Why the Straight One? - Chapter 54: Chapter 54

It was when we were finally pulling up the drive that Elliot first showed signs of life. He hadn't said a words to me during the whole drive, barely glancing my way when I first got in the car. I had told him that Alan was going to be waiting at the estate for us, but I wasn't sure if he even heard me. Now, as he started looking out the window in earnest, it wasn't too hard to imagine who he was looking for.
I had texted Alan ten minutes ago, letting him know we were almost there. I knew a text wasn't exactly the best way to break the news that Elliot was rescued, but I didn't want to call him with Elliot in the car. Their first encounter should be face to face.
The car stopped right in front of the entryway, the driver waiting for us to exit. It was then that Elliot first showed signs of nervousness. He didn't move from his seat, and I could see the sweat forming on his brow.
"It's just Alan." I whispered to him, and his eyes darted to meet mine, barely holding my gaze for a second before dropping it back down to his hands.
"That's why I'm so scared." It was the first time I had heard his voice all day, and I hated how it broke. Broken, just like him.
"There's nothing to be afraid of. He's still the same man you loved before all this."
He looked up at me again, and I couldn't read the emotions in his eyes.
"Exactly."
It took me a moment to register what he meant. And when I did, it was all I could do to stop myself from hugging him right then and there. He was scared of how Alan would react to him. Scared of how changed he had become, and not of how he would see Alan. I held back my reaction though, knowing that any form of physical contact would not be what Elliot wanted.
"He loves you, Elliot."
His blinked, then looked away from me quickly. I barely caught his answer as he stepped out of the car.
"He loved the child that I was."
I got out of the car on the other side, and walked around to join him. It was then that I noticed Alan standing about ten feet away from us, just outside the doors of the estate.
Elliot noticed him before me, and stood staring at him. Neither of them moved for a few moments as if transfixed by the mere sight of each other after so long.
And then Alan was rushing towards him, and for a second I saw Elliot falter, took half a step backward, then seemed to second guess himself, and stood there waiting. When Alan's arms wrapped around his waist, I could see every inch of him tense, his hands coming up as if to push Alan away, but then Alan tilted his head up, said something I couldn't quite catch, and part of the tension left his body.
Elliot's own arms wrapped around Alan's small body, his head bent down to bury itself in his hair. And then, like he needed reassurance of who he was actually holding, he brought his hands up to either side of Alan's face, his eyes taking in every inch of it.
"Is this a dream?" His voice broke, and I felt like I shouldn't be here, not with the way their eyes were looking at each other, not with the time they had been apart, but they didn't seem to care that I was only a few feet away, and I couldn't find it in me to just walk away. Even I had waited too long for them to be reunited.
"It's not a dream. You're back now. You're back." Alan was crying, his hands coming up to touch Elliot's hands, his face, hair, anything to reassure him that his love was actually in his arms.
"I never..." His jaw clenched, and he pulled Alan closer, burying his head in his hair and breathing in deeply.
"I thought I'd never see you again."
Alan let out a choked sob, muffled by Elliot's chest, and I could see his arms holding Elliot as close to him as he could. I doubted that he ever wanted to let him go now that he finally had him back.
"It's been so long." Alan sobbed, and Elliot's grip tightened around Alan's head and shoulders, kissing the top of his head, his forehead, gentle kisses that must have barely brushed against his skin.
"I know. I know." He sighed against Alan's forehead. They stayed like that for a few moments, neither of them speaking, only Alan's quite sniffles falling between them.
Then Elliot loosened his grip on Alan, leaning back slightly to look at him. With one hand, he tilted Alan'a chin up, tucking the hair his embrace had ruffled behind his ear with the other. I thought maybe he was going to kiss him, but he never leaned forward, didn't change anything about the way he was standing, just staring down at Alan's upturned face.
Then, he slowly brought his hand forward, wiping away a tear that trickled down Alan's cheek. His touch was almost too gentle, like he was afraid of what his hands might do to him. With his other hand, he brushed the tears away from the other cheek. He was touching him like he still couldn't believe he was real-that he was standing right in front of him.
"You're so beautiful." He whispered, and Alan closed his eyes, tears falling from their corners. He sighed, the months of waiting and worry finally finding an outlet as he stood in Elliot's arms. He leaned forward, burying his face in Elliot's neck, and Elliot just held him there, neither of them saying a word.
I wanted to leave them there forever, but several doctors and servants were approaching, and I knew what they were here for.
"Elliot."
His eyes snapped open, his calm breath hitching as he looked around for where my voice came from.
"Elliot, the doctors need to do a quick check up on you now that you are back. It shouldn't take too long."
Fear filled his eyes, and he looked down at Alan, then back at me, and finally at the doctors who were trying to stand there in the least menacing way possible. They were all specially trained to deal with victims of rape and assault, and all of them knew just how threatening everything was to him right now.
"Why?" Hard, and nothing like the tone he had used when talking to Alan moments before.
"We just need to make sure you're okay." I tried to reassure him, but he was already pushing Alan away, guarding himself with his arms crossed in front of his chest.
"I'm fine." Ha voice quivered, and his body showed signs of malnutrition. He was no where near fine.
"I'll be there with you, if you want, Elliot."
"No." His sharp answer silenced Alan immediately, his eyes darting between all the faces in front of him.
"No. Let's just get this over with. I'm tired." One of the doctors began to lead the way, and Elliot followed, but his eyes shifted back once more to look at me and Alan.
He was terrified, but he didn't want us there. Maybe he knew what kind of tests and check ups would be done, and he didn't want us there to see just how badly he had been hurt.
Alan whimpered, and I wrapped my arm around him. He buried his head in my shoulder, and we walked in together.
And now we just had to wait.
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The phone rang twice before it was answered by a very agitated sounding Thomas.
"Yes?"
"What's the situation?" I didn't really want to ask 'how is Alex?' not knowing how he would respond to that. If Alex wasn't alright, I wanted him to tell me in his own words.
"I don't know." Quiet and defeated.
"Have you seen him?"
"He's in surgery. He has been for hours." I could hear the rising panic in his voice, but didn't know what to do to calm him.
"And you haven't heard anything?" It probably wasn't the best question, I heard his quick exhale of breath, and what sounded like a door closing somewhere close by.
"Not one fucking thing! It's been so long, Raymond, and no one will tell me anything. Has it been too long? Are they just afraid to tell me? Raymond, what if he's—"
"He's not dead, Thomas." His breath hitched as I voiced his fear, and my words seemed to have the opposite affect then what I had intended.
"But it's been so long. I can't...I-I don't know what to do. I'm going mad just waiting here, not doing anything. What if he needs me in there? What if—"
"Thomas." I said his name as gently as I could, trying to calm the rising pitch of his voice, and the rapid breaths that sounded close to tears.
"What?" He almost shouted, and I hoped he wasn't alone.
"Is anyone waiting there with you? Is Jonathan?"
"I haven't seen Jonathan since....he wouldn't be waiting to see if Alex is okay. He doesn't...Alex isn't.....but Mark is here."
I sighed in relief. I may not know Mark very well, but he seemed to have a pretty level head, and anyone was better than waiting alone.
"That's good. Have you—"
"Jonathan is with Jordan. He's dead, Raymond. He's dead. I can't...my mind won't process that. It doesn't make sense. He was alive this morning."
I felt my heart twist painfully, and I swallowed past the lump in my throat. I hadn't had much time to give to grieving Jordan just yet, and was having a hard time processing his death myself.
"I know. I'm still struggling with all of this too. With everything that's happened today."
"He's dead." His repetition frightened me. Like something was starting to sink in.
"I know, Thomas."
"What if—"
"Alex is strong as fuck, okay? He's not going to let a little thing like this lick him! Just imagine him letting Jasper beat him at anything!"
"But Jordan—"
"Stop it! He's going to live, okay?"
"You don't know that!" And this time he didn't even try to hide the sob that broke from deep within him.
I didn't know what to say, because I didn't know that for sure. Didn't know how to comfort him because I'd never heard him cry.
Maybe when he was younger I saw the occasional tear, but not this raw emotion that came from him now.
"I—I can't lose him. I can't lose him." I heard someone else voice, it must have been Mark's, talking to him in the other side.
"You can't keep thinking like that. You have to just hope that he'll pull through." I didn't know what else to say. This all seemed to pointless and empty, words not even half good enough to penetrate through his despair.
"All this time...and to just realize...and now it might be too late. It's too late." He began muttering to himself.
"Have you eaten today?"
"What?" My question took him by surprise, and I was relieved that he answered it in an almost normal tone.
"When did you eat last?"
"I...yesterday? Umm, I think before we left home."
"Holy shit! Thomas, what the fuck? The drive itself took hours, and then we were there all night, and then all of today? And it's early morning now so really it's been....you know what, I can't even figure that out right now. And when did you sleep?"
"I—"
"Don't answer that. Put me on speaker."
"What?"
"Just do it." I pinched the bridge of my nose, and I heard Thomas sigh in exasperation.
"There. You're on speaker."
"Good. Mark!"
"Yes?" The reply was slightly hesitant. He was probably very surprised that I was addressing him.
"Make sure he eats something very soon. And that he sleeps."
"I've been trying to, but no one listens to me around here. All these princes with their stuck up—"
"Well, you have my authority to command him to eat. And I'm older so—hey! I can tell I'm not on speaker anymore!"
"I'll eat when I'm hungry." Thomas muttered.
"You'll eat when I say. Eat something, sleep, and call me when you wake up, okay?"
I could tell part of him wanted to argue with me, but somewhere inside he must have realized that what I was saying was best for him. Either that, or he was too tired to argue anymore.
"Okay."
"I need to sleep too, but they are doing some test on Elliot that I guess couldn't wait, and I want to be there when they are done."
"Oh yeah, Jonathan they needed all the evidence against Jasper that they could get. Proof of his violence and..."
Neither of us spoke for a moment, so many words left unspoken. I knew now, and I could tell he wasn't comfortable with that knowledge. And then there was our little brother. The innocent baby of the family.
"He's fucked up, Thomas. I don't know him anymore." My voice quivered, and I swallowed quickly, ashamed of the weakness I was showing...but everything was different now. So much had changed between us in just one day.
"He needs time. But even then, he's never going to be the same."
"He didn't deserve any of this." I felt bewildered, lost in the flood of emotions that today had brought with it.
"Jasper deserves hell. I should have sent him there when I had the chance."