Bringing Home Danny by M.A. Blisher Page A

hovering with worry outside the bathroom entrance. “Is he going to be okay?”
    “ Yeah, I got him,” TJ assured. “Why don't you close the door and give us some privacy?”  
    “ Are you sure?”  
    “ Yes, I'm sure. I'll let you know if I need any help.”  
    “ Whatever you say, man. I'm going to go and make sure those fuckers left the premises.”  
    TJ stood up to get a wet washcloth as Emmett closed the door behind him. He used it to cool down Danny's forehead, neck, and face. Danny tried to take the washcloth from TJ to clean himself off, but his hands were too shaky. TJ rinsed the cloth, and then gently wiped away the sick from his bruised and swollen mouth. When TJ was done, Danny wanted to say thank you, but the lump in his throat prevented him from getting the words out. Seeing Danny struggle, TJ sank to his knees, put his arms around him, and tugged him up against his chest. He then leaned against the wall for support. The tender gesture providing both comfort and strength broke what little reserve Danny had. He buried his face into TJ's chest and cried.
    “ Shush, baby. It's okay, I got you.”  
    Danny couldn't remember the last time he cried openly, and now he was afraid he would never stop. TJ's heart broke at hearing him cry. It was deep gut wrenching sobs that seemed to reach the depths of his soul. Danny cried for the loss of dignity he felt at the hands of his attackers. He cried at the sense of betrayal, and his own stupidity for trusting others. He cried because he was once again homeless, and didn't have a family to turn to. He cried for the man he wasn't quite ready to be, and the boy he no longer was. He cried out in fear for his future, and the pain of his childhood. But, mostly, he cried for the shattered confidence he was tenuously trying to build while being on his own. The near rape signified for him how powerless and out of control he felt every day of his life.
    The harder Danny cried, the harder TJ held on. He began to rock him back and forth, repeating soothing words he realized Danny didn't hear. He said them anyways for his own benefit, to keep himself from getting caught up in the tsunami of grief that was pouring out of the boy. TJ knew he had never felt anything close to the depth of despair this boy was experiencing, and he wanted to take some of it in to lessen his pain.
    Finally, Danny began to settle. His tears stopped falling. His throat was hoarse and achy. With his muscles sore and head throbbing, it slowly dawned on Danny that he was sitting on the floor of a stranger's bathroom, being rocked like a baby by someone he barely knew. Embarrassing and awkward were hardly adequate words to describe how he felt. Danny rubbed his tearstained eyes and wondered how to gracefully pull away and get up.
    “ Shit,” he said in a weak attempt at humor, “I think my ride left.” As an afterthought intended mostly for himself, he said quietly, “I don't even have enough money for a taxi.”  
    Ignoring the bait to trivialize his situation, TJ informed Danny that there was no way in hell he was go anywhere near those assholes again. “I'll drive you home,” he insisted.
    “ You don't understand,” Danny snorted caustically. He twisted away from TJ. “That was my home. I live with them.”  
    “ No, I mean your real home. I'll take you to your parents.”  
    Danny moved out of TJ's reach, slumped against the adjacent wall, and tightly wrapped his arms around himself. Offering the saddest little smile TJ had ever seen, Danny said, “Maybe you can give me a ride into town.”
    TJ shook his head in frustration. “Any town in particular? Or should I drive slow, and you can jump out when the mood strikes?”
    Danny was stung by the sarcasm. “Maybe it would be safer if I walked.”
    “ Walk? Can you even stand?” Without waiting for an answer, TJ stood up. “Let's first get out of the bathroom, I'm getting a bit cramped.”  
    Danny made a weary face towards the door.