Date: Sun, 30 Oct 2011 22:17:07 -0400
From: RANDY WIGGINS <rwig@hotmail.com>
Subject: HOMONY - CHAPTER 6

The following is part of a novel in progress.  There is some sex but not
highly explicit.  It is a fantasy set in the not so distant/possible
future.  Please let me know what you think. E-mail me at: rwig@hotmail.com

Legal stuff: The story is mine so don't steal it or I'll be pissed.

If you have a few extra bucks be sure and donate to Nifty to keep the
archive a free site.  Thanks

RClayton

***
SIX

   Two doctors and a nurse stood over Heath who lay prone and unconscious
in the hospital bed.  His face was wrapped in bandages, his ribs taped and
a case encased his left arm.  The injuries were bad but not nearly as
severe as first believed from the blood loss and bruising.  The worrisome
problem was that the young man had yet to regain consciousness.  CAT scans
and an MRI showed no significant damage from the attack.  It actually
looked as though the person who had beaten the man had known exactly how to
go about causing the least physical damage with the most visual shocking
effect possible.  Sure, there were a few broken bones would take time to
heal and a couple of teeth that would have to be replaced with bridge work
but once the young man woke up he would recover nicely.
   "Why would he take in a stranger in the first place?"  The nurse asked.
He stood examining the monitor which kept track of vital signs.
   "Loneliness does things to people.  I suppose the man just played a good
game and the boy fell for it.  No telling what set him off though."  The
doctor said.  He didn't believe the man he had spent an hour with that very
afternoon had gone home and attacked this boy though.  It just didn't seem
possible.  The man was certainly stressed but he seemed to be a rather
harmless man physically speaking.  He knew they would just have to wait
until the boy awoke to get answers to this little mystery.  He was willing
to bet the man he knew as Jerrison or Zackary or whatever did not beat the
shit out of his new boyfriend.  It had to be part of whatever game was
being played on the man.
   "You seem distracted Mathew."  The other doctor said.
   "Just thinking Harry.  It's been a long day and I'm ready to go home and
rest."
   "Too true, my friend.  Hy don't you take off.  I'll cover the night
shift.  It should be relatively quiet tonight."
   "If you're sure you don't mind..."
   "Not at all.  I'll probably sit at my desk working up today's reports
and drinking old coffee, maybe read a novel or take a nap later."  The man
smiled.
   "Okay, I guess I'll head out then.  Good evening."  Mathew left the room
and went down the hall to the elevator, then rode down to his office.
   "I want someone in here all night.  No visitors."
   "Yes, doctor."  The nurse said.
   He looked at the monitors, made a note on the chart and replaced it on
the foot of the bed and left the room.
   The nurse sat in a lounge chair in the corner and picked up the Stephen
King novel he'd been reading before the two doctors had entered the room.
He glanced up to check the patient periodically, but paid more attention to
his book as the evening rolled on into night.

   Jerrison sat in the small cell and waited.  There was little else he
could do.  The officers had processed his through the system, stripped him
down and handed him a white one piece jump suit to wear along with boxers
and socks and a pair of slip on shoes.  He was then escorted to a three man
cell where only one other man lay sleeping.  He was locked in and left
alone and that was more than four hours ago.  The other man still slept the
sleep of the dead.  Jerrison wondered if the man might not actually be dead
but he heard a loud snore from time to time as the man would toss and urn,
changing position on the narrow bed.
   Who would break in and beat up Heath?  What would be the point?  There
was no money in the apartment.  Had Heath made someone mad?  A former lover
maybe?  Or did this have something to do with his trying to find out with
what got him sent to the island?  Would they try and kill an innocent
person to get him off the trail.  It didn't seem logical.  The smart thing
to have done would have been to just kill him to begin with instead of
shuffling him off to this island.  Someone wanted to be rid of him but
didn't want him dead for some reason but why?  None of it made any sense.
   The lock clicked and the door swung open, "Draper, got a visitor."  The
officer said.  "Turn around and put your hands behind your back."
   Jerrison did as he was told.  The cuffs clicked tightly on his wrists
and he was snatched around roughly by the shoulder.  The officer led him
out into the narrow hallway and relocked the door.
   The two men went down the hallway in silence and stopped outside another
door.  The man unlocked this door and pushed Jerrison in harshly.  "Fifteen
minutes.  He slammed the door shut and locked it.  He did not remove the
handcuffs.
   The tall man near the barred window turned to face him. There was
something familiar about him but Jerrison couldn't place him.
   "You probably don't remember me."  The man turned and faced Jerrison.
"I was a friend of Chad's, in another life.  Seems like another life
anyway."
   "You look familiar but I can't place a name to the face."  Jerrison
said.  He thought back to his college days but there were just a lot of
blank spots.  After Chad died he had spent a great deal of time drinking in
a depressed race to drown the pain or kill himself whichever came first.
   "Frank Hess."  Frank supplied.  "You and I rarely spoke actually.  I was
only in Chad's life when you were to busy to notice him."
   "It was never to busy to notice Chad."  Jerrison said defensively.
   "The memory plays many tricks over time, Jerrison.  You actually became
quite adept at taking Chad for granted there for a while.  He actually
thought you might be having an affair.  Of course you weren't, you were
just buried in school but I encouraged his affair scenario."
   Jerrison just looked at the man.
   "That's right, I was in love with him too; but he only thought of me as
his funny, somewhat fat geeky friend.  He was so far up your ass he never
noticed how I felt.  Doesn't matter though.  I have a happy marriage to a
great guy now."
   "Why are you here?"  Jerrison asked. "I guess it isn't to actually help
me or you would have already."
   "Very perceptive of you.  You see, Heath works for me and I a happen to
be very fond of the young man.  I'm not pleased that you used him for a
punching bag."
   "I didn't."  Jerrison said.
   Frank smiled.  "No, I don't suppose you did.  Someone did though.  Who
have you pissed of since you got here?"
   "Nobody that I know of, I've only been here a few days and had contact
with about seven people total."
   "Then someone here is working for whoever it was on the outside that
arranged this little vacation for you."  Frank sat at the table and crossed
his left leg over his right.  You rich enough to have enemies that
powerful?"
   "I didn't think so.  I had some money, a little power and a decent job,
hardly what you would call a mover and shaker though."  Jerrison took his
seat with great care.  It took a great deal of effort with his hands cuffed
behind his back.
   "Then it must have been personal."
   "You sound more and more like you want to help."
   "I don't know.  I haven't decided yet, to be truthful."
   "Are you in a position to help?"
   "I'm a representative with a back ground in both criminal law and all
the homosexual statutes on the books, so yes, I would say I'm in a position
to help.  You see, I told Heath to put us in touch the day he was
assaulted.
   "He didn't tell me he worked for a representative."
   "Because he was under orders not to.  You see I work mostly for the
government as a prosecutor.  I only rarely take a defense case.  I have to
be... moved, to become involved."
   "Okay, Frank.  What do you want from me," Jerrison asked.
   "Well, right to the point, aren't we?  Okay then.  What I want is for
you to be very good to Heath.  You see I was at the hospital before I came
here and he is going to be just fine.  Oh, he's still unconscious but they
expect he'll wake up soon."
   "He looked so... dead." Jerrison said.
   "Most of the damage was superficial.  He'll need some cosmetic surgery
and a good dentist when the bruising and swelling goes away but he'll
heal."
   "If I can get my hands on my money I'll take care of it."  Jerrison
said.
   "Already taken care of, I ordered everything while I was at the
hospital. As soon as he is able the island's best plastic surgeon will get
to work on him, and we do have one of the best, he was one of Hollywood's
highest paid surgeons for years; surgeon to the stars you might say."
   "Well, that's good to know."  Jerrison said.  At least Heath was being
taken care of.
    "I'm inclined to help you.  Not because I like you personally, because
I don't; but two men that I have known in my life have both found things in
you that they found worth while enough to love.  I take their belief in you
as a sign that you are a person of some worth."
   "I appreciate that."  Jerrison said, there was some degree of sarcasm in
his voice but he tried to bury it as best as possible.  He needed this man
and despite his giant ego, he was probably the only person on this island
that could save his ass.
   "Who in the outside word is your number one suspect for setting this all
up?"
   "Well, if she had the power and the connections I'd say my wife, Gloria.
Since I doubt it could be her, I'd say it was one of my business partners.
Probably Phillip Carter, my wife has supposedly married him since I was
declared dead."
   "Would he have this kind of power?"
   "Oh, yes.  The power the connections and the jealousy that would lead
him to send me to a place like this for his own amusement; if he didn't
know about my gay past he would find send a supposed womanizer to an island
for homosexuals highly amusing."
   "Why wouldn't he just have you killed?"
   "Not his style.  He would have more fun this way, controlling me from a
distance while living with my family."
   "I see your point.  He's not just jealous of you, he hates your fucking
guts."
   "Not to put to a fine a point on it, but yes, he does."
   "Any particular reason?"
   "He's not me.  I have more money, I'm well respected within the company
and the community and have the power to crush him to dust and he knows it.
He's been pretending to be my best friend for years and fucking Gloria
behind my back for almost as long."
   "You knew he was screwing your wife?"
   "Better him than me.  I hate the bitch."
   "Okay, I get the picture."  Frank nodded.  "how did you live straight
all those years?"
   "I buried who I was and had affairs with women I didn't like much less
love.  I devoted myself to my kids and my job in that order.  Those two
kids were my world.  I don't think my daughter ever appreciated that but my
son does.  Cynthia is her mother's daughter in every way.  Ricky is my boy,
from head to toe.  I look at him, listen to him; I see myself at that age."
   "Is he going to be like you were?"  Frank asks, the implication obvious
in the words.
    "I don't know.  I saw signs but he's still so young.  I met Chad when I
was nine and we became best friends.  Ricky doesn't have a friend like
that.  I can't see how he'll develop.  I guess I never will now."
   "We'll see about that."  Frank said.
   The fifteen minutes had long passed by but the officer hadn't returned
for him.
   "I thought I only had fifteen minutes?"
   "The officer came to the window some time I go.  I signaled him to leave
us alone.  You see, I have a great deal of authority here.  I wasn't sent
to Homony.  I came of my own free will and was paid handsomely.  In the
outside world I was about to face some very unpleasant circumstances due to
an unfortunate choice of sexual partner.  Before the authorities got hold
of the information I made a deal with the government to come here as their
lead prosecutor for a substantial fee and a rather nice beach house."
   "What happened to the case against you?"
   "No idea.  It went away, I suppose.  I packed up my possessions and took
a rather pleasant cruise to Sydney then another boat trip to Homony and the
rest is history."
   "So you would have ended up here anyway, you just turned the
circumstances in your favor."
   "You can look at it that way, sure."
   "Well, at least you know how to manipulate the system.  Maybe you can
help me after all."  Jerrison said.  He was not happy having to deal with
this man but he could see no other options.  The evil you know versus the
evil you don't.
   "I suppose I should go see what I can get done.  It's a new day you
know.  I need to contact some people in Los Angeles and see what I can find
out about this Phillip Carter."  Frank stood up.  He couldn't push the
chair under the table as it was bolted to the floor.
   "What about getting me out of here?"
   "Not going to happen.  Not until Heath wakes up and clears you of the
assault, anyway, that or your found innocent.  You see, there is no bail
here.  You stay locked up until trial and since we only have one judge that
could take a while."  Frank walked to the door and knocked.
   "If you are the lead prosecutor and your going to defend me, who's going
to prosecute?"
   "My assistant DA.  He's a good man.  Very diligent and he hates assault
cases.  He lost his first lover to assault.  Someone beat the poor man to
death with a metal baseball bat ten years ago.  That was back in New
Jersey."
   "Well, I didn't do it, and you know it."
   "Yes, we just have to prove it."  The lock clicked and Frank walked out,
the door closed and locked again.
   Five minutes later it was opened again and the officer who had led him
in and took him back to his cell and took the cuffs off and shoved him
across the room to the metal bed which was connected to the wall.
   "Hey!"
   "Shut the fuck up!"  The officer locked the door and was gone.
   "Be glad he didn't kick you in the nuts."  The man said from the upper
bunk.  He was finally awake.
   "I was beginning to wonder if you were in a coma."  Jerrison said.
   "Near about, I guess."  The man said.  "I took a night stick took the
head a few times and got thrown in here.  Don't know when."
   "What for?"
   "Disagreement over funds owed for services rendered."
   "Okay," Jerrison said.  He said on his bunk.
   They sat in silence for a while.  He could hear the man breathing as
though he gone back to sleep.
   "What'd they get you for?"  The voice called out.
   "Something I didn't do."  Jerrison replied.
   "Yeah, ain't it always the way," the voice dripped sarcasm.
   "I'm accused of beating someone up."
   "Boyfriend?"
   "Yeah."
   "Didn't do it?"
   "Nope, came home and found him just as the cops showed up."
   "That sucks, man.  He okay?
   "That's what I hear from my lawyer.  I won't be comfortable until I see
him though."
   "Yeah, I get yeah.  I haven't had a real boyfriend in many a year.  I
tend to lean toward the companion trade.  Pay for what you want and walk
away.  You get the lay without the complications."
   "What happened this time?"
   "I was a little short of funds, or so the kid said.  He actually
stripped my wallet while I was out cold from the Mickey he slipped in my
drink."
   "I thought there were no drugs or alcohol here on the island."
   "Yeah, right, if you believe that, I got pass back to the states I can
sell ya."  The man laughed.
   More new information for him to take in, so there was vice on the
island; he had kind of thought there might be.  He wondered what other
secrets Homony held close to its heart.  The vices of Homony weren't his
problem, knowing them wouldn't get him out of this mess.  He would just
have to file the information away for future use should I time come when it
would do him some good.  If this all worked out he could see himself
building a life here, a life where he and Heath were together as a couple.
A life where he could actually practice law, maybe defense law.  It was
take a great deal of study but it could be done.
   He forced his thoughts back to the present problem.  His future may
never come to pass if he couldn't fix the present.  What he needed most was
for Heath to wake up and tell the authorities that it wasn't him that
attacked him, otherwise he could be locked up here for God only knew how
long.