END OF PART 9
Trevor had just started talking to Jimmy, who smiled at him broadly, when my cell phone went off. It was Adam.
"Drew, can you come to the hospital?" He sounded like he'd been crying.
"Dad just woke up a few minutes ago. He wants to see you."
PART 10
I was speechless with happiness. I never thought it would happen so soon.
"Did you hear me, Drew?"
"Yes. Yes! That's wonderful, Adam. Tell him I'll be there as soon as I can. Thank you for the call."
I had to sit down for a minute at the kitchen table and take a deep breath. I couldn't believe this sudden development.
I raced around gathering up my wallet, shoes, and car keys. Trevor and Jimmy were walking back to the patio for their coffee when they spotted me running to them.
"Vince just woke up, boys! He's going to be all right."
Trevor grabbed me and gave me a big bear hug while Jimmy beamed but looked a little curious.
"That's great news, Mr. Mitchell. Are you going to see him now?"
"You bet, Jimmy. You boys go ahead and have your coffee without me. Trevor, you'll have to fend for yourself for breakfast -- and maybe lunch, too. I'm going to be a little busy today. I'll help you with your sponge bath and bandage after I get back home."
Trevor blushed as Jimmy looked at us with even more curiosity.
I started to turn around and then remembered Jimmy's money.
"Here you go, Jimmy. This is for this week. I'll see you next Wednesday -- right?"
"Right. I'll be here. Tell Mr. Paulson I said hi and that I wish him a speedy recovery."
"Sure will, Jimmy. See you later, boys!"
Because it was a Sunday morning, there was little traffic, so I made it to the hospital in record time, all but running from the parking lot. I waited impatiently for the elevator, which of course had to stop on every floor on the way up to Vince's.
When I got to his room, both Adam and Sarah were there -- on either side of Vince. I couldn't yet see him. Sarah saw me first and waved me over to her side of Vince's bed to take her place. As I passed her, she gave me a warm hug. Adam even high-fived me from across the bed.
"Isn't this wonderful?" she gushed. "Papa Vince is back with us."
He still looked a little groggy, but the instant I made eye contact with my lover, his eyes seemed to come alive, and a smile crept over his face.
"Hi, Drew." His long-silenced voice was like music to my ears. "Sorry I kept you waiting for me. What day is it again, Adam?"
"It's Sunday before Memorial Day. You've been out for nine days."
"And when did you come back, Drew?"
"Eight days ago, my friend. Adam and I have been keeping a close eye on you the whole time. We've missed you. Welcome back."
"How are the boys?" he said, looking at Sarah, who was seldom seen without them.
"They're just fine, Papa Vince. They're with my parents this morning, but they can't wait to see you again."
"I can't wait to see them either."
"What happened to the other driver?" Vince asked.
"He was injured, too, but not as badly as you were, Dad. He was drunk and ran a red light. The police nailed him."
"It's a good thing I never sold your mother's car, isn't it? At least we have one left."
Duh! I had never connected the fact that Vince had lost a car in the accident but that I was driving one. I don't pay much attention to car makes and models. I just knew I'd found one in the garage the morning after I got here and was using it, at Adam's suggestion.
"When can I go home?"
Adam looked down, not wanting to answer his dad on that one.
"Probably not real soon, Dad. We'll talk to the doctor about it. He'll have to decide what happens next. Can you feel anything?"
"I feel stiff and sore. Was anything broken?"
"Fortunately not. Your head injury was the worst thing, and that's why they put you in a coma -- so your brain wouldn't swell. But don't plan on turning cartwheels any time soon."
"I never could before."
"Well, we all feel like turning cartwheels now that you're back with us," Sarah said.
"I hate to interrupt, but I need to take Mr. Paulson's vitals now and check his tubes," Patty said. "Can you all step out in the hall for a minute?"
Adam and Sarah and I discussed next steps and agreed that we needed to spend even more time with Vince now that he was awake. Adam and Sarah, with babysitting help from her parents, would spend most of the rest of the day with him, and I would sit with him as much as possible while Adam worked -- until we had a better idea of how much longer he would have to be here. I hated to leave him today, but I knew I would be needed more tomorrow.
I suggested that Adam and Sarah go have a nice relaxing lunch together somewhere while I sat with Vince and that they would take over around 1 p.m. We agreed that it would be a good idea for Vince to be told today about Trevor and the fact that he was now living in Vince's house temporarily, and I agreed to do that.
When Patty was done, she invited us back in but reminded us that Vince still needed to take it easy and that he shouldn't talk more than necessary for the rest of the day -- that he would indeed need to sleep whenever he felt like it. I thought maybe I should wait until Monday to tell him about Trevor. That would be soon enough.
Adam and Sarah said their good-byes and told Vince they'd be back after lunch. At last, for the first time since I got here eight days ago, I had a chance to be alone with my man when he was conscious. For a moment we just looked into each other's eyes and savored the moment.
"I've missed you," I finally said, somewhat lamely, I thought, as I laid my hand on his arm.
"So you've been here for eight days?"
"Uh, huh. I've been up here every day hoping and praying that you'd wake up soon."
"That's really sweet of you, Drew. I'm sorry I haven't been very good company. How long can you stay?"
"I'm on a leave of absence from my job until you get better. Nothing else matters more right now than your recovery."
"I'll do my best. I sure had been looking forward to your next visit."
"Me, too. The only good thing about this is that we can spend more time together than our original plan."
"And the bad thing about it is that we're occupying different beds. Are you staying in my house?"
"Yes. Adam invited me to. That's okay, isn't it?"
"It was my idea before I went into this coma. Are you comfortable there? Do you have everything you need?"
"Everything but you. That's what I need most of all."
"It must be pretty lonely there -- I know from experience for the past five years."
Not as lonely as you think, I thought to myself. Maybe it was time to tell him. He seemed pretty lucid.
"Vince...I need to tell you something. A situation has arisen you should know about."
"You found a new boyfriend?"
"Not at all. You're my only man and always will be -- as long as you'll have me. Adam and I...well...befriended a young man in need here in your room last weekend."
I went on to tell him about Trevor's sudden appendectomy, his mother's accident, and his need for a temporary place to live until he could go back to Virginia. I laid out the unlikely story, and Vince's eyes seem to get bigger as it unfolded.
"Trevor is a wonderful young man, Vince, and Adam thought so, too. In fact, it was his idea to offer him a room in your house for a few days. I hope you don't mind. He's been there since last Tuesday, and he's been very appreciative and respectful. I left him there this morning with Jimmy, your gardener, when I got Adam's call to come to the hospital."
"Wow. A lot can happen when you slip into a coma for a few days. I think you should bring this young man back up here and let me meet him."
"Sure. Good idea. I'll see if he wants to come with me tomorrow or the next day."
Adam and Sarah reappeared about then, so I squeezed Vince's hand and told him I'd see him Monday morning.
"I'm so glad you're back with us. Don't give the nurses too much trouble."
"I've been an easy patient for eight days, so they'd better get used to my being awake now. I'm so glad you're here, Drew -- see you tomorrow."
I hadn't even realized my extreme hunger until I got back in the car. All I'd had all day so far was a small glass of orange juice -- I hadn't even had time to grab a cup of coffee. So I stopped for another burger on the way home -- between Trevor and me the burger joints in Montgomery were all doing well for the past week.
As I made my way inside the house, I looked out in the back yard. Jimmy had done his usual great job on it. There was evidence in the sink that Trevor had been able to find something to eat in my absence. I wondered where he was but figured he was taking another nap.
As I walked down the hallway I heard the shower running. He wasn't supposed to be doing that yet -- especially without my help. The door was ajar, so I opened it to see if he was all right.
"Trevor, you're not supposed to be taking a shower just yet..."
The dark pubic hair and long cut cock I saw was my first clue that Trevor was indeed not in the shower. The intriguing body parts belonged to Jimmy, who looked at me with surprise on his face. The reality of his body surpassed any notion I might have had about what he might look like without his trademark jeans. "Stunning" was the only word that came to mind, and even that seemed inadequate.
"Hi, Drew. I'm over here -- eyes right."
Trevor was also naked and was trying to dress and re-bandage his incision for the first time and looking like he was having a little trouble doing so.
"I didn't know what time you'd be home, so I asked Jimmy if he had time to help me with my sponge bath after he was done in the yard. Nice of him, huh? Then he asked if he could take a shower. Who was I to say no?"
Trevor looked like the proverbial cat that swallowed the canary and flashed me an I-got-what-I-wanted-didn't-I grin that almost made me laugh.
"Looks like you could use some help there," I said, when I had regained my ability to speak.
"Well, as long as you're here."
He handed me the bandage, and I got it out of the paper packaging while he stood there as usual in his birthday suit. Jimmy stepped out of the shower onto the rug and asked if I had a towel he could use. I was still getting Trevor's bandage ready, so I couldn't stop until it was firmly in place, forcing Jimmy to drip dry temporarily in front of us.
Wasn't it just ten days ago that I was minding my own business in my dull little life in my dull little apartment in Indianapolis?
"Wait here, Jimmy. I'll be right back with a clean towel for you."
My hands were shaking as I walked back in the bathroom with it. No one deserves to look that perfect, I thought to myself as I handed it to him. The naked boys were staring at each other with smiles on their handsome faces.
"How's Mr. Paulson doing?" Trevor asked, as Jimmy was drying himself.
"Much better. We were able to have a little conversation today for the first time since I was here in March."
"That's great."
"Trevor, I told him about you."
"How did he react?"
"He was surprised, of course. He wants to meet you."
"Sure. I'd like that."
Now finished drying, Jimmy stood there with his towel around his neck.
"Drew, don't you have some grocery shopping or something to do?" Trevor asked while nodding his head slightly and smiling. Jimmy looked embarrassed but eager.
"Oh, I guess. Just don't do anything to strain your incision, or you'll have to tell the doctor how it happened."
"We'll be careful. Come on, Jimmy, let's go `take a nap.'"
"You want to stay for dinner tonight, Jimmy?" I asked, as he was hanging his towel over the shower door and picking up his clothes.
"I can't tonight, Mr. Mitchell, but thanks. I think I could do that next Sunday, if the offer is still good."
Trevor beamed at the implications of that remark.
"Call me Drew. Trevor does."
"Okay, Drew. Thanks again. I'm glad to hear that Mr. Paulson is getting better."
I was treated to the sight of two perfect bare bottoms scooting down the hall to Trevor's room. As I was backing out of the driveway on my way to the grocery store, I spotted Jimmy's truck parked on the curb. How had I missed that?
I had never seen Trevor looking happier than I did over dinner that night, after Jimmy had left. We didn't say too much to each other, but I didn't need to ask -- it was written all over his face. He was on Cloud 9. I was sure he was already counting the days until Wednesday.
Trevor had a follow-up appointment with his surgeon on Tuesday, in the building next to the hospital, so he decided he would wait and meet Vince that day and let me visit Vince on my own on Monday.
I whistled all the way to the hospital Monday morning, knowing that Vince would be conscious now for all the rest of my visits. Imagine my surprise and disappointment, then, to see him looking the same in his hospital bed that morning as he did for the previous week in his coma.
"Oh, Vince, not again," I moaned. I was stooping over to kiss him on the forehead, and then I heard, "How about a real kiss right on the lips?" He'd been bluffing!
"You rat -- that was a dirty trick, making me think you were back in a coma again. Just for that I might not kiss you at all."
"You'd better -- it's the least you can do for your invalid boyfriend."
"And it's the most that my invalid boyfriend can do for me."
"Yes, sorry about that. No sex on this visit -- from me anyway. Unless you're getting some on the side from that live-in boy-toy you mentioned yesterday."
"Not a chance. I'm old enough to be his father. I told him our arrangement was going to be strictly platonic, and then he just laughed at me."
"He didn't!"
"Well, not exactly, but he did say he wasn't into older men."
"So he's gay, is he? Are you two sharing a bathroom?"
"Yes -- no need to use two of them. Your master suite remains pristine for your homecoming."
"Have you seen each other naked yet?"
"Well, it's kind of hard not to, under the circumstances, so yes. But we're being good."
"You're distracting me. Wasn't something said about a kiss?"
Even though Vince had no roommate at the time, I pulled the curtain closed part way and leaned over to give my lover a long kiss on the lips for the first time since March. It was heavenly, but it was only a fraction of what I really wanted to do to him -- if only...
I had barely straightened up again when Patty walked in.
"Oh, hello, Mr. Mitchell. How's our patient today? Isn't it wonderful to have him awake again?"
"It sure is. It must be the excellent care you've been providing."
"I can only do so much. It was the constant vigil that you and his son provided that did it, I think."
"Whatever it was, he's back, and I couldn't be happier about it."
Vince and I chatted some more, but he was looking sleepy, so I told him to close his eyes and that I'd sit with him until Adam came, which he did at noon. I went home to fix Trevor and myself some lunch, and then I took a nap of my own before returning to the hospital for a midafternoon visit with Vince.
On Tuesday I dropped Trevor off for a nine o'clock appointment with his surgeon to check his incision. After he was done there he walked next door to the hospital and met me in Vince's hospital room where they came face to face with one another for the first time since Vince woke up.
"Vince, I'd like you to meet my new friend Trevor. Trevor, this is Vince."
"Hello, Mr. Paulson. I'm glad to meet you -- awake that is."
"Hello, Trevor. You can call me Vince. How are you doing since your appendectomy?
"Very well, thanks. I just went to my doctor, and he said I was healing just fine. It must be the good care that I'm getting from Drew that's getting me back to normal so quickly."
He flashed me a big smile, and I grinned back at him.
"Vince, I want to thank you for the opportunity to stay with Drew in your house for a few days. I can't begin to tell you how lucky I feel that I've been able to do that. Drew and Adam came to my rescue when I was out of lifelines, and I just know that fate landed me here in the same room with you last week."
"You're welcome, Trevor. You'll probably be gone before I have a chance to come home, but make yourself comfortable there and stay as long as you need to.
"Thank you, sir. I appreciate that, and so does my mother back in Virginia."
I decided to step out for a cup of coffee and let Vince and Trevor visit a bit more by themselves. It was important to me for Vince to see the kind of young man Trevor was and get comfortable with him, because I had a hunch that we'd be seeing more of this young man after the summer was over.
When I got back, they were laughing together about something, so I knew that was a good sign -- unless it was about me, of course! It wasn't. Adam came in about that time, so we exchanged a few pleasantries with him and let him have some time alone with his dad. I was glad to see that Adam seemed to be increasingly comfortable around me. Maybe we didn't need to have a private conversation about "it" now that his dad was conscious again.
I treated the kid to another burger lunch on the way home.
"Trevor, would you like to drive by the campus on our way home and see if your grades are posted yet?"
"Good idea -- do you mind? I've been sweating bullets about getting them and seeing if I still have a scholarship for next year."
"No problem -- let's go."
I parked the car and we walked to the registrar's office. I waited in the air-conditioned lobby while Trevor stood at the desk waiting for someone to appear. Apparently summer was a slow time. Finally a woman asked him if she could help him, and he explained that he wanted his spring semester grades if they were available yet.
"We mailed them to your home address yesterday," she said, after checking.
"Is there any way I could get a copy of them now? I just got out of the hospital after surgery and can't go home to Virginia for a few more days."
The woman pulled Trevor's file out of a storage area and appeared to go check something with her superior in a private office. You could almost see the boy shaking in anticipation as he stood there at the counter.
"Mr. Butler, would you please step around the corner? Mr. Bartlett would like to talk to you about this."
Trevor looked back at me with a worried expression on his face but did as she said, and I watched him disappear from sight around the corner. Now I was sweating bullets. Please let this be good news, I thought.
Trevor was gone for about five minutes. When he returned to the lobby, he was clutching an envelope in his hand and had an unreadable expression on his face.
"Here," he said. "Take a look at this."
I reached into the envelope and pulled out the contents -- a computer-generated grade report, and a letter on college stationery. I scanned the list of courses and the grades for each, and then went to the bottom line. With all A's and one B, Trevor had achieved a grade point average of 3.6 for the semester and 3.75 for his entire freshman year.
"Look at the letter," he said.
"Dear Mr. Butler," it began. "We are pleased to inform you that your full scholarship for the next academic year at Huntingdon has been renewed. Congratulations on your achievements, and we look forward to seeing you back in the fall."
Now beaming broadly, Trevor wrapped his arms around me and jumped up and down. I jumped with him, and the woman behind the counter looked at us like we were both nuts. Delirious was more like it -- delirious with joy.
I cooked him a special dinner that night to celebrate and even let him have a glass of wine with me. He had earned every drop.
The next day he celebrated with Jimmy, after had Jimmy finished the yard in record time and then took a quick shower just after I'd returned from the hospital from my morning visit with Vince. I wasn't allowed to witness the nature of their private "celebration," but I had a pretty good idea of how Jimmy was "congratulating" him. I discreetly decided that would be a good time for me to go to the grocery store. While I was out, I did some special shopping that I'd had in mind for several days.
By that time Trevor was well enough to start doing much more around the house to earn his keep, and I put him to work with chores like dusting, vacuuming, doing laundry, and helping me clean up the kitchen after meals. True to his word, he was a good worker, which didn't surprise me very much. It freed me up to spend more time with Vince.
Trevor's mother sent him $150 in a check to the house, which he surmised had been borrowed from her sister and brother-in-law, and he scheduled his trip home for the following Tuesday. I could tell he had very mixed emotions about it. He wanted to see his mother again, for the first time since Christmas, but he had been living in a much nicer house than hers and was now getting some "lovin'" on a regular basis from Jimmy -- every Wednesday and Sunday, like clockwork.
He asked if he could leave some of his possessions in the house -- the ones he would not need again until fall semester. I checked with Vince, and he agreed it would be okay. A few days ahead of time, I presented an unsuspecting Trevor with something from the "special shopping" I'd done -- a nifty new duffel bag for him to use on his trip home. The one he'd been using looked like something he'd had since Boy Scout days, and it was way too small and beat up to use any longer.
He looked at my gift in amazement when he found it on his bed one morning, after he'd taken his morning shower. I was waiting for him in his room and he returned, wrapped in his wet towel.
"What's this?" he asked, looking puzzled.
"That's a little something for you, Trev. I think you can make some use of it, can't you?"
"Can I ever! Thank you so much, Drew. It's beautiful."
"Look inside."
He unzipped it and found several pair of new Calvin Klein briefs, in various colors, and several pair of new socks.
"Do you have any idea how long it's been since I had any new underwear and socks, Drew? Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"I think I have an idea. Remember, I've been washing your old stuff, and it was practically falling apart."
He ripped open one of the packages of briefs and let his towel fall to the floor. He held a baby blue pair up and took a good look at it before he pulled it up his fuzzy legs and over his package.
"What do you think?" he asked excitedly, turning 360 degrees around.
"I think they look just fine on you -- but even better off of you," I quipped.
"Yeah, you would think that, wouldn't you?"
"Who wouldn't? Maybe you should model them for Jimmy next time he comes."
"He'll like them better off of me, too," he said with a blush.
He walked over and gave me another one of his great hugs. He melted into me and hugged me for a good minute as I stroked him all over his bare back.
"I'm going to miss you so much, Drew. I don't want to leave you. I've never really known what it felt like to have a real dad. Now I know."
"And I've never known what it was like to have a son," I told him. "We'll still see each other often next school year. I'm going to try to find a job here and move in with Vince as soon as I can. We just have to work out some details."
"I sure hope so."
"So do I, kid. So do I."
The following Sunday evening we were both invited to Adam and Sarah's for dinner, where Trevor met Sarah, Tyler, and Todd for the first time. He played with the boys for a long time on the floor while Adam and I talked and Sarah fussed in the kitchen. It was a very pleasant evening -- much more relaxed than my first dinner there a few weeks earlier had been.
The next night, a Monday, was Trevor's and my last evening together before his trip home. We had another special dinner and then spent the evening sitting on the couch together watching TV. He snuggled up against me and laid his head on my shoulder as we both fought back tears. Neither of us paid much attention to what was on TV.
With a heavy heart, I drove him to the bus station the next day and stuffed a few twenties into his palm. We hugged one final time as the driver loaded his new duffel bag into the luggage area.
"I love you, Drew."
"I love you, too, Trev. I'll see you in August. Have a good summer, and tell your mother hello for me."
"Will do. Bye. See you in August."
He boarded and then waved from his bus window as I watched the bus pull away for the 18-hour trip up to Roanoke. I drove back to Vince's now very empty house and felt sorry for myself for the rest of the week. At least I had my daily visits with Vince to look forward to, but I would miss Trevor terribly.
Patty and a physical therapist had been working with Vince in his bed to exercise his muscles and joints, which proved to be very painful for him. He tried walking but was unable to do so without help. As much as I wanted him home with me, I realized that he needed more physical therapy before I could care for him alone. He was transferred to a rehabilitation clinic to learn how to walk on his own again.
I was out of paid leave from my job in Indianapolis by that time and had gone on leave without pay while I searched futilely for a job in Montgomery. Fortunately, being single and rather frugal all my adult life, I had a good stash of savings and a healthy portfolio of diversified investments.
I had never invested in real estate, however, which turned out to be a good thing. I was thinking about buying a house in 2004, but by that time housing prices were going nowhere but up and I knew it was unsustainable. When the market crashed in 2008 I counted my lucky stars that I had remained a renter all those years. Now that I wanted to move to Montgomery, it was all the better that I didn't have to sell a house in order to do so.
Reluctant to leave but knowing that I must, temporarily, I told Vince in mid June that would be going to back to Indianapolis to wrap up my job there and prepare to pack up all my belongings and move them to Montgomery by the beginning of July. He would still be in the rehabilitation center for at least that long, so this seemed to be the best time to start the transition. I sat with him most of the day the day before I left, only taking time out to do the necessary last-minute things before taking off.
Leaving him there in his bed was one of the hardest things I'd ever had to do. I hugged him gently and kissed him lovingly. The look on his face as I waved good-bye was one of sadness but genuine love.
Adam volunteered to take me to the airport early, before he had to go to work. I accepted because it was a nice gesture on his part, and I wanted to say good-bye. On the way we had an interesting conversation:
"Drew, I should probably tell you that I lied a little bit when I said on your first day back here that I was glad you came."
"Oh?"
"I have to admit now that Sarah had to push me very hard to make that call to you to tell you that Dad was laid up in the hospital, because it happened so soon after he told me about the nature of your relationship. I was still very angry about that, but Sarah convinced me that it was Dad's wishes and that I needed to respect them."
"I see. Why are you telling me this now, if I may ask?"
"I just want you to know that I was wrong. I see now that you deserved to be here, and you've obviously been a huge help to both Dad and me during his recovery -- not to mention providing a lifeline to Trevor in your spare time. You've been one busy guy here, haven't you?"
"Yes, I guess so, Adam, but I didn't come here to just sit around. I wouldn't have wanted to have been anywhere else or doing anything else."
There was a pause before either of us could decide what to say next.
"I guess I'll never really understand exactly what you and Dad have, but it's clear to me that you love each other and that he's better off with you than without you. I guess what I'm saying is that you've given me reason to re-think this situation and that I'm going to try to accept it as best I can."
"Thanks, Adam. I appreciate that. I know it's been hard for you, and I understand why. But you can be sure that I'm going to love and care for your father in every way I can when I get back here -- and that in no way is meant to detract from the wonderful marriage that he had with your mother, which I respect 100 percent."
"It was pretty special."
"Yes, I know. Anne was a lovely person, and my memories of her are all very positive."
Adam pulled into the Montgomery Airport and stopped in front of the passenger drop-off area. I thought he would just pop the trunk from inside the car so I could get my luggage out, but he got out and walked around to shake my hand. He even managed a smile.
"Thanks for the ride, Adam. I'll see you in about three weeks if all goes well."
"Good-bye, Drew. Good luck with everything."
"Bye."
I stayed on the curb until he drove away. This unexpected conversation with Adam had been just what I needed to move ahead with my plans.
(To be continued)
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