If you are here illegally, then it is time for you to leave. This story contains man/man sex. If this is bothers you, then it is time for you to leave also. This story is fiction but some of it is based on real situations. The names and places have been changed.
Sunset on the Edge of the High Desert
by John of Colorado
cldjhn@yahoo.com
Chapter 4
Gene and Sarah arrived and came directly to Joe's room. Dan followed shortly. I was hugging Gene and Sarah. Dan wanted to know what had happened. I told him going into as much detail as possible. He asked me if I wanted him to represent me. "I don't remember taking you off my payroll." I said with a grin. "I am going to remove Joe from the life support tomorrow at 2:00 but I may wait now. I wanted all of you to be there along with Rev. Paul." "Louie, I think you must go ahead with your plans. I know Adam wanted to be there with you but right now you must think about what is best for Joe." Said Gene. "We will be here if at all possible. What about the kids? Do you want them to? I will call Rev. Paul if you would like me to." "I think Gene is right. What time do we have to be in court?" Asked Dan. "Sarah, you and Tim have to make the decision about the kids. They are entirely welcome but the decisions has to be yours to make." "We are very open with the kids. They already know why Joe is the hospital and that he is your partner. They understand about gays. They know that you are gay and that Adam is gay. That does not change their feeling s for you two. They know that Joe is dying and they would like to be here for you when the time arrives." Sara explained. "Thanks! I feel so fortunate having friends like all of you and I would love to have the kids here with me. Court is scheduled for 9:00. Do you know a Judge Logan?" I questioned. "Yes" came from all three at the same time. "He is one of the best and on the side of Gays. I think you will really like him." commented Dan. "He is the one I would have picked, if I had a choice. Adam deserves the best and I know Judge Logan will treat him right. I know Adam won't be on trial but his attackers will be. At least they will get what they have coming . This is a true hate crime and all three of them must be punished." Gene exclaimed. "You are right! I will go ahead as planned. Gene, you can call Rev. Paul, If you would please. You can use my cell phone if you would like and call him tonight. Thanks!" I showed Dan Lila's will. He was really surprised. He said his people would complete the filling of all the papers by the time we got out of court tomorrow. Now that Rev. Rogers would be out of the picture, he would not be in a position to contest Lila's will. "I wonder what is going on with Adam? I think I will go and see if I can find out anything!" "No, Louie, Just you sit down and stay out of the doctor's way. He will come here just as soon as he can." Gene said with authority. "Man, you had better listen to that woman. She knows what she is talking about." came a voice from the doorway. Dr. John enter the room and came directly to Gene. "Gene, we have good news for the most part. Adam has no broken bones and no internal bleeding. His spleen and kidneys are severely bruised. I couldn't find any permanent damage. His ribs and face took quite a beating but nothing is broken. All in all he is a lot better shape that I originally thought. He is going to be one sore guy for awhile. Right now he is not to pretty to look at but that will all change with time. I have him heavily sedated and he will sleep through the night without any problem. I can move him into his own room or wherever you want him." stated Dr. John. "Louie, would you like to have Adam in here with you and Joe? Gene inquired. "I would like nothing better. I probably won't get much sleep but any case, I would have both my men in one place." acknowledged Louie. "Dr. John, you can move him in here. Louie can take the place of the nurse on duty and she can have a big break." laughed Gene. "Louie, Joe's mother died just before the attack. Rev. Roberts was in her room and he had a copy of her new will. He was not a happy camper. Adam was the unfortunate one but he came out better than expected. Here let me look at your face. You took a real nasty blow." "Hey! I am all right." "Now, don't be so wimpy and hold still and let me have a look. My! My! I think I had better get you to surgery right away. This looks bad!" Gene, Sarah and Dan joined Dr. John with laughter. "All right! I will get even with all of you. Just you wait." laughed Louie. "I think you are going to have one big ugly shiner. Do you need some pain killers?" "No, I am tough as one can get and I'll get by." "I think I will give you a sleeping pill anyway." "Thanks Doc!" "I think Sarah and I will leave and rescue Tim for the two wild things. He is probably a basket case for now. We will stop by about 7 and we'll get breakfast before we go to court." Gene kissed Louie on the check and they left. "I will see you in court." said Dan as he was leaving. Louie's sleeping pill was starting to take effect and soon he was out for the night. Early in the morning, Adam was moaning and trying to get the call button. Louie heard him and was by his side immediately. Adam's lips were so swollen that he could not speak. Louie got a wash cloth wet and squeezed it so a drop of water hit his lips. He did this several times and gently placed the cloth on the swollen lips. Adam managed a thanks! Some how he got out that he need to use the bathroom. "Look man, I don't think you can get out of bed. I will bet the bed pan and help you out." I got the pan and lifted the covers. "Adam, I don't think this is going to work. You took a direct hit in the groin and you are all swollen. You couldn't pee to save you life. I will have to call the nurse." I pushed the button and he came in. I told the nurse about the problems and he took a quick look. He would have to insert a tube, if he could get one in. Adam was severely swollen and the opening appeared to be closed. The nurse took a swab and alcohol and was able to get the opening to spread a little. The nurse told Adam to grab me and squeeze. That he did. I felt like I would be the one who would have broken ribs. Somehow, the nurse put the tube right in and with out much pain for Adam. This little procedure was barely completed when the two kids came running through the door. I had to stop them before they killed poor Adam. "Uncle Adam, you look terrible." Debbie blurted out. "Debbie, you are suppose to be nice! Do you hurt?" inquired Josh. "Grandpa Louie! Have you looked in the mirror? Your eye is blacker that Adam's" Debbie expounded. Gene, Sarah, and Tim arrived just in time to rescue Adam and me. "Did my two guys have a good night? Are you ready for breakfast, Louie? Adam is going to get his breakfast through his tube this morning. See you later, honey. You'll have to wait and we can have breakfast sometime in the near future." remarked Gene. Somehow, we manage to get through breakfast. Everyone was concerned about the up coming court session.. However, the kids ate enough for all of us. There was nothing wrong with their appetites. We were sitting in the courtroom and finally after what seemed an eternity the session was under way. All three men pleaded not guilty to all charges. All three had state appointed attorneys, who all asked for the men be release with out bail. The state rejected the idea that the men be released and wanted all three remain in jail because of the nature of the crime. Dan asked to be recognized as attorney for both Adam and me. He said given all the anti gay activities of Rev. Roberts and his followers, there was really no assurance that the three would not perform the same hate crimes again. He felt that they were really a threat to society especially Adam and Louie. The judge asked to see all the attorneys in his office before he made his decision. One could only guess what he wanted to know. Rev. Roberts became very defensive and had to be restrained by the officers in the court. The judge and attorneys all returned to the court room. The judge ruled that all three men would remain in custody without bail until their trial in three weeks. The two men asked to be housed away from Roberts in a separate cell. This indicated that unity between the three was beginning to be torn apart. I felt sorry for the two men. It is very plain that they are just victims of circumstance. When people are uninformed, it is so easy to control their minds and actions. "Court is adjourned. Dan and Louie could I see you in my chambers?" "Why does he want to see us?" I asked Dan. "I have no idea, let's go see what he wants." replied Dan. When we were inside Judge Logan's office, he said "Relax guys. What I have to say has nothing what-so-ever to do with Roberts and his case. There are two young men, Jeff and Tony, age 20 in jail and they are coming before me tomorrow and I need a decision from you today. They were involved in a fight yesterday and now I will have make a decision on their case. They were in a tavern talking with two young men who are gay. Several others started needling the four men. Finally, Jeff hit the ring leader in the mouth as hard as he could. This started the fight. It was four against four and was a even match. However, the hecklers got the worse end of the deal and got whipped fair and square. However, I can't take all of this into consideration. The police were called and the other four men signed complaints against the gays and their two friends. Of course, counter complaints were signed against the hecklers. They were charged and are all in jail. I can probably get off with just probation for all 8 men. However, the two guys were underage and drinking. They had fake id's and those charges will have to stand. I have to use just the facts." "Here is what I have for you. Louie, if you were to hire Jeff and Tony and take them to Oregon with you, I could give them a year of probation. You would serve as the probation office and report back to me each month . They are both good kids and need a break. I have to be honest with you. Dan and I have already discussed this problem before you were called in." "Judge Logan, I have a good feeling that you and Dan have the best interest of Jeff and Tony at heart. However, before I can make a decision, I would need to talk with both boys but I feel a deal in the making. I would like to have both boys alone, if possible." "Louie, You're going to think that we have ganged up on you and you would be right. We already have the young men in the next room. We knew that you would want to talk with them before a decision was made. I will have you escorted next door and will see you back in here when you are finished." "Judge, if I say no at least you tried. I feel that both you and Dan are concerned with the young men's welfare and well being. I appreciate what you are trying to do for the young men." I went next door and was met by two very good looking young men. I was introduced to them and the guard left the room. "I know all about the event of last night. As you can see from my eye I had a little excitement myself. I too was involved in a hate crime so I know how you feel. That is not what I want to talk to about. I know that my friend, Dan and Judge Logan has talked with you. I want to know about each of you, your feelings and what makes you tick." I got a very good response from each of them. Both had grown up on farms and had gone to the same high school and been best friends since the 4th grade. "I want to ask some very pointed questions and I would like honest answers. What you tell me stays in this room. First, are you gay?" Jeff started off. "I really don't know. I really like Tony. I would even say that I love him like a brother. We are best friends and I hope we will always be friends." Tony agreed with Jeff. "We have messed around a little. You know jacking off together and have jacked each other. I really wouldn't call that gay. Would you? Can two people have these strong feeling and not be gay?" "I think that two people can have the feeling that you have described and still not be gay. You will know if and when your relationship becomes more that just a friendship. It will just be something that happens. I am gay and my life partner is in the hospital. He is on life support and will be disconnected this afternoon. I meet a young man a couple of days ago and I have very strong feelings for him. Yet they are not sexual in nature even though I love being with this guy. I think we are going to be best friends for a long time. Now how do feel about working for a gay boss?" Jeff was the first to speak. "Louie, I don't think being gay has anything to do with you as a boss. If you do your job and we do ours, then being a homosexual should not enter into the picture. If you make a pass at me and I don't like it then your other eye will look worse than the black eye you are now wearing. No not really, I was just joking." "Tony, let's take Jeff's comment a step farther. How would you feel if I made a play for you?" "Louie, I really don't know how to answer. I might like it and encourage you or I might just tell you that I am not interested." answered Tony. "Now for the big one! How do you feel about gay people?" "I look at a person as an individual and I try not to judge them. What two consenting adults do or feel toward each other is really none of my business. I am not concerned with a person's skin color or his personal beliefs. However, if someone tries to cause harm to a gay individual or couple, then that is another matter. I would get involved as I did last night. If a person is forced against his will or a child is involved, then that is completely different " Tony answered. "I have to agree with Tony. We were talking and enjoying the company of the two men in the bar. We had meet recently and we are becoming good friends. Those other guys made us mad and we reacted. I would have done the same if they had been straight. I have no regrets as to what we did." "I like what I am hearing. I think you two are someone that I would like to have as friends. I am offering you a job working for me. I have a large ranch in Central Oregon. It would mean a lot of hard work but you have amply rewards for a job well done. Would you be willing to relocate to Oregon. "Louie, we don't even have to consider. We had already made our mind up to accept if you offered us a job. So the answer is yes." Jeff interjected. "Just one question, Louie. Would you consider offering our fiends from the bar a job?" Tony questioned. "I certainly would. I would like to talk with them as I have done with you." Louie replied. "I will go next door and meet with Dan and Judge Logan. I went back to Judge Logan's office and told them of my decision and that I wanted to meet with the other two guys before court tomorrow. I told Dan that we had better go to lunch and head for the hospital. 2:00 would be there before we were ready if we did not move. We arrived at the hospital about 15 minutes early. My knees went to jelly and I sat down in the hallway. Dan got a wheelchair and put me in it. I didn't think that I could go through with this ordeal. Dan assured me that with all my friend there for support that I would make it. He called his office and all the paper work had been filled. He pushed me into the room and every one was in Joe's room waiting for us. Debbie and Josh rushed to me and hugged me very tight. Adam was up and in a wheel chair, also. He gave me a big hug and whispered "I love you in my ear." I asked if I could have a few minutes alone with Joe and the room cleared immediately. I hugged Joe and just held him for a few minutes. I told him everything that had happened and that his mother had passed away and that she had given him her blessings. I now let go and started crying. Adam heard me sobbing and asked Rev. Paul to push him into the room. I asked them to bring the others into the room. The time had come. I held Joe very close. The others all joined hands and made a closed circle around Joe. Rev Paul laid one hand over Joe's and Mine. He joined with the others to form a circle. Adam completed the circle and laid his other hand on Rev. Paul's. I could feel the energy flowing around the circle. Rev. Paul offered a prayer for Joe and one for me. Dr. John left the circle and removed the tubes and returned to the circle. Not a word was said. Each was offering a silent prayer. Gene and Sarah started singing, `I will always love You'. Joe lasted for 20 minutes and the it was all over. He was at last at peace. I had been crying through out the whole process. I was not alone. My friends, through their love and caring, helped me survive the whole tribulation. I knew that I had made the appropriate decision.