If It Fits - 16. Chapter 16

July 4, 1995

“Why exactly are we here?” I demanded. “I have always hated this God damned festival. And the heat is unbearable.”

JP glared at me. “I just wanted to see what has become of the place. I grew up here, and so did you. Can you just do this without bitching?”

“I don't like it here either,” Alejandro said.

“Well no one asked you,” JP snapped at him. Alejandro and I just looked at each other, sharing a mutual disdain for this place that had only brought me irritation. Claremont Ohio.

“Very well. We will be on our best behavior, we will pretend to have a good time, and then we will fly out tonight,” I said, staring at Alejandro. He nodded.

“Good. I have a surprise for you,” he said. Any surprise that he discovered in this godforsaken city could only be trouble. I followed him silently, the sweat dripping down my chest and back. Damn it was hot, and humid too.

Crampton Construction, the company JP's brother and nephew ran, always had a big tent there. JP strode up confidently, only to be stopped by a guard.

“You have to have a wrist band to enter,” he said officiously.

JP stared at him, stunned. “It seems no one remembers you anymore,” I teased.

He glared at me. “I'm here to see my brother. Jim Crampton.”

“If you were his brother, you'd have a wristband,” the guard said logically. “You don't even look like him.” I stared at JP and thought about that. He really didn't have much of a resemblance to Jim. Odd.

JP pulled out his driver's license. “See. John Paul Crampton.”

The guard looked at it with much attention. “Don't recognize this at all. Says California on it.”

“Will you just go get Jim and ask him?” JP demanded.

“I can't go in and bother Mr. Crampton,” he said. “The real Mr. Crampton.” Alejandro and I started laughing at JP's total consternation, pissing both him and the guard off. Then I winked at Alejandro, mouthed a countdown of three, and we took off, tearing past the guards.

The guards took off after us while we ran through the tent, laughing our asses off. I was actually having fun at the fucking festival, I thought, amazed. “Stop! Come back here!” the guards yelled. I wondered if people ever did that? When someone yelled that, did the person fleeing ever actually stop and come back? We charged up to Jim and rudely interrupted his conversation. Then we were all surrounded by the guards.

“Stefan!” he exclaimed. “What are you doing here?” He pulled me into a big hug.

“He's OK Mr. Crampton?” the guards asked, still glaring at me.

“Yes. He's my cousin.”

“What about the other guy? The one claiming to be your brother.”

“JP is here?” Jim asked.

“He is, but he does not have a wristband. He is trying conventional ways to crash your party. We went for a more direct approach,” I said, smiling.

“Why am I not surprised?” Jim said, laughing. Then he turned to the guards. “Go back and tell him that I never heard of him. Then when he starts to lose it, give him a wristband and let him in.”

“Yes sir,” the guard said, and strode off to torture JP just a little bit more.

“That was deliciously cruel,” I said. “How are you doing?”

“Well. Things are good. Rich is learning the ropes, so he can take over some day,” Jim said, gesturing over to his son, deep in conversation with some cute woman. “Your nephew is doing pretty well. Local DA now.”

“It was all pre-ordained,” I said. Schluters had been the power behind the local government for generations.

“Have you run into your niece yet?” he asked.

“Bitty? She is here? I've not heard from her in two years. I have been worried, but not surprised that she vanished.” The last time I'd seen her she'd been so strung out on drugs she'd been all but incoherent.

JP came up, looking grumpy until Jim gave him a big hug. “Do you always have to break the rules?” he asked.

“Do you always have to follow them?” I asked back.

“You two are like an old married couple,” Jim said.

“We are pretty much married, but we are not old,” I said. “I, especially, am still quite spry.” That got a laugh from Jim.

“And here is your surprise,” JP said. I turned and found myself face to face with an attractive young lady in her early 30s. She wore a very tasteful dress, short enough to show off terrific legs, but not so short as to look slutty. Underneath a light coat of makeup was Bitty.

“Hi Stef,” she said, smiling uncomfortably. “Bet you didn't expect to see me here.”

“That would be correct,” I said as I gave her a big hug. “You look fantastic. Amazing. It is so good to see you healthy.”

“It's been a long journey, but I think I've made it.”

“What did this? What transformed you?” I couldn't believe it.

“The Gail Schluter Performing Arts Center at the High School. It got me to looking into Tonto and all that she achieved. She was a remarkable woman. And I realized that I had a legacy to live up to.”

“So what do you do? How did you get off drugs?”

“About two years ago they dumped me into rehab, only this one was different. All the other centers I'd been to kept telling me to rely on God to guide me. This one told me to rely on myself. It worked. So now I'm a counselor there.” She smiled. “It's good to be working for something, to help other people.”

“That is fantastic. I am so proud of you. Tonto would be too.”

Her eyes got a little watery. Tonto was the chink in her armor. “I disappointed her so badly.”

“Do you think she would want you to continue to feel guilty? She was the most forgiving person in the world. She would give you a big hug and tell you to quit worrying about it and to just move on.”

She laughed. “I think you are channeling her.”

“If you had seen me running from those guards a few minutes ago, you would have known I was.”

“They wouldn't let you in?” she asked. “You could buy this whole town, and you can't even get into a tent?”

“Ah, but I did get in. It is only JP who could not figure out how to do that, and he's a Crampton,” I said pointing at the big Crampton banner.

“Whatever,” JP said dourly.

“So will you come visit?” I asked. “Have you talked to Brad?”

“I don't know. It will be awkward. The kids will be confused.”

“Well, they are very happy, and doing quite well. Brad, Robbie, and Jeanine have done a great job with them.”

“I'm worried that when I see them I'll want to bring them back with me,” she said earnestly.

“That would be a huge mistake,” I said. “They have a stable home with a lot of love. If you did that, you would take JJ and Darius away and leave Will without his brothers. That would be pretty traumatic.”

“Like when Brad went to live with JP,” she said sadly.

“I think that you should be part of their lives, Bitty, but you cannot bring them back here,” I told her.

“Well, actually I could. I am their mother, I have rights,” she said defiantly, the old Bitty coming through.

“But you are also a responsible person now, and you want what is best for them. You must consider these things carefully before you make any decisions,” I said. She had a trust fund from Tonto that ensured she'd be comfortable for her whole life. A protracted legal battle was within her means.

“I will. I'm still getting used to having my feet on the ground. Tell Brad I'll give him a call and we'll talk.”

“Certainly,” I said.

“I have to run. Take care Stef.”

“You too,” I said. Then I turned to JP as soon as she was gone. “And how long did you know about this?”

“For a couple of weeks,” he said. “I wanted you to see it to believe it, and I wanted to see how she reacted.”

I could see it in his eyes. “She's going to be trouble,” I said. He nodded. “And once again, I come to this fucking town and nothing good comes of it.”

“And once again you are being shortsighted. You know what is coming so now you can be ready,” he said.

“You are right, but we are leaving,” I said. We said our goodbyes, and fled from Claremont once again. The limo was refreshingly cool, and the bar was stocked, thank God. JP made us gin and tonics while I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Brad.

“You're in Claremont?” he asked, surprised. “I thought you were going to Chicago?”

“We are on our way to the airport now. It is so hot here I think I am going to turn into a soufflé.”

“A soufflé?” Brad asked, laughing at my expression.

“Whatever. We have a problem.”

“What is it?” he asked, serious and concerned.

“I saw Bitty in Claremont. And she looked great.”

“That's good news Stef! She finally kicked her drug habit?” he asked.

“Yes. She is drug-free, works as a counselor at a local rehab center. She looks terrific, seems completely competent and responsible.”

“Why is that a worry?” he asked.

“Because she told me that she wanted to see Darius and JJ, but she was worried that if she did she'd want to bring them back to Claremont with her,” I said. There was silence on his end. I could feel how stunned he was.

“You think she'll try to get custody of them?” he asked quietly, sadly.

“I think it is coming, and so does JP. I told her that it was a mistake, that it would break up a family, but I don't think that had much of an impact on her.”

“Well, looks like I have some work to do,” he said.

“Brad, I am behind you in this battle, 100 percent,” I said. “Whatever we need to do, whatever we need to spend, we will do it.”

“I know Stef. I know I can always count on you. Now I have to start making some phone calls.”

“So this is why you brought me here, to prepare me for this battle?” I asked JP. I was irritated, but not at him.

“It is important,” was all he said.

July 5, 1995

“Is it always this hot here?” Alejandro asked as we drove up the Drive to Evanston.

“You are from Mexico and you think this is hot?” I asked dubiously.

“Hot is hot,” he said.

“No, it is not always this hot,” JP said. “This is pretty rare. Did you get in touch with Marcel?”

“He did not answer his phone.” I was worried about him. He hadn't talked to any of us since his visit to Malibu last month. Not even Max, and that was the strangest part of all. I had expected them to at least talk, but apparently they had not.

“I am worried for them, for him and Max,” I told JP.

“Why?”

“They do not talk or communicate at all. It is as if neither one of them wants to deal with the other. It is not a good sign for their relationship.”

JP scrunched his face up in this cute little expression he makes when he's considering something. “I don't know. Max seems like he's on vacation. I don't sense anything permanent there.”

“I thought they were together, Max and Cody, a couple?” Alejandro asked. I shook my head. He was so quiet it was easy to forget he was around and chatter away in front of him.

“No, Max is technically with Marcel, whom you will meet shortly. They are having issues,” I said.

“Yeah, I figured that out,” he said in his snotty teenage voice. I guess I had sounded a bit patronizing. I'd have to watch that in the future.

We took the elevator up to the 20th floor and rang the bell, then knocked, but got no response. I pulled out my key and unlocked the door, and we walked into hell. There was stuff everywhere. Food. Pizza boxes. Beer cans. Empty bottles, mostly of whiskey. We all gagged at the smell. I pushed in and headed straight to his bedroom. Marcel was lying there, stark naked, spread eagled across his bed.

“Damn, he's hot,” Alejandro said. I ignored him and went over and slapped Marcel to wake him up but got no reaction.

“Marcel!” I yelled. Nothing. Alejandro pushed past me and pulled Marcel's eyelids open and looked at his eyes, then felt for his pulse. Then I looked at his nightstand and saw a needle and a rubber tourniquet.

“He is overdosing on something,” Alejandro said. JP was already dialing 911. I sat there and held his hand, tears flowing down my face. It seemed like forever before the paramedics got there, even though it had been less than 15 minutes. They pushed me aside and started working on him as they hauled him out on a stretcher.

“I'm going with him Stef,” JP said, a command, not a request. “I lost Jeff like this. I can't lose him. We can't lose him.” I'd never seen him quite so frantic. A tear fell down his cheek, as much for sad memories as for Marcel.

“Go. I will call Max, and we will clean up around here.” Alejandro looked at me, about to argue, then changed his mind. Then JP and Marcel were gone, and the place seemed empty.

“I'll start in the other room,” he said helpfully.

“Thank you. I appreciate your help. I am going to call Max and then I will start cleaning up in here.” Marcel's room smelled like urine.

I had to finally call Brad back and have him go track Max down. “Hey Stef! How's the Windy City?” Max asked cheerfully. He was panting slightly, like he did after he had sex.

“It is horrible. Marcel is on his way to the hospital.”

“What? What happened?” Max had gone from cheerful to panicked in a second.

“He was taking drugs and took too much,” I said calmly, more to hide my own emotions than anything.

“No. No. This is all my fault. No,” he said, his voice tapering off. “Is he alright. He's alright isn't he?”

“I do not know. JP went with him to the hospital, and Alejandro and I stayed behind to clean up the place. It is a disaster. It looks like there has been a constant party here,” I picked up a half drunk bottle of Vodka and tossed it into the big garbage bag Alejandro had brought me. There was a pipe on the table, and not the kind you used to smoke pot or tobacco.

“I'm on my way. I will be there as fast as I can,” he said, and hung up.

We spent the next two hours cleaning up some of the nastiest shit I'd ever seen. I sent Alejandro down to the corner market to buy air fresheners, but even then it wasn't enough to cover the smell. Then I saw a light blinking on the answering machine. I went over and hit play.

“Hey baby, it's me. I got an eight ball of Tina. I'm coming over at 7 with a few of the boys. We're gonna have one big fuck fest tonight. God, you're so hot, I'm getting hard just thinking about you.” It was Bruno.

Alejandro just looked at me. “And I thought I was a slut.”

I listened for the date of the message and then picked up my phone and rooted through my contacts and dialed Mike Murphy. I got through with no problem, just like last time. “Stef? Are you in Chicago?”

“I am,” I said briskly, then forced myself to calm down.

“What are you doing here? It's hotter than hell.” Mike asked jovially. Evidently my fears were misplaced and he hadn't picked up on my terse answer.

“It is, but I needed to check up on my stepson. He is on his way to the hospital with a drug overdose.”

“That's bad news,” he said. “What can I do to help?” I played the message from Bruno for him.

“We'll have a few officers there to greet him this evening,” Mike said, pissed off. “I know just the ones to do it, too. Same guys he treated like shit at the bar.”

“Thanks Mike. Seems like I keep accumulating favors,” I said.

“Good thing you called today. I'm on vacation next week.”

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“Up to Wisconsin, probably the Dells,” he said.

“Nonsense. You must come out west, to escape this heat. Bring your wife and kids.”

“Uh...” he started to say, then stopped. “Well let's get together and talk about it, OK? Right now I have some calls to make.”

“Deal,” I said. I dialed JP's cell phone. He didn't answer, which frustrated me beyond belief. I was tempted to just call and call and call until he answered, but then I realized that would be pretty pointless. I sat there on the couch, trying to ignore the stench of the apartment.

“We could open the windows,” I said. “Hot or smelly, take your pick?”

“I think I will go with smelly,” Alejandro said, and started spraying air freshener again.

I felt my cell phone vibrate, then ring. It was JP. “How is he?” I asked without even saying hello.

“He's not good. He's in intensive care. If he makes it through the night, they say he'll survive.” The alternative didn't even bear consideration. I filled him in on the deal with Bruno, and looked at my watch. It had been a busy day and it was already 6:00pm.

The doorbell rang and I went over to answer it. Four cops came in, with a Sergeant in charge. I couldn't help but laugh internally at Alejandro. One of the cops was really cute, and he was blatantly lusting at him. “Captain Murphy sent us,” the Sergeant said. “We'll need you to clear out.”

“I would like to stay,” I said. “You may need me here.”

“I wouldn't want to put you or the boy in danger,” he said, nodding toward Alejandro. Good point.

“Very well,” I said. I played the message for him, grabbed Alejandro and caught a cab to the hospital. We wandered the building for a bit until we found the ICU. I went in to see him after JP came out and just sat there next to the bed, holding his hand and crying. There was a huge commotion outside and the door flew open, a nurse yelling.

“Only one visitor is allowed in at a time!”

“I don't care. I have to see him!” It was Max. Frantic, crazed, terrified, sad, he was an emotional basket case. I yielded my spot next to Marcel for him.

“I think it will be alright for a few minutes, then I will leave,” I said to her. She nodded and left, much to my surprise. Usually only JP could get people to listen to him like that.

“Marcel, Marcel, wake up! You have to wake up!” He looked up at me. “Can he hear me? Does he know I'm here?”

I put my hand on his shoulder, then his head and ran my fingers through his hair lovingly. “He knows you are here. He can hear you.” I wasn't convinced he could, but no good would come of telling Max that.

“I'm so sorry baby. I'm sorry I was a jerk to you, that I didn't forgive you in LA. You get well, you come out of this coma, and I promise we'll be together forever. If you still want me, that is.” I saw the nurse standing there, agitated.

“Max, that is the best incentive anyone could have given him. I'm going to take Alejandro to get some dinner, and JP too. Stay here with him.” Like anyone could stop him.

“If you violate the hospital rules like that again,” the bitchy nurse said, “visiting privileges will be revoked.”

For some reason I felt strangely empowered. “Mr. Granger will be allowed in there, day, night, or whenever he wants. You try to remove him, you give him any crap, and I will have your head. Do you understand?” She just glared at me and stormed off.

I felt arms around me. JP. “You're pretty scary sometimes.”

“Food.” Alejandro said, making us laugh. We headed to Giordanos for pizza. Mike called me while we were on the way and promised to meet us there. It took a while to make, so we had a bunch of appetizers. By the time the pizza got there, we were full. Well, JP and I were full. Alejandro kept eating. Mike came strolling in, looking young and handsome with his bright red hair and his slightly chubby body. He hadn't changed at all.

“The guys had to subdue that bunch at your place but I don't think they broke anything,” he said, smiling. “Bruno's missing a few teeth.”

“What a shame,” I said.

“They had the meth on them as promised, plus a small amount of heroin. Did you find any in the condo?”

“No,” I said.

“They said Marcel bought some the night before. Must have done it all. I hope he makes it.” Mike had seen this a lot, but his matter-of-fact attitude was disturbing.

“So when does your vacation start?” I asked, changing the subject.

“Saturday. I'm off from the 8th to the 15th,” he said.

“Excellent. Then you will come back to California with us. We will have fun, relax on the beach, go for a cruise. Your wife does not mind gay men, I hope?”

“We're separated,” he said sadly. “I have two sons. One is 19, and he is off doing his own thing. The other is going to turn 16 next month. He told us he was gay last week. My wife didn't handle it very well, so me and Casey, that's his name, we moved out.”

“I'm so sorry to hear that,” I said. “Then you must bring Casey with you. He will have fun. Alejandro is almost 16, so he will have someone his age to hang out with.” I gave Alejandro a look that told him to behave. Poor Casey. And Alejandro knew he was gay. Casey would come back to Chicago much more experienced.

“I wouldn't want to impose,” he said as he caved to the inevitable.

“You would never be an imposition,” JP said. “Besides, it would be nice to spend some time with you and catch up.”

“Meet us at Meigs Field on Saturday morning. 9:00am?” I said.

“Sounds good,” he agreed. We headed back to the hospital after that, and found Max sitting outside the ICU crying.

“What is it?” I asked.

“I don't think he's going to make it,” he said, sobbing. “I can't go on without him. I wanted to punish him Stef, to make him know how he hurt me. But not this. I did this. I killed him.”

“Let's not panic. We have a long night ahead of us,” I said, telling JP with my eyes to go check on Marcel. “If he makes it through the night, he is with us. And he will make it through the night.”

“He stopped breathing and they made me leave. I need to go back.” He got up and pushed past me and JP and into the ICU.

“It doesn't look good,” JP said sadly. And then he broke down and cried, really cried. Sobbed. His tears were for Marcel, and they were also for Jeff, Marcel's father, who had ironically used drugs to end his life. It was so sad. So tragic. So preventable. Yet I stayed strong since he was weak, just as JP had been strong for me so many times. I would break down later, I would allow myself to grieve later. Now, he needed me.