Coach Assistant

By: Tim
(© 2015-2016 by the author)

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

Chapter 37 

The next thing I knew, I was in a strange place. Where was I? I smelled something identifiable, but not so nice. Hmm, a hospital! I slowly opened my eyes. A hospital? Now, how could that have happened? Why was I in a hospital? The last thing I remembered was dancing with Brian, I think … and then nothing. What happened? Where was I? And, even more important, where was Francis? Nothing had happened in the bar, had it? I looked around to see if I could find a bell. I pushed it when I found it.

[In the meantime, outside Nick's room:]

"Damn you, I want to go in. I want to see how he is."

"Calm down, sir. I know you want to but as long as we haven't diagnosed his problem … and the doctor will be here shortly … only family can see him."

"I am as good as family, so dammit, I want to see him."

"Francis!" David yelled as he walked around the corner, followed by Alexei, Randy and the others.

Francis turned around. "David, they don't let me be in with him. Only family, they say."

"I'm family, miss, and he's as good … so you'd better let him in, too."

"May I see some ID?"

"My god! Don't you believe me? I want to see my brother!"

"Take it easy, David. Where is your wallet?"

Somehow, David got his license out and showed them. It seems that that was enough as the nurse said, "OK, you," pointing at David, "and him," pointing at Francis, "can go in. The rest of you can stay in the waiting room down the hall."

"Come on, let's see him," David said as he pushed Francis forward.

[Back in Nick's room:]

Why was no one responding? I pushed the button again. Still no one showed up. Then suddenly the door was pushed open and, like a hurricane, Francis walked in and almost jumped on the bed. He started to cry and say things but I couldn't make out what he said through his tears.

At least this meant that he was OK; that was a good thing to know. I looked over Francis's shoulder and saw that David had followed him in. He smiled at me.

"Sorry, couldn't hold him back any more."

"That's fine," I said softly. Francis leaned back a bit when he heard me speak.

"Good, you can talk."

'Yea, and still kiss," I said. To assure him that I was fine, I kissed him on the lips.

"So, what happened, Nick?" David asked.

"What happened??? You're asking me?" I replied.

I saw a look of confusion pass between my brother and Francis.

"Do you mean to say you don't know?" David asked again.

"No. The last thing I remembered was that I was dancing with Andrew but that's all."

"Hmmmm," David mumbled.

"So, what did happen, David?"

I looked from him to Francis and back.

"Come on, guys! Is anyone else hurt? Tell me."

Still they didn't answer.

"I'm fine now, so I can take it, whatever it is."

"Sorry, Nick, but if you can't remember then …."

The door opened while Francis was half way through that sentence, and a guy in a white coat walked in. At last, I thought, someone who can tell me what happened!"

"Ahhh! You're with us again! That's good. Would you two step outside for a moment?"

I saw that both David and Francis were reluctant to leave me alone, but I nodded and said, "I'll be fine. Go on."

They left the room. I looked at the doctor, who wasn't very old … cute in a particular way.

"So, what happened?" I asked him.

"You don't know?" was his reply.

I just nodded this time. This was getting stranger and stranger.

"Well, let me see if everything is working as they should." He started to poke me and examine me. This whole episode was getting more and more mysterious. Why was no one telling me what had happened? More and more I was worried that something happened with one of the others. I knew that David and Francis were all right but I'd had no time to ask about the others.

[In the meantime, outside in the waiting room.]

"So, how is he?" Alexei asked when Francis and David walked in.

"He doesn't remember what happened," Francis said softly.

"What???"

"Yea, strangely, he didn't remember fainting or why," David responded.

"He was standing with you, Randy," Brian said. "I left him there when I went off to dance with Andrew."

All eyes turned to Randy. You could see he felt pressured to explain, but didn't know what to say or do.

"Sorry, guys! I really want to help you with this, but he just fainted."

"Just like that?" Francis asked.

"Yes. Maybe he pushed himself too hard with the training and dancing?"

"No, after what we've been going through with dad, today was a really light day," David answered that one.

"So, why are you back here now and not with him?" Alexei asked.

"The doctor just came to see him, so maybe we'll know shortly what happened," Francis said.

They got all quiet, though every once in a while, one of them would look suspiciously at Randy. Nick had been with him, so something must have happened between them … or was something else wrong?

[Back in Nick's room.]

The doctor put his instruments away and looked at me. "So, what's your name?"

"Nick."

"Good! Well, Nick, can you tell me what you remember?"

"I have no idea, doc. I was just having a good time out with my friends and then, suddenly, I awoke here. Everyone is all right … the others I mean."

"I guess so. No one else was brought in with you and I saw a bunch of them outside in the waiting room."

"Good, that's a relief."

"What is the last thing you remember, Nick?"

"Well, as I said, I was out with my friends. And I was dancing …." Hmm … was I going to tell him where and with whom … or was there any point in mentioning that? He didn't need to know that I was gay, did he? No reason, I thought. "That is all … dancing and then waking up in here."

"Did you use anything, Nick?"

"Use?" I asked, mystified. "You mean, drugs?" I continued as I figured out where he was heading.

"Yea, we could test you for them, you know, but I'd rather have you tell me."

"No, I don't use drugs, doc. I'm an athlete. I don't use drugs and I hardly touched alcohol. Last night, I think I had one or two glasses of beer but that was all."

"Strange," he mumbled, just loud enough for me to hear. I was getting more and more confused by it all.

"So, doc, do you have any idea what happened?"

"To be honest, Nick, no. According to your friends, you fainted but so far I haven't found any reason why. You're in good shape and your heart rate and blood pressure were OK. We've taken blood and sent it to the lab, so maybe they can tell us something helpful, but for now …. No, Nick, I'm clueless."

I looked at him and I guess he saw in my face that I was becoming more confused and worried.

"But I suppose there isn't anything wrong, so there's no need to worry. We'll see what the test results tell us. They should be here in an hour or so. In the meanwhile, I'll go and call your friends. They can keep you company and, if anything goes wrong, just call and I'll be here. OK?"

"Yea, that's fine. Thanks."

He left the room and I was alone again with my thoughts. What had happened? How was this possible? Fainted while I was dancing? That was strange. I'd felt all right all day. I'd been recovering well from the training for the last days, so I had no idea why I fainted.
Damn! Next week was the competition! After this, I only hoped that I was going to be OK and could compete.

[In the meantime, back at the waiting room.]

"So, is Nick's dad already here?"

"Damn! I didn't call him yet. How stupid!" David murmured and looked around.
"I'll do it," Brian replied and walked away.

"Don't make him worried. Nick seems OK at the moment," the doctor said as Brian walked past him.

"Is he OK, doc?" Francis asked.

"Well, OK for the time being although he doesn't seem to have any idea what happened to him tonight. Can any of you fill me in on what happened?"

The doctor was still looking at Francis. He wasn't sure if he should tell the doc where they'd been, so he somehow hoped that someone else would answer the question.

"Doctor, hi. I'm Alexei, a friend of Nick's." Alexei had walked towards the doctor and shook hands.

"Hmmm, your face is somewhat familiar. Do I know you?"

"You can't hide, Alexei. You're just too famous," David said.

"Well, I'm a gymnast and I've been training some of these guys during the past week."

"Ah, so you're the famous Russian, aren't you?"

"Yes. So, do you have any idea what happened to Nick tonight? Did they tell you he fainted?"

"Yes but, to be honest, Alexei, that is all I know. Was there anyone with him when it happened?" the doctor asked.

All faces turned towards Randy. The doctor followed their glances and looked at Randy, too.

"Hmmm, another familiar face, I think."

"Yes, sorry but could you please keep this quiet?"

"Yes, of course. So you were with Nick when he fainted?"

"Hmmm, he'd been dancing and he walked up to me to chat and, a few minutes later, he just fainted."

"So, you have no idea why he fainted?"

"No," Randy answered. But he looked at his feet instead of at the doctor, so we all felt that there was more to it than Randy was admitting.

"Are you sure? It could mean a lot if we could somehow make Nick remember what happened … why he fainted."

"Yea, I know … but I have no clue at the moment. We didn't say anything special and he looked normal when he walked up to me."

"Well, if you remember something, just let me know."

"Can we visit him?" David asked.

"Yea, I think he'll be glad to see you. He's worrying about what happened and we might know more in about an hour, when the results of the blood tests come in."

So Francis, David, Andrew and Peter started in the direction of Nick's room.

"Are you not coming?" Alexei asked Randy.

[In the meantime, in Nick's room.]

My God!!! Were they never going to come back? It had seemed like ages since anyone had visited me. I wanted to hold Francis in my arms, to know that he was OK. For some reason, I felt insecure. I just didn't feel the same as I had this afternoon just after the training session that had gone so well. It seemed like … well, it was all so strange. Maybe the others could fill me in on what had happened. Fainted! I'd never fainted before.

The door was thrown open and before I knew it, the room was filled with people, all asking questions. I watched to see where Francis was. He held back a bit. I winked at him and he came closer to the bed.

"Come here! There's a place for you to sit on the bed and I want you close."

He hugged me. When he let go, I looked at the others.

"Hmmm, it seems he's feeling better already," David said.

"Looks that way, don't you think?" Kathy added.

"Well, with Nick, though, you never know," Andrew said.

"You'd think that he was doing this just to get relaxed for the meet of next week," David continued.

"Yes, yes, make fun of it, you guys. I'd rather that you told me what happened. The doctor said I fainted … but how??? Where?"

"So you really don't remember, Nick?" Francis asked.

"No, I don't. I remember dancing with you, Andrew, and then nothing."

"Well, you were talking with … hey, where is he?" David didn't finish his sentence and just looked around.

I followed his gaze and started to see who was actually in the room. It looked rather crowded but, yes, he was right. Alexei wasn't there and, of course, I'd been talking with him. " Hey! Where is Alexei?"

"Oh, he's talking with Randy."

"Why don't you go get Alexei? Maybe he can tell me what happened," I said to David.

David walked away to get Alexei … or so I assumed.

Francis had come closer to cuddle and hug me close.

"Good to know you're feeling better, Nick. You had me worried there, you know."

I just smiled at him and kissed him again.

[In the meantime, in the waiting room.]

"You do know something, don't you, Randy?"

"I'm not sure, Alexei. We were just talking. There was no reason for him to faint, you know."

"Are you sure about that? Did you say anything stupid, as you're quite capable of doing?"

"No, nothing, Alexei. I swear."

"Hmmm, I wonder …. I know he's been curious about our past together. Did he ask you anything about it?"

Randy started to shift positions on his seat. It was clear that he was a bit nervous.

"Well … he did, but I changed the subject so I didn't have to tell him anything, Alexei. But why would that make him faint? I know it might be a bit strange for him to hear about us, and he might be upset about our past … but to faint? That would be a strange reaction!"

"Let's say that he has been going through a rough period, Randy."

"Oh, well. I didn't tell him anything, so it can't have been the past that bothered him."

"But you do have an idea, don't you?"

"I might … but I can't see the reason either why that I did should cause him to faint."

"Why don't you want to join him then?"

"I think it's too crowded in there already, Alexei."

The door opened and David pushed his head around the corner. "Nick is asking if you're coming or not, Alexei."
"Yes, I'll be there in a moment. Are you coming, Randy?"

"David, did he ask for me, too?"

"No, he didn't but I'm sure he wants to see you, too."

"But he didn't ask where I was, did he?"

"What happened between you two, Randy? You're behaving strangely," Alexei interrupted.

"Did he ask for me, David?" Randy repeated without looking at Alexei.

"No, Randy but he didn't say you weren't welcome either … so the two of you, get in there. I'm beginning to believe that the both of you can shed some light on the whole situation."

So the three of them walked towards Nick's room.

[Back in Nick's room.]

Francis was still sitting on the bed. He looked cute but I saw that he was still worried and I wasn't sure why. I was OK. Yes, I'd fainted and lost a bit of my memory, it seemed, but I felt good, full of energy. Yea, I knew that, in a week's time, there would be a big meet and everyone wanted to know if I was OK or not.

The others had starting to talk between each other.

"Did some one call his dad?"

"Yea, Brian is doing that at the moment."

"Good. I hope he doesn't worry too much."

"He will, in all probabilily. Let's hope we can reassure him when he arrives."

At that moment David came back, followed back Alexei.

"Good! Alexei, can you tell me what happened? David said I was with you."

Alexei looked at David and then to me. "I wasn't, Nick."

"I didn't say he was, Nick. You didn't let me finish."

"Oh, who was, then?"

All faces turned towards someone at the back who I hadn't notice before. Randy! What was he doing here? Randy and … oh my God! I looked away and let out a small scream. I heard a door open and I knew that Randy had left the room. I knew … I knew what had happened. It was impossible! How had this happened? I never never thought that I'd see that face again! My God! No! This was impossible! Oh, shit! I'd been thinking only about me but what about Randy? How had he gotten involved? I started to hear some yelling of my name. I opened my eyes and saw several sets of eyes staring at me.

"Nick, are you alright?" That was the voice of Alexei, full of concern.

"What did Randy do to you, Nick? Tell me!" That was definitely the voice of Francis and there was more then a bit of accusation in it.

"No, Randy didn't do anything, Francis," I said softly to him.

"What, why then?"

"Shush, Francis! Don't ask me more. I need to think."

"You now know what happened?" David asked.

I didn't look at him but I looked at Francis when I answered. "Yes, I remember."

"What then, Nick?" Francis asked.

"I'll tell you later, Francis. I'm not sure I can tell you now, but promise me one thing: don't say anything about it to Randy. He's not to blame for this."

I saw on Francis's face that he wasn't convinced about that. "Promise me, Francis," I repeated.

"OK, if you say so."

"Yes, he's probably in enough trouble already."

"So, now what, Nick?" David asked.

I looked at the others. Although Andrew, Peter and Andy were quiet, I could see they all wanted to know what had happened. But there was no way I'd be able to tell them. That would be just too difficult to do. After everything that had happened … and especially my feelings the last time … I just couldn't tell them. I looked at them again. There was only one person I could open up to, one who would be able to help me with this … and maybe even could help Randy. I also knew that Randy wouldn't be upset if I told him. I wasn't sure how the others would react, especially Francis.

"Could you leave me alone with Alexei for a moment, guys? I want to talk with him."

I saw Francis looking at me. "Sorry, Francis, but I think Alexei can do more to help me at the moment than you or David can. Trust me. I'll tell you later."

"OK, if you think so." I saw disappointment on his face as he turned around and left. The others followed.

"I hope you don't mind, Alexei, but I need your help again."

"You know I'm here for you, Nick, so don't worry about that."

"I know you know Randy better than the others so I hope you can help me with this. My God, what a mess!"

"Well, like I told you, I've known Randy a long time and I know him quite well. I consider him one of my best friends, so whatever happened, I'm here to help you two."

"Thanks, Alexei, as I think that Randy needs a friend more than ever before."

When Alexei didn't answer, I thought, my God, why didn't he warn me or Randy? He'd seen them! He knew what they'd done to me! How was this possible? If he was a good friend, as he said he was, he should have seen the picture before! He should have known.

"Do you know Randy's boyfriend, Alexei?"

"Yes, I've talked with him on the phone a few times, when Randy wasn't home."

"Have you ever see him, Alexei?"

"No. Somehow he was never around when I visited Randy and I must say that lately Randy has come more to visit me than the other way around."

Ahhh! That told me all I needed to know! Now how should I handle this? There was no easy way to tell him this, as he had no idea. But he said he knew Randy's background … so all this might not come as a surprise to him. I was sure that there was more than just being boyfriends between Randy and his lover. Well lover … I wasn't sure that was an appropriate name! The way Randy said that his boyfriend was jealous put it all into perspective.

[In the meantime, back at the waiting room.]

When the others left Nick's room, they returned to the waiting room to find Randy sitting on a bench, crying. They stopped dead as they entered the waiting room.

"What did you do, Randy? What happened?" David asked.

Randy started to cry a bit more.

"You heard what Nick said," Francis said.

"Yes … you promised him, but I didn't, and I'm his brother. So, Randy … what happened?"

"No! Leave him alone, David. I think that, whatever happened, Randy isn't to blame."

Hearing those words, Randy looked up at Francis. "Thanks, Francis, but I am part of this although I have no idea how."

"Well, I'm sure that Nick and Alexei will work this out."

"What? Is Alexei with him?"
"Yes, Nick wanted to talk with him alone."

Francis had moved closer to Randy and had sat down.

"I'm sure it will be OK, Randy. I know Nick trusted you, so I have no idea what happened but he'll be fine with it."

"I hope so!"

[Back to Nick's room.]

"Well, I saw a picture of Randy's boyfriend."

"Oh …. but why did you faint?"

"It was someone I know, Alexei," I said quietly, not looking at him.

"Someone you know? How is that possible?"

"It was the doctor, Alexei! Can you believe that?"

"The doc??? Are you serious, Nick?"

"Yes! I saw his picture! Sorry, but it was as if, at that moment, my mind was filled with flashbacks of everything that had happened and I guess it was too much."

"That is no surprise, Nick … but what do we do now?"

"Good question, Alexei! I have no idea. Do we tell Randy? Had Randy been forced into all of this? So many questions … so few answers!"

"Do you think Randy has been forced into this, Nick?"

"I have no idea, Alexei, but I know that he's a bit frightened of his boyfriend. He didn't tell him that he was coming here this weekend."

"Damn!!! I thought he'd gotten stronger and more self confident!"

"Stronger??? How do you mean?"

'Well, let's just say that he has had some bad periods and I thought that, with the TV show lately, he was doing much better."

"I was somehow hoping you could talk with him, Alexei."

"Yes, I can see that … but I'm not sure I'm up to it at the moment … or even if Randy is up for this."

"If he isn't happy with the situation, we need to let him know that he has friends."

"Are you up to this, Nick? I know that Randy will want to know how you know him. Are you ready to tell him what happened to you?"

"All of it, Alexei? I'm not sure I can tell him everything."

"Well, maybe not all of it … but he should have an idea what they've done to you."

"So, you think he'll be ready to hear all this or do you think he's really in love with him?"

"I don't know, Nick. I thought he'd gotten past all of this."

"I know you can't tell me everything, Alexei, but it seems Randy has been in this kind of situation before?"

"Yes, you guessed that right … but don't worry, you're not like him so there's no reason for you to worry about that at all."

I took a deep breath, as that was one of the things that I'd been thinking about.

Just as I was about to say something more, the door was opened and my dad walked in.

"Are you OK, Nick? What happened and why is Alexei here alone?"

"Alexei was just helping me sort this all out, dad."

"So you know what happened, then? Brian said something about memory loss and fainting?"

"Yes, I know what happened and why I fainted, so there's nothing to worry about."

"That's easy for you to say, Nick. You think: hey, I fainted for some reason, but for a while, I don't know why … and when you remember why, the whole problem disappears and no one has to worry any more?"

"Sorry, dad, that isn't what I meant … but I'm getting past it slowly. It was just a shock, that's all. Alexei was just helping me get over it."

"So, what was it that shook you up, Nick?"

I looked at Alexei. Damn!!! I knew that this question would come and I had no idea what I was going to say. I didn't want to tell them everything, that was for sure. And I just hadn't had the time to come up with anything convincing.

"Sorry, dad, I can't tell you."

"Nick, we're not going to play hide and go seek again, are we? Remember what we promised each other: we'd be open and honest. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to know that you are doing the opposite at the moment."

"Sorry, dad, but I just can't tell you everything right now. I need to talk with someone about it first."
"Will you go and talk to him, Alexei, and see if you can reassure him for a moment while I tell dad what I can so far?"

"Sure! So you want me to be completely honest with 'him'?"

"Yes. Well, we can tell him almost everything … just to make him see what they did to me and make sure that he knows he has friends."

"OK, I'll leave you two alone and I'll be right back."

"Fine, thanks, Alexei."

Alexei left the room and I turned towards my dad.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened?"

"No, dad, sorry, not yet."

"But you said you were going to tell me everything."

"No, that was for the other person. I'll tell you everything after I've talked with him."

My god, this was just so complicated!!!

"Did you have too much to drink, Nick? Is that it?"

"No, dad! Please trust me. I'm getting there slowly and none of us had too much to drink. You should know better than that!"

"Sorry, Nick, but it's a bit hard to trust you at the moment. Can you imagine what it's like to be roused out of bed with a call to get to the hospital because you'd fainted? I thought something had happened because you'd found the week too hard or something."

"Yea, sorry, dad. I know it's tough but the doctor did a full check up and he found me in good health overall. We're waiting for the results of the blood tests but I know already that they'll be OK, too, as that has nothing to do with why I fainted."

"Well, whatever it is, Nick, you know you can trust me, don't you?"

"Yes, I know, dad, but there are just too many people involved in this. I want to make sure that I'm doing the right thing without hurting people more than need be."

"OK. Well, in that case, I'll shut up … but I expect an explanation before we go home."

"Yes, I know. That will be fine. We might even need your help along the line."

"So … you want me to leave so you can talk with Alexei and whoever is involved in this?"

"You can stay for a while until they come, if that's OK by you. It'll keep me from thinking about things."
So dad stayed. "Did you have a good time tonight , before you fainted?"

"Yes … lovely … we danced a lot. Do you know, dad, if mom was a good dancer? I think I like doing it and I'm not bad at it, either."

"She was not bad … but you know what? I don't like to dance … so we hardly ever did it."

We talked a bit more about such things.

[In the meantime, in the waiting room.]

Peter … who has been standing in the hall for some time … noted, "David, your dad just walked into Nick's room."

"Good to know! He's there … maybe he can help Nick get past all this."

"I'm not sure he can do much, David," Francis interrupted.

"We'll just have to wait and see, Francis. I know you have a lot of faith in Alexei but I'm not so sure. He knows more than he's admitted, and he doesn't want to talk about it," added Francis while he pointed at Randy.

"Stop it, you two! This is not doing any good," Kathy said. "Maybe we should get out for a short walk, David. I think that would do you a lot of good."

"Come on," she said, as she didn't see any reaction.

She got him out of there and winked at Randy, who just smiled back at her. It was clear that David was a bit …well, let's say, more than a bit … mad at Randy. It was better for the both of them that someone left.

A moment later Alexei came walking in.

"Can I talk with you, Randy?"

"Is Nick OK, Alexei?" Francis asked.

"Yes, he's doing fine, Francis."

"Do you know why he fainted?"

"I think so, but just trust him, Francis. He's working things out … and he'll be able to tell you everything soon … but he needs to do a few things first and one of them is talking with Randy."

"He wants to talk with me?" Randy said.

"Yes, if you're up to it."

"OK, let's go then."
"Well he wants us to talk to you first, but his dad is with him at the moment … so we need to give them some time together."

"OK, where do we go?"

"The room next to them is free and I could use it, the nurse said."

Alexei and Randy left the room and went to the room next to Nick.

"You know why Nick fainted, Alexei?"

"Yes, I do, Randy."

"Do you understand why? He just saw a picture of my boyfriend. There's no reason to faint over that."

"Well, for Nick, that was enough, Randy."

"Does he know him, Alexei?"

"Yes, he does."

"How is that possible?"

"You know he's a doctor, don't you?"

"Yes, I know. That's why he's not always at home."

"Well, they met professionally."

"Oh!" Randy just said.

"But there's more, Randy." Randy dropped his gaze, not able to look at Alexei any more.

"No, please, don't tell me, Alexei. This can't be true."

"But it is, Randy."

"He promised me that it happened only with me, no one else. How long ago did it happen?"

"A few months back, Randy."

"Damn!!! He promised me!"

"Well, he didn't do much to Nick himself … but he pushed someone else to do other things. There's more than that, I think … and Nick might tell you himself … or not at all … but that is up to him."

"My god, Alexei! I never planned anything like this to happen! How is this possible?"

"Well, I think you have to ask yourself what you're doing, Randy."

"What do you mean, Alexei?"

"Do you really love him, Randy? Or are you just there so you can be pushed and punished?"

"Alexei!!! I'm over that! You should know that!"

"Sorry, Randy, but after today I'm not sure. I only want the best for you … you have to remember that."

"Well, I thought I really loved him … but, after seeing you with James and the other two couples, I'm just not sure any more."

"There's no need to tackle that now, you know, Randy. Let's see if Nick is ready to talk about it."

They walked out of the waiting room and into Nick's.

"Ahhhh … OK. I think I'd better leave and let you three talk," dad said as Randy and Alexei walked in. He looked kind of suspiciously at Randy but that was all. He didn't say or ask anything.

"So … you told him, Alexei?"

"Yes, I did."

"Sorry I scared you like that, Nick. I had no idea."

"Well, there was no reason for you to have any suspicions, Randy."

"So, are you feeling any better?"

"Yea, I think so. I just never thought that I'd see that bastard again. All those memories that came back … somehow, I think that that made me faint, Randy."

"OK, that's good to hear."

"And you … are you OK, Randy?"

"I'm not sure, Nick. I … well, he promised not to do anything any more … just with me, if he needed to … but it seems he was cheating and I just don't trust him any more."

"I got the feeling, Randy, that you weren't completely happy with the whole relationship. Things I read in between lines came to me when you showed me the picture."

"It's not that easy, you know, Nick. Like I said … I thought I loved him … but after seeing you guys here, I'm just not sure any more."

"Well, maybe we can talk about it later, Randy. I want to tell you what he did, too …just to make sure you have an idea why I reacted as I did."

"Sure, Nick. I want to stay friends with you so we need to get this all behind us somehow."

"Good! I want to stay friends with you, too, Randy." I bent forward a bit and hugged him.

When I let him go, I saw tears on his cheeks.

"Don't cry," I said to him. "There's no need for that."

"Well, it's so confusing. I'm so scared."

I looked at Alexei, who was still there.

"Scared, Randy?"

"Yes … shit! Sorry, guys, but this is so difficult."

"You don't love him, do you, Randy?"

He looked at me, tears still running down his face.

"No, sorry, guys … but I'm not able to tell you any more. Please don't ask."

"He's blackmailing you?" Alexei picked up on the clue and went on.

Randy turned his face towards him.

"Please … Alexei! No more questions! I can't tell you."

"He can't hurt you, Randy. How do you think Nick got out of it?"

"Did he blackmail you too, Nick?"

"Yes, he did, Randy. That's the way he gets what he wants, I guess. And we're too scared and too confused to see what's happening … so we're not able to do anything about it."

"My god!" and Randy started to cry more. I took him back in my arms and I smiled at Alexei.

"Thanks, Nick," he whispered so only I could hear him. I just smiled back at him.

When Randy started to settle down a bit, he looked at Alexei and me. "I never thought I'd be able to tell this to anyone. I was so scared of him."

"How did he get you in his power, Randy? I thought you stopped this kind of thing completely?"

"I did, Alexei, but … well … that guy found some of my stuff … and, with what I'm doing on TV right now … I couldn't let it get out, for that would be the end of my career."

"Damn! Well … if you want to end it … then we can. We have things about him that he doesn't want to have known, either. If we want, we can go to the police with it."

"No, I don't think I want that either as then my past will become known, too. I want a way to finish this quietly."

"Well, Randy, we can work this out. We don't need to solve it now. I'm sure we can find some place for you to stay in town here if you want."

He smiled at me when he heard that and hugged me again. "Thanks, Nick."

"You're welcome, Randy. But next time, ask and don't let me faint first," I said with a smile on my face.

"So … what are we going to tell the others?" Alexei asked.

"Damned if I know! I'm sure, Randy, that you don't want this to become known to all of them, do you?" I asked.

"No. If there's a way out, I don't want to tell them anything if I can."

"I thought so," Alexei said. "We need to come up with some kind of plausible explanation."

Then the door opened and the doctor walked in.

"Sorry to disturb you guys, but I have the results of the blood test and I just wanted to tell you that there's nothing wrong."

"Thanks, sir, but we've concluded that already," Alexei said.

"You got your memory back then, Nick?"

'Yes … sorry, we should have told you," I replied.

"No problem … as long as you're fine, that's the most important thing. Well, then, there's no reason for you to stay here, I guess."

"I can leave then?"

"Yes, there's no reason for you to stay the night. All your results are fine and you didn't fall on your head … so I can't see why you should stay under observation for the night."

"And I'll forgive you for not telling me if they …" and he pointed at Randy and Alexei, "give me an autograph!"

"That's easy," Alexei answered and took his pencil out of his pocket.

After the signatures were given, the doctor left.

"So … what are we going to tell the others?"

"Well, maybe we can keep this a secret from some of them, Randy … but I told my dad I'd be honest with him and tell him what happened after I talked with you. I think that Francis is depending on me to do the same. I can't be dishonest with either of them."

"I can see that, Nick, but the others?"

"We'll think of something and we don't have to explain it tonight."

"Let's get out of here! I'll make sure that they know you're OK and get them to go home."

After Alexei and Randy left, I started to get out of bed and looked around for my clothes.

"You were looking for these?" I turned around and saw that Francis was standing beside the door. He pointed at the chair beside it where my clothes were laid out."

"Yes, I'm allowed to go."

"Good! So you feel better?"

"Definitely … a lot better. Thanks, Francis."

"So your talk with Randy helped?"

'Yea … and we'll explain it to you and dad when we get home, Francis, so just trust me a little longer."

"I do, Nick."

I stood close to him. I dropped the hospital gown, leaving me standing there in my underwear.

"Hmm, now that's a sight!" Francis said.

He pulled me close. "We've never done it in a hospital, have we?"

Wow, I thought. Now what? My dick found its way to the top of my underwear. I felt it pushing against the waistband.

"Am I thinking what you're thinking?"

I kissed him and then ….

To be continued...

Author's Note: Ok it has been some time since a cliff hanger and I though this was a rather nice one.

Posted: 03/11/16