Chapter Five:
2014:
Words.
They floated past him, recognizable but unintelligible. Heard but not understood.
Half in a dream he heard broken shards of conversations.
"...miracle he's alive."
"...wasn't his fault..."
"...we don't know how well he will walk again..."
"...days before we know..."
"...won't be an easy recovery..."
Swirled in and among the words, sounds that were familiar but without a name. Images and colors flashed through his consciousness before dissipating like smoke into the dark.
A loud shriek.
The grinding of metal on metal.
Red. A lot of red. Nothing but red and more red. Flashing, painfully-bright, insistent. Red light. Hurting his eyes.
And then...
Snap.
In an instant the world was painfully white. Blindingly white. He closed his eyes against the sharp, searing intensity.
A deep voice resounded. "He's coming out of it. Connor..." He didn't recognize it. Tried to respond, failed. The words in his head wouldn't come.
"Connor. Can you hear me?" the same unknown voice again.
"Connor..." wait...that voice...higher, softer.
"Mmmm..." he mumbled. Again, "mmmooh..."
It took a superhuman effort to croak one single syllable from his throat and lips:
"Mom..."
************************
"Mom, I'm going over to Aidan's house," Connor shouted, thumping down the stairs into the foyer.
"Hold on, Connor. What are you two doing today?" she called from the kitchen. Connor rolled his eyes and turned toward the kitchen. He planted himself in the doorway, hands on the jamb.
"We're probably going to play a couple of video games and then go to the movies around two. Aidan wants to see the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie."
"Ok. And after?"
He rolled his eyes and sighed with exasperation. "I'll drop him off at his house and then come home for dinner," Connor intoned in a bored monotone.
"Thank you." She looked at him sternly over her reading glasses. "Be very careful driving. No showing off, no fooling around."
"I promise, Mom, model driving. You know I don't mess around in the car."
"I do," she acknowledged. Connor had been driving for almost a year now, and had a spotless record. "And thank you for that. One less worry on my head. Alright, off with you. Say hi to Aidan. And you two boys have fun. Well, have fun but...be careful."
There was a strange pause in her voice as she said it. Connor heard it and shot her a quizzical look. "Be careful playing video games?"
"Ok, honey, if that's all it is."
Connor could feel his heart start racing and rising into his throat. He and Aidan had been flirting and making out for a couple of months, but he had carefully hidden that from his parents.
"Mom...what do you mean?" he said with nervous caution. He tried not to sound defensive, but failed. Wariness slid into his voice.
She was silent for a long pause, and then took a single deep breath. "He's a nice boy, Connor. Your father and I like him. We like his parents, too. We're glad you two are friends." Then, with emphasis. "We are fine with it."
Connor stared at his mother, wide-eyed. He felt his mouth dry up and a bead of sweat broke out on his brow.
"I... um, I... I gotta go," he said, haltingly, turning from the door. He made it to the front hall, reached into the closet to grab his coat, and froze. When he turned, slowly, his mother was there at the door between the hall and kitchen. He stared at her for a long minute.
"You know?" he asked, quietly.
"Honey...we may be old, but we're not blind. Or stupid. I've known for years."
Connor blinked nervously. "What about Dad?"
"Yes, dear, your father knows."
He stood there, stunned at the revelation. "And you don't, um..." he trailed off, unsure how to finish the sentence.
"Don't what?" she asked. "Object? Why would we?" She walked up to him, smiled, and touched his face. "You are who you are. My son." She paused, and then with a twinkle in her eye and a smirk on her lips, said "My gay son."
Connor was flabbergasted. "Um, well, I... I mean, I think so, yeah," he said pensively. A moment later, his eyes went wide thinking of how she might interpret that. "Um, but I haven't actually done anything! I mean, Aidan and I, we're friends, but um, I haven't...I mean we haven't...um...done... That." He fell silent and looked at her, lost for words.
"That's fine, honey, I don't think I need the details." She stepped back, turning toward the kitchen. "Go, have fun. Just don't be late for dinner."
Connor stared after her for a moment, and then scooted out the door, climbed into the car, and backed down the driveway. Aidan and his family lived not far away, about five minutes. Connor turned the conversation with his mom over in his head all the way there. Had he been outed or come out? And had he seriously just talked with his mother about what he and Aidan weren't even doing?
When he arrived at Aidan's house, the door was open behind the screen door. Connor rapped on the door loudly and called out, "yo, Aid..."
Aidan popped his head out of the living room. "Hey, Connor. It's open, come in."
Aidan was a stark contrast to Connor. Connor was tall and broad, athletic and well built. His dark brown hair scattered sloppily over his head. He moved with a bit of a lumbering gait, like the soccer and lacrosse player that he was. Aidan was slim, black haired, and graceful. Track and field had toned his body into a tight, efficient frame.
Connor pulled the screen door open and stepped through. He walked to the living room. Aidan met him there and reached out to give him a hug. Connor recoiled momentarily as Aidan embraced him, provoking a furrow of worry and disappointment across Aidan's brow.
"Whoa, what was that?" he said, hurt. "You pissed at me?"
Connor shook off the distraction that clouded his thoughts. "No, no, no, Aid, we're fine." He reached around Aidan and gave him a solid, strong hug. And then he leaned in and gently kissed him. Aidan returned the kiss, eyes closed.
