"Midnight Clear" 47
An uneasy truce.
By Gaedhal
Pittsburgh, December 2005
Jennifer couldn't believe her eyes when she walked into her son's hospital room and saw Brian Kinney sitting by Justin's bedside, holding his hand.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded. "How did you get in?"
"What do you think? I fucking flew in! Like a big queer bird!" Brian retorted.
"I'm calling security!" Jennifer cried. Then she turned to Ray, the night nurse. "Did you let this man in here? Are you responsible for this?"
"Excuse me? He had nothing to do with it," Brian cut in before Ray had a chance to answer. "He was just trying to get me to leave. But I'm not leaving, Mrs. Taylor. I'm staying right here where I belong -- next to my partner!"
"Mom." Justin struggled to raise his head. "Brian is with me. I want him here!"
"Darling, you don't know what you're saying!" Jennifer tried to move next to her son's bed, but Brian Kinney was blocking her way. He wasn't giving even an inch. "Justin, you've been in a bad accident. You're not thinking clearly! Let me take care of this!"
"He wasn't in an accident," Brian stated flatly. "And there's nothing wrong with the way Justin is thinking. Maybe he doesn't remember everything that happened to him, but he remembers what's important. He remembers me!"
"Please see reason!" Jennifer countered. "You're only upsetting my son!"
"He isn't upset," Brian blasted. "At least he wasn't until you marched in and started giving orders!"
"Stop!" Justin closed his eyes, trying to focus his foggy brain. "My head hurts!"
"Justin," Brian bent over his lover. "I'm fucking sorry, but I have to do this. We have to clear this up now."
The resident on duty came into the room, followed by two more nurses. "What the hell is going on in here?"
"Doctor, this man has no right to be here! He's keeping me from my son!" Jennifer insisted. "I'm his mother!"
"And I'm Justin's partner," Brian returned. "And I can prove it!"
"With what?" Jennifer sniffed.
"I'm sorry, but I'll need to see something in writing," said the resident.
Brian reached for the black leather jacket he'd hung over the back of the chair next to Justin's bed. He took a thick envelope from the inside pocket and unfolded some documents. "These are the papers for Justin's health insurance. I've been paying it since last June when he graduated from college and his father no longer covered him. His insurance card is in his wallet, if anyone had bothered to look. This is our durable power of attorney, which gives me the right to make medical decisions for my partner. Here are copies of our wills, designating that Justin is my legal heir, and that I'm his. These are our joint bank statements for the last five months. And these are our living wills. That's all I have because that's all the fucking Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will allow us at this point in its benighted history. If you doubt anything here I can give you the name of my lawyers and you can contact them. Does that satisfy you, doctor? What else does this hospital need to prove that I belong right here, by Justin's side?" Brian turned to Jennifer. "And what else do you need to prove it to you, Mrs. Taylor? What will it take for you to believe that I fucking love your son and want to be with him?"
Jennifer was taken aback. Brian held out the documents for her to see, but she didn't take them. "I believe you," she said wearily. "But why didn't you show these to the authorities last night?"
Brian took a deep breath. This woman was fucking clueless! "I'd just walked off an airplane. I left San Francisco without my luggage, without even my coat! If you had come out of this room when your husband -- or should I say your soon-to-ex-husband? -- was screaming in my face you'd have seen that I was still wearing a goddamn tux from the Christmas party I'd been overseeing for my soon-to-be-ex-job! But who was going to listen to me at that point? Your husband? The doctors? The fucking Pittsburgh PD? These papers were in the safe in my loft. In my rush to see Justin, it never occurred to me that the people who are supposedly the most concerned about his welfare and happiness would do everything in their power to keep me away from him. That's how fucking naive I was!"
"What do you want done, Mrs. Taylor?" asked the resident. "Do you want me to call security and have this man removed?"
"No!" Justin cried. He reached out his unbandaged left hand. "Brian! Don't leave me!"
Brian was at his side in a moment. "Don't worry, brat. I'm not going anywhere." Then he looked at the doctor, challenge in his eyes. "Justin isn't a minor. He's 23 years old. And he's also no longer unconscious. I would think his wishes would count more than anyone else's -- even his mother's."
The resident nodded. "He's correct, Mrs. Taylor. If these documents are valid, then this man..."
"Brian A. Kinney," Brian pronounced. "You want me to spell it for you?"
"That won't be necessary, Mr. Kinney," said the resident. "As I said, if these papers are valid, then he has a right to be here. If you want to make a protest, Mrs. Taylor, you'll have to lodge a formal complaint with the hospital legal department."
"No, doctor," said Jennifer, knowing she was defeated. "This is what my son wants. He's a... a grown man and I'm not going to fight his wishes."
"Good. I'm glad that's settled. Now I need to examine the patient," said the resident. "If you two will step into the hall, I can proceed."
"I won't be far," Brian said to Justin. "I'll be right outside. Okay?"
"Okay," Justin whispered. "Then can we go home? Please?"
Brian swallowed a huge lump in his throat. "Soon. When the doc says it's all right."
Brian walked out of the room, Jennifer Taylor at his heels.
"Brian?" Jennifer said hesitantly.
"What?" He was in no mood to fight another round with Justin's mom.
"I... I want to say I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound so harsh." Jennifer sank down on an orange plastic chair pushed against the wall. "But... but seeing Justin so injured... I've been beside myself with fear! At first, I didn't know if he would live. Then I was afraid he'd be so damaged that he'd never be the same. And he's still so... so hurt! I didn't mean to take it out on you." She paused, licking her dry lips. "I know he loves you. He loves you more than anything. I know that and I'm trying to accept it. But it's hard! And, to tell you the truth, I wasn't sure how much you really loved him. I've heard so many stories about you. About... the way you are with... with men."
"Brian Fucking Kinney," he said. "The Big Bad Gay Wolf?"
"Something like that," Jennifer admitted. "This was from people who knew you well, so I had to believe them!"
"I see you've been talking to Debbie. She loves to tell horror stories about me." Brian shook his head. Deb was supposed to be on his side. And on Justin's side, too. But she couldn't stop herself from filling the woman full of bullshit. Well, some of it was bullshit. "And maybe a lot of those stories are even true. But that's not all there is to me, Mrs. Taylor."
"I know," Jennifer replied. "I can see that you love my son. You've done so much for him. But he never told me about... about all those papers. Or about the insurance. When the hospital asked me about insurance I didn't know what to tell them! I knew he wasn't covered by Craig's policy anymore, so I thought we'd just have to pay whatever it would cost. My father said he'd help me if Craig started being an asshole about it, but it's been overwhelming! Justin is going to be in the hospital for a while, and after that he's going to need physical therapy and probably psychological counseling. The doctors already warned me about that. They said it might take months, or even longer, before he was back to the way he used to be... if he ever is!" Jennifer broke down in sobs. "My poor baby! My poor Justin!"
Brian didn't know what to do. Crying females were not something he had a lot of experience with. So he reached down and took Justin's mother's hand. "He'll get better. He has so many people who care about him, who are... are praying for him. That's Justin -- everyone loves the little twat! But especially me. I love him. You have to believe that."
"I do," she said. Then she pulled her hand out of Brian's grasp and took a big handful of tissues from her bag, wiping her eyes. "I know you do. But it's still hard! Justin is still my little boy! And nothing can change that, even when I know he's a grown man!"
"He is a man," said Brian. "A gay man. And he's my lover. Which means that for Justin's sake the two of us have to learn to get along, as difficult as that may be. And you have to trust me, Mrs. Taylor. Trust me to make the right decisions for both me and Justin."
"I'll try." Jennifer sniffled and blew her nose. Then she stood up and smoothed her rumpled sweater. "Look at me! I'm a mess! Now that Justin is awake, I need to go home and get cleaned up. My sister is coming into town today. You remember June? She was here at Thanksgiving. She's always so... so helpful."
"I remember her," said Brian. "She seems like a good person. And she loves Justin."
"She adores Justin." Jennifer straightened her shoulders. "So -- I'll leave things here to you. I think it would be better if Craig stays away. He'll just upset Justin. Tell the staff and they'll keep him out. And I'll call him and tell him, too. He's not going to be happy, but it's not about him, is it?"
"No," Brian agreed. "It's not about Craig. It's not about anyone but Justin. He's all that's important right now."
"Yes," said Jennifer. "Justin getting better. That's what I have to think about." She paused and looked directly at Brian Kinney. "What WE have to think about, Brian."
"Yes, Mrs. Taylor," said Brian. Then he corrected himself. "Jennifer."
***
By Gaedhal
Pittsburgh, December 2005
Jennifer couldn't believe her eyes when she walked into her son's hospital room and saw Brian Kinney sitting by Justin's bedside, holding his hand.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded. "How did you get in?"
"What do you think? I fucking flew in! Like a big queer bird!" Brian retorted.
"I'm calling security!" Jennifer cried. Then she turned to Ray, the night nurse. "Did you let this man in here? Are you responsible for this?"
"Excuse me? He had nothing to do with it," Brian cut in before Ray had a chance to answer. "He was just trying to get me to leave. But I'm not leaving, Mrs. Taylor. I'm staying right here where I belong -- next to my partner!"
"Mom." Justin struggled to raise his head. "Brian is with me. I want him here!"
"Darling, you don't know what you're saying!" Jennifer tried to move next to her son's bed, but Brian Kinney was blocking her way. He wasn't giving even an inch. "Justin, you've been in a bad accident. You're not thinking clearly! Let me take care of this!"
"He wasn't in an accident," Brian stated flatly. "And there's nothing wrong with the way Justin is thinking. Maybe he doesn't remember everything that happened to him, but he remembers what's important. He remembers me!"
"Please see reason!" Jennifer countered. "You're only upsetting my son!"
"He isn't upset," Brian blasted. "At least he wasn't until you marched in and started giving orders!"
"Stop!" Justin closed his eyes, trying to focus his foggy brain. "My head hurts!"
"Justin," Brian bent over his lover. "I'm fucking sorry, but I have to do this. We have to clear this up now."
The resident on duty came into the room, followed by two more nurses. "What the hell is going on in here?"
"Doctor, this man has no right to be here! He's keeping me from my son!" Jennifer insisted. "I'm his mother!"
"And I'm Justin's partner," Brian returned. "And I can prove it!"
"With what?" Jennifer sniffed.
"I'm sorry, but I'll need to see something in writing," said the resident.
Brian reached for the black leather jacket he'd hung over the back of the chair next to Justin's bed. He took a thick envelope from the inside pocket and unfolded some documents. "These are the papers for Justin's health insurance. I've been paying it since last June when he graduated from college and his father no longer covered him. His insurance card is in his wallet, if anyone had bothered to look. This is our durable power of attorney, which gives me the right to make medical decisions for my partner. Here are copies of our wills, designating that Justin is my legal heir, and that I'm his. These are our joint bank statements for the last five months. And these are our living wills. That's all I have because that's all the fucking Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will allow us at this point in its benighted history. If you doubt anything here I can give you the name of my lawyers and you can contact them. Does that satisfy you, doctor? What else does this hospital need to prove that I belong right here, by Justin's side?" Brian turned to Jennifer. "And what else do you need to prove it to you, Mrs. Taylor? What will it take for you to believe that I fucking love your son and want to be with him?"
Jennifer was taken aback. Brian held out the documents for her to see, but she didn't take them. "I believe you," she said wearily. "But why didn't you show these to the authorities last night?"
Brian took a deep breath. This woman was fucking clueless! "I'd just walked off an airplane. I left San Francisco without my luggage, without even my coat! If you had come out of this room when your husband -- or should I say your soon-to-ex-husband? -- was screaming in my face you'd have seen that I was still wearing a goddamn tux from the Christmas party I'd been overseeing for my soon-to-be-ex-job! But who was going to listen to me at that point? Your husband? The doctors? The fucking Pittsburgh PD? These papers were in the safe in my loft. In my rush to see Justin, it never occurred to me that the people who are supposedly the most concerned about his welfare and happiness would do everything in their power to keep me away from him. That's how fucking naive I was!"
"What do you want done, Mrs. Taylor?" asked the resident. "Do you want me to call security and have this man removed?"
"No!" Justin cried. He reached out his unbandaged left hand. "Brian! Don't leave me!"
Brian was at his side in a moment. "Don't worry, brat. I'm not going anywhere." Then he looked at the doctor, challenge in his eyes. "Justin isn't a minor. He's 23 years old. And he's also no longer unconscious. I would think his wishes would count more than anyone else's -- even his mother's."
The resident nodded. "He's correct, Mrs. Taylor. If these documents are valid, then this man..."
"Brian A. Kinney," Brian pronounced. "You want me to spell it for you?"
"That won't be necessary, Mr. Kinney," said the resident. "As I said, if these papers are valid, then he has a right to be here. If you want to make a protest, Mrs. Taylor, you'll have to lodge a formal complaint with the hospital legal department."
"No, doctor," said Jennifer, knowing she was defeated. "This is what my son wants. He's a... a grown man and I'm not going to fight his wishes."
"Good. I'm glad that's settled. Now I need to examine the patient," said the resident. "If you two will step into the hall, I can proceed."
"I won't be far," Brian said to Justin. "I'll be right outside. Okay?"
"Okay," Justin whispered. "Then can we go home? Please?"
Brian swallowed a huge lump in his throat. "Soon. When the doc says it's all right."
Brian walked out of the room, Jennifer Taylor at his heels.
"Brian?" Jennifer said hesitantly.
"What?" He was in no mood to fight another round with Justin's mom.
"I... I want to say I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound so harsh." Jennifer sank down on an orange plastic chair pushed against the wall. "But... but seeing Justin so injured... I've been beside myself with fear! At first, I didn't know if he would live. Then I was afraid he'd be so damaged that he'd never be the same. And he's still so... so hurt! I didn't mean to take it out on you." She paused, licking her dry lips. "I know he loves you. He loves you more than anything. I know that and I'm trying to accept it. But it's hard! And, to tell you the truth, I wasn't sure how much you really loved him. I've heard so many stories about you. About... the way you are with... with men."
"Brian Fucking Kinney," he said. "The Big Bad Gay Wolf?"
"Something like that," Jennifer admitted. "This was from people who knew you well, so I had to believe them!"
"I see you've been talking to Debbie. She loves to tell horror stories about me." Brian shook his head. Deb was supposed to be on his side. And on Justin's side, too. But she couldn't stop herself from filling the woman full of bullshit. Well, some of it was bullshit. "And maybe a lot of those stories are even true. But that's not all there is to me, Mrs. Taylor."
"I know," Jennifer replied. "I can see that you love my son. You've done so much for him. But he never told me about... about all those papers. Or about the insurance. When the hospital asked me about insurance I didn't know what to tell them! I knew he wasn't covered by Craig's policy anymore, so I thought we'd just have to pay whatever it would cost. My father said he'd help me if Craig started being an asshole about it, but it's been overwhelming! Justin is going to be in the hospital for a while, and after that he's going to need physical therapy and probably psychological counseling. The doctors already warned me about that. They said it might take months, or even longer, before he was back to the way he used to be... if he ever is!" Jennifer broke down in sobs. "My poor baby! My poor Justin!"
Brian didn't know what to do. Crying females were not something he had a lot of experience with. So he reached down and took Justin's mother's hand. "He'll get better. He has so many people who care about him, who are... are praying for him. That's Justin -- everyone loves the little twat! But especially me. I love him. You have to believe that."
"I do," she said. Then she pulled her hand out of Brian's grasp and took a big handful of tissues from her bag, wiping her eyes. "I know you do. But it's still hard! Justin is still my little boy! And nothing can change that, even when I know he's a grown man!"
"He is a man," said Brian. "A gay man. And he's my lover. Which means that for Justin's sake the two of us have to learn to get along, as difficult as that may be. And you have to trust me, Mrs. Taylor. Trust me to make the right decisions for both me and Justin."
"I'll try." Jennifer sniffled and blew her nose. Then she stood up and smoothed her rumpled sweater. "Look at me! I'm a mess! Now that Justin is awake, I need to go home and get cleaned up. My sister is coming into town today. You remember June? She was here at Thanksgiving. She's always so... so helpful."
"I remember her," said Brian. "She seems like a good person. And she loves Justin."
"She adores Justin." Jennifer straightened her shoulders. "So -- I'll leave things here to you. I think it would be better if Craig stays away. He'll just upset Justin. Tell the staff and they'll keep him out. And I'll call him and tell him, too. He's not going to be happy, but it's not about him, is it?"
"No," Brian agreed. "It's not about Craig. It's not about anyone but Justin. He's all that's important right now."
"Yes," said Jennifer. "Justin getting better. That's what I have to think about." She paused and looked directly at Brian Kinney. "What WE have to think about, Brian."
"Yes, Mrs. Taylor," said Brian. Then he corrected himself. "Jennifer."
***