Please remember to donate to Nifty, it gives so much to all of us.
Any amount, large or small, is welcome in order to keep this free site available.
Thank you, donations to the address below.
http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html
Life's Illusions - Book Five - Chapter 6
Ferdie was transfixed, the vision before him rendered him speechless, the broad shoulders, rippling muscle, trim waist, and that incredible bubble butt, sat atop unbelievably muscled thighs that looked like they could easily crush someone.
He'd opened the door and walked in to find this vision, obviously fresh from the shower, facing away from him, stark naked and drying his hair.
Ferdie just stood staring, drinking in the absolute beauty before him, Gracie had promised she would find him a hunk to share with, but he hadn't expected this.
Pulling the towel from his head as he turned, Jezz jumped noticeably in shock.
"Wow, what the fuck".
He was scrabbling to wrap the towel around his lower half as Ferdie replied stutteringly.
"Sorry, sorry, ............ I err .......... I should have knocked, ...... I'll go back down and wait in the lounge while you get dressed".
Ferdie was gone before Jezz had chance to reply, leaving him stood wrapped in a towel, staring angrily at the closed door.
Retreating downstairs Ferdie dropped his bag on the floor as Baz came into the bungalow.
"Oh Hi, you must be Ferdie, my Aunt Carry just told me you'll be sharing with Jezz, welcome, I'm Gracie's brother Baz, my girlfriend Annie should be here later she's been on tour, have you met Jezz, I think he's here somewhere?".
Ferdie was flustered.
"We sort of met, in a way, but we didn't do the introductions yet, he's just out of the shower, I'm giving him space to dress".
Baz could tell Ferdie was nervous.
"Hey, relax, go get a couple of beers from the kitchen while we wait for Jezz".
Ferdie did as Baz said, and as he was removing the bottle caps he heard the thunder of someone charging down the stairs, then the shouting.
"Who the fuck is that creep, I get out of the shower and there's a perv ogling my ass, I'm going to smack him into next week".
Baz tried to calm his brother.
"Whoa Bro, that's Ferdie .........".
He didn't get any further, Jezz was completely worked up.
"I don't give a flying fuck who he is, I'm going to smash him".
Ferdie came back into the lounge just as Jezz was ranting, he tried to calm the situation.
"Look I'm sorry, I didn't know there was anyone in the room, I'm Ferdie".
He held out his hand in greeting, the other hand held both bottles of beer.
He'd expected that Jezz would at least shake hands, he wasn't prepared for the fist which shot towards him, catching him squarely on the side of his jaw, propelling him backwards where he fell heavily, smashing his head hard against a large sideboard, the bottles smashing in his hand as he fell.
Bazz looked on in shock, he saw it happen but his brain was having difficulty believing it.
Jezz was standing angrily over Ferdie, fists balled ready to strike again.
"Get up ya fuckin perv, I'm going to batter you into oblivion".
Ferdie was lying crumpled, then Baz saw the blood and reality kicked in, it was coming from the back of Ferdie's head.
"For fuck sake Jezz, you've hurt him, he's bleeding, what the fuck is wrong with you".
Jezz seemed to flash immediately back to reality, panicking at Baz's words.
By now Baz was kneeling, trying to raise Ferdie, but he was unconscious.
"Go get Aunt Carry, we need to get him to a hospital, this doesn't look good".
Absolute chaos reigned for the next thirty minutes until paramedics bundled a still unconscious Ferdie into an ambulance, with a sobbing Gracie by his side.
As the ambulance left, Piers, Milo, and Paulette left to follow the ambulance, and an angry Vinny turned on his brothers.
"What the fuck happened, who the hell did this?".
Jezz answered quietly.
"I did, I'm sorry I hurt him, but he caught me off guard, I'd just got out of the shower and he was there, just staring, I went into a rage".
But Vinny was furious.
"He's one of the nicest guys I've ever met, and you beat him up because he happened to walk into a room he'd been told he was staying in, what did he do, did he come on to you, grope you, say something lewd, what?".
Jezz was sitting, head in hands.
"No, he didn't do anything, he was just there, it freaked me out, I just flipped, I'm sorry, I'll apologise, and I'll leave if it's what you want".
Vinny was just staring at his brother.
"You'll apologise, really, you think that's going to make this alright?, you just caved someone's head in, an apology isn't going to cut it Bro, I've no idea how badly he's hurt but it didn't look good, apart from whatever happened to his head, one arm looked broken, the other hand had a broken bottle sticking out of it, if the police get involved you could be facing jail time, this is bloody serious, I'm going to the hospital, you stay here, don't leave the property and speak to no one".
At the hospital Gracie was being comforted by Paulette when Vinny arrived.
"How is he, has he regained consciousness yet?".
It was Piers who answered, and asked the inevitable questions.
"We haven't heard anything yet, they took him straight into theatre, what happened Vinny, who did this to him?".
Vinny tried to answer quietly, so as not to let Gracie hear.
"Jezz, and don't ask me why, I don't understand it, apparently he'd just got out of the shower, he was naked in the bedroom drying his hair, and Ferdie was just there, it freaked him, he lashed out".
But he hadn't been as quiet as he'd thought, Gracie started in on him, her voice loud, almost shouting.
"This didn't happen in the bedroom, it happened in the lounge, how did it move from one room to another, why would Jezz do this, what did Ferdie do?".
Before Vinny could answer Piers joined in.
"Gracie's right, lashing out is an instant reaction, this wasn't an impulse reaction, what the hell prompted it, you must know Vinny?".
Vinny's response shocked them, but it had the desired effect.
"Stop shouting at me, I don't know why it happened, even Jezz doesn't know why it happened, we'll get to the bottom of it eventually, right now let's just pray Ferdie isn't badly hurt".
As Vinny finished speaking a doctor came into the waiting room.
He looked around the room before speaking.
"Is anyone family of the patient?".
Gracie answered him.
"He doesn't have any family, he's here at my invitation for the holidays".
The doctor now concentrated his words on Gracie.
"He's regained consciousness, there's a really nasty cut about eight inches long to the back of his head, fortunately his skull appears to be intact, we'll monitor him in case of bleeding around the brain for a couple of days, his left arm is broken, so is the wrist, but they're fairly straightforward breaks and should mend without problems, his right hand is a problem, the broken glass severed some pretty important stuff, he might lose the use of the hand if we can't repair it, we have him scheduled for surgery tomorrow but he says he wants to go home, that would be a mistake, the surgery on his hand needs to be done urgently".
They'd all been listening, but it was Gracie who replied.
"Stick with your plan to operate tomorrow, I'll talk to him, he's just in shock".
They thought that was it, until the doctor said.
"I've reported the matter to the local police, it's standard procedure when these type of injuries present, they're waiting for my go ahead to interview him but I can put that off for a day, unless he wants to see them sooner, I'd prefer that didn't happen, he's disoriented and confused right now, things will be a lot clearer for him by tomorrow".
The doctor escorted Gracie to Ferdie's room.
As she walked in she could see him lying flat, his left arm in a cast from wrist to elbow, his right hand was heavily bandaged, and the top of his head was completely swathed in bandage, Gracie started sobbing, which brought Fergie awake.
"Hey, I'm the one who should be crying not you".
She pulled a chair up next to his bed.
"I'm so sorry, I feel responsible, you're only here because I bullied you into it, now look at you, but I promise, as soon as you're out of here we'll look after you at the house".
Ferdie was hesitant for a moment then replied.
"No offence Gracie but I'm not coming back to your family's house, I'll be in here for a few days yet, then I'll look after myself until the doctor clears me to fly, at which time I'm going home".
Gracie tried to argue, but Ferdie was adamant.
Josef turned up with Carry whilst Gracie was still there.
"Ferdie, we're so sorry this happened, have you any explanation for it?, I heard the police wish to interview you tomorrow".
Ferdie had known Josef for several years, Jo and Juan had nagged him constantly to come work for them until finally he'd given in.
"Don't worry Jo, I have no idea what caused your nephew, or whatever relation he is, too do that to me, but I won't be causing any further trouble, I'll be telling the police it was just a silly accident, the result of tiredness after travelling, a simple trip whilst carrying glass bottles, now I don't want to sound ungrateful, but my head is absolutely banging, and I'd appreciate some time alone to rest".
After they left Ferdie asked that all further visitors be barred.
Gracie's return to the house next morning after being refused entry at the hospital, caused all sorts of speculation.
Ferdie was cleared to leave the hospital two days after Christmas, but the doctor warned him he was not allowed to fly for at least another week.
Unbeknown to any of the family, whilst still in hospital, Ferdie had received a visit from Josef, despite him barring all visitors, as Jo had put it.
"I'm your employer, Guardian's paying your medical costs, I'm entitled to see you".
Ferdie had smiled.
"Okay, but no one else Jo, it was a mistake to come here, I should have stayed at home, lonely would have been better than this pain, oh and you can tell your nephew or whatever, he has nothing to worry about, the police are happy to believe I'm a clumsy clutz who simply tripped".
Jo was looking puzzled.
"Why Ferdie?, no one would have thought any less of you if you'd told the truth and had Jezz arrested".
Ferdie looked Josef in the eye when he replied.
"Because that guy is protecting some big secret, it's eating him up, he needs help not arresting, but the only way I could help him is by not adding to his troubles, I don't want to be anywhere near him".
Josef nodded before asking.
"So what are your plans for when they let you out of here?, just between us, I give you my word, I will not disclose anything you don't approve".
Ferdie was noticeably hesitant, but finally he answered.
"I don't really have an answer Jo, I know I don't want to come back to your house, and it looks like I'll be kicked out of here in the next couple of days, it's a worry, but I'll get it sorted".
Josef sat on the side of the bed.
"Look, if you come back to the house I promise you'll be safe, you'll have your own room, no one will disturb you unless you invite them in, I'll hire professional help to look after you, it would make me happy to know you're being taken care of, but if you insist, and I'd rather you didn't, I'll arrange a property where you can have the same professional help to take care of you , and whichever option you choose, my plane will be available to take you home as soon as the doctors clear you to fly".
Ferdie surprised Josef with his response.
"Why would you do all that for me Jo?, this isn't your fault".
Josef sighed.
"I can't pretend to understand how the hell this happened, it's something I'm still trying to get my head around, but the fact remains, you came into our house as an invited guest, and you suffered terrible abuse, it's not just me, my whole family are ashamed of what happened, we can't change what happened to you, but we can at the very least ensure your safety and comfort whilst you recover, please allow us that task".
Ferdie looked thoughtful.
"Can I think about it Jo, I'll be honest, the thought of going back there frightens me, and I'm guessing he's still there, I don't want to see him or be anywhere near where he is, but maybe that's just me being paranoid, I don't know, I'll let you know tomorrow if that's alright".
Jo patted his shoulder.
"Of course it's okay, but I need to ask a favour, not for me, it's Gracie, she's completely in bits about what happened, she's asking if she could come with me when I visit tomorrow?".
Ferdie nodded.
"Yes, Gracie can visit, but you don't have to visit every day Jo, I have my cell phone with me".
Josef's answer came without any thought.
"Oh no, I want to witness you getting better, I want to see it for myself, besides, if I don't actually visit then report back, nothing would stop Juan from coming through that door, or the window, and you know I'm not joking".
When Josef visited next day, with Gracie in tow, Ferdie gave his answer to what he would do when released from the hospital.
"I'm really nervous about my decision, but the fact that you would go to such lengths to make me comfortable means, in all conscience I can't put you to so much extra trouble, I'll come back to your house".
As Gracie was hugging him Josef replied.
"I've already promised your complete safety and comfort, you can choose to be isolated or to join in, eat in your room or join us for meals, no pressure, whatever you choose is okay, and I have a letter for you".
Josef held out the letter but it was Gracie who explained.
"Don't be nervous, it's from Jezz, my brother, the one who...........".
She didn't get any further as Ferdie cut her off.
"Yes, I know who he is, but I don't want anything from him".
Gracie took the letter from Josef.
"Whether you want it or not, it's been sent to you and delivered, you can choose to do whatever you feel comfortable doing, read it, or don't, I'll leave it here on the cabinet, none of us know what's in it, we didn't agree at first when Jezz said he wanted to write to you, but he had a point, he knows he did something awful to you, he needs to apologise, and be clear, he's not asking for forgiveness, he simply wants to acknowledge and apologise for what he did, you're the only one who can decide whether he should be able to do that".
Ferdie's discharge, and arrival at the house went something like a military operation.
He was understandably nervous, but he needn't have been, Josef, Carry, and Gracie engineered it perfectly.
He was installed in a suite on the lower floor of the main house just in time for lunch.
Gracie had asked if he felt up to joining the family for lunch but, in all honesty, he was tired, the battery of tests he'd endured before being discharged, along with dressing and traveling back to the house had exhausted him.
"Actually, all I want to do right now is sleep, I feel as though I've run a marathon".
Gracie smiled.
"Hey, the doctor told you about this, it's going to take a while before you get back to normal, but he also said you have to eat in order to fuel your energy level so, I'll arrange for something simple to be delivered in about an hour and a half, and I'll be here to help you with it, are you okay with that?".
But she didn't get a reply, he'd already dozed off.
As Gracie quietly left the suite, she turned in the open doorway to look back at her friend, still looking so vulnerable, the bandaged head, the side of his jaw bearing bruises that had turned from black to a brownish yellow colour, one arm in its plaster cast, the other sporting a heavily bandaged hand, she'd sighed, then become aware of a presence in the doorway behind her.
Turning she came face to face with Jezz.
"What are you doing?, you agreed to stay clear, it could send him into a panic if he sees you up close, you have to stick to the agreement".
Jezz looked crestfallen.
"I don't get it, I know what I did, it would have shaken anyone up, but it was just a punch, why is he so terrified of seeing me, it won't happen again, I'm not some psycho who's going to stalk him or hurt him again, I just don't understand Sis".
Gracie was torn, she knew the reason behind what, to Jezz at least, looked like Ferdie's unreasonable behaviour.
"Let's find somewhere quiet, there's something I need to explain".
An hour later anyone looking on would have seen the remains of tears on Jezz's face, but they would have probably been more inquisitive about the look of absolute surprise on Gracie's face.
Gracie had sworn him to secrecy before explaining about Ferdie's five year relationship, the physical and mental abuse he'd been subjected too, how Jezz's action had brought all that back to the surface for Ferdie, but it was her final sentence, a simple question, which had resulted in her hearing something which had caused the look she was wearing.
"What the hell caused you to explode like that, I've never seen you in a rage?".
And he'd explained, quietly, hesitantly.
Jezz had been in a relationship with a guy for more than a year, something none of the family were aware of.
He'd planned on bringing him to Lanzarote for the holidays, introducing him to the family, admitting he was gay, but only two months earlier he'd found out that he was being played.
Jezz had been just one of several people that the guy had developed a relationship with, and he'd stolen substantial sums from each of them before disappearing.
For Jezz it was a devastating blow, his first love, he'd given himself completely, only to be tricked and cheated, he'd told no one, refusing to cooperate with the police when they came calling, choosing to bury the experience, something he now realised had been a mistake, because the anger had just built steadily inside him until the incident with Ferdie had triggered a catastrophic response.
"Why on earth didn't you confide in us Jezz?, we're family, you're not meant to deal with stuff like that on your own, it's something you needed help with, promise me you'll talk to the Poppas".
He nodded.
"I will, I promise, at the time I felt so stupid, I was played, and I didn't see it coming, I thought if I drew a line under it and moved on I'd be alright, now I feel doubly stupid, and guilty for what I've done to your friend".
True to her word, Gracie had returned around two hours after Ferdie had dozed off with soup and sandwiches, and she'd helped him eat.
The problem for him was not the eating of food, apart from the visual effects of bruising his jaw was okay, it was the problem of getting anything to his mouth without resorting to snuffing around on a plate like a foraging pig.
One arm was encased in plaster up to the elbow, the broken wrist making it extremely painful to try turning the hand, even if he could grip anything.
The other hand was completely swathed in bandages, covering the stitches and wounds where nerves and tendons had been repaired.
Josef had been true to his word, a live in medical professional had been engaged to look after and assist Ferdie, but the speed of his discharge took them by surprise, his help couldn't start until the morning after his discharge, so for that one day Ferdie accepted, Josef, Juan, and Vinny were on call and would take care of his personal needs.
He'd been back at the house three days when, sat on the terrace outside his suite, reading from his iPad, it had slipped, his clumsy effort to prod the screen proving far to heavy.
The iPad clattered heavily to the floor, with Ferdie looking on in horror and fearing the worst.
What's more, he now had no idea what to do, he couldn't pick it up, and his helper wasn't around, he was sat with his head bowed when a voice caused him to jerk upright.
Jezz had seen the tablet fall but was too far away to stop it, he did however head toward Ferdie, stopping short by some six feet from him.
"Please don't be alarmed, I can help, if you agree, I won't come any closer unless you indicate it's okay".
Ferdie just stared at him so Jezz spoke again.
"Okay, I understand, I'll go back to the other side of the terrace, I'm sorry if I've upset you, I'll get someone to come over and give you a hand".
Jezz was about to walk away when Ferdie spoke.
"Sorry, you startled me, if you could pick it up I would be grateful".
Jezz nodded, then moved forward to retrieve the iPad, but his grimace on examining it told Ferdie his worst fears were well founded, as Jezz put it.
"Sorry but you're not going to be using this for a while, the screen is in bits".
Ferdie sighed, but Jezz wasn't finished.
"Don't panic, I'll go get you my laptop, it has a silicone base pad which holds it in place, you'll probably find it easier to use with the lack of mobility, I won't be long".
And he was gone, just as Josef turned up.
"Was Jezz bothering you, he was told to stay completely away from you, are you okay?".
Ferdie smiled.
"It's okay Jo, I dropped my iPad, he saw it happen and offered to help, in all honesty, he didn't come closer than about six feet until I agreed he could help, and now he's gone to get me his own laptop, so please, don't be hard on him, he startled me at first, but I found I'm not as freaked out as I thought I would be".
Jez came back as they finished speaking.
Seeing Josef there he blurted out.
"I didn't do anything wrong Uncle Jo, he said it was okay to help honest".
Josef's face was wearing a stern mask that looked like it was about to deliver a rebuke, but he relented slightly at the sight of the boy's obvious pain.
"I know Jezz, Ferdie explained, just don't push it, he has good cause to not want you close bye".
Josef walked away without waiting for a reply as Jezz set the laptop down, anchoring it on the silicone pad which made it almost impossible to move.
"Is there a particular site you want loaded up, I can do that then I'll leave you in peace to carry on".
Ferdie was actually surprised, exactly as he'd said to Josef, he'd thought this sort of close contact would completely freak him out, but in all honesty, he wasn't at all concerned for his safety, this Jezz was nothing like the raging bull he'd encountered that first day.
"If you could I'd be really grateful, I need to get into Guardian's system, and if you could set up a favourites link it would be really helpful, I have a ton of work that's pilling up".
Jezz set up the laptop exactly as Ferdie requested, as he was turning it back toward Ferdie he said quietly.
"Sorry's not much of a statement, but I am really sorry, if there's anything at all I can do which will help, please just ask, don't be grateful, that's my place, grateful you're even talking to me".
He wasn't prepared for Ferdie's reply.
"The apology is good to hear, but I'd rather be hearing that you're working toward mending what set you off that day, for your own peace of mind".
Jezz's reply puzzled Ferdie.
"Has Gracie told you?".
But Ferdie's reply confirmed Gracie hadn't broken his confidence.
"Gracie hasn't told me anything except what I can and can't do every waking minute since I've been back".
Jezz smiled.
"That's our Gracie, always was the bossy one, I'll leave you now, I'll only be over on the other side of the terrace, if you need anything I've put my email address into favourites too, I'll pick anything up straight away on my cell phone, don't hesitate, for anything".
Then he was walking away, and Ferdie couldn't resist, he watched that butt all the way across the terrace, realising suddenly that he had a hard on which was so clearly visible in his thin shorts he had to clumsily try to rearrange it.
On the other side of the terrace Gracie had been sitting with her Poppas watching, and slowly simmering, until Josef had returned, and explained about Ferdie giving his permission for Jezz to approach, and how he'd helped Ferdie out, now she was watching Jezz approach them, and she giggled to herself as she saw Ferdie's eyes glued to Jezz's butt as he crossed the terrace, then registered him rearranging his junk.
She spoke to her brother as soon as he was in range.
"Is he okay?".
Jezz went immediately on the defensive, exactly as he had with Josef.
"I didn't do anything wrong Sis, I only offered to help, so don't start because I might just fuckin cry, I already feel like a complete piece of shit".
Gracie could see the moisture in his eyes as she pulled him into a hug in front of their Poppas.
"It was a genuine question, no hidden agenda, and you're not a piece of shit, you're my brother, so woe betide any fool who messes with you, cus that means they're messing with me, and we all know how that's going to end up".
Piers and Milo were laughing as they stood to join in the hug, with Milo saying.
"Yes daughter, I think we all know how that might turn out, but let's talk about you Jezz, Gracie seems to think there's something we ought to know, if you feel like talking, we're here".
Jezz pulled back from his sister.
"I love you Sis, and what I told you, you can share it, go on, he deserves to at least know what made me into the crazy thing he met, I'm going to be suffering the wrath of these two when they hear me out".
Ferdie was completely zoned out, answering emails when he realised Gracie was sitting down beside him.
"If you're really busy I'll catch you later, but I have something I should share, and I think it's important that you hear it".
When Gracie left Ferdie, he knew he wouldn't be afraid of Jezz in future, and he felt vindicated, he'd seen a damaged soul, he'd been right, and he was actually thankful Jezz was accepting he needed to unburden himself.
That night Ferdie slept the best, the deepest, the most wonderful sleep he could remember in a long time, and the following morning when he awoke he was almost freaked out, his room had been decorated with Christmas trees whilst he'd slept.
Gracie arrived as a ball of energy with his morning tea, toast, and juice.
"Okay, I know you're freaked out but don't blame me, this is all Jezz's doing apparently, besides being New Years Eve, it's also Christmas Day today, yes I know, you missed it, well Jezz has wound back the calendar, he has insisted, we are going to do Christmas Day again, for you, don't argue, let him do it, I think you'll enjoy it, you definitely deserve it, and I think he needs it".
Then she noticed, Ferdie was beaming, actually grinning, he'd started laughing, and that set the scene for the day, it was Christmas all over again, the best Christmas Ferdie could ever remember, and his eyes never left just one person, nor did they miss a single chance to ogle that butt.
TBC Allan
Comments are welcome to cfgw2000@aol.com.
Thank you for giving me your time, enjoy.