Date: Mon, 12 Aug 2002 14:58:47 -0700 (PDT)
From: Randal Jenner <rjthejackal@yahoo.com>
Subject: Killer and Ike 2

Killer and Ike, Chapter 2:  A rolling stone can't be stopped

By Randal Jenner
rjthejackal@yahoo.com


Keller dropped Isaac off at home at just past one in the afternoon and Ike
headed straight for the shower.  There was hot water at the cabin but it
was never very hot and never lasted long enough, and after his marathon
weekend with Keller he felt like just letting the hot water pound into his
shoulders and back.

When he dried off he pulled on a pair of loudly patterned boxers and put
his clothes from the trip in to wash, then crawled onto his bed for a nap.
He hadn't gotten much sleep for the last two and a half days and he was
exhausted.  His cat Mojo, an orange tabby, jumped up on his bed and curled
up in the crook of his arm.  They were both asleep in a matter of minutes.

He was awakened by something hitting him in the chest, and he blinked his
eyes, staring at the thick paperback book that had landed next to him.
Isaac lifted his head up towards the door to his room and was surprised to
see his mother waving her arm to get him to come to her.  She was listening
to the phone, and from the look on her face something real bad was
happening.

He stumbled over to her rubbing his head and yawned.  Janice Rawlins
covered the mouthpiece and spoke very quietly and in 'that' tone of voice.
"Get dressed, go get the Suburban out of the garage, and meet me out front.
Move!"  She turned and walked back down the hall still listening to the
phone.

Isaac for once did exactly what she'd commanded, mainly because his mother
never commanded him to do anything.  She never had to.  They got along like
best friends, and he rarely gave her reason to be mad.  He pulled on shorts
and a t-shirt, his sandals, and grabbed his wallet and keys on the way out.

He had just pulled the truck up into the circular driveway in front of the
house when she came out and closed the front door.  "Isaac, I'm afraid one
of your secrets is out, and we're going on a sort of rescue mission."  She
let him chew on that as she did up her seatbelt.

"What d'you mean, Mom?"  Ike asked in a quiet voice.  His face was turning
pale.

"Honey, do you remember a few months ago when I bought plane tickets for us
to go see Grandma and Grandpa?"  He nodded and Janice continued.  "What you
don't know is that my computer wouldn't start up so I used yours."  She
pointed towards the street and he started the truck moving.  "I saw the
pictures of Keller and the other boys, and it didn't take a lot of
detective work to guess why you have them in a password protected file.
Next time, don't use the cat's name for the password, okay?"

Isaac felt like he had a pair of hands around his neck, choking him.  He
swallowed hard.  "I'm really sorry, Mom.  I don't know what to say."  She
pointed again, and he turned left.

"Look, that's your choice to make, Isaac. If that's what you want then we
can talk about it later.  Right now we need to help your adopted brother."
The standing family joke was that Keller spent enough time at their house
to be considered adopted.  Vaughn and Janice had grown very attached to
Keller, and he was attached to them.

"Keller?  Why, what's going on?"  Isaac looked at her and his face went
red.  "Mother, what the hell is going on?"

"I was on the phone with Judy."  Judy Martin was Keller's mother.  Janice
turned in her seat to face her son.  "Isaac, that girl that Keller was
going with, Niki?"  Isaac nodded and she went on.  "She apparently took
some pictures of you and Keller this weekend, well, you know, with your
digital camera.  She emailed the pictures to several people, including the
Martins."  Janice rubbed her hands over her face.  "I hope you two were
serious, because it's all over town now."

"It is serious.  I was going to talk to you and dad tonight, really."
Isaac sniffed hard and swiped at his eyes with the back of his hand.  "So
his mom and dad are pissed?"

"Honey, they're throwing him out.  We're going over to pick him up."  She
put her hand on his arm.  "His dad was on his way home and wanted him gone
before he got there."

"Poor Killer."  Isaac sniffed again.  He looked at his mother with red eyes
and smiled.  "You're a good person, Mom.  Thanks."

She sighed tiredly and shook her head.  "You two are going to be the death
of me yet."

A few minutes later they turned a corner and found themselves in mayhem.
There were three police cars in the middle of the road parked at odd
angles, and an ambulance parked along the curb.  Around twenty people,
presumably neighbors, stood around in small groups talking and pointing at
Keller's house.

"Oh, Jesus, no!"  Isaac slammed the truck into park and bailed out, running
full out towards the house.

"Ike, no!"  Janice shouted.  She slammed her door and went after him,
dodging people and looking for either Keller or his parents.

Isaac searched the yard, saw Mr. Martin sitting on the porch holding a
bloody bandage to his forehead, Mrs. Martin talking to a cop a few feet
away, and finally spotted Keller sitting on a stretcher over on the
driveway.  He sprinted towards Keller and jumped over the car between them.

He smacked his knee hard on the cement as he slid down beside Keller, his
heart hammering.  Keller's left arm was in a sling, his left eye was
swollen almost shut, and his lip was split.  He looked up at Isaac and
tried to smile, but it dissolved almost instantly.  Tears formed in
Keller's eyes and his chest began to hitch.

"Oh, God!"  Isaac wailed, taking in the whole picture of Keller's torn and
bloody clothes and his injuries.  There were dark bruises on his chest that
had to be impacts from punches.  He wrapped his arms around Keller and held
him close, feeling his sobs, and felt the sting of his own tears.

One of the paramedics came over from the ambulance and set a bag on the
driveway.  "You must be Ike, right?"  He nodded and the medic pulled open
the bag and took out an I.V. set up and bag of fluid.  "He's been asking
about you a lot.  I need you to help him keep still, okay?  He probably has
at least one broken rib, maybe two."

Isaac nodded and eased Keller back.  "Don't move or I'll slug you, okay?"
Keller tried to smile and nodded.

"He tried to kill me, Isaac.  My own Dad tried to kill me."  Keller winced
as the medic put a needle in his right arm for the I. V.  "He didn't even
say anything.  He just walked in and threw me through the front door."  He
looked up at Isaac and swallowed.  "Nobody has the right to do that."

"Kil, just rest now, okay?  Me and Mom are going to take you home with us
for awhile, until we figure this all out."  Isaac took Keller's hand.
"Don't move, just rest."

Keller nodded and closed his eyes.  "Did you hear what that bitch Niki did?
We're all over the internet now."

"It doesn't matter, Keller, just rest a minute."  Isaac looked around for
his mother.  She was now talking to a well-dressed woman with dark hair and
one of the police officers.  As he watched, Greg Martin was put in cuffs
and led towards one of the police cars.  Isaac sort of moved sideways to
block Keller's view.  Whatever was in the I.V. was finally relaxing him,
and Isaac wanted it to stay that way.

"Alright, gents, we need to get Keller here to St. Alicia's."  The medic
pulled some straps over Keller and buckled him in.  "Ordinarily you
wouldn't be allowed to ride in the amb," She looked up at Isaac as she and
he partner raised the stretcher.  "But, in this case if you'll promise to
keep him calm you can go."

"Let me tell my mom."  Isaac took off across the yard.  His mother looked
up and smiled slightly at him as he approached.  "Their letting me go with
Killer.  Can you bring the suburban?"

"Where are they taking him?"  She asked.

"St. Alicia's" He kissed her on the cheek and looked nervously at the other
lady and the cop.  "See you when you get there."

Janice waved at him and watched him run up and clamber into the ambulance.
She turned back to the woman from Family Services and folded her arms
across her chest.  "As you can see they're not exactly threats to
civilization.  They're normal teenagers that happened to fall in love."

"I think until we get before a judge that you're right, Mrs. Rawlins.  If
you're willing to provide for him for a week or so I'll back you to make it
official until he's eighteen."  She looked up at the cop.  "Press charges
of agrevated assault and battery, willful endangerment, and gross
negligence on both of them, Sergeant Lesley."  The cop nodded and turned
towards the house to arrest Judy Martin.

"Do I have what I need to see to his medical problems then?"  Janice walked
by the social worker's side towards their cars.

"They all know me and they others in the office."  She handed Janice a
card.  "If you have any problems call me.  I'll fix it."





Keller woke up with a bad case of cottonmouth and eyes that wouldn't focus.
His side and shoulder ached, and he could barely see out of his left eye.
He groaned and lifted his head and looked around.  It was late morning and
he was in a hospital room that smelled like chemicals, and he wasn't alone.

In the corner in an armchair was a large man, a Hawaiian or Tongan from the
look of his large round features.  He easily weighed 300 pounds.  His long
curly black hair was pulled back into a bushy ponytail, and he looked out
of place in the dress shirt and tie he had on with blue jeans.  The man
looked up at Keller and smiled broadly.

"Hey, I thought you were going to sleep all day." the man said, his voice
laced with humor.

"What time is it?"  Keller asked, looking at his watch.  He squinted at it
and gave up on being able to tell what time it was.  "Who are you?"

"Mike Tsomamo."  The man stood up and walked over to Keller's bed.  "I'm
from DFS.  I'm you're case manager."  He stuck out his hand and shook
Keller's, careful not to hurt him.  "I'm going to help you get through this
mess, okay?"

"Yeah, sure."  Keller closed his eyes and put his head back.  "So what
happens now?"

"Today the Rawlins' are meeting with a judge."  Mike went back to the chair
and lowered his bulk into it.  "Temporarily, they will have custody of you,
and your parents will pay them child support.  That's if the judge decides
to go that way."

"Is there some other way?"  Keller asked faintly sarcastically.  "If the
Rawlins will take me what's the hold up?"

"Lets get into that for a minute, okay?  See usually when this kinda thing
happens the court don't put the victim, that's you, in the same house as
the uh, lover, you get me?  They usually put you in a foster home."

"I'll leave."  Keller stated simply.

Mike ignored the comment and picked up some of the papers he'd been
reading.  "I need to ask you some questions, okay?  If you give me the
straight poop I can make this easy."

"Since pictures of me and Isaac having sex have been plastered all over the
net I doubt I have much to hide."  Keller said bitterly.

"So I take it that the girl didn't have permission to take those pictures?"

"Christ, no!"  Keller pushed the button that made the bed move up so he was
sitting.  "You think I wanted everybody I know to see us fucking?"

"Easy, man, I have to find out what happened."  Mike smiled at him.  "I
don't want to upset you, buddy, but if she didn't have permission and both
of you are under age, she could be charged as an adult for child
pornography.  It's serious, like I'm sure you know."

"They're going to charge Niki with child pornography?"  Keller was shocked.
His mind whirled and he rested his head back.  "Holy shit."

"It's a federal offense, man.  She could get some time if she's convicted."
Mike set some papers aside and picked up some others.

"I don't want to charge her with anything."  Keller said quietly.  "I don't
want her to go to jail because of me."  Niki was a total bitch for what
she'd done, but Keller didn't want to see her on the news because of it or
in prison.

"Out of your hands, Keller."  Mike shook his head.  "If she was trying to
get even with you it back fired big time."  He stood up again and came over
to the bed.  "I got some hard questions now, and I need to know the truth,
okay?  Has your dad ever beat you up like that before?"

Keller closed his eyes and sighed.  "Yeah, he's hit me before.  He gets mad
easy."  The truth was that Keller had been knocked through a closet door
before, and once over the rail on the back deck, but he'd never gotten hurt
very bad.  There were dozens of smaller incidents.  Stomach acid rose up
into his throat as the memories went through his mind.  "He's a fucker.
It's just that simple.  And mom just stood there every time he got mad."

Mike nodded and patted Keller's leg.  "I thought so.  That's more or less
what your friend said."

Keller's left shoulder had started to throb, and his ribs ached.  "Can you
call the nurse for me?  I can't take much more of this right now."

"Sure, buddy."  Mike pushed the button on the call switch.  "For what it's
worth, kid, I asked for this case.  I want you to know that."

"Why?"  Keller met his eyes.

"Lets just say you're with 'family'.  Do you know what that means?"  Mike
smiled reassuringly.  Keller shook his head, confused.  "You'll figure it
out."  Mike chuckled and looked up as the nurse came in.

"I take it the pain medication is wearing off?"  She asked with a pleasant
smile.  Keller nodded, and she picked up the I.V. tube and injected a clear
liquid into it.  Almost immediately a cool sensation washed up Keller's
right arm and across his chest.  He inhaled slowly as the pain diminished
and let it out.

"Don't take to long, Mike.  He needs the rest."  The nurse said and left.

Keller's mind finally clicked on what Mike had said about family and he
opened his eyes as much as he could.  The drug was making him sleepy.
"Family?"  He smiled lopsidedly.  "You're gay?"

The corner of Mike's mouth turned up.  "Let's just say I really hate gay
bashing, especially by parents who should love their kids, especially
really good kids like you and Isaac, okay?  How about we talk again
tomorrow?"  Keller nodded, a major effort, and Mike laughed.  "Bye, kid."

When Keller woke up it was afternoon, and he was roused by the sound of the
door opening.  He blinked to clear away the muzziness from his mind and
focused on Isaac's worried face.  Cindy followed him in.  "Hey."  He
croaked and slid his right arm out from under the covers.  Somebody had
tucked him in after he fell asleep.

Isaac's normally playful face was clouded with worry as he came over to the
bed.  Keller could tell by his red puffy eyes and pale skin that he'd been
crying.  "So are you going to live?"  Ike asked, taking Keller's hand.  It
had been intended as a joke but sounded more upset than humorous.

"No kiss?"  Keller asked, smiling.  Isaac swallowed hard and bent over to
kiss him gently on the lips.  Keller put his good arm up over Isaac's
shoulders and before he realized what was happening, Ike was crying on his
shoulder.

"You asshole!"  Isaac blubbered.  "I was worried shitless about you and
they wouldn't let me see you.  They wouldn't let anyone in but that social
worker guy."  He leaned up from Keller and dragged his hand over his eyes.
"Don't ever do this to me again or I'll kill you."

Keller reached up and touched Isaac's cheek and stroked it.  "Promise."
After several seconds he became aware of Cindy at the end of the bed.  She
looked tired and dragged out, and he sympathized with her.  "Hey, Baby
Sister."  He'd given her that nickname a couple of years ago because she
liked to tag along with him and Ike, hence Baby Sister.

"Hey, Killer."  She came around the bed and hugged him, careful not to hurt
his shoulder or ribs.  "Can I get you anything?"

"A coke.  The nurse probably will give you one if you ask.  Tell her it's
for me."  She nodded and turned to leave.  After she'd gone Keller looked
up at Isaac.  "So, what happened in court?"

Isaac sighed and shook his head.  "Bad shit, Kil.  I mean WAY bad."  He
turned and dragged the chair over to the side of the bed.  "The news people
got a hold of this somehow.  We're a lot more famous than we wanted to be."

"Because of my dad?"  Keller asked.

"That's part of it, but they're outside the hospital and want to talk to
you."  Isaac folded his legs under him.  "They talked about the pictures
and what happened to you and everything.  You're dad's charged with a hate
crime along with the other shit.  He could get a long sentence."

"You're fucking kidding me."  Keller's mouth dropped open.  "How did they
find out about this?"

"I don't know!"  Isaac said sharply and ran his hands over his face.  "It's
like a fucking circus, Keller.  They swarmed the fucking house.  Mom had to
call the cops and Dad came home early.  Its nuts!"

"I don't want to talk to them.  Tell 'em to go away."  Keller said and
leaned his head back.  "This has got to be God's all time biggest joke
ever."

"I'm not laughing."  Isaac said tiredly.  "They put a couple of the
pictures on the TV, Kil.  Edited and smudged out in the right places, but
they put the goddamn things on the fucking news."

Keller felt dizzy and opened his eyes to try and stop the vertigo.  "I
think I'm going to be sick."

"You wan the good news?"  Isaac asked, looking between his fingers at
Keller.  "There are like a dozen gay and lesbian groups out there that want
us to be the poster children for their groups, and two groups that want to
have sex with us."  He shook his head and laughed.  "Mom went ape shit over
that one."

There was a long silence and Keller stretched out his arm to take Isaac's
hand.  "I figured something out just now, and if you're not a dickhead I'll
tell you."  Isaac chuckled and nodded.  "I sort of had some doubts when we
were up at the cabin, Isaac, but I want you to know that I really do love
you.  I can feel it."

Isaac's eyes got watery and he sniffed loudly.  "Thanks.  Me too.  You just
made it all worth while."  He stood up and bent over to kiss Keller again.
"I guess it's you and me against the world."

The door opened and they looked up to see Cindy coming in.  She looked like
she'd seen a ghost.  "What's the matter, Cindy?"  Isaac went to her and
took the coke and cup of ice.  "Are you okay?"

She sort of blinked and looked at Keller, then finally up at Ike.  "Niki's
gone to the news people and told them she was the victim and that Keller
was gay all along.  All he wanted to do was hurt her.  She said she was
insane with rage when she saw you two so she wanted to hurt you back."

"She was insane alright."  Isaac sneered.  "That crazy bitch is just trying
to get more attention."

"She didn't mention you?"  Keller asked, taking her hand as she walked up
to the side of the bed.  Cindy shook her head.  "Let's keep it that way.
You're still anonymous."

"What are you going to do, Keller?"  Cindy asked, straightening his covers.
"She's making you two look like sex maniacs."

Keller closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.  "Right now I'm not doing shit
and neither are you guys.  Just leave it alone until we figure it out,
okay?"  They agreed reluctantly and after a few minutes left him to get
some rest.

An hour later Janice and Vaughn Rawlins stopped by his room with Mike
Tsomamo and gave him a lengthy update on the custody issue.  The Rawlins'
would have temporary custody until his eighteenth birthday in March, and
his parents would pay them $300.00 a month in child support.  A restraining
order was in effect, and neither of his parents could see him without his
permission, and then it had to be supervised by an officer of the court.

"We're taking Ike over to collect your things, Keller."  Vaughn said from
the armchair in the corner.  "He said he has a good idea of what's yours
and what's not."  He smiled reassuringly.

"I really appreciate what you've done for me."  Keller said, embarrassed.
"You guys are awesome, I mean it."  Janice took his hand and squeezed it.

"I talked to the doctor and they want to keep you in here for a couple more
days.  I told him that whatever he thought was best."  Janice looked at her
hands for a few seconds and them met his eyes and held them.  "Keller, the
media wants to hold a news conference and interview you.  I told them no
immediately, but then I remembered that this is about you, not me and
Vaughn."

"Me?  You're kidding."  Keller laughed nervously.  "What the hell do they
want me to tell them, that my dad damn near killed me?  That I'm gay and my
ex-girlfriend put porno of me and my best friend on the internet?  I don't
thinks so, thanks anyway."

"That's sort of what we thought you'd say."  Vaughn said, uncomfortable
with the open talk about Isaac and Keller having sex.  "We asked my
attorney Steve Monroe to bird dog this for you.  He'll get with us in the
morning."

"Thanks, Dad."  Keller had called the Rawlins' Mom and Dad for over twelve
years at their insistence.  When some one mentioned his mom and dad in a
conversation, he usually thought of them first.

"Another thing to look forward to."  Mike said from the wall.  He had one
of his feet up on the wall and his hands in his pockets. "Tomorrow you're
going to start seeing a counselor twice a week so you can talk about all
this and get it out of your system."

"Mike, that's shit!  I'm not telling anybody else about this.  I'm not
going to keep spreading who knows!"  Keller shot back angrily.

"Peace, little buddy, you don't have to."  Mike held his hands up in
surrender.  "You already met him, and he knows all the dirt on you."

Keller smiled slightly.  "You?"  Mike nodded and grinned, raising his
eyebrows.  "Okay, but nobody else, okay?"  Mike nodded again.

"Goodnight, honey.  We'll see you in the morning."  Janice kissed his
forehead.  Vaughn walked over and shook his hand.

"You need to get your strength back, son, so you can get your ass home."
Impulsively Vaughn leaned down and hugged Keller quickly, then turned away
embarrassed.

"Thanks, you guys.  Love ya."  Keller's face was red but he'd never meant
anything more in his life.  Mike waved and followed them out, and Keller
fell asleep not much later, feeling more at peace than he had in a couple
of days.

He woke up when the nurse came in to check on him.  It was dark, and he
guessed that it was after midnight because the nurse, a tall muscular woman
in her mid twenties, had been on when he was up at three the previous
morning.  She noticed he was awake and smiled at him.

"How's our resident celebrity tonight?"  She asked teasingly.  "You look a
lot better."  Here voice was deep for a woman's, and Keller decided she
looked and acted almost masculine.  Her hair was long and blond, and her
green eyes had a lot of humor in them.  He liked her.

"I'm not a celebrity."  He yawned.  "I never wanted to be famous."  He
watched as she took his pulse and blood pressure.

"Sometimes you don't get to vote, my friend."  She caught his eye and
looked away.  "Keller, there are a lot of groups out there that would like
to help you.  Groups that deal with what you're going through."

"What kind of groups?"  He asked, curious about what she meant or was
insinuating.

"Groups for people like you and me and your friend Isaac."  She caught his
eye again briefly and then went back to her notes.  "There's a lot of us
out there, know what I mean?"

It dawned on him what she was saying and his jaw dropped.  "You're..."

"Just like you, baby."  She winked at him.  "You'd be amazed how many of us
are watching out for you right now."

"Why am I so important?"  He asked uncomfortably.  She put a rubber ball in
his left hand and had him squeeze it as hard as he could.

"Because, Keller, you're a decent guy that found another decent guy and
then got shafted for it.  Do you know how many kids like you get thrown out
of their house because they tell dear old mom and dad they're gay?  Do you
know how many end up homeless, maybe on drugs, or even being prostitutes?"

He shook his head, fascinated.  "I never thought about it before."

"Most people don't."  She smiled again.  "You are going to be a hot topic,
Keller.  People will listen to what you say.  You could help some of those
kids.  Sort of give back a little of what you got, you know?"

"I'd have to talk to Janice, but I'd like to do that."  He said.  She
lifted up his gown and checked his ribs.  "Did you have that happen to you?
I mean getting kicked out like I did?"

Her face got sort of distant for a few seconds before her smile came back.
"In for a penny in for a pound, big guy.  If you decide to get on the bus
maybe we can talk, okay?"

"Thanks."  He clasped hands with her.  He noticed her name tag for the
first time, putting a name with the face.  "I mean it, Charlie.  Thanks."

"You're very welcome.  These groups I'm talking about can be real helpful,
Keller, even if you or Isaac just want to talk or be around others like
you."  She picked up his chart and headed for the door and then stopped,
looking back at him.  "I'll let them know you're interested, okay?"




"A press conference, are you out of your fucking mind?"  Isaac stared in
shock at his mother, who he thought he knew, and his best friend, who had
apparently gone off the deep end.  "Right now they're fighting to keep the
news guys from flashing edited versions of us fucking on the TV, and you
want to hold a press conference?"

Keller was dressed in sweats and a t-shirt and was sitting cross-legged on
the bed in his hospital room.  He was supposed to get out in the morning,
and was feeling much better.  The restrictive Velcro arm sling that had
held his left arm to his body was gone, replaced with a lighter movable
sling.

The room was crowded right now, with Isaac and Janice on the right side of
the bed, Steve Monroe the lawyer at the foot of the bed, and a young man
named Ben Thomas on the left side near the door.

Ben was a model for several catalogues and department stores, and had
introduced himself the day before as "one of the guys" with the North West
Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Partnership, known as NWP.  He was funny, very
good looking, and went out of his way to make sure that Keller and his
adopted family understood exactly what NWP wanted from them.

"Ike, please calm down."  Keller reached up and took his hand.  "I'm not
going on to tell our dirty secrets, okay?  I'm going to answer only the
questions I want to, and to start put the focus on the kids like me who had
it out with their folks, okay.  Ben says that a press conference in a
hospital will go a long way."

"That's true."  Ben leaned away from the wall and looked over at Isaac.
"Right now every major news group wants to talk to you and Keller.  By him
telling them what happened he can put out that our group is helping him,
and everyone that watches will know there's a place for kids to go that get
in trouble like this.  If we can help one we did good.  I suspect it'll be
a lot more."

"I want you and Mr. Monroe with me if you'll do it, Ike."  Keller said
quietly.  "It feels right or I wouldn't do it.  You know that."

"Yeah, I do."  Isaac looked at his mother.  "What worries me is where we're
going to go to school.  Everybody on earth will know us, Mom.  We'll always
be the guys that had their porno pictures on TV."

"Actually Mr. Thomas' organization is already helping with that."  The
attorney said.  "They have literally thousands of people combing the web
for sites that may have those pictures on them and informing them that
you're under age and that the pictures were taken without your permission.
We think we can alleviate most of it."

"That's really cool, thanks."  Keller reached over and shook his hand.
"What about the local people that she sent them to?"

"Most of them were contacted by the police and had the files erased.  The
ones that we couldn't do anything about she emailed to porn sites and
conglomerates."  Ben reached in his pocket and took out a list.  "We
contacted all of them, but some had posted the pics.  The genie is out, but
nowhere near what it could've been."

"And when we go on TV and talk about them everybody is going to search for
them and print them out and we'll never hear the end of it."  Ike folded
his arms across his chest and glowered at the window.  "Ya know, for a
dollar I'd shoot that bitch."

"For the record there will be no threats or ill words spoken regarding the
girl from this point forward."  Mr. Monroe adjusted his glasses and looked
straight at Isaac.  "The fastest way to get into major trouble is to let
something like that slip and get back to her.  Do you understand what I'm
saying?"

Isaac nodded and looked down at the floor, a cold fury working its way
through his head.

The press conference took place the next morning in the hospital's main
conference room.  Keller was wheeled into the room by Isaac and was led in
by the attorney.  Janice and Ben Thomas brought up the rear.  Charlie
Marks, Keller's favorite night nurse, had stayed after her shift for moral
support.  She gave him a thumbs up from the door.

The camera flashes started as soon as they came through the door, and
Keller had to hold his hand up to the light.  He tried to look confident
and smile like Ben had told him, but a kernel of fear knotted in his
stomach as Isaac positioned him at the long table.

The opening remarks were made by the doctor that had been taking care of
Keller, and he reported that Keller was in good condition and would be
released to recover at home.  He also laid out the ground rules for the
questioning, informing the reporters that if Keller got tired that was it,
the conference was over.

After the doctor stepped down the reporters all began to clamber at once
and Keller had to fight the urge to laugh.  They all looked ridiculous
trying to get his attention and he decided he was going to point at the
people that stayed in their seats just to be a dick about it.

"Keller, what sort of relationship did you have with Niki Richins prior to
the incident with the photographs?"  A small wiry looking woman asked,
staring intently at him.

Keller chuckled.  "She was my girlfriend."  He looked clear across the room
and pointed at a tall man near a TV camera.

"Keller, do you believe that the abusive home life you endured had
something to do with your decision to become gay?"

Keller looked at the man like he was an idiot and then glanced at Isaac
before answering.  "I don't think anyone just suddenly decides to become
gay."  He raised his eyebrows at the absurd question and pointed at someone
else.

"Would you say that you have a satisfying relationship with Mr. Rawlins?"
A plump red headed woman asked.

Keller stared at her with his mouth open for a few seconds, stunned, until
he heard Isaac start to snicker next to him.  He felt anger rise up in him
and he elbowed Ike in the ribs.  "Does that really have anything to do with
what's going on?"  He asked her.  She turned red and sat down.  "Who's
next?"

"This question is for Isaac if that's okay."  An older man stood up with a
notebook in his hand.  "I was wondering if you could tell me how you felt
when you were told about the photographs allegedly being emailed out by
Niki Richins."

Isaac's face clouded over and he glanced at the attorney.  "How would you
feel if someone took pictures of you having sex and posted them all over
the place?"  He looked at the guy and shook his head.  "It's sort of like a
non-physical rape.  There's people in other countries looking at those
pictures.  It's bullshit."

"Well there goes our 'G' rating."  Ben snorted and whispered to Janice and
Charlie.  "Not a bad answer though."

Isaac pointed at a woman near the front of the group.  She stood up and
smiled sweetly at them.  "Don't you feel that all of this suffering that
you're enduring might be God's way of punishing you for sinning in his
eyes?"

Keller's face went red and he balled his fists.  Isaac stared at her
dumbfounded, and Ben was just starting to walk up to try and save them when
Keller spoke.  "Ma'am, if God didn't wipe the face of the earth clean when
the Catholics murdered thousands of innocent men, women, and children
during the inquisition, or destroy Germany when Hitler conducted the
holocaust, or turn the desert into a sheet of glass after nine eleven, I
seriously doubt he'd be even slightly miffed that Isaac and I fell in love
with each other."

The woman's face contorted to look like she smelled something very bad as
she sat down, and there was a murmur directed at her to sit down and shut
up.  The next several questions were about Keller and his parents, and to
Isaac about him and his parents taking Keller in.  At some point Keller had
taken Isaac's hand although he didn't remember doing it.  Isaac smiled at
him frequently during the show.

"Keller, what would you say to your dad right now if you could?"  A
distinguished looking gray haired man asked.

Keller was silent for several seconds and squeezed Isaac's hand.  "I'd tell
him nice try, and better luck next time.  This didn't happen because I'm
gay, this had been happening as long as I can remember."  Keller looked
over at Isaac and at Janice, Ben, and Charlie in the corner.  "He should've
killed me when he had the chance because I'm a lot stronger now."

Another man stood up.  "We're led to believe that substantial funds have
been sent to you in the form of donations for legal cost and medical costs,
even for use at college.  Is that true, Keller?  Has this ordeal made you a
wealthy young man?"

Keller blinked at the man in confusion and then at Janice.  Mr. Monroe
stood up.  "There have been several generous donations made on Keller's
behalf, and those funds have been placed in a trust for him until a proper
dispensation has been decided on."

"I didn't know."  Keller said with a shrug.  "I haven't been outside my
room since I got here, and everybody's going out of their way not to get me
excited, so I'm not surprised that they decided not to tell me.  You guys
will have to excuse me but I'm getting kind of worn out.  I want to tell
you this, though."  He looked over at Ben and smiled.  "The people at the
North West Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Partnership have really helped us
out, and me and Isaac working with them to start a foundation that will
help kids that get kicked out by their parents.  It doesn't matter if
they're gay or straight.  We'll help anybody that asks."

Ben stood up and moved to stand between Keller and Isaac.  "The NWP has
asked Keller and Isaac to be the honorary co-chairmen of the First Assist
Foundation.  Keller has offered to give his time talking with these kids
and helping them with their adjustments, and Isaac will assist us with a
physical sports program for the kids to participate in if they'd like to.
We're very excited to have their help."

A few hours later Keller and Isaac were photographed and filmed again as
they came out the doors of the hospital and got in the suburban.  The
Rawlins's and their new charge smiled and waved as they drove away.

"Somebody help me out here."  Isaac said, stretching his arms over his
head.  "Remind me which was more painful, the last week, or slamming my
balls on my bike when I was ten?"

"Isaac!"  Janice scowled at him.  "That's enough, alright?"  We've all had
a long day."

"Sorry."

Keller reached over and took Ike's hand and met his eyes.  "I was there for
both, and it was the bike."  He said just loud enough for Isaac to hear.
Isaac smiled and then snorted a laugh.  He leaned over and kissed Keller
quickly.

"You are a certifiable freak, you know that?"  He asked, squeezing Keller's
hand.  Three days later Isaac was arrested for the murder of Niki Richins.