Midnight Whispers
QAF Brian and Justin Fanfiction
Author's Chapter Notes:

Justin has a heart-to-heart talk with Vic and finds out an old friend is coming back to town; Brian winds up in a life-or-death situation as he finds an unusual way to bond with his uncle.

 

 

Two Hours Later


Justin pulled up at the stables and slowly disembarked from the sulky, feeling every rut and gouge in the dirt track seeping all the way through to his bones; no matter how many times he worked out on their track, he couldn't escape the battering his body suffered afterward.  The constant motion of the sulky, while relatively smooth, still jarred him back and forth as he practiced.  He figured that no matter how many times he did it, he would always ache after he was done; it was one of the downsides to harness racing.

 

Groaning a little over the stiffness in his body, he heard Headstrong chuff softly as he walked over and placed his hand on the side of the horse's nose.   "You did well out there, Big Guy," he told the animal tenderly with a wistful smile; despite his predicament at home, he couldn't fault the racehorse for his inner turmoil.  He rubbed his cheek momentarily against the horse's neck before he walked around to the back of the sulky; unhitching it from the bridle, he pulled it far enough away from Headstrong so the horse could be freed from it before he placed it carefully down onto the ground.  Picking up the horse's reins, he slowly led Headstrong over to the pasture gate, and opening it, waited until the horse had ambled into the grassy area before, detaching the reins, he securely closed the gate behind him.  Stretching his upper body backward to try and work some of the kinks out, he only partially managed to dissipate some of the tiredness he suddenly felt.

 

"Productive workout?"

 

Justin turned slightly to see Vic standing several feet away at the stable's front doors as he rested his elbows on a pitchfork clutched in his hands; he had just finished laying down some fresh straw for the horses and had decided to take a short break before he moved onto plowing up more of the back acreage in preparation for the soybean planting.

 

Justin glanced over at Headstrong, noticing the horse slowly meandering over to True Blue who was grazing several feet away near the back of the paddock; while he wouldn't be caught dead going anywhere near the uncontrollable horse that  formerly belonged to the Walkers, Headstrong never seemed to have any qualms about being in close proximity to the spirited animal.

 

"Not too bad," Justin replied as he turned to walk over to the older man; Vic was casually clad in a pair of denim, bibbed overalls and a navy-blue plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up, his favorite attire when he was anticipating getting dirty.  "He was a little on the impatient side today," he advised him, not wanting to elaborate on just WHY the horse had acted that way.  If they hadn't been repeatedly interrupted by a certain annoying neighbor, Headstrong might have acted quite differently.

 

Vic bestowed a half-smile on the younger Taylor boy as he asked softly, "Any particular reason?"  Not that the horse didn't normally ‘feel his oats' when he was out on the track - the animal was quite fleet of foot and knew it, so he would sometimes act up just because he could - but he had gotten a peek earlier as to the reason why their most prized racehorse might have been a little flustered and it had nothing to do with the horse's idiosyncrasies; it seemed that their new neighbor boy had apparently become smitten with Justin.  You didn't have to be a mind reader - or even be close by - to notice the boy outwardly flirting with his young friend earlier.  Of course, the kiss he had seen the two boys sharing was a good indication as well.

 

Justin's face flushed slightly as he recalled his latest encounter with Brian.  He looked away, feeling awkward.  "No, not really," he finally said as he turned back to look at his friend, feeling like an idiot over having to lie.

 

Vic nodded silently as he studied Justin's face; he could sense that his young friend needed to talk.  "I have some of your mom's homemade lemonade in my thermos; want to join me for a little while to cool off?  I have some interesting news," he added mysteriously with a smile.

 

Justin stared over at him, intrigued; his own troubles temporarily forgotten.  "What kind of news?" he asked curiously, his interest piqued.

 

"Let's go sit down and I'll tell you," Vic promised him as Justin nodded.

 


 

A few minutes later, they had escaped the garishness of the midday sun and were sitting together on a couple of stacks of straw in the stable, sipping from some plastic cups.  The summer was just beginning, but already it promised to be warmer than usual; inside the spacious barn, even with all the half-doors of the stalls flung open, the weather was slightly uncomfortable without the presence of any noticeable breeze to offset the warmth.

 

Justin downed the rest of his lemonade in one gulp as he peered over at Vic, unable to control his curiosity any longer.  "Okay, Vic; so what's the news you mentioned?"

 

Vic smiled.  "We're going to have a visitor for a couple of weeks; someone you know.  Although I don't reckon your brother is going to be too pleased about it."

 

Justin furrowed his brow for a moment until his face lit up with a big smile of glee; that could only mean one thing - or should he say, one person.  "Em?" he ventured as Vic nodded with a knowing grin.

 

Justin giggled.  "Oh, you're right; he is NOT going to like that one bit!"  Vic's nephew, who was about the same age as Jared, had visited the Taylor farm about a year ago for the first time and had promptly developed a huge crush on his older brother, following him around like a puppy dog everywhere he went - into town, to the swimming hole, to the pool hall, even ‘accidentally' showing up at the classic car auctions where he and their father typically purchased their hotrods.  He was sure that only his father's warning NOT to carry the boy's idol worship to its logical conclusion had prevented Jared from fucking the daylights out of him just because he could; well, that and Vic's plea that it would be awkward to know that his employer's son and his nephew had gotten ‘better acquainted' during his stay.  Emmett had finally given up trying to win Jared over about the time he had to leave, but now that Justin knew he was coming back, something told him that Emmett might try and pick up where he had left off.

 

Justin had actually grown fond of Emmett while he was here, finding his humor and rather unorthodox style of dress quite entertaining; the other boy always had a myriad number of wild, crazy jokes he could rattle off and he certainly didn't dress the part of a typical country boy, although he had never personally been to Alabama; perhaps down there they didn't dress quite the same as in the back hills of Kentucky.  Something told him, though, that leather-like, butter-colored tight pants and a black spandex top wasn't exactly normal attire no matter where your farm was located.  You certainly couldn't do a lot of menial labor in them, but then again, Emmett hadn't exactly knocked himself out doing chores when he had come to visit, either.  That was ONE thing he and Jared had had in common, he supposed:  fear of breaking a nail or getting dirty, except when Jared was working on one of his muscle cars.

 

Justin couldn't help grinning at the thought of Emmett coming back to terrorize his older brother again.  "So when is he coming?"

 

"He'll be here tomorrow morning; he'll be staying with me again in my trailer out back."

 

Justin's eyes widened.  "That soon?  Then he'll be here in time for the social tomorrow night."

 

Vic nodded with a grin.  "You don't think that's an accident, do you?  He's been raving about Sophie Mason's pecan pie ever since he won it last year at the cake walk.  Trust me, it's totally intentional."

 

Justin laughed; the town's postmistress always brought her 'world-famous' pecan pie to the yearly social, and the gooey, nut-laden treat was always the absolute favorite at the cake walk.  Justin got a kick out of Emmett's participation in the game last year; at first, he seemed to have no idea how it worked, but once he got the hang of it and figured it out, he was bouncing right in time with the fiddle music as he and the other participants walked in a circle until a number was called.  It had been pure coincidence that Emmett had wound up with the prized pie after it was over (attracting several glares from the sore losers in the process), but one bite of it and he was in heaven!  The pie was gone by the end of the second day.

 

He smiled over at Vic.  "It'll be great to have his company for a while," he told him.  He sighed.  "I could use a little cheering up."

 

Vic eyed him intently, knowing this was the opening he had been seeking.  "I thought there was something bothering you," he said quietly.  "Want to tell me about it?"

 

Justin crumpled up the plastic cup and threw it in frustration onto the ground.  He brushed his hand through his tousled hair as he advised, "It's nothing you haven't heard before, Vic."

 

The older man nodded.  "I know you've had a lot of pressure placed on you."  He paused for a second.   "I wish I was able to take your place, Justin," he added with an almost wistful tone of voice.  Despite his love of the sport, Vic had long ago given up on trying to race horses professionally; neither his spirit nor his body was in any shape to accomplish such a difficult feat.  The most he could do, then, was try and offer some sort of moral support and maybe extend just a little technical expertise from his 'glory days'.  He didn't kid himself, though, that he would ever be able to handle riding a sulky again.

 

"Thanks," Justin replied sincerely.  He huffed at the irony.  "I wouldn't mind if you did take­­­ my place, actually, at least from time to time.  I do enjoy racing - it's kind of a high, especially when I win..."  His eyes lit up momentarily, only to be replaced with a sad look.  Yes, he did like racing and the rush it gave him - he liked the competitiveness of it, at least when it was fair - but the feeling was all too fleeting once the reality of his situation at home sunk in and his waning dreams of attending college began to seem more like a distant memory.

 

Vic peered at him silently, somehow knowing that Justin would continue speaking when he was ready; sometimes silence was the best part of a conversation that you could have with someone.

 

"But..." Justin finally continued after a moment, struggling to try and explain how he was feeling.  He focused on a metal bucket hanging from a wooden post several feet away.

 

"...But sometimes you just wish you could do it for the joy of it without all the pressure."

 

Justin turned his gaze to concentrate on his friend before he nodded.  "Yeah," he replied softly.  "I know I shouldn't feel that way... I know how much my family depends on me..."

 

Vic huffed in anger.  "Justin... Son, you're seventeen years old!  That's what you have a mother and a father for - not to mention an irresponsible, older brother."  Vic wasn't going to hide that fact that while he was an old friend of Craig's, he still felt that he wasn't doing as much as he could to support his family, and he didn't even want to start with Jared's lack of accountability.  "You can't shoulder the world by yourself.  You shouldn't have to, either."

 

"I know," Justin admitted as he let out a heavy breath.  "I just wish I knew how to change things, I guess."

 

"Well, I know how things NEED to be changed," Vic growled as he downed the rest of his lemonade with one last gulp, crushing the cup in his fist in anger.  "Your brother needs to grow up and carry his weight around here.  Just because your father and I go back a long way doesn't change the face that he coddles him way too much."  He paused for a few seconds as he gave Justin a wry smile.  "I guess I don't have to tell YOU that, though; do I?"

 

Justin shook his head as he reached down and plucked a blade from the straw he was sitting on to roll it idly between his fingers.  "No," he whispered, the pain evident in his voice.  He lifted his gaze to peer over at his old family friend, the man who had given him so much advice and instruction on how to successfully race and asked plaintively, "Vic, I want to go to Vanderbilt so badly.  I have to get out of here somehow.  You know what happens if someone my age stays here; they either become a farmer or a coal miner; there isn't anything else to do!"  He let out a deep breath.  "Do I look like a farmer or a coal miner?  Look at my dad!  He was supposed to be an accountant; how many accountants does a farmer need?  Vic, if I don't go to college, I'll be stuck here for the rest of my life; and if I am, I might as well die, because I WILL be dead - inside.  Just like my dad already is."  He blinked, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall even while cursing himself for sounding and acting like some little, scared kid.

 

"I know, Justin," Vic replied softly, his heart breaking at the mournful tone of his young friend's voice.  Yes, Justin definitely had a gift when it came to the horses, and he was quite successful at harness racing, but it wasn't where his passion lay.  He had seen enough sketches of Justin's to know how talented he was and what a waste it would be for someone as artistically brilliant and compassionate as he was to wind up having to shovel manure and plant crops for the rest of his life.  Justin's dreams - and his happiness - lay elsewhere.  Right now, he had no idea how he was going to help him chase those dreams, but he was going to be damned if Craig and his irresponsible brother prevented that.  "They'll be a way, Son; I'm sure of it," he told his friend, even though he had no idea what it would be.  He just knew that someone as deserving as this young man had to have luck on his side.

 

Justin nodded.  "I hope you're right," he replied as he cast his gaze onto the dirt floor and continued to fretfully twirl the piece of straw between his fingers.

 

Vic eyed the younger Taylor carefully before he cleared his throat, thinking that perhaps it was best for now to change the subject.  "Uh, Justin, I've been meaning to ask you," he began.  "The Walkers' nephew that's staying with them... What's his name?"

 

Justin raised his head to peer over at Vic as he swallowed hard, the question catching him a little off guard.  "Br... Brian," he managed to stammer out, even now the name evoking a certain nervous emotion in him.

 

Vic managed to hide his amusement as he nodded solemnly.  "Right... Brian.  I was just wondering what you thought of him?  I understand he's been in a little trouble before with the law."

 

"Nothing that big," Justin protested, wondering why he was trying to defend the older boy.  "He just stole a car is all."  His father had found that out from the Walkers and had wasted no time informing him and Jared of it as a silent admonition to tread carefully around him.  That hadn't assuaged his interest in him, though.

 

Vic's eyebrow rose in curiosity.  Only stole a car?  That sounded pretty serious to him; it was interesting that Justin seemed to be sticking up for him.  "Isn't that a felony?  I heard from your father that he was drag racing with it."

 

"That's why he's here instead of in jail," Justin countered stiffly.  "He's being allowed to work it off.  He's been a lot of help to the Walkers so far."

 

Vic did have to smile a little at how Justin was continuing to defend him; it seemed they were both smitten with each other.  "Oh, he has, has he?  And how do you know that?"

 

"Uh, well, I've run into him from time to time while I've been practicing."

 

Vic grinned, enjoying himself and the flustered look on Justin's face.  "Practicing what?"

 

Justin looked indignant.  "Practicing with Headstrong!" he said almost with a 'duh' sort of tone.

 

"Ohhh," Vic replied as his grin widened.  "Nothing else?"

 

Justin appeared confused.  "Of course nothing else!  What else could I have been doing lately?  You know the only time Jared is forced to do any chores is when I have to prepare for a race!"

 

"Well, I saw you and the Kinney boy over at the track a little while ago, and it looked like the two of you were practicing something else together."  Justin's face instantly reddened in embarrassment, and Vic knew then that he had hit the nail on the head.  "You too really seemed to be hitting it off."

 

"I don't know what you mean," Justin stammered again, hoping to God that he hadn't seen what he was afraid he had seen.   "Brian WAS out earlier picking some blackberries and blueberries for his Aunt Sarah so she could make her cobbler for the social tomorrow, and they ARE located near the fence," he pointed out.  "I can't help it if the track runs alongside where he's working."

 

"Looked like he wasn't exactly working when I saw him," Vic divulged as Justin's mouth gaped open slightly and his face turned a little more red.  "Not unless that's what they're calling kissing nowadays.  I about had a heart attack when I saw him actually lay down on the track; you barely missed that boy!"

 

"I know!" Justin exclaimed, forgetting that he was supposed to be playing dumb.  "I told him that was a stupid thing to do!  And then later he hit me with some of the blackberries in the face and on my shirt!  See?" He twisted his upper body around so Vic could see the clear, dark-colored smudge on the back of Justin's shirt and he had to laugh; the other boy was both persistent as well as creative.  Yeah, he had it bad, all right; he's just not sure that Justin realized how much.

 

"So what exactly is going on between you two?" he asked Justin point blank, finding himself just a little concerned.  Justin was so young and inexperienced; and while he could be feisty and combative at times, especially with his older brother, it worried him somewhat that this Kinney kid was playing him just to get what he wanted out of him before he dropped him like the proverbial hot potato.  He cared for Justin a lot, and did not want him to get hurt.  He knew that was part of life sometimes, but he didn't like anyone taking advantage of him, whether it was Craig, Jared, or this rebellious, more experienced boy.

 

Justin thought about simply brushing off Vic's question, but as he stared into his eyes, he found that he couldn't.  He sighed.  "I wish I knew," he admitted.  "God, Vic, he's so hot!  I've never seen anyone like him!  I want to think he really likes me, but I just don't know!  I'm afraid," he confessed, feeling a little foolish.

 

"Of what?" Vic pressed gently, knowing the probable answer already.

 

"That he's just using me," Justin answered as he averted his gaze downward in embarrassment.  "That as soon as he... He gets what he wants, he'll just move on to someone else."  His cheeks burned in shame; just the thought that he was some gullible, hokey country kid who didn't know shit about sex or what it took to make another boy genuinely care about him made him feel like an idiot.  Of course, that had been his biggest fear from the start, and despite what Brian seemed to be telling him lately with his words, his kisses, and his touches, he still couldn't quite rid himself of the lingering doubts swirling around in his head about the other boy's intentions.

 

Vic shook his head in irritation; if Kinney DID do that, he would hear from HIM.  He was strongly protective of this boy; Justin was kind, compassionate, and intelligent, not to mention he was a beautiful young man, inside and out.  If Kinney used him and tossed him aside like some garbage alongside the edge of a dirt road, he would get a piece of his mind.  The other boy was obviously attracted to the youngest Taylor son, but he'd better treat him right or he would hear about it, from both HIM and the Walkers.  Something told him that Sarah - and especially Will - would not look too kindly to their nephew creating a major disruption between them and the Taylors.  In this part of the country, you needed every helpful neighbor you could get just to survive.

 

"Do you have any reason to think that's what he's intending to do?" Vic asked quietly.

 

Justin bit his lip.  "No, not really."  He looked over at Vic.  "Do you think that's what he'll do, Vic? I mean, I've never, uh, you know.  Maybe he would be disappointed anyway."  Shit - could he feel any more embarrassed than he did right now?  But he knew he could never discuss this with his mother and father, and especially Jared; his brother would laugh in his face.


"No," Vic told him firmly, trying to sound more convincing than he felt; he simply couldn't hurt Justin, though, and Kinney better not, either; this boy gave himself wholeheartedly to whatever he did, and something told him that when it came to love, he would be the same way.  "He would be crazy to do that, Justin.  He wants to be with you; and if he does, it won't matter if you're experienced or not."  He took on a wistful sort of look then as he thought back to HIS first time so long ago; he had been upfront with Craig about his homosexuality soon after they had first met, and the boys knew it as well.  He normally didn't spend a lot of time discussing it, though, but in this case perhaps it would help.  Besides, he knew that Justin felt much more comfortable talking to him than his father about sex.  "Your first time should be special, though; don't let him do anything you're not ready to do, okay?  When the time is right, you'll know it.  And always make sure you protect yourself."

 

Justin silently nodded as Vic stood up, knowing his break time was long over.  He walked over to place his left hand on Justin's shoulder to give it a squeeze, nodding down at him affectionately, as he turned to go.  "I'll go take care of Headstrong and True Blue," he told him.  "You go get some lunch; I'm sure you haven't eaten yet."

 

Justin nodded again as Vic turned to go.  "Thanks," he replied softly.  "For everything."

 

Vic nodded back at him.  "Anytime."  With one last look of support, he turned and walked outside,  leaving Justin alone with his thoughts and his doubts.

 



Walker Farm - Same Time


Sarah smiled in delight as the porch screen door creaked and, using his backside, Brian pushed the back door open wider, walking inside as he lugged a teeming bucket full of blackberries beside him.  "Look at you!" she exclaimed.  "How many did you wind up with?"  She hurried over to grab the side of the plastic handle to help him carry the heavy bucket over to the table and place it down on top.  "Those are huge!"  She had already rolled out six homemade crusts and placed them inside her rectangular, glass baking dishes in preparation for making her prize-winning cobbler for the social tomorrow night; she knew that would be keeping her busy for the next 24 hours.

 

Brian pulled out one of the metal kitchen chairs and groaned as he sat down at the table.  He wiped some perspiration off his brow as he advised, "There're four more buckets still out in the wagon - two more blackberries and two full of blueberries."  He eyed his aunt warily, noticing how pleased she seemed to be at the bounty he had procured.  "That's a LOT of berries; are you really going to use all of them for the social?"

 

Sarah laughed.  "Dear no!  If I used all of them, I'd need about ten times more baking dishes than I have!  No, I'll crystalize most of them and freeze them for use later in the year.  But I WILL make at least six of them before I'm done.  Two will be given away at the cake walk, one blackberry and one blueberry will be put into the judging contest, one will be auctioned off at the silent auction, and the last blackberry cobbler - that one will go to Justin," she said with a tender smile.  She grinned over at Brian, noticing a flicker of emotion appear on his face at the mention of the younger Taylor boy's name.  "Speaking of Justin, did you see him out practicing on the track today?  I know there's another race coming up this weekend, so normally he'd be working out with Headstrong a few days before."

 

She reached over to grab the pitcher of iced tea she had made earlier, pouring some into a tall, clear glass and handing it to Brian as he took a big drink before he placed it down in front of him.  "Yeah, he was out there," Brian said quietly, looking down at the table as he recalled his and Justin's meeting earlier in the day.  He had been there, all right; he couldn't think of anything else BUT him the whole time Justin had been riding.  Even after they had went back to their own tasks, he couldn't help watching the Taylor boy circling the track, his luminous, blond hair blowing in the wind as he picked up speed around the oval course.  He was very graceful and fluid in his movements on the track, almost becoming one with the horse and sulky as they whipped by him.  And Brian had also found himself pausing to admire the strength and sleekness of the racehorse, Headstrong; the horse was quite fast and very powerful, two attributes that he could readily appreciate.

 

Sarah nodded.  "Did you have a chance to tell him that you would be at the social tomorrow?" she asked as she walked over to the kitchen sink to retrieve a large, white, ceramic bowl to transfer some of the berries for washing.

 

"It might have come up," Brian admitted, for some reason not wanting to share too much of what he and Justin had discussed.  He was still trying to figure it out himself; plus, he was still extremely curious about what had happened to his cousin Dale.  He was going to hold Justin to his promise to tell him more about what happened tomorrow night at the social.

 

Sarah nodded as she brought the bowl back to the table and sat down across from him, stealing a curious glance over at her nephew; she sensed there was something going on between then, something more than what Brian was divulging.  She just hoped he did right by Justin.  "Well, I'm sure he'll be happy to have the company.  There aren't a lot of kids his age around town; most of them are more Jared's age, and you know how uncool it is to be seen hanging around with your friend's kid brother, so they tend to ignore him most of the time.  Hopefully you won't mind keeping him company, though, at least for one night."

 

"Well, I'll have to take your word on that," Brian replied, ignoring the other part of her statement as he reached over to begin collecting some of the blackberries to place them into his aunt's smaller bowl.  "All I have is a sister, and we're not that close."  Actually, that was an understatement; Claire would rather not even acknowledge they were related, and his mother favored his sister over him constantly.  Sometimes he wished he was just an orphan; it would make his life a lot easier.

 

"Yeah, I know," Sarah said softly.  "Did you miss not having a brother growing up?" she asked as the two of them worked congenially together to fill the bowl.

 

Brian shrugged as he discarded a berry that didn't look ripe.  "I never had one, so how could I miss not having one?"  Truthfully, though, there HAD been times when he had wished he had someone to confide in; he never felt comfortable going to his father with his problems.  His father only wanted to know about his achievements, not his failures.  The only consistent treatment he could expect from his father was disappointment when he didn't live up to his expectations.  Then again, a drunk didn't have very high standards, either.  Perhaps that was why he was allowed to get away with some things; his father preferred just to turn his head and look away rather than deal with them.  It was only when he was arrested and publicly identified that his father all of a sudden took an interest in him, mainly because he and his mother were worried about how it would appear to their 'church-going' friends.  That was the whole reason why he was here in the first place.  If he had to be honest, though, his worry about exchanging one prison for another hadn't quite materialized; and one of the reasons why it hadn't turned out to be quite so bad was because of his aunt - and Justin.  So in an odd way, his father had inadvertently done him a favor for once in his life.

 

Sarah nodded with a half-smile.  "I guess you have a point," she said.  "Sometimes I wish Will and I had had another child; then maybe it wouldn't have hurt so much when Dale died."  She inhaled a deep breath as melancholy invaded her thoughts - whispers of sorrow and regret - before she forced herself to move on; playing a game of 'what ifs' wouldn't change anything.

 

Brian eyed her carefully from across the table before he forged ahead.  "Aunt Sarah, you said my uncle was a lot different before my cousin died."

 

Sarah smiled.  "Yes, at least in some ways.  He never used to worry so much about day-to-day things, not like he does now.  Of course, any time farming is your living you always have to worry to a certain extent, since the weather can make or break you each year."  She reached to grab a few more berries to put them into the rapidly-filling bowl as she continued.  "And he used to laugh and smile a lot more back then."

 

"You know... I'd really like to try and make amends with him," Brian told his aunt, knowing he had to tread lightly here.  "But I feel like I can't do that until I really understand what happened back then."

 

Sarah swallowed as she lifted her gaze to meet the hazel eyes boring into her.  "You mean with Dale."

 

Brian nodded.

 

"His death was unexpected, Brian.  He was always the healthiest child; never missed a day in school, at least due to illness, and never was on any prescription drugs.  I think that's why when it happened, it shocked us so much, especially Will, and that's why he's still having such a hard time getting over it.  Dale and Will had their differences, just like any other father and son, but they had always done everything together.  In the year before he died, though, he and Dale had started to drift a little further apart."  She quirked one side of her mouth up affectionately as she explained, "He was so much like you in a lot of ways, Brian - independent, a little rebellious, stubborn, and a born leader.  He was a typical teenager, though; he was just beginning to grow into being an adult and wanted to spread his wings a little bit more, away from his father.  Will didn't like some of the things he was getting involved with; some of the people he had become friends with and was hanging out with.  But the racing had started to bring them back together.  And then the accident happened... And the world that we knew came crashing down."  She inhaled a deep, shaky breath and let it back out through partly-opened lips as she told him, "Will was never the same after that."  She smiled wistfully over at Brian, however, as she explained, "But since you've been here, even with the problems you two have had, I've been starting to see just a little more of the 'old Will' re-emerging, and that gives me hope."  She reached over to take Brian's free hand and squeeze it.  "I'll be forever grateful to you for that, Brian."

 

Brian pushed his tongue into his cheek, feeling unexpectedly awkward.  "I haven't done anything; he still doesn't really like me."  He wondered when that started to bother him so much, and when he actually started to care.  But somewhere along the way, he had, and it hurt to think that his uncle didn't like him.  His uncle was irascible, grouchy, and had little tolerance for disobedience or sloth, but he was also one of the hardest workers he had ever seen, and didn't beat him to within an inch of his life when he didn't follow his directions.  And at least he set clear guidelines for him to follow; in a way, he liked that because at least it showed that his uncle cared about him in an odd sort of way.

 

"That's not true," Sarah protested.  "I know him a lot better than you.  He's always had kind of a hard time expressing his feelings, but he doesn't dislike you, Brian.  Keep working on him; you'll see.  And it'll be the best thing you could do for me, too, if you continue to bring the 'old Will' back to me."  She gave his hand one more squeeze before she let it go to continue collecting berries from the bucket.

 

"But about my cousin; how...?"

 

To his consternation, Sarah shook her head.  "Please, Brian; tomorrow is such a happy occasion around town.  Don't ask me, at least not now.  One day I'll tell you the rest of it, just not right now,okay?"

 

Brian sighed in frustration.  Well, I tried, Farm Boy.  You're going to have to answer my questions now.  He resolved to press Justin tomorrow night about the details; he HAD to know what happened back then!  Of course, whatever he learned or didn't learn tomorrow night, he was sure he'd have an interesting time trying to find out from his company.  The thought of going to a 'town social' didn't thrill him with anticipation, but spending more time with Justin - preferably alone - certainly did.  "Okay," he finally agreed.  "Where IS Uncle Will, by the way?  I haven't really seen him around lately."

 

"He's out in the dairy barn, watching over Checkers," she told him.  "She's showing signs she's about ready to have her calf and he wanted to keep an eye on her."

 

Brian's eyes widened.  "A calf?  How big are they when they're born?"

 

"Well, with dairy cows, normally around 80 to 100 lbs.  Will thinks Checkers is going to have a big one, too, and he's a little worried about it.  She's never had a calf before, and heifers are more likely to have problems with their first offspring."  A sudden idea occurred to Sarah as she asked, "Brian, can you run out to the dairy barn and see if Will wants to come in for a bite to eat?  He hasn't eaten lunch yet, and I haven't had a chance to take any out to him.  Maybe you can keep an eye on Checkers until he has a chance to eat.  If any problems come up, you can come and get him."  Of course, she wasn't all that concerned about her husband eating; he had gone several hours before without a meal when he was concentrating on a particular issue, but any opportunity for a possible bonding experience between her husband and her nephew was one that shouldn't be passed up.

 

Brian's looked at her, a little concerned.  "You think there's going to be problems?  I'm not sure that I..."

 

"Your uncle will be right here if you need him; it's just a precaution," she assured him, but Brian wasn't totally convinced; it sounded too much like some rural Murphy's Law to him.  But he trusted his aunt as he pushed back from the table and stood up.  "You'll both be right here?" he repeated just to make sure.

 

Sarah fought to hide her smile as she nodded solemnly.  "I'll even leave just the screen door open so we can hear you more easily if you need him," she promised.

 

"Okay," Brian told her.  "You'll both be right here."

 

She had to laugh then.  "Yes, Brian. Go.  Everything will be fine."

 

He nodded again as he finally turned to leave and Sarah shook her head.  For a boy who could be so cocky and self-assured when it came to some things, Brian could also be like an insecure, little boy when it came to others.  "Do your magic on him, Brian," she whispered as the creak of the porch door sounded and Brian exited.  "Keep it up."

 


 

Will looked up from his task as he saw a motion out of the corner of his eye; he was a little surprised to see his nephew walking into the barn.  He was sitting cross-legged next to their dairy cow that was baying pitifully as she lay on her side, a thick bed of straw splayed out beneath her.  She was clearly in discomfort, which was not a good sign.  He had already used the landline phone out in the barn to call the vet at the first sign of her distress, anticipating what would likely be a difficult delivery, but the doctor was at best fifteen minutes away, and something told him that this heifer didn't have that long to wait; her baby was impatient to come into the world by the signs and noises she was making.  The big question, though, was would it make an appearance alive or dead? The odds of a heifer successfully giving birth the first time weren't that high; too many things could go wrong.  The desperate truth, though, was that they really needed this calf.  It would be a small amount overall financially, but the money they could eventually get by selling her could make enough of a difference for them to get by one month in the dead of winter.

 

"What are YOU doing here?" Will groused softly as Brian walked up to join him; he could detect a note of concern and even fear on his nephew's face; two emotions that he rarely saw there.

 

Brian forced himself not to take offense at his uncle's tone of voice as he explained, "Aunt Sarah asked me to come out and see if you wanted me to stay with the cow so you could go eat lunch."  He looked warily at the large animal lying on her side, her big eye blinking up at him.  Checkers had looked big enough that one day when he been milking her; right now, though, she looked immense - and just a little intimidating.  "Is she okay?" Brian asked as he heard her let out a mournful sort of groan.

 

"First of all, Brian, she's not a cow; she's a heifer.  They're only cows AFTER they've given birth at least once," Will corrected him as Brian huffed a little in irritation; he didn't care WHAT they were called.  To him a cow was a cow.  "And secondly, no, I can't leave. She's NOT okay."  He brushed one weathered hand through his hair as he explained, "I think the calf is in the wrong position to come out, and if it is, there's going to be problems; BIG problems."

 

Brian's eyes became big as saucers; what had he gotten himself into? In the immortal words of Butterfly McQueen, he 'didn't know nothing 'bout birthin' no cows.'  "Well, don't they have vets out here or something?" he asked in desperation.

 

Will gave him a barely-disguised look of impatience as he advised, "Of course they have vets out here!"  He sighed, trying to calm himself down as Checkers let out another groan, indicating she was having another contraction; they were getting closer and closer now - TOO close.  "But he's at least fifteen minutes away, and that calf wants to come out NOW."  He gazed up intently at the young man peering apprehensively down at him and came to a decision.  "You're going to have to help me move it into position, or it's going to die."

 

Brian's mouth gaped open.  "What?  You've got to be shitting me."

 

"No, I'm not," Will responded in a clipped voice. "And don't use that language in front of me.  Now get over here and help me."  Brian, however, appeared frozen in place.  "NOW, Brian!  Do you want this baby to die?"

 

His uncle's demand seemed to sink in as Brian began to hurry over to his uncle's side.  Kneeling down next to him, he asked, "What do I do?"

 

"Just hold the tail out away from her while I try to move the baby into the correct position.  Keep your other hand on her flank to try and keep her calm and immobile."

 

Brian gave him a look of disbelief as he scooted back toward the rear of the animal, wondering how he was going to be able to keep an animal that weighed several hundred pounds 'immobile.'  But he did as he was told as his uncle moved next to him, grasping the tail with his right hand and holding it away from the animal's body as he rose to kneel on his knees and hold the heifer down as best he could with his other hand.  He marveled at how warm the animal's skin felt underneath him, just as Checkers let out with another groan.

 

"It won't be long now," Will told him, his own face etched with concern.  Cupping his hands together, he reached inside the animal's birth canal, discovering that the calf was in the backwards position:  the soles of the hooves and the knees were pointing toward the ground, not upward.  He couldn't feel the tail between the newborn's legs, either, which was the biggest cause of his worry; if the tail wasn't repositioned, the calf might not pass through the rest of the birth canal and the longer it took for the heifer to give birth, the more there was a chance the calf's umbilical cord would be pinched and its oxygen supply cut off.

 

"What is it?" Brian whispered as he noticed the look of grave seriousness on his uncle's face.

 

"The tail's in the wrong place," he told him grimly as he began to reach inside the birth canal for the tail. "It has to be moved between the calf's hooves, or we might not be able to get this calf out before it's asphyxiated."

 

Brian bit his lip in anxiety as he watched his uncle trying to maneuver his hands inside the heifer; all the while, Checkers was bleating piteously in pain.  "Easy, girl, easy," Brian told her soothingly, at once sympathizing with the hurting animal but feeling like an idiot; he tried not to think about the fact that he was comforting a cow (oh, yeah, a heifer) of all things as his uncle let forth with an unexpected profanity.

 

"Sorry," he grunted as Brian raised an eyebrow in surprise.  "I can't get my hands where they need to be; they're too big."  He glanced down at his nephew's long, almost delicate hands and said the words that Brian was dreading.  "Brian, you'll have to try and do it."

 

Brian shook his head.  "Uh, uh," he protested as Will withdrew his now mucous-covered hands.  He couldn't help crinkling up his nose in disgust at the slimy sight that was making him queasy.  "I can't do it."

 

Will's eyes flashed in anger as Checkers moaned loudly, clearly in torment now.  "Yes, you can, damn it!  You either do it or this heifer AND her baby are going to die, do you understand?"  He took a deep breath as he calmed himself, his breathing heavy with anxiety.  His voice was softer and almost pleading now as he said, "Brian.  Please.  You're the only one who can save this calf - and the mother.  I NEED both of them.  Please help them - and ME."

 

Brian stared into his uncle's face, noticing his terror now.  He knew his uncle was telling him the truth, but could he do it?  He only knew at that moment that he had to try.  He nodded as he scooted around the older man.  "Okay," he agreed to his uncle's enormous relief.  "What do I do?"

 

Will nodded as he changed places with Brian, placing a hand on the heifer as he held the tail away from her body.  "Place your hands palm to palm as close together as you can," he began as Brian did as he was told, grimacing as he neared the animal's birth canal.  "Push your hands in about six inches or so and start twisting your hands and wrists around the baby's head and hooves until you can locate the tail."

 

Brian took a deep breath and bit his lower lip in concentration as he got nearer and nearer.  Taking one last breath of courage, he forced himself to ignore the hot, slick sensation as he pushed both hands inside, finding more room there than he would have thought.

 

"Good," his uncle murmured as he watched attentively.  "Push in just a little more and start feeling around for the tail now," he said, his voicing rising a little in excitement.  "Do you feel it?  It might be hard to grab onto," he warned.

 

Brian grimaced as he tried to ignore what he was doing; he would be washing his hands about a thousand times after this.  It felt like he was trying to grab onto a raw oyster as he finally located what had to be the tail.  "I found it!" he cried out in triumph as his right hand curled around it.  "I've got it!"

 

"Good!" Will cried out, feeling just a glimmer of hope.  "Now take it and push it between the hooves and grab hold of them; this calf's about to be born!"

 

Brian nodded as he pushed the tail out of the way before feeling for the front hooves.  "I feel them!" he told his uncle.  "But they're hard to hold onto."

 

Will nodded, his excitement - and hope - mounting.  "I know; grab onto the legs right above the hooves as best you can and start pulling.  As soon as they're partially out, I'll try to help you."

 

Brian nodded again, wishing he had some gloves or anything to help get a better purchase, but he knew there was no time to waste.  Brian grabbed onto the legs where his uncle told him to and began to pull, feeling them give just a few inches.  "Come on!" he said to the calf as he grunted from the exertion of a second push; this time, the legs began to move several inches toward the outside.  "It's coming!" Brian shouted as he grabbed onto another spot and gave the calf another pull.

 

"That's it!" Will cried out.  "Keep pulling!  It's coming; I can see the legs and the head!"  Checkers continued to bleat loudly as Will reached over and placed his hands right above Brian's to grab hold of the legs right above him, almost like they were playing a game of tug of war.  "Pull; just a little more!"

 

Brian grunted again as together the two of them gave the calf a stronger pull now and finally it plopped out, surrounded by a mixture of mucous, blood, and other bodily fluids.

 

Brian watched in rapt fascination as his uncle reached for a couple of large towels and began to clean the calf off, holding his breath as he waited to see if the calf was alive.  He eyes grew large in disbelief as he observed his uncle grasp the newborn by its hind legs and stand up to swing it around in a semi-circle.

 

"What are you DOING?" he asked.

 

"It's a way to clear its nasal passages," Will told him, out of breath from his exertion.  "And to drain the trachea, nose and lungs of mucous."  Will kept swinging the calf as he growled, "Come on!  Come on!  Breathe!"

 

Finally, both of them could hear a high-pitched, bleating sound burst forth, and Will let out a whoop.  "That's it!" he cried out in happiness.  "That's what I wanted to hear!"  Stopping his motion, he placed the newborn down gently on its side in the thick bed of straw just as he heard a truck door slamming.  A few seconds later, Dr. Callahan, the town vet, came rushing into the barn.

 

Walking up to Will and a boy he didn't recognize, he noticed the newborn lying on its side, apparently in no distress.  "Looks like you've had an addition to your herd," he observed with a smile as he placed his black medical bag down on the ground next to the calf.  "I came as fast as I could.  Was it bad?" he asked as he knelt down and began to examine the animal.

 

"Yeah," Will replied as he sat down next to the doctor, a bespectacled man in his 50's with salt-and-pepper, wavy hair and piercing, dark-blue eyes.  The vet was wearing a pair of well-loved, worn denim jeans, scuffed, light brown boots, and a brown, plaid shirt with thin, maroon stripes.  Out in the country, there was no need for formality when it came to dress, nor was it practical.  "The tail was in the wrong position and it was in the birth canal backward, but it wasn't going to wait one minute longer."

 

The doctor looked over at Will and nodded.  Having known the Walkers for a long time, he was well aware of Dale's death; he knew that it not only had affected Will Walker emotionally but also financially. He knew, then, that losing a calf would have been a big blow to him.  "Well, she appears to be doing okay under the circumstances now," he observed clinically as he placed a stethoscope to the calf's heart and listened to the strong, regular heartbeat.  "I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner, but you did a good job birthing her."

 

Will looked over at his nephew and smiled, a genuine, appreciative smile.  "I had a lot of help from my nephew," he stated firmly.  "He was the one who saved her, not me."  Brian looked back at him in stunned but pleased surprise as his uncle turned to the vet to say with what sounded suspiciously like pride, "Doc, I'd like you to meet my nephew, Brian."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter End Notes:

 

I will have another chapter of this up shortly that details the town social, Emmett's arrival, and a little 'nighttime' activity' between the boys.  (No, not THAT one, at least not yet - ha!).  Hope you enjoyed this first part; thanks for reading and for the support.:)

 

 

You must login (register) to review.