Driving Mr. Bane

Chapter 41

It had been a little over a week since Alec had visited Jonathan last. He had meant to come visit him earlier, especially because of the bruise he saw last, but everything had become slightly hectic at home. Sam's father had sent an attorney to reach out to Sam on his behave. He wanted Sam to visit him in prison. The whole thing seemed extremely odd, since the father didn't want anything to do with a son that was gay. Not that Sam had spoken about his sexuality at all since his father went to prison. It was like he still had a slight fear of being himself, even though Alec and Magnus supported the homosexual lifestyle from obvious reasons. But Alec did understand the reason why.

a fear that deeply embedded into your soul is hard to overcome. Sam needs time. And love. Not his homophobic father.

Alec shook of his concerns for Sam as he and Magnus walked through the doors into the facility. He needed to be there for Jonathan right now. He could go back to worrying about Sam when they left the facility. As Magnus signed them in, Alec went inside to look for Jonathan. But he couldn't find him. He wasn't inside or in the garden. Alec saw a female nurse and went over to her.

"Excuse me... do you know where Jonathan Morgenstern is"

"Mr. Morgenstern isn't feeling well today. He has asked for permission to stay in his room."

"oh..." Alec reached out to take Magnus had, as Magnus approached them. "has he been ill for long?"

"No. And he isn't exactly ill. There's in nothing physically wrong with him. He is just... well, depressed is probably the most correct term. It happens sometimes."

"What do you mean?" Magnus caressed the back of Alec's hand with his thumb, when he could feel the anxiety in his grip.

"sometimes, patients that suffer from Nymphomania or is addicted to sex in any way, becomes depressed when they can't live out their desires. They begin to suffer from withdrawals, and that manifests in a depression like state."

"but..." Alec looked at Magnus before turning towards the nurse again. "Wouldn't that have showed up a lot earlier? I mean, he's been here for a while. Isn't it late for him to be depressed about this now?"

The nurse shrugged.

"It's different for every patient."

"okay. Thank you..."

As they walked out, Alec whispered to Magnus.

"Do you believe it's just withdrawals?"

"no..." Magnus replied, "especially not when you put those bruises you told me about in context."

"Me Neither. We need to get to the bottom of this, Magnus. I can't just let him suffer."

"I know. Let's talk to the manager again."

As Magnus and Alec talked to the day manager, he informed them that the night manager had made a note in Jonathan's profile about their concern of a potential boyfriend last time. And they had all kept an eye on him, but no one had seen anything.

The manager closed Jonathan's file, and looked at them.

"I'm sorry there isn't more I can do to help. But as the nurse informed you, depression is sadly very common around here. It's a part of the process. I'm sure Mr. Morgenstern will be back to his old self very soon. But if you want to get more information, you might be able to catch Mr. Morgenstern's night nurse. He often shows up early to his shift. He eats his dinner in the cafeteria. I think he likes that place a lot better than his own home at the moment."

Alec and Magnus thanked the manager for his help and decided to check out the cafeteria to see if they were lucky enough to find the nurse.

They were.

At a table by the window, a young good-looking man sat gazing outside with a plate of untouched food in front of him.

"Excuse me. Are you a night nurse here?" Magnus asked the man politely.

For a moment, it looked like the man needed to force himself to focus on Magnus and Alec before he understood who was talking. He had clearly been very distracted by his thoughts.

"yes. Yes I am."

"Can we ask you some questions. About Mr. Morgenstern?"

"I'm sorry. I'm not allowed to talk about our patients."

"Oh, I didn't present myself. I'm sorry. My name is Magnus Bane. I'm paying for Mr. Morgenstern's treatment here."

"I'm so sorry Mr. Bane. I didn't know." He gestured for Magnus and Alec to take a seat. "So, what do you want to know?"

Magnus gestured for Alec to take over.

"I'm just having some concerns. Last week I saw bruises on his neck that he claimed was from a run in with another patient and this week he is staying in his room because of a depression. Earlier he was ecstatic because of some boyfriend he had." Alec sighed and pinched the brink of his nose. "I know it sounds like I'm grasping at straws, but I know Jonathan. This isn't normal behavior. Something is wrong."

"I understand what you are talking about. I've been a bit concerned too. He seems to be a very sensitive young man that is easy to be affected by outside stimuli. I have seen his mood shift radically without any real reason. But I haven't seen any signs of a boyfriend."

Sighing, Alec dropped h.is shoulders and stared at the floor. He had to fight back the frustration.

"I'm sorry I can't help more. He's a sweet young man and I want what's best for him, but I'm afraid I dont know how to help you. Especially because I haven't been here this week."

"Oh?" Magnus looked questioningly at the young nurse.

"Yeah... I've been taking some personal time. My wife and I... we're getting a divorce, and its turning into a mess."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"thanks. Its my fault anyway, so I guess I deserve the mess that follows."

"May I ask how it is your fault?"

The young nurse looked at Magnus with a slight blush on his face before lowering his gaze.

"I... I cheated on my wife..." he looked up again and a tear streamed down his face. "With a man..."