Chapter 8

Justin couldn’t believe it.  Brian was standing in the diner. He was here in Seattle. He came. Justin felt like the day Brian surprised him in New York more than 45 years ago.  He came to him. He heard Brian apologize but he didn’t care about anything except that he was there!  As their lips met, they both felt their hearts sync into rhythm.  “I love you, Brian.  I love you so much.”

Kevin and Joe walked into the kitchen giving them a little bit of privacy while Justin and Brian just stood there kissing and touching each other’s arms and face, anywhere there was bare skin.  “Let’s go home. Please, I need to go home with you.”

“I have a car.  Let’s go.”

Justin saw Kevin and Joe off to the side.  He rushed over and gave them each a hug.  Brian shook their hands and accepted the bag of food from Joe. “Thank you, both, for your help,” and with that Justin pulled Brian out of the diner.

Kevin looked at Joe, “That’s what I want someday.”

Joe put his arm around him, “Gus, you’ll find him.  Just don’t settle for good enough.”  Joe’s wife walked in the diner.  His wife was still a very handsome woman but she was no longer the waif of a woman she was when they married.  She had the shape of a woman who had given birth to children and worked hard for her family.  Joe loved her so much more today than he did the day they married.  “Look for one that is perfect for you on the inside and they will always be perfect on the outside.  Hello, gorgeous,” Joe said as he took his wife in his arms and kissed her like he hadn’t seen her in weeks.  “I’ve missed you today.” 

Kevin and his wife greeted each other and he excused himself, saying it had been a long day.  As he walked away he listened to Joe ask his love if she had a good day.  Yes, Kevin thought, I want a relationship like both of those couples.

Justin had gotten behind the wheel since he knew where to go.  As they drove the short distance, Justin talked as Brian had his hand on Justin’s shoulder, “I couldn’t get you out of my mind.  I mean I always think about you but today it was a gnawing.  I just was unsettled.  I was afraid you were sick or something had gone wrong with the Jed situation.  I wouldn’t let myself think it was something like this.  I was going to go home and call you.  I almost got upset with Kevin because I needed to talk to you.  I needed to touch you somehow.” He reached up and took Brian’s hand.  “I wasn’t sure I would make two more weeks without you.”  Justin pulled up in front of his home and parked the car, locking it once they were out of it. Justin wrapped his arms around Brian’s neck and kissed him again and this time he pressed him tightly against the door. “I need you, Brian, I have alway needed you but right now I really want you inside me.”

Justin placed his hand on Brian’s crotch and Brian shivered, “I need you too, Sunshine.  I….” he took a deep breath as Justin’s hand moved into the fly of Brian’s pants, “god, open this door before this old man has to take you over the railing,” he pushed Justin gently away.

“Oh please, yes!” Justin began to unzip Brian’s pants.

“Oh, what the hell,” Brian unzipped Justin’s jeans and turned him around.  Justin cried out as Brian entered him quickly. They found a rhythm and Brian, over and over, thrust Justin against the wood rail. Justin found relief before Brian and as Brian climaxed, Justin was sure he would be bruised across his abdomen but it was so worth it. 

Justin turned into his arms and kissed him slowly and gently. “God, I have missed you.  Let’s go inside and have a glass of wine and we will …. I hope we will just….” Justin kissed him  deeply.  “I guess we better go in before we are arrested.”

Justin poured them each a glass of wine and took out the food containers from the diner as  Brian put his bags into the bedroom.  He moved behind Justin and wrapped his arms around him, “Our grandson is falling in love.  They aren’t rushing, which is good.  Jed has gone through so much in the last few weeks.”

“How was Marcus dealing with having Jed moving in?”  Justin could see by Brian’s look he had no idea. “Bri, when are you going to let him off the hook for dealing with death differently than you do?”

“Please, not tonight.”

Justin didn’t push him.  He kissed Brian and handed him a glass of wine.  “Sit. These sandwiches look great and I want you to have energy.”

Brian sat down and took Justin’s hand and kissed it, “I was told you were very tired tonight. Maybe we should just go to bed when we are done eating.”

“That is exactly what I have planned,” Justin said, as they started eating their dinner. Joe had thrown in some lemon bars as well as turkey sandwiches and some homemade chips.

“You know what these remind me of?” Brian said as he bit into a lemon bar.

“Of course I do.  I wonder how many of these Debbie made?”

“I wonder how many of them I ate?”

“You were always being careful what you ate. That’s why you had the perfect body and I...I was always … Your body was always perfect,  It still is.”

“Bless you, my child,” Brian said as he kissed Justin’s hand.  “I know it is early but I am very tired.”

“If it means we can lay next to each other… I have missed sleeping with you.  I miss feeling your body next to me,” Justin said as he got up.   Brian stood up and quickly wrapped the bars up and then followed Justin into the bedroom.  He wasn’t sure how he had done it that fast but Justin stood naked in front of him and Brian couldn’t do anything but pull off his own shirt and pull Justin against him, skin to skin.

They both lost track of how long they stood there.  Their hands roamed each other’s backs, feeling the familiar plains and scars. Their lips and tongues reacquainted themselves. Eventually they separated long enough to finish getting ready for bed and then they again met up under the sheets.  They made love once more and then they laid in each other’s arms. At one point when they were half asleep, Justin softly said, “You’re really here.  You came for me.”

“No, Sunshine, I came for me.  What if something happened to one of us and because I was an idiot, we weren’t together.”  He was silent for a moment and then said, “You and Marcus, you didn’t…. Here in this bed…”

“Bri, Marc and I slept together a couple times but we didn’t have sex. We did shower together once but other than hands…”

“Sunshine, that’s enough.  I just needed to hear you say it. You are always honest with me.  I love you.” After one more kiss he said, “I need to sleep now.  I am just tired.”

Justin heard Brian’s breathing change as they spooned in the massive bed.  As his eyes fluttered shut he said softly, “You came.  You’re really here.”  In his sleep Brian tightened his arm around him  and they slept.

Brennon woke up on the floor of Jed’s room.  Marcus had brought in a blowup mattress for him to use.  At dinner the night before they all had agreed now was not the time for Jed to start a serious relationship.  He didn’t use the word sex but they all knew that was what he meant.  They agreed that if they got to that point it shouldn’t be in his house because of the Foster Parent rules but he trusted them to talk to Brinn or even Danny and Elliott.  Jed and Brennon agreed.  They both could feel Marcus was working with them, not against them.  Brennon got up and used the bathroom and then came back and slipped into bed with Jed.  He kissed him and then let his hand rest on Jed’s ass. Jed’s cock responded to his touch immediately.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Brennon said as he kissed him once more.

They kissed a few more times before Jed said, “I gotta go…” he climbed over Brennon and rushed to the bathroom.

“Jed, I’m going to go see what’s for breakfast.  I’ll see you in the kitchen.” Brennon pulled on some shorts and left the room.  When he got to the kitchen he found Marcus sitting there drinking a cup of coffee.

“Good morning, Brennon. Did you sleep well on the mattress.  You know we...I have more bedrooms.”

“It slept fine, and yes, I did sleep on it all night.” Brennon walked over and made a cup of coffee for himself adding lots of flavored creamer.  “Marcus, thank you for doing all this.  I didn’t want him to have to go into the Youth Center.  He’s not a bad kid.  That place is full of criminals.”

“I was assured of that and I could tell that right away.  I remember the stories Danny had after spending time in places like that.  And….” Marcus stopped for a moment. Brennon walked around and put an arm around him, “this house is too quiet.  I need some life around me.  Darling Dan had been sick for a while and that settled around this place.  He would want me to do this.”

“I’m glad. Jed needs a break.”

“And he deserves it.” Marcus put his arm around Brennon’s waist and gave him a little squeeze.  “He’s lucky to have a friend like you.”

Justin woke late and as much as he wanted to he didn’t want to wake Brian, so left the bed as carefully as he could.  His body ached.  It often did a bit in the morning but today every muscle seemed to ache and as he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror he stopped.  His stomach was covered in a massive bruise.   Now he remembered why they kept sex inside the house most of the time.  Justin turned the shower on high and hot and looked at his phone he grabbed to text the gallery.  There was a message from the gallery manager saying they had a meeting at 10:30 and he didn’t expect to see him until then.

Justin stepped under the strong spray of the shower and let it pound his sore muscles.  By the time he stepped out he felt much better than he had earlier.  His bruises were tender but he remembered the days when pain turned him on and his cock twitched. He ran a hand along it and it began to get hard.

“Need a little help with that? I might have a place that fits in.”  Brian moved into the room.  He ran his hand over Justin’s stomach and the bruises, “Does it hurt much?”

“It’s what caused the morning hard on,” Justin laughed as he kissed Brian. “I am too old to ask for more pain than just naturally occurs anymore but, it still turns me on.  I know, I don’t know why either.”

“What time do you need to leave?” Brian began to stroke him gently.

“I have about an hour before I need to get ready.  They moved a meeting later, giving me more time.”

“Well, let me sit down and ….” Brian sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled Justin’s naked body close. Justin put his hands on Brian’s shoulders as Brian took his cock in his mouth. 

Justin sighed at the feeling.  He ran his fingers through Brian’s hair, “I love you, Brian Kinney.  I am so glad you came to Seattle.”  Justin took in a sharp breath as Brian’s skills took over and Justin came into Brian’s throat. Justin’s whole body was still trembling as she stepped back and collapsed on the bed and Brian laid back next to him.

The next 10 minutes they talked about their plans for the day.  Brian decided he would hang around the house and enjoy the view for the morning and would head over to the gallery later afternoon for a tour and then they could go home together.

When Justin’s driver picked him up that morning, there was a new spring in his step and a smile on his face.

The week moved on.  Justin sent Brian to meet the guy at the antique shop he had met when he first arrived.  He had several items he wanted Justin to look at and Justin knew Brian would enjoy that, too.  They spent their evenings just being together. When it was nice they ate on the back deck overlooking the sound.  They would go to bed on time and just talk about their family and friends.  Justin texted with Marc most days but he was still mostly off limits except now that Brennon was spending a lot of time there.  

Brennon had moved back home now that Brian wasn’t around and it was time for Jed and Marcus to get into their own schedule.  Summer was winding down and soon Brian and Justin would be back and hopefully everyone would have a routine.

Justin talked to Kevin and after talking with him and the university, Kevin could get some credits for his master’s program as long as Justin did some paperwork for them.  He would move in after Labor Day.  Justin could work with him some and  Kevin would have a large space for a studio.  They were both looking forward to it and Brian was on board too. He loved to see Justin light up and he did every time he mentioned working with the young artist.  Life would go on, with or without Dan.  One week to the grand opening and then they would go to their vineyard.  They would be back where they belonged.

Gus arrived home early on Friday.  “Hey Shel,” he walked over and kissed her.  “You and Talia leaving pretty soon?”

“Yes, I was just finishing my packing although I didn’t take much.  I plan to shop a lot.” She smiled at Gus and he saw the twinkle in her eyes.

“Go ahead, you deserve it and Tally will need things to take to college. It is hard to believe this is her last year.” Gus pulled her close and he kissed her, “I’m going to miss you.”

“Gus, Trenton will keep you distracted I am sure,” Shelby smiled at him as she kissed him again. “I think I have time for….” she moved her hand into the front of his jeans.

“Lord, woman, I always have time for that.” Gus began to take off his shirt.  “I probably stink.  I was on the site today.”

Shelby took in a deep breath, “You smell of sun and soap and just a hint of sweat.  You smell like the man I have loved for 30 years.”

Gus reached toward her and pulled off her top.  He let his mouth wander along her collarbone and then downward between her breasts.  She was still an incredibly beautiful woman and he still loved her to his core.  He worked his way down her body and soon his mouth went to work.  Soon his hand had to grab her hips so his mouth could stay in contact with her clit. She came hard and just as she was coming down, he entered her making her climax again. 

Together they showered and then each went their own way.  

Gus hadn’t shown Shelby but he bought flowers for Trenton and had grabbed a case of the non alcoholic wine Trent likes so much.  He had been trying to spend a night a week up there, they hadn’t had  a whole weekend alone in some time.  Gus wanted it to be special.  Trenton assured him he would have the food for the weekend. The only thing Gus did grab at the last minute was a caramel chocolate tart.  George was dropping some off at Wine and Design when he had stopped to grab the wine and he knew that was something they would both enjoy.

Trent was jittery.  He had no idea why.  He just wanted to spend the next two day with his love.  It was supposed to be rainy but he didn’t mind that.  They could spend time on the back porch the whole time if they wanted to. The only bad thing was the rain was giving him a headache.  He had taken something for it earlier and it seemed to be helping. 

Gus pulled up and got out of the pickup.  He grabbed his bag and then picked up the case of wine that had the tort sitting on top of it and he moved toward the door with it.  Trenton opened it before Gus got there and took the tart off the top of the crate.

“Oh, Gus, what have you brought?”

“When I grabbed the wine, George was making a delivery and I just knew we needed this.”

“Well, I am sure that will be amazing for dessert but right now,” Gus set the case of wine on the counter and the men stepped into each other’s arms.  The kiss was not rushed.  It was more exploration than urgency. When they stepped away, Trenton opened a bottle of the wine and he poured two glasses.  Hand in hand they strode out to the back porch and they sat on the sofa.  They sipped on the wine and just talked about what had been going on.   When they only had an evening they didn’t take the time to do this because they only had a few hours and the physical draw was great but this weekend there was no rush.  They sipped the wine and talked about the kids and about baby Gabe.  They talked about Shelby and Tally shopping for her college apartment and how fast they had all grown.  

Then Gus asked about Trenton’s new book.  He had done the final revisions and now they were saying it would be out in early October.  This was his first attempt at a haunting story and it would be out in time for Halloween.  “Trenton, may I read some of it?”

Trenton leaned over and kissed him.  “Thanks for asking.  I was hoping you would and, Gus, if it is shit lie to me, Ok?”

Gus put his hand on the back of Trent’s neck and continued the kiss.  When they separated he said, “Everything I have read that you have written has been great.”  

“I’ll go get dinner started while you read.” He handed Gus a manuscript that had been sitting on the end table next to him.  “This is the final paper draft with my corrections.”

When Trenton came back out half an hour later Gus was absorbed in the story. “Gus,” no response, “Gus,” he reached out and touched his arm.  Gus shouted and the manuscript flew out of his hand.  “Gussy, it is just me.”

“Oh, shit, Trenton.  I was so involved in the story….I didn’t even hear you.”

“I hope that’s a good sign.” He sat down next to him.

“Pen, I have read everything you have written and this is the best.  Holy shit, it sucked me in.  You are going to be so rich.”

“I already am, Gus, and I am not talking about money.” Trenton pulled Gus against him and kissed him.  It deepened and by the time Trent backed off Gus needed far more than a kiss.  “Down boy, we have lots of time.”

“Trenton, I love you and I feel so guilty sometimes that I know you wait for me.  I know you are faithful but you just wait for me.”

“Gus, you are faithful, too.  I knew from day one that  you had Shelby and…” Trenton seemed distracted for a moment and then put his hand on his forehead.  

“Pen, are you alright?”

“Oh, ya, I’m sorry.  I had a sinus headache earlier and it’s just creeping back in.  It is the weather moving in, I think.”

“Well, let’s go in and you take whatever you need to take. We can eat inside.  It might help if you are out of the humidity out here.” Gus took Trenton’s arm and led him in. Gus finished the meal prep as Trenton took a pill and then came in behind Gus and watched him finish up the meal.  He became more of a distraction than help. Trent put his arms around Gus and rested his hands on Gus’ crotch.

“I thought you had a headache.” 

“Once I was out of the damp air it went away.  I think this meal would be just fine in forty-five minutes if we just set it in the warming oven,” his hand slipped into Gus’ pants.

“Ya, I am fairly sure it would be just fine…” Gus turned and claimed Trenton’s mouth.  After tossing the meal in the oven on warm, began dropping their clothes on the way to the bedroom. Almost an hour later the men walked back into the kitchen.  They were in robes and had damp hair from the shared shower they had taken. They sat by the counter and ate the meal directly out of the pans.  

“Is your headache coming back?” Gus touched Trenton’s temple.

“No, I don’t think so, why?”

“You are squinting a bit.  I thought maybe the light was bothering you.”

“I think I need to go to the eye doctor.  I have been working so hard on this book, I have been straining my eyes a lot.”  

That made sense to both of them. “Pen, you really need to take care of yourself.  Now that you have the last changes turned in, please schedule an appointment next week.”

“Yes, Mom,” Trenton  laughed.  “A movie?”

“As long as I can put my head in your lap,” Gus smiled.

“I said I wanted to watch a movie.” Together they picked something to watch and Gus did lay with his head in Trenton’s lap as they watched.  About half way through, Trent looked down and found Gus sound asleep.  He continued to stroke his arm as he had been doing just happy to touch his skin.  A message came in on Gus’ phone and he glanced to see it was Shelby.  He picked up his own phone and let her know Gus was sound asleep on the sofa.  She responded with ‘lol, just like at home. Thanks, Trent. All good here.’

‘I’ll let him know when he wakes’ he responded to her.  He finished the movie and then gently shook Gus.  “Darling, time to go to bed.”

“Hum…..oh, Pen.  I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to fall asleep.  Oh, shit, I was supposed to text Shel.” He reached for his phone.

“She texted and I responded on my phone, letting her know you were asleep.  She said everything was good there.”

Gus rearranged his position so he was leaning over Trent’s body and he could reach up and put his arms around his neck. Their lips met and they stayed there several minutes. Eventually they made their way to the bedroom.  Once in bed, the men spooned and just fell asleep.  They had two full days to play.  It was time to rest right now.

Gus woke up refreshed on Saturday morning.  He slipped out of bed and pulled on a robe.  He thought he would make breakfast for the two of them.  He fried bacon and made pancake batter.  He made several pancakes and put them in the warming oven and went to see if Trenton was awake yet. He walked in and slipped back into bed next to Trent, “Pen?” He kissed his neck. He moved his hand around Trenton’s naked body and slid his palm across his stomach and up to his chest. “Trenton?”

Trent moaned a bit. “Damn, my head hurts,” Trenton’s words almost sounded slurred. “Get my pills?” Once he had taken the sinus pills, he rolled over and pulled Gus close.  “Just give me ten minutes and it should be better.”  He kissed Gus and laid his head only millimeters from his.  “I love you, Gus.”

“I love you, too, Pen.”

True to his word, Trenton was up and ready for breakfast twenty minutes later. “Maybe the headaches are caused by your eyes, too.” Gus kissed his temple.  Sit.  What kind of eggs do you want?” 

Gus fried eggs for both of them and they looked at news on Trent’s laptop as they ate.  Gus also called Tally and Shelby. They were about to leave the hotel and start shopping for the day and had reservations at an upscale hip restaurant tonight. He told them to have a good time.

After the phone call ended, Gus said, “It’s not raining right now.  How about going for a walk?”

“Sounds good.  It is nice and cool this morning,” Trenton commented. 

They put on some clothes and headed out onto the property. They walked hand in hand around his property.  He rented out some of his land to a neighbor but kept the rights to walk around it. The two talked about everything as they walked.  At one point Trent stopped them and he faced Gus.  It looked like he was going to say something but then just gazed into Gus’ eyes. Finally, he kissed him and then they walked on.  Both Trenton and Gus were quiet as they continued on.  At one point, Gus held out his arm and put his finger to his lips.  He pointed and not far away there was a doe and fawn. They stood there silently  and just watched them.  At some point they moved enough to be in each other’s arms and just watched the beauty of nature near them. 

Trenton sneezed and the deer snapped to attention.  They looked around and then wandered farther away. “Sorry about that.” Trenton pulled Gus close.  “Maybe we should start heading back.  Sorry I am such a downer.  I feel like I am getting old all of the sudden.”

“Pen, you have been working so hard and you haven’t been taking care of yourself.  You make an appointment for as soon as you can and just have a checkup.  Neither of us are teenagers anymore.”

“Gus, you are but you’re right.  I hate to remember I am over 60.” 

“Oh Pen, I’m 50. I’m a grandfather for god sake.”

“I will go to the eye doctor this week and I’ll check in with my doctor. I think with the stress gone and if I get my prescription fixed, I will be fine.  And the weekend with you makes everything seem better. Damn, I love you, Gus.” They kissed and as they continued to the house the sky opened up and it started to pour.  They laughed as they made it to the back porch.  They undressed and began to kiss.  As it began to thunder, they made love on the swinging bed.   Gus grabbed a thin blanket for them to cover up with they laid there and watched the storm roll on.

Brian and Justin called Gus on Saturday afternoon as they sat on the deck enjoying the view.  The phone was on speaker so when Gus answered both of them said hello to their son.

“Hey, Dads, how’s Seattle?”

“It is a perfect weekend. We are just sipping wine and looking out over the water,” Justin responded.

“Trenton and I are watching it rain.”

“That sounds like a euphemism for we interrupted sex,” Brian stated.

“No, we are done having sex for now and watching it rain.”

“Hey, Trenton.  How’s the new book coming?” Justin asked.

“It is at the publisher. Time for me to take a vacation.”

“You should do that. If you want to use one of our places let us know. Gus, maybe you could go with him to Ibiza.”

“Pops, I’m too busy right now but, you’re right, Trent deserves to get away although this house is a great getaway.” Gus kissed Trenton.

“Well, we won’t keep you.  We just wanted to say hi and we might take a nap ourselves soon.” Justin’s hand moved to Brian’s lap.

“See, Pen, if my dads can still have sex in the afternoon at their ages…” 

“Hey, who said sex and we aren’t old.  Ok, we aren’t too old,” Brian grumbled.

“Well, you go take your ‘nap’ and we will go play in the shower.”

“Love you, Gussy. Can’t wait to be back at the winery.”

“Miss you too, Dad. I miss both of you.”

When the call ended, all four men went on with the day.  Brian and Justin talked about the antique jewelry Brian had checked out and they set up an appointment for Sunday, leaving them all Saturday to just be together. 

By Saturday evening, Gus was a bit worried about Trenton and was glad he was going to see his doctor the next week.  Trenton obviously didn’t feel well and Gus made him relax.  He made some dinner for them and then it was Trenton’s turn to fall asleep with his head in Gus’ lap. Gus started texting Danny but then stopped.  What was he going to say, ‘My overworked boyfriend is tired and has eye fatigue.’   “Hey, Pen, let’s just go to bed.  We both can use the sleep.”

Trenton was really out of it and Gus led him to the bedroom. He had been popping those sinus pills a lot.  Maybe he had overdone them a little bit.  He would make sure he didn’t take anymore tonight.  He helped Trenton out of his clothes and helped him lay down.  He then undressed himself and got in next to him. Moving up behind him Gus wrapped an arm around Pen’s waist and he kissed his neck.

“Sorry, Gus, love you,” his voice was a little slurred.  

“I love you, too, Pen.  Nothing to worry about.”  Gus was a little worried now.  He managed to reach his phone and texted Danny.  He said he was probably just worrying for nothing but Trenton had a headache for two days and now his speech was slurred.

Danny responded quickly. He asked if he had any loss of balance.

Gus remembered how Pen had leaned on him as they walked to the bedroom.  He responded that he thought he had.

Gus’ phone rang then and he answered, “Danny what is it?”

“Gus, look at his face. Have him talk or smile.”

“He’s sleeping, Danny.”

“Wake him up and get him to smile for you.”

“Danny, what’s wrong?” He turned Trent over, shaking him.  And then he noticed it.

“Gus what is it?” Trent’s left side of his face didn’t move as he spoke to him.

“Danny, it’s his left side.”

“I have already called the ambulance and Elliott should be there any time.  He left a few minutes ago. He should be there about the same time as the ambulance. He can go in with him.”

“Gus, what’s happening?” Trent was confused and his speech was decreasing.

“Gus,” Danny said over the phone, “I think it is a stroke or a brain aneurysm.  Gus you contacted us.  You did what was important. What’s Trent wearing?”

“Oh, shit, I need to put something on him.”

“Just get some briefs or shorts on him. He would want that. Put your phone down and do it.”

Gus tossed his phone on the bed and two minutes later he had gotten shorts on Trenton and following Danny’s instructions he unlocked the front door, just as Elliott pulled up. The next fifteen minutes was a blur.  The ambulance arrived and Elliott got in the ambulance, meaning Gus had to drive in himself.  As Gus flew down the road behind the sirens, he needed to call someone.  He called Brinn.

“Gus, hey, I thought you were at Trent’s.”

Gus didn’t have any idea what he said but remembered hearing Brinn say they were on their way. When he pulled into a parking spot and ran to the ambulance Danny appeared out of nowhere.  “Gus, you need to give them space.” He put an arm around his slight shoulders. “Elliott is with him.  He will let us know what’s going on as soon as they are sure.”

“Danny, how serious is it? What if he…”

“Gus, you were there and you caught it.  If you hadn’t been there….Gus, it would have been so much worse if you had just gone to sleep. You did all you could.”

“Gus, what happened?” Brinn took Gus in his arms, “Danny what’s going on?”  Danny told Brinn and left Gus in her care so he could go see what was going on. Brinn led Gus to a small waiting room and tried soothing him. “Gus, should I call Shelby?  Would she want to know what happened?”

“Let’s wait until we know if...Brinn, what if…”

“Sh...Gus, he is so lucky you were there. He could have just died in his sleep.” Brinn glanced up and saw Zach walk in. She smiled at him. “Hey, Zach.  It sounds like Trenton has probably had a stroke.  Danny is checking on it right now. Zach and Brinn sat on either side of Gus and waited.

About 30 minutes later, Elliott and Danny walked in holding hands. Gus started getting up but Elliott gestured for him to stay sitting and Danny and he pulled up chairs.  “Gus, Trenton is sleeping right now. He did have a stroke and without you, he would probably be dead right now.”

“But how is he?”

“We won’t know that until he wakes up in the morning and we do some tests.  Just remember, tomorrow won’t tell you what he’ll be like in a week.”

“I should have made him come in earlier. I knew something wasn’t right but…”

“Gus, you couldn’t know and many people wouldn’t have thought anything of it and by tomorrow it would be a lot worse.” Elliott looked at the three of them, “The three of you should go home and get some sleep. You can come back in…

“I am not going anywhere.  I want to be with him.”

“Gus, you don’t know if Trenton has anything in writing about….”

“He’s not dying is he? You just said…”

“No, it’s just that you are not a blood relative or spouse.  Does he have any family?”

“I’m...we are his only family.” Brinn put her arm around Gus’ shoulders as he said so.

“I know that but I didn’t know if he had anything written down that…. You are fine for tonight and with the last name Kinney most aren’t going to give you any problems.  I just wondered if any decisions needed to be made…”

“El, I’ll look into it in the morning.  I will contact his lawyer and see what he has.  Gus, do you want me to stay?”

“No, Brinn, I’ll be fine. Go home and sleep.  Thanks for coming.” Gus stood and hugged Brinn and Zach and then followed Danny and Elliott down the hall.

Gus heard mumbling in his groggy state. Then he remembered where he was and sat up. Trenton was trying to speak. “Hey, Pen,” Gus kissed his forehead.  “Don’t try to talk right now.  You’re in the hospital.  You had a stroke, but you are going to be fine.  Darling, just try to sleep.”

Trenton tried to say something and finally he pointed to a glass.  Gus put some water in the glass and helped him  sit just enough to take a sip of water.  “Better?” Gus asked as he wiped the water that ran down the side of his face. Gus could see fear in Trenton’s eye. Gus slipped into bed next to Trenton, being careful of his IV and he wrapped his arms around Trent who rested his head on Gus’ shoulder and drifted off to sleep. The next time Gus woke up a nurse was taking Trent’s vitals.  He carefully slipped out of the bed.

“How is he doing?” Gus asked the nurse softly.

“His vitals are strong.  Dr. James will be in later.  They will need to complete some tests to know…”

“Ya, but you have seen….”

“It’s Gus, right?” Gus nodded at the nurse’s question, “I’m not a doctor and every patient reacts differently.  I do know it would have been a lot worse if he hadn’t gotten in here as quick as he had and that is because of you.”  She patted his shoulder and walked out.

Gus heard a noise and turned toward the bed.  Trent was reaching for him.  “I’m right here, Pen.  Elliott will be in soon to talk to you.  He can’t tell me anything because I’m not family.”

Trenton’s left hand wasn’t working but he reached with his right hand and imitated writing.  Gus grabbed some paper and a pen and held it for him as Trent wrote, ‘You have my power of attorney.  Lawyer’s office.’

“Ok, Pen. Brinn was going to check on that today.  We know you’ll be fine but someone might have to sign a couple things for you.”

Trenton nodded and then wrote the word, ‘scared don’t go anywhere’.

“Oh Pen, I won’t go anywhere, I promise.” he leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips.  “Don’t worry about anything.”

Gus stayed at his side until they took him for some tests and that’s when Gus called Shelby.  “Hey Gus, I didn’t expect you to call this morning.  I thought you’d be at work by now.”

“What time is it?”

“Gus, what’s wrong? It’s 9:00.  Why don’t you know that?”

“Shelly, it’s Pen.  He….he had a stroke last night.”

“Oh Gus, how is he? He is…”

“He’s alive.  They are doing tests right now to see how bad the damage is.  Shel, I don’t know what is going to happen to him.  Hopefully he will regain all his mobility but right now...he is going to need help for a while.  I will talk to Danny and see if he knows someone.”

“You could track down Lucky and….”

“That man is not coming near anyone I love. He thinks he has to love them too.”

“I’m not sure if I should be jealous or flattered,” Shelby responded.

“I don’t want either of you to be tempted by him.  Hell, he slept with my dad.” Gus was getting wound up.

“Oh Gussy, calm down.  You are tired.  You know that would never happen.  And he may need some help but he is coming home with us.  He gave up his life for several months when I needed help.  It is the least we can do.  Like I said, we may need a nurse during the day when I am working but you and I will take care of him.”

“Oh Shel, thank you.  It will make him feel so much better.”

“Well, I will be home by dinner.  I’ll text when I am close and either stop at the hospital or find you at home.”

“I love you, Shelby.  Don’t rush but it will be so nice to have you here.”

“I love you, Gus.  Have you called your dads?”

“I plan to do that as soon as we say goodbye.”

“Ok. Don’t worry, darling, it will all be fine.  Overall Trenton is a healthy man.  He will do well.” 

Gus called Brian next.  Justin would be working and he didn’t want to interrupt him.  “Hey Gus, how was the weekend with Trent.  I bet you can barely walk.”

“Dad, Trent’s in the hospital. He had a stroke last night.”

“Oh god, Gus, how bad is it?”

“He definitely has some loss of motion on the left side but El is doing the tests right now to get some baseline readings.  It was so scary, Pops.”

“I’ll call John and see if he can get me…”

“No, Pops.  You belong with Dad on his big night. Shel already said he is coming home with us as long as he needs to.”

“You know women are not my thing but you found one of the best I have ever met.”

“I know, Pops,” Gus yawned.

“You need to get some sleep.” 

“I’ll try after we hear the results.  They should be done in a few minutes. I hope to go home and shower and catch a quick nap but I don’t want to leave him here alone.”

“Gus, your family is always there for you.  Talk to John and Tony or Molly, You know anyone will help you out if they can.”

“I will.  Thanks, Pops. Tell Dad good luck and I miss you both but it has been too long since Dad was around.”

“I will tell him.  He misses you too.  And, Gus?”

“Yes, Pops?”

“If we can help in any way, let us know.  Tell Trenton we are here for him, too.”

“Thanks, Daddy.”

Brian’s heart skipped a beat hearing Gus call him Daddy.  He used to do it on a rare occasion but that was usually something he said to Justin. They had done a good job raising him. They had a right to be proud.”

Elliott found Gus as he said goodbye to Brian.  “Gus, let’s go to my office.  We need to talk.  Brinn sent over the paperwork that allows me to do this.  He has it written that you are his power of attorney and that we can discuss all medical issues with you.” 

Gus slumped in the chair across from Elliott. “Sorry, I am really feeling the lack of sleep.”

“I hope you don’t mind, I told Marcus and he is on his way so he can sit with Trenton so you can go home for a couple hours after we talk about the results.  Trenton has lost quite a bit of his mobility on his right side.  I don’t see any reason that he can’t get it back but it is going to be a long road.  He is going to need someone with him most of the time.  His stability will be off for a while but in most cases the victim regains at least 90% of their motion back.  We can’t guarantee that but I do expect that.  With someone like Pen, I am worried about his state of mind.  He is so successful and independent, this is going to be very difficult for him.”

“He is coming home with us.  He doesn’t know it yet but he will.  Until he can be alone part of the time we will hire someone to be with him at our place.  I will talk to him about it.  When will he be free to go home?”

“If he sleeps well tonight, he will go home tomorrow.”

“If it is alright with you, when Shelby gets home, we will talk to him tonight.  I just think it is best for us to wait for Shel to talk about him coming home with us so he knows Shelby is ready for this.”

“That sounds like a great idea.  It could be two weeks.  It could be two months.  Do you think Shelby is ready for that?”

“Of course she is.  He did the same for us when she was injured.”

Elliott watched Gus walk out of the door.  He really hoped he was right.  Trenton needed to want to come back or it is useless to try and he could see the depression in him. That was a side effect of the stroke but he needed to want to get better.  Would staying with Gus and Shel be a deterrent to getting better?  He hoped Gus knew him well enough to know.

Gus walked into Trenton’s room  and Trent glanced up from a food tray.  Since he was right handed at least he could feed himself and write.  That helped.  He was dealing with the left side of his mouth not working well and a little liquid seeped out. Gus picked up a napkin and wiped his chin but as he did so he saw Trenton flinch.  

“I’m sorry, Pen.  Soon you will be able to do all of this yourself.  I promise.”

Trenton wrote, “Go home.  Sleep.”

“I am, love.  I think Marcus is going to stop by and if you need me he can get in touch and for dinner, Shel will be here with me.”

“Go home?” he wrote on the dry erase board they had now given him.

“Hopefully tomorrow.  We will talk about that all tonight when Shelby is home, alright?”

Trent nodded and wrote, “TIred.”

Gus bent over and kissed him with tenderness.  “You sleep.  You scared the hell out of me last night.  I love you so much, Pen, and I am so glad I told you that before this happened.  I would never want you to think I said it just because of this.  This time he kissed him with enough passion that Trent brought his right arm up around him. 

As they separated, Trenton struggled but managed to say, “I love you, Gus.”  It was stilted but it was obvious what he said. 

By 5:00 pm Gus was back at the hospital and Shelby would be there within the half hour.  Gus had brought along dinner for the three of them.  It would need to be warmed up a bit once Shel was there but he figured Trenton would like something other than  hospital food.  Once Shelby arrived they ate and talked. Trenton understood that he would go home with them whenever he was let out of the hospital and he would stay with them until he was ready to go home.  Although they asked for it, he didn’t give his opinion but maybe that was too much to expect right now.

The next day, Gus was at Trenton’s getting his own clothes as well as some clothes and other items he knew Trenton would want and need. By mid afternoon, Trenton was settling into the downstairs bedroom at Gus and Shelby’s.  It was the same room Shelby used when she was paralized. Gus had helped him into bed and then sat on the bed next to him. He put his arms around Trenton and helped him lean against his shoulder.  ‘Trenton, are you alright with this arrangement? I know it isn’t ideal.”

Trenton nodded but didn’t try to speak.  Tonight he was too tired to press anything.  After a few minutes Trenton shuffled and laid down.  He forced himself to say. “Sleep.” 

“Yes, Pen, sleep and if you need us there is a call button right next to you.  Gus kissed him and as he started to move away, Trenton’s good arm came around Gus’ neck.

“Love you.” Trenton managed to get out.

“I love you, too.”

By Wednesday evening, Justin had finished the setup for the grand opening.  That gave him and Brian Thursday to spend the day in Seattle before the opening on Friday and moving back home on Saturday.  Tony and John planned to come to the opening Friday evening and then they would all fly home on Saturday morning.  Brian and Justin had purchased several pieces of the antique jewelry.  They had plans to give it to the women in their lives.  They had pieces for Brinn, Justice, Taylor, Shelby, and Talia. Justin had also found a piece for Molly.   Justin had also bought a piece that he wanted as an example for a project he was planning for Kevin to work on with him.  He was ready to work on a new project and Kevin was the perfect assistant.

On Friday, Justin waited for Brian to bring him fresh clothes.  There were a couple of fires for him to help put out but by 3:00, he had dealt with everything and he lured Brian into a back room where he got changed for the party. Brian and Justin sat on a small sofa in the back of the room in each other’s embrace. “Tomorrow at this time we will be back at the vineyard.  I am so ready…” Justin was saying when there was a knock on the door.  Expecting Tony and John, Justin called out, “Come in.”  Brian and Justin both stood and looked toward the door as it swung open and then both forgot to breath as a man entered the room. 

Softly, under his breath Brian said, “Dan,” before he dropped back onto the sofa behind him.