Hello everyone! Thanks again for the comments! I really appreciate hearing from everyone! Also, 10 bonus points to "Mel" for catching an error. :)
Chapter 16
"What?!" I ask, shocked, and surely white as a ghost. Scott leans over and puts a hand on my bare shoulder for comfort.
"Honey, your dad had a heart attack this morning. They're operating now. I tried to get a hold of you before he went in. He was asking for you, sweetie." Mom cries a little into the phone.
"Oh no, Mom...I'm so sorry. I'm...sick...and I just didn't hear the phone." I reply, feeling like the piece of shit that I am right now.
"Are you ok? Can you make it over? He'll want to see you when he comes out of it." Mom practically begs. She's at wits' end...I can tell.
Sitting up, and instantly wishing my head would explode quickly instead of in stages, I reassure her. "OK, Mom...I'll do what I can to get there, ok? Just sit tight. Wait a minute, where's Josh?"
"Oh, he had a business trip in Chicago, but he's on a plane right now coming home." Mom says, sighing.
"OK, Mom...I'll be there as soon as I can." I hang up and lay back a second. Terror sets into my soul. I'm not ready to lose my dad yet! I glance over at Scott, who's looking at me with concern, but polite enough to wait until I offer what that was all about.
"Scott, my dad is in the hospital. He's had a heart attack. Mom needs me, but I feel awful! Can you help me?" I plead.
"Sure buddy, let's get you cleaned up a little. I'll drive you down and when we get there, we'll get you a shot of Vitamin B and some ibuprofen to get you back on your feet." Scott offers.
I swing out of bed, and the ol' stomach is very queasy. Scott helps me into some clothes, I run the toothbrush over my teeth, and I start feeling mildly human again. Scott helps me to his car, and we're off to the hospital. He even gives me the darkest pair of sunglasses he has. It doesn't even strike me weird that he has several different kinds.
We pull up to the ER, and Scott commandeers a wheelchair for me and we head over to the ER area. He whispers something to one of the nurses, who nods and leaves for a moment. In a couple of minutes, he wheels me behind one of the triage curtains, has me stand, pulls my waistband down and gently injects medicine into my hip. Then we're off to the Cardiac Surgery center.
Mom rushes over, then stops a minute.
"Jesse, why are you....?"
I wave her question off. "I'm just not quite steady yet, Mom." I tell her as she kisses my cheek, then, she does what must be a built-in reflex and puts her hand on my forehead. It feels cool to my skin.
"You don't feel like you're with fever..." she points out.
"Mom, let's just say I have the disease known as Jack Daniel-itis." I say wryly. Mom raises one eyebrow, but decides there's more important matters at hand.
"OK. Well, since I talked to you, I found out that it's not too bad. They're putting in two stents, which means no bypass surgery."
"Mom, how did this happen? Dad's been in good shape." I ask.
"Well, he needs to eat a little better and get more exercise. The Lipitor he takes for his cholesterol won't stop heart disease. The doctor has told him that for years. NOW I am going to make him follow doctor's orders!" Mom declares. And I know from her tone she means it! We Corey men know when she means business.
A nurse comes over. "Mrs. Corey? Your husband is out of surgery now, and will be in Recovery for a bit while he comes out of anesthesia. You may come back if you like."
I take Mom's hand. "Mom, go on back. I'll be fine right here."
"OK, sweetie. When your brother gets here, please let him know what's going on. His plane should be landing soon." And with that, Mom rushes off to catch up with the nurse. I get up slowly and walk over the waiting room window. Scott comes up behind me, rubbing my back as I lean on the sill.
"You ok, bud?" he asks gently.
His touch and gentle tone causes me to realize how precious life is, and I turn and say "no" and more or less collapse into his arms into a hug. A few tears roll down, and I know he can feel me holding back a sob or two.
"Your dad is going to be fine. Stents are good. Bypass is more serious, so he is out of danger now." he instructs me, soothing my nerves. I bury my face into the nape of his neck, and he puts a hand on the back of my head, stroking my hair.
I hear a familiar voice in the room behind Scott.
"Uh, Jesse?" It's Leslie. Surprised, I break the hug, and lean against the sill. Scott takes a step back and turns also.
"Leslie! What are you doing here?" I ask, surprisingly calm.
"Uh, your mom called me, hoping to find you. I see she finally did. How is your dad?" she asks, genuinely concerned. She comes over and I kiss her on the cheek. A habit, I suppose.
She looks at Scott.
"Oh, Leslie...this is Scott Landry. He's my roommate. And my friend." I add that last bit on. "Scott, this is my wife, Leslie Markham." Again, habit. She smiles.
"He means 'ex'-wife." she says, with a touch of humor in her voice.
I nod, acknowledging the mistake with a small smile. They exchange greetings. And suddenly, there's an awkward moment. Scott clears his throat.
"Tell you what, I'll go see what I can find out, and you two can chat." Scott offers.
"OK, man...I'll catch up with you." I reply. He leaves, and I can't help but notice his nice ass. Dang, I swear sometimes my brain is down in the "other" head.
Leslie nudges my ribs. "He's nice. Any...thing special there?" she asks. No hint of sarcasm or animosity at all in her voice. I keep watching his back, thinking for a moment.
"I don't know...really. We went out a couple of times, and he offered to let me live in his spare bedroom. It's still so new, I'm not sure exactly how to define it. Uh, Leslie, I'm not feeling too good, do you want to sit down?"
"Tell you what....I'll buy you a cup of coffee." she offers, motioning that we should walk. "I'm sure Scott will find us."
"Yeah, why not? Dad just came out of surgery, so he'll be out of it for awhile anyway." And we head down to the coffee shop. The smell of the food makes me wretch a little inside. Leslie notices my look of consternation.
"You ok?" she asks.
"Well, not really. I'm very hung over and my stomach is sending me some nasty hate mail about now." I joke, trying to keep from making an embarrassing scene.
We select a table, and she offers to get me some juice. She comes back with a cup of coffee for her, and a small orange juice. I have to admit, it sounds good...just hopefully my stomach will accept the peace offering. That shot must be starting to help.
"So, how are you?" I ask, genuinely (and surprisingly) interested.
"I'm doing good. How are YOU?" she asks. The implied question behind that is how I'm adjusting. That's one of our better parts of our -- relationship? -- is that we know what the other is thinking.
"I'm doing good. You're probably wondering about Mark. Well, it turns out I was a pawn in a little game there, and I'm not seeing much of a future with him. Scott's nice, but I'm not sure where our relationship might go. He's young, but..who knows." I suddenly look over at her, and she's giving me a look of sincere interest.
"Good, Jesse! It sounds like your new life might be starting to take shape."
We discuss the kids, her job, her new home, and all sorts of things. Toward the end, we both come to realize that we can get past the last few months and actually become friends. And this is something we both feel good about because neither of us really wanted to lose the other in our lives. Finally, after awhile, Scott rushes up.
"There you are! Your dad is awake and would like to see you. Josh is here, too."
We go back to the waiting area, and Leslie says goodbye to me at the door.
"Give him my regards, would you? I feel sort of out of place now, and I'm not sure your mom is ready to see me." she says.
I again kiss her on the cheek, a sign of friendship this time. "Sure. I'll do that. I'll talk to you soon, ok?"
She nods and smiles. "OK. Scott, it was a pleasure meeting you. I hope we get a chance to see each other again." and she shakes his hand. I again marvel at her people skills. No wonder she's got her job! And she walks toward the elevator.
Scott claps me on the shoulder. "I'm going to go home because" he sniffs his shirt "yike...and I need some sleep. Josh said he'll bring you home later, ok?"
"OK, Scott. Thanks for bringing me up here."
Scott hesitates for a second, then leans over and gives me a quick kiss on my lips. "Anytime. See ya later." And he walks off. My heart leaps and starts pounding. Oh my gosh.... Then I snap back to reality, and the nurse takes me back. I go over to his bed, and he breaks into a big grin when he sees me.
"Hey, there he is!" he says, as if I were 8. I holds his arms out toward me. I gladly walk into them and grasp him in a hug. Suddenly from nowhere, I'm bawling.
"Hey," he says, gently. "I'm ok, buddy...honest. This is just the warning shot." He rubs my back between my shoulder blades, which helps me get a grip.
"I know" I say softly. "I'm just scared."
"It's ok." he says again. "I'm going to be fine, and you know Sergeant Corey over there is gonna work my ass now." he laughs, indicating my mom. In a fake shrilled voice, she says
"You better believe it!! Shape up or ship out!!"
We all laugh. I straighten up, and see Josh there. I walk over and hug him. "Hey man."
"Hey." he replies, hugging me back.
"So, who wants some bacon, eggs, and biscuits and gravy?" my dad jokes. Naturally, mom takes him seriously. "Now John...." she starts. We all bust out laughing. Poor mom...it's always been 3 against 1.
"Oh, I'm joking, woman, sheesh!" he says, good-naturedly. And with that, I know that he's going to live a long time.
In the car on the way home, Josh asks me "So, Scott seems nice. He said Leslie was up there at the hospital? What gives?"
I sigh. "I'm not sure. It was great to see her, and she's doing really well. I think she wants to bury the hatchet, and for once, not in my head. I think she and I understand that we can be friends, which I'd like. She didn't even act jealous or crazy around Scott."
Josh takes that in, then says, "Well, that's good. There's enough hatred in this world. I have to admit that I never got the two of you, and I guess because you're gay, that's why. But I'm glad you two can work something out."
I nod as I think on that. "Yeah, it's kind of nice."
Once home, Josh and I trade "see ya's" and I head into the apartment. Scott is sleeping in his bed, the sheet just below his chest. I stare at him for a moment, feeling my dick harden. I love the sight of a guy with a bare chest in bed. Now I wonder... I take a chance and slip into his room. I remove my clothing then gently slide in next to him. He moves slightly, moaning lightly in his sleep. Then he turns over, facing away from me, his strong back to me. The sheet gapes open a little, and I can see his bare ass. Gotta love a guy that sleeps in the nude!
I lightly place my hand on his hip. I feel the heat of his skin as I apply gentle pressure. Wanting to wake him, but at the same time, wanting to let him sleep. I know he worked hard last night, pulling double-duty. I scoot over next to him, my dick completely hard, and gently conform my bare chest against his back, wrapping my left arm across his chest. He again moans lightly and leans back toward me. "Mmm....hey you." he says sleepily.
"Sorry. I didn't want to wake you." I whisper.
"Mm...that's ok." he mumbles. "I'm glad you're here."
I stroke his chest, feeling the sparse hair in the middle. He again purrs a moan. I move back away, causing him to give a cute little whine, which said to me "where are you going?". I gently roll him onto his back. He puts his left arm over his head, giving me room to lay my head on his chest, and conforming my front again against his body. I see his beautiful 7" cut dick at full mast. I smile a small little smile. His eyes are still closed as I run my hand slowly and gently across his nearly-smooth chest. His breathing deepens as he enjoys the touch. His arm comes down and then behind me, wrapping me lovingly in his embrace. He srokes my bare back up and down my spine, giving me the shivers. I then make light circles around his nipples, one at a time, causing them to stand out. I run my hand up and down his firm abs. Makes me sick...he doesn't even work out!! Putting my ab envy aside, I continue my carresses, avoiding all contact with his cock. His hips begin to slowly move to my touches, as if he's willing my hand onto his groin. Each pass down his body, I get closer to his equipment, trying to avoid just reaching out and grabbing it. His dick begins leaking precum, pooling on his stomach as his cock throbs. I pass a finger through the pool, and bring it to my mouth. It tastes sweet. I decide finally to give in to him, and I slowly...very slowly, run my finger lightly up his balls and continuing up the underside of his dick, causing him to cry out in ecstasy when I pass over the "sweet spot" just below the head. I gently encircle my hand around his shaft, barely touching him, and he again moans. I then bend my back, and slowly and gently bring his dick into my mouth. He cries out again, louder this time. His hand stills on my back as every muscle in his body goes rigid for a moment. I slowly begin pumping his cock into my mouth, flicking my tongue across the shaft side-to-side as I bring my mouth up and down. My left hand grabs him by the base of his dick, and slowly moves up with my lips. Now he's moaning, moving his head side to side slowly, his legs tensing and relaxing. A momentary doubt of safety enters my mind, but it's quickly quashed. The man's a doctor, I'm sure he knows how to stay safe. I decide to ask him about it later.
I lower my left hand on his shaft enough so that I cover part of his balls, and I notice that they're drawing up. He's close. My own dick is leaking precum like a leaky dam. His hips start to move opposite of my direction of my mouth, and I know he's very close now. I slip my very wet hand down over his balls and just press against his ass, slipping my pink against his hole.
That puts him over the edge, and he cries out as fluid gushes forth into my mouth. Luckily, I was on the up-stroke when he shot, so I got a mouthful of sweet cum. I swallow quickly, and begin avoiding the head, as I know it gets sensitive quickly. Several more shots of cum enter my mouth, and I gently swallow, trying to not make noise with my throat. In the excitement, my own dick suddenly bursts all over his legs and side, without even touching myself. As his cock goes soft, and the bursts subside, I gently let it slide out of my mouth, landing on his stomach with a wet sound, and move my head back to his chest, my right ear against his heart. It's still pounding fast. I reach down and stroke out a few more drips of cum from my own dick. He moans as he comes down from his high, his arm again stroking my back. Then his hand moves to the side of my head and he strokes my hair.
We're quiet for a moment, and then he speaks softly.
"Jesse?"
"Yeah?"
"Is it too soon for me to tell you that I might be in love with you?"
I'm quiet for a moment. Am I ready for this?? Am I ready to commit so soon without benefit of dating a few guys first? Am I NUTS?
"No, I don't think so. I might be starting to fall for you too." I'm again quiet for a moment, as I think.
"Well," he says, "maybe we shouldn't rush into anything yet. You know? Let nature take its course, and all?"
I smile. He knows what is on my mind. A good sign. "Yeah, that'd be nice."
We again are quiet, as the windows start to darken. "Jesse?"
"Yeah?"
"Is it too soon for me to say that you're my boyfriend?" he asks, almost child-like.
I can't help but smile. I move up higher on the bed, kissing him on the cheek first, then on the lips.
"No. It's not too soon at all." My dick responds by stiffening up a bit. But for now, I'm content let lay next to this warm man, in his embrace. I feel protected. I feel safe. I feel uncertain. But, time will tell. And together, we fall asleep in each others' arms.
To be continued...
OK...the vitamin B thing is from a MASH episode when Hawkeye and Trapper have to sober up Hot Lips quickly. I again claim editorial license since I have no idea if it'd work for a hangover or not. :)
Some have expressed some loyalty for Mark, but I have to say that I think Scott is more for Jesse, at least at this point. However....time will tell.... :)