Author's Note: Okay, I'm skipping my normal disclaimers this time because I wanted make a couple of points before the story.
First, all of you are so awesome. I received 11 public reviews and several feedback e-mails from you. That's way more than I received from my earlier chapters. Also, 80 of you voted on my last chapter. That's over double the number that voted on previous chapters. Thank you so much for your support. Whenever I receive any feedback or comments, if there is an e-mail listed, I always reply.
Lastly, on the Literotica forum under the Story Feedback folder, I noticed that someone posted a thread called "
Literotica's All-time 'most Votes Received' List
". This list includes stories from 15 categories. My problem is that there are no stories listed from the Gay Male section of Literotica and I can tell you that there are a number of stories that deserve to be on that list. However, because they haven't received 1000+ votes, they don't make the list. So, I'm asking you now, please, take some time and vote for your favorite stories under the Gay Male section. Give these authors the credit they deserve.
Anyway, thanks for your time and sorry to be so long winded. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's one of my favorites so far.
Chapter 7
The alarm woke Liam at six in the morning. Quickly turning off the alarm so it wouldn't wake the kids, Liam got up and headed into the shower. He didn't bother looking for Jack. He knew he hadn't come home last night.
Liam stood under the warm water, letting it cascade over his head and down his body. Leaning back against the wall, he slowly sank to the ground, pulled his knees to his chest and hugged them, letting his tears fall. He cried hard and long, his body shaking with the force of the emotional breakdown. He would allow himself this time, this one breakdown and then he would get up, wash it off and move on. He needed to move on. He needed to be strong for the kids. They needed him. He finally stood up when the water started turning cold, quickly washed himself and stepped out of the shower.
Once he was dressed and ready, he started debating whether he should send the kids to school. They had had a tough night, they would probably be tired. However, remembering that Chris's counselor had said that the kids needed to get back into their routine, he decided to go ahead and wake them.
"Chris, Cassie, come on guys, time to get up. You've got just over an hour until we need to leave for school. You guys need to get up and get ready." He said, while shaking their shoulders, trying to rouse them.
Both of the kids seemed to wake easily and didn't seem any worse for wear. At breakfast, Liam started questioning Chris, wondering if he remembered anything about last night.
"Chris, how did you sleep last night?" He asked, not sure if he should bring up the night terror.
"Okay." He said, shrugging.
"Do you remember how you got to my room?" Liam pressed further.
"No, why?" He replied.
"Just wondering, I think you had a bad dream last night. Sure you don't remember anything?" Liam asked again.
"That's funny, I don't remember it." Chris laughed.
'Okay, well that answers that question.'
Liam thought to himself, making a mental note to talk to Chris's counselor. He wasn't looking forward to a repeat of last night.
Today, Liam dropped Cassie off at school first, so he could take the time to talk to Chris's counselor.
Mr. Davidson, Chris's counselor basically confirmed what Stacey had told him, that the night terrors would probably continue, but would lessen as Chris adjusted to his new life, that Chris just needed to stick to routine and to continue to come and see him for the counseling sessions. Liam didn't want to bring up what was going on between him and Jack, but he was really worried that it might be contributing to the terrors, so he told the counselor everything.
Mr. Davidson confirmed his fears, that the added stress was probably one of the contributing factors. That Chris may actually feel guilty, that he was somehow responsible for what was happening between Liam and Jack. He also said that Chris may also be worried that Liam would abandon them for Jack. He suggested that Liam talk to Chris and Cassie and reassure them that they would be staying with Liam no matter what happened, and to let them know that what's going on with him and Jack was not their fault.
When Liam left, he actually felt relieved. The counselor just reconfirmed what he knew had to be done. He would start looking for a place for him and the kids right away. He and Jack could still, hopefully, work things out, but it would be better for everyone if he and the kids moved out. He would start looking tomorrow. He knew he wanted to buy a house, not an apartment like the loft Liam and Jack currently had. He wanted the kids to have a backyard, and to have other kids in the neighborhood. Where he and Jack currently lived, wasn't really a family oriented area. There were only singles and couples in the upscale, downtown lofts. He would start his search in their current school district so they could stay at the same school.
When he got home, he called his mom and made arrangements for her to pick the kids up from school tomorrow and watch them, so he could start looking for a house. Liam's mom had a key to their place, in case of emergencies, so she said she would just bring them back there after she picked them up. That way the kids could be at home.
After he got off the phone with his mom, he spent the morning cleaning up the breakfast dishes, doing laundry and picking up after the kids. Before he knew it, it was time to head out and meet Stacey and Rick for lunch.
When he got to the restaurant, Stacey and Rick were already there.
"Hey Liam, how are you doing? It looks like you survived last night." Stacey said.
"Yeah, I did. Chris didn't even remember it. I talked to his counselor this morning though and I at least know what to expect if it happens again." Liam said.
"So have you talked to Jack?" Stacey asked.
"No, he didn't come home last night, but I've made a decision. The kids and I are going to find our own place. We're going to move out. Maybe if Jack doesn't feel like the kids are being forced on him and he actually has time to get to know them a little better, we'll be able to work through this." He said.
Both Stacey and Rick glanced at each other, and then Stacey spoke. "Well, it sounds like you've got things figured out. That's good. It'll also be good for the kids." She said.