Chapter Five

~ Wright ~

Walking into the main house with Xander was both overwhelming and amazing. The first thing that caught his eye was the expansive kitchen and dining room area. The space was all open, with light wood floors and white walls. It had a homey feel to it, like a real family truly lived there. Dishes sat in the sink, there was a chopping board and knife on the island that was the only separation between the spaces. The table itself was large, with ten chairs around it. Almost half of them were taken already.

"Wright, dear." A woman who looked in her mid- to late forties stood from the table and walked over to them. Xander's hand was in the middle of his back, careful to avoid the spot just below that was still sore. "It's so nice to meet you. Did you sleep well?"

"About as good as expected," Wright said. He wasn't sure who the woman was, but she seemed nice. Her eyes were full of worry and he could see them taking in every part of his face and looking lower. He was still wearing Xander's shirt that was at least two sizes too big on him, and William's sweats.

"And Alexander here has been helping you?" The way she said it was more of a warning that she better like the answer he gave or the grown man behind him would be in serious trouble. He looked up over his shoulder at Xander and smiled.

"Yeah, he's been great. I really appreciate everything that's been done. The food last night was delicious."

"I'm glad the sweats fit," another guy said. He was still taller than Wright, but he looked closer to his age. His hair looked like he'd used his fingers to try and tame it this morning, but a few pieces were stubborn and still sticking up. "I'm William. It's nice to meet you."

He held out his right hand to shake. He couldn't wait to be able to use his other hand. Being left-handed, it felt weird not being able to move it. His hand was smooth and he squeezed Wright's gently before letting it go.

"Were the boxers okay too?"

"Oh, um, yeah. I can see why they were for your honeymoon though. They're tight on me, so I can imagine on you."

"Wait, what? You bought special underwear for me and then gave them away?" Another guy that was sitting at the table raised his arm toward William, his expression a full-on pout. William laughed and walked back over to him. Xander guided him to one of the empty chairs. Tracy sat back down next to who he assumed was Patrick.

"Don't worry, husband of mine. They came in a pack of three." William leaned over the guy's shoulder and kissed him easily. Right there, in front of everyone. Wright looked down at the table and swallowed.

"I would say get a room, but we'd still be able to hear you," Xander said as he picked up the plate in front of Wright and started putting things on it. Wright wasn't a bit fan of grits, despite growing up in the south. He kicked his foot against Xander's and shook his head to silently tell him to skip over that dish.

"It was one time and you walked into the guest house without knocking," Clark said. "That was on you."

"You called it ‘conserving water' I do believe," Xander said. "I've never heard someone have so much fun saving the planet."

"No sex talk at my table, please," Tracy said. But she sounded amused more than annoyed.

Everyone laughed and they all went back to eating their food. Patrick was sitting at the head of the table to Wright's right, Tracy directly across from him. William and his husband were sitting in the two chairs next to her.

"So, Wright." William's husband broke the silence after a few minutes. He was trying to cut his food and eat, but it really was hard not being able to use his dominant hand. "How old are you?"

He gave up on eating for the time being. His stomach protested, grumbling just loud enough he could hear it. Xander looked over at him and tilted his head, so maybe it was a little louder than he thought. Without a word, he scooted Wright's plate closer and started cutting the biscuit smothered in gravy and tore the bacon up in bite sized pieces for him.

"Thank you." He turned back to look at the rest of the group. They were all watching Xander with varying levels of emotion on their faces. "Um, sorry. I'm really dominantly left-handed and not all that coordinated with my right. But to answer your question, I'm nineteen."

"Did you grow up in the area?" William asked that question.

"Born and raised," Wright said. He knew they were just trying to get information about him. He was willing to answer and let them know what they needed. As long as it meant he could stay with them a little longer. The fact that Patrick hadn't batted an eye when William kissed his husband and Xander made a joke, he was grateful to be there. "I grew up just a little ways from Trinity hospital."

"You lived near there?" Patrick finally spoke up. His voice was the one Wright recalled from yesterday, the one that told his dad they would take care of him. He'd been terrified of his voice yesterday. But now, he could see the concern etched into the lines of his face. He also didn't miss the way he used the past tense of that word. "Are you comfortable with going to the doctor today?"

"Xander already asked me that," Wright said. "I'll be okay going, as long as I have someone there with me. I don't live right next to it and my dad works closer to the college, so it should be fine."

"Is your dad at work?" Tracy asked. He turned his head slightly so he could see out of his good eye. She was looking at her husband though. "If he's not there, maybe you could stop by so Wright can get some of his things."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Xander said. "We don't know if he'll come back and he could press charges for us going inside without him there."

"But it's Wright's house too," Tracy said. She wasn't arguing it, just stating facts. "And he's going to need his things."

Not so much the clothes but waking up this morning Wright did realize that he had nothing. No toothbrush, actual brush, his phone was no doubt smashed to pieces by now. He would need things. "It's only Thursday, so he should be at work. He would usually be home by five in the evening, but sometimes he stayed out later and I wouldn't see him. I don't know what he would do since I'm not there."

"We can always drive by and see if he's there. If not, do you have a way to get in? A key, or something?" Patrick took a sip of his coffee and waited for Wright to answer.

"I don't," he said. "But I know I can get into my bedroom window. I wasn't allowed to lock the door or the window."

There was a beat of silence from everyone. Not even a fork scraping against a plate. Xander's arm rested against the back of his chair and his fingers brushed over his good shoulder. Wright dared a glance at the rest of the table. Patrick was looking at his wife. William was smiling softly at him, pity and concern etched in the way he held himself. His husband, who Wright could not remember his name, was staring down at his food.

Wright decided to bite the bullet and give them an explanation. "My dad isn't nice, as I'm sure you can understand. Yesterday, I was, uh, watching a video on my phone and I guess I forgot to close the tab. He saw it and did all of this." Wright used his right hand to motion toward his face and then down his body. "I dislocated my shoulder when I fell against a table in the living room. I have bruises on my ribs and lower back as well as the masterpiece that is my face. He's hit me before, made me stand in cold showers, submerged my head in the sink water when he didn't think the dishes were clean enough." Wright closed his eyes and leaned his head back, just the feeling of Xander's arm behind him enough to help him get through saying everything. "It started after my mom left. I don't know for sure, but I suspect he was hitting her and when she left, he turned to me. He isn't religious or anything. I didn't grow up going to church or mass or whatever. He spends his Sunday mornings drinking and yelling at the TV, when he's home. He's just mean. It wasn't a flip that switched one day, though. It was gradual, comments and arguments at first about how I needed to man up and start doing things around the house to contribute. Then, he'd get mad when I didn't do something right. By the time I hit high school, I was pretty good at cooking and cleaning but he'd never taught me to use outside things like the mower or weed eater, so he would get mad about that too. I've just been counting down until I left. I'm supposed to start at the community college in the Fall."

He didn't realize that he was crying until Xander moved to wrap him in a hug. He let him hold him, needing the assurance that he was okay now. There was another hand on his shoulder and he looked to the side to see Tracy standing next to him.

"You don't have to go back there, Wright. We can easily take you shopping for new clothes."

"You've already done enough for me," Wright said. Xander brushed his finger up and down the back of his neck and he leaned into the small touch. He looked at the other men sitting at the table. "Seriously, I appreciate everything since yesterday, but I don't want to impose any more than I have. I can get a hotel room or something and figure it out. I should have done that when I turned eighteen."

"Nonsense," Xander said. "You're injured and I'm not letting you out of my sight until the doctor clears you."

"Clark has a bunch of clothes he was going to donate," William said with a smile.

"And by that, he means I made him go through his clothes too to get rid of things. For someone that doesn't wear shirts or socks in the house, I don't understand how he accumulates so much stuff. Take a guess at how many long sleeve shirts this man owns." Clark didn't wait for anyone to answer. "Twenty. Twenty long sleeve shirts. We live in Texas."

"It gets cold still!"

"Yeah, but then you're just wearing my hoodie and ignoring the twenty, two-zero, shirts that you own." Clark turned from William to Wright. "I made him pack up at least ten of them. We were going to donate them after the honeymoon but you're more than welcome to go through them first."

"I swear he loves me," William said with a huge smile. Clark rested his forehead against William's shoulder and they both started laughing. It lightened the mood and Wright relaxed a little more. He liked them. "But seriously, if those sweats are okay, then I'm sure my other clothes will be a better match than Xander or anyone else. We can run and get them from the house today while you're getting checked out."

"Is there anything at your house that you would need?" Patrick asked. Wright thought about it. Other than the usual hygiene stuff, which he could get new ones at the store, he wasn't sure. He had a stuffed animal that he kept on his dresser. It had been a gift from his mom when he was younger and it was one thing he had to remember her by.

"What is it?" Xander asked softly.

"Nothing," Wright said. "It's fine. I really don't need anything from there. I can just get new stuff."

"We can go out after your appointment to get some basic things for you," Tracy said. "I think Patrick has that money your dad left. It's rightfully yours."

"I'll grab it from the safe in a bit," Patrick said. "You two finish eating and then we'll get ready to leave. I'm going to go out and check on a few things around the ranch. We'll leave in about an hour."

"Xander, do you mind if I steal Wright for just a bit?" William cleared his plate and Clark took them to the sink to help Tracy clean up. They all looked like a family. Wright felt a pang in his chest at that. He hadn't had that in a long time. "Don't worry, we'll just sit out on the porch. Nothing strenuous or moving too much."

"I'll be fine," Wright said before Xander could say anything. He wasn't his keeper either way. Although, he liked the attention that Xander gave him. The way he'd cared for him last night, let him use him as a pillow and made sure he took the medicine. Offering to help him wash his hair and the gentle way he cleaned his injuries and bandaged them. "I'm sure you can talk to your horsey friends for a while."

"You have so much to learn if you're going to be living on the ranch for a while," Xander said. He finished off his plate of food and stood up. "Did you need help with that?"

It took Wright a second to realize he was offering to feed him. "Oh, no, I'm good. Thank you for cutting it up though. I truly do suck with my right hand."

"Left-handed and refuses to sleep on his back. You're high maintenance, you know that right?"

"But yet, you're still offering to feed me," Wright said with a smile. He leaned his head back and saw the way Xander rolled his eyes at the comment.

"I'll come get you in a bit."

Wright focused back on his plate. The food was cooled off now, but still tasted better than anything he could cook himself. He finished off the biscuit and the eggs quickly and washed it down with a glass of water. He listened to William and Clark bickering as they washed the dishes, kicking Tracy out of the kitchen to go relax since she did all the cooking. He liked them. They were funny, but he could see how much they loved each other. When he finished, he picked his plate up with his good hand and walked across the space.

"Room for one more?" Wright asked. Clark looked over and smiled as he took the plate.

"Food's amazing here, isn't it?" William asked, leaning around Clark to see him. "It was one of the selling points when this whole idea first came about."

"You know that famous saying, Wright? The one about the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. William was the muse behind that. Even when we were in school, I won him over by bringing him lunch every Friday our first semester."

"All lies," William said. He rocked up on his tip toes to kiss Clark's cheek. "We're going to go sit outside for a bit. Love you."

"Love you too, husband."

"I hope I never get used to that," William said with a dopey smile. It was the only way Wright knew to explain the look. "Let's go sit outside. Do you want a jacket or anything?"

"I'm good," Wright said. "It was pretty warm out when we walked over."

William led him back toward the table. To the right of the table was a set of French doors. They opened inward to a grand living room. "The fireplace is real, not gas. It's nice during the colder months. One of the houses also has a real one. I think it makes it homier."

The fireplace was on the left wall, a large flat screen mounted above it. A sectional sofa sat facing it. It was all cloth and looked exceptionally comfortable. Xander's couch in the guest house was nice too. He would talk to him about giving him his own bed back tonight. There were photographs of Patrick and his wife, some with kids and some with others. There was a wedding photo, also on the ranch. In the far corner to the right, there was a desk with shelves, but it was covered with trophies and ribbons instead of a computer or paper. The whole room was lit with natural light from the three large windows that spanned the wall opposite where they came in.

The door leading to the side porch was on the other side of the fireplace. It was a covered brick porch. A half wall came up to block some of the view once they sat down in the chairs. Wright moved slowly, not wanting to bump his side or anything.

"Okay, so." William turned in his chair to look at Wright. He had a feeling he was about to be grilled, but he wasn't sure how he felt about it. He didn't know William, barely even knew Xander. But he felt safe. He was safe. Their discussion about getting him clothes and if he should even risk going home made that clear. "How are you doing? Really?"

Wright took a deep breath. "Hurting," he settled on after a few moments. "If it wasn't for the meds, I feel like I would still be in the fetal position on the gravel."

"And emotionally?"

Wright thought about it. He was truly grateful for where he ended up yesterday. He knew that he'd been simply surviving for years. It was a blessing and a curse to understand that he was being abused but having no way of getting out of it. He didn't have a job or a car and now he didn't have a phone. "I thought I was going to die yesterday. My dad's been angry before, but I've kept that side of me hidden from him for years. I knew I was gay since my freshman year of high school. I wasn't popular at all in school, spent most lunch periods in the library reading. Then, when my dad finally agreed to get me a phone, I would use it to research. To read stories about people like me, gay men. I was always careful to cover my tracks. I used Private browsing, cleared my history, never kept anything in the house. I don't know why I didn't this time."

"Are you scared that he might show back up? Or you might run into him when you go into the city today?" William picked his feet up and wrapped his arms around his shins. He was watching Wright closely, but the conversation was easy. The topic was hard, but it was easy to talk to William.

"Only if I'm alone," Wright said. "Xander has made it clear I'm not allowed to be alone until I'm fully healed which will take a couple weeks at best."

"I know you briefed over it and I don't want you to go through it again, but I can see with your face and the way Xander was acting with you at the table says that your injuries are a bit more than what any of us can see. I only ask because FFR- Found Family Ranch- has a thing where we can help cover medical expenses. So, whatever happens and however you're hurt, I don't want you to worry about money. We're going to cover everything for you."

"I'm not part of the housing, though." Wright looked out at what he could see over the brick wall. There was a large tree that blocked most of the field behind the house. To the left, he could see the corner of the guest house. He heard birds chirping somewhere in the branches.

"You're here. You're part of our family. We're going to help you, okay? The perk of owning the business is I can make that decision."

"I've waited a long time to hear someone say that," Wright said. He could feel tears stinging his eyes. He wiped gently at his swollen eye, wincing when he touched it. It was sore and he couldn't open that eye, but he'd already taken the pain pills for this morning. He'd have to wait and see what the doctor said. He decided to let them fall as they pleased, preferring tears over the pain. "My dad liked to remind me that he was the only family I had. When he got really drunk, he liked to pull out this old rope from his grandfather. He was some sort of farmer or something. He would go on and on about how the men in his family were tough and worked hard. How I was a disappointment to him and a shameful spot in our family tree."

"I'm so sorry," William said. He put his legs back down and reached over to lay a hand on Wright's knee. "I hate that you went through all of that, but we are going to help you, okay? Now, was there anything that you needed from your house? I saw you kind of in deep thought for a moment when Patrick asked."

"It's nothing," Wright said. "It's just a stuffed animal that my mom gave me when I was little. I should just let that whole part of my life go."

"We can get your things if you want," William said. "We have several friends in the law enforcement that will go with you. Just let me know, okay?"

"Thank you," Wright said lowly. "I don't know how my dad mistook this place for a conversion camp, but I'm glad he did."

"Is that where he thought he was dropping you off?" William's hand squeezed his knee before letting go. His hand was nowhere as large as Xander's, the weight of it felt off. "Our website is pretty basic to keep privacy but it's clear what we stand for."

"I don't know." Wright shrugged. He shifted his weight; sitting in a metal chair was starting to irritate his back. "He didn't say how he found it but I assume he just Googled gay camp or something on my phone and went with the first place. Or the closest so he could keep an eye on me. I don't know if he'll come back here to check up or if he'll just leave me here and forget. Is it bad that I'm hoping for the latter?"

"Not at all," William said with a smile. "I think you would relate talking to Brett. He's basically the manager of this place. He'll be back next week. Him and his husband were here yesterday, but they just adopted a little boy last week so he's at home acclimating to being a dad now."

"Is everyone here gay?"

William laughed at the question. He hadn't meant to say it out loud, but he couldn't take it back. He started to apologize, but William spoke first. "Patrick's daughter is bisexual if that makes a difference. She's very open about it and has had both boyfriends and girlfriends. She's about to graduate high school. Super cool kid. They'll be home from school in a few hours so you'll meet them eventually."

"Knock, knock." Xander's face appeared through the door and Wright smiled the moment he saw him. He smiled back and stepped toward him, holding out his hand. "Are you about ready to go? We'll be taking Patrick's truck since it's a bit smoother drive than mine."

Wright took his hand and nodded. He turned back to William. "It was nice talking to you. Thank you, for everything."

"Not a problem," William said. He stood up with them and Wright offered him an awkward side hug. He was ready to get this makeshift wrap off him. "And we'll run to the house while you're out to get those clothes. Do you have a preference on what you like to wear? Long sleeves, shorts, anything?"

"I'm not picky," Wright said. "I didn't really get a say in what was bought for me once I started growing. It was mostly thrifting store items."

"I'll bring you a smorgasbord of clothes then and you can pick what you like." William looked at Xander and then back to Wright and winked. "I'm sure Xander wouldn't mind taking you to the store to get you your own boxers and such today."

"You're a menace," Xander muttered. "Let's get going, okay?"

"I feel like there's a story behind that," Wright said with a smile. William laughed as they stepped back into the house.

"There is so a story behind that, but you'll have to get him drunk before he tells you anything."

Wright didn't mean to, wasn't even aware that he'd stiffened up and stopped walking until Xander's front was pressed against his back. The sudden contact had Wright flinching and his mind kicked into the flight side of his fight-or-flight. He stepped too quickly in reaction and tripped over his own feet. Hands reached out for him and he heard someone scream.

It was only after the noise faded and he felt his throat scratchy that he realized he'd been the one to scream. When he opened his eyes again, he was somehow on the couch. Xander was standing by the French doors and William knelt in front of him. Not touching, just watching. Worried.

"Hey, you're okay. You're safe here. Just breathe." Wright tried to focus on William's words. He closed his good eye and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, William looked to the side. At Xander. He had his hands in his pockets and looked lost.

"I'm sorry," Wright said. He took another deep breath and sat up straighter, his shoulder tinging at the stretch. His ribs were aching too at the sudden movement. He wasn't sure if he'd fallen to the couch or what, but his body hurt. Xander was by his side in an instant. "I'm sorry," Wright whispered again, this time to just Xander. "I don't know-"

"Don't worry about it," Xander said.

"I'm going to go let Patrick know you need a minute," William said, laying his hand on Xander's knee to push himself back to a standing position. His eyes moved to Wright. "I'm sorry if it was what I said. I was just giving Xan here a hard time, but I realize that it probably brought up some memories for you."

William walked out of the room, leaving them alone. Xander's fingers were brushing against the back of his neck, a movement he'd done several times since they met. It grounded Wright. He was grateful for it. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I don't know," Wright said. He looked down at his hand. His other was still tucked under the shirt. He fiddled with the hem of it while he collected his thoughts. "What William said made me picture my dad, when he would drink and the things he'd say after a few beers." It made sense, seeing that he had just finished telling William about it. It was an innocent joke, nothing that he should apologize for. At any other moment or circumstance, Wright probably would have carried the joke further. "Then you were right there and I got scared."

Xander didn't say anything and Wright didn't look at him. He didn't want to see judgment or pity in his eyes. After a moment, Wright felt warm lips press against the side of his head. He didn't move, didn't want to pull away. He wanted to stay in that moment. Even with the pain in his eye and his ribs, all he could focus on was that slight pressure against his skin.