As mentioned before, I have been revisiting this story as of late, and realized that one component I never touched on was Steve facing his captors after his attack. This can be thought of as an epilogue of sorts, and perhaps a jumping off point to a new series. If you don't want to catch up on the entire series, this is a good refresher for this chapter:
THE ATTACK
I was having a great night. Our team had just won our game against our biggest rival, and we went out to a local bar to celebrate! I had a great time drinking and getting rowdy with my teammates. After we finished at the bar me, Stefan, Antonio, and Deiter all went out to a gay bar to continue the party. We continued to have a great time there. I even had a few guys hit on me. Unfortunately for them I had to turn them down, since I did have a boyfriend (God I never got tired of saying that!). I started talking to this one guy a bit, and he asked me if I wanted to buy some pot...
PAROLE HEARING
I knew this day would come, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon. It had been three-years since I was nearly beaten to death in a homophobic attack. Since then, my life has flourished in everyway. I had continued to play the sport I love, married the man of my dreams, and even started a non-profit dedicated to helping LGBT athletes come out of the closet (which my husband, Lars, was helping manage). The attack would always be in the back of my mind, but it all came rushing back after I received a letter that one of my attackers would be up for parole soon.
"Steve, you don't have to attend if you don't want to", Lars said as I shared the letter with him.
"No, I really have to do this. If nothing else he needs to know that he did not break me," I responded.
"Okay. Of course I'll be right by your side as always," he said with the smile that I loved so dearly.
"Thanks babe. I also want to see if my teammates would be willing to come to the hearing,” I said.
Lars then leaned in and kissed me.
“You should do that. They've always had your back, ever since you came out to Stefan and Antonio,” Lars assured me as he lightly rubbed my tattoo on my chest, which was the Celtic symbol for brotherhood. Our co-captain, Hanz, painted it on my chest during my “team initiation” as I'd come to refer to it all these years later.
“I know. I'll ask them tomorrow after practice,” I replied with an assured smile.
—
Practice had just ended. Hanz and myself were making some last minute announcements before we all headed to the locker room. Taking in a deep breath, I let it all out.
“Next week is the parole hearing for the guy who led the attack against me three years ago. I feel I need to be there, if nothing else to let him know that he did not break me. If any of y'all could attend it would mean the world to me,” I said as I began to tear up. Hanz gave me a hug as I wrapped my arms around him. Everyone followed suit and walked over.
“Steve, you bet we'll be there. Remember, we have your back always,” Hanz assured me as he patted the brotherhood tattoo on my chest.
“Yah, if you need asses kicked again, just ask!” Collin added. Him, Hanz, and Nigel (who had left the team some time ago) served two of my attackers with their own form of justice shortly after the attack. It did mean that they didn't see any criminal charges, but honestly, I was fine with that.
Antonio, Deiter, and Stefan came over and gave me a group hug.
“You bet we'll be there,” Deiter whispered in my ear.
“I will always refer to you as my Three Musketeers, because that’s what you were to me that night. I hope you never forget how grateful I am to you for saving my life,” I told them through the tears.
“Even if I did die that night, I would've died a happy person who got to live as I was, even for just a little while,” I added.
“I owe my marriage, my life, and the work I do to you three, and honestly, to all of you”, I said as I motioned to my entire team.
Chris and Liam made their way towards me. Both were still together, the latter having joined our team. They both gave me a hug.
“Steve, your story inspired me to take a chance and move here. I owe everything I have to you. Of course I'll be there”, Chris said as Liam nodded in agreement. I wiped the tears from my face and composed myself.
“Thank you everyone. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. Now let's hit the showers!”, I exclaimed with a laugh to break up the tension.
—
I sat in the hearing room, clutching Lars’ hand. He could tell I was nervous, and he leaned in to kiss me on the cheek.
“You got this Steve,” he assured me, whispering softly in my ear. I glanced back at my teammates, who were all there in attendance. They smiled assuredly.
My attacker was called into the hearing room by the judge. He took the stand. After some administrative discussions among his barrister, I was asked if I wanted to make a statement. I stood up, took a deep breath, and approached the bench. He was clearly stunned to see I was there with my husband and my teammates backing me up. Honestly, he seemed more nervous than I was. I took another deep breath before I began to speak.
“It was obvious that you wanted me dead that night,” I said as I lifted up my shirt, pointing to the scar from where he stabbed me.
“I've wondered if this day would come, and what I may say to you if I ever got the chance to face you. Honestly, I don't care if you're granted parole after today. I am not afraid of you, and haven't been for a long time. That night, you ignited in me a fire that I didn't know I had. When I awoke to my now-husband clutching my hand, we expressed our love for each other for the first time. My teammates, most of whom are here today, helped me come out to the world. One of them even moved here specifically to join our team after being inspired by my story. I am now running a non-profit to help other young athletes on their journey to come out and be accepted. I guess I should thank you for what you did in that sense. I hope you find peace in life. If I ever encounter you again, don't be afraid to say hi”, I said as I began to tear up. I then left the stand, returning to the general seating area. Lars wrapped me in a tight embrace and gave me a kiss.
“I'm so proud of you Steve. I love you”, he said as he began to tear up. After looking into his eyes, I glanced over at my teammates to see that they were all beaming with pride.
“Let's leave okay? I don't really care about the outcome,” I asked Lars and my teammates. Everyone nodded in agreement.
We all stood up and walked out of the hearing room. When we got outside I started bawling out of sheer relief. Lars gave me another kiss and held me tight for several seconds. I glanced around at my teammates (they really were my chosen brothers at this point). I don't think I'd ever felt more loved/supported in my entire life as I did at that moment.
