Date: Mon, 21 Nov 2005 14:03:54 EST
From: Jetjt@aol.com
Subject: Empire Chapter 46

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


				  EMPIRE

			     Chapter Forty-six

Saturday, 1:40 PM, Lake Mead, Ron's houseboat

Carl panicked when he saw the blood seeping under the head's doorway. He
turned running to the main deck's pilot station and grabbed the telephone
intercom connected to the upper pilothouse. Pressing the call signal he
shouted into the mouthpiece.

"Dad!  David locked himself in the bathroom down here, he won't answer and
there's blood coming out under the door!"

Grabbing the phone off the hook, Ron responded. "We'll be right there!"

Reaching across Tyler who was steering the two-story houseboat, Ron pulled
the throttles back, and ordered, "Matt watch the boat! Tyler come with me!"

The two men tore to the winding stairway that led from the observation
lounge to the main lounge below, then grabbing the center pole, rushed down
through the opening between decks. On arriving in the main lounge, Ron saw
Carl pounding on the head's door calling David's name.

"Stand aside," Ron ordered as he rushed to his son's side. Reaching up over
the doorway trim, Ron searched for the small metal device that was supposed
to be there which would open the lock from the outside.  It was not
there. Cursing, he dashed to the second head's entry and repeated the
search. Finding the metal key device fastened above the door trim, he
pulled it away from its Velcro mounting and rushed back to the locked door,
inserting it into the small hole in the knob. He felt the lock click,
disengaging as he turned the knob, pushing the door inward. The door opened
about 8 inches before it was stopped by on obstruction.

"Tyler," Ron shouted. "There's something blocking the door! See if you can
reach around and clear the opening!"

Tyler quickly replaced Ron at the doorway, and reached through the 8-inch
crack and behind the door with his muscular arm. He felt the body on the
floor, blocking the path of the door swing. Grasping David's arm he lifted
and rolled David's body on its side then slid it sideways across the
slippery floor toward the toilet. He was afraid that David's head might be
near the hinges trapping it between the door and the wall, preventing the
door from opening. Once the opening had been enlarged, Tyler squeezed his
body through the opening that was barely over a foot wide. Once inside, he
picked up the crumpled body to a vertical position and shouted for Ron to
open the door that had again closed. The door swung open and Tyler carried
the unconscious form quickly into the main lounge, and carefully laid David
down on the compact kitchen's floor that was coated with cushioned sheet
vinyl.  Looking for the source of blood he saw a wound on David's wrist
with blood still gushing from it. Applying pressure above the wound, he
shouted for something to make a tourniquet.

Grabbing a kitchen knife from a drawer, Ron ran out the rear sliding door
to the deck, opened the storage locker and quickly cut a length of ski rope
that was coiled inside. Tying the ends together as he rushed back inside,
he grabbed a large spoon from the still opened drawer before handing it and
the rope to his brother.

"Call for help!" Tyler ordered as he began to wind the handle of the spoon
through the rope, twisting the line until its loop closed in on David's
arm, cutting off the flow of blood to the wound.

Ron rushed to the pilot's station grabbing his cellular phone. Finding the
number he was searching for, he press the send button.

"Butch!" Ron excitedly yelled as the call was answered, "Are you near
McCarran?"

"No, we're in the air over North Las Vegas," Butch loudly replied over the
noise of the helicopter.

"We're on Lake Mead near Callville Bay; we need immediate medical attention
and evacuation. David has slit his wrists and has lost a lot of blood."

"We were headed to an auto wreck evacuation mission near Mesquite," Butch
yelled as he veered the craft eastward toward the lake. "The mission was
cancelled and the patients are being flown to Las Vegas by a fixed wing
craft out of Mesquite's airport. We should be there in less than ten
minutes with the medics."

"Do you want us to beach the houseboat?" Ron shouted back.

"If you can find a landing spot for the chopper, beach the boat. If not,
we'll take him off by basket and winch."

"How's David?" Butch yelled into the mouthpiece.

"Pale as a ghost and unconscious," Ron reported. "Tyler has a tourniquet on
his arm."

"We'll be there shortly," Butch affirmed. "Get the boat where it needs to
be, but stay on the cell phone so you can guide us in."

"Okay. Hold on," responded Ron as he lay the phone down and lifted the
receiver to the intercom, then pushed the switch to the upper
pilothouse. "Matt" he called. "Press the red lighted button at the base of
the throttles!"

He heard the receiver being picked up and Matt say, "The red light's off."

"Thanks Babe, I'll take it from here."

Pushing the throttles forward, and turning the wheel, he swung the large
craft toward the nearest shoreline, opening the throttles fully once he'd
completed the turn. From his position, he could see a sandbar knob ahead
sticking out into the water just a few feet above the water line. Grabbing
the cell phone again, he shouted, "Butch, there's a sandbar sticking out of
the water nearby, we'll land there."

"I read you," Butch confirmed. "Keep your eye peeled for us, we should be
there in two or three minutes."

"I see you," Ron said looking out the sliding glass door next to the pilot
station. "We're off to your right, about three or four miles ahead of you
at the 1 o'clock position."

"I see the houseboat," reported the chopper pilot. "I see the sandbar
too. It's perfect for landing."

"We'll be there," Ron promised. "Bye."

Ron concentrated on piloting the boat as Matt appeared at his side.

Dan is keeping the boys up top, Matt reported. "What happened?"  "David
slit his wrists. I hope we got him in time. Butch is meeting us with the
chopper on that sandbar ahead," Ron pointed out. "We're just damned lucky
that Butch has an entire paramedic team aboard."

The large boat moved near to the sandbar and Ron cut the throttles, nosing
the prow of the boat onto the sand. He kept the engines running and in gear
at idle speed to keep the nose firmly stuck in the beach. Overhead, the RET
helicopter began its descent to the spit of sand, throwing up dirt and dust
into the air. As the wheels of the aircraft touched the ground, two
paramedics opened the side door, grabbed their equipment, then turned and
began sprinting to the front of the houseboat 30 feet away.

Matt ran out the front sliding door and opened the metal gate at the center
of the prow. Lowering the metal steps from their raised position poking
above the rail line, the base of the steps sank their pads into the sand,
ready for the rescuers.

The two paramedics climbed aboard with Matt standing aside, but steadying
them as they climbed the railless stairs onto the front deck.

"Straight back," Matt directed as soon as the first one was firmly
aboard. He helped the second aboard, then followed the pair toward the
kitchen where Carl stood with Nathan who had entered from the rear. Tyler
began to stand, moving out of the men's way, but kept his hand on the
tourniquet.

"Carl, Nathan, Matt!" Ron commanded. "I need you."

The trio stepped reluctantly away from where the paramedics knelt beside
David, joining Ron at the pilot station.

"Matt would you stand here at the wheel? If the boat's stern starts to
swing, turn the wheel to keep it straight out. The boys and I will put out
the anchors. When we're secure, we'll signal you and you can turn off the
key, killing the engines."

"Will do Babe," Matt said taking Ron's position.

"Come on boys, we have a little work to do," Ron said stepping out of the
cabin onto the front deck. "Nathan, take the center anchor and line out
about 20 feet in front of the boat, then bury the points of the anchor in
the sand. I'll pull it tight from here and tie it off." Nathan grabbed the
line and stepped through the rail gate.

"Carl, take this anchor and line that's attached to the stern and go off to
the left about 40 feet and bury the points in the sand. You'll have to pull
the line taut from there and tie it off since it's attached to the stern of
the boat, not up here. Don't pull too hard or you'll swing the stern toward
you."

"Yes sir," Carl said taking the line and anchor that Ron handed him.

Ron, seeing that Nathan had set the anchor, waved him in as he pulled the
line tight and tied it to a cleat. Nathan returned as he was finishing, and
he repeated the instructions he'd given to Carl, pointing off to the right
where he wanted the anchor placed. When the boys had the boat secured, he
motioned to Matt to cut the engines.

The boat became only marginally quieter without the engines running,
because the blades of the chopper and its jet engines still whirred and
whined nearby. The security boat pulled up beside the houseboat and
beached. A security officer ran to the houseboat where Ron filled him in on
the events that had just transpired.

"Is their anything I can do?" the security man said.

"Just stand by, I may need you to go with me back to the dock."

"Yes sir," the man said climbing aboard and sitting down on a deck
chair. "Stay here, Ron ordered. "I'll go in to see what's what."

Ron joined the crowd that circled the paramedics and their patient.

"What's happening?" Ron asked Tyler who was covered with blood.

"They're getting David ready to move," reported Tyler. "They're giving him
a saline solution to give him some blood volume and will administer plasma
in the chopper. There's a full house in the chopper, so if we want to join
him at the hospital we'll have to go by water."

"I was afraid of that," Ron said. "Matt and I will go back to the marina
with one of the security guys in our runabout. He can bring the boat back
after we've landed. We'll have Butch bring us back from Las Vegas in the
chopper once we know that David is stabilized. It may be in the morning
however, so I'd suggest that you move the houseboat over to that sheltered
cove for the night. Nathan and Carl know how to secure it."

"I want go with you," Carl begged.

"Alright son," Ron said making up his mind instantly. "Sorry Tyler, you've
got one less helper."

"Not a problem Bro, Nathan can direct the other slaves," said Tyler in an
effort to lighten things.

"Grab what you need, Matt," Ron said to his lover who had just arrived from
the pilot's station. "Tyler and Dan are going to take care of the troops
until we get back."

Matt moved quickly to the Master's Cabin and grabbed his wallet and pocket
contents which he'd unloaded earlier, and stuck them back into the pockets
of his shorts. He then rejoined Ron, Carl and the security man who had
moved to the rear of the houseboat, pulling the still tethered runabout
alongside and tying it off to the rear deck. He asked the security man to
notify his partner about the plan that Ron had ordered then rejoin them for
the trip to the marina. The security man hurried to the front of the boat,
climbed down the steps and went over to the security boat to talk to his
partner. In the meantime, Ron dialed Butch's cell phone and asked him to
radio another chopper to meet him and Matt at the Callville Bay Marina. He
asked Butch to return the paramedics back to McCarran after delivering
David to the ER, and promised to keep Butch informed, explaining that they
might possibly need to stay overnight in town. He also asked that Butch be
prepared for when he would be called sometime later to ferry the trio back
to the lake from the hospital. Ron went back inside and talked to Tyler
briefly before the security man rejoined him and they all moved to the
runabout, as David's still unconscious body was placed in a basket carrier
and moved to the helicopter.

The runabout was a half-mile off shore heading at full speed toward the
marina when Ron turned his head and saw the helicopter lift off of the sand
spit. A short minute later it passed overhead beginning its climb to
altitude as it shot forward toward town and the UMC emergency room.

25 minutes later, the small boat pulled to the dock at the Callville
Marina. Without tying up, Ron, Matt and Carl jumped out of the boat onto
the dock, and then pushed the runabout away so the security officer could
return to the houseboat's location. The three men began walking quickly up
the dock toward the helipad that was located near the marina's main
facilities building about 400 yards up the hill from the dock. Arriving
winded, they rested until ten minutes later, the trio saw a helicopter
appear over the mountains to the west, heading toward their location. When
the aircraft landed, Ron approached the now cracked-open door next to the
pilot's seat and confirmed that the chopper was the one Butch had
ordered. Waving to Matt and Carl to join him, Ron opened the rear door and
climbed aboard, slipping on a headset after securing the seatbelt. He
confirmed their destination with the pilot over the headset as Matt and
Carl climbed aboard and secured themselves in. Reaching across to make sure
the door was properly locked, Ron tapped the pilot on the shoulder,
indicating that they were ready.  A moment later, the rotors began to spin
faster then cut into the air, lifting the craft off the ground and toward
the roof mounted helipad at the UMC hospital.

				* * *

40 minutes later, UMC Emergency Room

Ron, Matt and Tyler stepped off the elevator from the roof and saw Paul
McInerny, the hospital's Administrator waiting. Ron had called his friend
on the way in to make sure that David would be admitted without delay. Now
the man smiled grimly as the trio approached.

"This is getting to be a habit," Paul said still smiling as he shook the
three men's hands.

"You're right about that Paul," Ron said. "This is our son Carl, who you
might have met at my birthday party."

"Yes, I remember you," Paul said warmly.

"Thank you sir," Carl replied. "How's David?"

"They're working on him," came the response. "He's alive, but as of a few
minutes ago was still unconscious. It looks like he arrived in the nick of
time and I'm told he'll recover quickly once he gets some more blood in him
and they reconnect the blood vessels. They're doing that now. It may take a
little time though, so we might as well adjourn to the VIP lounge, where
the attending physician has been directed to find us."

"Thanks Paul," Ron replied with sincerity. "You've come to the rescue
again. Do I need to sign anything?"

"If you'd go over the admitting desk, the papers are ready. I presume that
you're not legally responsible for the patient, but that's never stopped
you before," he said with a laugh. "I'm not aware of any bills not being
paid regardless."

"You know we'll take care of it," Ron said.

"Of course, but if you didn't we'd just write it off to good will after all
the tens of millions of dollars you've given to this facility, not to
mention the operational help."

"That won't be necessary," Ron assured his friend. "We've got to keep this
place in the black."

"Well, our years of deficit spending stopped with the addition of the
Turner wing," the administrator responded as he held open the door to the
VIP lounge for the three men before continuing. "Our bottom line has
improved too with your consulting help in spite of rising costs and holding
down the charges for treatment. We are now the least expensive major
hospital in the valley for treatment and we do that with 20% of our cases
being indigents that can't pay."

"I'm sure that the County's contributions and the Investment Trust from
Turner Trusts covers much of that," Matt offered.

"Yes. With your help in managing the assets of the Trust Matt, its proceeds
are one of the few things in this town that have increased faster than
medical costs."

"We're always glad to help," Matt said smiling at his partner.

"Help yourself to some refreshments," Paul offered, indicating the snack
and juice bar. "I'll go check on the progress."

"Thanks Paul, it's really appreciated. While you're there I'll go sign the
papers," Ron declared.

Ron left with Paul, signed the papers and returned to the VIP waiting
room. On entering the room he saw Matt sitting on a sofa reading a
newspaper and Carl sitting at the table with his head buried in his
hands. Carl, who was looking haggard due to the stress of the day, raised
his head from his hands.

"Can I talk to you guys?" Carl asked, seeing that Ron had returned.

"Of course son," Matt said kindly as he and Ron joined Carl at the table,
giving him all their attention.

"I have something to tell you that will shock you."

"Well, you've given us warning," responded Ron. "You know we're pretty
forgiving and not judgmental. Fire away."

"Um^Å." Carl said with hesitation. "I^Å.um^Å. I think I'm in love with
David."

The faces of Ron and Matt showed their surprise at the revelation.

"What about Nathan?" Matt asked.

"I love Nathan," Carl answered, "and he loves me, but neither one of us are
in love with the other. I didn't plan it this way, it just happened."

"Does David know how you feel?" Ron inquired. "If so you both are excellent
actors."

"I don't think so," replied their son. "I get vibes that he really cares
for me, but for some reason there's a wall there that I haven't been able
to get through."

"Well, you know that it's your life," Matt said. "We can't live it for
you. We can only ask that you be as kind to Nathan as you can in letting
him down."

"Oh, we've talked about it. I think I'm more upset than he is. He's a great
guy but really quite guarded. I think he looks at sex much more as a casual
thing than I do."

"I think that's probably true," Matt replied. "Just know that we love you
in whatever you decide and will always be at your back."

"You have no idea what that means to me," Carl said with a tear in his
eye. "Do you think that David will be alright?"

"I feel sure of it," Ron said, "but we'll just have to wait and see."

10 minutes later Paul returned. Seeing the three guys sitting at the table
he grabbed a soft drink from the refrigerator on the way as he joined them.

"He's out of surgery," Paul told them, "and in the recovery room. He hasn't
become conscious yet, but his vital signs are good and we've topped off his
tank with blood, so I don't expect any problems. The recovery team is with
him and the Doctor is nearby in case there are any problems. It looks like
we'll keep him overnight, but I doubt he'll need to stay longer for medical
reasons. I really don't understand what young people think when they try to
commit suicide though. It's so pointless. I'm sure he'll need some
psychological counseling."

The three men smiled at the good news, then turned pensive at the
Administrator's recommendation.

"I have a suspicion about what caused his attempt," Ron said, as he thought
about the circumstances surrounding David's attempt to end his life. "I
need to talk to him first though before I know for sure. Before it happened
I could see that he was troubled but I had no idea he'd make such a drastic
move. Never fear though, we'll see that he gets all the help he needs."

"I've left word to notify you as soon as he gets out of recovery. I'm sure
he won't have to go into the ICU. Well, I'll get back to my desk. I came in
today to do some catch-up work and so far haven't accomplished much."

"Thanks to us," Matt interjected.

"You guys are friends, and friends of this hospital. I know of no outsiders
who have done more. I consider it time well spent."

"Could a friend ask a favor?" Carl asked.

"Sure Carl," Paul replied kindly.

"Could I stay with him in his room tonight?"

"I'm sure it could be arranged as long as the Doctor sees no harm in it,"
the Administrator said with assurance.

"Thanks Paul. We appreciate your help and likewise, you know you can always
count on us," Ron concluded. "Now shoo, you have work to get done." He
winked.

Another 30 minutes passed until the door again opened. A nurse in a
surgical gown entered and asked, "Mr. Turner?"

"That's me," Ron said smiling, rising to meet her.

"Mr. McInerny asked that I inform you when David ben Sharif was out of
recovery. He's regained consciousness, though a bit woozy.  He's being
transferred as we speak to room 316 of the Turner^Å wing. Are you that
Turner?"

Ron laughed.

"Guilty as charged," Ron said still smiling, "though Matt here handles all
our charity work."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all, gentlemen. I'm sorry for being so rude,
my name is Melony Atkins."

"Well, thanks for the information, Nurse Atkins, We appreciate it."

"My pleasure. I'd better get going. Have a good day."

"It's going to be a lot better now," Ron commented. "Goodbye."

Carl's huge smile verified the sentiment.

The nurse headed for the doorway, followed by Ron who in turn was trailed
closely by Carl, with Matt bringing up the rear. The three men walked
briskly toward the elevator of the Turner Wing, and Carl, who had rushed
ahead, already pushed the call button before Ron and Matt, who now walked
side-by-side, arrived.

It only took them three minutes to make it to the outside of David's
room. Carl still led the parade as he pushed the closed door inward, being
the first to see the reclining body of his hoped-for love.

"Hi David," Carl said with a sympathetic smile as he walked to the bedside.

"We're glad you're going to be okay," Ron said without even a hint of
accusation.

"Yes we all are," Matt seconded.

David, at first stared blankly at the ceiling. Finally, without changing
his stare upward said, "Why couldn't you just let me die?"

"David, there's only one good reason for deciding to offer up your life,"
Ron responded to the query. "That reason is to save the life of someone you
love, when it's either you or him that has to die."

"What about soldiers?" David said after thinking about what Ron said.

"Soldiers don't go to war to die. They accept the chance that they might
lose their lives in service to their country, but virtually all of them at
least hope that they'll return home safely."

"Then what about martyrs?  There were a lot of your Christian martyrs in
the times of ancient Rome."

"Yes, but you didn't find them lining up outside the Coliseum as
volunteers," Ron observed. "They wanted to live, but they were forced into
either recanting their faith or dying. That's quite different than
voluntarily taking their own lives."

"What about the Islamic martyrs that gave up their lives at the World Trade
Center?"

"They weren't martyrs except in the twisted minds of a few radical Islamic
extremists! They were terrorists, pure and simple!  They are the pigs of
mankind!" Ron said sharply. "Taking the life of innocent victims is a crime
in every religion! Why would God create us, just to have us kill each
other? That kind of thinking is barbaric and uncivilized! God, or Allah, if
you prefer, can take us when he chooses. It is not up to us to choose when
we go, and it sure as hell is not up to us to decide that innocents should
go in the name of God. I'm sorry David, but that kind of thinking violates
every principal a civilized man believes in."

"I was pretty sure you felt that way," David admitted.

"Killing yourself is an act of cowardice," Ron said blatantly. "It hurts
those you love the most. I know you are not a coward David. I know you well
enough to be convinced that you are a good man, and have a good heart, not
one of evil. Matt and I love you like a son. We're not wrong! I want you to
think about what I've said."

Ron paused before continuing.

"I'm sorry if I came on too strongly, but David, son, you've got too much
to offer the world to throw it all away. Matt and I are going to leave now
for a while. We want to leave you two alone to talk. We're upset at what
you tried to do, but we're not mad at you. We love you and want you to
share your life with us. Come on Matt," he said turning toward the
door. "We'll come back in an hour."

Matt followed Ron out the door. Carl pulled up a seat next to David's bed,
then took his hand.

"I love you too David," Carl said softy. "I want you to share your life
with me and I'll share mine with you."

"I^Å I'm not sure I understand what you're saying," David said
questioningly.

"Yes you do, but if not I'll show you," Carl contradicted as he stood,
leaned over the bed and placed a soft kiss on David's lips.

		* * *

An hour later

Matt knocked on the door before pushing it to enter David's room.

"Feeling better?" Ron asked with a twinkle in his eye as they crossed the
room and stood at David's bedside.

"Much," David smiled. "I feel like a new man."

"Yeah," Carl agreed. "A new man in love!"

David blushed as both Matt and Ron beamed.

"Congratulations!" they both exclaimed.

"You knew what Carl^Å." David began asking in surprise.

"We guessed," Matt interrupted. "We're very happy for you both."

"I suppose you'll want to move in," Ron said gruffly, then grinned.

"Of course!" Carl accepted for David, grinning even bigger.

"I^Åuh^ÅI^Å. We haven't even talked about it!" David stammered.

"Well know that the invitation is there," Matt said. "Ron and I have
already talked about it. We were going to ask you even if you and Carl had
not become boyfriends."

"Boyfriends?" David said shaking his head at the thought. "We're
boyfriends?"

"Duh!" Carl said with a huge smile. "Mine forever."

The reflection of light off the white of David's teeth showing through his
smile could have lit the room. For a moment no one said a word, then
suddenly David's smile faded.

"Ron, could I talk to you alone for a few minutes?"

"Of course David," he answered.

"Guys," Ron asked Matt and Carl, "would you excuse us?"

"Can't I stay?" Carl asked. "We're in this together."

"I'm sorry love," David replied, "This is something I have to do alone. I
don't want you mixed up in it. When it's over we'll talk, I promise."

"Alright," Carl conceded. "I love you and I trust you."

He stood, then he and Matt exited the room, committing to return in about
30 minutes. They headed for the cafeteria where Matt would offer to buy
Carl dinner in preparation for his all night vigil.

Meantime in David's room, Ron took the chair that had previously been
occupied by Carl.

"What I'm going to tell you," David began, "is going to make you hate me. I
really don't want to tell you because I've come to value you all and care
about your opinions about me, but I just can't live with the way I feel
anymore."

"I understand David," Ron said with sincerity. "Believe me, I won't hate
you. You don't hate the ones you love; you only hate sometimes what they
do."

David was silent, trying to think of how to tell his secret to this
wonderful man. Finally he just decided to lay it all out on the line.

"I'm an Al Quaida operative," he blurted out.

"I was pretty sure of it," Ron said to David's shock. "We still love you
though."

"But we're here to blow up the Stratosphere Tower on New Year's Eve," Carl
argued in desperation to explain the extent of his revelation.

"That doesn't really surprise me," Ron replied calmly, but with a look of
sadness. "I can see why you had torn loyalties though. If you'd been
successful, we'd have all died."

"I^ÅI^Åcouldn't do it," David said his eyes filling with tears. "That's why
I tried to kill myself. I didn't want to betray my people, but I couldn't
be part of your deaths!" he blubbered.

"David, they aren't your people any more," Ron assured the young
man. "We're your people. You have to believe that. I know there is hardship
in the Middle East, but the people in this country don't want to conquer
your former land or even to make the lives of the people there more
difficult. We only want peace. America is the melting pot of the
world. People of all races, beliefs and nationalities have learned to live
together. It hasn't been easy and many times we've done poorly, but we know
it can be done. If it can be done here, it can be done everywhere, but it
can't be done based on hate."

"But the Zionists want to take over," argued David.

"I'm sure that some do," Ron agreed, "but they aren't the majority. Most
Israelis just want peace and a homeland. That's no different than what most
of the peoples in your former country want. The way to peace is compromise
and acceptance of the other guy, not war, and certainly not terror."

"I just don't know," David said shaking his head.

"Old hatreds die hard," Ron philosophized. "But we believe in the same
God. We call him a different name, and we view him differently, even
amongst Christians, but it's the same God. We believe that God is
love. Every religion, even those that don't believe in the God Christians
and Muslims have in common, have one universal belief: `Do unto others as
you'd have them do unto you'."

"I can see what you're saying and I want to believe it," David conceded.

"David," Ron said changing the subject, "we have to stop this
bombing. Surely you can see that now."

"Yes, I can. That's mostly why I'm telling you all of this."

"We'll need your help," Ron stated.

"I^Å I^Å.don't know if I can," stammered David, sniffing. "If I do I know
they'll kill me."

"We won't let that happen," Ron promised. "We'll protect you and even give
you a brand new life where they'll never find you, if that's what you
want."

"I suppose I haven't much choice but to help," David reasoned. "They'd kill
me just for telling you, and I've already done that."

"If you help us, I'll get a commitment for amnesty too. You'll be free from
all charges."

"I'll do it," decided the young man, gritting his teeth. "I may regret it,
but I'll do it."

"Thanks David, but I disagree. I think you'll find that once it's over,
you'll never regret it. You can look forward to a happy life with Carl who
loves you."

"What will he think?" David asked, again full of worry.

"Don't have doubts, especially about Carl," counseled Ron. "I believe that
love conquers all. For now, I wouldn't tell him or anyone else except for
us four adults and even that I'd keep to a minimum. We need a plan. . I'll
talk to Carl when he and Matt return. Don't worry about his trying to get
you to reveal anything."

"Thank you Ron. I thought there was no way out except death. Now I can see
light."

Ron smiled.

"I think you're very brave," Ron said revealing his admiration, "very brave
and a man with a good heart. I'll be proud to have you as a son."

Before they realized it, there was a tap on the door.

"Come in," Ron beckoned.

"You guys done talking yet?" Matt asked.

"Yes we are," answered Ron. "Matt would you stay here with David for a few
minutes?  I need to talk to Carl."

"Sure, go ahead."

With a wave, Ron opened the door and ushered Carl to the vacant visitor's
lounge.

"Carl, do you trust me?"

"I'd trust you with my life," Carl replied.

"Thanks son. I'd trust you with mine too.  I need you to trust me about
something else though."

"Okay, you know I will if you ask," assured Carl.

"For now I don't want you to ask David about what he and I just talked
about, or about his attempted suicide. Will you do that?"

"I will if you want me too," the younger man agreed but with curiosity
showing.

"Just act like neither event ever happened. You'll be told all in a few
weeks. In the meantime, make sure that you show David that you love him. Be
supportive. He's going through a rough time, and just your love and your
faith in him will do more for him than anything else could."

"I promise," Carl said.

"Okay," a smile appeared on Ron's face. "Let's go back in. Matt and I need
to go home and get some rest. We'll all go back to the Lake in the
morning. David will be fine as long as he doesn't get his arm wet."

"Whatever you decide Dad," Carl grinned.

Later, Ron and Matt's home.

Not wanting to disturb anyone at the house, Ron had called a taxi for his
and Matt's trip home. After arriving and paying off the cabbie, the couple
crossed the bridge to the front doors and entered the luxurious mansion.

"You know," Ron recounted, "It's been nearly a year since you and I have
spent the night here alone.

"Does that suggest anything to you?" Matt asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Yeah, it does," Ron replied back with a leer, as he started to remove his
shirt walking toward the elevator leading to their suite.

	*	*	*	*	*