Coming Out

Chapter 26

Brian woke up the next morning to find himself alone in Justin's bed. His mind ran through the events of the previous evening and he hurried out of bed and down the hall in search of his troubled boyfriend. He found him downstairs on the phone.

"Thank you, Mrs. Collins. I’ll call you later today and let you know what we’ve decided. I appreciate all of your help, and I know Mom will, too. Tell Molly I’ll talk to her later," Justin said before saying a quick good bye and hanging up the phone. He turned around and saw Brian standing in the doorway.

"Hey," he said softly.

"Hey Sunshine. How are you feeling this morning?" Brian asked, noticing signs of distress.

"I'm fine. I just talked to Molly and told her what happened. She's handling it pretty well right now. Mrs. Collins is going to keep her today so I can go to the hospital and see what's going on. In fact, I’m on my way there now, so I can't stay and talk," Justin said, ignoring the hurt that clouded Brian's eyes.

"You're leaving now? Well, give me a couple of minutes and I'll go get ready," Brian said, pushing away the hurt he was feeling at Justin's cold demeanor.

"No, it's okay. I'm going to go by myself. You can stay here and have the house to yourself," Justin said, casually.

"Justin, I want to be there. Not only for you, but for your mom and dad, too. They’ve been wonderful to me these last five months, and this isn't easy on me either," Brian explained. He was beginning to get angry over Justin's attitude.

"Fine, go get ready. I'll be in the car," Justin relented, grabbing his keys, and heading towards the door.

Brian saw Justin begin to walk away and grabbed him by the arm. "What is going on, Justin. Why are you shutting me out?"

"Look, Brian, this isn't about you. I just need some time and space, okay? My whole world changed last night and I just need to find a way to deal with it all. Now back off!" Justin yelled, pulling away and walking out the door.

Brian stood there in shock. He couldn't believe the way Justin was treating him. He could understand that Justin was upset by what happened, but telling him to back off had really hurt. He walked to the door and was relieved to see that Justin was still waiting for him, so he raced upstairs, forgoing a shower, and dressed quickly. Throwing his hat on backwards, he ran back downstairs and headed out the door, anxious to get to the hospital and see Jennifer and Craig. No matter what Justin thought, he really was worried about them.

When they got to the hospital, Justin parked the car and got out, heading inside without waiting for Brian. He found his way to the main desk and asked for his parents rooms. By the time he was given the numbers for each, Brain was at his side. They made their way upstairs, heading for Jennifer first. Justin opened the door to find her awake, although heavily medicated and drowsy. She had a bandage on her head and a few cuts and bruises on her face. Otherwise she looked okay, Justin thought.

"Hi, Honey, Brian, what are you two doing here?" She asked with confusion.

"Mom, do you know where you are?" Justin asked, trying to figure out what she remembered since it was obvious that she was confused. "You're in the hospital, remember? You and Dad were in an accident last night."

"An accident? Oh my...where’s your father?"

"He's in ICU. He's uh..." Justin couldn't continue.

"Craig has a pretty bad bump on the head, so he's in ICU where they can keep a better eye on him," Brian spoke up, making sure not to lie, just stretch the truth a little. Jennifer was in no condition to hear the whole truth.

Justin looked over at Brian and was thankful for the explanation. He didn't want to upset his mother while she was still out of it.

"Molly?" Jennifer asked in a panic.

"Molly's fine. She's still at Jill's house. I talked to Mrs. Collins earlier and told her what happened. She's going to keep her until I get there later," Justin explained.

"Thank God," Jennifer sighed. "So what's wrong with me? When can I go home?"

"Mom, it's going to be awhile. You broke both your legs. Don't you remember anything?" Justin was beginning to get worried.

"Not really. I remember being out with your Dad. We had dinner and were heading home. The next thing I remember is waking up here. I guess they must have me on medication, since my brain feels kind of fuzzy. I’m so sleepy, Justin. I think I'll take a nap. Why don't you go see your father for..." She fell asleep before finishing her thought.

"Wow! They must have her on some pretty strong medication. Let's go see your Dad," Brian said. He tried taking Justin's hand, but he pulled away and headed out the door. Brian sighed, and then followed the blond to ICU.

They were about to walk into the room when Dr. Stevens stopped them. "Brian, Justin, I need to talk to you before you go in there. We had some trouble last night after you left. Your father stopped breathing on his own. We had to hook him up to a respirator. He's stable now, but I wanted to warn you before you walked in and saw him. This happens sometimes in coma patients. It's as if their brain forgets how to breathe. We still don't know anymore then we did last night. I'm sorry."

Brian looked over at Justin, expecting to see him fall apart, but his features never changed. It was as if he didn't hear what the doctor had said.

"Can I see him now?" Justin asked, his voice calm.

"Sure, but only for a few minutes. We don't allow long visits in ICU. I'm going to finish my rounds. How about if we meet in your mother's room in an hour? We can talk more then," the doctor suggested.

Justin just nodded and headed towards the room. When he saw his father, he stopped in his tracks. Craig Taylor was lying in his bed covered with tubes and machines. The room was silent except for the sound of the monitors and the quiet hum of the respirator that was keeping him alive. It took everything in his power to stay on his feet as he approached the bed.

Brian looked towards the bed in horror. Even knowing what they did, he wasn't prepared to see Craig looking so weak and still. He looked at Justin to see his reaction, but again saw no change in his demeanor. Brian was really starting to worry about him.

"Dad, it's me. Don't worry about anything except getting better. I’ll take care of Mom and Molly, I promise," Justin said quietly, his voice cracking, showing Brian that he wasn't as strong as he was trying to be.

Brian approached Justin and placed a hand on his shoulder, thankful that he didn't pull away this time. They stayed for a few more minutes watching the machines keep the older man alive. Brian could feel Justin shaking and soon heard a strangled sob. He spun him around and took him in his arms, holding him while he released some of his grief. He then led him out of the room and down the hall to the restroom, wanting to get him somewhere he could pull himself together.

"What am I going to do, Brian? My parents have always been there for me, now I don't have anyone. I have to take care of Molly, but who's going to take care of me?" Justin cried, overcome with grief.

"I'll take care of you, Sunshine. You can lean on me, and I’ll help you through this until your parents are home again. I just need you to stop pushing me away," Brian whispered, holding him tight.

"I'm sorry, Brian. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. I need you so much right now. I didn't mean to push you away," Justin held on to Brian as if he was afraid that he too would be taken away.

"Shhh, it's okay, I know. You can't push me away. I’m not going anywhere," Brian said, trying to sooth the boy as best as he could. "I love you, Justin and I’ll be here for you no matter what, okay?"

"I love you, too, Brian. I don't know what I’d do without you," Justin replied, pulling back to wipe his eyes. He needed to get himself together so he could go back to his mother.

"You won't ever have to find out, Sunshine," Brian assured him, wiping away a few of his own tears that fell because of the pain his boyfriend was feeling.

Once they had managed to pull themselves together, they headed back down to Jennifer's room, only to find her with the doctor.

"Brian, Justin, I'm so glad you’re here," Dr. Stevens said as they entered the room. "I was just telling your mother about her injuries. I have a list of a few places close by that she can be transferred to as soon as the end of the week if all goes well."

"What about my husband? Justin said he was in ICU?" Jennifer asked, more coherent than she was earlier. The medication must have been wearing off.

"Jennifer, maybe we should discuss this later. You've had a very long night and I think you could use a little more rest," Dr. Stevens suggested, not wanting to cause the woman any added stress until she was a little stronger.

"I can rest later. With two broken legs, I’ll have plenty of time to rest, Doctor. Right now, I want to know what happened to my husband. Justin, have you seen him?" She asked her son.

"I just saw him a little while ago, Mom," Justin replied, avoiding her stare.

"What isn't everyone telling me? I'm his wife and I have a right to know what's going on. Oh my...he's not..." She couldn't even say the words.

"No, Jennifer, he's not dead," Brian jumped in and assured the woman.

"Well than, what's going on?"

"Jennifer, your husband sustained a serious head injury which caused some swelling on the brain. He's been in a coma since last night. We have him on a respirator right now, but there is no reason to believe that he won't wake up once the swelling goes down. We really don't know what's going to happen, so you need to keep optimistic. I know it's easier said then done, but getting yourself all worked up isn't good for you right now," Dr. Stevens told her.

"But he..." Jennifer couldn't reply through the emotion that came to the surface. Craig was in a coma and she wasn’t supposed to get worked up?

"Jennifer, I can't even imagine how hard this is for you, but you need to stay calm. The doctors are doing everything they can for Craig. You need to worry about you right now. Justin and I are going to take care of Molly and the house, but they need you...we need you to get better so you can come home," Brian said, keeping the emotion out of his voice. He could feel Justin's eyes on him, but wouldn't look up for fear of breaking down. He had to be strong for the Taylor's. They were strong for him when he needed it.

"But Brian, Craig..."

"Craig will be fine. You have to believe that, okay?" Brian assured her.

Jennifer looked over at the young man that had been through so much in his eighteen years, yet stood there giving her hope for the future, and knew that he was right. He survived being raised by horrible people, and Craig would survive this minor set back and come home to them. "Your right, Brian. Craig will be fine, and he needs me to be strong for him. Thank you for being here."

"Where else would I be?" Brian whispered, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Justin stood back, watching his boyfriend calm his mother and felt a burst of pride. He felt so guilty for the way he had treated him earlier and knew he had to find a way to make it up to him.

Brian and Justin stayed at the hospital for the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon, periodically checking on Craig, whose condition remained stable. Around four Jennifer finally sent them home, but not without instructions on what needed to be done to run the house day to day. Jennifer had called Molly earlier to let her know that she was okay, and to talk to Mrs. Collins about helping out with Molly's care while Justin was at work. The woman was more than willing to offer her help in anyway that she could, as were a lot of other women from the community once news of the accident had spread. Jennifer was thankful that she’d spent so many years going to every PTA meeting and school function, as well as all of the country club gatherings. Those people weren't just acquaintances, they were friends, and they all agreed to pull together and help Brian and Justin when they needed it. Jennifer felt better about being away from home knowing the whole community would be watching out for her family.

By the time Brian and Justin had picked up Molly and headed home, it was almost five.

"What would you like for dinner, Molly?" Justin asked his sister as he pulled into the driveway.

"Can we order a pizza? I haven't had pizza in like, forever!" Molly exclaimed with her usual thirteen year old excitement.

"I don't think Mom would..." Justin started to reply, before realizing how hard all of this must be on his sister. The last thing he wanted to do was to cause a problem before they had time to adjust to the changes that were happening to them. "Okay, pizza it is, but tomorrow night we are having a normal dinner, deal?"

"Deal!" Brian and Molly said in unison.

The trio went inside and ordered their pizza, making sure to load it up with toppings. They sat around talking about what they would need to do each day, based on their schedules. Brian wasn't able to offer much help, since he had to work everyday until five, but between the three of them, they divided the chores and agreed to a routine that worked for them.

Once the pizza came, they sat down to eat in front of the TV and watched a movie together. When it was over it was almost eight. Justin went upstairs to get his things ready for school and get a load of laundry. Sunday was usually laundry day in the Taylor house and since no one had been home to do it, he figured he would do a load a day till he caught up. Molly and Brian stayed downstairs.

"Brian? Can I ask you a question?" She asked, tentatively.

"Sure kiddo, ask me anything," Brian replied. He was really getting to enjoy having Molly as a younger sister.

"Do you love Justin?"

Brian didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure what she was asking, but had a feeling she wasn't talking about brotherly love. "I love all of you. Your family has been very good to me since I moved in."

"That's not what I mean, Brian. I saw you kissing a couple of weeks ago. Remember the day I was supposed to wait until Justin picked me up at Julie's, but got a ride home instead? I went to find him and tell him I didn't need a ride and I saw you guys kissing," Molly admitted.

"Uh, well..." Brian was at a loss for words.

"It's okay, Brian. I wasn't grossed out or anything. I kind of figured out that Justin was gay last year. I guess I just wanted to know what was going on with you two," she explained.

"Well, I'm happy that we didn't gross you out, or anything," Brian said with a chuckle. "As for Justin and I? Yeah, we love each other. Just don't say anything to your father when he gets home. He doesn't know yet and it should probably stay that way. Not everyone is as understanding as you are."

"My lips are sealed!" Molly exclaimed, jumping up and hugging Brian. "I'm glad you and Justin are in love. He could do a lot worse. Good night, Brian."

Brian was startled by Molly's hug, but managed to hug her back. "Good night, Molly."

Molly ran upstairs, leaving Brian alone with his thoughts. He couldn't believe that he and Justin had been so careless that Molly had seen them together and they never noticed. Thank God all they were doing was kissing. They were going to have to be more careful when Craig came home. He looked up when he heard Justin coming down the stairs.

"Hey," Justin said, dropping the laundry basket on the floor. "Is there anything you need to have washed before tomorrow? I’m only doing one load tonight, so if you need anything done now, you better go get it."

Brian stood up and walked over to Justin, stopping directly in front of him. "You make a good little housewife," he teased.

"I am NOT a housewife, asshole!" Justin replied, feigning anger.

"Asshole?" Brian replied. "I'm wounded. You’re just going to have to kiss me and make it all better," Brian replied, pulling Justin in for a deep kiss.

Justin lost himself in the kiss until reality set in and he pulled away. "Brian, Molly is right upstairs. We can't do this now."

"Sure we can, Sunshine. She knows about us," Brian replied casually, enjoying the look of sheer terror on his boyfriend’s face.

"What do you mean, she knows? How does she know?" Justin asked, horrified.

"Apparently she walked in on us the day Julie's mother drove her home for you. Don't worry. She said we didn't gross her out or anything," Brian said, using Molly's words.

Justin looked at Brian seriously for a moment, and then started laughing. "Well, I guess it's good that we didn't gross her out. I take it you told her not to tell Dad?"

"Yeah, she's going to keep our secret. She said she realized that you were gay last year. She also said she was glad that we’re in love, because you could do worse."

"I could do worse? What about you?" He questioned.

"She didn't say, but with my taste, I only choose the best." Brian replied, waiting for Justin's reaction.

"But you...oh, you mean...me?" Justin asked, finally understanding what Brian had managed to say.

"Smart boy," Brian chuckled. "Now why don't you go throw that laundry in the washer and join me on the couch? I think we're over due for a little cuddling."

"That sounds like heaven, Brian."

"No, heaven will come later. After Molly falls asleep, but this is the next best thing." Brian replied with a smile.

"I'll be right back," Justin replied, picking up the laundry. "Keep my place warm."

"Always, Sunshine. Always."


End of Part 26
1/10/04

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