Date: Mon, 12 May 2014 01:19:09 +0100
From: davidspowart3 <davidspowart3@hotmail.com>
Subject: Well that was unexpected chapter 21 of book 2

O.K., the usual warnings apply: This story contains sex between males of
consenting age, and if your state or country does not allow such material
to be read, or you are offended by male-on-male sex and you are under the
age of 18, please leave this story now. Otherwise, enjoy Josh's continuing
journey

This story is the property of the Author and copying whole are in part is
only permitted with the Author's written consent. And is subject to
copyright©2013 David Spowart all rights reserved

"Well that was Unexpected"

Book 2

Chapter 21

Written by

David Spowart

Edited by J Matlock

We sat for what seemed like hours.  The hospital in Queens was inundated
with casualties from the College, and they were stretched; even I could see
that.  Stretchers were still coming in as we sat; some walking, wounded,
hurt while running from flying bullets,

Todd came in and just grabbed me in a hug.  Laura had stayed with Dave; he
was inconsolable at the loss of his best friend.  I knew what he was
feeling.  Well, only for a second.  When Todd told me that Dale had been
shot, it hurt, it hurt like fuck.

"I can't get a hold of Aaron or Kyle" he said, while crushing me.

"They are fine; Aaron drove me to the therapist, he and Kyle are in the
city, Todd" I informed him of where, approximately, his childhood friend
is.

"He'll call, he's, erm, probably otherwise engaged" I added.

  ...

I held Lisa as we waited for a Doctor to tell us how Dale was doing.
Dale's Dad and Mother were on their way, as was Mark.  He was crying when I
talked to him, just over an hour ago.

Vera Valdez approached us, and I stood and embraced her.  She had a tear in
her eye, and she kissed my cheek.

"Sorry to see you again like this, Josh" she said softly.

"Do you know who they were, yet, Vera?" Cal asked.

"We do, but we need to inform their families, first" she replied.

"Were they terrorists?" I asked.

"Students, Josh, from your college, I'm afraid" she replied, and we just
lowered our heads in disbelief.

"Mr Layton, can we talk?" she asked looking at Todd.

I watched as Todd went with Vera, and stood and talked in the hallway.  The
door closed, so I could not hear what was being said.

Todd came back in and sat down.  He lowered his head in his hands and
sobbed a little.  I walked over and put my arms around him, and he broke
down and cried. I knew it was not about Dale; but something that Vera had
just told him, broke him a little.

He looked up at me and said:

"Last year, when you were hurt" he started. "She thought I" he sobbed a
little and I was confused, what has this got to do with what had happened
to me.

"Todd" I pushed

"She thought I was still dating her" he babbled out a little

"Dating who Todd?" I asked. "Candice" he replied with his head still buried
in his hands.

"Candice was one of those killed.  I didn't even know she was back in
school" he sobbed, and I pulled him tight to my shoulder.  Yeah, they had a
volatile history, but still, Todd did not have a malicious bone in his
body.

"Sorry, man" was all I could get out.

Laura soon turned up and held Todd.  Dave's brother had come and was taking
him back to Kansas. He needed his family, right now.  Nick's death will be
felt by him for a very long time.  They were so looking forward to the
summer in the Hamptons, and now all that seems so trivial.

It hit Midnight before the Doctor came and informed us that Dale was fine,
and in recovery; but would be out until morning.  The bullet had gone
straight through, and only caused some muscle damage, which would repair,
in time.  As the Doctor left, the Jackson's came into the waiting room.

I stood up and grabbed Mark into a hug, his eyes were bloodshot.  He had
been crying quite a lot, by the looks of him.  I kissed Mrs Jackson, her
eyes in a similar state as Mark's.  Mr Jackson just looked at us all, and
grabbed me and Todd and kissed our cheeks.

"Shit Boys, I'm pleased you are okay.  Did you know any of the victims" he
asked, and we just nodded, slightly.

"I'm so sorry, guys, I really am.  The Doctor told us Dale is okay, and we
could see him before we leave; so, why don't you go get some rest.  You all
look beat" he said.

"Josh, can you take care of Mark?" he asked, and I nodded, looking at a
forlorn looking Mark.

"I'm not leaving here until I've seen Dale" he informed his parents.

"Mark, you can see him in the morning" his mother informed him, but he was
having none of it.

"And what about Lisa?" Mark asked his parents.  Lisa looked at them, also
waiting for a response.

"Oh, my dear, sorry, I thought you were Laura" she said, as Laura came back
into the waiting room with some coffees.

"Okay, Okay, Lisa and you can go see him, once they have him settled"
Mr. Jackson replied.

"I would like to see him, as well; I need to see him" I said.

Mr. Jackson just cupped his hand behind my head, smiled, and nodded.

Lisa and Mark came back from seeing him, and they both had tears in their
eyes.  Todd, Cal and I went next.  We walked into ICU and saw him lying
there, with a tube coming from his nose, and a drip in his arm.  His heart
monitor was beeping at a steady rate.  he looked pale, so very pale.

We left the hospital, wondering if we could get back on campus.  Did we
want to go back to campus. Cal flipped open his phone and spoke to his
Grandpa for a few minutes; and soon, we hailed a couple of cabs and headed
into Manhattan, Cal giving the address to both drivers.

"Where are we going, Cal?" I asked.

"Kenner Engineering has an apartment in New York.  It's empty at the
moment, and Grandpa said we can use it" he replied.

My cell phone rang, and I flipped it open.

"Hello" I said.

"Hey, Josh, what the fuck is up with Todd, now" Aaron bemoaned.

"Sorry?" I replied.

"I've just turned my cell on, and there's a text, telling me to stay away.
His phone is switched off, so what the fuck am I supposed to have done,
now?" he demanded.

"Aaron have you seen the news?" I asked.

"Erm... No...Kyle...Erm we have been a little busy" he snickered out.

"Aaron, turn on the TV, and turn to a news channel; where are you, anyway?"
I asked, as he was telling Kyle to switch a news channel on.

"The Lincoln" he replied.  A minute or so passed.

"Fucking Christ, Jesus...18...fucking hell!  Shit, is everyone okay, Josh?"
he asked in a sombre tone not wanting to hear bad news.

"No, Dale was shot...he'll live...he's in queens" I added, and I could hear
him yell and cuss.

"Where is Todd, his cell is off, is he okay, Josh?" he rambled.

"He's fine.  He is in the second cab" I added.

"Do we know anyone who didn't make it?" he asked, and I could hear Kyle
whimper a little, as the details were read by the news anchor.

"Nick Stokes.  He was killed, Aaron" I added.

"Fucking bastards!  Oh, fuck man, I'm so sorry, Josh" he replied, and I
heard him tell Kyle, and I heard him go off on one; totally pissed.

"Candice, as well" I added.

"Todd's ex?" he asked.

"Yeah.  I do not know how, but she's was killed in a hallway, somewhere in
school" I said.

"Aaron, we are going back to the hospital, first thing in the morning.  See
you then, okay?" I add.

"Okay, Josh, tell Todd I rang; his phone is off" Aaron adds.

"Yeah, no problem.  See you soon" I ended the call.

"I take it he had been preoccupied" Cal said, and I just nodded.

Soon, we pulled into a buildings garage.  Cal entered a code into the panel
and the gate opened.  We drove to the far end and climbed out, Cal paying
the drivers.

We followed Cal over to the elevator and went to the 33rd floor.  We walked
along a corridor, then came to a lock box on the wall.  He pushed several
numbers into the lock box and retrieved a key.  He opened the door and the
alarm sounded, but Cal silenced it.

We walked in to an open plan apartment that was huge.  It had 2 bedrooms
and 2 bathrooms.  It also had an amazing view of Manhattan.

"Todd, your phone is off.  Aaron called.  They are okay, and we will see
them in the morning" I said, and he smiled at me; a forced one, though.

Lisa switched on the TV and turned to CNN.  There was wall to wall coverage
of the shootings, and the names of the shooters on a yellow banner trailed
along the bottom: Scott Dante, and Lance Black, freshman.

"Todd, is that" he cut me off, and a photo of both shooters appeared on the
screen.  Lance Black I did not know, but Scott Dante, I did.

"You tutored him for a couple of weeks, before all that shit last year.  He
was an engineering student, but he was not grasping it" Todd said.

"He was failing.  Shit, was that the reason he killed all those people?
Killed Nick because he was failing a fucking class?" I screamed out loud,
and Cal pulled me into a hug.

"And Candice, and, almost Dale" Todd added.

"Shit, he killed some lecturers.  Do we know who he killed?  I mean, he
didn't kill..." I stopped, not wanting to contemplate the thought of him
killing one of my favourite professors.

"No, he didn't kill your engineering guru.  I saw him as I left the
college.  I know one was Coach Latimore; the other three, I don't know,
Josh, sorry" replied Todd, clutching Laura very close and tight.

"Four weeks and five days" I said.

"Huh?" Cal queried.

"Four weeks and five days; when we move out of the dorms.  Four weeks and
five days and we are interns in Chicago; and when we come back, we will be
living in the Hamptons" I add.

"Lisa, Laura, your parents were apprehensive about you moving with us to
the Hamptons; but I think they will be more in favor of it, now.  You
should ask them" Cal replied.

"I'd be happier if I knew you were safe, baby" Todd said softly into
Laura's ear.

"I'll ask, over the next couple of days.  They were distraught when I
called, a few hours ago; they were crying" Lisa added.

"Todd, you and Laura take the far bedroom.  Lisa, you take that one.  Josh
and I will have the pull-out," Cal said, as we were exhausted.  It was now
just after 2a.m.

9am...

We hailed cabs and headed back to Queens.  We arrived before the Jacksons,
but permission had been left by them so we could visit.  We entered the
room that Dale was transferred to, overnight, and we walked in.  The tube
from his nose was now gone, but the I.V was still in place.  The heart
monitor was also gone.  Dale was sound asleep, Lisa sitting next to his
bed, stroking his head.  I could see the look of love in her eyes just as I
had seen in Todd's, when Laura had her accident.  Something tells me these
girls are keepers.

Dale opened his eyes.  He was a bit groggy, at first, but looked at Lisa
and smiled.

"Hey you" he said in a husky voice, his black hair a little matted.  Lisa
continued to stroke his face, "Hey you" she replied, leaning in and giving
him a soft kiss.

"Love you" he replied.

"Love you, too" she returned.

"We are not alone, sweetie" she added.

Dale looked up and saw all of us, a little embarrassed; and, all of a
sudden, he realized why we were all here in this room.

"Shit, I was shot" he yelled, and started checking for missing parts; and,
yeah, he's a guy, so he checked to see if his trouser snake was intact, as
well as his balls.  He let out a sigh of relief, then a yell of pain, when
he moved his shoulder.

"That fucker!" he yelled in pain.

There was a look of pain that spread across his face, and the colour had
drained from his face.  I pressed the buzzer, and soon a nurse came in.

"He's in a lot of pain" Lisa said, out of serious concern.

She adjusted the I.V, and soon Dale was on another planet; not floating,
just out of pain.

"Anyone hurt, I mean, apart from me?" he asked.

"Yeah man, a few were hurt bad" I said

"Fuck, one was Scott.  I saw Scott.  He looked at me and fucking fired.
The fucker shot me.  I hope he gets the fucking chair" he bemoaned.

"He's dead, baby" Lisa informed him

"Good" he replied, not giving a shit.

"Did the fucker kill anyone?" he asked.

"Nick" Todd said softly.

"You are serious, aren't you?" he replied, and Todd nodded slightly, then
added, "and Candice"

"Shit!  Sorry, man.  I didn't even know she was back in school" Dale
replied.

"Yeah, me either" Todd replied.

"How's Dave?" he asked.

"Crushed" Laura replied.  "His brother has taken him back to Kansas" she
added.

"So, is that it?" he asked, not meaning to sound callous.

"No, man.  Eighteen, in total.  We do not know who.  His partner was killed
with him, by a police sniper" Todd added.

"Partner?" he asked.

"Yeah, some kid named Lance Black.  Know him?" Todd asked, and Dale just
shook his head.

"But, Scott, why the fuck would he do such a thing" Dale asked.

"Dude, I am sure every psychologist from New York to Alaska will have an
opinion on it.  I just think he was failing classes, and lost his nut" I
said, sounding bitter.  He seemed all there when I tutored him.  He was
strung out a little, yeah, but homicidal?  I didn't think so, but look, I
was wrong on that score.

Mark walked into the room, saw his brother awake, and just burst into tears
as he walked over and hugged him; but not so hard as to cause him more
pain.

"Marky, I'm fine.  Look at me, I'm fine" he said, calling his brother by a
name I had not heard him called, for many years.

"When Todd said you had been shot, and you were sent to the hospital; shit,
Dale, I thought I had lost you, and fuck, I'm not ready for that" Mark
said, looking at his brother, laid up in a hospital bed.

"Mark, I'm not ready to let the world have you with a free reign.  They
have done nothing to deserve that" Dale said in a mocking way, and Mark's
smile just beamed.

"Dickwad" Mark said, with no malice to his words.  It was a joy to see.

"Hey, he's awake" Mr Jackson said, as he walked in with his wife.

"Okay guys, let's let his parents stay and visit.  Dale, we will come back
a little later on" I said, leaning over and kissing his cheek.

"Thanks, man" he replied.

"I love you, dude, don't get fucking shot again, okay?" I whispered.

"Love you, too, man" he replied, and kissed my cheek.  That didn't go
unnoticed by his dad; but he just smiled,.  I know Todd had told his dad of
what transpired between us last year; but I am sure Dale has not shared.

"Let's head back to the apartment.  I could do with a little more sleep"
said Cal, and I couldn't agree more.

We walked out of the hospital as Aaron and Kyle walked in.  Todd just
scooped him into a hug.  He was very emotional at the moment.  "Glad you
are safe, bud" Aaron said, and Todd was now crying a little.  Yeah, I love
Todd for just being Todd.

A couple of days later, Dale was discharged, and taken home for a week by
his folks, and we went back on campus.  It was strange, it looked normal.
Some students were milling about, and Connors tree was covered in floral
tributes.  The quad was a sea of color, with more floral tributes.  The
names of the dead were released; and, I know this sounds harsh, but thank
God we knew none of them. Losing Nick, and, of course, Candice, was bad
enough.  A period of mourning was in place, and all classes had been
postponed for a week.  Some leniency would be granted for those who needed
a little more time.

Some police tape was still cordoning off certain areas.  The FBI was also
on campus, asking questions. Since we had no classes for a while, and the
girls had headed off home, so their parents could see them safe and
unharmed; we decided to head off to Boston, and Todd agreed, and we booked
a flight, leaving the following morning.  We would have left a day earlier,
if we had known of the class postponements.

Aaron and Kyle asked Cal if they could use the house in the Hamptons for a
few days, and he agreed and arranged for them to spend some time away from
campus.  We agreed to all be back in a week, and try and get back to some
sort of normalcy.

We would come back for the memorial service, which we assumed would be
arranged shortly.  The Dean said he would e-mail us of the date, but we
would be back in a week, anyway.  We would miss Nick; I just wished we had
known him longer.  He won't be missed by his family; his dad wouldn't have
given a shit, anyway.  His aunt would see to his service.  I will contact
Dave and see what has been arranged, and if we can make it, we will.  We
all will, yeah, we all will.



To be continued...

Well, I hope you all still like me.  I hope you have not abandoned me due
to this storyline.  As I have said, sometimes things just suck, and bad
things do happen to good people.  Happier times will come, trust me.  I
know, I write it...

And on a personal note. Thank you to all that posted me over the last
chapter. it was very much appreciated and encouragement keeps guys like me
writing stories like this.

Comments as usual at davidspowart3@hotmail.com or Tweet @DavidSpowart



Also, guys, just a short note.  I will be posting some new stories here,
but I will be posting them first, on a site that also promotes this one;
so, soon, I will be posting a series called Non-League to the Premiership,
on a site called www.readersranch.com

Check it out!!!

"It's Free"



David