Hello my wonderful readers. I want to thank you for being patient during this trying year, 2020 has been a trying year for all of us. If you are new to my stories, I want to welcome you and suggest you start with chapter 1 of this series. If you are a long-time reader, then I welcome you back. I want to thank my best friend and beta reader, Ti, for helping me along the way with all my work. She has really been an inspiration for guiding me through this. We have worked extremely hard together to bring you the best work possible. Now, time for the disclaimer. This is a gay romance story with more dialog and detail than sex. My stories will sometimes bring you out of your comfort zone when dealing with real life issues, not everything in life is peaches and cream. This is also not a short read. If that is what you are looking for then this is not the story for you. If you are looking for adventure, suspense, drama, and realism then sit back and get ready for a wonderful time. Everyone in this story is eight-teen or older and any likeness to real events or persons is coincidental. Now, sit back and grab a drink and get ready to enjoy the next chapter of Field of Bloom's: Secrets Revealed.
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Although still shaking, his father's firm grip and reassuring voice thankfully brought Austin back to the present. He sat in stunned silence not sure he really witnessed what had just happened. Did he really have to sit by helplessly and watch Eric brutally beat the shit out of Tyler? His mind began to wonder if maybe Eric was the one who assaulted him on that summer night. It was only a few weeks ago that Eric had attacked him in his own bedroom and on that night before the violent incident, Eric did snap and shove him into a wall. So, was it possible that Eric could have been the attacker? Austin's thoughts were interrupted by the screaming of sirens as the ambulance came rushing onto the field. He looked over and saw that Tyler wasn't getting up; his heart began to race as the paramedics began working on Tyler. Everyone was silent as they lifted him onto the stretcher. No one knew what to do or say. Once Tyler was secured in the ambulance and it had left the field, the coach turned his attention to Eric who was escorted off the field moments later. Finally, the announcer came across the PA system and informed everyone that the game would continue.
"I think it's time we go." Mr. Montgomery said as he stood up.
The car ride home was silent; no one spoke a word as they were all thinking the same thing. When they arrived home, Austin went into his room. The events had taken a toll on him and all he wanted was to escape the horrific images playing back in his mind. Austin sat on his bed and began to cry. His mind still racing, he just could not believe that Eric would attack Tyler like that. Just as he was taking off Tyler's jacket, a knock came at the door.
"Come in." He offered as he hung it in the closet.
"Are you okay?" His father asked pensively.
"Yeah, I will be. I'm just worried about Tyler." Austin sat back on the bed, "And Eric too. I've never seen him like that before."
"About Eric, your mother and I have been talking and we would prefer it if you don't see him again. We know that you are eighteen and can do what you want, but we don't think that he is a good person for you to be around. What happened on the field really opened our eyes as to how violent he can be."
Austin thought for a moment before tears filled his eyes, "You're right. Honestly, that scared me."
Noticing the heartbroken look on his sons face, Mr. Montgomery sat next to Austin, "We know you love him and that he was there for you after the attack but Austin, this is for the best. It's going to hurt but over time it will get better."
Austin pondered on whether he should tell his parents how Eric had attacked him too, but he figured that certainly wouldn't make things any better. "I'd like to go see Tyler at the hospital."
"I think that would be a good idea. We can take you over there after dinner. For now, though son, you need to rest."
Austin didn't have much of an appetite, but he tried to eat as much as he could since his mother had spent a lot of time preparing the meal after such an awful day. After dinner they all got dressed and drove over to the hospital. Austin got a sinking feeling in his stomach as they pulled into the hospital. Memories of him being there a few months ago rushed back to mind. His parents told him that they would be in the waiting room while he went to see Tyler. As he was walking down the halls, he saw Tyler's parents standing outside of a room talking to a doctor. He hung back until they had finished before approaching them.
"Hi Austin, how are you doing?" Mrs. Stetser asked.
"I'm doing okay, how is Tyler?"
"He will be okay, nothing to serious thankfully. They are going to keep him here a few days just to make sure nothing comes up. You can go in and see him if you want. They have him sedated so he might not talk." She stepped aside and opened the door.
When he looked in and saw Tyler laying there, it was a solemn image that brought him back to when he was in a similar hospital bed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before walking in the room. Taking a seat next to the bed, he looked over Tyler's face at all the cuts and bruises, Eric really had done a number on him. Sitting there quietly, he listened to the pinging of the heart monitor. Instinctively he reached up and put his hand in Tyler's. He didn't know why but it felt like the right thing to do. He sat there for a good forty-five minutes before he remembered that his parents were waiting for him downstairs. When he arrived at the waiting room, he noticed that his parents and Tyler's were sitting and talking. Before leaving Austin asked if there was anything he could do to help. Mrs. Stetser told him that Tyler would be out of school for at least a week and that if he could bring his schoolwork over that would be a big help.
Now the Stetser's have a lot of money and have people to run errands, but she knew that Austin really wanted to help, and she just had a feeling that he wanted to be around Tyler. And, as she expected, Austin gladly agreed.
"I can't believe that I flew to Texas for Thanksgiving and missed all the action!" Becka said pulling out of Austin's driveway.
"I don't think you would have wanted to see that." Austin said thinking back to that day, "It was a side of Eric that I have never seen before and it honestly scared the shit out of me."
"I'm sure it scared a lot of people. I mean, who expects to see something like that happen?"
"Would you mind doing me a favor?"
"What is it?"
"Can we swing by Tyler's house on the way home?"
Becka gave him a coy smile, "Wanting to stop by and see how he's doing?"
"Shut it." Austin rolled his eyes blushing, "His mom asked me to drop off his schoolwork."
"Yeah, we can stop by." Becka's smile widened.
The school was still abuzz about what happened on Thanksgiving. Everyone was wondering what had set Eric Mason off turning him into a wild, rabid beast. Some people were shocked, but others knew that Eric was a ticking time bomb, even teachers were talking about how Eric snapped. Throughout the day Austin heard different stories as to why it happened, from pure jealousy to he had lost his mind. It began to make Austin wonder himself as to what set Eric off. Could he somehow be responsible for what had happened? The only thing he could think of was that Eric had somehow found out that he and Tyler had messed around. He remembered how pissed Eric got when he told him about dating James for a brief period, and they had only dated! He knew that if Eric had found out what fully happened with Tyler that would definitely set him off. The only people who knew were him and Tyler, and he didn't think Tyler would have said anything.
After school Becka drove Austin over to Tyler's house and she waited in the truck while Austin ran inside. He made his way up to Tyler's room where he found him lying on his bed.
"I brought over your class assignments, so you won't fall behind." Austin sat everything down on the nightstand next to the bed.
"Thanks, but I'm not in the mood to do any schoolwork right now." Tyler said propping himself up.
"How are you doing?" Austin asked as he looked over Tyler's face.
"Eh, not so bad. Just a few bumps and bruises, nothing I can't handle."
"I hear you have a few cracked ribs."
"Who told you that?"
"Your mom, the other day when I called."
"You called here?"
Austin immediately blushed, "Yeah, I wanted to see how you were doing."
