My Bodyguard Chapter 5
A very special thanks to Ed for editing this chapter
This is a story of love, trust, hope, and commitment. It is not a sex story. However, this story deals with love between two teenagers. If you are offended by stories involving love between two teenagers, please do not read this story. There will be some sex scenes in this story; however, sex is not the main theme. If you are under age 18 or 21 or it is illegal to read this story where you live, don't read it
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I am going to switch to Mark's point of view for this chapter.
When we got back to my uncle's house, the twins were already asleep. 'Thank God!' When they are awake, they run me ragged. Each tries to outdo the other to get my attention. I told my aunt and uncle that I was tired and going to bed but I knew that I would not sleep. My mind was racing and I needed to think things out. I went into the guest room, undressed, and crawled into bed.
The last 24 hours have been a whirlwind for me. I usually go through the same routine every day. I get up at 6:00 a.m. and run three miles. Then I take a shower, eat breakfast, and go to school. After school I come home and go out to the garage and beat up a punching bag for about an hour. Three days a week, I then lift weights. The other three days, my next door neighbor Ron, (a martial arts and boxing expert) works with me. He is really old, about 50, but he is still in great shape. He started working with me about the time my dad left. You could say he is my only friend. His kids are grown up and his wife died about 5 years ago.
Ron got me involved in Golden Gloves. Last year I fought for the state finals, and won! I was so surprised, I never thought I'd win. I was just in the 10th grade. I decided after that to give up boxing. I like my nose the way it is.
I have never been able to make friends with kids my own age. I have often thought about why, and I guess it is a combination of things. First of all, I am a jock but I am not into the normal school sports, like football, baseball, and hockey. The only sport at school I participate in is swimming. And I am also smart and get mostly A's and my teachers publicly praise me. This is not good for bonding with other kids. I am shy and quiet. Some of the kids misread that as arrogance. The girls all seem very interested in getting to know me but I am not at all interested in getting to know them. Girls are weird. Most of them are so vain and I am not really attracted to them. I am attracted to boys but I shy away from them because I don't want them to discover my secret.
When I was 8 my dad walked out on Mom and me. The last time I saw him I just got home from the dentist. The dentist had said that I needed braces and it would cost $4,000. Dad said he was tired of spending all his hard- earned money on us. He and Mom got into this big fight. The next day when I got home from school, he was gone. Mom has told me over and over again that it was not my fault that Dad left. She said that there were other problems already. But how would you feel if something that you can't control pushed their marriage over the edge? I cannot help but feel that it is my fault. I still don't have my braces.
My Mom is great and I love her very much. Her name is Grace Adams and she works hard, long hours at the local diner to support us. Mom is very open- minded and I tell her everything. When I told her one year ago that I thought I might be gay, she started crying. And then hugged me. She said that her little boy was growing up. I was 6' 6" at the time, so I guess you could say that I had grown up. She has been great about it. I really love her. One thing that she did get on me about is casual sex. She said that I should not look for sex from strangers. She could not imagine me hanging out at public toilets or parks, looking for a quickie. She said that I should share my love with someone who loves me.
My uncle, Sam, has tried to be a father to me, but I am scared to get too close to him. Last summer I worked part-time for him and stayed at his house. I like police work but I really want to be a Doctor. It has been my dream for many years. When I was in Cub Scouts we learned first aid. I really liked it. So I went to the library and checked out some books on the medical field. I was hooked. I started reading everything that I could get my hands on.
One day Mom and I were driving home late at night and we found a car that had hit a telephone pole and I told Mom to stop the car. It was a young man about twenty and he was still conscious. I told my mom to get some help and asked the man what hurt. He told me his leg. I told him to stay still and I cut away his pants leg with my pocketknife. He had a compound fracture of his lower leg just above the ankle. He was bleeding badly. I applied pressure to the pressure point on the inside of his thigh and the bleeding slowed. I asked him if he hurt anywhere else and he said he was not sure. Meanwhile Mom went to the nearest house and called an ambulance.
An air bag and seat belt had saved him from serious back, head, or neck injuries. With my other hand I took his pulse and it was 120 and shallow. He was also breathing too fast. I knew that he was going into shock. Shock is a killer. I asked him to move his arms and he did. Then I asked him if he could move his head around and he said yes and did it. I asked him if he felt any pain and he said no. I asked him what happened and he said he thinks that a tire blew and he lost control. I asked him how long he was there before someone showed up and he said about 15 minutes. There was lots of blood on the crunched floorboard of his car. I tried to keep him talking and asked him all kinds of questions. How old are you? Where do you live? Are you allergic to any medicine? Have you ever been in the hospital? Who can we call to inform of your injury? What hospital do you want to go to? Finally he passed out.
His heart rate was up to 140 and still shallow. Mom was back. I made a decision to move him. I knew that you should never move an accident victim but I felt that he would die if I did not move him. I took off my belt and put a tourniquet on his leg. I wrapped my jacket around his wounded leg. I asked my mom to try to keep his broken leg from moving while I picked him up. I cradled his head, neck, and shoulders with my right arm and slid my left arm under his thighs. Carefully I lifted him up, with my mom holding his leg. I carefully laid him on the ground and elevated his legs with a box from our car.
About a minute later the police showed up and I told them all about how the accident happened. They asked me a bunch of questions and I answered them as well as I could. They were impressed by the amount of information I had got from him before he passed out. His heart rate had slowed back to 120 and his breathing was better. Finally the EMT showed up. They let me help them get him on a backboard and get him into the ambulance while I told them what I did and gave them all the information I had gathered. They had me ride in the ambulance with them to the hospital and I held his hand and told him it would be OK. Even though he could not hear me, it made me feel better.
When we got to the hospital they took him right in while I waited in the waiting room. About an hour later the doctor came out. He said that he would be just fine and asked me a bunch of questions. He asked me what I did and why. I told him everything that happened and exactly what I did. He asked me where I learned first aid. I told him in Boy Scouts and by reading books. He said I had natural talent and made all the right decisions. If I had not done everything I did when I did, he would have died. He said I was a hero. He asked me what I intended on doing for a living. I told him I wanted to be a doctor. He said he went to the best medical school in the country. He said also he would write a letter of recommendation to any school I choose to go. He once again thanked me for making his job easier and saving the guy's life.
When my uncle called yesterday I was really excited. I really don't mind leaving school but I will miss seeing Mom every day. I thought Mike was going to be some rich snob. When I first met him, it's like I went into a trance. I was so embarrassed; I have never had that reaction with anyone before. He is so cute! Then as I got to know him, I learned he was not a snob at all, as a matter of fact he's a lot like me. When I found out he was gay I think I was truly happy for the first time since my dad left. I felt so comfortable around him. Perhaps we'll become friends. That would be great. I have never had a friend my own age before. And who knows, maybe we can become best friends. And perhaps, even more than friends. Now that would be great.
All this was going through my mind and I was having a hard time getting to sleep. I looked at the clock; it read 12:30 a.m., and I still did not feel tired. I knew my uncle was going to get me up at 5:30 a.m. because he said we had a lot to do tomorrow. I tossed and turned and finally fell asleep about 2:00 in the morning.
My uncle woke me up promptly at 5:30 in the morning. I got up, took a quick shower, and dressed. We left and went over to the Stevens grocery store. We did not have breakfast because Sam said we could have coffee and doughnuts at the store. Sam talked to Greg while I pigged out on doughnuts.
Then we went up to the high school. I met with the principal and we talked for about a half-hour. My uncle did most of the talking. I had heard most of it already. After that, his secretary contacted my high school to get my transcripts transferred here. Then I was given a class schedule and was told it matched Mike's. Sam stayed behind to talk with the principal, and the secretary gave me a tour and showed me where all my classrooms were. By the time we finished up at the high school, it was already lunchtime. Sam and I went for a quick lunch.
After lunch, Sam pulled into the local car dealership.
He asked, "Mark, if you could choose any car on this lot, what car would you choose?"
"It would be a full-size four-wheel-drive truck with a shell over the bed," I replied.
So we looked at the four-wheel-drive trucks and found a red one with black interior that was more than anything I ever dreamed of. And they even had a shell for the bed. The total sticker price was 35 thousand dollars.
"You do well with this job and perhaps someday you will have a truck like that," Sam said.
Sam then dropped me off at his house and I watched some TV. About an hour later I heard some cars pull up. I looked outside and was shocked to see Sam in his police cruiser and Greg driving the red truck. I practically ran out the door and Greg smiled at me and handed me the key.
"Mark, it's all yours. It is in your name and paid for. I also paid for insurance, plates, and registration for the next two years. Drive safely," Greg said.
"This is very kind and generous of you, Greg, but I cannot accept this. It just does not feel right. My mom drives an old beat up Chevy and, if I accept this truck, it just wouldn't be right," I insisted.
"You don't understand, Mark, this truck is not a gift. It is part of your salary just like your uncle gets his police cruiser. I felt you needed a reliable vehicle too. You will be traveling home to see your mother and we wanted something safe and reliable. If it makes you feel better, I will buy your mother a new car of her choice too. You don't know how much it means to me to keep Mike safe. I am willing to pay any price. Don't be surprised if other good things happen to you as a result of helping Mike. I insist that you accept it, Mark."
I couldn't believe it, my dream truck was sitting in front of me. I guess it was too much, too quick, because something just clicked. I have never been emotional, and I guess years of pent-up emotion came flowing out. The next thing I knew, I collapsed on the ground in fetal position and cried like a baby. Greg and Sam helped me up and brought me into the house.
After I calmed down, I explained to Sam and Greg what was wrong. I took about an hour to explain to them that I was basically scared. With Mike being so nice and Greg showering me with gifts and money, I was scared that the bubble might burst. Greg told me a prayer that he learned when he was my age that really helped him.
He said, "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."
He explained to me that serenity means 'peace of mind'. So if you put these words in plain English, it would be 'give me the peace of mind to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know what things I can change and the things I can't change.'
I was really starting to like Greg. I never really bonded with my uncle as a father figure. But I was starting to see why I liked Mike so well. He got a lot of his personality from his father. In one simple sentence, he taught me how to accept myself.
Greg then told me that I should go home, see my mom, and tell her everything that has happened. He also told me to take her to a car dealership and pick out whatever car she wanted, then call to let him know what car and what dealership. Get packed, then I needed to get back up here Sunday night because I needed to start school on Monday. I said goodbye to Greg and Sam (Norma was still at work and the twins were at school), got in my truck, and started for home.