Be Careful What You Wish For

Chapter 8

Justin opened the door to Bree’s bedroom. He gazed in on the two children sleeping in her big bed. Their faces were so sweet, so at peace. Justin glanced at the bruise on Bree’s chin. It had turned deep purple in the couple of hours since the ball had hit her.

Patrick lay beside her, his face turned in her direction. His hand rested against Bree’s arm, maintaining their contact even in sleep.

Their slow, even breathing told Justin that they were both sound asleep. He turned and motioned for Brian to come into the room. He placed a finger against his lips to indicate that Brian should be quiet. Brian glared at him to state emphatically that he knew he should be as quiet as possible, and that he didn’t need to be reminded of any such thing.

“How are we going to get the pouch out from under the pillow?” Brian whispered.

Justin smiled and reached in between the children. He had carefully placed the Tooth Fairy pouch just under the edge of Bree’s pillow in the space between the two pillows on the bed. He pulled the pouch out and emptied the contents into the palm of his hand.

Brian took the pouch and slipped the coin he had in his hand into the pouch. He pulled the drawstring and handed it back to Justin. Justin slipped it back in between the pillows, just slightly under Bree’s pillow. The two men silently left the room, closing the door gently behind them.

“I can’t believe they slept through that,” Brian said as they walked down the hall.

“Children sleep through anything,” Justin advised him.

“When they’re innocent and pure,” Brian conceded.

“Meaning?” Justin asked with a frown.

“You could never have done that with me when I was a kid … not that anybody ever tried.”

Justin shook his head. He hated when Brian said stuff like that, reminding them both of the way that Brian had been brought up. Brian had never slept peacefully and innocently like Bree and Patrick were doing. He had probably been half awake all the time, waiting for Jack to come barging into his room to beat the crap out of him.

“I promise when you lose your next tooth, I’ll make sure the Tooth Fairy visits you.”

Brian snorted. “I can hardly wait till my teeth fall out and I get a fucking quarter or fifty cents for each of them. I should make … what? Sixteen dollars?”

Justin laughed as they dropped down on the sofa in their living room. “I think this Fairy can afford sixteen dollars.” He elbowed Brian in the ribs for added effect.

“You think you’ll still be here when my teeth fall out?” Brian asked.

Justin grinned and nodded. “Just try to get rid of me.”

“Seems to me I tried that a long time ago, and it was nigh unto impossible.”

“Still is,” Justin said continuing to grin.

“You think I’ll be worth sixteen dollars when I’m old and decrepit?”

“Every penny of it,” Justin laughed.

Brian grabbed Justin’s face and kissed him hard. “And I’ll still fuck you like there’s no tomorrow.”

“You better.”

“That’s a deal … especially if I get the sixteen dollars. It’ll be like a pension.”

Justin laughed louder. “You are so full of shit. I love you, my big Smoosh.”

“Capital ‘S’?”

“You bet.”

Smiling, Brian pulled Justin against him and leaned back on the sofa.

Justin opened his hand, as he snuggled into the familiar body. “What are we going to do with this?” he asked staring at Bree’s fallen tooth resting in the palm of his hand.

“We could have it bronzed … or gold plated. Maybe I could have it implanted when my own teeth start to fall out.”

“Will you stop that,” Justin laughed giving Brian’s arm a good swat where it held him in place.

“You can never have too many teeth, you know.”

“You are such a dork.”

“One of my finer qualities.”

“Seriously, what should we do with it? I hate to just … throw it away.”

“It’s just a tooth. Bree will get one to replace it.”

“But it’s kind of a milestone.” Justin looked at the tooth wondering what would be appropriate.

“What did John and Bobby do with Patrick’s teeth when they fell out?”

“Oh,” Justin said suddenly. “I think they got a Baby Tooth Album now that I think about it.”

“What the fuck is a Baby Tooth Album?”

“It’s like a memory book with a holder for each of the teeth that falls out. You can take pictures showing what the child looks like as their teeth come out and there’s a container that holds each tooth.”

“I’m sure that’s just what Bree will want, pictures of her - toothless. She can show her friends at her sweet sixteen party.”

“I think we should do something with the tooth. I’m going to look online for one of those albums.” Justin started to get up.

“You don’t have to do it right now, do you?” Brian asked, holding his husband firmly in place against him.

“Well, maybe not right now,” Justin admitted as Brian had started kissing down his neck. Brian’s hands were roaming freely. Justin gasped as Brian’s hand found its treasure in his crotch.

“There are more important things than teeth,” Brian whispered against Justin’s ear, making sure that Justin felt his hot breath.

“Are you sure?” Justin asked breathily.

“I’m about to prove it.”

“Let me put this safely on the table first,” Justin said reaching around Brian and setting the valuable tooth on the end table. “Okay, prove it,” he said. “I’m ready.”

That was all the invitation Brian needed. He proceeded to prove what he had said beyond a shadow of a doubt.

 

*****
 

“Daddy, Dada, look at what I got.” Bree came running into the kitchen with Patrick close behind her.

“What did you get, sweetheart?” Justin asked trying to keep from grinning too broadly. Bree seemed to have recovered from her scare of yesterday.

“Look,” she said holding out her hand.

“Wow!” Justin reacted. “That’s a big shiny coin.”

“Is it a million dollars?” Bree asked.

“No, sweetheart, it’s a silver dollar – a shiny new silver dollar.”

“Oh,” Bree said with a frown. “I never saw one of these before. I thought it was a million dollars.”

“I don’t think the Tooth Fairy leaves millions,” Justin said, doing his best to keep a straight face. “But that is a very nice coin.”

“Yes, it’s beautiful,” Bree said. “Isn’t it, Patrick?”

“Yep,” Patrick agreed.

“How does your face feel this morning?” Justin asked.

Bree rubbed her jaw gingerly. “It’s okay. It’s purple though,” Bree added. “Patrick told me.”

“It’s a bruise. It’ll go away in a few days,” Patrick advised.

“How’s your leg, Patrick,” Justin asked.

“Purple like Bree’s chin.”

“You two make a good pair.”

Two heads bobbed in agreement.

“I’m making you porridge,” Justin said.

“Good,” Bree replied. “I didn’t know if Cheerios would get stuck in the hole.” She opened her mouth and stuck her finger in the spot where her tooth had fallen out. “See.”

“We can’t have Cheerios getting stuck in there,” Brian said as he came into the kitchen. “Porridge for m’lady from now on.”

“Yay!” Bree crowed in agreement.

“Can I have Cheerios tomorrow?” Patrick asked.

“One day of gruel enough for you, my boy?” Brian asked with a chuckle.

“Yeah,” Patrick agreed.

“What’s gruel?” Bree wanted to know.

“Same thing as porridge only more watery.”

“Yuck,” Bree replied. “I don’t want gruel. I want porridge just like Hudson makes.”

“Coming right up,” Justin said as he started to dish up the porridge he had been stirring on the stove.

They all sat down to breakfast with the upsets of the previous days starting to fade into history already.

 

*****
 

“Mr. Taylor?” an official sounding voice asked when Justin picked up the phone.

“Yes.”

“This is Stephanie Saunders, the school nurse. I’m calling about the bruise on Briana's chin. What can you tell me about it?”

“Bree and her cousin were playing catch last night and Bree caught the ball with her chin instead of her hands. Is there a problem?” Justin asked with concern. For some reason he felt very defensive when it came to questions about his daughter.

“No, no problem. I asked Briana about the bruise and she told me the same story.”

“It’s not a story, it’s the truth. Kids sometimes get hurt when they play. She gets a lot of bruises when she plays soccer.”

“I know but this one was different so I had to ask. I noticed that Patrick was favoring one leg as well. He told me that the ball hit his leg.”

“Yes, they both had ice packs last night. Ms. Saunders, are you accusing me of anything?” Justin asked straight out.

“Not at all but it is my job to follow up in these cases.”

“These cases?”

“Children coming to school with bruises, it is my job to check out each case. Mr. Taylor, you and your partner as well as Patrick’s parents are active members of our school board and are active in parenting.”

“Active in parenting?”

“What I mean is that you take an active role in Briana’s life. You don’t let the school assume the role of parent. And as far as I know, neither child has been raised by a nanny. That’s what I mean by active parenting. We need more parents out there like you. But as I said, it is my job to follow up when a child comes to school sporting a new bump or bruise. I just got off the phone with Mr. Anderson.”

“Oh, I wasn’t aware of that. We didn’t get any calls during soccer season.”

“That’s because I was there at the games and made note of each bump that the team sustained.”

“Thank you for that. And thank you for being so diligent. I’m sorry if I got a little short with you. Sometimes we still run across people who don’t think that two men can raise a child, let alone a daughter.”

“I understand your position, Mr. Taylor, and I wasn’t offended.”

“Thank you for calling.”

“Have a good day.”

“You too,” Justin said as he hung up the phone.

Brian walked into the kitchen seeking another cup of coffee. He had been up in his office on several conference calls. That done, he was about to go out to do some yard work. He noticed the pensive look on Justin’s face.

“What’s the matter, Sunshine? Who was that on the phone?”

“The school nurse. She was asking about the bruise on Bree’s chin.”

“Isn’t she supposed to do that?”

“Yeah, I guess, but I never realized how that would make me feel.” Brian put down his coffee mug then took Justin in his arms.

“And how does it make you feel?” Brian whispered into the golden mop of hair.

“I thought she was accusing us of abuse or something, but she explained that she follows up on these things. She just spoke with John.”

“Sunshine, it’s her job to protect our kids. But I know how you feel. If I had gotten that call I probably would have bitten her head off.”

“I thought you didn’t do angry anymore,” Justin chuckled.

“I try not to but sometimes when it comes to our children I can’t help myself,” Brian whispered as they hugged each other, giving each other strength. “You want to come outside with me? I could use your help getting that pink monstrosity out of the Jeep.”

“I nearly forgot about the piano.”

“I bet the Squirt didn’t,” Brian snarked. “While we’re out there we can clean up the Wendy house and see if it fits in there.”

Justin laughed. “Nice try, big guy, the piano comes in here.” Justin laughed at Brian’s sigh. “Give her a chance and then when she’s pounding the ivories loud enough to be heard in the Pitts, we’ll put the piano in the Wendy house.”

“Deal!” Brian said as they walked out to the Jeep. “You know my mother gets discharged in a few days. What would you think if I asked her to stay with us for a while? Just until she gets some of her strength back.”

“What about your sister? Don’t you think your mother would feel more comfortable with her?” Brian stopped to arch a brow at his mate. “Okay, dumb question. Claire does get a little too emotional sometimes. It would be quieter here. But where would she sleep? I don’t think climbing the spiral staircase would be wise.”

“We could put her in our room,” Brian suggested.

“Or she can take Bree’s room. It does have its own bathroom and the bed is lower. Bree can sleep in Gus’ room or maybe share with Patrick if he wouldn’t mind.”

“I like that option. I’ll suggest it to her tomorrow. It’s been getting warmer out; maybe she’d like to rest on one of the chaises outside.”

“At the very least, she can rest in the sun porch. I can paint with my headphones on.”

“And the budding virtuoso won’t be practicing until after school. We can put the piano in the Wendy house during the weekend.”

“So then it’s settled,” Justin declared as they set up the small pink instrument in the sun porch. “We’ll discuss it with the family tonight.”

They stood back to admire Bree’s new pink piano which now adorned the sun porch. Their once spacious sun porch was beginning to get crowded.

“Sunshine, I think we need a bigger porch,” Brian said as he looked around. Justin didn’t say anything; he just nodded.

 

*****
 

Brian pulled into the parking lot at the hospital. He turned off the engine of the Corvette and just sat there for a minute. He had spent the rest of the morning gardening, getting everything ready for the new growth that was already pushing itself into the world. Gardening relaxed him, and he had felt the need to be calm and grounded, literally, before going to visit his mother.

Taking a breath to steady himself, Brian pushed himself up out of the Corvette. He reached back into the car for the bag that contained the gift for his mother. As he walked towards the main entrance to the hospital, he ran things over in his head. He was pretty sure Claire would have visited his mother in the morning. He was hoping she had gone home for a rest and some lunch. That’s why he had arrived just at the end of the traditional lunch hour. A visit with his mother without Claire’s hysteria was more appealing than the alternative.

He stopped at the front desk to see if his mother had been moved out of the surgical ward. She had been, and he noted the new room number. That was surely a good sign in terms of Joan’s recovery. He headed to the elevators.

When he entered Joan’s room, he was surprised to see her sitting up in a chair.

“Mom?” he said.

She turned her head and smiled at him. She looked so much better than she had right after the operation.

“Brian, I didn’t think you were going to come,” she said.

Brian noted that her tone was not accusatory, as it surely would have been in the past, just somewhat disappointed. “I promised I’d be here, and here I am,” he said.

“You always did keep your promises,” Joan observed as Brian sat on the edge of her bed to talk to her.

“I made as few of those as I could manage.”

“Yes, I remember that too. But your word was your bond.”

“Still is. How are you feeling today? You look a hundred percent better.”

“I must have looked pretty awful then,” Joan said with a weak laugh.

“You looked pretty good to me, and when you spoke … it was a big relief.”

“I feel so much stronger today. This room is cheerier. I feel like I might be strong enough to go home soon.”

Brian smiled at her. “I brought the grey bunny, just in case you could have it today.” He handed her the bag he had brought the bunny in.

Joan pulled the bunny out of the bag and held it in her lap. She ran her hand over the soft plush fur again and again. “Be sure to thank Bree for me.”

“I told her you were very pleased that she had sent her bunny to you, even if you couldn’t have it yesterday.”

“Is she okay?”

“She was worried about you,” Brian replied. “And yesterday she got hit in the chin with the baseball Patrick was tossing to her. She lost a tooth.”

“Oh my! Maybe you should take the grey bunny back to her.”

“She’s fine. And maybe you can take the bunny back to her yourself.”

“What … what do you mean?”

“Justin and I would like you to come to Edna’s Treasures when you’re released on Friday. It’s a peaceful place for you to fully recover.”

“Oh Brian,” Joan said as tears sprang into her eyes. “Claire had said she’d come and stay with me at my house, but…”

“You’d rather avoid her daily histrionics.”

Joan nodded. “Are you sure? I know it’s an imposition…”

“It’s not an imposition. We want you there, and so does Bree. She misses her Gamma Joan.”

“Brian, thank you, I don’t know what to say.”

“Yes would suffice.”

“Then yes it is.”

Brian smiled at his mother who smiled right back.

 

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