Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2002 18:22:32 -0800 (PST)
From: Travis Smith <trav14due@yahoo.com>
Subject: Get Another Boyfriend  Painful Month Part One

Get Another Boyfriend Painful Month part one

Remember this is fiction and in no way reflects the actual views of any
true to life persons.  If this is illegal for you to read this than please
leave. Now on with the story.

Part one.  Saying good bye

I woke to the feeling of two very strong arms surrounding me.  "Good
morning," Kevin said as he looked down at me.  He looked tired and my heart
went out to him.  "Did you sleep well?" he asked as he graced my shoulder
with a kiss.

"Yes I did," I smiled at him.  "But what about you?"

"I didn't need to sleep," Kevin replied.

"But you look so tired," I said as I ran my hand down the side of his face.
He leaned into the touch and kissed the palm of my hand.  My mistake was to
giggle and that started him on his tickle war.  In about five minutes I was
under him grinning up at him.  "You are so good looking," I said as I
reached up and pulled him down so that I was kissing his lips.  We heard a
light tapping on the door and I looked up to see a shaggy haired toddler
peeking in.  Thankfully we had the sheet pulled up around us.  "Good
morning Tyler," I smiled at him as he clamored into the bed snuggling up to
me.  "What's wrong buddy?"

"Jake isn't moving," he whimpered.  My heart froze as I looked at Kevin.  I
could see the heartbreak in his eyes too.  "Daddy?" he asked softly.  "Why
won't Jake wake up?"

"I'll go check," Kevin said quickly as he got up.  I held him by the arm
and shook my head.

"We will all go check," I said softly as I picked up my son and took
Kevin's hand and made our way down stairs to Tyler's room.  When we got
there we saw Jake laying in bed.  I heaved sigh of relief when I saw his
body rising up and down.  At least he was still breathing.  "Hey Jake," I
said softly as I sat down and touched him.  His eyes opened and he let out
a whimper.  It was obvious that he was not doing well.  His tongue snaked
out to lick my hand.

"I'll call the vet and warm up the car," Kevin said as he touched my
shoulder.  I smiled my thanks to him and turned to Tyler.  I could tell he
was scared.

"Daddy?" he asked in a small voice.  "What is wrong with Jake?"

"I don't know son," I replied.

"Is he going to die?" he whispered as tears started to flow.  I wrapped my
arms around my son and held him close.  "I don't want him to die daddy."

"I tell you what son," I said softly.  "We are going to take Jake to the
Vet and let him look at him.  We will no better after the doctor looks at
him.  OK?" Tyler sniffled and nodded.  His little hand petted Jake on the
head and Jake whimpered again as he licked Tyler's hand.  I heard Kevin at
the bedroom door.

"Car is warmed up and the Vet is expecting us," Kevin said quietly.  "I
have his carrier too."

After putting Jake in his carrier and getting into back of the SUV and
getting Tyler buckled into his child seat we headed off to the vet.  I
looked at Kevin and saw that his face was very serious.  "He isn't going to
make it is he?" I whispered to him.  He shook his head no.  "What are we
going to do about Tyler?"

"We will be there for him and care for him," Kevin replied.  "This is his
first pet and he is about to loose him.  That is really going to be hard on
him."  I nodded trying to fight the tears that threatened to fall.

"I have to be strong for him," I muttered as I wiped them free.

"And you will be Matt," Kevin said as he squeezed my leg.  "I'll be right
here waiting to comfort you."  I nodded as we pulled into the vet's parking
lot.  I looked back to see Tyler looking behind him at Jake.

"We are at the Vet," Tyler said to him.  "He will make you all better."
Jake let out another whimper and licked Tyler's hand.  I tried to stop the
tears from flowing but couldn't.  Kevin's thumb wiped the tears from my
cheek.  A few minutes later we were in the vet's office.  It would prove to
be a very long process.

Later in the vet's office.

"He has a condition where his internal organs are not functioning
properly," the vet explain to me and Kevin.  "He was a runt and that
happens sometimes to them.  His body is growing but his internal organs are
not growing with him."

"What can you do?" I asked.

"We can make him comfortable and let him die on his own or we can put him
under now," the Vet said.  I looked at Kevin and knew right away what we
had to do.

"I'll talk to Tyler," I said.

"I'll go with you," Kevin replied.  This was starting out be a very long
and painful day.

Later that night.

"Tyler?" I asked from across the table.  "Are you going to eat?"  He shook
his head no.

"I miss Jake," he said softly as he stirred his soup.

"I know you do sweetie, but you need to eat something," I pleaded with him.
"At least drink your milk."

The day had been very long and painful.  After meeting with the vet Kevin
and I explained to him that Jake had to go to sleep and that he wouldn't
wake up.  Tyler tried really hard to be brave insisting on letting Jake lay
in his lap while the Doctor injected the lethal drug.  When Jake went to
sleep Tyler sang him his "Sunshine Song."  Kevin held me in his arms while
I watch my son say goodbye to his first pet.  After about fifteen minutes
Jake breathed his last and than and only than did Tyler let himself cry.  I
was in there at his side and holding him the instant he let Jake go.  The
Vet quietly took the body away and prepared it for cremation.  We than went
to a pet cemetery and bought a plot to bury our family pet.  Tyler had to
pick it out.  He picked out one under a tree.  He said Jake liked to pee on
trees so he wanted him to be close to one.  Even though it was sad occasion
Kevin and I couldn't resist laughing to each other.  After we took care of
the arrangements we headed back home.  Putting Tyler down for his nap
proved difficult.  He finally fell asleep in bed with Kevin and me.  He
wouldn't eat lunch or his snacks either.  Now he was sitting at the dinner
table not eating his dinner either. "Tyler?" I asked again.  He nodded and
picked up his glass of milk and drank it.  Once he was done he looked up at
me with his sad little eyes.  "Ok, you may be excused."  The doorbell rang
and Tyler opened it and Nick came bounding in.

"Hey little buddy!" he said cheerfully.  "What's wrong?  Someone die?"
That did it, Tyler took off running to his room bawling loudly.  Nick came
in looking confused.  "Umm did I say something wrong?"

"Kevin will you explain it to Nick while I talk to Tyler?" I asked as I got
up and headed into Tyler's room.

>From Kevin's point of view.

I gestured to Nick to have a seat.  "Is something wrong?" Nick asked
concerned.  "I didn't mean to upset Tyler."

"We had to put Jake down today," I said as I took a drink of water. I saw
Nick wince at the news.  "Yea so asking who died wasn't the best way to say
hello to Tyler."

"How is he?" Nick asked.

"He is heartbroken.  He and Jake were like two peas in a pod.  He loved
that little dog," I replied.  "It is going to be a rough couple of days."

"Anything I can do?" Nick asked.

"Be there for him," I suggested.  "He really looks up to you."  Nick nodded
and got up and headed for Tyler's room.  I closed my eyes and put my head
in my hands.  It was a really long day.  Today was the first time I had
really seen Tyler really upset.  He wasn't this upset when he lost his
Grandparents.  I sighed and nodded at the butler to clean off the table.  I
had to find Matt and see how he was doing.  I peaked into the bedroom and
saw both Nick and Matt hugging Tyler.  Tyler was giggling so that was a
good sign for now.  Matt saw me and smiled and waved me in.  I sat next to
him and he slid his arm around me.  "Tyler?" I asked softly.  "How are you
doing?"

"Nick made me laugh," Tyler said with a grin.  It wasn't his usual happy
hyper grin but it was a start.

"I'm glad that Nick made you laugh," I said as I messed up his hair.  "Do
you want to take a bath now?"  I could tell he wasn't happy with the idea
of taking a bath but he didn't argue with me.

"You will use baby shampoo?" he asked in a scolding voice.  I smiled and
nodded.  "Good cause when you usually give me bath you always use grown up
shampoo and make my eyes hurt."

"I promise Tyler," I said looking guilty.  "I won't use Grown up shampoo."
I took his small hand and led him into the bathroom and helped him get
undress and into the tub with warm bath water.  I notice that he was
getting sad again.  "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Jake is usually in the bathroom with me.  We always play when I take a
bath," he said sadly.  I smiled at the thought cause I had to clean up the
mess many a night.  I decided to turn it into a happy memory.

"Yea," I said with a grin as I got the baby shampoo out.  "I love the way
you used to spray him with water and get him barking."

"That is because he wouldn't be good!" Tyler said in a serious tone.  "I
miss him pappa."  I swallowed hard and tried not to cry.  "I want him to
come back to us."  He had started to cry again.  I just hugged him until he
stopped.  "Why pappa?" he sniffled.  "Why did he have to die?"

"Jake was really really sick," I said softly.  "And he was in so much
pain."

"I hate to see him hurt," Tyler said with his bottom lip out.  "He wasn't
sick yesterday."

"I know it may have looked like he wasn't sick but he was," I said as I
started to rinse his hair.

"Will I ever see him again?" Tyler asked me looking up at me with hopeful
eyes.  They were so trusting an full of hope that I couldn't dare lie to
him.

"Tyler honey," I said as I carried him out of the tub and sat him on the
sink and started to dry him off.  "Jake is dead, and he is never coming
back."

"Never ever?" Tyler asked sobbing.

"When you die you don't get to come back," I explained to him.

"Is he in heaven?" Tyler asked.  "You know like Grandma and Grandpa!  Cause
if he is than I want to tell Grandma and Grandpa to take care of him!"

"I'm sure that is there is a place in heaven for dogs than Jake is surely
up there," I replied.  That seemed to make Tyler a little happier.  "Now
let's get you down stairs for some chocolate mild and cookies!"  Tyler's
eyes got big at the suggestion.  "But we can't tell Daddy cause he will
want us to eat healthy stuff!"  I deliberately made a yucky face to get him
laughing.

>From Matt's point of view.

I watched my sweetie and my son head up the hall to the kitchen.  It was so
good to see Kevin and my son getting along so much.  Nick came up behind me
and put his hand on my shoulder.  "Hey," I mumbled at him.

"Hey yourself," he replied back.  "I'm so sorry that Tyler had to go
through that."  I nodded.  "I remember my first pet dying.  I was a wreck
for a week!"

"Well he has us all to get him through this," I replied.  "I'm going to see
how him and Kevin are getting along."  I walked up the hall and into the
kitchen.  I caught Kevin squirting a bunch of whipped cream on some ice
cream.  He looked up with a guilty look on his face.  "Can I have some?" I
asked.  His guilty look turn into a naughty grin and he pointed the can
towards me.  "I met Ice cream!" I scolded him.  He pouted a few seconds
before handing Tyler an ice cream sundae.  "HMMM that doesn't look like
cookies and milk."  But I choose not to argue to much.  At least Tyler was
eating and that was important.  Pretty soon we all had bowl of ice cream
and we were eating and talking and laughing.  Somewhere in the night as we
were eating ice cream a small puppy was being tossed aside along a road
that led to our beach house.

TBC

I know I know, I'm straying from the norm.  But I had this idea and I
wanted to work on it.  Over the course of the next few weeks I will be
concentrating on this story path.  I'm calling it the Painful Month.  So be
warned there will a lot of sadness in this section.  But I promise it will
get better.

E-mail me at trav14due@yahoo.com