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The Potter's Wheel

Chapter Thirteen

Drawing Strength

 

"Come on mate, you can't be this stubborn," Barry said as he added noodles to his Won-Ton soup. He was getting a little bit of his appetite back but he was sticking to soup, not wanting to overdo it.

Billy glared across the table at Barry. Of course Barry was facing cancer, so a twenty year-old college kid was hardly going to scare him. After Billy's revelation, they had decided to order in Chinese and hear Billy's story, and just maybe help him solve his problem. He told them the whole story, from his argument with Jasmine and her walking out. Billy included his fight with Mike, and ultimately of Conner being pissed at him when he refused to apologize, deciding to go with Mike.

"What did you expect, you lashed out at your girlfriend and your two mates?" Barry said in his usual straight talk style.

"I guess I over-reacted," Billy conceded reluctantly.

"You reckon?" Barry smiled at him, "Now what the fuck are you going to do about it? Because believe me, I'm not going to put up with any shit while I'm here." Billy just looked down at his plate, and then pushed away. Jim and Matt looked at each other and tried not to laugh.

"But she didn't tell me, and then she told Mike and he kept it from me," he said like a petulant child.

"Well little brother, what was the stated reason for not telling you?" Matt asked.

Billy didn't answer immediately. He looked up at Matt and gave him a small smile, "They were afraid I'd freak," he admitted.

The guys just burst out laughing at the admission. Anger flashed across Billy's face. He must have thought better of it and then actually started to laugh himself at the absurdity of what he had just said.

"So what are you going to do about it mate?" Barry asked, and before Billy could answer, Jim jumped in.

Matt awakened slowly from his sleep to the wonderful feeling of a hot wet mouth surrounding his cock. He loved being awakened by blow-jobs and allowed himself to luxuriate in the sensation. He could feel himself getting close and whispered, "Jimmy, you're gonna make me cum and I don't want to disturb Bazza."

Feeling a wet tongue in his ear he shuddered, then he heard Jim's voice whispering, "The only way you will disturb him is if you don't feed him your load," and then Jim stuck his tongue back in Matt's ear and licked down his neck causing Matt to shoot ropes of his hot seed in Barry's mouth.

By the time he recovered, Barry had moved up and shared his prize with Matt and Jim.

"G'day mate," Barry said with a grin, "woke up feeling randy and decided I could use a bit of my man's tonic."

"Glad to hear you're feeling better. Do you think you feel up to looking at houses with us today," Matt asked as he pulled Barry close.

"Sure, if I get tired I can wait in the car. What time are we leaving?" Barry asked.

"Not until I take of care this piece of wood sticking me in the ass," Matt laughed as he pushed back into Jim's morning erection. "Don't want to be selfish."

Twenty minutes later, Jim unloaded into his lover's ass while Matt made out with Barry. Despite feeling better, he wasn't able to achieve an erection as a result of the medication he was taking.

__________

Matt was surprised at the sight that greeted the trio when they walked into the kitchen. Billy was at the stove cooking, wearing nothing but an apron while Mike and Conner were sitting naked at the table working on their laptops.

"Good morning guys, seems like everything's okay?" Matt said looking at Billy with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey bro, yeah, I apologized and we worked it out, but with conditions. I feel like Germany after World War One," Billy replied.

"Now this is something I gotta hear," Barry said taking a seat. Looking at Mike and Conner he asked, "So, who's going to share first?"

"He has to cook us breakfast three times a week and do my laundry for a month," Mike said with a big grin.

"And what about you mate?" He said looking at Conner.

"Same thing with the breakfast, but I get to do his `laundry' for a month. I took care of the first load this morning," Conner said licking his lips and winking. Everybody broke up laughing when Billy blushed bright red.

"What about Jasmine?" Jim asked.

"Mike called her last night and convinced her to have dinner with me so I could apologize," Billy said with a smile.

"Well don't fuck it up," Jim advised. "Think about the twins while you grovel."

"I got it bro. I know I was acting like an ass but it was because I was freaked out—well I'm still freaked out but I think I have it under control."

__________

"So guys, I hope this is the last property because I'm starting to hurt and need to take my meds," Barry said from the back seat. They had just pulled up to the impressive gate, looking through, all the guys could see was a long driveway and a lot of landscaping—and to the right a large barn. The agent punched in a few numbers and the gate opened, "I think you will like this, we are at one of the narrowest parts of the state. The Maryland line is less than a half a mile west of here," the agent said.

As they made their way to the house, the barn revealed itself along with a large paddock surrounded by white plank fencing where six horses grazed on the lush grass that lay within. As the driveway curved, the house came into view and all three guys' eyes widened. The house was beautiful and their car followed the circular drive and stopped under a carport.

 

"This looks like a fucking hotel," Jim said quietly to Barry and Matt as they were getting out of the car.

 

The property had eight bedrooms and bathrooms, with two half baths. The land sloped down from the back of the house allowing the lower level to be a full walk out English basement complete with games room, a theatre with a hundred inch screen and a dozen theater recliners, and a gym with a sauna. There was also a pool, pool house also with a bathroom and an outdoor kitchen very similar to the one they have at the compound. The grounds surrounding the house were five acres including the barn and corral. The barn was more than just a barn. There was just over twenty acres of pasture that was totally fenced keeping it separate. Also included was one hundred and twenty acres of farmland surrounding the property and this last included, they were told, a three bedroom brick rancher. The acreage was currently leased to a neighboring farmer.

 

As the Realtor showed them around, all three men continued to smile at each other indicating their interest and approval. "I'm curious," Matt said to the agent. "There seems to be quite a lot to the property and quite a bit of house

for the asking price. Do you have the disclosure sheet?"

 

"Yes, but I'll give the main points. The estate is in bankruptcy. That is a matter of public record and there are a few liens on the property. The township had put a moratorium on building new housing developments so the owner had to terminate his plan to sell off the farm to developers. In addition, loses in the stock market had left him severely overextended," the agent replied. "It's all in the disclosure form."

 

"You said `had & estate' referring to the owner, can you explain that?" Jim said.

 

"Well yes," the agent said looking a bit uncomfortable. "You will also see in the disclosure that the owner hung himself in the barn last year, a fact which must be disclosed by law. Sadly it puts a lot of people off. I hope you guys can look past it," the agent said hopefully.

 

"As long as he's been removed, I don't have a problem with it," Jim said with a smirk. Everyone tried not to laugh but failed.

__________

Riding back to Philly the guys discussed the properties and decided that they probably wouldn't find anything that would suit them any better than the last one.

"Taking a quick look at the numbers I think we can cover the cost of financing with rent from the farm. I think we should talk to Declan and Finn about it," Matt said. And then turning to look at Barry who was lying on the back seat he said, "Whataya think Bazza, you okay with this? And if you say it's up to me and Jim you'll be sorry," Matt said with a smile. "Besides, it's you and your partner Jim who will be on the deed."

"It's great, but as soon as the adoption is done we are changing the deed to add you. And if you give me any trouble and I'm still physically able, you'll be sorry," Barry said with a laugh.

"We have other decisions to make as well," Matt said taking charge. "When do you want to tell your parents, and what about Brett?"

"I'm not telling my parents anything until after the adoption. And as far as my siblings are concerned, since they haven't attempted to contact me, I feel no need to share my troubles with them," Barry said almost bitterly. "As for Brett, I think it would be good if he came to Delaware with us since I won't be able to watch the boys. But I will have to make it clear to him that my illness is not to be discussed with his family or his arse will be on a plane home in a heart-beat." After Barry finished the car became quiet, each man lost in his own thoughts.

Matt was thinking about the logistics of re-locating to Delaware and how it would affect the boys. Jim was thinking about the Potter's Wheel and whether it was fair to leave Col Dave with the lion share of the work. And as the pain pills took over, Barry drifted off thinking about the challenge he faced. When he was wounded, everything started the day he woke up in the hospital in Germany, weeks after the attack, leaving him only to recover. This time out it was much more challenging; he had to face this head on. If he had his druthers, he would rather wake up when it was over and just be faced with recovering.

For the first time since having his gallbladder removed, Barry was starving. It was 1300 and he hadn't had anything to eat since dinner on Wednesday. He was at the hospital, and actually looking forward to eating cafeteria food to break his fast. Blood work and CAT scan complete, there was an hour-and-a-half until his appointment with his new doctor, the medical oncologist Dr. Janet Lee. The food wasn't as bad as he'd expected, perhaps because he was so hungry. Jim and Matt agreed, they had skipped breakfast as well in a sign of solidarity and as Jim explained it couldn't be any worse than his late wife's cooking.

At 1300 the three men presented themselves at the appointed location and after another round of paperwork were shown into a conference room to await the doctor. After a ten minute wait, the door opened and a beautiful Asian woman came in followed by two other people.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Lee," she said shaking hands first with Barry, and then Jim and Matt.

"I see your parents were a fan of old movies," Matt said smiling as he shook her hand.

"Yes, and sadly they had a sick sense of humor. I have a brother named Bruce," she replied with a laugh. "Luckily there were only two of us or they may have named the third Sarah."

Her sense of humor put everyone at ease. The others were introduced as Dr. Angelo D'Agostino the radiation oncologist, and Beverly Jackson the nurse navigator.

The doctors had had a chance to review the CAT scan and were encouraged by what they saw, as well as by his blood work. The best news confirmed what Mack had told them. They were lucky to catch this early before it metastasized and spread.

They presented Barry with their recommendations: a three month course of radiation and chemotherapy to shrink the tumor and then a procedure called a Whipple surgery to remove the tumor.

Barry sat quietly and listened. Matt could tell that he was too frightened to even ask a question so he spoke for him. "What will be the effects of the radiation therapy? Won't it destroy a lot of healthy tissue?" Matt asked,

"Good question Captain," Dr. D'Agostino replied. "We will be using something new. It is called three-dimensional conformal radiation. It has been found to spare normal tissue the effects of conventional radiation therapy."

"And then you will operate?" Barry asked, finally finding his voice.

"Yes, and then another short course of chemo and you will be hopefully well on your way to being cancer free," Dr. Lee said. "We would like to start next week, on the 15^th if that is convenient."

"Well, I might as well get on with it," Barry said.

"Very well, then we will leave you in Beverly's capable hands and see you back here next week."

After working through all the procedures and dates, it was decided that the operation would be the second week of January. Hopefully the effects of the last dose of radiation and chemo would be gone in time for Barry to enjoy Christmas.

On the way back to the house Barry was very quiet. Finally Jim asked, "You doing okay Bazza?"

"Yeah mate," he answered without much enthusiasm. "No worries, just letting it all sink in. Funny thing, I think I'd rather be blown up again. At least when that happened I didn't feel anything until I woke up; with this I have twelve weeks of thinking. That's the worst part, keeping your mind occupied."

"Well I have something for you to play with to keep your mind occupied," Jim said.

Matt laughed and punched Jim on the arm, "You know Dog Face you're a pig! I'm sure your cock is the last thing on his mind."

"Actually, I'm feeling a bit randy, let's see what comes up when we get home," Barry said, surprising both of his partners.

__________

Junior sat at his desk drumming his fingers. The stress since he was told the company was being sold was almost unbearable. He was attempting to cover as many of his tracks as he could. He had closed and emptied the fake bank accounts and then went back and removed all of the invoices for the fake companies. He figured that there wouldn't be another audit after the sale. If they were going to find any irregularities it would have already happened. He was still nervous about it but there was no going back.

Just before he was ready to leave for the day the owner's secretary called to say that he wanted to see Junior before he left. Now Junior was really rattled. The old man never was here this late in the day. Could something have been discovered? When he finally made his way down the hall he was already sweating through his undershirt. What could he possibly want, he thought? When he walked in, the old man stood and greeted him with a smile and Junior relaxed.

"George thanks for coming down. I was wondering if tomorrow morning we could review the paperwork you are preparing for the new owners. I want to make sure everything is in order." George plastered a smile on his face and said of course. Meanwhile his stomach was doing flip-flops. Somehow he needed to get those invoices back in the files before 0900.

__________

Dinner with Jasmine went well on Wednesday night, and she had ended up spending the night with Billy. When Conner caught a minute alone with him that afternoon and smiled at him, Billy laughed. "Sorry bro, after last night I'll need a day to recover."

"I'll let you go this time," Conner said with a smile, "just don't let it happen again.

Part of the agreement was that whenever possible one of the three guys would walk home with Jasmine or pick her up. As it turned out all three guys needed to go to the library when she was leaving. After dropping her off at her dorm they headed over to the library. Just as Billy and Mike reached for the door, it opened and out walked Keith. He stopped, he seemed startled and then just glared at the three of them. They paid him no mind but after they passed, Billy could swear he heard Keith whisper "cocksucker."

__________

Junior walked into his kitchen just after 2100. He had to stay late and put back all the invoices that he had removed over the last few days for the meeting in the morning. Bonnie was sitting at the table drinking tea. She was the last person he wanted to deal with tonight. "Good evening mother," he said hoping that would suffice. He continued to walk through, attempting to leave; but no deal.

"George, I would like to speak to you," Bonnie said.

"Mother, I've had a long day and I'm really tired. Couldn't we do this tomorrow?" George whined.

"And I was in labor with you for thirty-six hours, did I complain?"

"Every chance you get mother," George said relenting and sitting down. "Don't you think you should let the horrors of my birth go?"

"Stop being stupid George. Anyway, I need a loan to hire a lawyer," she said.

"A lawyer, what have you done now, mother?"

"I've done nothing," Bonnie said with indignation. "I want to sue Brandon and Jim for visitation of my grandchildren," Bonnie said.

George stood, "Mother, give it up. They want nothing to do with you. Besides, when they present their evidence, the judge will rule against you in a heart-beat," George said.

"You're going to have to give this up Mother!" continued George with mounting frustration. "It will save you as well as me a lot of money and aggravation."

"I will not give it up, I will fight both of them," Bonnie almost shouted.

"Not with my money. I'm not even sure I'll have a job in a few weeks," George said sadly.

"Then I'll get a job and earn it. You can be sure I will win," Bonnie said emphatically.

"Good luck Mother, but I'm staying out of it this time. I have my own problems."

Bonnie looked at her son as if she had been slapped. "I can't believe you would abandon me," she said.

"No Mother, I'm just not putting myself at risk again for you. Sorry," George said and left the room leaving Bonnie dumbfounded.

To be continued...

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