Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2005 20:01:51 -0800 From: Kevin Harness <kevroc54321@tns.net> Subject: Save The Boy, Part 7 Once again, all the usual disclaimers hold true. If you are under 18 or think that you might be, you are not supposed to be reading this story per most of the laws and statutes that I'm aware of. Also, your local laws and / or statutes may not let you read this kind of a story at all: that of boylove, which is to say that even though all the actors playing these parts are over 18, there might be a character in the story who is below the age of 18 and who has sex. Yeah, I know. But oh well. Read on. Chapt 7 Jeremy had Donny by the hand as he led him quickly down the hall to Intensive Care. It seemed to Donny as if they weren't even taking any steps, but rather like they were whooshing though the air. It seemed to take years to go by the visitors, nurses, aides, and furniture as they were carried by fate and their own will down the long hall to Desi's room. At the same time, it took an instant. And they were there. Jeremy glanced at Donny, followed by Donny glancing at Jeremy. "Hi Desi. We're both here. Are you ready?" Jeremy asked. It was like some eerie scene from a movie, or a fleeting glimpse of another world where beings knew things magical and spiritual. Donny felt like pinching himself, and would have if Desi had not stirred, almost as if on command. What came out was a series of unintelligible syllables, and then, "Oh. Fuck." Jeremy turned to Donny and smiled, "That's our Desi, alright." Desi crack open an eye and peered cautiously at Jeremy. "Jeremy?" "Helluva guess, Desi." He smiled at his friend. "Where am I?" Desi said, scrambling for recognition of his surrounds and his immediate past. "Uh. Um. The last thing I remember is...." and Desi paused. "Uh, being butt-fucked by a rhino, then trampled sufficiently, and dumped in an alley to bleed?" Jeremy posed, not altogether kidding. His tone was not menacing, but an odd blend of compassion and reproach. "It wasn't the butt-fucking I minded. It was the trampling and the dumping thing," Desi quipped back, weak, but definitely funny. Donny couldn't help but laugh a little. "Yeah, sounds like he's awake alright. Hi Desi." "Hi Donny. Hi Jeremy." Jeremy's pent-up feelings of near-loss of his dear friend, frustration of not having been able to do anything but wait, and recognition of the sheer uselessness of being a street trick boiled over. "Desi, what the f-u-c-k were you thinking?" he said. "If you wanted to fuck, there are at least three other cute guys that work at the theatre with you. For God's sake." "They don't pay." "You've got a job!" Jeremy nearly yelled, emphasizing the last word. Desi eyes watered up and tears streaked his face. "I just wanted to help us get an apartment sooner so you could be happy, I could be happy...........we could be happy........." and he sobbed in earnest. Jeremy mirrored his friend, crying too, and he moved to Desi's side and hugged him. "I know, I know. I know why you did it," he said. "I'm just angry and frustrated at nearly losing you. You're my friend, for fuck sake," speaking more softly as the finished. Desi nearly bolted upright, suddenly remembering his dream. "Donny, we've got to talk." Jeremy reared back a bit, and said, "Desi, we are talking." Desi gave him the 'oh no shit!' look, which meant, 'I mean WE have to talk'. They both looked at Donny, at the same time, who immediately took the hint. "Boy have I gotta pee. Be right back," and Donny disappeared. Jeremy turned back to Desi, who told him his dream, and sort of what he felt it meant. "Jeremy. I know how it is between us. We both know. For whatever reason, and it's ok with me because you're the best friend I've had in my whole fucked up, convoluted life. For real. But I know how you feel about Donny, too. I see it in your eyes, hear it in your voice, and see it in you every single day." Jeremy got about half a syllable out. "Don't bullshit me, Jeremy. Hey. You. This is me, Desi you're talking to. Remember? We track with each other like 110%, and we don't lie to each other. Okay, I hid from you my plan about making some more money. That was a mistake, and I'm sorry. I apologize, AND thank you for being here. You were here the whole time, weren't you?" "Yeah." "Ok, well, no one is sorrier than I am for nearly friggin' dying. Ok?" He paused. Jeremy nodded. "Ok, cool." Desi took a deep breath. "Don't fuck this one up, Jeremy. You're not a street trick kid. You're a good guy, hot as fuck, and you've got someone who cares about you. Ok, maybe you guys did get off on the wrong foot. But he's been there for you, and me, every step of the way. Can you deny that?" "No. But we're there for each other and we're best of friends, Desi. I just don't know...." "Yes, you do. You know very well what I'm talking about. I'm not stupid here, I know the difference between friendship, sex, and love. Well, sorta at least. But you know what I'm saying, Jeremy." "Yeah." "Ok." Desi kept watching Jeremy, knowing something else was coming. "But I don't wanna n-o-t get an apartment with you Desi. You need that. I think I need that. And I can't be a burden to Donny any longer, it's not fair." "Yeah, I know. But that's separate from what I'm talking about." "Ok, what a-r-e you talking about?" Jeremy ventured, knowing pretty well what was coming next. "You got to act on what you know, and feel," Desi replied. "I don't mean take him home for a lay. You know what I mean. You already saw episodes 1 thru 900 of Queer As Folk. Justin didn't give up on Brian, he m-a-d-e Brian realize that he loved him, which he already really did. Remember?" "Yeah." "And it took both of them to bring the other to their senses. It was a joint effort. Brian's matter-of-fact outlook affected Justin, and Justin's you-know-I-love-you-and-I'm-not-giving-up attitude affected Brian." "Yeah." "Ok. Tell me this. Don't you think that he liked you from Day 1, and just got freaked because of the speed of things?" "Yeah, probably. We both did," Jeremy admitted. "Do you really think that altered the original feelings?" "Probably not." Desi was visibly fading, but he smiled anyway, and motioned for Jeremy to give him a hug. Jeremy leaned over and hugged Desi just as Donny was trotting back in. "Group hug," Desi said softly, and they all joined arms and leaned into each other. He looked up at Donny, "Thanks Donny. I know you probably were the 2nd most frequent visitor to the ward here." "You're welcome Desi," Donny answered simply, and hugged Desi again. Desi eyed Jeremy on the sly, and Jeremy volunteered, "I gotta go pee. You're on Desi-watch" to Donny, and he smiled and was out the door. "My turn?" Donny smiled. "Your turn," Desi grinned back, and then his expression went slightly more serious. "I'm sorry for putting you through all this. My bad. I appreciate your helping me, and in particular your helping Jeremy. I mean it. Thanks," and he smiled again. "But, I wanted to talk to you about........." "Jeremy?" Donny said. "Jeremy," Desi said. "I'm going to go out on a limb here. I think you really like him a lot, but, just like he did, freaked out at how fast things went in so short a time. Right?" "Right." "Does that mean that you don't still like him as much, if not more, than when you pulled him off the wall and out of the rain?" It was a bit more direct than Donny had been expecting, although he'd asked himself the same question perhaps a dozen times. Nonetheless, he couldn't think of a response. "No. Yes. I dont' know." Donny tried to find the words. "Yeah, I like him." "A lot," Desi said. "Yeah, a lot," Donny responded. Desi smiled. "Well, you're both my friends, and I don't like my friends' hearts being broken, so let me just say this to the both of you. Jeremy...." "Uh..." Jeremy walked around from the other side of the door. "Hi." Jeremy smiled sheepishly, Donny chuckled slightly, and Desi said, "Quit trying to get rid of each other, ok?" Jeremy and Donny looked at each other. Probably a decade or at least a paragraph of unspoken communication hung out there between them, and they both knew it. It was as evident as an orb suspended in the air. "Group hug," Desi said, breaking up the silence and air, and on cue they all hugged. Desi's eyes were about half-closed, and as if on cue the duty nurse came in. "Ok boys, time to let your friend get some rest. And go get some rest yourselves too," she smiled. Desi smiled slightly but was nearly out, "Bye guys." Jeremy gave Desi a kiss on the forhead, and Donny patted him on the leg, "Bye Desi."