It is not my intention to offend anyone or to get you in trouble.

The author retains all rights to this original story. Please do not publish without explicit authorization from me.

Disclaimer:
This story is completely fictional. Most of the places mentioned, and none of the characters exist in real life. Some may possess physical or personality characteristics of people I know or have known. But if you see yourself in this story, your imagination is better than mine!

All best, Jon

If you like my story, drop me a line. I'd love to hear from you: seperatepiece@hotmail.com

Matt and Jon

Chapter 30

Jon and Matt sat in the kitchen and had a cup of coffee. They’d showered and changed out of their workout clothes, and were just more or less waiting for Tom, Jane and the boys to come home. They didn’t really feel like doing anything at the moment. Jon had said a prayer for Dave and Chet, which made them feel a little better, but they couldn’t help but worry.

“Do you think Chet will call us when he knows more?” Jon asked hopefully.

Matt sighed. “I don’t know. They don’t let you use cell phones in the hospital and he probably won’t want to leave Dave alone.”

“I guess you’re right, I just wish there was some way we could find out how he’s doing.”

“Yeah. I know. Me too.”

They heard Uncle Tom’s van pull in the driveway. They looked out the door and watched them pile out and start horsing around in the yard. They looked so happy. Matt and Jon dreaded telling them the news, but they knew they had to. As soon as they went out into the yard, Ryan tossed a Frisbee toward them and let out a shout of greeting.

Matt caught the Frisbee and they walked over to join them. “Guys, we’ve got some bad news.”

Tom immediately came over and put his hand on Jon’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?” He asked.

“Well, before I tell you, I want you all to know it’s going to be alright, but Dave got shot today in a robbery.”

A barrage of questions followed. Matt held up his hand to silence them. “All we know is that Officer Mac told Chet he was going to be okay. He took Chet to the hospital.”

Eric nodded. “I thought that was his car in the street. I figured he was here.”

“We ran into he and Dave at the reservoir, Dave went to work, and Chet came over to work out with us. Then…” Jon’s voice trailed off.

They all went into the house and were sitting around the dining room table when Bill and Shelley came home from shopping. They sensed the somber mood right away, even before Tom filled them in.

“How awful. Poor Chet must be frantic.” Shelley thought out loud. “I wish there was something we could do.”

“We just have to be there for them. That’s all we can do.” Matt said quietly.

Across town at the hospital, Chet sat by Dave’s bedside and held his hand. He had been moved from the recovery area to a private room. Chet watched the fluid dripping into his arm from the IV bag. He rubbed his palm with his thumb.

“Oh baby. You’ve just got to be alright.” He whispered.

He heard the door open, and looked up to see his father enter the room. Chet instinctively started to pull his hand away from Dave’s.

“It’s alright son, I know.”

Chet’s eyes went wide. “But…how…”

His father pulled up a chair and sat next to him and put an arm around his shoulders. “Yesterday when I borrowed your car, he pulled me over. I was bent over looking for your registration in the glove compartment when he came to the window. I was pretty surprised to hear a cop call me ‘babe,’ I can tell you.”

For the first time since he’d heard about Dave, Chet actually smiled as his father continued.

“When I turned around and he saw it wasn’t who he was expecting, he turned six shades of red. He tried to cover by saying it was a routine license check. He went through the motions, told me to drive carefully. When I was putting your registration away, I uh, found the note and put two and two together.”

Chet stole a glance at his father’s face. “So, you’re not mad?”

His dad sighed. “No son. I was shocked at first, then angry, but when I spoke to your mother, I realized you’re the same son we always loved. We aren’t any less proud of you, our football team captain, good student, and good hearted guy. We love you son, and if this is who you are, I guess we just have to accept that.”

Chet breathed a sigh of relief. There was no way he could deal with his parent’s rejection on top of everything else right now.

“I love you too, dad.” He felt his father squeeze his shoulders.

They sat in silence for what seemed like a long while when they heard Dave groan and saw him open his eyes.

“It’s okay baby, I’m here. You’re in the hospital but you’re going to be alright.” Chet hastened to reassure him.

“I know. I was awake when they brought me in. What about the guy I shot? How is he?”

Chet didn’t have to answer. Dave could tell by the look on his face that he had killed him. He covered his face with his arm and began to sob.

“Hey, you had no choice. Mac said he might have killed you, and him as well.” Chet whispered soothingly. “You just did what you had to do.”

Chet let him cry for awhile until it seemed he had no tears left. He squeezed his hand.

“Hey the important thing is that you’re going to be okay. Oh, Dave…I want you to meet my dad.”

Dave’s arm dropped from his eyes. For the first time since he awoke, he was aware of another presence in the room. He blinked his eyes a few times.

“Um…we’ve met.” He said with a sheepish grin.

Chet’s father extended a hand to Dave and shook it warmly, as Chet filled Dave in on the talk they’d had.

Dave relaxed. “Well, I guess I kinda spilled the beans. I was so embarrassed, I didn’t mention the traffic stop to you. I was going to tell you…”

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m glad they know. I’ve always been honest with my family, and I felt like I was living a lie. I’m glad it’s out in the open. I should have trusted them from the beginning.”

The doctor came in and asked Chet and his father to step out of the room. Dave smiled weakly at the doctor.

“It’s okay. They’re family.”

The doctor examined Dave’s wound and took his vital signs. “It’s lucky for you that the bullet hit your belt buckle before entering your body. It could have been a lot more serious. There would have surely been spinal cord injury if it hadn’t been slowed down.”

The doctor made some notes on Dave’s chart and left just as Mac entered the room. Chet introduced him to his father and the two men shook hands.

Mac placed a bouquet of flowers on the table by Dave’s bed. “These are from Violet.” He said, referring to his wife. “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.” He added with a wink.

Dave smiled. He was used to Mac’s sense of humor. The nurse came by to tell them they had 15 more minutes. Chet got a hurt look on his face. He knew that husbands and wives were allowed to stay longer. Why couldn’t he? Dave saw his expression.

“Chet, I’m really tired anyway. You can come back tomorrow after school and practice.”

“Dave, I’m not going to school tomorrow. I’m going to be right here with you.”

Dave made his voice as strong as possible. “Chet, I’m going to be just fine, okay? You’ve worked so hard and this is your senior year. You can’t throw it all away to baby sit me.”

Chet looked a little hurt that Dave didn’t want him to come and Dave knew it instantly. He fumbled for his hand. “I’ll miss you all day, but I wouldn’t feel right if you skipped school and football. Okay?” He said with a little squeeze for emphasis.

Chet smiled back at him. “Okay. But I’m coming right over after practice. I’ll bring my laptop and do my homework here, and I’m bringing my dinner.”

Dave smiled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Chet’s father put his hand on his shoulder. “Come on son. We should get going so Dave can rest.” He shook hands warmly with Dave when Chet let go of him. “I wish we’d met under better circumstances, but my wife and I look forward to getting to know you.”

“Thank you sir.” Dave replied.

When Dave was alone with Mac, he broke down again. He had been trying to be strong while Chet was in the room, but Mac knew how Dave felt about the shooting. When his sobs had faded, he started asking Mac questions.

“Did he leave a wife? Any children?”

Mac sighed. “We don’t know much about him yet. Only what we know from his record, which is plenty long. His next of kin was an aunt that he lives with, so I guess there’s no wife in the picture. The aunt’s biggest concern was what she was going to do with his daughter.”

“How old is she?”

“She’s four.” Mac whispered. He was ready for the fresh onslaught of tears, and held Dave in his powerful arms. When Dave had regained his composure, the nurse came in and gave him a sedative. Mac stayed with him until it took effect, and silently left the room.

On the way home, Chet called Jon’s house to let them know that Dave was going to be okay. Each of the boys got on the phone and gave Chet their love and support. Jon invited him over, but he declined. He was just going to pick up his car and go home to spend some time with his family.

The boys came out on the lawn just as Chet’s father was dropping him off at his car. Chet filled them in about what happened at the hospital.

“I’m so glad my dad was cool about it. That’s why I want to go home now. I haven’t talked to mom since I found out she knows. I guess it’ll be weird, but I have to go through it sometime. At least they still love and support me. That’s the important thing right now. That, and Dave.”

Matt came over and wrapped his arms around Chet as best he could with the difference in their size.

“You’ve always been there for us Chet. We all want you to know that we’re here for you too. You and Dave can count on us for anything. Okay?”

Chet squeezed back. Almost too hard, as Matt struggled to get air into his lungs.

“I know. I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know when you can visit. I know Dave would like that when he’s up to it.”

Jon put his hand on Chet’s shoulder. “You’d better go. You’re parents will be worried about you.”

Chet got in the car and started it up. He smiled at his friends and waved as a tear streamed down his cheek.

Back in the den, the boys were relieved to hear about Dave. Shelley brought them a snack of cut vegetables and yogurt dip. As they munched, a thought struck Jon, and he turned to Ryan.

“Hey, with all the excitement about Dave, we forgot to ask you about the houses. How did it go today?”

Ryan laughed. “Well, the first one was a disaster. Dad figured it would need way too much work before we could move in.”

Todd joined in. “Yeah, and mom hated the kitchen. It was smaller than the one in our apartment. She thinks the kitchen is the most important room in the house.”

LittleTom looked off in to space with a wistful look. “Yeah, but the yard was great. It even had a tree house in the woods. That would’ve been so cool.”

“Yeah, the tree house was in better shape than the house, that’s for sure.” Ryan shot back. “The other two were both good. They’re both big enough that we’d each have a room to ourselves. We could always double up if we have company. The one on Tucker Avenue has a big family room that would be great for sleepovers, but the one on Wilson has a pool, which would be awesome in the summer.”

Todd looked at Joel. Both he and Eric had been noticeably quiet during the discussion. “Which one did you like, honey?” Todd asked.

Joel’s face wrinkled. “Well…I don’t want to influence you. You guys are the ones that are going to live in whichever one. I know you Todd. You’d pick any one that I said just to be nice.”

Eric agreed. “Yeah, whichever one you tell your folks you like should be coming from you three. I know we’ll be happy with whatever you decide.”

Todd laughed. “You’re probably right…I have an idea. Why don’t we all write down which one we’d pick, then Jon can read them?”

Ryan liked the idea, so he went and got paper and pens. He tore a sheet of paper into five pieces and handed them out to the group. It took no time for them all to write down their choice and hand the folded slips to Jon. A grin spread across Jon’s face as he shuffled through the papers. He handed them to Matt who laughed out loud.

“Jonny, come on! Tell us, will you?” An impatient LittleTom chirped.

Jon was enjoying the suspense, but couldn’t tease them any longer. “You all picked Tucker Avenue!” He announced with glee.

They all laughed and exchanged hugs. Tom and Jane had been having a quiet drink in the living room and discussing the houses with Shelley and Dan when they heard the commotion from the den and went to investigate. Ryan explained what had happened. Tom laughed.

“Jane and I both agreed we’d ask your opinion before we made a final decision, but we both like that one too, so it’s official. I’ll call the broker tomorrow and make an offer.”

Everyone was excited about the prospect of the move. They moved in to the kitchen where Shelley was making a large batch of hot chocolate, and started planning. Tom knew he wouldn’t have to hire a moving company with all the willing workers at his disposal. He decided he’d just rent a truck. They decided to move Jane and Todd’s things first. The landlady had been so cooperative about the lease, they felt they should clear out the apartment so she could rent it again as soon as possible. They figured it would be at least two days work to get everything into the new house.

LittleTom got a concerned look on his face. “Dad, is it wrong for us to be so happy when Dave is lying in the hospital?”

Tom put his arm around his youngest son’s shoulder. “No son, when something bad happens, it’s only natural to talk about good things to take your mind off of it for awhile. Especially since there’s nothing we can do for him right now.”

“Yeah, and we know he’s going to be alright.” Jon added.

LittleTom gave a half smile. “I was just feeling a little guilty. I guess you’re right.”

After they finished their cocoa, they drifted back to the den for a few hands of poker. The couples took turns excusing themselves from the group to find an empty room for a little togetherness. The conversation was mostly about how they could help Dave and Chet when Dave was out of the hospital.

“We could cook for them and bring it over so they wouldn’t have to worry about dinner. If I help mom in the kitchen, we can make enough for them too.” Jon offered.

“I have a whole box of sci-fi books in the garage that I’ve read. Maybe Dave would like them to read during the day when Chet’s in school.” Ryan thought out loud.

LittleTom said he could help with housework, and the others agreed they could do that too, as well as run errands when needed, or take a turn with the cooking duties. They all felt better for having some kind of plan to help out.

Ryan stretched. “I think I’ll get some water before bed.” He said as he stood up.

“I could use some too.” Eric said as he also got to his feet.

LittleTom started to get up too. “I’ll come with you.”

Jon put a hand on his shoulder and gently shook his head. “Ohhhh!” LittleTom said with a knowing smirk.

Everyone laughed as Ryan and Eric blushed. They knew they weren’t fooling anyone, but they still tried to be discreet. They joined in the laughter as they beat a hasty retreat.

Once they were alone in the room that Ryan shared with LittleTom, they fell into an embrace.

“I missed you.” Eric whispered.

“I missed you too.”

They caressed each other with roaming hands as their mouths met in a deep and soulful kiss. Neither one of them wanted to break it, but eventually they needed to breathe. Eric fell back on the bed, and pulled Ryan with him as he began stroking his erection through his briefs. Ryan moaned and returned the favor.

Ryan smiled at his lover. “I guess we have to take care of these bad boys, huh.”

“Yup…what did you have in mind?”

Without a word, Ryan pulled down Eric’s boxers and took his hardness into his mouth and swirled his tongue around the tip. Eric sighed as he let his fingers play with Ryan’s hair. Ryan slowly and lovingly began to suck up and down the shaft as he gently caressed Eric’s balls in his hand. It didn’t take Eric long. He emitted a whimper and a soft cry as he erupted in Ryan’s mouth.

Ryan swallowed the nectar that he’d worked so hard for, and joined his lover, laying next to him and making lazy circles on his heaving chest with his palm. Ryan couldn’t take his eyes off of Eric. He smiled as he took in the sight. He never tired of seeing him after he’d had an orgasm. His cheeks and neck were bright red in contrast to his pale skin.

Eric began kissing his way down Ryan’s torso. Ryan smiled at him as he let his fingers caress his cheeks. He kissed Ryan’s balls, and licked slowly up the shaft of his penis, while Ryan moaned softly. Eric was enjoying the teasing, but Ryan needed relief.

“Please Eric. Please…”

Without warning, Eric’s mouth engulfed the entire length of Ryan’s hardness down to the hilt. It was all Ryan could do not to scream with pleasure. His hips began to match Eric’s rhythm. It didn’t take long for him to empty his load into Eric’s waiting throat. After the initial spurts, Eric continued to suck on him, wanting to get every last drop.

They snuggled with each other for awhile before pulling on their underwear to rejoin the others. They thought about staying where they were for the night, but they could still snuggle in the den, and it was always fun to wake up with the others.

When they reached the den, all the boys were sound asleep as they took their places. They were both exhausted from all of the events of the day. Ryan was asleep almost as soon as he closed his eyes. Just as Eric was about to nod off, he heard a voice in the darkness.

“Eric, are you awake?” He heard LittleTom say just above a whisper.

“Yeah, LittleTom. I’m sorry, did we wake you?”

“Nah, I was awake. Eric…I was wondering…do you think your sister likes me?”

Eric smiled to himself. “It seemed like you really hit it off at the barbeque, don’t you think?”

“Well, yeah…it’s just, well…I REALLY like her, you know? And I was just wondering if you think she likes me the same way.”

Eric sighed. “LittleTom, Amy and I aren’t really as close as you and Ry. I mean we get along okay most of the time, but we rarely do stuff together unless it’s something with the whole family. She hangs with her friends, and I hang out with mine mostly.”

LittleTom processed this information. “I guess it’s that way with most families. Ry and I got closer when mom got sick, I guess.”

Eric reached toward LittleTom and found his shoulder, and gave it a squeeze. “I wish I could be as close to Amy as you and Ry are.”

“Yeah, well, anyway, I was just wondering. I think she’s cool. She’s so easy to talk to. I was thinking that I’d like to ask her out sometime, you know, to the mall or something, but I’m too chicken. What if she says no?”

Eric considered the problem. “I have an idea. How about if Ryan and I invite the two of you for a movie and pizza? That way you can do something fun with her and not have to ask. If it goes well, then you can ask her out yourself the next time.”

“That would be so cool! You’d really do that for me? Hang out with a couple of kids?”

Eric grinned. “Hey, you’re doing me a favor. I’m supposed to be the protective big brother. If Amy ends up going out with you, it’ll make my job easier, right? Also, my parent’s would probably freak if she started dating. You know my mom. And besides, like I said, I’d like to be closer to her. Maybe it would help that too.”

“Yeah, maybe.” LittleTom thought out loud.

“There’s just one thing LittleTom. Amy doesn’t know about Ryan and me yet.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I won’t tell her. I’m glad you told me.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. I’m going to tell her when I go home tomorrow anyway. She has a right to know. If you two start a relationship, I don’t want it to start with secrets and lies, you know?”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. How do you think she’ll take it?”

Eric thought for a moment. “I can’t say for sure, but I think it’s dumb of mom and dad to have wanted to protect her from it in the first place. Frankly, I don’t think she’ll care. She’s a lot less innocent than my parents think.”

“Well, I’m her age, and I’m fine with it, so why shouldn’t she be too? Besides, we even learn about it in school now, so what’s the big deal?”

“Yeah. I’m sure she’ll deal with it. I’ve never heard her say anything bad about gay people. She doesn’t even use the word ‘gay’ as slang for ‘bad’ or ‘uncool’ like her friends do. I hate when they do that. Maybe she’ll even get them to stop.”

“I know what you mean. I get really pissed off when I hear that.”

Eric smiled, and gave LittleTom an affectionate squeeze. “Ryan and I have discussed being more open about our relationship at school. We feel that if people know, they won’t be so likely to use hurtful expressions like that. Besides, the more of us there are, the better it will be for all of us. It was hard for Matt and Jon at first, but I think now everyone accepts them.”

“Yeah. Some of the kids in my class still say stupid things like, ‘how’s you fag cousin?’ and stuff, but who cares what those dorks think. I just tell them tell them to shove it.”

This disturbed Eric. “We never considered what this might mean for you, LittleTom. We never want to put you in the middle of this, you know. Pretty soon, you’ll have two gay brothers and a cousin. We don’t want you taking crap in school because of us.”

LittleTom chuckled. “You could say I already have six gay brothers, not to mention a few honorary uncles, and I’d never be ashamed of any of them. Neither will Amy, and if she is, then the date is off.”

Eric rolled over against Ryan and snuggled in to him. “I hope for both our sakes she’s cool about it then. Good night little brother. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Once again starting off with an apology... Some of you have written to "encourage" me this time. I'm really sorry it took so long for this one. I'm having trouble getting the uninteruped time to sit down and write these days. I have a lot of dangling situations though, and many new ideas, so I hope some of you will feel it's worth the wait.

Hugs to all who've written. David (Tales From Bentonville), Lukas and Tay (Life Bonded), Tom and Jim (When Tom Met Jim...under "relationships"), Liam, Jake (Him), Werner (Summer Holidays), Paul (Sad Song of a Gay Teen), James in Oklahoma, Altimexis (thanks for the medical tips), Geoffrey, Adam, Johnathan, Peo, Stephen, Chris, Zhue, Trevor over in Kiwi land, Marty, Steph, Ken, Anderson, Steven, Jere, Jim, Paul, Steve T., Rob, Bill from storylover.us, and Barry. If I left you off the list, by all means write and e-spank me. Aaaaaaand...

Last but not least, my sweet friend from down south (waaaay down south), Luiz. *Smooch!* You may want to check out his new stories. He posts much faster than I do, lol. Through the Rain is his first one, and My Angel (my favorite. You'll know why when you read the dedication).

Thanks, as always, for reading and sending your comments to seperatepiece@hotmail.com.

All best, Jon