Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2004 21:52:16 -0500
From: Chris <cowboyg4@netscape.net>
Subject: A Perfect Stranger: A Perfect Stranger 3

I would like to give a HUGE THANK YOU to Jeff for editing this for
me... cause god knows I ain't good at that stuff!

This is a work of Fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are
products of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as
real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is
completely coincidental.

Perfect Stranger 3


Chris wondered how bad this emergency could be.  He watched the dew on the
windows as he rolled them up and the truck accelerated in the dark, cool,
humid air. He passed his house and took a good look at it, taking in the
image of the dark, lonely appearance. It was never like that before. Six
years ago there would have been lights on, friends over, and most of all,
that homey look. The house held no welcoming attributes to tonight. About a
half-mile later he came upon a Condo like complex, located at 68 Rockwood
Dr.  He hit the accelerator as he pulled down the entrance, thrusting the
truck towards the Condo at an even faster rate.  Radioing back to the
station, Chris had the go ahead and confirmation that this is where the
cell phone was located. He had also gotten the permission to force entry if
necessary.

The House was in a nice complex about a half-mile down from Chris's
farm. He remembered the stories he had heard from his grandpa about how his
family used to own this whole street and, ultimately, ran the town. Chris
always loved hearing those kinds of stories.  They brought back memories of
his grandfather. As he walked to the door, there was no light coming from
the windows and not a sound to be heard. He knocked once and got what he
was expecting - nothing.  He tried again and once more, nothing. He grabbed
the knob thinking it may be locked.  To his surprise, it turned with
ease. As the door opened he stepped on something, he looked down to see a
man on the floor.

"Oh, god!" Chris got on his radio.

"Stock to station."

"Go ahead officer Stock."

"I need an ambulance out here quick . . . 68 Rockwood Drive."

"10-4, we're dispatching one now."

As Chris put the radio down he knelt down with his flashlight to see the
man's face. The black hair was ruffled and out of its accustomed "style."

"Max!" Chris felt a single tear run down his cheek, "Oh Max!"  Chris
grabbed the radio, "Where is the ambulance at?"

"It is tied up at the moment.  It should be there in about 10 minutes."

"That's too long.  I am going to bring him in."

"10-4, we'll notify the ER."

Chris picked Max up in one scoop.  He carried him to the F-250 that was
idling in the parking lot. Chris struggled to open the door.  He strapped
Max in the front seat. He would have never thought that this guy was so
big.

As Chris got behind the wheel he took note of the blood staining his hands
and clothes. He knew that Max's life rested in his hands now.

The diesel engine was put to its test, roaring now as he went down the
street. With the lights flashing and the siren screaming, everything seemed
distant to Chris as he looked over to Max. But Max still lay helpless in
the seat next to him.

As the truck went down the main road in the city, Chris thought more and
more of the past and how he had been living his life. He saw the hospital
in the distance and saw nurses waiting under the carport for the trucks
arrival. Chris turned into the entrance stopping just a few feet from the
door. As soon as Chris put the truck in park, he was helping the nurses and
the doctor put Max on the waiting stretcher.

He watched them disappear into the hospital.  The sight struck a nerve and
brought back memories that he thought he had buried. He wondered why god
made his mother suffer like he had. Over and over, some nights he couldn't
sleep, his mind filled with the images and memories. Chris had wished she
died instantly with his father in the car. He would never forget the way
she looked, he cried the whole night. As he entered the hospital, he
struggled to hold back the tears.

He sat down in the lounge and looked at his hat. More memories of the past
were brought back from the sterile "hospital smell."  When he was in high
school, he had a lot of friends.  Naturally everyone had liked him. He
played football and always pulled through for the team.  He was never one
to quit. He had girls on each arm.  And, he always had the guys over to his
house doing typical teenage guy things - hunting, fishing, paint
balling. When his parents died, Chris went into a shell.  He was afraid of
the world that once showed him light. He repeatedly told himself he would
call Sam or Tim or, even, Mike, his closet friends. Days turned into months
and years.  With agony, he realized where he was, the same place it all
started. The day his parents left him, he stopped going to church. That was
something that as a kid he always remembered doing. His mother always made
them go, no matter what. He thought now was the perfect time to start over;
he was going to live his life again.

Chris's thoughts were interrupted by one of his fellow cops. Brian was the
closest thing to a friend that he had at this point in time.  He sat next
to Chris.  He knew Chris's past just as the whole town did.

"We finished things up at the house.  I assume you're waiting to talk to
Mr. Malone.  Have you heard anything?"

"Nothing," Brian could tell that Chris was not all there.  The fact that
Chris was covered in blood did not help things.

"Mr. Malone was a homosexual Chris.  You've got his blood all over you. You
need to go get decontaminated."

"What?  Who cares if he is gay?  That makes no difference.  I would have
your blood on me if you were him."

Brian was astounded by the way Chris went at him now.  He must have a hit a
major nerve in Chris.  Maybe it was one that had been bothering him for a
while.  "Sorry, I was out of line."

Chris looked at the man beside him and smiled for the first time tonight,
"I understand.  I am sorry too.  I am just a little edgy right now with all
that's going on. I am glad you care for me."

As if in perfect timing, the nurse came out looking for Chris.  Finding him
she started, "Officer Stock?  He is awake but I ask that you not put any
extra stress on him right now. He lost a little blood but nothing
serious. We stitched his forehead, neck, and back up just fine. As long as
he keeps his hands away from the scabs there will not be any scars."


"Thanks Ma'am."  Chris nodded to Brian, "so you'll do the paper work at the
house for me?"  He followed the nurse down the hall. The green linoleum
floor tiles and white walls were just as he remembered them. He was lead to
what was a new wing and followed the nurse into the room.

The TV was on but as usual it wasn't being watched. Max looked
terrible. His face was bandaged and IV's were running in and out of him
like he was a robot.  Chris walked over, next to the bed.  His heart fell
as Max picked his eyes up to look at Chris.

As Max looked up to the man standing in front of him, he took his breath
in. Chris was covered in blood. Max's blood had stained his uniform and
some was on his arms.  There was even a little on his chin. Chris looked so
lost standing there in front of Max. Max studied his deep blue eyes and
thanked the lord that Chris was able to get there so fast.  Right now all
he had wanted to do was hold the cop in his arms and whisper sweet songs in
his ear.

Chris spoke and Max looked at his lips. "Mr. Malone, I am officer Stock. I
am the one that came to your house tonight when you hit your emergency
button on your phone. Sprint contacted us and we pinpointed that signal to
your house. I am sorry that I did not get there faster."

Max still was trying to take all of this in as he looked at Chris.

"We had a couple of cops go to your house while I was bringing you
here. They found out somebody was in your home and it might have possibly
been a gay bashing." Chris looked at Max's eyes now. "Did you meet, or
um... well go out with anyone recently, or perhaps have a fight with your
boyfriend?"

Max formed a mental smile when Chris had trouble getting that out.  He was
so handsome and innocent standing there in front of the window, the sun
coming up all around him.

"No, Mr. Stock, I did not.  In fact, I haven't been with anyone for a while
now, at least a week." He wished the last time was with Chris. He
remembered when Chris walked in the first time. Chris came in with a
confident walk and sat at the 3rd bar stool in. He took off his baseball
cap and laid it on the bar beside him. He ordered his beer.  Max was
sitting at a table talking to this guy he had hooked up with a couple of
weeks ago. He immediately lost all interest in the man in front of him and
stared at Chris. His arms were so beautiful they had a nice dusting of
light blonde hair and his muscles jumped under the tan skin as he tapped
his fingers on the bar. Chris made a sound with his throat as he noticed
Max staring at his chest. "Umm...and my attacker told me I was messing with
other people's business, so I imagine It would not be someone I was with."

Chris studied the look on Max's face while he spoke. He was a truly
beautiful man. "Well, can you think of anyone that might want to hurt you?
I mean they did come with the intent to kill you and he would have
succeeded if I had not scared him off."

Pausing a moment to look at Max again, he fixed his eyes on the TV not
wanting to have direct eye contact.  "As I said officer Stock, I can not
think of any one at all," Max said finally, bringing his eyes back to meet
Chris' but he soon turned away again.

"Mr. Malone, I will come back tomorrow.  Well later I guess. You're weak
and you need all the rest you can get right now. Is there any family that I
should call - to let them know you're okay?"

"Thanks officer but my sister's getting married in a couple of weeks and my
parents are staying there to help her out. I don't want to mess with their
plans. So, you don't need to contact anyone for me."

Chris looked at Max again and waited till their eyes met, "Your choice
Mr. Malone but I want you to know this, if I was them I'd be on my way here
right now to be with you and . . ." Chris grabbed Max's hand from
scratching at the bandage that covered the stitches.  "Don't do that, it'll
scar your face." Chris held his hand for a little while longer than
needed. This was something that made Max feel different.  It was as if all
his pain was drained from him in that moment they touched each other. Chris
blushed again as Max pulled his hand back and looked up at him. "I best be
going now." Chris left the room, quietly, not turning back to look at Max.

When he got home, he went straight into the shower. Chris thought about
everything that had happened.  He forgot about the scratch on his cheek
until he walked into the shower and the bandage fell off. He washed the
dried blood away and put on a white t-shirt and boxers. He thought about
tomorrow for the first time in years. He was at least making progress
thinking about the future for once.

As Max watched Chris leave, he wanted to call out to him.  But, he knew
that it wouldn't be right.  He let the tired cop walk away. Max wondered
about the words that Chris spoke to him - "I'd be on my way here right now
to be with you." He fell asleep thinking about the officer that saved his
life.

Chris took a well-needed nap.  He had gotten home around 4:30 and it was
already 10. This was his day off and he literally had a long list of things
to do. The house needed to be cleaned, the horses needed to be fed, the dog
needed a bath, he needed to check the fences . . . And, the list continued
on another page. For the first time in years, he thought about getting help
and possibly getting some more horses, and maybe even a couple cows.  Just
for fun, he told himself.

He managed to use all the grain and oats he had left on the horses. Since
they were put out in the pasture, he didn't throw them any hay. He figured
he would need all the hay he could get once it started getting cold. He
took a long look at the ranch. He wasn't happy with the fact that he
couldn't tend to it anymore like he wanted to. He was going to have to look
into hiring some hands to help him out.  There was a lot to be done and he
did not know where to start. He got the keys out of the house, turned on
the alarm and patted the dog on the head.  He told her, "Daddy's gunna be
back soon."  He took the patrol truck, figuring that it didn't matter if he
got it dirty and plus he didn't have to pay for the diesel. All the files
on the break-in were in there, he was going to have to thank Brian for
that.



The nurses behind the counter looked at Chris as if he was candy. "Welcome
back officer.  Do you need help?"

Chris smiled showing his perfect white teeth, "No thanks Ma'am, I
remember."

"Well if you need anything, one of us will be up here.  Anything at all,"
she said, winking at Chris.

"Oh god," he said to himself as he walked down to Max's wing. Max looked up
as this god walked into his room. He had on a white cowboy hat, a yellow
Columbia shirt and dark blue wranglers that hugged his legs.

"Afternoon buddy," Chris said as he sat beside Max's bed.

"Hi Officer Stock," Max managed to say.

"Hey I am off today so it's Chris.  I just came from feeding the animals
and I am going to pick up more feed after I finish here. If not I would
have dressed, um, casual as the city folk call it."

"I think you look great!" Max mentally beat himself up for letting that
out.

"Well thanks, I'd say that about you too, but I think you might be offended
if I told you that you look hot in a hospital gown," Chris said curling his
lips in a genuine smile.

Max returned the smile, "Only if any other person said it."

Chris seemed uneasy for a second.  "Well, I just need you to give me a
statement and sign off on it.  But, you're not going home alone tonight.
Do you have anyone that can stay with you or can you stay over at
someone's?"

Max thought for a second, "Well there's Brad and Mark but they have to work
tonight but I am sure they will let me stay at their house."

Chris smiled, "I think you missed my point buddy.  There is definitely
someone trying to kill you.  Just for safe measures, I will watch your
house tonight. This way if someone does come I will be waiting. No
arguments!"

Max, looking around the room, was shocked at all that was happening. He
just managed to nod his head.  "Well let's get you checked out of this
place, I hate hospitals."

As Max was being released to Chris, the nurses in the front greeted
them. Giving them both an obvious wink, Chris made Max smile. "I think they
like ya," Max said as he gave Chris a hit on the arm.

"Shut up!" Chris managed to say.

As they walked out to the truck, Max tripped and was immediately caught in
Chris' arms. Chris held Max so close to his chest Max could smell the
cologne on Chris neck.  He closed his eyes and then opened them to look
into Chris' beautiful blue ones.

"You okay?" Chris said with a face full of concern.

Max gave him a smile.  "Sorry, I don't know what got into me."

Chris released him with a smile, "Get in the truck."

Max took a step up into the big Ford. He could not imagine driving this
thing every day - plus he liked his Corvette so much better.

"I have to get some feed, and I want to do a couple things at home so
you're going to have to wait a couple hours till we can go to your house."

Max just nodded and said a muffled, "Okay."


Let me know what you think of this chapter; e-mail me at
CowboyG4@netscape.net.


Post Script- I owe this one to you Jeff.