Cards on the Table - 49. Chapter 49 The Big Reveal

Cards on the Table

Chapter 49

The rumble of a truck coming up the driveway, confirmed the arrival of Uncle Mike. It had been unexpectedly quiet in a kennel housing so many puppies, but, like Nate, they were all peacefully huddled against something warm, blissfully unaware of the world around them.

At the sound, he lifted his head from its resting place on a strong, comforting shoulder, and stared into the brilliant blue eyes of Bodie. They looked back at him as if searching for something, and when Nate gave him a somewhat sleepy smile, he apparently found it, judging by the joy that radiated back at him. Eyebrows stirred on Nate’s lap mere seconds before a dog’s booming bark could be heard outside… a tentative welcome for the new visitor.

Nate was impressed by these dogs, who weren’t like the overly-vocal ones he was used to. The tranquil serenity of the last few minutes, as the boys had leaned against one another, receded with the abruptly broken silence. Bodie started to pull his hand from Nate’s warm grip, but he wasn’t ready to relinquish it, and the blonde boy acquiesced willingly.

“Rufus and Dinah won’t bother Uncle Mike, will they?” All the puppies were now stirring, from the bark, or from the sound of approaching feet crunching on snow.

“No, Rufus will smell us on him, so he’ll become a friend by association, and Dinah already knows him,” Bodie explained with a confident smile. Michael could be heard happily talking to the dogs in soothing tones as he neared the kennel.

“There you are,” he said as he stepped through the door. Looking around with a bit of awe, he commented, “Nice set-up,” before taking in their clasped hands. The clamoring of the puppies drew his attention. No person with a heart could resist so many wriggling bundles of recharged energy, and he was soon on the floor, reaching over to fondle little heads that seemed to be mostly tongue. Eyebrows stayed on Nate’s lap and watched this new human, while the other two females who were loose, began climbing and scratching at Michael’s back. The expression on his face made Nate laugh.

“Aren’t they awesome, Uncle Mike?”

“That they are. Who do you have there?” Michael turned around to give attention to the two puppies battling each other to get closer.

“This is Eyebrows. She’s the one Bodie was telling us about.” Glancing over at his blond friend, whose hand he never wanted to let go of, he continued. “He says this one's the smartest puppy of them all, and she’s definitely the calmest. Isn’t she pretty?”

“Yes, definitely, and she’s staring at me. I think I'm being sized up,” he said with a chuckle as he stretched a hand towards her.

“Do you want to go see Uncle Mike, Eyebrows?” The puppy looked up at Nate before considering the hand in front of her. Making her decision, she stepped daintily but also confidently off the familiar lap, and advanced with tail wagging, towards Michael.

When he picked Eyebrows up and held her to his chest, his face became a target as her not-so-little pink tongue timed its attacks perfectly. Nate enjoyed hearing his uncle laughing like a little kid. He finally had enough of the face bath, and situated her on his lap. The puppy sat facing forward, looking rather regal as she turned her head and looked smugly up at Michael, as if to say ‘you’re mine’. The other two puppies acknowledged her victory by moving off, and over to the other humans. each crawling onto a warm lap.

“I like her,” Michael stated as if he had made a decision. He looked at Bodie. “Your parents would be willing to keep her for us until the day after we move in?”

“Oh yeah, for sure. That would be no problem at all. That’s a pretty quick decision. Are you sure?” The excitement in Bodie’s voice echoed what Nate was feeling. He was afraid to speak, but he did anyway.

“I thought I was going to have to work hard to convince you. This was too easy,” he said with a giggle.

“Well, maybe I should have played it cool, and made you wait it out, Nephew, but I don’t want someone else coming and claiming this little girl. Besides, it’s not a tough decision. She’s beautiful, and Bodie says she got brains, and she obviously has good taste because she just claimed me.” He grinned, looking very pleased with himself. Eyebrows looked just as pleased.

Bodie laughed at Michael’s observation. “That’s exactly what she did. She claimed you, and sent the other two on their way. I think she was the one who made the decision.”

Michael nodded thoughtfully. “So who claimed who, with you two?” he asked innocently, catching Nate by surprise.

Nate could feel an instant blush. He wasn’t sure what to say. He looked at Bodie, but he was staring back expectantly. Apparently, he had to answer. Stalling, he cleared his throat. “I guess you could say we claimed each other.” He kept his eyes on Bodie, and knew he’d said the right thing when the boy glowed with pleasure. He turned back to his uncle, who was watching the two of them with no discernable expression. Nate waited.

“Good, that’s the way it should be, but guys, as much as you two have clicked, and yeah, anyone can see you have, you’re both still young, so don’t rush it, okay? It takes time to build a friendship, and that should come first. Trust me, a good friend is worth a lot more than any ‘boyfriend.’ Maybe someday you’ll be ready to be both, but if not, you’ll have someone you can always count on.”

“Is that the way it was for you and Kendall?” Bodie asked.

“Kendall is the best friend a man could ever hope for. And yeah, that’s exactly how it was for us. We built something real and solid, and it’s what let us get through some tough… some confusing times, and eventually find each other. There are things in my life I regret, but, I’ll never regret that our friendship grew first. We share the same heart because of it.” The intimate honesty of Michael’s words lifted Nate up more than he already was. He wanted to ‘share the same heart’ with someone too, and right now, despite the odds, he was determined that someone would be the guy beside him. Looking over, he saw Bodie was totally entranced by what he’d just heard, his eyes still on Michael’s face. Nate had no doubt he had the kind of heart worth sharing. He wasn’t just beautiful on the outside. But Uncle Mike was right, and Nate felt it with surety. He was only fourteen, and if he wanted this to last, he and Bodie needed more than attraction. He would go slowly with someone who was already this precious to him.

Nate was caught off guard once more, when Bodie asked his uncle a direct question. “Michael?" he asked and hesitated, “are you saying Nate and I should ignore the attraction, the feelings we have for one another… put them on hold?”

Michael smirked. “As if that’s even possible. Look at you two. You’re already joined at the hip… literally.” His smirk became a chuckle, and both boys grinned at him. “No, that’s not what I’m saying. I just want you to get to know each other, and not get ahead of yourselves. I know you’re going to want to hold hands, and kiss, and snuggle up and watch movies together, and stuff like that’s fine, but until you really know each other, you need to control some of your urges. In the long run, it’s worth it. Spend time together, but don’t forget to… what’s the word… ah, nurture… nurture your own identities. You guys still have a lot of growing up to do, and all the hormonal stuff can wait.”

“Geez, Uncle Mike, I’m not ready for anything more than that.” Nate was blushing furiously. He was relieved when his new friend echoed his sentiments.

“Um… Michael, I haven’t even kissed a boy yet,” Bodie admitted, not looking at Nate.

“Well, I’ve only kissed one boy, once, and that was interrupted by… it wasn’t exactly a full kiss,” Nate's gaze was on his uncle, but he wasn’t actually talking to him. He knew he had Bodie’s full attention.

“Really?”

Nate swiveled his head. “Yeah, really.” Their eyes met and held, and Michael snickered.

Both boys turned their focus back to him. “What’s so funny?”

He burst out laughing. “I’m sorry, guys, but that was like watching a Disney movie. I expected an orchestra to begin playing, and birds to break out in song. So neither one of you have had your first kiss… go for it.” He chuckled again.

Both already flushed young men turned an even brighter shade, and Nate whined, “Uncle Mike!”

Michael laughed so hard that Eyebrows jumped off his lap and turned to look at this strange man. “I’m sorry boys, I couldn’t resist. I was just joking with you… come here, little girl.” He picked the puppy up and hugged her carefully, receiving another tongue bath to show him she forgave his weird behavior.

While he enjoyed another tongue bath, Nate sent Bodie a silent message with a thumb stroke across the top of his hand, smiling to himself as he did it. A second later, the message was returned, and again that feeling of peace descended over him.

The drive back to Uxbridge started out quiet. Michael had committed to Eyebrows, and extracted a promise from Nate and Bodie that they would not mention anything about puppies in front of Kendall. It was to be a surprise for Christmas. They spent a hilarious few minutes getting Eyebrows to pose for Nate as he took pictures with his phone. The plan was all very clandestine, and they laughed as they worked it all out. Nate would email his uncle the photos a few days before Christmas, from his grandparents’ house, so he'd would have them to show Kendall on Christmas Eve. Michael showed some concern about picking the puppy out without his partner, but Bodie assured him it was without question the right choice, and Nate enthusiastically agreed.

Saying good bye to Bodie after the day they’d had, was sort of bittersweet. Michael had left them alone for a few minutes, and went to the truck to wait. It was a simple, stumbling kind of see you later with a promise to text and call from both of them. But when Bodie raised Nate’s hand and placed a kiss on his palm, Nate’s heart felt like it was flipping over. When he planted a further kiss over the red mark on his wrist, Nate was stunned. When he asked him why he did that, Bodie had pinned him with a look, and said they would talk about it later, and that his own scar was hardly noticeable now. His own scar? Nate didn’t know what to say. It was something he had planned to keep to himself; it was just a small slice mark, and he thought it would stay a secret. Bodie'd watched him as he processed, and when he told Nate not to worry… that he understood only too well, Nate felt the shame that had quickly come to the surface, leave just as suddenly. Bodie knew, and he understood. He had his own scar. Nate relaxed, and pulled this amazing guy into a gentle hug, feeling closer to him than ever, before heading out the kennel door. The scent of Bodie was intoxicating, and it lingered, like it had become a part of him.

“You’re awfully quiet, Nephew. So did you and Bodie kiss good bye?”

“Yeah, he slammed me against the wall and planted one on me.” Nate kept a straight face, while Michael blustered.

“He did what!? Why that little bastard. After he said he would take it slow!” Michael’s scowl was priceless.

Nate tried, but couldn’t keep his façade in place any longer, laughing until tears were rolling down his face. “Oh my God, you are so easy… I thought you were a cop?” he choked out.

“Nathanial Grant… that was so not funny. You had me ready to beat the snot out of him.” Michael finally gave a little grin, but Nate could see it was a reluctant one. His protectiveness meant a lot.

“He did kiss me though.”

“He did? Was that okay with you?”

“Yeah, it was so… I don’t know.” He struggled for the words to say what he thought. “It was sweet. It wasn’t what I expected, Uncle Mike. He kissed the palm of my hand.” Nate hadn’t let anything touch that part of him yet, he hadn’t even closed his fingers over it, and he would swear he could still feel the warmth and slight moisture of those lips. It gave him goosebumps again as he remembered the tenderness of the gesture. The wrist kiss, though, was between him and Bodie.

“That was pretty sweet. I like him. I like the boy a lot.”

“You didn’t a minute ago,” Nate said with a giggle.

Michael laughed at his own previous reaction. “No, I sure didn’t, did I?”

“That’s okay. You were just being a good ‘dad.' I appreciate it. You’ve done a lot for me, you and Uncle Kendall, so, um, thanks.” He had to work to quell his emotions.

“You’re welcome.” Michael was beaming, and Nate smiled to himself. All things considered, he was a lucky guy.

“Uncle Mike, do you and Unc really have to go back home tonight?”

“It’s a longer drive for Kendall in the morning, so we really should. Why? Is something wrong?”

“No, I’m just… I’m being a baby. Really, I’m fine… it’s no big deal.”

“Nathanial! Spill. What’s on your mind? I’m serious… just say it.”

Nate sighed. He wished now, that he hadn’t asked the stupid question. “I was just a little nervous about bad dreams. Last night was the first time I slept well since my dad caught me and Josh, but I should be fine now.” Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his uncle look back and forth at him as he drove, and he felt guilty for mentioning it.

“Well, Kendall will be getting to Uxbridge around the same time we do, so we’ll see, okay? I’ll ask him what he thinks.”

“Please don’t do that. I’ll be fine, I promise.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” Nate felt relief that the subject was now closed. They’d already done enough for him. He could ride out any bad dreams. He’d be fourteen in a few days, for God’s sake.

Grams greeted them when they walked through the side door, soon followed by Big Mike, whose first question was, “How’s my truck, boys?”

Nate giggled, and Michael said, “I told you, didn’t I? Your baby is fine, Dad. She’s back in the garage, safe and sound."

“What? I was just asking.” Big Mike chuckled. “So did you boys get in any trouble? You were gone a long time.”

“Nah, no trouble. Just your regular boring day, shopping with Nate and this strange blond kid who was hanging around us.” Michael was teasing his nephew, and Nate gave him a playful punch in the arm.

“Bodie is not strange.”

“Bodie? What was he doing with you? Doesn’t he have school for this week? Did you two plan this?” Grams’ questions came pretty quick, and Nate looked to his uncle for help.

“We ran into him at the mall, Mom, and no, they didn’t plan it, but it sure looked suspicious at first,” he agreed. “He cut his hand, so his mother, Miranda, who happens to be a very nice lady, took him to the walk-in clinic in the mall. It turned out she had an important meeting to get to, so I volunteered to stay with the kid and take him home when we were done. Needless to say, your grandson was happy.” He grinned. “Is there anything else you want to tell your grandparents, Nate?” Nate was getting sick of that innocent look on his uncle’s face.

“No, that’s it.” He sighed when he got a raised eyebrow from his unc. “Okay, yeah, so it turns out Bodie is like me... he’s gay too, and we’re kind of, well, we’re pretty good friends now.” It ticked him off when he felt himself turn red under his grandmother’s scrutiny. He was preparing himself for a barrage of questions.

“Oh, that’s nice. Maybe you can invite him over for your birthday,” she suggested as she turned and walked back to the kitchen. “You can show us what you picked out after supper.”

Nate was left standing there with his mouth open, and both Michael and his grandfather laughed at him. Big Mike whispered, “She loves doing the opposite of what you expect her to do,” he said with a wink. “That’s good you have a new friend… or is it boyfriend?” he questioned in a serious tone.

“Um, we’re going to take it slow. We’re both young, and Uncle Mike gave us some advice, and we’re going to follow it.”

Michael Sr. looked at his son. “Well, if anyone knows about taking it slow, it’s your uncle Mike.” He snorted laughter, and shook his head as he walked away.

“Oh, great… everyone’s a comedian today, huh?” Michael called after his father, only to hear more laughter. Nate couldn’t help reacting the same way as his grandfather. The disgusted look on his uncle’s face only served to amp up the laughter, and even Colleen, from the kitchen, joined in.

Michael met his partner outside. He’d been watching for Beauty’s headlights from the front window, lost in thought as he took in the shine of the early moon’s glow on the crusted expanses of sparkling snow. He missed work. He missed being on patrol. He even missed the sometimes annoying crackle of his police radio, the chatter that may or may not pertain to him. He missed that feeling of excitement when it was his car being addressed. Mostly, he missed doing something useful… to ‘serve and protect.’ Three more weeks, give or take. He was rescued from wallowing in a little self-pity by truck lights turning onto his parents’ road. Already dressed, he was out the front door in a flash, and partway down the driveway before Kendall had parked.

“Happy to see me, big guy?” Kendall’s smile was a welcome sight.

“Fuck, yeah. I’m always happy to see my handsome partner. Sometimes I miss you so much, I can hardly believe it. Give me a hug... I need one.”

“Your wish is my command,” Kendall said as he wrapped his coatless arms around Michael. “Anything wrong?” he asked the side of Michael’s neck.

“No, Babe, nothing’s wrong. It was a great day, really. I just needed this, is all.” Michael breathed his partner in and experienced that familiar calmness.

“I missed you too. Did you like my romantic side?” he asked teasingly.

“You are one sexy bastard, Kendall Dooley. I had to stay sitting down for ten minutes. That was a great shower this morning, but I’m feeling a little dirty right now. I think I’ll need another one, very soon.” He pulled back, and wriggled his eyebrows at his fiancé.

“Well, we’ll see what happens when we get home,” Kendall responded suggestively.

“About that… there’s something….”

“Say no more. I brought everything I need for tomorrow morning. I won’t have to stop at home.”

“How did you…?”

“Michael, he’s a kid, and he’s been through hell. We can’t expect him to get over all this shit in a few days. It’ll take as long as it takes, and right now, he needs us… right?”

“Damn, you’re amazing. And yes, you’re exactly right. The boy needs us.” Reaching behind Kendall, he grabbed his coat. “Put this on, will you? It’s cold out here.”

“Yes, Dad,” Kendall joked, but did as he was asked.

“That’s the second time I’ve been referred to as a dad today.”

“Let me guess. Nate?”

“Yeah, I’ll explain it all later, after we eat. Mom made Shepherd’s Pie… uhuh, I knew that would make you smile. I will tell you one thing though, before we go in.” Michael slid his hands up under the back of Kendall’s coat, and pulled them close together again.

“Are you going to tell me you love me?” The sexy voice in his ear made Michael groan.

“Yeah, I’m going to tell you I love you… every single day for the rest of our lives.” That earned him the sweetest, most tender kiss he ever could have asked for. “All of a sudden, it’s not cold anymore. Maybe you’re the cure for the common cold, Babe.”

“Michael… I love you, and I love it when you say stupid stuff like that.”

“Well then, you’re gonna love me forever,” Michael promised.

Kendall laughed heartily. He grabbed his suit bag of work clothes, and they headed for the house. “So is that all you were going to tell me?”

“Oh yeah. No. There’s one more thing. The soon to be ‘boy next door’ is definitely gay, and smitten with our temporary son… and our temporary son is smitten with him. Are you ready for this?”

“Oh, geez, when you put it that way… are you?”

“We don’t have a choice, do we?” Michael smiled. “Scares me a little though.”

“No, we don’t have a choice, Sunshine… and me too.”

Kendall floated up from a pleasant dream. It was slipping away as he woke, but the sliver of memory that was Michael’s presence, stayed with him. Twisting and searching out the digital clock, it was unexpected to see it was slightly past midnight. Why was he awake when they had only been in bed for a couple of hours? Kendall settled back against Michael, and listened. As soothing as his lover’s breath was on the back of his neck, Kendall resisted a return to sleep, and stayed alert.

There it was. The creak of one of the wooden chairs out in the kitchen verified what he was thinking. Looking through the open doorway of their room, vaguely outlined by the stove light Colleen always left on at night, Kendall momentarily wondered what he should do, if anything. Even while contemplating, his body rose quietly and carefully from the cozy bed. Instinct told him he had a job to do.

Padding softly down the short hallway, he wasn’t at all surprised to see Nate sitting at the table, wrapped in a blanket.

“Hey, Nephew. Another bad dream?” Kendall asked in a whisper.

Nate’s eyes widened at his uncle’s appearance. “Shoot, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to wake you,” he whispered back.

“Is that why you’re out here all alone, in the dark, because you didn’t want to wake us?” Kendall watched as Nate nodded. “Come with me,” he said as he moved out of the kitchen, and headed for the basement stairway. He was pleased to see Nate was following him through a house lit only by the moon. He flicked on the single light at the bottom of the stairway and headed down.

“Have a seat. We need to talk.”

Nate looked almost wary to Kendall, as he jumped over the back of the center couch, and braced himself at one end. Kendall, grabbing one of Colleen’s knitted throws, took the other end, and studied the tired face of the boy.

“You didn’t say much tonight after you talked to your mom and dad. Are you okay?”

Nate fiddled with the fringe on his blanket, a thick chenille spread that had covered the first bed Kendall had ever slept on in the Aceto house. “I miss my family, Unc. I miss Mom, and my sisters. I’m worried about seeing Dad again, but I miss him too. I miss him a lot.” Tears came then, and Nate brushed them away, looking disgusted with himself. “I’m such a baby,” he muttered.

“God, Nate, don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re not a baby because you miss them. That’s how you should feel. Believe me, they are missing you just as much… although only heaven knows why,” he joked.

Nate smiled for a second, and wiped away more tears. “I’m a baby because they make me scared. These dreams are stupid. I’m too old to be having nightmares, and I hate feeling like this,” he said adamantly. “There’s no reason for it anymore. My dad is being great and all, and it makes me mad that I can’t let it go.” Nate frowned at his uncle before looking away.

“Nate, look at me.” When he did, Kendall continued. “I know all about bad dreams. I had them for years. My dad… well, he wasn’t the greatest dad, and to be honest, I was afraid of him. Most of my life, at least as a teenager, I thought my dad didn’t love me, and I would wake up terrified lots of nights. I didn’t have anyone to turn to, at least, that's what I thought, and I felt so alone. I used to sit in the dark for hours because I didn’t want to fall back asleep and have another dream. Is that what you’re doing now?”

Nate studied his uncle, a stunned expression on his face. He nodded slowly. “I didn’t know it was like that for you.”

“Nobody does… well, except for you, now.” He smiled. “The thing is, you do have someone to turn to, and that door to our room was open for a reason. It was for you to come in if you needed to. When we told you that, we meant it. And even if it wasn’t open, you can always knock. We love you, Nephew, and there’s never any need for you to suffer alone, over anything. We have to get that straight right now. Don’t ever think that feeling afraid or worried makes you a baby. You are one tough young man who has been through a lot, and something has to give. It’s the same for you as it was for me… the dreams come, and they’ll stop when they stop, okay?”

Nate nodded again, intent on every word. “Okay.”

“Do you want to talk about your dream?”

“Um… no, at least not all of it.” He sighed uncertainly. “Just before I woke up, my dad was yelling at Bodie, and he was throwing him out of our garage… like what he did to Josh, except Bodie was fighting him, and he kept coming back in the door, and my dad would throw him out again….”

“Okay, I get how that would upset you, Nate.”

“That wasn’t the worst part, though. I couldn’t help Bodie. I was sitting in the corner of the garage, and I was crying. I tried to get up but I couldn’t, even though he really needed me. I couldn’t help him,” he repeated. The tears came again, and this time Kendall scooted over, wrapping the boy in his arms. Now he understood why Nate thought of himself as a baby. How many times had he woken up with that same powerless feeling this anguished kid was describing. There was no sense getting angry… the family was healing… but part of him wanted to use the same anger that got him through many a sleepless night during his own childhood. Kendall was more determined than ever they would get Nate past this last hurdle. Mark had better not let this kid down ever again. He would rip him apart if he did.

“Come on. Let’s go to bed before Michael wakes up and starts whining for me.”

Nate giggled through diminishing tears.

Kendall stood up and held out his hand. When Nate grabbed it, he pulled him up with a groan. “Geez, did you gain weight since yesterday?”

Nate giggled again. “Well, I did eat a lot today.”

“And I bet Michael ate just as much, didn’t he?”

“Yup.” Another giggle.

“You two better not break the bed, young fella,” Kendall teased.

Nate slid in on one side of Michael, wrapped in his own blanket, and Kendall reclaimed his spot on the other side, relishing the warmth of the body behind him. Michael’s arm immediately wrapped around him and pulled him closer.

“I missed you, Babe,” he whispered.

“I was just….”

“I know what you were doing… you were being you… I love you,” he mumbled into Kendall’s ear, seconds before his breathing evened out.

“I love you too.” Kendall smiled when he heard matching breathing from the far side of the bed. Both of his boys had fallen asleep… and now, it was his turn.