Part 44

Jackson Hunter stomped out to the waiting room. He wasn't about to make his wife walk to the motel but he also was not going to indulge his son's foolishness.

A large gorilla sat amongst a rather big group of animals, a wide variety of animals. Pigs, porcupines, a cat, a wolf, elephants and even a lion. A large lion with a white mane that he recognized.

"Excuse me, aren't you Clay Calloway?" He asked curiously. His wife had said something about Calloway but he hadn't paid that much attention.

Clay nodded. "Last I checked. Are you here visiting a family member?"

Jackson shrugged. "My son called me and invited my wife and I to his wedding. My wife insisted we come. His betrothed is in the hospital after a car accident." Everyone looked over at him.

"Wait? Are you talking about Ryan?" the large gorilla asked.

The older tiger nodded. "Ryan Hunter, yes. Oh, you must be related to… Johnny, was it?"

He nodded. "Marcus Green, Johnny is my son. Ryan told me he had gone no-contact with you though."

"My son had the talent to become one of the greatest sports stars of our time. And he threw it away to become a chorus girl," he spat out. Marcus was quiet and just let the other man rant. "And now, he's marrying… a male! It's not right. You must know that."

Marcus scratched his chin. "No, I don't know that. What matters most is that they're happy, right?"

"Ugh, happiness is important but not at the cost of their future," Jackson defended his position. "He can't have children this way. And what future can he have as a dancer? Another starving street artist, just what we need and I don't want that for my son!"

Marcus nodded. "That's fair but there is more to success than money and fame. And it's still possible for them to have kids. They can adopt or they can use a surrogate. And Ryan doesn't care about fame and fortune. All he wants is to dance. He's done very well at it. He's not dancing in the streets, although that's a perfectly respectable job," he glanced at Nooshy. She did not seem impressed by this feline. "He has a steady job with the New Moon Theatre. So while you have every right to want what's best for your son, what's best is up to him. You can accept it and be part of his life, or you can walk out. You already let him go once. Don't make the same mistake twice."

"And how would you know? How can you possibly understand?" He demanded.

"Because I made the same mistake. I disowned my son when he wanted to be a singer instead of in my gang…" he watched his eyes widen. "I was the leader of a criminal gang and almost lost my son because I didn't accept his choice to be a singer instead…."

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A few days after the big show, Marcus was waiting in his cell. "Green, you got a visitor!" A guard called at the door.

It was more like two visitors. Johnny sat down and picked up the phone on his side. "Hey Dad… I brought a friend to meet you…"

Bright, friendly blue eyes greeted him. "Good morning, sir. I'm Buster Moon, of the New Moon Theatre, Johnny's employer."

Marcus nodded. "Hi…" Why did this little koala want to meet him?

"Hey, how would you like to get out of here," the koala asked with a knowing grin.

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"When my son sang that night, I realized how wrong I was. I broke out for the sole purpose of reconciling and days later, his boss bailed us out. Because he didn't want Johnny's father to go to jail for five long hard years," Marcus explained. "He helped us get community service instead and helped us get straight."

Jackson held up his thick hand. "Wait, so my son is marrying a criminal?" He sputtered.

"My son is no criminal. I almost cut him out because he wouldn't follow my criminal path," he clarified. "Now I'm a mechanic, and a handyman for the theater on the side."

"So, at best, my son is marrying the son of an ex-con? Ugh…"

"Your son is marrying a brave young man who willingly almost gave his life to save your son. Your son is marrying a soulful, tender singer and pianist. Someone with a strong moral code," Marcus explained. "It's your choice whether you get to be part of his life. You can either walk out that door and be forever cut off from your son. Or you can learn from me and make things right while you can."

Before Jackson could respond, a tigress came stomping out. "Jackson T Hunter! We have not seen our son in eight years! You will march yourself back into that hospital room and talk to him like an adult, or you will be making your own meals for the next eight years! Have I made myself clear?!"

The entire waiting room laughed as the big, muscular tiger stood up and allowed his wife to lead him back.

Rosita nodded. "And that's how that's done. I'd have done the same thing if Norman was the type to behave that way." She smiled at her husband who kissed her.

"Thank you for the advanced warning," he teased her although he'd never do any such thing to a child of his.

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Jackson allowed his wife to lead him back to the hospital room. Ryan and Johnny were cuddling on the hospital bed. Klaus was in one of the few chairs. He sat down and shot a look at the man. "So I suppose you're satisfied. You've officially turned my son into you."

Klaus sneered. "Ironically, my goal has been not to let him become like me. But yes, after much reflection, I have decided that I am satisfied. Ryan has chosen well." He looked at Johnny.

Katherine smiled at her son. She wasn't fully onboard but she wasn't willing to lose another eight years with her son over it. "So, how did you two meet?"

Johnny looked at Ryan and thought back. He smiled at the memory.

"Well, it was back in May, we came out here with our boss to pitch a show to Crystal Entertainment…" He felt Ryan's paw in his hair.

Ryan stroked his hair. "Johnny was assigned a dance battle and Klaus here was the choreographer of course. And I saw him. And…" he blushed. "And I was given the role of his "opponent" in the scene…" He smiled fondly at the memory.

Jackson scoffed. "Then I was right. You're basically a chorus girl. You get no big roles of your own. See, dance isn't…. Ow!" He held his hand where Klaus had slapped him with his stick.

"Ryan is no chorus girl. He's my finest student," Klaus bragged. "And partnering them up was the best idea I ever had." He stuck his long, round nose in the air. He would never tell them that he had only just accepted the situation himself.

Ryan held Johnny close. Johnny rested his head on Ryan's chest. "Then… the night of the big show…. Something terrible happened… something I really don't want to talk about but Ryan was there and the next day… he was there to comfort me."

Katherine smiled at her son. "You said he helped you through a very dark time."

Ryan stroked him comfortingly. "I heard him scream the night before. My heart broke for him and I knew he needed me. And it just spiraled from there." He sighed. "I knew he was the one and all I wanted was to make him smile again."

His mother listened intently. She wondered what exactly happened but didn't want to pry.

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Linda poured cups of decaffeinated herbal tea. "Oh, that's so great." She said, passing a cup of tea to Suki. "I'm so happy that he's okay." The horse sat down at the table.

Suki nodded. "Me too, there was a point where I was starting to wonder." She drank her tea. "But he's getting out tomorrow, just in time for Christmas Eve."

Linda nodded. "And… you're really moving permanently…"

She nodded sadly. "Yeah… It's all arranged. I'll be working from home while we work on finding a buyer. Porsha wants to wait to actually sell until after next summer. She doesn't want whoever buys it getting Out of this World. The cast is determined not to return. The show just has way too much baggage attached to it. And we're just going to do a civil ceremony at the Calatonia courthouse. Neither of us are interested in a big, fancy wedding. So it's just going to be us, Johnny and Ryan as witnesses, and Porsha and Nooshy."

The mare took her hand. "I'm going to miss seeing you everyday." She sighed. "I didn't know what you were going through. I thought that you were fine. Why did you have to hide?"

Suki sighed. "I didn't want to let you down but the truth is out. It's tearing me apart, not listening to my heart." She looked down at her cup. "I really have to go."

Linda shook her head. "And I would never stop you."

"Even though we've changed…"

"Nothing has to change," she squeezed her friend's hand. "You can find me in the space between."

"Where two worlds come to meet, I'll never be out of reach," Suki promised. "Cause you're a part of me so you can find me in the space between."

"You'll never be alone, no matter where you go," Linda and Suki shared a hug. "We can meet in the space between."

AN: Christmas Eve, Johnny is discharged from the hospital and the troupe celebrates Christmas early since they have plans for Christmas Day. Will Jackson come around like Klaus did or is he just going through the motions to avoid a divorce? Keep reading and find out.