Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2017 03:14:25 +0000
From: David Courson <dsc110875@hotmail.com>
Subject: The Boy who cried Sapphire Tears - Chapter 17

To Meg, thanks, as always, even after such a long stretch of me not
writing, for the help in editing this chapter.  You do catch a lot of my
mistakes and I am thankful for it.

To the reader, yeah, it's been over three years since I last updated and
for that, I am really sorry.  I finally forced myself to get past my
writer's block, and I am sorry if the chapter fills a little lackluster.  I
am not sure when the next chapter will be out...I have taken on a new
position within my company and it will be taking a lot of my time until I
can get on a regular schedule.  I will do my best to continue writing, but
I don't know how long it will take.  I hope to God it won't be another
three years.  My goal is within the next few months.  Once I get on a good
routine at work, I will be able to devote more time to my writing and
hopefully put more chapters out soon after that.

Chapter 18 already has 7 pages written and I hope to add at least 10 more,
but we will see what happens.

Again, thanks again for all your patience and I hope you guys will forgive
the time gap.

If you are not a member and you are interested, go to
https://www.facebook.com/groups/QBWTEE

The Boy who cried Sapphire Tears – Chapter 17

       His sleep was shallow, restless. The ICU allowed visitors
twenty-four hours a day, every day. Doctors, nurses, monitors and drugs
could only go so far: a patient able to be near a loved one kept them
tethered in a way that medicine could not. Todd never left Blake's side. He
dozed, but his brain was alerted to every sound. He would wake up thinking
Blake was trying to get his attention.  Every time he opened his eyes, he
would see the same scene...Blake, lying motionless, with the tubes coming
from his body and the brace securing his neck.  The same neck that he had
kissed so many times before.  The body, once strong and healthy, now
battered and broken. He tried not to think about it too hard because it
would upset him.  He closed his mind and would eventually doze off again.

       Not knowing exactly how soon before morning it really was, Todd
found himself staring at Blake this time when he woke up, willing Blake to
open his eyes, but to no avail.  He would stare at Blake breathing...but
not natural.  The tube in his lungs was attached to a bag next to his bed,
raising and lowering, mechanically, rhythmically.  The tube from his side
kept secreting the amber liquid and it sickened Todd to know that without
the tube, Blake wouldn't be able to breathe.

       Looking at Blake's bandaged face and head, he couldn't help but
cringe every time.  The pain that he was sure Blake would be in if he were
awake made him thankful that he was able to take the pain from Blake.  Todd
hoped that Blake never had to feel what he went through, with the pain that
he himself felt as Blake was unconscious.  Maybe that's why Todd felt
it...he was always the stronger of the two.  Maybe Todd felt the pain
because he could survive it. Maybe Blake wouldn't have been able to survive
had he been awake.  Just the thought of that brought tears to the forefront
of Todd's eyes.

	He continued to look at Blake and saw the bruising that the car had
left as proof of that terrible accident.  The darkened upper half of
Blake's face, with its purple, blue and black colors, made Blake almost
unrecognizable.  The bruises stretched across Blake's swollen face like he
spilled ink running down without care.

       Scanning down the rest of Blake's body, Todd saw both thighs about
as twice as big as normal.  The bandages covering the broken legs, the cut
skin, the metal rods needed to help him walk again.  The mere thought of
how broken Blake really was got to him so fast, he couldn't control the
tears that soon found his cheeks.  He covered his face and sobbed as he
muffled the moans and fear falling from his throat...his body shaking with
cries that he hadn't cried in a very long time.  He would have kept it up
for a lot longer had he not been interrupted.

       The door to Blake's room opened and Todd dropped his hands and
looked at the door to see a male nurse entering the room.  He stopped when
he saw Todd.  As Todd wiped his tears away, trying to hide the fact that he
had been crying, the nurse walked in.

       "I didn't mean to interrupt."  He showed signs of understanding what
Todd was going through and said, "I can come back if you need some time..."

       "No," Todd said as he finished wiping his eyes.  The nurse grabbed a
tissue and handed it to him.  "Thanks."  He wiped his eyes again and blew
his nose.  The nurse went about his duties, keeping his eyes on Blake so
that Todd could do what he needed to do without being scrutinized.

       "What time is it," Todd asked.

       "Just past seven.  How'd you sleep?" the nurse asked.

       "Not well," Todd said, stretching.

       "So, how do you know Blake here?"  The nurse was now getting Blake's
temperature.

       "Boyfriend," Todd answered, keeping his eyes on the nurse for any
nasty faces or mean looks.  Instead, he saw a small grin.

       "Ahh," the nurse acknowledged. "He's a lucky guy to have you by him
when he needs you the most."

       "I'm the lucky one.  If it wasn't for him, I'd probably still be the
jock, living a lie on into college."

       "I know what you mean," the nurse agreed.  "It took me falling in
love to come out to myself and my parents.  Sadly, it didn't last but I'm a
much better man because I can be who I am without worry."

       Silence filled the room for a few moments while the nurse continued
his checking of Blake's vitals.  He continued checking the monitors and
other equipment to make sure they were all in working order. As he watched,
Todd asked, "So, how's he doing this morning?"

       "Still no change, but his blood pressure is good.  Temperature is
fine.  Better to have no change, than a bad change.  His body is healing
itself.  I heard the doctors talking and they hope to see some improvement
soon."

       "Any idea how long?" Todd asked.

       The nurse looked at Todd, then back at Blake and said, "I'm sorry,
but I don't know."

       Todd stared back at Blake and looked at his swollen face.

       "He can hear you, ya know," the nurse said.

       "He can?" Todd asked, again, surprised.

       "Yeah.  Subconsciously, he knows you're here.  Talk to him if you
want to," the nurse said, taking off his gloves.  "My name's Kevin, if you
need anything, by the way," Kevin said, grabbing his tray of supplies and
Blake's chart.

        "Thanks," Todd said.  "I think I'm gonna get something to eat and a
shower.  I'll be back in an hour or so."  Once the words were out of his
mouth, he didn't know why he said them.  Why would Kevin care what he was
about to do?  He had his own job and other things to deal with.

       "Okay.  He'll be fine while you're away.  Don't worry," Kevin
replied

       Todd nodded his appreciation and understanding .

       After Kevin left, Todd leaned down and gave a soft kiss to Blake's
cheek.  "I'll be back soon."  The pit of Todd's stomach didn't want him to
leave.  What if...Just what if something happened while he was gone for one
hour?  Todd knew he was being pointless in this thought, but the fear of
`what if' was always there.  He breathed and tried to steady his nerves.
He turned and headed out the door.

       The next few days were the same routine.  The only time Todd left
his side was for bathroom breaks, shower and eating, half of which, he
would bring the food back to eat in the room.  Todd got tired of the TV
after a while and switched to magazines and books.  A few times, he would
read something about some celebrity and tell Blake about it.  It's
something he would do if Blake were awake, so he figured he would keep
doing it.  Who knows, maybe Blake will remember some detail of some article
when he wakes.

       There were many visitors over the next few days as well.  Two people
at a time were allowed in the room, so Todd would step out every once in a
while to allow two other friends to visit.  He would normally give updates
to everyone that couldn't make it to Montana, just to keep them informed of
any new changes.  Kelly, who wanted to be there more than anything, thanked
Todd of his texts and calls with any news.  It was hard for her to keep her
mind on her schoolwork, but she was doing the best she could.

       Todd tried Mitchell a few times, but his phone has been disconnected
and he didn't know any other way to get in touch with Mitchell.  He called
Grannie Sue and explained what has happening.  She wanted to come, but
informed Todd that her health was preventing her from being able to travel.
He promised that he would keep her updated with any changes and told her to
call Blake's cell if she wanted any additional updates.

       One of these visits, Todd ended up going to see Bruce.  Charles had
just walked out of Bruce's room and Todd got to door before it closed.
When Bruce looked up, he smiled at Todd.

       "Someone told me you were here," Bruce said, adjusting himself in
his bed.

       "Yeah.  Came in on Sunday.  I'm sorry I haven't come by
earlier...just been worried about Blake," he said, as he crossed to give
Bruce a gentle hug.

       Releasing Todd, Bruce pushed the apology away with a wave of his
hand.  "How's he doing?  Everyone tells me he's fine, but that's not what I
want to hear."

       Todd gave him a look of understanding before he started.  "He's in a
coma for now.  His brain's swollen a bit.  That nurse, Kevin, told me that
hope to see some progress in about a week.  Hopefully the swelling goes
down soon and the pressure in his brain will lessen.  The bruises are
healing and the cuts are mending.  They've set his legs and say he'll have
a lot of physical therapy in his future."

       "Same here," Bruce said, looking at and feeling his sore legs.
"How's his neck?"

       "They said there wasn't any damage to the cord, but right now, I
don't know.  I wanna believe them, but I don't want to get my hopes up just
in case."

       There was a silence between them for a moment, then Todd asked about
Bruce's injuries.

       "Besides a few bumps and bruises, it's just my legs that were
injured.  I was able to move my upper body out of the way when the car was
being crushed.  Now, the doctors have fixed my legs, and they said I've got
about four months of recovery with about a year of physical therapy to
follow."

       Todd nodded his head in understanding.  Tentativly, he asked, "Do
you remember what happened?"

       Bruce closed his eyes and Todd immediately regretted the question.
As he was about to tell Bruce to forget it, Bruce started telling what he
remembered.  Todd sat, enraptured, anger filling him at the stupid mistake
of the other driver, then pity when his family would no longer have the man
to come home to them.  As Bruce described Blake's actions, of how scared he
was, he remembered his dream and feeing the exact same way.  As Bruce
described it, he remembered dreaming the exact actions in his sleep.

       `How is that possible?' Todd thought.  `How did I see what he went
through?'

       He didn't think about it too long as Bruce pulled him out of his
thoughts.  They talked a bit more before Todd excused himself, seeing
Dwight walking in the room to his husband.

       "How're the horses?" Bruce asked.

       "Same as always," Dwight said.  "How's the husband?"

       "Better, now that you're here."

       Todd stopped at the door and saw the two men kiss each other hello.
Smiling, he left Bruce and Dwight to catch up for the day.

       A week passed and the ventilator was turned off and after a few
tense moments, Blake took his first breath without help in 8 days.  The
doctor, nurse and Mom, Dad and Todd were all there, holding their breath,
waiting.  Todd had begged them to wait, just a little longer.  `What if...'
he would always ask when someone mentioned it.  The doctors assured Todd
that if things turned south, they would be right there ready to hook the
ventilator back up.  Todd's fears turned out to be false and his anxiety
about the ventilator being turned off ebbed away.  Blake was ready to
breath on his own.  `One hurtle down,' he thought.  `One more to go.'

       Over the next couple of days, Todd started seeing Blake move his
fingers or his toes.  The first time it happened, he ran out and saw Angel,
the nurse Todd met on his first evening with Blake.  He ran to her and
Angel looked worried.  "What's wrong?"

       "Nothing.  He's moved a finger!  His finger moved," Todd said
smiling big.

       Todd practically ran back to the room and Angel followed at her
usual pace.  The few people in the waiting room, Mom, Pax, Mama and Papa
saw Todd and thought the worst.  They hurriedly made their way to Blake's
room, only to hear Todd describing what he saw.

       "I was just sitting here reading and I saw something twitch.  I
called his name and his fingers moved again."

       Angel pulled a pen light out of her pocket and pulled Blake's eyes
open, one by one.  As she shown the light in them, they each contracted as
they should.  She smiled and said, "Things are looking good.  The doctor
will be by in an hour to do his rounds.  He'll do some further tests."

       "Because he moved his fingers..., does this mean he's gonna be okay?
He's not paralyzed?" Todd asked.

       Everyone at the door looked from Todd to Angel, waiting for an
answer.

       "I think the doctor needs to answer that one," Angel said.

       Todd seemed to deflate and Angel noticed.  "Look, I'm sorry, but the
doctor really needs to look at him.  I can't test anything and I don't want
to hurt him any further."  She watched Todd for another moment and said,
"He'll be in in about an hour.  Just be patient for a little while longer."

       Todd nodded his head.  He allowed his hopes to get a little higher
with what he had seen.  From what he knew, medically, if something moved,
then it couldn't be paralyzed.  Maybe he didn't know everything, but he
hope that he was correct in this thinking, at least.  Before Angel left,
she said, "Only two of you, please."

       The others at the door felt a little lighter as they walked away,
but was still left to wonder what the doctor would say when he stopped by.
Christine made her way to her son and put her arms around him.  "Be
patient, Todd.  We'll hopefully know something definite in an hour or so."

       "I will." Todd put his head on his mom's shoulder and put an arm
around her waist and stared at Blake, hoping that the news they would soon
hear was good.

       After the doctor stopped by, he did a few tests and concluded that
Blake's spinal cord survived the break and that he wasn't paralyzed.  Todd
was soon taking a break from the hospital room to make his calls to
everyone to keep inform them of the good news.

       About an hour after talking to Granny Sue, Blake's phone rang.  Todd
looked at the caller ID and saw it was Mark from Los Angeles.

       "Hello?' Todd said.

       "What the hell has been going on?" Mark asked, irritated.  "I just
got through talking with Granny Sue and she told me that Blake wasn't
paralyzed.  I didn't know he was even hurt.  What's happened?"

       "Mark, with all that's been going on, I completely forgot to tell
you about this.  I'm sorry," Todd said.  He spent the next few minutes
explaining what had happened to Blake and when he was done, Mark remained
speechless.

       "Mark, are you still with me?" Todd asked.

       "Yeah.  It's just a lot to take in.  I can't believe this has
happened."

       "Neither can anyone else.  But, he seems to be getting better in
stages.  Now, we're just waiting for him to wake up.  To communicate with
us.  Once he does, I'll feel a lot more relieved."

       "I can take a few days off and come out if you need me to," Mark
suggested.

       "If you want to, you can, but right now, we're just waiting.  I can
keep you informed like I am for everyone else, but if you want to come,
then by all means, do so."

       "I'll talk to Tripp and let you know tomorrow," Mark said.

       They talked for another half hour before Todd told him he needed to
make a couple more calls.  He promised to keep him informed if they
couldn't make it up as well.

       Twelve days after the accident, Blake lay as still as he had on the
first day.  Only his chest rising and falling now on his own accord than
with a machine.  Every once in a while, Todd would see a twitch of the
fingers or toes.  Todd left his side only for bathroom breaks, showers and
food.  Don, Christine, Pax, Tristian and even Mama and Papa have been
trying to talk him into going back to the ranch for some proper rest only
for him to refuse, saying he wanted to be there when Blake woke up.

       "You are exhausted, honey," Pax was saying.

       "I know but..." Todd said, looking at Blake.

       "You need to get some sleep.  If he wakes while you're gone, he'll
be here when you get back.  One of us will call you as soon as he wakes
up," Don said.

       "You don't know that," snapped Todd.  "What if he wakes up for one
minute and I'm not here?  What if he does that and he never wakes up
again?"

       "You can't think like that, Todd," Christine appealed.

       "That's all I can think about," Todd said, looking back at Blake,
his voice faulting.

       Don was about to interject his opinion when he was interrupted by
Mama.  "I think we need to let him be."

       Everyone looked to him and he continued.  "I understand he wants to
be here when Blake wakes up.  I'd want to be here, too, if it was Papa in
that bed instead of Blake."  He paused and sighed.  "Why don't we go to the
ranch and I can cook us some dinner.  Then after, I can bring you back a
plate," he said, looking at Todd.

       Todd nodded his head and everyone else, reluctantly, agreed with
Mama.

       Todd pulled the chair a little closer to Blake as everyone else
filed out of the room, leaving the two of them alone.  He grabbed Blake's
hand and pulled it to his lips.  "You gotta wake up soon, baby.  I need you
with me.  I'm not strong enough to be here without you." A lone tear found
its way down to his chin.  Todd closed his eyes and willed everything he
had to Blake...to make him better...to heal faster...to open his eyes...to
survive this horrible nightmare

       A moment later, Kevin pushed open the door, and Todd turned his
head, quickly, to wipe the tear from his chin and to clear the streak from
his face.  Kevin noticed, but acted as if he didn't.  "How are you holding
up, Todd?"

       Clearing his throat, Todd said, "Okay."  Standing up, he asked, "Do
you need to get here?"

        "I can do what is needed over here," Kevin gave a small smile,
standing on the other side of the bed.  After a few minutes, Kevin spoke
again.  "You gotta stay positive, Todd."

       Anger rising again, Todd retorted, "I wish people would stop telling
me that."  A moment later, he felt guilty and turned and said, "I'm sorry.
I know you're...hell, everyone is only trying to help, but I feel so
helpless just sitting here, watching...waiting for him to wake up."

       "You are doing all that you can here. Trust the doctor, trust us
nurses. And try to stay positive."

       Todd thought that over for a few minutes as Kevin finished up.  He
sat back down and grabbed Blake's hand again and began to think positive
thought, thinking it couldn't hurt to keep trying.  He kept telling himself
that Blake would be okay...that he would wake up.  Over and over he played
this in his mind, telling himself that it was true and that Blake had to
feel how much he was fighting for him.

       After concentrating heavily for ten minutes, Todd opened his eyes to
see no change in Blake's predicament.  He had hoped that Blake would be
staring at him, or about to talk, as if nothing had happened.  But the only
sound was the beepings and hums of the monitors...the only movement was
Blake's chest every time he took a breath.

       After a couple more hours, Todd flipped off the TV, stood up to kiss
Blake goodnight on the forehead and headed over to the guest chair that
turned into a somewhat comfortable twin sized bed.  He made up the sleeper
and tuned all but the lights out over Blake's bed, then climbed under his
covers and tried to sleep.

       Pain was the first sense that came to him.  He didn't know where he
was, or what was going on...all he knew was that he was in agonizing pain.
He slowly opened his eyes and felt terrible.  The only light that was on
was over his bed.  He looked up to it and then quickly closed his eyes,
realizing that he couldn't move his head.  He slowly reached up and felt a
large plastic thing hugging his neck. Panic started to course through him,
but he forced himself to calm down.  Flicking his eyes around, he could
only see the ceiling and what looked like TVs all around his bed.  He felt
around with his hands and there, on the bed, was a remote thing with a
thick cord sticking out the end of it.  He pulled it up to look at it, but
his grip was so weak, it fell over the side of the bed and hit the floor.

       Todd was just about to slip into sleep when a sound brought him back
to himself.  He looked to the direction of the sounds and saw Blake's hands
grabbing the railing of the bed.  Todd practically ran the four steps it
would have taken to walk. "Blake?"

       "Todd?" Blake mouthed, but couldn't make any sound.  He reached back
up to his throat only to feel it wrapped in the hard plastic holding
everything in place.  "Water," Blake mouthed again.

       Todd grabbed the remote and pushed the button to call for the nurse
and then filled a small cup with water.  Grabbing a straw, he lowered it to
Blake's mouth.  Blake took a sip and let the straw fall from him mouth.  He
reached for it again with his lips and Todd placed it back, so that he
could take a deeper draw from the water cup.

       Blake looked at Todd, but Todd could see Blake's confusion.  Blake's
eyes started to fill with tears.  He was agitated and terrified.

       "Hey, now," Todd said, plucking a couple of tissues off the bedside
table.  "No need to cry.  I'm here, honey.  You're safe."  Todd wiped the
tears from Blake's eyes and face.

       "What's going on?" Blake asked, his voice finally coming back a
little.

       Todd reached for and grabbed Blake's hand.  The touch of the man he
loved finally made him feel whole again.  It wasn't like it always
was...not yet, but with time, he knew it would be.  The pressure of Blake
holding his hand again, squeezing it with what little strength he could
muster brought a sweet smile to his face.  Blake was scared, but when he
grabbed Todd's hand, he felt calmer than he had a few minutes ago.  Todd
started to explain what happened, pausing so that Blake could comprehend.
He kept having to wipe the tears away from Blake's face as he did.  When
Blake asked about the plastic collar around his neck, Todd told him about
the break and the surgery to repair it.

       "My neck's broken?" Blake asked, crying a little harder than before.

       "It was, Blake, but they fixed it.  They said there wasn't any cord
damage, so you should be good.  But you gotta keep your head still so you
don't do any damage."  Again, Todd cleared the tears away from Blake's
face.

       After a moment, Blake settled down a bit and Todd asked how he was
feeling, physically.

       "I hurt all over," Blake answered.

       Just as Todd was about to grab the remote again, Betty, the night
nurse walked through the door.

       "Blake just woke up.  He says he's in pain," Todd explained.

       "Well, well, look who decided to come back to us."

       Blake moved his eyes to the new voice and a moment later, he saw the
nurse as she came to him.

       "How're feeling, Mr. Moore?" Betty asked.

       "I hurt all over.  I feel like I just got run over by a truck," he
told her.

       "It was about time for a new dose of pain meds anyway.  I'm going to
call the doctor to come and see you before I give them to you.  Let him
talk to you for a few minutes.  You'll be feeling better in a few minutes,"
she explained.

       A few minutes after she left, the doctor walked in, followed by
Betty.

       "Blake, I'm Dr. Stuart.  How are you feeling?"  The doctor leaned
over the bed rail, looking into Blake's eyes, waiting for an answer.

       "Pain," was all that Blake said.  He was frustrated that this was
the third person he had told and nothing was being done to lessen his pain.

       "Where is your pain?  Can you give me specific locations?"

       Blake closed his eyes and concentrated on the pain he was feeling.
He imagined his feet and slowly worked up his body.  When he reached his
thighs he said, "Legs."  He kept on with his mental scan and said,

"Stomach."  Another moment he finished.  "Neck."

       "On a scale from one to ten, can you give me a number?" the doctor
asked.

       "I don't know what this pain would be.  I've never felt it before.
A ten, maybe."

       Dr. Stuart looked at the nurse and said, "Increase the meds by five
milligrams."  He looked at Blake and said, "I'm gonna touch a few places on
your body.  Let me know if it hurts."

       Blake tried to nod and realized he couldn't move his head.  "Okay."
He closed his eyes and let the doctor do his assessment.  The doctor
started at his feet and Blake didn't feel anything out of the ordinary.

       "How's that feel?" the doctor asked.

       "Fine," Blake answered.

       "Do you feel any pain?"

       "No."

       The doctor grabbed a couple of leg hair and asked Blake if he could
feel him pulling.

       "Yeah," Blake said.

       Todd was thinking that at least Blake could feel.  That was a good
sign.  He stayed back while the doctor finished up.  Blake winced a few
times when the doctor touched him, but nothing more or less than what he
was expecting.

       "Okay, Blake.  I'm gonna have nurse Kay give you some medicine for
the pain and I'll be back tomorrow after you've slept and give a more in
depth evaluation.  You seem to be going well, for now.  All you need to do
is rest.  We'll take care of the rest, okay?"

       Blake said okay and the doctor left.  Betty came back a few moments
later and grabbed a small glass vial from the inside of her scrubs pocket
and broke the top off of it.  Sticking a plastic straw type thing, attached
to a syringe, in the small bottle, she sucked up all the medicine.

       "What is that?" Todd asked, curious.

       "It's Fentanyl.  A strong pain reliever," she answered.

       "Can glass get in there?" Todd asked, seeing small piece lying in
the now empty vial.

       "No, this tip," she said, unscrewing it from the syringe, "has a
spongy filter to catch any glass."  Todd saw her lay that down and moved
the syringe to the tube that lead from the IV and screwed it into a small
piggyback junction and looked at Blake.  "You'll feel a warm sensation flow
through your body.  Don't fight it.  That's the medicine.  You might fall
asleep soon after, too.  Just go with it.  You'll feel better in a minute."

       She started to slowly push the plunger of medicine into the IV tube
and Todd could see the pain disappear from Blake's face by the time she had
all of the medicine inside him.

       "How are you feeling now?" the nurse asked.

       Blake smiled and said, "Way better than I've ever felt before.
Nothing hurts anymore and I feel like I'm..." he couldn't think of the word
to describe the feeling he was having.  Then it came to him, "...having an
orgasm that just won't stop."  He giggled a little and let his heavy eye
lids close.

       "Is that normal?" Todd asked, raising an eyebrow, trying to suppress
his own laughter.

       "Yeah," the nurse said, sighing and smiling at the same time.  "He's
high and he's enjoying it.  At least the pain is gone.  He can have another
dose in six to eight hours.  If you want to talk to him, be quick.  He
won't stay awake for long."

       The nurse cleaned up around her and told Todd to push the button if
they needed her.  He nodded and she left, closing the door behind her.

       "Baby?" Todd asked.

       Blake slowly opened his eyes and saw Todd.  Todd's head was slowly
waving as if heat were in front of his eyes.  "Yeah, Puppy?"

       "Are you feeling okay?"

       "I feel great, but I'm so tired."  Blake grabbed Todd's hand again
and held it for a moment.

       "Go on to sleep, then.  We can talk tomorrow," Todd said, giving
Blake's hand a gentle squeeze.

       "No.  We can talk now."  There was a pause, then Blake asked, "How
long..." Blake's eyes were closed and Todd thought he had fallen asleep.
Another second later, Blake finished his sentence. "...have I been here?"

       "Almost two weeks, Baby."

       "Two weeks?" Blake asked, surprised, but giving a big, theatrical
smile as his eyes opened very wide.  Todd had to stifle a laugh.

       "How long have you been here?" Blake asked of Todd.

       "I was here the very next day.  Been by your side almost every
minute since.

       "So good...," Blake said, eyes closed, and lightly slapping the back
of Todd's hand.

       "What's good," Todd asked, smiling.

       "Boyfriend..." Blake said, looking up at Todd, smiling.

       Todd smiled and looked at Blake.  "Why don't you get some sleep.
When you wake up tomorrow, we'll talk some more."

       Blake never answered Todd.  He had already fallen back to
sleep. Todd laid Blake's hand back on the bed and then went back to his own
fold out.  As he sat down, he smiled back at Blake, resting without pain.
He dug in his pocket and grabbed his phone to call everyone to tell them
the good news.  He insisted they not come back because Blake was asleep,
but instead to come back tomorrow.  Don thanked Todd for the news, feeling
like a few tons of weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

       "What's wrong?" Christine said now that Don was off the phone.  She
had been on the edge of her seat waiting for the news.

       "Nothing.  Blake woke up," Don said, grabbing Christine and pulling
her to him.

       "Oh, thank God," she said, heaving a sigh.  She wrapped her arms
around her husband and started sniffing.  Don pulled back just a bit to see
her crying.

       "What's wrong, baby?"

       "I'm glad he's awake, but I kept thinking back to Christopher and
what happened after we lost him.  I didn't think I could go through that
again.  Blake's our son, now.  Losing another one would have devastated me.
Not to mention what it would have done for Todd and you."

       "I know, but he's awake and he's fine."  He squeezed her a little
tighter.  "Todd said not to come up now.  Blake's back asleep.  We'll see
him in the morning."

       Christine turned over and lay back down as Don pushed up next to
her, wrapping his arms around her and putting his nose in her hair.

       "I love you, Christine.  Don't let this worry you anymore.  Blake's
gonna be fine."

       "I know.  And I love you too, Don."

       Round about 6:45 in the morning, Todd was still too excited to
sleep, and Blake opened his eyes.  He called Todd's name and he walked up
to the side of the bed.

       "How're you feeling?" Todd asked.

       "Still tired, but there's not a lot of pain.  Can you tell me what
happened?"

       "You don't remember me telling you last night?" Todd asked, grabbing
Blake's hand.

       Blake looked at Todd and tried to shake his head, then remembered he
couldn't.  "Not really."

       Todd told him, again, everything that had transpired over the last
two weeks and Blake was in shock at hearing the story.  The story that Todd
was telling was like a movie playing in his head.  He couldn't believe he
survived the story that Todd was telling.  Todd told of everything that he
went through, but put it in a third person point of view, as if he was told
the story by Mama or Papa or someone.

       He explained about the tanker and what happened when it slammed into
Bruce's car and what happened when Blake hit the windshield.  How he was
knocked out and how the car crushed his legs and pierced his side and broke
his neck.  When Todd finished, Blake look solemn.

       "What's wrong, Baby?" Todd asked, seeing the change in Blake's face.

       "It's a lot to take in," Blake said.  After a short pause, he asked,
"I really died?"

       "Legally, twice, yes." Todd said, taking Blake's hand.  "But you're
back.  You're a fighter."

       Blake still couldn't believe what he was hearing.  Tears started to
form in his eyes and Todd brought his hand up to Blake's cheek and wiped
the tears away with a gently swiping of his thumb.  "It's okay, Blake.
Everything's fine now," Todd said with a reassuring smile.

       Blake put his hand on top of Todd's and gave a small nod as more
tears fell from his lids.  His tears weren't from pain, but from the
thought of almost never seeing Todd again.  What if the doctors weren't
able to revive him?  He wouldn't have had the chance to see Todd again.
Blake steadied himself and took a deep breath—he was here, in front of
Todd, awake, alive, breathing.  He was looking in the deep green eyes that
he had fallen in love with.  The smile that made his heart melt every time
he looked at it. He reached up and grabbed the front of Todd's shirt and
pulled him into a gentle kiss.  After breaking contact, Blake looked at him
and said, "I love you more than anything else in this world."

       "I love you, too, Blake.  You are the reason I get up in the
mornings.  You are my life."

       Blake gave him another kiss and gently pushed him away.  "I'm really
tired, Puppy.  I need to go back to sleep."

       Todd grabbed the covers and pulled them up to Blake's chin and said,
"Sleep good, Baby.  I'll be here when you get up."  He leaned down and gave
Blake one more kiss on the forehead.



       By nine o'clock, everyone from the ranch turned up.  Todd came out
and told them what happened and explained that he told Blake everything.
They were asking when they could see him, but Todd didn't know what to tell
them.

       "He's on some strong medication and he's in and out."

       Pax walked up to Todd and told him, "Why don't you go back to the
ranch and sleep?  Let us be here for him now.  You know he's okay, you
spoke with him.  You can see him again after you take care of yourself for
a change."

       Todd was about to protest, but a yawn escaped him and gave away how
he was truly feeling.  Finally, giving in to the numerous pleas, he said
okay.  Thomas overheard and volunteered to drive Todd back to the ranch.  A
few others went with them so they could get back to work.

       "Tell Blake that the rest of us will be back after work," Thomas
said.

       "Okay," Christine answered.

       Once back at the ranch, Todd instinctively went to the building that
housed the ranch hands and headed to Blake's room.  When he got there, he
tried the door, but it was locked.  He looked around for someone else, but
they were all out on the ranch working.  He went to find Thomas and asked
if he had a key.  He told Todd to follow him and he headed to the main
house and grabbed the master keys to the ranch house.  He let Todd in and
told him that he would wake him when they were heading back to the
hospital.  Todd thanked him and went in and closed the door.

       Inside the room, he looked around and realizing how tired he was,
decided to strip and get in the bed.  He could do a little snooping later.
He shucked his underwear and pulled down the covers and got in bed.  He was
asleep in minutes.  The next thing Todd knew, he was opening his eyes to
the sound of knocking on the bedroom door.  He felt like he just went to
sleep 5 minutes ago.

       "Yeah?" he called out.

       "Todd, we're gonna head back to the hospital in about half an hour.
You wanna come?" Thomas said.

       "Yeah.  I'll be up in a minute," Todd said, keeping his eyes closed.
When he finally got in the bed, it was a little after 10 a.m.  He grabbed
his phone and saw that it read 5:42 p.m.  Todd gave a big sigh and heaved
his legs over the side of the bed.  A moment later, he straightened himself
up and opened his eyes, wide, then scratched his belly as he gave another
big yawn.

       He grabbed up what he needed and slipped on a pair of jeans to get
to the shower.  After washing, he walked to the sink mirror to brush his
teeth.  When he realized he didn't have his toothbrush, he saw a shelf
labeled `Blake'.  He looked on the shelf and only saw one toothbrush and
some toothpaste, along with some shampoo, soap and a bath sponge to bathe
with.  He looked on the other shelves, just to see if someone had a brand
new toothbrush to use that he could steal and replace later.  He was out of
luck and decided that as much as he and Blake had done over the last few
years, brushing his teeth with Blake's toothbrush seemed like a no-brainer.
He was just about to grab it when the bathroom door opened and in walked
Jackson.

       Jackson saw Todd, completely naked, and was about to apologize and
back out, but Todd stopped him before he had a chance.

       "Do you have an extra toothbrush that I can have?  I'll replace it
later," he said, oblivious to his lack of modesty.

       It took Jackson a few moments to register that he was supposed to
answer...his eyes had been concentrating on Todd's body and couldn't
remember the question.  He shook his head, closed his eyes and said, "Huh?"
He felt like an idiot as he did so.

       "Toothbrush?  Do you have an extra one I can have?" Todd asked,
wondering if Jackson was okay.

       "Toothbrush?" he said, willing his eyes to keep looking at Todd's
face and not his... "Oh, a toothbrush.  Yeah, give me a sec."

       When Jackson was out in the hallway, the first thing he did was put
his hand over his crotch and push down the erection that started to form.
I got Buddy.  Stop staring at Todd, he thought.  Retrieving the toothbrush,
he went back to the bathroom, hoping and praying that Todd was covered.
When he got inside, Todd was standing in front of the mirror with a shirt
on, combing his hair, but still completely naked from the waist down.

       Todd turned to Jackson and held out his hand and said, "Thanks."
Jackson put the toothbrush in Todd's hand and, not standing it any longer,
he looked down as Todd turned his back on Jackson.  Todd's firm ass and his
massive thighs almost made him climax right where he stood.  To get his
thoughts off Todd, he walked past Todd to the toilet stall to urinate,
seeing as that was the reason he came in in the first place.

       Right after he finished, he heard Todd turn off the water and,
listening hard, he heard the rustle of clothes.  A moment later, he heard
the snap of an elastic band, letting Jackson know he was now covered.

       Todd saw Jackson come out of the stall and said, "Sorry, man.  I'm
not very modest and sometimes I don't realize how uncomfortable I can make
people when I'm naked."

       Jackson shook his head and said, "No worries, but I wasn't
uncomfortable.  Just surprised, I guess. You really are as beautiful as
Blake described."  Jackson blushing a little, looked down at the floor,
embarrassed.

       Smiling, Todd said, "Thanks," then gave Jackson a smile.  "How are
things with Buddy?"

       Smiling, himself now, Jackson said, "He's fine.  He'll be back in a
couple of weeks.  Got a run from California to Maine, then I think he said
either New Hampshire or New Jersey back to Idaho."

       "You two getting along okay?" Todd asked, genuinely interested.

       "Better than I ever imagined two people could," Jackson answered.

       "You gotta picture to show me?" Todd asked, putting on his socks.

       Jackson reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone.  Scrolling
through his albums, he found one of the both of them and turned it around
to show Todd.  "Wow.  He's hot...and a cowboy to boot."

       "Yeah," Jackson said, turning the phone back to his own eyes to take
in his boyfriend.

       "You've changed since the last time I saw you," Todd said, standing
up to fasten his jeans.  "I can really see the happiness in your eyes."  He
paused for a moment, then finished.  "I'm really happy for you, Jackson."

       "Thanks," Jackson said, smiling big.  "And I'm glad that Blake
pulled through.  I know these last two weeks must have been hell on you."

       "They were," Todd said, slipping his shoes on.  "But he's awake.
That's what matters right now.  He's got a long road ahead of him, but
he'll pull through.  He's a fighter."

       After everyone arrived back at the hospital, Todd didn't want to
monopolize all of Blake's time, instead, he held back to let everyone get
to visit with Blake.  He stayed back and talked to Mama, Papa, his mom and
dad and anyone else who was in the waiting room waiting for their time to
visit.  After everyone but Christine, Don and Todd had visited, they bid
the three of them goodnight and headed back to the ranch for dinner.

       "You're welcome to come back to stay at the house when you're done
visiting," Mama told the three of them.

       "Thanks, Oliver," Christine said.  "We'll be there in a couple of
hours."

       Mama kissed Christine on the cheek and they headed out. Todd took
his seat again and Christine turned to him.  "Are you not going in?"

       "I'm gonna let you two visit first.  I'll probably stay here
tonight, anyway.  I've have my time with him," Todd explained.

       After about an hour, Christine and Don came back and told Todd that
Blake was asking about him.  They exchanged their `good-nights' and Don and
Christine left to go back to the ranch.  Todd stepped toward Blake's room
and, as he did so, the smile on his face got bigger with every step.  When
he slowly pushed open the door, he saw Blake laying on the bed with his
eyes closed.

       He continued into the room and, silently, sat down in the chair next
to the bed.  As he did, he heard Blake speak.

       "What?  No hello kiss?"

       Todd looked up and saw that Blake had a large smile on his waiting
lips.  Todd stood and leaned over the bedrail to touch his lips to Blake's.
Breaking the kiss, he said, "Hey, Baby."

       "Hi," Blake said in return, sporting the same smile as before.

       Todd sat back down and reached up to grab Blake's hand.  "How are
you feeling?"

       "Better.  Still sore all over, but the meds are helping."  Blake
looked at him for a moment and asked, "So, how are you holding up?"

       Todd smiled and gave a small sigh.  "I'm exhausted, to be honest."

       "Then why are you here?" Blake asked.  "Go back to the ranch with
everyone else?"

       "I want to be here.  I don't care how tired I am...there's no other
place in the world I'd rather be."  Todd gave him a reassuring smile and
Blake squeezed his hand in return.

       They sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments, the air still
between them, just staring before Todd spoke again.  "Robert came with me."

       "I' haven't seen him.  Is he still here?" Blake asked.

       "No.  He went back on Sunday a week ago.  He was only here for four
days.  He didn't want to miss too many classes."

       "What about classes for you?  Have you done anything since you've
been here?" Blake asked.

       "No.  I wouldn't have been able to concentrate until I knew you were
safe.  I've got to head back soon, though, so I won't fall too far behind.
I'm hoping the professors will understand and let me make up all that I
missed."

       "Here, take a picture of me on my death bed.  I might be more
convincing that way," Blake joked.

       "Don't do that," Todd chided, bringing his hand back to his lap.

       "Do what?" Blake asked, puzzled.

       "This isn't your deathbed.  Don't joke about that," Todd repeated,
lowering his eyes to the floor.

       "Puppy," Blake called, reaching for Todd's hand.  Todd met his
halfway.  "I'm fine.  I'm in pain but I'm awake.  It's okay."  Blake tried
to reassure him even more with the look in his eyes.

       "I know, but...for a while there, we didn't know what was going to
happen."  Todd tried to swallow the sudden lump in his throat.  "I didn't
know if I was going to lose you."  His voice only a whisper.  Todd's eyes
burned with tears and he lifted his hand to wipe his eyes and looked at
Blake.

       "You know I didn't mean to scare you and I'm sorry that I did.  I
fought like hell to come back to you.  I actually think that I heard you
somewhere deep in my subconscious."

       "I've been talking to you for the last two weeks.  I was hoping you
would be able to hear me.  The nurses said you would, anyway."

       "Well," Blake said, smiling.  "It must have worked, because here I
am."

       "Thank, God!" Todd chuckled, smiling and wiping his eyes again.

       Blake reached for Todd's hand again and they grabbed it firmly as
they stared at each other and smiled, happy to be back together
again. After a few moments, Blake told Todd that Bruce was able to visit
him today.

       "Really?" Todd said, smiling.  "How?"

       "He wheeled himself in.  He told me he was getting bored sitting in
his bed all day and talked that cute nurse," Blake looked at Todd,
expecting him to provide the name.

       "Kevin?" Todd asked.

       "Yeah, him.  He talked Kevin into letting him roll around for a bit,
to get a change of scenery.  He looks good.  Getting stronger, but his legs
are still off limits for now, as are mine."

       "Speaking of legs," Todd said and stood.  He started to unbutton his
jeans and Blake stopped him.

       "What are you doing?"

       "I wanna show you something.  I don't understand it and I don't know
if you will either, but I want you to see."  Todd lowered his pants down to
his knees and Blake stared, dumbfounded.

       "What the hell happened?" Blake said, staring at the bruises across
Todd's thighs.

       "No idea, but if you look at the location," Todd said, pointing,
then moving his finger to point to Blake's legs, "they're in the same
location as the breaks in your legs."

       Instinctively, Blake reached down to touch his own thighs, looking
from his legs to Todd's.  Pulling his pants back up, Todd also raised his
shirt and said, "And these two as well."

       Blake felt on his torso to the bandage that covered the wound where
a piece of metal punctured his stomach and lung and broke a rib.  "How is
that possible?" Blake asked in disbelief.

       "I keep wondering the same thing," Todd said, returning to his seat.
"Remember when I told you that you legally died?"

       "Yeah," Blake answered, looking at Todd.

       "Well, my heart stopped, too, twice, at the same time.  I was in the
hospital in the city when it happened."

       "Why were you in the hospital?" Blake asked, panicking.

       "They took me because of my stomach and legs.  They had no idea what
was happening to me.  I kept trying to tell them that it wasn't me getting
hurt.  It was you.  I don't know how, but I felt the pain that you were in.
I felt the car crush your legs...the metal break your rib and puncture your
insides."  Todd looked down for a moment then back at Blake.  He stepped
closer and put his hand on Blake's right cheek.  "I don't know how or why,
but I'm glad I was able to take that pain from you and that you didn't have
to go through it."

       "I'm sorry you did, though," Blake said, putting his hand on top of
Todd.  He felt like crying for the pain that Todd had endured, but before
he could, Todd leaned back down and kiss him.

       Breaking the kiss, Todd put his forehead against Blake's and said,
"I love you so much."

       "I love you, too, Baby."

       They talked for about another hour, trying to get past all the bad
things that had happened over the last two weeks.  Blake saw how tired Todd
was and even though he could go without his pain medicine, he knew that
Todd wouldn't sleep until he did.  He made an excuse and called the nurse
on duty, Greta.  When she came in, Blake asked if he could get another dose
of pain killers.  She was back in ten minutes and after the clear liquid
entered his veins; his eyelids were too heavy to keep open.  He thanked her
and she left.  Blake looked into Todd's eyes and told him he loved him
again, but he needed to sleep.  Todd kissed Blake's cheek and told him
goodnight.  A few minutes later, Todd transformed the chair into his bed by
pulling out the seat and lowering the back.  Pushing the ottoman into
place, he then used the Velcro straps to hold it at the end.  Once he was
done, he laid down and was sleeping heavily within minutes.

       Blake woke before Todd the following day, and he listened to his
heavy breathing.  The feelings coursing through him at that moment were
unexplainable.  Todd had been by his side for a full two weeks and he was
still there.  Blake couldn't wipe the smile off his face, no matter how
hard he tried.  After another half hour, Todd began to stir.  He rolled
onto his back and stared at the ceiling for a moment before he yawned and
gave a big stretch.  When he was done, he looked up at Blake's bed, only to
find Blake staring at the ceiling with a smile.

       "Morning, Baby," Todd said, smiling back.

       "Hey, Puppy."

       "How long have you been up?"

       "Not long.  Just listening you sleep.  I wish I could have watched
you, but with this thing on my neck..."  He let the words fall away as he
reached up and touched the plastic brace.  "What were you dreaming about?"
Blake asked.

       "I don't remember.  It wasn't heart-racing, whatever it was.  But if
you were in it, I'm sure it was an amazing dream," Todd said, standing and
going to Blake.

       Blake reached for Todd's shirt and pulled him down into a kiss.
Todd stopped, saying, "I need to brush my teeth."

       "So do I, but I don't care.  I need to kiss you...now!"  Todd didn't
resist any longer and allowed Blake to pull him so that their lips could
meet.

       When everyone else arrived to visit Blake, Blake talked Todd into
going back to the ranch to get a shower and freshen up.  Todd didn't want
to leave, but did at Blake's insistence.  While he was gone, Blake and Pax
had a conversation about sending Todd back to school.  Blake knew that Todd
wouldn't leave on his own, so he decided to push the subject a little with
pre-made plans.

       When Todd arrived back at the hospital, he headed up to the ICU like
always, and found Blake's room empty.  His heart sank in his chest as he
started to the nurses station.  On the way, he ran into Kevin.

       "Where's Blake?" Todd asked, panicking.

       "He's been moved to another room.  He's out of the woods and we need
these rooms for other patients," Kevin explained.

       Todd put a hand over his heart and took a deep breath.  "I was
thinking the worse.  Do you know where they moved him?"

       "Room 539," Kevin said.  He gave him directions to get there.  When
he arrived, he saw his mom and dad, Pax and Tristian, Mama and Papa all
gathered around Blake's bed.

       "I see you got my message," Christine said.

       "What message?" Todd asked, puzzled.

       "I sent you a text," she replied.

       Todd reached in his pocket and got his phone.  Sure enough, there
was a text from Christine that he hadn't seen.  "I didn't see it.  I went
to the old room and thought something terrible had happened.  Kevin told me
he was moved."

       "Nothing's gonna happen to me anymore.  I'm good now, which brings
me to another topic we need to talk about," Blake said, looking at Todd and
patting the edge of the bed, beckoning Todd to sit.  Todd walked over and
took his seat.

       "Is everything okay?" Todd asked.

       "Yeah, but we've all decided that you need to go back to New York.
You have school that you need to catch up on.  You've already missed too
many days.  Too many more and you might get an incomplete and have to
repeat the semester," Blake said.

       "I'll be okay with my work.  I just want to be here for you right
now.  School can wait," Todd commented.

       "Well, it won't.  Pax has a plane for you heading back to New York
this afternoon at 3.  You need to be at the airport at 2:30."

       Todd started to feel angry, but tried his best not to show it.
"I'll go back this weekend," he said under a controlled voice.

       Blake looked at everyone else and asked if they could have some
privacy.  The others filed out at the request and headed to the waiting
area.  Once they were gone, Blake looked at Todd and said, "You're leaving
today."  Todd was about to counter that argument, when Blake cut across him
and continued.  "Todd, I'm fine.  I'm on the mend and it's gonna take a
long time for me to recover.  The doctors are talking about up to six
months just for my legs to heal.  After that, I'll have another six months
to a year of rehab so I can walk again without any help.  My neck should be
healed in two or three months."

       "And I wanna be here to help you through that," Todd said, cutting
across Blake.

       "You want to take a year off of school to help me get better?" Blake
asked.  He couldn't move his neck, but his eyes were telling Todd that the
idea was ridiculous.  "What about school?  You just gonna drop out?"

       "I can take a year off," Todd said.  "I can go back next year."

	"And us be away from each other for another whole year?  Like hell
you will," Blake said, getting aggravated.  "You need to stay on the
schedule that you have now so we can finally start our life together back
in Atlanta.  We only have a year and a half left.  I don't want to wait
another whole year to be with you.  We can have date night every night.
You can turn me on the computer and I'll watch you study, talk, eat dinner
with you and everything."  Blake stared hard to Todd, willing him to comply
with the request.

       Todd sighed.

       Blake continued. "Todd, please," Blake said, reaching for Todd's
hand.  Todd laid his hand in Blake's and started at him.  "I want you to go
back to school and keep the time table that we have set...like we've
planned.  I'm gonna need more help that you can give me.  Mom told me that
she is talking to the trucking company about the bill that's adding up.
She's trying to talk them into paying the bills for both Bruce and myself.
If they refuse, she's gonna sue them.  I'm gonna have to hire a home nurse
to help me.  I won't be able to do this by myself, or even with all of your
help," Blake continued, seeing Todd about to interrupt. "It'll be more work
than any one person can do.  I might have to go back home to Atlanta after
this.  I'm not sure."

       "Then you will need more help.  If you go home, who's gonna take
care of you there?" Todd asked.

       "I don't know, but it can't be you," Blake insisted

       "Why not?" Todd asked, getting angrier still.

       "I would love nothing more for you to be with me every step of my
recovery, but I would rather us have our lives started in 2013 like we
planned.  Just because there's been a little bump in the road..."

       "Little bump?" Todd asked.  "This isn't a little bump."

       "I know, but just because this has happened, doesn't mean we have to
derail our entire schedule.  I can only hope that when you graduate next
year, I'll be fully recovered and we can start our lives together, in the
same place."

       Todd kept silent, trying to will away his anger.  He understood
where Blake was coming from and he wanted their lives together as much as
Blake did, but he also wanted to be here to help Blake when he needed the
help most.

       If I left school for just a year, our lives wouldn't start until
summer 2014...maybe winter 2014 at the latest.  That's almost three years
away.  Todd was pulled from his thoughts by Blake calling him name.

       "Okay, I'll go, but just know that it's against my wishes," Todd
said.

       "I know and you'll be back in a few months and then you can help me
as much as you want.  Until then, we'll have the phone and the computer to
see each other every day."

       "It won't be the same," Todd said.

       "It never has, but somehow, we've made it happen for two and a half
years," Blake countered.  Todd knew he wasn't going to win this argument,
no matter how hard he tried.  He gave a nod and kept his mouth shut, anger
still inside, wanting a way out.

       That afternoon, Todd was saying his goodbyes to everyone and saved
his last goodbye for Blake.  When he was the only person who hasn't wished
Todd a happy trip, everyone started to file out of the room.  After the
door closed, Todd leaned down and kissed Blake.  He kept his lips atop
Blake's for a few good seconds and Blake put his hand on the back of Todd's
head.  As he moved his hand to Todd's cheek, Todd broke the kiss.

       "I want daily updates about everything," Todd said.

       "Yes, sir," Blake said, giving a salute and smiling.  "I want them
on your end as well.  Keep your grades up.  I hope your professors will let
you make up the work you missed.

       "I hope they do, too.  I'll talk to them tomorrow, if I can.  I'm
gonna be swamped for the next week or so."

       "I know, but you can do it.  I have faith," Blake said, smiling.

       Todd leaned down to kiss Blake once again.

       "When is your next underwear job?" Blake asked.

       "Not sure.  They haven't called me yet.  I hope they don't call
anytime in the next couple weeks, though.  I'd have to turn them down until
I can get caught up with my schoolwork."

       "And you will.  Just be patient."

       Looking at his watch, Todd realized it was time to leave.  "I gotta
go," he said.

       "I know.  Give me another kiss first, though." Blake said

       Todd leaned over again and touched his lips to Blake's.  When they
broke the connection, Blake had one more request of Todd.

       "Anything for you, Baby," Todd said, smiling.

       "Fondle me for a minute before you leave," Blake said, straight
faced.

       "What?!" Todd asked, laughing.

       "It's gonna be a long time before we'll be together again, and I
want you to touch me just once more.  It's gonna have to hold me through
until summer," Blake said, cracking a smile now.

       Todd looked up to the door and didn't see anyone through the window
at his angle.  He reached over and put his hand on Blake's crotch and gave
a slight squeeze.

       "No," Blake said, "skin on skin."

       "What if we get caught?" Todd asked, looking back at the window.

       "So what?"

       Todd was nervous of getting caught, but he lifted the covers and
reached over and felt Blake's leg through the gown he was wearing.  "Lift
your gown," Todd said.

       Blake reached down and pulled his gown up and Todd felt his way over
and grabbed Blake in his hand.

       "Oh, yeah," Blake said, exhaling and smiling while closing his eyes.
Todd kept it up for a few second, keeping his eye on the door, when Blake
asked, "Can you suck it for a second?"

       "No," Todd said, serious.  "We're gonna get caught if we do this too
much longer."

       "Just a little longer," Blake said.

       Todd smiled and looked back at the door, just as it was being opened
by Pax.  He snatched his hand back quick, but Pax saw the `I didn't do
anything' look on Todd's face and said, "What's going on?"

       "Todd was molesting me," Blake said, smiling.

       "What?" Todd said, looking at Blake.  Looking back at Pax, he said,
"It was at his request and I told him we were gonna get caught."

       "I didn't say that.  You just know that I'm too weak to defend
myself," Blake said, starting to laugh.

       Todd gave a big exhale and looked at Blake.  "Pervert and a liar.  I
didn't know you could stoop so low."

       Pax started to laugh and then said, "C'mon, Baby.  We gotta get
going."

       Blake grabbed a finger of Todd's and pulled him back.  "One more
kiss."

       "I really shouldn't seeing as how you just made me look like an
idiot..."  Todd smiled for a second and said, "but I want it too."  He put
his lips on Blake's one more time then turned and left Blake in his
hospital bed to heal.



Later on that evening, Blake had Jackson visit him with a gift.  Putting
the computer bag on the desk, Blake asked Jackson what it was.

       "Todd called me on the way to the airport and asked me to bring you
your laptop.  Said something about Skyping tonight with you."

       Blake smiled and asked Jackson to help him set it up.  Jackson did,
and after it was plugged in and sitting on the tray table, Blake turned it
on.

       "How's Buddy doin'?," Blake asked.

       "He's fine.  He was happy to hear you woke up.  Told me to tell you
hey.  He's gonna stop in Colorado tonight."

       "What's he hauling this time?" Blake asked, looking to connect to
the hospital's WI-FI.

       "I think he said lumber, but I can't remember.  All the loads get
jumbled up.  He's going to Maine and then he's gotta load coming back to
Idaho."

       "When'll he be back?"

       "In a couple weeks.  And I can't wait.  The phone just doesn't cover
it anymore," Jackson explained as he adjusted himself.

       "I know.  That's why Todd and I use video," Blake said, pointing to
the computer.  "It's not the same, but it does help to have that visual."

       "Yeah, but he has limited bandwidth and gigabytes, so we can't do
that unless he pays for service at a truck stop.  It's not too expensive,
but if we get on video, I have a hard time telling him to go to sleep."

       They talked for another hour before everyone else wanted to come in
to visit with Blake.  Since he was in a regular room, he could have as many
visitors as he could, as long as it was within visiting hours.  He ended up
getting a new male nurse named Cedrick.  He was working the night shift and
had brought his dinner.

       "What's on the menu tonight?" Amy asked.

       "Steak and potatoes," Blake said.

       "Yeah, you wish," Cedrick said, asking Blake to move his laptop.
Blake put it on his legs and Cedrick placed the tray of food on the little
table.  Lifting the lid, he said, "Baked chicken, rice and green beans."
He grabbed the remote for the bed and lifted Blake's head up a little
farther so he could feed himself without difficulty.  Looking at everyone
else, Cedrick said, "You guys can stay during dinner, but make sure he
eats, please."

       Papa assured him that they would and he made his exit to deliver
food for the other patients.

       The conversation continued as Blake ate his dinner.  Some talking to
Blake and other talking to each other.  After a while, Blake looked at the
clock on the wall and saw that Todd should be back in New York and he would
be calling any minute.  He was hoping to wrap up the conversations with
everyone as kindly as possible and was just about to do just that when his
phone rang with a text notification.  He picked it up and saw it was from
Todd.



      Hey baby.  I'm exhausted and gonna skip the date tonight.  That okay
with you?



       Blake responded:

      Sure puppy.  I love you and will hopefully talk to you tomorrow.



       Todd felt guilty, but he needed to get caught up on his sleep before
classes tomorrow.  He sighed at the reply message, thankful that Blake
wasn't upset.

      Thanks babe.  I'll definitely be on tomorrow.  Get some sleep and I
love you more.



       Blake smile and responded:

      Not possible. :)



       Todd plugged his phone in and started to get undressed when Robert
walked in.

       "Hey, Lucky," Todd said, pulling off his shirt.

       "Hey.  What're you doing here?" Robert asked.

       "Blake woke up, finally.  Happened two days ago."

       "Oh my, God!  That's fantastic.  Everything gonna be okay?"

       "The doctors said that the swelling in his brain has gone.  The
surgery on his legs, lungs and neck all took beautifully.  He's able to
move his fingers and toes so he's not paralyzed," Todd explained, glum,
despite the positive news.

       "That's great, but why do you look so sad?" Robert asked, sitting on
the edge of their bed.

       Todd gave a huff and said, "It's mainly me being exhausted.  The
other thing is, the first thing he does when he wakes up is make a plan
with Pax and everyone else about sending me back here.  Yeah, I know I
needed to get back to school, but I wasn't ready to leave yet."

       "Oh," was all Robert could say.

       Todd shucked his pants and underwear and told Robert he was getting
a shower then head to bed.

       "Well, I'll give you some privacy," Robert said, heading toward the
door.

       "You know I don't need privacy.  Stay if you want.  That's fine,"
Todd said.

       "I was gonna head to the kitchen to get a drink anyway.  You want
anything?" Robert asked.

       "A water and some pills to get rid of this headache," Todd replied.

       "You got it.  Back in a few."  Robert headed out the door to the
kitchen.

       On the way, he mentally prepared himself for what he would guess
would come when he got back.  He expected Todd to end their arrangement and
it was crushing Robert.  He wasn't ready to stop being with Todd.  Todd was
the one that pulled him out of his shell, after all, and he was afraid that
if it happened, he would cave in on himself with depression.  He had to
talk himself out of doing that.  He knew that if that happened, everything
around him would suffer.  His grades, his friendships and most of all, his
friendship with Todd.  If he was telling himself the truth, he would admit
to himself that he was in love with Todd, but he wouldn't allow himself to
be truthful.  He kept lying to himself saying that it was just a way to get
through college, doing his studies, having some fun along the way.

       If Todd decided to end things, he was going to miss the sex most of
all, but a close second would be the tightness that he and Todd shared.  If
it was over, he didn't know if he would still be able to treat Todd the
same as always.  Not because of anger or regret, but because he and Todd
shared something, with Blake's knowledge, that he wasn't ready to let go
of.  He also felt guilty of the way he felt after Blake's accident.  Of
course he wanted Blake to get better, but then, in the back of his mind, he
thought that if things went south, he would be there for Todd and that he
and Todd would actually be a real couple.  Todd was someone that he could
and would take home to meet the family.  He had, without knowing, already
made plans as to how the two of them would be should something happen to
Blake.

       He would give Todd his time to grieve...however long that took, he
was willing to wait.  Then when Todd was ready, he would be there for him
in whatever way Todd wanted, in the hopes that Todd would look at Robert
one day and know that they were a real couple.  They would graduate
college, move back to Atlanta, find a place together and start a life that
Robert had so often dreamed of.  Now, he realized, that was never going to
happen.  His heart was broken, not completely, because he knew that he and
Todd were no more than best friends with benefits, but broken because Blake
found him first.  Broken because he didn't think he was ever going to have
what he wanted with someone a great as Todd.

       After retrieving the waters and the pills, he headed back to the
bedroom.  When he opened the door, Todd was just coming out of the
bathroom, little drops of water still on his chest and shoulders.

       "Here you go, buddy," Robert said, handing him a water and two
aspirin.

       Todd took them and set them down on the dresser and took Robert in a
hug.  "Everything okay?" Robert asked.

       "Yeah.  It's just good to be home," he answered and put his head on
Robert's shoulder.  Robert wrapped his arms around Todd and gave a small
smile while closing his eyes.  It may not be all that he hoped for, but it
was what he wanted right there, in that moment; Todd in his arms and him in
Todd's.

       Breaking the hug, Todd asked, "Will you hold me tonight?"

       Robert looked a little confused.

       "It's not often that I need to be held in bed, but tonight's one of
those nights.  Would you mind holding me?"

       Robert smiled and said, "Of course."

       Robert got out of his clothes as Todd went to the bed, taking his
aspirin along the way.  When he did, he turned his back on Robert as Robert
got in and snuggled up close to Todd, putting his left arm around Todd and
pulled him close.  He moved his feet, legs and hips directly next to Todd
and put his nose in Todd's hair, like Todd had always done to him.  After
getting settled, it didn't take Todd long to fall asleep.  Robert had a
hard time falling asleep, seeing as how he was pressed into Todd's butt
with his hips.  No matter how hard he tried to concentrate, he couldn't
help himself when his penis lengthened and got erect against the crack of
Todd's ass.  After struggling for about thirty minutes, he finally found
the sleep he was looking for. In the morning, they woke up in the exact
same position they fell asleep.

       Todd was the first to stir the next morning and when he opened his
eyes, he reached for his phone and saw that the time was a little after six
in the morning.  He placed it back on the table and gently grabbed Robert's
arm and moved it to Robert's side.  When he did, he got out of bed and
headed to the bathroom.  When he returned, Robert had turned to lay on his
back, still sleeping.  Todd got back in the bed as softly as possible and
when he succeeded without waking up Robert, he snuggled back up to the warm
body and lay his head on Robert's shoulder.  He draped his other arm over
Robert's torso and closed his eyes.

       A few minutes later, Todd felt Robert grab his arm and start rubbing
it.  Todd opened his eyes and looked up at Robert's face.  "Mornin'," Todd
said, giving a smile.

       "How'd you sleep?" Robert asked.

       "Better than I have in a while.  It was comforting to be held last
night.  Thanks."

       "Any time, Todd. It was actually nice to switch the rolls for once,"
Robert said.

       "Lucky, any time you wanna switch rolls, I'm all for it.  It keeps
me from always being the alpha male all the time."

       "You like being alpha," Robert reminded him.

       "I know, but to be taken care of once in a while, if only being held
while sleeping, is a nice change."

       "I know what you mean," Robert said.

       Todd snuggled closer to Robert and lifted his right leg to rest over
Robert's hip.  When he did, Todd's leg laid on top of Robert's morning
wood.  When they touched, Robert sucked air through is teeth.  Thinking he
hurt Robert, Todd asked, "You okay?"

       "Yeah, I just gotta pee.  Hold that thought, I'll be back in a
second."  Robert used the restroom and was back in the same position within
two minutes.  Todd lifted his leg again and laid it across Robert and
snuggled him closer while putting his head on Robert's chest.

       Robert put his hands on Todd and pulled him close.  This, he thought
to himself.  This is what I want.  He refused to say that he wanted it with
Todd.  Just having Todd in his arms was enough for now.

       After a few minutes' silence, Todd moved again and put his body
directly on top of Robert's.  Robert went with it and put his arms around
Todd and hugged him tight.  A moment later, Todd's lips found Robert's and
Robert's eyes opened with surprise.  Todd's tongue touched Robert's lips
and Robert parted his mouth to allow Todd entrance.

       Todd didn't know why he was feeling the away he was.  He wasn't
horny, but instead, just craving affection.  He wasn't able to be with
Blake like they usually were, and he missed the contact.  Yes, he had felt
guilty after Blake's accident about being with Robert, but now, Robert was
all he had until summer.  His guilt was based out of fear of losing Blake.
When Blake woke up and the doctors told everyone that we was going to make
a recovery, he felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.  He
was happy that Blake was going to be okay, and he was excited for the
future with Blake, when he graduated and he and Blake moved back to
Atlanta, but right now, his need for affection...for comfort was more than
his guilt about how he felt about Robert two weeks ago.

       They kissed with passion for few moments before Robert found his
hands in Todd's hair.  He was pulling him closer and closer, wanting to
feel the larger man on him...to be a part of him.  Todd moved his lips from
Robert's and started to trace his tongue down to Robert's chin before
following his jaw line up to his ear.

       "What time is your class?" Robert asked, breathless.

       "9:30. You?" Todd asked, sucking on Robert's ear lobe.

       "Ten," Robert said, pulling Todd closer.  "What time is it?"

       "Before seven.  We still have time," Todd explained, putting his
lips back on Robert's.

       As they kissed, Todd put his knees on either side of Robert's hips
and straddled his crotch.  Todd finally broke the kiss and slowly sat up,
looking at Robert.  He wasn't smiling...nor was he mad, he was just
starting at Robert, realizing how much he missed being with him.  He sat up
and put his hands on Robert's chest and started kneading the muscles below
the taught skin.  Robert was slowly moving his hips to and fro, the
underside of his penis against Todd's taint, building the feeling of
pleasure in his groin.  Todd reached back and cupped Robert's balls in his
warm hand and started to softly squeeze them while rolling them around in
his fingers.

       "That feels so good," Robert groaned.

       Todd moved his fingers slowly up the shaft of Robert's muscle and
slowly started stroking him.  Robert's hand found Todd's hard member and
grabbed it, gently.  He didn't move his hand...he didn't want this to turn
into just a jerk off session.  He just wanted to hold Todd in his hand,
knowing he could without protest.

       Todd started to lift Robert's muscle to stand up and when he did,
Robert's head ran across his entrance and Todd gave a shudder.  He
remembered his promise to Blake, but it just felt so good that he kept it
up.  He wouldn't allow himself to be penetrated, but the attention that
Robert's cock gave to his hole, with his help, felt amazing.  He would
place Robert's head against his entrance and slowly push back so that he
could feel the pressure against his entrance.  Within a minute, he could
feel the liquid leaking from the tip of Robert's cock, lubing up his hole.

       "This isn't fair, Todd.  You can't introduce me to your hole and not
let me enter.  You're driving me crazy," Robert said with his hands on
Todd's hips.

       "It just feels so good," Todd said, eyes closed with his head back.
"I haven't had this much attention on my ass in a long time."

       "You need to stop before I start pushing.  Remember your promise,"
Robert cautioned.  "I didn't promise, you did."

       Todd opened his eyes and lifted himself up and lowered Robert's
member back to his belly.  After, he moved his knees to between Robert's
legs and lifted his hips and lowered himself back down to kiss him again.
Robert instinctively wrapped his legs around Todd's back and pulled him
down, harder, into his body.  Todd enjoyed the feeling just as much as
Robert did and was doing all he could to make their bodies complete by
becoming one with each other.

       Todd's erection was pressed against Robert's lower back and every
time Robert would lower his body closer to the bed, he felt Todd graze his
hole.  It was driving him wild with anticipation and wanted Todd inside
him.  Todd felt how much he was teasing Robert and actually enjoyed it.
The pre-cum that he was leaking was lubing up Robert's hole so that there
wasn't any friction at all.  He enjoyed putting pressure on Robert's
entrance and pulling back just before it slipped in.  They kept teasing
each other for another ten minutes or so as their kissing continued.

       As it so happened, luck was on their side, or at least Robert's.
Todd kept his teasing of his cock on Robert's hole and as he rocked Robert
down on the bed, his dick was right on the entrance, pressing hard.  Robert
couldn't help himself and pulled his hips up higher and Todd slipped in.
When he did, they both moaned into the other's mouth.  Instinctively, Todd
pushed all the way in until his hips were right up against Robert's ass.
They moaned louder, muffled by the other's mouth.  A few seconds later,
Todd opened his eyes and pulled himself out of Robert.

       "Holy fuck, Lucky."

       "Why'd you stop?" Robert asked, frustrated.

       "We need a condom," Todd said.  He looked down and saw Robert's hole
twitching, waiting to be filled again.

       "I'm out.  I gotta get some more," Robert said, lifting himself up
on his elbows, looking at Todd, begging with his eyes to forget about the
condoms.

       Todd rubbed a hand across his face and exhaled a frustrating sigh.
He moved off Robert and fell to the bed with his right leg still across
Robert's body.  "You know the rules.  We have to have a condom."

       Robert wanted to punch whatever he could.  He was so frustrated and
wanted Todd to fuck him with wild abandon and he was out of condoms.  He
didn't want a condom.  He wanted Todd to breed him.  He wanted to feel what
it was like to have Todd's seed inside him.  He fucking wanted Todd as his
own, so that this wouldn't have to be an issue.  He turned his head and
tried to give a not so disappointed look at Todd.  "I'll get some this
afternoon after classes."

       "God, I'm so frustrated and you were so tight, too."  Todd looked at
Robert and he just smiled.  "Tonight might be the last night for a while
until I can get all my work caught up...that is if the professors are gonna
take pity on me.  I'm done at four today.  Why don't we get the boys for
dinner and then after, we can make an excuse of studying and get back here
early."

       "Sounds good, babe...I mean, Bud."  Robert blushed hard and turned
his head away from Todd.  Todd lowered his head to the bed and cracked a
smile at the slip.

       As the day went on, Todd pled his case to his professors and after
the full story, they all gave in and told him what he had missed and each
gave him a three week deadline to get the work turned in.  After the
deadline, they would have no choice but to count off his work as late.  One
professor told him that if his work wasn't in on time, he would give him a
zero for it all.  There was no guessing which Todd decided to put his work
into first.

       When he got home from classes, he ran into a Keith and Ricky who
were just as surprised to see him home as Robert was the night before.
They asked about Blake and expressed their happiness at his recovery.  When
he told them his plans for dinner, they both agreed.  When the final two
roommates arrived, they also agreed to dinner.  They were only waiting for
Robert to arrive before they left.  It was after 5:30 when Robert finally
showed up, apologizing to everyone for holding them up.  He had to drop his
books off in his room and was ready to leave a few minutes later.

       They headed down and walked two blocks to a favorite pizza joint
they had visited a few times before.  They had good conversation and shared
in some boisterous laughter.  The other patrons kept looking over at their
table the louder they got.  The waiter even had to ask them to keep it down
a little, having received some complaints from other customers.

       When they were done, they headed back to the apartment to go their
separate ways to do their studying.  When Todd and Robert got to their
room, Todd reached for his bag.  As he unloaded his books to the desk, he
asked Robert why he was so late getting in.

       "I went to the library to do some studying and forgot I had to make
a stop at the drugstore before I came home."

       "What'd you get at the drugstore?" Todd asked, not thinking.

       As an answer, Robert dropped three boxes of condoms on the desk.

       "Holy, shit, Lucky.  Three boxes?" Todd asked, picking them up.

       "Well, I don't ever want to run out again after this morning.  You
worked me up so fucking much, I could barely concentrate all day."

       Smiling, Todd reached over and grabbed the front of Robert's shirt
and pulled him into his arms and planted a kiss on him.  Breaking the kiss,
he grabbed Robert's hand and placed it on his crotch.  "You see how hard
you've already made me?" Todd asked.

       Massaging the muscle beneath Todd's jeans, he said, "And that's the
way I like it."  He gave a wicked smile and headed to the bathroom.  Todd
stared after him.  A moment later, a shirt flew out of the bathroom and
landed on the floor.  This was followed by each layer of clothing Robert
had on and Todd heard him turn on the sink.

       Getting a wicked idea in his head, Todd stripped and unfoiled a
condom and slipped it on.  He grabbed the lube and worked it around the
latex until it was ready for entry.  Going to the bathroom, he walked right
up to Robert and immediately put his lubed up hand in Robert's crack and
started rubbing the hole.  Robert was doing his best not to give in to the
feelings too fast, but a moment later, he felt Todd push against his ass
and he loosened himself and Todd slipped all the way in.  Only then did he
realize it wasn't Todd's finger.

       Todd pushed as far into Robert as he could and held himself steady.
Robert tried to finish brushing his teeth, but his toothbrush fell out of
his hand as he bent over the sink and closed his eyes.  Todd slowly started
to pull out and when only the head was left, he slowly moved his hips
forward until his dick was buried once again to the hilt.

       Robert's head was laying on his arms which were across the front
counter of the sink.  He just barely was able to turn the water off before
Todd started getting faster with his thrusts.

       "Oh, God, you feel so fucking good," Robert moaned.

       Todd reached his hand up to place on Robert's back and pushed him
down a little harder and started to ram his hips into Robert so that you
could hear their skin slapping.

       "Fuck me, Todd.  Fuck me harder."

       Todd didn't need telling twice.  He placed his hands on Robert's
hips and started pulling Robert into him every time he started thrusting
in.  "Oh, yeah.  That's it," Robert moaned.

       Todd kept up his assault of Robert for a few more minutes before he
pulled himself out and roughly pulled Robert around to face him.  When he
did, he pushed Robert back against the sink and reached down and grabbed
his legs.  Once they were up and Robert was laying on the counter, Todd got
back in position and didn't take it gently.  He rammed himself inside of
Robert and Robert's eyes got wide.  "Oh, fuck, Todd."

       Todd didn't even hear Robert.  He kept up his pounding, not knowing
if he was doing it to get himself off or if he was doing it for Robert.  He
put Robert's legs on his shoulders and wrapped his arms around Robert's
knees as he kept pounding Robert's ass.  His hand found its way down to
Robert's erection and he started jerking him furiously.  Robert's eyes
closed and his mouth opened.  He was in heaven, forgetting the frustrating
feelings he had that morning.  He was hoping it would last a lot longer,
but with the pounding that Todd was giving his ass and the attention his
hand was giving his dick, he wasn't able to go but another minute before he
warned Todd of his impending climax.

       Todd pushed his way against Robert's ass and started grinding
against his prostate.  Once contact was made, Robert's orgasm took over and
he came across his chest, stomach and finally falling over Todd's hand.
Two more thrusts were all it took for Todd as well.  After pulling back and
thrusting in, he felt Robert squeeze his ass muscle and Todd pushed in,
pushing with his entire mite and exploded.  He kept digging his toes into
the tile harder and harder, trying to get Robert's ass to swallow him
whole.

       Once his climax subsided, he lowered Robert's legs to either side of
his body and leaned down and grabbed Robert in a kiss.  Their tongues
fought for a good long time before Robert turned his head to catch his
breath.  Todd stood up, still buried inside Robert and looked at the mess
Robert made with his orgasm.  Todd reached down and scooped up some of
Robert's cum and brought it back to his lips.  When he did, Robert said,
"Wow.  I didn't know I needed to get fucked that hard.  That was amazing."

       Todd finally deflated enough to where he slipped out of Robert.
When he did, he leaned down and licked up the rest of the mess on Robert's
chest and stomach.  Leaning back up, he kissed Robert again, this time,
slowly.  Their lips touched and Todd's tongue ran across Robert's lips with
meaning.  When he finally opened his eyes, he lifted himself back up and
smiled at Robert.  "God, that was good."

       Todd stepped back and lowered Robert's feet back to the floor.  A
little disappointed as Todd was removing the condom, he said, "I was kinda
hoping it would last a little longer, though."

       "Lucky, that was just round one.  I've got to get started on all
this work, but I had to have you.  You don't realize how much dinner was
actually killing me.  I wanted to take you right there on the table a
couple times."  He dropped the used condom in the trash and grabbed a towel
to wipe himself dry.  "We'll go slow tonight.  I promise," he said, kissing
Robert again.

       As he turned to leave, Robert instantly got hard again.

       When he got to his desk, he didn't even bother with his clothes.  He
opened his laptop and dialed Blake.  When Blake got on the computer, they
talked for a few minutes and Blake asked if Todd was naked.  Todd stood up
as an answer.

       "Why do you tease me like this?" Blake asked, smiling.

       "Because I can.  Plus I just got done fucking Lucky, now I gotta get
some studying done."

       A second later, a naked Robert walked out of the bathroom and across
the camera's view.

       "Robert!" Blake called.  Robert backtracked and came over to the
screen.

       "Hey, Blake.  How're you feeling?" Robert asked, leaning down so
that Blake could see him.

       "Not too bad.  Gonna have to get some pain meds tonight.  My legs
have been bothering me recently."

       "Doctor's said you'd make a full recovery, right?" Robert asked.

       "Yeah.  But I got a long road to go before I'm back to normal."

       "When do the doctors think you'll be able to walk again?" Robert
asked.

       "In a few months.  But first, I'll have a lot of physical therapy to
deal with before and after I start walking again."

       "Well, I'm glad you're okay," Robert said, half lying to himself.
"You think you'll still be able to come in October?"

       "Probably not, but I don't know yet.  That's a long way off and I
might be good enough to come for a visit."

       "I hope so," Robert said.  "I miss you."

       "I miss you too, but I'm glad you're there with him.  I know he's
still angry with me that I made him leave."

       "I'm not angry, just disappointed.  I wanted to spend more time with
you," Todd said.

       "I know, Puppy, but your schoolwork was falling behind.  Speaking of
which, were you able to talk to your professors?"

       "Yeah, I have three weeks to get all the work turned in."

       "That's good."  Flicking his eyes at Robert, he said, "You need to
not distract him with your sexy body while he's studying."

       Robert blushed and said he wouldn't and was just about to leave when
Blake asked, "So, how was it?  The sex?  Todd told me y'all just got done."

       "Amazing, as usual.  You're lucky you got this one first.
Otherwise, I wouldn't let him leave the apartment," Robert said, putting a
hand on Todd's shoulder.

       "Don't I know it," Blake said, smiling at Robert.

       "Well, I'll let you two get back at it.  I need to get some studying
done myself."  Before Robert left, Todd reached up and pulled him down to
give him another quick kiss.

       "Talk to you again soon, Blake," Robert said, giving a wave and
walking to his desk.

       "Any news today from the doctors?" Todd asked after Robert was at
his desk.

       "No, but I did talk Kevin into showing me his dick," Blake said.

       "What?" Todd asked, not believing.  "Kevin the nurse?  He's so
fucking hot."

       "Yeah, he is, but no, I just wanted to see your reaction.  That
didn't happen."

       "Damnit, I was gonna ask for details," Todd said, smiling.  "Stop
teasing me like that."

       Smiling, Blake said, "Teasing is half the fun."

       "Ass," Todd retorted.

       They talked for a while longer before Todd had to get back to his
studying.  He kept the camera going as he did his work and on Blake's end,
he turned on a card game.  Just being able to see each other was enough for
now.  It was like they were in the same room, but not close enough to touch
each other.  They were both content with their arrangement of just being
able to see each other while they did their own thing.

       While Todd was studying, Blake had a couple of visitors come by.  He
muted the microphone as to not disturb Todd, which Todd was thankful for.
It was little things like that that made Todd love Blake even more.  After
his visitors, Blake ended up having dinner while watching TV.  He asked
Todd if the volume was too loud, which Todd smiled and said it was fine.
Todd kept up his studying and finished two papers of the many assignments
he had to complete before he told Blake he was gonna call it a night.  They
told each other they loved them and after Todd mimicked a kiss, he turned
off his computer and headed to the bathroom to get his shower.

       "You wanna shower with me?" he asked of Robert.

       "I'll be in in a minute.  Gotta finish up a little bit more," Robert
responded.

       Halfway through his shower, Robert showed up and grabbed the soap
and started washing Todd's back.  When his hand found the crack of Todd's
ass, he paid a little more attention than he needed to, but Todd was
enjoying the sensation, so he didn't complain.

       They got in bed and Robert made sure he had two condoms ready, just
in case round two went to round three.  But with all they had done that
afternoon, two rounds were all they needed to be satisfied for the night.
Sated, Todd curled around Robert in their usial position before they fell
asleep.

To Be Continued. . .