The Animal Song – 1/2 – Duochanfan

Reading Time: 105 Minutes

Title: The Animal Song
Series: Affirmation
Series Order: 2
Author: Duochanfan
Fandom: 9-1-1
Genre: Angst, Crime Drama, Drama, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Relationship(s): Evan Buckley/Lou Ransone, Background relationships
Content Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Hate Crimes, Hate Speech, Violence-Graphic, Violence-Domestic, Violence-Against Children/Child Abuse. Bigotry, Canon Natural Disasters, Canon Typical Violence, Character Bashing, Dark Themes, Death Minor Character, Discussion Death of Children, Gun Violence, Homophobia, Injury, Kidnapping of a Minor, Attempted Murder, Attempted Murder of a Minor, Murder, Stalking.
Author Note: BytheBry helped a lot with the romance side of things in this part. So thank you, for all the help with this bit!
Beta: HarleyJQuin. Thank you so much for the editing you’ve done, and all the commas you made me add!
Alpha: HarleyJQuin, Once again, thank you for all the help with everything, and to BytheBry for your help with the romance side of things!
Word Count: 50,955
Summary: Evan arrived in LA, meeting with Isabel and Edmundo Diaz, the two take him in as he starts university, and becomes the godfather of one very adorable baby, Christopher Diaz. He settles into life in LA, finding friends, a relationship and even a career that he hadn’t thought of before.
Artist: Tpena19
Artist Appreciation: Thank you so much for the art, and I still am squealing over the cast image for this one!

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Chapter One

Evan was in the hospital waiting room, which made a change to be the one waiting instead of receiving treatment. Five other adults were waiting with him for news from Eddie about Shannon. Not long after Evan had arrived in Los Angeles, Eddie had told him that Shannon was pregnant. They had kept it quiet as his parents would want them to marry. While they were good friends, they weren’t in love with each other; so it had taken until Shannon was almost seven months along before Eddie had finally told his parents. Then it had started, a battle of wills between Eddie and Shannon and his parents, Ramon and Helena Diaz. In the end, it had taken Evan being a blunt asshole to both Shannon and Eddie, to get them to see that remaining in El Paso was only going to get worse for them both.

Eddie had agreed and ended up selling the home he had bought in El Paso and putting a down payment on one in Los Angeles for himself, Shannon, and the baby when they arrived. Less pressure on Shannon had been a godsend. Her mother had been there while Eddie was deployed, and Isabel and Pepa had both taken to spending time with her and making sure she was okay. Edmundo and Evan had taken to getting things ready at the house. Evan had even spent a little time with her, around his university classes, outside of helping ready the house for the baby’s arrival. Shannon’s due date had been two days ago, and Eddie had arrived just in time. Now, Shannon was in labour and Eddie with her. Everyone else was outside waiting.

Ramon and Helena had arrived, trying to bustle their way into the hospital room. In the end, they had come close to being thrown out of the hospital and banned from re-entering.

“We should be in there,” Helena snapped as she looked to the doors, hating that she had to wait for news on her grandchild.

“You’re not the mother, Helena,” Edmundo stated, glaring at the woman, “We’ve told you many times that you’re a grandmother, not a mother to the child that is about to come into this world. Leave your entitlement in the damn gutter woman,” he snapped at her.

“How dare you speak to me like that!” Helena yelled.

“I will speak to a woman that has no manners any way I please. When you show some respect and care about people then I will speak to you properly. Until then I won’t waste what manners I have on you,” he snipped back. He had never liked Helena, she was so full of herself and uncaring of her children’s wellbeing. It had galled him for how much he had let happen to his grandson.

“Ramon!” Helena said as she demanded her husband do something about his father.

“Papa,” Ramon began.

“Hush up, Ramon,” Isabel said this time, “What did you expect? You come here like you own the damn place. You both caused trouble making them delay getting Shannon the help she needed. The little bebe was in trouble and neither of you cared!” she hissed at them both. “I’m ashamed of you both, especially you, Ramon. That is your son and your grandchild, and you couldn’t control your wife long enough for them to get the best medical care as soon as it was needed. No you both needed to cause a scene and delay treatment. If anything happens to that little bebe, then it shall be on your heads!”

“Mama!” Rmaon said, eyes going wide at the warning.

“What? You know it to be true. You both caused problems that shouldn’t have existed because you went in there when you weren’t supposed to. Instead of them dealing with Shannon and the baby, they had to deal with you both and get you out of there!” she reminded him, looking disgusted and disappointed at the two.

Helena huffed, “I have a right to be there when my grandchild is born.”

“So, I should have been in the delivery room with you when my grandchildren were born?” Isabel stated, staring at her.

“What? NO!” Helena said, horrified by the thought.

“Then why would you say that?” Edmundo asked her, “Pervert, that is what you are, disgusting,” he said, with a sneer.

“I am not!” Helena protested.

“Then why did you want to be in the room to watch?” Evan had to ask as he looked up from where he was reading a book.

“This has nothing to do with you, you’re not family!” Helena sneered at the young man. Neither she nor Ramon liked the fact that he was staying with Isabel and Edmundo at all.

“He’s more family than either of you are,” Edmundo told her, “Evan is to be godfather to the child that is about to be born. He has been there for Shannon and Eddie, more than you two have. Instead of being there and supporting them, helping them, you’ve done nothing but hinder and berate them. Eddie isn’t a child anymore, he hasn’t been in a long time. He’s an adult, about to become a father, and instead of imparting wisdom, you’ve imparted insecurity and hesitation. Shannon and Eddie are going to be fine with the people that are around them.”

Janet looked up, she had been listening to the two and was sick of them, “I wish you would both leave. You’ve caused my daughter so much pain just being assholes.”

“How d-”

“Oh, stick a fucking sock in it, Helena,” Janet snapped, “You’ve always been haughty and full of yourself, even when you were younger, thinking you’re better than anyone else. But really, you’re nothing but an entitled woman who was never told no when a child. Now, as an adult, you think the world should bend to your will. Or did you forget that I was in the year below you at school in El Paso,” she reminded her. “I remember the queen bee of the year above. The one that was always in trouble, but got out of it because dear old daddy had a bit of money he could throw at the problem to make it go away,” she sneered, “Not only that, I remember that you got expelled from the school in the end, since your daddy couldn’t always buy you out of trouble. Especially when you almost killed someone with your bullying. What did the courts do that time…” she trailed off, a little smirk playing on her face.

Helena went pale and said nothing as Eddie finally came out. Looking a little shocked and in awe of what he had just witnessed. “Eddie,” Helena said as she went to get up.

Eddie ignored her and went to Janet, “She’s fine, there were complications, but she is doing just fine. The baby is okay but is on oxygen at the moment. She wants you there, the nurse will take you to her.”

“She’s okay?” Janet asked as she jumped to her feet.

“She is. Go and see her,” he smiled at her, gently pushing her towards the nurse who was waiting.

“How come she is allow-” Helena protested as she and Ramon got to their feet.

“Because she is Shannon’s mother and she wants her there. I have just watched as she had to push out a baby that had turned, too late for a c-section because of you both,” Eddie said, turning to look at his parents. “I won’t put Shannon through having to put up with either, because you could have caused both of their deaths with your actions. I’m so fucking pissed at you. Go back to your hotel, you won’t be seeing your grandchild today at all. And I will tell security to bar you from entry if you try and push it. I’m not going to be around two people who almost cost me, my child, and my friend. Maybe tomorrow, we’ll allow a short visit.”

“I want to see my grandchild now,” Helena demanded as she tried to push past Eddie.

“Try that again and I’ll call security to escort you away. And I’ll make sure that they know that you’re not allowed back to visit at all,” Eddie warned her, being firm.

“I’ve already called security,” Evan said as he stood to one side, “I called them as soon as they began to try and push past. Just say the word when they arrive and they will be escorted out.”

“How dare you interfere,” Ramon sapped at the young man.

The eighteen-year-old rolled his eyes, “I’m doing so to protect my friends and their child,” he told him, “You two are being assholes. You came in, created a scene, and caused a delay in treatment for Shannon when something was going wrong. Instead of showing any remorse for what happened, you’re acting like entitled assholes. You have no care for the people around you, but what you perceive is yours. And no one here is going to cater to it. So, leave and come back when Eddie allows it, or be escorted out and don’t come back at all. The choice, in the end, is yours. You need to hurry up and decide,” he added as security was now standing next to him.

“I will make sure you leave my family alone,” Ramon stated as he and Helena finally left.

“Thanks, Evan,” Eddie smiled at him, “Abuela, Abuelo, Shannon said it’s fine for the three of you to come and see the baby and her. She’s tired and in pain still. But she really is okay.”

“Good,” Evan said as Isabel and Edmundo stood up.

“Very good,” Isabel smiled, “Shannon is a lovely woman, and she doesn’t need the drama that those two always bring with them.”

“I don’t know where I went wrong with that boy,” Edmundo said, shaking his head.

“You raised two other boys and two girls well, Abuelo,” Eddie said as he smiled at him, “I think it was more my mother that changed him for the worse. From how you talk about him when he was younger, he was different. Now, it’s all about him and her, and what they want. Not what others might need.”

Edmundo nodded, “She turned his head in the worst way,” he agreed as they began to head inside.

“Come on, Evan,” Eddie said as Evan hesitated a little bit. Eddie grabbed his arm, “You have to come and meet your godson,”

“God… son…” Evan began, “it’s a boy?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Eddie smiled at him, “wasn’t meant to let slip just yet, but well…” he shrugged, “I have a son, Ev,” he grinned widely. “I can’t believe that he’s here now. I never… I never thought I would be a dad, didn’t know if I wanted kids. But now that he’s here, I can’t imagine it any other way, and it’s barely been an hour since he was born.”

Evan nodded and the two followed Isabel and Edmundo to the room where Shannon was resting. Eddie opened the door and let them all inside before following them. “Shannon,” he said as he walked over to the bed, frowning when he saw the little bundle in her arms.

“He’s doing fine without the oxygen at the moment, but if his stats drop they’ll put him back,” she told him as she gestured to the nurse that was monitoring the baby.

“Alright,” he nodded. He had thought he would be taking them down to the NICU one by one, instead of seeing that they had brought his son back while he went to get everyone.

“So, what have you named the bebe?” Isabel asked as she went over and smiled at the baby before looking at Shannon, “You did so well, mija,” she said as she kissed a sweaty forehead.

Edmundo stepped forward, the small bouquet of flowers in his hands, “Well done, mija,” he said as he handed them over, “You are amazing, like many women before you. You’ve brought new life to this world, a precious gift you have given us all,” he told her, giving her an awkward hug as he was careful of the baby lying between them.

“Told you, you were a spartan,” Evan grinned from where he stood.

Shannon looked at him and then at Eddie, “Eddie, why don’t you take our son and show him his godfather, and introduce the two,” she said.

Eddie nodded as he went over and took the baby from her, as a nurse came and got the flowers. Eddie went over to Evan and said, “Evan, meet your Godson, Christopher Evander Diaz.”

“E… Evander?” he asked, frowning as Christopher was placed in his arms.

“Yeah, if it weren’t for you, we’d be in El Paso, and no doubt being forced to marry. We’re friends, but not anything more,” Eddie told him.

“You helped me stand up to Helena and Ramon when they came here,” Shannon added, “You cut your parents from your life, and one of them changed for the better.”

“I may be doing the same with my own,” Eddie said, “But for now…” he trailed off.

Evan nodded as he looked at the tiny baby in his arms, “I’m in awe of you both,” he whispered, “Hey, Chris, I’m your godfather, Evan. I’ll do everything I can to be there for you, to love you and be someone you can rely on,” he promised quietly as soon, Christopher was meeting the rest of the family.

Chapter Two

Evan looked up from what he was working on. He was watching over Christopher while Shannon went to see her mother, who had become a little ill over the last couple of weeks since seeing Christopher the first time. The two-month-old was happily chewing on a hand as he lay on his back on the play mat. Shannon walked in, eyes red as it was obvious that she had been crying.

Evan got up and went over to her, “Shan?” he asked.

Shannon looked at him and burst into tears, “She… she has breast cancer… I don’t…” she began as Evan enveloped her in his arms and held her as she cried.

“What… what stage?” he asked, after finding out about Daniel he had spiraled and learned what he could about leukemia, which in turn led to him researching other cancers, the most common ones he heard of, including breast cancer.

“Stage one, they said it hadn’t spread to the nearby lymph nodes yet,” she told him, wiping at her tears as she moved away from him.

Evan let her go, “You know we’re all right here with you. They caught it early, there’s a good chance that she’s going to be just fine. They’ll operate to get rid of the cancer cells, and then chemo or radiotherapy, depending on what the doctors think would be best for Janet. We’ll be there for her, she won’t be alone. Neither of you will.”

Shannon nodded, crying once more as she went to her son and picked him up for a cuddle. “Thank you, for watching him and just… being here,” she told him.

“You know I’ll be here, for you and him, and Eddie when he’s around. I’ll be there to help with Janet as well, if you need it. I don’t mind. My… I had a brother, who had leukemia when he was five. He passed away at eight years old, when I was almost one year old. My dad went through a lot when losing him, but he… was very ill, they didn’t catch it early and it was an aggressive type as well. From what you said they caught Janet’s early, and she has a great chance of being just fine. And we’ll all be there for her to cheer her on and get that remission and then all clear,” Evan said, encouragingly.

Shannon turned and smiled at him through the tears, “You’re a damn good friend, Evan Buckley,” she told him, “I’m so glad you’re here. I… I would be stuck in El Paso with Chris alone if you hadn’t gotten through to me and Eddie that we didn’t have to stay there.”

“Eddie loves his parents, but also… hates them in turn. They keep trying to control him, and what he does. I know some of the things that happened when he was young as well. He… doesn’t talk about the abuses he suffered much. The control they had over him back then is all gone; it’s why they are berating him all the time about marrying you. They think you both should marry, and they would be doing what they could to control him through you and Christopher. I think it would be the worst thing you could do, though. Stay strong against them, and what’s to come with your mom. She’s a good woman, and we’ll be her cheer squad,” he told her.

Shannon gave a weak laugh, “Yeah, yeah we will,” she said, sounding a little stronger than she had moments before.

Evan smiled at her, “How about I cook us something for dinner,” he told her, “you spend some cuddle time with your son.”

Shannon nodded, “What would I do without you,” she said, a soft smile on her face as she went to sit down and cuddle with her son who was now making little noises.

“I’ll sort out a bottle for him as well,” he added before heading into the small kitchen to make up a bottle and start on something to eat for the two of them.

XxXxX

Evan sneezed and grumbled. He hated it; this was the fourth cold he’d had since arriving in LA. He knew he was going to be more open to infections, coughs and colds, but this felt ridiculous to him. But there he was, down with another cold that was starting to get to his chest. He grumbled as he got up and went toward the kitchen, only to stop when Isabel stood in the way.

“Is-” he began as he looked down at her.

“It’s Abuela, to you, remember,” she said, tapping his chest and rolling her eyes at how stubborn the young man was.

“Sorry,” Evan said, “Abuela, I was just going to get myself a tea, that’s all.”

“Back to bed with you, I heard you coughing and sneezing,” she told him, “Get some rest and I’ll bring in some honeyed tea, and I’ll make up my caldo de pollo for you. It will do you good, just like the other times,” she said, as she began to turn him around to shoo him back to his bedroom.

“Really, Abuela, I’m okay to do thi-” he began, only to stop and cough a few times, “ugh,” he muttered.

“Rest, that is what you need, and some good food and drink. Something to warm you up but not weigh you down,” she told him.

“Okay,” he said, shaking his head a few times before going back to his room. He sank onto his bed, his whole body ached already and he just hoped that this cough and cold would leave quickly. He was supposed to watch Christopher for Shannon in two days when she went with her mom to the doctors to discuss treatment. He hoped someone would be able to take over if he couldn’t do it. He closed his eyes, for a moment, content to drift a little before he went back to his coursework. He then opened them again and grabbed his phone to warn Shannon of what was going on. He didn’t want to pass on whatever was up with him to Christopher or Janet. Wouldn’t do for either of them to get ill.

His phone started to ring before he had even put it down. He smiled a little as he saw his dad was calling. They were getting along well, the man had driven his car all the way from Hershey and arrived just before his birthday last year. Eric and his family had also come over to LA to celebrate. Just like in January, Evan had gone to Hershey for Eric’s eighteenth. Eric was bemoaning the fact that he had gone to a college in Hershey instead of looking further afield.

“Hi, Dad,” he said, coughing a few times as he sat up and sipped at the water he had by his bedside.

“You sound a little rough,” Phillip replied, a touch of worry in his voice.

“Just another cold, seriously it’s been what, seven months since I arrived out here I’ve almost had one a month since then,” he snorted. “But, yeah, I’m okay, just a little off. Should be fine in a week, as always.”

“They did say that you’d be more susceptible to them for a couple of years, but things should level out for you in time,” Phillip reminded him.

“I know, Dad,” he said, “But it doesn’t mean it doesn’t get annoying,” he snorted, “Hows-” he paused to cough as the door to his room opened, “Abuela.”

“Here, honey and lemon tea,” she said as she put the mug on the bedside table. “Rest up,” she reminded him before leaving the room again.

“At least I know you’re going to be just fine with Isabel and Edmundo there to take care of you,” Phillip said with a small chuckle.

“Yeah,” Evan said, a soft smile on his face. “So, how’s Hershey?” he asked.

“It’s been peaceful. Maddie’s still blaming everyone but Doug for what’s happened. Margaret has been… her usual self. Her sister Jessica has tried to talk me into reuniting with her. Not happening, of course. But Margaret did try. I think I might end up moving away from here. Other than that, it’s been okay.”

“So not exactly peaceful then,” Evan rolled his eyes.

Phillip laughed, “Maybe not. I have been thinking about moving more and more over the last month. I don’t know if I want to stay in Hershey and the businesses can be run remotely without me being there all the time. Hell, I spend more time at home than I do in an office. Simon helps as well, and he’s in Cleveland, and he runs some of them from there. He just travels when he needs to, just like he did when he lived in France for over a decade,” he snorted.

“You have good memories and bad ones in Hershey. like I do. Maybe moving is a good thing for you. But, think about what you want and just… do it, Dad,” Evan encouraged him.

Phillip chuckled lightly, “You make it sound so easy,” he said.

“It can be as easy or as hard as you make it,” he told him. “I think it might just be good for you to get away from where Margaret is. Let Maddie know that she can always get in touch and maybe tell her where you are. Or at least a way for her to contact you if she needs it.”

“Yeah, she’s still… arguing that Doug hasn’t done anything. People are… those that she was friends with at the hospital, have told her to wake up because they had seen the bruises and other injuries that he’d caused. She doesn’t want to admit what he’s done. She… isn’t going to leave him unless…” he trailed off, not wanting to think about what could happen should his daughter stay with Doug.

“Something drastic happens to her, and with him locked away, nothing will. She’ll continue to bury her head in the sand to pretend she has a perfect life. She’s just like Margaret in that respect,” Evan pointed out to his dad

“Very much so,” Phillip sighed. “I’m going to try and talk to her again, to see what I can do, but… there isn’t really much I can do. Just taking her away from Hershey, away from Doug, will have her resenting us all the more.”

“Yeah, it’s what my psychology professor said when I was in college. I asked him about it, and he said that a lot of DV victims will often stay because they think that the person can change. Or that they have come to believe that they are the ones at fault. It isn’t, but it’s what often gets in their head. All we can do is remind her that we’re here for her, and we’re going to wait. Even with the way she has been, she’s following Margaret and Doug, all the way at the moment,” Evan said, frowning as he thought of his sister. She still hadn’t admitted that Doug had attacked him. He always called her from a burner phone, not wanting her to have his new number, since she’d been trying to harass him into changing his story since not long after he had moved to LA.

“We’ll see what she does. I’ve told Jessica what to help her with, but she doesn’t believe anything bad about Doug either,” Phillip said, huffing.

“Yeah,” Evan said as he began to cough, “Ugh, I hate this so much,” he muttered before taking the hot lemon and honey tea that Isabel always made for him and sipping at it.

“Right, I’ll let you rest, I’ll call you again in a couple of days. I’m going to think about the move a little more,” he sighed.

“Alright, Dad, I’ll talk to you later, and really, do what you think is best for you,” he advised his dad before they said their goodbyes and hung up.

Evan yawned and got up, he still had an assignment to finish, or rather get part way through. He sat at his desk in his room, quietly working, sipping his drink until Isabel came in with her caldo de pollo.

“Evanito,” she scolded as she saw him at his desk, “you’re supposed to be resting.”

“I’m alright, Abuela,” he told her, as she came to the desk and put the tray down, “and thank you for this, really. I’ll get some rest after I eat, I promise,” he told her.

Isabel looked at him, “Fine, but I’ll come in and check, if you are not resting, then I’ll sit in here while you rest, to make sure,” she threatened, a sweet smile on her face.

Evan smiled and nodded, “I will,” he told her again, as he began to eat, humming a little at the taste as she left him alone.

Chapter Three

Evan sighed, he was bored and alone. Shannon was spending time with her mother, the two had taken Christopher out for the day. Edmundo had surprised Isabel with a day out as well. So Evan was alone. He was bored as hell. He hadn’t even had a chance to find a small part-time job yet. Though he was thinking about looking once again, now that he’d gotten a good rhythm going with his assignments, lectures, and spending time with people. Though he often found those his own age, a little too immature for him.

They were full of themselves, most of them hadn’t had their own mother try and kill them, or even a brother-in-law. They didn’t have to move out of their home at sixteen just to be able to live to see eighteen. They just… weren’t on his level in a way. They didn’t know the worst that the world had to throw at you, and most will never see it. Evan looked up as he spotted a few runners meeting. He had taken to going to a small coffee shop near the campus, watching as a group would go running past. They often stopped outside the cafe, taking a breather and a few moments before they would head off again. It was a nice little group of around six people.

Evan took a chance and got up, heading outside he went over to one of the members, “Hi,” he said, feeling slightly nervous.

“Hi,” she said, “is… everything okay?” she asked.

“I’ve noticed you and your group running here for the last couple of weeks and I was wondering if I would be able to join you. I normally go to a gym and run there, but… I think it might be better to go out and about around LA,” he babbled a little.

“Yeah, we’re on facebook, you can find us there under LARunners. I’m Nicole, there’s sometimes more of us, but we all have different shift work. But we welcome anyone into the group, if people are interested. Though most of us got here by word of mouth,” she said with a smile.

“Shift work? I’m a student at the uni, is… that okay?” he asked, frowning.

“Most of us are cops, nurses, doctors, and firefighters. I’m a nurse,” she said, “I’m Nicole Lewis, on facebook, where’s your phone?” she asked.

Evan pulled it out and let her go to his Facebook and got him to join the group. “Thank you, I don’t really have any friends at all. Tend to stick to those older than me, since they know that the world isn’t so black and white,” he said, giving a little shrug.

“Then you should be fine with us, we sometimes talk shop, when we take a little break. We don’t just run, we go hiking and swimming as well as surfing in the ocean. You’re welcome to join us for all of it.”

“That… would be great, what times do you meet and that?” he asked.

“All of it is on Facebook, but we do each thing mostly once a week, except the running which is twice. But we have different times up weekly for them, since, like I said, we all do shift work. Three of our usual members aren’t here at the moment, two worked a late shift and the other had court today,” she told him, “Feel free to contact me over messenger, but all the details are on there, it’s a private group as well, so no worries there about people seeing what we’re doing. Be warned, we do a background check, we allow you into the group for a good week or two before we decide if you fit in properly. They want to make sure we’re all safe as we can be.”

“That’s fine, I don’t mind at all. I’m Evan Buckley, and I’m a student at UCLA doing criminology,” he told her, shrugging.

“Right, thank you for that,” Nicole said, “We’ll be meeting in four days time for another run, but we have swimming in the ocean tomorrow and the day after a hike. A break day, though some of us meet just to have others to talk to. Our schedules are busy at times, and we don’t always get a chance to socialize with others who aren’t on the same shift or working the same job as you.”

“I’m only eighteen, so bars and clubs are out for me,” he grinned, getting a laugh from Nicole.

“That they would, but we usually meet at cafes and late night diners. Not all of us drink, and those that do tend to do it with their co-workers more than the group,” she smiled.

“Nicole, are we heading off?” another asked as he walked over.

“Just inducting someone new, a student this time,” Nicole grinned at him, “This is Mathew Fredricks, he’s a cop.”

“Hi,” Mathew said with a firm nod. “I’ll check him out later, or ask Lou to do it.”

“Either of you would be fine,” she said, “Right, we’ve got to go, but be sure to look at the group and see when we next meet and where,” she told him.

Evan nodded as he tucked his phone away, “I will, thanks” he said. He enjoyed running in the gym, but he liked the idea of running around the city a lot more. He had taken up running after physio on his leg after getting out of the cast. It had helped to build up the muscles, and he had carried on working out and taking care of himself when he could. Evan smiled as he made his way back to camps, now if the group he was to meet for studying was what they said they were, then things might be looking up for him. They said they were a more mature group, and he just hoped that was the truth.

XxXxX

The end of May came with a few changes in Evan’s life. He had taken to the running group well. He still hadn’t met everyone over the last two weeks. It sounded like one of them was a detective and waist-deep in an investigation at the moment. And another was on a slight shift change and had been too tired to make the last few. The study group had been what he’d needed, the older students had been wary at first, but they soon warmed up to him when he wasn’t going out partying like most students his own age.

Evan looked at Isabel as she was busy cooking, “Right, so the tables are up and ready,” he said as he smiled at the woman. Pepa and her husband had taken Edmundo out for the day, while Isabel and Evan got the house ready for the rest of the Diaz clan to descend for Edmundo’s birthday. Ramon and Helena were also going to be arriving soon, and it would be the first time since Christopher’s birth that they would be in LA. Shannon was in two minds about attending, but Isabel and Edmundo had reassured her that they would take their son and daughter-in-law to task if they started anything. Eddie had been dealing with them, even though he was overseas. They’d tried calling Shannon, but after the first call she answered where Helena had tried to tell her to give up custody of Christopher, because in her mind, she was the only one able to raise Christopher correctly, she’d ignored all future calls, not willing to put up with their abusive comments..

“Good, are Luis and Miguel still in the garden?” she asked.

“Yeah, they’re keeping an eye on the barbacoa, they’ve been tending it all day,” Evan said, as he looked around the kitchen and asked, “Is there anything you want me to do?”

“Everything is ready,” she told him, “Just have to wait for everyone to arrive,” she added, “but do help me bring some of the food out, and get it covered up. Luis will be on the hunt if it’s not covered,” she smiled as she talked about the eldest of her grandsons. All five of her children were going to be together. Her eldest son had flown in from Canada, and her other son had come over from Ohio, their other daughter had arrived a few hours before from Sacramento. All five children and nearly all the grandchildren would be there and great-grandchildren. Isabel was excited to see everyone.

“I’m worried if I should be he-”

“Get that thought out of your head, Evan,” Isabel said, “You’re not going anywhere.”

“I’ll be going to get Shannon, Janet and Christopher in a few,” he reminded her.

“I know, now, help me bring some of the food out ready. Then you should head and get them. How is Janet doing?” she asked as the two began to put the food together in containers and take them out.

“She’s doing okay. It was a shock of course, but they got the date for the operation and if that goes well, she’ll start chemotherapy two weeks after that,” Evan answered her, “She’s scared, of course, but she’s coping well. She started going to therapy, a group one, to help deal with what’s going on.”

“What about Shannon?” she then asked, as they walked outside, the smell of the beef that was cooking making their mouths water.

“Shannon is… hanging on. She’s scared out of her mind that she’s going to lose her mom. They caught it early, and things are looking good for Janet, but that doesn’t stop her worrying. Not only that but she thinks that there is something wrong with Christopher. Because of the way he was born, they are keeping an eye on things. I’m not really seeing what she is, but she’s around him all the time. So, I’m cautious about that. So she’s worrying about her mom and Chris, I just hope that Ramon and Helena can keep their mouths shut when they arrive,” Evan said, sighing a little as he picked up another full serving dish.

“They will, if they do not wish to be thrown out, I will not have them being their usual selves. This is a party for my Edmundo, I won’t let them spoil it,” she huffed.

Evan smiled at her, “Yeah,” he said, as they two carried on bringing things out, Luis and Miguel helped them as well.

Two hours later everyone had arrived. Christopher was the youngest member of the Diaz family, and Shannon was feeling a little overwhelmed with everyone coming over and talking with her and saying hello to little Christopher, who was content in his mothers arms. Evan walked over and sat beside her, Janet was off talking with the eldest daughter, Luciana. “here, would you hold him?” Shannon asked.

“You know I would never say no to cuddles with my godson,” Evan smiled as he took Christopher into his arms. The three month old barely made a noise at the change, only looking up and huffing a little before slipping off to sleep. He’d been fed and changed almost an hour ago, and was now sleepy and tired.

“I don’t see Ramon or Helena,” she whispered.

“That’s because they decided that they were going to start harassing me for living here still. Then they got worked up about me being this little one’s godfather, then about Eddie and you not being parents at all and that they should take over. Abuela kicked them out and told them when they could apologise, then they would be let back in,” her snorted. They had arrived just before Evan had left to get Shannon and her family. Isabel had quickly put a stop to things and Luis and Miguel had happily escorted them out when they started to refuse.

“Good, I didn’t want to hear them tell me I’m a bad mother again,” she said softly.

Evan looked at her, “You’re a great mother, you know what my own did. And Helena, well, she’s not a good mother either. She’s a damn controlling b… Well something not very nice. And both of them are abusive,” he said, “Now, Isabel, she… she is a great mother. She loves all her kids unconditionally, just like Janet loves you, and you love Christopher. You have two people in your life that are showing you how to be a good mother, be like them, and I don’t think you’ll go wrong at all. Pepa and Luciana are good mothers as well. Forget Helena and Ramon, they aren’t worth thinking about, even Eddie says that. Sophia and Adriana take their parents side, but…” he trailed off, thinking about some of the things that Eddie had to say about his sisters, and their past actions.

Shannon smiled, “Yeah, Helena… keeps calling, leaving voicemails,” she began.

“Change your number and block theirs. Don’t give them a damn inch,” he told her, “I blocked my sister because she constantly berated me and demanded that I admit to her that I was lying about her piece of shit husband trying to kill me. I only have the burner phone for her, for when she realizes that he’s an abusive piece of shit and she needs to leave.”

Shannon nodded, “Can you come with me tomorrow to help set up a new phone number and get all their numbers blocked?” she asked.

“Sure, I have a lecture in the morning, but I’m free for the afternoon,” he agreed.

“Thanks,” she smiled as she started to relax now that she knew Ramon and Helena weren’t there. It wasn’t long before a birthday cake was set down in front of Edmundo and the man was told to make a wish.

Chapter Four

Shannon was still like a statue. Janet had gone in almost two hours before. The doctor said the surgery would take around two hours, barring any complications. She was having the cancer lump removed and a little of the surrounding tissue. Shannon was nervously waiting for news on how the operation had gone. Evan held her hand, Christopher was with Isabel and Edmundo for the day, while the two waited at the hospital. If everything went well, then Janet would be able to come home the very same day.

“I hate this,” Shannon murmured, too afraid to speak too loud.

“I know,” Evan said as he looked at his friend, “it’s going to be okay. You told me that the doctors and her surgeon were optimistic for her and that this would be behind her before the end of the year.”

“But it won’t. She might end up in remission, but she won’t be declared cancer-free for years yet. Years, Evan, and I don’t… I don’t know if I can handle that uncertainty. Chris has his check-up next week, and then it’s Eddie’s birthday, and he’s not going to be here. I need him home, I can’t,” she began and then trailed off.

Evan brought her into his arms and held her as she cried quietly. “I know you’re feeling overwhelmed, and Eddie is overseas at the moment. You know that’s what he wants to do with his career,” he reminded her gently. “But you have so many others that you can rely on. There’s me, Isabel, Edmundo, Pepa, and more. The whole family is here for you as well as Janet. We’re here for both of you. You’re not doing this alone, and while Eddie might be half a world away, he’s still contacting you all the time. He still wants to know how you’re doing.”

“I know, sometimes I just wish I had someone there all the time. I know me and Eddie aren’t really together, but I sometimes feel like a failure because we aren’t. Chris is supposed to have two parents and it feels like I failed in not marrying Eddie,” she told him, being honest for once.

“Eddie and you aren’t right for each other like that. You both told me that you don’t love each other, that even when you dated in high school, you both knew it wasn’t going to last. You clash in the worst way at times, I’ve seen that,” he snorted, remembering some of their more colorful arguments when Eddie was on leave when Christopher was born.

Shannon laughed a little, wiping her eyes, “Yeah, yeah, you’re right on that. We care about each other; but as lovers and romantic partners, we fucking suck at it. I just wish he wasn’t missing so much of Chrisothers life. It feels like he’s going to blink and he’s going to be one, then two, and he would have missed all the in-between things. Like when he starts crawling, walking, saying his first word,” she sighed, “I’m writing things down, recording what I can as well, taking so many pictures and sending them to him. Eddie calls and video chats with us as much as he can. I know you still actually write letters to him, I’ve sent care packages to him,” she added, a small smile now appearing on her face.

“It just doesn’t seem right for him to be over there and missing everything. It’s making you angry and resentful of him?” he asked.

Shannon nodded, “Yeah, it does. It does make me angry. He’s out there when I want him here, but… I know that’s where he wants to be, and others can make a damn family with one partner overseas, then I damn well can as well. I just… have to remember that my family is a little different than what I imagined it to be,” she said, as she leaned back.

“No family is perfect,” Evan reminded her, shaking his head.

“The Diaz’s are,” Shannon tried to say.

Evan laughed, “No they’re not, Helena and Ramon?” he reminded her, “Things aren’t always easy for Abuela and Abuelo either, they argue at times, they fight, but it’s what they do after them that really matters. They listen, they talk it out, and they try and never go to bed angry at each other. Even if they both stay up so late that the sun starts to rise, they refuse to go to bed angry. I’ve seen them do it.”

Shannon nodded, “Thank you,” she said, looking at him, “that actually helps. Maybe… maybe me and Eddie don’t have a romantic relationship, but we need a good friendship to make sure that we can parent Christopher well enough that he grows up into a good man.”

“He will, he has too many people around him for him not to, with you and Eddie at the top of the list. You’re a good mom, Shannon, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise,” he smiled back as the surgeon finally came out.

“Family of Janet Whitt?” he asked.

“That’s me, I’m her daughter,” Shannon said as he got up and Evan did the same. “Is she okay?” she asked, grabbing Evan’s hand and holding it tightly.

“She came through just fine. She’s in recovery, as soon as she’s settled fully, I’ll have someone come and get you. If everything is still alright in the next five hours, we’ll discharge her just after dinner time,” he said, a smile on his face.

Shannon closed her eyes and heaved a breath as she tried not to cry in relief. “She’s okay,” she murmured.

“Yeah, she is, told you,” Evan said, as he hugged her tightly as they settled down to wait until they could go back and see her.

XxXxX

Evan looked at Christopher who was happily trying to eat a hand as he waved at the toys hanging above him. “Hey buddy,” he said, as he wiggled his fingers. He had finished with university for the year and was now going to relax for a bit before he had to go back.

“Eeee!” Christopher squealed. At four months he was a happy and delightful little baby. He made sure to let the world know with happy squeals and giggles.

“Well, you’re happy,” he smiled and laughed, “Think your mom is going to come out here after talking to your dad, so you can wish him a happy birthday?” he asked the baby.

Another squeal and a giggle echoed in the living room of Shannon’s home.

“You love your dad that much,” he said, getting a giggle and a little babble, “Really, you can’t wait to see him as well,” he gasped, getting another cute little laugh and a long squeal after it. “Wow,” he said as Shannon walked into the room, a smile on her face as she came over with an open laptop.

“Chris,” she said as she called to her son who spared her a glance before waving his arms around excitedly. “Wwll, I think someone knows that his daddy is on the line for him.”

Shannon put the laptop down on the coffee table nearby and sat down before it, picking Christopher up from the play mat and holding him up so he could see the screen.

“Hey, mijo,” Eddie said with a wide smile on his face as he saw his son.

“Happy birthday, Eddie,” Shannon said, as she gestured for Evan to join her, “Evan’s been watching him while we talked,” she added.

“Hey, Evan!” Eddie called out before paying attention to Christopher once more, “hey, have you been a good boy for your mommy?” he asked, Christopher, waving his arms and giving out little huffs. “I’ve missed you too buddy,” he said, “I’ve missed everyone so much,” he added quietly, “But I know your mommy and godfather are taking good care of you. I bet Nana Janet is as well,” he said.

“So are your Abuela and Abuelo,” Shannon added, “They’ve been such a great help when I need to look after Mom. She’s home now, and I’m thinking about having her stay with me for a bit, we have the spare room at the moment, I know it’s for you when you come back-”

“Hey, whatever you need. If you need to have your mom stay with you, then do it. I don’t mind, I can always find a place to sleep if needed. Hell, the couch there is just as good as a bed,” Eddie reminded her.

“Thanks,” Shannon said, “but I’d like to know how you know about the couch?” she asked.

“I told him during one of the few calls we got to make,” Evan shrugged, “it’s a good couch, comfy and long enough even for my tall butt to sleep on. And since Eddie is now shorter than me,” he grinned.

“No you’re not, you’re the same height as me, six foot,” Eddie snipped back at him.

“Not anymore I’m not. Just hit six-two,” Evan laughed, “Sorry, my friend, but I’m taller than you now.”

Shannon laughed, “Okay, boys,” she said, “I hope you take note of this Christopher and don’t follow them. There are better things to argue about, like who has the better abs,” she grinned.

“Hey!” came the twin protests.

“So…” Eddie began.

“Who does have the better abs?” Evan finished.

Shannon rolled her eyes, “I’ve seen them both and so far, you’re both damn good,” she laughed, “Evan’s been working out a little, he’s starting to get out of that… twink stage,” she added as she looked at Eddie. “Not beefy, but he could get there. And you Eddie Diaz, you know you’re hot, and don’t think I didn’t see you flexing in the mirror last time you were home,” she reminded him.

Eddie blushed, “Well, it was the one time, I had been doing a new routine while out here, and it seems to be helping,” he said with a shrug.

Evan laughed, “I joined a group that goes swimming, hiking, and running, they are also teaching me to surf as well,” he grinned, “I’ve been trying to get out of this weedy stage I feel like I’ve been in since I was sixteen,” he muttered, and shrugged.

“I remember at seventeen you were weedy, too tall and thin,” Shannon remembered the visit that he had to LA.

“Yeah, I was like that for ages. Doesn’t help when you get stabbed and beaten either, you end up having to get better before you can do anything and I always feel thinner when that happens,” he huffed, then added, “And now I keep getting ill, I just hope that phase stops.”

“You had your spleen removed, it’s expected that you’ll be prone to several infections and viruses for a bit. But that should ease off as your body gets used to being without it,” Eddie said.

“I know, it just feels like it’s taking way longer than it should,” he shrugged, “Anyway, happy birthday, you’re getting old.”

“Hey!” Shannon called out, “I’m older than him, so if he’s old so am I!”

Eddie laughed, “Big trouble for Evan there,” he grinned as he looked at his son, “Don’t take after your godfather when it comes to women, alright,” he told him.

Huffing and reaching out to the screen, Christopher squealed and kicked his legs in little jerky movements.

“Diaz! Get over here, we got trouble heading this way!” someone called in the background.

“Damn, gotta go, looks like a transport is coming in,” he said, “I love you all, take care of yourselves and I’ll try and call again soon!” he called out before ending the call.

Shannon sighed, slumping as Christopher gave a sad squeal and whined as his dad disappeared from the screen. “I hate it when that happens. My heart goes into my throat and I worry about him. I worry that Chris might grow up not knowing his dad.”

Evan reached out, “Yeah, I worry about that as well,” he admitted, “We’ll just have to make sure that Chris and Eddie can speak to each other as much as possible. We just be here, and hope that everything is okay.”

Shannon nodded and closed the laptop, even though Christopher babbled in protest as it was closed. “I know, you want to see Daddy, but don’t worry, you can talk again,” she said, “I hope.”

Evan closed his eyes and wished there was something he could do to ease her worries about Eddie, but he had to admit to having the same worries.

Chapter Five

Evan smiled as he sat down on a rock and took a few sips from his water bottle. Mathew walked over and joined him as the rest of the group sat down to take a small break and have something to eat and drink. “It’s beautiful here,” Evan said as he looked around. There was a small stream and a nice little view that looked out towards the ocean.

“Yeah it is, we like to hike this trail at least once a month, it’s one of our favorites. It’s nice to just… remember that there are beautiful things in the world. Some of us turn to things we shouldn’t. I know at one point, I was drinking more and more after work, I was forgetting what I was doing with myself,” Mathew said, “I found Lou and he introduced me to the group and I started hanging out with them. While they’re not the full-on-out clean living that some would tout, they showed me that there is a wonder in this world and it’s that little bit, those that are part of it that we’re protecting.”

Evan nodded, “I… My own mother tried to kill me when I was seventeen. She stabbed me. Not long before I moved out here, my sister’s husband attacked me because my sister was insisting on bugging me to get me to forgive my mother and tell my dad to stop the divorce,” he sighed, shaking his head, “I saw a lot of ugly; a neglectful family, a mom who wished me dead, and a dad who didn’t know how to have everything in his life. I moved out at sixteen, my dad signed a lease, and I was out of there. Things… improved between me and dad, I found out a few things. My mother went batshit crazy and my sister buried her head in the sand even more about her red flag-flying husband. My sister blames me for her life falling apart. I’ve seen how horrific humans can be. I lived in a house that hated me for something that started before I was even conceived.”

Mathew nodded, “Damn, that’s heavy,” he shook his head, “You doing alright now though?”

“Yeah, I’m doing good now,” he smiled and nodded, sipping at his water again. “Enjoying life once more, I was so focused on school, and getting good grades, that I never really had fun unless you count the things I got up to with my best friend,” he grinned. “Which wasn’t that much either,” he snorted.

“Quiet life for you then,” Mathew said, smiling.

“Yep,” he nodded in agreement as he pulled out the lunch that Isabel had insisted she pack for him for his hike.

“Damn, that looks and smells good,” Mathew said as he pulled out his own food.

“I live with my friend’s Abuela, and she… well, she thinks I’m too skinny,” he said, with a one-armed shrug.

“Not as skinny as you were, I’m taking it?” he asked.

“Nope, I arrived in LA a month after my attack. I was still on crutches, with a leg in a cast. A missing spleen and an arm that was a little on the weak side after being in a sling for the better part of a month,” he shrugged, “But like I said, I’m all healed up, at uni, thinking what the next path is going to be for me,” he finished.

Mathew nodded, “Yeah, I was at a loss when I finished college,” he said, “Becoming a cop, wasn’t in the plan,” he laughed as he began to tell the story of how he had decided to become a cop.

XxXxX

Evan walked into the Diaz home and smiled as he saw Shannon was already there, Christopher happily wiggling around on a playmat in the middle of the living room. “Sorry about being late,” he said, “I had to talk to my lecturer about one of the assignments,” he told them as he went to his room to dump his bag before joining everyone again.

“That’s fine, neito,” Isabel smiled at him as she got up and hugged him, “Glad you are home safe, we heard there was an accident on the way to your university.”

“There was, but it was mostly cleared up by the time I passed it,” he told her as he went to the playmat and sat near it, wiggling his fingers in front of his godson. “He is always smiling,” he noted.

“Most of the time,” Shannon snorted, “he’s started to get a bit of an attitude when the calls to his dad end.”

“It’s nice to know he recognizes him,” Edmundo said as he looked up from the book he was reading. “It’s nice to have him here as well as you, Shannon,” he smiled at the woman.

“Mom’s meeting a friend, and she’s starting to close up her house for when she stays with me. She only wants to do so while she’s doing chemo since the hospital is closer to my place than hers. Eddie said it was okay, and I…” she shrugged.

“Of course it is,” Isabel huffed, “Janet needs to be with people she loves, so she should stay with you. We have plenty of space for Eddie here, so don’t you worry. We’ll all be fine,” she reassured her. “Janet is a nice strong woman,” she added.

Shannon smiled, “I wish I was,” she murmured, “I’m worried about Christopher,” she added, “He’s… not even attempted to roll over.”

“They all do it in their own time,” Isabel said, “My Pepa was quick on the mark, but Ramon took until he was almost seven months old before he even bothered to try. Luciana and Carlos were quick as well. Miguel was a little slower than them, but Ramon was the slowest of them all.”

“I know, I know it can take a while, but…” she stopped, “Watch when he kicks his legs out,” she told them.

It took a few moments, but Chrisotpher’s legs gave little kicks, the movements were very jerky, and almost seemed like they weren’t under Christopher’s control at all. “Okay, that’s a little different,” Edmundo said.

“See, and not only that but there is just no strength behind them either. Just nothing,” she said, shaking her head a few times. “I’ve brought it up with his pediatrician and they are going to keep an eye on it, but it just might be something that he grows out of. He… he was deprived of oxygen for a little bit because of the way he turned,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“No matter what, we will all be there to help you. Whether that’s for Janet or Christopher, we’re all here,” Edmundo said, reaching out and placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“Thanks,” she sighed, “I just needed to talk it out loud. I’ve been scared for a while, about it, just… nothing seems right,” she shrugged.

“You’re a mother, if you say that something is wrong, then we believe you. We often know when there is something wrong with our child before anyone else. We nurse them, love them, and look after them the most. A parent knows,” Isabel told her, giving her a hug, “Keep g-” she started to speak again when someone knocked firmly on the door.

“Who could that be?” Edmundo frowned as he went to get up.

“I’ll get it,” Isabel smiled, letting go of Shannon, as she got up and headed to the front door. The three in the living room frowned as they heard harsh voices before three people entered the living room. Isabel didn’t look happy as she brought in Helena and Ramon.

“Why are you both here? I told you I didn’t want to see you until you apologized for your behavior at my birthday last month,” Edmundo told them, staring at the two.

“Papa,” Ramon began.

“I meant it Ramon, you behaved disgustingly,” he admonished his son. “I have been ashamed of you for a long time Ramon, and you know. I will no longer put up with your behavior any longer.”

“Papa,” Ramon started once more, “I’m not going to apologize for what I said, or did. You have to realize that Shannon and Eddie are not good parents. They-”

“And what would you know about good parenting?” Isabel asked them both, “How many times did we have to come and take Eddie away from you both because of what you’d done?” she said, reminding them of exactly what type of parents they were.

“I-” Helena said, going a little wide-eyed.

“You may have raised those spoiled little girls you call your daughters, but your son, you abused. The only ones you raised are spoiled, entitled much like you are, and are abusive themselves still, towards their brother,” Edmundo said, shaking his head, “Who I see before me are two people full of themselves, and entitled little brats. Abusers, who I should have reported a long time ago. I thought I had raised you better Ramon, I really did. All of your siblings are wonderful people, and then there is you, a disappointment in more ways than one.”

“Ramon is a wonderful father, he loves his children, and there is nothing wrong with us wanting to take Christopher,” Helena said, “Shannon has too much going on. We heard about Janet and she should just look after her mother instead. Shannon is not ready to be a mother herself,” she said, waving her hand, “We’re willing to take Christopher with us back to El Paso.”

“Over my dead body, and even then there is a list of people that would get custody of Christopher before you, including strangers,” Shannon hissed, “you have no idea about anything. You don’t care about anything but what you want. You’re not going to get a do-over child with Christopher. My son is never going to be alone with the two of you, I don’t trust either of you with his care, his life or anything. You abused Eddie and didn’t care what you did to him, as long as he did what you wanted. You’re never going to be part of his life. He’ll never know you as grandparents, because none of us want you in his life. It’s a privilege, not a right.”

“Eddie’s going to find out that you’ve moved on one day, and Christopher will never be a part of his life. He’s overseas all the time and no doubt he’ll end up getting killed. We just want to make sure that Christopher is taken care of properly,” Helena said as she tried to move further into the home, only to be stopped by Edmundo.

“Still not going to happen,” Shannon said, “And just because Eddie is overseas, doesn’t mean he doesn’t talk to his son. He calls and messages when he can and we even video call when he can as well.”

Evan got up and grabbed a recent picture of Eddie from the shelf, “I wonder if you could say the same when it comes to Eddie, Adriana, and Sophia when they were little, that they would recognize you just from a picture. Shannon makes sure of it, that she talks about his dad, and shows him Eddie’s picture enough that he gets excited when he sees one.” With that, he sat back down beside the playmat and let Christopher see the picture of Eddie.

Christopher huffed and began to excitedly kick his legs and flail his arm as he then squealed and reached out.

“That is a child that loves his dad and knows him. He will always know Eddie, no matter what goes on in our lives,” Shannon said, trying to swallow down the panic and fear that she felt at the thought of Eddie dying in Afghanistan. It was something that plagued her nights almost as much as what was going on with her mother.

Edmundo moved to get the two out of his home. “You will both be leaving, I’ll not have you come into my home and say such things about your own son!” he hissed at the two. “I don’t know where I went wrong with you Ramon, but you are not the son I raised. You have changed and it’s not for the better.”

Ramon stared at his father, “Papa,” he began.

“No, you will both leave, you’re no longer welcome in my home. You’ve crossed the line for the last time with me. I have put up with a lot from the both of you and I never should have. I let Eddie get hurt by the two of you for too long, but I won’t let it continue if I can help it,” Edmundo said as he began to escort them from his home.

“You can’t do this to us!” Helena screeched and caused Christopher to give a startled cry. “See, you can’t take care of him!” she yelled out.

“He’s crying because you scared him,” Shannon said as she reached for her son, picked him up, and cuddled him, soothing him with her words as he cried.

Edmundo finally got them out of the house, closing the door. “I am sorry, mi luz, but I will not allow them back into our home. I can’t take that level of entitlement anylong, they are… unbareable.”

“I know, and I stand with you,” Isabel smiled at her husband as he walked back in and they settled down to spend a little more time together before Shannon had to head home.

Chapter Six

Evan looked out at the water. He was with his running group, although today, they were surfing. When he had met them all back in May, they had said that they would teach him how to surf. Now, in August, he was surfing but he was crashing out more than he caught the waves. Evan had crashed one too many times that day, so he’d pushed down the top of the wetsuit he was wearing, and let the August sun dry him.

“Well, you’re a new face in this group,” a smooth voice said from behind him.

Evan was sitting with all of the group’s belongings as they had all taken to the water. He looked up and saw a rather tall man standing there. “I’m Evan, Evan Buckley,” he said quickly as he stood up.

“It’s alright, I was told about you and showed what you looked like,” he smiled at him, “I’m Lou Ransone, I’m one of the cops that come to this group. Mathew was the one who looked into your background and shared it with a few of us. So don’t worry about all your secrets getting out. We’re a close group and we all have this type of thing done.”

“There’s a story behind why it’s necessary, I take it?” he asked as he sat back down.

Lou sat beside him and nodded, “Yep,” he said, the man was wearing swimming trunks and a light t-shirt. “It goes back a couple of years,” he added.

“A story you don’t mind telling?” Evan asked him, as he glanced over.

Lou looked over at him, “It’s one I don’t often tell. Three years ago, we were an open group. Didn’t need an invite to join or to be brought in and a check is done on someone’s background. The group can only be invite-only,” he said, “We bring someone in, and they are fine for the first week, usually how long it takes us to run a check. To see if any behaviors need to be known and warned about. We keep them, or we ask them to leave, depending on what we find. You might think it stupid to let them into the group, but say with Frank, over there,” he said, gesturing to one of the others in the group. “He has some problematic behaviors that were brought up, but since we had him in the group, we were able to figure out he was suffering from PTSD and got him help. We wouldn’t have figured that out if we hadn’t let him in the group first. He’s a good man, he was a little lost, acting out people would say, but actually, he’d had flashbacks. He’s one of three that aren’t a first responder. Well, he wasn’t until recently, he got a job at dispatch a few weeks ago. He’s come a long way, and I’m glad we got him help.”

Evan nodded, “So, you gave them a chance to prove they’re not a problem, and that their past isn’t a problem.”

“Exactly, we’ve only ever asked two to leave in the end. But we like to know what we’re looking out for and how to head off the more serious problems,” Lou said, a firm nod, “We want to welcome everyone, what group doesn’t? But sometimes, it’s not a good idea.”

“Right,” he nodded, “So what did… the one that caused this do?”

“He started stalking one of the members. Following him to work, bumping into him randomly. But it wasn’t random. He followed them everywhere, to a point where our member didn’t feel comfortable leaving the house, in fear they would be there. It took us a while to get him charged with harassment. He ended up serving a year in prison for his stalking and harassment. He doesn’t live in LA anymore, and our member now is fine and feels safe again. However he is still a little wary when we have new members,” Lou finished.

Evan nodded, “Right,” he said again, “It’s hard to have that type of trust broken.”

“I heard about your own… past. It came up in your background check. That there is a restraining order in your name against someone called Margaret Daniels,” he stated.

“That would be my mother; she attacked and tried to kill me a while ago. She was put in a psych hold instead of being charged,” he said, sounding a little despondent. “Not long after that, my brother-in-law attacked me. It hasn’t been pleasant,” he added.

“More to that story, isn’t there?” he asked.

Evan snorted, “you don’t even know a fifth of it,” he said, “It’s a long one. Going back to before I was even conceived.”

“Maybe one day, you’ll feel comfortable sharing it all,” Lou said, “Now, are you going to get out there and surf?”

“Nah, I’ve already caught a few waves. I’m more interested in just getting out of the house for a bit. Abuela and Abuelo are very much enjoying their wedding anniversary. I thought I would make myself scarce for a bit, and let them enjoy some time together. I’m going to be heading to my friend’s place after this, to spend a little time with her, her mother, and my godson,” he smiled a little.

“Oh, you have a godson?” Lou asked, a little curious about the man beside him.

“Yeah,” he smiled, “I know, I’m young. But I made friends with the dad, through the Army penpal thing that my school did. We only needed to send one letter, but… well… we carried on. I told him that I was living alone, at sixteen, he wasn’t sure about that at first. But we got to know each other through the letters and then calls when he could. I met him out here, when my best friend’s family went on a family vacation and brought me along. It’s how I ended up living with Abuela and Abuelo. They’re his grandparents, not mine. But they insisted I stay with them,” he told him, snorting, “You’re easy to talk to, you know.”

“How do you think I get confessions out of some people,” Lou smirked and then laughed.

Evan grinned, as he then asked, “So are you heading out to the surf.”

“Nope,” he said, “I’m content not to get wet today,” he said, “It’s been a long several weeks for me, and the thought of fighting the waves, just isn’t for me today. I just came for some company.”

“Well,” Evan began, “I hope I’m good company,” he said.

Lou smiled, “You seem it,” he told him, as they picked a topic and began to talk, greeting and talking with the others as they came out of the water to chat as well.

XxXxX

Evan walked into the Whitt home and looked around. He had been given a key to let himself in just in case they weren’t there, or that Shannon was busy with Christopher. “Hello,” he called out, not sure if they were still out or not.

“Oh, Evan, I… I forgot that you were coming by,” Janet said, a weak smile on her face. She had been going through Chemo for a few weeks, and you could see it was affecting her. She looked thin compared to how she had looked the first time Evan had met her, or even how she had looked a couple of months ago.

“Hi, you okay?” he asked, feeling a little worried at the devastated look on the woman’s face.

“I thought I was prepared for this,” she murmured, “but my hair is starting to fall out. Just a little more than normal, but…” she trailed off.

“Well, there are things you can do, depending on the route you want to take,” he told her, “I… did a bit of research, and some people just shave it all off, or wait to a certain point and shave it and get a wig. Or just let it go naturally on its own, and not care what people think. I think you need to decide how you’re going to do this. Which do you want to go with?”

“I don’t even know, I just… hoped this wouldn’t happen,” she sighed as she walked into the living room, Evan following her.

“So, let’s have a look at wig options. See what’s available, hey, you could get one of those brightly colored ones,” he said, a little grin on his face.

“Oh my word, you’d have me dress up as one of those anime characters, wouldn’t you,” she laughed, as she sat down.

“Why not, have some fun, Janet,” he told her, “now, how about I make us some coffee and we’ll have a look at the options that are around for you.”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” she agreed as Evan headed into the kitchen.

He wondered if Janet wanted to tell Shannon what was going on. So far, from what he had seen, she had tried to keep her daughter away from some of the worst effects of her Chemotherapy. He went about making them both some coffee. He gave a little sigh and wondered what Janet would want to do. He didn’t know what he would do if it was him. He wondered briefly what Daniel had done, he had seen pictures with the little scarf on his brother’s head. But there were little peeks of hair at times from beneath it. He shook his head and picked up the mugs.

Evan walked back into the living room and put down the mugs, “Here,” he said with a smile on his face as he noticed that she had her laptop out and booted up.

“I’ve been looking,” she said, “but I didn’t know if it was going to happen. It started yesterday, just a few clumps, but I know it’s going to get worse. By next month I may as well not have any hair,” she added, feeling disheartened.

“I know,” he said, quietly, “Let’s see what the options are?” he asked as he saw beside her and they went over some of the things she could do.

Janet smiled a little more, they had been looking for over an hour and she had more of an idea of what she wanted to do. “I’m going to wait and see how much falls out, but the wig we found, the nice dark brown one,” she said.

“It matches the color you have now,” Evan said, nodding a few times, “So that’s been ordered, along with all the associated glues and cleansers, they should take about two weeks to get here. So if your hair falls out drastically, it’s ready for you,” he added, smiling at her.

Janet smiled back, “Thank you, for being here with me to do this. I don’t think I wanted to do it alone. I don’t want to be a burden to Shannon, she has so much on her plate with Christopher, and she’s so worried about him. He’s still not rolled over yet.”

“You’re welcome. If you need someone else to talk to, don’t forget I’m around,” he told her.

“You’re so young, younger than Shannon, and yet you always sound like an old soul,” she told him.

“I had to grow up fast, faster than most. By the time I was ten, I had to learn how to care for myself. I left home at sixteen, Janet. I left a home that would have seen me dead before eighteen if I had stayed,” he told her, being honest. “Getting to know Eddie was a blessing. I had someone I could talk to, who didn’t judge me that much for moving out. He understood. He’d done the same type of thing. Got away from his parents, and joined up. He enjoys the work he does though, so that’s a bonus,” he snorted.

“Helena almost ruined that young man. She was… always in everyone’s face about things. Even if it wasn’t anything to do with her,” she rolled her eyes.

“You went to school with her?” he asked, remembering something that she had said when Christopher had been born.

“Unfortunately,” she answered, “Let me tell you a few home truths about that woman,” she said as she then began to tell him what she knew of Helena Diaz.

Chapter Seven

Evan walked into his home and was immediately jumped on. “What the hell!” he cursed as he almost fell to the floor.

“Happy Birthday!” came the joyful voice of Eric.

“How the hell did you get here?” he laughed as he turned to see his friend, “I thought you were still at college.”

“Premed is killing me, it really is,” he said, “But it’s what I want to do,” he added, giving a smile. “I’m taking a few days, well, two days. Since your birthday is today, we have the weekend, and then I fly back on Monday,” he told him.

“Well, it’s great to have you here, we have a few places to check out,” Evan grinned as Eric pulled him into the living room where Coco and Darren were also sitting, waiting for them.

“Happy birthday, Evan,” Coco said as she got up and went over to hug him.

“Hi Coco,” he grinned, wrapping his arms around the woman.

“You’ve grown,” she stated, as she let him go and saw just how tall he had gotten.

“Yeah,” he grinned, “reached six two now,” he told her as Darren came over and hugged him as well.

“You’re looking good,” the man said, “How is uni?” he asked.

“My second year has just started and I’m looking to finish my degree a little early. Tested out of a lot, and took extras to do so. I kinda just wanna head out into the workforce now,” he said, with a little shrug, as someone else walked into the living room.

“Hey, son,” Phillip smiled as he went over, “Good to see you again. Missed our talks,” he added, meaning the time when the two would actually meet up and talk about things. The past, Daniel, and anything the two could think of.

“Same,” Evan said as he hugged his dad. He never thought he would have this with the man. With how bad things had been between them until he had moved out, it still amazed him at how close they now were.

“Happy Birthday,” Phillip said, “Nineteen! It seems only yesterday that I was holding baby you,” he told him.

Evan smiled a little more at that. “Yeah,” he nodded.

“There is something we need to talk about, but it is private business for your ears only,” he told him, “For now, Isabel has made a feast and a beautiful cake. I know Shannon, Janet, and little Christopher are on the way as well.”

Evan grinned, “Awesome,” he said as there was a knock at the door and Edmundo got up to go and answer it. Evan couldn’t help the smile on his face as he looked at those gathered for his birthday. It still surprised him that his dad was there. Now he had a godson, and great friends surrounding him, his life had changed so much since his sixteenth birthday.

XxXxX

The party had wound down. Shannon, Janet, and Christopher had been the first to leave. Christopher getting grizzly even with all the extra cuddles he was getting. Janet had been tired, she’d had chemotherapy two days before and the effects on her were bad. She’d barely been able to eat, and Isabel had made sure she’d gone home with a large container of soup that she’d been able to keep down. Eric and his family were staying at a nearby hotel, where Phillip was also staying.

Phillip smiled at his son as the two were left alone in the garden. “So,” he said, grabbing the bag that had been with him for the entire day.

“You said you had something to talk to me about?” Evan asked as he looked at his dad.

“Maddie had the same thing when she turned nineteen,” he told him, “And now it’s your turn. Your grandparents, my parents, when they passed, they had made several accounts for you and Maddie. Four of them are to be released at certain ages or points in your life. The first is about to be released to you. Nineteen. Most would have said eighteen, but they went with nineteen,” he said, shaking his head. “The second will be released when you are twenty-five. The third is when you are married, and the fourth is when you have your first child. If neither of those last things happens, then at thirty and thirty-five, you’d get them instead,” he explained as he brought out the paperwork. “Here are all the details for the first lot.”

Evan frowned as he took it, “I…” he said as he paused to read, eyes widening at the amount, “Dad, there’s almost a million?!” he exclaimed.

“I know, you do realize that the Buckley family is old money,” he said, “How do you think we could always live the lavish lifestyle Margaret liked all the time? There’s too much to spend in one lifetime, in my opinion, it’s why Margaret didn’t want the divorce,” he added, “Her family didn’t come from money. They are well off, but not like the Buckley’s,” he told him.

Evan wanted to snort, “Right,” he said, instead, “So I get this now, and I can use it to pay for my tuit-”

“Tuition is on me, remember,” Phillip told him. “Margaret might have been against Maddie becoming a nurse, but I still paid for her education and her lodgings during that time. I’ll be doing so for you as well. That is so you can get what you need and want for a while, to help you set yourself up for the future, no matter what you do,” he added.

Evan nodded, “It’s a lot, and I don’t really need much,” he began.

“Then invest, or save it, put it away for a rainy day,” he advised, “This is the contact details of the firm that handles the money. They’ll help point you in the right direction and help with financial advice,” he added.

“Maddie really had all this as well?” he asked.

“She did,” Phillip told her, “I know she spent a lot of it on frivolous things. Most of the things that Doug had, were brought by her. I know that she paid for his med school,” he added, still not happy with his daughter’s decision to do so.

“Yeah, she bragged about being able to do so. Didn’t know it was because of an inheritance though,” he frowned.

“She has had all but one of them released to her. I don’t know what she has left, she doesn’t talk to me about that. I just… I want you to be wise with your money, Evan. The thing is, I know that you will be. You always have known the value of money, and how to work hard. Even living on your own, you were paving your own way. I couldn’t be prouder of you,” he sighed, “I just wish I had a hand in raising you.”

“In a way, you’re inaction, raised me. I had to wise up and become an adult before I was supposed to. I know that sounds bad, and it… kinda is. But it made me who I am. I don’t think I would want to be anyone else,” he shrugged, “If you know what I mean.”

Phillip gave him a small smile and nodded, “I think I understand where you’re coming from. You are a self-made man, Evan, be proud of that. Now, the money, it’s yours to do with as you please. If you want the advice of an old man, I suggest using some for the necessities and then saving the rest for when you need it for something that you really want.”

“Is that what you did?” Evan asked.

Phillip nodded, “While three of the businesses Simon and I run are from your grandparents, the other two are ones that I started up myself, and run. I’ve worked hard on them and used the money I earned working for my parents, to build them from the ground up. Simon has done the same for the one he owns as well. We both worked hard on them and then we worked hard with our parents as well. We jointly run them. It’s something that you can think about when you get older, I didn’t start until I was in my mid-twenties, just after I met Margaret.”

Evan nodded and went quiet for a little bit. “I’ll think about that. Don’t think I’m business-inclined. However I still plan to find a job, or rather another little job. The one I had fell through,” he huffed, he’d been working as a barista at a local coffee shop. Before that he’d done some bar work, couldn’t drink, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t mix up a mean cocktail.

“As I said, you’re not afraid of hard work,” Phillip smiled proudly at him.

“Neither is Maddie, she did get her degree in nursing after all,” Evan was quick to point out.

“She repeated two years and got one of the lowest passable grades. She almost flunked out. She’s smart but doesn’t apply herself most of the time; she was the same in high school. She could have been the top of her class, but instead, she was middling most of the time,” Phillip told him, “Why do you think they remained in Boston for longer than the two years she needed? She didn’t start working until they moved back to Hershey.”

“I didn’t know that,” he frowned. “Maddie always made it seem like she passed her degree in two years, and I know that she was taking the three-year course up in Boston. She boasted about it,” he added quietly.

“Your sister didn’t like the fact that you were smarter than her. Evan, you were reading at three years old, writing your name and words by the time you were four. You were always so far ahead of anyone your age and it showed. All the time. Maddie was… jealous. She didn’t like it, and made sure to put you down about your smarts. When you first got tested for ADHD, no matter what I said, she thought you were going to be held back a year. In her eyes, because you had ADHD, you weren’t going to be able to do anything with your smarts and she was… happy about it.”

“So was Margaret,” Evan snorted.

“She stopped you from advancing, and I wonder just where you would be now if we had let you advance when you were bored in all of your classes. You found wonderful ways of being able to work around your ADHD. Your spirals were something to watch, I have to admit. Seeing you pour over various books that you had borrowed from the public library, and the ones you’d found in the house,” he shook his head. It had been something that had driven Margaret crazy when she found Evan sitting on the floor of the library going over all the books they had just looking up random things that he had found fascinating.

“I just do it all on the internet now,” he said, giving a one-shouldered shrug.

“I know,” he smiled, “But all the books that were in the library at home, have been put away for you if you ever want them. There are some very outdated texts in there, but I know you’ll find them interesting.”

Evan smiled, “Well, they kept me occupied for ages,” he paused a moment, “When I get my own place, I’ll see about having them brought over for me. I’d like to have a look at them all again, it’ll be interesting to have a look at some of them now that I’m older.”

Phillip nodded “I’ll make sure that they are available as soon as you have a place. Are you thinking about moving out of Isabel and Edmundo’s then?” he asked him.

“I’m thinking about it. I’ve been here a year now, and I’m surprised that they’ve let me stay this long. But I’ve talked about leaving a few times, so far they’ve talked me out of it, but…” he shrugged.

“You feel like you’re overstaying your welcome,” Phillip suggested lightly.

“Yeah, that,” he nodded.

“I know for a fact that Isabel and Edmundo love having someone else in the home again. They’ve had a long time on just being by themselves, with only grandchildren and great-grandchildren occasionally stopping by for a bit. It can get a little lonely for them as well,” he told him. It was how he was starting to feel in Hershey. Yes he had a few friends that he would sometimes meet and spend time with. But they were busy with their own families. Maddie had rarely wanted to speak to him, and only did so when she was trying to get in touch with Evan to berate him for what was going on in her life.

“Yeah,” he nodded, “I know, but I’m gonna have to move out at some point.”

“At some point,” Phillip agreed, “Now, I should head to the hotel. I know that you and Eric have plans for tomorrow, that doesn’t include the rest of us.”

Evan grinned as he got up, keeping hold of the documents that his dad had given him to go over. “Yeah, Disneyland,” he told him.

Phillip laughed, “Well, have fun,” he told him as Evan escorted him out and said good night with a tight hug. “Night, son, and Happy Birthday.”

“Thanks, Dad, and night,” Evan said as he let him go and shut the door. He went into the living room, smelling the hot chocolate that Isabel had made, a smile on his face as he joined the two.

Chapter Eight

Evan had enjoyed Disneyland with Eric, they had gone on so many of the rides that they had both felt a little sick the next day. Evan could have sworn that he still felt like he was on some of the rides. Phillip had remained in LA for almost two weeks before he’d gone back to Hershey. As September started to come to an end. Evan had found another job, and university was in full swing. He was glad of them both, he hated having nothing to do all the time.

Looking at the book he was reading, he shifted uncomfortably on the chair. He wanted to be doing something other than sitting there. Evan huffed and moved around in his seat a few more times before trying to settle himself again. He wanted to get at least a chapter annotated before he headed home. He grabbed a pen and started to fiddle with it as he began to read.

“Here,” a voice said as a mug with a familiar aroma was set in front of him.

Evan looked up, “Oh, hey, Lou, didn’t think I would be seeing you until tomorrow,” he smiled.

“I’m on a break,” he told him, “I was in the area and I saw you sitting here alone. You don’t look too happy,” he added, as he slid into the seat across from him.

“Yeah, I’ve got a chapter I want to annotate, and a case that I’m studying for class. I’ve done most of that already, just gotta do this,” he said, as he pulled the pumpkin spiced latte to him, “I was going to get another one, but I forgot,” he snorted, and rolled his eyes.

Lou laughed, “I do something similar. I make myself a drink, or get one, and then forget about it until it’s so cold there are icebergs on it.”

Evan grinned at him, “Yeah, I’ve done that a few times. I hate cold lattes and teas. Blegh,” he pulled a face.

Lou nodded, “I don’t like them either, but I’ll still drink them,” he said, “sometimes I need that caffeine fix if I’m going to get anywhere on a case.”

“I forget that you’re a detective at times,” Evan said as he looked at him.

“Been one for four years,” he said, “Didn’t think I was ready but a friend on the force. She… kind of pushed me towards it. I think she had it planned from the moment I was her rookie ten years ago. She’s a good officer, and a great training partner. She’s got a no-shit attitude that can rub a number of people the wrong way. I always preferred it. I knew where I was going wrong, and where I was doing well,” he smiled a little.

“So, how long have you been on the force?” he asked, feeling curious.

“A decade,” he grinned, “I joined up when I was twenty-three. I’ve just turned thirty-three.”

“Right,” he said with a slow nod. “Do you enjoy the work? I know I’m studying criminology at the moment, and I’m thinking about what I want to actually do when I’m finished.”

“Thinking about joining?” Lou asked him, giving the man a serious look.

“Don’t know,” he shrugged. “I’ve got options open to me. So I’m just thinking out loud at the moment. My friend from Hershey, he’s going to be a doctor. Following his mom. His dad is in accounting,” he added, “My dad runs like two businesses himself and three joint ones with my uncle. So, I have things open to me. I’ve just always done things… my way.”

Lou nodded, “I can understand not knowing what you want to do. You’re only what, Nineteen?” he said, getting a nod. “That’s young, not many would have their life figured out at that age.”

“I don’t feel nineteen. I feel a lot older than that,” he sighed, “it’s made it difficult to get along with those my age. They’re all so… innocent in their view of the world, like it’s not a harsh and horrible place a lot of the time. They have such a rosy outlook on life. I stick to the more mature students there, those that are going to uni after experiencing the world and the bad side of it,” he sighed.

“So you feel like you don’t fit in?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“I don’t think I’ve ever fit in anywhere. I was the smart kid at school, the one with ADHD, I was always bouncing around, or moving around in class. I could barely keep still, it took me a while to be able to figure out ways to be on the move, but not darting around a classroom,” he said, as he noticed he was stimming with his pen once more. It was one of the ways that he had let himself move around, to do something with his hands so that his mind would remain focused on what he needed it to.

“Right, standing out, isn’t easy,” he nodded, “I stood out a lot when I was a kid, but that was more because I was always the tallest. Imagine hitting six-five before you were even eighteen. I towered over everyone. Even the teachers at my school,” he snorted. “My dad is shorter than me by a head,” he then laughed, “So are my two brothers, both older than me.”

Evan laughed, “Right, so you took all the height from everyone then,” he grinned, causing Lou to laugh.

“That’s exactly what they said. Mom doesn’t understand how I went from the smallest of the four of us, I have an older sister as well. Yes, I’m the baby of the family. I went from the smallest of us, to the largest. I was just under 5lbs when I was born,” he snorted, “My oldest brother was almost 9lb, and he’s just under six foot. My other brother I think is a little bit shorter than you. He’s about six one.”

“Yeah, I’m six two, my dad’s about five ten. I had a growth spurt that made me taller than him by the time I was seventeen. I’m taller than my friend Eddie, who’s about six foot even, I think. He wasn’t happy when he saw that I was a little bit taller than him the first time we met,” he grinned.

Lou laughed, “That’s the father of your godson if I remember what you said the last time we talked.”

“Yeah, he is. Eddie became a really good friend to me, while I was living alone. He was a distant friend, since he’s in Afghanistan, at the moment, and was back then too,” he smiled, “He got me hooked on the In Death series. He sent me the first book for my birthday,” he added, “I told him I was looking into crime novels to read. He enjoys them himself too.”

“I do as well, and yeah, I’ve read the In Death series, got a good tempo, and I very much enjoy the lead character. I also enjoy the slower-paced Scarpetta series as well. There are so many good crime writers out there,” Lou nodded.

“Oh, yeah, I’ve read a lot of them,” Evan grinned, “I also enjoyed the Sharpe series. Not crime, but set during the Napoleonic war in Europe. It’s a good read, nice action, and brilliant characters.”

“Ah, so not just crime novels you enjoy then,” Lou laughed and then added, “I like the Dirk Pitt series as well.”

“Oh, those are good. I liked the film Sahara, the Matthew McConaughey one, it was good, but,” he shrugged, “but it doesn’t hold a candle to the book of course.”

“What film does hold a candle to the books they’re based on,” Lou said, “I know there are several film adaptations of books, along with a few series. Like the Poirot ones, that series is enjoyable.”

“Yeah, I was able to watch a couple of them, it was entertaining,” he agreed. Evan was about to say something when Lou’s phone began to ring.

“Sorry,” Lou said as he answered it, the smile that had been on his face dropped and he nodded, “Okay, yeah, I’ll head there straight away, Captain,” he said and then hung up, “Sorry Evan, I have to go, how about we meet up again for coffee. I have a day off in two days. We could meet then and continue our conversation,” he suggested.

“I’d like that, you have my number, so just call me, or message me with a time and place?” he replied, a smile on his face.

“Sure I will,” Lou smiled as he nodded and headed off.

Evan watched him go and then looked at the chapter he was still trying to read. With a sigh, he went back to it.

XxXxX

Lou looked over at Evan as he sat down, “Sorry I’m late. I had to hand in a report, which was supposed to be my day off, and got called in this morning to report about a case I’m currently working on,” he told him.

“That’s okay, you did message me this morning about it, so don’t worry, alright,” he smiled, “I got you that Chai Latte that you said you enjoyed that last time,” he added as he gestured to the drink that had just been brought to the table.

“Thank you,” Lou smiled back, he took a tentative sip of the hot liquid, “Hm, yep, still good,” he nodded, laughing lightly.

Evan laughed, “Glad it’s okay. I was unsure if you’d want that or a coffee. I know you like the black coffee here as well.”

“I like a change when it’s my day off,” Lou told him, “So it’s a good choice.”

“I want to say, thanks,” Evan said, sounding a little more serious.

Lou paused mid-sip and looked at him, lowering his mug, “What for?” he puzzled.

“People hear my age and they treat me like an errant teenager. I’m not like many of the others. I grew up, fast, had to. I handle things a lot differently than my peers always have. Even Eric knows that we act differently. He has a loving family, one that loves me just as much as they do their son. But it… wasn’t really the same for me. You… you’ve treated me like a true adult, not a teenager who doesn’t know the world at all. You’ve respected the fact that I’ve been through some things that others haven’t. And I hope they never have to,” he said quietly. “Just… There aren’t many that want to treat me like an adult. Even the group I study with keeps trying to get me to tell them about the drunk parties I’m having while I’m underage and all those types of things. I’m not that type of person. I never have been. But all they see is someone that’s a teenager and try to treat me like one.”

“So basically, they don’t treat you with any respect,” Lou asked him.

“Yes, that,” Evan nodded. “I’m looking for another study group, but the chances are, I’m just going to do it alone.”

“If they don’t, then do so. And I have to say, if I hadn’t known your age, I would have pegged you for about your mid-twenties. You don’t act like a teenager, or any teenager I’ve met before. I say, teenager like you’re not a damn adult,” he snorted, “You are.”

Evan laughed, “Yeah, doesn’t stop people from doing it though. But thank you, for treating me with respect.”

Lou nodded, “You’re welcome. Now, what were we talking about,”

“Movies and books, the good things,” Evan grinned at him.

“That’s right. We were talking about book adaptation. But I wonder, what movie do you always enjoy watching?” Lou asked instead.

“I don’t really know, I don’t really watch films that often, maybe once a month. If they’re on TV, then I will. I tend to only watch when someone else is. I spent most of my life in books. Fiction and nonfiction,” he shrugged. “What about you?”

“I like a good action film, but I do like a good comedy as well,” he confessed, smiling, “I know that some of the theaters around here sometimes put on some classic films. We can always go if there is one that interests you and I’m not working.”

“I think it would be fun,” Evan nodded as he began to question Lou on what films he’s watched and the ones that Evan watched with Eric over the years.

Chapter Nine

October was starting to wind down into November, Halloween was around the corner, and there were now talks about what to do for Thanksgiving. Shannon paced in the living room of her home. Janet had gone out with a friend for the day. The chemo was knocking her around badly, and she had taken to wearing the wig she had ordered in the last couple of days.

Shannon stopped pacing and looked at Evan, “I don’t know what to do, the doctors aren’t listening to me at all. I go to them with what I’ve seen and they do nothing.”

“There isn’t much that you can do. Except change pediatricians if they aren’t listening to you,” Evan told her, shrugging. He had been looking into what they could do. Complaints never went anywhere; especially as a new mother. Doctors often dismissed what they said as being overly cautious for the newborns. But Christopher wasn’t a newborn now. He was nine months old and only just managed to roll over in the last few days. And standing just wasn’t going to happen at all. Each time he started to pull himself up, his legs would jerk a little and he would fall. Christopher kept screaming when it happened. Not in pain, or fear, but in frustration.

“I’m thinking about doing that. They just… I know something is wrong, I’ve said that right from the damn start. They blame the birth and then tell me that everything is fine. He’s not, he should be standing, rolling over, crawling, and he’s doing nothing. He’s only just rolled over. Then there is crawling he’s tried and gets so angry because he just can’t do it,” she said, sounding like she was about to cry, and Evan couldn’t blame her. Eddie knew of some of what was going on and had been of the mind to change doctors since the current one wouldn’t listen. He didn’t care how many they went through until they found one to listen to them all. Shannon was hesitant because it was a lot of work to change.

“Look, me and you, we’ll get together, and make notes on everything we’ve noticed. We talk to the pediatrician together, and if they don’t listen then we ask for a second opinion. If they don’t give it to us, then we’ll find another doctor for Chris. We’ll keep doing it until we find one that will listen. Eddie already said he’s got your back in this,” Evan told her, not saying that he had been looking at other doctors for the last couple of weeks when Shannon got the brush off once more from Christopher’s pediatrician.

Shannon stopped and nodded, “Yeah, yeah, we have an appointment tomorrow. Will you come with me?” she asked as she settled beside him finally.

“Of course, I’ve not got anything except for meeting up with Lou, he found a good hiking trail that we’re going to try in the afternoon. Since I know the appointment is tomorrow morning. How about, I stay over, making breakfast for us?” he suggested.

“Sounds good,” she nodded as Christopher started to make some noise. “Well, it looks like your godson is awake.”

“I’ll feed and change him,” Evan said as he jumped up and headed into the bedroom. “Hey my little man,” he said as he went over to the crib, “All this noise, huh,” he said as he picked him up, smelling the change that needed to happen. He went over to the changing table and was quick to change him, knowing better than to take his time at all. He’d been a great target the first time he’d changed Christopher. Eddie and Shannon had both laughed, and then Shannon had said they’d had the same thing happen to them as well.

“Ba, da aaaah,” Christopher said, shaking his arms at Evan as he stood over him.

“I know, it’s dindin time,” he cooed, “I made something really nice for your dinner too,” he said, “You have some yummy chicken that I roasted, and some carrots and mash potatoes,” he told him, as he finished changing him, putting the dirty nappy in the nappy bin. “Let’s get you set up and ready for food, yeah?” he said, as he picked him up.

“Baaaaaaahhhh!” Christopher added, kicking his legs a few times and scowling and looking down at them. Like he knew something wasn’t right.

“I know bud, we’re going to figure this out, okay. It might take a bit of poking and prodding from the mean people with the white coats, but you’ll be okay, they’ll figure it out, even if I have to get someone private,” he murmured, thinking about the money that was just sitting in his accounts.

“Bleeee,” Christopher squealed as he saw his mother waiting for him.

“Hey, sweet boy,” she smiled as she plucked him from Evan’s arms. “Quick cuddle, then go and have a snack. Dinner is later,” she said as she looked at Evan.

“What, it’s not that early for dinner,” he pouted.

“It’s very early,” she rolled her eyes, cuddling her son for a moment before letting him go back to his godfather.

“Fine,” he muttered, “A snack it is,” he sighed, “I just like making him meals, he loves them.”

“I know he does, you spoil him so damn much, Evan, and I can’t thank you enough for it,” she told him sincerely.

“You’re one of my best friends, Shannon. You and Eddie. You both… gave me something very precious, and I don’t just mean the honor of being this one’s godfather,” he told her.

“We have someone else in our corner,” Shannon said as Evan began to get a snack ready for Christopher to munch on before dinner in about two hours. “How about we start that list?” she suggested.

Evan nodded as he began to tell her what to put down.

XxXxX

Shannon wanted to pace, as she always did when she was frustrated and nervous. This time they were in the doctor’s office once again. “Look, Doctor Calisto, Christopher isn’t meeting his milestones and with the way his birth was. I know that something isn’t right. He’s rolled over twice in the last three days. He keeps trying, but there is just no strength in his legs. He can’t stand up, and his legs jerk nearly all the time when he wants to do anything. He can’t even crawl yet,” she repeated to him, once more frustrated with the way that he was dismissing everything that they had put down in the document they had written yesterday.

“I want another doctor,” Evan said, as he put a calming hand on Shannon’s arm. “I want another doctor here that can give their opinion on what they have heard. I don’t want you to say anything to them,” he told the man, “Now, please do so. Or get security to escort us out, because we’re not going to be moving until we’ve had you all listen to what we’ve been saying. If you can’t do something, or won’t do anything, then get me someone who will listen and can do something,” he finished, sitting up straight and taking on a no-nonsense air that he had learned from his father.

“You will leave, we’re done,” the doctor stated, glaring at the man. All traces of the facade that he had used to greet them and try to gaslight them was now gone.

“No,” Evan said, “That’s not going to happen. You’ve been given so much evidence that something is going on and you’re refusing to listen. So get us someone that will,” he added, sitting back, to show that he wasn’t going to be moving any time soon.

The doctor got up and stormed out. It didn’t take long for him to come back with security and another doctor following him. “As I said, Doctor Prichard, Mr Buckley and Miss Whitt will not leave. I’ve asked them to and there isn’t anything that I can do for the little boy. There’s nothing wrong with him.”

“I see,” Doctor Prichard said, “Miss Whitt, Mr Buckley, I must ask that you leave, there are-”

“Doctor Prichard,” Evan said as he stood up and faced him, “I will leave when I find a doctor that is willing to actually listen to what we have been saying for the last three months about Christopher’s development. Doctor Calisto has done anything but listen. He has gaslighted us, deflected us, and downright called us liars about what is going on with Christopher. He hasn’t even examined him once in the time that we have been on his list. I’m already talking with a lawyer at the moment to see about putting in a complaint about his treatment of Christopher and Shannon. Now, I’m here to make sure that my godson gets the care that he needs.”

“Mr Buckley,” Doctor Prichard said, “Complaint?” he asked.

“Yes. For the last three months, we’ve been trying to get Doctor Calisto to actually listen to what we’ve been saying about Christopher. He’s only just rolled over. He’s not crawling, and when he does try, and even when he tries to stand his legs can’t hold him and they often jerk randomly, like he’s having a spasm. If you examine him, even watching him for a few moments you’ll see that. But Doctor Calisto here hasn’t done anything, no examination, not even a glance at Christopher,” he said, as he gestured to the nine-month-old who was sitting calmly in his mother’s arms. Just like Evan had said, every few moments he would squeal and get annoyed as his legs jerk.

“Not only that, but he’s been crying, like he’s in pain, and we can’t find the cause of it. Again, Doctor Calisto hasn’t done anything to help. We tell him things and he just tells us it’s nothing,” Shannon added, her voice quieter.

“I see, Doctor Calisto, I will be going over some of your patient list to make sure that you are actually doing what you should. I can see, just from observations of Christopher here, that there is something that isn’t quite right,” he stated.

Shannon looked relieved that she was finally being listened to.

“Miss Whitt, Mr Buckley, please come with me to my office and I’ll examine Christopher there, and you can tell me what you have been noticing,” he said as he gestured for them to follow him.

“Sure,” Shannon said as she got up. Evan took Christopher from her, and she then gathered Christopher’s things and the notes that they had tried to give to Doctor Calisto.

The two followed Doctor Prichard out of the room and to his office. “Now, why don’t you go over what you’ve observed.”

“Here, we made notes on everything. When he’s in pain and we can’t find the cause, and what he does during those episodes. His rolling over, crawling, and standing issues,” Shannon said as she handed over the notes for him to look at.

Doctor Prichard took them and began to read though, “I see this here, but tell me about Christopher,” he asked again.

Evan this time spoke up. “He’s happy, and bubbly most of the time. Sometimes, he’ll get frustrated, yell, and squeal because things aren’t going how he wants. When he stands, they jerk and he falls straight away, he doesn’t even get more than a second on his feet before he falls,” he said as they began to go over everything.

“Right,” Doctor Prichard said, “I want to examine Christopher if you don’t mind,” he said as he then began an examination. Christopher wasn’t happy and babbled angrily. “Okay,” he said, as he smiled at Christopher as he went back into his mother’s arms. “There are a few tests that I’d like to carry out, but I do believe you, Miss Whitt, that there is something that’s wrong with Christopher. We won’t know more until we run them, but I’m hoping we can get this sorted as soon as possible.”

“Thank you, thank you,” Shannon said, feeling like she wanted to cry at finally being listened to.

“Thank you, Doctor Prichard. For listening to us,” Evan said, “Three months of not getting anywhere and I…”

“I understand, and I will be opening an investigation into the actions of your former pediatrician. New parents or experienced parents, you all know your children best. We should be the ones listening,” he said, “now, I’m going to make a few appointments for Christopher to see if we can find out what’s going on,” he added.

The two nodded and were given a few appointment times over the coming weeks for Christopher before leaving the office.

Chapter Ten

Evan walked into the Diaz house once more. He had a smile on his face as he had been looking at places for him to live. He loved living with Isabel and Edmundo, but he really wanted his own place again. He’d gotten used to living alone, and now spending over a year living with the Diazs, while he loved it, he knew he needed his own space again. “Hello,” he called out as he walked inside. His eyes went wide as what he saw as soon as he crossed over the threshold into the Diaz home.

“Edmundo!” he called out as he saw the man on the ground.

He pulled out his phone and dialed 9-1-1.

“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?” came the voice on the other end.

Evan rattled off the address, “My abuelo, Edmundo, he’s unconscious, not breathing and I can’t find a pulse,” he said as he began CPR, thankful that he had gone to classes not long after joining the running club, at their insistence. Now he was grateful for it. He winced as he heard cracking but knew it was a possibility.

“Good, CPR is good,” the dispatcher said as she then added, “I’ve got an ambulance on the way to you. You’re doing good,” she encouraged as Evan kept going. It took a few minutes, and to Evan, it felt like a lifetime before he could hear sirens in the distance. “Is the door unlocked?” she asked after a few moments.

“Yeah, I… I didn’t lock it yet. It’s still open,” he said, a little breathless as he carried on.

“Okay, they’ll be there in just a moment,” she told him.

“Okay,” he said, feeling his arms start to ache. He kept going and moments later he felt a hand on his shoulder pulling him away and two people taking his place.

Evan moved away, a third coming to stand with him. He watched as the two paramedics worked on Edmundo. “Please, be okay,” he said, biting his lip and trying not to cry at the thought of losing the elderly man.

“He’s back,” one of them called out, “Let’s get him to the hospital. Are you going to be coming with us?” she asked as she looked at Evan.

“Yeah,” he noted, “I need… I need to call Abuela and Pepa, and… and…” he said, starting to feel the adrenaline crash as he realized just what had happened, his hands starting to shake.

“It’s okay son,” the man who had stood beside him said, “We’ll get him to the hospital and he’ll be in good hands there,” he said as he guided him out.

Evan nodded as he grabbed his bag again, it still had all his things in and got into the ambulance as it started to head to the hospital. Things became a blur as he was directed to a waiting room. He pulled out his phone, wanting to call Isabel first, but thinking it would be best to call Pepa instead.

“Hello,” Pepa answered.

“Pepa,” he said, his voice breaking, “I… you and Abuela, you need to come to Ceders, it’s Edmundo, it’s Abuelo, he… I found him…”

“Calm child,” Pepa said, “You found Papa?”

“He was unconscious, not… not breathing. I couldn’t find a pulse, but I… I called 9-1-1 and they came and got him. We’re at Cedars now, they’re taking care of him, he’s alive, but I don’t… they won’t tell me anything, I’m not… I’m not family,” he said brokenly.

“Okay, Evan,” Pepa said, “We’ll be there as soon as we can, alright, you wait there, you stay there,” she instructed.

Evan gave a weak, “Yeah,” as the call ended and he huddled into a chair, hoping that someone would tell him something.

XxXxX

Evan looked up as someone walked into the waiting area. He had done each time someone walked in. This time, he jumped to his feet and rushed over, “Abuela, Pepa,” he said as he looked at the two women.

“Have you heard anything?” Pepa asked.

Evan shook his head, “No, they haven’t come out and told me anything.”

Isabel went over to him, hugging him tightly. “Pepa will you find out?” she asked as she looked at her daughter.

“I will, Mama,” she nodded as she turned and headed to find someone who would be able to tell them what was going on.

“I… I had to hurt him, when I… when I performed CPR, that…” he shuddered as he felt himself wrapped up in Isabel’s arms once more.

“You did what you could, nieto,” she told him, “That is all that can be asked of you. You did what you could. I know you did.”

The two remained that way for a few moments before Isabel let him go. Pepa soon returned with a doctor.

“Mrs Diaz,” the doctor said as he looked at the elderly lady.

“That is me,” she nodded, “How is my Edmundo?” she asked, fearful of the answer.

“He’s doing well, considering. He’s going to be kept in for a few days at the very least. He did suffer a heart attack. His heart had stopped,” he said, “Are you the young man that performed CPR until the paramedics could arrive?” he asked.

Evan gave a sharp nod. “Yeah.”

“You did really well, because of you Mr Diaz is going to live. He’s going to have to change a few things, but he’s going to be okay. He’s resting at the moment and we’re going to be keeping an eye on him. I’ll have someone take you through as soon as we have him settled in a room. He’s sleeping at the moment, but no doubt in an hour or so, he’ll be awake,” he reassured them all that Edmundo would be fine.

Evan wanted to sink to his knees, grateful that the man was going to be okay. Pepa stood beside him, wrapping an arm around him. He hadn’t even noticed that he had been swaying slightly.

“Come sit down,” Pepa said as she looked at the doctor.

Evan was guided to a chair and sat down heavily on it. He was starting to shake a little.

The doctor walked over, “Hi, I’m Kyle Martin,” he said, “How are you feeling?” he asked.

“I… I don’t know, numb but… overwhelmed,” Evan answered.

“Right,” he nodded, reaching out to take a pulse the old-fashioned way. He nodded a few times and then said, “You’re shaky, and a little clammy,” he added. “I suggest getting you something warm to drink, with a bit of sugar, you’re okay, just a little shock after everything that happened and an adrenaline crash. Not pleasant, but understandable in these circumstances.”

Pepa nodded, “Thank you,” she said as she let her mother take over her place and went to find something hot for the three of them to drink.

The doctor nodded as well as he left the small family alone. Pepa returned with drinks and handed them out. Making sure that Evan was okay as they waited to be able to see Edmundo. None of them liked the fact that he was alone in the hospital at that point. No doubt wondering what had happened and how he had ended up in the hospital. Though Pepa reassured them both that someone would have told him what happened.

“Family of Edmundo Diaz?” a voice called out as an orderly walked into the room.

“We’re his family,” Isabel stood up, “My husband, are we able to go and see him now?” she asked, clutching her purse close as though it could protect her from any bad news that might be given to her.

“I’m here to do just that. If you follow me, I’ll take you to where he has been situated, he’s in a room with another patient, but they’re out for testing at the moment,” he said as he began to lead them through what seemed like endless corridors and into the room where Edmundo was sitting up a little on the bed, a smile on his face as he saw his family walk through the door. The orderly left them alone and the three went over to the bed, Evan hovering at the foot of it as he took in the machines around Edmundo and how pale he still looked. Isabel went to her husband, kissing him a few times and saying a couple of blessings over him, thanking all she could that her husband still lived. Pepa had taken a place at her fathers side, a smile on her face as the worry and fear that had been there before started to dissipate with seeing Edmundo awake.

“Evan,” Edmundo said, smiling at him, “Thank you,” he told the nineteen-year-old, “You saved my life. If you hadn’t done what you did, I wouldn’t be here, So thank you.”

Evan nodded, still quiet. He’d barely said a word since Isabel and Pepa had arrived. “I… welcome,” he murmured as he hid his face and started to cry.

“Oh, neito,” Isabel cooed slightly as she went over to him and held him, “you did a good job, my neito, so good.”

“You really did,” Edmundo added, sounding tired. “I have a bit of a road in front of me, but it’s one that I can walk, thanks to you. Now, come and sit, though I may drift off. I’m a little tired,” he admitted. “I’m going to be changing a good few things, to make sure that I’ll be around for a long time.”

“You better not leave me alone, how am I to wrangle those children of ours,” Isabel said, tears in her eyes as she held Evan, though all could tell she just wanted to hold her husband as close as she could. Knowing that if Evan hadn’t been there, Edmundo wouldn’t be with them now.

“I will be right there, mi angel,” he smiled as he held out a hand, needing to reassure himself that he was okay.

Isabel squeezed Evan one last time, pressing a kiss to his cheek before going to her husband’s side once more.

XxXxX

Evan relaxed into the booth, looking at Lou in front of him. Edmundo was finally home, it had been a long week, and no doubt it was going to get even longer since Ramon wanted to come up and see his father. Edmundo was reluctant to let it happen, but the man had promised to behave, but Edmundo was skeptical that he could.

“You look exhausted,” Lou pointed out as he handed the other a menu, “Let’s get something to eat, if I don’t, I’ll end up going home and forgetting to eat again.”

“Yeah, Pepa is helping Isabel with making some meals that would be easy to heat up for us all at the moment. Since none of us have any energy. I’ve been helping Isabel with the insurance on everything. I just… it’s so complicated at times. I know that I’m going to help them where I can with the bills that come with a week-long stay in the cardiology unit. So I’ve been talking to someone about helping with that. Thanks, for meeting up with me,” he added.

Lou smiled, “You’re welcome.”

Evan smiled back, “You said you found another hiking trail after that last one?” he asked.

“I did, thinking it would be a good all-day thing for us. I know you enjoy getting out there, and so do I,” he added.

“Sounds good, just tell me when and where as always, and I’ll be there,” he grinned at him, “I… I don’t want to make things awkward, but I’ve been thinking about this for a while and I was wondering if you’d want to go to dinner, as in a date dinner, sometimes. I know you’re older, but I have felt more connected with you than I have with anyone else, even Eric.”

Lou hesitated for a moment, “Alright, we’ll… see how it goes, one date, at the least,” he replied, smiling at the other, “And no matter what, we talk things through. Communication is important, after all,” he added.

Evan smiled at him as they began to order lunch. Evan also started to go over date ideas and where they could go. Lou listened and gave his own input on where he’d like to go for their date.

Chapter Eleven

The days leading up to Thanksgiving were busy. Lou was being strong-armed by his family to head to San Diego, since he’d been able to secure a few days off, which was a first in over six years. Evan would miss him, but he knew they weren’t really in a place to meet each other’s family just yet. They’d only gone on three dates and one of those had been interrupted by Lou being called into work. Evan had fully understood, and he wondered if that was what waited for him, as he was now beginning to seriously think about joining the police academy.

The Diaz family was gearing up to have a full house. Ramon had come alone after his father had returned home. As he had promised, he’d kept the comments to himself, but Evan had caught the looks that had been aimed at him several times over the three days that the man had been in LA. He had returned to El Paso, and had promised to be there for Thanksgiving. Edmundo’s heart attack had brought the family closer together, and more and more of the family was starting to move back to LA to be nearer to him and Isabel.

Evan was wondering if he should bring up what he had been thinking about in the lead-up to Edmundo’s heart attack. Evan walked into the living room and sighed as he saw the two sitting there, curled against each other. He smiled, he loved seeing their affection for each other. It was such a deep connection and one that he adored.

“Evanito,” Isabel said as she spotted the young man, “I thought you had gone out with your young man,” she said.

“We did, our night finished and thankfully, it finished at the right time. He’s got a case that just kicked off, and some information came through he had to act on ASAP,” he said as he walked into the room fully.

“Ah, he is a busy young man,” she said as Evan went and sat down.

“I know, and he does his best to keep his dates with me. But I understand when he has to cancel, which has only happened twice in the last month,” he smiled, curling happily in the large armchair that he had claimed for himself.

“What has that worried look on your face, Evan,” Isabel asked the young man.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I stopped for a bit, but it’s on my mind again and I’d like to talk to you both about it, to see what you think I should do,” he rushed out, biting his lip at the end.

“You’re going to have to tell us more than that, mijo,” Edmundo said, smiling as he looked at the nervous nineteen-year-old.

“Well, I was looking at places to move into, near here, not that far away, but a place of my own,” Evan told them, finally telling them what he had wanted to do for the last few months. “I’ve loved living with you both. So much, you’ve.., taught me a lot. Not only how to make sure I can cook good food, but to cook it so well I can share it with others as well. With you and your family. I know Thanksgiving is in a couple of days. I plan… to at least stay until the new year if that is still all right for me to do?” he said, looking at the two of them.

“Are you sure you wish to leave?” Edmundo said, his voice quieter but serious.

“I am, like I said, I’ve loved every minute of living under your roof. Being welcome as part of your family. But even the little chicks need to fly the nest at some point. I lived alone for so long in Hershey. but living with you both, showed me a lot of what family should be like with each other. I just hope that one day, I can work hard enough to have that for myself. That loving and openly affectionate relationship would mean the world to me, just like your relationship means the world to you both,” he answered him, smiling as he curled more into his chair.

Isabel smiled, “I knew this day would come, but it has come a lot later than I thought it would. You’re always going to be welcome in this home. You’re one of mine, just as Eddie is, just as Pepa is, you are part of my familia,” she told him, her words gentle but holding so much weight and promise with them.

“What she said,” Edmundo smiled, “I’ve loved having you here, you’re a wonderful young man, and I’m proud to have met and taken you into our home. You’ll always find a seat at our table and a bed in our home should you ever need it. But take your time in finding a home for yourself.”

“I will, I’m going to start looking at places. I want to try and move out in the new year,” Evan told them, slinging, “So you won’t be getting rid of me that quickly,” he finished.

“Good, we’ll make sure that you’re in a good home, I’ll not have you in a bad place. We helped Eddie and Shannon find the home they have now, and it’s in a very nice place.”

“Yeah,” Evan nodded, “I’m hoping to try and find a place between here and there, so I can be close by,” he said as he looked at them, “And thanks, could do with a bit of help with it all. I’m not exactly confused, but last time I found a place for myself, I had a little help, and I’d like that again,” he said.

“Of course,” Edmundo agreed easily, “We’ll look with you and find the right place.”

“Thanks,” he smiled as he began to ask about Thanksgiving and what the plan was as the family would be starting to arrive in the next couple of days for it.

XxXxX

Evan held Christopher in his arms. The ten-month-old was fast asleep, clinging to him as he had refused to be put down, more because there were so many people around. The food had been delicious and Evan had been happy to at least have helped in preparing it all. It had taken him some fast talking, but he had managed. Ramon and Helena had tried a few times to get close to Christopher to take him, but the child had screamed several times each time they went near him.

“Hand him over, you have no idea how to hold a child,” Helena said as she finally got near him.

Evan dodged out of her way and shook his head, “No, it’s not going to happen. Because of your comments to Shannon earlier, she doesn’t want you to hold her son. And to be frank, I don’t want you near my godson either. You’ve done nothing but belittle both Shannon and Eddie each and every single time that you come here. Both you and Ramon had done nothing but alienate all of us. That’s why you don’t get to see or hold your grandson. That’s why at the moment, you’re not going to have a relationship with him.”

“We will sue for custody, neither of you is capable of looking after a child, not only that, but our son is a disappointment. He hasn’t even offered to marry Shannon and finally make sure that he is raised right. That child is going to be-” Helena said as Ramon began to head over, seeing that his wife had been able to corner Evan.

“Please, just shut up. I’m sick of you saying such vile things when I would like to know how you would know anything about raising a child. When Eddie decided that being in the Army was better than staying near the two of you? And the two sisters that made it their past time to get him in as much trouble as possible,” he asked. “Not only that, but Janet has been a wonderful source of information about you.”

Helena practically growled, “We will sue, and we’ll make sure that my idiot son will never get near his son again,” she hissed.

“And that is one way to make sure you and Ramon will never be invited to my home again,” A voice said from around the corner.

“Papa,” Ramon said, going pale.

“I’ve had enough,” Edmundo said as he looked at them. “I gave you a chance and you threw it in my face. I’m so disappointed in the man that you have become, Ramon,” he told him, shaking his head a few times. “This is going to be the last time that I let you into my home. You and Helena are no longer welcome here, and I’ll not be giving you a chance again. Now leave, leave right now, and do not think of coming back here.”

“You can’t keep doing this to us,” Helena snapped at him. “We have rights, we have the right to take our grandson and make sure that he is raised properly.”

“He is being raised properly, in a wonderful and loving environment, not that you care,” Evan stated, “he’s well loved, looked after by all of us. Shannon, Janet, and everyone is there for him.”

“Then why isn’t he walking? He’s not crawling either,” Helena snapped as she turned to face Evan.

“There were complications during the birth because of delayed treatment that you both caused. What that means is that he won’t develop like every other child will because you stopped him from getting the help he needed,” Evan sneered at her.

“Just because Shannon was too wea-” Helena began to sneer as she stared at Shannon.

“Shannon wasn’t weak at all,” Evan said, “She was able to give birth even though Christopher had turned and the cord had wrapped around his neck. They wanted to do a C-Section but you stopped that from happening and it could have killed them both,” he hissed at her, “Now get the fuck out and away from my godson because I’m never going to let you near them, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure that happens.”

“We will be taking Christopher in the end, you’ll be hearing from our lawyer. Papi, I hope you know what you’re doing, because this is going to end badly for you,” Ramon said as he took Helena’s arm and walked out.

“They won’t get near him,” Evan said as Shannon walked over. “I promise, they won’t,” he told her.

Shannon nodded, “I know you’ll do what you can,” she said as she took her son into her arms. The baby had woken up, grumbling a little at the noise that was going on around him. Not the shrieking that Helena had accused him of doing.

Evan nodded and looked at Edmundo, “I’m sorry, I really do wish-”

“None of that, what Ramon and Helena do, is not on you, it’s on them. I know that the family will be behind you, so don’t you worry. They won’t have a chance to get near him,” Edmundo promised, reaching out to reassure Shannon with a squeeze on her arm.

“You shouldn’t have to worry about this,” Shannon said, “This is… this is something me and Eddie need to deal with. We’re the ones that really need to tell them to lay off.”

“Does Eddie know what they’ve been like?” Evan asked, “I know we haven’t talked about it,” he added.

“We have talked about it a little, but there isn’t really much he can do while over there. Sending messages, calls, and that to them doesn’t seem to have any effect at all,” she sighed, “I’ll talk to him again, and if they do anything more…” she trailed off, wondering just exactly what she should do.

“Restraining order, or at least a letter from a lawyer telling them to stop,” Evan said, “I’ve got someone in mind that would be able to do so, and do it legally,” he added.

“Don’t forget that Pepa is a paralegal, she’ll know a few people that would be able to help as well,” Edmundo said, “Now, go and have some fun and put Helena and Ramon out of your mind.”

The two smiled and nodded as they went back to talk with some of the other guests.

Chapter Twelve

“Right, so we have our tickets,” Lou said as he walked over.” Now, for popcorn,” he grinned as he led the way to the kiosk.

“You said you brought something with you for that?” Evan frowned a little as he followed.

“Yep, nothing better on popcorn than salted butter, all melted and lovely,” Lou chuckled lightly as they waited in line.

“Don’t they already have the salted and the sweet popcorn though?” he asked.

“They do, and a buttered one, but it’s really not the same,” Lou answered, “But I’ve found that the buttered one here leaves a lot to be desired. The salted one is okay, but it’s better if I bring in some butter. And it’s hot enough to melt it just right,” he finished smiling.

Evan nodded, “Never heard of doing that before.”

“I do it a lot at home when I watch a film; it’s nice. But I think it tastes better when there is someone to share it with,” he added, a little smirk on his face.

Evan blushed a little, “I think I’d like to test that out,” he said.

“Next week, after work, how about then?” Lou suggested.

“Sounds good,” he grinned and nodded a few times as they reached the kiosk, and Lou placed their order.

The two headed to the screen they were at and found their seat. It wasn’t that late, and it was a weekday, so it wasn’t as full as it normally would have been. They curled against each other as Lou brought out the pats of butter he’d brought in a little Tupperware box. He dotted them over and even mixed a couple further into the box.

“There, that should do it, it’s easier to do at home, but it’s not too bad doing it here. Just wait a few moments and it’ll start melting,” Lou said as he settled the box of popcorn between them.

Evan watched the pads of butter begin to melt, covering the popcorn, “Wow,” he grinned, “I knew it was going to happen, but I really didn’t think the popcorn would be hot enough for it.”

“That’s why I asked for the fresh stuff. It’s one of the few perks of this theater, is that they do it fresh, so it’s always nice and hot when you get it,” Lou told him, as the previews began to play and the theater went dark.

Evan nodded and smiled, as they watched some of the previews and whispered about the films that looked interesting. He reached into the popcorn, feeling a little odd when he felt the wetness of the butter on the popcorn instead of the dry kernels. He took one and ate it, humming at the taste, “Okay, that’s really good. Never really thought to have butter on popcorn before.”

“Has to be salted butter, not that unsalted crap,” Lou muttered, “it doesn’t taste right otherwise.”

“Okay, Mr Butter Snob,” Evan teased him lightly.

“Trust me, it doesn’t taste as good,” Lou said, poking his cheek with a butter-covered finger.

“Hey!” Evan whispered as he went to reach up and wipe at it, pouting at Lou.

Lou smiled and leaned in, kissing the pout away, “Eat, films starting,” he said as the sound went a little louder and the title screen came up.

Evan huffed but smiled back as they began to watch, their hands gently touching as they reached for the popcorn. Evan couldn’t help the shy smile that would come up on his face each time their fingers met as they searched out another kernel of popcorn to eat as the film.

“Oh,” Evan pouted as the popcorn came to an end before the film had even been halfway done.

“Another good thing about watching films at home is we could have paused and made ourselves some more,” Lou whispered in his ear, before pulling out a small pack of hand wipes, pulling one out for Evan and handing it over, before grabbing one for himself, “This is the only problem,” he stated as he cleaned up his hands.

“Yeah, but damn they were good,” Evan smiled, wiping down his hands, but still feeling the need to go and wash them as soon as he was able to.

“They were,” he whispered, as they began to watch the movie. “Right,” he said softly, after another ten minutes, “I’m going to do another little tradition when on a movie date,” he murmured into Evan’s ear.

Evan shivered a little as Lou gave a fake yawn, stretching his arms up and then letting one flop gently around Evan’s shoulders. Lou pulled him closer as Evan giggled lightly and leaned closer, “Okay, that was… kinda cute.”

Lou smiled, leaning in for a sweet chaste kiss, “And so is making out in the back row,” he whispered against Evan’s lips.

“Yeah,” he murmured as he kissed him back, getting a little more adventurous each time.

XxXxX

The movie was over all too soon and even the meal they had afterward had come and gone just as quickly. Lou parked the car outside of the Diaz home. The two shared a couple more kisses before they got out.

“You don’t have to walk me to the door you know,” Evan said as Lou got out of the car.

“Well,” Lou used his most official tone, “tradition dictates that I bring you home at a reasonable hour, walk you to your door and earn myself a goodnight kiss at your door.”

“I’m not a teenager,” Evan snorted, shaking his head. I’ve not got a curfew or anything. But I do like you walking me to the door,” he smiled.

Lou smiled back as they began walking side by side. The front window light turned on as they approached the front door, and Edmundo and Isabel stepped outside. Looking at the two of them as they walked up the garden path.

“What time do you call this?” Edmundo asked seriously as he stared at the two men. His jovial tone and the little smirk playing about his mouth.

“Hey, I’m home early!” Evan protested, huffing at the two as they stood on the doorstep.

“Exactly, it’s so early,” Isabel said with a little smile on her face, and a quiet giggling escaping her.

“Even Cinderella stayed out later than you pair have!” Edmundo said, “So go away, and don’t come again until the carriage turns into a pumpkin!”

Evan huffed but smiled and laughed, “Fine, and I think we need to keep you away from the classic Disney stuff again,” he added.

“Not going to happen,” Edmundo called out to them as they began to walk away.

They got back in Lou’s car and Lou headed to the vista he had said would be a good view of the stars. Evan smiled as they got out and he looked around. There was a path that led through some sparse trees.

“Come on, it’s this way, a little bit of a walk, but I think tonight it will be okay,” Lou said as he gestured to the path.

Evan nodded and hurried to walk beside him. The two chatted easily as their hands gently brushed against each other until Lou captured Evan’s and held it, sharing a smile they carried on walking. “So how did you find this place?” he asked Lou.

“I was just walking along once, with no destination in mind but being in nature when I found this place. Soon after I had a bad case and came here that night. I just stayed here and watched the sky and the stars. The stars slowly disappeared and gave way to the sunrise. Seeing the beauty around me, experiencing the peace that nature brings, it was just what I needed. It became my own tradition to come here when a case gets to me. Or I need to remind myself that this world is a beautiful place,” Lou said softly, a gentle smile on his face.

Evan listened and nodded, “Yeah, I can understand just wanting a place to go where you can unwind, without someone around,” he added softly.

Lou smiled, “You get it,” he told him as they carried on up the path and toward a vista that looked out over to the ocean, seeing a lot of LA spanning out from in front of them. The sea of stars stretched out before them as the lights of LA tried to drown them out. “Just looking out at the city, reminds me that there are a lot of good and kind people out there that need to be protected from the worst of society. That I’m one of those that are going to it. It’s a hard job, and sometimes it feels thankless at times. In the end, I always find what I do worthwhile. Coming here just reminds me of that.”

“Yeah,” Evan smiled at him and nodded before the two of them went back to looking out at the stars and the lights of LA battled it out for who wins.

Lou caught Evan shivering slightly out of the corner of his eyes and shook his head. “Idiot,” he murmured as he shrugged off his jacket and put it around a confused Evan’s shoulders. “While LA is warm most of the time, it does have its cold spells, and during the night the temperature can drop drastically at times,” he told him as he tucked the jacket around his boyfriend, “You should always bring a jacket, you never know,” he advised a fond smile on his face.

“Yeah,” Evan nodded and smiled, “I need to remember that. I’m used to really harsh winters at times, and well… even living here a year hasn’t seen me take a jacket when I think it’s warm.”

“You need to,” he said, shaking his head and pulling Evan close, to help keep him warm.

“I’ll remember,” he said, smiling as he looked up at Lou. Evan found himself tucked under Lou’s arm, resting against him as they looked out at the view. Evan turned his head slightly, taking a deep breath as he smelled Lou’s cologne and something that was uniquely Lou. He gave a small shudder and leaned against him even more. Feel safe and loved in that moment.

They remained there for a while longer as the lights of LA changed. Little parts went darker and others lit up as the time changed. “It’s beautiful up here, seeing the city change.”

“Yeah, it is,” Lou agreed, smiling down at him as he leaned a little closer. Evan leaned up a little and the two kissed.

Evan smiled against Lou’s lips as they made out for a few moments before pulling apart. “Yeah,” he smiled and then giggled a little.

Lou smiled back as he noticed the time on his watch, “I think the carriage is going to turn into a pumpkin soon, and you into an ice statue,” he added as he saw Evan shiver once more.

“But I like it up here,” Evan protested.

“We can come back. How about we have a late night picnic here one night? We’ll wear something warm, bring some snacks, a warm comfortable blanket and spend a few hours up here to watch the sunrise one of these days?” he suggested.

“That sounds like a wonderful plan,” Evan agreed as they began to make their way down the path and back to Lou’s car. They got in the car and headed back to the Diaz home. This time the front window remained dark as they pulled up, got out of the car and walked to the front door.They got out and Lou began to walk him down the path. They got to the doorstep, neither noticing the two nosy people watching as they shared a kiss on the doorstep.

Lou kissed him again as he said, “Good night, Evan.”

Evan smiled and kissed him back, “Night, Lou,” he said as he watched him go. Only to realize as Lou drove away that he was still wearing Lou’s jacket. He smiled to himself as he gently tucked his face against the collar of the jacket and inhaled Lou’s cologne. His eyes fluttered shut and he shuddered as the muted scent of sandalwood combined with Lou’s own masculine scent invaded his senses. “Night,” he whispered to the wind as he walked into the house and saw Isabel and Edmundo standing there and smiling happily at him.

“Now that is how a date should end,” Isabel smiled at him as she hugged him, “Now, go and change, and I’ll have a nice warm drink waiting for you.”

Evan nodded as he went to his room, taking off the jacket and putting it on his desk, a soft smile on his face as he went over their date.

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