Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2016 16:30:25 -0500 From: JAMES HEADY <vector18@msn.com> Subject: a Safe Place--Chapter 26 a Safe Place By James Disclaimer This story deals with sexual as well as romantic situations between teenaged males. Should you be offended by such material or not of the legal age to read said story or similar literature, then please find something else to read. Should anyone want to communicate with me about the story or anything, I can be reached at vector18@msn.com. Comments and other topics will be welcomed, though flames will be ignored. Finally, please remember to donate to Nifty so that these stories and other material can remain free to the public. Chapter 26 Caleb I awoke from the anesthesia and tried to focus. I didn't feel any nausea, as they gave me something through my I.V. before waking me up like they said they would, but I felt tired, more than I had before in my life. My eyes felt like someone hit them with a hammer and all I wanted to do was go back to sleep. I continued my return to consciousness and I felt a hand stroking my arm gently. It was coming from my left and somehow, I knew it was Nathan. He and I talked about him being there with me as I woke up and our parents agreed. I felt someone rubbing my arm on my right and I tried to speak, but at first nothing came out. I cleared my throat, and tried again. "Mom? Dad?" I said. "Nathan?" "We're here," my dad said. "Your mom is coming in now." "We're here for you," Nathan said. "It's all over. It went well and the doctor said that you went through the surgery just fine." "He's right," my mom said stepping up to the side of my bed where my dad was standing. "I feel so tired," I said trying to stay awake. "I feel like that all I want to do is sleep." "It's okay," my mom said. "You'll be able to sleep here in a little while once they check you out." After they checked me out, I went back home with Nathan and my family and got quickly in to bed. Nathan held me and stroked my hair, careful to avoid the area near my eyes. I slowly drifted off to sleep, and just before I lost consciousness again that day, I heard him say how much he loved me." "I love you too," I just barely got out, then I was asleep. 0000 Christian I awoke and felt the small and adorable boy lying spooned up against me. He had been sleeping with me in my bed a couple of nights after they moved him in to my room. He had a room of his own when he got to the house, but once we got several new kids moved in, we had to switch a couple of rooms. I was able to stay in mine, and for a while before the new kids came, there was no reason for my room to have to be given a roommate until now though. The boy who I was holding close was named Maxwell. He was the younger brother of Eric Edwardson and from the little he told me of why he was there, he had had a nervous breakdown a few weeks ago and had to be taken to the hospital and after a couple of weeks, he was sent to stay with us for a while. When he began staying in my room with me, he and I got along immediately, especially because of the fact that we're both incurable Metal heads and proud of it. We talked a lot about which Metal bands we liked, but we also got on to other subjects as well. He liked to read and though he had been in sports while in school, he actually hated it, but he quickly got off that subject and I didn't push. We would talk about other things as well, and for the first couple of nights, he and I would talk in the dark while lying in our respective beds, then we'd say good night and drift off to sleep. On the third night, he was having some trouble with anxiety and fear. He began to tell me a little about what caused his nervous breakdown, then after a few minutes of beginning the story, he stopped and said that he couldn't talk about it at that point. I let him know that I wasn't going to push him to talk about anything he didn't want to talk about and he seemed to calm down for a few minutes. I was beginning to fall asleep, then I heard him call my name in the darkness. "Christian?" he called out in a loud whisper. "Hmmm?" I said as I started drifting off. "Can I get in bed with you?" he asked. "If you don't want me to, I won't. It's only that I'm still having trouble relaxing and I really need to feel you close to me." I sat up and pushed the covers down and got up out of bed and went over to his. I held out a hand to him and he took it and before walking with me, he turned and wrapped his arms around my torso and held on tightly. That was the first time he and I shared any physical contact other than a one-armed hug around the shoulders and this new full-bodied embrace surprised me at first, but I quickly loved the feeling of his arms around me. I pushed any romantic thoughts out of my head at that moment though and wrapped my arms around him and held him close then softly stroked his back up and down as he began to calm down. "It's okay," I whispered in his ear. "No one's coming for you. No one's going to get you here, and not especially with me here." "Thanks Christian," he whispered back, then after a few minutes of standing there like that, we separated and I walked with him with his hand in mine over to my bed and we got in. I pulled up the covers and wrapped my arms around him after he turned so that his back was pressed against my stomach and chest. We both quickly fell fast asleep. As I lay there that morning with the rain beating down and the thunder crashing over-head, I wanted to just stay like that with him. I knew that there was something between us that was more than friendship, but I didn't want to push. That morning though, I knew with deep and sudden clarity that I loved Maxwell. We would sneak glances at one another as we got completely undressed before we took turns in the shower. We'd wrap a towel around ourselves before we'd each take our turn in the shower, but we still got to see one another and I definitely loved his cock which looked to be six inches and that was when it was soft. I saw him hard a couple of times when he'd use the restroom in the morning and it looked at that point, like it was seven or maybe a little more, but none the less, I loved it. His balls were low-hanging and had a few hairs and I wondered what they'd feel like as well as what they'd taste like. He stood around 5-2, was around 120 LBs and had black hair and light-green eyes. He was handsome, but beautiful at the same time. I knew I had to have him, not just sexually someday, but romantically and as a best friend as well. As I lay there, I felt him shift, then he turned in my arms and was now facing me. He opened his eyes and smiled then I felt his hardness pressed up against my thigh as he leaned against me to hug me tightly for a moment. We stayed like that for a moment, and it was long enough so that my own cock grew even harder than it was and when he shifted again, our erections both were pressed tightly against one another. I thought about moving away to make sure he wouldn't get scared, but as if picking up on my thoughts, he pressed against me and looked deeply in to my eyes. It was as if he was telling me to stay where I was and not to move, so I stayed like that, then after another moment of him being pressed against me, he moved then smiled at me. "Good morning," he said softly. "Good morning to you as well," I replied and stroked his hair back from his forehead. "Do you want to get in to the restroom first?" "You can go first," I replied. After he finished up with relieving himself and brushing his teeth, he turned and motioned for me to come in. We had been getting more and more comfortable with being around each other while relieving our bladders or brushing our teeth, so I went in without even thinking to ask him for privacy. After I finished with urinating, I watched him as he was admiring my cock. I pretended not to notice, and I also took in the almost starved look he gave it as well as the even more longing look he gave my balls. I took a little longer than usual to pull up my boxers and when I got them up, I remembered feeling a deep sense of excitement that he was finding me not only cute, but clearly as sexy as he did. I then brushed my teeth and after putting away my toothbrush I turned to him and reached out my arms. He walked to me and after we walked out of the restroom, I hugged him and he held me just as tightly, then looked in to my eyes. "You look good," he said just above a whisper. "Really?" I asked and smiled. "How good?" "Good enough for me to try something," he replied. He moved his face closer to mine and I waited. "What?" I asked smiling bigger now. "I'd like to see what it would feel like to kiss you," he said and blushed hard. I smiled, but inside I was filled with joy, the likes of which I couldn't put in to words. I had been wanting this for the longest time, since we first met actually. I moved my face closer and his lips met mine. He pressed a long and warm kiss on my lips and I kissed back as I felt him grip me tighter. We began working our mouths against one another and I moved my tongue to his lips. He opened without hesitating and our tongues battled, and our cocks were harder than ever. Soon though, he broke the kiss and pressed against me and I involuntarily moaned. He did as well, and I knew that if we hadn't had any schedules to keep, I probably would have made love to him in our bed if he had wanted it. My thoughts were interrupted when Max took his head off my shoulder and looked in to my eyes. "How did I do?" he asked. "Amazing!" I said and kissed his cheek. "I've wanted to share that with you for a long time." "Me too," he replied. "I thought you were cute from the moment I met you." "I thought the same about you as well," I said. "Do you think about doing things with me?" he asked softly. "Like making love." He said this last part and looked down at my erection which was still hard as iron. "All the time," I said. "Same here," he answered and we went over to the bed. Once seated beside one another, he looked at me and snuggled up against me as I wrapped my arms around him and held him close. "If you're really interested in being with me sexually someday," he began and turned his head to look in to my eyes. "I need your promise about something." "Name it," I said and kissed his cheek. "I'll do anything for you. I definitely promise you that." "Thanks for that," he said and smiled. "What I need you to promise me, is that if I say no whenever we're making love, that you'll stop. The main reason, the only reason I was brought here actually, was because I tried to kill myself because of being bullied." "I'm sorry to hear that," I said and stroked his hair. "You mentioned something about people giving you shit at your school when we first met." "The worst of it was what my sports coach was doing to me," he said and began shaking. "He made me do things to him and uh, well, it made me feel horrible about myself, as if it was my fault." "I know what you're trying to tell me," I said and I situated us so that we were both lying full-length on the bed and he was wrapped tightly in my arms. "My dad raped me for a while, before I escaped and I understand the pain of what you're going through. I'll never force you to do anything you don't want to do. Also, I'll never make you have sex with me if you don't want to. I truly do promise you that." "Thanks Christian," he replied and kissed me softly. "I promise the same for you too. You're safe with me." "Same here," I responded and we shared a deep and tender kiss. After a few more moments of cuddling and kissing, we got up and started the day. He told me that his parents and brother would be coming to see him for the first time since they dropped him off there and he was excited to see them. He really missed them and I could see that in his eyes. He told me that he'd let me meet them as well and I hoped that they'd like me, first as his friend, then eventually as his boyfriend. 0000 Caleb Getting through those three weeks was hard. I was hard all the time and with the exception of wetdreams, I wasn't jacking off since any movements and thrashing that my body would do could easily shift the drainage tubes out of position which would require another round of surgeries to correct them. So that was one thing that frustrated me as well as not being able to make love to Nathan. There were other issues as well. They put me on an eyedrop form of a steroid the side-effects of which were mainly depression as well as irritability. I somehow had the strength and a little patients left to talk about my feelings with my family and Nathan and the others, but it was horrible, especially with me feeling like I could snap at the slightest problem. I was mostly afraid of taking things out on Justin, as he could sometimes be sarcastic and that wasn't a type of humor I was ready for at that time. Luckily though, he kept it to a minimum and my parents had already let him know to be patient with me a couple of days before the surgery and he listened and was good for the most part. Things were still up in the air with his mother and it wasn't looking good. Not only had she not called him and when she did call the house, she'd say that she didn't have time to speak with him and just a couple of days before Christmas, and just the day before I had a doctor's appointment for my eyes in which hopefully they'd tell me that I could get back to my normal activities, the treatment center in which Justin's mom was being held called us. It was a little after 7:00 P.M. on a Wednesday night and they said that she had checked herself out "Against Advice" and she didn't say where she was going. It was clear to us that she was most likely going to go drink, but we worried about where she'd stay afterwards. 0000 Justin's mom finished the sixth drink at the bar while she talked with the man she saw when she first came in to the bar. They talked and laughed while drinking and at no point, did she think of Justin. She had grown more and more tired of him and she still didn't understand why she had to be settled with a fucking child, and a one-legged one at that. The fucking little bastard was always crying about his leg hurting him when he'd walk. As far as she was concerned, it was his own fault. If he'd use the skin cream the fucking doctors had given him, he'd probably not be in pain all the time. Fuck it though, was what she thought. As far as she was concerned, it was all his own problem, not hers. Once the man paid for his and her tab, she left with him and for a couple of hours in the back of his car, they had drunken sex, then after she was a little more clear-headed, she left after telling him that she'd call him once he gave her his number, although she knew she'd do no such thing. She allowed herself to be attached to no one and she was thinking that it would be nice if that little bastard son of hers would understand that, but especially her fucking sister and that washed up husband and fagot kids of theirs. As she walked along, she didn't see much less hear the car speeding up and getting closer to her. The car was coming up on her left as she walked along the side of the road. The two men inside the car were drunk and getting more and more intoxicated as the minutes went by. Chuck, the driver threw his can in the back after draining the last drops. His passenger Alex was getting two more beers, one for him and one for Chuck. "I can't find the fucking turn off," Chuck said as he tried to look through the windshield. His vision was blurred and his head was swimming from all the drinking he and Alex had been doing. "I'm sure it's right up ahead," Alex said as they started drinking again. "Where's the fucking turn off!" Chuck yelled and began driving faster. "You sure you're not going the wrong way?" Alex asked. "I know where it is!" Chuck yelled. "I just need to find it!" "I really think you're going the wrong way!" Alex yelled as the car began swerving hard. After another swerve, the car began moving to the right and coming at Justin's mom, though the two guys didn't know it. They both screamed as the car shot forward and slammed in to her, throwing her up in the air. She flew for several feet, fell on the street, flew back up in the air and hit a signpost, then fell again and on to a power line which snapped, and sent electricity surging through her body killing her instantly. The electricity lit up the night sky for a moment, and caused her body to go rigid, just like a man being put to death in the electric chair. After it was over, her lifeless body lay there smoking as the rain began to gush down in sheets. The car that Chuck and Alex had been driving in, had crashed and went over the guardrail and burst in to flames which leaped up and looked as if they were trying to touch the stars. While it burned on, the two men attempted to free themselves and someone from across the street yelled for someone to call the police. Through all of this, her lifeless body lay there being soaked by the rain. Her spiritual and physical death after having lived a life tarnished by moral nihilism and moral depravity was now complete and the cycle of nihilism was also now complete. 0000 The call came as everyone was getting ready for bed in the Roberts house. Bill answered the phone and then handed it to Maria. She listened, then ended the call and got up to get dressed. She told Bill what happened and after she got her shoes tied, they hugged. "Oh God, I don't even know how we're going to tell Justin," she said sobbing in Bill's arms. "All he wanted was for her to get better and to have a relationship with her." "We're going to tell him and go about it the best way we can," Bill said. They told Justin and he sobbed and it seemed like he'd never stop. His dream of having a mother, and not only having a mother, but his dream of having his own mother well and healthy and being the person she could have been to him was dead and her with that dream. "Why did she have to keep drinking like that!" he yelled through his tears. "I don't know," Maria said and it was the truth. She wasn't about to give Justin the usual crap about how her sister had a disease which had a tight hold on her. Though she had a compulsion to drink, the bottle at no time ever put itself to her lips and forced itself down her throat. No, Maria wasn't going to give Justin any excuses for his mother's nihilistic life. There were none to give in the end. 0000 Caleb I awoke the next morning at 7:00 A.M. since my appointment was at 8:30 that morning. Nathan stayed over and he massaged my body as I drifted off to sleep. He truly had been wonderful through it all and I didn't think I could thank him enough for being there. As I went in to the kitchen, I heard my mom talking and I knew it was Justin to whom she was speaking. From his breathing, I knew he was crying. "Mom?" I said stepping in to the room and getting close to her and Justin. Justin came to me and put his arms around me and I held him. He was still in his sleep clothes and I just held him as he cried. "His mom died last night," my mom said as she wiped away her tears. She told me what happened and I was sad, but more for Justin than anything else. "I'm sure it's really sad for you right now Justin," I said and kissed his cheek as he began to relax. "I'm really sorry for what happened and I want you to know that we're here for you, all of us." "Thanks," he said as he rested against me. "I'll be staying here with Justin today," my mom said. "You're dad's going to take you and Nathan to your appointment." "Okay," I said and after Justin let me go, I went and hugged my mom and I heard Justin walking out of the room. "I'm sorry for you as well. I know she was your sister and I know you guys didn't have a close relationship and nothing really did get solved and stayed unresolved up to the end." We hugged for a moment and after my mom let go and dried her eyes, she looked at me. "It was hard," she said. "Just for the reasons you said about things being a mess up until the end, but just for most of our lives. She started acting the way she was around when she turned 12. It began after she came back from our cousin Randy's house. He was my father's nephew and when she was 12, he was 36. To put it honestly, he always got a weird look on his face when he'd be in the company of young girls. I stayed away from him, but he was able to get her to trust him." I began to feel sick. I thought I knew where she was going with this and if it was true then as horrible as Aunt Margie's behavior had been, it still was starting to make perfect if not tragic sense. "We think that the one weekend she spent with him while our parents were out of town partying, that he most likely molested her," my mom went on. "She was different when she returned home that Sunday night and slowly as the days turned in to weeks, she began retreating in to herself and slowly stopped having anything to do with our parents, but especially with me. Then one day after a few months went by, I asked her if Randy did anything to her that she was afraid to talk about and she cussed me out and that was pretty much the end of the last thread of our relationship. She ran away from home and our parents did little to find her much less get her back." "I'm really sorry to hear all that," I said. I was too. It made me think of what Kevin went through while holding in his secret, but with the exception of running away from home and staying away. At least he hadn't did that, but his anger and withdraw was more or less similar to what my mom was describing where Aunt Margie was concerned. "I probably shouldn't have shared all of that with you," she said. "You do have to get going and since it's running a little late given everything, you guys can get a small breakfast on the road and go where ever you want for lunch after the appointment. Also, you have a lot going on today and I probably should have saved that story for some other time." "There's no need to apologize," I said as we shared another hug. "Some might say that I'm too young to hear about stuff like this, but it's not as if I'm a little boy anymore. I appreciate you thinking of my feelings though." "Thanks," she answered as we ended the hug and after Nathan wheeled himself in to the kitchen and got on his coat, we left the house once my dad came back in from heating up the car. After the appointment, I called my mom and let her know how things went. The doctor said that I could resume my normal activities and when my dad left us alone in the car to go and get something to drink before driving back home, Nathan and I shared a deep kiss and while I held him in my arms, I told him that the next day, he was coming to the guest house with me for some uninterrupted time alone. He told me how much that sounded good and we shared another kiss then just sat there holding hands. I was finally getting my life back. Once back at the house, I greeted my mom and she said that Justin was sleeping. She then told me that Bret was getting things out for lunch which sounded good. So after I put away my coat and Nathan got started on some school assignments that one of the teachers brought over, I sat and talked with Bret for a bit while he chopped vegetables for a side-salad. I helped with some of it while we talked. "I'm glad everything worked out for you today," he said. "So am I," I replied. "So what did you do while I was gone this morning?" "I did some cleaning in my room, then I sat with Justin while he waited to fall asleep," he replied. "I hope that in time, he'll be okay, or at least moved past this somewhat. I guess it's hard to say though." "Yeah, I feel the same way," I responded. "He'll probably always have that void in his life. He wanted so much from his life with his mom, and the sad part of it is, is that he never really did have a life with her. Even when she did buy gifts for him, she'd take them right back when he'd do something wrong, but more often than not, the thing he'd do that she called "wrong" would be usually something she didn't like." "So whatever he'd do wrong around her was mainly a matter of perception where she was concerned?" Bret asked,. "Definitely," I replied. "He's always been good around us, but if you heard her talk about him, you'd think she had a completely different kid. I personally don't think he ever did much to her that was bad. I get the feeling that he'd have issues sometimes that were no different than any other kid, but at the most, she'd exaggerate things he'd do because in reality, she was abusing him verbally and physically so she needed a reason to justify it so no one could call her on it. At the very least, she was lying about things he'd do, but the end goal seemed to be the same." "I just hope we all can give him a good life," Bret answered. "So do I," I replied. "Anyway, so do you and Nathan want to hang in my room after lunch?" he asked. "We could talk and listen to music if you want." "Yeah," I answered. "I'd love that." Once Nathan finished the last of his assignments, he got up from the table where he had been working and most likely listening to Bret and I talk. He put away his things and then his phone rang. He got it and went in the other room for a moment. From the ringtone, I knew it was his mom. He finished up then returned to the kitchen. "I forgot one of my shirts," he said as he wheeled up to us and held my hand when I brought it down and stopped chopping for a moment. "My mom said that Derick would be bringing it over in a few minutes. She just called your mom to ask if he could come by with it and she said it was fine." "Sounds good," I replied. After a few minutes, there was a knock at the front door. After I asked who it was and a man answered with the name Derick, I went to get it, but Bret said he'd get it while I finished mixing the salad. 0000 Brett I opened the door and saw a tall and extremely handsome guy standing there. He had dark-blond hair and soft brown eyes as well as smooth skin along with a completely shaven face. He stood about 6-4 and looked like he was around 150 LBs with most of it muscle. I was instantly in love. "Uh, Hi," I said and held out my hand. "I'm Bret. I'm staying with Caleb and his family for a while." "Aunt Amy told me a little about that," he replied. "I'm Derick. It's nice to meet you." "It's nice to meet you as well," I replied. We shook hands and held on longer than usual, until he looked down and realized it and made a move to let go. Our hands separated and I let him in. 0000 Derick I stepped in to the house and watched Bret. He looked amazing and I knew I had to get to know him better and hoped that he was gay like me. I then said hi to Caleb and Nathan and was then introduced to Maria. After I gave Nathan his shirt and he wheeled down the hall to put it away, Maria invited me to sit and to stay for lunch. I agreed since Amy was gone for the day and I didn't have anything to do since classes were out for the Christmas Break, so I was more than happy to take the Roberts Family up on their offer of lunch and company. Author's Notes I'll be picking right up with this part of the story line in the next chapter in order that I can get things started between Bret and Derick. I'll also be getting back to Nathan and Caleb in the up-coming chapter and I'll leave it at that so that readers can be surprised. One more thing, I wanted to thank the readers who wrote for the previous chapter. I wanted to thank Michael and John for writing and letting me know what they thought about the story. Also, thanks to Neal for writing as well. I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story and I hope you continue to do so. Everyone have a good weekend and I'll see everyone in Chapter 27.