The Stone Knight (gay)✔️

3. A reaching hand.

"Lucas, this is serious!"
Soren Bay took the boy, who had just returned from his sister's funeral, separately. The timing was terrible and he felt the task he had to perform as a social worker weighing heavily on him.
"It's going to be another fourteen months before you turn eighteen, and if you're unable to find a temporary guardian, I'm forced to put both Noah and yourself in foster care."
The boy stared at his three-day-old nephew who was sleeping in an incubator.
Just a week ago, everything was as he had planned it with Lizzy. The nursery was ready and the wait was for his new occupant. Together they had dreamed about forming an alternative parental unit. Full of hope, love and family.
The whole pregnancy went smoothly, but after her water broke something had gone horribly wrong. Lizzy's heart faltered under the stress of the heavy delivery. According to the doctor, an amniotic embolism killed her.

Thank God it had no lasting effect on the newborn and after a few days in the incubator he should be allowed to go home. Except Lucas was deemed unable to take care of his nephew. No matter how responsible he was, in the eyes of the law, he was a minor.
"Where's the father?"
"Excuse me?"
"The father," the man patiently repeated.
Soren Bay meant well, but the man's words drove him to despair.
"He's not in the picture," he replied truthfully.
This at Lizzy's specific request.
"Do you know anyone who can serve as a temporary guardian?"
Lucas knew enough people who wanted to help him, but was almost certain that the State would not accept any of them as capable guardians. So he found himself in a stalemate.
To protect his last living relative, he would have to act against his sister's wishes and look for Noah's father.
Dylan Stone.

Madeleine Drake observed the young man at the table in front of her with growing concern. His second cup of coffee stood untouched in front of him for almost 15 minutes now. Normally she enjoyed her daily cup of coffee, served by the always friendly staff of the small coffee shop located in the lobby of Stone-Knight. But there was something in his attitude that concerned her.
Pensively about her next step, she heard how a servant in the kitchen dropped a tray with a lot of noise. The boy was startled by the unexpected sound and knocked over his cup. The coffee flowed over his pants, but the shock on his face was pure and only for the photo he tried to gently dab with his shirt. Before she realized it, she got up and offered him a tissue.

It was not normally her habit of interfering with the affairs of others. Probably the result of a life in the spotlight. As a matriarch of the Stone-Knight family, she was all too aware of the status she held. Everything she did created attention. But the desperation the boy radiated was too strong to ignore.
Her mother's heart simply gave her no choice but to give in to the silent plea and offer her help. And not a moment too soon. She could see how he broke down in front of her.

Five minutes later, they sat in a third-floor VIP lounge. That he followed her without protest said enough about his condition.
"She's beautiful," Madeleine nodded in a calm tone.
"My sister," he answered hoarse.
His fingers slid over the picture.
"She is...was," he corrected himself in a broken voice.
"Sorry," he snorted as tears began to flow.
"Oh, son," she whispered, empathizing with the sorrowful boy next to her. "Sounds like you're having a hard time."
With her hand she rubbed his back comfortingly.
"Tell me. I'll listen."

After all the misery of the last few days, Lucas surrendered to the well-intentioned affection of the woman and shared his sad story.
"So if you don't find Noah's father soon, he'll be placed in foster care."
He nodded.
"Are you sure he works here? Do you know his name?" she asked him expectantly.
He gently shook his head.
"The last thing I want is to get someone in trouble. The man in question doesn't know anything about this, Madeleine. Maybe he doesn't want Noah at all. Or... or." She saw the fear in his eyes.
"Or maybe he does and you are afraid of losing him."
"As the father, he has the right to take Noah away from me."
He brought a hand to his quivering mouth.
"Noah may only be a few days old, but he's already the most important person in my life. I can't lose him. Impossible."
She folded her fingers around his cold hand.
"Let's get the pressure off the kettle first. You need a temporary guardian for Noah and yourself. That is hereby arranged. I'm offering you a place at my house. Then we can think quietly about the next step. How about that?"
Lucas didn't dare breathe until Soren Bay gave his consent.

With Noah on his arm, they stood in a hospital waiting room to review the final details.
"How wonderful that you want to take care of Noah and Lucas, Mrs. Drake. I'll get the papers in order as soon as possible and send them to the address you gave me. I'll probably contact you again in four days, if there are any questions or ambiguities in the interim, don't hesitate to call me."
"Thank you also for the effort. I know you gave Lucas extra time to find a suitable solution. See you soon."
Madeleine took Noah from Lucas as he lifted the luggage she had taken from the apartment he had shared with Lizzy.

Lucas was incredibly grateful for Madeleine's hospitality, but didn't quite know how to deal with it. She encouraged him to return to school and leave the care of Noah during those hours to her.
It was hard for him to be separated from Noah. He had already thought about the offer a few times and rejected it. If she had simply waved away his objections, he would have refused outright, but with insight, policy and time she left the choice with him. Slowly he had got used to the thought and tomorrow he would go back to school for the first time.

Four weeks had passed since the day he buried Lizzy and it was only on his return to school that he realised how much he had changed. High school was no longer an environment that suited him. He had completely lost the connection with his peers. Already at the end of the first day, during a serious conversation with the dean, he had informed about the possibility of obtaining his diploma via an alternative route. The man was benevolent enough to consider his request seriously.

Madeleine sighed casually when she heard this.
"The reason to go to school is not just because of education, Lucas. It is understandable that you miss the connection with peers. Nevertheless, the environment still has a lot to offer you."
"What I want is to be a responsible parent for Noah. The skills I need for that are not to be found at this school. I refuse to waste my precious time here."
His determined gaze made her nod.
"I'm glad to hear that you're not turning your back on education. I'm sure there's a solution to think of that we can both live with."

Madeleine had her own concerns. For months she had been trying to convince her wayward son to return to headquarters. After Natalie's death, he had been trapped in the ailing Boston branch. Now that everything was running smoothly, his comeback was anticipated. His position as director of Stone Knight Publishing was never in question, but she preferred to keep all gossip away from the family. If Lucas knew how rich and famous the family was, he'd in all likelihood disappear in the dead of night with Noah safely tucked under his arm. She recalled his shock at seeing her Manhattan apartment.
"Sorry, kid. Old money," she had shrugged.
No further explanation was requested and so she hadn't given any. She was completely convinced that Lucas had absolutely no interest in her wealth. During his stay, they regularly had robust discussions about Lucas' refusal to take things. He insisted on covering all costs himself.
"I swear to you! Besides my son, you're the most stubborn boy I've ever met!", she had proclaimed.
In the end, the woman had taken a step back.

Lucas and Noah had conquered a place in her heart and she had no intention of letting the pair go. No matter how the teenager may look at it, in her eyes they belonged to the family.
Satisfied, she realized that withdrawal and surrender were not the same. Her age brought a wisdom that was wasted on the young. She would play the 'long game' and knew with conviction that in time her sweet victory over both stubborn men would come.