Building Things

The curtain around the bed was pulled back as Aiden looked into the room. He saw Greg lying there in the bed. The nurse, Patricia, was picking up a small tub off the rolling stand and went to the bathroom with it as Aiden came in. Greg looked a little better to Aiden, had a little more color to him. Aiden gave him a soft smile as he came to the edge of the bed.

“You doin’ okay?” Aiden asked as he took hold of Greg’s hand. Greg nodded slowly and gave him a sleepy smile. Greg’s eyes shifted as he saw something. Aiden looked at the doorway. The smiling friendly face dressed in a long lab coat walked in.

“Well, good morning, Greg.” Dr. Monroe, the surgeon said, “Are you feeling alright this morning?” Greg nodded, “Good.” Monroe said as he came to the foot of the bed, “I apologize for running a bit late this morning. I had to deal with an emergency. Remember I said yesterday that I wanted to take a look at you? Are you having any pain?” Monroe asked and Greg slowly shook his head, “Well that’s a good sign. What I’d like to do is take a look at your back where I had to make an incision with your surgery, if that’s alright? I also want to take a look at your ribs along your spine.” Monroe asked, both Greg and Aiden nodded. The nurse, Patricia, came out of the bathroom. Monroe looked at her a moment and then back to Greg.

“I left the dressing in place, Doctor.” She said.

“Fine.” Monroe said, “Greg, I’d like to lower your bed and have you turn over on your left side. I’ll take the dressing off over the incision so I can look at it, alright?” Greg nodded. Patricia lowered the bed for the doctor. Aiden backed up out of the way as the doctor came around the bed, “Okay, nice and slow, roll over on your left side for me. We’ll help you if you need it.” Aiden watched as it was a bit of a struggle for Greg, Patricia helped him. Monroe leaned closer and started to gently take the square dressing off Greg’s back. Aiden could see all of the purple bruising on Greg’s smooth muscular back, his legs were still covered by the top sheet. Aiden leaned a little and could see the incision now, a few stitches, some dried blood. He winced a little from seeing it, but stayed quiet, “Well, that doesn’t look bad at all, Greg. I don’t think it will leave much of a scar either.” Monroe said, “Patricia, let’s clean this area a little and redress it, please?”

“Yes, Doctor.” She said and went out of the room right away. Monroe continued to look at the incision, gently touching it, then around it. Patricia was back almost immediately. She had a few items in her hands.

“Let’s Betadine it one more time and then re-dress it. It won’t take much.” Monroe said. He started to look at the spine area of Greg’s back, “Is it hard to breathe, Greg?” Monroe asked and Greg nodded, “We’ll be quick. Can you hang on for a couple of more minutes?” Monroe asked and Greg nodded slowly, “Alright. Try and breathe easy. Don’t hold your breath, son.” Greg nodded slowly. Aiden went around the bed and came before Greg, leaning down.

“You’re doin’ good.” Aiden said softly to him with a smile. He took and put his hand on Greg’s that was holding the rail. Patricia and Monroe were working together as fast as they could.

“I know it’s uncomfortable, Greg.” Monroe said, “I’m trying to hurry. I just want to make sure of your ribs, alright?” Greg nodded on the pillow, “Almost done.” Monroe said as he gently felt along up the spine, “Okay, now, you can lay back, but go slow.” Greg moved to his back, going slow as he was told to do. Monroe and Patricia helped and watched him closely, observing how he moved and Greg’s reactions to it, “Any pain?” Greg nodded and closed his eyes tightly for a few seconds to try and will it away, “Okay. I’ll have Patricia give you something.” Monroe looked at her, “Give him 5cc’s of Meperidine.” Monroe said softly.

“Right away, Doctor.” She said and walked away out of the room.

“So, while she’s doing that,” Monroe said as he raised the bed, “I want to talk to you about tomorrow.” He said and watched Greg’s face contort a little from the adjustment to an elevated position again, “In the morning, we’re going to put you into that upper body cast I was talking about yesterday. Do you remember that?” Greg nodded, “Okay. So, this cast is going to cover you from about here to here.” Monroe said used his hands on himself, just at mid-chest to lower abdomen, “And to support it, it will go over your shoulders like a tank top type of shirt. It will allow you to walk around to get to the bathroom and back to bed. That doesn’t mean that you can be on your feet all the time, though. Do you understand what I mean?” Greg nodded, “Good. I also told you to work your muscles, but I want you to do that in bed. Just light stretching and moving a little bit with your legs and arms, nothing strenuous.”

“I’ll make sure of that, Doctor.” Aiden said. Monroe shifted his gaze to Aiden.

“Are you going to be with him?” Monroe asked. Aiden nodded, “Have you been here this whole time, young man?” Aiden nodded again, “I see. I will ask this delicately, are you two living together somehow?” Aiden looked at Greg a moment, then back to Monroe. He nodded slowly, “Alright. And those two men yesterday, your guardians, you live with them also?” His questions were directed at both Aiden and Greg.

“Yes.” Aiden said, not sure how much to actually say or not, “We have a separate place at their house.”

“A separate place?”

“They call it a studio. It’s more like an apartment really. It’s very large.” Aiden said.

“Oh.” Monroe said, “I think I understand. Where are they right now by the way?”

“I think they’re both at work right now. Uncle T said he’d be here a little later.” Aiden said.

“Uncle T?” Monroe asked.

“Uh, Ty…Ty Caldwell.” Aiden said, “The guy with all the big muscles.”

“Are you related?” Monroe asked.

“He’s kind of my adopted uncle, I guess you could say. We’ve always been like family since I was very young. He and my Uncle Bart are best friends.” Aiden said.

“Sounds a little confusing.” Monroe said.

“Uh…they’re actually married, Derrick and Uncle T…to each other. Derrick’s an architect. Uncle T’s a construction foreman, and a carpenter.” Aiden said.

“And they’re your guardians…how?” Monroe asked.

“I can answer that for you, Doctor.” Ty said as he came into the room. Monroe turned and looked over at him as Ty walked up to him, “My husband, the man you met yesterday here in this room, his name is Derrick Jacobson. He has the biggest heart on the planet and will open his home, our home, to anyone that’s in trouble or in need, it doesn’t matter their age or anything. He doesn’t turn anybody away, doesn’t believe in it.”

“That’s sounds very generous of him.” Monroe said.

“Is there some kind of a problem, Doctor?” Ty asked.

“No, not really. We were talking about conditions for Greg at home is all.”

“I see.” Ty said, “And you were wondering how it was going to work with taking care of Greg.”

“He is the primary concern as my patient, yes.” Monroe said.

“I will guarantee you that if Derrick has anything to do with it, it will be top notch care, that’s for sure. That man doesn’t miss a thing, believe me. We both told you yesterday that Greg was going to be taken care of, and we both meant it. We’re all flexible enough with our jobs to be able to do that for Greg, and one of us to be there all the time for him.”

“That’s good to hear, and rare.” Monroe said. Ty smiled at him.

“Should we get him like a wheelchair or anything?” Ty asked.

“A wheelchair might help Greg out to get around. I don’t want him up much. Just limited trips to the bathroom and back to bed. Rest is going to be his best ally.” Monroe said.

“Okay. I’ll see about one, if Derrick hasn’t already. Like I said, he doesn’t miss much.” Ty said with a soft smile.

“Excellent.” Monroe said, “And like I said to the both of you yesterday as well, I think he’s in good hands.” Monroe nodded toward Aiden. Patricia came back into the room with a syringe. Monroe nodded to her. She came up to Aiden and leaned down to Greg.

“I have something to make you feel better, to take away the pain.” She said in her soft tone to Greg, “I’m going to inject it into your IV. You should feel a bit of burning for a few seconds and then you’ll feel much better, okay?” Greg nodded slowly. She uncapped the syringe and stuck it into the port of the IV above Greg’s hand. She slowly squeezed in the clear fluid. Greg grimaced with the feeling, the burning that she had said he would feel. But soon enough, he was easing and his eyes were drooping. Patricia pulled the needle and capped it after it was empty. She checked Greg’s pulse in his wrist. Aiden was watching everything very closely. Ty smiled as he watched Aiden.

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“I’m Detective Campbell, Metro PD.” Campbell said as he showed his badge to the young lady at the front desk, “I’d like to see Mr. Adkins, please.”

“Just a moment, Detective.” She said and was a little nervous looking. She picked up the phone and pushed a few buttons, “There’s a police detective here that would like to see you.” She said as she looked up at Campbell in front of her desk. She hung up the phone, “You can go right in, Detective.”

“Thanks.” Campbell said. He walked away from her and went to the double doors, opening the right one, stepped in, and closed it behind him. He looked about the office, dark, paneled, bookcases, very formal. A desk was in the middle of the room, toward the back wall. The man behind it rose to his feet. He was tall, well dressed, dark blond hair, dark eyes, that had deep circles under them. Campbell walked up to the desk.

“What can I do for you, Detective?” Adkins asked.

“I’d like to talk to you about your son, Councilman.” Campbell said in an even toned voice.

“What about him?”

“I understand he doesn’t live at home any longer.” Campbell said and kept a stone face.

“And what does that have to do with Metro PD?”

“Well, as he’s underage, I would think it has possibly a little bit to do with us, Councilman, don’t you think?” Campbell asked, “I am told you visited him in the hospital, is that correct?”

“I think you have a bit of bad information, Detective. There is a private family matter that is going on right now. There is no reason why your department should be involved.” Adkins said.

“Does your wife know about any of this, Councilman?” Campbell asked and saw fear in Adkins eyes for a moment with his question, “I’m thinking she doesn’t.”

“What is it that you want, Detective?” Adkins asked.

“I’m here on a personal matter, Councilman. I’ve been asked to talk to you on behalf of your son, to pass along a message.”

“What is the message?” Adkins asked.

“To stay away from your son.” Campbell said flatly.

“I think you have crossed a line here, Detective.” Adkins said firmly, clearly regrouping, “Perhaps I should make a phone call to your superiors.”

“I don’t think you will, Councilman, and I’ll tell you why.” Campbell said with his own firm tone and stone face, “I think you’re being controlled, controlled by your wife.” He let the words sink in and watched the reaction. He saw it, fear again in the dark tired eyes, “I think you’re trying to figure out for yourself how to get out of the situation you’re in without it becoming public knowledge. What would happen if it came out, Councilman? Do you think it might hurt you or even affect your re-election? I know the press, Councilman, I know it very well and what they can do. They’d be like sharks with blood in the water.”

“You have no idea what’s really going on, Detective.” Adkins said.

“I know Greg is going to be of age in nine months, Councilman. I know he left home because of how he was being treated by you and your wife. I’ve seen it before, believe me. I know this, because something similar happened to me, but I was much younger than your son is now. He has a chance to live a good life as long as you and your wife stay away from him. Don’t you think you owe that to him at least?”

“You have no idea about any of it.” Adkins said.

“I think I do.” Campbell said and narrowed his eyes, “Stay away from him, Councilman, or I will make it become official.”

“Is that a threat?”

“No. I don’t threaten, Councilman, I act.” Campbell said, “If you want it to all come out and have your name dragged through the mud, your political life ruined, your business, then by all means let’s do so, and we can do it right now if you’d like. Your son walked away from you for a reason, let him keep walking.”

“He’s my son.” Adkins said softly.

“Let me ask you, Councilman, should parents put their children through the kinds of things I’m sure you and your wife have done to him? I don’t think so, and I’m sure Greg thinks so as well, that’s why he left. Abuse is abuse. Stay away from him, Councilman, to save yourself and him, that is, if you care about him.” Campbell said. Adkins sat down in his chair hard, practically falling into it. Campbell could see the look in Adkins face, the defeat in it, the hollowness now in the eyes. He had seen it before in other men, in other places of the world when there were no options. Campbell turned and walked toward the door.

“Can I ask, Detective, is he alright?” Adkins asked. Campbell had his hand on the knob and looked back at the shrunken man.

“He will be.” Campbell said, “And he’ll be even better if you do what I said.”

“Your parents, Detective, have you ever spoken to them again?”

“No.” Campbell said in a flat tone, “They don’t deserve it.”

“I was wrong to do what I did, Detective, I admit that. I couldn’t stop, or was strong enough to stop her.”

“You’re a grown man, Councilman. You made your own choices. Leave Greg alone so he can make his, and also to live his life.” Campbell said, “Remember what I said, Councilman, or I’ll be back to make it official.” He opened the door and walked out, leaving it open behind him. The dark tired eyes watched him and then closed.

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Derrick was going over a new proposal on his computer when his desk phone rang, the intercom. He picked it up, seeing who it was.

“What can I do for you, Kim?” He asked and listened, he smiled wide, “Send him in, please?” Derrick asked and hung up the phone. He got up from his desk and came around it, smiling even wider seeing who was at the open door, “Conner.” He said as he came across his office. The two locked into a big hug after a quick tender kiss, “How are you, buddy?” Derrick asked. Conner hugged Derrick tighter.

“Better now seeing you. I like the beard.” Conner said, then kissed Derrick’s neck. He pulled back, still holding him.

“Thanks. Damn you look good.” Derrick said with a smile, “How was the trip?”

“It was a bitch.” Conner said and gave an exaggerated eye roll.

“Come, sit down. Tell me all about it.” Derrick said, one arm around Conner, leading him over to a chair and had him sit down, Derrick leaned against his desk in front of him, “Where’s Alec?”

“At the restaurant.” Conner said. Derrick raised an eyebrow. Conner nodded, “Yeah, I know. We went to talk to Emilio, and well, it was a little emotional for the old guy when we walked in. Alec finally turned around and just looked at me. I told him to call me when he was done helping out, I’d come pick him up.”

“I’m guessing Emilio was happy to see him then.”

“Yeah.” Conner said, “I feel really bad for the guy. I wasn’t about to say anything to stop Alec from helping him. I told Alec I was coming here rather than going to my office.”

“Do you need to do things at your office?” Derrick asked.

“I was going to pick up a bunch of sheets for listings. Alec wants to move.” Conner said.

“How come?”

“Let’s just say it doesn’t feel right at the apartment anymore.”

“Something wrong there?”

“Bad vibes for him. He’s not comfortable after everything that happened.” Conner said.

“I see. I think I can understand that.”

“I can too.” Conner said, “And I want to do whatever I think I can do to make him happy and feel comfortable.”

“So, you want to buy?” Derrick asked.

“I think so.” Conner said, “A lot of things have happened, and I think that if I had something permanent, it would make it better for us, since I’m not going anywhere now because of my new job with the company.”

“What new job?” Derrick asked.

“My father wants me to become a member of the board, a full-time member, and as head of our real estate division, it will be getting bigger within the company as things are changing right now and going in that direction.”

“Wow, okay.” Derrick said as he was thinking, he looked at Conner carefully.

“Apartments, to me, are not really permanent, you know what I mean?” Conner asked, “They have that almost transitional kind of feeling I guess is the way I’d put it, like a dorm room at college. And I think maybe it’s time for something permanent for us.”

“Well, they’re not all like a college dorm room or anything like that.” Derrick smiled.

“No, you’re right about that, and the apartment is very nice and all, but they just aren’t permanent, you know?”

“No, I get it, bud. A house or a home should be a reflection of you, who you are deep down.” Derrick said and raised an eyebrow as a thought occurred to him, “What if you could build, Conner?”

“You mean like have a house built?” Conner asked. Derrick nodded, “Never thought about it. I don’t know. I guess it would depend on a few things. I wouldn’t want something like what my parents were thinking of doing when you and I met, but then again, it would depend on the area too.”

“What about my place?”

“You don’t want to sell it.” Conner said flatly.

“No, but I don’t think you know this. I own all the acreage around me.”

“What?” Conner asked and Derrick nodded with a slight smile.

“The house was originally a ranch house back in the 20’s, sitting on twenty-five acres. There was a barn that was falling down way in the back, an old carriage house out front, and a few other buildings that were falling apart. I had them all removed when I did the renovation on the house.” Derrick said.

“I didn’t know that.”

“I’ve got pictures of it somewhere at the house. I’ll have to show you sometime.” Derrick said, “You obviously have a few minutes. Let me show you something that might help you out.”

“Okay.” Conner said.

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Ty was standing at the foot of the hospital bed. Greg was drifting off to sleep. Aiden was standing beside Greg at the rail, his hand on Greg’s. Dr. Monroe had left after his examination of Greg and his talk with Ty but said he would be back in the afternoon. Ty caught Aiden’s gaze and head nodded for him to follow him. Ty went out in the hallway, Aiden came up to him.

“I want you to go home for a while, bud.” Ty said.

“What for?”

“I want you to get a little bit of sleep, good sleep, in the bed. You can’t do that in that chair in the room.” Ty said.

“I’m okay.” Aiden said.

“Look, no arguments, Aid, okay?” Ty said, “You probably didn’t sleep much last night knowing you as you probably just sat up and watched him breathe. I’ll stay here and keep an eye on him. Go take a nap or whatever, get a shower, something to eat, and then come back this evening. I’ll still be here, so don’t worry. Like the doctor said yesterday, he’s not going anywhere.”

“But I…”

“Look, it’s not up for discussion.” Ty said putting a hand on the young shoulder, “You’re tired, I can see it. You need some sleep. If he has any problems, which I doubt, I’ll call you.”

“Don’t you have to go back to work?” Aiden asked.

“Not until a little later. Derrick’s going to come a little later too.” Ty said. Aiden looked back at a sleeping Greg, then back to Ty, “Now, go take care of yourself for a little bit. I’ve got this.” Ty smiled.

“If you’re sure.” Aiden said.

“Go on, get out of here.” Ty said gently, still smiling.

“Geez, you’re as bad as Patricia.” Aiden said.

“The nurse?”

“Yeah, just watch out for her, she can be a hardcase.” Aiden said with flared eyes. Ty chuckled.

“Great, a woman on my butt, just what I needed.” Ty smirked. He pulled Aiden in and hugged him with one arm, “He’ll be fine, don’t worry about it.”

“Okay.” Aiden said. He looked at Greg one last time, then walked away toward the elevators. Ty watched him for a minute, then went in and sat down in the chair beside Greg, letting out a sigh.

“Today was a bitch, bud.” Ty said quietly to a sleeping Greg, “We both were almost out of a job. But I think it’s gonna be okay now.” He smiled at the sleeping young man next to him.

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Carlito, the line chef at Lozano’s, watched with amazement at what Alec was doing. Emilio had opened for lunch as he always did and was taking orders from customers, bringing them back into the kitchen, calling them out. Alec was working one big order for a table of six but on separate tickets.

Alec had all orders working at once, firing them up, and was calling out what he needed. Carlito was doing his best to keep up, Alec was helping him as well while firing. They worked well together, had done this before, but Andre had always been there too. His presence was sorely missed, but Alec and Carlito were doing it very well together. The orders were plated, Alec double checking presentation as he slid plate after plate up into the open racks. Emilio was grabbing them and taking them out, smiling the entire time as he saw what was being produced. Alec looked at Carlito and flashed his eyes and puffed out a breath when it was over, Carlito smiled and shook his head, chuckling to himself.

Emilio came back in with another order a couple of minutes later, calling it out, a table for two. Alec and Carlito jumped right into it. Alec said back to Emilio, fifteen minutes, and was on it. Carlito was right there and was working smoothly next to Alec. They talked to one another constantly, telling each other where they were at with the order, letting each other know how much time they each had with what they were doing. It went smoothly. Alec finally plated and slid them into the open warming racks. Emilio was there, smiling wide again, as he pulled the plates, taking them out to serve. Alec high fived Carlito and they were in sync with each other completely. Emilio came back in a short time, beaming.

“We are ‘a gonna be so busy tonight’a.” Emilio said. Alec smiled wide, putting his hands on the prep line, leaning on them.

“I’ll start a few lasagnas for the special, just to be ready.” Alec said. Emilio nodded and wouldn’t lose his smile, “Carlito, let’s get set up. I’d like another batch of Marinara started, extra Basil this time.”

“You got it, boss.” Carlito nodded. Emilio rubbed his hands together. He walked out of the kitchen to go check on his customers out in the dining room.

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“Oh my god, Derrick, this is beautiful.” Conner said as he looked at what Derrick had brought Conner into the Core to see. Derrick had pulled a set of plans out of a cubby slot in the far wall and had brought them to one of the main tables that was empty. There were associates and interns in the Core as well, all working on different things at their own tables. Derrick had laid out the prints in front of Conner. The front elevations were in pastel color and showed a striking house.

“This was the house that I wanted originally when I bought the property.” Derrick said as he looked down at the plans, Conner right beside him. The front elevation, in penciled color, showed a two-story Craftsman Style Bungalow, that fit with part of the scheme of various older neighborhoods here in the area. The house sat on the page at an angle and showed all of its intricate details in stunning pastel color, every line, every detail almost jumped off the page.

“You drew this?” Conner asked and Derrick nodded.

“It took me almost a year to do this, just to get it right.”

“Why didn’t you build it?” Conner asked.

“Sam Beckett actually talked me out of it.” Derrick said, “He felt that the details of the original house should be brought back to the glory that it was with the renovation, not change it to become this.” Derrick said as he thought, “I was a little disappointed at first that I wouldn’t get my dream house, but as the renovation went on, I realized that Sam was right. The house just needed help and I think now, the house itself is happy, if that makes sense.”

“It does.” Conner said, “You house is so perfect, Derrick, it has that homey feel to it, like it’s loved.”

“That’s because it is.” Derrick said softly, “It’s a regret of mine not to build this, but I do love my home very much, and in the end, that’s what really matters.”

“What would it cost to build something like this?” Conner asked.

“Well, I do have the take off for it here in the plans. It could be bid again, if you wanted to do it.”

“This is absolutely amazing.” Conner said as he looked down at the plans, “So you would want to sell off part of the property?”

“Possibly. I’m actually glad I bought the whole thing. I wanted to be able keep the flavor of the neighborhood, if you know what I mean. I didn’t want a bunch of modern style homes built all around me in like a subdivision. The Wilson’s, my neighbors up the street, have something similar but newer. I’m sure you’ve seen it, and we’re the only two on the block. My house actually is in the county, and not in the city, like the Wilson’s, that’s where the city limits end at their property, another reason why I bought it.”

“And the road goes down a little further beyond your house.” Conner said and was thinking, “But what about the other things, water and power?” Conner asked.

“That would go along with it obviously, if something was built. Water lines are already there, I made sure of that when I did the renovation, they dead-end past the house right now. I paid for that after getting permission from the county. Powerlines come in near the far corner of the house, but are buried off the pole near that big tree out front. I didn’t want lines coming across the house like they used to when I first bought it. I hate overhead lines. They ruin the appeal of the structure in my opinion.” Derrick said with a shrug, “It’s just an idea of course.”

“No…it’s more than that, it’s a beautiful one, Derrick.” Conner said, “I bet Alec would love something like this. I’d like to show him these.”

“Yeah, we could do that. Let me show you the floor plans first.” Derrick said and started to roll pages out of the way. Associates and interns alike started to look at what they were doing as Derrick began to talk about it. Conner noticed a small crowd slowly gathering around them at the big table as Derrick explained the floor plans, going room by room, and his vision. Conner was taking it all in, as well as looking at the various faces around them now and then and how they were becoming engrossed hearing Derrick talk. Conner could see why Derrick was successful now, his passion for architecture, his love for it was infectious. He had a captive audience and it made Conner smile and gave him a few ideas.

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Aiden drove into the circular driveway and parked out of the way as he always did. He got out of the car and started to walk around the house and came up the driveway. He came to the studio door and put his key in, turning it, opening the door. He stepped in and closed it behind him. He saw the bed and realized how tired he actually was and how inviting it looked to him. He came to it, putting his keys on the nightstand and sat down. He closed his eyes and thought about Greg.

He finally stood, kicking off his shoes, using his foot move them, putting them side by side next to the bed near the foot. He pulled off his shirt, set it on the bed, then undid his jeans, pushing them down, stepping out of them. After stepping out of them, taking them in one hand, emptying his pockets, wallet, phone, setting them on the nightstand beside his keys. He pulled off his socks and gathered his clothes, taking them into the bathroom, putting them in the small duffel he kept there.

“Laundry.” Aiden said to himself, “Yeah, later.” He came out of the bathroom, going back to the bed. He pulled back the bedding, climbing in and lay down. Closing his eyes, thinking about Greg, everything else as well. He sighed to himself and was starting to drift off when his phone buzzed. He looked over and picked it up. He saw the message. He opened it, smiled softly, pushing the button, putting the phone to his ear.

“Hey.” Seth said into the phone.

“What’s up, buddy?” Aiden asked. He missed his younger brother all of a sudden.

“Just checking on you. You okay?” Seth asked.

“Yeah.” Aiden said softly into the phone, “Where you at?”

“That old place on Blaker still. Uncle Bart said we should be done tomorrow.”

“Good. I’ll bet he’ll be happy when it’s done.” Aiden said.

“You sleeping or something?”

“Almost.” Aiden said, “I’ve been at the hospital all night with Greg. Uncle T came and is with him now so I could get some sleep.”

“Oh.” Seth said, “I guess he’s pretty banged up, huh?”

“Yeah. They had to do surgery on him.”

“I kinda heard that from Uncle Bart. He told me what you said.”

“Yeah. It wasn’t good that’s for sure. I thought maybe Greg was gonna die at first, but he’ll be alright now.”

“That bad, huh?” Seth asked.

“Yeah.” Aiden said.

“Alright. Well, I guess I’ll let you get to sleep. I gotta finish this up anyway for Uncle Bart.”

“I sure miss you, bud.” Aiden said.

“Yeah, I kinda miss you too. I was just thinking about you.” Seth said, “I was kinda lookin forward to hangin with you guys this weekend.”

“Yeah, me too. I’m sorry.” Aiden said softly.

“No biggie. We’ll do it soon.”

“Yeah, we will.”

“Alright, talk to you later.” Seth said.

“Okay.” Aiden said and the call ended. He looked at his phone, then set it down, rolling over and plugged it in to charge it. He rolled back on his back, closing his eyes.

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“Hey, bud.” Ty said as Greg opened his eyes. Greg had a slight smile on his lips, “Stupid question, but you feelin’ okay?”

“Little dizzy.” Greg whispered then licked his lips. Ty leaned over a bit in the chair toward him.

“Shouldn’t be talking, bud.”

“Little bit at a time. The nurse said it was okay.” Greg whispered slowly.

“Thirsty?” Ty asked. Greg nodded a little. Ty got up and went around the bed. He poured a little water from a small pitcher on the rolling stand into a plastic cup that had a straw in it. He held it for Greg, “Here.” Ty said softly. Greg took a little drink of it. He let go of the straw, closing his eyes, “Want some more?” Ty asked and Greg shook his head a little.

“How’s work?” Greg whispered.

“It’s alright.” Ty said, “I gave Rod the day off today.”

“Is he okay?” Greg whispered.

“Yeah, thanks to you.” Ty said and set the cup down. Greg opened his eyes a little, “You’re quite the hero to him, bud. I think you have a friend for life now.”

“Why?” Greg whispered.

“You, knocking him down and covering him with your body when the building fell down on you guys? That was pretty brave.” Ty said.

“I didn’t think.” Greg whispered.

“You didn’t have to. People do amazing things sometimes without thinking, Greg. That was one of those times.” Ty said softly as he leaned on the guard rail looking down at Greg.

“No big deal.” Greg whispered with his eyes closed still.

“Yeah.” Ty said with a half-smile, “Go back to sleep, hero.”

“Tired of sleeping.” Greg whispered.

“Your body needs it.” Ty said, “Listen to it and what it’s telling you.”

“Where’s Aiden?”

“At home. Hopefully he’s sleeping right now. But he’ll be back.” Ty said.

“I think my dad was here.” Greg whispered. Ty narrowed his eyes a little.

“Yeah, he was.” Ty said.

“That’s not good.” Greg whispered.

“I know. Don’t worry about it though.” Ty said. He looked over at the doorway and saw Dave Campbell standing there, “You go back to sleep now, bud.” Ty said and gently touched Greg’s shoulder, “I’ll be right outside for a couple of minutes.” Ty walked toward the door.

“How is he?” Campbell asked as Ty walked up to him.

“He’s been better that’s for sure.”

“Poor kid.” Campbell said as he looked toward Greg, then looked at Ty, “I had that talk with his father.”

“The direct approach?” Ty asked, “How did that go?”

“Pretty well, I think. The guy is pretty beat up.”

“His father?” Ty asked and Campbell nodded.

“I think Derrick was right about him.” Campbell said, “And I don’t think he’ll be coming back anytime soon.”

“So the wife is really controlling him?” Ty asked.

“Yeah, it looks it to me. I’ve seen something like this before. It’s kind of an associated behavior. She must do something for him that he needs deep down. He plays into it, I’ll bet, gets off on it in a way.”

“Isn’t that kinda sick or something?”

“Not necessarily. She needs to control obviously and he needs to be led, but also wants to lead and doesn’t know how. They feed each other.” Campbell said, “I think he wants out but doesn’t know how to do it. He’s pretty easy to read.”

“You do the shrink kind of thing, too?” Ty asked. Campbell smiled and shook his head.

“No.” Campbell said, “When you do what I do for a living, you get to understand people and what they do really quick.”

“Is that one of the reasons why you’re so calm and ultra-professional?” Ty asked. Campbell smiled wider.

“You think I’m ultra-professional?”

“You sure impressed the hell out of me the other day when you thumped that fat fuckers’ skull, twice. You were so calm about it.” Ty said.

“Well, the opposite side of that coin would be, I learned to not piss you off, seeing the way you hit him. You’ve got real power in that arm. You scared the hell out of my partner, too. He said something about it that night.”

“Yeah, I’ve been known to lose it from time to time in the past. That’s why I don’t drink anymore.” Ty said.

“Good to know.” Campbell said and flashed his eyes. Ty smiled at him.

“Hey, I talked to my friend this morning.”

“Oh, here we go.” Campbell said with a smirk.

“No, he’s a really nice guy. He’s had some issues in the past though, just to let you know.”

“Haven’t we all?” Campbell asked. Ty chuckled and nodded, “What kind of issues?”

“Well, he could be a little possessive I guess you could say.”

“Were you guys together or something?”

“We lived together for a little while, yeah.” Ty rolled his eyes a bit. Campbell nodded.

“So, passing off one of your exes, huh?” Campbell asked.

“It’s not like that.” Ty said and looked a little defensive for a second, “It’s just the two of you might hit it off.”

“Are you guys still kind of close?”

“Not really. I haven’t talked to him in quite a while actually. I guess we stayed friends, but not close, you know?” Ty asked, “Am I digging a deep enough hole yet?” Campbell chuckled softly and shook his head.

“No, I don’t think so. It might be interesting, or fun.”

“He owns the gym over on Encino.”

“I think I know the one, in that big strip mall. We’re putting in a new station over there pretty near it. I’ve been by there a few times.” Campbell said, “What’s his name?”

“Rico, Rico Santiago.” Ty said.

“You did say he was Latin.” Campbell said with a slight smile.

“You gonna go by there?” Ty asked.

“Maybe.” Campbell said, “I wanted to come by here, see if you or Derrick were here and tell what had happened with Greg’s dad. I need to go by the new station and see if the networking guys are done yet.”

“I thought you had the afternoon free?”

“In a way. I just needed to be out of the way for them to do what they needed to do.” Campbell said.

“Oh, okay. Well, let me give you my number.” Ty said and pulled his phone, “I’ll give you Derrick’s too.”

“He won’t mind?”

“Nah, not him. It’s probably on some national registry anyway for all I know.” Ty said as he opened his phone. Campbell smiled as he input Ty’s number, then Derrick’s into his phone, creating contacts. He called Ty.

“Now you’ve got mine.” Campbell said.

“Awesome.” Ty said, “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Campbell said, “I’ll be in touch.”

“Okay.” Ty said and put out his hand, Campbell took it, “Thanks for what you did.”

“Like I said, it’s for Aiden. He deserves whatever help I can give.” Campbell said.

“Yeah, he does, and so does Greg.” Ty said, taking his hand back.

“Yeah.” Campbell said with a smile and a nod. He turned and walked away, going toward the elevators. Ty watched him for a minute, then went back into the room. Greg was awake. Ty smiled at him.

“Who was that?” Greg whispered as Ty came to the bed.

“A friend.” Ty said, “His name is Dave Campbell, he’s a police detective.”

“Aiden said something about him I think.” Greg whispered.

“I’m sure he did.” Ty said, “He’s helping out about your dad.” Greg seemed a little more awake now that Ty had said that, “Relax, bud. I’ll tell you all about it.” Ty sat down in the chair next to the bed.

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Derrick had rolled the plans back up, the associates and the interns had gone back to their tables and to what they were doing. Derrick took the plans and put them back where they belonged. Conner waited at the table for him as Derrick came back.

“That was very impressive, thank you for showing me those.” Conner said.

“Let’s go back to my office.” Derrick said as they walked out of the Core. They were both greeted by different people in the hallway, Derrick smiling at them, saying hello, calling them all by name. They reached Derrick’s office and went in, Derrick showing Conner a chair, having him sit. Derrick went around his desk and took up his chair at it.

“You’ve given me a lot to think about, Derrick.” Conner said.

“I wasn’t trying to overload you, sorry if I did.”

“No, you didn’t.” Conner said, “It’s just you gave me an idea now about building, like I said, I never thought about it before.”

“Well, just an idea.” Derrick said, “If I were in your position, I’d look at everything, and you guys decide what you really want to do.”

“How much of the property would you want to sell?”

“Well, I’m not sure to be honest.” Derrick said, “It’s pretty much a square in size. There’s one little corner that’s a bump out that’s about an acre and a half on the back side. There’s no road back there, and what borders it is county land. I’ve got a plot map at the house if you’re interested.”

“Yeah, I’d like to look at it.” Conner said.

“You guys should come to dinner one night. I have to get a few things squared away first.”

“Sure. And now that Alec’s at the restaurant, I’m not sure how much he’s going to be working.” Conner said.

“I know Emilio’s closed on Mondays, always has been.” Derrick said, “That might be the best night, if it works for you guys. I have to make sure about Greg though.”

“Who’s Greg?” Conner asked.

“He’s, uh…” Derrick realized he hadn’t ever said anything about what was going on at home, Conner and Alec didn’t know, “yeah, let me catch you up. You’ve missed a few things being gone.” Derrick said and leaned on the desk with his arms, “You remember Aiden?”

“The plumber kid.” Conner said thinking for a second.

“Yeah. He came to the house one morning looking for you actually.”

“Why?”

“He thought you could help him with a problem.” Derrick said, Conner had a confused look, “He came out to his mom and her boyfriend and got smacked around for it.”

“Oh shit.” Conner said, “Alec always thought he might be gay, he said something about it once to me.”

“Yeah.” Derrick said with a brief smile, “Anyway, we took him in and put him out in the studio.”

“Uh huh.” Conner said and gave Derrick a look.

“It was the only thing we could do. I couldn’t just let him be out on the street.”

“Such a softie.” Conner smiled.

“Yeah, that’s me, Mr. Softie. Anyway, Aiden has a friend, Greg. He called him and had him come over. Greg was more than a little closeted, which is fine, but we started figuring out Greg was having major issues with his parents, which were pretty bad. Things came to a head at home, Greg walked out of his parents’ house. Aiden asked to let him come and stay. I couldn’t say no, I mean another one possibly on the street, it just wouldn’t be right.” Derrick said, Conner was just shaking his head a little, “So, Ty got him a job with him at his job…”

“Wait, Ty’s got a job?” Conner interrupted.

“Yeah, he’s working for Beckett Builders as Sam’s foreman.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, anyway, they have this project downtown here, one of the older buildings. Greg’s first day, part of the building came down on him and another guy. Greg’s in the hospital.”

“Holy shit.” Conner said, “I guess we did miss a bunch. You guys get married, you’ve got kids all of a sudden, and now one’s in the hospital. How much more do you need?” Conner asked with a smirk.

“To be honest, not much more.” Derrick said with bugged eyes.

“Yeah, I can see that.” Conner said with a smile.

“That reminds me. I’ve got to talk to Ty about a ramp for the wheelchair.” Derrick said.

“Ramp? What wheelchair?”

“We need a ramp for the back steps to get Greg in and out of the house after he gets out of the hospital tomorrow. I ordered a wheelchair from a rental place this morning for Greg.”

“Is he…?” Conner was almost afraid to ask.

“He’s banged up pretty bad. He’ll be alright, but it’ll be a while before he can walk around on his own. They want to put him in some big cast. I thought a wheelchair would be the right thing for him so he can have meals in the house with us at least if he wants.”

“Same old Derrick, never misses anything.” Conner said then chuckled.

“Always thinking, right?” Derrick chuckled himself.

“Does your brain ever shut off?”

“Nope.” Derrick smiled wide.

“Can I do anything to help you guys out?”

“That’s sweet of you, but I’m not sure though. I need to get everything organized and find out what the doctor’s going to do.”

“Well, just let me know.”

“I will.” Derrick said, “Right now, let’s do a tentative plan for dinner on Monday.”

“That sounds good to me. I’ll tell Alec. I’m sure he’ll want to cook with you.” Conner said, “He’s probably missed it.”

“I know I have.” Derrick said, “Let me call Ty real quick while I’m thinking about it.” He picked up his phone and dialed the number, “Hey, babe, you busy?”

“No. I’m just sitting here having a talk with Greg.” Ty said, Greg could hear Derrick’s voice as well, “What’s going on?”

“A few things.”

“That doesn’t sound good.” Ty said and almost groaned.

“No, it’s fine. I wanted to ask you a couple of things.” Derrick said.

“Sure.”

“First, how’s Greg?” Derrick asked.

“He’s looking pretty good. He’s talking. The nurse here said to take it slow, but he’s doing good with it so far.” Ty said.

“Well, that’s good. Tell him I’ll see him in a little while. Is Aiden there?”

“No, I sent him home to get some sleep. He looked really beat.” Ty said.

“Good.”

“Yeah, had to give him strong parenting.” Ty said and flashed his eyes at Greg, who smiled slightly. Derrick chuckled.

“Nice. You’ll have to teach me that one. The other thing is, I ordered a wheelchair for Greg. It should be delivered this afternoon to the house. I was thinking, can we get some lumber to make a ramp for the back steps to get Greg in and out of the house easier?”

“Wow, I was right.” Ty said.

“About what?” Derrick asked as he looked at Conner.

“I was talking to the doctor earlier. He and I talked about a wheelchair, and I told him you might have already thought of it. I was right.” Ty laughed into the phone, “You never seem to disappoint, babe.” Ty laughed again.

“You just wait till I get you home and alone, mister.” Derrick said.

“Bring it on, baby, and make it hurt.” Ty said and really bugged his eyes at Greg, making him blush, “I got to be careful what I say, Greg’s gonna bust his stitches laughing, you know, he can hear you too.”

“Yeah, we’d better be careful then.” Derrick said, “So, can we do it?”

“You mean the ramp thing? Yeah, I’ll go to the yard and get it, no problem, it’s just some 2x and a sheet of plywood. We may also want to think about putting in like a catwalk from the man door to the ramp. It might be hard to roll a wheelchair across the grass to get there. And it might be easier when the snows come too.”

“That’s a really good idea. I never thought of that.” Derrick said.

“I think that’s why you have me around.”

“So I can see your sexy butt in your nail bags?” Derrick said and Conner laughed, “Guess who came by to see me?”

“Who?”

“Conner’s sitting here in my office right now.”

“You guys aren’t naked, are you?” Ty asked. Derrick chuckled. Greg had a shocked look on his face.

“He asked if we were naked.” Derrick said to Conner.

“Not yet!” Conner said loudly. Ty heard it, so did Greg, still looking shocked.

“Well, take pictures.” Ty said and smiled at Greg.

“Yeah.” Derrick said, “I asked Conner about coming for dinner on Monday, he and Alec.”

“Why Monday?” Ty asked.

“The restaurant’s closed.” Derrick said.

“Oh. Hold on a second.” Ty said and looked at Greg, “Would you be okay with that, having some of our friends over, they’re really great guys, Aiden knows them.”

“Yeah.” Greg whispered.

“I wanted to ask Greg if he was up to it.” Ty said into the phone.

“Is he?” Derrick asked.

“Yeah.” Ty said and smiled, “And now I have an idea.”

“What’s that?”

“Well, Rico called me this morning as I was getting up out of bed. He was asking about Dave Campbell.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, and Dave Campbell came by here a bit ago. He had that talk with Greg’s dad. I don’t think that’s going to be a problem anymore, that’s what Greg and I were talking about. Why don’t we ask Rico and Dave to come over for dinner as well?”

“You think that’s a little much?” Derrick asked, “I don’t want to overwhelm Greg with too many people all at once.” Ty raised an eyebrow.

“What do you think, bud? Can you handle it, a couple of extra guys? If you get too tired, we can let you rest in the studio.” Ty said to Greg.

“It would be alright. It’s your guy’s house.” Greg whispered.

“No, it’s all of ours as long as you’re living there, that’s the way it works.” Ty said gently to Greg, “Am I right, babe?” Ty asked into the phone.

“Definitely.” Derrick said clearly into the phone, “If you’re not comfortable about this, Greg, say so. Remember the one rule, be respectful. That’s why we’re asking you, out of respect for you.”

“It would be alright.” Greg whispered.

“If you’re sure, I’ll make the calls.” Ty said. Greg nodded, “He’s saying okay.”

“Okay, I’ll be there in a little while.” Derrick said, “There’s a few other things I want to do this weekend as well.”

“What?” Ty asked.

“Some things for the studio that I should have done, but didn’t. To make the boys more comfortable. I may need to borrow the truck.”

“Alright.” Ty said, “Tell the cheeseball I’ll see him later.”

“He said he’d see you later.” Derrick said to Conner.

“I can help him build the ramp and the other thing, if he wants.” Conner said.

“Yeah, sure.” Derrick said, “You’ve got construction help for the weekend, babe.”

“Good.” Ty said, “Because my star helper is a bit out of commission right now.” Ty smiled at Greg, who smiled in reply. Ty winked at him.

“Alright, let me get things arraigned here. I’ll see you in a bit.” Derrick said, “Love you.”

“Love you too.” Ty ended the call. Derrick hung up his phone. He punched the intercom and then some numbers.

“Hey, got a minute?” Derrick asked, “Thanks.”

“Well, I should get going then.” Conner said, “Looks like we’re going to spend the weekend together.” He stood as Terry knocked on the open door. Derrick stood as well, smiling and waved Terry in.

“Terry, you remember Conner, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do.” Terry said as he came up, reaching out his hand. Conner smiled at him and took it.

“How are you?” Conner asked.

“I’m doing good, thanks.” Terry said and took his hand back, “What can I do for you, boss?”

“I need to get to the hospital for a while. I hope to be back before end of day. Can you run things?”

“Sure, no problem. Neil and I are running that list of projects right now. It should be done and ready for Monday.”

“Perfect.” Derrick said, with a smile, “Best office manager in the city.”

“Maybe I’ll steal him from you.” Conner said.

“I’ll kick your scrawny ass if you do.” Derrick said as he came around the desk.

“How much does it pay?” Terry asked Conner.

“Terry!” Derrick said with a shocked look.

“Just kidding, boss.” Terry shrunk and grimaced. Conner laughed.

“Let me get you out of my office.” Derrick said to Conner with a fake growl and took Conner by the arm.

“Don’t hurt me.” Conner said.

“Oh, you know you’d love it.” Derrick said as they all walked out together laughing, Terry following them with a smile.

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“Hey, what are you doin’ Monday night?” Ty asked into the phone.

“Ty?” Rico asked, “Kind of busy right now.”

“Wanted to ask you over for dinner.” Ty said.

“Wait…what? Ugh…hold on a second.” Rico said. Ty could hear him talking to someone but not what they were saying, “Now, what were you asking?”

“Wanted to ask you to come for dinner Monday night.”

“I thought that’s what you said. Why do you want me to come over…oh, wait a second, I get it, neutral ground?” Rico asked.

“Exactly.” Ty said, “Well?”

“Are you gonna be nice?” Rico asked.

“Yes, asshole, I’ll be nice.” Ty said and looked at Greg with bugged eyes. Greg smiled wide.

“Gives me a chance to talk to your hot husband some more.” Rico said.

“Maybe this isn’t such a good idea after all.” Ty said with a groan.

“I’m only kidding. But I would like to get to know him a little better, he’s seems like a nice guy.”

“He is. There’ll be two other couples there too, just to let you know.” Ty said.

“Sounds like a party, this could be fun.” Rico said in a deeper voice.

“Not that kind of party.” Ty said, “We were all going to get together anyway and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for you to meet the hot cop.”

“Is he that hot?” Rico asked.

“I think he is, yeah. Plus, like I said, he’s a really nice guy.”

“Yeah, I think I can make Monday night. I’ll have to get someone to cover for me and lock up.” Rico said, “I’m a bit short staffed right now.”

“Somebody quit?”

“You could say that.” Rico said, “But the truth is, I had to fire someone and haven’t found a replacement yet. I’ll tell you more about it when I see you.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll text you the address.” Ty said, “I’ve got to call your hot cop now.”

“Alright. Hey, thanks for thinking of me.”

“Yeah, don’t get mushy.” Ty said.

“Dick.”

“Asshole.” Ty smiled and hung up the phone. He pushed a few buttons, giving Greg a look as he did it, “Exes, they can sure be a lot of trouble.” Ty said, “I hope I know what I’m doing.” Greg smiled, then closed his eyes for a minute. Ty texted Rico the address to the house. Rico replied back with a winking emoji. Ty went to contacts in his phone and found Dave Campbell’s number. He pushed call and put the phone to his ear, clearing his throat a bit as Greg opened his eyes.

“Hey there.” Dave Campbell said.

“Hey, hope I’m not bothering you.” Ty said guardedly.

“No, I was just pulling into the new station actually.” Campbell said.

“Oh, okay. I was talking to Derrick and we were thinking, or I was, we’re having a get together Monday night at the house and I wanted to ask if you wanted to join us.”

“Uh huh.” Campbell said into the phone, “And I suppose at this get together, your friend you were telling me about is going to be there as well?”

“Yeah, I just talked to him and invited him too.” Ty said.

“Does Derrick have a problem with your ex coming over to the house, or does he even know he’s your ex?” Campbell asked.

“Yeah, he knows. I couldn’t keep something like that from him.” Ty said.

“Okay, he doesn’t have a problem with it?”

“Well, no, not really. Besides, if you’re there, you’ve got a gun and I’m sure you can handle it.” Ty said and Campbell laughed.

“Yeah, doesn’t work that way, sorry.” Campbell said, “This might be fun now that I think about it. Who else is going to be there?”

“Well, Aiden and Greg, if they let him out of here, but from what the doctor said, he’ll be going home by tomorrow afternoon. And a couple of our other friends, Conner and Alec, they’re really nice guys.”

“Is this like a dinner party or something?”

“Well, it’s a chance for you to meet Rico at, as he put it, neutral ground, and our other friends just got back from France. So, it’s like a dinner party, but really casual, you know what I mean?”

“Okay, wow, this sounds interesting. This happen a lot?”

“No, not really.” Ty said, “Derrick kind of likes things to be a bit quiet, but he also likes to entertain, or at least he used to from what’s he said.”

“Yeah, okay, sounds a little confusing.” Campbell said and laughed a bit, “Yeah, I’ll be there. What time?”

“Uh, I’ll have to let you know about that.”

“Okay. You can just text me.” Campbell said.

“I will. Thanks.”

“No, thank you.” Campbell said. He hung up on his end.

“Whew.” Ty said and wiped his brow. Greg smiled.

“You’re too funny.” Greg whispered.

“You haven’t seen anything yet.” Ty gave him a screwy face. Greg smiled.

“I want to thank you for everything you guys are doing for me.” Greg whispered.

“Don’t worry about it, bud.” Ty smiled. He gave Greg a wink, then gently pat a covered leg in the bed.

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Derrick walked into the hospital room, Ty was sitting in the chair, his back to Derrick as Ty was talking away to Greg about this morning at work. Derrick hadn’t heard any of it yet, so as he came closer and was listening, he was only getting part of it. Greg looked at Derrick and smiled, Ty turned in the chair and saw him.

“Oh, hey, babe.” Ty said.

“Hi.” Derrick said, “What were you saying about Sam?”

“Yeah, I was going to talk to you tonight about it. This stuff happened this morning, but I think it’s going to be alright now.” Ty said as he turned more in the chair, putting a muscled arm over the back.

“What’s gong on?” Derrick asked he came to the bed, putting a hand on Greg’s leg, but was looking at Ty, he looked at Greg, and gave him a smile, “Hey, bright eyes.” Derrick said to him, then looked at Ty on the other side of the bed again.

“We had a structural engineer at the downtown project this morning to look the building over. His recommendation is to tear it down. Sam apparently had a big fight with his wife at home last night over all this, the accident, the building, and was really thinking about just closing the business down. Mike and I found out about it from Annie and I had a little heart to heart with Sam and gave him a wakeup call.”

“Jesus.” Derrick said softly.

“Yeah, I guess he’s really been beating himself up over this whole accident thing and it got the better of him, and now the building is a total on top of it all. He was gonna just walk, but after I got him to get his head out of his ass, he thought better of it. So, we both still have jobs.” Ty said, using his fingers to point back and forth between he and Greg.

“My god.” Derrick said, “Should I talk to him?”

“Nooo.” Ty said with a shake of his head, “This was my problem, I already handled it. No big deal.”

“Okay.” Derrick said, “I’ll stay out of it.”

“Thanks.” Ty said and smiled. He got up out of the chair, “I called Rico and Dave Campbell and invited them for Monday.”

“What’d they say?” Derrick asked.

“They both said yes.”

“Good.” Derrick said and looked down at Greg, “You sure you’re gong to be okay with this?” Greg nodded.

“Yeah. The way Ty was talking, it might be fun.” Greg slowly whispered.

“There you go.” Ty said and bugged his eyes at Greg, “Alright, I’m going to go to the lumberyard and get stuff for you, mister. When we get you home, I guess we’ll have to start calling you ‘wheels’ with your wheelchair zipping around.” Greg rolled his eyes at him. Ty chuckled then looked at Derrick who was shaking his head, “Oh, the doctor said he was going to come back in this afternoon and look at him again. He may want to talk to you.”

“Okay.” Derrick said. Ty came around the bed, gave Derrick a kiss, “Thanks.”

“You said the cheeseball was gonna give me a hand?” Ty asked.

“Stop calling hm that.” Derrick said and back slapped Ty’s arm lightly, “Yes, he said he would help you.”

“Good.” Ty smirked, “Alec cooking at the restaurant already?”

“Apparently so.”

“That figures. We won’t see him for days now. Up to his eyeballs in spaghetti sauce.” Ty said.

“Oh stop.” Derrick said.

“Alright. I’ll see you a little later then.” Ty said then looked at Greg, “You…behave.” Ty said and pointed a finger at him.

“Kinda have to.” Greg whispered.

“Good boy.” Ty bugged his eyes once more, then winked. Ty turned and walked out of the room, Derrick watched him as did Greg. Derrick slowly looked back at Greg and pat his covered knee.

“Derrick, Ty told me about my dad.” Greg whispered.

“Uh huh?” Derrick asked, “You alright with that?” Greg thought about it a second nodded slowly, “We’re trying to the best thing we can for you, Greg. Do you want to see him or talk to him?”

“Not right now.” Greg said, “I guess I’m still angry.”

“I can understand that after what you told me. But if things change, and you feel that you might want to talk to him, you should.” Derrick said, “I’ll tell you something, Greg,” Derrick paused for a long moment, “my grandfather and I had been kind of close when I was younger. He said something once that made me really mad. I didn’t talk to him for a long time about it. I knew deep down I should because it kept bothering me. One day, not long after he said what he said to me, he died suddenly. It was sad, very sad, because I loved him, it made it even more sad because I never said what I wanted to say to him. It may sound selfish, but I still feel bad about it, him not being around to work it out with him, to tell him how I felt about what he had said.”

“I’m sorry.” Greg whispered.

“I know your situation is much different, Greg, than mine was and I don’t blame you in the least for being angry, you should be. No one deserves to be treated poorly, no one. But after some time, some time to think, some time to heal from what happened with them, you might want to reach out to him, say what you need to say to him. If he’s a reasonable man, I’m sure he’ll listen to what you have to say.”
Derrick said.

“I kind of said it already, but you’re right, there’s a few things I need to say to him.” Greg said in a whisper.

“I’m sure there are.” Derrick said, “Don’t do it before you’re ready though. That leads to anger, and that’s not good. If I had talked to him before I was ready, my grandfather, it would have been out of anger. My regret is that he was gone before I realized it, and I never got the chance.”

“I’m sorry.” Greg whispered. Derrick gave him a brief smile.

“No, it’s alright.” Derrick said, “Do you see my point though?”

“I do, yeah.” Greg whispered, “Thank you.” Greg looked at Derrick with soft eyes, “I wish he was more like you and Ty. You guys would be great dads.”

“Thanks.” Derrick said and smiled warmly down at him, “And you’re a great son, Greg. I’m sure he knows that but just doesn’t know how to tell you or show you. One day, I’m sure, he’ll figure it out.”

“Do you really think so?” Greg whispered. Derrick nodded.

“Yeah, I do. I think it’s really within all of us to do the right thing, to feel the proper way about others, to be respectful. Some people may not do it because they just don’t know any better. Maybe he just needs to be shown.” Derrick said.

“You might be right.” Greg whispered as he was thinking about it, “It’s a lot to think about.”

“I’m sure it is, especially in your case.” Derrick said and pat the covered knee, “So, you looking forward to getting out of here?”

“Yeah.” Greg said, “I hate laying around like this.”

“I can understand that, I’m the same way. I can never lay around, drives me crazy. But you’re going to have to lay around at home you know.” Derrick flashed his eyes. Greg smiled and nodded.

“Mr. Jacobson.” The voice said and Derrick looked toward the door. He nodded in the direction of the friendly face in the long white lab coat.

“Doctor.” Derrick said, “Good to see you.” Derrick turned and faced him. Derrick put out his hand, the older man took it as he came to the bed, giving a firm shake.

“Good to see you as well. I was speaking to Mr. Caldwell earlier. He mentioned you might be here a little later.” Dr. Monroe said, “Are you feeling alright, Greg?” Greg gave him a slight smile and a nod, “Good.” Monroe said, then looked at Derrick, “Where is Mr. Caldwell?”

“He is getting materials needed to get a ramp made for our home, to accommodate Greg and the wheelchair.”

“I see, very good.” Monroe said.

“I ordered one this morning from a medical supply. It should be delivered this afternoon to the house.”

“I can see Mr. Caldwell was right in what he said about you being ahead of things.” Monroe said.

“I try, Doctor.” Derrick said, “I’d like to ask you a couple of questions, if I may?”

“Certainly.” Monroe said.

“Will Greg require any type of special things to be able to rest, like a hospital bed so he can be more comfortable? Like a bed that can be elevated or anything?”

“No, I don’t think so.” Monroe said, “He may require some extra pillows to prop him up a bit, but nothing as elaborate as like renting a special bed or anything.”

“What about diet?”

“He can eat anything that he’d like. I don’t see a problem with it at all. Perhaps nothing really spicy might be something to remember.”

“Alright.” Derrick said, “And this cast you’re going to place him in, how long will it be on?”

“About two weeks, perhaps a bit longer depending on how Greg heals.” Monroe said, “We have a clinic here in the hospital up on the third floor. That’s where orthopedics and occupational medicine are done. I will have all the instructions in his release papers and appointments will be made for him prior. The cast may need to be changed depending on his condition when he is re-examined at that two-week period, or if the orthopedist feels he just needs to be bound up, he’ll make that determination at that time along with more x-rays to be done.”

“Very good.” Derrick said and looked down at Greg, giving him a smile, “You understand what he’s talking about?” Derrick asked. Greg nodded. They both looked back at the doctor.

“Mr. Jacobson, I must say I am very impressed.” Monroe said.

“How so, Doctor?”

“Well, I was speaking with Mr. Caldwell earlier. He told me a few things regarding Greg, and your living conditions. I have never heard of anything like what you gentlemen are doing.”

“I’m not sure what you mean, Doctor.” Derrick said with a raised eyebrow.

“I don’t wish to offend, please don’t misunderstand me.”

“I take no offense, Doctor, I assure you.” Derrick said in a calm tone.

“Well, Mr. Caldwell somewhat told me that Greg is really not of any relation to either of you, and you seem to have just taken him into your home.” Monroe said carefully.

“Did he explain why?” Derrick asked.

“Not specifically.” Monroe said. Derrick looked at Greg and gave him a look of reassurance, patting Greg’s knee a couple of times softly.

“Is it alright if I explain it to him?” Derrick asked Greg. He looked a little worried and was thinking about it, “I know you don’t like to talk about it, bud, but it might help the situation for you in the long run.” Greg nodded slowly but looked down as if almost in shame. Derrick looked back at the doctor, “My husband and I were introduced to Greg not long ago by the other young man you’ve met, Aiden.”

“Yes, the protective one.” Monroe smiled. Derrick nodded with a similar smile.

“It came to light to my husband and I that Greg was going through an extremely rough time at home, actually rather abusive. Things happened at his home and he just walked out and away from it, which I’m rather thankful it didn’t become violent for him. Aiden asked of my husband and I that Greg be able to come to our home and rather than say no, and Greg end up on the street, alone, we obviously said yes. I don’t tolerate abuse, Doctor, not any type or form of it. Greg has a home with us for as long as he wants, or needs.” Derrick said.

“Remarkable.” Monroe said, “Of course I had no idea of any of this, and as his doctor, I am required to ask, has this been reported?”

“To the police, yes.” Derrick said, “My husband and I have an acquaintance, a Detective Dave Campbell with the Metro PD. He’s been informed of everything and is dealing with it on Greg’s behalf. I am also seeking a legal stance as well with my attorney about this and Greg’s situation.”

“I see.”

“My thought process about this is very simple, Doctor. As Greg is near legal age, I didn’t see getting child services involved was right and having him placed in some type of foster care with complete strangers. Greg is in a home, our home, where he is known, loved, and will be cared for. My other thoughts on this are, Greg had the intelligence to walk away from his situation, to get out of it, and also to ask for help from Aiden, who had the intelligence to ask us to take Greg in. Of course we said yes without hesitation. Our home is quite spacious, and I think the boys are very comfortable.” Derrick said.

“I’m very impressed, Mr. Jacobson, I wish others felt the way you and your husband feel.” Monroe said then looked at Greg, “So I’m required to ask you, Greg, are you alright with this arrangement?” Greg lifted his eyes to the man at the foot of his bed.

“Yes.” Greg whispered as well as nodded.

“As I don’t see or hear any hesitation in your answer, I will let the matter go.” Monroe said.

“Greg has been a little guarded about talking about his prior situation, Doctor, I’m sure you can understand.” Derrick said.

“I can understand, yes.” Monroe said to Derrick then looked at Greg, “But, Greg, you must understand, that being underage, those of us that are in certain positions, we have an obligation to step in and try to make certain you are properly cared for. In other words, Greg, you shouldn’t be embarrassed or think that this is your fault. I’m very glad to see you have someplace that is safe. And obviously Mr. Jacobson and Mr. Caldwell are very caring men.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” Derrick said.

“No, I should say thank you to you, Mr. Jacobson. In my many years as a physician, I’ve seen a great many things similar to this, and most of them have had a very sad outcome I’m sorry to say. But in this case, it makes me feel very relieved to think and believe this will be quite the opposite.” Monroe said to Derrick then looked at Greg, “You are a lucky young man, Greg, in a lot of ways it seems.” Monroe smiled and pat a covered foot in the bed, “Alright then. In the morning, I’ll check you one more time, Greg, and if everything looks good, we’ll take you up, get you casted, and then you can be sent home, to your new home.”

“Thank you.” Greg whispered.

“You are very welcome.” Monroe said. He reached out his hand to Derrick, who took it, giving it a warm grip and shake. Monroe walked out of the room. Greg looked up at Derrick, feeling all kinds of emotions going through him at this moment. Derrick was looking down at Greg as well. Greg had no words to express himself right now and Derrick could see it as well.