Date: Mon, 7 Nov 2005 13:52:44 EST
From: Jetjt@aol.com
Subject: Empire, Chapter 40

The following is gay fiction. If the subject matter is offensive to you or
you are too young, please exit now. This work is the property of the author
and may not be reproduced without written permission.  JETjt@aol.com


				  EMPIRE

			       Chapter Forty

Saturday morning, 6:30 AM, MD Anderson Hospital, Houston

Ron sat in a chair beside Douglas's bed looking at the beautiful boy, whose
eyes were beginning to flutter, breaking his sleep. He couldn't help
remembering the dirty gnarled body that had dragged himself into their
office and into their hearts. Ron thought about Douglas' struggle to
overcome the birth defects that had plagued his childhood, both by
subjecting himself to repeated operations, and extensive but painful
physical therapy. The admiration for the youth leapt from Ron's innermost
being while thinking of how wonderfully Doug was facing his newest and most
difficult challenge. `This boy has more bravery in one finger than I have
in my whole body,' he thought. Closing his eyes he again asked God to
deliver Douglas from harm.

"Sleepin'?" Doug asked rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"No, just resting my eyes," Ron fibbed.

"Matt asleep?" asked his son.

"I was," replied a voice from the rollaway behind Ron. "I stayed awake
until about 5 AM, then fell asleep in the chair. Ron woke me and insisted
that I take a nap."

"I got good sleep next to my Dougie," a sleepy but younger voice reported
from the other side of Doug's bed.

"Well, you'd better get up now Eddie," Ron advised. "We should be getting
company soon."

"Oh? Who's coming?" Eddie asked, sitting up slowly.

"The nurses," answered Ron. "They'll be in very soon to take Doug's vital
signs and to give him some medication to relax him before surgery."

"I guess I'd better get up pronto then," concluded Eddie. "Anyway I gotta
pee really bad!"

"Me too," Doug said as he swung his feet over the side.

"Uh....I....uh...." Eddie stammered.

"Aw come on," Doug said taking charge, "These guys have seen morning wood
before. Heck, Matt's probably got a stiffy himself."

"I won't deny that," Matt said grinning. "Though looking at your ugly face
is making it go down really quick."

"See why I love these guys Eddie?" Douglas quipped with a grin. "Let's go."

Ron and Matt laughed as Doug slid from the high bed and beckoned with his
arm for Eddie to join him. Eddie circled around the bed, his surprisingly
large organ creating a large tubular bulge in his underpants, matching the
tent in the unabashed Doug's gown.

"You guys might want to take a shower while you're in there," Ron
suggested, "but make it quick."

"Yes sir," agreed Douglas with a smile.

The boys trotted into the room and pulled the door shut. Except for an
occasional giggle and the loud sound of the toilet flushing and of the
shower water running, Ron and Matt were undisturbed in their conversation
for the next ten minutes, until at last the door from the hallway opened
and Dave, the cute orderly who had taken Douglas to his testing opened the
door and entered.

"The floor nurse will be here in fifteen minutes," the young man
reported. "I just came in to let you know and to fold up the roll-aways and
get them out of your way," he reported. "I'll be bringing in a gurney in
about a half-hour to take Douglas to surgery."

"Thanks Dave," Matt said from the chair he had moved to. He stood up and
went to the bathroom door, knocking and telling the boys in a loud voice
through the door not to be too long.

The young orderly moved the undisturbed portable bed to the far side of the
room, and after folding up and latching the one on which Matt had napped,
moved it beside the other. As he was about to leave, the door opened and
Dr. Hankhammer entered.

"Good morning gentlemen," Hankhammer said with a smile as he stepped to Ron
and Matt who had risen from their chairs. "I have some news."

"Tell us," Ron replied with curiosity.

"Mr. Davidson, your marrow test was positive. You have as close a match to
Tommy as is possible without being a blood relative."

"When do you want to do the harvesting?" Matt asked using the same
terminology that the medical technicians had used the previous day.

"In an hour if you haven't eaten or had anything to drink this morning,"
the doctor replied.

"Won't you be operating on Douglas then?" Ron asked.

"Another doctor will be doing Matt's surgery," Hankhammer responded. "It's
a relatively simple procedure."

"Will there be any after-effects?" Ron asked.

"Only minor discomfort," reported the doctor. "To minimize the effects on
Matt we'll take marrow from both thigh bones with very small incisions. The
body will replace the lost marrow within a month since we're taking only
half as much from each. He should be able to walk out of here by one
o'clock this afternoon."

"When will Tommy get the marrow?" Matt asked.

"Later this morning when I'm through with Douglas' surgery," the doctor
revealed. "I want to say how much I appreciate your agreeing to donate. It
gives Tommy a real chance at survival if his body accepts the material. We
can send the money to your address in Las Vegas."

"What money?" Matt asked in surprise.

"The hospital pays for non-blood related marrow. Weren't you informed?"

"No," answered Matt. "I'd rather you just credit the money to Tommy's
treatment. We didn't agree to donate just to get some money."

"You two are unbelievable," Hankhammer said.

"Not really," Matt answered. "Every boy deserves a chance to grow up."

"I'm sorry but I really need to go to get ready for Douglas' surgery."

"Fine doctor," Matt responded. "And thank you again."

"No, thank you," the physician said as the left the room.

The door had not finished closing when Dave, the orderly reappeared.

"Uh, Mr. Turner," he began, "There are three people out here that insist on
seeing you."

"Did they give you their names?" Ron asked in surprise.

"Yes, I but I only remember one," Dave said apologetically. "His name is
Tony Tegano. The other guy is Jake something."

Ron smiled. "Would you show them in?"

"Yes, but they can't stay. The nurse will be here shortly for Douglas."

"That's okay," Ron answered.

Before he could turn around to leave, the bathroom door opened and the two
youths emerged.

"Hiya Hunk," Douglas said grinning. "Couldn't stay away from me, huh?"

Dave laughed. "You wish," he responded with raised brows.

"You have visitors," Ron announced. "It's Tony and Jake from the camp. They
have someone else with them too, but I don't know who it is."

"Let `em come in," Doug urged.

"Right away sir," Dave said with a wink as he left the room.

A moment later, Tony, Jake, and Dez appeared in the doorway."

"DEZ!" Douglas said excitedly rushing to hug the friend he'd made the week
before. "I'm so glad you're here!  Come and meet my boyfriend Eddie that I
told you about. Hi Tony. Hi Jake," he said with a wave.

The two older visitors smiled and returned the greeting.

"I guess we know our order of importance," Jake grinned as he and Tony
shook hands with Ron and Matt."

"Boys will be boys," Ron commented wryly. "How did you know we were here?"

"I tried to call you yesterday and spoke to your secretary Margaret,"
responded Tony. "We tried to call you on your cell phone, but it was off I
guess."

"Yes," Matt replied, "Here, they take a dim view of cell phones going off
all over the place. We should have just put it on `vibrate' I guess."

"Well, we just took a chance. As you see we were able to bring Dez too."

"Yes, I'm glad for that. Look at how excited Douglas is."

The men looked at the three boys who were busy jabbering with
excitement. The door again opened and Ron, expecting to see the nurse was
dumbfounded when he saw Tyler, Dan, Ronnie, Jerry, Nathan, Carl and Zack
walk through the portal.

"Brothers!!!" Douglas screamed with excitement, leaving his friends and
rushing to his family. "You came!"

"You couldn't keep us away," Tyler said for the whole group as they
exchanged hugs.

Douglas led the family to quickly meet Tony and Jake and to receive hugs
from Ron and Matt. He then escorted them all over to see Eddie and to meet
Dez.

After the greetings were exchanged Doug turned to his lover. "Eddie," Doug
instructed, "While I'm in surgery, take the guys down to meet Tommy."

"Who's Tommy?" Dez asked.

"He's a friend I made down the hall who has leukemia. He's waiting for a
bone marrow donor."

"He found one," Matt said overhearing Doug's explanation.

"He did?" Douglas said with a huge grin.

"Yep....me," Matt announced. "I'll be donating it while you're in surgery."

"Wow!  Man, that's terrific!" their son exclaimed, masking the surprise
displayed by the other newly arrived members of the family."

The door opened and a nurse appeared carrying a tray. The men and boys all
turned to her as she asked, "What's going on here? This looks like Grand
Central Station!"

"Sorry nurse," Ron responded.

"Everyone but the patient out!" she commanded. "You can come back in when
I've finished."

"Okay. Everyone out," Ron repeated. "See you in a minute Doug."

As the men and youngsters filed toward the door, the nurse directed Douglas
to sit on the bed as she began taking his vital signs, recording them on
his chart.

Five minutes later, she emerged from the room and approached the group
waiting near the nurse's station.

"You can go back in now," she announced. "I gave the patient a mild
tranquilizer to calm him down for surgery. His pulse rate was unusually
high."

"It's just the excitement of his friends and family being here," Ron
informed the nurse.

"Even so, try not to get him too excited. The orderly will be here in about
10 minutes to take him to surgery," she reported.

"Yes Ma'am," Ron said as the group began to move back into Doug's room.

On entering they found Doug lying back on his bed coughing.

"How're ya doing Son?" Ron asked, approaching the bed.

"I'm fine Dad," Douglas reported. "I'm sorry to put you through all this."

"Not a problem Pal. That's what Dads do," Ron said with a kind smile.

"Can I talk to the younger guys alone for a minute? Doug requested.

"Sure Pal, anything you want."

Ron stepped away from the bed leading the older men to a far corner of the
room as Douglas beckoned the youths to his bedside. Douglas began speaking
to them in a soft voice, their heads nodding in understanding and
acceptance. Eddie started crying, but it was obvious that Doug was having
none of that, taking Eddie's hand and speaking to him directly. Eddie
nodded and sniffed, quelling his tears with obvious effort.

"Dads," Douglas called.

Ron and Matt stepped over to the bed where Douglas was reclining while the
boys joined Tony and Jake.

"I want you to properly thank Tyler, Dan, Tony and Jake for coming if I
don't have time," Douglas began.

Ron and Matt agreed.

"I just wanted you to know again how happy I have been to have you as my
Dads," he continued. "I'm okay, no matter what happens," he said repeating
his early declaration. "I've made my peace with God. Promise me that you'll
take care of Eddie, Tommy and Dez, would ya?  I know the other guys are
already in good hands."

"Of course son, we promise," Ron responded and Matt nodded in
agreement. "We always keep our word. I'm not sure what you're worried about
though, we'll see you in a couple of hours."

"Maybe so," Doug replied, "but I don't think so. If you guys take care of
my love and my friends I'll know that my life was worthwhile. I can go to
God in peace knowing that."

"You can depend on us," Ron choked out, tears appearing in both his and
Matt's eyes. "We love you so much. You're a wonderful son and we're both so
proud of your bravery."

The door to the room opened and Dave appeared pulling a rolling gurney.

"I'm ready," Douglas announced, smiling at his dads.

		*		*		*

30 minutes later

Tyler, Dan, Tony, Jake and the boys had gone down to visit Tommy before
returning in time to wish Matt good luck in his bone marrow harvesting
procedure. Ron had stayed behind as the nurse came in to take his vital
signs and give him a relaxant, which with his lack of sleep had left him
barely awake enough to accept the boys' good wishes. They all watched as
Dave again appeared with a gurney to deliver him to the surgical suite
where the procedure would take place.

"Let's drop by the cafeteria and get some coffee, drinks and snacks," Ron
suggested. "Then we'll all go over to the surgery waiting area."

As they approached the elevator, they saw another orderly wheeling a gurney
into the elevator. On the wheeled stretcher they saw the face of their new
friend Tommy.

On arrival at the lunchroom, everyone selected their drinks, but no one was
interested in eating due to the tension they all felt. Taking their drinks,
they all anxiously left for the waiting room.

They had only been seated for about 20 minutes when Ron spied Doctor
Hankhammer emerging from the door connecting the waiting area to
surgery. He quickly rose and asked Tyler to keep everyone there while he
talked to the doctor.

As Ron approached he could tell from the sad expression on the doctor's
face that the news was not good.

"How's Douglas?" Ron asked as the doctor drew him aside.

"I'm sorry Ron," the doctor sympathetically. "...Douglas passed away during
surgery."

"Oh God! Not Douglas!!!" Ron cried out in grief.

"I'm so sorry," the doctor repeated. "He hemorrhaged during the procedure
and we couldn't stop the bleeding," he explained and then continued. "After
he passed away, we looked at the other organs that we were concerned about
and found that the cancer had spread far more then we thought. If he had
recovered from the surgery today, he probably would not have survived two
weeks. They would have been difficult and painful weeks too, in spite of
pain medication. As hard as his death is now, it's probably merciful that
he went this way."

"I'm sure you're right doctor, it's just so hard," Ron said with tears
flowing, overcome with anguish.

"I know son," the older man agreed. "But you have other people to think
about now."

"Yes," Ron concurred, forcing himself back into a clearer mind, "I need to
tell the others."

"It's an unhappy task," the doctor, who dealt with grief regularly,
sympathized. "I need to go and get ready for Tommy's bone marrow
transplant," he said. "Again my condolences for your loss."

"Thank you, doctor. I know you did all you could. Goodbye."

Ron turned from the departing physician and faced the family and friends
who were waiting. Seeing Ron's reaction to the doctor's report and his face
streaked with tears as he approached, most of them already were bracing
themselves for the bad news that they now expected.

40 minutes later

The handsome young orderly, Dave, approached the group of men and boys,
stepping up to Ron.

"Mr. Turner," he said with tear-filled eyes, "I heard about Douglas. I'm
terribly sorry sir."

"Thank you Dave," was Ron's simple reply. "You did a lot to make his last
days here as pleasant as possible.

"I tried sir."

"We appreciate it Son."

"I've been asked to tell you that Mr. Davidson is out of recovery, and is
in Douglas' room, dressing."

"Thanks. Does he know about Douglas?"

"I'm sure the answer is `no'", the young man answered.

"I'll go to him. Thanks again."

"Yes sir," Dave said as he turned and walked away.

"Tyler," Ron said, "I'll go get Matt. Please wait here with the boys."

"Don't hurry on our account," Tyler said. "We'll take the boys to the
cafeteria and meet you there."

"That would be good," Ron responded with a sad smile. Leaving the group and
heading for room 312, Ron began the walk that he dreaded, knowing at the
end of it, his news would bring heartache and grief to the man he loved.

Pushing the door inward, Ron saw Matt sitting on one of the chairs fully
dressed.

Matt looked up, then stood as his partner entered. He saw at once the
sadness of Ron's facial expression, the stooped shoulders and the
tear-stained cheeks.

"Douglas?" Matt asked, fearing the worst.

"Oh Matty!" Ron cried as he took his love into his arms. "He's gone."

The news struck Matt like a hammer blow. "What happened?" he gasped.

"Our poor boy," Ron continued in tears, his throat constricted in his
agony. "They couldn't stop the bleeding."

Tears gushed from Matt's eyes as he held tightly onto Ron for support.

After moments of anguish Matt said through his tears, "At least he didn't
suffer."

"No," Ron agreed. "Doctor Hankhammer said that after he was gone, they
opened him up to examine his other organs. The cancer was far worse than
they had thought, and that he would have died in pain within two weeks even
if the surgery on his neck had been successful. He felt that Douglas' dying
now was at least merciful."

"He never complained," Matt remembered.

"That was Doug though," Ron agreed in sadness. "He was so brave."

"Are the boys okay?"

"They're grief stricken as you'd expect, but strangely better than I would
have first imagined."

"I wonder why?" pondered Matt aloud.

"Nathan revealed to me that Douglas had told them he was sure that he was
going to die, and asked them to be strong and to take care of us."

A cascade of tears again flowed from Matt's eyes. Ron matched his partner's
outburst as they held each other for another few moments of silence while
they shared the pain of loss.

"He was so like you," declared Matt, "always thinking of others."

"Speaking of others," Ron said sniffing, "they're waiting for us."

"We'd better wash our faces then go," Matt suggested.

"Yes, we'd better," agreed Ron, releasing Matt from his grasp.

10 minutes later

As Ron and Matt entered the cafeteria, the boys all rose from their chairs
and rushed to Matt, each giving him a warm hug. When at last the procession
was complete Matt joined his partner who had taken a seat with Tony, Jake,
Tyler and Dan.

"How are you feeling?" Dan asked his friend.

"The surgery wasn't too bad," Matt replied. I just have a couple of small
dressings on my legs. I'm terribly tired though. I'll be glad to get home."
Turning to Ron he asked, "What are the plans?"

"I think you and Dan should take the G-V and the boys and go back to Las
Vegas," he stated. "Tyler and I can stay here for a short while. I called
Margaret while we were waiting for you and asked her to arrange through
Palms Mortuary there to have Douglas' body picked up, prepared, then
transported to the Executive Airport. Tyler and I can bring it back in the
Cessna. That plane is equipped with a large cargo door and seats can be
removed for the casket. I heard back from her and all those arrangements
have been made. I'd also like to check in on Tommy before we go."

"I think the three of us should be going now," Tony announced. "We'll
deliver Dez back to his parents."

"Thank you for being here with us," Ron said. "I know it meant a lot to
Doug to see you all."

"Dez," Jake called to their future camper. "Say goodbye. It's time for us
to go."

Dez gave each of the boys a hug, then came over to the table from which the
adults had just risen.

"It was nice to meet you," he said to Tyler and Dan, giving them a
hug. Then, turning to Ron and Matt, he said, "I want you to know that
Douglas was sure he was the world's luckiest guy because of you. I'm sure
he was right."

Wrapping his arms around Ron and Matt they tearfully participated in a
group hug.

"You take care of this boy, hear?" Matt said to Tony and Jake with a sniff.

"You bet we will," Jake answered for the couple. We'll stop in and see
Tommy regularly too and let you know how he's doing."

"That would be a great kindness guys," Ron answered. "It was very nice of
you to come. Have a safe trip home."

"Goodbye," Tony said in parting.

"Goodbye, friend," Ron said.

The boys all waved as the trio exited the cafeteria heading for their car.

"I guess we'd better get going too," Matt said. "Goodbye love. See you at
home."

"Yes, we'll probably be only two or three hours behind you."

"Alright guys," Matt said to the group of boys as he and Dan walked over to
their tables.  "It's time to saddle-up. We're headed for home."

Later that evening, Ron and Matt's house, Las Vegas

Ron's Mercedes pulled into its space in the large 8-car garage. Waiting for
them inside, Parker greeted the men as they climbed out of the big car.

"Welcome back gentlemen," he said. "Do you have any bags?"

"Thanks Parker, no." responded Ron. "We sent them back with Matt and Dan."

"I thought so, but I wanted to be sure," Parker said with a sad smile. "Uh
sir...he continued. "Mrs. Parker and I just want to offer our condolences."

"Thank you Parker. We all share the pain. I know how much you meant to
Douglas. He looked at the both of you as the grandparents he never had."

"We'll miss him sir," Parker said with eyes filling with tears. "We really
did love him."

"He loved you too Parker; both you and Mary."

"Thank you sir," Parker said. "Will there be anything else?"

"No thank you," replied Ron. "You and Mary should go home. It's getting
late."

"Thank you sir, I think we will."

Ron led Tyler into the house where, stepping into the family room, they
found Matt, Dan and all the boys, including Eddie.

"I'd like to say a few words to the family," Ron announced to the group as
he and Tyler joined their lovers on the sofa.

The boys gathered around, some sitting on chairs while others had just sat
down on the carpet.

"Boys, first I want you all to know how proud the four of us are for the
way you've handled yourselves the last few days. "Today we've all suffered
a great loss in Douglas' passing. I know you'll all miss him as much as
Matt and I will. He good young man and a wonderful son, brother and
friend. His heart was full of love, hope and strength. He set an example
that is worth emulating."

"It's easy to become bitter at his loss and complain about how unfair life
is. He would be the first to refute that notion. Certainly life dealt him
cruel blows, but he died a happy boy, thanking God for his blessings, even
though he believed that he would not survive. God's blessings are greater
for those who suffer adversity yet remain grateful to him than for those
who have it easy, yet fail to thank Him for all he's given."

"I'd like all of you to remember Douglas in your prayers. Remember Tommy
too, who is still struggling against the disease like that which took
Douglas, as well as for the success of Dez as he grows up."

"Tomorrow morning Matt and I are going to church at 9:30. We'd like you all
to go with us, but you're not required to. The rest of the day is free to
do as you wish. On Monday we're all returning to work and school. On
Tuesday night will be the visitation for Douglas at the Funeral
Home. You'll all be expected to attend. You will be excused from school or
work all day Wednesday for Douglas' funeral."

"Losing a brother or friend like Doug is very traumatic. If any of you want
to talk about it, please feel free to get with me, Matt, Tyler or
Dan. Remember we're here for you. Matt and I will be up for a short while,
but since we stayed up all night with Douglas we're rather tired. Go to bed
when you're ready. Does anyone have anything to say?"

Eddie raised his hand.

"Yes Eddie?"

"Uh.... Do I have to go back to Thornton tonight?"

"No Eddie. You're welcome to stay until tomorrow night if you'd like."

Eddie smiled.

"He can stay in my room if he'd like," Ronnie offered.

"I'd like that," Eddie accepted.

"Anything else?" Ron asked.

The room was silent.

"Okay, that's it I guess," concluded Ron. "If Matt and I don't see you
before we go to bed, we'll say `goodnight' now."

The boys got up and scattered, with Eddie joining Ronnie and Jerry.

"I think Dan and I will go home," Tyler announced. "We'd like to go with
you to church tomorrow though."

"Good. We'll wait for you guys to come by, and then all go together.

"Goodnight then," Tyler and Dan said as they stood.

Ron and Matt arose too, exchanging hugs and thanks with the couple they
shared their lives with.

After Tyler and Dan had gone, Matt looked at Ron and said, "I don't know
about you, but I'm exhausted."

"I am too Babe," Ron concurred. "Let's go to our room. I'm ready for a
shower, then bed."

"I hope you don't mind," Matt said as they started toward the elevator,
"but tonight, I'd like to just have you hold me in your arms."

"That's what I'd like too," Ron agreed as they stepped aboard the elevator
and pushed the third floor button.

			*		*		*

The following day the entire family, including Eddie attended church. The
minister gave a sermon on God's love and acceptance of his children into
his heavenly home. Ron had talked to the minister on Saturday evening to
finalize the plans for the Funeral Service and knew that it would be
beautiful. Somehow he felt that the minister had changed his planned sermon
to offer a bit of solace to Ron, Matt and their family.

Upon arrival back home, everyone changed into their casual clothes but
things stayed unusually quiet as everyone seemed to have their minds
elsewhere. Even during lunch, the talk was subdued and polite. Ron, could
not really bring himself to accomplish anything, nor could he really
relax. Matt noticed his partner's dower mood and inquired, but Ron brushed
off his question with a comment that he was okay and not to worry about
him. Of course Matt knew what the problem was, but since he shared in Ron's
grief and had no easy solution in mind, he decided to drop the attempt and
just let time do the healing. Matt could see however that Ron's downcast
demeanor had a negative effect on the boys. Several of them had noticed the
dejected mood of the man they so looked up to, but their attempts to cheer
him up were repulsed in a kind but firm way.  By 4 o'clock Ron and Matt
were in the family room and the atmosphere around the house remained so
oppressive that Matt had just about decided to get away for a few hours to
escape the negative vibes that seemed to revolve around Ron.  Finally in
desperation he made up his mind to go to Tyler and Dan's house where he
hoped that things were better. He was about to announce his decision to Ron
when the phone rang.

"Turner residence," Matt heard Parker announce, the sound coming into the
family room through the open doorway.

"May I ask who's calling?" he asked.

There was a pause as Parker listened to the caller.

"Yes Jack, he's here. Let me see if he's available. I'm sure he'd like to
talk to you. Please hold," Parker said, giving himself an out if Ron
refused to take the call.

Parker stepped into the Family Room.

"I'm not really in the mood to talk to anyone," Ron declared before Parker
even had a chance to speak.

"I really think you'll want to take this call, sir," Parker insisted. "It's
Jack Smith. He has a message through Ted Thornton...from Douglas."

			*	*	*	*	*