Part 13

Lindsay closed the door to the bathroom at the gallery and placed a small box on the vanity. She smiled broadly as she opened it.

She paced around the small room waiting. Her mind was going a million miles a minute. After several minutes, Lindsay went over and looked at the small piece of plastic and was stunned. She placed it back in the box which she put in the bag and disposed it in the garbage can.

Back at her desk she tried to keep busy, but was finding it hard to concentrate. She shuffled the papers on her desk around to no avail. She gave in and took her address book out of her purse and looked for the number.

She took a deep breath as she dialed the number. "Yes, I'd like to make an appointment with Dr. Mercer as soon as possible."

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Ted, you really scared us by saying you might need Ben's advice. You're not positive, are you?" Michael asked.

"I'm not really sure. So far I have tested negative."

"What do you mean so far? You weren't doing drugs with needles, were you?"

"No, not really. I was so out of it. I had unprotected sex."

"Oh Teddy," Michael said sadly.

"In rehab they encourage us to tell our stories so they stay real not only to us but to the people in our lives that were affected by it. Without acknowledging my mistakes I'll never get beyond them."

"Don't tell me unless you're ready. I don't want to pressure you. I am so proud of your progress."

"Thanks, that means a lot to me. I think I'm ready to tell someone, but are you sure you want to hear it? It's not pretty."

"Yes, I want to know what really happened."

"Okay, it all started when I was arrested. I was scared and devastated, not to mention humiliated. I look back at that time now and see how vulnerable I was. I was really struggling, but with Emmett's support I was dealing with it. The next step down was when my back went out and the doctor prescribed pain medication. That coupled with Emmett's instant success as a party planner made me feel weaker. I am ashamed to say that I resented his success. I was having an identity crisis and he was soaring. What self-esteem I had came from work. I was good at my job at Workhsafter's and the website was very successful. So to go from that to nothing made me feel worthless."

Michael was looking at him with such sympathy that Ted almost stopped, but he knew he had to continue.

"I don't think I was consciously thinking of it at the time, but mixing the pain meds with alcohol made everything a little hazy and easier to deal with. That's as far as it went for quite awhile. I really don't think I was addicted at that point but I was definitely on my way.

Michael squeezed Ted's hand in an attempt to express his support. Ted smiled.

"The weekend that Emmett and I were supposed to go away together was a turning point. It was such a blow to accept that Em would have to pay for it. I didn't want to go but he thought it would solve everything: my problems, all the stress on me, and our relationship. So I begrudgingly agreed. It was around this time that I received an invitation to a sex party by email. I laughed it off at first. Then Emmett had to stay here for a party at the last minute, but insisted I go alone. I agreed, but on the way there I drove right by the motel where the sex party was being held."

"And curiosity got the better of you," interrupted Michael. "It sounds like you did one of those stupid naïve things that everyone used to get mad at me for."

"Yeah. I couldn't stop myself. I knew it was a mistake, but I did it anyway. Part of me felt like it didn't matter my life was ruined already."

"Were you scared? I would have been."

"Yes," admitted Ted. "Maybe intimidated is more accurate. I rented my own room and stayed there for quite awhile before I dared even go get some ice. Eventually, I did join the party and was immediately lost in the world of sex and drugs. From then on most of my attention was centered around the next fix. And the sex was just as intoxicating as the drugs. You know I was never one to sleep around a lot and I didn't have much luck finding guys. I was never what you'd call a stud. But in that world there were plenty of willing partners. It's what I imagine Brian's life is like and it's very easy to fall into and hard to break out of."

"How was all of this happening and I didn't even see it?"

"What I am most ashamed of is that I tried to drag Emmett down with me. I tried to force him to do the drugs with me. It was so unfair and mean. The drugs made me into such a monster. I couldn't even recognize myself. What really breaks my heart is that I almost succeeded. He loved me and he went along with it," Ted said, his voice breaking.

"He still loves you. He'll forgive you eventually," Michael offered.

"How could he?" Ted said, letting the tears fall. "I still can't believe that I did half the things that I did. I mean, boring dependable Ted stole money from a toddler's college fund. I used it to party. I used to always be the designated driver for Christsakes."

Michael couldn't help but smile, but sobered. "Did you bareback all the time? Please tell me it was just once or twice. How bad is the risk of infection?"

"The day before I went into rehab I took so much stuff, I still don't know what it all was. The next morning I woke up in a strange bedroom. I made my way to where I could hear other people. There were all my new friends," Ted said that word with such contempt that it made Michael wince.

"People were still going at it and some were watching porn. Well, you know me. I was always in the mood for porn so I started to watch. Something about it seemed familiar, but I couldn't figure out what. Then the camera panned up to the face of the guy who was getting gangbanged and it was me."

"Oh, shit." Michael whispered.

"I don't really remember it."

"Ted, they did that against your will. That's rape."

"Luckily, I don't remember it even though, I have been having nightmares lately."

"Did you report it? I hope to God that you saw a doctor."

"I saw a doctor right before I checked into rehab. There's nothing to report. I was so out of it, I could have consented. I have no idea. I don't even know how many guys there were."

"Do you have a counselor? They have them in rehab, right? You need to talk to someone who knows what to say and that definitely isn't me," Michael said, not knowing what to say. "God, this is so much worse than I thought. I should have tried harder. We all should have tried harder. I'm so sorry Ted."

"There is nothing for you to be sorry for. I am a grown man who totally fucked up his life. That is my responsibility and no one else's. I really appreciate that you heard me out."

"You were right, it wasn't easy to listen to but I am glad I know what happened. I want to help you build your life back up again."

"I would really like to have your support. People have been more accepting than I thought they would be. Even Brian," Ted said with a chuckle.

"You're a part of this family Ted and we are here for you," Michael said, hugging him.

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Emmett was going over the guest list for Rosalyn's wedding at his desk in the brownstone. The name Schickel kept coming up. That's weird, thought Emmett. They must be friends of the family. I wonder if she knew my Georgie.

The meeting with Rosalyn that afternoon would finalize the game plan for the wedding preparations. He had invitation samples to show her and they would talk about the menu so Vic could make some samples for her to try at the next meeting based on her preferences. Emmett wanted to be sure he knew the answers to any questions she might have.

Vic was excited about the budget he would have for the menu. His mind was swimming with decadent recipes that featured only the best of ingredients. Lobster, crab, fine cuts of beef. The possibilities were endless. He was like a kid in a candy store.

"Vic, why don't you sit in on the meeting. I think your enthusiasm for the menu would be a great selling point."

"I don't know, I'm not exactly the picture most people have of a chef. I would hate to scare her off."

"That won't happen. She is really very sweet. Despite the fact that she could buy and sell us fifty times over."

"More like a hundred times," Vic laughed. "Why is there a flashing box on your computer screen?"

"It's just telling me that I have a new email message. You really should try and embrace technology. It's very easy and enjoyable."

"Computers aren't what I want to embrace."

"Fuck!" Emmett said, as he stared at the screen.

"What?" Vic looked at the computer screen after seeing the look on Emmett's face. The email read:

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Emmett,

I just realized that I forgot to include my parents on the guest list I faxed you earlier. If I am already messing things like this up then you are really going to have to keep things straight because I am obviously a lost cause.

Anyway, my parents are divorced so they will need separate invitations and definitely separate tables.

Dr. & Mrs. Kenneth Campbell

Ms. Georgia Schickel Campbell and Edward Henten

Thank you. I will see you this afternoon.

Rosalyn

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"Holy shit," whispered Vic.

"What am I going to do?" Emmett wondered aloud.

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"Mom," Molly yelled from her spot at the airport waiting area. Jennifer smiled and rushed over taking her daughter in her arms.

"I missed you so much, sweetie," she sighed. "I missed both of you," she added giving Justin a hug as well.

"How's grandma?'

"She's doing much better. She'd love to see you two. Maybe we could go for a weekend sometime."

"Even me?" Justin asked.

"Of course. Why not you?"

"She's so religious. I thought she wouldn't approve of me anymore."

Jennifer stopped and looked Justin in the eyes. "She wanted me to make sure you knew how much she loves you and that there are no exceptions to that."

Justin smiled. It was times like this that he realized how hurtful the rejection of his father had been. Love should be unconditional and it was only when receiving it in that true form that he saw with clarity where it was lacking in his life.

"Let's get out of here. I can't wait to get home and I'm sure you can't wait to get back to your normal life," Jennifer smiled.

"In a way, but I'm glad I got the chance to spend this time with Mollusk. We had been drifting apart, but not anymore."

"Don't call me Mollusk, Jester," she taunted back.

"Ahh, it's good to be home," laughed Jennifer.

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"Lindsay."

"Dr. Mercer."

"I have your test results and the pregnancy test was negative."

"That's what the home test said too. But why am I so late? I'm pretty regular and I am about two weeks late."

"There are many possibilities for your cycle to be disrupted. Let me examine you and take some more blood and let's see if we can get to the bottom of it.

"Okay, I definitely want to know what's going on."

"You know what to do. Lie back and put your feet in the stirrups and we'll get started."

More like get it over with, Lindsay thought as she lowered herself to the table.

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Brian walked toward the Corvette that was parked behind the gym. Working for himself allowed him to schedule his day the way he wanted. Sometimes a middle of the day work out is just what he needed to jumpstart the rest of his day.

Nearing the car he noticed an envelope on the windshield. Opening it, out fell a picture of him from the workout he'd just finished. Another one appeared to be Justin and Molly picking Jennifer up at the airport. The last one was Mel dropping Gus off at day care.

Anger and fear rose the longer he looked at the pictures. A small card fell to the ground. He picked it up and read it.

I AM ALWAYS WATCHING

He threw his gym bag in the car and got in. As he started the car, he pulled out his phone.

"Carl, the bastard's at it again and this time he's using a Polaroid because some of these pictures are from less than an hour ago." He listened for a minute. "Okay, I'll meet you there."

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"What are you doing tonight?" Jonathan asked Justin as they walked down the hall at PIFA.

"Not much. My boyfriend has a business dinner and thankfully, I don't have to attend this one."

"You go to business dinners with your boyfriend. Where does he work? Must be pretty progressive."

"He opened his own ad agency. It's called ADvantage. I do the art work."

"Cool. Do you have any clients I would know?"

"Brown Athletics, Eyetronics and Proud Realty."

"Impressive. If you ever need any help with the art work, keep me in mind. I always need extra cash and that would be so much more fun than delivering pizza."

"I'll keep that in mind. We don't need anyone at the moment but it's definitely a possibility. Brian is brilliant and the client list keeps growing and growing."

"Great. Wanna get a bite to eat? I've got nothing to do tonight either."

"Sure, I could show you the offices at the agency. Brian let me set up the art department. I have to pick something up anyway."

"That sounds cool."

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"Carl, I really don't like that the asshole is focussing on Justin and Gus." Brian said through clenched teeth while the detective looked at the latest pictures.

"The problem I am having is that Stockwell is a very smart man and an even smarter policeman. He is definitely covering his tracks."

"Have you found out anything new?"

"Not anything that will help us much. I know that he got the kid that robbed Debbie out of jail the day before by convincing the arresting officer to give the kid a break. He must have blackmailed the kid because when I finally tracked him down he was so guilt-ridden he didn't care about going to jail. He just wanted to make sure that Debbie was okay. He seems like a good kid but he is very scared of someone. He wouldn't tell me the truth about what happened. When I told him that I thought Stockwell was behind the whole thing, he literally started to shake and kept saying that he didn't say that and I couldn't tell anyone that he had said that."

"So what do we do now?"

"Wait for him to get cocky enough to make a mistake. It will happen eventually."

"Yeah, but who else is he going to hurt before we stop him?" Brian sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

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"Hunter, I think we have to talk about what happened the other day," Sam said, pulling him to a stop on the sidewalk.

"Huh?"

"I know you've been avoiding me."

"I don't know what there is to talk about. We got carried away. I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

"What if I want it to happen again?"

"I don't think that's a good idea. You're my only real friend, Sam. I don't want anything to mess that up."

"It won't because I'm pretty sure you want it to happen again," Sam said and then kissed him, passionately. He returned the kiss. When they finally broke apart, she smiled. Placing a hand over the bulge in his jeans. "I think I've proven my point."

She gave him one more kiss that he tried to deepen but she pulled away. "I'll see you tomorrow," she smiled and then walked away.

Hunter stood and watched her go until she turned the corner and she was out of sight and then fell back onto the grass.

"Fuck!" He sighed.

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Justin was having a hard time unlocking the door at ADvantage. He and Jonathan were laughing so hard.

"I still can't believe that Stiller drew a dick on his rendering of the female form in body comp. class."

"I know did you see Ms. Killen's face," chuckled Justin, finally getting the door open. They made their way in.

"This place IS cool. I like the dramatic use of color."

"Yeah. Come on. The art department is upstairs."

They discussed the color choices of the walls on their way. Justin explained that he had initially wanted brighter colors and Brian more subdued ones, but that with Cynthia's help they had compromised on these muted yet strong ones. "I think it's better than what I'd originally planned. It would have been too much."

When they were almost to the door of Brian's office, he stepped into the hall, startling both college students.

"Jesus Brian, you almost gave me a heart attack."

"What are you doing here? I was hoping you'd be at the loft so we could celebrate."

"You got the account," Justin beamed and gave Brian a deep kiss.

"Who's this?" Brian asked. "You should tell me before you get even more carried away."

"Sorry. I'm so rude. Brian, this is Jonathan. We have a few classes together. We went out for pizza after the last one today. I had to pick up the Brown Athletics pitch so I decided to give him a tour."

"Hey," Jonathan nodded.

"Jonathan, this is Brian, my partner and the owner of ADvantage."

"So, you're an artist too? What medium?" Brian asked, eyeing the boy carefully. Not bad looking, thought Brian. Definitely gay.

"Computer graphics, photography, charcoal, whatever I'm in the mood for."

"I see," Brian nodded and turned his attention back to Justin. "I'm going to be about another twenty minutes. Show him around and get what you need, then we can go home," Brian said in a somewhat harsh tone. There was something about this kid he didn't like. He especially didn't like him hanging around Justin.

"'Kay," Justin answered with a 'be nice' warning look before he guided Jonathan down the hall to the art department. He was upset that Brian was being rude to his friend. He liked Jonathan and enjoyed hanging around another artist, especially one his own age.

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Lindsay watched Gus run from one slide to another at the playground. He was literally squealing in delight as he played with the little girl from across the street. They were playing catch me if you can, their own version of tag. A muffled ringing could be heard from the backpack on the bench.

"Mel, if that's you avoiding dinner with your family again. I'm going to scream," she mumbled.

"Hello."

"Lindsay Petersen?"

"Yes."

"This is Dr. Mercer. I wanted to discuss your test results with you. When would you like to make an appointment?"

"Tomorrow would be fine. Is there something wrong? Why can't you tell me over the phone?"

"I didn't mean to alarm you. I'm pretty sure it's nothing serious. Everything came back fine except for your hormone levels. It appears that you didn't ovulate this month."

"What could cause that?"

"It could be as simple as a hormone imbalance. I really don't like to speculate. Some more tests should determine the cause."

"Okay. As you know, I've been trying to have another baby. So the sooner we can figure all of this out, the better."

"I have an opening tomorrow at eleven."

"I'll be there," said Lindsay, watching Gus. With tears forming in her eyes, she put the phone back in her purse.

"Gus, it's time to go home."

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Brian and Justin plopped down into the booth that Michael, Ben, and Hunter were sharing.

"You guys look like you didn't sleep at all last night," Ben observed.

"Yeah, it's like you went past well-fucked to over-fucked," laughed Michael.

"There's no such thing as too much," Brian and Justin said in unison. They looked at each other and smiled. Then kissed.

"Didn't think I'd ever find my match but here you are," Brian smiled.

The bell above the door jingled and two men in bad suits entered and scanned the room.

"Michael Novotny?" One of them asked.

"Yes."

"Justin Taylor?" The other asked.

"Yeah."

"I'm Det. Smith and this is Det. Jones. Could you please stand up?"

"Why?" Justin asked.

"You are under arrest on child pornography charges."

"WHAT!?!" Brian barked.

Michael and Justin stared at each other and then at the detectives.

"Place your hands behind your back, please."

Justin winced as they fastened the handcuff around the wrist of his bad hand.

"Careful," Brian glared.

The detectives read them their rights as they lead them to the waiting police car outside.

"I'm calling Carl," Brian yelled after them. "We'll be right behind you."

"Call Mel too," Michael said.

Brian and Ben watched in stunned silence as the car drove off.

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