CH 21
Work was trying. Phillip wasn't late when he arrived, but he was still a bit shaken by the kids' attentions on Gareth's day--not his--he wasn't a father, and Phillip needed a distraction. He quickly started at trimming the overgrown foliage on the viburnum, a flowering shrub that needs shocking with pruning to produce a second round of blooms. So many leaves when still in the pot did not make for healthy plants and the next round of flowers would help them sell better. The methodical and precise work helped ease some of his tension as he clipped the too-leafy shrubs into an appealing shape that would bring new buds, and he started to feel better. At least he was getting better, until Brian arrived.
Brian strolled into the store with a strut to his step like he was the ruler of all he surveyed in his navy three piece power suit and dress shoes. As it was still first thing in the morning, he wasn't a sweaty mess yet, but mid June in a greenhouse pretty much guaranteed that soon enough he'd be way too hot. Sadly, his eyes immediately fell on Phillip. And the trimmings on the ground around him.
"Who told you to do that to those...those..." Not able to tell what kind of plant Phillip was working with, Brian just moved on to his point. "Making the stock smaller doesn't make it sell better. Look at how many leaves you've cut. You're willfully destroying stock."
"Many flowering shrubs, including viburnum, require shaping and pruning to grow in a healthy way," Phillip explained. He resisted rolling his eyes, just barely.
"No, that's for the customers to decide, not you. They decide what shape they want. And they want to buy bigger plants with lots of leaves. Not something that looks scraggly because you've over trimmed it. You'd think someone like you would understand that," his ornery boss spat. Brian didn't restrain himself in the same way, and the jerk's eyes rolled all the way to the ceiling.
"Brian, my degree is in botany, I know when and how to prune a bush," Phillip was confounded by the man's ignorance, shaking his head slightly. Shouldn't he educate himself on his products or at the very least trust those with the education and experience to steer him correctly?
"No, I'm pretty sure your area of expertise lays in poles, not bushes," Brian muttered, confusing Phillip. Speaking louder and officiously he ordered, "Now go work checkout since I can't trust you to handle the stock properly. I'll have someone competent come and clean this mess up. If any of these plants are damaged, it's coming out of your pay."
Phillip shrugged, but complied. If Brian wanted to remain ignorant, then that was his business. Besides working checkout was better than tying bows.
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Phillip hadn't exactly understood the meaning in Brian's words, but Mel could, and she took no time in explaining it to him during his lunch break.
"He was making a crack about your sexuality. You know, poles?" Mel explained with inappropriate hand gestures, her eyes wide and disbelieving at Phillip's naivety as she bopped around the institutional room waiting for the microwave to finish. Her neon pink sequined headband was a jarringly bright contrast to the deep blue and green striped jumpsuit atrocity she was wearing under her Bentman's smock.
Phillip's face flushed at her comment and went back to the problem at hand, "That's just ridiculous. I was pruning, it's a requirement for healthy plants. Brian is ignorant."
Mel decided changing the subject from their idiot of a boss was probably a good idea for everyone's sanity. "How are the Lewises doing this fine Father's Day?"
"The children gave me drawings and a present. They bought it themselves," Phillip informed her.
"Really? But Phillip, that's fantastic!" Mel enthused, giving him a big hug, her spiky hair poking him in the cheek. "What was it? Some sort of cheesy themed tie?"
"Umm, no, actually that's what they got Gareth," his face reddening since he helped them pick out the tie for their dad and thought it was fine. "They got me handmade chocolates seasoned with different spices."
"Step-parents everywhere are insanely jealous, Phillip. The kids know about you and Gareth, and are happy about it. They like you. Do you know how lucky you are?"
"I suppose. But honestly, it's not like Leeann is much competition," he rationalized.
The door swung open wildly, interrupting their conversation. "Hey, twinkle-toes, I need you in my office," Brian demanded, popping his head in the room. He pointed his index finger and thumb like a gun and pulled the trigger at Phillip. Brian had something clutched in the remaining fisted fingers and, if possible, his demeanor was more officious than normal. Mel and Phillip looked at each other, then Phillip shrugged and headed towards the door.
Phillip left his lunch on the table and followed Brian down the hall, while Mel fumed in the break room at the second homophobic remark of the day uttered by their weasel-like boss. She was seriously considering going and listening at the door in case Phillip needed back-up. Instead the microwave beeped and she retrieved her container of leftover pasta, knowing that Brian kept very close track of their break times.
Inside Brian's air conditioned office, there were two uniformed police officers waiting, looking very solemn. One was tall and muscled, the other was built more like Gareth but slightly shorter. Phillip instantly tensed, worried that something had happened to the Lewises. Was he their emergency contact? Were Gareth's parents the next of kin? Maybe it wasn't a car accident. Had Leeann violated her restraining order? He wouldn't put it past her to ruin Father's Day for Gareth. Phillip's mind flipped through horribly tragic scenarios faster than Leeann hurled insults.
"Phillip Cameron?" the taller, bulkier officer asked in an official manner.
"Yes?"
"You're under arrest for theft over $5000 and fraud..." the officer continued his spiel, telling Phillip all about his rights while his mind reeled.
"Officer, can I ask why I'm being arrested? Theft and fraud of what?" Phillip was truly confused and it was written all over his face. Stealing was wrong, his parents had certainly drummed that into him when he was young and he'd never even taken a second free sample at the grocery store as far as he could remember.
That was when Brian lost it. He had been smiling smugly as the police officer was arresting the crooked employee, but now he was furious that Phillip wouldn't even have the decency to look contrite. The paper Brian clutched was unfurled and waved in Phillip's face.
"You've been stealing my products and using them for your financial gain. You're running a fucking gardening business, you asshole. You and your fucking butt buddy. 'Oh, use your discount and buy us these baskets.' Who knows how long you've been swindling the people paying your wages." His voice rose steadily in volume and ferocity as the diatribe continued. "My naive aunt and uncle thought the world of you, but all along you've been a creepy autistic faggot who's been screwing everyone over. Well, no longer, asshole. You're going to go to jail, then let's see how much you like to take it up the ass."
Brian's veins were popping off his forehead and the second officer actually trod in between to keep him from physically harming Phillip, who was just standing still, flabbergasted and in shock. "Mr. Bentman, you need to hold your tongue and control your temper."
Brian took a step backwards and let out an angry exhale.
"Mr. Cameron, I need you to put your hands out to cuff you," the first officer requested. Never one to deny the police, Phillip robotically held his arms in front of him. The officer turned Phillip around and pulled his hands behind his back after removing the Bentman's apron, still smeared with a bit of dirt from the work in the morning.
"I hardly think theft of plants would garner a jail sentence," Phillip finally stated, reasoning through bits of everything that was happening in his mind. Today was a very trying day.
Brian couldn't resist getting in one more dig, "Oh, so you admit to it do you? Well, you're fired. Today's pay will cover those plants you destroyed earlier, and I don't expect you'll ever be able to set foot in this building again." Brian turned his attentions back to the police. "I'd like you to include a trespass notice with his charges, officers."
The officers nodded as one affixed the cuffs around Phillip's wrists with a metallic clang and he mechanically walked with the officers down the hallway, out to the shop floor and towards the front entrance where the cruiser was parked at the curb, cherries flashing. The figure of an employee being led out was shocking to the customers and other staff members, and he garnered a lot of attention, including Mel's. She stood outside the breakroom taking in the scene before her, trailing behind to the shop floor. Before Phillip was even in the car, she was on her phone calling Vern to get to Gareth and Phillip's to watch the kids so Gareth could get to the police station.
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KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK
Gareth put his report card calculations aside for a minute to answer the insistent knock at the front door, although Franny beat him to it. She saw Vernon through the screen and cheered happily. Gareth, on the other hand was more than a little confused to see him.
"Hey Vern, come on in," he offered warmly but with a puzzled smile.
Vern smiled widely at Franny, "Don't worry Franny, I'll take you to the park in a few minutes, okay? Can you get your brother and sister?"
"Sure!" She ran off to get Daisy and Gabe, who were busy constructing Lego in the basement.
"What going on?" Gareth asked, now anxious and worried.
"You need to call your lawyer friend and go to the police station. Brian had Phillip arrested," Vern explained quickly.
Gareth was shocked. Phillip was probably the most honest, forthright person he'd ever met. He didn't have a dishonest bone in his body. "Arrested? For what?"
"I don't really know the particulars, but they took him out in cuffs. Mel called me and told me to come right over. I'll watch the kids and Mel will come to help as soon as her shift is over. Okay? Please just get going," Vern urged.
Gareth quickly kissed the kids then grabbed his phone as he climbed in Vern's car, leaving the van in case Mel and Vern needed to take the kids out somewhere. Like to visit their father in jail--because if Leeann had anything to do with this attack on his man, he was going to kill her. For. Real.
Dialling Abby's number as he drove, he really hoped the couple weren't busy. Gareth almost laughed when he realized the irony of breaking the law by using his phone on the way to the police station. But his mirth faded when he figured that Phillip would be at the station closest to the store, not their house, cursing when he realized it was a fifteen minute drive. Not that it was far, but he didn't want Phillip to be unnecessarily stressed, since he'd already been taxed that morning.
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The police station wasn't particularly busy on the afternoon of Father's Day, not that their small city had much of a crime rate, anyway. This was the first time, since a field trip in second grade, that Phillip had ever been in a police station. He looked around the institutional room he was in, glad that he was sitting at a desk in the middle of the station, rather than locked somewhere by himself like a crime drama. Really, aside from the people walking around who were uniformed and armed, it looked like many other office buildings. There was a counter where members of the public were served, some offices for the more important people, the fingerprinting and photo area, and then the desk area where he was seated. Plus a hall that led to the bathrooms and changing areas, he presumed. This was more like Brooklyn 99 than Law and Order. Phillip was sure there were some cells around, too, but he hadn't seen them yet. And there were no plants.
The station wasn't too far from Bentman's and the drive was okay, if not a little uncomfortable sitting while cuffed. It was also somewhat embarrassing that people stared at him in the backseat, obviously arrested, when they drove by. The officers didn't use the siren and turned the flashing lights off, too. Phillip supposed it was because he wasn't considered a true felon.
So far he'd just been lightly patted down when they arrived, fingerprinted, and had his mug shot taken. Since it was now a digital photo, he didn't even get to hold the sign with the letters on it, like on tv. Oddly, he felt kind of cheated. It was also rather disconcerting that his fingertips were stained with black ink, it having sunk into the cracks that usually were marred with dirt, but he supposed the ink was all part of the experience. They did allow him to wash his hands afterwards, but some of the black lingered on his fingertips, staining his clean record.
As soon as the cruiser arrived at the station, because the charge was theft (and theft of plants at that) and not something violent, the officers removed his cuffs after helping him from the vehicle in the garage. He had no prior record for anything, not even a traffic ticket, and actually, the arresting officers, Pauling and Lipson, seemed quite decent. Perhaps it was that Brian had acted like such a jerk and Phillip hadn't. There was no resisting, no complaints, no whining, so they'd even gotten him a coffee. No donut, though. But maybe that was just a stereotype, or maybe they were just for the policemen? Not that being charged was an experience Phillip would like to repeat, but so far it wasn't all that bad. Unless reality hadn't quite sunk in yet--you know, like being fired and arrested for a crime he hadn't committed.
As Phillip calmly sipped his rather terrible coffee contemplating what types of plants he could recommend to the officers to improve the barren precinct, there was a commotion at the front desk when the station door was heedlessly thrown open.
"I need help, my boyfriend has been wrongly arrested!" The plaintive cry echoed about the room.
Phillip looked up and saw Gareth with very red cheeks and a stricken face, heavily breathing, obviously distressed.
"Hello Gareth, I'm okay," Phillip called calmly across the room with a small wave. He decided to stay seated, as standing might be something the officers wouldn't like. Especially since a few of the other officers sitting around the office were starting to take notice of the commotion. It was a boring day for them, after all.
"Don't say anything, Phillip! Abby and Bill are on their way." Gareth was sure that having a lawyer present would help because he really didn't want Phillip detained for any amount of time. Besides, sometimes Phillip wasn't totally personable in awkward situations, and that might be a generous description. He stepped up to the counter, eager to get by Phillip's side.
"Why?" Phillip's brows knitted in confusion because he couldn't quite fathom why Gareth's work colleague and her betrothed would be coming to the station.
"Bill's going to act as your legal counsel," Gareth hastily explained. Although criminal law wasn't Bill's area of expertise, he and Abby were eager to meet Phillip, and this was an opportunity to help and have their curiosity sated.
"All of that isn't really necessary today. We'll just take his statement and give him a notice to appear in court," Officer Pauling interjected, stepping forward from the photocopier where he was going through some documents.
"But what if he didn't do anything and the charges could be dropped before they get to court? You really wouldn't like a wrongful arrest lawsuit or anything," Gareth argued. He knew at his job, they never wanted parent complaints and nipped them in the bud whenever possible. He figured police were probably the same way. Keep the public safe and happy. He ran his fingers through his hair and tried to calm down. Gareth figured he'd seen far too much of police stations for his liking lately.
Officer Pauling shrugged, "Fair enough."
It wasn't busy today, and really, a day in court was a total pain for a police officer. If the charges could be cleared up now, there was a lot less paperwork and a lot less hassle. He allowed Gareth to come back and have a seat at his desk next to Phillip while they waited for the legal counsel to arrive. Gareth instantly took Phillip's hand and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, possibly more for his own comfort than Phillip's.
"Hey, Lipson," Pauling called, when his partner came back from a cigarette break, "Could you get a conference room ready? A lawyer's coming for the Bentman's thing."
Officer Lipson looked at the two men seated, Phillip seemingly unconcerned but sitting stiffly, and the new one looking all worked up. "Sure." He nodded unhurriedly and opened one of the closed doors Phillip had observed earlier. There was a large wooden table with beat up chairs on either side, a place to attach shackles to the floor, and a surveillance camera mounted to the wall.
Now it was looking more like a police drama.
A/N: Well, something had to happen, and Brian just wasn't happy with Phillip profiting off of his employee discount. Poor Phillip, will this day ever end? And will he end up in jail? Obviously he should have left the store already, but he really doesn't like change that much. Looks like it's Gareth (with Bill and Abby) to the rescue...hopefully. ;)
Anyway, how will this crime drama end? Find out on Sunday! And thanks to everyone for reading, commenting, and voting!
<3 JJ