Field of Blooms: The Beginning Ch. 08

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It was unusually cold for that time of the year, making the two-mile walk home seem even longer, dripping in sweat Austin was chilled to the bone. Upon arriving home, he ran up to his room and yanked the drawer to his nightstand open, and fumbled for his anxiety medication. Suddenly, Austin realized he had left his bag in Tyler's car and cursed aloud. Pulling out his phone he sent Tyler a text: "I'm coming for my bag. Leave it outside, I do NOT want to see your lying-ass face!"

Without changing his clothes, he grabbed his keys, got in his car, and headed toward Tyler's house. As he approached the house, he could see the flashing of emergency lights and vehicles park along the drive. His heart began to race as he stopped the car. Approaching the house, he was stopped by a police officer.

"I'm sorry, Sir, you can't go in."

"What? Why?! What is going on?!" Austin's breath caught as his heart was starting to beat out of his chest.

"Are you family?" The officer questioned.

"I'm Tyler's boyfriend!" Austin tried to look over the officer's shoulder.

"I'm sorry unless you are family you cannot cross the tape."

Just then Austin looked down and noticed the yellow crime scene tape, "What the fuck is going on?!" Austin screamed as he tried to push past and go around.

Just then Detective Maze walked over, "Austin Montgomery?"

"Yes, Detective Maze? What are you doing here? What the hell happened?" Austin questioned as his panic deepened.

Maze motioned for the officer to let Austin pass. Austin almost ran through the tape trying to get to Maze.

"Austin, I need you to listen to me very carefully. First, though, I think we should sit in my car."

"No! Just tell me what the fuck is going on," Austin was trembling and could hardly get the words out.

Putting his hand on Austin's shoulder, "Austin, there is no easy way to tell you this. Unfortunately, Tyler was assaulted tonight. I'm very sorry, he didn't make it."

"What? What do you mean he didn't make it?" Then, suddenly understanding those words, Austin gasped and tears streamed down his cheeks, "That can't be true. I-I was just with him thirty minutes ago." Austin, so overcome with emotion, suddenly felt light-headed and his body began to wobble. Detective Maze caught him just as he began to sway.

"I'm sorry, Austin, it is true."

"No, NO! It is not true. This is just a cruel fucking joke! This is nothing but a bad fucking dream! Wake up Austin, wake the fuck up!" Austin sobbed, "I want to see him!"

"I can't let you do that, Austin. It's an active crime scene, you can't go in there."

Just then Austin saw the paramedics wheeling out a stretcher. A white sheet soaked in blood covered what Austin knew was a body, in that gut-wrenching moment he realized it was Tyler. His mind could not comprehend what his eyes were seeing. He saw Aaron step through the front door and their eyes locked. Aaron walked over and threw his arms around Austin.

"Aaron, please tell me this is not real, please!" Austin wept, inconsolably.

"Austin....." Aaron started to cry, "I'm sorry Austin, I'm so sorry."

"This can't be true!" Austin yelled as he started to fall to the ground. Aaron quickly grabbed Austin and held him up.

Austin kept repeating, "This is not real; this is a dream. This can't be true; this is just a dream!"

Lights flashed, and the siren of the ambulance wailed as it pulled out of the driveway. This was the second time Austin had seen Tyler being carried away by one, but this time Tyler was not coming back. His eyes were a blur from tears that had filled them. He did not hear Aaron calling his name the first few times. It wasn't until a hand was placed on his shoulder that, he realized someone was talking to him.

"Austin, you should call your parents. You need to tell them where you are so they can come get you."

"I-I can drive myself home," Austin assured him.

"No, absolutely not, you will not drive anywhere. Call your parents now!" Aaron did not mean to sound as forceful as he did, but he knew he had to get through to Austin.

Trembling, Austin pulled out his phone but his hands shook so bad he could not dial the number.

"Here, let me call them for you," Aaron gently took the phone. "What is the number to the plastic factory?"

Before he dialed the number he asked if Austin wanted him to talk to his parents.

"Please," was all Austin could manage to say.

Aaron dialed the number of the plastic factory where Austin's parents worked. He told the operator it was an emergency and he needed to speak to the Montgomerys right away. A few minutes passed before Mr. Montgomery picked up the line.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Montgomery, this is Aaron, Tyler's older brother."

"What's wrong? Did something happen to Austin?" His father was concerned.

"Sir, Tyler was assaulted tonight. Austin is safe but I need you to come here right away. Austin is going to need both of you."

"We are on our way! Tell Austin to stay there until we arrive."

Thirty minutes passed before Austin's parents came running up the driveway. A police officer ushered them to one of the patrol cars where Austin was sitting. When his mother opened the door, Austin looked at her with bloodshot eyes and a tear-stained face.

"Austin, what happened?!"

"Tyler is dead... No one will tell me anything more..." Austin hiccupped.

"Come on Austin, we are taking you home," She held out a hand for him.

"I don't want to leave, mom."

"I understand Austin but there is nothing you can do here. You need to come home with us and let the police do their job. Please Austin."

"I don't want to leave, I can't."

"Darlin," She placed a hand on either side of his face and gently wiped the tears, "There is nothing you can do here. Give me your keys and your father will follow us home."

Austin handed his keys to his father and got in the Ford Explorer with his mother. He did not speak a word the entire ride and when they arrived, he went straight to his room and locked the door.

"What the hell happened?" Joan asked as Mark walked in the back door.

Mark rubbed his forehead, "No one would tell me anything and I did not want to ask Aaron. I overheard some of the officers talking about Tyler being stabbed, but that was all I could get."

"What are we going to tell Austin?"

"Nothing for now. We don't know the whole story and I think the best thing we can do is let Austin be."

*******

Austin's mind was so completely drained that when he lay on his bed, he passed out and did not wake until morning. When he opened his eyes, he thought everything had been a horrible nightmare until he realized he was still wearing the tux. Then, everything became reality, and anguish flooded his mind and body. Without getting changed, Austin left his room and went downstairs to the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of sweet tea and walked to the back porch where he sat on the sofa, staring off into nothing. Moments later his mother walked out and sat beside him. She leaned over and pulled Austin into a hug without speaking a word. She knew in a moment like this there was nothing anyone could say. She expected Austin to start crying but to her surprise, he didn't.

"Mom, I need to tell you something," Austin said as he broke the hug.

"You can tell me anything, you know that honey."

"Tyler... He was one of the guys who attacked me last summer."

"What did you just say?" Joan wasn't sure she heard him correctly.

"Last night after the prom, Tyler told me that he was one of the guys who attacked me. We had a huge fight, and I said some horrible things to him, mom," Austin's voice choked.

She was still trying to wrap her mind around the first part of what Austin said, but she decided to wait on asking more, "I'm sure he knew you didn't mean what you said to him."

"I told him that I hated him and that everything was a lie. Mom, I punched him in the face! I never meant to hurt him, and now I can never tell him I'm sorry!" Austin started to sob again.

His mother pulled him back into her arms, holding him close, "Austin, I'm sure he knew that you were hurt and angry. He probably expected you to react the way you did." She slowly started to rock him back and forth, just as she did when Austin was a child, to help calm him. "What else did he say?"

"He told me that David, James, and Jennifer were there and that it was all her idea."

"We will go to the police station later and you can tell them everything while it's fresh in your mind. Right now, I want you to take your medicine. Then, go take a long bath and soak in the tub to try and calm down."

"I left my bag in Tyler's car," Austin wiped his eyes.

"The police gave it to your father last night. Here, I brought it out with me."

She handed him the bag, and he dug out his medication and took some before he went upstairs to take a bath. While he was in the tub his parents discussed taking him to the police so he could give a statement of what Tyler told him. While they were talking, a silver Mercedes S-Class pulled up their driveway and the Stetsers stepped out. Joan and Mark were surprised to see them but graciously welcomed the grieving family.

"Can I get anyone some coffee or something to eat?" Joan asked as it was clear that none of them had slept the night before.

"Coffee would be wonderful," Mrs. Stetser replied.

"We wanted to come over and see how Austin is doing." Mr. Stetser offered.

"That is very nice of you but with everything you are dealing with you didn't have to," Mark assured.

"We know, but we also know how close those boys were and we wanted Austin to hear what happened from us."

Everyone in the room felt the weight of heavy emotions. When Austin had finished his bath and came back down, he was shocked to see Tyler's family sitting at the kitchen table with his parents. It had been less than twenty-four hours since they had all been together, in the living room laughing and taking prom pictures.

"Austin, we wanted to see how you are holding up," Aaron asked as he looked into Austin's eyes.

"I don't know. Nothing seems real to me anymore. I feel like I'm in the middle of a fog, and can't find my way out."

"We completely understand. We also wanted you to hear from us about what happened. Please, if you will sit with us, we'd like to tell you what we know."

Joan wrapped her arm around Austin and said, "Come on, let's all go into the living room."

After the Stetsers were seated, Austin walked over and sat on the sofa across from them.

"How much do you want to know?" Aaron asked.

"Please, everything." Austin's eyes watered as he said, "I need to hear everything."

"Okay, last night I was home in my room when I thought I heard shouting downstairs. I wasn't sure at first, but then I saw a car racing out of the driveway, so I went down to see what was going on. When I entered the kitchen, I saw Tyler laying on the floor with a knife stuck in his chest. I wanted to try and take it out but remembered a buddy of mine who's a medic had said to never remove a foreign object in a situation like that. I held him as I called the police and then waited for them to arrive. I tried my best to help save him but his wounds were too severe," Aaron choked. "He was able to say he had written you a letter and asked me to give it to you." Aaron wiped the tears from his eyes as he pulled the letter from his jacket pocket, "The last thing he said to me was to tell you he loved you, and that he was so very sorry for all the wrong he had done." Aaron reached over and handed the letter to Austin.

Aaron choked back more tears as he apologized for the bloody fingerprints on the letter, "I wanted to be sure to get the letter before the police arrived and took it into evidence."

"But..." Austin gazed at him, his own eyes brimming with tears.

"No, Austin, that's not why. I just wanted to be sure that you were the first to read it."

"I..."

"I know, Austin. He wanted to be certain that you knew how much he loved you and that what happened was the biggest mistake of his life."

Trembling Austin held the letter in his hands as he examined the bloody fingerprints, he knew it was Tyler's blood.

"If it's okay, I will read this later," Austin said still gazing at the letter.

"It is yours to read and do with as you want. No one has seen what he wrote to you," Aaron assured.

Everyone talked for a few minutes longer before the Stetsers said they had some things to take care of. They did not mention what but everyone knew it was funeral preparations. As they walked out the door, Austin quickly followed after them.

"If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know," Austin offered as he gave all three of them a hug.

He walked back inside and told his parents he wanted to be alone for a while. They told him that if he needed anything to let them know. Back upstairs, Austin walked into his room, shut the door, and locked it before he sat on his bed. He placed the letter in front of him and debated on reading it. After a few minutes of looking at the envelope, Austin turned it over and slid his finger across the back. Slowly, he pulled the letter out and started to unfold it. He noticed there was something at the bottom of the envelope. When he looked inside, he saw his half of the necklace Tyler had given him that night in the Poconos. Slowly he pulled it out and brought it up to his lips. Then, taking a deep breath, he started to read.

Dear Austin,

I cannot put into words how I truly feel about you. You have brought out feelings in me that I never knew existed. For many years, I fought with who my true self was. I never imagined a guy as wonderful as you would have awakened such feelings in my heart. Thanks to you, I can proudly say I am gay and I have no regrets about it. I will forever be grateful for everything you have done for me, and for that, I owe you, my life. There are things I need to tell you, things that I have been hiding from you. I pray that one day you can find it in your heart to forgive me. Please, I beg you, read all of this before you tear it to shreds.

That night you were attacked, I was one of the guys there. So were David, James, and of course, Jennifer. She planned to scare you away from Eric but things got out of control, and you got attacked. I watched as David and James dragged you into the woods. I knew it was wrong, and I should have stopped it from happening, but I didn't and I let them beat the shit out of you. I was frozen in fear knowing that if I crossed Jennifer, she would reveal a deep secret she was holding over me. A few years ago, at summer camp there was this gay kid who was flirting with me. I liked it, I liked it a lot, but I was still fighting with my sexuality and it got the better of me. I agreed to meet him for a midnight hook-up, but when he decided to try and do more, I lost my mind and started fighting him. Sadly, he slipped on the wet grass and fell down the cliffside. I found out later he was paralyzed from the waist down. He never told anyone that it was me, but Jennifer had seen everything and threatened to tell everyone. I swore then I would do anything for her if she kept that secret. But now, I don't care if she tells. I cannot hide the truth from you anymore, and I am going to the police to confess everything about that night. You never deserved that, and I will never forgive myself for standing by and not stopping it.

This time we have spent together has been the best of my life. You have shown me what true love is and how to give my heart to another person. I will always remember how much fun we had at the Christmas party and the joy I felt watching you sing along to the Christmas music. You have a beautiful voice Austin and I hope you do great things with your incredible gift. I will always remember the time we spent in California relaxing on the sand and swimming in the ocean. The way you stepped in and saved my cousin's wedding by playing the piano, you truly are an amazing person Austin, never let anyone tell you or treat you any differently. The happiest memory I have is the first time you curled up in my arms and fell asleep. That night I laid awake just listening to your soft breathing and feeling your chest slowly rise and fall as you slept in my arms. The thing I look forward to the most is going to prom with you. I will make sure it will be the best night of your life! After prom, I will turn myself in to the police and confess everything I have done and who was involved. I know I must face the consequences of my actions and will take my punishment. You do not need to suffer anymore wondering what happened that night and who did it. By the time you get this letter, I will have already turned myself in. I wanted to tell you all this before you heard it from the police. I pray that someday you will forgive me for not telling the truth sooner. I do not deserve your forgiveness and if you never do, I will understand. Just remember, I will always love you, and thank you for showing me what true love really is. You, Austin, have truly been the best part of me. You will forever hold the key to my heart. I love you now, tomorrow, and forever.

Love always,

Tyler Michael Stetser

Thank you for reading chapter 8 of Field of Blooms: Confessions. This was a very hard chapter for me to write and it might have been hard for some to read. I hope you have enjoyed this chapter even with the unexpected ending. Please keep an eye out for the next chapter of Field of Blooms: Broken...