Doctor Carlo and Brandon - 4. Another Getaway and Patient Crisis

The three of us headed to the airport after school and a quick bite to eat. You guessed it: pizza. I sent a text to Brandon before we boarded the plane, and he told me where to go when leaving the terminal. He made it easy: we just needed to take the Hotel's shuttle to the Airport Marriott—which was pretty much at the airport. That's why they called it what they did, I guess. For that, I’m glad we had an idea where to go—this place is fucking huge and busy. I made sure to keep the kids close.

Brandon left word at the desk that we'd be coming. He knew he'd be working late, and arranged for an adjoining room in my name, so I got the card keys for the second room, and we headed upstairs. Since we'd already gotten something to eat near home, we decided to spend some time in the hotel pool. I left a note for Brandon—he had left the door to the connecting room on his side open—and he joined us after he got back. It was almost closing time for the pool, so we horsed around together for the twenty minutes or so that we had.

Kids being what they were, a snack was required. We went upstairs, changed, and came back down to the restaurant. We ordered a few appetizers and shared. Brandon gave us some details about how things had been going with the job over the snacks. Short version, things were still a mess. Fortunately for him, the mess wasn't in any code he had written, but they still needed to figure out why it wasn't working right. The kids had sodas and since Brandon needed a little unwinding, I joined him in a cocktail from the bar. I could never figure out how he got into having Vodka martinis. To me, they tasted awful, so my choice was a Harvey Wallbanger, gravitating to Italian liqueurs when I do have a drink. There's almost always a bottle of Vodka and Galliano in the house along with Brandon's Vermouth. Not that we drink constantly. I think the current bottles are all pushing a year old.

We woke up to a thunderstorm Saturday morning. That eliminated the zoo as a possible destination, so we headed to the aquarium. The kids had a grand time, Brandon and I were happy, following along, holding hands, just being together. Neither one of us considered that something as innocent as holding hands would be a trigger for someone's anger. Apparently, it was.

We left the aquarium and were accosted by a pair of young men, probably no more than twenty. Why guys like that—assholes—were even in the aquarium, boggled my mind.

“Look at the two faggots holding hands.”

“I bet they’re teaching the kids to be fags too.”

If it was just verbal, we would have just kept walking. They jumped me first. Brandon kept growing through high school, while I didn't. I was only about three inches shorter than he was, but also a little bit thinner. Luckily, I had kept up with Tae Kwon Do lessons in high school. I was far from an expert but knew enough to knock down two overconfident assholes. They must have thought I'd be an easier target. That qualified as an oops for them, I suppose. The kids were impressed. Me, not so much, especially since I had just taken down moron number two when the cops drove by.

Cops can be loud when they want, “What’s going on here?”

I turned to the sound of his voice, panicking a little when I saw it was the police. “These two tossed a couple slurs at us and then jumped me. I had to protect myself and my family.”

After a little more explanation, we ended up not being hassled further by the cops. To our benefit, the two idiots were known entities to the police. The thugs, obviously, weren’t about to press charges against me. Knowing we wouldn’t be in town beyond the next day, we chose to go the same route. The kids got a warning, and after about a half-hour delay, we were able to head out for dinner. Carla and Billy couldn't stop talking about how Pop took out two thugs. I'll take the adoration any way I can. It was pool time again after dinner.

Sunday, we hit the World of Coca-Cola. Another good time as a family, no jerks afterward. We checked out of the second room but spent one last hour at the pool before it was time to head to the airport. Well, the airport terminal, since we already were kind of at the airport.

Monday was another normal day—school, work, daycare, dinner, homework, all taking part. Tuesday was an ice cream cone in the dirt. It started out bad very early. I was just about to step out of the shower when Billy yelled out.

"Pop, Dad's on the phone, he says it's urgent."

I wrapped a towel around myself to keep at least some water off the carpet. I needn't had worried; Billy was right outside the bathroom door by then.

"What's up, Brand?"

"I only have a minute; I'll give you details later. I'm heading to the airport, have only sixty minutes or so. Mom had a heart attack. Dad called at like three AM."

"Is she going to be alright?"

"Dad said, it didn't look good. I'm hoping, I can get there bef…"

He started crying. I couldn't do anything to help from three-hundred and fifty or so miles away. After a few moments, he was able to speak again.

"I gotta run. I'll call you later. Love you."

"I lo…" Well, I almost got it out before he disconnected.

Billy knew something was wrong, I hadn't thought to chase him away.

"Is who alright?"

"Grandma Gordon had a heart attack last night. Dad's flying to Miami to go see her."

"What about us?"

"We just have to try to make today as normal as possible. I won't know anything from Dad until later. But we may be going to Miami, too. Your sister's a lot more sensitive than you. When she asks, just say Grandma Gordon is sick. Okay?"

"Sure, Pop."

I had a lighter than usual appointment schedule today. Taking off was a possibility, but Steve Millson was coming in this afternoon. He'd been taking some heat from a classmate, and I couldn't reschedule with a clear conscience.

I got the kids out on time for the bus and had a second cup of coffee; dark roast this time, thinking I'd need the extra caffeine. All I could think about on the way into the office was how hard Brandon was going to take it if his mom died. Fuck. Fifty-eight or fifty-nine was too young. Way too young.

When I arrived, I gave Maxine a head's-up that I might have to cancel or transfer appointments for the next few days. She was understanding and said she'd take care of it if I did have to leave. She also took care of letting Dr. Lohman know, too. He's the head of the practice.

My patients were all informed that I may be distracted due to a family situation. There were a couple times, I was glad, I did that in advance, my mind did drift. Steve was the last appointment of the day, so I wouldn't have to stay too late and could touch base with Brandon before I left.

"Hi, Dr. Marini."

"Hi, Steve. Come on in. I just want to give you a head's-up, if I happen to get distracted, feel free to yell at me to get me back on track. There's a family situation that took up residence in my head this morning."

"Oh. Okay. You could have canceled."

"No, hearing, you were having difficulties with a classmate, I felt, I should see you sooner rather than later. So, what's been happening?"

"Mostly teasing. I don't know how it happened, Aaron said, he didn't say anything. I'm guessing, his sister heard something at the house and mentioned it to someone who couldn't keep their mouth shut. Anyway, like I said, mostly teasing, but there's one guy who feels, he needs to take it further."

After a deep breath, he continued, "A few times, he's come up behind me and rubbed his groin against my backside. The last couple times, he did it, I could tell, he was erect. I'm just worried, he'll continue to escalate his actions."

"I'm assuming, the school has a ‘no bullying’ policy."

"It does, but this guy runs with a crowd that doesn't follow rules too well. If I tell anyone, something will happen, but it will be outside of school."

I thought, ‘It sounds like this guy needs a swift kick in the nuts.’ But said, “It sounds like he should have gotten lessons in discipline at home.”

Steve smiled, "I’d love to give him some myself, but if I did that, then it would be three or four-on-one the next time."

I nodded, "That would be a problem. And I'm guessing he wouldn't be easy to avoid."

"That's right. His locker is right near mine, that's where these advances always take place."

"Have there been others around?"

"Yeah, but again, if I make a fuss, that'll just get him angry."

"Anybody you trust among these others?"

"Yeah, there's this one girl I've been friends with for years. I think, for the longest time she's suspected, I was gay. Why?"

"Well, maybe you can get her to record or photograph him doing this and then you have something to threaten him with."

"Like blackmail? I couldn't do that."

"Typically, blackmail is monetary. Call it ‘intimidation’—same as he's doing to you."

"I guess, that makes sense."

"So, confide in her. Let her know the truth. Apparently, the rumors have started. If you trust her, maybe she'll watch out for him, and take out her phone when he's around."

"So, tell her Brad's been hassling me and I could use her help."

"Exactly. If you phrase it that way, she may be more willing to help. People like to help, but not necessarily volunteer."

"I guess, it's harmless. I wouldn't want her getting hurt or anything."

"I don't see that happening. Bullying would get him suspended, actually hurting this girl could get him arrested."

"He could snatch her phone and break it."

"Same deal. Destruction of property. There would be proof because his fingerprints would be on the phone."

"I guess, it's worth a shot."

"Either that or do like I did. Be friends with the one of the biggest guys at school."

Steve puts his hand on his chin, apparently thinking it over.

"Well, there is this football player I helped out with schoolwork a couple times. But if he hates gays and I ask him, it could be just as bad as with Brad."

"You're going to have to learn to trust someone. Not everybody will be like this Brad guy. The only other choice I see is taking self-defense courses, then you can protect yourself."

"But four-on-one?"

"Life is full of risks, but most often if you can take out the first one, the others won't be as willing to get hurt just to help Brad pick on some guy."

"Yeah. The rest of his crew do seem more like followers than leaders. Okay. I'll talk to Mia, and maybe I can get my parents to sign me up for self-defense classes."

"If you let them know you're being harassed, I bet they'd be more than willing to go for it. Lessons are cheaper than hospital bills."

That got him a small chuckle, "Yeah. I also think, Dad will like that I want to stand up for myself."

"Use every method you can think of."

"Thanks Dr. Marini. I'll let you know how things go."

"Sounds good. Let's go two weeks this time, aside from the Brad situation, you seem to be adjusting well. As always, you can contact me to get an appointment sooner."

"Thanks. See you in two weeks, and hopefully not before."

"Got my fingers crossed for you."

"Thanks. I hope that family thing works out okay."

"Thanks. Bye."

"Bye."

After Steve left, I gave Brandon a call. It had rained, the ice cream cone rolled out of the mud, and into a pile of dog shit.

"Hi, Brand."

After a sniffle, "Hi, Carlo."

"How are things going?"

"Not good. Mom passed away around noon. At least, I got to see her before."

"Damn, I'm sorry. I already gave them a head's-up here. We'll fly down in the morning."

"There's no hurry. If you wouldn't mind driving, I only made my flight one-way, we can head back together whenever. No reason to spend all that money for a little convenience. I mean, between driving to the airport, getting through TSA, the flight, and getting out of Miami airport, you've used up most of those five hours anyway."

"Yeah, true. If we leave tonight, we can miss a lot of the traffic."

"That'd be fine, too. I thought about staying at their condo. Carson is flying in from Boston in the morning. He needed a little more time to make sure, they had everything they needed for their little one. Mason will be here in another hour or so. He can have the guest room and I can stay in the hotel with you guys. Not that I don't want to see him, but sharing a bed? No, thanks."

I laughed. We'd had some problems with his brother Mason in high school, but he changed some after a year in juvie. It will be interesting, meeting Carson's wife. Brandon had said, she's practically a female version of him.

I picked up the kids from daycare. They sensed my mood immediately.

Carla suspected something first, "What's up, Pop?"

"We'll talk when we get home, okay?"

Between my sadness and that comment, I didn't think, they'd be surprised, but I didn't want to deal with their grief from the front seat. After we got home, I sat them down on the couch with me, and started out.

"I guess, Billy told you this morning that Grandma Gordon was sick."

"Yeah. How is she?"

An awful answer crossed my mind, 'well, she's not sick anymore.' But I shoved that one deep into a hole.

"Grandma died around noon."

"What happened?"

"She had a heart attack last night. I didn't get to talk with your dad for long, and he didn't say exactly what happened. My guess is either there was too much damage, or she had another attack."

I gave them time to cry a little and were able to listen clearly. Fortunately, it didn't take very long. Mom and Dad G had been in Hialeah since before we took custody, so they had only seen their grandparents twice. Mine were still in the same house I grew up in, so we saw them a lot more often, being only a couple towns away. After they settled, I used my Expedia app to book two hotel rooms. I sent a text to Brandon, so he'd know where to go.

"So, we'll be heading down as soon as we pack our things for a few days. Dad took a one-way flight from Atlanta, so, we'll drive down tonight, and all drive back together."

"Okay. How many days?"

"We can run a load of laundry if we need to, but I'm guessing we'll be driving back Sunday. Figure five days."

I went through a list with them: five sets of underwear, socks and t-shirts or similar. They could wear their sneakers down, but will need a pair of dress shoes, and a nice outfit. Adding ‘toothbrush’ and ‘toothpaste’ to the list, knowing they likely would have skipped them if they weren't reminded.They needed their iPads and chargers, too. Five hours in the car would be unbearable for me, if they didn't have a distraction. All of Brandon's suits were still here, so I took one of those as well. The kids didn't need to be that dressed up, but Brandon and I would definitely want to be.

We stopped for pizza—surprise, surprise—and hit the highway. They immediately immersed themselves in games. I was left with only my thoughts. After a couple stops to refill our drinks and empty our bladders, we made it to the hotel just after eleven-thirty. Brandon had already checked us in and texted the room numbers back.

We went to the room Brandon was in first, he immediately grabbed me for a bear hug. After a few seconds, we reached out for the kids. We let Brandon have a cry for a few minutes before I checked if he was ready to share.

"Whenever you're ready to talk, we're here."

"I guess, I should at least share some details—we can talk more in the morning."

He took a few deep breaths; we stayed patient until he was ready.

"So, like I said this morning, Dad called about three AM and said, he was on the way to the hospital. It appeared Mom had a heart attack. He called again a little later to confirm that. This was just before I called home. I got to the hospital around ten-thirty. Mom was awake but was kind of going in and out; knowing who I was one second, confused the next. There was apparently some brain damage from a loss of oxygen after the first one. Dad's kicking himself for not waking up fast enough. I don't think, it would have mattered. She had another attack just before noon. They couldn't restart her heart."

"Damn, Brand. I'm so sorry. At least, you got to see her one last time. Probably not very comforting, though."

The kids expressed their sympathy as well.

"I guess, being here was a little better than getting a call after the fact. I was so upset, I didn't call in to work to say, I wouldn't be there. I had quite a few messages on my phone when I landed. My peers and boss understood, so that won't be a problem."

"If there's anything I, or we, can do to help, you know, we will."

"I know. I think, I just need to sleep for about ten hours. Dad, Mason, Carson, and I are meeting at the funeral home at one tomorrow. You all just being here for support is all I need right now."

Both rooms had two double beds. The kids didn't want to be separate, even with the adjoining door open. After we all got ready for bed, Brand and I took one double, and the kids took the other. I was awake a lot longer than Brand; he had fallen asleep while I was holding him. I wanted to make sure he was sleeping deeply before I moved away from him.

Next up - "All Things Funereal, Adjustments, and Going Back Home"