The Bright Side Brigade

by Elaine White

  Tomorrow. Or the day after. When all the excitement had died down, he'd admit that he'd willingly walked out on his family before they tossed him out. And, somewhere along the way, he'd stood up to be counted as someone who wasn't going to be stepped on anymore.

  Chapter 10

  The next day came quickly. Ryder barely remembered the previous night except managing to sneak his luggage up to Donald's room and then report back to Papi and Donald's dad how his therapy session had gone. He even told them about talking to Karsyn, talking to Donald and how they were now dating. Both parents were surprisingly excited, but Ryder didn't tell them about his dad. Not yet.

  With the news that Donald was coming home, everything that night had been about kicking back and getting plenty of sleep. When morning came, Ryder joined Papi in the kitchen, to help him prepare a bunch of Donald's favourite meals for his potential return home.

  By noon, Ryder was left at the house, while both parents took off for the hospital to join the team meeting. It was taking place right after morning rounds and they'd been invited, along with Donald, to give their thoughts on his recovery. While they were gone, he made sure the banners were all in place, that the food still cooking didn't burn and that the playlist he'd made began with a good selection of songs, when he was ready to play it.

  He was just removing some delicious smelling muffins from the oven when he heard a car door slam and looked up. Rushing to place them on the cooking rack, he set them down, removed the oven gloves and apron, then shut the oven off and closed the door, before high tailing it into the living room. He had just reached his designated spot when the door opened.

  Donald walked through with his faint limp, grinning when he saw Ryder. Then his eyes drifted to the decorations around the room and he laughed. “This is all for me?” he asked, looking surprised, as he absently rubbed the bandages still over his left wrist.

  Ryder walked forward and held his arms. “All for you. To say how much we've missed you,” he admitted, ducking in to steal a quick kiss before anyone could notice. Papi and Donald's dad were too busy bringing his belongings in, after he'd practically moved into the private hospital room.

  When he caught another nervous rub of his bandages, Ryder took that hand in his own, letting their fingers intertwine. It was a nervous tick Donald had developed when he felt vulnerable, ever since the 'incident'. He mostly wore leather cuffs to hide his scars until they were less prominent, but Ryder also noticed that it had become a bad habit to turn to those scars for comfort. He didn't want that, so he tried to distract Donald whenever he could, just as Pops had taught him.

  “So, what do you want first? Papi has put on quite a feast,” he explained, leading Donald over to the sofa, where he sat down with a contented sigh and closed his eyes.

  “A drink?” he asked, his lovely blue eyes tired already. He had a feeling the excitement had been with him since the doctor's words yesterday, so it was likely Donald hadn't slept a wink.

  “Sure thing. I'll bring you a can of juice. The sugar boost will let you celebrate with your parents, then make you crash later,” he suggested, since it would give everyone what they wanted. He barely stayed long enough to see Donald's relieved nod of agreement, before leaving to go back into the kitchen. He grabbed a can from the fridge and returned it to Donald, only to find both his parents in a bit of a state.

  Papi was standing in the middle of the room, just staring, while Donald's dad clutched his arm and gazed at Donald as if he was a newborn chick.

  Clearing his throat, Ryder took a seat beside his boyfriend. “Let's put some music on and, when you're ready, we can have something to eat. Papi and I made a whole load of your favourite meals and froze them, so they're ready whenever you want them, even if you don't feel like cooking. A quick blast in the microwave will do,” he explained, hoping that would spur the giddy, over-protective parents to relax a little.

  At the moment, it was quite obvious that they were stunned and relieved to have Donald home at last. But they were making a bigger deal out of it than Ryder would have liked, had he been in Donald's shoes.

  Shuffling closer to his side, Donald patted the sofa, where he'd made room for someone to sit. His parents walked over calmly, his Papi taking the seat while his dad sat on Papi's lap. Then the three of them fell into a pile of hugging and crying.

  Ryder was about to get up and leave them to have a moment of peace, when Donald grabbed his hand and pulled him against his back.

  When his dad's arms encased him in the family hug, Ryder accepted the welcome and the inclusion in this precious moment. He lay his head against Donald's back and held on to whoever he could reach, while saying his own silent thanks that Donald had survived, pulled through all the emotions that had kept him in a pit of despair and that, together, they'd somehow found their way again.

  Not to each other.

  Ryder wasn't romantic enough to think that the entire purpose of what they'd been through was to bring them together. But he did believe that neither of them would have made it without the other. As friends. As someone to lean on and talk to. As a companion to sit in the hospital room with and say nothing.

  Because they both knew. They were there. No one else could quite understand how it felt to sit in that dark, cold shower, with water still running somewhere nearby, a pool of bloody water under his knees and under Donald's backside, as they held onto each other for dear life. Literally.

  In that moment, with Ryder's hands on Donald's wrists and those sweet dark eyes watching him through the darkness, it was just them. Not alone. But together. And that was how he hoped they would stay.

  A call came two hours later that had Donald's parents in a tizzy. Whatever it was, they began clearing up the dishes and the wrapping paper left over from the 'welcome home party'.

  Ryder had bought his new boyfriend the next book in his current series and Papi had got him a Kindle, so that if he ever ended up in hospital again or away from home, he had a way to read his favourite books without lugging them back and forward, like he'd been doing. Donald's dad had been locked in the house since yesterday, preparing for Donald's return home and kept apologising for not thinking of getting him a gift to celebrate. As Ryder knew he would, Donald didn't care about the gifts. He was just happy to be home and with his family.

  So it was strange that they were packing up and calling an end to it so suddenly. As far as he knew, no one else had been told that Donald was getting home, so that they weren't disturbed by visitors.

  After ten minutes of panicked cleaning, the doorbell rang. Ryder was the only one near enough to answer it, so he did, leaving Donald in his half-doze on the sofa.

  “Um...Officer, what can I do for you?” he asked, surprised to see the nicer of the two officers who had responded to his call that night, all those weeks ago.

  The man smiled and nodded to the door. “The folks are expecting me. I have some news about the investigation,” he explained, only to look Ryder over and nod. “You look much better than the last time I saw you.”

  “Yeah.” He couldn't help but smile and step back to let him in. “I went to that therapist you recommended. He's the dad of a friend of mine. It's working out really well,” he promised, having been meaning to thank the man for all of his understanding that night. He'd been a wreck, but this cop had been calm and caring, keeping him together.

  “Good. I'm glad to hear it.” The officer walked into the living room, glanced at Donald with a steady smile and nodded when Papi came out of the kitchen. “Mr. Leary,” he said, in a brief hello.

  “My husband is just coming. Shall we sit in the living room?” he suggested, gesturing for the officer to take a seat.

  Ryder returned to sit beside Donald, giving him a gentle nudge to wake him. They shared a smile and his boyfriend cuddled into his side, as the officer sat on the single armchair and Donald's parents gathered. Papi hovered nervously, while his dad took a seat on Donald's other side.

  “Mr. and Mr. Leary, I have g
ood news. The official papers have been signed and distributed. Curtis' house arrest, as he was under investigation, is now over and he will be charged with inciting violence, stalking and harassment. Since there's strong evidence showing that Donald didn't engage with him at any point, these apply,” he explained, rubbing his hand over his chin as he turned his attention to Donald. “The graffiti on your school locker, the physical bullying you documented at the beginning of all of this, and the evidence from his own social media that proves he was responsible for damaging your back fence, a few months ago, all show that he is a credible threat and will likely resort to violence again in the future.”

  Everyone was quiet as they listened and Ryder was stunned that it had involved so much work, just to prove that Curtis was a nasty piece of work. He figured that it was much harder to prosecute someone for virtual crimes and 'bullying' in general, than for physical crimes. But it was still a shame that Donald had been forced to wait so long for a resolution.

  The officer continued with a shake of his head, “Three others have come forward to report him for bullying. One boy, only twelve, was beaten pretty badly about a year ago, and had to get stitches and a cast for a broken wrist.

  “Due to the severity of your two cases, these will be the building blocks for our case against him, so I'm here to tell you, Donald–” he said, facing him with compassion and a strength that said he was going to see this through, “that Curtis will never hurt you again. He may be facing juvenile detention or actual prison time. It all depends on the courts. But know that you are safe and, though I don't want to thank you for what you've done, I need you to know that that twelve year old boy was terrified. And he's now safe, too, thanks to this all coming to light.”

  Donald nodded and cuddled closer to Ryder's side. He understood what the officer was saying; what Donald had done was never going to be classed as 'good' or something they should be thankful for. It didn't have a silver lining at all. But, in a way, finally being brave enough to report Curtis was what had saved countless other kids, some more vulnerable than Donald, from going through what he went through.

  Curtis was a bully, through and through. That would never change.

  But now Donald, and that kid, had the chance to move on and recover from what Curtis had done to them.

  Finally, they could try to get some closure.

  Chapter 11

  Five Days Later

  Donald turned over in bed and smiled as he found Ryder still sleeping beside him. The past few days had been spent in quiet celebration of his recovery, of Ryder's progress in therapy and the news from the police. But there had been an undercurrent of something darker in Ryder's eyes. Donald had a suspicion what it was, but he hadn't risked confronting his new boyfriend about it just yet.

  With everything that had been going on lately, he'd tried so hard not to think too deeply about anything and just work hard to get through all of his challenges. He knew that only by focusing on the future would he get through his recovery and make it out the other end. Having Ryder with him had been a bonus he'd never expected.

  Now that he was home and the excitement had died down, he wanted to confront that sadness in his boyfriend.

  He had to wait nearly ten minutes for Ryder to blink awake, flashing a sleepy smile before turning onto his back and stretching.

  “Morning, sunshine.” Donald smiled and waited for Ryder to come to.

  “Morning.”

  “When you wake up, do you want to tell me why all your bags are here and you haven't once mentioned going home for anything?” he asked, reaching up to brush hair from his eyes. A flash of his now-permanent leather cuffs that replaced his bandages and hid his wounds made him blink for a second. Then he pushed it aside and focused on his boyfriend.

  “I don't know, do I?” Ryder turned to him with a cautious look that spoke volumes.

  Donald shuffled over and hugged his torso, removing eye contact so that it would make him feel more comfortable.

  These sweet, innocent nights sharing his bed were wonderful, but he'd also learned something vital about Ryder through them. His boyfriend was vulnerable. Having only just vocalised his sexuality and accepted it as part of himself, it was understandable that he might fear or shy away from the physical reality of it. But he didn't. He embraced the hugs, the snuggling, holding hands and the kissing. He was more at ease than Donald had seen him in a long time.

  But the vulnerability never went away and he was beginning to realise that it wasn't the physical side of a relationship he feared, but the emotional. He'd lived his entire life keeping a part of himself a secret and now it was hard for him to let go, open up and trust others to protect those secrets just as ardently.

  “You're not going home, are you?” Donald asked, realising the truth. “That's okay, you know. On my end. I like having you here, my parents trust you, and they love having another person to dote on and love,” he admitted, knowing that they would have adopted or fostered more children if his medical needs hadn't been so demanding in those first few years. After that, they'd found a rhythm and he guessed they maybe wanted to spoil him with some focused, parent-on-child love for a while.

  Lifting his head a little, he caught Ryder staring at the ceiling. “If you want to stay here forever, that's okay. My parents can make space for you in the spare room, if you want that, or you can stay here with me. It's up to you.”

  Ryder sighed and tilted his head to lean it against Donald's. “I told my parents,” he began, sounding devastated. “They didn't say much. I just let it all out – how they never wanted me. That I knew that. That I wasn't going to stick around and take it anymore, even about the homophobic crap they kept throwing at me. I told them that I'm bisexual and that we're dating,” he explained, in a flurry of words and emotions that made his voice shake. “My dad said that if I left the house, I was disowned and I could never go back.”

  That was worse than Donald had anticipated, despite knowing how complex Ryder's relationship was with his family. He'd expected an argument, some silent treatment, maybe for Ryder to walk out and never tell them the whole truth. Whatever he wanted to do was okay, but it wasn't okay for his dad to disown him or throw him out.

  “And what did your mum say?” he wondered, hoping she'd been a voice of reason.

  “She didn't say anything. Not a word. Not even a goodbye,” he admitted quietly. “She just stood there, let him scream at me and let me walk out. I told Nico that it wasn't goodbye for us; that we'll keep in touch and he could always count on me,” he elaborated.

  Donald placed a kiss on Ryder's neck and lay with him a little longer. “What do you want to do? Do you want me to get Papi to sort the spare room?” he asked, deciding that was more important right now than dwelling on the past.

  “No. I like being here with you...if that's okay?”

  “Of course it is.”

  They lay together quietly for a few minutes, until the alarm rang out and reminded them that it was nearly nine o'clock and Donald let out a sigh. “Time for school. Even if it’s just a visit, it's far too early,” he complained, moving away from Ryder to bang the clock and get it to shut up.

  His boyfriend laughed and stretched. “Well, considering how much time we've both had off, a visit is plenty for our first day back. Besides,” he took Donald's hand and leaned in to quickly kiss his lips, “we'll be doing it together.”

  “Yeah.” He loved that.

  No matter what Ryder was going through, he was always there to help and support Donald. A part of him wished he'd done something about his crush a long time ago and maybe he would never have sunk to the depths he had. But, at the same time, that night had brought him so close to Ryder that there was a bond between them. More than what a friendship alone could imprint on them.

  “Why don't you call Nico later and invite him round for some movies, after school?” Donald suggested, since they planned to have a movie afternoon, after their visit to school, anyway.

  By the time Ni
co got out of classes, they'd have had a few hours alone together and they could even invite the kid to stay for dinner. He didn't know Nico, having never met him, but Donald understood that it had been for his own sake.

  Nico knew very little about what had happened that night, which was for the best. But he also knew that Ryder hadn't wanted to load new friendships, introductions or innocent kids onto Donald's emotional radar, when he was so focused on recovering and getting out of hospital. Now that he'd done that and had settled in at home again, maybe it was time for him to meet Nico and let Ryder's kid brother see them together, so he knew that they'd be okay?

  “Sure.” There wasn't even a hint of hesitation in his voice. Ryder simply sat up, stretched and yawned, then climb out of bed and escaped into the bathroom.

  Donald was thrilled. He'd finally get to meet the only member of Ryder's family that he loved and that loved him in return. This was huge!

  Arriving at school was uneventful. They'd taken a slow, long walk to get there, stopping by the bakery to pick up some goodies, since they were going to gate crash the first morning study period that brilliantly coincided with their friends free period. It was the one time in the week that everyone in their group of friends was free of classes at the same time.

  From what Ryder had told him, they were using that time to their advantage, having a full-time session for the Bright Side Brigade, rather than the occasional lunch breaks.

  But, since they were at least an hour early for that, Donald had a plan. He hadn't really talked about it with Ryder, because he wasn't sure what he'd think and, honestly, he didn't want to put any more pressure on him after their talk about his family. If he had to do this part alone, that was okay. He was finally ready.