by Dani Gray
“I’m on my way,” she said just before hanging up.
Michael just stood there looking at his phone, shaking his head. As he was putting his phone back into his pocket, he heard Shane’s voice.
“Who was that?”
Michael just smirked at Shane. If he only knew. “We are about to be invaded, and the hospital better get ready for hurricane mom. Hope you are ready, too, ’cause she is going to smother you. My mom has been trying to get me hooked up for years.”
Shane’s eyes widen with his jaw hanging, looking like it was unhinged. “Your mom! I can’t meet your mom in a hospital gown. My ass is hanging out the back. She can’t see me like this.”
Laughter erupted out of Michael as he held his belly, almost falling to the floor.
“That’s all you have to say? Your ass is hanging out?” Michael gasped, tears running down his face.
After what seemed like hours, Michael finally calmed down to snickers, and he was just sitting beside Shane with a silly smirk on his face when there was a knock at the door. In walked his mom dressed in a huge baggy T-shirt and leggings.
“Michael, are you there?”
“Hi, Mom,” Michael cheerfully said.
Shane groaned and tried to hide under the blanket.
“Hi there, you must be Shane,” she said as she came up to Shane and grabbed his hand. “Just call me Mom. I’m so glad you are going to be seeing my son. He really is a good man, I should know, I’m his mom.”
” Next, she turned to Michael and gave him a hug, then a slap on the arm. “Why haven’t you introduced me to your boyfriend before now? Why did I have to wait till he was hurt and in the hospital? What happened to the manners I raised you with, you big galoot? Here you are finally with your own boyfriend, after I’ve been trying to get you to start dating anyone, and you come along and find a cutie like this. When can I start planning the wedding?”
Shane smirked, while Michael blushed and tried to answer her. “Mom, please, not now. I told you on the phone that I only just met Shane, I don’t know if he likes me like that.”
Mom just tapped her foot and crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh, and when would be a good time?” “Shane, this is my mom, Sandy. I’m sure you will meet my dad, Aaron, later.” He looked at Shane, hoping that would distract her, which is thankfully did.
“Oh, hun, what happened? Who do I get to hurt?” Sandy asked, slapping her hands onto her hips.
Michael quickly got up and offered his mom the chair. “Mom, the police are looking into it.”
Shane just looked at Michael with a grin. “Can I keep her?”
“That depends.”
Shane looked at Michael and asked suspiciously, “On what?”
Michael smirked at Shane. “You have to share.”
Sandy howled with laughter. Michael had forgotten she was there for a moment, staring at Shane as the man’s face lit up. Had he ever seen anything so beautiful before?
Sandy got up and went to stand beside Michael. “Plenty of room for you in the family, Shane.”
Michael began to wonder at the look that flashed in Shane’s eyes. They were glossy, and seemed almost wistful. He knew that would have to wait before he could ask what it meant.
Sandy glanced around the room, a frown working across her forehead. “Shane, where is your family?”
Michael had been wondering about that, too, but wasn’t brave enough to ask.
“They won’t be coming,” Shane replied. “They are dead. Both my parents are gone, and I have no siblings. I will tell you more later, but it was my dad who hurt me, then my mom committed suicide. Wow, this doesn’t hurt as much to say when you are on these drugs.”
Michael winced when Shane exhaled a shaky breath. He was sorry his mom had asked. Shane’s face was set in a grimace, his brows drawn closely together. He looked as though he’d rather go to the dentist than talk about this.
“It was one of my teachers who helped me after my mom died. She made sure I kept my head on so I could attend MIT. I was devastated when she died from cancer. She became a second mother to me, one I desperately needed.” A lone tear slid down Shane’s face when he said that.
Michael couldn’t stand it. He went around to the other side of the bed and leaned over, gently putting his hand on Shane’s cheek. “No more, hun, you are not alone any longer.”
Michael then leaned down and brushed his lips across Shane’s. He groaned when Shane opened up to him. He pushed his tongue inside to conquer and explore, wishing he could stake his claim on the man right then and there.
He had suspected that when they were going to have their first kiss it was going to be memorable, but nothing prepared him for the feeling. The mere meeting of their lips sent a jolt of electricity through Michael that almost knocked his socks off. The love he knew they could have was the stuff of song lyrics, and Michael knew that Shane was going to be his forever.
Michael slowly pulled back a bit and rubbed his thumb over Shane’s bottom lip. “You’re going to be okay now, hun?”
Shane nodded, but his mouth hung open as if he was just a dazed as Michael.
They pulled apart when the door quietly closed behind Sandy.
Chapter Three
Michael jumped a bit at the knock at the door and saw his mom walk in, followed by a couple of orderlies. He turned back to Shane, a small grimace crossing his face. “Guess it’s time.”
Shane tried to smile, but his face looked so pale and drawn. “Guess so.”
Michael couldn’t stand it. He leaned back down and put his lips on Shane’s. He gave him a gentle kiss while holding Shane’s face. This kiss was just to reassure, connect them together. Their eyes were locked as their lips kept gently brushing each other.
“It will be ok, hun. I’ll be here waiting for you when you are done and back in a room to recover.”
“Promise?”
Michael kept his eyes on Shane’s, letting him see how serious he was. “Always.”
Shane reached out for Michael. He grabbed a hold of Shane and placed a kiss on the palm of Shane’s hand.
“Let’s get you fixed up, hun. Then we can go home and start to really get to know one another.”
Looking as if he was getting ready for battle, Shane nodded. “I’m ready.”
Things moved fast after that as the orderlies got Shane ready to go. As they started to wheel him away, Shane called out for Michael. “Please, stay with me for as long as you can. I need you with me.”
Michael’s heart hurt at the plea he heard in Shane’s voice. “I’m not going anywhere,” Michael promised. “I will be here beside you until you get sick of me.”
“Never going to happen.”
Once they arrived at the surgery doors, a nurse directed Michael to the waiting room. “You can wait there and the doctor will come and see you after the surgery is done.”
Michael thanked her before asking, “Can I have a moment with Shane, please?”
“Just a minute,” the nurse replied. “They are waiting for him in the surgery.”
Michael shook his head and turned back to Shane. “I don’t know what the future will bring, Shane, but know that I believe I could easily fall in love with you. Hold on to that and remember I will be here waiting for you.”
Shane’s eyes pleaded with Michael. “Please, give me another kiss.”
“You only have to ask, hun.”
This time it was Shane who held Michael’s face as he leaned down to kiss him. What started as a soft meeting of the lips turned heated as their tongues danced around each other. Michael quickly took charge and plundered Shane’s mouth. He savored the taste of Shane, memorizing it. As he slowly pulled back from Shane, he was happy to see the dazed look in Shane’s eyes.
“It’s time,” the nurse said when she came to get Shane.
Michael’s last sight of Shane just before the doors closed was of the hand waving at him. He wasn’t sure how long he stood there before his mom wrapped her arm around him.
“Come on, hun. Let’s go sit in the waiting room.” Michael’s mom gently turned him to go and move.
“Mom, I could fall in love with him.”
“I think you already have, baby. Come on, let’s get you looked after so you can look after Shane.”
“Mom?”
“You need to go shower and change. I called your dad. He brought you a bag of stuff, and we booked a room in the hotel next door. Dad is waiting for you in room 607. I will wait here while you go, and don’t forget to eat. You need to be healthy to look after Shane. That poor boy has such pain in him, and I want to kick his family in their collective asses!”
Feeling like a little kid again, he just nodded and agreed. It was hard to argue with his mom, especially when she was right.
“Love you, Mom.”
Michael chuckled. He loved it when he was able to make his mom blush.
“Scoot. The sooner you go, the sooner you will be back.”
Michael was glad his parents knew him so well. With his mental health issues, he knew he needed to get clean. All the touching was driving him nuts, but he would never give up the opportunity to touch and be with Shane. There was something about Shane that calmed the OCD in him.
When Michael got to the room, he knocked on the door. When the door opened, Michael looked at his dad. All his dad did was open his arms, and Michael walked right into them.
“It’s going to be okay, son. Come on, let’s get you into the shower and I’ll order you something to eat. Once we get you clean and fed, you can get back to your man.”
“You know how much I love you and Mom, Dad? Hearing what little Shane said about his family was painful.”
“I know, son, and Shane will be welcome in with us. Your mom called me and told me everything. She is pissed and upset that someone would do that to their own child. I hope Shane is ready to be pampered by her ’cause it’s going to happen whether he wants it or not. Now go. Burgers, fries, and a strawberry milkshake okay with you?”
Michael nodded and just grinned. He was sure that Shane had never really had someone in his corner like his mom. She was fierce when pissed, and she could be gladiator when defending someone she loved and accepted.
While Michael stood in the shower, he thought about what Shane had said about his family. Michael was so grateful for his. It had never mattered to his family that he was gay. They just didn’t care about that. He was just Michael to them. Who he loved didn’t matter as long as he was happy.
He was pretty sure Shane could make him happy.
He knew his parents wanted to travel now that they were retired and could afford it. They just purchased their first motor home. He also knew they were worried about him, and didn’t want him to be alone. Maybe now, they could enjoy their life, while Michael had a chance to finally live his. He wanted to do it with Shane, so he was hoping Shane felt the same.
* * * *
Shane woke when the nurse was quietly taking his vitals.
“Hi, I’m your night nurse, Tammy. How are you feeling? Do you have any pain?”
Shane nodded.
“On a scale of one to ten, how bad is it?”
He tried to answer her, but his throat was so dry. When he licked his lips, she reached for the glass of ice chips and gave him a couple.
“I’m only around a four or so at the moment,” Shane told her after swallowing the melting ice. “Not really in too much pain. What time is it?”
Tammy pointed to the clock on the wall. “It’s almost 5:00 a.m. Rest for now, and the doctor will be in later this morning to let you know about the surgery.”
Shane had a more important question. “Where’s Michael?”
Tammy just looked over to the other side of the room. Shane followed her gaze and saw Michael sleeping in the chair beside the bed. His head was leaning back, and he was quietly snoring. Shane wished he had his phone because he wanted to take a picture of how cute Michael looked.
Just then Michael woke with a start. The man’s eyes bounced wildly around the room until they landed on him. He got up and came over to him.
“Hey, hun, how are you? Is there anything I can get you?” Poor Michael had such a look of concern in his hazel eyes. Michael looked to the nurse. “Is there anything he is allowed right now?”
“He can have ice chips for now,” the nurse replied. “If he’s good with that, some water in about an hour or so.”
“I can do that.”
Shane watched in silence as Michael made sure his cup of ice chips was full. In some ways he was waiting for Michael to leave, just like everyone else had.
He wanted to beg the man to stay.
“You stayed?”
“There is nowhere else I would be, hun. I told you I would be here, and I’m here to stay for as long as you want.”
“Why?” No one had ever stayed.
Michael’s shrug was interesting to see. His shoulders were so wide, they almost burst the seams of his hoodie. “I like you. I’m hoping that kiss you gave me earlier means you like me, too. I’d like to see where this goes.”
Shane grinned as his heart started beating a little faster. “I do like you, a lot.”
Michael beamed, and Shane lost his ability to inhale. “You should do that more often.”
Michael’s frown was just as cute. “Do what?”
“Smile.”
“To tell you the truth, Shane, I haven’t had a lot to smile about in quite some time.”
Now it was Shane’s turn to frown. “Why not?”
Michael sighed before grabbing his chair and pulling it over to the side of the bed. After sitting, he reached for Shane’s hand. “I guess if we’re going to see where this thing between us goes, you need to know everything. I’m just afraid once you do, you won’t want me anymore.”
Yeah, Shane didn’t see that happening.
Ever.
He squeezed Michael’s hand to give him some reassurance. “Tell me.”
“Okay, so you know that I have the essential tremor thing, but I also have severe OCD, with germaphobia. I was basically put on par with Howard Hughes. My parents have been taking me to see psychologists since I was a teen.”
Michael ran his hands over his face. “I’ve been slowly getting better with different types of treatments. I have issues with how I need to have a clean home and food requirements. I usually wear wrist weights to help calm down the shaking in my hands, especially when I’m eating, otherwise the food will shake right off my fork. I will not eat any foods with my hands, not even a hamburger or pizza. I have to be the first person served, otherwise I won’t eat. In my mind everyone else is contaminated, so after they have touched the food, I can’t. I also have food-associated emotional issues. What this means to me is if someone likes a certain food, and I’m upset with them in any way, I can’t eat that food. Even if that food is unopened and brand-new in the house, I will throw it out. I also will have panic attacks. I try to do new things, but I will sometimes freeze and not be able to even leave my room.
“Sometimes I can’t even go into my room. No one else has been allowed in my room for years. If I think that I’m contaminated, I will not go into my room as I don’t want to bring in the germs to my safe place. I have a specific shower routine, and sometimes I will shower up to four times a day. I have to wash my hands often, to the point that they can get raw and the skin will split. I have been getting better with this. I still wash my hands often, but not with burning hot water, only warm.
“If I think for a single moment that something is contaminated, I will not touch it. For the longest time, no one could even touch me. I still wear hoodies when I go out as I’m very self-conscious about my body, and this helps to keep germs away from exposed skin. I have only allowed my parents to touch and hug me in the last year. I have never been with anyone, since I wasn’t able to handle anyone touching me.”
“What about me?” Shane asked, “Can I touch you?”
“You seem to be the only except
ion. I want you to touch me, and I want to touch you.”
Shane was all for the touching, and he wanted the loving, too.
“Hang on. Have you ever been in a relationship, Michael?”
Michael ducked his head in shame. “No, I couldn’t let anyone get close to me, before you, I mean. Now, I find that I want to do everything. I’m not sure how I’m going to react though, and I’m scared that when we do try to be together I will panic. I don’t know if I will be able to sleep beside another person, or share a room even. I don’t even know if I will be able to share closet space, and I don’t have a lot of clothes. I want to have the kind of relationship, the loving that I grew up seeing my parents have, but I don’t know if I can.”
With such a heartbroken look in his eyes, Michael whispered, “I want that so badly with you, Shane. I’m scared I can’t, but I want to try.” Shane watched as Michael got up and started to pace, looking as if he was trying to outrun his fears.
Shane just looked at Michael in awe. To have overcome such issues and still want to try just amazed him. “Michael, I really need a kiss, please?”
When Michael was beside him, he reached his hand out and waited for Michael to put his in it. He saw no hesitation in Michael when he put his hand into Shane’s, and that thrilled him. What did concern him was how much Michael was shaking.
“Michael, should you be this shaky?”
“Yeah, this is the normal for me.”
Just as Michael was about to lean down, the doctor walked in the door.
Shane muttered under his breath, “Crap.”
Michael started to laugh.
The doctor looked between them, smirking. “Did I come at a bad time?”
Shane pouted. “Yes.”
Michael laughed. “No.”
“Well, okay then. So, who wants to hear about the surgery?”
Shane perked up at that. He so wanted to know if things were going to work out as well as the doctor had made it sound.
