“Hey, brother,” he greeted him as he always did and pulled a chair beside his bed. “Oh, Mac, are you even in there at all? I’m trying to hang on here, man, but I’ve got to tell you, I’m getting so tired. Every time you have a seizure or get a fever, I lose a little more of you. I need you, Mac. I need you to wake the hell up and tell me what to do. ’Cause I gotta tell ya, bro, I’m losing the battle here. The battle to be patient with you, the battle to not be attracted to Liam. All I have is your attitude, though, Mac. The only reason I’ve ever thought it was wrong to be attracted to other males is because you said it was. Wake up, Mac. And tell me why. Why is it wrong? Why are you so dead set against it? Why shouldn’t I act on my attraction to Liam?” He collapsed against the bed, his head on his brother’s hand. “Why should I have to keep pretending to be something I’m not, or pretending not to be something I am?
