by Jake Biondi
“They’re not so bad,” Jesse said. “And they’ll heal more.”
“I want to see for myself.”
“Well, the doctor will be in soon to remove the bandages. He’ll give you an update, I’m sure.”
“Jesse,” Logan said. “Stop trying to sugarcoat it. I know it’s bad. If it weren’t, people wouldn’t be tiptoeing around the topic so much.”
Jesse leaned over and held Logan’s hand. “Logan, it doesn’t matter. I love you so much. And I brought something for you.”
“You did?”
“At the party, before the fire, you told me that you were ready to wear my ring again. So I stopped by your place and brought it here so I could put it back on your finger myself.” Jesse reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring.
Logan smiled. “Thank you.”
“Will you still wear it?”
Logan extended his hand and spread his fingers so Jesse could slip the ring on his finger.
“I love you,” Jesse said as he put the ring on Logan.
“I love you, too,” Logan said, his eyes tearing up a bit. “I don’t want to be ugly for you.”
“Oh, babe,” Jesse said holding Logan’s hand firmly in his own. “You are the most sexy, handsome, special man I know. That will never change.” Jesse leaned over Logan and kissed him. “I swear.”
“Knock, knock,” Cole said as he entered the room. “Can I come in?”
“Hey, bro,” Jesse said. “Of course.”
Cole approached Logan’s bed. “How are you doing, Logan?”
“That’s what we’re waiting on the doctor to find out.”
“You look better. Less swollen and more comfortable.”
“Thanks for coming to visit,” Logan said.
“Of course,” Cole said, smiling. “I’m making the rounds.”
“How’s Derek?” Jesse asked.
“Better now,” Cole explained. “Apparently someone snuck into his room last night and tried to poison him.”
“What?” Logan asked, sitting up further.
“He’s okay. A nurse scared the person off.”
“So the shooting wasn’t a random thing?”
“No, Logan,” Cole said. “It was deliberate. Michael has a list of suspects.”
“Jesus,” Jesse mumbled. “I know he can be an ass sometimes, but enough for someone to want to kill him? That’s crazy.”
“Apparently, Justin has hired a private security guard for the rest of Derek’s stay in the hospital.”
“How’s Emmett?”
“He went home last night. I guess he’s doing okay,” Cole replied.
“Good,” Jesse said.
Dr. MacMahon entered the room and greeted everyone. “Good morning, everyone. How’s the patient doing today?”
“I’m okay,” Logan said.
“Well, we are going to remove your bandages and see if we can get you home today,” Dr. MacMahon explained. “Would you like that?”
“No offense, but yes,” Logan stated.
Dr. MacMahon smiled. “No offense taken.” Dr. MacMahon took Logan’s pulse and then gently put Logan’s arm back down onto the bed. “Would you like some privacy for this, Logan?”
“I’m going to go check on Derek,” Cole said. “I’ll be back up in a little while.”
“Thank you,” Logan said, as Cole kissed him and left the room. He closed the door behind him.
“Now, Logan, even though your swelling has gone down significantly over the past few days, it will go down even more as the grafting heals completely. Discoloration will fade as well.”
“Doctor, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but just let me see,” Logan stated. “I know it’s bad.”
“It will get better,” Dr. MacMahon explained as he slowly removed the gauze from Logan’s cheek and neck. Jesse watched eagerly from the foot of the bed, trying to avoid making any facial expressions that would alarm Logan.
After a moment, Dr. MacMahon carefully removed the gauze from Logan’s chest and underarm. Then he examined all the burns again. “Looking much better,” he said. “Much, much better.”
“I want to see,” Logan said.
“Logan, maybe you--”
Logan interrupted Jesse. “I want to see.” Logan kicked his legs over the side of the bed and began to stand up.
“Take it easy,” Dr. MacMahon said.
“I’m going to the mirror in the bathroom.”
“Okay, hang on,” Jesse said, rushing to the side of the bed to assist Logan. Dr. MacMahon watched as Jesse guided Logan to the bathroom.
Upon reaching the restroom, Logan switched on the lights and stared coldly at himself in the mirror. “Oh, my God.” Tears filled his eyes, eventually spilling over onto his cheeks.
“It’s okay, Logan,” Jesse whispered from behind him. “It’s going to be okay.”
“Oh, my God,” Logan repeated, more quietly than the first time.
Dr. MacMahon stood in the doorway behind him. “Logan, there is still healing to be done. The discoloration of the grafting will fade in a few weeks. You’ll see. It’ll be better.”
“No,” Logan said. “I’m deformed.”
“Shh,” Jesse said, putting his hands on Logan’s bare shoulders.
“Please don’t touch me,” Logan said, taking a step forward. “I want to be alone.”
“Logan, we are very fortunate. Dr. Martinez is one of the best reconstructive surgeons in the country,” Dr. MacMahon explained.
“Please leave me alone.”
Jesse whispered, “Logan...”
“Please,” Logan stated. And then more forcefully, “I want to be alone!”
“C’mon,” Dr. MacMahon said to Jesse. “Let’s give him some time.”
“Thank you,” Logan replied, as Jesse and the doctor exited the room. Alone, Logan cried more desperately, continuing to stare at himself in the mirror. “You’re hideous,” he told himself, putting his hand forward to cover his image in the mirror. “No one will ever love you...”
As Logan wept in the solitude of his hospital room, David Young entered his apartment kitchen. Wearing just a pair of sweatpants, he made himself a protein shake and then took a seat on one of the counter stools. Leaning over to check his cell phone, David didn’t immediately see Tyler Bennett as he walked into the kitchen wearing his gym shorts.
“Morning,” Tyler said as he grabbed a mug and filled it with coffee from their coffee maker.
“Oh, hey,” David said, looking up from his phone. “How are you, bro?”
“I’m good, thanks. Seems like we haven’t had a moment alone to chat in...forever.”
“I know, right?” David got up and walked over to the couch. “Got some time now?”
“Sure,” Tyler said, smiling. With his coffee mug in hand, Tyler joined David on the couch.
“Even a straight guy like you needs some ‘girl talk’ time,” David joked.
“Well...maybe we can refer to it as ‘bro time’ instead?” Tyler smiled as David raised his protein shake, nodding in approval. Then Tyler looked at the mantle. “Oh, no. The painting must have fallen.” He got up and walked over to the fireplace, where the painting was sitting on the mantle where Marco Ciancio’s man had left it.
David stood up and joined Tyler. “Did the wire snap?” David grabbed the painting and tilted it forward to investigate its back. “Yep, looks like the wire snapped.”
“Luckily it didn’t have far to fall.”
“Other than the backing being torn up a bit, it looks fine.”
“Cool,” Tyler said, helping David lean the painting back against the wall. “I’ll get some new wire on my way home from the hospital today. We’ll have it back in place in no time.”
“Great,” David said, returning to the couch. “I want everything here to look nice for my birthday party.”
“Birthday party?” Tyler asked as he sat back down on the sofa. “I didn’t know we were hosting a party. Or that your birthday was coming
up.” Tyler paused a moment. “Hell, I don’t think we’ve ever talked about our birthdays.”
“I guess we haven’t,” David said. “And it’s not going to be a big party or anything like that. I just thought it might be fun to have some friends over to celebrate. It’s not for another month.”
“Fine by me. Is it a ‘big’ birthday?”
David laughed. “I guess. Thirty.”
“No shit?” Tyler asked. “I don’t mean that you’re old -- I mean that I turn thirty this year, too. In about a month or so.”
“When?”
“April thirtieth.”
“Shut the fuck up,” David said. “That’s my birthday. No wonder we get along so well. We were born on the same day.”
Tyler raised his coffee mug. “Cheers to that. Why don’t we have a joint party? Most of our friends are the same anyway.”
“Great. This will be fun. Besides, we haven’t had a party here since we moved in. This is perfect. And you’re right -- we know a lot of the same people.”
“Speaking of which,” Tyler said, “how are things with Cole?”
“Actually, really good,” David declared. “I thought Derek’s shooting might ruin things but so far, so good.”
“Even when the first person Derek asked to speak to when he awoke was Cole?”
“I was worried about that,” David admitted. “But then he explained what happened. Derek told him he still loves him and that he wanted him to look after Joyelle. But Cole said he has heard that kind of statement and apology from Derek a million times before. He has moved on...with me.”
“Wait a minute,” Tyler said. “Derek asked Cole to look after Joyelle?”
“I know. Awkward, right? That’s what I said, too. But Cole said she and he have a friendship that’s unique. Besides, you’re the one who’s really looking after Joyelle. Things are going okay, I take it?”
“Yes, they are. She’s spent a lot of time here lately.”
“And you’ve discussed Derek and the shooting?”
“A bit,” Tyler said. “I didn’t want to push it. But she’s still going through with the divorce.”
“That’s good...for both of you.”
“But I have to admit--”
David interrupted Tyler. “I know exactly what you’re going to say.”
“What?”
“That it would be easier if Derek hadn’t lived.”
“I’m embarrassed to admit it, but yes.”
“I have to admit, I thought the same thing, too. Both our lives would certainly be easier. But things are going to work out for us. All of us. I just feel it.”
Tyler hesitated and then asked, “You didn’t...did you?”
Confused, David looked at Tyler for a moment in silence and then realized what he was asking. “Shoot Derek? Of course not, Tyler.”
“I know, I know. I didn’t think so. Just asking. Bro talk, remember?”
“I guess so,” David said. “But, no, I didn’t shoot Derek.”
“Well, for the record, I didn’t, either.”
“I didn’t think you did,” David said. “I know you better than that.”
“So the real question is...who did?”
David shook his head. “I have no idea. I’m sure there’s a list. But that’s Michael’s concern now.” David paused a moment. “Hey, got time to hit the gym with me before work?”
“Sure,” Tyler said. “Let’s do it.”
They stood up and grabbed their gym bags before heading out of the apartment together.
Tyler and David headed to the gym as Emmett stepped out of the shower in the bathroom attached to the front guest room of his brother’s condo. He grabbed a towel to dry off and then stepped into the bedroom where Max was lying on the bed naked.
“Good morning, handsome,” Max said with a sly grin.
“Hey,” Emmett said, continuing to dry off. Once done, he sat on the edge of the bed to talk to his fiancé. “I’m sorry about yesterday and what I said about Logan.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Max said. “We are all under a lot of stress.”
“I just haven’t been myself lately,” Emmett stated. “Tired, cranky, not feeling well. I don’t know what’s wrong.”
“I’ve been worried about you. A lot of us have been.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize. We just need to get you feeling better. I know you just got out of the hospital, but maybe you should get a complete check-up?”
“I feel a bit better today, so that’s good. I just can’t believe we’re back in this guest room. And this building is a crime scene, no less. One step forward, two steps back.”
Max pulled Emmett over next to him, folding his arm around him. “Babe, we are together, that’s all that matters to me. I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.”
“And we got the best news ever about your HIV status,” Max added. “That news alone is worth celebrating.”
“It is a relief to finally put that whole incident with Nick behind me forever.”
“So we can look forward to our future and our wedding.”
“And rebuilding,” Emmett added, lying down next to Max and putting his head on his chest.
“It’s going to be okay, Emmett,” Max reassured him. “I spoke with Michael and the investigation is wrapping up quickly. Once it’s done, our attorney Vince has promised to work with the insurance company to ‘fast track’ it and cut through all the red tape. We’ll be rebuilding in no time.”
“In the meantime, we have stacks of paperwork to fill out.”
“I’m afraid so. We have to document everything we’ve lost -- from the condo and the restaurant.”
“That could take forever. And what if we forget stuff?”
“We have up to one year to add things to the list. Since we were just unpacking in the condo, we should have a pretty good idea of everything that was there.”
“And our employees? What do we do about them?”
“I’m going to talk to all of them tomorrow. We will help them find other jobs. But I want to keep Dustin and Jensen on our payroll and pay them from our savings. With all the rebuilding, it’ll be important to have a point person and, as manager, Dustin can be that guy. And we promised Jensen to keep him employed and we will. I know that’s important to you.”
“Absolutely,” Emmett said. “Wow, you have everything figured out.”
“I don’t want you to worry about anything, especially if you’re not feeling entirely better yet.”
“I will be soon, I promise,” Emmett said.
Max rolled over on top of Emmett. “Good. Because I love you and I’ve missed you, missed being with you.” He kissed Emmett softly, then more passionately.
“I’ve missed you, too,” Emmett said, running his fingers down Max’s back. “You are the love of my life.” Emmett ran his legs alongside Max’s and kissed him deeply, working his tongue into Max’s mouth.
Max placed his hand on the side of Emmett’s face, returning his kisses and pressing his massive chest onto Emmett’s. Their bodies mingled as their kisses continued. Max used his hips to spread Emmett’s legs and his erect penis poked up under Emmett’s balls. Emmett arched his back and wrapped his legs tightly around Max, lifting his ass slightly into the air.
The head of Max’s dick massaged Emmett gently, preparing to enter him. Emmett’s tongue explored Max’s chin and jaw line. With his mouth near Max’s ear, Emmett whispered, “No more condoms.”
“I love you,” Max replied, kissing his fiancé while grabbing lube from the night stand. Working himself inside of Emmett, Max looked deep into his eyes.
Emmett threw his head back as he welcomed Max inside of him. The thrusts were deep and passionate as Max nibbled on Emmett’s hard nipples. Emmett spread his legs wider and worked them over Max’s shoulders so he could get as deep as possible. He dug his fingers into the small of Max’s back and then eventually grabbed his ass to pull Max fur
ther into him.
Max let out a soft moan as Emmett began to caress his nipples. Preparing to erupt, Max’s breathing became quick and loud. Emmett braced himself, his toes curling as Max firmly grabbed his ankles. With one powerful thrust, Max groaned loudly and released a thick, wet load into Emmett.
Still inside of his lover, Max grabbed Emmett’s cock and stroked it quickly with his lubed hand. Emmett leaned forward to watch his cock as it spewed cum all over his stomach and chest. Then he lowered his head back onto the pillow and took some deep breaths.
“I love you,” Max said, crawling beside Emmett and hugging him.
“I love you, too,” Emmett said. “So much.”
“We’re going to get through all of this craziness just fine. I promise.”
Emmett and Max cuddled for a moment, unaware of Jensen Stone standing just outside the closed bedroom door. His eyes tearing up, Jensen leaned against the wall and looked up at the hallway ceiling. He let out a soft sigh and then wiped the tears from his eyes and cheeks before walking away from the room.
At the hospital, Justin paced along the window in Derek’s room as he sat upright in his bed defending himself to his brother.
“Michael asked me for the names of anyone I don’t get along with,” Derek said. “And you and I have hardly been the best of friends.”
“So you put me on a list of people who may have tried to kill you? Are you out of your fucking mind?”
“You were one of many.”
“Do you have any idea what it’s like to be told that someone snuck into your brother’s room last night to try to kill him again and then be told that your brother thinks that person may be you? It’s ridiculous -- and demeaning.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way.”
“Do you know where I was for the entire night you were shot? At the party! I was there with Gino and everyone else. The same party you were supposed to attend, too! I didn’t shoot you.”
“I can’t be sure of that,” Derek said. “Anyone could have left the party and returned. It was a long party with lots of people.”
“Are you sure one of those bullets didn’t hit you in the head? Because you’re being absurd right now.” Justin paused a moment and then added, “Although I must admit that right now I’m so angry that I probably could kill you.”
