Date: Wed, 2 Nov 2022 16:34:18 -0700 From: Nicholas Parker Subject: Finding Him Chapter 1 This is a work of fiction. Any relation to real people or places is purley coincidental. This story is the property of the author and is protected under copyright laws. The author retains all rights. No reproduction is allowed without the author's consent. If you enjoy is this story, please keep Nifty going by showing your support and donate to Nifty by visiting https://donate.nifty.org/ This is my first Nifty story, so feedback and comments are welcomed. Please feel free to email at ngparker88@gmail.com. Author's Note: I have been a long-time reader of Nifty, and someone give me the courage to write a story. I'd like to thank my friend Steve for editing. Finding Him By: littlegaynerd Chapter One: Kyle: My alarm goes off at its​regular time, 5:30am. I drag myself out of bed and into the bathroom to relieve myself. When finished, I head back into my room to put on gym shorts, t-shirt, and sneakers. I head downstairs for a light breakfast and grab a bottle of water before heading out the door. Checking my phone, I see that it's 5:45am, and after taking another ten minutes to warm up, I start running in the cool morning air. When I reach the beach, the sun is just starting to come up. As I start my run along the beach, I come across the pier that overlooks the ocean and see what looks like a body. I slowly approach the body and find it to be that of a young boy. I check to make sure that the young boy is alive, and once sure, I slowly try to wake him. When the boy awakes, he is startled by me and moves away from me. "Hi my name is Kyle. There nothing to be scared of, I just came to see if you're alright," I say. The boy looks at me suspiciously, as if wondering if I could be trusted or not. As the sun starts coming up, I can start to make out his appearance, and I am shocked at what I see. In front of me is a boy who is at least ten to twelve years old and scrawny, his clothes are grimy, and his sleeping bag is just as bad and starting to rip. I know right then that I need to help this boy and get him back home so that my mother can check him out. By the look of him I can tell that he hasn't eaten anything in a while. I decide to run up the pier to one of the shops on the boardwalk and get him something to eat. "Please don't go anywhere, I will be right back. I'm going to get you something to eat." Avery: I had been staying at the beach for about a week, and I had only eaten like twice and was starving. I felt someone shaking me, and when I looked, there was a teenage boy leaned over me. He introduced himself as Kyle, and he seemed really nice, it's just that I have been alone for so long that it's hard for me to trust anyone. I saw the hurt in his eyes when he first got a good look at me, and I knew then that he wasn't going to hurt me. Kyle nor I said anything for a while. I guess he was trying to figure out what to say to me. All of a sudden, he told me not to go anywhere, that he was going to get me something to eat. Then Kyle left, and I really didn't know if he was going to come back or not. I was hoping that he would. He was nicer than most of the people that I have had deal with. Kyle: I really don't know what he would like to eat, but I figure that it has to be something light. I find a deli and order a small breakfast for both of us. On the way back, I shoot mom a text explaining what has happened and that I dont think that he has anyone. I also tell her that I'll try and get him to come back to the house with me so that she can check him out. While walking back, I worry that he won't be there. I hope that he didn't leave. When I reach the pier and still see him there, I am so relieved. This time I sit down and pull out the breakfast that I bought for us. His eyes light up the moment that he sees the food. I explain to him that he needs to eat slowly so that he doesn't make himself sick. "Avery," he says. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" I ask. "Avery, that's my name." "Well, Avery, it is very nice to meet you," I say. "If you're willing, I would like for you to come back to my house. My mom is a nurse, and I would like for her to check you out. If you're concerned about her reporting you, I will make sure that it doesn't happen. I am pretty sure my mom is not going to let you out of her sight." "Why is that?" he asks. "Because you, my friend, will make my mother's heart melt, and you're a cute kid." Avery agrees to come to the house with me. While he is packing the few possessions he does own, I text my mother, letting her know that the young boy's name is Avery and that I am on the way home with him. I snap a few pictures of him and also send them to her. I ask her to stop by and pick up some clothes for him, knowing that she will have to guess his size. I also text my boyfriend Damian and explain the situation because we were supposed to get together later, and I don't think that would be happening now. Avery: I can't believe that I accepted his help. Kyle seemed like a nice guy, but I have been burned one too many times. I decided I would keep my guard up. Kyle explained to me that he was on his morining run when he found me. I thought it was pretty neat that he got up and ran every morning. It took us some time to get back to Kyle's house. The beach had to be at least a 10-minute drive from his house. When we arrived, we went inside and were greeted by his mom. "Hello boys," Sarah said. "Hey, Mom, this is Avery, the boy I told you about," Kyle said. "Hello, Avery. Please call me Sarah or Ms. Sarah. Kyle was right, you are a cute kid. Avery, I would like to check you out, if that's alright with you. But I am guessing you would like a nice bath." "Yes, Mama, I would love a bath, and I don't see any reason why you can't check me out," I said. "Kyle will show you around the house, and then you can use his bathroom." "Thank you, Mama," I said. "But I dont have any extra clothes to put on after I get out of the shower." "There's no need to worry about that," she replied. "I have some extra clothes for you in Kyle's room. I had to guess on your size, so I apologize if they're not the right size. We can exchange the ones that don't fit later on. Alright boys, off you go." Kyle showed me around the house, and I was amazed at how big it was. When we got to Kyle's bedroom, I realized that his room was the largest room. I would have figured that his mom would have the master bedroom. That explained why he had a bathroom attached to this room. I also saw all the clothes that Ms. Sarah had bought for me, and I started to cry happy tears. Kyle handed me a towel and pointed to the bathroom. It was the best shower that I have ever had. I stayed in there until the water started to get cold. When I got out, I realized that I didn't grab any of the clothes, so I just wrapped the towel around my waist and headed into Kyle's room. I tried on all the clothes so I knew which ones would fit me. Once dressed, I headed back downstairs and found Kyle talking to another teenager around his age. Kyle: While Avery is in the shower, I get a call from Damian, and he tells me that he is on the way over to hang out. I remind him of the situation and he tells me he wants to meet Avery. I know Avery is most likely going to be in the shower for a long time since he probably hasn't had one in awhile. I hear the front door open and know then that it's Damian. Damian and I have known each other since middle school, and it wasn't really until high school that we figured out we had feelings for each other. We have now been dating for three years, and I love him every much. We have had our disagreements and fights, but we don't let them come between us. There is no such thing as the perfect relationship. Our parents have been super supportive of us, and they love us both. We came out to our parents together, and none of them where shocked. My mother handed Damian's mother a five-dollar bill, and when we asked about it they explained that they had a bet on when we where going to tell them about us. I don't hear Avery come down the stairs. It's not until he's standing next to me that I realize he's even there. "Hey, Avery. This is Damian, my boyfriend," I tell him. "Hi, Damian. I'm Avery, the stray your boyfriend bought home." Avery says, jokingly. Damian laughs, "Kyle, we are keeping this one. He's funny as shit." "I already decided to keep this one before we even made it back home," I admit. "You know what?" asks Avery. "I am going to find your Mom. I think she likes me better than she likes you." He turns and walks down the hall in search of my mom. "Damn, Kyle," Damian says. "He has a great since of humor for someone who's been on the streets." "I hope everything's alright with him," I say. "Mom did say she's going to check him out." "Let's go find them and be supportive." Damian says. When I call for mom, she answers that she is in the office. We walk in as mom is just finishing up with Avery. She explains that he has some minor scrapes and bruising, but she wants to take him into the clinic to make sure there are no internal problems and for a doctor to do a more thorough physical examination. She then asks me to tag along for Avery's benefit. I gave Damian a kiss goodbye and tell him that I would keep him informed of Avery's progress. Avery: We loaded up in Ms. Sarah's SUV. Kyle let me sit up front, which I haven't done in a very long time. It didn't take long for us to arrive at the clinic where Ms. Sarah workeds. She handed Kyle a clipboard and asked him to start the paperwork. There wasn't much I could tell him, and that was fine. Sarah told me that the doctor would see me shortly and that Kyle was welcome to join if I wanted him back there. When the doctor called, I asked Kyle to join me since I didn't feel comfortable being alone with him. The doctor asked me a lot of questions, and I answered them the best I could. Then it was time to put on one of those ugly paper gowns. The physical examination I wasn't so happy about, but I understood why it had to be done. I also had to get some X-rays. All in all, it was an easy visit. The doctor explained that I was a healthy boy, just underweight. He then asked to talk to Sarah in private, so Kyle and I excused ourselves. Sarah came out a few minutes later, and I could tell that whatever the doctor had told her wasn't anything good. Kyle asked her what was wrong, but she just said we would talk about it at home. The mood on the car ride was very sullen. There was so much tension that I could have cut it with a knife. Once home, Ms. Sarah asked us to go into the living room and sit. Sarah: When I walk into the living room, the boys look worried, and I guess they have that right. What I'm about to tell them is not easy. "What I need to talk to you guys about is what the doctor found on Avery's physical examination and X-rays. The biggest issue is all the small breaks and ligament tears, which means, Avery, you have been physically abused in the past. I know this is hard to talk about, and you don't have to right now, but I need to know if you have ever been sexually assaulted at anytime. The doctor didn't find any tears around your anus, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. I understand if you don't want to talk to me about it, but just know that you can come to Kyle or myself anytime." "Thank you, Ms. Sarah," says Avery. "That means a lot. There's stuff in my past that's hard to talk about right now. Just knowing that I have people to talk with makes it easier." I continue, "Avery, while you where getting checked out, I was on the phone with people I know over at CPS. As of right now, I'm going to be fostering you. I would like to eventually adopt you. I know this is alot to process right now, so why don't we all go and chill out? Avery, there is a spare room upstairs next to Kyle's. You'll have to share his bathroom. In the next few days, we'll go out and get you clothes and the things you're going to need for your room and for the upcoming school year." "This is the best thing that has happened to me in a long time, and I'm grateful to you both," Avery says, tearing up. Kyles adds, "I told you that you where not going anywhere, and I meant that. Now let's go see what you are going to need and give Damian a call. I'm sure he worried about you." As the boys run off, I can't help but smile. They look so happy, and I know that Kyle is going to watch after him no matter what.