Fall Out
By:
Me
I own nothing, but sure would like to own Atticus Mitchell. Just saying.
Chapter Two
Ethan paced out in the waiting room of the emergency room surrounded by a few others who were in medical need or people waiting with their loved ones.
"Sit down, Ethan," Ms. Weir gently ordered as she sat tensely in a chair, "You are making me more nervous than I already am at the moment."
"I'm sorry," the Seer apologized as he plopped down next to his lover's grandmother, "Why are the doctors taking so long to tell us what is going on with Benny?"
"I don't know," Ms. Weir sighed out, "The wait is killing me."
Ethan nodded his head before turning to glare in his parents' direction. Mr. and Mrs. Morgan had followed their son to the hospital.
"It's not the venom, is it?" the teen whispered to the elderly woman.
"No," Ms. Weir answered softly, "The venom is completely out of Benny's system. That won't be a problem for my grandson any longer, but his system is still not completely 100% yet and I'm afraid that this whole fiasco has caused a relapse in his health."
Ethan sighed as he scrubbed a hand through his hair in frustration. He glared hatefully at his father with narrowed eyes.
"I…I'm sorry that I slapped Benny," Mr. Morgan suddenly spoke up as he turned remorseful eyes on his son and Ms. Weir, "I forgot about how sick he had just recently been and I let my emotions get the better of me. I have no excuse for my behavior tonight."
"I should bring you up on charges for daring to touch my grandson," Benny's grandmother gritted out, "The way you acted tonight was ridiculous and childish. You were like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum because your favorite toy was not doing what you wanted it to. Benny and Ethan are people of worth and they can make their own decision on who they love. If you try to interfere again then I will slap you with a lawsuit that says you are a child abuser and unfit to have Ethan and Jane in your residence."
Mr. Morgan went pale and began to splutter in his shock as Ethan stared at Ms. Weir in pride.
"You wouldn't!' Mr. Morgan gasped out.
"I would help her," Mrs. Morgan suddenly spoke up as she stood to sit next to her surprised son, "Ethan is my child and I do love him for who he is no matter what. I'm surprised about his choices, but I understand that he has the right to decide on his own life. Benny is in the hospital because of you and I won't lose my son because you drove him away with trying to fit him in a mold that is your creation and not his. If my son loves Benny then I will support him."
"Good for you," Ms. Weir cheered.
Ethan breathed a sigh of relief before sitting up straighter when his mother turned a glare on him.
"I do not support you having relations on my couch," Mrs. Morgan said as she raised an eyebrow and Benny's grandmother hid a smirk behind her hand, "You will show more discretion in the future. We will be discussing some ground rules, Mister. Plus, you and Benny are having safe sex, right?"
"Mom!" Ethan groaned as a few heads turned in their direction and he turned beet red, "Yes! Okay. I understand."
"I'm sorry, Honey," Mrs. Morgan offered as she held her arms open to her son.
Ethan slid into his mother's arms and held on as he sought comfort. The worry for his boyfriend was eating at him, but it did feel good that his mother was on his side.
"Thanks, Mom," the teen whispered as he buried his head into her shoulder, "I'm sorry that I told you that I hated you."
"It's okay," Mrs. Morgan soothed, "You were upset. I should have stepped up sooner."
"Is the family of Benjamin Weir here?" a nurse called from the emergency ward door.
"Yes!" Ms. Weir called as she hurried over and was led away with a glance back in Ethan's direction with a hand sign that meant to wait.
Ethan held his mother's hand tightly as he waited for Ms. Weir to return. Mr. Morgan came up to sit across from his son.
"I'm sorry about the way that I've been acting," Mr. Morgan apologized as he looked uncomfortable, "I…I just never expected that my son would be…would be…"
"Gay?" Ethan supplied dryly, "I am, Dad. Does who I love make it so that you can't love me anymore?"
"Never!" Mr. Morgan denied quickly, "You are my son and I love you dearly. I just…I just want your life to be as smooth as possible. You and Benny are going to have a difficult time with the choices you have made and I didn't want you to regret anything."
"I can't regret being who I am," Ethan explained as he realized that his father had been thinking that he was protecting his son, "I didn't make the choice to fall in love with Benny. My heart fell for him completely and I have never been happier. I wasn't kidding when I said that Benny is my entire world."
Mr. Morgan looked away before nodding his head. Ethan perked up when he saw Ms. Weir hurrying back to the group.
"Benny's going to be okay," Ms. Weir assured the teen before he could ask and then turned and slapped Ethan's father over the head with her purse as hard as she could, "No thanks to you, you jerk!"
"Ouch!" Mr. Morgan complained as he rubbed at his aching head as his wife hid a smile behind her fist.
"What happened?" Ethan asked as he and his parents began to follow Ms. Weir from the waiting room.
"Benny system couldn't take the stress of the situation since he is not completely recovered from his last episode. Also, walking home barefoot and without a jacket made him develop a fever that was exacerbated by the fact that my grandson has a broken arm," Ms. Weir explained before she whirled on Mr. Morgan as Ethan gave his father a look to kill as he seethed, "I can't believe that you literally threw Benny out the door and made him fall down so hard. You will be paying for my grandson's medical bills, I hope you know."
"Of course," Mr. Morgan agreed looking contrite as the whole group glared at him, "I never meant to actually hurt the boy. I am so sorry."
"Benny's already awake and is going to spend the night in the hospital to make sure he does not relapse or have any further complications," Ms. Weir continued as she led everyone through the hospital, "He cannot be upset anymore. My grandson's health is fragile."
Ethan dashed ahead of the group when he saw Benny in a room that had a large window that you could see through from the hallway. He entered the hospital room and softly called his boyfriend's name as he took in the cast that covered Benny's right arm angrily.
"Ethan?" the spell master asked as he opened glazed looking eyes and peered up at his lover.
"I'm here, Baby," Ethan soothed as he held his boyfriend's other hand in his and kissed Benny's palm, "How are you feeling?"
"Like I am getting pretty sick of waking up in a hospital," Benny chuckled out as the Seer smiled before he grew serious, "I'm on some pain medication for my arm that is making me feel fuzzy in the head. Are you okay? What about your parents? Are they going to send you away? I don't want you to go!"
''Hush, Baby. Calm down," Ethan whispered down to his lover as he frowned when he noticed that Benny's cheek was beginning to bruise from the slap to his face, "Everything is fine now. My parents having calmed down and they are not going to interfere with us anymore."
"Really?" Benny breathed out before taking in a shuddery breath in relief as Ethan felt his forehead and looked concerned about the slight fever, "I was so scared that you would be sent away. I couldn't handle not being able to see you every day."
Ethan crawled up on the bed and gently embraced the taller teen as Benny curled against him. Benny had to reach up and run the back of his hand down the side of his boyfriend's face to calm him when Ethan hissed angrily as he helped the spell master adjust his casted arm to lie more comfortably.
"Nothing can keep me apart from you, Baby," Ethan reassured as he stroked his lover's hair tenderly, "I would have come up with a plan to fix everything. Plus, your grandmother wouldn't have allowed my parents to separate us. She would have protected her 'Benny-Bear's' boyfriend."
"Oh, hush," Benny giggled out, "You should have heard her curse when I went home and told her what happened. I never knew Grandma could curse worse than a sailor. She was furious for you and me."
"I know," Ethan agreed, "You should have heard your grandmother threaten my father. Dad was shaking in his boots."
"What did she do?" Benny asked as he pulled back and looked at his boyfriend with wide eyes.
"She told Dad that she would bring abuse charges against him and get Jane and I placed in protective custody," Ethan grinned out with a twinkle in his eyes, "Then Mom said she would help. I especially loved it when Ms. Weir slammed her purse down on Dad's head."
"No way!" Benny denied with laughing eyes.
"Way!" Ethan stated before getting serious again as he stroked his boyfriend's cheek, "Mom and Dad were thinking that we had decided to one day be gay and were afraid we were going to regret our decision."
"How can you decide to be what you are?" Benny asked in confusion.
"That is what my parents had to figure out," Ethan said as he settled Benny back against his chest, "I think my parents understand that we are happy together."
"Good," Benny chirped happily before beginning to grumble under his breath.
"What are you mumbling about?" Ethan inquired as Benny cocked his head up to look at him.
"I feel like I am in some kind of angst series," Benny whined before deepening his voice to sound like a show host, "Tune in next week to see Benjamin Weir as he falls into a giant puddle of mud that dries up and he gets stuck forever."
"And then watch as his amazingly handsome boyfriend uses a hammer and chisel to unstick him from the mud," Ethan grinned out as Benny giggled.
"Then the next week, watch as Benjamin Weir's bicycle tire goes flat and he cannot make it to school on time"
"Then Ethan the Great and Powerful shows up with a tire pump and saves the day once again."
"Benjamin Weir then gets a cramp in the pool. What will he do?"
"Ethan the Great brings him some floaties and the world is set right once again! He's a bird, he's a plane, he's Super Ethan!"
Benny and Ethan giggled long and hard before the spell master let out a large yawn.
"I want you to get some sleep now, Baby, "the Seer instructed as he arranged his boyfriend to be able to lay comfortable with his cast, "You have a mild fever and the stress of the day has been too much on your system."
"You'll stay with me?" Benny questioned as he snuggled down against his boyfriend's warmth.
"Always," Ethan agreed as he kissed the top of his lover's head, "Sleep, Baby."
Ms. Weir smiled at the tender moment she had just witnessed and turned to Mr. and Mrs. Morgan.
"Can you deny that those two are in love?" the elderly woman demanded as she looked sternly at the two parents.
"No," Mrs. Morgan answered as her husband nodded numbly, "Ethan and Benny have always taken care of one another. I think I always kind of knew that their bond was stronger than just friends. I should have seen this coming."
"What I don't understand is why you knew about this before my wife and I," Mr. Morgan inquired as he watched his son fall asleep next to his boyfriend.
"Why don't you think about that more?" Ms. Weir stated, "Isn't it funny that those two boys felt safe enough to talk to me about their relationship. Maybe you two need to be more open with Ethan so he doesn't feel like he is constantly being judged. You raised a great kid and I could not be happier that he is by my Benny's side."
Mr. and Mrs. Morgan beamed at the praise for their son before nodding at the elderly woman's advice. Mrs. Morgan eyes widened as Ms. Weir jerked her husband down to her eye level by his tie.
"I forgive you for this little tantrum of yours," Benny's grandmother counseled, "But I will make you rue the day if you ever touch my grandson or his boyfriend in a fit of rage again. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Ma'am," Mr. Morgan agreed as he was finally able to stand back up and he adjusted his tie so it wasn't choking him, "I will apologize to Benny personally tomorrow. I've already talked with my Ethan, but I will also need to let him know that I am sorry for making him feel judged. I hope that I can repair the rift that I caused with my son."
"Ethan, is a smart lad," Ms. Weir cajoled, "I'm sure that he has already forgiven you for yelling at him, but you are going to have to work hard to gain his trust back. Ethan is very protective of Benny and you hurt his boyfriend tonight. You'd better figure out something. You two should go home. Both Ethan and my Benny are sound asleep. I will bring them home tomorrow once Benny is released from the hospital. You'd better understand that your son will refuse to leave my grandson's side. Ethan will be staying at my house until Benny feels better."
"I had no doubts," Mrs. Morgan agreed as she took her husband's arm in hers and bid Mrs. Weir goodnight.
The Earth Priestess entered her grandson's room silently and leaned over to kiss each teen on their forehead as they slept before she settled in a reclining chair to get some sleep.
Benny's fever broke by morning and he was released from the hospital with a sling to support his broken arm.
"I don't understand why I have to ride in a wheelchair," Benny whined as he was pushed out to his grandmother's waiting car, "I broke my arm and not my leg. This sucks."
"Hush, you," Ms. Weir fussed, "You should know by now that this is hospital protocol.
Ethan didn't like the fact that his boyfriend should have to know anything about hospital protocols. The Seer swore to himself that he would keep Benny out of hospitals from here on out.
"Come on, Baby," Ethan instructed as he helped his boyfriend into the front seat of the car and reached over to assist the taller teen in putting on his seatbelt, "Let's go home, okay?"
"Okay," Benny agreed as he settled into the car and began to hum quietly to himself thanks to pain medication that was making him feel a bit spacy.
Ethan and Ms. Weir exchanged smiles as the taller teen sat dazed in the car and the drive to the Weir residence was uneventful. Still, the Seer remained tense and alert until his boyfriend was settled in his room. Ethan fussed over Benny as he used small cushions to support the spell master's hurt arm as his boyfriend arranged himself into bed.
"I'm okay, E," Benny reassured, "Stop hovering."
"I want you to be comfortable," Ethan confessed as he sat on the bed.
"I'm very comfortable and very drugged up on pain pills," the spell master laughed out, "I'm also tired. I'm going to take a nap, okay?"
"Okay," Ethan agreed as he turned his lover's head to examine where his father had hit his boyfriend, "Benny, does the bruise on your cheek hurt?"
"No," his lover answered as he closed his eyes, "It looks bad, but I don't feel anything unless I press on the area. I'm sleepy, Robin. Let Batman sleep."
"Then sleep," the Seer chuckled out as he watched over his boyfriend as the taller teen fell asleep.
Ethan wandered down stairs and was surprised to see his mother and father sitting down in the living room with Ms. Weir.
"What do my parents want?" the teen thought to himself as he cautiously entered the room, "I am not coming home until Benny is feeling like himself again."
To be continued…