Date: Tue, 30 May 2006 12:59:53 -0700 (PDT) From: T. Chase McPhee Subject: Nature country 10 The story below is a work of fiction, set in the format of reality. Any resemblance to real people is entirely coincidental in nature. It is not meant to accurately reflect upon persons in towns, cities, or governmental areas, in which the story is staged. If a sexual scene involving male-to-male relationships offends you, then you should not read this story. Additionally, if you are under 18 years of age, in most state and countries, you are not allowed to read this story by law. Check with your local laws regarding such. Sexual safety matters. This is fiction. Use protection in real life. `Got condom?' "Nature Country" 10 wriTten by T. Chase McPhee % A hand slid across the tight, blond trail, sliding over stomach, then flopping to his side. It took more effort, to fall to the side of the hospital bed, onto a bare forearm. "Huh?" Came the sleepy reply. Alonzo woke up out of the hunchback position, at first not recollecting his thoughts. "You're awake!" Came the cognitive response. Realizing Callan's eyes opened, his twenty-five year old partner jumps to his feet, taking the hand that has awakened him. "Ooooooh Callan, how I've missed you," Alonzo greets his partner. Bending over the hospital bed, Alonzo's lips touch Callan's lightly haired chest, giving it a kiss as he slips his arms under him, hugging him. "I... I missed you... too...." The first set of words, the first heard in the past twenty-four hours, causes Alonzo to break the hold he has on his lover. At first he stares, then reacts, moving in for an affectionate kiss. "You don't know how glad I am, to... to..." "Yes, I do," Callan replies, just staring. Their gazes tell it all, more than words can punctuate their love for each other. % "More bacon there, Seth?" Gary asks. "You betcha and you got more of them eggs?" Gary, Mike and Zach all smile at Seth's reaction. However, Luke still holds the cool, calm, serious repose as when he first set foot into the Green-Roberts household twenty minutes ago. After divvying out eight strips of bacon and spoonfuls of scrambled eggs, Gary grabs the pot of coffee. He offers to Luke, "Would you like some coffee?" "Yeah. Okay," Luke replies, in a solemn manner. Zach tries to stir up a conversation. "Where is it you're from, Luke?" Looking at his fork stirring up the eggs, he replies, "Here and there." "We come from Texas." "Seth, shut up!" Luke belts out. However, Seth has already sensed something different. "Luke, these policemen are different. They ain't gonna do anything to ya." "Policeman? Me?" Gary states. "My Uncle Gary isn't a policeman," Zach straightens out the facts. "He ain't?" But it's Luke, who already knows the truth, "He told us in the patrol car, dummy," he addresses Seth. "Oh yeah. See? I'm so hungry I forget!" That brings on a giggle and smiles from Zach, but it's Gary, looking to Mike, that brings on some terrible vibes. Soon Zach is taken in by the feeling. But it's the younger one who sets the stage for Luke opening up. "You can tell'em Luke. Tell'em what them policemen done to ya." Instead of an outburst of `shaddups', Luke drops his fork in his plate. Both hands go to his face. Leaning forwards, he begins to weep openly. Mike swats Gary's thigh, motioning with his head. Of course, Gary gets the message that it wouldn't be cool for the man wearing the police uniform, to respond. Getting up, force of habit, wiping his napkin over his stache, he approaches Luke, placing one hand on Luke's shoulder. "Nooooooooooo!" Luke shouted out, jumping out of his seat. Gary goes flying backwards, falling on his ass, as the chair leaps off it's legs, tumbling backwards. "Whooooooooooa there, Luke!" Zach calls out. "Uncle Gary isn't going to hurt you," he responds, getting up. "Yeah," Seth tells him, his message garbled with eggs, "I already toldja that these guys are okay!" "Don't touch me.... just don't fuckin' touch me!" Luke shouts, putting his hands up, as if to ward off evil spirits. "You okay?" Mike asks Gary, helping him up. "Me? I'm the least of our problems." Another act of confession is exhibited, from Seth's lips. "He's actin' like that because what the policemen did to him." Setting the chair next to Luke, more like placing it on the front legs and letting it tilt back on it's on, Gary offers the chair, at arm's length. "Um, it looks like you're kind of scared there, Luke, but we don't mean you any harm. In fact, my Uncle Gary here is a doctor. He can help you." "Doctor?" Luke asks. Again, the interpeter, Seth says, "'Twas a doctor that helped us get away." "All we want to do is help, Luke," Gary said tenderly, holding out his hand. Luke didn't take it, but he let Gary take some small steps towards him. "Why don't we go into my office..." "Where's that?" Luke inquires, sharply. "Uncle Gary has an office right here in the house." "Maybe," Luke says. "Go ahead," Seth says more upbeat. "Ya can show Dr. Gary them brusies and stuff them policemen give you." At that moment, the three sigh, especially Mike, in police uniform, touching all of their hearts. "Is that what happened?" But it wasn't from Mike the question came. As in the past, Zach has known what a man feels like being beaten. For weeks, it's all he heard from Patrick, his former lover, his ordeal at being beaten nearly to death. From the description, he pictured what Luke might look like under his soiled clothing. "Yeah," Luke finally submitted a truthful answer. "Oooooh, I'm so.. so sorry," Gary's twenty-five year old nephew replied. So caught up in Luke's grief, he approached the nineteen year old before he could comprehend what was happening and held him closely. At first he stood there, letting Zach hold him. Slowly he came around and not only did Luke place his palms at Zach's back, but the tears and confession started to flow. "I didn't do anything to deserve it. They just kept on beating me and..." What Luke lacked saying, Seth picked up on. "They did sex stuff to Luke, too!" Gary turned to Mike and nonchalantly whispered, "I think you better get a detective over here." "I'll give Wayne Miller a call." "And I'd say a police officer that can be unbiased?" "Riley Sanchez." "Yes and ask him to wear `normal' clothing?" "Right. The uniform could be disturbing to Luke." As Mike went straight away to the telephone, Zach remained glued to Luke. Gary turned his attention to Seth. "I ain't getting us in no trouble am I?" "No. Not at all. You've done real fine, Seth. More to eat?" "Oh noooooo... I'm so full. I gotta save room for lunch!" Gary smiled. He worried about Luke, but at the same time was fascinated about their history, especially that of the nine year old seated at the table with him. % "And who gave you permission to get out of bed?" There, in his white hospital garment, Dr. Peter Hannon stood, arms folded across the middle. "No offense, Peter, but your hospital food sucks. I had to get myself some `real' food!" Shaking his head, he approached Maury, at the cafeteria table. He picked up the packaged muffin in the cellophane. "This is no good for you. Neither this, not this..." Dr. Hannon plucked up each item, removing it from Maury's tray, pocketing it. "Nor this." "Heeeeey!" Maury shouted out, at the confiscating of the eight ounce bag of chips before the hand of fate reached it. "You're eating yourself into an early grave, Maury." "And why should you show such an interest, Peter?" Now motionless, in thought and deed, the thirty-one year old doctor stood there, staring, with a smile on his face. "Why don't you just admit it, Peter?" "Admit what?" He stepped out of his stupor. "You've got the hots for me?" "Me? The hots for you? How preposterous, Maury!" "Hee heee...." Maury had some evil thoughts up his sleeve, plus he felt like pushing some buttons. Placing his hand on Dr. Hannon's hand, he said, "Y'know, you and I should try shackin' up together." Quickly repossessing his limb, Hannon says, "I think I better go recheck your MRI, Maury!" "Just a thought," Maury replied, sitting back, smiling. "But that's alright. I can wait til you come around, Peter." Taking the opportunity of Maury's frankness, Dr. Hannon grabbed the bag of chips. "That's okay. There's plenty more from where that came from?" "And how, may I ask, did you get the funds to pay for all this? Those two boys have a hand in this, I suppose?" "Connor and Jim? Nah! I let Rosie in on a little secret." "Rosie? Secret? And what might that be, Maury?" With a wide grin, Maury states, "That you and I are dating?" "Oh shit, no!" Slapping the bag of potato chips down, not only crushed them, but the bag made a loud popping sound, like that of a balloon, particles flying all over the place. From the gravelly mix, Maury partook and ate! % "I realize this is not the opportune time to bring this up..." Matty and Chad looked at each other, mid-sipping their coffee. The habit was to sit at opposite ends of the square, butcher block kitchen table. "You're quitting," Chad brought out. "Nooo... nooo... I wouldn't do that to you boys." Both watched, as out of the ordinary, Enrique made himself at home. Breaking from the formal mode, he poured himself a cup of java and commenced in the table talk. "You see, there's a particular young man that I've shown an interest in and...." "You're gay?" Came Matty's first impression, which captured Chad's as well. "Well, I don't go around and make it public." "Obviously," Chad remarked. "Well, yes.. ahem! As I was saying, I would like to request an extended period of time off." "But isn't it you who stated taking a day here and there, Enrique?" "Yes, but that was before I met Nolan." "Nolan?" "Yes." Then, in a nutshell, Enrique laid it on the two, "The man I need time off to marry." Chad and Matty at first didn't get it, but then let it register. The dumbstruck news rallied up their emotional high. "Of course you can have time off, Enrique!" First it was Chad that jumped up, then Matty and Enrique. Like a family, they formed a threeway hug. As they subsided, they returned to their rightful seatings. "So, tell us about Nolan, Enrique," Chad inquired. Matty asked, "Is he cute?" "Oh, very. Blond. Blue eyes." Then, deviating to a shirtless Nolan, "Very smooth." "Sounds as handsome as Chad here," Matty responded, with a gaze across the table. Chad responds, but to Enrique, "Sounds like a dream for a guy your age, Enrique." A slow few seconds passed before Enrique admitted, "Oh Nolan's not nearly as ancient as me." Of course the question showed on Chad's and Matty's faces. Enrique responded, "Nolan is a twenty year old art student at WRCC." Enrique waited for their response. "Twenty years old, Enrique?" Matty asked. Chad followed with, "But that makes him," he counted on his fingers, "fourteen years younger than you, Enrique." "Yes, isn't that wonderful?" "How is it that all this time we've known you that you haven't brought Nolan up?" Chad asks. "Oh, I figured you boys are so busy at the store and Chad, in college still... well, I figured you boys had enough of a plate full." However, there was something uncomfortable that Chad and Matty sensed. Something that Enrique was meaning to keep from them. Sitting back, Chad says, "Okay, level with us, Enrique." Silence prevailed, until Enrique fessed up, "Well, I suppose it'll come out sooner of later." Chad sat back, looking across to Matty, proud that he had gotten the information out of Enrique so painlessly. "We met two weeks ago." "Two weeks ago?" Matty and Chad shouted out simultaneously, as if they wanted to tell the whole neighborhood. "Yes, but I can assure you that we love each other very much," Enrique defended himself. "Oh, I don't know about that, Enrique," Chad remained skeptical. "Yeah, Chad's right. How can you get to know a guy, in two weeks?" Chad continues the onslaught, "Especially when it leads to making a permanent bond?" "Yeah. How well do you know this guy?" The questioning kept on, Enrique holding up well under the pressure. When the lull came, he answered all their questions. "I thank you for your concern. I mean, you two have treated me like a father and I think I owe it to you two to ask your approval." "Our approval? You don't need our approval." "Chad's right, Enrique." "Yes, I know. Still, I'd like you to meet Nolan and that's why I've invited him to the get together." Enrique smiled. "You invited your fiancee to Juan's and Miguel's anniversary party?" "If it's not alright, I can undo the invitation." "It's cool," Matty replied. "Right, Chad?" "Fine with me." "Very well. Thank you very much for letting me share my good news with you. Now, I'd better get these dishes in the wash." "Our pleasure," Chad replied, giving Matty the eye. Excusing themselves, Chad and Matty head back up to the eagle's nest. "So, what do you think about all this, Preppy?" Matty inquires, shedding his robe. "That? I think I need to fuck it!" "No, doofus. Not my ass!" "I know what you mean," Chad replies, but still experiencing a stirring in his loins, at the sight of Matty, hairy from neck to balls. "So?" Shedding his own second skin, Chad replies, "I think the party is a good thing." "Oh? How's that go, Preppy?" Like has happened all so many times, the two try entering the jon at the same time, their bods getting wedged in the door frame. "Don't you know the top goes first?" "In your dreams, Preppy!" Their shenanigans interrupt their thoughts temporarily, until Matty wins out. "Just for that, you get to prepare my bath." "I'm willing to prepare more than that!" Matty replies, scanning Chad's pubes. "So, what of Enrique?" "I don't know. You said something of the party." "Oh yeah. As I was thinking..." "That's rare!" "Do you want to know?" Matty wanted to know, but also had desires of getting Chad into the shower. "Go ahead." "Well, being that this Nolan guy is going to be around thirty young, testosterone-filled hot hunks, it might prove too much for the guy." "Are you thinking of ambushing him?" "Hmm... I haven't thought of it quite in that sense, but you could have something there, Matty." "No Chad. You wouldn't?" "Nah." "But," Matty scratches his hairy chest, as he leans on the tiled wall, "on the other hand, we wouldn't want to see Enrique get hurt." "Yeah, especially by a college jock." "Yeah and you know artists are always starving." "True," Chad adds validity to their scheme, "take Enrique for all he's worth." "How much is he worth, Preppy?" "I dunno." "Hey, you know what?" "What, Matty?" "We don't really know that much about Enrique." "Um, isn't his private life his own business?" "Well yeah, but he's never talked about his family." "We've only known him for less than a year." "Yeah, but doesn't it seem like he's been our cook forever, Preppy?" "Our cook, Matty?" "Yeah, okay. So he does the laundry too." "And the windows, vacuuming and everything else to keep this house going." "Plus personal wakeup service?" "And think of it, Matty, he's never once complained about the salary." "Why do you think that is, Chad?" Jumping to conclusions, Chad states, "Yeah, we better check this Nolan guy out. If Enrique can live on the salary we pay him, he's gotta have a big bankroll." "Yeah, I'm with you on that one. Do you think we should offer him a raise, Preppy?" "Maybe," Chad responded vaguely. Right now, the only raise that interested Chad, was the one he spied in Matty's hand! % 10 Continued.... Copyright 2006 T. Chase McPhee This story may not be sold or made part of any collection without prior written permission.