"Coup de Foudre" 94
The Boys are back!
It's afternoon at Red Cape Comics…
By Gaedhal
Pittsburgh, July 2016
“Have they moved him yet?” asked Michael.
“This morning,” Justin replied. “But it wasn’t easy. As much as he wanted to get out of that room, when they came to get him, he caused a big stink!”
“That’s Brian to a tee!” Michael laughed.
“First, he wouldn’t get into the wheelchair,” said Justin. “He insisted that he was perfectly capable of walking over to the Rehab Unit by himself. Of course, it was pointless to tell him that every patient has to go everywhere in the wheelchair for safety reasons because he wasn’t listening.”
“So typical,” said Michael. “At least Brian Kinney is still Brian Kinney!”
“Yeah, he’s still Brian,” Justin agreed. “Stubborn as a fucking mule. Eventually Mrs. Williams and I sweet-talked him into the wheelchair and they transferred him over to Rehab. They asked me to get lost for a while so they could get him settled in. I’m in the cafeteria now, getting something to eat.”
“Justin, what you really should do is go home and get some sleep,” said Michael. “Just a sec. What can I do for you?”
“Do you have the new ‘Archie’?” The kid looked about 12, but Michael knew he was older - too fucking old for ‘Archie’!
“It’s not out yet, but there’s a new ‘Betty and Veronica.’ How about that?” Michael pointed across the store. “On the far wall with the new issues.”
“Thanks.”
“Sorry about that, Justin.”
“No problem. Busy these days?”
“It’s going okay,” said Michael. “That reminds me - I have those outlines for possible ‘Rage’ stories. I mean, if you’re still interested in doing it again. I know you’ve got a lot on your plate.”
“I know,” Justin sighed. “But it might be good to have something else to work on instead of obsessing over Brian 24/7.”
“What about work?” Michael asked, already knowing the answer.
“Cynthia put me on paid leave. That’s not what I wanted to happen, but I can’t be in the office and also over here at the same time.”
“Now that Brian’s out of the ICU, maybe it would be a good idea if you weren’t over there every minute of the day,” Michael suggested.
“But…”
“I know,” said Michael. “But listen to me… are you listening?”
“Yes,” Justin laughed. “I’m listening.”
“I remember Brian telling me that when you got out of rehab, the one thing you hated was people hovering over you - your mother, my mother, Uncle Vic, even Daphne. You hated having everyone think you couldn’t do things for yourself. I can’t remember the word Brian used… but you know what I mean, right?”
“Yeah,” Justin conceded. “I remember. Infantilizing. That was the word. People treating me like I was helpless. You’re right - I hated that.”
“Well, then remember why Brian didn’t want anyone to know he had cancer,” said Michael. “He didn’t want people treating him like he was sick, or like he was going to die. He didn’t want anyone ‘infantilizing’ him.”
“I get what you’re saying,” said Justin. “But… I promised him I wouldn’t leave him alone. I fucking promised!”
“He’s out of danger now,” Michael reminded him. “He’s awake and he’s not helpless. I’m not telling you to abandon him - I’m telling you to treat him like Brian Fucking Kinney! If anyone knows how to do that, it’s you.”
“Sometimes I wonder,” Justin returned. “If I really knew the Kinney Playbook so well I never would have left. We never would have had half the fuck-ups we did.”
“It’s not too late to read that book again,” said Michael. “Just to brush up on the details.”
“I’ll do that,” said Justin. “I better go now. Oh, and thanks, Michael - for everything.”
“Take care of Brian. And take care of yourself. And I’ll get those outlines to you.”
“Thanks.”
Michael put his phone down and breathed deeply. It looked like Brian really was going to be okay. Maybe it would take him a while to get back to normal, but Michael had no doubt that he would. Rage would fly again! Nothing could stop him! He took out his notebook and began jotting down some ideas. Rage injured and almost killed. Rage in suspended animation. But then Rage coming back - with the help of Zephyr. And the help of the resurrected J.T.
Michael was so focused on writing in his notebook that he didn’t hear the bell ring as the door opened.
“Um… excuse me…”
“Hold on a minute. I’m just finishing this…”
“Michael.”
He looked up. “Em. What are you doing here?” He couldn’t remember the last time Emmett had been in Red Cape. He also couldn’t remember the last time he’d spoken to him. Maybe at the picnic at Ma and Carl’s.
“Seeing how you are.” Emmett hesitated. “And wondering how Brian is.”
Michael immediately felt guilty. Of all the people he’d called to tell about Brian, Emmett hadn’t been on the list. In fact, he’d never even thought about calling him. That’s how far they’d drifted apart. There’d been a time when he would have called Emmett the first thing about everything in his life. Well, first thing after calling Brian.
“He’s going to be all right. I talked to Justin a few minutes ago. He’s out of Intensive Care and into the Rehab Unit. If he does well there, he might be able to go home in another week or so.”
“Good,” said Emmett. “I’m glad he’s fine.”
“Well, he’s far from fine. He almost died. He was in a goddamn induced coma.” Michael wasn’t sure why he suddenly felt angry at Emmett, but he did. Why were they so touchy with each other? And it wasn’t just about Brian. It had been that way for a long time.
“Oh,” said Emmett. “I didn’t realize how bad it was.”
“Who told you?”
“I heard it at Woody’s. From one of the bartenders.”
“Woody’s?” Michael stared. “What the fuck? What did he say?”
Emmett narrowed his eyes at Michael. “That Brian Kinney wiped out on his motorcycle and was in the hospital. I was surprised when I heard that because no one told me about it. Not you and not even Ted. I’ve left a couple of messages on Ted’s phone, but he never got back to me. So I went over to Kinnetik this morning and he wouldn’t see me. Then I tried to talk to Cynthia, but she also blew me off.”
“They’re busy at Kinnetik, Em, and they’re freaking out about Brian. I wouldn’t take it personally.”
Emmett sniffed. “I’m Brian’s friend, too! It would be nice to be informed that he’s in the fucking hospital!”
Michael felt his irritation growing. As usual, Emmett was trying to make it all about him. That was the real problem. It wasn’t about Brian at all. Brian and Emmett had never really gotten along. They were only friends - if that was even the word - because of Michael. And he knew Emmett resented the fact that he and Ted were no longer close. But Ted had a life with Blake now, just as Michael had Ben. It wasn’t their fault that Emmett was still single and desperately unhappy about it. And knowing that even Brian Kinney had a husband and a happy life out in California had made Emmett even more resentful. Em would never say that out loud, but Michael knew it was true.
“I suppose Justin has been by his side the whole time.”
“Yes, he has,” said Michael. “Brian’s lucky to have him.”
“As long as he decides to hang around,” Emmett sniped. “Little Sunshine is a bit fickle, don’t we know. It’s his history.”
“Did you get that from that kid? What’s his name? Robbie?”
“I wouldn’t know. Robbie and I didn’t do a lot of talking,” Emmett said nonchalantly. “It was just a one night thing.”
Michael rolled his eyes. “I thought he was your new boyfriend?”
Emmett curled his lip. “He’s a twink. I’ve never been interested in twinks, you know that. How can I spend my precious time with some kid who’s never heard of Barbra? Or Bette? And who really doesn’t give a shit? Although he was cute.”
“Sorry, Em.”
“No worries.” Emmett drummed his fingers on the counter, as if he were thinking about something and not certain if he wanted to say it. “Um… I heard from Drewsie yesterday.”
Okay, thought Michael. Emmett was always in a mood whenever Drew decided to talk to him. Which wasn’t a lot lately. “How’s he doing?”
“Brown Athletics dropped him,” Emmett said flatly.
“Oh.” Michael didn’t mention that Brian had already hinted as much. Drew had been retired from the Ironmen for a long time and although he still looked great, he wasn’t exactly a hot young stud.
“That means he won’t be coming to Pittsburgh anymore. Why would he?” Emmett frowned. “I knew it was coming, but I hoped… And… he told me something else.” Em paused. “He’s getting married. Again.”
That surprised Michael. “To another woman?” He remembered the separation from the wife, What’s-her-name - and the nasty divorce which basically forced him out of the closet.
“No!” Emmett retorted. “To another guy, of course! Some young model he met on a shoot in the Virgin Islands. I knew they were dating. I saw pictures of them all over the internet, but I didn’t think it was serious. I always believed that… that… in the end...” Emmett sighed deeply. “But Drewsie didn’t. They never do, you know.”
“Never do what?”
“Come back,” Emmett declared. “Once they leave you, they never, ever come back.”
Michael almost kept it in, but he couldn’t. “Justin came back in the end. To Brian.”
“I know,” said Emmett bitterly. “That why I fucking hate them!”
It's afternoon at Red Cape Comics…
By Gaedhal
Pittsburgh, July 2016
“Have they moved him yet?” asked Michael.
“This morning,” Justin replied. “But it wasn’t easy. As much as he wanted to get out of that room, when they came to get him, he caused a big stink!”
“That’s Brian to a tee!” Michael laughed.
“First, he wouldn’t get into the wheelchair,” said Justin. “He insisted that he was perfectly capable of walking over to the Rehab Unit by himself. Of course, it was pointless to tell him that every patient has to go everywhere in the wheelchair for safety reasons because he wasn’t listening.”
“So typical,” said Michael. “At least Brian Kinney is still Brian Kinney!”
“Yeah, he’s still Brian,” Justin agreed. “Stubborn as a fucking mule. Eventually Mrs. Williams and I sweet-talked him into the wheelchair and they transferred him over to Rehab. They asked me to get lost for a while so they could get him settled in. I’m in the cafeteria now, getting something to eat.”
“Justin, what you really should do is go home and get some sleep,” said Michael. “Just a sec. What can I do for you?”
“Do you have the new ‘Archie’?” The kid looked about 12, but Michael knew he was older - too fucking old for ‘Archie’!
“It’s not out yet, but there’s a new ‘Betty and Veronica.’ How about that?” Michael pointed across the store. “On the far wall with the new issues.”
“Thanks.”
“Sorry about that, Justin.”
“No problem. Busy these days?”
“It’s going okay,” said Michael. “That reminds me - I have those outlines for possible ‘Rage’ stories. I mean, if you’re still interested in doing it again. I know you’ve got a lot on your plate.”
“I know,” Justin sighed. “But it might be good to have something else to work on instead of obsessing over Brian 24/7.”
“What about work?” Michael asked, already knowing the answer.
“Cynthia put me on paid leave. That’s not what I wanted to happen, but I can’t be in the office and also over here at the same time.”
“Now that Brian’s out of the ICU, maybe it would be a good idea if you weren’t over there every minute of the day,” Michael suggested.
“But…”
“I know,” said Michael. “But listen to me… are you listening?”
“Yes,” Justin laughed. “I’m listening.”
“I remember Brian telling me that when you got out of rehab, the one thing you hated was people hovering over you - your mother, my mother, Uncle Vic, even Daphne. You hated having everyone think you couldn’t do things for yourself. I can’t remember the word Brian used… but you know what I mean, right?”
“Yeah,” Justin conceded. “I remember. Infantilizing. That was the word. People treating me like I was helpless. You’re right - I hated that.”
“Well, then remember why Brian didn’t want anyone to know he had cancer,” said Michael. “He didn’t want people treating him like he was sick, or like he was going to die. He didn’t want anyone ‘infantilizing’ him.”
“I get what you’re saying,” said Justin. “But… I promised him I wouldn’t leave him alone. I fucking promised!”
“He’s out of danger now,” Michael reminded him. “He’s awake and he’s not helpless. I’m not telling you to abandon him - I’m telling you to treat him like Brian Fucking Kinney! If anyone knows how to do that, it’s you.”
“Sometimes I wonder,” Justin returned. “If I really knew the Kinney Playbook so well I never would have left. We never would have had half the fuck-ups we did.”
“It’s not too late to read that book again,” said Michael. “Just to brush up on the details.”
“I’ll do that,” said Justin. “I better go now. Oh, and thanks, Michael - for everything.”
“Take care of Brian. And take care of yourself. And I’ll get those outlines to you.”
“Thanks.”
Michael put his phone down and breathed deeply. It looked like Brian really was going to be okay. Maybe it would take him a while to get back to normal, but Michael had no doubt that he would. Rage would fly again! Nothing could stop him! He took out his notebook and began jotting down some ideas. Rage injured and almost killed. Rage in suspended animation. But then Rage coming back - with the help of Zephyr. And the help of the resurrected J.T.
Michael was so focused on writing in his notebook that he didn’t hear the bell ring as the door opened.
“Um… excuse me…”
“Hold on a minute. I’m just finishing this…”
“Michael.”
He looked up. “Em. What are you doing here?” He couldn’t remember the last time Emmett had been in Red Cape. He also couldn’t remember the last time he’d spoken to him. Maybe at the picnic at Ma and Carl’s.
“Seeing how you are.” Emmett hesitated. “And wondering how Brian is.”
Michael immediately felt guilty. Of all the people he’d called to tell about Brian, Emmett hadn’t been on the list. In fact, he’d never even thought about calling him. That’s how far they’d drifted apart. There’d been a time when he would have called Emmett the first thing about everything in his life. Well, first thing after calling Brian.
“He’s going to be all right. I talked to Justin a few minutes ago. He’s out of Intensive Care and into the Rehab Unit. If he does well there, he might be able to go home in another week or so.”
“Good,” said Emmett. “I’m glad he’s fine.”
“Well, he’s far from fine. He almost died. He was in a goddamn induced coma.” Michael wasn’t sure why he suddenly felt angry at Emmett, but he did. Why were they so touchy with each other? And it wasn’t just about Brian. It had been that way for a long time.
“Oh,” said Emmett. “I didn’t realize how bad it was.”
“Who told you?”
“I heard it at Woody’s. From one of the bartenders.”
“Woody’s?” Michael stared. “What the fuck? What did he say?”
Emmett narrowed his eyes at Michael. “That Brian Kinney wiped out on his motorcycle and was in the hospital. I was surprised when I heard that because no one told me about it. Not you and not even Ted. I’ve left a couple of messages on Ted’s phone, but he never got back to me. So I went over to Kinnetik this morning and he wouldn’t see me. Then I tried to talk to Cynthia, but she also blew me off.”
“They’re busy at Kinnetik, Em, and they’re freaking out about Brian. I wouldn’t take it personally.”
Emmett sniffed. “I’m Brian’s friend, too! It would be nice to be informed that he’s in the fucking hospital!”
Michael felt his irritation growing. As usual, Emmett was trying to make it all about him. That was the real problem. It wasn’t about Brian at all. Brian and Emmett had never really gotten along. They were only friends - if that was even the word - because of Michael. And he knew Emmett resented the fact that he and Ted were no longer close. But Ted had a life with Blake now, just as Michael had Ben. It wasn’t their fault that Emmett was still single and desperately unhappy about it. And knowing that even Brian Kinney had a husband and a happy life out in California had made Emmett even more resentful. Em would never say that out loud, but Michael knew it was true.
“I suppose Justin has been by his side the whole time.”
“Yes, he has,” said Michael. “Brian’s lucky to have him.”
“As long as he decides to hang around,” Emmett sniped. “Little Sunshine is a bit fickle, don’t we know. It’s his history.”
“Did you get that from that kid? What’s his name? Robbie?”
“I wouldn’t know. Robbie and I didn’t do a lot of talking,” Emmett said nonchalantly. “It was just a one night thing.”
Michael rolled his eyes. “I thought he was your new boyfriend?”
Emmett curled his lip. “He’s a twink. I’ve never been interested in twinks, you know that. How can I spend my precious time with some kid who’s never heard of Barbra? Or Bette? And who really doesn’t give a shit? Although he was cute.”
“Sorry, Em.”
“No worries.” Emmett drummed his fingers on the counter, as if he were thinking about something and not certain if he wanted to say it. “Um… I heard from Drewsie yesterday.”
Okay, thought Michael. Emmett was always in a mood whenever Drew decided to talk to him. Which wasn’t a lot lately. “How’s he doing?”
“Brown Athletics dropped him,” Emmett said flatly.
“Oh.” Michael didn’t mention that Brian had already hinted as much. Drew had been retired from the Ironmen for a long time and although he still looked great, he wasn’t exactly a hot young stud.
“That means he won’t be coming to Pittsburgh anymore. Why would he?” Emmett frowned. “I knew it was coming, but I hoped… And… he told me something else.” Em paused. “He’s getting married. Again.”
That surprised Michael. “To another woman?” He remembered the separation from the wife, What’s-her-name - and the nasty divorce which basically forced him out of the closet.
“No!” Emmett retorted. “To another guy, of course! Some young model he met on a shoot in the Virgin Islands. I knew they were dating. I saw pictures of them all over the internet, but I didn’t think it was serious. I always believed that… that… in the end...” Emmett sighed deeply. “But Drewsie didn’t. They never do, you know.”
“Never do what?”
“Come back,” Emmett declared. “Once they leave you, they never, ever come back.”
Michael almost kept it in, but he couldn’t. “Justin came back in the end. To Brian.”
“I know,” said Emmett bitterly. “That why I fucking hate them!”