The Boy, Callum - LGBT, boyXboy

14

"So what happens now?" Vin asked his aunt as they drove home that night.

"We'll get people onto looking for Callum's parents. Once we find them, we'll bring them in and question them and, with Callum's statement, arrest them."

"What about Callum?"

"I suppose he'll go into foster care until he's eighteen."

"He said his birthday's in three months. Is there any point in him going into care?"

"Where else is he going to stay?" Leda said.

"I thought he could stay with us." Vin suggested quietly.

Leda looked over at him.

"We have an extra room." Vin mumbled.

"True..." Said Leda slowly. "Do you think he would agree to that?"

"I don't think he'd like foster care," Vin said. "Perhaps we could persuade him it’s for his own good..."

 Leda smiled at Vin’s persistence.

*

"Thank God you're here!" Callum grinned at Vin as he walked into the hospital room. "I'm going mad."

"You've only been here two days."

"It's really boring." Callum said defensively.

Vin put a rucksack down on Callum's bedside table. "Here are all my notes from your lessons today, the books you need to read chapters of – I’ve written the chapter numbers on a post-it for you – and my laptop, so you can work on your history project."

"Thanks." Callum reached eagerly into the bag and pulled out Pride and Prejudice, their English literature book. "How much do we have to read of this?"

"Up to chapter eight by Friday. So you've got plenty of time. And my aunt just spoke to the doctors. You can come home tomorrow."

"I can?"

Vin nodded. "I can drive you home, if you like."

"Yes, please." Callum almost bounced with eagerness at being able to leave the hospital. “Thank you.”

"I brought you some clothes. They're old ones of mine which should fit you, though they might be a bit big."

Vin left Callum reading Pride and Prejudice, the rucksack tucked safely beneath his bed, already dressed in Vin’s old clothes in readiness for leaving in the morning.