Sleepy Days

Sleepy Days, Come No More

Chapter 41

There was a brief silence; the man seemed hesitant to reveal his identity.

"Who is it?" I repeated.

"My name is Jonathan. I am a friend of Blake's." He announced.

In one moment I lost my breath and my heart began to race. I took a deep breath.

"Who?" I asked in disbelief.

"Jonathan, Blake's friend." He repeated.

He said it again. It was him, it really was Jonathan.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"I want to talk to Steven, Steven Green." He replied.

I opened the door and stepped into the hallway. I looked at him. He was tall and muscular, with brown hair and light eyes. His shoulders were broad and his neck was full. His face was handsome but it was also full of tension. I realized that he had noticed my gaze and quickly stopped.

"I am Steven, what do you want to talk about?" I asked.

"I want to talk about Blake." He said.

"About Blake? Is something wrong?" I asked.

"Liz is very ill. They don't think that she will pull through." He said.

"What?" I asked.

"May I come in? So we can talk." He asked.

"Yeah, of course." I said, stepping aside to let him enter. "Please, sit down." I suggested pointing to the sofa.

"Thank you. I know that I am probably the last person you expected or wanted to see. . . . . . . I wouldn't have come if I didn't think it was important." He said.

"What is wrong with Liz?" I asked.

"She has cancer. She has been ill for some time. I overheard him speaking to someone on the phone tonight. That is how I found out that her situation had become worse but when I asked he wouldn't talk about it, he just left. I know that you want some distance from him, but I think that he really wants to see you." He informed.

I took a deep breath and sighed, "Where is he?" I asked.

"He usually hangs out at a bar on 21st and Lindell, Last Call." He said.

"Okay, I will get dressed and call for a taxi." I said thinking aloud.

"If you like I could give you a ride, it would save time." He suggested.

"No, that won't be necessary. I think I will burrow my friends car." I concluded.

"Well, thanks. I hope that everything goes well." He said as he walked toward the door.

I got dressed quickly and then went over to Marie's to ask for the car. I gave her a brief account of what was going on, she looked concerned but didn't say much. After I got the keys I headed directly over to the bar. It wasn't very far so it didn't take long to get there.

The place was pretty dead. There were a few people scattered about, all with a glass or bottle before them. All with that same distant look, as if they were lost in thought. There was some slow depressing music playing softly and a television was tuned to a sporting event. I saw Blake sitting at the bar alone and made my way over to him.

"Hello Blake." I said.

"Baby." He said with a smile and a slur. "Doug this is my baby, though he isn't with me anymore. We really fucked things up." He laughed. "Baby, this is Doug." He said.

"Hello Doug." I said.

"Hey man. Can I get you a drink?" Doug asked.

"No. My baby doesn't drink. He is a good boy." Blake said with a smile as he brought a glass to his lips.

"Cranberry juice, please." I requested.

"Baby, what are you doing here? It is past your bedtime." Blake said with a smile.

"I have come to see you Blake." I said.

"Why? Because you missed me?" Blake asked.

"I was worried about you." I said.

"Worried about me? Why?" Blake asked.

"I met Jonathan tonight," I paused, "he told me about Liz." I said.

"Yeah, she's dying." Blake said.

"I am so sorry Blake." I said as I put my hand on his shoulder.

"Well, we all have to go. Right?" He paused. "I'll order another drink and we can toast her." Blake said.

"Actually, I think you have had enough." I said.

"Is that right baby?" Blake asked with a smile.

"Yes." I replied.

"One more won't hurt." Blake said.

"I have come to take you home. I think we should leave." I explained.

"Take me home? I am not ready to go home, unless you mean your place . . . . . . I have been ready to come over to your place for months." He said with a glassy eyed smile.

"I think you should get some rest and pack some clothes . . . . . . I'm sure you could get a flight out in the morning, it might be more expensive but I'm sure there should be something." I said.

"Sit down baby, drink your juice. Doug one more." Blake instructed.

"Blake you really should get home." I insisted.

"Okay, just sit down, we'll have one drink together then we can leave." He said.

"Alright." I agreed and sat down.

"So, how have you been baby? How's life?" Blake asked.

"Everything is fine, I have been fine." I replied.

"That is good." He said as he took a swig from his glass.

"I am more concerned with you right know." I said.

"Why? I am fine, don't I look fine?" Blake asked with a smile.

"How many drinks have you had tonight?" I asked.

"Not enough." He replied.

"There isn't enough alcohol in the world to make this go away Blake." I said.

"So, Jonathan came and talked to you?" He asked.

"Yes, he did." I affirmed.

"I'm sorry. I wouldn't want to put you in that position." He said.

"Well, he really seems to care for you, I mean it probably wasn't easy for him to come and tell me what was going on." I replied.

"I wanted to tell you but we weren't talking and I don't know. I just wasn't thinking clearly, I was going to call you later." He said.

"I understand. It doesn't matter right now anyway. I just wanted to see how you were." I explained.

"I am so fucking spaced right now." He said with a wry smile.

"You ready?" I asked.

"Yeah. Come on, let's go." He said as he took one last swallow from his glass.

"Okay." I agreed.

"You want to drive?" He asked.

"Of course. Oh, but I drove here." I informed.

"We can just leave my car here." He suggested.

"Maybe Thomas and Marie can come and pick up the car or Michael." I said.

I called Marie and she said she and Thomas would come and get the car. We sat in Blake's car and waited for them. There was no talking in the car and before long Blake had fallen asleep. Once Marie and Thomas came, I started toward Blake's place.

It was half past midnight when we arrived. Blake was clearly intoxicated and it took a bit of an effort to wake him. Once he was awake we made our way up to his apartment. He fumbled with his keys until I decided to take them from him and open the door myself.

Jonathan was sitting on the sofa when we entered. He rose to his feet and watched us as we made our way into the apartment. There was heaviness in the air, more awkward than tense. I didn't know what to say or if I should say anything at all, so I decided to be quiet.

"Hey." Jonathan greeted.

"Hey Jon. I didn't think you would still be here." Blake slurred.

"I wanted to make sure you got home okay." Jonathan said.

"I am fine, just a little loaded." Blake replied.

"Well, umm, I think I will be on my way. You should really pack some clothes; I will look for flights for you. . . . ." I suggested.

"I already booked a flight and I packed a bag for you." Jonathan informed.

"Oh, well, umm, like I said, I think I should head home. Goodnight." I said as I turned toward the door.

Blake reached out and took my arm, "You're leaving already?" He asked.

"Yeah, umm, I don't want to intrude and it is late, you should really get some rest." I explained.

"I thought we could talk for a while." Blake said.

"Actually, I need to get home myself. I left the flight information on the kitchen counter. I will call and check on you tomorrow." Jonathan said.

"Thanks Jon." Blake said.

As he walked toward the door Jonathan stopped and motioned toward Blake, as if preparing for a kiss, but quickly refrained, he resolved to clap Blake on the shoulder instead and then left.

"Are you okay?" Blake asked.

"I should be asking you that. Aren't you tired?" I asked.

"Not really." Blake replied.

"Well, I still think you should get some rest and you should look at the flight schedule." I suggested as I walked to the kitchen to retrieve the information.

"I wanted to talk to you." He said.

"Okay, let's talk." I said.

"I was wondering if you could come with me?" He asked.

"To Chicago?" I inquired.

"Yeah, I would really like the company, do you think you can get some time off?" He asked.

"Well . . . . ." I said.

"I know that you have work and school, I was just thinking aloud . . . . . . you know what, don't worry about it, it was silly to ask." He said.

"No, it wasn't silly. I'm sorry, it just all happened so fast, I didn't even know Liz was sick." I paused. "If you want me to come, I will come." I said.

"Really?" He asked.

"Of course, I will."I answered.

"Maybe we can get you a spot on the same plane or get tickets for another one." He suggested.

"Why don't you go to bed and I will make the flight arrangements. I need to get home and pack and get some other things in order." I informed.

"Okay." He said.

"I will call you in a few hours to tell you about the flight plans." I said.

"Okay." He said.

"Goodnight." I said.

I went home and made the flight arrangements. There were still seats left in business class so I upgraded Blake's ticket and was able to get adjacent seats. Then I packed some things for the trip and laid down to rest.

I woke up a few hours later and went to the hospital to drop off some documents and pick up some files. I called Blake while at the office to inform him of the new plans and then spent about a half an hour entering some files into the database and composing an email stating that I would be working from home for the next couple of days.

After that I went directly home. I had 80 minutes before we needed to be at the airport, so I took a shower and put on some more comfortable clothes. I woke Michael and told him what was going on and sent a text to Marie. Then I called for a taxi.

I took the taxi to Blake's and then we went to the airport. The flight was nice, no turbulence or screaming babies. Blake and I talked for a while, about everything that had no real importance. Eventually I fell asleep, only waking once they announced that we were about to land and finding my head against Blake's shoulder.

I lifted my head and rubbed my eyes, "Sorry about that." I said.

"It's okay, you looked pretty tired." Blake said with a sweet smile.

"Yeah, I am tired." I replied.

"Well, you can get some rest when we get to my folks' place." He suggested.

"Actually, I got a room at a hotel." I informed.

"Why? My parents have plenty of space." He said.

"I didn't want to impose, I know that it is a difficult time for everyone and with Liz having hospice there, I just didn't want to be in the way. Besides I'm staying at the Renaissance Hotel in North Shore so it is close to your parents' house. And they have a nice area for me to get some work done too, so it seemed like a good option." I explained.

"It wouldn't have been a problem for you to stay with my family, they would have loved to have you and there are plenty of places in the house that you could have done your work without interruption." He said.

"It just seemed like the most appropriate option at the time and I didn't have much time to think about it, I mean I only had a couple of hours to make the arrangements." I continued.

"I guess you have to do what you feel is best, I just wanted you to know that you were welcome at the house." He said.

"I appreciate that and I intend to spend a lot of time with you and your family, I want to help in any way that I can." I informed.

Once we landed and gathered our bags we took the shuttle over to the car rental place to pick up the car I had reserved. I offered to drop Blake off at his parents' first and then go to the hotel to check in, but Blake thought it best to go to the hotel first and then head to his place. He said that way I could see how to get to the house from the hotel and vice versa.

The hotel room was nice, not as nice as it appeared online but still adequate.

"Nice room." Blake said.

"Yeah it is pretty nice." I agreed.

"Do you need to shower or anything?" He asked.

"No, but I thought I might change clothes and freshen up. Do you mind?" I asked.

"No, go ahead." He said.

"I will be out in ten minutes." I informed.

I took an outfit from my garment bag and collected my toiletries and headed into the bathroom. I undressed and washed up and then quickly put on the fresh clothes. After I finished getting dressed we went over to Blake's house.

We were greeted at the door by a young Hispanic woman.

"Hello, Mr. Mitchell." She greeted.

"Hello Marisa, this is my friend, Steven Green." He informed.

"Hello Mr. Green." Marisa said.

"Hello Marisa." I replied.

"Is there anything you need?" Marisa asked.

"No Marisa. Are my parents in?" Blake inquired.

"Your mother is in the solarium with Ms. Gonzalez and your sister, but your father is away." Marisa answered.

"Thank you Marisa." Blake said.

"Of course Mr. Mitchell. Would you like me to gather your luggage?" Marisa asked.

"No. I will bring it in myself." Blake said.

"Very well, I will be in the kitchen if you need anything." Marisa informed.

"She is very professional" I said.

"Yeah, it is kind of weird. She has been working here since Liz has been ill but it is still awkward having someone be, be so, professional all the time. It is so different from Liz." Blake explained.

"Yeah." I acknowledged.

"Well, before we go to see Liz, well . . . . . . she doesn't look like herself, she is frail. There are tubes and machines. My mother decided to use the solarium as Liz's room because it is large and it overlooks the garden and pool. It is Liz's favorite room, she loves all the light." Blake informed.

"I see." I said.

"She also has 24 hour nursing, so there will always be someone with her. If you want to speak to Liz privately you can ask the nurse to leave the room. I don't know which nurse is here today but they are all pretty nice." Blake went on.

"I understand, I am used to hospital settings." I assured.

"I just want you to be prepared." Blake said.

"Okay." I said.

He led the way through the foyer and down the hall to the solarium. I was nervous as we entered the bright room. I had seen extremely ill people during my training but I had spent most of my time working in psychiatry, not oncology. I didn't know what to expect.

I immediately searched the room to find Liz. She was lying in a hospital bed with tubes and machines hooked up to her, just as Blake had described. Half of the furniture had been removed from the room and the rest rearranged. Half of the room housed Liz's bed and equipment, with chairs and a desk for the nurse. The other have was a sitting area for visitors.

There was warmth in the room. There was peacefulness and calm. The atmosphere quickly eased my nerves. Shortly after we entered Blake's mother and sister, Patty and Theresa, approached us with smiling faces. We all hugged and kissed each other.

"I am glad that you guys made it." Patty said.

"How is Liz? How is her mood?" Blake asked.

"She hasn't been able to say much the last couple of days. The medication has her in and out of consciousness, but when she has been lucid she has been positive." Patty informed.

"What have the doctors said?" Blake inquired.

"They advised us to make her as comfortable as possible and to make any necessary arrangements." Patty answered.

"Oh." Blake replied.

"Sweetie, you knew when she came home on hospice that it wasn't going to be long." Patty said as she rubbed Blake's arm affectionately.

"I know." Blake said meekly.

"She is asleep now but I am sure she would like to hear your voice, why don't you spend some time with her, that way I can show our Steven to his room." Patty said with a smile.

"Actually, I have a room at the Renaissance Hotel." I informed.

"Why? We have plenty of space. I had a room made up for you." Patty said.

"Well, I didn't want to impose, this was so last minute and . . . . ." I said.

"There would be no imposition; we would love to host you. Can you cancel your reservations?" Patty asked.

"Mom, I'm sure that we appreciate Steven being so considerate and respect his wishes to stay in a hotel." Theresa said.

"I guess that means I should be quiet." Patty said with a smile looking at Theresa.

"I am happy for the offer; I just think that the current arrangement is best for now." I said.

"Well, you know that you are always welcomed if you change your mind." Patty said as she patted my arm.

"Yes. Thank you." I said with a smile.

"Okay. I am going to have some tea made and bring a little snack for you guys." Patty said and then headed out of the room.

"Sorry about our mother." Theresa said.

"Oh, no need for that, she meant well. I thought it was sweet." I admitted.

"Yeah, but I know it must be a little awkward being here after you and Blake broke up." She said.

"It is a little weird. I had not even spoken to Blake in months before yesterday, now I am in Chicago, in his parents' house. It is strange. Especially since the last time I was here Liz was healthy and we were together." I confessed.

"Yeah a lot has changed." Theresa agreed.

"I am going over and sit with her." Blake announced.

"Do want time alone with her or may I come with you?" I asked.

"Yeah, you can come with me." Blake said.

We sat there with Liz for hours. Blake talked to her about everything that was going on with him and I talked about how beautiful the weather had been and how work was going. Patty and Theresa joined us from time to time, and the nurse came over to attend to her every now and then.

Liz opened her eyes a couple of times and muttered a few words. Blake often held her hand and even read a few bible verses to her at one point. Apparently that is something that Liz did with him when he was a child.

Later that evening we all had dinner in the solarium. For the next four days I spent most of my time at the house. Every activity was completed in the solarium. Liz was never left alone; she was continually surrounded by people. Friends would come over and her sister and niece arrived the day after we did and they were staying at the house. It was like a cocoon of love.

At times there was so much laughter and storytelling that you almost forgot why we had all gathered. Then one of the monitors would sound or the nurse would walk by and remind us that Liz was indeed sick.

On the fourth night, shortly after I had gone back to my hotel, I received a call from Patty telling me that Liz was gone. I hadn't known Liz for long and my knowledge of her did not rise to the minimal level of familiarity that most people would classify as knowing someone but the short time we had shared together was special to me. I loved Liz and even though I knew that it was going to happen, it was still stunning.

I immediately went back to the house. I didn't know what I was going to do or say but I felt that I should be there. When I got there everyone was silent. Theresa and Patty were sitting on a sofa, Patty was holding Theresa. Blake's father, Hank, was standing a few feet from Liz and was looking out the window.

Then there was Blake and Liz's sister, Rose, who were sitting at her bed side. One on each side, Rose was reading from her bible, while Blake held one of her hands. Before long the body was taken away but the silence remained. Theresa was the first to go off to bed, then Hank, and then Patty and Rose. Finally Rose's daughter went off to bed too, leaving Blake and I alone.

"It is pretty late Blake. Maybe you should get some rest." I suggested.

"I can't believe she is gone." Blake proclaimed.

"Me either." I admitted.

"I think I will go to bed. Maybe it will seem more real in the morning." He said.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." I agreed.

"I think I will head up to bed." Blake informed.

"I think I will head back to the hotel. I guess I will see you tomorrow." I said.

Blake walked me to the door. We embraced and I headed back to the hotel. Once I arrived I stripped off my clothes and took a shower. I cried a little during the shower. Then I climbed into bed and turned out the lights.

Soon after I had began to drift off to sleep there was a knock on the door. I got out of bed and went to the door. I looked out the peephole and saw that it was Blake. I opened the door and let him inside.

"I thought you were going to get some rest?" I asked.

"I just needed to get out of there." He exclaimed.

"I understand." I said.

"Can I crash with you tonight?" Blake asked.

"Of course, but there is only one bed." I said.

"I just don't want to be alone tonight Steve." Blake said.

"Okay." I replied.

Blake got undressed, just leaving his boxers. We climbed into bed and laid there in silence. I was very tired and was soon to sleep. The next morning I found myself beneath Blake's arm, like old times.

Acknowledgment:

Hello Everyone. I know it has been a couple of weeks since the last installment. I apologize for the wait and I will try to prevent such delays for the duration of the story. I hope that all is well and that you have an excellent week.

Have Fun and Be Safe.

Appreciation:

Special thanks to Oscar, Lou, Arch, Clayton, Jake, Ed, Adolfo, Khalid, Gary, Lucas, Vern, John, Lance, Oz, Dudung, Alan, Terry, Rogue, Jerry, Paul, Greg, John J., Harold, Kim, Small, Barry, Michael B., Cameron, David S., Randy, Liam, Byron, Kris, Bryan, Fred, Tomaz, David, Alex, Tony, Jerry L., Emmanuel, Joseph, Bruce, Matlock, Shawn, Bobby, Gregory, Bill, David R., Bradley, Ron, Bruce, Tom, Mick, Curtis, JT and Mikal for their support, and everyone who has taken the time to follow this story, I really appreciate you all.

Sincerest thanks to Nifty and all of the wonderful participants who make this site possible, from the generous donors to the archivists and administrators, you all are truly appreciated.

Last but not least, thanks to the editor, Raziya, for all of the wonderful work.

Let Me Know:

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Whichever one you choose I look forward to hearing your thoughts.