Bad Luck: A Hazy Shade of Winter (Josh)

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean loved his house, as much as was proper for an adult to be fond of a building. The house had been his home for twenty-three years. It had seen him through every crisis at Hammel, through every bout of bad weather, and through birthdays and holidays for most of his adult life. The house had remained a constant, even when his personal life was otherwise in a state of flux. The house took care of him, and, in turn, the telepath took care of his house.

However, just as Sean had lived elsewhere before buying this house, his house had had previous owners.

It wasn’t new, and, while he did everything he could to keep it in working order, occasionally there were problems. The power went out during big storms, things of that nature.

The weather had been fine. The snow had begun, of course, because it was winter in Vermont. Still, there had been no large storms, which was why the breakdown had come as a surprise.

Finding himself suddenly drenched in freezing cold water, the telepath had immediately switched off the shower flow. Shivering, he reached for his towel to warm and dry himself, and, once out of the shower, he checked the water in the sink.

Also freezing.

“Josh?” He called from the bathroom. “We have a problem.”

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh stood in front of the mirror above his dresser, knotting a tie. It was very decidedly not a festive tie; there were no hints of red or green, nothing anyone could latch on to and suggest that it might have been Christmas themed. Oh, no; for the entire month of December he avoided both colors in his wardrobe altogether. Instead, he had gone for brown tones, utterly respectable but not attached to holidays at all.

He was concentrating very hard on this task, and so it came as a surprise when Sean's voice emanated from the bathroom. Such a surprise that his hands flew up, allowing the tie to flutter to the ground at his feet. He ignored it, deciding that his partner was more important at this moment in time.

"A problem?" He crossed the room to peer into the bathroom in worry. "What do you mean problem?"

He took in the telepath, dripping wet and wrapped in a towel. He thought he spotted a few soap suds adorning the other man, but perhaps those were simply water droplets. At least Sean looked as if he were feeling well, but the attorney was prepared to call an ambulance if need be.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean had not intended to give the impression that they had a medical problem on their hands. Fortunately, while this was a problem, it was nowhere near as potentially horrible as if he were in the midst of cardiac arrest. This paled in comparison.

“I don’t need an ambulance,” the telepath rushed to assure his partner. He didn’t want the younger man to panic.

With the towel wrapped firmly around his waist, he shivered again and crossed his arms over his chest. It was cold.

The air in the bathroom was still steamy from when there had been hot water, which was a small positive. That would evaporate soon enough, and the older man wanted to be dry by then. Even if he wasn’t rinsed off, he wanted to be dry before more chills set in.

“The hot water went out,” he explained around another shiver. That explained his current state of attire and the chills that wracked his body.

Crossing the bathroom carefully, so as not to accidentally brush against the younger man in his neat, clean suit, he turned on the hot tap in the sink. Dipping in his elbow, he found only ice cold water flowing from the faucet. “In both the shower and the sink.”

[Joshua Bernstein]

Relief flooded the attorney at the reassurance; if it wasn't a medical emergency then he was prepared for whatever the real issue was. He watched with more curiosity than concern as his partner passed him, heading for the sink, not understanding what was happening until the other man spoke.

"I'll go check the breakers," He offered, already heading toward the hallway. "And then I'll make us some hot cocoa. You must be freezing."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“Thank you.” Sean’s teeth chattered around the words. He was grateful to Josh for volunteering to check the breakers for him, since it was cold down in the basement, and the telepath didn’t need that right now. This would also give him the opportunity to warm up, dry off, and dress himself, so that he didn’t traumatize Bailey by parading around the house in a towel and nothing else.

None of she, Hammel, or the Vermont Department of Children and Families would appreciate it if he did that.

It is a bit nippy, he projected to his partner as the younger man left the bathroom to tend to the task. It was more than nippy, but this was a momentary inconvenience, and he wouldn’t complain at the attorney when Josh was already on his way to tend to the problem.

Instead, once alone in the bathroom again, Sean pulled a second towel off the rack and began to quickly pat himself down. The sooner he was free of the cold water on his skin, the sooner he could put on a nice, warm pair of sweat pants and a sweater.

At least Bailey bathed at night, so she wouldn’t have to worry about getting doused with freezing water.

[Joshua Bernstein]

The first order of business was to check the basement. He carefully felt for the light switch, which flooded the stairwell with a warm orange glow. He descended slowly, shivering; he was sure that the house had gotten colder since he woke up.

The breaker panel was on the far wall, and he had to wind his way around boxes and odds and ends to get to it. Once there he opened the panel, staring at each yellowing switch. The previous owner had taped labels beside each switch, sloppily inscribed with fading ink. He could barely make out any of the words, but it turned out that didn't matter.

All of the breakers were switched on.

He frowned at them for several minutes, slowly counting each switch to be sure he hadn't accidentally mentally skipped over one.

But no, they were definitely all still on.

He returned up the stairs scratching his head. The breakers are all in order he thought to Sean as he opened the fridge to get out the milk. I'll make the cocoa, then I'll try to find out the problem.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

As the steam from the shower dissipated from the bathroom, another chill set in. Still shivering, Sean made quick work of drying himself: his skin, his limbs, his face, his hair...Once satisfied that he was no longer damp, he folded the first towel and returned it to its place.

The bedroom was chilly when he stepped inside. That was all the more reason for him to dress quickly, and so, crossing to his dresser, he pulled on his underwear, socks, and sweatpants. This was followed by a tee shirt and a sweater.

That was better. He felt dry and warmer, although there was still a chill in the bedroom. Just to be sure, he checked the windows to make sure that they were all closed, but they were, and locked.

It was then that he heard Josh’s projection. A frown settled on the telepath’s lips, since, ruling out the breakers meant that there were other, potentially larger, problems afoot.

I’ll be down in a minute, he projected back to his partner. They could check the problem together, particularly since Sean was better-acquainted with the inner workings of this house.

He took the opportunity to put on his slippers, before he tossed his other towel back into the bathroom.

With a long stride, he exited the bedroom, went through the hall and down the stairs to find the younger man in the kitchen. “I’ll get the flashlight.”

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh had only just gotten the mugs off the shelf when he heard Sean's voice.

"I'll have the cocoa done in a minute, if you want to wait."

Not that it was likely to make much of a difference, either way; his partner was scrupulously responsible, which meant that flashlights were easier to search for in his house than they had been when Josh had lived alone. Chances are Sean would be back with the flashlight before the cocoa had even been microwaved, but he felt he should offer anyway.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“I’ll be back in time for cocoa,” Sean promised the younger man. It would be easier to find the flashlight first, so that they could leave the kitchen together, rather than take the detour after the fact. Besides, just in case the problem was more complicated, or an electrical problem manifested itself, the telepath would prefer to have the flashlight on hand.

As such, he offered the younger man a small, grateful smile for the fact that Josh was making them cocoa. Then he exited the kitchen to go to the table in the foyer. While the table was primarily decorative, it also functioned as storage, and the telepath valued safety precautions.

He had flashlights throughout the house. He had flameless candles in more than one room, and regular candles with matches located in others. Just in case.

Just in case proved useful today.

Sean opened the table drawer and pulled out the flashlight located within. He quickly flicked the on switch, making sure that the batteries still worked, which they did. Satisfied, he shut it off and returned to the kitchen to pull the whipped cream out of the refrigerator in anticipation of their cocoa.

“I found it,” he informed his partner.

[Joshua Bernstein]

By the time Sean returned with the flashlight, Josh was just taking the first mug out of the microwave.

"And you got the whipped cream!" He exclaimed as he turned to look at his partner, smiling appreciatively. He nudged the steaming mug toward Sean before placing the second in the microwave to warm up. "It feels like winter in here. More than usual, I mean."

He wrapped both arms around himself, shivering. It hadn't been so cold in their house since the power went out during hurricane Sandy.

"Maybe we'll both feel warmer after we've had a hot drink."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean nodded in affirmation. “I thought that you might want it.” They also had marshmallows, but the whipped cream was closer and of a similar consistency.

He smiled again at the younger man when Josh nudged the mug towards him. Uncapping the whipped cream container, he gave it a shake and then sprayed a health amount atop the hot beverage.

At the remark, the telepath nodded again. The kitchen felt barely warmer than the bedroom had. “Are the windows down here locked?” They should be, since he couldn’t remember the last time that they had been open, but it was best to be certain. If there was a problem with the weather stripping, he needed to be aware of that so they could call the contractor before the holidays began.

Pulling out two spoons, the telepath left one beside Josh, and then used the other to test his cocoa. A bit too hot to drink at the moment, but it would cool down for human consumption soon.

“We can hope,” the telepath agreed. He then added, “Afterward, we get to solve a mystery.”

The mystery of what, precisely, had happened to cause them to lose hot water in the house. “Winter” was not the explanation, since Sean had survived more than twenty with no problems absent hurricanes or blizzards.

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh decorated his own mug of cocoa once Sean had finished with the whipped cream. "I don't know," he admitted in answer to the question about windows. "I didn't check."

Truthfully, that hadn't occurred to him as something to check, for which he felt rather silly. He stirred the whipped cream into his cocoa, watching it dissipate into intricate patterns. "That can be the first step in solving this mystery. Unless," He added, a thought only just then occurring, "The cold wakes Bailey. In which case finding a heater for her is the first step."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean hadn’t expected Josh to have checked, but he had asked just in case the attorney had for some reason. It was something that had occurred to the telepath in the bedroom, which was why he had asked down here, but it was also a potential longshot. That the windows were open upstairs (which they weren’t), and now in the kitchen or elsewhere on the first floor as well? In addition to the hot water also not working?

Something more complicated was the cause. Still, it was the best to double check to save them the stress and the effort. “I’ll look when I finish with my cocoa.”

To that end, he took a sip from his mug, finding it a bit more tolerable now. Whipped cream smeared the tip of his nose from the tilting.

“If the cold wakes barely, I’ll go up to the attic and see if the space heater is still up there.”

The older man was fairly certain that he still had a portable space heater. If so, since the electricity was working fine, he could bring that into their foster daughter’s room, plug it in, and keep her nice and warm. “Or we’ll give her more blankets if we can’t find the space heater.”

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh dipped his head towards his mug, half nod and half drink. The liquid was just shy of scalding, and he drew back with a nearly inaudible hiss. The whipped cream evidently needed to melt just a bit more to cool down his cocoa.

"Do you need help looking?" He wished that he had a better idea of what they needed to look for; he'd never had problems at his other house, but he hadn't lived there long, either. And when he'd lived in the City he'd always called the superintendent for problems like this.

"I can check windows, too."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“I’d take help.” Sean took another sip of his cocoa, enjoying the warmth and the rich flavor. It wasn’t difficult to check the windows, since it was only checking to see if they were locked, and whether they were cracked open. The most difficult part was that there so many windows in this house. Overall, this was a positive, as natural light and fresh air were good for human needs and human comforts. However, it would make the task take a bit more time than if they were in their old apartment in the Village.

“If we split the task, it’ll save time,” he added, as that was true. Working together was the best way to tackle complex problems. Or even simple problems that were time-consuming. If they split up to share their windows, they could cover the same amount in half the time. Then, if the open windows were the cause of the freezing temperatures in the house (as opposed to the lack of hot water), then they would solve it more quickly as well.

Another sip, and the telepath smiled at the younger man. “This is delicious. Thank you for thinking of it.”

It hit the spot in this moment, when, not too long ago, he had been freezing and dripping with ice cold water.