by Andrew Grey
“She’s here,” his mother said from the doorway and pulled the bedroom door closed most of the way. “When you’ve heard what you need to hear, come out and confront her. Then get her out of my house.” She positioned the door, and Duncan checked that the lights were out. Their only issue was if Corrina decided to go to the bathroom….
“I’ll stand near the door,” Todd said, sliding off the bed as the doorbell rang.
His mom opened the front door and greeted Corrina like some kind of long-lost daughter before asking her to sit. There was a long period of quiet, and then his mom returned, offering a drink and some cheese and crackers. They chatted, and Duncan could barely hear them, but Todd seemed to be able to hear better.
“She’s talking about the commercial,” he whispered just loudly enough for Duncan to hear. “And how talented she thinks Corrina is.” Todd rolled his eyes. “Apparently she could have come up with that on her own.” He made talking motions with his hands and shook his head. “Delusional.” Todd grew quiet and more and more tense. He leaned a little closer to the door.
“What is she saying?” Duncan whispered.
Todd put his finger to his lips, listening again. “Your mom is brilliant,” he said very softly.
“You called the federation on Todd and Duncan,” his mother said loudly enough that Duncan could hear. “What were you thinking? Duncan is your friend, and you don’t treat friends that way.”
A high-pitched squeak sounded as Todd lifted him off the bed and placed him in his chair. Once Duncan was mobile again, he charged down the hall.
“Are you crazy?” he shouted, bursting into the living room. “That is not how you treat other people. You’re so angry and messed up that you’d hurt someone who is only trying to do their best for the sport they love and represent their country.” He pointed his finger at Corrina, who cowered back in her chair. “I’m glad I never went into business with you. Who in the hell would want to be in business with someone as nuts as you?” His blood pressure was through the roof, but he didn’t really care. “Get out, and you are never to come here or contact anyone in my family. Do you understand?”
“But I was—” she tried to cut in.
“There is no excuse. You acted cruelly and badly, and the price is that none of us is ever going to speak to you again.” Thankfully, Todd had the sense to open the front door, because Duncan was about ready to propel himself out of the chair at her. “I’ve had enough of you… and your damn family.”
She got to her feet a little shakily and turned at the door. Duncan met her with a stern gaze and shook his head. She wasn’t getting any sympathy from him.
“I’ll make sure she leaves,” Todd said before following her out.
“Feel better?” his mother asked.
“No. I’m angry as hell. She tried to hurt me, and in the process could have caused potential harm to Todd. No one gets to hurt him and not pay the consequences.” He still saw red and took a deep breath to calm down. “Not her or anyone.” He clenched his fists, and to his shock, his mother smiled at him.
“There he is,” she said quietly. “I’ve been waiting for you to stand up for yourself.”
Todd came inside, and Duncan hugged him tightly as soon as he was within arm’s reach. “She’s gone?”
“Yes. I made sure she got out of the drive.” Todd returned the embrace. “I don’t know if she was safe or not. She was pretty upset and weaving a little as she went down the street.”
Duncan hoped she didn’t hurt herself or anyone else, but that was all the sympathy he could dredge up for her.
“Are you boys hungry?” His mother got up without waiting for an answer and went into the kitchen. When she wanted to comfort, she cooked, and when she was nervous, she cooked. And apparently she also did it when she wanted to say she was sorry.
“Yes, Mom. Dinner would be awesome.” Duncan smiled and turned to Todd. “You should go ahead and call Trevor. At least we identified our troublemaker here.”
“We’ll see what the federation decides to do,” Todd agreed. “But I’m not holding my breath. They aren’t going to go out on a limb if there is nothing in it for them. So I’m half expecting nothing to come of it.”
Chapter 10
TODD HAD a video conference call with the disciplinary committee of the Bobsled and Skeleton Federation. It was only two weeks since Trevor had received his letter, and shortly afterward, Todd had gotten one. His prediction that they would let the matter drop had proven to be completely wrong.
“It’s going to be okay,” Duncan said as Todd checked himself in the mirror in the men’s room of the garage. Trevor had suggested he take the call in the garage office so he and Duncan could be there.
“I’m not sure about this,” Todd said, wondering if the committee members would be angry. His hands shook, he was so worried. Today could determine if he was still a member of the sport he loved… or not.
“It’s going to be fine. They can’t deny you support when there are going to be multiple people on the other end of the call.” Duncan checked himself as well and then waited while Todd used the bathroom. A few times he thought he was going to throw up, but then he pushed his mind to what was really important and his belly calmed and his head cleared.
Todd came out and smiled as Duncan looked up at him. That was enough to settle the butterflies once and for all. “Yes, it is.” He smiled. “Come on.” He opened the door and held it for Duncan, letting him pass through first.
Brent and Trevor were in the office, and it was cleaner and more organized than Todd had ever seen it. “I’ll be out front if you need me,” Brent said, then left after shaking hands.
“Are you ready?” Trevor asked. “If you need anything, just ask. We’re here to help.”
“Thanks.” Todd nervously set about going through the instructions to connect to the call. His fingers fumbled the keys, and Duncan gently took over for him.
“There you go,” he said.
Todd pressed the button to join. The committee of three appeared on the screen, with Todd, Duncan, and Trevor in the lower corner. Duncan took his hand out of camera range.
“Good afternoon. I’m Reginald Johnson, the head of the committee, and this is Gene Krause and Lydia Simmons. I see you have some people there with you.” His voice was measured and businesslike.
“Yes. I’m Todd Hamilton, and this is Duncan Masters and Trevor Michaelson. Duncan was a skeleton racer like myself, and Trevor is my employer and the owner of Michaelson’s Service.” Todd tried to keep his voice from wavering but failed. He cleared his throat to cover it, and Duncan squeezed his hand a little tighter. “They are here for support and to provide any information that may be needed.” He took a deep breath to calm his nerves.
Mr. Johnson nodded and consulted the file on the table in front of him. “Before we get started, I want to make it clear that this is a call to gather the facts. No decision will be made today regarding your eligibility to compete under the umbrella of the federation.” He began asking questions about the commercial and specifically the video of him that was used in it.
“May I interrupt with a question?” Duncan asked. “Is that the crux of this inquiry? That video clip? Because if it is, we have clearly established that we, and not the federation, have ownership of that clip. On the day that was taken, four racers, including myself and Todd, rented the run for the day. Therefore, the federation has no say in the video that we took or how it is used. That video was taken by me, on my equipment, during time that we had rented the run. Therefore, it legally belongs to me, and I may do with it as I see fit.” Duncan leaned forward, getting right into the frame. “So to make this inquiry go faster, there is simply no basis for it. I gave permission for its use, and as the owner, that is fully within my rights.”
Damn, Duncan this forceful and take-charge was sexy as hell. Only Todd knew just how tense he was by how tightly Duncan gripped his hand.
“We don’t seem to have any documentation to that
effect,” Mr. Johnson said, clearly blindsided.
“My attorney has sent copies of all this information, including our proof, with our response to the federation’s cease and desist order, which has no basis in law. I suggest you locate a copy of that information in order to become fully apprised of the situation. But since Todd wore no insignia in either the video or the commercial, he has done nothing wrong, and with a clear establishment of ownership of the video, there is no basis for any sort of discipline whatsoever.” Trevor sat back, and Duncan nodded as Todd tried to keep the surprise off his face at the vehemence of his defense by his friends.
“We have copies of all documentation, which can be sent to you again if you wish. If you give me an email address, I can forward it to you now,” Duncan said, already getting out his laptop.
“That won’t be necessary,” Mr. Johnson said nervously. “It seems we have some more work to do before this matter can be taken any further.” He turned to the other two members of the committee, who both nodded. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Hamilton. We’ll review things and will be in touch with our decision.” They ended the call.
“That went as well as we could have hoped,” Trevor said.
“But what next?” Todd asked.
Trevor grinned. “I think they’ll find what was sent and try to make this whole thing go away as quickly as they can. They don’t want any bad publicity, and you have a platform of sorts now that can be used. Besides, we’ve established a clear line of ownership of the video, and that is the only thing in question. Give them some time. But we’ll keep our powder dry in case they decide to try to take further action.”
Trevor stood and yawned. Todd felt as though he’d run a marathon. Only Duncan seemed energized to the ceiling.
“Yeah,” Duncan agreed, grinning.
Trevor excused himself and left the office, closing the door behind him.
“Damn, I thought you were going to leap through the video at them,” Todd said as he turned to Duncan.
“I wasn’t going to allow them to put you through the wringer for something that isn’t your fault and that the federation is trying to make a big deal about when they have things wrong.” Duncan swallowed hard and leaned forward. “I know I’m in a chair, but I’ll fight for you. You have to know that. You have my back, and I’ll have yours to the best of my ability. Because I love you.”
Todd sniffed and willed the lump in his throat to go away. “And I love you.” He gathered Duncan in his arms and buried his face in his neck.
“I’ll do whatever I can to make your dreams come true,” Duncan whispered, and Todd shivered.
“Me too.” Todd held Duncan tighter. Now he just had to make that happen for Duncan.
SOMETIMES THE wheels of decision-making, especially in ridiculously political organizations, take a long time. July turned to early August with no official word from the federation. No letters came in the mail, and Trevor had received nothing additional in regard to his response to the cease and desist letter from the Bobsled Federation. It was quiet on that front—almost too quiet for too long.
“Hey, Duncan!” Todd said excitedly after work when Duncan opened the front door. There had been no car in the drive, so he assumed that Duncan’s mother was out. He hurried inside, bursting to tell Duncan his news. “I heard from a contact at the Bobsled Federation, in an unofficial way, that they aren’t going to do anything more. Apparently Trevor was forceful enough in his letter, and his attorney went after them with enough vengeance, that they have decided to let the whole matter drop.” He was so happy, his feet barely touched the ground. “It also didn’t hurt that you set the committee in their place. The story got around the federation pretty quickly.”
“That’s awesome!” Duncan rolled back to let Todd indoors, and he took the opportunity to kiss Duncan soundly. God, he lived for those kisses and the times when they could be alone.
“And I got my initial training schedule for the fall. They’re really going to make an effort to increase medal counts in the next Olympics, so apparently they have made more training slots available for the team.” Todd grinned widely. “They said that my times last year were good enough to make the initial cut, so they have me in the schedule.” Today was mostly good news stacked on top of more good news.
Duncan breathed a huge sigh of relief. “So you’ll be traveling quite a bit once the snow flies.”
Todd caught the hint of disappointment, not that he didn’t share it. The thought of spending a lot of time away from Duncan made his heart ache.
“Yes.” Todd smiled even wider. “Two of the guys are going to move out of the apartment, and Clive has said that he was hoping to get a smaller place. Do you want to look at it with us? It’s on the ground floor, with no steps. There are also two nice bedrooms, with one big enough for a nice-size bed with plenty of room for your chair.” He watched and waited for his message to sink in.
“You’re…,” Duncan stammered. “You want me to move in with you? Is that what you’re asking?”
“Yes. I want you with me. I always knew I couldn’t ask you until I had a better place to live. Clive will have his own room, and we will have ours. The apartment is a good size and the price is good. We can’t move in for six more weeks, but I wanted you to see it and see what you think.”
“Are you sure about this?” Duncan asked.
“More sure than I have been about anything else in my life. You’ll still be close enough to see your mom, and with the grant for a van that you received, you’ll be able to come and go as you please.” They had yet to deliver the van to him. The order had been placed, but it would be a few months before the customizations would be made. “I know we were going to try to get you a racing wheelchair….”
“This is more important.” The GoFundMe proceeds had gone toward the last chunk of money needed to purchase the van. Duncan had deemed that more important than the chair, at least for now.
“We’ll get one for you,” Todd said with determination.
Duncan nodded. “When do you want to look at the place?”
“We can go now. Clive will meet us there. The people renting the apartment now are out of town. The leasing agent is going to show us through in half an hour.” Todd hesitated to leave because they had the house to themselves, but he was also excited about the move.
“Let me lock the house,” Duncan said, and Todd went out to the car. Duncan followed, and they were on their way.
The apartment was in one of the art deco buildings on Milwaukee’s east side. It was a tall building, and Todd had been resistant at first, but the unit they were looking at was on the first floor and a ramp already existed in front so Duncan could get in and out on his own.
“What do you think?”
Duncan looked upward and started up the ramp. He pressed a button, and the doors opened automatically. Duncan wheeled himself inside, where Clive and a woman waited.
“Gloria Hueners,” she said in a heavy Hungarian accent. She was skinny as a rail and nearing retirement with remnants of grace and beauty that were undeniable.
“I’m Todd, and this is Duncan.” Todd shook her hand gently.
“Well, the laundry is in the basement. But there are two elevators that run the entire height of the building. The roof is set up with a deck and has a great view of the city.” She motioned to a door at the back corner of the lobby. “This unit used to be the manager’s apartment before the building was sold and placed under a central management company.” She unlocked the door, and they passed through a short hallway with a closet before entering the living room.
Duncan took Todd’s hand. The apartment was largely open, with a dining area and then a kitchen. Duncan rolled through into the kitchen. “It’s wide enough for me.” He was clearly pleased, and even Clive flashed a smile.
“I thought this would be a really good unit.”
“It has one of the largest kitchens in the building,” Gloria explained as Todd followed Duncan, trying to see the pl
ace through his eyes.
“Do you like it?” Todd asked, and knelt next to Duncan’s chair. “You don’t have to feel as though you have to agree or….”
Duncan put his hand on Todd’s arm, turning with a grin. “I love it.” His eyes sparkled. “Here I can be independent and on my own… we can be on our own.” It was like that real possibility had just opened up for Duncan. “Can we see the bathroom and bedrooms?”
“Of course.”
Duncan rolled down the hall and into the large bath. Todd smiled. There were bars inside the tub and plenty of room for Duncan to get around—even more than he had at the house. His smile was ear to ear as he turned around in the space and came back out.
Clive opened one of the doors. “This would be you and Todd’s bedroom. There’s a king bed in it now, which does fit, but a queen would give you more room to maneuver, and there’s a big walk-in closet.” Clive seemed to have hit this one out of the ballpark. He’d found the place and talked to Todd about it. “What do you think?”
Duncan sat in his chair at the end of the huge bed, looking all around, as a tear ran down his cheek.
Todd hurried over. “What is it?”
“It’s perfect. I can live here and….” Duncan’s lower lip shook, and Clive and Gloria left the room. “I honestly didn’t think this was possible. That I could get this part of my life back.”
“Of course you can. You and I can build a life together. It won’t always be here, but I want you with me. I want to go to bed next to you.” Todd leaned closer. “And spend the rest of my life making you gasp and wonder how you ever lived without me.” He winked, and Duncan threw his arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.
“Yes. I want this. I want to be with you, and I want to have this kind of life.” He smiled. “I want it all, and you’re all I want.”
Todd closed his eyes and smiled. What the hell could be better than that?
Epilogue
Spring