24 Hours

Justin, and Mary stood nearby, and watched as Kinnetics founder, and award winning ad-man made his pitch to his son. Brian positioned his mirror image at arms length, and looked into Gus's hazel eyes. "I have to go see about Michael." he said. "Michael needs my shoulder to lean on now. He's still sad because Jenny Rebecca died. I promise I'm only going to be gone for 24 hours. Do you know how long 24 hours is?"

"I can count to 20." Gus said.

Brian bent his wrist to show Gus his watch. "24 hours is the number of hours in one day. See that little box with the number in it?" he pointed.

Gus nodded yes.

"Today is the 4th day. When this number turns to 5, that will be 24 hours, and I'll be back here with you. While I'm gone I need to ask a favor of you." Brian continued. "I need you to take care of Tony for me until I get back. He's still not feeling well. Do you think you can do that for me?"

Again Gus nodded yes.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." The youngster said.

"Good boy." Brian took off his watch, and stuffed it in the front pocket of Gus's jeans. "If you want to talk to me, you know my cell phone number. If you need anything just ask Justin, or Mary." he instructed.

"Come on big guy. Let's go wake up Tony, and make him take us out." Justin held out his hand.

"That sounds like a great idea. Tony's been cooped up in this house since he got home. Some fresh air could do him good." Mary agreed.

Gus looked over his shoulder at Justin, and Mary, then back at his father. "I'll see you in 24 hours Pop." he said.

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Cynthia was busy at her computer when Brian walked through the front doors of Kinnetics. "Well welcome back stranger." Brian's Girl-Friday came from around her desk to greet him.

"Thanks. It's good to see the place is still standing." Brian looked around.

"Not only is it standing, it's thriving. I was just responding to an e-mail from "Juniper Home Fragrances". They were impressed with your new spots for "Justin" cologne, and they're interested in meeting with you. I told them that you were presently out of town, but you would get back to them as soon as possible. So, how is Tony?" Cynthia asked.

"Tony's fine." Brian said.

"And Justin?" She gently pried.

"Justin's fine too. Where's Theodore?" Brian changed the subject.

"He's in your office."

"My office?" Brian proceeded down the short hall to his office. He was about to open the door when he heard Ted's voice.

"We could consider it a late working lunch, but I warn you, after five o'clock I'm off the clock. You know what they say about all work, and no play, he-he-he." Ted grinned. The suave, Casanova turned around in his executive chair to find Brian standing in the doorway. "Uh….yes sir, that's right Mr. Kendrick. I'll meet with you tomorrow to discuss the terms of Mr. Kinney's contract. Three o'clock at "Francine's". I look forward to seeing you sir. Thank you sir. Goodbye." Ted hung up the phone. "Brian when did you get back?" he smiled.

Brian slowly strolled over, and stood next to Ted. "Chair."

"What?"

"My chair!" Brian repeated.

"Your chair? Oh….oh sure. I was just trying it out for size, just wanted to see what it feels like. It's very comfortable." Ted slithered out of Brian's seat. "So when did you get in?"

"I just got in a few minutes ago. I can't stay. I have to get back to Chicago." Brian sat down, and turned on his computer.

"How's Tony?" Ted asked.

"He's better." Brian lied. "How's Babylon?"

"The place has been packed every night that you've been gone. Emmett has been keeping an eye on things for me…."

"Emmett? What is he, the backroom monitor?" Brian scanned his messages.

"Don't worry, we've got everything under control here." Ted assured him. "Have you seen Michael?"

Brian looked up from his computer screen. "Not yet. How is he?"

"He's holding up as best as he can, I guess." Ted surmised. "I suppose you saw on the news, or read in the papers about the hell that broke loose at the funeral after you left. There was a near riot. Melanie's clan, and the Beziers almost came to blows. Thank God the police finally arrived after several of the neighbors on the block called. We had called the police earlier, but they wouldn't come for us."

"How is Mel?" Brian asked.

"Let's just say if I were you I'd stay off of Liberty Avenue for awhile. Every lesbian on the street is looking to tear a new whole in your ass." Ted warned.

"So what else is new?" Brian dismissed the warning, and continued. "Ted, do you know how Jenny Rebecca died?"

"According to Debbie, Michael offered to keep Jenny Rebecca so that Mel could go to see the new "Superman" movie with Lindsey, and Gus. At first Melanie didn't want to go, but Michael talked her into it. Apparently Michael invited Ben over to help him babysit. They laid Jenny Rebecca down, and went off to the living room together. When they checked back in on the baby, Jenny Rebecca was already dead. According to the hospital she must have died shortly after Michael laid her down. She was already cold, and blue when he found her."

"Thanks Ted." Brian turned off his computer.

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Michael's regular weekday customers took time out of their morning commute to offer their condolences on the loss of Jenny Rebecca. The still grieving father forced a smile, and thanked each one as he handed them their newspapers. They meant well, however their kind words only served to remind Michael that his baby girl was no longer in his life. The same could be said about his former best friend Brian Kinney.

Michael hadn't been keen on the idea of a plain, closed casket either. He would have preferred something more elaborate to remember his daughter by. Michael wanted flowers, lots and lots of assorted, rainbow colored flowers, and a coffin lined with pink satin, trimmed with white lace so that everyone could see how beautiful his little princess was. But that wasn't what Mel wanted, and everyone felt obliged to respect the Jewish traditions of Melanie's family, everyone except Brian.

Fucking Brian Kinney, he's never satisfied unless things go his way. No one was hurting Gus. Brian should have just stayed in his seat like everyone else until the services were over, instead of disrupting the whole funeral for his little brat. Thanks to Brian, Michael's last memory of his daughter was that of a tiny mummy sliding across the funeral parlor floor. It would have been better for everyone if Brian had just stayed where he was, in Chicago, with his precious Tony.

Michael was busy tallying his coins from the morning rush when the shopkeeper's bell rang. "Hey Mikey." Brian stepped through the door.

Michael briefly looked up, then returned to the business at hand. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Didn't Lindsey tell you that I would be here today?" Brian closed the door behind him.

"She told me, but I didn't really expect you. I thought you were still busy in Chicago with your latest trick." Michael said dryly.

Brian ignored the sarcasm, and walked over to the counter. "How are you doing?" he asked.

"I buried my only child yesterday. How the hell do you think I'm doing?" Michael closed the coin box, and placed it in a small safe underneath the counter.

"I'm sorry Michael." Brian said.

"That's an understatement. You know you've got a hell of a lot of nerve coming here after what you did." Michael scowled. "Do you know that Melanie fainted, and we had to carry her out of the funeral home because the ambulance couldn't get through the riot that you caused outside? My mom was taken to jail after she got into a shoving match with one of the crazies………"

"Beziers." Brian interrupted.

"What?"

"They call themselves Beziers. They're a new group of Christian zealots. They named themselves after the French town of Beziers where in 1208 over 20,000 men, women, and children were slaughtered after they were accused of heresy." Brian quoted Theodore.

"Don't try to change the subject Brian." Michael growled. "I'm not going to let you make light of what you did. You made a mockery of my daughter's funeral!"

"It wasn't my fault, I didn't mean for that to happen." Brian apologized once again. "If Melanie would have just let go of Gus…."

"Everything always has to be your way, doesn't it Brian?" Michael interrupted him. "To hell with everybody else. Did it ever occur to you that maybe Mel needed Gus to be with HER that day? She had already lost Jenny Rebecca, but that wasn't enough suffering for you. YOU had to go snatch Gus from her arms as well!"

"They were scaring the shit out of him Michael. What was I suppose to do….?" Brian attempted to defend his actions.

"No one was hurting Gus. He's just a little spoiled brat like his father." Michael said.

Brian bit his tongue, and reminded himself that Michael was upset, and obviously didn't know what he was saying. "I didn't come here to argue with you Michael." Brian said.

"So why did you come here?" Michael snapped.

"I came here to be with my best friend, because he just lost his beautiful daughter." Brian walked around to the back of the counter. "I came to tell you that it wasn't your fault Mikey. Even if you, and Ben had been sitting next to Jenny Rebecca's crib there wouldn't have been anything that you could have done."

Brian watched as the tears began to well in Michael's eyes. "I could have picked her up, and maybe started CPR." Michael spoke in hindsight.

"It wasn't your call Mikey. JR's time on this earth was up. The script had already been written. It was her time to go." Brian embraced his heartbroken friend.

Michael had been crying for nearly four days. Beginning at the hospital, where it was officially confirmed that Jenny Rebecca was dead, then again when he heard Melanie's gut wrenching wails when he informed her of the tragedy over the telephone. Things didn't get any better at the funeral home, or back at the house where family, and friends had gathered to offer their support. Michael was beginning to wonder if indeed a man could really cry a river. Damn it! Just when he thought he was all cried out, the tears began to flow once again. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to do this." Michael sobbed.

"It's alright, you're going to be ok Mikey. We're going to get through this." Brian gently rocked him.

Michael finally pulled away, and wiped his eyes with the back of his hands. "How's Gus?" he sniffed.

"Gus is fine, he's with Justin." Brian said.

"Justin?" Michael looked surprised. "When did you get back together with Justin? I thought you left the party at Babylon to go to Chicago to be with Tony."

"I did….I mean we did." Brian made the correction.

"WE?" Michael appeared even more puzzled.

"It's a long story." Brian attempted to back away.

"I'm listening." Michael was all ears.

"We've decided to make a go at a relationship." Brian said.

"You and Justin?" Michael asked.

"Yes……and Tony." Brian reluctantly added.

Michael appeared momentarily dumbfounded. "Let me get this straight. You're fucking both Justin AND Tony?"

Brian nodded sheepishly.

"ARE YOU NUTS? " Michael's eyebrows went up. "Wait a minute, if Gus is with Justin, and Justin is in Chicago with Tony……Does Lindsey know about this?"

"Not exactly." Brian said.

"You're beyond nuts, you're suicidal. Lindsey's going to kill you when she finds out that you took her son to Chicago without her permission." Michael warned.

"Hey, Gus is my son too!" Brian took offense.

"I thought you hated Tony!" Michael continued. "Two alpha males, the two of you clash like oil, and water, and how the hell did you talk Justin into a polygamist relationship?"

"It's not polygamy unless you're married." Brian reminded him.

"So what you're basically looking forward to is a lifelong commitment of threesomes." Michael concluded.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Brian grinned.

"Well it's going to be kind of hard to have a threesome with no cock. Lindsey is going to have your dick on a skewer when she finds out that you took her son to the house of your latest trick." Michael said.

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Brian was pleased with the progress he was making. It was barely four o'clock, and he had already checked in on Kinnetics, and spent the day with Michael at the comic book store. A quick stop to check the books at Babylon would leave him minimal time to be bitched out by Lindsey, and Melanie for not bring Gus home. Brian had decided to put his foot down. Gus was spending the entire week with him, and that was final.

Lindsey was poised, and ready for a fight when she opened the front door. "Where's Gus?" she immediately inquired.

"Well hello to you too!" Brian walked past her into the foyer. "Why is it so dark in here?"

"Shhh! Keep your voice down you disrespectful asshole. We have guests!" Lindsey whispered.

"Linz, is that Gus?" Melanie called out from the living room.

"It's Brian sweetheart." Lindsey called back to her.

Melanie left her seat in the living room, and walked over to the foyer doorway. "Hi Mel." Brian said.

"What's HE doing here?" Melanie looked at Lindsey.

"He's not staying sweetheart, he just came to bring Gus home." Lindsey said gently.

"Where is he?" Melanie sneered at Brian.

Brian looked past Melanie's shoulder at the three women standing behind her. "Mel, I'm sorry about what happened." he said.

"Where is my son?" Melanie asked.

"He's staying with me this week. I think that would be best." Brian said.

"LINDSEY, WHAT HAS HE DONE WITH MY SON!" The distraught mother suddenly became hysterical, prompting the three female visitors to rush to Melanie's side.

Lindsey grabbed Brian's arm, and pulled him outside onto the front porch. "How dare you do this! You were suppose to have Gus back here today. Where is he?"

"He's in Chicago." Brian informed her.

"CHICAGO?"

"Lindsey, I couldn't bring Gus back here. Look at this place. You've got the curtains drawn, dykes dressed in black, the mirrors are covered. It's like fucking Dracula's castle in there!" Brian tried to keep his voice down.

"It's tradition." Lindsey lowered her voice. "The covered mirrors is an expression of mourning. These seven days of shivah is for family grieving, and Gus is a part of this family. He should be here with us. You promised you would bring him home today Brian. How dare you take my son out of town without my permission, then leave him with one of your tricks!"

"Gus is not only YOUR son. He's my son too, and I'm tired of having to remind everybody of that, and for your information Tony is not just a trick! We're……we're partners." Brian searched momentarily for the correct title. "You go back inside, and take care of your wife, and don't worry about Gus. Gus is fine. Justin is with him. I had to come back to Pittsburgh to see about Michael. I'm flying back to Chicago when I leave your house."

"Wait a minute, I thought you said Gus was at Tony's" Lindsey said.

"He is." Brian said.

"But you just said that Gus was with Justin!" Lindsey recalled.

"They're both at Tony's…we're all at Tony's" Brian reluctantly admitted.

Lindsey appeared momentarily dumbfounded. "I don't know what kind of sick shit you're into Brian Kinney, but you'd better make sure that nothing happens to Gus. Mel is two seconds from getting an order of restraint against you…"

"Lindsey, you know that I wouldn't let anything happen to Gus. I wouldn't leave him with anyone unless I was absolutely sure that he would be taken care of. I'm on my way back to Chicago now. All I ask is that you let Gus stay with me until this mourning shit is over." Brian pleaded with her.

"Alright, one week. One week, then I want Gus back home in time to be back in school on Monday morning! Do you understand me Brian Kinney?" Lindsey made herself clear.

"Thanks Linz." Brian said.

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Whew! That was a close one. For a moment Brian thought that he was going to be attacked. He wouldn't have stood a chance against four angry dykes, especially if one of them was Melanie. Thank goodness for Lindsey's gentile roots. Brian knew that her WASP upbringing would take his side, especially when Gus's best interest was concerned. Brian exited the plane, and got into Tony's awaiting limo. Much to his surprise Justin had came along on the ride to meet him.

"Hi baby." Brian's eyes lit up.

" Hi Brian." Justin smiled.

"My, this is a treat. Hummm." He pulled Justin closer for a kiss. "How was your day? Oooo, you smell so good. I've been away from you for almost 24 hours, that's way too long."

"I've missed you too." Justin said. "Brian, I need to tell you something."

"What is it baby?" Brian's nimble fingers went to work on Justin's zipper. "Do you remember how hot sex in the back of a limousine can be?"

"Sure, I remember Brian." Justin grabbed Brian's hand.

"Alright, what's wrong." Brian sat back in his seat.

"It's about Gus." Justin said.

"What about Gus?"

"There's been an accident Brian."

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NEXT WEEK : 24 Hours, pt 2

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