The Guard To My Sanctuary - Chapter 8: Chapter 8

I felt like a man who had been searching for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and after years of traversing the globe I had finally found it as the conductor's voice said we were thirty minutes away. I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face.
"You're going to hurt your cheeks," Marco said with a slight chuckle. We had played more of the question game while riding today and had told me a lot about himself and I told him the things that were appropriate for public conversation. I felt sorrow at the thought of our journey ending once we pulled into the station.  This intense need to be near him had formed in me like if I wasn't close I would go into a panic attack. He had let me follow him everywhere even when I made ten bathroom runs he waited outside the stall for me to finish. He was so patient and kind and had some understanding of what I had been through and the long term effects it was having on me. Saying goodbye to him would be rough for me.
"Hey what are you thinking about," he asked.
"Nothing," I lied.
"Come on don't lie to me you were just in deep thought. You know I got you so don't hold back," he said pulling me into a hug. I felt solace in his warm strong arms and the smell of the lemony cologne he used along with his masculine scent. It was like a truth elixir and I felt compelled to tell him how I was feeling.
"I'm scared that if you leave I'm going to have another panic attack. I shouldn't feel comfortable with you since we have only known each other for three days but I don't know, you're safe. I don't want to say goodbye but I also know you have a life," I said crying a little. It seemed like all the tears I had pushed down over the course of five years were fighting to be released at the slightest hint of sorrow.
"Aww Elm I don't plan on just abandoning you if you want me to rent a hotel near you and a car till mine gets into town next week then I'll do it," he said.
"I can't ask you to do that you have your own life," I responded.
"It's fine I have another two weeks of leave before I have to be to the base and my apartment will not be move-in ready for another ten days," he said.
"Plus I want to be close just in case you need me because I'm invested in making sure you can make it in the world and I care about you," he said and hugged me tighter before pulling away. I looked at him and started blushing at him saying that he cared about me in any capacity. I voluntarily leaned into him and stayed that way all the way to the station. The moment the doors were open people started rushing to get off but we waited since I didn't want to be bumped into. It took fifteen minutes for everyone to be off the train before Marco got up grabbing my book bag from me and grabbing his duffle bag. He waited for me to climb out of my seat and grab onto his sweater corner. I smoothed out the wrinkles from the sweater he had loaned me and we began walking off the train and into the train station that was freezing cold. It then donned on me that my family had probably aged and I wouldn't know what they looked like. We walked around looking for them not being able to call since Marco forgot to plug his phone up. I was getting anxious as we had been looking for five minutes and didn't see them.
"Hey I see a sign," Marco said in a cheery tone. I looked at the giant and saw that he was pointing to a bright neon sign that had my full name 'Elm Jasper Euthenia'. I took off pulling Marco by his shirt all the way until I saw my family. There stood a man who looked like my dad except for the last time I saw him he wasn't as muscular and didn't have as many tattoos. The husky man looked over to me and dropped the sign and started running over to us. Despite his muscles, my Dad still had his kind face. I felt sad to see that he had a few gray hairs and knew worrying about me had caused quite a few of them.
He met me with an embrace so strong a few of the wound up muscles relax in my back. He still smelled the same like old spice and ginger root which he chewed on while he drove. He kissed my cheek and I almost flinched but I wouldn't let London have that power over me especially since I was out of his control. I hugged him tight and jumped up and felt him holding me. I doubted my weight really held him down since he looked well over two hundred pounds and was almost as tall as Marco who I found out was 6'7. He started to cry while holding me in the air and I began crying too. I felt three other sets of arms wrap around me and knew that it was my brothers and uncle. We all seemed to be crying and it was so emotional.
"Daddy," I said.
"Elm," he responded.
"Daddy you're crushing my back," I said with a laugh.
"Oh god I'm sorry," he said releasing me on the floor and everyone let me go. I looked around at the somewhat familiar face of my older brother Alder. He looked almost the same his features that seemed to become more defined and he got rid of his mohawk. He looked more distinguished and wore the quintessential hipster garb that consisted of a navy blue and brown plaid shirt with chinos and a hat. He looked the most like our mom out of all of all of us, that was only made more evident by his darker tone than the rest of us. I noticed the gold wedding band on his finger and felt really happy for him.
"Alder," I said hugging him.
"Elm damn I've missed you so much you haven't grown all that much, god we thought the worst had happened to you. Damn you got tattoos," he said tightening his toned aroma around me.
"I've missed you too," I said feeling the numb throbbing of healing injuries on my chest emerge.
I pulled away to see my brother Pine. He had finally filled out from the lanky kid with a big head that I remembered. He looked young for twenty-four but it seems that none of my family aged quickly. He was a shade darker than me but was still light. Pine still had that goofy smile he tried to hide behind a serious face.
I reached over and hugged him before he could hug me and he started bawling.
"I should have never let your hand go," he said crying like a baby.
"It's fine, it's fine, I'm fine," I told him pulling away from the hug knowing that he used to get even more emotional when you rubbed him while he was crying.
"Bhateeja," my uncle said pulling me into a hug from behind. If it wasn't for the smell of his curve cologne that was so familiar I would have freaked out at being grabbed. I hugged him hard and pulled away to look at his features. He had the same eyes, nose, and ears but he had aged a little bit. He was only 36 byears old so he still had some youth. My grandparents had him in their forties ten years after my mother and my mom had brought him to America when her parents passed and he had always been around growing up. He was more like another brother when he was an uncle. He trimmed his hair down from the long flowing locks he used to have and grew his beard out  He was lighter than my mom and had light brown eyes making him look more like my grandmother in the pictures my mom used to show me and my brother's. He could pass for a Bollywood star if he wanted to.
I looked around at my family who had red puffy eyes and mucus running from their nose. They all looked good and seemed to be healthy which made me happy.
"You must be Marco, I can't thank you enough for helping my son get back to us," my dad said and pulled out his wallet.
"It's nice to meet you all and the pleasure was mine. Elm is so strong and courageous it's really nice seeing him reunited with his family. Also, I don't need your money. I would like to get Elm over to the doctor as I said on the phone he definitely needs to be looked at," Marco said shooing away the check my dad had in his hand.
"Are you sure you don't want any money, people have donated so much over the years and the vast majority of it's just sitting inside a trust for him," My dad said.
"I'm sure," he said.
"Daddy can he come with us, he doesn't have a car or a place to sleep he dropped everything to bring me to you guys and I can't just leave him," I said in a desperate voice. My dad looked at me and him for a second before speaking.
"That's more than fine with me, anyone who helps a child of mine has a place to rest their heads with me," my dad said.
"Now I have set up a doctor's visit with your old pediatrician Elm for today, Dr. Nisbalm is just waiting for us to show up," my dad told.
"Okay," I said nervously since I had never liked the doctor's office. I felt a wave of anxiety and had to hold onto Marco's shirt to keep myself steady. Once I was under control I grabbed my dad's hand and he held on tight and began walking. I was surprised the ground didn't shake under him. We walked outside to a parking lot were a newer looking GMC Truck was parked. My dad let go of my hand reluctantly to unlock the doors and climb into the driver's seat. My uncle sat in the passengers while Pine opened the back door then pulled down one of the seats to climb into the back row along with Alder who pulled the seat back up. Marco helped me as I tried to climb in then got in behind me sitting the bags between us. My dad pulled off the moment everyone was buckled up.
"What do you do now guys," I asked as we were driving I could tell they didn't know what to say to me. I felt uncomfortable with being treated me like an egg.
"Umm well I just got a job as a Graphic Designer at this Marketing firm in San Francisco," Alder said and I turned to look at him. He always liked art so I was happy he followed that path.
"Did you go to college," I asked.
"Yeah I got into Berkeley I was going to go for Computer Science and ended up double majoring. I have a degree in both," he said and I felt so proud of him.
"How about you Pine," I asked.
"I'm a Biomedical Engineer, I'm helping to make hearing aids that can be implanted under the skin and not need to be recharged and adjust naturally like human ears to sound, I went to Berkeley as well," he said and I smiled at him.
'They are so smart'
"Uncle," I said shifting to see his face.
"Yes... Oh well, I'm still a forensic anthropologist," he said turning to me with a smile.
"Oh Ewww," I said remembering how disgusted I was by the television show Bones. I didn't have good cable in my room with just a regular cord plugged up to the television from the wall where I got forty-two channels that all seem to play Bones during the day.
"You're still so squeamish," he laughed.
"Daddy is your turn," I said ignoring him.
"Oh well, I got put on the SWAT team as one of the two supervisors. Not much goes down so the job is good just a lot of paperwork. I took it because of the pay and I'd get access to more information about your case," he said smiling at me through the mirror. I smiled back at him but knew that he was really worried about whatever the doctor had to say.
"I think we should tell him," Pine said aloud to the car.
"No," Alder whispered.
"Guys," my Dad said.
"Tell me what," I asked reaching for Marco who took my hand in his for the first time. I looked at Pine and he looked up at Dad who was shaking his head no.
"Two years after you were snatched I got really sick and they found out I had Melanoma or skin cancer as mom had. We caught it really early and they treated me within three months I was in remission and have been cancer free for years. Everyone's scared that you might have it as well and didn't want you to be worried but I don't want you to be blindsided," Pine said looking at me.
"I know the last time you guys saw me I was a child but I'm twenty years old now, please just tell me everything I need to know from here on out," I said in my quiet voice which didn't really go along with my point but I still had to say it.
"I'm sorry Darling, it's just I wanted to protect you. I haven't been able to in so long I don't want you going in there scared," my Dad said and I could hear the heavy emotions in his tone.
"It's fine Daddy, just please tell me things," I said still holding onto Marco's hand. I was scared now I hadn't been checked for anything more than STDs or a baby in years for all I know I could be in stage four of some sort of cancer and not know it. I gripped onto Marco even tighter knowing I didn't have the strength to hurt him. We stayed silent in the car all the way to the hospital.