Back at the house, Aidan was in Robert's office. "You wanted to see me?"
"Yes? I want you to look at these pictures."
Aidan saw the vanilla envelop on the desk and opened to find a series of medical films all showed nearly the same thing. "Have you told Josh yet?"
"No?and how can I? better I go away on a business trip and have this thing handled.
"This "thing" as you call it might take more time then a simple business trip. There are also the sexual effects."
"That is where you come in? now that I know you are clean."
"I thought you just wanted me to act as his friend-slash-therapist"
"Now I want you to be his lover? or at least one of them."
"You mean share Josh?" Aidan said unsure.
"I am eight years older then he is. I am out of shape and? and?"
"Say the word Robert? you must admit the truth to yourself if you are going to aact on it."
"I have cancer? Alright, there I said it."
"You have mid-stage prostate cancer is what it is."
"I know."
"You will have to have most of your prostate removed and undergo radiation and chemo. This will take months."
"Months for Josh to fall madly in love with you!"
"Robert? JOSH LOVES YOU!"
"And he always will. But what if I don't make it?. What if I die? What would happen to my?" Robert tried to argue as he broke down into tears.
"Robert? I am not some puppy you buy your child when the first one starts getting too old and sick."
"Yes you are Aidan. Yes you are a therapist, which means you can understand Josh and the terrible sadness that takes over him. You are also a doctor, and can help Josh understand what I am going through. You are more handsome than I ever was and unlike me, Josh is able to go out and have fun with you. In fact I believe my Josh is already in love with you in his own way."
"But not the way he loves you."
"Yes? Josh and I love each other in a way that is very profound. We did not make love to each other for over a dozen years but our love was just as passionate as it is today. Even if I lose my ability to have sex with Josh? I will still be able to make love to him in the way we did for those dozen years we pretended we were not lovers."
"So you want me to be his sex toy?"
"Don't you?"
"?Yes, you got me. I am in love with your Josh but I will not go about trying to replace you. Josh is yours till the day you die? Me? I guess I will be more of a consort or sexual companion."
"No Aidan? you will be a lot more. You are my replacement. I will not make the move with Josh to San Diego. I will take care of things here."
Aidan shook his head. "You are going to break his heart? just like you did when you caught syphilis. If you can't have all of Josh you want none of him."
"No Aidan that is not it... I want what Josh and I had to remain perfect in both our minds. These past months have been the best in my life. I want these to be the last memories I have."
Suspecting something Aidan looked down on the date of the films. "These are a year old!"
"Yes?" Robert nodded guilty.
"How sick are you!" Aidan demanded.
"More than I look? I have even taken to using steroids to hide things from Josh."
"You idiot? if you got treatment a year ago? you could have stood a good chance at living!"
"If I had gone into treatment? Josh would not have made it." Robert replied as he took out a large thick file.
"What is this?"
"Josh's psych file. . I had Mrs. Williams steal them for me. The year before Andrew left him Josh tried to kill himself, that was how unhappy he was with his marriage."
Aidan began reading Josh's file? He learned of the death of his parents, the abuse of his adoptive ones, his marriage, the suicide attempt and the problem admitting he was gay. Then there were the bouts of depression that would come and go with Josh running to me each time. Aidan? I did not go into the hospital because Josh was in the middle of one of his depressions and needed me. My life was the only thing I could give Josh to save his."
"But from what I am reading he will kill himself before letting you die!"
"That is why Josh needs you now. I have to go to the hospital if I am going to live but Josh must not know this. You need to take care of him till I am better or?"
"Or you are dead." Aidan replied bitterly.
"Answer me this? do you or do you not love my Josh."
"I do not know if it is love in the sense of what you and he have but I find him? well I find him amazing. He is such a strong father but also a gentle person. You are right when you say he needs taking care of. Can I also say that I want that ass of his."
"You can? it is a perfect one at that."
"How Andrew could have left it I will never understand." Aidan laughed. "When are you leaving?"
"Tonight?."
"Fine but I am going to tell Josh the truth. He deservers that at the very least."
"Agreed but only when I am gone."
"He is going to be mad."
"Good? that is the best time to try and seduce him? you will find that it is easier to get him horny when he is angry."
"Really?" Aidan grinned.
"Why don't you go see for yourself? My car is already packed. When I leave this room I am leaving for the hospital. Good luck.
"Good luck yourself? and you better come back or else." Aidan warned.
"I will if I can." Robert replied.
There was then a long awkward silence. "Well I better go?" Robert sighed. He stood up and left the room. Aidan then heard the sound of Robert's SUV drive off. He then stayed in Robert's, now his office, trying to think of how he was going to explain things to Josh.
Realizing however there was no simple way to tell Jason, Aidan stood up and made his way through the secret bookshelf door into Josh's room. There he found Josh studying a set of files.
"Aidan!" Josh said surprised.
The bright smile on Josh's face was too much. Aidan walked right up to Josh pulled him up from his chair and pressed his lips against Josh's, forcing his tongue into the older man's mouth. At the same time Aidan let his hands run down Josh's back until they were cupping his round ass.
Aidan's claiming of Josh seemed to do the trick as a tear ran down Josh's face. "Robert?"
"I am sorry Josh, but he has to take care of something. He asked me to take care of you though."
"Take care of me? I am almost twice your age."
"But you have a body that almost puts your son's to shame!" Aidan laughed.
"But!" Josh protested.
"Aidan put a hand over Josh's mouth, and did not let him speak until after he had shown him how much he thought about Josh, and his body. Exhausted on the floor, and between wet kisses on Josh's neck and face, Aidan told Josh all that Robert had told him.
"Damn him? he did it again."
"But this time he did it for you."
"But that makes it all my fault. Why do I have to be sad! Why can't I always be the happy person people see me as.
"Josh? you lost your whole family in a car accident. That not only makes a person sad but leaves them feeling as if they can be abandoned at any moment. Robert did not want you to feel that so he stayed when he needed to go. Now, he has no choice but to leave if he is going to have any life with you. But in truth I don't care about that as I want a life with you! Josh? I am crazy, mad, insanely, in love with you!" Aidan finally confessed.
This led to a second round of love making this time ending with both men falling asleep in each other's arms. They were later found by Nate and David who had both found notes left for them by Robert. Seeing the near desperate hold Josh had on Aidan, Nathan brought in a blanket and covered his father's and Aidan's naked bodies.
"I'm sorry Nate." David said once they were back in their room.
"No? Robert will come back if he can. I do not know if I can look at Aidan as a father but if he helps my father be happy then I can see him as a uncle."
"No offense? but seeing those two together has? well, put me in the mood so to speak." David blushed.
"Aidan is? well, most men would not be able to say no to him." Nathan blushed as well.
"I was referring to your father. I have never seen him naked before like that. He's?"
Nathan reached out and punched David on the shoulder. "He is my father."
"And a wonderful man. I now see why my father wanted him as a lover if I were older I would have gone after your father as well."
"But you got me instead," Nate pointed out.
"That I did," David laughed.
The two young men then made love of their own? and it was good.