Chapter 48

Holden

       I hadn't really left the house for a while now unless I had to go to the store. Gibson coming into our lives was very quick to get used to. One minute Shaw and I were raising three kids and the next, we had to also raise a baby.

       I definitely didn't regret it at all. I already formed a bond with Gibson and I loved him so much.

       The only thing I really was missing was sleeping throughout the whole night.

       I only slightly missed going out but then again, I rarely went out anyway before Shaw and I took in Gibson. The only times I went out, and not to do some adul things like grocery shopping, was when Jane was bored and wanted us to hang out.

       So when Calvin called and asked if I wanted to hang out with him at a nightclub, I did want to go and thankfully, Shaw even encouraged me to go. I wasn't much of a nightclub and partying person, but it was going to be nice getting out of the house for a bit.

       "There's my favourite cousin!" Calvin said excitingly when he saw me walk into the nightclub. "And before you object, yes, you're my favourite cousin because none of my other cousins are gay."

       "Uh, that's nice to know," I said as we walked over to the counter to get some drinks and food.

       "So are you interested in some alcoholic beverages?" Calvin asked. "Because I could hook you up with some."

       "No," I said. "You shouldn't be encouraging underage drinking."

       "I can do what I want. Nah, I've just been spending a lot of time with Enzo."

       "The mayor?"

       "And Kenny's grandfather."

       "Ah, right."

       "And to clarify, that's a no on the drinking, right?"

       I just rolled my eyes as Calvin ordered some onion rings, buffalo wings, and drinks for the two of us. Well, some pop for me and alcohol for him.

       "So what's it like being a married man?" Calvin asked.

       "I've been married for a while and you're just asking that now?" I asked.

       "Well, I've barely had time to hang out with my favourite cousin because you've had better things to do," Calvin said.

       "Or because you never ask to hang out," I pointed out.

       "...Touche. So being married? What's it like?"

       "Amazing," I said. "I mean our relationship is still the same but at the same time, it feels different. Like a good different. And I still can't believe I'm actually married to Shaw. I've known him my whole life and now he's my husband."

       "Life works in mysterious ways."

       "Like you sleeping with and impregnating a girl even though you're gay?"

       Calvin gave me a flat look. "That happened years ago and people are still bringing it up. I just don't get it. Is there, like, some sort of group that I don't know about where you guys bring that up every chance you get?"

       "Oh, absolutely," I said. "We meet every other Tuesdays to make sure we're keeping up with it and to discuss the times when we called you out for it."

       "I knew it," Calvin said. "I mean, just last night when Kenny and I were laying in bed, he just randomly says 'Hey, you remember that time when you slept with Destiny and got her pregnant?' Like, no duh, I have a son. Of course I remember."

       I just chuckled. We all found Calvin's reaction amusing when we bugged him about it, so we all kept doing it.

       Calvin and I basically just spent the time here talking. We used to be very close when we were younger and not adults having to do adult things, so it was nice spending time with my admittedly favourite cousin.

       At one point, Kenny showed up to talk to Calvin about something since Calvin had his phone and silent and wasn't answering. I took the opportunity to go to the washroom and when I came back, Calvin was already sitting back at the counter. "What did he want?" I asked.

       "Oh, he just wanted to tell me that Ace is spending the weekend at our house because his new baby sister spends most of the night crying and Ace can hear it," Calvin said.

       "I know that feeling," I said.

       "Right, you and Shaw took in a baby," Calvin said. "How are things going with him?"

       "It's going good actually," I said. "We already has attachment problems and hates laying in the crib alone. He needs someone with him at all times, or at least he needs to be able to see someone. I don't blame him."

       "Neither do I," Calvin said. "I don't get someone who can leave a baby like that. At least you found him when you did."

       I was really glad I found Gibson when I did. We still didn't know if he was going to stay with us forever, but the police was having no luck trying to track down his mom so right now, it seemed that way and to be honest, I wanted it to be that way.

       As time was passing, I was starting to feel a lot dizzy. It didn't even slowly build up. I was just all of a sudden really dizzy.

       "Holden, are you okay?" Calvin asked.

       "Yeah, I think so," I said. "I just... I think I need some fresh air."

       I stood up off of the stool but almost stumbled over, but Calvin was quick enough to get off his stool to catch me. He then led me outside to get some fresh air but not even a few moments later, I started coughing a lot. And when I looked at the ground in front of me, I saw blood.

       The dizziness didn't stop and it wasn't long before I passed out.

***

       I could feel my head pounding like crazy and I tried to open my eyes, but it wasn't working. Around me I could hear some muffled voices but I couldn't recognize any of them.

       It took a while but when I finally opened my eyes and let my vision adjust, I saw Shaw and Calvin in the room which apparently was a hospital room.

       When Shaw noticed I was awake, he was quickly by my side. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked.

       I nodded before asking, "Why am I here?"

       "You passed out at the nightclub," Calvin said. "We suddenly got really dizzy so I took you outside where you coughed up blood and then you fainted."

       "What? Why?" I asked.

       "That's what we were hoping you could tell us," Shaw said. "You don't know what happened?" I shook my head. "Then I guess we have to wait for the test results. You seriously don't know what happened?"

       "I really don't," I said. "Where are the kids?"

       "I've got your parents looking after them," Shaw said.

       Josh walked into the hospital room in his doctor's uniform so clearly, he was working right now. How he always ended up being my doctor whenever I ended up in the hospital boggled me.

       "Holden, did you take anything tonight?" he asked.

       I furrowed my eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

       Josh sighed. "Drugs, Holden. Did you take any drugs?"

       "What?" I asked. "No, of course not. Why?"

       "There was a lot found in your system," Josh said. "Enough to overdose. Holden, if you really did take something, you can tell me."

       "I didn't, I swear," I said.

       "It's true," Calvin said. "I was with him all night and before that, he was at home."

       "Where we you two?" Josh asked.

       "At Fusion," Calvin said. "The nightclub."

       "Okay, do you think there could have been any time where someone had the opportunity to slip something in his drink?" Josh asked. "It has happened before."

       "Actually, yeah," Calvin said. "There was one point where Kenny showed up so I went to talk to him and Holden went to the washroom. Neither of us were by our drinks then."

       "So someone spiked Holden's drink?" Shaw asked and I heard a faint tone of anger in his voice. One I hadn't heard for a long time.

       "That's the most probable cause if Holden didn't take any drugs himself," Josh said.

       Shaw didn't say anything as he got up and walked towards the door of the hospital room. "Shaw?" I asked before he could leave. "Where are you going?"

       "I'm going to find out who did this and make them pay," he said, the anger now clearly evident.

       I didn't have a good feeling about this.

____________________

oof dark shaw might make an appearance.

OMG GUYS MY SON HARRY IS SO CLOSE TO BEING RELEASED FROM PRISON. EVERYONE NOW KNOWS HE'S NOT THE MURDERER AND I'M SO EXCITED TO SEE HIS FACE BUT I'M ALSO WORRIED BECAUSE PRISON CHANGED PEOPLE ASOKDFN;