"This place is huge!" Edward explained, roaming the empty apartment. "How much rent did you and Bruce charge for this?"

"Before or after the bottom of the economy fell out," quipped Steve.

"You could fit four people in here."

"That'd be awful cozy, sweetheart. There are only two bedrooms."

"You forget where these kids are coming from. Most of them came from multi-sibling, one-bedroom homes. Then a big open sleeping space in Haven."

"Well then shouldn't they experience the luxury of privacy for once?" Steve chuckled. "Besides, you're only moving in the kids ready to transition out of Haven, not the whole shelter."

"You're right," Edward said, wrapping his arms around Steve. "And anyway, we've  got the two other buildings we bought from Bruce." 

"Those, my dear at staying rentals. We've got a growing boy to feed back home. And college."

"Ugh, money! I don't even know where to begin with the renovations for this building. This benefit Tyler and his friend are throwing are barely going to cover... "

 Steve's phone rang and he started a bit at the name on the caller ID.

"Who is it?" asked Edward.

"It's Bruce."

"If he's trying to sell us more property, tell him we have a growing boy to feed."

Steve decline the call. "I'll check it later.?He's halfway to the Caribbean right now or some place tropical. He's probably trying to remember the name of the resort we went to in St. Marten."

"Is there some sort of experimental treatment he's going for?"

"No, he just wants to end his days out on the beach."

*

After dinner, Robbie glued himself to the TV to watch a DVD of that zombie show. Edward was washing the dishes, humming that new Katy Perry song all the kids were going crazy over. Steve smiled to himself: if he were going, he wouldn't want to be on a beach, he'd want to be right here. Home. Since he had a moment to himself, he checked the missed call from Bruce. There was a voicemail.

"Hello Steve, this is... well I work at O'Hare. You're listed as the in case of emergency for... Bruce. On his phone. He was about to board a flight for St. Marten and he collapsed. The EMT's don't think he's going to make it. If you could help me get a hold of... um... Tristan? He'd probably appreciate knowing. Bruce was holding a photo of a young man that had that name on the back, but the only number I have for a Tristan is disconnected." She left a number for the hospital Bruce would be taken to and Steve immediately called.

It was too late: Bruce was gone.

###