Chapter 37 - Family Reunions.

Kevan woke up from his nap in the pretty green and brown room and smiled at his Uglyworm friend who had been napping next to him. He laid there and talked quietly with Uglyworm for a while before he decided his tummy was gurgly and unhappy and it was time for his people things to come and get him. He did his magic thing and made the world tilt around until he was sitting up in his crib and then let out his patented ‘I’m Hungry!’ cry. Two minutes later the door to his room creaked open and the light was switched on. That cry worked every time - Kevan was really glad his people things were being so good lately. He was finally confident that he’d trained them right and everything was going so well.

Not only was Kevan in a good mood because he’d had a nice refreshing nap and the big people were being obedient for a change, but then he saw that it was The Daddy who’d come to take care of his gurgly tummy. That was excellent! Kevan was so happy that The Daddy was back. And he was being very attentive. The Daddy really was great. Kevan approved of this development with all his baby heart.

The Daddy promptly scooped Kevan and Uglyworm up out of the crib and carried them in his big, warm, strong arms to the kitchen where another plastic thing full of gunk was prepared and then they all went and sat together on the couch. The Daddy made lots of happy mouth sounds to Kevan while he supped. The Papa came and sat down next to them at one point, making Kevan very, very happy indeed. He liked having all his favorite people things around him. It was good. It was right. It was the way the world should work.

When the icky gunk was all gone and Kevan’s tummy was nice and warm and happy again, The Papa took Kevan and patted his back for a bit. Kevan was so happy. So content. He was making happy mouth sounds back at The Papa and doing that thing with his mouth where the edges turned up - you know, the face thing that his people always seemed to like. And all was happy and good everywhere in the universe.

But then Kevan looked around at where The Daddy had been sitting on the couch next to The Papa and . . .

THE DADDY WAS GONE!

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! No, no, no, nononono! The Daddy couldn’t be gone again. He’d just got The Daddy back after he’d been gone for years and years and a whole lifetime. Kevan had just looked away for a second and then he was GONE! Disappeared! Like he’d never been there at all. He couldn’t be gone again. No. Kevan couldn’t bear to be without The Daddy again. It was unthinkable!

Kevan let out a Wail that would rival his best cry ever. It was a cry loud enough that nobody in the universe who heard it would ever doubt how truly upset Kevan was. He was not going to put up with The Daddy being gone again. That was not going to be allowed. Kevan would not let it happen.

Thankfully, the Wail worked. After screaming at the top of his little lungs for a good hour or two (or about half a minute in big person time), The Daddy came running up to Kevan and The Papa, making worried mouth sounds. Kevan reached out his hands to The Daddy, who immediately took Kevan in his big, strong, comforting arms.

Ahhhhhhh! That was much better. The Daddy had reappeared. Kevan had made the Wail and The Daddy came back. That was good. Now Kevan knew how to make sure that The Daddy would never again disappear for years and years and a lifetime. Kevan would just make the Wail and all would be well.

Thank doo doo that Kevan was in charge. Otherwise, The Daddy might get lost again and disappear, and maybe the next time he might not come back. Kevan made a point to remember how to do the Wail should The Daddy ever again attempt to disappear.

That had been a close call! Who knows what could have happened if Kevan hadn’t been there? Kevan would have to watch The Daddy closely from here on out.

Prego Stud Saved From Kidnapper!

Brian Kinney pulled from clutches of crazed fan by angry Baby Daddy.

Pittsburgh, PA - Reliable sources within the Pittsburgh Police Department confirmed on Friday that Brian Kinney, North America’s first confirmed male pregnancy case, had been rescued after having been abducted and held against his will for almost three weeks by a fan who had been stalking Kinney and his family for the past several months. Reportedly, Kinney’s partner and the baby’s other father, Justin Taylor, was the primary mover behind Kinney’s rescue. Taylor and his friends had been working closely with police to track down the stalker turned kidnapper, one James Taggart Morgan IV. Sources close to the family reported that Mr. Morgan had been following the family around and sending threatening letters and presents to the Taylor-Kinney family for at least the past four or five months. Reports that Taylor and Morgan engaged in a physical altercation at the time of Kinney’s rescue, resulting in the overnight hospitalization of the alleged kidnapper, are as yet unconfirmed. Police advised that Kinney was physically unharmed. Baby Kevan was also reportedly fine and had not been with Kinney at the time of his abduction . . .

***

Michael was reading the latest tabloid story aloud to the rest of the gang, who were all assembled around the table in their favorite booth at the Diner. All the other Diner patrons seemed to have their own copies of the same rag. Brian’s spectacular rescue seemed to be the only news anyone had cared about for the past few days. Because nobody had seen Brian since his alleged rescue, there was serious speculation that Liberty Avenue’s favorite Stud had been hurt or even disfigured by the stalker, despite the reassurances given in the newspapers that Brian was fine. But for once none of the gang was talking either. Miracle of miracles.

“Shit! The way this thing reads, you’d think Justin was some kind of ninja attack-force warrior who took out Taggart single-handedly,” Michael commented after reading a particularly groundless speculation about the alleged ‘physical altercation’ between the two twinks.

“Yeah, well, don’t believe everything you read,” said a familiar voice, causing all those assembled to turn and greet the group of new arrivals who had apparently snuck in through the Diner’s back door. “Especially in a worthless rag like that one!”

“Brian! Shit. It’s good to see you back. Finally! Your guard-twink has been keeping us all away from you for days now!” Michael glared at Justin even as he jumped up to give Brian a huge bear hug, his arms taking in not only his friend but Kevan as well since Brian was holding the baby. “Come on and sit. Tell us everything. Are you okay? What’s been going on since you got away from that nutcase?”

“Calm yourself, Mikey,” Brian replied as he tried to extricate himself and Kevan out of the clingy embrace. “I’ve only been back two days, for fuck’s sake. I needed a little time to reconnect with my family before we headed back out into the wilds of Liberty Avenue. And you can rest assured that I’m just fine. No lasting effects so far except some lingering stomach problems from the fucking drugs the bastard was pumping me with. We’re heading over to the hospital to get all the final test results after lunch.”

Ted jumped up out of the booth and made room for Brian and Kevan, telling them to sit while he moved to the next booth along with Emmett. Brian and Kevan slid into the seat next to Michael and Justin sat across from them next to Ben. A minute later Deb came barrelling out of the kitchen with the high chair in hand and hugs and kisses for all her lost boys.

“Ah, there’s my sweet little angel. Come here to Grandma, Kevan, Honey,” Debbie cooed at the baby, reaching over to take him out of Brian’s arms, only to be met with an ear-splitting screech as soon as Kevan lost contact with Brian’s body.

“Sorry about that, Deb. Kevan’s having a bit of separation anxiety about being away from Brian,” Justin explained with an indulgent smile at his offspring. “Ever since Brian got back, Kevan won’t let him out of his reach. You better give him back to his daddy or he won’t shut up. We’re hoping that he gets over it soon. Real soon. Brian’s supposed to go back to work on Wednesday and I’m not looking forward to that experience.”

“Hey, Sonny Boy. Daddy’s still here. See?” Brian comforted the infant as soon as Debbie handed him back.

Kevan’s little arms were immediately wrapped so tightly around Brian’s neck that he almost couldn’t breathe, but he really didn’t mind all that much. It was nice to know exactly how much he’d been missed by the littlest member of his family. And, to be honest, Brian was almost as clingy as Kevan these days. He hated to be away from either his son or his partner for even a few minutes. Kevan wasn’t the only one who was going to have a hard time on Wednesday when he went back to work.

“We’re all really glad you’re back and in one piece, Brian,” Ben spoke up, interrupting Brian’s worried introspection. “I imagine it’s going to be tough to get yourself back into your regular life again after what you went through. If you need anything, just let us know.”

“Thanks, Ben . . .” Brian started to answer, only to be drowned out by Michael’s voice.

“Brian will be just fine. He’ll be back to his old Studly self in no time,” Michael asserted, clapping his friend on the shoulder jovially. “Nothing ever fazes Brian. He’s like teflon. Shit just doesn’t stick to him. Right, Brian? I’m sure he’ll be back in the swing of things and making his way through the backrooms and bathhouses on the Avenue in no time.”

“Michael, I’m sure that after all that, Brian’s not really interested in rushing back to being a club boy,” Ted chimed in because, even though he could only see the back of Brian’s head from where he was seated in the next booth, he immediately noted the way his friend’s entire stance went rigid at Michael’s comment. “What Brian went through had to be incredibly traumatic. You don’t just bounce back after something like that. At least not right away. I’m sure he’d rather spend time with his family instead of more of his rabid fans at the club.”

“Well, of course he’ll want to spend time with his family. But we’ll all be there with him so he’ll have his family too. It’ll be just like old times again. Right, Brian?” Mikey insisted, blind to not only the glares that Justin was shooting at him but also to Brian’s growing anger.

“Mikey . . .” Brian was all ready to set his old friend straight, but he didn’t get a chance before he was checked by two twenty somethings who trotted up to their table holding out their own copies of the tabloid newspaper displaying Brian’s picture under the headline.

“Hey, Brian! We’re really glad you escaped from that guy Taggart. Could we get your autograph, please?” The shorter but more bold of the two asked.

“Excuse me, gentlemen,” Baby Lev was there before Brian had to say a word, popping up out of nowhere and insinuating his huge mountain of a body between Brian and the two autograph hounds. “Mr. Kinney is trying to enjoy his lunch and doesn’t wish to be disturbed right now. Would you please be so kind as to let him have some privacy?”

With that towering mass of muscle looming over them, the two opportunistic fans didn’t dare argue. They just slowly backed away from Brian’s table and then reseated themselves at their own table with only a pout or two. Lev watched them until he was sure they weren’t about to return and then made himself scarce again - which was pretty much amazing considering the bodyguard’s size.

“Thanks, Lev,” Brian nodded his appreciation to the big man, and then sank back against the booth’s cushioned back rest. “Can’t the fucking vultures back off at least as long as I’m having lunch?” Brian snarled and rubbed his face with his one free hand.

“Brian. It’s okay. Lev’s got this,” Justin reached across the table and grabbed his partner’s hand reassuringly.

“Maybe coming here today wasn’t such a good idea, Justin,” Brian looked up with a hint of panic in his eyes. “I don’t want to deal with this today. We should go.”

“No. You can’t go already, Brian. You just got here and we haven’t seen you at all for like a month!” Michael insisted, latching onto Brian’s arm so that his friend couldn’t move out of the booth.

Brian snatched his arm out of Michael’s grasp violently. “Don’t touch me . . .” Brian stopped, unable to continue as soon as he saw how shocked Mikey looked. “I . . . I just don’t . . . I . . .”

“You know what? I’m really starving, Brian,” Justin stepped in before his skittish partner would have to finish his explanation. “Why don’t you give me Kevan and go wash up. I’ll put in our order with Debbie while you’re gone. You want your usual, right?”

“Yeah . . . Yeah, that sounds good. Here. Take Kevan. I’ll be right back,” Brian responded, prying the baby’s arms away from his neck and then handing him over to Justin. “It’s okay, Sonny Boy. Daddy will be right back. I promise.”

Brian’s reassurances didn’t do anything to placate the baby, who started whining as soon as Brian stood up. Brian looked down uncertainly, but Justin only smiled and waved him off. As soon as Brian started to walk off towards the back, Lev got up and followed him, never more than five steps behind his charge.

As soon as Brian was out of sight, Michael turned accusingly to Justin and demanded, “what the fuck is wrong with Brian?”

“What do you THINK is wrong with him, Michael?” Justin was incredulous. His voice dropped to a barely audible whisper as he continued. “Brian was kidnapped, drugged and locked up in a room by a fucking psychopath for more than two weeks, Michael. It’s not really surprising that he’s a little jumpy around strangers and that he doesn’t want to be grabbed at, now is it? It’s going to take a long time for him to feel safe again, even in his usual haunts, especially since Taggart was a regular around here. You need to fucking back off and let him get back to his usual comfort level on his own time. And if I hear you pushing him to get back to Babylon or the baths again, I’m going to fucking kick your ass so hard you won’t be taking Ben’s cock or anything else up there until sometime in the next decade. Do you hear me? Do you?” Justin demanded an answer, his low-pitched voice somehow carrying even over the cries of the baby and containing so much malevolence that Michael had no choice but to nod his agreement to the angry twink’s demand. “Good. Now, Deb, could you please put our order in and put a rush on it. We do have to get to the doctor’s by one.”

“Sure thing, Sunshine,” Debbie rushed off with her order pad in hand while the rest of the gang sat in utter silence.

“Awww. Sonny Boy. Don’t cry,” Brian immediately reached for his son as soon as he came back out of the bathroom. “Daddy’s back. See.” Kevan’s cries instantly tapered off to mere sniffles as soon as he was back in Brian’s arms.

“Is Kevan going to be okay?” Ted asked, wiggling his fingers over Brian’s shoulder to try and help distract the baby from his crying. “Poor little guy seems really upset.”

“Actually, separation anxiety is a perfectly normal phase that almost all babies go through,” Professor Ben announced authoritatively. “Kevan seems a little on the young side for it, but that’s undoubtedly because of Brian’s abrupt disappearance. It’s really not that unusual, though. As soon as a child figures out about object permanence, the acute anxiety symptoms will fade away.”

“Object perma-what?” Michael asked with his usual doltishness.

“Object permanence,” Ben explained further. “You know, the concept that just because you can’t see something, it doesn’t just disappear. That’s why you play games like ‘peek-a-boo’ with a child. So that they’ll learn that things - and people - won’t just disappear when you can’t see them. It’s a huge concept and a really important developmental stage for all children. I’m sure that Kevan will be just fine eventually. He just has to learn to trust that the people he loves will always come back to him.”

“Easier said than done,” Brian commented, eyeing the table with the two fanboys suspiciously. “Considering the kind of crazy-assed nut jobs out there these days . . .”

Since nobody knew what to say to that, the table fell eerily silent. Brian devoted himself to setting Kevan up in the high chair and Justin watched them both intently. Michael was stewing in his corner over the way first Brian and then The Twink had treated him and not really sure how to deal with this new, less-confident, Brian. Ben felt like he was too new to the group to really get in the middle of things. And Ted, as usual, didn’t want to stir things up.

Which left it to Emmett to break the ice. Which he did, with his usual flair. “So, do we think that Lev is gay or not?” Em asked, his voice hushed but his eyes raking over the muscular man seated discreetly at the table in the corner. “I’m pretty sure that Zavi bats for our team. Rez is as straight as they come. I don’t know about the other two, but I think they’re straight too. I’m not sure about Lev though. He’s just so quiet that it’s hard to get a read on him. But it would really be a shame if that much delicious man weren’t gay. Don’t you think?”

That commentary earned Emmett the first real smile and laugh out of Brian that morning. “Leave it to you, Emmy Lou, to bring up the really important philosophical questions that weigh so heavily on our minds,” Brian chuckled.

“Well, enquiring minds want to know, Brian. And they want to know if they should maybe ask the Lovely Lev out on his next day off, too.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure your enquiring mind has it right, Honeycutt,” Brian confirmed. “I caught Little Lev checking out Sunshine’s ass yesterday, so I’d say he’s definitely gay. But, I wouldn’t be so certain about Zavi, if I were you.”

“Ooooo! Do tell, Brian,” Emmett pried, always up for a little gossip. “I figured that since you two were old ‘friends’ he had to be gay.”

“Zavi’s a solid ‘three’ on the Kinsey Scale, Em. He’s not picky,” Brian informed them all to a round of shocked disbelief. “Zavi’s the poster child for that old saying, ‘Love the one you’re with’. Although, I’m pretty sure he’s been in a steady relationship with someone for the past five years or so, which means you’re out of luck no matter which way he’s swinging these days.”

“Well, that’s good to know, isn’t it guys,” Emmett asserted with another long look in Lev’s direction. “Very good. Hmmmm.”

Thankfully, the rest of lunch had gone by with relatively little drama. Michael had sat mostly silent in his corner, pouting. The rest of the group chatted about inconsequentials until they’d all finished eating and Brian and Justin left for the hospital. Even after they left though, the group was a little more subdued than usual. It seemed that even though Brian was back, things wouldn’t just go back to normal and each of them were going to have to deal with that in their own ways.

The hospital visit was also amazingly drama-free. The Nurse Practitioner who’d taken care of Brian on his prior visit met with them again and gave them the results of all the tests. Brian was surprised, but in a good way, to hear that the STD panel came back negative for everything. He knew he was fucking lucky beyond belief. They were cautioned that he wasn’t completely out of the woods yet - he’d have to be retested in three months and again in six months in order to be certain he hadn’t been infected with something that just wasn’t showing up on the tests yet. But at the very least it was a good sign. It also meant that, as long as they used condoms, he was cleared for sex again.

As for the drug tests, as expected nothing showed up in the blood or urine samples. The types of drugs that were used, at least from what the nurse surmised given Brian’s testimony, typically flush through a person’s system very quickly, so that really wasn’t a big surprise. Brian was happy to hear, though, that the hair sample taken did show fairly high concentrations of Flunitrazepam, the chemical name for Rhohypnol, as well as Ketamine. Since Brian hadn’t indulged in either drug recreationally for more than a year, it was clear evidence of the drugging and would go a long way towards helping with Taggart’s conviction.

Brian questioned the nurse about the ongoing symptoms of nausea that he was still experiencing. She didn’t seem to be very concerned. She confirmed that stomach problems were a side effect caused by high doses of both drugs but advised that any problems should go away soon now that the drugs were no longer in Brian’s system. If he still wasn’t feeling well in a week or so, though, she recommended going to see his regular doctor.

And that was it. The entire kidnapping debacle was over as far as they were concerned. The police were moving forward with their case against Taggart but they already had Brian’s statement and the physical evidence from the house as well as this new medical evidence. It seemed like a slam dunk. Unless Brian and Justin were called to testify at a trial, there wasn’t anything else they’d have to do. Justin hoped that putting the whole experience behind them would be simple now, although that remained to be seen.

Since they didn’t have any other plans for the rest of the day - Brian wasn’t expected in to work for two more days and Justin had begged his professors for the day off so he could go with Brian to the doctor - they decided to stop at the Munchers’ house and see if they could take Gus home for a visit.

Lindsey practically swarmed Brian as soon as she saw who was at her door. “Oh, Brian! I’m so glad to see you finally! Are you okay. I mean REALLY okay? You don’t know how worried I’ve been. The whole time you were gone I barely slept at all!” Lindz was hugging her old friend and weeping profusely while Brian was still standing on the doorstep, although Justin couldn’t see any physical signs that Lindsey had been missing out on any sleep. “I was just SO scared! And when Gus asked me what was wrong and why he hadn’t seen his Daddy in so long, I had no idea what to tell him. How could anyone do something like this to us? It just makes no sense.” Lindsey smiled fondly through her tears and finally invited Brian inside, totally ignoring Justin’s presence.

Justin couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes at the over-the-top display of histrionics. It was so uncalled for. From the way Lindsey was going on and on, you’d think she was the one who’d been abducted and held prisoner. While Justin could understand that she’d been worried for her friend, he didn’t get why all her statements seemed to focus on how Brian’s ordeal had affected HER. Especially since Lindsey hadn’t called him once during the time they were looking for Brian to offer Justin her sympathy or her help. But, whatever. That was just the way Lindsey was, and Justin didn’t feel like expending any energy on trying to figure her out today. He was too focused on Brian.

“We thought maybe Gus could come over and stay the night,” Brian stated when he finally got a chance to get a word in. “I missed this big guy.” Gus was already seated across from Kevan on Brian’s other knee, the two children busy ‘chatting’ in incomprehensible baby talk.

“Oh . . . I don’t know, Brian. Are you sure that’s a good idea? You just got back home yourself. Wouldn’t adding a boisterous toddler to the mix be a little much for you. I’m sure you need to rest . . .” Lindsey started in with the excuses almost immediately, rising and taking Gus back into her own lap at the same time.

Justin got up from his seat in the chair in the far corner and handed Brian over the diaper bag that they’d brought in with them. “Sorry to interrupt, Brian, but didn’t you say that Kevan was getting a bit on the ripe side? I’d offer to go change him but we don’t want to start him off again. Why don’t you go change him upstairs and while you’re at it you and Gus can pack a few things. Lindsey and I will work out the visit while you’re doing that,” Justin offered with his best innocent little blond boy act.

Brian took the proffered diaper bag as well as the ‘out’ that his partner was giving him. Normally he wouldn’t have let Justin take on the job of dealing with Lindsey, but for once he thought maybe the younger man would have more luck with Lindsey than he would today. Despite the great news they’d got at the hospital, Brian found he was feeling really wiped out already. He knew he was too tired to deal with one of Lindz’ little temper tantrums and he really wanted to spend some time with Gus. So, taking the easy way out, Brian headed upstairs with the two littlest boys and let his other boy take on the Blonde Barracuda.

As soon as Brian and the kids were out of earshot, Justin turned towards Lindsey with his perfectly polite WASP smile. “You will NOT give Brian a hard time about this, Lindsey. He wants to spend some time with his son. After what he went through that’s really not that much to ask. So you are not going to make this difficult or do anything that would cause Brian to doubt that he has the right to enjoy some time together with both his sons,” Justin said without his smile slipping once, even as Lindsey’s expression turned more and more sour.

“I’m sorry, Justin, but you don’t get to dictate to me what I can and can’t do with regard to my own child,” Lindsey replied in a clipped tone that matched the frown on her face. “I don’t think now is the best time for Gus to be going for an overnight visit with his father. After what he just went through, I really think Brian should be resting. Not running around after an energetic toddler. And since I won’t be around to help out, I think it would be far too stressful . . .”

“You’re not hearing me, Lindsey,” Justin interrupted her rationalization, still smiling but with an icy blue gaze that clearly showed the steel under the pretty boy exterior. “I said, you will NOT be giving Brian a hard time about this and I meant it. We WILL be taking Gus tonight. I don’t care what you think Brian should or shouldn’t be doing. He wants to spend time with his son, so that’s what he’s going to be doing.”

“No. I don’t think so, Justin.” Lindsey crossed her arms and frowned down from her majestic heights at the man she still thought of as a blond boy toy.

“You don’t get to ‘think’ about this at all, Lindsey,” Justin insisted, still with that deadly smile. “Because, you know what? My mother is still a member of the same Country Club as your parents. She’s mentioned before that she met them. And if you give me any shit about this today, my mother and I - both born and bred in the Country Club set and fully versed in the art of backstabbing - will be making sure that several interesting stories about your wild lesbian ways are circulated all over the club, including among the set that your parents hang out with. If you thought it was difficult dealing with Mummy and Daddy now, just wait until I get through with you. They may not be giving you much support right now, but I’m sure that you’re still holding out hope that you’ll cash in on your half of the Peterson inheritance when Ron finally drinks himself into the grave. Aren’t you? Well, if you give me so much as one word of fuss about taking Gus tonight - or any night from here on out - you can kiss that multi-million dollar cash cow goodbye!”

“Well! I . . . I don’t . . .” Lindsey was sputtering with anger that she wasn’t able to unleash seeing as Justin had hit home with such unerring accuracy that it was painful.

“No, you don’t. And you won’t be giving Brian a hard time anymore either. Will you, Lindz?” Justin flashed his best saccharine smile at the flustered woman, not letting her look away until they both heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs behind Justin.

“We’re all ready to go,” Brian announced, testing the waters a bit. When neither of the blonds in the living room said anything contradictory, he smiled and added, “go, give your Mommy a kiss goodbye, Gus, and then we’ll get going. I was thinking we’d stop off at the park on the way home. What do you say about that Sonny Boy? Huh?”

“Yay!” Gus shrieked and then ran off to hug his mother’s knees before turning and holding his hands up to Justin in a mute demand to be picked up. “Wanna swing furs, Jus’n!”

“Okay, Buddy! We’ll go to the swings first. And when we’re done, maybe we can even talk your daddy into buying us all some ice cream. How does that sound?” Justin suggested with an impish wink in Brian’s direction.

“I suppose I could be talked into an ice cream for my boys . . .” Brian conceded with a smile. “Bye, Lindz. Thanks for letting us take, Gus. I’ll bring him back tomorrow morning after I drop Justin off at school.”

And Lindsey, who was still too stunned and angry to say anything, merely waved goodbye and then shut the door behind the Taylor-Kinney family.