Sawyer (Torey Hope: The Later Years #2) (16 page)

Rubbing hands over his face and glancing around to see how dark it had gotten, Sawyer stood and headed toward his house. He knew Decker and the other guys were probably wondering where he was.

Taking the trail he knew would come out just down the street from home, Sawyer continued to think over what could possibly come from the night’s events. Being lost in thought, he had no warning when Joe and Ben stepped in front of him, blocking his path. He was instantly alert, his stomach free-falling to his knees.

“Well, lookie here, Joe. We’ve found ourselves a real life homo walking in the woods. What do you think we should do with him?” Ben laughed and rubbed his hands together.

“I didn’t know they let queers and faggots walk these trails, Ben. I think we should teach this fag a lesson.” Joe sneered.

“Whatcha say, fairy, want us to teach you a lesson?” Ben punched a fist into his palm.

“I’m not looking for any trouble, gentlemen.” Sawyer knew they heard the quiver in his voice. Two against one wasn’t fair, but he also knew if Ben and Joe were in the park, Matt couldn’t be far behind. As if on cue, he heard Matt’s cruel voice from behind him.

“Not looking for trouble, huh? Maybe just looking for a cock to suck or an ass to fuck?” Matt pushed him forcefully. Sawyer caught himself before hitting the dirt path. Knowing he couldn’t take on all three at once, Sawyer figured his best chance was to let them talk and try to get to the other side of them so he could sprint home.

His hopes of doing that were dashed when Ben, the biggest of the three men, grabbed him from behind in a full-nelson type hold. With his arms pinned and his midsection wide open, Sawyer knew instinctively things had gone from bad to worse.

“No one in this town wants you queers. Faggots like you and your little boyfriend don’t belong here.” A sickening crunch sounded in his ears as pain spread throughout his face from the punch Matt landed.

“You can’t be working at that place and wanting to fuck all the men. Next thing we know, you’ll be making all our kids go gay. You can do all the sick, perverted shit you want, but not around me or my children.” Sawyer fought to breathe and contain the contents of his stomach as Joe’s fist pounded his gut.

His knees buckled, but Ben hoisted him up to take the onslaught of abuse headed his way.

Several more insults hurled while fists pounded, bones crunched, and wicked laughter filled the night. Finding himself suddenly dropped to the ground, Sawyer struggled to breathe. He attempted to open his already swelling eyes, but the blood pouring from his eyebrow made a stinging red curtain through which he could not see.

With no sight, he relied on the sound of the voice to recognize when Matt leaned down and filled his ear with the oily filth pouring from his mouth, “You make me sick, you fucking fag. The world would be a better place if you died right here, cock sucker. But, assuming you’ll live, you better not run your pansy-ass mouth to anyone. If we find out you tell anyone we did this, we’ll shut the family business down and track you and that faggot boyfriend of yours down, and next time we won’t go easy on you, queer.”

As Matt’s words faded away, Sawyer’s body exploded in pain. Heavy boots took turns kicking at his back, ribs, stomach, and face. Feeling the fire of pain sear through his body, Sawyer mentally called for Decker before his body succumbed to the excruciation.

***********

His body was on fire, every breath like a razor. From far away he heard voices, but the pounding in his head and fog in his brain were too much to overcome, and he gave in to the precious darkness again.

Minutes, hours, days later? He felt the cool touch of a cloth against his forehead. He winced as the movement brought stinging and throbbing. “I’m sorry, baby, I know it hurts. Just sleep. We’re all here, you aren’t alone. You’re going to be okay, but just sleep if it helps the pain.” He wanted so badly to open his eyes and see his mom, but he swore they were superglued shut.

As time went on, his wakefulness became more frequent and less painful. But, memories of what had landed him in this bed, in so much pain, came crashing down on him, and he wanted nothing more than to crawl back into the black hole he was in and stay there forever.

Until the voices invaded his mind and he knew he had to wake up.

“I don’t care, I’m going to beat the shit out of each and every one of them.” The captain roared.

“Daddy, I know you’re upset, but I don’t think Sawyer would want you fighting violence with violence. Let’s give him time to wake up, let him talk to the police. I know this is so hard on everyone, but we need to let Sawyer have a say in all of this.” Libby spoke softly to her father as she held Sawyer’s hands in hers.

Forcing his eyes to open, blinking against the scratchiness and working doubly hard to make them focus, Sawyer looked around the room. Squeezing his mom’s hands, he tried to speak, but his throat was too dry.

“Here, man, here’s some water.” He hadn’t heard Decker in the room, but he knew without asking that his twin had been beside him the entire time he was out.

“Oh, Sawyer! I’m so glad to see those beautiful brown eyes.” Libby gently hugged him through tubes and wires draped across his chest. “Nate, go get the doctor.”

Before leaving the room, Nate walked to Sawyer’s bed and leaned in close to place a soft kiss on his forehead. “I love you, son. We all love you.”

The doctor entered shortly thereafter with a smile, but Sawyer sensed his underlying concern. “Sawyer, it’s good to see you awake. We kept you pretty heavily sedated for a few days to help your body heal and to keep you out of pain the best we could.” The doctor looked around at the family members present, “I need to do an exam and speak to Sawyer briefly. Could you all give us a moment?”

The captain set his jaw, but Libby touched his elbow gently and led him out of the room. Everyone else followed.

Before he left, Decker grasped Sawyer’s hand, “I heard you, man. I’m so sorry we didn’t get there in time.” A tear rolled down Decker’s cheek.

“Stop, it’s not your fault. I’m just glad you came for me.” Sawyer pulled his brother into a hug the best he could from his prone position.

Once he was alone with the doctor, Sawyer reached for the remote to sit himself up higher in bed. The movement caused screaming pain in his ribs, his breath catching as he tried to find a comfortable position.

Looking at the tag on the man’s coat, Sawyer watched as Dr. Hardin reached out and picked up another remote type gadget. “Push this button when the pain is too much. You can only use a certain amount, so no worries on overdosing.”

Sawyer instantly pushed the button, praying relief would come soon. As the searing pain in his ribs subsided slightly once he stopped moving, he noticed the dizziness and pounding in his head were worse while sitting up. Closing his eyes against the dizziness just brought more spinning.

Dr. Hardin took the remote from him and moved the bed so that he was only slightly angled. The room stopped spinning, so Sawyer gratefully just stayed in that position.

“Sawyer, I’m very sorry about what happened to you. I know the police want to speak to you, so whenever you’re feeling up to it, I’ll allow them to come in. Luckily we were able to get some partial foot print photos from the bruises along with a perfect outline of one of the attacker’s rings. We’ve already turned all of that information over to the police. First, though, I want to speak to you about your injuries and gather some information we weren’t able to get from your family.”

When Sawyer nodded, the doctor handed him more water. “Your throat is probably dry, drink this.”

Dr. Hardin settled in on a rolling stool. “So, your injuries are bad, but could have been much worse. You’ve got a concussion, which is why your head is pounding and you’re dizzy. You received 14 stitches in the gash above your eyebrow. It’s a good bet your nose is broken, but it’s not crooked, so we left it alone other than just packing it. You’ve got 2 broken ribs, those are probably the most painful and will take the longest to heal. Your kidneys are bruised from the kicks you sustained, but we’ve run some tests and they seem to be functioning normally. We checked your spleen, but found no swelling or other issues with it. You’re going to have some black eyes and a busted lip for several days. All in all, you’re in pretty rough shape.” The doctor looked at the stitches, felt around on his abdomen, and handed him more water. “You’ll need to keep drinking so that your kidneys can continue to work and heal.”

Sawyer sensed there was more the doctor needed to say. “Okay, so what are you not telling me?”

“Well, based on the type of injuries you came in with, and the fact that your family was pretty sure they knew who did it and why, we ran a rape kit as a standard precaution.”

Sawyer felt the room shift. “Shit, I think I’m going to be sick.” Closing his eyes, he breathed as deeply as his ribs would allow. “What did you find? I don’t remember that happening, but I know I passed out at one point.”

“Well, the examination did show recent evidence of anal penetration, but when speaking to your brother privately he was able to tell me that you’d recently had sexual relations. Can you confirm that for me?”

Swallowing thickly, Sawyer nodded, “Yes, not long before the attack. So, you don’t think I was raped or sexually assaulted?”

“No, the examination didn’t show any tearing or bruising that would be associated with a violent penetration, so I’m fairly certain you were not raped.” The doctor placed a comforting hand on his knee as Sawyer breathed a deep sigh of relief. “We also did an oral swab to confirm there was nothing forced into your mouth while you were out. That was clear as well.”

“Your family reports that you’ve seen a therapist in the past, is this correct?” The doctor consulted his notes. “A Dr. Parks?”

“Yes, I’ve been seeing him for a while now. I’m thinking it may be a good idea to up the appointments to a couple times a week for now, huh?” Sawyer tried a sarcastic smirk, but his busted lip prevented it.

“Yes, I will contact Dr. Parks and let him know the basic facts of the incident and have his office contact you about getting some appointments set up.” Dr. Hardin checked his notes again. “As long as you’re able to go to the restroom on your own and your kidneys continue to look good, I think you should be able to head home tomorrow afternoon. Do you have any questions for me?”

Shaking his head slightly, trying to avoid the dizziness, Sawyer closed his eyes. “No, doc, I think I’ve got it all. Whoa, when the meds kick in, they kick in hard. Tell my family they can come in, but make sure they know I’m about to pass out.” Sawyer’s tongue felt thick as he slurred his words to the man.

Sawyer spent most of the next day giving a statement to the police officers who came to speak to him, and trying to get his grandpa to stand down. The man was pissed, as was Sawyer, but he was trying to convince the captain that fighting violence with more violence was not the answer.

“They beat you up and threatened you, the business, and Luke, Sawyer! They deserve to be punished!” The captain paced the small hospital room.

“And they will be. The police officers said this appears to be an open and shut hate crime case. My lawyer has already assured me that she will fight for the toughest punishment allowed by law against all three of them. Heck, she even told me that their lawyers don’t hold out much hope; their job now consists of getting them the lightest sentences. There are security cameras all around that park, the police already confirmed that Joe, Ben, and Matt were seen entering that trail and then running back out of the woods about 15 minutes later. I’ve given my statement, I’ve identified all three of them, and they’ve already been arrested. The ring imprint on my face matches Matt’s ring; he squealed like a pig and turned the other two in. I also heard he slipped during the interrogation and basically outed himself when he found out I spoke to the police.”

The captain was not to be pacified, so Sawyer caught his hand. “Grandpa, I appreciate you wanting to fight back for me, but more than anything, I just need you by my side. I need you to help me heal and stand up to the hatred by coming back strong.”

When the older man finally relented and nodded his head, Sawyer sighed with relief.

Later, as the nurse took away his lunch tray and promised to get busy on his discharge papers, Decker and his cousins entered the room and shut the door.

Zach spoke first, “Man, I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think about you leaving by yourself and not having a way home.”

“Those fuckers better never darken our doorway again. I won’t lower myself to their level, out of respect for your wishes, but I’ll make sure the entire town of Torey Hope knows just what twat wads they are. I wouldn’t be surprised if all three of them lose their jobs after someone places a few well-meaning phone calls to their places of employment.” Kendrick winked, and Sawyer had to just shake his head.

“I’m so sorry, Sawyer. I know you said it’s not my fault, but I just feel like I should have heard you sooner, gotten to you quicker.” Decker sat in the chair beside his bed, head in his hands.

“Deck, don’t feel guilty. I didn’t even think to let your name run through my mind and call out for you until the very end. You probably got there right as they were finishing me off.” Sawyer reached out his hand and held Decker’s in his. “The twin connection comes through once more.” He smiled at his brother.

Sawyer looked at his twin and cousins. “We’re going to get through this. I will get through this. As long as I have you all on my side, we can do anything. I think a meeting with the town would be best at this point. If I need to step down, I will.” He held up his hand to halt the protests. “If it comes to that, we’ll deal with it then. But, no guilt or hard feelings between us. I want to go home and start feeling better. I won’t let the hatred of a few ruin what I have found with my family and friends.”

The four men hugged and stepped apart just as Hayden, Katie, and most of the rest of his family entered the room. The next three hours were spent with laughter and love filling his room to bursting. When the nurses finally kicked them out so Sawyer could change into street clothes Decker had brought him, his brother stalled at the door.

“Hey, Sawyer, I wanted you to know that we thought about calling Luke, but we figured you might want him to see you at home rather in the hospital. I hope that was okay.”

“Yeah, man, that’s exactly what I would have wanted you to do. Thanks.” Sawyer pulled him into a hug. “I’ll see you at home. There’s no way Mom and Dad are letting me leave here without them giving me a ride and making sure I’m all settled in.”

The twins laughed, both knowing it was true.

***********

It had been a couple of long, painful weeks, but Sawyer felt he was back to about 100%. He had insisted on only missing a couple days of work, but agreed to take it easy while he was there. Therapy had been going well. He’d long since grown accustomed to overcoming the anger of unfair situations based on his sexuality. There was hatred in the world and he knew he couldn’t control or end it all, but he knew he
could
work to end the fear, lack of understanding, and hatred in his small town.

His therapist had him working more now on overcoming his feelings of guilt. He felt guilty that The Center+ was going through some bumpy waters because of him. Although, his therapist was helping him reframe those feelings into “The Center+ is going through a rough time because of the choices and actions of others. I can’t control those people. I can only control myself, my own actions, and my own feelings. I will accept the support of my family and friends and move on in positive and productive ways.” He wasn’t completely over the guilt, but he was getting there.

Sitting in the weekly staff meeting, Sawyer knew he was next on the agenda. When Katie finished her part, she turned to him smiling, “And now the stage belongs to Sawyer.”

The meetings were always fun and relaxed, so Sawyer pretended to bow and blew kisses as the staff clapped for him in jest. He took a position at the head of the long table and cleared his throat.

“So, most of you have probably heard through the grapevine, but I thought I’d keep you updated on the legal stuff. Matt, Joe, and Ben have all been sentenced to a year in jail for the attack. They’ll serve their time outside of town since Torey Hope’s small jail can’t accommodate them. Last I heard, their families were planning to leave town as well, both to be closer to them and to avoid any problems here. I’d like to think Torey Hope wouldn’t treat their wives and children poorly just because of what those three did, but I can’t control that. Luckily, the evidence against them was fairly damning and they didn’t do themselves any favors during their police interviews. So, I just wanted to say I appreciate all of you letting the law take care of things. I am truly grateful that the judge was able to make a quick decision and get their sentences handed down so we can all move on.”

Sawyer took a drink and rubbed at the healing scar on his forehead.

“The next thing I wanted to talk about is that I think we should have the follow-up meeting with the town. I’ve noticed some people being very supportive, but I also think some would feel better if we addressed the situation and put their fears to rest.” Sawyer glanced around the room.

“I don’t like that we even have to calm fears. Some people are letting their lack of knowledge and predetermined notions about homosexuality play too big a part in their decision making. But, if Sawyer wants a meeting to clear the air, I’m for it.” Decker spoke to the rest of the room and everyone nodded their agreement.

***********

Sawyer nervously waited for the room to fill and the hands on the clock to hit 7:00 p.m. When Decker stepped to the podium and began speaking, Sawyer couldn’t help the feeling of pride and support he felt listening to his brother.

“Good evening. The Center+ has been around since before I was born. It’s made many changes over the years, and our family is proud to be the owners and managers of this integral part of Torey Hope. We hope that you will agree the changes we’ve implemented over the years have allowed for bigger and better programs and opportunities for you and your families.”

Taking a sip of water, Decker continued. “In light of the incident that took place a few weeks ago, we’ve decided it would be best to address any concerns you all might have in a public forum so that all questions can be answered. I’m going to hand it over to Ms. Turner so that she can explain our hiring and employment procedures and practices. Kate…” Decker stepped back and allowed Katie to take the podium.

“As Assistant Manager here at The Center+, I’m proud to be part of an ethically and legally sound business. When we hire any employee, a full criminal history is obtained. We follow every legal hiring procedure to ensure the safety of your families here at The Center+. In accordance with the Illinois Human Rights Act we are prohibited from discriminating against employees on basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, or disability. If we were to deny employment to qualified candidates based on any of these, we could be sued and forced to close down. That doesn’t even begin to get into the Non-Discrimination Laws we are also required, and pleased I might add, to follow. The Center+ prides itself on being a family oriented, fun, safe place where learning and enrichment can be found. We also pride ourselves in being open, fair, and equal to all members and staff.”

Katie shuffled her notes a bit, and then spoke. “I’m going to hand the stage over to Sawyer here in a moment. Before I do, I’d like to remind you that you’re allowed your opinions and your questions will be answered to the best of our abilities, however, hate speech will not be tolerated and we reserve the right to ask individuals to leave if they are in violation of Illinois Non-Discrimination Laws.”

She let that statement soak in while gathering her notes and stepping away from the microphone. Walking past Sawyer as he moved to take her place, she leaned in and kissed his cheek, whispering, “If at any moment you feel uncomfortable, just look at me, and I will step in.”

“I got this, Katie-girl. But, thanks.” Sawyer winked at her and took his place.

“Good evening, Torey Hope. I’m happy to see so many of you came out tonight either as a show of support for The Center+ or to get your questions and concerns addressed. One of the biggest foundations for hatred and discrimination today is the lack of knowledge about a certain subject. We fear that which we don’t understand; giving knowledge to that lack of understanding takes away the basis of fear. So, I commend those of you seeking knowledge and clarification this evening.”

Sawyer took a long drink of water and almost choked when the back door of the room swung open and Luke stood watching him. There had never been a better or worse time for the man to return to town. Sawyer fought the urge to rush across the room and gather him in his arms. Heart beating double time, Sawyer took a deep breath and opened things up for questions while forcing his eyes not to follow Luke’s every move.

Sawyer allowed comments and questions to be shared first in order to gather himself and see if a general theme was present in most of the concerns. He found quickly that the general themes of the fears were worry that he would sway the children who attended The Center+ or that he would basically come on to every man who walked through the doors.

Forcing himself to take the apprehensions seriously, Sawyer swallowed the laughter and smirk which were threatening. Letting his eyes skim over his brother and cousins, he had to fight harder to stamp down the laughter when he saw Kendrick’s eye roll. Watching Luke intently for a few seconds, he then returned his attention to the crowd.

“First, I want to offer my sincere promise that I’m not trying to recruit your children. I would never wish for a child to go through the struggles that accompany being gay….just as I would never wish for a child to struggle with diabetes or a learning disability or a physical disability…..being gay is not a choice or a whim. If a child or teen were to come to me and express he or she thought they were gay, I would offer them support just as I would to a child or teen struggling with self-harming or bullying or abuse or suicidal thoughts. I’m not here to press my sexuality upon anyone, but this is who I am, just as if I were a different race or a different religion. I’m here to teach classes and offer training to our students. I can be a role model in several different ways without my sexuality ever being brought into play or questioned. I love what I do, and I’m good at it. I hope that my sexual preference won’t deter you from allowing your child to learn all of the various art forms we offer here at The Center+ just as I would hope you wouldn’t keep your child from enrolling in classes if the instructor was of a different religion or race. As for me hitting on every male client, I’d like to ask if you hit on every member of the opposite sex.”

When laughter erupted and heads shook in the negative, Sawyer smiled and continued, “Just like I don’t hit on every member of the same sex. We all have different tastes and what we find attractive. I would never hit on someone unless I knew the feelings were reciprocated, and members of The Center+ are firmly on my Do Not Date list.” More laughter erupted, and Sawyer allowed for more questions. When none were presented, he stepped aside for Katie to conclude the meeting.

Feeling satisfied that he’d said all he could on the subject, Sawyer stepped from the podium and slipped through the side door with one goal in mind, finding Luke.

***********

Storming into the break room and locking the door behind him, Sawyer forced himself to slow down. His chest heaved, and he saw Luke was breathing just as heavily.

He crept toward Luke like a lion stalking his prey. When he reached the other man, he was momentarily thrown off when Luke launched himself at him and slammed a kiss against his mouth. Several hot, rough moments later, they surfaced from one of the most memorable kisses in Sawyer’s recollection.