Chapter 30

Carter ran over the pavements of the streets, towards Josh's house. Despite the cold, he was heated up by all the energy he was spending on his running, and he could feel his frantic heartbeat in his throat. He wasn't sure what to expect when he would arrive at the house. Josh and him both left at the same time, and Josh's house was a little farther away than Carter's, so he hoped that he might be right on time to get to him.

When he saw the house approaching, he didn't see Josh so figured that he was probably already inside. Or, as Carter desperately hoped, he had gone back to his boat to pick something up and hadn't arrived yet. Either way, he needed to find out and talk it out with Josh's father before the situation would escalate.

He jogged up to the porch, knowing his hair was a mess and he was panting due all the running he had done. His hand reached out and he rang the doorbell before anxiously awaiting an answer.

There was none, however, and Carter was starting to feel only more and more uneasy. Did Mr.Marson go to Josh's boat? Did they meet up somewhere else or haven't they seen each other yet?

Carter felt his pockets and cursed under his breath when he realized he had left his phone at home. He rang the doorbell again and waited once more to see if there would be an answer this time.

It was silent again and he knew that nobody would come. He gave a sigh in frustration before walking off the porch, thinking about all the other possibilities and locations of where Josh and his father could be right now.

He didn't know what his father was capable of. He had beaten up Josh before, and had hit him many times in his childhood, from what Carter could remember. Thinking about the state of fury he might be in as of now, Carter figured that he was in a position of seriously injuring Josh.

Carter knew that first he had to get back home to try to contact Josh before searching further. From there, he figured he'd go straight to his boat to check up there.

As he was walking away from the house, a sudden large bang was heard and Carter abruptly turned around at the loud noise. A frying pan had flown out and shards spread out on the street.

And that was when he heard the yelling.

A man's voice was yelling inaudible words and Carter's eyes widened when he realized what was going on. He rushed to the smashed window and the yelling became only louder. Glancing through the smashed window, he saw Mr.Marson going to the living room, where Carter saw just the faint silhouette of Josh escaping to, with a pan secured in his palm.

"Josh!" Carter called out. He heard a painful cry coming from inside and Carter knew that he had to act fast. "Shit!" In an instant, he reached out through the gap of the smashed window to open it from the inside. Once it was opened, he quickly climbed through the opening and landed with his shoes in the rest of the shards that had stayed inside. He heard cries and shouts of pain from Josh coming from the living room and Carter didn't have to think twice to know what exactly was going on. He knew that if he didn't do something, that if he didn't stop Josh's father, he could seriously injure Josh, or worse.

Carter quickly looked around and grabbed the kitchen knife which was placed on the counter. Holding the knife up, he swiftly made his way to the living room where the cries came from and upon entering, he saw Steve frantically smashing the frying pan against Josh, who had blood staining the side of his head.

"JOSH!" Carter instantly rushed towards the two and slammed his side against Steve to push him away from his son, and he fell on his side onto the coffee table, which broke through the impact of his weight.

"Josh!" Carter got on his hands and knees in front of the blond who was looking at him with tear stained eyes.

"C-Carter...?!" Josh spoke softly, his voice hoarse due the screaming.

"Josh, are you okay? Can you stand?" Carter said, trying to help him get back up on his feet. He could cry, seeing Josh like that. His eyes were red, his entire body was trembling with fear and pain, the blood had dripped down his cheek on the side of his face, his lip was burst and bloody as well, and he looked so incredibly terrified.

Carter turned back to Steve who was also slowly getting back up on his feet. He quickly raised his knife again and looked up at the man. Even though Mr. Marson was taller, stronger and older, he wasn't afraid of him.

"Don't come closer! Don't you dare touch him!" Carter said. He could hear Josh's trembling breaths right behind him and settled on protecting him with all his might. He care if he ended up getting hurt himself, as long as Josh would be safe from his father, he would do anything.

Steve himself was trembling as well. Carter could tell that he had one too many drinks as well and he had a hard time keeping himself on two steady feet.

"You... you did this to my son! You turned him into... into a fag! A fucking sin!" Steve said, his voice shaking and a tad bit slurry.

"I didn't turn him into anything. And even if I did, it is a lot better than what you're turning him into," Carter said, the knife still held up to the older man. The wooden handle of the knife was firmly held in his palm and he was ready for anything Steve was going to do. He wouldn't run away from him, not if it meant protecting Josh.

"Shut up! I'll fucking-"

"I said; don't come closer!" Carter said, moving one foot forward and reaching out the knife a little more when Steve was about to step in.

"Carter..." Josh's weak voice was heard behind him. He gave a quick glance at Josh before turning back at Steve. Josh needed to be treated for his wounds. And from the brief, but good glance he got of him, he could tell that there was a big chance he was coming down from a concussion. Either way, he needed to get Josh to a hospital. He did not have time to have a big fight with his father right now. They both needed to get out of here as fast as possible.

"Get to the front door," he told Josh as he slowly started to back away a little.

"You're going to take my son away from me?!" Steve called out.

"Anywhere is better than with you," Carter told him, giving the man one last glance before he gently pushed Josh to the front door, keeping his eyes on his father to make sure he wouldn't suddenly charge at them.

"Joshua, listen to me! If you leave now, you'll never be able to come back, you hear me?!" Steve yelled at his son.

Carter had pushed him to the front door, but Josh stopped in his tracks at the words. A soft sob was being suppressed by him and he turned his head to give one last glance at his father. For a moment, Carter almost thought he had stopped trembling as he looked over his shoulder.

"Let's go..." Carter said, placing a hand on his back.

Josh opened the door and him and Carter quickly rushed out of the house. Carter dropped the knife onto the porch and he swung Josh's arm over his shoulder to give him support while they quickly walked over the pavements. He needed to get Josh to his house as fast as possible. He needed to be brought to the hospital quickly. He could feel how weak Josh was, and that he was still quietly crying.

"Carter... please, wait..." his voice was heard.

Carter stopped walking and Josh removed his arm from his shoulder to lean on his knees. "Are you okay?" Carter asked with a concerned voice.

"I'm feeling sick," Josh said. His body was still shaking all over, and Carter could see bruises starting to form on his face. "I think I'm going to throw up..."

Carter had his arm around Josh's upper back and gently rubbed between his shoulder blades. He cursed at himself for not having his phone with him. He could have called an ambulance if he did have it, and wouldn't be so lost right now.

Carter looked up and glanced around him, seeking for help in whatever form it may come. He quickly turned around when he heard the engine of a car approaching and when he saw one driving into the street, he quickly let go of Josh and waved his arms around.

"Help! Please help us!" he called out to the car. He ran into the middle of the street to keep the car from passing through and it stopped right in front of him. "Please, help!"

The driver got out of the car and Carter could see that it was a middle aged man. He looked confused, if not a little irritated, but did seem concerned.

"Please, sir, my friend got beaten up and he needs medical attention right now. Please, could you drive us to the hospital?" Carter asked as he walked back to Josh, who lifted his head to look at the man.

The man, clearly shocked to see him like that, bloody and bruised, nodded his head. "Of course. Come on, I'll get you to the hospital."

Carter exhaled in relief and helped Josh get into the car. He seemed to be relieved when he finally sat down in the car seat and Carter sat next to him, letting Josh lean against him. He was sweating and still breathing heavily. The man started the car again and they drove away.

"Thank you so much, sir," Carter thanked him. He held Josh close to him, who had his eyes closed, and could only feel his concerns increasing. His breathing was heavy and unsteady, his body still trembling and cold yet sweaty.

Carter looked out of the front window, hoping that not too much damage had been done.