Date: Sat, 2 Jun 2012 15:50:41 -0700 From: B.E. Kelley Subject: Keys to the Kingdom Chapter 9 This story is a work of FICTION. The events described are my own invention. Any similarities to actual events or persons are strictly coincidental. The author retains the copyright, and any other rights, to this original story. You may not publish it or any part of it without my explicit authorization. This story contains depictions of consensual sexual acts between teenage males. It is intended for mature audiences only. If you find this type of material offensive or if you are under the legal age to read said material; please proceed no further. It takes a while before there is any sex in this story but I think you'll like it. As always comments are welcome but please, be gentle. Please send your comments to: HailCaesar2011@hotmail.com The Keys to the Kingdom Chapter 9: And Then Things Got Worse Cam left early the next morning to start his shift at the hospital. I felt him kiss me on the cheek before he left and I wished he could have spent the rest of the day with us. One advantage I've always enjoyed as an academic are the long, lazy days of summer. When I woke up myself I discovered my arms wrapped around Aiden. Jack and Ethan were still sound asleep, I could hear the sound of Nicky watching TV downstairs and Aiden was staring at me with a contemplative expression on his face. "Good morning, sleep ok?" I yawned. "Yeah," he replied cryptically. "That doesn't sound very convincing, no bad dreams?" I asked. "Nope, I slept pretty good. I'm just thinking," said Aiden. "Oh yeah, what about?" I asked. "Yesterday," he replied. "I know yesterday was terrible but it's over now. He won't ever get near you again, both he and the Petersons are in so much trouble I don't know if they'll ever get out of jail," I said, trying to comfort him. "I know," he began, "that's not what I was thinking about." "Oh," I responded a bit surprised, "what's on your mind?" "I believe you, I believe what you said at the lake, that you guys really do love me," he explained. "Of course we do sweetheart," I replied, "we're so happy you're with us and we're all looking forward to you being part of our family." "I know that now, after yesterday, you wouldn't have done what you did if you didn't care about me," he offered. "Well if I'd known that's all it would take to convince you, I'd have wrestled a trucker days ago," I smiled. "I wanted to believe you from the start but you guys never hugged me like you do Ethan and Nicky or even Jack," Aiden explained. "Oh sweetheart, that wasn't because we didn't want to. We just weren't sure how you'd take it. After all that you've been through, we didn't want to touch you in a way that might make you think we had other motives," I told him. "Can I have a hug now?" he asked. I didn't answer, I just pulled him close and held on tight. Poor Aiden had been longing for a loving touch from a parent and I felt terrible that we'd missed the big picture and neglected his need for affection. I held on for a long time and he squeezed back as hard as he could. "My mom and dad used to hug me like that," Aiden whimpered once I let him go, "I haven't had a real hug since they died." I gave him another squeeze and he cried for a few minutes. I held him until the tears stopped then explained that he could come to me or Cam for a hug anytime he needed it and that now that we knew how he felt he'd never have to go without our affection again. He flashed me that brilliant smile and was about to say something, when Nicky jumped on the bed, startling both of us. "What's for breakfast?" Nicky asked cheerfully. I see yesterday's misadventure hasn't affected his appetite. I looked at my bedside clock and since it was after 9:00am I decided to wake Ethan and Jack before we went downstairs. It looks like it's going to be a beautiful summer day, who'd want to waste it in bed? Both Jack and Ethan groaned when I woke them and groggily made their way to the kitchen. Since it was a week day we enjoyed a simple breakfast of cereal, toast and juice, when we'd finished the boys headed upstairs to shower and get dressed for the day. Jack used the shower in my bathroom and Aiden used the boys shower after a little help from Ethan. Once Ethan helped him undress and cover his cast he was able to shower on his own since his leg had recovered. Once he'd helped get Aiden in the shower, Ethan went back to his room to grab some clothes for the day but discovered he had a visitor. Nicky was waiting for Ethan in nothing but his underwear and an impish grin. "We don't have much time," said Ethan as he locked his bedroom door. "Aww can't we do something," Nicky whined, giving Ethan his puppy dog expression. Ethan looked Nicky over and smiled, he couldn't resist the cute and eager blond. He had Nicky sit on the edge of his bed then dropped to his knees, there wasn't time for any kissing this morning, he went straight for the prize. Nicky was already hard when Ethan pulled down the front of his underpants and tucked the waistband under his balls. Nicky laid back and relaxed while Ethan began to lick his young stiffy up and down, before long he was sucking on the hard cock in his mouth with all the force he could muster. Ethan worked his mouth passionately on Nicky's stiff member; he had reached under the younger boy and was massaging his firm butt through his tight briefs when he got an idea. He pulled off of Nicky's cock and before Nicky could protest Ethan flipped him over so that his knees were on the floor and his body was bent over the bed. "What are you doing?" Nicky panted. "You'll see," said Ethan. That said, Ethan grabbed Nicky's underwear and pulled them down to his knees, he spread Nicky's tight buns apart then, after a moment's hesitation, he buried his tongue in the younger boys backside. Nicky tried to wiggle away briefly but Ethan's vigorous lapping at his tightly puckered opening quickly began to feel good. Ethan continued to rim Nicky, the more the younger boy moaned the more turned on Ethan became, he reached under him and began to milk Nicky's cock while continuing to work his tongue. Nicky shot his load into Ethan's hand just as they heard the water stop running in their bathroom. "You licked my butt," Nicky exclaimed. "Yeah. What did you think?" Ethan asked. "I thought it was gross at first but after a few seconds it felt really good," Nicky admitted. "I'm glad you liked it, there's something else I think we should try sometime," said Ethan. "Cool, what?" Nicky was eager to know. "We'll have to talk about it later, Aiden needs me," said Ethan. "But you haven't gotten off yet," said Nicky. "Don't worry, I'll take care of myself in the shower," Ethan smiled as he ruffled Nicky's hair. Ethan grabbed his clean clothes and headed for the bathroom. When he walked in he found that Aiden must have gotten tired of waiting for his helper and tried dressing himself. He had one sock on, the other half on, he'd managed to pull his underwear and pants up but couldn't get the button on his jeans to cooperate and his shirt was twisted around his cast. It was a pathetic sight and Aiden grinned at Ethan sheepishly when he noticed he'd come into the room. "Uh, hi," said Aiden, "I thought I'd try getting dressed myself. I guess it's not going to well." As Aiden had stood upright to look at Ethan, his pants had fallen back down around his ankles. He moved to pull them back up but Ethan beat him to it. "I'm sorry," Ethan apologized. "I meant to come back before you finished your shower but Nicky distracted me," Ethan admitted while he helped Aiden fasten his pants. "What were you guys doing?" Aiden asked innocently. "Oh, uh just talking," Ethan blushed, as he helped Aiden untangle his shirt and pull it down. "There, perfect," Ethan smiled as he smoothed out the wrinkles in Aiden's shirt. Aiden smiled back then surprised Ethan with a hug. "Thanks," said Aiden, "it's not your job to be my nursemaid. I appreciate all the help you've given me." "Don't worry about it," said a very touched Ethan, as he put his hand on Aiden's shoulder. "I'll help you as long as you need it," said Ethan. The boys traded another smile as Aiden made his way to the door and Ethan stripped down for his shower. Ethan was torn between two thoughts as he washed. Part of him desperately wanted to jerk off after what he'd done with Nicky but another part of him started thinking of Aiden. From the beginning, he'd felt sorry for Aiden but that quickly blossomed into a friendship. He liked his "twin" very much and they had discovered they shared a lot of similar tastes. When he'd come into the bathroom and found Aiden helplessly trying to dress himself he couldn't help but notice how cute he was. Aiden's hair was as black as his own but his eyes were a fierce green. Now that his bruises were mostly healed, Ethan was able to admire his body, he found it to be smooth and soft and far more athletic than he'd noticed before. He wondered if he was forming more than a brotherly bond with Aiden, he'd never really felt feelings like this for a boy before. Sure he loved Nicky but that was a familial kind of love, the sexual experimenting they were eagerly engaged in was just lust. As he finished his shower, he hadn't come to any conclusion about his feelings for Aiden but he was curious to see where they would lead him. When Ethan came back down stairs he found Nicky introducing Aiden to his best friend Josh. Josh and his family had spent a couple of weeks visiting his grandparents in Chicago and then we'd taken our trip to New Hampshire so he hadn't met Aiden yet. Josh is my one regret about our upcoming move. Since Nicky first joined our family he and Josh have been best friends, Josh was as much a fixture in our home as Nicky was in his. I promised Nicky that we would make sure Josh got to come see him as often as possible but this would be a big change from being a few houses down the street. I hope the move isn't too hard on the boys and that they'll be able to preserve their friendship. Once Ethan joined them, the boys decided to take their gloves down to the park and play some ball. Aiden of course couldn't play but he'd hold Debbie's leash and keep score for the others. His attitude about going outside had greatly improved; I guess what had been making him nervous all along was what happened yesterday, a run in with that trucker. I wanted to go with the boys and have some fun but I also didn't want to smother them. I knew they needed time away from dad every now and then and besides, we'd be moving in two weeks, that meant' it was time to get serious about packing and for me that meant tackling the study. With college and the years I'd spent doing research for my dissertation, I'd collected quite a library. I was proud of my collection and never really considered how many volumes I actually had until I saw how many boxes it took to hold them. I spent the entire morning working in the study and had most everything boxed up when I heard a knock at the door. I looked at my watch and realized it was almost lunch time and assumed the boys had come home to eat and had forgotten their house keys. I was somewhat taken aback when I opened the door and found a familiar looking man in his 40's dressed in a coat and tie. I recognized his face but I couldn't remember from where. "Good afternoon Dr. Clark, I hope you don't mind my dropping in on you like this?" said the visitor. "No of course not," I answered, my voice trailing off as I tried to put a name to this face. "I'm Detective Singer, we met at the hospital and spoke on the phone yesterday evening," he said as he offered me his hand. "Of course Detective, please come in," I stated as we shook hands. "I'm sorry I didn't recognize you," I said. "No problem, I think you were a little preoccupied the last time we met," he smiled. "How's your boy doing?" he inquired. "He's doing well. The bruises are clearing up and he's started to open up to us quite a bit, I think catching that guy last night helped a lot," I explained. "I'm sure it has. I've seen this kind of situation before and kids always seem to bounce back a little faster when they know the person that hurt them is behind bars," said Detective Singer. I invited the detective into the kitchen and made us a cup of coffee while he explained the nature of his visit. He'd driven out to Union, the small town off the interstate where we'd encountered Aiden's attacker, to question the suspect himself. The trucker, whose name was Bob Harris, wasn't cooperating but Detective Singer informed me that they had been able to get DNA samples from him and that they would be matched with samples taken from Aiden when the doctors had administered the rape kit. Detective Singer was sure that the DNA samples would be the nail in Harris coffin and though it was early in the process, the district attorney's office was looking to throw the book at him rather than considering any kind of deal. "Well that's certainly good news," I exclaimed, "but you didn't have to come all the way out here, you can call us anytime you need to." "I appreciate that Dr. Clark but I also wanted to check on the boy and make sure he's doing ok," the detective explained, "is he around?" "Actually he's down at the park with my sons and nephew," I told him. "That's good to hear, kids should be out enjoying the summer not cooped up inside," he said. "I have to ask detective, have you ever seen a case this disturbing before?" I asked. "Unfortunately yes," he answered, "crimes this heinous are rare but not rare enough." "I don't know how you do it," I said shaking my head. Detective Singer thought for a moment before he answered. "I love children. My wife and I have six of our own. I don't think there is anything worse than a crime against a child and I take pleasure in being the guy who goes out and gets justice for them," the detective smiled. I liked that answer and decided that Detective Singer was definitely one of the good guys. I felt very confident that he would indeed get justice for Aiden. As I was walking the detective to the front door the boys returned for lunch. The appearance of the police officer seemed to make Aiden nervous and he grabbed on to my arm for comfort. I had the other boys go into the kitchen and make some sandwiches while Aiden and I finished the visit with our guest. "It's okay Aiden, Detective Singer just came by to check on you and make sure you're doing ok," I explained. That, and the detective's friendly smile seemed to help put Aiden at ease and he started to relax. The detective talked to Aiden for a few minutes, explained that the case he was building against Harris and the Peterson's looked to be airtight and that he was glad to see Aiden was doing well. The detective gave me a look that communicated he was pleased with the progress Aiden was making then said his goodbyes. When he left Aiden gave me a tight hug. "I'm okay," Aiden smiled and headed to the kitchen, before I could ask him any questions. I joined the boys for lunch and the kids were all teasing Jack about his future career at Subway, the sandwiches he'd made were great. The boys told me about their trip to the park and had fun telling me how Debbie had gotten out of her leash and chased a squirrel all over the park before they could catch her. I looked at Debbie somewhat dubiously, this sounded like the most action she'd had since Nicky brought her home. I wanted to call Cam and share the conversation I'd had with the detective but the boys kept me busy, which forced me to wait until he got home. I was in the kitchen with the boys when Cam came home surprisingly early at 3:30. He was still wearing his surgical scrubs and I found that strange, he always wears a tie to work while making his rounds and changes in the doctor's lounge before any procedure. I could tell something was bothering him by the way he quickly greeted the kids. Cam's a great dad and normally he can't wait to get home and hear about the boys day but this afternoon he simply said hello and turned his attention to me. "Bren can I talk to you for a second?" Cam asked apprehensively. "Ok, sure," I agreed as I followed him into the study. "What's wrong?" I asked as he shut the door. "Bad news," he replied. "So I gathered, are you going to tell me what it is or do I have to guess?" I asked, I get kind of snarky when I'm nervous. "It's Aiden," he stated, "when I tell you, you're going to get upset, you might want to sit down." Now I was worried, what more could possibly go wrong for Aiden at this point. Just when I thought we were in good shape after Detective Singers visit I now felt our family teetering on the edge of the abyss. "What is it?" I croaked as I took my seat. "Dr. West, the guy attending Aiden's case," Cam began, "he came to see me about half an hour ago. It's Aiden's test results. He's got HIV." I sat in stunned disbelief for a moment then slammed my fist down on the desk so hard I startled Cam. "Damn it, damn it, damn it," I exclaimed, "why the hell can't life give this kid a break, hasn't he been through enough already!" "I know it's bad," Cam acknowledged, "but we can get through this." "How Cam, how the hell are we supposed to get through this?" I shouted, "we've got to go out there now and tell a 14 year old boy that he's got a life threatening disease, how the hell are we supposed to do that?" "He's not going to die," Cam said adamantly. "But he's got AIDS," I stated. "No, he has HIV, will you calm down and let me explain?" Cam pleaded. I took a deep breath and did as he asked. He's the medical doctor, I needed to relax and listen to him, I was getting too worked up. It was just hard, Aiden's been through so much and now it's going to get worse, I don't know how much more he'll be able to take before he decides to just give up. "First off," Cam began, "He's not going to die, don't even think that. Secondly he has HIV, which is not the same thing as AIDS. The tests show he's in the early stages; his white blood cell count is still over 500, if he had AIDS it would be below 200. HIV attacks white blood cells and uses your DNA to make copies of itself. We're going to put Aiden on a combination of medications called inhibitors that work to prevent the HIV from accessing his DNA to make copies and spread throughout his body." "I hear what you're saying but what does all that mean Cam?" I asked. "It means he has to be careful but if we do things properly, he'll lead a relatively normal life," said Cam, "we have to be absolutely vigilant about his medication, that means we never let it run low, we call the pharmacy a week in advance and make sure his prescriptions are filled. The medication will block the spread of the infection but only if we stay on top of it. He has to take his pills exactly as instructed on a strictly regimented timetable. HIV attacks the immune system so we'll do everything we can to boost it, we'll make sure he eats properly, gets plenty of exercise, gets his flu shots and a regular TB test. Tuberculosis and pneumonia are very dangerous for him; we have to make sure he has regular booster shots." "Ok, so we make sure he has a proper diet, takes his meds, exercises and gets regular check-ups," I repeated, "what about his quality of life?" "HIV patients lead normal lives. Once the initial shock wears off, kids like Aiden spend more time worrying about their next math test or soccer game than the disease," said Cam, "when he gets used to taking his medications, as directed, it just sort of becomes routine. We have to watch him carefully but he should be fine." "Brenden, most importantly, this isn't 1980," said Cam, "HIV/AIDS research is one of the best funded programs in medicine. Twenty years ago it may have been a death sentence but now we know more about the disease and how to fight it. Ten years from now there could very well be a cure." "Are you sure Cam?" I sniffled, "I know he hasn't been here long but he's ours now and I can't bear the thought of losing one of our boys." Cam hugged me tight. "I know how you feel, I love him too," Cam comforted, "but you know what, I'm a good doctor and I'll be personally supervising his medication and I'd argue that we're pretty good parents, we'll make sure he makes every appointment and has everything he needs to lead a long, healthy life." I held on to Cam for a while and finally composed myself. "Ok, when do we tell him?" I asked. "We've got to do it now," said Cam, "I was absolutely serious about the strict regime for his medication and that begins in the morning, I have his prescriptions in my bag." "What do we say?" I pressed. "We're just going to have to tell him the facts. He's going to be scared so you need to calm down. If he senses you're upset, he's going to flip out. We need him to stay calm so we can explain everything to him." We sat for a few minutes and talked about how we wanted to approach this with Aiden and to give me a chance to calm my nerves. When we were ready, Cam stuck his head out into the hall and called Aiden in to join us. He walked in and sat next to me on the sofa, I put my hand on his back and I could feel the tension in his shoulders. He looked back and forth between us for a few seconds and then spoke. "Something's wrong," said Aiden, "you guys look worried." "I'm going to tell you something Aiden and you're going to get upset, but I promise you everything is going to be ok and you just need to hear me out, can you do that?" Cam asked. "I'll try," Aiden answered nervously. Cam took a deep breath and began. "One of the men who, who abused you, was sick and exposed you to a disease. You were tested for it and the results came back this afternoon, it's a bad disease but I promise you it's something we can control," Cam started. I could feel Aiden start to tremble and his voice began to crack. "What is it?" he squeaked. "Its HIV," Cam sighed. "Oh my God," Aiden moaned as the tears started flowing. I pulled him against me and did my best to comfort him. "It's ok sweetheart, I promise it's going to be ok," I said, trying to reassure him. I felt his whole body shaking in my arms. "No," Aiden screamed, "no, it's not ok, it's never going to be ok again, I'm going to die." At that he got up and stormed towards the door, Cam tried to grab his shoulder but Aiden dodged him. "Aiden please," Cam pleaded, "let's talk about this, I have so much to tell you, it really can be ok. "NO, just leave me alone," Aiden shouted as he burst through the door. I heard him storm up the stairs and slam his door before I spoke. "That didn't go well, what do we do now?" I asked Cam. "We'll give him a little time to cool off, then we'll go up and tell him what we know and reassure him that he's going to be ok," said Cam. Cam was a little rattled by Aiden's reaction. This wasn't the kind of problem he typically dealt with, as a doctor, and he'd never had to give someone he cared about news like this before. I gave him a hug and we drew strength from each other so that we could prepare for our next round with Aiden. The boys had seen Aiden storm out of the study and up the stairs and they were naturally concerned. Ethan waited to see if Cam and I would pursue his friend up the stairs and when we didn't immediately follow he took matters into his own hands. Ethan slipped quietly into Aiden's room and found him sitting on his bed, elbows resting on his knees, face in his hands. Ethan didn't speak; he could hear Aiden crying so he sat next to him and put his arm around his shoulder. Ethan held on to Aiden, he didn't know what to say but he wanted to show Aiden that no matter what happened, he'd be there for him. Aiden looked up at Ethan for a moment and then buried his face back in his hands. "I don't know what's wrong," said Ethan, "but I'm sure if you tell me we can work it out." Aiden still didn't speak but he got up and started to pace across the room. "Come on Aiden," Ethan pleaded, "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's the matter." "They killed me," Aiden sputtered through his tears. "What?" asked a startled Ethan. "They killed me," Aiden repeated, "They killed me with their greed and the perverts they sold me to. They made me go out and do all those horrible things and now I'm the one who has to pay for it." "Aiden calm down and tell me what's going on," Ethan asked, "I want to help but I don't understand what you're talking about." "My foster parents, the Petersons," Aiden shouted, "I'm gonna die and it's their fault, they did this to me!" "Did what, what are you talking about?" Ethan asked, frightened by Aiden's talk of dying. "Well they aren't going to get away with this," Aiden seemed to say to himself, "they aren't going to get away with this, they're gonna pay and they're gonna pay right the fuck now!" Aiden headed for the door and down the stairs, Ethan was right on his heels and before he knew it they were in the living room. Aiden didn't stop, he headed for the door and then out into the yard. Ethan called after him but Aiden wouldn't listen, he broke into a run and disappeared down the street. Ethan felt almost sick with worry. He still didn't know what had happened but the things Aiden had said scared him and now Aiden was gone. He'd never been out alone in our neighborhood and Ethan was afraid he'd get lost in his distraught state of mind. Jack and Nicky sat in stunned silence as Ethan banged on the study door, they didn't have any clue what was happening. "Dad, daddy, Aiden's gone," Ethan stammered when I opened the door. "Gone, what do you mean gone?" I asked. "We were in his room, he was upset, saying all these things that didn't make sense, then he ran for it," said Ethan. "Were did he go?" Cam asked. "He ran out the door and up the street," Ethan exclaimed. Cam bolted for the door and searched the yard then looked up and down the street while I stayed behind to get all the information I could out of Ethan. He told me how he'd found Aiden crying in his room and how he'd started yelling about dying and his foster parents and how the phrase, "they're gonna pay," had come up. Oh no, I thought to myself. Aiden wasn't thinking rationally, he believed that he was dying from the disease that was even now trying to spread throughout his body. In his anger and confusion he'd decided that after all they had done to him, the final insult on his dignity had been inflicted and now he wanted revenge on his foster parents. In his condition I didn't know what that could mean, or what he might do, I just knew we had to find him before he hurt himself or anyone else. I raced back into the study and started digging through my desk. I threw papers aside until I found the file I was looking for, it contained Aiden's hospital admission form and on it was the Peterson's address. It was the only address he'd been able to give the hospital staff when he'd been admitted. I scribbled the information down on a post it and headed for the front door where I ran into Cam, who had come in from a quick search of our street. Not surprisingly, he hadn't found Aiden. "Cam, we gotta go right now, Aiden's in trouble," I said. "We'll take my car, I've got my keys," he answered without hesitation. "I'm coming with you," said Ethan with tears forming in his eyes. "Ethan why don't you stay here with me and Nicky," said Jack as he walked over and put his arm around Ethan, "what if he comes back while they're out looking for him?" I traded a look with Jack, I didn't know what would happen when we found Aiden and I thought it best to leave Ethan here. Jack had picked up on my concern and saved me precious time that I could be using to find our missing boy. Ethan sat with Jack and Nicky on the couch and they tried to comfort him and assure him that Cam and I would find Aiden. Ethan's concern is just more evidence of the strong bond that has rapidly formed between them. Once we were in the car, I explained everything Ethan had told me to Cam and gave him the address for the Petersons. With any luck we'll get there before Aiden does.