The story below is a work of fiction and contains erotic and/or sexually explicit behavior between consenting males. If you find this type of writing offensive, or if you are underage and it is illegal to view it, please do not read further, but exit now. The author reserves all copyright privileges. This work may not be reproduced, except for personal use, without permission of the author, and may not be linked to any pay sites.
Author's note - Boy, did I get a lot of emails after the last two chapters. Keep the emails coming. Dan
Chapter 30
Sean and Adam were doing fine but both missed Rick. Adam was behaving but Sean could see a melancholy descending on Adam. The third night after Rick had been gone, Adam asked if he had been a bad boy and if his Dad was coming back or had be gone for good. Sean's heart broke. Adam was too young to understand the gravity of the situation. At 4 years old, the world revolves around you. In Adam's case, he believed that his Dad was angry with him and had gone away as punishment. Sean assured Adam that he was a good boy and his Dad loved him very much. When Rick called that evening to give an update, Sean put Adam on the phone. His eyes brightened as he told his Dad about the latest Dexter's Laboratory he watched and the Hot Dogs he had for dinner.
Mark was back in Nashville holding things together. He missed Alice but knew that her place now was with Ethan. Alice sounded tired and Mark could tell that her spirit was fading. She had talked with him about Ethan's situation and the decision they had made to disconnect Ethan's life support.
Mark knew that this was the greatest pain any parent could possibly endure. Alice had explained that Sarah, Rick and herself would be at Ethan's bedside and stay there until, well, she couldn't bring herself to say it but Mark knew. Until Ethan died.
The three stayed at Ethan's bedside for the first hour after the machines were disconnected. Just over a week ago then were on board Tranquility. Enjoying themselves. Surrounded by the open sea and the beauty of Tranquility. Ethan was beaming with pride, love, and full of life. Now they were standing at his bedside. Waiting for him to die.
Ethan held on. His heart beat and pulse rate remained unchanged for the next two days. Sarah went to work during the day and spent the evenings with Ethan, Rick, and Alice. They could spend more time with Ethan since he had been moved into a private room in the critical care ward.
Sarah had a lot of work to handle now that she was acting CEO. The leadership team at Compass had taken the news of Sarah's appointment with grace. They knew that nobody knows Ethan better than Sarah and she would be the best proxy for Ethan. Where there could have been a mutiny by having a personal assistant now being the leader of a huge business empire, there was instead support and solidarity of purpose. This wasn't about Sarah or titles. It was about Ethan and keeping his legacy alive.
Quest was due for drydock in two weeks. This would be an extensive drydock not only doing the necessary mechanical work and inspections but also most carpets and cabin furnishings would be replaced. The furniture in most lounges would be replaced. Quest would emerge looking brand new. This type of extensive work was not unusual when a ship was nearing 5 years in service. What was unusual was the short timeframe allocated for the work. Sarah had to finish the final selections and sign the final papers and approve funds to be transferred to the contractor in Mobile where the work would be done. She also had to do some interviews for a new Captain since one of the Captains was retiring. While Compass had 6 ships, they had 8 Captains. This would ensure vacation times, illnesses, and so on could be covered. Sarah also signed the final payment to Meyer Werft for Tranquility plus the expenses for Sojourn repair works. For the first time in her life, she approved a multi-million dollar invoice with a stroke of her pen.
A bid had come in to purchase the check printing business for $250 million. The guys in legal and finance advised that this was a very good offer and should be considered. Sarah knew why Ethan owned the check printing business and was torn about what to do. She had put together one page of questions and reviewed them with Walter. She also discussed a plan for ensuring Mark and Alice would not suffer financially.
Sarah had gone home after an exhausting day. She had a quick shower and turned the TV for some news while she warmed some soup and fresh bread. She sat down to eat her soup when a report came on the news.
"The owner of Compass Cruise Lines and Compass Air is near death and in a coma at a hospital in Plantation. Ethan West, aged 37, was injured in an accident this past weekend. He has severe injuries and he has been removed from life support systems. Doctors are not hoeful he will survive. Compass Cruise Lines has 6 ships including the recently launched Tranquility. Compass Air has a fleet of 5 triple seven aircraft based at Ft Lauderdale airport."
Footage was shown from the recent arrival of Tranquility and the 3 other ships this past weekend. They then showed footage of a Compass 777 taking off from Ft Lauderdale.
"We have asked our consumer reporter, what does this mean for Compass employees and customers," they news anchor said as she segued to the reporter standing in front of Compass Headquarters.
"That is right Jane, Compass is a large local employer and is well know as a quality cruise line and airline. The two operations employ over 1,000 people here in Broward County and another 4,500 people onboard ship and across the world. Compass is privately owned by Ethan West, a reclusive billionaire that lives here in Ft Lauderdale and in Pensacola. Not much is known about him other than he is not married and has no heir apparent. He does have a life partner and his mother lives in Nashville. If Mr West does not survive his injuries, the future of Compass is very much in question. I spoke with local travel agents today and they are advising customers to pay by credit card to protect themselves if Compass ceases operations. While Compass has a loyal customer base and has won accolades in the premium cruise segment, travel agents advise that there are other cruise lines that are very secure and a suitable alternative. Jane, we were not able to contact anyone at Compass for any comment." The reporter concluded.
"Thanks for that report, we wish Mr West a speedy recovery, but in the mean time, I guess consumers should be very cautious," the anchor callously added.
Sarah was speechless. This report only presented convenient facts and would only cause panic among the general public and Compass employees. Who did they try to contact at Compass for a comment? She had not received any such request. Because someone doesn't flaunt their wealth makes them "reclusive"? And so much for caring about Ethan the human and whether he lives or dies. A throw-away wish for a speedy recovery was all that she could say? She fumed for a few minutes and then began dialling the leadership team at their homes. She summoned them back to the office for an 830pm meeting. This would give her time to go by and see Rick and Ethan and then back to the office.
Rick had been at the hospital since noon, Alice went back to the apartment a little after 5pm feeling tired. Rick wanted to be there when the attendant came in to give Ethan his "bath". Rick wanted to take over that responsibility and the nurses finally agreed. Rick also brought in a CD player so that he could play some of Ethan's favorite music. He had talked to Ethan about Adam and Sean and some of the other things going on. He had read that people still process certain stimuli even while comatose. He was determined to bring Ethan out of this.
Sarah arrived and seemed agitated. She sat with Ethan for a few minutes while Rick went to get something to eat. She talked to him about the preparations for Quest, the sale of the check printing business, and other things going on at the office. She did not mention the news report.
"Ethan, please wake up. I need you so much. I miss your way of handling things. I miss your intelligence and your insight. Most of all I miss your sense of humour. Please Ethan. Wake up." Sarah pleaded as Rick was entering the room.
Sarah stood up, kissed Ethan's forehead, and walked with Rick into the hall.
She asked Rick to walk with her to the car. She told Rick was happening with the news report.
"Those evil bastards. A kind, loving, generous man is near death and they do this. This is so fucking outrageous. That man up there has nothing but love and kindness for people and this is what happens to him?" Rick was yelling, angry, tears streaking down his face.
"I know honey. I am meeting with the team at the office in a few minutes. We will put things right. And Ethan is going to pull through. I just know it." Sarah said to Rick griping his arms.
Rick returned to Ethan's room to find it filled with nurses. The room was a beehive of activity. Rick panicked. Ethan could be dying. He shouldn't have left the room. He asked what was going on. A nurse approached and asked him to wait down the hall.
"Oh my God. This can't be happening. I love him, I want to be with him. You have to let me be with him," Rick was pleading.
The nurse said they needed the room and needed him to wait down the hall. They would come and get him when they had more to tell him.
So, Rick waited. 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes. He was going out of his mind. He couldn't stop crying. He had never felt so alone. Finally, Dr. Garcia approached.
"Rick, I can't explain what has happened," Dr Garcia started.
"Please doctor, just tell me. I need to know, is he dead?" Rick whispered through the sobs.
"Rick, look at me. I can't explain what has happened. Ethan's pulse rate has gone up and his heartbeat has increased. His blood pressure is also up.
It isn't at normal levels yet but it is markedly stronger. His color has improved. We looked at the lacerations and they have healed a lot in the last 24 hours. I simply can't explain it. This is remarkable. If I believed in miracles, I would say this was one," the doctor said, now smiling. "He is still unconscious, but I am very encouraged."
Rick couldn't move. He had thought Ethan had died. And now this news. His head was spinning. His knees went weak and the room started to spin. The tension and emotions of the last week finally taking its toll, he fainted.
When Rick awoke, he found the nurses standing around him smiling. Teasing him about fainting like a girl. They told him to get himself up, offered him some juice, and then ordered him to be with Ethan.
Rick could see the improvement. The color was returning. The swelling looked better. Rick took some lip balm and gently applied it to Ethan's dry lips. He ran his finger gently over the top lip, then the bottom lip. He then touched Ethan's cheeks, feeling his skin. He sat in the chair and ran his hands through Ethan's hair. His heart and body ached for Ethan. He longed to hear his voice, to hold him in his arms, to hear his laugh, to see the sparkle in his eyes, to simply be in his presence.
"Ethan, you are going to make it. You are coming back to me. And to Sarah and Adam and Alice," Rick said to Ethan.
Sarah convened the meeting at 830pm. The leadership team had seen tapes of the news reports and had some initial ideas on responses. Sarah listened to the recommendations and approved the majority of the ideas. In the morning the offensive would begin. A department head would go to each of the ships and hold meetings with the shipboard personnel. The marketing communications team would hold press interviews the next day. Sarah would have a meeting with the team at head office. Since Compass was privately held, they were not required to release financial information. The legal and finance department finally agreed that they should release a recap of Compass financial information. Compass had no debt. The airplanes and ships were paid in full. The office building and other facilities were also debt free. The cash flow from operations more than covered expenses and in fact generated substantial margins - the highest in the business. Cash on hand at Compass and ENW was in the billions of dollars. ENW and Compass could buy outright many of the "so called" healthier cruise lines mentioned in the report. And finally, a letter would be sent to all of the members of the past passenger club. In addition to setting the record straight they would be welcomed back to Compass with some attractive discounts.
The Compass team, led by Sarah, was on the offensive. The TV station that aired the report would be sorry. Sarah would be sure of that.
Rick slept at Ethan's bedside. In the morning, Rick prepared to give Ethan a sponge bath and to move him in the bed. He noticed that Ethan's heart rate and blood pressure had improved overnight. He got the soft sponge, warm water, softsoap, and a new towel. He gently pulled back the sheet that was covering Ethan. The bruises and cuts still visible. Gently he undid the hospital gown and slipped it off of Ethan. He soaked the sponge and wrung out most of the water. He started at Ethan's feet and gently worked his way up, around the casts on his lower legs. Then he washed Ethan's chest, under his arms, his chest, being careful of the broken bones. He soaked the sponge and cleaned around Ethan's upper legs, his testicles, and cock. Rick found tears forming in his eyes. He remembered making love to Ethan. The passion. The tenderness. He wondered if they would ever make love again. Rick was finishing his cleaning when he noticed it. Ethan's cock had moved. It was growing thicker. It was reacting to Rick's touch. Suddenly feeling guilty and like he had been caught doing something wrong, he stopped, put a clean gown on Ethan, and pulled the sheet up. He gently applied new lip balm and brushed Ethan's hair. He raised the back of the bed so Ethan was sitting a bit more upright. Rick didn't know why but he just felt this would be better for Ethan. Rick also knew that Ethan would be very uncomfortable having people do things for him. He was used to being a giver and didn't know how to accept people doing things for him.
The Compass team launched their offensive. The rival news stations were carrying the report and were attacking the other station for insensitivity to Ethan's condition and inaccuracies in their reporting. The response was better than anyone had anticipated. The Compass reservations department was having record new bookings and the website and call centers were flooded with activity. The shipboard meetings would be occurring over the next couple of days as the ships reached ports where the appointed head office representative could board. Sarah handled her tasks with great skill. She answered all questions. Her knowledge of the operations of Compass were impressive. Any doubts regarding Ethan's decision to appoint her acting CEO were washed away.
Alice came and spent the afternoon with Ethan and was joyous at the progress in Ethan since the evening before. Rick went home for a shower and a nap. At 6pm, Rick and Sarah arrived back at the hospital and Alice went back to the apartment. Sarah was shocked to see the changes in Ethan. Rick explained that it had happened after she left. He asked her what she said to him. She did not respond.
So, she told Ethan about the day's events. She thought she saw a smile when she told him how the story had backfired on the station and bookings had reached record levels as the reports were aired. Rick thought he saw it too but both thought they were being too hopeful.
Sarah was exhausted and left at 8pm. She kissed Ethan's forehead as she left. Rick stayed with Ethan and put in a CD. He sat listening to the music. It was the Darren Hayes' CD that he had last played on their "special" night on Tranquility. When Insatiable came on, Rick felt so sad. He missed Ethan. He loved him with all his heart. He put his head on the bed next to Ethan's hand. The song played. As it neared the end, Rick was startled. Ethan's hand was on his head. Fingers running through his hair. He looked up and saw Ethan looking back at him. The blue eyes, blood shot and tired, but there they were. A small smile was straining to be formed on his lips. Ethan was back.