Special Gifts

Written By: LJ


Rowan was awoken once again by Darby bolting out of bed and dashing for the bathroom.

“It’s okay, baby,” Rowan tried to calm his partner. He was becoming concerned, as this was the third time Darby had been sick since midnight. After gently washing Darby’s face, Rowan handed him a glass of water. “Rinse out your mouth, Sweets, and then I’ll get you back to bed.”

“I think you’re running a temperature, little one,” Rowan commented as he tucked his young lover back in bed. “You’re very warm. I better take your temp so we can see what we’re dealing with here.”

“Nooo! Just leave me alone. Let me go back to sleep,” Darby moaned, wrapping himself around his pillow. “My stomach hurts,” he whined, turning on his side away from Rowan and drawing his knees up against his chest.

“What do you mean ‘your stomach hurts’?” questioned the older man. “Is it sore because you just threw up for the third time in less than four hours?”

“No. It was hurting before I went to bed last night.”

“Why didn’t you say something?”

“Because I thought it would go away and I didn’t want you fussing at me.”

“Well, now I’m definitely taking your temperature. I’ll be right back,” Rowan said as he headed into their en suite.

Coming back to the bed, Rowan saw that the younger man had his head hidden under his pillow and was curled up even tighter than before. “Turn around, Darby, and please come out from under there.”

“No! Leave me alone!”

Rowan was too worried about Darby’s health to bother arguing with him so, after reading the instructions on the package in his hand, he returned once again to the bathroom for a jar of Vaseline. Back at Darby’s bedside, Rowan pulled the blankets out of the way to take advantage of his partner’s habit of sleeping in the nude. Reaching down, he gently parted Darby’s cheeks and inserted the lubed thermometer.

“What are you doing?” Darby wailed, coming out from under his pillow and trying to pull away.

Holding Darby in place, Rowan calmly explained, "I have to know what your temp is and since you weren’t co-operating, this seemed the easiest way to go about it. Now hold still, young man.”

“I don’t like this,” Darby whimpered, wiping away a stray tear or two.

“It will only take a few minutes. Just relax, sweetheart.” Rowan rubbed soothing circles on Darby’s back with one hand while keeping the thermometer in place with the other.

After checking the results, Rowan informed his young partner. “Your temperature is 102.2, baby. I’m going to call the hospital to see if we should go to the emergency room.”

“But, I don’t want to go, Rowan,” Darby pleaded a few minutes later, as he watched the other man laying out clean clothes for both of them.

“Sorry, Sweets, we don’t have a choice,” Rowan stated, pulling on his jeans. “It’s fortunate our own doctor is on call. Dr. James is going to meet us at the hospital in twenty minutes.” He quickly finished dressing and then gently helped Darby into a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt before bundling him out of the house.

************

Two o’clock that afternoon found Rowan sitting beside an empty hospital bed, reading a report he had taken from his briefcase. Darby had been taken to the operating room just before noon and Rowan had used the time to grab a quick lunch, stop by his office and return before Darby was brought back. Rowan looked up to see his best friend walk into the room.

“Hi, Rowan, where’s Darby?” Jayson had expected to find the younger man in bed.

“He hasn’t come down from the recovery room yet,” Rowan answered. “What are you doing here? Playing hooky?”

“I went to your office to see if you wanted to join me for lunch. Your secretary told me about Darby and where I’d find you,” Jayson explained before asking, “What happened?”

“Darby was sick several times during the night and running a temperature. I was able to contact Dr. James who told me to bring Darby into the ER.” Rowan let out a frustrated sigh. “The Brat neglected to tell me his stomach was hurting him last evening before we went to bed.”

Jayson shook his head. “He probably hoped he would feel better soon.”

“Well, he didn’t get better. Fortunately, arriving here before five o’clock in the morning and meeting our own physician really moved things along quickly. The blood tests showed a rising white cell count. They determined it was his appendix flaring up but not critical, so Dr. James was able to wait for a surgeon of his choice to perform the surgery.”

“What time did they take him up to the operating room?”

“Around twelve; actually, I’m expecting him back any minute now.”

The words had barely left Rowan’s mouth when two nurses came into the room pushing a gurney. Rowan and Jayson moved out of the way to give them the space needed to transfer Darby to his bed. Once their patient was comfortably settled, one nurse checked his vital signs and adjusted the intravenous equipment while the other nurse removed the stretcher.

Stepping up to the side of the bed and reaching up to push the hair off Darby’s forehead, Rowan asked the nurse for an update on Darby’s condition?

Before the nurse could respond, a voice was heard saying, “I can answer all your questions.”

Turning, Rowan saw a doctor entering the room and after shaking hands, made the introductions. “Thank you! I’m Rowan Kincaide, Darby’s partner. This is a friend of ours, Jayson Stoneman.”

“I’m Dr. Roberts, Mr. Madison’s surgeon. Dr. James referred him to me.”

”How is Darby?” Rowan’s anxiety was obvious.

“He will be fine,” Dr. Roberts assured him. “But his appendix was worse than at first anticipated and ruptured just as I was removing it. As a result, the incision has been left open to drain and he is on a heavy antibiotic regime. He will also be hospitalized a little longer than usual.”

“When do you think I’ll be able to take him home?” Rowan asked.

“Probably in four or five days; Dr. James will be taking over now and he will determine the time of discharge.”

“Thank you, Dr. Roberts. I appreciate all you’ve done for Darby,” Rowan said as the doctor took his leave.

Rowan reached out to gently rub Darby’s face and watched as the young man stirred slightly.

“He’s awake. He woke up in the recovery room,” the nurse informed Rowan, “but he hasn’t opened his eyes yet.”

“Darby. Come on, baby, open up those beautiful green eyes for me.” Rowan lightly tapped his lover’s cheek. He smiled as a moment later Darby’s head rolled to one side to press against the familiar hand and two sleepy eyes opened to look up at him. “How are you feeling, little one?” he asked, gently cradling his partner’s small hand in his larger one.

“Okay, I guess.” Darby shifted slightly and winced. “It hurts, but I want to lie on my side.”

“Here, let me help you.” Rowan slowly got Darby into the comfortable position the young man preferred. “Everything is going to be fine, sweetheart. Go back to sleep if you want.” Rowan rubbed circles on Darby’s back until the young man relaxed into the soothing touch and fell asleep.

Placing a hand on Rowan’s shoulder, Jayson quietly said, “I’ll see you later. Let me know if you need anything, okay?”

“Thanks, Jay. I’m going to spend the night here with him and most of the weekend. He’s not a very co-operative patient and I know he’ll be upset if I’m not here when he wakes up again.”

Rowan spent the next couple of hours going over paperwork while Darby slept off the last of the anesthetic.

************

“Come on, baby. Just try to swallow a few mouthfuls.” Rowan was trying to persuade his cranky partner to eat. “You like cherry Jell-O.”

“Nooo, I’m not hungry. I want to go home,” Darby whined.

Rowan wondered which one of them was having a harder time with this hospital stay. ‘My god, it’s only the first night,’ he thought. “If you finish this, I’ll read to you.” Rowan resorted to bribery and was pleased to see it worked.

“What did you bring to read?” Darby wanted to know before deciding whether or not to finish the meal Rowan was trying to force-feed him.

“Harry Potter. It is one of your comfort books, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Darby agreed reluctantly.

After Darby had eaten enough to satisfy the older man and his personal needs had been attended to, Rowan sat down against the headboard and cuddled up to the young man to read one of Darby’s favourite stories.

By ten o’clock, Rowan was ready to call it a day. Darby was settled for the night and Rowan was falling asleep on the large recliner he had dragged next to the bed.

Darby woke shortly after midnight and for a few minutes he watched Rowan sleeping peacefully in the big chair. Not liking the loneliness of the hospital bed, Darby slowly inched his way to the edge with only one objective in mind. Several long painful minutes later, Darby had reached his goal and was finally curled up in his favourite place: Rowan’s lap.

Although not fully awake, Rowan smiled down at his precious Brat and gently kissed him. Reaching over to take a blanket off the foot of the bed, he draped it over both of them. Then he wrapped his arms around Darby and went back to sleep.

A nurse making her rounds was surprised to discover the two men sleeping in the recliner but she quietly checked her patient’s vital signs and smiled as deep-blue eyes opened and looked up at her. Rowan nodded his head in acknowledgement and as she left the room, fell asleep once again.

************

“This sucks! I don’t want to stay in the hospital for the whole weekend,” Darby complained.

“Darby, I know you’re far from happy with the circumstances but it can’t be helped.” Rowan felt his patience dwindling with every passing hour. “You have to stay here until the IV is removed; which will only happen when all your tests come back showing good results.”

“How do you know all this?” Darby petulantly demanded.

“Dr. James explained it to us,” Rowan frowned at his bad-tempered Brat. “You would also know it if you had listened, but you were working too hard at ignoring the medical staff. You actually paid more attention to the lady cleaning your room this morning than you did to Dr. James or the nurse.”

“Well, I don’t like people poking at me,” Darby muttered.

“They were not poking at you. Doctor James had to see how the incision was healing and the nurse had to change the dressing. And,” Rowan sternly added, “if you don’t improve your attitude, young man, you are going to find yourself writing lines.”

“But, Rowan, that’s not fair. I’m sick. Besides, I can’t write anything with this IV in my arm, so there!” Darby was getting more irritable by the minute.

“Are you smart-mouthing me?” Rowan asked, drawing his eyebrows together and staring down at his fractious Brat.

“Nooo, but it’s true. I can’t use my right hand,” Darby pointed out for the second time.

“I know, baby, but being rude is not acceptable.” Rowan decided his partner could use a change of scenery so he proposed, “How about me taking you for a walk? You know the sooner you’re up and about, the quicker you’ll be able to leave the hospital.”

“Okay. You brought in some cards, right?” At Rowan’s nod, Darby suggested, “When we get back, maybe we can play until lunch time.”

************

“Man, I’m so glad you came in for visiting hours, Riley, and thanks for the milkshake.” Darby was enjoying the unexpected treat.

“You’re welcome. Rowan told Jayson you’d like it.” Riley looked around at the rather stark room. “I bet you’re really getting bored in here.”

“Like as in bored to death! I can’t even play my Gameboy,” Darby complained.

Riley lifted Darby’s right arm. “Does this hurt?”

“Not much. It’s mostly just annoying, but I still hate it.”

“How long does it have to stay in your hand?”

“Only until tomorrow, I hope. Then I can go home,” Darby added hopefully.

“You’ve only been here for two days, right?”

“Yes, and Rowan has stayed with me the whole time,” Darby told his friend. “The nurses sure don’t mind him being here either.”

“Why is that?”

“I’m not very co-operative. At least, that’s what Rowan keeps saying.” Darby shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes. “Wanna play cards?”

“Sure!” Riley was more than happy to have something to do. He had only been visiting for fifteen minutes and was already turned-off by the place. He was wishing they had gone down to the cafeteria with Jayson and Rowan.

Meanwhile, Rowan was also enjoying a well-deserved break. “Thanks for dropping by, Jay.” Rowan took a sip of his coffee, leaned back in his chair and gave a deep sigh. “I really needed this.”

“I guess it’s been a long two days,” Jayson commented as he watched his friend relax.

“It’s only been two days?” Rowan chuckled. “It seems more like two weeks. That Brat of mine is not the best patient in the world. He’s hurting, he’s tired, he’s bored, and he makes sure to let me know it every chance he gets." Rowan smiled as he thought of some of the complaints his Brat had made. "So far I’ve been held personally accountable for the lousy food, the hard bed, the scratchy sheets and even the dismal colour of paint on the walls. The only thing he hasn’t blame on me thus far, is the appendectomy itself.”

“It’s very considerate of the hospital staff to let you stay with him the whole time,” Jayson commented when he had stopped laughing at his friend.

“Grateful is more like it, plus the fact I’m paying for a private room. Hopefully, we should be going home by noon tomorrow, barring any unforeseen complications.”

“I though they would be keeping him in for four or five days. I wasn’t expecting you home before Tuesday at the earliest.”

“Well, Darby is coming along faster than they had hoped for and I’ve been gradually taking over more of his care. As a result, Dr James is letting me take him home a day early. I’m willing to bet money the nurses will be more than happy to see us go. Darby’s been cranky, uncooperative, and at times downright rude.”

“That’s not like him at all.” Jayson was surprised to hear of the young man’s attitude.

“He is mostly reacting badly to feeling overwhelmed, but I believe the swat I gave him this morning finally got my point across that enough was enough.”

“I bet it would at least get his attention,” Jayson smiled into his coffee cup.

“I’m sure he’ll be much better in our own home.” Rowan sighed and fervently hoped so.

************

“Man, I never thought I’d be so happy to be home!” Darby exclaimed, heading for the family room.

“Hold it, young man. Where do you think you’re going?”

“I want to watch TV downstairs,” Darby answered.

“You can watch the set in our room. Come on. I’ll help you get settled and then I’ll bring up lunch for both of us.”

“I don’t need any help and I don’t want to go to bed.” Darby pouted to show his displeasure.

“It’s been a busy morning and you’re tired,” Rowan patiently explained. “You can come down this afternoon.”

Rowan put Darby’s naptime to good use. While the younger man slept, he got their home in order. He was heading up the stairs with a basket of clean clothing when the doorbell rang. Opening the door, he found himself looking at a complete stranger.

“Hello; is there anything I can do for you?” he asked the woman standing there.

“I hope so. Is there a Darby Madison living here?”

“Yes, he lives here,” Rowan answered her question and then asked one of his own, “Do you mind telling me who you are?”

“My name is Vivian Madison,” the woman said, introducing herself.

“You’re Darby’s mother!” Rowan stated, unable to conceal his surprise. “I’m Darby’s partner, Rowan Kincaide.”

“I received an invitation to his graduation and this was the return address on the envelope,” Mrs. Madison informed him, without acknowledging the introduction.

“That was over two months ago. You didn’t attend his grad ceremony or even contact him.” Rowan did not bother to hide his disapproval.

“I’d rather explain myself to Darby if you don’t mind,” Mrs. Madison sharply demanded.

“Of course, please come in.” After closing the door, Rowan turned to her and offered, “If you’ll have a seat, I’ll go get Darby. He’s upstairs sleeping as he is presently recovering from some surgery he had three days ago.” He waited a few moments but when he realized no comment would be forthcoming, headed up to the master bedroom.

“Darby, wake up, baby. You have a visitor.” Rowan gently aroused his partner. He wondered what the upcoming visit would hold and hoped his unsuspecting Brat was up to it.

After getting dressed with Rowan’s help, Darby slowly made his way downstairs and into the living room. He pulled back in astonishment when he saw his mother sitting across the room. Looking up at Rowan, Darby sent the older man a silent plea for support. Rowan reached for Darby’s hand, walked him over to the sofa and took a seat beside him, maintaining contact so the young man would know he was there for him.

“H-hello, Mother,” Darby stammered. “This is a surprise.”

“I had to see you one last time.” She paused before continuing, “I have something to tell you and I don’t want to wait any longer to do so.”

‘What kind of greeting is that?’ Rowan thought to himself as he discreetly rubbed Darby’s back.

Darby nodded his head and inched closer to Rowan.

“Darby, I’m getting married next month and I want to break off all ties associated with my marriage to your father.”

“I don’t understand. I’ve hardly seen you over the last five years because every time I called you to arrange time together, you were too busy. You couldn’t even come to my graduation ceremony.” Darby was confused.

“Darby, I am not your biological mother. Your father had an affair and you are the result of that affair. Your real mother died in childbirth and your father wanted you. I could not have children and so I agreed to help Robert raise you. You are an adult now and there is no longer any reason to withhold the truth from you.”

Darby sat quietly staring at the woman he had always thought of as his mother. He worked hard at keeping his breathing slow and steady. His ears were ringing and his heart was beating so hard his chest hurt.

“Thank you. I’ll see you out now.” Darby’s voice was totally devoid of emotion as he got to his feet, led the way into the hallway and held open the front door. He watched her walk away without another word being exchanged. Then he quietly shut the door and leaned his head against it to allow himself a little time to digest this newest revelation.

Turning, Darby immediately found himself in the strong arms of his lover. He looked up at Rowan and stammered, “I-I never had a ‘Mom’ but I never knew I didn’t have a mother either.”

Rowan picked up the disillusioned young man and carried him over to their large recliner.

“Why didn’t my father tell me? I thought it was my fault. I thought I wasn’t good enough for her.” Darby started to tremble.

“He probably meant to tell you when the time was right, sweetheart. Maybe he was waiting until you were older, only time ran out before he had a chance,” Rowan spoke softly, trying to instill some sense of reasoning. “Your father loved you, Darby. Never forget that.”

“He should have told me sooner. I felt her drifting away from us as I got older. I didn’t know what was wrong or how to fix it.” Darby’s pain was audible as he spoke with tears running down his face. “She hardly ever wanted to be with us….either of us.”

“Oh, baby. She couldn’t have been too happy and must have found her life very difficult. She probably wanted children but not being able to have one of her own, she agreed to mother someone else’s child.”

“Well, she didn’t do a very good job of it,” Darby whispered, burrowing his face further into the junction of Rowan’s neck and shoulder.

“Maybe it all became more than she could deal with,” Rowan commented, hugging Darby as close as possible and rocking the sobbing young man while murmuring words of love and support. Rowan’s heart was breaking as he tried to absorb some of the pain Darby was feeling. “It’s okay, baby. Cry it all out, little one. I’ve got you. I love you. I’ll never let you go. We belong to each other.” The words gently repeated over and over again, became a litany of soothing comfort as the younger man gradually calmed down and fell asleep.

Once Rowan had settled a sleeping Darby into their bed, he picked up the phone and called his parents.

************

“I don’t see why I can’t go back to work at the day camp with Shelley,” Darby complained from his seat at the kitchen table.

“Darby, it has only been a week since your operation,” Rowan patiently repeated once again as he put away the groceries.

“Dr. James said I was doing fine when he examined me this morning.”

“Yes, and he also explained why you can’t go back to the work you were doing before the surgery, didn’t he?” Rowan asked. He was anticipating a major temper tantrum. Darby had been tranquil ever since the day of Mrs. Madison’s visit, almost too tranquil. Now that the young man was recovering so well, he was starting to feel restricted. “Didn’t he, Darby?”

“Yes, but I’ll take it easy. I’ll only work on craft-type activities. I promise not to rough-house outside with the kids or do anything too strenuous.” Darby tried hard to make his argument convincing.

“Dr. James said no and I am also telling you, NO!” Rowan stood firmly behind the doctor’s decision.

“This sucks, man! You’re going back to work on Monday. What am I going to do all week by myself?” Darby’s voice was getting louder as he got to his feet.

“I think it’s time for someone to have a nap before he gets himself in trouble,” Rowan declared calmly.

“Well it isn’t going to be me!” Darby shouted, stamped his foot and headed for the front door.

“Hold it, Beethoven! You are not going out.” Rowan caught up with Darby in the hallway. “You are, however, going to do what you are told.” Darby struggled to get away from Rowan but instead found himself bent over his partner’s left hip while a solid right hand emphasized the message with half a dozen sound swats to the seat of his shorts.

Standing Darby back on his feet, Rowan took the young man’s arm and escorted him upstairs. After getting Darby undressed and under the blankets, he sat down on the side of the bed and gently wiped away the tears. “I want you to sleep for awhile before Shelley comes over. When she gets here, I’ll be going out to run an errand.”

“Where are you going?” Darby sniffled and wiped his nose on his T-shirt.

Rowan smiled down at his repentant Brat. “It’s a surprise, little one.” He bent over and gently kissed Darby’s pouting lips.

************

Returning home only minutes after Shelley left, Rowan called out. “Darby, where are you? There is someone here who would like to meet you.” Rowan found Darby in the kitchen and taking his hand, pulled him into the living room.

“Come on, Sweets. We have company. Mom, this is my partner, Darby. Sweetheart, this is my mother, Mira.” Rowan looked rather pleased with himself as he watched two of the most important people in his life meet for the first time.

“I am so happy to finally meet you, Darby,” Mira said as she embraced the bewildered young man. “Rowan has spoken of you so often.” She smiled at the look of disbelief on Darby’s handsome face.

“I told you to expect a surprise when I got home.” Rowan ruffled Darby’s hair and tried to keep a straight face. “Mom was going to come out for your birthday in a couple of weeks but I asked her to come out earlier so you wouldn’t have to stay alone all day when I go back to work on Monday.”

It was several moments before Darby rediscovered his vocal abilities. “I-I didn’t know you were planning to come at all,” he stammered.

“I know! Don’t you just love surprises?” Mira took Darby’s hand and towed him over to sit beside her on the sofa. “I have a gift for you,” she said, handing him the small box she had taken from her handbag.

Opening the box, Darby saw a gold chain almost identical to the one Rowan always wore.

“We give all our children one of these when they graduate from university,” Mira explained.

Darby was again lost for words as he looked up at Mira and then back at the gift in his hand.

Rowan reached over and removed the necklace from the box. “Here, let me put it on you, love.” He knew his young lover would need a few minutes to get his mind around this whole ‘surprise’ thing.

Mira put her arms around Darby and hugged him.

“Thank you,” he whispered and wholeheartedly returned the hug.

************

Darby was sitting in the middle of their bed, watching Rowan getting dressed. “I notice you have your mom’s blue eyes and her black hair colouring but you must have gotten your size from your dad. Man, your mom is so small. You must be a foot taller than she is.”

“Well, Mom’s only 5’2" so I am a foot taller and at 190lbs, I outweigh her by more than 70lbs. Dad’s a big man and my brothers and sisters are also bigger than Mom.”

“Are your brothers as tall as you are?” Darby loved learning about Rowan’s family.

“Only my older brother Trevor is almost as tall as I am and our younger brother, Logan, is a couple of inches shorter than us. Of course, Kayla and Erin are just a bit taller than Mom.” Rowan smiled at his partner through the mirror he was standing in front of and finished buttoning up his shirt.

Realizing Rowan had to leave soon, Darby asked, “Are you coming home for lunch?”

“Sorry, not today. I’ve got a lot of work to do. I have to catch up after being with you all last week and I want to plan ahead for my vacation that starts this coming weekend,” Rowan explained as he straightened his tie. “It will give you and Mom the whole day together.”

“That’s fine with me. You’ve got a great mom, Rowan,” Darby smiled up at his partner. “She was so much fun at the picnic on Saturday. I didn’t know she had already met Jayson and Riley though.”

“Mom and Dad met them when they were out here a couple of summers ago for Dad’s vacation.” Rowan sat down on the edge of the bed and tapped his finger on Darby’s nose. “I expect you to behave yourself today and not get overtired. You are still healing, remember? Mom has the medication schedule to remind you if you forget to take your antibiotics.” Noticing the look on Darby’s face, Rowan added, “Cheer up, Sweets. It’s only for three more days.”

Darby grimaced at the mention of the awful tasting liquid. “Does she know about the candy?” he asked hopefully.

“Of course, where do you think I learned about it?” Rowan leaned over and kissed his lover goodbye. “Wish I could stay, baby, but I can’t. I’ll see you later.” Getting up, he shrugged into the jacket of his suit, grabbed his briefcase and headed downstairs.

************

Rowan walked in the front door shortly after five o’clock and smiled in appreciation at the delicious aroma of dinner cooking. Hanging his jacket on the banister, he picked up the mail and headed towards the back of the house. His arrival in the kitchen coincided with that of two other, extremely wet, family members.

“What have you been doing?” he asked.

“We were just checking out your garden hose,” Mira offered by way of explanation. “And, you’ll be happy to know it’s working fine.” Both Mira and Darby looked rather pleased with themselves.

Rowan burst out laughing. “Well, that’s certainly a load off my mind. I hope you watered the garden while you were at it.”

“See, Darby.” Mira chuckled. “I told you he’d be relieved.” Calling over her shoulder as she left the room, Mira said, “Dinner will be on the table in ten minutes.”

Putting his arm around Darby’s shoulders and kissing the young man’s forehead, Rowan suggested, “We better get upstairs and changed if we don’t want to keep Mom waiting.”

“Race ya!” Darby giggled as he ran ahead of his partner.

‘Looks like they’ve had a good day,’ Rowan thought. ‘Yep, everything’s working out fine.’

************

“I’m leaving for work soon, sleepy head,” Rowan murmured as he nuzzled Darby’s neck. “You better get up because Mom has breakfast ready.”

Darby turned over with a groan. “What time is it?” he asked, sitting up and rubbing at his eyes.

“Just after eight o’clock. I think you stayed up too late last night, little one.”

“Mom and I were watching television. Since you were working in your study, I figured I should keep her company.”

“I still can’t believe you had her watch QAF with you.” Rowan was shaking his head in disbelief.

“She didn’t mind. She really got a kick out of Debbie. You know, that’s Michael’s mother.”

“Well, if you watch TV tonight, try to find something more appropriate, please.”

Rowan leaned over to kiss Darby goodbye. “I won’t be home for lunch again today, sweetheart, but I’ll try to get home early this afternoon. Be good.”

“Yeah, okay. See ya later.” Darby returned the kiss and rolled out of bed to head for the shower as Rowan left the bedroom.

************

Rowan had come home to an empty house almost thirty minutes ago and he still hadn’t been able to locate his partner or his mother. ‘I leave work early so we can go out for dinner and no one’s here. They have to be close by because Darby’s car is in the garage. I wonder what they’ve been up to today.’

“Wow; that was so much fun!” Rowan heard Darby exclaim seconds before the slamming of the screen door.

“We better get changed before Rowan gets home,” Mira was saying. “I haven’t even started dinner yet.”

“I’m already home,” Rowan spoke up, startling the other two people as he came into the kitchen. “In fact, I’ve been home for half an hour. May I ask where you’ve been and what you’ve been doing?”

“We’ve been relaxing in the pool,” Mira laughingly informed him as she dried her hair with a towel.

“We don’t have a pool….that is, we didn’t have one when I left for work this morning.”

“Mom means the pond,” Darby clarified.

“But we don’t have a pond either,” Rowan stated.

“Yes, but Maggie does!” Mira told him.

Rowan looked confused while Mira and Darby stood patiently waiting for him to make the connection.

“Do you mean to tell me you’ve been in our neighbour’s goldfish pond?” Rowan was dumfounded.

Darby nodded. “Yeah, it’s very clean and was really refreshing.”

Pulling out a wooden chair and sitting down at the table, Rowan tried taking deep breaths. He was starting to feel light-headed. “I know I’m going to regret asking, but whose idea was this?”

“Mine!” Mira quickly admitted. “It was terribly hot today, so I went and asked Maggie if we could use her pond.”

“And I suppose she didn’t think that was at all strange.” Rowan was still struggling to comprehend all he was hearing.

“She didn’t think so at all,” Darby jumped into the conversation once again. “In fact she came in with us.”

“She is really a lovely person,” Mira added her point of view. “She said she had never thought of using the pond to cool off in. Personally, I think she was just waiting for someone to come along to share it with her. By the way, how come you’re home early?”

“Please don’t change the subject. I’m still having trouble coming to grips with your activities this afternoon.”

At the mention of the word trouble, Darby stepped closer to Rowan and placed a hand on the older man’s shoulder. “We were just trying to cool off, Rowan. We had the owner’s permission and we didn’t cause any harm to the goldfish.”

Rowan let out a long sigh. “Well I guess it could have been worse.” Then he laughingly joked, “At least you didn’t decide to go skinny dipping.”

“For heaven’s sake, Rowan, give me some credit, young man!” Mira didn’t hide her displeasure at the joke. Passing Rowan’s chair on her way out of the room, she clipped her son across the back of the head and winked at Darby.

Rowan just sat there for several moments rubbing his head and glaring down at Darby who was practically rolling on the floor in hysterics. ‘Well, looks like they had another good day,’ Rowan consoled himself with that thought. ‘But I am almost afraid of what tomorrow will bring.’

************

“Boy, something smells good!” Rowan greeted his mother as he walked into the kitchen just after five-thirty on Wednesday evening. “Apple pie, mmm, my favourite.” Then wrapping his arms around his partner, he pulled Darby closer and kissed him. “Miss me, Sweets?”

“Yes,” Darby answered, snuggling in even more. “I finally finished that horrible medicine. Mom says my food will taste better now.”

“Good boy; and Mom’s right. Dare I ask what the two of you have been up to today?” Rowan wondered if he should be holding his breath.

“We’ve sort of been working on a project.”

“What kind of project? And before you answer, let me know if I should sit down first.” Rowan laughed when Darby rolled his eyes.

“We were designing a tree house. You tell him, Mom.” Darby figured Rowan’s mother could explain it better.

Rowan looked at his mother expectantly. ‘This should to be good,’ he thought.

“Rowan, you have such a beautiful, big oak tree in the back yard. There is just one thing missing,” Mira declared, eyes twinkling.

“Let me guess; a tree house.”

“There you go. I told Darby you would agree.” Mira was trying hard not to laugh.

“I didn’t agree to anything. Why would we need a tree house? We don’t have any children around and Darby is a little old for one, don’t you think?” Rowan said, missing the look of disappointment on Darby’s face.

“I knew you’d say that ‘cause I’ve heard it all before,” Darby mumbled and turned away to finish setting the table.

“Don’t your brothers and sisters visit you? Don’t they bring their children?” Mira asked while her eyes were sending out a different message for Rowan to pick up on as she looked pointedly from her son to his partner, who was turned away from her, and back to Rowan again. “I thought you mentioned you may be entertaining some of your staff and their families. There are many occasions when a tree house would come in handy and Darby drew up some very nice plans.”

Rowan realized he had missed an important clue in the conversation. ‘This has something to do with Darby. He’s gone awfully quiet.’

After a moment’s thought, he nodded his agreement. “You may have something there, Mom. I’d like to see your designs, Sweets.”

************

“Are you sure you don’t mind building a tree house, Row?” Darby asked as they were getting ready for bed.

“I don’t mind, but I’d like to know why you never mentioned it before,” Rowan spoke softly, seeing the younger man’s flush of embarrassment. “It’s important to you, isn’t it, little one?” He lay down on the bed and held out his arms in invitation to get Darby to cuddle.

“I had forgotten about it until today.” Darby was draped over Rowan’s chest listening to his lover’s heartbeat. “Mom and I were sitting on the branches in the tree and talking about how big it is.”

“My mother was in the tree with you?” Rowan asked. At Darby’s nod, he murmured, “I didn’t realize she still did that.”

“She said it was just perfect for a tree house and told me about the one your father had built for you and your brothers and sisters.” Darby explained then added wistfully, “I remembered my dad often saying he wanted to build me one if he ever had time, but when he finally did have time, he said I was too old.”

“You told Mom that didn’t you?” Feeling another nodding motion against his chest, Rowan continued, “Then Mom encouraged you to design the one you always wanted.” Rowan felt another hesitant nod. “Hmmm, what say we make it a really special activity; we’ll have a tree house building party. I’m sure Jayson and Riley would love to help out. We can talk over the plans in the morning. How does that sound?”

“Sounds great; I like it.” Darby stretched up to kiss Rowan. “I love you so much.”

“Love you, too, sweetheart.” He laugh softly as he reached down for Darby’s wandering hands. “Don’t start something I can’t finish. You’re not ready, little one.”

“But I feel fine and it’s been sooo long,” Darby pleaded, once again trailing his hands down Rowan’s muscular body.

“All right, baby.” Rowan reached down between them once again. This time he didn’t stop his lover’s hands from following their quest. His own hands were too busy.

************

“Hi, Mom, how was your day?” Rowan asked as he planted a kiss on his mother’s cheek.

“I’ve had a lovely day, thanks,” Mira replied as she turned down the heat under the vegetables. “My, the time is going by fast. It’s Thursday already and I’ve been here almost a week.”

“Well, it’s certainly good to come home when you’re here to spoil us,” Rowan commented, sorting through the mail in his hands. “Where’s Darby? I noticed his car wasn’t parked in the garage.”

“I don’t know, dear. He received a phone call from a friend and said he had to go out for a couple of hours,” Mira said, checking to see if the meatloaf was finished.

“How long ago was that?”

“I think it was shortly after we had lunch.” Closing the oven door, Mira turned to her son. “Do you think there’s anything to be concerned about?”

“No, I’m sure he will be back soon,” Rowan assured her. “In fact, I bet that’s him now,” he said as a car pulled into the driveway. “Do you mind holding dinner for about half an hour? I have to spend some time with Darby.”

“Go right ahead, dear. Supper isn’t quite ready and I still have to whip up something for dessert.”

Darby knew he was in trouble when he saw Rowan walking into the garage and shutting the door.

“All right, young man, just where have you been?” Rowan questioned, after greeting his partner with a welcoming hug.

“I had to go see Shelley. She needed help.” Darby tried to avoid looking the older man in the face.

“Did you go to work at the day camp even when you knew you were not allowed to?” Rowan asked sternly.

“I only helped a little with activities that weren’t very strenuous. I was careful not to over do it. It’s been almost two weeks since the surgery and I’m feeling fine.”

“How much work you did or didn’t do isn’t the point and how you are feeling is not the deciding factor in this. You were told not to go to the day camp, weren’t you?”

“Yes, but Shelley really needed me. She was short-handed and didn’t have anyone else to call.”

“That’s unfortunate, but it was not your problem. You still deliberately ignored orders from both the doctor and me. You could have been injured today and your employer’s insurance would not have covered you because you did not have the doctor’s permission to return to work.” Rowan took his partner’s hand to lead him over to a seat next to the workbench. “You knew what the consequences would be when you chose to disobey.”

“Please don’t spank me, Rowan,” Darby cried, trying to pull away. “I’m sorry. I won’t go back again.”

“I’m sorry too, but you are going to have to learn to do as you are told, especially where your health is concerned.” Rowan undid Darby’s button and zipper, pulled the shorts and underwear down, and settled the young man across his thighs. “Tell me why you are getting this spanking, Darby?”

“Because I went to work after you told me not to,” Darby whimpered and then yelped as the first swat landed.

Rowan steadily landed hard smacks on the bare bottom in front of him, until Darby’s backside was hot and red and Rowan was sure his Brat had learned this important lesson. Landing four last smacks, he ended the spanking and gently lowered Darby to his knees for a few moments before helping him to his feet and straightening his clothing.

“It’s okay, baby. It’s all over.” Rowan cradled Darby on his lap and rubbed soothing circles on his back. When the young man’s crying had all but stopped, Rowan wipe the tears off his face. Taking Darby’s hand, he lead his partner out to the swing at the back of their garden where it was cooler so they could sit down and talk quietly until Darby was calm enough to go in for dinner.

“I’m sorry I disobeyed you,” Darby sniffled and cuddled closer to his partner. “I won’t go to the day camp again; promise!”

“I understand, little one, and we’ve taken care of it.” Rowan kissed the young man’s forehead. “Let’s go in. I think we’ve kept Mom waiting long enough.”

************

“Rowan, the supplies for the tree house were delivered this afternoon!” Darby was bouncing with excitement as he greeted his partner on the driveway.

“Hi, Sweets, I missed you too,” Rowan laughed as he caught the younger man in a warm embrace.

“Sorry….hi, and I’m glad you’re home early again. The wood is here!” Darby reached up for a kiss.

“I’m pleased to see the hardware store was able to deliver so fast, especially on a Friday. I only phoned the order in this morning.”

“Hello, honey,” Mira called from the back porch. “I hope you’re hungry because dinner is almost ready.”

Rowan followed his mother into the house, towing Darby along with him. “I’m starved!” he announced.

“I’m not hungry,” Darby mumbled before speaking more clearly. “I want to look over the plans for the tree house and make sure we have enough materials.”

“Hold it, young man!” Rowan grabbed Darby’s arm and hauled him over to the table. “You are going to eat a proper meal before you do anything else.”

Darby unwillingly sat down and started to complain, “I don’t…” but one look from Rowan and he settled back with a deep sigh.

“How are the plans for tomorrow coming along?” Rowan asked, hoping to get Darby involved in a conversation on a topic he knew the young man would be interested in. “I spoke to Jayson at work today; both he and Riley will be here first thing in the morning.”

“Darby and I got all the food preparations done, didn’t we, dear?” Mira was pleased so much had been accomplished in so little time.

“Yeah, we work well together,” Darby said, smiling at Mira before informing his partner. “I called Shelley this morning and she’s going to come tomorrow and bring Toby. I think they’re becoming more than just friends.”

“Well with a crowd of that size, we should get most of the tree house built in one day and be able to finish it up on Sunday,” Rowan commented. “I started my vacation today, so Monday we can head up to the cabin for a few days if the two of you don’t mind spending some time in the country.”

Both Darby and Mira assured him they were looking forward to the trip.

************

“Well, Rowan, this was a fun party you’ve put on for Darby’s birthday.” Jayson commented as he watched Riley climb up to the tree house.

“I think so, too. Darby didn’t have much of a twenty-first birthday last year so I figured we should make this one extra special. Mom and Shelley pretty much took care of everything.”

“From my observations, I’d say this time with your mother has met all your expectations. Am I right?”

“Every one of them!” Rowan happily confirmed his friend’s statement. “Darby is getting so much out of her visit, but you won’t believe the kind of surprises I got during the first week Mom was here. So far, my garden hose survived the reliability test, our neighbour’s goldfish pond proved to be a refreshing method for handling the heat, and as you see we are now the proud owners of a new tree house.”

“How did the past five days at the cabin go?” Jayson inquired, once the two of them had stopped laughing. “Or dare I ask.”

“Great! We spent a lot of quality time together and got quite a bit done around the place. I was able to encourage Darby to start his own business. We’ve decided to turn the den into a studio so he can teach music. He’s going to offer private piano lessons to children in the area. He’ll start by advertising at the Community Center where he was working before his surgery.”

“Sounds like a workable idea. Let me know if you need any help moving furniture or whatever,” Jayson offered.

“I had almost forgotten how much fun we used to have with Mom when we were kids,” Rowan reminisced. “She was so different in comparison to my friends’ mothers because she had the most unorthodox ways of doing things. We all thought she was really neat. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to get her and Darby together. He really needs a Mom now more than ever. My mother always seems to know what we want, even when those wants go unspoken.”

“Well Mira is sure helping Darby come out of his shell. Hell, he isn’t even nervous around me anymore.” Jayson found this amusing. “It’s too bad Kalev couldn’t have come out with her though.”

“Dad has called about every second day and he thought the tree house was hilarious. Darby will meet him next summer when we go down home for our vacation.”

“Riley spent most of the week talking almost non-stop about last Saturday. He really enjoyed working on your tree house project. He’s been looking forward to your return so he could come over and get up in it again.”

“I’m sure they’ll both get bored with it soon enough.” Rowan smiled as he listened to Darby trying to persuade Mira to join him and Riley in the tree house. He shook his head when he saw his mother graciously accept the invitation. “Although I don’t think boredom will set in until after Mom leaves next week. Mind you, Darby has already suggested we camp out in it.”

“Are you going to?”

“Sure. Why not! I have to keep my ‘old’ genes, as my mother calls them, at bay. She says I inherited them from my father.” Rowan laughed along with his friend.

“By the way, just how much did you get done at the cabin last week.”

“We finished putting up the larger shed and removed the old one that was ready to fall down.”

“Good! When we all go up there at the end of the month we’ll only have to paint it.” Finishing the last of his drink, Jayson added. “It’s getting late. I better get my Brat out of that tree and head for home.”

“Thanks for coming, Jay, and thanks again for your help with everything over the past few weeks.”

“No problem. Glad to do it,” Jayson said over his shoulder as he walked across the backyard. “Come on, Riley. It’s almost midnight. Time to say goodnight and let these good people get to bed.”

************

“Man, this has been the best birthday I’ve ever had.” Darby was still bouncing when he should have been getting ready for bed. “It was even more fun than Riley’s, and it ended a lot better, didn’t it?”

“There is something to be said for not letting you boys out of our sight,” Rowan teased his excited young partner. “Come on, Darby. Try to settle down, baby, or you are never going to be able to sleep tonight.”

Darby stripped out of his clothing and climbed into bed beside his lover. “Thanks for the party, Rowan. I really had a great time. I got so many nice gifts and yours was the second best, man. I mean, like wow, a cheque to help me start my business! How awesome is that?” He crawled up Rowan’s chest to kiss him.

Wrapping his arms around Darby and pulling him closer, Rowan pretended to look injured as he asked, “And just what was the first best gift, young man?”

Darby bit his lip and looked deep into Rowan’s eyes. “I finally got a Mom,” he softly whispered, “and that’s the best gift of all.”

“You are so right, little one.” Rowan gently smiled down at his precious Brat. “You got a Mom and my mom got another son. Both of you received very special gifts.”

The End