Ring in Mine #3: Nephi and Jerome: Chapter 65
I would appreciate some ideas for a title for this and Ring in Mine #1 and possibly a new title for the series.
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Chapter 65
Jerome woke with an IV in his arm and a nurse reading a book waiting for him to wake.
"Where am I?" Jerome faced a wall of dark windows.
"You are at the medical center in Palm Springs. Knowing your dislike of hospitals Mr. Tellerson thought this would be more acceptable to you."
"How long have I been here?"
"They brought you in three days ago. This is the first time you aren't screaming when waking up."
The nurse helped Jerome to the restroom to take care of his needs.
"Do you think I could take a shower? I stink." Jerome asked. The nurse disconnected the IV drip long enough to shower and change into clean pajamas, while housekeeping changed his bed linens.
Jerome yawned. He just woke up. How could he be tired?
The next morning breakfast was easy to digest. "If you are up to it, Mr. Tellerson would like to see you for a minute."
"I don't want to see Adam. He left me when I needed him."
"You've got that wrong, Jerome. Belinda had security waylay him at the airport in New York. He had Nigel put me on a plane to New York." Jared walked into the room and sat next to his brother's bed.
"Why would he do that?" Jerome asked.
Jared explained the all-night briefing with Adam and Belinda. Dressed in a blue Armani suit, Jared handled the board meeting, with Belinda at his side and Adam in his ear. He hadn't needed to exercise his authority as Jerome's proxy.
"It's my company as much as it's yours. Adam insured things went without a hitch. He put things in order at the farm." Jared continued.
"He left me and now he is taking over my life." Jerome whined. "Has he even tried to visit?" Jerome didn't want Adam near him, yet Adam's lack of effort to visit disturbed him.
"You threw him out and he still protected your interests and left things on a stable foundation before he moved out." Jared shook his head. "Why would he try to visit? How stupid can you be?"
Jerome unleashed his anger on his brother. Jared sat wondering who the man in the bed was. The person didn't act like his brother. It dawned on him, this was his father and mother rolled together, unreasonable, and angry at everything.
"Since I'm not wanted here, I will leave and enjoy my spring break with Drake." Jared opened the door. "Adam was only at the farm for two days. Adam closed out his bank accounts. He and Hugo left the state to start a new life."
"Good, I hope he doesn't come back!" Jerome shouted triggering another episode. The nurse added the prescribe medication through Jerome's IV. Within moments his body relaxed, and he fell asleep.
When Jerome woke, he found an IV in his arm and a nurse reading a book.
"Where am I?" Jerome faced a wall of sunlit windows.
"You are at the medical center in Palm Springs. The other Mr. Tellerson wouldn't let them take you to the hospital."
"How long have I been here?"
"You've been here for four days. Let's get you to the restroom and cleaned up for the day."
Sitting at a small table by the windows Jerome ate his breakfast.
"Where's Adam? He's never far away." Jerome's question didn't surprise the nurse. The patient alternated between hating his partner and worried at his absence.
"He's taking care of the business until you are back on your feet. What would you like to do today?"
Jerome picked up a book from his nightstand. "Whose book is this?"
Jerome didn't remember starting the book. It sounded like a good read. He moved the bookmark back to the beginning and began again. Someone always sat with Jerome.
Right after lunch the psychologist replaced the nurse. "How are you feeling today?"
"I feel I'm on suicide watch. I can't even use the restroom without an audience." Jerome complained. The shrink paused before responding. Jerome thought about the book and the missing days.
"Why am I here and not in New York? What else am I not remembering?"
"Let's start with why you are here for now." The doctor chose his words to avoid another episode. "You had multiple events. Your partner wouldn't let them put you in the psych hospital. So, you're here."
The head of the table remained empty. Adam stood in his place, Hugo by his side. "I've enjoyed the last couple of days with everyone. Most of you know that Jerome and I have parted ways. I won't say anything bad about Jerome, I still love him. Tomorrow Hugo and I start our new lives. Remember we love you all."
There were a lot of questions. The family tried to find out about the breakup, but Adam wasn't talking. Adam refused to talk about his new life and except for the tutor/companion sitting next to him, Hugo was in the dark.
Jared had arranged for a friend from school to be Hugo's tutor before leaving for his week at the Hidden Oasis. Kimmie was a senior education student. Her parents had cut her off when they learned of her girlfriend. The girlfriend dumped Kimmie when the money dried up. She had one more quarter to graduate and needed to take a quarter off to earn tuition. Hugo met her the previous day and already liked her.
Sariah supervised Simon and Jeremiah in the kitchen. Simon and Jeremiah preferred food preparation to farm work. Jeremiah removed fresh biscuits from the oven as Simon finished a pot of sausage gravy. Adam's raised voice drew her from the kitchen.
"Why call me. It's not like they cared if I lived or died." Sariah heard shouting on the other end of the connection.
"How can all of their money be gone?" Adam's voice was becoming steadier.
"If I can get a flight, I'll be there first thing tomorrow." Adam hung up the phone. "Damn, Damn, Damn."
"Who has you all riled up?" Sariah asked hoping she could help.
"It's my Aunt Eve, mom's sister. My parents died in a house fire four days ago and no one has seen my brother. I have to pick up the pieces." Adam shook his head. "Dad didn't trust banks. Before we parted ways, he bragged he had a million dollars in gold and cash in the safe. When they put the fire out, the safe was open and empty."
"I don't remember seeing that on the local news." Sariah commented.
"I've lied about my past. I grew up in Hayden, Idaho near the Canadian border."
"Why do you care? It's not your responsibility to pay for their funeral." Sariah asked.
"They were still my parents. It's something I need to do." Adam answered.
At the airport Adam watched the plane carrying Hugo, Kimmie and Adam's Tellerson security to Disneyland pull away from the gate. Adam's plane to Spokane would leave an hour later.
On the 90-minute drive from the airport to Adam's hometown, he replayed the day his parents learned of his orientation. Adam had invited Troy home for Thanksgiving.
---------- Pulling up in front of Adam's boyhood home, Troy hurried around the car to open Adam's door. Adam got out of the front seat carrying a present for his parents.
"Introduce us to your friend."
"This is my partner Troy. Troy these are my parents."
"So, Troy you work together at the police department? You need a good partner to watch your back."
"Yes dad, we are both on the force." Adam answered for Troy. Troy face fell.
Adam realized he had marginalized their relationship. "Dad, Troy is also my life partner." Adam reached out and took Troy's hand.
Adam wasn't sure where the shotgun came from. "So the stories are true, I should have cut off your nuts in Jr. High when I heard you got hard in the showers watching the real men."
Adam's dad passed the shotgun to his wife. Adam recognized the curved blade and elastrator. Without a second thought Adam threw the wrapped glassware at his mother. With the barrel pointed elsewhere Troy and Adam dived into the car and took off.
Adam was heading into a bastion of white supremacy and intolerance. He regretted not borrowing security from Samaria. He promised he would keep his visit as short as he could.
"You're late, so we started without you." Eve introduced Adam to the Funeral Director. He outlined the arrangements.
"How much is this going to cost?" Adam asked. "I don't have a lot of money."
"Your boyfriend is rich. He can help pay. It's only forty thousand dollars." Eve pointed out.
"First, I don't have a boyfriend anymore. I know you are cousins. How much kickback are you getting Aunt Eve?" Adam had checked the costs of funerals before he left Salt Lake.
Adam didn't give them time to answer. He handed the Funeral Director a $5,000 cashier's check. "This will pay for cremation, urns, a small plot, and a stone, with a little left for flowers."
"That's not what your parents wanted."
"They didn't care what I wanted when they were alive, why should I care now they`re dead. Cremation will keep them from suffering cultural shock when they arrive in Hell."
Eve slapped her nephew and stormed out. Adam turned to the funeral director. "Sign the receipt and I'll let you get on with it. For all I care do it cheaply and pocket the difference."
Adam had debated staying overnight at the small motel in town, but chose to leave. While unlocking his car door something hit him on the back of the head.
"Go through his pockets and get his luggage out of the car."
"Aunt Eve, what do you want us to do with him?"
"Dump his faggot ass on the side of the road. You know what we do to queers, then get rid of the car."
Adam lost consciousness when they pressed a rag to his face.