Standard rules everyone.
My Hero
Chapter 8 - The sun shines again
The next morning Laramie was on tenterhooks waiting for Martin to wake. In his hand he held the note Tom had pressed into Marty's hand moments before he died all those months ago.
Marty stirred, looked around him and eventually focused on Laramie.
"Hello Lover, did we do alright yesterday?"
"Yes Marty, we have a little more work to do today but then I think we should be able to go back and put it into action. Please read this first, I think it is important. Tom gave you it just before he died."
Marty looked at Laramie appealingly.
"I still can't believe he is dead Laramie, how am I going to function without him, I haven't since I was five."
"Read this Marty, he wrote it before the disability became too acute for him to function."
Marty looked at the note, then looked at Laramie.
"I can't, I don't know what he is going to say to me, I deserted him at the end. I couldn't face him Laramie, I couldn't watch my Tom disintegrate."
The crying was more controlled than Laramie expected, perhaps Martin was just letting out his sorrow instead of destroying himself.
"I'm sure he understood Marty, you must read it."
Reluctantly Martin opened the note.
`My Dearest Marty,
Know I will love you through all eternity. You must not let my death ruin your life because I am always going to be with you.'
On his first attempt Marty got no further, he buried his face in Laramie's chest and cried for his lost love, long, gasping, heart rending sobs, crying out all the anguish Tom's death had conjured up.
`If you love me you will finish our work in the Congo, make me proud of you. Look after Laramie, he is special as you always knew. Our little brother will need your strength now more than ever.'
Another crying jag. It was Laramie that was the strong one.
"How could you be so wrong Tom, you were my strength and now you're gone."
Laramie hugged Marty tight and wondered what that outburst was about.
`When you are finished in the Congo, you must take up the research offer at our old college. Take Laramie with you, he might even get a degree while you are there.
Be strong for me Marty and spend the remainder of your life living for both of us. Love Laramie, but love many if you feel drawn to another human being. Don't disappoint me. We had such good times, now I want you to be my slave again and my order to you is to love and laugh for both of us.
All my love to you forever, I'll be here waiting for you, but don't come too soon.
Tom.'
More tears but this time they were the tail end of grieving tears. Martin would honor Tom's wishes.
"I'm hungry Laramie, let's join Mum and Dad for breakfast."
"Oh yes Marty, I'd like that very much."
The Buford's were overjoyed to see Martin at breakfast, it had been so long and Thomas Henry needed a son to lavish male affection on. He did to a certain extent with Laramie but Martin had been his son in everything but name since he was five years old. Of course he couldn't take the place of Tom, but he was a close substitute.
"Good to see you up and about Son, how are you feeling?"
"I'm going to live Dad, and enjoy my life for both of us. Tom left me this and I have to honor his wish. Forgive me Dad but I'm going to start having fun again."
Henry took the note from Martin and read it before passing it to his wife. The strength that he had passed to his son showed now with the tears contained but showing in a pair of sad eyes.
"Nothing to forgive Martin, Tom is right, you must live for both of you now. You will do it with my blessing."
Both parents were amazed when Martin said that he and Laramie would be going back to the Congo to complete Tom's project.
"When are you going Martin?"
"As soon as the UN can get us back in there Dad. We will only need a few months and when we come home I want to go back to college to follow through the way Tom has suggested. If Laramie will come with me he can help me and maybe do a degree at the same time."
"We had better look for a personal slave for you then, to take with you."
Martin hadn't thought about that. Since college he had worked abroad with the UN and all staff were supplied by them.
"Do you want one each or one between you?"
Martin looked at Laramie and laughing said. "We didn't over work you did we when you looked after Tom and I?"
Laramie laughed as well, "Only when I had to bathe both of you at once."
Genuine laughter at last in a house that had been like a morgue since Tom's death.
"I think one will do Dad. I will get onto the UN and college today so that we can give you a time span."
The Buford house was all hustle and bustle for the next few days. Henry and his wife could hardly hide their joy that the sun was shining again at last. His going away present to the boys was complete new wardrobes for the tropics in the latest breathable material, top flight portable GPS and the latest satellite `phones. The UN were overjoyed that these two men were going back to finish the work in the Congo and as a bonus for them when they completed it would fund Laramie through his degree course in Anthropology and set up a research fund for Martin to administer. It looked as though these two men would be going from strength to strength with the UN backing them all the way.
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Last chapter coming up.