[November 16th] [The Rockford Files-related] Chronicles of a Friendship, 16

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

Title: Chronicles of a Friendship, scene 16
Day/Theme: November 16th - Sanctuary
Series: The Rockford Files (using characters from The Queen of Peru episode)
Character/Pairing: Ginger Townsend, Lou Trevino, a nun
Rating: K+/PG

Continued from the last piece....


By Lucky_Ladybug

It was the worst rainstorm Los Angeles had experienced all that year. As Ginger frantically drove through the torrents, the windshield wipers going full-blast, the water flying up on all sides of the car was barely below flood levels.

“Ginger,” Lou mumbled from the passenger seat, “you’re never gonna make it to the hospital in all this. We’re gonna get in a wreck.”

“We can’t stop and wait it out,” Ginger retorted. “You need help!”

Lou had to admit, he was pretty sure he did. He had come back to himself more along the drive, but he still wasn’t fully with it and kept finding himself spacing in and out for moments at a time before being dragged back to the present by the car sliding or skidding or practically flying through the water.

“I can hardly believe it wasn’t raining at all when I got you into the car,” Ginger muttered. He was gripping the steering wheel with both hands, his knuckles white.

“It really did kind of come out of nowhere,” Lou acknowledged.

Ginger cursed the storm as they went on.

It was when visibility was entirely lost that he was forced to stop in front of a large cathedral. “We have no choice,” he said in frustration. “We’ll have to go in here and see if anyone can help you.”

Lou looked blearily at the cathedral’s spires, stretching high into the dark clouds. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and a doctor will be in there at Confession or something,” he said.

“Perhaps,” Ginger said. He got out of the car, displeased by the rain but trying to ignore it, and opened the passenger door. Lou fumbled with the seatbelt and managed to undo it, and Ginger started to help him out.

“Oh no,” Lou moaned suddenly. “Aren’t there a lot of steps?” He didn’t think he could make it up. Visions of tumbling down the entire flight and carting Ginger with him danced through his mind.

“There’s a side door,” Ginger said. “We’ll use that, if it’s open.”

To their immense relief it was, and Ginger helped Lou through the door and into the hall immediately on the other side.

A nun happened to be coming out of the chapel at that moment. “Heaven help us!” she exclaimed in concern, hurrying over to them. “What happened to this man?”

Ginger tried to support Lou, who was grabbing at the wall to ease the pressure on Ginger. “Some men attacked us and one of them hit him on the head,” Ginger said bitterly. “I think he has a concussion. I was taking him to the hospital, but the storm got so bad I had to stop here.”

She frowned, coming closer and studying Lou. “I’m afraid there isn’t a doctor here,” she said regretfully, “but you’re welcome to wait until the storm clears.”

“Thank you,” Ginger nodded.

They made their way into the chapel, where Ginger gently helped Lou onto the nearest pew. Sighing in relief to sit down, Lou slumped back and stared at the ceiling.

Ginger stayed standing. “Is there anyone here who has had medical experience?” he wanted to know.

“I’m afraid not,” the nun said regretfully. “Although I know some basic first aid. . . .”

“As do I,” Ginger frowned. “And I know that if my chum really has a concussion, I can’t let him go to sleep.”

Lou groaned. He was so tired. But he knew Ginger was right.

The nun nodded in concern. “What is his name? I will pray for him and for you.”

“His name is Lou Trevino,” Ginger replied. “I’m Ginger Townsend.”

She blinked in surprise. “Ginger?” she repeated.

“Yes,” Ginger said flatly.

“It’s his real name,” Lou mumbled without thinking.

The nun smiled. “I happen to enjoy unusual names. I’ll pray for you both.” She went to the front of the chapel, where she lit two candles and then knelt with clasped hands.

Ginger sat on the pew next to Lou. “I told you never to tell anyone that,” he said. He was not really angry; he was worried. For Lou to have blurted it out, he must be more seriously out of it than Ginger had thought.

Lou turned to look at him. “I’m sorry,” he said, dazed. “I remember you said that.” Suddenly he looked sickened. “I remember I said I wouldn’t. Oh no, now I broke my promise!”

Ginger gripped Lou’s shoulder. “That’s not important. What’s important is that you would have to be very badly hurt to do so. Do you understand me?”

Lou blinked bleary eyes at his friend. “Yeah,” he said.

“I have to keep you awake,” Ginger went on. “No matter how badly you want to sleep, you cannot. Talk with me. Talk to the nun or to God. Blurt out all of my deep dark secrets, if it will keep you conscious.”

Lou looked confused. “You really mean that?”

“I mean it.” Ginger’s voice was harsh in his seriousness and concern. “You are more important to me than anything I told you in confidence.”

Finally Lou gave a small nod, too lost in a fog to really process the significance of Ginger’s words. “Okay.”

“Tell me about your childhood,” Ginger said, hoping to force Lou to focus and think about something, anything. “Tell me what it was like for you and Michael, growing up in New York City.”

“Growing up?” Lou repeated.

“Yes.” Ginger was still gripping at Lou’s shoulder, but he began to ease the pressure when it looked like Lou was starting to consider the request.

“It was the seventies,” Lou said slowly. “There were a lot of weird things going on. Weird fashions, weird ideas, weird toys.”

“Was your family poor?” Ginger persisted.

“You know they weren’t really rich,” Lou said. “But they were never as poor as your parents. Mike and I had a pretty good home life. It was when we were dealing with the other kids that we had some problems.”

“They picked on you?”

“On Mike. I had to bail him out a lot. I guess that’s how come he started almost worshiping me and following me around. He liked being around me more than the kids his age.”

“Was that awkward?”

“Sometimes. One time I got kind of mad at him over it. I felt bad about it later, though. He forgave me and then he kept hanging out with me after I told him it was okay for him to be there.”

“Your mates didn’t mind?”

“Yeah, kind of. But the ones who mattered just dealt with it until Mike got some other interests. Anybody who wasn’t willing to wait I just fell out of touch with.” Lou regarded Ginger in confusion. “You know most of this stuff, don’t you?”

“Not all of it. But that’s not the point.” Ginger looked firmly into Lou’s eyes. “You have to stay awake. You remember, don’t you?”

Lou sighed, so tired. “Yeah,” he conceded. “I remember.”

“So keep talking. Or ask me questions. Anything to keep from sinking into sleep. You might not come out of it. And that is unacceptable.”

“I can’t even think of anything to ask,” Lou mumbled.

“It could be nonsense, for all I care,” Ginger retorted. “Just as long as it keeps you alert.”

“Okay. Uh . . . were you ever in love?”

Ginger raised an eyebrow. “No,” he said honestly. “I have never been in love.”

“Any time I’ve seen you on a date, you’re all polite but distant. And it’s always for work, like taking an important client out to dinner. A lot of times we’ve double-dated for work.” Lou tried to sit up more and focus on Ginger. “Did you ever date for other reasons, like before we met?”

Ginger leaned back. “. . . I suppose everyone has at least once,” he said. “Yes, I tried dating for more conventional reasons in my teenage years. I was never particularly popular with the girls, but there were some who were curious. Usually they were scared off by tales of my temper. A few others were fascinated. You know what they say about good girls and bad blokes.”

“Yeah?” Lou slumped against the pew and tried to prop himself up by stretching his arm across the top. It was hard for him to believe that Ginger hadn’t been popular with the female set. Ginger was good-looking and Ginger knew it. Several times Lou had accidentally overheard some of the girls at work gossiping about Ginger. There were always at least a couple saying how handsome he was.

Then again, he supposed Ginger’s aloof nature and temper would indeed keep a lot of people at arm’s length, even if they oogled him from a distance. And that would perhaps give Ginger the idea that he wasn’t popular among the students, regardless of whether it was true.

“What about you?” Ginger said suddenly.

“Huh? Me?” Lou blinked. “You mean, have I dated and stuff?”

“Yes.”

“Sure.” Lou shrugged. “I had some pretty good times in high school.”

“High school was a long time ago,” Ginger pointed out.

“Okay, so I haven’t dated as much in most recent years. But I had a pretty good time for a while after high school too.” Lou gazed blankly at the front of the chapel, watching the flickering flames of the candles the nun had lit. She had quietly slipped out sometime back, but was waiting nearby in case she was needed. “Sometimes I kind of wonder what it’d be like to get married.”

Ginger had wondered if that had ever been on Lou’s mind. “Do you want to get married?” he asked, wanting the answer and yet dreading it. He wasn’t interested in marriage himself and feared that Lou marrying could eventually cause them to drift apart. He abhorred that thought. But of course, he wouldn’t stand in Lou’s way if that was what Lou wanted.

“I don’t know,” Lou mused. “See, it’d have to be a real special girl, somebody who could understand and accept you. She’d have to be okay with you being around.”

Ginger smirked, darkly, but was touched. “It’s unlikely you could find such a girl.”

“I’m sure I could,” Lou insisted. “But if I couldn’t, well, then I wouldn’t get married.” He shrugged, like it was the most simple, obvious answer in the world.

Ginger shook his head. “You would give it up for me,” he proclaimed.

Lou sat up straighter. “If she couldn’t accept you, I wouldn’t be giving up much,” he insisted. “I wouldn’t be happy if you couldn’t feel comfortable being around. And she wouldn’t be happy if she couldn’t stand you.”

“Can you imagine me as an uncle for your children?” Ginger remarked. He wasn’t sure where that had come from, but to him it was a very bizarre image.

Lou, however, smiled. “Yeah, I can. Maybe you don’t get on too well with kids, but if they were mine, I think you would.”

Ginger grunted. “I suppose you’re right. Or at least, I’d make a greater effort.”

“They’d be nuts about you,” Lou declared.

“I doubt that.” Ginger crossed his arms. “But if they weren’t afraid of me and would obey me, we might get somewhere.” He shot Lou a sideways glance. “That concussion must be affecting you even more seriously than I thought.”

Lou laughed but then sobered. “Seriously, though, Ginger. I don’t believe that to have a successful marriage, you have to cut your other loved ones out of your life. Getting married should mean bringing in a new family member, not getting rid of the old ones. I never really liked that passage in the Bible about leaving your family behind when you get married.”

“Somehow, I don’t think that’s exactly what the passage meant,” Ginger said, although he knew he certainly wasn’t an authority on the Bible. “It most likely meant something closer to the idea that you shouldn’t allow your other family members to rule your married life.”

“Maybe. But that wouldn’t be happening in this family anyway. We get along great. And my parents are even coming to accept you.”

“That’s something I never thought would happen,” Ginger admitted.

“All they needed was to be convinced you care about me,” Lou said in earnest.

“They should have known that before,” Ginger grunted.

“They were really pretty sure. I think they were still just hanging on to those old doubts because they wanted to make sure I wouldn’t get into crime again. And then they were so happy that I was alive when they thought I was dead that, well . . . I guess they decided to try to open their hearts to you a little more.”

“I suppose.” Ginger paused. The rain was still pounding on the windows outside.

“Anyway, back to that whole marriage thing.” Lou looked to Ginger. “I’m not really looking for someone at all. If someone finds me, and she’s right for this family, that’s great. But if not, that’s great too.” He laid a hand on Ginger’s shoulder. “I like what we’ve got.”

“As do I,” Ginger said. He wondered how much of this conversation Lou would remember when he was feeling better.

Lou glanced to the window. “The rain’s still really coming down out there.”

Ginger nodded in annoyance and got up for a closer look. “It’s probably still too heavy to hope to leave.” He scowled when he couldn’t see anything except the furiously pounding raindrops.

“Spending the night here wouldn’t be too bad.” Lou laid on the vacated pew, so exhausted, so tired, longing so badly for sleep.

“Lou!” Suddenly Ginger was back, gripping Lou’s shoulder. “Sit up. You know you can’t sleep!”

“I’m not sleepin’,” Lou retorted. “I’m just laying here. Man, I’m telling you, I ache all over. I’m sick of sitting up.”

“I know, but if you lie there, you’re going to go to sleep.” Ginger gripped tighter and brought his other hand over for leverage. Planting his feet firmly on the floor, he struggled to lift the stubborn, stocky man who didn’t want to move.

“I’m not gonna go to sleep!” Lou insisted. “Leave me alone.” He reached out, lightly swatting at Ginger.

“Don’t be so bloody obstinate!” Ginger shot back. “This isn’t the time!” He was more worried than frustrated. Lou had been relatively fine a moment ago. Of course it would have been too much to expect him to stay that way all night. Usually he and Ginger got along well, but when they disagreed, each was very insistent on his own way. And in Lou’s state, it would be far worse than usual.

As Ginger continued to pull in desperation, Lou’s patience abruptly vanished. “Cut it out!” he roared, rising up just enough to physically push Ginger away from him. His balance lost, and Lou’s strength disturbingly fierce, Ginger toppled backwards over the pew in back of him. He crashed to the floor, stunned.

For a moment Lou sat on the other pew, breathing heavily, still angry in his ill mind. But then the fog began to clear and he stared, suddenly realizing what he had done. “Ginger?” he quavered.

On the floor, Ginger groaned. He was still trying to figure out how to untangle himself from the pews on either side of him and get up. Lou had shoved him with such force that the wind had been knocked completely out of him upon landing.

Hearing the groan, Lou panicked, believing Ginger to be hurt much worse than he was. “Ginger!” he cried, scrambling off the pew and hurrying forward to look over the next one. “Ginger, I didn’t mean it!” he said in anguish. Shakily he tried to climb over the top of the pew and kneel on the seat to reach and help Ginger up.

“I know you didn’t,” Ginger finally rasped. He placed a hand on his stomach, still finding it difficult to breathe or speak. He hated when he was rendered helpless like this. Not wanting Lou to worry more, he pushed on the floor with his other hand and tried to rise.

Lou reached for him with his strong hands, this time trying to help instead of hurt. Ginger let Lou take hold of him under his arms and try to pull him up, but he grabbed the seat of the pew as soon as he could, not wanting Lou to strain himself in his condition. He collapsed onto the seat lying down, still a bit dazed.

Lou climbed off the pew and knelt on the floor next to Ginger. “Ginger, are you really okay?” he pleaded. “You’re not okay, are you? It’s my fault because I pushed you!”

“You didn’t mean to push me,” Ginger answered. “It’s that bloody concussion.” After a moment he sat up, still holding a hand over his stomach.

Lou sat next to him. “I won’t try to lay down again,” he said in grief. “You were just trying to make sure I wouldn’t drop off to sleep and I hurt you.”

“I’m going to be alright,” Ginger shot back, resting his other hand on Lou’s shoulder. “Just give me a few minutes to recover.”

Lou nodded. “Do you want me to talk, Ginger? I’ll talk about anything you want.”

“Go ahead,” Ginger replied. “Choose the topic yourself. Make it something that will keep you attentive and awake.”

“I’ll talk about when we met,” Lou said. “You remember when we met, don’t you, Buddy?”

“I remember. But tell me about it.”

Ginger listened as Lou related the story of their first meeting from his point-of-view, followed by tales of some of their adventures, both with the company and with stealing jewels. He seemed to be more awake and alert again and willing to keep sitting up to stay that way. And Ginger had to admit that if that was because he had shoved Ginger, then Ginger was grateful it had happened.

The rest of the night passed in that manner. When morning at last dawned, bringing with it a break in the storm, Ginger breathed a prayer of thanks.

“We can leave now,” he told Lou, pushing himself off the pew. “I’ll take you to the hospital and they’ll make sure you recover well.”

Lou got off the pew as well, wobbling a bit but catching himself. “I don’t think they’ll do better than you did, Ginger,” he said seriously.

“We’ll see,” Ginger replied.

Looking around for the nun but not seeing her, Ginger determined not to search. They could return later and he could properly thank her for the use of the cathedral.

For now he drew his arm around Lou’s shoulders and guided his best friend to the door.

Lou went with him, willingly.