Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2007 07:41:03 -0800 (PST)
From: Kirk Landers <ilj4ever44@yahoo.com>
Subject: Phases- part 12

Copyright and Disclaimer:
1. This is a fictional story with fictional
characters.
2. No one is to steal this story under any
circumstances.
3. This story deals with relationships and not sex, so
if you're looking for a story with a lot of sex in it,
this isn't the story for you.


Well, I know many were a little upset with how the
last chapter ended, but I want you to know that I love
the character of Jesse and he will still be a very big
part of the story.  So I hope you continue to read and
enjoy.  Here's part 12 entitled, "Don't Say Goodbye"

"DON'T SAY GOODBYE"


     It's been a month since the accident, a month
since Jesse has been in a coma, and a month since Leo
has smiled.  Every day Leo went down to the hospital
and stayed with Jesse until visiting hours were over.
He stopped showing up to work, he never showed up for
the  second audition he got and he was no longer able
to pay for his apartment.  He got evicted and had to
move in with Kurt and Ryan, which was okay since they
had an extra room anyway since Ryan and Kurt shared a
room together.  Nick and Kurt were really worried
about him, they didn't know how to help him or how to
help him move on.  They didn't want Leo to give up
hope on Jesse waking up, because they themselves
didn't want to give up hope on Jesse.  However, at the
same time they knew that what Leo was doing wasn't
healthy for him.

    It was another day, and another day for Leo at the
hospital in Jesse's room.  Today he brought in People
magazine to read to Jesse to try and keep him up to
date in what's going on in the media.  As he read, he
always hoped that Jesse would miraculously wake up and
respond to what he read him, but it never happened.
On this day, Nick went down to talk to Leo.  When he
entered, he was shocked to see how disheveled Leo
looked, he was usually very clean cut and well kept,
but his hair was matted, his face was unshaven, his
clothes looked all wrinkled.  Nick could see that Leo
was getting worse and had to do something to help him.

"Leo," Nick said gently as he entered the room.

"Hey," Leo said, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see what you were up to," Nick said as he
pulled up a chair next to Leo and sat down. "What are
you doing?"

"Just reading to Jesse," Leo sighed, "Hoping that he
can maybe hear me."

"Leo, you really need to get out of here every once in
a while," Nick said, "It's not healthy with you coming
here every day and staying all day long."

"I have to," Leo said, "What if he wakes up and I'm
not here?  He'll be all alone and wonder where I am.
I am going to be here when he wakes up."

"You heard what the doctors said," Nick explained,
"Jesse is probably not going to wake up."

"Doctors are always wrong," Leo said, "You don't
know."

"Leo, what about work?" Nick asked.

"What about it?" Leo asked.

"You need to work," Nick replied, "You already got
kicked out of your apartment.  You're lucky that Kurt
and Ryan had that room to spare.  You can't live off
of them forever."

"I know," Leo sighed, "But I can't leave Jesse by
himself."

"Leo, it's been a month and there hasn't been any
change," Nick said. "Don't you think it's time to-"

"Time to what?" Leo asked, "Move on?  Get over him?"

"I'm not saying you need to get over him," Nick said,
"But I am saying that you need to understand that
there is that possibility that he'll never wake up."

"He will," Leo replied stubbornly, "I know he will."

Nick sighed, not knowing what else to say.  He got up
and headed for the door.

"Leo, I'm here for you," Nick said, "You've never once
come to talk about any of this, if you ever feel like
it, just know that I'm here."

"I know," Leo said, "Thank you."

Nick then left and Leo alone with Jesse.  As Nick
walked out of the hospital he got on his cell phone
and called Kurt who was just coming out of a meeting
from the magazine.

"Hey," Kurt said answering the phone, "What's up?"

"I just came from seeing Leo," Nick said.

"At the hospital?" Kurt asked.

"Where else?" Nick retorted.

"Any change?" Kurt asked.

"No," Nick replied, "I'm getting worried, he looked
terrible."

"All he does when he gets to the apartment is go to
his room and closes the door and Ryan and I don't see
him again until he comes out the next morning to head
down to the hospital," Kurt said, "I've been trying
since he moved in for the past two weeks to talk to
him, but he just doesn't respond.  He's just really in
denial."

"Yeah, but there has to be something we can do," Nick
said.

"Yeah, but what?" Kurt asked.

"I think maybe we've been playing the nice guys for
too long," Nick replied.

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked.

"I think we need to start playing bad cop to get
through to him," Nick responded.

"I've never been good at being bad cop," Kurt said,
"I'll be good cop."

"All right, just as long as we talk to him." Nick
said.

"But do you think that's wise?  He's really fragile
right now."

Nick just sighed, "If he cries or shows any sort of
emotion, at least it'll be better than the drone he's
become for the past month."

"You're right," Kurt agreed, "I guess we really have
no choice left.  I just want us to be gentle though, I
can't stand seeing him like this, but I don't want him
to think we're trying to make him move on from Jesse."

"We're not making him move on," Nick corrected, "We're
helping him see that he has a life to live."

"You're right."

"Tonight, why don't you bring him over and we'll talk
to him," Nick said.

"Okay," Kurt said, "I'll call you later."

"All right," Nick replied as he hung up.  Nick got
into his car and was driving back to his apartment to
work, on his way he passed by the Gay and Lesbian
center and saw that boy, Joey, who he had met at the
Holiday Event at the center during Christmas. Nick
quickly pulled into the parking lot to talk to him
since he had told Joey that he would be around if he
ever needed anyone.  He got out of the car and saw
Joey just sitting outside of the center sitting on the
grass lawn in front.

"Joey right?" Nick asked as he approached the boy.
Joey quickly turned to face Nick and smiled when he
saw him.

"It's you," Joey said, "I've been coming by here every
week since Christmas hoping to see you again."

"I'm sorry," Nick apologized, "Things got so out of
control lately that I never got the chance to try and
volunteer here. How've you been?"

"I got kicked out of my house," Joey replied.

"What?" Nick asked, "Why?"

"I told my mom I was gay," Joey said.

"And she kicked you out?" Nick asked.

"Yeah," Joey replied.

"That's horrible," Nick said, "Where have you been
staying?"

"I've been staying with friends," Joey said.

"Are you okay?" Nick asked.

"I'm doing all right," Joey said.

"Have you gone inside the center here to talk to
anyone?" Nick asked.

"No," Joey said, "I don't want to go in there."

"Why?" Nick asked.

"I don't need their help," Joey said.

"Then why are you hanging around here?" Nick asked.

"I've been hoping to run into you," Joey replied. "You
said that you would be willing to help me."

"Well what do you want me to do?" Nick asked.

"I was hoping that I could stay with you," Joey
replied.

Nick smiled, touched that he trusted him, "Joey, I'm
not in a place to be able to take care of anyone."

"You don't have to," Joey said, "I can take care of
myself.  I'm sixteen years old.  I just need a place
to sleep."

"Joey, I'm going to help you," Nick said, "But it's
not going to be by you living with me."

"Oh," Joey replied with disappointment.

"I'm going to go talk to your mom," Nick said, "Try
and get her to understand you a bit more."

"No!" Joey shrieked, "She will never accept me."

"I know you're probably scared of her right now," Nick
said, "But deep down you have to know that she still
loves you and I'm sure she misses you.  How long have
you been away from home?"

"Almost three weeks now," Joey sighed.

"Let me go talk to her," Nick said, "I'm sure you miss
her too."

 Joey didn't reply, but the look on his face was
answer enough.  Nick had to help this kid out.

"Have you had anything to eat today?" Nick continued.

"Nope."

"Let's go grab something to eat," Nick said leading
Joey towards his car. "You feel like a burger?"

"Yeah!" Joey replied, "I haven't eaten much since I
left home."

"I could tell," Nick replied, "You look like a waif."

"Thank you," Joey said gratefully.

"Not a problem," Nick replied, "I told you I'd help
you out."

The two got in the car and drove off to lunch.

Back at the hospital Leo was sitting quietly in the
room and carefully adjusting the blankets on Jesse.
He looked at his face and kept willing him to wake up,
but of course, no change.  He leaned back in his chair
and just thought about Jesse and their history
together.  He remembered back when he was a big party
goer and big on clubs and drinking, and even though
Nick and Kurt always tried to calm him down, it was
Jesse who got him out of that party stage in his life.
 He remembered one time distinctly, it was the last
time he ever partied real hard again.  Nick, Kurt,
Jesse and him were at a house party in Hollywood,
well, the party wasn't at just a house, it was a
Hollywood mansion.  Through the magazine Kurt worked
had he often got invites to some of these big parties
and though it wasn't really his scene, he thought it
might be fun if they all went to this party together.
The mansion was huge, there was a room dedicated
specifically designed to be a bar, there was another
room with a DJ inside that was made up to be a dance
room.  It seemed all of gay Hollywood was there and
Leo was having a great time.

"This party is insane!" Leo said with a huge grin
clutching his margarita.

"It's okay," Nick shrugged.

"It's so loud in here," Kurt screamed out in order for
the other guys to hear him.

"Leo, I can't stay long, remember I have to get to
work early," Jesse reminded him.

"Yeah, I know, we don't have to stay late," Leo said,
"But we have to at least mingle a bit.  How often do
we get to go to parties like this?"

"You always go to parties like this," Nick reminded.

"I mean together," Leo said, "We all  haven't been to
a good party or bar in a long time."

"You really like parties like this?" Jesse asked.

"Love them," Leo replied, "I used to go to them all
the time with Nick and Kurt, but they got tired of
it."

"He's a bit of a wild car," Kurt said to Jesse.

"I see that," Jesse replied.

"I'm going to go get another drink," Leo said downing
his half filled glass of margarita. "I'll be right
back."

"You want us to go with you?" Nick asked, "You might
get lost."

"I'll be fine," Leo said taking off quickly.

Jesse looked at Nick and Kurt in shock.

"We've been going out for almost a month now and I've
never seen this side of him," Jesse said.

"Yeah," Nick began, "He's a little crazy."

"He used to be a lot worse," Kurt said, "We used to
have to always come pick him up from some party he was
ate because he was too drunk or he was passed out."

"Really?" Jesse asked.

"But he's really a good guy," Nick defended, seeing
Jesse was starting to get a little worried about the
guy he just started seeing.

"You know I was in a relationship before with a guy
who liked to party a lot," Jesse said, "And he ended
up cheating on me at one of the parties when he was
drunk."

"Oh, I'm sure he would never cheat on you," Kurt said
quickly. "He's not like that."

"Yeah, he's not the type of person who would do that,"
Nick followed.

"I didn't think my ex was either, but people do some
crazy things when they're in this scene," Jesse said.

"Jesse, Leo likes you so much," Nick said, "I'm sure
he won't do anything to jeopardize your relationship."

"How often does he go out to parties like this?" Jesse
asked.

 Nick and Kurt both looked at each other, each not
wanting to reveal that Leo goes out quite often.

"You know, I'm not too sure," Kurt lied.

"Come on guys," Jesse said not believing them, "Tell
me."

"Well he hasn't gone much this past month because of
you," Nick said.

Jesse still waited for a straight answer.

"Usually every week," Kurt admitted.

"Gotcha," Jesse nodded taking a sip of his beer. "I
don't know if I can go through this again."

Nick and Kurt both exchanged worried looks, wondering
how they would be able to do damage control here.

"Lets go find Leo," Kurt suggested as the three headed
towards the bar area.  When they entered the room all
three of them dropped their jaws at the sight of Leo
dancing on top of the bar in nothing but his boxers.

"Oh my," Nick began.

"God," Kurt finished.

They both looked over at Jesse who just had a look of
sheer disappointment on his face.  He set down his
beer on a nearby counter.

"I think I'm going to take off," Jesse said turning to
head out.

"Wait," Nick said, "Let Kurt get Leo and bring him
over here."

Yeah, I'll be right back," Kurt said rushing through
the mass of people to go grab Leo.  When he finally
got up to the bar Leo had collected twenty dollars
worth of ones in his boxers when Kurt grabbed Leo by
the leg.

"Get your naked ass down here now," Kurt scolded.

"Kurt!" Leo said in drunken glee as he hoped off the
bar and into Kurt's arms and gave him a big hug.
"What's up?"

"You're about to lose Jesse," Kurt said.  "Put your
clothes on!" He grabbed Leo's clothes off the bar and
helped him put them on and then ushered him through
back to where Nick and Jesse were.

"Hey baby," Leo smiled throwing himself on Jesse.
Jesse took Leo's arms off of him and gave him a look
that made Leo realize he was acting like an idiot.

"I'm going," Jesse said.

"What?" Leo asked panicking, "Why?"

"Why?" Jesse asked, "You're up dancing naked on top of
bars.  I've had enough of my share of party people in
my life.  I want someone to get serious with."

"But Jesse," Leo hesitated.

"I'm sorry," Jesse replied, "I have to go."

Nick and Kurt both kept silent, knowing it was up to
Leo now to change Jesse's mind.  Jesse turned to walk
away, but Leo ran after him.

"Jesse!" Leo said, now almost fully sobered up from
the shock of all this, "Please, I'm so sorry.  You're
right.  Please don't leave."

"Leo, I can't do this party scene," Jesse said, "And
if this is who you are then maybe you should be with
someone who can handle all of this."

"I don't want to be with someone else," Leo said, "I
want to be with you."

"Leo, this isn't my scene," Jesse said.

"I'll stop," Leo said.

Kurt and Nick both looked over at Leo in shock hearing
that.  They've been trying forever to get Leo out of
this scene and in less than five minutes Jesse got Leo
to give it up.

"I don't want you to be someone you're not just for
me," Jesse said.

"No, you don't understand," Leo said, "The only time I
really feel like myself is when I'm with you.  Please
don't give up on me."

Jesse sighed, not too sure what to do, but he looked
into Leo's eyes and saw the sincerity on what he was
saying.

"Are you sure?" Jesse asked.

"I'm sure, I'm done with this," Leo replied.

"Okay," Jesse agreed giving Leo a hug.

"Let's get out of here," Leo said.

The guys all then headed out and said goodbye to the
party and goodbye to the party scene.

Leo sighed to himself as he looked at Jesse's
unconscious body on the hospital bed.  If Jesse could
get him out of that party scene, then surely he felt
that he could get Jesse out of his coma.

"Come on baby," Leo whispered.

Meanwhile, Kurt got back home and found Ryan sleeping
on the couch holding onto the classified section of
the newspaper.  For the past month Ryan had started to
feel completely useless, he couldn't think of what he
wanted to do and as a result was starting to resort to
just looking at job ads and just getting a job just to
get one, no longer really caring if it was a job he'd
be happy doing.  Kurt set his work papers and laptop
down and sat down on the couch next to Ryan and gave
Ryan a kiss on the forehead.  Ryan slowly opened his
eyes.

"Hey you," Ryan said groggily.

"Hey," Kurt smiled, "How long have you been asleep?"

"I don't know," Ryan replied, "I've been looking over
the classifieds here since you left for your meeting
this morning and I guess I just dozed off."

"What did I tell you about this whole job situation?"
Kurt reminded, "Don't do something unless it's what
you want to do."

"I know, but I'm just getting so bored out of my mind
just sitting here and doing nothing," Ryan replied.

"It's better to do nothing for a while and organize
your thoughts and wants than be in a job you're not
happy with," Kurt said.

Ryan's cell phone then rang, Ryan looked at the caller
ID and saw Nick's name appear.

"It's Nick," Ryan said answering the phone, "Hey Nick,
what's up?"

"Ryan, I need your help," Nick said.

"What's wrong?" Ryan asked.

"I'm with this kid who I met at that Holiday event at
the center and he just got kicked out of his house for
being gay," Nick replied, "I'm going to go talk to his
mom and try and get him back home, but I'm not too
sure how to go about this.  Can you come meet us?
We're having lunch at the restaurant Leo works at or
worked at, not too sure on his job status here."

"Yeah, sure, I'll be right down," Ryan said hanging up
the phone.

"What's up?" Kurt asked.

"Nick needs some help with talking to the parents of a
kid who got kicked out of his house," Ryan explained,
"You want to come?"

"No, I should finish up some work here," Kurt said,
"Good luck."

"Thanks," Ryan said giving Kurt a kiss.  Ryan quickly
grabbed his keys and headed out.  Kurt couldn't help
but smile at how excited Ryan got by the idea of
helping someone.  Ryan was definitely a nurturer.

 When Ryan got to the restaurant Nick and Joey were
eating burgers together.  Joey seemed very happy to be
eating such a large meal and was savoring every bite.

"Hey guys," Ryan said sitting down.

"Hey Ryan," Nick gave Ryan a hug, "This is Joey."

"Nice to meet you," Ryan said shaking Joey's hand. "So
what's going on?"

"We're going to help Joey get back home," Nick said.
"But I need your help.  You've dealt with talking to
parents about this right?"

"Yeah," Ryan nodded, "It's tough and the reactions
aren't always the same.  Some people just don't change
their views."

"Great," Joey sighed.

"But that doesn't mean we're just going to abandon you
if it doesn't work out," Ryan assured Joey, "There are
a lot of other options we can explore."

"But if we can get your mom to come around, it would
really be the best thing," Nick said.

"Were you close with your mom?" Ryan asked Joey.

"Yeah," Joey replied, "It's just her and me.  We were
a team, I picked up jobs here and there, while she
worked at a diner.  We were really close."

"Well, Nick and I will do what we can to bring you
home," Ryan confirmed.

"Joey," Nick began, "Stay here, Ryan and I are just
going to talk things over for a bit."

"Okay," Joey replied.

Nick and Ryan got up and went outside of the
restaurant to talk.

"How do I go about it?" Nick asked Ryan wanting to
make sure he doesn't mess it up.

"You just have to be gentle and understanding that
it's a lot for her as a parent to take," Ryan said.

"Maybe you should do it," Nick suggested starting to
second guess himself.

"Nick, I have a feeling that you're here because you
want to," Ryan said, "You want to help him and I think
you should.  This seems to be really important to
you."

"It is," Nick sighed. "Especially now."

"How come?" Ryan asked.

"Because I was faced with this same thing when Leo
told his parents he was gay," Nick replied.

"You were?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah," Nick replied, "Leo's parents didn't take it
well and have stopped talking to him.  He told them a
year ago and they flipped out on him.  He was so upset
that I went to talk to his parents, but when I did,
they just couldn't understand and I couldn't get
through to them and I got so frustrated, I yelled at
them and they just shut the door in my face and told
Leo to never speak to them again."

"That's tough," Ryan sighed.

"That's why it's really important to me that Leo is
taken care of," Nick said, "It's why I'm so protective
of him.  I feel like I lost him his parents."

"It's not your fault that Leo's parents don't
understand," Ryan said. "It's just how some people
are."

"I can't let this kid down," Nick said looking into
the window at Joey. "I have to help him."

"Then we will," Ryan said, "I'll go over with you what
I said to parents and you just find your own voice and
your own way."

Nick nodded, knowing the challenge he had ahead and
was determined to bring Joey and his mom together
again.

Meanwhile, Kurt was busy re-writing an article he had
to finish for the magazine when he got a call from a
copy-editor he became friends with at the office.  His
name was Derek, flamboyant and as he liked to say
'fabulously gay.'  Derek was a dreamer and always
believed that the magazine him and Kurt worked at was
more amazing than it really was.  Sure it was a very
popular magazine in the gay community, it was popular
for having the up-to-date information on the most
popular celebrities in the gay community such as
Britney Spears, Cher, Brad Pitt, Ellen, etc., it was
also getting quite noticed for it's spreads on
fashion, and even Kurt's little articles were a 'must
read,' in every issue.  But truth be told, while it
was big in the gay world, it was very small in the
real world.

"Your outfit you wore to work today was to die for,"
Derek said, "You were working the True Religions."

"Thanks," Kurt said, half listening to Derek so he
could continue to work on his article, "So what's up?"

"I just heard through the grapevine that there is a
great party going on in We Ho next week," Derek said.

"Oh yeah?" Kurt asked clearly not interested.  Derek
was the one who always let the people at the magazine
know when a good party was coming up and pestered
everyone to go. "What's the celebration this time?
New line of sex toys?"

"No, that was last weeks party," Derek dismissed, "The
party is for Patrick Willis."

"Who's that?" Kurt asked.

"Are you kidding?" Derek asked almost insulted,
"Patrick Willis is the hippest new designer.  The
party is in celebration of his new Spring collection."

"Derek, what makes you think I'm interested in going?"
Kurt asked, "I haven't gone to one of these parties in
forever."

"You know, I wasn't going to tell you about it, but
then I saw you come in for the meeting today and saw
that you still had some good fashion taste, so I
figured you might be interested in going to a
glamorous party," Derek said, "It's at the Market."

"It's at a market?" Kurt asked confused.

"Oh my God," Derek exclaimed, "First you don't know
about the hippest new designer, now you don't know
about the hippest new club?  You really need to go out
more."

"Thanks, but I'm not interested," Kurt said.

"Okay, but when you read all about this party in the
next five issues of our magazine you're going to be
sorry you didn't go," Derek said hanging up.

After Kurt put his phone down he looked on his desk
where he was writing and saw picked up a framed
picture of Nick, Leo and him.  It was a photo taken
last year when they went on a trip to San Diego
together.  They were at a beach and all happy, Kurt
sighed to himself knowing how miserable Leo is and how
much he kisses that smile Leo used to have before the
accident.  It was all Kurt could think about so he
turned off his computer and got his car keys to head
down to the hospital to see Leo.  When he opened the
door he found a vase full of two dozen red roses with
a white envelope sticking out.  Kurt picked up the
vase and brought it inside and set the vase on the
ground and took the envelope which had his name
written on it.

'Always on my mind.' the card simply read unsigned.
Kurt smiled, knowing the flowers could only be from
one person.  He took out his cell phone and called
Ryan.

"Hey," Ryan answered.

"Thank you so much for the flowers," Kurt said,
"They're beautiful."

"Flowers?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah, and the card was really sweet," Kurt replied.

"Kurt what are you talking about?" Ryan asked.

"The flowers you sent to me," Kurt replied.

"I'm sorry Kurt, I never sent you those flowers," Ryan
said, "I wish I did though.  Somebody is making me
look bad."

"You really didn't send them?" Kurt asked.

"No," Ryan replied, "I'm sorry."

"Who else would send them to me?" Kurt asked.

"Anyone at work who likes you?" Ryan asked.

"Not that I can think of," Kurt replied.

"Well, looks like you have a secret admirer," Ryan
said. "I'm getting jealous."

"Don't," Kurt laughed, "It's obviously some sort of
mix up.  How are things going?"

"Good, I'm helping Nick think of what he's going to
say when he sees this kid's mom," Ryan said.

"Ryan, I was thinking," Kurt began, "Maybe you should
think of doing something that involves helping people.
 Look at you, you got so happy at the idea of helping
this kid out.  It's in your nature, you're perfect for
it."

"I thought about that when I was driving to meet
Nick," Ryan said, "Maybe."

"Definitely something to think about," Kurt said.

"Yeah," Ryan said. "Definitely."

"Well, good luck," Kurt said.

"Okay, talk to you later."

"Bye."

Kurt hung up the phone.  He looked at the card again
and then threw it away, dismissing it as obviously
some big mix up and he headed out to go to the
hospital.

An hour later Nick, Ryan and Joey arrived at Joey's
house.  It was in a less than pleasant part of LA, the
house had a picket fence in front, but it looked as if
it was infested with termites, the house itself looked
worn, much in need of a paint job.  The house looked
as if it was intended to be white, but with the lack
of upkeep the house has turned to a light brown color.
 The garden however was very beautiful, lawn was well
kept, and there were lots of flowers through out.

"My mom likes to garden," Joey noted as they walked up
the drive way.

"Are you ready?" Ryan asked Nick.

"Yeah," Nick replied taking a deep breath, "You okay
Joey?"

"I guess," Joey answered nervously.

"It's okay Joey," Ryan assured, "She may not
understand you, but she's your mom and still loves
you."

"Joey, maybe you and Ryan should go wait by the car
while I talk to your mom," Nick said.

"Are you sure?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah," Nick replied, "thanks."

"Okay, come on Joey," Ryan said leading him off.

Nick then knocked on the door.  They waited maybe
thirty seconds before Joey's mom answered.  His mom
seemed to be around mid-thirties, her light brown hair
was already graying from the stresses of being a
single mom, she had her hair tied up in a bun and was
wearing a waitress uniform that indicated she was
either going to work or just getting back from work.
Her eyes were a light shade a blue, Nick couldn't
point it out, but there seemed to be a sadness in her
eyes.

"May I help you?" she asked.

"Hi, are you Linda?" Nick asked.

"Yeah," Linda replied, "Can I help you?"

"Did I catch you at a bad time?" Nick asked.

"No, just got home from work," Linda replied. "What
can I help you with?"

"I came here to talk to you about your son, Joey,"
Nick said.

"Oh yeah?" Linda asked pulling a cigarette out of her
pocket in her uniform and nervously lighting it. "He
all right?"

"Well physically he's fine," Nick said, "But I think
he's taken quite an emotional beating."

"What do you mean?" Linda asked defensively.

"He's hurt that you rejected him when he needed you
most," Nick replied.

"You mean when he told me he was gay?" Linda asked.

"Yes," Nick replied.

"Look, I love my son, but I can not deal with that,"
Linda said, "I've had so much to deal with in my life
already.  His father was an alcoholic, I had to take
Joey and leave because I couldn't take it with his
father anymore, I've had to work night and day at a
damn diner to make ends meat for Joey and me to live.
I've had it rough, and for him to just lay that he's
gay on top of it is more than I can handle.  I don't
have time to deal with the other problems that come
with a gay son."

"Linda, you seem to be thinking more of yourself and
not about Joey," Nick said. "He didn't tell you he was
gay to hurt you or to had an extra burden on you.  He
told you he was gay because it's who he is and he
wants his mom to know who he really is."

"I'm not saying I don't love my son anymore, because I
do," Linda said, "But I just don't know how to deal
with this."

"Well kicking him out of the house wasn't the best way
to deal with it," Nick said, "I'm not saying it's an
easy thing for you to accept because it does take
time, but what if you learn to accept it and you find
that you don't have your son anymore because you
kicked him out."

"He just laid it on me that he's gay," Linda said, "No
warning, no nothing, just came to me and said that he
was gay.  How was I supposed to react?"

"I understand that," Nick said, "But all I'm trying to
say here is that you should have him here.  Talk to
him, try to understand him.  He's a really good kid."

"He is a good kid," Linda said tearing up, "Never
complained about the life we have here.  Always made
me proud.  That's why it's so hard for me to accept
that he's gay."

"Just because he's gay doesn't mean he's not a good
kid anymore," Nick said, "He's not asking you to
understand and be okay with it right away, but all he
wants is your love."

Linda was now crying, feeling guilty over what she did
to Joey.

"Do you want him back?" Nick asked.

Linda nodded wiping her tears.

"Ryan," Nick called out.  After a few moments Ryan and
Joey appeared in view, both wondering how things went.

"Joey," Linda said going up and giving him a big hug,
"I'm so sorry sweetie."

"It's okay mom," Joey said tears coming down his face
as well.

Nick and Ryan both smiled at the scene knowing that
things just might be okay for the two of them.

"Thank you for bringing him back and for talking to
me," Linda said to Nick gratefully.

"My pleasure," Nick said. "Here's my number." Nick
handed her a paper with his phone number on it, "Just
call me if you need anything.  You too Joey."

"Thank you," Joey said giving Nick a hug.

Joey and Linda went inside the house and closed the
door leaving a very satisfied Nick and Ryan outside as
they headed to the car.

"Good job," Ryan said putting his arm around Nick's
shoulder, "You saved a lost soul."

"Now it's time to go save another," Nick said
referring to Leo.

Back at the hospital Leo had fallen asleep in his
chair but in his sleep he heard someone calling his
name.

"Leo."

"Leo."

"Leo."

The voice echoed faintly with each call.  Next thing
Leo knew he was in a white room with a white bench
resting in the center.  Leo went over and sat down.
He was obviously dreaming, but at the same time
something about it felt very real.  He heard faint
footsteps and out of no where he saw Jesse walk up to
him.  Jesse was no longer bruised and bandaged up, but
looked as good as he ever did.

"Jesse!" Leo exclaimed running and hugging him
tightly.

"Hey baby," Jesse said holding Leo in his arms.

"What's going on?" Leo asked, "Where are we?"

"Not too sure actually," Jesse said, "I've been here
this whole month."

"You have?" Leo asked. "Is there a way out of here?"

"Yeah, there's a door right there," Jesse pointed to
the wall facing them where a door appeared where there
hadn't been before. "Want to see what's on the other
side?"

"Yeah," Leo said.

Jesse took Leo's hand and the two walked to the door,
when they opened it there was a beautiful garden with
the brightest color flowers ever seen, and there was a
beautiful river that made the most soothing sound.  On
the trees there were the reddest apples and the
brightest oranges Leo's ever seen.

"Can I go out there?" Leo asked.

"I can, you can't," Jesse replied. "You need to stay
in here."

"Why?" Leo asked.

"Because out there is a place for me to be while I'm
in the state I'm in," Jesse said closing the door,
"Come sit down with me and I'll explain."

Leo and Jesse went and sat down on the bench in the
room together.

"What's going on?" Leo asked.

"Leo, I know you've been visiting me every day," Jesse
replied, "I can feel you there with me."

"Of course," Leo said, "I'm not going to leave you
alone in that hospital."

"You have to," Jesse said.

"What?" Leo asked, "No."

"Leo, did you go to that second audition you had?"
Jesse asked.

"No," Leo replied sheepishly.

"Have you been going to work at the restaurant?" Jesse
asked.

"No."

"Have you even been going to the center to volunteer
anymore?"

"No."

"Why not?" Jesse asked, he knew very well, but wanted
Leo to say it.

"I've been here with you," Leo replied. "I've been
here in case you wake up."

"I'm not waking up," Jesse said.

"What?" Leo asked in horror.

"At least not now anyway," Jesse said. "Not anytime
soon."

"Jesse," Leo started to cry, "You have to wake up."

"Leo, you know if I could, I would be with you in a
second," Jesse said, "But some things are out of our
control."

"We just got back together," Leo sighed.

"I know," Jesse said holding Leo in his arms, "I know
it's not fair, but it's what we have to do for now."

"What are you saying?" Leo asked.

"I'm saying, you need to move on with your life,"
Jesse said, "You have to live your life.  For the past
month you haven't been living.  Let the world see your
smile again."

"I can't," Leo cried. "Not while you're here."

"Leo I don't want you to be there with me every day,"
Jesse said, "You're going to miss everything life has
to offer.  If you can't live for yourself, do it for
me."

"For you?" Leo asked.

"Yeah," Jesse said, "Live for me.  Being in a hospital
room every day is not living.  Can you do that for me
baby?"

"I guess," Leo cried.

"I love you so much, don't you understand that?" Jesse
asked. "I want you to go on with your life.  Continue
your acting, have fun with Kurt and Nick, date."

"Date?" Leo asked.

"Yes," Jesse said, "Date.  I don't want you to hold on
to hope of me waking up because I might not and if I
don't then I want you to date and not be alone
forever."

"No one will ever compare to you," Leo said.

"Don't compare them to me," Jesse said, "Each
individual is their own person.  No one is alike, so
you can't compare them to me because they won't be
anything like me.  But you can kind happiness with
someone like you did with me.  I want you to find that
happiness."

"I can't say goodbye to you," Leo said.

"Don't say goodbye," Jesse said, "I'm always here."
Jesse put his hand over Leo's heart. "I love you."

"I love you too," Leo said kissing Jesse.  They kissed
very passionately, both knowing that it might be the
last time they ever kiss one another.

"Leo."

A voice was calling out to him again.  When Leo opened
his eyes he found he was alone again in the white
room.  Jesse was gone.  He noticed that the door to
the garden he showed him was gone too.

"Leo."

Leo saw a door on the opposite wall from where the
other door was.  He got up and opened the door.  When
he stepped through he woke up and found himself
sitting in the chair in Jesse's hospital room.

"Leo," Kurt said gently shaking him. "Wake up."

"Hey," Leo said looking around the room, confused by
his surroundings for a moment.

"Hey visiting hours are over," Kurt said, "We have to
go."

"How long have you been here?" Leo asked.

"Just a few minutes," Kurt replied. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah," Leo nodded.  He got up and went over to Jesse
and leaned over and kissed him on the forehead, "I
love you."

Leo and Kurt then both left.

"Are you okay to drive?" Kurt asked, "Are you tired?"

"I'm okay," Leo said.

"All right," Kurt said, "Nick wants us to go over to
his place for a bit, okay?"

"Okay," Leo replied getting into his car.

When they got to Nick's place the sun had gone down.
Kurt and Leo were quiet as they walked to Nick's
apartment door.  When they arrived Nick opened the
door for them and let them inside.  Nick and Kurt
directed Leo to the couch and they all sat down
together.

"Leo," Nick began, "Kurt and I need to talk to you."

"I know," Leo replied. "But you don't need to."

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked.

"I know I haven't been myself," Leo said standing up.

"We're worried about you," Nick said.

"I know and I'm sorry about that," Leo said. "And Kurt
I never thanked you for letting me move in with you
and Ryan."

"It's no problem," Kurt said, "You know I don't mind."

"What I'm trying to say is that I know I haven't been
living," Leo said, "But I realize that I need to."

"Yeah," Nick agreed, "Exactly.  You need to go on."

"Even though it's really hard," Leo said tearing up,
"I know I need to move on from Jesse.  I need to live
again, I need to do this for him."

"Yeah," Nick said, "That's what we've been trying to
tell you."

"I know, and I'm sorry I never listen," Leo said.

"You're just stubborn," Kurt said giving them all a
chance to smile.

"But I'm going to live again," Leo said.

"What brought about this change?" Nick asked.

"The only person who could get me to listen had a talk
with me," Leo replied simply.

Nick and Kurt both exchanged a confused look, but then
decided to let it go.

"So you're back?" Kurt asked.

"Well I'm not fully back yet, but I'm on my way," Leo
replied.

Nick and Kurt both got up and gave Leo a hug, assuring
him that no matter what, the two will be there for
him.

*****************************************************************************

To Be Continued...

With any comments, questions, or feedback please
e-mail me at ilj4ever44@yahoo.com  Thanks so much!