Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2007 16:10:02 EDT From: RitchChristopher@cs.com Subject: but-who-knows-where-or-when?-11 All rights reserved. Copyright held by the author. If you are underage or are offended by gay fiction, containing graphic sex and explicit language, please exit now. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> "But Who Knows Where or When?" Copyright Ritchris, 2007 A Story by Ritch Christopher literary enhancement by Les Martin <><><><><> chapter eleven <><><><><> "Sometimes you think you've lived before all that you live today. Things you do come back to you as though they knew the way. Oh, the tricks your mind can play!" excerpted from "WHERE OR WHEN" from Rodgers and Hart's "Babes in Arms" copyright 1937 <><><><><><><><><><><><><> As Blaine came back to reality from kissing, as well as feeling, Tom, he pulled his hand off Tom's penis in a flash. He stood up, straightening his clothes while Tom lay in the bed, smiling delightedly at his doctor. "What's the matter? Did your hand get burned?" Tom asked, grinning. Blaine was completely flustered. "I...I...Tom, I...I don't know what came over me! I should have never grabbed you like that!" "Well, it certainly wasn't the first time you've touched it. I mean, damn---you've examined me a dozen times." "Yes, but you know that was different!" "You're really bi-curious, aren't you, Doctor Rogers?" "I...that's what my brother-in-law said earlier today." "Then he should know, being that he's been gay for a whole weekend! He must be an expert on a lot of things!" "Actually, Rex is...but he's never taught me anything about gay sex!" "Would you like to learn, Doctor?" As if he hadn't heard the question, Blaine continued to speak his thoughts. "It's like something I can't control..something that just comes over me. Tom, I never should have kissed you just now!" "Aw! Don't tell me that you didn't like my kisses...?" "I...I DIDN'T!" "Bullshit!" Tom's tone of voice seemed to announce his self-assurance. "You rammed your tongue into my mouth so fast, I thought I was gonna have to swallow it just to get my breath." "That was just an automatic response since I always kiss my wife that way...and SHE'S the only person I kiss." "Except for your brother-in-law's boyfriend! Right?" "I...that was a mistake and I realize now that it was even a BIGGER mistake to tell you about it!" "You're saying that I bring out the worst in you, Doctor?" "That might be one way of putting it!" Should he blame himself or Tom? "I'd say that I bring out the bi-curiosity in you." "Maybe...but WHY YOU? YOU of all people! YOU'RE my patient. I hardly know you!" "I say, off-hand, that you're from the old school. You know in the olden days, fathers who wanted their sons to experience sex for the first time used to take them to brothels or cathouses to lose their virginity. Fathers assumed that the women there were professionals and would show their kids what fun sex can be while still teaching them the correct way of doing it!" "What's your point, Tom?" "Only that you're bi-curious and you know that sex is my business and so you came to me, an expert, to learn what to do and how to do it!" "I hadn't thought of that...but you might be right..." "Doctor, let me assure you that in spite of Monica's blowjob and all the world-wide publicity it engendered, I'm still a Clinton fan. He said, 'Don't ask, don't tell', and that's my motto! Anything that happens between us is between US and nobody else. In all my years of performing different acts of sex with and on men, never once have I blackmailed anyone! I make do on my gratuities, but I never charge." "Are you offering to teach me?" "I'll teach you as much or as little as you want to know...and when you've had enough, that's the end of it. No long goodbyes, no broken relationships, ABSOLUTELY no emotional attachments on either side." "This sounds so blatantly stupid, coming from me--I'm a physician. I examine nude males every day and never feel the slightest bit of arousal even when I'm holding their genitals. Why in God's name would I want to know what it feels like to have a penis in my mouth...let alone receive its emission?" "I like the different flavors..." "What?" "If I go down on a guy, I can tell you what he's had to drink. Sometimes I can even tell what he's had for dinner." "You're making this up!" "Like hell I am. You should get a mouthful of cum from someone who's been eating asparagus! BITTER? That doesn't come close to describing it! Beer and vodka flavored semen is much sweeter than any flavored with Scotch or brandy!" "I'll take your word for it, Tom! I'm not interested in becoming a semen connoisseur!" "I know, but maybe you're trying to build up your testosterone! That's why many athletes go down on each other!" "Now THAT'S bullshit!" "Think so? You'd be amazed at the reason professional football players choose their traveling roommates carefully! When I hear the Monday Night Football announcer say, "John Doe, the quarterback is Jim Smith's roommate, that's just a nice way of saying they're having sex together. Football players actually like anal sex more than oral!" "Where did you get all these wild ideas?" "I told you! Sex is my business and I make it my business to know ALL about sex!" "Tom, I think it would be best for both of us if I turned you over to my partner, Doctor Whitcomb. He's an excellent physician and I think he can attend you quite well." "You're abandoning me?" "Not for your sake, Tom--for mine!" "I must really be shaking you up..." "I AM somewhat unnerved." "Have you always been homophobic?" "I never realized I was. I know that I've treated many gay patients." "Any with HIV or AIDS?" "Without revealing names, yes." "And you felt no anger or bitterness about their lifestyle?" "Not that I was ever aware of..." "So do you hate me?" "Of course not, Tom!" "Then why do you want to pass me off to your partner?"' "Tom, to put it simply, and I'm afraid, harshly, at the same time, I want you out of my life! THERE! I said it!" "Hey, calm down before you have a stroke! There are no emotional ties between us. I owe you my life for saving it in the operating room, but that doesn't mean I love you! I'll never be able to pay you for all you've done for me. In my own sordid little way, I could see that you were having a problem and I merely offered my services to help you." "Tom, I can't even begin to explain my feelings, to you OR to me. I guess maybe I've reached the point in my married life where it's time for me to have a fling...only I don't want any woman other than Maggie. This has been bottled up inside me for a couple of weeks, this...this bi-curious thing! And then, the one male whom I'm probably closer to than any other...my brother-in-law, Rex, tells me that HE'S gay and hearing that nearly drove me off the deep end." "Would you like to have sex with Rex?" "Of course not!" "How about his lover...the one you kissed?" "Thoughts of him is what started it all! Yes, I thought I did want him...but when I found out he belonged to Rex..." "Doctor Rogers, your hands are shaking!" "I know it, dammit!" "Come back over here and sit on the side of my bed." "No, Tom! I don't want to restart what almost happened a few minutes ago...and since we're talking this intimately, please stop calling me 'doctor'. It reminds me of who I am and what you are." "OK, Blaine, but maybe I can calm your nerves a bit. Come closer and talk with me. You don't know how rare it is for me to sit and talk with anyone." After a brief moment of indecision, Blaine looked around, saw a chair nearby, and, picking it up, moved it to a position beside Tom's bed and sat down. "I've been thinking only about myself. You must really be pretty lonely, Tom." "You don't miss what you don't have, I hear." "Have you ever had a boyfriend or a lover?" "Not one that I could trust! HA! That's not exactly correct, so let's reverse it---I never had one who could trust ME." "At least you're honest about saying so..." "All kidding aside, Blaine. I AM lonely...but I don't allow myself to take the time to dwell on it." "You never wanted to have another human being to be there for you when you needed a friend, someone who could help, or love...? Do you have any friends?" "I can count my friends on one hand and have four fingers and a thumb left over." "Suppose you got sick or needed money in a hurry, there's no one you could call?" "IF I were sick...I mean not like I am now, but say that I got cancer or some disease...I'd probably call you." "But I'm your physician. I'd expect you to call me!" "I guess what I'm trying to say is...I...shit! I don't know what the fuck I'm trying to say..." Tom's face starkly revealed his confusion. "Take your time and say whatever you're thinking..." "If I found a bottle with a genie inside and he said he would grant ONE wish...I...I think I'd ask him for you to be my friend." Afraid of what he might hear next, he closed his eyes and turned his face away. "Tom, that's the most sincere statement I've heard coming from your mouth." "Stupid, isn't it?" "No...but it makes me want to open myself up to a possible friendship with you..." "Hell! I don't want your pity! I don't need it!" The sound was almost that of a wounded animal. "It's not pity, Tom, although I could easily feel sorry for you. Everyone has to have ONE friend." "So? Are you offering to be mine?", he challenged Blaine. "I guess I am. I have lots of male acquaintances at the Country Club. I have my brother-in-law, Rex, and my partner, Frank...and that's about the entire list of my close friends. Maybe I don't need a lot of friends, as other people do, but it's nice to know that I have Rex and Frank. Since my list is so short, I think there's room to add you to it." "Shit, Blaine! You know me and the kind of life I lead. I'm beneath your dignity!" "I kissed you, didn't I? I've never kissed Rex or Frank and probably never will. That means something, doesn't it?" "But why me? From what I've heard, you have the prize wife of the world!" "I DO and I don't need any other female companionship, but I find myself in dire need of male companionship!" "And you'd want this broken-down old whore to be your friend?" "Well, you never know...you might change your lifestyle if you had me for a friend." The silence that ensued could have meant anything. Then Blaine said, "Tell me about your writing." "Aw, I piddle. I've written short stories and articles for magazines, but that seems a long time ago." "You wouldn't want to pursue writing again as a profession?" "I got to eat and have a place to stay while I get the rejection letters from the publishers!" "As your friend, how would you feel if I, as your new friend, found you a place to live and got you food to eat until you got on your feet?" "HA! I'm not spending the night with a bunch of drunks at the Salvation Army shelter for a buck a night! No, thanks a lot" "I'm talking about a small apartment with a computer and word processor!" "I'd have to double the number of dicks I suck per month to be able to afford that!" "NO, YOU WOULDN'T, Tom! I'm asking you to give up that life and let me help you financially!" "You won't even let me give you a blowjob, so how would I ever repay you?" "Tom, I shouldn't be telling you this, but I have a VERY successful practice...VERY! My wife is a multi-millionairess as the result of money left to her by her parents. I'd never miss the money by paying for a place for you to stay or food to eat!" "I see! You could set up the Thomas Chastain Charity and deduct if from your income tax!" "Believe me, Maggie and I give LOTS to charities, but you wouldn't be one of them!" "Again I'm asking...why would you do this for me?" "Because maybe..just maybe, I want YOU to be my friend. I could drop by occasionally to check on you and you could give me the male companionship I'm seeking." "And what about sex?" "If it happens between us, well, then let it happen! In all the years I've been with Maggie, I've never had a 'boy's night out' as most husbands do." "You wouldn't feel guilty?..Feel that you were cheating on Maggie?" "Maggie's brother, Rex, seems to think she'd go for the deal! She knows she won't lose me and, at the same time, Maggie would fight dragons to please me." "Even if you were having male/male sex with me?" "HA! Maggie would probably make up the bed for us and buy us a carton of condoms!" "God! She must love you a lot!" "As much as I love her!" "Suppose she wanted to reciprocate and have sex with another man?" "I've thought about that and I came to the conclusion that if that would make her happy, I'd be all for it! No one is going to break the tie that Maggie and I have between us!" "I feel like Bugs Bunny and you're dangling a carrot on a fishing pole in front of my eyes!" "I'm not teasing you, Tom. What I'm saying, I mean sincerely." "What if I decide to step out on you and visit a few glory holes...?" "I don't know...but if you did, then I might get jealous!" "Jesus Christ, Blaine! Are you listening to yourself? Is that YOU talking?" "Yes, and actually, I'm more surprised than you." "Why the sudden change in your attitude?" "I guess it's because I enjoyed our kiss a few moments ago. I...I got sexually aroused." "Would you like to continue where we left off?" Tom's gentle smile seemed to bring him back into control of himself. "Not tonight. There's too many nurses walking up and down the hall." "Put a sign on the door and say, 'The doctor is in---AND HOW! Do not disturb!'." "You have an flip answer for everything, don't you?" "You WILL kiss me again before you leave, won't you?...As a friend...a friendly kiss!" "I'll probably overstep the friendship guideline, but, yes, I'll kiss you before I leave." "I, more than likely, won't be able to sleep tonight, Blaine, as I relive this conversation." "Want me to write you something for sleep?" "Naw! I'll just jerk myself off!" "Oh? Need some help?" As he heard himself speak, Blaine found himself grinning. "Are you serious?" "Try me..." Blaine leaned toward Tom and they pressed their lips together in a mounting passion as Blaine put his hand beneath Tom's hospital sheet to grab a handful of Tom and slowly began to masturbate him. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Rex and Kent parked the car in the Vir Gin Rickey's lot and walked toward the front door. "Don't you feel kinda strange eating two meals in one day at the same restaurant?" Kent asked. "By strange, are you insinuating 'queer'? I mean it IS a predominantly gay bar-slash-restaurant," Rex replied. "God, Rex, please don't ever use that word again...queer! I don't want to feel that there's anything queer about our relationship!" "I'm sorry, baby. I hate the word, myself. It's so strange, but before we became 'what we are' now, I only thought of homosexuals as 'gay'. From what I know about the gay movement, they're fighting a bitter battle to be accepted as equals, but now they're referring to themselves as queer and that puts them out of the realm of normal society. If anyone ever calls us 'queer', he's gonna be picking himself up off a sidewalk!" "Only if I don't get to him first!" "Come on, let's go in, but I warn you, the place is very dark, so it might take a few seconds for your eyes to adjust." "I'll just grab hold of your ass and you lead me." "If you grab my ass the way you did last night, I may wind up fucking you right here in the parking lot!" "Did I tell you how wonderful you felt inside me?" Kent asked. "You didn't have to--I knew because I was in heavenly bliss when you went inside me." "We sure missed a lot by being 'just friends'." "Yeah, but we have years ahead of us to catch up!" Rex opened the front door of the restaurant and put his right hand behind him for Kent to take and be led by. "Feels great to hold hands in public!" Kent said. "No one can see us anyway." The Vir Gin Rickey was over half full of people. Jazz was playing softly over the intercom...a saxophone, a piano, vibes, bass, and quiet, tasteful drums. The music fit the decor and atmosphere of the place. A waiter came toward them and showed them to a table for two. "Good evening. My name is André and I'll be your waiter this evening. Would you care to order drinks?" the waiter asked. "Since you call yourself the 'gin rickey', is that drink your specialty?" Rex asked. "We make the best in the USA!" André replied. "Then bring us two," at which Andre flounced away. "What the heck is a gin rickey, anyway?" Kent asked. "Maggie serves them quite often. It's gin, tonic water, a splash of Rose's lime juice, and served with lemon slices!" "Doesn't sound that potent. Actually, it sounds quite delicious," Kent replied. "You're only having one! Remember, you're still taking medication and I don't want you getting high." "Rex, is there any particular reason that you chose to come here twice in one day?" "Yes and no. I'm actually doing a little private detective work for Blaine. He ran into a customer here today and he later explained to me that the customer just might be a gay stalker...possibly the one who beat up one of Blaine's patients!" "Did you see him yourself?" "It was dark, as you can see, but yes, I did get a pretty good look at him. He was a priest or at least he was dressed like one." "A gay stalking priest? If he were a Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson follower, I could understand it, but a priest?" "No, you're right--a priest doesn't fit the profile of a stalker, much less one who would inflict a hate crime. I don't believe he was a priest, but just wearing a disguise." "What are you supposed to do if you see him?" "I'm not sure, but he WON'T be able to attack either of us!" The waiter brought their drinks and served them. "Would you care to see a menu now or would you rather wait?" The waiter, obviously gay, was ogling Kent. "We'll wait until we finish our drinks!" Rex said. "Very good, sir!" The waiter walked away. "How did it feel to have someone undress you with his eyes?" Rex chuckled. "What do you mean?" "The waiter, just now, gave you the once over and I thought you'd feel a draft from being naked." "I didn't notice!" "He noticed you. Should I be jealous?" Rex joked. "If I have to go to the men's room, I'll see if he follows me and I'll tell you whether you should be jealous or not!" "Kent, I'd never worry about you. I want our 'marriage' so to speak, to be as trusting as Blaine's and Maggie's. Do you realize how lucky we both are, to have found each other? And though he seems to be a very good waiter, I'm glad neither of us is as obvious as Andre, our waiter. I'll bet he's seen a lot of action in his life." "I...I didn't play around much with other men before you took me to bed," Kent joked. "OH? And what about all those naked football players you showered with every afternoon?" "Oh, I looked all of them over to see who had the biggest dick and I chose you." "You idiot! I was NOT the biggest?" "Then you ARE guilty of having noticed the rest of the team's dicks as well. Whom would YOU say had the biggest?" "Three hundred pound, Ted, by far." "God, he WAS enormous! Of course I never saw him with an erection, but, God, Ted could split your rectum like gutting a fish." "I wonder WHO Ted has gay sex with?" "Do you remember if any of our team walked with a limp?" "No, but how about Eddie Campbell? He sure was bow-legged!" "You may be right. Must be Eddie. I don't recall him ever mentioning being a cowboy." "Can you see Ted and Eddie together?" "Ha! I'd like to see Ted poke that thing up Wes Kramer's butt!" Kent laughed. "He'd squeal louder than Ned Beatty did in 'Deliverance'!" Rex laughed too. "You know when I first saw that DVD, it never dawned on me that one day someone would be doing that to me." "Me, either! I don't know why Ned Beatty was squealing. The first time you did it to me, I was in ecstasy!" Rex reached across the table to touch Kent's hand. "God, I love you, Kent..." "Would anyone mind if I kissed you in here?" "It's a gay bar! Go ahead." Kent leaned forward and kissed Rex lightly on the lips. "That was a first!" "Yes, and it felt wonderful!" Rex replied. "No shame, no guilt, no worries...just the two of us in love." "Did that give you a hard on?" "What do you think?" "I think 'yes', because I sure got one!" "Well, keep it under the table. While I'm sure kissing is permitted, I'm not sure if they'd let us have sex on the table!" "How about UNDER the table!" Kent teased, smiling broadly. "It's SO good to see you happy!" "Why shouldn't I be? I've found the love of my life. I've revealed it to my parents. I'm gonna have surgery next week, get well, and live a lifetime of bliss with you!" "You better believe it, my love!" "I do." "On the way home from having lunch with Blaine, I stopped downtown and bought you a present...or rather I bought us EACH a present." Rex reached inside his coat pocket and retrieved a small box tied with a blue ribbon and handed it to Kent. "Dammit! I don't have anything to give you." "Yes, you do. You can give me half of the contents in that box." Kent untied the ribbon, his hands not quite steady, and opened the box to reveal two platinum wedding bands, side-by-side. "Oh, GOD, Rex! They're beautiful." "The one on the left is size twelve. That one is yours. The other is size eleven and, if you like, you can give that to someone that has a size eleven ring finger." Kent picked up the one on the left and handed it to Rex. "Here. You put it on me." Rex took the ring and took Kent's left hand and placed the ring saying, "With this ring, I wed you, Kent, forever and ever." Kent's eyes welled up with tears. Then he took the other ring and placed it on Rex's finger. "And I wed you, Rex, forever and ever!" He kissed Rex once again, only longer and more passionately. "That should make it official!" Rex said. "Every morning I wake up happier than the day before. Since last weekend when we became lovers, I feel like a complete person for the first time, Rex. I never knew what my life was missing until I discovered that what I was missing...was you." "I have one other thing to give you." "Shit! Now you're gonna make me feel REALLY bad." "No, it's just something that I think you need." Rex reached back into his coat pocket and took out an envelope and handed it to Kent. With a questioning look on his face, Kent picked it up and opened it. Inside he found an American Express card with Kent's name on it and a book of checks from the First National Bank of Epperson. Engraved on the top of each of the checks were the words, 'Rex Morris OR Kent Stevenson'. "Why, Rex?", he asked. "Why did you do this?" "Because that gives you the right to buy anything your heart desires. Don't worry. It's not as if I'm giving you MY money. It's money that was given to me by my parents. I didn't work for it and there's enough in that account so that neither of us will ever have to work a day in our lives unless we want to." "I...I don't know what to say..." "Don't say anything. Just put them in your wallet. It's not my money, as I said. It's OUR money now. If anything was to happen to me, everything would be yours. That's the way it SHOULD be and the way I WANT it to be. So tell me, how does it feel to become an instant millionaire?" Rex's face glowed with happiness. "Jesus Christ! I feel like I've won the lottery AND the blue ribbon for having the best lover in the world." "No, 'I' have the best lover in the world. You...well, you have second best." "When's it all gonna stop, Rex? I'm TOO happy! I don't deserve to be this happy. It's as if I'm waiting for something bad to happen, something that'd take YOU away, along with everything you mean to me!" "Nothing bad is gonna happen, my love." "What if we're setting ourselves up for bad news when Blaine operates on me?" "It WON'T be bad news! We both have faith in Blaine's skills and you're gonna be cancer-free this time next week!" "Oh, how I want to believe you, Rex!" "Don't worry! You can!" Kent was admiring his new ring as the waiter returned with the menus. "Cause pour la célébration, messieurs?" André, the waiter asked, taking the whole picture in at a glance. "Very much so!" Rex replied. "Ah! May I see it up close?" the waiter said. Kent and Rex each held out his left hand to show off their rings. "Absolutely fabulous!...And platinum, too!" "Thanks!" Kent and Rex replied together, glancing at each other. "I have quite a collection, myself," André added. "Oh?" was all Rex could say, not wanting to ask how many broken relationships the waiter had experienced. "Four, to be precise. I was never unfaithful to any of them, but all four husbands died from AIDS. Don't worry, I'm HIV negative in case you're worried about my handling your food and drinks." "I'm sorry to hear of your loss or losses," Rex said. "The government keeps promising a cure, but it's too busy buying bombs from Halliburton to blow up Iraq! But don't let my anger and despair keep you from enjoying your moment. How long have you two been together?" "Best friends forever, but lovers?...less than a week!" Kent said, smiling. "OH! NEWLYWEDS! How exciting!" the waiter exclaimed with glee. "You should have something special for dinner!" "What would you recommend?" Rex asked. "Braised duck with red curry sauce! It's the best in the world, but terribly expensive!" "My brand-new lover here just got his allowance raised," Rex said, "so bring him the bill! And don't spare the red curry sauce!" "Very good sir! Wise choice!" André left to go turn in the order. "WOW! Half an hour ago if you had said, bring the check to me, I might have had a panic attack, but now that you've made me rich..." Kent said. "Doesn't it feel great to have anything in the world you want?" "It'll take some time for me to get used to it!" "HA! We're BOTH getting used to a lot of new things!" "Rex, would you excuse me while I go to the men's room? I DO have to pee, but I really want to see my ring in the light!" "Go ahead, but I'll time you! If you're not back inside of two minutes, I'll assume that you're tricking in the bathroom with the waiter!" "Hell, I don't want to be his fifth dead husband!" Kent rose from his chair and left the table, headed for the men's room. Entering the restroom, he found that the light over the mirror was bright enough. so Kent took his ring off to see, if possible, it was engraved inside. Sure enough, there were tiny letters in Edwardian script which read, 'Mine, forever'. Kent couldn't stop himself; he stood and cried. Then, embarrassed at himself, he looked at himself in the mirror and grabbed a paper towel to wipe his eyes. After composing himself, he went to a urinal, unzipped his trousers and began to pee. Kent wasn't aware of anyone else having entered the men's room, so he was doubly startled when he felt a sudden sharp blow to the back of his head. Something hard had hit him and he buckled forward, placing both hands on the wall to steady himself. BANG! A second jolt hit him just below his skull on the back of his neck and he collapsed on the floor. His vision was blurry, but he could see the outline of a man standing over him. "FUCKING FAGGOT! I saw you kissing your faggoty friend at the table!" said the attacker. "You queers think you can do anything you like, anywhere you want!" Having said that, the man kicked Kent in the crotch, directly on his swollen scrotum, making the pain so severe that Kent passed out. Blood began to pour into the crotch of Kent's trousers. His enlarged testicle had ruptured and was spurting hot red blood all over the floor. The man gave Kent two more kicks and turned to exit through the door of the restroom just as André was entering. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HIM?" André shouted at Todd. "Good! There are two of you now!" Todd Benton exclaimed. Todd made ran toward André swinging his right fist. André countered the punch with his left arm and landed a solid punch into Todd's abdomen. Todd bent forward in pain. "Score one for the faggot!" André boasted. Todd, who was still leaning forward, lunged his head into André's lower intestines and André put his hands together and pounded downward on the back of Todd's head and neck, sending Todd to the floor in a pool of Kent's running blood. "I'll teach you, faggot!" Todd yelled, trying to stand up but slipping down backward in Kent's blood. André took one step backward and raised his right foot to kick Todd squarely in the face, reeling him backward into the first toilet booth. Todd hit his head on the porcelain rim. André wasn't finished as he went inside the booth and turned Todd over to place his head in the toilet water. He placed Todd's face and nose as far as he could in the depth of the toilet bowl. "Can I serve you a drink, Monsieur?" André said. "Would you like a chaser with your drink?" André reached up and flushed the toilet filling it again with fresh water, more of which went inside Todd's nose and down his windpipe. André held Todd's head tightly, trying to drown him. Rex had seen André going inside the men's room and he thought he would follow him and make a joke out of catching Kent and the waiter together. So Rex had gotten up and followed to the restroom. On entering, the first thing Rex saw was Kent lying on the floor, unconscious, with blood streaming on the floor from the urinal to the restroom door. Then he noticed André kneeling over a man's head. Looking quickly, Rex recognized the priest...but he wasn't wearing the priestly attire. He was dressed in black slacks and a pullover shirt. André was now bobbing Todd's head up and down in the toilet. "OH, MY GOD!" Rex yelled, running to kneel beside Kent. Then he turned to shout at André. "Don't kill him, for God's sake! Leave him and please call 911, QUICK!" André stood up and gave Todd one more kick in the middle of his back and reached to flush the toilet again. "DON'T YOU DARE MOVE, YOU ASSHOLE!" André shouted at Todd. "I'll be back in a flash to finish killing you if necessary!" André ran out the door to call an ambulance AND the police. Rex arranged Kent's body so that he was lying flat on the floor. He didn't know whether to elevate Kent's head or feet or leave him prone. He leaned forward to put his face next to Kent's. "I'm here, Kent. The ambulance is on its way. You're gonna be all right! You've GOT to be all right! Oh, my God! I love you so much! Kent? Kent? Can you hear me?" Kent didn't move at all while he continued to profusely bleed from his testicles. André came running back inside the restroom and said, "The ambulance is on its way!" Then he looked at Todd, whose head was still lodged inside the commode. "Meanwhile, YOU STAY WHERE YOU ARE! That's where shit belongs! You think that, just because I'm gay, that I'm not a man?". André put his foot on the back of Todd's neck and kept it there while he continued flushing the toilet. Todd had passed out swallowing all the toilet water. <><><><><><><><><><> Blaine was coming out of Tom's room and walking down the hospital hallway when his cell phone beeped. He thought it might be Maggie calling to see when he would be home for dinner, but he read on his phone that the call was from Rex. "Hello?" Blaine answered. "Blaine! It's me, Rex!" "Hey, buddy! How's everything!" "It couldn't be worse, Blaine. I'm in an ambulance headed toward the hospital! Where are you?" "Slow down, Rex. I'm here at the hospital already! What's wrong?" "That asshole priest attacked Kent and he's bleeding terribly bad from his testicles!" "Oh, my God, NO! How far away are you?" "Not far!" "WHAT HAPPENED, REX?" "Your stalking priest attacked Kent...only he isn't a priest!" "Was he caught?" "The police have him in custody!" "Thank God for that!" "We're pulling into the hospital driveway right now!" "I'll call surgery and get everything ready!" "Thanks, Blaine!" "Don't move Kent! Whatever you do, don't move him, Rex!" "I won't!" "Is he conscious, at all?" "Totally knocked out!" "How's his breathing?" "Not good. The EMT's put him on oxygen as soon as the picked him up!" "I'll see you in surgery, Rex. Keep a cool head and let ME do the worrying!" Rex hung up his cell. This was going to be a long night! <><><><><><><><><><><> (To be concluded in "But Who Knows Where Or When?" chapter twelve...next week!).