Date: Sat, 11 Sep 2004 16:16:25 EDT From: Bwstories8@aol.com Subject: The Castaway Hotel-book 8, chapter 10 Legal Notice: The following story contains descriptions of graphic sexual acts. The story is a work of fiction and has no basis in reality. Don't read this story if: **You're not 18 or over, **If it is illegal to read this type of material where you live, **Or if you don't want to read about gay/bi people in love or having sex. The author retains copyright to this story. Placing this story on a website or reproducing this story for distribution without the author's permission is a violation of that copyright. Legal action will be taken against violators. I wish to extend my thank you to Emoe57 for his editorial assistance with this chapter, and Art, the real Vinnie and John for their additional input on each chapter. E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other 'constructive' comments or advice may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com. * * * * * * * * Although the boys in these stories have unprotected sex, I strongly urge all of you out there to be smart and protect yourselves from various sexually transmitted diseases by using condoms when having intercourse. * * * * * * * * The Castaway Hotel-Book 8-by BW (Young-Friends). Copyright 2004 by billwstories Chapter 10 - Uncertainties. March 2004 Nick was very quiet on the ride to the doctor's office and I wasn't sure why. Was he pouting about having to go? Was he worried about having something? Or was there something else I was unaware of? I wasn't sure, so I just drove on, but he was still silent as we walked in and announced our arrival. We took our seats and waited to be called. As we sat in the reception area, Nick finally spoke to me. "You're coming in with me, aren't you, Pop?" I looked at him kind of surprised. "I wasn't sure you'd want me to," I told him honestly, but saw his mildly shocked expression of surprise. "Why? You've seen me naked plenty of times and I want you to see and hear what the doctor has to say. I want to prove to you this wasn't necessary." He had a very determined look on his face and I knew I wasn't going to get away with saying 'no' to him. "If that's what you want, then I'll go in with you," I advised him. He grinned and nodded in response, so we waited to be called. It wasn't long before a nurse showed up and called us back to an examining room, where she weighed and measured Nick before the doctor arrived. Once she left the room, Nick sat on the examination table, while I sat in the chair, and we waited for the doctor to show up. When the door opened and the doctor walked in, he made the usual small talk before asking Nick why he was there. "Pop wants me to get checked out, to see if I picked up any diseases in Brazil," he told the doctor, who immediately looked over at me. "Anything in particular you were concerned about?" he asked, studying me for my response. "Yes, there is," I told him. "Nick is a sexually active young man and I want to make sure he didn't pick up any sexually transmitted diseases while he was an exchange student." "A very wise precaution," the doctor confirmed, turning back toward Nick. "Don't you practice safe sex, young man?" "I usually do, but there were a couple of times when I didn't have anything to use, and I guess rubbers don't always work anyway." "That's true, the doctor admitted, "so, let's check you out. Why don't you get undressed, so I can examine you? Do you want your father to wait in the reception area?" "Heck, no," Nick responded. "He's seen me naked plenty of times, and besides, I want to prove to him I'm okay." The doctor nodded in understanding. Nick immediately took off all his clothes, standing naked in front of the two of us, but the doctor had already advised me he thought it best to give Nick a complete physical, just to be safe. I concurred. He began by doing the usual things, like checking his eyes, ears and throat, before listening to his heart and lungs, and then he moved down to the genital area. He had Nick lie on the examination table and then slipped on a pair of latex gloves before he handled Nick's penis. The doctor lifted his manhood, twisted it around and checked it over completely, using a magnifying glass to examine the area, before walking to a cabinet and pulling out a battle of liquid and some large cotton swabs. Delicately, he coated Nick's penis with the liquid, and before long a few small white patches began to appear. The doctor looked up and spoke. "Well, it seems you have picked up some genital warts during your travels," he advised him. "How could I?" Nick countered. "I haven't done anything unprotected since before Christmas, so that's not possible." He announced that as if it would clarify everything and prove the doctor's observations were incorrect. "Well, genital warts can take weeks or even months before they begin to appear," the doctor told him. "They are caused by human papillomavirus, or HPV, and genital warts are probably the most common STD in the world." "What was that liquid for?" Nick wanted to know. "Sometimes genital warts can't be detected using the naked eye and I wasn't sure if that's what you had. Sometimes, the warts only become visible after they have been coated with a thin layer acetic acid, like I used on you." "You put acid on my dick?" Nick asked, alarmed, his voice a little louder than normal and even a little shaky. "It's not the type of acid or in quantities that will harm you," the doctor assured him, "so calm down. It only helps to show us where the warts are." "What do we do next, doctor?" I asked him. "Well, let me check him out completely, to see if he might have any more. Once we've determined the extent of the infection, then I'll have a better idea about how I want to treat it." He now swabbed Nick's scrotum in the same liquid, with only one small white patch appearing, and then he had Nick roll over on his stomach. With Nick in that position, the doctor pulled Nick's his butt cheeks apart, and he swabbed around and inside his rectum, looking for more warts. Eventually, the doctor made his announcement. "Although he does have genital warts, the spread is limited. I think it's best to treat them with podophyllum, which we would swab onto each infected area. It's a cell poison that will start to kill the warts on contact. It will take several treatments in all, but it is usually quite effective, on such cases." "First you put acid on my dick and now you're going to rub poison on me? This doesn't sound good." Nick looked incredulous. "Well, young man, you might have been wise to keep it in your pants in the first place then," the doctor countered, which caused Nick to quickly give up his protest. "Will that take care of the problem then?" I asked the doctor. "For the time being," be told me. "Once someone is infected with the virus, you can never really get it out of the body. Even though we can get rid of the warts, there is always the possibility they could return at any time, throughout the rest of his life. It may not happen, but it is a very real possibility. Therefore, it is imperative that he never engage in unprotected sexual activity again, to avoid the risk of infecting any of his partners." Nick and I both looked at each other and then he nodded that he would comply with those instructions. I think he's learned a valuable lesson, but I just hoped it wasn't too little, too late. "Is there a drug that can keep others from contracting the warts," I asked the doctor, thinking about all the other boys. "No, I'm afraid not. The only way to prevent the spread of HPV is to avoid having contact with an infected person." That wasn't terrible news, but I hoped there might be something we could give everyone else, to keep them from getting the warts too. Knowing Nick, this wasn't going to stop him from being tempted to mess around with others in the house too. "What's next, doctor?" I asked, seeing what we should do next. "Well, I'll swab those areas down with the podophyllum and then we'll do a blood workup on him, to check for other possible infections, including HIV," he announced, which seemed to strike Nick hard, almost as if he'd been punched squarely between the eyes. I was sure Nick would relate all this information to the rest of the boys, so they might benefit from this more than he would, though I prayed the doctor would discover nothing more serious. After treating the visible genital warts, the doctor gave us some more information. "We'll have to repeat this procedure several times, to make sure we've gotten rid of all of them and more haven't appeared. I'll have the receptionist set you up with another appointment before you leave." Before he left us, he told us a technician would be coming in soon to draw some blood from Nick and have Nick supply a urine sample. He told us to wait about ten minutes, to let the podophyllum sink in and dry first, and then Nick could get dressed again. He advised me that once Nick was presentable again, I should open the door to the examination room to let the technician know it was all right to enter and do her job. "How long before we know the results of those tests?" I asked the physician. "Within a few days. My office will call you and set up a time to come in for a consultation, once we have the results back. We like to see you in person to do this, just in case there are other issues to discuss." "So you won't tell me over the phone?" Nick questioned. "No. We only do that during a face to face consultation," the doctor confirmed. Nick didn't like that idea, but he knew it wouldn't change how this was going to go down, no matter how much he protested, so we both thanked the doctor for his help. The physician left us alone in the room after that, but I could see the concerned look on Nick's face. "Damn," Nick began, once the door closed behind the healer. "I didn't think I had anything to worry about. I guess I was a little stupid, huh?" he asked me. "Well, you do seem to listen to the wrong head most of the time," I advised him. He only nodded weakly in agreement. "I'm sorry," he told me, somewhat sheepishly. "I really did think I had been careful enough while I was there. I guess I'm not too smart." He hung his head again. "You aren't the first or won't be the last person to make such mistakes, though we always hope we can protect those we love from anything harmful," I informed him. "I know and I'm glad you made me come get checked out now," he confirmed. "I wouldn't want to be responsible for infecting Shannon or any of the others. Does this mean I can't have sex for a while now?" "I think the doctor just said you have to be careful you always have protected sex from now on, not just for your benefit, but to keep your partners from being infected with the genital warts or anything else you might have contracted. However, until your other tests come back, I don't want you doing anything with anyone." "You think I've got other stuff too?" he asked, alarmed and shocked. "It's a possibility," I warned him, "but we'll know for sure once the other test results are in." He gave me another weak nod and then I told him he could get up and get dressed again. As he buttoned the last button on his shirt, I opened the door to the room and then we waited for the technician to arrive. We only had to wait a few more minutes alone before she appeared, and she quickly filled several vials with Nick's blood, gave give a bottle to urinate in and directed him to the toilet. Before she left, she told Nick where to leave the urine sample and then advised us we should go to the front desk and see what else we might need to do. Other than paying the co-payment and being given a card with the next appointment date on it, there were no other instructions, so we headed home. Now, we'd just have to wait for the call notifying us the results of his tests were in. On the way home from the doctor's office, Nick addressed me again. "I'm sorry. I kind of blew it, didn't I?" "Well, let's just hope the warts are the only thing you picked up down there." "I'm going to have to tell Shannon, aren't I?" He was looking intently at me, studying my reaction. "Yes, he'll have to know, so he can protect himself too." "Isn't there something he can take to keep from getting them?" Nick asked, hopefully. "No. Don't you remember me asking the doctor that?" "No," Nick responded. "I guess I must have been thinking about other things when you talked about that." He was looking very uncomfortable at this point and I knew there was more on his mind than what we just talked about. Finally, he let me know what that was. "Do we have to tell Shannon's dad too?" he asked, looking very worried. "I think he already hates me and this will only make it worse." "Jake doesn't hate you," I told him, but realized my assurance would not be enough to relieve his fears. I had to try to explain Jake's concerns to him, so maybe Nick could identify with why Jake might have some questions about Shannon and Nick's relationship. "It's just that Jake knows you like to have a lot of sex, and you do it with many different guys, and he's worried you might pick something up and then give it to Shannon. His biggest worry is for his son's well-being, but that doesn't mean he hates you." Nick let out a little snort before he responded to my comments. "Yeah and now he's going to find I DID pick something up, so he won't want me with Shannon any more." Nick slumped down in his seat and looked very dejected. "I don't think Jake will do that, because he knows how much Shannon cares about you, but he will probably insist you two be more careful in the future." Nick turned his head toward me now, and I saw a glimmer of hope registering in his eyes, but his body language told me he wasn't quite sure he believed what I had told him. "Look, Jake wants Shannon to be happy," I explained, "but Jake's biggest concern is that Shannon is safe. That's why I insisted you be careful while you were away and why I sent you all those supplies. I wanted BOTH of you to be safe. If you were monogamous, Jake would not question your relationship with Shannon at all, so that should prove to you that he doesn't hate you." "Monogamous, as in meaning I don't fool around with anyone else?" Nick asked, trying to make sure he understood the situation completely. "Yes. Technically, that word means a person would be married to only one other at a time, but in this case it would be understood that a person is limited to one sexual partner exclusively." "Man, that would be tough," Nicked responded, honestly, "but I guess if it meant Jake wouldn't try to split us up, I'd be willing to try. I really do love Shannon, and it's not just about the sex either. There's something about him that I haven't felt with the other guys I've been with. I was thinking about that while I was away, because it was never quite the same when I was with anyone else. I think that's when it finally dawned on me how much Shannon really means to me and that I love him. You can't understand how bad I feel, now that I've found out I picked something up fooling around with someone while I was away, and I'm scared that I might lose Shannon because of it. I guess it also makes me realize how dangerous the things I do really are and that the things I do don't just affect me. I mean, I could have picked up AIDS and be dying now, but worse than that, I could have given it to Shannon too." He hung his head and I knew he was finally coming to grips with the fact that his actions had consequences and that even though he was very young, he was not immortal. I would even wager he was thinking about Brent and Cody's deaths too, as he accepted the fact that it's not just old people who die. "I think you're finally beginning to grow up," I told Nick, "and I don't mean physically. Some people don't really grow up until they're in their twenties or thirties, while others never seem to grow up at all, so I'm not belittling you here. It's just that the things you've just told me means you're beginning to put other people's welfare on an equal plane, or even ahead of your own, and to me that marks a very big sign of maturity. I'm very proud of you." He looked up and gave me a weak grin. "Thanks, but why didn't you just tell me this before?" he wanted to know. "Oh, I could have told you, and many times I've tried to indicate such things to you and the others, but people don't always learn by being told. Sometimes they have to piece things together for themselves and draw their own conclusions, or else it doesn't have the same meaning. You've finally come to that realization on your own, so now you'll be more deeply committed to living by your decision and not trying to live by what you've been told." "Do you think I can really do this?" he asked, looking concerned. "I mean, I've never been able to limit myself to just one guy before." "I think it's because you've lacked the motivation in the past," I told him, honestly, "but now that you're concerned about losing Shannon or exposing him to some potentially fatal disease, I think you might be able to do it." His grin broadened slightly, as my words began to sink in. "I'll really try my best, because I really do love Shannon," he explained. "You know, I never thought I'd be able to say that and really mean it, but I think I can and do now." That alone shocked and impressed me and maybe Nick was changing and maturing. I'm sure both Shannon and Jake will be pleased to hear that. "Nick, I have to tell you I'm impressed with your change in attitude and I have faith that you will do your best and succeed." He smiled and nodded, letting me know he appreciated my support. "I just hope all the other tests come back negative," he advised me. "Now that I've decided I want to be with just Shannon, I'd hate for any of the stuff I did while I was away ruin it." He did look extremely concerned. "Nick, I hope they all come back negative too," I agreed, "but we will know for sure in a few days, so let's just wait and see." He nodded again and we dropped the subject, and soon we were back home, so Nick went off to find Shannon, to inform him that he learned he had genital warts. I knew this wouldn't be easy for him, but he was going through with it. As he walked away, I decided I had to use the downstairs bathroom, but as I entered it, I discovered something I wasn't ready for. Andrew was busy undoing the showerhead as I walked in. "What are you doing?" I asked him, causing him to jump, as he hadn't heard me enter. Realizing I was there, he froze and looked like the proverbial boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "It's you, isn't it?" I asked him. "You're the guy pulling off all these new pranks, aren't you?" He didn't answer me, but I could tell by the look on his face that I was correct. I pushed the door to the bathroom shut, so I could speak to him without drawing attention or being overheard. "Okay, what's up and why are you doing this?" I asked him. He didn't answer right away, but I think he realized I wasn't giving up until he told me what I wanted to know. "Well," he hesitantly began, "I started doing this to prove I could do things like the older guys do, but some of the first things I did, everyone thought it was Ricky doing it. That's why I did those things to Ricky, so they could see it wasn't him." "Oh, I see," I told him, trying to give him enough encouragement to continue, "but you didn't stop there. So, why did you keep going?" "Everyone started saying whoever pulled that off on Ricky must be really good, so I just thought I'd see how good I really was," he admitted, but I could tell he was proud of himself and what he'd done. I also knew he enjoyed how the others perceived him now, even though they didn't know he was the one who was doing these things. "Wait a minute," I told him, thinking of something else. "Didn't one of those pranks get pulled on you too?" He smiled. "I told everybody it did, but I was only making that up." "Why did you do that?" I asked, though I assumed I already knew the answer. "So they wouldn't figure out it was me," he responded, honestly. "But I thought you WANTED them to know you did those things, so they'd be impressed by what you'd done." He had a thoughtful look on his face now. "I do want them to know, but not yet," he admitted. "I want to make them talk about all the things I do and go crazy trying to figure out who's doing it, because I know none of them think I can do all these things. That way when they do find out it was me, they'll be even more shocked." He smiled at me and I was impressed by his planning and how thoroughly he had thought this out. "Okay, I can understand that, but what were you doing when I caught you?" I asked him. "I was loosening the shower head, so it would come off when the next person takes their shower in here," he admitted. "You know that most likely would have been Jake or me," I told him, and he grinned broadly. "I know," he conceded, "but I thought the guys would really think the guy who was doing these things was neat, if he had the guts to do it to either of you too." I saw the logic behind his plan, and was amazed by his audacity. However, I thought I had to do something about that, so I grabbed him and began tickling him. He burst into laughter. "Stop, stop," he pleaded, but I didn't let up. "So, you thought you'd get Jake or me, did you, you little twerp," I teased him. "Let's see how you like being gotten." He was squirming about wildly in my arms, laughing hysterically. "Stop, Dad. Please stop," he whined, through his giggles. Finally, I began to let up. "Okay, Mr. Prankster," I began, "I'll stop if you take Jake and me off your hit list." He looked at me and pretended to be thinking about my request, but I thought he needed a little more encouragement, so I began to tickle him some more. He began laughing again and wiggling about. "Okay, okay," he conceded. "I'll leave you two alone." I started to ease up on the tickling, but not quit altogether, just to see if he was going to try to pull something else. I was just about to stop completely, when he added something else. "For now," he told me. That was a challenge, so I wrapped him up in my arms and started rubbing my stubble into his neck, causing him to squirm and wiggle some more, trying to break free. "Sure you don't want to take us off your list completely" I asked him, as a hint as to why I was doing this. He giggled some more and then I eased up on my assault. "You're a cheater," he told me, while looking at me and trying to fake a frown. "Oh, and what you're doing isn't sneaky and underhanded?" I countered, causing him to smile again. "Maybe," he admitted. "Then we're even," I added, "so what do you say about leaving Jake and me out of this then?" He feigned a hurt look and then nodded. "Okay, I'll do it," he gave in, "but the rest of the guys won't think it's as good, if I don't get you and Jake too." He looked at me now, as if he were expecting me to tell him I'd changed my mind. "You'll survive," I responded, letting him know that wasn't going to happen. I helped him tighten the showerhead back on before we left the bathroom, and he made me promise I wouldn't tell anyone else that he was the one pulling all the practical jokes. I wouldn't have ratted him out anyway, as I thought his stunts were quite funny too, as long as no one was getting hurt in any way. I had to admit, though, that my impression of Andrew had changed, because I never thought he had it in him. I guess I have been misreading him. Later that evening Jake came up to me, looking very concerned. "I heard that Nick has genital warts," he told me. "I wonder what else he's picked up?" I knew this was leading somewhere and I was afraid where it was going. "The test results will be back within a few days," I told him. "So we'll know for sure by then." He looked at me, with a determined look on his face. "I'm not sure I want him and Shannon together any more." I understood his concern, but I felt I had to point out this wasn't his choice. "Jake, Shannon is old enough to make up his own mind now. You can't tell him what to do, like he was a little kid any more. You can tell him your concerns, but ultimately it has to be up to him." "Josh, I don't want my son exposed to all that crap," he shot back, letting go of some of his pent up frustration. "And I can understand that, but Shannon knows what Nick is like. If he's willing to accept that, then I'm afraid you'll have to learn to accept it too, or chance losing him." "Josh, I don't want to lose him either way," he explained. "I don't want to push him away, but I don't want to lose him to some sexually transmitted disease either." "Jake, there aren't many fatal or debilitating sexually transmitted diseases any more, with the exception of HIV. I think you'll have to trust your son's judgment here. You can discuss your concerns with him, but don't try to issue any ultimatums. However, I suggest you wait until all the test results are back, before you push the panic button here." He finally agreed to do both things, talk to Shannon, but also wait until all the results were in. Now, we just had to wait for the doctor's office to call. The following weekend was Easter and we were preparing for a big Easter celebration. I had Vinnie call Duck, to see if he was still planning on coming for Easter, but we thought he seemed to be having second thoughts about joining us. "Are you sure it's okay?" he asked Vinnie. "I mean, from the sounds of it, you're having a whole lot of people over and maybe I should wait until another time." "There's always that many people over," Vinnie agreed, somewhat confused by why that should make a difference, "so it will always be the same. It's just that we have a very big family, and now you're part of it, so you'd better get used to it." "But there will be so many people I don't know," Duck protested. "You'll know them after we introduce you, so it's no big deal," Vinnie assured him. "Come on. Pop really wants you to join us." "He does?" Duck sounded surprised. "Yes, he does," Vinnie reiterated. "He wants to introduce you to the whole family. He even said to have you bring your girlfriend with you." "Tell him thanks, but she's going home to be with her family. She invited me to go with her, but she was taking a week of vacation too, so she could spend more time with them, and I didn't want to do that. This is a busy time at work for us." "Well, come alone then," Vinnie insisted. "It's not good to spend holidays alone and you're family now, so come spend it with your family." I think that comment touched Duck. "You really think of me as family?" Duck asked, not quite believing that could be true. "Not just me," Vinnie told him, "but Kevin and Pop too, and I'm sure the others will feel that way also, once they've met you." "Well, it sounds nice, so I'll come," he advised Vinnie, but then there was a momentary silence. "Hey, Vinnie, tell your pop I really appreciate this. I haven't had a family to be with in years and I think I might even enjoy this." Vinnie could sense the hint of excitement in Duck's voice and was pleased that he was coming. "Duck, this is going to be soooo great," Vinnie added. "I can't wait to see you again." They ended their conversation shortly thereafter, and then Vinnie came to me, to let me know Duck had accepted our invitation. I could tell how pleased he was, especially since he had told me earlier that he thought Duck might change his mind about coming. He thought Duck might have been somewhat intimidated, once he learned about the imposing number of people who would be coming here for dinner too. I had helped him prepare his argument to use with Duck, so I guessed it had worked, and now we were both pleased he would be joining us. * * * * * * * * If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me at 'BW's Rainbow Youth Connection,' at http://bwsryc.gayauthors.org/ You can also locate my stories by clicking on the Nifty author link and scrolling down to "BW". This will give you the links for everything I have posted there. I also love to hear from my readers and get their reaction to my stories. If you don't mind, please share whatever information you feel comfortable with, because it helps knowing my readers better when I decide what to write or how to gear it. Please email me at bwstories8@aol.com and let me know what you thought, so I can do even better in the future. Thanks, Bill.