Be Rad - 21. Chapter 21

August 12, 1980

I got home and avoided everyone, headed straight to my room, and locked the door. I stared at my easel. There was a blank canvas there waiting to be destroyed by my brush, but I wasn't in the mood for that. I'd spent the last few days glued to Robbie, and even though I'd just left him, I missed him. A lot. I thought about the way I'd left things with him, the way I'd stormed out of his hospital room, and I felt a wave of guilt crash over me. Poor guy. Comes out of a coma and everyone starts pulling his strings. If he would have known about this he probably would have pretended to stay asleep.

I couldn't go back there. They'd never let me in again. Even if I snuck in, the first nurse making the rounds would bust me. But I could talk to him on the phone! Inspired, I called the hospital and asked to be transferred to Robbie's room. It was late, and he was asleep. I was banking on that. I deepened my voice and told him that I was his father, blustered a little, told them it was an emergency, and they finally put me through.

“Hello,” he answered, groggy just like I thought.

“Hey baby, it's me. I figured if they won't let me see you, maybe I could at least talk to you on the phone. I miss you already.”

“Hey,” he said cheerfully. “Sorry, I was sleeping. I miss you too.”

“You're supposed to be sleeping.”

“Thanks for the watch and the sunglasses. They're both really cool.”

“You're welcome. I saw some of your football buddies at the cafe right before I bought them.”

“Oh yeah? Who?”

I told him who they were, and about my conversation with Cary Chase.

“I didn't know he was giving Billy shit,” he said, indignant. “I'll kick his fucking ass.” Somehow I found that heartening, the fact that he was willing to be aggressive in defending the people he cared about.

“How are you doing?” I asked him, changing my tone.

“I'm doing crappy. I'm depressed and miserable.”

“Me too,” I said. “Did they just spring this move on you as soon as you came out of the coma?”

“Yeah, can you believe that shit? I'm barely blinking my eyes open and my mom's giving me this sales pitch on how it's not too late for me to live a ‘normal’ life.”

“So what happens now?” I asked. “Are you going to Jesus school?” He laughed at my name for it.

“I'm trying to think of a way out of it. My dad said that he'd worked out a compromise to send me to some east coast prep school instead. Hotchkiss, Choate, one of those places. I don't want to go there either. But I'm not sure if running away is the answer.”

“Have you tried refusing to go?” I asked.

“I couldn't do that, defy my parents like that,” he said. God, he was such a schmuck sometimes.

“Yes you can. Do you think what they're doing is in your best interest?”

“No.”

“Do you think they have some superior judgment that gives them a better focus on what's right for you?”

“No.”

“Then you need to rebel. If there ever was a time, Jesus school is it.”

“What if they make me go?”

“How would they do that?”

I could hear him thinking. “I don't know, haul me there, and lock me up.”

“Run away. Tell them that. Tell them if they send you there, you'll spend every waking minute trying to run away.”

“They'll say that it won't work, and the discipline will be good for me.”

“Tell your mother you'll embarrass her. You'll flaunt your homosexuality and spread rumors about her that will damage her reputation in her church.”

“I can't do that to them.”

“You can pretend like you would. Look, you want to get out of this, you're going to have to fight dirty, and fight to win. Otherwise, start praying. I'm starting to think that you want to go.”

“That's not fair.”

I was getting irritated. “Yeah, it is. Look, call me tomorrow morning. Let me know if you want to be together, here, and if you're willing to fight like hell, fight dirty to make it happen. If not, let me know that too.”

“I don't know if I can do it.”

“Well,” I said, “you've got tonight to get enough courage to defy them and make it happen. You start the process, and I'll be there backing you up. But if you're not willing to fight for me, for us, then there's no reason for me to do it, is there?” There was silence. “Is there?” I asked a second time.

“I guess not,” he said.

“So you'll call me in the morning?”

“Yeah. Gotta go, nurse just walked in.” And then the phone went dead.

August 13, 1980

I was kind of wondering how today would play out. I knew that today was the day they'd release Robbie from the hospital, but I figured that no one would bother to tell me when that would happen. I got up and took a shower and did my morning routine, then headed to the kitchen to get some food. That stuff I had at the cafe yesterday hadn't sat that well, so I was a little nauseous. Anna made me a big traditional breakfast. This time, at least, putting good food onto bad seemed to do the trick.

It seemed that as soon as I started eating the kitchen turned into Grand Central Station. Tonto joined me first, sitting down with her breakfast and saying nothing. She liked to read the paper first thing, and she didn't like people bothering her while she did. Robbie's parents were up bright and early as well, all dressed and chipper, ready to go get him. They sat next to us.

“What a beautiful home you have,” his mother observed, interrupting Tonto. I grinned when I saw her expression.

“It's nice and it's big, but it's not my house. I just live here.” She went back to reading her paper.

“I've been to see your home in Claremont. It was so generous of you to donate it to the city.” Brenda persisted. Frank said nothing, he was too busy eating.

Tonto eyed her, peering over her reading glasses. “It was a big huge monstrosity, and I was glad to dump it and get the tax benefits.” I stifled my giggle. Tonto really had loved her old house, so I knew she was just trying to get to Brenda.

“Oh. Well I'm glad that worked out for you.” She turned to me. “We are going to pick up Robbie from the hospital. Will you be here when we get back?” She was slick, pointedly excluding me from going. There wasn't much I could do about that.

Tonto peered over her paper again and eyed me. I knew she was reading my mind. “I thought we were all going. That's why I got up this early and got all ready,” she said. I winked at her.

Brenda's eyes bulged. “Will there be room?” She was grasping at straws.

“It's a limousine. It can seat 12 people. Surely you're not suggesting that I'm that fat?” Tonto said acidly. This time Frank had to stifle his laugh.

“No, certainly not. Well, if we're all going we should be off.” Brenda grabbed her purse and glared at Frank, then marched out of the room, expecting the rest of us to follow. We didn't.

“I'll be done with my breakfast in just a minute,” Tonto said, with faux friendliness that should scare anyone else. Brenda sighed, frustrated and continued into the Great Hall to wait for us. “Your wife's a piece of work Frank,” she observed. He just nodded sadly.

Tonto finished her breakfast in a painfully slow manner, and then she had to go to the bathroom. Her slow pace irritated even me, and I knew she was putting on an act. Even at her age, when she wanted to get somewhere she could move.

Finally the four of us ended up in the limousine, heading to the hospital. Brenda had given up on polite conversation, and Tonto sat there reading her paper.

We drove up to the door and the three of us got out. I made to help Tonto out but she waved me on. “I'm going to stay out here and read my paper. If I go in there they'll try and hook me up to a machine or something.” Frank and I smiled and headed into the hospital. Brenda hung back. Frank dropped back to walk with her. I heard him sigh as he did it. I headed straight to Robbie's room. I heard Frank and Brenda following at a distance, arguing as they went, no doubt about me. I walked into his room and got a big smile.

“I didn't think they'd let you come pick me up,” he said cheerfully.

“I'm not alone. Your parents are in the hallway arguing and Tonto's in the limo.”

“Tonto came?” he asked.

“Yeah. She likes you, which is no mean feat. That and she did it to piss your mom off. Your mom was annoying her.”

“What did my mother do?”

“Talked to her while she was reading the paper,” I said, and we both cracked up. We sat there, joking and enjoying each other while his parents signed off on his discharge paperwork.

He grabbed my hand firmly. “I thought about what you said last night. I'm going to fight for us.” I smiled at him and leaned in and gave him a kiss. His parents chose that moment to inconveniently walk in. His mother scowled and his father looked irritated, not because we were kissing, but because he'd have to endure more crap from her.

“I think it's inappropriate for you to do that in public,” she said tersely. “That's what got you in here in the first place.”

“Life is full of risks mother,” Robbie observed coolly. “Can we get out of here? I'm anxious to get back home.”

“We can't fly out until tomorrow. The doctors won't let you fly until then.”

“I'm not flying anywhere,” Robbie said.

“And I'm not going to have another argument in the fucking hospital,” Frank said. “Let's go.”

Robbie and I beamed at each other, while everyone else glared at each other. They insisted on wheeling him out in a wheelchair and helping him into the limo. “Going home in style,” Robbie joked to his dad. Frank smiled back. I bet they really enjoyed each other when Brenda wasn't around.

He got in and hurried to give Tonto a big hug and a kiss. “Well look at you. All well and awake. It will be nice to have you back home.”

“It's not his home,” Brenda replied coldly.

“Home is where the heart is dear,” said Tonto sweetly. “I wonder if you have one.” Brenda looked at her horrified, while the rest of us chuckled. The limo ride home was tense and quiet.

As soon as we got home I went to tell JP that we were back. “Hey Dad, we just got back with Robbie.”

He looked confused. “I'm surprised they let you ride along.”

“Tonto went too,” I said, and saw his calm demeanor break into a brief smile. “I just wanted to let you know that he's back.” I scampered off, literally, bouncing like I'd done when I was a kid, down the hall to my room. I figured he would have headed there so we could have a romantic interlude. I was so fucking horny I couldn't stand it.

Instead, I saw him in his room, glaring at his mother as she opened up a suitcase. I strolled in. “You're leaving?” I asked.

“We think it is best for Robbie,” she said.

“And what does Robbie think?” I said caustically.

“I don't want to go,” he said defiantly.

“Well, you are going, and that's that.”

He looked at me, and I looked at him. I was about to turn and walk out of the room, when I heard him respond. “No, I'm not.” She stopped packing and stared at him, shocked. I'll bet that's one of the few times he’d ever defied her.

“Yes you are. You will do as you're told.”

“I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here.”

“Well we talked to Professor Crampton and he told us that you wouldn't be allowed to stay here.”

“I wouldn't be so sure about that,” I said.

“This really doesn't concern you, and I really don't feel like dealing with yet another child.”

“I'm not a child, and I'm not leaving,” Robbie said firmly. He grabbed the clothes from her hands and started putting them back.

“Yes you are. It's a great school. You'll learn about Jesus, you'll get closer to your Lord and Savior, and he'll heal this sickness that you have.” She went from authoritarian to pleading.

“Sickness?” I asked, feigning concern. “Do you need to go back to the hospital Robbie?”

“Homosexuality. What you corrupted him with. That sickness.” She was glaring at me. I expected her to try and exorcise me from the room like the priest had done in “Rosemary's Baby.”

“Oh, you mean because he's gay? That sickness?”

“Yes, that sickness. And once he's gone, he's gone. You two aren't friends, you aren't acquaintances, you don't write each other, you don't call each other, you stay away from each other. If you have any contact with him you'll just corrupt him and lead him into, into...,” she stopped blustering, reaching for the right words, “...into moral turpitude.” I couldn't help but stifle a laugh at her word choice.

“I'm not going. Period,” Robbie said.

“Yes you are. Jesus will save you.” she said calmly.

“Fuck Jesus,” he said to her.

She screamed and ran from the room. “You give me strength,” he said. “My dad will be in here in just a minute. We're going to need it.”

I grinned. “Don't worry. We can handle him.” He looked at me, stunned. Then he grinned back.

“The Ferrari got gas?”

“A full tank,” I said.

It took just that long, a minute, before an irate Frank Hayes along with JP came storming into Robbie's room.

“What did you say to your mother? ‘F’ Jesus?”

“That's right. I'm not leaving,” he told Frank defiantly.

“You are packing up and leaving this house now, and if you don't I'll beat you all the way to next week.”

“No one is beating anyone in my house,” JP said firmly. He seemed to have a calming effect on Frank.

“I'm sorry. But you shouldn't have said that to your mother, and it changes nothing. You're packing up and we're leaving.”

“I can't fly until tomorrow,” Robbie observed logically.

“Well we're going to stay by the airport and get the first flight back.”

“Why are you selling me down the river Dad?” Robbie asked. “Haven't I been a good son? Why are you trying to make me miserable, to ruin what happiness I've found?”

Those words hit Frank like a truck. He just stared at Robbie. No one said anything.

“We tried to work out a solution that made everyone happy,” Frank said.

“No Dad, you worked out a solution that you and mom can tolerate but makes me miserable.” Another blow. It was like watching a prize fight, only it wasn't fists that were flying, it was words. And the impact was more severe than one of Muhammad Ali's left jabs.

Frank just stared at Robbie. Robbie spoke first, softly but firmly. “I love Brad. I want to be with him, and he wants to be with me. And I like it here. Look what a beautiful room I have. And I even made the football team. I'll be kicking for Gunn. What is there about this that is wrong Dad?”

“Robbie, I know you're happy here, but it can't work. It won't work. You have to compromise too.”

“I'm not going to, Dad. Unless Professor Crampton is throwing me out.” All eyes turned to JP. I didn't know what to expect from him.

“Robbie, you should treat this house as your own. You are always welcome here.” Frank stared at JP, not believing the words that came out of his mouth.

“JP, do you know what you're doing? Brenda will flip out. She is convinced that she can cure Robbie of his homosexuality. No, we're going back to Claremont.”

“Is she convinced that she can cure you of yours?” I asked him. If the other conversation had been one of jabs, this was the knockout punch. JP glared at me, but I could read beneath the face. I knew that he would forgive me for this. The only one who would be surprised was Robbie. And boy was he.

I felt we were at an impasse. I leaned over and whispered into his ear. “Feel like running?” He grinned at me. I mouthed the words “one, two, three,” and on three we tore out of the room and ran down the hall.

We were laughing like kids as we tore through the house. I heard Frank's voice behind us, yelling, and I heard Robbie’s mother's as well. We tore out of the house and across the veranda. Tonto was there, drinking her coffee. She grinned and laughed with us. We jumped in the Ferrari, started it, and were down the driveway before any of them even made it out of the house.

“Good job. You're my knight in shining armor. Or a red Ferrari,” Robbie joked as we passed through the gates. We were both giddy with victory. “I'm sorry I couldn't call you this morning. They turned off the phone in my room.”

“It's OK,” I said. “I'm really proud of you, of the way you stood up for yourself, and for us.”

He gave me a big grin. “I feel bad for being such a pussy. All my life I've done what people have asked me to do. This time, you were right. I know what's best for me. You're best for me.”

“So where do you want to go?” I asked him.

“What are our choices?”

I thought about that. “Well, we could go to the beach house, but that's pretty easy if they want to track us down. We could drive down to Malibu. Stef would let us stay there, and he'd protect us. Still, that might put a lot of pressure on him. Or we can go somewhere and grab a hotel room.”

“You know where I'd like to go?” He paused to get my attention. “San Francisco.” I smiled and took I-280 North.

When we got to Hillsborough we passed the big statue of Father Serra. “Who's that guy?” Robbie asked.

“He's the priest that founded the California Missions. I don't think he would have appreciated you saying 'Fuck Jesus'.” He laughed at that and saluted the statue.

“What did you mean when you talked about my dad being cured, about him being gay?” he asked. I'd been expecting this, even if I didn't really want to deal with it.

“JP and your dad have been fucking around on the side for years,” I told him straight up.

“Fucking around? What does that mean?”

“Well, when we get to the City I'll show you.”

He wasn't amused. “I'm serious Brad. You telling me my dad is a fag?”

I sighed. “All I know is that when Sam and JP had an argument, Sam accused JP of blowing your dad, and JP more or less admitted to it.”

“How come you didn't tell me this before?” he demanded. “Are there any more secrets you've got hidden, just waiting to spring on me?” His question pissed me off, but I'd figured out a strategy with him. Rather than get pissed off, I just ignored him. A few minutes later he spoke again. “It's cool. I don't want to fight.” And that was that.

We got to the heart of the city and I headed straight to the Fairmont. I got a monster suite and put it on the credit card that Stef gave me, not the one I normally use.

We got to the room, locked the door, and we were like magnets we came together so fast. We pulled off our clothes and jumped into the bed, me on top of him. The familiar feel of his body and the familiar smells he emitted were such an aphrodisiac we both came almost as soon as we started grinding our bodies together.

He giggled. “I guess it's been a while for both of us.”

“While we're recharging, I’d better call Stef. It's his credit card. I need to tell him I used it so he'll know to keep quiet.”

I was surprised when Stef answered the phone himself. “Bradley! What is going on up there?”

“They wanted to take Robbie away and put him in a religious high school to cure him of his homosexuality.”

“JP would never let them do that.”

“He really came to our defense Stef. Frank told Robbie that he couldn't stay, and JP told Robbie that he was always welcome in our house. But that didn't really convince Frank, at least not completely.” I went on and told him about the whole situation. “Oh and Stef, I owe you big time. I used your credit card to get a monster room at the Fairmont. I'm sorry about that.”

“That is fine. There is nothing to be sorry for. You do not use it enough as it is.” His voice changed into that of a co-conspirator. Stefan liked drama. “Well, I just talked to Tonto and she told me that Robbie's mom is pitching a fit. She called the police and tried to report Robbie as a runaway. They told her she cannot file a report on him until he's been gone for 24 or 48 hours or something like that, and that since he's 17 and a half, they weren't going to waste their time on it, more or less. I think that JP intercepted them before she talked to them. His mother is adamant about Robbie going back, so you’d better hope that Frank can persuade her otherwise.”

“I don't think I'm the one who needs to hope, I think Frank's the one who needs to hope.” Stefan laughed at that.

“Well, you enjoy yourselves there. Maybe if you want to kill some time away from Escorial you can come visit us. We'd love to have you both down here.”

“If things don't work out soon, that may end up being a permanent request.”

“Brad, my door is always open to you, I have told you that, and I mean it. Greg feels the same way.”

“Thanks Stef. I think we'll hang out here for a day or two and see how things are.” Apparently the conversation no longer interested Robbie. I felt his mouth envelope my cock and I couldn't stop the small moan that escaped.

I heard Stefan laughing on the other end. “I guess you need to go?”

“I do. I'll call you later.” I put down the phone and gave Robbie my full attention. He moved into a 69 position but instead of working his cock like he expected me to, I dove into his ass, running my tongue all around his hole and then diving in, fucking him with my mouth.

He turned around and gave me that crazed look, the look that I loved, the look that told me I was driving him nuts. He rubbed some lotion on my dick and slid down on it. He was on top of me, with my dick buried in his ass, but he took complete charge. He pinned my arms back with his hands, and started slowly fucking my pole.

I felt his pace pick up and looked into his eyes. There was no rationality in them, nothing but crazed lust, animalistic lust. He picked up his pace even more until he was pounding my dick with his ass. He moved his mouth to my neck and growled into my skin, then bit me, gnawed on me, just to show he was in charge.

I heard my moans pick up, but I was in such a state of euphoria it seemed like they were miles away. My balls started to rise as I got close. I managed to mutter that I was going to cum, or at least I thought I did, and then I exploded. I shot stream after stream of cum into him, and felt him do the same, shooting all over my chest. When we were spent I grabbed a towel and wiped us off.

“You know what I want to do now?” I asked.

“I can't imagine,” he said.

“The whole time you were in the hospital I wanted to just cuddle up with you, feel your warmth and your soft body.” I rolled him onto his back and laid my head on his chest. His fingers stroked my hair, my back, and then they stopped. I heard him snoring peacefully, and I followed him off to slumberland right afterward.

We woke up later and it was nighttime. I got up and walked over to the windows, staring out at one of the most, if not the most beautiful city in the world. I felt Robbie next to me, his arm around me as we stared at the sprawling metropolis, the glowing skyline and the blinking lights making it seem as if the City itself was trying to welcome and comfort us.

There was a loud growl from his stomach. I looked at Robbie and laughed. “You hungry?”

“Yeah, but I like it here,” he whined.

“Well then, I have the perfect solution. It is called room service.” He laughed and we dug the menu out and ordered a shitload of food. The waiter came and found us in the room with just towels around our waists.

“I think he was gay,” Robbie said after he left.

“Let's see, a waiter at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. What are the chances he's gay? Pretty damn good. Especially considering the way he was staring at your fine body and his pants were starting to tent.”

We both started cracking up. Then, our hunger for food satisfied, our hunger for each other re-emerged, and we were back in the bed for another round of amazing sex.

August 14, 1980

I woke up first, as usual. I ran my hands over his smooth chest, marveling for the millionth time at his amazing beauty. He groaned and opened his eyes slowly.

“I don't want to wake up yet,” he moaned.

“You don't have to. I just wanted to tell you how much I love you, and how, when we're here like this, I feel like we are truly one person. I fought losing myself in you, and here, after all this time, I discover that it’s the most amazing thing in the world.”

“I love you too. Now can I go back to sleep?” I chuckled and he snaughed, then we drifted back to sleep, hoping that by the time we woke up and left this place, Robbie's mother would be on a flight back to Ohio.