All That Shimmers

by N. J. Nielsen

  Viv piped up. “I called B and Jas. Their place is still vacant. They said we can take the boys there. B’s going to ring GG and organize more bedding and for a ton of food to be brought in.”

  “And I’ve called the police,” Girly snarled viciously, “because I want to find out from this fuckwit where the hell my brother is. If you’ve hurt him in any way, you’re going to be sorry.”

  “What brother?” Beau snapped right back.

  Declan spoke up. “She means Nate. You wouldn’t tell me what you did with him, but maybe you’ll talk to her and the police when they get here.”

  When Beau tried to make a run for the front door, the seven boys Ray had counted earlier lunged and brought Beau to the ground. With the option of getting away from Beau once and for all on the horizon, they seemed to ignite with a spark of hope. Somewhere inside Ray’s brain the notion of setting up a home for men in trouble like these guys took root, but the idea would have to bear some more thinking for later.

  “You aren’t going anywhere until we find out where the hell Nate is. Then, after you’ve told us what you know, the cops can take you away,” Ray snarled. “Now where is he?”

  One of the other young men in the room said softly, “Beau beat Nathan up, then he dumped Nathan down by the river walk. He wanted it to look like he’d been mugged. John and I went back after Beau had gone. We called an ambulance and it took Nathan to the hospital.”

  “Which hospital?” Girly asked.

  “The Wesley. By the time the ambos got there, Nathan was unconscious. They were trying to bring him around as they put him in the back of the truck. I don’t know what happened to him after that, as we were too scared to go and see in case Beau found out about what we’d done. We knew Beau would do the same to us—or worse.”

  Beau struggled as he shouted, “Shut the fuck up before I make you shut up for good, you ungrateful little fucker.”

  Before the police arrived, Josh got there with Ray’s van. There was more than enough room to carry all of the young men away. “Your dad called Byron and he’ll meet me at B’s place. They’re also bringing a doctor in to check everyone over. We’re going to try to keep this out of the press as much as possible. Not for that asshole’s sake, but your dad said these kids don’t need reporters shoving cameras in their faces.”

  The men looked scared as Ray tried to reassure them all that it was okay to go with Josh. He also had to promise, once the doctor checked them out, that they could leave if they truly wanted to. He hoped they’d at least stay long enough to get cleaned up and have a decent feed or two. They all looked on the thin side, and Ray hated seeing the malnourishment in their faces. No sooner had Josh driven away from the house than the police arrived.

  The best part of the whole tragedy was seeing how Beau reacted when the police called Ray by his name. Ray smiled when Brendan Callahan walk through the front door. Only then did Ray realize Brendan was actually now the chief of police and, at the same time, Beau was about to find out exactly who Ray was, or more so, who he was related to. If the guy wanted to fight it out in court, he was going to have a battle on his hands. Ray wasn’t afraid to take this all the way to the end where he got the result he wanted. Beau would pay for what he’d put these boys through, and pay dearly.

  The police left people behind to document everything, and Ray was assured this would be looked into thoroughly to see what else could be done, and who else had been affected by Beau’s touch. Ray explained he’d moved the boys to another residence for the time being, and they would be welcome to come and interview the boys if necessary. Jokingly, one officer asked if Ray was starting a home for young men in trouble. Ray just smiled, not wanting to confirm one way or the other before he’d had enough time to sit and talk to his family about the whole idea of setting up some kind of a refuge.

  Right now, he could sense Girly’s desire to get to the Wesley Hospital and find Nate, a feeling he was all too familiar with. It had been this way when they’d gone in search of Viv’s mother and had been surprised with a child, Ben. Ray wanted to go and find out what he could do to help with the situation. He pocketed the card he’d gotten from the police officer in charge, and promised he’d be available later if they needed any more information from him. He smiled as they also walked Beau from the room. The man protested his innocence the whole way while demanding Ray be charged with assault.

  On the way to the hospital, Ray called Josh. “Hey, when the doctor checks everyone over, make sure he documents any and all signs of abuse. The police will want both a written report and any photographic evidence gathered for when they finally prosecute Beau. We’re on our way to the Wesley Hospital right now. We’re going to find out what’s happening with Nate and when he can come home.”

  “Okay, keep us informed. I’ll meet you at home if you don’t come here,” Josh said.

  “How is everyone?” Ray asked, wanting to find out how the guys were handling the changes in their lives. He didn’t want them to freak out and worry that Ray would want to make the same arrangement for sex as Beau had. The mere thought made Ray sick to his stomach.

  “They’re fine, Ray. They’ve settled down some. They’re a little confused and skittish, but I’ve been telling them the house is a safe haven.”

  “Thanks, Josh.”

  “Any time, my friend.” Josh ended the call.

  After parking the car in the hospital car park, the five of them made their way into the hospital and toward the information desk. Ray smiled at the middle-aged woman behind the partition.

  “Welcome to the Wesley Hospital. How may I direct you?” she asked.

  “Around two weeks ago, an unconscious young man would have been brought in. He would’ve been picked up somewhere along the river walk, and he was more than likely beaten up, or so I’ve been told.”

  The woman, whose name was Mary Lloyd, going by her nametag, typed away on her computer. “You must mean our John Doe. If you take the elevator over there to the fourth floor and follow corridor B to the end, you’ll come to another nurse’s station. They’ll be able to give you more information.”

  “Thank you, Mary,” Ray said politely before they all rushed to the elevator.

  They got out at the fourth floor and followed corridor B to the next station. Once there, Ray started all over again.

  Blane Johnson, a male nurse, watched them all warily. “Are you relatives of the young man?”

  “He’s my half-brother,” Girly supplied. “We’ve only just found out he was here, or I would have been here sooner.” She appeared uncertain for a moment. “Though, to be totally honest, this will be my first time meeting him. Same father, different mothers.”

  Ray smiled. “Sweetheart, you’re rambling.”

  “Oops, sorry.”

  Declan spoke up. “Nate looks a lot like Sara, they have almost identical facial features.”

  “Nate, you say. Is that his name? He woke up yesterday, but he can’t remember what happened to him. He also can’t remember who he is. If you follow me, he’s this way in room four-oh-nine.”

  As they all walked to the door, the nurse put a huge smile on his face. “Hello, handsome. You have some visitors. They even know your name. It’s Nate.”

  Ray’s breath caught in his throat at the bruising on Nate’s body. Well, the parts they could see of it.

  Nate eyed them all with something akin to fear until his gaze met Declan’s. “Dec?”

  “I’m here, Nate.” Declan pushed ahead of them and quickly walked to the edge of the bed. He hesitated before reaching out to hold his friend’s hand. “I found Sara and brought her to you. I think they call her Girly. It’s a weird name, isn’t it? She’s going to help you now.”

  The tears evident in Girly’s eyes were mirrored in a few other people’s as well.

  Nurse Blane tapped Ray on the shoulder. “Do you know any more about him so I can add it to his chart?”

  “I can tell you his name is Nathan Alan Burkhart. He’s twenty year
s old. I’m not exactly sure of his date of birth, just that he was born some time in nineteen-ninety-five. His father is Larry Burkhart, who died in two thousand and four. His mother, Enid, remarried, but Nathan has nothing to do with them.”

  “I need to put an address into his paperwork.”

  Ray rattled off his own address. “I’ll be the one paying his bills as well.” It was easier because there was no way he was letting Nate leave. Girly would chuck the mother of all hissy fits if he tried. Ray could see the days ahead becoming one hell of a bumpy-assed ride.

  After Blane left them, Ray stepped to one side of the room and watched as both Declan and Girly fussed endlessly over Nate. It wasn’t long before Viv joined him.

  “How are you holding up, love?” Viv asked as he massaged Ray’s shoulders.

  Ray shrugged. “Not sure yet. Just thinking we’ll now have ten kids. Even if four of them are virtually adults. How are you holding up with the whole ‘you just found your son’? I can’t believe how much he resembles you.”

  “Honestly, I’m pissed off and saddened at the same time. It hurts that I never got the chance to see Declan grow up. It’s going to be hard getting to know him at this age.” He sighed. “There’s no denying he’s mine. Susan was a summer fling I had with an older woman until my dad found out about it. He ended up firing her. She’d been a singer in the bar when Dad had owned it. He really does look like me, doesn’t he?”

  “Yep. He’s going to be a heartbreaker when he gets a little older. As for getting to know him, all you have to do is talk to him, and really listen to what he has to say. Other than that, it’s basically just love the hell out of him.”

  Viv kissed him softly on the lips. “You always were the smart one.”

  “Words like that will get you some loving tonight.”

  Viv grinned. “Something I’ll definitely be happy to go along with.”

  Ray soaked up the feeling of his husband’s arms around him and wondered if their lives would ever be normal. It wasn’t so long ago that he’d been single with an adopted, fully grown daughter. Just a little over a year later, his family had swelled to the point of exploding. And it wasn’t just his part of the family. GG spilling the beans and letting everyone know Antonio was actually another member of their family had blown his mind completely. No wonder the man was always so understanding when it came to his fuck-ups.

  So much had happened to them all in such a short period of time, and strangely, Ray wouldn’t change a damn thing. Not even the part involving Grace, because as crazy and as spiteful as she was, they’d ended up with a beautiful son out of the encounter. And Jeb was going to grow up one very loved little boy. It didn’t matter to Ray where any of their children had originated. In his heart of hearts, they were all his and he loved them equally. Okay, he spoiled them equally. Now he had two more sons to add to the mix.

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  About the Author

  NJ needs to write like she needs to breathe. It’s an addiction that she never intends to find a cure for. When you don’t find NJ writing about the wonderful men in her stories you find her reading work by others who she greatly admires. NJ lives in the SE of Qld, Australia with her family who all encourage her writing career even if she does occasionally call them by her character’s names. NJ thinks that anyone taking the time to read her stuff is totally awesome.

  Email: normanielsen@ymail.com

  NJ loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at http://www.pride-publishing.com.

  Also by N.J. Nielsen

  Wardens of the Guild: The Real You

  The Connelly Chronicles: Family Connections

  The Connelly Chronicles: Beautiful Goodbyes