Officers' Boy
By: Kenneth Kirk
(© 2022 by the author)

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

kkirk@tickiestories.us

Chapter 27

Rafael was groggy and a little loopy from his pain meds when we saw him in his room.  His whole left side seemed covered in plaster and there were several tubes either going in or out of him – it was hard to tell which.  He looked tired, but I was happy to note that Dr. Kramer was right: Rafe’s face was undamaged.  He was as gorgeous as ever.  Maybe not quite as masculine and powerful looking laid up like that, but still sexy as hell!

Tony and Mike hung back as Tony gently nudged me toward the bed.  I hurried to Rafe’s good side to lean across his torso for a hug and kiss.  I nearly cried from the joy of having him there, alive and eager to kiss me.

Dr. Kramer picked that exact moment to walk into the room.  He chuckled and said, “See, I told you he was as handsome as ever.”

Startled and embarrassed, I pulled away from Rafe, trying to stand up even though his strong right arm was not releasing my neck.  Rafe glanced toward the doctor with a Cheshire-cat grin.  “This is my special friend, Eric,” he slurred.

“Nice to meet you, Eric,” the doctor said.  “If you can step away from the bed for a moment, I need to check a couple of things and then I’ll be gone.”

Rafael released his hold on my neck and I stepped back until my legs hit a chair behind me.  Dr. Kramer checked the tubes leading into and out of Rafe, which included pulling the sheet down to inspect Rafael’s penis to be sure the catheter was in good shape.  That embarrassed me and scared me, too, when I saw the tube sticking out where usually I saw precum.  It looked awfully painful. 

Satisfied, Dr. Kramer covered Rafe’s genitals, smiled at his patient, leaned over until his face was just inches from him, and placed one hand gently on Rafe’s neck.  I couldn’t help but notice the curve of the blue scrubs as they tightened across the physician’s manly buns.  Fuck, I thought, why am I lusting after the doctor at a time like this?

Looking deeply into Rafe’s eyes, the hot doc said, “That part of you will be in working order soon, but try not to stimulate it for now.  Okay?”

Rafe grinned a little stupidly at him.  “I guessh so.  But you gotta keep this un away from me.”  He shot me a happy teasing look.

Dr. Kramer glanced at my red face before looking back at Rafael.  “I think I’ll delegate that chore to your two big bodyguards over there.”  He glanced at Anthony and Michael, chuckling.  “Do you think they can handle that job?”

Rafael looked at his buddies before nodding slightly.  “They can keep Eric busy.”

“Excellent!” the doctor said.

Dr. Kramer backed away slightly and stood.  “Now, I’m going to let your friends have 5 minutes with you and then I’m going to send Nurse Amy in to give you something to drink that will make you sleep until this afternoon.  Okay?”

Rafael nodded.  Dr. Kramer looked at Anthony and Michael.  “Okay?”

They nodded.  “Of course,” Tony said.

Dr. Kramer looked at me, flashing me another beautiful smile.  “Okay, Eric?”

Feeling a bit flustered, I blushed again and nodded.

“Great.”  Dr. Kramer strode to the door, patting Michael on the shoulder as he passed by.  “Remember, you guys need to leave when the nurse comes in.”

“Aye, aye, sir!” Michael responded.

We could hear the doctor’s laugh as he closed the door behind him.

We all rushed to Rafael’s bedside as he held Mike’s and Tony’s hands briefly.  When they stepped back, Rafe reached for me again, taking my hand and holding it with less strength but more determination than before.  We were like that when Nurse Amy came in a few minutes later. 

********* 

We clambered into Tony’s shiny black year-old BMW 3 Series sedan and started for my house.  As we drove, I called Sylvia to give her a quick update on Rafael’s condition, something she had asked me to do when I talked with her earlier to let her know I wouldn’t be at work.  We were just a couple of minutes from my house when I hung up.

“Eric,” Tony said, “I know you’re exhausted, as we are, too.  Today may be a tough day.  I advise you to be careful when you talk with your parents.  As a parent myself, I can say they’re going to be irritated with you for not telling them you would be out all night.  But they’ll understand given the circumstances.”

“I hope so,” I moaned.

As he turned onto Central Avenue, Tony said, “How do you plan to explain who Rafael is?”

“Oh, I, uhm, haven’t thought about that.”

“You might want to give it some thought before we get you home.”

“He’s got a good point,” Mike added.

“I guess I can say a friend from school.  Almost anything else would lead to an interrogation.”

“Well, sweetie,” Mike said, “we’re behind you 100%.”

“Yes,” Tony affirmed, “you have a home with us anytime you need or want it.”

From the back seat, I leaned forward to put a hand on each of their shoulders.  “I know that, guys.  You don’t know how good that makes me feel.  Oh, turn left at the next street.” 

********* 

When I went inside, no one was home.  Checking the garage, I saw both Caddies were missing.  I surmised Dad was playing golf and Mom was shopping or out to breakfast with someone.  That was fine by me.  I texted Roger while I undressed to get ready for the shower.

ME: Rafe is really messed up but will be OK

ROGER: Thank God

ME: Yep

ROGER: U OK?

ME: Exhausted

ROGER: No doubt

ME: Thanks for taking charge last night

ROGER: Acourse

ME: UR a lifesaver

ROGER: Parents?

ME: Out

ROGER: Golf trumps lost kid

ME: 😀 I’m glad

ROGER: Understand

ME: Later

ROGER: K 

********* 

After a hot shower, I hit the sack.  For a couple of minutes, I just stared at the ceiling as the events of the past twelve hours clambered through my brain.  Frankly, it was too much to make sense of.  I cleared my mind and quickly passed out from exhaustion.  It was a couple of minutes before 9.  I slept like a dead guy until about 1 when Mom rapped at my door.  I grunted out, “Yeah?” 

She cracked the door open.  “Would you like some lunch, honey?”

Wow.  This was Mom 2.0 after the icy bitch she’d been last summer when I was under house arrest.

“Sure!” I yelled.  “Down in 5.”

“Okay,” she said with a cheery voice as the door closed noiselessly.

Dad was home and showered and the three of us had a rare family meal before he planned to barricade himself in his office to put the finishing touches on this week’s make-‘em-feel-so-guilty-they’ll-give-extra-money sermon for tomorrow.

Mom had abandoned the usual cold sandwich lunch for chili-dogs, Fritos, and coleslaw. 

I was a little off balance at the air of kind support I was detecting in spite of my being out all night without advance permission.  Although they immediately started with the third degree, there was an air of kindness to it.  Frankly, it was like an episode of The Twilight Zone.   

“How’s your friend?” Mom asked.

“Okay, I think.”  I went on to explain the extent of Rafael’s injuries.  They nodded and expressed their happiness that he had survived and was expected to recover fully.  My guard began to slip.

“Who’s your friend?” Dad asked quietly.

My guard flew back up.  “He’s, uhm, a friend from USF,” I lied, feeling as guilty as the sin of not honoring your mother and father.

“So, you’ve only known him a couple of months?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”  Let’s see, is May to November just a couple of months?  My guilt deepened.

“But you set up all night at the hospital for him?”

“Yes, Dad.  There were several of us, including Roger.”

“So, Roger was there, too?”

Be careful, my fear warned me.

“Yes.  For a while.  But then he left to take the girls home.”

“I see.”

“What’s your friend’s name?” Mom asked a little too sweetly.

“Uhm,” I paused, grateful I had just taken a bite of my chili-dog and had been taught quite thoroughly not to speak with my mouth full.  As I chewed, I wondered if I should make up a name or use Rafe’s real name.  Then I wondered if an ethnic-sounding name would cause a problem.  They both looked at me strangely as I tried to find the right answer.  I swallowed.  “Rafe,” I finally blurted out.  It didn’t seem as dangerous as “Rafael.”

“That’s such a nice name,” Mom cooed, for God’s sake!  She turned to Dad, “You know my third cousin Eleanor from Montgomery has a son named Rafe.”

Dad didn’t answer.  He just looked at me.  “Last name?”

“Hamilton,” I said, thankful Rafael’s Brazilian side was his mother’s, not his father’s.  Quickly I took another bite to give myself thinking time for the next question.

“Another proud Southern name,” Mom breathed.  “Where is he from?”

If I give the correct answer, Colorado, that may bring on questions about him being at school in Florida, I mused.  I chewed and thought.  Finally, I swallowed and said, “I, uhm, I’m not really sure where he’s from.” 

They didn’t look convinced.  “When he gets better, you should ask him,” Dad said like it was an order rather than a suggestion.

“Sure.”

“So, Eric,” Dad leaned across the table toward me as his eyes squinted and his eyebrows pushed low over his eyes, “how did the accident happen?”

I explained as succinctly and quickly and undramatically as I could.  When I mentioned the other driver was drunk, Dad muttered, “demon alcohol.”

Mother looked at him, nodded, and said, “Amen.”

Eventually the whole interrogation sputtered to a close and we all got up.

“Don’t forget your homework this weekend,” Dad said.

“I haven’t,” I answered.

In my room, I prayed, “Oh, thank You, Lord, for letting me get through that interrogation.  Please give Rafael strength and healing and let him come home soon.” 

********* 

I got no flack from the parental units about going back to the hospital around 4:00 for a short visit.  I found Rafael a little less dazed and more talkative.  In fact, he was talking with Robert when I got there, worrying a bit about how this accident and the recovery ahead would affect his career.  They dropped that topic quickly when I came into the room.

“Hey, look who’s here,” Robert said loudly with a big grin.

“Welcome, babe,” my beautiful Rafael called.

I rushed to the side of the bed where I got a sweet kiss from Rafael, then a warm hug from Robert.

By shifting his right leg, Rafe made room on the bed for me to sit near his hip while Rob sat in the chair to the side.  We had a long conversation about Rafael’s injuries, which are expected to heal well, but the leg is likely to take 3 months before he is able to use it normally. 

“How are you going to be able to take care of yourself with that broken arm and broken leg?” I wondered.

Rafe lay there mulling over my question, so Rob answered, “He’ll need a lot of help from his friends for a couple of months, until the arm is healed anyhow.”

Rafael nodded.  “That’s one thing that concerns me, along with getting back to base as soon as I can.”

“Hailstorm,” Rob smiled as he glanced at me, “uh, Tony, talked with someone in personnel this afternoon.  They were already aware of your accident.  I think the police contacted them right after it happened.  Anyhow, they told Tony they would send an officer over to see you Monday to discuss all that.  But you know they will work with you on it.  They will want to keep you flying if possible.  You cost too much to train for them to just let you off.”

Rafe nodded solemnly.  “Assuming I can pass all the preparedness tests.”

“You will,” Robert nodded.  “It will just have to be after your body has had enough time to heal.”

When they fell silent, I smiled at Rafael and suggested, “Maybe I can stay with you sometimes and help out.”

“I’d like that,” he said as he rubbed my arm.

“Did you hear anything about the guy who hit you?” Robert asked.

A cloud crossed Rafe’s face.  “According to one of the nurses, he died in surgery this morning.”

Even though I was angry at this unknown guy for hurting Rafael, I was saddened by that news.

“Too bad,” Robert said quietly.

“Yeah,” I agreed.  “So, have they told you when you might go home?”

“They’ve just said ‘a few days.’  Dr. Kramer told me a little while ago that I’ll need to heal a little from the kidney surgery before I can be released.”

“That makes sense,” I said.

Rafael looked across at Robert.  “Eric thinks Dr. Kramer is hot,” he smirked.

Robert laughed at my blush.  “Is that so, Eric?”

“Uhm, well, yeah.  He’s a very handsome man, don’t you agree?”  I dead-eyed Rafe.

Rafe chuckled and nodded slowly.  “Yes, I do.”

“How about the nurses?” Robert asked.  “Any hot nurses?”

“Yeah,” Rafe said.  “There was a cute blonde in here once a while ago.  I don’t remember her name though.”

We bantered for a while until I realized I needed to get home.  We were supposed to go to the Harrison’s house for dinner tonight and there would be hell to pay if I was late.  At least I would get to hang out with Roger after dinner.

“Uhm, I really need to be getting home,” I said.

“Is everything okay there?” Rafe asked.

“So far.  I told them you’re a friend from USF.”

He nodded.

“You have to protect yourself, Eric,” Robert interjected.  “We all agree on that.”

“He’s right,” Rafe said.  “Here, give me a goodbye kiss and go home.”

We exchanged a long but chaste kiss followed by as good a hug as we could manage with him lying down and me leaning across.  Robert stood from his chair to give me a long hug and then walk me to the door and into the hallway. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon!” I called back.

“Great!” Rafe answered.

As we stepped into the hallway, Robert and I were greeted by the effervescent Dr. Kramer.

“Hi, Eric,” he said with a big smile as he leaned against the wall.

“Hi, Dr. Kramer,” I smiled.  “This is Captain Robert Landon, who is one of Rafe’s housemates.”

The two men smiled and shook hands.

“Can you give us an update, Doc?”

“Sure.  Rafael is doing very well considering all his injuries.  The cuts, bruises, and broken bones restrict him but aren’t dangerous.  It was the internal injuries that most concerned us.  His left kidney particularly.  Initially, Dr. Abramson thought it might need to be removed but, once he got inside, he could see that it was reparable.  So, the long-term prognosis is excellent.  Rafael should have a full recovery.”

“Good to hear,” Robert said.

“He should be pretty well healed from the surgery in a month but, of course, the breaks will take a couple of months to knit back and another month or so of limited use.”

“Thank you, doctor,” I said as I took his hand.  “I appreciate all you’re doing for him.”

We shook. 

“It’s my pleasure, Eric.  That’s why I’m here.”

“Good-night,” Robert said and stepped around Dr. Kramer.

“Good-night,” the doctor responded.

To be continued...

Posted: 09/30/2022