Chapter 40
Beau
Gordon wasn’t back. That was the first thought that popped into my mind when I woke from my nap sitting up in the chair. My neck hurt from the awkward position it had been in. I couldn’t have been sleeping for long because I remembered twice getting up to soothe Ollie after he woke up screaming and thrashing from a nightmare. The last time he had woken that way, the nurse gave him a sedative to help him sleep. The boy was worn out from his ordeal.
I got up from the chair, feeling cramped. I rolled my head from side to side, loosening the tension in my neck. After stretching, I peeked at Ollie. He was still sleeping and looked at peace. Finally. His dreams should be at least peaceful because his wakeful moments would be hell for a while.
Poor kid. The days, weeks, months, and even years ahead weren’t going to be pretty, but I had faith in Gordon and his family to help him move beyond this point in his life. Crucial to him surviving this would be not to let it define who he was, but it was easier said than done.
I used the bathroom to relieve myself before getting myself a cup of watered-down coffee and a croissant from their cafeteria. I returned to the room to eat and keep up vigil. I was surprised to find Drew inside, standing by the bed and staring at Ollie. He brushed a lock of hair from the boy’s forehead.
I closed the door behind me and he stepped back from the bed. I frowned, glancing from Ollie to him, wondering if I had missed something there.
“Hi, I just dropped by to see how he was doing,” he said, his face a crimson shade. He couldn’t quite meet my eyes.
“Hmm. Terrible nightmares. The nurse sedated him. You probably shouldn’t touch him though. He’ll be sensitive for a while to people touching him.”
He slipped his hands into the front of his pockets. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. He just looks so…vulnerable. It hit me really hard that Eric could do this to him.”
I understood that the act would have sickened anyone who knew about it, especially those who saw the condition Ollie had been in. Still, hearing the way Drew talked about the boy was surprising. He seemed a little emotionally involved. He must have seen the way I was observing him with interest because he cleared his throat and walked away from the bed. He couldn’t help himself glancing back at Ollie though.
“I should go since I’m on duty in a few,” he said. “I’ll drop by to check on his progress.”
“You don’t have to do that, you know,” I told him.
“I know. I’ll feel better knowing how he’s doing.”
He was almost out the door when I stopped him. “Drew!”
He glanced back at me. “Yes?”
“Where’s Gordon?” I asked him. “He didn’t come back after you left with him. What’s going on?”
“There was an altercation with Eric,” he answered, to my worst fears. “Don’t worry. Both men will be fine, Eric’s the worst for the wear. Gordon should be by shortly. He stopped by his house to let his mother know what happened.”
That made sense. The message was probably best told in person anyway rather than over the phone.
“Okay. Thanks for dropping by.”
“Um, yeah. Sure.” He gave another glance at the bed before he left.
Ollie woke up some minutes after the cop went away and asked for water. I helped him to drink some before he rested back against the pillows. The swelling in his face was receding and didn’t look as bad as when we had found him.
“Where’s my dad?” he asked.
“He dropped by the house, but he’ll be by shortly.”
He looked as though there was something on his mind, but he didn’t know what to say. He stared at me for a good while before shaking his head and looking away.
“Whatever it is, you can ask me,” I told him.
It turned out he wanted to pee but was too embarrassed to ask me.
"Do you want me to get the nurse?" I asked him since he refused to use the bedpan.
"No, can you just help me?"
I helped transport him to the bathroom, wheeling the IV unit beside him. The short trek was painful for him, and he would have done better to use the bedpan, but he had his pride, and I helped him to keep his dignity. After he used the bathroom, I helped him get back into the bed.
“I don’t get it,” he said when I fluffed his pillow.
“You don’t get what?”
“How you can be so nice to me after everything.”
“Hey, we all make mistakes,” I told him. “The good thing about them is that sometimes we get to fix them. You’re Gordon’s son, and you’ve not done anything that’s not forgivable.”
“You love him.” He said it more of an observation than a question.
I nodded and smiled at him. “With all my heart, which means I would do anything for his kids.”
“Except I’m not his biological son.”
“You are my son.”
We both glanced up to stare at Gordon who had slipped into the room undetected. He closed the door behind him, his gaze fastened on his son as he approached the bed. I stared at him, only then realizing how worried I had been about him. Now I could relax knowing he was okay.
“You’ll always be my son, and nothing will ever change that,” he said to Ollie. “I know you’re going to have a lot to deal with, but that shouldn’t be one of them. I love you and always will. Okay?”
Ollie sniffed and nodded. “I’m glad you’re my father and not him.”
“Yeah, you don’t have to worry about him because he can’t hurt you ever again,” Gordon told his son. “We’ll make sure of that. Drew tells me for what he did, he can get a maximum of a life sentence for the hate crime with bodily harm. Plus, other stuff.”
I frowned at him. What other stuff was he talking about?
“It turns out your mother didn’t commit suicide after all,” he told Ollie. “So you can also get that silly notion out of your head that she took her life because you’re gay. That was all Eric’s doing as well. He killed her.”
“What?” I squeaked. “Oh my God. Are you serious?”
“Yeah, he was, and we got him confessing the whole thing.”
“So it’s not because I told her?” Ollie asked, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“No, it’s not. Your mother loved you.” He reached for Ollie’s hand and squeezed it. “I swear we’ll get through this.”
I decided to give them some space, so excused myself to get some fresh air. I had been cooped up in the hospital for too many hours. Gordon gripped my hand before I could bypass him and squeezed it. “Don’t go too far.”
“Okay. I’ll be back soon.”
I wanted to kiss him but wasn’t sure with Ollie in the room. Gordon took the decision out of my hands by giving me a swift peck. I smiled at him, feeling light-hearted. Bad things had happened to this family, but they would overcome.
I hurried from the hospital building to get some fresh air. I wasn’t sure Gordon had eaten anything yet, and the hospital meal left something to be desired, so I walked the block to find somewhere to get a take-out. I found a café just a five-minute walk from the hospital. I bought an overpriced cup of coffee and some danish for Gordon. Thank God my wallet had already been in my pants when I dressed last night.
Laden with the coffee and a brown paper bag with the danish ,I trekked back to the hospital. I ran into Gordon in the waiting area.
I frowned when I saw him. “Is something wrong?”
He shook his head. “No. I didn’t know where you were.”
“I got you coffee and something to eat,” I replied handing him the bag. “I wasn’t sure you’d eaten yet.”
He smiled at me. “You’re right. I couldn’t stop to eat. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“My mom and Charlie are with him now.”
I nodded. “Okay. I should go and probably give your family some time to deal with this.”
He frowned at me. “Beau, you are a part of this family. I don’t know how I would have kept sane without you.”
My heart skipped a beat at his words. “It was a long hard fight and it’s not over by a long shot.”
“But I think we’ve been through the worst. And if it’s not the worst, I’m willing to ride out the worst with you.”
And when he leaned forward and kissed me in the hospital where anyone walking by could see us, I knew that he meant it. We had already been down one rocky road. If there was one thing we had learned, it was that even the second time didn’t guarantee it would be easy. But that was fine. We weren’t looking for the easier road. All we wanted was the right not only to love, but also to remain in love.