=Normal POV=
[Wednesday, 4/3/2019; 11:30 am]
[Berk High School]

Hayden stayed sick for five days, but he was feeling much better now and decided to at least go to school for the second half of the day. Hayden had to collect missed work and probably get it all done by Friday or next Monday. Thankfully, there were only two months left of Senior Year and some big events coming up. Final Exams were set for the week of May 20th, 2019 to May 24th. The week of May 27th would be the start of graduation preparations. The talent show was to be held on May 31st, 2019 at 4:00 pm. Senior Prom was scheduled for June 7th, 2019 from 6 pm to 11 pm. And graduation was planned to be on Saturday, June 15th, 2019 at 7 pm. After that; the Senior Class of 2019 would be done with their time at Berk High School.

Arriving in the student lot, Hayden parked his car, set the alarm and headed for the main office to sign himself in. "Welcome back, Mr. Haddock," Nadine greeted while Hayden signed the paper.

"Thanks," Hayden smiled a bit as he fixed his backpack and headed right across the way towards the cafeteria. Hayden walked through the open door and towards the table where his friends were.

"Hayden!" Alicia squealed happily as she got up to hug her cousin.

"Welcome back, cuz," Syrus said afterward.

"Thanks, and hi," Hayden smiled a little before taking his seat next to Trayden.

"Thought you would be out today, babe," Trayden chuckled.

"Was feeling better around 10:30 am, so I decided to come for the rest of the day. I can collect the missed work and start doing it all," Hayden shrugged.

"What were you sick with?" Alyssa wondered.

"Not sure. The doctor thinks it was a toss-up between the flu or food poisoning," Hayden revealed.

"When did you go to the doctor?" Miya asked.

"Uh, Sunday I believe. Well, I didn't see my doctor; we went to the hospital," Hayden said.

"What? Why?!" Trayden inquired with concern.

"My fever spiked to 103.7 and stayed there for over an hour; I was throwing up constantly, and weak. Gabriel got worried, and my doctor's office wasn't open, so we went to the hospital. The doctor assumed it was food poisoning based on how fast everything came on and me mentioning that Gabriel and I went out to eat at 6 pm last Thursday. I guess either the salad or the chicken sandwich could have caused it because the onset of symptoms for food poisoning can happen anywhere from one to six hours after consuming and since I started feeling ridiculously sick on Thursday at 11:30 pm; the doctor just said the timeline for food poisoning fit," Hayden explained.

"Odin above, Hayden…" Trayden sighed as he hugged Hayden tightly. "Don't scare me like that…"

"It's not my fault you worry all the time. If it was something big; I would have told you," Hayden smiled some.

"Your fever being 103 is big!" Trayden argued. "That's high-grade, babe. And anything 104 to 107 is considered dangerous…" he sighed. "I'm glad you're okay…"

"Aren't I always?" Hayden replied. "The food poisoning hit as bad as it did because I have a shitty immune system, couldn't keep anything down, kept throwing up, and was borderline dehydrated. That was all taken into account for the hospital trip…The doctor gave me something for nausea, the fever, and kept me there a few hours to get fluids into me. My fever dropped to 101 in three hours, so they felt it was safe to release me. Help my fever until…Tuesday night, and was able to eat something light for dinner. And I woke up today feeling a little sick at 5 am, continued to sleep after breakfast, which was at 7:15, woke up at 10:30 am feeling a million times better, so I decided to come to school. Besides…I missed you," Hayden laid his head on Trayden's shoulder.

"I missed you too," Trayden relaxed, kissing Hayden's forehead.

"We're glad you're feeling better too," Katie smiled.

"I'm glad to be feeling better; that sucked…" Hayden muttered tiredly.

"You still look tired," Devon pointed out.

"I am, but I didn't want to miss any more school; I'll be okay for a few more hours," Hayden said.

"As long as you're sure," Trayden chuckled, hugging Hayden again. "You hungry? I think I got Ritz crackers if you want something light to munch on,"

"Oh, yes please?" Hayden replied. Trayden dug them out of his backpack and gave the sleeve to Hayden. "I love these,"

"I know you do," Trayden laughed some. "So, think you'll feel entirely better for a date on Sunday? Well…Semi-date?" he asked.

"Semi-date?" Hayden arched a brow, nibbling on one of the crackers.

"My parents want you, Gabriel, and Spencer to come over for dinner on Sunday night at 5:30. Not sure on the reason; they just said it would be nice to have the two families eat together. Though, I have this sneaking suspicion that my mom wants to kidnap your adorable son and cuddle him for a few hours," he laughed some. "Maybe you and I can go get ice cream after, or watch a movie in my room?" Trayden added.

"Yeah, I'd like that. I'll tell Uncle Gabe when I get home at 2:45," Hayden nodded. "And if your mom is having super baby withdrawals…She's welcome to take him for a few hours when we go on our dates, babe," he mentioned.

"I told her all she had to do was speak up and offer to babysit and you wouldn't mind," Trayden chuckled a bit.

"I don't mind at all. Spencer is pretty good with everyone," Hayden replied. "I can't believe he's about to be six months old…I still have a hard time processing I'm a father sometimes,"

"Hard to believe, huh?" Devon chuckled. "I'm still trying to settle with becoming a father when mine and Miya's baby arrives at the end of May…"

"You two never found out if you were having a girl or boy?" Evan asked.

"We wanted to keep it a surprise," Miya smiled.

"Picked names yet?" Mindy questioned.

"We did!" Hailey giggled. "Oswald Bazirk the Second for a boy after mine and Devon's father. And for a girl…Heather Bazirk. Heather was Miya's mom's name, and Heather was also mine and Devon's mom's name,"

"Awe, that's cute," Rylee said as the others agreed.

"Oh, babe…One more thing when you come on Sunday…Dad wants to talk to you," Trayden said to Hayden now in a more serious tone.

"Whatever for?" Hayden questioned.

"I don't know, love. Dad just mentioned that he'd need to speak with you if you're able to come over," Trayden shrugged.

"Alright then," Hayden nodded, now wondering what it could possibly be about. It had to be something about his parents' murders; that's all Hayden could think about why Dustin, the director of law enforcement for the entire island of Barbarchi, would need to talk to him. The friends continued chatting about random things for the rest of lunch hour. One topic that came up was the talent show, and that they needed to start getting together to do final practices. When the bell rang; Syrus, Alicia, Trayden, and Hayden all headed for math class.

. . .

[Sunday, 4/7/2019; 5:20 pm]
[Berk; Raseri Home]

Naturally, Gabriel had no problem with attending dinner at the Raseri Family home on the 7th, which is today. At 5:10 pm, Hayden got Spencer situated; then Gabriel and Hayden headed over to the next street in Gabriel's truck to arrive semi-early than the set time for the meal.

Hayden held Spencer's carrier while Gabriel rang the bell. Dustin was the one to answer it with a smile. "Welcome!" he greeted. "Come right in," Gabriel let Hayden in first with the carrier, then himself. Dustin closed the door and guided them into the living room.

"Hi, babe," Trayden strolled in with a smile, hugging Hayden once he'd set the carrier down on the floor.

"Hey," Hayden returned the action; then they shared a small kiss.

"We're so glad you could come," Rachel said now. "I've made grilled chicken with penne pasta and alfredo. There is salad, bread to go with it and homemade cheesecake for dessert,"

"That sounds great, Rachel," Gabriel replied. "Can I help with anything?"

"No, no. You are guests, have a seat at the table. We'll be eating in a few minutes," Dustin assured. Hayden had just gotten Spencer out of his carrier and settled into his arms when Dustin got closer. "Before we eat, though…Hayden, may I have a word with you in private?" he asked. A nervous feeling set in the pit of Hayden's stomach as he nodded.

"I'll take the little one," Gabriel said with his hands out to take Spencer.

"You alright?" Trayden asked once Spencer was handed off.

"Not sure…I'm between fine and not okay…" Hayden admitted.

"Well, I'm here to talk afterward if you want. Love you," Trayden kissed his nose.

"Thanks. Love you too," Hayden replied as he walked away with Dustin. Going down the hall, Dustin brought Hayden downstairs and to a room that was off to the right of the stairs going down from the main entrance to the house. Entering the room; Hayden found that it was a small office; there was even a two or three-seater couch. Dustin closed the door, noticing that Hayden was displaying signs of extreme nervousness, shaking, and fear.

"Are you okay, Hayden?" Dustin asked.

"I-I d-don't like th-this style of ce-cellars," Hayden replied. "Unfinished ones…I-I had bad experiences with them…"

"I'm sorry," Dustin apologized. "I'll try to be quick; this is where my home office is. If you're this uncomfortable…I'm sure we can go outside on the porch or perhaps my son will lend me his room for a bit," Hayden was just shaking still, trying to stay calm, but it wasn't working. "Alright…Easy, Hayden. Come, we'll go upstairs…" Dustin offered. Hayden wasn't moving, though; it seemed he was stuck in some kind of flashback or perhaps a panic attack. "Hayden?" Dustin tried, coming closer with his hands up; it made Hayden flinch and back up; he was not breathing heavy, closing his eyes and covering his face as if he were going to be hurt.

Dustin knew that there was nothing he could do until Hayden calmed down. Carefully backing away, Hayden seemed to scramble into a corner, holding himself and rocking back and forth; to Dustin, it looked like a defensive position to protect himself. Dustin opened the basement door and stepped out just to the base of the stairs. "Trayden!"

"Yeah, Dad?" Trayden looked over the railing.

"Could you possibly come down and get Hayden to relax?" Dustin asked.

"What's happened?" Gabriel inquired.

"I didn't know Hayden didn't like unfinished basements…I brought him down here to talk, and he steadily got more freaked out. Now, he's curled up in a corner…" Dustin frowned. Trayden said nothing as he quickly came around and down the stairs; then into the room. "I didn't know, son; I swear…"

"It's okay, Dad…Just go back upstairs and help mom set the table for dinner; I'll calm Hayden down…" Trayden said. Nodding, Dustin walked away as Trayden walked into the room to see Hayden in the corner. Trayden approached slowly. "Babe?" he tried. "Hey, it's alright…" he kept his hands down, crouching before his boyfriend. "Sssh…It's okay. You're safe…" Trayden kept his hands low and got into Hayden's line of sight. "It's only me, your boyfriend…Everything is fine…"

Trayden leaned in more as Hayden lifted his head, still shaking and crying silently; there were tears in Hayden's eyes and wet marks down his cheeks. "See, you're at my house, safe and sound…" Trayden continued bringing his hands up slowly and setting them on Hayden's.

"Ba-Baby?" Hayden asked.

"Yeah, that's me. It's Tray…Settle down; you're okay. Come on; we'll get out of the basement together," Trayden offered his hands. Hayden took them as Trayden carefully pulled Hayden to his feet; then wrapped an arm around his midsection to hold him steady while leaving the cellar together and getting up the stairs. "You wanna go cuddle in the room for a few minutes?" Hayden nodded. Trayden led Hayden down the hallway towards the bedroom, once inside, Trayden closed the door and brought Hayden towards the bed. Trayden laid down as Hayden snuggled up to him. "There, there…It's alright," Trayden rubbing Hayden's back and shoulders a little.

It was certainly random; Hayden hadn't had nightmares or flashbacks in a while. However, it took Trayden a few moments to remember why Hayden didn't like unfinished basements. As Trayden took part in Hayden's therapy sessions; he knew to the full detail of everything Hayden endured. In one of the foster homes; Hayden was kept in a locked, unfinished basement all night long with no blankets, pillows, or a bed. Hayden was forced to sleep on the cement floor, and use a bucket if he had to use the bathroom. Hayden was fed once a day with a small portion, or none at all. Hayden was let out in the morning to clean the entire house top to bottom with no breaks.

If Hayden forgot to do something; he would get hit with a belt by the father, who also molested him. Also, Hayden had to clean the bathroom bucket each morning. Hayden was not allowed to use the normal bathroom in the house. The only kind person there was the young, at the time, thirteen-year-old daughter, Savannah. She tried to help Hayden out with chores and sneaking him a sandwich or some other kind of small meal. When Savannah was caught; she was abused too. That was until the social worker came by to do a late night check and found Hayden's living situation completely unacceptable; this removed him instantly.

Hayden also spoke up about the abuse on Savannah when she tried to help him, so the caseworker took both of them. As far as Trayden knew; Savannah was placed in another foster home, but there was no further information on that according to Hayden, but he did always wonder if she was alright. This incident had happened at the second foster home Hayden was put in after the first suicide attempt, so it happened around July 2017.

"Everything is okay, babe," Trayden soothed.

"I'm sorry…" Hayden whimpered.

"What are you sorry for?" Trayden asked. "Hayden, it's alright. Remember that not everyone knows what you've been through, so it's hard for them to know what could trigger you. I know it's hard for you to talk about, but understand that until you inform others; I'm the only person who knows," he added.

Hayden nodded. "I-I know…I guess I just worry what people will think about me…" he sighed.

"I can understand, babe. And while you've made mention to our friends; that helped you open up in sessions. I can warn others, love; the only reason I don't is out of respect for you. I know if I suggest it's a bad idea, others can and will question why. I know you don't want them knowing, so I stay quiet," Trayden informed.

"You do that for me?" Hayden looked up.

"Of course. I know it's your business, and if you aren't ready to talk to others and our friends; then I'm not going to set the starting line down for them to question anything and make you uncomfortable," Trayden said. "But know this, baby; there will always be triggers to what happened. No matter what we do to try and prevent them. Over time; they will become easier to take a pause, breathe, and continue forward,"

"I hope so…Because this sucks…" Hayden sighed. "Maybe it would be easier if I told others…Then things like this wouldn't happen. I didn't mean to scare your dad,"

"He wasn't scared, just concerned for you, Hayden," Trayden said. "He knew to get me right away if that makes you feel better," Hayden shot an unamused stare at his boyfriend of almost six months. "At least people recognize when you need me," he tried. Hayden sighed again, closing his eyes. "Hey, it's alright. You'll get through things, babe; it'll just take some more time. Traumatic incidents take time to work through and recover from,"

"How much more of my life to I have to give up, babe…" Hayden buried his face, gripping Trayden's shirt.

"It's not…Giving it up, Hayden. If you'd given up your life, you'd be dead. And you're not, so as I've told you; keep fighting. Things will work out with time, and perhaps right now is not the time for things to work out. You have to trust that things will be okay, babe. For now, focus on living your life. We've got the talent show coming up, senior prom, graduation…You're only 19, love, don't be in such a rush. Live your life, and keeping fighting. I promise it will be alright, and you've got me beside you to make sure of it. Just like you have Gabriel, our friends, even your son," Trayden explained.

"We're all one big-ass family, Hayden. Family is not always blood; it's the people who choose to be in your life. Those who love, respect, and support you. Everything is gonna be fine because if a day comes where you don't think you can do it; you call on any of us to help you, and we will come any time for anything. Especially me," Trayden kissed Hayden's forehead gently.

Hayden lifted his head now, looking up at Trayden. "I love you,"

"I love you too. Are you all calm now? Want to eat?" Trayden asked.

"I do…I'm starving…" Hayden nodded. The two males got up, hugged, and kissed. "And babe…You can tell the others about the things I've told you…On the stipulations that I'm not present, and they don't ask me anything after…" he said softly. Trayden stopped walking now, turning and looking at his boyfriend.

"What did you say?" Trayden put a hand on Hayden's shoulder, so they were facing one another.

"What you said before…About as long as no one knows but you what happened to me; then we can't prevent ending up in places with triggers while I'm still working through stuff. Like tonight with your dad not knowing I don't like unfinished basements because of the foster home thing where I was kept in a cellar…You were right. They should know…Our friends, Gabriel…People close to me. You said you don't say anything out of respect for me, but I'm saying you can tell them as long as I'm not present and they don't ask me anything after the fact…" Hayden explained.

"Hayden, are you sure about this?" Trayden inquired firmly. Hayden nodded.

"I barely survive getting through sessions, babe…I've only been able to do it because you're with me, and you've seen me break down doing it; it's taken us Odin only knows how many sessions to get as far as I have…You know everything since the death of my parents and until I started living with my aunt, uncle, and cousins…I'll never be able to talk about everything in detail again…It's…Hard enough…So…I give you my permission to tell others…Our friends, Gabriel, and anyone else who you feel should know…" Hayden said.

"And your only stipulations are that you're not present for it, and nobody asks you anything about it after the fact?" Trayden inquired. Hayden nodded again. "Alright, as long as you're sure, babe,"

"Do it on a sleepover night at your house or something, have Gabriel come over; I don't mind if your parents find out, but maybe not your siblings…A lot of that isn't appropriate for them. I can watch them at my house if you want; then I can bring them back and spend the night for the sleepover," Hayden offered.

"Alright, I'll set that up and let you know, okay?" Trayden replied as Hayden nodded once more. "Let's go eat," he suggested. Trayden held Hayden's hand as they exited the bedroom and joined the rest of the diners at the table. The look Trayden saw on their faces was the questioning one of Hayden was alright, so Trayden just gave a return look for them to leave it alone and continue on a normal dinner. Trayden and Hayden sat down; then the meal began.