Bloodlines - 53. Chapter 53

June 20, 1999
Father's Day

“Wade, would you like to go for a ride?” Mummy asked him. It was funny how she doted on him. I never would have dreamed my parents would have accepted him so well, and that they'd actually be sincere about it.

“I'd love that Mrs. Carrswold,” he said. He smiled at me and they went off to get their tack and exercise the horses.

“You didn't want to go?” I asked my father. He was playing with his eggs, looking nervous.

“No, I wanted to talk to you,” he said.

This made me nervous. I thought we'd resolved all of our issues. “Sure, Dad,” I said with faked enthusiasm.

“I want to ask you for a favor, a big one,” he said.

“What is it?”

“I want you to drop your lawsuit against the bank. However much money you want, I'll give it to you. And I'll cover all of your legal bills too,” he said. He looked so conflicted.

“Why is that so important to you?” I asked. As far as they'd come, as much as they'd proven that they loved me, my instincts were to immediately grant his request, but I was curious as to his reasons.

“Because I pressured the bank into doing something they shouldn't have done. Because I was wrong about it, and I don't want them to pay the price. And because it reminds me of what a short-sighted, arrogant bigot I was,” he said, looking at me sincerely.

“OK,” I said simply.

“Really? You'll do that?” he asked.

“Yeah. I don't want to hurt you or the bank. I love you, Dad,” I said.

He got teary-eyed and wiped his eyes with his napkin before the tears could fall down his cheeks. “I love you too, Matt. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“You know,” I told him. “I've never been happier in my life. This rift with you and Mummy left a huge void in my life, and now that we've sealed it up, I feel complete, I feel grounded.”

“So do I,” he said. “I really like Wade.”

That blew me away. “Dad, he is amazing. He's there for me when I need him to be, and he gives me space when I need that, too. He's hyper-organized, and I'm not so much.” He laughed at that. “I didn't know if I could fall in love, if I could ever find someone like that, someone who completes me. I have, and it's the best feeling in the world.”

“That's how I feel about your mother,” he said. “I never thought I'd be having this kind of conversation, talking to you about your boyfriend. Now that I am, it just seems so right and so natural.”

“And I never thought I'd be able to let you see all of me, who I am, and I definitely never thought you'd still love me if I did.”

“Well I do, we do,” he said. Just then JP and Stef came breezing into the kitchen.

“Good morning, Edward,” Stef said in his cheerful way. He put his hand on my father's shoulder in an affectionate way and my father didn't even flinch. I felt like I'd gone through a wormhole and ended up in an alternate universe. “And good morning to you too, Matt.”

I nodded. “What are you two up to?”

“No good, as always,” Stef said playfully.

“Has Jack talked to you about the transplant yet?” JP asked, moving beyond pleasantries and right to core topics. He was so focused and organized, just like Wade, and that made me smile. It was hard to imagine two more kindred spirits than Wade and JP.

“No. He said he'd tell us at dinner. He called me to make sure that was OK,” I said. That made me nervous. I'd just recovered from one medical hell, and I wasn't sure I wanted to go into another one again. But Jack was adamant that I have fully functioning kidneys, especially after almost getting hepatorenal syndrome.

“That will work out well then. Robbie, Brad, and their brood will be here shortly,” JP said, looking at the big clock on the wall.

“Will you have to have the transplant soon?” my father asked.

“I don't know,” I said sadly. “I think this may end my hockey career.”

“But why?” Stef asked.

“There aren't many athletes who have had this transplant and have been able to do as well as they did before, at least not for very long,” I said sadly. I loved hockey. I'd just gotten back on the ice, and Wade and I had been to the rink as often as we could to practice. I'd been so psyched about next year, the next season. We wouldn't be the rookies anymore. We could expect a lot more ice time, a lot more respect, and we wouldn't have to do all the shit jobs that rookies had to do.

“Even if you don't play quite as well as before, that's still damn good,” my father said.

“I have to agree,” JP chimed in. I just nodded and blushed, but that didn't change the way I felt about it. And it didn't alleviate my fears.

Escorial
Father's Day, 1999

Matt's mom was a really excellent rider. We'd had a blast, blazing across the terrain. Then the horses had discovered a rattlesnake. I hated snakes, detested the damn things, and so did Matt's mom. Only she'd screamed. A Danfield would never do that, never shriek in fear at the sight of an animal. A Danfield would only do that on the inside. My horse had reared, then trampled and killed the damn snake, and I found myself lucky enough to just stay mounted. After that, we decided our ride should be over.

“I detest those creatures,” Matt's mom said as we led the horses into the stables.

“So do I,” I agreed. “But it was a fun ride anyway. Thanks for inviting me.”

“Thank you for taking such good care of my son,” she said, and put her hand on my cheek affectionately.

I smiled and nodded, then headed down to our room (our room!) to take a shower. I sniffed my armpits. I was pretty ripe. I opened the door and found Matt there waiting for me, stark naked, on the bed. “Hey baby,” he said, trying to playfully piss me off.

I walked over and stood in front of him. “Baby?” He chuckled. I pulled my pants down so my hard dick was poking straight at him. He licked his lips, so I grabbed his hair and pulled him toward me. “Suck my dick,” I ordered.

I saw his own dick twitch at that, at me taking charge, as I felt his mouth clamp over my cock. “Mmm...” I moaned, enjoying his expert attention. I let him go for a while, really firing me up, then I grabbed his hair and pulled him off my dick and smashed his face into my sweaty balls.

“You smell so good,” he purred. God, I was horny. I turned around and showed him my ass, then pulled his hair and guided his mouth to my crack.

“Yeah, lick my hole Matt. Rim that ass,” I ordered. I found myself giggling inside at that, at hearing myself utter things I never thought I'd say. But I found that changing things up kept our sex life exciting, and sometimes my taking total charge really got him going.

All those thoughts vanished as his tongue hit my pucker and started flicking all around it. God, he worked me, turning me into a moaning blob, until finally I could take it no more. I grabbed his hand, pulled him up, and led him into the shower. I let the water get to just the right temperature and then pulled him under the shower, kissing him passionately as the water cascaded over us. I pivoted him around and soaped up his crack and my dick.

“I'm gonna fuck you now,” I said as I pushed my dick into his hole. We'd fucked so many times, entering him was effortless. He moaned as soon as I was in him, and didn't stop for a second as I worked us both, getting us closer and closer to orgasm. When I felt myself getting there, I reduced my speed to a maddeningly slow pace and pulled him up so his back was against my chest, and my mouth was on his neck.

I nibbled on his neck and behind his ear because I knew he liked it, and so did I. “I love you, I love you so much,” I whispered in his ear in my husky voice. He just whimpered and tried to thrust back into me, to bring himself off, but I wouldn't let him. I started to explore his body with my hands while still keeping up my slow pace. I played with his nipples, and then ran my hand down his abdomen, appreciating his six-pack that had returned so quickly. “You are all I ever need,” I said. He whimpered again, and I felt him stiffen up. Then he came. He started shooting his load, and there was no way I could restrain him. He moved his ass frantically back and forth, using my cock to push every last drop of cum out of him.

I knew he was almost done, but that didn't matter anymore. My own orgasm came, the intensity surprising me and pushing all other thoughts from my mind as it took control of my body. I moved with him, almost a dance, adding my own intense climax to the tail end of his.

I felt him squeeze my cock out of his ass and that made me giggle, something only he saw, and then he turned around and gave me one passionate kiss. “You are incredible. I love you, I really do,” he said. I just beamed at him and then we washed each other off.

“So what's on your agenda for today?” he asked.

“Who says I have an agenda?” I teased back. He gave me that look, the look that said he knew how organized I was, and he knew I'd have this day all planned out just like any other. “I'm going to get dressed for dinner, then call my father.”

“You're going to call him on Father's Day?” he asked. I nodded. He looked at me, wanting an explanation.

“We talk on the phone at least once a week, and he's really trying to work his way back into my life. I think that deserves a little reward,” I told him. He looked at me and just shrugged. “I have to work through this, as much for myself as for him, and I can't do that unless I keep our lines of communication open,” I said, sounding like David.

“Dude, I'm behind you on this no matter what you do. I'm just trying to figure out where you're at with him.”

“Thanks,” I said sincerely. “I'm not sure where I am. I feel better about him, but I'm not ready to completely forgive him yet.” That seemed to satisfy him, which was a good thing, since I didn't really know that much more myself. I got dressed and headed out onto the large veranda that overlooked the Bay. I swallowed hard, and then pulled up my father's number. I suddenly found it significant that he had made his way into one of my “speed dial” slots.

“Wade?” he answered.

“Hi,” I said. “I just called to wish you a Happy Father's Day.”

“You did? Really?” he asked.

“Yeah, really,” I said, sounding a little bit like a smart-ass.

“Thanks Wade. That makes this whole day really special for me,” he said. He paused for a bit. “Are you doing alright, dealing with this?”

I could have gotten pissed, but I understood where he was coming from. This wasn't him goading me; it was him being genuinely concerned. “I'm working my way through it. I really appreciate your phone calls. I wish we'd been able to have this kind of relationship before instead of...” and I couldn't say it.

“So do I,” he said. “If they produced a bill with funding for a time-machine, I'd vote for it provided I got to use it first. I'd go back and change everything.” His combination of humor and sincerity made me laugh.

“No you wouldn't. You'd classify it as wasteful government spending and rail against it,” I teased.

He laughed with me. “Not that one.”

“How are you doing?” I asked. We talked about twice a week on the phone, mostly about politics, and it occurred to me that I never asked him that.

“I'm doing as well as I can,” he said. “I'm seeing my shrink once a week, and he's helping me. He says I'm doing well, and he thinks that you're the reason for that.”

“Me? I'm the reason?” I asked, surprised.

“Yes. He said most of the time, victims will shut down and refuse to communicate. That makes it hard to work back to any level of relationship. But not you. You do what you always do. You tackle it, give it 200%, and fight your way through.” There was definite pride in his voice when he said that.

“That's what I was taught to do. That's what being a Danfield means. Always fight, always win.” I tried to keep that from sounding bitter.

“Wade, I want you to know that I am very very proud of you,” he said. “And not just for how you're dealing with this, but for how you deal with everything. You're the perfect son.” I just stood there, totally blown away. He'd never said that to me before, never said he loved me, or that he was proud of me. He never validated any of the hard work I did. “Are you there?” he asked.

“Yeah, I'm sorry. Thanks for saying that,” I said.

“I do love you Wade,” he said cautiously.

“I know, Dad. I appreciate that, and all you're doing to help us get through this,” I said. There was a long pause. I couldn't bring myself to tell him that I loved him too, because I didn't. But I could see that it might be possible, and that was a big breakthrough for me. “Happy Father's Day.”

“It is now,” he said, and then we hung up.

Escorial
Father's Day, 1999

“You OK?” I asked Wade as he walked back into the house.

“I'm doing really well,” he said. “He told me he was proud of me. He's never said that before.”

I pulled him into a hug. “Of course he is. Dude, who wouldn't be?”

“You're biased,” he teased. “Is dinner ready yet?” Food, always first and foremost in Wade's mind.

“Almost,” I said, and held out my hand to lead him to the Great Hall. It was almost like Thanksgiving, only this time, I had nothing to hide. I was so relaxed it was almost surreal until I remembered that I'd have to deal with the transplant thing. I almost wished Jack wouldn't have decided dinner was the place to talk about this. Thinking about it just tore me up.

When we walked into the Great Hall, I was almost completely bowled over. Everyone was there. I expected Brad and Robbie and that bunch, I expected Claire and Jack, and I expected Ace and Cass. But Cody and Max were here too, both looking as terrific as ever. I ran my eyes around the room and saw that even Marcel and Lou decided to show up. “We're gonna have so much sex it's gonna be scary,” I whispered into Wade's ear.

He chuckled. “Which one are we doing first?” he whispered back. But our private conversation was cut short by all of the hugs and greetings. God, it was great to see these guys. For some reason, Cody had stayed in the background so he was last. I walked up to him and looked into his handsome blue eyes, and could see how much he cared about me.

He pulled me into a big hug, a long one. “You are so important to me,” he said. “I think you're the person who understands me the best.”

“I love you too,” I said with a cheeky smile as I pulled away. What he said was monumental, giving me credit for seeing inside him like he usually saw inside others, but I didn't want him to get too maudlin on me. I felt a hand on my arm and knew Wade had made it through the greeting line and joined me. “I heard about your little stunt in the hospital, how you seduced my boyfriend.”

“Can you blame me?” he asked as he looked at Wade with lust in his eyes.

“Cody. I want to do him first,” Wade said. We laughed together, and then found our seats. I was sitting with Wade on one side, next to my father, and Robbie on the other side. Lou was across from me, sitting next to Jack.

“Those two shouldn't be allowed to sit together,” I said. “It's a hotness overload.” They looked at each other and laughed. Damn they were fine, both of them.

“Lou's next,” Wade whispered into my ear, making me chuckle.

“If you don't mind, I thought we'd get the scheduling of your transplant surgery out of the way,” Jack said. The tension levels soared, especially mine. Everyone was quiet, paying total attention to him. I felt Robbie's hand grab mine, not as a show of support, but as a plea for one. I think my health problems fucked him up as much as they did me. I glanced down the table at Frank and he winked at me. “We can't do the surgery.”

“Why? What's wrong? I thought I was a match?” Robbie asked, really upset. I saw everyone start to freak out, but I just looked at Jack. There was that twinkle in his eyes that I'd gotten used to. There was more to this than he was letting on, and he was happy about it. He had good news. I said nothing while everyone else freaked out, just looking straight at him, willing him to answer the question. I briefly chuckled internally, telling myself I was doing exactly what Wade would have done.

“Nothing is wrong. Matt just doesn't need a transplant,” he said.

I stared at him, totally shocked, not understanding what the fuck he was talking about. I didn't need a transplant? How could that be? I tried to will my mouth to speak, but I couldn't. It's like all of my wiring, my whole brain had short-circuited. Wade sensed my internal chaos, and just like he'd done at the hospital when I was out of it, he asked the question I wanted to ask but couldn't seem to. “What do you mean?” Wade asked.

“You are a most unique case,” Jack said. “Your kidneys are not quite normal, but damn close. They're functioning well.”

Functioning well? Was he fucking kidding? My kidneys were suddenly fine? “So I'm cured?” I asked.

“Well, you have a lot of issues, but on this one, it seems that you are,” Jack joked.

“How is that possible?” my father asked.

“I have a theory,” Jack said. “To put it into simple terms, I think that the mono stimulated Matt's immune system, and while it was keyed up and fighting the mono, it also fought the strep-related virus in his kidneys.”

I didn't need a transplant. I was well. I was healthy. My body had rebounded, had fought off the evil intruder. I thought about that, how I always tackled problems head on with gusto. I guess my body had worked the same way. I remembered a Star Trek TNG episode where the Enterprise was infected with some virus, and the only way to cure it was to shut down all the systems and restart them again. That's how I felt. I felt like my body had shut down almost completely while it healed itself, then sprang back to life.

All of that agonizing, the quest to find my biological parents, to find Robbie, and to talk him out of a kidney, it was all unnecessary in the end. I could go on and lead a normal life. I could play hockey this fall without worrying that I'd fall down on the ice, sick and exhausted, in the middle of a game. It was like I was reborn. I felt the adrenalin soar with my spirits.

“I may be lucky, but I also had a great doctor,” I said, remembering to give Jack credit. “Thanks for everything you did.”

“It truly was my pleasure,” Jack said.

JP stood up. “A toast. To Matthew's return to health.” Everyone stood up and drank, while I just sat there, with tears flowing down my face. I was such an emotional basket case sometimes. I turned to look at Wade, expecting to see his usual stoic exterior, but he was crying too, and for some reason, that made me love him more. If that was possible.

“This is the best Father's Day present I ever got,” Robbie said.

“I couldn't agree with you more,” my father said.