This is a story about gay love, so if reading such things is offensive to you or if it is not legal for you to do so, proceed at your own risk. This is fiction. All people, places and events are the product of the writer's own imagination. All rights are retained by the author.
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Sam, chapter 12
Jay and Lee had barely gotten back to Jay's room again, and settled, when they heard the squeak, squeak, squeak of the meals cart as it trundled toward them out in the corridor. It obviously had a wheel or two that needed some grease. In just moments, the door swung open and the cart appeared, followed by the same grouchy woman who had delivered Jay's breakfast earlier. She eyed the two of them suspiciously, perhaps surprised to find a different male visitor in the room this time. She hadn't caught them in any kind of a compromising position, so she shouldn't have had any reason to complain. Maybe she was just disappointed not to have done so? In any case, she was not in a good mood. She glowered at them, and was less than civil. Lee had raised up the head end of Jay's bed to a nearly vertical position and Jay was sitting on the bed with his head resting against his pillow behind him. He had thrown off the robe upon returning to his room, and it lay draped over a straight-backed chair beside his bed. Lee was sitting in the armchair by the window a good six feet away.
Jay and Lee both greeted the woman politely, but she just grunted in reply as she put Jay's lunch tray down on the bedside table and turned to leave.
"What a hag!" Lee said, as soon as the door had closed behind her again.
"She caught Uncle Robert giving me a hug this morning when she brought my breakfast," Jay said. "When she went out, she called us a couple damned fags, and slammed the door."
"Who's Uncle Robert?" Lee asked.
"Oh, Lee," Jay apologized, "how could I have forgotten to tell you about that? I had intended to mention it first thing when you came today. I got such a surprise when I woke up this morning and Uncle Robert was here! I've never told you about him, have I?"
"Not that I recall, sweetheart."
"He is, was, my dad's younger brother. But he's the total opposite to my dad. He is so nice! I've always thought he's the best uncle in the whole world. Anyway, you're gonna meet him, probably today! I've told him all about you!"
"He knows you're, um, gay, and that we're boyfriends?"
"Well, he didn't, but now he does. I told him this morning."
"And he's cool with that?"
"Is he! Can you believe it, he's gay too! Oh God! It's incredible, and I'm so happy! He just told me that this morning too, after I told him about me. Oh, Lee, you're gonna love him!"
"Where does he live?"
"In Los Angeles. But he said he's gonna stay here for a while. Wow, wouldn't it be neat if he moved here?"
"I suppose so."
"He said my mom called him last night after she knew my dad was dying, and he got on the plane and flew out. He got here real early this morning, and then he came up to the hospital about seven to see me. He's the one who told me about my dad."
"Let's see what the big bad witch has brought you for lunch, sweetheart," Lee said, as he came over and sat on the edge of the bed. "Let's hope she didn't sprinkle any poison on it!"
"Gosh, Lee! How could you say that?!"
"I'm sorry, lover, it was a bad joke, I know," Lee said, giving Jay a kiss on the forehead. "I suppose we're gonna have to get used to the fact that some people will just naturally hate us for being gay, babe. It's a bummer, but that's life. Do you think we should be more careful and try to hide it?"
"Oh, Lee, I want the whole world to know how much I love you!"
"I know, sweetheart. I feel the same way. But I suppose we should try to be a little low-key in public, don't you? If people are offended by it, we don't want to rub their faces in it, do we?"
"I suppose you're right, Lee. I'll try to be careful, but when I'm really, really happy I can't help but show it, I guess. I don't want to cause any trouble for you, though. I'd never forgive myself if I did that."
Lee wrapped his arms around Jay then, and kissed him tenderly on the mouth. "You make me happier than I knew it was possible to be too, sweetheart," he murmured.
Jay's tears were trickling again, and Lee licked them up gently from both of his cheeks, being extra careful as he licked across the injured one before planting the softest, feather-light kiss on his hideous, swollen, black eye.
"Your lunch is gonna get cold, sweetheart," Lee said. "It looks like tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. Do you think you can manage some of that?"
"Let's both eat it, OK? Say, I know! You feed me a bite and then you, then me and then you, until it's gone!" Jay giggled then, and added, "It'll be so sexy to have you feed me!"
"It'll be sexy to feed you too, lover boy! My cock's hard already just thinking about it!" Lee answered.
"Really?!" Jay exclaimed.
"Really. See?" And he took Jay's hand and guided it to his crotch, placing it right over his hard-as-steel erection.
Jay sucked in his breath in surprise. "Oh my God, Lee! It feels huge!"
"Na-a-ah," Lee said. "Not really. But it feels so good to have your hand on it, Jay."
"Mmm, it feels good to me too, Lee. Um, is it gonna be my dessert then?"
"Jay!" Lee cried out, not believing his ears.
Jay blushed furiously when Lee reacted so strongly to what he had said. But then he got bold and added, "I bet it'd be yummy!" And he smacked his lips.
"Oh God, Jay! Hey, we're never gonna get this soup eaten before it's cold! Here." And he scooped up a spoonful of the soup and guided it to Jay's mouth. "Open up, sweetheart. I wanna get it in you and not on you!"
Jay gulped it down, and Lee took the next spoonful himself, as Jay had suggested. It was incredibly sexy to do it that way. What fun! His erection kept throbbing away insistently there in his jeans.
Soon the soup was gone. It didn't come out even. Jay got one more spoonful than Lee, which was only right, after all. Next was the sandwich. Lee broke it in two, handing half of it to Jay. "Here's your share of the sandwich, Jay. Can you manage it all right?"
"Oh, come on, Lee, feed it to me too. It's such fun!"
So Lee broke off a little bite-sized piece, putting it to Jay's lips. He took it into his mouth and let the tip of his tongue swipe sensuously over Lee's fingertips at the same time, sending a little shiver of pleasure through Lee's body.
"Man, Jay's a hot one!" Lee thought to himself, half surprised. He didn't know Jay could be so playful.
Once the sandwich was gone, Lee said, "Now there's a little dish of pudding. Shall we do it the same way?"
"Of course!" Jay giggled.
When that was gone, Lee said, "All that's left is a cookie and a glass of juice."
He put the cookie between his lips and held it to Jay's mouth that way. "Bite off a big piece," he instructed.
Jay bit down and then Lee clamped his mouth over Jay's and pried it open with his probing tongue, pushing the rest of the cookie in.
"Not fair!" Jay said. "I got it all, didn't I?"
"Just chew it up, lover boy, and then I'll help you with the juice.
They took sips of juice by turns until the glass was empty. Lee then pushed the tray out of the way and pulled Jay into his arms so they could indulge in a little more kissing, forgetting about the possibility that someone could walk in on them at any time.
Luckily, it was just Sam who did so a few minutes later.
Someone phoned from Our Lady of Mercy Hospital and asked Irene for the name of a funeral parlor for them to call about picking up Gene's body. Irene, of course, had no idea, but she called the McMillans. She had already phoned them earlier and told them that Gene was dead. They had been relieved when Irene told them that Gene's brother Robert was there, especially after she explained what a kind and helpful man he was, and how much he loved Jay and Jenna.
Mack recommended the Magnusen Funeral Home which was located not far from them. He said that he hadn't had any personal experience with them, but he knew they had been especially helpful and easy to deal with when a colleague of his at the bank had lost some family members in a car accident a couple years earlier.
"Oh, thank you, Mack!" Irene said. "I don't know what I would do without you."
"Please don't mention it, Irene," Mack said. "We're always here for you. You know that, don't you?"
"Yes, I know. You've proven it in countless ways already."
"Please feel free to call on us, Irene, about anything, at any time."
"Well, there is one more thing."
"Yes?"
"We don't have any church or minister. Gene was raised Catholic, but he always said he didn't believe in church, you see, and we, well..."
"I'm sure one of our priests would be more than willing to help you out, Irene," Mack volunteered.
"Do you really think so? That would mean so much."
"Tell you what, Irene; let me talk to Sharon a minute and then call you back, OK?"
"Well, OK. Sure. I'll wait for your call."
A moment later the phone rang. As soon as Irene answered it, Mack said, "We've just gotten home from Mass, Irene, and Sharon's getting some lunch ready. We'd like for you and Jenna and Gene's brother – what was his name again...?"
"Robert."
"Yeah, Robert. Well, we'd like for you all to come and join us for lunch. Could you do that? Then after we've eaten, Sharon and I can take you to inquire about one of our priests helping with..."
"Oh, Mack! You're too good to us!"
"Nonsense, Irene! We insist."
"Well, all right. We'd love to come. I haven't had time to even think about lunch yet. I expect we would've gone out somewhere to grab a bite."
"Do you need me to come and get you?" Mack asked.
"No, Robert has rented a car. I'm sure we'll find your home OK. What time shall we be there?"
"We'll eat at noon, but come anytime."
"OK, Mack. See you soon. And thanks again."
Lee and Jay were caught up in their kissing and unaware of anything else, when the door opened and someone called out, "Woo hoooo!"
They both gave a little jump, but Lee recognized Sam's voice at once, and he just kept on kissing Jay after saying, "Shut the door, Sam! We don't want the whole world to see us."
"Anyone in the whole world could've come walking in, you know."
"Yeah. Well, they didn't, did they? Just you."
Sam closed the door, walked over to the bed, and after a minute or two, said, "Hello-o-o-o! Anyone home here?"
"Oh, hello, Sam! Welcome!" Lee replied. "How nice of you to come by."
"Maybe I should leave and come back another time?"
"Nonsense, Sam!" Lee said, rising up and turning around. "Sorry, but we were kinda in the middle of something, as you could see."
"Yeah, I could see, all right! Hard to miss it."
"Hi, Sam," Jay said, blushing, "I would've said something sooner, but I had my mouth full!"
"No sweat, sweetie! But how about givin' me a kiss too, to make up for it?"
"Well," Jay replied.
Before he could say any more, Sam planted her lips on his and gave him a big smack. And then to his amazement she gave him a bit of tongue too, before she pulled away.
"Mmm, nice!" she murmured, and then said, "Hey, guys, guess what!"
"What?" they both chimed in unison.
"I just had lunch with the hottest hunk you've ever seen."
"You what?" Lee asked.
"Yes, I did, kiddo, I kid you not!"
"Wha..., who?" Lee stammered.
"Now, now, Lee, babe, you're not jealous, are you?" Sam teased.
"What? Jealous? Why would I be jealous?"
"Yeah, why, Lee? After all, you've got your sweetheart now!"
"Come on, Sam, tell us who it was," Lee whined.
"Well, let's see. He's re-e-e-e-ally tall, and built! Wow, is he built! And he's got the most gorgeous green eyes and this really beautiful, thick, wavy, dark red hair. And he's drop-dead handsome. And, oh yes, he's got personality plus!"
"How old is he?" Lee asked.
"Hmm, let's see, about 25, maybe."
"That's old, Sam."
"What's his name?" Jay asked.
"His name's Robert."
"Robert?" Jay asked, and then he shouted, "You're talking about my uncle Robert! Aren't you Sam?"
Sam winked at Lee, which Jay couldn't see, and said, "Your uncle Robert? How would I know your uncle?"
"Well, he just came this morning from California, so I know he's in the city. I've seen him already!"
"Seen him, Jay?" Sam asked.
"Yes." And then Jay stopped. "No, I couldn't see him, could I? But he was here! And you're wrong about his age, Sam. He's 30!
"30?" she repeated, unbelieving. "He sure doesn't look it. If so, he sure is cool for an old geezer!"
"Ooo, Robert's gonna love it when he finds out you called him a geezer, isn't he?! Anyway, you can't have him, Sam. He's gay!" Jay said.
"He's gay?"
"Yes, he is." And then Jay gasped, "Oh, shit! I shouldn't have said that! I've outed him to two people now. I'm sorry. I hope he doesn't get mad at me."
"I don't think he'll worry about you telling Sam and me, sweetheart," Lee said. "But you're right. We mustn't out other people. That's their own business. We wouldn't want other people doing that to us, would we?"
"By the way, sweetie," Sam said to Jay, taking his hand in hers, "I'm sorry about your dad."
"Thank you, Sam," Jay murmured. "But don't be too sorry. I'm ashamed to say it, but I'm more relieved than sorry. Isn't that terrible of me?"
"Of course not, sweetie. That's perfectly understandable. But I keep thinking if it was my dad who died, it would just about kill me."
"Oh my God, Sam, don't even say that. It'd kill me too. You're dad is so wonderful! I've been wishing he was my dad also. My dad was never a dad at all. Besides, he hated me for as long as I can remember."
After a little pause in the conversation, Jay said, "What about your dad, Lee? You've never told me about him. Do you see him sometimes? Is he nice? Your mom sure is."
"I've never had a dad, Jay," Lee replied.
"What do you mean?"
"He left my mom before I was born, and I've never seen him. Not once. Except in a picture."
"Doesn't he write to you or anything?"
"No. As far as I'm concerned, he doesn't even exist."
"I'm sorry, Lee."
"There's no need, sweetheart. I've never known any different. Besides, my mom has more than made up for it. She's better than any dad, I think. Well, except for Mack, of course. And besides, Mack's been like a dad to me too. But I've told you that already."
"How did it happen that you had lunch with Uncle Robert, Sam?" Jay asked.
Sam then told them about Irene, Jenna and Robert coming to their house for lunch, and about her parents taking them to St. John's afterwards to inquire about one of their priests helping them with Jay's dad's funeral. They had dropped Sam off at the Good Samaritan on their way, and promised they would come by later to see Jay.
"I almost forgot, sweetheart, but I brought you something today," Lee said, handing Jay a little plastic bag.
Jay reached into it and pulled out a small tape player with a headset. There were also several tapes in the bag.
"I figured it must be awfully boring for you when you're alone here, and can't see to read or watch TV or anything. So I brought you my Walkman and some of my favorite music to listen to. I hope you'll enjoy it."
"Oh, Lee, this is fabulous! Thank you!"
Lee leaned over to give Jay a kiss, and Jay threw his arms around him, hugging him tight.
"I stopped at the drug store and bought you one of those talking books too. You know, for blind people. It's a detective story. But if you'd like a different kind, I could probably exchange it."
"I'm sure it'll be perfect, Lee! Thank you so much for thinking of that. Let's put on one of the music tapes now. We can listen to it while we talk."
At St. John's Irene was assured that one of their priests would be made available to officiate at her husband's funeral. Irene had decided she wanted only a brief graveside service, but she would have to wait until the next day, at least, to arrange a date and time with the funeral home. She was asked to notify them at the church when she had that information, and then one of the priests would be getting in touch with her to make further arrangements.
"We would like to invite everyone to come to our house for coffee and sandwiches or something after the service, Irene," Sharon said, when they were leaving St. John's.
"Oh, Sharon, that's entirely too much! I couldn't possibly..."
"Nonsense!" Sharon said. "We have plenty of room and we want to do it. What are friends for, after all? I'll order an assortment of sandwiches from a deli near us that I've been very satisfied with in the past. It'll be no trouble at all. And Marge makes absolutely the best cheese cakes in the world. She's already told me that she wants to help with the lunch, and I immediately thought of her cheese cakes."
Irene burst into tears and threw her arms around her friend. "How will I ever be able to thank you?"
Jay had a lot of company that afternoon. At about two o'clock his mother and Jenna and Uncle Robert arrived, and a half hour later Mack and Sharon walked in. At that time they all moved out to the alcove in the hall, because there weren't enough chairs for everyone in Jay's room.
Around three Marjorie found them there. She was carrying a big box under her arm. "A really nice nurse informed me there was a party going on down her," she said. "But what's a party without something to eat?" She put the box down on the coffee table, opened it and pulled out a big chocolate layer cake. Reaching into the box again, she took out paper plates and cups and plastic forks. Then she produced a thermos of coffee.
"My goodness, Marge!" Mack laughed. "How many more rabbits have you got in your hat?"
"That's all, I'm afraid!" she replied. But she gave Lee a handful of coins and told him to get some cans of pop from the soft drinks machine nearby.
Just as Marjorie was cutting the cake, Nurse Hellvig approached them.
"Mmm," she said, "I can smell chocolate a mile away!"
"You're more than welcome to join us, nurse," Marjorie said. "And any of the other nurses too."
"I'm afraid none of the others are free right now," Nurse Hellvig replied. "Unfortunately for them. And I can only stay a couple minutes. My shift ends shortly and I'll have to talk with the nurses coming on duty."
"I'll leave whatever is left of the cake at the nurses' station when we're finished, then," Marjorie offered. "If these ravenous kids don't devour it all, that is! At least I know what usually happens when my boy and chocolate cake are in the same room together!"
Everyone laughed, including Lee, and he said, "Nurse Hellvig, this is my mom. I don't think you've met her yet."
"I'm Marjorie Wilson," Marjorie said, holding out her hand.
"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Wilson. I've had the pleasure of getting acquainted with your son already. You have every right to be proud of him."
"Thank you! You can be sure that I am, too. Well, most of the time anyway," Marjorie said, ruffling Lee's hair.
Lee blushed, and everyone else laughed.
Soon after Jay had finished his piece of cake and can of coke, his head started to bob sleepily in spite of the good time they all were having together, and Uncle Robert noticed it right away.
"I think we're all wearing you out, punkin," he said. "I'm going to put you to bed."
Jay protested politely, but somewhat feebly. He was tired, after all, and it wasn't hard to convince him that he needed to rest. It had been a wonderful day and he was very happy, but enough is enough. He thanked Marjorie for bringing that delicious cake, and then he thanked all of them for coming. One by one, they gave him a hug, saying they would see him again very soon, and prepared to go.
Uncle Robert led him back to his room and helped him get situated on his bed, adjusting the angle of it till it was just right. Then he put a blanket over him and gave him a kiss on the forehead. By then Jay was already asleep.