" Kyle asked meekly.

"I'm not sure how to tell you this. Routine blood tests have confirmed that you, Jay, are HIV positive. So far, Kyle's still negative. But we need to routinely test his blood for the next few weeks."

Jay sunk into a chair while Kyle looked stunned. "I know it's not much of a consolation, but your attacker is now facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon in addition to numerous other assault, rape and kidnapping charges."

"He's a dead man." Kyle responded in a voice as cold and hard as steel.

"You don't have to worry about that. He'll get his in prison. Kidnapping and assaulting a federal agent is a class 'A' felony which carries a mandatory sentence of life without parole. Since I had you legally registered as my domestic partner..."

Kyle shot Jay a shocked look.

"...yes, I came out at work, which wasn't a big surprise to a lot of my co-workers, and yes, I'm still a field agent for the FBI. As I was saying, having registered you as my domestic partner makes your kidnapping and rape a class 'B' felony. He'll never see the outside world again. He'll die in prison, either from AIDS or at the hands of the other inmates. Same-sex rapists have a low survival rate in prison."

"Enough talk on that subject."

"Yeah, it's time to stop talking and start screwing." Kyle said quickly, holding out his arms for Jay.

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen anymore." Jay responded, regretfully.

"Why not? Don't you love me anymore? Or am I just damaged goods to you now?" He asked. The deep hurt he felt was very much in evidence.

"It's the other way around. I'm the one who's damaged goods. This time damaged beyond any hope of repair. How can I possibly make love to you now?"

"You listen to me, Jayson Edward Williams. I love you, and I can't wait to make love to you again, over and over and over again. I don't give a rat's ass that you're HIV positive. I'd rather have you screw me without a condom and infect me with HIV than never make love to you again."

"Don't you understand? It would be like putting a gun to your head and pulling the trigger. I can't do that to you. I can't put you at risk."

"Jayson, it's not a death sentence." Doctor Foster interrupted. "You've always used condoms before, right?"

"Yes..." Jay replied, not knowing where Doctor Foster was headed with this.

"So you keep on using them and enjoy a healthy sex life." His phone rang. "Doctor Foster." Pause. "Are you sure?" Pause. "I want phlebotomy up here to room 1459-North stat. I want both Jayson Williams and Kyle Matthews retested immediately. And I want you to do the tests. In addition, I want to know how this could have happened. I just informed Mister Williams that he was HIV positive, which has devastated both him and Mister Matthews. Now I find out there's been a mix-up at the lab? We have procedures in place to prevent exactly that from happening. I want answers, and I want them by the end of the day. I want the person responsible in my office at six o'clock this evening. There's going to be hell to pay. These men have both been though extremely traumatic ordeals and they don't need this on top of everything else." He hung up angrily.

"Doctor Foster? What's happened?" Kyle asked nervously.

Tommy and Andy poked their heads in the door. "Is this a bad time?"

"Could you give us a few minutes please?" Doctor Foster asked. They said sure and left to get something to drink.

"There was a problem at the lab. Several of the blood samples got mixed up. I've ordered both of you to be retested, but don't get your hopes up. The results could be the same. However, there is a fifty-fifty chance that they're wrong and Jay is not infected. If he isn't infected, the two of you could sue this hospital, the lab and me for mental pain and anguish."

"I wouldn't do that to you, Doc. You've been wonderful to us and have brought us back together. We owe you more than we can ever repay." Jay said, firmly. Kyle nodded an enthusiastic agreement as the phlebotomist arrived to draw their blood.

"I want Teri to run the tests and I want her to call me immediately with the results." He wrote out the orders. "This is top priority."

The phlebotomist took the blood samples and left hurriedly.

"I guess there's something to be said about being Chief of Staff." He snickered. "Now, what do I need to do to get you guys back on track with your relationship? A swift kick in the butt, perhaps?"

"No, just Jay's dick in my ass" Kyle responded. "It's been way, way, way too long."

"Like I needed to know that" Doctor Foster laughed as Jay turned a very bright shade of red. "Seriously though, what needs to be done?"

"Seriously, Jay needs to get it through his thick head that we are going to get back together and he's going to screw my brains out every night, even if I have to tie him down on the bed and do all the work myself. He's not going to get out of having sex with me! Not no way, not no how. One nice thing about being gay men is that neither of us will be denied sex due to menstruation."

This last statement sent all three men into gales of laughter. "Want to share the joke?" Andy demanded as he and Tommy returned.

Wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes, Jay responded "Kyle just said that as gay men, we never have to worry about being denied sex because of a period."

Tommy, with a straight face, said "diarrhea doesn't count?" which sent everyone again into fits of laughter.

Jay quickly brought Tommy and Andy up to speed with what was happening. The two men exchanged horrified looks. "So when will you know?" Tommy asked with a trembling voice.

"I don't know. Not soon enough."

"There's one way to find out." Doctor Foster got out his phone and called the lab. "This is Doctor Foster. Let me speak to Teri, please." There was a slight pause. "Teri? Do you have the results of those blood tests yet? I see. Let me know as soon as you've finished the other test. Thank you." He hung up. "Kyle, your test results are negative. We should know the results of Jay's test within the next few minutes."