Chapter 3: (Many thanks to Cheryl & Gabe for their assistance.) The next few days were the most memorable of Justin’s life as gradually, he and Brian started to spend more and more time together. To Brian’s surprise he enjoyed being with the blond, overcoming his usual reluctance for repeat performances, but he continually told himself that this was just a bit of fun; a summer fling that would go no further. In order to earn extra cash, Lindsay and Brian often gave extracurricular dance lessons. As long as they didn’t clash with their usual duties, the management didn’t mind, realizing how popular their new dance teachers had become, and especially Brian, with the teenagers now at the discos and with the middle-aged ladies and the blue-rinsed set. Now in the diary, Brian had booked in that Daphne and Justin were taking extra lessons, but as soon as they arrived, Daphne and Lindsay would make their way down the back stairs, leaving Brian and Justin alone. Like Justin needed dancing lessons, right? But who better than Brian to teach him the art of sex. Daphne and Justin would reluctantly return to the main house for dinner each evening and Jennifer had asked management if they could be moved to a larger table. They now took their evening meals with Todd and his children, after which Daphne and Justin would go off together again, only meeting up when it was time to go back to the lodge for lights out. They were quite happy to continue covering for each other: Daphne wanting to spend as much time with Billy as she could, but as yet, she hadn’t agreed to sleep with him. And, every night after his Mom retired, Justin would climb out of the bedroom window and go to Brian once more, returning to the lodge at daybreak. However, Jennifer had seen a change in her son during their stay at “Green Pastures”; from a reluctant teenager dreading a family vacation to that of a smiling, happy and confident young man and she couldn’t help but wonder the reason why. Around the resort, she’d often spotted Brian and Lindsay together, between their classes, and she’d wondered if she’d misunderstood the look that she saw pass between Brian and her son at the earlier disco. Brian and Lindsay made the perfect couple; they looked good together and seemed very close. She must have been mistaken. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Breeders paradise …. I bet you anything you like” stated Teddy, at the wheel of his car. Ted and Emmett were following the vehicle in front, wondering what on earth they were going to do at “Green Pastures” for an entire week and wondered if they’d made a mistake in agreeing to come along, and had done so, purely to please Debbie. A couple of months before, Debbie had entered and won a competition; a vacation for up to six, in one of the three-bedroom lodges on the resort and had asked those people she considered to be her family along and she was now sitting beside Carl, the both of them managing to get time of work together. Snuggled up on the back seat were Michael and Ben: Ted and Emmett following on behind. It was getting late, but now the resort was only a few miles away. “I can’t wait to see Brian,” exclaimed Debbie. “I’ve missed that kid” and she produced from her bag a plastic food container, which she then opened, offering around the lemon bars. They were declined. “What do you think Brian will say when he sees us?” Michael asked Ben. “Do you think we should have told him we were coming?” “Hell, no” answered Debbie, with a mouthful of cake and before anyone else had the chance to speak. “And spoil the surprise!?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As they were booking in, Debbie couldn’t help but notice the conversation between the clerk and someone who appeared to be the manager, who eventually approached her. “Mrs. Novotny …. I think there’s been a bit of a misunderstanding. The vacation … it was supposed to be for a family …. but you seem to be accompanied by ... by men …” and he surveyed the group, his eyes coming to rest on Michael, who was standing with Ben; their arms linked together. Carl started to speak, but Debbie drew herself up to her full height and put her hand on his arm; stopping him from proceeding any further. “Mr. Tuckerman?” she asked him, stepping forward to read his nametag and the man nodded, automatically taking a step back. “These are all my boys ... do you have a problem with that?” Richard Tuckerman looked from Debbie to Carl and back again; hearing the tone in Debbie’s voice and reading the expression in Carl’s face that said, “Don’t go there” and he coughed. “Well … no, I … I guess not. Enjoy your stay … Mrs. Novotny ... Mr. Novotny” and he handed her the key. Carl went to speak again, to inform him they weren’t in actual fact married, but decided not to; the man looked as if he might have a heart attack in any case and, muttering under her breath and following the directions given, Debbie led the way to their lodge. They could hear the music from the hall behind the house, but had decided not to investigate tonight; it would probably be full of teenagers in any case. As it had been a long drive and they hadn’t arrived until late and had already eaten on the road, the Novotny party soon retired to their beds. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lindsay was getting worried about Brian; she’d noticed how he was starting to cut down on the additional dancing lessons he normally gave to make extra cash in order to spend more and more time with Justin and she was afraid he was getting in too deep. She’d seen how they looked together up in Brian’s room or when they were sneaking off and whether he realized it or not, Brian was obviously involved; something Lindsay had never known him to be before and she could see it all ending in tears at the end of the season. Overnight, she’d come to the decision that she couldn’t let the situation continue without saying something and this morning, just before daybreak, had gone to wait on one of the loungers up on Brian’s veranda, hoping to talk to him before the day’s work began. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ With the light spreading across the wooden boards, Lindsay heard the door creak and saw Justin emerge with Brian right behind him. They looked to be freshly showered; their hair still damp and they kissed before Justin turned and trotted down the steps. Brian watched him go. Justin had been a willing student to his teacher. Over the time they’d spent together, the young blond had not only learned how to let Brian touch him, but was reciprocating; learning quickly where to caress and stroke and to exert pressure and where to lick and suck in order to produce the desired response. And Brian smiled as his Grade A student left. “Brian ...” Lindsay’s soft voice startled him; he’d been totally unaware of her presence and she now rose from the lounger and approached him. “Hi Lindz … what are you doing here at this time?” “Can we talk for a minute?” she asked him. “Sure ...” and Brian stood back to let Lindsay pass and then followed her in to the room. “Do you want some juice?” he asked, going over to the refrigerator and he reached inside and brought out the jug of cold orange, but Lindsay declined. “Okay ... so what’s so important you have to come over here at the crack of dawn ... couldn’t it wait ‘til later?” and Brian poured himself a glass of juice. “It’s not the baby, is it?” he continued before Lindsay had a chance to speak: trying to hide his concern. “Do you really care?” she asked him. “Of course I do!” came the reply. Lindsay and Mel had been so excited when the test had shown positive and Lindsay had followed it up with a trip to the doctor just to confirm things were okay. Brian had asked her if she wanted to bale out of the dancing lessons so as not to put herself at risk and Lindsay had agreed to cut back but not stop them altogether, as reasonable exercise wouldn’t be a bad thing. Brian had also been secretly thrilled to learn Lindsay was pregnant once more, even though his response to her had been decidedly cool and offhand, leaving Lindsay believing that Brian had changed his mind; that the prospect of fatherhood didn’t appeal to him after all. But things couldn’t have been further from the truth. Following the earlier miscarriage, Brian had decided to appear disinterested at her news. Partly not wanting to put any pressure on Lindsay should she lose this second baby and partly as an inbuilt defence mechanism. He’d been more disappointed than he’d let on at not becoming a Dad before, despite his fears of repeating his own Father’s mistakes. “No … it’s not the baby ... it’s Justin”. “What about him?” Brian frowned and walked over to the sofa and sat down, stretching out his long legs; unsure of what was coming next. Lindsay didn’t normally concern herself over his love life; why was she bothering now? “What’s going on? You’re spending more and more time with him and I’ve seen you two together … you’ve only got to look at Justin to know he’s got feelings for you. But what about you ... how about your feelings for him?” Brian took a long swallow of his drink before answering. “I don’t know why you think it’s any of your business?” he said, flatly. “Well, believe it or not it’s because I care about you”, replied Lindsay and she sat down next to him. “I’ve never seen you with anyone before … not like this and I don’t want to see you get hurt … but I also don’t want to see you pass up a chance of happiness when it comes along, so ... is it serious?” “’Course not ... it’s just a bit of fun, that’s all”. “Do you think Justin feels the same way?” but Brian could only shrug and Lindsay sighed. “He’s just a kid …“ offered Brian, quietly. “He may be a kid, Brian, but he’s old enough to fall in love …” “He’s not in love with me ...” said Brian and he rose from the sofa to get a refill of juice. “Why wouldn’t he be?” asked Lindsay. Having replenished his glass, Brian went to stand by the window. He didn’t like the way this conversation was heading and right now just couldn’t look at her; his expression might give him away. “Well, we’ve nothing in common. Justin’s obviously from a good family and I’m ….” But he stopped, unable to finish his sentence. “You’re what … from the wrong side of town? Do you think Justin would care about something like that?” “Who knows … who cares?” answered Brian. “I don’t even know for sure what I’m going to be doing once the season finishes. I could end up on the assembly line, just like my old man … or maybe move outta state. This is no big deal”. “Does Justin know that … that it’s no big deal … a bit of fun and nothing else?” asked Lindsay and she went over to Brian and put a hand on his arm. “Brian, why do you think I asked you to be the Father of my baby ... out of all the men I know?” Brian looked at her. “I ... I ‘m not really sure,” he answered. “I never really thought about it”. “Well,” said Lindsay, “whatever you might think, it’s not just because of how you look” and they both smiled. “It’s because deep down ... underneath that cool, controlled veneer, hides a decent guy. You’re honest and hardworking and despite your beginnings you want to make something of yourself. You know, any kid would be glad to have you as a Dad.” Brian stared down into his empty glass, wishing it wasn’t so early and that he could have a real drink, when she continued. “You may think you’ve had everyone else fooled with your never fucking anyone more than once routine, but that’s only because you’re scared of letting anyone get too close … scared of getting hurt or of letting them down. But Brian … every now and then you have to take a chance, ‘cos you never know ... it might just be worth it”. And she stretched up to give him a peck on the cheek before leaving him alone to his thoughts. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Shall we look in on Brian’s keep-fit class?” asked Ben at the breakfast table; looking through the events brochure. Emmett picked up his coffee cup. “Mmm let me see … a class full of overweight ... middle-aged men ..." “and women” chimed in Ted, before taking a bite of his toast. “Thank you Teddy ... and women”, repeated Emmett. “Hardly worth getting all excited about … I bet there’s not one hot guy among them.” “Except Brian!” exclaimed Michael. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As well as offering aerobic-style keep-fit classes, the resort also provided a small, but well-equipped gym. Brian didn’t care too much for the classes, preferring to put the more serious health nuts through their paces in the gym and, from time to time, one or two of the guests asked for special attention, including Cindy Kramer, who had cornered Brian as soon as he’d arrived that morning. She was beginning to get very tiresome and very obvious and Brian was finding it harder to be polite and ignore her outrageous flirting. And this was also where the gang finally caught up with him. He’d been distracted following his early morning conversation with Lindsay, continually mulling over in his mind what she’d said and the first Brian knew of the gang, was when he spotted the female in the lime colored pants and purple top. Not too many women have the dress sense of Debbie Novotny and Brian felt his jaw drop when he saw the party now entering the gym, the voice calling to him confirming the worst. “BRIAN …. yoo hoo”. Debbie was calling and waving to him with both hands in the air. Shocked, Brian approached them and was immediately grabbed by Debbie, who took him in a bear hug. “Hi honey …. how you doing?” and she stood back. “Christ, Brian … that’s some set of muscles you got on you now” and she was squeezing his arm. “Debbie ... guys … what the hell are you all doing here?” he whispered to them. “Mom won a competition and ... well ... here we are” said Michael, indicating the group. Brian sighed and closed his eyes; what the fuck were they going to make of him giving dancing lessons. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian had managed to extricate himself and return to the gym class as the gang went off to explore. He had to admit, it was good to see them and it had appeared they’d been pleased to see him and he wondered again what he was going to do once the season finished. He knew what he’d hoped to do, but so far there was no confirmation. If he had to look for permanent work, it might mean he’d have to be prepared to go anywhere and now there were people he’d have to leave behind. Last time he’d made a break he never looked back, but this time would be different. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian was tinkering with his car. The lack of money had always left him carrying out the most routine of maintenance himself, which is what he was now doing between his duties. That and trying to avoid running into the gang again: still dreading their finding out about the dancing. Justin took a quick look around to make sure there was no one to see him as he approached Brian from behind as the man was leaning over the engine compartment, and he couldn’t help but admire the view. Nor could he stop himself from grabbing Brian’s ass: an action, which had the unfortunate consequence of Brian straightening up quickly and hitting his head on the hood. “OUCH … FUCK!” and Brian turned round to face his assailant, who unfortunately, was laughing. “You little shit … “ he growled, rubbing his head. “I’m sorry,” chuckled Justin, putting his hand up briefly to his mouth, trying to keep the laughter in. “I didn’t mean for that to happen ... you okay?” “Yeah, I’ll live … but you’ll pay for that later,” promised Brian with an evil grin, leaving Justin in no doubt how he planned for the young man to make amends and he slammed the hood shut and wiped his hands on the rag he picked up from the toolbox, watching the blond’s smiling face as he did so. Lindsay had to be wrong; this had to be just a bit of fun. There was no way this could ever develop into anything serious; he couldn’t afford to let it; it would be too painful if it all went to hell. “What are you doing now?” Brian asked and Justin shrugged his shoulders. “I dunno … Mom’s with Todd and the kids and Daphne’s off with Billy somewhere ….” “Do you wanna go swimming?” “I thought staff couldn’t use the resort pool?” asked Justin. “Who said anything about the pool?” and Brian picked up the toolbox, which he stowed in the trunk. “I don’t have any gear with me … I’ll have to go back to the lodge …” and Justin turned to rush away, but Brian called him back. “Where I’ve got in mind, you won’t need anything. I’ve got a couple of towels in the back of the car ... jump in”. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Did I tell you I’m gonna be a Dad?” Brian asked him, taking his eyes off the road for just a moment to check out Justin’s reaction, and the young man looked at him in total disbelief, his jaw dropping open, unable to hide his shock at Brian’s revelation. “What … who … how?” and Brian laughed. “You mean I still have to tell you how?” he asked. “Well, anyway … Lindsay’s having my kid”. “Lindsay?” questioned Justin. “But I thought …” “that she was a dyke?” interrupted Brian. “Well, yeah, she is and she and her girlfriend, Mel, well they’re gonna bring it up together. Lindz was pregnant before … but she lost it before the summer started. Hopefully, this one’ll be okay”. “Oh … and before you ask, no I didn’t fuck Lindz … I jerked off in a cup and they squirted it up her”. “GROSS” and Justin’s expression of disgust brought another hearty laugh from Brian, but Justin couldn’t help but hear the tinge of sadness in the man’s voice when he spoke of the baby that hadn’t survived. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twenty minutes after they’d left the resort, Brian pulled up under the trees alongside the lake; it was just outside the resort’s property and he’d found it earlier in the summer. The weather was still warm during the day, but the last couple of nights the temperature had dipped a little. The end of summer was in sight; there wouldn’t be many more chances like this. “Are you sure this is okay?” asked Justin as Brian started to undress. “Sure, no one hardly ever comes here. Come on ... I’ll race you”. Removing their clothing as quickly as possible, they both raced for the water’s edge; Brian reaching the rope swing first; grabbing it and swinging himself out into the lake and Justin jumped in after him. The water was warm, having had the sun on it throughout the summer months and it felt so good: so much better than the pool. Moving through the water, feeling the freedom without the constriction of shorts, felt deliciously mischievous. They were both good swimmers, but Brian had a powerful stroke and could easily beat Justin, if he wanted to, and a play fight soon began, with lots of splashing about and jumping on each other and pulling one another beneath the surface, with the odd stolen kiss under the water. Justin jumped on Brian, pushing him under and he grinned, waiting for him to re-appear. But, after what seemed like an age and still no sign of him, Justin started to panic and called out his name. “BRIAN ….. BRIAN!” and he looked around for him frantically. Suddenly, Justin’s heart felt as if it had been caught in a vice and he could hardly breathe when, just as he was about to dive under the surface to search for him, Brian reared up out of the water immediately behind him. Justin moved around to face him. “Fuck, Brian … what did you do that for? You scared me to death”. Brian was grinning, but it quickly faded when he saw the expression on Justin’s face and the young man swam to the shore, leaving Brian in the water. “Justin ... I didn’t mean to scare you …” but Justin was already out of the water and heading for the car, taking a towel from the back seat to dry himself off and quickly climbing back into his clothes. Brian struck out for the shore and hurried for the car. He grabbed a towel, but hardly bothered to dry himself properly before he dressed and then he caught hold of the young man’s shoulders. “Hey … “ and he turned Justin around to face him. Justin was desperately trying to hold back the tears. For just a few moments, he’d thought something was terribly wrong and the prospect of losing Brian had been overwhelming. But the thought that Brian had seen the panic he’d felt embarrassed him and he pushed him away and turned his back on him again; scared Brian would want to back off from him once he’d realized just how much he cared. Brian sighed and placed his hand on Justin’s shoulder once more. “I thought something bad had happened to you ... I thought I’d lost you”. Justin’s voice was breaking and he could no longer hold in the tears. Brian held him tightly and tried to calm him, but his own mind was in turmoil. He should have been more cautious; prevented this from happening. Lindsay was right after all; Justin obviously had developed feelings for him where this should have been just a bit of fun: a summer flirtation and nothing more. But Brian realized Justin wasn’t the only one developing an attachment and this is what he’d feared; that Justin would get too close. After all, they were from different worlds; apart from sex what on earth did they have in common? But he hadn’t been careful enough and now he had a sobbing boy in his arms and an ache in his heart. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The drive back to the resort had been strained, without either of them speaking: the blond just looking out of the window. After he’d cut the engine, Brian took his hands off the wheel and rested them in his lap, wondering if Justin might speak. But, without a word, Justin opened the car door and got out. Getting out quickly himself, Brian called after him. “It’s the disco again tonight … you gonna be there?” but the young man remained silent as he hurried away, too embarrassed to speak. Brian stared at Justin’s back as the young man walked away and he closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair. He sighed. This wasn’t what he’d meant to happen. However, they both failed to see Jennifer, who observed them arrive back as she and Molly were taking the footpath, which skirted the guest area back to the lodge, from the children’s playground. But Jennifer couldn’t fail to see the look on Brian’s face as her son walked away from him. Arriving back at the lodge, Justin had gone straight to the bedroom he shared with Daphne: trying to get his head around what had happened earlier. He was sure he’d fucked up, that Brian would be running scared at the thought of some little kid falling for him and he looked at himself in the mirror. “I’m NOT a kid,” he said out loud. “I’m nearly 18 for chrissakes” and suddenly there was a knock at the door. “Justin” called his Mom. “Are you okay … can I come in?” and, not hearing anything to the contrary, Jennifer opened the door. “Hello dear ... are you okay? You’re not normally back so early …” and Justin sank onto his bed. “Yeah, I’m okay … I had a bit of a headache … that’s all” and Jennifer moved towards him and put her hand on his forehead. “You don’t seem to have a temperature … perhaps you’ve just been overdoing it a little bit” and Justin smiled weakly up at her. “Well ... if you’re sure that’s all ...” and Jennifer turned to go, but then changed her mind and sat down on Daphne’s bed. She didn’t want to try and force Justin into telling her anything he wasn’t ready to, that would probably only succeed in making him clam up even further, but seeing him again with Brian had set off the warning bells. “Justin, if there was anything worrying you … anything at all … you know you can talk to me, don’t you? I know I’m not Dad … and I know how hard it’s been for you not having him around …” and Jennifer took a deep breath before continuing. “Oh Lord, Justin ... you know what I’m trying to say. If you ever want to talk about … about sex or how you’re feeling … please know you can come to me. I don’t ever want you ... or Molly ... to think you can’t tell me anything. Is that clear? Do you promise you’ll come to me if anything’s troubling you?” Justin smiled and nodded his head and for just a moment, he thought he might blurt it out; that he was gay and that he was in love with a beautiful man; a man who’d taught him things about his own body that he could never imagine. But instead he closed his eyes. Maybe one day he would tell her, but not now. Besides, after what happened at the lake, he wasn’t sure if he could face Brian again; he was sure he must think he was just a stupid kid with a stupid crush on him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian had to take the disco on his own. When he’d got back from his disastrous swim with Justin, he found that Lindsay had been experiencing some cramps and she had gone to lie down in her cabin. Unfortunately, the gang had decided to check out the disco; Brian’s luck had finally run out. “It’s all kids!” exclaimed Teddy, as they entered the hall. “Shit ... I bet that means there’s only a dry bar. Shall we head for the main bar instead?” and they all nodded in agreement and turned to leave; that is until Emmett placed his hand on Ted’s arm. “Has anyone taken a look at the DJ?” he asked them: craning his neck over the crowd to see. “Don’t you think he looks just a little familiar?” “Excuse Me,” shouted Michael over the music and he stopped a couple of teenage girls as they passed by. “Do you know the DJ’s name?” “Sure”, they answered. “It’s Brian. He’s hot … and a cool dance teacher too!” they giggled. “DANCE TEACHER?” echoed the group. Brian looked up in time to see the grinning faces at the back of the hall waving at him and he groaned. Once he’d put on the next mix, he jumped down off the stage, making his way through the crowd to go over to them, knowing he couldn’t put it off any longer. “Well ... if it isn’t Fred Astaire”, greeted Michael, grinning. “More like Ginger Rogers!” quipped Debbie and Brian put up his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, you’ve had your fun. I admit it … the job wasn’t just as keep-fit instructor … when I got here I found out it involved also being the dance teacher ... which means I get to run the discos too”. “That’s great, Brian ... no wonder you’re so fit”, observed Ben, who was by no means a weakling himself. “Fit and getting paid for it … and to be honest, I’ve really enjoyed it!” Brian talked with the gang until the mix finished and then attempted to make his way back to the stage through the crowded dance floor: the kids stopping to chat to him on the way. “You wanna know something?” stated Debbie. “This is the happiest I’ve seen that kid in all the years I’ve known him”. “He’s obviously very popular here ...” and Carl indicated the difficulty Brian had in actually extracting himself from the kids on the dance floor and back up onto the stage. “And we’re gonna support him too” stated Debbie and she turned to Carl. “Wanna dance, handsome?” “I thought you’d never ask” and Carl took Debbie’s hand and they joined the kids on the floor. Michael rolled his eyes in horror, but eventually the gang obeyed his Mother’s insistent beckoning and before long they were part of the crowd enjoying the dancing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was getting late and Justin was out walking. He’d spent the evening on his own just wandering around and now he found himself at the staff quarters, but he knew that’s where he’d been heading all along. Looking at his watch, he realized the disco should be ending; Brian would be back soon. “Hi … Justin” and he turned around to see Daphne running up to join him, having just left Billy. “What’s the matter … you don’t look very happy?” She’d taken one look at the expression on his face; even in the sparse lighting of the staff area she could see how unhappy he was; he never could keep how he was feeling a secret. “There’s something I need to sort out with Brian,” he answered. “I’m gonna wait for him … see if I can talk to him again. I can’t leave things ….” “Justin”. Lindsay called out to him. He and Daphne had been walking passed the staff cabins and Lindsay’s door had been open and she’d seen them go by. Pushing herself up off the bed she moved to the doorway and stepped out onto her porch. She called him again. “Justin … can I talk to you?” and she gasped at the pain that suddenly shot straight through her; as if someone had taken a hold of her insides and twisted them. Daphne patted his arm. “I’ll go back to the lodge … catch up with you later” and she turned to walk way as Justin made his way to Lindsay’s porch; just in time to see Lindsay clutch her stomach and make a grab for the door to stop herself from hitting the floor. “DAPHNE”, Justin called for help as he rushed to Lindsay, trying to take her weight and together, they managed to get her back to her bed. Lindsay’s head was spinning at the pain in her stomach and she felt something else; she knew she was bleeding. “My baby ….” “Daphne, stay with her …. I’ll go and get help”. Running as fast as he could, Justin made for their lodge, but when he got there, the lights were out. Seeing the lights on in Todd’s cabin, Justin banged on the door and the sitter answered. “Where’s Mom … Dr. Taylor?” he asked her. The woman was a little shocked at the young man’s pounding on the door, but she soon recognized him from before. “They’re over at the bar … they’ll probably be back soon … “ but Justin had rushed back to his own lodge and quickly retrieved Jennifer’s medical bag from the closet; the bag she’d had since her days as a family physician. Jennifer and Todd were on their way back from the bar when Jennifer spotted her son running towards her and carrying her bag. “My god, Justin ... what’s happened?” “Mom … you gotta come … it’s Lindsay … the dance teacher ...” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jennifer ushered Daphne and Justin out of the room and sat down on the bed next to Lindsay. On the way over, Justin had quickly told his Mother that Lindsay was pregnant and thought she might be losing the baby and when Lindsay told Jennifer she was bleeding, not too much, but that she’d had a previous miscarriage, Jennifer immediately phoned for the ambulance. “When did the pains start?” asked Jennifer. She’d taken Lindsay’s temperature and checked her blood pressure and her pulse, which were all a little high; but that could be because she was in such a panic. “I’ve had them most of the day, but they got worse a little while ago ... I thought I was going to pass out”. “Dr. Taylor … do you think I might lose the baby?” asked Lindsay and Jennifer could hear the anxiety in her voice. She patted her hand. “Some bleeding and cramps aren’t unusual in pregnancy,” she answered. “It doesn’t necessarily mean there’s anything wrong with the baby ... but the sooner we get you to the hospital and you’re checked out the better”. “What about the Father ... shouldn’t we notify him?” Jennifer asked her, but Lindsay shook her head. “No, not yet. I don’t want to worry Brian …” “Brian?” queried Jennifer, frowning. “Yes, Brian ... my dance partner”. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After Jennifer had shooed them from Lindsay’s cabin, Justin and Daphne had immediately run over to the hall to find Brian, but he wasn’t there. They looked everywhere they could think of, including Brian’s room and the gym, but he was nowhere to be found. After the disco, the gang helped Brian clear away and they’d all gone back to the Novotny lodge. Debbie had brought some supplies with them just in case the restaurant wasn’t up to scratch; supplies that included several bottles of liquor and their little party had started. Unable to locate Brian, Justin and Daphne returned to Lindsay’s cabin to find the ambulance was about to leave. “You two stay and look after Molly … she’s with the kids next door. I’m going to the hospital with Lindsay ...” said Jennifer and she followed Lindsay in to the ambulance as the paramedics settled her in. Watching the ambulance go, Justin turned to Daphne. “Daph, can you look after Molly? I need to find Brian. “Sure, Justin … of course I can” and Daphne returned to the lodge to care for the youngster. Justin couldn’t find Brian anywhere, but he had to be around; his car was still parked near by, so he decided to wait up on the veranda, sure he would have to come back there eventually, but after a while he dozed off on the lounger. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It wasn’t quite light when the sound of the door being opened woke Justin and he called out. “Brian …” and the man turned towards the sound of his voice. “Justin? What are doing here?” “I was looking for you practically all night …” “Well, I met up with some friends. That isn’t a crime is it?” and Brian turned his back on him and walked into his room. When Justin hadn’t turned up at the disco last night, Brian thought that was it; that Justin had decided he didn’t want to see him any more. So what? Fuck him. He didn’t need him. Justin followed him inside. “Brian, the reason I was looking for you is that Lindsay was taken to the hospital last night ... she didn’t look so good ... but …” “What? Is she okay?” asked Brian quickly as he spun around to face him. “What about the baby?” and he grabbed his jacket and picked up his car keys from the table. “I don’t know, but my Mom was with her … she’s a doctor. I’m sure Lindsay will be alright ...” “You don’t know shit,” snapped Brian back at him, but when he saw Justin blanch at his tone, he stopped dead in his tracks. Slowly, Justin walked up to him and put his hand on Brian’s arm. “You’re right … I don’t know, but I’m sure she’s being looked after” and Brian nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I guess,” and he made for the door. “I’m going to the hospital”. “Then I’m coming with you,” said Justin and together, they headed for Brian’s car. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Several hours had passed since Lindsay had been admitted into the hospital and it would soon be dawn. After a few tests, the doctor had come back and said there was nothing to worry about; that Lindsay and the baby were fine and she should be able to leave later in the day. “Thank you,” said Jennifer and she smiled at the doctor as he left and then she took Lindsay’s hand. “There, what did I tell you? The baby’s fine”. Lindsay was pale and tired, but the look of relief on her face was enormous. “Thank you Doctor Taylor, for being here with me …” “Please, call me Jennifer and it was no trouble ... really.” “Lindsay, can I ask you something?” asked Jennifer and she sat in the chair by the bed, a couple of feet away from her. “Yes, of course ...” and despite her tiredness, Lindsay could see that Jennifer was obviously concerned about something. During the night, as the tests were being carried out, Jennifer had tried to work out the situation. She’d seen the looks and the body language between Justin and Brian, or at least she thought she had. But she’d also seen the man with Lindsay, who had clearly stated that Brian was the father of her child. So, who was he deceiving? Lindsay, Justin: himself? At all costs, Jennifer wanted to protect her son. If this man were as duplicitous as it would seem, then Justin would only get hurt. “About the baby’s father … Brian. Now, I know it’s none of my business … but .. are you together .. a couple?” she asked. Lindsay shook her head. “Oh no, we’re nothing like that …” “Oh, well ... then what about the baby … how does he feel about that?” Jennifer interrupted her. “Well, I didn’t get quite the reaction I was hoping for when I told him …”, admitted Lindsay. “I see … so is he not going to support you?” “Well, no ... but then I don’t expect him to. He doesn’t even know what he’s going to be doing once the season finishes … he could be moving away ….” “What? And leave you all alone to fend for yourself and not even see his child grow up?” The more Jennifer heard about this man the more livid she became. To not stay around and support the Mother of his child was the lowest you could go as far as Jennifer was concerned, but before Lindsay could explain any further the door opened and Brian and Justin walked in. “Lindsay … are you okay?” asked Brian and he carefully perched on the edge of her bed. “And the baby?” “The baby’s fine,” stated Jennifer curtly, standing up as she saw her son enter alongside him. She glared at Brian, with part of her thinking that Brian might have wanted another outcome to last night’s events. “You shouldn’t stay long … Lindsay needs some rest” and Jennifer turned to Justin. “Justin … come along dear, we should get back to Molly”. “She’s okay, Mom … Daphne’s with her” answered her son. “Yes, I’m sure she is ... but that’s not fair on Daphne” and Jennifer smiled at Lindsay. “If there’s anything you need …” and she glanced at Brian. “I’m fine, Jennifer ... thank you” replied Lindsay as Jennifer walked to the door. “Doctor Taylor, if you want to wait ... I could give you a ride back,” said Brian and he was confused and taken aback at her obvious dislike of him. “No thank you, Brian ... we’ll make our own way back” and taking Justin by the elbow, Jennifer steered him out of the room. “Mom, what was all that about?” asked Justin, when they were outside the room and out of earshot and his Mother turned to him. “Justin, I don’t want you to have any more to do with Brian … do you understand me?” “Mom, you don’t know anything about him …”. “I know enough,” stated Jennifer, and she stopped him as he was about to speak further. “And I don’t want to hear another word about him”, and Jennifer turned and walked down the corridor. To be continued.