Please Don't Leave Me

Chapter Fourty Four

After nearly a week with no progress, Patton and Logan were desperate. Seeing their son in such a distressed and terrified state absolutely broke their hearts and they needed to find a way to help him. For the previous days following the incident, Remus had refused to speak, the only noises coming from the frail boy being screams of distress when either of his parents attempted to leave his side for any reason. It worried Patton and Logan greatly, as the boy had never been so heavily affected by an event since they had adopted him, and they felt completely helpless.

Patton and Logan had been sitting on the couch with Remus between them when Logan finally came up with a solution. "Patton, I've got it," Logan said, undeniably excited. "Got what?" Patton asked in confusion. "I have an idea on how to possibly help Remus." Patton's eyes lit up, prompting him to continue. "I believe that we need to contact Roman." Remus made a soft cry at the name, making Logan momentarily pause. He looked at the boy sadly for a moment before continuing. "Since they both experienced the initial trauma that sparked this relapse, Remus may be able to heal and progress if he is with him once more. Perhaps seeing that his brother is safe will help reassure him that he is safe as well," Logan explained. Patton looked at him in awe. "I know I tell you you're a genius all the time, but you're seriously a genius," Patton said, causing Logan's face to turn bright red. "Yes, well, I...um, thank you," Logan stuttered out, earning a grin from the other man. "I'll go call Cassie and see if Roman can come over," Patton said, attempting to stand from the couch. Remus cried out, clinging to his Dad tightly. "It's okay, buddy. I need you to stay here with Papa, okay? I'll be back in a few minutes," Patton cooed softly as he carefully pulled Remus off of him and helped him lean closer to Logan. Logan wrapped his arm firmly around Remus, holding the shaking and whimpering boy close. "There you go. I'll be back soon," Patton whispered, kissing Remus' forehead before leaving the room to make the call.

Patton's foot tapped nervously as he waited for Cassie to pick up. He seriously didn't like her, but he really needed her to answer. Just when he thought it was going to go to voicemail, a voice on the other end of the line said, "Hello?" Patton's heart sped up. "Oh! Um, hey Cassie. I know this is kind of out of the blue, but I really need to talk to Roman." "What? Why would you need to speak with Roman?" Cassie asked. Patton took a breath. "Well, something happened to Remus. He's safe, but he needs to see Roman. Can I please talk to him?" Patton asked, attempting to keep his voice level. A tense silence fell between the pair, making Patton fear the worst. Finally Cassie responded. "Fine. I'll go grab him." Patton let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding, beyond relieved that he'd been successful. A few seconds later, a deeper voice said, "Hello?" "Hi Roman. This is Patton, Remus' Dad. I know this is really sudden, but Remus needs to see you." "What happened? Is he alright?" Roman asked, obviously worried. "He...well, he got assaulted and shoved into a locker at school. It made him revert back to... well, he's very scared and unresponsive and we don't know what to do. He hasn't said a word for a week, and he won't let myself or my husband leave his side. Basically, we think that if he talks to you and sees that you're safe, he'll realize that he's safe too. I know that's a lot to put in you, and I understand if you don't want-" Patton was cut off by Roman saying, "I'll be there." Patton let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you Roman. I can text your Mom our address, okay?" Patton said. "Okay. I'll see you soon," Roman mumbled. "Hey Roman?" "Yeah?" "Thank you." A silence fell between them for a moment before Roman responded, "Yeah, no problem." The call ended, leaving Patton feeling incredibly accomplished.

As Patton reentered the living room, Remus' head immediately snapped up, a flow of whimpers leaving his mouth. "Hey, it's okay Re. I'm back, it's alright," Patton cooed as he sat back down next to the boy, wrapping his arm around him. Remus leaned into the embrace, his whimpers softening. "Well? How did it go?" Logan asked after a moment. "It went well! He's actually coming over really soon," Patton explained, earning a relieved smile from his husband. The family sat in a comfortable silence, simply waiting for Roman's arrival, when Logan broken the silence. "What do we do if this doesn't work?" His words hung in the air for a few moments before Patton responded.

"I don't know."

That phrase absolutely terrified Logan. Not knowing what to do was incredibly frightening for him, especially where his son is concerned. But he took a deep breath, attempting to steady himself. This plan would work. It had to.

After what seemed like ages, the doorbell finally rung. Patton and Logan shared a look before Patton stood from the couch to open the door. Remus whimpered, reaching for the man but to no avail. Patton's heart clenched at the action, wanting nothing more than to run back and cradle the boy in his arms. But he knew that the possible solution for Remus' turmoil was on the other side of the door, so he continued forward. Upon opening the door, Patton was met with the quite obviously nervous Roman. "Hey kiddo, thanks for coming," Patton said softly, stepping aside to let Roman inside. "So, um, where is he?" Roman asked nervously. "He's in here," Patton said as he lead the boy into the living room. Roman's expression saddened at his incredibly distressed brother, hating how terrified he look. He took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down. He needed to stay calm for Remus.

"Hey, Re," Roman said softly.

Remus' head snapped up immediately, the thin boy scrambling up from his seat and throwing himself in his brothers arms, holding him tighter than he ever had before.