LIAM THUMBED through the months-old People magazine for the second time. The waiting area was like all the others he’d been in: padded chairs, end tables with lamps and old magazines, overhead fluorescent lights that were too bright. His mother sat next to him, reading an old Ladies Home Journal. The office was located in the city, a couple hours’ drive from his hometown.
It had taken a few weeks to get this appointment with the therapist, and it was none too soon. After Cody left, Liam wanted to cut and little else. He had taken his knife out numerous times, but resisted the urge for that relief. He didn’t even want sex, but the cutting was calling his name.
“Liam Hartley?” A young lady called out his name.
He raised his hand and stood up. His mom grasped his hand and squeezed it. He followed the receptionist back past her desk. They stopped outside a door, the lady putting a file in on the rack against the wall. She opened the door.
Liam had no clue what to expect. The room looked nothing like any exam room he’d ever been in, but this wasn’t exactly an exam. There was a couch, a couple of overstuffed chairs and a desk. Looked like his dad’s home office.
“Please, have a seat, anywhere. Ms. Sherman will be in soon.” She shut Liam inside the office. He sat down in one of the overstuffed chairs. Within a couple of minutes, a blonde-haired woman, looking to be in her late twenties, walked in.
“Liam?”
Liam stood up and offered his hand. “Hi.”
She shook his hand. “Ms. Sherman. I’ll be your therapist, if we click. Please, sit down.” She sat in the overstuffed chair across from Liam.
Liam sat down. “If we click?”
“If we can’t talk and be honest with each other, therapy isn’t going to work. If we find we can’t communicate, there are other therapists here you can try.”
“Okay.”
“So, from your intake form, you’ve been cutting yourself. Do you know what triggered it or was it something gradual?”
“I was hiding who I was.”
Ms. Sherman nodded. “If you can’t be true to yourself, it can activate stress responses.”
“I’m gay.” Liam didn’t know why he just blurted that out.
“Is that what started it all?”
“I started a relationship with another guy but didn’t tell my parents. I was afraid they’d disown me or something. Since we couldn’t be open about it, I felt trapped.”
“Would it help to know that you’re not alone? That what you experienced is very common.”
Liam sat back in the chair, feeling a little more relaxed. “I felt so isolated.”
“You say ‘felt.’ You no longer feel that way?”
“I got outed. Well, I outed myself. I got so jealous about my boyfriend flirting with a girl I hit him.”
Ms. Sherman made a couple of notes. “Why don’t you start from the beginning?”
Liam told his story, not leaving anything out. He felt very comfortable with Ms. Sherman. She didn’t judge him, only asked questions for clarification, and reassured him his experiences were normal.
It was near the end of their hour by the time he finished. A huge weight had been lifted by actually voicing everything that had happened, right up to the night before when he came so close to cutting again.
Ms. Sherman made a couple more notes, then closed Liam’s file. “I think we did good today. Do you want to come back and see me?”
“I’d like that.”
“In the meantime how will you cope with your feelings? You admitted you wanted to cut last night. We need to channel that feeling into something more constructive. Do you have a hobby?”
“Not really. I play, um, played football.”
“Oh, it’s the off-season and you don’t do a spring sport?”
“No, after my incident, I’m afraid football is out of the question. Any sport is out of the question.”
“Why?”
“Small town. Everyone knows everyone. And no one is gay.”
“Well, we know that’s not true.”
“No one will admit they’re gay. Except me.”
“You said you went to church and things were okay.”
“That’s church. A couple of hours every Sunday. Not going to school, day in and day out.”
“Okay, no hobbies or sports. What do you have any interest in?”
“I like to write. Always been good at English.”
“There you go! On the way home, get a brand-new notebook and pen. Make them your exclusive tools for keeping a journal.”
“Not my laptop?”
“Typing on a screen is very impersonal. No, the physical feel of pen to paper is what you want. Try it. If you don’t like it, we’ll try something else.” She looked at her watch. “My next appointment is coming up. Do you have any questions for me?”
“No, I’m good. Thanks for listening.” They both stood up and shook hands.
“Hope to see you soon. Say in about two weeks?”
“Sounds good.”
Liam stopped by the receptionist’s desk and made a second appointment. He and his mom headed out.
“Everything okay?” Sarah sat in the passenger’s seat, allowing Liam to get more driving practice.
“I guess.”
“What did she say? That is, if you want to share.”
“She wants me to keep a journal.”
“That sounds like a good idea.” She patted his arm. “How are you holding up?”
“I miss him.”
“I know.” She looked out the window. “Maybe you can go visit him for a weekend soon.”
“Really?”
“We’ll have to watch the weather report. I don’t want you driving in any snow or ice, especially that far away.”
“Thanks.”
“You okay to head back to school on Monday?”
“I guess I have to be.”
“I’m glad you’re taking a chance. I think things will have settled down by now, blown over. The last two weeks of last semester wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“No, but everyone was stressed out over finals and didn’t have time to think about me or Cody. They’ve had four weeks to think about the gay guy in town.”
Sarah smoothed back his hair from his face. “Please think positive.”
“Did you and Dad ever talk about me transferring?”
“We did but think staying here is best for now.”
Liam nodded. He really hadn’t expected anything else. Other than the name-calling, shunning, silent treatment, and one fight, it hadn’t been all too intolerable, right?
MONDAY CAME way too soon for Liam’s liking. While he had been around a few of his schoolmates at church, that was church. You’re supposed to be kind at church. School, well, that could be a whole new avenue of hell. He tried to think positive like his mother said, and hope everyone had gotten on with their lives.
He snuck into the back of the class and soon it became abundantly clear that no one was going to pay him any attention. In fact, no one was talking to him at all, just like before the holiday break. He still felt isolated, and found himself automatically looking for Cody in the crowded halls. He thought he was going mad when his mind conjured Cody, but in a blink of an eye, the image disappeared. He trudged on through his morning. He told himself he could take it. If he had to go through the next year and a half like this, he’d suffer through it.
He sat down at lunch at his and Cody’s table, but, of course, no Cody. He wasn’t exactly hungry, but he choked down the chicken patty. He was opening his fruit cup when a shadow came over him. He looked up.
“This seat taken?”
Liam shook his head. “You really want to be seen with me?”
Matt sat down across from him. “You’re my friend.”
“I’m your gay friend. Don’t forget.”
“Oh, I don’t think anyone’s going to forget that anytime soon. But why should who you love affect our friendship?”
“I figured people think gay is contagious.” Liam popped some peach pieces in his mouth.
“Then they’re idiots.”
“Thanks.”
“We have biology lab together. We’ll be lab partners.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. You’re still Liam. Nothing’s changed.” The lunch bell rang. “Chin up. I swear, once people realize you aren’t an ogre or something, things will get back to normal.”
“I don’t think anything will be normal again. But we can hope?” Liam placed his tray on the conveyor belt.
“That’s the spirit.”
Liam made it through the school day, trying to act oblivious to the whispers behind his back. It was hard being ignored, but maybe that was better than having people call him names to his face.
Monday ended peacefully, thank goodness. He made it back home, grateful for Matt and his kindness. If he only had one friend for the next eighteen months, it’d have to do. He cracked open his laptop, his e-mail account pinging the moment it booted. He opened it up to an anonymous message.
One fag left, now it’s your turn. Best leave town and follow your butt buddy. No one wants you around here. Abominations aren’t welcome.
Liam became more angry than anything. He deleted the message, muttering that only idiots and cowards sent anonymous e-mails. He knew this e-mail was probably just the first of many and he’d probably be the target of cyberbullying, so with the exception of Cody and Matt, he locked down all his social media. Maybe he could let his guard down sooner or later, but for the immediate future, he wasn’t going to let it affect him and his goal of a good GPA and scholarship.
TUESDAY WAS more of the same, as was Wednesday. The first week back without Cody seemed to be going well, as well as expected. Matt actually talked to him, sat with him briefly at lunch before heading to the football team table, but didn’t hang with him between classes or after school. It was going to have to do. With fewer friends came fewer distractions and easier studying. Who knew, he might even get a full-ride scholarship if he made all As.
Thursday started out the same, ignored by most, whispered about by others. He made it to his locker after his last class, wondering why there were a group of people around it. They made a path for him. His locker was covered in condoms and the word “fag” was spray-painted on it. Yeah, now he’d definitely prefer to be totally ignored.
He took the condoms off and tossed them in the trash. Not much he could do about the spray paint other than tell the front office in hopes the janitor would paint over it by tomorrow. The final bell rang, and he headed to the administrative offices in the basement. The older, blue-haired lady behind the counter seemed sympathetic, but he knew by the reactions he was getting from the support staff, absolutely nothing was going to be done other than paint over his locker. There would be no investigation; no one was going to care if a fag got his locker vandalized. Liam realized they all believed he deserved it, although they were too polite to voice anything other than “we’ll look into it.” After making a report, he shoved his hands into his jeans pockets, lowered his head and walked out into the deserted hallway and into the stairwell.
A STEADY beeping sound drilled into Liam’s brain. Everything was dark and his mind felt fuzzy. He couldn’t move.
“Liam, honey, can you hear me?”
Liam could just make out his mother’s voice. He tried to turn toward the sound but couldn’t. Why couldn’t he talk?
“Just rest. Your father and I are here.”
Liam let the fuzziness overtake him.
PAIN RIPPED through his chest, his breathing becoming labored. His diaphragm refused to work right. He came back to consciousness with alarm bells. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the semidarkness. He started to panic.
A nurse came running in and adjusted the IV that was in his arm. Within moments, the fuzziness returned and he went back under.
“LIAM?”
Liam felt he was swimming in nothingness. There was nothing but darkness and now a single sound. His mother’s voice. “Mom?” His voice was barely a whisper. He could barely see his mother’s face, which was right next to him.
“Hey, sweetie.” She gently smoothed back his hair.
“What happened?” The nothingness started to fade away, replaced by sharp pains running through his entire body.
Sarah let a tear fall. “You… you were attacked.”
He felt a warm weight cover his right hand. “What?”
“You’re going to be just fine.”
“Hurts.” His arm started to throb.
Sarah put a plunger in his right hand. “Hit this when you want more pain medication.”
Liam slowly nodded. “Face hurts.”
Sarah smoothed back his hair. “Hit the pain medication. Everything’s going to be okay.”
Liam’s thumb hit the plunger and fuzziness took over once again.
Was it a dream? Or a nightmare? Liam struggled to open his eyes as his ears registered his mom’s voice and a strange man’s. They sounded so far away.
“Is he going to be okay?”
“He’s got a couple of broken ribs, broken clavicle and wrist. One of the ribs punctured his lung, but what we need to worry about is his brain. Severe blunt force trauma is causing his brain to swell. It’s wait and see right now.”
He couldn’t process what was being said. Were they talking about him? He couldn’t remember anything. All he knew was that his mother was very upset, and he couldn’t feel a damn thing.
A SLICE of sunshine hit Liam’s face. One eye opened to see his mom asleep in a chair next to his bed. A sharp soreness ran through his chest. He tried to move his left arm, only to find a cast on it. His movements woke up his mother.
“You’re awake.” She reached over and smoothed out the blanket.
“Where?”
“Shhh, don’t try to talk too much. You’re in the hospital.”
“Thirsty.”
She picked up a pitcher of water and poured it into a plastic glass with a lid and straw on it. She put the straw to his lips. “Small sips, don’t try to gulp.”
He followed her instructions and let the cool water fill his mouth, small quantities at a time. He was parched, but instinctively he knew it wouldn’t be a good thing to flood his stomach. He laid his head back when he was finished. He tried to open both eyes, but one wasn’t cooperating. He reached up to his face. “What happened?”
“Do you remember anything?”
His day at school came back to him, up until the scene at his locker. He couldn’t remember anything after that. “I went to school, had lunch with Matt.” He was having a hard time articulating.
“It’s okay. I’m glad Matt was there for you.”
“My locker. Someone—”
“I know. The school secretary told me.”
A nurse walked in carrying a tray. “You’re awake. That’s good. I have to administer some antibiotics. Might sting a little going in.”
Liam shrank back. “Do I have a choice?”
Sarah got up to allow the nurse access.
“’Fraid not.” She took the protective cap off the syringe. “But at least it’s through the IV and not in your gluteus maximus.”
The little feeling of warmth and slight sting was nothing compared to the pain shooting through his chest. He tried to take a deep breath and ended up having spasms. “Breathe, Liam. Slow, shallow. You’ve got a couple of broken ribs there.” She double-checked the IV connections. “If you can stay awake for a few hours, we’ll see about getting you something to eat.” She patted his shoulder. “I’ll be back later to check on you.” She picked up her tray and left the room.
“I can’t see well.”
Sarah sat back down next to Liam. “Your eye is swollen. It looks worse than it is. The doctor said your eye was fine. It’s just going to take a few days for the swelling to go down.”
Liam nodded. “Who?”
Sarah sighed. “We don’t know. The police are investigating.”
“Probably not very hard.” He gestured to the plastic glass. “More?”
Sarah stood up to put the straw to his lips again. “I’m certain they will do their job.”
Liam took a couple of sips. “I’m not so sure about that.”
Sarah put the glass back on the tray table. She looked down at her hands for a moment, then sat back down. Liam noticed she looked like she’d aged a decade since he saw her last.
“It’s okay, Mom.”
“No, it’s not. For the first time in my life, I don’t feel safe in my own town.”
“No one’s going to bother you, you’re like everyone else. I’m the odd queer out.”
“Liam, don’t talk like that!” She lowered her voice. “Sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
“It’s okay.” Liam looked down at the pain medication plunger next to his right hand. “I’m going to take some more pain meds and sleep.”
“The nurse wants you to try to stay awake.”
“Yeah, right, okay.” He slowly turned his head to the side to see the trees blowing in the wind outside his window. “How long do I have to stay here?”
“They’re going to do another CT scan this afternoon, check your brain. After that, they can make a determination.”
“Can I get my laptop?”
“You want to talk to Cody?”
“Yeah.”
“Let me see what I can do.” Sarah got up and handed the remote to the TV to Liam. “Why don’t you watch some TV, take your mind off things. I’ll be right back.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Liam turned the TV on as his mom left the room. He found an NCIS marathon and settled in on watching Leroy Jethro Gibbs doing his thing.
He was two episodes in when he realized he hadn’t been to the bathroom. He looked under the blankets to realize he had a catheter inserted in his penis. He felt a little embarrassed that someone saw his junk, but hell, this was a hospital, they’d all probably seen worse, right?
It was another episode later when the nurse came back into the room, carrying another tray with a full IV bag. He turned the volume down. “Another shot?”
“Nope, just checking in on you. Ready to try some chicken broth?”
Liam’s stomach rumbled at the thought of food. “Steak sounds better.”
“I’m afraid steak would make a quick return after all the meds you’ve been on. Let’s start with chicken broth and Jell-O.” She changed out the IV. “I’ll be right back.”
She popped out of the room for a couple of minutes, this time returning with a metal tray with his food. “Don’t chug it down, sip it slowly. If you think your chest hurts now, it’s ten times worse if you have to vomit.”
Liam nodded and pulled the plastic wrap off the broth. Damn, it smelled good. “I will. Thanks.”
“I’ll be back in about thirty minutes to get the tray. Remember to call if you need anything.”
Liam resumed his marathon while he ate his meager lunch. The pain was increasing and he wondered if it was okay to take some pain meds now. He was about to hit the call button when the nurse came back in.
“Everything go down okay?” The nurse put the tray to the side.
“Yeah, but the pain’s getting worse. Is it too soon after eating to take more?”
“No, you’re good.” She looked through his chart, then adjusted the machine that gave him the fuzziness juice. “The doctor wants to decrease just a smidge, try to wean you off this stuff and then try something a little less addictive. Go ahead, plunge away.”
“Thanks.” Liam pushed down on the plunger, the fuzziness taking hold almost immediately. He closed his eyes and was out before the nurse left the room, sleeping as Gibbs got the bad guy once more.
THE ROOM was dark when Liam woke again. He could make out a figure sitting in the chair at the far end of the bed. “Mom?”
The figure rose and came into his line of sight.
“Cody!” Liam’s voice croaked as he struggled with his emotions. He’d never thought he’d see Cody so soon.
“Hey there.” Cody sat on the bed next to Liam.
“What’re you doing here?”
“Where else would I be?”
“Uh, home?”
Cody shook his head. “Not with you here.”
“My mom called you?”
“Of course.” Cody grasped Liam’s hand. “Sorry about all this.”
“Not your fault.”
“You know who did this?”
“I don’t remember anything.” Liam squeezed Cody’s hand. “Kiss me?”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Mouth is fine. Please.”
Cody leaned in and gave Liam a soft, lingering kiss. Liam’s stomach rumbling again made them both laugh.
“I think someone’s hungry.”
“You try living on a bowl of broth and a Jell-O cup.”
“Want me to go get the nurse?”
“Please.”
Cody gave Liam’s hand one last squeeze before heading out. He came back a few minutes later. “Cute nurse out there will be bringing in some food.”
“Cute? She’s like my mom’s age!”
“Dude, you’ve been asleep for hours. Shift change. And he’s adorable and just out of nursing school.”
Liam snorted. “Please don’t tell me you were hitting on him.”
“A little slight flirt. You know it’s my second nature. But I swear, I only have eyes for you.”
Indeed, a very cute male nurse came in. “Hey, Liam, I’m Levi.”
“Hi.”
“Before I can give you some food, we need to get the CT scan completed.” He came around to the head of the bed and unhooked the machines from the wall. “Ready to go?”
Cody stepped out of the way. “Can I go with you?”
Levi gave him a smile. “Sure. There’s a waiting area just outside the CT room.”
It was nice to have Cody next to him as they traversed the hallways of the hospital.
“While you’re in there, I’ll call your mom and give her an update. She went home to clean up and make sure your dad was doing okay.”
“Dad’s probably mad at me.”
“Why on earth would you think that?”
“He’s been accepting, to a point, but jeez, to get beat up like this?”
“Your dad’s been at the police station and the school, demanding they take this attack seriously. Your mom is determined to keep him calm before he lashes out.”
“Really?”
“Oh you have no idea.”
They made it to the CT scan area, and Liam went in, leaving Cody sitting in one of those hard, plastic chairs. He was transferred onto a hard platform and the CT tech took over, scanning his noggin for any more swelling. It wasn’t long before he was back on his bed and being wheeled back to his room.
“That was quick.” Cody took Liam’s hand.
“I’m glad. I’m starving.”
Levi spoke up. “You do realize it’s more broth and Jell-O, right?”
“I was afraid of that.”
Levi got him back to his room and the machines hooked back up. There was a tray of broth and Jell-O waiting on Liam.
Once Levi left, Cody sat back down on the bed. “Need any help?”
Liam peeled the wrap off his food again. “I got it. Got to eat slow.”
Cody pointed to his left arm. “You know how long that’ll be on?”
“I broke my radius when I was a kid. That one I had on for six weeks, so thinking the same thing.”
“At least it’s not summer. Would suck to have that thing on and sweat.”
“You ain’t kidding. I broke my arm in August before. Miserable. It itched like a motherfucker.”
“How you feeling otherwise?”
Liam slurped some of his Jell-O. “Chest hurts, can’t breathe real deep. Eye throbs and the headache comes and goes. I guess it could’ve been worse.”
Cody leaned over and kissed Liam on the forehead. “I wish I could do something.”
“Just being here helps a lot. I had asked Mom to get my laptop so I could talk to you.” He sipped his chicken broth. “How long can you stay? Have to head back soon?”
“I’m here as long as you want.”
“What about school?”
“Don’t worry about school. Missing a few days isn’t going to matter, especially now so soon after winter break. All the teachers are trying to teach what was unlearned over the past month.”
Liam toyed with what was left of his Jell-O. “I can’t go back.”
“Go back?”
“To school. No way in hell I’m going back there.”
Cody placed his hand on Liam’s arm. “I know.”
“Do ya know how old you have to be to sit for a GED?”
“I think it’s seventeen, provided you get some sort of document from your school. But don’t quote me on that.” Cody ran his thumb back and forth over the back of Liam’s hand. “I know we talked about it. Come live with me. After this, I don’t think my parents will have any problem with it.”
“I can’t leave my parents.”
“Not like you’re going to a different planet. We could make a schedule where you come home a couple of times a month.”
“I don’t know.”
“What else you gonna do?”
“Was going to ask my mom about homeschooling. She only works part-time.” Liam finished off his Jell-O.
“Well, you’ve got some options.”
“I want out of here, first.”
“I hear that. Eat up, get your strength up. We’ll figure everything else out.”
Cody stayed with Liam until Liam needed his pain meds again and passed out.
THE PAIN was intense, a sharp ache that ran from his dick all the way up his spine. He’d believed his chest hurt when he tried to take a deep breath, but damn, that had nothing on the pain of the catheter removal. But at least the pain was brief and the removal meant he could get up and go to the bathroom himself. Once the nurse left with the used equipment, he swung his feet over the side of the bed. Cody offered his arm.
“Thanks. Not sure how steady I can be.”
Cody took on most of Liam’s weight. “No worries. Let’s get you to the bathroom.” Cody grabbed the IV pole, keeping it in time with their steps.
Once Liam took a few steps and got oriented, he felt more steady on his feet. “Feels good to be out of that bed.”
They made it to the bathroom. “I think I can take it from here. I really need to wash off a little of this stink.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. Doc said I’m going to be here at least another day. I can’t live with myself.”
Cody set the IV pole next to the sink. “Looks like they have everything here you need. You want me to stay? Just in case?”
“Only if you want. Not lookin’ very sexy right now.” Liam looked in the mirror. The swelling around his eye had gone down. He could open it a little, the vision out of it a bit blurry, but functional. He’d got a little sparse beard growth going that needed to be taken care of. His hair was sticking out in all different directions. He reached for a washcloth and soap.
“You look beautiful to me.”
Liam snorted. “Come on, beautiful?”
“What, guys can’t be beautiful?”
Liam shrugged. “How about I call you cute?”
Cody grinned. “I like being cute.”
Liam soaped up the washcloth and washed his face, taking care not to press on his injured eye. Cody helped him maneuver out of his hospital gown to give the rest of his body a spit shine, then back into a clean gown and bed.
Cody plumped up the pillows behind Liam’s head, then pulled the blanket up over Liam.
“Thanks. Appreciate it.” Liam settled back into the pillows, feeling a bit more human.
“Anytime.” Cody sat on the edge of the bed. “You want to talk about those scars on your inner thigh? I couldn’t help but notice… that hospital gown leaves nothing to the imagination.”
Liam couldn’t meet Cody’s eye. He started to play with the edge of his blanket. “It was a way… to cope. To reconcile my feelings for you amid the messages I was getting from the church and family. It helped me, you know, I guess feel better.”
Cody placed his hand over Liam’s. “I’m sorry you had to go through that alone. That you couldn’t tell me. But I get it, I do. It’s like… yeah, like being able to control at least one thing in your life.”
“That’s what I’ve discovered. But I haven’t cut in quite a few weeks.”
“That’s good.”
Liam pointed to the water pitcher. “Can you pour me some water?”
“No problem.”
A few minutes later, Liam’s parents came into the room.
“Mom, Dad.”
“How are you feeling, sweetie?” Sarah squeezed Liam’s right hand.
“Better. Cody helped me with a sponge bath.”
“We just saw the doctor. Barring any issues with the latest round of tests, you can go home tomorrow.”
“Not a day too soon.” Liam looked over to his dad. “Any news?”
Steven cleared his throat. “It seems it was a couple of boys from the football team.”
Liam felt the blood drain from his face. “From the team? Who?”
“Evan and Jerry.”
Liam couldn’t catch his breath. He couldn’t believe his so-called friends would do this to him. Vandalize his locker, sure, maybe even throw some verbal insults, heck, he wouldn’t put cyberbullying past them, but actual physical assault? “I’m not going back there.”
Sarah patted his foot. “I know. Don’t worry, you don’t have to set foot in that school ever again.”
“No, not just the school. The whole entire town.”
“What?”
“I’ll go home, but I’m not going to school, church, the grocery store, or even the gas station. Not going to do it.”
“Son, we can talk about this when we get home.”
“No, Dad, we won’t. I’m making a stand right now. I’m not going to deal with any more homophobic assholes any longer.”
“Liam!”
“I’m sorry, Mom, but that’s how I feel about this town. It’s going to be a cold day in hell before they accept people like me. I don’t want to hide like Bill and John or any other of the same-sex ‘roommates’ that live in fear of being found out.”
“You can’t hide until you go to college.”
Liam looked over to Cody. “Mom, Dad, I know I asked about it before. If you’d agree, I’d like to finish high school with Cody.”
Sarah looked over to Steven. “I don’t know about this. I can’t let my only child go off to a strange city.”
Steven touched Sarah’s shoulder. “He’d be safer there.”
“But he’s our son!” Sarah started to cry.
Cody took Liam’s hand, the first time he’d held Liam’s hand in front of Liam’s parents. “We live in a gay-friendly area and there’s even an LGBT club at my school. And I promise he’ll come home to visit. I talked to my parents. They’re agreeable; they love him like a son as well.”
“Mom, I can’t live in this town any longer. Even if they prosecute Evan and Jerry and they go to jail, that won’t deter anyone. There’ll be others who feel the same way and may act on it.”
Sarah dabbed her eyes and nodded. “I knew I’d have to let you go eventually, but not so soon and not under these circumstances.”
“I love you, Mom.”
Cody got up to let Sarah sit by Liam. She leaned down and gave him a hug. “I love you too, Liam.”
Steven came over for a family hug. Liam looked around his father’s shoulders and motioned to Cody to come and join them. His family had a new member.