Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2007 10:14:15 +0100 (BST) From: Jezebel Subject: In Another Life 9 Title: In Another Life. Author: Jezebel the Temptress Feedback: eh_oh_po@yahoo.com Disclaimers: This story is fiction and it is not intended to imply anything about the true sexuality of the celebrities mentioned or any personal knowledge about their private lives. If you are underage for your area, if it is illegal for you to view such material or if you are opposed to two men in a loving situation then this story is not for you either. *** *Part 9* Kyle couldn't believe his brother's enthusiasm at seeing the new house, it was as if all of the horrors of the past weeks were forgotten when he saw that there was a garden and a pool for him to play in. People spoke of the resilience of youth and he had seen Jon display that with the dozens of men that came in and out of their mother's life but he had not seen him bounce back so quickly before. There was a part of him that wondered if he ought to be grateful but a larger part warned that this might not be the end of Jonathan's problems. Kevin opened up the house and showed Jon around, finishing the tour in his son's new bedroom so that he could have a nap. "But Daddy, I'm not tired." Jon argued as he tried to fight the issue. The yawn that he tried to hide told Kevin otherwise. "Only babies take naps." "Just rest then." Kevin answered. "I'll wake you up in time for lunch." "Can we get McDonalds?" Jon asked tiredly. "Maybe." Kevin answered, ruffling his son's hair as he stood up to leave. Kyle, who had followed them on the tour of the house without saying more than a few words, trailed behind Kevin as he walked into the family room. Kyle had barely sat down when Kevin turned to him. "So, do you want to tell me why my son dislikes Brian so much?" Kyle sighed, he had hoped that he would not have to do this. Alex had been right, he should have told Kevin before now but at least the truth was coming out. He recounted the story of his visit to the record signing and how Brian had had him and Jon removed and blacklisted from future events. "You should have told me." Kevin said after Kyle had finished telling the story. "I wouldn't have agreed to Brian coming along today if I had known." "Given what has happened over the last few weeks I didn't think that Jon would react so badly. I wasn't even sure that he would remember." Kyle replied. "And the last thing that I wanted to do was cause anymore issues between you and Brian than my return has already done. I heard that you had argued at the hospital." "Don't worry about Brian and I, we'll be having a talk very soon." Kevin said, his tone saying that the 'talk' did not bode well for Brian. Kyle looked away as he heard the anger in Kevin's voice. Kevin sighed. "I want you to know that you can trust me, Kyle." Kevin said gently, all traces of anger gone from his voice. "I know that things haven't been great for you in the past but we're going to have to work together if we want to make this work." "I know." Kyle replied. "It's just..." he paused, searching for the words that he wanted to say. "For so long it was just me and Jon, I mean Mom was around but she was hardly ever there and when she was she was usually drunk or stoned. I'm not used to having to worry about anyone but us..." "Well, it's something that we'll both have to work on." Kevin said diplomatically. Kyle nodded. "I thought that I would take Jon out this afternoon, take him to the park or something." Kevin said standing. "It's been a tough couple of days and I really think that you should rest up a bit. You've only been out of hospital a few days and you're supposed to be recuperating." "I'm fine." Kyle said as he stood, wavering slightly as he got up. "It's just a few broken ribs and they're almost healed." "I don't need to tell you that you were in a coma." Kevin said. "I promised the doctors that you would rest." "Okay." Kyle said, knowing when he was defeated. Maybe Kevin taking Jon out that afternoon would be a good thing too. It would give them a chance to get to know each other without him being around. "Give me a call when lunch is ready?" He asked as he headed towards his room. Kevin didn't answer, he was already trying to work out what he was supposed to make for lunch and where he could take a six year old for the afternoon. *** Kyle woke later that day feeling more refreshed than he had in a while. The ache in his ribs had dulled and he felt better than he had in days. He hoped that this was a sign that he was truly on the road to recovery. There was a loud crash in the lounge room and Kyle headed out to see what it was. He was surprised to see his little brother standing next to a broken vase. "I didn't do it." Jon said in a panicked tone. "It fell on its own." "It's okay." Kyle said, trying to quell the sense of panic that he could see rising in his brother. Kevin came in a moment later to find the two of them next to shards of a glass vase his Mom had bought for him. "What is going on in here?" Kevin yelled as he entered and saw his young son surrounded by glass. Kyle winced and reached out for Jon but not before his brother was already scooping up the shards of glass in his unprotected hands. "I'll clean it all up. I'll buy you a new one. I didn't mean it." Jon said, all as he tried to hide the glass. "Please, don't send me away...I'll be good." Kevin felt his heart breaking as he saw the utter terror on the boy's face. He didn't want to begin to hear what horrors Jon had already seen in his young life. "It's okay." Kevin said as he waded in and took the glass from Jon's hands. He scooped his son up and carried him clear of the glass. "I didn't shout because I was angry, I was worried that you might have hurt yourself." "I'm sorry." Jon said softly. "I didn't mean to break anything." "I shouldn't have left it lying around." Kevin countered. "So you see, it isn't your fault. It's mine." "Really?" Jon asked. "Yep." Kevin replied with a slight smile. "But you don't have to worry because even if you did do something wrong there isn't anything you could do that would make me love you less." Jonathan didn't speak, he just cuddled closer to his father as if he didn't want to believe that. "I'm not going to send you away ever." Kevin said. "You and Kyle can stay here as long as you like." "You mean like forever?" Jon asked. "Even after I'm growed up?" "Forever and always." Kevin promised. "Now, how about I put you safely in the other room and Kyle and I see about tidying this mess up?" "Okay." Jon said as he realised he was being carried to the kitchen where a plate of cookies sat on the table. He would be good, he wouldn't take any and maybe Daddy would let him have one later. He was still sitting, staring at the cookies when Kevin found him a few minutes later having cleared up the glass. "Didn't you want any cookies?" Kevin asked. "Kyle said that chocolate chip were your favourite." "I wasn't sure if I was allowed." Jon answered softly. "Kyle says never to take stuff without asking. That's stealing." "It's okay if you want something to eat." Kevin replied. "And if you get hungry then you just have to ask and either Kyle or I will get it for you. Did you want some milk to go with your cookies?" He asked. Jonny looked at him with wide eyed awe and nodded. Jon knew that this must be another test. You ate when food was placed in front of you, he knew better than to ask because sometimes there wasn't any food in the house so it didn't matter if you were hungry or not, you didn't get fed. Maybe that was only with his Mom though, he knew that his Dad was a bazillionaire, he could probably afford to have three cooked meals a day with dessert. "Can Kyle have cookies too?" Jonny asked. He knew that his older brother didn't always take food for himself, especially when there was only a limited amount and Jon wanted to do what he could to share with his big brother. "Kyle, do you want some milk and cookies if we're having some?" Kevin called into the next room. Kyle joined them in the kitchen a moment later and smiled. "I'd love some cookies." He said. "Yum! Chocolate chip. My favourite." He said, taking one from the plate and encouraging his younger brother to do the same. "I thought that you said they were Jon's favourite." Kevin said, with a raised eyebrow. "Aren't they everyone's favourite?" Kyle returned. Kevin smiled and stole one of the cookies for himself. He didn't normally indulge in junk food but he supposed that this once would not hurt, especially when he was teaching Jon that it was okay to eat what was there without asking and to ask if he wanted anything. There was a lot that the younger boy needed to learn about normal families and he hoped that they would be able to make him feel at home soon. Today's accident had just been the first of many hurdles that they would face, but Kevin knew that as long as Kyle was there with him that he would be able to get through them. Who knew, maybe they would eventually be a proper family. *** Kyle put his brother to bed later that night and made Jon say his prayers. It reminded him of nights back at their old apartment when he had always told his brother to pray for what he wanted but also thank the lord for what they had. Kyle knew that Kevin was religious and that he would prefer his son bought up in the church so he had always made sure Jon said his prayers before bed. It surprised him that night when Jon prayed and thanked God for sending his Daddy back to him like he had asked. It was never something he had heard his brother pray for before. Kyle looked around the new room which housed all of the furniture and toys that Kevin had bought for Jon in the last few days and realised that this was the kind of thing that they had to be thankful for. It was so much different from the room they had shared at the apartment. Thoughts of that place scared Kyle because he knew that he would have to go back and sort out their things eventually but he didn't want to be there alone. The police must have finished doing tests there after the murder and despite it being the last place on earth he wanted to go there were things they needed. Amongst others his brother's favourite toy, which he knew Jon would be missing. Maybe if Kyle asked Alex to drive him it would be easier for them both. Kevin could stay and look after Jonny then too. At least that way he would not be alone when he went back there. Kyle watched his brother fidget in his sleep and smoothed his hair back with his good hand, waiting for Jon to still again before he left. He would look into going tomorrow, knowing that Jon would sleep better with his favourite stuffed toy in bed with him, Jon always slept better with Mr. Snuggles to look out for him. *** Kyle woke early the next morning and was surprised to hear noises outside his room. Kyle new that Kevin was an early riser but usually he was not the sort of person to crash and bang his way around the kitchen. Worried that Jon had woken up and was attempting to make his own breakfast pushed Kyle into the Kitchen where he was surprised to find AJ busy sorting through the fridge to find something. "Morning." AJ said, far too chipper for the early morning. "I don't think that Kevin has any eggs, but I can make pancakes or something. I think there is probably some mix around here." "Cereal will be fine." Kyle said as he reached for the box of Cap'n Crunch on the counter. "What are you doing here this early?" He asked, not wanting to sound accusatory but wondering why AJ was there. Kevin had asked for some time alone to spend with his son so it surprised him that one of the Boys was already over. "You forgot didn't you?" AJ asked. "I'm not surprised really given what has been going on." Kyle looked at him blankly as he poured his bowl of cereal and added milk. "You've got a doctor's appointment this morning." AJ said. "I have?" Kyle asked. He couldn't remember that, but then again Kevin had dealt with his discharge from hospital and getting all of his prescriptions filled. "Afraid so. I already told Kevin that I would take you so that he could look after Jonny." Alex replied. "You've got an hour to get ready before we have to leave, but I thought I would come over early so that we could get breakfast." "And you wanted to meet Jon." Kyle guessed. "And I wanted to meet Jon." AJ conceded with a smile. Kyle returned it. "What can I say? You all keep talking about him and I had to meet the little boy that obviously holds a special place in your hearts." "He's probably just about ready to get up anyway." Kyle said. "I'm surprised that he hasn't sneaked down to watch cartoons already." Alex said. "I remember that was my favourite thing to do when I was a kid, and my Mom would make me a huge bowl of cereal to eat while I watched them." "Jon stays in his room until I go to get him." Kyle said as he put his spoon back into his cereal bowl. He had lost his appetite because of where the thoughts took him. "Why?" AJ asked. "With our Mom you never could tell what state she would be in, or who would be with her. Jonny and I shared the bedroom to our apartment so Julia slept on the couch. I didn't want Jonny to go out and find some random guy that had stayed over, or worse to see Julia passed out through drink or drugs." Kyle said. "There are some things that a kid shouldn't have to see anyone go through, especially not their Mom." "I'm sorry." AJ said, he could see that talking about this obviously hurt Kyle. It shocked him that Kyle could speak about things so candidly. "It won't be like that again." "I know." Kyle said. "But I have a feeling that the lessons of his early life will be less easy to get over." "You want me to give you a hand getting him up?" Alex asked, not so subtly changing the subject. "Maybe we can catch some cartoons before we go." "Sure." Kyle said, grateful for the distraction Alex had given him. "I'm not sure that I'll be able to carry Jon downstairs with only one good arm." Alex followed Kyle out of the room and upstairs to the room that Kevin had set aside for Jon. When AJ caught sight of the young boy who was playing quietly on the bed he could see instantaneously that this was Kevin's son. There could be no doubt that the raven-haired green-eyed child belonged to anyone else. There was a troubled expression in Jonathan's eyes though and AJ hoped that they would be able to erase that in time. "Hey kiddo." Kyle said as he sat next to his kid brother on the bed. "You know who this is?" "AJ." Jonny said certainly. "He works with my Daddy." "That's right." AJ said, leaning down so that he would be less intimidating. "But, you know what, all of my friends call me Alex. You think you can call me Alex?" "Does that mean I'm your friend?" Jon asked seriously. AJ smiled. "I guess it does." "And Kyle?" Jonny asked. "Can he call you Alex too?" "Kyle is definitely my friend." AJ said with a small smile which he directed at Kyle. Kyle blushed slightly at the attention and pulled Jon up onto his lap to use him as a barrier. He didn't know why but there was something in Alex's tone that made him feel unsteady. "You want some breakfast?" Kyle asked Jon as he bounced him on his knee and tickled him gently. Jonny nodded while trying to fend off his attacker. Kyle could see the smile on Jon's face and it reflected on his own. AJ witnessed the love shared between the two brothers and felt a pang of jealousy that it was something that he would never have. No matter how close the band got they would never be as close as a real family. Alex wished more than anything that he could be a part of the moment that the two boys were obviously sharing. It appeared that for all the trauma in Jon's young life there was still some hope because he had a strong older brother to care for him. AJ never had that. "Breakfast." Kyle said, sensing that Alex was deep in thought. "And then we'll have to wake Daddy before we...go shopping." Alex frowned until he realised that Kyle didn't want to mention hospitals around Jon. There was probably a story in there but he didn't think that he was going to get it with Jon in the room. He made a note to ask later and then led the Maddox brothers down to the Kitchen where breakfast was waiting. *** It turned out that they had not had to wake Kevin after all. Once Jon had his cereal and his cartoons it was difficult to keep him from making the amount of noise that a regular boisterous six year old would make. Kevin was soon awake and gave Kyle a chance to prepare for his hospital appointment. It took only a few minutes for Kyle to dress and then he was in the car with Alex. "So, are you ready to go...shopping?" AJ asked as he put on his seat belt and checked the mirror. Kyle frowned for a moment and then realised that he had told Jon they were going shopping. "Jon doesn't like hospitals." Kyle said. AJ didn't ask anything more and Kyle felt that he needed to elaborate, if only to fill the silence. "You know that my Mom didn't exactly have the best taste in men when she was using - well, one of the guys was expressive with his fists. He beat Mom up so badly that she ended up in hospital for three days. While she was there Andy was left looking after Jon and myself. I was only sixteen and I had school. Jonny was left at home with Andy for two of the days and..." Kyle trailed off. "It's okay." Alex said, realising that this might not be something that he wanted to tell. Kyle was entitled to his secrets. "I came home from school the second day to find an empty house," Kyle said, his voice monotone as he tried to retell the story without emotion. "at least I thought it was empty. Andy had gone out and locked Jon in a cupboard. I only found him after I heard him whimpering." "God." The word slipped out of AJ's mouth as he realised. "Jon has been scared of anyone going to hospital since then, because he thinks that we're going to abandon him. I dread to think how much worse it is now that he knows his Mom died in a hospital." "I'm sorry." AJ said. "I shouldn't have said anything..." He felt guilty for having dredged up so many bad memories, he knew that the two boys had it tough the last few years and the last thing that he wanted to do was add to that. "No, it's okay." Kyle told him. "Maybe it is time that I got used to having someone to share this stuff with. It's been just Jonny and I for a long time now." "I'm always here if you need to talk." AJ replied, knowing that it was not a lot but that it was all that he could offer. "I meant what I said to Jonny back there. You and he are both my friends and if you ever need anything, either of you, all you have to do is ask." "Thanks." Kyle said, turning away to look out of the window and effectively ending the conversation. AJ could see the pained expression on Kyle's face but he didn't want to cause any further pain by asking what was wrong. He had put the offer on the table and Kyle knew that he was there if Kyle ever wanted to talk. The best thing to do was silently support the other man and let him come to him if Kyle wanted to. All Alex could do was be supportive and wait. *** The hospital was as cold and clinical as Kyle remembered it being. The only highlight was that he was not there alone. Alex sat at his side in the outpatients clinic and tried to keep up a steady stream of conversation to keep Kyle's mind off his looming appointment. Kyle thought at first that the talking was for his benefit but he wondered after a while if it was also possible that Alex was nervous too. "Are you sure that you're okay with being here?" Kyle asked. "I don't want you to have to worry about getting spotted." "It's okay." AJ replied. "I want to be here. Besides, I don't think that most of the people that are here would recognise me anyway." It was true, Kyle supposed, after all there were not a lot of teenage girls around. A few of the nurses had nudged each other or made comments about AJ's presence but none of them would approach him because to do so would be unprofessional. Kyle was glad of that because the last thing that he wanted was to draw anymore unwanted attention. Kyle was glad when he was finally called through to see the doctor. He was surprised when Alex stood with him. "You're coming in with me?" Kyle asked. "If that is okay." Alex said, hesitating when he realised that he might not be welcome to such an intimate moment. "I don't want to be left with the nurses over there." Kyle smiled and shook his head. "You'd better come with me then." He said, as if talking to Jonny rather than AJ. "But you had better hold my hand if I have to get a shot, you're not the only one that is scared of nurses." Alex laughed and followed Kyle into the examining room. He didn't want to say that he hoped Kyle was getting a shot if it meant he got to hold his hand. There were some things that he did not want to share with Kyle just yet. *** Kyle was glad to be able to move his hand once again. There was some stiffness and he knew that he had to complete a course of physical therapy but his hand was out of the bandages and Kyle was glad of that. He flexed the sore muscles in his hands, as if showing off the new movement, and felt the tautness of tendons and sinew that had not been used in too long. He still couldn't keep the smile off his face. "I don't know what you are smiling about." AJ said as they headed back towards his car. "The doctor wasn't pleased with you." Kyle shrugged. The doctor had said that he needed to rest up more or else his ribs would not heal properly but he didn't care. The rest of his bruises were almost gone and now with his arm back in use there was little physically to remind him of the attack. For the first time in over a month Kyle felt as if he could get his life back in order and start to put behind him the horrors of what had occurred. "I know." Kyle replied. "But you try to rest up when you have a six year old at home to look after." "That's Kevin's job." Alex replied. "All you should be worrying about right now is getting well, and I intend to tell Kevin just that." "I remember a time when you wouldn't even question what Kevin told you, let alone tell him off." Kyle said with a small smile. "Things change." AJ replied. Kyle felt that AJ was talking more about the fact that he had grown up, that they both had, it sounded almost as if AJ was promising something else but Kyle was not ready to believe in that. Kyle was not ready to believe that anyone was willing to fight in his corner, let alone take on his battles for him. "If I promise to take it easier, will you promise not to tell Kevin off?" Kyle asked. "He needs my help with Jon and Jon needs me around but I will try to rest up a bit more and let Kevin work on his relationship with Jonny." "Good." AJ said. "Otherwise I'll insist that you come to mine to recover." "You'd let me stay with you?" Kyle asked in astonishment. He knew that Alex tolerated him but he didn't think that the other man would be willing to invite him into his home, even if it was only for a few weeks. "Kyle, I told you that you're my friend and that means being there for you. If you need a place to stay, or money, or even if you just need someone to talk to I'll be there." Alex replied. "Thanks." Kyle said, feeling choked up. Alex watched him and realised just how much Kyle must have done without in the last few years. Not only had he been without the material possessions that most teenagers had growing up but he had also lacked the emotional support that most took for granted. AJ had it bad when he was growing up but thanks to his Mom he had never felt that there was no one there for him, or that he had no one to turn to. Alex vowed that he would be there for Kyle and that now he had come back to them Kyle would never be alone again. *** Kevin was glad when he heard the buzzer of the gate opening. He did not want to admit to himself that he could not cope alone with his son, but after only a morning alone with Jon he was beginning to see why parenting was a full time job. Jon had worn him out that morning and Kevin wondered how he would cope when he had to be on tour. Kevin was relieved when he heard Alex open the door and he and Kyle re- enter the house. He had missed Kyle's easy way of being with his brother and the support that he lent in dealing with Jon. "How did it go?" Kevin asked as he walked into the family room and saw them. He smiled when he saw that Kyle's arm was no longer in plaster and his fingers were unbandaged. "The doctor said everything was fine." Kyle said as he wiggled his fingers. "He gave me some more painkillers for my ribs and said I should rest up a bit but other than that he said I would be find." "That's great news." Kevin said, trying not to show how relieved he was that Kyle would be able to help out with Jonathan now that he was back on his feet. Kevin truly loved his son but he didn't think that he would be able to adapt overnight to being a father and Kyle was a great help in that department. "How about you?" Kyle asked. "How did you get on with Jon this morning?" "It went okay." Kevin said with a gentle sigh. "But I'll be glad when he grows out of running around so much." Kyle laughed softly. "He hasn't had this much space to play in before. Everything is new and exciting for him, we didn't have a garden or anything at the apartment block. I'm sure that he'll settle soon." "I hope so." Kevin said. Kyle decided that he'd had enough conversation for that day and headed out in to the garden to find his brother. He had missed Jon while he had been away and now that he was out of plaster and visibly better he wanted to make certain that Jon knew he was going to be okay and that things were going to get better too. Jon smiled as he saw Kyle and kicked the ball that he had been playing with over to his brother. Kyle smiled back and kicked it back to him. Jon didn't feel a need for words and Kyle found that refreshing. Sometimes you just wanted to be with someone without speaking, letting actions speak for you. The two brothers played together in their new home while Kevin and AJ watched on from the safety of the kitchen. "How is he really?" Kevin asked when Kyle was out of earshot. Alex wondered for a moment if he should confide in Kevin. He had promised Kyle that he would not say anything but he wondered now where his loyalties should lie. AJ really wanted Kyle to be able to trust him but on the other hand he had been friends with Kevin for longer and he knew that Kyle needed to realise that he was no longer alone. "Kyle's doctor said that he needs to rest or else he might have to be readmitted." Alex said. "His ribs are not healing on their own because he refuses to rest." "I knew that I shouldn't have let him spend so much time with Jon." Kevin said, suddenly feeling guilty for forcing Kyle to do so much. He should be able to care for Jon but because of his lack of skills as a father he was putting Kyle's health at risk. "I told Kyle that he needs to take it easy and that he should let you spend some time with Jonny. I also let him know that if it gets too tough here that he can stay at mine." AJ said. "To be honest I think he just needs to settle in here and relax a bit. It's been a hectic few weeks for all of us." Kevin nodded. It had been the toughest few weeks of his life. Perhaps the only thing that had been as stressful was his non-marriage to Julia and that had been the cause of these problems. He watched the two brothers as they played a mini game of soccer, smiling as Kyle missed the ball and it landed on the terrace. Jon ran down to fetch it but tripped over his shoe laces on his way down and landed on his knees. After a few moments he sat back on his haunches and looked over at Kyle, tears brimming in his eyes. "Hey, it's okay..." Kyle said, already on his way to his brother. "I'll kiss it better." He said as he picked Jon up and made the younger boy laugh by trying to kiss his knees. Alex watched the pair of them and saw that it was going to be harder than they thought to make Kyle rest. He was used to looking after his brother and it was going to take a lot more effort to make him realise that he didn't need to deal with Jonny alone. "Did you hurt yourself?" Kevin asked as he made his way outside, taking Jon from Kyle and sitting the boy on his shoulders. "How about we take you inside and get you cleaned up while Kyle has a nap." "Kyle doesn't need a nap." Jon rejoined. "He's grown up." "Everyone has to take a nap sometimes." Kevin said in a fatherly tone. "Even me. Kyle had a pretty busy morning and I think that he should get some rest." Kyle looked to AJ who tried to look innocent but it was not going to work. Alex followed Kyle into his room and then shut the door behind him. "You told him?" Kyle asked rhetorically as Alex watched him throw himself down on the sofa. "I told you that I could deal with it." "You're part of this family now, and you have to realise that we don't keep secrets. We might hide certain things from the outside world but we don't hide them from each other." AJ replied. "I don't want you to get sick because you feel like you have to look after Jonny by yourself." "I don't want Kevin to feel too pressured to suddenly be a great Dad. It isn't something that will just come overnight." Kyle said as he picked at the arm of the chair. "I just thought that if I helped out a bit..." "That Kevin wouldn't throw you out?" AJ asked knowingly. He could see that Kyle had been walking on eggshells since he moved in and that he clearly thought that he was on borrowed time. Kyle looked away guiltily and he could see that his assumptions were right. "I've got news for you. Kevin is not going to throw you out. I doubt that he would even let you walk out without a fight." "We don't want to be any trouble." Kyle said softly. "You're not." AJ replied. "Now, I want you to try and get some rest. I've got a few things to do tomorrow but I'll be over the day after to see how you are doing, I expect you to put your feet up until then and let someone else worry about Jon." "Okay." Kyle agreed. It might be good to get a little extra relaxation time, he had been feeling a little drowsy thanks to the pain killers that he had been taking. AJ smiled and then turned to leave. He hoped that Kyle would work things out, meanwhile he was going to see if he could buy them a few more days off before they hit the studio. Kyle needed to recover and Kevin needed to bond with his son. AJ hoped that the record company would be sympathetic. *** TBC