Warning: This story does not contain any sex. None of the characters are based on real people, nor are they meant to resemble any living or dead people.

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Blake's Saga

Book 5 – Chapter 2

Blake Can't

We pick up with Blake and his family at the hospital. Ben is currently undergoing a thrombectomy, removing a blood clot from a vessel in his brain. It's painful for Blake to be here, waiting quietly for any news on his boyfriend. The families are waiting and whispering. It's been an hour, and so far, there have been no updates, which leaves Ben and Blake at the same place they were at an hour earlier. The accident victim is still close to death, and his boyfriend is quietly praying that he'll pull through. Ben has been playing a tug of war between that doorway leading into the light and going back to his body more times then I can count. He heard Blake's voice when he said it was okay to take that step towards the light. Ben just doesn't want to walk away just yet, but he may not have a choice.

***

An hour later, the man who has been giving the updates walks out from the surgery door to speak with the family. What he has to say isn't going to provide any peace.

"Ben flat-lined, but they were able to bring him back, but he is weak, and the surgeon isn't giving him much time. He's being taken back to his room in the ICU. Give us an hour, Mr. Hatcher and Mrs. Hatcher, you can say your goodbyes, and then you can choose which visitors are allowed to say their goodbyes. He's not awake, and I doubt the doctors doubt that he will wake up."

An hour later, Connor shows up again to lead the parents down to see their son and, with their blessings, Trace, Ian, and Blake to come down with them. At the room, everyone pauses as they look in the room. What they see brings tears to everyone. Ben is attached to a ventilator to keep him alive; wires are connected to his head to monitor his brain activity, and sensors are attached to his chest to monitor his heart rate and pulse. Ivs are in his arm to keep him hydrated, pain-free and help his body fight off infections. Everyone in the group are praying for the teen in the hospital.

"Blake, we want you to go in and visit with him."

Mr. and Mrs. Hatcher say as they look at their son's boyfriend. He doesn't know if he wants to enter the room. Seeing Ben on the bed makes him think about it; he does want to tell Ben how he feels about him. Everyone watches as Blake walks into the room. Blake steps into Ben's hospital room. His boyfriend's body shows no signs of life despite what the machines are saying. When Blake is standing beside the hospital bed, his right-hand reaches up and takes his boyfriend's left hand. Blake looks over his babe's still form. He sees all the bandages and stitches, the machines, the tubes, and the wires. Blake's heart drops, but he gathers his strength, not for him but for Ben. He readies his words and then closes his eyes. Maybe, if he closes his eyes, he'll see his boyfriend one last time. Sure enough, it works somehow. He can see Ben lying in bed with his eyes open, staring right up at him. Blake feels something that isn't just his imagination. He swears Ben's fingers are grasping his hands.

"Ben, I love you. I always have, even before we met at school. When I saw you that first day, I had butterflies. You had those same butterflies. I am sorry, Ben-you didn't have to see me. I know, I know you love me too. I wish you could hear me, Baby."

Ben's brain monitor beeps, showing signs that there is still life in Ben's body. It's more than that, though; Ben can hear his boyfriend's words at some level. Ben's mom enters the room to give Blake some comfort, and as she does, she sees her son's fingers move against Blake's skin. She knew there was love between the two teens but seeing that made things that much more apparent. Tears roll down her face as she walks back to her husband. Blake opens his eyes and looks at Ben's closed eyes, and whispers.

"I love you!"

Blake releases his hands from Ben's hands and then blows him a kiss. He returns to the sides of his parents so that Ben's mom and dad can say their goodbyes. The family leaves the hospital behind, and they return to Trace's parent's house to pick up Collin.

***

Collin has been picked up, and the family is now back home. Today and yesterday, Blake has either been at home or the hospital. Trace wasn't sure that their son should have seen Ben in his room. He's worried about the trauma. It's possible, so he'll keep an eye on his older son. Collin watches his brother sleep for a few seconds before moving into his room. Ian and Trace, meanwhile, are in the office.

"I know, we talked about this earlier, but I want him to see someone; the sooner, the better."

Trace has seen officers who ignored the advice given to them to seek out help, that in the end, they suffered breakdowns because they just couldn't take it anymore.

"I'll check with the guidance counselor at school. I think under the circumstances, she'll help us out."

They know that he'll need someone to listen to him. They want to do what is suitable for their son. Blake woke up, and he is not happy.

***

Collin can hear his brother crying, so he walks into his older brother's room and sits next to him.

"Blake, don't cry."

Collin wants his brother to be happy. Blake looks at his brother and smiles. Collin is sad that his brother is hurting. As much as Blake loves having Collin around, he doesn't want him around right now.

"Do you know why I am sad?"

Blake asks his little brother.

"You're sad because Ben is sick."

Collin answers his brother's question.

`You don't know the half of it.'

Blake thinks to himself in response to what his brother said.

"Yeah, that is why I am sad."

Blake is trying to be happy for his brother's sake.

"Are you hungry today?"

Collin knows his brother has not been eating very well. He's willing to get him something to eat. Little brother could talk to their dads into warming up something for his brother.

"I'm not hungry, buddy."

Collin doesn't want to hear that, but how does a little guy get a 16-year-old to eat. Blake doesn't want his brother worrying about him. Blake also doesn't want him running to Trace and Ian about him. Blake gets out of bed to check his phone. Ben isn't doing well, but he knew that already. He just wants Ben to be okay. Collin doesn't want to walk away from his brother, but he's getting hungry. Collin hugs his big brother before walking out of the room. Blake heard the front door open, and although he is curious, he stays up in his room.

***

It's around 11 am, and Uncle Michael has stopped by to see what is new with his nephew and his nephew's boyfriend. Usually, Michael would speak with his brother, but Trace is busy in the office, so Michael and Ian sit down in the dining room and talk.

"Thanks for coming over, Michael!"

Michael nods his head.

"We appreciated you watching Collin yesterday. You were a life-saver."

Michael understands how moments pop up that just require someone to step up and help out.

"No problem, Ian, how is Ben doing?"

Ian takes a second to take a deep breath.

"Michael, to be honest, the doctors are just barely keeping Ben alive. When we left, he was hooked up to a ventilator to keep him breathing. While we were there today, we were told that Ben was being sent back to his room in the ICU so that his family and friends could say goodbye. Blake was given a chance to say farewell, and then we came home. It was hard to watch him leave Ben behind at the hospital. He's barely eaten anything over the past 24 hours; he's either been at the hospital or up in his room. I can't imagine how he is feeling. Did Trace tell you that Ben was on his way here when the accident happened?"

Michael sighed.

"I didn't realize that Ben was that bad off. I was hoping for some good news. Yeah, Trace told me. I hope that Blake's okay."

Michael's heart broke. He couldn't imagine his future significant other dying on him. He certainly hopes his crush doesn't experience any bad guys trying to take him out. It would make me cry, that is for sure.

"Is Blake up in his room now?"

Ian nods his head as he watches Collin come down the stairs. Collin walks over to his dad and his uncle with the saddest looking eyes. Ian can only guess why his son is looking so sad.

"Blake is still sad, huh?"

Ian says as he looks at his son.

"Yeah!"

Collin says as he looks at his dad.

`I wonder if I need to go up and talk to him.'

Michael isn't sure if he should go upstairs or not. Blake may not be ready to speak to anyone just yet, but on the other hand, it might help to know that someone else cares about him.

"Should I go upstairs and talk to Blake?"

Michael asks Ian to see if he thinks it's a good idea to talk with Ben. He wants to know if he can get through to his nephew.

"At this point, I don't know if anyone can get through to him?"

Ian didn't say that to be mean. Blake may yet be too emotional to hear what anyone has to say at this point. Maybe someone other than Ian or Trace can reach Blake's ears.

"I'm going to go try my best to reach him.

Michael turns and walks away from his brother-in-law.

***

When Michael goes upstairs, he finds his nephew sitting at his desk. Blake appears to be looking at a book.

"Hey Blake, may I come into your room?"

A part of Blake is excited to see his uncle. There has always been something about his uncle that makes Blake feel comfortable.

"Come on in, Uncle Michael, I am writing in my journal. Maybe, there might be something in these words that might help someone else."

The old guy is happy that his nephew is recording his thoughts, which helps to get his feelings out in the open.

"How are you doing?"

How is he supposed to be feeling? He's not sure how he is feeling, but he's trying to work his way out of the depression that he's in at the moment.

"I'm not good, but I'm trying to be better."

Michael is excited to hear that his relative is trying. Trying is everything. It means that he is fighting against the pain he's feeling. Michael is not sure how the 16-year old nephew is trying to help himself.

"Ian told me that Ben is in pretty bad shape."

What happens next surprises Blake's uncle.

"I know you are my uncle, and I love you, but if you came up here to talk to me about Ben, I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to talk about him. I know he's not going to make it, I know he's hurting, and I know that Trace and Ian are worried about me. I just want to be alone."

Michael understands his nephew's words. There are times when we all need time to be alone in our emotional pain, but he also knows that while he may want to be alone at some point, he'll need his family.

"Okay, man, I will drop the "Ben" talk. Let me know if you need anything."

Blake nods his head. While Michael is in the room, Trace walks into the room and sits on the floor. He is quietly waiting for a chance to speak with his son. He wants Blake to know his story about his first year as an officer.

"I love you, Blake!"

Michael reminds Blake about his feelings for him.

"Love you too, Uncle Michael!"

Trace is thankful for Michael's and Ashley's love for their nephews. It feels good to hear Michael talking to Blake. Trace is touched not just by Michael's feelings for his nephew, but he also loves that Michael isn't afraid to show his feelings for his nephew.

"Michael, I need to talk to Blake alone."

Trace's younger brother gets up and leaves his nephew's side, and leaves the room. Blake wonders what is so important that Michael has to leave the room so that Trace could talk with him. Now, Blake and Trace are alone in the bedroom.

***

Trace doesn't share a lot of his police calls with Blake. Some of the calls can be pretty intimidating and maybe even a bit scary. Blake has already experienced what it's like to fear that he might lose his dad because of a criminal's actions. Blake doesn't hear about the times when Trace's emotions have been hit hard by calls or what he might see or hear on a call.

"Blake, I-I don't share a lot of what happens on the calls that I get daily. Most of them are pretty unremarkable, but occasionally, there is one that hurts. One of the hardest calls came early in my career as a police officer. There was a car accident. It was a miracle that anyone survived that crash; the car was totaled. There was only one person in the car, but she was eight months pregnant. I watched as she was removed from the car, but it was clear that her injuries were medically significant. They were so bad that she was not expected to make it. When she arrived at the hospital, they discovered that the baby was still alive. Her father wanted to save that baby if at all possible. The mother passed away, but the surgeons were able to save the baby girl. Despite being a month early, the baby survived but only because the father was fortunate. The young father has watched his daughter grow up. At first, she didn't have a mother, but then he met a woman who grew to love him and his daughter one day. I left something out, Blake. The baby's birth mother was on her way to bring her husband his lunch. When I went to his work to notify him of his wife's accident, I cried with him. It hurt so bad to tell him about his wife. He was afraid of losing his wife and his little girl. I had nightmares for some time after this call. The nightmares didn't go away as quickly as I would have liked. It took time for them to fade away, but it didn't happen without the support of friends, co-workers, and a counselor. I look back at that day and many other such events in my career and wonder why good people have to suffer the loss of loved ones or experience such hardiships that break our hearts. Blake, Dad, and I love you, and we want you to know that it's okay to ask for help if you need it."

Trace stopped talking so that his words can sink into his son's mind. Tears felt like they might burst from Blake's eyes and Trace's eyes. Blake walks up to his dad and hugs him. Trace hugs Blake too. They break their hug, and Blake smiles.

`Good, he's smiling!'

Trace takes that smile as a good thing but is it a sign that Blake is doing better. No, Blake is smiling because, for a few minutes, the pain washed away while Trace was talking to him. What his dad doesn't know is that he has touched Blake, and when the time is right, he'll ask for help, but that time hasn't quite come. Trace isn't sure what is going on in his son's mind.

"Dad, can I eat now?"

Trace is glad that Blake wants to eat. Considering he hasn't had a full meal in 24 hours.

"Yeah, you can have something to eat. What do you want?"

Blake thinks over his father's questions.

"You know what, I'll find something to eat."

Blake gets up and heads for the hallway. Blake and Trace head down the stairs so Blake can eat and so Trace can speak with his husband.

***

Blake has eaten and is outside playing basketball. Trace, Ian, and Michael all think that he's a little less emotional. Blake is doing his best to control his grieving. While he is outside playing, Ben is starting to die. Ben passes away just as Blake enters the house to get a drink. The Hatcher's are in the room when Ben dies, and Blake is about to find out about his passing. Mrs. Hatcher gets on her phone to make a call.

"Hello, Ian here."

She doesn't know if she can get the words out.

"Ian, Benjamin jus-just passed away."

She just managed to get the sentence out before breaking into tears.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Hatcher. We'll tell Blake."

She is crying, and under the circumstances, it's completely understandable.

"Thank, thank...you! Bye!"

She hangs up with Ian. Ian looks at Trace and tells him about Ben while Blake drinks his water in the dining room.

"Mrs. Hatcher just called to tell us that Ben died. I told her that we would talk to Blake for you. She isn't in any shape to tell him."

Trace looks at Blake as he's drinking.

`We're finally seeing him come out of grieving for a little bit, and this will force him right back into it."

There is nothing else that can be done. Ian and Trace have to tell him. Trace leaves Ian to find Blake, who is coming out of the bathroom.

"Blake, Dad, and I need to talk to you? Go have a seat on the couch."

Blake heads for the living room. Ian is already sitting on the couch when his older son and husband enter the room. Ian pats the sofa next to him, signaling where he wants Blake to sit. As he sits down, Blake wonders what is going on that they need to speak with him. Trace sits down next to Blake. Trace reaches for Blake's left hand and holds it in his right hand, and Ian takes Blake's right hand in his left hand. Ian and Trace take a deep breath at the exact moment. Blake has rarely seen them like this before; whatever is about to happen, something tells him that it will be life-changing.

"Blake, we took you in, and we've never looked back from that moment. Know that we love you, and we care about you so much. We have bad news, buddy. A little bit ago, you might have heard Dad's phone ring?"

Blake nods his head, letting Trace know that he did indeed hear the phone ringing.

"Blake, the call was from Mrs. Hatcher. She wanted us to tell you that-that, Ben passed away. I'm sorry, Son!"

Blake immediately takes off running to his room. He doesn't want them to see him cry. Blake covers himself up in his blankets. He's heavily sobbing. Trace walks into his son's room and sits down on the bed. A part of him wants to hold his son in his arms until Blake's tears stop falling.

"Blake, it's okay to cry! We love you, Son!"

Trace says as he pats his son on his back. Blake doesn't respond to his dad's voice or the pat on his back. Ian hates to see his son hurting like this, it was painful before, but now it's just tragic. Ian has never lost a boyfriend, so he has no idea how his oldest son is feeling. He wonders if Blake's birth parents had times when he was living there that they could take away his pains because right now, he would do anything to take that pain Blake is feeling on himself.

"Love you, son!"

Blake has quieted down just a little bit. He heard Ian and Trace telling him that they love him. It's their love that might just save him. Right now, the pain is too much. Trace and Ian sit there in silence, quietly listening to Blake's sobs. He is beside himself at the moment because the world feels like it's crashing in on Blake.

***

Blake's tears are tearing them apart. They want to comfort him, but they aren't sure how to comfort him. Ian and Trace feel like crying too. They want to give him a chance to relax. Trace thought about giving him a chance to speak with his family in Idaho or simply flying him out to Idaho or flying them out to Indiana. Ian is trying to figure out what foods Blake might enjoy. If he likes the food, he'll be more inclined to eat. Trace and Ian know that in the coming days, he'll miss Ben. They also know that in the future, when the time is right, that they'll also know that in the future, when the time is right, that he'll find someone else to love, and that will be okay. For now, though, they need to walk through the shadows long enough to help their son walk out of the shadows of grief.

***

An hour later, Trace and Ian are sitting in their office. They are talking about Blake, how he needs support, and ways to support him. Sadly, the one thing neither Trace nor Ian can give him is the understanding and the light that comes from the relationship between mother and son. Would she be able to guide him through this pain, or are Trace and Ian uniquely qualified to teach him through it? They aren't sure what to, but for now, they will do the best they can to soothe his pain.

***

Blake's tears have stopped, but he is back to stay in his room. Collin takes it upon himself to try to get his older brother to come out of the bedroom.

"Blake play basketball with me?"

Blake sees right through his brother's attempt at getting him to come out of his room.

"I'm not in the mood Collin."

He's isn't going to stop trying to get his brother outside or any other place.

Collin has something else to tempt him with, and maybe it will work.

"Do you want to make cookies with Daddy and me?"

Blake ignores his brother's words. Collin walks out of his room and grabs one plush animal.

"Here, Blake, you need him."

The problem is his brother doesn't want it. He doesn't want to be bothered by anyone. He is angry.

"Collin, I don't want your teddy bear, I don't want to make cookies, and I don't want to play basketball. What I want is for you to just get out of my room?"

Blake has never really talked to him this way before, and Collin doesn't know what to think of it. Collin is frozen in place.

"GET OUT!"

This time, Collin runs out of the room. He drops his teddy bear at the door of Blake's room. Now it's Collin's turn to cry. Now that Blake isn't crying, he can hear his little brother sobbing. He is sorry for what he said to his brother, but he also wants to be alone.

***

It took just a few minutes before Trace heard Collin crying. While speaking with Collin, he finds out that Blake is responsible for the tears. Trace walks to Blake's room to find out from him what took place earlier.

"Blake mind telling me what happened between you and Collin?"

The teen knows that he won't lie to his dad, so he tells the truth.

"I was in my room, and he came into my room, and he wouldn't leave me alone so, I yelled at him to get out. I just wanted to be alone."

Trace isn't happy about it, but he can understand his son wanting to be alone, but it's not okay for him to yell at this younger brother.

"Do you understand why I'm not happy?"

Blake knows exactly why his dad isn't happy.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I'll apologize to him."

Trace can tell that Blake is honest with him.

"That is all I ask, Blake. Remember, Collin does look up to you. If you are not happy with him about something, think before you speak."

Trace finishes his words with Blake, and then he left the room. Blake gets up and walks into his brother's room.

***

Blake knows he has to apologize to his brother. He sits down on the bed next to his brother. Collin's eyes are red from crying. Blake cuddles his brother for a second or two.

"Hey Collin, I'm sorry for yelling at you."

The younger brother looks at his older brother for a second or two. He ignores his brother's words. Blake feels terrible.

"I promise Collin; I won't do that again. I promise! I am so sorry!"

This time, Collin wipes his face and looks at his brother.

"I'm sorry if I made you mad."

Collin says as if he was responsible for his brother's words.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you."

Blake tells his little brother. Collin hugs his big brother. With apologies given, Blake and Collin head downstairs to watch television. While Blake is watching television with his brother, something on TV makes him think of his departed boyfriend.

***

While thinking of Ben, Blake finds it hard to believe that Ben is gone. He misses his guy. It just doesn't seem possible. Ben and he were planning on meeting up for some boyfriend time at Blake's house, and then well, things went south. It's hard to dwell on his passing. Thinking about it, he finds himself feeling depressed. He knows Ben wouldn't want him feeling depressed, but Ben isn't here, and that just doesn't sit well. Blake is trying to pay attention to the movie that he's watching with his brother, but he's finding that his mind is still focusing on Ben. He wants to forget the pain eventually.

***

There is a box of stuff that Blake and Ian have been saving up to drop off at the center that Blake uses to sleep at and spend time at when he wasn't at school. It's a mix of candy, puzzles, snacks, packages of paper, pencils, mandala coloring books, colored pencils, and whatever else they could throw into the box. Blake isn't in the mood to do it, but it needs to happen. Trace and Ian both think that this will help Blake feel better. Ian and Blake pack up the box and head out for the center. They get into the car and drive out to the center. Arriving at the center, Blake and Ian get out of the car and grab the box from the back. They walk up to the door and push a button to notify the front desk that they arrived. Blake had plans to ask Ben to come with them to drop off the box so that Ben could meet some people who were important to him before he met Ian and Trace. Once they identify themselves, the person inside opens the door for them. Blake delivers the box to the center, and then the guys head out for home. Blake is anxious to head home and get away from people. Ian surprises Blake, though, by taking him out for ice cream.

***

Ian thought that Blake needed a treat for being kind to others. It has been a tradition for him.

"How are you, Blake?"

Blake is still feeling pretty low. It sucks hurting like this, and I mean hurting.

"I'm hurting, Dad. I wonder if this is how you felt when Trace got shot?"

Ian looks at him with some sadness in his heart. He remembers the pain he felt back then, but he can't say how his son feels because he isn't Blake, and he's never lost a boyfriend to death.

"I can't answer that, kiddo. It hurt when Dad got shot, and I was scared that we might lose him."

Yeah, it sucked big time. Blake hopes that he didn't upset Ian. There is only one way to check to see if Ian is okay, and that is for Blake to ask if everything is OK.

"Dad, are you okay?"

Ian looks at his son.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's okay, man."

Maybe, Ian was just lost in thought. The guys get their ice cream, and they're enjoying it. Their conversation changes, and they enjoy the discussion between the two of them. After the conversation and ice cream, they return home.

***

When the guys get home, Blake returns to his room. He's home for a few minutes when his phone rings. He looks at the screen and realizes that it's Eric.

"Hey Eric, what's up?"

Eric is quiet for a second. How do you start this conversation?

"Sorry, man! I heard that Ben died, and I wanted to call and say that I'm here if you need to talk."

Eric heard about Ben from Riley and Ryan. When he did, he knew that he had to call his friend. The last thing he wants to do is to ignore his friend's pain.

"I appreciate the fact that you called. I'm still trying to figure things out."

It would be hard for anyone to know precisely how to feel after losing their special someone. Eric is another person who doesn't know how Blake feels, but he decided to try to see Blake needed someone by his side.

"Blake, I am sure you've heard this a million times already, but Ben's not hurting anymore. He's waiting to see you again. I'm sure he'll be looking for you."

No one has mentioned this to him, not even his brother. Still, there is some solace in those words. It's something that Blake hasn't thought about much since Ben's death. A few tears run down Blake's face.

"Thanks, Eric! Sorry, but my mind has been on church teachings lately. Guess I was kind of stuck in my pain."

Eric has been there many times himself. His experience with Vince was one time that he forgot what he was taught.

"I've been there myself, Blake. No sweat, man, it happens to the best of us. Suffering sucks!"

Blake knows about Vince, and at times, he wants to help Eric through his pain too.

"I'm going to let you go, but know that I'm here, and those aren't just words. It's a promise, my friend."

Blake wants to hug him, but they are on the phone, so he'll have to be happy with what his friend is about to say.

"Love you, Blake!"

Blake smiles.

"You're welcome, my friend. Good night!"

Suddenly, Blake is alone again. It isn't long before Blake is sleeping again.

***

When Blake wakes up, he walks downstairs to find Trace sitting on the couch doing some reading. Blake sits down next to him.

"Dad, nothing feels right."

Blake feels like the sun isn't shining when in fact, it's still daylight out, and it's shining brightly out. It's the depression blocking it out.

"Blake, the only thing that I can say is that there will be a moment when things will feel right again. It may not feel like it's coming, but it will. I don't know when it's going to come along, but I promise that it will."

Dad tells his son, who is now resting his head in his hands. Blake hears what his dad says but doesn't respond right away. The teen takes a minute to respond to what his dad said.

"Dad, you really think this depression will fade over time?"

Trace smiles.

"Yeah, I promise. I'm not saying that you won't have moments when something will trigger his memory, and you might hurt for a bit, but yeah, the depression will end in time."

Trace pats his son on the back before getting up and heading into the kitchen for a drink. Blake stays in the living room.

***

It's the next day, and Blake is about to have a visitor. It's around ten in the morning when there is a knock at the door. Ian answers the door and Mrs. Hatcher is standing on the other side. In her hands, she is holding a box of odds and ends. It contains items from Ben's room.

"Ian, this is a bunch of items that were in Ben's room. I think it's gifts that Blake bought for him or things that he might have borrowed from Blake."

She wasted no time in going through Ben's room. Ian thought it was a little quick for them to be already sorting through their son's possessions.

"I thought Blake might want the stuff. It was either bring it here or get rid of it."

She handed the box over to Ian and then walked away without even saying goodbye. Ian is a little ticked off, but then he remembers something he read on a blog somewhere that said

"Everyone grieves in their own way."

Still, it wouldn't have hurt her to say something to Blake; after all, Ben and Blake had been together for almost a year. Trace enters the room and sees the box

"What's this stuff?"

Ian frowns and looks at the box with frustration all over his face. He then explains what's inside the box. Trace takes it from Ian and walks it over to the couch. Trace gently sets it down on the floor at Blake's feet and then sits down on the couch. Blake is sitting on the couch resting his eyes. Trace gently nudges Blake to wake him up. Sure enough, Blake wakes up. Trace shows him the box.

"Where did you get the box?"

Blake knows all that stuff belongs to Ben. Ian comes over and sits beside his husband.

"Ben's mother dropped off for you. She said it's a bunch of gifts you gave to Ben or stuff that she thought belonged to you. At any rate, she's returning the stuff to you."

Blake eyes the box, and it makes him sad. Outside the house, Michael has arrived to see everyone but especially Blake.

***

Michael knocks on the door, and Ian lets him into the house.

"Where is my nephew?"

Ian points to where Blake is sitting. Michael enters the house and hugs his brother-in-law before venturing further into the house. Michael doesn't like seeing the teen unhappy.

"Hey Blake, how are you?"

Blake looks up from the couch as he sorts through the box.

"Hi, Uncle Michael! I'm...doing about as good as be expected."

Blake says as he holds a little action figure that Ben likes that Blake bought him just because his boyfriend mentioned that he liked the character.

"Is it something that Ben gave you?"

Michael asks Blake, but Blake just gives him a strange look. Blake never did answer his uncle's question. It was okay because Michael didn't push him to get a reply.

"Have you ever lost anyone?"

Blake asks his uncle. He wants to know if Michael can relate to how Blake feels. Michael can't, though, since he's never lost a friend.

"Nope, not yet."

He tells Blake, and then he thought of something.

"Blake, I know you are hurting, but if I can give you a bit of advice, it's this, if someone wants to date you, and you aren't ready to date them, you don't have to date them."

Blake listens to his uncle's advice, and at the same time, he is watching his dads. Michael can't imagine what the emotional state his nephew is in currently. He is trying hard to reach his nephew. Blake gets up and carries his box to his room, and then goes back to bed. None of the adults head up to check on him. They know he needs his space.

***

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