Gus was glad he had grabbed the blanket. He was just in the shorts and t-shirt he had worn to bed the night before. He first ran on pure terror, but when he had put distance between him and the cabin he stopped so he could think. That was when he realized how much his feet hurt. They were already bleeding from running on the forest floor. He knew he needed a plan but he knew moving away from the kidnappers and the cabin was the most important thing right now.
He stood and, cringing with each step, moved on until he got to a small clearing. Since Gus had no idea where he was he looked up at the stars. He knew that they could help him. If he picked a star and always kept it in the same part of the sky, he would be traveling in the same direction. He didn't know a lot of the star groups, but he could find the big dipper, so that is what he decided he would follow. He would make sure when he could see stars through the trees the big dipper would stay to his right. He knew that until daylight that was the best he could do.
There was rustling somewhere behind him which scared him. He was glad to see a raccoon run across the small patch of light filtering down. "Think, Gus," he said to himself softly. "You need something on your feet. He looked at the blanket he had dropped over his shoulders. For the first time he was glad it was cheap and tattered. He started tugging on a small tear at the edge and soon he had a strip about eight inch wide and four feet long. Then he tore a couple strips about two inches wide. After a lot of effort he managed to rip the big strip into two foot lengths.
A half hour later Gus was moving again. He had managed to fold the bigger pieces into rectangles and tied them to the bottom of his feet. It was still little protection but at least there was a barrier between his skin and the pine needles. Gus gave himself a few minutes to cry but then said, "Gus, crying won't help right now. You have a family to find and they will do the crying for you." He kept moving and as the sky began to lighten he found a place to hide and get some sleep.
Brian and Justin both had pulled it together by the time Aaron and Jessi got up. They had come up with the dialogue they were going to tell them. Gus was such a brave, big brother and he got away from the bad guys and now that the sun was up, the FBI would find where he was hiking in the woods.
"Dads," Aaron started, "Gus will be fine. He can do anything."
Jessi wasn't as brave. She was curled up in Justin's arms and with a wavering voice she said, "I miss him. I need Gussy home."
"We all do, Jessi. But Aaron is right. Gus is very smart. He will figure out how to keep himself safe." He tightened his arms around her and kissed her cheek. "The FBI has some of the best agents in the world. They will find him."
"Dads, I bet Joshua is a better tracker than the FBI any day of the week."
"Well," Brian smiled at his son and said, "if they can't find him, we will send Joshua out."
"We should send him out first." Aaron had a stubborn look on his face that they didn't see often on him. He turned and looked at Brian, "Is Mel really coming?"
"She is," Brian responded. "She should be here in a couple hours."
"I won't be nice to her. She doesn't care about Gus so I don't care about her."
Brian and Justin's eyes connected and Justin opened his mouth to speak, "Aaron, I understand you're upset, but just because Mel..." Justin looked at Brian for help.
"We don't understand either, Aaron, but we have to remember that Gus loves his mom. For him we all need to be polite."
"I'll try, but I don't know if I can do that. Not as long as I don't know where my brother is."
It was around noon when a car pulled up and Brian went out to meet Mel. To his surprise, his mother-in-law was rushing toward the door. "Have you found him? Is Gus safe?"
Brian enclosed her in his arms, and though they were not related by blood, Brian felt the comfort of a mother's love. "Oh, Jenn, am I glad you're here. Last we heard they are following what they think is his trail."
"How could anyone do this to our sweet Gus?"
"Justin and I want to help but we couldn't leave the kids alone."
"Let me go hug my son and then I will stay with Aaron and Jessi while you help with the search." Jenn kissed Brian, "I knew you could use me here."
Brian entered the house and said, "Look who I found wanting to help."
There was a chorus of "Mom" and "Grandmas" and then Jessi and Aaron had wrapped themselves around her. Justin let them have a few moments but then Brian gently moved the kids away and Jenn and Justin shared an embrace. "Oh, Mom, I am so glad to see you. You didn't need to..."
"I did need to come. My sons and grandchildren needed me and I needed all of you."
As they filled Jenn in on a few overnight details, the door opened, and Dusty came in. "Brian, a lady showed up at the gate. When Mrs. Taylor came, I recognized her from all the pictures in the house, but this one..."
"Fuck, Brian, I'm coming in. Any news about Gus?" Dusty tried to stop Mel but Brian motioned to let her pass.
Aaron straightened up and rushed in front of Brian. With fire in his eyes he said, "You don't belong here. You aren't family."
"Well, look who took after Brian? Aaron, don't you remember me? I'm Gus'..."
"You don't even know Gus." Aaron stood up even straighter and Justin moved towards him. "Aaron, why don't you and Jessi show Grandma around the house? We are going to go help with the search. Justin gave the kids and his mom a kiss, as did Brian, and they led Mel out of the house.
"Aaron has gotten mouthy, hasn't he?" Mel said offhandedly as she opened the door to the SUV.
Justin came up behind her and slammed the door shut. "Mel, that little boy is going through hell because of you. His big brother was taken by someone because of you, and now he is missing. If you know what is good for you, you won't say another thing about any of our children or you may be the next one to disappear." Without another word, he opened the door for her and in stunned silence, she got in.
Brian reached over and squeezed Justin's thigh before giving Mel the last information he had received. Mel asked, "Has the don said anything? Or his partner?"
"Do you really think the don would admit what he did?" Brian asked.
"No," Mel sighed, "but what about the partner?"
"They are working on getting him a deal." Brian responded.
"How can you two go on and on about them when Gus is still missing?" Justin questioned.
Brian could see Justin was beginning to crumble. As long as he was useful he could hold himself together, but from past experience Brian worried about Justin's mental health. "You're right, Justin, and we are about to reach the search base. We will be out on the trail soon."
Gus slept under the limbs of a pine tree. He woke several times, but one time he was sure he heard the men in the distance, or was that just part of a dream. It was probably just fear induced memories. He could tell it was late in the afternoon. He stayed hidden a long while and since he heard nothing but birds and squirrels, he came out.
The first thing he did was look for some thick moss. He found some on an old log. He pulled off foot sized pieces and put several layers together which he then added to the cloth and retied them to his feet. He stood and found it was definitely more comfortable but he wasn't sure how long it would hold up.
The next thing he needed to do is find some water, and hopefully something to eat. He had been out with Dusty enough that he knew some berries were edible but others would make him really sick. He was thrilled when he found a patch of wild strawberries and a bush with some other berries. He couldn't remember what Dusty had called them but they had each eaten a few. Gus didn't really like them but he couldn't be picky right now. He picked as many as he could, putting them in the center of the blanket and then tying the blanket so it was easier to carry them.
He still wasn't sure where he was, but he had a feeling if he turned to his left, which he was fairly sure was south, he would be heading toward home. Of course he could be wrong and be heading away from home, farther into the wilderness where he would die. No, he couldn't think like that.
As he walked along what looked like an animal trail, he hoped it led to water. That was something else he had learned from Dusty and Joshua. They said animals sort of had their own roads and they usually led to water. By the time the sun was setting, Gus had refilled his water bottle and planned to follow the stream, hoping it would lead to the Valley of the Bisons. He sat down and leaned against a tree to rest until the sun dropped below the mountain and the world was dark again. As he slept, clouds rolled in as another storm dropped over the mountain peak.
Soon after Brian, Justin, and Mel arrived, Mel was taken to an FBI van to be interviewed. They showed her a picture of the two men they had locked up in the local jail and Mel identified the Italian as the man she had convicted. The second man, the one that had actually committed murder, was spilling everything.
Brian and Justin had walked with others through the woods but there were reports of a storm heading their way and the search parties were called back to the staging area. "We can't stop!" Justin shouted. "We can't leave Gus out there by himself."
"Sunshine, we can't have all these people risking their lives."
"I am not leaving, Brian!" Justin pulled out his phone and texted Joshua. "Joshua will keep tracking and I will be with him."
"Justin, I want to do the same thing but what if something happens to us? We have to think of Aaron and Jessi, too." He pulled Justin close.
"They are with Mom, she will always take care of them." Justin tried to say it with conviction but his body was trembling and the tears began to roll. "Brian, where could he be? Why isn't he responding? What if he ran into a bear or fell off a ridge? Maybe he is already... Oh, God, Brian!"
Brian held onto him and said, "I can't think like that. We can't think like that."
"You better not be giving up on our son. Gus has always been tough." Mel commented.
"Shut up, Mel. Our son," Brian pointed back and forth between himself and Justin, "is tough and smart. He has quickly learned a lot about this country, but you're delusional if you think a boy his age can last long out there. Why did you come here Mel, really? What is in it for you?"
"I needed to make sure he was alright. You know I do love him." As the words came out the rain started falling first in big, slow drops but moments later as Mel ducked into the mobile FBI office, the heavens opened and, out of nowhere, Joshua appeared.
"Let's go look for Gus," was all Joshua said just as the full force of the storm hit the area.
Gus had been walking along the river moving toward the valley, when the rain and wind hit he first tried to move faster so he could get off the slope of the mountain but after falling and skinning up his knee he slowed down again but as he watched lightning strike a tree on the hill next to them but, although it had scared him to tears, he was sure he saw the cabin. At least now he was sure where he was, sort of.
As the storm increased, the ground under his feet was getting slipperier and he fell a couple more times. By now he had lost his homemade shoes long ago and by the time he fell for the fifth time, he felt something snap. He let himself roll and by the time he saw what was ahead, it was too late. The last thing he remembered was seeing a large rock just seconds before his head connected with it. He tried to fight the darkness but then gave into it.
Dusty brought Mel back to the ranch. She had been up more hours than she could calculate, and, after helping the FBI speak to Italian officials, she tried to stay on scene but she couldn't stay awake. It was after midnight when she got to the house, Jennifer heated up some leftovers for her, and as Mel ate, Jenn drank her hundredth cup of coffee for the day.
"Thank you for this," Mel looked at her plate and continued, "I know I'm no one's favorite person, especially that little spitfire that looks so much like your son." Jenn took a deep breath but Mel held up her hand. "I understand why. I am never here for him, but... I know I'm a bad mother, that is why I don't come around. Even when I tried to be a real mom I failed, so I just stayed away. Jenn, what if I can't tell him how much I love him?" Jenn patted her shoulder and Mel crumbled into sobs.
Joshua moved through the forest with Brian and Justin behind him. He saw some signs that someone had moved through the area and this far from the cabin he didn't think it was the suspects. "He was here. I think he spent last night here."
"Joshua, that means he has a full day's walk ahead of us." Justin said as Brian squeezed his hand.
"But Sunshine, Joshua knows the area. He has to be moving slowly. He could be just..."
"I see some cloth and most of the tracks have washed away but here, under the protection of the tree, he has something on his feet now. I can't see what, but he isn't barefooted anymore."
"How could he keep from getting mixed up in what direction he was going?" Justin asked.
"I showed him and Dusty told him, too. He knows how to use the stars."
"He knows how to track?"
"Not track so much as navigate. He knows how to keep moving in the same direction." Joshua never slowed down as he spoke. "If they would have let me start last night..." Brian and Justin lost the remainder of the comment as Joshua's words were lost in the storm. They hurried to keep up.
Gus woke up and immediately knew he wasn't going further. His leg hurt more than anything ever before and his head felt like it was split open. He tried to sit up but his head hurt. When the sky lit up again, Gus saw a little overhang nearby and over the next thirty minutes he drug himself the fifteen feet. The pain was agonizing and several times he stopped and cried for several minutes but eventually he found himself out of the worst of the weather and fell asleep out of exhaustion.
It was nearly 4:00 a.m. when Joshua turned to Brian and Justin and said, "We must take a short break," as he pulled out his phone. "We will walk over there," he pointed to an area, "and Dusty will be here to pick us up in a few moments. We all need some food and coffee and then we will go back out. I feel we are getting close, but the rain is stopping soon and the sun will rise, it will be safe again and we will find him. I can feel it. The spirits are telling me he is safe, but if we continue one of us will be hurt."
"I just can't leave him! If he is close, we should," Brian shouted, but stopped when Justin laid his hand on his arm.
"Brian, I believe in Joshua's feelings. It is killing me but I think we do need to go." They embraced until they heard a vehicle not far away and Joshua walked on so they followed.
Gus wished his blanket wasn't wet. He was so cold. He was also very hungry. During the heavy rain earlier he had managed to fill his water bottle under a drip from the overhang. As the storm ramped up for one final blast, he was sure he heard his dad's voice but when he listened there was nothing except a large crash of thunder and then what sounded like a large tree branch crashing to the forest floor. "Daddy," he whispered and then cried himself to sleep.
Emma had a fresh pot of coffee ready and there was an array of breakfast food. There were scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, and a variety of rolls and breads. After they had changed into dry clothes, Justin and Brian each took a cup of coffee and sat down by the counter. Before they could stop her, Emma got them plates with a little of everything and moved the basket of pastries closer. "You need to eat something. You have to be exhausted." Brian opened his mouth but she stopped him, "Don't make me wake up Jennifer." They looked at each other and both picked up their forks.
"Where is he?" Mel rushed into the kitchen. "You didn't stop looking for him, did you? How come you are back here without him?"
"Good morning to you, too, Mel. We are going back out as soon as the sun is up."
"Woman, they needed a break. You didn't seem to have any issue going to bed." Emma was just winding up, "How dare you come into their house and think you have any right to say anything!"
Joshua walked over and put his hand on Emma's arm, "Although it is true, Em, she is still his mother."
"But she is so horrible."
"Darling, you need some sleep. "Let me take you to our quarters and take a nap."
"But the children..."
"Justin's mother will take care of them." Joshua led her out of the room toward their residence.
Justin looked at Mel and in a moment of weakness said, "Are you coming with us when we go back out?"
"May I?" Mel asked.
Brian looked over at her, "I think we are leaving in about an hour. The rain is done so we are just waiting for first light."
Mel helped herself to a croissant and a cup of coffee and disappeared to change clothes. Justin got off the stool and took Brian's hand and led him to a sofa. They sat next to each other, shoulder to shoulder, head to head. "Brian, if he isn't there... if we can't find him?"
"Joshua said there are at least 100 people ready to be here at 8:00 a.m. If we don't find him by then, they will all be ready to start a grid pattern, looking for him." Brian kissed Justin. Justin moved so he was facing Brian on his lap. He put a hand on either side of Brian's face and focused on it as he lowered his mouth onto Brian's lips and, as if plugging into an electrical source they recharged each other.
By the time Mel came back and Joshua appeared, they were ready to go. Dusty came with them so they could cover more area with five of them. They went back to the spot they stopped at along the creek. As they spread out and moved downward they came across a large tree that had fallen.
"That came down after we left. That is what the spirits were warning me against. It could have killed us when it came down." They spread out and started calling for Gus as they moved a few feet apart. They were looking under pines and inside logs. Every few minutes they would stop and call out again.
They had been looking about twenty minutes when Mel moved around the side of a large rock and she saw a foot. "GUS! He's here! Over here!" She dropped down beside her son and touched his face, praying he would respond. "Hurry! He's freezing and I think he is hurt badly." She patted his face lightly, "Gus, it's Mom. Sweetheart, can you open your eyes?"
Gus' eyes fluttered open a moment and softly said, "Where are my dads? Are my dads here?" And then he closed his eyes again.
The next hour was a blur of activity. The FBI, being close, sent medical assistance immediately to their location and they helped get Gus to the valley where a helicopter could airlift him out. As Mel started climbing in, Gus mumbled, "Dads," before going out again.
Joshua reached over and gently but firmly, helped Mel off the skid and Brian and Justin jumped in as it lifted off. Joshua looked at Mel and in his calm, authoritative voice said, "You haven't earned that right."
Mel's mouth dropped open, but the stern look on Joshua's face caused her to close her mouth and follow him to one of the vehicles.
The flight to the hospital in Denver took about half an hour and the whole time medics were looking at Gus and talking to the hospital. Brian and Justin stayed in their seats and out of the way. They heard the corpsman mention a damaged leg, but they seemed most concerned about the head injury. An IV was started to get fluid into him. What worried Brian and Justin the most was Gus had stopped responding to anything around him. It was the longest thirty minutes of their lives.
As soon as they landed Gus disappeared into a sea of scrubs, and by the time they were able to get off the helicopter, a young man stood waiting for them. "Gentlemen, I'm Ben. I am in patient services and I will be with you through this. Please, follow me and we will get you settled in a waiting room." They followed him through a maze of hallways and into a small comfortable room. "I'm sorry, I wanted to get you comfortable or as comfortable as you can be in this situation. I was told you are Brian and Justin?"
"Brian Kinney, and this is my husband, Justin Taylor. Where did they take our son? Can we go be with him?"
"I am going to check right now. I will also have some paperwork for you to sign." Ben left them alone.
"Brian, he was so quiet. He quit responding. That isn't good. When I had my head..."
Brian pulled Justin into his arms, tightly, and said, "That is all I have been able to think of. Justin, I almost lost you because you were hit, and now Gus... I can't lose him. WE can't lose him."
Justin clung to him. He had forgotten how traumatic it was for Brian. It was for both of them, but Brian had sat on a bench and waited just like this all those years before.
They held each other until Ben re-entered. "I need a signature on this paper immediately. I will then be right back and fill you in on what is happening and when you can see him." Justin scribbled his signature and then Ben rushed back out and returned a minute later with two bottles of water. After handing them some water, he sat across from them. "The two of you are fortunate that Gus was found when he was. He has a slight case of hypothermia after being cold and wet so long, and they are checking his leg to see what the injury is. It doesn't appear to be broken, but they are checking if there are any torn ligaments or tendons." Ben looked at the frozen faces of the fathers and took a deep breath. "I am sorry. I am going too fast. You have been traumatized yourself. What can I answer for you?"
Justin took a deep breath and squeezed Brian's hand, "His head, how is his head?"
"They are getting him in for a scan. He is next in line. That will tell them what the damage is. It may just be a severe concussion."
"Ben, we are familiar with head injuries. Eleven years ago I was beaten and in a coma for several months. It took years for me to recover, so we know about head injuries. We want to know every step they take."
"I will let them know. Now, I am going to go check how much longer. As soon as he has had the scan, I will take you back." Ben pulled out his phone and looked at a message that had just come in. "It looks like you have family or friends at the front desk. I will have them sent up, if that is all right?"
"Yes, that's fine. And, Ben?" Ben looked at Justin, "Thank you." Ben nodded and walked out.
"I wonder who came besides Mel?" Justin questioned.
"I am sure your mom is here."
"Daddies!" The elevator door wasn't even open when they heard Jessi.
"Sounds like the kids are here, too," Brian smiled.
"I am so glad!" Justin rushed out into the hall and lifted Jessi into his arms and she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him all over his face.
"Oh, Daddy, you found him! Is he alright? Can we see Gussy?"
"Oh, Jess, he is having a test on his head right now. When he is done, hopefully Daddy and I can go see him."
Jenn hugged both Brian and Justin, "What have you heard?"
Aaron walked in and as he did, he threw a dirty look back at Mel who walked in last. Justin passed Jessi to Brian and sat down pulling Aaron into his arms. "I am so glad you are here, Aaron."
"You found Gus. She told us." He bobbed his head towards Mel. Very softly he said, "I didn't want her to come. Why did she have to come? I know, she's his mom." He rolled his eyes.
"What have the doctors said?" Mel asked.
"Ben will be back soon, but he is warming up and his leg isn't broken but he may have some torn ligaments or other injuries." Justin reached over and squeezed Brian's hand. "It's his head they are checking out now. They hope it is just a concussion. We should know shortly."
Mel was very quiet. She positioned herself on the edge of the family and observed. The family talked softly. Brian and Justin talked to Aaron and Jessi and asked how they had slept and what they had been doing until Ben slipped back in. "One of you can come see him. I'm sorry you both can't go right now."
Justin looked at Brian, "You go, Bri. Kiss him for me." Justin kissed Brian and he followed Ben out into the hall.
"Ben, have the tests been done?"
"I'm not sure they have all the results yet, but the doctor will fill you in with details."
Ben opened a door, letting Brian see in. "I will be waiting out here."
Brian walked directly to Gus' bed and took his hand. He leaned over and kissed him. "Gus? Son, can you hear me?" Brian looked at the doctor. "I'm Brian Kinney. I'm Gus' dad."
"That is very obvious," the young, female doctor smiled at him. "He is the spitting image of you." She extended her hand. "I'm Dr. Raven."
Brian shook her hand. "Just like your coloring tells me you are part of a local tribe?"
"Yes, Joshua is my uncle. Now, I'm sure you don't want to talk about my heritage right now. Gus is a very fortunate boy. We will keep an eye on his head, but there is only a minimum of swelling. There was no sign of bleeding."
Brian dropped on a straight back chair and leaned over Gus, crying softly. Dr. Raven let him cry for a few moments. "He will be ok, although he needs surgery on his knee."
Pulling himself together, Brian responded. "My husband had a severe head injury. He was in a coma for a long time and needed years of therapy. That was all I could think of."
"There should be none of that with Gus. We will probably do surgery tomorrow morning. He needs a little repair in his knee. It will take him a couple months to get to riding that Paint of his."
"You really do know Joshua."
"He is very fond of your whole family."
"Dad," a soft voice said from the bed.
"Oh, Gus. How are you, son?" Brian kissed his son's forehead.
"My head hurts. Well, all of me hurts. Did I dream it, or is Mama here?"
"She is. Do you want to talk to her?"
"I want to see Daddy J first. Is he here?"
"He is and so is Grandma."
"Grandma? Why is she here?"
"Because she loves you. If it is alright with Dr. Raven, I'll go get your dad. How about your mom?"
Brian looked at Dr. Raven and she nodded, "That's fine but then he needs to rest. He will be drifting off again, soon."
"I don't want to see Mama now. I just need Daddy J." Gus started talking faster and showed stress.
"You don't have to, Gus." Brian brushed the hair off his forehead and kissed him again. "Daddy J will be here in a minute."
Brian walked back with Ben who then led Justin away and Brian went in to fill the family in on how he was doing.
Justin entered Gus' room and rushed to his bed. Gus pulled him down in a big hug. "Gus, I am so sorry all this happened to you. I want to hear all about it, but right now, I just want to hold your hand and look at you."
"Daddy, I was so scared and I got so hungry."
"Have you gotten to eat now?"
"Yes. I have eaten and they told me they were bringing me more snacks so I can eat when I'm hungry."
"Do you know how amazing you are?"
"I'm not amazing. Did you hear I need to have surgery?"
"Are you worried?"
"I just don't know what they are going to do."
"Well, I will make sure that you get all your questions answered."
"Ok," Gus yawned and pulled the blanket up further. "Daddy, is it mean that I don't want to see Mama right now? I'm kind of mad at her. Why didn't she want to see me before? Did she come just because those bad guys took me?"
"You aren't mean, Gus. You don't have to see her until you want to." Gus yawned again and Justin stroked his cheek.
A nurse came in and put something in his IV. "This was for the pain. We are trying to stay ahead of it. He will probably sleep now."
"I'll stay until he's asleep. Gus, we will always be just down the hall if you need us." Justin kept talking softly. He told him about Jessi and Aaron and hopefully they would get to see him later today. When Justin was sure he was sound asleep he kissed his cheek and then slipped out the door.
Justin walked up to the door and motioned for Brian to come out in the hall and then led him out of the view of the family. Justin wrapped his arms around Brian and whispered, "Just hold me."
Brian obliged and they stood together for several minutes. They melded against each other and finally Justin said, "I realized what could have happened. We didn't know where he was for about 36 hours. I can't imagine what you went through when I was gone almost a year and a half. I think for the first time I understand how you just knew I was alive. I knew Gus was alive."
"It could have been so much worse. We probably should go back to the family. Dr. Raven was going to come and explain the surgery to us."
"Ok. Brian?" Justin said.
"Yes, Sunshine?"
"I love you. I can't imagine what I would do without you.
"Good thing you will never have to. You can't get rid of me. I love you too much."
They kissed again and then hand in hand went back to the waiting room to be with their family.