A Mahone short story :)

[Ginger]

Ok, here is my first Prison Break story. And of course it is about Mahone. *gg* It's very short and it's not even a real story. It just describes one moment in Alex Mahone's life. I hope you like it nevertheless.
I would like to thank creeper and reb7bec1, my sisters in crime, for encouraging me and being my beta readers and grammar squad! And I really needed a grammar squad. *gg* I also thank my dear friend Tina for enduring my endless monologues about Alex, for introducing me to Prison Break and for indulging with me in PB watch fests which always include (a moderate amount of) booze and popcorn.

Here we go:

A Phonecall

Alex steered his car into the garage, carefully avoiding Cameron's bike that was still lying where his son had dropped it more than a year ago. He remembered everything about that particular afternoon with absolute clarity. It was a wonderful day, warm and sunny. He came home early that day, the first time in weeks. The hunt for Shales had consumed almost all of his time and energy without his team or him even coming close. The nightmares increased with every body Shales left behind until Alex had reached a point where he couldn't sleep at all without the help of Midazolam, very reluctantly provided to him by one of his snitches. But on this particular day, when another lead on Shales had proved to be a dead end, he decided to leave the office early just to get away from the madness and spend a few scarce hours with the two people he loved more than anything.

Pam was surprised and concerned when he came home right on time for supper but after he had told her that everything was fine, she was delighted. She barely had the time to ask him if he wanted a coffee when his cell rang. It was the Bureau. They had a brand new lead on Shales and he needed to come in at once. So he kissed Pam good bye hastily and when he pulled out of the driveway again, he shook his head in amusement when he looked in the rear view mirror to see his son racing into the open garage, jumping off his bike and running into the house. Alex did not know it then, but these were the final moments of his family life. Only a few hours later he would cross the line between upholding the law and taking it into his own hands, changing his life and the life of his family forever.

And now crossing that line was causing even more suffering for them. Alex cringed at the thought of what his very active son would have to endure until he was able to ride a bike again.
“Tip-fib fractures are bad. Especially when the growth plate is affected.” Well, three bullets into your cranium were worse!

Alex killed the engine. The garage door squealed shut behind him and the following silence rang in his ears. He should grease the door one of these days. Maybe tomorrow. Now he felt almost too tired to open the car door and go into the house. Sleep didn’t come easily these days and he hadn't slept at all the night before. The questioning about Patoshik's death had gone on forever – despite a plethora of witnesses who all said that he hadn’t touched Patoshik. Some even said that he tried to reach for Haywire when he jumped. So much for the reliability of eye witnesses. When he finally came home in the early hours of the morning, he didn't even try to go to sleep. He knew it would have been fruitless. So he just showered, shaved, changed clothes and went back out again.

Weariness had caught up with him when the effect of the Midazolam subsided in early afternoon. Bright images of Patoshik’s smashed body started to flash before his eyes, making his whole body tremble uncontrollably, covering him in cold sweat within minutes. He saw himself standing on the platform above the grain elevator. Saw Charles "Haywire" Patoshik ending his sad existence with a sickening thud that almost made him gag. He remembered how he stood there on that platform, frozen up to a point where he was not able to even turn his head. Alex had never suffered from fear of heights before, but up there after Haywire’s jump, he was paralyzed. Alex knew that he should have descended the ladder to the ground immediately. Showing the crowd the dismayed agent who had tried everything to convince his charge not to jump. But he was just standing there, desperately clinging on to something solid and metallic, not being able to move, his breath rasping in his lungs, his gaze fixed on the horizon. Looking down was out of question. Getting the pen out of his breast pocket and shaking out a pill was something he did not even dare to think of.

He finally mustered all the strength still in him and tore himself away from the safety of the steel and went down the ladder - one step after the other. When he was on solid ground again his knees were ready to give in, but he had refused to let himself go in front of Bellick and the spectators around them. Thankfully everybody who saw him shaking contributed it to the traumatic experience of his inability to keep Patoshik from jumping. But Alex knew better. And Bellick probably did too. The look his bloodhound had given him said it all. But Alex knew Bellick. As long as there was money in it, Bellick would not have too many qualms about it. With Bellick, conscience was something with a price attached. Alex had to force himself to kneel by Patoshik’s body and feel for his pulse for show, since it was clear to him that Patoshik’s heart had long stopped beating. Patoshik looked peaceful, almost smiling, while a pool of blood was rapidly engulfing his head and upper body. Alex almost envied him. Patoshik most likely was better off dead than locked back up at the psyche ward in Fox River. He knew the comfort that thought brought him was as self-serving as soothing,

Alex leaned his head against the headrest of the car and closed his eyes. Patoshik’s eyes had been open in death, as had Apolskis’. Tweener, a petty thief who had been too smug for his own good. But still he did not deserve to die. What a pity he had no choice but to end Apolskis' life. Shales on the other hand did deserve the bullet he had put into him. Alex opened his eyes but the image of Shales did not disappear. Shales was still looking at him with those cruel eyes, still mocking him, his last triumph being that he had made Alex lose it. Shales did not want to be caught, but he had become too cocky. Too careless in his desire to show off. But after Alex had captured him, Shales wanted Alex to kill him. And had succeeded.

Alex heard his own heavy breathing and felt sweat breaking out. His hands trembled so much, he almost didn’t manage to unscrew the fountain pen and shake one of the pills out. He swallowed it and waited for the grinning image of Shales to disappear.

The ring of his cell phone startled him. His mouth was dry and he felt total disorientation until he realized that he must have fallen asleep in the car. He looked at the illuminated display on his phone. He cleared his throat, then opened his cell.

“Hi Pam, how are you? Everything ok with Cam?” He tried to sound casual, knowing his voice was shaky. In the rear-view mirror he saw the blue light of the cell's display cast a ghostly light on his features, distorting them to a mask.
“Hi Alex, good of you to ask. He’s still waiting for his dad to take some hours off his important schedule to come and see him.”
She sounded angry. Alex couldn’t blame her.
“I’m sorry Pam. Something came up…”
She interrupted him.
“Something always comes up. He is your son, Alex.”
“I know. You don't have to tell me that.”
“I have the feeling I do. You promised me to come to the hospital right away. Where have you been? Paying your monthly child support is not enough to be a father, Alex!”
He knew that. He knew all about what being a father meant. And he new even better what it did not mean.
“Pam, I tried to explain it to you. I couldn't come.”
She snorted with indignation.
“You didn't explain anything. You told me that you couldn't come. You never explain things, Alex. You never have and you never will.”
How could he possibly explain this?
"Pam, I would if I could." Even for him it sounded weak.
“Yeah, sure. Do you think you can't trust me? Is it that? Are you afraid of me? You think I could tell somebody?”
He could tell from the tone of her voice how hurt she was.
“I'm not afraid of you. I'm afraid for you. Pam, I…”
He knew that he already said too much when she sharply drew her breath in.
“Afraid for me? Oh my God, Alex! … Cameron! What did you do?”
Her voice was trembling with fear. He tried to sound reassuring, knowing that he would fail.
“I made a mistake Pam. But it won't happen again. Cam is safe.
“You made a mistake? Do you know who did that to Cam?”
Her voice was sharp now. Alex wished his brain would work faster. He needed to come up with an answer.
“Alex, do you know who the driver was?”
I wish I could tell you, he thought.
“Alex?”
She sounded as if she was crying now.
“Pam, I can't…”
She interrupted him.
“You have to. It is our son we are talking about. You have to tell me!”
“Pam…”
“Tell me or I will call the police and let them know that my FBI husband is somehow involved in the hit and run that crippled my son.”
He felt panic rising inside of him.
“You can't do that, Pam.”
“Oh, why not? Tell me one good reason.”
One good reason. That was all she needed. One good reason. He had to think of something. He had to. Fast. And then the words just spilled out of him.
"Because Cameron would pay for it. And you, too. And I would lose you both. Instead of protecting you and keeping you safe I would lose you. And everything I did would be in vain because they would hurt you and I could do nothing to stop it.”
She tried to interrupt him, but he just couldn’t stop talking.
“Please Pam, please. You don't have to love me any more – how could you – and you don't have to trust me, but please, please believe me. No matter whom you turn to for help and where you go, you and Cam wouldn't be safe. Let me take care of it. I will protect you. I know that as long as I don't make another mistake, you will be safe. And I won't make another mistake. Never again! I promise!”
He was so tired. This would never end. Never. This would go on and on and on.
Pam's voice was not more than a whisper.
“Alex, you're scaring me.”
He hated himself for what he had to tell her.
“You should be scared. So scared that you do what I ask you to do, so scared that you tell nobody what we talked about. Nobody, do you hear me? Not your mother, not the police, nobody! This is important, do you understand?”
She was silent for a beat. When she spoke again, her voice was barely audible.
“Yes, ok, I will tell nobody. What have you done, Alex?”
He closed his eyes. No. No way he could tell her. Not now. Not with the Company probably listening in.
“I wish I could tell you, Pam. I really wish. Perhaps when this all is over. Perhaps we could live together as a family again. I quit the FBI and we go to California or Florida, where it is warm and where Cam can play in the sand. What do you think?”
He knew he was fooling himself but then an image appeared before his eyes: Cameron building a sand castle on the beach, waving at him, laughing while waves were calmly washing ashore behind him…
"Alex?" Pam's voice pulled him out of his reverie.
"Yes?"
"How long, Alex? How long until Cam and I can live without fear again?"
He squeezed his eyes shut.
"I don't know." His voice was a whisper now, too. "I wish I could…" The sound of the connection being terminated cut him off. She had hung up the phone.

Alex snapped his cell phone shut and waited. Waited for the pills to do their magic. Waited for the pain to go away along with the feelings, the sadness and the remorse. Wiping everything out but one thought: Scofield.

[sher1]

short story my ass LOL
ill have to come back when i have a few hour free time LOL

cool short story

[Charles]

:bowdown: Very good story. I wish I could write stuff like this but I have no imagination when it comes to story telling.

[napoleonattila]

Good story:thewave: . I'm working on a Haywire one of when he commited his original crime that got him put in Fox river and his early pre Scofield days at Fox River. I have to re watch all the episodes from season 1 and 2 that he appeared in to understand his charcter better though. if I ever get it good enough past first draft put it on here someday.

[reb7bec1]

Ginger! Still brings tears to my eyes.

Can't wait for your next one!

[Ginger]

Originally Posted by reb7bec1

Ginger! Still brings tears to my eyes.

Thank you so much. I think that is the biggest compliment an author can get. :love:

Originally Posted by napoleonattila

Good story:thewave: . I'm working on a Haywire one of when he commited his original crime that got him put in Fox river and his early pre Scofield days at Fox River.

Thank you! I would love to read a story about poor Haywire and what made him tick. Looking really forward to that one.

Originally Posted by Charles Westmoreland

:bowdown: Very good story. I wish I could write stuff like this but I have no imagination when it comes to story telling.

Thanks! I'm not a big plot writer, that is my problem, too. For my next story I need a plot and so I'll have to do a little research. Hopefully I'll come up with something.

Originally Posted by cgirl88

cool short story

Thank you.

Originally Posted by sher

short story my ass LOL
ill have to come back when i have a few hour free time LOL

*gg* Believe me, compared to my other stuff this is a "short" story. Usually they are much longer and take me quite some time to write.

[sher1]

ive read half LOL ill come back soon to read the rest but great job would love to read your other short storys LOL
ive got 2 year old twins so ill wait till they go to bed & then i can read it LOL

[Ginger]

Originally Posted by sher

ive read half LOL ill come back soon to read the rest but great job would love to read your other short storys LOL
ive got 2 year old twins so ill wait till they go to bed & then i can read it LOL

Thank you! I understand why you don't have much time to read throughout the day. Unfortunately my other stories are not Prison Break related. I started a new one, but that will last a while till it's finished.