Literal Love: A Toby 'Tobuscus' Turner Fan Fiction

Ch 13: Phone Call

"Lynne Elizabethe Prescott, I am going to make this right, no matter what. Even though I was not the cause of this, you are the one emotionally suffering. I, Toby Joe Turner, promise to hunt down this man, for you, for Mari."

I silently cried into his arms and he held me tighter. "Port 23A now boarding for Los Angeles." We stood up and ran toward the counter. "Sir! Your tickets!" He flashed them really fast and we sat in our row, 3 and 4 D. The flight took forever; The six hours we sat on that plane were restless ones. We kept tossing and turning and doing everything we could to not get up and jump off the plane.

We landed in LAX at 4:30 AM. We were both exhausted, but had to stay up and troop, Me for Mari, and Toby for Gabe. "We have ten hours." Toby looked at me and sighed. 

"We'll be there in about 1 or 2 hours, we'll have time."

"Toby... what if he threw Gabe in a ditch or something?"

Before he could respond, my phone rang out the tune I've loved for a long time.

"Hello?" It was Mari's voice on the other line, shaking and cracked.

"Ly..Lynne. He, he let me go. I'm in the Grove in front of the American Girl store. Gabe is in the Farmer's Market. Hurry. Watch out, he's here, watching.."

It shut off before I got to reply. Not the Grove.. I DID NOT want to go back there. Hellz no. 

"What did he say." Toby asked, when his tone conveyed a statement. 

"It was Mari. We need to go back to the Grove." His head turned to look at me, the little scar that ran across my neck, where the glass slashed across, almost slashing open my throat. 

"Lynne, if you don't want to go back there you don't need to, I'll go."

"Toby." I stated, my tone a bit sharp. "I need to do this. I need to get rid of my fear. This is the place where I last saw my whole family, yet the place where I was the happiest." I tapped his cheek and he kept driving, and I could see in his driver side mirror that little dimple he gets when he smiles.

The Grove was looming in front of us. "So... you ready?" Toby asked me about 20 minutes later, parking the car in the parking garage. "Let's Go." We heelyed down the hill, and we heelyed into the middle of the Grove. 

"HELLO!" Toby and I yelled at the same time.

"Toby... Lynne." I could hear a low female whisper coming from the store in front of us. "MARI!" I heelyed toward the voice, and Mari was laying there, covered in blood. 

"Where's Gabe?" Toby questioned her lightly. She pointed toward the Farmer's Market, and he ran that way. Mari looked up at me, her left eye swollen and black, her nose bloody, and lips cracked. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen." I could still see Toby, though barely. "Mari, tell me who this man is." I said quietly, so I wouldn't scare her. 

"I don't know. He has on a black ski mask. The only thing I saw were blue eyes." I looked around, mind wandering. Blue eyes. Blue eyes. Obviously someone I don't know. *DO YOU LIKE MY SWORD SWORD* I answered it, afraid of what was to come. 

"Hello?" I asked timidly.

"Lynne, grab Mari and hurry, I can't find Gabe." Toby's voice was shaking. This is how he must have been when he saw me, and lost me. 

"Be right there."

15 Minutes Later:

Toby, Mari, and I were standing in the Farmer's market, only to see a trail of blood that abruptly stops. Mari was balancing against me, her weak and pregnant body fighting off unconsciousness. Toby and I looked at each other, eyebrows raised. What if I was pregnant? I mean.. it happens right? But right now we were worried about Mari and Gabe, our little buscuses. 

"Lynne, thank you for everything." Mari said, her eyelids drooping.

"No problem Mari." I swung her up into my arms, her body surprisingly light. Toby looked at her in my arms and looked at me. 

"Someone's good at holding people."

I raised my eyebrow, adgusting my arms abit. 

"I can take that in many ways."

"What about the... I'm not completing that thought."

"Come on Toby. Tell me."

"You know perfectly buscus well what I was going to comment with."

I did know, but I just wanted to hear him say it. His eyes followed the trail. 

"Why do you think Mari fell for him?"

"I don't know Toby.. I really don't"

"How did you fall for me?" His eyes looked at me, needing the answer.

"Toby Joe Turner, are we going to sit here and play 20 questions or try to find Gabuscus?"

I heelyed, trying to keep my balance with Mari; Toby heelyed ahead, shouting Gabe's name. My eyes wandered the dimly lit Grove, and I remembered me running from Toby, him falling on top of me. Who knew the one encounter changed my life forever?

"LYNNE! I FOUND HIM!" I tried to heely faster, but with not much progress. I heelyed straight into a NCIS scene. Toby was crouching near Gabe's body, Gabe bloody and barely breathing. In his hand was a note. Toby reached for him, picking him up in his arms and huffed. 

"Gabe's a heavy one. Let's go." We heelyed through the farmer's market, the plaza of the Grove, and to the parking structure. We reached the car and put them in the backseat. We went to the front and drove to the nearest hospital, which happened to be MY hospital. 

1 hour later:

Dr. Jones came in to Mari and Gabe's room, Toby and I clutching hands. 

"Well, Mr. Turner and Ms. Prescott, your friends should do fine. Maybe in about 2 weeks Mari will be out. Gabriel will be about 3 weeks. Wait... Lynne?"

Dr. Jones looked at me and Toby. 

"I knew it! It's you! Weren't you in here, like, 5 months ago?"

"You treated me mam."

"Well it's nice to see you again. Is it just me or does trouble seem to follow you everywhere?"

"Tell me about it.." I mumbled.

"Well Miss Lynne, it's nice to see you again. You know Missy adopted Ginny right?"

"WHAT?!"

"Yes. She was waiting for you to be back from Florida, so she temporarily took custody."

"Can I talk to Missy? Or Ginny?"

"Lynne, Ginny's most likely asleep, since it is almost 6 in the morning.. and Missy..."

Right then a ward nurse ran in.

"DR. JONES! DR. JONES!"

"Yes Nurse Richardson?"

"MISSY! SHE'S GONE!"

Oh crap.. again?