Page 16 of The Homecoming: The Island

“Good morning, Seamus.” The guard, a black man in his early forties, stepped into the cell, his voice friendly. “Did you sleep well?”

“Good morning to you, too, Floyd.” The inmate smiled. “And yes, I slept well, I guess. Dreamed about Nico, he was so real I could touch him.” A small frown creased the man’s forehead. “What brings you here today? I wasn’t supposed to report for another two days.”

“Have no idea, big dog’s order. You know the special prosecutor better than me; the man always keeps it short and sweet.” Floyd grinned, showing all his teeth. “We are going for a walk, this is all I know. No cuffs and chains, this time, but you have to put this on.” The guard pulled a plastic bag from the pocket of his uniform shirt.

“Oh, a blindfold.” Seamus watched as the other man unzipped the bag and extracted a small, black object out of it. “And the mystery just got deeper,” he commented when the guard covered his eyes.

“I know it sounds cheesy, but I’ll guide you through the dark and will be here to catch you if you fall,” Floyd said, and the inmate couldhearthe grin in his voice.

“Hey, can you please give me a hint, a very small one? I’ve always been a good boy and didn’t give you and the other guys any headaches. Plus, the information I gave him helped the special prosecutor put a lot of bastards behind bars.” Seamus spoke in an almost pleading voice, but his words were met with silence.

“Here we are,” Floyd said after twenty minutes. A screeching noise announced to the inmate they were in front of an opening door. “Wait for thirty more seconds before taking the blindfold off,” the guard continued with a somewhat mysterious tone, gently shoving the inmate into the room. “You have four hours, have fun.”

“Four hours for what? Come on, Floyd, man, don’t leave me like that.” Seamus stopped abruptly, a familiar scent sifting up his nostrils. “It can’t be…or can it?” Hands shaking, the man removed the blindfold, then blinked in confusion a few times. “Are you real?” he finally managed to articulate in a shaky voice.

“Yes, I am.” Nico swallowed hard; his voice thick with emotion. “I…I can’t believe you and I are in the same room, it’s like…”

“I dreamed of you last night.” Seamus raised a hand, cradling the boy’s cheek. “I could touch you, and I could hug you, and I heard your heart beating next to mine. This morning, when Floyd came to my cell and told me we are going on a walk, a part of me hoped you would come to visit, but with no news about yours and the other boys’ fate, I didn’t dare to hope.”

“You should never lose your hope.” Nico wrapped his arms around Seamus’s neck, looking straight into the man’s cobalt-blue eyes. “It kept us alive on that island and helped us to overcome everything. The hope…and Whitey’s jokes.” The boy put his head on his fiancé’s shoulder, sighing in contentment. “I’m here now, and this is all that matters.”

“When did you become so wise, my lovely husband-to-be?” Seamus kissed Nico’s temples and forehead, then rocked him back and forth, rubbing his back. “It’s a stupid thing to ask,” the man continued, after a few moments of silence. “You always were like that. The blood of the brave, strong, wise MacNamara men runs through your veins.”

Smiling radiantly, Seamus took Nico’s hand and guided him to the small table in the middle of the room, pulling out one of the two chairs for him and sitting on the other one, face to face with his fiancé. Hands extended on the table, fingers intertwined, the two of them started to talk, their voices sweet music to one another’s ears.

They talked about everything, big and small, important and irrelevant, experiencing all kinds of emotions, communicating through words and small gestures. Above all, Seamus and Nico let their eyes speak volumes, telling each other more than words could do, using them as windows to their beloved’s soul.

The two made plans for the future, for their wedding, which both wanted to be small and discreet, and for what was coming after that. His eyes shining with joy and excitement, Seamus told his fiancé about a house he saw on a real estate site and intended to buy once the two of them were married. It had a generous backyard, he said, and a front yard which could become a lovely flower garden.

The signature smile of the MacNamara men playing on his lips, Nico shared with Seamus his plans of adopting two small children from The Base, no older than four or five, preferably siblings. The older man enthusiastically approved, saying he would start to build a playground as soon as the two of them moved into the house, so the kids could find it there when they brought them home.

“Six more months.” Nico let out a long sigh, softly squeezing his fiancé’s fingers. “The longest of my life,” he continued with a small pout.

“I know, my precious,” Seamus spoke in a gentle voice, wrapping the boy in an affectionate gaze. “The wait is hard for me, too, but then I remind myself that the more time I spend here, the more bastards that end up behind bars thanks to the information I collect.”

Nico left his chair and moved to the other side of the table, sat in Seamus’s lap and put his head on the man’s shoulder. “I know, but the wait still kills me. Maybe, if we could be…together…it would be much easier for me to…”

“You are perfect. Flawless. Pure. I love you more than words can tell, you are the best thing that ever happened to me, the most special person in my life. Our first time together should be a moment to remember for many years to come, a precious memory. I promise it will be worth the wait.”

Seamus took Nico’s hand, kissing the tips of his long, elegant fingers, so much like his father’s, then he did the same with the boy’s knuckles. The man raised his head, his gaze resting on his fiancé’s beautiful face. Fergus’s son looked into the cobalt-blue eyes of the one who loved him, and saw there the promise of a wonderful life together.

Finding himself a good guy—that was his mother’s words when he came out to her at fifteen, and her biggest wish for her son.

I did more than that, I found myself the best man out there,Nico said to himself, lowering his head and burrowing it in Seamus’s wide chest.My husband-to-be, my soulmate,he thought, a dreamy smile playing on his lips.

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“I can’t tell you how happy I am that you, Daniel, Martin-Cornelius, Ardan and all the other rescuers are back unharmed, and all kids are well! We were so afraid for you.” Willa threw herself into Fabian’s arms, making great efforts not to cry.

“Welcome home, older brother.” Thaddeus wrapped Fabian in a warm, tight hug. “Knowing you like I do, you were pretty busy out there, keeping everyone safe and sane. Thank you for that,” the man whispered, his eyes glistening with tears.

As Thaddeus disentangled from the embrace, it was Sebastian’s turn to greet his older brother. “Thank you for watching over Daniel again and keeping him safe, like you did so many times in the past. He told me everything, I have no words to express my gratitude.”

“For me, there is no difference between Martin-Cornelius, Ardan, and Daniel,” Fabian finally spoke. “I love them all like they were my own flesh and blood; it’s my duty to give them hope and protect them. And, if Daniel really told you everything, he must have mentioned about that instance when Cochise, one of the Sanitini rescue party’s member, saved my life.”

Willa let out a loud gasp, covering her mouth with one hand. “Oh, no! Thanks gods that young man was there, I will keep him in my thoughts and prayers. We were lucky he was there to…remove the threat,” the woman added, unsure of how everything ended.

“Our sister is right; the guy deserves a monument for saving your life.” Sebastian let out a sigh of relief. “Do you have his phone number? I want to call, thank the man, and also tell him to call me back in case he needs anything.”

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