CHAPTER SIX: THE HARBINGER OF A BEAUTIFUL NIGHTMARE EQUALS…

MELANIE:

I stood just outside of the darkened foyer of my house, but I know that doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t mean that Lindsay has put Gus to bed and then gone to sleep herself. It doesn’t mean that I will be allowed to sit in the dark and gather my own thoughts about how to get out of this situation with the least amount of carnage to this world I’ve built for myself the last ten years. And it certainly doesn’t mean that I will have any peace until it’s resolved completely, irrevocably, and assuredly, without the life that Gus depends on hanging in the balance.

I could tell myself that it’s all the fault of Brian and Justin; that had they not been so good individually and collectively, then Lindsay wouldn’t have felt the need to control the two of them, but I would be lying. I could even lay all of the situation at Michael’s feet and the fact that he’d been able to persuade Lindsay in her most recent machinations. God knows that I definitely hold him responsible for so many things, including my own insecurities about Lindsay and Brian, but I would still be wrong. I could even blame Deb for being so blind that she refused to see the transformations of both Lindsay and Michael, and for not calling them on their shit as she would have done if it was any of the rest of us… but again, I would just be chalking this all up to some twist of fate.

No. None of that would be right, and it would make me no better than Michael or Lindsay, who love to pass the buck when they’re assholes. So instead, I will own up to my part in all of this. The simple fact is that I’ve spoiled Lindsay. I’ve given in to her every fucking wish and demand she made, for two reasons: the first being to keep the peace, and the other was just for the sake of saying that I have someone. Now does that realization mean that I don’t love her? No, it doesn’t. However, I realize now that it isn’t the type of love so often confused with romantic love. I care about her as a fellow human being, but the honest truth is that I don’t like her very much.

Sure, there are certain aspects of her character that I can admire. Her ability to see the bigger picture for herself, and her drive to see it through to fruition, would be great attributes in any person. But in Lindsay, it makes her one of the worst people to ever enter my life because she uses those attributes to manipulate people; to tie them up in so many knots that they no longer recognize themselves when they look in a mirror. It’s how I’ve been feeling for more days than even right now, I care to admit. And that silent acknowledgment is what is now causing my own dilemma on correcting a situation of my own making through inaction. 

Before I can think on that even further, my phone rings with a number I don’t immediately recognize. But I figured that I would answer it anyway, since I was in no rush to run in the house to face World War Lindsay. “Hello.”  

“Glad I caught you, Sugar Lips,” comes the most unexpected drawl. 

“Leda? What in the world… how did you get this number?”

“Does it really matter?”

I thought about it for a moment. Anytime Leda and I talked over the years, we always communicated through my office phone and business email. It was no secret that because of our history, Lindsay always made a big deal out of the fact that she and I remained friends after our intimate relationship was over. Which if you think about it was pretty fucking hypocritical considering her chronic addiction to Brian Kinney. But the fact that I’d conceded to her wishes that I limit all contact with my friend, is but one more example of how I’d compromised myself in order to make Lindsay happy.

“No, really it doesn’t,” I respond. “But why are you calling me this time of night? Don’t tell me that you need a lawyer.”

Leda laughs low into the phone, and I can barely suppress the shiver which rolls through me. Hearing that throaty sound, laced with intimate knowledge and mischief always had that particular effect on me. “No, I haven’t gone postal, so your law expertise is not needed. But as to the reason I’m calling… well, I ran into a mutual friend and yeah, Sugar Lips, he IS a friend, whether you acknowledge it or not.”

“I take it you mean Brian? When?”

“Yeah. He and Justin had an enforced layover in Chicago due to weather conditions the other day on their way back out West. I don’t know if he ever told you how he and I met.”

“He never mentioned that he knew you.”

“He probably did, but you never paid attention to what he said unless it was to argue with him.”

I couldn’t dispute the point since up until very recently, I DID do that. It was funny that Brian could be saying the same thing I may have been thinking, but because it was coming from him I made it into more than what it should have been. It wasn’t until Justin and I talked in the hours that Gus had spent in the hospital that I’d realized I did that. In fact, it was Justin’s question as to why I did it which was the catalyst for my own self-examination. And now with Leda bringing it up, it was even more disconcerting to believe that I have always been so closed-minded when it came to Brian, mostly because of Lindsay’s implications.

“You’re right,” I tell Leda. “But surely, you can understand the reasons for that.”

“Absolutely, since you live with it,” Leda said, a hint of bitterness lacing her voice. It wasn’t that Leda had a problem that I was involved with someone else, at least, not on the surface. It was that I was involved with someone like Lindsay. “I hate to say I told you so, but I will because I can’t remember how many times I’d told you AS YOUR FRIEND to have a simple conversation with Brian about how he viewed his relationship with Lindsay. It could have saved you so many years of struggle and strife with her…”

And ultimately brought you back to me sooner, is what she left unsaid, but I’d heard anyway. That unspoken sentence makes me wonder just how much Brian knew about me and Leda, courtesy of Justin. My relationship with Leda was something that he and I talked about at length since I’d been seeing the similarities in his with Brian. It was also the moment that I realized just how intelligent and pro-Brian Justin really was because although he didn’t tell me to butt out, he also let me know that he knew exactly who Brian was and what he wanted from him. 

It was never about money, or experience, but love plain and simple. That’s what Justin wanted from Brian, and what he freely gave to the man who I once considered my nemesis. But I think that what amazed me the most about that conversation is that Justin didn’t only want it for himself; he wanted it for Brian. Mel, if Brian ever has the chance to experience unconditional love, I want to be the one to give it to him. It’s something both he and I have never had, he told me. 

And dammit, even now, I’m realizing that I had it with the woman I’m talking to, but threw it away based on an ideal that no longer seems all that important. Would that I had realized that before the idea of Gus became a reality, this situation, such as it is, would have been a lot easier to manage. “I know all of that, Leda, and that’s part of the problem.”

“Why is it a problem now?”

“Because Gus…”

“Is your son, along with Brian’s. Lindsay for all intents and purposes is his mother, but you… well, you’re his real mom. At least, that’s what my sister tells me.”

“Your sister? You mean you’ve found her? After all this time?”

I could hear the smile in Leda’s voice as she responds, “Yeah, and to think she was right under your nose… in Pittsburgh.”

“Really? Well, who is she? You have to tell me everything!” I exclaimed, getting ready to take a seat on the top step leading into the house.

“I’ll tell you everything when I see you. But rest assured that between Brian and Cynthia, I have been filled in more ways than you can imagine.”

“Cynthia? But there is only ONE Cynthia that I know who also knows… OH MY GOD!!! Cynthia Moore is your sister?! That’s impossible!”

Leda laughs lightly at my disbelief. “I assure you it’s entirely possible, but most of all, it’s true. And at this moment, I’ve never been so glad that it is. So you see, between Brian and Cynthia, they have been keeping an eye on the situation between you and Lindsay. And we all agree that the sooner you get away from Lindsay, the better. From all accounts, the bitch is just one more manipulation from becoming unhinged. Neither you nor Gus need to be anywhere near her when she slips up.”

Before I had a chance to answer Leda, I heard the high-pitched screams coming from Gus, and the almost controlled-yelling coming from Lindsay in response. “Le… Leda, I gotta go. Something is happening in the house and Gus…”

“Go on, Mel. We can talk later, but…”

“But?”

“Keep the phone line open. I just… I need to make sure…”

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. I finally answered, “Yeah, I will. Because I swear if she’s projecting her frustrations with me onto Gus, I’m going to need a witness.”

“You really think she would be so stupid as to do that? I mean, between you and Brian…”

“You said it yourself, Leeds. Lindsay is bordering on certifiably insane. I would rather you hear firsthand and find out that our fears are unfounded, than have something happen where it’s just my word against hers. If nothing else, Lindsay can be very persuasive. It’s one of two traits that she shares in common with Michael Novotny.”

“And the other?”

“Whereas the rest of society might frown upon total egocentrism, Michael and Lindsay treat theirs as if it was a precious gift they opened on Christmas morning,” I tell her, as I open the front door to find Lindsay on the steps with Gus.

“SHUT UP! You will bring Brian back to ME where he belongs if it’s the last thing you do!” Lindsay slurs, yelling down into Gus’ face as I stand there in shock at the scene before me. 

I seriously couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Lindsay was acting so far out of the scope of what I’d always known of her. Gone was June Cleaver, and in her place was Mommy fucking Dearest! She continued screeching at Gus, as he screamed from the pain her pinching caused him. But when she raised her hand to him as if to slap him, I flew into action. 

I caught her hand just in time before she actually made contact. I bit out, “Lay one more hand on my son, and I swear before God Lindsay that I WILL catch a fucking murder charge!”

“YOU DON’T HAVE A FUCKING SON! GUS IS MINE! BRIAN IS MINE!”

“And you’re a fucking crazy bitch!” came Leda’s voice from the speaker of my cell phone. “Mel, get Gus out of there. I’m walking out the door now, and will call the police on the way. That bitch must be on something!”

“Hurry!” I called back to Leda as Lindsay and I began to wrestle over Gus, with me barely remembering that the flight of stairs behind me. A few times, I almost lost my balance but I managed at the last moment to keep it, while at the same time finally gaining complete control of my son from his obviously deranged mother. Lindsay is continuously beating at my back, even as I began the careful process of traversing down the stairs with the precious cargo I held. There was no mistaking her rage as she continued to lunge at me, trying to regain Gus. The insults and epithets she hurled at me no longer mattered or hurt me as they once might have. Instead, they just made me angry; angry that I hadn’t seen the harridan beneath the serene exterior before now; angry that I’d allowed myself to become a shell of myself simply for the sake of saying that I have someone… fucking angry for not seeing the lengths that Lindsay was willing to go to keep her hold on Brian Kinney. Well, she would have a hold of him alright… or more accurately, we will have to keep him from taking hold of her after he hears about what she said and did to Gus.

Once I placed Gus into his playpen within the living room, I turned back to the bitch who had followed us down, and pushed her back away from us. She was still yelling, coming after me with wild eyes. “GIVE ME MY SON! GIVE ME MY FUCKING CHILD! HE’S…” 

As I looked at her, it finally registered just what Leda had implied right before she disconnected the call. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” I hissed. “What the fuck are you on that you could do that to Gus?!”

She sniffed hard, rubbing her nose even as she continued to come towards us. Instead of answering my question, she responded through gritted teeth, “I’m NOT going to tell you again, Melanie. GIVE ME MY FUCKING CHILD!”

“You’ll touch Gus again OVER MY DEAD BODY!” I yelled back, bracing myself for whatever it was Lindsay thought to do next. I had never seen her look this way. She reminded me of a feral cat, hissing and spitting; ready to fight with anybody and everybody. All I knew in that moment was that I couldn’t let her get to Gus again under any circumstances.

“If that’s the way you want it…” Lindsay screams at me, just before lunging at me again.

With her nails drawn out, she attacks me, all the while keeping up a steady stream of cursing. The litany of complaints about my behavior these last few weeks was the foremost venom dripping from her lips. Between the constant slaps, and clawing from her nails, I barely registered that my name had turned to the one name that shouldn’t even be mentioned at this moment. Justin’s.

“And you will, for ONCE, DO WHAT YOU’RE FUCKING TOLD! You WILL LEAVE Pittsburgh! Because if you don’t, I WILL SEE TO IT that you are left with absolutely NOTHING! Brian is MINE! He BELONGS WITH ME AND MAYBE MICHAEL; you DO NOT BELONG HERE!”

The banging at the door catches me off-guard, even though I expected it. And it’s then that Lindsay takes full advantage. Just as the door crashed open, I feel the vicious sting from the slap she landed. And although my vision blurs almost instantly, it’s the searing pain that registers the most at this moment. Looking into the wild, wide eyes of the woman I almost made the mistake of marrying, I can honestly say that she must have been somewhat shocked back to sobriety very quickly. 

As she stands there with a stunned expression written across her face, it doesn’t take long for her face to suddenly soften and the apologies to start spewing forth. The slur in her voice is even more pronounced as she says, “Mel, I’m sorry. I… You should have just given Gus back to me when I asked, and then we could have spoken about all of this rationally.” 

Has she always done that? I can’t help but think to myself. Has she always done the shittiest thing she could do, and then try to excuse it away? No matter how angry I have ever been with Lindsay- and God knows there have been MANY times over the years- I still have never resorted to physical violence. Sure, I can cut her down with my words, just as she’s flayed me alive with her own. But before it ever got to the point where my palm itched to slap the fuck out of her, I would leave the house for hours on end before I lost control of myself.

“So now you remember my fucking name?” I sneered.

“What… what are you talking about? Of course, I know your name!”

“Not when you were screaming about Justin.”

Lindsay’s eyes widened just briefly, before she proceeded to disregard what she’s just been told she did. “You shouldn’t have taken Gus away from me. I was just so desperate to see and talk to Brian that I wasn’t thinking straight. I… Gus… I knew that if I called and said that something was wrong with Gus, he would finally show himself. That’s all I was doing. Please, Mel. Please forgive me. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I love you. You have to believe me…”

I couldn’t bear the thought of looking at her right then. Instead, I looked over her shoulder at the person who kicked my front door in. Or more accurately, rode her Harley THROUGH my front door. Never in all my life have I been so happy to have a savior… and it’s the ONE woman I left behind in order to live the pipe dream with the crazy bitch in front of me.

“You ready, Sugar Lips?” Leda’s low drawl reaches my ears, as I begin the process of trying to stop whatever bleeding is happening on my face. Leda must see it, since she begins moving over to me. Lindsay tries to protest Leda’s presence, but my fiery ex-girlfriend levels her with such a look that Lindsay’s stammers cease almost immediately. “Let me see how bad it is?”

“I’m fine,” I say, turning to look down at a suddenly quieted Gus. Apparently, the crashing noise stunned him as well. But as soon as I reach for him, he kicks up crying again. I pick him up, rocking him and in a low voice asked Leda, “Are they on their way?”

She nods her head. “Yeah, I called them just as started my bike to get here. They should have been here by now.”

I nod, still rocking Gus in order to soothe him. Lindsay is just standing there, looking between me and Leda. “What… who is she talking about, Melanie? Did she call Brian for us?”

“You stupid fucking cow!” Leda explodes before I can answer. “NO! I did NOT call Brian for YOU! Instead, I called the fucking police and requested that they bring a fucking paddy wagon from the psych ward for your crazy ass!”

“You what? Now you look here…”

“NO, Lindsay, YOU look! You are obviously high on something and probably will need support on detoxing…”

“I’m not high!”

“Yes, you fucking are! Your eyes are as glassy as black fucking ice right now. So you will have two options when the police and company get here: either you go with them willingly, or I will happily play the recording of the scene from when Mel walked in here with you deliberately harming Gus!”

“I didn’t harm…”

“YES YOU FUCKING DID, YOU BITCH!” Leda screamed into her face. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so angry before. Sure, I know all about what is bringing on this behavior, having been well-versed in all things Leda for many years. But I’ve never seen her ready to rip someone’s head from their shoulders with her bare hands. I know I have to get control of this situation before the police end up arresting the wrong person when they FINALLY get here.

“Leeds… Let’s just… can we wait outside for them to get here? I think it will be better for Gus.”

Leda nods at me, even as Lindsay moves to block our exit. “You’re not taking MY SON anywhere!”

“Move, bitch! Get out of my way before you’re no longer able to go anywhere without a walker or a wheelchair,” Leda says, standing directly between us and Lindsay. Instead of moving right away, she glares at Leda defiantly. But my ex grits her teeth and menacingly warns, “I won’t fucking tell you again.”

 I couldn’t stop the shiver that raced up my spine from that particular tone coming from Leda. She has always been a lot like Brian, in that it wasn’t the yelling you had to really listen out for. As long as they were loud and somewhat obnoxious, you remained in the safe zone, where violence was unlikely to occur. But if either of them became almost still and quiet, total annihilation became imminent at that point. There was no talking them down; no getting them to see things from a different perspective; no thought or care to the danger they would put themselves in, be it emotional or physical. 

The sirens blaring loudly in the background catch all of our attention and I breathe a sigh of relief. I can’t deny the immense relaxation of my tense muscles with the realization that they actually are coming this time. Although Lavender Meadows Drive is considered a professional area, it’s also known that the neighborhood is home to a lot of gay men and women with high-powered jobs. Unfortunately, that’s still the reality of the situation, regardless of the many laws which have passed in terms of the LGBT community, and it’s still being argued about right today. I can see when Lindsay registers the same reality, even as Leda and I move steadily towards the door.

“Unless you plan on being carted away in that ratty ass robe and those rollers, I would suggest that you put some clothes on, Lindsay. Whatever will Mummy and Daddy say if their little girl is arrested in her unmentionables?” Leda sneered in Lindsay’s direction, while huffing an amused breath at the thought of that happening.

“Mel…” Lindsay slurred again in my direction, but I just continued to the door. I have no doubt that she was about to try to plead her case to me again. I can handle whatever it is she did to me, but to abuse Gus in order to get to his father; to abuse Gus PERIOD… I shake my head at the thoughts running through my head at this moment. Because the truth is that I would like nothing more than to kill the bitch myself, but I have to think of my son first.

We alight from the building that I used to call my home only to find Vic, Jennifer, and… is that Mysterious Marilyn in her day drag? standing there looking angry and shocked by turns. Before Leda and I could even ask what they are doing here, Marilyn clears up the confusion. “I heard the slap in my mind, and felt the pain. Please tell me she didn’t…”

“No, or at least, not that I know of. She was pinching Gus repeatedly when I walked in. We struggled over him, and she began to hit me once I fully got ahold of Gus...”

“Mel, your face,” Marilyn sighs in heartbreak.

I knew I couldn’t lie to her, so I just say, “I’m okay.”

“No, you’re not! You’re not okay with or about any of this, Melanie. You have to…”

“She will be pressing charges,” Leda cuts off the tall man. “I’m going to see to that!”

“Where’s Lindsay now?” Jennifer asks.

“Probably getting dressed since she was in her robe when all of this occurred,” I answer, barely holding myself together. As I adjust Gus in my arms, I add, “Leda called the police on the way here.”

“I don’t think it was just Leda who did,” Vic states as he looks around. All of the surrounding neighbors are standing out on their doorstep, but it’s Dusty and Marie coming up the walkway that catches my attention.

“What are you…” I begin to ask, but am cut off by Dusty’s voice.

“Give me Gus, Mel. Let me hold onto him while Marie checks you over. She’s off duty tonight, but when we heard the commotion, she called this in and we came right over after asking Myrna J to watch the kids.” It was then that I noticed Marie’s paramedic kit dangling from her left hand. “We thought there might be trouble.”

Marie adds, “We saw Lindsay earlier today. Although she could be seen as normal in some ways, the things she was ranting about had us a bit on edge. Something about Brian not answering her, and her having to find a way to make him speak with her after these many weeks…”

“Yeah, Brian isn’t speaking to her or Michael because of the stunt they were trying to pull with Justin,” I answer both of them. “It’s been making Lindsay…”

“Unhinged?” Dusty says through gritted teeth. “That is what you were going to say, Mel, wasn’t it? These are certainly NOT the actions of a rational person, not that we ever expected Lindsay to be anything but. We always thought that there was a bitchy side to her, sure, but this…” She shook her head in confusion and disappointment at the realization that Lindsay really is off he rocker, and none of us saw it.

“Let me take a look at both of you before they get here, Mel. Since I called it in, I want to be able to give a full report to my colleagues. You’ll both still have to go to the hospital, but I know that right now you’re going to have a hard time handing Gus over to someone you don’t know and trust. Unfortunately, since the police have been called and there is a child involved, CPS is also going to be coming. If I do the exam to Gus now, at least you can be told the truth of what’s happened to him without you being treated as a suspect. You know they will withhold any information from you unless it’s used to railroad you into a confession; it’s how the police usually operate. Plus in turn, you can get your story out and on record as well without the usual interference since Lindsay is probably going to hide out until the last possible minute,” Marie tells me, as Dusty moves forward.

“Please, take care of Gus first,” I beg. “I have to know that he’s alright; that Lindsay hadn’t done anything else to him before I arrived to stop her.”

Marie nods, as I hand my son over to Dusty. I stand here watching helplessly as Dusty, who used to be a pediatric nurse before she decided to be a stay-at-home mom, and Marie, examine Gus. With each piece of skin that’s revealed, I feel more and more pained at the realization of Lindsay’s depravity. Not only are there marks indicating the pinching, but a couple of deep scratches and one bite mark as well. It wasn’t hard enough to break the skin as the scratches are, but was done hard enough to surely leave an unmistakable bruise. But it was the look of Gus’ little ribs that caused me the most trauma.

“Oh my God, why has Gus lost so much weight?” Jennifer gasped as she came over. “Has he been sick, Mel, and we didn’t know?”

“No, he hasn’t. He’s been sleeping a lot but by the time I’ve gotten home from work in the evenings, I feed him and spend time with him mostly because I’ve missed him, although Lindsay has always considered it as me giving her a break.”

“And his eating habits? Have they changed at anytime in the last few weeks?” Marie asks.

“Not that I’m aware of. In fact, he seems almost…” I drop off, remembering the brief conversation that Brian and I had a few days ago in the Diner about Gus’ sudden lightweight feeling, and then the conversation that Vic and I had over coffee not even two hours ago… “Oh, that fucking BITCH! I’m going to kill her!” I yelled as I turn, getting ready to go back into the house.

“What?” they all ask me, even as Leda blocks my reentry into the house.

“She’s been so fucking preoccupied with Michael plotting and planning to run Brian’s life that she’s been neglecting Gus! He hasn’t had a growth spurt which is the usual way kids tend to lose weight, and every night that I’ve come home to feed Gus, he ate as if he hasn’t had a fucking morsel all day…. BECAUSE HE HASN’T!! Then tonight, she was high on something and reeked of straight gin…. THAT FUCKING BITCH! Tonight’s abuse isn’t the beginning of it. NO! It’s escalated! That’s why she would have him bathed by the time I got home, even if he hadn’t been fed. She didn’t want me to see the marks. How could I have been so fucking blind?!”

“Mel…” They all yell at me, as Leda redoubles her efforts to keep me from getting back into the house.

Just as I’m about to finally barrel past Leda, the police pull up, along with a tall man undoubtedly from CPS. Although I can’t see him fully just yet, he still reminds me of someone that I know but can’t place. The deep timber in his voice reaches my ears as he says, “Am I to understand that there are two mothers living here? Where is his father?”

But before I can even address the dubiously-worded question, Jennifer is addressing the man. “Duane, I know well that you aren’t a bigot, and that question could have been worded a lot better.” 

“I apologize if I offended anyone, Jenn, but based on the call I got…”

“I get it, but there are mitigating circumstances that you should know about. To answer your question though, Brian is Gus’ father and we both know where he is. The real culprit is still inside the house, but this is Melanie Marcus, who is Gus’ other mother and legal guardian. She is innocent in all of this.”

“Jenn, I understand your concern, but you have to let me do my job…”

“Which I have every intention of letting you do, AFTER you have all of the facts.” She turns to me then, even though she still has a firm grip on the sleeve of his suit jacket. “Melanie, this is Duane Chanders, who is a supervisor over at the Department of Child and Family Services.”

“Chanders? As in Daphne’s...”

“Brother,” the tall man answers, and it’s then that I can see the family resemblance which is strong. But where as Daph’s eyes are dark brown, his are light and he’s as tall as Brian is. “I’ve heard a lot about you and your partner from my sister over the last year, Ms. Marcus…”

“I’m sure that given my history with Brian and Justin, some of it was good, but most not so much.”

“On the contrary, Ms. Marcus. Daphne said that you have been coming around but that your partner, a Ms. Peterson, still has a lot of issues concerning Brian and Justin’s relationship.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” Leda muttered behind me before stating boldly, “The bitch and her little bastard buddy are completely unhinged when it comes to Brian and Justin.”

“So you see, Duane, you can’t treat Melanie as if she’s guilty of causing Gus’ trauma; that’s all Lindsay.”

“And where is Lindsay? I’d like to get a statement from her.”

“She’s gone,” Marilyn interjects. 

“Gone? What do you mean she’s gone?” I ask, nervously. 

“She left the house.”

“But how? The backdoor has been broken since just before the botched ceremony. It’s part of the reason that Brian arranged for it happen over at Schickle mansion instead of here.”

“Broken, how?”

“The door was stuck as if it had been nailed shut from the outside. We couldn’t even get the plexiglass out.”

“She left by way of the trellis beneath Gus’ window,” Marilyn confirmed. Ordinarily, I would have told her to stop talking bullshit, except that Marilyn has never been to my house that I know of. Not only that, but everything she said tonight has been spot on. I notice when Marie walks over to the paramedics now onsite, and begins speaking rapidly to them as she hands Gus over to them. Turning back to me, she walks over and advises that I need to be checked out, even as Marilyn tells us, “Lindsay wouldn’t have been able to answer your questions anyway. She’s high as forty-five kites right now.”

“How do you know that?” Vic asked her, as he looked over at us, which caused me and Leda to nod.

She looked afraid to answer for a moment, but thought better of withholding the information. “I… I thought I saw her acquiring product from Anita several times, but was never really able to understand why. I mean if she was getting from Anita than that must have meant she was getting them for… someone else, right?” She didn’t have to say Brian’s name for those of us in the know to realize what Marilyn was implying. “But then that made no sense either since up until recently, he hadn’t even been in town. Speaking of which, he’s on his way. I had Vic call him when I felt the situation here spiraling out of control.”

“Oh fuck! He’s going to be pissed!” Leda stated, and I couldn’t stop the shiver.

“She should start praying that none of us find her before the police do… and that especially goes for Brian.”

We were all silent for a time, trying to figure out how to keep Brian from going completely nuclear and killing Lindsay. If there is one thing that I can honestly say about Brian Kinney, it’s that he loves his son more than I ever thought he was capable of loving anyone, including himself. The lengths that he’s always been willing to go to prove that love- not to anyone else, except Gus himself- has been incredibly eye-opening to watch. It’s why when Justin found the solution of third-party adoption for us, I didn’t fight too much about it. The truth was that although I wanted it to be just me and Lindsay as Gus’ parents, I haven’t regretted for even one day that Brian is still involved heavily in Gus’ life. 

Originally, I thought that it would be a situation where he and Lindsay would always side against me in any decision that needed to be made for our son. But that hasn’t been the case at all. In fact, if I’m honest, Brian has sided with me more and more, demonstrating that both his and my idea of parenting run more similar than anyone could have possibly thought. The only thing we have disagreed on so far is the circumcision, but that was for very different reasons. And ashamedly I can admit, it was largely selfish on my part since I knew the only way my family would at least halfway recognize Gus as one of us was to have the Bris.

So the fact that I’m actually standing here, thinking of ways of talking reason into Brian so that he doesn’t do anything rash to Lindsay, speaks volumes.

“Come on, Mel. We need to get you checked out and then over to the hospital for x-rays. You’ll still have to go down to the station to make your statement, and a thorough investigation done before Gus can be released back into your care, but I’ve bought you some time by citing the fact that you are also injured,” Marie tells me.

Leda nods in response when I look at her for reassurance. “I’ll meet Brian at the airport and then meet you over there.”

“Take Vic, Jenn, and Marilyn with you when you do,” I advise.

“Why?”

“Trust me, you’re going to need the backup when he finds all of this out. Brian is at best unpredictable… but it’s when we already know his response that we should worry. And I think now is the time to start.”

The police and crime scene detectives come back out of the house at that moment, confirming that Lindsay had indeed used Gus’ bedroom window to escape immediate punishment. I wonder where she could have gone since Michael is in jail at least until morning, and then he’s going to be staying at Deb’s indefinitely. I have to wonder how much about this situation will reach his ears before dawn, and how much fuel will be added to the fire before then. With Lindsay going into hiding suddenly, no doubt she will try to meet up with him at some point. But even before then, Michael will assuredly begin hunting Brian down as soon as he’s released from county lockup. 

In that case, Michael better be prepared to walk a chalk line, because if he says something as monumentally stupid as he’s wont to do, Brian won’t care about the consequences of permanently shutting his big obsequious, bootlicking mouth. And although I know that the main goal is to keep that from happening, it still doesn’t kill the fantasy of that very thing happening. After all, putting Michael’s motormouth on ice is a situation that needed to happen a very LONG time ago. If only it were possible to award the person who would do it with a Nobel Peace Prize instead of an orange jumpsuit, I’m sure many of us would have let our fists fly anytime he opened his mouth. Ah, well… a gal can still dream!