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“Please come get me.”
For a long moment Seth thought he was imagining the man on the other end of the call – but no, it was in fact Dean’s voice, graveled with sleep deprivation and heavy with regret. Over a year had passed since the Shield fracture already, but there would never be any mistaking a voice that signaled home, would always signal home.
Seth had to physically shake his head before he answered, making sure to keep his voice as even and emotionless as possible, at least until he left the Authority offices and headed out the door to the relative privacy of his car. “What’s up?” he said nonchalantly, despite the hard plodding in his chest, and he shoved Ryback out of his way a little harder than he’d intended, looking back and mouthing a silent apology before turning around a corner.
“I’m at… you know where I am.”
Seth shoved the back door open and jogged to the car, shoving his phone between his cheek and shoulder as he juggled car keys and his bags. It didn’t take long to get everything settled, and after slamming the back door too hard Seth took the phone back into a slightly shaking hand. “Ten… no, fifteen minutes,” he finally said, his other hand scrubbing his face hard. Because he remembered what city they were in, and how Roman was doing the overseas tour, and how they were probably the only two people who knew what a call like this meant, what that tone of voice meant.
“‘Kay.”
“Don’t go anywhere,” Seth added quickly, and he heard a short, almost amused huff before the other end clicked and then went dead.
A deep breath later, Seth was on the highway with gritted teeth and a heavy foot, breaking more than a few speed limits, on his way to the institution where Dean’s mother was kept. He’d call Roman later tonight – after picking up the pieces and putting Dean back together as best as he could remember. Dean’s voice may be home to him, yes, but to Dean? Home was starch white walls, the smell of disinfectant, the taste of chalky pills, and eyes that barely remember her own son.
As Seth slowed down to drive up the final curve of the institution’s driveway, he made a mental note to call Kevin later. Because someone needed to set fire to that 'Ambrose Asylum’ merch before the next Raw.