Keith left the hospital determined to find out what really happened to Maggie. He was unable to come to terms with the fact that two of the most valued people in his life were tied to, if not responsible for, Maggie being in the hospital; Mark, whom he loved and thought he would commit his life to; and Joan, his best and dearest personal friend. There had to be more to the situation than what he saw. Shame flooded every fiber of his being as he realized that were he to be completely honest, he, too, carried responsibility in this horrifying situation. As he walked to his car, he had arrived at his decision. He would confront them both, determined to get answers to the questions that plagued him.
Joan was the person he wanted to demand the answers from. She was Maggie's mother and, if for no other reason, to find out why she had left her daughter alone, in pain, and frightened beyond anything reasonable. Hers was the closest house to the hospital, but according to Maggie, she was out of town at the opening of 'Fiddler'.
Mark lived in Pacific Beach, which was farther than he wanted to drive, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep if he didn’t at least attempt to get some answers. Hoping his suspicions were wrong he got into his car and drove, in silence, to see the man he loved.
On any other occasion, the drive to Mark’s would have filled Keith with a sense of both hope and excitement. Not only because He’d never met anyone that made him feel so complete, but it gave him the distinct belief that he would one day be able to fully pursue his passion for designing jewelry. Mark was, after all, only the manager of a jewelry store. How much more could Keith have being a full-time designer? As he pulled off of La Jolla Boulevard and made the turn onto Marks’s street, Keith was mixed with a sense of both relief and pain. Mark was the only person Keith had ever known that had an ability to get inside of Keith’s head and, as if by instinct, know exactly what was he was thinking. He hoped that Mark would not be able to pick up on his fears, because he feared if Mark knew what he was thinking, and he was wrong, it might damage the progress they had both made thus far in the relationship.
Keith turned the corner on to Mark’s street, and as he pulled into the decorative driveway, he stopped the car and hesitated a long moment. He feared that which he didn't know. What if he had been wrong, and Mark had nothing to do with what happened to Maggie? Worse, what if he had been right? What would he do with that? He had no idea how he was going to broach the subject with him, he only knew that someone had to stand in Maggie's corner. He hoped, of all people, that Mark would understand.
Exhaustion seemed to weigh heavily on his bones, and with each step he took nearing the front door, his feet seemed to increase in weight. He thought about getting back into his car and coming back later in the week, but his conscience prevented him from leaving. He wanted... no, needed the answers that only Mark could provide. He hoped his heart would not be broken by the delivery of those answers.
He stepped up to the front steps, and made a note of how lovely the roses were that lined the walkway. Affection filled him as he thought on how painstaking Mark's efforts were to keep his roses so beautiful. The colors were vivid and the greenery of the bushes was flawless. There were no brown spots from insects or wilting leaves. He noted with marvel at how the red hues melted perfectly into the yellow tips of the petals, and how their pleasant, light aroma wafted subtly in the night breeze.
With a heavy sigh, he realized he was dawdling, and had become willfully distracted by beauty of the roses. With a mixed feeling of dread and desire, he forced himself to knock on the door.
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