Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2012 12:22:26 -0500
From: Ronyx <ronyx@woh.rr.com>
Subject: A Delicate Situation   Chapter 17

The following is a work of fiction. Any similarities to anyone are purely
coincidental. The story is intended for a mature audience. It may contain
profanity and references to gay sex. If this offends you, please leave and
find something more suitable to read. The author maintains all rights to
the story. Do not copy or use without written permission. Write
ronyx@themustardjar.com with your comments. Ronyx is a prolific Nifty
author. Visit my personal website at www.themustardjar.com for more
stories.


A Delicate Situation      Chapter 17


Cameron was waiting for me in the hospital lobby when I entered. "Hey," I
said as I sat down beside him. "Where are the others?"

He informed me, "They are running late. They told us to wait." We started
to talk about me filing charges against Travis and Raleigh. After talking
to Leo, I was wondering if I was doing the right thing. Eventually, they
would leave school, and I wouldn't have to worry about them ever again.

"But you have to," insisted Cameron after I had told him of my
apprehension. "This isn't just about you. You're doing it for every gay and
lesbian who has ever been shoved in the hall or had a gay epithet hurled at
them. You have something going for you that no one else has."

"What's that?"

"Name recognition," he answered. "Your name to this will have a lot more
weight than anyone else."

I insisted, "I'm trying to avoid that."

He shook his head. "Whether you want to admit it or not, you're involved in
this. Look at what happened yesterday. You can be a role model for a lot of
young, gay men."

I responded apprehensively, "You know I don't like attention."

He laughed and said, "Do you think anyone does? Some of the biggest
movements in history have been led by simple, modest people who wanted no
more than to enjoy a quiet life. You don't pick your place in history,
sometimes history chooses you."

"You make me sound like I'm some kind of a hero."

He patted me on my knee. "Not yet, Dorian. However, you may be called to
take your place in history."

I started to protest, but just then the doors of the hospital opened, and
Seth, Sydney, Jade and Amanda entered.

"How did things with Leo go?" Seth asked worriedly. I looked at Cameron.

"I don't know," I replied. "Everyone keeps thinking something is going to
happen."

Jade asked, "Like what?"

"That's just it," I replied. "I don't know."

Cameron stood and told us that Wes's room was located on the second
floor. He had checked earlier with the receptionist, and he was told his
condition had improved slightly. He was now in serious condition, instead
of critical."

"Thank God," muttered Jade as she reached for Amanda's hand.

We took the elevator to the second floor. After departing, Cameron told us
to have a seat in the waiting area while he went to see if we could visit
Wes. He said that he had talked in the morning to Mrs. Hayes, and she
didn't have any objections to us seeing him as long as he didn't
disapprove.

While Cameron was gone, I explained my meeting with Leo to the
others. "He's going to try and turn this around to make it look good for my
father."

Jade responded sarcastically, "So he's going to change overnight from a
shit head, homophobe to a crusader for gay rights?" She laughed and said,
"When pigs fly."

"I don't think they want to make it about him, but more about me," I
replied.

Seth said angrily, "So they want to use you to gain a few votes?"

"Well, no," I stated. "I never saw it that way."

Jade sat down beside me and took my hand. "You've go to do this because you
want to. If you do this for your father, Leo, me or anyone else, then it
won't mean anything. Your heart has to be in this."

I stood and started pacing around the waiting room as everyone worriedly
watched me. "I don't know what to do." I stopped and looked down at
them. "Maybe I'll run away until after the election."

"Only the weak run away," spat Jade. I looked into the faces of the others,
and I could tell they agreed with Jade. Running away would solve nothing,
and I would only end up losing the only friends I ever had.

A few minutes later, Cameron appeared in the lobby. We gathered around him
to hear what he had to say. "I visited with his mother for a few
minutes. Wes is pretty sedated, so he isn't too aware of what is going on
around him. She says his condition is improved, but he seems pretty
depressed. She thinks visitors might cheer him up. I talked to him briefly,
but he didn't respond."

"Was he beaten pretty badly?" asked Sydney.

"Yeah," responded Cameron. "You can tell he was roughed up. But I don't
think it's anything you can't handle."

Jade asked worriedly, "Do you think he wants visitors?"

"Probably not," replied Cameron. "However, his mother thinks it might help
his recovery if he knows people are concerned. No one has visited him
except family members."

I asked, "What about Alex?" Since he was Wes's boyfriend, I was sure he
would be visiting him.

Cameron gave me a puzzled look. "Who? His mother never mentioned anyone by
that name. He must be family."

"Never mind," I said. Since he was so close to Wes, then his mother
probably treated him like a family member.

"Let's go upstairs," suggested Wes. "His mother doesn't want too many
people in his room at once, so we'll go in two at a time. I'll introduce
you to him, and we'll see if he will talk to any of us."

We entered the elevator and stopped on the second floor. My chest was
pounding with an uneasy nervousness. It would be the first time I saw Wes
since our encounter at the restaurant. I was afraid he wouldn't recognize
me.

After arriving outside Wes's room, Cameron asked us who wanted to enter
first. Jade suggested that I go since I had met him, but I refused. I
wanted the others to go in, and then I would see how he reacted to them. It
was decided Seth and Sydney would be first. Jade, Amanda and I waited in a
waiting area a few doors down from his room.

Fifteen minutes later, Seth and Sydney came to the door of the waiting
room. Sydney had been crying, and Seth was trying to console her. "They
beat him so bad," she said as she cried into Seth's chest. Jade and I
looked at each other and I knew she was thinking the same as me. She was
questioning whether or not this was a good idea. Seth looked over at me and
asked if I would like to go next. I shook my head and told Jade and Amanda
to go in.

While waiting, Seth told me that Wes's spirits had been pretty much broken
by the beating. His mother was concerned that he would physically heal, but
she wasn't sure if he would mentally. She said he hadn't spoken to anyone
since the incident. Sydney said he opened his eyes when they first spoke to
him, but he quickly appeared to go back to sleep.

After about ten minutes, Cameron, Jade and Amanda returned. Jade and Amanda
were noticeably upset. Both had been crying, and they were trying to
console each other. Cameron looked at me and asked if I was ready to visit
Wes.

"I don't think so," I responded nervously. I had witnessed the others
sadness, and I was afraid it would be too traumatic for me to see him.

Jade approached me. "Dorian, you have to," she insisted. "You're the only
one of us he knows. Maybe he'll respond to you." She grabbed my hand and
pulled me from the room. I tried to resist, but she was determined I would
visit Wes.

When we entered the room, I quickly looked at Wes's body covered with a
white sheet as he lay on the hospital bed. The room lights were dim, but it
was obvious that he had been seriously injured. Besides the wrapping around
his head, his eyes were slightly darkened from bruising, and there was a
deep gash with several stitches on the side of his face near his right
ear. He was pale, and he didn't look like the same handsome man I'd met
earlier. In fact, he appeared like a stranger.

His mother rose from a chair when we entered. She looked tired and
weary. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Under different conditions,
I was sure that she and Wes looked remarkably alike. She gripped my hand
firmly when Jade introduced me to her. She looked over at Wes, then back at
me. "It's good that so many people are concerned about my son." She placed
a tissue gently to her face and wiped away tears.

She led me to the bed, and we looked silently down at Wes. His face was
tilted to the side, and it appeared he was sleeping. She took his hand and
squeezed it. "Wes, Dear," she said almost in a whisper. "Someone else has
come to visit you." She turned toward me and said, "I'm sorry, I don't
remember your name."

"Dorian," I stated nervously.

She squeezed his hand gently and said softly, "Dear, Dorian has come to
visit you."

Wes slowly turned his head and squinted his eyes. He pulled his hand away
from his mother and reached for mine. "Dorian," he mumbled as he squeezed
my hand and fell back to sleep. His mother looked down at our entwined
hands.

"Who are you?" She gazed at me surprisingly. "You're the first person he's
responded to." She looked back down at Wes's hand still gripping mine
gently. "Sweet Jesus," she muttered as tears streamed down her face.

I didn't know what to do. Everyone was staring at me, and I was afraid to
pull my hand away. His grip was weak, but he had enough strength not to let
loose of my hand. His mother approached the bed and whispered to Wes that
everything was all right. She then took his hand and gently removed it from
mine. She leaned over and gently kissed him on his forehead. His fingers
moved as if he was trying to find my hand. She watched for a second,
grabbed my hand and led me from the room. Jade and Cameron trailed behind
as we headed to the waiting area.

When we entered, she turned and asked me once again who I was. "Dorian," I
replied.

"No, not your name," she said. "Who are you to Wes?"

I shook my head. Even I was surprised by his actions. Even in his severe
physical condition, it was as if he recognized me. "I'm really nobody," I
insisted. "We met at a café and had a cup of coffee our first week at
school. I haven't seen him again since then."

She sat down on a sofa and patted the seat beside her. I cautiously walked
over and sat down. "He knew who you were," she said. "He hasn't even
responded to me like that, and I'm his mother."

I asked, "What about Alex? Has he visited him yet?"

She gave me a puzzled look. "Who's Alex?"

I didn't want to say that Wes had said he had a boyfriend named Alex. I
didn't know if he was out to his family. Perhaps, they just considered him
a good friend.

"His friend, Alex," I said. "When we met, he said he had a good friend
named Alex who he missed."

Mrs. Hayes continued to give me a puzzled look. "He doesn't have a friend
named Alex," she replied. "If he did, I would certainly know him."

I didn't know what to say. I was beginning to sound like a fool talking
about someone who didn't seem to exist. I couldn't understand why Wes had
told me he had a boyfriend the night we met.

"Maybe you misunderstood him,' suggested his mother. "He has a friend named
Adam. Maybe that is who he said." I nodded, but I was certain he said he
had left a boyfriend named Alex back at home. It was the reason he appeared
so lonely the night we met.

She studied me for a minute before taking my hand in hers. "You look
strangely familiar, Dorian. It seems like we've met before. Did you go to
school with Wes?"

"No, Ma'am," I replied as I looked over at Jade. I knew Mrs. Hayes had
probably seen me on the cover of the National Enquirer, or perhaps she had
seen me briefly on stage with my father.

"Maybe you should tell her," suggested Jade. "She's going to find out
anyway."

Mrs. Hayes gave me a puzzled look, "Tell me what, Dear?"

I took a deep breath and said, "I'm Dorian Gale."

"And?"

I took another deep breath. "My father is Senator Jonathan Gale."

"Sweet Jesus," she exclaimed as she stared at me. "That's where I know
you. I was in the gift shop here at the hospital last night to buy some
gum. I picked up a magazine while I was waiting in line and saw you on the
cover."

"Yes, Ma'am," I replied. "It was the National Enquirer."

She smiled slightly and said, "You're more handsome in person." She smiled
again as my face reddened. "Now tell me," she said as she took my hand and
held it. "How do you know my Weston?"

I looked over as Cameron indicated to Jade, Seth and Sydney that they
should go and leave Mrs. Hayes and me alone. I nodded when he pulled his
phone from his pocket and held it to his ear. I nodded when he whispered,
"Call me when you're ready?"

After they left, Mrs. Hayes asked again, "How do you know Wes?"

I told her there wasn't much to tell. I related how I had taken a walk
around campus one night. I didn't tell her I was trying to avoid my room
because Travis was having sex with a girl. I told her how Wes had come over
to the table, sat down and started talking to me. I didn't tell her how he
had kissed me as we were leaving.

It startled me when she said, "I can see why he approached you. He's always
been able to pick out the cute guys."

"What?"

She took my hand and squeezed it. "You are gay, aren't you, Dorian?"

"Yes," I replied nervously, "But..."

"It's okay, really," she assured me. "Wes came out to me when he was
thirteen."

"So then you know about him and Alex?"

She seemed puzzled. "Who is this Alex you keep mentioning?"

"The night I met Wes, he told me he missed his boyfriend, Alex," I replied.

She started laughing. "Oh, I see." She smiled when she noticed the puzzled
look on my face. "Wes is very sensitive," she said. "He is always afraid he
would meet a guy, and then later get hurt. So he built up this defense, and
he would try to dissuade a guy from liking him by telling him he already
has a boyfriend."

"That's kind of stupid," I remarked. "What if a guy really did like him?"

She shook her head. "I was always telling him he was going to miss out
someday if a guy really did come along and wanted to know him better." She
looked intensely at me and then took my hand and squeezed it. "You liked
him when you met, didn't you? Is that why you came tonight?"

I hung my head and mumbled, "Yes, Ma'am. I was afraid he wouldn't remember
me."

She lifted my chin and smiled. "But he did, Dear." She then leaned in,
kissed me on my forehead and said tearfully, "He did remember you." She
grabbed my hand and asked me if I would like to return to Wes's room. It
was getting late, and hospital hours would be over shortly.

Wes was asleep when we entered, or at least he appeared to be sleeping. He
stirred slightly when we walked over to his bedside. Without opening his
eyes, he reached for his mother's hand. "Mother." His words were almost
inaudible.

"Yes, Dear?" She leaned down closer so she could hear him better.

"I think an angel visited me tonight?" Mrs. Hayes looked at me with a
puzzle look.

She turned to me and asked, "An angel?" I began to panic that Wes was
dying, and that was the reason he thought he saw an angel.

"Yes," he mumbled softly. "I think I heard Dorian's voice." His mother's
eyes widened as she glanced over at me.

She then told Wes, "You didn't imagine it, Dear." She took my hand and
placed it over his. "Dorian is here."

He attempted to open his eyes and look up. Finally, it appeared he was able
to focus on my face as I stared down at him. "Hey," he mumbled as he
attempted to smile. "You're not an angel."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I managed to say, "No, I'm not an angel."

He smiled again before muttering, "Good." He then closed his eyes and fell
back asleep.

I didn't get back to the dorm until after nine o'clock. Mrs. Hayes insisted
that we stop at a Starbucks for coffee. She was excited about Wes finally
speaking.

"For a while," she said tearfully as we sat at a table, "I thought I was
going to lose him. The doctors kept telling me his condition was improving,
but he seemed so lifeless." She reached across the table and squeezed my
hand. "Now I feel hopeful, and it's all because of you, Dorian."

I didn't know how to respond. When I first entered his room, his appearance
was ghostly. He was pale and lifeless. When Mrs. Hayes and I left him,
there seemed to be a noticeable change. His breathing was more regular, and
his skin wasn't as pale.

She looked excitedly at me and asked, "Will you visit again tomorrow?"

"Yes, sure," I replied. "I guess I can come for a while after my last
class. I won't be able to stay long because I have a composition to
complete for my English class."

"I don't care how long it is," she remarked cheerfully. "I can even come
get you and take you back to school, if you like."

"It's all right," I replied. "I can find a way." I knew it would mean
riding the bus for thirty minutes, but I was willing to do it if it helped
Wes's improvement. I could ask Cameron, but he had other things to deal
with, like the upcoming march.

Mrs. Hayes cried when I told her about the march Campus Pride was
organizing for the victims of sexual harassment at the university. I was
surprised when she told me that no arrests had yet been made in Wes's
assault. She asked, "When is the march?"

"We don't have a date yet," I replied. "Cameron still needs to talk to
Dr. Avery."

"I want to be present," she said. "It's the least I can do for my son." I
assured her I'd let her know when a date and time was set.

When I arrived in my room, I dropped exhaustedly onto the sofa. It had been
a very emotional night. I needed to study for a sociology test, but I
decided it would be best if I skipped lunch and went to the library before
class. I was too tired to remember anything.

I opened my eyes when Seth and Sydney came from his bedroom. They suddenly
stopped when they saw me. "We were just studying," Seth said quickly.

I put my arm over my head and mumbled, "Whatever." I heard them walk across
the floor and stop by the door. I didn't want to look, but I was sure they
were kissing. After she left, he walked over and sat down beside me.

"How did it go?"

I sat up and smiled, "He remembered me."

"So?" he replied. "He remembered you." I then excitedly told him about my
first meeting with Wes. This time I even told him about our kiss. I then
told him what happened in his hospital room, and Wes telling his mother
he'd seen an angel. Seth wanted to laugh, but I could tell he didn't
because he knew how excited I was.

"You kissed him?" he asked incredulously. "Why?"

"That's just it," I replied. "I don't know why. That's why I was afraid to
visit him tonight. I was afraid he wouldn't remember me."

A sly grin appeared on his face. "So now you're his guardian angel?"

"Go ahead and laugh," I said as I started to giggle. He sat back and roared
with laughter. After catching his breath, he sat up and grinned at me.

"Let me see," he laughed. "I'm now living with a heartthrob- and an angel."
We laughed for a minute before I said I needed to get some sleep. After a
quick hug, he went to his bedroom. I stood, undressed and fell back onto
the sofa.

An hour later, I was awakened from a deep sleep when my cell phone rang. I
picked it up and read that I had an urgent message from the university.

East Hall is on lockdown. All students must stay in their rooms until the
alert has been lifted.

Seth opened his bedroom door and rushed out. When he saw me staring at my
phone, he asked, "You got the message, too?"

"Yeah," I replied. "What's going on?" Neither of us knew why our dorm was
on a lockdown. We opened the door and stepped out into the hall. A
uniformed campus police officer stationed at the end of the hall turned and
shouted for us to close the door and stay inside.

"Shit!" Seth exclaimed as we closed the door. "What has happened?  You
don't think someone has made a threat against your life, do you?"

For the first time since reading the alert, I was scared. It hadn't even
occurred to me that I was in danger. However, after seeing the officer
guarding our hallway, I was beginning to get frightened.

I jumped when Seth's cell phone rang. It was Sydney. She and Jade were
worried about the lockdown. Seth paced around the room as they tried to
come up with a reasonable explanation. No one wanted to suggest that most
campus lockdowns occur when there is an armed intruder on campus.

I looked up when Seth shouted, "What? Holy Shit!" He looked down and seemed
to be giving me an account of what Sydney was telling him. "She's looking
out her dorm window, and the cops are taking about nine guys out in
handcuffs and putting them in cars?"

"Why?" He shrugged his shoulders. "She doesn't know." He listened to her
and then said, "They're pulling off." They spent the next few minutes
discussing why students had been arrested. They finally decided that there
must have been a fight on one of the floors.

"Probably Travis and his gang," I said. They seemed to agree with me.

We were getting ready to return to bed when we got another phone alert:

The lockdown at East Hall has been terminated.

"Thank God," Seth muttered as he headed back to his room. I was getting
ready to lie back down on the sofa when someone started rapping on our
door. When I opened it, Brian stepped inside.

He asked apologetically, "Were you still up?" I told him I was getting
ready to go back to bed as Seth walked out and asked him what had happened.

"You won't believe it," he said excitedly. "The campus police raided the
fourth floor."

Seth hollered, "What? No shit!"

"Yes shit," replied Brian. "I got a call about two minutes before the
raid. The chief said that Dr. Avery ordered a search of all rooms on the
north side of the floor. They were looking for any contraband- specifically
alcohol and drugs.

"That's our old rooms," I remarked. "Did they find anything?"

Brian started laughing. "What do you think? I was there when they hauled
off your old roomie, Travis, and that asshole friend of his, Raleigh. They
busted seven other guys, too."

"Good," spat Seth. "Fuckers finally got what they deserved."

"You said it," replied Brian. "Avery was upstairs when they went from room
to room. He told them that if anything was found in their room, then they
were looking at an immediate expulsion." He started laughing and said,
"From what I could see, they took out a case of beer, a few bottles of
booze and a bag of weed from Travis and Raleigh's room. It looked like they
were getting ready to party the night away."

I asked, "Why did they have a guard at the end of our hall?"

"Oh, that," replied Brian. "Avery was worried that someone might escape the
floor during the raid, and he may come looking for you when he found out
what was happening."

Seth asked worriedly, "Everything is safe now, right?"

"Yes," Brian assured us. "Everyone involved is locked up, at least until
morning. Tomorrow, security will escort them to their room to get their
things." He looked over at me. "It looks like Avery saved you from having
to press charges against them."

"Yeah," I replied. "It looks like he did."

* * * * * *

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