Chapter 16

“Are you sure you're okay? You really don't look okay,” Brian muttered, as he leaned over the side of the bed and ran his hand across Justin's forehead. “And you're running a fever.”

“It's just a stomach bug, I am sure,” Justin tried to reassure his boyfriend and tried to smile at the older man when another cramp hit his stomach and he nearly doubled over in pain. “FUCK!”

“Justin, you should go and see a doctor,” Brian urged and sighed when he saw his boyfriend shake his head once more. They had been arguing about this for almost five hours now, ever since Justin had woken up earlier that morning with severe abdominal pain, had been running a fever and now he also had stomach cramps to add to the list of symptoms.

“I probably just ate something wrong and... I am sure it'll pass soon,” the younger man whispered through his obvious discomfort, trying to reassure Brian.

Brian however wasn't having any of it. He knew about Justin's allergies and had seen him sick before, how could he not having lived in his household for nine years and now having been his boyfriend for a year and a half. He knew that Justin usually had a high tolerance of pain and to see him doubled up like that on the bed, holding his stomach as if to stop it from bursting only made it more clear to him how much pain his boyfriend was really in.

“We ate the same things, Justin, that doesn't make sense,” Brian pointed out, but never got further when Justin bolted from the bed and ran to the bathroom, shortly after emptying his stomach's content into the toilet bowl. “Jeez, you're not okay!” Brian called after him and followed the younger man into the bathroom.

He knelt down by Justin's side and rubbed his back gently as the blond vomited for several minutes, emptying his body of his earlier breakfast, all the while holding his cramping stomach. “Argh.... God...”

“Justin, you need a doctor,” Brian said gently, not understanding why his boyfriend was so adamant that he was okay, when he was obviously not.

“I am fine, Brian,” Justin only muttered again, this time turning to the older man and giving him a blinding smile. As he was feverish and in obvious pain however, it looked anything but encouraging or comforting to Brian.

Once he was sure he wouldn't vomit any more, Justin carefully made his way back to the bed, lying down once more. “Can you get me something against the pain, though? God, those cramps are killing me,” Justin muttered as he pulled the blanket up to his chin and hid in the big bed.

Brian nodded wordlessly and made his way over to their medicine cabinet, making sure to get Justin some pain killers. He stayed clear of the Tylenol, knowing that Justin was allergic against that shit. He got him some Ibuprofen and water and returned to their bed. When Justin took the pain killers and lay down, Brian lay down by his side, gently running a hand through his boyfriend's hair.

“At least let me call Debbie, so she can take a look at you. She must know all kinds of symptoms and sicknesses having raised half of Liberty Avenue,” Brian suggested, looking down at his suffering boyfriend.

“I am fine, Brian. Just... let me rest a bit and I am sure it'll be better soon once the pain killers kick in,” Justin muttered, still holding his stomach.

“Alright,” Brian finally gave in, knowing that Justin could be a stubborn shit and wouldn't give in under any circumstances.

A short while later Justin fell asleep and Brian hoped that the sleep would do his boyfriend some good. He went to the living-room and turned on the TV, mindlessly switching from channel to channel for a few hours, before a blood-curdling scream from the bedroom made him jump up from the couch and run over to the bedroom. He found Justin writhing on the bed, his whole body sweaty and it was obvious that he was in a lot of pain. He was clutching his stomach and screaming over and over in pain as he held his stomach.

“Justin?” Brian yelled in a panic as he knelt down next to his boyfriend. When he touched his forehead, the man was burning up. Jesus Christ, he hadn't felt that hot an hour ago when Brian had last checked up on him. And wasn't the pain killer supposed to also lower the fever? Fuck!

“Justin, are you okay?” Brian realised what a stupid question that was as the younger man continued screaming in obvious pain and was looking at him from wild, panicked eyes.

“God, it hurts... it hurts so bad, Brian... make it stop!”

Not knowing what else to do or how to make Justin's pain stop, Brian ran to the desk in the office area of the loft and did the only thing that came to his mind. He called 911. He knew that Justin needed a doctor and he hoped that whatever was wrong with his boyfriend could be treated at the hospital.

Despite his panic, Brian forced himself to stay calm. He knew he needed to be. He returned to Justin's side and held the younger man as he cried through wave and wave of obvious pain, panting heavily the whole time.

“Shhhhh, it's okay. It's gonna be alright. The paramedics will be here any minute now,” Brian whispered and Justin just shook his head against the older man's shoulder.

“No doctor,” he pressed out, but Brian only held him and rocked him back and forth.

“You need a doctor, Justin. Please... this is not normal,” Brian whispered, rocking his boyfriend through his pain.

After what felt like hours, but was probably only minutes, the paramedics arrived and Brian let them into the loft. They immediately went over to Justin's side and Brian watched as they examined his boyfriend.

“He's allergic to a lot of medicines,” Brian said quietly, not wanting to interrupt their work as they tried to ask Justin about his symptoms, but knowing that they needed to know.

“What medicines?” One of the paramedics asked and Brian started to count down the ones he could remember. “Tylenol, penicilin, codeine...I don't know... a lot...”

“How long has he been in this pain?” The other paramedic asked, barely glancing up at Brian.

“He woke up with stomach pains and cramps earlier this morning and over the course of the day it has gotten worse. He's been like this for about twenty minutes now,” Brian explained, forcing himself to stay calm.

“Looks like a case of appendicitis. We'll have to get him to the hospital as quickly as possible. Do you have a list of what he's allergic to?”

Brian frantically looked around the loft, knowing that Justin had once told him that there was a list. But where? Brian couldn't for the life of him remember and frantically started opening drawers and folders in search of that list. Shit, where had Justin told him he kept it?

After looking for it frantically for a couple of seconds, Brian remembered the locked drawer of Justin's desk where he kept important papers. He quickly found the key, opened it and went through the papers Justin had stored there. His legal guardianship for Gus and their agreement with the girls, Brian's contract of ownership, insurance papers, the lease for the Loft, some paperwork for his company and at the bottom Brian found what he had been looking for. Justin's allergy list.

He quickly grabbed it and handed it over to one of the paramedics who looked at the list with barely disguised fascination. “Wow... that's a shitload of allergies...”

Brian only nodded absentmindedly and watched as the paramedics strapped Justin to the stretcher and started to rush out of the Loft with him. The brunet instinctively followed them and was stopped at the elevator by one of the paramedics, who nodded towards him and his hand which showed his slave tattoo.

“Where do you think you're going?” The paramedic asked in barely disguised confusion.

“He... he shouldn't be alone,” Brian muttered, just wanting to be at Justin's side while he was transported to the hospital.

“Well, you can't go with him, mate. He hasn't given his approval and slaves are not allowed in hospitals and emergency vehicles unless they are the injured party. Maybe you can contact his family, so they can meet him at the hospital,” the paramedic suggested not unkindly.

Brian tried to argue and tried to make his way into the elevator, but was pushed back by the second paramedic. “You can't go with him! Stay here and call his family,” the man advised, this time a lot harsher than the first paramedic that looked at Brian from understanding eyes. Maybe he had figured out the relationship between Justin and Brian by Brian's behaviour or maybe he was just more sympathetic to the man's plight than his colleague was.

“Stay here. We need to get him to the hospital as soon as possible. Every minute can count. Don't make a scene. It's the best you can do for him right now,” the first paramedic said kindly, making Brian look at him. “Call his family or a friend to meet him at the hospital. It's all you can do,” he said seriously, noticing the moment the fight left the slave and he just sunk in on himself.

When he saw that Brian wasn't fighting anymore, he nodded towards his colleague and they closed the elevator and went down.

Brian sat watching the empty elevator shaft for several minutes, cursing his status once more. Justin was on his own now because he couldn't join him because some damn, rich assholes liked the fact of having slaves they could treat worse than animals. And now he couldn't be with his boyfriend who was in serious pain and might even die because of those assholes.

Knowing that getting angry about their situation wouldn't help him or Justin, Brian forced himself to get back into the loft and to pick up the phone. He called the one number that came to his mind.

“Hello?” A cheery voice answered, but turned serious immediately, when she heard obvious crying on the line.

“Hello? Who is it? Are you okay?”

“Debbie...,” he whispered, not able to say more.

“Brian? Honey, is that you? Are you okay? What's going on?” She asked in obvious fear. It wasn't normal that Brian would call her in tears.

“It's Justin...”

“Justin? Honey, what happened?”

“He... he's on the way to the hospital. His appendix... and... they wouldn't let me go with him... they wouldn't let me join him... he's all alone... He shouldn't be alone,” Brian muttered through his tears and Debbie slowly understood what had happened.

“Brian, are you okay? Are you doing alright?”

Brian nodded, even though she couldn't see it. “I am okay,” he muttered finally, forcing himself to sound stronger than he actually felt. “He... he shouldn't be alone. Can you...can you go to the hospital and … make sure he's alright? Please!” He was begging now, but he didn't care. He didn't want Justin to be on his own and he wanted him to have a loved one with him.

“Of course, honey. I'll be on my way right away. You just hang in there and I'll call you the minute I get to the hospital, okay? Call Michael! He can come over and be with you. You shouldn't be on your own now, honey. Promise me!”

“Okay,” Brian replied after the longest pause, then hung up, sinking down on the floor in the middle of the loft. He hoped against hope that Justin would be okay and would come back home to him soon.

***

On her way to the hospital, Debbie made a phone call that she hoped she wouldn't regret later. She hoped she was doing the right thing and that Brian and Justin wouldn't hate her for it later on.

“Jennifer, listen to me. I need you to stay calm. Brian just called me and Justin has been admitted to the hospital. Apparently his appendix. I am on my way over there,” Debbie stopped when she was interrupted by Justin's mother.

“No, I don't want you to come to the hospital. I need you to do something else first,” Debbie said seriously.

“You want to prove to Justin that you're serious about wanting to be a part of his life? This is your chance to prove it. You are his mother. You're the one to call the shots at the hospital. You want to prove to him that you're serious, you get Brian into that goddamn hospital and to Justin's bedside, you hear me?”

Debbie hung up after that, not giving Jennifer a chance to respond. She hoped the blond woman would make the right choice for everyone involved. She really hoped so and hoped that she hadn't just made a big mistake.

***

Brian didn't know how long he had been sitting on the floor of the loft, just letting his tears run, feeling angry at God and the world, but most of all at his parents for ever having sold him into slavery and making his life a living hell. Now he couldn't even be with his boyfriend while he was in the hospital. He felt like smashing the whole place and even more, but knew that that wouldn't help Justin at all. The best he could do, was get over it and be realistic about the whole situation. Slaves were not allowed in hospitals as long as they weren't sick themselves and he knew no one would care that they were boyfriends. Hell, just being gay and boyfriends wouldn't secure Brian's access to Justin in this godforsaken country and even less with him being a slave. He also knew that no matter how much he hated the situation, there was nothing he could do about it.

After thinking about the problem at hand, namely how he could get to Justin's side, Brian decided to call Melanie and ask for her help. She was a lawyer, she worked for anti-slavery groups and she would know best what options they had and if there was anything that could be done to get Brian to Justin's bedside. Just as Brian had made the decision to give her a call and was on his way to pick up the phone, he heard the buzzer of the intercom. He wondered if Debbie had called Michael, knowing that he most likely wouldn't be in any state to do it himself.

He walked over and pressed the button. “Yeah?”

Expecting to hear Michael's voice, he was shocked when he heard a female voice that he recognised immediately. “Brian? It's Jennifer Taylor. Can I please come in?”

Brian sighed, wondering why Mrs Taylor had to show up that day of all days she could have chosen to show up at their home. “Now is not a good time, Mrs Taylor,” Brian replied quietly, forcing himself to stay calm. None of this was her fault.

“Debbie called me, she told me about Justin's appendix. I am on my way to the hospital and...,” Brian could hear her hesitation, could hear her pause and knew she was struggling to find the right words. “I figured you wanted to come along.”

Knowing that they couldn't have this conversation over the intercom, Brian pressed the button to let her into the building. “Top floor,” was all he said, before he moved away from the intercom and stared at the metal door that was still open from when the paramedics had left with Justin.

He watched as the elevator arrived on the top floor and saw Justin's mother get out of it, moving over to the loft door hesitantly. “Brian,” she greeted him politely, nodding once in greeting.

“Mrs Taylor,” Brian only replied, then moved aside to let her into the loft. He watched as she took everything in, looking around the place with hardly disguised interest. Brian couldn't really blame her. After all this was the first time she was in Justin's home and seeing where her son lived nowadays.

“This is a nice place you have here,” she said politely, turning towards Brian.

“I am sure you know it's Justin's place,” Brian muttered, not caring how that might make him sound. He was at his wits end and had no patience to be polite to her. If she wanted to complain about his behaviour, she could bring it up with Justin once he was better. That would surely be fun.

“Brian,” Jennifer started, the hesitation clear to hear in her voice.

“What do you want? Why are you here if you know that Justin is at the hospital?” Brian didn't feel like mincing his words. His emotions were bare and he just couldn't be bothered to be polite. Not after what he had just witnessed half an hour earlier.

“Like I said, Debbie gave me a call and...”

“Debbie?”

“We kind of became friends in recent weeks and... she's been trying to explain Justin's life to me and has tried to make me understand your... relationship.”

Brian nodded wordlessly, not quite sure how he felt about that. Why would Debbie do that?

“She called me on her way to the hospital and... she explained to me that this was my chance to prove to Justin that I was serious about wanting to be a part of his life. That I could prove my sincerity to him by getting you to the hospital and to his bedside.”

Brian eyed her for the longest time, but in the end knew that he didn't really care about her reasons for what she was doing. Here was his chance, probably his only chance to make it to the hospital as well and he would be damned if he let it slip through his fingers on behalf of Justin's pride or his hurt feelings towards his mother. Right now Brian wanted nothing more than to know that Justin was okay and if this woman was his chance to find out, he wouldn't throw away that chance.

“Okay,” he said quietly, grabbing his jacket and keys and looking at her. She seemed shocked by that and eyed him in confusion.

“Okay?”

“Look, Mrs Taylor. Right now I couldn't care less about you, your agenda or whatever reason you might have to do this. All I care about is my boyfriend who I have seen in unspeakable pain earlier and who I want to know is doing okay and not dying as we speak. I don't care about anything but Justin here and if you're my chance to get into that hospital, I am going to goddamn take that chance.”

Jennifer saw the sincerity in the hazel eyes looking at her imploringly and she nodded in reply. She turned around towards the door and made her way over to the elevator. “Lets go then.”

***

The ride to the hospital had been quiet and neither of them had spoken. The only thing disturbing their silence had been Debbie's call, informing them that Justin had been rushed into surgery to remove what they thought might be a ruptured appendix.

Debbie had seemed relieved when Brian informed her that he was with Jennifer Taylor and on his way to the hospital.

They arrived after a ten minute ride and pulled into the parking lot. Quickly making their way over to the entrance, Brian tried to hide his slave tattoo as well as he could in the sleeve of his jacket. They made it into the hospital without problems and once Jennifer had identified herself as Justin's mother, they had been led to a waiting area where Debbie was already sitting. When she saw Brian and Jennifer arrive, she immediately went over and took Brian into her arms.

“Oh honey, are you okay?” She looked him up and down and ran her hands through his hair. She could see his red, puffy eyes and knew that he had been crying earlier. “He'll be fine. I am sure.”

Brian only nodded, not able to say anything to that and allowed her to guide him over to one of the empty chairs. All he could feel right then was this weird mix between relief and fear. Relief that he had somehow made it to and into the hospital and fear for his boyfriend and his health.

Debbie sat with him for several minutes, just holding him and telling him that things would be okay, before he saw her move over to Justin's mother and talk to her. He eyed them for a bit and still felt confused about the fact that those two women were friends. Debbie didn't seem like someone Jennifer Taylor would be friends with. At least not the Jennifer Taylor he had known while he had stayed with the Taylor family.

He watched as Debbie hugged Jennifer and they talked quietly for a bit, every once in a while throwing him concerned glances. He wondered what that was about, but couldn't be bothered to ask. His mind was too focused on Justin.

When a doctor came over to them and asked if they were there for Justin Taylor, Brian immediately jumped up and walked over, followed by Jennifer Taylor and Debbie.

“Are any of you family?”

“I am his mother,” Jennifer Taylor announced and then pointed towards Brian. “And his partner.”

Brian would have felt surprised by her introduction, but right that moment he didn't really care. All he cared about was Justin's current condition.

“How is he? Is he alright?”

“He made it through surgery alright and we had to remove his appendix. It had started to rupture. He arrived here just in time,” the doctor announced, but all Brian had heard was that Justin had made it through surgery alright. “He should be waking up in an hour or two and will be put into a room shortly after,” the doctor went on, but Brian wasn't listening anymore.

“When can we see him?” He asked, looking at the doctor, not caring what else the doctor wanted to say.

“Excuse me, Mr....?”

“Kinney,” Brian muttered, not caring much about pleasantries at the moment. “When can we be with him?”

“Once he has woken up and made it through the anesthesia alright, you can see him in his room.”

And that was when Brian made a mistake he would come to regret for days to come. He ran his hand through his hair in obvious relief, not even paying attention that it was the hand with the slave tattoo. He saw the exact moment the doctor's attitude to him changed and he became hostile.

“Excuse me, I am sure you're all aware that slaves are not allowed in hospitals. I must ask you to leave or I will call security,” the doctor announced and Jennifer and Debbie just gasped at his sudden change in attitude. They threw Brian a look and could both see that he was ready to fight the doctor if he had to.

“Now you just wait a minute,” Debbie started, but was surprised when it was Jennifer who interrupted her.

“Doctor, I am sure you are aware that as Justin's mother, I am well within my rights to decide who can and can't see my son. And I want him to be able to be visited by his boyfriend.”

“Mrs Taylor, I am sure you understand that we have to follow regulations and can't allow,” the doctor started, but was stopped by Jennifer's icy cold voice.

“Doctor, I am sure those regulations can be bent a bit. Like all rules. If not, I might have to call my friends from LAAS to the hospital to help me make my point. Do you know LAAS? Liberty Avenue against Slavery? It has become Pittsburgh biggest anti-slavery movement and they have friends in very high places that would love to hear about how your hospital treats its patients. And while we're at it, I might just go and call my friends from PFLAG as well. I am sure they will be interested to hear how your hospital wants to stop my son from being seen by his boyfriend.”

“Mrs Taylor,” the doctor started, but was faced by a very serious woman that wasn't about to give an inch.

“Doctor, I am sure you agree with me that the best thing for a patient's recovery is a quiet, calm atmosphere around him. How quiet and calm do you think my son is going to be when he finds out that you refused his boyfriend access to his side?”

The doctor took in her words and knew that she meant business. Her stance and poise told him that much. In the end he knew that going against her wishes might cause the hospital serious PR damage, large protests outside the hospital were the last thing his superiors would want.

“Fine,” he snapped, looking at the two women and the man in front of him in obvious distaste. “Have it your way.”

He turned around and walked away, not wanting to be in their presence any longer.

“Damn girl, you tell him!” Debbie clapped in excitement. “I thought he was about to pee himself,” she chuckled, looking after the doctor that couldn't get away from them fast enough.

“Mrs Taylor, I...,” Brian started, but didn't quite know what to say. He was still dumbfounded by what had just happened.

“You're welcome,” she just replied sincerely, then turned back to Debbie. “I think we could all do with some coffee, don't you agree?”

When Debbie nodded, Jennifer offered to go and get some, giving Brian and Debbie some time alone.

“What was that?” Brian asked in obvious confusion, looking after Justin's mother when she went in search of coffee for the three of them.

“Honey, I think she's finally fighting for her place in Justin's life,” Debbie whispered, taking his hand and sitting down with him in the waiting area. “I think she's sincere and really wants to be a part of his life. She's... she's become really engaged in PFLAG and LAAS in recent weeks. She's trying to understand your and Justin's life and... that has to count for something, right?”

Brian could only nod, still not quite able to wrap his head around what had just happened.

***

An hour and a half later a nurse came by the waiting area and informed them that Justin was in the process of waking up and that he was very agitated and upset. She informed them that he was asking for someone called Brian over and over again and Brian's heart broke when he heard that.

“I am Brian,” he offered, standing up to meet the nurse. “Can I go and see him? Maybe that might calm him down.”

The nurse looked unsure and Brian knew in the moment he had announced that he was Brian, that she had been informed by the doctor about his status. He just knew it by the way she was now eyeing him.

“That's not allowed as per hospital regulations,” she said, before she turned around and made to walk away.

Jennifer got up and walked after her. “I am sorry, Nurse, but... don't you agree that it would be good for my son to be less agitated and upset?”

“I am sorry, but we're not allowed,” the nurse started, ready to walk away again.

“Look, I've heard that one before and to be honest, I don't particularly care for that statement much. You just informed us that my son was agitated and upset and was calling for Brian. Brian is here. It seems pretty stupid not to let him in and try to calm down my son, don't you agree?”

“I'll... I'll have to double-check with the doctor,” the nurse said quietly, but Jennifer just smiled at her with a fake smile.

“Oh, don't worry about him. We have already had the pleasure earlier and I am sure he would agree with me. He didn't seem to like the idea of what was going to happen to this hospital if he didn't,” she said seriously, before she nodded at the nurse. “So, how about we save ourselves some time and think about the person that matters here: my son. He obviously needs to see his boyfriend, so why don't you be a darling and take him to wherever my son is, huh?”

The nurse seemed to weigh her options and in the end just nodded in defeat. Apparently the doctor had warned her not to cross the blond woman. She nodded in Brian's direction curtly. “This way.”

Brian quickly followed her, throwing a thanks over his shoulder in Jennifer's direction.

“You did the right thing there, honey,” Debbie said quietly as she wrapped her arms around the other woman's shoulder.

“I hope so,” Jennifer muttered, watching after Brian as he disappeared through a door.

“I know so,” Debbie said with conviction.

***

“Brian...B-rian,” a tired and weak voice muttered over and over as Brian was led into the room where Justin was slowly waking up. He could see the blond twist and turn and could see several machines beeping.

He quickly made his way over to Justin's bedside and took his hand in his own, whispering to his boyfriend. “Hey.... shhhhh, calm down, Justin... it's okay. I am here...shhhhh, I am here...”

Brian could see how Justin's head turned in the direction of his voice and how the younger man tried to slowly open his eyes.

“Hey, hey... shhhhhhh, everything is alright. You're alright. Don't worry,” Brian said once more and then leaned over, to leave a gentle kiss on Justin's lips. “It's okay...”

“Brian?” Justin asked once more, his voice slightly clearer now.

“Yeah, it's me. I am here, Justin. It's okay... I am here... don't worry. You just go back to sleep and calm down. Everything is okay... I am here...”

“H-how?” Justin asked, now opening one eye and carefully glancing in Brian's direction as if to make sure that he was really there.

“It's a long story. I'll explain later when you're more awake. You go back to sleep now, okay? I am here... don't worry... I am here,” Brian said quietly, knowing that even if he had explained to Justin how he had appeared at his side at the hospital, Justin would have still been too out of it to understand. And maybe this conversation was a conversation better had at a later point when Justin was doing better.

“Okay,” Justin muttered, slowly closing his eyes again. “Don't leave,” he whispered, before he drifted off once more, this time with less beeping from the machines around him.

“I promise,” Brian whispered as he led Justin's hand to his mouth and placed a gentle kiss on it.

Brian stayed with Justin for almost another hour, until Justin had fully come out of his anesthesia and had shown no lingering side effects. It was obvious that Justin was beyond tired and exhausted, but other than that he seemed okay. When Brian had asked him if he was still in pain, Justin had just shaken his head. “Nah, they give me the good drugs now...”

The woozy smile on his face had been enough indication to Brian how out of it Justin still was. He wondered if Justin would still be able to remember their conversation the next day.

Once Justin had been transferred to his room a bit later, Debbie paid him a quick visit and Brian frowned when Jennifer didn't show up. Not wanting to agitate Justin with his mother's presence, Brian asked her about Jennifer when they had said goodbye for the night to Justin and were leaving the hospital.

“She had to go pick up Molly from a friend. She couldn't stay longer.”

When Brian started to feel anger build inside himself for her leaving while her son was in hospital, Debbie placed a gentle hand on his arm. “I know what you're about to say, but... maybe it's for the best. Justin wouldn't have wanted to see her, would he?”

Admitting that Debbie had a point, Brian nodded slowly.

“This was not an easy day for her, Brian... We need to give her some time to deal with what happened as well. She is his mother and she must have been scared beyond belief.”

Knowing that Debbie was right, Brian nodded.