Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 05:48:14 -0700 (PDT)
From: tim tim <noway16@hotmail.com>
Subject: coach's Assistant chapter 51

Hi guys sorry that it took so long time to bring this one to nifty but I
have had a couple of rough weeks that didn't gave me a lot of time to be
either online or even write. So here is chapter 51.

For this years anniversary of CA I want to do something special. I want to
know where are you from so I can make a picture of all of my readers where
they are on this world, or even outside it LOL.

Well let me know bye e-mail: noway16@hotmail.com or through ICQ
36967366. To be kept informed about my updates of the story go to my yahoo
group which is mentioned on my website at www.geocities.com/timsfunplace.

Lets start with this chapter:

It had been a few very strange days.  I was brought to the hospital
straight from the hotel.  Although I told them I was all right, they didn't
believe me and, to be honest, looking at myself, I must admit that I wasn't
all right at all ... but during those first few days, all I wanted to do
was nothing.  Not think, not listen, not eat, nothing ... I just wanted to
just be left alone.  But that was, of course, not what happened.  Maybe, if
I look back, that was OK as, during most of this time, I was smothered by
the concern of my family and friends who surrounded me.  But I guess that
wasn't what helped; I simply got more and more to be more self dependent.

On the third day, a police officer came into my hospital room and tried to
find out what had happened.  I think they thought that I might talk with a
stranger more easily than to my family.  But, for the time being, I'd shut
off my memories.  Not that I could do that, not after what happened ...
but at least I didn't think about it at all and just tried to live.

I know that, most of the time, Francis was in the room with me.  He was
kind and understanding but, when he thought I wasn't looking, very worried
... more worried than the others in whom I saw a lot more anger, too.

When he'd come closer to me that first time in the hospital, he stopped the
moment he saw me start to shake.  He knew it wasn't a good idea to go
beyond that point.  He stayed and gave me the warmest smile I'd ever seen
him give, and he said something along the lines of "we can do this later."
We talked a bit more, mainly about his dad and his mom.  I somehow managed
to keep away from the Mike story.

I didn't ask how they'd found me.  I had no idea what had happened.  They
must have found out that Mike had been there with me and that should have
been enough but ... well, they knew what happened, they'd seen the effect
it had on me.  I was still very shy when it came to getting undressed in
front of others, but the nurses ... oh, even a male nurse ... didn't want
me to take care of myself.  They were all too afraid I might hurt myself by
fainting as I had on the first day.

But I knew I just had to hang in there.  I knew the doctors were ready to
let me go home, so I just wanted to do that, leave it all behind and get on
with my life.

What I didn't know was that rumours about what had happened were
circulating around, even in my home town.  I'd asked so see some newspapers
but, so far, they'd only brought me the one which described how we'd won
the championship.  Oh, that felt like so long ago, although it had happened
only a few days ago.

When Francis and I were together on my second day in hospital, we talked
about what had happened with his mom and dad, and it seemed as if that, at
least, had gone all right.  I knew that it would probably come to a trial
and the reason why Francis left home ... being gay and all ... might come
out.  But when I asked him about that, he said they would try to avoid it.
It all depended on how willing his dad was to cooperate.  They'd filed
charges but not talked with the prosecutor about it.

After a long talk with the doctor who tried to talk to me about what
happened, I was discharged on the Thursday afternoon.  He discharged me
with the promise that I would go and visit my shrink as soon as possible.
According to him, the worst shock was still to come and I was scared, so
scared, that he was right about that.

All the fussing around me so far had kept me going.  I hadn't had to think
about what would happen in the future, not even sleeping with Francis
... Francis, who'd been the most caring boyfriend you could imagine.  The
first time I saw him, I was afraid he might want too much, to hear what had
happened but, so far, he hadn't pressed the issue.

What I definitely was not prepared for was the fuss outside the hospital.
I was brought back home in an ambulance ... I guess that was done more out
of safety concerns than anything else.  There were reporters from three or
four TV stations around and I looked at my dad to see what this was all
about.  He just nodded at me to carry on and get into the ambulance, which
is what I did.  Francis and David would go by car together with Alexei, who
had stayed until then.  I knew he'd have to leave the next day as he had
some obligations.

"Dad," I started, "what was that all about?"

"I'll tell you when we get home, OK?"

"Were they all there because of what happened to me or because of the
championships?"

"I guess both," he answered.

"Why is that?"

"Well, you know that there was that reporter who came in during the party,
after which we held the press conference?"

"Hmmm, yea, something Alexei arranged, I think."

"Maybe he did but, if he did, I'm sure he's regretting that now."

"The reporter stayed behind that night and, during that Sunday, he somehow
became aware of the fact that one of the team members was missing."

"Oh!"

"I guess that was the start of something that was NEWS, with big capitals,
so he stayed around and somehow it was also picked up by the local news
hounds down here."

"Damn!  What do they know?"

"More than you want them to know, Nick, but not enough to be able to put it
all together, I guess."

"Will they be waiting for us at home, too?"

"Probably.  We'll have to deal with them at some point."

I know he looked at me, waiting for an answer on that point ... but there
was no way that he was luring me in talking about what had happened.  I
just looked and tried not to think of all that had happened.  There was no
way that I was going to say anything to anyone.  I'd never dare to show my
face on the street if it became common knowledge what had happened in that
room.

My dad had been right: there were quite a number of people around the
house, waiting.  I was carried inside real fast and put on the sofa.  I
then opened my eyes to see who was there.  I saw David and Francis and
Alexei ... James was there, and Brian and Andy ... all wishing me a warm
welcome home.  There was some talk about the last few days but somehow most
of it came back to the championship and what happened during that day.
Somehow they acted as if the championship had happened just yesterday and
everything else hadn't taken place.

It took a few hours before they all cleared out and only my own family
stayed behind.  Alexei had joined Brian and Andy, and James (I guess) had
gone with them.  David and Francis were sitting beside me and somehow I
guess I felt what was coming.

"Are you happy to be home, Nick?" David asked.

"Yea, better than in the hospital, with all those nurses fussing over me."

"Oh, I thought you liked that ... especially that young male nurse."

I blushed a bit but didn't answer.

"You don't want to talk about it, do you, Nick?" David asked.

I looked from David to Francis and back.

"What do you think, David?"

"Well, I thought you might want to, with dad not around.  You know you can
trust us and we won't say anything to others if you don't want us to."

I looked again.  "Sorry, guys, but I don't think I'll ever share any of
this with anyone."

I saw the worry on Francis's face and also a bit of ... well, let's say,
not being happy ... with that last statement.

"Don't you think that talking would help, Nick?" Francis asked this time.

"No, Francis.  This is something that I want to forget and talking about it
won't help me forget it ...  so why don't we try to just move on and
pretend those last few days didn't happen?"

"I don't think it will work that way, Nick," David said "and you know it,"
he added.

"Well, it will," I said shortly.  "I'm sure it's all locked up, so let's
change the subject."  My subconscious told me I was wrong about that.  To
start with, the urge not to talk about it was just a sign of what was going
on inside me.

It seemed they had worked up to this as David continued despite my request.

"They have arrested someone, you know."

I looked at him and just nodded.

"They can't charge him with anything if you don't report to do the police."

I lost it then.  "Never!" I said.  "That is just what you all want, get it
out onto the public.  Don't you Know what would happen if I did?  It would
be all over town.  I'd never be able to ...."  That was all I could say as
I started to sob quite loudly.  I felt Francis throw his arms around me but
I pushed him away.  I didn't want him to touch this filthy body.  He
deserved better.

What I didn't catch was the look between Francis and David.  I knew this
was the first cry I'd had since I'd gone into hospital.  I just sat there,
not sure how long I went on before I was offered a glass of water to drink.
What I do realise now is that they had planned this all very carefully as
they brought me to bed afterwards and it only took me a short time before I
fell into a deep sleep.

"Damn, David, how is he ever going to get past this?"

"I know it looks terrible but, for the time being, we just have to keep up
with him.  You know what the doctor told us: he has to deal with this in
his own time and manner.  We can't push him and the best we can hope for is
that he's able to talk with the shrink about it all.  He'd made so much
progress, you know."

"I know ... but still ... I hate to see him in such pain and, so far he's
not even let me touch him without trying to get away from me.  He knows he
can trust me, doesn't he?"

"Well, Francis, I think it'd be good for you to talk with the shrink as
well ... not to find out what happened, as I think Nick is right about
that, if he's ever going to tell you, it has to be of his own free will
... but more so, how to act around him, what to do and, especially, what
not to do.  Hmmm, now that I think about it, I imagine we all could do with
a session about that.  I'll talk with my dad about it."

"Well, I'm sure he's had cases like this before ... so he knows how to deal
with it.  Do you know what will happen with Mike?"

"The last I heard, he's not admitting to anything in jail.  He's been
arrested but, if no charges are filed against him, there's nothing they can
do about it.  They'll have to let him go in a few days."

"Damn!  Do you know what he did to Nick, David?"

"You were there when they found him."

"Sorry, Francis.  I know you want to know, but I don't feel like talking
about it.  I'm sure that Nick was glad you weren't around to find him
... although I'm not sure that he knows that.  Maybe telling him will be of
some help, too."

"You think he's ashamed of it all?"

"Oh yea, Francis, very much so."

"But why?  It's not as if he liked being kept tied to the bed."

"Well, to be honest, Francis, I'd guess he does like that sort of thing."

"Against his will, David? That's sick!"

"Well, not entirely against his will ... but I'm sure you've heard about
people who like to be humiliated and do stuff in a sort of master/slave
relationship."

"You think Nick is one of those people, David?"  "I don't know, Francis,
but he could be.  Didn't you ever talk about it after what had happened
with Mike and the doctors before?"

"Hmmm, no ... we had an appointment for next week with the shrink.  I'm not
sure if it would have come up in that session."

"Well, it might be one of the subjects you'll want to talk about with the
shrink, if such a meeting is possible.  You could also discuss what you
could do to help Nick with his feelings."

"We'll see but, for now, I guess it's time to sleep.  We'll be facing a few
difficult days."

"I know, Francis.  But if you ever want to talk, just let me know.  I know
this'll be hard for the both of you and you might feel the need to talk
about it before he does."

"Thanks, David."

While Francis walked towards his bedroom, David walked downstairs to see
how his father was doing.

"Dad?" he said to get his attention as he walked in.

"David, how's he doing?"

"Well, he didn't want to talk about it and I think you're right ... he's
very afraid that any of this will come out."

"I think I would, too, if I were him.  I hardly saw him while the doctor
was preparing him for the examination, and I heard what happened as he was
trying to take a shower the first time.  The doctors warned me that it
could happen again while he was at home ... especially when he forgot to
take his painkillers ... but we'll have to wait and see how it all turns
out."

"Well, let's just hope that the shrink can help him.  He did a good job
last time."

"I guess so.  How is Francis coping?"

"Hmmm, I'm not sure.  I don't know him well enough to catch the nuances of
his reaction.  He seems to be OK.  I hope he'll be able to have enough
patience with Nick."

"Have you heard anything from his father?"

"Yea, Francis told me on the way home that he'll be released, on condition
that he promised to be in contact with neither his mom nor him until they
wanted it again."

"At least that is something good to come out of all this."

"Did you talk with Keith, dad?"

"Hmmm, you want to know if Mike has said anything yet?  Apparently he
hasn't.  Keith thinks his lawyer told him to keep his mouth shut and wait
to see if Nick would press charges or not."

"Does Nick have to do that or is there another way of getting that bastard
behind bars?"

"I don't know yet, David.  I'll go have another talk with Keith tomorrow
and I'll probably see my own lawyer, just to consult with him about it all.
I have no idea what Nick wants, but it's all up to him.  The lawyer though
might know a bit more about what will happen and I think Nick needs all
that information before he decides.

"And can't Brian help?  They somehow knew that Nick had been there with
Mike."

"Yea, somehow it seems someone contacted them and they did tell Alexei
about it.  He promised he'd go to their place tonight before flying home to
see what it was all about.  He said he'd call me at some point if their
information would help."

"Oh, OK.  I could go and talk with Brian and Andy myself."

"Well, you'd better not, and you'd better not tell any of this to Francis,
either.  If Alexei's response isn't satisfying, we'll see how we'll
proceed.  It'd be best if we found a way for Mike to spend some time in
prison without Nick having to testify but I don't think that can happen."

"Damn!  Do you think that the doctors were involved again?"

"Hmmm, I'm not sure.  So far it seems that it was a one-man operation
carried out by Mike.  There were no traces to be found in the hotel room
when it was searched ... not even of Mike, strangely enough."

"It looks like he covered his tracks quite well then, dad."

"Yea but, for now, I think it's better if we go to sleep and see what
tomorrow brings.  You don't have to go to school yet.  I've arranged
another free day tomorrow for the three of us.  We might need to go in
tomorrow afternoon for an hour or so to meet with the team as I think they
want to know what is going on as well."

"Well, good night, dad."

"Good night, David."

[The coach narrates]

I saw my son going to bed.  I'd tried to be calm and reasonable with him,
but I felt more like throwing things around the house.  Just when things
were starting to brighten up for the family, something like this had to
happen!  I decided to watch some TV and let my mind go numb for a while.  I
knew that I wouldn't be able to sleep if I didn't do that first.

[Meanwhile, back at Brian and Andy's place]

"So Peter and Andrew knew all along and even participated in it?  My god,
Brian, you should have told the coach about this days ago!"

"I know, Alexei, but I couldn't!  You see, I told them that I'd find a way
to keep them out of it."

"Well, I don't think that's possible any more.  It seems that Mike's not
talking.  There's no physical evidence left and Nick ... well, I can't see
him pressing charges within the time required for these kinds of
proceedings."

"I know.  I thought about that for a long time, and after the talk I had
tonight with the coach, I came to that same conclusion ... but, still, it
won't be easy for them."

"I know but they just can't let Mike get away with it, can they?"

"No, I don't think so, and I think they know that, too, otherwise they
wouldn't have come to us to talk about it."

"You think they're willing to come over?  I still have about two hours
before I have to leave for the airport."

"Yea, I think they will.  They wanted to talk with you about it anyway, as
you know Nick the best of all of us."

"OK, go and give them a call then."

Brian left the room to give Peter and Andrew a ring.

"What a mess, Alexei!" Andy said.

"Yea, and you know what bothers me the most?  I can't stay.  I have to
leave.  I don't have any appointments to go back for, as I cancelled all of
them until next Monday.  But with the reporters on a crusade, I have to
leave or else they'll start to get really suspicious ... well I guess you
know all about it, Andy."

"Yea, I know what you mean.  Did you know that officially Brian is my
chauffeur, living in the room above the garage?  We make sure that every
evening the lights go on and off, just in case anyone suspects that
anything is going one between us."

"Damn!  I didn't realised you went that far."

"Yea, I had to.  You must know that all up and coming athletes these days
have to be without any secrets from their past.  I had to make sure that
one of my former friends, who was not so willing to keep his mouth shut,
was convinced to do so."

"You think it would have damaged your career if you'd have come out, Andy?"

"Definitely.  Back then, I wasn't ready to deal with it all, and the press
would have been just too much for me then.  Nowadays, I think I could cope,
as it doesn't matter to me so much what others think.  But back then, you
know what it's like: trying to reach the top, dealing with the press, and
growing up.  It wasn't easy."

"I'm happy that gymnastics is a lower-profile sport, Andy.  I'm not under
that kind of intense scrutiny."

"Yea, you're lucky."

"But still ....."

Did I understand correct that James's mother found out about you two?"

"Yes, there are no secrets there any more ... but she seems reasonably
happy about it now.  I think we might even get her to let him come with me
to Europe in four weeks."

'Ahhhh, you think that Nick will still want to come, too?"

"We'll just have to wait and see.  I'm sure that, for those three guys, a
scholarship won't be a problem as they fulfilled all the requirements with
their performances in the championship."

At that point Brian walked back in.  "They'll be here in 15 minutes."

"You told them that I was here?"

"Yea, I did.  I needed to convince them that it'd be OK to come over."

"OK, we'll see.  Is there somewhere I can take a shower in the meantime?  I
rather want to feel freshened up by the time I leave."

[In a plane in flight]

I'd been very lucky to get a flight this fast.  The speed of my departure
has prevented me from contacting Alexei, but I knew he was still there.
I'd left him a message on his phone but, so far, there'd been no response.
I hoped he'd gotten it and left a message in reply.  I'll know the moment I
land, but I'll have to be patient until then.

I wasn't that shocked any more.  I guess I'd more or less come to my senses
about it all.  I found it hard to believe that it was real, what I'd seen,
but still.  Alexei probably knew more about it all.  If it was real, then
this was the chance we'd been waiting for.

[Back at Brian and Andy's place]

"Come on in, guys," Brian said.

"Is he still here?" Peter asked.

"Yea, he's upstairs, showering.  He should be down in a minute."

"What was his reaction, Brian?"

"I guess he's angry that neither you nor I told him anything before,
Andrew."

"Oh," they both responded.

"But maybe he might find a way out of it ... although I'm not sure he'll be
able to keep the two of you out of it."

"Hmmm, to be honest, Brian we thought he wouldn't be able to."

"Well, we'll see."

They followed Brian into the living room and, a moment later, Alexei came
downstairs.

"Hi, guys!"  They didn't answer and weren't looking at him, either.

"I heard you were having some problems?"

"Yea," they both said quietly.

"Well, don't worry about it.  I'm sure we can come to some solution of all
these problems."

"You think so?  We've been discussing going to Nick's dad or the police
but, to be honest, we're afraid that it would become known we're gay."

"Yea, I thought that that would be the problem.  Well, it is ultimately
your decision, but I'm not sure that it's a good idea to keep silent.  If
everybody does that, then Mike will be free in a few days.  I don't think
they can keep him much longer after the weekend unless someone speaks up."

"Damn!  Well, we need to make sure that doesn't happen.  We don't want him
free again.  He has to be punished for our blackmail and for keeping Nick
hostage."

"Why didn't you try to free Nick and get away, Andrew?"

"We thought he was there of his own free will, Alexei.  At least, that is
what Mike kept telling us."

"Didn't you talk with Nick, then?"

"No, we weren't allowed to say anything and, while we were there, Nick had
a blindfold on all the time."

"Damn!  But he must have done something to resist it all?"

"Hmmm, not that I saw, Alexei," Andrew said.

Alexei looked at Peter and he was just nodding as well.

"Shit!  And you let Mike continue torturing Nick all that time?"

"Hmmm, well ... he had some device on, but Mike didn't use it while we were
around.  We thought it was only a threat, nothing more."

"Oh, well ... maybe he used it after you left?"

"Hey!  Whose phone is that?" Andy asked as a mobile phone started to ring.

"Mine," Alexei said as he took it out and answered it.

They looked at Alexei, who was concentrating on his phone call.  He was
hardly saying anything.  But it took some time and then he finished,
saying, "OK, come down here.  I'm with Brian and Andy."

He then hung up the phone and cursed.  "Damn!  It only gets more
complicated!  But maybe we have a way out for you two now.  Let's wait till
he arrives."

"Who?" Brian asked.

Ok that was chapter 51 as chapter 52 and 53 where written some time ago I
promise to send them within not a long time distance.

For this years anniversary of CA I want to do something special. I want to
know where are you from so I can make a picture of all of my readers where
they are on this world, or even outside it LOL.

Well let me know bye e-mail: noway16@hotmail.com or through ICQ
36967366. To be kept informed about my updates of the story go to my yahoo
group which is mentioned on my website at www.geocities.com/timsfunplace.