Date: Mon, 07 Feb 2000 18:30:28 -0500
From: DJPaul <djpaul@surfree.com>
Subject: Chapter 4 for Gay Army Men

Chapter 4 Sunday Morning

I woke up Sunday morning early around 7 a.m.  I turned over to find Todd
gone. He wasn't in bed. As a matter of fact he wasn't even in the room.
I got up out of bed and called for Todd but he wasn't in any of the
rooms. I looked and all of his clothes were gone. I couldn't imagine
where he had gone. He didn't have any keys to my truck. I quickly got
dressed and went down to the front desk. I asked the desk clerk if she
had seen my friend. She said;" I saw him earlier this morning, he asked
me to call him a cab. I said;"
Did he say where he was going?" She said;" No he didn't tell me where he
was going but, I think he talked to the bellhop, you might want to ask
him." I said;" Thanks I will ask the bellboy if he saw which direction
he was headed in.
I approached the bellhop and asked him if he saw which direction the cab
went in with my friend. He said;" I am not sure exactly where he was
going but he got into one of the local cabs. I have the number of the
cab company if you would like it." "I said thanks It would be great if
you could give me the number I would really appreciate it." The bellhop
said;" The number is 555-2500 and ask for Nate he is the dispatcher
today." I thanked him and asked the desk clerk if she could tell me
where the nearest Pay Phone was. She told me that the pay phones were
out in the vestibule. But she said that she could dial the number for me
and I could pickup the phone on the wall in the lobby. I thanked her and
she dialed the number for me. The phone on the wall rang and I picked it
up. I said;" My name is Russ Morgan one of my friends by the name of
Todd got picked up this morning at the Hilton Hotel can you tell me
where that cab was going?"
The dispatcher said:" Well to be very honest the driver said that they
were on the way to Fort Dicks but I should have heard from him by now.
Is there any number where I can reach you?" I said;" Yes, my cellular
phone number is area code 111-555-4162 I can be reached at number at
anytime." The dispatcher said;" O.K. I will call you the minute I hear
from the driver." I said;" Thanks so much I really appreciate that. I
will be waiting for your call." So, being as though we have to check out
by noon today, I went upstairs and packed my clothes and went down to
the front desk to check out. The valet brought my truck up front
And I jumped right in and headed for the base hoping that when I got
there I would find Todd and find out why he left. I was on The New
Jersey Turnpike and I had traveled about 15 miles when my cell phone
rang. I picked it up and answered the call. It was the dispatcher from
the cab company. He said" Mr. Morgan?" I said;" Yes this is Russ
Morgan." He said;" Mr. Morgan I don't quite know how to tell you this
but I got a call from the N.J. State Police. They reported that the cab
that your friend Todd was in an accident the cab slid off the highway
and went down an embankment." I said;" Oh My God was anyone hurt?" He
said;" Yes both my driver and your friend were taken to Fort Dicks to
the Army Hospital there. They were only two miles from the base when
they had the accident." I said;" TTTHanksss for the information I really
appreciate the call." By now I was in tears driving the truck. I pulled
into the next rest area just to compose myself and then I headed on down
the road to the base. By now I was about 5 miles for the exit to get off
the turnpike. I was driving at a good rate of speed but trying to drive
as careful as possible. I got off the exit and headed down the highway
to the base. It is only about 3 miles from the turnpike. I arrived at
the army hospital on base in about 15 minutes. I parked the truck and
ran inside and went to the reception desk and asked if Todd was here.
The nurse at the desk said;" yes, he is here but he is in critical
condition. Are you family?" I said;" No but he is my best friend and I
just have to see him." The nurse said;" Ok you can go up he is on the
fourth floor in bed 26 by the window in the intensive care room.

I ran to the elevator and of course it seemed like an eternity until I
got to the fourth floor. The door opened I flew over to the nurse's
station and ask where Todd was. The head nurse said;" Sir are you
family?" I said;" Todd is my best friend and I just have to see him."
The head nurse said;" Sir your friend is in very critical condition and
he is not expected to live through the night."
I broke out in tears and asked her to take me to his bed. She led me
into his room and he was so banged up that I could barely recognize him
with all the wires and tubes that were stuck in him. The nurse said;"
you can only stay 10 minutes. You are welcome to come back but visitors
to intensive care unit are limited to 10 minutes every hour." I said;"
okay and thank you." I reached over and picked up Todd's hand and I
started to cry uncontrollable. I asked him if he could hear me, but he
couldn't talk with all the tubes. He did however squeeze my hand. I
said;" I am here for you Todd. And I will be here all night if you need
me to be." He squeezed my hand again and I sat down beside him and just
held his hand and cried. I couldn't believe that this was my friend
lying here in this bed and there is nothing that I could do. I was
watching the meter that was attached to Todd and his heart rate kept
dropping. The alarm on the meter kept going off and one of the nurses
came over to reset the machine. I said to her;" Is it ok that this
machines alarm keeps going off?" She said;" Well it is not a good sign
but your friend is stable now. I am not sure that he is going to make it
through the night he is very weak."  I said;" Can you tell me what's
wrong with him." She said;" Only family members can get that information
from the doctors." I said;" Miss I am his only friend and his family
lives in Idaho. I would really appreciate it if you could set up a
meeting with the doctor that is handling my friends care." She said;"
She would see what could be done and get back to me." I said;" Thank
you" and continued to hold Todd's hand. About five minutes went by when
the head nurse came by to tell me that I had to leave but I could come
back up in an hour. So, I went downstairs to the coffee shop and tried
to eat something, but I wasn't too successful. So I had a container of
orange juice and just sat there thinking about Todd. Of course when you
are made to wait to do anything the clock hands don't move. I finished
up my juice and I went back upstairs to the fourth floor. They had a
waiting room just off the intensive care unit. I checked in at the
nurse's station just to let them know that I was back and to please
notify me when I can go back in the room. They said they would call me
when it was time. I sat down on one of the overstuffed chairs in the
waiting room and just broke down in tears. There wasn't anyone else in
the room. I heard the announcement for a code blue in intensive care and
I knew what that meant. It meant that someone was in distress and needed
immediate care. About 10 minutes went by when the head nurse came in and
asked me to come to her office. I went with her and she told me;" Sir
your friend has just passed away and did I have any phone numbers for
his family in Idaho." I was crying so hard I could barely talk. I said;"
I don't have the numbers on me but I could get them from the base." I
asked;" if I could go in and see Todd" And she said;" the nurses were
just unhooking him from all the tubes and that I could go in and see him
in about 10 minutes." I was so out of control crying that the nurse
asked the doctor on duty to give me a shot to calm me down. I said;" I
wouldn't be needing a shot I am allergic to a lot of medicines and would
prefer to just sit and try and relax." So the nurse said;" Ok I will
call you when it is ok for you to see your friend." The nurse came in
and told me that it was ok for me to go in and see Todd. I was quite
nervous because I had never really been in a hospital right after
someone died. I really wasn't sure what to do. So I went in the room and
they had the curtain closed around Todd's bed. I opened the curtain just
enough to get inside and then I closed the curtain. Todd looked
terrible. He must have really gone through some torture. His face was
all cut up and there were cuts on his arms also. I went over to the bed
and I picked up Todd's hand and I started crying and talking to him like
he could almost understand what I was saying. I was just about to lean
over the bed and give him a kiss when he grabbed my hand and squeezed
it. I couldn't believe that was happening and then all of a sudden I
sensed shaking and I heard a voice. I realized that I was waking up from
a deep sleep. There was Todd sitting up in bed trying to wake me up. He
said;" Hey what's wrong?" I said;" Your not going to believe what
happened in this dream." I said;" First I need a hug, then I will tell
you about my dream." "Todd I dreamt that I woke up and you were gone
with all your clothes and all. And the girl at the front desk said that
she called a cab for you and you left. Then I went downstairs to find
out from the desk clerk if she saw you. And she didn't know where you
were going but that I should talk to the bellhop, she said that you
talked to him. So I went to talk to the bellhop and he said that when
the cab left it was headed south. I got the number of the cab company
from the desk clerk and she called them for me." I was talking to the
dispatcher and he said that he didn't yet hear from the driver yet. So I
asked him to call me on my cell phone when he heard from the cab. I was
on the turnpike coming back to base when the cell phone rang and it was
the dispatcher at the cab company calling to tell me that The New Jersey
State Police had called him and said that the cab was involved in a
serious accident.
And that they had taken the driver and you to the Army base Hospital and
that you were in the intensive care unit. So I rushed back to the base
and went to the hopital to see you. I was only allowed to stay but 10
minutes per hour so that's what I did. The head nurse came in and said
that I would have to leave and then come back in an hour. I went
downstairs to the coffee shop and tried to eat something and have a cup
of coffee. I was done and went back up to the waiting room by the
intensive care room. I heard one of the nurses calling a code blue and
it was for your bed.  So after about Ten minutes or so the head nurse
came into the waiting room to tell me that you had passed away. I asked
if I could see you but she said that the nurses were unhooking all the
tubes and wires and that I could go to see you in about 5 minutes. So I
waited in the waiting room until one of the nurses came out to get me.
You were a mess man. You had cuts and bruises all over your arms and
face. I started to cry and I picked up your hand and then what I thought
was happening was that you were still alive. Except that it was you
sitting here holding my hand and you woke me up. I really thought that
you had died. I am so glad that it was just a dream I don't know what I
would do without you. I love you so much." Todd said;" I love you more.
And I don't know what I would do without you. You are such a big part of
my life." So we just laid in bed and held one another and I was crying
at the time and Todd just hugged me as tight as he could. We kissed and
held one another for about « hour. Then we decided to pack our bags and
put them in the truck and go into the restaurant downstairs for
Breakfast. We ate our meals and then jumped into the truck and headed
back to the base. We wanted to get back a little early because we both
had to do laundry before morning came and we had no uniforms to wear. I
pulled over in the rest stop just before our exit. I pulled into the
back corner of the lot so that we could say our goodbyes before getting
onto the base. So we sat in the truck and hug and kissed one another and
we told one another how much we liked this time together. So we headed
back onto the highway and back on the way to the base. I pulled into the
base and let Todd off so he could go to his barracks, which were in the
beginning of the base, and mine were almost to the rear. I parked the
truck and went into my barracks. I put my bag down on the bed and Bill
Robinson who I was with in the shower the other day was in his cot and
he asked me;" So how was the weekend away from this shit hole." I said;"
I had a great weekend and can't wait for the next weekend pass. By the
way how was your weekend?" Bill said; it was ok but the person that I
was supposed to go see was in a accident and he was intensive care." I
said;" So what does your friend do for a living and how did he end up in
intensive care?" He said;" his friend is a cab driver and was returning
to camp with one of the other soldiers and slid on the ice and the
passenger and him were hospitalized at the base hospital." I said;" Oh
MY GOD, I had that very dream last night." Bill said;" I can't believe
that. What a coincidence, that's scary man." I said;" what was the
soldier's name do you know?" Bill said;" it was one of the guys from
across the camp." I asked around and found out that the guy was in
intensive care and he died." I said;" that's pretty scary because the
dream that I had the guy died also." What a weird feeling I got in my
stomach. So I said to bill;" Well I have to go over to the Laundromat
and do some wash because I don't have any more uniform shirts clean." So
he said;" Ok take care see you later." I said;" ok I will catch up with
you later. Off to the Laudromat.


That is the end of Chapter Four folks. I will be writing more about these
two guys in Chapter Five. If you haven't been there yet my website address
is: http://xdjpaul.tripod.com there are three of my other stories. And
there are 3 stories that a buddy of mine wrote. I hope you enjoy the
stories. Please by all means email me at: djpaul@surfree.com with any
comments good or bad about these stories. And by all means please sign my
guestbook so I can tell whom you folks are.

If you want to be informed about when the next chapter of this story is
due out then just email me with your email address and I will email you
back so that you have advanced notice.

Thanks again,


DJpaul