Best Friends Forever - 72 - The End
Taking care of people in the hospital is fun!
“My nose itches and I need to pee.”
“Yes, dear,” Ennis sighed, getting up off the couch that he’d just laid down on ten seconds earlier. “Where?” he asked, pointing his finger at Jack’s nose.
“Just stick your arm up here and let me rub against it. That’ll be better.”
“Ok.”
Once Jack had rubbed his nose sufficiently, Ennis got the little jug and pulled the covers and Jack’s gown back so that he could get to his dick. “I can’t believe this is happenin’, Ennis,” Jack said in his small, quiet voice as Ennis slipped his dick into the opening.
“I know, me neither. Especially like this, with you being the one hurt. I woulda thought it’d be me, you know, getting kicked in the head by a horse or some shit.”
“Fuck, I hope that never happens.”
“Me too.”
“Thanks for taking care of me. I know this sucks.”
“It ain’t that bad. It’s worse for you than me.”
“Yeah. I know. If you ever do get kicked in the head, I’ll take care a you too.”
Ennis grinned at him, said. “You bet your sweet ass you will!” and Jack smiled back, not looking quite so pitiful anymore.
“Ok, I’m done.”
“Ok.” Ennis pulled his dick out of the bottle, shook it like he did his own after he pee’d, and Jack said, “Mmmm.”
“Huh?” Ennis looked back.
“That felt kinda good.”
“Are you for real?”
“Yeah. I guess maybe my dick is an extremity too.”
“I guess so.”
“Maybe by tonight it’ll be back to normal and you can get me off.”
Ennis flopped back down on the couch. “You are so gonna owe me when this is over.”
********
Ennis was asleep when his parents came an hour later, but he woke up and left them to sit with Jack while he took a shower in the small, en suite bathroom. As he shaved, he thought about Jack, who would probably also like a bath and a shave, and who still hadn’t taken a dump yet. Ennis didn’t want the doctors to get all riled up about that. Jack had been eating all day, his regular meals along with candy and junk folks had sent, and Ennis wasn’t sure how long he had before the medical folks would start freaking out about it. They hadn’t actually been there that long, not even twenty-four hours yet, although it seemed like years already. Maybe he’d be able to do it tonight, once folks stopped visiting. Ennis thought about the other thing he’d asked him to do for him, wondered if he’d been serious about that. Sick as it might seem to some folks, Ennis found himself hoping he was. Knowing his dick still worked would go a long way towards making them both feel better.
The doctor came, seemed pleased with Jack’s new mobility and immediately ordered more scans which he didn’t explain the purpose of even though Ennis asked. Jack was just as clueless when they brought him back, except he did report that the folks doing the test didn’t look as bummed out as they had last night. They took that as a good sign.
Jack’s mom called while Ennis was feeding him his dinner. Ennis talked to her first. After a million questions, she told him that they’d missed the flight out for the day but were catching the first flight out in the morning and should get to Little Rock by three, their time. Ennis promised her he’d hold down the fort till they got there. Jack rolled his eyes at that. Ennis put the phone in his hand, helped him curl his fingers around it, and shoved his arm up to where the receiver was next to his ear.
“Yeah Mom, I’m fine. I’m gettin’ better. I’m holdin’ the phone.”
Ennis could hear her screech of joy, and even Jack smiled at it.
“They did some more scans today. They won’t tell me an’ Ennis nothin’, but I guess the medicine’s working, ‘cause I can move some stuff now.”
“My hands and feet mostly. I can feel the rest of me, but it feels real heavy, like it’s dead or asleep or something.”
Just to be ornery, Ennis reached down and cupped his hand over Jack’s dick, his other part that was coming back to life. He got an evil look for his troubles.
“Yeah, Coach Wilson and Mrs. Carson came to see me, and Nick and Grant, and I got about a million flowers and baskets of stuff.”
“I think maybe he’s gettin’ a divorce or something. Him and Mrs. Carson have been gettin’ it on forever.”
“I hardly ever see you, Mom. When would I tell you crap like that? I didn’t think you were interested in that stuff anyway.”
“Sorry. I’ll try to keep you in the gossip loop from now on.” He rolled his eyes at Ennis, who was miles ahead of him on the Nosy Mom issue.
“I guess he’s ok. His folks came and brought him some clothes and stuff today. There’s a couch in here, so he can sleep when he’s not waiting on me,” he said, grinning up at Ennis. “He’s feeding me my dinner right now.”
“It’s ok, I guess. Chicken and rice and green beans. Pretty boring.”
“Yeah, my appetite’s fine. I’ve been eating some of the stuff folks sent, too. I’m not starving.”
“Yeah, Mom, don’t worry about it. I’ll do it.” He had his annoyed voice out.
“Ok. See you tomorrow. Bye Mom.”
“Love you too.”
Ennis hung the phone up.
“I’ll be so fucking glad when folks quit worrying about me takin’ a shit!”
Ennis just smiled and went back to feeding him, figured eventually what went in would have to come out.
*******
At about eight that night, a guy looking like a black version of Mr. Clean, with sparkling white teeth and scrubs to match, came bustling into the room. He introduced himself as Carver and said he’d be taking care of Jack for the night. “First order of business is a bath for you, young man, and they say you haven’t had a bowel movement yet?” He smiled brightly, like he was offering them free tickets to the Super Bowl.
“Damn! Don’t anybody around here have anything to worry about besides when I take a dump?”
Carver smiled even bigger. Ennis hid his mouth behind his hand. “Nope. That’s number one on everybody’s list right now. Gotta make sure everything’s working inside.”
“Jesus!”
“Sorry. I know it’s no fun, but that’s life in the hospital, my friend. We’re always coming up with new ways to harass folks!”
“What if I don’t need to go right now?”
“I can always get you a laxative.”
“Or an enema...” Ennis volunteered with a snort from the safety of the sofa.
“Shut! Up!”
“Here!” Carver stepped up to the side of the bed, wielding a white plastic bedpan. “Let’s just see what you can do on your own, first, my man. I’m just gonna slide this up under here and see if you can get things moving along in there. I promise you, if you can just do it yourself, that’s the best way to go.”
“Great.”
“Why don’t we step out for a minute, give the fellow some privacy to do his business?” Carver suggested, glancing over at Ennis as he headed for the door.
Ennis popped up off the sofa, but instead of following Carver, he went to Jack’s bedside. “I’ll be out in just a sec, ok?” he promised Carver.
“Sure man. I’m gonna run check on another patient. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Take your time, Jack, ok?”
“Thanks,” Jack grumbled. He was not pleased.
“You ok?”
“Yeah,” he grumbled some more.
“You gonna be able to go?”
“Yeah, probably. I kinda need to.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was just hoping maybe by tomorrow I could go to the bathroom, you know?”
“Yeah, ok, I know this sucks. But it might be awhile before you can do stuff on your own. Don’t try to wait on that.”
Jack just grumbled. “Are you ok with lettin’ him handle it, or you want me to do it?”
“I guess maybe he can do it. It’s his job, he probably don’t care.”
“I don’t care neither, Jack. I bet I shovel more shit’n one week than he does in a whole year!”
That made him laugh, which was a rare but sweet sound since they’d found themselves in this place, and Ennis couldn’t help himself from brushing a light kiss across his lips.
“Why don’t you go get yourself something to eat? I’ll be ok, he seems cool. Beats the heck outta that girl from last night!”
“Yeah, for real. All right, I’ll be back in about thirty minutes then. That ok?”
“Yeah.”
“You want anything?”
“Chocolate milkshake.”
“Ok. You got it,” Ennis promised and let himself out of the room.
*******
Midnight. Jack clicked the tv off with his remote control. Ennis barely registered it, almost asleep on the hard couch. They obviously only did hard furniture in hospitals.
“Ennis?”
So much for sleep.
“Yeah Jack.”
“Are you asleep?”
“Ummm... no. Are you?”
“No.”
“Are you thinkin’ about it?” Ennis asked hopefully.
Sigh. “Not really.”
Ennis got up, stretched, and went over to sit on the end of his bed. “What’s wrong? You need to pee?”
“No, and I don’t need to shit either, so get over it!”
“Ok, chill out, I wasn’t even gonna ask about that!”
“Well you’re the only fucking person!”
“I know. I wonder how you get to be able to talk to people about stuff like that like it’s no big deal.”
“I don’t know. Maybe they teach it in doctor school.”
“Maybe so.”
“How do they teach folks to stick their arm up a horse’s ass and drag out a baby pony?”
Ennis chuckled. “I dunno. That’s weird shit, too.”
“For real.”
Ennis ran his hand up Jack’s leg. “Feel that?”
“Yeah.”
“Just feel it, or feel it?”
“It’s good.”
Ennis slid his hand sideways when he got to the top of Jack’s thigh, cruised his fingers over the mound of his dick. “How ‘bout that?”
“That’s good too.”
He moved his hand back and forth, started to do some therapy on Jack’s twenty-first extremity. “Still good?” he asked, as it started to swell with his touches.
“Oh yeah....”
“Want me to stop.”
“Oh no.....”
Ennis rubbed harder, listened thankfully as Jack sighed with pleasure. “Want me to kiss it?” he whispered softly, saw Jack’s eyes fly open in the scant light coming in the window.
“Please.......”
Ennis shifted the covers back, along with Jack’s gown. Getting at Jack’s dick was one thing he’d become even more expert at over the weekend. It popped into view, hard and perfect, his to hold and kiss and hopefully be fucked by in the not too distant future. Not tonight, though, so he smoothed his hand down the length of it, then drew it into his mouth for a long, slow suck that had Jack making moves he hadn’t made up till then, his hips twitching and his shoulders shimmying on the pillow. It wasn’t much, but it was a sign of things to come, and Ennis sucked him off joyfully, his heart full of thanks for the hope of a future he’d been so afraid they’d lost.
*******
“Ennis?” Ennis was still lying with him on his bed, trying to decide if he had the nerve to fall asleep there. What could they do, kick him out? Then who would wait on him hand and foot? They’d be sorry.....
“Yeah babe?”
“Did you see your ring in my bag?”
“I saw the ring I gave you in your bag, if that’s what you mean.”
“How come you didn’t put it on?”
“I don’t think you’re s’posed to wear rings while you’re in the hospital.”
“I meant on your finger.”
“Oh. I just didn’t want to.”
“How come?”
Ennis could feel Jack’s fingers flexing against his thigh. It was dark and peaceful, a time for secrets. “I just didn’t. I wore it home from the store Tuesday, but I took it off after than and told myself it was yours and that I only wanted you to wear it from then on, that as long as you were wearing it, it would mean my life was goin’ good. I guess I was afraid if I put it back on, I might jinx us somehow.”
“Oh... that makes sense, I guess....”
“Mmm... maybe.” Ennis ran his hand up Jack’s arm, soakin’ up his warmth and the feel of his body, even if that was all he could have for the moment.
“Would you wear mine, then?”
“Huh?”
“I got a ring too, Ennis. Would you wear it?”
“Damn, Jack.... ‘course I will.”
“It’s in my bag. In the zippered pocket on the end. I picked it up Friday after school.”
Ennis eased off the bed and grabbed the bag, rooted around till he found the box in the end pocket, like Jack said. He got Jack’s ring off the clip too. It certainly wouldn’t hurt for him to wear it through the night.
Jack had pushed the button to where he was sitting up some. Ennis slid in beside him on the bed and opened the velvet box. Even in the low light, he could see the rich blue stone winking up at him. He turned it and read Twist 5 on the side.
“It’s awesome.”
“Thanks. I got your initials carved inside.”
“For real?” Ennis peered inside, but it was too dark to make anything out and he wasn’t sure which button to push to turn on the light.
“Yeah. My mom almost had a cow...”
“I bet! When’d you order it?”
“Fuckin’ forever ago... almost two months. Right after the huge fuck up with my parents when they decided to fix me from bein’ gay. The lady at the jewelry store said they had some mix-up at the factory is what took ‘em so long to come in.”
“Yeah, mine was late too,” Ennis mumbled, straining his eyes to see more details. “That was pretty gutsy of you to have my initials put in it way back then.”
“Yeah, maybe, but you told me you loved me that day, so I figured it was pretty safe.”
“I did?
“Yeah... We were walking into school that morning and I asked you how come you always opened the door for me, and you told me that story about your folks.”
“Oh yeah, I remember...”
“You told me your mom said that’s how you could always tell your dad still loved her, even after they had a fight, ‘cause he always opened the door for her.”
Ennis grinned, feeling foolish even though it was way too late for that. “I did say that, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, babe, gave yourself away...” Jack teased.
“But you told me later that night.”
Back to serious. “Yeah.... and I’ve never been sorry, Ennis.”
“Me neither.”
“I know I’ve fucked it up even worse than it had to be a few times, and I am sorry about that, but I’m so fuckin’ glad we’re together.”
“Me too, Jack... And I ain’t perfect either, you know. It’s just life, Jack. Kinda like riding horses. You’re gonna fall off... no way around it. You just gotta get back on and keep after it.”
“Unless you get kicked in the head...”
“Yeah, and then your boyfriend waits on you hand and foot and holds your dick while you pee.”
Jack laughed and Ennis snuggled closer. He slid his ring on Jack’s finger, then slid Jack’s on his.
“I love you, Jack,” he whispered like a promise.
“I love you too, Ennis,” Jack promised back. “Forever.”
The End
(next entry for the epilogue)