Runaway Chapter 12

"Oh, Ty, I'm so happy for you!" he exclaimed.

Tyler nodded against Brian's shoulder then pulled back. "Of course this is just the first test," Tyler said, some of his excitement leaving. "I have to have another in six months, and then again in a year to be sure," he explained.

Brian wiped the dampness from Tyler's cheek. "I know baby. But you passed this first step. Let's be happy about that okay? We'll worry about the rest in a few months!" He leaned forward to softly kiss Tyler. They lay back on the bed together and kissed each other gently.

A few minutes later a knock at the door interrupted them. Brian sighed and reluctantly pulled back from Tyler. "Come in," he called, leaning against the headboard, but keeping a firm hold on Tyler.

Kevin stuck his head around the corner. "Hi guys! We heard you up earlier Brian and wondered how things were?" he asked, trying to find out indirectly if Tyler had called the doctor's office.

Brian hugged Tyler and smiled at his cousin. "Tell him," he whispered to Tyler.

"It was negative," Tyler said to Kevin.

The moment the words were out, the door flung open and the other three guys ran into the room cheering. They all jumped onto the bed, grinning and congratulating Tyler. Soon all six men were laughing.

The next three weeks flew by. Tyler started working with the crew at the next venue setting up the equipment. He had a sharp eye and Steve quickly recognized his competence. Tyler began to enjoy his growing independence, especially after he received his first paycheck. His defenses slowly disappeared, as he became more comfortable with the singers and their joking.

Kevin offered to get him his own room, but with Brian's agreement, they decided to continue to share a room.

It was those quiet times at night, whether on the bus or in a hotel, that Tyler enjoyed the most. He and Brian would lie close together on the bunk or bed and talk in whispers before drifting to sleep in each other's arms. The physical relationship hadn't proceeded beyond passionate kisses and mild groping. Brian wasn't about to rush Tyler into anything he wasn't prepared for.

The rape still haunted Tyler sometimes. Even more haunting was the loss of family. At times, he would find himself alone and start thinking about his childhood, wondering what he did wrong. He could remember the fun times he'd had with his mother when he was very small. He wondered why he was unlovable.

The day before the last concert, Brian found Tyler sitting on the bus staring out the back window. He had just come back from an interview, and a stop at a mall to pick up Tyler's birthday present. Tyler hadn't heard Brian come in, so he didn't attempt to hide the tears. He reached out and touched the glass window.

"Why doesn't anyone love me?" he asked the air.

Brian's heart broke. "I love you Tyler," he whispered as he walked over to stand behind the teenager.

Tyler spun around and looked up at Brian. "Wha…what did you say?" he asked hesitantly.

Brian pulled Tyler to his feet, and kept his hand entwined with Tyler's. "I said I love you, Ty." He raised his free hand to softly touch Tyler's cheek, and wipe away the dampness. "I don't want to scare you and I'll never pressure you, but I wanted you to know that you aren't alone. And I promise you Tyler, that I will never abandon you," Brian vowed.

Tyler gazed up at Brian in wonderment. "Why do you love me? How can you love me when my own parents don't," he asked sadly.

Brian sat down, pulling Tyler down beside him. He picked up the younger man's hands. "Ty, I don't know why your Mom left, but I think it had to do with your father, not you. As for your dad…I wish I knew Ty, why some people hurt their kids. But despite everything, you are a remarkable man, Tyler. You are smart, and sweet and kind. You get joy out of the simplest things; things that I've forgotten used to make me smile too. You're brave Tyler, not giving up in the face of everything you've encountered. And, on top of all that, you are cute," Brian said with a grin, making Tyler smile too.

"You're the second one to tell me I'm cute," Tyler said softly.

Brian cocked an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Tyler nodded. "Yeah. A couple of weeks ago, the day before I called for the test results. On the bus, Nick said I was cute, but he wouldn't do anything about that because he saw how you and I looked at each other," Tyler told Brian about the conversation.

Brian ran his fingers through Tyler's hair. "He's right. You are cute, and I love you."

Tyler wasn't sure what to say. He wanted to tell Brian he loved him too, but he was afraid. Brian could read the silent battle on Tyler's face.

"Ty, don't feel you have to say you love me. You've had so much to deal with during the last couple of months, and I know your emotions are still a little helter skelter. I just wanted you to know that someone does love you. If and when you're sure you feel the same way, I know you'll tell me. Until then, just accept my feelings; let me be here for you and take care of you," Brian said gently.

Tyler kissed Brian's cheek. "You are my hero Brian, my guardian angel. Thank you."

Brian smiled and stood again. "Come on Ty, we have to get to rehearsal soon," Brian said as he led Tyler off the bus.

The six men sat around the dressing room, relaxing after their final concert. They were trying to wait out the fans that were still crowding around all the exits.

Nick stood up and walked over to the door when someone knocked. He opened the door and found one of their PR people and two police officers standing there.

"Nick, these officers have a warrant," the PR said.

Everyone in the room stood up in confusion.

"A warrant for who? For what?" Kevin asked, walking to stand beside Nick.

One officer looked down at the paper. "It's a warrant for the arrest of one Tyler Johnson on suspicion of robbery," he said.

Tyler gasped and sank back onto the couch. Brian jumped to his feet enraged.

"That's crazy! When did this supposed robbery take place and who did he rob?" Brian demanded to know.

The officer handed Brian the warrant and walked further into the room. He looked at the men and his eyes came to rest on Tyler. "Are you Tyler Johnson?" he asked.

Tyler nodded and stood. He was in complete shock.

Brian read the warrant. "Fuck that bastard!" he shouted, making everyone jump.

"What?" Kevin asked.

Brian threw the warrant at Kevin. "Tyler's father is claiming Tyler stole money from him before he ran away." Brian finally noticed that the cops were putting handcuffs on Tyler and reading him his rights. He ran over to Tyler. The police held him back. Brian struggled.

"He's a minor! His Father is a monster and doing this for revenge," Brian tried to explain. His eyes never left Tyler, who remained in shock.

"Sure buddy, they're all innocent!" one of the cops commented.

Brian glared at the man, but stopped struggling. "Lift up his shirt," Brian said forcefully.

The cops looked at each other. Finally, the one who had put the cuffs on moved behind Tyler and raised the back of his shirt. "Jesus!" he swore softly.

The other officer took a look and saw the scars that would forever remain on Tyler's back.

The two officers looked at each other. They had their jobs to do, but they certainly didn't want to hurt the kid any more than he'd obviously been hurt.

One officer moved in front of Tyler. "Is this true Tyler? Your father gave you those scars?" he asked.

Tyler didn't answer. He heard his father mentioned and immediately withdrew into himself. He knew that was the only safe place to be.

Brian was getting concerned. "Please, let me talk to him? The thought of his father terrifies him. Please?" Brian begged, blinking back the tears.

The officer finally nodded and Brian stepped up to Tyler. He didn't care what the police saw or thought. His only concern was Tyler.

"Ty? It's Brian," Brian said softly, gently stroking Tyler's cheek. "Please, baby, talk to me. I know you're afraid. I promise we'll take care of this. I won't let him hurt you again." Tyler didn't react. "Tyler, I love you," Brian whispered and Tyler raised his head.

"I love you too," he whispered back as the tears started to stream down his face. Brian softly kissed Tyler's cheek. It wasn't how Brian wanted to first hear those words, but he'd take it, for now.

Brian's risk paid off. Neither cop had a problem with gays and could clearly see the love and pain in Tyler's face.

"Since he's a minor, we can allow an adult to accompany him to the police station until a lawyer arrives," one officer said.

Before Brian could say he would go, Kevin stepped in. "Marcus will go with him, and we'll meet them at the station with the lawyers," he said.

Brian started to protest, but Kevin's glare silenced him. Brian saw Marcus standing by the door, and walked over to him.

"Make sure not one hair on his body gets hurt, please," Brian said through his tears.

Marcus nodded. "Promise Brian," he said solemnly.

Kevin found out where they were taking Tyler. Brian spoke in whispers to Tyler, trying to comfort him. Finally, the police escorted Tyler out of the room. Brian collapsed on the floor in tears. Nick hugged him tightly. Howie and AJ returned to the room.

"We've called the lawyers. They are on their way right now," Howie said as he put his cell phone away. He walked over and squatted in front of Brian. "Brian, we'll take care of this. He'll be okay," Howie said quietly.

Brian sat up and looked around at his band mates. "I want him destroyed!" he said with venom. Brian pushed himself to his feet. "I gave him a chance he didn't deserve, and now he has to pay!"

None of the others said a word.

The next few hours were a blur for Tyler. He was nearly out of it. He vaguely remembered Brian talking to him before he was led away and put into a police car. He could feel someone sitting beside him, but it didn't really register that it was Marcus. Marcus convinced the cops to cuff Tyler's hands in front so he would be more comfortable.

Marcus tried his best to comfort the teenager. He knew everything the boy had been through and had even met his father. Marcus just wanted five minutes alone with the bastard.

Once at the station, Tyler was taken into an interrogation room. Other officers at the station prevented Marcus from sitting with Tyler, so Marcus parked himself outside the room. Any time one of the cops tried to go into the room, Marcus stopped them, telling them Tyler wouldn't say anything until his lawyer arrived.

At one point Marcus had to threaten to press charges for child abuse and finally the cops stopped trying to get to the boy.

Tyler sat alone in the room in utter confusion. He should have known his father would do something like this. He knew his dad would never give up trying to control him. For a few minutes, Tyler wondered if it would be better to return to his father. His biggest concern was not himself, but Brian and Brian's career. It would kill Tyler if he caused Brian problems.

Then he realized that Brian would be hurt if he gave up. Despite everything he'd suffered and his own doubts about himself, he never doubted Brian's love. It was that love that Tyler held on to and he used it to keep himself calm.

Tyler wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting there, when the door finally opened. He glanced up and Marcus walked in, followed by an older gentleman Tyler had never seen.

"Tyler, this is Paul McQuarrie. He's a partner in the law firm the group uses and he's going to represent you," Marcus said gently. He set a can of coke down on the table for Tyler.

"Is Brian here?" Tyler asked quietly.

Marcus nodded. "Yeah, but the police won't let him in to see you yet. If everything goes as hoped you should be out of here in a few more hours. Hang in there," he said and left Tyler alone with the lawyer.

Tyler answered the lawyer's questions the best that he could. He tried to focus on Brian, thinking about Brian's sweet smile and infectious laugh. It was those thoughts that kept Tyler from breaking down completely, and simply curling up in a ball on the floor.

After nearly an hour of questions, the lawyer left Tyler alone again.

Paul returned to the singers waiting downstairs, to talk with them.

"Is there anyone you can call that can help verify what Tyler has said about his abuse?" he asked.

The guys were quiet for a minute then Brian jumped up. "Dr. Young! Tyler saw him two days after the rape and he commented on the scars," Brian said. Paul wrote down the information and left to make a couple of phone calls. Brian began to pace as he tried to devise a plan to make Tyler's father pay for the suffering Tyler had endured.

Finally, he turned to his cousin. "Kev, can you find out who his father works for? He's a mechanical engineer. If it's a big company, maybe we can force them to fire him…or suggest our fans avoid their products!"

"Bri, we have to be careful with that. We don't want to be sued," Kevin cautioned. Brian simply glared at Kevin, until Kevin relented. "Okay! I'll make some phone calls too," he sighed and pulled out his cell phone.

Brian resumed his pacing, glancing at his watch to discover it was almost six in the morning. The lawyer returned a few minutes later.

"Okay, I left a message with Dr. Young's service. Tyler is going to be on the court schedule first thing this morning and we'll try to get these charges tossed out. If not, at least get him out on bond." He looked at the group of men then focused his attention on Brian. "I'll see what I can do about getting you in to see him, Brian," he said sincerely.

"Thank You," Brian said softly, as Paul left.

Brian finally sat down and put his head in his hands. "How can this be happening?" he asked himself softly. "God, hasn't Tyler suffered enough?"