INTERLUDE INBETWEEN
Titus Dean, or enough of what had once been Titus Dean that it still thought of itself AS Titus Dean, watched the sexy, nerdy Medical Examiner… Lab Tech whatever the hell he was… doze and startle awake and doze while 'reading'.
This bit of Titus sensed a stirring of memory within itself, an echo of an urge to lie beside this man, to caress him, be with him. It wished for a moment to be alive again to feel the warmth of another body and enjoy everything two living men could do to make each other happy. Mostly, it wished there were more it could do to protect this man’s life, more than waking him when the demon it had loosed by ceasing to be the living Titus Dean, drew near.
FIVE
Gabriel stared at his dinner; he was much too tired to eat. It had probably been a waste of time to heat this frozen veggie-entrée up, but he had to eat something. He had skipped lunch at work because every time he sat down, his eyelids fluttered closed. He had considered eating while standing but had completely abandoned the idea because of how weirdly awkward that would be in either the cafeteria or in a restaurant. Of course, eating at his desk was out; food in the autopsy room or cold storage was discouraged… more than a little bit gross and possibly dangerous.
He felt as if he hadn’t gotten back to sleep after his nightmare the previous night, but it had taken his alarm to get him out of bed for work in the morning. His alarm and a sackload of willpower.
He’d felt strange all day long, and he’d developed a crick in his neck from glancing over his shoulder every few minutes. It was probably just a function of his near exhaustion; he hadn’t felt alone at any time during his day but he HAD been alone, except for the commute on the T and a couple trips through the more populated portions of the hospital.
Gabriel sighed and forked a glob of fake soy-chicken toward his mouth. It got lost on the way and ended up back on his plate. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the fizzy-headed descent into doze as his head lolled above his dinner.
He felt a slight pressure on his shoulder like a hand resting just next to his neck.
He wasn’t about to look around in an empty apartment when he remembered locking the door. Instead, he pushed his dinner toward the center of the table and laid his head down to give in to the drowse.
The fingers tightened.
<Adding sensory hallucinations to my obvious symptoms of exhaustion,> he thought. <A night out… or even better a vacation at some slutty, clothing-optional resort.> “I am definitely seeing sleeping aid on the menu tonight,” he said quietly and sighed.
Yanked suddenly backwards, Gabriel jerked full awake and couldn’t stop himself from looking over his shoulder. Of course, no one was there. <Myoclonic jerk,> he thought. <Drifting to sleep and I jumped. No one else involved.> The apartment was silent save for his slightly rapid breathing and the traffic noises from Holland street and Davis Square.
With another sigh he retrieved his meal and forced an oversized bite into his mouth.
Not that he needed further evidence that he had drifted to sleep with his head very nearly in his dinner, but Gabriel was certain that he’d heard someone whisper ‘no’ just before he sat up.