Date: Sun, 6 Jan 2002 17:03:14 -0800 (PST)
From: eagle 42 <eagle42scecp@yahoo.com>
Subject: Tanner & Robert, Chapter 7

Disclaimer:
This story is a fantasy of my own creation. The
characters are not real; they were born of my
imagination. If a consensual relationship between
two of-age males bothers you, then do not read
further. If you are under the legal age in your
area, stop reading now.

Any similarities between a character and a real
person, living or dead, are purely coincidental.
Any actions the reader takes as a result of reading
this story are not the responsibility of the author.
You may not reproduce, post, or distribute this
story in any way without the author's expressed
written permission.  You may print out one copy or
save one copy of this story for your own viewing and
entertainment.  By reading further, you implicitly
are agreeing to the above guidelines.

Many thanks go to Hal and Jason for volunteering
their time and expertise to edit this story.

Comments from readers are encouraged. I appreciate
your constructive criticism and comments. Enjoy --

Tanner and Robert - Chapter Seven

Deja vu

Robert
I saw Tanner and his uncle Jason turn pale as they
drew in a deep breath and held it. Perhaps they felt
that by doing so, time would freeze and they
wouldn't have to deal with Kyle's situation.

My dad turned to me and momentarily wrapped his arm
around my shoulder, released me and then went to
Tanner, enfolding his first-born in his arms.

Tanner cried openly.

Chapter Seven
Dr. Gamac
"I'm sorry. Poor choice of words. I didn't mean to
imply that his condition has deteriorated. He's
still in a coma, and we don't know how long that
will last. But, the good news is that we believe the
surgery we're advising will relieve the fluid
pressure on the brain and hasten his return to
consciousness."

I turned to Dr. Worthington and asked, "Bob, Jason,
would you like to see the scan results and x-rays
that have just been completed?"

"Yes, thank you. I would," Bob replied and then
continued, "Guys, let Dr. Gamac, Jason and I have a
look at these and then we'll talk. Robert, would you
and Tanner go down to the cafeteria and get us some
coffee? We won't be long."

The three of us studied the information provided by
the scans and x-rays and agreed that placing a stint
to drain excess spinal fluid from the cranial cavity
would relieve the pressure and hasten Kyle's
recovery. I asked Bob if he would like to scrub with
the surgical team, and he nodded in the affirmative
with the understanding that he would only be an
observer.

Dr. Worthington
The boys returned with the coffee about the same
time that we concluded our studying the test
results. They were waiting for us at the nurse's
station.

"Tanner, Dr. Gamac says that you can look in on Kyle
now. However, let me warn you; he's hooked up to
various kinds of medical monitoring devices, making
him appear to be worse off than he really is," I
said.

Dr. Gamac interrupted, "Kyle is scheduled for
surgery in about an hour -- as soon as the next
surgical suite is available." He went on to explain
the procedure and how it should assist in Kyle's
recovery.

"Dad, what causes the brain swelling and the other
stuff?" Robert asked.

"Robert, Tanner, when someone suffers an injury to
the brain, the resulting damage extends beyond the
initial trauma. A cascade of 'secondary damage'
occurs. The brain's own immune cells trigger
swelling and fluid buildup, and the injured nerve
cells begin to spill out the neurotransmitter called
glutamate, which can soon accumulate to levels that
are toxic to the surrounding neurons."

I paused, then continued, "Sorry! I must have
sounded like a biology professor lecturing his
students. Anyway, draining this excess fluid off
should do the trick. I'm going to scrub, but will
observe only. See you guys after the surgery."

Tanner
When Dad, Uncle Jason and Dr. Gamac left to prepare
for Kyle's surgery, I proceeded to Kyle's room.
Robert said he would wait outside in the hall unless
he needed me.

"Thanks, Robert. I won't be long; however, I would
like for you to come in after a bit to see him --
God, talk about first impressions!" I said with a
weak smile.

I pushed open the door dreading what I would
encounter. Approaching the bed one could see wires
and tubes attached to Kyle's body and draped over
and around his bed, but he appeared to be sleeping
peacefully. For that, I was thankful even though I
knew he was in a comma. Remembering a report I heard
on National Public Radio recently, I knew there was
the possibility that Kyle could hear and perhaps
understand if I spoke to him. The NPR reporter had
commented that research seems to point to the fact
that talking to a comatose patient can be
therapeutic.

Reaching out to hold his hand, I began, "Kyle, it's
me, Tanner. How you doing, bro? What'd you go and do
a stupid thing like falling off a kiddie bike for?
Thought you were a better rider than that. Guess
when you get out of the hospital we're gonna have to
put training wheels back on the dirt bike. That'll
go over great with your buddies. Trying to be macho
by not wearing that helmet again? How many times did
mom and dad get on our asses about that? More than
we can count, right?"

Tears began creeping down my cheek as I continued,
"Bro, I met my dad. Boy, is he great! He and Robert
-- you know, my half-brother, flew out here with me.
In fact, Dad's going to assist with the procedure to
help you get better. And Robert -- what a stud! Hey,
he couldn't help but be when he looks so much like
me! Ha! Maybe I'm glad you can't comment right now
cause then I'd have to whip your ass if you say what
I think you'd say!

"The doctors are gonna repair that head of yours in
a few minutes, and you'll be out of here in no time
flat. Wanna come back to Virginia when it's safe for
you to fly? I know that Dr. Worthington and Dorothy
would love to have us there. Uncle Jason has been
great, but we gotta move on, bro. He's got a life of
his own to live and it doesn't involve us, you
know?"

I took both his hands in mine and continued, "Kyle,
no one could ask for a better brother than you;
we're ... we're so lucky that we've got each other.
If something happened to you, bro, I don't think I
could bear it." My voice broke. "Bro, I love you."

After a bit, I walked to the door and beckoned
towards Robert. He entered quietly and with a bit of
apprehension on his face. "How's he doing? I heard
voices."

"That was me talking to Kyle. Supposed to be good
for him -- talking," I responded and continued,
"Kyle, here's Robert. If you could see us now you
might have trouble telling us apart. We really do
look like twins. What did you say? Oh, yeah, he's
that good looking, also! But, just between us, bro,
he's not hung like me -- must be a genetic defect."

"Don't believe him, Kyle. When I'm his age, they'll
be calling me 'mule' and him 'needledick'," Robert
retorted. "We'll really get to know each other once
you're back from surgery and awake. Get well soon so
we can harass the hell out of our big brother. I
think we'll make a great team dedicated to making
his life miserable."

Before leaving the room I turned to Kyle and
whispered in his ear, "We're saying one for ya, bro.
You're in good hands with Dr. Gamac and dad. God go
with you. I love you." I kissed him on his forehead
and left the room with Robert.

Just as we entered the hallway, two surgical
orderlies came to the door with the transport to
take Kyle up to surgery. We waited outside the door
and then accompanied Kyle, with my holding his hand,
to the elevator. One of the orderlies looked at me,
smiled warmly, and said, "He'll be fine. They don't
come any better than Dr. Gamac."

Dr. Worthington
Kyle's surgical procedure went off without a hitch,
and he was in the recovery room in less than an
hour. I went out to talk to my boys. As they saw me
approaching I purposely put a big smile on my face
to ease their apprehension. The strained look on
their faces immediately dissolved and was replaced
with a look of relief.

"Kyle's doing just fine, guys. The surgery went
smoothly, as expected, and we should be seeing some
results within the next 12 hours. Since the scans
and e-rays revealed no other problems, we think this
should bring him around rather quickly. By the way,
Jason was in the recovery room when Kyle was wheeled
in so he's aware of the positive report."

"That's great news, dad," Tanner softly said as he
gave me a hug. There were tears streaming down his
cheek, but the radiant smile on his face revealed
them to be tears of joy and thankfulness.

Tanner then embraced Robert and whispered in his
ear, "Bro, he's gonna be alright; my Kyle's gonna be
alright."

Robert's eyes misted up also as he gently returned
the hug. His eyes looked upward as he offered a
silent "Thank You, God."

"When can we see him?" Tanner then questioned.

"In a couple of hours. They don't plan to put him in
ICU unless something unforeseen occurs. In the
meanwhile, Jason is waiting downstairs in the van to
take us to his townhouse. I don't know about you
two, but I need a shower." I continued. "The head
nurse will notify us of any changes, she assured me
-- so let's go. Tanner, you can be back here in a
couple of hours. Let's get cleaned up, something to
eat, and some rest. Agreed?

We agreed.

As we were unloading our luggage at Jason's
townhouse, I turned to Tanner and said, "Son, we
need to talk. After dinner let's you and me make
some time for a serious family discussion about your
future and your relationship with us, your prodigal
family."

He responded with a wide smile and said, "Okay, dad.
I would like that -- just the two of us, father and
son."