Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2006 03:59:20 -0700 (PDT) From: Puer Amore Subject: Forgive me, Jody... PT IX ( Conclusion) Forgive me, Jody (PT IX) (Conclusion) By Barry pueresamo@yahoo.com Disclaimer: This work is one of fiction. Any resemblance of persons or places mentioned in this story to actual persons or places is only slightly more than coincidence. Copyright 2006 Barry. All Rights Reserved. My heart was aching beyond its breaking point and tears were streaming down my cheeks, as I drove home. I couldn't fashion the reason for the treatment I received from Jody. I couldn't touch him, I couldn't embrace him. He wanted no consolation from me what so ever. God, did it hurt to be rejected so completely by my very own little Ganymede. But, Why? I kept asking myself. Then, it hit me. Oh, Dear God....Oh No!.....He's just been raped. He thinks Joe and I know. That's why he reacted as he did when Joe suggested I would no longer want him. I pulled over at the nearest pay phone, and called Joe. Fortunately, the time I had spent in the car, at the police station, trying to pull myself together, had given him time to get home. Joe, it's Barry, I said, when Joe answered the phone. Thank God you called, Barry. I don't know what to do with him. He cried uncontrollably, all the way home. He's still crying. Could you please talk to him? Only you can calm him down....Please! Joe begged. Sure, Joe, put him on the phone. Joe called for Jody to pick up the phone in the other end of the house. He told Jody I was on the phone. Jody picked the extension. Joe hung up. Barry, he sobbed, Please say you still love me, I'm sorry about everything, Please don't reject me now. I'd rather die than have you reject me. Jody, sweetheart, none of it matters....none of it affects my love for you. Of course I still love you, even more for what you're suffering through. I stated. I continued: Jody, my love, none of the charges have any effect on my love for you....and....Jody....whatever might have happened in your cell.....that has no effect on my love for you either. Then, you do know, huh? He replied. It took me a while, but I figured it out, finally. I said. I thought they said that you and Mike were together, but alone in a holding cell? I asked. That's right. He said, still sobbing. You mean....Mike.....Mike hurt you? I asked, in disbelief. Yes. He said. He continued: He said I'd be his bitch for as long as we were in prison together. Oh, God, Barry.....He made me drop my pants and bent me over and...... That's OK, sweetie, I interrupted. You don't need to go into detail right now, OK? I said. Jody.....sweetheart.....this is very important. I started. Is Mike's semen still in you? Yes. He said. OK, then, don't let it out. You're going to have to something more, and it might be embarrassing....but you must do it, for your own sake. Please trust me. OK? I asked. I want your Dad to take you to the emergency room and have them collect Mike's semen from your rectum....OK? Oh God, Barry! He exclaimed. I know, sweetheart, but a few moments of embarrassment might be our ace-in-the-hole in getting the charges against you dropped. Please trust me! I declared. OK. He replied. If you say so, Barry. You know I trust you. Put your Dad back on the phone, sweetheart. I instructed. Jody shouted back across the house for Joe to pick up the phone. He did. Joe, I said, now, please don't go crazy when I tell you this....OK? OK, Barry, what is it. Joe replied. Joe, tonight, in their cell at the police station.....Mike raped Jody. That's why he's inconsolable; he thinks we'll all reject him because of it. I explained. Son of a Bitch! Joe exclaimed. I'll kill Mike for this..... I interrupted: There's time for all that later, Joe, now listen.....I want you to take Jody to the emergency room...RIGHT NOW!.....have them collect Mike's semen from Jody, examine him and file a police report. Oh God! Joe exclaimed. You must do it, Joe. It could help to get the charges dropped against Jody, since the police failed to provide adequate protection for Jody, as a minor. I suggested. I continued: It must be done NOW! Before Jody feels the need for a bowel movement. Please, Joe, there's no time to tarry. I'll meet you, if you want. Where will you take him? Parkland. Joe said. So be it. I'm on my way. I hung up the phone, turned the car around, and headed back in the direction from which I had just come, toward Parkland Hospital. The police station wasn't far from there. I got there first. Soon, Joe's pick up pulled into the emergency parking lot. Jody ran to me and hugged me tightly. Will you stay with me? He begged. If they allow it, sweetheart. I replied. They didn't....but Jody pitched such a fit; they finally agreed to allow me into the examining room. I held his hand and stroked his hair as they placed his feet in the stirrups and spread his legs. His anus has a definite tear. The doctor said to the nurse, who was transcribing everything. There's evidence of forced penetration....traumatized tissue. He continued. The doctor took a small canula, connected it to the vacuum machine and inserted it into Jody's rectum. Jody grimaced, took a breath, and closed his eyes. He squeezed my hand tightly. Out of him, came blood, semen, and some fecal matter. It was all collected in the small jar that was part of the vacuum machine. The doctor withdrew the canula, to Jody's great relief. The doctor then inserted, what looked like an oversized Q-Tip into Jody's rectum to swab out any remaining material. After that, still another penetration...this time, a miniature camera, which allowed the doctor to examine Jody's rectum and descending colon and record the video as evidence. The rectum is heavily bruised. The doctor said, for the nurse to continue writing. Son, the doctor said to Jody, did he use any sort of implement on you? No sir, he just has a very large penis. Probably 9 or 10 inches. Jody replied. Nurse, did you get that? Asked the doctor. Yes, doctor. She replied...it's all on tape, as well. OK, son, the doctor said, we'll be done soon. Jody, we're going to give you an enema to cleanse you out. Then we're going to put a special cream on your anus to help it heal, and stave off any secondary infection. You'll need to cleanse your anus for the next few days with warm water and re-apply the cream to your anus after each bowel movement. Do you understand? The doctor concluded. Yes sir. Jody replied. They completed all that unpleasant business, and finally took Jody out of the stirrups, allowing him to sit up on the edge of the examining table. Jody, the doctor said, there's a police officer just outside the door. We will provide him with a report of our findings, but you will need to tell him, in your own words, who did this to you and just what happened. Can you do that, please? The doctor asked. Yes sir. Jody replied. OK, then. The doctor nodded to the nurse, who ushered in the police detective. I'm sorry this happened to you, Jody. The detective said. He continued: Try not to be nervous, and just tell me, in your own words, who did this to you and precisely what was done to you. Take your time, and if you need to take a break, we can do that...OK? Yes sir. Jody replied. The detective took a small recorder from his pocket and turned it on, holding it like a microphone for Jody. Go ahead, Jody, take your time. The detective said. Joe was in the back corner of the room throughout all of the exam, and now, having to hear Jody explain what had happened in detail. He was seething. He was shaking with fury. I'd never seen him like this. I continued to hold Jody's hand as he described, in horrifying detail, what Mike had done to him. Jody was a soldier about it, though, and walked the detective through every detail of the event. When Jody finished, the detective turned off the recorder and seemed, himself embarrassed and shocked. Son, I'm so sorry that this happened to you, and especially in the very substation where I'm assigned. This sort of thing happens in prisons, and even in County, but not... I'm truly sorry, the detective concluded. The detective turned to me and said: I assume you wish to press charges. I turned to Joe. Hell Yes! Joe replied. In fact, I'd like to come over to the station.... Joe! I interrupted, I know you're upset, but don't make any threats...Please! Your friend is right, sir. The detective said. You'll need to sign here, sir, he told Joe. Joe, promptly, did so. As we walked to Joe's truck, I promised to have my attorney-friend, Don, contact him as quickly as possible. Jody was at my side as we walked. I kept one arm around him the whole time. When we got to the truck, Joe opened the door for Jody. Jody hugged me and gave me a sweet kiss. I'm so glad you still love me, Jody said. I'll always love you, Jody. Never doubt it. Jody took his seat and Joe closed the door. Barry, I'm sure you know Jody is gay, Joe said, as I followed him around the back of the truck and toward the driver side door, and that's fine....he's not shy about it either. If he had voluntarily had sex with Mike, I wouldn't care....but forcibly raping him, makes me so furious, I could kill..... I interrupted: Don't say any more, Joe. I don't ever have to recount, under oath, any such threats, OK? Anyway, Barry, I know Jody would like the two of you to be more than friends. Sam and I are fine with it, if it goes that way. The love between the two of you is like nothing I've ever seen, and I know I'd never have to worry about Jody, if I knew he was with you. I'm certainly NOT against gay sex, in fact, as you probably know, I'm Bi, myself...but Barry, this is rape...it's really freaking me out. Joe concluded. I know, Joe, but you've got to stay cool and calculating. Let the attorney handle it. It might put the police in such an awkward position; they'll drop the charges against Jody. But....you must keep cool...OK? I explained. I will, Joe replied...I will. Thanks, Barry. I'll follow your advice. Joe said. One more thing, Joe. I injected. I wouldn't tell Sam any of this, right away...OK? You're right. She doesn't need to know about it anytime soon. OK, then. Soon as I get home, I'll call my attorney-friend and see if he'll help us. Sometime in the morning, they'll inform you of the capias for Jody.... Capias? Joe asked. Yes, it's an order to appear. We should have a few days to prepare. I responded. Try not to let this get to you, Joe. We'll work our way through it, together. I said. Jody has no prior record, so some accommodation should be afforded him, even if we fail to get the charges dropped. Try not to worry too much. I suggested. Thanks, Barry. I don't know anything about all this legal mumbo jumbo. Joe said. I'm a reporter, Joe. I'm used to following cases from capias to disposition. I don't know that much, but I know a little. I answered. As horrible as this business with Mike is, I suspect it will serve to get all charges dropped against Jody. I think he's suffered enough. I instructed. I continued: I can't promise anything, Joe, but I'll call Don as soon as I get home and get his take on the situation, and on what, I see, as a winning strategy. He'll call you directly, Joe. Let me say my goodbyes to Jody, and you can be on your way. I said. I walked around to Jody's door, opened it, and looked him in the eyes....those beautiful, brown, sparkling "Jody-Eyes"...saying: You did Great! Sweetheart! You were very brave. I love you, Jody. I love you more every minute, every heartbeat, every breath you draw. Nothing will ever change that, I swear it! I exclaimed. He put his arms around my neck, and kissed me. Thank God! He replied. I couldn't live without you, Barry, and I thought, for sure, I had lost you. That will never happen, Sweetie, don't even allow that thought to cross your mind. I declared. He smiled that "Jody-Smile" and I knew all was well. Don agreed with my strategy to get the charges dropped and even embellished it to include a civil suit against the police for failing to protect Jody, while he was in their custody. He also figured to arrange a meeting with Mike's attorney to explain that, if Mike didn't wouldn't sign a statement to the effect that Jody was a bystander and had nothing to do with any of it, that word might make it to the "right people" within the prison system, that Mike had raped a minor boy. Don also decided to make use of me to serve as the family friend, who happens to be a reporter and could write articles about what happened to a certain "John Doe" in the North Dallas police substation....a friend who was also present, first hand, for that same "John Doe's" examination at Parkland. While it all sounded simple, and straightforward, when Don explained it to Joe and me, in reality, it took months. Meetings with the D.A., meetings with Mike's attorney, subpoena of the recordings of Jody's examination, sworn statements...etc. In the meantime, Jody continued to remain restricted to Dallas County. I would visit on weekends, and Jody and I kept the phone lines hot like a couple of schoolgirls. Jody explained to me, one evening, over the phone, that Gary was clamoring to come stay with me until Jody was able, once more, to leave Dallas County. He said they had argued over it several times and it had nearly escalated into a fight on, at least, a couple of occasions. Jody wanted no part of the idea that Gary would spend even one night alone with me. I reassured him that I was not wild about the idea either, except that it might serve to separate the two of them and help keep the peace, until Jody was free to come home to me. I reassured Jody that there was no need to be jealous. I had no interest in Gary, sexually, and was certain Gary had no sexual interests in me. It didn't seem to serve as any consolation to Jody.....He was having none of it. He didn't want Gary anywhere near me. Gary had gone all these weeks, since our Thanksgiving chat, true to his word. He had not become physical with Jody at all. I was grateful for that, and trusted that Gary would continue to behave as he thought would please me. I explained to Jody that he should concentrate on inventing our special ritual...our ceremony, and that what had happened with Mike didn't count for anything, and that we can still plan, as we had, so often, discussed, for his Ganymede to, voluntarily, surrender to my Zeus. He, once more, became excited about our special ceremony. So did I. I talked to Gary and asked him to please continue to be kind and understanding and patient with Jody, especially in light of what he had just been through. He promised me that he would. At this same time, I got word from my mother that my father, a volunteer fireman and paramedic with my hometown Fire Dept. had suffered from breathing "super-heated" air during the rescue of two small children from a burning house. The house was fully involved when they rolled up on it, and my Dad, didn't take time to put on his breathing apparatus, before entering the house. He got the two kids out, bringing them out of the house, tucked under his coat, then, he, himself, collapsed on the lawn. He was at home convalescing. I decided, since I hadn't had a serious vacation in all the time I'd been in journalism school, I'd take some long-overdue time off and spend a few days on vacation in the glorious hills of West Virginia. I told Jody about my Dad and he agreed I should go see bout him. I explained to Jody that my Dad was my ideal. Manly, in every way, built like Charles Atlas...lugging fire hoses and such around will do that for you...and, simultaneously, gentle as a lamb, with a heart filled with love, a jolly personality, and a hearty, contagious laugh. There was no one I could compare him to, he was unique. All my High School friends would tell me, frequently, how they wished he was their Dad. I figured that was about the highest compliment of all. So, I made my reservations with the airline, went to see Jody, the night before and spent most of the evening with him in my arms. I spent time, too, telling Gary how grateful I was that, true to his promise, he was not taunting Jody in any way. I promised him we'd sort things out when I returned. He seemed satisfied. I told Jody that, with a little luck, Don would have concluded everything during the week I would be away, and he's be a free man by the time I got back. I never dreamed that while I would be gone.... Sir...Sir? Are you OK? A strange voice said. I was back in the plane. A flight attendant had noticed tears, running down my cheeks, and had jolted me back into reality, bringing me a package of disposable tissues. Oh! I said, I'm sorry. My allergies must be acting up. I lied. She smiled, and went back about her business. Soon, we were on the ground at DFW airport. As quickly as I could get off the plane, I rushed to a nearby bank of pay phones and called Joe to see if Don had made any headway with Gary's murder case. He had, indeed. The charges had been dropped for lack of evidence. All the witnesses insisted that the whole tragic thing had been an accident. With no one to say otherwise, they had no case. Don had prevailed again. Gary had been released this morning, even while I was on my flight. My dear friend, Steve, picked me up at the airport, as he had dropped me off a week earlier. He seemed somber, knowing my mental state had to be one of severe depression. Thanks, Steve. I said, as I threw my bags in the back seat and got into the passenger seat with Steve in the front. You OK, Barry? Steve asked. No, Steve, I'm really not......look at the lives I've ruined. I proclaimed. You ruined? He retorted. Absolutely, I said. If I'd never gone to that picnic, Jody would never have met me, he would never have hooked back up with Mike, who ultimately raped him, he and Gary would never have fought.....I'm sure the fight, that resulted in the gunshot, was over me....even though Joe refuses to tell me what they fought over. Then, there's Joe, who has now lost his son and will be without him for the rest of his life.....Gary's life is ruined, Joe will never accept him now. Joe says that Gary plans to go to Florida and see if the Carney will take him back. Sam has had a complete mental breakdown over Jody's death..... Jody.....Dear God....Jody is dead. I'll never see his big "Jody-Smile" again.....nor will anyone else. ALL BECAUSE I CAME INTO THEIR LIVES! I exclaimed. Barry, Steve said, you mustn't blame yourself for this. It's not your fault. The Hell it's not! I replied. It's all precisely the result of my decision to go to the picnic, then, to sit with Joe and his family. If Jody had never met me, he'd still be alive. He'd never have been raped.....this whole damned thing would never have happened. I insisted. It's just fate, Barry, Steve replied. It's nothing you could have possibly anticipated. The result is the same, Steve. All these lives are destroyed because of me, just because I entered their lives. Steve went silent, knowing he could not make me feel better, not anytime soon. I'm sorry, Steve. I said, as he dropped me at the apartment. Why don't I meet you at Trey this evening around 7PM? I'll buy us dinner in return for you playing taxi and we'll have a few drinks...OK? See you there! Steve said, as he drove away. I walked into the apartment and looked around. It was empty, it was cold, it was sad, it missed the vibrant life that Jody had breathed into it. I stood there for a moment, reeling. My beautiful Jody was gone. His glorious presence would never illuminate my home, my life, my heart, my soul, again. God! I had no will to live. For those of us who believe that death only separates us physically but that we can still speak to our departed and have them understand, those know why I spoke to Jody, my Jody, my little Ganymede, constantly after his death. I begged that he might forgive me. Aloud I said: Please, my little Ganymede, Forgive me that the intersection of our lives has cost you yours. I failed you completely, and you paid the price. If you ever send me another to care for, sweet Jody, perhaps I can make it up to him....I'll get it right next time. I carried my bags to the bedroom to unpack. Oh God! I exclaimed. There it was on the dresser, just where Jody had placed it. "Together is the Nicest Way to Be" Oh God! I repeated. Our picture, our essences. He's still with me! I exclaimed I ran to it and held it to my breast, to my heart. Thank you, my Jody, my Ganymede. I Love You! I swear it, now and always. It didn't take long for my precious Ganymede to answer my request. The very next Monday, as I checked the police blotter, which was part of my duties, I came across a police report......unbelievable, on its face: Let's see....unconscious on lawn....garden gnome.....broken jaw.....David.....Parkland. Huh! I thought. I never knew anyone who got his jaw broken by a garden gnome. I'll drop by Parkland later and see what the real story is. My Jody, my Ganymede, remained active in my heart, my mind, my life as you can read in my stories: "The Ice Storm" and "Visit from David" (Already posted on Nifty.) Thank You! For reading my work. Barry