“How was that?” Charlie asked me as he switched everything off.
“It was great. Thank you. It’s certainly been a memorable day.”
“You’re welcome.” Charlie smiled. “Maybe next time you could come and take some lessons.” He looked at Jeremy with a wink and I could tell he was getting a huge kick out of this.
Getting out of the helicopter, Charlie opened the door for me, handing me a card. “If Jeremy’s interested in some lessons, I can give him a very good discount. He really does have a natural talent.”
Taking the card from his hand, I smiled. “Thank you, Charlie. It’s definitely something to consider.”
And I did consider a lot of things when we, eventually, said goodbye and headed back to the hospital. Although Jeremy looked over-the-moon about his birthday present, I couldn’t help this nagging feeling that he was hiding how he was truly feeling.
“Are you okay?” I asked when we were in the car and halfway home.
Jeremy took his eyes away from his window and stared at me a moment. “Me? I’m fine. A little tired, but feeling great after that. I can’t thank you enough for this day. It is one I will never forget.” He smiled brightly, turning his head back to stare out of the window. Out of the corner of my eye, though, I could see Jeremy’s hand motioning a little my way. With his palm upturned in a gesture of affection, I couldn’t help the teary smile that overwhelmed me. I took his hand and he wrapped his fingers tightly around mine, squeezing slightly. He never looked over, never said a word, but I knew Jeremy was trying his best at giving me something other than his normal jovial, flirtatious self.
I kept my hand in his for as long as I could, but once we neared the hospital, I had to admit defeat and let go. I didn’t like that I had to break the connection because I just didn’t know if I would ever get it back again.
Parking the car, we both got out and walked to the main entrance. I couldn’t help noticing Jeremy was walking a lot slower now than when we first started out. The black circles were under his eyes again and his breathing was a little harsh. I didn’t say anything, though. I was just glad I was getting him back to the hospital.
As we got into the elevator, Jeremy started swaying a little on his feet. I held him steady, my heart rate picking up. I was praying the elevator would hurry up and get to his floor. I was scared. He was looking more and more ill by the second.
“Jeremy, are you okay?” I just needed some reassurance. However, I knew no matter how much he reassured me, there was no escaping the fact there was obviously something seriously wrong.
“I’m fine,” he said, then collapsed on the floor. The lift doors opened and I started screaming for somebody to help me. Rachael and another nurse soon appeared. I was almost pushed aside by the many nurses as the doctor ran up and checked his pulse. Motioning to the nurses, the doctor helped them pick him up and carry him out of the elevator.
“What were his symptoms before he collapsed?” the doctor asked me.
My breathing hitched, my palms were sweaty, and the tears were now pooling in my eyes and threatening to run. I had done this to him. This was all my fault.
“He...he was complaining that he was tired. His breathing was shallow and he was unsteady.”
Out of nowhere, Jeremy started convulsing. I thought I was going to crumble into little pieces. If I hadn’t pushed him too hard… If I had just listened to that nagging person in the back of my mind telling me maybe today was a bad idea… Jeremy was sick and I was responsible for making him worse.
As they wheeled him into a room, away from prying eyes, I followed, desperate for somebody to tell me he would be okay.
Slowly but surely, Jeremy was calming down. I grabbed his hand. “Jeremy, don’t you dare quit on me. You now have someone here you need to fight for. Don’t you give up on me. Fight for me, Jeremy. Fight!” I released a sob and Rachael was soon by my side and grabbing me by the shoulders.
“It’s all my fault,” I cried. “I shouldn’t have pushed him.”
Rachael shook her head. “You can’t blame yourself for this. Yes, Jeremy is a very sick boy, but you must have given him one of the best days he’s ever had. We all agreed he deserved that today. You can’t blame yourself for this. It’s just one of those things.”
Calming down a little, I remembered Jeremy’s smiling expression in the helicopter. I remembered the look of joy when he told me this was the best day in his life.
“Is he going to be okay?” I finally asked.
Rachael smiled. “He’s going to be fine. Sometimes when the white cells are too low, patients with Jeremy’s type of leukaemia can have a seizure.”
“He has a little fluid on the lungs,” the doctor said. “We need to get a chest x-ray done immediately.”
The nurse beside him nodded and my heart went into panic mode again. “What does that mean?”
“Pneumonia, more than likely,” the doctor answered. “Because he has such a weak immune system, he is vulnerable to all sorts of infections.”
“Is he going to be all right, doctor?”
He frowned a little and that worried me. “It’s too soon to tell without an x-ray and some blood tests. Once we have the results, we will be in a better position to know. Jeremy is a fighter, though, so I’m sure he’ll fight this with all he has.” Probably in an attempt to try to alleviate my fears, he smiled brightly.
“Can I stay with him?” I didn’t think they’d let me, but I had to ask.
The doctor shrugged. “Of course because, as of first thing this morning, you are Jeremy’s next-of-kin.” The doctor walked away.
I stood there, absolutely shocked. It was only when I felt a hand on my shoulder that I jumped and looked at Rachael. “The minute Jeremy woke up this morning, he asked if he could put you down as his next-of-kin. That seemed like a birthday present for him.” Rachael smiled softly and left to move Jeremy into x-ray.
All I could do was stand and wait, shocked and bewildered about the whole day. Jeremy never said a word to me about naming me his next-of-kin. I was delighted, of course, but a part of me thought I didn’t deserve it. Not after this happened. No matter what anybody said, I couldn’t help blaming myself for all of this. I couldn’t help telling myself over and over again that I should have known better.
It seemed like hours before Jeremy was wheeled back onto the ward, a breathing mask over his face. It made me feel sick to my stomach. He looked so pale and so ill compared to normal. There were purple circles under his eyes, and his skin was virtually yellow.
Sitting beside him, all I could do was hold his hand and stare at him. What started out as a fantastic day had turned into a nightmare. He should be out celebrating his sixteenth birthday, not unconscious in a hospital. He was so young and had his whole life ahead of him. It just seemed cruel that he could have had this wonderful day…only for it to be ripped away from him.
So all I could do was sit. I took up my position next to his bed, determined I would be the first person he saw when he woke up. He had me now and I was going to make damn sure he knew it. I was never going to give up on him, and I just hoped he wasn’t going to give up on himself.
Chapter 28
Dean
“I'm a fighter. I believe in the eye-for-an-eye business. I'm no cheek turner. I got no respect for a man who won't hit back. You kill my dog, you better hide your cat.”
Muhammad Ali
What a fucked up night last night was. I thought things were going great until that fucking numpty, Carmichael, wanted to share his ultimate fantasy with me. In the end, of course, I fluffed it. I went in, pretending I fucking loved the show, then “decided” I wanted a little blowjob action from Katie. I left Samantha with Carmichael and went down to the lounge to down a couple of bourbons. I wasn’t a heavy drinker, but I thought the night warranted it. I needed to let off steam…badly. I knew what I should be doing and this morning was going to be the morning I got it.
Going down to my basement, I put on my sweatpant
s and started pounding the bag. Every muscle ached as I hit that bag over and over again. All the while, I replayed the night’s events. I replayed Carmichael and his fucking horny ways. I replayed Pinzano and his pathetic cries as I tortured him before his ultimate demise. I replayed Carmichael again as he coerced me into watching two ladies go at it. Normally, I’m game, but last night, I wasn’t focused on anything but getting my story straight. I was never interested in Samantha or Katie, and I never would be. I was just lucky that the silly fuck couldn’t last longer than ten minutes with Samantha. And I’m guessing he made her hold on for the extra nine minutes of that before he left the room. He made some excuse that he needed to go and I was left breathing a huge sigh of relief. He was one less stupid fuck I needed to worry about.
“Don’t wear yourself out too much!” Humphrey’s voice shouted from afar.
I stopped abruptly, looking up. “I just needed to let off steam after last night,” I replied as I carried on punching.
Humphrey came in a little closer and sighed. “You realise that now you’re untouchable, don’t you? Now that you’ve gotten rid of Pinzano and made it look so fucking easy, no others will dare try to take your place. Everyone will be too scared of you. I thought that’s what you wanted? Why aren’t you looking happy?”
“I am fucking happy,” I snarled, grunting every time I punched.
Humphrey huffed. “You could have fooled me, Dean. You look like you’re wired up tight, ready to blow. What’s the matter?” Humphrey went quiet for a moment and I knew what was coming next. “It’s her, isn’t it?”
Closing my eyes, I tried to gather my composure. “Don’t fucking bring her into this. What happened last night had nothing to do with her.”
Humphrey tut-tutted. “But, yet, you couldn’t bring yourself to leave her alone last night, could you? You had to go and see her, despite the fact it was one of the most important nights of your life. Despite the fact you had been planning this night for years!”
I clenched my fists in anger, but hated the fact he was right. With me, I thought the best defence was a good offense. “Last night worked, didn’t it? Stop getting on my case, old man!”
Humphrey closed his eyes and shook his head with an exasperated sigh. “Listen, I’m going to say this simply because you’re my brother’s son and I care about you. Don’t you think you’ve done enough? If she’s getting to your head, then quit. No one will think you’re a loser because no one will have to know. I will never think differently of you.”
Pulling my fist up, I tapped the punching bag a little and closed my eyes. “No, I can’t give up on this now. I’ve come so far.”
“But don’t you think you’ve ruined her now? Don’t you think if you pushed much more, things could get ugly pretty quickly?”
I could feel the anger rise. “Hey, whose side are you on?”
“Yours, Dean, for fuck’s sake. I’m just worried you’re getting in a little too deeply and you might get burned. She was once important to you. She still is, but for different reasons now.”
I didn’t want to hear anymore. I didn’t want the truth of his words burning into my head and, eventually, into my soul. “Can you call Shifu for me?”
Humphrey’s eyes widened. “It’s really that bad?”
Taking my gloves off, I threw then into the corner of my room. “Shall I go do it myself?” I asked with a snarl.
Humphrey waved his hands in front of him. “No, of course not. I’ll go call him now.”
Humphrey left, but I couldn’t help noticing the evil smile plastered across his face. He knew me calling Shifu meant I was expecting my ass to get whipped, but the way I was feeling now made me think otherwise. I was ready to kick some ass myself.
*****
Shifu arrived promptly. When it involved being paid triple the amount he normally was, he always did. People said money never talked, but it always fucking did in my line of work. Money, sex, drugs, and plenty of fucking alcohol to top it off.
“Are we in for a little ass whopping?” my karate teacher asked. I met him when I was eighteen and still a scrawny little fuck. He helped shape me into the man I was now. He taught me how to fight, and I quickly went on to become a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. To say it had gotten me out of a few scraps in my time was an understatement. Shifu just happened to be one out of very few people I owed my life to.
Fisting my hands, I cracked my knuckles, intently staring at him. “Bring it on, sensei,” I said, winking at him and motioning him forward.
Shifu gave me a half-smile and frowned a little. “It seems we are full of heart today. Let’s see where it takes you.” We took our positions.
With a lunge, Shifu came at me, his fists flying from one side to the next. With an outside block to the left and then the right, I managed to meet his every move. My focus was spot on this morning, which was one of the reasons I needed this. I had to get back on track, and this workout was the one thing that would help me do it.
With a left kick, Shifu tried to strike me in the head, but I grabbed his foot and threw him to the ground. I smiled down at him. “It seems having a full heart makes me strong. I guess you’re not running rings around me today, ha?”
Shifu scowled, quickly hoisting himself up. He looked a little pissed and a little unfocused, which wasn’t like him at all. He came at me again with a straight punch, upper cut, hook punch…all of which I met with precision. When that didn’t work, Shifu tried a double round kick, but I blocked that, as well.
After a few minutes of this, I had enough. I went on the attack, striking at Shifu a few times with a number of kicks and punches. I could tell he was backing down after a while, but I was still on fire. I could feel the frustration pouring out of me, making me feel more level-headed than I had in a very long time.
With one more lunge, I had Shifu in a headlock—something I hadn’t ever been able to do to him. I suddenly felt powerful, taking down the one person who had always gotten the better of me.
With his head in my arms, I didn’t waste any time. I manoeuvred the back of my body into his, lifted him up in the air and slammed him down to the ground. With a wicked smile, I taunted, “Guess you’re not as young as you used to be.” I winked at him for good measure, but offered my hand to hoist him up.
Shifu scowled and knocked my hand out of the way. “I must just be having an off day, that’s all. One of these days, I’ll get you back.”
I shook my head. “Okay. Whatever you say, sensei.”
With every muscle warm and my head feeling better, I said my goodbyes to Shifu and headed for the shower. Now that I had my adrenaline release, I needed another kind of release. A release that, lately, only Tyler could help me with. I felt good after taking down Pinzano, and even better now that I’d kicked my karate teacher’s ass. All I felt now was horny, and the more I thought about burying my cock inside Tyler, the hornier I got.
With my shower out of the way, I prepared for the rest of my day, trying to get some business taken care of before my visit with Tyler.
As the day turned to night and the night dragged on into the early hours of the morning, I got into my Dodge and drove over to her apartment. I was pumped and ready for her. I needed to feel her tight pussy around me. I needed to hear her moans as I sank myself deep into her. I needed to feel her come all around me, begging me to fuck her hard.
Once I parked, I walked towards my normal secret entryway, a smirk on my face. The closer I got, the more my dick got stiff at the thought of her soft, wet flesh. I really wanted to come inside her again. I wanted to bury my seed deep. I wanted to fucking mark her so badly, the thought made me want to blow.
Eventually, I reached the top of the stairs and pulled out the key to her apartment. I let myself in, noting that all lights were off—like normal.
Once I got to her bedroom, my breathing hitched, my heart thumped, and my dick throbbed against my jeans. On instinct, I licked my lips, already tasting her sweetness on my tongue. I was like a starved a
nimal, ready to stalk, ready to pounce, ready to devour.
With a push of her bedroom door, my eyes adjusted and landed directly on her bed. When I saw she wasn’t there, I began to panic a little. What if she was hiding and waiting for me? What if she was getting ready to pounce on me? The thought of this had my dick throbbing harder, and my head pounding faster. I couldn’t let her get the best of me. That would defeat the whole purpose. I was the one stalking her, not the other way around. I needed to gain focus for a moment. If she was hiding somewhere, I needed to be just as ready for her as she was with me. I had to make sure all exits were covered and, more importantly, the lights. I couldn’t afford to have Tyler switching on any lights. It would reveal who I was. And I wasn’t quite ready for that yet.
Carefully, I searched behind the door, under her bed, and in the bathroom. I made sure I kept myself on high alert the whole time I was moving around. The more I searched, the more I thought she wasn’t here and I just looked like an idiot…something else I couldn’t abide by.
With all angles covered, I looked around the room once more for any clue that she may have been here at all today. I walked over to her phone and could see she had three messages, with the first one sent at one-thirty today. Either she hadn’t been in at all since then, or she was in too much of a hurry to check her messages before leaving. Where the fuck was she?
Somehow, Tyler had gotten the better of me today and I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it one fucking bit.
Chapter 29
Tyler
Buckinghamshire, 2000
“Why do you always have to look super sexy in anything you wear, Tyler?”
Looking up at Dean, I blushed. I had just finished school and was wearing the same old dreary school uniform. I never felt sexy in my school uniform. It was just a pleated skirt, a white shirt, and tie. Over that was my black-and-red blazer. Nothing fancy and certainly nothing sexy.
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