Chapter 26

After the family had met at Britin for another family dinner without Luke, who had stayed behind at Emmett's place, they moved on to another week in their new normal. 

Gus was back in New York, Luke and Vicky were back in school, Justin was back to working on the paintings for his show and Brian was back at work at Kinnetik. Only that he had left early. As he always did when Luke had a soccer game and this Monday was no different. 

Brian had driven out to Luke's school and had gone to the soccer pitch behind the school building where Luke's team and the opposing team were already playing their match.

It wasn't a championship match and merely a friendly between the two teams to see where they were standing while the championship was on hold between Thanksgiving and the New Year, but Brian wouldn't have missed it for anything. 

Luke was pretty much the star of his team, an incredibly talented and versatile midfielder who had led his team to many wins in the last year. He was so good and so talented that Brian wouldn't be surprised if Luke got offered a soccer scholarship as well one day. Not that he would need it, they had enough money to pay for any eduction that Luke would want, but still, it had warmed Brian's heart to know that Luke had actually stepped into his footsteps and had followed his path in soccer. 

Brian had always stayed interested in soccer even after he had left university and had left the scholarship behind and soccer was one of the things that was just theirs. Neither Gus nor Vicky were really all that interested in sports and Justin was pretty much a lost cause when it came to any sports at all, but Luke and Brian had always bonded over their love for the sport. They would often play together in their garden, would often go on runs together to stay in shape and Brian could remember more games than not that they had watched together at home on their TV, yelling at referees or players. Soccer was their thing and it was their one on one time. A time that Brian sorely missed now that Luke had moved out and wasn't talking to them. 

Whenever possible, Brian would attend Luke's games and he would make sure to make it possible for him to attend even if it meant rescheduling presentations or other meetings. By now Cynthia and Ted were already well used to Brian rescheduling meetings because a game had been added to Luke's schedule. And this day was no different. 

Luke wasn't talking to them and Brian respected that, but it didn't mean that he wasn't proud of his son's talent and didn't want to support him. 

He had made sure to arrive a couple of minutes into the game, so Luke would already be on the pitch and wouldn't notice him as he watched the game. He didn't want to make his son feel uncomfortable and also didn't want him to feel pressured into any kind of conversation he clearly wasn't ready for. Brian would respect that Luke didn't want to speak to him or Justin, no matter how much that might hurt and would just watch the game from afar. 

The first half of the game had gone very well for Luke's team and by the time the second half of the game started, Luke's team was leading 3:1. Luke had prepared two of the goals and had created quite a few chances for his team. Brian was really proud of how well his son was playing. 

He watched as Luke got the ball once again and got ready to make his way towards the opposing team's penalty area. He sprinted down the pitch, keeping the ball close by, clearly looking for any team members he could pass the ball to. Just as he had apparently found someone and got ready to pass, Brian saw an opposing player come towards him at high speed. Just as Luke passed the ball towards his team mate, the player from the other team crashed into him and threw him to the ground. Brian could hear Luke's scream as he fell to the grass and held his ankle in obvious pain.

Obviously fouls happened in soccer, Brian was well used to that and had been the victim of quite a few himself, but he could immediately see that this had been serious. Luke was still lying on the grass, clutching his ankle, his face showing obvious pain. Luke wasn't a player to go into theatrics when he was fouled and just the fact that he was still lying on the floor, clutching his ankle several seconds after the other player had crashed into him, showed Brian that he had really gotten hurt. If he had been alright, Luke would have just gotten up, brushed himself off and continued with the  game. 

Having played soccer for so long himself, Brian was very aware of all the types of injuries a foul like that could cause and his concern immediately grew the longer Luke stayed lying on the pitch.

He watched as the coach and assistant coach made their way to where Luke was lying, obviously wanting to find out what was going on. For a second he had contemplated running over as well, but then decided to stay back. He was not part of the team and didn't want to be one of those fathers. He trusted the coach, knew he was a very capable man and would take good care of his star player. 

Brian watched as the coach and assistant coach helped Luke up and took an arm over each of their shoulders, helping him hop to the side line, so they could further check out his ankle. He hardly paid attention to the referee who was showing the other player a yellow card for his foul and gave Luke's team a freekick. His whole attention was focused on his son whose face was still showing clear signs of pain as he sat down on the bench, immediately surrounded by the team mates that had been on the bench, all looking at him in concern. 

Knowing that there was nothing he could do, but also knowing that he needed to know what was going on, Brian slowly made his way over towards the bench and got close enough to follow the conversation between Luke and his assistant coach. 

“Does it hurt?”

“Yeah, like hell... I think it might be broken.”

“It's already swelling. This doesn't look good, Luke,” the assistant coach said as he carefully tried to remove Luke's shoe from his injured foot. 

“Argh,” Luke groaned in pain as the shoe was taken off to reveal a very swollen ankle. “Fuck!”

“I think we need to get this checked out by a doctor to make sure nothing is broken or torn,” the assistant coach said as he slowly moved Luke's ankle, clearly causing the boy more pain. He carefully let go of the ankle and got an ice pack from the first aid kit he had nearby. “Keep ice on it for now and I'll take you to the emergency room when the game is over.”

Luke nodded, but before he got the chance to say something, they were interrupted by Brian who had now moved directly behind the bench and had followed the whole conversation. “I will take him now.”

Luke's head whipped around in surprise when his eyes settled on his father. “Dad?”

“Mr. Kinney-Taylor,” the assistant coach greeted Brian, knowing him from some of their previous games and previous interactions. Kinnetik was one of the biggest team sponsors, Luke was their best player, so of course he was familiar with Brian. “I didn't see you. I wasn't aware you were here for the game.”

Brian just nodded once, then repeated his earlier statement. “I will take him to the emergency room now. There is no point in waiting in case something might be broken or torn.”

The assistant coach nodded, agreeing with Brian that they shouldn't waste time, secretly quite glad about his offer. He couldn't have left before the game was over as he had to stay with the other players, but if Luke's father was able to take him to the emergency room right away, that would be best for everyone involved. 

“I am fine, Dad,” Luke pressed out, not sure how he felt about his Dad suddenly being there and offering to take him to the hospital. 

“Your ankle says otherwise,” Brian just replied, then came around the bench and looked at the assistant coach. “I've parked over there. Can you help me get him to the car?”

The young man nodded and together they helped Luke hop towards Brian's car. Luke had by now realised that complaining would be futile and his father seemed to be on a mission and really, his ankle hurt so bad, he was actually quite glad not to have to wait another 25 minutes before he could get it looked at. 

They placed Luke in the back of the car where he was able to keep his ankle in an elevated position. They replaced the ice pack on his ankle to help with the swelling and then just waited for one of Luke's teammates to get his stuff from the changing room. 

There was an awkward silence between Brian and Luke as they waited for Luke's stuff after the assistant coach had returned back to the game. 

“Does it hurt?” Brian asked, trying to get a conversation going, but all he got in return from Luke was a nod, no reply. “We'll get you to the emergency room in a minute.” 

Luke nodded once again, otherwise chose to ignore his Dad as best as he could. 

Once one of his friends had brought over his bag with his stuff, Brian thanked the boy and they were off on their way. 

The ride to the hospital had been quiet and the silence had clearly been uncomfortable, but neither had felt like talking anymore by that point. 

Brian parked the car close to the entrance, then helped Luke out and into the emergency room. He helped him settle on a chair, then went to sign them in with the nurse at the desk. He quietly spoke to her, explaining what had happened and returned to Luke's side a few minutes later with a lot of paperwork that he immediately started to fill in with the required insurance information. 

Luke pretty much ignored what Brian was doing and ignored him, focusing on his swollen ankle instead. When he took away the ice pack and touched the ankle, he cursed at the pain he could feel. “Fuck!”

“Don't touch it!” Brian just said automatically as he threw a quick glance in Luke's direction. “You don't want to make it any worse.”

Luke just nodded, then exhaled deeply. “Shit...”

“It will be alright. I am sure it's not broken and just a sprain.”

“What? Are you a doctor now?” Luke muttered before he could help himself. 

“No, but I know a thing or two about broken bones and sports injuries,” Brian just gave back, his voice calmer than both he himself and Luke had expected. 

Luke knew that the reference to broken bones had been a reference to his dad's childhood and if what his papa had told him was correct, his dad really knew a thing or two about broken bones. Knowing that he had been out of line with his comment anyway, he decided to stay quiet for the moment. Instead he just nodded. 

He watched as his father returned to the desk to give the paperwork to the nurse sitting there and when he came back, Luke saw him holding his phone. 

“I should call your Papa. He should know what has happened,” Brian just announced before he moved towards a quiet corner of the waiting room. 

“Don't, Dad. Please!” Luke said, looking up at his father from pained eyes. 

When Brian frowned at him, Luke went on. 

“He will only worry and... we don't even know what is wrong... Can't you tell him what's wrong when we know? You know he will worry.”

Brian eyed his son for a few seconds and Luke held his gaze. In the end Brian nodded, knowing that Luke was right. Justin would worry and there was no reason to worry him when they didn't even know what was wrong. 

“Thanks,” Luke said quietly, already feeling like it was hard enough to deal with one of his fathers, not knowing if he really had the strength to deal with both of them right now. 

A heavy silence settled between them once more as Brian sat down at Luke's side and together they waited to be seen by a doctor. 

After another 30 minutes they were finally seen by a doctor, who immediately ordered an X-ray and an ultrasound to check for any broken bones or torn ligaments. By now Luke's ankle had swollen quite a bit, so it was obvious that something was wrong. 

It took them another hour until the doctor saw them again. Thankfully there didn't seem to be any broken bones or torn ligaments, but it was clear that the ankle had been sprained. 

Both father and son seemed equally relieved when the doctor told them that it seemed to be a simple sprain and that Luke should be back to normal in 1-2 weeks time. He attached a brace to the ankle to keep pressure off the joint and told Luke to use crutches for at least the next week to keep weight off his ankle as much as possible. He also advised him to keep using ice to keep the swelling down and to keep his foot elevated as much as he could to help his body absorb extra fluid. Last but not least, he asked to see Luke again in a week's time to see if there was any progress on his ankle. 

Once they arrived back at Brian's car, Brian helped put away the crutches and to get Luke comfortable again. “I'll get you back to Emmett's place now,” was all he said as he climbed into the car himself and Luke just nodded. 

They then headed into Pittsburgh in complete silence, a silence that gnawed at both of them. 

“Dad?” Luke asked, when they got close to Emmett's house, feeling like he needed to say something. 

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for not calling Papa,” Luke said quietly and Brian nodded in response. 

He then met Luke's gaze in the rearview mirror. “I'll have to tell him though. There's no way I can keep this from him. He'll most likely come by later to check on you.”

Luke nodded, not really surprised by that. He knew his papa would need to know what had happened and he also wasn't really surprised that he would show up later to check on him. Out of his two fathers, his papa was usually the one that got more nervous when one of them was sick or injured. His dad was usually the one that kept a level head and stayed calm. 

“Okay,” Luke said quietly, not really having expected anything else. 

When they pulled up outside Emmett's house, Brian helped Luke out of the car and took his stuff as Luke made his way towards the door. 

“Dad?” he said once more as he turned to his father after he had rung the doorbell. 

Brian turned towards him and met his gaze, showing that he was listening. 

“Thanks for taking me to the emergency room,” Luke said, his voice sounding genuine as he spoke. 

Brian only nodded once more and before he had a chance to reply anything, Drew opened the door. He took one look at Luke on crutches, still in his soccer outfit, his jacket loosely hanging over his shoulders and Brian carrying all his stuff. He had been playing football long enough to know what a sports injury looked like and just nodded in acknowledgement.

“Anything broken or torn?” He just asked, looking from Brian to Luke and back and seeming quite relieved when both shook their head in reply. 

“It's just a sprained ankle,” Brian said quietly. “He needs to keep it elevated, needs to keep ice on it and shouldn't put any weight or pressure on it for at least a week.”

“Been there, it sucks, but there are worse injuries,” Drew said earnestly as he stepped aside to let Luke into the house. 

Brian nodded, knowing that if anyone in their family was familiar with this type of injury it would be Drew. 

“Just make sure he doesn't overdo it,” Brian said quietly as he handed Drew Luke's bag. 

Drew nodded once more. “Don't worry. I know how to take care of a sprained ankle. He will be fine.”

“Yeah, I know,” Brian sighed, then ran a hand over his face. “Justin doesn't know yet. I wouldn't be surprised if he came by later just to check that he's alright. He doesn't deal well when one of the kids is hurt or in pain...”

“I don't blame him,” Drew said, knowing that Brian wasn't really faring much better. One look at the man told him as much. He looked exhausted. “Do I want to know why you're the one bringing him here?”

Brian shrugged. “I was at the game when he got fouled. Took him to the emergency room so he wouldn't have to wait until the assistant coach was free to take him after the game.”

“He'll be fine, Brian,” Drew said once more, seeing how drained his friend looked. 

“Yeah, I know,” Brian sighed, then nodded towards his car. “I better get home and tell Justin what happened. I'll see you around.”

Drew nodded, then watched as Brian headed back to his car. Brian didn't even seem to notice that he was still being watched as he settled in the car and ran his hands over his face twice before he started the car and made his way back home. 

***

“Brian, what happened? You're late,” Justin said as Brian came into the house, already waiting for him as he took off his coat and gloves. When Brian turned towards him and Justin saw his face and how exhausted and drained he looked, his concern immediately grew. “Brian?”

“Luke got injured at his game,” Brian said and saw as Justin's hand flew to his mouth in obvious shock. He immediately went on before Justin could get too scared. “It's nothing serious, just a sprained ankle. I took him to the emergency room to get him checked out. I then took him back to Pittsburgh to Emmett's place. It's why I am so late.”

“Is he okay?”

Brian nodded, immediately seeing the fear in Justin's eyes and on his face. “He's fine. He'll have to use crutches for a week and needs to keep ice on it, but should be fine otherwise. He wasn't even in pain anymore by the time we left the hospital.”

“How did it happen?”

“Some guy from the other team tried to take the ball from him, but hit his ankle instead of the ball. It was a stupid foul. He'll be fine.”

“Why didn't you call me? I could have met you at the hospital,” Justin said, his voice now taking on a slightly accusatory tone. 

“He asked me not to,” Brian just said, then took Justin's hand and led him back towards the kitchen. “He didn't want to scare you before we knew what was going on.”

Justin eyed Brian dubiously, making it clear what he thought of that argument. 

“And I think... he already had a hard enough time dealing with my presence,” Brian added, sighing deeply before he went on. “I don't think having both of us there would have helped him under the current circumstances.”

Justin nodded, having heard something in Brian's voice that worried him. “And you? Are you okay?”

Brian shrugged. “I am fine.”

“Brian,” Justin said, looking at his husband, making it clear that he expected an honest answer. 

“I don't like seeing him in pain... and knowing that me being the one that took him to the hospital only added to his discomfort... what do you want me to say, Sunshine? It made me feel like shit...”

“Oh Brian,” Justin sighed, running a hand through his husband's hair. “I am sorry.”

“What for? It's not your fault. It's just the way things are now...”

“I just... I wish things were different,” Justin said quietly, pulling Brian close and hugging him. “I can see how much you're hurting and... I hate seeing you like this... I hate seeing Luke this angry with you...with us... I just wish things would return to normal.”

“Yeah, I don't think that will happen anytime soon,” Brian said morosely, holding Justin tight, allowing himself some comfort from his hug. “You should have seen his face when he realised that I was at the game and that I would take him to the hospital. He hardly spoke to me at all the whole time we were there...”

“Things will change, Brian... We just need to give him time,” Justin said quietly, never letting go of the man in his arms. 

“I know... it's just so damn hard,” Brian whispered back, before he pulled back from Justin's embrace. “What about the princess? Is she already in bed?”

Justin nodded. “Yeah, but I think she might still be awake. She wanted to wait for you to come home and tell her a story. She only went to bed about ten minutes ago.”

“Okay, I'll check. Wouldn't do to make her go to sleep without her story,” Brian said, meeting his husband's concerned gaze head on. “I'll be fine, Sunshine. Stop worrying.”

“I'll always worry,” Justin admitted, running a gentle hand over Brian's arm. 

“You should go. I know you want to head into town and check on Luke. I already told him to expect your visit...,” Brian said, seeing the look in Justin's eyes that he knew so well. Justin was torn between taking care of him and taking care of one of their kids, being torn on who needed him more right now. 

“Are you sure?” He asked, as if to confirm Brian's thoughts. “I don't want to leave you alone.”

“I am not alone. I'll have the princess to keep me company. You go and check on Luke. I'll still be here when you get back,” Brian nodded. “I'll be fine. I promise. Now go! I know you want to.”

“Okay, but I'll be back soon,” Justin finally agreed, never leaving Brian's eyes as he spoke. “I just... need to make sure he's okay.”

“I know,” Brian smiled gently, pulling Justin close once more. He placed a gentle kiss on his lips, his smile growing wider as he spoke again. “It's why you're such a great father.”

“Well, I have a feeling Luke might disagree on that and... might not be that happy about my visit,” Justin admitted, knowing full well that Luke probably didn't want to see him. And he could understand that, but he just needed to make sure that he was alright. 

“He'll be fine. We will all be,” Brian said, then pulled back. “Now go! I'll check on the princess.”

“I left you some salad in the fridge,” Justin said as he headed towards the hallway to grab his coat and car keys. “Eat it!”

Brian nodded, knowing that eating was the last thing on his mind, but also knowing that Justin was worried about him as well and he wouldn't do anything to worry him any more than necessary. “I will. Now go!”

Justin nodded, then turned towards the door and left. 

Brian kept watching the door for a couple of seconds, then turned around and made his way upstairs to Vicky's room. Even if she was already asleep, some time with his daughter might just be what he needed now.