Counting

Chapter 10

by Tux

This is all fantasy fiction. None of the events are real.

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Edited by Andrew Thomas

This story is an original work of fiction ©Copyright 2022 Tux - Please do not copy or post without permission.

Hey guys it's Tux and I can't express the joy that I have that you all love reading my story. I wasn't really sure in the beginning but working with Andrew, he built my confidence and I wrote my story down. I'm so excited to keep writing the story and bringing you more emotional connection, drama, and victories for young AJ and Zack. After writing so far into the story, I've become very attached to AJ and Zack, more than I thought I was going to be able to, and I look forward to sharing the rest of his story with you.

I appreciate all the emails, suggestions, offers, and support that I get and for those who haven't emailed yet and are waiting or don't feel comfortable or safe emailing let me, let me express my gratitude for reading my story and tell you a little bit about my story. I've been reading nifty for many years about two months ago I just decided to start emailing people and let them know how much I appreciate their stories. I got replies almost instantly. The responses were supportive, encouraging, and some even held spoilers. I struck up a friendship with Andrew and it grew with my confidence and now Andrew is my most trusted editor. I cannot do this without him. Other authors like Lucas and Eric Murphy offer advice and support with my stories and it means the world to me. So, take a leap email an author and tell them how you feel, did you like the story did you not like it, all opinions matter to the author. Do you have suggestions on where you think the story could go, all suggestions interest the author. So take that leap and email your favorite author, you can change his day for the better, and might even influence or change the story. Thank you to all those that were supportive to me and I can't wait to show you the rest of... Counting.

AJ

We come out of the lake, and while we're shivering, we begin to soap up our bodies. Zack offers to wash my back and I accept, hoping that it might turn into a little play action. Zeke squats in front of me, and I begin to wash his back. I can feel Zack's hands gliding up and down my back and each time they get lower and lower until I feel his finger slide in my butt crack all the way down and he tickles my young ball sack. I lean a little towards him and a moan slips out.

"Hey! What's going on back there? No fooling around, remember?" Zeke reminds us both.

Zack's finger hooks up into my butthole; up to the second knuckle. I lift myself up on my toes and his hand holds me steady. He leans in and I can feel his hot breath in my ear. Zack whispers something in my ear to make me smile. "You think it will be, okay?" I wince, then exhale in bliss as he finds my boy button. "Hey Zeke, I have your shoulders down. Stand up so I can finish your back."

Zeke stands up and begins to wash under his armpits, and I wash his lower back, then lower my hands to his butt cheeks. At first, I thought he was going to slap my hands away, but he changed his mind. Maybe he wants me to keep going. I take my middle finger and slide it up and down his crack, and I can barely hear a moan that says I'm in the right spot. Once I get to his hole, I rub it like Zack did mine and then slip my finger all the way in. Zeke rises on his toes just like I did, and he takes a couple steps back. I thought he was going to fall on me when Zack's arm reaches out and catches him. For about ten minutes or so, we three just probed each other. I had never been in a boy's butt before. It's hot and slippery. It feels odd when the muscles move on their own. I did find Zeke's boy button about the time Zack found mine. The two of us were making a racket, and I learned how to use that button to make Zack feel really good the next time we got to play around. Zack told me that is how he made me feel so good last night.

Soon our fun was over, and we were starting to get dressed, but a game of `smack ass' started, and everyone was trying to smack each other's butt. The twins are really smacking each other, like they are trying to make each other cry. Maybe the whippings from Uncle have made them numb to being spanked. The slaps on my butt are nothing more than love taps, and it's starting to really bother me.

"Hey! I'm your brother too, aren't I? Come on, smack me," and I present my butt to Zeke. I'm not going to be able to persuade Zack, so I'll have to ask Zeke.

Zeke looks at his brother, and Zack just shakes his head. "Oh, come on. One good one isn't going to kill him," he shrugs, smirking at Zack. "This is going to hurt, little man. Are you sure you want a good big boy smack?"

"Don't do it, Zeke," warns my boyfriend.

"Yeah, do it. I can do anything you guys can do. I'm a big boy too."

I heard the air moving around his hand first, much like a switch or a whiffle bat makes when you swing it really hard. His hand connects, and it lifts me off my feet. All the air in my lungs is pushed out and I have nothing to scream with. My hands go to my butt, and I dance around, "Oh God! Oh God! Hissss- jeasss. God, that hurts! Damn! Mother fucker!" Both twins witness my onslaught of cuss words that I know but never use while I dance around like an idiot. What was I thinking.

Then the unexpected happens. The sting in my butt hits my spine and quickly travels to my head. The world begins to spin, and my right leg moves forward to catch myself from falling over. I make an unbalanced run for the bushes, and once there, I throw up my breakfast. The twins are arguing behind me about how hard Zeke smacked me. I finished and wiped my mouth the best I could and returned to the lake to wash it better.

"You okay, little bro?" The two asked at the same time. They always talk as one when they are nervous.

I give a little wave as I rinse my mouth out of puke and spit it back into the lake. I keep washing my face to cover up my tears. That was way harder than I've ever been hit, I'm afraid it's going to sting all day. Looking at my hands, they shake in front of me as they have been all morning. I'm determined to make it till my birthday, but I'm beginning to get that feeling that my `shakes' are only getting worse.

Zack comes over to me and helps me dress. I grip my fist as tight as I can to hold off the shaking so he can't see it. I don't need him to, but it feels good to let him do it.

"Hey, we need to talk," Zack says while he works on my belt. "About last night..."

"I know what you're going to ask," I interrupt him and lay a hand on his cheek. "After my first experience with having sex, I thought it would feel like that every time for me. Last night, you were not only caring, loving, and gentle, but you only thought about me and if you were hurting me. Well, you didn't, and you showed me that if someone loves you deeply, then sex can be special and feel great."

Zack kisses me on the forehead, and says with tears in his eyes, "Thank you, little one. I will always love you." Then he gives me the teddy bear and asks, "What are you going to name him?"

"I am thinking Max," and Zack smiles and nods his agreement.

Zeke moseys over and apologizes for smacking my butt so hard. I simply tell him, "I asked you to, soon I'll be big enough, and I'll be able to take it and laugh it off like you guys, but now I guess I'm too little." There might have been a little sorrow in my voice, but it wasn't planned. It got me a hug from each twin though, and a kiss on the mouth from Zack... he's such a good kisser.

Once we were done `sucking face' as Zeke puts it, we fixed the fire, and the twins gathered firewood and stacked it next to the food wagon. While they are doing that, I set the sleeping bags next to the law chairs around the fire. Soon after I get that done, we hear hollering coming from the west field. The three of us know what that means, and the twins mount their horses, and I put Max in my saddle bag, then climb the hitching post, then over to the saddle on Stepper. I'm not as fast as the twins, but Stepper is way faster than their horses, and I catch up pretty quickly.

We don't have to go far to see six horses coming for us. I can see the riders being: Chet, Brian with Alex behind him, Cory, Tommy, Ryder with Michael behind him, and Craig- with Lucas behind him.

We meet up with them, and it's all my lunch table friends and three of my friends from third grade. "Hey guys, welcome to Docker Estate. That's cool you brought your own horses."

"Your uncle said it was okay, that way you could show off your new present," says Chet as he looks over my horse. "She's a beauty!"

"So, all of you can ride, right?" Zeke asks and gets head nods from those of us holding reins and Michael, even though he doesn't have a horse to ride. He takes a quick count of hands, then gallops back to the food wagon.

"This is so cool, AJ. Thanks so much for inviting me," says Alex with the cutest smile.

I give everyone a smile and tell them, "I'm glad you all could come. We've got a lot of fun planned and maybe a little cowboying," I joke, and I laugh at my joke.

Zeke gets back, and he has two spear things with seven little flags Velcroed to the bottom of each one. "This is a Native American game my father taught us before we lost him. Suddenly he takes off like a race car and rides out about fifty yards or so. He plunges the spear into the ground so that the bottom and the flags are up in the air. Riding back to us, he plunges the other one at our feet. "Okay riders, you need to have your passengers slide off. We will share horses, so everyone who wants a turn can have one. You start over there and ride to this spear and take a colored flag. There are six, one for each horse, so only take one. The flag at the bottom is double points, but be careful; it's pretty far to lean. Don't fall off your horse. If you miss your flag, you must come back to the group and take a `Truth or Dare" turn. If you've never played before, don't worry; there are rules our Uncle Jack told me to follow so no one gets hurt. I've been told my dares may get out of hand."

"Are you kidding," shouts Brian. "I still have that scar on my leg from the `run through the thicket naked dare.' Everyone laughs.

The game is fun, and we all got practice runs so we knew what we had to do before the game started. All the boys did well, only a few missed, including me. The other two boys picked `Truth' and Zeke asks them really embarrassing questions like, `How much to you jack off a day?' and `Who else do you play sex games with, give names?' That last question was to Lucas, one of Zeke's friends, and I could tell Zeke already knew the answer.

"Awe come on, Zeke," wines Lucas.

"You picked `Truth' it's not my fault," already starting to laugh.

Lucas takes a deep breath and then says, "This is so embarrassing, I have five brothers, and it's kind of a brother tradition to always do what the older one says, even if it's... you know."

"You have to say it," Zeke reminds him. I'm hanging on every word, if I'm guessing correctly from the way he is stalling..."

"...ugh, we all have sex a lot and suck cock. It's not a gay thing, it's a brother thing. If you don't have brothers, you might not understand."

The twins proudly say at the same time, "We understand!" And everyone begins to laugh, including Lucas.

For my miss, I picked "Dare." No one had picked it yet, and I thought it couldn't be worse than being smacked on the butt like at the lake. The twins talk it over for a while before Zeke says, "Well what I would love to make you do, Uncle Jack would tan both our hides in front of everyone," that gets a loud laugh from everyone. "So instead of embarrassing you or making you do something crazy..." he walks up to me, helps me down from Stepper, and whispers in my ear. The warm air from him talking begins to give me a stiffy and I put my hand in my pocket to hold it down. He's doing this on purpose. "I want you to kiss Zack, like you did last night. If it's not what I saw last night, you'll have to start over." I turn and look at the other kids and then at Zack. Zack is giving me the it's okay nod. As I walk over to Zack, I watch the other friends and wonder how many of them will still be my friends after they see this kiss. After the kiss there is no hiding it, I'm gay. I don't know much about being gay, but my dad used to tell me I had no choice. He made me gay so he could use me.

Walking up to Zack, he whispers, "It's okay, AJ, you're among friends." He tilts his head and begins to close his eyes as he leans in. I close my eyes and anticipate the warm touch of my lover's lips. The wait is almost more than I can bear, then we touch. His kiss is so passionate and intimate, I totally forgot that I was being stared at by seven other boys. All there is is Zack's lips and tongue and how he shared them with me.

Zack breaks the kiss and I lean in for more, but he sets me down and messes up my hair. "That's enough for now," he whispers in my ear, and the crowd of boys all cheered and laughed.

I enter the group of boys for fist bumps and back pats. The pats on my back set pain spikes to my spine and I wince every time. I look to Zack with a worried look, and he just watches me. He kind of looks upset. But Zeke grabs everyone attention, "Okay, okay, listen up. To honor the best kisser in the world's birthday, we will be playing the next game in the lake!" Everyone cheers out loud. He waves his hands to get everyone's attention again: "Unfortunately, we can't be skinny dipping today, I'm not getting a whipping for you lot." Mostly the lunch table boys moan then laugh at the thought of Zeke getting spanked. I'm starting to understand that the lunch table boys are way closer than I first thought, I wonder how close? My third-grade friends just look lost and are laughing when everyone else is. "Since we're all boys, just go to your bags and change into your suits. Sorry, they don't call it the open range for nothing."

All the boys, including the twins and me, just drop their pants and go about putting on our swimsuits. A couple of the third-grade boys turn so their butts are toward the group and quickly put their suits on. Once that is over, we all run to the beach where there are ten balls, all different colors and about the size of a bowling ball. As the boys gather around, Zack speaks, "This game is easy. Each of us will have a color. The balls will be floating in the middle of the lake, and on `Go' we all will swim out there and get our color ball. The bigger white one is the safe ball, but it sinks, so good luck finding it."

Zeke gathers the balls in a box, and really slowly he swims out to the middle of the lake. We all watch intently as he swims carefully so not to cause ripples. When he gets to the middle of the lake, he flips the box upside down on the surface and waits for the ripples to smooth out again. Then he slowly sinks the box and himself into the lake, and later appears on the other side of the lake, heading away from the beach. The small lake ripples move the balls a little this way and that. It's in watching the balls wiggle back and forth by the small ripples in the lake that the true difficulty of the game became apparent.

"Oh crap! No way!" I began to say.

Zack stops me and says, "Quiet please! The last two to get back to the beach get a `Truth or Dare' turn, unless you have the white ball, then you're safe.

My mind begins to go over all the possibilities where the balls will float after six crazy teenagers and four pre-teens run into the lake, it will be chaos. The trick to this is... the white ball.

"Go!"

Everyone was rushing into the lake like I figured, but not me I only go as far as I can dive. I got kicked a few times, and I didn't find it on my first try, but on my second, I ended up running right into it. It's heavy, like this might actually be a bowling ball. With it in my hands, the only thing I can do is walk along the bottom of the lake. The bottom is full of weeds and sticks from trees; after a few feet, I have to bob up for some air then quickly go back down where I left it. Back on the surface, everyone is swimming towards their ball, but the ripples they are making just keep pushing their ball away. I did see a couple of the kids on the beach with their ball already, but I still had plenty of time. This ball must be a fifteen-pound ball, and it being in the water helps a little, I would think, but the lake floor makes this difficult. I end up bobbing up and down for air four more times. By the time I got to the sand, everyone had their ball and was on the beach. But it doesn't matter because I got the white one.

I let the white ball land on the sand with a thud. "That.... that was... really heavy," and everyone gets a good laugh, including me.

"Yeah, I would think so," says Zack as he picks it up with two hands, "It's a seventeen-pound bowling ball." He drops it the box with the other balls and clears his throat, "Okay, that makes the last two, AJ and Tommy, but AJ has the white ball, so he's safe. So, the next person issssssss... Zeke!" Everyone is patting him on the back, and he's pushing them back playfully, then dives for me and puts me in a headlock, then gives me a noogie.

"Okay, okay, I lost, I pick Dare!" shouts Zeke as he lets me go. I rub my head and scowl at him. Noogies sound fun, but they really aren't. Zack comes up to me and whispers something in my ear, and then we both look at him and whisper back and forth again.

"Remember the rules guys, no nudity and no stiffies," Some kids moan sorrowfully at that statement, and some just laugh.

Zack nudges me, and I speak as loud as I can, "I dare you to use the rope swing and do a back flip, and keep trying until you get one right." Everyone cheers and gets excited to see someone use the rope swing. Zeke just looks at me and then at Zack and nods his head as in respect. Then he climbs halfway up the tree and unhooks the rope.

He stands there for a little while as he collects his thoughts, "You want to see a backflip?" he yells, to which the crowd of boys responds in a chant: do it... do it... do it... do it...

Zeke takes a deep breath and then runs off the branch. He falls to the lake, but the rope catches the slack, and he is propelled up into the air. At its highest point, he lets go and does three backflips until he smashes into the water in a seated position, flipping us all off with both hands. He's so funny.

Tommy picked `Truth' and Zack gave it some thought and asked with a cheeky grin, "How far have you and Sarah Clumes gotten?"

Tommy just blushes and responds, "Come on dude, pick something else."

Zack stood firm, "My boyfriend and I were just outed to those of you that didn't already know or guess. I think you can tell us how far you've gotten, and remember, I already know, so tell the truth." Tommy thought about his words, then looked at me and then at Zack.

"I've been finger-fucking her for weeks, trying to get her to open up to me. She's still too nervous about doing it. She thinks it will hurt." Little conversations are exchanged back and forth among my friends, and some pat him on the back.

Collecting my courage, I make my way to Tommy and pull him to the side. I don't know him that well, but Zeke really likes him, so I guess I can trust him. "Look," I say, really close to his ear. Don't tell anybody, but I think you should know if you're trying to have sex with her. It will hurt her in the beginning, but if she can take it, it embarrassingly begins to feel really good. So just be careful in the beginning and do it like you understand she'll be in pain."

His look is quizzical when he asks, "AJ, how do you know this?"

I looked down at the ground and then away to make sure no one could hear me. Zack's watchful eye is always on me, but he gives me space to tell my secrets. "Because" I say, turning back to him. "Because I was... ummm please don't tell, promise me."

"Of course, I won't tell, we're lunch table boys, right?" And he pats my back and gives me a fist bump.

I return his fist bump, I mean, it would be rude if I didn't, right? "Because I was raped a year ago. And I know it hurt like hell for about five or ten minutes, but after that, either the pain had me numb enough or maybe I just gave in, but it did start feeling good. But after it was over, it was even worse. So, just be gentle and go slow or you'll hurt her like I was hurt."

My confession and warning shocked Tommy, and he just nodded his head `yes' then he hugged me, and I was taken off guard but soon recovered and returned his hug.

We played a couple of silly games that Zack and Zeke thought up, but the `Truth and Dares' turns were lame. After we were done with our games, Uncle Jack was in the camp making hamburgers and sliced potatoes over the campfire. All us boys gather around and are chatting and playing grab ass or whatever. While we eat, Uncle Jack speaks to the group, "I'm not sure if any of you work or own a cattle farm and have done this before but this evening, we must lead fifty head of cattle across the river and down to the north field for grazing till morning when we will run them home. Who has done cattle work before? Show of hands." He and I count three of the nine, "Okay well if you want to join us, then talk to me after I'm done. The rest of you, if you want to go you are more than welcome to mount up and come with us. You'll be safe and, in the back, but you can see how it's done."

Everyone chooses to come, so some of us are doubled up on horseback. Not me, my saddle is too small, and there are others that have been doing it for so long they can protect the passenger. We get all geared up because it's getting cold out here at night. I was given one of Zack's old riding coats. It's about twelve inches longer than I am tall, but on the horse, it covers my feet and keeps them warm, so no complaints from me. With my cowboy hat on, I look like Billy the Kid and feel like him too. I wonder if Uncle Jack can persuade Mom to let me have my own pistol; Probably not. Anyway, Uncle said I got to be up front with him because it was my birthday, and I got to drive the herd.It is hard work, but I sure had a lot of fun roping and pulling steers this way and that way. Uncle is always there, helping me and showing me how to do what he asks. I think I like that more than running cattle. With so many of us doing this, we get the cattle across the river with minimal issues and across the west field and into the north one for the night.

It feels cool to have my friends see me do these big-boy things. Maybe I won't be treated as a little kid as much anymore. The sun has sunk before the horizon, and most of the kids are around the campfire. But I'm not. I'm sitting on Stepper's back, watching the cattle like a real cowboy. Zack is at my side, like he's been all day. On the other side of the field, Uncle and his two friends talk and watch their areas for strays.

"Still got Max?"

I pat my saddle bag with my hand and tell him with a smile, "Of course. I'll always keep him close."

Then the steers began to stir. "What's going on?" I ask as Zack pulls his rifle out of the holster and cocks it.

"Something has spooked the cattle," and he steers his horse around the bend to look at the woods.

Sitting there, I felt a little scared, so I stood up in my stirrups and waved at Uncle until I got his attention. When I see him stand up in his stirrups, I point to the section of cattle that are moving about. Uncle takes one of his friends, and together they ride slowly straight into the herd. I remain standing while I look for Zack. Without warning, wolves come out from inside the herd and attack Stepper. The herd goes crazy, and half of it splits and heads north, with Uncle and his friends right behind it. He must not have seen the wolves. The rest of the herd begins to run in a circle, and as that circle expands, Stepper and I get sucked into it. If you know anything about running herds of cattle, being in the middle of them is really bad because they don't care who or what they run into. It's like running into traffic and then standing still.

Stepper is doing his best and I'm holding on as well as I can, but eventually Stepper falls, and I come down flat on my back. I knew something was wrong as soon as I hit the ground. It feels like my spine lit every nerve ending in my body like a bomb's fuse. When the pain hits, it's like nothing I can even describe. I begin shaking so badly that I can't see straight and I can't sit up. I can't move, and I have a copper taste in my mouth. Where is Zack...

Twins

Then the steers began to stir. "What's going on?" AJ asks as I pull my rifle out of the holster and cock it.

"Something has spooked the cattle," and I steer my horse around the bend to look at the woods. Getting to the bend I don't see anything, so I grab my flashlight from my saddle bags and shine it all around. Slipping off my horse, I swat down to shine the light under the steer's legs to see if I can see anything in the herd. For a glimpse, I'm not even sure I seen it, but I think I saw the back of a wolf. I run to my horse and yell for my brother, "Zeke!" I hike my leg over my saddle as I see the herd begin to circle, "Oh this is bad! Zeke!" My horse prances back and I spin him around to move him out of the way when I see the herd swallow up Stepper and I can already see AJ is in trouble. I snap my reins and force my horse into the herd. It's like trying to drive a bumper car straight. My horse is bumped, pushed and thrown to the side, but with enough incentive, I slide of the saddle just in time to see two wolves dragging AJ by the pant leg. He's shaking and I'm not even sure if he's alive, can't think about that now.

I quickly shoot the first one three times and it does down. I run at AJ and the last one dragging him lets go to growl at me and he bares his teeth. I pop off two more rounds, one misses and the other one hits the wolf in the shoulder. I'm in swinging distance and I swing my rifle and it connects with the wolf knocking it aside. I lean down and quickly look at AJ, he's in bad shape and he won't look at me, I'm not sure he is looking at anything. "Stay with me little bro! Come on you can do it, Stay with me! Don't you..." I'm suddenly struck in the shoulder sending me rolling over Aj and my rifle skidding from my hand. Rolling over I swing my cowboy boot and it connects with the wolf's head knocking it aside. I lunge for my rifle and cock a new bullet in the chamber as two wolves grab ahold of my leg and begin to pull me away from AJ. I empty the rifle into their faces dropping both wolves. I try to stand and my left leg collapses and I can see all the tears in it with blood coming out. "Damn it!" I cuss while looking around to get my bearings. I crawl over to AJ and cover his shaking body with mine. I don't see any wolves but that doesn't mean they're not there.

Low growls and yips of the wolves begin to come at me from all sides. Slipping through the darkness the ghost eyes of the wolves reflected the light of the moon warning me of a pack attack and all I can do is hold AJ near me. A sharp pain in my head makes me wince and a thought of a rifle spinning through the air warns me in time. Out of pure reaction, my arm reaches over my head and my brother's 22-rifle lands in my hand. His horse leaps from the darkness, over me and AJ, and lands with a thud. He spins his horse throwing dirt and grass all over us as his horse attacks the wolves. The wolves take advantage of this distraction and dart for our legs again. Four shots later and a crack over a wolf's head with the butt of the rifle, I look behind us to see Zeke's head on a swivel watching for more wolves.

Taking this moment's rest, I check on AJ's leg. It looks as bad as mine. I take his belt off and wrap it as tightly as I can around his hip. Then I do the same for my leg. When I'm done Zeke slides off the saddle in mid gallop and lands on his knees up next to me.

"What can I do!"

"Find my horse! AJ has medicine in the saddle bags. He's dead if we don't fine it!"

"Dead!" Yells my brother just realizing how messed up AJ is.

I use his rifle for a support to stand and whistle for my horse, "Night Runner!" Then I whistle again. Zeke does the same and both Night Runner and Stepper shows up out of the darkness. Zeke runs to Night Runner and goes through the saddle bags until he sees the black box with the white plus sign on it. I get down to AJ while Zeke is looking for the box and wipe my tears away, "Hey! AJ! Do you hear me you hold on! Don't you leave me! I turn him over and pull his pants down so I can get one cheek. Zeke brings me the kit and I take the syringe and the little bottle. Filling the syringe is hard, I'm shaking so hard, and I can barely see with my eyes filled with tears. I get it full, and I plunge it into his butt cheek and push the plunger down. With that done I toss the syringe and yank up his pants. "Come on we have to get him on Stepper. I'll take him to the house. You go get the phone from camp and call 911 for help at the house. Stepper is the fastest horse we have; he'll have to make it."

Together, we hike AJ up on the saddle and I scream out when we have to hike me up with my wounded leg. I check AJ and he seems a little loose not as rigid as before. I'm not sure if that is a good sign or not. Zeke slaps Stepper hard on the hip and we take off towards the house. "AJ, you stay with me! Don't you leave me! I've got you. Can you feel me?" I have one arm around his chest holding on for dear life and the other one with the reins trying to get the horse to increase its speed. "It's me little bro, don't leave me, please," and I kiss his ear.

20 minutes later

We come flying around the barns and I can see red and white lights flashing. The light change everything around them red and white. I can hear Stepper begin to slide on the dirt drive and I pull back to slow him down. "Hey! Help me please, help!"

They head to me with the little bed from the ambulance. The horse comes to a stop and Mrs. Docker is there and she looks like she's been crying for a while now. I lower AJ off the saddle and Mrs. Docker sees my left leg and she helps me down also. Before she leads me to the ambulance, I reach for the saddle bag and get Max. A paramedic rushes to me with a small red bag and I wave her off "Help AJ, keep my boyfriend alive."

I didn't realize how beat I was until Mrs. Docker helped me to the ambulance. She got me inside and they laid me on a stretcher. Mrs. Docker climbed in and closed the door, and we are on our way to the hospital. "We did it," I hear myself say softly and I reach across the way to AJ's stretcher, place the teddy bear under the stretcher strap around his chest, and hold his hand. "You hang on, you hear me? I love you, don't leave me." Suddenly I hear the sound that will haunt my nightmares, beep....beep....beep....beep....beep....beep

While the nurse is looking at my shoulder, what I didn't even know about its bite, and my leg which I know is messed up. I don't know if it is because loss of blood or if someone gave me a shot, but things begin to get cloudy, and it becomes hard to see AJ and then... everything goes black.

Beep...beep....beep....beep...beep....beep....beep....beep

My eye flutter open and I squint at the bright lights. Only one thought goes thought goes through my mind, `Where is AJ!' I sit up and look around. I'm in a hospital gown and my left shoulder and bicep are wrapped along with my left leg. I'm got IV tubes and some other kind of tube hooked into my arm. Moving my eyes out into the room I see Uncle Jack and Zeke sleeping in very uncomfortable chairs next to me and to my right in the next bed is AJ.

AJ looks terrible and my bottom lip immediately begins to quiver until my tears begin to continuous flow. "AJ... AJ can you hear me?" He has many tubes going into each arm and he's in some kind of contraption that has him sitting up. His back is bare, and it has tubes going into his spine. "AJ... can you hear me?"

Beep...beep....beep....beep...beep....beep....beep....beep

"Zack!" shouts Zeke and uncle begins to stir. "Man, you lost so much blood I had to give you some. I was so worried you wasn't going to wake up."

I turn and show my sorrow face to my brother, and he begins to break down. From the look in his eyes and the dirty tear tracks on his cheeks, he's been crying for a while. "AJ... is AJ, okay?" Zeke tries to talk but can't seem to get the words out.

Uncle Jack come up and lays a hand on my shoulder and tells me how glad he is I'm up but doesn't answer the question. A doctor comes in and he tells me about me, but I'm not really paying attention honestly. "How's my friend? How's AJ?"

The doctor looks grim and lays a hand on my shoulder, "We're doing what we can." My eyes break open and my tears blind me. I pull the covers over my head and hide from the world.

Beep.....beep......beep......beep.....beep......beep......beep......beep

After some time when I hear all the talking stop, I climb out from under the covers. AJ has been removed from the harness and is laying on his side. With no one in the room I crawl out of my bed and pull what tubes I'm connected to that looks important, so I can get to AJ. The new teddy bear, Max, is sitting on the nightstand with some flowers and a floating balloon. I take Max, pull his covers back, and lay next to him putting the bear between us. I wipe my tears; I need to be strong for AJ.

"AJ, are you up? Can you hear me?" I plead to him to no response. "Please AJ, wake up. Don't leave me."

We lay together until I don't think I have any tears left. So, I just lay my arm around him and fall asleep.

Beep.......beep........beep........beep.......beep........beep........beep........beep

I wake up and I'm inches from AJ face. I can hear the doctor taking to Mrs. Docker.

Beep..........beep.........beep..........beep.........beep........beep..........beep..........beep

Mrs. Docker begins to scream, and she falls into Uncle Jacks arms. He begins to cry.

Beep.............beep............beep............beep...........beep............beep............beep............beep

I lean in and kiss AJ on the lips, kissing his lips is cold and motionless. I begin to sob and beg AJ not to leave me. "Please do go, I need you, you're my boyfriend, my lover, and my soulmate. I can't live without you."

Very slowly AJ's eyes open and his emerald eyes stare into my soul. He whispers to me, "I'll always be with you," and then as slow as they opened, his eye lids floated closed. My tears begin to fall, and I wrap his arm around Max and kiss him softly.

Beep...............beep...................beep......................beep.........................beep...beeeeeeeeeeeeep

End of Counting - Chapter 10 - Tux

These stories have inspired my work: