That Makes it Okay

(Saturday Morning, August 3rd)

After they enter the restroom, Chad smiles, "Let me help you with that."

When he starts unbuttoning his shirt, Ben complains, "I'm such a klutz."

Chad unsurely says, "Yeah. And to think, if you had my good looks, that would almost make up for that."

Ben pouts, "You don't think I have good looks?"

"Well, it's not like you need to when you taste so good," he mends.

"Huh?"

"Red wine," Chad clarifies, before moves in and sucks the sticky substance away. Ben doesn't say anything, and he makes his way back up, wiping the saliva off with the dry part of the shirt.

"I'm not going to taste good anymore," Ben frowns.

Chad faces him, "You're so cute when you're insecure." before he places his thumb in Ben's waistband. Ben slowly kisses him, places his hands on his shoulders, and starts sucking on his neck. The door creeks, and Chad pushes Ben off.

"What do we have here?" he saunters in with a curious grin.

"No," Chad backs away. "This… It didn't happen like this."

The black-haired man moves forward, "Chad. Are you alright?"

He tries to move further back, but his shoe's stuck to the floor. He moves his other foot to try to get his foot free, but he feels it stick to the glob of gum on the floor. He sees him step in front of him, but he can't move. He can't move his legs. He widens his eyes at Ben and pleads, "Ben. Stop him."

Ben offers a confused expression, "But he's good guy."

After he kneels, Chad sees the door open, "William. Help me."

His eyes move to the professor unbuttoning Chad's pants, "Looks like he already is."

"This isn't helping," Chad voices, as the cold air meets his skin.

Brendan walks in, "You know, you should be glad you have so many people who care about you. Not everyone's so lucky."

The wetness surrounds him, and Chad gasps. He sits up, wipes the sweat and tears from his face, before he reaches in the drawer for his prescription. All that matters is that he has it. He crushes it, it fills his system, and that one pill solves everything.


The next time Chad opens his eyes, only an hour has passed; however, the relief is gone. He turns, but he can't sleep. He gets to his feet. He might as well get something to eat. He enters the hall, and the lights turn on. He goes down the stairs, enters the gallery, and those lights turn on. He hikes across and into the next area, before he opens the double doors to the dining hall. The lights are already on. Someone's awake. He tracks to the other end, finds the hidden door, and enters the kitchen. He sees her sitting by the island counters, "Belle?"

She smiles, "Late night or early morning?"

He glances down, "I couldn't sleep."

She sighs, "Well, that makes two of us." before she nods him over. "Come on. I made peppermint tea." Chad walks over and sits across from her, before she pours him a cup.

"Thanks," he murmurs.

"Not an issue," she reassures. "Would you like to tell me what's keeping you up?"

"Nightmares," he settles.

"About?" she inquires.

He hesitates, "It's always the same. I can't move my legs, and… something bad happens. I can never get away."

"You're powerless," she recognizes.

He faces her, "Yes." and she nods. "Why are you up?"

"Well," she thinks, "between Adam and Ben, it's always just been easier to stay up a little longer."

Chad's eyebrows furrow, "Are you still up from yesterday?"

She clutches her cup, "I admit I'm a bit restless." before she checks her watch. "If I went to sleep now, I might get five hours in before I have to get ready to head to the hospital."

"Adam's hurt you, hasn't he?" Chad asks.

"He's not well," she excuses. "He would never want to hurt anyone. He just has a hard time thinking ahead and managing his emotions. Anger is especially hard for him."

"Why haven't you come forward about it?"

She takes a sip, "It's simple, really. I love him."

"So, you're not afraid of him?" Chad assumes.

She half laughs, "I never said that."

He takes a minute, "If you didn't love him, would you turn him in?"

"He's my husband," Belle bypasses.

"What if it was someone else?" he questions. "Would you tell them to stay quiet too?"

"Chad," she smiles. "Don't think I don't know what this is about."

He sits back, "What?"

"You're trying to get my permission to turn Ben into the authorities," she explains, and he eyes down. "But I can't make that decision for you. It has to be you who does it."

Chad faces her, "Why can't you just tell me the right thing to do?"

"Because," she giggles, "assault and abuse, it's different for everyone. Each person has a different story. I can't tell a wife that she shouldn't turn her husband in for rape, I can't tell Mal that she should keep her time on the Isle secret, and I cannot tell you that turning in your best friend wouldn't change things between the two of you. Only you know what's right."

Chad frowns, "I've tried to bring it up before, but the second I even started to suggest it… no one really believed me."

"They'll believe you now." She puts forth, "Ben's admitted everything on camera. If you do decide to turn him in, he would be found guilty."

Chad eyes away, "Right."


When Chad and his dad enter the hospital room, Ben continues to stare at the door, "Where's my mother?"

After they sit down and Charming fails to answer, Chad faces Ben, "She went back to the castle. He called her last night."

Ben eyes down, "So, she chose him." before he holds his breath and gulps.

"No matter your father's trespasses," Charming comments, "he's still her husband."

Ben's voice shakes, "And that makes it okay?"

"She loves him," he justifies.

"What am I?" he disbelieves.

"You're her son." Ben looks away, shaking his head. "Which means she also loves you very much, but you're not the person she chose to spend the rest of her life with."

As the tears escape his eyes, Ben points to his backpack, "My bag."

Chad grabs it, and Charming continues, "It's your mother's job to prepare you for the world, and you're approaching adulthood. You're not meant to see her every day."

Chad gives Ben the bag and fumes, "Dad. Would you just quit it?"

"I'm just trying to explain it," he defends.

"He already knows it," Chad argues. "So, what? You think that makes it easy or some shit?" He catches Ben take a soda out, "Hey." Ben's eyes widen at him, before they shift and Chad opens his hand. "Give it to me."

Ben holds it closer, "No. It's mine."

"I'm not going to drink it, Ben." Chad grabs the backpack, "I'll just put it…" He sees the tin and pulls out the plastic bag, "What the hell is this?"

Ben scratches his nose, "Well, uh, it's soda."

Chad shakes it, and the aluminum crash, "When the hell did you drink seven cans?"

He awkwardly smiles, "That's a lot less than a normally drink."

"Give me the soda, Ben."

Ben eyes from it to him, "No."

Chad shakes his head, stands from the chair, and charges out of the room. Charming puts up a finger, "Give me a minute." before he points to the soda. "Don't drink that."

When Charming enters the hall, he finds him with folded arms, "Chad."

"What?" he turns to him. "You going to make some stupid excuse of why he's acting like… like…"

"He's acting like you when you were five," his father nods.

Chad huffs, placing his fingertips to his chest, "Me? No. I never acted like that when I was five."

"You did," Charming reassures, "which is why you need to let me handle this."

"Fine," he agrees. "If you stop treating him like an idiot. He knows his feelings are unacceptable, but when the person you love is taking the side of someone who hurt you—"

"Chad," he places a hand on his shoulder. "Is there something you need to tell me?"

"What?" He denies, "No."

"Do you think I'm taking Ben's side over yours?"

"This isn't about that," he stammers. "This isn't about—Why does everything have to be about me? It's not. This is about Ben."

"What about Ben?"

"That he's having hard time," Chad clarifies. "He knows he's suffering. He doesn't need to be told there's some whole, grand reason for it."

"Okay. I understand." Chad settles some, and he asks, "Are you sure there's nothing you need to discuss with me?"

Chad frowns, "I'm sure you need to check on Ben, before he drinks that soda."

"I told him not to," he informs.

Chad's brows furrow, "Did I ever listen to you when I was five?"

Charming sighs, before he heads back into the room and sees Ben drinking from the soda can, "I told you to give me a minute."

Ben lifts a shoulder, "Which means you gave me one."

He strides over and sits back in his seat, "Ben. You can't drink that."

"Really?" he questions. "Because it's looking a lot like I am."

"You have a hole in your stomach," he reminds him. "What do you think drinking all that acid is going to do to it?"

"Maybe I'll die," he decides, before he takes another drink.

"Ben," he waits for him to face him. "Give me the soda."

"Why should I?"

"Because," he negotiates, "if you give me the soda now, I'll get you a whole new case when you get out of here."

Ben takes a moment, "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Charming confirms, and Ben glances at the can before handing it to him. "Do you have any more?"

He hums, "Maybe one. In my backpack."

Charming sets the soda aside and searches the bag, "Well, I don't see any."

"How long am I here for?"

He feels around the larger pocket, "Your doctors said at least the week." before he zips it back up and puts it down.

"So, four more days," Ben counts. "I don't know if I can go that long."

"You can live without soda," Charming comments.

"But it's here when no one else is."

"I'm here," he mentions.

Ben eyes down, "Is my mother coming at all today or…"

"I know she wants to be here."

He tears up, "She always wants to be here." before he coughs. He takes a breath, and he coughs harder.

"Ben?" Charming concerns. Ben swallows the spit, but he keeps coughing the foam back up. He points the counters, and Charming goes to grab the trash basket from beneath the sink.

When he sets it next to him, Ben spits the bubbles into the garbage. "Ugh."

A nurse peeks into the room, "Is everything okay in here?"

"He had a carbonated drink," Charming explains. "It didn't stay down well."

"What kind of drink?" she asks.

"A soda," he answers, and she walks up to the basket. "How odd?"

"Pardon?"

"Well, it does seem the carbonation was the main issue," she explains, before she looks at Ben. "Do you have any stomach pain?"

"There's a tube in it," he frowns.

"Of course." She takes the thermometer from the wall, "Can you take this for me?" Ben grabs it with his mouth and watches as the number rockets up. It beeps, and she comments, "That's pretty high."

"It's supposed to be high," Ben negates.

Charming corrects, "It's supposed to be at a hundred and one. This is a hundred and three." He looks at the nurse, "What does it mean?"

"It means I just got upset," Ben answers. "I'm not allowed to have feelings or I die."

"He's been having a hard time," Charming apologizes.

"Would you like me to ask if we can increase his dose?" she suggests.

"I want Mal," Ben interrupts.

Charming hesitates, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"She's comforting," Ben insists.

"You might want to hold off on that," the nurse says, as she looks through his chart. "You're scheduled for another feeding in thirty minutes."

"But I just had one when I woke up last night," Ben complains.

"They have a note about weight gain," she explains. "It says you've lost weight just from the time you've been here with us."

"How is that possible?" Charming worries.

She takes a moment, "Well, meat is a very calorie dense food. Most carnivores are meant to have up to three thousand calories a day, more if they're active. A feeding tube uses a thousand and five hundred calories per serving. Giving him two servings a day should help maintain his weight."

"You mean add weight," Ben contradicts, "if all I'm doing is sitting here."

"That's a good thing. You're already ten pounds underweight," she frowns. "You can't afford to lose any more."

"So, I have to gain weight, and I'm not even allowed to taste anything?"

When she fails to respond, Charming questions, "When can he start actually eating things?"

She shakes her head, "He would have to start with broth and other liquids. He would still need to use the feeding tube, until he makes his way back to eating more complex foods."

"Am I allowed broth now?" Ben inquires.

"You might be allowed," she answers.

His brows raise, "Could I have broth instead of another feeding?"

"The calorie count wouldn't make up for it," she unsurely says, "but if you want it—"

"Forget it," Ben's frown deepens.

"You're really expecting him to eat three thousand calories?" Chad voices from the doorway, before he enters the room.

The nurse turns to him, "Eventually."

"Every day?" Chad shakes his head, "You're insane if you think he can do that."

"Chad," Ben interrupts. "I can speak for myself."

"No." He asserts, "Ben doesn't control when he eats. If you think you can tell him to set three or four hours aside just to eat, then you're forgetting he's the fucking king."

"This is about health," she reminds him, "and if the king can't find the time to eat, then he needs to consider keeping the tube in permanently."

"Chad's just trying to say I don't eat normally." Ben gets her attention, "I'll eat an entire pizza while watching a movie, but I don't take time out of my day to eat just to eat."

"That's not very consistent," she disapproves.

"Food is a waste of time," Ben puts forth. "I have to want to do it. I have to have a reason to do it."

"The reason is to live," she proclaims.

"I've tried to kill myself half a dozen times," Ben divulges. "Despite that, I'm still alive. I think I'm doing just fine."