My Bodyguard Chapter 17
A very special thanks to Ed for editing this chapter.
This story is not true.
This is a story of love, trust, hope, and commitment. It is not a sex story. However, this story deals with love between two teenagers. If you are offended by stories involving love between two teenage boys, please do not read this story. There will be some sex scenes in this story; however, sex is not the main theme. If you are under age 18 or 21 or it is illegal to read this story where you live, don't read it.
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It seemed that I no more than fell asleep and the phone was ringing. Mark answered it and I looked at the clock. It was 7:00 AM.
"Hello."
"Good morning."
"Okay, we are up."
"We will be ready."
"Good-bye."
"That was Mom. She wants us to be ready to leave in a hour. She said that there is a snow storm moving in and we need to get out before it gets here."
It took us about 10 minutes to get ready. We did not shower. We figured we got clean enough the night before. Hehehe. I called my folks and told them about our adventure. They were shocked. I told them to check out WGN on cable and they would see the story. They said that they would tape it.
We went down to the lobby and bought a Chicago Sun Times and a Chicago Tribune. Both papers had a picture of Mark and me on the front page. We went to the front desk to check out. The desk clerk said that my dad's credit card bill had been reversed and that the City of Chicago had picked up our bill!
We went outside and the wind was blowing and it was snowing. The roads were wet but not snow covered yet. They brought Mark's truck around and we got in. Mrs. Adams drove and soon we were headed home. Mark and I were tired. In no time we were both asleep.
We woke up about two hours later. Mrs. Adams had stopped to get some gas and food. It was snowing harder. Mrs. Adams said that it was lake effect snow and snow from the storm. It was still just above freezing. The freeway was still just wet so we made good time. Soon the snow tapered off and Mrs. Adams said that we were getting ahead of the storm.
By the time we got to Linden it had stopped snowing. I was glad. I didn't want to drive in the snow. Neither Mark nor I had ever driven in snow before. We said hi to Ron quick and told him about our adventure. We then said good-bye to Mrs. Adams and thanked her for going with us. Then we headed for home.
We got about halfway home and it started snowing again. We turned on M-46 and headed toward home. The roads were getting bad. We were about 20 miles from home when Mark spotted a car off the road in the ditch. Mark got on his radio and called it in. Mark went down to the car and found an old couple.
"Hi, my name is Mark and I am a deputy sheriff. Are you hurt?"
"No, we just slid off the road but we are cold."
Mark helped them out of the car and carried them to his truck and put them inside to get warm.
"I have called a tow truck to get your car out. Are you sure that you are okay?"
"Yes, we are much better now," the man replied.
Mark pulled a blanket out from behind the seat and some flares. He had me help put the blanket over them and I called my folks. I told them that we were 20 miles from home and were helping out some folks who went off the road.
Mark started the flares around our truck so no one would hit us and they would slow down.
"It was real nice of you two to stop and help us. You two are really fine young men. We were just going home from my daughter's house when we got caught in the snow. We normally go to our son's house on Thanksgiving but their house is not that happy this year," the old woman said.
"I am sorry to hear that. My friend Mark is really happy right now. He was reunited with his father who he has not seen in 8 years this weekend in Chicago."
The old man spoke up and said, "I was really surprised to hear that he was a deputy. He is so young."
"Actually we are both in high school."
"Hmmm, you see, our grandson is in boot camp for assaulting a deputy with a knife. That is why we didn't go to our son's house this year. Our son seems to think that it is not his son's fault. He blames the gay boy for our grandson's problems. We didn't teach our son to hate and we can't understand this attitude. It could not possibly be that kind young man, who is helping us, is the one he assaulted, could it?"
"Yes, it is, and I am the gay boy who your grandson was going to beat up."
Mark had finished putting out the flares and had just jumped back in the truck. He got back on the radio and checked on the tow truck. They said that they would be there in twenty minutes. Sam got on the radio and told Mark that all his units were busy with other accidents and he would have to handle it. Mark told Sam 'no problem' and put the radio down.
"Everything is going to be just fine. You are safe and warm now. I checked out your car and there is no damage. I don't have to fill out an accident report because you didn't hit anything. I am also not going to write a ticket for losing control of your car. It could have happened to anyone. After we get your car out of the ditch we will follow you home to make sure that you get home safely."
"You are such a fine young man. I just can't believe that our grandson could do such a thing," the old man said.
"Did I miss something?" Mark asked.
"You sure did. I would like you to meet Ed's grandparents," I replied.
"The same Ed who threatened to kill me?"
"That is correct, young man. With a white car and it snowing as hard as it is and getting dark, I am afraid that if you had not seen us we would have frozen to death before we were found. I am the owner and editor of the local newspaper and I am going to make sure that you get the credit that you deserve."
"Not again," Mark whined.
"What do you mean?" the old guy said.
I showed him the two different newspapers from Chicago.
"This is big news. I will contact these papers and get all the information. Boys, it is not easy to change people's attitudes in a small town like ours. I can't even change the attitude of my own son but I will try."
"It says here that you two are going to receive a citation from the Mayor of Chicago."
"That's right, we talked to Mayor Daley last night," I responded.
"You talked to Mayor Daley himself?"
"That's right, he called us at the police station."
"This is going to make a great human interest story. Could you boys come by the office tomorrow for an interview?"
"After school we could."
"Here is my card. I will be there until 5:00 o'clock."
"After the six boys were arrested, my son wanted me to print an article saying that you used excessive force to arrest them. I told him that I would not. I run a liberal paper and I saw your action as self-defense. I wish I could see his face when he reads about the fact that you boys are heroes in Chicago. I don't care if you boys are gay, or black, or red, or from Mars. As far as I am concerned, you saved my life tonight and I am going to do everything I can to see that you get all the credit that you deserve."
About this time the tow truck showed up and pulled out their car. We followed them home. They tried to invite us in but we told them that we needed to get home. They thanked us again and we headed home.
It was still snowing really hard when we pulled into our driveway. Mark parked the truck and we grabbed our stuff and went inside. Mom and Dad were really happy to see us.
"Mark, call your mom. She called about a half-hour ago, wondering if you were home yet. Mike, I am glad that you are home. They are predicting about a foot of snow or more. The wind is out of the northeast, creating lake effect snow on top of the storm. Who knows how much snow we are going to get."
Nancy and Paul went back to school earlier in the day so it was just Mom and Dad. We spent the next two hours telling them about our weekend. When Mark talked about his father I saw a look on my dad's face that concerned me. I made a note to myself to talk to him later. I could tell that something was not right. Dad also said that he wanted to talk to Ed's grandfather before we interviewed with him and he wanted to be there for the interview. When I asked him why, he just said that he wanted to make sure that he has final editorial approval before it is published. He said the newspaper and TV reporters like to add and leave out facts in order to sell more papers. He didn't want us to be exploited or the story sensationalized. He also said that what the Chicago press does really does not matter because we don't have to live there, but we do have to live here. He said because we are minors, he has the right to check what they are going to write before they print it.
Mark said that he had some homework to finish up and he went upstairs. I took the opportunity to talk to Dad.
"Dad, can I talk to you for a few minutes in your study?"
"Sure, Mike."
We went into Dad's study and he sat down.
"Dad, I could tell by the look on your face that something is up with Mark's dad. What is it?"
"That is very perceptive of you, Son. In the future I will need to keep my expressions to myself."
"So what's up?"
"Do you promise to keep it to yourself and not tell Mark?"
"Depends."
"Depends on what?"
"Is Mark in danger?"
"Not physically but perhaps emotionally."
"That might be worse than physically, Dad."
"You have got that right. Look, Mike, I don't want to upset Mark needlessly but I also want him to be ready should something happen. You could be helpful by saying something but not too much. I know you love him and don't want to see him get hurt. So if I tell you my concerns, will you be able to tell him the truth without telling him all the truth?"
"I think so. I know that Mrs. Adams was upset with Mr. Adams."
"Ok, I am going to trust you. I did a background check on him and not everything he told you boys is true."
"Like what?"
"I am not going to tell you what. That way you won't have to lie to Mark. I am only going to tell you what you need to know. First of all, I told Mrs. Adams what I found out. Everything I found out. Like I said, not everything he told you boys is true. I also talked to Mrs. Adams a couple of hours ago and she filled me in on her conversation with him. Based on all the information I have gathered, it is my guess that the next time that Mark calls his father, he will be gone again. Do you understand how that will affect Mark?"
"No."
"Good answer, Son. Very wise. I don't think that any of us can truly know how a loss like that will affect him. I could be wrong, in which case telling him would also be the wrong thing to do. Unfortunately we can't act on something which has not happened. But perhaps you can prepare him in case I am right. Then, if it happens, there won't be so many pieces to pick up. Do you understand?"
"I think so. When the subject of his father comes up I should play it down. Change the subject. Try to subdue his expectations instead of building them up."
"Exactly, you need to work on his subconscious. Don't try to drop hints. Mark is way too smart for that. When he brings up his father, talk about his mother or me. If you say something like 'I don't trust your dad', he will pick up on that and ask you why not. If he says that he doesn't trust his father, then jump on that. Tell him that you don't want to see him get hurt again. Warn him not to get too close until he is sure that he can trust him. They say that it takes 10 atta-boys to make up for one good screw up. I don't think that this weekend has proven anything, but if it is used right it could provide some healing. You see, Son, it was a good weekend. Not like the last time Mark saw his father. Build on that. Tell Mark that, if the subject comes up. Then if Mark's dad does leave again, perhaps we won't have so many pieces to pick up. Do you think that you can do that, Mike?"
"I can do my best. Anything to help Mark."
"Great, anything else you want to talk about?"
"Just one thing, Dad. Mark and I have been talking about our future and he really wants to become a doctor and..."
"I consider Mark a member of our family, Mike, my future son-in-law, if you will. If Mark works hard and has a dream, I will do everything in my power to make it happen."
"Thanks, Dad, I am so lucky to have a caring Father like you."
I stood up and hugged Dad close to me. Then I left and looked outside and it was still snowing really hard. It looked like we had about 4 or 5 inches. I turned on the radio to a news station and they announced that school had been cancelled for tomorrow. YES! Snow Day! I ran upstairs to tell Mark the good news. I found him staring out the window.
"Snow day! No school tomorrow!"
"That's good."
"What's wrong, Mark?"
"Just thinking."
"What about?"
"Several things but mainly Dad."
"What about him?"
"I don't think that I can trust him. I know that my mom knows something she is not telling me. I could tell by the look on your dad's face that he doesn't trust him, either."
"We did have a good time this weekend though. I think that is important."
"Yes, it is. But I am not going to get my hopes up. I am going to send him a letter telling him to keep in contact with me. I am going to tell him that I will not tell my mother I am in contact with him in case he is worried about her taking legal action against him. I love him but no matter what happens I am not going to let him hurt me again. I don't care about his money or his new life. I only want his love. Even if I never see him again, at least we did have this weekend and that is more than I expected."
"I think that is wise and, if you talk to my dad, he will tell you the same thing."
"So you did talk to your dad."
"Yes, I did."
"And."
"He has the same concerns that you do."
"I will talk to your dad, Mike, but not right now. First I want to try to sort things out between him and me with your help. Will you help me?"
"Of course I will, any way you want me to."
"I have a plan. This is what I need you to do..."