Date: Fri, 04 Nov 2005 21:44:18 -0600
From: gandersn@gte.net
Subject: Alex and Zach, Part 2

Disclaimer:

The usual disclaimers apply - ie. The story describes sexual relationships,
sometimes explicit, between two consenting male adults.  If this offends
you, you are not interested in such material, or if you are not of legal
age to access such material you are advised to direct your web browser to
another page.  Although the situations described are based upon my own
experiences, the story and characters are fictional and any resemblance to
actual events or persons is purely coincidental.

This is the second of several planned installments.  I hope/plan to add
more installments as time permits. I welcome feedback, both positive or
negative as long as constructive, and comments or suggestions can be
directed to me at gandersn@gte.net.  Now, onto the story.

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

"Alex, wake up son."  Alex felt someone gently shaking him and he could
hear a voice that sounded like his dad's, but it seemed so far away.
Couldn't whoever it was tell he was tired?  Why couldn't they just leave
him alone?  He didn't need to be bothered right now, he had to wait for his
dad to come tell him what was happening with Zach.

That thought sent a jolt of energy through his body.  Zach!  His dad was
trying to wake him up.  He must have news about Zach.  "Dad! What's
happening with Zach?  Can I go see him now?  Please, just let me see him."

"Alex, that's why I'm here.  You've been asleep for a couple of hours and
we've been working on Zachary during that time.  I came out to talk to you
a couple of times, but you were out cold.  I thought it would be better to
let you sleep and then wake you once I was able to let you go in and see
him."

"I've been asleep for a couple of hours?  Shit! How could I fucking fall
asleep at a time like this?"

"Alex, you've been running on pure adrenaline since the accident.  Being
able to get a little sleep was probably the best thing you could have done
for yourself.  There was absolutely nothing you could have done during the
time you were sleeping and you wouldn't have been able to go in to see
Zachary until now anyway.  Don't beat yourself up over something like
that."

"Dad." Alex's face was turning red with anger as he started to argue with
his dad.

"Alex, calm down.  Yelling at me or pounding your fists against the walls
won't change anything.  Really it's better this way.  Now you've got some
rest and you will be able to approach your friend much more calmly.  He
didn't need you in there with him all worked up the way you were.  Now you
can go in there calmly and lend him some of your strength.  He's hasn't
been hurt that badly, but he's going to need some help from you for
awhile."

Alex hung his head and looked at the floor for a couple of seconds.  His
dad was right and he knew it.  He was just so scared about what was
happening to Zach that he wasn't able to think.  He desperately felt like
he should be doing something, anything, to help Zach and he just couldn't
believe that he had fallen asleep.  "I'm sorry dad.  Can I go see him now.
I'll try to be calm."

"Before we go in, I want to prepare you for what you are going to be
seeing.  Zachary's injuries all looked a lot worse than what they really
were.  Not that he wasn't banged up pretty bad, but it's not as serious as
it looks.  First of all, he didn't shatter his leg.  He did manage to break
it in two places, but they were both fairly clean breaks.  The bleeding
from the cut on his head looked pretty bad, but scalp wounds almost always
bleed real heavily.  The cut was actually pretty shallow although he
probably will have a hell of headache for a couple of days and he managed
to get two black eyes.  There were some pretty deep cuts on his right arm,
shoulder and side from where the door window shattered, but nothing too
serious.  We only needed to stitch a couple of the cuts.  I'm really
surprised there weren't any cuts on his face from all the glass that must
have been flying around."

"He had his head turned away talking to me right before we hit.  He was
practically facing me."

"Well, that probably was a good thing since it spared his face any
lacerations.  Zachary also has some friction burns across his chest,
probably from where the shoulder strap pulled him back into his seat.
There's also a lot of bruising.  He may have also cracked a couple of ribs,
but the X-rays show that he definitely didn't break any.  If they are
cracked, they are just hairline and should just heal by themselves without
any treatment from us.  I really think the ribs are probably just bruised
badly.  They are still going to hurt and helped to contribute to why he
couldn't breath very well after the accident.

"The most serious injury besides his broken leg was to his groin.  It
appears that when you hit the deer, the door mirror on his side broke off
and was slammed through the window.  It looks like it hit him with a lot of
force in his lower abdomen and groin.  The impact was pretty severe and
caused a lot of trauma to his groin.including his testicles.  He had some
pretty deep cuts in his lower abdomen along with a nasty gash to his
scrotum.  That was the main reason he passed out on you Alex.  The pain
from that probably hurt worse than the rest of it combined.  It still looks
pretty bad, and I'm sure it's going to hurt like hell for awhile, but a
couple of stitches was really all it took.  He is still a little swollen in
the area, and we will need to continue to check him to make sure the
swelling goes away completely, but he should be fine.  There shouldn't be
any permanent injury in the area."

Alex's face had gone a little pale as his father described his friend's
injuries to him.  He had heard his dad tell him that none of the injuries
were that bad and he knew his dad would never lie to him, but all of those
things sounded pretty horrible to him.  When his dad started to explain the
final groin injury, Alex though he was nearly going to vomit.  He couldn't
imagine what kind of pain that must have felt like.

Dr. Edwards noticed his son's face was beginning to look a little green.
"Alex, really, Zachary is going to be ok.  We've got him on a lot of pain
medication so he's probably not feeling too much of anything at the moment.
In fact, unless someone is talking to him and keeping his attention, he
keeps falling asleep.  He's asked about you a couple dozen times though.
Are you ready to go see him, or do you want to wait a few minutes?  You
look like you are about to be sick.  Do you want a drink of water."

Alex couldn't speak and only nodded his head yes to his father's offer of a
drink.  His hands were visibly shaking as he took the offered cup and took
a few sips.  Alex gave his dad a weak little smile.  "Just give me a second
or two to get my stomach back under control.  I'm guessing puking on Zach
when I see him probably wouldn't be really good for him."

Dr. Edwards couldn't help chuckling a little at his son's attempt at humor.
He could tell that it was really hard for Alex to hear everything that had
happened to Zachary.  They must be really close.

"Ok dad.  I think I'm ready."

"Just keep reminding yourself that it looks a lot worse than it really is.
And really, now that we have him cleaned up it doesn't look that bad.  One
last thing, I already told you he was on a lot of pain medication.  Well,
with the dosage we have him on, he's having a lot of trouble focusing.
He's pretty confused and having a lot of trouble following conversations.
His attention keeps wandering and he keeps forgetting where he is or that
he was even in an accident.  It's just a side affect so don't let it worry
you."

Alex nodded, still not really trusting himself to speak and followed his
dad into the room where Zach was laying.  Zach's eyes were closed and it
was obvious he was asleep.  Alex had to admit his dad was right.  Zach
didn't look nearly as bad as he had feared.  He had half expected to see
his friend in a huge full body cast with tube and wires hanging off of him
everywhere the eye could see.  Instead, Zach was only attached to a blood
pressure monitor and the only cast in sight was the one on Zach's leg.  The
blanket covering him had been pulled down to his waist exposing his chest
and while there were a lot of bruises and cuts, it wasn't anywhere close to
what he had pictured in his mind.

Zach tossed a little in his sleep and the blanket slipped down from his
waist exposing most of his groin.  Alex's eyes were immediately drawn to
the area and he couldn't help laughing.  "Oh man!  He's going to freak when
he realizes you guys shaved him there!"

Dr. Edwards smiled at his son and even chuckled a little as he pulled the
covers back over his patient.  "We needed to do an ultra sound and we had
to see how badly he was cut.  The hair was just in the way and could have
led to infections.  We really didn't have much of a choice.  Try not to
laugh too much at him.  Just remember it could just as easily have been
you."

Alex was still laughing, "Maybe you better let me try to explain that to
him.  Or can you keep him drugged long enough for it to grow back?  Zach
has got to be one of the most self conscious guys I know.  When he sees
this, he's going to be squirming."

Just then, Zach turned his head towards Alex and opened his eyes, blinking
them a few times to try to clear the sleep from his brain.  "Alex?  What's
going on?  Where are we?"  Zach's voice was really thick, and he slurred
his words so bad that Alex could barely understand him.  The look in his
eyes was one of utter confusion and he kept turning his head trying to
figure out where he was, but always his eyes came back to rest on Alex
after only a few seconds.

"We're in the hospital Zach.  We hit a deer and I wrecked the car.  Don't
you remember?"

Zach just stared at his friend for a few seconds, frowning, trying to
concentrate.  "We were in an accident?  Are you ok?  Are you hurt?"

Alex smiled a little at his friend.  "I'm fine you big dummy.  You're the
one that got hurt.  You broke your leg."

Zach looked down at his leg, still confused and dazed and it was pretty
obvious that he didn't understand what Alex was saying.  "Oh.where are we?
Can we go home now?"

"We're in the hospital.  We'll go home in just a bit, buddy.  Just a little
bit longer ok?"

"Ok."  Zach's attention was drawn to the blood pressure cuff around his arm
and he just stared at it for a couple of seconds.  "What's that?  Why's
that on me?  Alex?"

Alex was starting to get concerned and he looked at his dad for some
guidance.  Sure, his dad said that Zach was going to be drugged and out of
it, but Alex wasn't expecting this.  Zach couldn't even seem to remember
the start of a sentence by the time he got to the end of it.

Dr. Edwards nodded to his son, trying to reassure him.  "That's just a
blood pressure monitor Zachary.  We put one on all of our patients.  It's
nothing to be concerned about."

As soon as Dr. Edwards spoke, Zach swung his face around to see who was
talking, obviously only just then realizing someone else was in the room.
After a couple of seconds of blinking rapidly to try and focus on the new
speaker, Zach finally got the new figure in focus.  "What?  Who are you?
Where am I?  Where did Alex go?"

Dr. Edwards walked around the bed so that he would be on the same side as
Alex and Zachary would be able to see them both at the same time.  "Alex is
right here Zach.  I'm your doctor.  Everything is going to be just fine."
Dr. Edwards turned to his son.  "Alex, just keep talking to him while he is
awake.  Remember this is just the medication and he is really confused
right now.  Just keep talking.  He'll focus on your voice.  If he asks any
questions, just answer them and just go right back to talking."

"Ok dad.  Man!  I didn't realize he would be this out of it.  How long is
he going to have to stay here?  Will he have to stay overnight?"

"No, just a few more minutes.  Maybe twenty or so.  I'll finish up a few
things and then we can take him home with us.  Normally, he'd have to stay
overnight but since I'll be there at the house, it will be ok to go ahead
and take him home with us.  I'll be back in a few minutes.  Just keep
talking and don't worry if he falls asleep."

Zach had been watching the two of them speak together, frowning as he tried
to concentrate on what was being said.  It was obvious he had been trying
to understand what was going on and just as obvious that he didn't.  "Alex?
Can we go home now?"

"In just a little bit Zach.  Dad's finishing up and then we'll take you
back to our house.  You can spend the night there..

***

Zach's mind was a confused mess.  He kept trying to understand what people
were saying to him and he just couldn't.  He understood all the words, but
then when they were strung together they just didn't make any sense.  It
was almost like everybody was talking in a foreign language.  Where was he?
Why couldn't he concentrate?  And why did his leg feel so heavy?  It seemed
like his mind was trying to wade through syrup.  God!  His eyes felt so
heavy.

Then, Alex was there.  Everything would be ok now.  Alex would take care of
everything.  Alex would explain it to him.  Alex would make sure everything
was taken care of.  He could always count on Alex.  No matter what was
wrong, Alex would fix it.  He could hear Alex talking, but he couldn't
figure out what he was saying.  But it was ok.  As long as Alex was there,
it would be ok.

God!  He didn't know what he would do with out Alex.  Alex was always there
for him.  Even if he couldn't think right now, he knew that he could always
count on Alex.  Alex wouldn't let anything happen to him.  What was Alex
talking about?  Something about an accident?  Somebody was hurt?  Was Alex
hurt?  No, that couldn't be right.  Alex was right there talking to him.
So who was hurt?  What had happened?  Why did his eyes feel so heavy?

Why couldn't he concentrate?  Was he drunk?  That didn't seem right.  He
remembered drinking earlier, but that had to have been hours ago.  Maybe
even yesterday?  Or the day before?  Alex had been mad at him.  Alex had
even yelled at him.  Why had Alex yelled at him?  Why was Alex mad at him?
He couldn't stand for Alex to be mad at him.  So why had Alex been mad at
him?  Oh yeah, because he had been drinking and wanted to go driving.  Alex
wouldn't let him.  Alex even took his keys away from him.  See.  Alex
always took care of him.  Even when he was mad, Alex was always looking out
for him.  So why couldn't he think?  Why did his eyes keep blinking?  Where
was he anyway?  Why couldn't they just go home?  Why did his eyes feel so
heavy.

***

"Hey son.  I see our patient finally fell back to sleep."

"Yeah.  He drifted off after about fifteen minutes or so, while I was
talking about Jason and Mark.  I always knew stories about my brothers
would come in handy someday, I just didn't think it would actually bore
someone to sleep!  Are we just about ready to go?"

Dr. Edwards smiled at his son's wit.  "I'll let your brothers know that
they were useful.  I'm sure they will be gratified.  Actually, I'm
surprised he stayed awake as long as he did.  And yes, we are just about
ready to leave.  I asked Carol to get me some of the pain pills from the
pharmacy.  Zachary is going to need to take them for a few days.  Do you
want to give me a hand getting him dressed?"

"Sure.  Where are his clothes?"

"They're pretty well torn up.  We had to cut him out of a lot of them and
they were pretty blood-soaked anyway.  We'll put him in some hospital
scrubs to take him home.  They'll be easier to put on him anyway, kind of
like sweats."

"Ok.  Zach.  Wake up buddy.  We need to get you dressed so we can take you
home."  Zach's slowly opened his eyes and tried to focus on Alex as he
gently shook him.  Alex was struck again by just how blue his friends eyes
were.  How could a guy have such gorgeous eyes?

Zach slowly came awake, but it was obvious he was still confused and had no
idea what was going on around him.  "Alex, can we go home now?  Please?"
Zach's voice was so quiet it was nearly inaudible.  And he sounded so lost,
tired and confused it was heart wrenching.  Alex was close to crying
himself at the sound of his friend's little boy voice.

"We're going home right now buddy.  We just got to get you dressed so we
can go.  Just hang on a little bit longer and I'll get you home."  Alex's
voice was so husky with emotion it was almost impossible to tell what he
was saying, but Zach seemed to take comfort from hearing him.  He just
weakly nodded his head and allowed himself to be dressed without comment or
struggle.  The entire time he just stared straight into Alex's eyes with a
look of abiding and overwhelming trust.

After a couple of minutes a nurse came into the room pushing a wheel chair
in front of her.  "Here's that medication you wanted Dr. Edwards and I
brought a wheel chair to take Zachary out to your car.  Why don't you go
warm it up and pull around to the door.  Alex and I can get Zachary into
the chair and we'll meet you there.  No need to try and get him across that
slick parking lot if we don't have to."

Dr. Edwards smiled at his nurse and took the offered bottle of pills.
"Thanks Carol.  You think of everything don't you?  I don't know where I'd
be without you around here."

Carol smiled back and went over to help Alex maneuver Zach into the wheel
chair.  They slowly walked down the hall towards the front doors, taking it
nice and easy to give Dr. Edwards time to warm up the car and bring it
around.  Carol pushed Zach in the wheel chair and Alex walked alongside
with his hand on his friend's shoulder, letting him know he was right there
with him.  Zach's eyes never left Alex's face the entire way.

"Your dad's got to be about the best doctor in this hospital Alex.
Everybody has always been kind of surprised he never moved on to a bigger
hospital, but we're all glad he never has.  Don't worry about your
boyfriend.  He's going to be just fine and he's got the best care in the
world under your dad."

Alex visibly flinched when Carol described Zach as his boyfriend and his
face went nearly white as all the blood drained out of it.  "Zach's not my
boyfriend!  He's not gay!  He's just my roommate at college!"

"Oh I'm sorry honey!  I didn't mean to upset you.  I should have thought
before I spoke.  I just assumed by the way he keeps staring at you, and
earlier when he first got here and wouldn't calm down because you weren't
in the room with him and he couldn't see you.  He kept asking for you and
getting more and more upset that you weren't there.  Even after the pain
medication started to kick in and started calming him down, he was still
asking if you were ok.  I just made a stupid assumption.  I'm sorry."

Alex took a couple of deep breaths to try and calm down and regain his
composure.  "I'm sorry.  I shouldn't have got so mad.  You just caught me
off guard."

"It's ok honey.  I'm sorry too.  I shouldn't have assumed anything.  Just
forget I said anything.  Here's your dad now.  I think we probably ought to
put him in the back seat and you with him so he'll stay calm.  He's still
pretty confused and it might scare him if he can't see you."

The three of them quickly transferred Zach into the car and Dr. Edwards
started the drive home.  Within only a few seconds, Zach slumped against
Alex and rested his head against his shoulder drifting into a doze.
Without even thinking about it, Alex put his arm around his friend and
hugged him close, the only thought going through his head was the comments
made by Carol.  Zach wasn't gay, so why had Carol called him Alex's
boyfriend?  Alex could secretly admit to himself that he was attracted to
Zach, but the feeling couldn't be mutual could it?  No!  Of course not.
Zach wasn't gay so why even think about it.

It only took a few minutes for Dr. Edwards to drive them all home and pull
into the garage.  Even as he was getting out, the door into the house from
garage opened and Alex's brother Jason stepped up to help with Zach.
"Jason's here?  Dad, why didn't you tell me?"

"Oh, sorry son.  I guess I completely forgot.  I called him from the
hospital to let him know we were on our way."

Jason had already managed to get Zach about half way out of the car and was
slinging Zach's arm over his shoulders to help support him on the way in.
"Hey little brother.  Nice seeing your ugly face again.  Think you can give
me a hand with your friend here?  I shouldn't have to do all the work
around here."  Jason grinned cockily at his brother.

Alex was thrilled to see Jason again and grinned back at his brother even
as he punched him in the arm.  "I was just surprised to see your lazy ass
doing something useful it kinda stunned me!"  Alex quickly took up the
position on Zach's other side to help support him.  Together, he and Jason
half manhandled, half carried the very sleepy and very confused Zach into
the house.

Jason looked over at Alex.  "Why don't we go ahead and take your friend
into the guest room and lay him down.  It looks lie he could really use
some rest."

Dr. Edwards looked kind of thoughtful for a moment.  "Alex, I don't think
putting Zachary in the guest room would be a good idea.  He has no idea
where he is right now or what's going on and if he wakes up in the middle
of the night, he's not going to remember where he is.  As confused as he is
right now, it would probably terrify him not knowing what was going on or
where he is.  Would you mind sharing a bed with him tonight Alex?  If he
wakes up, it would probably be best if you were right there with him."

"No, I don't mind.  My bed's big enough for us both.  Jason, Mark and I use
to fall asleep in it all the time when we would try and watch movies all
night."  Alex tried to keep his voice light, but he was more than a little
nervous at what his dad was suggesting.  He knew that his dad was just
looking out for his patient and was making what he thought was an innocent
suggestion.  And really, it would be better if he were there if Zach woke
up, but still.

Zach was looking around trying to figure out where he was.  His eyes were
staying closed longer and longer between blinks and it was pretty obvious
he wasn't going to be able to stay awake much longer.  "Alex, where are we?
Can we go home now?"

"You're at my house Zach.  You're going to spend the night here in my room.
We're going to put you to bed right now."

Zach struggled with the idea for a second or two, but really the only thing
that registered was that he could go to bed and Alex was there.  Still, he
had one other thought that he needed to express.  "But I gotta go pee."

Jason busted out laughing and even Alex and Dr. Edwards were smiling.  Zach
was just so matter of fact with that statement that it was pretty funny,
more so because Zach was so serious.

Alex, trying not to laugh, guided his friend into the bathroom.  "Ok.
We'll take care of that first, then we'll put you to bed."  Alex led him to
the toilette and then stood behind his friend to hold him steady since Zach
was swaying so much he probably would have fallen without support.  Zach
fumbled for a couple of minutes, trying to figure out how to untie the
bottoms of the scrubs he was wearing, but he just couldn't manage it and
was becoming more agitated by the second.

"Here Zach, let me help."  Alex wasn't sure how Zach would respond to that.
He knew how modest his friend was and how easily he became embarrassed.  By
offering to help, Alex was in effect offering to pull his friends pants
down and expose his dick.  Surprisingly, Zach nodded his head and didn't
even struggle as he calmly yielded to his friend, letting Alex untie the
scrubs and pull the front down so he could relieve himself.

Alex tried not think about what he was doing or just how close his hands
were to Zach's most private areas.  Trying to give his friend as much
privacy as he could manage, Alex turned his head away.  Alex admitted to
himself that he also turned away to keep from staring and allowing those
fantasies he had been fighting for so long from running rampant through his
mind.

Suddenly, Alex felt warm fluid splashing against his hands and soaking the
front of Zach's pants.  Alex quickly looked back only to see that in
turning away he had allowed the front of Zach's pants to come part way back
up.  Zach had closed his eyes and was also unaware of what was happening.
"Shit!  I'm sorry Zach.  I should have been paying attention."  Alex was
furious with himself.  Couldn't he even control himself long enough for his
friend to take a piss?

Zach just stared down at his front, unsure of what was happening.  He
couldn't understand how he had gotten all wet.  He finally just dismissed
it since he couldn't figure out what was going on anyway.  As long as Alex
was there, he knew everything would be ok.

Zach quickly finished up and allowed himself to be led back into the
bedroom, Alex supporting him the entire way acting as kind of a crutch so
he could limp along.  His eyes were closed the entire time and he was more
asleep than awake now.  Dr. Edwards and Jason were both still in the
bedroom waiting to help Alex put Zach to bed.

Jason was frowning, looking at the sodden front of Zach's clothes.  "What
happened to him?  How did he get all wet?"

Alex turned a little red.  "We had a little trouble keeping everything in
place and his pants started slipping back up before he was done.  He was
half asleep and didn't realize it.  I still don't think he realizes what
happened.  Just that he's wet."

Dr. Edwards and Jason both laughed a little at that.  "Son, why didn't you
call us for help?  Oh well.  Let's get him out of those wet clothes and
I'll throw them into the laundry."

Alex had to laugh.  "Oh Man!  He's going to be more freaked out that we
stripped him and put him to bed naked than he's going to be about the
accident.  I'm glad he doesn't know what's going on right now."

The three of them quickly got Zach undressed and helped him into bed.  Alex
pulled the covers up, snuggling Zach under the comforter.  Zach sleepily
opened his eyes and stared right into Alex's eyes.  "Can I go to sleep now
Alex?  You'll be right here won't you?"

Alex smiled at his friend, trying to reassure him anyway that he could.
"You can go to sleep now Zach.  I'll stay right here by your side in case
you need me.  Don't worry.  I'll be right here."

Zach continued to stare into Alex's eyes for a few seconds and a sleepy
smile covered his face.  Then he slowly closed his eyes as he drifted off
to sleep.  "Thanks Alex.  I love you buddy."

Alex was stunned.  His face went completely white and his jaw dropped part
way open.  He stared at his sleeping friend in disbelief.  Did Zach just
say that he loved him?  He couldn't have heard that right!  Then he
realized that he wasn't alone in the room.  Jason and his dad were both
still standing right there.  They had heard what Zach had just said, and
worse, they had seen his reaction to it.  There was no way he could get
around that.

"Alex, why don't you sit down son.  I think we better talk."  Alex closed
his eyes as he sat down on the bed.  He didn't want to face his family.  He
didn't want to see their reactions.  He knew his dad would be furious and
ready to kick his fag son out.  He knew that when he looked at Jason he
would see scorn and hatred for his queer pansy brother.  He sat for a few
more seconds, keeping his eyes closed to their reaction, trying to steel
himself before facing them.

"Alex, look at me son."

Trembling slightly, Alex opened his eyes and looked at his father.  Of all
the reactions he had feared and played out in his mind, his dad faced him
with one he never expected.  He was smiling gently at him!  And so was
Jason!

"Alex, we've all known for a very long time that you were gay.  We never
said anything about it because we didn't want to force you to confront it
before you were ready.  We figured you would tell us when you were up to
it.  No matter what son, your brothers and I love you.  This doesn't change
the way we feel.  Now tell me.  Is Zachary your boyfriend?"

Alex couldn't stop the tears from flowing from his eyes and he couldn't
speak he was so emotional.  Jason came around and standing behind him,
folded his arms around Alex in a great big bear hug and Alex started
sobbing even harder.  After a couple of minutes, Alex finally got himself
back under control, although tears were still running down his cheeks.

"I can't believe you all knew.  I didn't even know.  I've denied it and
fought it for so long!  I never expected to be able to tell any of you."

"Little brother, you're not really a very good actor you know.  You're
pretty transparent to those of us who know you and love you.  So how long
have you and Zachary been going out?"

Alex shook his head.  "We're not.  Honest.  I wish we were, but we're not.
I don't really think he's gay.  He's never shown any interest in guys."

"But he said he loved you!  Why would he say that if he wasn't interested
in you?  I think he IS interested in you little brother."

Alex was calming down considerably.  He smiled sadly at his brother and
just shook his head.  "No.  I wish I could believe that, but I don't think
so.  You saw how confused he was Jason.  When he said that, I don't think
he meant he was IN love with me.  Just that he loved me, you know, like a
brother or something."

"Son, I think Jason is right.  I'll admit Zachary was pretty out of it, but
his reactions were still pretty telling.  He wouldn't let you out of his
eyesight all night and he wasn't looking at you like a friend.  You also
didn't see him when we were working on him.  He kept insisting on seeing
you and making sure you were all right.  He kept getting more and more
agitated when we wouldn't let him go and see you for himself.  I honestly
thought we were going to have to sedate him.  Luckily the pain medication
started kicking in and helped calm him down.  I think you are going to have
to have a talk with him to find out what he really feels and let him know
how you feel."

"I don't know if I can do that dad.  I don't think I could handle it if he
ended up hating me for telling him how I feel about him.  He's my best
friend and I could end up losing him all together.  I don't know if I could
take that."

"It's your decision son, but I think you are almost going to have to tell
him.  You aren't going to be able to keep hiding this from him.  Jason's
right.  You aren't able to keep your feelings very secret from those you
love."

"I know.  I'm just so scared."

"I wish I could make it easier for you son.  Think about what I said
though.  Now I think I'm going to bed.  And Alex, always remember, no
matter what, I love you and I will always be here for you and support you
in anything you do."  Dr. Edwards stood up and hugged both of his sons and
then left for his room.

"You going to bed too Jason?  If you're not tired, I could use the company.
I haven't had a chance to talk with you for awhile.  Besides, I think I'm
too keyed up to even think about sleeping for awhile."

"If you're not sleepy, I'll stay.  I've missed you little brother.  Even if
you do get on my nerves."

Alex laughed.  "Jerk!  I've missed you too."  Then Alex became serious.
"What am I going to do Jason?  How do I get myself into these situations?"
Even as he was talking to his brother, Alex had been staring at Zach.
Without even realizing he was doing it, he reached out one hand and
tenderly brushed the hair out of his friends sleeping eyes, then let his
hand run down to his friends shoulder and started gently rubbing it
comfortingly.

Jason watched his brother for a few minutes, smiling the entire time.
"You've got it bad little brother."

Alex quickly looked up, figuring his brother was teasing him and quickly
trying to think up an insult.  But when he looked at Jason, he saw his
brother wasn't teasing him as they had done to each other so often in the
past, but was instead looking at him with compassion and understanding.
The insult dying on his lips, he could only smile back at his brother.
"Yeah, I guess I do."

"Tell me about him.  Tell me about something fun the two of you did
together.  Help me get to know him."

Alex smiled gratefully at his brother, eager to share stories about his
best friend.  "Ok.  I'll tell you about the Halloween party we went to.  We
entered Zach into a costume contest and made him go as a pirate.  You
should have seen him.

***

"It's about time you got here.  Where have you been?"  Cindy was expressing
more than a little irritation as Zach entered the apartment.

"I love you too Cindy!  Thanks so much for asking about me.  Your concern
is simply overwhelming."

Zach grinned at her even as he nodded towards Alex and James.  Cindy and
Zach had known each since grade school and treated each other like they
were brother and sister.  They constantly bickered, but they would do
anything for the other.  That didn't stop them from driving each other
crazy though.

"Shut up Zach!  You have to try on your costume.  The party is tomorrow. If
I need to make any alterations, I have to do them tonight.

Zach started heating up a little.  "It's not my fault you didn't get the
costume finished sooner.  I don't even want to be in this stupid contest.
All of you ganged up on me and bullied me into this.  And you know where
I've been.  I was at the study center tutoring math like I always do."
Alex and James were grinning openly at the two.  The costume party and
contest had been an ongoing argument for over a week.

"Just put this on and let me check it.  Alex and James, I don't want to
hear a word from either of you!"

Still grumbling under his breath, Zach took the bag with the costume in it
and headed to his room to change.  "I don't know how I let you talk me into
this!"  Reaching the bedroom, Zach slammed the door to let everybody know
just how he felt about the whole thing.

"I think your contestant is starting to get a little surly.  What do you
think James?"

James just smiled, knowing better than to comment.  At least not with Cindy
right there.

Then they all heard Zach start to swear from the bedroom.  "I can't fucking
wear this!  What the fuck are you trying to pull?  There is no way in hell
that I'm wearing this out in public"

Cindy glared at the door hiding Zach.  "What's wrong with it?  Come out and
let me see?"

"No FUCKING way!"

"Zach!  You promised me you would do this.  Now come out here and let me
see!"

"HELL NO!  SHIT!"

"ZACHARY!  GET YOUR FUCKING ASS OUT HERE NOW!"  They could all tell that
Cindy was really pissed now.  Alex and James both exchanged looks, grinning
at each other, wondering what had set Zach off.

After a few seconds, Zach opened the door and stomped out wearing his
costume, his face bright scarlet with embarrassment .  Alex and James
nearly doubled over laughing, now realizing what had upset Zach so much.
Cindy had designed a pirate costume, but had gone out of her way to make it
as sexy as she could.  The shirt was made out of a light, gauzy material
that was nearly see through.  The front didn't have buttons but was instead
held together by lacing up which left a lot of Zach's chest and abdomen
exposed.  The black half pants were made of a shiny, satiny material that
was very clingy, nearly melding to his skin and should have left little to
the imagination but somehow seemed to have odd lumps, folds and bunches in
them.

Cindy was frowning as she looked at Zach in his costume.  "What are you
wearing under those pants?"

"My boxers!"

"What!  Zach!  That looks ridiculous!  Why didn't you wear the thong under
them that was in the bag?"

"I AM NOT WEARING A THONG!"

"You can't go out looking like that!  That looks stupid!"

"I AM NOT WEARING A FUCKING THONG!  I don't care what you say, I'm not
doing it!  I don't even want to be in this stupid contest!  AND I AM NOT
WEARING A FUCKING THONG!"

Cindy's eyes were flashing as she glared at Zach.  Zach, still blushing
bright red, glared right back at her.  Finally, trying to keep the peace
between the two, James spoke up.  "How about some lycra compression shorts?
I've got a pair you can borrow.  You won't be.uh. out there quite so much
and they won't bunch up like your boxers."

Cindy was about to argue the point, but Alex, who was having a real hard
time to keep from laughing, stepped in to try and help calm the two.
"That's a really good idea James.  Why don't you go get them so Alex can
try them on and Cindy can see if they look ok."

James quickly stepped next door to his apartment and returned with the
shorts handing them to the still fuming Zach.  James leaned in to whisper
in Zach's ear.  "Don't leave your boxers on underneath these.  You'll start
another war if you do."

Zach glared at all three of his friends and went back into the bedroom to
change.  In a few moments, he came back out, still blushing and obviously
still pissed, but he kept quiet.  Cindy inspected him, not saying too much
other than she didn't need to make any alterations.  She also asked him not
to shave so that he would look a little more rugged. She had won most of
the battle, so she was willing to keep quiet, at least for the most part.

Alex, still grinning, noticed that even with the compression shorts, Zach
still had a very noticeable bulge in the front of his pants.  The shorts
were better than a thong would have been, but they still left little to the
imagination.  He knew his friend was in for a very long, and very
embarrassing evening tomorrow.

The next night, Zach was nervously fidgeting back stage and blushing
furiously.  "I can't believe I let you guys talk me into this."  Alex was
keeping his friend company while he waited for his turn to go out and
appear before the judges, not to mention the rest of the party goers.  He
could see that Zach was almost at the panic stage.

"Oh come on Zach.  It's not that bad.  You actually look pretty good in
that get up."

"No I don't!  I look like an idiot.  Why did I let you guys talk me into
this?  And you know I hate being up in front of a bunch of people like
that.  God, I wish this was over!"

Alex could tell Zach was just about to lose it.  Zach couldn't sit still
and was sweating heavily, and it wasn't that hot in there.  His eyes looked
a little wild, and Alex knew Zach was right on the edge of bolting.  Alex
grabbed a beer and handed it to his friend hoping the alcohol would calm
him.  "Here, drink some of this."

Zach just held onto the bottle for a second or two, and then downed it
without stopping.  Alex was very surprised.  He had expected Zach to only
take a sip or two.  Normally Zach didn't drink much and a single beer would
last him all night.

Zach, still fidgeting nervously, sat with his head down, staring at the
floor.  Finally he looked up at Alex and grinned a little weakly.  "Could
you get me another of those?  Please."

Alex grabbed another bottle and placed it in his friends trembling hand.
"Go easy on this one, ok.  If you get sick and throw up all over yourself
Cindy will rip my balls off and feed them to me for letting you get drunk.
And Zach, I've got to tell you, I really like my balls where they are now."

Zach started laughing at his friends joke which helped him to calm down a
little.  Still, he was very nervous and his hands were still visibly
trembling.  He did, however, only take a few sips of his beer before
setting it on the ground near his feet.

After a few more minutes, Alex noticed that it was nearly Zach's turn.
"Come on Zach.  It's almost your turn."

"Oh god!  I feel like I've got to throw up."

Alex was standing right behind Zach, massaging his neck and shoulders.
"There's no time for that Zach.  You can do this.  All you got to do is go
out on stage, walk back and forth a couple of times so the judges can see
you, and then go stand in line next to the other contestants.  No big
deal."

"Easy for you to say.  You're not the one standing in front of all those
people wearing this stupid costume that practically shows everything."

"It doesn't look that bad.  You're going to be far enough away from the
crowd that they aren't going to be able to make out all the details.  And
the lights and everything will make it pretty hard to see you.  It will all
be over before you know it."  Alex gave his friend a little shove and let
his voice take on a playful tone.  "Now get out there you big, bad pirate!"

Zach grinned at his friend, took a deep breath, and stepped out on stage.
As he walked from one side to the other, letting the judges see him from
all angles, he could hear several of his friends shouting his name and
whistling.  The sounds were oddly encouraging.  Even though his friends
were teasing him with all the whistles, cat calls and howls, he could tell
they were just joking with him.  Everybody was there just to have a good
time and it was infectious.  He couldn't help but smile and then went to
take his place with the other contestants.

Backstage, Alex watched his friend walk out in front of the crowd.  At
first, his steps were nervous and faltering, but as the crowed shouted
their encouragement, Zach seem to take heart.  By the time he finished and
was headed towards the line of other contestants Zach was almost strutting.
Alex couldn't help but laugh and cheer his friend on.  And then it was
announced that Zach had won for best costume.  Zach went wild and started
whooping with delight, jumping around and high fiving everyone in sight.

James came up and stood besides Alex, watching their friend parade across
the stage.  "He looks pretty good doesn't he?  Do you think he knows what's
coming next?"

"What do you mean?  What comes next?"

"Oh that's right.  You guys have never been to one of these costume
contests.  I keep forgetting you both transferred in.  It's tradition
around here.  The other contestants always pour a cooler of ice water over
the winner.  I'm surprised no one told him.  See, here they go now."

Alex quickly looked back on stage.  Sure enough, several of the other
contestants were walking up behind Zach with a big cooler in their hands.
Zach's attention was totally focused on the crowd, waving at all his
friends so he didn't even notice until the water started cascading over his
head, plastering his shirt tightly to his body and rendering it completely
see through.  Worse, the water was very cold and still had small pieces of
ice floating in it.

Zach gave a loud yelp at the shock of the freezing water hit him.  He stood
motionless, with his mouth open in shock, and his body cringing from the
cold.  Then, shocking Alex with his reaction, Zach busted out laughing.  He
was obviously still having a good time.  Still laughing, Zach walked over
to Alex and James, shivering and shaking and generally splattering
everybody nearby with droplets of water.

As soon as he got up next to him, Alex could see that Zach had the biggest,
shit-eating grin on his face that he could ever remember seeing on his
friend.  "Thanks for talking me into this Alex!  Here, let me show you how
much I appreciate it!"  Still grinning and laughing, Zach grabbed Alex in a
huge bear hug, wrapping his arms tightly around him and preventing him from
escaping and also getting Alex pretty wet in the process.

Alex was laughing so hard that he would have fallen down if Zach hadn't
still had him in that huge, wet bear hug.  He never wanted this moment to
end.  He was having fun, laughing with his friends, and being held by the
most gorgeous guy on earth who just happened to have the deepest, bluest
eyes he had ever seen.  Feeling Zach's strong, muscular body holding him so
tightly was intoxicating.  And he could swear he could feel every inch of
Zach's groin pressed tightly into him, growing a little harder and little
bigger with every passing moment.  A small, very tiny, very weak and puny
part of him protested over those feeling he was having.  That little, quiet
voice told him that what he was feeling was inappropriate and that Zach
couldn't possibly feel the same way as he did.  But just for this one
special, magical moment Alex ignored that voice and just let himself feel
that wonderful, intoxicating feeling.

***

To be continued.

I want to thank everyone who has written.  I really do appreciate all you
words of encouragement and it means the world to me.  I have tried to
respond to all the emails and answer any of your questions and I hope I
didn't miss any.  If I did, I'm truly sorry.  Drop me a line if you feel so
inclined and let me know what you think.  You can email me at
gandersn@gte.net.