Date: Wed, 1 Jun 2011 22:09:50 +0100 (BST)
From: Anthony Lane <al.edu29d@yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: Alex's guardian angel chapter 1

Alex's guardian angel

By A Lane

Warning:

This story contains scenes of love and a sexual nature involving males with
other males.  If the reading or possessing of such material as this is
illegal in your country, state, province, county, municipality, etc.,
please leave this site immediately and do not proceed further.  If you are
under the legal age to read this, please do not do so.

It is not my intention to offend anyone or to get you in trouble.

The author retains all rights to this original story.  Please do not
publish without my explicit authorisation.

Disclaimer:

Most of the places mentioned, and none of the characters exist in real
life. Whilst there are references to celebrities in places, no inference
should be taken as to their sexual orientation in real life. This story is
completely fictional.

This is my first attempt at writing fiction. I was inspired to pick up the
pen after reading several stories by David Lee which can be found in the
prolific authors section on Nifty.

I would like to send out thanks to both David and Tom who have both helped
to edit the errors out. If you would like to send me an email about this
story please put Alex's guardian angel in the main title. Thanks for
reading.


Chapter 1

When Alex woke up on the morning of his sixteenth birthday he should have
been carefree and happy but there was something dragging him down, he
automatically reached for his special kit which he made sure had been
hidden from his parents. Inside the kit was a blade, some disinfectant and
some bandages. Alex was a self harmer and he found that cutting himself
could help alleviate his moods when he was really down. On this particular
day, Alex made a mistake with the blade and cut deeper than he had ever
done before or intended to do. For a few seconds he just sat there watching
the blood flow out of his arm, he was so absorbed in this that he did not
hear his brother enter the room. It took a few seconds before his brother's
scream entered into Alex's consciousness. His parents came running into the
room to see why Jerry was screaming. It took Alice a second to take in what
was wrong before she asked her husband Tom to phone for an ambulance and
then she grabbed one of Alex's t-shirts off the floor and used it to try to
staunch the bleeding. It was while she was doing this that she noticed that
Alex had a blade in his hand.

The paramedics arrived quickly, which surprised Alex's parents and
proceeded to take over from Alice. They stabilised Alex then asked if
anyone would like to accompany them in the ambulance with Alex. Alice
stated that as neither she nor her husband was properly dressed they would
like to get dressed and follow in the car shortly.

When they arrived at the hospital with Jerry in tow, they went straight to
reception at accident and emergency where they were asked to wait a few
minutes whilst the receptionist notified the doctor in charge of their
son's case that they were here.

"Mr & Mrs Wilshere? My name is Dr Goodwin and I have been supervising the
treatment of your son Alex. I'll have a nurse look after your other son
while we talk in private?" He led the parents into a side room and closed
the door.

"Before we get started, Alex is ok. We were able to stop the bleeding and
stitch the wound up. He is recovering now in a side room, but due to the
nature of the injury I am required to refer him to a psychologist."

"Why does my son need to see some shrink? It was just an accident." Tom
said

"I have to ask you some really difficult questions now which is why I
didn't want Alex's brother in the room. Prior to today did either of you
know that Alex had been self-harming?"

"What do you mean he's been self-harming? You mean that what he did today
was no accident?"

"Yes and no. Alex did have an accident this morning, he cut deeper than he
expected to. So I can assume neither of you were aware of this?"

"Now hang on a minute here pal, you seem to be implying that Alice and I
are some sort of bad parents."

"No certainly not, I have seen quite a lot of self-harmers in the past and
it is rare for anyone to know they were doing it until something goes
wrong. What I meant to ask I suppose was if either of you were aware of
Alex having an accident like this before?"

"No, I haven't seen him with so much as a scratch, and I am sure Tom would
have told me if he had. But since Alex is always wearing those long sleeve
tops nowadays I can't honestly say when I last saw his arms bare until
today."

"Well from the look of some of the scars on his arms I would say he has
been doing this for at least a year or so, which is why I want Alex to see
a psychologist. They have more experience with this type of thing and it is
usually best to head it off before it gets too serious."

"When will we be able to take him home?"

"Alex could go home right now so long as he takes it easy and rests up so
his body has a chance to recover from the blood loss. Oh and I would also
suggest you find his cutting kit and remove other sharp objects from his
room for the time being. And I don't want to sound like I am telling you
how to parent him but Alex is pretty vulnerable at the moment, the accident
this morning has shaken him up a little, so I would suggest that you leave
off talking about this morning too much." With that the doctor went to the
door and ushered Tom and Alice out into the corridor where Jerry had been
sitting with the nurse. "Right then I will go and get the papers for you to
sign and then Alex is free to leave with you."

Back at their home Jerry and his dad were searching Alex's room while Alex
was sitting with his mother who had just made a cup of tea for everyone.
The British cure all. After a few minutes Tom came downstairs with a few
objects in a bag. The minute he was in the room he threw the bag at Alex.
As the bag landed a few of the things fell out including a skimpy pair of
briefs and a magazine which showed a man on the front in a suggestive pose.

"Tell me why you would have that shit in your room; if you tell me
truthfully I may let you remain here, otherwise you can get the hell out of
my house."

Alex just broke down; his father had found the one thing he had been trying
to deny to himself, the very secret that was the cause of his pain and
suffering. Alex had realised that he was gay when he was just 13, but,
being brought up in a house that openly showed their hatred of anything not
deemed normal, he thought that there was something wrong with him. He had
tried to change, he had tried not liking the boys in school or the men in
the magazine but the only time he felt better was when he was cutting
himself and now his father knew.

Tom was not a patient man and the fact that he had always suspected there
was something abnormal about his eldest son, made him even angrier. When
Alex wouldn't answer him he realised he had been right all along.

"Get the hell out, I will not have something disgusting in my house, and
don't contact any of us ever again as far as I am concerned I only have one
son now."

Alex slowly went towards the front door hoping his mother would at least
stand up for him, but when he looked in her direction all he could see was
hatred. He didn't know what hurt him more, the pain in his arm from the cut
or the look his mother was giving him. He walked out the front door,
picking up his jacket on the way out and started down the street.

Alex had no idea where he was walking, after walking around for 20 minutes
he came across a bench, he just collapsed onto it. He was exhausted. After
a few seconds of sitting there the exhaustion took over and he closed his
eyes. Had Alex realised he was on a bench usually used by the homeless he
would not have bothered to sit down never mind close his eyes; but because
of the emotional and physical turmoil he had gone through he wasn't aware
of anything going on around him.

When Alex opened his eyes again the enormity of what had happened hit him
again and brought on another round of tears. It was at this point that a
woman pulled over in her car. She could see some of the bandage on his arm
and the distress in his eyes, so she turned off the engine, got out and
went over to Alex where she could sit down next to him.

"Excuse me, you can tell me to mind my own business if you like but you
look like you need some help, is there anything I can do?"

"I don't want to bother anyone with my troubles, besides I don't think you
would want to help me when you know my story." Alex was certain that
everyone thought just like his parents.

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that and let's start by telling me
your name?"

"Alex Wilshere"

"Hello Alex, nice to meet you, my name is Sarah Western." Sarah offered
Alex a hand to shake. "Now, why don't you tell me a little about why I find
you here when you look like you should be tucked up in bed recovering from
your injury?"

"My father has thrown me out of the house because I am an abnormal and
perverted freak."

"What makes you say you are abnormal, you certainly look normal to me."
Alex didn't know why, but he felt that this woman was being genuine and was
giving him a vibe that mad e him feel he could trust her.

"You really want to know? I am gay; there now you know you can run away
from the freak like everyone else will when they know." Alex was waiting
for this woman to run but when she didn't he carried on, "I have tried for
years to stop myself from being attracted to boys and be normal like I know
that's what my dad wanted but I can't help it, I couldn't ask him how to
stop it because he would have gone ballistic on me sooner and I didn't know
who else to talk to about it." It was as if Alex was trying to prove that
he had tried his best to change.

"So you think that because you are attracted to men rather than women there
is something wrong with you? Honey that is probably one of only a few
things you can't change about yourself. I mean you can get dye to change
your hair colour or you can get lenses to change your eye colour but to
change who you are attracted to is just not possible. It is all down to
chemistry, you either like it or you don't and if you don't like it there
is no way of making it so you do."

"But if that is true then what am I going to do? It means I will never be
able to go back to my parents not that I think they would believe me now if
I told them I was cured. This day is just getting worse. First I end up in
the hospital, then my father throws me out and now you tell me I'm stuck
being gay." Alex broke down in tears. After Sarah offered him a hankie for
his eyes she put her arm around his shoulder to comfort him. It was what
Alex needed, the feeling that someone cared, even if it was some stranger
he had only just met.

"Well Alex, in my opinion being gay isn't as bad as you seem to think. But
first things first, you need somewhere to stay and I can help with
that. So, why don't we get in the car and go to my place where we can sit
and talk some more where it is a little warmer than out here. I don't know
about you but I am freezing my butt off on this bench."

"Before we go anywhere, why are you helping me?" Alex might have been in
pain and at his lowest but he wasn't so far gone that he wasn't at least
suspicious of this lady's intentions.

"I suppose that is a fair question. When I saw you from the car you looked
so lost and in pain that I felt it was my duty to see if I could help. I
should also point out that I work with an organisation known as the
Samaritans. Have you heard of them?"

"Yeah I know who they are." After a little consideration Alex said "Ok,
I'll come with you. It is getting cold out here." With that they both got
into Sarah's car and drove to her house.