Hello, My Name is... - 13. Chapter 13 Déja Vu...

“Here you go.” Christian placed the bowl of honey nut cheerios in front of Liam and smiled as he dug in right away.

“Thank you, Daddy,” he said between chews.

“You’re welcome, Son.” Christian laughed and tousled Liam’s hair. “Slow down, don’t choke.”

He sighed contently before turning his attention to Ethan who was eating his cereal with his fingers. Picking up each cheerio one at a time and popping it into his mouth. “It’s going to take you all morning if you continue to eat with your fingers, Ethan. Use your spoon, please.”

Ethan grinned up at his father nodding his head before licking the milk off his hands and grabbing his spoon.

Christian reached for his mug of coffee blowing over the rim before taking a careful sip. He rested his back against the counter watching his sons eat their breakfast. In his eyes they were perfect. He knew when he met them at the hospital he would love them, but watching the videos with David sealed the deal.

Their coos, their giggles and cries…all of it etched in his memory in hopes of never forgetting again. He realized he was fortunate in that David had recorded those precious moments, never to be relived, except in his case they were.

It had been a week since they watched the home movies and what David didn’t know was that he’d been watching them everyday since. As soon as he dropped the boys off at school he would come home get a second cup of coffee and sit down in front of the television watching his life as if he were watching a classic movie starring him. Sometimes he would put on a video and go off and clean the house using David’s rich laughter and his own voice as background noise.

He glanced up, just as David entered the kitchen his tie draped loosely around his neck and his hair still damp from his morning shower.

“Morning,” he said as he hurried in taking long strides.

“Good morning,” Christian smiled before bringing the cup to his mouth.

“Morning, Daddy.”

Morning, Kiddo.” David smiled at his son while reaching for the cup in Christian’s hand.

“Daddy!” Ethan cheered, clapping his hands together while at the same time sending milk splatters over his face and shirt.

Before taking a sip of coffee, David blew raspberries at his son; it was their playful way of saying hello.

“Ewww.” His face drew into a tight scowl. “Yuck.” He turned up his nose and handed the cup back to Christian. “Blah.”

“That’s yours, Slick.” Christian nodded to the cup on the counter. “That one has splenda and cream.” He smirked before taking a sip of his black coffee.

“Oh.” David blushed bashfully picking up the warm mug. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Christian said with a short nod. “Running late this morning?”

“Yeah, just a little,” David replied before taking his sip of coffee. He carefully placed the cup on the counter before attempting to tie his tie.

“Thanks for last night, though I’m not as young as I used to be.” He chuckled as his fingers got tangled in the knot he was attempting to tie. “Those late nights are going to kill me.”

“You are getting old,” Christian teased. “We were home by ten.” He giggled behind his mug. “Here. Let me.” Christian offered setting his cup down before swatting David’s hands away. “I had a great time too.” He sent David a warm smile. “Hold your neck up.”

“Thank you.” He said before stealing a quick kiss on the mouth. He stilled his shoulders and lifted his chin as instructed.

He and Christian seemed to be in a good place. The dating thing appeared to be just what the doctor ordered, literally. Last night was their official first date, not counting David’s awards dinner and nights out with the kids. They decided on something simple yet different, Movies by Moonlight at the Boston Harbor Hotel. The screen was set up outside near a large gazebo and the film started just as the sun dropped behind the horizon. Patrons of the cafes and pedestrians walking by could catch a glimpse of the movie while absorbing the ambiance of the waterfront. Last night’s feature was ironically enough, ‘The Way We Were.’

Christian leaned back, tilting his head slightly to the left then to the right making sure David’s tie was straight before giving him two soft pats on the chest. “There you go.”

“Thanks.” David smoothed out his jacket before grabbing a bagel off the plate on the counter.

“More please.” Liam held up his empty bowl.

“See, he wants more.” David grinned at Christian. “Told ya to stop buying them oatmeal.” He pursed his lips teasingly for taking a bite of his bagel.

“Whatever.” Christian shook his head, dismissing his husband before acknowledging his son’s request. He stuck out his tongue and rolled his eyes at David then softened his gaze before turning his attention back to Liam. “Coming right up, Sweetie.” His tone was animated and sugar coated.

“More,” Ethan parroted and turned up his bowl, the problem was his wasn’t empty.

“Ethan!” Christian sighed and smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand.

“And on that note.” David chuckled and gave Christian a peck on the cheek. “See you later boys. Be good for Daddy.” He wave to his sons before turning to leave. “See you, Babe.”

“Hey, don’t forget I have a meeting this afternoon so Tibby will be picking them up for me.”

“Oh shit.” David stopped in his tracks, made an about face and pulled Christian into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, I forgot about that,” he apologized, releasing his hold on him. “You’ll blow them away,” he guaranteed. “I can’t wait to hear about. Why don’t we meet for lunch after you’re done,” he suggested.

“Okay,” Christian agreed feeling a little anxious about the meeting. It would be the first one since the accident. He sighed wishing he had as much faith in himself as David did.

“Don’t forget to call me.”

“I won’t-“

“Daddy? More please,” Liam whined creasing his brows as he’d seen the adults do when they were upset.

“Okay, okay.” Christian laughed lightly. His laughter faded quickly when he noticed Ethan playing in the spilled milk on the table. “Go.” He shooed David out the door.

“Love you,” David called over his shoulder as he headed out. Christian stood at the door leaning against its frame watching till David was in the SUV. He released a contented sigh and closed the door. His eyes widened in utter surprise at Ethan who was using his tongue to slurp milk off the table. “Ethan…Ay Yi Yi.” He sighed exhaustedly.

…

“Hurry up, boys, or you’re going to be late,” Christian called over his shoulder while rinsing out their bowls, placing them in the dishwasher. He was drying his hands when Liam and Ethan entered the kitchen. “You guys ready?”

“Yes.” Liam nodded as he adjusted the strap of his backpack over his shoulder.

“Okay, let me grab my keys and we can go.”

“Daddy?”

“Yes.”

“I want a husband,” Liam blurted out unexpectedly.

“A what?” Christian gasped, narrowing his gaze in confusion.

“A husband,” he repeated.

“Oh!” Christian ran his hand roughly down his chin attempting to process what his son just confessed. ‘a husband,’ Liam’s words took him by surprise. “Okay,” he said still sounding a little confused. “Let’s sit down.” He nodded toward the table.

“We’re gonna be late,” Liam reminded him even as he followed his father to the table.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll be fine,” he assured him, pulling out a chair to sit down. He motioned for his son to do the same.

Ethan sat on the floor and pulled a toy car from his backpack and started rolling it back and forth, while Liam climbed in the chair next to Christian.

Christian cleared his throat stalling for time as he figured out a way to approach this. “So, Son, you want a husband?’ He tilted his head sending his son a kind smile.

“Yes.” Liam nodded staring up at his father like a big boy.

“Hum…” Christian was at a loss.

“But not like daddy though.”

“Not like daddy?” He scratched at his scalp. “What’s wrong with daddy?”

“Daddy is a boy and I want a girl husband,” he stated simply. Christian covered his mouth to hide his amusement, feeling slightly relieved. He wasn’t ready to have the “talk,” with his son just yet.

“Ohhh. You want a wife,” Christian clarified.

“Are you a wife?” Liam questioned with a confused gaze.

“Um, no,” Christian replied. “Boys are husbands and girls are wives,” he tried to explain. Liam creased his brow as he processed what his father was saying. Christian could see the wheels turning in his son’s head when he finally understood. His big green eyes lit up and a huge grin adorned his features.

“Can we stop and get my wife some flowers like you got for Daddy?”

Christian arched his brows and chuckled. “You want to get your wife some flowers?” He questioned skeptically.

“Umhum.” Liam gave a confirming nod.

Christian narrowed his gaze at his son and asked, “At the age of four, what wife could you possibly have?” He challenged.

“Miss Stein,” Liam replied matter-of-factly.

“Miss Stein?” Christian parroted. “Isn’t that your teacher?”

“Umhum.” Liam nodded again.

“Hum.” Christian scratched behind his ear. “Okay, I’ll tell you what. Why don’t we get her an apple instead?”

“An apple?” Liam frowned.

“Yes!” Christian laced his tone with enthusiasm. “Teachers love apples they’re healthy and women are really concerned about their health,” he added. Again he could see the wheels turning. Liam took a deep breath and conceded.

“Okay.”

“Good.” Christian clapped his hands together before pushing himself up from the table. “You grab an apple from the fruit bowl over there, and I’ll get my keys.”

“Okay.” Liam climbed out of his chair and headed for the counter.

“Ethan, put your toys back in your backpack and put your socks and shoes back on please,” he sighed as he stepped over the mess Ethan had made.

“I can’t, Daddy.” Ethan giggled before putting his fingers in his mouth.

“Liam, help your brother get his shoes back on…please,” Christian called over his shoulder before disappearing down the hall.

“Okay…”

…

Christian took a calming breath and put the car in park. He took several deep breaths actually trying to calm his nerves. He arrived early and he was glad he did. Though he didn’t remember the accident, actually being where it took place gave him an uneasy feeling.

When Mr. Lambert called a few days ago and asked if he was ready to get back into the saddle, it seemed like a good Idea at the time. He explained that they hired new contractors so the pending accident claim would not be compromised and the builders would only work with him. But now as he glanced across the street at the huge construction site he wasn’t so sure.

He sat there a little while longer idly playing with his fingers before he got the courage to get out of the car. Reaching over in the passenger seat, he grabbed his hard hat and briefcase. “It’s now or never.” He tried to encourage himself. “You can do this.”

He took cautious steps as he walked across the concrete slabs, flinching at every little sound. Jackhammers, electric drills and the searing sound of welding machines petrified him, but on the outside he appeared calm and confident.

He was the man of the hour; all eyes were on him as he passed by. The finger pointing and murmers didn’t go unnoticed and though he couldn’t hear what they were saying he was sure it had something to do with the accident.

There was a tall distinguished looking man wearing a navy designer suit standing under a green and white awning. He held blueprints in his hands and a half lit cigarette clenched between his teeth. He squinted to keep the smoke from burning his eyes as he glanced up giving Christian a short nod and a smile as he approached.

Christian took a deep breath and returned the gesture, using the back of his hand to shield the sun from his eyes. It was obvious the man recognized him causing Christian to conclude he must be Craig Lambert.

The man tossed the cigarette to the ground putting it out with the bottom of his shoe while extending his hand.

“Christian Beck. Man, it’s so good to see you again.”

“Mr. Lambert?”

“Craig…please, call me Craig.”

“Okay, Craig.” Christian smiled weakly.

The two men shook hands and Christian breathed a sigh of relief feeling a false sense of security while standing under the awning. There was a moment of awkward silence yet not uncomfortable shared between them as if neither man knew what to say next.

“Um, let’s go to my office over there.” Craig nodded toward the large trailer while rolling up the blueprints. Christian peeked from under the awning and frowned. Though it was just a mere feet away it seemed a lot further and that meant Christian would have to walk unshielded.

“Yeah, sure.” He exhaled slowly and hesitantly followed Craig out.

Craig yelled something back over his shoulder as they walked under the steel beams, but the loud noises overhead drowned out his voice, making it difficult for Christian to decipher what he was saying, but he smiled and nodded anyway. His mind was totally distracted. The noise was so loud he couldn’t hear himself think. The sound of scrapping metal caused his skin to crawl and every time the wrecking ball slammed against the wall with such force and explosion, he jumped. He tightened his grip on his briefcase using it for security but it wasn’t helping. His palms were sweating, and it seemed like he had to readjust his grip on the handle every ten seconds. With each step it seemed as if the trailer was getting further and further away.

He wanted to run to it but he didn’t want to look like a fool. Perspiration dotted his brow and he could feel beads of sweat start to drip from under his hat. It appeared that everything was moving in slow motion. Voices became distorted and the blinding sun made it hard to see. Christian’s knees were getting weaker and weaker with each agonizing step. ‘This was a bad idea,’ he thought to himself. ‘I’m not ready for this.’ At that moment all he wanted was to be safe at home with David and his sons. He felt like a sitting duck just waiting for an accident to happen...again.

His heart pounded in his chest and the taste of vomit splashed against the back of his throat when the sound of someone overhead yelled, “LOOK OUT!”

He stood paralyzed, his briefcase slipping from his grasp as he ducked and quickly used his arms to shield his head. His body shook uncontrollably as his legs buckled beneath him.

“Christian!” Was the last thing he heard before everything went black.

~*~*~

“Excuse me David,” Liz’s voice was soft and nonintrusive. “Christian’s on line seven.”

“Christian,” David looked up confused. “Why didn’t he call my cell?” He wondered aloud while fishing his phone from his pocket.

“You want me to put him through?”

“Of course.”

“Christian, Baby why didn’t you call my cell?” David answered the call happily.

“David?” Christian’s voice was low and weak. His heart dropped and his smile immediately faded upon hearing the despair in his husband’s voice. “I need you.”

That was all David needed to hear. The reasons why… the what happened didn’t matter, all he knew was he had to get to him.

“Where are you?”

~*~*~

“No…no, he’s fine. He refuses to go to the doctor’s though,” David explained talking into his Bluetooth. He’d made it to the construction site in record time and was escorted to a room at the back of Craig’s office. There he found his husband resting on the sofa with his arm slung over his face. He looked weak, broken…defeated.

“Tibby was picking them up anyway, and I’ll pick them up from there.” David explained as he drove Christian home. He nodded as he listened to Jimmy on the other end insisting on picking Liam and Ethan up and bringing them to their house till’ the morning. “That’s only if you’re sure,” David stressed.

“That won’t be necessary.” David heard Christian say. He glanced over at Christian who had been listening to his end of the conversation.

“Um, hang on Jimmy.” David muted the call giving Christian his full attention. “Why not? You need the rest,” he stated the obvious. “And Jimmy is willing to pick the boys up from Tibby and let them spend the night.” He shrugged.

“I need my boys home with me,” Christian shot back. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of them,” he defended. His tone was an octave higher then he attended.

David shook his head and took the call off mute. “Jimmy. Let me call you back.” He glanced over at his husband who was staring out the window at nothing in particular. His arms were crossed tightly over his chest.

“Christian,” he said and waited for him to turn around. “I never said you weren’t capable of taking care of the boys.” David’s voice was even, careful not to offend. “But you just had a major episode out there and you do need the rest and you can’t do that if the boys are around.”

“I’m not crazy, I know what I heard.” He glared at David.

David inhaled slowly and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He understood Christian was frustrated and embarrassed by what happened at the construction site. After interviewing the workers it was concluded that no one yelled look out, that Christian imagined the whole thing.

“Crazy? Oh my god, Christian, I never thought that,” David tried to assure him. “You said you heard someone yell look out and I totally believe you.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.” David gave an affirming nod.

“And you called Dr. Reeder, because?”

“Because it could possibly be a break through, not because I think you’re crazy.”

Christian studied him for a moment and took a deep breath. He opened his mouth to speak then closed it again before coming back with a weak, “Then you can watch them.”

“What?”

“Liam and Ethan, you can watch them, they’re your sons too you know.”

“They are my sons, Chris, but you’re being unreasonable. They would be a distraction for us tonight. They’re kids; they demand time and attention. Tonight I want to focus solely on you,” he stated simply. Christian gave a dejected sigh and mumbled something under his breath which David couldn’t make out before turning to look out the window again.

“So I’ll tell Jimmy it’s okay?”

“Tell him whatever you want,” Christian replied not bothering to look at David.

David nodded slowly and took it upon himself to make the final decision. He pressed the redial button on the side of the Bluetooth and waited for Jimmy to answer. Christian rolled his eyes and huffed indicating his displeasure but not bothering to object outright.

~*~*~

The room felt cool when he stepped out of the shower and chill bumps immediately attacked his skin. He rubbed the towel vigorously over his body to dry himself and generate some warmth. As he towel dried his hair, his mind wandered back to the construction site, replaying the scene over and over again, ‘look out’ rang in his head clear as day. He reached absent mindedly for the scar behind his ear that was now covered by hair, all except for the area where he had the stitches.

As his fingers gingerly traced over the raised skin he was not only reminded that he almost lost his life, but he almost lost his family. David, Ethan and Liam were truly his family. It was as if he hand-picked David. Picked someone who would love him unconditionally, in spite of…and that kind of love doesn’t happen every day. Then it was like they hand picked their children. After reviewing the adoption papers it appeared they were particular about what they wanted, going over everything thoroughly with a fine toothcomb.

He stepped into the bedroom and smiled when he noticed that his husband had laid a pair of pajamas across the bed for him. Plus, there was a glass of water on the nightstand along with his medicine. David was truly amazing. He hurriedly pulled on his pants but decided to forgo the medicine. Sure he was stressed and he needed to relax, but he didn’t want some pharmaceutical product, he wanted something natural…something real. He wanted David.

He took hesitant steps toward David’s bedroom, their bedroom hoping he wouldn’t lose his nerve. The door was slightly open and from his vantage point he could see David standing in front of the dresser. His body was still damp and he let the towel he had wrapped loosely around his waist drop to the floor revealing all his glory.

David wasn’t as conscious about what he ate as he was and yet his body looked like that of a ‘god,’ perfect. His calf muscles, all the way up to his thighs were strong and well defined, the fine dark hairs that covered them was sexy and an added bonus. David was unaware he was being watched while he effortlessly pulled up his black boxer shorts, combing his fingers through his wet black hair that curled around his fingers as he did so before closing the drawer.

He turned around and smiled meeting Christian’s gaze head on.

“Hey.” His voice was soft and welcoming.

Christian grazed his teeth over his bottom lip, nibbling on it shyly before giving David a short wave. “Hey.”

“How do you feel?”

“Okay.” Christian shrugged as he relaxed against the frame of the door.

“Come in.” David motioned with his hand. He followed Christian’s gaze which was trained on his half naked body and ran his hands down the front of his thighs. “Or not.” He chucked nervously. “I was just about to get dressed.”

“Don’t,” Christian said above a whisper. He pushed himself from the doorframe and stepped inside. David’s eyes widened and he stumbled backwards as Christian approached.

“Um…” David stammered.

“Um, what?”

“Um,” David repeated as Christian’s hands touched his chest. He arched his brow, narrowing his gaze at his husband. “Are you alright?”

“I’m not sure.” Christian’s voice was thick and raspy. He could feel David’s body stiffen, as David watched as his husband’s hands roam his body. “I called you today and you came,” Christian said softly allowing his hands to caress David’s arms and shoulders.

David nodded slowly. “Of course.” He closed his eyes swaying slightly as Christian’s hands made their way back to his chest.

“I needed you.” Christian placed a tender kiss below David’s collarbone. “I needed you and you came. You came to rescue me.” He continued to pepper David’s chest and shoulders with kisses. “You were the gallant knight who came to save me.” Christian allowed his hands to travel down David’s sides, resting on his waist.

“I love you,” David said through bated breath.

“I know.”

“I pray every day that you will remember how much.”

Christian slid his fingers under the elastic band gathering the fabric between his fingers, pulling one side down then the other, inch by inch. “I need you.”

“I’m here.”

Christian could feel David tremble under his touch. “I’m scared, David. You have a way of making me feel safe and I need you to save me now.” Christian’s voice sounded desperate even to his own ears, but he didn’t care. “I need to feel safe, David. I need to feel. I need you.”

em>Coming up next....  
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