Close to the Heart

Close to the Heart

By: Hal
(Copyright 2007 - 2008 by the Author)
Editors: Radio Rancher & Str8mayb

The following is a complete work of fiction. Any resemblance to
characters and real life persons is completely coincidental.

The following story contains violence and erotic homosexual situations
and content. If it is illegal for you to read this, please leave now. Please do
not copy or distribute this story without the author's permission.
Author reserves all rights to this story.

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Chapter 01

Naomi Blackstone was finally allowed in to see her son Thomas. She'd been kept out of the room, while the doctors helped prepare his roommate.

The doctors kept the beds on opposite sides of the room, and made sure the curtain was drawn between them.

Mrs. Blackstone walked into the room to see her son lying in the hospital bed. He'd been in a car wreck, and was the only survivor.

His friends wanted to go out to a party for the holiday, but they never arrived. After searching till dawn, the local sheriff's office found the overturned car at the bottom of a ravine. It appeared that something had caused them to swerve and roll down the embankment. There weren't skid marks on the pavement, but the tire tracks indicated the brakes were applied as the car got closer to the edge.

The driver and front passenger died at the scene from their injuries. Thomas was buckled in the back seat and had luckily been spared injuries that would've proven fatal.

Thomas lay there with only minor cuts and bruises. How he survived was a miracle. He escaped with his life, even though the car was a total wreck. The firemen had to use the Jaws of Life to extract him from the twisted metal.

Naomi stood there with her eyes widened and stared at her only child. He was still unconscious, but was breathing normally. Thomas was wired with machines to keep his heart and brainwave activity recorded. An IV drip ran into one arm, and the blood pressure band was on the other.

She approached the side of the bed with tears in her eyes. 'How can my little angel be like this?' The thought raced through her mind as she reached for his hand. Her other hand was wrapped around the crucifix that dangled from around her neck.

Thomas groaned as he opened his eyes. The sensation of someone holding his hand brought flashbacks of the night before.

"NOOO!" Thomas would've jumped off the bed if he wasn't restrained. The doctors had put the restraints on him as a safety measure. He'd been having fits after they brought him in to the ER. It's a common reaction after experiencing such a traumatic event.

Naomi jumped back and bumped into her husband almost knocking him off his feet.

Noah Blackstone was surprised at this sudden outburst as he caught his wife in his arms, before they both tumbled to the floor.

"Oh Noah, what's happened to our little boy? Why is he having these fits?" Naomi turned and faced her husband as tears ran down her face.

Noah shook his head. He had no clue. His rust colored hair swayed with each motion of his head. He never really bothered too much with combing it. He let it fall where it liked, and it usually worked. He looked in his wife's blue eyes and pursed his lips.

"I ain't too sure honey? But them damn boys he hung around with, must've done something with him. He ain't been his usual self lately." Noah tried to comfort his wife as he wrapped his arms around her. Her shorter stature made her head about shoulder height as she nuzzled herself into him.

"No! They didn't do anything to me." Thomas struggled against the restraints as he glanced around the room and tried to focus his eyes. He wanted to know why he was tied up.

"Oh hon, don't struggle. You were fighting them this morning too when they brought you in here. Don't you remember?" Naomi left her husband's side to walk back to Tom's bed.

"Remember? Remember what?" Thomas lay back, not having enough strength to keep fighting against the leather bands that held him securely. He rested his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes.

"Don't you remember how you got here?" Noah crept up behind his wife and watched to make sure she wasn't going to make any sudden moves.

"What am I supposed to remember? Why am I in the hospital?" Thomas rolled his head back and forth as he struggled with his memories.

"Sorry for the intrusion, Folks." A doctor walked into the room. He'd heard the outburst of noise, and came in to investigate.

Doctor Samuel Jameson stood there as he watched the young parents. His six foot, 220 pound frame had the presence of authority. He towered over the younger Noah, who was only 5'10", and overweight, at over 230 pounds.

Sam looked at the couple, who seemed too young to have a child as old as Thomas. Naomi was in her early 30's, and her dirty blond hair had been brushed back out of her face and pulled into a bun. Her blue eyes twinkled and her short frame was too small for the weight she carried, giving her a mildly pudgy appearance.

"Doc, what's wrong with him? Why don't he remember nothin'?" Naomi wrung her hands as she turned to face Sam.

"Apparently, he's suffered a minor concussion. His external and internal injuries aren't enough to warrant him to stay in here, but his lack of memory is." Sam walked gingerly over to Tom's bed and lifted up the clipboard which was hanging on the foot of the bed.

"His what injuries?" Noah groused as he scrunched up his face and tried to figure out what the doc had said.

"Thomas has suffered numerous bruises, scrapes, abrasions and contusions. The worst of the physical ailments are his bruised and cracked ribs. Even after all that has happened to him, though, he's still one lucky boy." Sam scanned through the numbers on the chart, and hung the file back on its hook.

"What do you mean, he's lucky?" Naomi nearly shouted as she looked into Sam's sea green eyes.

"Haven't you heard? The other two in the car accident..." Sam stopped, and looked at Thomas who was listening intently.

"What? What happened to Derek and Jeremy?" Thomas's eyes opened wide, his memories of last night were foggy, but he did remember his best friends.

"Forgive me, I should've checked with you first." Sam went to the side of the bed and put his hand on Thomas' shoulder.

"What is it? What happened to them? Are they hurt? Is that why I'm here?" Tom's pulse raced as he struggled against the leather bands that held him.

"They didn't make it, son. I'm so sorry." Sam kept his hand on Tom's shoulder, to keep him from fighting too much.

"Oh God, NOOO!" Tom began to thrash against the restraints again, and wiggled away from under Sam's hand.

"What's wrong with him, Doc? Why is he acting like this?" Noah stepped up to the rail, and tried to keep his son from hurting himself.

Sam pushed the call button. He wanted to sedate Tom before he caused any harm to himself.

A nurse rushed into the room, with a syringe at the ready. They had been prepared, since this was the routine they had followed since his arrival.

It took all the strength that Sam could muster, to keep Tom from ripping out the IV's. Once the nurse injected the solution into the drip line, Tom started to calm.

"What's that?" Naomi shrieked as she glared at the shining metal tube.

"It's something to help him sleep. He needs all the rest he can get. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I thought someone would've told you by now." Sam released his hold on Tom, as the boy began to succumb to the effects.

"I kept telling you those boys were no good for him. Look at what they done to our son." Noah crossed his arms indigently and watched Thomas drift off into a forced sleep.

"Oh shush that kind of talk. Our son is in the hospital, and that's all you can think about, blaming someone else?" Naomi glared off in his direction.

"At least they tried to keep him, on his own side of the room." Noah looked at the drawn curtains as his face took on a menacing look.

"You and your hatred of those people. You're acting like an old fool. It'll amount to no good, I tell you." Naomi had heard it too many times already, as she poked him in the chest with her finger.

Sam shook his head. He'd done everything in his power to keep this couple away from the other patient.

Sam didn't want to upset Ian anymore. He ushered the couple out of the room, with as much diplomacy as he could muster. He actually felt like slapping the man, but realized it would do no good.

"We need to let your son get some sleep." he tried to sound reassuring, "With any luck, he should feel better after some more rest." Sam quietly closed the door behind them.

Ian lay on his bed with tears running down his face. It's not his fault. He was an innocent in all this. And where were his parents? They were out celebrating on the winnings from the lawsuit they won. Here he was, all alone, forced to hear other kids' parents rant and rave.

"Them damn people, what are they doing even going to the same hospitals as us?" Noah stomped down the hall in a huff, leaving his wife standing there.

"Noah! You know damn well, that isn't fair to that young man in there!" Naomi called after him. He turned a deaf ear to her.

Thomas' sleep wasn't as peaceful as the doc wanted. He began to remember the night's events that brought him there.

Jeremy had picked up Derek first. They had plans to go to a house party, and celebrate the school break for Christmas. There wasn't going to any drinking there, but most of the student body would've been there.

They picked up Thomas, and then headed on their way. There was plenty of time and no reason to hurry.

Jeremy was the oldest. He was 16, had his license and passed his driving exams with flying colors. His parents allowed him to borrow the family car, for this event. The sedan worked great, and was in top shape.

The wreck took everyone by surprise. Jeremy was a conscientious driver. Something must've caused this terrible accident.

Thomas and his friends were inseparable. They had been best friends since grade school, when their families had moved into the same neighborhood.

Jeremy was the first on the block. Being the oldest, he knew all the neat places to play, and knew his way around. His light brown hair was always kept neat. The green of his eyes always captured your attention. His down to earth looks often turned the girl's heads, wherever he went. He was a very handsome young man.

Derek, was the shortest of the trio. His small wiry frame made his longer blond locks appear normal. They highlighted his face, and his steel blue eyes only peeked out from under his bangs when he pushed the hair away.

Thomas kept his hair in trend with Derek's. He wore it long, about shoulder length. His grey eyes contrasted beautifully against his brown hair, giving them a shadowy appearance.

All three boys together, were very pleasant on the eyes. It was always a curiosity, why none of the boys had girlfriends.

Thomas' heartbeat increased as the dream continued. The normal car ride then turned into a nightmare.

The car swerved on the empty road. Nothing was in the headlights, and there wasn't a bump of running something over. One second there was an empty road, the next; the landscape was rolling over and over as the vehicle careened down the embankment.

Jeremy and Derek hadn't worn their seat belts. Their bodies bounced around the inside, hitting and getting hit by everything. The crush of bone, and the sounds of flesh being torn by broken glass and twisted metal echoed in Thomas' ears as he watched his friends tossed around.

An alarm went off, and a nurse rushed into the room. Thomas was having an episode, in his sleep. His body tensed as he pulled hard on the restraints. A doctor came running into the room armed with another syringe. This needle had more potent drugs in it, to make sure that Thomas would sleep, but not dream. The doctor waited for the drugs to take effect. When Thomas' body finally relaxed, he knew the drugs were doing their job.

"Would you like to have more open space Ian?" Sam pulled back the curtain and smiled at the young man.

"Yeah, Doc, that sounds good." Ian squinted as the bright light burned his eyes.

"Sorry for having to put you through all that, but then some people just don't understand." Sam tried to keep the grin on his face. The thought of certain people he had been dealing with, made his blood boil.

"I think I've heard it all by now. Besides, it's only for little while longer." Ian rolled his eyes as he thought about it.

"We're doing everything we can, to make this as comfortable as possible for you. Thomas' insurance wouldn't pay the extra, for a private room. I can't apologize enough, for what his parents said. That was totally uncalled for." Sam lost his smile, before he turned away.

"Is it true? What you said about his friends?" Ian looked at Sam's back.

"Yes. His friends didn't make it. They were DOA. And from what I heard about the car, Thomas is really lucky to be alive." Sam stopped and looked at Thomas.

"That's too bad. He must've really cared for his friends." Ian looked in the direction of the other bed.

"Yes. I think he did too. I hate to have to restrain anyone, but this time, it was needed. He could hurt himself." Sam let out a sigh and turned back to the door.

"He doesn't know about me, does he?" Ian watched as Sam reached for the door knob.

"It's not my place to tell him. Maybe you could, when he wakes up, if you feel so inclined." Sam left the room.

"Not really..." Ian looked at Thomas. 'What a mess his life must be right now. I don't want to make it any worse on him.' The words echoed through his mind as he noticed the restraints.

"Your son is resting now." Sam walked up to the Blackstone's. It took all the strength he had in him to be civil to them. They were in the lobby, waiting.

"What's come over him?" Naomi's eyes were red. She had been crying and still had tissue in her hand.

"Well, he witnessed something horrible. All his friends that were with him are dead. With some rest, he should be able to handle what's happened. I'm sorry we had to restrain him like that, but it was necessary for his own safety." Sam watched as Noah sat and seemingly calmly read a magazine.

"Those damn boys he hangs out with, is what's wrong with him. He ain't been right since he met up with them." Noah grumbled, and then flipped another page.

"Why don't you show some respect? His friends are dead. I'm sure their parents would love to hear your sentiments about their boys." Naomi turned towards Noah and glared at him angrily.

Noah noticed the knives coming out of her eyes. He threw the magazine down and stormed out of the reception area.

"Sorry, Doc." she muttered almost flippantly, "He feels the stress..." Naomi swabbed at her eyes again.

"I think there's something else. But it's not my business." Sam shrugged his shoulders as he watched Naomi.

"He loves Thomas, but ..." Naomi sat down as the tears came more freely.

"We have counselors, if you need to talk to someone?" Sam checked his watch. He had rounds to make and didn't want to get stuck in another one of these situations.

"Well... I need to get some Christmas shopping done first. Maybe later?" Naomi dried her eyes.

"All you need to do, is let me or one of the nurses know. They will gladly give you the number or make an appointment for you." Sam reached for his pager as it went off.

"Thank you, Doc. Another patient?" Naomi noticed Sam looking at the screen and the difference in his face.

"Yes. I really need to go. Take care of yourself." Sam turned and hurried down the hall.

Ian lay there and watched Thomas sleep. The rise and fall of his chest, and the peaceful look on his face made him look so relaxed. Ian knew it was only because of the drugs, but he couldn't stop thinking about what happened.

He'd never had any good friends. At least if the boys he knew had died, it wouldn't have had such an effect on him.

A nurse came into the room to give Ian his meds. She watched as Ian fell asleep looking at Thomas. She thought that the pills could wait. She had an idea, and decided that a talk with the doc was in order.

Nurse Sheila caught up to Sam in the hall as he talked with Mrs. Blackstone.

She waited for their conversation to end before she approached him.

"I'm so sorry; I didn't give him his pills. The look on his face as he fell asleep was heartbreaking." Sheila looked down at her shoes. She knew Ian's life depended on the pills helping him.

"I know. I can sympathize with you. Do you know what Thomas' mother just said?" Sam had a scowl on his face as he thought about it.

"What? She didn't look to happy when she left." Sheila watched as Naomi rounded the corner at the end of the hall towards the exit.

"Due to her husband's dislike of certain people, they won't be back until... until..." Sam choked back the last of his words as a tear escaped his eye.

"That bitch. Oops, sorry Sam." Sheila couldn't help the outburst. She'd thought she'd seen and heard it all.

"Don't worry about it, Sheila. You took the words right out of my mouth. I have an idea, if you are willing to help..." Sam's face changed as he looked at her. He was in a serious mood.

The two walked down the hall, while Sam explained what he wanted to do.

Sheila walked back into the room, to wake up Ian. He needed his pills.

"Hon, wake up, please. It's past time for your meds." Sheila nudged his arm as gently as she could.

"Not again. I'm so sick of those pills." Ian woke up, and wiped the sleepy stuff out of his eyes.

"You know you need these. They do help." Sheila changed her tone to that of a caring mother.

"I guess, if you say so, but they actually make me feel even worse than if I didn't take them at all." Ian scrunched up his face.

Ian swallowed his pills, as he watched Sheila unbuckle Thomas. He slept and didn't move when the restraints were removed.

"What're you doing? I thought he was supposed to be tied down? I heard the ruckus earlier, and I don't know if undoing those is such a good idea." Ian scooted closer to the wall as he watched her.

"It's just not fair that he be tied up. His parents aren't going to come visit him, and we might as well make him as comfortable as possible." Sheila stood back and watched as Thomas rolled over on one side.

"Is he gonna be okay? I mean... he did throw a fit earlier." Ian pressed his back against the wall. He couldn't get any further away unless he left the room.

"I'm sure he's just as safe as you are hon." Sheila walked towards the door.

"Where're you going? You're not gonna leave me here alone with him are you?" Ian pulled the blankets up around him, in an effort to hide himself.

"He might say the same thing about you, you know?" Sheila grinned and closed the door behind her.

Ian watched as Thomas slept. In his short life, he had already lost his two best friends. What a shame that was. But then, Ian had never had any friends. He would never get the chance to find out what having a best friend was like, now.

The medicine did its normal thing to Ian. He started to feel drowsy, and fought his sleep as much as he could. His head started bobbing as he sat on the bed and stared at Thomas.

Finally, Ian couldn't fight it anymore. His eyes closed, and he fell asleep sitting up.

Sheila hurried into the room, after the buzzer sounded at the nurse's station. She walked in to find Thomas pointing at Ian.

"Why's he sitting up and looking at me?" Thomas looked at his outstretched hand, finally noticing that he wasn't bound.

"Oh dear. Looks like he fell asleep sitting up. I think he was a tad scared of you is all." Sheila went to Ian's bed, and gently laid him down, covering him up with the blanket as she went.

"Scared of me? Why?" Thomas looked around his bed. He wasn't tied up, but still had the IV in his arm.

"Do you know where you're at?" Sheila turned to face him.

"Umm... a hospital?" Thomas looked her in the eye as he tried to figure what she was saying.

"Do you remember why you're here?" Sheila watched for any sign that he might not take the news well.

Thomas looked around the room. He looked away from her, as tears streamed down his face.

"I take that as a yes." Sheila watched as Thomas cried to himself.

Sheila backed out of the room, not making a sound. Thomas covered his face with his hands, and let go of the loss he felt over his friends. They had been very close over the last couple of years. He couldn't believe they were gone. He cried to himself. How was he going to get a grip on life, without his buddies around?

"Are you alright?" Ian opened his eyes, when the muffled sobs hit his ears.

"Huh?" Thomas sniffled. He tried to dry his eyes before he looked.

"I asked if you were okay. Are you?" Ian rolled on his side, and propped his head up with his arm.

Thomas took his time in acknowledging his roommate. He didn't want anyone, especially this other kid to see him crying.

Ian watched as Thomas finally rolled towards him. He'd been crying, his red puffy eyes made that clear.

Thomas looked at Ian, as if it were the first time. His elf like features were framed by his light brown hair and the brown eyes glistened in the light, making his smile near perfect.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have a booger hanging out my nose or something?" Ian's face started to redden; he'd never been looked at like that.

"Oh, oops, I'm sorry. It's just that..." Thomas blinked his eyes while he tried to put together his words.

"What? You never saw a sick person before?" Ian grinned. He tried to make light of his condition.

"Sick? Sorry to hear that." Thomas blushed, he never really thought about it, finding a sick person in the hospital.

"Sorry to hear about your friends." Ian changed the subject. He didn't want to scare away his new friend so fast.

"My friends..." Thomas' eyes began to tear again.

"Sorry, didn't mean to make you... Um..." Ian watched as Thomas' mood changed.

"It's okay. I guess.... I just need to ...." Thomas choked on his words as he tried to hold back the tears.

"Accept what's happened, and move on?" Ian finished his sentence. It's something he'd heard, too many times.

Thomas nodded his head. His brown locks waved, and fell across his face. With one hand, he pushed the hair back out of his eyes.

"That's kewl. Your hair that is." Ian tried to change the somber mood in the room.

"Huh? Oh, okay. Thanks." Thomas was at odds with his emotions. Part of him, wanted to run and hide, the other wanted to find out about this cute boy on the other side of the room.

"Sorry, didn't mean to eavesdrop earlier. But your 'rents were pretty loud when they were here. And the doc, wasn't exactly quiet either." Ian looked down at the indent his elbow made in the mattress.

"No prob. Hey, why are you all the way over there?" Thomas couldn't resist asking the most obvious question.

"It's... cause I'm sick." Ian fell into his pillow. He didn't want to admit it, but it was the truth.

"Oh." Thomas watched Ian as he tried to hide in his bedding.

"My name is Thomas Blackstone. What's yours?" Thomas had forgotten his manners. He was talking with someone he didn't know.

"Ian. Ian Carlson." He mumbled out from the pillow.

"Nice to meet you, Ian. My friends call me Tom." Thomas made an effort to hold his hand out, even though it was a foolish idea.

Ian lifted his head up and glanced over at Tom. It was humorous to have someone across the room, try to shake your hand.

"Same here, Tom." Ian smiled as he imitated shaking hands.

An odd silence fell over the two boys, as they just looked at each other. Which one blushed more was a matter of opinion, as both had red faces as they just stared at each other.

"So... how long did you and your friends know each other?" Ian broke the silence, and the stare.

Tom filled Ian in on the details of the boys' escapades as the day went by. How they became best friends as soon as they all moved into the same neighborhood, and how they were always together.

The idle chatter went back and forth for hours. It was nearing dinner time, and both of their spirits were elevated by the time they were able to share.

Tom felt better, as he was allowed to tell someone of his best friends. He continued the tales of their adventures while they ate the food that was supposed to be meant for human consumption.

Ian couldn't be happier. He had found someone to at least talk with. Except for the doctors, and the occasional nurse, his life had been less than filled with human contact.

Ian lay back after he ate his food, and listened. This was the life... he wished he had. At least he had the time to try to enjoy it.

Tom didn't realize that he had so much fun with his friends. As soon as he felt sad, his next thought brought back the good times. Before either boy realized it, it was late in the evening.

Tom didn't realize how much of a distraction the conversation was. He enjoyed reliving the fond memories of his friends.

The nurses kept reminding them that sleep was important to the balance for healing. The message was clear, but it was more directed towards Tom than Ian.

The nurses had grown weary of the chatter in the room. With one last warning, sleeping pills were dished out.

To be continued....

Authors note: Heh, well this is another of those short stories, that has taken on a life of its own. I know it will never be as long as Sean's Angel, at least I hope not.

I hope you enjoyed the start of this story, and the next chapter should be along soon. HUGZ

Thank you to my editors for their help in making this story into what it is today. Comments and criticisms are always welcome. Please forward them to old.weird.hal@gmail.com For those of you wishing to read ahead in the story, you can find additional chapters at http://www.tickiestories.us or http://www.myspace.com/stories_by_hal or http://crackerwriter.us/Main_Site.htm Thank you all and hope to hear from you soon!