Family Matters, Chapter 19
Around midnight, Rory awoke with a start from a bad dream. In it, Austin was falling headlong over a waterfall and Rory was powerless to save him. It took a few seconds for Rory to become conscious enough to remember where he was. Then all the details of the past several hours came rushing back. He shuddered.
Austin stirred slightly and tensed up, so Rory twisted his body around in the chair, resting his head near Austin's and talking softly to him. It might have been his imagination, but he felt that Austin's breathing pattern became more relaxed in response. So, he continued to tell Austin how much he loved him, and he repeated some of the plans they'd made for summer. Eventually, Rory fell asleep in that position; not fully awakening again until around 5:00 a.m. when a nurse came in to check on Austin.
Rory stood up unsteadily, trying to stretch the kinks out of his body.
"You're a devoted brother," the nurse observed.
"He means the world to me," Rory answered in a whisper.
"You seem awfully close in size and age, but not enough to be twins."
"I'm sorta adopted. Is that a problem with the hospital rules?"
"No, not at all; I was just making conversation. Anyway, he seems to be improving by the hour. His color is much better than it was last night, don't you think?"
"Yup, it looks that way to me, but I thought maybe it was only wishful thinking on my part."
"It's for real. That transfusion worked miracles. I don't mean to make light of the situation, but he came in about a quart low."
"Yeah, I know. Isn't that an expression they use about people who are half drunk?"
"Yes it is, and I shouldn't have joked. I hope you won't report me for being insensitive. This job can tear your heart out unless you joke sometimes."
"I understand," Rory smiled wanly. "My heart has ached for hours. I was there when it happened."
"You're a brave young man," the nurse said, with her hand on his arm.
Jennifer stirred and sat up on the couch as the nurse was talking to Rory. She too felt stiff from sleeping under rather uncomfortable conditions.
"Come see how much better he is this morning, Mom," Rory called, keeping up the ruse of being family.
"He does look more like himself," Jennifer agreed. "If I didn't know what he's been through, I might think he was simply asleep."
After they were alone again, Jennifer put an arm around Rory's shoulders.
"You play your role as my other son well."
"You're a good teacher."
"A slightly dishonest one, I fear, but I know Austin needs you here."
"I love him very much."
"I know you do my dear son-in-law."
Their conversation was interrupted by the growling of Rory's stomach.
"When did you eat last?" Jennifer asked.
"Noon, yesterday.
How about you?"
"Same. Why don't you go to the cafeteria and have breakfast?" she said, pulling some money from her purse.
"Will you come with me?"
"I'd like to, but I don't want him left alone. We can take turns."
"Okay. You can go first."
"No, you should. You don't have an extra ounce of fat on your body and I have a couple of excess pounds that should keep me going for days if necessary."
"No you don't, but let me check to see if there's coffee in the waiting room. I know you need that," Rory smiled for the first time in many hours.
"Thanks, you're a good son!"
He returned a few minutes later with the coffee and a pecan roll.
While eating down in the cafeteria, Rory sent a text to Landon to see if he was up yet. Landon responded immediately, so Rory abandoned that form of communication in favor of calling.
They talked for several minutes. It was good for both of them. Landon put Corbin on the phone so he could babble to Rory. Besides dada and papa, he could now say "Wowo," which was his attempt at "Rory." That brought tears of another sort to Rory's eyes. Hearing Charlie barking in the background also made him feel better.
Landon promised to bring Rory a change or two of clothes and his toiletries in a couple of hours. He was sure that Rory wouldn't leave the hospital all weekend at least.
Rory was taking his dishes to the conveyer belt when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"How are you holding up, Rory?" Fr. Mills asked.
"I'm doing pretty well. Thanks for asking. I feel awfully guilty that I'm okay and Austin is lying upstairs unconscious. The knife was intended for me and he got hurt trying to protect me. In fact, if he hadn't acted heroically, the boy, Evan, would have violated my body and probably killed me as well. Austin was willing to give his life for mine."
"That's exactly what Our Lord did for all of us. It proves that Austin cares very much."
"Did you know that we're gay?"
"No, is that important?"
"Well, I thought priests and ministers were against same-sex stuff."
"Evidently you don't know that the Episcopal Church elected a gay man as a bishop a few years ago. That did cause some churches to split off, but it was the Christian thing to do."
"Wow! Is that for real?"
"Have I ever lied to you before?" the priest joked.
"Not that I know of. Will you come up and pray for my boyfriend?"
"Of course; that's why I'm here."
Fr. Mills spent several minutes anointing Austin with oil and saying prayers of healing for him. Jennifer and Rory bowed their heads and held Austin's hands while the priest performed the rites.
Whether or not such petitions have any effect on the sick, they do tend to give comfort to their family members. Both Rory and Jennifer had their hope renewed in the process.
While Jennifer was at breakfast, the hospital staff moved Austin to a different room. He was in "guarded" condition and would still be monitored, but not quite as closely. It was a positive step, and one that Rory relayed to her in a text message as soon as he'd learned the new room number.
When Jennifer came back after eating, she looked better than she had in the past 14 hours, but she was still wearing a frown.
"I've been trying to contact Ron since last night. They're evidently on the move and unable to communicate. I did get hold of Major Moriarty who's pretty high in the chain of command, and he said he'll make sure to convey my messages. I'll send an update right now. I know any positive news will be welcome. It's got to be awful being half way around the world when your son's in the hospital. I know how I'd feel."
"I hope they tell him what's going on. I'm sure he'll want to know, even if he can't be here," Rory empathized.
Landon, Michael, and Corbin arrived at the hospital around 10:00 with Rory's gym bag containing his toiletries and some changes of clothing. He met them in the lobby because Austin was still restricted to having only family members as visitors.
Rory held his little buddy while he updated the men about Austin's condition. By that time, he could at least talk about his lover without breaking down into tears.
"It really makes me crazy that he got hurt instead of me," Rory told them. "It would be even worse if I weren't allowed to be with him. Jennifer did a wonderful thing passing me off as his brother from the first moment. She really is my mom, for all intents and purposes."
"She's family for sure," Michael commented.
Rory used the shower in the bathroom attached to Austin's new room. He didn't know if it was permitted or not, but decided it was easier to act sorry if he got caught than to wade through the process of asking permission.
He felt a lot better once he was clean all over. His hair was beginning to grow back after being completely shaved for the state swimming meet. With a little gel, he was able to make it look presentable.
"You look great!" Jennifer complimented when he came out of the bathroom.
"I won't feel great until Austin's home, but it is an improvement. I was beginning to smell funky even to me!"
"I need to do something too," Jennifer sniffed near her left armpit.
"Why don't you go home for a few hours and take a shower and a nap? I'll be right by his side every minute and I'll text or call if there's any change."
"I'm gonna take you up on that offer. I do need to get clean."
"Here's the receipt for your car. By the way, I need to thank you for allowing me to use it."
"You're welcome. I knew you'd needed to be here as quickly as possible."
A cute young male nurse named Tom came in with a pan and a few supplies.
"I'm here to give the patient a sponge-bath, so I guess I'll have to throw you out of the room," he said to Rory.
"Is that really necessary?"
"Well, we're supposed to ensure a patient's privacy. He's not conscious, so he can't give his permission for you to stay."
"May I tell you something confidentially and ask you to swear not to repeat it?"
"Sure."
"I'm not his brother; I'm his boyfriend and we have no secrets where our bodies are concerned. Anything he has, I've seen and handled."
"I thought that might be the case after I saw you kiss his cheek earlier." Nurse Tom grinned. "I'm not saying that brothers can't show affection, but the way you did it set my gaydar off. You need to careful because there are a few homophobes on the staff."
"So, since I've handled his goodies lots of times, am I allowed to help give him his bath?"
"Yes. I'll close the door and pull the bed curtain. If anyone raps on the door, you'll need to get on the outside of the curtain quickly so it will appear that you've not been involved. In fact, you could answer the door and then sit down on the chair to give the impression you'd been there the whole time."
"Thanks! Will you teach me how to bathe him in case I need to do that when he gets home?"
"I will, but I suspect when he goes home he'll be well enough that you can wash his back in the shower like I'll bet you usually do."
"Yup!" Rory grinned.
Tom untied the top of the gown and folded it down, still covering Austin from the waist down. He instructed Rory on how to bathe Austin, allowing him to do most of it. When it came time to wash his privates, Tom supervised, but didn't touch.
"I'm sure he'd be more comfortable knowing it was his boyfriend who handled his junk," Tom said. "Wow, he's completely shaved."
"We're swimmers and we shaved for the state tournament, but we usually groom pretty closely anyway."
As Rory gently bathed Austin's balls, he thought he heard a sigh. Tom checked the monitor and noted a slight increase in Austin's heart-rate.
"I think he appreciates the attention even if he's not conscious," he smiled.
With a fresh gown and his hair styled as much as it could be with the short cut, Austin looked much more like himself than he had the night before.
Rory spent the next hour reading to Austin from the novel they'd been assigned in their English class. He didn't know if Austin would absorb any of it, but that didn't really matter because Rory needed to read it anyway. It also gave him something to say without repeating himself.
When Jennifer returned, looking much better, she sent him off to get something to eat. She had brought back a bunch of papers that she needed to grade over the break. It had occurred to her that she should work on them while she had time on her hands. Once her son was awake, he would need more of her attention.
Rory had just sat down to his late lunch when Sgt. Gilmore came to his table.
"Mrs. Banks said I'd find you here. Do you want to read this over or would you like me to read it to you. If I did, you wouldn't have to stop eating."
"Thanks! I'm starved, and I'm a good auditory learner, or so I've been told."
Rory kept nodding his head at everything the officer read, so it didn't take long. He wiped his hands and carefully signed the statement when he'd heard it all.
"You look better, how's the patient doing?"
"They tell me he's improving, but he's still knocked out. I guess it's the medicine."
"When he wakes up, tell him everyone at the station is pulling for him."
"Thanks, I will."
As the day passed, Rory began to fret because Austin was still comatose. When the hospital doctor made his rounds in the late afternoon, Rory asked him about it.
The doctor looked at Austin's chart before answering.
"The propofol we've been giving him was withdrawn only an hour ago. It will take time for it to get out of his system. He may come to pretty soon, or he might sleep straight till morning. As you may know, we use this medicine often in the case of brain trauma, like a stroke or head injury. However, in Austin's case, we felt it would help him keep from becoming overly anxious in the first stage of his recovery. Being stabbed like he was tends to cause a lot of emotional trauma. Possibly he'll have bad dreams or flashbacks in the future, but by then they shouldn't be as severe."
"Thanks. I was beginning to worry because I thought he'd be awake by now."
"That's okay. I understand your concern, but he is doing very well!"
Jennifer and Rory took turns eating supper. Rory lay down on the sofa for a long nap after his tummy was full. He knew he probably wouldn't sleep half the night because of napping so late in the day, but that was okay with him. Despite his youthful body, sleeping in the armchair didn't do anything positive for his back.
About 1:00 a.m., as Rory was at last drifting off in the chair again, he felt Austin squeeze his hand. This time, he was sure he wasn't imagining it.
"Are you awake, Bud?" he asked.
"Almosht," Austin slurred.
"Awesome!" Rory exclaimed. "Do you need anything?"
"Throat dry; can I have some water?"
"You may have ice chips if you ask properly," Rory teased. "The nurse said water could upset your stomach."
"May I have ice, dumbass?" Austin attempted to giggle.
"Yes you may!" Rory replied as he put a small spoonful in Austin's mouth. "I'd better wake Mom so she knows your back with us."
"Wait a little, please." Austin requested, his voice becoming steadier.
"Okay."
"First, I want to tell you how much I love you. I have bits of memory of you being here for many hours, I think."
"It's been over 24 since you came in."
"Was I in an accident?"
"No, Evan attacked you."
"Oh, I can't remember. Will you tell me about it?"
"Maybe later; you need to rest now."
"Kiss me, please."
Rory happily obliged. They were involved enough not to hear anyone come into the room.
"Dad?" Austin exclaimed, as he got a good look at the new arrival.
"Yes, it's me," Ron whispered, so as not to awaken Jennifer.
"How? When?"
"We were on our way back to the US when I got your mother's messages from Major Moriarty. He expedited things so that I was put on a plane bound for home immediately. It touched down less than an hour ago."
"I'm so glad you're safely home," Austin said with tears in his eyes.
"I am too, and I'm glad to see that you're going to be okay."
"Dad, I want to introduce you to my boyfriend, Rory."
"Did you forget that you already introduced him to me on Skype?"
"No, but when I did, I told you he was my best bud. I want you to know he means more to me than that."
"Do you guys think I'm completely dense? I could tell by the glow in your eyes when you looked at one another that you were more than buds. Welcome to the family, Rory." Ron said as he embraced his son's lover. "I want to hug you too, son, but I don't want to hurt you," he added squeezing Austin's hand.
"I know; let's wake Mom up now!" Austin insisted.
"Let me do the honors, please," Ron grinned.
He got down on his knees beside the sofa and studied his wife's face as she slept. His heart swelled with love as he remembered how lucky he was to have his family.
Then he kissed her lips.
"Oh Ron, I wish this weren't a dream," she mumbled in her sleep.
"It isn't," he assured her, giving her side a gentle pinch.
"Oh my God!" she gasped. "It really is you! You need to see your son first."
"He and I have already talked."
"He's conscious?"
"I haven't been very long," Austin called from his bed. "I asked Rory to let you sleep, but we decided to wake you when Dad came.
Dad, you should take her home and put her to bed."
"We can't leave you," Jennifer remonstrated.
"Can't I request some private time with Rory," Austin joked.
"But..."
"No buts," Austin insisted. "You two should go home and do whatever it is that hetero couples do to show they've missed each other. I'd like to do the same with Rory."
"We might have to brush your teeth first," Rory giggled.
"I can do that if you get my toothbrush."
"I'll bet you're exhausted, Sir," Rory said. "I can keep Austin company."
"Okay, it's a deal. You're an awesome young man, Rory. I'm really pleased that you fell for my handsome son."
Having heard two teenage voices coming from the room, Nurse Tom rapped on the door and peeked in to see how things were going. The prospect of seeing his young patient conscious at last helped to sweep away the fatigue he felt from pulling a 12-hour shift.
"Ah, you're back in the land of the living, young Austin. You're boyfriend hasn't left your side except to pee in the past 36 hours."
"He lies; I've eaten several meals."
"Well perhaps I exaggerated a little, but he's been very faithful, even to the point of washing your naughty bits when I came to give you a sponge bath."
"Did you do that for me?"
"Yup. I might have given them a tongue-bath, but I didn't want to embarrass Tom."
"Honey, it would take a lot more than that to embarrass me," Tom quipped. "Besides, the catheter would have been in the way."
"Oh crap!" Austin grumbled. "How long do I have to keep that in?"
"The doctor left orders to take it out when you were conscious enough to ask for it to be removed," Tom told him.
"Please, pretty please, kind sir, could you remove it?"
"Certainly, young knave."
"Do I get to watch?" Rory asked.
"Would I have any luck in trying to force you to leave?"
"Probably not."
"Okay then, but don't smack me around if he feels some discomfort.
By the way, where's your mother?" Tom asked in an attempt to distract Austin while he removed the device.
"Dad got back from Afghanistan a little bit ago and I sent them home to fuck each other's brains out," Austin proclaimed.
"Austin, I'm shocked at your language! How can you say things like that?" Rory blushed.
"Because it's true, and you know I'm right!"
"But you don't talk like that."
"Have patience with our patient," Tom grinned. "The drugs he's on for pain can loosen people's tongues in ways they don't intend."
"I'm gonna have to put you over my knee for that, Austin."
"Bring it on!" Austin replied with a goofy grin.
"Okay, young man," Tom shook his head. "Since the tube is out, you'll need to use the urinal bottle. Don't let Rory empty it because the nurses will have to measure your output."
"I'll see to it," Rory promised. "I don't think we can trust doofus to remember anything."
"Can someone help me brush my teeth so Rory and I can make out? See, I remembered that!"
"You should be able to do most of it yourself since you have only the IV line," Tom said. "I'll get some supplies, including the pan to spit in."
When they were alone again, the boys went back to what they had begun when Ron's arrival had interrupted them. Their kisses began gentle and loving, but turned deeper and more passionate rather quickly.
"Those transfusions must have been from some hot-blooded guy!" Rory teased.
"Oh shit! What if I have hetero blood in my veins? Will it turn me straight?"
"I don't think you have any worries about that considering how you're responding to me," Rory laughed, feeling Austin up under his hospital gown. "But, you might want me to stop because I'm not sure how your dick is going to feel after having the tube in it. Blowing a load might be painful."
"Okay, I guess we should back off. Please crawl up here and hold me."
When the next shift nurse came in to check, she found them cuddled together. Perhaps she should have made Rory get off of the narrow bed, but she figured Austin might recover more quickly because of the love he felt.
Author's notes: Thanks to all who emailed since last posting: Zero M, Paul F, Jim W, Wayne, Paul W, Mendy D, Tony W, Bill B, Bob O, Lola B, Bill K, Ott H, Bill T, Daniel L, Richard E, Tom A, Dick M, Gabe E, Dave F, David T, Peter M, Jim L, Ken B, and Paul R. I appreciate it! If you respond after I've already sent the new chapter, I'll put you on the list for the next one.
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I found a few links I thought you might like to see.
http://www.outsports.com/2015/8/12/9145977/betsy-layne-gay-basketball-coaches
http://www.edgemedianetwork.com/?182798
http://www.vox.com/2015/8/17/9164511/john-oliver-televangelists-last-week-tonight
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/08/16/rugby-league-star-keegan-hirst-comes-out-as-gay/
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/08/16/half-of-all-young-people-arent-100-straight/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-kurek/an-lgbt-allys-message-to-_b_7994926.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592
BTW, I've had 37 responses to "Brandon's Baby Boy." I'm really pleased at the reception you gave it.
David