Bringing Home Danny (21 page)

“
Stan?!”
 

“
He's out in the car waiting for us.”
 

Danny backed up shaking his head. “Are you fuckin' crazy?!”

“
Is everything all right in there?” Mitch asked, stepping back in the room after hearing the elevated voices.
 

Embarrassed by her son's outburst, Amy turned to face Mitch with the same blush her son was known to wear. "I appreciate your concern, but this is between me and my son," she snapped. Danny tried to ignore the presence of the three men who hurried back into the room. He instinctively edged closer to them when his mother took a step towards him.

“
Daniel, listen to me,” she urged.
 

“
No! Stay away from me!”
 

“
Please be reasonable. Stan wants a chance to talk things out with you.”
 

Danny pointed a shaky finger at his mother and yelled, “You keep him the fuck away from me!”

“
Danny, calm down!” Mitch reprimanded, in an attempt to deescalate things.
 

“
No fucking way!” Danny screamed, bolting out of the room.
 

“
Wait up!” TJ yelled, as he darted after him.
 

Danny shoved past TJ and cried, “This is all your fault!”

A stunned TJ watched as Danny ran out the door. Danny stopped short when he saw Stan step out of the car. He had thought up until a few moments ago that he would never have to see that man again. Except, here he was of all places, in New York City. It was as if he had awoken from a nightmare only to find he was not dreaming.

“
Hey, boy, where do you think you're going?”
 

Danny sidestepped him as he got nearer, and tore off down the street recklessly dodging traffic and pedestrians. Mitch was fast on his heels leaving Antonio behind to console Amy and TJ. As fast and agile as Danny was, he was no match for Mitch's extraordinarily long legs and lengthy arm reach. Mitch soon caught up to Danny, hauling him off the ground from behind.

“
Let go!” Danny cried out frantically.
 

“
Okay, Danny, relax,” Mitch tried in a more soothing tone.
 

Danny struggled to get free, but Mitch held tight. The human tree was too damn strong, with his muscular arms branched around Danny's slim body, making it difficult to budge. For a little thing, he fought hard, and Mitch was afraid he'd hurt the kid as he thrashed about. But, he wasn't going to let him down to run off while he was still in a panic. Mitch lugged the cursing kid back up the street to both jeers and hoots of approval of bystanders. Back in their driveway, he stopped to catch his breath, and readjust his hold on Danny.

“
Calm yourself, stop struggling, and I'll let you down.” Mitch repeated his request a few more times. Danny finally accepted defeat, and stopped.
 

“
Good boy,” Mitch praised.
 

Danny turned red. He tried to take a deep breath, but Mitch was holding him too tight. When Danny complained he couldn't breathe, Mitch set him on the ground. He watched cautiously as Stan started to approach. The second Mitch let go of Danny's arms he took off again. Mitch had mistaken Danny's still body as resignation, but he was ready for him.

“
Oh, no you don't!”
 

Danny was stopped from going far. Mitch snatched him by the arm, pulled him back, and swatted his backside in another attempt to calm him down. Regrettably, Danny was too worked up to heed his warning. Afraid the teen would yank his arm out of the socket in his relentless effort to wrestle free, Mitch scooped him up under his arms like a toddler, and carried him back to the house. Being carried sideways, snug like a football against Mitch's side, made any resistance difficult. Danny's equilibrium was off; he was embarrassed by his position, and how effortlessly he was toted.

Wasting no time for discussion, Mitch swiftly carried him back into the living room. This time, after setting him down, Mitch made sure not to let go. He sat in a large chair, but held Danny securely around his waist as he pulled him in to stand between his knees. Everyone else followed in behind, and situated themselves to sit facing them. Danny hung his head in shame.

“
When you are ready to have a civilized conversation, you may have a seat on the couch.”
 

Everyone waited in silence for Danny to make the next move.

“
If you want to be released, you need to show me you are in control first,” Mitch reminded him.
 

Danny set his jaw firm; he tested Mitch's hold on him. Realizing he wasn't going anywhere, he relaxed his posture in defeat.

“
That's better,” Mitch encouraged. “Now, I am going to let go, and you are going to sit on the couch and behave. But I'm warning you, if you run, there will be consequences.”
 

Danny had no doubt this time what those repercussions would be, and he was not taking that risk. Amy marveled at the way Mitch handled her son, and how meekly he took a seat at the end of the couch. Danny buried himself into the corner of the cushions refusing to give anyone eye contact. Maybe he was being childish, but he didn't care, not after the way he was treated.

“
Thank you,” Amy said to Mitch. “He's always been headstrong and difficult to manage.”
 

If anyone could have seen Danny's face, they would have noticed his eye roll at his mother's predictable comment. As far as he was concerned, she was forever making excuses and vying for sympathy.

“
You have come a long way. What is it you would like to say to Danny?” Antonio asked, giving Amy the first opportunity to speak.
 

Despite her appreciation, Amy found herself resenting how these men called her son Danny.
Who were they to be so familiar with him?
She hadn't been able to call him that in years. “Danny, I love you, and it is time for you to come home.”

Danny frowned, and rolled his eyes again at hearing his mother call him Danny.
Who was she kidding with this act?
Danny refused to answer her.

TJ turned anxiously to Antonio hoping he would speak up.

“
Sweetheart, isn't there something you would like to say to your mother?” Antonio asked with compassion for the hurting boy and his flustered mother.
 

Danny shook his head.

“
Enough of this nonsense,
Danny-boy
. You are coming home with your mother and me whether you like it or not!”
 

Danny's ears burned red at hearing Stan's voice. He would not acknowledge him, or his comment.

“
Please, Daniel, look at me. I'm sorry if I wasn't the perfect mother, but things will be different now. Stan and I are together, and we want you back home where you belong.”
 

Danny stayed curled up in his couch corner. He couldn't believe her treacherous words. She was just as clueless as she ever was.

“
Please,” she pleaded, reaching over to Danny.
 

Danny jolted as if her touch stung. "Fuck off!" he yelled, startling everyone in the room. Amy was about to burst into tears, catching Mitch's sympathies. He had enough of the teen's dirty mouth. "Do you want another spanking?"

Afraid he'd get one right there in front of everyone, Danny blushed and muttered, “No, sir.”

“
Then I suggest you put a civil tongue in your mouth, and sit up and talk to your mother with respect.”
 

Amy was taken aback. She wasn't sure if she was more upset at the threat, or that her son had reacted so deferentially. She looked over to Stan for support.

“
Enough of this bullshit,” he ordered. “Stand up, Daniel, we're going.”
 

“
I'm not going anywhere with you! And, I...” Danny turned to Mitch in desperation. “I'm not talking to her with
him
in the room.”
 

Mitch surveyed Danny intently, and saw true anguish in his face. He was not just being an unruly adolescent. His eyes held pain and fear.

“
Fair enough. Stan, I think it's best if you wait in your car while Danny and his mother talk things out.”
 

“
I'm not leaving without them.”
 

“
I'm afraid you don't have a choice. I'm asking you to leave my house.”
 

Danny's heart leaped a little. For the first time that day he felt slightly optimistic. No one had ever defended him against Stan. He almost grinned at the way Mitch dismissed him.

“
Please, Stan, give us some time. We'll be out shortly.” Stan was unmoved by Amy's request, but used it as a way to save face as he sized up Mitch, and realized he was no match.
 

“
If you're not out in twenty minutes, I'm calling the police. We'll have them drag your son out of this place.”
 

Mitch ignored the threat as just that, and stood up to make sure Stan found his way out.

“
Why do you have to make things so hard?” Amy asked Danny once Stan left the room.
 

“
Me? Why is he even here?”
 

“
He only wants what's best for us.”
 

“
Yeah, right, I forgot how much he cares."
 

“
I don't understand. He was never that bad to you.”
 

“
How the hell would you know? You were always drunk.”
 

“
Daniel, that's not fair!”
 

“
Not fair?” Danny snorted in disgust. “Since when do you care about being fair? Why the f...” Danny stopped himself from swearing out of respect for Mitch. “Why are
you
even here?”
 

“
I've been worried about you. I didn't know where you were, or what even happened to you.”
 

“
Really? Because I haven't exactly been hiding.”
 

“
How can you say that when I find you here in New York?”
 

“
I've only been here for two months. I was living with Molly, and going to school for almost a year before I dropped out.”
 

“
I didn't know that. You didn't have the courtesy to tell me.”
 

“
How hard could it have been to figure out? You didn't care then, why do you care now?”
 

“
I do care. I've always cared about you.”
 

“
Just not as much as your booze.”
 

“
Danny...”
 

“
Don't call me Danny!” For some reason he couldn't stomach hearing his mother call him that.
 

Amy pushed out a big sigh, and said, “Daniel, I don't drink that much. But if it makes you feel any better, I won't drink around you anymore.”

“
You can't stop, you're an alcoholic,” Danny said, with disdain.
 

“
Stop it, that's not true! You're just being spiteful. I may not have been the best mother, but I wasn't the worst either.”
 

Danny stared at her in disbelief. “Whatever,” he scoffed.

“
What did I do that was so bad?”
 

“
If you weren't so drunk you'd remember.” He wasn't trying to be mean, he just wanted her to leave him alone, and to stop asking questions she didn't want the answers to.
 

“
That’s it, we've talked enough. Stan is waiting for us in the car.”
 

“
Are you dense? I'm not going with you, and I'm sure as hell not going anywhere with Stan!”
 

Amy stood up. “He's right, you know. You don't have a choice. You're not staying in New York with these men. If you don't come willingly, we're calling the police.”

Danny was distraught. He was no longer afraid of his mother, but if they called the police he wasn't sure what Stan was capable of. Mitch caught the desperation in Danny's eyes, and was fearful of what he might do. He then glanced across the room at the despair in the faces of the men he loved. He made his decision.

“
Danny, you don't have to go anywhere you don't want to.”
 

An inexplicable wave of relief and gratitude swept through Danny at those simple words.

Amy stood up. She was not giving up her son without a fight - not this time. “I'm not exactly sure what interest you have in my boy, but he's my child, and he's coming home with me.”

Unwilling to hold his tongue any longer, TJ finally spoke up. “Yeah? How the hell do you think you're going to make him?”

“
TJ, stay out of this,” Mitch cautioned.
 

“
But...”
 

Antonio put a hand on TJ's knee to still his agitation. “Let us handle this.”

“
No, we'll let the cops handle it,” Amy snapped. She was irritated at how quickly her demands were being dismissed.
 

“
Mom, please, don't do this,” Danny begged.
 

Empowered by Danny's quiet pleading, Amy pressed on. “I'm your mother, and I can't let you stay here. How do I know you're safe?”

“
This is the safest place I've ever been.” Danny hadn't realized how strongly he felt it until the words tumbled out.
 

“
What do you mean by that? You are always telling lies!”