by Dani Gray
Michael nodded. “Go finish this story, hun.”
As Shane readied himself to complete the tale, Michael watched him to make sure he wasn’t too stressed out.
“While the goons were stomping on me, I heard a loud roar and Michael was running up to us. For a minute there, I was scared he was going to join them, but he chased them off. Once they were gone, he told me to call 9-1-1 and sat with me while we waited.”
Shane turned to Michael. “I never did thank you for coming to rescue me. I seriously did think I was going to die there.”
Michael couldn’t stand it any more. He reached over and gently took Shane’s face in his hands. “I would do it over again and again for the rest of our lives. I will stand between you and anyone who thinks they can hurt you.”
They leaned into each other, seeing no one else in the room. The kiss they shared was both soft and profound. What started off slow quickly grew in crescendo, like waves in a storm crashing on the sand. Tongues dueled. Michael lifted Shane from his chair and, while being careful with Shane’s leg, put him in his lap. He held Shane as close to him as he could, forgetting everything except the man in his arms.
When they finally pulled apart, all they could do was stare into each other’s eyes. With their foreheads pressed together, Michael saw the promise of forever in Shane’s eyes, and hoped his were saying the same thing to Shane.
They broke apart when they heard a sniffle, and when they lifted their gazes, it was to see Travis handing Sandy a tissue. She had tears in her eyes, but the biggest smile brightened her face. Michael looked around, noting that everyone except Abe was smiling at them. He was okay with that, since he noticed the soft smile on Abe’s face as he was looking at Travis.
Shane cleared his throat and took a deep breath to start again.
“Michael stayed with me the whole time. I don’t think I could have handled it without him beside me. He kept me calm every time I started to panic. When I was offered the surgery for my back, I jumped at it. Michael wouldn’t let me sign for it unless he knew it was going to help me. I think he was concerned about me getting my hopes up. After the explanations by the specialist, the paperwork was signed and the surgery was done. It took me a couple of days to get my equilibrium back afterward. Being able to suddenly feel my feet again was an amazing and terrifying thing all at the same time.”
“Hang on,” Justin interrupted. “What do you mean Michael wouldn’t let you sign. You had just met the guy.” He had such a look of outrage on his face. “How do you know he had your best interests at heart? How do you know you are safe with him?” He waved his hand in Michael’s direction. “You don’t know him.”
Sandy jumped up and faced off against Justin, her anger clear in her flushed face. “How dare you say anything like that about my son. He would never hurt anyone, especially someone he cares about.” She had her fists planted on her hips so fast that if she had been a gunslinger, Justin would have been already shot.
Aaron got up and went to Sandy’s side. “Hold on there, hun. These are Shane’s friends and just met Michael. They don’t know him yet. They are being concerned for Shane, just as you would be for Travis with Abe.”
Michael watched in fascination as his mom turned even redder. “That’s different. No one is hurting any of my kids!”
It was kind of fun watching his mom sputter like that.
“Mom, really, it’s okay,” Michael said. “I understand their concern. I’m grateful Shane has friends who care about him enough to worry like that. It shows me that Shane is a good person, because if his friends didn’t care, what would that say about Shane’s character?”
Sandy huffed. “Fine.” She flounced back to sit next to Travis. She turned to Abe. “And I’m watching you, too, buster.”
Aaron laughed as he went back to his seat.
Travis just turned a brighter red and hid his face in Sandy’s shoulder. Michael heard Travis whisper, “Thank you.”
Michael turned to Justin. “Thank you for worrying about Shane. You don’t need to, since I’m going to do everything I can to make him as happy as possible. You should also know that for now, I’m staying in one of the spare rooms. Shane and I are going to take the time to get to know one another before we move our relationship to the next level. Our meeting, then my moving, it happened so fast, we want to make sure that we are doing the right thing moving forward.”
Justin stood up, walked over to Michael, and held out his hand. “I’m glad you were there for Shane. I hope you guys have an amazing life together.”
Michael moved Shane off his lap so he could stand up to shake Justin’s hand, showing Justin the respect he deserved. “I will try to give him everything.”
After Justin went to sit back beside his husband, he said, “That’s all I ask.”
When Michael sat back down, he reached over and pulled Shane back onto his lap.
Abe turned and looked at Michael, asking, “What about you? What did you see? Is there anything else you can tell us about the attack?”
Michael shook his head. “Not really. I wasn’t very close and didn’t get a good look at the guys. What drew my attention was the yelling and screaming, although I couldn’t make out the words. When I saw Shane on the ground and his wheelchair overturned, I just reacted and ran over.” Now it was Michael’s turn to blush. “When I started to help Shane and talk to him, I couldn’t stay away.” As Michael turned his head to Shane, he told him, “Being here is where I belong.”
* * * *
Shane looked into Michael’s eyes, seeing the truth in them. “Same. I am right where I belong, as well.”
Just as Shane was about to lean in for another mind-blowing kiss, someone coughed. When he glanced around to see who, Aaron was smirking at them. Shane just crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. That got everyone laughing, even Michael.
Michael put his arm around Shane, and with the other one tilted his chin up. “I know this will be hard for you, but can you tell us how you were hurt the first time?”
Shane shivered, thinking of that time in his life. It may have happened over ten years ago, but it still had the power to hurt, so much. Knowing this was going to be painful, Shane turned himself so he could snuggle into Michael’s warmth.
“I was thirteen, and such a geek. I loved anything to do with computers and always had my head in a book trying to learn all I could about them, how they worked. Games, too. I needed to figure out how they were made, so I could make them better.”
Shane grinned, thinking about himself back then. “I knew from an early age that I was gay, and I knew I could never let my family know, especially not my dad. They were as bad as Travis’s family.”
Shane stopped when he heard the distressed sound Travis made. He looked to his friend. “I’m okay, Travis. You are, too. We are alive and free to live how we want, not how they say. Yes, what happened hurt me, physically, emotionally, as well as mentally. But we are stronger now. We survived.”
Shane then looked back to Michael. “I really am okay now. I came home from school, and Dad was so angry about something. I don’t know how, but he somehow found out I was gay. He started smacking me around and became more aggressive as he was hitting me, then kicking me while I was on the ground. According to the police report I heard when he went to trial, he was hitting me with his steel-toed boots and a bat. But now my dad can no longer hurt me. He lost that power a very long time ago.”
Michael held Shane tight to him. The emotion in his voice shook Shane to his core. “I’m so very proud of you. You are a better person than they ever will be. Thank you for being who you are. Please, don’t ever change.”
While Shane tried to get himself under control, Abe softly asked, “Are they still alive? Are they possible suspects to these recent events?”
As he shook his head, Shane replied, “No. The attack was done by my father, who died in jail. It only stopped when my mom came home and found him beating my unconscious body. For a while there, no on
e was sure if I was even going to live. It took months, but I did survive even though I was paralyzed from the waist down. My mom made arrangements for me to be cared for, then killed herself. She couldn’t stand the guilt, since she had been out grocery shopping at the time. To this day, I still don’t know how he found out I was gay.”
Michael held on to Shane tightly with both arms, holding him so close. “Oh baby, I am so sorry for what happened. I wish to god I could make this better and take the pain away.”
Shane leaned back and wrapped his arms around Michael’s neck. “I know, but you did make it better. You saved me from the beating, and you gave me the feeling back in my legs. Besides”—Shane threw Michael a cheeky grin—“you said I get to keep your mom.”
Chapter Six
Everyone started laughing at that, which is what Shane wanted. He needed to lighten the mood. Yes, what happened was wrong, but that was then and no amount of crying over it would change it. He spent years in counseling for it, and he didn’t have any more tears left. He wanted to look forward to a future with Michael, not living in the past.
After everyone calmed down, Justin and Eric got up.
“Sorry, guys,” Eric said. “We have to head home. I feel confident in leaving you in Abe’s hands. He’s one of the best I have.”
Abe bowed his head slightly in response to Eric.
Aaron stood. “Let me show you guys out. This way I can lock the door behind you.”
Abe turned to Shane. “I’m sorry to ask this, but is there anyone else you can think of who might be doing this?”
Shane looked at Travis, who just nodded before burrowing in as far as he could behind Sandy. When Shane turned back to Abe, the look on his face made him pause. There was anger there, more than he expected.
“Travis’s family, mainly his older siblings. When Travis was found out by his family, his parents almost beat him to death. He saved himself and escaped before they killed him. I found him outside my apartment building. His parents went to jail because he was underage at the time. His older brothers never forgave him. They are as homophobic as the parents. I don’t know where they are though.”
Abe slowly turned to Travis. “Look at me, sweetness.” Travis turned his tear stained face to Abe, who drew in a sharp breath. “Never again will they hurt you. I will annihilate anyone who tries to hurt you. You are safe with me. Okay?” Abe cautiously moved his arms open, and Travis lunged into them, holding Abe tight. Abe murmured gentle words and lightly kissed Travis on top of his head.
Sandy stood up, giving them room. She went into the kitchen, Aaron trailing after her. Soon sounds of her getting dinner ready could be heard. Travis jumped a bit when a pot fell, then smiled when Sandy started to giggle.
Shane started to giggle himself when Michael groaned, “Geez, my folks are worse than teenagers. You should have seen them while I was growing up. All us kids knew to avoid the parents when their door was shut. Sleepovers with friends were so embarrassing when they heard the sounds coming from their bedroom.”
That set them all off laughing, and it nicely eased the tension in the room.
“Shane,” Abe called to him. “Is there anyone else you can think of who might be doing this?”
Shane sat quietly for a minute, giving the question the consideration it needed. “No.” He shook his head as he replied. “I really can’t think of anyone at all. What about you, Travis? Is there anyone else you can think of?”
Travis sat there, chewing on his bottom lip. “No, I can’t either.”
Abe gently rubbed the poor lip Travis was abusing. “Don’t do that, sweetness. The only bruising on your lips should come from kisses.”
Travis’ face flushed.
“What do you do here?” Abe softly asked him.
“I keep the house clean and do the cooking. I could have taken a top chef position in Repas Idéal, but I couldn’t leave the house. I didn’t feel safe out there. I have been going to counseling since it happened, but I still don’t like to leave the house.”
“How is the security in this house?” Abe asked. “Does it need to be upgraded?”
“I don’t think so, but if you want, I can take you around and show you what there is,” Shane offered.
“I think that would be good,” Abe said, as he slowly stood up, bringing Travis to his feet with him. “Why don’t you go take your kitchen back, sweetness? I’ll be back shortly after Shane and Michael show me around.”
Abe pressed a soft kiss to Travis’s forehead, then turned him toward the kitchen and gave Travis a gentle push to get moving.
Michael cautiously stood up with Shane in his arms, then moved him into his chair so he could show Abe around.
“Where do you want to start?” Shane asked Abe.
Abe started to look around. “How about we start at the control panel. Let me see what you have and if it needs upgrading. Then we can move to windows and doors, see if anything there needs to be replaced.”
Shane, Michael, and Abe spent the next hour going through the house. Nothing was missed with Abe’s critical eye. He suggested upgrading the alarm system, adding in infrared and regular video, and having some of the cameras in plain sight, but most hidden. Abe even suggested getting one of those doorbells that have the camera in them. Shane thought the place was going to have better security than Fort Knox.
By the time the security sweep was done, dinner was ready. As the men made the way to the dining room, Andy came in through the side door from the garage.
“Andy,” Shane called out. “Can you please come here for a minute? I would like to introduce you to Abe. He will be in charge of the security around here.”
Andy came around the corner and offered his hand with a smile. “Hi, I’m Andy. I do the driving around here, and some other general things.”
Abe shook the hand offered. “So, what were you doing this afternoon? We missed you during the powwow to try and get to the bottom of this. I would really like to get your opinion.”
“Excuse me,” Andy said. “I’m not trying to avoid you, but I just need to wash up for dinner. How about we meet afterward for coffee and we can chat then?”
“Sounds good,” Abe replied. “Is the coffee any good around here?”
“Travis is an excellent cook,” Andy said. “He’s also a master with the coffee machine. He can put any barista to shame.”
Shane could see that Andy was clearly boasting about his friend.
“I’m sure sweetness turns anything he makes into something amazing.”
That response seemed to piss Andy off. He sent Abe a small snarl before stomping away to go to the bathroom.
“What was the about?” Shane asked.
“Not sure. Is there anything going on between Andy and Travis?” Abe inquired.
“No, that’s why I’m baffled.” Shaking his head at the ridiculousness of the situation, Shane continued his way to the dining room.
The compliments were flying around the table for the cooks, but apparently Sandy had sat around the kitchen table chatting with Travis earlier when he’d worked his culinary magic.
Much to Michael’s embarrassment, Sandy kept telling Shane stories of Michael as a child. Shane laughed so hard when he heard about the time that Michael thought he was a super hero and tried to fly. Sandy had him at the doctors so often that the police came by to do a house inspection to make sure that he wasn’t being abused.
“So, there I am, answering the door looking like an idiot, and my son came flying out of the tree. He starts complaining that his ankle hurt and that he needed Superman to kiss it better. The poor officer looked at me in sympathy, while his partner asked if a kiss from him would work. Michael gives him a huge smile, tells him he’s cute, and that his kisses would be awesome.
“Michael got his kiss, then they helped me to get him ready to transport to the hospital, but they never bothered us again about Michael and his accidents.”
Shane almost fell out of his chair laughing. Michael sat ther
e glaring at his mom while trying not to laugh. He finally gave in and joined them.
Sandy got a sad look on her face, looking at Michael. “That was one of the last times you really went out and played.” She grabbed a hold of Aaron’s hand. “We didn’t realize it, but during that time was the onset of your OCD. I’m glad you are getting some of the life back in you. Damn it, I’m not saying that right. You always lived life, but now it won’t only be in a house.”
She looked pleadingly at Michael. “Do you know what I mean, hun? I want you to have a full and happy life, with your husband when you do marry.”
Michael got up from his chair and went over to Sandy, pulling her into a hug. “Yeah, Mom. I do understand. Thank you.”
Shane knew he was getting misty-eyed, but he wasn’t the only one.
As Michael came back to sit beside Shane, a cell phone went off. Andy reached into his pocket and pulled his out. He answered the phone with, “Hey, bro, how are you?” before getting up from the table and excusing himself, saying he had to go and would catch up with Abe tomorrow.
Abe nodded as Andy went out the door.
Michael looked at Shane. “Andy has siblings?”
“He keeps in touch with his older brother, but not his parents. He’s another one that the parents threw out for being gay.”
Shane got a smile from Michael. “You sure do like to collect the strays. Soon you will be as bad as Mom.”
That got Michael a napkin tossed at him from Sandy and a slap on the arm from Shane, all while everyone else laughed at their antics. A few of hours later, everyone was enjoying coffee and chatting in the living room when Shane’s phone started to ring.
“Hello.”
“Hello, is this Mr. Shane Turner?”
Shane answered with a frown on his face. “Yes, may I ask who’s calling?”
The pleasant voice said, “I’m the night nurse, Mary Santos, at Mercy General, sir. We have a Mr. Andrew Deans here who has been in a motor vehicle accident. He has you listed as his emergency contact. Can you please come down here, sir?”
