Love Conquers All
by Flaming Matt
Chapter 12
November 2015
"Hey, hey, it's okay Matt, just stay still and relax, it's okay." Mitch quickly states, after being a little surprised to see him waking up and then realising that he was panicking a little bit. "Matt, it's okay, just relax and let yourself wake up, it's okay, I promise." He then adds, after seeing that he was still looking panicked and a little queasy.
"I..." Matt then tries to say, before being sick all over himself or what he thought would be all over himself, until he realises that he had a cardboard tray thing held in front of him and the older boy was smiling at him.
"Oh wow, that actually worked." Mitch then says in an amused and slightly proud tone, after just managing to get the tray in front of him in time.
"Mitch, what..." Matt then tries to say, before coughing and choking a little bit.
"Hey, just relax Matt and drink this, but slowly." Mitch quickly says, as he reaches over to the side table and pours him a drink and brings it to his mouth, before watching him as he drinks a little with the straw. "Just take your time, you know it takes a few moments to settle down." He then says in a soft tone, as he watches him taking a few more sips and cough a couple of times.
"What happened Mitch?" Matt then manages to say, before coughing a few more times and decides to take a few more sips through the straw, before moving his head away from the cup.
"They're still running tests, but they think it was your medication, have you been feeling weird lately?" Mitch decides to ask, after answering the question as honestly as he dared and while he didn't want to keep anything back, he didn't think he should say anything about being poisoned or at least until he was able to gauge his mood and health for himself first.
"I've been getting headaches and feeling a bit dizzy and sick, but I've had it before, but why am I here Mitch? Why am I in hospital again?" Matt asks in responds, after looking around and trying to sit up a little more, but he just felt awful and tired and he wanted to know what was going on.
"You passed out at home and well I'm not sure what the technical term is, but the doctors will confuse you with all the big words in a little while, but it was like a coma Matt, but not quite the same thing, if that helps." Mitch responds as best he can, he wasn't really good at remembering all the medical terms and things like that and he thought if he kept it as simple as he could, at least he could give him some answers.
"I feel really bad Mitch, like really sick, like I'm going to be..." Matt then begins to say, before being sick again before he could even finish speaking.
"Twice in a row, I'm setting some kind of record, although the nurses might be a little mad that I'm not giving them an excuse to give you a sponge bath." Mitch then teases, after managing to get the tray in front of him again, just in time and decides to try and keep the mood light for as long as possible, there was a lot to tell him and he was hoping that he could hold of any serious stuff, until someone else came back to the room.
"I won't really need a sponge bath will I? I mean I won't be here that long will I Mitch?" Matt then quickly asks in a slightly worried tone, not that he was that embarrassed by a sponge bath, but he definitely didn't want to be in the hospital for too long, he was sick of them and just wanted to get home as soon as he could.
"Honestly, I'm hoping they let you go home today, but I think they will keep you in at least overnight Matt." Mitch answers honestly in a reluctant tone, he really didn't want to upset him or dampen his spirits, but he didn't want to get his hopes up either and knew he would appreciate the honesty.
"Oh." Matt states in a disappointed tone, before rubbing his eyes and trying to get more comfortable. "Mitch, can you get Erica to give me the sponge bath if I need one, I don't want anyone else to do it, please?" He then asks in a pleading tone, as he looks at the older boy with a sad look and again, while he wasn't embarrassed about being seen naked by the nurses, he had just had enough of them and if he had to have one, he wanted it to be with someone he knew genuinely cared for him and not some random nurse.
"If not, than I will do it Matt, if that's okay." Mitch responds with a caring and warm smile, while gently stroking the boys forehead and was happy to see him smiling.
"Or Ben, where is he anyway, I would have thought that he would be handcuffed to me or something." Matt then asks in a curious tone, after suddenly realising that his fiancé wasn't there and while he was a little disappointed, he figured he was probably just eating or in the toilet. "What?" He then asks in a slightly confused tone, after seeing the older boys face drop a little and while he had no idea what was going on, he didn't like his reaction at all and knew something else was going.
"Ben's with Erica and I think Carter and Wesley have probably met up with them as well by now, but don't worry, I doubt it will be long..." Mitch begins to answer in a less than convincing tone, after taking a few moments to force himself to say something in response, before finding himself being interrupted and he could tell straight away that he wasn't going to get away with stalling.
"What's going on Mitch? And don't lie, I know something is up, so just tell me." Matt says in a serious tone, before coughing and this time it goes on for a lot longer than before.
"Matt, you just woke up, at least give yourself a little while to adjust before we get into anything serious, please." Mitch says in a serious tone, while filling the cup up again and holding it out for him to drink from.
"Is Ben okay, you have to tell me Mitch, he's my fiancé now, I have a right to know." Matt the says, as he ignores the older boy and tries to find out what is going on, because he knew something was up and he didn't care if he coughed a little and felt like crap, his fiancé was more important.
"He's fine Matt and he will be here..." Mitch then begins to say, as he tries to avoid telling the truth about his little brother, but as he hears the door opening and turns to see who it is, he can't help but feel both relieved and worried about who it is and he wasn't sure how this was going to go and slowly moves a little, just in case he needed to get up quickly.
"Hey Ben, sorry for..." Matt then begins to say with a smile and despite feeling like crap, just seeing his fiancé helped him feel better, although he couldn't help but be a little surprised when he interrupts him.
"Why are you here?" Ben quickly asks in a confused tone, while he stares at the person on the bed and he couldn't help but wonder what was going on and why this was happening, it just didn't make any sense.
"They didn't tell you?" Matt asks in response as he gives Mitch a questioning glance, before focusing on his fiancé again and he couldn't believe that no one would tell him what had happened to him, it just didn't make any sense at all and neither did the frown on his fiancé's face.
"You shouldn't be here, why are you here?" Ben then asks again, but this time in an angry tone, as he looks at the boy on the bed and again, wondered what was happening and why.
"Ben, calm down, Matt's okay, he's okay and you don't have to pretend any more, he's okay Ben, you can see that he is okay." Mitch then quickly states in a reassuring tone, after getting up and kneeling in front of his little brother as he tries to snap him out of whatever kind of denial or whatever it was, that he was in.
"Mitch, what's going on?" Matt then asks in a confused and concerned tone, the way his fiancé was both talking and looking at him was unsettling and it almost seemed like he wasn't happy to see him, which he couldn't even begin to understand or process.
"You should be with her, you were meant to be with her, why did you come back? Why aren't you with her Matt? Why?" Ben then starts asking, as he stares at his fiancé with a mixture of anger and confusion, this wasn't meant to be happening and he was just getting more and more confused by the minute.
"Huh, with her? What's going on?" Matt quickly asks in response, before going into another coughing fit and this time reaches for the glass himself and starts to drink, he needed to understand what was happening and coughing like he was, wasn't going to help him do that.
"Ben, you need to calm down, he's okay now and you need to stop this, he is okay and you need to snap out of it, do you understand me?" Mitch then states in a firm and serious tone, as he holds his little brother by the shoulders and looks into his eyes, but while he was hoping to see him come to his senses, he realises that whatever was wrong with him, even seeing Matt alive wasn't enough to snap him out of it and now he was really starting to worry about him.
"He's dead Mitch, he's meant to be with Mum, she's meant to be looking after him Mitch and now he's back, he left her Mitch, why did he leave her? Why?" Ben then states in a desperate and distraught tone, as he looks over his brothers shoulder at his fiancé and half glares at him.
"I died?" Matt then asks in a stunned tone, as he looks at them both in shock at what his fiancé had just said and not only about him being dead, but also the other stuff and the look on his face was just as worrying as everything else and he could feel himself beginning to tremble a little bit.
"Matt, I will explain everything, but please don't get upset, there's something wrong with Ben and I need you to be strong while I try and sort him out, okay?" Mitch then says in an almost desperate tone, as he looks back to the boy and just had to hope that he could hold himself together and doesn't make this any harder than it already was, because he as struggling to keep himself together as it was and if he freaked out as well, then he would just be completely lost.
"Ben, come here, I'm okay, I promise and I need a cuddle, please?" Matt then says, after he gives the older boy a understanding look and then looks directly at his fiancé with a sad smile, he may have no idea of what was going on, but he could see his fiancé was not being himself and he wanted to help, even if he was feeling awful and weak himself right now.
"You're supposed to be with my mum, she's supposed to be looking after you, but you're here and you left her, how could you leave her Matt? How could you?" Ben then states in an angry tone, before kicking his brother between the legs and quickly running out of the room with tears flowing down his face, he was just completely confused and didn't know what to do or even how to deal with it and just kept running.
"Oh shit, are you okay?" Matt then quickly asks and while he wanted to go after his fiancé, he had tried to get up and knew he wasn't going anywhere and instead, was hoping the older boy was okay and that he could either explain what just happened or go after his fiancé for him.
"Just give me a minute Matt, please." Mitch just about manages to responds, as he stays hunched over the floor and decides to pull his phone out and dial his girlfriends number.
"Oh my god! Tobias, why are you er... wow." Lily states in a stunned tone, as she stares at her boyfriend, who despite now covering himself with his hands, she had just seen completely naked in the flesh and while she had the picture he had sent her by mistake, seeing him now was just amazing and she couldn't help but both smile and blush at the same time.
"I er... was just er... listening and I didn't think you er... well you know er... sorry." Tobias tries to explain, but the way his girlfriend was looking at him, he could literally feel his willy getting hard and despite not being that big, his hands were also small and he was scared to look down, just in case he wasn't hiding it all and slowly backed up against the bath in embarrassment.
"Can I er... you know, see er... can I?" Lily then asks in a tone that even surprised herself, but her eyes were firmly locked on her boyfriends body and she was hoping she would get more than a quick glimpse this time, even though she knew it was wrong, she just couldn't help herself.
"Your mum is home though, what if..." Tobias begins to answer in a nervous tone and even though he wanted them to be naked together, his brothers and friends words were still firmly in his mind and he knew that with his girlfriends mum home, if they got caught, then he would be in a world of trouble and with everything else going on at the moment, he didn't want to upset and disappoint his mum, he knew that she had enough to deal with already.
"She's er... oh er... why don't you get back in the bath Tobias, I'll turn around and I promise I won't peek." Lily then says, as she forces herself to get control of herself and also remembers that her mum is home and she didn't want to disappoint her by doing anything she shouldn't be doing and this was definitely something she shouldn't be doing.
"You already saw it." Tobias then says in a nervous tone, before taking a deep breath and slowly moving his hands to his sides and quickly blushes even more as he lets his girlfriend see him completely naked and while he knew he was being naughty, he couldn't help himself and he wanted her to see him.
"What, what are you... wow!" Lily then says in a quiet tone, as she looks at her boyfriend and takes him all in and again, although she has a picture of him naked, this was completely different and without realising it, she takes a few steps closer to him.
"You're not laughing." Tobias then says in a mixture of surprise and relief and although he didn't think she would, he was pleased to see that she seemed to like seeing him naked and quickly starts to smile shyly.
"You should get in the bath Tobias." Lily suggests as she continues to stare at his penis and balls and couldn't help but grin a little, when she sees it getting a little bigger and while she didn't know much about this sort of thing, she knew what was happening and despite wanting to reach out, she again remembered that her mum was home and that they probably only had like fifteen minutes now and she really didn't want to risk her mum coming up to get them and seeing them like this.
"I er... okay, but er... am I er... do you like me?" Tobias then asks in a hopeful tone, as he resists the urge to touch himself, he knew his willy wasn't completely hard at the moment and he was using all his self control to not do something that could make that actually happen.
"You're perfect, but get in the bath, we have to be downstairs soon and I want to finish washing you." Lily responds with a genuine smile and even though she blushed a little at her choice of words, she couldn't be happier with what she saw and when she forces herself to look up to his face, she was delighted to see how happy he looked and despite having feelings she had never really felt before, she just about managed to pull herself together and not do anything too naughty, although she was looking forward to washing him and knew she might be able to touch him a little bit.
"Okay, but er... you won't tell anyone will you?" Tobias then asks in a slightly nervous tone, as he slowly climbs into the bath and sits down again, his heart was racing now and he knew what his body wanted, but letting her see him naked and actually doing other stuff, was completely different and he wanted to do something right for a change and not make a fool of himself.
"Never, not even Ashleigh, you can trust me Tobias, I love you." Lily responds sincerely, as she sits back down next to the bath and picks up one of the flannels on the side and dips it into the water.
"I love you too and I er... I really like you, a lot." Tobias then says in a shy tone, before tensing up a little as he feels his girlfriend gently rubbing his back with the flannel and while it was a little naughty, he was enjoying it and he knew that it wouldn't go too far.
"Tobias, you can talk to me you know, you know about anything and er... well, why do you wear a USB stick around your neck?" Lily then asks in a slightly nervous tone, which was down to washing him as much as it was about what she was asking, but decided that while they had some more time, she would try and get him to open up to her again and hopefully take her mind of the strange and confusing thoughts that were going through her mind right now and she had been curious about the necklace for a while now and hadn't really felt comfortable asking about something that must be really personal.
"Oh er... well Matt gave it to me." Tobias answers with a smile and can't help but be a little relieved, after assuming he was going to be asked to talk about what they had started to talk about earlier and while he wouldn't mind, he would prefer to wait until later now and talking about the necklace always made him smile, even if it did remind him of one of his saddest memories.
"He gave you a USB stick for a necklace?" Lily quickly asks in a curious tone, while hiding a little bit of disappointment as she was expecting something a little more personal than that, not that she wanted it to be sad or for him to get upset, but she just thought there would be a story to it and that she would get to know a little bit more about him.
"Oh, well yeah, but it's not what you think, it was when he left England, you know, when he came here and left me." Tobias answers with a smile, which slowly fades as he remembers how he felt at the time and while he treasured the necklace and always found strength in it, it was still one of the saddest moments in his life.
"So he er... left a message or some pictures on it?" Lily then decides to ask, while she gently rubbed his arm with one hand and used the other hand to gently stroke his cheek, after seeing the sad look on his face and knew that it must be hard for him to think about that moment in his life.
"Yeah, but it's private." Tobias answers with a slight blush, as he feels his willy getting hard again because of his girlfriends hands. "But er... you can listen to him singing, I asked him to sing me a song so that I would always be able to hear him." He then quickly adds with a shy smile, after seeing her expression and realising that his answer came out wrong and the last thing he wanted to do was to upset her or think that he didn't want to talk about this.
"That would be nice, which song is it?" Lily then asks with a sweet smile, while also making sure that she didn't let her hands go too far down his body and while she now knew that he wouldn't object, she just didn't dare risk her mum finding out and knew she would get a chance to act on these new feelings she was getting soon.
"You're My Sunshine, it's really nice and it always makes me happy and er... a little sad, but er... you know, because he left me, but we found each other again, so it makes me happy." Tobias answers with a shy smile, before blushing as he struggles to find the right words to express himself, but when he feels his head being pulled forward and then his girlfriends lips pressing against his own, he quickly forgets about his embarrassment and returns the kiss.
"I can ask if you can sleep over tonight if you wanted to, you know, if your brothers are staying overnight at the hospital." Lily then offers with a hopeful smile after ending their kiss, which as usual was just amazing and she may not have kissed many boys, well not any at all really, but he was definitely amazing at it and she was tempted to pull him back in for another one.
"In your room? With you?" Tobias quickly asks in responds, as he looks at his girlfriend in surprise and while he found the idea exciting, he wasn't sure if boys and girls were meant to have sleepovers together, even if they were boyfriend and girlfriend and he was also supposed to sleep around Erica's and his older brothers apartment tonight.
"Well yeah, we can sleep in my room." Lily then says in a slightly bemused tone, as she looks at her boyfriend and couldn't help but wonder why he seemed so surprised, she was just trying to be nice and thought it would be better than him being alone or sleeping in the hospital or something, although she would be lying if she didn't also like the idea of him sleeping in her room with her.
"But you're a girl." Tobias then says in a confused tone and even though he could see that his girlfriend was surprised by what he had just said, he was still not sure if he was allowed to have a sleepover with a girl and he wasn't even sure how it would work, because he didn't think he was allowed to sleep in her bed with her.
"Well er... yeah, but why does that matter?" Lily then asks in a confused tone and wasn't really sure what her boyfriend meant by that, although she could tell that it wasn't anything bad, she knew that he wasn't like that, but it didn't make what he said any less confusing.
"Well er... are we allowed to sleep in the same bed? Won't your parents be mad?" Tobias asks in a nervous tone, as he really wasn't sure how to approach this at all and the fact he didn't know if boys and girls were meant to have sleepovers together, didn't help his confusion either.
"No you idiot, you can sleep on the floor, we aren't going to sleep together, we're too young to do that and my mum and dad would never let us." Lily quickly answers with a smile and couldn't help but find how her boyfriends mind worked fascinating. "What's wrong?" She then quickly asks in a worried tone, when she sees him tensing up a little bit, but as she looks down, she realises that both her hands were under the water and one was cupping his bum cheeks again, while the other was just below his bellybutton.
"No... nothing, but your er... what about your mum?" Tobias asks in response, as he looks at his girlfriend both nervously and excitedly, he had messed around with Carter and Wesley and always had fun, but he also again remembered everything he had been told about how he can't do the things he has done with them, with a girl and even though he still didn't fully understand why, he knew they wouldn't tell him that if it wasn't important and he trusted them all with his life.
"Can I er... can I see it, you know, just to see what it looks like?" Lily then asks in a nervous and quiet tone, after slowly getting up and stepping away from the bath, she had accidentally moved her hand a little lower and the back of her hand brushed against something that felt hard and she knew what it was and despite seeing him naked a few minutes earlier, she had never seen a completely hard penis before and she wasn't sure if she would get another chance like this for a while, even if they were getting closer as boyfriend and girlfriend, being alone and in this kind of situation wasn't going to happen that often.
"But er... you already saw it." Tobias responds in an unsure tone, as he shifts a little and turns to face his girlfriend, while also seeing where the towel was and knew that she would see him if he stood up and there was no other way to keep himself covered and while he may not have the biggest willy, he would need his hands to get out of the bath and even if he used one to cover himself, it wouldn't be enough, especially since he was still hard and he was too excited for it to go down.
"Not like it is right now, please and I promise I won't ask again, I just want to see what it looks like." Lily then says in a sweet tone and while she felt a little guilty, she didn't see the harm and maybe it would help him relax a little more around her, because she could tell that he seemed to not really know what to do and maybe it was just her job to set the boundaries in their relationship and she kind of liked the idea of that.
"But we er... we have to er... but you can't laugh or touch it and I want to get dried and dressed after." Tobias then says, after deciding that even though he trusted his friends and brothers, they had also told him that he had to trust his instincts and follow Lily's lead and she was definitely the one who wanted to do this and he didn't see the harm in letting her see his willy hard, although he made sure he had least set some ground rules and he thought his brothers would at least give him credit for that.
"We have to go down in five minutes, so you can get dried and dressed straight away, I just want to look and well, I love you Tobias and I think you're perfect, so I would never laugh at you, I promise." Lily responds with a sincere and excited smile, she had heard all about Jordan and what he was like from her best friend and she was getting excited that she would be able to get to be able to tell Ashleigh something for a change, although she wasn't going to go into any details, she couldn't do that to her boyfriend and knew that it would hurt him if she did betray his confidence like that.
"Okay." Tobias then says, before taking a deep breath and slowly getting to his feet and then climbing out of the bath, where he then resists the urge to cover himself up with his hands, while he watches his girlfriend looking at him completely exposed and while it was exciting, he was also a little nervous, because he knew her mum was in the house now and there was no way he wanted her to catch them doing something like this.
"So er... do you want me to ask my mum if you can stay here tonight?" Lily then manages to ask, as she tries to distract herself from the thoughts she was having, because she knew what she wanted, but she was scared that if she asked to touch it and he said yes, then she would get carried away and they were already risking being late downstairs and she really didn't want to get told off or even worse, her mum coming up and seeing her boyfriend like this.
"I have to ask my mum, but er... can I go home first?" Tobias then asks in a hesitant tone. "I mean er... well the hospital and then home, because I don't have any clothes or underwear to wear for bed." He then quickly adds, as he realises that he would have to go to the hospital first, although he couldn't help but blush a little bit as he realises that his girlfriend was still looking at his hard willy and despite wanting her to touch it, he slowly walks over to the towel and quickly wraps it around his waist.
"Oh er... yeah and my mum or dad will give you a lift there later on, but well your clothes are in my bedroom, so er... you go there and I'll go downstairs and just come down when you're ready." Lily responds in a slightly disappointed and distracted tone, after seeing her boyfriend covering himself up, although she could still see the outline of his penis through the towel, but quickly snaps out of it and opens the bathroom door.
"Okay, I won't be long and er... okay." Tobias responds with a shy smile, before walking past his girlfriend and heading towards her bedroom.
"Tobias..." Lily then begins to say, before blushing and trailing off for a few moments after he turns around and she notices that he was still hard. "You really are perfect, I mean er... don't listen to anyone who tries to make you feel bad, because I love you a lot and you look really nice and well er... just don't let people upset you, because they're probably just jealous." She then says from the heart and while she didn't know why she felt the need to say that, it just felt like the right thing to say and the proud and loving expression that was now spreading over her boyfriends face, gave her a warm and loving feeling in her heart and she knew that while it was still early days, she was definitely falling in love with him, even if she wasn't quite sure what love was meant to feel like.
"You're perfect too and I love you lots." Tobias manages to respond, after being taken by complete surprise by his girlfriends words and while he had been told things like that before, it just made him feel like the most special person in the world and he was struggling to stop himself from kissing her, but luckily for him, he watches as she smiles shyly at him before turning and walking down the stairs, which he just stares towards for a few moments with a massive grin, before turning back to her bedroom and walking into it.
"So he's okay?" Mitch asks in a worried tone, as he looks at his girlfriend with a sad smile.
"He's with Wesley and Carter, but I don't think he's okay Mitch and from what you just told me about what happened, I think we need to start thinking about therapy for him." Erica responds honestly and while she knew he had been to see Wesley's dad before, this time it was different and she was genuinely worried about his mental health.
"But he's just in shock, he will be okay once he has time to think about it." Matt then quickly says in a confident tone, although inside he wasn't so sure, after he had been told about what had happened and his fiancé finding him and thinking he was actually dead, he wasn't sure what he would be like if the roles were reversed and the only thing keeping him from breaking down, was his belief in his fiancé and how strong he really was deep inside.
"Matt..." Mitch then begins to say, before trailing off for a few moments, as he looks at the boy sadly. "Why don't you get some rest, I know you're trying to pretend you're okay, but I know you feel like crap and if you want to get out of here quickly, then you need to rest." He then says in a firm and warm tone, as he reaches over and brushes the hair off his forehead and smiles at him.
"He's right Sweety, you aren't going home today and that's a fact, but if you want to go home tomorrow, then you're going to have to stop pretending that you're all right and just let us help you and you definitely need to rest." Erica then says, as she moves to the other side of the bed and sits down, before running her hands through the boys hair affectionately.
"I want to see him again though." Matt then says in a slightly annoyed tone, before seeing both their expressions. "I don't mean now, but I want to try and talk with him later, he's my fiancé, so you can't stop us talking to each other." He then adds in a serious tone, before letting out a long yawn and sighs as he looks at both of their faces again and knew that he had basically just proved their point about him needing rest.
"Matt, there is nothing on this planet that can keep you two apart, but we're serious about you resting and we'll talk about Ben again when you wake up." Mitch then says with a warm smile, while making sure that he kept his concern and fear for his little brother hidden from the boy, because he really did need to rest and for now and while he seemed to be okay, the last thing he wanted was to give him a reason to really start getting worried.
"And we will talk to your mum about getting you a haircut, it's a bit of a mess." Erica then says with a small grin, as she runs her hands through his hair again and while it could probably wait a few more weeks, she thought it might distract him a little bit and hopefully get his mind of Ben enough for him to get some sleep.
"It's not that bad." Matt then quickly states in a slightly defensive tone, before smiling himself, as he realises what she was doing and while it felt a little patronising, he wasn't mad and he and his fiancé had already talked about getting matching haircuts, so he really didn't mind that much.
"So you'll get some rest and promise to stop pretending you're okay?" Mitch then decides to ask in a serious tone, although he makes sure that he keeps his tone light and avoid the risk of coming across like he is hassling him.
"I promise, but er... I kind of need to er.. pee a little bit and I think I might be sick again." Matt responds honestly and while he was a little embarrassed about admitting it, especially with Erica sitting right next to him, she had seen him naked and had given him enough sponge baths to not let it bother him that much and slowly sat up a little and spread his legs as he pulls the sheet to one side.
"Wow, not even a blush this time." Erica then says with a smile, before getting up and walking over to the cabinet with the urinal bottles in and walking back towards the bed.
"What's the point, you've seen and touched every part of me and it's not like I have anything to be shy about." Matt quickly responds with a grin, which falters slightly when he really thinks about it. "Can you er... well can you like not look and er... maybe talk about something when I er... you know, go?" He then asks in a slightly embarrassed tone, it was one thing being confident and self assured, but that didn't quite extend to people actually watching him pee and he also knew that because it was a plastic bottle, that it would make a noise and again, it was just a bit on the embarrassing side.
"Ha, so much for not being embarrassed." Mitch then teases, before giving his hair a quickly ruffle and standing up. "I would say tell us when you're done, but I guess we will hear it when you are." He then states, before feigning injury when he gets a well deserved smack across the back of his head from his girlfriend.
"Go ahead Matt and ignore the idiot." Erica then says with a warm smile, before turning around and looking towards the door, as her boyfriend does the same and starts talking about what they were going to do tonight and what movie and takeaway Tobias would like, while trying not to listen to the noise of the young boy peeing.
"Mitch, I'm going to be sick." Matt then calls out in a slightly panicked tone, as he is still peeing and knew he was going to be sick.
"Crap, er... wait a second." Mitch responds in a surprised tone, before quickly moving over to the cabinet and getting a cardboard tray and holding it in front of the boy.
"Don't let go of..." Erica then begins to say, but trails off as she sees the boys hands let go of the bottle and only just manages to reach it, before he urinated all over the bed and himself and held it in place.
"Maybe we went about this the wrong way." Mitch then says in an amused tone, as he sees his girlfriend holding not only the bottle, but also the boys penis, while he moved the tray from him and places it on one of the cabinets.
"Behave Mitch." Erica quickly states in an unimpressed tone, before giving Matt a quick wink. "Besides, it makes a change to hold a big one for a change." She then states with a grin and while it was a bit of an inappropriate joke, especially since she was still holding a twelve year olds penis, which to her relief, was at least just about finished peeing.
"Why am I naked?" Matt decides to ask in a curious tone, which he had only just really realised after looking down at himself and despite enjoying seeing the older boy getting teased, he really wanted to know where his gown was.
"Ah, well honestly er... I don't know." Mitch responds in a bemused tone and while he was relieved that this would save him from getting teased by his girlfriend even more, he was genuinely curious about why the boy was actually naked and not even wearing at least a gown or his underwear and quickly gives his girlfriend a curious look.
"It's because we flushed your system Matt and given your history, your mum and I didn't think you would mind being naked, it's not like anyone will be able to see you under the sheets." Erica then explains with a smile, before seeing the confused look on both her both their faces. "You were poisoned Matt, so they wanted to make sure they got whatever it was out of your system and well it was messy and it didn't just come out of your mouth." She then adds in a slightly reluctant tone and although she knew he would be able to handle it, it was still embarrassing and she was just glad that he wasn't awake when they did it, because it really was messy and unpleasant.
"Fuck, can I at least put something on now, I don't want to be naked, even if I have a sheet over me." Matt then says in a frustrated tone and while he knew it wasn't his fault or their fault, he really was getting fed up being in a hospital and people seeing him naked and doing embarrassing stuff, he'd been through enough and just wanted to be normal for a change.
"Sure, but even though you've been through a lot Matt, no more swearing, if your mum hears you, you know what she would say." Mitch responds in a sympathetic tone, as he half lectures him on his language and while he couldn't blame him and he swore plenty himself, he was still a kid and he knew his mum didn't like hearing him using that kind of language and he didn't want to encourage it.
"Sorry Sweetheart, I guess we shouldn't have just assumed you would be used to it or not bothered about being naked." Erica then says in a soft and caring tone, after getting rid of the urine bottle and coming back over and covering him back up with the sheet.
"I don't mind, well I do, but I just don't want every nurse and doctor who comes in and checks me over seeing me, it's just not fair." Matt responds in a more relaxed tone, although he did wonder why she had covered him up again, especially since he could see Mitch going through what he guessed was his night bag and pulling out a pair of tighty whiteys, which despite probably not hiding much, were better than nothing and he didn't want to wear shorts or anything like that, because he knew from previous experience that they would be uncomfortable to wear in the bed.
"I'll have a word with the nurses and tell them to be more respectful in the future and don't worry, they won't mind and they love you anyway." Erica then says in a soft tone, while sitting down and gently stroking his hair again.
"Do you need a drink Matt?" Mitch then asks, after remembering that he had just been sick and wanted to give him the chance to clear the taste from his mouth, as he pours out a glass of water for him.
"Yes please and er... can you stay with me, you know, when I sleep, I don't want to be alone." Matt responds in a shy tone and while he wasn't feeling that tired a short time ago, he was now struggling to keep his eyes open and knew he had to accept that he wasn't going home until at least tomorrow, so there was no point in trying to pretend he was okay now.
"I promise that you won't be alone, but it might be someone else here when you wake up, is that okay, or do you want me to stay here until you do wake up?" Mitch asks in response, as he decides to see if he needed to stay himself, because he still wanted to look into Conner being released and why he wasn't informed about it, but if he wanted him to stay, then he wasn't going anywhere and would work something else out for getting answers about Conner.
"As long as I don't wake up alone, I don't mind if it's someone else, although if it's Carter and Wesley, you have to tell them to behave, because I don't want to wake up and they're kissing and stuff." Matt responds with a cheeky grin, before coughing for a few moments and holding his throat in discomfort.
"That should clear up by the time you wake up Matt, just have a drink and then try and get some sleep." Erica quickly decides to say in a caring tone, after seeing the slightly concerned look on the boys face and knew that he might be a little worried about how much he had been coughing, but it really wasn't anything to worry about and was happy to be able to reassure him.
"Lift your bum up a bit Matt." Mitch then says, after pulling the sheet off him and pulling up the boys underwear and smiles when he does as he is told, before covering him back up with the sheet again.
"Thanks." Matt then says shyly, as he gives them both a smile for looking after him and while it was a little embarrassing, he was grateful for both their help and wanted them to know how much he appreciated it.
"Do you want the bed down or are you okay to sleep like you are?" Erica then asks, after deciding to try and make sure that he was as comfortable as he could be.
"Just a bit lower, but not too much please." Matt responds with a appreciative smile, after passing his glass back to Mitch and looking back towards her.
"And don't worry, I remember the promise I made and we will talk in private later." Mitch then whispers into the boys ear, after leaning in to give him a soft kiss on the forehead.
"You're so brave." Erica then says, as she gently strokes the side of his face and while she had never really given much thought to having children, well except the conversation she had had with her boyfriend when they first started dating, she hoped that they would turn out as sweet and kind as Matt, she cared a lot about the other boys, but with maybe the exception of Carter, who she absolutely adored and saw as a surrogate little brother, she really did admire Matt and how he had the strength and heart to carry on, despite the cruelness that he has experienced already in his short life.
"I love you too, you're both the... the... the best..." Matt then tries to respond, but to his own surprise, he finds himself yawing several times and then slowly falling into a deep sleep.
"Poor guy, he must have been trying so hard to pretend that he was feeling okay." Mitch then says, as he gently brushes the boys face affectionately, before giving his girlfriend a sweet and loving smile.
"We'll need to try and get him to eat something when he wakes up Mitch, although he will probably throw it back up, he'll need something to help him recover and get his strength back." Erica then says with a sad smile and while she had had a few minutes of thinking about them having their own children one day, she couldn't help but just feel sorry for the poor boy and not for the first time, wondered how he managed to just keep going and not let it defeat him.
"I'm worried about Ben though Erica, I mean his reaction, you didn't see it and while Matt is playing it down, I'm worried that when he really thinks about the way Ben is acting and what he is saying, he will struggle to cope and we know what happens when he gets stressed and angry." Mitch then says with a sad expression, as he looks over to his girlfriend and thinks about not only his little brothers mental health, but Matt's as well.
"Give Ben time Mitch, he's with Wesley and Carter right now and they will be helping him and even if it isn't today, he will be fine once the shock wears off and he processes everything." Erica quickly responds in a reassuring tone and while she actually had genuine concerns for Ben's mental health herself, she didn't want to bring that up and knew it wouldn't do any good right now.
"Thank you for everything Erica, especially for reassuring him and not making him feel insecure about being naked and almost peeing everywhere." Mitch then decides to say in an appreciative tone, as he looks at his girlfriend lovingly, she really was amazing and he actually felt a little ashamed of himself for thinking about how he wished it would just be them two tonight and not have to babysit his brother.
"Luckily I've given him enough sponge baths for it not to bother him Mitch, but I was aiming for just the bottle and not his penis, so I'm just happy that it didn't upset him, but I will have a word with the nurses and doctors, because I think we all assumed he was fine with being seen naked now and we should never assume something like that, especially with a child." Erica responds with a half smile and although she was serious about talking with her colleagues, the incident itself was a little amusing and the boy definitely had nothing to be embarrassed or shy about in that department.
"I just wonder what he will make of being poisoned though Erica, well when it eventually sinks in what that actually means, because if it was Conner, then I don't even know where to begin with what that means and with everything else, I just don't know Erica, I don't know what to do." Mitch then states in a tired and lost tone, he was used to being the strong one, but he was struggling ever since he found out about Jim and he couldn't help but wonder if everything was linked to the note and phone call his dad and Sarah received before
"Conner?" Erica quickly asks in a shocked and confused tone and by the look on her boyfriends face, she could tell that he wasn't meant to say that out aloud, but now that he had, she wasn't going to let it go.
"Oh shit." Mitch then states in a frustrated tone, before looking into his girlfriends eyes for a few moments. "I'll tell you everything, but just let me finish before asking any questions, okay?" He then asks with a sigh, as he quickly looks at the young boy sleeping, just to make sure that he was actually asleep.
"Just let me help Mitch." Erica then decides to say in a supportive tone and while she was still surprised by the mention of Conner, she knew it was important to let her boyfriend know that she was on his side and listens as he begins to explain how Conner was involved with what had happened.
"Why is he here?" Maggie asks in a surprised tone and while it didn't really bother her, she was only expecting Sarah and knew that she would have to be extra careful and not mess this chance up.
"Because this is serious Maggie and we need to know if we need to do something now or if this is all some kind of sick joke." Sarah responds in a calm tone and while that didn't exactly answer her question, she didn't want to play games and just wanted to see if she had anything to offer.
"I suppose Mitch has already told you about what happened, when he and I talked a few days ago." Maggie then says with a sigh and although she wasn't sure if the young man had told his family about their little chat, she wanted it on the table and have as many options as she could, because there was no way she was spending the next few years in here.
"You talked with Mitch?" Mike quickly asks in a surprised tone and couldn't help but look at the woman suspiciously, as he couldn't fathom why his eldest son would want to speak with her.
"Ah, then that would be a no then." Maggie then says with a half smile and a shake of the head, there were a lot of ways this conversation could play out, but she wanted to come across as calmly and as nonchalant about it all as possible.
"Enough with the games Maggie, just tell us why you were talking with Mitch, you wouldn't have mentioned it, unless you had a reason to bring it up." Sarah then decides to say in a serious tone and while she didn't want to ruin her chances of finding anything useful out, she wasn't going to let her play games with them either and wanted to make that as clear as possible.
"I want to get out of here Sarah and I have certain contacts and I believe I have given him a good lead on someone who could help solve the case he is working on right now." Maggie then states in a calm and relaxed tone, while hiding the amusement she was feeling about all of this, because while she had given the young man the name, it wouldn't do him much good in his actual investigation, but it would do very nicely for herself and this conversation was promising to be very rewarding as well for herself, if she played it the right way.
"Get out of here?" Sarah quickly asks in response and although she was curious about the other things she had mentioned, it was getting released that caught her attention and she wasn't sure how she felt about that at all.
"Mitch gave you a deal?" Mike then asks, before she could answer Sarah's question, he had understood exactly what she was saying and couldn't believe his eldest son would do that, especially since he knew how much Matt meant to him and he was stunned.
"We're working towards an agreement, like I said, I have contacts and I've done a little digging and even though I am somewhat limited in here, I can still be useful." Maggie answers honestly, before shooting the guard a quick half glare, as he coughs and she knew he was just covering up his amusement, but she couldn't have him ruin this chance to get some help with her appeal.
"How can you help with..." Sarah then begins to ask, before trailing off as she remembers why they were here in the first place. "Maggie, someone tried to scare us off talking with you and I know Gordon told you some things, but this is serious and it could be a threat against you, as much as it is against us." She then states in a serious tone, as she moves the conversation back to what they come here for.
"Oh that, well it seems like an amateur move or just a prank, although of course it could be a small piece in the puzzle of a long plan." Maggie then says in an almost dismissive tone, although it was just for show, she was hoping her plan would work out like this and knew Nick must have come through for her, because they had cancelled their previous visit and she knew from her husband that something else had happened.
"Maggie, quit playing games, Alex is in danger as well and has already been attacked, if you cared at all about him, then you would..." Mike then begins to say in a short and firm tone, before being surprised to find himself being interrupted.
"If you and your family told the truth in court, then I wouldn't be in here and I certainly wouldn't have gotten the length of sentence I received, so don't you dare try to use Alex as a mean to motivate me Mike and for the record, you promised to keep an eye on him Sarah, yet he ends up in hospital, so tell me again why I should care about helping you and your pathetic family?" Maggie states with venom in her tone and while she was worried that she might have overplayed this a little bit, she could see the look of admiration on the guards face and knew that she hadn't made a mistake, but she still had to be careful to not get carried away with her emotions, especially since her son was never meant to be hurt and she was definitely going to make whoever did it pay.
"If you aren't going to help us, then why did you agree to speak with us?" Sarah then asks in a confused tone, as she starts to wonder what they were doing here, because this is definitely not how she had expected her to be like, not after what Gordon had told them and she couldn't help but be a little cautious as well.
"I already told you." Maggie answers with a smile, before seeing both of their expressions and cant help but sigh. "I have begun an appeal process, as well as talking with the police about certain things, but I'm not naïve or stupid and I know that if I want to have a real chance of a reduced sentence, if not getting out of here completely, I will need certain people, to give statements in my favour and I can't think of anyone better to give those statements." She then explains in more depth, with a satisfied smile, as she looks at both their expressions and knew that neither liked it one bit, but she was confident, that with everything that had happened, she was in a strong position and even though there were a couple of things that she didn't agree with, she trusted Nick and he knew what he was doing.
"You want us to help you get released? Are you fucking out of your..." Sarah then quickly begins to say, before being interrupted by a hand on her shoulder and couldn't help but turn to her friend in surprise.
"Maggie, you hurt Matt, you helped try to kill him, you can't seriously think that we would lie to help you get out of here early." Mike states in a calm tone, while trying his best to remain composed, as he tries to work out what her game plan was, because he knew she was intelligent, but even still, he just couldn't see what she was hoping to achieve by this, apart from obviously getting released early, but there had to be more to it.
"Lie? I'm not asking you to lie, I'm asking you to tell the truth this time and tell them that I made a genuine effort to change and even accepted my sons sexuality, despite my prior beliefs, which granted, I still struggle with, it isn't something I can change overnight and being in here doesn't exactly fill me with much enthusiasm to change those views, so no, I'm asking you to do what you should have done at the trial, that is all." Maggie responds in a serious tone, as she looks at them both expectantly and just about manages to stop herself smirking, as she sees them both thinking over her words.
"How does you getting out, help us, it could take months and we don't have months Maggie." Mike then asks, after glancing at his friend and seeing that she was having trouble processing everything and decided to take the lead himself.
"I am looking to get bailed Mike, I could be out within a week or two at most, depending on how my information helps and with your statements, although a statement from Matthew himself, would only speed up the process, I would imagine." Maggie explains as clearly as she could and while she knew bringing Matt into the conversation was a little risky, she again glanced at the guard and could see that he was in agreement with her, which made her struggle a little to hide her amusement, because they really had no idea who he was and how close he had been to them these past few weeks.
"No! No Maggie, he's been through enough and he is in no condition to be giving statements and being reminded of what you and David did to him, it's not happening." Sarah then quickly states in a firm tone and while she was considering giving a statement herself, especially since despite what the woman had done to her son, she had tried to change for Alex and she showed more remorse in doing so, than her husband had ever done and she knew that they had helped in giving her a longer and harsher prison sentence, but there was no way she could allow her son to be involved, he had been through enough already.
"He has a few scars and a limp Sarah, I mean don't get me wrong, the emotional side of it can't be overlooked, but he's hardly in no condition to not give a statement, even just a written one would do." Maggie quickly states in a slightly hesitant tone, as she knew this approach could backfire, but when she looks over to the guard this time, she couldn't help but be a little suspicious and confused by his expression and it unsettled her a little bit as well.
"Sarah, don't." Mike then quickly states, as he puts a hand on her shoulder and stops her from getting up, he could see that she was angry and couldn't blame her, but they needed to keep a clear head right now and not do something they might regret. "Maggie, he was poisoned and almost died today, it's one of the reasons we're here, so believe us, he is in no condition to help you, even with a statement." He then states in a calmer tone, than he was feeling inside, but as he looks at the woman sitting opposite them, he couldn't help but be surprised, by her expression and could tell that she had not expected that at all, which actually worried him a little bit as well, especially since they were hoping she could help them.
"Poisoned? How?" Maggie then asks in a genuinely curious tone and while she didn't show it, she was actually worried about this revelation and as she glanced at the guard, she suddenly found herself coming up with something she really wasn't comfortable with, but even with those thoughts, if this did help her get out, then she wasn't going to make a big deal about it.
"We aren't completely sure how, but somehow someone who used to be a friend of Mitch's managed to..." Mike begins to explain, before pausing for a few seconds, just to make sure he didn't say anything that he didn't need to say. "A young man called Conner posed as someone else to fix our pool, we suspect he then used the fact that only Sarah was in the house, to tamper with Matt's medication." He then adds in a strained and tense tone, just thinking about Conner being in the house sent his blood boiling and he couldn't believe the vile monster not only managed to get in the house, but that he was even able to, because he should have been in prison.
"Okay, you're confusing me here, if he was a friend of Mitch's even a former friend, how did he manage to pose as someone else and how would he know how to tamper with Matthews medication, if he's only Mitch's age?" Maggie then decides to asks in a confused tone, as she takes in what the man had just said and couldn't help but wonder what was going on, because this was definitely something she should have been told about and the fact the guard was now avoiding eye contact, wasn't reassuring her at all.
"Sarah doesn't really know Mitch's old friends, they stopped being friends before she really got to know us, but he was familiar enough that she recognised him and he knew Mitch, so he was convincing and as for the medication, we have no idea, he's been in prison recently, well he should still be in there, but well, that's something else we need to deal with, but he could have learned something in there about medication." Mike answers honestly, although as he thought about it now, he wasn't sure why Conner would come after Matt like that or even know that he was on medication, he knew Conner and he wasn't intelligent enough to do something like this on his own, not even close.
"Why was he in prison?" Maggie then asks in a curious tone and while she would guess it had something to do with drugs, she needed to confirm it, because while she didn't care for the family and she still struggled with homosexuality, even she had to admit that Matthew had been through enough and even though it took her own son being gay to help her realise that, she still genuinely didn't want him to get hurt and poisoned was definitely something she wouldn't have agreed to.
"He's a paedophile, he's attacked a couple of boys and was found to both have and shared child porn images and videos, he should still be locked up and at the very least, we should have been informed." Mike answers in an angry tone and while he knew he had to stay focused, there was just no way, the sick pervert, should have been allowed any where near their house and he was definitely going to demand answers and he knew his eldest son would be asking some serious questions as well.
"A paedophile?" Maggie then says, as she glances at the guard again and could see the look on his face, but as much as she wanted answers, she had to focus on herself for now and this other mess, could wait until later. "Look, I can help, but not inside here, so expect my lawyer to be in touch and while I can't guarantee anything, I promise you, that having me out of here, is your only chance." She then states in a serious tone and while she had plans for when she was released, she was finding herself tempted to give them some help and the fact that Nick has used a paedophile, had her worried enough, to question whether she could really trust him, because this wasn't in his character and noticing the guards expression, she wondered if she could afford to be stuck here for too much longer, if her concerns were proved to be right.
"Only chance? You were brushing everything off earlier, what's changed?" Sarah then asks in a suspicious tone and while she had been quiet, she had been paying attention and something was going on, but she didn't have a clue what it was.
"I will admit the note and phone call thing was hardly that worrying, especially since it would have been obvious it was a hoax after you realised I was fine, but that guy friend of yours being murdered, the other things and your son being poisoned by a paedophile, that you yourself just told me should still be locked up, that's a lot of coincidences and then there is my son being attacked and Peter being missing, so yes, while I dismissed it before, it's definitely something and if I were you, I would be asking a lot of questions of the police right now, because there are some serious failings on their behalf, especially with what has happened to Matthew in the past, they should have had something in place to keep an eye on him." Maggie responds honestly, well not completely honestly, but this was a golden opportunity and she wanted to convince them both, that she was on their side and that she wanted to help them.
"Don't take this the wrong way Maggie, but how can you actually help us, I mean if you get out?" Mike then decides to ask and while they had sought out her help, he just didn't see why she had to be free, to give them that help, she deserved to be locked up and not just because of what she had done to Matt.
"It's true that I could make some calls from here, but I won't be able to see things as they happen and be able to prevent something happening, I would only be able to react afterwards and if you want that kind of help, then I will be honest, it would be rather pointless in me doing anything if it's already happened, wouldn't you agree?" Maggie responds with a smirk and while she didn't want them to think she was up to something, she also realised that if she acted all nice and friendly, then they would be suspicious, so she decided to take a chance and see what happens.
"Fair enough, but we still don't know exactly what kind of help you're actually offering, other than making some phone calls, which doesn't exactly reassure us Maggie, with all due respect." Mike then says in a curious tone and again, while they sought her help, he wanted to make the most of this talk and get as much information as possible from her.
"For some perspective, Mr Jones was not randomly killed and say what you want about my beliefs and the beliefs of those I have associated with, but we have zero tolerance for paedophiles and I can promise you, that this Conner boy or man or whatever you want to call him, won't be an issue ever again if you do as I asked and I get bail." Maggie responds in a confident tone and while it was a little risky mentioning information regarding the organisation, she felt like it was the right move and as she glances at the guard, she can see him giving her a nod of approval. Although she was still not happy about what had happened to Matthew and knew she definitely needed to get out sooner, rather than later.
"We will speak with your lawyer Maggie, but is there anything you can do in the meantime to help us?" Mike then decides to ask and while they could keep talking, it was clear there wasn't much point and he did want to get back to the hospital and he knew Sarah wanted to get back to Matt as soon as possible as well.
"There isn't much, well not to help you, but as a show of faith, whoever attacked my son and took Peter, knew them both and while I gave Mitch a name, tell him to look closer to home or more precisely, to school." Maggie states in a measured tone, as she decides to help out with what happened to Peter, although much to her own frustration, she didn't know much more than that, otherwise she would be doing something to the people responsible for hurting her son, even if she had considered his betrayal in court enough to warrant action, it would be her and not anyone else who would teach him a little respect.
"What the hell..." Sarah then begins to say, as she decides that she is done with riddles and all this cloak and dagger stuff, but before she can finish, she feels a hand on her shoulder and couldn't help but look at her friend in surprise.
"Thank you Maggie and we're really sorry about Alex and we promise that we will be there for him more than we have." Mike decides to say in a sincere tone, as he thinks about the conversation that they had had with his eldest son and knew that while she was still being cryptic, Maggie had basically given them a massive clue and he didn't want Sarah to get upset and risk turning her against them.
"You're welcome and just make sure you tell Mitch, that name I gave him, wasn't for his investigation, but it's for something very dear to you all, he should be able to figure it out." Maggie then states, before nodding at the guard and slowly gets to her feet, while feeling like she had almost guaranteed her freedom, while also finding herself wondering just what Nick has been playing at, because using a paedophile, was both out of character and concerning.
"Goodbye Maggie." Mike then says, as he watches her being led out of the room. "Sarah, sorry for interrupting, but I will explain on the way to the hospital and we need to call Gordon as well, he will want to hear this as well." He then says, as he turns to his friend with a reassuring smile, before getting up and waiting for her to do the same.
"I trust you Mike, but we still have to go to the police station on the way to the hospital, I still want answers about Conner." Sarah responds, as she gets up and takes his hand into her own, before they both walk out of the room and towards the exit.
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