"Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken."

Psalm 62:1-2

"Hey, check it out, preacher guy is finally here."

Samuel brought his car to a stop in the church parking lot, seeing Steve leaning against his dad's car. "Are you implying that we're late, Steve?"

Steve saw the grin on Samuel's face, as the preacher opened the driver's side door and got out of the car. "Nah, I'm just implying that I've been standing here waiting for you."

Samuel moved to the passenger side, giving Vivian a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll see you inside, honey."

Steve waved to Vivian, as she made her way toward the front of the church building, leaving him alone with Samuel. "You've been on my mind a lot since last Sunday."

Samuel went closer to Steve, putting the Bible he held on the hood of his car. "Because you know about us adopting Sodapop and Penny's baby?"

"Well, yeah, of course I know. I also know you might end up being my uncle one day."

"That's a funny thought, isn't it?"

"Yeah. And you're going to be the dad to my best friend's kid."

"Steve, you can absolutely tell me if I'm wrong, but I'm sensing resentment or something here. Is everything all right?"

"It's not resentment. I'm not angry. It just comes out that way."

"Okay then. What are you?"

"Protective. That's really kicked into high gear for me lately when it comes to Soda."

Samuel moved to stand right beside Steve, laying a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "No one is going to hurt Sodapop. I promise you that, Steve."

"But you can't. You can't promise all of this won't be painful for him."

"No. Of course I can't promise that, but I can promise to be careful. I'll be intentional in making sure I keep communication open with him. I've told him more than once that he can always come to me. I want this to be something positive for Sodapop and for Penny too."

"I'm sorry, preacher guy. I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt him."

"Don't apologize, Steve. If you need some reassurance, I'm glad to give it to you. I know you want to watch out for your friend and protect him. I'll do any and everything I can to be a friend to him too."

"Yeah. I know you will. It's not that I'm not glad about this. It's just tough when I know Soda's going to have a rough time at first, and he's feeling so much with trying to be at peace about his baby being adopted. I know how much worse it'd be if the kid were going to strangers somewhere else, but still. And I know he's gotta support Penny and be there for her, so he might need to lean on me a lot."

"I'm sure you're right about that, and I'll-"

"Hey, Stevie, why are you still standin' around in the parking lot?"

Steve looked to see Soda standing in the open door of the church. "I'm coming inside in a second, buddy. Just talking to Samuel first."

Samuel nodded at Soda, seeing him then step back inside the church building, the door closing behind him. "Vivian and I love him too, and as much as we want the baby, it's not all we care about. I'll be here for Sodapop to lean on as well. You have my word."

"You're adorable, Nicholas. Do you know that?"

Nicholas sat on a back pew, turning his head to see Audrey's brown eyes looking at him. "Well, I prefer the word handsome, but I'll take that one too."

Audrey followed Nicholas' gaze, as it moved away from her, going first to Steve and Soda, then to Samuel, all three on the other side of the sanctuary. "I'm not talking about your looks, though of course I do think you're handsome."

"What are you talking about then?"

Audrey took Nicholas' hand in her own, the touch igniting a spark of electricity that was about much more than physical attraction. "The way you're looking at all of them. I can see the concern in your eyes. I can see how much you care."

"Did Samuel tell you?"

"About the baby? Yes, he did."

"You're going to have your niece or nephew."

"I hope so. I hope it works out for them. Vivian and Samuel have endured too much for anything to fall through now."

"You see the way my dad's looking at Audrey, man?"

Soda sat on the altar, his gaze following Steve's. "Yeah. It's like he's amazed or somethin'."

Steve joined Soda on the altar, elbowing him in the ribs. "And like he wants to do stuff with her right now that I shouldn't mention inside the church."

"Geez, Stevie, don't let your dad hear you say that."

"Seriously though. He looks at her like he loves her."

"Cause he does."

"Yeah. I know. So is there a reason we're over here? We don't usually just shoot the breeze and watch people at the altar."

"Yeah. That's true. I guess I just like bein' here."

Steve looked toward the stained glass windows, seeing the cross lit up within its surrounding colors that shone into the sanctuary. "Yeah. Me too, brother. I like being here too." He then shifted his eyes away from the windows to see that Soda had knelt down in the farthest corner of the altar, the sight leading him to move close to his best friend.

Soda laid his head on the altar, as he felt Steve beside him, their hands joining together in the unity of prayer.

A pair of hazel eyes wandered across the sanctuary, landing on the two men, who were kneeling at the altar, their gaze focused on the prospective birth father.

Soda felt a second presence at his other side, recognizing the voice that accompanied it.

"I want to tell you I'll be praying for you and for Penny every second going forward. Samuel and I have known you for a rather short time, but this baby is going to make us have a bond that can only be outlived by eternity."

"Hey, Dad, Soda and me are going to walk over to the park."

Nicholas stood at the kitchen counter, replying to Steve, as he stirred mayonnaise and celery into the chicken salad he'd made. "All right, Son. Audrey's coming over, and we're going to have lunch together."

Steve poked a finger into the chicken salad, taking a small taste. "Hey, this isn't bad."

"Of course it's not bad. I'm a great cook."

"I just thought your focus might be a bit off."

"It's kind of hard to mess up chicken salad, but why would my focus be off?"

"Cause you're thinking about Audrey. Have fun, Dad. I'll see you when I get back."

"I wish I could see far enough to have a real view."

Steve climbed up on the jungle gym, where Soda had settled on the top bar. "Yeah, if you could just see about 500 miles, you'd be all set."

Soda looked out across the park, seeing only the neighborhoods that made up the East side of Tulsa. "We should do that, Stevie."

"Do what?"

"Take a road trip."

"Where?"

"I don't know. Not across the country or anything like that. Just far enough to see somethin' that looks different than here."

"Yeah. Sounds good, buddy. We should do that one day. We can hit the road with nothin' but a few bags and a map."

"That was delicious, Nicholas."

Nicholas took Audrey's bowl and put it in the sink along with his own. "Why, thank you, my sweet lady."

Audrey got up from her chair, hearing the water running, as she put her arms around Nicholas' waist from behind and kissed his neck. "I love you, my sweet man."

Nicholas shut off the sink and turned to Audrey, one hand on her hip and the other in her auburn hair, as he kissed her. "Since we're alone, let me show you just how sweet I can be."

"Yeah, man, it was pretty tuff of Vivian to come over and say that to you. I don't know her like I do Samuel, but she seems like she's as caring as he is."

Soda jumped down from the jungle gym, as Steve followed suit, the two falling into step beside each other. "Yeah, and comin' from her, it's real special, you know? Cause it's only been a few months since she was expectin' to have a baby herself. It's nice of her to be reachin' out and showin' she cares about me and Penny."

Steve followed Soda in the direction of the sidewalk. "Of course, buddy. She'd be like that even if you two had said no. They both would. Cause it's not only about them. It's about all of you having what you need."

"Yeah. I'm glad they care. Both of them made it real clear to me that they wouldn't be mad or anything if we decided something different for the baby. But even more than just not bein' mad, they made me know I didn't have to worry about anything changing between us at all."

"Yeah, cause that gives you and Penny the freedom to decide what's best and what you want without a bunch of pressure."

"Darry asked me yesterday if I can still see myself marrying Penny one day."

"What'd you say?"

"That yeah, I can. But I can't always. It's hard to see sometimes."

"That's probably cause it's going to be a while before it's even a possibility. At least five years. Like you've said, it's far in the future."

"Yeah, but sometimes, I'm not so sure. I get a feeling that it's just not in the cards."

The mattress creaked, its springs coiling under the weight of a couple who had fallen so quickly in love.

"I'm kind of hungry, Stevie."

"Hungry? It hasn't even been two hours since lunch, man."

"Well, I guess that sandwich didn't keep me full for very long."

"Oh, Nicholas, you already know so much of what I like."

Nicholas trailed kisses along Audrey's body, every part of his own aroused. "Because I get to have the best time learning."

"There's chicken salad at my house. My dad made it for him and Audrey, but I'm sure there's some leftover."

Two bodies moved together beneath a sheet, caught up in one another, despite an unlocked door.

"Yeah. I'll be right back, man. I gotta take a piss, then I'll look in the fridge for that chicken salad."

Ears remained turned into only each other, the world around them currently nonexistent.

Steve dried his hands on the towel that hung next to the sink, the toilet still running, as he flipped off the bathroom light and stepped into the hall. He saw his dad's not-quite-closed door, opening it without listening for any sounds that could be coming from inside. "Hey, Dad, I-"

Nicholas jolted out of his physical ecstasy at the sound of his son's voice.

"Oh! Um, sorry. I didn't-"

Nicholas heard the door click shut, interrupting Steve's stunned apology. He rolled off of Audrey, eyes staring up at the ceiling.

Audrey lifted herself up on one elbow, as she looked at Nicholas. "It's all right. I'm going to guess he's more embarrassed than you are."

Nicholas' eyes shifted to the woman he loved. "I hope you know I'm not embarrassed because of you or- It's just that he's my son, so-"

"I know. It's awkward. But the two of you are close. You won't have a problem getting past it. You and Steve talk about everything, and it's not like he didn't know we're in a relationship. So I'm sure you'll be able to talk about this too."

"Take it easy, Stevie. That sort of thing happens. It ain't a big deal."

Steve paced the back porch, his feet only coming to a stop once he felt Soda's hand on his shoulder. "But it feels like one to me. I mean, of course my dad's an adult, and I pretty much knew they'd slept together. But it's like there's something besides that in my mind, and it's worse than just being embarrassed cause I saw my dad in bed."

Soda moved his hand to Steve's back, as he watched his best friend's chest heave up and down, his breathing spiraling into panic. "Buddy, you said yourself that you're sensitive about things, and it's no wonder this is one of them. But please try to breathe with me."

Steve felt Soda's forehead touch his own, as he lifted a hand to his chest, feeling his quickened heartbeat. He focused on his best friend, taking in a deep breath along with him.

Soda let the breath out slowly, helping Steve match the rhythm they both knew would ease the rising panic.

Steve felt a physical calm start to edge its way in, the stress response beginning to dissipate, as they continued to breathe together. "I did- I did the same thing for my dad once."

Soda kept his forehead against Steve's, the hand on his best friend's back now moving in the small circles known to be soothing. "You did what for your dad once?"

"I put my forehead against his, and I- I told him to breathe with me. He was- he was panicking cause-" Steve felt his breath catch, unable to draw in enough air.

"Take your time, and just breathe, buddy. There's no rush here."

Steve took a few more breaths that were slow and deep before speaking again. "My dad was- he was thinking of how he was sleeping with Clara when she was abusing me and how it meant that she-" He grabbed onto Soda's shirt with both hands, burying his face in his shoulder. "She must've had sex with him some nights, then came into my bed and-"

Soda felt Steve's body tense up, as the words stole his oxygen. "I got it, Stevie. It's okay." He then heard the door open and saw Nicholas, their gazes immediately meeting. "Oh. Um, hey, Nicholas. I think- Well, I know Steve had a panic attack. Or maybe he still is havin' one right now."

Nicholas approached Steve, a hand going to the back of his son's head. "How are you feeling, Son? What happened?"

Steve loosened his grip on Soda, lifting his head to look at Nicholas. "I- I just couldn't breathe right. I- I'm sorry for walking in on you and Audrey, Dad."

Soda gave Steve's shoulder a squeeze, as he gestured toward the door. "I'm going to go on in, so you two can-"

Steve was quick to shake his head, his hand that still held onto Soda tightening its grip once again. "No. I want you to stay."

Soda met Steve's eyes, as he put a hand on his arm. "Okay, buddy. I'll stay."

Nicholas spoke next, his arm going around Steve to lead him over to the porch steps. "Let's sit down and talk, Son."

Steve took a seat on the top step, as Nicholas settled beside him. "I really am sorry, Dad. I should've thought-"

Nicholas interrupted Steve with an apology of his own. "I should've closed and locked the door. I just didn't expect you to be home for a while. So I'm sorry I didn't guard our privacy."

Soda remained close by, sitting down near the railing that was closest to Steve. "I'm, uh, guessin' that my input ain't exactly needed here, but you probably weren't thinkin' about anything else. I mean, I know I don't when I'm, you know, in that kind of moment."

Steve saw Nicholas' face flush, chuckling, despite the awkwardness. "Yeah, Dad. I sure hope you weren't thinking about me. Now, that would be really weird."

Nicholas smiled, the amusement on Steve's face a relief when he'd been able to see the distress only minutes earlier. "All right, Son. I think my sex life got enough of a display today without delving into my thoughts. But seriously, you come into my room a lot, and it's my responsibility to make it clear when you shouldn't. I guess I just haven't been in a relationship in so long that I-"

Steve spoke, as he took Nicholas' hand. "Clara's the last one I saw you with, Dad. I mean, I never saw you two doing anything, but still. I guess you having sex is like this trigger for me cause the last time you were doing it, I was being abused and couldn't tell you about it. I didn't know what I was thinking at first, besides being embarrassed. But then, I realized Clara was in my head, and I remembered you hurting and panicking over the fact that you were sleeping with her when the abuse was going on. I'm not saying you shouldn't do what you want though, Dad. I'm happy for you and Audrey, but it's sort of a jolt for me. My mind can't help but connect it back to then, as different as it is now."

Soda reached out to grasp Steve's hand in support. "You're connecting the past and the present. Just like you've done before, and I've been doin' lately. It's good that you get it too cause then, you can understand what exactly made you panic."

Steve squeezed Soda's hand. "I knew I kept your ass out here for a reason." He turned back to Nicholas, unable to discern the expression he saw on his face. "You okay, Dad? I'm glad you're with Audrey, and I know everything that's going on is healthy. I also know she's not here to abuse me, and we aren't going to be like we were."

Nicholas looked down at Steve's hand that was still holding onto his own, then at the one that held Soda's, his gaze moving up to meet his son's eyes. "I'm so amazed by you right now, Son. For understanding all of this and being able to explain it to me. At the same time, you're putting it into perspective to reassure not only yourself, but me too. You just had a reaction because my being in a serious relationship brings feelings back for you. Seeing that is traumatic. But you're here with me and with Sodapop untangling it and piecing it back together. I know it's different because this is your experience, but you've been able to do the same thing for me and for Sodapop. You have a way with this kind of stuff, Son, and I want to tell you to please look into what it would take for you to be a counselor. You never know. It could very well be your calling."

"Hey, little buddy, you were gone a while today."

Soda came in the front door, kicking off his shoes, as he saw Darry in the kitchen. "Yeah. We went to church, had lunch, went to the park. Talked about some stuff too."

Darry stood in front of the stove, stirring a pot of meat and sauce. "Sounds like just the kind of day you need to have."

Soda went over to the other pot on the stove that was filled with spaghetti noodles. He then picked up a spoon and started to stir, the water bubbling, as it boiled. "Yeah, it was. So, um, are you okay today, Dar? I guess I'm askin' cause of everything you said yesterday."

"I'm good, little buddy. I think getting all that off my chest once was just what I needed. What about you?"

"Um, I think I'm good too. I'm not feeling any of that bad stuff or thinkin' I'll do anything I shouldn't."

"That's good, Pepsi Cola. You know I'll be right here for you if you do."

Soda turned off the heat on the burner, the spaghetti noodles tender, as the water's boiling slowed down. "And if you need an ear and a chance to be vulnerable again, you know where to find me."

"Audrey was okay earlier, right, Dad?"

Nicholas put a pork chop and some leftover chicken salad on a plate, then handed it to Steve. "Yes, she was, Son. She was more concerned about me than anything else."

Steve sat down at the table along with Nicholas. "It just seems like it would've been pretty awkward for her too."

"Are you saying she should've been embarrassed to be seen in bed with me?"

"No. I'm saying she should've been embarrassed for me to see her in bed with you. But then again, I didn't really see her anyway cause of how you two-"

"All right, Son. I get the picture."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to get into that again. I was just wondering about her too."

"I know, and it's okay, Steve. We can talk about anything. But I swear I'll make sure to lock the door next time."

"No, of course I didn't break up with him, Mom. I'm just not ready for a ring of any sort."

"Are you feeling all right, honey?"

"Not really. I've been very nauseous tonight, and my chest doesn't feel right."

"You probably have heartburn. I had it pretty often when I was going into my second trimester with you. Why don't you go on to bed, and I'll be in to bring you some mint tea? That should take care of everything that's ailing you."

"Soda, you go see Dr. Morgan again tomorrow, right?"

Soda slid the splint onto his right arm, doing up the velcro, as he replied to Pony. "Yeah. I see her tomorrow afternoon as usual."

Pony reached out and touched Soda's scar, his eyes staring at it. "I'm not going to ask you to tell me any of it, but I've been able to tell you'll have a lot to talk with her about. Just because I know you took that drive with Darry yesterday, and you were with Steve for a long time today. Besides that, I figure she'll be asking about me and you too."

Soda watched Pony's finger trace his scar. "You've done this before, Pone. I don't mind, but why?"

"I guess your scar reminds me what you made it through. Not just the shooting, but everything after it. I think the time I saw you bleeding when you pulled your stitches out, that was when I really knew too."

"Knew what?"

"That you weren't okay. I remember how the wound bled and how I cleaned it up and wrapped it for you. It was scary to see then, especially since you'd done it. But now, looking at the scar, it's like a symbol to me. When you were having a real hard time coping, it bled. It had to do some healing all over again, and at the same time it's been doing that on the outside, you've been healing on the inside."