New Life Ch. 02

"But you deserve better..."

"I have better. And when I get out of here, I'm going to try my damnedest to find my mother's family. With or without his help. Don't frown for me...I...I'm...be...I'll...fine okay be." I spoke the last and that made her smile. She kissed my forehead and hugged my neck.

"That you will be baybe," she said and patted my cheek. "Come now Byron, let he bredren come fuh he. The Italian is getting restless..."

"Of course all she care about is the Italian," said Mac with rolled eyes and I chuckled. "Aight boy, get some rest. We'll be back to sit with you tomorrow or the next day. We love you son."

"Love...later...I you see..."

"Don't worry young fella I hear you loud and clear," He said and kissed his fingers, then slapped my forehead with them. Mac hadn't done that to me in years and it made me smile. It was more affection than my father showed me.

Sure I got a hug every now and then. Maybe an "attaboy" here and there but Mac had always treated me with the same affection as he had his own son, When I spent the night I got the same grade good night kisses as Brion from his parents. Mac shouted my name at games almost as loud as his own son's. I could often hear him in the stands with a chorus of "That's my boys" and knew that he meant us and not the teams we played on. And when Brion stopped playing football our junior year I assumed Mac would stop coming to my games, an assumption that he berated me for endlessly. I guessed that's why I didn't really turn out as bad as I could have because I always had the MacIntosh's to pick up my own parents' slack.

But I couldn't think too much about that with Tyler and Gianni rushing in. They both seemed a little worse for wear. Tyler seemed to actually look his age for once and Gianni looked disheveled. I smiled and waved at them as they came in and that seemed to loosen them up a little. They didn't talk much until Chrissy came in to check on me and caught Gianni's attention. He tried to hide his eyes following her around the room but Tyler and I caught it. He glanced at me as she said her goodbyes and Gianni told her thank you for taking such good care of me. Tyler and I burst out laughing.

"What?"

Tyler shook his head but I started scribbling immediately and when I was done I slid the pad over to him. "Keep it in your pants bud. I don't need you ruining my excellent care with that mojo of yours."

"How you know it can't get better big fella," Gianni said and gave me a little shove about my shoulder and I winced. He recoiled a little and started apologizing but I waved him off. "So I hear you got a boyfriend..."

"Awwww," Tyler chimed in with a chuckle. "Who didn't see that coming?"

"I know right..."

"Don't...shut...I up...not..." I gave up and wrote down, " Shut up. And don't call him that. It's so high school."

"Would you rather I call him your boo..."

"Your main squeeze..."

"Or maybe sweet meat..."

"That...is...That it is," I said and was a little surprised it came out so easily. After the initial shock they both burst out laughing. I chose to continue my thoughts on paper though. "I didn't see it and I can't say how long it might last but for now that's where we at right now."

"He already asked me to help make his place more accessible in case...well its..."

"Walk...maybe..." I cut Tyler off figuring if I said it, he might be able to move on. I figured right.

"Yeah," He said with a chuckle and patted my shoulder. "Maybe widen some doorways, lower the countertops. But I told him we should wait until we know for sure what you'll be able to do. No sense preparing for something that might not be...Don't look at me like that big fella. I mean you not being able to walk not you moving out. I knew that was in the works well before he told me he was gonna ask you. It's the natural order of things."

"Don't worry Ty," Gianni said with false tears. "I'll never leave you."

"Unfortunately I know," was Tyler's comeback for that and Gianni scoffed.

"I just don't want you to be lonely old man."

"Who says I'm lonely. Just cause I don't bring home randoms, don't mean I don't have a friend or two."

"Out...you holding," I managed to say and with very little effort. The way they laughed I didn't think I needed to clarify.

"Guys in my demographic don't care to know that I'm living with two hard bodies. One of whom I shared a little something with not too long ago," he said with a wink at me and I rolled my eyes.

"But he has a boyfriend now and you're like my dad. Ewwww," Gianni said and I nodded. We both looked at him, waiting for him to divulge who he might have been seeing, if anybody.

"Hey now we posed to be here for Neville..."

"Waiting...Here," I said and he shook his head.

"You guys are the worst, you know that," he said, already starting to blush. Tyler looked from me to Gianni and back again, shook his head. "Remember the high rise we did right before all this," he asked me and I nodded. "Remember the owner..."

"Gross," I said of the sickly 80 year old man. My reaction wasn't about him but the idea of Tyler doing anything other than accepting his check, but he laughed anyway.

"Not him his son, nimrod. Dad owns the building but the son manages it. A graphic designer. He's 37, got an adorable 10 year old daughter with a friend of his who wanted a baby but didn't much care to have a husband. He's a good guy, smart, not my usual type but I'm liking where it's going so far," He said with a shrug but the look on his face was dreamy to say the least. And it wasn't lost on Gianni.

"Guess now I gotta settle down too huh," he said and made a gagging sound.

"Fly pigs can," I said and they both laughed.

"Yeah that's about right big fella," Tyler said and bumped my fist with his.

"Fuck both you guys. You don't know my life," Gianni said but he couldn't keep his face straight long enough for us to believe him. "Whatever dude, I'm out of here. Let me know when you can eat big fella, I'll bring you all the shrimp tacos you can put down."

"Mmmmm."

"Yeah I thought you might like that," he said with a pat to my stomach. He leaned in and tried to kiss me but I shoved his face away. It wasn't the first time we'd had such an exchange and he laughed. "Just checking."

"Enough out," I said and he flipped me the bird on his way out the door. Tyler stuck around a few more minutes. There were tears in his eyes as he looked at me and I reached to take his hand.

"You shouldn't be the one comforting me," he said with a smirk and I shrugged. "This is a shitty thing that happened to you Neville. I want you to know my promise still stands. Whatever you need, anything just ask. Your job is waiting for you when you ready. Even if you can't swing a hammer, your vision is still intact. Perks of being the boss, I can adjust job descriptions," he said and I let out a little laugh that ended in a yawn. "Get some rest chief. Won't be long before you back on track."

"Hope," was all I could say. I could barely keep my eyes open. I was asleep before he said goodbye but I heard it. Chrissy came back in after a while, I heard her moving around quietly around me. The tug at my neck opened my eyes and I shift them over to her. She smiled when she saw me.

"Silly me thinking I could do this without waking you. You don't need the line in your neck anymore. I figured I'd jump in while there was a lull in the parade. I heard you in here. A regular chatty Kathy, so there shouldn't be any problems getting rid of that pad right," she asked me and I rolled my eyes. "You're doing great," she said with a chuckle and I winced as she pulled the tape away.

"Stu...tape hate," I grumbled and she laughed.

"I know it's awful right. I just think it's funny after four bullets and having to be resuscitated twice, that this is what bothers you."

"Where?"

"The one in your shoulder, and three to the back. One nicked your lung on the way out, another hit your kidney, and the last one was a little tricky. It bounced off your ribs on the way in and came out your side. It's a good thing too cause it might have came out through your belly. A smaller man might not have been able to take all that..."

"Good thing he was on top then huh," Brion said with a smirk and Chrissy blushed. I shook my head and he laughed as he came to my bedside. "What I'm saying?"

"Well that's what I was getting at but I didn't know how to say it," she said with a little giggle as she pulled off her gloves. I hadn't even realized she was done. "You guys are adorable."

"Eww," I said and shook my head. I started to grab the pen but Brion put his hand on mine.

"I think that covered it bruh," He said with a kiss to my forehead.

"What cause you're guys you can't be adorable?"

"I'm a grown ass man," Brion said and she laughed. "I ain't been adorable since 5th grade sweetheart..."

"Kissing park girls," I said and Chrissy looked to him for explanation.

"I got caught kissing girls in the playground. Tried to get my boy in on it but he was too much a gentleman. Wouldn't even look out for me. Cold blooded."

"You know, now that you're not grieving so hard...you seem like the type," Chrissy said and I nodded, offered her my fist. She bumped it with a smirk. "Don't keep him up too long. It's been a long day for him. Now if you promise not to try and get up, I'll put the rails down." She gave me a stern look, crossed her arms, and narrowed her eyes at me. I put my hand over my heart and raised the other. "And you stay out of it," she said to Brion.

"Not on the first day," he said with a chuckle as Chrissy set about unlocking the rails at the foot of the bed. To emphasize his point, Brion moved the chair closer to my bedside and put his feet up on the edge. She left the ones at the head so I could pull myself up if I needed.

"Alright I'll be back to give you the boot in a couple hours," she said as she pulled the curtain closed. She turned off the overhead light and shut the door on her way out. I'm not sure what she expected to happen but I appreciated the illusion of privacy.

It took a few changes in position but eventually Brion got to a place that was comfortable for both of us. The bed lowered and his head on my lap, he was comfortable enough to fall asleep. I missed the sound of his light snoring, the quiet mumbles he made in his sleep. The TV was on but I was more interested in watching him. It didn't last long of course. I was exhausted and as I stared at the back of his head, I drifted off.

I woke up to the sound of the door being pushed open and assumed it was Chrissy but the heavy footfalls told me it wasn't her. Boots under the curtain said it was a man and I started to think of who I hadn't seen yet. Maybe one of the guys from the crew? But the last person I ever expected came around that curtain. I watched him, wipe away tears standing tentatively just inside the curtain. It occurred to me that he might not be able to see my open eyes but I wasn't in any rush to show him otherwise. A couple inches shorter than me, but every bit as broad, at some point in his life he might have been a powerful man. Now he just looked sad, his shoulders slouched. His once muscled framed was now flabby, man boobs sagged on his chest and his belly hung over his belt. There was a time when people said I looked just like him and despite how he treated me that had given me a sense of pride. Now though, I would rather string myself up than be compared to him.

He seemed shocked when our eyes met, and I held his gaze. In my youth I couldn't stand up to those hard eyes on me, but I wasn't a kid anymore. There was a time when I would have rejoiced at the sight of him, showing up for me, but that time was long gone. I didn't need his conditional attention anymore, but I wasn't so bitter that I couldn't accept it. Especially since he was alone. I put my finger to my lips and waved him over. Brion was still sleeping soundly and I put my hand over his ear to muffle any sounds my father might make. He shift his eyes down and they bulged a little at the sight of him but he didn't retreat. That made me smile a little and so did he as he made his way to my bedside. I lifted my hand and he took it in both his, snatched it up in his vice like grip and brought it up to his face. He broke into quiet sobs, through them I heard the sounds of prayer. I'd expected some garbage about saving my eternal soul from damnation but there was none of that. Only for my recovery, and my forgiveness. By the time he was done, I was crying.

"I'll give you guys a minute," Brion said and started to get up but I grabbed a hold of his t-shirt. But my father gave voice to my protest.

"No you stay right where you at son," he said to him as he wiped his face. He hadn't let go of my hand either and when he finished wiping his own tears, he wiped mine. Planted a kiss on my forehead. "I can't say this is going to be easy for me but I have to try. I've never been a good father to you Neville and for that I'm sorry. I missed out on so much of your life believing in something when I should have been believing in you. Your mother would have had my head if she knew how far apart we've drifted. My own father was a distant presence in my life and I always promised that I wouldn't repeat the same mistakes with my own, but here I am. You know, when I married your mother he didn't even show up. Said I should have been marrying a respectable American girl, but I didn't care what he thought. Nobody loved me like she did. Didn't care how big or how black I was. To her I could do no wrong. I couldn't do no better than her and don't take that to mean I was settling. Your mother was the most beautiful woman in the world. Smart, hardworking, caring, came here on a whim when she was 16. Worked her way through nursing school all on her own and when we met she wouldn't marry me until she was done. She let me court her until she graduated though and a week later we got married. I thought I couldn't be happier until she told me she was pregnant with you.

"Then you were born and she was gone and I was beside myself. I couldn't be happy about you being here without her. As twisted as it sounds, somewhere I thought it was your fault but you was just a baby. I had the slightest idea how to take care of you but Mac and Bernie helped out a lot. And I thought I was doing something by finding a woman willing to help raise you. Ain't do nothing but push us further apart but I can't blame her. I allowed it to happen. I didn't stand up for you like I should have. I should have been there. I want to be there, regardless of how you choose to live your life. If you're happy and you not hurting yourself or nobody else, I can't be anything other than happy for you. It's going to take some getting used to but I have to try. It's been too damn long."

"She here you know," I said and Brion translated for me without missing a beat.

"Does Pru know you here Mr. Deck," he said quietly and my father laughed a little.

"You two done had one voice most of your lives so I guess I shouldn't be surprised you understand him now," he said and reached across the bed to give Brion's shoulder a pat. Neither of us were expecting it, Brion even flinched away a little bit. I suspected that the argument I overheard may have gotten physical but I left that alone for now. "But yeah, I told her. She wasn't happy about. Said I'm giving you license to sin. I told her I'm giving you license to be who you are and it ain't for me or her to judge what's in your heart. Told her if she ain't like it she can find the door...Don't look at me like that boy," he said to me and I smirked a little. She'd threatened to leave him every season for as long as I could remember but never made good on it. This was the first I heard of my father inviting her to go. "I want you around, son and I can't have her making you feel uncomfortable in your own home..."

"Me for nothing not new," I said but stopped Brion from correcting me. I could tell from the look on my father's face that he understood that just fine.

"I know, son, I know. I can't do nothing about the past but apologize and promise that I won't make those same mistakes again. I know you won't be coming over for Sunday dinners or watching the game but I'd like to be able to call you every now and then check up on..."

"Coffee," I said and he smiled.

"Sure I can still drink that."