Chapter 10

Gabriel leaned forward, head in his hands, not even caring that his ass had gone numb from the hard plastic chairs.

Rowan's dad had arrived at the police station at the same time as them, and Rowan had gone to talk to a detective with his father. His father just assumed Gabriel was a friend, and he knew that the only reason Gabriel hadn't been quizzed about the obvious age difference was because the man was in shock.

An hour ago, he'd looked up Philip Wilson after he'd heard him tell the desk sergeant his name. It had been fairly easy to find his divorce with Janice Wilson.

He was frantic about Rowan. Since Rowan had spoken to his dad on the phone, it was almost like he'd gone into shock and hadn't said a word in the car.

"Here."

Gabriel looked up and took the coffee from Patrick. "Have you heard anything?" Patrick had disappeared outside to make some phone calls and he hadn't come back in for some time.

"Let's take a walk," Patrick said. Gabriel didn't want to go outside in case Rowan came back and needed him, but clearly Patrick didn't want to talk inside.

They pushed the doors open and took a few steps from the building, away from the smoker who was leaning up against the wall at the other side, and toward Gabriel's car. "What's going on?"

Patrick sighed. "Look, this information didn't come from the medical community, obviously, but from the cops I know. I can't name names and I need you to promise me you won't mention this unless Rowan tells you himself. I know you understand privacy, Gabriel."

Gabriel nodded. Of course he did.

"Apparently, Rowan's mom and dad have been divorced since he was around fourteen."

"Yeah, I know that. He—" Did Patrick know? It was confidential, but Patrick was sharing similar information. "Rowan told me about being sick when he was a teenager," he hedged without giving details.

Patrick heaved a sigh. "Specifics? He told you why he wears the pads?"

"The radiation treatment," Gabriel confirmed quietly.

"Good, so we're on the same page. Now to what I was just told. The problem is that Rowan was also in and out of doctors' offices for other reasons as well. He had an undiagnosed digestive disorder that they were initially concerned was a reaction to the treatment, but he seems to have suffered episodes with it before that."

Gabriel nodded, but he didn't have a clue where Patrick was going with this. Patrick put his hand up when Gabe opened his mouth to ask a question. "Any more physical details are between you and Rowan."

"Okay," Gabriel subsided.

"That's just a little background. Call it concerning repetitive behavior, if you like." Gabriel frowned, but Patrick carried on. "Rowan's mom has a new boyfriend she's staying with on a weekend. The boyfriend has a nine-year-old little girl that he has shared custody with and is often there on weekends as well, as the mom works shifts, including nights. The little girl has been having a few recent stomach issues, sickness, tiredness. Rowan's mom has been urging the boyfriend to try for full custody because she is under the impression that the girl's mom is feeding her junk food, not enforcing regular bedtimes, etcetera. Except the girl's mom is a nurse, and there's never been any problem before. After the last visit, apparently, the little girl had a fight with her mom, accused her of not looking after her properly because she put her career first before her—"

"A nine-year-old said that?" Gabriel interrupted.

"Yeah, the mom knew by the language that she was repeating what had been said to her and as both Mom and Dad have co-parented successfully since the kid was born, she guessed it was Rowan's mom. Anyway, it came to a head Wednesday as Mom couldn't wake her up properly for school. When she was questioned after the little girl was admitted to the hospital, it turns out she brought home the vitamins Rowan's mom had been giving her. The cops got them tested and they're sedatives. A common adult dose but dangerous in a child. Apparently Rowan's mom used to give her half. She also gave her other pills, one of which was a laxative. The dad didn't know Rowan's mom was giving her anything because apparently it was a secret just between them. Just between the girls."

"Fuck," Gabriel gasped in horror. His knees wobbled, and he reached out for the hood of his car. "You think that's what was wrong with Rowan?"

"I don't know. Rowan's mom has been charged with criminal negligence, but she's insisting the little girl stole the pills from her purse. Her word against the child's, so you can imagine why they needed to talk to Rowan."

Gabriel felt sick.

"I'm not a psychiatrist, but this is going to take an awful lot of unpacking. They cannot prove the same was done to Rowan, and we could be way off base, but as she's been arrested, not merely questioned, it doesn't look good."

"Okay. Let's go back in." Gabriel wanted to be there when Rowan came out. Around forty minutes later, Rowan and his dad came out of the back offices and walked into the waiting area. Both Gabriel and Patrick stood up. Patrick went to shake hands with a stunned Philip Wilson and introduced himself, explaining his partner Charlie was one of Rowan's friends and had gotten the call from the detectives.

Gabriel tuned them out the second he saw Rowan, and Rowan took a couple of steps away from his father. He looked completely shell-shocked. "You stayed," he whispered, then walked right up to Gabriel.

"Of course I did." Gabriel's fingers itched to touch Rowan, but he had no idea if Philip even knew Rowan had been staying at his house.

A question that was answered as soon as Philip and Patrick joined them. Gabriel held out his hand to Rowan's father, and they shook. He knew the older man was sizing him up. "Thank you for bringing Rowan here." He turned to Rowan. "Come on, let's get you home."

Rowan blinked. "No. The carpets."

Philip nodded. "Yes, I meant Hilary's."

Rowan shook his head. "No, I have school tomorrow. It's too far."

Gabriel saw his own shock reflected on Philip's face and gathered that Rowan disagreeing with anything was very unusual. Rowan sent Gabriel a pleading glance.

"Sir, Rowan's very welcome to stay with me. I—"

Philip put his hand up and headed for the door. He obviously wanted the conversation to happen somewhere with less of an audience. He turned to Gabriel as soon as they were outside. "Look, I'd be happier if my son came home with me, but as I didn't know my son was even gay, or had a boyfriend up to an hour ago, you're going to have to forgive me for being a little over-protective."

Yeah, thought Gabriel, and where were you when his mom was trying to poison him? Of course he didn't say that or dispute the boyfriend claim. He focused on Rowan and knew he was reaching the end of a very short rope and trying to keep it together for his dad. He stepped up even closer and tried to keep his voice low. "Do you want to come back with me?"

Rowan nodded, blinking furiously. "Yes, D—, yes." Gabriel nodded and rubbed Rowan's back, knowing what Rowan had stopped himself from saying. Philip sighed as he watched the exchange and stepped closer to his son. "I'm fully aware this is too little and much too late, but I'm also very happy to book us both into a hotel tonight. To be honest, it might be better to take a few days off school, anyway."

Rowan sent Philip a wobbly smile, but stayed silent while Gabriel got a card from his wallet and quickly wrote his address on it. "These are both my numbers plus where I live."

Philip took the card and scanned it quickly, then put it in his own wallet and turned back to Rowan. "A lot of this is my fault," Philip said. "I've never been there for you and have always taken the easiest way out, but that stops here. You change your mind, you just want to chat, call me. I want to hear from you first thing in the morning and then we'll take everything from there." He stepped up to Rowan and hugged him. "And call me Dad, huh? She doesn't dictate to either of us anymore."

He glanced back at Gabriel. "Rowan tells me you've been helping him look at apartments."

Gabriel nodded. "Yes, sir." What else could he say?

"Then tomorrow we'll arrange for us all to go out for dinner during the week so we can get to know each other better. I'll bring Hilary." And with that, he headed for the BMW in the corner.

Gabriel drew a now visibly trembling Rowan close and tucked him under his arm. Patrick glanced at Gabriel, then Rowan. He got his phone out and Rowan's dinged. "You have my number as well. I got yours from Charlie. You can call either me or Charlie at any time."

Gabriel swallowed. "Come on, let's get you warmed up." He steered Rowan to the car, opened it, and settled him in, even pulling the seat belt over him, then he grabbed a travel blanket from the back and covered Rowan's knees with it, before closing the door and hurrying around to his side.

Rowan didn't speak on the way home except for a nod or a shake of his head. Not that Gabriel was going to ask him anything except if he was warm enough. He knew everything had to go at Rowan's pace and tried not to think about what he was doing with Rowan or what it meant.

He steered Rowan to the bathroom as soon as they got home, then went to get him some water after he'd refused anything else. He turned down the bed, getting Rowan's pajamas out. Rowan appeared a moment later, face pale, and pretty much out of it.

Gabriel didn't hesitate after watching Rowan just stand there and look at his pajamas as if he didn't know what they were, and quickly helped Rowan get undressed and get them on. "Come on, in you get." He lifted the comforter and Rowan slid in.

"Would you like me to stay while you go to sleep?"

Gabriel didn't know whether it was the question that did it, but Rowan took a short, sharp breath and let out a sob. He put his fist to his mouth and tried to bury his face in the comforter, but Gabriel was having none of it. He couldn't leave Rowan like this, and he slid in, still fully dressed, and pulled Rowan to his side.

And Rowan cried. They weren't the big, heaving sobs that Gabriel knew he needed to let out; they were small, hushed, as if he was ashamed of them.

He was killing him.

"Let it out, Rowan," Gabriel murmured and rubbed his back. Rowan didn't speak, just cried quietly until suddenly between one breath and the next he was asleep.

Gabriel swallowed down his tight throat and tried really hard not to think about how good Rowan felt in his arms. He'd never had this. He was never one for cuddling and he'd never had a boyfriend. He was a Dom, not a Daddy. Maybe tomorrow when they'd both slept, he could get some perspective on everything. He would move in a moment and go back to his own bed when he was sure Rowan was asleep.

He just needed a moment.