Jared the Paramedic III Chapter 50
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Jared the Paramedic III ~ Redemption
Copyright © 2018-2019 Snowblind. All Rights Reserved.
Chapter 50: Priorities
THIS STORY IS COPYRIGHT © 2018-2019 BY SNOWBLIND. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DISTRIBUTION FOR COMMERCIAL GAIN, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, POSTING ON SITES OR NEWSGROUPS, DISTRIBUTION AS PARTS OR IN BOOK FORM (EITHER AS A WHOLE OR PART OF A COMPILATION) WITH OR WITHOUT A FEE, OR DISTRIBUTION ON CD, DVD, OR ANY OTHER ELECTRONIC MEDIA WITH OR WITHOUT A FEE, IS EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED WITHOUT THE AUTHOR'S WRITTEN CONSENT. YOU MAY DOWNLOAD ONE (1) COPY OF THIS STORY FOR PERSONAL USE; ANY AND ALL COMMERCIAL USE EXCEPTING EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS REQUIRES THE AUTHOR'S WRITTEN CONSENT. THE AUTHOR MAY BE CONTACTED AT: snowblind94@yahoo.ca
Jared and Liam arrived at the cabin in their SUV. The powered back tailgate began rising and as it finished Shadow leisurely stepped out onto the ground. The big wolf yawned, stretched, scratched at the ground, and immediately began sniffing around the area. He managed to pick up a scent which caught his interest. The wolf yipped, coughed, and yowled at Jared.
"Go have some fun and don't slam the door when you come in late."
Liam looked at his husband as Shadow disappeared into the forest. "Don't slam the door?"
"He's not as dumb as he plays. He can pretty well come and go in the cabin as he wants. We put the lever handles on the doors so they're not an issue for him."
"I should've known that's why some of them have a leather sleeve on them, to protect his teeth," replied Liam with a big smile. He reached to take Jared's hand into his, bringing it up to kiss it. "Can we go for a walk together after getting the groceries away?"
Jared took his husband into his arms. "I can think of nothing more I would like to do. Well... maybe something else does come to mind."
"We can do both," Liam replied with a big smile.
"I like that idea."
It didn't take long for them to put the groceries away. The two men walked in silence, holding hands, along the shore towards the sand dunes. It had been a long time since the married couple had just walked while not only enjoying the beauty which surrounded them but feeling comfortable in their silence with each other. The two men sat on a sand dune, watching a few yellowlegs and killdeer searching in the shallow water areas for food. In another area, Mallard ducks and Coots were leading their families between the reeds. How the yellow feathers of the hatchlings were meant to help camouflage them from predators was something Liam wanted to know. He thought to himself that perhaps it's so their momma can keep track of them. The two men silently watched the families with little ones swimming as a group, trying to keep up with their mother. It also appeared that momma wasn't afraid to scold them to keep up with the rest or together.
Liam moved closer to Jared, leaning his head onto his husbands' shoulder. "I could spend the rest of my life here with you."
Jared reached, wrapping his arm around Liam, holding him tightly. "I'm seriously thinking about it... if you would stay with an unemployed husband who likes to live in the forest."
"I have enough money. We wouldn't be rich, but we would have what we need. To be perfectly honest, all I need is right here."
"The beach and ducks?" Jared replied with a smirk.
Liam turned quickly, pushing Jared backwards as he climbed on top of him, pinning his arms by the wrists. "The beach and the ducks? And you think I chase squirrels at times."
Jared smirked, "I love you, Liam."
"Jared, we've lost our way at times, questioned ourselves but our love has been the solid foundation of our relationship. I love you like no other I have ever loved." He leaned down to kiss his husband, long and drawn out. Jared returned it with passion, as he shifted to use his hands to cup the buttocks of his husband. They made slow, passionate love on the sands, falling asleep in the sun after.
When the two men woke up, a great blue heron was standing near them. The bird, with its long legs, gently walked on the sand leaving very light impressions of its feet behind. While watching the heron, their attention was caught by a pelican sitting on a partially submerged log at the edge of the lake. The bird walked along the log, and onto the shore in their direction. After a few steps, it stopped, stretched its huge wings and held them in that position for a few seconds.
Jared spoke, "Cahcakiw, you honour us." The bird flapped its bill a few times, looking at the two men.
Liam looked at the snow-white bird, "Jared, this spirit guide messenger is reinforcing our need for time to ourselves. It's reminding us to go inwards as we're out of balance, and that must be fixed."
"Your ancient knowledge is really coming up now, isn't it?"
"Absolutely. The pelican is the messenger telling us to have quality family time and refocus ourselves as to what is really important in our lives." The bird walked into the water and began swimming in circles. "Did you catch that? Float through the daily challenges, ride the waves, stay constant even when facing waves."
The voice of the pelican in their minds startled both of the men. "We needed to remind you two that you spend your days looking and after and caring for many others, but you must be aware of caring for yourself as well. I was asked to remind or tell you that you're not expected to accomplish everything on your own. Asking for help is not a weakness."
Liam raised his hand, palm out towards the messenger. "Thank you Cahcakiw for your message and help. May you find gentle breezes for your wings."
The bird nodded towards the two men, then began running on the surface of the lake until his wings had lift. The bird was very graceful when it got airborne, quickly disappearing from sight.
Jared and Liam walked back to the cabin, and after having a snack went down to the dock once again. Sitting cross-legged side by side, they watched the waves on the water until both slipped into a deep meditative state. As if an alarm clock had been set, they both became aware of their surroundings two hours later.
The two men made supper together, also sharing the clean up after. They started a fire, opened a bottle of wine, and popped a DVD in to watch. The video was something Jared had never seen before, but it was a series Liam loved to watch. They watched the first DVD of 'Puppets Who Kill.' At the end, they snuggled together on the couch, falling asleep until the sun rose in the early morning. At this time in this part of the country, and at higher latitudes north, the sunset is around 11:00 pm with the sunrise around 4:30 am. The month of June and the first half of July, even after what you would call sunset, it's still not dark. The sun just drops below the horizon, never disappearing totally. This morning, the two lovers walked upstairs, crawled into their bed and promptly fell asleep again after snuggling together. When they awoke again, it was just after 9:00 am and they prepared Coffee, toast, and fruit on the deck.
"What would you like to do today?" asked Jared.
"Whatever you want to do is fine by me."
"How about we take the jet boat down to Grandfather Tom's Marina. We could pick up some more s'more making materials."
"I'm in," said Liam with a dreamy look on his face.
"I knew that would make you happy." The big wolf laying in the sun nearby lifted his head, coughed, yipped, and growled before he flopped out cold again. Jared was laughing, "Yes, we'll wake you up for the trip."
"He sleeps more than a teenager."
"When Shadow goes, it's at a hundred miles an hour. Until then, he's storing energy. Basically, about 10-14 hours per day, depending upon what's going on."
Liam thought for a moment, "Sounds almost like the amount I would like to sleep."
"Sleep or be in bed?"
"Sleep, as much as needed. In bed with you, 24 hours per day."
"I like that idea."
Both men had dressed in their loincloths but threw some jeans as well as a T-shirt under the seat of the boat just in case the weather changed. Shadow had decided to stay at the cabin, sleeping in the sun on the deck.
Jared let Liam drive, trying to get him more familiar with the controls and the feel of the boat. As they were travelling across the lake towards the river, Jared pointed out a couple of floating logs on the water. One was a fresh tree which must've washed out from a storm upriver. The second was a deadhead floater and dangerous. This log no longer had branches attached to it and floated just below the surface of the water. The jet boat was made of heavy-gauge welded aluminum which could withstand most hits of deadheads. However, many of the other pleasure craft used to travel on the river or lake were not as well constructed. An impact with a deadhead would destroy the motor from the midsection to the skeg if they were lucky... or just sink. Jared explained to watch for contrasting water patterns to the area. The lake had a consistent pattern of ripples from the gentle breeze except over the deadhead. The ripples over the deadhead were both smaller and much quicker.
"The best way to think of operating a jet boat is everything has a look to the way it should be. What the operator needs to do is find the looks that don't fit the picture."
"Sorta like us as paramedics? We know how things should look or work, we just need to find the things that are different."
"Exactly."
Jared lifted a seat, pulling a yellow polyester rope out to throw over the side of the boat at the log. "We just need to pull it to the shore for safety."
"How does throwing a rope over it help?" Liam asked in deep thought but with total naivety.
"Sometimes we can work from the boat to tie onto it, other times the guy in the water has to do it."
"Guy in the water?"
"Yes," replied Jared as he pushed his husband over the side and into the lake. When Liam surfaced, he spit out a mouthful of water. "While you're in the water swimming, tie the rope around the log if you're not too busy."
"That's going to cost you, husband. I'm topping tonight."
Jared smiled at his husband, "If that's the punishment, I'm going to toss you out of the boat more often."
After pulling the log to shore, the two men pulled it up the shore to the beach so it wouldn't just float back out into the lake. Jared had Liam take the boat towards the outlet where the lake was connected to the river. Rivers in a jet boat are both easier as well as harder to navigate. Once again Jared stressed the importance of watching for irregular patterns in the water flow. Submerged rocks will sometimes have flat water moving over them which is distinctly different from the choppy or rippled water movement around it. Directly opposite to that, the water may turn flat, but rises higher than the water in the area. Another trait to watch is white cap water. The water may be wavy, but when fast moving water goes across a shallow rock, it creates crosscurrents and a white cap just a bit downriver from the danger. Sometimes the little whitecap is near a mini-whirlpool or a circular motion of the water, again just after the hidden rock. The distance between the rock and the signs on the water vary according to the intensity of the water, the size of the obstruction and the depth it is under the water.
While shooting the rapids and the chutes just before the next lake, Jared explained all the signs to look for when driving the boat. When they arrived at the bottom of the chutes, the two men had to wait for a few minutes while a group in canoes shot through the rapids. After they passed by, Jared took Liam back up the cuts and rapids, pointing out the same clues to watch for but now from a totally opposite viewpoint. Once at the top, Jared turned the boat over to Liam for him to take down the river, and then back up again. Liam was calling out to Jared everything he was spotting as he drove through the water. At the bottom, Liam gunned the motor and turbojets, shot out into the open area of the river and completed a victory roll. After the boat spun on its bow, he took it back up the river, using a different route than Jared had travelled up as part of his lesson. Liam did very well both times in spite of Jared mumbling about the bow having a new dent after one rock caught both of them off guard. With higher than normal water levels, the water had indicated what people might call an underwater boulder. The water force travelling through the chutes made signs that the rock was about 5 feet upstream. It was actually about 10 feet, and they bumped off the side of the huge rock.
Once they were back up at the mouth of the river before the chutes, Jared took an inner tube along with a 12-volt air pump. He pumped the inner tube up, put a life preserver on, stuck his ass in the middle of the inner tube and jumped over the side. All Liam heard was "see you at the bottom". Jared rode the inner tube through the rapids and chutes. At the bottom, Liam picked him up and headed back to the top again. This time Jared had the boat and followed Liam down in the inner tube. They did this a few times before Jared let the air out of the inner tube to stow it away. Liam took control of the wheel and headed into the marina. They were met at the dock by Grandfather Tom as they tied off.
"The canoeists came in talking about a couple of crazy guys in a large silver boat playing in the rapids. When they mentioned that the guys had also floated through on an inner tube, I knew it had to be my grandsons, Jared and Liam."
After tying the stern of the boat to the dock, Jared jumped onto the dock to embrace Tom warmly. "Grandfather, it was nice of you to meet us here."
"It is no problem. Actually, I am very happy to see both of you today."
Liam tied the bow of the boat off to the dock, embracing Grandfather Tom right after Jared had. "Why's that?"
"Well, to be honest, we haven't heard from either of you for a few days now. I know you're both quite capable of looking after yourselves, but Mathew and I still worry. Plus, your brothers have all been phoning here to ask if we've heard from or even seen you."
"It's been wonderful, Grandfather, and thank you. We're fine," Liam replied as he slid his arm around Jared's waist.
Tom smiled, but inside the relief he felt could never adequately be shown on his facial expressions. "You both look wonderful. I haven't seen you two this full of life since your wedding day."
"Grandfather, it's been absolutely wonderful to spend this time together at the cabin" Jared exclaimed with enthusiasm. "Between being in nature, meditating, and being alone with my husband I feel like a new person again."
"That's good to hear, from both of you. You don't know how many times both Mathew and I wanted to drop in, just to check on our grandsons."
"You would've been welcome, of course," Jared replied.
Liam followed that with, "We always expect you to come to visit. You're family."
Tom beamed with pride, "Thank you, my grandsons." The old man embraced them both again, "I'm so proud to be called Grandfather by the two of you, and by the rest of your brothers."
The three men were interrupted by one of Tom's employees. A very cute young indigenous lady of about 16 named Sherry looked concerned. "I'm sorry. But there is a man with the church youth group here asking if anyone has any first-aid equipment. He has an injured young man in the group."
"Thank you for coming to get us, Sherry. By the way, these are my grandsons, Jared and Liam."
The young lady blushed and looked down in the traditional manner as she replied, "Everyone around here knows of you two, plus you both look exactly like your portraits in the store. But I get to tell my friends I actually met you."
Both Jared and Liam blushed at her answer, looking to Tom for an explanation. "There are many stories growing out there about you two, and your brothers. The stories tell of you doing the Great Spirit and Creator's work," Tom replied with a smirk.
Jared was concerned, "Sherry, don't believe the stories. We're just two men."
The young lady looked up for a brief second, "Well one of the stories is very true. Both of you are very hot." She turned and quickly ran back towards the store.
Liam was the first to react, turning to his husband said, "I know I am but what you?"
At that exact moment, Jared had turned to his husband to blurt out, "I know I am but what are you?"
"No, I am."
"You are not, I am."
"In your dreams, I'm the hot one."
"If you were in dreams, it would be a nightmare. I'm the hot one."
"How can you even say the word hot and not think of me?"
"If you look Jared up in the dictionary, the first thing it says is 'hotter than his husband Liam'."
"Oh yeah, if you look up Liam it says the Sun holds nothing to hot I am."
"The sun, eh? More like the dark side of the moon."
"Ouch, you are such a peckerhead."
Tom quickly smacked the backs of both of their heads. "Enough! Obviously, you two are really feeling better."
Liam quickly added, "I'm feeling better than Jared."
"You are not, I'm feeling better than you times 100."
"Oh no you're not, I'm feeling better infinity."
Tom looked skyward, "Creator, help me." The old man started towards the store. "Let's go see what's up that they need some first-aid equipment before I put both of you over my knees."
Liam poked Jared in the chest, "You deserve a spanking more than me."
"Oh yeah, I have been really good unlike you."
"Oh no you haven't, I've been better."
"I was bester than you."
Tom rolled his eyes as the two young men followed him up to the store, continuing to argue about who has been better behaved as they climbed the stairs. The three men climbed the stairs which ended at a wraparound deck encircling the store. One young man about 15 years old was sitting in a chair with a few members of the group standing or sitting around him. There was a man on his knees in front of him, and it appeared he had taken the young man's runner and sock off his foot.
As they approached, the man was gently telling the young man in the chair, "Eli, you should've told me that you cut your foot open right away so it could be treated. It looks pretty infected now."
The young man was quite upset and had trouble answering, "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't want to cause any problems for everyone."
"Eli, you're never a problem."
Tom approached them, "Sherry told me you need a first-aid kit?"
The man stood, "Yes, my name is Noah. I'm one of the adults on this trip and a doctor. Actually, I'm an anesthesiologist. I think the young man has a nasty infection and I was hoping to open it up so it can drain. Is there a pharmacy nearby to get some antibiotics?"
"Well, my grandsons here are both Medicine Men and Paramedics, perhaps they can help you."
The doctor looked at the two men, both looking like surfers with their scruffy hair, tans, and loincloths. He sighed, "Do you guys have a trauma kit here? Do you have an ambulance nearby? What level of paramedics are you?"
Jared slid forward so he could look at the young person's foot, "No ambulance nearby but we've got a couple of trauma bags. That looks like a simple, but fairly large avulsion. Depends upon the depth." Jared turned to Tom, "May I borrow your pen for a moment, Grandfather?" He handed it to his grandson. Jared took the pen and began to draw a circle around the wound to outline the infected area. "It's still not too bad," Jared said thinking aloud.
The doctor had been watching Jared, then asked again, "What level of training have you two had?"
Jared replied with, "We're both Critical Care Paramedics certified with advanced Aeronautic Care."
The doctors head almost snapped as he turned to look at the two young men again, except this time more seriously, "How far away are those trauma bags?"
Jared looked at Liam, "Would you assess the wound further while I get the bags from the bow of our boat."
Liam nodded, then knelt down. Gently, he raised the young man's foot to look at it. Liam used a finger to palpate it tenderly. The doctor was focused on the wound, and he missed Liam's eyes flash white. "Yes, it needs draining. This looks like it was cut by a shard of glass, or actually more like stepping on a knife. Not really shallow but not too deep avulsion."
The doctor looked at Liam, "That's a pretty precise mechanism of injury. Have you seen this type of injury before?"
Liam smiled, "Yes, a few times." He looked up at the young man who had a look of horror on his face. Liam turned to look at two of the young man's friends, who were turning pale. "Would you two have anything to add?" The panicky look between them really answered the question, but neither could say anything. Liam thought quickly, creating a story in his mind to encourage the young people to tell the truth. "Both Jared and I are youth group leaders, so we have treated a lot of wounds. Once there was a group out in the bush and the boys were playing around, wrestling and such things. Another one of them had been playing with a knife when he wasn't supposed to be. He dropped it just as one his buddies stepped, and it sliced his foot open."
The one young man asked, "What happened?"
"The wound got infected, and by the time he got out to get medical aid, he was really sick. Their biggest fear was getting in trouble for horsing around."
The doctor caught what Liam was saying, "I wouldn't get too upset if they were horsing around, but I would get upset if they lied to me."
The same young man asked, "What happened to the guy?"
Liam smiled, "He got better, and he's still friends with the guys from the camping trip. He grew up, graduated from school and became a paramedic." Liam pointed to his foot, "The scar isn't too bad either."
One of the young men standing nearby showed shock at the story, then he said, "That's exactly what happened. Eli and Stan here were wrestling. I was using my knife to carve a stick. They bumped the table, and I dropped it. Eli put his foot on it before I could yell a warning."
Eli defended his friend, "It didn't look bad, so I decided not to tell anyone about it. It's my fault, not theirs."
The doctor's face showed relief at knowing what had happened. He didn't have a chance to say anything as Jared returned with two trauma bags. Liam asked the doctor, "Tetanus for Eli here? Is he up to date?"
"Yes, yes. I'm sorry, I'll grab his medical card from my canoe." The man got up, moving quickly to where the canoes were beached.
Liam spoke in Cree to Jared, "If you'll lance, drain and irrigate it, I'll get some fresh moss. I have some wild honey, dried wild onions, and I'll also find some yellow puccoon root. Also, I'll send a young man with Grandfather Tom to get a mixing bowl and a mashed carrot. Did you bring my medicine bag?"
"Yes, it's just behind the trauma bags."
"Good, I'll have a quick chat with the doctor, and maybe I will take him with me too."
Grandfather Tom pointed at the young man named Stan to follow him into the store. Liam met the doctor as he was returning with the card, "Any allergies?"
"Nothing."
"No food sensitivities or common allergies?"
The doctor looked at Liam strangely, then answered, "Goldenrod."
"Good, we don't need goldenrod for this treatment."
"What do you mean?"
"Doctor, have you ever heard of First Nations traditional medicine."
"Yes, I have."
"Good, you're about to see a miracle you'll never forget. Let's go gather what we need."
"He needs oral antibiotics and some antibiotic cream as well."
"We have the same things all around us, not just on a prescription pad." It only took about ten minutes to find what they needed. The doctor was asking all kinds of questions about what they were doing with Liam answering as many as he could.
Jared had incised the wound, irrigating it extensively as well. The young man and his friends were shocked that there had been no pain to Eli at all as they worked on the wound. Jared explained that he had used a special gel made from a mixture of plants to numb the foot as Liam returned with the doctor. The doctor had heard the explanation, quickly checking the wound after. He was shocked by how clean it was with no obvious pockets of infection remaining.
"Jared, I take it you've done things like this before?"
"Yes, Noah. Both of us have been working at the outpatient health clinic at the Canaan Breck Centre, that's the free health clinic for people sponsored by the Health Region, the Ambulance Service and the LGBT Centre. We get lots of practice doing things like this."
Noah didn't know what to say to that. "I really have to admit, you two do not look like the highly skilled professionals you are really demonstrating to be."
He watched as Liam began to mash the root and the shredded carrot. He opened his medicine bag, took out a jar of wild honey, mixing a dab of that into it as well. After grinding a few more herbs into the bowl, he mixed it thoroughly.
"I have to ask, what are all the things you're putting in there?"
"Just remember, all the medicine you use is made from plants, minerals, extracts of bacteria, fungus, and not totally synthetically made. But everything you see in this bowl does the same thing, except all the ingredients are given to us by mother earth. The carrot and honey draw the infection out. The wild dark honey also has a natural antibiotic, very powerful because it's not been overused like most of the first level antibiotics. The other herbs I added promote skin growth, tissue regeneration and sealing the wound."
"It should've had sutures, but that's too late now. They have to be put in as soon as possible, but after 24 hours, not a chance."
"You won't need them with this."
The doctor began to think, "I'm really not sure we should be doing this."
"The nearest pharmacy is 2 hours away, right next to the rural hospital. If something happens, we just happen to have a helicopter in a shed at our cabin."
"You have a what?"
"A helicopter," replied Liam with a straight face. He turned to Jared, "Could you explain what a helicopter is to the doctor please, Jared."
"Of course. It's a flying machine where the rotors create lift..."
"You two are telling me you have a helicopter at your cabin, just sitting there."
"Yes," replied Jared. Then he added, "That's because the other two are in the city and they couldn't fit this one into the shed with them."
"I told you buying three was too many." Liam looked at Noah with a smile, "Do you know a doctor named Shawn at the hospital in town?"
"Yes, I've helped with some of his patients plus we've played golf together."
"Next time ask him or Kat about the two of us. They'll fill you in."
Liam looked up at Eli. "As I apply this goop to your wound, it's going to feel warm. Not hot, just nice and warm."
"Will it hurt?" the young man asked with concern.
"Not at all. In fact, you can make a sandwich out of whatever is left over," replied Liam. That got a laugh from the young man.
Liam smeared the suave all over the wound, covering it entirely. Then he reached out and touched the top of the young man's foot. He looked down as his eyes flashed white as he used the ingredients which had been applied to the wound to speed up the healing process. When Liam was done, most of the wound was healed. It would still require some time to finish healing, but it was safe for Eli to finish the canoe trip. Especially if Noah was watching over him.
"What do we do now?" asked Noah.
"Let it sit for the next 15 minutes, then wash it off," replied Liam.
"That's it?" Noah questioned to make sure he heard it right.
"Yup, come on inside with us. We'll have a fresh cup of coffee with our Grandfather while waiting for it to heal. Eli, don't move for 15 minutes or your eyeballs will fall out, roll down the stairs and into the lake where the jackfish will eat them."
Jared slapped the back of his husband's head, "You are such a jerk."
"What? They will fall out."
"No, they won't. This is the mixture where his bowels will let loose just like chocolate pudding if he moves," replied Jared.
Liam smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand as he said, "You're right. I get those two mixed up all the time."
Eli and his friend's eyes were all wide, trying to figure out if they were being told the truth or not. Noah was shaking his head in disbelief.
Liam leaned over and whispered something into the young man's ear. Immediately Eli raised his hands to look at the palms of his hands, then he hid them under his butt.
Jared finally ended the young man's misery with, "No, nothing will happen. We'll be back in a bit to clean it off for you." Eli breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Liam who was looking skyward and whistling.
"I'm not moving just in case," Eli said.
"What did you tell him?" asked Jared.
"Nothing."
Jared looked at Eli, "What did he tell you would happen?"
Eli looked to Liam, then to Jared. "He told me that if I moved, my hands would grow furry palms and just try to explain that away without everyone thinking I got it from jerking the gherkin." In only the way 15-year-old boys can do when anyone mentions masturbation in any way, Eli's friends all began laughing hysterically.
Noah was trying not to laugh as Jared smacked the back of Liam's head. "I cannot take you anywhere, can I?" He grabbed Liam by the ear, "Say you're sorry to the nice young man."
"Let's see his palms first."
"Show him your palms first, Liam."
"Not a chance," as Liam hid them behind his back.
Jared looked at Eli's two friends, "Would you take those kit bags down to the boat for me, please. Just throw them onto the driver's seat." The two young men nodded and moved quickly to grab the bags. "Now you Mr. Liam, let's go have some coffee," Jared stated clearly as he let his ear go. "Move it, or you'll get a lickin."
"Yes, dad."
Jared took a swing at Liam's ass but missed. Liam stuck his tongue out at Jared as he ran into the shop. When Jared and Noah entered the store, Liam was already sitting at the old-style lunch counter on a stool, spinning himself in circles.
"Jared, did you give him his Ritalin today?" Tom asked he put two more mugs of coffee down.
"He's going to get double dose tomorrow, Grandfather."
Liam stuck his tongue out at Jared, then took a long, deep sniff of his coffee. "I would guess this is a Sumatran blend, mostly high-altitude volcanic soil but mixed with some valley grown. That's what gives it the sharp, yet distinct taste."
Noah didn't know what to say. "Tastes good to me."
"Heathen."
"So, for two paramedics like you, what are you two doing out here in the middle of nowhere? Did you say this gentleman was your grandfather?"
"Yes, he's our grandfather," replied Jared. After taking a sip of the coffee, he turned to his husband and said clearly with an overemphasis on the annunciation, "Over roasted. Tastes burnt."
Liam huffed, "You also like generic no-name coffee that comes in five-pound yellow cans with no expiration date in case of nuclear war."
Jared ignored his husband, continuing with, "Noah, to be perfectly honest, I'm here because I needed some time to relax, recover, and heal. I took some time off from work and my husband Liam came with me."
Very seriously Liam added, "I would walk anywhere beside my husband at any time. When we committed to each other in marriage, it was a total commitment, 100% and nothing less."
Noah looked at the two men, "You're married?"
Jared took a breath before answering, "Yes, we are. In fact, our first anniversary is coming up shortly."
"I think that's wonderful," Noah said with a big smile. "Our church accepts all genders and sexual orientations as God's creation."
Jared smiled in relief, "We may have to drop in on that church for a service or two."
"You would be welcome any time by Rev Lois."
Jared smiled, "I know Rev Lois very well and have enjoyed many of her services in the past."
After taking a sip of coffee, Noah asked, "So will you be returning to the ambulance service in the near future after your vacation?" Jared looked at the counter for a moment. Noah observed Jared's discomfort and added, "I'm sorry. That was an inappropriate question for me to have asked."
"On the contrary Noah, it's a totally fair question. I just don't know the answer to it yet. We're staying at a cabin upriver at the far end of one of the lakes. This whole area is my tribal home, and I grew up here as well as my grandfather Mathew's home a couple of hours north of here. The cabin we're in was originally built by my other grandfather, and we have added onto it together. I'm very happy here."
Noah suddenly realized something, "Those pictures on the wall up there, two of them are you two, aren't they?"
"Yes, in our ceremonial clothing as Medicine Men and Shamans."
"Wow, pretty sharp clothing."
Jared blushed a bit, "Thank you."
After draining the coffee from his cup, Liam said, "Noah, you can wash the suave off Eli's foot now. Just take him down to the dock and wash it there."
"You're joking?"
"Not at all. The water in this lake is cleaner than what comes out of your tap at home."
Noah stood and left quickly.
Tom sat down behind the coffee counter in front of his grandsons. "So, what are you two up to today?"
"I was teaching Liam how to read the river and operate the jet boat. He's a natural."
"Well Jared, he probably has memories buried away from the days of his ancestors canoeing on rivers. Somewhere in all that other garbage in his head." Liam just smiled at Tom's jab.
"Possibly. But I think his attention deficit helps. He scans and reads the water faster than anyone I've ever seen before."
"What do you mean attention deficit? I chase squirrels, I don't have attention deficit problems."
Jared put his hand on his husband's shoulder, "Chasing squirrels is a symptom."
"Damn, you got me on that one." He raised his coffee cup, "Any more?"
The door flew open with Noah and Eli rushing in. "What the hell was in that stuff you put on him? It's absolutely infection free and almost healed."
Liam took a sip from his coffee, "You watched me make and apply it."
"This is incredible, it's a miracle."
Liam took another sip from his coffee, "No, it's not. It's just what we do. Heal people as much as we can. You really need to sit down to talk with Shawn and Kat."
"I'll do it as soon as I get back."
"Speaking of that" Jared cut in. "We should be getting back, Grandfather. Did Sherry fill the tanks of the boat for us?"
"Yes, she did. She also put it on your account, along with a box of s'more making materials for Liam."
"I love you, Grandfather," as Liam smiled at him.
The old man smiled, "And a pound of Sumatra, too."
Liam began to fan his face with his hand, "I'm going to faint."
Noah leaned towards Jared, "Is he always such a drama queen?"
"He's being good today." That got a laugh from both Tom and Noah.
Grandfather added, "Plus, there's a big leg bone from a moose that your cousin Algin shot the other day in your boat. Shadow will love that." Grandfather Tom came out from around the counter to hug his grandsons before they left. Noah was startled when both Jared and Liam went down on one knee with their heads lowered.
Tom touched both of them gently on their heads. "Give me a hug you two, then get out of here. You're dropping the property values with your ugly faces again." Both stood, embracing their grandfather and each giving him a kiss on his cheek.
Eli thanked both of them as they left, but still wouldn't show the palms of his hands to Liam. After stowing the trauma bags back under the bow of the boat, they started it up. Liam pulled the lines off the dock as Jared began to edge it away. The youth group were all lined up along the dock watching the jet boat get underway. Grandfather Tom had Noah move off the dock and up the stairs and towards safety. Jared had Liam make a big circle to make a full pass by the dock. Carefully, he explained to Liam where to position the boat so the impeller output was lined up just perfectly. When Liam gunned it, the rooster tail shot out of the back of the boat soaking everyone standing on the dock.
Tom chuckled, "Told you that you'd be safe up here, Noah."
"There is a lot more to those two than they let on, isn't there?"
"Those two men have probably saved more lives, changed lives, or helped others in their short lives than many would in a hundred years."
"Were they at the bus crash?"
"At the front of the line. Jared was in charge of medical triage at the scene and Liam transported the most serious in several LifeFlight helicopter trips."
"Those two work for the ambulance and LifeFlight? No wonder they're burning out."
"Noah, I don't normally say things like this but you're a reasonable person, and a doctor even as sometimes those two things don't go together. But Jared started and owns both the ambulance service and the LifeFlight helicopter. The aeronautics side he's in a partnership with another person who holds the same beliefs and value in human life."
Noah didn't know what to say, "I didn't even believe they were paramedics when I first met them."
"That's the way the two of them are, and I'm glad to see them having fun together again. We almost lost Liam at the end of the bus crash, but Jared's love combined with the family's support brought him back. A while later, Jared almost gave up and walked away from everything he had built in his life except his husband. After a very rough year of challenges along with personal losses, they both crashed and burned. But, their love for each other kept them alive."
"I really need to talk with Shawn and Kat."
"Please pass on my greetings to them both."
"You know them?"
"They are friends. Both were at the private funeral for two of Jared's brothers, Darren and Josh, as well as guests at Jared's and Liam's wedding. They've been out to the village for visits as well."
"The village?"
"It's a complex of houses outside of town where Jared and Liam live, along with their brothers."
Noah shook his head, "Those two are a hell of a lot more than what they seem."
Tom thought for a moment before he finally asked, "Noah, may I ask a favour of you?"
"If I can do it, absolutely."
"You said you go to church. Would you say prayers for Jared and Liam when you have time? Please pray for their health, and that they may return to the path the Creator intended them to walk down. Every prayer said for them helps."
"Tom, it would be my honour to pray for those two."
Once they got back, Jared and Liam prepared a snack. Shadow was also enjoying his moose legbone gift as well. There's something sinister about a dog, or wolf, in the way they crack the bone into splinters. Shadow's jaws had no problem crushing the thickest bone in a moose's body to splinters, then eating the marrow inside. After eating the marrow, the bone splinters were crushed to a pulp and were eaten too.
After the snack, Liam and Jared went into the forest to the sacred spot. Back to back, they both sat cross-legged on the huge stump. After placing their hands on the rocks nearby, the two men's bodies began to turn a bright white. This continued for a couple of hours when the white colour began to change into gold. The gold glow coming off them became even brighter than the white they previously had been emitting.
Mathew and Tom were sitting in a tree nearby in the shape of two owls. "You weren't totally honest to our grandchildren about us dropping in on them," Mathew said lightly.
"I never said we hadn't done it. I just made it very clear we both wanted to. They drew their own conclusions."
Mathew chuckled, "You've been having too many conversations with Jesse, my old friend. He's even got you sounding like a lawyer."
"Regardless Mathew, look at the gold colour. They're finally healing."
"Yes, they are. It's a big step to move from depleted to restored health and now spiritually aligned again."
"We still need to keep an eye on them to make sure it continues."
"Of course we will. Now, will you let the brothers know everything is going to be ok, or shall I?"
"We can do it in the morning."
Later that evening, the two men were snuggled together on the couch watching cartoons together. The fire in the fireplace made it warm, cozy and romantic.
"Where do you keep finding these TV shows and cartoons to watch?" asked Jared. "Last night it was 'Puppets Who Kill' and tonight its 'Fugget About It'."
"What? They are really good shows plus they're Canadian."
"This cartoon is full of sexual innuendo and violence. It has a Mountie with a huge dick outline visible through his uniform pants as one of the main characters. The man he's protecting turned informant on the mob, so they shipped him to Regina, Saskatchewan for witness protection. His wife is a former stripper, his son is a complete nerd, his oldest daughter is smoking hot and the youngest one is the antichrist."
"Yup, that's about it. I love it. Intellectually stimulating."
"Intellectually stimulating?"
"Well, it's better than watching FOX."
"I'm not even going to argue this any further. Though, I hate to admit it is funny."
"I just had a thought. If there is one mouse, it's a mouse. If there are two, it's mice. If you have one moose, it's a moose. So... if you have more than one moose, are they mooses or mice, or maybe meece?"
Jared looked at his husband. "I'm trying to figure out if you've had too much wine or not enough yet."
"Did you know that binoculars are always plural, even when you have one set? That's as dumb as mooses. Or fishes. Or trouts and tunas."
"Have you been chewing on the rat root when I wasn't looking?"
"One news reporter. The singular is news but so is the plural. Just like police; it's both singular and plural."
"You know, I've always joked about Ritalin with you. But, be honest, do you have a prescription for it you haven't told me about and you're not taking it?"
"How can you pick up one set of tongs? That's plural, too. If I ask for tongs, will you buy more than set by mistake? Is one tong just the guy who owns the Chinese restaurant in town?"
Jared stood up, checked the screen on the fireplace to make it was locked in place, then turned off the tv. He reached over, lifted his husband into a fireman's carry and started up the stairs.
"Where are we going?"
"To the bedroom."
"Why?"
"Up until now, I thought the expression of fucking someone's brains out was an exaggeration. I'm beginning to think it's not. So, I might as well finish the job on you."
"Yippee, its sex time! My plan worked."
"Why didn't you just ask?"
"Now where's the fun in that?"
End of Chapter Fifty
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