Rocked To The Core - 18. Training and a Return to Cleveland

Friday July 7

We'll start out with Derek.

I call captain Fellows to talk about yesterday's callout. I have every intention of quitting. My cousin Adam made it through the night, and I've spent most of the day at the hospital with him. Granted, he doesn't know I'm here, he's still unconscious, but it makes me feel better. I step into a waiting room to make my call.

"Hello Derek. How are you holding up?"

"Not well at all Cap. I'm at the hospital with my cousin/nephew. He's hanging on, but he'll need someone here when he wakes up. His grandparents are in Ohio and can't get here right away. If he lives, I guess the funerals will take place without him sometime next week."

"Well, you take all the time you need, your spot will be waiting for you, just like with your friend."

"Yeah, that's why I called. I don't think I CAN come back. After yesterday, I'm not sure I'd be able to be of any help to anybody."

"You don't have to make any decisions now. Take a few days to think about it, call me back Monday or Tuesday, and if you still feel the same way, I'll respect that. People burn out all the time just dealing with strangers. You've been hit with a good friend and family being on the receiving end of our services. I understand where you're coming from, but I really want you to give it some thought. I'd really hate to lose you."

"OK, I will. You've been really fair with me lately; I'll give you the consideration you deserve."

"I just want to make sure you do what's right for yourself, without making any snap decisions."

"Thanks Cap. I'll call you early next week and let you know my decision."

"That's all I can ask for. You take it easy, and I'll be talking to you. Bye."

"Bye."

I'll give him the time he asked for but there's no way in hell I'm going back. At dinner time, I head home. I need to be with my family too. Mom's a wreck, almost as bad as me. Dad and Frank are taking it better; dad because he's built up a tolerance to violence due to his job. Frank's not too bad because of having less contact with them, although not by much. Me; every time I close my eyes, I see the bodies and all the blood.

After dinner, I head over to Jeremy's. He's upset for me, but his good news yesterday is still going to act as a pick-me-up for a few days.

"Hey Derek. Come on in."

"Hi Jeremy. I'm probably still not going to be very good company but hearing about things going well for you helps my mood a little."

"Well, I have one more item. I got insurance online this morning, then headed to the DMV. I'm officially the owner of a two-year-old Toyota Tundra."

"Good for you. With you starting your training next week, that would have been hard to get done. I would have gone with you, but..."

"Yeah, that's what I figured. They were real helpful walking me through the process. So, anyway, um, Adam?"

"Still with us. He slept all day, but that's expected. The doctor thinks another day or two before he might wake up."

"The doctor thinks he's gonna make it?"

"Maybe a little better than 50/50 right now. But every day he's still with us, his odds will improve."

We make out a little bit, but I'm still pretty bummed out about things, so we make it an early night.

Saturday July 8

Back with Jeremy for a bit.

Time to do some more apartment searching. We're no longer limited to a cheap one-bedroom apartment. We can get a nice one with two or three bedrooms with my money. Then when I get my raise, we won't have to hit the nest-egg as hard. If Derek is serious about leaving the squad, he was willing to cover a month's rent for me, I'd be fine with covering even a few months. I poked around on the web and found three possibilities for two bedrooms, and two that could work with three bedrooms.

Derek came by lunchtime; his mood gets a little better each day. He's still leaning toward leaving the squad. I tell him whatever he decides, I'm behind him 100%. We take a ride to the bank and open a few accounts. One for a long-term investment with the bulk of my money from dad. I took $420,000 and put it in that account. Another $25,000 went into an interest-bearing checking account. The last bit is a little over $6,000, it goes into another checking account in both our names. Derek will give the apartment management group our first month and one month security deposit during the week, after we pick the right one. He didn't want access to all of my money, so only the last account is joint. I can feed it from either of the other two whenever we need it. One complex is fairly new, so they still have empty apartments. We can move in starting the 29th and just pay for the extra three days, if we decide that's the one. That way I get out of here for Mrs. Linden as quick as possible. Like Mr. Linden guessed, I still haven't seen her since she came back from her sister's.

Sunday July 9

Derek picks me up on his way to the hospital. I want to support him as much as I can, plus meeting his little cousin would be good if Derek's going to be around him a lot. We get to the hospital and Adam is awake. Derek's mood picks up immediately.

"Hey kiddo. How are you feeling?"

"Like an elephant sat on my chest."

"Have you seen a doctor since you woke up?"

"No. I just woke up a little while ago. I was wondering where I was."

"You're in the hospital. I'm glad we got here early. This is my friend, Jeremy."

"Hi Jeremy."

"Hi Adam. I'm happy you're awake. Derek was pretty worried there for a couple days."

"What day is it?"

"Sunday."

"We should be getting ready for church. Where's my mom and dad? I guess I'm in the hospital because my chest hurts. Are they coming?"

"Adam, do you remember anything from just before you came to the hospital?"

"Um. We were eating dinner. Dad started talking about bugs on Larry. He... No, that can't be right. Dad wouldn't shoot Larry. He shot Casey too. Are they OK? Did that really happen?"

"I'm sorry Adam. Yes, it really happened."

"Why did he do that? Did he shoot me too? Is that why my chest hurts?"

"Yes, that's why. Your dad wasn't feeling right, and he lost control."

"Mommy and Pam too?"

"Yes, he shot them too, then shot himself."

"Are they..."

"Yes. They're all dead."

"Why?"

A slightly rhetorical question because Adam wasn't listening any longer, he was crying too hard. It set off alarms and a nurse rushes in to see what's wrong.

"What happened? Oh, he's awake."

"He was awake when we got here. He started asking about his family."

"Oh, the poor kid. He's so little to have to deal with this, all on his own. You're his cousin, right? I've seen you here before."

"Yes. I'm Derek, this is my friend Jeremy. I figured I should be here as much as I could, so he has somebody he knows around."

"That's good. Well, he's obviously having the increased heart rate from the shock of the news. I'll let you try and calm him down. Let me know if we need to give him something."

We know what she means; something to knock him back out. But Derek gets him calmed down in just a few minutes. Once Adam settles enough to talk again, he has more questions.

"Where will I live if everybody is dead? With you?"

"Your grandma and grandpa should be here tomorrow to take care of everything. Then when you're out of the hospital, you'll probably have to go live with them."

"Why can't I live with you?"

"I'll be moving into an apartment with Jeremy the end of the month. I won't be home enough to watch you."

"What about Aunt Cindy and Uncle Alex?"

"We can ask them."

Derek glanced over at me with a look of frustration. I believe he capitulated simply to keep Adam from getting upset again. Who knows? Maybe his parents would be willing to take Adam in. He seems like a good kid. It's terrible what happened to him and his family. I wouldn't be against taking him in, but with both of us gone all day, that wouldn't work too well. Famous last words.

Monday July 10

It will take four weeks of intense training to complete the coursework to get certified as an electrician. But I'll be getting paid my normal rate while I'm sitting in this classroom. Needless to say, this part of the story is pretty boring. Halfway through, however, Al, Winslow, and I are going to meet at the Cleveland house to hash out what we'll do with the house. Al and I will fly out Saturday morning on the 22nd. Winslow will drive up to arrive at roughly the same time. But we'll get to that shortly.

Tuesday July 11

We picked a place. Derek wasn't comfortable going with a three bedroom with no longer having a job. He officially quit today. It wouldn't bother me, paying more, but there's no need to push for three bedrooms. He'll go to the office tomorrow and give them a check so we can move my stuff out the last weekend of the month. If we have time, we'll get Derek moved as well, but worst case, he'll move in a week later. We're going to the combined viewing tonight. The funerals are tomorrow. Derek's aunt and uncle are staying at his house, in the guest room. They've been to see Adam both days. I haven't been privy to all the discussion, but I get the distinct impression they're not happy about taking Adam in. Derek's aunt and uncle refused to have their son-in-law's funeral at the same time, nor did they want anything to do with it. I couldn't fault them for that. Adam Sr.'s parents are dead, so Derek's dad will take care of those arrangements after these funerals are out of the way. Needless to say, he's not getting anything fancy. Derek said he wants to piss and shit on the body, then shove a stick of dynamite up his ass and blow him to pieces. I'm almost positive he's joking. Almost.

At the viewing, my suspicions are confirmed. His Aunt Caryn and Uncle Bob, pardon my bluntness, are quite a bit stuck-up. They're retired and want to continue traveling. His aunt and uncle, mom and dad, and he and I sat in a corner having a discussion. Derek's mom is trying not to be rude, but she's obviously angry with her sister.

"Caryn, you two really should take the responsibility for Adam Jr."

"I'm sorry, Cindy. We just can't. We have the next three months travel all booked and deposits paid. I told Janice not to marry that bum, but she didn't listen."

"So, you're punishing Adam because of that?"

"No, we're not doing that."

"You sure as hell are. OK. Alex and I aren't really prepared to take care of a four-year-old, but I guess you've given us no choice."

Derek looks at me. I have a feeling what he's thinking, so I nod.

"I'm not working right now. We were going to get a two-bedroom apartment, but we'd thought about a three bedroom. If you can keep Adam until the end of the month, mom and dad, he can come live with us afterward. I'll get a job on second or third shift, and he'll have someone there with him all the time."

Derek's uncle dragged the conversation into the gutter.

"But you're two faggots. You can't raise a child."

Derek exploded. Loudly, and physically.

"And you're a fucking asshole who won't take responsibility for his grandchild."

That outburst was followed by a right cross to Uncle Asshole's jaw. Not to mention looks from the rest of the people there, mostly Janice's friends. Derek turns to leave the room. Uncle Asshole hits the floor, very groggy.

"I can't be near him. I might kill him. I need some air."

I, of course, follow him out.

"You really nailed him good."

"He deserved it."

"Oh, no argument there. I'm glad you walked out before doing anything more."

"I had to. Really, if I stayed one more second, I would have stomped on his head."

"Were you serious about taking in Adam?"

"Yeah, I know we haven't talked about it, but I think you knew what I was thinking when you nodded."

"Yes. Even if those two stuck-up jerks wanted to take him in, I'd convince you to fight it after that comment."

"I don't know how it can work, we're gay, not married. I don't know if we even could get custody."

"We can't change the gay part of that statement, but we could get married, if that would make a difference."

"You're serious?"

"Yes. If we need to, no, fuck it. Derek, will you marry me?"

"Oh, my God. Yes. I love you so much right now."

"I love you too. I'd marry you now if it were possible. But we should get back inside."

"I'm not going anywhere near that asshole though."

"I wouldn't want you to."

We go back inside. Derek's aunt is sitting in another corner away from his parents, taking care of her husband, who still looks like he'd been on a drinking binge. We head over to where his parents are.

"Derek, were you serious about taking in Adam?"

"Yes mom."

"Well, we'll help you however we can, but I don't know if the courts will give two unmarried gay men custody."

"Jeremy just proposed. We're going to get married as soon as possible."

"That's awfully sudden."

"Maybe it is, mom, but we both want to."

"There are so many things to do."

"Four, mom. Buy rings, get a marriage license, go to a justice of the peace, and say 'I do.' It's not rocket science."

"But you should have a reception."

"That doesn't have to happen right away."

She looks at his dad. His dad shrugs his shoulders, gives Derek a hug, then me, and says congratulations. His mom follows suit. I guess we just got their blessing.

Wednesday July 12

Derek's aunt and uncle stayed away from everybody for most of the ceremony and time at the cemetery. As things were breaking up, his aunt came over to Derek and I and said they'd sign away any rights to us when the time came. Otherwise, they were going back to Ohio that afternoon. Good riddance, I say. I'll have a little extra work to do to make up for the missed training time, but the instructor understood that a funeral was a valid reason for taking the morning off. Derek was heading back to the hospital after the funeral, and since the parents/grandparents weren't staying, there was no gathering scheduled. I headed back to training and told Derek I would catch up with him at the hospital as soon as I get done.

We'll follow Derek to the hospital for his visit with Adam.

"Hi Adam."

"Hi Uncle Derek. I guess they're all buried now?"

"Yes. Except your dad. My dad will be taking care of his arrangements now that the others are done."

"Your dad should just put him out in the garbage. Will grandma and grandpa be coming back to see me?"

"No, Adam. They're heading home this afternoon. Um, they're not going to be able to take care of you."

"So, what happens to me then?"

"When you get out of the hospital, you'll stay with my mom and dad for a while, until we can go to court and see if you can live with Jeremy and me."

"Really? Can that really happen?"

"Hopefully. Jeremy and I are going to get married, that may help the judge decide we're able to take you in."

"But you're both boys. You can't get married."

"We can. It would be a little hard for you to understand why, but we both want you and will do whatever it takes to make it happen, if it can."

"But what if it can't?"

"We're not going to think about that right now. If it can't happen, we'll figure something out. You'd probably stay with my mom and dad."

"I guess that would be OK too. But you saved my life. I want to live with you if I can."

"I want that too, so we'll just have to hope it happens."

"Good. I still don't know how you and Jeremy can get married. But if you say you can, that's good enough for me."

Plans get made. Jeremy and I decided we'd get married on Friday, August 4th. His training is only half a day on the last day, so it will be the best time. Adam ends up spending another week in the hospital and is released on the 19th. Derek takes him home to his house. On the 20th, they go back to Adam's house and get some of his things, toys and clothes mostly. The house is in limbo. Technically, it's Adam's now, but he wouldn't even go into the kitchen, he doesn't want to stay there. Once things get settled with his permanent living arrangements, whoever his guardians are will sell the house and put the proceeds into a fund for his future.

Saturday July 22 - Burlington house in Cleveland, GA - With Jeremy

After a very short discussion, we discovered none of us wants to keep the house. Mom and dad had been there over twenty-four years and only had roughly $45,000 remaining to pay on the mortgage. So, we call a real estate agent to come in and give us an idea what we could sell it for, without doing any work, aside from fixing the window I broke and replacing the door frame the state troopers damaged busting off the lock on my old room. She told us it could go for around $325,000 if we put a little work into it. We said we'd rather just sell it doing as little as possible. We agree to list it for $299,900. After closing costs, we'll each have a little over $75,000 more. She sets up all the online signatures necessary. We leave her a set of keys and will only have to come back for the closing in anywhere between 30 and 60 days after it goes under contract. She'll even handle dealing with a contractor to fix those two minor items. We leave Sunday afternoon, feeling like we accomplished what we set out to do.

Monday July 24

Derek and I decided that since we were going to get married, a condo would be a better choice than an apartment. We found a nice three-bedroom one for sale at $180,000. Knowing it would be difficult for us to get a mortgage on just my salary, we paid cash. Derek was really hesitant to spend my money on it, but we decided it would e a wedding gift from my father. It's his money anyway. And knowing his money paid for a condo for two gay men would annoy the piss out of him. We plan to visit him after we're married, just to piss him off. Since we were paying cash, there was no delay on the closing. We'll be closing Saturday morning. It took a bit to convince the realtor to find a lawyer who would handle it on a Saturday, but he did.

Next Up - "Ownership, Wedding, a Hearing, and a New Job"