Beau

The hours pass and I stand patiently behind Paul as he and my brother JJ work feverishly on Marc’s heart. My mind is replaying everything that I needed to do. I have called his mother who was now flying back here with Harold. I have called my father and he plans on coming once Marc is recovering because he doesn’t want to be in the way. Buford is handling all of my affairs as well as Marc’s until further notice. I think t have everything covered, even my rounds at the hospital so I’m good I’m thinking when a familiar voice brings me back from my thoughts.

“We’re finished and from what we can tell everything went well,” Paul tells me and I collapse in his arms crying. “He’s got a strong will Beau and he’ll be just fine,” he reassures me.

“As you probably know, we’ll be keeping him in a drug induced coma until his new valves have a chance to heal and his breathing stabilizes. It shouldn’t be more then a couple of days,” JJ tells me and he also gives me a hug. “Why don’t you go home and get some rest.” 

“Maybe in a while but I want to sit with him for a little bit,” I tell them and we walk out together into the recovery room.

I watch my guy’s face and I notice things that I really never noticed before about it, like how his lashes are so silky long and have the cutest curl to them. How his five o’clock shadow gives him the most handsomeness and sexy look that I could just eat him up because it makes his mouth look so delicious. Then his mouth has me thinking about his kisses and how they penetrate me right to my soul and leave me breathless long after he’s kissed me. I’m addicted to men someone once told me and Marc is my drug of choice.

“I’m so addicted to you sweetheart,” I whisper next to his ear. “I love you so much that my heart can hardly contain the amount of love that I have for you.”

A nurse comes over and checks the readings on the machines that are keeping him breathing until the tube can be removed and he can breathe on his own.

“He’s doing very well, Dr. Vanderbilt,” she says omitting my part of the last name. 

It doesn’t bother me because I only wanted to take his last name as mine, but Marc had wanted mine as well so we hyphenated our last names to satisfy us both.

“I know, I’ve been monitoring them as well,” I tell her with a smile. “I’m going to be leaving shortly and going home for a while to rest. I’ll be back later to check on his progress once they move him to the I.C.U.” 

Marc

“Will someone give me a drink because I have the entire Russian army camping out in my mouth,” I growl and Beau rushes to my bedside with a cup of ice chips and a spoon. 

“Just a tiny bit, you’re just waking up and we don’t need you vomiting babe,” he tells me. “Now just lie there and relax. You came through the operation very well and both JJ and Paul are pleased with how well you are doing.”

“When can I go home?” I hate hospitals.

“You’re going to be in here for at least a week, it all depends on how well you recover. You had a very serious operation Marc and it’s going to be quite a while before you are completely healed.”

“How’s our boy doing?”

“He’s doing about the same. I did find out that he had some kind of tracking device implanted under his skin in his right arm. They found it in a routine X-ray and the police have been notified.

“You aren’t thinking that he’s been a part of … “

“A child trafficking ring, maybe. The police have the chip and they’re going to see what kind of information they can get from it. But other than that his injuries are healing nicely … but I’m more concerned about his mental health. We don’t know anything about him, not even his name. We can only guess at what kind of abuse that he’s had to endure. Now I don’t want you to be worrying about him, he’s safe and you need to concentrate on getting better.” 

“Does mom know about me?”

“Yes and she’s back at the house with Harold. I told them that only she can see you until you are moved to a regular room.”

“Thanks baby doll, I love you so much,” I tell him and succumb to sleep.

“I love you more my beautiful bad boy, oh so much more.”

Time passes and Marc is finally released from the hospital under strict conditions. He’s not to return to any of his work related duties until he’s been cleared to do so by Paul. Paul will see him in six weeks for a final review before handing him over to a regular cardiologist who will monitor his heart’s health. The boy, known simply as John Doe is slowly being awoken from his coma and Beau has Dr. Steven Davenport standing by to assess his mental health.

Beau

“Can you hear me young man,” Dr. Davenport asks hovering close to the boy’s ear. “It’s alright to wake up, you are in a hospital and safe from all harm.”

He places his hand gently on the boy’s arms and instantly the boy coils into the fetal position and pulls away from the doctor shouting. 

“Don’t touch me … I don’t want anyone touching me,” he screams as panic grips him.

“Can you at least tell us your name?” I ask in a soothing voice and he turns his eyes to look at me. “I’m not going to hurt you sweetie, I promise. We only want to know who you are so we can protect you.”

“You can’t protect me … they’ll find me … they always do.” He stammers and recoils tighter into himself.

“We found the chip that they put in you and we took it out. So there’s no way that they can find you now. Would you please tell me your name,” I gently ask.

“Gunther that’s what they call me,” he barely whispers.

“Did you have another name before they called you Gunther?” He’s thinking and I’m about to ask him again when he finally whispers.

“Michael, my mother called me Max,” he’s crying and I so want to hold him.

“Can I hold you, Max?” It’s barely there but he nods slightly and when I lower the bedside railing he moves quickly into my arms crying. “Shhhh, I have you now my sweet prince,” I whisper as I sit down and rock him back and forth. “I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again, I promise.”

He’s clinging to my shirt for dear life and crying. My heart is breaking for him because I don’t understand how someone can be so cruel to a child.

“How old are you Max?”

“I’m thirteen I think. I’m having a hard time remembering how long it’s been since my last birthday. Mama gave me a party when I was ten and then those bad men came and took me away shortly after.”

“Did you run away from them?”

“I tried but they found me hiding among the street people. They hurt me with their knives and fists before Dan stabbed me and shoved me into some hole where I pretended to be dead. Now I’m hear … they’re going to come back … I need to get away before they find again,” he’s screaming and fighting me for release but I hold him closer to me and softly whispering soothing sounds. 

Dr. Davenport gives him a mild sedative to relax him and Max slips back to sleep. “What ever this boy has been through its been horrific. I’m surprised though that he’s allowed you to touch him when he reacted so drastically towards everyone else.”

“I am also Steven… excuse me for a moment,” I tell him when a tech enters and summons me to give me a print out. “I have the results of what was on the chip that was imbedded in Max’s arm.

 Maximilian Gruber

Age 12

Vienna, Austrian

“The rest are numbers which our technology department will continue to decipher. Hopefully they will lead us to whoever implanted the device in Max. I’ll have my detective agency scout the Vienna area for children that went missing five years ago that match with Max. If he can remember his mother calling him Max, then he should hopefully remember her.”

“Well keep me posted on whatever you find out about him. In the meantime I’d like to begin some kind of therapy with him Beau. I’m afraid though that you may have to take an active role because he seems to only trust you at the moment.”

“I will do whatever I have to do to help Max regain some kind of normalcy again in his life.”

Later that evening Beau is making his final rounds for the night. As he is accustomed to, he ends his rounds at the unit where Max is in. He looks into his room and notices that his dinner tray is sitting on the table beside his bed. Untouched. 

“Good evening Max, do you remember me,” I softly say to him and he nods his head. “May I join you while you eat?”

“I’m not eating that food because they put the drugs in the food so that I won’t fight with the men,” he tells me.

“I can tell you that there’s no drugs whatsoever in this food, Max. Here, I’ll even take a bite to prove to you that it’s safe to eat.” 

He watches me like a hawk as I pick up one of the chicken fillets and take a generous bite. I slowly chew and swallow it before I place the rest of it into my mouth. 

“Other then being kind of blah, no spices because we don’t know if you have any food allergies, it’s rather good.”

“I’m still not eating it because they could have spies working in the kitchen and they could poison me. I would not eat anymore of that food,” he says fearfully.

“Hmmm, let me ask you this, would you trust the food from our doctor’s food court? It’s cooked separately from the patient’s food and it’s very good.”

“I’m not a doctor but to answer your question, yes I would but only if you got it for me.”

“I can do one better then that sweetheart, how about you and I go down there and you can pick whatever you want?”

“Really … ah what do I call you?”

“My name is Beau but you can call me that or whatever you want,” I tell him.

“May I call you papa, because I never had a papa. He died mama said after Hans was born in a hunting accident.”

“You have a brother also? Did these bad men take him also?”

“They tried but I kicked the man that had him and when he dropped Hans, I told him to run home fast and not to stop. I’m hoping that he got home because I never saw him again and he starts crying.

He opens his arms and I take him into my arms and comfort him,softly whispering to him that I will protect him. He needs a diversion so once he’s calmed down, I grab a wheelchair.

“Your chariot my prince,” I say and for the first time he giggles. “Shall we go slay a dragon or go eat, my liege,” I say and I grab an empty cardboard tube on our way by the nurses desk. “Your sword in case we encounter a dragon on the way to doctor’s cafeteria,” I say as my way of telling the head nurse where I’m taking Max.

“If you see a princess that needs to be rescued Max make sure that you rescue her,” the nurse calls out playing along with our game.

“I will fair maiden,” he instinctively replies and I’m as surprised as the nurse is by his remark.

At the cafeteria it’s mostly empty at this time. So I didn’t worry about Max being in a crowded area with strangers around him. I grab a tray and hand it to him as we make our way down the line of food offerings.

“That looks good papa,” he points to a stuff pepper. “Mama made those for me a lot because they were mine and Hans favorite.” I chance that it’s safe for him to eat allergy wise and place two on the tray. One for each of us. “Do they have cake papa, I haven’t had cake since my …” he becomes very quiet. 

“I know that they have cake, what kind do you want my lord?” I’m hoping to quickly draw him back before I lose him again to those demons in his head.

“Your prince wants chocolate cake, my king,” he says and I smile as a tear runs down my cheek. “Is the king sad,” he asks with apprehension in his eyes but I notice there’s no chocolate cake.

“I’m sad because the cooks have no chocolate cake today my prince,” I tell and not a second later one of the cooks carries out a tray filled with plates of chocolate cake.”

“Look papa … chocolate cake,” he says excitedly and I just want to hug and kiss him because he’s so precious. “We should reward the fair cook papa,” he says looking up at me smiling. 

“I shall see that she has a huge reward son,” I say and he instantly looks at me like I hung the moon and the stars and his eyes are filled with tears.

“I’m sorry Max, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I don’t have any children and I, well I was pretending that maybe you might be my son when we’re playing.”

“I’m not mad papa and you can be my papa for real and not just when we’re playing.” 

He throws his arms around my neck and hugs me so tightly that I’m afraid that he’s going to strangle me. He pulls away but before he does anything he kisses me on the cheek.

“I think that we better eat if we want to do battle with the dragons sons,” I tell him and he just looks at me with eyes that seem to penetrate to my soul.

“There’s no dragons papa and I’m no prince. Thank you for caring enough about me to get me safe food to eat though. I know that the doctors don’t know what to make of me because I’m so young and yet have been through more then most adults. I heard you talking with that Dr. Steven something about therapy and I’m willing on one condition. I want you to be in there with me. I don’t know who to trust but I trust you,papa.”

“I’m sorry that you had to grow up so fast and hard son. I will be honored to accompany you to Dr. Davenport’s therapy sessions. I need to tell you something else Max. The chip that the people implanted in your arm to find you, well it also told us who you are and where you are from. I have a private detective agency and they’re going to try and find your family. If I have to move your family to some unknown location to keep them and you safe, then I will. I will never let happen again what those evil people did to you.”

“Oh papa,” he launches himself into my arms and cries and all that I can do is hold him.

Later that night once I get Max tucked safely into bed and I read to him until he’s asleep, I give Max’s records a final update.

“Dr. Vanderbilt come quickly, its Max and he’s having some kind of meltdown,” the nurse says frantically and I rush back to Max’s room.

“Shhhh what’s wrong baby boy,” I ask him quietly and he instantly throws his arms around me.

“I woke up because they were trying to get me again and you weren’t there papa,” he says and my heart melts. “Where were you papa I was calling you and you didn’t answer me.”

“I’m sorry Max but I don’t live here. I have a house and a husband that loves me too, so I was getting ready to go home.”

“Then you best take me with you because I’m not staying here where those people can get to me. I don’t care that you’re gay, I need my papa to protect me.”

“I can’t just take you home with me, Max.”

“Technically you can because there’s no medical reason for keeping him here,” Steven says from the doorway. “I’m on call tonight and Jackie called me when Max began his meltdown. So other then doing his therapy on an outpatient basis, I’m willing to sign him out to your custody, Beau.”

“See papa now we can be a real family and I will have two papas.

“I need to call Marc and make sure that he’s decent,” I say to myself as I prepare Max for travel.

When Max is finally dressed in scrubs that are to big for him, he and I finally drive home. “Now Max, my husband is a very handsome man and he’s very kind. He will protect you also even if he has to die doing it, that’s the kind of man that he is. I want you to show him the same consideration and respect that you show me. Are we clear on this,” I ask him and he nods. “He recently had a very serious heart operation to repair two valves that were failing in his heart and he’s still recovering from surgery so please don’t go exciting him.”

“I won’t papa. What do I call him? I can’t call him papa because I already have a papa,” he says smiling over at me.

“Why don’t you wait until you meet him and then you can decide what to call him, okay?”

When I drive through the gates of my estate his eyes go wide as he takes in the vast lawn that leads up to my house that sits atop a ridge on the side of a small mountain. The house is three stories tall and quite the architectural wonder. Marc designed and had it built for us as a belated wedding present. It’s front is made up of steel, glass and it’s nestled into the side of the mountain.

“That’s not a house that’s a fortress, papa,” he says as his eyes take in its splendor.

I pull into the garage that is carved into the mountain and once the door is closed tight my car’s doors unlock. 

“That’s another security feature Max, the doors and elevator will not operate until the garage door closes tight and triggers the catch the unlocks the car doors and allows the elevator to open only. 

We enter the elevator and I step up to the glass panel and wait as a scan runs down the screen. I then enter a code that is changed daily and then the elevator closes and begins to rise.

“Now Marc is supposed to be upstairs in bed resting. But knowing him, he could be anywhere but bed because he’s to restless to be in bed.”

“If he’s recovering from surgery shouldn’t he be made to stay in bed?”

“You may know that and I may know that but trying to convince him of it is another story.”

We roam through the upstairs and he is no where to be found and now I’m becoming alarmed. I pull out my phone and I call him only to discover that his phone is sitting on the table beside the bed. I’m about to leave the room when he comes waltzing into the room naked and eating a gigantic sandwich. He freezes in mid bite when he sees me and Max standing there.

“What the fuck Beau, you could have given me a heads up that you were coming home and bringing our son with you,” he snaps and finishes his bite.

I hurry to turn Max around who is now clinging to my waist tightly. I give Marc my most angry look as I usher Max from the room and I can feel him trembling as I lead him across the hall to a guest room.

“I will be right back Max,”. I tell him and march across the hall to our bedroom. 

Marc is now sitting on the end of the bed, still naked and devouring his sandwich. I snatch what’s left of it and toss it in the trash.

“Hey, I was eating that,” he growls at me.

“That sandwich is not on your diet Marc and you know it. I would also appreciate it if you would please put on some clothes. We have a very traumatized young boy staying with us and the last thing he needs to see is you naked. He was trembling when I lead him from the room. I can only imagine what he’s been through since he was abducted by those people.”

“I would have been dressed if you would have called me and told me that you were bringing him home with you.”

“I did call you but you evidently were to busy stuffing your face because your phone is over there,” I point to the phone sitting on the nightstand. “I left you a very detailed message that you evidently didn’t bother to listen to. Now get dressed and come meet Max,” I tell him.

“I return to the room where Max is and he’s not there. I begin searching for him and finally find him huddled up tightly in the corner of the closet shaking and crying.

“Oh sweetie, I’m sorry that you had to see him like that. He’s usually dressed and very quiet but we caught him off guard,” I tell him as Marc enters the closet behind me.

“Hey kiddo come give me a hug,” Marc says squatting down to Max’s level.

Max begins screaming and his arms are thrashing about as Marc begins to move closer to him.

“He’s one of the bad men papa that rents me out for sex,” he says and hides himself behind my back placing me between him and Marc.

To be continued...