New Brother - 6. Chapter 6

Adam's face went white as he stared at me in shock.

“David! You apologise right now!” Mum demanded angrily. “This is not Adam's fault.”

“Yes it is! If he hadn't shown up, Randy wouldn't have gotten in the way of that punch. My brother wouldn't be lying in hospital right now!”

I was startled by Dad's angry voice behind me.

“David. Go to the car. If I hear one more word from you, you'll find yourself grounded for so long you won't know what's hit you.”

“But...”

“One more word, David. Just one more word,” he interrupted.

Sullenly, I stalked off to the car, deciding that if he didn't want one more word, then that's the way it would be. No more talking.

I maintained a sullen silence throughout the trip home.

When we got home, I jumped out of the car as fast as I could and headed to the house. Unlocking the door, I switched on the lights and went straight to my room. I expected my dad or mum, or maybe even both, would want to see me about my outburst at the hospital, but they would have to come to me. I wasn't going to go to them.

Lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling, I heard someone playing back messages on the answering machine. One of the messages sounded like it was from Liz, but I didn't care. Liz had berated me for being concerned for Randy, and events had shown that I was right. Randy had been hurt, and hurt badly, trying to defend Adam. It was now up to Liz to come back to me.

“David, Liz called. She heard about Randy and wants you to call her,” Mum said from the doorway to my room.

After a moment of reflection, I stood up and went toward the door. Mum didn't move as she looked at me with concern, but as I waited sullenly, she stepped aside. She continued to watch me as I picked up the phone and carried it back to my room. Pointedly closing the door to exclude her, I sat down on the bed to call Liz.

She answered after only one ring, “Liz Richardson.”

Still angry at the way she had treated me, I spoke flatly, “Liz, its Stick.”

Liz was frantic. “Stick, Fee told me about Giant. She said that Aiden's dad decked him, and he was taken to the hospital in an ambulance, blood everywhere. Aiden's dad was arrested and dragged off in a cop car. What happened?”

“Randy got between Mr. Trent and Ads. He's got a broken nose and probably concussion. They're keeping him in hospital overnight. He should be okay to come home tomorrow.”

“Thank heaven for that. Do you think he'll mind if I drop around tomorrow to see him? Can you let me know if they keep him in for another day?”

“Sure, Liz. I think he'll like that.” Pausing for a second, I added, “So you realise that you were wrong this morning?”

“What do you mean?”

“I told you that I was worried that Randy was going to get hurt because of Adam, and I was right. I've told Ads that I don't want him anywhere near my brother.”

“This isn't Adam's fault. It's Aiden's dad that went off his tree!”

“If it wasn't for Adam, he wouldn’t have had a reason to go off his tree and Randy wouldn't have gotten between them. It's all Adam's fault,” I yelled down the phone. “Admit it!” I demanded.

“Stick, calm down. You've frantic. We can talk about it when I come over tomorrow.”

“Fine!” I said through clenched teeth. “I'll expect to hear your agreement then, after you've had a chance to think about it. If you're not ready to agree, don't bother coming over.”

“Stick...” I heard faintly as I hung up the phone. If Liz wasn't ready to admit that Adam was putting Randy at risk, then I wasn't ready to talk to her.

The phone rang. Hesitating for a moment, I wondered if Liz was ringing back to apologise.

“David Johnson.”

“Stick, please don't hang up,” Liz responded.

“Is it Adam's fault?” I demanded.

“Stick, just calm down,” she began to plead. I hung up. I wasn't interested in a discussion.

The phone rang again but I didn’t answer it. As I was putting the phone back into its cradle in the hallway, the answering machine took the call. Not bothering to listen to who it was, I returned to my room. I didn't want to talk to anyone.

I shut my eyes and leant against the closed door. It wasn't late, but I felt exhausted. I started to strip off for a shower before going to bed.

“David, Liz is on the phone!” Mum called out.

If I didn't do something, I knew she'd keep calling me. Heading out of the room in only my basketball shorts, I walked down to where Mum was holding the phone.

“Here he is, Liz,” she said, before handing me the phone.

Silently, I took the phone, hit the button to hang up, and then gave the phone back to my mum. Not waiting to see her reaction, I went back to my room to get ready for my shower, hoping both of them would take the hint.

My shower was uninterrupted, so apparently the hint worked.

As I settled down to go to sleep, someone knocked on my door. Knowing there was no one in the house that I wanted to talk to, I ignored it.

“David,” my dad called. “I think we need to talk. Can I come in, please?”

Disgruntled, I got up. I contemplated just ignoring him, but I wasn't sure that would work. Opting for a frontal assault, I opened the door.

I stood there defiantly blocking the entrance, dressed only in boxer shorts

“Are you going to invite me in?” he asked, when I didn’t move aside.

Shaking my head, I crossed my arms and waited.

“Fine,” he said. “Before she headed back to the hospital with some stuff for Randy, your mum told me that you had hung up on Liz. Have you two had a fight? Is that what's upsetting you?” he asked gently.

I shrugged. I didn't think it was any of his business, especially not at that moment.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?” he asked.

I shook my head.

“Okay,” he sighed. “We'll talk in the morning when you've had a chance to calm down and think things over. I'll let you go to sleep.”

As I lay down, my last vision before sleep took over was of Randy’s blood-covered face. I silently promised myself that I wouldn’t let that happen again.

The next morning I awoke feeling greatly refreshed. Glancing at the clock, I noticed that it was still early. As I lay in bed, having no reason to get up, I tried to sort out what is going on in my life.

First, I thought about the issue of my brother and me. We had been fighting for the last day, and I didn’t know how his stay in hospital was going to impact on that. Would it drive some common sense into him? I decided to remind him that on Friday night he had claimed that he’d be able to handle any physical abuse that came his way. Obviously he can’t, and I need to make sure he learns that lesson now, so it won’t have to be repeated later on.

I decided that the problem I need to solve, though, is his relationship with Adam. I’ve already told Ads that I want him to stay away from Randy, but how do I keep Randy away from Ads? I realised that the approach I need to take is to point out that at school Adam and I share a lot of classes, so I'm in a better position to watch out for him than Randy is. I expected that Mum would keep Randy restricted to the house for the day, so all I needed to do was to get Adam out of the house. Perhaps a trip across to see B1 and B2 would do the trick?

I felt sure Randy would bring up the issue of my attitude toward Adam. How would I handle that question? Maybe the best approach would be honesty. Yes, I have a problem with Adam, but that’s not as important as protecting my brother. If I have to take on a role of protecting Adam to prevent Randy from getting hurt any further, then so be it.

Was there anything else I needed to consider about Randy and Ads? Thinking for a while, I couldn’t come up with anything more. I knew that more things would probably come up, so I decided I would have to play it by ear. My guide would simply be that I would do whatever it took to keep my brother safe.

Next, my parents… or Liz? Shying away from the situation with Liz, I thought about my parents. Resentment surged through me at their attitude. Couldn’t they see that Adam was the cause of the harm to Randy? How could they be so protective of him? Yes, he needs somewhere to stay, and I can reluctantly accept that we can provide that for him, but does that mean he takes precedence over their son?

Dad said last night that they would talk to me this morning. I was not looking forward to that talk. I probably couldn’t maintain my silence, but I could try to keep myself to one-word answers. As far as I was concerned, they were not doing their job. They were supposed to protect Randy, and they were failing miserably at that. They couldn’t see that Randy was at risk of falling for Adam, and they were doing nothing to stop it.

Was there anything more I could do? Reluctantly, I had to admit that I didn’t think there was. As parents, most of the cards are still in their hands. All I could do was to try to keep Adam and Randy separated as much as possible.

Knowing it was going to be painful, I let my thoughts drift to the situation with Liz. Why did she have to come down on Adam’s side? Hadn’t I made it clear enough to her that these new problems are all his fault? I cringed when I recalled that I effectively told her that if she didn’t agree with me, then I didn’t want to see her. Was this really something I wanted?

Could I give up on my resentment and distaste for Adam, for Liz’s sake? If it weren’t for Randy, I would probably try, but I need to be responsible for him as well. I don’t want to have to choose between protecting Randy and staying with Liz. I suspect the conflict would be too much for me. I love Liz, and in a different but equal way, I love my brother. I don’t want to have to choose between them!

I decided that I needed to clear the air with Adam. Getting up and putting on a tracksuit, I moved quietly to the door. Opening the door a notch, I listened. I could hear noises from the direction of the kitchen, so at least one of my parents was up, and probably both. Careful to avoid any noise, I moved the other way to Randy’s room. Finding the door ajar, I looked inside and found Adam asleep in Randy’s bed.

Slipping inside, I shut the door and stood, watching Ads. His face was calm, but the telltale streaks on his face revealed that he had been crying during the night. Despite all that he had put me through, I couldn't help feeling sorry for him. He’s disrupting my life, and I’m struggling to cope with the changes, but what he’s been through so far is worse, far worse. It’s his misfortune that he has come between Randy, Liz and me. If it weren’t for that, I might be able to accept him. I still might, in the future, but at the moment he is the cause of my problems, and until they’re resolved, I can’t put my resentment aside.

Nerving myself, I slowly walked over and sat down on the side of the bed. Reaching out, I gently shook Adam’s shoulder.

“Ads, wake up. We need to talk,” I whispered.

“No, Dad! Please, not that! I’ll be good, I promise,” Adam murmured.

“Ads, wake up. It’s Stick. We need to talk.”

With a start, Adam’s eyes opened. For a moment, he didn’t appear to see me, but then his eyes focused. Shaking his head as if to clear it, he struggled up into a sitting position in the bed.

“David, what are you doing here?” he asked groggily.

“We need to talk about what happened to Giant, Ads. I don’t want that to happen again. Can we work together to make sure it doesn’t?” I pleaded. “Please?”

“Give me a sec?” he asked, still trying to wake up.

I silently watched as he rubbed his eyes and struggled to put himself into gear. Eventually glancing at the clock, he turned to me accusingly. “It’s only just after eight!”

“I know, but this can’t wait,” I replied.

“Okay. Start talking,” he grudgingly said.

“Randy was badly hurt last night. He was hurt because he was trying to defend you. I will do anything it takes to make sure that doesn’t happen again. Can we agree on that?”

“I don’t want anyone hurt, anymore that you do, but I don’t have any control over who’s going to take a swing at me!” Adam responded, starting to get heated.

“I know, but can we make sure that Randy doesn’t get caught it the crossfire again? He’s only fourteen, for God’s sake!”

Adam stared at me for a long moment. “And I’m only fifteen,” he finally answered, softly. His face reflected a pain that no teenager should have to bear.

My train of thought stopped dead. I had forgotten that even though we’re both in the same year at school, Adam is a year younger than me. He really does need help to cope with what he’s going through.

“Sorry, Ads, I keep forgetting that,” I mumbled an apology, looking down at the bed.

“I’m not as big as Randy, but since you and I share a lot of classes, I’ll promise to look out for you at school. If it’ll keep Randy from getting hurt again.”

In the silence that followed, I looked up to find Adam looking blankly across the room.

“So, you won’t do it as my friend. Only to protect Randy,” was Adam’s emotionless reply.

“I’m sorry, Ads, but I don’t understand you anymore. We might be friends again in the future, but now I’m just too confused.”

Turning back to me angrily, Adam spat out his reply. “You’re confused! What is there to be confused about? I’m still the same person you’ve known for years now. I haven’t changed. I’m just the poor guy who’s having his life ripped apart, and if that makes you so uncomfortable that you can’t stand me, then I don’t think you were ever my friend. I don’t even think you know what being a friend means!”

I moved back away from Adam, startled by the vehemence of his response. Too stunned to answer, I waited, as Adam continued.

“You’re concerned about Randy being hurt again, but what about me? Randy was only – what do the military call it? Oh, yeah – collateral damage! I was the target, and I’m going to continue to be the target. I don’t want Giant or anyone else to get hurt, but I know I need help. If Randy offers again, I’ll take any help I can get. He just might be enough to ensure that I don’t GET KILLED!” he finished, screaming.

“Please, calm down,” I interjected, frantically. “I’m offering to help. I’ll help in any way you want. Just please keep Randy out of it. Ads?”

“Don’t call me that again,” Adam growled at me. “Only my friends call me Ads. You’re no longer a friend, David, and that’s by your choice, not mine. Now get out of here. I don’t want to talk to you any more.”

“Ads…” I started to plead, but was quickly interrupted.

“My name is Adam, not Ads. Now get out!” he yelled.

As I stood up, the door opened and my dad looked in. Taking in the scene quickly, he motioned to me. “Come on, David. Let’s go.”

With a last pleading glance at Adam, which was met with a look of fury, I turned and followed my dad out of the room.

Dejected, I stopped outside of the room and looked down at the floor. What was I going to do now?

“David?”

As I looked up at Dad, he continued with a note of anger, “What the hell was that about?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but then recalled my decision not to talk to them. Closing my mouth with a snap, I shrugged.

Dad just stared at me. Glaring sullenly back, I stood my ground. I was not going to be the first to back off. Finally, Dad sighed and turned away.

“Your mum and I will expect to see you in the kitchen shortly. Don’t make me come back and get you,” he said, as he walked slowly back down the corridor.

I knew that putting things off wasn’t going to help, so I followed him.

Mum was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee as we entered the kitchen. Looking up concerned, she asked, “What was the yelling about?”

“David was in talking to Adam. He won’t say what it was about, but whatever it was clearly upset Adam,” Dad answered.

Turning to me, he pointed at one of the chairs. “Sit,” he commanded.

Seeing no point in fighting about unimportant things, I sat.

“Do you want a coffee or tea before we start?” Dad asked me. I was surprised at the polite tone. I had expected to be lectured. After a moment’s thought, I shook my head.

“Okay,” he sighed, before continuing. “You're obviously having troubles handling Adam’s being here. You're also apparently having some sort of fight with Liz. I’m guessing that the two things are related. Am I right?”

I looked at him, surprised that they had worked that out. Narrowing my eyes, I remembered that Liz had been speaking to Mum when she rang last night. I wondered what they had talked about.

“Am I right?” Dad repeated.

I nodded slowly.

Mum leant forward and looked at me. “David, if you have problems, we’re here for you to talk to. We don’t want this to cause you any trouble, but we can’t help if you don’t talk to us. Can you please tell us what is bothering you?”

Shaking my head, I looked down at the table. I knew that they wouldn’t kick Adam out, or forbid him from seeing Randy. If they wouldn’t do those things, I couldn’t see what they could do to help.

“David, this isn’t helping. I think you believe that Adam’s causing trouble. Can’t you understand that he’s not?” Dad pleaded.

“Then why is my brother in hospital?” I blurted out angrily, as I looked up at him. Realising what I had done, I slammed my mouth shut and stared back down at the table.

“Honey, Adam didn’t put Randy in hospital. That was Mr. Trent’s fault. You can’t blame Adam for that,” Mum said soothingly.

Yeah, sure. And Aiden’s dad had just waltzed onto the court because he wanted to deck someone for no reason. What sort of idiot do they think I am? I know all about cause and effect. Adam is the cause and my brother in hospital is the effect. It’s that simple.

“Adam is going to have it really tough over the next few months, if not years,” Dad stated. “There are a lot of people who just can't tolerate homosexuals. Most won't take it further than words, but a few, like Aiden's dad, will resort to physical violence. This is something that Adam is going to have to face for probably the rest of his life. Until he's capable of defending himself, he's in danger. We're going to try to speak to the school principal tomorrow, but the teachers can't be everywhere. Adam needs friends who can help head off trouble. What you need to be clear about is that Adam is not the cause of the trouble. He's only the target. The cause is the narrow-minded intolerance of those who can't see that he’s as much a person as anyone else.”

“That's what I was trying to tell you a few minutes ago, David,” I heard Adam say. Looking back to the entrance to the kitchen, I saw him leaning against the doorway. The way he was slumped showed clearly the exhaustion that he still suffered. It was easy to see that he hadn't been sleeping well.

As I started to digest all that had been said, we were startled by a knock at the back door. As he was already facing in that direction, Adam was the first to react, with a huge smile appearing on his face.

“Kelly!” he called.

Staying at the table, I watched Adam rush to the door to let his sister in. Wrapping both arms around her brother, Kelly's hug of welcome echoed the relief displayed on her face.

“Adam, I'm so glad to find you. I spent most of yesterday trying to track you down!”

Mum quietly interrupted the reunion. “Kelly? Please take a seat. Would you like a cup of tea or coffee, or maybe some toast?”

As she sat, Adam pulled out the chair next to her, and started asking questions.

“How's Mum? What's Dad doing? How did you find me? Are you okay?”

Laughing, Kelly interrupted, “Slow down, Adam! Why don't you give me a chance to answer some of your questions?”

The smiles and laughter dropped away as she started to answer Adam’s questions. As she did, she never let her eyes leave his face.

“Mum is not doing well at all. I saw her for the first time in ages on Friday night, and she looked dreadful. I think she's working too hard, and she’s heading towards a breakdown. Did you know that she's taken a second job? I've been avoiding home because of Dad, who I think is getting worse, if possible.” She looked down at the table, embarrassed. “I'm sorry, Adam. It was only on Friday that I found out that you were no longer at home. If I'd known that he was getting so bad that you had to run away, I would have done something to help.”

I was puzzled by the fear that Adam suddenly showed, until I realised what Kelly had just said. She thought he had run away. That meant she didn't know the real story.

“Kelly,” he started hesitantly, “I didn't run away. I was kicked out.”

“Kicked out? Has he gotten that bad?”

Watching closely, I saw both Mum and Dad give Adam encouraging smiles before he turned back to Kelly.

“He kicked me out because he'd found out that I'm gay.”

Kelly's face went blank for a second before she broke into tears. “Oh, Adam!” she cried, as she reached over and grabbed him in a hug. Still holding him, she said, “That would have sent him off the deep end. I'm so sorry. I just didn't know.”

As the two comforted each other, Dad caught my eye. Rising to his feet, he signalled to me that it was time to leave Adam and Kelly alone. Nodding my agreement, I quietly headed back to my room.

It had happened again. Just when I had thought I was getting a handle on what was going on, my thoughts and ideas were turned upside down. Dad was trying to tell me that Adam is only a victim. He isn’t the cause of the problems. That he’s probably going to be a target for abuse for most of his life. Is this really true?

I shook my head. It was getting too complicated for me. I needed to think about this more, but my mind was beginning to feel like mush. I still resented that Adam had put Randy in a position to get hurt, and that was something concrete I could hold onto. The rest would take time for me to sort out.

Lying down, I tried to work out what was really going on. My mind, however, was not co-operating. Too much had happened since Friday night. Eventually I gave up and decided I needed to think about something else for a change.

Sitting up, I thought for a moment and then smiled wickedly. I knew the perfect thing to deaden my mind. Pulling out Of Mice and Men, the book assigned by our English teacher, I began to read.

Sometime later, I was disturbed by a knock on my door.

“David?” I heard my mum call. “I'm about to head off to the hospital. Do you want to come too?”

“Sure,” I called out, as I dropped the book back into my bag. It was only when I was reaching out to open the door that I realised that once again I had forgotten that I wasn't speaking to my parents. Hesitating, I realised that the core of anger that had started the passive rebellion was gone – replaced with a well of confusion that was still disturbing my thoughts. Shrugging philosophically, I decided to see how things played out. If my parents were still going to be obnoxious, I could always go back to being silent.

As I headed down the hallway, I saw Adam and Kelly talking quietly in the living room. I wondered what spin that was going to put on the already confusing state of events. However, going to see Randy was more important to me at the moment. I had some things I needed to say to him, and the hospital would be a good place to do that.

Mum was really great on the trip to the hospital. Rather than talking about any of the issues of the day, she kept the conversation, or more precisely, monologue, to trivia and minor items. She gave me a detailed update on her preparations for a horse competition the following weekend, with interjections addressed at the callers to the talk back radio station she had on. Letting most of it wash over me gave me a feeling of normality that had been missing all weekend.

It was only as we pulled into the hospital car park that she finally raised the issue of the day.

“David, Randy might still be a bit groggy. Upsetting him isn't going to help his recovery. Can you please wait until later if you want to argue with him?”

Watching Mum as she backed the Land Cruiser into an empty spot, I weighed up her concerns against my need to have a heart-to-heart with Randy. Waiting until the car was parked and we were getting out, I decided to ask Mum for her advice.

“Mum, there are some things I need to talk to Randy about. Things to clear the air between us. But if I say them wrong he might get upset. That's what happened this morning with Adam. I was trying to offer my help, but it didn't come out right and he got upset.”

Mum paused after she locked the car. After looking at the hospital for a moment, she turned back to me. “We can take a few minutes before we go in, if you like. Would you like to sit down and tell me what you want to talk to Randy about?”

As I nodded my agreement, we headed to a raised garden bed at the side of the hospital. Sitting on the side, Mum waited patiently for me to speak.

Looking across the car park, I wondered where to start.

“On Friday night I told Randy that he could be physically attacked at school if he defended Adam too vigorously. He said that he was able to cope with anything that happened. Obviously, he can't. Aiden's dad proved that. I need to make sure he understands, as I couldn't handle him getting hurt again because of Adam.”

I turned my head to see my mum's reaction. She was leaning forward, resting her chin in her hands, with her elbows on her knees. I could see that she was contemplating what I had said.

When she didn't say anything, I continued. “I think he's getting too protective of Adam. He needs to back off a bit so he doesn't get too involved. I just don't want him getting hurt.”

Mum sat back up and smiled at me. “Getting too involved is something he learnt from you, David.”

“Huh?”

“How many sick animals have you brought home over the years? And how upset did you get when some of them had to be put down?” she gently reminded me.

“That's different!” I exclaimed, indignantly. “So I like animals and don’t like to see them in pain. What's that to do with Adam?”

“That's just one example of how much of a protector role you can take. You do it all the time. In fact, you're doing it now. You're trying to be Randy's protector against Adam, aren't you?”

Turning away, I looked down at the ground. I know I'm trying to protect Randy, but that's what brothers are supposed to do – protect each other. In a flash of insight, I recalled Randy's comment about brothers, from yesterday morning. He had called Adam his new brother. So what he’s doing is the same as me. The difference is that I don’t think of Adam as being my brother, so he isn’t the one I’m trying to protect.

Standing up, I looked back down at my mum. “Thanks, Mum. That's made things a lot clearer. I'll try to be careful about what I say. Can we go in and see him now?”

As we started to walk off, I put my arm around her shoulder – something I hadn't done for a long time. When she glanced up at me surprised, I smiled back my appreciation at her. We walked into the hospital.

Since we’re family, and Randy’s a minor, normal visiting hour restrictions didn't apply to us. We wandered down to the adolescent health unit, where we were stopped by one of the nurses on duty.

“Can I help you?” she asked politely.

“We're here to see Randy Johnson. He was admitted last night. He's in that room over there,” Mum replied, pointing.

The nurse smiled, “He's been moved. He's in room sixteen now.”

“Thanks!”

Room sixteen turned out to be a shared room. Another teenage boy occupied the other bed. The casts on his arm and leg showed clearly the reason he was in hospital.

As we entered, Randy looked up from the book he was reading. Excited, he put the book on the bedside table, and waved us over.

“Mum, Stick! How's things?”

“We're fine. Adam's sister, Kelly, showed up this morning. They were still talking when we left to come here,” Mum said, as she sat down in the chair next to Randy's bed.

As Randy turned to me, I examined him carefully. The bandage on his nose couldn't conceal the swelling, and his two black eyes gave him an almost surreal appearance. The delight that shone out of those eyes gave me hope that we could set our differences aside.

“Hi, Randy,” I said quietly, giving him a small, wry smile.

“Hi, Stick,” he echoed quietly. “I'm sorry.”

“You're sorry?” I was perplexed. “What do you have to be sorry about? I'm the one who's been a prick.”

“You told me that I'd get hurt, and you were right. I thought I'd be able to handle things, and the first person who tried something knocked me out.”

I had been stressing about this conversation, and now Randy goes and says it first. Feeling relieved, I sat on the edge of the bed.

“So, has the doctor told you when you're getting out of prison?” I asked him.

“The nurse said she'll be around sometime this morning. Hopefully that will be soon. Until then, I've got to stay here. There's a PlayStation in the games room around the corner, but I'm scared that if I go in there to play, I'll miss the doctor.”

The three of us spent almost an hour chatting about uncontroversial issues. I don't know if Mum and Randy were doing the same, but I made a careful effort to avoid talking about Adam, Liz, and the issues around them, except in passing. I didn't want to disrupt the renewed friendship with my brother, as I suspected that it was still fragile, and saying the wrong thing would bring back the rift between us.

Mum was allowed to stay while the doctor examined Randy, but I was asked to step outside. I paced up and down the corridor, wondering what I should do about Liz. Had I been too harsh in requiring her to admit that I had been right? I don’t like fighting with Liz, but she needs to understand how much my family means to me.

I still hadn't made any decisions when the doctor left Randy's room, but I rushed back inside. I instantly knew from Randy's triumphant smile that he was going home.

“Come on, let's get going,” I said excitedly.

“Slow down, David,” Mum laughed. “I have some paperwork to sort out first. Why don't you and Randy go find that PlayStation and I'll come and get you when it's all organised?”

“Can I make a phone call first?” I asked.

“Of course. Will you ring home and let your dad know as well? Tell him we should be leaving here in about thirty minutes,” Mum called out as she headed out of the room.

“Okay,” I said, as I moved over to the phone next to Randy's bed.

Randy looked at me quizzically. “Who are you going to call?”

“Liz,” I answered, and then stopped. Because I had hung up on her the night before, maybe she wouldn’t want to talk to me. Turning back to Randy, I added, “She heard from Fee last night that you had been taken away in an ambulance. She rang and asked about you. Maybe you can talk to her and tell her firsthand?”

Hesitating for a moment, he reached out for the phone. “Okay, Stick. I take it you and Liz are still fighting?” he asked quietly.

Damn him for being so perceptive. He's not usually that quick on the uptake. “Yeah,” I answered despondently. Sitting on the side of the bed, I waited for him to ring her, but he just stared sadly at me. “What are you waiting for?” I eventually asked.

“You'll either have to give me the phone number or dial it for me. I don't have her number memorised,” he reminded me gently.

Embarrassed, I dialed the number, and then left the room. I didn't want to hear what they discussed, just in case it included me.

I nervously waited for ten minutes before Randy came out. I watched him closely for any clues on what Liz had said. At first, he was looking down at the floor, but after a minute of silence, he looked up at me.

“David, you're a prick,” he stated flatly.

Cringing inside, I turned away. I was afraid that whatever Liz had told him had broken open the rift between Randy and me, and that anything I said would probably just make it worse.

From behind me, I heard Randy moving away. Glancing back over my shoulder, I saw him enter what must have been the games room he'd mentioned earlier. Deciding that we were probably better apart, I walked back into Randy's room. Noticing his gear scattered around the bed, I started to pack everything up. Unfortunately, that didn't take as long as I would have liked. Rather than go somewhere else, I slumped down in the visitor's chair and waited.

“David? What are you doing in here?” Mum asked, when she finally re-appeared.

I looked up to answer, but nothing came out. Finally, I just shook my head and slumped back down again.

She looked at me, perplexed. “Thanks for packing everything up, anyway. It's time we got moving. Where's Randy?”

“He should be in the games room.” I stood and picked up Randy's bag. “How about I meet you at the car?”

“Okay, David,” Mum replied hesitantly.

As I walked slowly to the car, I tried to work out, yet again, how everything had gone so wrong, so quickly. Everyone keeps telling me that it's not Adam's fault, but I can't help getting back to the fact that if he weren’t gay, it all wouldn't have happened. How can one small word – gay – have such a huge impact?

My mind was in turmoil as I waited for Mum and Randy.