One Missed Call
First Psych fic!!!
After a fight with Shawn, Gus misses a call that may cost him his best friend.
Submitter Notes: I don't own the characters but they sure are fun to play with. Also I use a real location but since I've never been there, the only accurate thing about it is the name. Anyhoo, read and review because constructive criticism is my friend.
Gus is fuming as he slams his car door. He's not been this angry at Shawn…well, he can't remember ever being this angry at Shawn. He puts the key in the ignition and drives off not once glancing back at the office they share.
"Selfish, insufferable nitwit," Gus mumbles to himself. He wants to call him a bastard, but something just feels wrong about it.
He sighs as he drives, sun catches the silver casing of his pharmaceuticals case, the whole reason he's pissed at Shawn right now.
It was like any other day; he'd gone to the office to square things away before heading off on his run. Only Shawn thought otherwise. Being his overactive self he started spewing off about a new case. Some 'ol same 'ol. Something had gone missing, then someone had gotten killed for it, and Shawn wanted to go check out some foreboding warehouse to see if the bad guy's hide out was there. As pissed as he was, Gus had smirked at Shawn calling it the "bad guy's hide out."
But Gus was tired of it. He'd been neglecting his run for the past three weeks and he desperately needed to catch up. One thing had lead to another, and he'd gone off on Shawn. He'd never done that before and he knew he'd regret some of the things he'd said but right now he was so pissed off he didn't care.
He was getting his run completed and nothing Shawn did would stop him. Gus looks at his watch. It had already been over an hour since he stormed off and Shawn still hadn't called. Maybe he'd gotten his message across. Suddenly his phone vibrates.
"Speak of the devil," Gus says as he looks at the caller I.D. Shawn. "Sorry, Shawn, but not today." Gus turns off his phone and continues his run.
Six hours and one lunch stop later he's finally finished. Without Shawn's sometimes annoying, overzealous interference he was able to get caught completely up and he was feeling good about it.
Gus grabs his phone, turning it back on.
3 missed calls, 3 voicemails
He doesn't check to see who the calls are from; he just goes into autopilot and dials his voicemail. He dials his pin - his birthday - which Shawn has called typical on more than one occasion. The first voicemail starts.
"Hey Gus-" Gus sighs to himself.
"It's me...Shawn. Of course you know it's me, since you put my call straight to your voicemail." Gus presses his lips together as he hears Shawn take in a shaky breath. Something's off. The tone of Shawn's voice is changing the more he talks, he sounds like he's struggling with each breath. There's a hint of pain in his voice as he starts speaking again, his voice as shaky as his breathing.
"Buddy, really wish you'd picked up, would have much rather said all this to you than a machine, but I guess I'll have to deal. Not like I've got all the time in the world, ya know. I, uh, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry, Gus. I know I can be a selfish bastard sometimes, but I just...I just-" Shawn hisses and Gus is pretty sure his heart just stopped in his chest. Something's wrong.
"Buddy, just know, I'm sorry for not really realizing you have a life outside of Psych. Sometimes it just doesn't feel right working a case without my trusty sidekick. And now I'm thinking I should have listened to you and just gotten that pineapple smoothie and bothered Jules because...Well, you know what. Never mind, this isn't your fault...just remember that ok. I just want you to know that you're the best friend I've ever had, ok. Just know-END OF MESSAGE." Gus's hands are shaking now as he tries to stay on the road. His stomach is tied in knots as he goes to the second message.
"Gus-" This time it's Juliet and she sounds panicked.
Damn it Gus, of all times to have your phone off...I don't' care if you can't hear me. You need to answer your phone, ok. I need you to call me as soon as you get this." There's a pause and Gus swears he can hear a siren in the background.
"Gus, please...just call." Gus' mind is going a million miles a minute trying to figure out what the hell has happened. The third message plays, it was over an hour old.
"This is Santa Barbara Cottage-" "Oh god…"
"I'm trying to reach a Mr. Burton Guster in regards to a patient we admitted about two hours ago. A Mr. Shawn Spencer was brought in with a gunshot wound to the chest and you were the first person on his contact list..." Gus quickly shuts his phone, throwing it in the passenger seat before doing a quick and definitely illegal u-turn as he speeds toward the hospital.
"Please don't let me be too late. Please let him be ok," becomes his mantra as he floors the accelerator as the memory of his fight with Shawn creeps back into his mind.
*flashback* "Shawn, I'm not going with you. I've got an actual job or have you forgotten," Gus says as he rearranges the samples in his case. Shawn's sitting with his legs on his desk, bouncing a mini basketball from hand to hand. "Gus, c'mon! When are you going to face facts. You like this job better, and seriously, I need-" Gus slams the lid of his case down, he's fuming, "That's just it Shawn! It's always what YOU need. It's never what I need. You can never wrap your brain around the fact that I actually had a job before you pulled me into this scheme of yours. Damn it, Shawn, when are you going to stop acting like we're kids! You're a grown man, you can do this on your own! You don't always need me there to back you up. For once in your life Shawn, think about someone else." With that said, Gus grabs his case and heads out the door. 
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Ashley, you've done it again! Shawn…