Someone to Watch over Me, Chapter 10
Warning:
This story contains scenes of love and sexual interaction between males of consenting age. If the reading or possessing this material is illegal in your country, state, province, county, municipality, etc., please leave this site immediately and do not proceed further. If you are under the legal age to read this, please do not do so. It is not my intention to offend anyone or to get you in trouble.
The author retains the copyright, and any other rights, to this original story. You may not publish it or any part of it without explicit authorization from me.
This is not my first attempt at writing fiction. My longer stories on Nifty include: "Always and Forever" (March 25, 2004), "Jacob and Jacques" (May 30, 2004), "Zeke" (August 29, 2005), "Tales from Bentonville" (November 16, 2008), and "Second Chance" (September 24, 2010) under "High School" in the gay male section. There are a few short stories also: "Brad and Alan's Canoe Trip" (April 22, 2004 under "Camping", "Of Angels and Dragons" (November 8, 2008) under "Camping", "A Christmas Tale" (December 22, 2009) under "High School", "Brazil Affair (October 1, 2010) under "Beginnings", and "Seth's Gift" (October 10, 2010) under the Science Fiction/Fantasy category.
I am now listed on Nifty under the category of "Prolific Net Authors" which will make it easier for you to access earlier stories. Some of these stories are also posted at: www.storylover.us along with those of other writers that may interest you.
My only reward for contributing to Nifty is your emails. Please write if you like the story. Please include the name of the story in the title of your email because my email service sometimes puts them in the "spam" file.
Finally, thanks and hugs to Tom and David who edit for me so that there are fewer mistakes! They not only proof-read, but make other valuable suggestions.
David (dlee169@hotmail.com)
Someone to Watch over Me, Chapter 10
Family members took turns waiting by Doug's bedside the next day. Reverend Stone came in the afternoon to check on him and say another prayer for his recovery. Paul left Doug's side only to take care of his physical needs.
On his rounds, Dr. Chris told them that Doug would slowly come out of the coma within the next 24 hours. The medicine was being withdrawn, but its residual effects lasted longer in some patients.
"He should be conscious and talking by this time tomorrow. Then we can begin the therapy he'll need to make a full recovery. I have every reason to be hopeful in that regard. If you think I'm not leveling with you, just ask Dakota. He knows I don't BS."
"Thanks for being straight with me," Paul joked. "I appreciate it even though I'm not straight!"
"I'm straight with everyone, but I'm not narrow," Chris smiled, with a hand on his shoulder.
In the afternoon, Tom and Ashley both went back to their jobs. They couldn't do anything for Doug at present, and they wanted to save their family illness days for a time when he would be conscious and enjoy their visit.
Gwen stayed on because she had several weeks of vacation. Her consulting duties coincided with the regular school session, so she kept the same schedule as public school teachers. Of course her on-line teaching would be starting up again shortly, but she could do that from anyplace she had access to wireless. While watching over her son, she was currently on the computer tweaking a couple of assignments before classes opened again in two weeks.
Paul tried to work some on his laptop too, but found it very difficult to concentrate. He napped on the couch in Doug's hospital room so that he'd be able to survive on less sleep that night.
About 4:00 a.m., Paul was awakened by the soft sound of someone singing in a kind of rasping voice.
I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood
I know I could always be good
To one who'll watch over me
Paul was awake in an instant. The lyrics he heard were coming from Doug's lips.
"Baby, you're awake!"
"I – I – I'm here. Can't say right..."
"You're doing fine. Don't stress! Your singing was perfect."
"Can't talk right."
"That will come with therapy. I've heard that some people can sing their words because singing involves the other side of their brain. Maybe you could do that."
"I love you, Paul," Doug sang with a big grin on his face.
Paul was elated to hear him get his words out correctly in a singing fashion and also to note that his smile was nearly straight. It seemed like a miracle. He pushed the call button to summon a nurse to witness.
"Is something wrong?" Nurse Ames asked, hurrying into the room.
"No! Everything's great! He's awake and he knows me."
"Mr. Hartke, can you talk to me?"
"Yes."
"Do you know where you are?"
"Hospital."
"Do you know what happened to you?"
"Stroke."
"Can you tell me in a full sentence?"
"Can't – can't – get words..."
"That's okay. It will come. You're doing fine. I want you to try to take a sip of water to check your ability to swallow. Please go easy and don't try to take too much."
Doug was able to swallow the first sip and wanted more. It was a good sign.
"No doubt you're hungry," she said.
"Starbed." He slurred.
"I'll see if we can find you something soft to try. I'll be back soon."
While waiting for the nurse to return, Doug encouraged Paul to talk to him. He lay back, trying not to do much other than add a word here and there to keep Paul going. He seemed more starved for Paul's voice than for food.
"Heard you sing," Doug said. "Knew you here... Felt love."
Paul didn't answer him with words, but bent down to kiss him instead. His tears splashed on Doug's face. Doug wept silently too.
"Hey, what's the tears for?" Nurse Ames asked as she returned.
"Love!" Doug croaked. "Love him."
"I know he loves you. He's hardly left your side for the past 36 hours. I think you've got a keeper here."
"I keep!" Doug responded.
Doug tried to feed himself, but didn't have the best of luck, dribbling much of it on the front of his hospital gown. Paul took over so that Doug would actually get something in his mouth. Besides, he loved being able to do something constructive for his lover. Doug seemed to thrive on the attention. Nurse Ames had to smile at the interaction. She had seen numerous heterosexual couples in situations like this, but this was her first with a gay couple. She wished the scene could be taped for viewing by people who opposed same-sex marriage. It could go viral on YouTube and it might just change a few hearts and minds.
Ashley, Gwen, and Tom all arrived together about two hours later. Tom and Ashley were planning to pop in to check on Doug before their long drive to work. They were surprised and elated to see him sitting up, taking nourishment, and interacting with other people.
"Knew you here," Doug said. "Dakota too. All here."
"Yes, Dakota came in by private plane to make sure you were getting the best treatment available," his mother said. "Does he know you're awake?"
"We called him a few minutes ago," Paul told her. "We were really excited when Doug first spoke very early this morning, but felt our news would keep until Dakota had a little more sleep. He was already up when we got hold of him, and said he had a feeling that we'd be calling this morning with good news. I also called my brother, Mike, and he's coming to visit this afternoon. Mike thinks Doug is a hunk and wants a guy just like him."
"You should have had another gay son, Mom," Ashley teased. "Then we could help plan a double wedding."
Their conversation was interrupted by a handsome young therapist who came into the room. Ashley immediately went into `primping' mode. He looked like boyfriend material to her.
"My name is Sebastian and I'll be your server. Oops, that was in another life. I'm your therapist and I'm here to take you for a walk already. We want to see how your body responds to physical activity."
Everyone smiled at his light-hearted banter. He seemed like the ideal type to cheer patients and coax them into doing more than they would be able to do alone.
Sebastian and Paul helped Doug out of his bed and into a standing position. Paul quickly put a robe around his partner to cover his butt which was left exposed by the `humiliation gown' as he liked to call it.
Doug was allowed to use the IV stand as a mobile cane, but was encouraged to walk as normally as he could. He did quite well, and walked to the elevators at the far end of the hall and back. He was rather tired from the experience when he returned to his room.
"That was great!" Sebastian enthused. "Give me five."
Doug responded to his request, slapping his hand down against Sebastian's upturned one.
"Someone will be here in an hour or two to take you for speech therapy. I'll be back this afternoon to show you the occupational therapy room. We have a car there for you to get in and out of, and several other things to do. The quicker you can do them, the sooner you'll be going home."
"Thanks," Doug said.
Tom and Ashley took their leave when the nurse came to take Doug to have an MRI and other tests. She brought a wheelchair which Paul insisted on pushing.
Evidently, the results of the tests were good, because everyone seemed to be smiling – even more than they would need to in order to reassure patients.
Doug was really spent when he got tucked into bed again. He slept soundly until another nurse came to take him to speech therapy.
Paul went along to see what was being done so he could coach him at other times during the day. He wanted to make sure he was doing the right thing when he did.
Trying to speak correctly turned out to be more frustrating for Doug than walking. He simply couldn't call up the words he wanted to use. He did well at responding to commands and recognizing pictures. However, sometimes he couldn't name them. For instance, he was shown the picture of a piece of pecan pie. He grinned when he saw it because it was one of his favorites. But when asked to identify it, he licked his lips and said, "sweet" instead of pie.
"Yes, it's sweet. It's a dessert. Can you name it?" the therapist asked.
"No," Doug said sadly.
"It starts with the letter p'. Can you start with the sound, puh'?"
Doug puckered his lips and made the sound. Then the therapist wrote the word pie on the whiteboard and Doug was able to say it. He felt quite proud of himself.
Paul had to turn away because he didn't want Doug to see his tears. The moment made Paul both sad and hopeful; sad that this tiny accomplishment seemed momentous to Doug, but happy that progress was being made.
Doug did justice to the light, soft food he was served for lunch. He tried again to feed himself, but gave up after a few spoonfuls. It was easier to let Paul do if for him, but he reminded himself that he couldn't always be dependent on his partner. He'd have to push to do better.
Soon after he'd eaten, Doug fell asleep. Paul took the opportunity to go to the cafeteria for his own lunch.
"Gwen said I'd find you here," Mike greeted him.
"Have you eaten yet?"
"Well, I had a granola bar on the way."
"Here, take this money and get yourself a proper meal and join me."
"Nah, I've got my own money; I'm not gonna sponge."
Moments later, Mike returned with his tray and the brothers enjoyed a pleasant visit while they ate.
After they'd discussed Doug's progress, Mike turned the conversation toward what was going on at home. He said that he'd awakened at 5:00 because of a thunderstorm and found that their mother wasn't home yet from the night before. At 7:30, when he went downstairs, she was making breakfast and acting like she'd been home since midnight.
"I'm pretty sure she's gettin' laid because she's so darned happy," Mike giggled.
"That's putting it a little bluntly, don't you think?"
"Maybe, but I'll put a 20 dollar bill on it if you want to make a bet."
"Nope, I'm not into losing money that easily. That Larry guy better be good to her or he'll answer to me!" Paul exclaimed.
"To us," Mike corrected him.
Mike went on to talk about his love-life which he said was nonexistent.
"If if weren't for Mr. Hand and his five sons, I'd be really hard up," Mike complained. "I've got to find a fuck buddy if nothing else."
"Shh! Keep your voice down. That's not exactly the usual lunchroom topic." Paul cautioned.
"Sorry," Mike whispered and giggled at the same time. "I'm not usually this careless, but I'm horny as hell!"
"You're forgiven. It's my fault anyway. I never should have taught you to spank the monkey. I think I created a young addict." Paul whispered back.
"I'm really glad you did. It was always great knowing more than a lot of my classmates back in middle school. Some of them were totally naïve."
"So, I didn't corrupt you?"
"Nah, you gave me the knowledge to be one of the cool guys in the locker room."
When the brothers got back to the room, Doug was being awakened by Sebastian who was there to take him for occupational therapy.
"Hey Sebastian, this is my brother, Mike. Is it okay if he tags along too?"
"The more the merrier," Sebastian smiled, looking Mike over thoroughly in a rapid glance.
Paul didn't miss Sebastian's quick appraisal and smile. It caused the needle on Paul's gaydar gauge to go into the red zone. He decided he'd keep watch to see if Mike got the same impression.
Sebastian had Doug get in and out of the car seat on both the driver's and passenger's sides. Doug accomplished the movements with relative ease, though he moved more like a senior citizen than a dude in his 20's.
Still, he didn't have any serious difficulty doing it.
There were other setups in the area to simulate daily situations. Doug had problems with some, but not others. He wasn't ready to go out into the world on his own, but he was making significant progress.
All the time Sebastian was working with Doug, he kept up a running commentary about how well he was doing. However, his eyes weren't always on his patient. He seemed to direct them often toward Mike. Neither Paul nor Mike missed that.
As the trio was walking Doug back to his room, Mike asked Sebastian about what kind of education and training it took to do what he did. Sebastian warmed to the subject, of course. They got involved in their conversation as if the other two didn't exist. Doug nudged Paul and grinned. Evidently his stroke hadn't disabled his sixth-sense.
"I'd love to learn more about occupational therapy," Mike said, as they got near their destination.
"I'd be happy to tell you more," Sebastian told him. "I have a half hour break before my next patient. We could go to the cafeteria for a snack if you like."
Mike looked toward Paul and Doug for their approval. Both nodded their heads.
Doug was down for another nap, so Gwen took the opportunity to go home to Doug's house for a nap of her own. She offered to stay so Paul could go, but he declined, saying he'd wait until after Mike left.
Mike came back 25 minutes later grinning from ear to ear.
"Well?" Paul asked.
"He's a stud!"
"What, did he take you to the men's room and show you?"
"NO! He's just really cool and nice and cute..." Mike rambled on.
"Steady, boy! You'd better sit down because you're jeans are tenting."
Mike glanced down without thinking, sending Paul into fits of laughter. It was the first time he'd laughed since he'd found Doug in the kitchen.
"Gotcha!"
"Jeez! I thought maybe I really was throwing wood. I'm that horny."
"I know, and I think it's cute. Just remember, he's older and probably been around. Be careful with your heart."
"He's your age and that's not as much difference as there is between you and Doug."
"I'm not saying he's too old for you. I'm just saying..."
"I'll be careful," Mike insisted. "He's asked me to grab a bite to eat with him when he gets off work and then he wants to show me his apartment."
"He's moving pretty fast!"
"I'm not afraid; he's really nice. I don't think he'd try to do anything I wouldn't want him to."
"That's what really scares me!" Paul smiled.
Doug overheard the last part of their conversation and smiled as well. He felt protective toward Mike too, but he also knew the boy would have to spread his wings sometime.
A young man in green scrubs came into the room carrying a small kit with rubber gloves and other supplies.
"Mr. Hartke, I'm Jim and I'm here to relieve you of one of your tubes."
"Doug," he said gesturing toward himself.
"Okay, Doug. Can you guess which tube?"
"In dick?"
"Yup. Are you ready to get rid of that one?"
"Yes!"
"If you other gentlemen would step out into the hall, I'll be quick about it."
"Paul stay!" Doug insisted.
"Which one is Paul?"
"Husband," Doug smiled, tugging on Paul's hand. "Knows dick. Might scare Mike."
"Hey, I'm not that easily intimidated!" Mike laughed. "But I know my bro doesn't want to share your private parts with me, so I'll be outside."
Jim accomplished his task gently, but as quickly as possible to avoid having Doug build up a sense of dread. Doug did grimace once when the end of the tube moved through the final four inches.
"Thanks. Glad done." Doug managed to say. "You good."
"I try to be careful when I'm handling a man's favorite part," Jim smiled. "I hope it didn't hurt more than absolutely necessary."
"Owie; Paul kiss."
"Doug!" Paul blushed. "I think that stroke damaged the discretion filter on your tongue!"
"I'm leaving now. I'll keep the other guy occupied in the hall long enough for you to kiss his owie. That could be the best thing you do for him today!"
Jim did distract Mike, and Paul did what he suggested.
"Better!" Doug insisted, grinning slyly.
"I think you're turning into a dirty old man!" Paul joked.
"Yes!" Doug confirmed.
Doug's parents and sister came back to be with him in the early evening. They weren't planning to stay too long because they knew he'd had a strenuous day of therapy, but they hoped to talk to the doctor again before they left.
When Dr. Chris made his rounds after dinner, he said he'd brought another doctor with him who was waiting outside the door.
"Hi everyone, I'm bringing in a well-known specialist to talk to you. Please welcome Dr. Dakota Hartke!" he said as he beckoned Dakota to follow him.
"Love you, love you," Doug cried as the brothers embraced.
"I love you too!" Dakota smiled. "I'm so happy to see you're doing so well."
"You, Paul, Chris do it." Doug exclaimed with tears in his eyes.
"I'm glad we could help." Dakota said, wiping his eyes. "Let me go get Tara and the kids. They wanted me to go first to surprise you."
Doug was pleased to see the youngest members of the family as well as his sister-in-law. They were planning to stay overnight and see him briefly again the next day.
Tara and Gwen left with the children after a few minutes. Dakota, Tom, and Ashley stayed until nearly 8:00 because Doug wanted them there despite feeling tired. As soon as they saw his eyelids drooping, they also bid him goodnight.
When they were alone again, Doug urged Paul to go home to sleep.
"Nope, I'll go shower and change, but I'm gonna be here all night. You may as well get used to it. I'm not leaving you alone."
Author's notes: Thanks to those who emailed since last posting: Rutabaga, RC, Walt S, Jess M, Carroll, Bill T, Jim W, Jack, Lawrence N, Jim C, Bert, Alastair, Todd, Gary McC, Mark S, Paul R, Richard (Dick) W (about Zeke), Paul F, Michael T, Trish R, Oxford Hp, Carroll, Paul L, and Mike B. Since I started to post this story, I've heard from 48 people who hadn't written before. Thanks and welcome Mike.
I'd like to recommend "A Christmas Wish." http://west.nifty.org/nifty/gay/highschool/a-christmas-wish/
I think you'll like this beautiful story.
David