Stitcher - 5. Healing

Jack. Jack Anderson here. When Cameron asked me to contribute to this story he's telling, I thought he was crazy. But then he explained to me that I had something to share that people might be interested in, so what the Hell—here goes nothing.

I don’t know when I started thinking about it, but I know it was shortly after I turned forty. I think a lot of men do the same thing—you know, thinking about that day when you find you’ve lost your wife and what life would look like after.

That’s when you hope God will take you first because you know that your wife is, and always has been the strong one. She could handle it much better than I. But, losing my wife and my daughter? It’s a Hell I couldn’t have ever imagined. It’s a Hell I would never wish on my fiercest enemy.

For the last three weeks, I’ve been barely functioning. I was numb. I was aware of what was happening around me, but that’s about it. I just couldn’t participate or even react.

I was aware that my son Jacob took it upon himself to make sure I was eating—barely, sleeping—barely, getting through the day—barely. I watched him heal with the help of Liz. They would sit out on the patio and talk for hours. He became stronger. She became stronger. I just—I don’t know—I was just there.

I could tell Jacob and Liz were worried about me. Hell, I was worried about me. They would try to talk to me, but it was no use. I had nothing to say. I just wanted to—nothing.

It’s been just three weeks since the funeral, and things took a dramatic change when Liz came by. As I watched her coming up the sidewalk to the front door, I noticed a determination in her face and posture. Something was up, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to deal with this.

I opened the door to let her in, and she just flew in past me. Liz turned around to face me while I was still holding the door.

“We need to talk.”

“Hello, Liz. Nice to see you, too.”

“No, I’m serious, Jack. Kitchen or living room. You choose.”

“Liz, I don’t know if I’m—"

“That wasn’t an option—kitchen or living room?

I opted for the kitchen. First, we would sit at the table, and that would put some space between us. At least I would feel physically safer. Second, I could postpone the inevitable by preparing some beverages.

“Would you like something to drink, Liz?”

“No. Just sit down and listen to me. This is too important.”

“Okay. What has you all worked up, and why do I have a feeling you are about to throw another wrench into my life.”

“Well, Jack. It’s like this. Last night I got a phone call from Ian and Cam—”

“That bastard? None of this would have happened if he hadn’t got my little girl preg—”

“Stop it, Jack! She was my girl, too! A lot of us have lost so much, but none of this was anyone’s fault, except maybe Janet’s. She was the one who insisted that—”

“I know, I know—You’ve said it a million times, but I have to blame someone, so I can at least get through the day.”

“Well, that makes no sense. But I’ll tell you what does make sense. What finally brought me peace. What made me realize what was most important.”

“What, Liz? You’re not making any sense.”

“Then stop interrupting me and just listen. The boys asked me over this afternoon so they could ask me to be Eli’s Godmother. The baby is being baptized in a couple of weeks.”

“Well, good for—”

“I told you to stop interrupting me. Now, I was kinda shocked and totally honored that they wanted me to be a part of Eli’s life. But let me tell you about a life-changing miracle. I held that beautiful baby in my arms, and I have never felt so much peace in my life.”

“What are you talki—”

“Jack, please let me finish, okay? When I held him, he looked up at me with those beautiful eyes—Janet’s eyes. He cooed and gurgled, and even though it was probably gas—he smiled at me. Jack, I held that amazing baby—that miracle baby that Janet fought with every ounce of strength she had left to make sure he would be born healthy. And the longer I held that baby in my arms, the more I was surrounded by Janet.”

The tears started flowing again. Dammit, I’m so tired of crying.

“Jack, there is a beautiful baby out there. His name is Elias Cameron Franklin, and he is all we have left of Janet, and yes, Julia. When I told the boys that I was coming here to talk to you, they told me to ask you to come over and meet your grandson. Your. Grandson.”

So, there it is, Janet is driving me across town to meet a baby—my grandson. I looked at Janet while she was driving. Was that a smug victory smile? Probably.

I thought back to when Janet and Liz told us about their relationship. I was grateful that they were confident enough in our love for our children, that there weren’t going to be any problems. I think we were more surprised that it was Janet who turned out gay. We were both fairly sure it would be Jacob. It might still be. Who knows?

Now, you may might be thinking, “How can Catholics be so cool about their gay kids?” I should tell you. We probably weren’t the most devout Catholic family. Jacob jokingly calls us “cafeteria Catholics.” He described it as we would go through the serving line where all the rules and tenets of the Church were on display, and we would pick the ones that would work for our family.

So as far as abortion, we were indeed against that—hence this baby I was going to be seeing. But when it came to our gay child and friends, Julia and I both deeply felt that God made every one of us just the way we were supposed to be. God doesn’t make mistakes. Period. He loves us just the way we are. Period.

“Jack?”

I snapped out of my thoughts. “Oh, what? Huh?”

“We’re here.”

* * * * * *

When Ian suggested that Liz be Godmother to Eli, it brought tears to my eyes. As horrible as everything was with Janet and her mother's deaths, I realized that my beautiful son was the one thing that could bring some peace to the people who needed it most.

I heard the doorbell ring, followed by Claire walking to the front of the house to answer it. A minute later, Liz was walking down the stairs to our part of the house. Ian and I wrapped her in our arms and welcomed her to our home. She wept a bit and then apologized.

“I’m sorry, guys. It’s still hard to get through a day without tears.”

We led her over to the sofa and sat on either side of her.

“Cam and I are having Eli baptized in a few weeks, and part of that comes with some pretty important decisions.”

“We talked about this over the last couple of days, Liz. We would like to ask you to be our son’s Godmother.”

“But—why would you want me to do that?”

“Ian and I had originally planned to ask both you and Janet. Of course, our thoughts about you haven’t changed one bit.”

“Wow, guys. That’s amazing. Umm, where is the baby now? Could I see him?”

I stood, took Liz’s hand, and led her into the nursery. Eli was awake, and, miracle of miracles, he wasn’t crying.

“Well, this is a first. Eli usually wakes up crying because he needs a diaper change. Just waking up and lying there has never happened.”

“Oh my God, he’s beautiful! Could I hold him?”

I picked Eli up, and he just cooed and gurgled as I placed him in Liz’s arms. Liz had to sit in the rocker as tears started flowing.

“Oh! Look! He has Janet’s eyes!”

Ian and I stood there with our arms around each other’s waists. We looked at each other and just nodded. We knew we were seeing something totally cool and special.

“He’s so full of—well—Janet. I can feel her with me when I look in his eyes.”

Sure enough, Liz and Eli were just looking at each other and smiling. Now, even I know babies that are only a few weeks old don’t smile. It’s usually a sign of gas when we think they do. But this was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

“You know, little Eli. Your Mama is so much a part of you. I can feel her. I know you can, too.”

Liz placed a finger into Eli’s tiny hand, and he closed his little fingers around hers. Once he had completed their contact, he started making the sweetest baby noises.

“Yes, little man. I promise to be a part of your life, too. I promise to be here with you and—well, your Mama, too.”

Liz looked up and Ian and me and said, “Yes, I’ll be this child’s Godmother and happily accept everything that comes with that honor. Oh God, this is the most incredible thing! I literally feel surrounded by Janet. I don’t know how to explain it, but she is so alive in this beautiful baby. Don’t you feel it?”

“Cam and I have always felt an odd kind of peace when we hold him. We’ve talked about it. But since we didn’t know Janet nearly as well as you, we just went with it and didn’t try to figure it out.”

Liz was glowing as she basked in the feelings she was experiencing. Damn! It really was pretty fucking cool! Yeah, I’m supposed to be watching my language around Eli, but I’ll be damned if I fucking change the way I fucking think! Wow! That felt good.

“Who’s the Godfather?”

Well, that snapped me out of my thoughts!

“I’m sorry—what?”

“Who’s going to be Eli’s Godfather?”

“Oh, Ian and I haven’t thought of anyone yet.”

“I have an idea. You probably won’t like it, though.”

Ian had to ask, “Who do you have in mind?”

“Jack. Jack Anderson. Janet’s dad.”

“What??” I couldn’t believe Liz could suggest such a thing! Last I heard, that asshole was still blaming me for everything.

“Liz, you know how Mr. Anderson feels about Cam. How could you even think something like would work?”

“Guys, listen to me. There is something special about this beautiful baby. He has brought me peace. For the first time in weeks, I feel good again. If there’s anyone who needs this more than I, it’s Jack. He feels like life is over. He just stumbles through his days.”

“Yeah, but—”

“No. Please. Let me bring Jack over this afternoon to meet his grandson. I just know once he sees this baby, things will become clear to him. Give him a chance. Janet fought with her life to make sure Eli would be born healthy and strong. I believe he can make a huge difference in a lot of people’s lives.”

Eli cooed and kept his grip on Liz’s finger. “I know I sound like some new-age, spiritual freak-bitch, but hey—I just know this is what Janet would have wanted.”

I looked over at Ian. My beautiful boy is the one I turn to when we need to deal with life’s tricky situations.

“Babe, we just saw what Eli did for Liz. If he could help Mr. Anderson, then who are we to deny that. I think we should at least have him over to see the baby. Then we’ll just see what happens.”

I looked at Liz, “I’ll go with Ian on this. He’s the one with the common-sense brain in the family.”

“Awesome, guys.” Liz stood up from the rocker and handed Eli to me. I’ll either be back within the hour or text you and let you know what’s going on.”

So, there it was. Liz was on her way over to Jack Anderson’s house to convince him to come back here with her and meet the baby.

Ian and I went upstairs with Eli and talked with Claire to fill her in on what would be happening later. She suggested we meet with him up here and offered to stay in the kitchen to hear what was going on and said she would help out if needed.

That made both of us feel a lot better, and we just sat in the living room, playing with our boy while we waited for whatever was going to happen. It didn’t take long for Liz to send me a text saying that she was on her way with Mr. Anderson.

About ten minutes later, the doorbell rang, and Claire went to answer it. “Liz! So nice to see you again, dear. And you must be Mr. Anderson.”

“Jack. Please call me Jack.”

“Well, both of you come in. Jack, we have a little one who can’t wait to meet his grandfather!”

Claire led them into the living room, and Liz immediately came over to Ian to take the baby in her arms. Holy shit! Eli actually squealed when Liz took him, and he reached his arms up as if he were reaching for her finger.

Liz walked over to Mr. Anderson and introduced us.

“I should thank you boys for the invitation to come over. I must admit I was more than hesitant, but, as you both surely know, Liz can be quite persuasive.”

“Jack, meet your grandson—Elias Franklin.”

She handed the baby to Mr. Anderson, and we watched it happen again. Eli looked up at this new stranger as he gurgled and cooed.

“Oh, dear God in heaven. You’re right, Liz! He has Janet’s eyes!

We watched the baby and grandfather lock eyes and saw a smile slowly appear on Mr. Anderson’s face. My guess is that this was probably the first smile he’s had since the accident.

“I – I need to sit down.”

Liz went to take the baby from him. “No. No. I need to hold him in my arms some more.”

Liz looked over at Ian and me and nodded her head as she smiled.

“Oh, you beautiful baby boy! Your Aunt Liz was right. You are so full of Janet’s spirit! I can feel your Mama just as if she was right here in the room with us!”

Tears started falling from his eyes as his smile just got bigger. He brought the baby up to his face and kissed him on the forehead. That caused Eli to squeal once again.

“Boys, when Liz told me about her experience with little Eli, I thought she had finally gone over the deep end. But, I don’t know—it’s just the strangest thing. For the first time in a long time, I’m feeling peaceful.”

We continued talking for about a half-hour. Well, fuck me! Mr. Anderson—erm, Jack—was pretty cool. He admitted that he had blamed me for everything, but now, he can’t help but feel that Janet wants him to let go of all that. “I have to. I have to for this little boy.”

Claire came in with iced tea and cookies, and we all sat around the living room and talked. I have to say I was surprised a lot that afternoon. The biggest surprise was when he told us he had no problem with Eli having two dads. He explained that he and his wife disagreed with a lot of what the Church taught, but he was hopeful that this Pope would fix a lot of the problems they were having.

He asked if we were planning on including church in Eli’s life. I explained that we were going to have him baptized in the local Episcopal Church in a few weeks. While I wasn’t a regular church-goer, Ian and I had talked about finding a progressive church that accepted us unconditionally and begin attending on a more regular basis.

Jack was happy to hear that, and by the time he was ready to go home, we asked him to be Eli’s Godfather. Both Ian and I felt that Eli just won the Grandpa lottery. He had three awesome grandfathers now.

Claire told Jack and Liz that they were expected to be taking part in our family gatherings—the most important one being the afternoon after the baptism.

Three weeks later, Elias Cameron Franklin was baptized, and his Godparents stood in attendance and accepted their new responsibilities. We all gathered in the backyard and had a huge cookout.

Eli was passed around to everyone, and he was totally digging the attention. All that attention wore the little bugger out, so Ian took him inside for a bottle and a nap. About twenty minutes later, my beautiful boy came back outside with the baby monitor in his hand.

That evening, Ian had to go to the library for Lifeguard Orientation and I—Oh, fuck!!! Tomorrow is our second anniversary! I’m such a douche!! I ran upstairs to see Claire, and she had Eli in her arms at the kitchen table.

“Claire, I’m such an idiot! I just now remembered that tomorrow is our second anniversary. I need your help. I want to do something special for Ian, and I have no idea what to do. I need to make as many plans as possible before he gets home.”

“Cam, I promise you Ian hasn’t remembered, either. But your mother and I have!”

“What are you saying?”

Claire just smiled and told me that she and my mom had set us up with dinner at the Barnstable Restaurant and Tavern—our favorite restaurant! Our reservations were for 7:00, and the meal was already taken care of.

She explained that they both figured we would forget—considering everything that has happened over the past few months. That woman and my mom are amazing. Fucking. Amazing.

The next morning, I went back to work at the tailor shop, just as I promised Dad I would. I knew he was having some trouble with his arthritis, but he was a champ and let me settle in with my baby. I now completely understand the importance of maternity leave!

Last week, I had placed an ad in the Barnstable Patriot for a part-time employee to help around the shop. I didn’t need one this time of year, but I could take the time to train him or her with things being a bit slower. The first three people I had scheduled for an interview were a complete waste of time. They didn’t have the right personality, and none of them could handle a needle with any type of ease.

The fourth person to show up was a younger guy about our age. His name was Charlie Danner. He stood about 5’7” and was very thin. He had a delightful smile and twinkly eyes surrounded by a massive shock of long, curly hair.

He was at the counter when I came out from the back of the store. “Hi. I’m Charlie. I have an interview with the owner?

“Yes, Charlie. I’ve been expecting you!”

“You? You’re the stitcher?”

“Stitcher?”

“Yeah, the tailor—the guy who does the sewing.”

“Yes, that would be me then. Stitcher—I kinda like that, dude.”

“So, I was told that the stitcher was an older dude.”

“That would have been my father. He just retired.”

“Ah, taking over the family business. You likin’ it?”

“Well, yes, actually. Wait a minute. Aren’t I supposed to be the one asking questions?”

Charlie giggled, “Hehe, yeah—probably! My uncle told me over the weekend that the best type of interview is where everyone asks questions. Guess I was overdoing it?”

“Naw, it’s cool. Trust me. This is already a hundred times better than the other interviews I’ve had today! Why don’t you come into the back where we can be more comfortable?”

We talked back and forth for about thirty minutes, and I felt really good about Charlie. “So, I think you just might be the one for the job. My dad insists that we do a background and reference check, but I don’t think there should be any problem. I’ll call you as soon as we hear back from everyone.”

“Sweet! I just love sewing and designing. I hope this works out!”

Right on cue, the most beautiful boy in the world—who happened to be named Ian walked into the shop with a beautiful baby snugly asleep on his chest. Charlie’s eyes widened when he saw Ian. I mean, mine do to pretty much every time I see him!

“Whoa. Dudes. Now I know why you look so familiar! You’re the Prom kings from our Senior year!”

Ian smiled and laughed, “Yep! That would be us!”

“That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I was running the lights that night for a friend of mine. He was the deejay. You know, you guys gave me so much hope that night.”

I walked over to my boy. “Hope?”

“Hope that I would find someone like the two of you had. Someday. I hope.”

“Hey, you never know when the perfect person will just show up in your life. Ian, this is Charlie Danner. He’s going to be my assistant once we get all the references checked out.”

“Nice to meet you, Charlie. You have awesome hair, by the way!”

“Yeah, everyone says that. My mom hates it, especially when I put the blue streak in last year.”

We all laughed and talked a bit when Ian said we should be going. We had to leave for the restaurant in an hour and had to get ready. I looked over to Charlie and told him it was our second anniversary today, so I needed to close up and get home.

When we got back home, Vic was sitting in the kitchen with Claire. “Hey, look, Eli! It’s your long-lost Uncle Vic who never comes to see you anymore!”

“Hey! That’s not fair! The school year just ended. You know how crazy that gets. Can I hold my nephew while you guys get ready for your hot date? Oh—and happy anniversary!”

We took a quick sex-free shower and dressed for dinner. I put on a pair of khakis and a tight navy-blue v-neck tee shirt with my light blue blazer. Ian had his black skinny jeans with this beautiful blue button-down shirt. He didn’t wear a jacket.

Dinner was awesome. They put us at an isolated table in the back corner of the dining room. No one was around, so we felt free to sneak in a kiss or two and held hands on top of the table for a change. Ian had chosen a lobster fettuccine, and I had my favorite, their house-made lasagna.

The server brought out a small two-person cake and wished us a happy anniversary. That was so cool to be treated just like any other couple would be. It doesn’t happen all that often, but when it does, it fucking rocks!

Once the cake was finished, we were stuffed! Our server brought us an envelope marked Cam & Ian. “Gentlemen, we’ve been instructed to give this to you after you finished your meal.” Ian opened the envelope and started to read:

To our wonderful sons:

It’s hard to believe that it has only been two years since you walked into Claire’s kitchen, sopping wet from a thunderstorm. Who knew how your lives would change forever on that fateful night?

The four of us could not be more proud of the two boys we are honored to call our sons.

Ian, although you came into our lives under rather complicated and uncomfortable circumstances, you have become a true son to us.

Cam, we know it had to be difficult for you when you first met Ian. We are in awe of your bravery, fearlessness, and trust that you have had in Ian.

However, both of you have had a difficult time recently, and again, we are watching with wonder and admiration at how the two of you have adjusted to your new family's dynamics. We couldn’t be more proud of the fine young men you have become.

Speaking of your new family, we want you to know that your beautiful little boy—our grandson—is taken care of for the next two nights. Now that you have finished dinner, you are to drive to the Lamb and Lion Inn and check into the room we reserved for the two of you this evening and the next.

We love you both. We are so proud to call you our sons.

Love,

Your Adoring Parents

P.S. If you check in the trunk of your car, you’ll find a bag that Vic packed for you while you were in the shower.

P.P.S. He was so disappointed that he didn’t hear any shenanigans while he was in your room!

We got to the hotel, and it was fucking awesome! Damn, this place costs a shitload of money, too! I was in tears by the time my beautiful boy, and I finally got into our room. There were flowers everywhere! Awesome! Fucking awesome!

There were a couple more notes on the bed—one to each of us. The note for me was from Dad and said he would cover the shop for me tomorrow. The one for Ian was from Vic and told him he had his shift covered for tomorrow. We had two nights in the hotel. Two nights alone!

I opened the bag that Vic had packed, and there was a couple of days’ worth of clothes. Oh, fuck! I don’t know if I should be grateful or embarrassed, but our lube was also in the bag! I put it on the nightstand and walked my boy over to the fireplace.

We had turned the lights down, and the glow from the flames cast a beautiful light in the room. I wrapped my arms around Ian. I looked into his eyes.

“Happy anniversary, beautiful boy. I love you more and more every day. You are my life, my world, my everything.” With that, I leaned in and pressed my lips to his for a long, deep, and passion-filled kiss.

“Cam. Two years ago, I looked across the room and locked eyes with the boy I knew I wanted to fall in love with. I didn’t know you were kinda straight at the time, but I knew there was something special about you. I can only thank God for the gay pass that let you open the door to what would become the most important relationship I’ve ever had—or ever will have.”

“You little shit! I’d almost forgotten about that stupid thing!”

“No. Not stupid. It was awesome. I love you, baby.”

Holy shit! Where’d our clothes go? We were stark-fuckin’-naked, and our throbbing cocks were doing the dance they do so well between us.

Ian lowered us to the plush rug in front of the fireplace and began kissing my neck, biting my neck, causing me to moan out loud.

God almighty, this was romantic! Except for one thing. It’s a gas fireplace. Now with a wood-burning fireplace, you get that crackle and snap to tell you that it’s real. With gas, you get nothing but a steady hiss. Not so roman--- Holy Mother of God!!

My beautiful boy snuck his way down to my ass, working his amazing tongue on my hole! Fuck, he’s good at that! Thrash around on the floor time! I’m out of control, and it takes every bit of concentration I can muster up. I can’t control the moaning but manage to let my boy know that he needs to swing around and feed me some of Ian Jr.

Cam Jr. is flowing rivers of pre as I swallow my baby’s beautiful tool. I can’t help moaning around the head as it sits in my throat. That causes Ian to moan deep into my trembling ass—which causes me to moan some more around his hard-as-steel rod.

As much as I hate to take Ian Jr. out of my mouth, I need him in my ass—now! “Fuck me now, baby. I need you so fucking bad!”

“Let me grab the lube.”

“No. We’re good. Just go slow.”

Ian shifts around, pulls my legs up on his shoulders, and positions Ian Jr. ready for entry. I look up as Ian drops spit on his cock and eases the head in. Oh! Fuck! I love feeling my boy breaking through my hole. “Oh, I have no intention of going fast, baby. I’m going to make slow, long, deep love to the boy I love more than life itself!”

And did he ever! His slightly curved cock was made for my ass! Whether he was pushing in or pulling out, he always did a number on my hot spot. Our bodies were glistening with sweat from the fire, and that only gave even more definition to Ian’s cut muscles.

After two years of making love, Ian knows just how to put just the right amount of pressure on my prostate and make me cum in fountains without touching myself. That causes me to pulse my ass and milk my baby’s load deep inside me.

Oh, fuck me. Here come the tears. “What’s wrong, baby?”

“Nothing’s wrong, Ian. It’s just that you make me so fucking happy. When you make love to me, the world is perfect. I don’t know what I did in my life to deserve such a beautiful boy, but I sure fucking hope I can keep doing it.”

Ian wipes some tears from his eyes. “No, baby. I’m the one who’s amazed. Before I met you, my life was pure shit. I was thrown away like the kitchen trash and lost all hope. Then you show up, and I have the family I always wanted—baby included.”

I can’t remember the number of times—or the number of places we made love, including at least two times in the room’s large jacuzzi tub. I didn’t think it was even possible, but the love Ian and I have for each other became even stronger and deeper than ever.

After two fucking incredible nights, we finally had to check out and join the real world once again. Before we went home, I wanted to stop by the shop and thank Dad.

When we walked in, I found Dad with Charlie. He was showing him some of the intricate stitches he had shown me years ago.

“Hi boys! Welcome back! I was just showing Charlie some of my stitches. By the way, his references all checked out glowingly, so I went ahead and got him started.”

“Yup! Why didn’t you tell me Stitcher Senior was so awesome?”

There’s that name again—looks like it’s gonna stick. “Charlie, I told you he taught me everything I know about the business. You already know I’m pretty damned awesome. Do the math!”

“Sir, is he always like this?”

I like this kid! We all laughed, and I thanked Dad for helping out with the shop. Ian and I got back in the car and headed home.

We walked in the back door, and Eli was entertaining both Mom and Claire in the kitchen. Ian and I kissed and thanked them both. I picked up my baby boy, and we took him downstairs.

We both lay in the bed with the baby between us. We played, he gurgled and cooed, and I looked up at Ian.

“I love you, Ian. And thank you from the deepest part of my soul for making our family complete. You didn’t have to do it, but you took my crazy world on full force.”

“You’re my stitcher boy, Cam. I’m here with you 300%, and every twist and turn that comes in our lives is nothing we can’t handle as long as we love and have each other.”

We were both caressing Eli’s silky blonde hair. SQUIIIIIIIRT!

Time to change a diaper!