STICKS, MAYBE STONES TOO

What Next?

Brandon

After a rough night plagued with nightmares. Brandon wakes up startled, there is something heavy on his chest holding him down. While he finds it hard to sit up right his imagination runs into over drive. Suddenly he is back in that basement, Janet and Elvis mocking him for his naivety, taunting him for being to gullible. Panic strikes him.

Tears streaming down his face, gasping for breath, "...andon!..Brandon!" a voice beside him calls urgently. Someone is shaking him returning him to the present.

"Are you feeling ok? You're safe now, nothing is going to happen to you." he hears a now familiar voice comforting him. Finally taking a note of where he was and the events of the previous night, waking up in the hospital as Brandon after dying by the hands or his 'beloved'. so many unexplainable things had happened in such a short time.

Tony did not exist anymore, or did he? No one would know, except himself.

Feeling safe in George's arms he calms down only to find the man staring down at him worriedly. He could not recall sleeping with him on the bed last night but he was grateful to have him there he woke up.

He made him feel grounded.

"When are we going home?" He asks George having never been a fan of staying in hospitals, very eager to leave the premises already.

Silence that is all he gets as an answer, George is looking at him weirdly again.

‘Could he be suspecting something? Did I give myself away? Maybe I said something I should not have.’ trying to recall where he may have slipped up. Finding no particular fault he looks back at George expectantly.

"Hurry up, get my things. I f*****g hate hospitals!" he grumbled impatiently. He really hated hospitals and it was not because some sad tale. they just got him anxious and the smell made his skin crawl.

George

That's it, some thing was definitely wrong with Brandon. He did not exactly hate the change because this was the first time Brandon had taken initiative to talk to him, he even practically begged to be taken home.

The number of times he had asked Brandon to move in with him since his family 'sold' him off was to many to count. He knew his step-father's family did not treat him right from the way the man gave away his hand in marriage with no second thoughts.

I mean he did not even ask Brandon for his opinion before finding him a husband. Was Brandon even gay to begin with?

Considering they were not really close he could not tell, but that was not going to stop him from trying to get the man to fall in love with him. After all he had everything going for him, good looks, money a good home. Why would anyone resist him?

Seeing Brandon becoming restless he asks one of his guards to collect their things earning a surprised look. It seems he had not noticed they were not alone in the room for a while now. The guard had gotten in when he had a panic attack but it seems he was to preoccupied to take note.

Getting off the bed George supports Brandon whose legs are to weak to walk on his own, hearing not complaints which was totally unexpected they walk out of the room together leaving the hospital through the back entrance.

"News about your 'accident' got out and media is upfront waiting to get a scoop on what actually happened that night." George explains the reasons for the weird action answering Brandon's unspoken question.

"I still do not understand why you would try to end your own life though, I know we do not really know each other but I thought you would at least come talk to me as your fiancé if something was bothering you" George admonishes when the finally get to the car packed outside.

Brandon

Knowing very well he did not try kill himself Brandon looks away from George so as not to give away his thoughts. Silently vowing to himself to get to the bottom of the 'suicide', Tony would never be at peace inhabiting this body if he did not give justice to the original owner, the guilt would eat him alive. He had been given a new chance at life therefore that was the least he could.

Staring out the window as the car sped down the road out of the busy central business district he finally realized while George has looked at him weird when he demanded to be taken home. THEY DID NOT LIVE TOGETHER. In fact Brandon had no idea at all where George lived.

In Brandon's memories he noticed that no day had he ever visited George, he was always coming with excuses whenever the topic was brought up.

"I'm quiet busy today, there is a test tomorrow. I have a meeting with friends today, I am helping a colleague with their shift today" any excuse available on the book Brandon used it to get away from George. It is even a miracle he did not pull the 'my dog ate my homework' one because no one on earth would actually believe that, besides what did his homework have to do with a house tour maybe a sleep over.

Raking his brain trying to come up with an explanation for his sudden interest in going over to George's house he realizes that man had never actually treated Brandon wrongly, accepting his silly excuses to get out of visiting even though he knew he had been lying. George was quite patient with him.

With a smile on his face he turns to George and says, "in that cold swimming pool when I has struggling to breathe, seeing my life flash right before my eyes do you know what my biggest regret was?"

"What?" come the gruff reply from his side.

"Not taking time to know you, I had been so mad at you for making my step father marry me off to you that I did not look beyond the surface" Brandon sighs, "I do know it was not just fault but I was just so angry that I thought if I ignored you long enough you would go away."

A sad smile appears on George's betraying his calm exterior. Looking unsure about where Brandon was headed to with his confession. Just as he is about to open his mouth to ask, he gets interrupted.

"I feel like I have been given a new chance at life and this time I get to go back and live different. Change my previous choice and grasp on to every thing that has been handed to me."

"What, do you mean? Like what?" George quickly asks heart thundering away, hoping but scared. Praying this would be his chance. If only he gets a chance, just one.

"We could give this a try...."

to be continued in the next episode