Take Me From This Pain, Brian's story

Chapter 37

Matt and Brian laughed as they trudged up the front steps to Matt’s father’s house. They were staying for a couple of weeks now that Matt was on summer break, and Brian couldn’t wait to try out a few new recipes with Cody. Niko trailed quietly after them.

“Hey, Niko, what’s wrong?” Brian asked softly as Matt dug out a set of keys from his pocket.

“Nothing.”

“You don’t have to hide it,” the small blonde replied. “I can see it clearly. You’ve been in this mood ever since we left Boston.

The small Greek boy sighed and pulled Brian off to the side of the porch. “It’s just that I feel like I am intruding on Matt’s father.”

“Why? He and Cody asked you to come.”

“I know, but I feel like they only did that because Trent was going home, too, and I would have been alone in Boston.”

“Trust me,” Brian smiled brilliantly. “That’s not the way they work. It took me a while to get used to it, too. But they genuinely like you and want to help you. Not everyone is like Manny. Sometimes people don’t expect you to return their favors.”

“You will have to excuse me if I need more proof before I believe that.”

“With all you’ve been through,” Matt spoke up, opening the door for them, “I don’t blame you in the least. But you’ll see once you actually meet them. Both of my dads are really great guys.”

He turned to go inside and came face to face with a smiling Cody. Matt stopped and looked away, slightly embarrassed.

“Did you mean that?” the redhead asked softly.

Matt nodded and looked back up with a small smile. “You really are the best thing to happen to my father.”

“Thanks, but I wasn’t sure if you could ever really accept me,” Cody shrugged worriedly.

Matt’s smile widened and he looked at his father’s husband with a genuine affection he knew was beginning to show.

“When I first met you, and you made Brian feel so comfortable at a time when he was so lost, I was glad to have you in the family,” he said as he touched the smaller man’s arm briefly. “I’m proud, actually. And I was hoping you would let me call you ‘dad’, too.”

Cody’s eyes filled with happy tears as he pulled Matt in for a hug. Grant slowly wandered into the doorway and watched.

“I always wanted a kid,” Cody said, still gripping Matt tightly. “And Brian, too?” The small blonde nodded meekly. “I mean, I knew when I realized that I was gay that I might never have one, but I still wanted one.”

“And now you can share mine,” Grant grinned, hugging Matt and Cody from behind.

Brian watched with happy tears of his own. He’d never really had a father before and now he had two. And Virginia had made no bones about how she felt. It was still a little weird, but Brian knew he’d get used to it eventually. He noticed that Niko stood behind him timidly so he shrugged.

“Hey, let us in,” Matt laughed pulling back a little.

“Of course!” Cody exclaimed turning to push his husband further inside. “Grant, let our sons into the house!”

Everyone but Niko laughed at that and the group marched inside.

“Good thing this place is big,” Matt chuckled. “We brought someone home with us.”

“This place is big enough for a few more ‘someones’ too,” Cody replied. He turned to Niko and smiled kindly at him. “You must be so tired of being shuffled around, huh?”

Niko looked up at him shyly. Cody wasn’t very much taller than he was and he seemed so friendly that the small boy couldn’t help but relax a little. He shrugged and gave the man a small smile.

“Well, you just make yourself at home here,” Grant instructed him. “Our house is your house.”

“Thank you,” Niko murmured. “You’re too kind.”

“After what you’ve been dealing with, it’s about time someone took care of you,” Cody interjected.

“Trent takes care of me,” Niko replied then blushed. He hadn’t meant that as it sounded. “What I mean is, he doesn’t treat me badly.”

“No sweat, kid,” Grant grinned. “We know what you mean. Now, I think you all should go upstairs and settle in.”

On his way up Matt grabbed his vibrating cell phone from his back pocket noting the number on the caller ID.

“Hey, Trent! How was your trip this morning?”

“M-matt? I’m sorry to bug you.”

Immediately Matt knew something was very wrong. He drew Brian to a halt just outside their bedroom and motioned to the phone. Cody had taken Niko on ahead to another bedroom and Grant stood quizzically aside watching.

“It’s not a problem, buddy, what’s wrong?”

Matt could hear Trent stifling a few tears as a man was screaming in the background. He couldn’t make out everything the man said but he did catch a few words, such as “family embarrassment” and “disgusting animal”. He looked at his father worriedly as he pressed the speaker feature on the phone.

“I tried calling Joey,” Trent sniffed softly. He was speaking too slowly and Matt wondered if he was more than just upset. “But his aunt’s not home and his cell just goes to voicemail.”

Brian frowned deeply and looked up at Matt in alarm.

“Tell me where you are and I’ll come get you,” Matt directed.

“No, it’s okay,” Trent said. “I shouldn’t have c-called. I’ll just wait for Joe.”

“I’m coming now,” Matt said firmly. “I’m assuming you’re at your parents’ house, so that’s where I’ll go.”

“You don’t know how to get here.”

“I have your address and my father. That’s all I need.”

The ranting man in the background came closer because now Matt could clearly hear him.

“That phone is on the FAMILY plan. You’re not part of this family anymore. Give it back!”

Grant’s face turned into an icy mask of stone and he pulled out his own cell to angrily make a call.

“Hang on, Trent,” Matt said quickly. “I’ll be there in five.”

The line was abruptly disconnected and both boys knew Trent hadn’t been the one to hang up. Brian swallowed hard and nodded at Matt to go get their friend.

“Okay, my contact is also on his way,” Grant said hurriedly as he grabbed Matt’s arm and led him back down the stairs and to the door.

“Who?”

“The cop,” Grant explained. “That sounded violent and I want to make sure if anything happened to that kid that asshole pays.”

The door slammed and Brian was left in the hallway, but not for long. Cody quietly walked up behind him, Niko in tow.

“Brian?”

The small blonde turned and regarded the two in shock.

“Matt and Grant went to get Trent.”

“Your dad and Matt left together?” Cody corrected softly. He knew he was being a little pushy, but he couldn’t help it. Once Matt had accepted him, he wanted Brian to, too. The kid needed stable adults.

Brian nodded thoughtfully.

“What happened?” Niko asked.

Brian explained what he’d heard and Niko paled while Cody’s eyes went wide then narrowed to slits.

“Don’t worry, boys,” he said firmly. “Grant will get him back here safely. You’ll see.”

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Matt paced the emergency room nervously, waiting for Trent’s doctor to come out. He knew that the staff wouldn’t tell them anything, but since Trent’s father had been arrested for assaulting a police officer and the boy had clearly been kicked out of the family, they were all he had now. Finally the exam room door opened and Trent came hobbling out.

“You may want to invest in a pair of crutches,” the doctor said as he followed. “I know it’s only a hairline fracture, but it could get much worse if you’re not careful.”

“He’ll be careful,” Grant assured the man after signing a few more papers and handing his credit card over to the cashier. “How’s your head, son?”

Trent looked up at him curiously. He absently rubbed the bump on the top of his head where his father had hit him with a garden spade. The knot was very tender and grown into an egg-sized lump. He was still in shock that his father would do something that violent to him. Not to mention his sister. She’d gleefully gone home and told his parents that he was gay and “shacked up” with a foreign boy toy. His father had flipped out.

When it was apparent that he wouldn’t be able to stay, he’d tried to call Joey for a lift, as his father took the car and everything else he’d had with him but his clothes. But when Joey wasn’t around Matt was the first person he could think of to call. He’d only been expecting a ride to a hotel or something, but that clearly wasn’t the case. Matt had explained to him on the ride over that he would be coming home with them after he was checked.

“Um,” he said slowly. “It’s not a concussion. But I have a huge headache.”

“Let’s go home,” Grant smiled.

Trent, still confused, leaned on Matt and followed Grant to the blue SUV in the parking lot.

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“Are you sure you’re not hurt worse?” Niko asked as he plumped the pillow for Trent.

“I’m good.”

He was still befuddled but blamed it on the knock he took. He settled back and decided to let reality set in tomorrow.

“I brought you soup,” Cody chirped placing a standing tray over Trent’s leg.

“You don’t have to pamper me,” he sighed sadly.

He knew they were just trying to cheer him up, but he just couldn’t smile, seeing how he was now alone.

“I pamper all of my kids,” Cody smiled mysteriously as he walked out.

Brian grinned for the first time since Trent had called earlier and sat down gingerly on the bed to help him eat the soup.

“All of his kids?”

“Just wait,” Matt chuckled. “You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

“Huh?”

Cody floated back into the room with sodas on another tray for all of the boys. He frowned and put them down on the dresser, sitting down on the other side of Trent.

“Oh, here, Bri let me do that!”

Trent looked blankly from one to the other.

“How’s our new arrival doing?” Grant asked as he entered the room.

“Looks confused to me,” Matt grinned.

“Ah, well, his head should clear soon,” he turned to Trent, who looked like a deer caught in headlights. “Your prescription’s been filled so if you feel the pain’s too much, you let us know.” He put the small amber bottle down on the nightstand.

“Um, did I die?” Trent asked.

“NO!” Cody exclaimed.

“Then did I fall into an alternate universe?”

“Not that we know of,” Brian laughed.

Trent nodded thoughtfully. “Okay then. What the heck’s going on?”

Cody spooned up some soup and popped it into the boy’s open mouth. “You’ve been adopted,” he said matter-of-factly.

Trent looked at him like he’d grown antlers.

“You didn’t think you’d be left alone did you?” Matt asked softly, pulling Brian up off the bed.

Trent looked at him sharply.

“Look, man,” Matt began as he sat down and placed Brian on his lap. “I have quite a few friends, but there are only three people on this Earth I really count as my brothers.” Trent looked briefly at Brian. “No, he’s definitely not my brother,” Matt laughed. “The first is Ryan. He and I have been best friends forever. The second guy is Jay, and trust me, I don’t even really get how that happened. And the third guy,” Matt paused and looked meaningfully at him, “is you. And I’m not letting your sister ruin your life. Get it?”

Trent was shocked silent so Cody spooned more soup into his mouth and said, “And that makes you my kid. Now EAT!”