Chapter 11 

Gus and JR ran to the house from Cass’ apartment.  They had changed her sheets and thrown the dirty ones in the washer. After JR left he would go back and put them in the dryer. 

“Shit, it is cold out this morning.” Gus rushed to the fireplace in the family area and flipped on the switch to start it.

“It will warm up quickly when we get the oven on.  I’m going to text my dads so they will text me when they land.” He sent his message and then went to help Gus chop veggies for their breakfast frittata. Gus started some bacon and sausage.

“We have to feed eight.  I think the little boys would rather have eggs without the peppers and onions and we probably need more anyway.”

“Do you think your dads would stop for croissants or breakfast rolls of some kind?”

JR’s phone sounded and he read it.  They landed.  I will ask them to stop somewhere. He sent a text and one came back.  “They will stop at that great little bakery around the corner.”

Raymond walked into the kitchen and walked to JR and hugged him. “Have you heard from our new dads?”

“They are on the way. Where is Aiden?”

“He went to say good morning to his dads and he didn’t know if he could walk down by himself,” Raymond replied.

“JR, if you will keep an eye on the food I’ll go get Aid.”

“No problem.”

Brian and Justin lay naked on the bed.  They were both covered with sweat after a fast and furious lovemaking session when they heard a tap, tap, tap on their door.  “One minute, Aiden.” Justin said as Brian reached down and pulled the sheet over them.  

“Come in, big guy.” Brian called out.  The door opened and Aiden limped in. He moved across the room and Brian lifted him into the bed. “How is your ankle?”

Aiden’s bottom lip quivered. “It still hurts and the steps scare me. I thought I might fall.”

“Where is Raymond?” Justin asked after giving Aiden a hug and kiss.

“He went downstairs.  We heard JR and Gus down there.”

There was another knock on the door and Gus stuck his head in.  “I heard someone needed a lift downstairs.”

“I do, Gus.  Thank you!” Gus turned his back to the bed and Aiden climbed on.

Gus turned and looked at his dads, “Uncle Ted and Uncle Victor are on their way.  They should be here in about an hour. JR and I will have breakfast ready and they are stopping at the bakery for some breakfast rolls.”

“We’ll be down in a half hour or so.  We need to take a shower,” Brian commented.

Gus walked out of the room pulling the door shut behind him. Brian and Justin could hear them talking as they moved down the stairs.  “We better get ready.  Ted and Vic will be here soon and they won’t want to wait for the food since they are going to be tired after the overnight trip.

Brian stepped out of bed and tugged Justin out of bed. Justin swayed against him. “You ok?” Brian asked.

“I feel a little light headed but it might be  because most of my blood is still in another part of my body.” Justin took Brian’s arm as they strode to the bathroom.  

Gus set Aiden on the sofa and then brought both little boys a juice box.  “Are you starving or is that enough until all the dads are here?”

“I’m good,” Raymond said.

“Me, too,” Aiden said as Gus dropped a bag of peas on his ankle.

“Gus, I think everything is good.  The meat is in the oven, along with the frittatas.  The timers are on. Did you want to chop up some fruit?”

I took some berries out of the freezer yesterday before we went to Cass’ place.  We should be able to just put that in a bowl with a sprinkle of sugar. How about if we layer them with a little sweetened Greek yogurt in a wine glass?”

“That will work.” Working as a team they assembled them.

Justin kept one hand on either the wall or Brian as they showered. “Is your stomach queasy?”

“Not really, although I’m not really hungry.  I really just have a headache.”

“You want to go back to bed, Ted and Vic would understand.”

“No, I don’t want them to think I am sick.  I just have a headache. I’ll go down. The food does smell great.”

They got dressed but Brian kept looking over at Justin.  He was never sick. “You’re pale.  Did you feel like this when we made love?”

“I did but I thought I was just light headed because of our passion,” Justin said with humor but he really did believe it.

“Well, once they leave, you can lay down.  They should be here soon.” Justin took Brian’s arm. 

“Just lean on me, love.”

As they stepped onto the foyer floor the front doorbell rang and Brian opened the door. Victor and Ted both had a glow of happiness around them.

“Come in.” Brian opened the door wide.

Justin held onto the staircase until he felt a little less dizzy and walked over and hugged both Ted and Victor and then kept an arm around Victor as they walked into the kitchen where Gus and JR were pulling the food out of the oven. Raymond ran to his dads and they dropped down to him. Brian reached over and balanced Justin, leading him to the counter. Aiden waited patiently for Victor to come to him. When Victor stood, he walked over to the other small boy. 

“I hear you hurt your ankle. Puis-je jeter un œil ?”

“Sure, you can look at it.”

Victor sat on the end of the sofa and lifted the foot and ankle up gently. As he manipulated the ankle he watched Aiden’s face.  He could see it was painful. “Je suis désolé mon petit.”

“It’s Ok, Uncle Victor. It’s not so bad.”

“And you and your dads are right.  I would say by Monday, when you go back to school, you will be alright.  No running, alright?”  Victor opened his arms and Aiden hugged him.

“No running and at home GC helps me.”

Victor helped Aiden walk to the table and everyone sat down to eat. Food was passed around and everyone let both JR and Gus know how good the food was. Ted and Vic told them about the new cabin and that it would be finished by Christmas. When the little boys were done they moved back to the family area and then Victor looked at JR and Gus. “Did you have an enjoyable evening?”

“Very nice.” JR glanced at Gus and smiled.  “I have the best friend in the world.”

Gus flushed a bit.  “I think I’ll start cleaning up.” Gus reached for Justin’s plate and realized he really hadn’t eaten much. “Are you done?”

“Ya, I’m good.” Gus squeezed Justin’s shoulder as he went to the next plate.  JR stood up and started helping too.

“Justin, you do look a little pale today?” Ted commented.

“Well, I haven’t been in the mountains with the love of my life.” Justin said lightly, sending the conversation back to Ted and Victor’s vacation.

Before long JR and Raymond were saying goodbye and as they walked out Ray took both of his dads’ hands. JR walked behind them carrying both his and Raymond’s bags. you are coming right back up here to bed.”

“Let’s go"

As soon as they were out the door, Gus moved to Justin.  “What’s wrong, Dad?” he said softly, not wanting Aiden to hear.

“I just have a massive headache.”

“Why didn’t you say so? Victor…”

“Victor is a pediatrician and it is just a migraine.”

“I never knew you had migraines.”

“I had them as a teenager.  This is just a fluke.  I’m going to go take a nap and I bet it will be gone.”

“I’ll help you upstairs. Dad’s got Aiden and Cass will be home soon.” Gus walked with him up the steps and to his room. 

“Could you pull the drapes so it is darker in here?”

Gus got the room as dark as he could and then brought the bottle of aspirin with caffeine and a glass of water for him. Once Gus was sure Justin was in bed and settled, he went back downstairs.  He met Brian’s eyes and nodded.  “I have to go back to Cass’ apartment and put her sheets in the dryer. I’ll be back in a little bit.” Gus put the sheets in the dryer and left Cass a note letting her know if she felt like working this afternoon or evening they could use her.

When Gus got back into the house he said, “It is so cold out there today.”

“Well, then it is a good day to stay in the house,” Brian commented.

“Where did Daddy go, Big Daddy?”

“He has a headache so he is taking a little nap.”

“He never gets sick.”

“He is usually very healthy and that’s why there isn’t anything to worry about.  He just needs a little extra sleep.”

“Ok, can you read to me, Big Daddy?”

Gus spoke up, “Can I read to you?”

“Sure, Gus. Can you pick a good one?”

Brian kissed Gus’ cheek before slipping out of the room. Brian went upstairs and found Justin asleep in their bed.  He laid down next to him and wrapped his arms around him.

Justin turned to him and snuggled into Brian’s chest. “I hate this feeling. I’m not tired so I can’t sleep but my head hurts and my ears pound.  When I sit upI feel dizzy.  Why would I get a migraine after all these years?”

“If you don’t feel any better tomorrow, I am going to call Victor.”

“Bri, they just got home.  I don’t want to take him away from his family on the last day of vacation. Where is Aiden?”

“Gus is reading to him but Cass will be here soon and will help out however we need her.”

“That doesn’t help my boredom or the headache,” Justin snapped.  Justin rarely put himself before the boys and he hardly ever snapped about anything.  That just reinforced how bad he really felt. 

Brian brushed Justin’s hair off of his forehead. “Justin, what can I do for you?”

“Can you just leave me alone?” Justin snapped. He took a breath, “Sorry, I just want to be alone.”

“Text me if you need anything.” Brian kissed his cheek and opened his mouth to say something but Justin shut his eyes and turned away from him.  He slipped out of bed and left the room. He didn’t like this.  He wanted to call Victor and have him come over right away but he knew how angry Justin would be and the last thing he wanted to do is to make them feel worse because of the added stress.

Cass walked into the family room and dropped on the sofa next to Aiden. “Hey, Aid, I hear you get hurt when I am not around.” Aiden turned and hugged her tightly.

“I missed you. Uncle Victor said it will be better by Monday but I can’t run for a little longer. And now Daddy doesn’t feel good but it isn’t his ankle.”

“I heard that. Are you hungry or thirsty? Let me get you a snack.”

“Sure.” Aiden kissed her cheek. “I love you, Cass.”

“Well. Aid, that’s good because I love you, too.”

Cass walked to the far side of the kitchen where Gus was emptying the dishwasher. Cass opened the fridge and got out a bottle of water and started putting cheese on crackers. “How did last night go?” she asked him quietly.

“It went fine.  I hope your apartment wasn’t messy.”

“It looked better than when I left. Did you do the deed?”

“Cass, I don’t want to seem rude but can we leave it at, everything went as planned? It is really personal to JR.”

“Sure, Gus, I understand. I know there is nothing between us anymore but I want you to know that I am going to be moving out. I hope I can still work something out with your dads so I can still take care of Aid part time but I am moving in with the guy I have been seeing.” Gus looked at her but she couldn’t read his face. “Gus, I know…”

“Cass, are you coming back?” Aiden asked from across the large room.

“On my way, big guy.” Softly she said, “We can talk later.” And she walked back to Aiden with his snack. 

“Hey, Cass, thanks for stepping up today.”

“No problem, Brian. I was just going to hang around my apartment. I would rather hang with one of my favorite guys.”  

“What would we do without you, Cass?”

“Um, Brian, I do need to talk to you, and well, Justin if he is feeling better.”

Brian glanced at Aiden and back at her face, “Sure. Maybe after dinner tonight?”

“Yes, that will work.”

Brian moved over to Gus, who was still in the kitchen. “You have barely left the kitchen since we got home from Martha’s Vineyard.”

“Dad, my counselor says if I work really hard I can complete high school in May.  I got credit for some of my summer classes and if I take one extra class next semester I will have all I need.  The counselor has also contacted the local culinary school and they can get me into the fall session.  Dad, I’m not into all the high school crap. I know what I want to do and if George takes me on in the summer….”

“Gus, Justin and I are good with all this but you should talk to your moms.  You need their blessing if you ever want a relationship with them.” 

“I know Mama doesn’t want me to be a ‘cook’.  She thinks I should be a lawyer like her or at least in the ad business like you and Dad. I think Mom is fine with it unless she has a problem with me finishing high school early.”

“Maybe you should visit them tomorrow, if they are around. Better to get it out of the way and if they have a problem, there is more time to talk it out. We will get involved if need be.”

“Thanks, Dad.  I think I will see if Mom is home and check on Mama for tomorrow.” Gus left the kitchen and went upstairs to make a couple calls.

Brian kept thinking about his conversation with Cass. She was moving out.  That would make things a little trickier with their schedules. Things were changing and they would have to make some adjustments by next fall. As Brian walked into their bedroom he had a tray with some cheese and crackers.  He also had a cup of tea. Justin hadn’t eaten anything since the few bites he had at brunch and he didn’t seem to feel any better.  Brian set the tray on the dresser and moved to the bed.  He helped Justin sit up. “Babe, I brought you some tea and there is some cheese and crackers.” Brian kissed his forehead and then brought over the tray.  

Justin picked at his food but did eat a few crackers with cheese and did drink all his tea but then he handed the tray to Brian and slid down on the bed.  “I think it might have to do with my ears.  The right one is thumping and, fuck, this might be the most pain I have ever been in.”

Brian saw a tear slip out. He had never seen Justin cry from physical pain. This had to be bad. He kissed Justin’s cheek and slipped out of the room.  He went downstairs and called Victor.

“Well, Brian, what has you calling this time of night? It isn’t Aiden, is it?”

“No, did you notice Justin was quiet today?”

“I did but everyone has a day they aren’t as chatty. Is there something wrong with him?”

“This morning he felt a bit dizzy and had a headache but as the day went on it got worse and now it is hardly bearable.”

“I will be there in fifteen minutes. If you have a heating pad, plug it in.  If you lay that over the sore ear it might help a bit and I will see if I have any painkiller I will bring one to help him sleep.  I will be there soon.”

Brian was waiting at the door when Victor pulled up.  He walked in and looked at Brian.  “Give me a hug,” he said and he held onto Brian tightly for a moment. “I am sure we can figure out what this is and get him on the road to recovery.  Did you have a heating pad?”

“I did and I laid it on his pillow and he is laying on it now.”

“Brian, you were right to call.  It is probably just a simple thing but there are some serious possibilities that you don’t want to put off. “Let’s go check on him.”

They walked into the bedroom and they could hear Justin making a soft noise.  “Victor, I told him not to call you.” He looked at Brian, “but I am glad he did. I have never hurt like this.”

Victor sat on the edge of the bed and took Justin’s temperature.  Then, very gently, he looked into his ear.  “I thought this is what I would find. You have labyrinthitis.”

“Vic, he might be smart enough to know what that is but I don’t have a clue.” Brian had sat down behind Justin and had a hand resting on Justin’s arm.

“Brian, mon ami, it is an inner ear infection. That is always painful but I think it has also affected a nerve which intensifies both the pain and dizziness. I will give you two shots and have medication delivered first thing in the morning.  The shots will be a steroid and an antibiotic. That will be the two kinds of medications, too.  I am also going to give you some painkillers I have samples of.  The pain should recede soon but you could be dizzy for several weeks.”

“I can’t be sick for weeks. Christmas is only about 4 weeks away.  I have too much to do.”

“You are overall healthy so I would think you will be able to fight the worst of it away.  Some people get rid of the pain but can’t get rid of the light headed feeling. We will try whatever we need to do to get this gone.” 

“Vic, do you have the pain medication? Can we get that into him?”

“Sure we can.” Brian helped Justin sit up enough to take the small pill.  I am going to leave one more here.  In six hours you can take the second. No more than four a day. And now I want to see that shapely derrière.”  Victor gave an injection into each cheek.

“Damn, that burns.” Justin grumbled.

“I will stop by tomorrow and see how it is going.  If there is any change for the worse, let me know, no matter the time.” Victor bent down and kissed Justin’s cheek.  He leaned over and kissed Brian also.  “I am glad you called me. I will see you tomorrow. I’ll show myself out. You stay here.”

Victor opened the door and Gus was standing there.  “I knew I heard your voice.  Is Dad going to be alright?”

“Yes, he should be fine in a couple weeks.  It is an inner ear infection and he may be off-balance but the pain should lessen within 24 hours.”

Gus hugged Victor. “Thanks for coming.”

“Of course.  That’s what friends are for.” He looked Gus in the eye, “He will be fine. JR told us about your evening and you are a very good friend. My son is lucky to have you.” He headed downstairs and walked out the door.  

Using his phone, Gus locked up the house and then peaked in at his dads. Justin seemed to be sleeping and Brian had his arm draped protectively around him. He hoped he could find love like that some day. His mind wandered to Cass. Although he had to admit it hurt a little bit, he was glad she had found someone.  He knew it was time for him to move on, too. He also knew he wasn’t ready for a serious relationship.  He had a plan and nothing was going to stop him from that.  He hoped his moms would agree.

Gus had told his mom he would be there for breakfast.  He actually said he would make them breakfast so at 8:00 he was ready to leave.  He looked in at his dads and saw Aiden between them and GC on the floor. Brian saw him and quietly moved to the door. “Where are you heading so early on a Sunday?”

“I am going to make breakfast for Mom and Nick.  I thought cooking for them might show her how much I really want this. Oh, and then I am going to Mama’s and am having a late lunch with her and Monica. How is Dad?”

“Still in pain but the medication Vic gave him let him sleep and he will have medication this morning.”

“If you need me to do anything just text. Cass told you she is moving out?”

“Yes, she did. We are going to have to figure out how this is all going to work.  I got the feeling she will finish this school year but we better come up with something else after that. Are you Ok with this? I know you two are still close.”

“Dad, we will probably always be friends but we haven’t been together like that.”

“I didn’t think you had.”

“I’m happy for her.  She deserves a great guy and a happy life. I better go. Tell Dad I hope he feels better.” He hugged Brian.  “I’ll let you know when I have an idea what time I’ll be home.”

“Have a nice time with your moms.”

Gus drove to the house he grew up in.  It was funny.  He didn’t think of that at home anymore.  Home was with his dads and Aiden.  Gus made breakfast with the help of Lindsay and after they sat down to eat he told them his plans, “Mom, I am going to finish school this year and next year I will be going to culinary school.  It all fell into place and I just wanted to let you know.  I even have a job for the summer on Martha’s Vineyard.”

“Wow, Gus, it sounds like you have it all worked out. How long have you been planning this?”

“You know I have been talking about culinary school for a year but when we took our trip to Martha’s Vineyard and cooked with George, I knew I wanted to cook with him.”

“Gus, I am fine with whatever you choose as long as you are happy.  If Bri and Justin think this George is a good guy, I trust them.” She looked at Nick, “Maybe we could go there next summer.”

“We are going to rent a place for the summer so you could probably stay there as long as you don’t pick a week they will be there.”

“That would be great. Just keep me informed where you will be when.”

“I will, Mom.” Gus felt good when he left Linday around noon.  He had a feeling she would respond that way but he was sure Mel would have a whole different reaction.

The pain medication let Justin sleep. Brian got Aiden dressed and asked Cass if she would mind taking Aiden out for breakfast and find something for them to do for a couple hours.  If he stayed home all day he would just worry about his daddy. Once she left with him, Brian  collected  Justin’s medication from a delivery driver and went back to the bedroom. 

“What time is it?” Justin asked.

“It is about 11:00.  Gus is going to Lindsay’s and Mel’s place today and Aiden is out with Cass for a couple hours. How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling no pain right now.  Those pills are magic but if I move too much I get lightheaded.”

“I have your medicine.” He looked at the directions and then took out one pill from each bottle.  He opened a bottle of water for him and gave the bottle and pills to Justin.

After helping Justin to the bathroom, Brian laid next to Justin. He kissed Justin’s neck, missing their closeness. Justin took Brian’s hand and guided it into his shorts.  “Touch me, please,” he said softly.

Brian slowly stroked Justin’s cock. He responded immediately.  “Kiss me.”

Brian lowered his head to Justin’s as his hand continued to stroke the now straining member. As he deepened the kiss he rubbed his own erection against Justin’s hip and Justin exploded in his hand. And then Justin drifted away. Brian brought his hand down his own pants and soon his cum mingled with Justin’s. He moved without disturbing Justin.  He took a quick shower and then went downstairs.

Before getting out of his car at Mel and Monica’s he took a deep breath. He knew this wouldn’t be as easy as his other mom’s. He walked up to the house and Monica opened the door.  “Gus, it has been way too long.” Monica opened her arms and Gus obligingly stepped into her hug and kissed her cheek.

Gus looked around, “Where’s Mama?” 

“She will be here any minute.  She decided to go pick up the food and eat here.”

“Oh, ok.” Gus walked into the small house Mel and Monica shared. “Monica, has Mom said anything about me going to college?”

“You mean that you want to be a chef?”

“Ya, has she said anything?”

“I know she wants you to go to college.”

“I am going to culinary school,”

“You know she wants you to get a four year degree somewhere.”

Before Gus could respond, his mama walked in. “Gus, sorry I wasn’t here when you arrived.  I knew it would be close.”

Gus hugged her and said, “I’ve only been here a couple minutes.”

“You are looking more like your father all the time,” Mel stated. 

Gus heard something in the tone of the words.  Brian and Mel had always had a love-hate relationship.  They respected each other in a professional way but couldn’t stand each other personally.  “Sorry, you guys picked him.” Gus smiled at her.  “I know, Mom picked him and you never wanted him to be part of your lives.”

“That’s true, Gus, but he and Justin are great fathers, all personal feelings aside. And you are such a great big brother.  I am glad you have them.” She set a take out bag on the table.  “Let’s eat before it gets cold.”

Mel, Monica, and Gus talked about lots of things as they ate.  Mel asked how Aiden was and Gus took that as a chance to talk about Martha’s Vineyard. Gus told her about the famous chef he met and how George asked him to come for the summer.

“Gus, that sounds like a great opportunity.  Then you will be able to come back and finish your senior year.”

“Mama. I am actually going to graduate this spring.  I have been accepted to start culinary school in the fall.”

“Is that a one year program that you will take before starting college?”

“No, I’m not planning on any other school other than culinary school.”

“Gus, that isn’t acceptable.  All of your parents are college graduates.  You need to get a degree.”

“I will have a degree, Mama.  I have a talent for cooking,  even a Michelin chef thinks so.”

“That is no life.  You work bizarre hours. How will you ever have a life?”

“I know I will have crazy hours at first but eventually I plan to open a bakery or small cafe.  Then I won’t have crazy hours. I will have…”

“Are your dads good with this? Don’t they realize you can do so much more?”

Gus stood up.  “I love you, Mama, but I have my dads’ support and Mom is good with it.  You can love me or hate me but I know what I am going to do with my life. Most of my classmates still have no idea what they will do.” He put his coat on and headed toward the door.

“Gus, let’s talk about this.  You don’t have to leave.” But by the time she got to the door it was standing wide open and Gus was getting into the car.

After Justin woke up, he wanted to go downstairs.  With Brian on one side and the rail on the other, they moved slowly until they stood in the front hall. Justin held onto the rail for another second and then Brian moved with him the rest of the way to the family area, helping Justin get comfortable on the sofa.  They ate lunch and then, they turned on a movie. It had just started when they heard Gus arrive home.  The door slammed and they saw Gus heading for the stairs.

“Gus? We’re both in here.”

“You don’t want my company right now.”

“Gus, you know listening is what parents are for,” Justin said.

“How are you feeling, Dad?”

“I’m doing Ok as long as I don’t stand up.  The headache is much better.” As Justin had talked, Gus had come into the room and dropped into the chair across from them. “Mel?”

“She doesn’t take me seriously.  She thinks I am still a kid. She doesn’t think being a chef is a real career.”

“Gus, give her a little time to think about it. You know Mel and I have always disliked each other  but one thing I always like about her is after she has time to think something through she often will see the other side.  Give her time to adjust. I am sure by the time you graduate next spring she will have decided you are much more important than what you do.” Brian moved away from Justin and patted the sofa between them.  Gus moved toward them and dropped between them.

As Justin put his arms around Gus, Aiden and Cass arrived. Cass carried Aiden who had fallen asleep in the car. “I’ll take him up for a short nap. Thanks, Cass.”

“No problem.” She noticed Gus and Justin together on the sofa. “Is Justin alright?”

“He is doing better and Gus just got home from Mel’s place so he is in need of a little encouragement.”

“Well, there is no one better than Justin at that.  I am glad he is feeling better.” She kissed Aiden’s soft cheek and slipped out the side door.  

“Big Daddy, is Daddy in your big bed?”

“No, do you want to snuggle with him?”

“Yes, please.  I miss him.” 

“Well let’s go the other direction.” Brian carried Aiden into the family room and set him down where he had sat a few minutes ago.

Gus kissed Justin’s cheek and put his hand out for a high five from Aiden.  “I think I have just enough time to make calzones for dinner tonight.  Does that sound good to everyone?”

“Yummy!” Aiden said.

“I’ll take ham and cheese in mine,” Justin said.   “I had your dad’s cooking for lunch.” He pulled a face and Aiden laughed. 

“Hey! At least I remembered to get you something to eat.” Brian dropped down on the spot Gus vacated.  The family relaxed as the last day of their vacation concluded.

Justin was glad over the next week the pain was completely gone but he was still feeling lightheaded and off balance.  Brian and Justin were trying to finish the paperwork to combine their two companies and to make sure the final decisions were decided on the decor so it would be ready to open the first of the year.  Brian and Justin had decided to decorate each other's office that shared a seating area. 

Mitchell would be working with Cynthia and each of them would still work directly with Brian and Justin but would be splitting some of the duties. The Taylor Kinney’s were excited for the future but right now they were excited about Christmas and the wedding.

The week before they were to leave for Montana, Victor came over to check on Justin’s progress.  He let himself in and found Justin on the sofa working on his laptop.  “So how are you feeling?”

“Vic, I am just so tired of feeling off balance. I thought by now I would be back to normal.”

“This can take a long time and, as I told you, some people never get over it completely. But Justin, I don’t expect that with you.”

“I just don’t want to feel this way over Christmas.”

“You do know that flying isn’t recommended with ear issues like this.”

“And you know I am going no matter what,” Justin said stubbornly.  

“Yes and that is why I rented a plane for everyone to fly.  If all else fails, I can give you something so you sleep most of the way and won’t feel pain if you happen to have a pressure issue.  Tell your family to get refunds on their tickets or change them to one way from home if they are leaving early.”

“Victor, you didn’t need to do that.”

“Justin, you and Brian have done so much for Teddy and I and now we have that amazing house near yours because of the gift of land you gave us. Whether you want it or not, we are now part of your family and we will do anything for family.”

After Victor left, Justin sent an email to Brian and told him the new information and then contacted the rest of his family with the same information.  His mom was getting married and his family would be together at one of his favorite places in the world.  He may still be a bit dizzy and couldn’t do everything he wanted to do right now but he wouldn’t change a thing.