Date: Sun, 4 Feb 2007 23:19:36 +0000 (GMT)
From: Jezebel <eh_oh_po@yahoo.com>
Subject: In Another Life 5

Disclaimers: This story is fiction and it is not intended to imply anything
about the true sexuality of the celebrities mentioned or any personal
knowledge about their private lives.  If you are underage for your area, if
it is illegal for you to view such material or if you are opposed to two
men in a loving situation then this story is not for you either.


***
Part 5
***

When Kyle woke for a second time he wondered if he had dreamed Kevin in
some morphine induced hallucination.  He had dreams before that seemed
real, only to be disappointed when they turned out not to be real.  As he rose
from his drug-induced sleep for the second time he had almost persuaded
himself it was a dream when he felt a gentle hand brush against his own.

In some ways Kyle didn't want to feel that hand.

If he could convince himself that Kevin had been a dream then maybe the rest
of it hadn't happened either.  But if he could feel the hand against his own
then that meant that it was all real and that his Mom had died.

"Kyle?" A voice called softly, trying to gain his attention without startling him.
The timbre of the voice told him he was not dreaming because no one else
could recreate that tone.

"'Lex." Kyle said, his lips dry and voice strained from misuse.

"Hey." AJ replied.  "It's okay, you don't have to talk, I just wanted you to know
that I am here with you."

Kyle tried to smile but wasn't sure if it came out as a grimace.

"You want me to call a doctor?" AJ asked.

Kyle shook his head.

"Stay?" Kyle asked, not wanting to sound as if he was begging but similarly
not wanting to be alone.

"Sure." AJ replied easily.  "I've been meaning to talk to you about a few things
anyway..."

And with that AJ began to tell him about the news and sports, trivial things
that he could talk about so that Kyle didn't have to stretch his voice but so that
he would not feel alone.  Kyle thought that it was the most considerate thing
anyone had done for him in a long while and he liked it.  Then again he had
always liked Alex the best.

***

Kevin sat in the waiting room of the clinic and tried not to look too
conspicuous.  The last thing that he needed was for the world to find out that
he was taking a paternity test before he even knew for sure if Jonathan was
his son.

The receptionist had been patient when he asked for an appointment as soon
as possible, even after he realised how it sounded and insisted that he
wanted to prove that he was the father and was not trying to get out of any
responsibility that he might have.  She had smiled sweetly and spoken with
someone at the clinic that had gotten him a slot that afternoon.

Now all he had to do was wait to be called so that they could do a swab of his
mouth and take a blood sample.  Usually they could do one or the other but
Kevin had requested both because he wanted there to be no doubt that
Jonathan was his son.  In his heart Kevin was already sure of it.  Kyle had
seemed so certain and despite his past Kevin did not think that the boy would
lie about something like this.

"Mr. Richardson?" Someone said softly. Kevin looked up and realised that the
nurse was standing next to him.  He was glad that she had not shouted his
name across the clinic.  "The doctor will see you now." She said with a kind
smile.  "I thought that under the circumstances you would prefer me to fetch
you."

Kevin paled, as he realised that she must know exactly who he was.  So
much for being inconspicuous.

"It's okay." She said kindly.  "We have strict doctor/patient confidentiality and
no one is here to judge you."

Kevin nodded and stood, following her into the small room where a doctor
was waiting.

"Mr. Richardson?" He asked with a slight nod.  "If you'll just take a seat this
will only take a moment."

"Don't worry." The nurse said, recognizing that he was still tense.  "It won't
hurt a bit."

Kevin tried to smile but it came out as more of a grimace.  He hated needles
but knew he had to grin and bear this as it would take him closer to meeting
the son he had just discovered.  He knew that anything was worth it to get
Jonathan back.

"If you would roll up your sleeve..." The doctor said as he prepared the
needle.

Kevin did so and then made a fist without being asked.  He had been through
enough routine medicals and immunisations to know what was coming next.

"You'll feel a slight prick as the needle goes in." The doctor said as he
prepared the area.  "Then I'll draw a little blood and take a swab from inside
your mouth."

Kevin nodded, looking away and trying to focus on why he was doing this.  He
was so deep in thought that he barely felt the needle as it slid in and drew the
blood that would prove he was the father of Julia's son.

"Just a swab now." The doctor said.  "If you could look straight ahead and
open your mouth wide for me..."

Kevin did as directed and a moment later felt a slight scrapping on his gums
as the doctor collected the cells which stored his DNA.

"All done." The doctor said a moment later as he sealed the swab into a test
tube and placed it in a tray for testing.  "The results should be ready in 5-7
days.  Someone will be in touch."

"A week?" Kevin asked as he stood up and looked at the doctor.  "It takes a
week?"

"There is no rushing these things, Mr. Richardson, we have to be sure." The
doctor replied.

"What am I supposed to do in the mean time?" He asked.

"Do you have a lawyer?" The doctor asked.

Kevin shook his head.  He had thought about it but hadn't really had time to
arrange anything.  The social worker had told him that DNA testing was the
first port of call and he had followed her instructions in the futile hope that it
would mean he could pick Jonny up that day.

"It's probably a good idea." The doctor said.  "If you speak with my
receptionist she might be able to give you a list of possibilities."

"Thank you." Kevin said with a genuine smile.

"You're welcome." The doctor said.  "It's refreshing to see a man fighting for
his children rather than trying to get out of his responsibilities." He added,
somewhat unprofessionally.

Kevin smiled and thanked the man again, stopping at reception to get the list
before leaving.  It boggled his mind that there were men that would shirk the
duty of fatherhood.  Kevin had always wanted children and having Jon in his
life was a dream come true.  Even if he had not been prepared for it before
the idea was definitely one that was growing on him.

Now he just needed a lawyer so that he could make sure that the dream of
having his son with him became a reality.

***

When Kyle woke again he was conscious that he was not alone in the room.
There was in fact a small group of people at his bedside.

"Kyle?" Kevin asked softly, not wanting to wake him if he wished to continue
sleeping.

Kyle struggled to sit up before remembering that he was in hospital and that it
was better to stay horizontal.  He had taken a blow to his head, the doctors
had told him, and sitting up gave him a wave of nausea that only made him
feel worse.

"Kevin?" Kyle replied, his voice still scratchy.  He had managed to drink
something earlier but not a lot and the drugs dried his throat quickly.
"Who...?"

"This is Peter Walker." Kevin said, introducing the man that sat at his side.
"He's an attorney who specialises in family law.  He's going to help me get
custody of Jonathan..."

"Hi." Kyle said, coughing slightly as he tried to talk.

One of the others in the room came forward, stepping into Kyle's line of sight
with a cup of water.  It was Alex.  He held a drinking straw to Kyle's lips and
again reminded the younger man why he was his favourite.  Despite the bad
boy reputation AJ was the one that would think to do the little things like this.

Kyle nodded his thanks after a short sip of water and Alex placed the water on
his bedside table.

"Don't try to talk too much." AJ chided.  "Remember that you only woke up this
morning.  You shouldn't overstretch yourself."

Kyle nodded again and then turned to Kevin, begging him to go on.

Kevin complied with this unspoken request and filled Kyle in on what he had
done that day.  Including the trip to the clinic and social services and adding in
that he had spoken with Kyle's doctors about his own treatment.

"You  took quite a blow to the head." Kevin said.  "The doctors are worried
about how long you were out for but they seem to think that your body just
needed to repair itself.  Other than the fact that you're weaker than they would
hope they think that you're okay."

"No permanent brain damage." AJ said to his side.  "Probably had a job
finding your brain though."  He joked.

Kevin glared at AJ but Kyle smiled slightly, glad that someone was treating
him like normal.  There was too much else going on for him to think about his
own condition and it was good to know that he could still smile.

"The one good thing about you being out so long is that your arm is nearly
healed." Kevin continued.  "The doctor said that your cast can come off in a
week or so but that you other than that you should be okay to go home in a
week or two as long as your physio goes okay."

Kyle closed his eyes to that and Kevin realised what he had said.

Kyle couldn't go home.  He'd never be able to go home again because his
Mother's boyfriend had killed her and ripped apart the only place that Kyle
knew as home.  Even if he was able to return the apartment that they had
lived in was still a crime scene and most likely held too many bad memories
for it ever to feel like home again.  This was a part that they didn't show you
on the afternoon specials.  The aftermath of such an event.

"You can come and stay with me while you recover." Kevin said without
thinking.  "It's not much but I have a spare room."

"Thanks." Kyle said, his eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"You look tired." AJ said.  "I think that we've stayed past visiting hours
anyway."

Kyle nodded, his eyes still shut as he tried to hold back the onslaught of
memories that talk of home had brought up.

"We'll let you sleep now, but I'll be back tomorrow." Kevin promised,
squeezing Kyle's arm as he left.

Kyle heard footfalls as they exited his room and let out a sigh or relief when
he heard the door close.  They were gone and he was alone at last.  He took
a shuddering breath as he finally gave in to the tears that he had been holding
back.

Kyle had wanted Jonathan to have a chance to meet his father and Kevin to
have the chance to meet his son but he had never wanted this to happen.  If
he could take it all back he would if it meant that his Mom was still alive and
Jonny was still with her.

Kyle cried out his grief and sorrow as he lay alone in his clinical prison and
couldn't help but feel he was to blame for the whole thing.

***

Nurse Anne Collins watched over the boy as he slept wondering if she had
done the right thing in contacting Kevin.  It was obvious that having the other
man re-enter his life was traumatic for her patient but she saw a lot of people
coming in and out of her wards, some with a lot of family and others with
none, few of their stories were as tragic as Kyle's and she felt a special affinity
with the young man.

She knew that he had a brother that had been taken into care and that his
mother had been killed and she wondered how one even began to cope with
such a tragedy.

"Excuse me?" Someone said, interrupting her thoughts.  She turned to see a
stranger that she had not seen on the ward before.  She smiled kindly at him,
as if willing him to continue, but left one hand on her silent call button in case
he was there to try and steal drugs.  "I'm looking for Kyle Maddox, I was told
that you might have some news."

"Are you a relative?" She asked, knowing that he only had a younger brother
left as well as the man who had almost been his step-father.  "We don't
normally allow people in to visit unless they are family."

"Kyle doesn't have any family." The man replied cynically.  "At least, not
anymore.  I guess that you could say I am the closest thing to family that the
boy has left."

"I can't let you in to see him without a little more information."

"I'm Tom Barton.  Kyle works for me sometimes." The man replied.  "When he
didn't turn up to work last weekend I started looking into it, because he is
normally so diligent.  I heard that he was here and came to see him.  Kyle
might think that he is alone but some of us still care about him..."

"You know Kyle?" A voice behind him asked.  Anne knew that it was one of
Kyle's regular visitors, one of the young men that she had come to know as
his family, but she wasn't sure if the two men knew each other.

"Who's asking?" Tom replied suspiciously.  There were a lot of men in Kyle's
life that came and went and he wasn't about to tell one of them anything until
he knew that he could trust him.

"I'm AJ McLean." The tattooed man said.  He looked and sounded dangerous,
as if the eyes that he was hiding behind the dark glasses held some menace,
being a bar owner Tom knew better than to be scared by the act.  "You could
say that Kyle is a friend of the family."

"Well, can I see him?" Tom asked, looking between AJ and Anne.  Anne
shrugged, looking at AJ.  If the younger man could vouch for him then she
would be okay with it.

"Okay, but only as long as Kyle says it is okay." Alex said.  He wanted to
protect Kyle against any further pain and if this man was going to hurt him
then he would make sure that the man never saw Kyle again.  "If he doesn't
want to see you then you'll leave."

There was a tone in his voice that told Tom that if he didn't leave voluntarily
he would be forced to leave.  He wasn't scared but more grateful that there
was someone who was willing to make threats on Kyle's behalf, someone that
obviously felt protective of the boy.  Kyle had spent too long being abused by
the men in his life and it was about time that he had a friend.

"I'll leave you boys to it." Anne said, moving away and getting on with her
work.  Her break was over and she knew that Kyle would not be alone now.

"He's this way." AJ said, leading Tom to Kyle's bedside.  "He's probably still
asleep, he's only just woken up.  Out of his coma, I mean."

Tom entered the room and immediately went to Kyle's side.  Any doubts that
AJ may have had about this man caring for Kyle disappeared when he saw
Tom take Kyle's hand and smile softly to the sleep mussed boy.  Kyle was
awake but it looked as if he had only just woken.

"Hey kiddo." Tom said returning the small smile that Kyle had given him.  "You
had some of us worried."

"Sorry..." Kyle said as he tried to sit up and face his boss.  Tom stilled him
with a firm hand on his shoulder.  Kyle looked away.  "I didn't think to call you,
I'm sorry if you were worried..."

"It's okay, kid." Tom replied.  "Just as long as you're okay."

There was a brief silence and then Tom spoke again.

"I was sorry to hear about your Mom.  If you need anything, you know that you
can call us." Tom said.  "Everyone at the club sends their best wishes... You'll
have to come by when you're well again."

Kyle nodded, turning back to look at his boss.  There was a sorrow in Tom's
eyes that went beyond sympathy for someone that had lost a parent and Kyle
knew what that meant.

"You've filled my job, haven't you?" He asked, although he knew from Tom's
reaction that it was true.

"I'm sorry kiddo, you know the rules..." Tom said, sounding as if he hated the
rules at that minute.

"Yeah." Kyle sighed.  "I guess that Jake finally got my hours..."

"If there was anything I could do..." Tom said, trailing off when Kyle held up a
hand to halt him.

"It's okay, I know the rules.  You don't turn up you lose your job." Kyle replied.
"It's not as if I could work for a while anyway.  I'm going to be in plaster for
another week or so and then I'll have to have physical therapy.  You'd have
been lucky to see me anytime before Christmas." He tried to laugh but it was
obvious that the pain in his ribs stopped that.

"I guess I should get going." Tom said, sensing that if he didn't leave soon that
he might face the wrath of Kyle's latest boyfriend.  AJ was glaring at him.

"You just came here to tell him he had lost his job?" AJ asked.  "Talk about
kicking a man while he is down."

"Alex, it's okay." Kyle protested.

"No." AJ stated firmly.  "It's not.  And I know at least two employment lawyers
who would tell you that as well."

"Kyle knew the rules when he took the job." Tom replied, not backing down.
"And I think that you'll find that no employment lawyer would touch the case of
a nineteen year old boy working in a bar without a contract.  Kyle needed a
job and I gave him one, no questions asked, but he knew the rules when he
started out.  You don't turn up once, you don't turn up at all."

"Alex, it's okay." Kyle said.  "Really...I expected this."

"I'll see you around kiddo." Tom said, leaning over and giving Kyle a half-hug.
He turned to leave and then changed his mind, stepping closer to AJ instead.
"You make sure that you look after him.  I know your type, Kyle may be
intimidated by you but I'm not, and if you hurt one hair on his head you'll have
to deal with me."

"Like I told you outside Kyle is family.  We look after our own." AJ replied.

"Make sure that you do." Tom said, needing to have the last word.  Afterwards
he turned on his heel and walked out before AJ could reply.

Kyle lay in his bed still reeling from the words that AJ had said.  They had
been said in anger but did that make them any less true?  Alex thought of
them as family?  For the first time since he had woken up from his nightmare
Kyle didn't feel so alone.  The tears fell of their own accord as the realisation
hit him.

Alex moved to Kyle's side and saw the tears.  He mistook them for tears over
the job and the friends that Kyle had just lost and felt a tug on his heart
strings.

"Don't worry Ky, we'll look after you." Alex said as he reached out to wipe
away the younger man's tears with his fingers gently stroking his cheeks as
he did so.  "And you'll find another job in no time."

Kyle nodded, knowing that Alex had misunderstood why he was crying but not
being able to articulate the real reason behind his tears.

When Kevin came in for his usual visit an hour later he found Alex still
perched on the edge of Kyle's bed with Alex trying to feed Kyle oatmeal.  A
large amount of it had ended up on the tray instead of in Kyle's mouth and the
pair of them were laughing.  It made Kevin smile when he saw it and he
wondered if Kyle had really changed all that much from the younger man he
had known.  He only had to look at Kyle's eyes to know that there was a
change, where there had once been an arrogant and overconfident teenager
there was now a haunted young man.  In that moment Kevin would have done
anything to have the conceited fifteen year old back.

***