This story is purely fictional. However, some places mentioned do in fact exist, but certain things may be changed for the advantage of the story. This story will, at some point, include sexual relations between two college-age males. If you don't want to read something like that, then leave. If you are under the age of 18 (21 in some areas), or if it is illegal for you to view this material, then you should exit out of this.
This story is copyrighted and may not be copied for any reason, without the author's permission.
Authors note
In this chapter, I introduce Pete. I feel it's necessary to include his pov to best describe how he is feeling.
Previously...
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE!? LEAVE! GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE, FAG!"
Noah
Right after he yelled at me, a nurse came running into the room.
"What's going on here? Sir, this is a hospital; if you can't stop yelling, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"You can't tell me what I can and can't do! I don't want this fag here; call security!"
"Sir," she said this sarcastically, "I can call security for you if you would like."
"Yes, I would; didn't I just ask you to do that?"
"Ok, I'll be right back."
She came back, but instead of pointing to me, she pointed to my dad!
"That's the man that needs to be escorted out."
"Hey! Wait just a fucking minute! You can't do this; I'm here to visit my son. This fag is the one who needs to go!"
They grabbed my dad by the arms and led him out, him screaming the whole way to the elevator. I looked at my mom, and she glared at me, turned to Pete, and said "We'll be back to get you tomorrow." She turned and stormed out, leaving us staring at each other, and then, as if it were planned, we all burst out laughing.
"I can't believe that nurse!" Pete said.
"I know; I thought she was bringing back security for me."
"I thought we would both be thrown out on our asses," Josh said.
We were interrupted by the nurse coming back.
"Sorry about that," she said.
"Hey, it's no problem; I was going to tell him to leave anyway." Pete said.
"I just couldn't allow him to continue; my daughter is gay, and I hate homophobic people," the nurse said.
"Well, thanks again. I haven't seen my brother in a while," Pete replied.
"How are you feeling?" the nursed asked.
"I'm doing fine. Is there any way I can see my friend Jason?"
"Do you know if he is in ICU or a regular room?"
"He is in ICU," I answered for him.
"I'm sorry; if he is in ICU, only family can see him. It's a stupid rule to me, but there's nothing I can do about it."
The look on Pete's face, when he heard that, broke my heart, and I knew I had to find a way for him to see Jason.
"Hey, Pete, I'll be right back, ok? Josh, will you stay with him?"
Seeing them both nod their heads, I headed back to the waiting room in search of either Justin or his mom. When I got there, they were both sitting in the room.
"Hey, I thought one or both of you would be in Jason's room."
"We were, but they won't allow anybody in there for more than ten minutes at a time, every three hours, so we came back here to wait until next time."
"Umm...listen, I have a favor to ask you. You see, Pete is worried about Jason, and knowing he can't go see him is hurting him. Seeing how desperate he is to see Jason is upsetting to me, because I know how he feels. I know what it's like to feel helpless, to feel like you can't do anything for the person you love. I know you don't really know me, even you, Justin; but you know Pete, Mrs. Myers, so is there any way we can get Pete in to see Jason?"
"First of all, there will be no more of this `Mrs. Myers', my name is Shannon, and I have to say that I absolutely love Pete as another son, and I know how much he loves my son. I can't promise anything, but I'll see what I can do. If he can't see him, it won't be my doing, because I really want him to see Jason; who knows; maybe having him in the room will make Jason want to get better. I'll go see what I can do."
Looking over at Justin, I saw sadness there and, while I wouldn't wish what happened on anyone, it made me see him in a whole new way. He had always been Josh's homophobic roommate, but, today, with his bathroom breakdown, and now the constant sadness present, I know without a doubt that, at the very least, he loves his brother, and not only does he love him, but he loves him even though he knows he is gay. Maybe there is hope for him, yet. I walked over and sat next to him.
"How you doing?"
"Ok, I guess, but seeing him like that..." he didn't finish; he just sat there. I could tell he was trying not to break down again, so I just squeezed his shoulder; that earned me something that resembled a smile. After that, we just sat quietly, waiting for Shannon to get back. It seemed like it took forever, but finally she came back.
"It took a lot of begging, but they agreed that Pete could see Jason, but not until tomorrow. They said that they didn't think it was a good idea to bring him into the room, since he is so critical; that bringing him in there might excite him so much that it ends up doing more harm than good."
"Thank you so much; Pete will be so relieved. I'm going to go tell him."
I headed back to Pete's room with a big smile on my face. I know he loves Jason; I can see it on his face. I know if anything can pull Jason through this, it's Pete. I am so happy for Pete, but, at the same time, I'm worried. I'm worried about what he'll have to go through if my parents find out he's gay, but I put those thoughts out of my mind, as I entered the room.
"I went to go see if Jason's mom could get you in to see him, and she found out you could, but you have to wait until tomorrow."
"Really? That's great! I wish I could see him right now, but I'm glad I'll get to see him soon. I was pissed that the doctor wanted me to stay the night for a dislocated shoulder and a small bump on my head, because I just want to be with Jason; but I guess it gives me an excuse to stay here, and to see him without having to argue with mom and dad about coming back."
"Pete, please...just be careful, ok? I don't want you to get kicked out like I did. Dad didn't do anything but yell at me, but what will happen if he finds out that both of his sons are gay? It might just put him over the edge; I don't want to see anything happen to you."
"Don't worry, Noah; I'll be careful, but to tell you the truth, I'm sick of it. I'm sick of the lies; I'm sick of not being able to spend a lot of time with Jason; and now...now he...he's lying in a hospital bed, and because I've been so scared of them finding out, I haven't really shown him how much I care; I love him. NO! You know what? I'm not going to be careful; fuck them! When, yes, I said when, he wakes up and gets out of here, I'm going to treat him right. I'll take him out on dates more often. I'll spend more time with him. I-I-I...I'll tell him I love him; I'll do anything if he'll just survive!"
With that, he completely broke down. This heart-wrenching cry escaped from him that actually scared me, and made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Both Josh, who had just been standing in the room, not saying anything, and I rushed to him and grabbed him in a hug. We stood there for a while in a big group hug, Josh and I both rocking him slightly, until he managed to get himself under control.
"Sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for."
"Yeah, don't be sorry for crying, and just think, tomorrow you get to see Jason," Josh said.
"I'm going to come back up here tomorrow; since it's Saturday, I don't have anything to do. I'll just make sure mom and dad don't see me. I want to see you again before you go back to hell." I laughed as I said the last part, and Pete couldn't help but join in, his laughter sounding so much better than his crying.
Noticing that visiting hours were almost over, I once again told him I'd be back early tomorrow, and Josh and I left to go back to the waiting room to check on Justin and his mom. When we got there, Justin was the only one sitting there.
"Your mom in with Jason?"
"Yes, she'll be out in a few minutes, and then I get my turn."
"I assume that you're staying here, right?"
"Yep, no way am I leaving; at least until he wakes up."
"Ok, well, if it's alright with you, we are going back to the dorm. We'll be here early in the morning."
"Ok."
"We'll bring you and your mom some breakfast," Josh told him.
"Thanks."
We went out to the parking lot, found my car, and started driving back. It had been a long day and the short drive seemed to take hours, when in reality it was only about ten minutes. We were dragging our feet, as we made our way up to Josh's room. We both stripped down to our boxers and climbed into Josh's bed. Neither of us felt like doing anything. I just kissed him, laid my head down on his chest, and before I knew it, I was asleep.
Josh
I felt completely helpless. I'm Justin's roommate, and he knows me better than he knows Noah. Yet, I didn't do much besides stand or sit in the waiting room, and follow Noah around like a puppy. Don't let Noah fool you - he is strong, caring, wonderful, funny, smart, wonderful, kind, and did I mention `wonderful'? He took charge! I mean, yeah, I offered him up to drive us to the hospital, but he took charge after that. He comforted Justin; he asked that Pete get to see Jason. I also realized just how close he and his brother are.
I felt so bad when Pete broke down, that I didn't think; I just had to hug him, and of course, Noah felt the same; so there we were in a three-way hug. In that moment, I felt that I could love Pete, not as a lover, as a brother, or maybe more like a brother-in-law! As I hugged him, I wished I could take away his pain.
By the time we decided to leave, I was exhausted. I couldn't even think of anything besides my bed, with Noah in it with me, of course. When we got to my room, we both stripped down and crawled into bed. Noah gave me a kiss, and laid his head on my chest. If I never go to sleep another way, I'd be perfectly happy with that.
Justin
"Hey buddy, I'm still here; I'm not leaving you. I'll be here waiting until I know you are going to be ok." I squeezed his hand and his heart rate went up a little bit. "Come on, bro; get that brain under control so we can wake you up." I leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Ok, bud, I have to go back to the waiting room now, but I'll be back in a little bit." I went back to the waiting room to wait another 3 hours. Sitting down on a chair, I squeezed my mom's hand, and laid my head against the wall; it was going to be a long night.
Before I knew it, it was 8 am. The doctor came over to us and said, "Well, I have some good news; it appears that the swelling in Jason's brain has gone down quite a bit. He still has a ways to go, but his chance of survival just went up considerably. I lowered the amount of medicine that's keeping him asleep, so that he will stay asleep, if he needs to, but he doesn't have enough going into him to keep him from waking up when he's ready. The only side effect of it, when he wakes up, will be that he is drowsy. At that time, we will take him off of it completely."
My mom stood up and said, "Thank you so much, Doctor!" She grabbed him and hugged him tightly. He chuckled lightly, and patted her back. "You're welcome, Mrs. Myers," he replied. She then turned to me and hugged me, and started crying tears of relief. I couldn't help but do the same.
Pete
I always felt different from the other boys. I didn't know what to call it, but I knew I was different. I put a name to the difference when I was twelve. When I was thirteen and my brother was fifteen, he came out to me. Of course, I was ok with it, because I was gay myself, but I couldn't make myself come out to him; I just wasn't ready.
Aiden was Noah's boyfriend; he was great! He didn't treat me as his boyfriend's annoying little brother, but more like the little brother he never had; he even called me `lil bro'. When he died, my brother shut down. I tried to be supportive, but I took it hard, too. You had to know Aiden to understand just how much he was, and still is, missed. When he was in the room, you knew it. When Noah was kicked out, I panicked! I should have defended him; I should have come out right then and there. Not admitting that I was gay too, made me feel guilty. From then on, I have felt paranoid that my parents would find out that I'm gay, too, and kick me out like they did him. I was already in a relationship with Jason, so being so paranoid has made me feel even worse about myself, especially now that he is in the hospital fighting to stay alive. God! I don't even want to think about that!
I swear I'll do better; I have to, it isn't far to Jason to keep on doing what we're doing; he deserves more. My thoughts were interrupted when my mom came into the room. What is she doing here so early? Shit! How am I going to get to see Jason?
"Mom, what are you doing here?"
"What do you mean `what am I doing here'; I'm here to pick you up."
"But isn't it too early?"
"No, they said we could come get you anytime after 8 am."
"But I was going to go see Jason."
"Honey, I'm sure you can go see him when he goes home."
"But mom, he is expecting me to be there."
"I highly doubt that dear; he isn't even awake. Here are some clothes; go get changed; your father is waiting."
"But..."
"No arguments; go get dressed."
I sighed, and took the clothes from her. I walked into the bathroom and shut the door, then turned and looked in the mirror. I saw a coward, and I didn't like it. No, I am not going to go back to lying. Jason doesn't deserve it; he deserves better, and I'm going to give it to him. I got dressed quickly, and then left the bathroom to face my mom, possibly for the last time.
"Mom?"
"Yes, sweetie?"
"What would you do if you lost Dad? How would you feel?"
"Why I'd be devastated, of course. Why would you ask such a question?"
"That's what I thought. You know, it's funny, how cold you and dad can be; how hypocritical..."
"Wait just a damn minute!"
"NO! You wait! I've spent sixteen years listening to you, so you can listen to me for a minute. I watched as my brother fell apart; your son. But when you confronted him about moving on, you couldn't be loving, could you? You had to tear him down, and then when you found out he's gay, you had to tear him down even more. Don't you think he was devastated? All you had to do was look at him, and you'd know. Well, you know what? I almost lost the one I love; though I don't think he knows it, because I've been so fucking paranoid that you would kick me out of the house too, that I didn't show him how much he means to me. But you better believe that's all gonna change, because I'm not lying anymore; he doesn't deserve it, and you know what? I don't either. You never know when you might lose the one you love, so I'm going to make sure I treat him like he should be treated. You would have thought I would have learned that lesson when Aiden died, leaving Noah behind, but I didn't; I wish I had. So mom, you've lost both of your sons because of your ignorance. I wish I could feel sorry for you, but I can't. I'll be by to pick up my stuff later."
I left my mom standing there, and went in search of the waiting room, hoping Shannon was there. When I found it and saw her sitting there, I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hey mom!" (she asked me to call her mom a while ago.)
"Hey son!" She said this with a slight smile, making me feel happy that I made her smile.
"How ya holding up?" I asked.
"I was going to ask you the same thing; I'm fine. Oh! Guess what?"
"What?"
"The swelling in his brain has gone down; they say he'll probably be ok."
"Really? Yes! I really want to see him, can I?"
"They took him down for some tests; they said that we have to wait for an hour after he comes back before he has visitors. Sit down and keep me company; Justin went with Josh and Noah to get us all some breakfast, I'll just send him down for some breakfast for you when he comes back"
We were interrupted by my doctor coming in. "There you are; you weren't in your room. You need to come back to the room until your parents show up to sign the release papers."
"My mom was here, but she won't want me to go home with her now. Is there any way I can sign?"
"No, you're only sixteen."
"But..."
"I'LL KILL THE LITTLE FUCKER!"
Shit! My dad! I don't know how he found me, but before I knew it, he came barreling into the waiting room.
SO YOU THINK YOU'RE QUEER NOW, DO YOU? WELL, YOU WON'T BE LIVING IN MY HOUSE!
He raised his hand to hit me, but the doctor grabbed his arm. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave," he said.
"I'LL LEAVE WHEN I WANT TO LEAVE!"
"YOU STAY AWAY! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!"
"That's ok; he'll live with us," Shannon said.
"No, I couldn't!"
"Yes you can, and you will!" The look on her face told me she meant it, and not to argue with her.
"Yes, I'll stay with her and Jason, my boyfriend." I said the last part just to piss him off.
He lunged at me, but at the same time, security came in and pulled him away. "Didn't we just do this yesterday?" one of the security people asked.
My mom, who had just been standing there, turned to leave. Noah, Josh, and Justin came in, right as they were dragging my dad away.
"What happened?" Noah asked.
"They know I'm gay."
"What? How?"
"I told mom."
"Why would you do that?"
"I just got tired of it; she showed up early, and didn't want me to see Jason. I had enough; I love Jason, and he should know it."
I looked over at Shannon, and she was smiling. I looked over at Justin, and he also looked happy.
"But where are you going to live?"
"With us," Shannon answered.
"Thank you, for the offer."
"It's not a problem; I love him like another son."
With that, we all sat down to wait until we could see Jason. That's when we noticed the doctor still standing there.
"Sorry; I guess I have to go back to the room?"
"No, while you were talking, I ran after your mom, and she signed to release you. I just came back to tell you that she signed, and that I'm sorry you had to deal with that."
"It's ok; I knew it would happen eventually."
"Well, if you need anything else, come find me."
"I will."
We sat there waiting, and eating some breakfast, Noah sharing with me. Eventually, a doctor came in and said we could see Jason, two at a time.
"You and Justin go first," Shannon said.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Yes, go."
I nervously followed Justin to Jason's room; I didn't know what to expect. When we got to the room, I couldn't help but gasp - all the tubes, especially the one down his throat, scared me. I don't want to lose him, I know they said he has a good chance now, but I'm still worried. It took everything I had to keep myself from crying. I went over to his bed, and took his hand.
"Hey Jas, I'm here. I'm sorry; I should have been able to stop them. Justin's here with me, and your mom is waiting to come see you, and guess what? Noah, my brother is here. He is Justin's roommate's boyfriend, so when he found out I was here, he came looking for me. Jason, I came out to my parents, and your mom told me I can live with you and her. You know what that means? When we get out of here, I'll take you on as many dates as you want. I'll tell the world that you are mine, and I'm yours. You know why? Because I love you! I love you, Jason, and I'll spend my whole life proving it to you, if you'll let me. All you have to do is wake up; all you have to do is get better."
I looked back at Justin, who had tears in his eyes, and motioned for him to come closer.
"Hey bro. I have to say, you found someone very special. I know he really does love you; I can see it. I know I wasn't the most gay-friendly person, but I swear I'm working on it. Seeing how much he cares for you just makes me want to be better. Please wake up."
"Please, Jas, open your eyes; let me start proving how much I love you," I said.
"Please, bro," Justin said.
I felt my hand being squeezed, and then I saw him open his eyes.
"Jas?"
"Jason?"
"Yes!" Justin and I yelled at the same time; we turned toward each other and grabbed each other in a hug. When we released each other, I looked at Jason, and saw his eyes lit up with what could only be happiness.
Author's Note
There you go, another chapter and I didn't leave a cliffhanger, and Jason is ok! Did you really think I would be evil enough to kill Jason? I know I like my cliffhanger's but that is about as evil as I get.
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Thanks to Jere for editing.