Chapter 8
by Dan Kirk
“Welcome back, son.” Dad said as he met me just inside Modesto’s small terminal. We hugged tightly and I smiled at the thought of being home. Sure I was tired from the long flights, with the last short leg between San Francisco and Modesto having been almost unbearable, because the rain that was falling outside hadn’t made the flight the smoothest. Honestly, we’d been lucky to get out of San Francisco as it was, and I was just glad to be home.
“Thanks, Dad.” I said tiredly as we broke the hug. I was wearing a new blue t-shirt I’d gotten from the baseball camp, a pair of gray sweatpants, and was almost soaked through despite the short trudge from the airplane to the terminal.
“How was baseball camp?” Dad asked and I had to smile despite how tired I was feeling. Luckily it had been scheduled just after New Years and before school started up again, even if it had only been for four days. There’d be more camps later on this year, but this one had been special.
“Good.” I said with a broad smile that wasn’t affected at all by how tired I was. It really had been a good few days, although most of it had been spent in an indoor gym because of the snow outside. “They invited me back for the summer.”
“That’s… that’s fantastic.” Dad said with a wide smile of his own as he started to move towards the area where the luggage would be taken after it was unloaded from the plane. Modesto’s terminal was small, and there wasn’t a baggage carousel like at bigger airports, just a low gate that baggage was shoved through.
“I’ll get the stuff and bring it back with me in the car.” Paul said as he came up beside us. He’d gone with me on the trip and was looking almost as tired as I was feeling.
“You sure?” Dad asked him and Paul nodded. “Okay, let’s get going, son.”
“Thanks, Paul.” I said softly as we left. He just grinned and nodded his head at me. Dad had an umbrella that he used to shield us from the rain as we headed out the doors of the small terminal and headed to the waiting sedan just outside. One of Dad’s agents was already inside, and Dad hurried to open the door himself before the agent could get out. I’d no sooner buckled in than we were off, heading home.
“Your Papa called.” Dad said softly as I leaned back against the sedan’s comfortable seat and closed my eyes. His words caused a queasy feeling in my stomach.
“What did he want?” I asked in a nervous tone.
“He wants to know if you’ll come over and help him with his mobile home.” Dad said with a sigh. Papa had bought a new, giant motor home just after Christmas. Nanny was now officially retired, as was he, and they were going to go on a winter-tour of the Southwest United States. They’d both be gone starting the day after my birthday and weren’t expecting to come back until late-May.
“Is Jeremy invited?” I asked, moving right to the core of the current disagreement everyone in my immediate family was having with my grandparents.
“He didn’t say.” Dad stated flatly. “You know that he’d just think I was pushing you if I did ask. I don’t like that the two of you haven’t been getting along, and I really think returning your Christmas presents to them was a little much, but I understand your reasons for that. He just needs to understand you’re doing this on your own, not because I think it is right.”
“I know.” I said with a tired sigh. This Christmas had really been awful, and my birthday next week wasn’t looking all that much better. The last week of school had been tough, without Brian and Brandon meeting Sean and I in the morning to raise the flag. Trevor had spoken to us in monosyllables the few times we’d tried to approach him, but Brandon and Brian had pointedly turned their backs. Everyone in school knew something was up between us, but so far no one had even hinted at what was wrong.
After school had let out, I’d tried calling Brian for a few days, but Mom B had politely told me not to call until Brian got in touch with me. She said he wouldn’t tell her what was wrong, but had just said he needed to think about things. Sean had murmured when I’d told him that she probably was thinking Sean and I had cheated with each other and that the other guys had found out.
Part of me hoped that was what she was thinking, and another part wanted her to know the truth because I didn’t want her thinking I’d ever be unfaithful to Brian.
“Your mother says it reminds her of when Laurie got married.” Dad said in the silence that followed my response and I opened my eyes to look at him. It was one of the few times, in any timeline, any of my family had brought up the mysterious ‘Eighth’ child of Nanny and Papa’s combined family. Laurie was Papa’s youngest daughter, and had gotten married the day after her eighteenth birthday. When they’d seen who the husband was, Nanny and Papa had forbidden her to ever come over with him again, and she’d declared she’d never set foot in their house as long as her husband was not welcome. That had been twenty years ago, and only Aunt Fran and my mother knew where she was living. In the first timeline, I’d met Laurie’s daughter Merlinda at the age of fifteen, and we’d gotten into a fight almost immediately when she said something negative about Nanny.
It didn’t matter that she was right, I had just reacted to hearing my Nanny insulted so blatantly.
“I can see that.” I said with a soft chuckle. “Except Jeremy’s not my husband, just my brother.”
“Same principle, though.” My father said as we turned onto Scenic Drive and a few moments later into our driveway. “Oh, and you have visitors waiting for you in your room.”
“Who?” I asked with a faint stirring of hope in my heart.
“Why don’t you go up and see?” Dad suggested and I leaped out of the car before it had even come to a complete stop. The door opened and my enigmatic foster brother stood in the doorway forcing me to come to a stop. He’d drifted between friendly and cold during the weeks between the end of school and when I’d left for camp. The fact that my friends hadn’t come around after that first day of school had led him to believe it was because of him, and without telling him everything I couldn’t make him believe they were upset with me.
“Your friends are weird.” Jeremy said softly before stepping out of the doorway and heading back into the house. I stood in the doorway for a moment, shaking my head and wondering what he meant, but his words turned the little spark of hope in my chest into a roaring flame, and I tore up the stairs at top speed, hoping to find what I wanted.
I slowed down as I reached the top of the stairs. The door to my room was open and I went inside, both scared and hopeful at what I’d see inside. My heart did a little flutter as I saw all of my friends standing to the right, looking at the framed calligraphy pieces on the wall.
“He did this one last year, after the La Loma baseball team won the regional championship.” Brandon was telling Sean, pointing out a silly little poem I’d written in fancy letters with baseball players drawn out over some of the letters, and other baseball iconography at different points. Sean and Brandon were standing close together, and that sight alone gave me more hope than anything else had in weeks.
“Hi.” I said softly, causing all of them to jump and turn to face me. Their faces were a mixture of smiles and slightly guilty looks.
“We were telling Sean about your stuff.” Brian said softly.
“I noticed.” I said just as softly, telling my heart to stop beating so wildly and failing to convince it to slow down. “It’s nice to see you.”
“Shut the door.” Trevor said softly as they moved in a group to stand closer to me. Sean had a soft smile on his face that reassured me that things might just be okay again, and Brian’s arms were twitching like he wanted to hug me. Dad’s rules were that my door was supposed to stay open when Brian was here, but I figured that this one time he might not be upset, so I shut the door behind me and let out a long breath.
“Welcome back.” Sean said quietly and I nodded at him. “How was the camp?”
“It was good.” I said softly. “They invited me back for the week-long pitching camp this summer.”
“Did they really have all those major-league pitchers there?” Trevor asked and I nodded.
“Yep, and it was worth going.” I answered. “They only take the best, and I can’t believe they invited me back.”
“You’re good.” Brian said with a hint of pride in his voice. Our eyes met, and I saw they were slightly moist.
“It’s not nearly as good being invited back as seeing you guys over here.” I admitted honestly and they all tensed slightly, except for Sean.
“We want to talk, if that’s okay.” Brandon said. I just nodded quietly.
“I, we, really, were all hurt.” Brian said with a frown on his face.
“I’m sorry.” I said quickly but Trevor shook his head.
“Hear us out, first.” Trevor said softly. “You keep saying we’re all your friends, and that you trust us, but you didn’t tell us one of us was about to die even though you knew when it was happening, even the day.”
“I…” I started to say, but Brian shaking his head cut me off.
“Just listen to us, Davey.” Brian said softly but vehemently. “You took away something from us when you didn’t tell us. You robbed us of the opportunity to say good bye to the old Sean, the Sean we loved as a friend.”
“We don’t blame the new Sean for this.” Brandon said, reaching an arm out to pull our shorter friend into a one-armed embrace. Sean had tears in his own eyes at the gesture, and I could feel my eyes getting moist. “He had no way of knowing that it wasn’t necessary for him to come back, and in talking to him some more about how these time-streams work, he really did have to come back. That was what allowed you to build that machine again in the last timeline and to make this time-stream possible. We’ve been talking to him, and what he’s told us has convinced us things are a lot better. If the price of fixing the world, making the world a better place is that we had to lose our friend, then it was worth that price.”
“All the lives in the world are better off thanks to what you and he have done.” Trevor said softly. “It doesn’t make losing our old Sean any easier, but at least we know it was worth it in the end. Besides, we like this new Sean too. He’s not that different after all.”
“But, we’re still upset with you.” Brian pushed on and the hope that was rising in my chest deflated like a popped balloon.
“There was no reason you couldn’t tell us before.” Brandon pushed, and he had a single tear streaking down his left eye. “If you had told us, we could have said goodbye.”
“I didn’t want him to know.” I said softly. “He’d have…”
“You don’t know what he would have done.” Brian countered sharply. He had an angry look on his face. “You may be older than shit, Davey, at least in that mind of yours, but you don’t know everything. You can’t say Sean would have done anything bad, for all you know it would have made it easier on him.”
“It certainly would have been the right thing to do.” Trevor added and I hung my head in shame as a deep sense of guilt reared up in me. They were right, when you got right down to it. I’d robbed Sean of his freedom to face his fate on his own, with the full knowledge of what lay ahead. I’d betrayed my friendship with him, and my friendship with these guys here.
“I’m sorry.” I said softly as tears began to trickle down my eyes and I looked at the floor of my room, wondering if there was ever a way they could forgive me for this.
“I forgive you.” Brian said softly and I looked up to find he was now standing in front of me with a soft smile on his face. He took me in his arms, and I began to cry softly, but steadily into his shoulder. My other friends came up to at that point, wrapping their arms around me and telling me I had their forgiveness. We stood like that for several minutes before the hug broke up.
“I…” I started to say, but Brian silenced me by putting his finger over my lips.
“Let it go, Davey.” He told me. “It’s over now, and you’re forgiven. Nothing more needs to be said.”
“I missed you.” I told him, pulling back into another hug.
“I missed you, too.” Brian said softly as I hugged him tightly, and I let out a long breath.
“We’re going to go down and convince your foster-brother that we’re not afraid of him.” Brandon said quietly and I just nodded as the three of them left the room, leaving Brian and I alone. The fact that they shut the door behind them wasn’t lost on me, and I leaned forward a bit so that I could put my lips on Brian’s. It was a risk, but when his lips responded hungrily to mine, I knew it was worth it.
Our kissing was soft, and gentle, almost as if our hearts were using that contact to speak to each other in quiet whispers. We rocked back and forth in each other’s arms, kissing gently and letting our hearts know that we weren’t separated after all. It was wondrous, and when our kisses ended and I pulled back just enough to see Brian’s smile, I knew that everything was going to be okay.
“I really missed that.” Brian said and I laughed softly.
“Let’s do it some more.” I said, pulling him towards the bed, and he didn’t resist. Together we sat down on the edge of the bed, and laid back, facing each other, wrapping our legs around each other and began making out in earnest. My erection was tenting out my sweat pants, trying to touch his erection confined in his jeans, and everything was right with the world.
“I love you, even if you are as old as shit.” Brian said softly as we paused in our making out to stare into each other’s eyes.
“I love you too.” I told him and he smiled.
“Do you… do you ever get me confused with the other Brian?” Brian asked softly and I could see his eyebrows furrowing together in concern. “Am I… am I a lot like him, or am I different?”
“You are you.” I said softly. “There’s always little differences, but you are the person I’m in love with. You’ve always been the same steadfast, dedicated, caring, loving person, and you always will be. There’s no one on the face of this planet I could love the way I love you.”
“I… I just wonder sometimes if it’s me you love or the memory of that other me.” Brian said softly.
“I love both, I love all of you, every version there could be.” I told him and he smiled. “There is no difference to me. They’re like different moods. You act differently when you’re in a different mood, but you’re the same person.”
“Oh.” Brian said. “I guess you could tell that Brandon and the new Sean are getting along alright?”
“Yeah, I’d hoped they would.” I admitted. “They’re almost as much a ‘destined’ couple as you and I are.”
“So we’re destined to be together?” Brian asked and I nodded. “You’re so sure of that, eh?”
“Yes.” I answered.
“What do you want to do with your life?” Brian asked me and I shook my head.
“Our life, Brian.” I told him. “I don’t plan on ever letting you go.”
“I like that.” Brian murmured with a happy smile and he dipped his head a little so he could kiss the tip of my nose. “What do you want to do with your part of our life together?”
“I want to play baseball.” I answered after just a moment of thought. He looked surprised at that.
“Why?” He asked. “You’ve done so much… I mean you’ve been involved in government, you’ve been the captain of a Navy ship, you’ve even been an admiral in what sounds like the biggest battle in history. Why would you want to be a baseball player?”
“It wasn’t that big of a battle.” I said defensively. Okay, it was the biggest battle since that timeline’s World War II, but it wasn’t all that big.
“You know what I mean.” Brian said softly.
“I’ve had about twenty different jobs in all those timelines.” I told Brian. “In none of them did I ever have a shot at playing sports professionally. The last couple of days, they told me if I work at it, work really hard, I might just have a chance to go professional. I could be a pitcher, and I’ll admit, the first time I was a kid I dreamed of being an astronaut, but I think that was only because I thought I was too clumsy to play sports. I’m not, now, at least. It’s something I never imagined me doing in a million years, and I’m tired of having a serious career. Sure, there’s pressure in baseball, I know, and people follow it almost religiously, but if I mess up a pitch, people aren’t going to die. I’m tired of having any mistake I make being paid for in real blood. Plus, I know people think I’m all serious about baseball, and when I’m pitching or hitting, I know I’m really concentrated and focused, but I love it. When I’m playing, I’m happier than I am any other time except when I’m with you like this.”
“So you’re going to be a professional baseball player.” Brian said with a gentle smile and confidence. I almost shook my head, but stopped. I really did want it, and he at least seemed okay with that idea.
“What do you want?” I asked him and he chuckled.
“What did I do when we were married?” He asked me and I groaned.
“You were a businessman.” I answered honestly. “You and I owned an international chain of movie theaters.”
“We were like rich?” Brian asked.
“We were multi-millionaires, yes.” I told him and he shook his head.
“I don’t know…that doesn’t sound like me.” Brian said.
“Part of it was because our last few years of high school we attended a private boarding school back in Washington and knew a lot of people whose parents had a lot of money and they invested in your projects.” I explained.
“So I don’t have to do it this time?” Brian asked and I shook my head.
“Brian, I don’t expect you to do something just because another version of you did it in another timeline.” I said softly, running a finger along his jaw line. “If you do something, I want you to do it because it’s what you want to do.”
“I’ve been thinking.” Brian said after a moment of silence. “This thing with Jeremy, and people like him, and gay people like us, I want to do something to make things better. From what my Mom and Dad tell me, I could go to law school and be a civil rights attorney. I want to do something with my life that makes a difference, like you did except maybe not on such a big scale. The only thing is, well Mom and Dad tell me that unless you’re lucky it’s not a career that make a lot of money, and you have to pay for law school, and the best law schools may be more expensive than they could handle, even with help from Uncle Rich.”
“Don’t worry about money.” I told him and he frowned.
“Davey, you’re good, but most people don’t go right to the big-leagues.” Brian pointed out. “They usually play minor league for a year or more, and those don’t pay shit. How will we afford it?”
“I’m not exactly poor, you know.” I told him.
“I don’t want your parents to have to support us.” Brian pouted and I laughed.
“Silly Brian.” I murmured softly, “I have my own money. When I came back, my father needed money to start his campaign off with, so I gave my grandfather the winning scores to the Super Bowl. He bet some money for me. When I turn eighteen, that money’s mine. I can even spend some now if I want, but I try not to so it is there later, when we need it.”
“How much?” Brian asked with wide eyes.
“Right now I’ve got a little over a hundred thousand that I can touch directly.” I told him and his eyes got wide. “Then there’s another two hundred thousand in various long-term CD’s and mutual fund deposits, plus my stock purchases which are currently running around four-hundred thousand. There’s plenty there to pay for us both to go to college, and to support us while I’m in the minor leagues.”
“Oh.” Brian said as he shook his head. “But that’s your money.”
“Are we a couple?” I asked him and he nodded. “Then it’s our money. Tell me you wouldn’t do the same exact thing if the situation were reversed and I’ll change my mind about it being our money.”
“I would.” Brian said with a sigh and I kissed him on the nose.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.” Brian said softly before claiming my mouth in a fierce kiss that caused me to get fully erect again. This time, he didn’t keep it confined to just kissing as his hands reached down inside my sweat pants and grabbed my erection in a firm, caring grip.
“Oh my god.” I whispered against Brian’s mouth as his hands began to take me to the top of the world.
*~*~*~*~*
Two hours later, all my friends were gone, and I’d had a long hug farewell from Brian. Jeremy actually was smiling as they left, and actually started hugging Sean goodbye instead of waiting for them to start hugging him. As soon as they were gone though, he was limping back up the stairs and disappeared into his room.
His knee would never fully recover after having a pin put in, but he was at least able to make it upstairs now without any help from me or my sister. Jenny was still over at one of her friend’s house, and Dad reminded me that it was time for me to make my phone call to Papa.
“Hello.” Papa’s voice answered the phone and I felt a hitch in my voice at hearing him. His reaction to Jeremy, when Dad had told him that Jeremy had AIDS had reminded me of his shortcomings when for the last few years all I’d seen was how great he could be. It had been a most unwelcome reminder.
“It’s Davey.” I said simply, and the change in his gruff tone to sounding happy almost made me feel guilty.
“Well, it’s good to hear from you, son.” Papa said in a tone that was almost giddy.
“Dad said you needed some help?” I asked, ignoring the statement.
“Yep, sure do.” Papa said in that same cheerful tone. “I need to move stuff into the big beast of a camper your Nanny had me buy and I could use a strong back to help me move it all.”
“Well, Jeremy and I could be over in about thirty minutes, if you want.” I said, choosing that as the best way to broach this topic.
“Couldn’t you just come over?” Papa asked with a bit of a plaintive sound. “I just need your help and we haven’t had a chance to spend any time together in a while.”
“So you’re still unwilling to have Jeremy come over.” I stated flatly.
“Now I didn’t say that.” Papa shot back on the phone.
“Then it’s okay for him to come over.” I countered.
“Well, that’s something we can talk about when you come over.” Papa offered and I shook my head even though he wouldn’t see that gesture.
“Enjoy your trip, Papa.” I said softly.
“No, wait!” Papa’s voice resounded over the phone as I moved to hang it up on my nightstand.
“What?” I said shortly, pulling the phone back to my ear.
“Why are you being so stubborn about that boy?” Papa demanded. “Is your father not letting you come over unless he’s along with you?”
“My father has set no conditions on me visiting you.” I said angrily. “The only people who have done that is you and Nanny.”
“That’s unfair.” Papa stated. “We haven’t told you that you can’t come over. That boy’s sick and we don’t want to risk getting what he’s got. Your parents should be ashamed exposing you to that damn disease!”
“We agreed to this as a family, Papa.” I said angrily. “Any of us could have said no and none of us did!”
“Why are you putting that boy over your own family?” Papa demanded wearily.
“Probably because he is our family now.” I responded and Papa snorted.
“He’s not family.” Papa stated flatly. “He’s some boy you’re letting live with you, but he’s no relation by blood.”
“Neither are you.” I shot back immediately and was greeted by silence over the line. “The only blood-related grandfather I’ve ever known died in 1975. You’ve been the only grandfather I’ve really known, and you aren’t related to me by blood. My mom’s real father hasn’t been around in over twenty years, but I don’t think you’ve ever forgotten that when you married Nanny she had three kids, including my mother, and you had five kids. You’ve always tried to say that didn’t mean anything, that we were all really family and that blood wasn’t all-important to being a family. Are you saying something different now?”
“That’s different.” Papa snapped. “We’re related because I married your Nanny. That boy isn’t even adopted! He’s just a foster kid.”
“He’s a foster kid because so far he hasn’t wanted us to adopt him even though we’ve already offered.” I responded. “As far as any of us are concerned, he’s as much family as you or any of your children.”
“He’s still diseased!” Papa said angrily. “He could infect you at any moment and then where will you be?”
“Sometimes doing the right thing isn’t easy, Papa.” I said flatly. “Sometimes doing the right thing means taking some risk. If doing the right thing puts me in the grave, then so be it. I’d rather die knowing I did right with my life than live knowing I’d done wrong. How we, as a society, treat our poor, and our sick, is a reflection on each and every one of us. I will not have it said about me that when it came time for us to walk the talk, we took a hike.”
“Stop trying to make it sound like I’m doing the wrong thing.” Papa said angrily and for a moment he wheezed. “Your Nanny and I are just worried about your well-being.”
“I’m fine, thank you for you worry.” I said angrily. “I really do hope you have an enjoyable trip.”
“David Ray Jones Junior, don’t you dare hang up this phone.” Papa bellowed and I almost did exactly that.
“What?” I asked after taking a calming breath.
“This disease, the good pastor says it’s a judgment from God on our society for harboring evil.” Papa said flatly.
“Are you a sheep that you accept such statements at face value just because it’s said by someone behind a pulpit?” My voice was full of derision.
“Don’t use that tone with me!” Papa snapped.
“Sorry.” I apologized reflexively.
“Even if it isn’t, it’s still something that could kill you and I really don’t understand it all that well.” Papa said in a softer tone.
“You may not understand it that well, but I do, and my family does.” I retorted in a calmer voice as well. “I also understand that how we treat others is a reflection on us. This is something that bothers me about both you and Nanny. When something you don’t like happens, you bury your heads in the sand and try to pretend it doesn’t exist. Also, you have a habit of throwing away family when they do something you don’t approve of. When your daughter married a black man, you threw her out and haven’t spoken to her in almost twenty years. What’s going to happen when I do something you don’t approve of? Are you going to pretend I don’t exist? Are you only going to speak of me in ashamed whispers and shake your head?”
“I don’t…” Papa started to say but his voice dropped off.
“Papa, enjoy your trip.” I said with a note of weariness in my voice. “We’ll speak again when you return. I do love you.”
“Goodbye.” Papa said before the line went dead. I hung up the phone with a heavy sigh and turned when I heard a sound in my doorway. A moment later, I could hear a door shutting further down the hallway and wondered what exactly Jeremy might have heard. Maybe, just maybe, he’d heard enough and it might convince him that we really did care about him, and weren’t just trying to use him as a symbol of how nice we were as people.
We had school starting in a few days and I wanted him to understand beyond a shadow of a doubt that we were being real in wanting him as part of our family.
| Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 Chapter 3 April Fool |
Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 |
| Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 |
| Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 |
