Chapter 17
DAVID found himself replaying the conversation with Jerry over and over again. Jerry had been spending the past few days getting to know Cory, working with him in the studio. Jerry was impressed with Cory’s talent; he didn’t necessarily understand the fascination with superheroes and villains and weapons and lots of blood, but he was becoming quite attached to Cory. David knew it wasn’t easy for Jerry to wear his heart on his sleeve, but he would never tire of watching Jerry allow himself to open up a little each day. Since he’d met Jerry, David found himself discovering things about the gruff cowboy every day, found himself loving him a little more every day. It was always a bit of a surprise to David when Jerry would get up in the middle of the night. David was usually the one to go and check on William, but now it seemed Jerry no longer slept through William crying out after a nightmare. David would wake up the next morning to find Jerry in William’s room, sitting on the bed with an arm placed protectively near his son’s head. Sometimes, Jerry was awake and just staring off into space, and sometimes Jerry was asleep, his body poised nearby to protect their boy.
As he sifted and mixed and poured, moving between the oven and the cupboards, wondering just how much food three eleven-year-old boys would actually eat over two evenings and three days, David forced his mind to focus on anything but the research he’d been doing on becoming a foster family. It wasn’t something that he’d ever thought about; he’d always assumed that if he ever had children, they would be his own biological children. Then he fell in love with William and Jerry. And now, he was realizing his need to protect Cory was transforming into a deep desire to take care of the young man, to have him become part of the family. But whether or not that happened would depend on what Sara had discovered during her research.
After about an hour of multi-tasking in the kitchen, David stood back from the counter and surveyed the smorgasbord of snacks. It wasn’t every day that he had three eleven-year-olds in the house for a sleepover, so everything had to be perfect. The urgent early morning meeting of a few days ago with Lenore was so that she could ask David and Jerry to watch her twins for a day or two. Harvey’s father had been rushed to the hospital after having suffered what they believed to be a heart attack. Lenore was sketchy on the details and more frantic than David had ever seen her. Of course, there was no question that David would watch the twins for the weekend, so with only a couple of days, David and Cory had managed to throw together a weekend sleepover that would keep Lenore’s twin boys and William amused and entertained.
It was also, unfortunately, going to happen at the same time as Sara’s visit. And from the tone of her voice and her unwillingness to share any information, David knew it wouldn’t be good news. Jerry had been busy playing phone tag with Kitty; it was something to do with special commissions from potential clients. David couldn’t really be sure because they had both been so tired at the end of the day lately that they fell asleep in each other’s arms as soon as they hit the bed.
“’Kay,” Jerry said as he stole through the kitchen and pecked David on the cheek. “I’m off to the barn. I’ll do a little work and be back before the kids get here.”
“No worries, baby.” David turned and insisted on a proper kiss; it was the closest thing they’d had to sex in the past four days, and he wasn’t about to do without even that. “Cory’ll be here to help, and Sara won’t be here until the kids are watching the movie.”
“I’ll definitely be here by then.” Jerry kissed his forehead and was out the door.
“Can I help?” Cory came into the kitchen, and David was pleased to see that he was wearing more and more of his new clothing. When they’d first arrived home after the shopping trip, he hadn’t been able to help noticing that most of the clothes just stayed in their bags. But today, Cory was wearing new jeans and a beautiful western-style shirt in blue and turquoise over a brand new white T-shirt.
“Uh, I don’t think so. I don’t think I missed anything,” David said as he turned on the faucet and washed his hands again. “Bored?”
“Kinda,” Cory said with a smile.
“I was hoping to talk to you.” David dried his hands and motioned to the table. “Jerry was telling me last night about how the two of you have been spending the days together in his studio and working on the ranch. It takes a while for Jerry to express his deeper feelings for people, Cory, but I just wanted to make sure you know how much he thinks of you. He thinks you’re one of the bravest young men he knows.” He looked in Cory’s eyes, noticing the flush spread across his cheeks. “And I do as well. And I just wanted to be sure that this is what you want. Living with us, as your foster family I mean.”
“It is,” Cory said, nodding his head slightly.
David knew it was still going to take time for Cory to open up and trust himself enough to let his new family in, so he wasn’t surprised at the short answer. To the point and as few words as possible. Another trait that Cory shared with Jerry. “Sara will want to speak with you first before she speaks with Jerry and me, so if you change your mind and don’t want to stay, I want you to know that we won’t be angry and that you’re welcome here any time.” David exhaled, his heart beating so quickly he was sure that Cory would hear it. “I know William will want to see you, a lot.” He laughed when Cory smiled at that thought.
“I really like being around you guys.” Cory studied his fingernails as he spoke. “And I promised William that I wouldn’t tell you and Jerry what we’ve been doing each night, but I hope you’ll like it.”
“If you and William made it, I’m sure we’ll love it.”
“Well,” Cory said after a few moments. “I promised William I’d play guitar and sing some songs with the twins, so….” He lifted himself out of the chair.
“Okay.” He watched Cory leave the kitchen and felt the tension in his neck and shoulders ease slightly. He had no idea if Cory was nervous about Sara’s visit, but David felt like he was pulled as tight as an elastic. He stood, turned back to the counter full of snacks, and busied himself—for the hundredth time—with fixing and arranging and more tinkering in the hopes of keeping his mind off what he’d come to fear as an inevitability: Sara had found a relative for Cory to live with.
JERRY had been in the house, showered, and was now sitting at the kitchen table, his leg bouncing nervously. Sara had called from her cell phone to say that she would be a little late and that it would be best to meet with all three of them together. Other than that, she’d given no further indication if she had good news or bad. It wasn’t only that they were looking forward to adding Cory to their family, but also what Cory had come to represent for each of them as individuals within the family.
William obviously saw Cory as a brother, something that neither of the boys had ever had. As an only child himself, Jerry often understood the laments he heard from other only children; he knew what it was like to feel alone, be alone. Jerry knew that he’d come to see Cory as a younger version of himself, as a chance to be a mentor to Cory’s talent as an artist and a friend to the lonely and confused young man. Jerry had been only a few years older when he’d lost his own parents, and Jerry had never really had anyone. And David? Jerry couldn’t really be sure what David would get out of having yet another person to worry over, but he was very sure that these two boys would never find a better friend and ally than David. He knew this because Jerry had never found anyone better.
“Is she here yet?” Cory came into the room, breathless and smiling.
“No,” David said with a smile. “Sounds like you have your own little fan club in there.”
“Oh, they’re great!”
“I haven’t heard some of those songs in years,” Jerry offered, looking from Cory to David. “‘There’s a Hole in the Sea’? I remember singing that one in music class. None of us could get through it without laughing or making rude noises when the frog developed a hole.”
“My favorite is the ‘Risseldy, Rosseldy’ song.”
“Isn’t that the one from The Birds?” Jerry looked over at David with a quizzical expression. “That movie gave me nightmares for months afterwards.”
“You don’t have to wait here with us, Cory. You can go back and enjoy yourself; we’ll come and get you when Sara arrives.”
“I don’t mind,” Cory responded as he shrugged his shoulders. “I’m kind of nervous.”
“No need to be,” David said as he leaned back in his chair. Jerry could tell he was trying to be nonchalant about the whole thing, and maybe Cory was buying it, but Jerry knew better. “No matter what happens, we’ll always be here if you need us.”
“Cory!” William came running into the kitchen, face flushed. “Come on, the movie’s starting.”
“Right behind you, Billiam.”
“Hey, you,” Jerry said as he reached out and took hold of his son by the waist. “You better slow down or you’re going to run out of steam, and we’ll be peeling you off the floor in the morning.” Jerry pretended to take bites out of William’s neck. Jerry welcomed the change of mood; he’d begun to feel a little oppressed by sitting in the kitchen. “Okay, cowboy, you take it easy in there,” Jerry was explaining as William seemed to take off again just as quickly as he’d arrived, “and remember, it’s lights out in another two hours!”
“I’ll make sure that they’re all in bed by ten,” Cory said. And with a quick, parting glance at both of them, he went to join the three energetic eleven-year-olds in the living room.
Jerry watched David get up, touch Jerry on the shoulder, and then wander out of the kitchen without saying anything at all. He wasn’t sure if David was feeling the same kind of anticipation and frustration as he was, but Jerry knew him well enough to know that he wasn’t happy about having to wait either. He stood and was about to go and find David, sure that he’d gone outside to wait for Sara, when he felt the vibration of his phone against his hip. As he spoke into the receiver, he continued by the living room, popping his head in to check on the activities. He spoke softly when he saw that there were three little boys on top of their sleeping bags, prostrate on their stomachs, eyes glued to the television. He noticed Cory lying on his stomach beside William and thought of calling to him, but decided against it.
“Hello, Sara,” Jerry whispered as he exited through the front door and found David sitting on the steps. He sat down beside his husband and put an arm over his shoulders. He listened for a few moments and then closed his phone. “Sara’s only about ten minutes away.”
“Are we crazy to think that we’re the best thing for Cory right now?” David asked as he leaned against Jerry, not giving him an opportunity to answer. “I mean, what if there is a family out there that Cory didn’t bother mentioning? What does that mean? And maybe he’s better off with them.”
“I don’t know, baby,” Jerry said after kissing David’s temple. “I just want—we both just want—what’s best for him right now.” Jerry shifted position so that their hips were touching. “Did I tell you that he finally opened up about some of what he’s been through?” Jerry knew he had, but he felt a strange compulsion to live the experience once more. “It was amazing. I don’t mean what he went through, but that he felt safe enough to tell me about the beatings and the getting to school early so he could shower and get the smell of pot off him.”
David didn’t say anything, and Jerry was grateful. “He would stow some clothes in a plastic bag and put the bag in his backpack and then ride his bike to school.” Jerry pulled David a little closer. “After he’d showered, he’d put the smelly clothes in the same plastic bag so he could wash them when he got home and then do the whole thing over again, day after day.” Jerry placed another kiss on David’s temple. “He told me that he finally called the cops when he couldn’t use the kitchen anymore because of the little lab his father had started.” Jerry took a deep breath and continued. “Said that his father almost beat him unconscious when he refused to help him start a meth lab. A meth lab, for fuck’s sake.”
“Cory had to face those kids every day, knowing what his father was.” David’s hand went to Jerry’s hand on his shoulder, his long fingers playing with the gold wedding band. “Makes what my family did to me sound almost civilized.”
“Speaking of which,” Jerry said as he interlaced his fingers with David’s. “Does Niels know about what’s going on?”
“No, I haven’t told him yet.”
“William will need all the support he can get if this thing goes south.”
“I know.” David agreed. “He sent William an e-mail this afternoon. He gets back from his trip tomorrow, and he said he wanted to come over for dinner some time this week, so it’ll be great timing.” David pulled away from Jerry slightly and looked up into his eyes. “It’s been almost four days since William sent Frau Zimmerman those most recent pictures of our trip to Edmonton.”
“Our son needs to learn some patience, I think.”
“I don’t know,” David said as he shook his head. “She’s never taken this long to answer any of his e-mails. I hope everything is okay.”
“She’s European,” Jerry said with a smile, as if that explained everything. “They’re a little more laid back, from what I recall.” Jerry turned when he heard the familiar crunch of gravel under car tires. “Show time.”
“I’ll go get some coffee and food ready.” David turned to head back to the kitchen.
“Hey?” Jerry stood, his hands out at his sides, palms up. When David turned to face him, Jerry smiled mischievously. “What, no kiss?”
“Sorry,” David said as he stood on the top step and wrapped his arms around Jerry’s neck. “I kind of like being taller than you.” He kissed Jerry softly on the lips and then pulled back a few inches, his hands resting on Jerry’s shoulders.
“You want to be taller and sexier and smarter?” He watched David’s expression soften even more, felt the hands on his shoulders offer a quick squeeze.
“You big flirt,” David said as he pushed against the solid shoulders and headed back into the house.
Jerry turned as Sara exited her vehicle and met her as she opened the passenger side door to retrieve her briefcase. “Thanks for coming, Sara.”
“I’m not here,” Sara said as she slammed the passenger side door. “I know it won’t make any sense to you now, but officially, I’m not here.”
“You feeling okay?” Jerry took Sara’s briefcase for her and led her to the veranda.
“Just listen carefully to what I have to say once we get inside and you’ll understand.” Sara turned to look at Jerry as he opened the door for her, her grin mischievous. Jerry knew that grin very well; she was about to make him feel stupid. “And David will be able to explain it to you when you don’t.”
“Why did I know that was coming?” Jerry laughed and followed her into the kitchen, appreciative that Sara—as always—would be able to put smiles on their faces.
For the next hour, Jerry and David sat—Cory between them for the first fifteen minutes—and listened to Sara as she explained the inner workings of Child Services in Alberta. Jerry understood almost immediately what Sara meant before entering the house. She wasn’t here as a category B supervisor, but rather as a friend, since what she was explaining to them was probably unprofessional if not illegal.
Chapter 18
“IT MUST be those beautiful eyes of yours,” Lenore said as she accepted the mug of coffee from Jerry. “You have the gift to turn lesbians. But it’s a powerful gift, Jerry. Use it wisely.” Lenore wasn’t terribly successful in hiding her smirk.
“You know you’re the only love in my life.” Jerry took his own mug off the counter and took a seat opposite Lenore.
“Okay,” David said as he entered the kitchen and sat beside Jerry. “I’ve got the twins all packed, and I put their sleeping bags in your car already. They’ll be down in a few minutes.” David looked at the two of them, reaching for Jerry’s mug and taking a quick sip of tea. “What?”
“Your husband i
s hitting on me.” Lenore did her best to look offended.
“Again?” David used his best disappointed teacher voice and looked at Jerry. “How many times do I have to explain this to you? You like men, not soccer moms.”
“Hey!” Lenore leaned across the table and swatted David’s arm. “I’ll have you know that there are a lot of men who find me irresistible.”
“So that’s why you get all those messages from Barnum and Bailey’s.”
Lenore laughed, that fake laugh that meant that she was about to say something rude. No matter how long Jerry knew this woman, he would never really believe that she’d once been a nun.
“You know,” Lenore said as the fake laugh trailed off, “my grandmother, that sweet old woman, had a saying for times like these.” Lenore dragged out the suspense, and Jerry could feel the corners of his mouth lifting in anticipation.
“What was it?” Jerry asked, and he shot a look at David, who seemed quite unimpressed with all this buildup.
“I want to get it just right.” Lenore snapped her fingers, her timing impeccable. “Oh that’s right. Bite me!”
“I’ll give you a ten for timing, but a five for content,” David said, his attitude one of beleaguered tolerance.
“Ten out of ten, that’s not bad.”
“Out of twenty,” David said just before the kitchen was invaded by three eleven-year-olds, all of whom had consumed far too much sugar and had not had enough sleep over the last two days. Jerry was certain the only way he hadn’t dropped dead of exhaustion was that neither he nor David—nor Cory, he was sure—had had much sleep either and were running on pure adrenaline. And despite Lenore’s visit to pick up her twins and the promise of sleep and a return to a normal schedule, Jerry was still fairly certain that no one in the McKenzie-Loewenberger household would be back to normal anytime soon. The next few weeks would be very stressful, for him, for David, for Cory, and especially for William.
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