Published: 29 Dec 2016

When the boys were alone, Brent immediately began to tell Mike everything he had suffered at the hands of his father. He needed to pour out his heart to the one person in his life that he knew would understand completely.

He had come home on Thursday after track practice in a great mood. He had hurried, not bothering to take a shower at school, because he had a pile of homework which needed doing if he was going to have the luxury of spending quality time with Mike on the weekend.

He had barely entered the kitchen when his father, without a word of warning, had hit him hard sending him sprawling on the floor.

“You worthless little faggot! I’m going to beat the shit out of you! Your fucking faggot activities have fucked up my life. I told you never to get involved with the law, you stupid shit!”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Brent had responded, not having a clue as to what brought this on.

“Some sheriff from Wisconsin called today to say you wouldn’t need to testify because they had enough goods on some pornographer already. He called to say he wants to come here to meet with all you kids when he’s on vacation next week because you’re so fine and brave. He’s going to photograph you and your families for some law officers’ magazine. Now my life is fucked!”

“It’s not my fault,” Brent had attempted to explain.

“I let you hang with that queer boy, Mike, and those other cocksuckers and look what it got me. Well, I brought you into this world; I’m gonna fuckin’ take you out!”

Brent had wondered, momentarily, how his father had decided he and Mike were “queer” when their sexuality had never been discussed with Sheriff Taylor or any other adult. But, he didn’t have time to dwell on it because he was defending himself from a painful physical attack.

After that, things had gone from bad to worse. Brent had been punched and kicked numerous times. It all happened so fast that he had no opportunity to take evasive action. He eventually decided if he was going to survive, he needed to stop resisting and play dead. It didn’t take much acting ability because he lapsed into unconsciousness.

Sometime later, he had regained consciousness enough to hear his father packing and phoning someone. The gist of the conversation was that Jack needed another identity immediately.

Before Jack left, he kicked Brent forcefully in the groin one more time to see if he would show any signs of life. Brent gritted his teeth and remained silent, not reacting at all.

“That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” he admitted to Mike. “I figured if he thought I was still alive, he would finish me off. It’s just lucky I was still wearing a hard cup in my jock!”

“Oh, Baby,” Mike cried. “How could anyone want to do that to someone as sweet as you? I’m going to take self-defense lessons so I can protect you if he comes back. I’ll kill him!”

“I wouldn’t want you to end up in jail for taking revenge. Besides, he won’t come back. He’s on the run from something. I can’t believe he’s so much different than I always thought he was. I mean, he was never touchy/feely, but I thought he at least cared about me a little!”

Both boys had tears in their eyes as they held hands for mutual support. Brent felt like his whole world had been destroyed. Mike shuddered at the thought of the vicious beating his boyfriend had been through and the fact that he might have been killed.

Their time of giving vent to their emotions was interrupted by the arrival of Brent’s breakfast. They quickly tried to hide their tears and put on a brave front for the hospital staff.

The meal was mostly liquids, other than the bowl of Cream of Wheat. Brent was so hungry that everything looked appetizing to him. He remembered a scene from “Oliver” in which the boys in the orphanage were eating gruel and wishing for more. The image distracted him from his own problems for the moment.

Mike insisted on feeding him. It was probably a good thing, because Brent had an IV dripping into one arm and transfusion dripping into the other. Besides, his strength would have given out before the food was finished. As it was, he managed to consume everything on his tray but the napkin.

When the nurse came in to check on his progress, she was pleased.

“You’re going to regain your strength quickly if you can eat like that! I’ll check again with the doctor. If this all stays in your stomach without any ill effects, I’m guessing he’ll allow you some solid food for lunch.”

“And you, young man,” she said wagging a finger at Mike, “had better go get something to eat too. You can’t play nurse if you don’t keep up your strength.”

Mike took her advice soon after Jodie returned with Brent’s grandmother.

Brent kept up a very cheerful façade while his grandmother was there. He didn’t want his adversity to cause her to have a relapse, nor did he want to burden his mother with additional concern about his emotional state. He would do as much “damage-control” as he could. His father was NOT going to screw up the whole family!

As soon as his mother left to take his grandmother home, Brent became drowsy and fell asleep again. Mike watched over him, but was soon in dreamland too. As he had the night before, Mike rested his head on Brent’s bed.

Brent’s appetite for lunch was strong. He was served a more substantial meal since he had had no problems digesting breakfast. Mike mothered him again, because Jodie had not returned immediately after taking her mother home. She had checked with the nurses’ station and been told that the boys were both asleep.

The doctor poked his head in as Mike was feeding Brent the last of his chocolate pudding.

“You seem to be making a miraculous recovery,” he exclaimed. “And I use the term ‘miraculous’ advisedly. I cannot believe you don’t have any serious internal injuries. I’d half expected to be removing a kidney. Or, God forbid, your spleen. It’s a providential coincidence that you were wearing a hard cup in your jock so the bruising is mostly around your pelvic bone. Of course, you could live without a testicle, but most young men would fear that more than losing a vital organ. Anyway, you are ONE lucky young man in many respects!

I’m going to have the nurse remove your tubes later today, but I think I’ll leave the IV port in just in case. At least you’ll be able to get up and walk around more easily.”

“Now, it’s time for me to check your body over thoroughly, so I’ll pull the curtain for privacy. You might want your friend to step outside.

“We’re in the locker room together a lot. There’s nothing that he hasn’t seen.”

After the kiss he’d witnessed the previous day, Dr. Kirkwood assumed there probably wasn’t much about either boy’s body that the other hadn’t handled as well as seen, but he didn’t show any sign of his thoughts.

As he gently checked Brent’s testicles, he used the teachable moment to explain to the boys about checking themselves for tumors.

“Testicular cancer is a young man’s disease for the most part. You need to be alert so if you have it, you can be treated quickly. It’s normally a curable condition if it’s caught in time. Checking is best done after a warm bath or shower when they’re hanging low. You should work them between your thumb and your fingers like this…”

The doctor was barely finished when Sheriff Larkin rapped on the door. He had a recorder with him to get a more complete statement from Brent. What he heard was essentially the same thing Mike had heard except for a bit of editing to leave out the words: “queer” and “cocksuckers” in reference to his buddies.

When he was satisfied he had the details, the sheriff gave an update on what he’d found out. Brent’s mother returned in time to hear his report.

“Jack has disappeared completely. His car was found in northern Minnesota not far from the Canadian border. We don’t know if he skipped the country or if that’s a diversion to make us think so. The man also seems to have no past. We can’t even prove he existed before 1990. It’s as if he had arrived from another planet like Superman.”

“He would never say anything about growing up or anything,” Jodie said. “When I asked, he said it was too painful to talk about so I never asked again. I met him in California in 1990 and he swept me off of my feet. He seemed awfully eager to leave the bright lights and come to a quiet rural area in the middle of the country. Now, I’m guessing he had a reason.”

“I’ve made some inquiries to a government agency, but I’ve simply gotten the runaround. I wondered if he was in a federal witness protection program or something. Or, perhaps he was involved with a crime organization. Who knows? Perhaps we never will.”

Brent’s mom looked really haggard. She had recently been through the stress of her mother’s illness, and now her son was recovering from a severe beating. And worse, her husband was the one who had done it. If Brent’s world was upside down, hers was even more out of control. She didn’t have a partner to share her troubles with. Her eyes were puffy from crying and she looked on the verge of tears again. She was trying to remain brave for her son’s sake and felt guilty about not being by his bedside every moment, but she was running on empty.

“Mom, why don’t you go back to Grandma’s and try to get some sleep. I’m okay and I need you to take care of yourself. Mike will babysit me. At least, I might let him stay if he takes a shower and puts on one of those clean pairs of underwear you brought for me.” Brent snickered.

Seeing that her son’s sense of humor was returning (enough to tease his best bud), Jodie thought he could probably get along without her for at least a few hours. She could really use some rest. So, she kissed his forehead and left.

“So, am I that stinky?” Mike asked after she was gone.

“No, but I had to yank your chain. I’d sniff your crotch even if you hadn’t changed your boxers in a week.”

“Oh, you’re so romantic!” Mike laughed. “You know just the right words to sweep a guy off of his feet.”

The banter continued for several minutes before Mike excused himself to take a shower. He was grateful for the clean underwear because he hated feeling grubby.

When he came out of the bathroom, he saw that Brent was getting a sponge bath from a rather nice looking male nurse. Mike wondered how thorough the young man would be in cleaning up his boyfriend. He soon found out.

“Okay, here’s the washcloth. You can do your privates with that and then you’re all done.”

“I’m not sure that I can do with this IV in my arm. Can Mike do it for me?”

“Sure, if you want him to. I have an order to remove the tubes after your bath is finished.”

Mike was pleased to be able to perform that duty as well. He might have felt a twinge of jealousy if another guy was touching his boyfriend there, even if it was entirely innocent.

After the nurse left, the boys giggled about the experience.

“I was sure I’d throw wood if anyone else touched it today. I had to concentrate on my aches and pains when the doctor was rolling my nuts around.” Brent admitted.

“Well, you did manage to raise your pole when I washed it, as you well know.”

“Do you think the nurse noticed?”

“Unless he’s blind, he had to see the tent you were pitching with your sheet.”

“What do you mean “were”?

“Okay, the tent you’re still pitching,” Mike giggled. “You’re as horny as a rabbit in spring.”

“And the problem with that is?”

“It’s a good sign you’re recovering, but the problem is I can’t take care of you.”

“How come?” Brent whined.

“Because we’re in a public place! Remember the lecture we got from Colt and Dane? Besides, I’m not sure the excitement would be good for you.”

“Okay, but could you climb up here and hold me at least? That’s what I need more than anything. Please!”

“Okay, I’ll go to the nurses’ station and say you’re going to try to sleep and you don’t want to be disturbed. Do you think it will work?”

“It’s worth a try,” Brent insisted.

Mike returned a few minutes later with a silly grin on his face and a “Do Not Disturb” sign in his hand. After holding it up for Brent to see, he hung it on the outside door handle and firmly shut the door.

“Dr. Kirkwood was out there at the nurse’s station when I told them you wanted to sleep. He’s the one who suggested the sign. I think he knows why we want it. He ordered the nurses to honor it.”

Mike stripped down to the fresh boxers he was wearing and carefully climbed in beside Brent. Brent turned on his side so that Mike could spoon against him from behind.

Mike cuddled up to his boyfriend and wrapped his hand around Brent’s dick. He whispered words of love and comfort in his ear. Brent was almost purring. A little later, Mike felt the hot sausage in his hand begin to soften. Soon Brent’s breathing changed and Mike knew he was asleep. He found himself drifting as well.

Their dreams were interrupted about an hour later by the ringing of the telephone beside Brent’s bed. Mike hurried to answer it, but both were awake by the time he did.

Colt was calling to see if Brent was feeling good enough to have visitors. Mike assured him he was, and he would love company.

If you are enjoying this story, let David know: david.lee@castleroland.net