IT WASN‘T YOUR FAULT (2/11)

The phone rang waking Brian Kinney and his partner, Justin Taylor, from a deep sleep.

“God, its 3:30 AM who could be calling at this time of night?”

“Answer the phone and find out Sunshine.”

“Hello, is Mr. Brian Kinney available?  This is Detective Coons of the Pittsburgh police.”

“Yes, just a second.  Brian it's the police.”

“Hello, what can I do for you?”

“Mr. Kinney are you the father of Gus Kinney?”

“Yes, what's he done?”  “Nothing Mr. Kinney but he was found unconscious with the body of the latest victim of the Liberty Avenue Strangler.  He's at the hospital; can you get down here as soon as possible?”

“Yes we'll be there as soon as physically possible.  Is Gus OK?”

“I can’t say from a medical point of view but he was attacked by the Strangler.  I‘ll see you as soon as you get here. I‘ll be in the 4th floor waiting room.”

“Justin, we have to get to the hospital again.  Gus was attacked by the Strangler.”

“OH MY GOD!”

“Justin where are my fucking keys?  How can we drive to the hospital if I can’t find my fucking keys?  Why was Gus on fucking Liberty Avenue, didn’t he go to Pittsburgh’s Homecoming Game with his boyfriend?  When was his curfew?  Why wasn’t he home in bed instead of wandering around on Liberty Avenue?  Gus knows the rules for November, no slightly built blond person in this household is near Liberty Avenue when it's dark without me being with him.  Why couldn’t that boy have taken after me instead of his mother?  He could have been a tall dark haired Adonis, but no he had to grow up into a blond, short, adorable twink.  Why am I babbling like a fool?”

“Because you are scared to death about Gus’ welfare.  Your keys are on the hook by the door.  Come here and let me button up your shirt so you don’t look like a 3-year-old who dressed himself for the first time.  Calm down Brian we'll go get in the car and drive to the hospital.  We'll find out how Gus is doing and why he was on Liberty instead of home in bed where we thought he was.  Gus never missed his curfew before so we went to bed without checking to see if he had gotten home.  I think I’ll drive since I don’t want to wind up in the hospital instead of just visiting it.  You know Brian if I hadn‘t known it was done out of love I would have resented your November rules.”

“Justin you can drive faster than this.”

“Brian traffic is practically bumper to bumper and I’m going as fast as physically possible. Whol would've thought that Pittsburgh's Homecoming festivities would keep the streets this full this late at night?  We can’t help Gus if we're in an accident.  Brian you have to control your emotions until we find out what is going on with Gus.  He'll need you to be his strong silent Pop just like you have always been around him.”

“Justin I can’t help but think of the last time we had to go to the hospital to get Gus after the police called.”

“Brian that was a long time ago and a completely different situation.”

“Still I’m glad that Gus was too young to remember that horror.  I’m still horrified and all I saw was pictures. Blood everywhere, on everything; Gus was in his high chair in the middle of it for hours.  Luckily the neighbor had enough sense to call the police when she heard him crying and couldn’t get the Munchers to answer the door.”

“Brian you aren’t to blame for any of that incident.”

“I should've made that damn Frenchman leave that day.”

“Lindsay told him he could spend the night and find a new place to stay the next day.  None of us could have known that he would go crazy and drug Lindsay and Melanie then cut their throats at the supper table, then kill himself with the knife he used to slice the bread.  They died knowing that you wanted the best for your son and that you had signed your parental rights over to Melanie so that Gus could be raised by a couple who loved him and each other.”

“I still should've known that bastard would do something and gotten him out of our lives then and there.”

“Brian there was nothing you could've done then and you weren’t to blame then and you aren’t to blame for whatever has happened to Gus tonight.  He's the one that went to Liberty Avenue knowing the November rules of the Kinney household.”

“I know that Justin but I still should've done something. I could've hired a bodyguard to follow him everywhere he went.   Are we there yet?”

“He would've never spoken to you again if you had hired a bodyguard Brian, the boy is growing up whether we like it or not.  The hospital is on the next block Brian, we'll know what happened soon enough.”

TBC