Brian aids Justin in his recovery, while his uncle begins to consider the unthinkable regarding his son's death.

One Hour Later - Walker Farm

Will scowled as he glanced over at the rooster wall clock above the sink, his cup of coffee long forgotten; it was clear by the way darkness was fast approaching that it was well past the time when the afternoon races at Red Mill would be over, but still no Brian. "Where IS that boy?" he growled at Sarah, who was sitting on his right side. "I knew it was a mistake to allow him to go."

"You think something's wrong?" Sarah fretted. She had peered out the front door over at the Taylor farm a few minutes ago, noticing there were no lights on or any obvious sign of activity. Normally by now, they would have returned home from the day's races. And her calls to their landline phone went unanswered.

Will's jaw was set in a hard line as he muttered, "Well, I know one thing. Someone's going to have a lot of explaining to do when he gets home. And it'll be the LAST time I allow him to go to the races to be with the Taylor boy." Both of them were well aware of the budding relationship between their nephew and the youngest Taylor son, and it was obvious that Brian hadn't expressed a desire to attend the races because he wanted to see the harness racing. "There's always nothing but trouble down at the racetrack, Sarah," he told his wife, his lips pressed into a tight line as he recalled the last time they had been there.

Sarah reached over to grab her husband's wrist. "Will, please. Don't jump to conclusions until we know what's going on." She sighed. "It's days like these when I wish we had another way of contacting them." Like the two of them, however, the Taylors had never really seen a need for a cellphone. So for the time being, until they could find something out, they were left to wonder. Although..."Will," Sarah asked softly, "you think we should call the sheriff's office and see if he knows anything?"

Will rolled his eyes in disdain. "Now who's jumping to conclusions, missy?"

"Well, there has to be a reason why..." She jumped as she heard a rapid series of knocks on the back door a few feet way. "Lord have mercy!" she exclaimed as her heart began to pound in surprise. She began to get up, only to have Will motion for her to remain seated.

Scooting back from his chair, Will walked over to the backdoor and flipped on the outside light, pushing back the filmy, ruffled, ivory-colored curtain on the top part of the door to observe Vic Grassi standing there. "It's okay," he informed his wife as she nodded. "It's Vic."

She sighed in relief. "Good, then they must be back, then," she decided as Will opened the door to admit the other man.

"Vic," he greeted him politely as he walked in and nodded over at Sarah as she stood up. Will looked outside the door for Brian, but found no one else there. "We were beginning to wonder what was going on. Where's our nephew? Don't tell me he's still over at the Taylor farm; I told him to get back as soon as he could."

Will and Sarah both noticed an odd expression flicker across Vic's face as he replied, "That's why I'm here. No, he's not over at the farm," he told them. He paused for a few seconds. "Now before you go getting all worried," he hastily added, "Brian is fine. But he's at the hospital in Lexington with Justin."

"What?!" Sarah exclaimed in shock. "Why? What happened?"

Vic let out a deep breath, knowing this wasn't going to be easy for them to hear. "Let's sit down, shall we?" he suggested as the three of them walked over to the kitchen table a few feet away and took a seat.

"Vic?" Will prodded impatiently as soon as they sat down.

Clasping his hands together tightly, Vic began to explain what had transpired at the track earlier, watching Sarah's face turn pale in horror and Will's eyes darken with steady fury.

"You're saying the Kesterson kid confessed to tampering with Justin's water bottle? Tranquilizer?" Will could barely spit the words out. "Deliberately?"

Vic nodded. "Yeah. That's at least the story Jared is claiming. Being Doc's son, the boy would have certainly had access to the ketamine."

"Oh, dear God!" Sarah cried out, dabbing her eyes with the end of her half-apron. "I...I can't believe this! You think Justin is going to be okay? He's such a sweet boy. Will, if anything happens to him, too..." Her unsaid words hung in the air; Will was silently thinking the same thing as he reached over to squeeze her hand.

"Now, don't go thinking the worst, Sarah," he told her quietly, a painful lump in his throat over the thought. It was almost like going through the entire tragedy with Dale all over again. He looked over at Vic. "You did say Justin was unconscious but breathing okay when he was taken to the hospital?" he probed. "That's all you know?"

Vic nodded regretfully. "Yeah, other than I know Brian was hitching a ride with Craig and Jennifer to the hospital. He felt like he should be there. He wanted to be there," he explained. "And I told him I would come over and let you know what's going on. I'm sure Craig and Jennifer will bring him back home, once they know that Justin's okay. I...I hope that's all right with you. There really wasn't time for him to think about it too long, since Craig and Jennifer wanted to get to the hospital right away." Vic peered over at them to explain, "He cares a great deal about Justin, and I could tell he was really worried about him."

"We're beginning to realize that," Sarah told him with a smile. She glanced over at Will, who curtly nodded at her. Even though he didn't say a word, Sarah still knew what it meant. "It's okay," she told Vic. "He did the right thing. I have a feeling they couldn't have stopped Brian from going even if they wanted to." She sighed worriedly. "I wish we knew how Justin was doing, though. I've met the Doc's son, Doug, before. He always seemed like a wild sort of boy...But I would have never expected him to do something like this. I just don't understand."

Vic shook his head. "The Doc is such a well-respected man around here. It defies belief. But it goes to show, you can do your best to raise up your child the right way, but it doesn't mean they won't get into trouble if they fall in with the wrong crowd."

"You mean Jared," Will interjected sharply. "That boy always has had a mean streak in him." Although, he could recall that the older Taylor boy hadn't always been that way. Back when he was friends with their son, they would occasionally get into some rowdy fun - typical of being out in the country with limited resources in which to entertain oneself - but it seemed like once Dale died the oldest Taylor son had turned toward a more vindictive, rebellious crowd of boys. And he had become particularly competitive with his younger brother, too, once Justin had gotten older.

"Well, for once Jared did the right thing, though. If he hadn't come and found me - and talked to the deputy about it- we might never have known what happened."

"You don't think he had something to do with it himself? I've seen that Kesterson boy over at the Taylor farm a lot - at least until Jared was kicked out the other day."

"I don't know," Vic told them honestly. "He could be saying what he did just to deflect some of the blame from himself. I know he's been jealous of Justin's relationship with your nephew. I'm still not convinced he's totally blameless here."

Sarah's eyes grew wide as Will nodded mutely, lost in thought. "Surely you don't think he would hurt his own brother?"

"I don't know," Vic replied. "I would like to think he wouldn't. But I really don't know this time. He was really upset when he was kicked out of the house after the town social."

Will took a deep breath. "Vic..."

"Yeah?"

Will held on tightly to his wife's hand for strength. "Did...Was there anything that came up about a connection to what happened to Justin today...and what happened to our son a few years ago?" He had to know, as painful as it was.

Sarah was horrified at the thought. "Will, they said Dale's death was an accident..."

"That's what we were told," her husband told her curtly, his eyes narrowed. "I don't believe it. I didn't believe it then and I don't believe it now, especially after what's just happened. It's too big a coincidence, and it happened on the same track. I don't know this Kesterson boy very well, but I do know he's the same age that Dale would have been, so they had to know each other from school; it's too small for him not to. What's to say he wasn't both jealous of Justin now and our son then? Huh? Is anyone checking that out? Because if they're not, I don't care WHAT they told us. I'm going to insist that they do."

"Will..."

"I mean it, Sarah! I want justice for our son! Until we get some answers, I'll never believe how someone as conscientious as our son could have been the victim of a careless accident." He turned to their guest. "Do you know whether they're going to ask this boy about our son's accident?"

Vic shook his head regretfully. "No, Will, I'm sorry. That's about all I know. I expect Craig or Jennifer will be calling the house any time, though, to give me an update. If I hear anything else, I'll be sure to let you know right away." He scooted back from the table. "I'd better get going," he told them. "Emmett's back at the house, and I need to make sure everything's locked up before it gets too dark."

A sudden thought occurred to Sarah as she asked, "Headstrong?" She knew Justin was by far more important, but she also knew how much the Taylors had come to depend upon not only their son, but also the horse to sustain their income. "Did he get hurt, too?"

"He's fine," Vic assured her as Sarah nodded. "Seems a little agitated; he's probably wondering where Justin is. But he's okay; I brought him home, and he's back in his stall."

"You're a good man, Vic," Sarah told him with a smile as the man blushed over the compliment. "Thank you for coming over and telling us what's going on. I'll be praying that Justin recovers quickly."

"I'm sure he'd appreciate that," Vic told her with a smile as he turned to go. "Will," he added in acknowledgment of the other man. "I'll call you if I hear anything else."

"You do that, Vic," Sarah told him as the two rose to stand. She walked over to the door to let Vic out before turning around and letting out a deep sigh. "Poor Justin," she murmured. "He doesn't deserve this. He has to be all right."

Will walked over and impetuously pulled her into his arms as he swept her up into a gentle embrace. "I know, Missy," he told her softly as she sniffled against his plaid shirt. "I know."

Same Time - Fayette County Sheriff's Office

Billy Renfro glanced up from his seat behind his desk as Doc Kesterson knocked on the open doorframe. "Lyle. Come on in," he told him softly as the older man walked over and sat down across from him.

"How's my son?" he asked quietly as soon as he was seated.

"Not very talkative," Billy reported as he wiped his brow with an old-fashioned, white handkerchief. The old county courthouse - where the sheriff's quarters was located - was over a century old, and the air conditioning system was passable at best; at least on good days. Today, however, the system that normally rattled like crazy whenever it was pumping out cold air was strangely smooth, meaning the compressor wasn't kicking in. As a result, only lukewarm air came out of the registers, making his small, nondescript office fairly stifling, even on this temperate day. "He pretty much clammed up once he got here. Says he wants an attorney before he says anything, which is his right."

The doctor shook his head sadly. "Billy, you know my boy has been in trouble before, and is certainly no angel. But I just can't see him trying to hurt Justin like this. It just doesn't make sense to me."

Renfro shrugged. "I've been in this business long enough to know that even those we think we know well can do things we would never expect if they think they have the right motive. He and that other Taylor boy are pretty close, aren't they? Rumor has it that he's been staying with him at his apartment in town. That true?"

The doctor nodded his head. "Yeah...he's been there for a little while now. Apparently Craig got tired of his boy's antics and told him to either grow up or get out, and he wasn't willing to take responsibility for his actions, so he left."

Billy nodded. "Yeah, that Jared is no angel, either." He paused for a moment. "I've asked for a rush on the fingerprint and chemical analysis of the water bottles we collected. So we should know fairly quickly whether or not your son's fingerprints are on the bottle if he left any, along with Jared's; since they've both been in minor skirmishes before, I wouldn't put it past them to have collaborated on this together."

"What about the Walker's nephew?" the doctor inquired. "He's been in trouble with the law, too. He told you as much."

Billy nodded. "Yeah, I had him checked out. What he told me is true; he's currently on probation for vehicle theft, and is in the temporary custody of the Walkers until at least the end of the summer. The fact that he came clean about his record leads me to think he's on the up-and-up and not involved with what happened, though; that, and the way he's been so concerned about the younger Taylor boy. He could be playing me," he admitted, knowing he probably shouldn't be telling the doctor all this about the case. But this wasn't a big-city precinct; it was a small, hole-in-the-wall outfit where everyone knew everybody's else's business. And this man had been his friend for a long time. He wasn't about to mince words now. "But I've been doing this long enough to be a good judge of character, and something tells me that Kinney didn't have anything to do with it."

"But my son did."

Billy nodded. "Personally? Yeah, I'm sorry, Lyle, but I do think he's involved somehow. Maybe Jared, too. I'm going to reserve judgment for now on that."

"Billy...God, you don't know how much it hurts me to have to ask this. But...What about the Walker boy? What if there's some connection between these two incidents? It defies the odds as just a coincidence," he admitted. He hated to think his son could be involved with both crimes, but what would be the odds of two sulky drivers being stricken at the same track? He supposed it could happen, but he always did think something was remiss with Dale Walker's death, even if he DID sign off on the death certificate stating it was an accident. They couldn't prove otherwise - the pharmacology results from the autopsy had come back clean - but what if his death was the result of some other method? Or what if they simply hadn't run the right drug panel? They wouldn't have necessarily checked for ketamine; typically that wasn't done. What if he had missed something, and his son WAS involved somehow? He closed his eyes briefly in dismay; fearful that perhaps his worst nightmare might be coming true. But he had to know the truth; they ALL had to know the truth.

Billy hesitated for a moment. "Well, I'd be lying if I didn't say I've been thinking about that a lot since Justin's accident earlier today," he finally admitted. "Obviously you have, too. Are you saying you don't think it was an accident after all now?"

"I don't know!" Kesterson cried out in anguish. "But...But if my son had anything at all to do with either one of these accidents, God help me, but I need to know. We all need to know; especially the Walkers. If my son had anything at all to do with their son's death...I don't think I will ever be able to look them in the eye again."

"Lyle, they admire and respect you. They would never accuse you of culpability in their son's death. We cannot control everything our children do - or what outside influences they are exposed to."

Lyle rubbed his hand through his hair and sighed. "But this is their child's death we're talking about!" he cried out before letting out a deep breath to try and relieve some of his tension. "Can I see my son, Billy? I promise you...If he had anything at all to do with either Justin's accident OR Dale's death, you won't need an attorney to get the story out of him."

"Lyle, you can see him - and I appreciate what you're trying to do. But if he IS guilty of either crime, I would be remiss if I didn't advise you to wait until he has an attorney present for his own good."

The doctor nodded sorrowfully as he stood up to shake the sheriff's hand. "Thank you, Billy. I see your point. I'll keep that in mind."

The sheriff stood up from the other side of the desk. "How is the Taylor boy, by the way?" he asked softly.

The doctor smiled. "He's stable and has been moved to a private room. He'll be held for overnight observation, but if he progresses as expected, he should be able to go home tomorrow. The effects should wear off within a day or two."

Billy nodded. "That's good news," he told him as the Doc nodded back at him. "Okay, I'll take you to see your son now."

Walking over to his friend, he placed a comforting hand on the other man's shoulder, knowing that no one was going to be a winner this evening.

Lexington General Hospital - Next Morning

"Jen," Craig whispered to his wife as he sat down next to her in one of the patient visitor chairs in Justin's private room. He gently nudged his wife's shoulder as she lifted her head sleepily at the sound of her husband's voice and smelled the aroma of the coffee held in front of her. Nodding her thanks, she reached for the paper cup to take a sip, gazing over at her son lying in his hospital bed - and the young man whose head was currently resting on Justin's chest, their hands linked together on the mattress.

She smiled at the sight, noticing both boys were sleeping presently. Once their son had been moved here to his second-floor, private room, Brian had been practically glued to his side. As she had figured, Brian had wound up being a calming influence on her son as she watched them murmuring together earlier; occasionally she would see a soft smile break out on one of their faces, and at one time Justin blushed over something Brian had said as he sat by his bedside. But the looks between the two of them left no mistake that both boys were glad to be in each other's company.

Craig, to his credit, had seemed to accept the fact that their son needed Brian there with him, and had taken a seat several feet away with her against the far wall to allow them some semblance of privacy. He had even slipped out for a while earlier in search of a guest phone where he could call the Walkers to make sure they were aware of their nephew's whereabouts and to apprise them of Justin's condition.

Justin finally had to be told to go to sleep after a couple hours of nonstop, quiet conversation between the two of them. Now, he appeared to be resting quite comfortably, leading her to hope that he would, indeed, be allowed to go home sometime this morning.

Craig sipped his coffee, the tiredness of the past several hours seeping through all to the way to his bones. He heard Jennifer let out a slow breath, as he peered over at his son and the boy who continued to remain an enigma to him. He still wasn't sure of Kinney's motives, but he had to give the boy credit. He had stuck by Justin's side since the moment he had fallen off the sulky, and had been forthcoming in volunteering information about his prior troubles with the law. Of course, that could have just been his way of saving his skin. But he had to weigh that against Jared's statement that Doug Kesterson had been the one to tamper with Justin's water. Everything seemed to point toward the doctor's son as the culprit. And he couldn't deny that Justin was obviously enamored with this boy. Good or bad, then, it seemed that Kinney was here to stay, at least for the short term. What would happen later this summer, however, when Brian had to leave? He hated to see his son's heart broken, and he suspected that is what would happen.

"Penny for your thoughts," Jen whispered then as their eyes met.

He sighed. "Where do I start?" he told her softly, careful not to disturb the two boys still sleeping several feet away. He rubbed his face with his hand. "I think at least we'll be able to take Justin home today."

Jennifer nodded. "Thank God. When he fell off that sulky..."

"I know," Craig replied. "I was thinking the worst, especially when he didn't wake up." He pursed his lips together thoughtfully. "I'm sure he'll need to rest for a few days back home. I guess we'll have to get Vic to exercise Headstrong for a while. Not sure how we'll get everything else done around the farm, but we'll find a way."

Jennifer reached over to squeeze her husband's hand. "At least Jared spoke up in support of his brother this time," she pointed out.

Craig nodded. "Yeah. I hope it was out of love for him, and not over fear that he would be implicated along with Doug, though."

"I'm sure it was," Jennifer told him with conviction. "Despite everything's that happened, Craig, he still loves his little brother."

"Yeah, I guess," he conceded as he peered over at the two boys. "I'm still not sure what to make of that boy, though," he told Jennifer as he continued to study Brian from across the room. "But apparently we're stuck with him hanging around our son. I'm afraid Justin's going to wind up being hurt, Jen."

"Maybe," she admitted as she peered over at the two boys whose hands were clasped together, even in sleep. She smiled softly. "But I think they both care a lot about each other. Whatever happens at the end of the summer, all we can do is be there to support our son. He will have to make his own decisions. He's not a little boy anymore."

"No," Craig whispered, a lump in his throat. "No, he's not."

Their conversation just then was interrupted by the doctor on call walking into the room, a salt-and-pepper haired man by the name of Jonas Snyder. Nodding at them politely, he approached his patient's bed, amused as well as touched by the open display of affection between the two boys. Gently shaking Brian's shoulder, he waited for the dark-haired boy to sleepily lift his head and blink his eyes at him before he quietly spoke to his patient. Brian reluctantly dropped his grip on Justin's hand to scoot back from the bed to give the doctor more room.

"Justin?" the doctor called out politely but authoritatively. "Mr. Taylor? I need to examine you."

Justin stirred in the bed and groaned slightly before his eyes fluttered open. He appeared disoriented for a few seconds as if he didn't know where he was, before his eyes settled on Brian, who smiled back at him. Their eyes locked on each other's as Justin recalled what had happened before he looked over at the doctor and nodded.

"If you all will excuse us for a few minutes, I'd like to examine Justin privately," the doctor explained as Jen and Craig rose to their feet, taking a few seconds to stretch backward to try and remove some of the fatigue.

Brian, too, rose from his seat, taking a moment to reach over and squeeze Justin's hand briefly. "I'll be right back," he promised him as Justin nodded.

Shuffling out of the room, Brian stood a little awkwardly out in the hallway, leaning against the wall opposite Justin's parents. Finally, after a few moments, he spoke up. "Uh...I'm assuming my aunt and uncle know where I'm at."

Craig nodded. "Yes, I called them a little while ago and told them what happened. I told them we would bring you back home as soon as possible."

"Thanks," Brian replied softly as Craig acknowledged his response with another terse nod.

"It's we who should thank you, Brian," Jennifer told him with a smile.

Brian frowned. "Me?"

She nodded. "Yes. I think Justin's been able to rest more easily, knowing you were here with him." She noticed the other boy actually blush in response as he nodded, their conversation interrupted as Dr. Snyder came walking back out of Justin's room.

"How's he doing, Doctor?" Jennifer asked as he stopped in front of them.

The doctor looked at his chart for a few more seconds before closing it. He smiled. "Everything's looking good. Your son apparently had a restful night and is progressing as expected. He can be discharged this morning, provided he go home and rest for a few days until he's feeling completely normal again. He is not to do anything strenuous for the next 72 hours, though, and if he feels any sort of dizziness or nausea - or anything else out of the norm - you should contact us immediately. But I think he will be just fine in a few days. He should schedule a follow-up appointment in a couple of weeks with his family physician, however." He swung his stethoscope over his neck before adding, "I'll have the discharge papers prepared."

"Thank you, Doctor," Jennifer murmured gratefully in relief as the doctor nodded. She didn't point out to the doctor how ironic it was that he wanted Justin to be examined in a couple weeks by the father of the boy accused of causing his problems in the first place. She didn't blame Doc Kesterson for what his son might have done, but she had to admit it was going to be pretty damn awkward just the same. She wondered, too, what was going on at the sheriff's office, and what they had found out.

"Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"Do you know anything about the toxicology report they were going to run on our son's water bottles from the stable?"

"Yes, they did come back from the lab," the doctor reported. He hesitated. "I'm not sure actually that I'm at liberty to disclose the results, since there is an ongoing police investigation involved..."

"Doctor, that is our son," Craig told him curtly. "I think we have a right to know, police investigation or not."

The doctor eyed him thoughtfully for a few moments, feeling the heat of everyone's stare on him, before he nodded. "Very well," he told him. "The lab did find traces of ketamine in the samples just as the police suspected."

Brian's jaw twitched in anger as his fingers dug into the fleshy palm of his hands. As he stood there, he realized the only problem was, he didn't know whether to be angry at just Doug Kesterson, Jared, or both. He still didn't trust Jared, and he wouldn't put it past the other Taylor brother to have had something to do with Justin's injuries, despite his attempt at playing hero. He did know one thing, though; if he ever saw Doug Kesterson out on the street or anywhere near Justin, he would beat him to a fucking, bloody pulp, troubles with the law or not.

Craig nodded tersely, his blood boiling over someone intentionally poisoning his youngest son. "Thank you," he told him as the doctor nodded before turning to head back down the hallway. "That boy is going to pay for what he did," he growled. For once, Brian actually concurred with him as he nodded his head silently in agreement.

"Craig..." Jennifer grasped his arm. "Not now; not here. Let's concentrate for now on getting Justin home, okay? I don't want him getting upset about what happened."

Craig let out a deep breath, trying to diffuse some of his anger. "Okay," he finally agreed, his lips pursed tightly together. "But if he IS guilty of hurting our son, that boy is going to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law; I don't care HOW much I might respect his father. There is NO excuse for what he did."

Jennifer nodded. "Come on," she urged him and Brian. "Let's go tell Justin the good news about his discharge." Impulsively, she reached over to grab Brian's arm as she tugged gently on him in a subtle invitation for him to lead. He nodded at her as they all turned to head back into Justin's room.

Two Hours Later...

Sarah glanced up from her place on the back porch as she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye, noticing Brian walking down the dirt road they shared with the Taylor farm next door. "Will! Brian's back!" she called out to her husband, who was out in the barn.

Wiping his hands on his jeans, Will rose from the wooden stool he had been sitting on to walk outside, just in time to see his nephew trudging over from the adjoining property. It was apparent from his drooped shoulders and the lines around his nephew's eyes that he was worn out.

Sarah rushed off the porch and made a beeline straight toward her nephew. "Brian!" she called out as she swept his taller frame against her smaller one and wrapped her arms around him comfortingly. "We're glad that you're home."

She pulled back to look up into his eyes. "You look exhausted," she commented as Will came walking up to them. "How's Justin? Did he get to come back home?"

Brian nodded as he rubbed his hand over his mouth tiredly. "Yeah, he's up in his bedroom resting. He wasn't too happy about that," he reported wryly, "but his mother and father insisted." He looked over at Will, who nodded in greeting. "Hi, Uncle Will. I...I hope it was okay for me to stay at the hospital last night while Justin was being checked out."

Will snorted. "Would it have done any good to tell you no, Brian? You would have gone anyway; I know you. Stubborn as a mule."

Brian opened his mouth to protest, but then shut it. He really wasn't in the mood to argue, and besides; his uncle had a point. He would have gone regardless, just to make sure that Justin was okay. He shrugged instead. "I wanted to be sure he would be all right," he explained.

"Of course," Sarah cooed reassuringly as she flashed a warning look over at her husband. "I'm so glad he's going to be okay," she told him as she released him from her embrace. "I left some breakfast warming in the oven from this morning; come on and I'll fix you a plate. You must be starving."

"Thanks," Brian told her with an affectionate smile. "But I'd like to go take a shower first and change." He looked over at his uncle. "...And I guess I have chores to do, too."

To his surprise, though, his uncle shook his head. "Those can wait a while," he told him tersely. "Best be doing what your aunt says first. Head on in and freshen up. You can work on chores this afternoon and get caught up."

Brian nodded as he turned and headed up the back porch steps and into the house, leaving Sarah and Will momentarily alone.

"I'm so thankful Justin is going to be okay," Sarah murmured as she briefly looked skyward in gratitude before her eyes fell onto her husband's enigmatic-looking face. He was deep in thought, his brows furrowed and making the wrinkles on his sunbaked skin even more pronounced. "Will? What is it?" she asked in concern.

Will blinked as he settled his gaze on his wife. "Just doing some thinking," he told her.

"About...?"

Will sighed deeply, almost mournfully as he told her what he already suspected, "About our son. And what really happened that day. This is too big a coincidence. I'm going to call Sheriff Renfro and see what's going on."

"Will, we don't know if there's even..."

"I understand that, Sarah," he replied tersely before she could finish, his jaw set with determination. "But we will. We will." Before she could say anything else, he turned and headed into the house.

One Hour Later...

Brian stole a glance over at his uncle in the barn as he sat on a bale of straw, wrench in hand while he attempted to coax some more life out of his uncle's antique tractor. It had decided to die on his uncle earlier this morning, and he had grudgingly asked him if he could take a look at it and 'work his magic' on it, in his words. He had to grin a little at that description; at least his uncle seemed to think he was good for something. He had to admit he had been surprised earlier when he hadn't complained about him missing his chores. But he was making up for lost time now, however, telling Brian that the south field needed tilling once he got the tractor started up again.

His uncle was currently sitting on the dirt floor in front of an overturned push mower a few feet away, using a long, metal file to try and scrape some dried grass clippings from the sides. From all the banging and grunting he was doing, however, something told Brian he had more than cleaning the mower on his mind. "Uncle Will?" he called out.

His uncle stopped his momentary activity to peer over at him. "Yeah?"

Brian took a deep breath. "I...I couldn't help overhearing you earlier...on the phone."

"Is that right? What did you hear, Brian?"

"It...It sounded like you were talking to the sheriff...about Dale." He could see his uncle tensing up then, which told him he had hit the mark. He was afraid for just a moment that his uncle would promptly clam up and refuse to say anything further, but to his surprise he didn't.

"Maybe I was," was the concession. He had gone inside while Brian was upstairs to call Sheriff Renfro about his suspicions. Apparently Brian had been able to overhear what had been said.

Brian nodded. "You think there's a connection between what happened to Justin and my cousin, don't you?"

Will placed the file down onto the ground to face his nephew. Before, he would have just brushed him off and not said anything. But what Sarah had said to him before about having to face what happened - plus what had transpired with Justin, along with his nephew's willingness to face up to his responsibilities - made him rethink that strategy. He knew not talking about his son wouldn't bring him back - nor lessen the pain. In fact, he was beginning to think it just made it worse. "I don't know," he told him truthfully. "But I think I owe it to my son to find out if there is."

Brian nodded. "Did you talk to him about the toxicology results? About what Dr. Snyder told us this morning?"

"Well, he wasn't going to openly discuss it, but when he found out I knew about it already, he figured there wasn't any point in denying it. But he wouldn't tell me anything about what he had found out from Doc Kesterson's son. Said it was confidential. The only thing HE would say was that the Doc was there earlier and talked to his son, but nothing more than that." His voice dripped with disdain as he scowled. "I hate how the criminals always get preferential treatment instead of the victims." His eyes widened a few seconds later as he realized what he had said. "I...What I mean is..."

"It's okay," Brian interrupted him softly. "I understand. Besides, I wouldn't exactly say I got off scot free anyway."

His uncle crooked one side of his mouth up slightly at that statement before his face turned serious again. "I want the truth about what happened to my son, Brian. For a long time, I thought if I ignored it, it would go away and that it didn't matter what happened. Dale would still be dead."

"But..."

Will held up his hand to stop Brian from speaking. "...But I think this is too much of a coincidence; I want answers now. I don't want anyone else to get hurt. Justin could have been killed today - just like Dale was." He took a deep breath and let it out. "Too many of us have already been hurt." He paused as he looked over at his nephew, so reminiscent in appearance of his own son. "I want his case reopened and reexamined, and I won't rest until that's done. I won't be silent any longer. I owe that much to my son - and to the Taylor boy."

Brian nodded. "Uh, Uncle...speaking of Justin..."

Will noticed his nephew seemed uncomfortable for a change. "Yes?"

"Justin can't do anything very strenuous for the next few days until he's feeling better. And with Jared no longer at the house, I...I thought they might need some extra help."

"Oh?" Will replied nonchalantly, knowing exactly what was coming. "Well, Emmett's a strapping boy, and his Uncle Vic is there, too. I'm sure they'll manage."

"Well, Vic will have his hands full taking care of the horses, especially with having to exercise Headstrong and all, and Emmett's not very used to the routine over there. I'm sure I can handle my chores here as well as some of theirs. I'd like to help them out until Justin's fully recovered. It's the neighborly thing to do, isn't it?"

To his relief, Brian noticed his uncle cracking a smile, despite the serious subject matter they had just been discussing. "What?" Brian asked a little defensively. It sounded perfectly logical to him.

"Brian, if you want to go see how Justin is doing, you can do it as soon as you get my tractor started and the south field tilled. He's not going anywhere, but the land won't till itself."

Brian eyed him sheepishly, feeling his face warm. Was he that transparent? He guessed that he was, at least when it came to Justin. Rather than trying to contradict his uncle, then, instead he nodded, grateful that at least he wasn't going to forbid it. Truth be told, he would have sneaked out and gone to see Justin anyway; the need to see him and make sure he was okay was almost palpable. He couldn't think of anything else since he had gotten home.

Turning back to the tractor with renewed determination, he had it started within a minute, leaping on it as soon as he was sure it wouldn't sputter again and come to a stop. In no time, he was bumping along on top of the tractor seat, his thoughts focused on a blond-haired boy next door as he hurried toward the south field to commence his work.

Windswept Farm - Late Afternoon

Brian took the back steps two at a time up to the Taylor's back porch, unheeding of how eager he seemed. But he was; he couldn't wait to check on Justin and make sure he was doing okay. He was sure he would have heard if he had suffered any sort of setback, but he still couldn't wait to see him.

As soon as he stopped by the back door, he had to smile at the sound of the other boy's voice filtering from the house through the screen door.

"I am not a cripple, Mom!" he heard him growling. "I am not going to lie on this couch forever."

"Justin, it's not forever! You heard what the doctor said. You have to take it easy for the next few days."

"That doesn't mean I have to lie here and have you spoon feed me and fluff up my pillow like some invalid!"

"Justin, why are you being so stubborn?"

Brian snickered. They're just now finding that out? He decided to help Mrs. Taylor out by knocking forcefully on the back screen door then, hearing her tell her son she would be right back and not to move.

"Wouldn't think of it," he heard Justin mutter sarcastically from the living room as footsteps sounded.

Jennifer peered through the screen door and sighed in relief. "Thank God! Maybe you can talk some sense into him," she muttered as she swung the door open. "He's in the living room."

Brian grinned. "I heard. Um...I wanted to see how he was doing...and to offer my help with the chores; that is, if you need me to. I thought with him being laid up for a few days that you might need the extra help."

Jennifer smiled at Brian gratefully, touched by his thoughtfulness. "That's very kind of you, Brian," she told him. "But I think we're okay for the moment. Craig's out back with Vic, feeding the horses, and Emmett volunteered to walk some of them. So I think they can handle it for now. But that's very thoughtful of you. I will keep that in mind."

Brian nodded. "I'll be glad to help any way I can," he told her softly. And he would; for Justin's sake. He would do anything for him.

She nodded back at him. "The best thing you can help me with right now is to go talk some sense into my son."

"Mom, who is it?" Justin called out from the living room.

"You'll see," she told him mysteriously, a smile on her face.

"Tell me now, or I'm coming in there and find out."

Brian chuckled as Jennifer sighed in exasperation.

"No, you're not; you're staying put," Brian told him firmly, his voice raised so he could clearly hear him.

"Brian?"

"Stay where you are; I'll be right there," Brian commanded as he peered over at Justin's mother.

"Good luck," she teased. "I hope you have better luck with him than I did."

Brian grinned. "Thanks." He turned and headed down the short hallway toward the living room, his pulse speeding up a bit at the notion of seeing Justin again. As he reached the front of the house, he found the other boy lying on the couch long ways, a tray sitting neglected on the coffee beside him. He noticed that Justin's breakfast was only half-eaten, along with a half-empty glass of orange juice, so he knew immediately that his lover wasn't quite as recovered as he might want everyone to believe. A couple of pillows were propped up behind his head, and a crocheted, blue-and-cream colored throw was covering up the bottom half of his body, which was clad in a faded, light gray, t-shirt.

Brian walked over and sat down on the edge of the couch as he peered down at his lover; he was heartened to notice that Justin's eyes were clear and his face had more of its natural color. "Are you being a difficult patient, Mr. Taylor?"

The blond's eyes flashed. "She's treating me like a fucking invalid, Brian!"

"Language, Justin!" Jennifer scolded her son from her place at the kitchen table.

Justin sighed heavily. "Brian, you have to break me out of here," he pleaded as he lowered his voice so his mom couldn't hear. "If I have to stay in here one more minute, I'm going to go nuts!"

Brian reached down to tuck some errant hair back from Justin's face, his fingers trailing lightly over the slightly stubbled skin of his lover's cheek. "Justin, you took a bad fall yesterday and that drug is still in your system. Whether you like it or not, you are going to have to take it easy for a few days. Do you want to wind up back in the hospital again?"

Justin reached up to grab Brian's hand to grip it in his. "But there's a difference between taking it easy and being held prisoner!" His eyes bored into Brian's beseechingly. "At least convince her to let me go out on the back porch - and find me my sketchpad and some pencils so I have something to do."

"Which one do you want, Your Highness?" Brian teased as Justin glared up at him.

"You know which one," he told Brian softly, feeling his face warming as Brian stared at him. "The red one. The one...That you got me."

Brian smiled, secretly pleased that Justin thought so much of it. "Okay. I'll go talk to her and get your sketchpad. But you stay here, got it? Is it up in your room?"

Justin threw back the coverlet eagerly then, obviously anticipating success. "Yeah, yeah, on the dresser. But hurry, okay? I'm liable to petrify here if I have to stay on this couch much longer."

Brian smirked as he reached down and squeezed Justin's cock briefly through his sleep pants, thrilling at the hot flesh pulsating under his touch. Justin groaned in response as it swelled in Brian's fingers. "Well, part of you is definitely still functioning properly," he commented huskily as he let of Justin's hand and stood up. "Be right back."

With his long legs he took the steps two at a time, concerned that Justin would try to follow him. It didn't take him long to find the red, leather sketchpad, lying on top of the bedroom dresser. It was lying open as he reached for it, and he stopped as he studied the amazing drawing Justin had done of Headstrong running around in the pasture by the stables. The sketch was so lifelike and detailed; he could almost feel the horse's strength and hear his pants of breath as he galloped. Knowing instinctively how utterly shameful it would be for Justin not to pursue such a talent, he closed the book up before grabbing a nearby box of graphite pencils and proceeding back downstairs to plead Justin's case to his mother.

"Thank you," Justin sighed in contentment as he sat next to Brian on the back porch's swing a few minutes later, their thighs lightly touching and the other boy's arm loosely curled around his shoulder. He could actually get used to this sort of 'recuperation,' he decided. "This is so much better." He held his sketchpad and box of pencils in his hand as he rested them on his lap.

"Much," Brian murmured as Justin blushed over the sultry, smooth tone of his voice. He leaned down to kiss Justin on the cheek as he pulled him closer against his body. Justin leaned his head against Brian's shoulder and closed his eyes, his art supplies temporarily forgotten as he savored the warmth of Brian's body next to his and the strong beating of his lover's heart while they rocked back and forth slightly in the wooden porch swing, the gentle creaking of the chain somehow comforting and familiar. Jennifer - assured that Brian would watch over her son and make sure he wouldn't do anything foolish to jeopardize his recovery - had taken advantage of Brian being there to walk up to her bee hives to collect some honey; the sounds of an occasional horse whinnying or a cow mooing from the Walker farm next door, or a bird chirping every once in a while were the only audible sounds at the moment. With Craig, Vic, and Emmett out at the stables, they were surprisingly alone, at least for the time being, which suited both boys just fine.

"I remember the first time we sat here," Brian murmured as Justin smiled in recollection, his eyes still closed. "It was in the moonlight; shit, the moon seems so much bigger out here in the sticks!" he groused as Justin chuckled softly over his comment. "But what I really remember so vividly was...how much I wanted to kiss you that night. And how I got my wish; finally."

Justin lifted his head and opened his eyes, Brian's face mere inches from his. "So did I," he admitted.

"You know," Brian told him softly. "For someone who was inexperienced at the time, you turned out to be a damn good kisser, along with some other talents I discovered later."

One side of Justin's mouth crooked upward in amusement. "Really? Want to refresh my memory?"

Brian grinned. "Here? Now? In broad daylight? You want your father to go retrieve his hunting rifle?"

Justin laughed. "My father doesn't know the first thing about a hunting rifle," he told him. "And if he happens to come by, then I say...Fuck 'im." He moved closer to Brian, placing his right hand on the side of Brian's face as his fingers slowly stroked his strong jaw. "I know the best remedy for my recovery. Kiss me, Brian."

"Well, never let it be said that I hampered anyone's recuperation," Brian murmured. He meant it to be said in jest, but as he gazed into Justin's eyes, he found himself, as usual, completely captivated. Just what was it about this boy that enthralled him so? Using his arm around Justin's shoulder to turn his body more toward his, his eyes lowered to dwell upon the full, slightly parted lips that beckoned so invitingly before his mouth descended upon his lover's, both boys' tongues sliding out to deepen the kiss. Brian thought he heard Justin sigh into his mouth as he groaned in response, Justin's arms sliding out to wrap themselves around the hard, muscular body as they molded against each other. This time, unlike that first kiss on this same swing, there was no hesitation in either boy as they continued to kiss, completely oblivious to anyone and anything else...

"Uh...ahem."

Only the melodramatic clearing of someone's throat nearby caused the two boys to break apart at last as they stared over at Emmett now standing on the porch in front of them, a smirk on his face as he grinned back at them. "Well, I see someone's recovery is progressing rather nicely," he declared, a twinkle in his eye. "Don't wear him out, though, Kinney."

"Did you need something, Honeycutt?" Brian's hand remained curled around Justin's neck as the younger boy's face turned pink in embarrassment.

"Just fetching some lemonade for my uncle and Justin's dad," he told them with a grin. "I would ask if you need anything...but something tells me you already have everything well in hand." His grin became wider as he turned and headed toward the back screen door. "Later, boys," he snarked as he disappeared inside.

Justin burrowed his face in Brian's neck as Brian laughed. "Now don't go getting all prim and proper on me now, Farm Boy." He placed his hand under Justin's chin to tilt his head up and look into his eyes. "As much as I hate to say it, Emmett's got a point, though. You ARE supposed to be recovering. You've been out here long enough. Maybe you'd better go upstairs and lie down for a while. I wouldn't want to be accused of cutting off your oxygen supply."

Justin smacked him on the chest as Brian chuckled. "Brian! I'm just sitting here! Fuck, you're are bad as my mom!"

Brian's face turned serious. "I mean it, Justin," chided him softly. "Just do it for me, okay? I think both of us are forgetting that you just got out of the hospital this morning. You may THINK you're fine, but the shit that asshole put into your water bottle has to still be in your system. Everyone is pitching in, so you need to take advantage of that and get some rest like a good little boy."

"I'd rather you take advantage of me," Justin replied as he wound his hand around Brian's neck and began to pull him closer, his intention of getting another kiss crystal clear. It took every bit of willpower on Brian's part not to encourage him - those lips looked far too seductive at the moment - but somehow he managed to place his hand, palm down, on Justin's chest and push him away as a pout appeared on the perfect lips.

"You are not making this easy on me," he murmured in reproach. He stood up then, almost knocking Justin over onto the swing, and placed his hand out toward him. "Come on. I think your father is just now starting to tolerate me at best, and I don't want to fuck that up, okay? Now do as I'm asking - and I'll come up and see how you're doing again later."

Justin peered up at him and smirked. "You'll come up later - to my bedroom? This might turn out better than I thought."

Brian rolled his eyes as he grabbed Justin by the wrist and pulled him up. "As tempting a thought as that is, I don't think that's a good way to get into your parents' good graces. I'll tuck you in, but you'll have to make do with your Checkers, Jr. for a bed companion for now."

"That stuffed cow?" Justin complained as Brian began to tug him toward the back door. He huffed in disbelief as Brian chuckled.

"Hey, I did a lot of work to get you that cow, Mr. Taylor. Now get going."

Laughing, Justin followed him inside.

Several minutes - and one more kiss later - Brian finally left Justin lying on his bed upstairs after extracting a promise he would, indeed, try to get some sleep for the time being. He only secured it from the younger boy after assuring him he would be back around dinnertime to check up on him again.

The screen door banged behind him as he walked outside, encountering Jennifer sans her beekeeping outfit, clutching some honey she had collected from some of her beehives.

"Justin resting?" she asked as she walked up onto the porch to join him.

Brian nodded. "Yeah, he's upstairs lying down. I told him I'd come back over later to check up on how he's doing."

Jennifer smiled. "Thank you for keeping him company, Brian. We're going to have beef stew and some homemade biscuits for dinner. Would you like to join us?"

Brian smiled, pleased by the idea. "Thanks," he told her sincerely. "Let me check with my aunt and uncle first and I'll let you know."

Jennifer nodded. "Dinner's at six. We'll be looking for you."

The increasingly loud sound of a vehicle coming up the dirt road connecting the Taylor farm to his aunt and uncle's caught their attention just then as it approached. A sheriff's logo and rooftop lights identified it as belonging to Sheriff Renfro as the nondescript, dark sedan slowed down and came to a stop in front of the farmhouse.

As Renfro emerged from the car, Vic, Craig, and Emmett came walking up from the stables, alerted by the sound of the car arriving.

"Jennifer," Billy greeted Justin's mother as he tipped his police cap at her politely. She nodded, a little apprehensive, as he walked around the car to be met by the other three men by the back gate.

"Sheriff," she called out to him as she exchanged a glance with Brian. "You remember Brian from yesterday?"

Billy nodded. "Sure do." He turned to Craig, Emmett, and Vic. "Fellas," he addressed them as Craig and Vic nodded back at him.

"What brings you out here, Sheriff?" Craig asked. "You find out something else about what happened yesterday?"

He shook his head. "No, sorry. That Kesterson boy has clammed up tighter than a drum, now that he's facing serious jail time if he's guilty. Even the Doc couldn't pry anything out of him, although Lord knows he tried. But I would like to speak with your youngest boy if he's available and get his side of the story."

Craig squinted in the bright sunshine. "I'm not sure he's up to that just now, Sheriff," he told him as he glanced over at his wife.

"He's lying down upstairs in his bedroom," she confirmed. "He's been told to take it easy for a few days. But if you think it's that important..."

"I do," Billy told her. "I need to know what he saw and experienced yesterday since he is the victim here."

Jennifer nodded. "Okay, I'll go up and get him. But can we talk in the living room instead of out here?"

"Of course," the sheriff told her as they all turned to go. Brian hesitated, knowing he needed to get back to his aunt and uncle's farm if he had any chance of returning for dinner later. "Uh...if you're done with me, Sheriff, I need to head back over to my aunt and uncle's house."

The sheriff nodded. "Sure, son. Oh, and tell your uncle I'll be heading over there after I'm done with Justin. He wants to talk with me."

Brian could guess what that was about as he nodded and turned to go. A few minutes later, he found himself walking by the Taylor's stables, observing Dale's horse grazing in the attached, fenced-in pasture. True Blue looked both intimidating as well as majestic; a force to be reckoned with. But as he looked over at the animal, he watched him lift his head to peer over at him with large, deep brown eyes, almost as if he were trying to communicate with him, and he couldn't help responding to him.

"You know what happened back then, don't you, Boy?" Brian found himself murmuring to the horse; the animal's ears stood up as he slowly began to amble toward him. Brian's heart began to pick up pace as the impressive beast neared, towering over him now with only the fence separating them, but strangely enough he didn't feel any fear or trepidation. The horse that Justin often described as out of control and distinctly untrainable was displaying none of that at the moment. Brian almost felt a sort of kinship with this stallion. They had a lot in common in a way, actually; both unwilling to be bridled and controlled, and both appreciating the need for independence and freedom. "If you could only talk," he told the horse as it blinked back at him slowly and whinnied softly in response.

Tentatively, Brian reached out his hand to the side of the horse's head and began to slowly stroke him. "Don't worry," he told him soothingly, not thinking how ridiculous it seemed to be carrying on a conversation with him. "We'll find out what happened." The horse eyed him quietly now before, with a sigh, Brian turned and headed back toward his aunt and uncle's farm.

A/N: Thanks to my beta, boriqua522.;)