Chapter 6

The remainder of their days had a pattern to them.  The boys still spent time in the barn but sometimes, with permission and with the walkies, they would go pick berries or just skirt the edge of the treeline.  The one thing Gus hadn’t told his dads was he had found a spot where his phone could text.  It wasn’t strong enough to make a call but he could usually get a text out so now they were picking berries everyday.

They only had a few more days left of their vacation.  It was Wednesday and they were scheduled to fly out on Saturday.  Aiden really didn’t want to go get berries again.  All Gus did was text someone on his phone.  “Gus, can’t we go to the barn today.  I want to play in our fort.”

“Aiden, if you go to the berry patch today I promise tomorrow and Friday we will play in the fort.”

“Ok, I’ll get us water while you tell our dads.”  Aiden pulled out his backpack and put some empty containers in it for the berries and a couple bottles of water. He slipped his backpack on as Gus came into the kitchen.  “You promise we can play in the barn fort for the next two days?”

Gus grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and replied, “I promise,” Gus knew Cass was going to be busy the next couple days.

“And, Gus, I already have a bottle of water for you.”

“Oh, well, it is warm out today. Maybe we will need extra. Are you ready?” Gus asked as he picked up the two walkies, one for each of them. He tucked one in Aiden’s backpack and clipped the other one to his waistband.

“Is GC coming with us?” Aiden asked.

“You know he doesn’t like it there. He is always trying to chase something,” he saw Aiden’s disappointment and continued, “but if he wants to come, he can.”

“Thanks, Gus.  You’re the best big brother. Come on, GC.  Do you want to come hiking with us?”

GC, came over and darted around the boys.  He knew where they were heading once they started in the direction of the patch. As they walked and talked about going home in a few days, GC moved ahead of the boys and then he was behind them treeing a squirrel. Soon they arrived and Gus sat on top of the small boulder that was the perfect sport for reception and texted Cass.

Aiden had become comfortable here.  Yes, he would have preferred to stay at the barn but with GC around to play it was fun.  He started filling his berry containers. He also bobbed in and out of the treeline with GC, exploring the terrain.

‘Hey Cass, you there?’ moments later his phone pinged.

‘Gus, how is my gorgeous man?’

Gus took a picture of Aiden, playing with GC on the edge of the woods and sent it to Cass saying, ‘I’m good. Aid loves it here. Guess I like it too but miss you’

‘Aid is so cute. I miss you, too’  And their conversation continued.

“GC, where are you?” Aiden said and then he heard the yip and GC was running circles around him. “Let’s see if there are any strawberries over here.” Aiden went to the side where there were usually strawberries.  He took off his backpack and soon he had the container full.  Aiden noticed GC was panting and was sitting down. “Gus, can you call GC over to you? He is tired and needs to rest awhile.”  Even at Aiden’s age he knew GC was getting to be an old dog.  He was a lot older than he was.

“GC, come.” Gus called and he waved at Aiden before he went right back to texting as Aiden went to the other side where there were blackberries.  

‘Will you be around on the Fourth? Can you come to my dads?’

‘Are you sure that is a good idea? I mean with the age difference’

‘My dads are ok about it’

‘And your moms?’

‘Well, not sure there.  Don’t think they will be there.’ Gus glanced down and saw GC sound asleep in the shade of the rock. ‘i  miss talking to you, Cass.  I miss touching you’

‘I miss your touch, too’ And the texting continued.

Aiden had one more container to fill and he saw a whole row of berry bushes.  When he got closer he realized they weren’t berries.  He wasn’t sure what kind of fruit they were but they looked good.  He followed the bushes until his last container was full.  As he put the last container into his bag, he sat down on an old fallen tree and took a swallow of water before putting the bottle back in his bag.  He looked around and wasn’t exactly sure where he was but he couldn’t be far from Gus.  He decided he would just relax here for a few minutes before going back to GC and Gus.

‘Phones dying. Have fun with your family. Can’t wait to see you when you get back to Pittsburgh’

‘I’ll text when I get back.’  She sent a couple pictures. One of her smiling and one blowing a kiss.

God, she was so beautiful.  He slid off the rock and patted GC’s head.  “Hey, boy, are you ready to head back?” Gus poured a little of his water into his cupped hand and GC lapped it up while Gus took a swallow himself.

He stood and stretched, “Hey Aid, you ready to…” he stopped talking as he scanned the meadow. He didn’t see him anywhere.   “Come on, Aiden, where are you? It’s time to head back to the cabin.” By now Gus was standing in the middle of the field and was looking along the tree line. “Aiden!  This isn’t funny, bro.  I need to know where you are.”

Gus was getting a little nervous now, “Aiden, I’m not joking where are you?” Gus continued to look.  “GC, where’s Aiden? Go find Aiden.”  Gus felt his stomach move up to his heart.  He could hardly breath.   “Come on, Aiden, I’m not mad, yet, but I need to know where you are!”

After a couple more minutes, Gus realized Aiden had a walkie talkie and so did Aiden, “Aiden, hey bro, where are you, over.”  He knew Aiden thought it was fun when you said over at the end but there was no response.  “Please, Aid, call me!” By now Gus was panicking.  He was fairly sure Aiden’s walkie was turned off but if he was really lost he would call soon, when he realized he was alone.  Shit, what had he done? How long had he been texting with Cass? How long had it been since Aiden had sent GC over to him.   He should have paid attention. 

“Maybe he headed back to the cabin,” Gus said out loud.  Should he go back and find out or should he call his dads on the walkies?

Brian and Justin lay in their bed, “I have gotten used to this afternoon sex,” Brian said as he ran his fingers through Justin’s blonde locks.

“Well, your office is just around the corner from mine.  Maybe we should start scheduling a nooner at least once or twice a week.”  Justin’s teeth gently closed down on Brian’s nipple.

“Damn, I like the way you think.  Do you think we could put the bed back in the old steam room?” 

Justin hadn’t attended the bathes very often but in his office, formerly Brian’s, it was obvious what the space had been previously?  “I don’t need the meeting room in the back.  I rarely use it so I don’t know why we couldn’t put something in there.  Maybe I could buy a Murphy bed.  Damn, I like that idea.”  Justin moved back up so their lips could meet.  “I don’t know why but I have an uneasy feeling all of the sudden.  It’s probably just because I don’t want to leave on Saturday.  We better get up.  The boys could be back any minute.”

Just as they got out of bed and moved toward the bath for a quick shower, the walkie talkie on the nightstand made a squawk.  “Dads, are you there? Please be there?” it was obvious from the sound of Gus’ voice something was wrong.

“Gus, we’re here.  What is it?”

“Is Aiden with you?”

“No, he is with you, isn’t he?”

“I was hoping he walked back to the cabin.  He was here and then he wasn’t.  GC doesn’t seem to know where he is either.”

By now Justin had tossed the walkie to Brian and he was almost dressed.  “Stay here in case he comes back here.  I am going to find Gus and Aiden.  I will call you.” And with that Justin was out of the room.

“Gus, stay put.  Justin is on his way.  I’m staying here and will look around out here.  Does Aiden have a walkie?”

“He does,” Gus took a deep shaky breath.  “I tried calling him but I don’t think it is on.  He knows how to use it.  Why hasn’t he used it yet? Do you think he is hurt? Oh, Dad, I am so sorry.  I don’t know where….” Gus was now losing his composure completely.

“Gus, Aiden will call as soon as he realizes he has wandered off.  He is a smart boy.”

“God, Dad, it’s all my fault.  I should have watched him closer.  Oh, I need to find him!” 

“Gus, calm down.  Justin will be there in a minute.  As soon as  he gets there I will put search and rescue on alert.”

“Gus,” Gus heard Justin call for him and GC ran to meet Justin as he approached. “AIDEN!” Justin made it to Gus and put his hands on his shoulders looking at him, directly in the eye. “Gus, what happened? Where did you last see him?”

“He was just walking around picking berries and then he decided GC looked tired so GC came and fell asleep by the boulder over there where I was just hanging out but then I looked away for a couple minutes and he was gone. Oh, god, I’m so sorry, Dad.”

“He has to be around here. AIDEN!” Justin was trying to remain calm.  “You call your dad and tell him to call a search team.  I am going to start looking.  Where did you see him last?”

“You know him. He never stays still.  I think the last place he was was over there.” Gus pointed and Justin was on his way to the far corner.  “Dad, you there?”

Brian’s voice came over the walkie, “Yes, Gus.”

“Dad says to call for help.” Gus’ voice cracked as he said it.

“Ok, Gus.  He’s a smart kid, we’ll find him and he will be alright.” Brian rushed to the emergency radio that they always kept in the cabin.  After he was assured help was on the way, Brian went out and started looking around the area, calling Aiden’s name.

Aiden woke up and for a minute he was confused as to where he was.  Then he remembered the weird fruit he had found and how tired he had been so he took a nap.  He sat up and looked around.  He didn’t know where he was and when he stood up and looked for anything familiar, he realized he didn’t recognize anything. “Gus!” Aiden yelled as loud as he could but he didn’t hear a response.  “GC, come here, boy!  Where are you, GC?” He looked around and his bottom lip began to quiver.  “I think I got myself lost.” 

Aiden started walking.  He wasn’t sure what way to go but he walked past all the weird fruit and then kept walking, hoping he would find something that looked familiar.  Had he seen that tree before?  All of the sudden he saw some movement.  It was GC.  “GC? Where’d you go, GC?”  Aiden ran after him.

Soon, Aiden had to stop.  He realized he was definitely in thicker woods than he was earlier.  He was hungry and he was thirsty and he was scared. He sat down on a large branch and took off the bag.  He drank a little water and opened one of the containers and ate some berries.  That was when he saw the walkie talkie.  He pulled it out and turned it on, “Gus, are you there? I’m lost.”

Brian heard the walkie crackle.  “Hello! Aiden?”  

There was a lot more static.  He heard Aiden’s voice, “Big Daddy…...lost….scare….”

He couldn’t hear all of Aiden’s words but his little boy knew he was lost and he was scared. “Aiden, we will find you.  We are looking for you.  We love you.”

Aiden heard Brian’s voice for a couple seconds.  He heard looking and love.  He wasn’t sure where he was going but he got up and started to wander, hoping to find an open area.

Brian called for Gus and Justin on the walkies, “You there? Did you hear him?”

Justin’s voice came on, “Did you hear him?”

“Yes, but only for a couple words.  He must be on the edge of reception.”

“Where is he?” Justin asked.  “Did he tell you what he sees?”  As Justin talked Gus paced back and forth with GC. Gus couldn’t listen to his dads’ pain, knowing it was all his fault.

“Sunshine, I only got a couple words.  I told him we were looking.  I told him we loved him but I don’t know if he heard me.”

“Oh god, Brian, he’s really lost.  It’s almost dinner time and it is time for his medication. I need to go find him!”

“Hang in there.  The search team should be here any minute and then I will come out and meet you.  Maybe send Gus back to the cabin.  He can wait here in case Aiden finds his way back.”

“I will.  Turn on the wifi.  The search group probably won’t need it but it might be useful. I have to go look.  I can’t just stand here.” The walkie went dead.  “Gus,” Justin jogged over to where he was pacing, looking in the woods. “Your dad wants you back at the house.  The search team will be here soon and someone has to be there in case Aid finds his way home.” Gus looked blankly at Justin.  “Gus, he wandered off.  We’ll find him.  Go and be the anchor at the house.  If Aiden wanders in he needs family there.

“But he isn’t going to want to see me.  I’m the one…”

“Your brother loves you.  Of course he will want to see you.  Now, go so your dad can lead the team in.”  With that Justin moved into the tree line, looking for any hints.

As Gus jogged back to the cabin, he noticed it was getting cloudy outside. His poor little brother. How could he be so stupid?  

“Gus, how are you doing?” Brian wrapped his arms around Gus, “What happened? Is there any sign of him?”

“Oh, Dad, it is all my fault.  If only…”

“Gus, you are the best big brother.” Brian listened for a second.  “That has to be the search team.  Stay on the grounds and keep the walkie talkie on.  Help any of the search team that stop by.  Ok?”

“Ya, but Dad, you don’t understand. This is all my fault.”

“No, son.  Little boys are hard to keep track of.”

“But Dad….”

“There they are,” Brian rushed to the parking area near the cabin leaving Gus there alone in his thoughts. 

Soon Brian led a group of men toward the clearing where Justin was still looking.  A couple of men stayed back from the search team.  One set up a radio system while the other one talked to Gus.  He walked with Gus outside. He got some information about Aiden and then led Gus to the front porch of the cabin. “Gus, let’s see if I can help you remember something.” The officer got comfortable and asked, “So what were you and Aiden doing?”

“We had gone berry picking.  There is a clearing not far away that has a lot of different things to pick.”

“So did you pick berries with him?” 

Gus responded, “No, I was just on a rock, not far away but I saw him fill first a container of blueberries and then I think he got strawberries and maybe some blackberries or raspberries.”

“You were far enough away that you couldn’t see what he was picking?” The officer was writing something down.

“We went up there all the time.  Aiden always stayed close and he knew the edges of the woods.  He knew how far he was allowed to go. He’s a good kid.  He….  I was watching him...most of the time but he knew the rules!” Gus’ whole body started to tremble and then he retreated within.

“Gus,” the man’s voice was now softer, “what were you doing while Aiden picked berries?” He watched as Gus responded as if he had been hit by a punch. “I think we all know you didn’t mean to do anything to your brother.”

“You don’t think I did something to him, do you?” the tears now began to flow.  “I would never hurt my brother.  I love him!” Gus doubled over in mental anguish.

Brian arrived at the clearing and Justin rushed over. “Thank god!” Justin told the team the area he had covered but they had lost almost all day light now.  “I saw some tracks over there,” he pointed to a spot.  “There are wild plums over there.  I think Aiden saw those and walked over to get some of them. The problem is this could have happened a couple days ago, too. The boys came up here all the time.” The search team all had head lamps on and, following the leader's direction, moved forward into the woods, leaving Brian and Justin alone. The leader told Brian and Justin to go back to the cabin and wait. “I can’t go back.  My baby is out here.  He is sick.  He needs his medication.  It’s past his normal time.”

“Justin, I promise if we find him or any sign of him we will call you and one of my men will get you to us as quickly as possible.”  He looked over at Brian and Brian took Justin in his arms. 

“Sunshine, we don’t have the right equipment and we don’t know how to do a search appropriately.  Let’s go back.  I am sure Gus could use a little attention, too.  Maybe he has thought of something.” Brian kissed him and by the time they separated, the search team was deep in the woods calling Aiden’s name as they walked. Brian and Justin walked back to the cabin hand in hand in total silence. 

They had just arrived back and in the distance they heard a wolf howl at the moon.  At the same time they saw Gus jump up from the porch and he ran full speed toward the path to the woods, not noticing his dads.  When he realized they were there he stopped dead in his tracks.  Gus’ lip began to tremble and then he called out, “Aiden!” Brian and Justin wrapped their arms around him and he sobbed. He mumbled as he cried, “Wolves! He has to be so scared.  Dads I need to go find ….I was in charge.  I should have…”

“Shhh, Gus,” Brian ran his hands through Gus’ hair like he did when he was little. “Let’s go to the cabin, Gus.  They said they would call us if they find anything.”  As they moved to the cabin, they heard the first rumble of thunder and then a drop of rain.

Gus dropped to his knees, “It’s all my fault!”

“Gus, it isn’t ….”

“You don’t know that!  It was me.”

Aiden had walked until he was too tired to walk anymore.  It was starting to sprinkle as well.  He found a huge old tree that had a section of it hollowed out so he took off his backpack and got in it so he would stay dry. He had a little room to move inside the tree and he opened the bag and pulled out a partial bottle of water as well as some of the berries.  He wished it wasn’t dark out.  He realized it wasn’t GC he had followed and he had heard a wolf howl more than once since then.  What if a wolf found him here? He should have stayed close to Gus.  It was all his fault he was lost. After he had eaten some of the food, he dozed off.   

When he woke he was cold. He heard footsteps but he could tell it wasn’t a person.  He peaked out of his little hiding place and saw a dog but no, it wasn’t a dog.  It was a wolf.  It had to be twice as big as GC. He started sniffing the air and soon he moved closer to the log Aiden was in. “Nice boy. Good boy.  Please don’t hurt me.  I just want to go home,” as the words came out, tears began to flow again.  The large wolf moved closer and then dropped to the ground right at the entrance to Aiden’s spot.  He couldn’t see anymore but he was sure he could hear more wolves arrive.  He went back to sleep, for some reason drawing comfort from their presence. 

Justin and Brian nearly had to carry Gus back to the cabin and helped him inside.  The officer that had been talking to him opened the door for them and let the three men move passed.  Justin sat with Gus and put his arms around him.  Gus wrapped his arms around Justin and clung to him.  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” was all Gus could say. 

The officer motioned for Brian to follow him into the kitchen.  “Are you Mr. Kinney or Mr. Taylor?”

“I’m Brian Kinney, Brian please.”

“Brian, I am not an expert in this but I have been trained in interviewing and your son is not telling us everything.  I don’t think he hurt his brother but could he accidentally have done  something he hasn’t told us yet. He had totally shut down for me and when he heard the wolf he totally lost it.  It is a good thing you and Mr. Taylor were there.”

“Gus wouldn’t keep anything important from us.  If something had happened he would have called us right away.  He could get us on walkie talkie.”

“Did Aiden have a walkie talkie, too?”

“Yes, that is one of our rules up here.  We heard Aiden say a couple words this afternoon but he was obviously out of range.”

“Do you have the other radios here?”

“Yes, why?”

“Maybe we can boost the signal of one of those with the use of our radio.  I will get them to our specialist and maybe we will be able to contact him.  Would he keep it on?”

“I don’t know.  We talked about the batteries running out and Aiden is a very bright boy but he is also a very sick boy.  I need to get back with…”

“Yes, of course.  I should be getting an update in about ten minutes.  I will brief you then.”

“Gus, sweetheart, you have nothing to be sorry about.”

“But, Dad, I do.  Aid didn’t even want to do that today.  He wanted to go to the barn fort but…. I found out that in that meadow, if I am on that boulder, I can use my phone.  I can’t call but I can send and receive texts.  I was texting with Cass and …. I thought I was watching him but maybe for just a minute or two I got distracted.  She sent some pictures and…”

“You let a woman distract you.  You let your little brother wander off in the woods with the bears and wolves so you could talk to that pedophile?” Justin jumped up and loomed over Gus.

Brian walked in at the last of Justin’s rant, “Whoa, Justin, what are you talking about?”

“HE,” Justin looked at Gus and began to raise his fist but instead stepped away, “he was texting with that woman instead of paying attention to Aiden.  He was ignoring my little boy so he could look at pictures of her rather than keep track of Aiden!” Needing to get space between him and Gus, he rushed out the front door to the porch, before he did something he would regret.

Brian’s eyes followed Justin but once he was out of the sight, he turned to Gus. Slumping down on the sofa, he said softly, “What is Justin talking about? You were on your phone?” He was confused since they had never had reception up there. Gus attempted to talk, but he was shaking and stuttering, trying to get the words out. Brian put his arms around his son and just held him for a moment, “Try again, son.”

Gus managed to get it out this time.  He told his dad that he had found some reception and that he was sending texts to Cass. “Dad, I looked for Aiden between every text. I just …. I know it was my fault.”

Brian tensed, “Gus, we warned both of you over and over about the woods.  We put you in charge because we thought you were mature enough to handle it.”

“I’m so sorry.  I didn’t mean….”

“I know, Gus. I need to check on Sunshine.” 

“Dad, I…. don’t hate me!  Please, I couldn’t…”

“Gus, I could never hate you.  I love you and so does Justin but right now…. I need to check on him.”

Brian went out the door, and found Justin looking at the stars.  He was talking softly, “....don’t know if you’re up there but if you are, help us find Aiden.  He’s a scared, little boy.”

“Sunshine,” Brian touched his arm, “come here.” Justin’s arms went around Brian, holding on with all his might. 

“He just let him walk off!  How could he do that?” 

“He’s fifteen.  He has been under stress. He….”

“Are you standing up for his behavior?”

“Justin, I am standing up for our son, not his behavior.” Brian kissed his head and then tilted Justin’s head to claim his mouth.

“Excuse me, gentlemen,”  the officer said from the porch.

“Let’s see if there is any news,” Brian took Justin’s hand and they walked to the cabin.

“The team has seen some signs of Aiden.  In the dark it is difficult but they found some berry stems.  It was obvious a person had eaten the berries very recently. At least he has something to eat. It is too dangerous for them to do too much tonight.  The group will stay where they are for the night and we have about 100 people scheduled to be here at first light.” 

“Thanks.” Brian said as the man slipped back into the house. “It’s chilly out here.  Let’s move back in.”

“Aiden can’t move back in.  He has to be freezing and scared to death and, Brian, you know he can’t miss more than a dose or two of medication.”

“I know, love. You ready to go back in?”

“You go.  I need to figure out how I will approach Gus.”

Brian took Justin’s face in his hands and kissed him gently.  “Hopefully, there is something up there and that they are listening to you.  No one can turn down your requests.”  Brian walked back into the cabin. He glanced to find Gus. He wasn’t in the living room anymore so he grabbed a couple bottles of water out of the refrigerator and went upstairs after verifying with the officers that he hadn’t left. 

Aiden jumped awake at the sound of several wolves howling. He was a little chilly but his own body heat in the small area had warmed up the cavity as well as the fact the wolf had laid right in front of the opening so the night air wasn’t infiltrating. The wolf noticed Aiden stir and poked his nose into the opening.  Aiden was petrified as the big head came closer but when the wolf’s tongue slipped out and licked him and he made a soft woofing. Aiden slowly moved his hand up and patted the large head.

“Hi, boy. Or maybe you’re a girl.  I really need to move.  Can I get out, please?” he said softly.  As if they understood the wolf moved out of the way but stayed close as if to protect him from the other wolves. Aiden slowly stood and stretched.  He moved over a little bit and emptied his bladder, which caught all the wolves attention.  After they all took a sniff or the puddle Aiden had made, they all seemed to relax. 

Aiden sat down on the ground, taking a sip of water again.  “Can I call you GW?  That stands for Gray wolf.”  Aiden leaned against the big animal and soon another wolf came up on his other side and soon in the warmth of the animals, he fell back to sleep.

Brian entered Gus’ room. He dropped on the bed next to Gus and after a minimum of resistance from Gus, his arms were around his son and Gus’ head was on his chest.  “I’m so sorry, Dad.  If anything happens to him…. I love him, Dad.  I really do.”

“Oh, Gus, we never doubted that.” Brian tightened his arms even more. “It was just poor judgement.”

“Is, is Daddy ever going to forgive me?” Gus reverted to the term he used for Justin as a small child.

“Of course he is.  He is just sick with worry. You know if anything happened to you he would react just the same.”

“I wouldn’t blame him if he never could love me again but if he hates me….”

“Gus, I don’t hate you.” Justin walked into the room and sat on the edge of the bed, reaching over and taking Gus’ ankle in his hand.  “I shouldn’t have… I love how much you and Aiden love each other and even though I understand how it happened, I just can’t …. With Aiden out there lost….” Justin started to choke up again.

“If I could….I wish I could go out and look for him at least!” Gus said.

“I think you will be able to tomorrow,” Brian said as he kissed Gus’ head.  “Why don’t I get you something to eat and then you can go to sleep so you’re ready to go help tomorrow?”

“I can’t eat knowing he is out there and he doesn’t have anything to eat.” 

Brian stood and so did Justin.  Justin kissed Gus’ cheek but there was no additional hug before he  walked out with Brian but he didn’t head for the steps.  He went into Aiden’s room where he found GC curled up on the bed.  He laid down next to the dog and after draping his arm across him he buried his face in his fir and cried. 

Brian understood Justin’s reaction but he also felt for Gus and his heart was breaking for Aiden but he had to hold it together for everyone.  He left Justin with GC and went to try to get any more information from the search team members.  Once downstairs he made a full pot of coffee and pulled out snacks.  “Help yourself, guys.  Anything is game.  We are going home…. Damn, we are supposed to go home this weekend.” Brian dropped to a chair and rested his elbows on the table, head in his hands.  The radio officer patted Brian’s shoulder as he walked past to pour himself a cup of coffee.  It was well after midnight when Brian told the men where he was going to be sleeping and moved upstairs to get into bed with Justin, watching GC walk out of this room and into Gus’.

Justin woke around 5:30 and turned to Brian, kissing his beautiful still face.  Brian’s arm pulled him close. “I feel like I was slipped something.  You didn’t, did you?”

“No, your brain just crashed.”

He started to move but Brian pulled him in for another kiss before saying, “I slipped down about an hour ago.  There is no news other than the volunteers will be here at sunrise so I would guess in half an hour.” Brian kissed Justin’s worried face again.  This time he took it a little deeper and Justin couldn’t fight his need to forget and to feel something besides fear.

“Brian, please, screw me.  I need to know I can still feel something.” They both lowered their pants just low enough for Brian to move in and he wasn’t gentle or slow.  He just pushed in and moved like a teenager screwing for the first time.  Within moments he was cumming and Justin followed. They didn’t talk afterward. They just got up and tied their pants.    Justin spoke first, “I’ll go wake up Gus before heading downstairs.”

“I can do that, Sunshine.”

“No, I need to make peace within myself.  If it had been me at that age it had been you texting, the rest of the world would have disappeared.  I know he didn’t do anything on purpose. We need a minute.” 

Brian was going to straighten the blankets on the bed when he heard Justin, “He’s not here, Brian.” Justin’s voice instantly started getting further away, “I am going down to find him.”

Justin rushed into the kitchen to find a couple more men in the kitchen.  “Have you seen Gus? Did he come through here? You didn’t let him go out looking, did you?”

“Mr. Taylor, he left about half an hour ago but he promised he was going to the barn fort?”

“Oh, sorry I snapped. I just…. Please tell Brian I will be right back with Gus.  He will need breakfast before he can go out.”  

As Justin walked out the door, the officer from last night said to the radio man, “He’s a class act. I’m not sure if my stepson let my son wander off I could do what I think he is going to do.”

Justin jogged across the property in the chilly, morning air praying both his sons were alright.  “Gus, are you here?” he shouted as he ran into the building and moved through it to the back of the building where he could get up to the fort area. “Gus?”  He could finally breathe when he saw Gus look around the corner.  He had on binoculars and it looked like he had been scanning the woods.

“Dad, there isn’t any news, is there?” Justin made it to the top of the steps and hugged Gus tightly. Gus hugged him back. “I’m sorry, so sorry…”

“Gus, you didn’t mean for this to happen.  I am just so scared.” Justin took a deep breath, “Did you see anything from up here?”

“No, nothing.  I just couldn’t sleep. He has to be so scared and cold. And, Dad, how long can he go without his medicine before he gets really sick.”

“I don’t know.  It would depend on several things but at least he has some water and the berries. I came to get you so you can have some breakfast before you leave with the search team, at least I am going to assume you want to go look.”

“Oh, yes, thank you! I wasn’t sure if I was grounded or…”

“Gus, son, of course you can go, but first you have to have breakfast.  Let’s go back to the house.  I love you, Gus.”

“Oh, Daddy, I love you, too.”  Gus hugged Justin once more before they went down the steps and then jogged across the yard, just as vehicles began to pull up.

The next twenty four hours was a blur.  Search groups came and went.  Every time they saw a sign, they lost the trail quickly.  They also notice a lot of wolf tracks in the area but it was impossible to figure out which had gone past first.  Brian and Justin took turns being out on the mountain but one of them tried to be at the cabin in case he returned.

Aiden had left in the morning with the wolves.  Aiden had eaten some more of the fruit and as the wolves drank at a stream, he filled his water bottle.  He looked at it and it looked relatively clear.  He took a sip.  It didn’t taste bad.  Wasn’t sure what time of day it was anymore.  He knew he wished he had something to eat besides berries.  He was hungry and he was really tired.  At one point Aiden just had to stop and he laid on a pile of pine needles under a tree. Soon he was asleep.  When he woke up, he was sure he would be all alone but he was surprised to see the whole pack there.  As soon as he was up, they headed off again.  It was like they knew where they were going but Aiden wished he knew where they were taking him.

By sundown on that second day, morale was slipping.  There was a weather front starting to move through and they would probably have to call all the teams in for at least 24 hours for their safety.  Brian and Justin were beside themselves with worry.  They both knew if they didn’t find him soon, Aiden’s health would be at real risk. It was decided they would keep all the teams out until dark tonight but tomorrow, Friday, unless the weather forecast changed, no one would be out on the mountain, except for the lost 6 year old.

“Brian and Justin, we are all going home tonight.  We will follow the weather closely and we will be here the minute it is safe to be out on the mountain again. There is just no way we can stay out there safely and we will be back with fresh supplies and rested volunteers. We will get the helicopter up here as soon as we can, too.  It will be able to spot heat signatures so…”

“So you don’t think he is dead?” Gus said from behind his dads.

“We have no reason to think he is.  We have had no signs of anyone being injured up there.  Of course, we aren’t really sure where he is going. He probably has no idea where he is going.”

“Any more signs of the wolves?”

“Well, there are wolves in the woods.  There always have been.  We have talked to a local wildlife expert and he thinks he knows what pack we are seeing signs of.  It is a smaller pack of one male and usually 4 females.  They may have cubs with them, although we haven’t seen small prints with them.”

“Do they think the pack would stalk Aiden?”

“They don’t think so.  There is plenty of food out there right now.  They will eat things they are familiar with if they are available.”  With that, the last of the volunteers were getting into the vehicles and left.

Brian had held it together since Aiden had gone missing but as the last of the searchers drove off, Brian stood there, tears streaming down his face and it was Justin’s turn to take Brian in his arms. It was raining now and they walked into the cabin.  All three of them were on autopilot.  Gus helped Justin make some food.  It was evening but they had really lost track of everything and they weren’t sure how it had even gotten there but there was all the makings for breakfast so  Brian made eggs and bacon while Gus made toast.  Justin went online to tell his family where the search had ended today.  None of them spoke much as they ate and as soon as they had finished eating, Gus went upstairs to his bed and Brian and Justin sat on the sofa, sipping bourbon and watching something on TV although neither of them spoke.  

Finally, Brian said, “Let’s go to bed.  Maybe the weather front will move out quicker than expected and if we are rested, we will have the energy to go find Aiden.” They got into their own bed and started the fire, feeling guilty they were warm and dry.                                                                                                                                                                                      

Brian and Justin lay in bed that night.  Both of them stared at the ceiling.  Now they held hands under the blanket but had nothing more to say.  They couldn’t sleep but had no more physical energy to keep going. Brian squeezed Justin’s hand and then both retreated into their own pain.

Aiden just couldn’t go anymore.  He was out of all the berries and even tried those weird things that he had picked when he got lost.  They were super sour but they didn’t seem to make him sick so he had eaten a couple of them.  Every time he sat down GW would tug on him. Somewhere along the way, Aiden lost the bag altogether. Finally, Aiden just sat on him like he was a horse and he carried him as Aiden slept. The wolf pack moved slowly as it started to rain first and then as the wind began to blow.

It was hard for Aiden to stay on the wolf as he got colder and the wolf’s coat was slick.  The wolves began to yip and howl which got Aiden’s attention. Aiden looked up and for the first time he thought he knew where he was.  He looked around a little more in the raging storm but, how did he get here and how would anyone find him there?