CHAPTER NINE - FORGOTTEN ARRANGEMENT
The door buzzed again and Brian fiddled with the lock on the door and yanked it open, his hands still clammy with nervous sweat.
Nick was standing on the doorstep, just as he had been when Brian had peered through the peephole in the door. His blond friend grinned as Brian finally appeared. “It took you long enough!” he complained.
“Sorry,” Brian apologised. “Was… in the bathroom.”
“Well anyway, hi!”
He was in a cheerful mood, a very cheerful mood form the look on his face and the shine within his eyes. Sleep seemed to have erased the night from his mind, but it would take more than that to make Brian forget. B had come so close to death on those streets and that would haunt him for a long time to come.
“You gonna let me in then?” Nick asked, titling his head.
“Uh, sure,” Brian replied as he shook himself out of his thoughts. “Sure, come in.” He stood aside and watched as Nick swept by, breathing a sigh of relief as he did. He would rather have Nick here than some malicious Gerai monster intent upon killing his son.
But of course it would have been Nick at the door. He had said that he would call round this morning and Brian had been idiot to forget about this and let B’s fear take hold of him.
“Do you want a drink or anything?” Brian asked as he picked the breakfast tray up to carry into the kitchen, careful not to let Nick see that there were two plates upon him. It would only give Nick cause to jump to all kinds of suggestions.
“Yes please,” Nick said. “Um, you got any food? I missed breakfast at the hotel.”
“Sure it is,” Brian replied, although he wanted Nick’s stay to be as short as possible. It really would not do for Nick to run into B. One small meeting between the two was sure not to upset the future as Nick wouldn’t possibly match the B he had seen grow up to the boy he had rescued in the alleyway. However it might be a bit much if Nick found the same boy in Brian’s house.
Nick sighed as he sat down upon one of the wooden chairs around the table in the kitchen and stretched his arms out behind his head as he yawned. “I tell you, I’m glad I’ll be home soon. No offence to you because I know it would be cool if I stayed a little longer but I’ve done a few too many shows recently and I’m tired. I just want to go home now.”
“I’m not surprised,” Brian said as he handed Nick a mug. “Why don’t you get yourself a drink? What do you want for breakfast?”
“Hey, do I smell pancakes?” Nick asked hopefully, his eyes drifting towards the frying pan.
“There’s some mix left if you want it,” Brian said. “But you can cook ‘em.”
“Fair deal!” Nick said, leaping to his feet and diving for the pancake batter.
Brian slowly backed away to the door, pleased to see that there was some distraction for Nick. He needed to go up and make sure that B kept out of the way, and he also wanted to reassure him after the brief panic attack he had suffered before.
“You want some?” Nick asked as he turned to face Brian.
“No, I’m fine. I’m just going to the bathroom, I’ll be back in a moment.”
“Okay.” Nick was oblivious to the true situation as he turned back to making his own set of pancakes.
Brian slipped out of the kitchen and quickly made his way upstairs towards his room where B still was.
“B?” he whispered as he crept into the room.
B was still sat in bed, his eyes wide and nervous as he clutched the bowl of untouched strawberries in his hands. “Hey,” he said gently.
“It’s all right, it was only Nick.”
“And now I feel really stupid. I’m just paranoid,” B mumbled.
Poor thing… He really wasn’t having a good life at the moment. Brian sighed and sat down on the bed next to him as he slipped an arm comfortingly about B’s shoulders.
“No you’re not. If there is someone after you I would rather you told me so that we can prepare for that possibility. From now on, I’ll be real careful when I open the door to people, okay?”
“He might not even be here,” B said. “All I know was that he followed me to the time machine after I got away from him the first time and it would be easy fro him to track me.”
“But does he know where I live?”
B shook his head. “I doubt it. But it wouldn’t be hard for him to find out. It was somebody I thought was my friend and they know that your house will be the first place I head.”
“We’ll just have to be careful then.”
“I’m sorry.”
Sorry? B didn’t have to be sorry for anything at all. The boy seemed to have no idea how happy he had made Brian by coming here. “You’re not a pain, okay? I don’t care if there’s someone after you, I love having you here and I would rather you be here then anywhere else.”
“Thanks.”
“Now, Nick will be gone soon so just be quiet up here until then, okay?”
“Okay… um, you better hide his jacket too.”
“His jacket?” Brian asked, his brow furrowing slightly.
“The black, leather coat I had on last night. Nick gave it to me. He might recognise it. I think it’s still in your lounge.”
Nick gave B his jacket? Brian really would owe him for this one…
“Okay. Back later. You stay here and eat the strawberries.”
B nodded, but he still did not look happy enough to begin gobbling through the bright red berries again. Brian would have to be especially careful if B had become this nervous and it was the last thing he needed when he was ill.
He quietly closed the door behind him to safely seal B away and then hurried into the lounge room. His eyes scanned the place until he located the ragged cloth and the jacket B had been wearing. He bit his lip as he heard Nick half singing in the kitchen and buried them beneath a cushion on the couch. He patted Tyke on the head and then returned to the kitchen where Nick now was seated at the table with a huge stack of pancakes before him.
“Sure you don’t want one?” Nick asked in between mouthfuls.
“Positive. I already ate,” Brian said as he piled the used plates into the sink for washing.
“Okay, more for me!”
“What time you gotta head off?” Brian asked casually, trying not to make it obvious that this really wasn’t the best time for one of Nick’s visits.
Nick snorted. “I’ve only just got here and you’re already trying to get rid of me!”
“No, I’m not! I was just asking!” Brian protested, turning away as his face reddened from being caught out.
“You got a girl you’re hiding from me or something?” Nick asked smiling slightly.
A girl? Ha! Far from it…
“No…like I say, I was just wondering how much time we had to catch up.” Hat should put him off the scent.
Nick glanced down at his watch and bit his lip as he thought for a brief moment. “Maybe an hour. I don’t want to be leaving too late.”
“All right.” An hour. A lot could happen in an hour…
“I still can’t stop thinking about that poor kid,” Nick said as he twirled a piece of pancake on his fork. “I wonder if he found somewhere warm to sleep last night. He wouldn’t have survived in the storm.”
A chill soaked into Brian’s veins at the harsh words. His little B could have been stone dead in an alley this morning. He would be indebted to Nick forever for this and his friend would never know how grateful he was…
“I’m sure he’s fine. You said he looked happier when you dropped him off.”
“Yeah, I hope he’s with his dad,” Nick said as he swallowed a lump of pancake. “Makes you wonder what irresponsible jerk let him go in the first place. I’m telling you, that kid did not belong in the streets.”
‘Tell me about it,’ Brian said to himself. How could Sammy have let B go like this? But Sammy didn’t know did he because B had only left a note…. He would be worried sick and probably in tears with concern. Brian prayed that B was right and that Sammy would figure out where he had come to.
“Who knows?” Brian said, gritting his teeth slightly to prevent him spilling everything out to Nick like he wanted to. He had a feeling that something very bad wad going to happen with a possible Gerai hunter in this time and he might need an ally to keep B safe…
Why did he have an ominous feeling about this? Why was there a cold, sick feeling within him whenever he thought about what was going to happen? But it was also mingled with the overflowing joy about being able to do the impossible; to see B again and to be able to be a father to him.
“I just hope he’s okay,” Nick said softly.
“I’m sure he is,” Brian said, whishing he could reassure his friend by telling him about B. Nick was clearly upset about it and Brian knew that it would haunt him for a while… “I’ll keep a look out for him and I’ll call you when I have some news.”
Nick nodded and silently finished the rest of his pancakes and downed the orange juice he had poured for himself.
“What’s the tour been like then?” Brian asked, wanting to distract his friend.
Nick’s eyes brightened as one of his favourite subjects was introduced and he immediately set about telling Brian everything he had learned and everything he wanted to do for the next Backstreet Boys album. All the time, Brian found his eyes drifting towards the clock, willing the minutes away so that he could check on B again.
Finally Nick seemed to notice the time and the one and a half hours he had just spent talking to Brian about anything and nothing. “Guess I better go soon. Can I just use your bathroom?”
“I’d rather you use it then wet yourself!” Brian replied as he finally was allowed to speak without being overpowered by Nick’s chattery voice.
Nick stuck his tongue out and then headed for the stairs…
************************
B sat up in bed cradling the bowl of strawberries as he weakly nibbled upon one of them. His appetite and happiness at being with Brian had soon dissolved with the fear. He had been stupid to come here, anything could happen to Brian or to Sammy…
Sammy… he hadn’t actually seen Sammy or heard anything from him since his arrival, but he lives here didn’t he? Where was he? A sudden freezing pain seemed to burst open within him as he realised that he could be in danger to. A little boy was so vulnerable…
B swallowed the strawberry with the lump in his throat. He had been wrong to come here. Now he had brought danger to Brian, Sammy and the time line. What he did now could affect his own time and make things even more disastrous than they already where.
He stared at the window to his right and the streams of bright sunlight that flowed into the room. It had all seemed so simple in his own time, but now it wasn’t. He had thought that this Brian could make everything all right for him and shield B from the harsh reality he so desperately wanted to hide from.
He was a nuisance here though. He was a danger to everyone. If the Gerai hunter had followed him here, and B was almost certain that he had, then he could easily cause destructive effects upon the lives of Brian and the others. Why hadn’t he thought of all this before?
He placed the bowl upon the bedside table and then buried his head in his arms as he felt the humiliating tears gain control of his eyes. He wasn’t a kid anymore. He shouldn’t be crying, so why did the tears always come? Why hadn’t he ever grown up like Sammy had done? And why did his world always come crashing in about his head and destroying his dreams?
Suddenly he heard a faint tapping at the door. He head jerked up and he quickly wiped his eyes free from betraying wet eyes with his hands as the tapping increased to a frantic scrabbling. He frowned slightly, knowing that it wasn’t Brian and his heart began to lurch at the unusual sound. There was another tap and this time he heard the door rattle slightly on its hinges. B instinctively pulled the duvet tighter, as if to try and hide in the thick covers for protection.
From downstairs he heard the laughter of Nick so it couldn’t be him…
There was another tap and the door opened slightly before Tyke squeezed his head through the crack, his ears pricking up at the sight of B.
“Tyke!” B hissed. “You scared me!”
Tyke pushed through the door and trotted up to the bed, his tail wagging happily as he sat down beside the bed staring up at him. B stretched his arms down and leaned out to scoop Tyke into his hands, smiling as the dog did not try to run away again or struggle.
He pulled Tyke into bed with him and cuddled him close in place of the hot water bottle, which he still didn’t have, and felt the reassuring rising of the ribs as the dog breathed. Somehow it was soothing as he stroked him, enjoying the light fur beneath his fingers.
There was a sudden creak form the staircase. Tyke’s ears pricked up again and then there was the unmistakable sound of footsteps clumping up the stairs. Tyke gave a low growl and he tensed in B’s arms as he stared intently at the landing beyond the door.
Nick. It had to be.
B’s eyes drifted over to the wide-open bedroom door. Nick couldn’t not see him when he came up the stairs. He quickly released Tyke, who perched on the edge of the bed, still waiting or Nick to appear.
On tip toes B crept towards the door and then he pushed it shut, his heart beginning to beat wildly inside of him as he heard Nick reach the top of the stairs.
* * * * * * * * *
Nick froze and his heads turned as he heard the door slam. His face creased in confusion and he glanced downstairs to where he could still hear Brian clearing up in the kitchen. He stared at the door at the end of the landing, which he knew led to Brian’s bedroom. He didn’t really have a girl in there did he?
“Hello?” Nick called. He bit his lip slightly. He’d been here late last night and he was certain there had been no one here then… so who was it?
He crept closer to the door and listened for a moment, but there was nothing. He turned back to the stairs wondering if he should call Brian, but it could be anyone in here. It could be someone dangerous for all Nick knew…
He placed his hand on the door handle and slowly pressed down on it and the door swung open to reveal Brian’s bedroom.
“Tyke!” Nick said in exasperation as he saw the little dog lying lazily upon the empty bed. The ears pricked up and he giving a warning growl as Nick came closer. “Yeah, I know you don’t like me but I don’t think even Brian lets you sleep on his bed when he’s not around. Come here.1 He extended his hands to the dog, but Tyke growled again, bearing his teeth in case Nick dared tried to come any closer. “What is it about me you don’t like, huh? Tyke, go on!” He pointed to the door, but Tyke refused to take his eyes away from Nick’s first. “Tyke, go get Brian,” Nick tried.
Tyke snorted at him and finally leapt off the bed and trotted towards the door. From downstairs he heard the sound of his master moving about and his tail began to wag as he dashed along the landing and down the stairs to find him.
Nick breathed a sigh of relief, glad not to have lost any fingers in sorting that mystery out. He headed for the door but stopped as he a slight sound distracted him. He spun around and his eyes sort to discover the source as they darted about the rectangular room. He shrugged as he saw nothing and then closed the door behind him as he left.
***********************
B finally allowed himself to breathe as he heard the door close. He slowly rose his head above the side of the bed he had been hiding behind, hardly daring to believe that Nick hadn’t seen him. Thank God for Tyke’s growls of dislike that stopped Nick from coming closer. He would surely have realised that someone else was in the room if he had stayed for much longer, especially with B’s throat dying for relief from the tickly cough that assaulted it.
He crawled back onto the bed with the strawberry bowl, his back aching after lying on the hard floor with tense muscles. He would never know how he had managed to pull this one off…
***************************
Brian looked up from cuddling Tyke as he heard Nick’s clumsy footsteps coming down the stairs. His friend yawned as he entered the room and sat down on the couch rubbing his eyes. Brian froze as he saw the sleeve of the leather jacket slip from beneath the cushion. He bit his lip nervously, cursing himself for being so stupid in hiding it.
Tyke was in your room,” Nick said, smiling as he saw Brian curled up with the little dog. “He looked like he was going to eat me.”
His room? What! Nick was in there! What about B?!
“He wouldn’t do that,” Brian said, his voice dry and resembling that of a frog’s. He could feel himself trembling and Tyke was beginning to wriggle in his arms, uncomfortable with his master’s jitters.
“Yeah he would. He hates me!” Nick laughed.
Brian counted each individual, frantic beating of his heart and the dampness trickled beneath his arms as the desperation took hold of him. Had Nick seen B?
Nick sighed and glanced at his watch. “Well Brian buddy, I’m sorry but I’ll have to abandon you now. I really can’t stay any longer. I’ll call you when I get back shall I?”
Brian gulped. Why wasn’t Nick saying anything about B? “Sure.”
“You all right? You sound like you have a cold or something,” Nick said, frowning in concern.
“I – I’m fine,” Brian whispered.
Nick stood up, but he still looked uncertain as he glanced over at Brian. “Maybe you should get some sleep.”
“Yeah.” He felt like a mouse, his voice was so tiny. All his thoughts were blinded with B. Why wasn’t he in his room?
He slowly stood up to see Nick out, but his legs were weak and almost useless as they awkwardly carried him to the door. Nick began to blabber on about how he would see him soon and then he pulled Brian into a tight embrace like he always did when they said goodbye for a long period of time.
“Brian, have you looked into that lost kid yet?” Nick asked, his eyes at once becoming melancholy.
If only Brian could tell him… but he couldn’t risk the timeline like that. Poor Nick was so worried about him as well.
“Not yet,” he said. “But I’m going to ask around today.”
“All right then. See ya Brian.”
“Bye Nick.”
“You really don’t sound well. Maybe you should go back to bed.”
Brian gulped and feigned a smile, but his eyes unconsciously drifted up the stairs and wondered where B had gotten too. “I might do that.”
“Good. Bye!”
Brian watched Nick clamber into his car and he waved before shutting and locking the front door. He breathed a sigh of relief, glad that Nick was finally out of the way and unable to unknowingly cause any trouble.
He glanced up the stairs and then began to dash up them urgently. “B!” he called. “B!”
“I’m here,” B said from the doorway of Brian’s room as he leaned against the doorframe. “Don’t worry he didn’t see me. I was hiding when he came in.”
“I was worried you’d disappeared or something,” Brian said as he pulled his son into his arms. “Are you all right?”
“Why shouldn’t I be?” B replied faintly.
“Well, you were real scared when the door rang…” He reflected on the pale tint that had invaded Bs usually rosy cheeks and the stain of fear that had tainted his green eye. He took a deep breath, knowing that there would be no more distractions for now. “B, what is it that you’re so scared about? Why are the Gerai after you again?”