“Quiet!” Brian yelled. Justin looked pretty close to falling apart. He wouldn’t let that happen.  

“What’s wrong with Dad?” Sean asked, looking at the frozen picture on the screen. Sean didn’t understand things the way other people did. While it clicked to all the other children, it hadn’t to Sean. He would talk to him alone afterwards.

“I told everyone we will answer questions after the movie. Sit down and watch,” Brian said, holding onto his emotions. Seeing the images of Justin on the brink of death again was hard for him to handle. “Hit play, Blake.”

Photos of Justin’s recovery at the hospital flashed. Then videos of him learning to use his motor skills again.

A court reporter was standing in front of the court house. His face had a hint of anger, just under the surface.

“The defendant, Christopher Mark Hobbs, was found guilty of simple assault, sentenced to two years’ probation and five hundred hours’ community service. Mr. Hobbs bashed fellow student, Justin Taylor, in the head with a baseball bat. For that he got off with a slap on the wrist, all because Mr. Taylor had the audacity to dance with another man at his prom.” The feed was cut.

Brian remembered that, Luke Davis, the reporter, he got sacked for that piece. Brian had sent him the best whiskey he could find; the man was the only one in the press to call it what it was. A bashing.

Chris Hobbs face flashed on the screen, the boy in a suit and tie coming out of the courthouse. A video of Debbie screaming for justice that was ignored by the good people of Pittsburgh. Then another picture flashed, same date as the judgement. Justin curled up on his bed, crying, taken by Molly just after Jennifer told him the verdict and sentence.

A video of Gus’ birthday, Justin and Brian could be seen on the porch. In the background behind baby Gus playing with a toy bat, Justin could be seen stagger back. Just as the camera panned away, Brian could be seen taking him into his arms.

“How did Justin’s bashing effect Brian?” Blake, off screen, asked.

Michael’s face appeared. “I saw him that night. I got to the hospital before any of the rest. Brian was broken, I’ve never seen him like that before or after.”

“How do you think Justin’s bashing effected Brian?”

Debbie was now on screen. Tears glistened her eyes. “I think that night if Justin had died, Brian would have followed him. People, me included, didn’t know at the time how much it hurt Brian. Justin suffered permeant brain damage, but Brian’s scars weren’t as visible. He drank more, did more drugs, and fucked around more. It had nothing to do with it making him feel good, no, that was about not feeling anything. It didn’t work though. They were in each other’s blood.

“You asked Brian to take Justin in, right?”

Jennifer’s face appeared. Her hair was graying and in a short bob. “Yes, I made the mistake in tearing them apart in the first place. That was my own fears talking, Justin needed Brian, and even if he doesn’t admit it Brian needed Justin. It was the only way I’d get my son back.”

“Chris Hobbs took this boy.” The screen came alive with Justin on stage at Babylon, he was being crowned as Kind of Babylon, his smile shining more than the spotlight. “And turned him into this, a boy scared to walk down the street alone.” The video that popped up was Justin clinging to Brian’s arm as they walked down Liberty Avenue.

Brian still had no idea how Blake found some of the footage he had used.

“But life goes on, and wounds slowly start to heal,” Blake said off screen.

A clip of Vic popped up. It was a bit shaky but not terribly so.

“Are you okay?” Vic asked the camera.

“Yes, just getting used to having to use both hands for the simplest things. Really, it’s nothing.”

The camera moved and panned over the room. It was full of people working on signs for Pride. Michael appeared by the doorway, walking toward Vic and the camera(Justin).

“Where’s Ma?”

“She went to get PFLAG’s banner, she should be back any minute,” Vic said, He was setting out blank poster boards on the table in front of them.

“Put down the camera, Spielberg. We’ve got work to do,” Michael said, looking at the camera. It panned over to Vic, who gave him a small nod of his head.

The next clip was taken from someone standing in front of Woody’s recording Pride festivities. Men and women dancing in the street, Pride flags waving everywhere. The camera seemed to seek them out. There they were dancing in the middle of Liberty Avenue, like they were the only two people in the world.

“How long have you known Justin?”

“Since I was five,” Daphne said, smiling at the camera. Time had been very kind for her.

“What was the biggest change you saw in him since he met Brian?”

“It took a while, I think it was more after the bashing but he was less spoiled. Cared about others more than himself…mostly.”

“If you could change one thing in your relationship with Brian, what would it be?”

“Just one?” Justin asked, his smile a little sad.

“Are there more than one?”

“Many. But only two I really would change if given the chance,” Justin said.

“What would they be?”

“First one would be when I was a go-go boy at Babylon.”

“Why would you change that?”

“Will you use this in the video?”

“I won’t if you don’t want me to use it.”

“No, I’ve kept his secret long enough.”

Brian felt Justin tense up. He pulled his head down so he could whisper in his ear. “It’s a teaching lesson, you’re alright. You got away, you won.”

When they watched the movie years ago, it tore him up. He’d known something happened that night, he just never guessed that.

“What happened?” Blake’s voice was gentle, like he was talking to one of his patients.

“Brian said he would pay for PIFA. I didn’t want to feel like a leech. Look at all the things he had done for me before that. I got a job as a go-go boy. It really didn’t pay that well, but it would if I danced on the bar. But you can only dance on the bar if you engage in a sexual act with him.”

“And?”

“I got to dance on the bar.”

Justin dug his nailed into Brian’s thigh, he did his best not to yelp.

“Is that what you would change?”

“Yes, but not only because of how I felt after that. Gary wanted his boys high, and I was no different. But doing drugs at night and skipping class during the day defeated the reason for working. I talked to my boss because I had a project due. He agreed to let me go if I went to a party of his at his house. Brian warned me not to go, pleaded in his own way.”

“Was he right to be worried?”

Justin’s eyes were downcast, they stayed that way when he began to talk.

“As soon as I got there I wanted to leave. Gary started shoving coke up my nose. But I was used to that, it was after he gave me a drink that things got scary. It was like there was a delay between my mind and body. They had another kid my age, drugged out of his mind in- “

“STOP!” Justin yelled.

Blake must have had the same idea because he paused a second before Justin yelled.

Justin turned around and looked at brain, tears in his eyes. “Not with Caleb and Sean here.”

“They’re old enough to understand,” he said rubbing Justin’s back.

“How can they? I don’t understand and I was there.”

Brian looked around and saw most of his children were red eyed. The exceptions were Matt, who looked lethal, and Sean who was just looking confused. Maybe Justin was right, he’s too young. Too naive. Was it fair to have him here like this? To show him the ugliness in the world when he still saw the good.”

“Drew, can you take Sean in the house. Why don’t you see how much he can kick your ass in Madden?” Brian asked the man.

“Sure, I’m always up for a worthy opponent,” Drew said, smiling at Sean.

“Dad?” Sean was worried.

“Go with Drew. I’ll talk to you about everything later. You don’t need to be here for this,” Justin told their second to youngest.

“Go on, make sure you record it. I want to see you kick Coach Boyd’s ass,” Caleb said, being a good big brother.