Date: Fri, 13 Mar 2009 19:34:06 +0000
From: David Lee <dlee169@hotmail.com>
Subject: Second Chance, Chapter 14

Second Chance, Chapter 14

Warning:

This story is copyrighted by the author known as David Lee and may not be
reproduced in whole or in part without explicit permission.

This story contains descriptions of love and sexual fulfillment between
people of the same gender.  If possessing or reading this kind of material
is illegal where you live, please leave this site at once.

My previous stories may be quickly accessed by searching for my name under
the "Prolific Net Authors" heading.  You may write to me at
dlee169@hotmail.com.  I'll do my best to answer promptly.  Please put the
title of this story in the "subject" line when you email.

For the full disclaimer and additional info, please read the statement that
precedes Chapter 1.

As always, I thank my editors Tom and David for their proofing my work and
giving me suggestions and lots of positive feedback.  They're an integral
part of this effort.



Chapter 14

Eric and Josh slept late on Monday.  They climbed out of their tent into
bright sunshine.  Breakfast was the first order of business.  Since the
Boyson's had fed them the day before, they had plenty of food and it needed
to be used.  So, it was almost like a big brunch with bacon, eggs, and
pancakes.

After cleaning up their dishes, they packed and paddled back toward the
opposite shore where their pickup was parked.  The boys couldn't resist
stopping at the big island on the way.  There was nothing left to see and
the police tape was gone.  However, they did their best not to disturb
anything just in case.

Neither guy was particularly hungry when noon rolled around, so they kept
driving for home.  They were met in the driveway by Blake who had just
returned from his part-time job.

"Were you aware of a shooting on one of the islands in the lake where you
went?  There's a brief article in today's paper."

"We heard the shots and we talked to an officer yesterday, but he didn't
tell us much."

Blake ran up to the apartment and returned a minute later with the
newspaper.  The boys scanned the article quickly to glean whatever
information they could.  The name of the guy who was shot was still being
withheld pending notification of relatives, but it was expected to be
released in time for the 10 o'clock news.  The article did say that he was
a resident of St. Paul.

"I hope our dads don't freak when they hear about it.  They'll probably
never let us leave the yard by ourselves again!" Eric said.

----------

The boys had hosed off the kayaks, hung their tent on the clothesline to
air, and packed away the cookware by the time their fathers got home.  They
were so full of energy that they pitched in to help "the old guys" do the
same with their gear.

When everything was put away, Ben suggested a good hot meal was the next
thing on the agenda – preferably one made in a nearby restaurant so that
no one would have to cook.  The boys were suddenly starved when they
remembered that they'd skipped lunch.  The only thing they'd had since
their late breakfast was a can of diet Pepsi that they'd split on the way
home.  So the family was soon on the way to a favorite eating spot.

----------

While catching up on the news he'd missed, Scott discovered the piece about
the shooting.  He asked the guys if they knew anything about it.  Eric and
Josh took turns narrating the tale for their dads.  They even told about
being invited to the party and not going.

"I suppose we should keep you locked in the attic until you're 18," Scott
joked.

"I wouldn't do any good.  They'd probably have too much fun up there
together anyway, or else they'd climb down the fire escape and run away,"
Ben chuckled.  "Besides, I think they both showed good judgment in weighing
the risks of drinking with strangers and making the right decision in
avoiding it."

"Thanks, Dad.  You know how smart and mature we are." Josh grinned.

"Your dad is right." Scott stated.  "I'm proud of both of you too."

The boys smiled in response.  They didn't tell their fathers how close they
came to making the wrong decision.

When the late newscast came on, the boys were glued to the TV to see if
there were any new details about the shooting.  They didn't have to wait
long.

"This is Chris Philips with your 10 o'clock news update.  Our lead story is
about Saturday night's shooting in which a local teenager was wounded.  We
now know the name of the victim.  Dylan Reid, 16, of St. Paul suffered
wounds to his left shoulder and right leg.  He was air-lifted to
St. Francis Hospital in critical condition, but had been upgraded to fair
condition.  His parents would like to get in touch with the man whose phone
call may have saved their son's life.  If you're that person or know who he
is, please call their number on the screen below.

In other news, presidential candidate, Barack Obama campaigned in
Pennsylvania today amid growing concern over..."


"Oh my God, I know Dylan; he's on the swim team!  We were in Cubs together
and he's been in several of my classes in high school.  We'd better call
his parents to let them know about Max." Josh exclaimed.

"You'd better do it since you know him," Eric suggested.  "It's pretty
late..."

"I'll bet they're up if they've been at his bedside.  In fact, they're
probably at the hospital."

Ben and Scott convinced the boys that their news could wait until a more
reasonable hour the next morning.  Josh agreed that there was no urgent
reason to disturb the family at that hour of the night.

----------

Josh called the hospital to check about visiting hours before the pair had
breakfast.  Ben had left for work and Scott was buried under a pile of
paperwork and emails that had to be dealt with, so the boys made their own
breakfast and took it out to the gazebo to eat.  Blake and Reese joined
them with their cereal and toast on trays.

"I hope that we're not imposing ourselves on you too much," Blake
commented.  "We don't have any classmates who live nearby and you're
beginning to feel like brothers to us."

"No problem," Josh said.

"We enjoy your company," Eric added.  "We feel a kinship to you guys too,
especially since we have a big thing in common."

"I wonder how big our common things are," Reese quipped.

"Down Boy," Blake commanded with a grin.  "I'll never get my Wildman
tamed."

"Would you really want to?" Josh asked.  "Wouldn't that take some of the
fun out of it?"

"This Paleface speaks truth!" Reese laughed.

"Fun is okay, but I don't want to have to bail him out of jail for
molesting underage boys."

"I think 16 is the age of consent in Minnesota if I read it right.  If we
were 15 or below, the other person couldn't be more that four years older"
Josh said.

"Jeez! Don't tell him that!  Now neither one of you will be safe from his
flirting," Blake asserted, shaking his head.

"As long as it doesn't go further than that, it's okay," Eric reminded
them.  "You know that Josh belongs to me and I belong to him."

A couple of minutes later, Blake steered the conversation toward Saturday
night's shooting.  The boys mentioned the victim was a friend of Josh's and
that they were heading for the hospital to visit him soon.

----------

Dylan Reid was really happy to see Josh coming into his hospital room.
He'd been poked and prodded by a veritable army of doctors and nurses and
hadn't been allowed visitors other than family up to that point.  Josh
hugged him gently so as not to hurt him.

Josh introduced Eric as his new housemate and didn't elaborate on the
circumstances that had brought them together.  Dylan high-fived Eric like
he would a long-time buddy.  The two of them took an instant liking to each
other.

"You got a vase for these?" Josh joked as he handed Dylan the "bouquet" of
balloons that they'd purchased in the gift shop.

"Could you do me a favor and tie them to the TV shelf so I can see them
easily?  It's good of you to bring them, but I'm even happier to see guys
my age.  Even the nurses on this floor all seem to be over 40."

Then Dylan's mood became serious as he explained what had happened at the
party and expressed embarrassment at having been there.

"It was really stupid of me to party with a crowd that I didn't know.  I
was visiting my cousin who lives a few miles from the lake and one of his
acquaintances said there was going to be a bash with lots of beer and no
one to check ID's.  I wanted to know what it felt like to get a good buzz,
so I pushed my cousin to take me.

I was having fun dancing, well more hopping around, with a cute girl and I
thought it was great.  Then some jerk, I think his name was Rick, accused
another guy, Lance, of stealing his stash and things got nasty.  I wasn't
doing any drugs and it didn't have anything to do with me, but I was in the
wrong place at the wrong time.  Rick pulled a gun and fired at Lance, but
only hit him in the foot.  Lance ducked behind me to shield him and I took
the other bullets before Rick's fried brain got the message.  I guess the
bullet in my leg hit a major blood vessel and I was bleeding a lot.  I know
that I passed out quickly and woke up for a minute realizing I was in a
chopper.  I'd like to ride in one when I'm conscious sometime so I could
enjoy it!

I feel like an idiot for getting myself into this mess!  At least I've
learned my lesson without having to pay the ultimate price.  I know Mom and
Dad don't believe that, but it's true.  They'll probably ground me `til I'm
18!"

"Make that 21!"  Dylan's mother teased as she entered the room.

She delivered the line without cracking a smile and the boys wondered if
she was serious.  They hoped that she'd heard enough of Dylan's confession
to eventually forgive his youthful lapse of judgment.

"Mrs. Reid, this is my housemate Eric," Josh said, hoping to change the
subject.

"Nice to meet you, Eric.  Please call me Beth."

"It's good to meet you, Beth.  Josh has something important to tell you
about the person who called for help on Saturday night."

"I hope that you can clear up the mystery.  We have had nearly a dozen
calls from people claiming to be that person.  One of them went so far as
to ask how much reward we were planning to give him!  It's like a bloody
circus."

"The man's name is Max Boyson, but I don't know exactly where he lives.  I
do know that he and his wife, Marian, were talking about a hardware store
in Edina, so I'm guessing that they live in that area," Josh informed her.

"How do you know all of this?"

"We were camped a ways away from the island on the far shore and they were
camped a bit beyond us.  They came to check on us after the shots were
fired.  In the conversation, Marian told us Max had called.  He was career
army, I think.  He recognized the sounds as gunshots and thought that he'd
better alert the authorities. When the chopper landed, he recognized it as
a flying ambulance even in the dark and at that distance."

----------

Beth excused herself to hunt for a phonebook leaving the boys to continue
their conversation.

Dylan admitted that he was in pain, but said he didn't want to take too
many pills.

"I know that I could be asking for more Tylenol with codeine, but honestly
I'd rather feel a little hurt than to have green monkeys jumping on my bed.
That stuff is like a bad trip - not that I know from experience what that's
like.  After my recent escape from the Grim Reaper, I have no desire to run
away from reality!  Besides, I don't want anything in my body that will
keep me from passing a drug test when the season starts."

"It'll all be out of your system by then," Josh assured him.  "It's not
like you're taking steroids anyway.  You need to stay ahead of the pain in
order to heal."

"How do you know that, `Dr. Brady'?"

"Uh, my mom..."

"God, I'm sorry, Josh!"

"It's okay.  Did the doctors say if you'll be well enough to swim this
fall?" Josh asked to change the subject.

"They say that my biggest problem was being about a quart low.  After the
transfusions and a few weeks to heal my muscles, I should be almost as good
as new.  I've got to start strength training as soon as I can because if I
sit around too much, my muscles will atrophy.  Why did I have to be so
stupid?"

----------

Beth swept into the room bearing a piece of paper with Max's number on it.
She used the phone in the room to make the call.

"Mr. Boyson?  Yes, my name is Beth Reid.  I have a son here who is alive
because of you.  I can't begin to thank you enough.  There may have been a
few times in the past couple of years that I'd have liked to put him in a
space ship and send him off the planet, but we do love him dearly."

Dylan bit on his lower lip to keep from showing his emotion.  Josh squeezed
his hand to let him know that he understood.

"Well as fate would have it," she continued.  "there are two young men here
who met you – Josh and Eric.  Yes, they're here right now."

Josh and Eric both spoke to Max for a minute before handing the phone to
Dylan.  When he got on it was difficult for him to talk.

"Mr. Boyson...  Okay, Max.  I don't know how to thank you...  (sniff) If it
hadn't been for you...  (sniff, sniff) You're the greatest, Man!"

Beth took the phone again because she could see that Dylan was too
emotional to continue.  Max told her that he would like to visit Dylan when
he was up to it.  She invited him to come that afternoon.

----------

In their attic studio, the boys put in several hours of work that
afternoon.  Eric created a fictional short story based on Dylan's
experience.  He changed the names and some of the circumstances.  His hero
was a boy at the party who applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.
Eric's intent was to write a story with a moral that could be used to
remind kids not to make destructive decisions.  He thought that perhaps an
organization like SADD might be interested in it.

Josh was also creative.  His painting was of a shirtless camper seated
cross-legged by a tent hunched over writing in a journal.  The pose kept
the viewer from having a good look at the writer's face, but it didn't hide
the beautiful muscles on his body.  It was another fine work on the level
of the one he'd done of Eric kneeling nude by the water.  Josh wasn't sure
that he could sell this one either, but he might substitute it for the nude
one if Norm would allow him to.  The painting of Eric naked might be more
than he wanted to share with strangers.

----------

The next morning, Josh and Eric both searched for diving clubs in their
area.  The only thing that they came up with was a list of scuba diving
schools.  Their aim was to see about learning synchronized diving like
they'd seen in watching the Olympics.  Surely someone in the upper Midwest
should be training people for that event.

After numerous phone calls to lots of people including the high school swim
coach, the boys gave up.  They would have to content themselves with
standard low-board diving and training for swimming meets.  It was probably
for the best since their plates would be full enough with school and their
creative pursuits.

Just after noon, the boys went to the hospital to look in on Dylan again.
Once more, he was pleased to see them.  His younger brother, Aaron, was
visiting him and was beginning to get on his nerves.

Aaron was a cute kid with shoulder length blond hair that had obviously
been styled by a professional.  He was thin and about medium height for a
kid going into ninth grade.  When he spoke, his voice cracked like many
boys in the throes of puberty.

>From the minute that Aaron was introduced to Eric, he practically attached
himself to the older boy.  Eric was initially somewhat uncomfortable with
the amount of attention he was getting from the kid.  He wanted to tell the
boy to find another playmate, but that would be ill-mannered.  Besides,
Dylan seemed to be pleased to have his brother out of his hair for the time
being.  So Eric tried to make polite conversation, hoping that this wasn't
turning into hero worship or a crush.

Josh would have spent longer at the hospital, but he sensed his boyfriend's
uneasiness.  He found an honest excuse to leave, saying that they needed to
swim a few laps if they were going to stay in shape for the upcoming
season.  Dylan could empathize with that and expressed his hope of being
able to get in the water soon too.  Aaron said he'd like to be included
when they all went to practice because he was going to join the team too.

----------

On the way to the country club pool, Josh teased Eric about having a new
potential boyfriend.

"If you and Aaron had been alone, I don't know what might have happened.
Did you notice how he was undressing you with his eyes?  You watch; he'll
be hanging around when we change in the locker room just to get a look at
your goods!"

"He's bound to get the chance in the locker room once practice begins –
unless I come in with my Speedo already on." Eric snickered.



"You might as well let him get a good look on the first day.  Then maybe
he'll leave you alone after he's satisfied his curiosity.  Besides, your
Speedo doesn't hide much!"

Josh and Eric swam laps for about 15 minutes before stopping to rest.  Both
were pleased that they didn't seem to have lost what they'd gained from
watching the Olympic swimmers.  After a brief rest, they took turns
watching and coaching each other.  Then they practiced a few dives before
leaving.

They hadn't gotten to the locker room when the sports facilities manager
intercepted them.

"Our golf pro watched part of your workout and said that you're obviously
experienced swimmers.  Are either or both of you interested in a part-time
job?  We'll be running classes on Saturdays and evenings this fall for
members' kids.  Our swimming instructor quit because her husband has been
transferred to Chicago.  You seem to know what you're doing and how to give
instruction."

"Thanks for asking, but I'm not sure that we could work it into our
schedules once school starts," Josh replied.  "But if you give us your
number, we'll discuss it and get back to you."

"Please do.  I heard that you drove up in a new convertible, so you
probably don't need any money, but you would be helping a number of
over-privileged kids hone their skills."

"We're not too lazy or `too good' to work, but we do have a lot to do.
Besides swimming on our high school team, I'm writing and Josh is painting.
He's going to have an exhibition at Mr. Hadley's gallery in late winter."
Eric informed him.

"Whoa, that is a big deal!  I can understand if you can't, but please keep
it in mind.  And if you can't do it, you might know of someone else who
could."

After exchanging information, the boys went back to the locker room to
shower and change.

----------

At dinner, the boys told their fathers about the job offer.  Ben and Scott
agreed that it was up to the boys to decide what they wanted to do.  As far
as the dads were concerned, the main occupation their sons had at present
was to study hard to keep up their grades so they could get into a good
college.

"You do need to keep in mind that when the sports guy said
`over-privileged' about the country club kids, he was being polite.  Some
of them are absolute brats!  I'm not sure that I'd want to be in charge of
that bunch."

"Thanks, Dad, I'll keep that in mind.  I noticed how a couple of the boys
were acting today when we were there.  And, do you remember that scene in
the dining room last spring when a kid threw a fit over something he didn't
want to eat?  I'm thinking I should pursue my painting this winter."

"We might see if Blake or Reese would like the job before we call Mr. West
back." Eric suggested.

----------

After the late news, the boys got ready for bed by undressing each other.
They weren't wearing that many clothes, so the process didn't take very
long.  However, a part of both of them was getting long.

"Just pretend I'm Aaron," Josh teased as he knelt to lick Eric's `nads.

"Maybe I won't have to pretend.  Maybe I'll get the genuine article if we'd
invite the brothers over.  You can share your room with Dylan and Aaron can
sleep with me." Eric grinned, teasing back.

"That's not gonna happen because you looked really uncomfortable when he
was that close to you today even with you both dressed." Josh replied.
"Besides, you and I belong to each other."

"Yeah, but you said I should probably play with other guys to make sure I
was really gay before I settle down." Eric continued.  "Aaron's only a
couple of years younger, so it'd be legal."

"I suppose I meant that at the time, but I've really gotten attached to
you.  I think I'd feel hurt.  Are you serious about wanting to do it with
him?  If you are, I guess I shouldn't stand in your way."

"No, I don't see that happening.  I'm only joshing; no pun intended," Eric
smirked.  Then he gazed deeply into Josh's eyes and said, "Now quit
worrying and let me demonstrate how much I care about you."

----------

Author's note: Thanks to all who wrote since last posting.  These include:
Baruch, Vann, Jim C, Jim We, Aaron W, John Mc, Tom A, Tim E, Richard Y,
Rad, Tom D, Paul R, Polar, and Danny F.

Your emails keep me going.

I don't know if you heard, but the Florida Supreme Court ordered a school
district to recognize the LBGT club as a legitimate organization that must
be allowed to meet in the school like any other student organization.
Score one for sanity!

David