"How to save a life."

[signofthetimes]

Who: Brandon Blake, Merlin Larson, Lachlan Campbell, Tara Campbell and Wesley Knight plus anyone else tagging in!
What: Wedding Reception, cont...
Where: Cape Cod, MA
When: After this and this

Brandon was sitting on the floor with Merlin's head in his lap, fanning him with a copy of their wedding program and holding some dampened napkins to his forehead. After the shock of the news had Merlin passing out cold on the dancefloor, they got him out of the crowded reception hall into a little annexe room out the back so he could breathe and have some space. Breathing and space was exactly what Brandon needed to try to process this but at this point 'try' was as good as he got. He couldn't even remember how to speak but Merlin still being out cold was a distraction for him to focus on without having to think about the hard stuff.

Lachlan and Tara had come through with them (Lachlan was the one who had to carry Merlin) and Wesley followed in a panic. Brandon understood that Merlin's family probably wanted to come check he was okay but he appreciated that they stayed into the main hall for the moment. He needed time to process. It had already been a fucking emotional day so this felt like he was either running out of emotions to process or he was literally emotionally spent.

Merlin started to come-to and Brandon rubbed his chest softly. "It's okay, sweetheart. Just take it slow."

Comments

[magicmoments]

For a few moments, Merlin was disoriented and had no freaking clue where he was. "Oh, fuck, it was just a dream..." he mumbled, expecting to start fighting his way out of a tangle of sweaty sheets like he had done so many times recently dreaming about Brandon's death or finally being given his terminal prognosis. But he couldn't remember going to bed or falling asleep. There hadn't been the hours of tossing and turning before he finally managed something that resembled sleep until bad dreams about Brandon's funeral or waking up to him with no heartbeat kicked in. He tried to sit up but Brandon's hand on his chest stopped him. Confused, he looked at his left hand and saw his wedding ring was there. The wedding hadn't been a dream, had it? If not then, had Lachlan really told them he was actually a bone marrow match for Brandon? "We need to go! We gotta get back, get it started! What do we do... how do we... we gotta get back!" He was trying to scramble up, panicked about what the hell was happening or how it should be happening.

[scottishpride]

Crouched down beside Brandon and Merlin, Lachlan put his hand on Merlin's shoulder to coax him to lie back down. "Just take it easy, buddy. There's nay need to panic. Nothing's goin' to happen overnight. Just take a wee bit of a breather to get your bearin's." It wasn't a surprised the shock hit so hard. When the results crossed Lachlan's desk earlier that day, it had been a shock to him and he had been doing this type of work for a few years now. This was the first instance he had encountered where a spouse was a partial tissue match and therefore a viable bone marrow donor. He knew lots of family and friends tended to get tested for matches because it was always good to exhaust all avenues but he had more been anticipating that a donor would be found from the databases, if one could be found at all. Time really had been running out and Brandon was slipping closer and closer to terminal every day. He was in that timeframe where the cancer was so aggressive, bone marrow transplant would soon not be a potential treatment. It wouldn't work even if they tried, so Merlin's match came in the nick of time. He knew he had to drive up to Cape Cod to tell them in person. "Does he drink? It might help to get a wee bit of somethin' in him to help calm him. We cannae rush either of you into this."

[signofthetimes]

Brandon managed to make sure Merlin stayed lying down, despite the fact his reflexive response was to try to get up when he came-to. Taking a deep breath, Brandon massaged his forehead, trying to ground himself. "Yeah, that's... good idea. We haven't been drinking but if ever there was a time for it. What do you like to drink, baby?" he asked Merlin, brushing his hair back. He had this surreal thought hit him that he was married to a guy and didn't even know what drink he preferred but Merlin was a lightweight and Brandon had only seen him drink beer because that's what was on offer. He closed his eyes, wetting his lips. "Is this actually legit? Or is it just... there's a match but you're going to do some other tests and ultimately tell me it's not viable or it's too late. Seriously, I don't think I can handle any of this if it's not legit. It doesn't feel real. Is this actually happening? Fuck... I'm feeling dizzy too, I think I need to lie down." He shifted so he could slump back onto the floor because if he didn't, he was either going to puke or pass out himself.

[irockthemic]

Basically, Wesley had no fucking idea what was going on, he was just worried about his best friend. For the entire day, he was switched on the best he could be in Best Man mode, so he was definitely following once Merlin passed out in shock. But there wasn't a single person in that reception hall not in shock. The whole room had gone silent until the gasps and the tears started to come. Lachlan definitely knew how to celebrate with a bang. But anything beyond the confirmation Merlin's body legit could save Brandon's life, Wesley had no clue what anything meant. He didn't know what it meant for Merlin or Brandon, he knew nothing about medicine or doctors, new even less about cancer except that his BFF's new husband was dying of it. It was good news or Lachlan wouldn't have delivered it at their wedding but it was just such a shock. "Scotch and Coke, that's what he likes. I'll get it." If that was all he could do to help, he was damn well going to do it and he was going to somehow to go a bar and buy a drink that wasn't for him... somehow. For Merlin.

tag - justin!

[autumnkisses]

Autumn and Montana had worked close together to help Merlin and Brandon pull off a wedding worthy of making memories and celebrating their love. At the end of the day, Merlin and Brandon only had limited time and energy to sink into it, so they entrusted people around them to help and everyone wanted to do whatever they could. What it meant was Autumn and Montana struck up a close friendship, which expanded into a fearless-foursome when they connected with Olympia, Brandon's PR genius, and Reecy. Working together, the four of them pulled off a lot of the wedding planning so they could hand it over to the wedding planner to orchestrate on the day so they could enjoy the celebration as guests. In the middle of all that, Justin worked some of his magic and arranged the entertainment and he nailed it because it pulled all of Merlin and Brandon's nearest-and-dearest into the mix, as well as Brandon finally being able to see Merlin perform like desperately wanted. She went over to where Justin was sitting with Reecy, rubbing her adorable baby bump, chatting away with her and Kyan, Arian, and Trey. "May I have this dance, Smooshie?" she asked him holding her hand out to him with a grin. "If I can tear you away from our guidebaby long enough, that is." Because the fact she and Justin were going to be guideparents to Kyan and Reecy's baby was incredible after everything they'd all overcome.

[likefatherlikeson]

"Of course you can, my love. Anything to break up this new Awesome Foursome for a bit. Y'all terrify me when you get together." Justin took her hand with a grin and spun her onto the dancefloor, holding her like he was about to lead her in a ballroom dance. "I'm kinda curious how that whole dynamic happened, though. Just the joint cause of trying to help Merlin and Brandon have the best wedding day possible? You've gotten close to Brandon, huh. Massive news, no one saw that coming. Sash was telling me the actual bone marrow transplant process is really intense, though. Having a match doesn't really mean he's out of the woods. What happens now with the bearding?"

[autumnkisses]

Autumn was laughing when Justin was spinning her around. It wasn't widely known that Justin was trained in ballroom dancing, too. He definitely had all the moves and she had seen him pull off a lot of the strictly technical dance moves over the time she was his co-star. She did miss those days but she loved how she had evolved to be able to come back and fix everything she fucked up. Truth was, Cassidy and Justin had incredible chemistry and stage presence together. She was a worthy successor to the role of Ariel, Autumn was proud. "We're plotting your death by smoosh-hugs, don't you know? We were going to invite you to the day spa with us last week but we figured you wouldn't want to hear us talking about pregnancy hormones, PMS, and bra shopping. It just kind of happened when we were all helping with the last minute wedding planning." Once they found an easy rhythm together, she kissed his cheek and messed up his hair... honorary big sister prerogative. "Yeah, being his fake girlfriend has been an oddly interesting dynamic. He's quite guarded a lot of the time but he's been honest with me. He's actually a real sweetheart and he knows how to act. Did Sash go through that stuff with Andi? I don't know about the bearding. I think he's going to want to push back and fight to come out. Just some things he's said seem to indicate he's ready. Maybe even more now."

Tag Liam!

[musicsavesmysoul]

With all this playing out, Damien was in shock. He sat there with his hands up to his mouth, eyes wide. Lachlan and Tara hadn't actually been at the wedding ceremony and Lachlan looked like he was still in work clothes. They must have driven all the way up to Cape Cod straight from work to deliver the news. The absolutely freaking amazing but shocking news. Even after they moved Merlin to another room for a little privacy, Damien was still sitting there in shock with his hands over his mouth. The music restarted and he coughed out a laugh, gaping at Liam. "Oh my fucking god. W-What does that mean? Is... is it a safe procedure for Merlin? But I guess... that ain't gonna matter to him. Fucking hell." His eyes sought out his parents who were standing with Norm and Joan across the room, looking exactly the same as Damien was feeling. This was a HUGE thing to try to process.

[wannabesurgeon]

Liam watched Damien cycle through a melee of emotions, rubbing his back with a little laugh. "You okay, love? I know you want to go to help but they probably just need a little space at the moment. It's massive news to process, especially when they were beginning to think hope was lost. The simple answer is... yes, Merlin's contribution to the process is minimal risk and safe. There might be a little discomfort after the procedure and minor side effects from a course of medication they'll put him on in the lead-up, but overall, it's safe. For Brandon, it's a lot more complicated. He'll have to get a lot more sick before he can get better but that's just how the transplant works. And it's not quick. We're talking months of the process here and he might not know he's even out of the woods for a year or longer. It just depends on a lot of different, medically-complicated factors. So, just try to stay calm. He's a step closer to treatment that might save his life and that's huge for him." He offered Damien the bowl of M&Ms and Gummi Bears they got from the candy bar.

[musicsavesmysoul]

"Yeah, I'm just... I dunno, I guess I'm kinda scared about complications? For both of them. Scared for Merlin. He's gonna be so terrified seeing Brandon go through all that but holy fuck, there's hope he might beat this? Is that what this means?" Damien grabbed his Coke and took a long gulp. Other than the champagne for the toast, Damien had been good steering clear of the booze tonight. He didn't want to deal with a hangover while he and Liam were checked into a five-star hotel for a couple of nights until their reschedule wedding the day after tomorrow. Both of them swore to live on toast and tea until they got those rings on their fingers. As it was, neither had really eaten much beyond some candy that night. Even into today, Damien still had an upset stomach from that damn chicken. He also didn't want to booze-up and push himself into a depressive episode that could last for ages. Booze wasn't his friend. He turned in his seat to face Liam, giving him a kiss. "I kinda wanna marry you more than ever right now, you know that? All this, it's just reminded me how you're everything to me and how we're damn lucky to have a third chance."

tag wes ♥

[maybethatsalie]

All Noah could do was sit and watch everything play out. It happened so quickly right in the wake of pretty much everyone in the room crying during Merlin singing the first dance song to Brandon, the shock went through everyone like a wave. It had gotten to the point where Merlin and Brandon had resigned themselves to the fact Brandon's end could really be drawing near because no news of a match was coming. Not even close. Then all of a sudden, Merlin was a match right under Brandon's nose. It didn't mean Brandon was out of the woods because apparently the next steps could be gruelling when he was already so sick and weakened, but it was that hope. He watched Wesley follow them out of the room because he had been keeping a close eye on Merlin all night in case he needed anything. A little while later, Wesley came out to go to the bar carrying drinks. As soon as he came back out of the door leading to the annexe room, he was bolting back out the door to the direction of the bathrooms. Noah got up and followed him, apologising to everyone he was nudging past in a hurry. He caught the bathroom door before it closed. "Wes, you okay, babe?" he called out. He got into the bathroom just in time to see Wesley fall to his knees in the first cubicle and stick his fingers down his throat to make himself sick. Noah took a step back with a jolt of shock at what he was seeing. "Oh, shit-- Wes?"

[irockthemic]

Once Wesley was satisfied he was empty, he slumped back against the wall of the cubicle, trying to catch his breath. He ripped some toilet paper from the dispenser to wipe his mouth. "I'm okay," he coughed, shaking his head to himself. His throat was burning and he could taste blood, probably scratching his throat with his nails. He was sweating again, not just from the exertion of forcing himself to puke but the room they took Merlin and Brandon to hadn't been air-conditioned and he felt like he was a pig on a spit roast out there. He didn't know what way was up once he heard Merlin say over the sound system that he was a match, promptly passing out from shock once it hit him what it meant. Now he was burning up again and still didn't know if Merlin was okay. He put the back of his wrist to his mouth. "I fucked up."

[maybethatsalie]

"With Merlin?" Noah asked, not following what was going on here. He could see Wesley was burning up again. His cheeks always glowed red when his fevers were spiking. He wet some paper towels for him to wipe his face. Before he could say anything else, though, a couple of dudes Noah didn't know came into the bathroom. They both offered Wesley a sympathetic smile, did their thing, and left again. He crouched down by Wes in the stall, tucking his curls behind his ears to study his face. "What happened with Merlin that made you wanna make yourself puke? Or... is this a thing? I don't wanna assume anything but I know this can be, like, self-harm for some people. Then again, I've seen people do it to ease anxiety. You didn't want me seeing this, did you?"

tag - olympia and montana

[photoflashes]

Jaxson was feeling a lot of things but he wasn't the sort to wear his heart on his sleeve. He and Brandon were similar like that and could probably be factored down to going through the foster kid thing when they were kids. He couldn't profess to know anything about leukemia beyond the little Brandon had explained to him about his condition, let alone anything about the bone marrow transplant process. All he had been told was Brandon needed a match to have any chance of living. Now suddenly, Merlin was this little short-stack miracle but now what? That bit, he was going to have to wait to find out. As much as he wanted to help, he left Brandon in the capable hands of his new husband and the Scottish dude who Jesse, Merlin's brother, said was Brandon's hematologist and bone marrow specialist. Sounds like good hands to him. So, he was heading outside to have a smoke and gather his emotions because fuck, yes, he had cried during their first dance too because that was a fucking intense reality check. Only, as soon as he stepped outside to the venue's garden, he caught sight of Brandon and Merlin and it wasn't difficult to see what they were doing. Shoving away the urge to watch, Jaxson quickly backed up through the door, his unlit cigarette between his lips and spun around, nearly slamming into Olympia and Montana. He took the smoke from his mouth. "Sorry, gals. That seat's taken. Nothing to see here." He pulled the glass door out to the garden closed behind him.

[hazeofpublicity]

The whole evening had been both amazing and painful all at the same time. Even though Montana and Olympia had helped out a lot with getting the plans for the wedding in place, Merlin was really the one who orchestrated a lot of it. He made sure they had the special things they wanted and none of it pushed too far into stuffy traditional wedding realms. That wasn't what either of them wanted. The day of the wedding, neither she nor Montana were with the boys at their beach house. Jaxson had been there as Brandon's Best Man but they had Merlin's family and friends on hand to help, how it should be. After the bombshell that Merlin was a bone marrow match, there was a whole lot of processing going on in that reception. She and Montana decided to grab and drink and go outside to try and let everything sink in. They knew the boys would be in high demand after all that, if they even came back to the reception. There was always the chance Brandon needed to go home and rest. And Jaxson was a whole other story. They had both worked for Brandon when the big fallout between him and Jaxson happened but they never knew what caused it or why. Now he was back and they didn't have that full story either. "What are you hiding, bitch?" Olympia asked suspiciously, trying to see beyond Jaxson out the door.

[wannaseeyousmile]

"And finally we can corner him to interrogate him about That Breakup three and a half years ago." Montana smirked, sipping her Appletini. She nudged Jaxson's foot with hers. "C'mon, bud, step aside so some ladies can get a bit of fresh air. Don't you know how exhausting it is to try to make sure you don't cry through your waterproof mascara because you're bawling your eyes out that much? What are you hiding out there?" But Jaxson was doing a pretty damn good job blocking the door and short of going at him all Red Rover style, he seemed pretty intent on not letting anyone through there. Which, of course, made her even more curious.

tag - brandon

[photoflashes]

Brandon and Merlin had come back through to the reception hall a little while ago but they had some time sitting with their families chatting. They both looked okay and soon, Merlin was laughing with his friends and Cassidy coaxed him onto the dancefloor with some of their squad. Jaxson decided to seize the opening to check if Brandon was okay. He brought him over a a glass of the mojito mocktail they had on the menu for anyone steering clear of booze that night. "You've got to be the only dude who manages to still get laid after their other half passes out from shock," he offered, giving Brandon a smirk. "You okay? That's really fucking epic news. He's looking better than he did before. But you look peaky, mate. Today's taking a lot out of you."

[signofthetimes]

Brandon was almost to the point where if he put his head down on the table right now, he would crash out and sleep for a week. He had been lost in a daydream about crawling into bed with Merlin and sleeping as long as they wanted with no alarms to get up for chemo. He was pretty sure Merlin was going to end up drunk tonight, though. So he should be too. It was their wedding day, someone should get drunk and celebrate. He would probably regret it tomorrow, though. When Jaxson came to sit with him and said that, he shot him at WTF look. "Seriously? You saw us? Fuck's sake." He rubbed his fingertips to his forehead but laughed. "We got caught up in the emotions. It's been a hell of a day." He sat forward and sipped the drink. "To be honest, I'm just a little numb from the shock. It'll sink in once it all starts. Lachlan and Tara want us to take the week together to rest and just be alone for awhile. We haven't had that, you know?"

[photoflashes]

"For about two seconds. I didn't grab some popcorn and stick around the free show. I'd say I'd probably do the same thing but I honestly don't know what I'd do in your shoes. None of us do. It doesn't really surprise me that you needed to be close. I guess you never expected him to be the match, huh? What does it even mean? Is it a risky procedure for him or something? It doesn't sound like you have had a lot of time alone together. You've been surrounded by people since I got back to the US. But there's been a lot going on and you can't avoid needing medical treatment..." Jaxson paused, losing his train of thought for a moment as he watched a guy over by the bar waiting for a drink. He hadn't seen him before. He was sure he would have noticed him if he had. He had a damn fine ass. "Dude, who's that guy over by the bar? In the purple shirt."

tag merlin!

[ifeelthelove]

Cassidy wasn't sure if Merlon or Brandon would return to the reception after they got the news that had Merlin hitting the deck from shock. She hadn't had a chance to talk quietly with him much because he was trying to take care of a billion things at once. She knew enough to know this news was incredible for them but it was bittersweet because there was no guarantee Brandon would make it through. He just had more hope now than when he woke up this morning. Cassidy was a huge true romantic at heart and she thought it was beautiful that Merlin turned out to be the match Brandon needed. They did come back, though, and sat and spent a little time with their close family, probably reassuring them things were okay. When Merlin spotted her at the edge of the dancefloor, he got up from where he had been sitting on Brandon's lap and bounded over to here, wrapping her in a huge hug. But he lost his balance and nearly stumbled. She laughed, grabbing his arms. "You okay, cutie? Oh my god, are you drunk?"

[magicmoments]

Merlin giggle-snorted, letting Cassidy hold him and right his balance. "I might be just a lil' bit drunk," he admitted, laughing. He had completely lost track of what he was drinking. There was champagne but he didn't know how much and the whiskey had been a hit because he was trying to process the new Lachlan delivered. He had time to regroup with Brandon which included an unexpected quickie outside when they got caught up in the emotion. That was the first time they did anything like that and it was a huge turn-on for him. "I totally got married, oh my god! I'm a husband, Cas. Did you see who my husband is? He has the best ass. I'm so not a virgin anymore." He burst into another round of giggling.

[ifeelthelove]

"Just for the record, honeybunch, I'm totally not letting you puke on this dress or these incredible shoes. I should've known you'd be a giggly drunk." Cassidy made sure not to spin him too much now she knew he was tipsy. Or probably more than tipsy considering he apparently lacked a verbal filter. She laughed at his observations about Brandon's ass. "Well, I'd say I didn't notice but I totally have. He is even hotter in person. Sooo... what does it feel like to be a husband? You all and your epic emotions tonight. Kleenex have made a fortune on this room. You holding up okay? Being a little bit drunk aside."

tag - paxton

[photoflashes]

No matter how much Jaxson tried to unsee Paxton after he spotted him at the bar, he couldn't. Especially not after Brandon pointed out how similar their names were and not-so-subtly made sure Jax knew Paxton was a model for Calvin Klein. That meant he had an excellent body and was probably hung. Jaxson was in a bit of sex drought at the moment so he really did want to get laid but he didn't think using Brandon's wedding to pull was a good call. Still, Paxton was gorgeous. Jaxson's eyes kept being drawn to him. Even more once he noticed Paxton had piercing blue eyes. When Merlin's mom came over to check on how Brandon was, Jaxson excused himself so they could talk. So, Jaxson bit the bullet and went up to the bar. He gave Paxton a smile when he looked up from his phone. "Hey, I'm Jaxson. He offered Paxton his hand. "I was just chatting with Brandon and noticed you were over here alone. I was wondering if maybe you wanted some company to grab a drink?"

[englandrocks]

Paxton had felt out of place the whole night but he wasn't sure whether it was one specific thing causing it, or a mixture of different little things. Maybe because it was Damien's little brother's wedding. Maybe because Damien and Liam had been looking close and loved up all night. Maybe because it was an incredibly romantic and emotional wedding. It made him feel external to everything and a little bit like everyone else had their life on track and he was still beating himself up for a few stupid mistakes. He knew he needed to be back in New York and he was glad he could be near his brother again but life felt confusing... at least until he remembered he was healthy, not facing death by cancer, and could be in a lot worse of a situation after his stupid mistakes. Remembering that probably stopped him getting blind drunk and making a dick of himself. "Oh, hey. Paxton." He smiled, shaking Jaxson's hand. "You're Brandon's Best Man. I'm probably more out of the loop than anyone in this room but I saw you at the ceremony. Um, I'm not sure how many more drinks I should have but I don't think one would hurt."

[photoflashes]

"Same?" Jaxson asked Paxton and when he got a nod of confirmation, he ordered their drinks with the barman. "Do you smoke? I've been dying to get outside for one since the big announcement. Brandon's Best Man by the narrowed of margins, trust me. He and I had a, uh... falling out for a long time. Hearing he was sick, I couldn't let it go on any longer. It was a hard blow hearing we might lose him and an even harder blow when I saw how sick he was with my own eyes. He always seemed like this indestructible force. He was just telling me a little about you, actually. Your Liam's best friend." He was trying not to let the sexy photos of Paxton he had just seen on Google filter too much into his head again or he was going to get a boner. Up close, with Paxton's tight pants, he could see the guy was hung and then some. He just had no idea if Paxton was into casual sex.