CHAPTER 42:  FOREVER YOUNG

Forever Young LYRICS

WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN/ VERSION SUNG BY NORAH JONES

May God bless and keep you always/ May your wishes all come true

May you always do for others/ And let others do for you

May you build a ladder to the stars/ And climb on every rung

May you stay forever young

Forever young, forever young/ May you stay forever young

May you grow up to be righteous/ May you grow up to be true

May you always know the truth/ And see the lights surrounding you

May you always be courageous/ Stand upright and be strong

May you stay forever young/ Forever young, forever young

May you stay forever young

May your hands always be busy/ May your feet always be swift

May you have a strong foundation/ When the winds of changes shift

May your heart always be joyful/ May your song always be sung

May you stay forever young/ Forever young, forever young

May you stay forever young

Copyright © 1973 by Ram's Horn Music; renewed 2001 by Ram’s Horn Music

VIC:

Is it wrong that I’m sitting here in near hysterics, watching two of the most self-assured men I know almost careen into each other yet again while pacing the waiting room floor as if it’s a race to see which of them can wear a hole in it faster?

“Hey! Watch it!” Justin yells for the fifth time in I don’t even know how many minutes.

“Well if you would stick to your side of the… floor, you wouldn’t have almost run me over, AGAIN!” Brian growls.

From my vantage point, I can see the exact moment when Justin takes umbrage at Brian’s tone, and I know that although it would be highly entertaining to see the reenactment of Beauty and the Beast live and in color, it’s not the time nor the place. “Boys, calm down, both of you. Right now, Taryn is in the delivery room, trying to bring those two lives into the world. The last thing anyone needs is to have World War Taylor-Kinney happening out here. Now sit down!”

They look like they want to argue with me, but eventually relent. If there is one thing they know, it’s that I can be even more stubborn than the two of them combined. I can’t help the small snicker that escapes me as they look at each other, before ultimately deciding that on the count of three they will do I as demanded. Emmett and Ted don’t even try to hold in the laughter, they just let go. Honestly, their neverending nervousness has been a continuous source of amusement since we all received the call at about eight this morning. Prior to that, Taryn had been here since the wee hours of the morning.

“Oh my God, how much longer?!” Justin asks, just about ready to jump out of his seat again. Brian snatches his hand, lacing their fingers together, both in silent apology and solidarity. I can tell just how much he’s also ready to jump out of his skin, as evidenced by him looking up every time the door to the operating rooms open.

“There’s no telling,” I answer them, calmly. “Since this is her first pregnancy and birth, it’s going to take a long time. So far we’ve only been here just under six hours. With ‘he who shall remain nameless’ it took over twenty-four hours of hard labor. Due to the fact that Taryn is healthy, and barring any complications with either her or the children, they will probably want her to go natural as opposed to having a cesarean section.”

“Jesus! Makes me especially glad that I’m a man,” Emmett says.

“I know, Em. I can’t imagine being in all of that excruciating pain for minutes, let alone hours. And when I think about where those babies are coming from….”

“That’s enough!” Brian yells, and I think we all agree with him. Women are some of the most amazing creatures on the earth, if for no other reason than to be able to bring another life into the world. “I’m going for a smoke. If I sit here any longer, I might lose it.”

Justin stands as well. “I think I have a better idea,” he says, and smiles the most lascivious grin I’ve seen from him in a long time. “We’re going to- uhhh- gonna go check on something real quick.”

“That all your parts are still in place after that conversation?” I ask rhetorically, enjoying the guilty blush that heats up Justin’s fair skin. I laugh. “Well just be quick about it… but not too quick, eh? I’ll ring the phone if there’s any news before you both get back.”

“Thanks…” is all Justin has time to say, before he is practically dragged away by an overzealous Brian.

“Where are the fathers-to-be off to in such a hurry?” Mel asks, coming in with Carl and Jennifer in tow. Surprisingly, they are followed in by Annette Peters, who I know is the District Attorney.

“They’re a bundle of nerves,” Emmett tells her, as if that explains all. And judging by her laugh, she’s understood perfectly.

“What?” Carl, Annette, and Jennifer all ask at the same time.

Mel answers, “In situations of high emotion, Brian and Justin… uh…”

“Calm each other in the only way they can, without going off the deep end,” Emmett finishes.

“Oh, I bet he’s going in the deep end alright…” Ted mutters, much to my amusement.

“TEDDY!” Mel and Em yell at him.

“What?” Ted looks at them innocently, which just causes me to laugh harder. “What about what I said wasn’t the truth?”

“You know… I don’t think I need to know where they’ve gotten off to anymore,” Jenn says.

“Yeah, they’re getting off alr…” Teddy begins, but is elbowed on either side by both Mel and Em. God, I love my children!

Carl rolls his eyes at their antics, with a small smirk on his face. “So any word yet, Vic?”

“No. None yet. But you know how long these things can take.”

“God, do I ever!” Jen exclaimed. “It took over thirty hours to deliver Justin. Oh, I’m glad that he arrived healthy and he was such an adorable little boy with his golden curls. But honestly, I think I was actually happier to have the c-section with Molly. Although the healing process was longer, the whole ordeal of labor and delivery was significantly less traumatic, than it was my first time around. Justin was a stubborn little cuss even then!”

“Seems he stayed that way,” Emmett stated, laughing. “So any idea on the outcome?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I just hope that they are healthy, and that even if they are both Brian’s, he’ll still consider me their grandmother,” Jenn answers.

“Why wouldn’t you be?” Brian asks, as he and Justin come back into the waiting room. “Justin and I agreed that no matter how all of this pans out, you’ll be the calming influence they need. I mean, Justin is a high-strung twat after all.”

Justin smacks Brian in the chest good-naturedly before adding, “And Brian is entirely too anal.”

“As evidenced by your freshly-pulled hair,” Ted says wryly, and the adorable blush is back as we all laugh.

“The two of you seriously need to find a support group.” Mel rolls her eyes.

“Nah, Smelly Melly, we’ll leave Celibate Anonymous to you,” Brian says sardonically. “By the way, where’s Gus?”

“He’s with the Petersons, along with Molly. Daphne should be arriving any moment.”

“I’m shocked they aren’t here,” Justin says.

“They wanted to be, but thought the time would be better spent introducing John and Peter to Gus. Besides, they kind of wanted to give Lynette something else to focus on.”

Both Brian and Justin nod, in understanding. It’s still such a shock to know the lengths that Lindsay had gone to hurt her sister in the ways she had. The fact that Lynette, who really wants children, will never be able to have them, while Lindsay, who should never have been allowed to conceive, was able to, is probably the most unfair situation in the universe. It makes what Lindsay has done, even in this moment to that young woman giving birth, that much more despicable.

“So were you ever able to find out what that bill of sale was for, Mel?” Brian asks, which startles her.

“Ye-yeah. Perhaps we should talk about that later?” she stammers, and I know that whatever it is has to be not only big, but hurtful as well.

“What is it?” Justin asks, as if steeling himself for the answer.

“Justin…”

“No, Mel. I want to know. As it involves Michael and Lindsay, I already know it can’t be good.”

“What Mel is trying to say is that talking about it now, would take your focus off of what it really should be on,” Annette interjects, much to the relief of Melanie, I notice.

Justin cocks his head to the side, and smirks at her attempt at avoidance. “I beg to differ, since the reason you are here is for the DNA results. Based on that alone, I am almost willing to bet that there is more to your presence, and the relief Mel just sighed, than Taryn being in labor. So out with it.”

“Justin…” Mel tries again, while he just stands there implacable and waiting for their answer. It’s in this moment that I can certainly understand just why Brian and Justin are so well suited. When I look over to the older man, he has the same astute expression on his face, and the same still posture.

“Oh alright!” Mel yells at them, rolling her eyes. “The bill of sale found at Michael’s house was for Lindsay’s greatest hits. Turns out Craig was not only one of her patrons, but their blackmailer as well.”

“Okay, but there is more to this than that, isn’t there, Mel?” Justin asks.

“What do you mean?” she evades.

Justin was about to answer, but it’s Brian who speaks first. “Well, we all know Lindsay Peterson never operates without a plan B, unless she’s caught. So what did you find out about her plan Bs?”

“How do you know there was more than one?” Annette asks.

“It’s Lindsay,” Brian answers, simply.

“Might as well tell them all of it, Ladies. From what I know about these two, they are like dogs with bones when they take an idea into their heads. If you aren’t honest with them right now, they will draw their own conclusions and that’s even more dangerous, since they will avenge themselves instead of letting the law do it,” Carl advises. I nod at him in acknowledgement. He truly has learned a lot about Brian and Justin in the short time he’s known them. These are the last two men you want to leave in the dark about anything concerning their lives.

Mel sighs, finally acknowledging the truth of Carl’s words. “Well you’re more right than you know about Lindsay having a plan B…”

“Not Michael?” Justin asks.

She shakes her head. “It’s possible, but I doubt it. I think Lindsay told Michael only what she wanted him to know, but somehow made a deal separate from what they may have discussed. Now that I think about it, it’s the only way he would have ever agreed to pay off Craig for her.”

“Craig? What does Taylor have to do with all of this?” Brian asks, barely keeping the disgust from him voice.

“Well, as we both know, Michael is convinced that these babies are his. We also know that there is no way in hell that Lindsay would have let that happen, especially since it would involve her eggs, which in Lindsay’s incurably warped mind are solely for Brian’s use. So although Craig was blackmailing Lindsay about her chronic cheating, and also working with Michael to force Justin to live the life of his father’s wishes, she was still willing to make a deal with the devil in case her ultimate plan of making Brian bend to her will didn’t work out as she envisioned.”

“Meaning?” Brian asks, but it was Justin who answered.

“You can’t mean… you can’t be serious, Mel!”

“What?”

“Yes, Justin. I am more than 100% sure that Lindsay was fully prepared to give the children away to that madman. If she couldn’t get Brian to marry her and raise their three children together, what other possible use would they be to her? As demonstrated time and again, using Gus as her continual bargaining chip didn’t work. So why would she want to add more millstones around her neck on a permanent basis?”

“But she miscalculated… or in this case, maybe overcalculated is a better term,” Annette says, thoughtfully.

“How so?” Carl asks.

Like me, he’s intensely fascinated, if not a little horrified, by the inner-workings of the scheming woman’s mind. This is a side of Lindsay none of us would have expected existed, except for Brian and Mel. But by the look on Justin’s unsurprised face, I suspect he also had more than an inkling that Lindsay would be willing to go this far to get what she wanted. His next words certainly confirm it.

“Mel and Brian, the only one of the children that neither of you could deny is Gus. Since Lindsay’s plan was to be able to present you with options, neither of you would have known of the children at all until they were born, and only after she told you, Brian, that you were a father again. If you still stuck to your guns and wouldn’t bow down to her demands, you would ultimately spend the rest of your life searching for the children you were told were yours. There’s no way she would tell you where they were, or what happened to them since she knows exactly how you feel about your son. You would do anything to make sure he was taken care of and that he had everything he needs, except…”

“Marry her! THAT BITCH!” Both Brian and Emmett exclaim, angrily.

“Exactly. So in short, her plan was to make sure you suffer either way. As for Mel, she wasn’t so much a factor in Lindsay’s equation, but that of a safety net. In the event that Brian wouldn’t adhere to Lindsay’s plan for his life, she still needed a roof over her head and something to eat. Gus was the way for her to keep that going. Also, the fact that you and Brian weren’t getting along throughout most of your time with her, made her certain that even if Brian came to you with his story about her machinations, he wouldn’t be believed, and you would continue in your adversarial thinking towards him. It would have been a win-win for her, regardless of the outcome.”

“Should I worry that you can think like her enough to come up with this scenario, which sounds exactly like what she planned?” Brian asks him, pulling the young man to him. There was no doubt that Brian was distraught, realizing that Justin was spot-on about what Lindsay had, in fact, intended to do with the children. But I think he needed the steady, comforting presence of Justin more than his next breath.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Kinney. I only use my WASP powers for good, especially yours.”

The doctor came into the waiting room then, surprised at how our previously small group had grown exponentially since his last meeting with Brian, Justin, and me. “For those of you who don’t know, I’m Dr. Bernard Farrow, Taryn’s obstetrician. I’m happy to tell you all that the babies have been delivered safely.”

“Thank you, Dr. Farrow,” Justin says, breathing a heavy sigh of relief, while still tucked into Brian’s arms. “How’s Taryn?”

“There were a few complications, so we had to deliver the babies by c-section. But she’s resting well now. Her cervix wasn’t opening at the rate it needed to, and the children were going into distress. We had to sedate her fully before taking the children.”

Brian nodded. “As long as she’s okay…”

Mel cleared her throat. It was clear she was a little choked up by the implication of what the doctor didn’t say. “Dr. Farrow, we have an unusual request to ask of you…”

Dr. Farrow smiled kindly upon the three of them. “Ah yes, I imagine it would be considered a little unusual. But Taryn and I have had many conversations over these last many weeks, and she broached the urgency of a DNA test again when she found out that she was in physical labor. I’ve already taken the liberty of obtaining the swab samples from the babies, and requested that the lab put a rush on the results.”

“Don’t we need to give blood, or provide a sample as well?” Brian asks, prepared to do whatever he needed to do to get this resolved. I’ve always loved and admired that about him.

“No need, Mr. Kinney. We still have your records on file here at the hospital from when your son was born. And Mr. Taylor’s we have on file because of…” he let his voice trail off, compassionately understanding that the bashing was still a very traumatic subject for all of us.

“Thank you, Dr. Farrow. So when can we expect the results?” Justin asks.

“In about an hour.”

“Good. In the meantime, can we see them?”

“Are you sure you want to? I mean, if they aren’t linked to you biologically…”

“I still want to. Brian?”

Looking into Justin’s eyes, Brian stares at him for a few moments, before answering simply, “I’m going with him.” And the smile both of them give each other is almost beyond-blinding. Someday, I will ask them what that is about, but for now, we all follow behind the pair and the doctor on our way to the nursery.

As the doctor knocks on the glass to alert nurses to push the bassinets to the forefront of the room, Brian clasps Justin’s hand tightly. We were all surprised at the baby boy, whose bright blue eyes stared at us, just before letting out a loud wail. Apparently, he was getting a bit frustrated at not being able to gum the cloth from his left hand. But it was the scowl, that the figure in pink was giving us, that caused all of us to laugh.

“My God, she looks… she looks just like Gus did,” Melanie says in awe, even with tears shining brightly in her eyes.

“I don’t give a damn what a DNA test says, Brian. They are ours,” Justin says, emphatically.

“Sunshine…”

“No, Brian. Just… no. Lindsay may have meant this for evil; there is no denying that. But my heart says that these babies belong here with us.” Turning to Melanie, he asks, “What can be done about her parental rights?”

“Whoa, Sunshine. We’re getting ahead of ourselves, don’t you think?” Brian tries to calm his partner, but I don’t think any of us have ever seen such a mutinous look on Justin’s face before.

“No, I don’t.”

“And what if we aren’t the fathers? Did you forget that I had company the night before you and I had sex? Yes, we were on rocky ground, but we hadn’t split up just yet.”

“I know all of that Brian, especially since I was there!” Justin says, forcefully. “But it doesn’t change the fact that these children are ours. I don’t give a fuck how they came to be, only that they remain with us where they belong.”

“But what if they aren’t? And what about both of our careers, and your education, and… there are a whole lot of what-ifs here, Justin, that we haven’t even begun to think about.”

“So what are you saying, Brian?” Justin asks, unshed tears shimmering in the eyes that are still focusing on the children.

“I’m just saying to let’s wait until we have irrefutable facts before we start planning their lives, Sunshine. You know I would do just about anything for you. But the one thing I won’t do this time, is let you be hurt again. Even if it means I have to fight you myself, I won’t let you be shattered again if I can help it and that means physically, mentally, and especially emotionally. So can we slow this down, okay?”

Justin looks at Brian, and whatever he sees there makes all the difference, even though we all know he wants to argue some more. “Okay,” he says simply.

Brian lets out a sigh of relief, and pulls him closer, burying his nose in Justin’s hair. “I love you, you know.”

“I know, and I love you too, Brian. If they are as I suspect, I’m going to be the happiest man alive. I’m already the luckiest.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. After all, I have you,” Justin says, just before going on his toes and pulling Brian’s head forward for a kiss.

I think it shocked all of us to see Brian and Justin communicate so openly to each other. I mean, I’m sure that Mel and I always suspected that it happened occasionally, but to see their compromise of high-emotions reached through actual talking… It was something that I never would have believed if I’d not seen it firsthand myself. And it’s because of this tentative truce that I find myself praying fervently that these children remain with these men I’ve come to know and love as my own sons. Everything else can be worked out later, but there’s no doubt in my mind that these two would be devoted to their kids.

They are already building the most amazing life together, but I suspect that even though Brian is doing his best to remain a realist, I think he just might be on the same page with Justin.

Please God, make it so… MAKE IT SO!