Chapter 9

Gus woke up with a very stuffy nose and a cough.  Ronni immediately prepared a honey and lemon drink for him along with some magic herbs.  The honey made it sweet enough for Gus to drink and then he curled up on the sofa with his favorite blanket and watched cartoons until he drifted off. Justin was glad to see James was planning on spending the morning helping Len.  With Brian at work, he liked having someone available to watch him. 

By noon, Brian was back home.  He took Gus upstairs and laid down with him.  After eating lunch with Len, James let Justin know that Len was just going to finish up the trim work and painting and he would be out of there.  At 3:00 they had their Thanksgiving planning meeting.  Tracy had snacks for them and Gus, though looking much more subdued than usual, snuggled on Brian’s lap wrapped in his blanket. Justin’s heart could barely handle the tenderness Brian was showing him.  Aaron was down for a nap so they thought they could talk uninterrupted but just as they started, Len silently appeared.

“Oh, Brian, I didn’t know you were home.” Len commented. “If you would like to see the final product…”

“Justin is in charge of this product.  Anyway, I have more important things to do right now.  My son isn’t feeling well.”

“Ronni, can you get out the household checkbook while I take a quick look.  James knows how much we owe him.”  With that Justin followed Len back up to his studio.  He was impressed.  The installation and cosmetic work around it looked great.  “This looks like a great job, Len.  Thanks.  Do I need to know anything special about the remote?”

“No, I am sure you can figure it out.” They walked back down together and then, before entering the house, Len said, “Oh, the first couple times you use it, there might be a bit of an odor.  You  know how it is with new electrical stuff.  You have to blow away that factor smell.”

“I won’t panic if I smell anything. Let’s get your check and you can be on your way.” Justin said with a smile.

“You seem to be in a hurry to get rid of me.” Len said softly with a threatening undertone to his words.

“Not at all. I just couldn’t see you excited about hanging around now that you have finished the project. I’m sure you are busy with your other job.

“Not so much.  Nothing I can’t deal with. No one seems to realize what I am all capable of but their loss.” With that he entered the house to retrieve his check and then with a nod he left without a word.

Both Emmett and Justin let out a sigh of relief.  “He did a good job?”

“It all looks great and he showed me how to use the remote but James,” Justin said, “don’t hire him again.  I don’t know what it is about him but I don’t trust him.”

“Honey, I totally agree.” Emmett added. “He has a creep factor of 1000. I don’t remember him being like that when he was younger.”

“Well, you have your ventilation system and he has a little cash and now we have a holiday to plan.” Brian stood and laid a now sleeping Gus on the sofa before returning to the table.  

“We are looking at around 20 people, right?” Ronni questioned.

“Well, Mom and Molly and maybe her boyfriend.” Justin stated.

“And Ted and Blake,” Brian added.

“Father Tom.”

Emmett held up his hand, “Wait!  Did you say Father Tom is coming for Thanksgiving?”

“Yes, Em.  He is helping us get Joan ready to move home.” Justin and Brian had decided to play down his paternity until they had real answers.

“As long as Joan the crone isn’t coming.”

“Emmett, you don’t have to worry about that.  I would never have her near the boys that long.” Brian glanced at the sofa to make sure Gus was still sleeping.  “Someday I will tell Gus about the woman who gave birth to me but he will never be exposed to her for any amount of time.”

They covered the remainder of the people coming.  Veronica had a couple friends coming as well as the mystery boyfriend and Tracy had invited a couple of people in her classes that had no place else to go bringing the total between 18 and 20. They decided the meal would be about 1:30 and then people could stay into the evening if they chose to. If it was a nice day they expected to use the hot tub and no matter what they planned to just have a relaxing day.

They spent the next half hour planning the menu and Emmett had said he would take care of snack foods people might like to eat later in the day as the evening went on while Tracy, with the help of Ronni were going to make the turkey and everything else you could imagine to go along with it. 

By the time Emmett and James walked out hand and hand, Brian had Aaron and Gus while Justin went back to send an email with the details they decided on to all their guests. The evening went on quietly.  They had decided Gus would just stay home the next day, Friday. The preschool was closed all next week so that should give Gus lots of time to get over his cold.  

Saturday was very relaxed.  Gus was still under the weather but was satisfied to watch a movie as long as one of the adults was nearby.  Brian heard from Claire and she would come on Sunday to move their mother back home.  That was the best news they all could hear. 

When Gus overheard their conversation he said, “Daddies, can I go say goodbye?”

“Oh, Gus, you are such a sweet boy but since you have a cold it is probably best if you don’t go see her.  You could draw her a picture. Then one of us can bring it out to her before she leaves tomorrow.” Justin tried to redirect  him, not wanting him to talk with her again.

“Ok,” Gus took a deep breath and then coughed a little. “When I saw her she just didn’t seem happy.  I will draw her some flowers.  Flowers make everyone happy.”

“She better love that,” Brian said under his breath.  Brian looked over at Justin and he saw a look in his eye, “Sunshine, go up to your studio for a couple hours.  I can tell you need a little time alone.”

“But it is Saturday.  It’s family day.”

“None of us are going to be slighted if you take a couple hours.”

“I can take Aaron up with me.  He would just sleep.”

“If he is just going to sleep, let him sleep.  If I need help, Tracy and Ronni are around here, too. Now, go!”

“I love you, Brian.” Justin kissed him. He then smiled down at Gus whose head was in his daddy’s lap.  “I love you, too, my Gus.”

“I love you, Daddy J.” 

Justin took the steps two at a time.  He hadn’t realized how much he missed working on a project but life had been too crazy lately to take the time.  He wanted to start thinking about projects for the hospital. He spent an hour with a sketch pad and then he pulled out some paint.  Talking to himself, he said, “I have the ventilation system now, I should use it.”  He pressed the power button on the remote and the system kicked on. Justin pulled out his paints and a canvas. He divided it into several sections.  He decided he would put different techniques in each square.  Damn, Len wasn’t kidding.  It really smelled in here but it didn’t smell the way he expected.  He wasn’t sure what it smelled like but it wasn’t pleasant. He felt a headache coming on and then looked at the clock.  It was time to go see what was in the kitchen for dinner anyway.  He turned the fan off before heading down the steps to the house. He had hoped he was over these horrible headaches. 

“Hey Sunshine, are you alright? You don’t look so good.”

“I’m not sure if it was the smell of the new ventilation system or just happened but I am getting one of my headaches.  I’m going to drink a cup of Ronni’s miracle tea and then I will make dinner.”

“I thought the system was supposed to make it better, not worse.”

“He warned me the first couple times I used it there would be a smell.  You know a lot of new electronics have that smell.  This is just worse.  I am starting to wonder if he got it off the back of a truck.  He looked sneaky the whole time he was here.” Justin made his tea and once he had finished it the headache had gone away. Since Gus wasn’t feeling 100% he pulled out some homemade chicken noodle soup Tracy had made and made garlic bread to go with it. 

As the smell wafted through the kitchen Brian came up behind Justin and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, “Damn, you are so frickin’ sexy.  I hope the boys sleep well tonight. We have some celebrating to do.  As Em says, Joan the crone will be leaving us.”

As Justin dished up the soup Brian got the boys to the table. It was a subdued dinner with Gus on the quiet side.  Aaron kept a running chatter going when he didn’t have food in his mouth which eventually got them all laughing. After dinner Brian took Gus upstairs and put him in the big bathtub in his and Justin’s bathroom. After they put some herbs in the water that Ronni put together for them, Gus relaxed and his stuffy nose cleared up some.

“Daddy?” Gus looked at Brian.

“Yes, son?”

“The lady in the little house, are we related to her?”

Brian hesitated, not wanting to lie to him.  “Why do you ask that, Gus?”

“I wasn’t trying to listen but I heard Uncle Em and Ronni talking.  They said she is your mama.”

“Well, Gus, I wouldn’t call her my mama but yes, she is my mother.” Brian saw the confused look on his face. “It is hard to understand but remember when you said she wasn’t very happy?” Gus nodded.  “Well, she wasn’t very happy when I was your age either. She just wasn’t the kind of person that gave hugs and kisses.”

“She never gave you hugs or kisses?” Gus looked up at Brian.  

Brian swallowed hard, “I guess….” he thought for a moment, “No, she never did.”

“Not even when you got hurt or had a bad dream?”  Neither Brian or Gus saw Justin walk into the bathroom.

“No, I don’t think she did,” Brian said softly.

“I’m sorry, Daddy.  Mommies and Daddies should always give hugs and kisses.” Gus went silent for a moment and then he looked up at Brian’s face. Brian’s face had gone somber as he thought about his own childhood. Gus carefully stood up and then without restraint, threw his arms around Brian’s neck. “I am always here to give you a hug and a kiss.”

Justin saw the tears begin to run down Brian’s face.  Brian hugged his son hard as the tears dripped from his face to Gus’ wet body. Justin walked over and picking up a towel wrapped it around Gus, taking him from Brian. “Let’s get you ready for bed, son.” Justin took a moment to put his hand on Brian’s cheek and with his thumb wiped away the tears and mouthed, ‘I love you’. 

Justin helped Gus into his pajamas and then into bed. “Daddy J. did you know that Daddy never got hugs and kisses?”

“I did.”

“I know Grandma Jenn gives good hugs and kisses.”

Justin smiled, “Yes, she does. I always knew she loved me.”

“Why was that lady so mean to Daddy.  Moms are supposed to take care of their kids.”

“Yes, they are, Gus.” Justin kissed Gus and hugged him. “You need to get some sleep, Gus.”

“Daddy J., will you take care of Daddy? I think he needs someone to take care of him.”

“As soon as you fall asleep I will take care of him.”

“I can fall asleep by myself. Goodnight.” 

“Goodnight, Gus. We both love you so much.”

“I know that.  You always give me hugs.”

Justin turned on the night light and turned off the light as he pulled the door shut. He was worried about Brian.  He rushed back to their bedroom.  Brian sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. Justin sat down next to him and wrapped his arms around Brian.  Brian turned into the embrace and wept. It was several minutes before Brian pulled himself together. “Damn, that kid just got to me.  How did I ever get a kid that sweet?”

“I am guessing he takes after his father who takes after his father.” Justin took his shirt sleeve and wiped Brian’s cheeks and then kissed each cheek. He then tugged at Brian’s shirt and pulled it off over his head. Justin ran his hands up Brian’s chest and then his mouth grazed several spots before Brian pulled Justin’s shirt off. Soon they were both naked and Justin had Brian lay on his stomach and then with great restraint, Justin began massaging first his shoulders and then began working his way down Brian’s spine.  As his hands moved lower he also left a trail of kisses and as he got to Brian’s lower back he placed a kiss at the base of his spine and then his tongue continued its path until he had worked it down to the one spot that Justin first slipped his tongue in but then replaced it with his finger and as he began to stroke Brian’s prostate, Brian sighed as his body tensed and then an uncontrollable shiver ran through him.

Justin moved and laid on top of Brian’s back and linked his hands with Brian’s.  He placed his mouth next to Brian’s ear and softly said, “You will never be without love.  There will always be at least three of us who will always be here to give you hugs and kisses.”

Brian moved and Justin laid on his back on the mattress.  Brian positioned Justin’s ankles on his shoulders and as he moved into position and then entered Justin he began to move slowly, in and out. Brian began to speak as he moved in and out. “I didn’t know what love was until you came into my life and showed me.” With that, Brian drove in one last time and they both climaxed and then Brian dropped onto him positioning himself with his head on Justin’s chest and then he just said, “Will you hug me? Just hug me?”

“I will hug you the rest of your life.” Justin held him tight and soon they both drifted off to sleep.

Sunday morning, Gus felt a bit better and immediately started working on his picture for the woman he now knew was his grandmother.  When he finished he went to play with his cars and Brian and Justin looked at the picture. The picture included a small yellow hair figure, a little bigger dark haired figure, and then figures that had to be Brian and Justin.  It was obvious it was a picture of the family.

Brian softly said, “Do we give it to her? She will probably just throw it away.”

“I’ll go bring it to her.  I don’t want him to see her toss it if she does. Tracy is out there helping her pack up right now so maybe she will be a little tolerable.” Before leaving Justin hugged Brian tightly and whispered, “I’ll always be here to hug you.”

Brian hugged him possessively.  “Damn, I am so lucky. I maybe put up with her for 16 years but I get to have you for 60.” Before he let him go he kissed Justin.  “Hurry back.  I was thinking we could go out for lunch so we aren’t here when she leaves and then I insist you take time to work in your studio.  I already talked to Tracy and she is available if I need her so you should have a nice chunk of time up there.”

“I love you, Brian Kinney.” Justin kissed him once more and was out the door.

Justin didn’t rush to the pool house.  He took a couple deep breaths of the crisp air.  He was working out what he was going to say because he needed to take one more shot at getting information from her. He would do anything to find the answers for Brian.

Justin knocked but when he didn’t hear a response he entered the pool house. Joan walked out of the bedroom, “Oh, thought it would be Claire.”

“I have something for you.  Gus wanted to make you a going away gift.”

“A gift?”

“He drew you a picture,” he said as he handed it to her.  He had folded it in half and placed a picture he had printed off of Brian and the boys along with it. She actually looked at it longer than he expected her to.”

“I suppose you are going to ask about Kevin again.”

“Joan, Brian just wants to know about his biological father.  Does he have health issues we should worry about?  If not for him, Gus should be able to know who his grandfather is.  Brian looks like him, doesn’t he? Anna Claire called him Kevin more than once.  I am not making any judgements.  I just know the feelings I have for my boys and I want everything possible for them and with Gus part of that is knowing who he is actually related to.”

“I don’t think…”

“I don’t believe that.  I think you ‘think’ about your past all the time and from what I can tell, your eternal soul is also important to you and, although I wasn’t raised Catholic, I am fairly sure you need to confess your sins to know you’ll go to heaven.   Maybe you should call about a confession.”

Justin moved to the door and as he turned the knob he glanced at her once more. “You never know when another stroke might come.”

“STOP!” Joan shouted.  Tracy came out of the bedroom to check on both of them. Joan continued, “You make a good match for him. He always thought he could pull the wool over someone’s eyes but he can’t do that with you.”

“He doesn’t have to.  He just tells me the truth in the first place. I won’t judge him for his decision.” She glared at him and Justin continued in a softer tone.  “Joan, he is your flesh and blood.  He may have been unexpected but you have an obligation…”

“I have no idea where Kevin Taylor ended up.  If he is still alive, he is likely still giving communion.” She looked carefully at Justin and took another breath, “Brian is a lot like him.  Everything he did seemed to thrive.  Brian was probably the only failure he ever had.”

“Joan, he wasn’t the failure.  You were.” Justin could hardly control his impulse to run back to Brian.

Joan watched Justin walk away and then turned to Tracy, “Can you believe how he spoke to me?”

Tracy looked over at her and with no change of expression she said, “He told you the truth, whether you wanted to hear it or not.  I don’t know the whole story but Brian had absolutely nothing to do with being born.  I would say you have tried to place the blame on everyone except the one that should be blamed.  You!” With that Tracy picked up her jacket and walked to the door. “Everything is packed.  The grandsons you claim should be able to carry everything for you in a couple trips.”

When Justin walked into the house both Aaron and Gus were crying.  “Which one should I take?” 

Brian handed Aaron to him. “He fell trying to pull himself up and barely bumped his head on one of Gus’ blocks.  The fall scared him and,” he picked Gus up and held him tight, “Gus, Aaron is fine.  He just got scared.”

“But it was my toy that made him cry.”

“No, sweet boy, he was just startled in the fall.” Both men nurtured a son until both drifted off to sleep. Gus laid on the sofa and Aaron was in his play pen sound asleep.

“I think maybe today isn’t the best day to go out for lunch.  How about we heat up some of the amazing mac and cheese that Tracy made and we can have lunch up in the studio so if Claire stops by to complain it will look like we are gone,” Justin suggested to Brian.

“I think that is a great idea. I really don’t want to have to deal with either of them today.” Brian pulled Justin into his arms and together they walked to the sectional and sat on the opposite end from Gus. “You know your time is always perfect.”

“I don’t know about that but…” Justin was interrupted when Brian’s mouth came down on his. “Brian, I…” Another kiss. “But I was going…” finally Justin gave in and relaxed against Brian’s strong chest and after a few more kisses they both had dozed off.  They both hadn’t realized how much stress they had been under and just knowing Joan was leaving they could feel some of the pressure lifting.

Justin woke to Gus crawling onto his lap. “Daddy J., Baby Aaron is ok, isn’t he?”

“Oh sure he is.  Do you want to stay snuggled with Daddy or do you want to help me get lunch started?”

“My nose is snuffy. I hate that.  I talk funny.” 

Justin had stood and took Gus with him, hoping Brian would continue to sleep. “Would you like some of Ronni’s tea?”

“Not too hot.”

“Of course not.” Justin set him down on the counter dropping a kiss on the little boy’s nose.

“Daddy J, did you go see the lady?”

“I did.” Justin dropped an ice cube in the sippy cup of tea he had made and drizzled some honey in it. “This should be just right for you to drink.”

“Thank you, Daddy J. Did she like my picture?”

“Oh, how could she not like it!  You did such a good job coloring it.”

“Did she say that?”

“Oh, Gussy, you know she isn’t a happy lady but I could tell she liked it, even if she didn’t say it.”

“What’s going on over here without me?”

“I have a snuffy nose, Daddy, but Ronni’s tea is making it better.” 

Brian wrapped an arm around his son and smiled, “I’m glad.  I think your cold is getting a little better every day.  By Thanksgiving it should be all better.”

Aaron woke up and the four of them slipped upstairs just as they saw Peter walk into the pool area.  Brian had told Claire they wouldn’t be around so they hoped no one came to the door. They allowed Gus a treat and let him have a little soda with his lunch and Aaron loved eating the cheesy pasta with his hands. 

After they had eaten Brian looked at the vent that Len had put in.  “I have no idea what it is supposed to look like but he did a neat job.” Brian stopped talking as he watched his mother, who was using a walker, and his sister making  their way out of the backyard.  “At least now if the boys come up here with you I know you can turn on the ventilation system so the odors won’t affect any of you.”

“I just hope that whatever that scent was it goes away quickly.  I think if I come up later today, I will open the window and turn on the vent.  That should burn off whatever is in the system and give me fresh air at the same time but since the boys had a long morning nap they may not want to sleep for a while.  Maybe I will come up after Aaron has gone down for the night.  I can then work from 7:30 or so until whenever.

Brian received a text from Claire whining about their mother before the end of the afternoon and Brian reminded her she had been staying with them almost two months and if he was helping with the bills she was in charge of the crone. The rest of the day was just spent hanging out with the boys.  

Ronni arrived at the house in time to make dinner for them.  She had spent the day with Emmett and James as well as her boyfriend but she had not brought him to the main house yet. As she worked in the kitchen Brian walked over and as she reached into the bowl of pudding to stick his finger into it, he tried to coax more information out of her but other than telling him to get out of her food, she was tight lipped.

Justin smiled over at the two of them, “Ronni, you are allowed to have your secrets but please promise you won’t leave us without giving us a head’s up.”

“Justin, even if this man and I, well, come to an agreement, I will not be giving up my job.  But I promise, we are not at that point just yet.”

“Well, you know he is welcome to, um, have breakfast here, too.” Justin glanced at the always alert Gus.

“Thank you, Justin.  In case we end up here, for breakfast, I will let him know he is welcome.”

After the meal, Justin made sure Aaron was settled in for the evening and Gus sat on Brian’s lap getting a story read to him as he drifted in and out of sleep.  Justin dropped a kiss on the top of Gus’ head and then Brian’s.  He brought his mouth to Brian’s ear and said softly, “Do you want me to wake you up when I come to bed?”

“I will be leaving early for a meeting,” Brian said gently.

“I’ll try not to wake you then.” They kissed once more and Justin went up to the studio.

Justin had grabbed an old sweatshirt and put it on before he opened the window and then turned on the ventilation.  Justin got out a large canvas and oil paints. Ever since seeing Brian so broken yesterday he felt there was a painting he just needed to produce. He planned to leave facial details out because Brian felt like a nobody so he would leave that as a blur.  Justin couldn’t believe he could still smell that unit but with the window open it wasn’t bad and at some point it got just too cold to keep the window open.  Justin shut it and went back to his work.  

Sometime later he wasn’t sure what time it was. He was surprised the painting had come along so far but it wasn’t the first time he lost track of time while he painted but then he realized his head was pounding and when he tried to stand he fell to the floor.  Why was he so dizzy? What time was it? He should get to Brian.  He….  Justin lost his fight to stay continuous.

Brian reached for Justin but he wasn’t there.  He looked at the clock and saw it was 2:12 a.m.  He laid there for a while, wanting Justin to come to bed. He wanted him right now. As he lay there he realized he never had heard what his mother had said to Justin. He tried calling Justin but he didn’t answer which meant one of two things, Justin had gone to sleep on the sofa up there or he was in the middle of a painting and he was in his own little world. When he was still awake at 3:00 and Justin hadn’t arrived yet he got up and slipped on his robe.  He went down the stairs and then up above the garage.  He decided as he walked he would see if it was possible to put a connector in somehow between the studio and the house so there wouldn’t be a need to go down and back up.

As he approached the door to the studio he could hear music playing but he also thought he smelled something. He opened the door quietly not wanting to scare him awake if he was just sleeping. He looked at the sofa first and when it was empty, he looked toward the corner and then he saw him.  Justin lay on the floor with a small trickle of blood under his head. His skin was red, far redder than a sunburn.

“Christ, Justin! Sunshine, can you hear me?” Brian smelled something.  He wasn’t sure what it was but it wasn’t the smell of something electrical.  He quickly opened a window but he couldn’t see the remote to turn off the fan. He checked Justin for a pulse and he found one but it seemed erratic. He hadn’t taken his own phone with him but Justin’s was here somewhere.  He found it and quickly first called 911 and then he called Ronni.  The next several minutes were a blur.  Ronni arrived and took charge.  She opened a couple more windows as Brian rested Justin’s head in his lap.

“Ronni, go direct the ambulance.  They will never…”

“Tracy is watching for them.  I woke her before I rushed up.  Do you know what that smell is?”  Brian didn’t hear her.

“Brian! Do you know what that smell is?”

“No, I should have checked.  He told me it smelled.  Why the hell didn’t I check?” Justin groaned. “Oh, Justin, the ambulance is on the way.  Come on, hang in there.”

“Cold,” he said softly. “So cold and my head…”

“Oh, darling,” Brian kissed him.  “Can you take a deep breath?” 

After that everything was a blur.  A police officer entered and Ronni told him about the new system and the smell. The paramedics arrived and took Justin out with Brian right behind him.  

“Boys, who will watch the boys?” Justin managed to say just as they pushed him out of the house.

“Tracy and Ronni will take care of the boys.  Don’t worry about them.”  Brian said as he got in the back with Justin along with one of the paramedics and the other shut the doors and then drove the ambulance. Brian didn’t even notice when the lights and sirens were started.

By the time they pulled into the hospital and Justin was removed the paramedic put a hand on Brian’s arm,  “He seems strong. And his breathing has gotten stronger. You will need to stop at the desk and answer some questions.”

It was about an hour later when Brian felt a hand on his arm.  He looked up and saw Ted. “How did you…”

“Ronni called James and Emmett and Em called me. Any word?”

“No, I was about to…”

“Blake is trying to find out what is happening. Em said something about poison gas? Sounds like he and James may have been drinking last night.”

“I don’t know about the drinking but something smelled horrible up there. I don’t know what it was but I was only in there for a few minutes and I still have a headache.”

“Emmett said there were detectives there checking things out.” He looked up and saw Blake coming over.

“Well?” Brian asked.

“The nurse couldn’t tell me anything but said someone would be here within ten minutes.”

“Oh, shit, Jenn!  I didn’t call Jenn!” 

“I’ll call her,” Ted took Justin’s phone out of Brian’s hand but before he could call her, Jenn rushed over with Molly behind her. 

“Brian, what happened? What’s going on?”

Before Brian could answer Jenn, a doctor walked up.  “You are with Justin Taylor?”

“This is his mother and I’m his partner.”

“Well, Justin is  stable.  If he had been in there any longer he probably wouldn’t be alive now.”

“So he is going to be alright?”

“If he hadn’t had his head injury I would say he will be fine but there is still a slight chance that he could have some side effects but I think he will be fine in a couple days.”

“What kind of side effects?”

“Well, he has a history of headaches and seizures. Something like this could have done some damage to his already damaged brain.  We will know within 24 hours I think.”

“Do you have any idea what it was?”

“The police called us with their information but I am not allowed to say anything at this time. If the two of you would like to come with me, I’ll bring you to see him.”

Brian glanced at Ted and Ted said, “I’ll call the house.  Go be with Justin.”

With that, Brian took Jenn’s arm and Molly walked behind them as they followed a nurse into a hallway. “What happened Brian?  Emmett just called and told me to meet you here.  What happened to Justin?”

“Someone tried to kill him!” was all he said before they were shown behind a curtain, where Justin lay on an exam table.

Molly and Jenn went to one side while Brian went to the other side but he didn’t say anything.  He just took Justin’s hand with one hand and brushed Justin’s hair off his forehead with the other.

Jenn bent down and kissed his cheek. “Oh, Justin, what happened?  Brian said someone tried to kill you.”

“Mom, I’m alright.  Brian found me and got help right away.”

“Justin, do you have a fever? Your face is all red.”  Molly said as she stood next to her mom. 

Justin reached out to her and she gave him a hug the best she could.  He had an IV in one arm but with the other he hugged her tight. “Molly, I’m fine.  Don’t look so worried. The skin color is from some of the medication they gave me.”

“But you just said someone tried to kill you! Why would anyone want to do that?”

“Well, I’m not sure why but we know who.”

“And I’m going to kill him,” Brian said it so softly no one was sure if he actually said it.

Justin reached up and pulled on Brian’s jacket until Brian bent down.  Forehead to forehead, Justin softly said, “I love you.”

“This is my fault.  I’m not sure how, but it is. You told me there was something weird and…”

“No, it isn’t your fault.” Justin kissed him lightly and then sighed. “I have a major headache.”

A nurse walked in, “We have a room for Mr. Taylor.  If you can give us a half hour, we will get him settled and then you can spend as much time as you want with him.”

“Mom, please go on with your day.  I am fine and Brian will call you once we know when they are letting me go home.  I was hoping that would be about now.”

“Mr. Taylor, the doctor said you will need to stay at least 24 hours.  Because of your head injury, we need to keep an eye on you.”

“My head is…” Justin started to sit up but immediately dropped back down.

“You are not going anywhere, young man, until the doctor says you can,” Jenn said sternly. 

The attendants arrived and moved Justin onto a gurney.  The nurse looked at Brian, “I’ll let you know when you can come up and be with him.”

“Brian, what is going on? Who did this?”

“I think the ventilation system we had put in was sabotaged. Jenn, can you stay? I need to go back to the house.  I need to check on the boys and…”

“Of course I’ll stay but Brian, don’t do anything stupid.” Jenn looked at Molly.  “Molly, why don’t you go home with Brian.  The boys will need a distraction.”

“Molly, that actually would be really nice.  Are you willing to come along?”

“Oh, yes. I know I can’t do anything to help Justin but I can help with the boys.”

“And that will help your brother, knowing someone is giving them extra care.” Jenn hugged her daughter and then Brian. “Doing something stupid won’t help Justin.”

They walked to the waiting room and over to Ted and Blake. Brian put a hand on Molly’s shoulder and then realized, “I don’t have a car here.”

“You can take mine but the tank…”

“Brian, take mine.  It’s the company car.  Blake and I drove separately, realizing something like this might happen.  Justin is alright?”

“He should be fine.  I am running home and Jenn is staying with him until I get back.”

“Don’t worry about the office.  I will be there on time,”  Ted said and with that they all went their own way.

Molly didn’t try to talk to Brian until they were almost to the house.  “Brian?” she said tentatively.

“Yes, Molly?”

“Who tried to kill Justin? And why?”

“I think I know who but I don’t know why and I plan to find out!”

There were a couple police cars in front of the house when Molly and Brian got there. The boys were just waking so Molly went upstairs to help Ronni. Brian was going to go up to the studio but an officer stopped him. 

“You will let me pass if you know what’s good for you.”

“Sir, I don’t know who you are but I was told…”

“Let him up,” a voice came from above.  The young man stepped aside and Brian took the steps two at a time. 

James and Emmett were up there with a man in a suit and a couple of techs looked at the ventilation system which had been taken apart. “Brian Kinney, this is Detective Grey. He is investigating…. Oh, Brian, I am so sorry I brought that man into this house.”

Emmett gave Brian a look that dared him to be angry with James.  “James, it is not your fault.  How would you know the man was unstable.”

“Where does he live? I want to…”

Detective Grey interrupted, “He is in custody. We picked him up on the edge of town.”

“On the edge of what town?”

“Brian, honey, he was just a couple miles from here.  It was like he was waiting for something to happen.  He had to have seen the ambulance go past.”

“Gentlemen, let’s go downstairs so the techs can finish their work without us in the way.” Once they were in the great room, Emmett went over to the kitchen area and started a pot of coffee. James followed him like a lost puppy. “Mr. Augustin has been very helpful.  He is the reason we found the suspect so quickly.”

“Do you know what he did? How he did it?”

“I’m not going to guess without results but they definitely found a canister of some kind of aerosol in the system.”

Emmett brought coffee over to the detective and Brian. As Brian took a sip he heard small footsteps and then he saw Gus rushing toward him.  He quickly set the cup down and caught Gus as he flew into his lap. 

“Daddy, I didn’t think you would be home anymore.  I thought you would be on your way to work.  My cold is getting better.  I’m just a little snuffy this morning.”

“I’m so glad to hear that, Gus.”

“Where’s Daddy J.?” Gus started looking around.

“Gus, this is Detective Grey.” Brian said and Gus instantly got shy.  He tucked his head under Brian’s arm.  He was about to apologize to Detective Grey but the smile on his face let him know he understood.

“Gus, why don’t I help you get you some breakfast,” Molly walked over and picked him up off of Brian’s lap.

“Daddy, you didn’t tell me Aunt Molly was coming today.” Gus said over Molly’s shoulder as she walked away.  At the same moment Ronni walked over and dropped Aaron into Brian’s lap.

“You have a busy household.” 

Brian responded to the detective, “The big one is Gus and this is Aaron.”

“Gus is definitely yours. Does this one favor Justin?”

“Yes, both our boys are biologically related to us.” Brian held onto Aaron a little too tightly and he started to squirm and out of somewhere arms came down and Aaron was swept away for breakfast. “I have a lot of great help obviously.”

“I can see that. Mr. Kinney, is there someplace a little less, um, active to talk.”

Brian stood and, picking up his cup of coffee and the carafe with more in it he walked toward his office.  The detective followed him.

Once they had both settled into a chair on either side of Brian’s desk the detective continued, “Do you know this Len? Do you have any idea why he would have done this?”

“Grey, I have a history.”

“I don’t expect you to remember me but we have met before.  I did some investigation on Justin’s case and was in charge of digging into your history so I know your history.  This Len was one of….”

“He was one of my fuck boys, not that I knew him well.  We probably hooked up in the backroom a few times and I think he came home with me once but that never happened more than that.  Justin was about the only one that came home more than once. I don’t want to be rude but I am going to need to get back to the hospital pretty soon and I am going to have to tell Gus something.”

“I understand Justin will be alright.”

“Unless he isn’t. What is normal for most isn’t for him anymore, not after his head injury. If all is good for 24 hours he should be alright.”

“I’ll let you go.  I have your number from your friends and I will be in touch soon.”

“What can he be charged with? He tried to kill Justin.”

“Brian, I can’t say anything yet and findings will be passed on to the district attorney if it comes to that.”  He saw the tenseness on Brian’s face and stated, “You will have to trust us.  I promise to make sure everything is looked at. Justin deserves that.  I can see the two of you have a beautiful life here and you have both been through enough.”

By the time Brian had taken a quick shower and came downstairs, he knew he had to talk to Gus before he left but as he entered the great room, Gus ran up to him, “Daddy, are you going to go see Daddy J.? Aunt Molly said Daddy had a bad headache but he would be back tomorrow.”

Brian smiled at Molly, “Yes, I am going to go spend the day with him.  Is that alright with you?”

“Sure, I will help with Aaron.  Give Daddy J a big hug from me.  I know you’ll give him a kiss. You kiss him a lot.”

“I will try to be back in time to tuck you into bed tonight, alright?”

“Ok, but I understand if you need to stay later.”

As Brian drove away he had mixed emotions.  He hated leaving the boys but it was obvious they were well taken care of and he needed to see that Justin was alright.  He wasn’t sure why but he felt like he needed to get back there.  He was about ten minutes from the hospital when Jennifer called him.

“Brian, where are you?” Although she was trying to sound natural Brian could tell something was going on.

“Jenn, what is it? I’m nearly to the hospital,” Brian floored the gas pedal.

“Justin had a seizure.”

“And?”

“They can’t get it to stop.”