Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2011 17:30:07 -0700 (PDT) From: Joey Young Subject: Untitled love story, chapter 17 Usual disclaimers apply. Author's note: I know, I know. Its been awhile since my last update, best rest assured my writing will continue along with the story of Caleb. I thank all my loyal fans and their continued support. And please dont give up on the story, especially since the departure of Drew. And to my goddess of an editor, Lisa Blackburn, I thank you. For being a loyal friend, devoted fan, and eagle-eyed editor. My writing relies heavily upon your unique eye and for that i thank you. So, please enjoy the latest chapter and comment on it, immediately. Hahahaha. -Joey Young Untitled Love Story Chapter 17 The sun, hot on the bare skin of my back, woke me in the morning. Late morning, maybe even afternoon, I wasn't sure. Everything besides the time was clear, though; I knew exactly where I was--my bright bedroom with the big white curtains, brilliant sunlight streaming through the open windows. The clouds outside did nothing to dim the lighting. I didn't open my eyes, I was experiencing joy for the first time in a long time. Probably since Christmas, but definitely before I had said goodbye to Drew on that cold lonely day. It had been a month since that eventful night and Dante and I had all but forgotten it. However, at some random moment throughout the day I experienced a cloud of sorrow pass over me. Either for Jenny's unexpected death or the sudden departure of Drew, but it usually hit me hard. But now when the only sounds were birds outside, our breathing, our heartbeats, I wondered idly why I had been so panicky about that night. My tears all seemed silly now. I was comfortable now, even with the baking sun. Lying across his warm chest, his arms wound around me, felt very easy and natural. His fingers softly trailed down the contours of my spine, and I knew that he knew I was awake. I kept my eyes shut and tightened my arms around his neck, holding myself closer to him. He didn't speak; his fingers moved up and down my back, barely touching it as he lightly traced patterns on my skin. I would have loved to lie there forever, to not disturb this moment, but my alarm clock had other ideas. I laughed as the clock buzzed very loudly, it seemed very comical that we were being timed considering how we spent most of last night making love, while my mom and her new boyfriend slept down the hall. It was like waking up from a blissful dream only to realize you have work today. "What's funny?" he murmured, still stroking my back. The sound of his husky masculine voice brought back memories of last night and how I continually sighed his name, while in the throws of passion. Instantly I felt a warmth spread across my face, neck and arms, my hormones taking over. Softly I moved my hand over his flat abdomen, grazing the hairy trail until I grabbed his flaccid member beneath the sheets. "I was just thinking of last night, and how we never have enough time to ourselves." He chuckled then and sharply smacked my bare bottom beneath the blanket, while I still fondled his dick. "You do know what today is?" he asked avoiding my attempts at seducing him. "February 5th?" I answered smartly, which made him frown. "You know what I mean," he said as he pulled my hand from his large balls. "Alright, alright," I pouted, which made him chuckle. He patted my hand back to my hip, before he lightly grazed it with his rough palm. "Very tempting, though," he whispered, but mostly to himself. I laughed then and slid out of our bed fully naked. Slowly I sauntered to the bathroom and turned, glancing over my shoulder. "We could always shower together." He grinned widely and his eyes glinted with hunger. "Or we could always do that." And with that he jumped from our bed and swiftly carried me into the bathroom to shower. ~*~ William's office had a formal d‚cor about it and had a nice view of the parking lot, which was saying a lot. The left wall was lined with volumes upon volumes of medical books, which all looked thick and over worded. No way would I ever attempt to read them. Dante was sitting in a chair next to me holding my hand, while my mom was resting against one of the desks, both waiting anxiously for William's arrival. "When did he say to meet, again?" I asked my mom worriedly. She was wearing her purple scrubs today and that always made me laugh, but not at the moment. Her hair was twisted into a tight bun and she continually glanced at the door. She looked at me with a tender smile, before she folded her delicate arms across her chest. "He'll be here, Cale. He's just running late." I sighed. Dante just lightly squeezed my hand and brought it to his warm lips. Silently he kissed it and smiled encouragingly at me. But it did little to ease my anxiety and I began to look at the clock again. Today was the day we were supposed to find out if my new treatment plan was plausible and able to be performed. For the past month Dr. Peters or William had been thoroughly researching procedures where they took donor skin grafts and pieces of trachea to replace parts of a cancer effected throat. Ultimately the procedures were highly experimental and relatively dangerous. Now we just had to find out if this procedure pertained to my case and when it could be implemented. So today was important on deciding the next step in my survival. "Love, calm down. Everything will be alright," Dante whispered as I jiggled my leg in impatience. Gently he grabbed it and held it in place. "Sorry," I replied sheepishly. "Habit." He chuckled but softly patted my leg. "How bout a distraction?" he asked as his gold-green eyes watched me. "Okay." "Well, you know next month's your birthday," he whispered softly, which did grab my attention. "Yeah, its kind of an annual thing," I replied smartly, making him grin. He ignored my little jib and continued. "Well, I just so happened to book us two seats to Florence, Italy, first class." Immediately I was floored. What?!? I thought he was joking about that. Instantly my face cracked into a brilliant smile that hurt my cheeks a little. His eyes melted as I squeezed his hand sharply. "I can see that your excited," he commented at the iron grip I had on his hand. "Yes!!" I breathed heavily, before turning to my mom, who was smiling widely. "I'm going to Italy." She laughed and clapped her hands over her mouth, slowly shaking her head. "I'm going to Florence, Italy!!" I all but screamed as Dante started to laugh. He stood up and instantly wound his arms around my waist, holding me to him as I stared into his beautiful hazel eyes. His angular cheekbones were covered with a dark dusting of stubble that I hardly ever saw shaven. His dark hair swooped upward and spiraled into the air, leaving his smooth forehead exposed. His sharp nose grazed against my cheek as he leaned down and kissed me. His breath was heady and sweet as I inhaled it, like a living substance. The whisper of our lips were the only thing noticeable to us. The world melted away as we kissed and only the clothes between us kept me from taking him right there in the office. "Uhh, I can see that you're already celebrating," I heard Dr. Peters familiar formal voice say as he entered his office. "The boys are going to Italy, honey," my mom answered with a soft laugh as we disengaged. I couldn't look away from his face as our hands stayed linked together. His eyes blazed with golden fire and green embers, showing the depths of his love. "Excellent," Dr. Peters said with honest enthusiasm. "Well I'm glad to be continuing the good news, because I have something for you Caleb." Quickly I turned to look at him, breaking my loving gaze with Dante. "No," I whispered happily. "It can't be possible. You did it?" Dr. Peters laughed and handed my mom my file. She scanned the papers, switching the pages rapidly, while I continued to stare at William. He smiled as he sat in his chair and crossed his arms proudly. "We are happy to announce that, Caleb Alexander Pierce, is a candidate to receive donor organs, and has been placed on the immediate recipient list," my mom read, her voice growing in excitement. "Procedures should then be followed by the appropriate physician, Dr. William John Peters." She looked up then from the papers and stared at me teary eyed. "Oh, Caleb," she whispered, her voice croaking with the effort of controlling her tears. Immediately I slipped my hand out of Dante's and hugged my mom as she started to cry. It WAS possible to get everything I wanted after all that I had been through. Silently I felt Dante's hand on my shoulder and I pulled him into our hug. My mom instantly began to laugh behind her tears at the joy of this sudden occasion. I was possibly on the way to a cure and had plans to visit Italy, what more could I ask for? And then like the pessimistic person I was, I thought of the unfinished chapter in my life. Drew. In one quick moment my heart fell before being picked up again. "So, when do we get started?" I asked as our embrace ended. Dante held me against his chest, his arm wrapped securely around me. "Well you're on the top of the list, so now we just wait for a viable donor and then we go from there," Dr. Peters said as he took my mom's outstretched hand. "But for now, we stick to the medications and keep you as healthy as possible." My mom beamed with joy after he said that. "Is there anything else we need to know?" she asked hesitantly, while still buoyant with delight. Dr. Peters paused, before sighing, "There is a slight chance, Caleb, might not be responsive to the alien organ. His body may reject it if not monitored correctly." I gulped, but Dante asked the question on both of our minds. "What are the chances it might happen with, Caleb?" Again William paused. "Given Caleb's intense reaction to the cancer, I would say the chances are fifty, fifty." Immediately the excitement dimmed. "What's your personal opinion?" Dante asked again, taking the words right out of my mouth. "With Caleb's case I mean." Dr. Peters sat silently in thought before he grabbed the bridge of his nose. "Again, the chances are fifty-fifty, so my opinion doesn't carry much weight," he looked at me then as he said this. "But with the right medication and pre-treatments, it should prove to be successful." I breathed a shaky sigh. All I had to do was take the medicine accordingly and I might have a possible future with Dante. That much I could do, for the right reasons. I looked to Dante, then and saw that he was staring at me the whole time, watching my reaction and waiting for my approval. "Let's do it then," I said courageously. ~*~ The cart moved crookedly down the aisle we were perusing. Stacey held the list my mom gave her, while I randomly grabbed food that looked good to me. "Was that on the list?" she asked for what felt like the millionth time. I sighed and flicked the paper in her hand. "Stace, you know I don't conform to my mom's grocery list. Besides the boys usually just bring a crap load of stuff anyways." As if on cue Dante and Justin came barreling down the aisle carrying bags of beef jerky, energy drinks, and potato chips. They kept shoving each other and laughing as they neared the cart. Justin cussed after he dropped a bag of chips onto the floor, making a huge crunch sound. Dante bellowed with laughter and threw everything he had into the basket. I smiled at both of them and held back a chuckle. They were so childish when they were together that it was hard to be annoyed with them. "More junk food?" Stacey asked worriedly as she picked up a bag of beef jerky. "Yeah, babe. We gotta bulk up on carbs before we work out," Justin replied after throwing his load into the already full basket. "But Trudy specified in healthy substitutes like baked chips, soy, and organic food." They gradually began to argue, but I wasn't paying attention. Instead I was staring at the bag of Twizzler's on a high shelf. Before I could even reach them, I saw Dante grab them and hand the bag to me. His smile stunned me into silence and I threw the bag carelessly into the basket. "I hate grocery shopping," I commented as I walked into his waiting arms. He chuckled and hooked his finger beneath my chin. He leaned down and softly kissed me, pulling on my bottom lip. "Well just take solace in the fact that were almost done," he replied as he grazed his lips against mine. I groaned and rested my chin on his chest. He smiled at my frown and gently squeezed my waist. "I wish you'd stop saying that," I said with a grimace. "It's so easy breezy and casual." His smile widened. "Come on, it's not rocket science. Just pick a few things and throw them in the cart." I pulled away and stared at him then. "Really?" "Mmm-hmm. . . . I'll show you." I smiled and waited expectantly, as he reached for a box of macaroni. He grabbed a couple of boxes and threw them into the cart with a grin. "Dante. . . ." I growled about ready to argue, but Justin called his attention. "Hey, bro that new car and driver magazine is in. We should go check it out." "Alright," Dante replied and kissed me on the cheek, before bounding off after Justin. Those two and cars. I rolled my eyes and reached for another bag of Twizzler's. I was going to need it. Stacey was busy readjusting our budget to include the many forms of junk food to notice my new addition. I waved the bag in her face, which only made her scowl in disapproval. "I swear we should all be obese by now," she grumbled as she recalculated again. "Does Trudy even have groceries to cook anymore." I laughed and pushed the cart forward again. "Okay, okay, we'll get some real food," I replied with a smile. "I can see why my mom insisted on you coming with us." She stuck her tongue out at me, but went back to her calculating. Halfway down the aisle I threw in a bag of pasta. Stacey eyed me accusingly, but allowed it. "Hey, Stace are you going to be like this in college?" I asked as we rounded to the next aisle. "Cuz, this will really reflect on whoever's your roommate." She snorted and looked up from her list. "Please. I would be the perfect roommate. Besides Justin will be my roommate." "Oh, you're staying in Taylor with him?" "No," she replied a little shrilly. "Were both moving to Berkeley. . . . Wait, I thought he told you." "Told me what?" I asked as I threw in a bottle of olive oil. "Umm, Cale I've been accepted to the University of California. . . . Early admission." I skidded to halt, making her bump into me. "Early admission?" I asked fully stunned. "Yeah," she remarked warily. "I was accepted early to Berkeley. And Justin got that job with his uncle. At his car shop?" Slowly it started to sink in. Everybody was moving on with their lives. The school year was coming to an end. Soon I would be making this decision too. "Oh, man, I thought Justin told you," Stacey said, noticing the fresh look of anxiety on my face. Quickly I cleared my face and hardened my heart. "Its fine, Stace. I was just thinking about my applications." She looked at me worriedly. "Where have you applied?" I froze. I hadn't applied anywhere. I had just learned a month ago that I even had the option of considering schools. "You know, just everywhere. . . . Hey, I'm going to get that basil my mom wanted. It's tricky to find the fresh stuff." I didn't look at her as I said this, but I could feel her pity just fine. "Okay," she replied quietly. "I'll just finish here and join you in a bit." I nodded and turned. I practically ran around the nearest aisle, just to get away from the prying eyes of Stacey. If I had a meltdown now, she would surely inform my mom and Dante. So instead I went to do what I said and tried to keep my thoughts away from everyone's future plans. The produce department was well spaced and had an array of foods carefully organized for the customers. I entered the department with a cloudy head, hoping to get some time to think, when I saw his golden hair. He was faced away from me picking at a pile of onions, but I knew that golden hair anywhere. Drew. Swiftly I half-ran to his side, immediately hugging him when I got close enough. "Drew," I breathed suddenly feeling relief and whole for the first time. "I've missed you." I heard an awkward chuckle and felt him pull away. It stung, but I guess I deserved it. With enough restraint I allowed him to pull away, only to be thoroughly embarrassed. It wasn't Drew. It was Finn, Drew's brother. He looked exactly like Drew, but with a different shade of blue eyes and a different smell. He smiled thinly, making his boyish dimples appear. Definitely Finn. Drew was more rigid and manly. "I'm sorry," I whispered apologetically. "I thought you were. . . ." But I trailed off in despair. He chuckled more genuinely. "Yeah, you and everyone else." I smiled and instantly remembered why I liked Drew's younger brother. He was sweet. "It's cool though," he continued, feeling like he offended me. "Actually he's away at training camp now. This is his second camp." My heart thumped hollowly at his words and I almost started to cry. Everyone was moving on, while I was barely trying to regain my footing. "Is he. . . . Happy?" I asked hesitantly. Finn eyed me peculiarly, "Yeah, I guess. He calls home a lot, complaining of soreness, if you call that happiness?" I sighed and leaned against the onion bin, needing support. "Well what I mean is . . . . Was he okay? You know . . . . When he came back that night?" This only confused him more and I could see it clearly on his face. "I don't understand," he replied honestly. Huh, I thought. I guess he didn't tell anyone what happened. I didn't know if I should feel sad or happy about his, so I feigned confusion. "Oh, never mind. Must've been someone else." "Hey, Cale!" I heard from behind me. It was Stacey's voice. I slowly turned, giving Finn a parting grimace. He patted me on the shoulder and turned to leave. "I'll see you around, Caleb," he said calmly and put his onion in a small plastic bag. I waved dismally at him, before I was interrupted by Stacey. "Who was that?" she asked nosily. I feigned innocence and shrug my shoulders. "Just asking where the onions were," I replied and held up the round vegetable. She didn't push the issue further. "So did you get that basil?" ~*~ The weeks seem to have been going by fairly slow since Dante had announced our trip. But now with only a week away, I could feel the excitement building. We had packed and repacked for the past few days, trying to decide what was necessary and what was just junk. We had also bought our tickets and arranged our pick up vehicle with Ellie. "I'm so excited to see you, Caleb!!" Ellie had squealed with excitement on the phone when I spoke with her. "Yeah, me too," I answered back with minimal enthusiasm. In all honesty Ellie scared me a bit with her over-the-top enthusiasm and very American like attitude. I just hoped that my vacation with her wasn't as overtly hyper as her ideas. Dante had laughed when I voiced my opinions. "Don't worry, Cale, I'll make sure she'll be as modest as ever," he had said, trying to ease my tension. "You know, she's just overzealous." I sighed, but acquiesced. "What about Demetri?" I asked Dante after he defended Ellie. Immediately his face smoothed out into a slight frown. Demetri was Ellie's handsome yet brooding brother, who upon occasion peaked an interest towards me. But it was all very confusing, taking into consideration how he worded his sentences. One would think he was flirting, but maybe he could have been genuinely friendly. "He'll keep his distance. I'm sure of it." And that had ended that conversation. Now, as I walked down another aisle of the large box-like retail store, these memories seemed to dredge up in my thoughts. Justin was silent as he walked next to me. He had agreed to come with me on account of being bored and also because Stacey was out of town visiting colleges. It was more for her parents than actuality. She had her heart set on Berkeley, where Justin would surely follow. So Justin was just my company, while Dante was obtaining our passports. "Do you see it anywhere?" I asked in slight annoyance, which seemed to seep through. "Not yet," Justin replied. "What color is it again?" "Blue. With like a lot of silver little squares on it. It says Luminous something." I had been looking for my favorite brand of toothpaste, which was silly, but important. "Maybe they discontinued it." I frowned, "Maybe they did. That would suck. . . . Oh, forget it. Just get the one with all the check marks on the back." Justin chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. "Here ya go, buddy." He handed me the dentist approved box, which I just threw in the basket. "What now?" I stopped a moment to look at my list, "We need to get a suitcase. I don't have one." "Wow, really?" Justin asked as we steered out of the dental hygiene aisle. "Never traveled, remember?" He laughed, "I do." I smiled and pushed the cart down the expansive floor of the store, counting the different aisles and looking for the bag department. "So this is like your first trip, huh?" Justin asked as he pushed a lock of hair behind his ears. "Yupp, lots of firsts," I replied half paying attention. We had just passed the fabric department. "You know, I've never been out of state either," he replied absently. "Oh, really?" I asked, while still counting aisles. "Yupp, but Stace has been everywhere." I snorted, "Yeah, don't remind me." He laughed again, "Do you remember that time she went to see the Grand Canyon and she wanted to take us, but we all got in trouble the day before?" I smiled at the memory, "Yes, and I I'm still not allowed to enter Nick's arcade." He chuckled and patted me on the shoulder. "Sorry, buddy." I laughed, "No it's alright. He never redeemed my tokens anyway." "Yeah what was that?" "Beats me. Stacey always got extra from... what was that kids name?" Justin growled, "Zachary Maynard." "Yeah, Zac!" I exclaimed. "He always had a thing for Stace, which you never liked." I laughed, which only made Justin more heated. "But that's when I knew," I added quickly before he spoke. "Knew what?" he asked his voice controlled. "That you cared about Stace." He grinned sheepishly, "Was I that obvious?" I sighed and rolled my eyes, about to speak, when I felt a sharp pain lance the back of my throat. I clutched at my skin in alarm and froze. The pain was directly connected to my legs and made them weak as I arched my back in pain. I gasped and clutched at my neck, my knees shaking as the pain washed over me. Justin immediately grabbed my waist and pulled me to his chest. "Hey, hey, hey. I'm right here, Cale. Cale?" "Unnghh," I moaned as my hands shook. My head lolled back and I tasted metallic blood in the back of my throat. I felt some trickle out of my nose. It was like I was paralyzed from the waist down. My legs didn't cooperate with my body and my arms felt like limp noodles. But it passed as soon as it started. I huffed in pain. "I'm fine, now," I breathed trying to break away from his hold. He didn't budge. I gave up and slumped into his chest, needing the support. I swallowed thickly, feeling the bloody mucus stick to my tongue. I breathed shakily as an aftershock shook me again. "Hey, hey, you're okay," Justin whispered as I whimpered and clawed his shirt in pain. Black spots blotted my sight, but I shook them away. "I wanna go home, Jus," I sighed. "Please." "Okay, okay," he agreed. "Come on." Gently he pulled me to his side and helped me walk out of the large store. ~*~ "How are you?" Dante asked, staring at me concernedly. I smiled and patted my blanket covered stomach. "Nauseous," I answered, the hospital bed creaking with my movement. "But it's probably from the food in here." He laughed and pulled the tray of food closer to a patch of sunlight. It was a rare sunny day in Taylor, where the sun shined continuously. We sat in my assigned hospital room, a thick afghan swathed around my arms, eating poorly prepared food. Dante insisted we spend as much time together as possible, so I obliged. Especially since the surgery was scheduled for today. It made him antsy whenever he had to leave, so in the room he stayed. But the whole time I wasn't even paying attention to the food anymore. Instead I was staring at Dante and how the sun reflected off his skin. He looked remarkably handsome in the sun, his caramel skin glistened with a golden hue. I watched him as he spoke to me, but didn't quite listen to his words. I liked the way his lips moved as he talked, the white of his teeth glinting between his full lips, which were a dark shade of pink outlined with a light downing of stubble. The curve of his throat that bobbed with the movement of his Adam's apple. I especially liked the way his muscles coiled when he reached for my wrist. The skin that tightened over his bulging biceps and the hair that covered his arms, which were prominent with his veins. I gulped and refocused on what he was saying. His gold green eyes flashing in the sun. "I wonder where Justin and Stace are with my food." I groaned and swatted his head. "That's so mean. I bet you're going to eat it right in front of me too." He chuckled and grabbed my face, slowly leaning in with a smile. His lips were soft and warm from the sun. They moved mine in different positions and left my skin tingling. My fingers tangled in his hair and welded him to my face. His breath was so sweet and intoxicating that it made me forget to breathe. His hands flipped under my shirt and latched on to my waist, to the soft skin there. There were no distractions. No interrupting classmates. No mom. No Justin or Stacey. Just us. I looked up and saw him rolling his eyes, with a smile. He noticed my gaze and leaned down a little. "The sun looks unfairly good on you," he whispered as his lips came down upon mine again. And I felt it. Like a blistering fire that consumed my whole body at the start of my lips. It was like his lips started a spark and ended up becoming a wildfire that couldn't be contained. His lips were soft and moist in the cool air. He smelled so deliciously good that it was almost as distracting as his kissing. His stubble scratched the sides of my face, but it only intensified the heat between us. I sighed, once his tongue entered my mouth. He tasted so sweet. His large arms wrapped around me. My heart swelled and stuttered every time his fingers grazed my cheek or hooked around my waist. I could hardly breathe around his lips, but I didn't care. The whole world could have gone up in smoke and I wouldn't have noticed. The only thing on my mind was wanting him to pull me closer, squeeze my waist a little tighter. Suddenly he gently pulled away. His eyes were burning with desire, but I heard what he heard. Footsteps coming down the hall. "Is it time already?" he asked with a frown. I smiled and shrugged. "Maybe," I offered, trying to ease his distress. The footsteps stopped at our door, before it was softly pushed open. I held my breath, until in walked Stacey and Justin. Immediately I deflated and grinned widely. "We're back," Stacey exclaimed holding up a bag of greasy food, which I wasn't allowed to eat before a big surgery. "And we brought fries." I growled, "You scared Dante half to death. You don't have to rub in the food also." She sighed and dropped the bag of food at my feet and sat next to me on the bed. "Are you nervous?" she asked as Justin started to dig in the bag. I breathed shakily, "I shouldn't be. I've been through this a hundred times." She smiled dimly, "Hopefully this is your last one." I nodded, "Hopefully." Dante was silent next to me, staring at our entwined hands. I squeezed back enthusiastically. "Eat," I said with a smile that was hard to form. "Then describe to me what it tastes like." He looked up and rolled his eyes. "I'm going to take you to the greasiest fast food restaurant when we get out of here," he replied with a sigh as Justin handed him a burger and fries. "Promise?" I asked, my eyes on the food he had. He laughed and bit slowly into a fry. "Promise," he agreed. "When is your surgery again?" Justin asked, sitting at my feet. "Soon," I replied and stole a glance at Dante's concerned face. "My mom is supposed to come and get me when its time." I watched as Dante took a bite of his burger, and gulped. I hadn't had fast food since the treatments had started and I so desperately craved a fry. Dante smiled at me and popped a fry in his mouth. Stacey and Justin snickered, their mouths full too. "You're all awful," I said with a smile and picked up my water bottle. "Well you're missing nothing," Dante responded after wiping his mouth. "The burger's not that good and the fries are a little soggy." "Thank you," I said and dabbed at the sauce on the corner of his mouth. "It really does taste like crap," he insisted. I grinned and ran my finger over his lip, making it tremble. He caught my hand before I removed it and kissed the inside of my wrist. I sighed. Suddenly my mom and Dr. Peters walked in on us. My heart tightened and I saw Dante's pupils shrink. I breathed a shaky breath and smiled at him. "Ready, honey?" my mom asked as they approached our bed. I was still staring at Dante as I nodded my head. My hand was still in his grasp, tightly placed between his rough fingers. His eyes melted and shimmered a soft gold-green which held my gaze. "I'm ready," I whispered as my vision blurred. Immediately everyone got up from my bed, except for Dante. "Come here," I whispered shakily and drew Dante close. Gently I kissed his frozen lips. That's all I had to carry with me in the surgery. His face was frozen with pain and fear. "You're right," I breathed against his cheek. "It does taste like crap." That melted him instantly and he smiled crookedly at me. His eyes glistened and I tightly squeezed his hand before letting it go. "See you in a few buddy," I heard Justin say as they began to pull my bed away. All the while I kept my gaze locked with Dante's. "See ya, Cale," Stacey whispered, making me look at her. She clung tightly to Justin, who was a grounded figure. They both smiled reassuring at me and then they were all gone. I sniffed and watched as they pushed me down the hall to the elevators. "Mom?" I whispered, feeling the need to. "Yeah," she huffed as she caught up to the moving bed. "You'll stay with me, right?" I asked fearfully. "Always," she replied as her hand grabbed mine. I clung to it like a lifeline, my body instantly calming. "And forever," I finished as the doors of the operation room opened for us. Send comments to untitledlovestory23@yahoo.com