This is a fictional story involving sexual acts between two or more men. If this offends you, why are you here? If you are under the legal age to read sexually explicit material then do not read any further. This story in no way represents any person living or dead. Any resemblance to any real person is purely coincidental. This story is the property of the author and no copying or posting to any other website is permitted without the author's written consent.

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Brent's Struggle Chapter 25

Brent slept most of the way to Matt and Bryan's place. He felt alone without Steven there. He knew Steven was right. The memories were too fresh for them to be together. It was better if they went their own ways. Brent knew they would keep in touch. Matt had given Steven their numbers so the boy would be able to call Brent once he got settled in with his Uncle in Montana. "You can even come and visit," Steven had said.

"That would be cool." Brent knew he was going to miss his friend. "I'm sure Matt and Bryan would not mind if you visited us." Going their separate ways was rough but both boys knew they needed it.

"We are almost there sleepy," Bryan said touching Brent to wake him up. Brent flinched at the contact of Bryan's hand on his knee. "sorry I didn't mean to startle you."

Pulling himself up in the seat, Brent began looking out the window at the passing scenery. The road wound around through some trees and then made another turn as he was watching out the window. "I'm just a little jumpy." Brent wondered if he would ever get used to being touched again.

Matt pulled into the driveway and parked the SUV. Brent looked around at the large yard, the towering old trees and the woods surrounding the property. Brent studied the log cabin. It was large not like the one room kind that he had seen in history books. Brent wondered if Devyn had seen it. He had not asked Matt about Devyn yet. Part of him was afraid that Matt would tell him that Devyn would refuse to talk to him. He feared that Devyn would never forgive him. `I am terribly sorry,' he thought.

"Come on in," Matt said opening Brent's door. Matt wanted to reach out and comfort the teenager but so far, any physical contact had been rebuffed. Sometimes Matt felt like he was dealing with a frightened deer more than a teenage boy.

Brent stretched after getting out of the SUV. He felt stiff after the long car ride. It was still hard for him to believe he was out of the clinic. He did not know what he would have done without Matt and Bryan. He owed them so much and knew he would never be able to repay them.

Looking around Brent drank in the quiet of the place. There was no traffic noise or neighbors that Brent could see. He kind of liked the solitude of the place. He did not want to be around people. Just walking through the hotel lobby had made him nervous. It had been even worse when they had gone shopping for clothes for him and Steven.

Brent liked the look of the cabin with its log walls, tin roof and the porch that ran the length of the structure along the front. There was a swing and a pair of wooden rockers on the front porch. It was surrounded by tall trees and some bushes.

Matt was leading the way up onto the porch. "It is late but if you are hungry, we can fix you something to eat." Matt was unlocking the door and leading the way inside as he was talking.

"I'm not really," Brent said following the man.

"There are two bedrooms on the main floor." Matt wanted Brent to feel at home in the house. He was worried about the boy being able to adjust to being out of the clinic and in a strange house. He was hoping in time that Brent might come to think of the place as home. "Plus sleeping space in the loft."

"It is cool," Brent said. He looked around the living, kitchen, and dining room. It was basically all one big room. It was spacious and cozy all at the same time. The furniture looked so masculine. But there were also fancy looking throw pillows here and there and area rugs spaced out on the wooden plank floor. The couch was sitting in front of the television and there was a fireplace in the corner.

The loft appeared to be above the bedrooms as the living and kitchen area had a vaulted ceiling with exposed beams. It looked both rustic and comfortable all at the same time. Brent liked it a lot more than the cabin they had stayed in on that camping trip. It almost seemed like that was a lifetime ago.

"You can have the spare room down here," Bryan said leading Brent over to the door to the extra bedroom.

"Just make yourself at home," Matt said.

"We can go shopping tomorrow or the next day," Bryan said. "Just make a list of stuff you need."

"I'll be fine," Brent said going into his room. He put the backpack down on the bed and looked around the room. The room was larger than the one he had had at home and it was monstrous compared to the cell at the clinic. He had a desk, a dresser and television.

The two men left Brent alone for a little while. They were not exactly sure what to do for the boy. He seemed lost to them but they understood the kid had been through a lot.

"He is like shell shocked," Matt said when they were finally alone.

"I can only guess at what he has been thru," Bryan said.

"Between the drugs and the physical abuse, it is amazing he Is holding it together as well as he is," Matt said.

Try and not think about it." Bryan rubbed Matt's shoulders. "We will just have to deal with it as it comes."

Brent unpacked his few belongings. He sat on the bed for a minute. He felt tired but he did not feel like sleeping. He wished he still had the picture of Devyn. It had been left behind in the clinic. He wondered if he would ever be able to see Devyn and tell him how sorry he was.

Getting up Brent went back to the main room. He saw Matt and Bryan standing there looking out at the back yard. It was growing dark. Brent felt odd about interrupting the two men. Standing there he watched them for a moment. He watched as Bryan was rubbing Matt's shoulders. He wondered if he and Devyn would have been like them. Would they have stayed together?

"Um guys." Brent was feeling shy about interrupting the two men.

"How is the room?" Bryan was watching Brent the boy appeared a little nervous.

"It is fine?" Brent looked down at the floor and then back at the two men.

"Do you need something?" Matt asked.

"I wanted to ask you," Brent said. "I, um, have you kept in touch with Devyn?"

Bryan and Matt exchanged a look. "Brent, we have to..."

"Um, could you help me find him?" Brent interrupted Matt not giving the man time to finish what he had been about to say. "I know it is asking a lot after you have already done so much. But I need to find him. I have to apologize." Brent's words were coming fast. He was not giving either man time to say anything. "I hurt him and he has to forgive me. I do not know how to make him understand. I was so messed up. Hell, I'm even more fucked up now."

Brent finally took a pause. Matt and Bryan looked at each other. They seemed to have some mental communication. "Brent," Matt began.

"He probably told you he hates me," Brent said not letting mat say anything. "I don't blame him but I have to at least talk to him. I can't, I can't..." Brent's voice broke then and both men could see him trying to hold back the tears.

"I think we should take it one thing at a time," Bryan began. "You have been through a lot over the last few weeks."

"Right," Brent said wiping his eyes with his thumbs. "I need to get myself under control before I see him."

Matt licked his lips. How did he tell Brent that Devyn was dead? How did he shatter the boy even more than he already was?

"Let's get some rest," Bryan said. "It was a long drive for us and we did not get a lot of sleep over the last few days."

"Right," Brent said. "I'm sorry. I started bombarding you and you guys have done so much. I'm sorry."

Moving closer Matt wanted to comfort the boy. He lightly touches Brent's shoulder and Brent recoils at the casual contact. "Don't apologize." "I think Bryan is right. Let us all get some sleep."

"Thanks guys. I mean for everything." Brent was grateful to both men. "I think I'll just watch some television. I haven't done that in weeks."

"Go ahead," Matt said. We will talk more tomorrow."

They watched Brent going into his room and then Matt and Bryan moved to their own room. Matt closed the door behind them and sighed. "I had no idea he did not know. What the hell do we do?"

"This is going to be so rough," Bryan said.

"He has already suffered so much." Matt began undressing. He dropped his clothes into a pile to be picked up later. He looked at Bryan who was also pulling off his clothes. Neither of them had slept much over the last few days.

"No matter what we do he is going to be hurt," Bryan said.

The two men slid into the bed and slid their naked bodies together. Matt rested against Bryan's warm body. "I wish I knew the right thing to do."

"He's going to have to know Devyn is dead," Bryan said softly

"It is going to hurt him," Matt said. "He's been through so much."

"Yes, he has," Bryan said. "He's going to be suffering from PTSD. It is going to take time for him to recover."

"You will understand that better than me," Matt said lightly rubbing Bryan's muscular chest.

"You know it well to," Bryan said and kissed Matt's lips. "You have been putting up with me after all."

"I guess one day at a time," Matt said.

"We will just play it by ear," Bryan said. "We should give him a couple of days before dropping the Devyn bomb on him."

"I just don't like keeping it from him," Matt said.

"Me either." Bryan lightly kissed Matt's neck. "He just needs to become a little more emotionally stable."

#

Matt found Brent the next morning sitting out on the back deck. He watched the boy for a long time sitting there in the sun just staring off into the distance. Matt felt guilty about not telling the teenager the truth. He just did not want to hurt Brent any more than the boy already was. He believed Bryan was right and Brent needs time to find his emotional footing. Once Brent was a little more emotionally grounded, they could find a way to tell him about Devyn.

They took Brent shopping to get a few more clothes and other necessities. Brent was reluctant to be outside and he tried always keeping Matt or Bryan in site. He did not like being around all the other people. He felt like at any moment someone would come and take him back to the clinic.

"I'm worried," Matt told Bryan after a couple of days. He was looking out the window at Brent sitting on the back deck again. "He sits out there alone too much."

"He just needs time," Bryan said.

"I hope that is enough," Matt said.

"What are you doing about work?" Bryan asked.

"I'm going to be working from home this week and part of next week," Matt said still watching Brent. "I may have to put in some extra hours to get caught up with everything."

"What about the legal stuff?" Bryan was rubbing Matt's shoulders as they were watching Brent and talking.

"I've set up a meeting with the attorney." Matt closes his eyes enjoying the shoulder massage. "Oh, that feels good."

"For all of us?" Bryan's breath was warm against Matt's ear.

"Yes," Matt said feeling Bryan's fingers working the knots from his shoulders. "He wants to talk to Brent and see exactly what the boy wants to do."

"Makes sense. Brent is old enough to make some of his own decisions." Bryan's hands left Matt's shoulders and were wrapping around the man from behind. His lips lightly kissing Matt's neck.

Matt was still watching Brent sitting on the back deck looking off into the woods. "I wish I knew what he was thinking. Oh, that feels good." Matt closed his eyes enjoying the feeling of Bryan's lips on his neck.

"Is the attorney optimistic that Brent will be able to stay with us?" Bryan was concerned that they might not be able to keep Brent. He had grown fond of the boy in a short time. In so many ways it was like having a son. With Brent's blonde hair and blue eyes, he could probably pass as Bryan's son.

"He thinks what Brent wants will carry considerable weight with the judge." Like Bryan, Matt was concerned about losing Brent. "I think he needs to be around a couple of normal gay men. He needs to see two men in a loving relationship to help combat what that psycho bitch did to him."

"I think Brent is going to want to stay with us," Bryan said. "But we should talk to him."

"I agree." Matt was rubbing his hands up and down Bryan's muscular forearm that was across Matt's chest. "We will just need to explain it all to Brent and let him make the final decision on living with us or going home."

#

Before Matt got the chance to bring up the attorney, Brent broached the subject. "Um, are you going to tell my parents where I am?"

Matt had been sitting at his desk in a corner of the living room. He was trying to get some work done. From where he was sitting, he could look up and watch Brent on the back deck. Matt had seen the boy get up and come inside. It had been obvious that the boy had something on his mind. When Brent had asked to talk to them, Bryan and Matt had moved to the kitchen island so they could talk. Bryan fixed him and Matt a drink and Brent a soda. "Um, do you want them to know?" Matt asked.

"NO!" Brent snapped. "Sorry," Brent said more softly. "I would rather they not know."

"Then we won't tell them for now," Matt said.

"How long can I stay here?" Brent asked.

"Brent," Matt began. He wanted to reach out and touch the teenager but any physical contact appeared to distress Brent. "You can stay here as long as you want. As far as we are concerned this is your home from now on."

Brent felt some relief at hearing Matt say that this was his home. He was constantly worried that he would be ripped away from Matt and Bryan and sent back to Dr. Wilson. "Thanks. I'm not sure what I would do without you two."

"We are going to have to deal with some of the legal stuff though," Bryan said softly. "Your parents do have rights."

"They gave up their rights when they stuck me in that hell hole." Brent's voice was cold and hard as he spoke.

Matt tended to agree with Brent on that point. "I think Bryan is right. We need to deal with the legal issues. Right now, we would probably be considered kidnappers."

"I don't want to cause you guys any trouble," Brent said looking down at the countertop. They had each taken seats and were sipping at the drinks. Brent picked up his soda and took a drink. He wanted to open more to Matt and Bryan but something inside kept him from talking to them. There were times he wanted to just be held by one of them. He knew he was not a little kid but he sometimes still felt a need to be hugged and told everything was going to be alright.

"You are no trouble," Bryan said. "But we need to work on the legal issues."

"I've made an appointment with an attorney." Matt was studying Brent as he spoke. "I explained the situation to some degree and expressed that you wanted to stay with us. I hope that is alright?"

"I definitely want to stay here." Brent had no desire to go back to his parents. "My parents would only send me back to Dr. wilson."

"That is not going to happen." Matt got up from the kitchen island. "Come over here." He led Brent over to the computer on his desk. "I got this from Miguel about an hour ago. I was waiting for the right time to show it to you."

The video was not that clear but Brent could easily make out Dr. Wilson. Brent had never seen her looking so disheveled. Her hair was a mess, she did not have on any make-up, her close were askew and torn. She was roughly hauled from her home, in handcuffs and then pushed into a black SUV. "Miguel said this happened earlier today. I'm not sure how he got the body cam footage of her being arrested."

"It is better to not wonder about that," Bryan said.

"According to Miguel, she will never be seeing patients again. I'm not sure she will ever be outside a jail cell again." Matt thought he saw some satisfaction in Brent's blue eyes. He would not blame the boy if he were taking a little pleasure in Dr. Wilson being brought to justice.

"She was arrested because of me?" Brent felt some sort of excitement in his belly.

"She was already under investigations," Bryan said, "but you were the cadilist."

"Wow," Brent said.

"It is only a matter of time before this is released to the media." Bryan was watching Brent closely. "We are going to need to deal with the legal issues."

"I guess so," Brent said. "I just don't want to go back to them."

"That is why we are going to meet with the attorney tomorrow," Bryan said.

"You should also know," Matt said looking at brent, it is likely that the prosecutors are going to want to talk to you and Steven. They have her files and your names from them. Right now, they don't know where you are but it will only be a matter of time before they find you."

"Is there any chance that I can stay with you guys?" Brent was looking from Matt to Bryan. He was feeling the fear beginning to circle in his stomach. He just could not go back to live with his parents. He was not ready to face them after what they had done to him.

"Red has pulled strings," Bryan said. "Matt and I have been approved as emergency foster parents."

"How does that happen so fast?" Brent asked. "I thought stuff like that took months or years."

"Red has some major clout and some important people owe him a lot of favors," Bryan said. "He's a hard person to say no to and people rarely do."

"He sounds like James's bond or something," Brent said.

"Or something is more correct," Matt said. "We should keep him and Miguel completely out of this."

"I can do that," Brent said. He was not going to get the men that had helped rescue him into trouble.

"I think with us being approved as foster parents and your age that it is likely you will get to decide to stay with us." Matt could see the fear and strain in Brent's eyes. His only concern was protecting the boy from more emotional stress.

"Is the clinic completely shut down?" Brent was wondering about the other guys. He was hoping that they would not be left to the other staff. Even with Dr. Wilson gone the place was still a hell hole.

"Completely," Bryan said. "I talked to Red and everything is locked up. The justice department is making a complete investigation. I agree with Matt that You and Steven will likely be called to court to testify against Dr. wilson and her staff."

"Do you think you can do that?" Matt asked. "I mean face her?"

"Oh yes," Brent said his lips curling up into a wicked smile. "If I can make her pay for what she did, then hell yes I can do it. If I could make her feel as much pain as I went through, then fuck yeah."

"Watch the language," Matt said.

"But we like your enthusiasm," Bryan said. This had been the first big emotional response they had seen from Brent.

"Does Steven know about this?" Brent asked.

"Probably not yet," Bryan answered. "You want to tell him?"

"Can I?" Brent was excited about getting to share the news. He and Steven had spent long nights talking about how they would make Dr. Wilson pay. It looked like now both boys were getting those dreams to come true.

Brent and Steven had only talked once since parting. Brent knew that Steven had made it to his uncle's ranch and that the man had taken him in without a second thought.

"Sure," Matt said. "Give him a call and share the good news. Find out an e-mail and we can send him the video."

"Awesome!" Brent said. He and Steven had spent late nights plotting Dr. Wilson's downfall and it was going to be nice to share the news with Steven.

#

The next day Matt, Bryan, and Brent met with the attorney who outlined the options they currently had. They can request to become Brent's guardians or Brent could become an emancipated minor.

"Is there a chance that I might have to go back to my parents," Brent asked softly.

"It is a possibility, but unlikely," the attorney said.

"That is not an option!" Matt said his voice Stoney. "they have hurt him enough. I will not allow them to hurt him anymore."

Bryan's lips twitched at Matt's fierceness at protecting Brent. If it came down to it, Bryan wondered just how far Matt was willing to go.

"At Brent's age a judge will consider what he wants," the attorney told them. "I think seeing a psychologist would be a good idea. Having some official diagnosis about the trauma Brent has suffered will help in determining the best guardian for Brent.

Bryan could see in Brent's eyes that the teenager was more than just reluctant at seeing another doctor. "I worked with a therapist to help me with my PTSD. I think it will help you." Bryan gave Brent's shoulder a squeeze hoping it would help relax the teenager to know that Bryan had seen a doctor.

The attorney provided Matt and Bryan with a doctor that he had worked with before. "Dr. Hamilton is well respected by the courts and has handled trauma like this before. Her professional evaluation will carry considerable weight with the court."

Matt made the appointment with the doctor but Brent was reluctant to go to the appointment. The pain he had endured at the hands of Dr. Wilson was still fresh in his mind.

It took considerable coaxing from Both Bryan and Matt to get Brent to agree to go. It was only once the men explained that it had to be done for Brent to be able to stay with them that the teenager had reluctantly agreed to the appointment.

"You are going to be perfectly safe," Matt told Brent as they were leaving for the appointment. He could see that the teenager was on the verge of a panic attack. The boy's hands were shaking. "We are not going to let anyone hurt you."

Brent tried to believe Matt but it was hard for him to put the clinic out of his mind. He tried not to think about the private sessions with Dr. Wilson.

"You won't leave me, alone will you?" Brent felt like a little kid not wanting to be separated from Matt and Bryan. He just could not repress the fear in his stomach that seemed ready to explode at any moment.

"We will be by your side every moment," Matt said.

"It will take more than one doctor and her staff to take you from us," Bryan said. "I am after all a Marine. I know how to kill with my bare hands."

Brent looked at the blonde man. He was not sure if Bryan was joking or not. The warmth in the man's eyes more than his words reassured the teenager.

Brent could feel his chest growing tighter as they were walking into the doctor's office. It looked so like Dr. Wilson's Office that he had first gone to with his parents. He had almost stopped at going from the waiting room into the doctor's office.

Matt could tell the boy was having a hard time. He wished he could make it easier on the teenager. "It will be fine Brent." Matt lightly touched Brent's shoulder trying to reassure him. Brent flinched and pulled away. He did not see the hurt look pass across Matt's face. He took a seat on the leather sofa. Matt and Bryan sitting next to the blonde boy.

It was obvious to both men that Brent was afraid. His skin was pale and he was nervously biting his lower lip. Matt wanted to just hold the kid but he knew that the physical contact caused Brent more stress.

"Try and relax," Bryan said, "This is going to be painless."

"The doctor will be in a couple of minutes," the assistant said as she closed the door.

Brent might have missed the hurt in Matt's eyes at Brent's pulling away but Bryan had seen it. He gave Matt's knee a squeeze. His eyes conveying his sympathy.

Matt appreciated Bryan's understanding nature. He was always picking up on the smallest details. Matt placed his hand on Bryan's and gave it a squeeze. Matt understood Brent was coping the best he could.

In a few minutes, the doctor entered. "I am sorry to keep you waiting," she said as she came into the room closing the door behind her. "You must be Brent."

All Brent saw was the blonde hair and the red lips and the cold eyes of Dr. Wilson. He could not stop the panic from overwhelming him. "NO! No!" Brent yelled and leaped up from the couch. He started backing away. He tripped over the table beside the leather couch and sent a plant and lamp crashing to the floor.

"Brent," Mat said, "It is alright."

"No," Brent cried. He had his back against the wall. He slumped down. "No don't touch me. Don't touch me."

It took both Matt and Bryan 30 minutes to get Brent calmed down. They coaxed him back to the couch. "I am sorry Dr. Hamilton," Matt said. He was not sure why Brent was so afraid of the attractive blonde. She looked extremely friendly and caring to Matt.

"I thought, she looks, I mean at first I thought she was Dr. Wilson." Brent was visibly shaking in fear as the attractive doctor sat across from him.

"No one is going to hurt you Brent," Dr. Hamilton said leaning forward to reassure him.

"No don't touch me!" Brent cried and jumped up from the couch almost knocking Bryan down.

"It is alright Brent." Bryan wrapped his arms around the boy and held him. "We won't let anyone hurt you."

"Maybe I should step out and give Brent a moment to compose himself," Dr. Hamilton said wanting to give the teenager the space he needed.

"She is not going to hurt you," Matt said after Dr. Hamilton left the room. "We won't let anyone hurt you."

"I'm sorry," Brent said. His chest was heaving and his body was visibly trembling.

"We understand," Bryan said. "You know sometimes an unexpected loud noise will trigger my PTSD. I have a hard time not panicking like you just did."

"You do?" Brent was taking deep breaths to try to calm his nerves.

"It is hard to control that fear response," Bryan said. "I sometimes still have nightmares about combat. Once in my panic I gave Matt a black eye and a bloody nose."

Brent looked from Bryan to Matt. He could see the two men cared about him. He did not understand why but he could see it there in their empathetic eyes.

"Trust me when I say that no one, and I do mean no one is going to put you back in a clinic again." Matt's voice was soothing and forceful. There was little doubt that man meant every word he was saying.

"Thanks," Brent said softly.

Matt gripped Brent's upper arm. He felt the teenager tense at the contact but the boy did not pull away this time. "I'll go explain things to Dr. Hamilton."

"Thanks Matt," Brent said and putting his hand over Matt's on his arm he forced a little smile.

Stepping out into the outer office Matt sighed. He closed the door. "I'm sorry Dr. Hamilton."

"No need for an apology," she said. "Is he calmer?"

"Yes," Matt said. "He's never liked being touch or around other people but he has never reacted like this."

"I'm not sure I will be of much help to him." Dr. Hamilton was distressed at the outburst she had provoked. "I think I will remind him to much of Dr. Wilson. I think it might be better if Brent sees a colleague of mine. I think Brent will have a better experience with him.

"How soon would he be able to see us?" Matt was concerned about the time frame of being able to have the proper documentation for the guardianship hearing. His biggest fear right now was losing custody of Brent and the teenager becoming even more emotionally injured by his parents.

"We often refer patients to each other." Her eyes were warm and displayed her concern at Brent's outburst. "That boy is suffering and needs to find a way to accept himself and what has happened to him. I will ask Dr. Drake to see him this afternoon. He owes me a favor so I think he will make the time to see Brent today. They need to start building a rapport so Brent will feel comfortable talking about the events that happened to him while at this clinic."

"Thank you for being so understanding," Matt said.

"It is obvious the boy needs help," she said. "It is going to take a lot of understanding to help him through his recovery."

"We can do that," Matt said.

Dr. Hamilton made all the arrangements for Brent to see Dr. Drake. Brent was much more relaxed with him than he had been with Dr. Hamilton. Even though he was relaxed he was still reluctant to open to the therapist. He would not go into details about what had happened to him at the clinic. He would instead be vague and look at Matt and Bryan.

"You are going to need to open up a little more," Dr. Drake told Brent towards the end of their session. "I need you to really talk to me next time about how you feel and what happened to you at the clinic. For me to write up a report for the court, you are going to need to be a little more forth coming."

"I'll try." Brent was looking down at the floor. He knew he needed to talk more he just did not want Matt and Bryan to hear what had happened in the clinic. Would they let him stay if they new just how messed up he was? If they knew what he had done in there, would they still care about him? Brent was afraid of ending up with no one. He could not go to his parents. He had messed up everything with Devyn and what if Matt and Bryan also walked away from him. What would he do then?

Even with Matt and Bryan Brent still felt alone. He just wanted someone to tell him it would be alright. He wanted someone to tell him that he would be alright. Brent did not know how to cope with the events at the clinic. He did not know how to overcome what Dr. Wilson had done to him. He was not sure he would be able to go on if Devyn did not forgive him. He needed to find Devyn and try and make things right with him. He needed to fix their relationship. He had to have him back at any cost.

Copyright 2021 by Keith yates (keith.96@att.net) all rights reserved.

No copying, reposting, or distributing is permitted without the author's written consent.

Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it. Thomas Paine

To argue with a man who has renounced the use and authority of reason, and whose philosophy consists in holding humanity in contempt, is like administering medicine to the dead, or endeavoring to convert an atheist by scripture. Thomas Paine