I want to thank everyone who has read the story. I also want to thank those who have emailed. It means a lot hearing from you. Please continue reading! There is a lot more to come. I own all rights to this story.
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None of the characters are based on real people nor are they meant to resemble any living or dead people.
This story contains some adult language as well as sex, or some hints of sex. I cannot promise that there will be sex in each chapter, but if you find my writing to be offensive or distasteful in any way, you're visiting the wrong website and need to move on.
No doubt about it, I have shed more tears on Love Me than I have with any other story. Guys, I know that the way Riley's injuries and recovery are portrayed are not realistic as far as time goes or in many other ways. I took a little break to remind myself of where I might want to take things. I am not a doctor, I don't know anyone who has suffered through a T.B.I. (Traumatic Brain Injury) nor have I suffered through one myself. Please don't hate on me too much.
Copyright © 2013, 2014
Love Me
Chapter 8 – Visit With Jared
Its 4:30 in the morning, there is already life in the Caden's and Ethan's shared apartment. Ethan has a photo shoot that requires him to fly to Orlando, Florida. As usual, he is already packed, but Ethan cannot walk out of the apartment unless he looks perfect. He needs at least two hours to get ready, but he sometimes takes a bit longer, like when he is going out for the evening. He's taking a taxi to the airport, which he's already called, so he doesn't have to bother Caden or Andrew, and in a few minutes, the cab will be here to pick him up. The shoot will last for two days and then he will head back home, but its two days without Andrew and two days that he will not have to put up with Riley or his brother. Caden steps out of the bedroom and heads to the kitchen to get a drink when he sees his boyfriend. He walks up to Ethan and tries to hug him but gets ignored, so instead he just says, "Be safe." Caden watches as Ethan leaves the apartment without saying a thing. Things will be more peaceful now that Ethan is leaving the apartment.
Two hours later, Riley stirs in his room and Caden starts his morning routine, but afterwards Caden decides to call Jared.
"Hello. What's up my friend?"
"Not a whole lot, I've got Riley up and moving, Ethan is out the door for his photo shoot in Florida and now I'm just a little bored."
Immediately, Jared gets an idea, and it's a good thought too.
"Why don't you and Riley come over to my house?"
Caden isn't sure that hanging out with Jared is fair to Ethan. However, it will help Riley to be a little bit more social. Not to mention, it's nice to be able to hang out with someone who's okay with Riley.
"We'll be over in a little bit."
Caden and Jared are both equally happy at the idea of spending time together. There is no doubt that Riley will be excited over the opportunity to spend time with Jared.
"See you later, my friend," Jared says as they end the phone call.
Then they both go about getting ready for the visit. Jared just needs to pick up a few items from around the house, and Caden has to get Riley ready for the outing. Caden walks to Riley's room hoping that he'll be okay with leaving the house. Riley is sitting on his bed looking at a book when Caden enters the room.
"Riley, we're invited to go over to Jared's house, so let's get going."
Riley drops the book on his bed and slowly gets up from where he was sitting and heads out of his room.
"Let's go... Caden."
`Yupe, he's excited!' Caden thinks to himself as he heads out of the room too, glad to see that his brother is looking forward to the visit. When Caden gets to the front door, he reaches out and grabs the keys to the car, and together the guys head out .
`It's going to be nice to get away for a little while.'
Caden clicks the remote and unlocks the doors so that Riley can get into the car.
"Come on, Riley; open the door."
He watches as Riley struggles to open the door, but seeing that his brother is struggling, he decides to open the door enough to help Riley .
"Try the door again."
With his brother's encouragement, he tries again and this time the door opens. The door opening is just one more small victory. They get their seat belts on in just a few minutes, and Caden starts the car and then looks toward Riley.
"Are we ready to head out?"
Riley smiles, as he looks at his brother, anxious to get on the road and get away from the apartment.
"I'm... I'm ready."
Without delay, they drive towards Jared's home. Everything is going well so far, and that really helps Caden's mood.
The guys are excited as they pull up to Jared's house; Caden is happy to get away from the stress of the apartment, and Riley is just happy to see Jared again. Next to Caden, Jared was up the hospital more than anyone else, and that means a lot to Riley. Riley considers Jared to be his friend, and right now that is very important, not only to Riley, but also to Caden.
"Can I knock?"
Caden nods his head giving Riley permission to announce their arrival. A heavy knock quickly follows Riley's question, followed by footsteps from behind the door.
"Hold on; I'm on my way."
A couple seconds later, Jared opens the door and invites them into his home.
"How are you, Riley?"
The minute Riley entered the small house, he was instantly lost in the 75 gallon fish tank.
"Riley, Jared asked you a question?"
Riley turns and looks at Jared before apologizing.
"I'm, I'm sorry. What... did you... you say?"
Jared feels bad for Riley because he knows that the kid was just absorbed in the tank and did not mean to ignore his question.
"How are you doing?"
Jared waits patiently for Riley to answer his question . He knows that the accident left him with a longer processing time than he had prior to the accident.
"I'm... good. Ethan... is... is gone. It's quiet now."
Jared wonders not only where Ethan has gone, but also why it is quiet at the apartment.
"Where did Ethan go?" he asks Riley, and he does his best to avoid looking at Caden. He wants Riley to answer him and he does not want Caden to interfere at all. He loves Caden, but it is important that Riley knows he is being talked to as a person. It's important for many reasons.
"Ethan went to work."
The young man cannot remember where Ethan went and it worries Caden. They discussed where Ethan was going the night before he left for Florida. Jared knows what Caden's boyfriend does for living, so he accepted Riley's answer meant that he is on a shoot.
"Riley, is Ethan on a photo shoot?"
Riley looks at Jared, and then his attention is drawn again to the fish tank.
"Yeah... yeah, he-he's on a... a shoot."
Riley looks at Caden for assurance and then he remembers where Ethan went.
"E-than is... is in... Flo-rida.
Jared smiles at Riley, and Riley smiles right back at him, and that warmed Caden's heart.
"Riley, can you tell me why things are quiet?"
"Ca-den and... and E-E-than not figh-ting."
Caden's face goes beet red in reaction to his brother's comment. Jared smiles at Caden since he knows things are not good in his relationship with Ethan. For Caden's sake, he hopes that things improve, but he also knows that the fighting might lead Caden to him. Jared does not want his best friend to be upset, but he knows things could be so good between them. Caden thinks that Riley's admission will lead to more discussion between Jared and him.
Riley is exploring Jared's living room, so Jared takes a chance on starting a conversation with Caden.
"You and Ethan are fighting, huh?"
Caden does not want to get into it with Jared, but he is hoping that maybe this will help him relax a little bit.
"Yeah, we had a fight the other night. Sadly, it was over Riley."
Jared wishes that Ethan would knock off the attitude and just admit that things are not working out. No one should be led on by his significant other, and the fact that there is a teen with obvious special needs just adds to the fact that Ethan really needs to spilt.
"Is he doing any better or it still as messed up between the two of you?"
"It's still messed up."
Caden is going nuts in this relationship and he can't deny it. He wants his boyfriend to wake up to the fact that Riley needs them to be nice to each other and to him.
"He gets mad at every little thing, so Riley has no idea what's going on as far as Ethan is concerned."
Jared shakes his head at what Caden just said, but he should not be surprised that Ethan is acting this way.
"So what exactly is going on?"
"Where do I even begin?"
Caden is beside himself at the moment because he wants to work with Ethan, but he also doesn't want his brother to be hurt by the guy.
"He refuses to talk to Riley, he won't play video games with him; all he does is complain. Riley can be minding his own business and Ethan comes home and he'll flip out over something, or he'll come out of a room with a chip on his shoulder. It should be directed at me and it's not. I will admit that at times he makes some valid points, but it doesn't make his actions right."
Jared wants Caden to take a step in getting away from this guy, so he decides to be blunt and take a chance on offending his friend.
"Have you thought about leaving him?"
Caden cringes at the thought of leaving Ethan, since he cannot afford a place on his own. It is just not that simple anymore, he has to consider Riley. His brother's life needs to be as stable as possible and it is up to him to make his life that way.
"I have no place to go and I can't afford a place on my own, so leaving isn't a real option for me."
Jared needs Caden to do the right thing for both himself and for Riley, and they would have a place to live on top of that.
"If I was you, I would be finding myself a room-mate and a place to live as quickly as possible, but that is just me. I know you didn't want to hear that, but I needed to say it. You know that I understand your situation so take what I said with a grain of salt."
"I would be worried if you didn't speak your mind."
Jared feels better knowing that Caden isn't angry with him.
`I wonder if he knows that I am willing to take him and Riley in at my place.'
Deciding to chance it, Jared readies his thoughts before the telling Caden his idea.
"Caden, I don't have a lot of room, but you and Riley are welcome to stay here if you need a place."
Jared's hands are starting to sweat while he waits for his friend to respond.
"Wouldn't you be cramped? We would mess up your whole routine."
"Caden, I would figure something out. I can work around your schedules. It's not a big deal really, it's okay."
Caden does not know what to think of the offer, but it is an out for him and Riley in case things go bad with Ethan. Unexpectedly, Riley comes up to Jared all excited.
"You... you have a po-ol."
The enthusiasm in Riley's speech doesn't go unnoticed by Caden or Jared.
"You want to go swimming?" Caden asked his brother, even though he already knows the answer.
"Yeah... Yeah, I... I want to go swimming."
Jared chuckles a little after hearing Riley's response because the way he said it was as if Caden and Riley were supposed already to know what he wanted to do.
"Riley, we aren't going swimming today, so just relax."
Caden knows better than to allow Riley to be in the pool by himself. Riley is a little frustrated, but Jared has an idea.
"How about I put you on Netflix and you can watch whatever you want as long as Caden says it's okay?"
"Thanks, Jared."
Jared smiles as he pats Riley on the back and then turns on his game system and gets to where Riley wants to be. In no time, Jared is shuffling through movies and television shows, hoping that something will catch the teen's eyes.
"Avengers! Cool! Can... I... I watch it?"
With a click of the controller, Riley is finally content, although Jared feels bad leaving him in front of the television. Caden is amazed at how well his brother is getting along with his best friend. Riley has always been a bit of a geek when it comes to super hero stuff, and it would appear that he really likes this movie. Just when he could not be any more surprised by his friend, Riley is about to surprise them both.
"Jar-ed, you watch it too?"
Jared could not ignore the request to watch the flick with him, so he leaves Caden's side and sits down on the couch. It did not take long for Caden to realize that Jared is just as engrossed in the movie as Riley seems to be, so rather than fight it, Caden gets up and joins them on the couch.
As they watch the movie, Caden starts to think about his relationship with Ethan. He knows that they are struggling to hold things together; in fact things are already at the breaking point, so it won't take much for them to split up and go their separate ways. He's seeing the way Jared is with Riley and it's pulling on his heart a little. His brother doesn't get that from Ethan and he's pretty sure that Ethan will never even try to be kind to Riley. Ethan is kind of put off by Riley, but Jared doesn't seem to be put off by Riley's disability. But what would happen if he had to live with them? He isn't sure that he wants to lose Jared as a friend, and he could if things don't work out the way Jared thinks they will. In the end, he can see things falling apart with Jared too, should they move in together. He decides not to allow himself to fall for Jared, but he cannot allow himself to rule out the possibility of being housemates.
The movie is over now and Jared is hungry, so he decides to order pizza . He isn't the only one who's hungry; the brothers are also.
"I don't know about you guys, but I am hungry. I am going to order a pizza, if that is okay."
Riley's face lit up when Jared said 'pizza'.
"Are two sausage pizzas going to be enough?"
"Yeah, we need at least two because Riley can eat one by himself, or at least he used too."
"Do we want a large order of breadsticks?"
Jared looks at Riley and decides just to place the order. "Never mind."
Caden reaches into his wallet to help cover the price. Jared catches his action out of the corner of his eyes and does not want him to have to worry about paying.
"Don't you dare! This lunch is on me, my friend."
"Can I at least pay the tip?"
Jared is quiet for a few seconds before he answers his friend's question.
"I want you to eat and enjoy yourself."
Caden doesn't like the idea of not helping with the cost, but Jared is being nice and allowing him and Riley to visit, so he just gives up trying to convince Jared to let him chip in. Jared calls the pizza joint and places the order.
"They said it would it would be an hour before the pizza would be here, so what do you want to while we wait."
Caden thought about it for a second while he looked at his brother. `Riley could use some exercise.'
"We could go for a little walk if you wanted to get out of the house."
Jared loves the idea and even Riley is on board with it, so the guys get up and head out for their walk.
Just as they are ready to head out for their walk, Caden receives a call on his cell phone. When he glances down at the phone, he sees its Ethan so he slides his finger over the "answer" icon and accepts the call .
"Hey Ethan, what's up?"
"Just calling to say that I made it to Florida in one piece."
"Thanks for calling, are you settled in yet?"
There is a pause in the conversation as Ethan's thoughts betray his kind tone. `I wish he would hang up and quit asking questions.'
"I'm actually working on getting out of the airport, so I need to let you go."
It didn't take Ethan long to end the call. In fact, he didn't wait for Caden to say good-bye.
When he realized that Ethan had hung up , Caden ended the call, opened the door and headed outside for their walk.
Meanwhile in Florida, as Ethan is leaving the airport, he calls Andrew. Andrew ordered him to call as soon as he could once he touched down, and since he wants to keep his Babe happy, he takes time to call him.
"Hey, Baby, how are you doing?"
Ethan is grinning ear to ear from hearing his boyfriend's voice. Ethan is no longer referring to Caden as his boyfriend.
"I'm good, Babe, the flight was great; not too many crying babies."
Ethan doesn't do kids very well and maybe that is why things went bad in his relationship with Caden, because his ex, as he calls him, wants to have a family someday.
"Are we face-timing tonight?"
When they cannot see each other during the day, they talk at the end of the day on Skype and it has become a tradition.
"You want to plan on 7:00 o'clock this evening?"
Unsure if Ethan means 7:00 in Miami or 7:00 in their time zone, he decides to find out rather than miss his boyfriend's smiling face.
"So is that your time in Miami, or our time back home?"
"7:00 o'clock our time, Babe."
"Sounds perfect!"
Ethan and Andrew are both smiling, knowing that they are going to be able to see each other later this evening.
"Love you!"
When Ethan hears that, he gets a warm fuzzy feeling in his chest. He's loving every bit of his time with his man, much like he did with the other guy in the beginning.
"Love you more! Sorry, Babe, but my cab is here, I need to go."
"Byes!"
Ethan ends the call so he doesn't have to share anything with the driver.
Back in Indiana, the guys are back from their walk and they're enjoying their pizza.
"So what are the doctors and therapists saying about Riley's progress?"
Caden looks at Jared and smiles because it has been awhile since anyone other than the doctors and therapists have asked that question. It feels nice to have someone show interest in Riley's improvement.
"There hasn't been a lot of progress, to be honest, but at the same time, there have been some. They are still seeing memory issues and cognitive issues and he still has problems with his balance. However, there are signs that his speech is improving and that is a blessing, but it's only a small sign, so he has lots of work still to do."
They know that Riley will improve, but it will be slow and at his pace.
"What are you are going to do about school?"
"Well, Doctor Nichols has not released him to go back yet, but from what I can see and what I've been told, Riley needs extra support. He can hardly write and his retention is not the best either, so until his memory improves, we're looking at some form of special education. I'll get that sorted out once he's been tested."
Jared hates the fact that everything is placed on Caden's head; Ethan should be bearing some of this weight too. Maybe someday Caden will find someone who will share any burdens that he has to bear. Caden knows his brother has a long road to travel, but he'll be there no matter what. Riley is worth every ounce of trouble, sweat, and frustration that his big brother is feeling as of late.
It's almost 2:00 o'clock in the afternoon; Caden needs to get home and do some stuff before he leaves for work.
"Riley, we need to get going, so say good-bye."
Jared doesn't want them to go, but he knows their lives do not revolve around him, and he also knows that Caden needs this job so he can afford all the help that Riley needs.
"Bye, Riley, you can look at the fish some more next time that you're over at my house."
Jared looks at Caden pleading with his eyes that they get a next time, but Caden is trying to get out the door, so he misses Jared's glances.
"Okay, are you ready to go home?"
Caden is at the door waiting on Riley to head towards the door, but it's clear that someone would rather stay than go home.
"Riley, we'll see Jared some other time, I promise, but now we need to go."
Riley ignored his brother's statement; he just sat there looking at the fish. Riley turns and looks at this brother with a bit of contempt and says, "Okay!" Even Jared is a little put off by Riley's behavior. He wants to say something to Riley to set him straight, but then Caden looks a bit sternly at his brother.
"We are leaving now, so get ready."
At this point, Riley knew he had better get moving, but he still wasn't looking very happy. Jared is surprised by the tone and volume of Caden's voice. There was definite attitude behind Caden's words and a little bit of attitude from Riley. He does not look happy, but at least he was moving towards the door. The victory goes to Caden in this mini-battle.
"Riley, I'll see you next time, okay."
"O... okay nex-t time."
Caden was worried that the minor attitude display might carry over to Jared, but Riley pulled himself together.
"Okay, buddy, let's get going."
"I... I'm sorry C-C-aden,"
Riley's face says it all, and it melts Caden's heart. Riley's face is filled with sorrow. It's the same expression, only a bit softer, that he has on his face when Ethan gives him attitude. Together, they walk out of the house and head for the car, but Jared doesn't want them to go and in truth, he looks a little sad.
Jared has never talked to anyone about his feelings for Caden, but maybe it's time that he finds his voice and seeks out some advice from someone who really knows him. The one person in the world that he has to turn to is his mom. Taking out his cellphone, he places the call .
"Hi, Son, what's going on?"
"Hi, Mom, I need some advice."
Jared's mom is a little surprised that he's coming to her for advice. Usually, there isn't too much he can't figure out on his own, but this time the situation is complex and he doesn't want to mess it up. More than anything else, he needs a sounding board; someone who can tell him that what he is doing, or intends to do, is the right thing. Caden and Riley are too important to lose by doing something stupid and striking out.
"Well, how can I help?"
She has always told her kids that she is here for them no matter what. They don't always take advantage of her willingness to listen, but when they do, she is there.
"Well, I have a friend who always puts others ahead of himself. I've known him since college and a part of me has always wanted to be more than just friends..."
His mom does not get the problem. `Jared isn't shy about anything.'
"What's the problem then?"
"He has a boyfriend who's a dick. My friend also has custody of his young brother who has special needs. The boyfriend really resents the fact that my friend took in his brother.
Jared's mom is curious as to why her son's friend is taking in a younger sibling. She can't imagine any parent just handing over their child to the sibling.
"Jared, why is your friend taking care of his brother?"
"Well, Caden's brother, Riley, came out to their parents, only to be attacked by their dad. Their dad punched him and sent him backwards and he hit the floor pretty hard. The impact knocked him unconscious and he was dumped outside on the lawn."
Her face says it all; she is disgusted by the actions of Caden and Riley's father.
"On top of everything else, I think Caden's boyfriend is cheating on him."
He doesn't have proof to come fully forward with it, but it seems like something that Ethan would do. Now comes the hard part, where Jared admits to his mom how he feels about his friend.
"Caden called me pretty soon after Riley was admitted to the hospital. I was there almost every day and when I wasn't there, Caden would call to talk. Over time, I found myself wanting to be his boyfriend, but I don't want to interfere with his relationship, so how do I handle this situation?"
His mom thinks for a few seconds and then she gives him what she thinks is the best advice that she can .
"First off, I think you need to keep the cheating thing quiet until you have concrete evidence. Second, stay true to him, to Riley, and to your friendship. Third, never do anything to hurt Riley or you will lose Caden. Keep your friendship alive and well and he'll see how much you mean to him."
As always, his mom is able to put things into perspective.
"Thanks, Mom, you helped me out big time."
"You're welcome, Jared. Be good!"
Jared is now more confident that what he's doing is the right thing to do, and all of this advice is really helping him figure things out in his head. Jared ended the call and went into the office to get some work done, because he's spent his usual working time with Riley and Caden.
On the way home, Riley surprises Caden with a comment.
"Ca-den, I like Jar-red."
Caden agrees with his brother. He's fond of Jared too, but not in the same way that Riley is. For Caden, Jared is a friend, but lately he is becoming something more. He's becoming someone who could be a possible boyfriend.
"He's a good friend; that is for sure."
Riley loved the fish and would have spent another hour watching them. Riley has always loved animals and Caden wasn't surprised to see him enjoying the fish.
"I liked the... the fish."
"Yeah, they are pretty cool. My favorites are his neon tetras."
Caden is sure that Riley is smiling, but his eyes are on the road, so he isn't about to spend a lot of time watching his brother.
"We see him?"
Riley's brain sometimes causes him to leave out words of sentences.
"We'll see him again. He's a good friend."
"Good, good friend, I like him."
Caden is happy to see Riley reaching out and making friends. Caden knows that friends make life much more enjoyable. The brothers arrive at the apartment and Caden helps Riley into the apartment.
Caden is doing some cleaning in the living room when the phone rings. He answers the phone call, taking notice of the Caller ID.
"Hello, Mr. Pierce, how can I help you?"
Mr. Pierce is Caden's boss from the center, and one of Caden's true friends. Caden knows that when he calls there must be something going on at the work.
"I need your assistance to help supervise the kids for two hours. Are you able to come in to help out?"
Caden hates giving up his days, but he also knows there is a shortage of volunteers and that there have been people filling in for him at times, so he feels obligated to say yes. He is indebted the rest of his co-workers big time, so yes; he will come in for a couple hours and it will not hurt him or Riley.
"Give me a few minutes; I have to get Riley ready to go. Oh, is Ryan there tonight?"
There was a brief moment of silence before Mr. Pierce gave his answer.
"Yes, he's here till 5:00 o'clock today."
"Do you think he'll mind keeping an eye on Riley for me?"
Caden does not like doing this to Ryan, but he cannot have his eyes on him and eyes on the other teens as well.
"I'll talk to Ryan, but I don't think there will be any problems."
`I am going to owe him big time.'
"We'll be in shortly, sir."
"Thanks, Caden, you do so much for the kids."
"You're welcome; I would do anything for the kids."
He would too. If it were possible, the teens at the center would all have homes.
"I think I had better let you go so you can get ready to leave."
"I'll see you when I get to the center."
Now all he has to do is get out the door; that can be a real struggle depending on his brother's mood, as well as how he's feeling on that particular day.
"Riley, you have to come with me to work again."
Riley perks up, much to Caden's surprise, and his brother isn't completely sure why he's suddenly excited.
"Ryan!"
Well, it is clear now as to why he is excited, and Caden is a bit shocked that Riley remembers Ryan's name and that he associates Ryan with going to work with Caden.
"You must like Ryan, huh?"
Riley did not say a thing, all he did was stare at him. Caden wished that he would say something because he hates being stared at the way that Riley does; he has a tendency to stare deeply at people. Out of nowhere, Riley smiles and giggles a little as he says, "Yeah!" Riley stopped what he was doing and starts for the door, and the smile continues as he exits . Riley stops suddenly right outside the door and waits for Caden; he wants to avoid any problems.
"Okay, I'm coming."
Caden and Riley walk out to the car together.
"Where are we going?" Riley asks Caden, as his brother unlocks the car's doors.
"We are going to my work."
Caden opens Riley's door and he gets into the car without any more questions. Caden gets into the car, puts the key into the ignition, and takes off towards the center.
As they park the car, Caden sees Ryan waiting for Riley at the door. He would have to keep Riley by his side and keep him entertained if it were not for this volunteer agreeing to spend time with him. With the excitement that Riley was exhibiting earlier, Ryan should not have any problems. Getting out of the car, the brothers walk towards the entrance. The entire time, Riley is beaming. Caden can see his brother smiling, and it does not take much to figure out why . Ryan opens the door and Caden and Riley walk into the center.
"Riley, we're stopping here for a second."
Riley keeps eyeing Ryan, but it is not out of excitement. The older teen is not quite sure what to think of the way Riley is acting. Ryan thought that Riley should have come right up to him; even Caden is a bit surprised by the way his brother is acting. Riley does not say a thing and just stands there staring, as if he is trying to figure out who Ryan is and why Caden wanted to stop here.
`Maybe he's forgotten what Ryan looks like.'
"Riley, that's Ryan... remember?"
Riley becomes alive; what Caden said must have served to awaken a memory.
"You had me scared; I thought you forgot about me."
"How... can... I?"
Riley knew Ryan knew that he liked him, but could not remember his face.
"Ryan, you are a life saver; thank you for being a friend to Riley."
When Caden brings Riley in with him, it must really mess up Ryan's schedule. Every time that Ryan has been asked to help with Riley, he has done it with a smile on his face. Ryan does not see hanging with Riley as an interruption, in fact, he likes it.
"You're welcome, and I don't mind Riley. He's awesome."
Riley perks up when he hears Ryan talking about him. It also makes Caden happy to hear the older teen giving his brother a compliment.
"Okay, I guess I need to find out where I've been assigned. I'll see you later Riley."
Riley walks over to his brother and pushes him "Go!"
Caden decides not to say anything and walks away.
"We're going to the rec room tonight."
Ryan points to a door at the end of the hall. He did not want to surprise Riley.
"Do you need me to hold your hand?"
Ryan spoke directly to Riley, despite the fact that Caden was still within range of his voice. It surprised Caden that Ryan would ask that question simply because no one besides himself has ever asked that question of his brother.
"No, I... I ca-n do it."
The teens start heading down the hallway, but it takes a little bit longer for them to reach their destination because Ryan is walking at Riley's pace and he refuses to walk any faster.
Caden turns towards the office to get his assignment for the night. This evening promises to be a full one with plenty to do.
Caden enters the office and checks the volunteer list to see where the person he is filling in for was originally assigned. All the volunteers are rotated through the center so they can see how the entire place operates. Mr. Pierce sees him and walks over to him as he approaches; Caden begins to get a little bit nervous. Caden looks a little confused as he's looking over the list, because he can't find where he's supposed to be working tonight.
"I can't find where you wanted me to help out."
Mr. Pierce feels a little silly for not telling him where he needed Caden for the evening. It's rare that Caden gets called to fill in, but when he does Caden gladly accepts the opportunity. Mr. Pierce flips through some papers next to Caden. He pauses when he reaches one of the pages and then looks at Caden.
"I need you to work the front desk."
Typically, the evenings are busy one minute and dull the next, as the kids tend to come in as groups throughout the evening, with the occasional loner coming in as well. Still, it's important for them to know who's coming and going through their doors. The kids are worth every single minute of his time. "No sweat!" he says. Excusing himself, Caden heads up front to start his work for the evening.
Meanwhile in the recreation room, Ryan has introduced Riley to the teens in the room. At the most, there have been ten kids in the room ; it's a fair amount of the teens and Ryan knows almost all the regulars, so he's looking at a nice evening. Riley loves all the new friends and Ryan loves seeing the kindness being shown to his friend by complete strangers. The other teens do not seem to be bothered by Riley's handicap. They take turns talking with Riley, playing games with him, and just plain enjoying their evenings. It's a chance for the center's clients to interact with someone who truly enjoys spending time with them. Riley could care less about the individual pasts of the teens in the room. Some of the guys have brothers back home and being around Riley reminds them of whom they left behind at home. Ryan is thankful that he hasn't had to put anyone in their place for teasing Riley. The interactions are doing wonders for Riley's self-esteem. Ryan is also gaining something from interacting with Riley and the teens. He's learning about Riley and loving every bit of knowledge stowed away in his mind. Something about Riley intrigues him, and there is just no way to put a finger on what it is that catches Ryan's eyes. Ryan will just have to keep searching for what that something is .
Mr. Pierce walks down to the rec room to check on the teens. What he sees amazes him and he knows what he must do; he has to get Caden. Caden needs to see the interactions between Riley, Ryan, and the clients. Quickly, he texts his employee to meet him in the volunteers break room so he can see for himself what's going on in the rec room. A two way a mirror gives the staff a way to observe the behavior of their clients with the intention that they can keep everyone safe. Caden hightails it down the hall to the break room because he thinks something is wrong with his brother. Caden opens the door to the room slightly out of breath, so he pauses long enough to take a breather.
"What's wrong?" Caden asks, expecting to hear something bad, but his boss smiles removing the panic that has crept into Caden's gut.
"I want you to watch your brother and the clients."
"I hope everything is okay in there."
Mr. Pierce gives his employee a look that quickly put Caden at ease. "Just watch."
He has no idea what he's supposed to be looking for between his brother and the other teens. He watches for a few seconds before he finally figures it out. Caden's smile tells Mr. Pierce that he saw what he was hoping he would see, and it is making the older brother happy.
"I love it.! I was afraid that the guys would tease Riley, but they're not."
His boss has faith in the teens, and tonight they gave him proof of their compassion.
"I wish that I could thank them for treating Riley like one of the guys."
Caden was terrified when he heard Doctor Nichols tell him that Riley would have a hard road ahead of him, because he thought for sure that people would not be kind, but so far, the only person to be mean to him is Ethan.
`Jared needs to see this; I think he would love it.'
"Ryan surprises me Caden. He manages to keep an eye on Riley and the clients at the same time. It's truly amazing."
Caden it is not like that at all; Ryan uses his intelligence to figure out the situation, and then he acts on what he has figured out. What Caden does not understand is how he did it, but something amazing is happening in that room. (What Caden doesn't know is that Ryan took a chance and explained to the guys what happened to Riley before he arrived and then hoped for best. Once Riley arrived in the room, he was introduced to the group and the guys quickly took to him.) As Caden watches a teen playing Connect Four with Riley, he realizes that the kid knows... somehow he knows about Riley. His heart is at the breaking point as he watches the other teen losing a game to Riley.
"Ryan got the other guys to help him keep an eye on Riley. He's an amazing kid."
Mr. Pierce and Caden want to see Ryan on staff at some point in the future. They know with his compassion and work ethic that he could really benefit the kids. Currently, he is only volunteering for his graduation requirement, but even Ryan has learned that this place fulfills a need, and he does not want to it give up once graduation is over.
Ryan has to use the restroom, so he excuses himself. However, he does not know that Riley is following him. Riley picks up his walking speed to catch up with Ryan, and the increased speed makes him unstable on his feet. The sound of someone behind him causes Ryan to stop and look back towards the approaching person. Once he sees that Riley is behind him, he stops and waits for him, but it also raises a question: `Why is he out of the room?"
"What are you doing?"
Riley told the guys that he needed to use the restroom, but he never once mentioned it to Ryan.
"I... I nee-d use the-e res-troo-m."
Ryan then continues walking at a much slower pace. Riley comes up to Ryan and takes his hand; Ryan just assumes that it's for stability, but Riley wants to hold hands with the cute teen.
"Are you having fun tonight?"
Riley smiles and nods his head; if he wasn't enjoying himself in the room, he is now. As they approach the restroom. Ryan releases Riley's hand so he can enter the restroom, but Riley does not want to be alone so he again picks up his speed. Neither Caden nor Ryan would not be okay with him walking this fast. As Riley turns the corner to enter the bathroom, he loses his balance and ends up falling, and as he falls, his head hits on the edge of the doorway. It's not sharp, but it still manages to cut Riley's scalp, and when Riley sees the blood, he gets scared. Hearing the fall, Ryan pulls up his briefs and his pants and runs to the doorway to see what happened. Riley seems dazed and his cut is bleeding pretty badly, but it's also a head wound, so that is to be expected. Remembering something from the first aid training he was required to take before he could volunteer here, he knew about head wounds and he knew he needed help. Hoping that someone will hear him, he yells, "Help!" and then looks at Riley.
"I'll be right back, buddy."
He runs into the bathroom and grabs a handful of paper towels to place on the wound. He walks out, puts them on Riley's head, and applies some pressure. Just then, a teen walks out of the rec room and heads towards Ryan and Riley. Ryan immediately says, "Go to the front desk and tell Mr. Bishop that Riley's bleeding. Hurry!" The kid takes off for the front desk.
Charles runs up and stops in front of Caden. He tries to talk, but first he needs to catch his breath.
"Charles, what wrong?"
The young man's face is anything but calm, and it's starting to worry Caden.
"Riley is bleeding. Ryan is with him, but it looks pretty bad."
"Where are they?"
Caden panics, but he knows for Riley's sake that he needs to be calm.
"They're outside of the men's room near the rec room."
"Thanks, Charles, I need you to grab the phone and push the intercom button and say, 'Medical emergency at the men's room near the rec room. Patient is bleeding'."
While Charles makes the announcement, Caden hurries to his brother's location. What he sees scares him and makes him happy at the same time, the blood on the paper towels and on his brother's scalp and face scares him the most, but he also has no idea what the wound looks like and that it's still bleeding slightly. Seeing Ryan by his brother's side makes him smile, he could see the compassion in Ryan's eyes and in his body language.
"What happened, Ryan?"
Ryan looks like he is ready to cry, and Caden isn't the only one who can tell, and that scares Riley.
"He was entering the restroom and I guess he tripped and hit his head on the doorframe."
`I think, I need to get him checked out and it's a good thing that I had Charles call for the nurse.'
Caden can see the pain and the fear in his brother's face, and it makes him want to cry, but he won't let allow it. He is afraid to move the paper towels, but he also wants to see what lies beneath them, but as he went to remove the paper towels, Ryan reaches over and stops Caden.
"Trust me; you don't want to remove those bandages. It could cause the wound to bleed more and it wouldn't be good for him. I think we should wait for the nurse to get here."
There is something in Ryan's voice that tells Caden that he needs to listen and not remove the bandage. Caden is hoping that the nurse hurries and gets to their location, what he cannot see is that she is coming up from behind him. Her name is Donna and she walks right up to Riley as she puts on her gloves.
"Hi, what you're name?"
Donna is trying her best to keep Riley calm, because she knows that she will need to remove the towels so that she can have a peak at the wound.
"Ri-Riley."
His voice was soft and a little shaky, but she could understand what he was saying.
"Riley, I need to remove the paper towels so I can see the cut on your head. Is that okay?"
Riley tenses up a bit in anticipation of the towels coming off his head. He's worried that it might hurt, and after hearing Ryan, he's scared that it will bleed again, but he has put a lot of trust in nurses and doctors, so he's ready for it.
"Yes."
Having her gloves already on makes the job a little easier, she carefully lifts the paper towels and, as Ryan warned, the wound did start bleeding again, but what she saw was enough to tell her that this wound needed to be looked at by a doctor. She grabbed some bandages out of her first aid kit and promptly placed one on his head.
"What do you think?"
Caden already knows the answer to his question, but on the slim chance that he is wrong, he's waiting for the answer. His brother is going to have a return trip to the hospital, only this time for stitches and not for a checkup or because he has been attacked.
"Riley, I think you need stitches," Donna said as she placed Riley's hand on the bandage.
"I need you to keep your hand up there until you get to the hospital and someone looks at your cut. Can you do that for me?"
He just nodded his head and then waited for someone to decide what he's doing. Ryan's face turns white when he hears Donna's advice, but it's not just the advice that is bugging him, there is some guilt coming into play, he feels bad for letting go of Riley's hand. Riley is still holding Ryan's hand and the older teen can feel him tensing up.
"It's okay, Riley, the doctors are going to take good care of you."
He's softly rubbing Riley's hand hoping to reassure him that he'll be safe. The attention that he's giving to Riley isn't missed by the older brother. Caden is beginning to wonder if there isn't more here than the teen wants to admit. Dismissing the thought, he decides instead to focus on his brother.
"Okay, I guess I'm leaving with my brother. Ryan, can you start heading up to the exit with him? I need to check out."
Caden heads to the office and checks out sadly; it was before his time at the center was supposed to be up. Once that chore is done, he runs to the car.
Everyone loads up into the car, with Ryan and Riley in the backseat. The car takes off for the hospital in a hurry, but without going over the speed limit. Back at the center, Caden tried to get Ryan to stay back and not go to the hospital, but Ryan would not be told that he couldn't go to the hospital with the brothers. Caden has to admit that Riley seems to be very comfortable with Ryan, despite the fact that he has an open wound in his scalp. He still looks scared, but Caden can see just how much of a difference Ryan is making in his brother's life. They pull up to the hospital and get out near the emergency room. Caden approaches the check in desk to see about getting his brother checked in so he can be seen.
"What's the emergency?"
"My brother has a wound on his head that I think needs to be stitched."
She hands him a small stack of papers to fill out and he goes back to the desk. He is able to make short work of the forms because he carries all their insurance stuff in his wallet. As she begins to thumb through the paperwork, she sees Doctor Nichols name on the forms and immediately gets on the phone. Caden nervously watches her from where he's sitting. The lady behind the desk calls out Riley's name and the trio approaches the desk.
"Doctor Nichols says that he'll see you in room five."
An orderly comes out and seats Riley in a wheelchair and in minutes the guys are headed to the treatment room. They enter the room and the orderly assists Riley onto the examination table. Doctor Nichols enters the room and walks up to Riley with a smile on his face.
"Hi, Riley, is this a friend?"
Doctor Nichols asks about Ryan because the guys seem to have something between them.
"This... this... is... Ryan."
Doctor Nichols smiles as he looks at Ryan and Riley, and then moves a bit closer to his patient. Riley wants out of this room; he remembers Doctor Nichols, but even though there is some trust between them, he does not totally trust him.
Doctor Nichols begins his exam of Riley's wound. As he looks at the cut, he's happy to see that it's clean, but he still has to clean it to be sure it's disinfected.
"I'm going to spray some antibiotic on your wound."
He decides as he is spraying the wound that he's going to put in staples. The wound is on the right side of his scalp a few inches above the hairline.
"I'm going to put in staples, but first I'm going to give you a local anesthetic to deaden the pain."
Doctor Nichols keeps his promise and the pain is quickly dulled. Next, the staples are put into place. The whole time both Caden and Ryan are holding Riley's hands and attempting to keep him calm, and Riley takes the whole ordeal like a champ. Doctor Nichols walks away from his patient and grabs some paperwork to add to his file.
"Give the staples five days and then come to my office and I'll take them out. In the meantime, I don't want him getting them wet."
Caden doesn't want his brother going through any of this stuff by himself. It's a good thing that Riley has his brother and Ryan by his side. The older brother is happy that the staples are in place and his brother is doing well despite the ordeal.
"Thanks again, Doctor Nichols, I appreciate all you've done for us."
"Caden, take your brother home."
Riley smiles at the doctor's orders and then looks at his brother, begging with his eyes, as if saying that he wants to go home.
"You want to get out of here?"
Ryan is sure that Riley wants out of here as much as he does, because Ryan hates doctors and hospitals mostly because of the ever- present needles.
"Yes, I... I... want ou-t."
As Ryan gets up to leave, he sees the staples and comes to quick decision.
`I'm never letting go again.'
He blames himself, and yet his last thought is more honest than he realizes.
The group leaves the exam room and then heads for the car, and away from the hospital. . Ryan and Riley sit in the back, where they can talk without distracting Caden, and without awkward neck movements.
"We need to hang out, Riley. Maybe, we can go out for pizza or something."
All Riley hears is "hang out" and he is all about hanging out with his crush.
`He likes me.'
Caden is glad to see Riley has a friend who is being friendly, not because of Riley's injuries, but because he wants to be.
"I... I co-me over to-night?"
Ryan doesn't have his parent's permission to bring someone over to the house. He wants to make sure that everything is perfect before bringing him there. His parents will be fine with it, but he owes it to them to ask at least.
"I need to talk to my parents first, and then we can hang out at my house."
Riley wants to spend time with his friend, but he really feels let down by Ryan's words. Caden and Ryan notice the change in Riley's mood and it bothers them.
"Riley, it's fine; you don't have to be all sad. My parents will be fine with you coming over to the house; I just have to ask them."
A warm feeling comes over Riley, and he smiles because he likes hearing Ryan's voice. Caden is hoping that Ryan does not hurt Riley, and he's glad that Riley has Ryan for now.
"You... come to... to... my house?"
His brother was going to suggest the same thing because he won't worry as much about his brother. Sure, there were kids who came to see Riley at the hospital, but no one has been to the apartment. It would be nice if Ryan did come over or called to talk with his friend. Riley needs someone to hang out with him; a peer to simply have fun with occasionally. Jared helped Caden through those days when Riley was in the hospital.
"I can do that, Riley."
"Call the apartment before you come over to our place, my room-mate can be an ass."
Riley looks at his brother and gives him a smirk, the face he made makes Ryan a bit nervous.
`I wonder why Riley smirked?'
Ryan dismisses the smirk, and then he decides to question Caden about his comment a little later when Riley isn't around.
"You my friend?"
Riley knows Ryan's face and name, but for some reason, he isn't sure about their relationship.
"Yeah, I'm your friend, and I hope you're my friend."
Riley is quiet, but there is a huge smile on his face as he looks into Ryan's eyes.
"I assume from the smile on our face that the answer is yes."
Riley nods his head and continues smiling. The rest of the trip is quiet, minus a little conversation between Riley and Ryan. A couple minutes later, they pull up at the center. Ryan unbuckles his seat belt and gets ready to get out of the car.
"Bye Ry-Ry-Ryan, you... you call me."
Ryan gives him a high five and smiles at him as he opens the car door.
"Thanks, Ryan; you are a lifesaver and thanks for being his friend."
"Mr. Bishop, you're welcome, but honestly, I enjoy spending time with Riley."
Ryan closes the car door and then walks to his car, but before he unlocks it, he gives a glance backwards at the car as it leaves the lot.
"Is... Is... Eth..an coming home?"
Caden can't believe that he's asking about that man. It's weird that he would worry about someone who gives him so much grief. Still, it's a good sign that his brother doesn't hold grudges against anyone.
"No, Ethan is in Florida."
"Pictures?"
Caden nodded his head and walks to the kitchen. Dinner needs to be cooked, so while Caden sees to it, Riley goes back to his room to look at his skateboarding magazine. After a nice quiet dinner, the brothers kick back and relax, and after the events of this day, it feels good just to unwind.
Hey, Chuck here, if you liked this story (or even if you didn't like this story), feel free to email me at: Hnstskr4@aol.com. I will do my best to answer all emails in a timely manner.
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