AARON LIVESY

-The Chase-

"Because You Loved Me"

If your sky is falling,

Just take my hand and hold it,

You don't have to be alone, alone, yeah,

I won't let you go…

Song Belongs To James Morrison – "I Won't Let You Go"

Cameron could hear nothing as he left the police station the following morning, the sadness, the guilt, the overall grief numbed him to his core, his legs took hold but he didn't really know where he was going. His eyes were bloodshot and teary after spending hours and hours answering questions on Jason's history, his personal life and of course they knew him as a work colleague and were genuinely affected by his death but they still had to press on and they did, reminding Cameron that he was not under arrest, simply there to give them an insight as to why, as it was a suicide. Cameron told them all they had wanted to know minus of course mentioning Aaron's name, he knew what Jason had done for him because Chas had told him, that wasn't the reason why however, Cameron didn't want Aaron to have to deal with police on top of everything else; plus he didn't do it, the house was empty when Jason had pulled the trigger on his gun.

Cameron found himself in an alley and as expected he broke down, screeching and guttural cries left him as he attacked the wall with his fists, this was just the beginning.

…

Adam, Chas, Paddy, Cain, Debbie, Zak and Lisa were standing outside in the corridor looking through the window at Aaron, he was in intensive care and no one was allowed to see him yet. Chas didn't understand how her son was lying in a hospital bed, last time she had saw him, yes was a few weeks ago but she never expected Jason to have done what he had to him, one thing was sure she didn't have to ask what was wrong with her son, it was clear to see but the report from the doctor a few hours previous was a very bleak and heart wrenching list of injuries that he had sustained and Chas and Adam, who were alone at the time broke into tears upon hearing it all.

"I feel so guilty" Debbie declared as she stared teary eyed through the window.

Everyone looked at her and Cain frowned and put his arm around his daughter. "You've nothing to feel guilty about"

"Why love?" Lisa asked.

Debbie sighed. "I was bad mouthing him yesterday, for the disappearing act, for abandoning the garage" she admitted then looked away.

"Don't be silly Debbie, you weren't to know" Zak told her.

"He's right Debs" Chas reassured her with the best smile she could muster. "And if anyone's to feel guilty, it's me, I'm his mother"

"And I'm his best mate Chas…" Adam said.

"His uncle" Cain said with a raised eyebrow.

"Grandparents, in way" Lisa said with a shrug of her shoulders and a solemn look on her face and agreed, nodding.

"His dad" Paddy sighed and in that second him and Cain exchanged a glance at each other and Cain simply nodded with a small smile.

"See sis, you can feel guilty that's fine, but we're all partly to blame for not trying hard enough or for not seeing the signs…I know this is bad now, I-it really is I know that but he's in safe hands in there and with us when he gets out"

Chas nodded. "You know what…I-I don't blame Aaron" she told them all as she looked back at her son through the glass. "He just wanted to be happy and to be loved" she continued as tears ran down her face.

"He deserved it the poor lad, after everything aswell" Zak said frustratingly as he shook his head.

"He'll get through this Chas" Debbie told her.

"Course he will, he's got us" Adam managed a smile.

Chas smiled and nodded hopeful that Aaron would get through it, but a massive part of her told her he wouldn't, couldn't possibly recover from it all.

"Listen I-I hate to bring the elephant into the room" Paddy began. "But Cameron's call earlier…w-what do we do?" he asked as he glanced around at everyone.

"We can't possibly tell him he's dead!" Debbie argued.

"I don't know kid, it's probably a good idea that we do" Cain replied.

Chas sighed. "He's my son, that decision will be mine, got it?"

Resounding nods and grunts of agreement followed.

Later that day and with help of medication Aaron came around but family weren't allowed to see him for another hour at least. It was a painful wait especially knowing he was awake, aware and most importantly stable. The hour turned into two and it wasn't until Cain harassed one of the doctors to let them see him that they were, but one at a time. Adam, Chas and Cain couldn't bring themselves to, not yet anyway and it baffled them after waiting so long, instead Debbie pushed open the door and walked in slowly. She saw Aaron sitting up in bed and she smiled a little as she approached. "Hey you" she said with a bright smile but Aaron simply looked up, his expression not so much blank but unreadable.

"Hi" he replied.

Debbie propped herself on the edge of his bed and looked at him sadly, her eyes full of sympathy and tears, which came unexpectedly. "How do you feel?"

Aaron bowed his head and shrugged.

"D-Do you remember anything?" she pressed on gently.

Aaron nodded.

"How much?"

"All of it" he uttered quietly as he picked at his fingernails as a means of distraction.

Debbie nodded and drew in a breath. "Hey erm…everyone's outside you know, there's a lot of love for you out there"

Aaron scoffed and shook his head. "You're lying"

Debbie frowned. "I'm not"

"Yes you are, they don't want me and they certainly don't love me"

"That's Jason talking Aaron, not you. Are you aware of what he's done to you? Are you aware that you've been in a catatonic state for several hours, what happened in the house was last night Aaron, it won't be long until it's been twenty four hours, your body and mind shut down because of the abuse you suffered, both physical and mental"

"Of course I know what he's done" Aaron spoke miserably, his eyes still looking down away from Debbie. "I lived it every day"

"Why didn't you get out Aaron?" she was broaching all of these questions with a gentle tone.

Aaron scoffed again and shook his head. "Because I couldn't, but despite that I love him, I still do…" he sighed and finally looked back up at his cousin. "That might be wrong but I do, I can't help it"

Debbie nodded. "I understand. Listen Aaron I know things look bad now but you will heal" Aaron nodded at that which pleased Debbie no end. "I came to see how you were but I also came in to say how good of a job you did with that auction, those three cars are brilliant, well done" and she meant every word.

A small smile crept onto Aaron's lips. "Thanks" he grunted.

Debbie smiled with a nod. "Is there anyone you do want to see?"

Aaron nodded with tears in his eyes and he began to cry.

"Who?" Debbie's voice caught as her own emotions heightened at seeing his face scrunch up as he started sobbing.

"My mum and Dad" Aaron sobbed out then placed his head in his hands as his shoulders jerked up and down.

Debbie wiped her tears away and ran her hand over his short black hair, he was only allowed one visitor but she'd be damned if she was following the rules, Aaron was getting his parents and hearing him declare Paddy his dad, was a first for her anyway but it was something she agreed with because he really had been since Aaron started living with him a few years back. "You got it" she said in a hushed voice and got up and walked out.

Looking at both Paddy and Chas she declared. "He wants to see his parents"

Chas and Paddy looked at each other; emotions both getting the better of them. She was ready now, and with paddy close behind they rushed in. The rest of them found the next scene emotional as they watched Aaron hug them both as he broke down in the comfort and safe haven of their arms.

After sitting for a while Chas had decided, she was going to tell him, the sooner it was done the better, or so she thought. "Listen son…there's something you need to know alright and it won't be easy to hear and it will probably hurt because I know you love him, after everything…"

Aaron frowned. "What is it?"

"It's Jason love, he erm…" she frowned and swallowed hard.

"Mum?" Aaron impatiently said.

Chas took a deep breath and began to get upset, even she knew he didn't deserve what he'd did to himself, despite what he'd done to her son. "He's dead Aaron. He shot himself"

…

"Flynn!" His dad yelled to him at the front door. "Where the hell are you going?"

"The hospital, I have to see him!" Flynn shouted back.

"I told you I'd take you lat-" his dad stopped with a sigh, his son obviously couldn't wait till later.

Ever since that horrible phone call from Adam two nights ago Flynn hadn't slept at all, instead he cried, and for not being religious he prayed, prayed to god he would be alright. Now the third day of Aaron's hospital stay, or confinement as he'd probably say knowing Aaron, Flynn couldn't hack hanging around the house any longer, not when the man he loved was lying in a hospital bed in god knows what condition and even though Adam had phoned and dropped in to reassure him he needed to see him for himself regardless of his own physical condition and now finally, he was on his way.

Cameron was sat on the sofa in Tug Ghyll with his head in his hands when Debbie walked down the stairs and approached then sat beside him placing an arm around him as she did. "I'm so sorry Cameron"

"So am I" he replied with a nod.

"It's been a few days…you still haven't told me what the police said…"

Cameron shrugged. "Just that I'd be notified when they release his body"

Debbie pulled him closer. "I'm here when you want to talk alright? And I'll help with funeral arrangements"

Cameron sighed and closed his eyes tight. "You've got Sarah to look after Debs"

"Hey, Sarah will be fine, I love you Cameron, seeing you like this is hurting me, I wish I could take it all away but I can't, but I can help and be here for me when you need me alright?"

Cameron nodded. "Thanks"

Debbie smiled and moved to wrap both arms around him but he backed off. "I-I haven't called my dad! W-What am I gunna say? He's not well as it is, Debs…Th-this won't help, it won't help at all…" he told her in a panic.

"He still needs to know babe, he was his son"

Cameron nodded and swallowed hard. "Yeah, yeah he was" he forced himself to focus then pulled out his phone and walked to the kitchen and walked outside through the back door.

…

Flynn walked along the hospital corridor to Paddy and Chas standing talking at the other end. He smiled awkwardly once he stopped beside them.

"Hi love" Chas smiled. "How you doing?"

"Yeah not bad, still got this bloody bandage round my head though"

"It'll be off before you know it"

Flynn nodded. "Listen, I-I'm so sorry Chas, to both of you…I should have done more"

"You followed him to the auction from what I was told Flynn; you did more than any of us put together" Paddy replied.

"Still wasn't enough though was it?" he asked with a sigh.

Chas placed both hands on Flynn's shoulders and looked into his eyes. "No but Aaron was blind to it all, that was not your fault"

Flynn nodded quickly. "How is he?"

"He's alright" Chas replied as he pulled away from him and Paddy nodded in agreement. "Well you know what I mean, he's healing physically, and he's awake and talking just not saying much that's all"

"Does he know?"

Chas sighed and nodded her head.

"O-O…Okay…h-how did he take it?" Flynn asked as he folded his arms up against his chest.

"That's the thing…he didn't"

"How'd you mean?" he asked with a frown.

"What she means is Aaron only asked how, she told him and all he did was nod then asked us to give him some space, he's not mentioned him"

"I-Is that normal?"

"Possibly" Paddy told him. "He just needs time"

Knowing that Flynn loved the bones of her son Chas added. "And time you must give him" Flynn didn't take any offense to what she had said, he understood completely.

"Can I see him? W-Will he want to see me?" he wondered and Paddy nodded.

"He's seen everyone else, I don't see why not"

"But you don't know what happened between us Chas, he might hate me"

"What did you do?" Chas asked with narrowed eyes piercing into him.

Flynn swallowed hard. "We erm…we…" but he stopped when Chas simply nodded in understanding. "Ah. Well there's no point in standing there then is there…go on and see him"

Flynn quickly stepped away and pushed open the door to the intensive care unit and walked on through till he got to Aaron's bed. When he did, he stopped still, his mouth partly open in shock as he just stared at the black and blue bruises colouring his skin, not to mention all of the wires and drips attached to him.

Sensing someone was there Aaron turned his head to see who it was. "Flynn?"

Flynn nodded and stepped up closer to the side of him. "Yeah…I-I would have been here sooner but I didn't want to add to the small crowd I hear you had"

Aaron nodded. "They were tiring" he told him

Flynn nodded and pulled up a chair closer to the bed and sat down. "I can imagine"

"Are you okay?" Aaron asked, he'd noticed the small cuts on his face and the slight swelling but what definitely stuck out was the bandage.

Flynn nodded. "Yeah but I'm not here for sympathy, I deserved what I got…you however didn't"

"Don't Flynn" Aaron told him quietly as he looked away.

"Sorry" he apologised quickly.

"And I don't want this to be another of our conversations where you keep saying sorry either" Aaron told him quickly.

Flynn smirked and nodded, message received and understood. "Got it"

"Good because there's no one to blame but me"

"Don't be so stupid Aaron, this wasn't your fault, none of it was"

"So I keep being told"

"That's because it's true" Flynn smiled slightly.

"Thanks and all that but I don't think so"

Flynn nodded, he wasn't about to push him into believing something which at the moment he seemed to hate thinking. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

Aaron pouted slightly and replied with the tiniest shake of his head.

"Do you want me to go?"

"No but I'm not very…you know"

"I know and I knew that coming in Aaron, I just don't want you to be alone that's all"

"But I am" Aaron nodded with tears in his eyes.

Aaron's so sad look on his face broke Flynn and he felt the stinging of tears in his own eyes and he instinctively and quickly held out his hand for Aaron to take and what he should have been expecting but didn't was Aaron pulling back his hand in alarm.

"I'm not going to hurt you Aaron" Flynn told him softly but Aaron was shaking his head adamantly. "I don't want too" he said.

"Hey alright… it's okay" Flynn soothed as he reassured him and pulled his hand away and off the bed. "have they said when you can get out of here?"

"A few days I think, I'm not fussed really"

Flynn nodded as he looked at Aaron who was staring ahead, there was nothing and the lump in his throat worsened the more he realised it, the man he loved was gone, and only the mere shell of the man he knew remained. He fought back the lump in his throat. "At least you'll have plenty of people to look after you"

"Only cause they have too because Jason can't anymore" Aaron spat bitterly.

"Aaron!" Flynn chided loudly with a frown. "They love you, whatever that scumbag drilled into that head of yours is a pack of lies! He was unstable!"

"He wasn't a scumbag or anything else any of you wanna call him!" Aaron yelled and it was getting louder the worse Aaron became. "I LOVED HIM!" he then screamed at the top of his voice which alerted Chas and Paddy and they ran in the same time as a nurse arrived at Aaron's bed. Aaron's chest was rising and falling rapidly through anger. "And he loved me!"

"Aaron, love why don't you calm down?" the nurse suggested

"CALM DOWN!" he growled. "WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?"

"Oi Aaron!" Chas yelled. "Relax"

"If you don't I will be forced to sedate you" the nurse added.

Aaron sighed and turned his head away from them all. "Get away from me! All of you!" he growled angrily. "I HATE YOU"

"Aaron love please…" Chas began but was cut off.

"I. Said. Get. Out"

"And what about me hmm?" the nurse asked.

Aaron shrugged. "Don't care about you, do what ya like but you are not sedating me…if you do Ill sue ya"

Any other time Aaron's statement would have been funny but not then.

"Me then?" Flynn braved.

"You can piss off out my face aswell and pretend you never even met me!"

"You don't mean that" Paddy added.

"Oh don't I? It's his fault Jason is dead! If he hadn't have made me have sex with him then Jason wouldn't have gotten so angry! And he wouldn't have killed himself!"

Tears fell from Flynn's eyes as he listened to Aaron's tirade, he shook his head but he had no reason to worry where Chas and Paddy were concerned, what Aaron was saying wasn't true, they knew it. "I never made you do anything" Flynn responded quietly. "I made love to you and it was amazing and special, you never resisted once and I never forced myself onto you, you were with the wrong man Aaron, and you can lie there and blame me for Jason's death till you go blue in the face but I know I'm not to blame, he brought it on himself and you know what!" Flynn shot back calmly at first but the more he spoke he got frustrated. "Good fucking riddance to him!"

"I hope I never see you ever again!" Aaron growled through gritted teeth. "I hate you!"

"Well at least I know we're we stand eh?" he asked before storming off.

"Flynn!" Chas sighed. "He doesn't-" she gave up on and glared back at Aaron. "You're lucky you're going through what you are right now otherwise I'd have slap-" she instantly stopped herself. "Oh my…"

"No, go on mum…" Aaron said cockily but Chas shook her head. "Why not? Don't tip toe around me…"

"You know what I was going to say Aaron"

"Yeah...you would have slapped me across the face…nice eh? Congratulations…come on then! Wanna add to the rest, I don't mind I mean, I probably won't feel it will I?"

Chas whimpered then ran off, covering her mouth as she cried.

Aaron glared at her as she ran off then his gaze met Paddy's. "What?" he replied in anger.

Paddy nodded at the nurse who walked off then he sat down. "Try it all you like with me, but you know that I'm better than that, I can take whatever you throw at me and I will sit here with you until we leave this hospital, everyone loves you, but you know your mum isn't as strong as she likes to make out and you being horrible to her after everything she's done for you these last few years was horrific and even more horrible to witness. Now you will calm yourself down right now and when you're ready you know I'm here for you, I always will be I love you…son"

Aaron hung his head in shame, he had been horrible and he was regretting it now. "I didn't mean it…any of it…Flynn…I-I know he loves me...god knows why…" he stopped and sighed. "And I made those things up" Paddy nodded. "It just came out, all of it I didn't mean it Paddy and he's gone…thinking I hate him"

"He knows you're not well, not right"

"When have I ever been right in the head?" he asked and Paddy couldn't help but chuckle.

"No smirk or smile but that was progress" Paddy told him with a smile.

"Did you all lie to me?"

"Eh?" Paddy asked his confusion clear.

"About Jason, h-he's not dead really is he?"

Paddy sighed. "Mate, no matter what he did to you, I understand how you feel about him, despite it all and I'd not lie. Deep down you know that. Jason is definitely dead Aaron, he shot himself after Cameron and Adam got you to safety" Paddy explained and watched as Aaron dug his head deeper into the pillow and turned away on his side.

"Aaron? Talk to me"

"They shouldn't have interfered, everything would be alright then, I know it would, he loves me"

Paddy sighed, the severity of his state of mind had been revealed. Looking down the road of recovery in his mind, it was a bloody long one! But he wasn't going to give up on him, not after everything else he'd had to deal with in his life. "So do I Aaron" Paddy said quietly. "I'll be right here"

TBC…