Date: Sun, 24 Sep 2006 12:06:21 -0700 (PDT) From: Tiffani Chin Subject: Jumping over my Mountain, chapter 24 (fixed copy) Disclaimer: This story is copy right protected. Please do not post it on any other website. If you are not 18 or male on male action offends you, do not continue further. Email me at EliteECrew@verizon.net for feedback. Jumping Over my Mountain, Chapter 24 **************HIRO*************** I waited anxiously for Crew to come down, but as more and more snowboarders came down and none of them being Crew, I was becoming worried. Crew and Caleb's friends had been behind us on the lift so there was no reason for the delay. That and I knew Crew was a seasoned snowboarder, so I doubt anything happened to him that he couldn't handle. Why was he taking so long? The funny thing was that Caleb's friend who had been sitting beside Crew had come down already and was standing with us. Then Caleb's other friend got down as well, holding his jacket in his hand and walking around like an idiot in his thin neon yellow shirt with the words `Fuck You' in large block lettering. Caleb was trying to talk to me, but nothing was really registering whatsoever as I kept searching for Crew's familiar black Northface coat and red Oakley goggles and of course his signature IPOD attached to his arm. "Hey, you didn't see Crew on the way down, did you?" I asked the neon shirt guy, whose name was Daniel. I knew of him back in the day, but I didn't know him personally. Daniel shook his head not meeting my eyes, "Nope, can`t say that I did." I looked again hoping to see Crew but I didn't. "I'm going back up," I said walking determinedly back to the lift. I felt someone grab my arm and when I turned I saw that it was Caleb. "Relax Hiro, I'm sure he's fine. Some inexperienced kid probably ran into him or something and he's just checking to see if they're ok," Caleb reasoned looking worried, which I found weird since I didn't think he cared much for Crew. I pulled my arm free, "It doesn't matter, I have to go and see what's up," and with that I pushed past people at a hurried pace, wanting to beat them to the lift. I sat down in my chair and waited impatiently as I was carried above the snow and my leg was shaking with anticipation. The chair lift barely landed and I was already half off and maneuvering expertly down the mountain, my eyes on the lookout for Crew. Further down I spotted a small crowd and I frowned wondering what was going on. As I got closer, I felt my stomach drop. I saw a black snowboard with a pale blue dragon on it. The exact board Crew had. When I saw a flash of red near the body, I forced myself to fall, my ass hitting the snow hard and my board following suit, digging into the snow perpendicular, shearing snow off as it went. I edged my way into the circle and nudged a guy out of the way. "Oh god," I got out as I saw Crew lying there, seemingly lifeless as his head was turned sideways and a pool of blood was around his head, coating the snow. I took in his face which was pale and tinged blue and I felt my gut tightening with fear, more so when I saw blood along the left side of his face, covering parts of his forehead and cheek, matting his dirty blond hair, covering his closed eyelid, down his neck, and even inside his ear. I looked for the source of the blood and saw a long, large, deep gash on his head. The cut was deep and wide, definitely requiring stitches. The sight was actually making me queasy, with his dark blood oozing out of the cut. "Oh god no. No, Crew!" I breathed out in a daze as I fumbled with my straps and freed my feet frantically so I could get closer to Crew. My board began to slide down the mountain, but I didn't care at this point. I crawled over to Crew ignoring the curious looks I got as I pushed everyone else aside. I gingerly touched the right sied of his face, but a young guy grabbed my hand causing me to look up at him. "Don't move him. We don't know how serious his injuries are. You could make it worse by moving him," he advised. Breathing hard I nodded at the guy and turned to look at Crew. I leaned down, careful not to move him. My forehead gently grazed his and it already felt cold, causing my heart to feel as if a someone was ripping it out of my chest. Tears sprang to my eyes and I shook my head, willing all of this to be a nightmare and hoping Crew would miraculously open his eyes, showing me the beautiful shade of blue. "Crew," I whispered, "Crew wake up," I said as I brushed my lips across his long blond eyelashes that weren't covered with blood. "Please, wake up Crew, please. God, you have to wake up!" I said desperately, my nose touching his and more of my tears fell down, dripping onto his battered face. "Sir," I heard a voice, but I ignored him as I continued to hold onto Crew. "Open your eyes baby, I'm here now," I said caressing the right side of his face with my glove, "I`m sorry I left you. Please, open your eyes." Still no response. "Sir, we have to get him down and to a hospital," the patrol said more authoritatively and in the back of my mind I knew he was right, but I couldn't seem to let go of Crew. "Crew," I whispered, "Please don't leave me," I begged and I gently pressed my lips against him, eliciting a murmur from the crowd. I prayed I would feel him kissing me back, but no such luck. There was this aching in my gut. It's a feeling where you want to cry and scream, but you're holding it in and all of it is boiling in your stomach, churning, eating you alive. "Son, please move over. We need to get him help," the patrol said firmly, but gently as he pried my arms away from Crew. The cold air hit my face, making the tear streaks that lined my face feel sticky. I watched helplessly as a few patrol men gathered Crew's limp body, detached his board from his feet, and carried him carefully to the waiting snowmobile, supporting his head and neck with delicate care. Crew's head was being held by another patrol man and I wondered how much damage had been done to his body. "Son, why don't you take his board and meet us down? We don't have enough room to take you down with us, but we can give you a lift to the hospital," the man offered and I looked at him with tear filled eyes. The man touched my shoulder briefly, "Come on now, take his board and meet us at the main entrance. There's nothing we can do for him now, so you just have to calm down and go with us to the hospital, where a doctor can look at him, ok?" he said kindly and I nodded numbly. With shaking fingers I took Crew's prized board and held onto it as I watched the snowmobile drive off with Crew. The boys who had stopped around Crew were looking at me and I didn't feel like I had enough energy to even make it down the mountain on Crew's board no less, but I knew I needed to be at that hospital, so at lightening speed, I locked my boots in and haphazardly descended to the base, with Crew in my mind and the image of his bloodied body. When I made it to the base, I snapped off the board and started running to the ambulance that was attracting quite a crowd. I noticed Caleb and his friends standing nearby and they were talking in hushed voices. Caleb looked half scared and half angry as he talked with Daniel, the neon yellow shirt dude. Caleb caught sight of me pushing through and grabbed my arm as I passed. "Hiro." "Caleb, I got to go," I said twisting my arm free. "What happened?" he asked, fear in his eyes that I didn't quite understand. "Crew got hurt, he got hurt real bad. I don't know if he, I mean he has to be, I don't know, I have to go," I half shouted out of anxiety. I paid no more attention to them as I ran to the ambulance and the guy who had spoken to me before let me ride to the hospital. Crew was strapped into a stretcher and I gently clasped his hand, praying for him to be alright. I ended up waiting at the hospital for hours, my insides feeling like they were being burned by acid as I waited for some news, any news at all. Finally, a doctor came out and told me Crew was still unconscious, had a concussion, had to get stitches for the cut on his head, casts for the broken wrist and neck bones needed to be created, his knees were torn, and was being treated for mild hypothermia and blood loss. I felt sick to my stomach as the list went on and on. I'm glad that Crew was alive, but a concussion? Knee injuries? Hypothermia and blood loss? Could Crew recover from all that and make it out ok? **********ZEKE*********** "I hope this soreness goes away fast," Skyler said massaging his butt as he grinned at me raising his eyebrows and winking at me. I laughed, "It usually does. It's only really sore now because last night was your first time ever." Skyler nodded, "I know, but it's making me walk funny." I giggled, "Well, I guess you just need more practice in the future, then." Last night I was so shocked when Skyler said he wanted me to make love to him. That was definitely a first for me. I never topped another man before, except for this one random hookup right after I broke up with Xavier. Most of the men I've been with fucked me and fucked me hard. I was pleasantly surprised when Skyler asked me to do this because it was special. For one thing, I was his first ever and in a way, he would be the only man I would ever be inside of. I was even more surprised when he wanted to do it more than once. It just showed how open minded Skyler was and how he was into trying everything. I really liked that quality in him. But I loved it when he made love to me, so I of course had to ride him long and slow. After having sex three times in a row without much of a pause, we were so exhausted we fell asleep without dinner. And now after showering and giving each other blow jobs, we were finishing up a simple breakfast of peanut butter on toast and banana milk shakes. "We need to do laundry," Skyler said suddenly, breaking our calm silence. I looked at him waiting for him to explain a bit since the comment felt a little out of the blue. "We had sex three times last night and both of us came everywhere. I don't mind having our cum on our stuff, but sleeping on stains just pisses me off," Skyler said and I laughed at the grossed out look that came upon his face. "Sure, we can do laundry and unpack our stuff. We need to make this place livable and not like some storage place." Skyler nodded, "Yeah, sounds good. I guess we can take it easy tonight, as far as fooling around," he said adjusting in his chair and I giggled slightly. Skyler closed his eyes and pursed his lips at me. I leaned across the table and pecked his lips lightly. After washing our dishes and me sneaking glances at Skyler as he dried the plates, we packed up our comforter, sheets, and pillow cases and headed to the laundry room of the apartment. "While we wait for it wanna hit up Starbucks? It's really close to here," Skyler suggested as he turned the washing machine on and looked at me expectantly. I agreed. I laced my fingers with his even though we were outside. We were in New York, who cares? Skyler sure didn't because he smiled at me, pulling me closer. "Venti iced white chocolate mocha," Skyler ordered without looking at the menu, "What do you want?" he asked me. "Uh," I said scanning the menu, "A frappe." Skyler nodded at the cashier and the young guy rang up our order, occasionally glancing at the both of us as Skyler and I huddled together, smiling and giggling at each other. It's weird when you're with someone, you somehow always want to be close to them even if you're not talking or doing anything in particular. "Want some?" Skyler asked once we got our drinks. I shook my head, interested in my frappe and the ice cream, "No, I'm good, you?" He shook his head and nodded at me to follow him. We sat on some couches and sipped our drinks sitting in a comfortable silence not saying anything. I smiled. This was the happiest I had ever been in my entire life. "What are you smiling about dorky?" he asked and I laughed. "Dorky?" "Goofy?" Skyler tried again. "Goofy?" I asked tilting my head but smiling nonetheless. "Goofy smile, goofy expression, what's that all about?" Skyler asked in amusement. My smile widened, "I can't help it. The smile won't go away, even if I tried." He laughed as he sipped his iced drink, "Well, better a smile than an angry look or something. I'm not complaining," he said leaning back into the cushion comfortably. "Ok, you gotta stop," Skyler said after I continued to gaze at him with my so called goofy smile. "What?" I asked innocently. "It's getting creepy," he said, but he didn't appear to be all that annoyed. "I'm thinking about us," I admitted. "What about us?" "Just last night and how good it was," I said blushing mildly and he laughed. "It was good, even I have to say," Skyler added. "I know we said we were gonna take a rest today with the, uh, sex stuff, but I can't help thinking about it and wanting to do it again instead of unpacking all day long," I said wrinkling my nose. Skyler coughed slightly as he was laughing while trying to take a large sip, "Well, uh, I'm sure we can do other things that don't involve inserting parts of ourselves into one another," he said raising his eyebrows up and down, "Or unless you think you can go again tonight? What is your soreness level?" I burst out laughing at the comicality and seriousness of the question, "Umm, I think I'm ok. I could probably manage, after all, I've had more practice than you, amateur," I said sticking my tongue out. Skyler snorted, "Well in that case let's head home." I blushed further, "Or we could stick to other stuff, too. I like it all, actually." "I like it all, too," Skyler said looking fondly at me. He glanced at his watch, "Want to head back now? The laundry should be ready to be put in the dryer by now. We're gonna need our bedding if we're gonna do," he paused dramatically, "Stuff." "Do we really need the bedding to do," I paused as well, imitating him, "Stuff?" Skyler looked at me seriously, "Nope." I broke into a smile with Skyler following suit. He placed his hand lightly on my lower back as he followed me out the door and we made our way back to the apartment. Skyler was in the process of putting the blanket into the dryer and fighting with it a bit good naturedly when he suddenly stopped and fished his cell out of his jean pocket. He checked the ID and then opened his phone and pressed a button. "Dude, this baby is never gonna pop out," Storm's very annoyed voice rang out through the speaker phone. Skyler grinned as he continued to stuff the comforter into the dryer, "Hey man, how's it going?" "The baby is late, Sky! Late! I don't think it's ever gonna come out of her!" Storm groaned and I muffled my laugh. "Wasn't her due date like yesterday or something?" Skyler asked. "It was TWO days ago, meaning the stinking baby is late! The stupid little bastard." I laughed silently, leaning on a washing machine. "It's not a bastard, Storm. We all know you're the Dad," Skyler said laughing into the phone. "I'm not in the mood for your shit, Sky," Storm groaned. "Then why'd you call me?" Skyler quipped. "Sky!" "I'm sure it will come soon," Skyler said reassuringly. "I hope so. I'm going fucking crazy at this point," Storm exclaimed, "Sky, you have no idea. I've been living with Kate for months and at first she was ok, but she just gets worse as time passed and I hate to say this, but she's a total hormonal bitch and I feel like I'm going to commit homicide or something here!" "She's probably just as irritated and uncomfortable that she's not giving birth yet," Skyler said reasonably, "It's like having a watermelon shoved in your gut and pressing on your bladder nonstop." "She's emotional and angry and I can't handle her. I need a break!" Storm groaned. "Well, it's just going to get worse. Once you lose the crazy woman, you'll have a demonic crying baby on your hands," Skyler said unhelpfully. "You're a shit," Storm said curtly. I laughed out loud. "Do you have to stay with Kate all day?" Skyler asked, "Want to come up here and help us unpack?" he asked grinning mischievously. I shook my head and mouthed, "Evil." Skyler just pursed his lips at me. "I wish, but I don't want to leave Kate. What if by some miracle she does go into labor? I want to be there," Storm said. "Makes sense," Skyler said nodding along, "For the next few days we'll be unpacking and settling in and exploring around. If Kate still hasn't popped by then, we'll come down and take you out to dinner for a little breather and if she does manage to give birth that day, you can just run off." "Yeah," Storm said sounding discouraged and tired. "It will be ok Storm." "I know. I just needed to vent a bit," Storm said. "Figured as much," Skyler replied easily. "I'm gonna get some dinner for us now. I'll call you," Storm said. "Right on," Skyler answered closing his phone. He looked at me and we dissolved into giggles. He pressed the button to start the dryer and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, "Come on, let's go upstairs and get to our," dramatic pause, "Stuff." I threw my arms around his waist hugging him as we walked up the stairs. *************CREW************** A wave of panic washed over me. I couldn't open my eyes. They felt too heavy as if they were sealed shut. Not matter how hard I tried, I couldn't open them. My neck was immobilized as well and there was this huge ache in the left side of my head. The pain seemed to stretch across the entire left side of my head and I couldn't understand how I got into this state. Oh god, was I paralyzed? I began to sweat and breathe harder, gasping for air. Fuck, I was hyperventilating. "Crew Jamison?" Oh good, my hearing was still in tact. I tried to answer, but my throat was so dry, all that came out was a low squeak. "Crew, my name is Dr. Kyle. Please don't panic or try to move. You've incurred some very serious injuries." No fucking shit. That was supposed to calm me down? If anything I began to panic even more. "Here, let me get you some water," Dr. Kyle said and a few seconds later I felt the tip of a cup being held to my lips and I slowly opened my mouth, relishing in the feel of the cool water washing down my throat. When I finished the entire cup I licked my lips and took in a breath, "Thanks." My voice came out raspy and my throat felt scratchy. "You're welcome Crew." I felt a little better after drinking some water and even though my eyelids still felt heavy I finally managed to pry them open, which turned out to be a painful process. I blinked and squinted my eyes, staring at the doctor who appeared to be in his late 30's. "Why do my eyes hurt so bad? Why does my head hurt? And why can't I move my neck?" I asked all at once and Dr. Kyle looked at me sympathetically and he hesitated causing me to worry again. He saw my fear and placed a hand on my forearm, which I felt, so I knew I wasn't paralyzed which was the best news I could possibly find out. "Your eyes hurt because you've been asleep for about a day and half," and my mouth fell open slightly, "Your head hurts because you have a deep cut of about five inches across the top of your head. We had to stitch it up. And you can't move your neck because a few of your cervical vertebrae were broken." "My vertebrae? What does that mean?" I asked my voice raising shrilly. "It's ok Crew. You can make a full recovery over time. Your cervical vertebrae, also known as the seven neck bones surrounds your spinal cord to serve as a protective barrier. So your cord is in tact, there will be no chance of paralysis, but you'll have to be extra careful for awhile as to not invoke further damage in your neck." "How did I get here? And when? What happened?" I asked, the words flying out of my mouth. Dr. Kyle studied me, "You don't remember anything?" I looked away from him, staring into my lap, trying to think back on the events that had occurred before I arrived here. "I went snowboarding," I replied slowly. "And?" Dr. Kyle asked gently. "I fell," I answered, trying hard to think back. Then it flooded back to me. Dr. Kyle saw the light bulb go off in my head and pressed down on my shoulder, "No abrupt movements, Crew. Try to stay still, your neck," he instructed and I lifted my fingers and felt the thick heavy cast that was weighing me down. "I got hurt, but I didn't fall. Two guys, they did this to me. They hit my board and I lost control and then I fell. And then one of them, wearing bright clothes hit my head, with the board." Dr. Kyle nodded, "So that's how you hurt your neck and got that cut." I shifted in my bed, trying to get more comfortable and just then a sharp pain hit my knees. I looked at him with wide eyes, "My knees, what happened to them?" "Torn ligaments Crew. You tore both of your anterior cruciate ligaments in both of your knees." I opened my mouth several times and each time nothing coming out of them. I felt tears well up in my eyes, "What does that mean?" He sighed, "That it's a severe knee injury, from when you fell. It's caused by severe twisting and forcing of the knee at an odd angle." "Can I walk?" I asked fearfully. "Well if you tore one ACL, yes, you could, but since you tore both of them, you'll be in need of a wheelchair." I felt as if I was punched in the gut. A wheelchair? "When will I get better?" "That depends Crew." "On what?" I asked a bit impatiently. "Most ACL patients can take up to nine months to begin walking normally again, but that's with intense rehabilitation. However, if you opt for arthroscopic surgery, you could be walking without crutches within two weeks or so and having back your full range of motion to play sports, within a few months. Well, the time estimates may be different for you since the recovery would be harder considering both your knees are out of commission." I swallowed, "How much is this surgery?" Dr. Kyle paused, "3,690 per knee and that includes three days in the hospital." My stomach dropped. There was no way I could pay eight grand for the surgery, in addition to my current hospital stay. I was a college student, my parents weren't alive, I didn't have insurance. As it was, I would be in serious debt for this one hospital stay. A tear rolled down my cheek, "It's useless, I'm gonna be a cripple forever." "That's not true," Dr. Kyle began. I looked up at him angrily, "What are you talking about?" I screamed in defeated anger, "I can't afford any of that. I can't even afford being here right now! I can't afford rehab and I'll never be able to walk again!" The tears were spilling heavily at this point and I felt so broken and I couldn't even curl in a ball and cry because of my immense injuries. "You don't understand Dr. Kyle, I don't have anyone in my life to take care of me. My parents and my brother, they're not around anymore," I said sadly, "I don't know how I will ever get better." "Then who was that young man that came to the hospital with you? He was hysterical about you, wanting to stay with you. We had to have security drag him away when he tried to see you," Dr. Kyle said frowning. Hiro. I had forgotten all about Hiro in this overload of information. "Where is he now?" I asked. "It's 7:30 at night. Visiting hours are over and I assume he's at home." I nodded, feeling so alone. Dr. Kyle stood over me even as I just sat there numbly, wondering if all of this was some horrible nightmare that I would wake up from soon. The stabbing pain in my neck, knees, wrist, and head told otherwise. "Is there anyone else I can call for you?" he asked gently. I sniffled and shook my head no. Dr. Kyle nodded at me and began to leave the room. "Wait," I called out. He turned around and faced me expectantly. "There is someone you can call for me." Dr. Kyle waited for me to continue patiently. *****************ZEKE**************** "I'm gonna be an Uncle sometime today!" Skyler said hopping up to me. I looked at him and then it dawned on me, "Storm's baby? Kate?" He nodded excitedly, "My Mom just called and said Storm left with Kate to go to the hospital and Mom is on her way there right now. Her water just broke!" I scrunched my face at the mention of her water breaking. "Well, Storm should be happy. It's been about a week or two late." Skyler laughed, "Yeah totally," he grabbed my hand, "Come on, let's go!" "To the hospital?" "Yeah," he said dragging me with him. Just as we got into the car, Skyler's phone started ringing. He let go of the wheel and I grabbed onto it, shooting him an annoyed glance while he flipped open his phone, taking hold of the wheel again. "Sup?" he called out. I shook my head. "What?" he asked with shock, his expression turning serious and concerned. I immediately got worried. Was something wrong with Kate or the baby? "Oh shit, ok," Skyler said and he abruptly hung up the phone and sharply did a U turn at a nearby residential street. I gripped the door handle and looked at him questioningly, "What happened?" "Crew got in an accident." My heart jumped into my throat, "What?" I gasped out. "My mom just got a phone call from a hospital in Colorado. She's on her way back home now, I'm gonna meet her there." "Wait, what about Crew, is he ok?" I asked my voice shaking. "He's alive, but he's in bad shape," Skyler said and I felt dazed. "Zeke, look at me," Skyler ordered. I slowly turned to him. "I'm going home and dropping you off with my Mom. She's looking up flights to Colorado as we speak. I told her to get you one, too." "What?" I asked, "What about you? And Storm and the baby?" He shook his head, "Your Crew's best friend Zeke. My Mom can't be there for Storm, so I'm gonna go there for him, but you need to be with Crew. You can see the baby when you get back." "Where's Hiro, what happened to him?" I asked, "Did he get hurt too?" "She didn't say," Skyler said as we pulled onto his street, "But Crew asked for my Mom and for you." He pulled into his driveway and leaned over, kissing me quickly as he opened my passenger door, "Don't worry Zeke. Crew is fine, he just needs you right now. I'll be ok, now go," he said nudging me out the car. I looked at him one last time and nodded, kissing him back briefly before heading to the front door where Mrs. Chin had already opened the door. I waved to him as he reversed out of the driveway again and headed back out to the hospital. "Hey honey, do you have any spare clothes in Sky's room?" she asked as soon as I stepped inside. "Yeah," I answered. "Good dear, now you have to pack. Our flight is at 11:30. We'll arrive early the next morning. I know we have a lot of time before our flight, but I need to make some arrangements for Crew," she said running around the kitchen. "Mrs. Chin, what happened to Crew?" I asked. She looked at me, "I don't really understand what happened to him myself, Zeke. Maybe the doctor can explain it better to me in person. What I got is that he can't walk for awhile and I need to make some arrangements for him and find someone at my gym to do rehab with him and I'll have to get him to move in here." She was rambling and looked frazzled but it was expected since her son was about to have a baby, she was about to be a grandmother, meanwhile she had to fly to Colorado to check up on her surrogate son. She took a deep breath to compose herself and she flashed me a reassuring smile, "Honey, go pack ok? I don't know how long we'll be staying there, depends on when Crew will be discharged. Try to get together enough stuff for about five days, just in case, ok? I nodded wordlessly and headed up the stairs to Skyler's room, reaching for his Adidas duffel sports bag and shoving the clothes I had left there. My heart was beating and my hands were shaking. I prayed to God Crew was all right. That boy had been through so much more. I really wondered how much more he could take before he reached his breaking point. ***********HIRO************* "I need to see Crew Jamison, right now!" I yelled out and the nurse leaned back, looking slightly frightened. I stood there, shaking with fury as I looked at her menacingly. I hated hospitals and their stupid family only visitation rules. I had gotten a phone call from the Doctor treating Crew telling me that he had finally woken up. I needed to see him but I was having some problems with this damn nurse! "Listen, I know I'm not family, but I'm close enough. He doesn't have anyone else. You have to let me see him!" I demanded angrily, "What room is he in? Tell me now!" "Sir, I can't," she began again haltingly. "You can and you will," I said clenching my teeth and banging my fist on the counter, causing her to yelp in fear. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I whipped around, flinging the hand off of me, expecting security and preparing to fight them off if necessary. "Hiro Takashami," a guy wearing scrubs said, looking nervous as he held out his hands neutrally to me. "Yes?" I barked out breathing heavily. "Dr. Kyle told me to get you. Come with me please," he said. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion and slowly followed him. I calmed down when I realized he was leading me to a room. He opened the door and I walked inside hoping to see Crew. And I did, but unfortunately, he looked like he was in terrible pain. His blue eyes, which were normally so bright, looked tired and dull and when he met my eyes, there seemed to be a lifeless quality in them. "Crew," I said rushing over to him, afraid to touch him. He was silent, not saying anything to me. He just looked at me blankly and sadly. My eyes scanned over his body. The side of his head was wrapped up in gauze but I could see the blood stains through the thin material. I remembered what the cut looked like and it appeared deep at the time. I'm sure he had some stitches under those bandages. His wrist was wrapped in a cast, so I assumed it was broken. His neck had a brace around it and I looked at the doctor for an explanation. "Broken vertebrae, but no spinal damage," he said. "Are you ok?" I asked Crew gently, not knowing what else to ask. Crew looked directly at me this time, his eyes full of unshed tears, "Hiro, I won't be able to walk." "What?" I asked and I whipped my head to look at the doctor, "You said there was no spinal damage!?" I said in an accusing tone. "There is no spinal damage, but his knee ligaments were torn severely. It will take intense rehab to get him walking and playing sports normally again," Dr. Kyle explained patiently. I frowned and licked my lips. Crew was such an athletic person with his snowboarding and soccer or running. I knew this was very bad news for him. "Crew," I said softly, but he seemed intent on lying on the bed staring up at the ceiling. "Crew," I said again, gingerly placing my hand on his forehead, "What happened on the mountain?" He spoke quietly but didn't tear his eyes away from the ceiling, "I was hit." "Hit?" I asked. "Two guys came up behind me on either side. They knocked my board around until I lost balance and fell over. I fell forward, snapping my wrist, tearing my knees, and I slid forward near the trees," he said in a monotone voice, "I didn't have time to get out of the way before the same guy that knocked my board came towards me and hit my head. After that, I don't know, I ended up here." Someone had aimed for Crew? Who would do that to him here? No one even knew him. He didn't have any enemies around here. I looked at him, "Crew, what did this guy look like?" "I don't remember," was his sullen reply. "Crew, what was he wearing? Do you remember anything about his outfit or gear or something?" I asked my anger growing with each word. He shook his head. I sighed and gripped the blanket around him, "Try to think back Crew," I said controlling my anger and annoyance that wasn't directed at him. I didn't want to upset him further by getting angry at him when he was the one in pain. "Wait," he began. I looked at him expectantly. "He was a tall guy, thin. He was wearing bright clothes." Bright clothes? "What do you mean?" I asked carefully. "Well, he wasn't wearing a coat. Just a neon yellow shirt with some black writing, which I couldn't read because he left so fast. And I think his snowboard was yellow also. I think that's what I saw when he came towards my face." Daniel. Caleb's friend Daniel had done this to Crew, my Crew. I clenched my teeth, grinding them together. Crew had warned me that Caleb had feelings for me, but I always brushed it off since it didn't matter if Caleb liked me or not, I loved Crew. But I never knew Caleb was this obsessed, to have told his friend to hurt Crew and hurt him this badly. "Crew," I started. "Hiro, I'm tired," Crew cut me off, "I need to rest." I stepped back and looked at Crew. Crew had never dismissed me like that before. He looked different than the Crew I knew and had been with a few days ago. He seemed cold, harsh, and distant, like he didn't want to be around anyone, even me. "Crew." "Please just go," he said with a hint of irritation in his voice. The finality of his words didn't sit well with me, but I had to respect his wishes. I stood there slightly in shock, but finally nodded, and walked out, passing the Dr. on the way out. I would deal with Crew later, right now, I needed to see someone. ****************** "Hiro!" Caleb said with surprise on his face and some other flickering emotion. Guilt? Fear? I pushed my way into his house and stood in the living room. "You almost killed Crew," I stated simply, forcing myself to remain calm. The calmer I acted, the scarier it was for others. People usually expected outbursts in this type of situation, so I always went for the calm, silent death mode. Caleb swallowed hard and licked his lips, his eyes darting around a bit before they met mine again. "What do you mean?" "I know everything Caleb, so don't lie. Crew said you talked with him; told him how you wanted me back and everything. I believe him, so you don't have to deny it. Crew is not the overly jealous type and he would never make anything like that up." "You and your trashy buddies planned the whole thing, didn't you? Separate me and Crew? Ask me for a friendly race and then have your guys double team Crew. Tell me, were you planning on just injuring him or almost killing him, because you succeeded." Caleb looked sick to his stomach. "He won't be able to walk," I said breaking the thick silence. I opted to leave out the part where Crew would walk in the future after some rehab and possibly surgery. Caleb's eyes widened and his face became two shades paler. "He won't walk anymore?" he whispered. "Yeah, and it's killing him. He has a neck brace and everything, on top of a broken wrist and stitches. He was a star soccer player back in the day, and now he won't be able to walk. How does it feel to destroy someone's life like that, over something that would never have happened?" I asked my voice getting an octave higher. "This wasn't supposed to happen," Caleb whispered, running his fingers through his dark hair, "He wasn't supposed to get that hurt," he said his blue eyes filled with sorrow. "I know Daniel did it," I added looking at him head on, waiting for him to break. Caleb looked down. "Crew saw Daniel's outfight, the neon shirt and his board as Daniel was breaking Crew's neck. Everyone knows what Daniel was wearing that day. Neon yellow sticks out in a large crowd." "There may even be some of Crew's blood on Daniel's pretty board," I said, seething the words. Everything I was saying was painful to my own ears, but I forced myself to say it, to get my point across, to mentally hurt Caleb. It worked. Caleb ran to the kitchen and vomited in the sink. "I didn't mean for this to happen, for Crew to almost die. I just missed you and wanted to be with you!" he sobbed. I gritted my teeth and narrowed my eyes, "So you decided to take out my boyfriend?" "I just wanted to mess with him a little, I didn't think this would happen," he said his eyes red. I let out a cry of anguish that was stewing throughout my entire body ever since I saw Crew half dead. And the frustration of seeing Crew pushing me away and the defeat in his eyes at the hospital was eating me alive. I panted as I tried to regain composure and I swear the room was spinning a bit. All the events that had occurred were getting to me now. "Hiro, I'm sorry," Caleb tried to say but I snapped my head in his direction furiously. Caleb's eyes widened in fear at my expression. With a fierce growl I threw my hand out and wrapped it tightly around his neck. His blue eyes bulged out as his hands clamped onto mine, trying to free himself. I wrapped my other hand around his throat, increasing the pressure. My eyes stared menacingly into his and all that could be heard was his strangled cries and gasps for air. He fell to his knees, desperately trying to loosen my grip, but it was hopeless for him. At one last attempt to get some oxygen into his lungs, his arm shot up and tried to aim at my face, but I latched onto his hand and twisted it backwards. There was a mangled shriek coming from his throat. "I hate you," I said in a dead tone, "I hate you so much." His face was changing colors. I lifted him up and hurled him onto the kitchen table, knocking off the plates. They crashed to the floor, breaking into pieces, the shrillness echoing in the empty house. "I want you to die," I hissed. Caleb whimpered as his mouth hung open, saliva dripping out. I squeezed his neck, not relieving any of the pressure I was applying. I watched his face and his wide eyes, tainted with fear, with the fear of death and it's looming presence as the life was being sucked out of him. His eyes took on a pleading quality as his hands weakly pulled on my wrists. I just stared right back into his pleading eyes, my gaze unwavering. Then I began to feel hot liquid coursing down my cheeks and they fell onto Daniel's rapidly reddening face. I was crying. "I hate you," I repeated, "I hate you so much for doing this to Crew. Don't you know what he's been through? How could you do this to him?" I asked as my tears spilled into my mouth. Caleb couldn't answer. All I got were more chokes and cries out of him. I was squeezing so hard, my knuckles were turning white and my forearms were beginning to go numb. "You should die for what you did to him. No one would miss you, certainly not me," I said as more tears fell from my eyes. I wiped them with my shoulder. I leaned down, "But I'm not a murderer, unlike you," I whispered into his ear, "If I were, you'd be fucking dead right now." I squeezed his throat a little more tightly, watching him suffer and then I released him. He fell to the floor and curled into a ball as he sucked in air eagerly, his gasps loud and fervent. He crawled away from me, fear in his face. His eyes were full of surprise as he regarded me warily. No one had ever seen me express so much anger and hate. I was known to be a quiet, easy going person, but Caleb crossed a line. Not for just hurting Crew, but for messing with a life. It was a sick joke they were trying to play. "I never want to see you again. You're worthless to me. I'm sorry to have ever met you, been with you, touched you, or talked to you!" I yelled. Caleb looked so pathetic, whimpering under the table, cowering like the little maggot he was. "You're lucky Crew made it out alive, or else I would have killed you and every one of your friends. And I would have gladly spent the rest of my life in prison just to see your lifeless corpse." With one last cold stare, I walked out, slamming the door with a loud bang. **************************** "Crew got in an accident," I said as I walked inside my grandparent's house. My grandmother gasped, "Is he alright?" "Not really. He'll recover, but it will take awhile. Right now he's in a bad mental and emotional state, though," I answered taking a sip of water. "Oh that's terrible," she said. My grandfather just remained silent. "When Crew is discharged, I'm leaving with him," I said, although I'm sure they knew that beforehand. I came with Crew, I would be leaving with Crew as well. "Hiro, about what I said," my grandfather said, "I apologize, but they are my true feelings and I won't lie to you anymore about how I feel." "That's fine," I said nodding, "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I'll tell you right now that I love Crew. I'm in love with him and he's in love with me and we're going to be together for years. We're not going to grow tired of each other, that is a fact. I love you both, but you have to respect me and my boyfriend." "We're sorry Hiro," my grandmother said. I nodded slightly, "It's tough for you both, I understand that. But I have to live my life and I'm happy. That should be the most important thing to you two." Having said that I left the room. ***********ZEKE************* I felt my legs give out a little when I first saw Crew as I entered his room. My legs buckled, but I got control of them and forced myself to emit a level of control for Crew's benefit. But my facade crumbled when I saw Crew's expression of utter despair. As I got close enough to hear him talk, he began to choke out words. "Zeke, my knees, they're fucked up. I can't walk, I can't fucking walk!" he wailed. I didn't know what to say so I just stood by his bed, holding onto his railing for support. "I need rehab for months, you know I can't afford that," Crew said, hot angry tears falling, "Or I could make a complete recovery if I got some surgical procedure, but I can't afford operations on both knees and the hospital stay. I don't even have insurance. I am so fucked!" My heart broke. My first instinct was to hug him but with the neck brace, I refrained and settled for sitting in a chair and resting my head on his stomach. "Why is this happening to me Zeke?" Crew asked in an oddly calm tone. "Is this my fate? Was all this shit supposed to happen to me? Alone at 18 with no family, crippled at 22?" "No Crew," I whispered, "You don't deserve this." "I don't know how much more I can take Zeke. My life has been nothing but pain for the past few years. Do you think it would have been better if I died with my family? At least I would be with them now," he said, "Instead of being some useless cripple!" he wailed. I looked up and caught his eye, "No Crew, you were spared for a reason! I know it sounds like fucking bullshit now, but it's true. You came out of that alive and you got through your depression. You went to school, you graduated college for fuck's sake! You fell in love with Hiro! You found love, you made a life for yourself! Don't think for one fucking minute you should have died! How could you think that, huh?!?" I asked, my voice getting louder with each question, "How?" and my voice cracked as I choked on my own sob. Crew and I just sat there together, crying quietly. "I don't know where to go from here Zeke," Crew murmured. I gently ran my fingers along his swollen kneecap, "I'll tell you what will happen Crew. You'll get discharged, you'll fly home with me and Mrs. Chin and you're gonna move in with her and Storm. You'll be surrounded by family Crew, your family. Mrs. Chin will get you a physical therapist/ trainer from her gym, she has connections you know. She talked nonstop throughout the flight. She's a talker, that woman, my future mother in law," I joked, hoping to see Crew smile. I was rewarded with the tiniest smile ever, but a smile nonetheless. "I don't want to be a burden," he whispered. I gripped his hand tightly, "You are NOT a burden to anyone, Crew! Now listen," I demanded and he looked amused for a second. "You'll rest up at their house until you feel ready to do physical therapy. Sky and I will visit every weekend from New York. We will help pay off this hospital bill," I held up my hand when he opened his mouth to argue with me, "I love you Crew," I said and he shut up. "I love you, Crew," I repeated, "We were friends since we were 15 and you were my best friend right away and you still are. You're more than my best friend, you're my brother. You let me stay with you whenever I needed to get away from my family even when you had so much emotional shit going on. You always thought of me when I needed you. You helped me during each beating I got from Xavier. If you think I'm going to leave you now or consider you a burden, well maybe you should get your brain scanned or something, because you might be severely fucked up!" Crew smiled and sniffled. "We're going to get through this," I promised holding his hand tightly, "You, me, Skyler, Storm, his little baby, and Hiro. Do you understand me?" I asked, my eyes filling up again. Crew nodded as he began to cry slightly and I stood up, kissing his forehead gently. "Are you in a lot of pain?" I asked with concern. His entire body looked so banged up. His head wrapped in bandages, soaked with blood. His wrist in a cast, his legs, although covered with the blanket, were probably wrapped up with something. His neck brace made him look stiff. "I'm in all kinds of pain. Every pain imaginable, I have it," he replied looking me in the eye. The honest and broken answer made my heart break. "We'll get through this," I said stroking his cheek, "Do you know who did this?" He shook his head, "No, but I don't think it was an accident." "What do you mean?" "I think the guy aimed for my head. He didn't slow down and I was on a diamond, no one goes on that without knowing how to steer. He didnt follow the turn, instead this guy went after me. And he didn't stop to see if I was ok, he just continued." My fists clenched, "Do you know what he looks like?" "No, it happened too fast and with the guy's head gear, I couldn't be sure," Crew replied. I nodded. Just then Mrs. Chin walked in, looking flustered and distraught. "Crew," she breathed out, walking over quickly. She took Crew's other hand, "How are you?" "I'm good," Crew responded politely and I fought the urge to laugh, "Thank you for coming. I didn't know who else to call!" he choked out, "I just gave them your number." "Oh it's ok! You should have called me, and I'm glad you did!" Mrs. Chin said running her fingers across his gauzed side of his head. "We're going to take care of this. Everything will work out. I spoke with the doctor, most of your injuries will fade, like the broken wrist, and the vertebrae in your neck. You'll have a large scar on your head, but it's a scar and it will make you look more rugged," she said smiling and Crew looked at her gratefully. I was glad she was here. She was more forceful and diplomatic with everything. It came with her becoming a single mother after her divorce and her business background. "As for your knees, it's unfortunate, but not the end of the world. Dr. Kyle told me about the surgery. You want it, don't you?" "I can't afford it," Crew said. "Nonsense, I will take care of it." "But that can be thousands. With the rehab I'll need, it could be, like, 15 grand for me to recover!" Crew protested. "I can handle it. If I shift some stuff around, it will be ok. Crew, the twins are finished with school, Storm can work part time and I no longer have to support Skyler, since he's looking for work. You need this. Don't be stubborn or too proud to accept this. I want to help. I want to see you walk, and be healthy, and happy, ok?" she asked sincerely. "But I don't want you to pay for it. I can't let you do that," Crew said shaking his head. Mrs. Chin paused and looked thoughtful, "Tell you what. I'll pay for the surgery and the rehab afterwards," and she shot Crew a look telling him not to interrupt her, "And when you get back on your feet, you'll work for me at my gyms as a trainer and half your paycheck can go to me?" Crew looked amazed. "But you have to live with me and Storm and help baby sit because I raised two crazy kids as it is, I don't want to go through a third kid that ain't even mine!" I laughed at her choice of words. "Anyway, as I was saying," she said shaking her head, reminding me of Skyler, "You stay with us, rent free of course since the mortgage has been paid off ages ago, and I want you to rent out your house to people and use that money as your savings and what not. How does that sound?" she asked firmly. I was amazed. She had come up with this entire plan in a span of a few hours. We only got wind of Crew's situation not too long ago. Crew had tears in his eyes again, but they were happy tears, "Oh," was all he could get out before he had to lay back and compose himself. "See, there is a solution to everything Crew," Mrs. Chin said warmly, "I think this will work out just fine, honey. You shouldn't be alone anyway. It would be fun living with me and Storm and his baby, which by the way is being born or has been born as we speak." Crew's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open, "Storm's a Dad today?" Mrs. Chin nodded, "Yeah and I'm a grandmother." "Congratulations," Crew said and she smiled. "Consider this a favor to me, Crew. You're such a hard working level headed kid that I wish you were my son as well. And I want you to live with me. It makes me sad to have an empty house," she smiled affectionately, "So do we have a deal? You move in with me, surgery as soon as possible, rehab, you work at my gym to pay me back, and you rent out your house?" "Yes, yes to everything, thank you so much," he said. She squeezed his hand, "Don't even mention it, kiddo." She looked at her watch, "Let me speak to Dr. Kyle again. I'm gonna bug him about when you can be released. Hospitals suck, you'd be much better off at home with us," she said and she marched out of the hospital room with her shoulders squared. It was her fighting stance and her arguing stance. With her superior skills of persuasion, I wouldn't be too surprised if Crew was out of here within the next day or so. I felt my pants buzzing and I took out my cell phone. I opened it and saw a picture text from Skyler. It read: It's a boy. Say hello to Sean Luke Chin, 6 lbs., 7 ounces. The picture showed Storm holding a tiny baby wrapped in blue. The image was tiny and all I saw was a little pink squished face. Crew and I shared a laugh as I sent back a congratulatory text from the both of us. "Babies are kinda gross looking," I said and Crew burst into laughter. "No, they're not." "Yes, they are! They only get cute when they're like ten months to a year old. Until then, it's like some pink blob," I said. "Like play dough or some shit. You know, the stuff we used to play with when we were all younger and shit out when we accidentally ate it?" I elaborated. Crew giggled, "That's fucked up man." "Whatever," I said sticking my tongue out. There was a pause and I glanced at Crew who was looking thoughtful and I was afraid for him to think too much, afraid he would fall into self pity mode, which translated into depression and suicide. The last time I caught Crew before he hurt himself, it was devastating to my health, knowing my best friend was hurting so badly. This time around, I would double my efforts. "Ok bud, let me be honest. I'm scared for you and what's going on in that pea sized head of yours right now, so let's talk about something fun," I said. Crew nodded, smiling slightly, "You know me too well." "That's for sure." "So what do you want to talk about then," he said, craning his body a little so he could face me. "Ok, don't tell Skyler I told you this, although I'm sure he wouldn't mind it too much," I said leaning forward, "But I made love to him a couple days ago, twice in one night." Crew's eyes widened and I saw that familiar spark in them and I knew he would be ok, with a little help and support. "Wow, what was it like? How did it happen? Did you ask him to do it or did he offer?" Crew asked sounding like his old enthusiastic child like self and I smiled. He would be alright, just like he always was. Crew didn't believe it, but he was meant to survive things. He was the strongest person I knew. "Well, it started as we just moved in on our first day and we didn't want to pack," I began as I carefully watched his expression, which appeared curious and interested. Yeah, Crew was definitely tougher than he thought he was. If only I could get him to realize that. **************** Like I predicted, Mrs. Chin got Crew out in no time. He had to stay for two days after our visit, but that was better than the original week or so the doctor had been aiming for, but Mrs. Chin convinced him Crew would be better off with us, at home, in a loving environment where help would be at his disposal. And she said he would be getting the surgery he needed and the rehab and training. Dr. Kyle seemed ok with her since she had knowledge on a lot of the physical science and fitness aspects. That and she was about to make a scene on how hospitals were preying on young kids with no insurance, accusing him of wanting to put Crew in debt, destroying his already damaged life. She was really laying on the guilt and then she began to insinuate Dr. Kyle had something to gain from Crew's financial misfortunes and that's when he caved in. I heard bits of the conversation. Mrs. Chin's voice carried far and she wasn't embarrassed to make a scene, much like Skyler. I definitely knew who Skyler took after. Anyway, Skyler and I talked everyday while I was in Colorado and he told me all about the baby and how long the waiting was. "That damn baby didn't want to leave Kate's uterus or something. After about ten hours, I was tempted to go in there myself and reach inside her region and pull the damn baby out!" He talked with Crew also, causing Crew to laugh, which he needed to. I noticed Crew didn't mention Hiro and when Hiro stopped by, Crew was distant and cut off from Hiro, which I found off, but I didn't question Crew. He had enough going on right now and he didn't need to be interrogated. When we all flew home back to Jersey, Crew sat in the handicapped section since he was in a wheelchair and needed the extra care because of his severe condition due the fragile state of his neck. I knew Crew wanted to sit with us, but it wasn't possible. Before going back to Princeton where the Chin's mansion was located, we drove over to EB to get a majority of Crew's belonging so he could move in with the Chin's for a bit. Crew sat in the car while I packed for him, taking more clothes, since he already had his bathroom stuff with him because of his Colorado trip. I came back with three large bags of his stuff, so no extra trips would have to be made in the future. "Crew, I'll come by your house this coming weekend to clean up a bit and empty out the perishable stuff in your fridge." He nodded at me, "Thanks." "Hiro, dear, you want to go back to your grandmother's place or stop by my house for a bit?" she asked as she looked in the review mirror. I caught the exchange between Crew and Hiro or the lack thereof. Hiro turned to look at Crew who avoided Hiro's stare and fidgeted instead. "No, I'm a little tired. I think I'll just head home," Hiro answered. For the rest of the ride, Hiro and Crew didn't say a word to each other, didn't look at one another, and when Hiro left the jeep, they barely acknowledged each other. Or more like Hiro seemed like he wanted to say something more, but decided against it because of Crew's odd behavior. I wasn't the only one that noticed this. As Crew looked down into his lap, Mrs. Chin and I exchanged a glance. I promised myself I would investigate this little situation. Hiro was good for Crew and I wasn't going to let Crew throw what he had away. It was my duty as Crew's best friend to knock some sense into him. ****************** Thanks to everyone that emailed me. Again I'm sorry for the delay. Before I post each new chapter I have to read through it and then I end up adding stuff and fixing it, so it takes longer to get it out. I apologize for the wait. Oh and to those who emailed me about not killing Crew; I could never kill Crew or any of the characters in this story. I love these characters too much, I created them, and they're like my babies! Well, babies that are older than I am, but that's a minor detail. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Peace