Disclaimer: This story contains homosexual themes. If you are under the age of 18 or if reading this story is illegal to read where you are residing, please read no further. While the people in this story are real, the events are purely fictional. This is not meant to imply anything about the sexuality of the people portrayed in this story.
I'd like to thank "cor"agian for his help and inspiration for this story. He is a dear friend and without him this story would not exist.
If you have any feedback, either positive or negative, you may contact me at Dannibailey@hotmail.com
"Decisions"
by DB
CHAPTER 1
The first time had caught you totally off guard. You were off stage, staring intently at the man you had come to love; doing what he did best....performing. You never noticed her inching her way closer to you, or perhaps you would have been better prepared. God Must Have Spent had always been your favorite, but in the blink eye it would become so much more than that!
She leaned over and gently kissed you on the cheek and your look of bewilderment had brought a grin to her face, as though she had expected that reaction. There was no way to hear her spoken words over the roar of the crowd, but her lips were easily read. "It's from him" and the nod of her head returned your gaze to center stage. Your eyes met Justin's briefly, but long enough to catch that now famous smile and the wink that was meant for your eyes-only. It had started that night and was now something special you shared at every concert, and tonight was no exception. It lasted only a brief second, but it was enough to remind you just how wonderful the last three months had been.
Danni tugged on your belt loop and motioned to the corridor leading out of the venue and to the back lot where the bus was waiting. There was no point in getting caught up in the post concert mayhem and the two of you had always preferred to wait on the bus and have snacks and cold drinks waiting for the guys.
As you walk down the dimly lit corridor with Danni, you think about how lucky Chris is to have her. Not only is she a stunning woman, but also has a heart of gold. You had grown up together. Same neighborhood, same school, even the same church. She was by far you closest friend. She had been there for you always and loved you unconditionally. She deserved every bit of happiness Chris had given her. He was totally devoted to her. He knew her position as "the girlfriend" was not an enviable one. Under Transcon, the guys had been cautioned that girlfriends were frowned upon; a policy that Chris had bucked from the very beginning. There was no way Danni was going to become invisible for the sake of the "boy band" image, and his temper had caused many heated arguments with record executives. It was Danni, of course, that had stepped up and settled the issue. Invisible was fine, as long as Chris had the opportunity he had always dreamed of. Little did any of them know back then what impact her decision would have on the record industry, for had Danni felt differently, Chris would have never have signed to be a part of *NSYNC. He loved her that much.
A quick glance at your watch reminded you that the concert would be over in a few minutes and by 11:30 you would be on the road again and enjoying the private time that was so important to all of you. Your thoughts are interrupted by Lonnie's booming voice directing traffic as he did after every concert. Lonnie had been in charge of security since they had toured in Europe and he had them trained; microphones in one box, ear-ins in another, and absolutely no stopping. Directly to the bus. Any conversations between them could wait until after he was done with his head count and everyone was safely on the bus. Lonnie was a teddy bear at heart, but when it came to security, there was no room for negotiation. Joey had tried once and failed miserably. The other four had learned a valuable lesson from his mistake. It was Lonnie's way or no way and they never questioned his decisions.
Chris was the first one on the bus.....always. He grabbed a bottle of water, kissed Danni on the cheek and headed straight for the shower. Within seconds the other four clamored on the bus and it pulled away from the venue before any of the fans had filtered out of the arena. That was at Justin's insistence. In the past, they had always showered leisurely and headed to the bus about an hour after the concert, but by then the swarm of fans had surrounded the bus and he had always feared one of them would be hurt in the frenzy. When his fears became reality, Justin put his foot down and they now left immediately.
He was the last one on the bus tonight, and you could see that the three nights in a row of concerts had taken its toll. He looked exhausted and you were glad that tomorrow was an off day. He grabbed some Gatorade from the refrigerator and leaned over close to you as sat waiting for him to join you.
"Did you see it?" He asked the same question after every concert.
He was talking about the wink and it amazed you that he still asked. You had not missed it the three months that you had been together and had no intentions to. You tried to answer, but he gave you no time as his lips pressed firmly against yours. The answer could come later and you reach out to pull him closer to you. You heard the loud snap of a towel and Justin pulled away suddenly. He had left himself an open target and Chris was not going to pass it up.
"Shit Chris, that hurt" he yelped, "You're so dead". And then it started.
Within seconds, Justin had Chris in a headlock and then quickly pinned him to the floor of the bus.
"Why do you even mess with me Chris?" Justin asked, "You know I'm just
gonna kick your butt."
"Only cuz I let you" Chris replied.
"Yeah...in your dreams, man" Justin said.
They would go on for another 15 minutes with Joey and Lance rooting for whoever appeared to be winning at the time. Knowing they would never stop without interference, Danni decided to call it quits.
"Chris!......Chris!" She was louder the second time. Then, when she had his attention "Why don't you two call a truce and relax for a while?" That was enough for Chris. He had plans for later. No point putting those in jeopardy for a wrestling match with Justin. He crawled on his hands and knees over to where Danni was sitting, looked up at her with his brown eyes gleaming and said "I love you baby". She reached down to kiss him and he quickly wrapped his arms around her and he pulled her down on top of him. He had expected her to pull away, but instead she kissed him passionately, and ran her hand up his leg to his upper thigh. This brought on a round of hollers and laughter from the rest of the group. That's why they all loved Danni. You could never predict her next move.
"Gotcha" she said after she finally released her lips from his. "Now
let's go to in the back and you can have that massage I promised you".
Chris of course was more than happy to oblige.
It was nearing midnight and things had become quiet. Danni and Chris were in his bunk speaking in quiet voices, JC, of course, was asleep, and Joey and Lance had popped some popcorn and put the latest horror flick in the VCR. That left you and Justin alone. He wandered back to his bunk, found his pillow and tossed it to you as he reached for another drink.
"I'm beat," he said as he lowered himself next to you.
"I can tell, you were the last one on the bus". "That never happens"
"I know" "I just couldn't move any faster" "My legs felt like they had weights on them".
His voice showed signs of disappointment, as if for some reason he blamed himself for his exhaustion. He had positioned his pillow on your lap, and now grabbed a blanket to cover himself.
As he lay his head in you lap; he looked up at you and asked, "Gary?"...You didn't let him finish his sentence, but placed your fingers over his lips to silence him.
"Sure I'll rub you back" "Take off your shirt"
Within seconds his shirt was off, and as his head hit the pillow he exhaled deeply, allowing his long day to finally come to an end. You covered his legs with the blanket and slowly began to massage his well- defined shoulders.
"Gary".... he paused long enough to make sure he had your full attention, "I love you".
Your heart melted. "I love you too Justin" "Now get some sleep and I'll wake you when we get to the hotel".
"But I really need to take a shower" he argued.
"That can wait", you assured him. "In fact, if you wait until we get to the hotel, I'll take one with you".
The grin on his face was his only answer and he closed his eyes. It took just a few minutes for him to drift off to sleep, and as you ran your fingers through his soft, damp curls, you mind wandered back to three months earlier when the two of you first met.
CHAPTER 2
It was Danni, of course, that had brought the two of you together. A simple invitation to lunch was all it took. They were in New York for three days and she saw it as the perfect opportunity. It was just the four of you, Danni, Chris, you and Justin, and Danni made sure that she and Chris would excuse themselves and allow the two of you to have some time to talk. And talk you did. After several hours at the restaurant, Justin had invited you back to his hotel room. You had reservations, and Justin had picked up on it immediately.
"I know what you're thinking, Gary". "It's not like that". "I just want to talk, nothing else, I promise". The sincerity in his voice made your decision easy.
Conversation had come easy to both of you and before either of you had realized it, it was 4:00 am.
"It's too late to go home now," he said, "Lets just sleep for a couple of hours and I'll give you a ride home then". Although you knew you should leave, the idea of a 45-minute ride home was not appealing. You were tired and sleep sounded better than it had in a long time.
"If you're sure you don't mind, I'll take you up on it", you replied. "That bed's looking pretty good right now".
"No problem at all," he said with a smile. "I'd like you to stay".
He offered you some spare clothes to wear, and within minutes you were both sleeping soundly. You remember waking only briefly to find him putting his arm around your chest and pulling himself closer to you. You could not resist. You turned to face him and gently kissed him on the cheek. He never stirred, but the slight smile on his face had let you know he had not minded.
You woke up to the sunlight sneaking in from behind the floor length drape. You could feel his arm across your chest and the warm air of his breath on the back of your neck. You turn over slowly so as not to wake him and glance at the clock on the night stand. Could it really be noon? You had slept longer that you had planned and decided to take a shower and then be on your way. You'd let him sleep until you were ready to go and say your good-byes then. Your mind was working overtime as you recalled the past 24 hours. It was incredible how much the two of you had shared.
After fifteen minutes in the steam filled room, the shower had finally revived you. Only when you turned off the water did you hear the voices coming from the other room. You finished dressing and slowly opened the bathroom door to find Justin and Chris in a heated argument.
"This is stupid Justin, really stupid!" Chris yelled. "You're just asking for trouble"
"I'm nineteen Chris" Justin argued. "I'm old enough to make my own decisions." "I didn't even have to tell you and I don't need your permission!
It was obvious that Justin's last comment had angered Chris even more.
"You're right Justin, you don't!" "But let me ask you something; do you remember Germany?" There was no reply. "I asked you a question Justin, and I expect an answer!" "Do you remember what happened in Germany?"
Justin's answer was barely audible. "Yeah, I remember."
Chris looked toward you and you could see his anger. Then he looked back at Justin. "You're making a big mistake!" He then turned and left, slamming the door behind him.
It was very clear from Chris' look that you were somehow involved in this conversation and hoped that Justin would offer an explanation.
His voice was soft. "I'm sorry you had to see that." "I was hoping he'd take it better."
"Is this about me staying last night?" you asked.
"No, not really." "I told him I had plans for the week-end and he doesn't approve." "I wish now I had never told him."
You were still confused. "I don't get it" "Why would Chris care what your plans are for the week-end?"
For the first time since Chris had left the room, he lifted his head. You could tell the words were not coming easy to him and he exhaled deeply before he spoke.
"I'm going the Bahamas this week-end." "I'm leaving tonight and I want you to go with me."
You were stunned. It seems like an eternity before you could speak.
"Justin, I don't know what to say."
The anxiety in his voice was clear. "Say yes, Gary, please." "I need to get away; just for a couple of days." "Do nothing but relax, and I want you with me"
At that moment, he looked far younger than his 19 years. And those eyes! Those damn eyes spoke more than words ever could. He was alone. Even with thousands of adoring fans surrounding him nightly, he was still alone. You moved slowly toward him, and without speaking, reached for his hand and pulled him toward you. When he was close enough, you put your arm around his waist and drew him even closer to you until your bodies were touching gently. You guided his head towards yours and placed your lips on his. You kissed him softly at first, trying to reassure him and ease his fears, but the feelings stirring inside both of you quickly took over. You kissed passionately for several minutes, allowing emotions you had never felt before come to the surface. Finally, with both of you breathless, you pause for a minute and gaze into each other's eyes. No words were ever spoken, but Justin had his answer. From that moment on you were virtually inseparable.
There was a knot in your stomach as you knocked on the door. You had three hours before Justin would pick you up and the two of you would be on a flight to the Bahamas soon after that, but this needed to be settled first. Danni opened the door and her smile calmed your nerves.
"I need to talk to Chris," you said.
She didn't respond, but opened the door wider to let you in. Chris was the first to speak.
"Before you say anything, I owe you an apology" "That conversation should have been in private, but when he told me about the Bahamas I just started to go off on him" "I never should have done that, but I did, and I apologize."
"I didn't come here for an apology, Chris, but I would like and explanation." You were concerned what his response would be, but you needed to hear it. "I take it you don't approve of Justin's lifestyle?"
"I have no problem at all with his lifestyle," Chris was quick to respond. "What I have a problem with is his judgement." "Justin thinks with his heart and not his head, and I don't want to see him hurt." "He's like a kid brother to me, actually more than that." "I practically raised him from the time he was thirteen until now." "I spent more time with him than his family did." "I was the one he depended on." "This has nothing to do with you Gary," he explained. "He's just moving to fast and I've seen the consequences." You could see that Chris was truly concerned and you appreciated that, but things still weren't clear.
"So, you think I'm gonna hurt him?"
"I think it's a possibility" Chris said, "and I don't want to see history repeated." "Once was bad enough."
Danni had been silent long enough. "Chris, that's in the past! Let it go!" "You have no right to talk to Gary that way!"
"It's OK Danni, let him finish" you interrupted, "I want to know the whole story." "What happened in Germany, Chris?"
"I'll make it short, Gary." "When we first started touring in Germany, Justin met a guy; a fan, and they hit it off pretty well." "I guess you could say it was his first crush on another guy." "Joey and I had reservations from the beginning, but tried to stay out of it and let Justin handle it himself." "That was a mistake." "The guy ended up being very possessive and jealous. One day he just exploded." "He started to beat the shit out of Justin." "When he threw him on the ground, Justin tried to break his fall and landed on his thumb and he fractured it." "Fortunately, Joey was there and pulled the guy off of him, or it could have been a lot worse." "I spent seven hours with him in the emergency room while they x-rayed him and set his thumb." "I never want to do that again."
"Everybody back home got the story that he fell on stage and broke his thumb." "Until now, Danni was the only one outside of *NSYNC that knew what happened, but I felt I owed you an explanation." "Do you understand where I'm coming from now?"
You felt sick to your stomach. "I understand Chris, but you have nothing to worry about." "Give me a chance." "You can't judge me by what someone else did."
"I don't have any choice but to give you a chance." "You're going with him aren't you?" Chris inquired.
"Yes, I am." "We're leaving in a few hours." Now was not the time to back down. "I'm sorry if you don't like the idea, but I have every intention of staying with Justin for as long as he wants me to." "With or without your approval!"
A slight smile came over Chris' face. "Well, at least he picked somebody with some character." "I'm impressed." "Call me when you get back at the airport and I'll pick you guys up." He reached out to shake your hand and you realized you had overcome a major hurdle.
CHAPTER 3
The sound of Lance's deep, soft voice and that Southern drawl snapped you back to the present.
"Gary, Lonnie just called from the other bus." "We'll be at the hotel in about 15 minutes." "You need to start waking him up"
"Glad you're stuck with that job now", chuckled Joey. "I hated having to wake him up". "Man, what a grouch!"
"Come on guys," you insisted, "He's not that bad." "You just have to give him some time."
"Yeah, well good luck" added JC, "You've only got fifteen minutes." "He's not gonna be happy."
You looked down at Justin sleeping peacefully and realized JC was right. He was really tired and waking him up was not gonna easy or pleasant. Luckily, he only had to be conscience long enough to drag himself to your hotel room, take a shower and then back to bed. Danni sat down on the edge of the bed next to you and started running her fingers through Justin's hair.
"I don't know why they all pick on him so bad." "I think he's and angel." "He just has a hard time waking up" "If they would leave him alone for a few minutes he'd be fine, but they have to start with him as soon as his eyes open."
You smiled at her and silently agreed. He was an angel. You rubbed his back slowly and leaned down and gently kissed him on the cheek. His eyes, opened and he put his arms around you neck pulling you closer until your lips were on his. He kissed you softly and said, "I love you Gary.... now let me sleep."
"Sorry, nice try though!" You liked his technique. Anything for a few extra minutes of sleep, but it wasn't going to work tonight. "We'll be at the hotel in 10 minutes." "You need to wake up." He sighed deeply, but managed to sit up and placed his head on your shoulder. That was good enough for now. At least he was sitting up. You'd just take it slow and this would go smoothly.
Evidently, Joey had decided he was in charge of organization tonight and took a mental head count making sure everyone was ready to depart the bus.
"Danni, where's Chris?" Joey inquired.
"He was a little wound up after the concert, so I was helping him relax." "He'll be here in a few minutes." We all knew what Danni had meant, but Joey couldn't let it go.
"Relax huh, is that what you call it now." "I wish I had someone help me "relax" every day." Joey should have learned by now not to spar with Danni. He'd loose. He always did, but it never stopped him. This should be good.
"Joey, sweetheart, are you implying that Chris and I enjoy the physical part of our relationship on a daily basis?" she teased.
"Hell, I'm not implying anything, I'm stating a fact!" he replied.
Danni went over to where Joey was sitting and positioned herself on his lap placing both arms around his neck.
"Joey, your comment couldn't be further from the truth." She was moving in for the kill. You saw it coming, but poor Joey was clueless. "Usually it's more than once a day!" And with that she kissed him on the lips and promptly got up, a wide grin covering her face. The guys howled.
"Dam Joey, when will you ever learn." Lance managed to get out through his laughter.
"Never, obviously." JC added.
Joey couldn't stand it. "It's not fair." "It's just not fair" He should have stayed silent.
"Oh its fair, Joey" Danni laughed. "If you were as good as Chris you'd be getting it every day too. That did it. She had brought the house down once again, and as usual, at Joey's expense. She loved Joey to death, but he was such an easy target for her seemingly endless wit. He was no competition whatsoever.
Even Justin had managed to smile with that last blow and added, "Hey Joey, maybe you can ask Chris for some pointers."
"I don't remember asking for you opinion, Sleeping Beauty!" Joey blasted. "Why don't you just go back to sleep."
"Don't even suggest that Joey!" you insisted "You know he'll take you up on that in a heartbeat and we'll never get him off this bus."
As you finished you sentence the bus door opened and Johnny Wright boarded the bus.
"Here are your hotel room keys." "Lonnie is checking out the lobby now, but it appears you will be able to go straight to your rooms." "Fortunately, it's late and the lobby is empty." "Get some sleep." "We're off tomorrow, but that doesn't mean you need to be hitting the streets tonight." "I expect you to catch up on your rest. Joey, am I making myself clear?"
"Very, but why was that comment directed to me?" he asked with his most innocent face.
"Funny, Joey." God that boy is a handful, Johnny thought. "Just make sure your ass is in bed tonight....sleeping. You got it?"
"Yes sir, got it" Joey snapped.
"Good, and don't be a smart ass." "All of you need some rest" "We'll meet tomorrow in my room at 1:00 pm to cover a few things, OK?"
Everyone nodded in agreement. By now, Lonnie has entered and let everyone know that it was clear to leave the bus and head up to the rooms. You were grateful. Justin was having a hard time keeping his eyes open and you really wanted to get him up to the room and finally in a bed where he could get a good nights sleep. You grabbed both of your bags and helped him up off the sofa.
"Come on J, just a few more minutes and you can relax." "I know you're exhausted." He was more exhausted than he was letting on. "Dam, if I could only catch up." He thought to himself. "I've got to get some sleep." "Thank God tomorrow is an off day." "That will help."
The lobby was deserted and the guys were grateful. As much as they loved their fans, tonight was not the night for crowds of screaming girls. They just want to head to their rooms. They had the entire 7th floor. That was standard now. No other people shared the floor with them. It had made Lonnie's job much easier, and the guys could roam the floor uninterrupted.
Justin opened the hotel room door and immediately did a nose-dive onto the bed.
"Don't even think about it buddy" you scolded. "If you plan on sleeping with me tonight you need to take your ass in and get a shower." "Either that or I'm on the couch."
"Don't even think about sleeping on the couch." "You're sleeping with me. "I'm taking a shower, but you have no idea how good this bed feels right now."
You glanced over at him and found him curled up with a pillow looking all of twelve. Dam, he was irresistible. You joined him on the bed and kissed him briefly. Holding him next to you, you wished he was not so tired, but romance would have to wait. This kid needed some sleep.
"I'll get your shower started." "You find something to sleep in." you instructed.
"Sounds like a plan" he said. " A hot shower may be just what I need!"
Justin finally conjured up enough energy to head to the shower and you tried to unpack a few things before joining him. You unpacked just the essentials and headed to the bathroom to join him. You opened the door and were surprised to see him already drying off.
"Hey, that was quick." "You usually never get out until all the hot water is gone." "Just too tired tonight?"
"Yeah, I'm sorry Gary," He could obviously read the disappointment you were trying to hide. "But the hot water is making me a little light headed." "I'm going to the coke machine." "You want anything?"
"No, thanks anyway." You wished he would just sit down and take it easy, but you knew better. "Check my pants pockets though, I'm sure I've got some change in there."
"Thanks, I'll be right back" he yelled.
You were ready for bed too. The last few days had been hectic. In fact, the last two weeks seemed like a blur. You showered quickly hoping to spend a few minutes with Justin before calling it a night. You opened the bathroom door half-expecting Justin to be asleep, but instead the site before you made your blood run cold.
Justin was lying unconscious on the floor; his head laying in a small but growing pool of blood. The next few minutes seem to take forever. You pounded on the door connecting your room to Chris and Danni's and quickly unlocked it so they could enter.
"Chris, Danni, get in here now!", you yelled.
You ran to Justin's motionless body. You wanted to hold him, but were terrified to move him. You had not heard him come in, but suddenly Chris was by your side.
"Danni, call down to the front desk and tell them we need an ambulance!" he shouted.
He turned Justin over and you could now see the four-inch gash over his left eye. It was bleeding profusely, but fortunately Chris was keeping his composure. He grabbed a towel from the bathroom and held it firmly on Justin's head. Danni knelt next to you and took your hand in hers.
"He's gonna be alright Gary, the ambulance will be here in a few minutes." She was trying to sound reassuring, but her voice told you she was as scared as you were. You looked down at Justin. There was still not sign of consciousness.
Finally, the commotion in the hall let you know the paramedics had arrived. They quickly went to work and you felt somewhat relieved that Justin was now in good hands.
"How long has he been out?" they inquired.
"I'm not sure." "I was in the shower." "I'm guessing about 10 minutes." They said nothing, but within seconds had Justin hooked up a heart monitor and were keeping a close watch on his blood pressure. They were talking between themselves about Justin's condition, but they shared nothing with the roomful of people that had now assembled.
Finally, one of the two paramedics spoke. "Ok, you guys can relax." "Your friend is stable." "Lets see if we can get him to wake up." With that, he cracked open a small vial covered with gauze and the smell of ammonia filled the room.
The younger of the two asked, "What's his name?"
"Justin" you answered softly.
He looked directly at Justin as if he could hear him. "Ok Justin, you're not gonna like me much after this, but you've got your friends worried." " Time to open those eyes." He placed his hand containing the vial firmly over Justin's nose. Justin tried to jerk his head to one side but the paramedic held his hand firmly in place.
"Sorry buddy, but my hand's not going anywhere until you cooperate."
Justin jerked his head once again, but this time opened his eyes and immediately grabbed the young man's arm trying to move his hand away from his face. The young man could sense Justin's anxiety and tried to calm him.
"It's Ok Justin, I'm just trying to help you." Then he slowly removed his hand from his face and you could see Justin's body slowly relax. "That's better, now lets take a look at that cut." He lifted the towel and for the first time he could see the gash over Justin's eye. He looked up at Chris.
"Good work, there's hardly any bleeding now." "You're not looking for a job, are you?"
Finally, there was a break in the tension and you could feel yourself breathing again.
"No way!" said Chris. "My stomach's queasy as it is!"
"Well, you did a great job, but the cut is pretty deep." "Actually, it's to the bone". "He's gonna need some stitches, and we are not authorized to do that." "We can either take him with us or you guys can get him to an after hours emergency center and they can stitch him up there." " It's up to you."
You could have predicted Justin's response. "I'm not going to an emergency room." "I'm fine!"
You hadn't seen him come in, but you knew immediately who was talking. Johnny's voice made it very clear he meant business. "Justin, you will do what your told!" "This decision is not up to you!" "You heard the man, that cut needs to be stitched!"
Thankfully, Chris intervened. "Hold on a second." " I met this guy in the lobby today with his daughter." "He's staying at the hotel and he's a doctor." "Let me call the front desk and see if I can get his room number."
While Chris was making the call, you and Joey lifted Justin off the floor and onto the bed. It was obvious he was in a lot of pain, but you couldn't bear to see him on the floor any more.
"I guess I was more tired than I thought" he said sheepishly. "I got real dizzy and everything just went black." "Sorry to be such a pain."
You couldn't believe he was apologizing. "Justin, please just close you eyes and try to relax for a few minutes." You leaned down and kissed him on the cheek, oblivious to the rest of the people in the room. "I love you, Justin."
There was a knock at the door and the man that Chris had met earlier entered the room.
"I understand there is a bit of a problem here." "What can I do to help?"
The paramedics briefed the man on Justin's condition. When they had finished he explained that he would take over from there and thanked them for a job well done. As they were packing up to leave the man addressed the rest of the group.
"Listen, I know you are all concerned, but he's gonna be fine." "I'm gonna take care of that cut and I really don't think needs an audience." "How about you guys call it a night and you can talk to him tomorrow."
Slowly, after wishing him their best, the crowd filtered out of the room, leaving you and Johnny alone with Justin and the man you had yet to meet.
"Guess I should introduce myself." "My name is Mark." "Chris and I met earlier downstairs." "My daughter is a huge fan of the group." "She's gonna kill me when she finds out I was here and never got autographs."
"Don't worry," Johnny said, "You take care of Justin and your daughter can have all the autographs she wants."
"Thank you, that would mean a lot to her." He looked down at Justin. "Alright son, how about we finish up here and you can get some sleep." Justin didn't reply, but smiled slightly.
"Have you ever had stitches before?" he asked.
"No, never." "I guess I've been kinda lucky." Justin managed to answer. You could see the anxiety come over his face a Mark filled the syringe with Novocaine. Mark saw it too, he did his best to help Justin stay calm.
"You keep tackling glass coffee tables like you did tonight and you'll end up with a bunch more." "I guarantee it, you'll never win that fight." He was smiling, but if it was for Justin's benefit, he was wasting his time. Justin's eyes hadn't moved off of the needle since Mark had brought it out of his bag.
"Ok, you gonna feel a prick and then a slight burning sensation." Mark told him. "This will all be over in few minutes." "There's nothing to it."
Justin reached for your hand and squeezed it tightly. Dam, you would do anything for this night to be over. He winced slightly during the injection, but that was it. After that he lay perfectly still while Mark closed up the wound.
"Finished, now that wasn't so bad was it?" Mark inquired.
Justin shook his head no, but the grip on your hand told you different. Mark looked up at Johnny and said, "We have a couple of options here." "There is no need for him to be hospitalized, but I have some concerns." "He's got a concussion so someone needs to stay with him tonight."
"I'm staying with him," you informed Mark.
"Great, that problem is solved," Mark responded. "But he is pretty dehydrated too, I'd like to start an IV." "I can come back in a few hours and take it out and check on him if you'd like."
"Do it," was Johnny response, not even checking with Justin to see if he had any input to offer. "What else?"
Mark started to reply, but Justin cut him off. "Excuse me, don't you think I should have something to say about this!" "I just want to get some sleep." "I'll be fine."
"Justin I'm not discussing this with you." "Whatever this man says is best is what we're gonna do, unless you'd like to spend some time in a Chicago hospital!" "Do you understand that?"
Justin said nothing. You understood Johnny's concern, but yelling at Justin was not helping the situation.
"Johnny, he'll cooperate, you know that." "He always does."
Johnny realized his mistake. "Your right." "I'm sorry Justin, I shouldn't have snapped at you." "I just want to do what's best."
"Ok," Mark said, "Let me give him something for the pain and get the IV started and then he can get some rest". "That's really what he needs most right now."
Within a few minutes, Mark had finished and said his good byes.
"I'll be back in about 3 hours and take out the IV." "He should be able to sleep right through it." "The shot I gave him will make him groggy and he's already tired." " Let him sleep as long as he can in the morning and call me when he wakes up." "I wrote down my room number and left it by the phone." "Call me if you need anything." "I'm serious." "If you're concerned about anything, I'm only a phone call away."
"Mark, thank you so much. You've been great with him. "I really appreciate it."
Mark smiled and shook your hand. "No problem, glad I could help out."
Johnny left with him and finally you were alone with Justin.
"Can I get you anything?" you asked him.
"Yeah, you can get in bed with me." "That's all I've wanted all night."
That was an easy request. You pulled down the covers and crawled in bed next to him, being careful not to bump him. You reached over, turned off the light and layed your head down next to Justin's. It felt so good just to be close to him. He had scared the hell out of you tonight and to have him next to you and in one piece (well almost) was all you needed right now.
"Gary, will you hold me?" his voice was low. The shot must be taking effect you thought. You moved closer to him and wrapped your arms around him, pulling him gently next to you.
"There, how's that?" you asked him.
"It's better, but I want more than this" "Gary, I want more than you hugging me at night." "I love you and I want to show you how much." "Don't you want that too?"
Of course you did. You had for a long time, but didn't want to push Justin into something he may not be ready for.
"Justin, I love you with all my heart and soul, and of course I want more, but you're 19." "I don't know if we should go any further right now."
"Why is everyone always deciding what's right for me!" "Why can't I make any decisions on my own!" "First Johnny and now you." "I'm not a kid." "I'm a legal adult, perfectly capable of making adult decisions!"
"Justin, where did this come from?" "Why tonight?" you asked.
"I just want you Gary." "That's all I could think of while this whole thing was going on. I wanted them to leave." "I just wanted to be alone with you, and now that I am, I don't think you feel the same way."
You reached for his face and could feel the tears on his cheek.
"Justin, of course I do," you told him as you wiped his face. "You're everything I ever wanted." "I couldn't be happier."
With that he turned and kissed you passionately. The IV restricted his movement, but with his free hand he gently caressed your chest. His lips pressed hard against yours and his tongue met yours in a kiss that could only be shared be two people deeply in love. Slowly, he moved his hand lower and lower until he was touching you where he never had before. Your body responded immediately and you could hear yourself moaning quietly. You had never felt such passion, but you knew that tonight it was wrong. You had a hard time speaking.
"Justin, I want this as much as you do, but we want it to be perfect, don't we?" "We've got the rest of our lives." "I don't want to rush." "I want us to take our time and I want you at 100%." "Please, lets wait." You hoped he would understand.
"You're right and I'm sorry," he whispered. "I just want to show you how much I love you!"
"You do Justin," you assured him. "Everyday!"
He smiled slightly. His speech was now slowed and his eyes barely open. You could tell that the painkiller had taken full effect. "I'm really sleepy."
"I'm not surprised." You turned on you side and pulled him closer to you.
"I love you, Justin," you whispered, but he never heard you. He had already drifted off to sleep.
Will Be Continued.....