Love Lost and Found

He fidgeted nervously as he listened to the beeping of the phone. //Dammit Pete, pick up the phone for fuck’s sake!//
“Yes? Peter Jackson here.” A voice finally said at the other end.
“PJ? Thank god! It’s me!”
“Viggo? Is that you? What’s the matter?”
“They think I tried to kill him!” Viggo blurted out, all his strategies of carefully telling Peter forgotten.
“Who thinks you tried to kill someone, Viggo? And above all, kill whom?” Peter sounded extremely worried. “Have you been arrested? Are you calling from the police-station?”
“No… no… I’m at the hospital…”
“Hospital? Are you injured?”
“No… They think I tried to kill him, Pete!”
“Yes, you already said that Viggo. Calm down. Who?”
“The police… they think I tried to kill Orlando…”
“Orlando? Why? Where is he?”
“He’s here… in ICU… still unconscious… they think I did it!”
“Viggo, stay where you are! And above all try to calm down! Don’t go anywhere! Ian’s with me, we’re coming to get you, don’t go anywhere! Understood?”
“Yes… yes, I’ll wait…” Viggo hung up and wandered onto the road. //They think I tried to kill him…. They really think that… what shall I do?//

“Stop! Stop the car! He’s on the road!” Peter screamed and got out of the car as soon as Ian had stopped it. “Viggo! Why are you standing on the road in devil’s name? Are you suicidal or what?” Peter frowned as Viggo flinched at the last words and seemed to be fighting back tears. “Viggo? What happened?”
“I… I can’t” whispered Viggo “they think I did it…”
“Come on Viggo” said Ian, who had parked the car and now joined them “Let’s get inside. We can talk there.” Viggo and Peter both nodded and followed the knight into the hospital.
“We’re lucky!” announced Ian after a while. “The waiting room is empty. Sit down Viggo:”
Slowly Viggo sat down and stared at Peter and Ian.
“And now,” said Peter “tell me everything… right from the beginning…”
“Viggo nodded slowly and then with tears running down his face began to tell the whole story, starting with finding Orlando drunk on Saturday afternoon and ending with the conversation in Doctor Stein’s office. Ian’s eyes were as wide as saucers as Viggo finished.
“He… he really tried to kill himself?” Peter finally whispered into a long silence.
“Yes,” Viggo nodded “And now Officer MacLachlan and Sergeant Goodie think that I tried to kill him…”
“That’s…” Peter shook his head “That’s just impossible… If Orlando waked he still won’t be able to film… and we can’t continue filming now! What are we going to tell the cast?”
“Do we have to tell them the truth?” Ian suddenly asked “Wouldn’t it be better to keep this from them and just tell everybody that Orlando has had a car-accident?”
“An accident?” Peter stared at Ian.
“Yes.” Said Viggo “I think that’d be better.. the cast is growing close…”
“Yes…” Ian agreed “it would be a disruption if we told them. We should say that Orlando was in a car-crash and shoot the scenes without Legolas first.”
“Yes´, that’s right” Peter finally relented “What about you Viggo?”
Again Viggo stared at PJ. “You’re really willing to give him another chance if he wakes?”
“Yes” sighed Peter “I don’t know what’s wrong with the kid or what drove him to do this but he’s one of the best actors I’ve ever seen and He’s perfect for his role… and I like him. If he wakes and still wished to play Legolas, then he shall.”
“Thank you.” Said Viggo quietly. “We are in agreement then. Safe for us all cast-members will be lead to believe that Orlando had an accident or something like that..”
“Good..” nodded Ian “But what about these two policemen who think that Viggo tried to kill Orlando?”

Dr Stein smiled as he entered Orlando’s room. The actor lay motionless, surrounded by a whole army of instruments and tubes that were carefully monitoring his vital functions.
The sight of Orlando however was not what had made him smile. The reason for his smile was the slumped figure next to the bed. “You know, Mr Mortensen, “ Dr Stein said “you really should try to get some sleep.”
“No…” mumbled Viggo “I won’t go before he wakes… it’s my fault… I am the one to blame…”
“That’s nonsense Mr Mortensen and you know it.” The doctor shook his head.
“No, it’s not!” Viggo insisted “I should never have left him alone, drunk as he was… I should have found him earlier…”
“Mr Mortensen!” said doctor Stein sternly “You did everything you could and I will not stand by while you destroy yourself because of the!” he stepped closer and towered over Viggo. “You are going into the next room, the bed there’s free and then you’re going to sleep! And I don’t want to see you here again before tomorrow! Understood?”
“Yes doctor.” Viggo nodded meekly and got up. “Thanks.” Quietly he went into the neighbouring room and lay down on the bed. It was already 11pm. //Luckily Pete gave me a day off to look after Orlando// he thought //but I still have to be at the set on Tuesday…fuck!//
he sighed //I hope Orlando wakes soon…//

Gradually he became aware of his surroundings. Everything was white. Hospital white.
//No…// he tried to move but his limbs were too heavy. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to will himself back into unconsciousness. His throat hurt. Terribly.
“Ah, so you’re finally awake… you’ve had us quite worried, you know?” With a resigned sigh he opened his eyes again and looked at the figure looming over him. His gaze came to rest on an elderly white-haired man.
“Who?” he croaked weakly, his throat painfully dry.

“I am Doctor Frank N. Stein and in charge of your well-being.” The man smiled “Are you thirsty?” Orlando nodded weakly.
“Here, let me help you.” Dr Stein said and manoeuvred Orlando into an upright position.
“That’s it, boy… lean on me…here’s your water… slowly… not too much at a time… good boy….” Irritated Orlando pulled back and stared at the doctor. “Not… child.” He croaked.
“Of course not…andoando. You gave your friends quite a scare. It was quite close…”
Orlando squeezed his eyes shut and tried to lock out the doctor’s voice. //Friends? What is he talking about? I have no friends! He must be making fun of me… probably because a stranger found me and no one bothered to look for me…”
Unfazed by his patient’s behaviour Dr Stein simply continued. “Your friend found you and called an ambulance. You can count yourself lucky that he found you quite soon.”
//No, I can’t// he thought and to his surprise heard himself asking “Friend?... who?”
“Who?” Dr. Frank N. Stein repeated and frowned. “Why, Mr Mortensen of course. He was really worried about you.” “Viggo?”
“Yes, Viggo. He’s asleep in the next room.” Dr Stein grinned. “I ordered him to sleep. He sat at your bedside the whole night long…” “Tired…” Orlando mumbled.
“But of course you are boy. Go back to sleep.”
//Viggo… saved my life….// Slowly Orlando drifted back into unconsciousness.

Doctor Frank N. Stein smiled as he returned to Orlando’s room a few hours later to check on his patient. He had just looked in at Viggo, who had been fast asleep, thanks to the injection he had given him. He shook his head as he pushed a twinge of guilt aside.
//He needed the sleep… and he wouldn’t have agreed if you’d asked him…// Frowning he halted as he heard voices from Orlando’s room and then angrily rushed inside as he recognized them. //How dare they…//
“Officer MacLachlan! Sergeant Goodie! How dare you enter this room without my permission! Mr Bloom is my patient and you are not allowed to interrogate him without my okay!” “I am sorry, Dr Stein,” said MacLachlan coldly “But we had reason to believe that Mr Bloom’s life was in danger and you were nowhere to be found. We had to hear his account of what happened.”
“And?”
“He confirmed Mr Mortensen’s tale.” “Good. You can leave then. And don’t come back without getting my permission first.”
“Of course. Good-bye, Doctor.” MacLachlan grated through clenched teeth. “Come one, Goodie.”
Doctor Frank N. Stein sighed with relief as the two policemen were finally gone.

He grimaced as he stepped into the bright light of the afternoon-sun . Lighting a cigarette he turned to his partner. “Do you believe him?” “No.” MacLachlan shook his head “He’s hiding something. And we don’t know how strong Mortensen’s influence on him is…”
“You think that Mortensen has something to do with it then?”
MacLachlan exhaled some smoke and thought carefully before answering.
“I’ve got the very strong feeling that this Mortensen has quite a lot to do with the state Mr Bloom is in. I just have to prove it. And I will. Just wait and see, Goodie. Proof can be found.”
Sergeant Goodie nodded thoughtfully and then followed his partner to their car.

Tbc…