Building Things

Aiden sat quietly in the chair beside Greg’s hospital bed. He had reached his hand through the rail and was gently holding Greg’s hand in his, just sitting there watching Greg sleep. Another nurse had come in and checked on Greg, checking the IV bag that hung on the stand and made sure of the drip, she had checked Greg’s pulse, and looked at the back of Greg’s hand where the IV was attached to check it for swelling or bruising, but there was none. She smiled at Aiden and he smiled back at her before she left the room.

“So, tell me what’s going on?” Dave Campbell asked above a whisper outside in the corridor to both Derrick and Ty. They could all clearly see Aiden and Greg in the room from where they were, the room being located at the end of the corridor.

“You want the long version?” Ty asked and Campbell looked at him, raising an eyebrow, “Guess not. We’d have to go to too many commercials.” Ty said waving his hands a little.

“Oh, will you stop?” Derrick asked with bugged eyes and elbowed his husband. Campbell smiled as Derrick focused on him, “Okay, long story short…Aiden asked if Greg could come to the house to stay. There are problems at his parents’ place, lots of mental abuse and really a bunch of heavy crap going on. Ty got Greg a job with the company he’s working for, today was Greg’s first day, and there was a construction accident, hence why Greg is here in the hospital. He had to have surgery.”

“Wow, okay.” Campbell said and raised his hands a little, “Aiden said that…Greg?” Campbell asked and Derrick nodded, “Greg, needed my help.”

“Yes.” Derrick said and sighed, “Greg is still underage, how much, I’m not quite sure to be honest. Apparently while Ty and I were downstairs, Greg’s father showed up. What we need, what my attorney asked for also, is a statement given, officially, so Ty and I can proceed legally to become Greg’s guardians.”

“You’re really going to go out on a limb like that?” Campbell asked. Derrick and Ty looked at each other for a moment and then back at Campbell, “Why?”

“Let’s just say that we think and feel that he’s worth it.” Derrick said.

“Well, my hat’s off to you guys for putting your necks out like this for starters.” Campbell said and looked toward the room again, “So I guess they’re…together, huh?”

“Yeah.” Ty said, “Greg could have done a lot worse with someone else.”

“I’d agree with that.” Campbell said, “That Aiden’s such a sweet kid. I mean look at him, sitting there like that, just waiting, just being there. After everything he’s been through, he’s just as sweet as the day is long.”

“Yeah, he is.” Ty said.

“So, does that mean that…?” Derrick asked and Campbell looked at him.

“That I’m going to help? Of course I’m going to help.” Campbell said, “I told Aiden that whatever he needed, I’d be there. I gave him my word and I would never back out on it.” Campbell said and looked at Derrick and Ty, “So the first thing I need is some background information on Greg.” Campbell pulled out a notebook and a pen, flipping it open.

“His last name is Adkins.” Derrick said.

“Adkins…” Campbell said as he wrote it then stopped, looking up, “Adkins…like the city councilman Adkins?”

“Yeah, that’s his father.” Derrick said.

“Holy shit.” Campbell said, “You’re not joking, are you?”

“No, and that’s part of the problem.”

“I would say it would be a bit of a problem.” Campbell said.

“You’re not gonna back out now, are you?” Ty asked.

“No. But let’s just say, I’ve heard things about this guy. Be prepared for a huge fight. They say he’s vicious, or can be.”

“I’ve dealt with people like that before. It doesn’t frighten me. And I think Greg’s worth it, so is Aiden.” Derrick said. Campbell looked at him closer then smiled slightly seeing the resolve in Derrick’s eyes.

“Okay. So, tell me about what he’s been going through.”

“I know it’s hard to prove and also hard to really do anything about, but I was told, by Greg, that this has been going on for a few years now. His mother is some kind of a controller. Control freak I guess you’d call it. Greg said she does it to his father as well, who turns around and does it to Greg as well, so he gets kind of the double whammy from both of them.” Derrick said, “It’s not just control issues, there are mind games that she plays as well on him, a lot of demeaning type things.”

“Greg or the father?” Campbell asked.

“Greg, from what he said, but probably his dad, too, I would think but I don’t know for sure.”

“It might help to know. I mean if the guy is being controlled or manipulated, it might help to slow him down if it comes to a fight.” Campbell said. Ty looked confused, “Something to use against him to trip him up.” Campbell explained. Ty nodded his head a few times getting it.

“That might be something only Greg can answer.” Derrick said.

“That’s all fine and everything, but what about the mother? She seems to be the one we need to worry about.” Ty said. Derrick shook his head a little.

“I don’t think so.” Derrick said.

“Why not?” Ty asked.

“Because she’s not here. Only his father’s been here. And Aiden said he was going to come back. I don’t think the mother knows.” Derrick said as he was thinking about it.

“Why do you think that?” Ty asked.

“Simply for the fact that she’s not here.” Campbell said, “I think I see your point, Derrick. If she’s that big of a control freak, this would be the perfect place in which to do that. You’re right, she doesn’t know.” Campbell said and was thinking as well, “And if the father hasn’t told her, then I don’t think he’s going to. He’s either hiding something or wants out of what he’s going through.”

“That’s a pretty big assumption.” Ty said.

“I don’t think so.” Derrick said, “I think he’s on to something.”

“Oh, geez, you’re not going into that Sherlock Holmes thing again, are you?” Ty asked Derrick, who gave Ty a raised eyebrow.

“Tell me what your lawyer actually said, Derrick.” Campbell said. Derrick looked at Campbell fully.

“Well, for starters, he’s not into family law, he’s a corporate attorney.” Derrick said, “But from what he knows, he thought we would need some type of statement given officially to the police to have documentation to begin to prove Greg’s parents being unfit. Sid, my lawyer, said that the courts would only look at something official and wouldn’t act on anything that was just said.”

“He’s right about that. But that too would take a bit of time. Greg might be of age by the time any of this would help him.” Campbell said.

“Then what do we do?” Ty asked.

“We take the direct approach.” Campbell said.

“What do you mean?” Ty asked.

“We stop this before it actually starts.” Campbell said, looking down the hall again to the room, “I have tomorrow afternoon free. I think I’ll pay a visit to Greg’s father and have a talk with him.” Campbell said and looked at both of them, “I’ll make it an unofficial visit and ask him…politely…to stay away from Greg.”

“You think that’ll work?” Derrick asked.

“I don’t know.” Campbell said, “But if it was as bad as I think it was for Greg, and the father as well, I think it might help, if I word it right.”

“And what if it doesn’t work?” Ty asked.

“Then we’ll have to take our chances with the official thing.” Campbell said, “I need to find out when Greg’s going to be legal.”

“Aiden would know.” Ty said, “I’m sure he does.” They all walked down the corridor together quietly. Campbell had them stop at the door, holding up a hand. He came into the room by himself and went beside Aiden in the chair, putting a hand on the young shoulder, making Aiden look up. Campbell smiled down at him and raised a finger to his lips. He came around in front of Aiden and knelt down, putting his hands on Aiden’s knees.

“You came.” Aiden whispered. Campbell nodded, still smiling.

“You called.” Campbell whispered, “I told you I’d come.”

“Thanks. Can you help him?” Aiden whispered and looked worried.

“I think so.” Campbell whispered, “Aiden, when is Greg going to be eighteen?”

“Uh…in nine months, I think. Why?”

“I needed to know to be able to try and help him out.”

“Do you know what’s been going on with him?” Aiden asked.

“Not all of it. I was talking to Derrick and Ty out in the hall about it. They told me it was bad for him at home, is that right?” Campbell asked and Aiden nodded, “Okay. And Greg’s dad showed up, here?” Aiden nodded again.

“I know Greg doesn’t want to see him or his mom. I told Greg’s dad that too. I asked him to leave but he said he was coming back.”

“Yeah, okay. I think I can deal with that, so don’t worry.” Campbell said and pat Aiden’s knee, then gave him a wink with a smile. Aiden visibly eased in the chair, “All I want you to do is look after him.” Aiden looked over at Greg once then looked back at Campbell, “I think he’s a lucky guy to have you, Aiden.”

“Thanks.”

“How long have you two been together?”

“Not long.” Aiden said and shrugged a bit, “Not really together…just being buds, you know?”

“Yeah, okay. I think I get it. You didn’t tell me that night I was at the house when we talked.”

“Well, it hadn’t really happened then. I was hoping, and kind of waiting, but…” Aiden said quietly.

“It’s okay. Like I said, I get it, and I’m happy for you.” Campbell said and smiled wider. Aiden smiled as well.

“Thanks.”

“Now, don’t worry about anything. I’ll take care of his dad and see what we can do.”

“Thank you so much.” Aiden said.

“It’s no problem. I’ll see you later okay?” Campbell said and rose to his feet. He touched Aiden’s shoulder as he walked by him, Aiden turned in the chair and watched him walk out of the room and stopped at Derrick and Ty, “He said he thinks Greg’s legal in nine months. I’ll make a call to see if I can confirm that with his birth certificate.”

“That’s a good idea.” Derrick said.

“I’ll let you know what happens.” Campbell said. He reached out a hand, Derrick took it, giving it a firm shake.

“Thanks for coming, especially for Aiden.” Derrick said.

“Like I said, he’s worth it.” Campbell said. He took his hand and put it out for Ty, who took it, “Good to see you again.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Ty said, taking his hand back, “Uh, babe, I’m gonna walk him to the elevator. Be right back.” Derrick raised an eyebrow and Campbell gave them both a look. Ty half smiled as Campbell started walking, Ty beside him, “Uh, I don’t know really how to ask this, but…”

“Just ask, I guess.” Campbell said giving Ty a side look as they walked along the corridor.

“Yeah…uh…are you…seeing anyone?”

“I thought you guys were married.” Campbell said walking slowly now.

“No, that’s not what I meant.” Ty said shaking a hand slightly, “I was just thinking…well…you’re a really nice guy…and…”

“Just say it.” Campbell said as they reached the elevators.

“Well, I’ve got this friend, and I was just thinking that maybe…”

“You want me to meet your friend. Like a…date or something?”

“Well, I…uh…yeah. Would that be alright?” Ty asked and grimaced slightly.

“Depends, I guess.” Campbell said before pushing the button, “Is she…?”

“Oh…oh.” Ty said and looked surprised, “I’m sorry, I thought…”

“Oh…so it’s not a girl.” Campbell said and raised an eyebrow, “Good.”

“Oh, dude, you scared me for a second.” Ty said and sighed.

“Yeah. I get a lot of people trying to get me to date all these different girls.” Campbell said.

“Uh, yeah. No, he’s an old friend, nice guy. Owns a gym actually.”

“Is he a body builder?” Campbell asked.

“No.” Ty said and shook his head, “Just a health nut and personal trainer. You know, in shape, good looking, hot, Latin.” Ty said, “That kind of thing.” Ty bugged his eyes a little.

“Uh huh.” Campbell said nodding his head a little and then smirked, “I might be interested.”

“Great.” Ty said, wiping his sweaty hands on his hips, “I’ll see what I can do about it.”

“Yeah, okay.” Campbell said as the doors dinged and opened, “I’ll talk to you later then.”

“Yeah…okay.” Ty said giving a little wave as Campbell stepped in and pushed the button. The doors closed. Ty let out a big breath, turned and walked down the corridor. He went into the room, seeing Derrick beside Aiden in the chair. He walked up quietly. Derrick looked at him.

“What did you talk to him about?” Derrick whispered.

“Rico.” Ty said.

“What? Now?”

“Why not?” Ty asked and shrugged, “He said he might be interested.” Derrick just shook his head, rolling his eyes a little, “What?” Ty asked. Derrick turned his attention back to Aiden.

“Hey, bud. I think maybe we should think about going home, it’s getting late.” Derrick said. Aiden looked at him.

“I’m not leaving him.” Aiden said in a whisper.

“You need to sleep and you have to work tomorrow, right?” Derrick asked.

“I’ll call Uncle Bart.” Aiden said somewhat firmly, “I’m not leaving him. What if he wakes up and needs something and I’m not here?”

“That’s what the nurses are for, bud.” Derrick said as he knelt down. Aiden’s eyes welled.

“I can’t leave him, Derrick. What if his dad comes back?”

“I think I know how you feel, bud, but you need to rest too, you know.” Derrick said softly, “You’re no good to him if you’re wiped out and exhausted.”

“I’ll be alright.” Aiden said. Ty stepped closer putting a hand on Derrick’s shoulder. Derrick looked up at him and Ty shook his head. He leaned down and got close to them both.

“I’ll call Bart and tell him what’s going on.” Ty said quietly, “Let’s go get his car, Derrick, and bring it back for him. We’ll leave it in the parking lot so you can get back home, Aid.” Ty said, Derrick relented and stood, “Where’s your keys?”

“I think they’re in the studio, maybe on the bed.” Aiden said.

“Alright, we’ll be back.” Ty said and straightened. Derrick looked at Aiden, then the sleeping Greg. Derrick put a hand on Aiden’s shoulder and smiled at him giving him a nod. He and Ty walked out of the room together.

“He needs some sleep, babe.” Derrick said as they reached the elevators. Derrick pushed the button and they waited.

“Yeah, he does. But if we drag him out of here, you really think he’s going to sleep? You remember the other night when Greg texted him about being grounded? Aiden didn’t sleep all night because he was worried. This is a bit worse, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Derrick said as the elevator dinged, the doors opened. They stepped in, “So much for parenting.” Derrick said as the doors closed with a ding. Ty smirked.

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Dave Campbell pulled into his driveway. He had noticed as the headlights swung, someone sitting on the step of his front porch in the dark, someone he didn’t recognize at first. He shut the car off, got out, hand on his weapon, as he came around the car. The person stood slowly in the dark.

“Not gonna shoot me, are ya?” The voice asked and Campbell recognized it and eased.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Campbell asked as he came closer.

“We need to talk.” Collins said.

“What about?”

“I had a visit from IA.” Collins said. Campbell sighed.

“Shit.” He said under his breath, “Let’s go inside.” He came up on the front porch, putting his key in the lock, turned it, then opened the door, turning on the light as he came in. Collins followed him, Campbell closed the door, “Have a seat.” He put his keys down, “Want anything?”

“Uh.” Collins said.

“Water? Coffee?” Campbell asked, “Sorry, I don’t keep booze in the house.”

“Yeah, water’s fine.” Collins said and went over and sat on the comfortable couch as Campbell went to the kitchen. Collins looked around, “Nice place.” He said as Campbell came back in with two bottles of water, handing one to him.

“Thanks.” Campbell said and sat down in a chair across from Collins.

“Nice neighborhood too. How can you afford this?”

“Low interest GI loan.” Campbell said, “Now what’s this about IA?”

“This guy, Phillips, he was in the squad room when I came back from patrol tonight. He said he wanted to talk to me about what happened the other day at that domestic call we were on.” Collins said, “I heard from him you’re on Administrative Leave?”

“Kind of, yeah. The Captain pulled me and sent me over to the new station they’re putting in to get it up and running.”

“That sucks.” Collins said as he uncapped his water, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Haven’t seen you. Captain told me that nothing was going to happen to you over this, he said it was just me. If you were on patrol, then what he said was true.” Campbell said. He was a little suspicious of why Collins was actually here, “So tell me what’s really going on.”

“When the guy from IA showed up and started asking me all kinds of questions, it got me to thinking. I figured I’d better come and talk to you.” Collins said.

“He hasn’t come to talk to me yet. What kind of questions?”

“What kind of guy you are. Who are your friends in the department or outside of it? Things that were kind of personal in nature. It just struck me as odd.”

“Yeah. That doesn’t make sense. Why personal questions?” Campbell asked, “He ask anything else?”

“A few things about what happened, especially about that video from the kid’s phone, if there was something more after it ended. He said it’s all over the internet.” Collins said. Campbell nodded.

“Yeah, Captain told me that too.”

“You didn’t put it out, did you?” Collins asked.

“Hell no, it was evidence. I sent it through the proper channel. Captain checked it on my laptop and verified it. It had to come from somebody in evidence.” Campbell said.

“But why?” Collins asked.

“Don’t have a clue and now that’s why IA is involved. They should be checking the evidence guys, not us.” Campbell said.

“I agree.” Collins said, “So I was waiting for a while outside. Did you have a date or something?”

“No. I was at the hospital taking care of something for somebody.”

“The hospital?” Collins asked. Campbell nodded.

“Yeah, kind of a personal matter.” Campbell took a pull from his bottle, “You been home yet?”

“No.” Collins said, “Why do you ask?”

“You’re married, right?” Campbell asked and Collins nodded, “It is kind of late. I was just wondering if maybe your wife might be worried or not.”

“No. I called her before I came here.” Collins said and was being guarded himself.

“I appreciate you giving me a heads up about IA.”

“I think you would have done the same for me.” Collins said.

“Yeah, I would.” Campbell said and noticed Collins was really looking him over, not checking him out, but looking him over, “Looks like something’s on your mind. What is it?” Campbell asked and Collins narrowed his eyes a little.

“I don’t get you, Campbell.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you don’t really hang around with anybody from the department. You keep to yourself mostly and kind of quiet. Even the deal with Lance, when he got called out, you didn’t say much. Lance was a friend of mine.”

“Yeah, I know.” Campbell said.

“So, what’s your deal?”

“I don’t have a deal. I just do my job, and try to do it good. I keep to myself because it’s safer that way.”

“Got something to hide?” Collins asked.

“You trying out for IA or something?” Campbell asked.

“No.” Collins said, “It’s just that a lot of guys talk, that’s all. They’re just as curious.”

“So, you want to set it straight…for them.” Campbell said. Collins raised an eyebrow, “I told you a little bit about being in the military. What we do for a living is almost as dangerous. I lost a few buddies over there, one in particular. I won’t go through that again.”

“Sorry to hear that.” Collins said but had a little bit of a look, “Sounds kind of lonely to me.”

“It can be. I’ve gotten used to it.” Campbell said, “If you’re trying to ask something, ask it.”

“No.” Collins said and stood up, “I think I got my answer.” Campbell stood up as well.

“Okay.” Campbell said. Collins came to him and put out his hand, Campbell took it.

“You’re a good guy, Campbell. I’ve said that before. If there’s anything that you need, I’m here.”

“I appreciate that.” Campbell said as Collins took his hand back.

“I better be going.”

“Thanks for coming by.”

“No problem.” Collins said and went to the door, Campbell going with him. He turned on the porch light for him and opened the door, “I’ll see you around.” Collins said and gave him a nod.

“Yeah, I’m sure.” Campbell said and watched him walk down the sidewalk and went across the street to his car, getting in. Campbell closed the door slowly, thinking about what had just happened, what was really going on. He locked the front door, turned off the lights, and walked to his bedroom.

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The door opened and a hand fumbled around inside on the wall and found the switch and flipped it. The door opened wider and Conner stepped in. He braced the door with a suitcase, dragging in the next. Alec came in carrying his one and set it down just inside the door. He helped Conner move his and the door closed on its own. Alec looked around the open space of their apartment, as did Conner. Everything seemed to be where it was supposed to be. Conner had not been here since the incident with Kurt and Alec. Alec had been here for a week by himself when Conner had gone to the hotel after their ‘breakup’ before the business trip to France and South Africa.

“You alright?” Conner asked.

“Smells in here.” Alec said.

“Just a little stale air from being closed up.” Conner said, “Maybe we should open some windows?”

“Yeah.” Alec said quietly. He crossed the room after kicking off his shoes and went to the balcony slider. He pulled the curtain and opened the glass door, sliding it back, leaving the screen in place. Alec looked out over the pool that was below. The surface of the water was still, the light in the pool illuminated the whole thing.

“Good to be home?” Conner asked as he kicked off his own shoes.

“I suppose.” Alec said softly still looking out.

“Are you tired?” Conner asked.

“Exhausted.” Alec said.

“Maybe we should go to bed. We can unpack in the morning.” Conner said.

“Yeah, I guess we can.” Alec said and turned. He had a sad look on his face as he looked at Conner.

“What is it, babe?”

“I don’t know.” Alec said, “I guess I do know really, but I don’t want to talk about it right now.” Conner came over to him, standing in front of him, staring into his sad eyes.

“Look, I know you’re upset, but you know we had to come home eventually.”

“That’s not it.” Alec said softly.

“Is it the apartment?” Conner asked. Alec just stared at him, “I told you we could move someplace else if you wanted to. All you have to do is tell me, babe. If you don’t want to be here, just say so.”

“It doesn’t bother you?” Alec asked, “What happened here?”

“Look, we both know what happened here, okay? I’m not saying we were victims, I mean we were, but we’re both adults and knew what we were doing. It wasn’t just the Kurt thing, Alec, it was the thing with Cal as well. We just let ourselves get swept up in it. We know not to do that now. The important thing is we have each other, and as far as I’m concerned, it will always be the most important thing.” Conner said.

“Do you really love me?” Alec asked.

“You know I do. I love you more than anything, Alec.”

“I love you so much, Conner.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Conner said and smiled that million dollar smile. Alec wrapped his arms around Conner’s shoulders and hugged him tight, Conner wrapping his arm around Alec’s waist and just held him, “I think we should go to bed. We’re both exhausted.”

“Are you that tired?” Alec asked.

“I’m never that tired.” Conner said and squeezed Alec a little more to him.

“That’s not what I meant.” Alec said and pulled back a little looking Conner in the eye, “I think we should put the suitcases in the bedroom first.”

“Oh.” Conner said. Alec smiled slightly.

“Then after that.” Alec said.

“Oh!” Conner smiled wide. Alec chuckled and shook his head, “I can do that.”

“I’ll help you.” Alec said softly.

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Ty walked quickly into the hospital room. He had seen from the corridor that the bed was empty and Aiden was gone, not in the chair beside the bed. Ty saw the one rail was down and his chest was pounding. He went to call out when heard the toilet flush in the bathroom. He sighed and rolled his eyes. The door opened slowly.

“Just remember to move slow. The doctor said you would be stiff and sore.” Aiden said as he helped to support a very slow moving Greg out of the bathroom. Greg saw Ty standing there. Ty noticed that Greg was having a bit of trouble breathing. He moved over to help Aiden with Greg.

“What are you doing out of bed, bud?” Ty asked. Greg went to speak, “Shhh, don’t say anything. You shouldn’t talk.” Ty gently supported Greg’s arm. Aiden was supporting Greg on the other side as well as rolling the IV stand, “Do the nurses know he’s out of bed?” Ty asked Aiden.

“I don’t think so.” Aiden said softly.

“Yeah. They might kick your butt if they find out.” Ty said as they reached the edge of the bed.

“Okay.” Aiden said to Greg, “Stand right here and let me straighten out your bed real quick.” Aiden let go of Greg as Ty gently supported him. He went to work quickly straightening all the wrinkles out of the sheet. He moved back, “Alright, there you go.” Aiden said softly, “Now, nice and easy, turn around and sit down. I’ll get your feet. Uncle T, help support him while he lies back.” Aiden said. They worked together and eased Greg down. Aiden got him comfortable and covered him up, “That better?” Aiden asked softly. Greg nodded and closed his eyes for a minute. Aiden lifted the guard rail and made it click into place.

“You’re one hell of a nurse, Aid.” Ty said with a half-smile.

“He woke up and had to go to the bathroom.” Aiden said, “I don’t think he’s gone since his surgery.” Greg shook his head slowly in answer, “Okay, just relax and try to sleep some more.” Greg opened his eyes. He went to say something but Aiden shook his head. He grabbed the pad and a pen off the rolling table next to the bed and handed them to Greg. He wrote something and turned it around, “Don’t worry about me. I’m here to take care of you. You’re the one that’s hurt. If I lose a little sleep, no big deal.” Aiden said. Greg wrote again and turned it around. Aiden read it and Greg tapped the pad with the pen to emphasize the point. Ty read it and smiled.

“I wouldn’t argue with him, bud.” Ty said to Greg, “You’ll lose.” Greg rolled his eyes. Aiden took the pad and the pen from him and put them back. He looked at Greg again.

“He’s right, you will lose. When you’re all better, I’ll sleep then.” Aiden said, “Now, close your eyes and let the medicine do its thing. You need to sleep.” Aiden leaned down and kissed Greg on the forehead, “I love you.” Aiden whispered and Greg smiled with his eyes closed.

Ty handed Aiden his car keys. Aiden put them in his back pocket. Ty looked at Greg again and then put hand on Aiden’s arm, then used a finger to have Aiden follow him out. They stepped out into the corridor.

“He’s right, Aid, you need some sleep.” Ty whispered.

“After he’s better.” Aiden said firmly with his own whisper.

“Okay.” Ty said putting up his hands in surrender, “I called Bart. I explained what was going on.”

“What did he say?”

“Well, he wasn’t happy. He chewed my ass for a couple of minutes, but he calmed down finally. He said he understands and he also said to tell you that if he was in your place, he’d be doing the same thing. And he also told me to tell you that he’s proud of you.” Ty said, “I’m proud of you too.” Ty said and put his huge arms around Aiden, pulling him into a hug. Aiden buried his face into the muscular shoulder. He sobbed a couple of times, “It’s gonna be okay. The worst is over. We’ve just got to get him better now.”

“I was so scared when Derrick told me.” Aiden whispered into the muscle, “All I could think of was that he was going to die.”

“Nah, he’s too tough for that, believe me.” Ty said and rubbed the young back through the shirt, “Now, if you need anything, I don’t care what time it is, or whatever, you call me, you understand?” Aiden nodded in the muscle then pulled back. Ty slowly let him go as Aiden wiped his eyes, “You’re being so strong, so grown up.” Ty smiled as he put his hands on the young shoulders, “You’re not that skinny little kid I used to know anymore. You’re a handsome, caring, young man.”

“I thought you said I was hot.” Aiden said with a bit of a smirk.

“Hey, I was trying to be serious.” Ty said and then grinned, “Yeah, you are hot, but don’t tell your boyfriend I said that.”

“I love you, Uncle T.”

“I love you too, kid.” Ty said, “Alright, I have to get downstairs to my husband before he starts blowing up my phone.” Ty hugged Aiden one more time and kissed his cheek, “I’ll come by tomorrow. I want you to go home at some point, get something to eat, take a shower, maybe a nap. I can sit with him while you do that, okay?” Aiden nodded and wiped his eye again, “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Night.” Aiden said and walked back to the room. Ty watched him for a minute until Aiden sat down in the chair beside the bed, putting his hand through the rail and took Greg’s hand in his. Ty shook his head a little, turned, and walked toward the elevators.

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“You were awfully quiet all the way home.” Derrick said as he settled on the pillow.

“I was just thinking, that’s all.” Ty said as he lay on a folded arm behind his head.

“What are you thinking about?”

“How far we’ve come together.”

“What do you mean?” Derrick asked as he looked over at Ty.

“Well, first we got Conner, then we got Alec, then Conner and Alec, then we lost Conner and Alec. Now we got Aiden, then Greg, now Aiden and Greg, are we gonna lose them too?” Ty asked as he looked at Derrick.

“I don’t think so. At least not for a while. Is that what you’re really worried about?” Derrick asked.

“It’s just everything I guess.” Ty said and looked back up at the ceiling, “You think this is what parents go through?”

“What, worrying?”

“Yeah, I mean, I was never a worrier before, but now I think I’m turning into one.” Ty said.

“I’ve always been a worrier, just like my mother. Maybe I’m rubbing off on you.” Derrick said.

“Oh Jesus, something else to worry about. What’s next, I start wearing snappy looking clothes?” Ty asked and Derrick laughed.

“You’re an asshole.” Derrick said and rolled to his side to face his husband. Ty looked at him.

“I saw the sweetest thing tonight.” Ty said, “I watched Aiden go back into that room, sit down in that chair, reach in and take that hand, just like he’s been doing it for a hundred years.”

“We both have said it, he’s got it bad.” Derrick said as he traced around Ty’s nipple with a fingertip, “Just like I’ve got it bad for you.”

“Think we’ll be together for a hundred years?” Ty asked.

“I know we will.” Derrick smiled on the pillow.

“Good.” Ty said. He moved his head over and kissed Derrick tenderly, “I need to go to sleep.”

“Yeah, it’s been a long day.” Derrick said and rolled the other way and turned off the light. He settled back on the pillow next to his husband.

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Conner was on his knees fully dressed, bobbing his head back and forth on Alec’s length, making wet slurping sounds as he moved. Alec had his head back, his eyes closed, pants round his calves as Conner was working him over so good. Alec put his hands into Conner’s blond hair.

“Oh babe…so good.” Alec was panting as he was feeling the tight suction on him. Conner reached up a hand and rubbed Alec’s balls, then circled them and pulled on them. Alec moaned loudly as he felt his orgasm building, “Yes…yes…suck me, baby.” Alec panted, “Gonna shoot.” Alec moaned a bit louder. Conner moved faster, going even tighter, Alec growled in his throat as he cut loose in Conner’s mouth over and over, pulsing and coating every part of the warm cavity he was in. Alec leaned his head forward as he started to ease in his in his pulses. He opened his eyes and watched his lover moving on him. Conner was looking up as he swallowed, then tongued Alec around the head of the thick length. Conner slowly pulled off, kissing the tip and sat back on his haunches.

“Better?”

“Fuck yes.” Alec panted, “You’re so good at that.”

“Anytime you want it, just say so.” Conner smiled and rose to his feet. He grabbed Alec and kissed him, choking off Alec’s last breath, tonguing him over and over. Alec melted with it, letting himself be taken. Conner worked Alec’s mouth, letting Alec taste himself, making Alec moan in Conner’s mouth. Conner pulled back, “I want you naked.”

“Yes.” Alec whispered as Conner pulled Alec’s shirt up and off him, tossing it away. Conner pushed Alec back on the big bed onto his back, quickly pulling the pants and skimpy underwear off him, tossing them away as well, grabbing Alec’s legs, lifting them and dove into Alec’s narrow butt. Alec groaned as Conner kissed, chewed, licked, then thrusted his tongue deep into Alec’s hole, “Oh fuck.” Alec groaned as he gripped the bedspread, “Yes…eat me.” Alec groaned, spreading his legs even wider as Conner went at him with a fury, “Oh…my…god…Conner…yes…yes.” Alec was hard all over again, never really having gone down, “Fuck me…Conner…please…fuck me.” Conner kept going. He knew Alec was getting to a point of his own frenzy. He could feel it on his tongue, Alec flexing his internal muscles the way that he did.

Without pulling away, Conner worked his pants open, pushing them down, his hard length flopping out. He worked his lower legs and got out of his pants as he kept tongue fucking his lover, more and more he was driving Alec crazy with what he was doing making him pant and moan. Conner pulled off, now was the time. He ripped his own shirt off, tossing it away and stepped in, one hand to himself, placing it at Alec’s wet entrance, the other hand grabbed one of Alec’s legs.

“Ready, baby?” Conner asked with a growl. Alec looked up at him with glazed eyes, nodding once. Conner pushed and Alec rolled his eyes back in his head, groaning deeply as he was entered. Conner kept pushing, going slow, but steady, he pushed the final time and was in as far as he could go. Alec looked at Conner, reaching a hand up and grabbed a tight pec and held on as Conner started moving, sliding in and out of him, using about half of his length, giving a nice steady fuck to his lover, “Like that?” Conner asked as his other hand went to Alec’s other leg, now holding them both by the calf. Conner grit his teeth, wanting to last as long as he could doing this, focusing on what he was doing to and for his lover.

“So good…” Alec panted as Conner rolled his hips in mid thrust, circling his throbbing length around inside of Alec, hitting his spot again and again. Alec wanted to scream but he couldn’t. His eyes bugged and rolled back in his head again, his back arched off the bed.

“Yeah…this is what you needed, baby.” Conner grunted and pushed in. Alec groaned long and loud. He put a hand to himself and started pulling on his own throbbing member, now able to look at Conner as Conner pushed again and again up against Alec, balls deep in him. Alec took in a deep breath, mouth agape and he cut loose, shooting up his chest and stomach. Conner could feel the clamping of internal muscles and pushed through it, feeling his own need building up inside of him. He clenched his teeth and closed his eyes, a bead of sweat dropped on Alec’s hand, and Conner let go inside of Alec, flooding him as deep as he could, groaning his own deep sounds as he shot inside of his lover.

“Holy fuck.” Alec moaned and dropped his raised head back to the bed. Conner slowed his movements and eased, breathing hard. Alec dropped his hand from the tight pec he held. Finger marks were on Conner’s skin. Conner let go of Alec’s legs, letting them drop and put his hands on the bed to support himself, “What got into you?”

“I don’t know.” Conner panted, “You okay?”

“I’m more than okay.” Alec said weakly, “You fucked the life out of me.”

“I’ll be more careful next time.” Conner said as he was getting his breathing back.

“No…not a complaint…you’ll have to do that again sometime.” Alec said taking a deep breath and let it out slowly. Conner smiled a faint smile.

“You’ll have to do me like that next time.” Conner said with a weak voice, “Let’s go to bed. I can barely keep my eyes open.”

“Me too.”

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Morning light came through the hospital windows that were uncovered. Aiden heard something in the room. He opened his eyes, lifted his head, seeing Greg asleep, looking more to the right. There was one of the nurses on the other side of the bed. She was doing something to the IV bag. Aiden blinked hard and focused on her. She looked at him and gave him a soft smile. He smiled back. He watched her as she changed the bag to another one then set the drip. She gathered the few things she had been using and signaled Aiden to follow her. She went out of the room and into the corridor and waited as Aiden got out of the chair and joined her.

“Good morning.” She said just above a whisper.

“Good morning.” Aiden said softly.

“Pardon me for saying this, but you look terrible.” She said and gave him soft eyes. She was very pretty and had a friendly, warm face. Her hair was in a ponytail and her scrubs were a powder blue, “It looks like you slept in that chair all night.”

“Not all night.” Aiden whispered, “I’m not sure when I fell asleep. I didn’t mean to.”

“We all need sleep. I’ve been here for an hour on duty and you’ve been asleep for at least that long.”

“He didn’t wake up, did he?”

“Not that I know of. Like I said, I’ve only been here for an hour.”

“What time is it?”

“It’s just now six.” She said as she looked at her watch, a rather manly watch Aiden noticed, “My name is Patricia. I’ll be his nurse today.”

“I’m Aiden.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Aiden.” She said with a slight nod, “Now, why don’t you go down to the cafeteria, it’s on the first floor, and get yourself some coffee or maybe something to eat.”

“He might wake up and need me.” Aiden said and had an almost panic sound to his voice. He looked over his shoulder back to the bed. She put a hand on his shoulder. He looked back at her.

“Not to worry, Aiden. If he wakes up, I’ll take care of it.”

“But…”

“You go take care of you for just a little bit, okay? Let me do my job and take care of him, then you come back.”

“I’ll be okay in there with him.” Aiden said and she gripped him tighter.

“You’ve been at this all night, I can tell. Give yourself a few minutes, it won’t hurt either you or him. I’ll be right here.” She said in a hushed voice, but rather firmly, “Go on now.”

“Okay.” Aiden said and knew he had lost the battle against her for some reason. He walked to the elevators and pushed the button, his head down in slight defeat. The door dinged and opened. He stepped in, pushing the ‘1’ button. The doors dinged and closed.

He stepped out of the elevator and looked at the signs on the other wall. Cafeteria had an arrow underneath it. He turned and went that way. He followed more signs and then could smell the smells of food. His stomach growled as he walked in the wide opened doorway. It was like his high school cafeteria and he knew what to do, get in line, gather your stuff on a tray, and go to the cashier. Simple. He got a tray, why, he didn’t know, but as he walked along and his stomach growled even more, everything was looking good and smelled even better to him. He shook his head but his body won out and its needs took over. He started piling up a few things on his tray and at last reached the coffee station. He made an extra large just like he liked it, a little hazelnut, some sugar, and a very little bit of cream. He smiled to himself and went to the cashier. She rang him up and he pulled out his wallet, handing her his debit card. She ran it through and handed it back. He put in his pin number and thanked her. She smiled briefly.

Aiden went over to a table and sat down. He wondered if Greg was awake yet. He stared at his tray and was going to get up and go back upstairs, but once again, his body took over and made him stop and begin to eat. A couple of young guys in scrubs came over and sat down at the next table. One of them was staring at Aiden as he was shoveling food into his mouth rapidly and just gulping it down.

“You should chew that, you know.” The young guy said. Aiden looked up and over at him.

“What?”

“You should chew.” He said slowly, “It’s not going anywhere.”

“Oh.” Aiden said and looked down at his plate, “I haven’t eaten for a couple of days. Sorry if I bothered you.” Aiden said softly and began to eat slowly, even though he wanted to just shovel it in. The one man looked at the other at his table and then back at Aiden. He slid over and sat across from Aiden, making him look up.

“I’m Dr. Prentice, that’s Dr. Morris.” The man said, nodding his head in the other young man’s direction, “Are you visiting someone here?” He asked and Aiden nodded.

“Up one the second floor.”

“This person, what are they here for?” Prentice asked.

“He was injured at work. He had to have surgery to fix his lung, he couldn’t breathe.”

“The patient from emergency. I assisted in that surgery yesterday with Dr. Monroe. How is he?”

“He was asleep when I left him to come down here. The nurse told me I had to get some coffee. I hope he’s not awake yet.”

“I doubt very seriously he is. He was on a morphine drip if I remember right. He’ll probably sleep until noon, if not later.”

“He woke up last night. I helped him get to the bathroom and back to bed.”

“He shouldn’t be walking, at least not yet.” Prentice said almost wide eyed, “It might cause pulling with his stitches. Are you related to him?” He asked and Aiden shook his head.

“No…we’re close…friends.”

“I see.” Prentice said with a long nod, “Okay. Who was his nurse?”

“She said her name was Patricia.”

“Oh…Patty, hmm, and she told you come down here?” He asked and Aiden nodded, “Yeah, she’s a real tough one. I wouldn’t cross her. Half the guys here want to date her.”

“She seemed nice enough to me.” Aiden said softly, “She’s not like some of the other nurses. She seemed like she really cared about Greg…and me.”

“Then you seem to be the favored one. Congratulations on that. She’s a hard one to warm up to, and a lot of us have tried, believe me.” Prentice said, “Well, you should finish your breakfast before it gets cold. Dr. Morris and I will come by and check on you and your friend a little later.”

“Okay.” Aiden said as Prentice got up from the table, nodding his head toward his companion. Aiden went back to eating, remembering to chew this time. He seemed to enjoy it more. He quickly finished and took his coffee after dumping his tray. He went along the corridors and went to the elevator, pushing the up button. The doors dinged and opened, he stepped in, pushed the button, the doors closed and it was a quick ride up. The elevator stopped and the door dinged. It opened.

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Derrick was dressed and was walking out of the bathroom. He came over to the bed and put his hands on it, leaning down and kissed Ty on the cheek just as the alarm sounded. Ty groaned, rolling over and started to pound his hand on the nightstand to find the alarm. Derrick watched with a wide smile and started to chuckle.

“Want me to get that for you, babe?” Derrick asked and Ty groaned again as he pounded the poor alarm clock on the nightstand, “Breaking it won’t help you know.” Derrick said as Ty rolled his face into the pillow.

“I hate the morning.” Ty grumbled into the pillow.

“I will never understand why.” Derrick said, “It’s the best part of the day.”

“So says the cheerful.” Ty grumbled as he rolled out of the pillow, “I hate morning people.”

“Well then, I guess you hate me.” Derrick said.

“Ugh! I don’t.” Ty groaned and rose up to a sitting position. Derrick smiled and plopped on the bed, looking at him with a bright cheery face, “Why do you tease me like that?”

“Because I can.” Derrick said. He blew Ty a kiss with his lips.

“Morning people.” Ty groaned.

“Maybe you should find some kind of job that starts at noon.” Derrick said and got off the bed. He smiled at Ty. Ty looked over at him and raised an eyebrow, “Just a thought. I’ll see you tonight, babe.” Derrick walked out of the bedroom, keys in hand, “Text me later!” Derrick called out as he went out the front door, locking and closing it behind him. Ty dropped back to the bed and growled toward the ceiling.

“I have got to start getting up earlier…and going to bed earlier!” Ty said almost yelling. His cell started ringing. He growled again, rolling over and picked it up. He swiped the screen without looking and put it to his ear, “Your nickel.” He said.

“Well, good morning to you too, sunshine.” The voice said into the phone. Ty had to think who it was, “I see that some things never change.”

“Who the fuck…?”

“It’s me, dipshit, or have you forgotten?”

“Rico?” Ty asked.

“So, you do remember after all this time, I’m touched. Be still my beating heart.”

“What the fuck do you want this early?” Ty asked.

“Well, certainly not a piece of your grumpy ass. Speaking of which, I’ve been thinking about what you said the other night at the gym, when I met your very hot husband by the way. I need to get his number from you so he and I can talk.”

“Not gonna happen.” Ty said flatly.

“You crush me, Tyler.”

“Don’t call me that.” Ty said quickly and flatly.

“As I was saying, TYLER, I was thinking about what you said the other night, about this…cop. I think I’d like to meet him.”

“Really? No available rent boys on the street corner near your apartment?” Ty asked.

“Why are such an asshole?” Rico asked.

“Why are you such a prissy bitch in the morning?” Ty asked in reply.

“Maybe this is why we never worked out. I’m a morning guy and clearly…you are NOT!” Rico almost yelled into the phone. Ty pulled it away from his ear and winced.

“Okay, you want to do this? I’ll tell you why we didn’t work out,…control freak. You kept butting into everything that didn’t concern you, namely my business and my clients.”

“All I was doing was trying to show an interest in what you did. Is that so wrong?”

“Yeah, it’s the way you did it, dippy. Giving my clients the third degree, going to their houses, bothering them.”

“Okay, you’re right. Maybe I went a little overboard.” Rico said softly.

“A little? You scared half of them to death, you freak.” Ty said and sat up in the bed.

“Okay, so how many times do I have to say I’m sorry? What about this cop?”

“He’s got a gun.” Ty said firmly, “And if you guys hook up, he just might shoot you if you go all psycho on him.”

“Is that a threat?”

“More like a guarantee.” Ty said, “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea after all.”

“Look…Ty, I’ve really changed…honestly I have…you showed me that, and what I was doing was…wrong.” Rico said softly, “I haven’t had the chance to say it to you…but…if it means anything to you…I’m sorry…for what I did.”

“Wait…say that again slowly so I can record it.” Ty said.

“Fuck off. I pour my heart out and you want to crack jokes.” Rico said. Ty rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Rico…Ri…look, I’m sorry.” Ty said softly into the phone.

“Fine. I won’t revoke your membership then.”

“Good fuckin deal, I paid for two years in advance, you dick, and knowing you, you don’t have the money to pay me back.” Ty said and looked at the clock. He sighed, “I’ve got to get going or I’ll be late for work.”

“Fine. Just let me know about the cop.”

“I talked to him last night actually. I suggested meeting you and he said he was interested.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really. Like I told you, you might even be able to get laid.” Ty said.

“You’re such a dick.”

“Takes one to know one, asshole.” Ty said, “I’ll give you a call when I can get it arraigned.”

“Okay.”

“Hey…” Ty said.

“Yeah?”

“Don’t call me anymore in the morning like this. It might piss my husband off.” Ty said Rico laughed.

“Give me his number, I’ll tell him I’m calling you, so it won’t seem underhanded.”

“Fuck off, you dick.” Ty said and hung up the phone. He tossed the phone and got out of bed, “Ugh, exes.” Ty walked into the bathroom to continue his day. He growled loudly as he peed in the toilet.

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Derrick was sitting at his desk going through more emails. He couldn’t believe again how many of them were just junk. He just shook his head, deleting them one after the other. He heard some talking outside his open door and looked up. He saw his business partner, Tom Donahue, standing there with the biggest grin on his face.

“What’s up?” Derrick asked.

“I’ll show you.” Tom said and stepped out of the door, then came back in, not alone. Tom’s wife, Diane, was standing there and had a bundle in her arms. Derrick jumped to his feet, came around the desk, and came to them, “We want you to meet someone.” Tom said. Derrick came up next to Diane and looked as she moved the little blanket away. Diane was beaming with a brilliant smile.

“Oh my lord.” Derrick said softly as he looked down. He saw the little angelic face then looked at Diane and smiled warmly at her.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” Diane asked as she looked at Derrick.

“Is she really yours?” Derrick asked.

“It’s completely official. We signed all the papers this morning.” Tom said as he held his wife.

“I’m so happy for you guys. This is wonderful.” Derrick said, “What’s her name?”

“Samantha Anne.” Diane said. Derrick smiled even wider. He kissed Diane’s cheek.

“She’s beautiful, just like her mother.” Derrick said. He looked at his friend and partner, “Congratulations, Dad.”

“Thanks.” Tom beamed.

“So, I guess you took my advice.” Derrick said. Tom nodded.

“Kind of had to.” Tom smiled softer, “The agency had to do that home visit like I said. I had no choice but to tell her.”

“Yeah.” She said, “The way he did it, I thought he was going to ask me for a divorce or something.” Derrick chuckled.

“I think you’re stuck with him, Diane, I’m sorry to say.”

“Well, I guess I can put up with him for a little longer.”

“Hey.” Tom said and looked hurt. She smiled at her husband. He kissed her cheek, “Is everything okay around here? I know I haven’t been here much.”

“Yeah, we’re getting by.” Derrick said, “But I need you to do something really quick if you wouldn’t mind, actually a couple of things.”

“What?”

“Can you go talk to Neil really quick? He needs to ask you about something.” Derrick said.

“Sure. A problem with a project?”

“It’s something else. I’ll have him explain it.”

“Okay, what’s the other thing.”

“It can wait a bit, but Sid called the other day. You know the building at 8th and Morris?”

“The Gloucester building?” Tom asked. Derrick nodded.

“It’s up for sale.” Derrick said.

“Are you serious?” Tom asked, “How much?”

“Well we haven’t gotten to that point yet. It’s not officially on the listings. But I was wanting to talk to you about possibly moving the firm into it.”

“That’s a ton of space.” Tom said, “We could never fill it all.”

“That’s my point.” Derrick said, “But we can talk about it later. If you would just talk to Neil really quick, that’s more important.”

“Okay.” Tom said, “I’ll go do that really quick. Another reason I had us stop by was…”

“You don’t even have to say it.” Derrick said and smiled, “It only makes sense you need to be at home to help take care of this little beauty. Take as much time as you need. I can handle things around here.”

“Thanks, it really means a lot, Derrick.” Tom said.

“No problem at all.” Derrick smiled and looked at the quiet little face.

“I’ll be right back.” Tom said to his wife, who nodded.

“Why don’t you come in and sit down, Diane.” Derrick said. He led her over to his big chairs in front of his desk and she carefully took one of them.

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Conner woke to the smells of something good. He wasn’t sure what it was. He stretched his arms and took in a deep breath through his nose. He got up out of bed and walked into the bathroom, used it, brushed his teeth and walked out, going out of the bedroom, through the hallway and came into the open living room and kitchen. He saw Alec at the stove, his back to Conner. Alec was fully dressed, as Conner was completely naked. Conner walked up and put his arms around Alec’s waist and rested his chin on Alec’s shoulder.

“I see you’re wasting no time getting back into cooking.” Conner said and kissed Alec’s neck. Alec smiled.

“Our first morning back home, I wanted to make you breakfast in bed. But I had to go to the store. I got rid of everything in the fridge before we left.” Alec said.

“That makes sense.” Conner said, “But you didn’t have to go to any trouble, babe.”

“It’s no trouble. There’re a few things I need to do today. I wanted to get an early start.” Alec said.

“Like what?” Conner asked, kissing Alec’s neck again.

“If you don’t stop that, I’m going to burn these.” Alec said. Conner let him go and went to a cabinet, opening it. He pulled out a coffee cup and poured coffee for himself from the maker on the counter, Alec looked over and saw Conner was naked, “Maybe I’ll change my plans for the day.” Alec said and Conner smiled. He lifted the cup to his lips and took a sip.

“That might be nice. We could spend the whole day in bed, if you want.” Conner said, “What did you need to do?”

“Unpack, laundry, then maybe go visit my parents for a bit before I went to talk to Emilio.” Alec said.

“I can help you with all that, you know, except the Emilio bit.”

“I’m a little nervous about that.” Alec said.

“You know what’s going on already, especially after what Derrick said on the phone.” Conner said.

“This is ready.” Alec said and took the pan off the stove, “Would you get some plates?”

“Yeah.” Conner said.

“We can eat at the table.” Alec said, taking a trivet in his free hand and went around the counter to the dining table in the open space. Conner was pulling out two plates and getting some forks as well as Alec set the pan on the trivet. He came back around the counter and went to the stove, opening the oven. He used an oven mitt to pull out croissants. Conner smiled see it.

“A bit of France?” Conner asked. Alec smiled at him, closing the oven, then turned it off.

“Why not?” Alec asked.

“I love it.” Conner said and went to the table. He set the places and pulled out a chair for Alec, “I’ll get our coffees. You sit here.” Conner said and kissed Alec on the cheek. It was at the head of the table, which is where Conner always sat. Alec set the tray down on another trivet on the table. He sat down in the chair. Conner came back and set the cups down. He sat in the other chair to Alec’s left, “This smells really good, babe, thank you for this.”

“It’s no trouble at all.” Alec said.

“I think it’s a good idea for you to go visit your folks.” Conner said.

“Do you want to go with me?”

“You know I’d like to. But you’re also right about unpacking and all that. I need to get my suits to the dry cleaners. As it’s Friday, I won’t have much time to do it before I have to go to the office on Monday.” Conner said as he took the plate Alec was loading for him.

“You know how my mom feels about you, my dad, too, for that matter. They might be a little sad if you didn’t come. We can drop your suits off on the way.” Alec said. Conner looked at him and nodded, “I just want to spend time with you but I also need to see them too.”

“Okay.” Conner said and smiled at him, “We could do that. You know I really like your folks. Did you call them?” Conner asked and Alec nodded.

“Yeah, I did on the way to the store this morning.”

“Okay. I’ll get ready to go.” Conner said.

“I don’t mean to push you.” Alec said. Conner reach out a hand and put it on his.

“And you’re not, babe, don’t worry about it. I want to spend time with you too.” Conner gave the hand a gentle squeeze. He could see there was something going on in Alec’s mind, “This thing with Emilio really got you bugged?”

“No.” Alec said softly.

“Then what is it?” Conner asked. Alec’s eyes welled a little, “How can we make this work if we don’t talk?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Please, tell me what’s wrong.” Conner said softly.

“I don’t want to be here.” Alec said softly, dropping a tear.

“What do you mean you don’t want to be here?”

“I thought I could deal with it, but the more I think about it, it’s wrong.”

“Okay, you’re going to have to explain it, and your kind of scaring me.” Conner said.

“This place.” Alec said softly. He looked at Conner, dropping another tear, “I fucked up so bad here. I can’t get it out of my mind.”

“The apartment.” Conner said, “Why didn’t you tell me? I told you before we could move if it bothered you that bad.”

“I thought I could get through it. I didn’t want you to think I’m just a big baby or something.”

“No, I wouldn’t think that at all.” Conner said, “Look, we talked about it. We talked about it there at the villa, we talked about it on the plane, even here last night. I want you to be happy, Alec.”

“Can we move?” Alec asked.

“You were going to ask your parents, weren’t you?” Conner asked. Alec hung his head and nodded, “I want you to promise me something.” Conner said, Alec looked at him, “Don’t ever keep something that is bothering you from me, okay? We’re supposed to be in this together, Alec, right?” Conner asked gently. Alec nodded.

“Are you mad?”

“I’m not mad, Alec, a little hurt maybe that you wouldn’t talk to me about this.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you. I seem to be screwing up again.”

“No. I think you’re just letting yourself get worked up is all. You should have trusted me enough to help you, to help us.” Conner said.

“I thought I could do it, get over it. I sat up all night long thinking about it, what you might think.”

“Well, what I think is, I need to get going and help you out. We need to find a new place.” Conner said and flashed his eyes.

“Really?”

“Yeah. And if you think you’re moving back home to your folks’ place, I’ll kick your butt.” Conner smiled, “Now, let’s finish eating, we’ve got a ton of things to do.”

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Ty stood near the pile of debris that had covered both Greg and Rod yesterday in the old building of the downtown project, just staring at it. He was quiet, had been quiet the entire time they had been here. Sam Beckett was there as well as Mike Pershing. They were watching the structural engineer checking over the back wall. The man was writing things down on a clipboard and finally turned to Sam and walked up to him.

“Well?” Sam Beckett asked.

“I haven’t really finished the assessment yet. I want to check these other walls as well first.” The man said.

“Needs to come down, doesn’t it?” Sam Beckett asked.

“I think you know that as well as I do.” The man said, “I’m also worried about the roof. There is little or no support to it, and not just from the back wall either. A really heavy rain or even a bit of snow might bring it down.”

“What are you saying?” Sam Beckett asked.

“I’m saying that everything needs to come down and be reengineered. None of this will stand up to code. It doesn’t take a degree to see that, Sam.” The man said, “Once I have completed my assessment, I’ll put it in writing and submit it to not only you, but to the city as well.” He wrote something else down on the clipboard, “You should probably let your client know right away.”

“Is that what you’re recommending, that the whole thing be demolished?” Sam Beckett asked. The man lifted his eyes.

“Yes.” He said flatly, “And immediately. This building is a danger, not only to your people working in it, but to anyone that might be walking by.”

“It can’t be that bad.” Sam Beckett said. Ty turned and looked at him with a glare.

“It’s already been bad.” Ty said. Sam swallowed hard seeing the look on his face.

“Yeah, it has.” Sam Beckett said, “Alright, write it up and get it to me as soon as you can. I’ll go make some calls.” The man walked away and Sam was just staring at Ty, who had never looked away, “You know I’m going to lose my ass on this.”

“Better than someone’s life.” Ty said, “Do you need a reminder? Room 218 at Community if you do.”

“Look, cut me some slack, Ty. I know you’re pissed, I am too. What else do you want me to do?” Sam Beckett asked.

“I’ll let you know.” Ty said.

“Yeah.” Sam Beckett said, “I need the other projects checked.”

“After everything is wrapped up here.” Ty said firmly, “No one should be left alone in this building.”

“I agree with that.” Mike Pershing said as he came up.

“Fine.” Sam Beckett said, “Why don’t you both come back to the office when you’re done. We can have a talk.” Sam Beckett walked away. Ty looked at Mike, who was looking at him. They both waited until Sam had gone out the front construction door and they were alone.

“I’ve never seen him like this. He’s really upset.” Mike said.

“He’s not the only one.” Ty said.

“What do you think he wants?”

“I really don’t care.”

“I’m on your side here. You know that, right?” Mike asked. Ty nodded, “You being pissed forever isn’t going to be good for you.”

“Yeah, I know. My head is pounding right now.” Ty said. The structural engineer walked up to them both.

“I think I’ve seen enough. I’ll go back and write this up and send it off.”

“I would ask that you make up a printed copy as well.” Ty said, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

“What are you thinking?” Mike asked.

“I’m not sure yet.” Ty said.

“Where do you want the copy sent?” The man asked.

“I’ll come by your office and pick it up.”

“Okay. Give me a day or two, make it two just to be sure.” The man said.

“Alright. Thanks for coming.” Ty said.

“Thanks for calling.” The man said, shaking both of their hands. He walked away.

“What are you really thinking?” Mike asked.

“You know him better than I do, Mike. Do you really think he’s going to lose his ass?” Ty asked.

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen the contract on this.”

“Does he ever let you see them?”

“Sometimes.” Mike said, “Annie would know.”

“Yeah, I think it’s time to talk to her.” Ty said, “Without him being there.”

“That’ll be tough.” Mike said.

“Maybe. Let’s lock this place up good and tight.” Ty said as they walked toward the front together.

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Derrick looked up with the knock on the door. He saw Neil standing there. Derrick smiled and waved him in. Neil closed the door, Derrick raised an eyebrow as Neil walked over to stand in front of his desk. He looked a little nervous and pale.

“What’s up, bud?” Derrick asked.

“Uh…I hate to bother you, boss.”

“Door’s always open Neil. If you need to talk, lets talk.” Derrick said. Derrick held out a hand, “Have a seat.”

“Uh…I talked to Tom like you asked.” Neil said as he sat down.

“Uh huh, and what did he say?” Derrick asked as he sat back in his chair.

“Well…I was kind of caught off guard at first.” Neil said.

“Okay, nice and slow, bud.”

“He wanted to know what I needed, and I was confused at first. Then he said you asked him to come talk to me, that’s when I figured it out and well, I asked him what he thought about Blackstone and Ross. I thought he was going to go ballistic. He started talking about when he worked there and how Mr. Blackstone was a crook as far as Tom was concerned. He had nothing good to say at all.” Neil said and looked nervous again, even paler, “Boss, I think I made a terrible mistake.”

“Okay.” Derrick said, he leaned forward a bit in his chair, “So…do believe Tom?”

“I don’t think he’d lie about it.” Neil said, “He started to tell about when you started the firm that Mr. Blackstone tried a couple of things to make you guys look bad.”

“Yes, he did. I thought about suing him actually. He made it really tough for us the first couple of years.” Derrick said.

“I had no idea.” Neil said.

“I have a sneaking hunch that he sought you out, Neil, to maybe get information out of you about the firm.”

“I wouldn’t tell him anything, boss, you have to believe me.”

“I do, Neil.” Derrick said, “When were you supposed to give him an answer?”

“Next week.” Neil said.

“Alright. What are you going to tell him, Neil?”

“I’m going to tell him no.”

“That’s good to hear.” Derrick said, “I’d really hate to lose you, Neil.”

“Thanks, boss. So, can we just forget about that email?” Neil asked.

“Yeah.” Derrick said and looked at his computer, “Did you send it to Tom, too?”

“No, just you.” Neil said. Derrick went right to it, checked it, and trashed it.

“Done.” Derrick said. Neil got a little color back, “Okay. Now that that’s settled. I need to talk to you and Terry.”

“Uh…”

“It’ll be okay, I promise.” Derrick said. He picked up the phone and pushed numbers for the extension, “Got a minute?” Derrick asked into the phone, “Thanks.” He said then hung it up. There was a knock at the door then it opened, “Come in, bud.” Derrick said. Terry saw Neil there, closing the door. He came over and was calm, cool, professional.

“What can I do for you, boss?” Terry asked.

“Have a seat.” Derrick said.

“I’m okay.” Terry said and wouldn’t look at Neil.

“Have a seat, Terry.” Derrick said. Terry huffed quietly and sat down next to Neil, “Okay you two, it’s time to make up.”

“Not if he’s quitting, boss. I’ve got nothin’ to say to him.” Terry said. Neil looked crushed.

“He’s not quitting, bud.” Derrick said.

“He’s not?” Terry asked and spun on Neil, “You’re not?” Terry asked and Neil shook his head, “You little shit, what the fuck do you think you’re doing? You had me so pissed off, I was gonna kill you.”

“Easy there, Mr. Office Manager, that’s no way to talk to the staff.” Derrick said.

“Sorry, boss.” Terry said as he looked at Derrick then spun back on Neil, “What the fuck is your problem? I thought we were friends. We tell each other everything, or at least we did. Why would you want to give notice? I got you this job, dipshit, or did you forget that?” Terry was fuming and Neil fell apart. Derrick was doing his best to suppress a grin.

“I wanted to be like you, alright? You’re the one that got the really good job. I’m just an associate. I wanted to show you that I’m as good as you are, Ter. You’ve always been one step ahead of me in everything, ever since we were little, better grades, better at sports, better girlfriends, everything. This was my one chance to show you and I can’t even do that right.” Neil poured out. Derrick was shocked hearing Neil. He had no idea about any of this. He got up from his desk and came around.

“I didn’t know you felt that way.” Terry said quietly, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I couldn’t. Don’t you get it? If I told you that, you’d just laugh at me, call me weak.” Neil said.

“I would never laugh at you.” Terry said, “You’re my best friend, Neil. You were the brother I never had. Remember how my mom always used to say that she needed to adopt you because you were always at our house and you practically lived there anyway? How could I laugh at you? I’ve never tried to be better than you, Neil. You were always better than me.”

“I didn’t think so.”

“Wow, I think you guys need to do some serious talking.” Derrick said carefully.

“Yeah, we will.” Terry said, “Tonight…okay?” Terry asked Neil. Neil nodded and sniffled.

“Okay, that sounds good.” Derrick said and let out a sigh, “Are we good here for now?”

“Yeah, boss.” Terry said. Neil nodded.

“Good. Now, back to business.” Derrick said, “Terry, I’ve been doing some thinking and I think we need to make a little change here. Neil, what I’m about to say to you has nothing to do what has happened with you and your email, so don’t misunderstand what I’m going to tell you.” They both looked at him, “I’ve been thinking about this for a long time anyway, and I think now is the time. Tom’s going to be gone for a while, now that they have the new baby. Neil, I want to give you lead in all projects from now on. Terry, I know you’ve been trying to do it, along with everything else that you’re responsible for. You two are going to work closer together to give all the associates and the interns their assignments and projects.”

“You want to give me lead, boss?” Neil asked.

“Yes, is it that alright?” Derrick asked. Neil just sat there stunned, “You have proved to me time and time again, Neil, that you’re detail oriented, which is what we need in that position. Terry’s been trying and, Terry, you’ve always done a great job with it, but I think you’re overworked. And now with Tom being gone, it’s going to get a bit tougher on you. You can focus on other things that need your attention. I talked to Tom about this after he went to talk to you, Neil, and he agreed. Either of you have a problem with this?”

“No, boss.” Terry said, “I don’t. It might make things easier for me.”

“Good. Neil?” Derrick asked.

“Lead?”

“Yes.” Derrick said, “Now don’t faint or throw up.” Neil looked at Terry for a moment then slowly up at Derrick, “Of course with more responsibility, comes a raise as well.”

“But…”

“Do you want it or not?” Derrick asked softly.

“Yes.” Neil said softly.

“Good.” Derrick said, “Then starting Monday, you two get all the projects listed out. I want to know where we stand with them, each and every one. And as the lead, Neil, it’s up to you to make sure that any of them that have deadlines are met. By ten o’clock Monday morning, I would like to have it on my desk and we can discuss it. Are we good with that?”

“Yes, boss.” Terry said.

“Yes, boss.” Neil said.

“Perfect.” Derrick said, “Now, as it’s Friday, you guys go get your stuff done. I‘ve got to make a couple of calls.” They both just sat there looking at each other, “What are you waiting for?” Derrick asked with a smirk. They got up out of their chairs. Neil just looked at Derrick and didn’t know what to do at first. Derrick put out his hand. Neil took it, “Congratulations.” Derrick said as he stood. Neil took his hand back and gave Derrick a hug. Derrick hugged him back, patting his shoulder a couple of times.

“Thank you.” Neil whispered.

“You earned it, bud.” Derrick whispered back. Neil pulled away, then looked at Terry.

“Well, since you just got a raise, you’re buying tonight.” Terry said.

“I don’t think so. I bought last time.” Neil said as they both walked to the door.

“No, you didn’t.” Terry said, “I clearly remember it. Don’t you remember that really cute waitress?” Terry asked as they walked out of Derrick’s office continuing their argument out in the hallway. Derrick just shook his head as he went around his desk. He went through his rolodex and found what he was looking for. He picked up the phone and dialed.

“Hi, this is Derrick Jacobson. I’d like to speak to Stanley Croft, please?” Derrick asked, “Thank you.” Derrick sat down in his chair, “Stanley, Derrick Jacobson…yes, I’m fine, thank you…” Derrick chuckled into the phone, “No, I’m not trying to drum up business…I wanted to actually ask you for a favor if I could…thanks. I have a young man staying at the house right now, he’s a high school senior. He was telling me about a tour that his science class went on at your facility…yes, he’s very bright, very considerate too…he said he was amazed by what you were doing there and also told me that he has always wanted to get into the field of robotics…I was wondering if it would be possible for him to get another tour?” Derrick listened carefully for a long minute, “Really? You don’t say…I’m sure he’d be more than interested…I didn’t know you actually did that…I think that’s amazing, Stan. What a wonderful opportunity. Of course, I’ll tell him…I’m sure he’d jump at the chance…alright, late next week? I’ll make sure he calls you to get it arranged, yes. Thank you so much, Stan, I’m overwhelmed. Alright, it’s good to talk to you too, thanks. Alright, thanks again, bye.” Derrick hung up the phone. He sat back in the chair, “I’ll be damn.”

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Ty and Mike Pershing walked in the back door of Beckett Builders side by side. Annie stepped out of a supply room and saw them. She was a bit shocked see them there.

“Something wrong, Annie?” Mike asked her.

“Uh…no.”

“Cut the crap, little one, what’s going on?” Mike asked, she swallowed hard, “I’ve known you since you were in diapers and can always tell when you’re fibbing.” She looked down the hall really quick and then back at him. She stepped in the supply room, dragging them both inside, closing the door.

“He’ll kill me if I tell you.” She said.

“Yeah, well I’ll put you over my knee if you don’t.” Mike said. She rolled her eyes. Then looked back and forth between them.

“He’s gonna close the business down.” She said.

“What?”

“Yesterday really rattled him. He and mom had a huge fight last night at the house over it.” She looked directly at Ty, “He said you’re a better man than he is. He never says that about anybody. All he kept saying over and over all night was that you were right, that you knew what was going to happen. He’s been back and forth on the phone all morning long calling his attorney, his broker, the insurance company, the bank, all kinds of people.”

“How do you know?” Mike asked.

“Because I can see who he calls on my phone at my desk.” Annie said, “The only time he wasn’t on the phone was when he was at the downtown project with you two.”

“This is bad. He still has open contracts out.” Mike said, “What’s he going to do, just walk?”

“I don’t know.” Annie said, “All I know for sure is, he wanted a detail accounting of how much we have in the accounts.”

“He’s gonna liquify.” Ty said.

“What do you mean?” Mike asked.

“I’ve seen it done before.” Ty said, “That steel contractor I worked for in Chicago, they did the same thing when they went under and closed their doors. He’s just getting a jump on it.”

“He can’t close this business, it’s his life. It’ll kill him if he does.” She said.

“I’ll talk to him.” Mike said.

“No, the problems with me.” Ty said, “I could see it this morning when we were at the project. The way he looked at me. And if he was saying that to you and your mom last night, Annie, you know I’m right.”

“What can you do?” Annie asked.

“Give him a wake-up call.” Ty said and grabbed the door knob. He opened it, practically ripping it off the hinges and went out. He walked down the hallway and went into Sam’s office. He closed the door behind him, “We need to talk.” Ty said quietly. Sam was on the phone.

“I’ll have to call you back, thanks.” He said and hung up the phone, “Don’t you ever knock?”

“Don’t you ever close the door so I can?” Ty asked and came over to the desk, putting his hands on it, and leaned a little toward the big man on the other side.

“You got a lot of balls.” Sam said.

“You have no idea.” Ty said, “You want to tell me what’s going on?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m talking about, don’t bullshit me.” Ty said, “Have I been spinning my wheels around here?”

“Do you think you have?” Sam asked.

“The last couple of days, it looks like it.”

“You can pull out if you want.” Sam said.

“That isn’t what you said yesterday.” Ty said, “Or was all of that at the hospital just bullshit?”

“I don’t like being called down.” Sam growled.

“Well get fuckin used to it. That’s what you hired me for wasn’t it?” Ty asked and Sam went to get up, “Sit down.” Ty growled with fury in his eyes as his huge muscles tensed up. Sam sat back down, “You gonna fold this fuckin place up? Is that what you’re going to do?”

“What makes you…”

“Don’t fuckin lie to me.” Ty said, growling again. Sam just stared at him, “Well?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“The fuck its not.” Ty said, “You have one bad day, one bad accident, and you want to close the doors. I thought you were more of a man than that.”

“Who the fuck do you…”

“Shut up.” Ty growled louder and leaned closer, “You pull your head out of your ass, do you hear me? You’ve got people that are depending on you, a family. You’ve got a good reputation in this town. I ought to know, I’ve been defending it. We’re gonna get through this and we’re gonna keep going, you got that? If you’re smart, you’ve got a clause in your contract that will get you out of it with the structural engineers report.”

“And if I do?”

“Then fuckin walk away from it.”

“You think it’s that simple?”

“Yeah, it is. I’ve done it.” Ty growled.

“You were talking about reputation. If I walk away from it, what do think that will do to it?”

“It will show people you’ve got a good head on your shoulders and can do the right thing and not get anyone killed in the fuckin process.” Ty said, “Someone has something bad to say about it, they’ll have to deal with me. Fair enough?”

“I’ll have to think about it.”

“Think fast. I’m waiting.” Ty growled through clenched teeth and flashed his eyes.

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Aiden was sitting in the chair beside the bed, his hand through the rail, resting on Greg’s hand. He was nodding off. He was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. He looked over at Greg, who was still sleeping, breathing easily. Aiden smiled at him. Aiden felt the touch to his shoulder and looked up. He smiled at her at her pretty face. She bent down and got close to his ear.

“The doctor will be making his rounds in a bit.” Patricia said.

“Okay.” Aiden whispered.

“I need to wake him up and get him cleaned up so the doctor can examine him.” She said.

“Like a shower or something?”

“It’s called a bed bath. He can’t take a shower yet because of his surgery.” She said. Aiden was a bit confused by what she said. How can you take a bath in bed? He asked himself, “When I do this, you should probably go downstairs to the cafeteria.” Greg was worried about leaving the room. He didn’t want Greg’s father coming back without him being here.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Aiden asked. She nodded but didn’t move, “Outside?” He asked and she nodded again. She straightened and went out, Aiden getting up himself and followed her into the wide hallway, “There’s something you should probably know.”

“Okay.” She said, clearly thinking something else.

“I need to be here, with him, just to make sure.”

“Okay, you’ve kind of lost me here.” She said.

“Can I trust you?” Aiden asked as he looked down the wide hallway and then back to her. She seemed hesitant and confused, “Look, there’s some thing going on with Greg right now.”

“Yeah, I think I get that, that’s why he’s here.” She said.

“No, not him being hurt. There’s something more. It’s his dad.”

“What about his dad?” She asked.

“Greg left home.” Aiden said, he was struggling to word this right, “It was bad with his parents.”

“Most teenagers think that, I think.” She said.

“No, I mean it was really bad, abusive.” Aiden said and let it sink in.

“Okay. Have the police been notified? Does his doctor know?” She asked.

“A police officer was here last night. He’s going to take care of it, he said, but it may take a little time. The real problem is, Greg’s dad came here to see him too. I need to be here to keep him away from Greg.”

“I think that’s a job for the police, Aiden, not you.”

“You don’t understand.”

“Sweetheart, listen to me. I’ve seen all kinds of things working here, believe me.” She said to him gently, “If you think you need to be here to keep an eye on him, then fine, you go right ahead, I won’t stop you, alright?”

“Thank you.” Aiden said with a sigh.

“You’re welcome.” She said and gave him that warm smile of hers, “Now, I need to get him ready for the doctor. You can wait out here in the hall while I do that.”

“Okay.” Aiden said and watched her walk into the room. She pulled a curtain around the bed. He heard her talking softly to Greg, Greg moaning and mumbling. Aiden tried to listen more closely. He heard Greg talking softly, then Aiden heard his name being said.

“Yes, he’s here, and outside in the hallway.” She said gently to Greg behind the curtain, “Going to get you some nice warm water now and get you cleaned up for the doctor.” Aiden heard more mumbling and noises, “No, I’ve done this hundreds of times, it’ll be okay, you’ll see.”

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Conner had driven up to the dry cleaners and had deposited his suits. He paid extra for a rush service and had been told they would be ready for pick up on Sunday afternoon. He came back out and climbed into the car, Alec was waiting for him, going through his phone.

“Ready?” Conner asked. Alec closed his phone and looked at Conner, giving him a nod, “Your folks first or Emilio?”

“Might as well get Emilio over with.” Alec said. Conner started the car, and backed out of the space. He drove along the street, Conner made a turn and went along some more, “Should we call Derrick and Ty too?” Alec asked.

“I’m sure Derrick knows we’re here by now. What do you think about just going by the house tonight, kind of surprise them?”

“They might be busy. It’d be kind of rude to just show up, don’t you think?” Alec asked as Conner made another turn.

“Yeah, you might be right.” Conner smiled and looked at Alec, “Ty might be walking around naked or something knowing him.”

“Yeah.” Alec said with a slight smile.

“Hey, you still thinking about the apartment?” Conner asked. Alec looked at him.

“Is it wrong that I want to move? You think I’m being stupid about it?” Alec asked.

“To be honest, maybe.” Conner said. He pulled into the parking lot of Lozano’s. It was empty. He parked in front and shut the car off. He looked at Alec fully, “I know you’re not comfortable there, babe, and I can understand that. You have to be comfortable where you live, right?” Conner asked. Alec had a look that showed he was a bit upset over what Conner had just said, “Don’t be pissed. We moved there because we both thought it was going to be a great place, obviously it’s not. Do you want to get another apartment or something different?”

“Hadn’t really thought about it yet.” Alec said softly.

“Tell you what, let’s get this over with first.” Conner said, looking at the restaurant, then back to Alec, “Then let’s go to my office before we go to your parents’ house.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s a real estate office, remember? We can get a bunch of listings and start looking. It’s better than on a computer.” Conner said and Alec looked a little confused, “With listings in hand, you can start to make up your mind, and we can figure out what we want.”

“Oh.” Alec said.

“Kind of like what you were telling me when I saw the car for the first time.” Conner said, “Remember? You know cars and stuff? Well, I know real estate.” Conner said with a shrug and took Alec’s hand in his, “Trust me, you’ll like it.”

“Okay.” Alec said.

“Want me to go in with you?” Conner asked. Alec thought as he looked at the restaurant, “You think he’s in there?”

“Yeah. He’s probably prepping for tonight already.” Alec said softly, “Would you come in with me?”

“Sure.” Conner said and opened the car door. Alec did as well, getting out, then closed the door. He walked up to the main door of the restaurant, it was locked.

“Let’s go around back.” Alec said. They walked around the building. There were two cars there, “Carlito’s here.” Alec said. He pushed open the back door and went in first, Conner behind him as he heard a deep shriek of joy from further inside. Conner smiled wide as big arms swallowed up Alec in a huge hug.

“You’rea’ here.” Emilio said as squeezed the air out of Alec. Emilio kissed both of Alec’s cheeks. Alec smiled.

“Yeah, I’m here.” Alec said softly.

“It’sa so gooda to see you.” Emilio said looking Alec up and down as he gripped Alec’s shoulders.

“I talked to Derrick. How’s Andre?”

“I don’tta know.” Emilio said and was fighting tears.

“Has he called?”

“Notta yet.” Emilio said.

“I’m here to help.” Alec said and tears dropped from old eyes in front of him. Alec was hugged tight again. He put his arms around the round older man, hugging him back tight. Conner smiled and now knew where Alec truly belonged with what he was witnessing.