Vocational Advice

As Brian entered the loft he heard Justin finishing a phone conversation and hanging up. He heard Justin say, "OK, Tom, we'll be there as soon as we can." Brian wondered who "Tom' was and who the "we" referred to.

"Something up?" he asked Justin.

"Oh, yeah, Brian," Justin responded excitedly, "Glad you're here. That was Tom Butterfield. We have to get over to Mercy Hospital. Your mother fell and they're taking her there by ambulance."

"Tom Butterfield?" Brian asked, "The preacher? You're on a first name basis with my mother's minister? When did all that happen?"

"We should talk about that later, Bri. Do you want to change clothes before we leave or do you want to go like that?" Justin hurried him. Brian decided to change clothes.

Justin filled Brian in on the details of the accident on the way to the hospital. Joanie Kinney had been at a church meeting that afternoon. When she left, she had only gone a few steps down the street when she fell. Tom Butterfield had still been in front of the church taking leave of some of the ladies when Joannie fell. He had gone with her in the ambulance and had called Brian and Clare on his cell phone to let them know.

"And are you going to tell me how you're on a first name basis with the Reverend Tom?" Brian asked, "Or is that another in the long list of things you don't tell me?"

"Actually they have some projects at the church that have some art involved." Justin told him, "Your mother suggested that Tom talk to me about them and he did a couple of times. I haven't done any work for them. I might do that and I promise you you'll see it if I do. All I've done so far is give them a little advice. I'm sorry, Brian. Please don't try to make me feel guilty. It isn't like I was sneaking around behind your back."

"No it isn't," Brian responded, "I don't want you to feel guilty about anything. It's just that I'm kind of possessive where you're concerned. I guess I'm the one who should be sorry."

"Hey Brian," Justin smiled at him, "I think I like it that you're kind of possessive about me. Sometimes I feel a little possessive about you too."

"Sometimes?" Brian repeated.

"Yeah," Justin replied, "sometimes," just as they pulled into the emergency parking lot at the hospital.

The emergency room was busy when they arrived, but they were directed to cubicle 9. They didn't find Mrs. Kinney but Tom Butterfield was there. He greeted Justin and Brian and told them that Joannie had gone for x-rays to see if she had a broken hip. Dr. Marshall had not thought so but he couldn't be sure.

"You've got a brilliant young man there, Brian," he said, "And a really good one too. You were lucky you saw him first."

"I don't know if I saw him first," Brian allowed. "But I sure as heck hope I saw him last. I know I'm lucky, Tom," said Brian deciding that he would be on a first name basis too.

"I think you're pretty lucky too, Justin," Tom declared, "You got a very special guy here."

"I know that Tom," Justin answered. "He's the greatest guy in the world. Everybody thinks so."

"Not everybody" exclaimed a new voice in the conversation. "Not those who know him best," Clare announced as she entered the cubicle. "Where's mother?" she wanted to know, and they brought her up to date.

"I don't know what I'm going to do?" Clare began to cry. "Things are hard enough for me now. I don't see how I'm going to be able to take care of her all by myself."

Justin walked over and put his arm around Clare. "You're not going to have to take care of your mother all by yourself. We all know that you'll do everything you can and that will be a lot, but Brian wants to help, Tom wants to help, and I want to help. Your mother will be taken care of, Clare, and you'll have all the help you need."

"You're very sweet to say that, Justin," Clare seemed to calm down. "Johnny has told me how nice you are but I thought since you were mixed up with Brian …."

"That he'd be a bastard too," Brian finished the sentence for her.

Justin broke in at that point, "Cut it out, Brian. And don't answer him Clare. We have a problem here maybe, and we are going to solve it together. We are going to work it out together. Name calling won't help."

That seemed to calm things down. "Have you ever considered the ministry, Justin?" Tom asked jocularly.

"Is it a sin to tell preacher to shut up?" Brian interrupted with a smile on his face.

It might even be that Clare smiled, but that could not be confirmed.

Dr. Marshall came in at that point with good news. The hip was not broken. Joannie would be sedated for a day or so because of the pain and would spend a week or ten days in a rehab center, but Dr. Marshall was sure there was no permanent damage and that she would be back to her normal activity within a month. Everybody was relieved at the news. He suggested that they all leave and come back to see her the next day, and they agreed.

Brian walked out with Tom and Justin walked out with Clare. Brian thought he heard Clare say that there must be something good about Brian if Justin could love him. Justin told her there was and he did. Brian knew he heard Clare thank Justin for all the things they were doing for the boys. It would have made Brian think that maybe Clare was human if he didn't already know different.

They didn't say much on the drive home, but they were thinking. They stopped for dinner at the diner. Debbie was working and Mikey and Ben were eating there too, so they had company. They talked about Mrs. Kinney's fall but had no in-depth discussion. They talked about other things too, which suited Brian and Justin just fine.

They weren't back at the loft very long though until the fireplace was lit and they had assumed their positions on the floor watching the flames.

"Thanks," Brian opened the conversation.

"What for?" Justin asked with genuine surprise.

"Just for being you, I guess," Brian told him, "For being there for me, for being there for Clare, for making us act like human beings, for taking charge of the situation. For being you, I guess. You're really one in a million, Baby."

"I'm glad you think that." Justin replied.

"Everybody thinks that, Sweetheart. Even Clare thinks that," Brian said.

"But I'm glad you think that," Justin repeated, "You're the one who counts." Brian felt warm all over.

"Did Clare say she thinks that there might be some good in me because you think you love me?" Brian asked a question he thought he knew the answer to.

"She said she thought there might be some good in you." Justin confirmed, ignoring the last part of the question.

"You have often threatened to get Clare and me on civil speaking terms. You're going to work on that now, aren't you?" Brian accused him.

"Yep," Justin admitted.

"What if I tell you I don't want to be on speaking terms with Clare? What if I tell you it's too late? You wouldn't want me to do something that I don't want to do?" Brian protested.

"But if I can get you to change your mind, you won't be doing something you don't want to do, will you?" was Justin's response.

"You sound like a lawyer, Baby. Maybe you should study law," Brian laughed.

"I sure am getting a lot of vocational advice today," Justin laughed back at him, "But all I want to be is a starving artist with you to come home to."

"You're already there," Brian told him. Justin felt warm all over. He knew that he was.

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