InHisHeroesShadow
Page 7
Chauncey fanned his thumb over Brody’s cheek. “But I’m not alone any more. Neither are you. We have each other now.”
Those words lifted a huge weight off Brody’s shoulder and it suddenly felt as if he could breathe again. He nodded, “Yes, we do.”
“Now, let’s go in and help your Mom out.”
Brody nodded as he finally allowed himself to feel hope. What’s more, he allowed himself to feel worthy. If Chauncey still found him desirable, even after knowing all his worst fears and secrets, then maybe Brody wasn’t such a loser after all.
September 11th, 2011
Brody sat in the comfort of Chauncey’s arms as they snuggled together on the couch in Chauncey’s living room. The place was more cramped than usual since all of their friends were there as well. They’d arrived early that morning so they could show their support to Brody.
For the first time ever, Brody was watching the news as they covered the anniversary. It was tough having to see the continuous footage of them replaying the videos of the attacks, but at the same time, it felt cathartic, too.
“Are you doing okay?” Chauncey asked.
“Yeah, thanks to you.” Brody stared at the screen, his chest growing tight as they showed the first Tower collapsing.
That was the exact moment my dad died and my life changed forever.
“Did you know that I wanted to be a fireman, like my dad? I was too small though,” Brody confessed.
“Instead you became a damn great medic and the world is better because of it. I may not have ever met your father, but I know he’d be damn proud of you. God knows I am.”
Brody craned his head so he could gaze up at Chauncey. “I’m so lucky to have you.”
He was, too. Not only had Chauncey helped him through the past few difficult weeks, but he’d managed to find a rehab center for Brody’s mother. While Brody knew his mother had a difficult road ahead of her, he finally had hope that she’d overcome her problems.
Brody looked back at the TV. On the bottom of the screen the station ran a ticker that displayed the names of those who died that day. Brody’s heart leaped as one stood out to him, “Hey, look there’s my dad’s name, Barney Wiseman.”
“I see it.” Chauncey kissed the top of Brody’s head.
“I want to go there next year,” Brody suddenly decided.
“You mean to Ground Zero?”
Brody nodded. “I think I’m finally ready to face it.”
“Are you sure?”
Brody looked back up at Chauncey. “Yes. I wasn’t before because I wasn’t strong enough, but now that I have you, I know I can face anything.”
Brody paused, as he nervously nibbled on his bottom lip. “That is, if you promise you’ll go with me.”
Chauncey gave Brody another kiss, this one landing on his cheek. “Brat, I’m always going to be by your side. Nothing could ever pull me apart from you.”
Happy, Brody snuggled back into position. As he continued to watch the television, he realized that for the first time in ten years, he felt whole again.
Of course that still didn’t mean he wasn’t going to use every opportunity he had to drive Chauncey crazy. Just because he was madly in love with the guy, didn’t mean he got off easy. Some things just should never change.
“I love you,” Brody whispered, fully aware that it was the first time he’d spoken the words aloud.
Chauncey gave him a tight squeeze. “I love you, too. Even if you are a brat.”
Brody smiled, yeah. Yeah, some things were definitely going to stay the same and that made him all the happier.
About the Author
Stephani Hecht is a happily married mother of two. Born and raised in Michigan, she loves all things about the state, from the frigid winters to the Detroit Red Wings hockey team. Go Wings! You can usually find her snuggled up to her laptop, creating her next book or gorging on caffeine at her favorite coffee shop.