Insomnia (dsr) (PG) Challenge 127 3/28/11
Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2011 10:13 pm
Hi all!! Below is my answer to the challenge to write a story titled "Insomnia", incorporating the words: wire, uniform and heat.
This story delves into the mind of a character I've never really explored before - Josh Lindsey. This story describes what Josh might have thought and done after Beth went to New York with Mick in 'Sleeping Beauty'.
As always, I don't own the characters, and any quotations made from the series are done with the utmost respect for those who authored them, in this case, Trevor Munson and Ron Koslow
I hope you enjoy!!
Insomnia
Jealousy is the injured lover’s hell – John Milton
No courtroom defeat handed Josh Lindsey compared to the humiliation he’d suffered earlier this night. Before his eyes, the woman to whom he’d given his heart had devastated his dreams, hurling him into a nightmare of doubt and despair. Hours later, he lay awake, a toxic brew of bourbon, pain and self-pity enticing the jealous demon that lies within the heart of every man in love.
What a fool he’d been to think that a romantic movie and a little wine would lead to a night of gentle lovemaking with the woman he adored and thought he knew. Instead, Josh found himself in bed alone. Worse, Beth was with him.
When were you going to tell me?
Her eyes betrayed her – Beth hadn’t planned on telling him at all about her trip to New York with Mick. But she’d been caught, suitcase in hand, mumbling an excuse he’d scarcely heard. He didn’t need to; it was just another of many signs that he was losing this beautiful woman to a man he barely knew and didn’t trust.
Look me in the eye, right now, and tell me you don’t have feelings for him. Look me in the eye and tell me that.
While a sideward glance indicted her, the ensuing silence condemned her. As another denial formed on her lips, her shadowy hero arrived once again to save her, only this time, from being honest.
Josh could still feel the heat of his shame as he slunk away before his rival. That was the maddening part; it didn’t seem like Mick was actually trying to take Beth away from him. There were no smug, triumphant looks or cutting remarks as Josh fled, defeated. In the doorway of Beth’s apartment, Mick’s stance was nothing of what the ADA remembered in the darkened recesses of Club Valis, that of a dominant alpha male protecting what was his. On the contrary, the PI seemed genuinely embarrassed at his intrusion, offering to go to New York alone, should Beth need to stay and sort things out with her boyfriend.
Maybe Beth thought Josh was too far away to hear her answer, but he had, and with it, he knew that the last, tenuous bond of love between them had broken.
Hauling himself out of bed, Josh staggered to the kitchen to get some water, hoping to quell his tumultuous thoughts. Not usually one for heavy drinking, Josh knew the bourbon he’d downed earlier would come back to haunt him in the morning. In the dark, lonely hours of the night, though, the alcohol had let loose the demons of doubt and jealousy he’d so far managed to control. Once unleashed, Josh couldn’t escape their torment.
‘They should have landed by now….maybe even found a hotel….wanna bet it’s only one room?’
Jesus! Don’t go there….Beth wouldn’t, I know she wouldn’t….
‘Why not? You’ve seen how she looks at him… like he’s some kind of Greek god. Has she ever looked at you that way?’
Of course ….
‘Yeah, sure she has. Gotta admit, he’s pretty attractive.’
Only if you’re into scruffy PIs with a shady past and uncertain future. Not to mention lousy wardrobe.
‘Apparently, she is.’
Why? What’s he got to offer that I don’t?
‘Excitement. Spontaneity. A hint of danger. You’re too regimented, too predictable, too available. In a word, boring.’
No, I’m not!
‘Seriously, Tuesday is movie night? I rest my case, counselor.’
OK, so maybe I need to mix things up a bit….
‘You don’t get it, do you? You can’t ‘mix things up’….it’s not who you are. Even if you could, you’re no match for Mick.’
And what makes you say that?
‘There’s something about Mick, something Beth finds incredibly sexy and alluring.’
Beth finds me sexy….at least she used to.
‘Not in the same way. Maybe it’s the mysterious air about him, or maybe it’s his tough guy / bad boy image that’s appealing. Seriously, what do you know about this guy?’
Not much.
‘Right. My guess is Beth knows a lot more than you do. All those late night ‘meetings’? Did you really think they were just about work?’
What are you saying?
‘Beth’s been seeing you for over a year now, right? While you’re comfortable with your relationship, maybe she’s bored with it and you. Face it. Your love life isn’t as exciting as it used to be.’
Beth would never cheat on me!!
‘Keep telling yourself that. Mick, on the other hand, is charming, sexy and off limits to a woman already in a relationship. That’s an enticing combination, one few women can resist, especially one who’s bored. In other words, Mick is forbidden fruit, one Beth’s dying to get a taste of, if she hasn’t already. Maybe going to New York together will provide them an opportunity to sample more of what each has to offer. And before you defend Beth’s virtue again, you know deep down that something happened between them in the desert.’
Mick was sick, she went to help him and Leni, that’s all.
‘You give new meaning to the word ‘denial’, you know that? You may think Beth incapable of cheating, but a man would have to be dead not to appreciate and accept what a beautiful woman like her has to offer. My guess is that if Mick hasn’t made love to her already, he will. Soon.’
Stop!!!!!!
As he headed back to bed, Josh shook his head, desperately trying to erase the erotic image jealousy had painted for him. Unfortunately, the seeds of doubt had already taken root, keeping him awake as he tried to understand Beth’s mysterious attraction to Mick St. John.
OK, so maybe I don’t get what Beth sees in Mick. Sexy? I don’t see it….maybe if he shaved once in a while. Maybe a bit of hero worship? He did save her from that vampire wannabe graduate student… yeah, that’s got to be it. Beth has gotten herself into trouble before, but that was the first time somebody actually came close to killing her.
No. No, it wasn’t. Her childhood abduction. If she hadn’t been found, there’s no telling what would have happened to her. You know, Beth even had a nightmare about that not too long ago, only this time it was Mick who saved her from the ‘scary woman’…I guess her subconscious scrambled the two worst experiences of her life for that charming little dream.
Hero or not, there is something weird about that guy. That whole bit with Spaulding…what the hell did he mean ‘I know what you are’? Not who, what. Lee Jay struck a nerve, though. I could see it in Mick’s eyes. He’s hiding something.
Does Beth know what it is? Is she protecting him from something?
Why did Mick come to her in the first place? They barely knew each other….there had to have been others he could have gone to for help.
What I really don’t get is why Beth was so upset when she thought Mick died in the desert. For a guy she’d only known for a month or so, you’d have thought she’d lost her oldest friend.
And that wound on her arm…. no way fence wire caused it the way she described; the holes were too uniform, too clean. When I tried to kiss it, I could feel her freeze, and not because it hurt. Why won’t she tell what really happened? Did Mick do something to her? With Leni there, it couldn’t have been anything ….intimate.
Could it?
As Josh finally drifted off to sleep, the questions his conscious mind raised and failed to resolve, the subconscious one succeeded, and through a dream, wove those answers into a bizarre tapestry of love and devotion.
Josh was happy, so happy as gazed lovingly at the woman on his arm, dazzling in a long, flowing blue gown.
My Beth, my beautiful Beth!
They danced together in a ballroom ablaze with candlelight, her brilliant blue eyes sparkling with happiness behind a golden mask.
Other masked couples danced around them, but no woman was as graceful as his Beth.
One by one, as candles flickered out, couples left the floor. When only a handful of candles were left burning, the room took on an eerie glow, with only Josh, Beth and one other couple remaining.
The woman wore a long white, diaphanous gown, a stark contrast to the darkness surrounding her. The man was clothed in black, a mere shadow in his partner’s brilliance. Each wore a full mask decorated with monstrous features, allowing only their glittering eyes to show through.
Tearing his eyes away from this mysterious, frightening couple, Josh realized that Beth had somehow become a child, her blue dress replaced by a flannel nightgown. The child looked up at him and smiled, then let go of his hand.
The woman in white approached the young Beth, reaching out to her with one hand, the other holding her mask in place. The child’s eyes widened in horror at the hideous features. Instead of turning to Josh, though, she turned toward the man in black, who knelt down and spread his arms wide, shielding her from the woman in white. As he did, his mask fell away and his eyes ceased to glitter in the dark. The child Beth ran to him, burying herself in his arms.
The man in black held Beth close, kissing the top of her golden head as if to soothe her. Eventually, the child timidly looked at him, and as their eyes met, she smiled, then gently kissed his cheek.
As the man stood, the child Beth became a woman again, now wearing a gown of red. The man in black held her tight, as if she were a precious gift, one he would protect forever.
The woman in white vanished.
The man in black released Beth, and kneeling before her, gently kissed her hand. A knowing look passed between them, then Beth knelt beside the man, her hand never leaving his. Drawing her close, the man kissed her again, this time on the wrist. As he did, blood trickled down her fingertips causing the man’s eyes to flash briefly. Kissing her once again, the bloody wound magically healed.
Seeing this, Josh pleaded for Beth to return to him, for even in the darkened room, he knew the man in black was Mick St. John.
Josh awoke crying Beth’s name. His heart was pounding, his body covered in a sheen of sweat. The details of the dream that had moments ago been so vivid, were rapidly fading away. Even so, he knew that whatever the reason, there was some kind of connection between Beth and Mick that he could no longer deny.
But that didn’t mean he had to give up on Beth.
In the morning sun, the jealous fog that had poisoned his thoughts during the night finally burned away. Josh stood on his balcony, coffee in hand, his head splitting, his stomach threatening revenge for the previous night’s insanity. Jealously could make a man say and do stupid things, suspecting the worst of those he professed to love, something he’d just demonstrated in spades.
The shame he felt the night before was nothing compared to the shame he felt now.
Beth was a woman he loved, not one he owned. If she ever gave him the opportunity, he’d apologize for his behavior and show her just how much he loved and appreciated her.
In the clear light of day, he understood that like himself, Beth’s career had her working long hours, sometimes in odd places. That’s how she met St. John in the first place, during the course of a murder investigation each was following. If doing her job meant Beth’s path crossed Mick’s from time to time, who was he to complain? As far as he could tell, Mick had never done anything inappropriate. Hell, were it not for him, Beth herself might have become another victim of that murderous, delusional grad student.
It might hurt his pride to admit it, but if ever Josh wasn’t around to protect Beth, St. John would be the man he’d turn to.
A fleeting image of a woman in red being kissed by a man in black teased at Josh’s memory. Something about vampires came to mind……
The ADA shook his head and took another swig of coffee.
Bloody bourbon. Never again.
This story delves into the mind of a character I've never really explored before - Josh Lindsey. This story describes what Josh might have thought and done after Beth went to New York with Mick in 'Sleeping Beauty'.
As always, I don't own the characters, and any quotations made from the series are done with the utmost respect for those who authored them, in this case, Trevor Munson and Ron Koslow
I hope you enjoy!!
Insomnia
Jealousy is the injured lover’s hell – John Milton
No courtroom defeat handed Josh Lindsey compared to the humiliation he’d suffered earlier this night. Before his eyes, the woman to whom he’d given his heart had devastated his dreams, hurling him into a nightmare of doubt and despair. Hours later, he lay awake, a toxic brew of bourbon, pain and self-pity enticing the jealous demon that lies within the heart of every man in love.
What a fool he’d been to think that a romantic movie and a little wine would lead to a night of gentle lovemaking with the woman he adored and thought he knew. Instead, Josh found himself in bed alone. Worse, Beth was with him.
When were you going to tell me?
Her eyes betrayed her – Beth hadn’t planned on telling him at all about her trip to New York with Mick. But she’d been caught, suitcase in hand, mumbling an excuse he’d scarcely heard. He didn’t need to; it was just another of many signs that he was losing this beautiful woman to a man he barely knew and didn’t trust.
Look me in the eye, right now, and tell me you don’t have feelings for him. Look me in the eye and tell me that.
While a sideward glance indicted her, the ensuing silence condemned her. As another denial formed on her lips, her shadowy hero arrived once again to save her, only this time, from being honest.
Josh could still feel the heat of his shame as he slunk away before his rival. That was the maddening part; it didn’t seem like Mick was actually trying to take Beth away from him. There were no smug, triumphant looks or cutting remarks as Josh fled, defeated. In the doorway of Beth’s apartment, Mick’s stance was nothing of what the ADA remembered in the darkened recesses of Club Valis, that of a dominant alpha male protecting what was his. On the contrary, the PI seemed genuinely embarrassed at his intrusion, offering to go to New York alone, should Beth need to stay and sort things out with her boyfriend.
Maybe Beth thought Josh was too far away to hear her answer, but he had, and with it, he knew that the last, tenuous bond of love between them had broken.
Hauling himself out of bed, Josh staggered to the kitchen to get some water, hoping to quell his tumultuous thoughts. Not usually one for heavy drinking, Josh knew the bourbon he’d downed earlier would come back to haunt him in the morning. In the dark, lonely hours of the night, though, the alcohol had let loose the demons of doubt and jealousy he’d so far managed to control. Once unleashed, Josh couldn’t escape their torment.
‘They should have landed by now….maybe even found a hotel….wanna bet it’s only one room?’
Jesus! Don’t go there….Beth wouldn’t, I know she wouldn’t….
‘Why not? You’ve seen how she looks at him… like he’s some kind of Greek god. Has she ever looked at you that way?’
Of course ….
‘Yeah, sure she has. Gotta admit, he’s pretty attractive.’
Only if you’re into scruffy PIs with a shady past and uncertain future. Not to mention lousy wardrobe.
‘Apparently, she is.’
Why? What’s he got to offer that I don’t?
‘Excitement. Spontaneity. A hint of danger. You’re too regimented, too predictable, too available. In a word, boring.’
No, I’m not!
‘Seriously, Tuesday is movie night? I rest my case, counselor.’
OK, so maybe I need to mix things up a bit….
‘You don’t get it, do you? You can’t ‘mix things up’….it’s not who you are. Even if you could, you’re no match for Mick.’
And what makes you say that?
‘There’s something about Mick, something Beth finds incredibly sexy and alluring.’
Beth finds me sexy….at least she used to.
‘Not in the same way. Maybe it’s the mysterious air about him, or maybe it’s his tough guy / bad boy image that’s appealing. Seriously, what do you know about this guy?’
Not much.
‘Right. My guess is Beth knows a lot more than you do. All those late night ‘meetings’? Did you really think they were just about work?’
What are you saying?
‘Beth’s been seeing you for over a year now, right? While you’re comfortable with your relationship, maybe she’s bored with it and you. Face it. Your love life isn’t as exciting as it used to be.’
Beth would never cheat on me!!
‘Keep telling yourself that. Mick, on the other hand, is charming, sexy and off limits to a woman already in a relationship. That’s an enticing combination, one few women can resist, especially one who’s bored. In other words, Mick is forbidden fruit, one Beth’s dying to get a taste of, if she hasn’t already. Maybe going to New York together will provide them an opportunity to sample more of what each has to offer. And before you defend Beth’s virtue again, you know deep down that something happened between them in the desert.’
Mick was sick, she went to help him and Leni, that’s all.
‘You give new meaning to the word ‘denial’, you know that? You may think Beth incapable of cheating, but a man would have to be dead not to appreciate and accept what a beautiful woman like her has to offer. My guess is that if Mick hasn’t made love to her already, he will. Soon.’
Stop!!!!!!
As he headed back to bed, Josh shook his head, desperately trying to erase the erotic image jealousy had painted for him. Unfortunately, the seeds of doubt had already taken root, keeping him awake as he tried to understand Beth’s mysterious attraction to Mick St. John.
OK, so maybe I don’t get what Beth sees in Mick. Sexy? I don’t see it….maybe if he shaved once in a while. Maybe a bit of hero worship? He did save her from that vampire wannabe graduate student… yeah, that’s got to be it. Beth has gotten herself into trouble before, but that was the first time somebody actually came close to killing her.
No. No, it wasn’t. Her childhood abduction. If she hadn’t been found, there’s no telling what would have happened to her. You know, Beth even had a nightmare about that not too long ago, only this time it was Mick who saved her from the ‘scary woman’…I guess her subconscious scrambled the two worst experiences of her life for that charming little dream.
Hero or not, there is something weird about that guy. That whole bit with Spaulding…what the hell did he mean ‘I know what you are’? Not who, what. Lee Jay struck a nerve, though. I could see it in Mick’s eyes. He’s hiding something.
Does Beth know what it is? Is she protecting him from something?
Why did Mick come to her in the first place? They barely knew each other….there had to have been others he could have gone to for help.
What I really don’t get is why Beth was so upset when she thought Mick died in the desert. For a guy she’d only known for a month or so, you’d have thought she’d lost her oldest friend.
And that wound on her arm…. no way fence wire caused it the way she described; the holes were too uniform, too clean. When I tried to kiss it, I could feel her freeze, and not because it hurt. Why won’t she tell what really happened? Did Mick do something to her? With Leni there, it couldn’t have been anything ….intimate.
Could it?
As Josh finally drifted off to sleep, the questions his conscious mind raised and failed to resolve, the subconscious one succeeded, and through a dream, wove those answers into a bizarre tapestry of love and devotion.
Josh was happy, so happy as gazed lovingly at the woman on his arm, dazzling in a long, flowing blue gown.
My Beth, my beautiful Beth!
They danced together in a ballroom ablaze with candlelight, her brilliant blue eyes sparkling with happiness behind a golden mask.
Other masked couples danced around them, but no woman was as graceful as his Beth.
One by one, as candles flickered out, couples left the floor. When only a handful of candles were left burning, the room took on an eerie glow, with only Josh, Beth and one other couple remaining.
The woman wore a long white, diaphanous gown, a stark contrast to the darkness surrounding her. The man was clothed in black, a mere shadow in his partner’s brilliance. Each wore a full mask decorated with monstrous features, allowing only their glittering eyes to show through.
Tearing his eyes away from this mysterious, frightening couple, Josh realized that Beth had somehow become a child, her blue dress replaced by a flannel nightgown. The child looked up at him and smiled, then let go of his hand.
The woman in white approached the young Beth, reaching out to her with one hand, the other holding her mask in place. The child’s eyes widened in horror at the hideous features. Instead of turning to Josh, though, she turned toward the man in black, who knelt down and spread his arms wide, shielding her from the woman in white. As he did, his mask fell away and his eyes ceased to glitter in the dark. The child Beth ran to him, burying herself in his arms.
The man in black held Beth close, kissing the top of her golden head as if to soothe her. Eventually, the child timidly looked at him, and as their eyes met, she smiled, then gently kissed his cheek.
As the man stood, the child Beth became a woman again, now wearing a gown of red. The man in black held her tight, as if she were a precious gift, one he would protect forever.
The woman in white vanished.
The man in black released Beth, and kneeling before her, gently kissed her hand. A knowing look passed between them, then Beth knelt beside the man, her hand never leaving his. Drawing her close, the man kissed her again, this time on the wrist. As he did, blood trickled down her fingertips causing the man’s eyes to flash briefly. Kissing her once again, the bloody wound magically healed.
Seeing this, Josh pleaded for Beth to return to him, for even in the darkened room, he knew the man in black was Mick St. John.
Josh awoke crying Beth’s name. His heart was pounding, his body covered in a sheen of sweat. The details of the dream that had moments ago been so vivid, were rapidly fading away. Even so, he knew that whatever the reason, there was some kind of connection between Beth and Mick that he could no longer deny.
But that didn’t mean he had to give up on Beth.
In the morning sun, the jealous fog that had poisoned his thoughts during the night finally burned away. Josh stood on his balcony, coffee in hand, his head splitting, his stomach threatening revenge for the previous night’s insanity. Jealously could make a man say and do stupid things, suspecting the worst of those he professed to love, something he’d just demonstrated in spades.
The shame he felt the night before was nothing compared to the shame he felt now.
Beth was a woman he loved, not one he owned. If she ever gave him the opportunity, he’d apologize for his behavior and show her just how much he loved and appreciated her.
In the clear light of day, he understood that like himself, Beth’s career had her working long hours, sometimes in odd places. That’s how she met St. John in the first place, during the course of a murder investigation each was following. If doing her job meant Beth’s path crossed Mick’s from time to time, who was he to complain? As far as he could tell, Mick had never done anything inappropriate. Hell, were it not for him, Beth herself might have become another victim of that murderous, delusional grad student.
It might hurt his pride to admit it, but if ever Josh wasn’t around to protect Beth, St. John would be the man he’d turn to.
A fleeting image of a woman in red being kissed by a man in black teased at Josh’s memory. Something about vampires came to mind……
The ADA shook his head and took another swig of coffee.
Bloody bourbon. Never again.
I often wonder what would have happened had Josh lived...
