by Kris Sawyer
Jenny nodded and looked at Rick. “Will you come with me? I’m so scared. I don’t want to be alone right now.”
“You don’t have to ask.” He made soothing sounds as Jenny leaned forward to rest her head on his shoulder and cried. Rick held Aidan’s hand and asked the paramedic, “He’s my boyfriend. Can he accompany us too?”
“I’m sorry. Immediate family members only are allowed to accompany the patient.” He looked apologetically between Aidan and Rick.
“That’s okay, Rick. You go on ahead. I’ll bring my car and see you directly at the hospital. We’ll need it later to get you home anyway.”
On their way out, the police officer assured them Victor was going away for a long time after his stint. They’d charged him with domestic violence, attempted murder and also resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer. It was highly unlikely he’d get out of the charges that easily.
*****
Aidan and Rick returned back home at around two a.m. looking completely disheveled and tired. It was only after the doctor assured Rick his sister was going to be alright, that they both heaved a sigh of relief. Aidan had to calm his very anxious boyfriend till that very moment. The doctor, however, wanted to keep Jenny at the hospital overnight for observation.
It turned out to be a task for Aidan to convince Rick it’d be best they go back home, rest for the remainder of the night and come back to the hospital bright and early next morning to see his sister. After a hell of a lot of argument, he dejectedly agreed.
Without a word, they both undressed themselves and went to bed together. Aidan held his boyfriend close. Rick’s body was unusually cold and he shivered in his arms. “Are you alright?” He whispered.
“Yea… just … don’t let me go, okay?” Aidan didn’t say anything. He simply held him closer and kissed his blond hair. It didn’t take long for his eyes to start feeling heavy due to the exhaustion he felt. It had been a long day for both of them after all. He thought Rick had dozed off too. But, soon, he sighed and Aidan blinked several times to rid himself of his sleepiness. “It’s my fault, you know? What happened with Jenny?”
“No, Rick… Victor is a vicious man. How are his actions your fault?”
He could feel Rick’s head slightly shaking near his neck. His eyes were still closed but there was a hint of tears forming at the edges. “He always beat her up even when I was around. I just feel if I hadn’t listened to Jenny and had called for help back then … none of this would have happened. She said she had it under control …”
Aidan stroked his back slowly. “There was no way you could’ve seen this coming.”
“Yes, I could have.” He spoke strongly. “I knew what was happening behind their closed door and I decided to stay quiet. I thought she loved him. I didn’t think my sister’s happiness was far, far away from that asshole. I was much more concerned that I would be thrown out of a home if I said a word against him.”
“I’m sure that’s not true.”
“But … it… is…” He said between the sobs. Aidan had to cradle him like a baby to calm him down. For a long time, Rick cried in his arms before giving into a restless sleep. Aidan kissed his forehead one last time and closed his eyes.
The next morning as they drove to the hospital, Rick remained silent through half the ride. It made Aidan uncomfortable as he didn’t know what to say. He knew Rick was worried sick about his sister and he could only imagine all the thoughts running through his boyfriend’s head at that moment.
As if he’d read Aidan’s mind, Rick said out aloud, “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking,” he said, still looking out the window. “I guess I’ll move back in with Jenny. I have to make sure she’s okay. She can’t be left alone right now.”
He processed it in his mind, repeating it to himself over and over again to allow it sink in. “You want to move out?” He asked after a few minutes and took a turn, exiting the freeway to get to the Sunset Boulevard.
Rick turned his head finally and met his eyes. He looked so pale, Aidan noticed. “No, but I have to. Besides, with Victor out of the picture now, it’s safe to return.”
“The hell it is.” Aidan almost yelled. “I know what the cops said last night, but I don’t want to take any chances when it comes to your safety. And now, Jenny’s too.” He shook his head vigorously. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting you go.”
“But, Jenny …”
He raised his hand and cut him off. “Jenny is going to come stay with us. We’ve plenty of room for her. So don’t worry, okay?”
“No, no way.”
“Yes way.”
“No, Aidan. You’ve already done so much for me. My life problems … you didn’t sign up for this.”
“Listen,” Aidan said strongly, knowing he had to make Rick see the reality of the situation. “This is not up for discussion. Tell me this … can you assure me that when you go back to that hellhole, Victor will not come back and he will not go back to his old ways? Rather, I’m afraid that guy may be more vengeful toward you both after what’s happened.”
“I …” Rick’s voice faltered.
“Thought so,” He said. “End of discussion.”
Surprisingly, the argument didn’t progress any further and Aidan was glad. Apart from Rick’s safety, he also had his own selfish reasons to not let the guy leave. Since Rick had moved in, he’d become so used to having Rick around that the mere thought of him moving out scared him.
Jenny didn’t seem to bow down easily to the idea either when Aidan asked her and it took a lot of convincing on his and Rick’s part to get her to say yes. The doctors ran some more tests before they announced she was good to go back home. They prescribed her with some painkillers in case the pain did not alleviate.
It was almost time for dinner when they brought her home. To say she was stunned by the neighborhood was an understatement. She kept repeating how beautiful everything was around there.
“You live here?” She asked, her gaze sizing up the house through every corner. Her reaction pleased Aidan, so he smiled at her. “This place is huge. And it’s just the two of you living in here?”
“Technically, Aidan owns this place and he lives here. I’m just here on a temporary basis.” Aidan’s head turned to him briskly. Rick didn’t realize how harshly that statement affected Aidan and he continued to talk to his sister. “But that’s pretty much the same reaction I had when I first came here.”
She took a seat on the couch. “Everything around screams money. I feel a little intimidated right now.”
Rick chuckled. “Right? You’ll get used to it,” he said. “But don’t get too used to it either. Because when I get a job and can rent out a place for us, something tells me it won’t be this lavish.”
Jenny smiled. She reached out to hold his hand and squeezed it. “I’m sure it will be a happy place wherever we move to. No matter how big or small it is.”
He smiled back and suddenly, they both turned to look at Aidan. Confused, Rick asked, “Why are you still standing there?”
Aidan came back to his senses and realized he was still standing by the doorway. Pulling himself back to the present, he cautiously trod towards the couch and sat with them. Soon, the previous night’s incident came up while Jenny was talking and Aidan couldn’t help but ask, “What happened exactly?”
Jenny exhaled heavily. “Ever since Rick moved out, Victor became so suspicious of everything. He accused me of talking to you behind his back… he even accused me of …” She cringed and looked away. “…of having an affair.”
“What?!”
“That isn’t even the worst part.”
“What is the worst then?” Aidan asked.
She refused to look at either of them. “He thought … he thought I was … sexually involved with Rick.” Jenny yelled and broke into endless tears. “Can you imagine? He thought I was having sex with my own brother.”
“Fuck! That asshole…” Rick looked at Aidan, abashed. “It’s not true
, I hope you know that.”
Aidan patted his back. “Don’t worry. Even if I didn’t know how much of a twisted man he is, I wouldn’t believe it for a second.”
Rick smiled sadly and consoled his sister as she cried. When she recovered, she said, “It was horrible. He went all crazy last night and wouldn’t stop yelling at me. I couldn’t take it anymore and I slapped him.”
“Atta girl!” Aidan exclaimed, with a big grin on his face. “He deserves much worse, but you’ve got my respect, Jenny.”
She shook her head. “But that’s what unleashed the monster in him. I regretted it the second I did it. He beat me up so badly… I cried and screamed at him, I kept apologizing but he was too far gone.” Nobody spoke for a while. There was only the ticking of the clock that could be heard inside the living room. “I wish he goes to jail and never gets out.”
Aidan glanced worriedly at Rick and then told Jenny, “I hope so, too. But, Jenny, have you ever thought about, you know, getting a divorce?”
Jenny gave a curt nod, her eyes cast down. “I don’t have any money. Victor always grabbed my wages. I’ve already applied to a few lawyers to take my case pro-bono but haven’t got anywhere so far.”
“I’ve just the guy for you.” Aidan stood up and took his cell phone out of his pocket. “Rick, you remember Brandon?” He received a nod. “His brother is a divorce attorney and one of the best, might I add. Jenny, I’ll ask him to take your case up pro-bono. It shouldn’t be a big deal for him.”
He did not wait for Jenny’s approval and dialed Eugene’s number. He spent about ten to fifteen minutes explaining the situation and got a positive response from Eugene. Happily, he cut the call and turned to the impatient looking duo still sitting in his living room. “He said he can’t take your case personally because he’s rammed full with a busy schedule but he has a great team of attorneys working under him. He said he’ll get the best one out of the lot to take your case. He thinks you’ll do well with the case and get a good amount of damages and alimony.”
She grunted. “I don’t want anything from him. I only want him out of my life now. I think I’ve had enough.”
“Hey, it’s me. Can I come in?” Aidan asked, after he knocked on the door. Once he had Jenny’s permission, he opened it and entered.
She lay half way on the bed with a book in her hand. When she saw Aidan, she smiled and quickly sat up. Placing the bookmark over the opened page, Jenny closed the book and placed it on the nightstand. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Just checking in on you,” he replied as he sat by the edge of the bed.
Jenny smiled. “I’m so much better, Aidan. Will you stop worrying about me so much?”
He grinned and shrugged. “I guess I’m kind of a worrier. Have absolutely no idea when I turned into my mom.” That made Jenny giggle and he loved that sound coming out of her mouth.
Aidan looked at her. She looked well now that a few days had passed since the incident. Her otherwise flawless skin had started to get its color back. The bruises on her body faded away and the wounds healed slowly. She stopped taking any more medicines for her pain which was a really good sign, Aidan thought.
However, Rick worried himself about what was going on in her mind. He’d told Aidan that she was unusually quiet which was out of character for her. Rick had always told him his sister was a lively person who simply loved to talk. While at his house now, Aidan had hardly seen her coming out of her room except for having daily meals with them.
Rick was dejected that he couldn’t get through the wall she’d built up between them. The more he tried to get her to open up, the more she drifted and confined herself within the four walls of their guest room. Aidan hated to see Rick suffer like that, so, he offered to help.
“But how are you really doing, Jenny?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Did Rick put you up to this?” She asked.
He shook his head. “No, nobody put me up to this. I’m just … I hardly know you because we barely even had any real conversations. So, I might be crossing a line when I ask. But I’m not just worried about you here. It’s Rick too. He can see that you are hurting. And it’s like, you keep pushing him away, when all he wants to do is help you. That affects him too and I can’t see him like that.”
Jenny sighed. She crossed her legs and gazed at Aidan with sad eyes. “You’re a good man, Aidan. Rick used to talk about you all the time before he moved in with you and I knew you treated him well. But now I know for sure that he is in good hands.”
Aidan couldn’t help but blush. “Thanks, I guess.”
She smiled uncertainly and looked down at her hands. Fidgeting with her fingers, she spoke after a whole minute passed. “I haven’t been able to talk to Rick, or you, for that matter, because I’m embarrassed.”
“Embarrassed? Why embarrassed?”
“Because…” she said, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes. “It was all my fault.”
“No,” he said and scooted closer to her. He reached out and stroked her upper arm as she cried. “None of this is your fault, Jenny.”
“Well, it is.” She sniffed. “I am the one who married Vik even though I knew what kind of guy he was. But damn, I was so young when we married. I was stupid, and reckless. He proposed and I fell for him. I kept ignoring his flaws as if they didn’t matter. But when I …” She bit her lip to stop herself from crying but a sob broke out anyway.
When she managed to recover herself, she continued. “I miscarried twice because of his beatings. That’s when I saw him for the monster he was. I’d fallen out of love and began to seek help from people around me. Divorce was the only option left. But I was broke. I’d started to save up to pay for a good lawyer. But then, Rick came to live with us and my husband wanted to throw him out. But he had nowhere to go. The only way to keep him at our place was for me to pay a rent amount on Rick’s behalf. I work as a nanny to three kids and it doesn’t pay me extravagantly. I had to dig into my savings to take care of him too.”
“Did you ever tell that to Rick?” Aidan asked, already knowing the answer.
“How could I? He already felt like shit with Vik around.”
Aidan didn’t know what to say at that moment. So, he continued to soothe Jenny as she let out her tears. She and Rick cared very much for each other and it was apparent to Aidan. She’d silently endured a lot of pain and sacrificed a great deal when it came to making some selfish choices. Jenny could have easily sent her brother back to Missouri and continued with her life. She had her own problems, after all. Jenny knew exactly how much harder her life would become and she still chose to go that path. Because, obviously, she loved Rick to pieces.
He handed her some more Kleenex as she wiped her new set of tears. “I can’t say that I know exactly how you feel. But Jenny, everyone makes stupid decisions at least once in their lives. I’ve made so many in my life that I’ve stopped keeping a count of them. So, there’s nothing for you to be embarrassed about.”
She nodded and Aidan bent down as he searched in her eyes. When she looked up, he smiled sadly at her and said, “You know you made a bad decision. You fell and stood up. It’s hard, I know. But you gotta start walking now. Move on. Live your life. That’s how it’s supposed to be. That’s how …” He held her hand and pointed at her palm. “you will bump into that guy who’s going to make it all worth fighting for. I see it so clearly on here.”
She grinned through her tears and wiped them off with the back of her hands. “I didn’t know you were into palmistry.”
“Just one of the hobbies I’ve picked on. It’s our secret, okay? Don’t tell Rick.” He winked. Aidan had totally made it up but from the looks of it, the trick had still worked its charm.
“Thanks Aidan.” She sniffed. “I feel better now.”
“I’m glad to be of assistance, ma’am.” He took a little bow and grinned. “But, I’ve a much better plan to help you.”
“What’s that?”
“We’re heading down to
a gay club in WeHo and you’re coming with us.”
“Yea, I dunno …”
He held his hand up. “I am not taking a no for an answer. You’re coming and that’s final.” When she frowned at him, he said, “Please, Jenny, I’m in a mood to celebrate. My portraits of Rick have been accepted by one of the top art galleries in the city and I’m excited about that. It’s a happy day for me and your brother. So, please say yes. Please.” Aidan literally begged. He knew she wouldn’t say no to the puppy face he made.
“Erm… Aidan,” Aaron suddenly said from across the table. “I wanted to talk to you about that … thing I told you about.” His eyes shifted from Rick to Jenny and finally settled on his elder brother. When he’d called that evening to make some brother-bonding plans, Aidan invited him to join in as well.
“Sure, what’s up?” He asked, looking curious and confused at the same time.
“I mean, in private.” Aaron glanced at Jenny and Rick uncomfortably. “Sorry guys, I hope you understand.”
Rick waved dismissively and smiled. Aidan leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek. “I’m sure this won’t take long,” he said, before following his brother out of the bar.
As soon as they stepped out on the street, Aaron swiveled around to face him and almost yelled, “What the hell were you thinking?”
Aidan quickly recalled the last conversation that they’d had in the bar and realized Aaron hadn’t spoken much ever since they got there. “Huh?” He failed to recollect what it could’ve been that offended his brother.
“You called me to a gay bar? When you knew Rick’s hot sister is gonna be hanging with us?” He threw his hands in the air and huffed. “Now, she probably thinks I’m gay!”
He couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled out of him. Aaron had joined him at bars, gay or not, on multiple occasions without a damn care of what anyone else would think. So, he hadn’t given it much thought when he invited him that evening in the first place. What amused him was that his brother had a crush on Jenny and that it mattered to him what she thought.
