The bell rang again, and this time it was Harm with his dads.Derek greeted Harm with a kiss and got a hug from Joe and Larry.“Why are there bits of noodle, chicken, and glass out on the sidewalk?”Joe asked as Derek closed the door.
Derek decided he wasn’t going to go there, but it seemed that William had truly lost his mind.He refused to let William ruin his Thanksgiving.“Because my stalker showed up and expected to be invited to Thanksgiving… I think.”Harm looked alarmed, but Derek did his best to kiss that away.“It’s okay.We’ll deal with him later.”The idea of sparing a moment for that crazy fuck made his head want to explode.
What else could he do?Derek took their coats and introduced them to Suzanne.“Okay, I know this is going to be a little different.But I set up a group chat.Did you all get the invitations?”
“Yes, we did, and we accepted them,” Joe confirmed.Derek checked the group and found everyone was there.
“Great.Suzanne is unable to hear anything, so I thought it would be best to use the text group.That way all messages go to everyone, and we can carry on conversations that include all of us.Suzanne does read lips.”
“The chat group is a great idea,” Harm texted, making all their phones chime or vibrate.Soon they had all responded, and the chat turned lively.
“What do you do, Suzanne?”Joe asked, setting their phones buzzing.Harm suggested that they all silence them and stop the vibration.
“I’m a dentist.”
Joe nodded.“I have to ask because I’m a nosy old man.Was it difficult for you?”
“It was.I live in Rochester, which has a sizable deaf community, but it took a lot of work for me.Practicals were difficult because I couldn’t just listen, but I had to watch my patient and pay attention to the person signing instructions.I eventually developed techniques for getting the information I needed.I did work with a lot of deaf patients because they felt comfortable coming to me, so that actually worked in my favor.”
“Do you have a lot of deaf patients now?”
Suzanne nodded as she answered.“I do.I also have plenty of hearing ones.They seem to like that I get my work done without a lot of chit-chat.I’m also very in tune with pain and their reactions.Since I can’t hear them, I watch more closely than others might.It’s helped in a number of situations.What do you do?”And the conversation went on like that.The chat group was very busy, which was good.Derek excused himself and went to check on dinner.He left the others to talk and got the turkey out of the oven.It was done, and the last thing he wanted was a dried-out bird.
Derek covered it in foil to keep the heat in and worked to finish the potatoes and other dishes.He kept an eye on the chat, adding a few comments when needed, but otherwise it seemed everyone was having a good time and was included.
“Help?”Harm asked, and Derek set him to getting the cold items out of the refrigerator and onto the table.Then he started dishing up the beans and Brussels sprouts.Finally he got the turkey carved and on a platter.
“Dinner is ready,” he sent to the group, and they all came into the dining room.
“This is lovely,” Suzanne signed to him.“I can’t believe you did all this.”Derek flipped her off, and she laughed.It was a sound she didn’t make very often because she was self-conscious about it.
“I made pecan pie using Mom’s recipe, but just for that, you can’t have any.”He stuck his tongue out, and Suzanne had the grace to look wounded before they grinned at each other.
Harm took the platter into the dining area, and Derek made sure he had everything before joining the others.They all took their seats and passed plates around so he could serve the turkey.He knew Suzanne liked dark meat, so he got her some of that first and then served everyone else before the rest of the dishes were passed.
“THANK YOU,”Harm told him later once dinner was done and the pie tins had been picked clean.Apparently the pecan pie was really good, because there was nothing left.The pumpkin had a single slice in the pan, and Suzanne had already claimed it for tomorrow.Derek cleaned up the kitchen with Harm’s help while Suzanne, Joe, and Larry continued a chat conversation that seemed to show no signs of slowing down.
“They like her,” Harm signed.
Derek nodded.“It’s really nice.I had hoped that everyone would get along, and it seems to have happened.”He set the turkey roasting pan to soak and started the dishwasher before wiping the counters and turning off the lights.As far as he was concerned, the kitchen was closed, and if folks got hungry, he had the number for Chinese takeout.
He took Harm’s hand and grabbed a bottle of white wine, heading into the living room.He opened the bottle and offered refills before sitting down with a sigh.
“What’s the story with this stalker?And why is he bringing food?”Suzanne texted to the group.
“William is crazy,” he said and signed at the same time.There was no way in hell he was putting this story into a text.“He started by coming into the library with flowers and small gifts.Then he started showing up here.I never gave him the time of day and I returned everything he brought, which only made him more determined.He might have set my trash on fire, and he complained about me at work.Thankfully, I was able to show that what he said wasn’t true.Now he shows up on Thanksgiving like a damned member of the family with a dish of food, like he expected to be included.”He sighed, and Harm held his hand tightly.“I don’t know what else I can do.I’ve reported everything to the police, and I know he’s behind this guy breaking into the house somehow, but I can’t prove it.”He refused to panic over any of it.William sure as hell wasn’t worth the effort.Not in the least.“Harm has been staying here with me a few days a week, and the police patrol the street more, but that’s about all anyone can expect until we can prove anything.”He refilled his glass and took a swig of wine.
“You know he isn’t going to give up,” Larry told them seriously.“Showing up on Thanksgiving to dinner and expecting to be included is not normal behavior at all.He’s more than obsessed.”
Derek explained what Larry had said to Suzanne, who nodded vigorously.“This person is deranged, and you need to be careful.”Her hands flew so quickly it was difficult for him to interpret.“You need to find a way to stay safe, because he’s going to make you pay for what happened today.In his mind his behavior is normal, and you not accepting him and including him in your world is cruel and mean.His perception of what is normal is way off.”
“How do you know?”
Suzanne rolled her eyes.“I minored in abnormal behavior as an undergrad.Remember all those classes I took that scared Mom and Dad no end?”
“Yeah.Mom and Dad were petrified when you took Psychology of Serial Killers or whatever the actual class title was.”
“Criminal aberrant behavior, but Mom and Dad weren’t wrong.We studied every serial killer case we could get our hands on.And this guy’s behavior is right up there.In his world, he is the very center, and everyone who doesn’t fall into line behind him is wrong.And worse, they deserve to be punished.”
