And Never Brought to Mind

Chapter 2

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John Patrick Taylor woke up in the cheesy little bed that he had flopped down on only a few hours prior. After his unsuccessful encounter with, with, with what? His uncle, a long lost cousin? He had no idea how he was related to Craig Taylor or if he was truly related to the rude man he had met the previous day. JP had ridden around for hours in his small rented car. He hadn't been ready to go back to the hotel and face his sister. JP was disappointed. He had expected hesitancy and possibly fright. He was aware that Craig Taylor was rich and that the artist Justin Taylor was richer, perhaps all Americans were suspicious. But JP wasn't prepared for all the anger. And he was chastising himself for not being prepared.

JP and his sister had lost their father only months before their trip to America. Their father had left them, their mother and the rest of their family, comfortable. JP had taken over the family's business, a modest little dry goods store in Panama. They weren't here for a hand out. At the reading of their father's will, they learned of the search that their father and grandfather had begun into the past. Of where the very un-Hispanic name of Taylor had come from. In the papers left to them was a rough genealogy of the Taylor family tree. It dated back over a hundred years.

JP had decided to take up his father's cause. He scrimped and saved for a ticket to America, specifically to Pittsburgh where all the clues appeared to lead. JP had wondered where his blue eyes came from and why a close cousin had blond hair. Now he was angry. They didn't have a lot of money to spend so that's why he and his sister were forced to stay in this cheap hotel on the outskirts of the great city of Pittsburgh. Perhaps the famous artist Justin Taylor who was probably living in a grand mansion, would be more friendly. JP would try the gallery on Tuesday.

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Brian woke up with a start, his hand searching the expanse of cool sheets, looking for Justin.

"Justin?"

"Out here." Justin called from the porch. Brian got up, grabbing the quilt from their bed to wrap around his naked body as he padded through the open glass door to the porch.

"Why are you out here all by yourself? You'll get a chill." Brian noted that the temperature had dipped with the cold Autumn rain that was sheeting down the sides of the glass porch.

"Couldn't sleep," Justin whispered. He was wearing only sweat pants and he was beginning to shiver as he stared out into the dark night. Brian drew closer, wrapping them both in the quilt.

"Your gerbil's on overtime," Brian gently snarked into the blond hair as he tightened his hug. Justin sighed loudly as he nodded. "If I have to watch the rain with the most beautiful and most stubborn man in the state of Pennsylvania, can I at least do it from our brass bed?" Brian heard a small giggle. "I'll take that as a yes. Come on."

Brian guided Justin toward the bed and they climbed in. Settling themselves onto the bed, they faced the windows and watched the rain until the din lulled them back to sleep.

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Tuesday morning and the summer was officially over. Patrick was starting his first day at school. John and Bobby were driving everyone crazy with their incessant worry about the boy's backpack and lunch, how he would get along with the other children and their overall separation anxiety. However Patrick was excitedly chattering away, looking forward to being a big boy and finally going to school. Bobby had plans to recover from the stress of leaving his child at the school by burying himself in Justin's contracts to make sure there were no loopholes. While John was planning to personally tear down an old warehouse brick by brick and start on a new project. Brian was on his way to Kinnetik with Briana and Justin in tow to escape the madness for the peaceful land of Liberty.

"Bri, leave me here," Justin said as they pulled up in front of the gallery. Sidney wanted to make plans to take the Rage and Kinney paintings on the road for a brief tour. Justin was debating with himself whether he wanted to go on the road again or stay home. "I'll call later and we can meet for lunch if you don't have an appointment." Justin kissed Brian and the Squirt as he got out of the Jeep.

"Later, Sunshine," Brian called out as he pulled away from the curb.

"La-er, Daddy," Bree mimicked.

"Later," Justin called back with his full wattage smile for his family. Then he entered the gallery.

"Justin, my lad! So good to see you," Sidney gushed with enthusiasm. "Have you decided to travel with your paintings or reap the rewards from home?" Sidney had heard of the latest drama from Lindsay and suspected the answer.

"I'm not sure." Justin said with a loud sigh.

"Whatever you decide is fine with me. We have time. I'm thinking about a small show in a loft gallery in Soho. Very bohemian. Just some wine, cheese and crudités. Maybe you can make an appearance for the first night then come back home."

"I like that idea. I don't want to stay away for long."

"I understand. Let's look over your portfolio and choose a few Justin Taylor originals, shall we?" Justin nodded and followed Sidney to his office. Neither man noticed the dark haired gentleman off to the side, admiring a Kinney portrait of Patrick.

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Bobby held Patrick's hand as they walked up to the main entrance of the elementary school. He wondered if Patrick felt half the trepidation that he was feeling. He looked down at the red head walking confidently beside him and let out a long sigh. His little boy was growing up. He swallowed the lump in his throat and pushed open the door.

At the main desk he gave his name and Patrick's. The secretary directed them to one of the classrooms. Slowly Bobby led his son down the hallway to the kindergarten. There was a mass of mothers at the door all seemingly dropping off their children just like he was.

Bobby and Patrick got into line and waited their turn. Patrick looked at the other children, smiling at some and looking sadly at the ones who were crying.

"Why are they crying, Daddy?" he asked Bobby. "They're not going to be hurt, are they?"

"Of course not," Bobby chuckled. "Some of the mommies are going to be sad to see their children be away from them all day long."

"Will you miss me, Daddy?"

"You bet I will, but we know that you can do this. You'll like school."

"I think so too," Patrick said confidently.

Bobby smiled as the mother ahead of him in line walked her son over to the little group sitting quietly on the carpet in the classroom. She hugged her son before he sat down, and then wiped away a tear as she went to join the other mothers at the back of the room.

"Mr. Morrison, nice to see you again," said the kindergarten teacher. "And Patrick, are you all ready for school?"

"Yep," Patrick stated.

"That's great. Perhaps you are ready to join the other children for our story circle."

Patrick nodded and started to walk away. Bobby still held his hand. Patrick turned back to his father. "You can go now, Daddy. I'll be fine."

"I know you will," Bobby said choking back a tear.

"Don't cry, Daddy."

"I won't and I'll be here to pick you up after school," Bobby promised.

Patrick nodded and went to sit with the other children.

"He's very grown up," Mrs. Kinsella, the teacher, said with a smile. "Do you want to stay for a bit?" she asked. "Some of the others want to be sure their children don't start crying. I usually find that the children forget all about what's going on as soon as we get started with a story."

Bobby nodded and moved to the back of the room. He watched Patrick talking to the little boy who had sat down just before him. They seemed to be imparting some kind of kindergarten wisdom to each other.

Mrs. Kinsella started the story and the children were immediately drawn in. No one cried or looked back at their parent. They were absorbed in the story. The parents began to drift out of the room feeling that their children would be safe with Mrs. Kinsella.

Bobby went with them stopping by his car and taking out his cell phone. He punched in a number and waited.

"I did it," he said into the phone when it was answered.

"How did it go?" John asked.

"He was braver than me," Bobby admitted. "Not even one tear. Well, not from him anyway."

"Are you okay?"

"He's growing up, John. The next thing we know he'll be heading off to university or getting married."

"Jesus, Bobby, give him a couple of years before that happens."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"You'll be fine," John said reassuringly. "And Patrick will be great from what you tell me."

"I know."

"I'll see you tonight. Try not to miss him too much."

"I'll try," Bobby said ending the call. He climbed into his vehicle letting out a big sigh. He would find things to keep him busy while his son experienced his first day of school.

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About twenty minutes after he went into Sidney's office, Justin walked out. They had made some decisions about the paintings and Justin was feeling good about the whole process. As he stepped out into the gallery some movement off to one side caught his attention. He turned and looked into the very blue eyes of a man he did not know. The man stared at him unblinking.

Justin felt a twinge of fear. He stepped back and reached for the knob of the door, ready to retreat back into the safety of Sidney's office.

"Justin Taylor?" the blue eyed man asked.

"Yes?" Justin replied hesitantly.

"I … I think we may be related."

"What?"

"My name is John Patrick Taylor. I've come all the way from Central America to find you."

Justin stared at the eyes so much like his own. He knew this had to be the man who had cornered his father. "What do you want?"

"I want to find members of my family. I know there are Taylors in the Pittsburgh area that I am related to. I hope you are one of them."

"I bet you do," Justin muttered. "I understand you met my father a couple of days ago," Justin said wanting to be sure this was the man he thought it was.

"Yes, yes, I did. He was very … unpleasant."

"That would be Craig," Justin snorted. At least they had a mutual dislike for Craig Taylor in common. "So, what do you want from me?"

"Just a bit of your time. I wondered if we could perhaps get a coffee and talk."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Justin said.

"But why? I merely want to talk and find out a few things."

Justin hesitated. "Okay, I guess we could go across the road. There's a Starbucks there."

"There's a Starbucks everywhere. America is such an amazing place," JP said with a big grin as he opened the door of the gallery holding it for Justin to walk through.

"Yes, I guess it is." Justin hoped he wasn't making a huge mistake as he led this long lost Taylor across the street.

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"Brian, you have a visitor," Cynthia said as she entered Brian's office with Joan Kinney. She showed Joan in and settled her on the sofa. Cynthia left but quickly returned with a tray with coffee and fixings, knowing Brian was going to need it. Brian and Ted were going over all the special trust fund accounts that Brian had set up for the children of his family and other family members. They were conferencing with Bobby as Cynthia came in.

"Bri, switch Bobby to my desk. I can finish up," Ted suggested then he gathered up the documents and excused himself.

"Hey, Big Guy, I can finish this with Ted. It'll be fine. I'll see you later at home." Brian nodded then spoke into the speaker.

"Yeah, later, Red." Brian pressed a few buttons and cut the connection. Brian had that 'deer in the headlight look' for a moment before his face became the hardened mask that Joan and the rest of the world knew as Brian Kinney. He quietly sauntered to the sofa and sat. He poured the coffee as he addressed his mother.

"Why are you here, Mother?" Joan was slightly taken aback at Brian's cool tone but decided to ignore it.

"I never really got the chance to say thank you for inviting me to Briana's baptism and your warm reception for me. Frankly I was surprised how warmly I was received by your entire family. Most of them are complete strangers to me. They...were very polite." Joan gratefully accepted a cup of coffee from her son and carefully sipped the hot brew.

"That they are, most of the time," Brian snarked, thinking back over the many times when he wanted to throttle half of them, but he was also so lucky to have each of them. "They, we, were very happy that you joined us." Brian paused; he wasn't sure what to say.

"If you have time, do you think we can have lunch together today? I realize it's short notice." Joan was beginning to have doubts regarding her decision to come to Kinnetik.

"I have the time but we may have company for lunch."

"Oh?"

"Justin and Briana may join us."

"Are they here?"

"Briana is in daycare. Justin went to the gallery this morning."

"Daycare? Isn't she a bit too young for daycare?" Joan didn't approve of daycare. If Brian had a wife, it would be her job to care for the child until she was of school age.

Brian ignored his mother's disapproval and removed the empty coffee cup from her hand. "Come with me," Brian said in a tone that brooked no refusal.

Joan carefully followed Brian down the halls of Kinnetik. She marveled at the sight of all his employees hard at work. Somehow Joan envisioned that orgies and other perversions took place in this building. But while the atmosphere was jovial and relaxed, she could see that everyone was doing his or her job.

"You employ women?" Joan mumbled.

"I'm an equal opportunity fag," Brian said before he realized what had spewed from his lips. He saw Joan cringe at the word fag. Brian debated whether to apologize but they had reached the daycare door. "Here we are," Brian said as he opened the door.

"Oh my!" Joan exclaimed at the sight of the half dozen children at play and the two child minders busy reading or drawing with their charges. "Is this the daycare?"

Brian grinned. "It was Justin's suggestion. He knew as we grew and matured that many of my employees would have children. It just seemed right. And it comes in handy. I like having the Squirt with me." Just then the Squirt in question came running up to them.

"Dada!" Briana squealed with delight as she threw herself into Brian's legs.

"How's my little girl? You being good?" Brian asked his daughter as he scooped her up into his arms. "Say hello to Grandma Joan."

"Hi, Gamma Doan," Bree said sweetly and with her own sunny smile.

"Hello, Briana. How are you today?"

"Fine. We have party?"

"No dear, I'm here to have lunch with you and your father, if that's all right."

"Hungy, Dada," Bree patted Brian's face.

"Okay, ladies, I see I'm outvoted. Let's find out if your Daddy can join us and we can go to the diner." It dawned on Brian that Joan might not like the diner. "Or we can go somewhere else." Brian looked at his mother.

"The diner will be fine."

Brian cracked a small smile. He made sure daycare knew that Briana was going to be with him for lunch then escorted Joan back to his office. Punching Justin's number, he waited for his husband to answer.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself. I have two hungry ladies here ready to go to lunch. I was wondering if you can join us."

"Two?"

"Yes, Bree and my mother."

"Your mother?"

"Yes, Sunshine, we're about to go to the diner. Are you free for lunch?"

"Um, give me about thirty minutes and I'll meet you there."

"Justin, is everything okay?" Brian could hear the hesitancy in Justin's voice and was beginning to worry.

"Stop it, Bri, no need to worry. I'll see you at the diner. Later."

"Later, Sunshine." Brian hung up the phone. "We'll meet him there. Mother, I'm going to take Bree to the bathroom then we'll be ready. We'll only be a minute."

Joan nodded and sat on the sofa while Brian took Bree into his private bathroom.

"Come on, Squirt, time to preen so we can wow them at the diner."

"'Kay, Dada."

Joan couldn't help but smile.

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Justin snapped his cell phone shut.

"You have to go?" JP Taylor asked. They had been sipping lattes at Starbucks sitting at a small table in a quiet corner of the store. Justin still wasn't sure if he had made the right decision to confront this stranger that very well might be intent on destroying his family. He learned very little other than that JP and his sister found out about the American Taylors at their father's funeral.

"I'm joining my partner for lunch. Look, John, I'm still not sure what you want of me but I need to know. Are you here to hurt my family?" Justin did his damnedest to appear stern and menacing. He knew he couldn't pull it off like Brian but he had to try. Even though Justin had about ten years on JP, his innocent good looks still made Justin appear eighteen.

"I'm not here to hurt anyone. I just want to know if it's true that we have relations here. Take this, I have plenty of copies." JP handed Justin the envelope that he had tried to give Craig, but Craig was too frightened to take. "There's a copy of my passport so you know I'm not an illegal. I've written the phone number of my hotel on the envelope. Please, Mr. Taylor, I'm just here for information. My sister and I go home next week. I don't have much time." Justin took the packet and slipped it into his messenger bag.

"Okay, I'll look this over and contact you tomorrow." Justin got up to leave then he turned to look at JP. "Can you find your way back to the hotel?"

"Yes. Thank you. Until tomorrow then?" JP said with hope. Justin smiled weakly then walked away.

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