If you don't agree with guys being in love with guys, then you need to find someplace else to spend time.

 

Okay, these characters are not meant to resemble any living or dead person.

 

I make no apology to anyone who is offended by anything in this story.

 

Let me know what you think of the story by emailing me at

_Hnstskr4@aol.com_

 

Copyright 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 by Chuck B.

 

I want to thank everyone for reading the story. I'm going to start another story as soon as I can get the characters designed and some chapters planned out.

 

Jason and Shaun

 

Chapter 15

The Stroke and Graduation

The guys are super excited about Shaun's graduation, which is only one day away. It's been crazy, but Shaun is almost done. There isn't going to be a huge party, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that all the hard work and studying has paid off. They decide to stop by Miss. White's apartment to let her know what time they would be picking her up for the ceremony.

Shaun and Jason knock on her door.

"Miss White, are you there?"

"I'm coming."

It took her a little bit to answer the door. Shaun smiles as she undoes the locks. She has been very good about locking up the apartment since it got broken into three months ago. Shaun and Jason may smile, but they're glad she's doing it. She tells them how excited she is over her "grandson's" big day. Shaun tells her it's not that a big a deal and she swats at him.

Jason looks over at the table and sees three dozen cookies. "Who brought those over?"

Miss White smiles and then looks over at the guys, "I baked them!"

She seems to be bouncing off the wall. Jason has never seen her so active. She's healthy, but Jason and Shaun still worry about her. Jason wonders what she was like when she was younger. The guys love coming over to see her. It's one of the few times they over indulge their sweet tooth.

She loves worrying about her "grandsons". She's been doing that since Shaun moved into the house. She saw something in him that told her that this kid could be trusted. Unlike other young people in the building, Jason and Shaun are always polite. They're willing to help at the drop of a hat. Miss White has even introduced the guys as her grandsons to her friends. Naturally, she's told her family about them. What the guys don't know is that she has a killer headache. The tone in the apartment is about to change.

Just then, Jason notices that she seems sick. "Miss White, you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine, don't you guys worry about me, Ja...son, I..I..'m fi...ne."

"Oh no you're not!"

There's no way to hide it now. Shaun immediately catches on to what's happening. Within seconds, he's on the phone calling for an ambulance. He sends Jason to get an aspirin. Then he turns all his attention on his grandma.

"Miss White, I want you to sit down. Help is on the way."

She doesn't say anything; she just stares at him. Jason comes back with a cup of water and an aspirin. He hands her the cup and aspirin. Just as she swallows it down, the EMTs arrive at the scene. Jason goes out to let them into the building.

"So what do we have?"

"She is around 70 years old and we think she just had a stroke. We've given her an aspirin."

"Have you contacted her husband or kids?"

Jason looked at them as if they should have known that she was alone. "Umm... there isn't anybody locally besides me and my partner."

Jason walked with them to the apartment. Jason went and stood with Shaun, who seemed lost. Shaun whispered into Jason's ear, "Do you think they'll let us ride up with her in the ambulance?"

Jason tells the EMTs that Shaun is her grandson.

"We are her grandsons," Shaun corrects. He, like Jason, was feeling a bit left out.

"Will we be able to ride with her?"

One of the EMTs looks at her and then at the guys. "If you wish to ride with her, feel free."

It suddenly hits Jason that they'll need to get home. "Shaun, I'll drive the car up to the hospital. You need to be there with her in the ambulance."

Shaun is surprised.

"How else would we get home?" Jason asks.

Now his boyfriend understands the need for the car. All Jason can do is smile.

Miss White manages to give Shaun her cell phone.

"Ca.l.l Nie..." she says, trying to explain to Shaun that she wants him to call someone. He opens the phone and manages to pull up her address book. He stumbles through the listings till he finds what he hopes is the right phone number. His trembling hand finds the number that he needs to call. It rings two or three times before the person answers. Now, he is a bit calmer.

"Hello."

"Hello, is this Katrina White?"

"Why do you have my aunt's cell phone?"

"My name is Shaun. I'm your aunt's neighbor. She has had a stroke, and is on her way to the hospital."

"Wait... what?" the voice on the other end said into her phone.

"Ms. White, your aunt, had a stroke. She is on her way to St. Luke's Hospital."

She seems truly concerned, and Shaun is very glad that she is. In all the years Shaun has known her, Miss White has never had a family member around her, but apparently she's been in contact with family. Miss White doesn't say anything, but she is thankful for his help.

"Miss White, we are almost to the hospital now," Shaun says.

She understands, and tries to relax. Jason is just now pulling up to the hospital in his car.

After he parks, Jason meets up with Shaun at the ambulance entrance. They're told to follow the EMTs inside and then go to the waiting room. Two hours tick by before anyone comes out. Someone from the hospital staff walks into the waiting room and asks, "Who are the young men who came in with Miss Isabelle White?"

Jason and Shaun approached the staff member.

"I take it you're the guys who came in with Miss White."

The guys just kind of nod their heads.

"Okay, well, things could be worse, but to be honest, things are not the greatest."

Shaun breaks down. His face looks like someone who is hopelessly lost. Jason wants to break down too, but he feels that he has to be strong for Shaun. All Shaun wanted was for Miss White to attend graduation. Now he's afraid that she won't be able to. Jason, on the other hand, is already planning for her not being able to be there.

Jason would rather have Miss White watching Shaun walk across the stage, just as Shaun would, but he knows that won't happen. He quickly works out a plan in his head. He'll video tape the walk in, and then focus on the high lights. Once he has it recorded, he can transfer it to his computer and burn it to a DVD. After that, all he has to do is bring up a laptop and let Miss White see it at the hospital. Jason wants it to be a surprise for both Shaun and for Miss White.

Then Jason says he has to leave to go to work and Shaun does his best, unsuccessfully, to get him to stay.

"Shaun, I promise I'll be back." And he gives him a quick kiss. He doesn't want to leave, but Mr. Bowman is expecting him. Besides, Jason figures, he can drown out his grief by going to work.

He is in the invertebrate room when Mr. Bowman comes into the room.

"Jason, I really appreciate your hard work."

Jason barely turns around to answer his boss.

"Thanks, Mr. Bowman. I really love working here."

Mr. Bowman notices that his usually-talkative employee is almost dead quiet. Jason is glad that he's able to hold himself together this well. His boss calls him into his office.

"Jason, what is wrong? You seem so quiet today."

Jason looks at him and tries to hold it inside.

"A neighbor, our adopted grandma, has had a stroke. Shaun is beside himself. I... I don't know what to think at all." Then Jason bows his head down and starts to cry. Mr. Bowman can't stand to see Jason in tears. He knows that his employee needs to go home.

"Jason, I want you to go home. I want you to go to Shaun."

"Say that again?" Jason isn't sure that he heard Mr. Bowman correctly.

"I want you to go to Shaun. I'm sending you home."

"Really? Thanks, Mr. Bowman!" Jason didn't waste any time. He wanted to get out before his boss changed his mind. He got into his car and drove to the hospital. When he arrived at the hospital, there is a look of joy on his boyfriend's face.

"What are you doing here? I... I thought you went to work."

Jason smiled and looked at him and explained.

"Mr. Bowman came into the room that I was working in and saw something on me that screamed "Send this kid home!". I told him what happened and he told me to go to your side, so here I am, like it or not."

Just as Jason entered the room, a young lady entered also. She was surprised to see people in her aunt's room.

"Ummm... who are you people?" The young lady stared at Jason and Shaun as if they didn't belong in there.

"We're your aunt's neighbors. My name is Jason and this is Shaun, my boyfriend."

She smiled, "Finally, I get to meet the guys who make my aunt's life so enjoyable. Thank you for being there for her."

She hugged the guys and then went to her aunt's side.

"So, you're Miss White's niece, Katrina?" Shaun asked. He's so happy to finally put a face to the name.

"Yes, I am," she said, as she held her aunt's hand.

"I think, we should get going, Shaun," Jason said, and they turned to leave. Shaun agreed. Miss White needed to spend time with her niece. As the men left, they waved and said, "Goodnight, Katrina, Goodnight, Miss White."

While heading home, Shaun and Jason begin to stress over tomorrow's events.

Tomorrow is graduation day and Jason and Shaun want everything to be picture perfect. Shaun's family will be attending... everyone, that is, except for his mom. Shaun's super excited to see them, but he's worried too. There have been some issues with Trent, and maybe this visit will give him a chance to talk with his brother face to face.

Jason's family is coming too. Jason's been dying to see Adam, and so has Shaun, for that matter. It's the first that anyone from Jason's family has had an opportunity to meet Shaun, other than Tom and Adam. Jason goes into the animal room and digs into the closet and gets out Shaun's graduation present. He also gets out the wrapping paper, scissors and the tape. Carefully and lovingly he wraps the present and places it back into the closet. He then calls to confirm reservations at the local buffet. Shaun really didn't want anything fancy. Jason can't believe that it's been almost two years since he met Shaun. He's suddenly startled by Shaun's presence in the room. His partner comes over and kisses him. Jason melts at the touch of Shaun's lips. His kisses are way better than Eric's, his first boyfriend. They just stood there for a few seconds, embraced in each other's arms. Jason looks at Shaun with deepest sincerity. He has a very serious question for his boyfriend.

"What's next for us, Shaun?"

Shaun looks at him and smiles. "Anything is possible, maybe we'll get married or something."

Jason laughs to himself thinking that will never happen. The guys end up in the shower together. The only touching done is them washing each other. It's a little early, but Shaun leads Jason to bed. A new day is upon our loving couple.

Well, Shaun's big day is here. They park their car and get out. Shaun has Jason help him with his cap and gown. Then Shaun goes one way and Jason goes the other way, and calls Tom on his cell phone. They meet up and everyone takes a turn wishing the best to Shaun. The families walk into the large auditorium and take their seats. Adam ends up bouncing from Daddy to Uncle Jason, back to Grandpa, to Grandma and then back to Daddy. Shaun's family is sitting just a few seats away from Jason's family.

Jason can't help but feel the love in the room. Still, he keeps thoughts of Miss White roaming through his mind. As Shaun stands waiting for the music to start, he still silently prayers for his friend.

The music starts and Shaun's heart pounds. The graduates walk in and Jason starts recording the walk. Tom, Joshua, Joshua Ryan, and Jason call out Shaun's name. Jason zooms in on Shaun as he walks past him. They sit quietly throughout the commencement address. Shaun's name is called and the group shouts, "We love you, Shaun!"

As Jason is recording, he can't stop from tearing up as Shaun accepts his diploma. Shaun throws a kiss out before he leaves the stage. Little Joshua Ryan screams out, "I love you, Uncle Shaun!" Shaun walks off the stage; Jason follows his movements with the camera.

After the ceremony, Shaun meets up with everyone. Jason introduces him to his family. Immediately, Jason's family accept Shaun as their son or brother. Jason's dad hands Shaun two envelopes.

"One of those envelopes is for you to do with as you please. The other envelope is to be put towards, or pay for, a house for you and my Jason when you're ready to move out.

"Umm... thanks!" Shaun is super excited.

"Thanks for coming out, everyone, it means a lot."

Everyone comes up and gives Shaun a hug. Shaun then introduces his family to Jason. Trent, one of Shaun's brothers, comes running up to Shaun and hugs him. He caught Shaun by surprise. Shaun looks at his dad and stepmom as if asking "Why?" They just shrugged their shoulders. Trent doesn't approach Jason until he gives Shaun his present and a card. Jason too is accepted right into Shaun's family, at least by those in attendance. Trent walks up to Jason and gives him a hug and quietly says, "Thanks for loving my brother!"

Jason says, "You're welcome," and looks at Trent. He notices a single tear running down the young man's face and gets the feeling that Trent is a kid who's hurting, or hiding from something. At any rate, he knows something is wrong; he walks over to Shaun and whispers, "Something is up with Trent."

At first Shaun wants to ignore it, but then he too looks at his brother's face. Trent makes eye contact with his brother for only a split second and then drops his eyes to the floor. Trent's actions bother Shaun and he walks up to his troubled brother.

"What's wrong, Trent?" Shaun asks within their parent's earshot. Trent just shrugs it off, but Shaun also notices that his brother's eyes are glued on Jason. Shaun turns to his dad.

"Dad, can I talk to you in private?"

"Okay."

Shaun and his father walk a few feet away.

"Dad, something is wrong with Trent."

His dad looks towards Trent and then back to Shaun.

"He's been really reserved the last two months. One of his teachers has contacted us about his grades; I've even had one of his friends at church come to me about him."

Now Shaun is even more concerned. He thinks back to a time before he came out to anyone, and he realizes this is how he acted. Dad again turns to look at Trent, who immediately jerks his head away from an intense stare at Jason's backside. Shaun also takes notice of it. Shaun and Dad realize that Trent might be gay, and Shaun begins to put things together.

Shaun's worried about Trent. He knows all too well how it feels to not be able to be yourself out of fear. At least now their dad is more aware of the hardships that young people go through before coming out. Shaun moves towards his boyfriend. Quietly he whispers, "Trent seems to like your butt."

Jason is a bit embarrassed. He turns and looks at Trent, who quickly turns and looks the other way.

"Dad and I think he might be gay," Shaun says to Jason.

"I don't think; I know," Jason responds.

"How?" Shaun asks, in total disbelief of what his boyfriend said. Jason simply points to Jason's crotch.

"Sorry to be looking, but I think you're brother's little soldier is at attention."

"Oh good grief!" Shaun says with a chuckle. "Let's go to see Miss White. We can talk about this later. Let me tell everyone what's going on."

He turn turns to his family and Jason's family and says, "Hey everyone, Jason and I have some stuff to do before it's time to eat at the buffet, so you may want to head to your hotel rooms for a little bit and we will see you later."

With that, Jason and Shaun left to head up to the hospital.

When Jason and Shaun arrive at the hospital, they walk up to her room after being cleared at the main entrance. At the door to her room, they stop and knock. She waves them inside. Jason walks up to her and lays the laptop where she'll be able to see it.

"This is Shaun's graduation. I thought that you might want to see it," Jason tells her, as he starts up the DVD player.

"I wanted to be there. This means a lot Jason, thank you," she said, as her arms wrapped around Jason and then Shaun. Jason can see the emotion on her face, but when the screen showed her grandson walking across the stage she started crying. Shaun welled up too because of her tears.

"There's nothing like happy tears," Jason said, as he too started welling up inside.

"Quiet!" Miss White said to Jason in a very stern voice. Jason immediately shut up. When the DVD ended, she reached out to hug Shaun. After the hug, she says that Shaun's present will have to wait till she gets out of the hospital.

"You didn't have to get me anything, Miss White. Just having you out of here will be nice enough."

She wasn't upset with Shaun, but she already had the present.

"I know you mean well Shaun, but the gift if already bought and wrapped. Can you feed the cat while I'm here at the hospital?"

"Of course I will, Miss White."

How could he refuse her? She has taken such good care of him and Jason. For now though, it's about time for the guys to leave. They need to get back to their families. Shaun doesn't want to leave, but he doesn't want to disappoint anyone, either.

"Miss White, we have to go. We have family waiting for us back at their hotel. I'm sorry."

Miss White looked at Shaun as if to say, "Oh please!"

"Shaun, Jason, don't you miss out on time with your family because of me."

The guys knew she meant it.

Jason drives while Shaun calls the buffet to make sure everything is okay, then he calls to get their guests ready. Jason makes a beeline for the buffet. As they arrive, so does the Shaun's stepmom, who has brought a cake and was carrying it inside, but Jason intercepted her and carried it for her. Shaun looked over the crowd at the buffet and felt so happy... maybe happy isn't the right word; more like relieved.

'Now I need to get a job,' he thinks. For now though, things are good and he can relax.

Everyone eats and has a blast enjoying this moment with him. One by one the presents are opened. He saves Jason's gift till the end. Most of what he got was money, but he did get a couple of really nice gifts. His favorite gift so far was a photo album put together by Trent. Looking at his brother, he can't help but feel sorry that Trent feels he can't tell anyone. Shaun knows that Trent needs to talk to someone about whatever is going on inside that mind of his.