Part 9

Justin held the door to the diner open for Brian who was carrying a cranky Gus. They slid into their booth and settled the boy between them.

 
A man in a dark hat and wig entered and sat at the other side of the diner. I can't believe I had to dress like one of them, he thought. It will be worth it to see Kinney get a little payback.

 
"Hey there, big guy. Are you having fun with Daddy and Justin?" Debbie asked when she got to the table.

 
Gus looked at her and smiled. "Ya," he said, nodding his head vigorously.

 
"You two look like hell. Please tell me you weren't up all night screwing while Gus was there."

 
"No. We weren't screwing, but we weren't sleeping either," sighed Brian. "Gus doesn't like sleeping on the couch. He kept coming over to our bed."

 
Justin smiled when Brian used the word "our". Debbie winked at him.

 
"Let him sleep with you," she suggested.

 
"That's what I said," agreed Justin through a yawn.

 
"The books say it's not a good habit to let children sleep with their parents. He has to learn to accept, respect, and expect his own personal space."

 
Debbie's demeanor softened, she was so proud of Brian. He was a good father that obviously cared about that role if he was reading parenting books. "That's probably a good idea. I let Michael sleep with me and he was over thirty before he developed a backbone. Do the girls let him sleep with them?"

 
"I don't know, but if they do, it's going to be a problem. A squirming two year old and a stomach wound aren't a good combination," said Brian.

 
"Yeah," sighed Deb. "How's she doing?"

 
"Better. I guess. How's Mikey?"

 
"The service helped a little, I think. I know it helped me," she said sadly.

 
Brian gave her hand a squeeze. He hated to see her in such pain. She deserved more. At least, Carl was getting her out and about to enjoy herself more.

 
"You better order before Gus loses interest in that book," suggested Deb.

 
"Yeah, I think we pushed it a little today. We went shopping for a toddler bed for the loft and some screens so he has his own little room now. We just finished setting it all up. Gus even helped me paint the screens," explained Justin, with a yawn.

 
"That's quite a morning. No wonder he's tired. He's going to need a nap in that new bed."

 
"Please don't mention the car bed. He didn't want to leave it and really made a fuss when we left to come here."

 
"Then we should get him some food fast," smiled Deb. "Wait did you say a car bed? You actually allowed a large piece of bright colored plastic into the loft?"

 
Brian just smirked in response. "He'll have the chicken nuggets and fries," Brian started to order. He looked over at Justin who had fallen asleep with his head leaning against the wall. "Sunshine will have the bacon double cheese burger platter and I'll have a …

"Turkey on whole wheat, hold the mayo."

 
"Actually, I would like the club house platter."

 
"Really? It's good to see you open yourself up to other possibilities and choices," she smiled.

 
They both knew she wasn't talking about his lunch order. "Thanks," he said. She turned and started to walk away when he called her back.

 
"No mayo," he added. She smiled.

  
Ten minutes later, Brian watched as Justin got Gus' meal ready. He opened the small container of honey garlic sauce and poured it onto the boy's plate and moved the now empty container out of reach. Gus helped squirt the ketchup onto the plate and started to eat happily. Brian pulled the spill proof cup out of Justin's backpack and poured the chocolate milk inside and tightened the cover.  He smiled as Gus played with the dinosaur shaped nuggets. He and Justin started to eat their own food.

 
A stern looking woman entered the diner and looked around. The man in the disguise smiled. "Here we go," he chuckled quietly.

 
"Mr. Kinney?" The woman said as she approached the table.

 
"Yes."

 
"Brian Kinney?"

 
"Yes."

 
"Is this Gus Marcus Petersen?"

 
"Why? What is this about?" Brian snapped.

 
"Eleanor Appleby, department of child services," the woman said showing them her ID badge. "There has been a complaint issued against you."

 
"What?" Brian asked stunned. "By who?"

 
"I'm not at liberty to say. It is my understanding that you are not the custodial parent. Is that true?"

 
"Yes, but his mothers know he's with me. They needed someone to watch him for a few days."

 
"So his parents are unavailable?"

 
"Yes."

 
"Okay, then I will have to take him into the state's custody until this whole mess can be straightened out."

 
"What the hell are you talking about? You aren't taking my son anywhere."

 
"That's where you are wrong, Mr. Kinney."

 
The man in the disguise had a satisfied smile as he watched Brian get more and more upset. It would be great if he would lash out physically, he thought. Then he'd be charged for that. As Ms. Appleby and Brian's voices grew louder, they attracted more attention, especially from Deb and Gus. Gus started to cry and climbed into Justin's lap to safety.

 
"What's going on over here?" Deb asked, not pleased at the scene being created in the middle of the diner.

 
"She wants to take Gus," Justin explained in a panicked voice.

 
"What do you mean take him?"

 
"She's from child protective services," snapped Brian.

 
"So? Why would she take Gus?" Deb asked.

 
"I received a call this morning saying that Gus Marcus Petersen was in the care of one Brian Kinney. It was explained that Mr. Kinney doesn't have any legal rights to the child, and that his behavior could be harmful to the child. We investigate all calls about possible child abuse and/or neglect."

 
"Then I guess you'll be on your way since Gus is a healthy and happy little boy," Deb said, looking at Gus she saw the large tears that were running down his cheeks. "Or at least he was until you came in here and scared him."

 
Everyone including the disguised man was too preoccupied with the scene to notice that Carl had come to have a cup of coffee with Deb. He had hoped to cheer her up a little.

 
"What's going on?" He asked.

 
"Fuck," sighed the man watching from across the room. "He's going to ruin everything."

 
"Carl, thank God you're here. This woman is trying to take Gus away from Brian," Debbie explained.

 
"Eleanor, what's the problem?"

 
"Nice to see you again, Carl," she smiled at him. Deb became even more upset. "I am so glad you're here. I have  to take this child into protective custody and these people aren't cooperating."

 
"She's not taking my son anywhere. I haven't done anything wrong."

 
"Okay. Everybody slow down. Brian, do Lindsay and Melanie know you have Gus?"

"Yes. I told them I would take care of him for a few days, until Mel is a little better and they agreed."

 
"If not the boy's mothers, who made the call to your department?" Carl asked the woman.

 
"I'm not sure. It was anonymous."

 
"Can I see the complaint form? What was Brian accused of?" Carl asked. She handed him a file before she started to answer.

 
"The caller informed me that he had his son of which he has no legal rights. He also explained that Mr. Kinney is a heavy drinker, known drug user, and has sex parties in his home. The caller also said that his home was unsafe and unsuitable for a small child."

 
"The caller was a man?" Carl said aloud.

 
"Yes. I did a check on Mr. Kinney and discovered that he had a previous allegation of child sexual abuse by his nephew, and that he was questioned in the prom bashing case a few years ago. I went to his residence to talk with him, but he wasn't there."

 
"How did you know to look here?" Carl queried.

 
"The caller told me a few places where I might find him. Here he is on LIBERTY AVENUE. That is hardly appropriate."

 
"What would be inappropriate about this diner? It's just like any other." Carl stated clearly.

 
"Hardly," she replied.

 
Carl sighed. "Eleanor, I can see how some of this might be questionable to you and we will clear up the misunderstandings in a minute, but first I'd like to know how you could make Gus ward of the state when there is nothing in this file that concerns his legal parents."

 
"I was under the impression that they were unavailable."

 
"One of his mothers had emergency surgery and the other one is caring for her. His father is looking after him to give her a chance to recover a little. His mothers are currently about fifteen minutes away on the third floor of the hospital. As for the previous allegation by his nephew, I investigated that myself and his nephew is a little troublemaker who was trying to deflect attention from himself because he stole several items from his uncle."

"I didn't realize that. I knew the charges were dropped, but you know that often happens even when someone is guilty."

 
"I absolutely agree with that, but in this case it was dropped because it wasn't true."

 
"Good, but there's still the matter of the call and…"

 
"The incident at the prom," Justin interrupted.

 
"Well yes," she admitted.

 
"My name is Justin Taylor and I was the victim of that attack. If it hadn't been for Brian, I would have died," he said with a hitch in his voice. Brian gave his shoulder a squeeze.

 
"I find it rather interesting that my attacker got away with little more than a slap on the wrist and has returned to his life and future as if he had never tried to kill me, but it is being used against Mr. Kinney as if he was the one who did something wrong. It wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that Mr. Kinney is gay and Chris Hobbs isn't."

 
"Or so he says," added Debbie quietly. "This is starting to sound like discrimination to me," she added.

 
"It's my duty to investigate all complaints."

 
"Then I suggest you do that—investigate. Why don't you and I accompany Brian, Justin, and Gus back to his loft and you can check things out. We can even call his mothers if it is necessary, but they are dealing with a miscarriage so I would prefer to keep them out of this, if possible."

 
"You seem very sure of this situation, Carl. Do you know Mr. Kinney?"

 
"Yes, and there is nothing for your department to worry about," assured the police officer.

 
"I do trust your opinion, but I would like to see the environment the boy is in just to settle my mind and close the file."

 
"That's not a problem. I have nothing to hide," said Brian.

 
"Fuck! That bald headed ass ruined my whole plan," grumbled the man in the hat.
 
 
Brian slid the door to the loft open and Gus squirmed out of his arms.

 
"Car, Car," he yelled as he ran for his new bed.

 
"This is much nicer than it looks from the outside," the woman said.

 
"Thank you. I'll be honest with you, Ms. Appleby. Except for a weekend when he was an infant, this is the first time Gus has slept here. He didn't enjoy the couch much last night so we went out and got him his own little bed and set up an area just for him. He is a little excited about the car bed."

 
She looked into the area that was created for him and saw the boy sitting on a small bed in the shape of a roadster pretending he was driving it. There was a small night stand with a lamp on it next to the bed. A shelf was against the window with a table and chair set to its left. There were a few books, some blocks, and a box of large crayons and paper on the shelves. She smiled at the boy.

 
"Where would he bathe?" She asked.

 
"I remodeled this place long before I ever thought there would ever be a Gus. There is no bathtub but we have a little plastic one that we used last night," Brian explained.

 
"That's fine." She looked around the kitchen and was pleased to see the knives were safely tucked away. Opening the fridge she saw a jug of milk and some fresh fruit. The cupboards had food that a toddler would enjoy, crackers, macaroni and cheese, and peanut butter.  She took a quick glance into the master bedroom and returned to the main area.

 

"Mr. Kinney, I apologize. Everything is fine here and with Detective Horvath's assurance that the prior allegations were false, I will be closing the file on this complaint."

 
"Thank you. I love my son and his schedule has been upset enough with his mother being in the hospital."

 
"I understand. I noticed that you already have outlet covers everywhere. That's good. Would you be offended if I gave you a few safety suggestions? They won't be a part of my report, but might be of help to you. I have quite a bit of experience with children.

 
"No, please go ahead. I'm always willing to learn something new."

 
"The first thing is Gus would probably feel more comfortable in his new room if he had a night light."

 
"We have one. I was changing the shade on it," Justin replied almost harshly.

 
"Good. The other two things are the windows and the shower. If I were you I would get some kind of locks put on the windows. I know he isn't strong enough to open them now, but that will change sooner than you think. Also, the shower could have a safety latch so he can't open it. Right now he could open it and then once inside he wouldn't be strong enough to pull the door open and get out so he would be trapped."

 
"Thank you. I hadn't thought of the shower, but the window locks are on order."

 
"Great. I'll be going now. I apologize again. Carl, thank you for stopping me before I made a big mistake."

 
"I'll see you around Eleanor." Carl replied.

 
"Mr. Kinney," she said as she shook his hand. Then she turned to Justin. "It's good to see that you have recovered so well."

 
"I hope that next time you are faced with a gay person, you won't automatically assume they are guilty," Justin said and then turned to join Gus in his new room.

 
"I guess I deserved that," she said. "Have a good day."After she left, Carl turned to Brian and smiled. "That's quite a little fighter you have there," he said referring to Justin.

 
"I know. The thing is, he has faced more homophobic behavior than the rest of our little group put together. He has had a hard climb and is losing patience with the struggle."

 
"I can understand that. As someone who used to be a part of the problem, I am ashamed."

 
"Thankfully, you let Deb open your eyes a little because if it wasn't for you, Gus would be getting traumatized as we speak."

 
"I'm just glad I went for coffee when I did. Eleanor is a good social worker. I have suspicions about the caller though."

 
"Why?"

 
"It is very rare that a man makes a call of that nature. I copied the phone number down. I will see what I can find out."

 
"Thanks."

 
After locking the door behind Carl, Brian went to the new area and found Gus and Justin curled up on the car bed sound asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 
 Mel sat in the window watching the sun set. Her emotions seesawed between numbness and utter despair.

 
Her hand stroked her stomach. I can't believe my baby is gone and I'll never have another one. This isn't fair, she thought. Why would I be given a second chance only to have it end so painfully? I find it hard to believe God would be that cruel. I bet everything would have been okay, if I had just been given time to rest and heal, but Lindsay had to go okay an abortion AND a hysterectomy. I'm trying very hard to understand that she made the decision out of love and concern for me, but knowing how she felt about raising the baby makes me wonder if her motives were all that pure.

 
Lindsay stood in the doorway of the hospital room watching her wife. How will she ever come through this? Will WE get through it? She was looking forward to the baby so much. I can't even imagine the ache she must be feeling. I feel so responsible, even though, I believe I made the right choice. Will she ever forgive me for taking something so precious from her?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
"Brian you've been extra quiet today and you haven't said a word since Gus fell asleep. Is something wrong?"

 
"Justin, do you realize that everything Ms. Appleby said about me was true."

 
"No Brian, you didn't do whatever she thought you might have to John." Justin said as he joined the older man on the bed. He crawled up and put his head on Brian's chest.

 
"Not that, but she was completely right about the drinking, drugs, and sex."  Justin didn't say anything. "I never thought about how my behavior could affect Gus even if I wasn't doing those things in front of him."

 
"I don't know what to say," Justin said honestly. "I know you would never do anything to endanger Gus."

 
"I guess I have a lot of thinking to do. For some reason when she said that, it was a slap in the face. On some level I have always known that my behavior hurt you, but her accusations this afternoon when I was so scared for him, woke me up. What the fuck am I doing with my life Justin?"
 

"What?"

 
"I live my life like some careless, destructive, irresponsible kid and it hurts the two people I don't want to hurt. How have I been able to get away with that shit? I have a lot of people relying on me. What if something were to happen to Lindsay and Melanie? There is no way that I could properly take care of him in my current lifestyle. Not to mention the fact that child services would never let me keep him, or that I would have a clue on how to do that. It might be time to grow up."

 
Justin smiled. "Brian, I love you just the way you are, but I won't pretend that your behavior doesn't hurt me sometimes. More
importantly, what you said about Gus and the system's view of you is true. Neither one of us is naïve enough to think otherwise. It isn't fair that they assume things about us because we are gay. Unfortunately, there isn't much we can do about that."

 
"But there is something I can do about me," Brian said, as he got out of bed. "Would you mind if I went for a walk? I'll never sleep until I clear my head. Could you watch Gus?"

 
"Sure," Justin said, understanding that the man needed some space to think.

 
"Don't wait up. I think I might have to walk every street in the city before I figure this out."

 
"Justin stood and gave him a kiss. "I have faith in you. The problem is I have more faith in you than you do. That is what you have to realize. Dress warm it's a little cool out there. I'll be here when you get back."

Brian kissed him back. "Later."

 
"Later."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
Ben came home to find Michael in the kitchen making dinner. Ben hugged him from behind. "What are you making?"

 
"Chicken, rice, mixed vegetables, and hot fudge sundaes for dessert."

"Sounds great. Is Hunter home yet?"

 
"No, but he called. He should be here any minute. I think he is making friends. Finally."

"Good. He needs to be a kid for awhile. Things have been too difficult for him. Speaking of difficult, how are you?"

 
Michael stopped what he was doing and looked at his lover. "I kind of decided to stop dwelling on what happened. I have a family right here and thinking about what might have been isn't going to help anything."

 
"I wish there was something I could do to help you. I was looking forward to having a baby around too."

"I know and you have been so supportive, I'll never be able to thank you for being there for me. I don't know what I would have done without you."

 
"Lucky for both of us you'll never have to find out. We are partners." Ben said opening the door to the fridge. "What's all this?"

 
"I thought I would start making Hunter feel more at home here. I made his lunch for tomorrow and got more stuff for him to eat as snacks."

 
"That was very thoughtful."

 
"I just want him to be a kid. I did his laundry too. He can clean his room and I don't know, put out the garbage or something, but he shouldn't worry about stuff. I got him some more clothes."

 
"Michael, you do realize he is a teenager, don't you? Teenagers want to buy their own clothes, find their own style. Don't be surprised if he doesn't show gratitude."

 
"I know but he needs to focus on staying well and being a kid."

 
"How will we ever thank Brian for getting Hunter covered on that awesome health plan he was able to get?" Ben wondered.

 
"Not just Hunter, but Mom and Uncle Vic too. It's such a relief, especially for Mom."

 
"I feel better that you have good coverage too," admitted Ben.

 
"Yeah. Did I tell you that it was Ted's idea for Brian to exchange advertising campaigns for good health coverage."

 
"No, but that sounds like Ted. I am very happy he's worked through his problems. Blake seems like a nice guy."

 
"I know and I guess he's really turned his life around too."

 
They heard the front door open and saw Hunter go to his room. A few minutes later he joined them in the kitchen.

 
"It smells great. I'm starving."

 
"It's good to see you've got your appetite back."

 
"I'm starting to feel stronger too. Maybe I could get a job now. The few hours a week I work for Brian isn't that profitable. Maybe I could get more hours there or I could find something else. Didn't you guys mention the diner?"

 
"Yeah, but don't you think you should get settled in at school first. Get caught up. I'm sure Math and Science must be a challenge considering all the time you've missed," said Ben.

 
"Yeah, a little."

 
"I can help you with that some, although, I was never good at science," admitted Ben. "That's why I'm in the literature department."

 
"You know who could help you? Justin, his SAT scores were really high. He's very smart. Ma once said he considered medical school and he was accepted to Dartmouth."

 
"My teacher paired me up with Sam, so I won't get too far behind."

"Good."

 
"Michael, why are there new clothes on my bed?"

 
"I just thought you could use a few new things. Don't worry I have the receipts. If there's something you don't like or doesn't fit, we'll return them. I tried to get basic stuff: jeans, T-shirts, hoodies, that kind of stuff."

 
"You don't have to do that."

 
"I don't mind. I wanted to in fact. Speaking of clothes, I have some in the laundry room I should check on."

 
"You did yours and Ben's yesterday."

 
"I know. It's yours," Michael answered as he closed the door behind him.

 
"I can do things for myself now," Hunter said.
 
"I know. I think taking care of you is making him feel better after losing his chance at fatherhood. He's still able to care for someone. If doing your laundry, making your lunch, and cooking for us makes it easier on him then let's let him do it for awhile."

 
"Okay, he doesn't seem as upset as he was," agreed Hunter. "Do I have time to call Sam before we eat?"

 
"Sure, we probably won't eat for fifteen or twenty minutes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mel sat in the living room looking at the scrapbook Lindsay had made for Gus. It included Lindsay's pregnancy, his birth and his first few weeks. It had been a month since she lost her baby and she couldn't seem to get on with things. She longed to hold a baby in her arms.

 
"I can't believe how big you're getting," she said to the toddler who sat on the floor playing with his favorite truck.

 
"You are more fun to play with now," she added joining him on the floor. "But I miss our cuddly times when you were a baby."

 
Mel reached for him and pulled him into her lap. Gus squirmed to escape.

 
"You sure don't want to be held now. You are your father's son," she sighed, releasing the boy.

 
Lindsay listened from the hall deep in thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Brian and Justin made their way to the buffet table.

 
"You owe me big time for this," Justin said as he started to load his plate. "I do the art. YOU are supposed to do the schmoozing with the clients. This is unbelievably boring. Do you come to these functions often? This really isn't your scene. There aren't half naked men and I doubt these real estate agents have E on them. Even you would find it hard to trick here."

 
"I have been to more than my share of these soirees. However, don't ever underestimate a master. There are plenty of potential tricks right here in this room."

 
"Yeah right," chuckled Justin, through a mouthful of cheese.

 
"Sunshine, remember your manners. We're here to play nice with our new client," Brian scolded. "Besides you have to consider the caterers, chefs, bartenders, wait staff, and valets. Not to mention some of these realtors probably used to fuck guys but decided on a nice safe life years ago and would love nothing more at this point than to have a nice big dick up their ass."

 
Justin laughed, but stopped suddenly.

 
Brian noticed the change in Justin. "Don't worry. You are the only one I plan on fucking tonight."

 
"Good," he replied and gave Brian a big smile.

 
With his plate full Justin followed Brian toward the bar area so he could get his sustenance for the evening. His elbow bumped into someone and he turned to apologize.

 
"Mom?" Justin said shocked, when he realized who he had bumped into. "What are you doing here? This isn't your real estate firm."

 
"I…uh…well…"

 
"Jennifer, here you go. I got a mix of things. I think you'll like these," the man stopped when he noticed Justin and Brian.

 
"Brian."

 
"Mr. Proud."

 
"I asked you to call me Nathan."

 
"Nathan, this is the head of the art department at ADvantage, Justin Taylor."

 
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Nathan said. He looked from Justin to Jennifer and back. "Your mother talks about you a lot."

 
"Uh…thanks. Mom?"

 
"Justin, Nathan and I have been seeing each other for a few weeks now."

 
"I didn't realize that you had started dating. You never mentioned anything to me."

 
"This is a little awkward. Maybe we should leave the two of you alone," suggested Nathan. "Brian can I get you a drink?"

 
"Sure." Brian gave Justin a reassuring squeeze to the shoulder and followed the other man to the bar.

 
"I assume you are the older man that Jennifer mentioned when she talked about Justin?"

 
"Yes. Excuse his manners, but he and Jennifer are close and I think he was a little stunned to find out that she was dating."

 
"That's fine. I have children too and haven't told them about Jennifer either."

 
"So you have been seeing each other for a little while?"

"Yes. She is very special. I hope things work out."

 
"Yes, she is and I hope you can help her enjoy herself more. She's had a tough couple of years. She deserves some fun."

 
"From what I understand they both do," Nathan said looking over to see mother and son embracing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mel and Lindsay lounged on their bed. Gus was asleep at the foot of it, curled up with his teddy having lost interest in the movie still playing on the TV across from him.

 
Lindsay was reading Parents magazine, while Mel looked through some mail order catalogues. They individually were drawn to the baby ads.

 
"Linds, there's something I want to talk to you about."

 
"Me too."

 
"Would you ever consider having another baby?" They both said at the same time. Stunned, they stopped and then smiled.

 
"I'm so relieved to hear you say that. I thought I was being selfish to want this," confesses Lindsay.

 
"Selfish? Why?"

 
"Because it might be too soon after all that you've been through."

 
"You're willing to have another baby?"

 
"Yes, I don't want Gus to be an only child. I think it might do us some good too."

 
"I agree."

 
"The big question is—will Brian be willing? I'm assuming you want Brian to be the father again," Mel wondered.

 
"Do you?"

 
"I'll be honest he's not my first choice, but Gus is pretty perfect so I won't make a big deal over it."

 
"Mel, I really want to be sure that you're ready for this. We can wait a little while. I would completely understand."

 
"I'm sure. I was wondering how I could convince you. I think having a baby to plan for and then love would be great and might help me get past all of this. Gus helps, but he's not exactly at a cuddly stage right now."

 
"I'll say," agreed Lindsay.

 
"There is a problem though," sighed Mel.

 
"What?"

 
"Michael."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 
 
Justin opened the door to the apartment he shared with Daphne and immediately started sneezing.

 
"That's gross, Sunshine," Brian stated with obvious disgust.

 
"Sorry," Justin said as he went directly to the washroom, sneezing the whole way.

 
Brian turned on the lights and couldn't believe his eyes. "I think I know why you're sneezing," he said looking around the room.

 
"Why?" Came the muffled response.

 
"It looks like a flower shop in here."

 
"What?" Justin asked, coming into the room.

 
Justin's eyes grew wide as they watered from his allergies. There were bouquets of flowers everywhere. Brian was reading the cards.

 
"What did Dylan do that was so bad he had to apologize with all of  this?"

"They're from Dylan," Justin gasped.

 
"Yeah."

"Fuck."

 
"Why?'

 
"Daph?" Justin yelled as he started to look for his best friend, ignoring Brian's question. "Daph?"

 
"What's going on?"

 
"I just want to know if she's here," he said, as he knocked on her bedroom door. Brian was puzzled by the slight panic he heard in Justin's voice. What's the story with Dylan, he thought.

 
"She's not here," Justin said with concern.

 
Brian went into the kitchen to get Justin a bottle of water. He thought a panic attack might be imminent.

 
"Justin, there's a note from Daphne," he said, holding the piece of paper. "It was stuck to the fridge."

 
Justin grabbed it. "I guess they made up," he said. Then he sneezed again.

 
"You don't seem happy about that. I know you said there was something about him you don't like, but is there something more specific? You seem quite concerned."

 
Remembering that he told Daphne he wouldn't tell anyone about the incident with the dishes, Justin just shrugged.

 
"Okay. Get some stuff because you're staying at the loft with me tonight."

 
"Brian, we decided against that earlier because we both have too much work to do and we seem to distract each other," Justin said and then started a string of sneezes.

 
"Stop being a brat. You obviously can't stay here. Get what you need and let's get out of here before the flowers trigger an asthma attack and we spend the night at the hospital."

 
"It's so sweet of you to be concerned," said Justin, leaning in to give Brian a kiss.

 
Brian stopped him. "No kissing until the sneezing stops. So HURRY THE FUCK UP!!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 
  "To what do I owe this pleasure?" Brian asked as he poured Lindsay a cup of coffee.

 
"I need to talk to you about something important."

 
"Is Gus okay?"

 
"Yes."

 
"Mel?"

 
"That's why I'm here. Now that she has pretty much healed physically, the overwhelming loss has really set in. There's a hole in her heart. I just don't know if I can watch her in so much pain and be strong. It's all my fault."

 
Brian reached and held her for several minutes rubbing her back. "That's it. Let it out."

 
"You're encouraging me to cry," she laughed through her tears. "You hate it when I cry."

 
"Yes I do, but you've kept everything bottled up inside since Mel woke up. I know you want to be strong for her, but you lost a child too. It's okay to cry. You have to let the pain out. Take it from me. It's much harder when you keep ignoring it."

 
"Thanks Brian. It's like there's always something missing. I've even found myself literally looking for something because it feels like I lost something."

 
"You did."

 
"I know. I'm starting to think that the best thing I can do at this point is to have a baby. It would fill her arms with what she's missing as best I can."

 
"Are you sure? It wasn't that long ago that you were adamant it wasn't the right time for you."

 
"I know, but so much has changed. Truth is a lot of what I didn't want to change was going to if Mel had gone to term. I was really starting to look forward to having a baby around again. Besides, it's a good time for Gus. I probably would have been ready in about a year anyway. I got upset when she just expected me to be ready. Instead of telling her I needed a few more months, I made it seem like I didn't know when or if I would ever be ready. If I hadn't been so unreasonable none of this would have happened."

"Linds, you have to let go of this guilt. You had no idea that any of this could happen."

 
"Like you and the prom?"

 
Brian glared at her. "I guess so. Have you talked to Mel about a baby?"

 
"Yes."

 
"What did she think?"

 
"She thought it was a great idea. I think it will help her heal."

 
"That's a lot of pressure to put on a little baby, not to mention yourself."

 
"I never wanted Gus to be an only child and I'm not getting any younger so I can't wait too long."

 
"True. Have you talked to Michael?"

 
"That's part of why I'm here. I would like you to be the father. You have always been my first choice. Gus would have a biological sibling. The problem is, how do we tell Michael?"

"First things first, does Mel agree on me being the father because she wasn't too thrilled about it the first time. Or the second for that matter."

 
"She just wants a baby."

 
"Mikey took this pretty hard. He might not want to try again. Do you want me to talk to him?"

 
"No. I think that Mel and I should. I just don't know how to bring it up."

 
"I'll kind of drop some hints and see what he thinks about it. I know he's been Mr. Mom to Hunter lately," laughed Brian.

 
"Hunter must love that," she chuckled. "What will you say to Michael? I think I should be the one to talk to him."

 
"I'll just mention that I think you two still want another baby. See what he thinks."

 
"Please be careful. I don't want his feelings hurt."

 
"I've got it covered."

 
"So, you are agreeing to be the father?"

 
"Of course, I love Gus. I don't want him to be an only child either. Claire and I might not get along, but my childhood would have been even worse if she hadn't been there."

 
"Thank you," Lindsay whispered as she hugged him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Justin found Brian cooking when he got back to the loft. "What are you making?" He asked as he gave the taller man a kiss between his shoulder blades.

 
"Spiced chicken and mixed vegetables."

 
"Sounds delicious. Anything I can do to help?"

 
"Set the table."

Justin took some glasses from the shelf and cutlery from the drawer and started preparing the table. "What did you do today?"

 
"Not much. Lindsay stopped by."

 
"Damn, I missed Gus. We should take him this weekend for an afternoon."

 
"Yeah. I miss him too. He wasn't with her."

 
Justin stopped and turned to Brian. "What's wrong?"

 
"Nothing. She just wanted to talk to me about something."

 
"Oh, okay."

 
Brian smiled. He wants to know what we talked about but he'll never ask, he thought to himself as he placed a chicken breast on a plate and two on the other. After he spooned the vegetables onto each plate he carried them to the table. He noticed Justin had poured them each a beer. He chuckled inwardly. Justin's country club upbringing didn't allow for beer bottles at the dinner table.

 
They ate in silence for several minutes.

 
"This is very good. Thanks, I'm a little tired today. It's nice not to have to cook."

 
"You're welcome. You okay?"

 
"Yes, busy day that's all. The good news is I got all my school work done and all the ADvantage stuff. I have nothing to do. I can just hang out all night. So if you were planning on Woody's or Babylon, you can drop me at my place on the way."

 
"No. A quiet night would be good. We can get a movie if you want."

 
"Okay."

"I also want to talk to you about what Lindsay and I discussed," Brian said with a smile.

 
Justin sat up straighter. "Only if you want to."

 
"She asked me to father another baby. She wants to have one before Gus gets much older."

 
"Wow! I had no idea what you were going to say, but that certainly wasn't it. Is Mel ready for this?"

 
"They seem to think it will help."

 
"What did you say?"

 
"I said yes," Brian answered hesitantly. All of a sudden he felt like he should have discussed it with Justin first. He pushed the thought out of his head as he was suddenly covered by Justin himself.

 
"Congratulations Dadda," he said before kissing Brian passionately.

 
"I take it you approve of my decision," chuckled Brian.
 
 
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