Date: Sat, 11 Jun 2005 18:09:52 -0700 (PDT)
From: taarob <taarob@yahoo.com>
Subject: Protecting David-Alex's Story 8

This is a work of fiction.  I love getting email so if you
would like to contact me you can at taarob@yahoo.com or if
you'd like to see some other things that I've written you
can go to my web site at http://www.mygaystories.com .

From the previous chapter:
I went into the pool house and changed into my suit.  I pull
the waistband away from my body.  Fits the same.  Leg
bands...the same.  Hmmmm, no mirror.  I grab a towel wrap it
around my waist and walk back out onto the patio.

Chris says smiling, "The towel fits well."

I'm feeling really foolish now but I pull the towel off.

Larry drops back in his chair and Jason smiles and says,
"It's weird, on the one hand I have this almost paternal
feeling toward you and on the other I'm thinking that that's
one hot fucking body."

Chris shakes his head slowly from side to side and says, "My
oh my, you have grown up."  I grab the towel and wrap it
around my waist.

"You fucking guys are all nuts!"

Larry says, "See?"  He pulls me down onto his lap.  "I need
to keep you locked in our room."

I kiss him.  "You really think that that's gonna happen do
ya?"


                    Protecting David-Alex's Story 8

After an afternoon of swimming, eating, laughing and talking
Larry and I finally get away from Chris and Jason about
eight o'clock.  The light of the day is fading quickly and
the sun is well below the western hills.

In the car we really kiss for the first time since this
morning.  His mouth covered mine and our tongues fought it
out.  I could cry with the amount of need that I have for
him.

We drive down the hill from their house and in a couple of
blocks we're at the intersection at Sand Hill road.  I reach
over and take Larry's hand.  "You had a good time didn't
you?  They're good guys."

I feel Larry's body tense and straighten and he yells,
"Alex!"

Ellen Morgan drank too much, her husband was on the verge of
divorcing her, her daughter was married to a man who
couldn't hold a job and didn't care, and she had just been
hit with a property tax bill that she couldn't pay and on
top of that she had just run out of cigarettes.  In seconds
none of that would matter because Ellen Morgan would be dead
and she was beginning to realize that.

In some part of her brain she knew that there was a silver
car sitting at the stop sign up ahead but the exploding pain
that was consuming her chest made all else seem as nothing
and even now a darkness that had been at the edges of her
eyes was closing in.

The, essentially driverless 4000 pound car, veered slightly
to the right of where it should have been and plowed into
Alex's BMW going fifty miles an hour.  The impact was just
behind the driver's seat and sent the smaller car into a
wrenching twisting flip that ended in the drainage ditch
while the demolished Mercedes continued on into the wooded
area off to the right.

                    ------------------------------------

                          David and Mark

The Gulfstream G550 flew out over the Pacific in a wide
banking arc and crossed back over land well south of San
Francisco and just north of San Jose.  It was losing
altitude quickly now and as it dipped down below the cloud
cover David was able to look out the window and see the
lights of the peninsula off to his left and directly below
the reflection  of those lights shimmering off of the bay.

There was distinguished gray haired man sitting across from
David and he said with a heavy German accent, "David, the
plane is yours for as long as you need it.  Just tell the
pilot.  They will do what you require."

David looks away from the window.  "Thank you, Jon but
you've done more than enough.  I'll be here for a week at
least.  I'll catch a commercial flight.  Besides, Mark will
be here in a couple of hours and he may have other ideas.
In any event please pass on my sincere thanks.  The Zanger
Gruppe has always been very kind."

The man asked, "What will you do when we land?"

David said.  "I'm being met.  Mark has a friend here who's
an Army doctor.  He went to the hospital and checked on Alex
for us.  He'll meet us and fill me in."

                    --------------------------------

The limousine pulled up to the stopped plane and David
walked over to it just as the back door opened.  A man of
about fifty with close-cropped hair and a military bearing
got out and shook David's hand.  He pointed at the car.

"It's not mine.  I guess that you arranged for it.  They
paged me at the hospital and said that it was waiting for
me."  He looked at the car like he still couldn't believe
that it was there.

"Doctor, we really appreciate you doing this for us.  I just
spoke with Mark and he'll meet us at the hospital in an hour
or so.  But there's no reason for you to stay.  I just need
you to fill me in on Alex's condition."

They climbed into the back of the car and as it began to
move the doctor explained what had happened.

"The lady driving the Mercedes had a heart attack.  She was
probably dead before the impact.  She impacted the boy's car
right about on the left rear door and that caused the BMW to
flip over to the right and at the same time it flipped front
to back.  It's a solid car and it had side impact airbags,
which helped a lot.  Alex was closest to the impact and he
got hit the worst.  The other fella pretty much was able to
walk away although I tried to get him to stay in the
hospital so that they could check him over.  Internal
injuries are common with this type of accident but you never
know."
]
"Your friends Chris and Jason heard the impact but it
sounded pretty distant to them and they really didn't
understand what was going on until the ambulance was already
there.  They stayed at the hospital until all of the tests
where done and it became clear that all of the damage to
Alex is superficial.  I finally got them to go home around
two in the morning."

David finally spoke.  "Why is Alex in the ICU?"

"Because he was unconscious for a while.  The doctors just
want to monitor him through the night.....plus the fact that
he's in some pain.  They also did a CAT scan to make sure
that everything was okay with his internal organs.  Most of
his injuries are bruising or muscle tearing injuries.  He's
gonna ache like hell but I believe he'll be fine.  They may
even have moved him to a regular room by now."

David asked, "Alex's friend.....he was okay?"

"We think so.  I got a stethoscope on him for about thirty
seconds.  He wants to be with Alex and that wasn't always
possible.  I haven't seen him for a while, maybe he went
back to the university."

David looked at him but said nothing.

As the limo pulled up to the hospital the doctor said, "He's
in room four of the ICU..unless the moved him.

David turned and shook hands with the man.   He said to the
limo driver.  "Take the doctor wherever he wants to go, drop
my bags at the St. Francis and have someone meet me here at
seven."

                    -----------------------------.

David walked into the ICU and found room four.  The lights
had been turned down so that those who could sleep did and
when he looked in room four he saw only a blanket-covered
figure.  He walked slowly into the room and beside the bed
saw a sleeping man curled up into a ball that he assumed to
be Larry.  He stepped carefully over him and bent over the
bed and looked at Alex's battered face.  There were just
bruises, the result of being in a car that had been flipped
over and spun around.  He glanced at the instrument readouts
over the bed and after a moment he bent over and kissed him
on the forehead.

David hunkered down next to Larry.  He reached forward and
touched the boy's hair. There was blood in Larry's hair and
his sleep was restless.   So much worry for a young man to
deal with.  David stood and stared down at the boy.  Finally
he bent back down and touched the boy's shoulder.

"Larry!"  His voice was a whisper  "Larry!"

Larry said, "Alex?"

"No, Larry, my name is, David.  I'm one of Alex's dads" He
pulled a semiconscious Larry up by the shoulder.  Larry
stood shakily and blinked away sleep

Larry was slowly gathering his wits and said, "How...when
did you get here?"

David moved Larry toward the hallway.  "I flew in a little
while ago.  I need to talk to you.  Can we get a cup of
coffee?"

Larry said, "Wait!" and he went back and leaned over the
sleeping figure and then lightly touched Alex's hair.
Finally he turned to David and whispered.  "He seems
okay..don't you think?"

David said, "Where are your shoes?"

Larry looked down at his bare feet and then up at David.  "I
dunno.  I.I'm sure that I had shoes on.....before the
accident."

David put his hand gently on Larry's back.  "It's okay,
we'll get you shoes..and after all this is California."

Neither one of them was familiar with the hospital and it
took awhile but finally they found the coffee shop and slid
into a booth.

They ordered coffee and the David asked, "Have you called
your parents?"

Larry's head was down and he just shook it.  "I'm not hurt.
A little achy but it'll go away."

"Larry, what's your last name?"

"Donovan."  He sighed.

David said, "Donovan Sintered Metal?"

Larry looked up slowly.  "How'd you know that?"

"A guess.  I heard of the company.....somewhere."

A voice boomed out and Larry jumped.  "There you are!  Jesus
you're hard to find."

Mark put one knee on the seat of the booth and leaned
forward and kissed David on the lips.  Then he took one look
at Larry and instead of sitting next to David he slid in
next to Larry.

He grabbed Larry's hand and shook it.  "I'm Mark.....Alex's
other dad."  He smiled.  "Must get confusing."  Larry just
looked back with a stunned look on his face.

Mark looked at Larry for a moment and then said, "Son, are
you feeling okay?"

Larry stared down at the table and his hands began to
tremble.  Finally he put his hands shakily to his face and
said forcefully, "No!  I'm not fucking feeling okay!  The
only person.that I ever loved.who loved me back.was almost
killed today and I'm not fucking feeling okay!  I feel like
shit!  I..."

Mark put his arm around the trembling boy and pulled him
over and hugged him.  Larry was crying and exhausted and
finally let himself be held until he eventually collapsed
sobbing against Mark.  Instinctively Mark turned and kissed
the top of Larry's head.  He looked across the table into
David's green eyes and wondered for the millionth time what
he was planning.

Mark said quietly to David, "You might as well tell me.  I
know that you've already made up your mind about what needs
to be done and it'll save a lot of time if you just give it
to me all at once."

David slid slowly around the circular booth until he was
next to Larry but on the other side from Mark.  He rested
his hand lightly on the boy's head.

"I want to buy a condo or townhouse near the university.
Alex is going to need some space to heal in..what with maybe
needing a wheelchair.and other things."  David waved his
hand.  "But the important thing is that they need space,
they need a home."  He sighed.  "I wanted to be sure about
how they felt about each other...but I guess that's
obvious."

Mark said.  "David, didn't we go through this in the
beginning.  The school wants first year students to be in
the dorms."

"I feel certain that I can convince them that my idea is
best."

Mark smiled broadly.  "Sweetheart, there's no doubt in my
mind that you can."  He looked down at Larry still in his
arms and spoke to him quietly.

"You want us to call your mom and dad?"

Larry disengaged himself from Mark's arms and sat up.  He
ran his fingers through his hair and seemed to pull himself
together.   "No.  I'm okay."  He picked up his coffee cup
with both hands and drank it all.  He looked at David.  "Did
you mean what you said about a condo.....for Alex and me?"

David looked at Larry for several seconds and then said,
"Yes."

Larry said quietly, "You don't know me."

David glanced up at Mark and then said to Larry.  "In a way
I feel that I do.  And...the worst thing that could happen
is that you two would break up and in that case I could
always sell the condo or rent it, in a way it's just another
kind of dorm."  He put his hand on Larry's shoulder.  "But I
don't think that you're going to break up."

Larry looked intently at David and said, "We're not gonna
break up.  I'm never gonna leave Alex.....and I pray to God
he never leaves me."  He started to get up.  "Lemme out.  I
gotta see how he's doing."

Mark slid out of the booth and Larry followed and then
strode off it the direction of the ICU.

Mark put one elbow on the table and laid his face on his
palm and with his other hand he played with the salt and
pepper shakers.  He spoke quietly to David.  "You're not
afraid that they're too young?"

David spoke carefully.  "They are young but I'm not sure
that that's necessarily a bad thing."  He reached over and
touched the tips of Mark's fingers with his own.  "Larry
reminds me of you.  I guess that's why I like him."

Mark smiled.  "Me?  I was never that young."

David said.  "He loves Alex, that much is for certain.  He's
honest...brave.....straightforward.  I think that he's good
for Alex....and I think that Alex is probably good for him."
David yawned and rested his chin on his fist.  "Lord, I'm
tired!  By the way, we've got a room at the St. Francis if
we ever get a chance to use it.  Did I tell you that I met
Larry's mom and dad once?"

Mark sat up.  "No you didn't.  Was this before or after the
guys became roommates?"

David looked up and smiled.  "You're so suspicious.  It was
a couple of years ago.  Some big cocktail party thing that
we did for potential investors...his dad's nice.....his mom
is one of those women that makes you wonder why the guy
married her.  Nice family company though....started by the
grandfather."

Mark said.  "Alex told me that they had virtually kicked
Larry out because he's gay.  Send him here to get him away
from them."

David yawned again.  "I could see the mother doing that but
not the dad."

Mark reached over and held David's hand.  "So how much is
this condo gonna cost?"

"Well, till we find one no one knows but my guess is that we
could buy Milwaukee for less.  I've got someone working on
it."  Mark groaned in mock despair.

David said.  "Did you stop and see Alex?"

"Just for a second.  He was asleep but other than
superficial stuff he didn't look too bad."

David looked at his watch.  "It's almost six.  Let's get
back there and see what's going on.  The doctors should be
moving around soon."

                    -------------------------------

Mark and David stopped in the hallway outside of Alex's
room.  Like all of the rooms in the ICU this one had a large
window and they could see Larry standing next to the bed
holding Alex's hand.  The boys were talking quietly and then
Larry bent and wrapped his arms gently around Alex's head
and then slowly kissed him.  They both looked up when David
and Mark walked in.

When Alex saw David and Mark he began to speak but then
seemed to choke up as David bent over the bed to kiss him.
Larry tried to move away but Mark held him by the arm.
Larry tried to pull away but looked up at Mark's face and
then seemed to relax.  Mark put his arm around Larry's neck
and pulled him close.

David looked into Alex's eyes.  "How bad are you hurt?"

Alex wiped his eyes with the back of his hands and said,
"They said that I'm okay.  It hurts a lot though."  David
lifted the edge of the blanket and looked at what he could
see of Alex's body.  He sighed.

David touched Alex's face.  "Nothing bad is gonna happen.
The bad part is over."  David looked around.  "I'm gonna see
if I can talk to a doctor."

He turned to Larry.  "I want you to allow a doctor to really
examine you."  Larry started to protest but David
interrupted him.  "I don't want to be in the position of
explaining to your parents that you could have been saved
from dying if we had only insisted on an examination."
David turned to Alex.

"Alex, we need to have a doctor examine him and he's been so
busy making himself crazy over your condition that he hasn't
allowed that.  Get him to agree."

Alex lifted his head.  "Larry, just fucking do it.  Do it
for me."

Larry looked up at Mark in frustration.  Mark smiled and
said, "You have no idea what you're up against."