The Village

Seth’s Perspective

I had been out of the hospital for about two weeks and was healing well, the surgery was successful and there weren’t any unusual post-surgical complications. I was still weak and ran out of breath easily so I had to be careful to not overexert myself. Even though my cuts and bruises were healing well, I still looked hideous, I was just hoping I wouldn’t be (too) scarred for life. I was going to PT for my knee and the doctor had me walking daily. Overall, considering what the damn car looked like and my original state, I was doing fan-fucking-tastic! Kelly and my dad had both deemed me alive and had gone home. Of course, Kelly had cleaned the house from top to bottom and made sure the cupboards and fridge were filled with everything we’d need before she left, between her and Colton I wouldn’t have to grocery shop or cook for a month. My dad and I spent several days together working in the garden prepping and doing some early planting before he took off, he even bought me a little planting seat on wheels so I didn’t have to kneel on my bad knee. It meant a lot to me that he came to see me, and our time in the garden together was a great bonding experience for us both. I was surprisingly happy to have him back in my life.

Meanwhile, the kids were attentive as hell for the first few days I was home. Izzy would kiss my bump every time she saw me. Freddy was always asking if I needed him to bring me anything… but by the time Kelly and my dad left they treated me as if nothing happened. Damn those two were resilient! After all they had been through, they still seemed extremely well adjusted, both were able to roll with the punches; they amazed me. We were all were excited about spending Spring break in Phoenix with my family and friends (Brad, Scotty, the kids and our Phoenix Village were all excited we were coming too). Zach made sure all the I’s were dotted and T’s crossed with DDS for us to take them out of state. The kids were most excited, Freddy and Izzy had never gone on vacation before, I had to explain what it was. They were most excited about flying in an airplane for the first time… it was all Freddy talked about. Every night when Zach picked him up, he asked “how many more days until we go on the airplane?” We marked the days off on a calendar in the kitchen as a countdown to vacation. Frankly, planning the trip was a great diversion from my accident.

I was so happy to be home! I was getting a lot of rest but working remotely when I felt up to it; a few remote sessions, the occasional phone or Zoom meeting with the board or our partners, staff meetings with Rodney and BA, etc. My big adventure each day was my walk to BroMax Farm and back with Petunia at my side. It was good exercise, a chance to get out, and most importantly a chance to see the guys.

Zach was working his ass off on his new case and in between he was taking care of me and the kids, and dealing with the insurance company. He was still negotiating the overall settlement, but did get a check for the replacement value of the Audi. Taylor got us a great deal on to begin with, and Zach negotiated a decent settlement, now he was hell bent on getting me a new car. He had Taylor keeping an eye out for us, but I was in no hurry to drive again, frankly I was scared to get behind the wheel. I had only tried driving once since the accident, it was a couple of days after I got home and I was a fucking mess. My heart pounded, my pulse raced, my paranoia levels were through the roof. I just wasn’t ready yet. Zach tried to get me excited about a new vehicle but I was still mourning my beautiful A4. Seriously, I was usually a function over form kind of guy… I mean I drove a car that was multiple decades old for six years and was totally content, then Zach got me the A4, it was the most extravagant thing I had ever owned (and yeah, I loved it). Zach got as far as talking me into considering an SUV so I would be a little higher up and feel safer, plus we’d have more room for the kids seats (something we didn’t need to consider when we bought the A4). But here’s the thing… I was alone when I got into my accident (thank god), but most of the time Freddy and Izzy were in the car with me and that thought paralyzed me. What if I got into another accident when they were in the back and something happened to them… like… like…? UGH I couldn’t even THINK about it! I don’t know if I could go on living if I hurt them (or worse). I know, I know, I was being paranoid. Parents drive with kids in the car all the time, but the accident was still fresh and the thought if it all was too overwhelming.

Anyway, I was walked to BroMax Farm one day and was having lunch with Max when Zach called (lunch at BroMax had kind of become my thing since I got home from the hospital… I’d walk to BroMax to get my exercise and have lunch with Max, sometimes Brody and some of the guys would join too. It was my social fix), “Hey. I got a call from Ms. Elkin, she said Karen’s lawyer would be contacting me, she wants to meet with us” Zach said. Karen was the kids mom and Freddy and Izzy had just had a visitation with her the day before (Ms. Elkin took them to their visits, we weren’t allowed to go).

“Really? What does she want?” I asked. We hadn’t heard a word from this woman before, the state kept us separated for the most part. She was just kind of this figure in the shadows to us.

“Ms. Elkin said Karen wouldn’t tell her what she wanted, but she was asking a lot of questions about us, and Izzy and Freddy’s homelife. She said Karen thought the kids looked happy, healthy, and cared for, then asked if we were hoping to adopt them” Zach paused for a second to gage my reaction.

“Wow. So, is she asking because she may give them up, or is she asking because she’s afraid we might take them away?” I asked. Listen, neither of us wanted to rip the kids away from their mother, but so far, it didn’t look like she’d be able to care for them anytime soon and we vowed to be there for them.

“Who knows what she’s thinking. Ms. Elkin said there was some new evidence in her case and it wasn’t looking good for her, maybe she sees the writing on the wall and is thinking about the kids future instead of her own” Zach answered. “You met Dan, One of the partners in my firm, right?

“Yeah, I met him at the Christmas party” I responded.

“He specializes in family law, I talked to him and he agreed to represent us… if we meet with her, he said he’d come along” Zach said.

“When is her lawyer supposed to call?” I asked.

“She said today or tomorrow. I’ll let you know if I hear anything, I just wanted to give you a heads up.” He said before saying goodbye, “I love you. See you at home tonight after I get the kids.”

“Thanks, I mean this could be good news… right?” I asked, not sure what all this meant.

“Yeah, I guess. I’m really not sure… I guess we’ll see.” Zach said. “Oh, I almost forgot! Taylor sent me an awesome listing for a VW Atlas they have on the lot, he can get us a great deal.”

“Zach” I said with a whiny sigh, “I’m not re…” he cut me off.

“I know, I know, you’re not ready. I just don’t want you to wait too long to get back behind the wheel. Don’t let the fear mess with your head… okay?” Zach said. “I’ll send you the listing, just look at it, okay?” I knew he was right, but it would take me some time.

“Okay, okay, I’ll look at it” I said to appease my husband. After we hung up, I went back to my lunch with Max. I told him what Zach had just shared and he updated me on what was up with Theodore and TJ (their two foster kids). They had an opportunity to adopt Theodore, but in a surprise twist, a man came out of nowhere claiming to be TJ’s father and filed for custody. The kid had been in and out of the system for years while her mother was in and out of drug rehab and there was no father to speak of. Apparently, he had no idea that she even existed until recently. Somehow word got back to him through a friend of a friend of a friend and he came looking for her. Suddenly she may have a biological parent and a chance at a stable homelife. Foster parenting was rewarding, but damn it was a rollercoaster.

As we were talking, Grayson approached me. I had my accident right after he came to The Village so I didn’t really get a chance to get to know him like I knew the other guys. We had had a couple of virtual sessions, but I wasn’t as… well, in the middle of it all with him as I was used to being. “Hey, Seth” he said with a shy smile. “I just wanted to let you know that I’ve been talking with my parents and they’re coming out to see me this weekend. I wanted to thank you for encouraging me to talk to them.”

“How do you feel about that?” I asked him.

“Nervous, but happy” he said. “They said they don’t care about the gay thing and just want me to be happy.”

“That’s awesome” I said, genuinely happy for him. He seemed like a good kid, and his parents really seemed to care, I was hoping he’d give them a chance. “I’d love to meet them when they’re in town” I said.

“They want to meet you too” he responded. “They want to see where I’m working so were going to come here at lunchtime on Friday. You can meet them then if you’re here, otherwise we’ll figure something out” he said with a smile. He had a great smile, I didn’t see it much in the beginning, but now he always seemed to be showing it off. We talked for a bit before he went back to work. Max and I finished lunch then Petunia and I walked back to the house (our daily routine).

I was winded by the time I walked up the drive and my knee hurt. I saw the GTI sitting there, it had been just sitting there since I got home. Zach had been taking the rental SUV with the child seats to work every day so he could pick up the kids on his way home. I walked up to the car and just looked at it for a moment, then took a deep breath and let Petunia in the back before I got behind the wheel. I had the keys in my pocket so I put them in and started it, the GTI Whirred below me and I just sat there for a while getting used to it, Petunia was already stretched out in the backseat. After several minutes I put the car in drive, flipped it around, headed down the driveway then turned onto the country road. I didn’t know where I was going, I just wanted to go… I had to go. We lived in the damn country, I HAD to drive. The kids needed to get to and from school, I had to get to and from the office, I would eventually have to go grocery shopping and run errands, I had to beat my fear. It was nerve-wracking at first, but before I got to the freeway, I was more comfortable. I pointed the car toward Wilmington, the next thing I know I was at The Village. I parked the GTI in the back and texted Zach, ‘I drove to work, just to prove I could.’ He called me instantly.

“You drove to work?” He asked as soon as I answered. “How’d it go?”

“Good. Petunia’s with me for moral support” I chuckled. “I was nervous at first, but all-in-all it felt good. I’ll be okay.”

“I’m proud of you” Zach said. “Listen, Karen’s lawyer just called and talked to Dan and me. He said that her case isn’t looking great, there’s new video evidence, she was armed and shot the gun off, a minor (Izzy) got hurt, she’s got a record, etc. The cards are stacked against her. She’s probably going away for a while and even if she gets off easy, DSS will do their best to keep her away from the kids after Izzy got hurt. She wants to meet us” he said.

“But why? I mean, the state makes decisions on this stuff, not us. Right?”  I asked.

“Well, Dan said that if she’s locked up for 15 out of 22 months, which is very likely, the foster care agency can file to terminate parental rights. Chances are she’s trying to ensure she has some kind of visitation, maybe other rights if that happens.” Zach seemed to grasp what was going on better than I did. “Dan and her lawyer set up a meeting for the Monday after we get back from Arizona. It’ll be us, Karen, Ms. Elkin and the lawyers.”

“So, we’ll finally meet their mother? Does this mean we may be able to adopt… like soon?” I asked trying to process and simplify all I had just heard.

“That’s what I’m hoping. We’ll know more after the meeting” Zach said before telling me he loved me and saying goodbye. Since the accident he never left me or hung up the phone without saying ‘I love you’ it hadn’t gone unnoticed. I took a deep breath, got out of the GTI, and let Petunia out the back door, then we entered the office from the alley.

“Hey Darlin’! Whatch’all doin’ here?!” BA bellowed when she saw me limping her way, “And ya’ brought the fur baby!” She crouched in her chair to pet the dog.

“I was just going a little stir crazy so thought I’d stop by and say hi.” I said.

“Well, y’all look damn good” BA lied. Everyone told me I looked great… I didn’t. I looked like shit, but it was nice of them anyway. Rodney walked into the lobby and greeted us. The three of us got comfortable in the therapy room and talked for a bit while they caught me up on all the latest with the guys. Petunia stretched out on the couch with her head in BA’s lap. I missed being in the office, but I still wasn’t quite ready to be back fulltime, I was sore just sitting there.

“We’re leaving on Saturday for Arizona with the kids for Spring Break, then I’ll be back to work a week from Monday. I’m going to start with half days and see how it goes” I announced to my coworkers.

“Well, I for one can’t wait!” BA said. “We miss y’all around here, Hon.” Rodney agreed. We talked a bit more before I said goodbye then headed home with Petunia in the GTI.

I wasn’t 100% comfortable behind the wheel yet, but I would get used to it again. I had to get used to it again! The kids relied on me, The Village relied on me, Zach relied on me. I decided to take a detour, turned the little GTI around, and whirred towards Zach’s office, when I got there, I texted Zach, ‘I’m down in the parking lot, I need the keys to the rental. I want to pick up the kids.’ I hadn’t planned on doing that, I just did it. Again, Zach responded to my text with an immediate call.

“Hey, what’s going on?” He asked in confusion.

“I want to pick up the kids. I need to conquer my fear.” I said. “I can’t come up because I have Petunia with me so you’ll need to bring me the keys.”

“Bring her up, everyone, there aren’t any clients in the building and we’re all dog people” Zach said. “Plus, everyone keeps asking about you, they’ll be happy to see you alive.” I hung up, and Petunia and I went into the very corporate looking building and up to the second floor to the law offices. Zach was waiting in the lobby, he greeted me with a gently hug lovingly avoiding all my pain spots, and we exchanged keys. “Are you sure you’re up for this?” he asked.

“Nope. I’m not sure about much these days, but I have to face my fears.” I said just as a couple of his coworkers walked in and greeted me with well wishes and compliments on how good I looked (I didn’t. I looked like shit and I kept wishing someone would just say it already).

Then a tall handsome man in his early forties entered, “Seth, you remember Dan” Zach said. I shook his hand and said hello.

“It’s so nice to see you again” Dan said with a smile, “and you look great.”

“Thank for lying” I responded back with a laugh. “I look like hell.” I was wearing sweats, my face and body were still covered with souvenirs of my accident, hell I don’t even think I combed my hair that day. “And THANK YOU for helping us out with the kid situation” I said. “We’re a little out of our comfort zone.”

Dan was confident (and maybe a little cocky), “Don’t worry, this is totally my wheelhouse” he said, “I’ve worked with her lawyer before. He’s a good guy, does a lot of pro bono with inmates, he will guide her to what’s best for the kids” he added before giving us a quick overview of the situation as he saw it, what he had learned from Karen’s lawyer, and what he thought would go down in our Friday morning meeting. “From my point of view, she’s going to prison for several years. Based on the little I know; she could be looking at over twenty years if convicted on all counts. I doubt that will happen, but she’ll be lucky to get less than five, with good behavior she might get parole, but even then, she’s going away for at least two or three years… which means she will be incapable of providing adequate care and could lose her kids completely. I’m guessing her goal is to try to maintain some kind of visitation, or connection” he explained. “She’ll probably want to talk guardianship over adoption or ask for some other consideration… listen, we’ll meet before Friday and I will lay out all this legal stuff for you then.”

“So, there’s a chance we can keep them permanently?” I asked.

Dan nodded and gave us his opinion, “there’s always a chance, but this won’t be a one conversation, slam dunk situation” Dan said. “We all want what’s best for the kids, including the courts… what’s best may not include Karen if she’s locked up and I’m sure her lawyer has shared that information with her. This stuff can get hard emotionally, contemptuous as hell, and drag on forever. The fact that she reached out first is a good sign in my opinion.”

“Thank you for helping us, Dan.” I said.

“Let’s keep this between us until we know more” Zach said and I agreed. Dear lord if Kelly got wind of it, she’d bug the fuck out of us until the adoption was finalized.

“I need to go pick up the kids” I said and hugged Zach goodbye.

“Hey, let me come with you” Zach said quietly.

I just shook my head no. “I need to do this on my own. Okay?” I asked and Zach responded with a reluctant nod.  

Zach had given Petunia free range of the office; she was busy entertaining the staff. “Leave her here, I’ll bring her home with me” Zach said. “Are you sure I can’t come?”

“Yup. This is all me” I hugged him goodbye, we both whispered I love you, then I headed to the Kia SUV to face my fears. I headed towards Freddy’s school first, I decided to go past the accident site (for the first time since… well you know). My heart raced and I was sweating like a whore in church as I went through the intersection and over the exact spot where my life changed. I saw a piece of gray plastic off the side of the road, probably part of my bumper. My hands gripped the wheel of the Kia tightly and I kept moving forward. I made it to Freddy’s school. I pulled into the pick-up line, got out of the SUV, and stood next to it waiting for Freddy.

Principal Ferris came up to me with a huge smile and a handshake, “I am so happy to see you. You look great.”

“Thank you, but I wish y’all would quit lying to me. I have access to mirrors, look like hell” I said with a smile making him laugh.

“You’re alive and walking, that makes you look like Mr. Universe to me” The Principal joked. “you scared us all.” I appreciated his concern.

As we were talking the bell rang and the kids came running out of the building. Several kids passed before I heard Freddy yelling “Seth! Seth! Look what I made” he was waving his latest masterpiece around. A family portrait of the six of us; him, Izzy, me, Zach, Petunia… and Karen. We were all standing together, smiling with a sun in the background. He pointed out who was who, I thought it was interesting that he saw us all as one family, including his mother. I complimented him on his great work, but took it to heart… his mother may not be around, but she’s still in the picture as far as he’s concerned. We said goodbye to Principal Ferris and drove off to get Izzy. As I drove my eyes darted from the road ahead to the rearview mirror and the car seat behind me. I was nervous as fuck and I realized I may have taken the wheel too soon, but there was no turning back at that point.

When we arrived at Mrs. Mavis’s I let Freddy out of his seat and he took off running into the house with me slowly limping behind. Mrs. Mavis met me at the front door and was overjoyed to see me. “Seth, you look wonderful” she lied, like everyone else and invited me in. Freddy was already playing with the other kids and Izzy just raised her hand, waved, and said “Hi Zeff” then went back to what she was doing. She was unimpressed that I just risked my life to pick her up from daycare.

While Mrs. Mavis and I were making small talk, Gina came in, “Seth” she said as she kissed my cheek tenderly, the whispered in my ear, “You look like shit.”

“THANK YOU!” I said with a grin and a chuckle. “Finally, someone willing to tell me the truth.” Gina had seen me a few times since the accident and she never failed to tell me the truth about how I looked. That’s one of the many things I loved about Gina, she told it like it was.

“So, is everyone excited for vacation?” Gina asked.

I nodded, “Yeah Freddie can’t wait to ride in an airplane” I laughed.

“You got all their summer clothes and bathing suits ready and packed?” Gina asked. I just gave her a blank stare. Shit! I hadn’t even thought about summer clothes and bathing suits, my head was still reeling from the accident and I was so excited for the trip that I forgot the kids Didn’t have clothes! “Jesus, Westin, start thinking like a parent already” Gina said rolling her eyes. “Let’s go shopping after daycare tomorrow, okay? I’ll help you get the kids all set up with vacation gear.” I embarrassedly nodded my head and thanked her before wrangling the kids into the SUV and heading home. That night we had lasagna for dinner (thanks to Colton).

It had been a long day for me, seriously I had done more in that one day than I had done during the entire time I had been home from the hospital. I went to bed before the kids and passed out. I woke up a couple of hours later to one of the most amazing blowjobs of my young life. Zach had been horny as fuck since I got home from the hospital, but I was just too weak or tired to do much of anything; that didn’t stop Zach. He seemed perfectly content with pleasing me, I was good with that, I may not have been able to dish it out, but I sure as hell could take it. I opened my eyes and looked down at Zach who was looking up at me with a grin waiting for me to awaken as he kept working on my sleeping manhood. No words were exchanged as his mouth moved up, down, and around my flaccid cock. I stretched a little and wiggled my toes as I felt the blood rush to my sleeping piece. My knee hurt like hell, but I awkwardly pushed up and deeper into him. Zach gagged a little as my manhood expanded inside his warm, eager mouth. The sounds of him slurping on my cock, the feel of his slick spit, and the heat from his warm hand moving up and down my shaft as he moaned in pleasure brought my cock to levels of hardness that were off the charts. He was giving me so much pure, unadulterated pleasure and then, “OW!” I grunted as he wrapped his thumb and forefinger around my balls and pulled down… HARD. He squeezed my balls in his warm, soft hand… he was rough at first, but then gentle and loving as the pain turned to pleasure. In fact, in that moment all my pain seemed to disappear. I don’t know if he was trying to get me to forget my other pain and be in the moment… but that’s what happened. I got lost in the moment and suddenly my aches and pains were gone, the fact that I may still have scars didn’t matter, my limited movement didn’t matter… I felt… I felt sexy. Desirable. Wanted.

I put my hands in his soft, blond locks and held his head in place as I pushed my hips up. I could feel the skin stretch around one of my healing wounds, and my still tender ribs ached, but fuck it! Zach found me sexy and that’s all I ever gave a shit about. I started to face fuck him as he gagged and choked from the throat pummeling I was giving him. I was so close to cumming and panted softly “I’m gonna cum” when Zach pulled off me.

He quickly put one of his powerful legs on either side of me squatting over me. He lined up my saliva soaked pole up with his dry hole and sat on me. DRY! He winced as he I breached his tight, tight hole and sank onto me slowly, centimeter by centimeter he welcomed me into his perfect, unscarred body. “Tell me if this is too much” he said with a painful look on his face and lust in his eyes.

“Oh god, it’s perfect” I said just lying there. Again, he did all the work.

He bounced up and down on my hardened cock as he whispered dirty talk and sweet nothings combined “Fuck me Seth, god I love you so much. No one could ever make me feel so good.” He was saying wonderful, dirty things to me as he rode me harder and faster with each bounce. It didn’t take long for me to shoot my load up his tight ass in a crescendo of ecstatic gratification. Zach was stroking his own cock in sync with our fucking and shot his load just after I did. His white gold splattered my abs and torso with just a little bit hitting my lips, giving me a taste od his essence. God, I loved the way he tasted, smelled, look, moved… every fucking thing about him.

He rolled off me and said, “I don’t know what I’d do without you, I would’ve died with you.” Those words startled me. I had thought a lot about everything Zach was dealing with while I recovered; taking care of the kids, dealing with the insurance, working remotely from my room, etc. but it was at that moment that I realized how painful the accident was for him emotionally.

Sometimes I took for granted the fact that we truly were one entity. God, I loved him.

To be continued…