Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 21:07:48 EDT
From: SweetAngel472023@aol.com
Subject: 'No Way Out'    Chapter 5

`No Way Out'
Chapter 5

Disclaimer: This story is fiction. None of this is real, it's just a
figment of my imagination. If you are underage or homophobic, please leave.

Hi all.

I'm sorry that it took so long to get this chapter out. Not only was I on
vacation with no time to work on this story, but when I got started writing
the chapter decided to be difficult and I spent ages trying to make this
sound the way I wanted it to. It's not quite what I had in mind, but the
closest I could get, so bear with me. Fellow writers will know how evil
writer's block can be.  Anyway, enjoy!

	"It's all my fault, isn't it?" JC whispered, trying to make out
Joey's face in the dark.
	"Uhu…what?" Joey murmured, still half asleep.
	"It's my fault that Justin tried to…. you know."
	"What?" Joey was completely awake now. He sat up in the bed and
turned on the light.
	"If I hadn't insisted on keeping it quiet, we would have told them
about our relationship when I came out. And if Justin had known then, he
wouldn't have fallen in love with me, or at least known that I was
unavailable." JC was sobbing now, and Joey sighed deeply.

"Is that why you didn't want to go and see him today? Because you feel
responsible for what he did?" the only response Joey got was a muffled cry.
	"Josh, you couldn't have known. You have no control over
Justin. You couldn't stop him from falling in love with you. If that's how
it's meant to be, then that's what's gonna happen. You have to stop blaming
yourself."  JC still didn't reply and Joey just sat there, rubbing his
lover's back in a feeble attempt at providing comfort.

	"He's my best friend. I should have noticed. I should have talked
to him." JC stated a while later, trying to stop the tears from falling and
get himself back under control.
	"But you did notice. Didn't you tell me that you thought there was
something wrong with Justin, that you tried to talk to him, but that he
wouldn't tell you what was going on?"
	"Maybe I didn't try hard enough." Joey sighed yet again. He was the
clown of the group, which didn't meant that he wasn't smart, it just meant
that he was better and cracking jokes than at having long, serious
conversations. And this was one of those moments when he hated that about
himself.

	"Josh," he tried again, "If he didn't tell you, then that is not
your fault. He made the decision to keep quiet about it, he made the
decision to tell you when he did, and he made the decision to drive off
that bridge." JC nodded reluctantly.
	"Maybe your right, but I still feel guilty. And I have no idea what
I'm going to say when I visit Justin."


It was dark in the room now, and Justin finally dared to open his eyes. He
had faked unconsciousness for the rest of the day, to avoid having to talk
to anyone. Because he knew that they'd ask about his accident, and he
didn't want to have to admit that hadn't been an accident at all.

Now, sitting up in the uncomfortable hospital bed, he took in his
surroundings. He had a single room, which he was glad for because it meant
no prying roommates. The only furniture in the room besides the bed was a
TV, two armchairs, and a nightstand.

When he tried to get up to go to the bathroom, he realized that he was
hooked up to an IV. Which meant that he'd have to call a nurse, and that
meant that they would know he was awake. He fought with himself for a
while, but finally pushed the yellow button that said `Nurse' next to it.

Just minutes later Jake entered the room. He had been in the room with Jack
when the yellow light above the number 109 lit up, and he had volunteered
to check on Justin. Of course Jack knew that Jake was just anxious to meet
the new patient, so she let him go.

	"Good evening Mr. Timberlake, how are you feeling?" Justin looked
up as he heard the voice. It was a male voice. Justin groaned. Having a guy
escort him to the bathroom was all he needed now.

"I am feeling wonderful, thank you." Justin said, his voice dripping with
sarcasm. Jake flinched. The biting voice didn't match with the pained
expression on Justin's face and Jake instantly realized that he was putting
on an act to protect himself. He'd have a hard time trying to break down
that wall.

	"Well, what can I do for you?" Jake asked, pretending not to have
noticed the hostility that was emanating from Justin.
	"I asked for a nurse. Who are you?" Justin replied.
	"I am Dr. Jake Kensington. I will be taking care of you during your
stay here." Justin snorted.
	"My stay here? This is not a hotel. For the time being, could you
please unplug the IV so I can go to the bathroom?" Jake nodded, pushed a
few buttons on the IV and extended his hand to help his patient up. Justin
ignored the hand and tried to get up all by himself. Which turned out to be
a bad idea.

	He instantly became dizzy and sank back onto his pillow. But
showing weakness was not an option. So he clenched his teeth, slowly got up
from the bed and somehow made it all the way to the bathroom.

	Jake looked after him and sighed. Working with Justin would prove
to be very difficult. But despite, or maybe because of, the fact that their
first conversation had gone anything but well, Jake was eager to get to
know Justin better and find out what was bothering him.


Here we go. The first meeting between Jake and Justin was anything but
promising. Let's see how things develop.

Feedback is always appreciated. Tell me what you think of the story so far.

Take care,
j