Disclaimers: Please see chapter one for all disclaimers.
I would like to send a special word of thanks to Scott. Thank you. You will always be a true friend.
"Joey, this is Jeff. Get here now!"
Joey hung up the phone before Jeff could tell him any details. Joey cried out for Donna. He flew down the hall to Donna's bedroom door.
"Donna, I've got to get to the hospital."
Chapter 38
Joey entered the hospital, his hand shaking with fear inside the grasp of Donna's fingers. It took all of his willpower to keep from racing ahead of her, needing to beat her to the finish line outside of the Stephen's room. He knew that if he didn't get there soon enough, he wouldn't be able to say goodbye to the man he called "dad" before Stephen would close his eyes for the final time.
The emergency entrance doors buzzed as the receptionist recognized Joey and Donna from earlier in the evening. She let them pass through, telling them that they needed to see the head nurse at the desk. She pointed just to their right, to a woman looking at some charts and paperwork. She stood with her back turned to them.
"Excuse me, ma'am," Joey began, his voice breaking with each syllable as he tried to gather the courage to face the news. "I was called back to the hospital for Stephen Andrews, please." His grasp of Donna's hand tightened.
His pulse quickened even more to the point that Donna could feel his heart beating in his fingers that she held in her hand.
The nurse looked up from her work. It had been a usual busy Saturday night in the emergency room, but things had now calmed down and the oppressive job of processing the papers was finally catching up to the evening's business. She coolly asked, "And your name, please?"
"Joey. Joey Edwards."
"Ah, so I finally get to meet the famous Joey. We've been waiting for you. The doctor in charge left orders to speak with you before you go in. He's in the lounge. I'll page him for you."
The speakers blared out. "Doctor Allison. Doctor Allison. Report to the nurse's station."
Joey stood there helpless and frustrated. He didn't want to talk. He wanted to run down that hallway, burst into the room where Stephen lay and let him know how much he loved him before it was too late. He didn't want to walk in finding a corpse, as he knew he would not be able to bring himself to touch Stephen again. The death of his father Matthew years ago had left a deep-seated fear of corpses in him, and to this day, he was not even able to touch a dead animal. He replayed every option in his mind, but it always came back to the horrible feeling of loneliness that would be magnified greater than all that emptiness he had experienced before.
Donna searched for signs of Jeff and Tim. Neither could be found. But she wasn't free to explore as she feared leaving Joey alone. All she could do was watch the ache and pain that poured from Joey's soul. She made a mental note to herself that when they got home, she was going to show Jeff how much she loved him.
Finally, a man in a white coat walked up to Joey. He looked just like every other doctor you have ever seen, except this man was a least eight inches taller than Joey. He towered over everyone in that emergency wing. It was probably a very useful tool to draw respect from anyone getting out of line.
You weren't going to do anything this man said not to do, if nothing else, for fear he'd slam you against a wall if he had to.
"Joey, I'm Doctor Allison." They shook hands; well, the doctor took Joey's hand and gently shook it. "I understand that you were not identified as the son of the patient and that you haven't been kept informed of what has been going on. I apologize. Let's go sit over there for a minute. I know you want to get in there, but I need to talk to you first."
Joey looked at Donna, and again the tears began to well up in his eyes. This was it. The reality of Stephen's death was seconds away. But Joey knew he had to be a big boy about this. He had to listen to what the doctor had to say. After the news was confirmed, he had forever to cry.
"Joey, we have been running tests all night to figure out what happened. We have run a CAT scan and found no abnormal activity in the brain. We ran x-rays and a MRI and have found no serious damage to either bone or tissue. But for some reason, your dad is not with us..."
That was it. The tears didn't hold back. Joey clutched his arms, squeezing his chest, to comfort himself as the anxiety gripped his body, causing him to bend over as the pain ripped through his mind. But the doctor grabbed Joey by the shoulders and pushed him back up. He wasn't finished with his sentence.
"I'm sorry, I didn't finish. Joey, he is not with us mentally. It is almost a form of amnesia. According to your friends, the things that Stephen is saying do not make sense..."
Again, the doctor could not finish his sentence. Joey cut him off, "he's alive?"
The doctor was stunned that Joey thought things were so critical. "You really weren't informed of anything, were you?"
Joey shook his head. Between the sniffles, he said, "No. They kicked me out fifteen minutes after we arrived and no one spoke to me again for three hours. I didn't know anything and I assumed he was dying because no one would talk to me."
Doctor Allison stroked his back. "I'm so sorry. I know I can't apologize enough. I will note it on my reports and we will make sure that doesn't happen again, but it doesn't change that it happened this time. I'll get you in there in a hurry, but I do have things that must be said."
Doctor Allison waited for Joey to focus before continuing. "Back to Stephen. As I said, he is saying things that do not make sense. He has been asking for his two sons. The friends who are here say that you are his family. Is that right?"
Joey nodded. Donna spoke up as Joey could not collect his thoughts enough to speak. "He had a wife and a son who were killed in an accident about three years ago. Has he been asking for Scott?"
"Yes, that's the name I remember. He has hounded your husband all night about who was watching Scott and Joey. Every nurse that walked into that room was asked where Scott and Joey were. I'm sure he has even asked the orderlies and janitors."
Donna and Joey looked at each other. What could they do? Donna asked of the doctor, "What can we expect? Can you tell if this amnesia is permanent?"
The doctor replied, "We see many cases of heart attacks and the like where the patient becomes disoriented for a period of time. Possibly a significant or traumatic event has occurred recently that could have set him off. Are you aware of anything that would fit that description?"
Joey looked at Donna. One deep breath and he said, "Today he was outted to his wife's family at a wedding. This is when he hit his head. Is that traumatic enough?"
The doctor smiled. "This would not be the first case I've handled where that has happened. I have to ask, now that you've told me that, could he have been exposed to HIV?"
Joey knew that answer too. But how was he going to tell the doctor that he was Stephen's only partner. Stephen had told him not to lie, just like with Joey's step-father. "No." That's all it took.
The doctor accepted the answer, and if he knew how Joey knew, he wasn't going to say anything. "It may take a few days or so, but with rest, he will fully recover. We don't know why Stephen is so confused, but we would like to sedate him. He has been a terror to everyone in the emergency ward since he woke up an hour ago. It took me and your two friends that long to get him under control where we could examine him again. They suggested that we not sedate him until he has seen you. I believe they said that if you were here, it would make all the difference in the world. They are in the room with him now. I think it has taken both of them to keep him from just walking out of here. Let's go see him."
They all stood and Joey hugged Donna. The relief could be felt like a cool breeze in a stuffy room. And for Joey, the door was opening for him again. He was getting another chance. How lucky could he be? Another chance to tell Stephen how much he loved him.
They walked down the hall silently. How can someone smile and cry at the same time? That was what Donna thought as she looked to see the condition Joey was in and found that look on his face. They got to the door, and as the doctor grabbed the handle, he said, "Joey, remember, Stephen doesn't know what he's saying, so just smile and nod. Let's get him calmed down and then we'll let him sleep the rest of the night."
The door opened. Through the crack, he heard a muffled voice barking, "Dammit, where are my boys? Jeff, get the hell out of here and find them for me." Doctor Allison just raised his eyebrows at Joey.
The curtain was drawn around Stephen's bed, blocking the view from anyone who would pass by. The first thing that Joey saw was a very tired, haggard look on Tim's face. Tim looked up at the party entering the door, and gave them a sigh of relief. He turned to look where Jeff was probably standing and tilted his head toward the door to indicate to him that the reinforcements had arrived. He walked over to Joey, wrapping his arms around him. "I remembered what you asked me to do," he whispered, "and for the last hour I have been telling him how much you love him."
Jeff came popping out from behind the curtain. He hugged Donna and between them passed a silent message of love. He leaned over to Joey and told him, "I have never had as much trouble with the twins as I have had with him tonight. He is all yours now. It's a good thing I love the two of you so much."
The last sentence stunned Joey for a second. It shocked Donna too. But not so much that she didn't quickly jab him, "It's about time that you see the truth." She kissed him. adding, "Let's go get a cup of coffee, or maybe we can find ourselves an empty bed around here. I want you to know how much I love you." Jeff's eyes lit up.
Tim told Stephen, "I am going to pass by Katie's house and bring her back in the morning. We'll be here as soon as we can to help you get home." The three friends then left, leaving Stephen, Joey, and the doctor in the room.
Doctor Allison spoke to Stephen. "Joey is here to see you. I don't think he should stay very long because you need your rest tonight."
From behind the curtain came the sound that Joey thought he would never hear again. The most wonderful, melodious sound that he could imagine. "Joey, come see me, baby."
Doctor Allison stepped back to allow Joey to walk around the bed to Stephen's side. When Stephen came into view, Joey saw the most handsome man he had ever seen. He was sitting up in the bed wearing a green hospital smock that was obviously not tied in back. A needle sticking out of his right forearm, held in place by a piece of tape, ran up to a bag from which dripped a clear fluid. The left eye of the man Joey loved was swollen shut and purple bruise marks ran from his temple and above his eyebrow all the way down to just to the side of his nostril and over his jaw. Joey thought to himself, "Thank God, he is alive."
Joey slowly ran, not knowing what his body was doing. He wanted to leap into Stephen's arms and yet was totally afraid of hurting him. He settled for walking up to the bed side within the reach of Stephen's free hand, which he locked his fingers in and brought up to his mouth for a kiss. He then held it to his heart. Finally, he released Stephen's hand. Stephen reached up with his left arm and pulled him down to his face, where Stephen gave him a peck on the cheek, followed by a long, slow kiss on the lips.
Doctor Allison cleared his throat. "Joey, when you're finished visiting, just buzz the nurse's station and let them know." He smiled, "Try to keep it to, let's say, fifteen minutes and then you can be here all day tomorrow." Then the good doctor left with the knowledge that Stephen was in the care of the best person in the world.
Joey spoke, his voice calm for the first time in hours, "I was so worried about you. How do you feel?"
"I hurt like hell. Why did it take so long for you to see me?"
"They wouldn't let me in. They didn't know I was family."
"Oh." Stephen paused, wondering where the rest of the family was. "Where is Scott? I dreamed about him a while ago. We were celebrating his fifth birthday. Donna and Jeff, Katie and you were there. We gave him a skateboard."
Joey expected that Scott's name was going to be mentioned, but he was shocked at how it was introduced. Joey still had the picture that he had found behind the bed. It was in his shirt pocket. He thought for a moment for a reply and knew better than to show the picture to Stephen. The shock might be too much, or worse, he might remember that Scott was gone. He also thought about what Stephen had taught him and decided to forget the rules, that now would be a good time to tell a lie.
"He's with the twins." The less said, the better. The doctor had even suggested that Stephen would not have a memory of this night, so Joey just let it go.
Stephen began to tear. "I love you so much. It was driving me crazy that I couldn't see you. I guess Tim and Jeff told you how miserable I've made them."
This made Joey smile. Another reminder why he loved this man so much. Because Stephen made sure Joey knew he was loved. If he could, he would have climbed right into that hospital bed and made love to Stephen then. But he chose to wait until he could get Stephen home.
"I think you need to get some rest. I'll be here if you need me, but I want you to get some sleep so that I can take you home tomorrow."
"Good night, son."
"Good night, dad."
Joey pushed the nurse's call button.
Chapter 39
Katie entered the room quietly. She found Joey sleeping in the chair with his feet propped up on another chair and Stephen laying quietly in bed. She tapped Joey on the shoulder until his eyes opened and he focused on the look of concern that Katie had. He looked to see Stephen still sleeping before saying anything.
"Hey, girl. Let's go outside."
They stepped into the hall. "Where's Tim?"
"He's parking the car, and then he's stopping by the cafeteria to get us some coffee. How do you feel?"
Joey hugged her and a broad grin broke out on his face, "Great, Katie, just great! He's alive. I really thought I had lost him last night."
Tim came walking up. "Joey, you would not believe what went on in that room last night."
"I heard all I needed to hear when the doctor opened the door. I'm sorry that Stephen put you through so much, but the doctor says he probably won't remember any of it."
"Too bad. I could use the leverage." They all laughed now because the worst was over.
"How is he?"
"I visited for a few minutes, then rang the nurse. They gave him a sedative, but I don't know if he even needed one by then. I watched him sleep for quite a while and he never moved. He might have even been asleep by the time the nurse got to the room."
The cell phone in Tim's back pocket rang. He flipped it open. "Hello...We just got here...He's still sleeping...Nope, don't know...Yeah, he's here with me and Katie... okay." Tim handed the phone to Joey, "It's Donna."
"Hi, Donna."
"Joey, have you heard if they are going to release him today?"
"Nope. He's still asleep from the sedative. I thought it was a rule that a nurse had to come and wake you up every four hours. But I haven't seen one since last night."
"Do you want us to come down?"
Joey looked to Tim and Katie as he spoke. "Nope, Tim and Katie are here and we should be able to get him home if he is released. I'll call you from home when we get there." Tim nodded his approval of Joey's statements.
Just then a different doctor entered the room. Joey handed the phone back to Tim and followed the woman in. She walked up to the foot of the bed to read Stephen's chart. Joey stood quietly watching.
"Mr. Andrews struck his head on a floor last evening and took 45 stitches in the scalp," she spoke, seeking confirmation from Joey. Joey agreed even though he was unaware of all the stitches it took to close the wound.
"Let's check to see if there is no more seepage from the injury. If that looks good, then we'll wait until he wakes up. If he is functioning normally, we'll discharge him. All of the tests are negative, so there's no real reason to keep him here. From what I've heard from the overnight shift," she looked up at Joey, "you're the best medicine for him anyway."
Joey blushed crimson. Yeah, it was true. And he would prove it as soon as they got home.
"Yeah, I'm ready to get out of here." The doctor and Joey looked to the bed. Stephen was pushing himself up into a sitting position.
"Good morning, Mr. Andrews. How are we?"
"You might be fine, but we got the crap beat out of us last night, so we don't feel that great, thank you."
"Well, do you think you might be able to get up and walk to the bathroom for me?"
"Yes, I think so. Is there anything special that you would like me to do?"
"Only if you feel up to it. If you do, I hear from the nurses that it's unanimous that we release you immediately."
"You got it. Joey help me with these damn tubes they've got stuck in me."
The doctor asked Joey, "Is he always this cranky?"
Stephen answered for himself, "Only when I haven't gotten any lately."
Joey was able to discover another shade deeper that crimson. The doctor laughed and said, "I'll make sure that that instruction is added to your discharge papers."
Tim and Katie walked in to the whole room laughing. "Why do we always miss the good ones?"
Joey smiled and looked to Stephen. "Let's go home. I'll tell you later."
An hour later, Stephen was sitting in a wheelchair headed out the emergency room exit. He was holding Joey's hand and occasionally kissing it. The eye had been patched over, mostly to keep everyone from staring at it, but also to help Stephen handle the bright sunshine that awaited them outside. Tim had gone ahead to get the car, so Stephen turned to Joey and Katie and asked, "Do you think we can pick Scott up on the way home? I miss him so much."
This almost caused Katie to walk into a wall. She stopped, but Joey looked at her, winked, and nodded so that she would know to play along. It was Joey who answered Stephen's request. "I think that we should wait until we get you comfortable in bed at the house. Then we'll worry about Scott."
The Sunday drive went quickly, and soon Stephen was back in his familiar house, laying in his bed. Tim and Katie left rather quickly after Tim had taken her aside and he had explained about Stephen's problem. This upset Katie to the point that Tim thought better of hanging around for the day. That was a good idea, since Joey plans for the day included activities for only two people.
Once they left, Joey set up a tray on the night stand for Stephen, with water and a few crackers to nibble on. He opened a beach chair and settled down near the door to the room. Stephen allowed Joey to coddle him for a while. Soon, the combination of the pain medicine taking effect and Joey's moving about the room left Stephen in a state of friskiness that Joey was more than willing to tend to. When Joey passed near Stephen to refill his water, Stephen grabbed Joey by the waist, pulling him down on the bed next to him.
"Come here, my boy. I've missed you so much, I could rip your clothes off here and now!"
Joey smiled. "You don't need to rip my clothes off if that is what you want, I'll give you anything you need." With that, Joey pulled the bedsheets down, admiring Stephen's body as he lay there in bed. "Just lay back, my love, and I will take care of everything."
Joey grabbed the mound that lay in the Jockey's that Stephen was wearing. He rubbed a little, squeezing his balls every now and then. He moved up to plant little kisses on Stephen's belly and up to his chest, when he spent more that a few minutes licking and sucking on Stephen's nipples. Joey's hand stayed busy running all over Stephen's groin, stroking and pulling to stimulate the flow of blood to the part of Stephen that Joey considered as belonging only to himself. He was concerned that Stephen had lost so much blood yesterday, but he reasoned that Stephen had had time to rebuild his supply to pump enough to bring his dick to its full mast. But as always, the movements were gentle, and probably even more gentle this time than was necessary. After a while, Joey removed Stephen's underwear and moved his mouth back down to Stephen's organ where he began an assault to make sure that Stephen knew how much love Joey had for him.
Joey lay in bed on his stomach sucking on Stephen's dick, with Stephen just laying back enjoying the pleasure that his young man was given him. Stephen moaned from the pleasure but felt too weak to return the favor, even though he longed to taste Joey. Joey would not let Stephen up, he just continued taking Stephen down until his nose was buried in Stephen's pubic hairs. He inhaled the smell of the man he loved, and he could detect the usual scent mixed with the odors that had stayed on Stephen's body from the hospital. Antiseptic but sexy. Finally, Stephen moaned louder and Joey's mouth was filled with the sweet nectar of the man he thought he had lost. Just then, from the doorway of the bedroom, came three words that startled both of them.
"Uh, excuse me."
Joey pulled off of Stephen's pole, distracted by the words being said behind him. This left Stephen's exposed dick to flop on his belly. Joey turned to the intruder still licking his lips and wiping the little drops of cum from around his mouth. Whether the guest was offended or not, Joey was not concerned. In the doorway stood Jeff. His mouth hanging open, completely speechless.
"Don't you knock?" Joey was still clothed, but feeling completely naked because of the interruption.
"Uh, the front door was unlocked, and honestly Joey, this was the last thing I would have expected to see so soon after getting home from the hospital."
Joey threw some sheets over Stephen. He stood up and tried to act naturally. But Joey found out that it doesn't matter if you're with your lover and a friend walks in, or if you're by yourself and your mom walks in.
When you are caught in the act, you are embarrassed anyway.
"I came over to see if you needed anything. Obviously, what you two need, I am not about to provide, so I'll be heading back to the house. Call me later."
Joey thought quickly, knowing that he wanted to get back at Jeff. "Hey, Jeff, did Donna find that bed she was looking for in the hospital?" A grin spread across both of their faces. The score was even.
Stephen looked at Jeff. The banter between Jeff and Joey was lost on him. And even though he had just been caught in the act, he still was not thinking clearly. He still didn't make the connection between having Joey just give him a blow job and the reason that he had met Joey in the first place. "Did you bring Scott with you?"
Jeff had been a witness to last night, so there was no alarm in his voice. "Donna wants to keep him for another night. The boys wanted him to stay over again. I hope you don't mind."
"I miss him so much, but that's okay. Tell him to have fun. And that I'll see him tomorrow."
Joey offered, "I'll walk you out."
Back in the living room, Jeff wrapped his arm around Joey and asked, "How are you going to tell him?"
Joey sighed. "I just don't know, Jeff. If we can just buy a little time, the doctor said that everything would return to normal."
Just then, a cry of anguish wailed from the bedroom. Jeff and Joey ran back to find Stephen standing at the dresser, completely naked, holding a photograph. Joey's heart broke as he realized that he hadn't been careful enough with the picture that he had found last night at Jeff and Donna's house. Stephen was on his way to the bathroom when he had seen the photo, and that picture had jogged his memory. It was all that was needed to bring Stephen back to reality. That is what had precipitated the sadness and hurt Jeff and Joey had heard.
As the tears ran down his face, Stephen looked to the two men standing in the doorway and simply stated, "He's gone."
Joey walked over to Stephen and wrapped his arms around him. Stephen rested his head on Joey's shoulder and the tears poured out for his little boy. Jeff closed the door to the bedroom to give the two lovers their privacy, but only made it as far as the living room before he sat on the sofa and cried. When he was finished, he quietly left the house, making sure the front door was locked.