Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2000 01:35:05 GMT
From: Lucky Redwood <wanna_get_lucky@hotmail.com>
Subject: Time Will Tell - Chapter 8

OK. Here you go, Chapter 8. Keep all the feedback rolling in!
wanna_get_lucky@hotmail.com Hope you're all still enjoying it!

Time Will Tell
Chapter 8 - Reconnaissance

"Hello?"

"Sean, it's me."

"What? Danny? You're awake. Oh my God!" I had to hold the phone away from
my ear so as not to be deafened by the shouts of my obviously excited
brother on the other end of the phone."

"I think so. You missed me then?"

"Oh Christ! Danny, mum is going to be so pleased, I'll leave her a note and
come straight down."

"Why where is she?"

"She's at her new job. She doesn't get back till about half six."

"What? New job? Why, what's happened?"

"I'll tell you when I get there. I'm going to phone around the group, tell
them the good news. Jesus Danny, it's so good to here your voice again."

"OK. I'll see you soon then yeah?"

"Definitely."

"Bye Sean"

"Bye Danny"

	I hung up the phone and sat with a worried look on my face.

"What's wrong?" Conner quickly asked in concern.

"Why has my mum started a new job?" Conner looked a little worried by my
question.

"Danny, I don't know if it's my place to tell you. I don't want to upset
you. I think that your mum should be the one to tell you."

"Conner, please tell me what's happened, you're scaring me."

"Oh shit! Your parents have split up. You're dad has run off to live with
another woman and has decided that he's keeping the business and your mum
can keep just about everything else apparently, I think anyway. Your mum
has filed for divorce and has been looking for a suitable new job. She was
hired as the managing director for Cartwright Advertising and started the
beginning of this week."

"Wow! You know it's weird but I'm not surprised that dad had someone else.
I've actually suspected that he did for about a year now. You know just
little clues and stuff. Now that I know it's true and that he left mum for
her, it just seems too much to take. I don't know how to feel. I can't tell
if I'm upset or not, sounds weird I know but I can't."

	Conner sat in silence. He didn't know what to say to me. He wanted
to say something to reassure me but couldn't tell what would do that.

"Are you OK Danny? Would you like some time alone?"

"No, no, no. I want you to stay." Conner felt relieved that I had wanted
him to stay, he knew that it would be tough for me and was pleased that I
wanted him there to help.

"You know I'm here for you Danny, it'll be alright OK?"

"Yeah. I know babes, it's just weird though. You know? I feel like our
family has turned into another number in a book. They say that a third of
marriages end in divorce, but you never think that it will be your own
parents who do though."

"I'm sorry Danny, I don't know what to say."

"Don't be sorry, it's not your fault. I guess I'll have to deal with it. I
wasn't even really close to my father, I hardly know the man to be
perfectly honest. He was there to supply money, but when I think back,
that's all he really did. He never took me anywhere. He just stayed at home
reading his newspaper or was away on business. I never really even bothered
with him, but even so it's still weird."

"I can understand that."

"I guess that I'll just have to deal with it."

*****

"Well, well, well! Sleeping beauty has been awoken by his Prince Charming I
see."  Trix joked loudly walking into my hospital room. Conner and I both
laughed.

"Hey Trix." I said.

"Hey you two," he replied. He turned to my brother and said in his pretty
good impression of one of them American rapper guys that he always did,
"Sean ma man, wassup?" Sean laughed at Trix and greeted him back in his
normal everyday British accent.

"So, when you gunna be out of here then Danny? I can't stand these places."

"What hospitals?"

"Yeah, they give me the creeps. They stink fuckin' awful too!"

"I guess I'm used to it. I'll be let out tomorrow apparently, but get the
rest of the week off school to sort of rehabilitate myself apparently. I've
been told to catch up on the news and stuff before I go back to any heavy
routines like school."

"Lucky bastard. Four weeks off school? That's not bad mate!"

"I know, I just wish I'd have known, that way I could have enjoyed them
more."

"If you would have known, you would have been awake and therefore at
school."

"I guess so."

"So how are you? Stiff from being in bed so long? You still sore anywhere?"

"Yeah both. My chest really hurts if I move too quickly and they want me to
go in for a couple of weeks of physiotherapy, get my muscles built back up
and stuff."

"That won't take two weeks. Not with your muscles. Two minutes and they'll
be the same as before the accident."

"Watch it! You're no fucking Mike Tyson yourself!"

"I suppose not." Trix laughed. "It's good to have you back with us Danny."

"Don't get all soppy on me Trix! I've had that already with this guy." I
said pointing to Conner who kind of blushed for a few seconds.

	Trix came in and sat down on the bottom of my bed. After a minute
of chatter from everyone the door opened again and in came some of the
others; Luke, Claire and Kate. The girls ran in almost screaming as they
ran up to my bed and leant in to hug me. They kind of hurt me a bit on my
chest but I just gritted my teeth and basked in my sudden popularity.

"Danny, don't you ever do this to us again! We've been so bored without you
and you had us so worried too!" Kate said sternly to me. In a joking way of
course.

"I'm sorry. I guess I need to revise my green cross code again. Where's
Scott and Tracey?" As I said Tracey's name Trix looked up with a look of
absolute horror on his face, he nearly tore his shirt trying to pull it
back to look at his watch.

"FUCK!"

"What?"

"I should be meeting her in five minutes, unless she's coming here." He
turned his head to Sean who had let everyone know that I was awake again.

"I couldn't get hold of her, she was out when I rang Trix, sorry."

"Shit, I'll never make it to Showcase on time!"

"She'll understand Trix don't worry!" Claire said trying to comfort and
calm him.

"Yeah, but she's going to think that I didn't care if I'm not there, I
can't let her down again. Look, Danny I'm going to split. I'll see you
tomorrow, I'll be around yours after footy. Bye guys!" He shouted that last
farewell as he was running out of the room. Everyone looked at each other
and laughed.

"He is SO in love!" Sean said laughing at his friend who had just decided
to try and make a fifteen minute journey in five. Everyone laughed and
Conner and I just looked at each other becoming lost in each other's eyes
again.

"So are they!" Added Kate having noticed our stare.

"Jealous?" Conner asked grinning.

"Nah! Not me kiddo, I have my Luke right here to keep ME company!" At that
Luke leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek. On seeing that Conner
leaned quickly in surprising even me and locked me into another one of his
full-blown, mind melting kisses. He broke away grinning and turned to Luke
and Kate. Kate laughed us off and Luke sat in shock. He worried me for a
few seconds. I thought he was going to leave or something.

"That was a weird thing to see! Wow! Urmm. OK, sorry. I just wasn't
expecting to see that!" Conner, Kate and I laughed a little.

"You're not going to have to put up with it at home all the time mate!"
Sean said loudly from his chair in the corner of the room.

	We all settled down a bit as the dark began to set in outside. Trix
would have probably met Trace by now. Mum should be on her way down any
minute now.  Then I remembered who was missing.

"Where's Scott?"

"He said he couldn't make it but to say hi to you for him." My brother
announced. I looked straight to Claire who returned my look, I began to
feel guilty again. I was going to have to try and talk to him again very
soon.

*****

"Mum! I said I'm all right! I'm making myself a drink, not running the
London marathon!"

"The doctor said that you should still be resting."

"I know. Rest is something that you do when you are tired or achy or
whatever, I am neither so I don't need to rest yet."

"You know perfectly well what he meant young man. Good grief! Most kids
would kill to have somebody wait on them hand and foot, but not you. You
haven't changed you know, not a bit. When you were two you used to want to
do up your own shoe laces, but if I ever tried to help you'd smack my hand
right out of the way.  You'd eventually get frustrated because it never
worked when you tried to tie it and you'd sit and cry. Then I'd try and
help again and you'd smack my hand away and carry on trying. I bought you
Velcro shoes from then on. You've always wanted to do everything without
peoples help."

"I just feel uncomfortable with you being here, you should be at work, you
only started at the beginning of this week and you're already taking time
off!"

"Hey, I'm the managing director, I can do what I want!" She joked.

	A silence fell and she watched as I started to make myself a
sandwich.  Suddenly she said;

"Danny, I've been meaning to ask you if you're angry with me for not
letting your dad know what happened."

"I'm not, don't worry. The way I figure it is that if he cared he'd have
been in touch with Sean or myself weeks ago."

"He does care Danny, don't doubt that, he is still your father."

"I know but, he left us. You know? The ball is well in his court and if he
can't be bothered to make one phone call then sod it!"

"I don't want you to feel that you have to hate him for me. He is your
father like I said, whether or not we're together I can never change that
and I don't want you to regret losing touch with him years in the future
because of me."

"Mum, he didn't only walk out on you though. He walked out on Sean and I as
well.  He has to make the first move and until he does I'm going to be
working on the assumption that he doesn't care which doesn't bother me. He
never really showed any affection to either me or Sean that I can remember
over the years so I'm not losing out on anything."

"Just as long as you know that I am not going to stand in your way if you
want to communicate with him, OK?"

"OK mum." I hesitated to ask what I was going to ask next, but decided to
anyway.

"Mum?"

"Yes sweetheart?"

"Are you upset by me? Do you feel as if I've let you down by being gay?"

"Noooooo! Of course not! You'll always be my baby, no matter what you
choose to do in life or who you want to be with you are far too important
to me for your choices to make me push you away. I love you no matter what,
you're my son. Even if you were a serial killer, God forbid, I'd still love
you! In some ways that is.  You have to believe that all I want in life is
for you and Sean to be happy and safe.  Whatever or whoever does that for
you is your choice, I'm just here to make sure that you get it!"

"Thanks mum, that meant a lot to me."

"I love you Danny. You should never doubt that!" At this point she
approached me and gave me a gentle hug, being careful not to hurt my sore
chest.

"I love you too mum."

"I know baby!"

"Is this a good time to ask if Conner can stay over this weekend?"

"Are you eighteen?"

"Oh no! Don't pull that one on me! Gay consent at eighteen is so unfair!
What does the government think we're going to do? Change our minds just
because we have to wait two years longer than everybody else?"

"I know, but it's still against the law. OK, Conner isn't sixteen yet
anyway! When he is you have my consent, but do NOT say that in a court of
law if you ever get found out!"

"Sure mum. I really am in love with him you realise that don't you?"

"It's difficult not to! You talk about him all the time, everything that
you want to do you run by him first, even before you were going out with
him you did that."

"Do you like him?" My mum looked shocked at my question. Then she looked at
me smiling again.

"Of course I do. I can tell how happy he makes you. He's a wonderful young
man."

"I'm glad you do, it makes me feel better to know that you approve of him."
She smiled at me again and I saw a tear roll down her cheek.

"Mum what's wrong?"

"My baby is growing up so fast! I can't believe that you've already found
your first love!"

"Mum! I'm sixteen! Seventeen in two months! In about three months I'll be
driving."

"I know! It scares me sometimes. It really, honestly does only seem to have
been yesterday when I was changing your nappies! Time goes so fast! When
you have children of your own you'll understand." She said it so
matter-of-factly, not realising that she had even said anything wrong. My
heart deflated, I felt awful so suddenly. I realised that she hadn't come
to accept what I was yet, as if she thought deep down inside that I was
wrong about how I thought I felt. Like I would realise the error of my ways
somewhere down the road and change my. "What's the matter Danny, what did I
say?"

"Mum. I won't have children. This is what I was worried about, you don't
believe that I am gay do you?"

"I said it by accident Danny. All mothers say things like that, I've been
used to saying things like it to you for years now. I'm sorry, I never
meant to give you the impression that I didn't accept it. I really am sorry
Danny, you have to understand though that I will be a little slow with
things like this. I've upset you haven't I?"

"No, not really. I guess I'm just being a little over sensitive. I've
hidden it from everyone for years now and it's difficult for me to accept
that other people don't mind because I've kept it bottled up for so long,
worrying what people will think of me."

"I am sorry Danny, I shall think about things before I say them from now
on."

"No it's OK, really it's not your fault."

"I still love you Danny, you're my little boy no matter who you fall in
love with."

"I love you too mum." She had managed to reassure me quite a bit, but I
still couldn't help but feel that she was upset because I was gay.

*****

"Hello?"

"Scott, hi! It's me."

"Danny, hi. I'm so pleased that you're awake."

"Thanks. So when am I going to be able to see you?"

"I don't know, I'm a little busy right now. I have course work to do and
stuff."

"You don't even have time to visit little old me? Come on man, I'm bored
out of my brains here. Everyone's busy, the guys are at footy training,
Kate and Claire are in town, so I've been told, Tracey is looking after her
Gran and Conner's at orchestra.  Come and pay me a visit, even if you only
stay for ten minutes, please?"

"OK. Alright then. You want me to come now?"

"Yeah, if that's OK?"

"Sure give me ten minutes, I'll see you soon."

"OK, bye." Scott hung up his phone. He knew it was a bad idea seeing me,
but he couldn't help it, it was almost habit to let me get my own way. For
years he had given in to my requests so that he could see me happy, it
pleased him no end to think that he could make me happy, even if it was
only in superficial little ways. He picked up his coat and told his mum
where he was going.

	Scott made his way up my drive and rang the bell. I let him in and
he greeted me with a big smile, I could tell instantly that he had missed
me. His expression quickly changed to one of embarrassment though. He had
realised that I was still in my boxers and thin T-shirt that I wore in
bed. I thought it best to pretend that I hadn't noticed the look on his
face and led him into the lounge. I ran to my room and threw on my dressing
gown before I went back to Scott.

"So what have you been doing with yourself recently? The others have told
me that you've not been going out."

"Mostly work around the house that I've been promising mum I'd do for
months now.  I've been redecorating with her."

"I never so you as a craftsman Scott!" I joked. He gave a little snort
though his nose as a laugh.

"I can do manual labour you know!"

"I know, I was just teasing."

	An uncomfortable silence fell in the room, Scott sat looking
nervous. He was looking for something to say, but as time went on we both
got more and more stuck for something to say without sounding stupid.

"Scott?"

"Yeah?" He replied, he knew the gist of what I was about to say and didn't
like it, I could tell.

"I'm not going to pretend that I know how you feel, but I want you to know
that I am in love with Conner, nothing can change that. I don't want you to
hate him for it, I'd like for you two to be friends but in the end I can't
force that on either of you. He doesn't know what's going on with you, only
Claire and Luke do from what I gather.  I won't tell Conner, I think that
that is up to you, but only when you are ready to, you don't even have to
tell him if you don't want to. I'm sorry that you feel the way you do, but
I really do want us to be friends. I'll try not to advertise my love when
you're around if you think that that might help."

"No, I can't expect that from you. You love him, I know how that feels and
I wouldn't want to make you feel like it's something that you have to be
secretive about just because of me."

"Scott, I'm sorry that I don't feel the same way about you do as you do
about me."

"Don't be stupid Danny, it's not your fault. I'll get over it."

"I don't want you to feel that I'm rubbing your nose in it either, that's
the last thing that I would want to do."

"I know, don't worry about me, I'm fine. It was never meant to be, that's
all."

	I leant over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, he looked at me and
smiled.  He didn't seem to be too upset anymore. I hoped that he had been
wrong in thinking that he was in love with me, that it was just lust and
friendship sort of mixed together and giving him the wrong message. I
couldn't tell, but I hoped that it was just that.


All right, I thought that some of you might like a break from my
cliffhangers so consider this the last happy ending for a while! What's
going to happen you ask? Will things go as well as the group hopes they
will from now on? Time will tell.  Or I will if you bribe me well enough!
wanna_get_lucky@hotmail.com