CHAPTER 15
Mark put his arm around his brother and said again, "Rick, what's wrong?"
"Don't worry about it, Mark. It's my problem. I'll deal with it."
"Rick, I am your brother, and when I came out, you were the one who really supported me and still do, for that matter. Let me help you through this. Whatever it is, I will be right there with you."
"Thanks, Mark, but it's not that easy."
"I'm not going to push you, but I am going to sit here with my arm around you until you feel better, ok?"
"You always did know how to get to me."
Mark didn't say anything. He just held his brother tighter and looked into his scared eyes. Pure terror is what he saw. It scared Mark. He held his brother tighter.
"Ok, but you can't tell anybody. That was Mary. She's pregnant."
"Its ok, Rick. That is not the first time that has happened to someone. Of course, try as I might, I just can't seem to get Brad pregnant," Mark said in an effort to lift his brother's spirits.
"Come on, I'm seriously upset. Plus, I don't need visuals of you two doing the nasty."
"I'm sorry that I was trying to get you to feel a little better. You know I am here for you," Mark said somberly.
"I just don't want Mom and Dad to find out."
"Well, don't you think they might notice?"
"Maybe not."
"Are you considering?"
"Yes. She said she didn't really like the idea, but she would think about it."
"Rick, you need to tell Mom and Dad. I will go with you."
"I don't know how they will react."
"Rick, I told them I am gay. Do you know how terrifying it was to tell them that? They took it well, and I am sure they will really be able to understand this."
"I don't know about that."
"Rick, when is your birthday?"
"September 21, 1977. Why?"
"Mom and Dad's anniversary is June 11, 1977. Think about that. If you truly don't love her and don't want the child, then I'll be behind you, but if you are pressuring her to do it so that you don't disappoint Mom and Dad, then you might need to reevaluate your reasons. Either way I will be right here with you."
"Mark, I don't know what to say. I never gave two thoughts to their anniversary. It just was something that happened before I was born was all I thought. I am just so confused I don't know what to do," Rick cried into his brother's shoulder.
"Rick, I don't want to pressure you on this. I am here for you and will love you no matter what happens with you and anyone else. You can count on that. "
"You are the best little brother in the world," Rick said between sobs.
"If you decide you want to talk to Mom and Dad, I will go with you if you want me to."
"You know I am not the only one with a vote in this, don't you?"
"I know you don't actually have the final decision, but you do have a vote."
"You know what I am going to do, don't you?"
"I'm not going to try to guess, but I will still be with you whatever you do, and I know Brad will too."
"Thanks to both of you then. But tell me, am I crazy to ask her to marry me?"
"If you don't love her then you are. You don't deserve to be miserable. If you do love her then there is nothing wrong with it. I am here to support you come hell or high water, no matter what you choose."
"Mark, I am at a point in my life that I wouldn't be dating someone who I don't have an interest in marrying. I don't know what her parents are going to say either. You know how much they are into society, don't you?"
"Yes, and that is something you are going to have to deal with. All I am going to tell you to do is to be true to yourself and follow your heart. It isn't much, but I will be beside you through whatever happens."
"Don't ever think that isn't much. That is the only thing that is keeping my whole world from crumbling around me."
Mark sat there with his arm around his brother for an hour without speaking. The two of them just silently thought about what had happened during the afternoon. Rick was scared, but the simple closeness of his brother was really helping him.
"Mark, I don't tell you this often enough, but I really admire you and I love you. I appreciate all that you do for me."
"Rick, you don't have to say it. I can see it in your eyes, and I don't say it much, but I hope you can tell that I love you too."
"Thanks. For everything. Come on, we have to have a talk with Mom and Dad, if you are willing," Rick said, standing.
"I'm there for you. For whatever you need."
"Thanks."
With that, the two brothers loaded up into Rick's truck and drove over to their parents' house. As they pulled up, they saw Brad getting out of Mark's truck.
"Hey, I was just wondering, what was the deal with you not having your truck?"
"Oh, that. I just let Brad use it since we drove down together. He went to see his dad and uncle, so I asked him to drop me off at your house so that we could visit. I just decided at the last minute to come and visit you."
"You always know just the right thing to do. I am so glad you did."
They got out of Rick's truck and walked under the carport. Their dad's truck was there, but their mom's car was not. Rick stopped Mark and said, "I want to tell Brad before I tell them. Is that ok?"
"However you want to do it is fine with me. I know Brad will be honored."
They walked into the house and didn't see anyone. Brad had gone on into the house ahead of them, and they could hear the sink running in the bathroom, and so they knew why he did not come to meet them. They walked into Rick's old room, which was where Brad was staying. Brad walked in behind them and said, "hey, what's going on in here?"
"Not much, how did your talk with your uncle go?"
"It went a lot better than expected. My uncle didn't like the idea at first, but my dad jumped in and stopped him. He came out to him at the same time. I think my uncle was too shocked to get upset."
"Brad, I really want to hear about it, but I need to tell you something," Rick said as he shut the door behind them.
"Rick, what's wrong?" Brad asked.
"Well, um, Mary is pregnant," Rick blurted out.
"I guess this isn't the way you planned it, but it isn't the end of the world. You know I am here for you whatever happens."
"I know. That is exactly what Mark said you would say. Thank you."
"I'll tell you what else, Rick. This might be premature, but if you and Mary are not ready for the child, I would be willing to raise it if Mark were willing too."
"Brad, I love you, and I thought of that too. I just didn't want to speak for you without you here. I would love nothing more than to raise a child with you, but I am afraid that with us in college, that would be an awful lot to ask of our parents financially."
"It would not be an issue. I made a few discoveries this afternoon about that."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, my uncle told me about a trust fund that I was very much in the dark about."
"Huh?"
"I have a trust fund worth several million dollars. I had no idea that I had it. He is the trustee of it, and I asked him to name your dad as his successor should something happen to him. I was going to ask your dad tonight after dinner."
"It sounds like Mom and Dad are in for an exciting dinner. They are getting grandchildren and a millionaire all at one meal," Mark said.
"I think I am going to wait until tomorrow on my news now though. I think Ricks is much more important."
"I do want to tell you that as long as Brad wants to, the option of letting us adopt it is definitely there for you."
"Thanks. I couldn't ask for two better brothers," Rick said as he hugs both of them with tears in his eyes. "I guess we just wait on Mom to get home and I will tell them."
"We will be right here if you want us to be."
"I can't do it without you. If I break up, you just have to help me."
"I won't leave your side."
"Neither will I," Brad said.
Just then, they heard the back door slam, and the sound of their mom shouting cheerily, "Hey! Anybody home?"
"Its show time," Rick said nervously before he stepped out the closed door and called down the hallway, "Hey Mom. I'll be right there."
Rick walked into the kitchen where his mother was standing, followed by Mark and Brad. Their dad walked in from the other room.
"Mom. Dad. Can we talk in the living room?" Mark asked.
"What's wrong Mark?" Mrs. Lee asked as she hurriedly walked into the living room.
"Nothing is really wrong. I just need to tell you something," Rick said.
"What is it?" Mr. Lee asked.
"Well, I don't really know how to tell you this."
Mark rubbed his brother's shoulders as his parents stood there nervously wondering what was about to happen.
"Mary is pregnant."
"She is what?" Mr. Lee asked.
"Pregnant. I'm sorry. I know its not the way its supposed to be. I'm sorry."
"I suppose you already knew about this?" Mrs. Lee looked at Mark.
Rick answered, "I just found out about it this afternoon. Mark happened to walk in at the exact moment I found out and kind of fell apart. If he hadn't walked in, I don't know what I would have done. I am sorry I have disappointed you."
"What are you going to do about it?" Mr. Lee asked.
"I don't know what is going to happen, but I have decided what I am going to do."
"What is that?"
"What I think is the right thing. Mom, I would really appreciate it if you would help me pick out a ring if you aren't too mad at me."
"Rick, I am not mad at you. You might not realize this, but you came about in a similar fashion."
"I didn't know it until Mark told me this afternoon."
"Mark, how did you know about that?"
"Mom, I can add and subtract."
"Well, I am glad all that money we are paying for college is good for something," Mr. Lee chuckled, breaking the tension of the moment.
"Rick, I am proud of you. I am ashamed to say it, but you are handling this much better than I did. If your mom hadn't been as stubborn as she is, you wouldn't be here today."
"I can't say that I would have been able to have this conversation without the help of Mark this afternoon. In fact, I would probably still be sitting on my living room floor crying over my problems had he not shown up this afternoon. You really need to be proud of him, and Brad too. They even offered to take care of it should we have it and not want to keep it."
"Rick, I think this is a decision that you have to make for yourself, but I want you to make sure you are doing what you feel is the right thing, and not what you think me or your mom wants you to do. If you don't think you want to get married, then there are options out there outside of abortion, not the least of which is the offer of your brother and Brad. I know that will be a strain on them, but I will do what I can to make sure they can afford to do it if everyone wants them to."
"I appreciate that you are willing to help, but that is something else I need to talk to you about, Mr. Lee, but we can talk about it later." Brad said.
"What are you talking about, Brad?"
"I guess in a nutshell, today I found out I have a lot more money than I ever knew I had, and there are a couple things I need to ask you about later."
Mr. Lee looked surprised, and said, "Ok Brad. I will talk to you about it later then."
"Rick, come to the store tomorrow, and we will come up with the best ring this town has ever seen if that is what you want, but I want you to sleep on it, and know that it is still what you want to do. I don't want to pressure you into anything. I will be happy for you and love you whatever you decide to do."
Just then, John walked into the living room and asked, "Hey! What's going on? Why is everyone in here?"
Everyone just looked kind of funny and Mark pulled him aside and filled him in on the afternoon's events.
"I am going to go and cook supper now," Mrs. Lee said. "Mark, can you come in here and help me?"
"Sure mom."
They walked into the kitchen and left the others in the living room. "Mark, you know that Rick is really upset by this. I am proud of you for being there for him, and am just thankful that you happened to be there at the right time."
"Thanks mom. I just did what I thought was the right thing."
"Well, I think you did. I know you and Rick have always been closer to one another than anyone else in the family. I am still worried about him. Do you think you would mind sleeping over there at his place tonight?"
"I think that is a good idea, Mom. You don't mind Brad staying over here without me here, do you?"
"No. Don't ever think that Brad is a problem here. You will always be my son, and I will always favor you, but I love Brad like a son too. I thought of him as a son even when he was just working at the store."
"Thanks, you just don't understand how wonderful it is to know you feel that way."
"We have had a lot of changes in this family in a short time, and I am just glad that we have been able to handle them. I know that there is going to be a lot of gossip from all of these things, but as long as we can count on one another, we can get through them with no problem."
The family ate dinner and Mark told Brad what he was doing, and grabbed the bag he had packed in Athens, and went downstairs. "You ready to go, Rick?"
"Go where?"
"To your house."
"Why do you want to go there?"
"You and I are going to have a slumber party."
"You don't have to do that. I am ok."
"I know that, but I want to spend some time with you anyway."
Rick wanted to protest, but deep down, he knew that he didn't want to be by himself that night. "Ok, if you say so. Let's go."
They drove to Rick's house and went into the front door. Rick walked into the living room and just kind of stood there frozen for a minute. He then started to cry. Mark dropped his bag and shut the door. He walked over to his brother and gently put his arm around him. They didn't say anything. They didn't need to. After a while, Rick finally gained his composure, and flipped on the television in an effort to get his mind off of his problems. He and Mark began to talk and watch tv just like nothing was out of the ordinary. Rick was fine until a commercial came on for a home pregnancy test. He began to fall apart again. Mark flipped off the television and said, "Come on Rick, its time to get you to bed."
Mark kind of herded the still sobbing Rick into his bedroom, and said, "Ok, lets get you ready for bed."
Rick slowly stripped down to his boxers, and Mark did the same. Mark climbed into the bed. "What are you doing?"
"I know you have an extra bed, but I am not letting you stay here by yourself tonight. Just get used to it."
Rick just smiled at him with a look of relief in his eyes. As Rick lay in the bed, Mark massaged his shoulders. As he felt his brother loosen up, he just moved into an embrace.
"Mark," Rick whispered.
"Thanks for this. It is great to know you care. It means more than you know."
"Rick, you know I love you and I am just doing what I can to make you feel better because I don't want you to hurt."
"Thanks Mark. If I can ever repay you, just let me know how."
"You already did. You accepted me for who I am and love me and Brad when a lot of brothers wouldn't. You helped me when I needed it, and you are allowing me to be here for you. That is repayment enough."
"Mark, I scared myself today. I thought about ending it all when she told me. I might have if you hadn't gotten here. I know it sounds stupid, but thank you. I really want to live."
"Rick, don't ever think there is a problem too big for us to handle together. Even if you don't want to tell anyone else, please let me help you before you ever consider something like that again."
"I have realized a lot of things about myself tonight. I have also realized just how much I can rely on you. Thank you."
"You are more than welcome. I am just glad to be able to be here for you. Now let's get some sleep."
Mark took his brother in his arms and they lay silently together. Rick finally calmed down and dozed off. After Rick calmed down, Mark finally allowed himself think about the past few days. So much had happened. He realized how exhausted he was from all of it, and finally allowed himself to go to sleep. The two brothers slept well, each knowing he had the security of his brother right beside him.
CHAPTER 16
Rick woke up the next morning still shaken from the previous day's events, but in a much better frame of mind himself. Mark was still asleep beside him. Rick began to gently get out of the bed. As he began to move, Mark woke up and looked at his brother.
"Morning," Mark said.
"Morning," Rick replied. "I am going to go ahead and get into the shower. Why don't you just sleep a little while longer while I do that."
"Ok. Are you feeling better this morning?"
"Yes. And thanks again for spending the night with me. I really didn't need to spend the time alone."
"I know you didn't, and I am glad I was able to be there for you."
With that, Rick went into the bathroom and started his shower. While he was gone, Mark just stayed in the bed and reflected on all the things that had happened in the past few weeks. It was really a lot to digest. It was also going to be quite a bit for the gossip circles to digest as well. Mark dreaded this part. He was not sure how everyone would react to his news, plus the news Rick had for them. He knew it was hard, but he also knew that Brad would be there for him through whatever happened.
As Mark continued to ponder these things, Rick came out of the bathroom wrapped in his towel and said, "Ok you little squirt, time for your shower."
Mark got out of the bed and readied himself for the day. Rick was going to meet their mother at the store early before she opened up so that they could get a ring together for him. Rick invited Mark to go with him. He, of course, agreed and the two met their mother at the store just before 9 am. They had a ring in stock that she thought was perfect. She argued with Rick for a while about paying for it. Eventually she won, and Rick accepted that it was a gift from his parents.
Rick left the store and went to work for a while. He was an insurance agent, and so his schedule was very flexible. "Mark, do you want me to take you home on my way to the office?"
"Nah, that's out of your way. I'll hang around here for a while and just let Brad come get me when he gets up."
"He is up already. He was in the shower when I left the house," Mrs. Lee chimed in.
"Well, I will call him."
"Rick, you have a good day. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you. When are you going to do it?" Mark asked.
"I think I am going to ask her tonight."
"You let me know as soon as you can," Mrs. Lee said. "Go and talk to her dad. You don't need to tell him she is pregnant, because that is something she needs to tell him, but you do need to let him know your intentions."
"Ok, mom."
"I'm just so proud and excited. You are the first one of my kids to get married," Mrs. Lee said, teary eyed.
"Thanks. I need to go now."
"Bye, Rick," Mark said.
With that, Rick walked out the front door of the store, leaving them open for business, and his mom sobbing in the back of the store.
Mark called Brad and told him to come by the store when he felt like it. Mark just wanted to spend a little time up there with his mom.
After he got off of the telephone, he went into the office with his mom after the employees got there.
"Mom, I don't want to shock or scare you, but I wanted to tell you something."
"Mark, never start a conversation off like that unless you intend to shock or scare someone."
"Ok," Mark laughed. "What I wanted to tell you is that, I know I can't marry Brad, but I want to. All this wedding stuff has gotten me thinking. I haven't figured out exactly how to do it, but I want to do something to signify that we are together forever and that he is part of the family."
"I understand what you are saying, but I don't know exactly how to do it. Whatever you do, you can be assured that it will be a first for this little town."
"I know. That makes it kind of scary."
"Well, whatever you do, I want to make a gift of two wedding bands to you and Brad, even if we just make up some kind of ceremony at the house."
"Thanks mom. I'm not ready to say anything about this to anybody yet. I just wanted to talk to you about it to make sure it didn't sound too crazy before I started thinking too hard about it."
"That's good. I would definitely talk to Brad about it before I started making plans or anything."
"I will, and I think we have a more pressing wedding to attend to before we start thinking about this."
"You are right. I don't know how people are going to treat you and Brad here around town as word of your relationship gets around. I have already heard a couple of people talking about it."
"Whatever happens is going to happen. Brad and I will get through it, as long as you and the family can."
"You don't need to worry about us. We have been through tough times, and I can defend myself."
"Thanks, mom."
Just then Brad walked into the store. "Hey, everybody!" he grinned.
"Hey, Brad," Mark said to him, emerging from the back. He was greeted warmly by his former co workers. The two lovers embraced, but did not kiss as Brad made his way to the counter. One of the two girls working that day just stood there and stared.
"Obviously, you haven't heard about us," Mark said.
"Well, I had, but just didn't believe it. You both always act so straight around here."
"Its true. I am in love with Brad here."
"And I am just as much in love with Mark."
"Guys, that's just weird and wrong. I sure didn't believe you guys would do that. Brad maybe, but I would have never expected that out of you, Mark. You know your mom is going to find out as much as people are talking about it around here."
"I think she already knows," Mrs. Lee said as she walked from the back of the store. "And I would hope that if she didn't these two lovebirds would have better sense than to discuss it while I am in the store."
"Doesn't it bother you? It's wrong, you know."
"I have to admit, it did bother me at first, but then I got to thinking. Is it really wrong? Do I want my son to live his whole life as someone he isn't and be unhappy? I want my kids to be happy with who they have become. If Mark is going to be in love with a man, I certainly can't think of a better one than Brad, so I guess what I am saying is that I do accept and love both Brad and Mark for what they are. If it is wrong, then that is between them and God -- not yours, mine or anyone else in town's business."
"Well, that was certainly interesting," Mark said as they walked out of the store to the truck.
"Yeah, and I have a feeling that's a good reaction compared to what we are likely to get around here this week," Brad said, tiredly.
"You are probably right, but that's ok as long as I have you."
"I love you, Mark," Brad said as he gently put his hand on Mark's knee and they went off to face the town they grew up in as openly gay men.
Ok guys, here is the next chapter in the story of Mark and Brad. I hope you are enjoying it so far. I apologize for the amount of time between sections. It seems that the more I try to get it done quicker, the longer it takes. As always, please do email me and let me know you are reading the story. I can't say to many times how much it means to an author to have feedback on his writing. Thanks again for reading, and have a great day.