Coming Of Age 2Nd Love Ch 14

Beginning of Something New?

AJ was loading the Tahoe for his drive to Pullman. June and July had flown by, it was now o'dark thirty on the 6th of August. He was excited to get back to school but still not ready to address the house there. Here it was easy, there were none of Syd's things to sort through and deal with every memory that went with them. This was going to be the suckiest few weeks. Syd had been prodding him all summer on his health and love life.

Thank God for therapy -- AJ felt better about all things 'Oliver Jones', he knew a long time ago it wasn't his fault; the sketches of the incidents helped AJ put into perspective what happened, and given the size difference he could not have stopped him on his own. He had come to accept that the reason he did not say anything is that he was afraid to admit it to himself or anyone else at the time. He would have done it willingly had Oliver just been a bit kinder and asked. AJ admitted out loud that he was bisexual and ok with it.

As a result of his work in therapy, he had 'come out' to his family at a big Fourth of July celebration. He told his family about the rapes and the reason behind his not saying anything. There were tears, hugs, and healing for the entire family. He let his family know that he had talked with the police and they were going to arrest Oliver today, in full view of those he was celebrating his 4th with. AJ explained that there would not be a prosecution based on his rape, but Oliver had indeed done this to others. Two boys had come forward and were within the statute and he would be held to account. AJ's information was going in the complaint as corroboration only. AJ told his family the biggest regret he had was the knowledge that had he said something he might have prevented this from happening to other boys -- his therapist told him to get the hell over it, his exact words -- "Get the hell over it, you were the victim, a small vulnerable teenage boy. Do not take on Oliver's illegal actions, they are not YOURS."

He also developed with his therapist methods to deal better with his overprotective / over-involved family, which were working. He felt more in control and less like a petulant child when he pushed back and set boundaries. He had not lost his temper again since the memorial service, which was good for his mental health. As he tossed the last bag he was taking to Pullman in the Tahoe, his siblings and their spouses pulled into the driveway, every car was playing the same music, and they were all out of control singing -- some great, some good, and a couple of off-key wannabes.

AJ looked at them as they piled out of their cars -- "What are you guys doing here? We said our goodbyes yesterday; I don't have the mental fortitude to do that again and go back to school."

Gina hugged her 'little brother' -- "We are going with you, my dearest brother. Ehhehhh, don't interrupt and there is NO debate we are going. Kevin and I are riding with you and the boys. Cheryl, Max, Steph, Jim, JT, Mo, Eva, and Mat are taking two cars and will caravan with us. It is a done deal."

Steph was next to chime in -- "We have all been talking about you, yeah I know nothing new there but I assure you it has been good for us all to do what the 'rents did and do some role play. We all came to the same conclusion -- 'we love you with all our hearts'. We also recognize we have been shite supporting you in all the crap that has been your life to date and we are here to make sure it is different moving forward; you did not get the big family caravan to school as we all did so you are getting it now."

Max patted AJ's ass -- "So fine... Shit, I said that out loud, didn't I?" Max really wasn't embarrassed or concerned about saying that out loud. Everyone knew there was a bromance between AJ and Max, and if Cheryl and Max weren't married, Max would likely be trying to bed AJ. Cheryl rolled with it as Max was a great husband and lover. It was their thing and it was part of the family dynamic.

Mo chuckled and kissed AJ on the cheek -- "Max, yes you did but it is so true. AJ close your mouth and let's get this show on the road."

As the gang headed for the guest house, they each patted or squeezed AJ's ass and commented -- 'damn that's firm', 'holy crap that's nice', 'That's not fair'.

Eva was the last one through and she wrapped her arm around AJs waist and squeezed his ass repeatedly as they walked to the house to do a final check and grab the boys from the playpen.

Eva was concerned about AJ's weight -- "AJ, are you eating enough? You look like you have lost more weight and your ass is starting to feel a little bony." AJ didn't answer as he had dropped more weight and was losing muscle as that was all that was left to lose. His weightlifting had fallen off, down to two times per week with running on a treadmill every day. He was burning way more calories than he was consuming. He would not admit that to his family.

Eva pressed on loudly as they entered the house -- "So how much do you weigh? [AJ was annoyed and she knew it but didn't care.] You don't take your shirt off anymore, I can feel your hip bone next to mine, and while your ass is as Max said 'fine', it is not nearly as fine as it was before Syd died. So how much more weight have you lost?"

AJ went to pull away from Eva but she was tall and strong like Syd and it wasn't that easy given his recent losses. AJ blew out his breath -- "I'm down to 165."

Gina spun on him -- "Take your shirt off NOW." She was livid and it showed. She may only be 5' 4" tall but she had absolutely no problem taking on anyone in this family. AJ stared at her defiantly and crossed his arms over his chest.

Gina continued -- "Aaron Jonathan O'Brien, there are 10 of us and 1 of you. You are outmanned and outgunned. I know you have mad skills and it will be a struggle but I will see you without your shirt on -- do it the easy way or so help me..."

AJ pulled his shirt off. There was a collective gasp. AJ still had a nice body but he was a shell of his former self at 165 lbs. The weight loss indicated a bigger problem -- he was not taking care of himself. The boys were happy, healthy, and growing like weeds. Everyone was talking at once.

Steph whistled loudly (it rivaled AJ) -- "Okay so we all can see that AJ is not taking care of himself. Eva, thank you for asking us to prepare a week's worth of meals each. [Each sibling and spouse had prepared 21 meals for AJ -- 7 breakfasts/7 lunches/ 7 dinners that would go in the freezer.] You have 5 weeks of food and thus time to get your shit together as far as eating.

Don't interrupt me -- you are doing a fantastic job with the boys and with therapy but my dear you are doing shit to take care of yourself. You are probably working out and doing protein shakes only. That doesn't work and you FUCKING know it. I said don't interrupt me. I will be coming over every Saturday for the next 8 weeks or until I see improvement in your physical well-being. Everyone out. I'm going to do a baseline of AJ's vitals before we leave."

AJ started to protest but Steph fixed him with a stare that would stop anyone from talking. He stood there awaiting his fate. Steph and Eva had talked about what was going on, and so she was prepared for this, she pulled her medical bag open and grabbed AJ's scale. "Everything off."

AJ complied without a word. He stepped on the scale, 154 on the dot -- "165 my ass". Blood pressure, temperature, pulse, and oxygenation are all fine. She took body measurements, his chest, waist, hips, thighs, and biceps. His body fat had dropped to under 3%. When she looked at his eyes to test his pupils, she found he had applied concealer under his eyes. That's when a tear slid down her cheek.

Steph spoke -- "AJ, I need you to hear me -- what you are doing is not sustainable. If you don't start taking care of yourself, we will be at your funeral, and those boys out there need you to be strong and healthy both mentally and physically. You are taking shortcuts and have lost sight of the fact you are the only parent those boys have left."

AJ had tears running down his face. He had gotten so used to concealing his weight loss that he had not looked in the mirror since Chelan. He walked upstairs to the main bedroom and stood in front of the mirror naked. He squared his shoulders and resolved to take care of himself physically now that he had his shit mostly in one sock.

He came back downstairs with a different look on his face than when he went up. He dressed and hugged his sister. "Steph, I'm sorry. I have been so focused on Conor, Caleb, and dealing with the mental shit I took shortcuts and they aren't working, I get it. So will I be picking you up at the airport or are you going to drive in when you come and kick my ass every Saturday?"

Steph hugged AJ, smacked his ass, and wrapped her arm around him -- "Do you have everything? Let's get this show on the road and you will pick me up at the airport."

AJ locked the door with Steph not letting go of him. Nothing further was said to AJ about his weight, the food, or what Steph said/did to him, they all recognized there was a look of determination on his face. With the two of them walking out with their arms around each other, no visible blood or bruising, the only signs they needed to see that she had gotten through to him.

They piled into the vehicles -- AJ had thrown Kevin the keys to his Tahoe and climbed in the back between the boys. He wasn't going to say this out loud, but he was glad his family had decided to take him to school, this had not happened in his freshman year, he did it all on his own. This was like he had imagined it was with all his siblings -- he remembered taking JT and Gina to school with his mom and dad.

The playlists had been synched, the music was coming through the speakers in each car, and they were off. They pulled up to AJ's house 5 hours later, it was now early in the afternoon.

Mo and JT were busy fixing lunch for everyone when AJ came downstairs with the boys. He asked Gina to spread the blanket out and put the boys on the floor. Gina got that taken care of and as AJ put the boys down, she jumped in -- "AJ, we are also here to help you get the house ready for you and the boys. From our conversations, this was the thing you were dreading having to do on your own, so we are here to help. Hey, listen to me, we are here to help and will not push you to get rid of anything you don't want to, but we all want to be here supporting you. If you are okay with that, we will eat lunch and then pick one room to start in, say the office." AJ nodded his agreement.

After lunch, they started in the office. It was pretty straightforward, Syd's items consisted of textbooks and a few clothing items -- shoes, a jacket, and some hair ties, but the rest was family 'office' stuff that needed to be organized. They moved through the main floor and boxed things up. When they had completed the main floor, they had 2 boxes of donations and a small box of things to put away for the boys when they got older.

They went through every room upstairs before dinner. All in all, there were now 4 donation boxes, a few more things for the boys, and a few items for the ladies in the family. There were a few things in the main bedroom that AJ had shied from, and he would take care of those in the weeks to come. It was down to the final few things and they would be boxed for the boys, but AJ could not bring himself to pack them away just yet.

They sat down for dinner and were talking about the summer when there was a knock on the door. Steph answered it, not recognizing Scott, and she did not immediately let him in. Eva heard his voice and bounded for the door. She hugged him and kissed his cheek. Sorry, Steph, this is Officer Scott Reed. Mat and I have gotten acquainted over the summer. Mat hugged him and kissed his cheek as well. Scott was ushered into the house.

Scott had rehearsed this moment over and over with his dad, but now that it was here, he was unsure of himself. He looked at Eva, and she squeezed his arm and nodded. Okay, so he plucked up his courage.

"AJ, I know you just lost Syd but I also know that she has a plan for us. She has been at me since the night of the accident, and I know she has been pushing you to open your heart as well. So here it is -- I am in love with you. I have been since I looked into your eyes the night of the accident. I have spent the summer getting my shit together and giving you time but I'm here letting you know how I feel.

I want to go on dates, get to know you, and see if we can build a life together. Syd certainly is convinced..."

Gina jumped in at this point -- "How dare you keep referring to Syd being involved in this. I don't give a shit if you and my brother get together but I won't listen to any more of your references to my deceased sister-in-law."

AJ laughed out loud -- "That was so inappropriate, I'm sorry everyone, and especially you Scott. The laugh was not at anyone physically here. Everyone please pipe down and let Scott finish."

Scott took a deep breath -- "Here are my physical test results which I had done last week. You will see that I am completely healthy, including no STDs. Yes, I fully expect that we will get naked and have some fun one day. With all of that said, I'm truly hoping you will consider taking this journey with me."

AJ got up and crossed the room to where Scott stood. He looked into his azure, blue eyes and stared at him for the longest moment. "Okay, for fucks sake Syd let it go." He leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. AJ stepped back -- "I would love to date you." Eva and Mat quickly hugged both of them.

His siblings were confused and they all started talking at once. It was chaos. Scott and AJ stood there like statues, staring into each other's eyes, and looking like two love-struck men. AJ heard Caleb scream. He was pushing people out of the way to get to his son. AJ plucked Caleb from the floor and had him in his arms, everyone realized that Scott had followed and scooped up Conor; he was standing right next to AJ as he consoled Caleb.

Gina with her hands on her hips, demanded, "AJ, what the hell is going on? Scott, no offense to you, but I just witnessed two formerly straight men agreeing to date because Syd told them to. I don't understand and am unsure what the hell to think."

AJ asked everyone to sit down so he could talk through the situation and all the events of the summer.

AJ began -- "Everyone knows how I met Scott. If you all remember, I have always told you I talk to dead family members."

Cheryl shook her head -- "AJ, some of us chalked that up to you wanting attention from us. Whom have you conversed with; fuck that sounds insane!"

Eva jumped in at this point -- "Cheryl, it does unless you open up your mind to the possibility. Syd has been pushing me to stay close to AJ and do everything I can to make sure he doesn't close his heart. In the beginning, she wouldn't tell me who AJ's next epic love would be but eventually, she told me it was Scott."

AJ jumped in -- "Okay Eva that was a bit of an overshare and a bit premature."

Scott still holding and playing with Conor took offense -- "I don't agree. I know you fell for Syd the first night you met her. You told her you were going to marry her and have babies with her in less than a week. I fell for you the night I met you. Granted, it took 3 months for me to tell you. Oh, I did forget to say -- I want to have babies with you. Close your mouth, it's not really a good look on you."

AJ blushed, which was completely out of character. The only other person who could make that happen was Syd. Everyone was now staring at AJ.

AJ blurted out -- "I am not." AJ was now going to have to explain further than he wanted. "Sorry, I was addressing my annoying wife. Yes, you are. Okay, okay, okay."

Gina blurted out -- "Does he need to be committed?"

AJ laughed loudly -- "Bear, that may be a possibility. The only reason I don't think so is that Syd is not just talking with me, she is talking to Scott, Eva, Trav, Jules, and Cyn. [those who were there nodded].

Okay, back to the first time this happened to me -- it was right after Amanda was born. It was just before my 4th birthday; I was sitting in my room feeling sorry for myself and this lady sat next to me and told me everything was all right and that it was to be my job to protect Amanda "Doodle" and a new baby for Steph and Jim, Chandler "Bug". She looked kinda like Mom but a little taller and wrinklier. I later figured out it was Gams from a picture of her and Gramps on the family portrait wall."

Jim jumped in -- "AJ, did you just say that she talked to you about being Chandler's protector before your 4th birthday? [AJ nodded, yes] We were barely pregnant and hadn't picked her name until the week before she was born. Holy crap, so not only did you know her name before we did, but Gams also nicked named both girls, we thought that was you."

AJ continued -- "That's about right."

Cheryl being the skeptic -- "I call BS, you don't remember something from when you were 4 years old. I certainly don't."

AJ smiled and nodded -- "You know Cheryl, I love you but I am getting tired of others telling me what to think, what I should do, and what I do and don't remember from when I was 4, remember I'm way YOUNGER than you [Cheryl flipped him the bird].

So, let's try this on for size, and then you can lecture me on what my brain is capable of -- I remember you being in your old room from the time Doodle was born until just after my birthday. You barely left the room, and Maxie was beside himself. I remember him rocking Doodle and crying night after night because he was so concerned about you. Ring any bells?"

Cheryl went white -- no one in the family knew what was going on at that time. It was played off that Cheryl had an infection and needed help. AJ's room was right next to Cheryl's, down a separate hallway from Gina, JT, and Steph. He was only 4, so no one thought it would ever be an issue. Max piped up -- "Skeeter, that's about it. Cheryl had post-partum with Amanda. We had no idea that you heard all that. Please continue."

AJ crossed the room, hugged his sister, and handed Caleb off to her. "Gams has been around since then to boost my ego or help me deal with things. When Gramps died, I hoped and prayed he would show up, but he didn't for the longest time. Gams told me he was embarrassed by his decision not to tell us about his cancer but eventually, he did talk to me and apologize. Now to the most recent, pain in the ass 'ghost' Sydney Marie O'Brien. She has been a persistent thorn in my ass since the day she passed. I love you to the moon and back my dear, but for fuck's sake will you cool it with all the pushing, prodding, and meddling?"

Cheryl touched the side of her face, and AJ shook his head -- "Syd, she can't see or hear you, what makes you think she can feel you?"

Syd smiled and winked -- 'Babe, I'm getting better at this and she will feel me soon.' Caleb turned to where Syd was and lifted his arms. AJ's tears started flowing and Syd's face beamed.

Cheryl looked at AJ -- "She just touched me, didn't she? She is close, I can feel her." AJ nodded and wiped away his tears.

Eva screeched -- "I'll admit I can't see her; I only hear her. AJ, is that why Caleb has his hands up?" AJ had crossed the room and held Caleb near where Syd was standing. She touched his cheek, and his hand went directly there. AJ's tears were flowing again, he was trying so hard to hold them back.

AJ hugged Caleb to his chest and moaned out, "Baby, it should have been me. The boys need you so much. What the fuck am I going to do?" AJ slid down the wall, holding Caleb and Syd, and wrapped her arms around him. She whispered to him -- 'They need their daddy, and their daddy needs his Sam, the sheepdog.' She was gone for the moment.