by John Charles
Terry said nothing as he and Lane followed the staff assistant. They were escorted to the elevator, up to the roof deck and out to a private sitting area. Luckily, the private roof deck was available for that evening, a remarkable coincidence since reservations for the deck usually had a waiting list.
When they exited the elevator, Lane scanned the city around the hotel. The night was cool though not enough to require jackets. The hotel had thought of everything. A table set for two sat near the center of a garden. Trees and shrubs surrounded the area. Overhead heaters flanked the deck providing warmth and comfort.
“This is amazing!” whispered Lane as he took in the pleasant atmosphere, cityscape, and crisp cloudless evening. “Who are you Mr. Wattenberg?”
A waiter approached, removed the bottle of champagne from the ice and presented two chilled glasses on a silver tray. Once poured, the waiter offered a glass to Lane, then to Terry. He discretely moved to a location that would allow him to observe the couple’s needs, yet be unobtrusive.
“Here’s to friendship. One that I hope grows into something special,” said Terry as he touched his glass to Lane’s.
Lane’s face became a deep shade of red as he realized what Terry had said. Quickly regaining his composure, he replied, “To friendship.”
Chapter 8
The beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound heard in the room as Hallie stood next to Lane. “Do you remember anything about the accident?” she asked as she sat in the chair next to the bed.
“Not really. I had a glimpse of a car’s headlights before, but nothing since then. Do you really believe I’ll get my life back?”
Looking straight into Lane’s eyes Hallie said, “I definitely do. There are so many new techniques for helping people with traumatic injuries. You’ve invented several that have helped people walk when no one thought they could. I wonder,” she asked more to herself than Lane.
“What? What do you wonder about Hallie?” asked Lane as he looked at the woman sitting next to him. “Tell me what you are thinking, please.”
“Lane, you’ve had several breakthroughs in spinal cord regeneration procedures,” she said as she looked at Lane. “Aren’t you also working on something that could help people with Alzheimer’s? I wonder if any of those procedures might work to help your memory.”
“Well, considering I don’t remember what they are, I have no idea if they will work on my head.”
Lane heard Hallie’s side of the conversation when she grabbed her cell phone and dialed. “Hi Sherry; no, everything’s just fine. Yes, I’m with him right now. Sherry, who on Lane’s team would be most up to date on that new procedure he was working on?” She listened as Sherry went through a couple of names then settled on one. “Abram Azriel. I don’t know that name. Is he good? Sherry, I mean is he really good?” she asked looking at Lane to see if he recognized the name. He looked at her, shrugged his shoulders and mouthed, “I have no clue who he is.”
“Okay, I want you to bring him up to speed on Lane’s condition and ask him if he thinks the procedure might help Lane regain his memory.”
Lane lay there as Hallie discussed his condition as if he were not in the room. When she finished with Sherry, she turned to Lane and said, “You have a great team at the research institute. Sherry is your assistant. You are close. In fact, as Terry says, you and Sherry have a bond with each other. She has been here almost as often as Terry. Lane, she loves you like a brother and would do anything for you.”
Lane’s eyes began to tear again. He looked away from Hallie and clutched his chest as the pain of his present situation tore at his soul. Suddenly he looked back at Hallie, “I seem to remember that name. I have no idea what she looks like, but the name is familiar.”
Hallie hooted with excitement. “Yes, I knew you’d be okay. You’ll be back to your normal self in no time, Lane. Think again Lane. Do you remember Abram Azriel; he worked with you on some astounding projects.”
Lane scrunched his face in concentrated effort. “No, that name doesn’t do anything for me. Hallie?” he questioned. “Does Terry drive a silver-blue convertible?”
Hallie looked surprised at his question then answered, “No Lane, you do. It was your favorite thing to drive, especially with the top down on a warm spring day.”
“Oh, I guess I’ll have to get a new one when I get out of here,” he said. “Hallie, tell me about Terry. Help me remember.”
Hallie’s phone rang twice in as many minutes. The first call from Terry asking her if she could stay with Lane for a while since an important business issue had to be resolved. He promised he’d be there in a couple of hours. The second call was from Abram Azriel asking if he could visit with Lane later that same day and wondering if she or Terry would assist him. Hallie replied that she would be with Lane for the balance of the day, explaining that Terry was involved with something at the office.
“Are you tired? Do you want to get some rest?” asked Hallie after Abram’s call.
“No, I’m fine for now. I really want you to tell me about Terry before he returns. And please don’t leave anything out, no matter how simple it might seem to you.”
Hallie got as comfortable as possible on the very unwelcoming chair and began telling Lane how he and Terry met. She laughed as she told him about literally running into Terry on the way to a conference he was directing. Lane could feel himself blushing as she talked about his clumsiness. He groaned loudly as she talked about how Terry had fallen in love with the man on stage that day. His eyes bulged as Hallie explained the dinner Terry arranged on the roof top terrace.
“Wait, you mean he went to all that trouble just to have dinner with me? Tell me why he didn’t just take me to a restaurant?”
“Lane, you were and still are a very recognizable figure. The press hounded you every day. In fact, since you’ve been here, the press has almost harassed the hospital staff to get updates on your condition. Terry wanted to keep you safe and out of their clutches.”
Lane, obviously upset, turned his head from Hallie as she sat next to him. She kept her hand on his arm as he tried to regain his composure. You’ll be fine. I know everything will work out.
When Lane faced her again, she continued. “From what Terry told me, the two of you hit it off that night. He called the next morning telling me that he met his soul mate.” Lane’s face reddened again as he listened to Hallie. “From that night on, you and Terry became a couple. I saw the look in my son’s eyes whenever he spoke about you. He had it bad, really bad.”
Suddenly Lane smiled as he looked at Hallie. “The sky was brilliant, filled with flickering stars. We had strawberries dipped in chocolate for dessert.” He was almost as surprised as Hallie was. “We drank champagne and talked for hours, didn’t we?”
“Yes, Lane you did. Terry said he didn’t want the night to end, but you had an early conference and said you had to get some sleep.”
Lane blushed again as he remembered Terry kissing him in front of his hotel room door, then realized that Hallie had stopped talking and sat there looking at him. “What?” he asked.
“You just remembered something else didn’t you? What did you remember?”
“How can you tell I remembered something?” asked Lane as he continued to blush.
“You’re whispering and you're blushing, so it must be good,” she teased, then laughed as she saw his blush deepen.
“He kissed me in front of my room door. I was terrified that there would be a picture in the morning papers for all to see,” he whispered again. “Oh my God, I remember. I remember going into my room and feeling like I’d never felt before. Hallie, I want to hear more. Don’t stop, please!”
Confident and relieved, Hallie and Lane continued to talk. Lane remembered more about his growing relationship with Terry. Then his eyes got very wide, he blushed deeper than previously, and he gripped Hallie’s hand tightly.
At first Hallie thought he was in pain, then she saw the look in his eyes and asked, �
��What did you remember?” she asked in a gentle voice. “Tell me, it’s okay.”
“I can’t. It’s just …” responded a very flustered Lane.
Hallie continued to hold Lane’s hand and waited. She knew he would open up when he felt more confident. “Shall I continue or do you want some alone time?”
“I want a cup of hot chocolate. I think I love hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows. Am I right Hallie? Do I love hot chocolate with marshmallows? And yes, I want a few minutes alone, if you don’t mind,” said the very smiling young man.
“Yes, Lane, you absolutely love hot chocolate. I’ve often wondered how you stay so slim considering the amount of chocolate you consume. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Do you want anything to eat with your hot chocolate?”
"Yeah, could you see if they have apple fritters? For some reason I want an apple fritter with my hot chocolate. Does this make any sense to you Hallie?”
“Lane, you love apple fritters. You’ve said that you could live on hot chocolate and apple fritters for the rest of your life. So yeah, it makes perfect sense to me. See you in a few,” said a very happy woman as she walked toward the door.
So it sounds like Terry and I have a great relationship. I have some very dedicated people on my staff. And I’m some kind of genius who has invented some really great stuff. Okay so that’s what they are telling me. When will it all come back?
Lane continued to think about everything that had happened since he awoke from the coma. He felt scared, excited, and lonely. How long will it take to regain his memory? Will he be the same as he was prior to the accident? Will he be able to continue his research and development programs? What will happen to him if he simply can’t remember? Questions continued to rain down from his mind. It was very overwhelming!
Deep in thought, Lane didn’t hear the door open nor see Terry enter the room. “How’s my favorite person doing?” Terry’s question startled Lane so much his body jumped on the bed causing him severe pain.
“Oh crap, that hurts,” said Lane as he tried to settle down. "Please don’t ever do that again. You scared the shit out of me!”
Terry rushed to Lane’s side realizing there was nothing he could do to help his partner relax again. “I’m so sorry. I saw you were awake and thought you were aware that I walked into the room. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Still in pain, Lane turned to face Terry. “Hallie and I were talking after you left. Guess what, I love hot chocolate and apple fritters,” he said while smiling at Terry. “She didn’t tell me, I remembered! I remembered, Terry,” he said as the pain subsided.
Terry was beside himself at the good news. “Wow! See, we told you everything would be all right. Where is my mother? She was supposed to stay with you.”
Lane, feeling better reached out and took Terry’s hand in his. The IV prevented him from moving easily, but he managed to bring Terry’s hand to his cheek. He said nothing as he looked into Terry’s eyes. He could see and feel the love that radiated from the man beside him.
Slowly, Terry lowered his face closer to Lane’s. An inch apart and continuing to look into his lover’s eyes he kissed the man he loved, gently at first, trying to assess the reaction. When he felt assured, it was okay, the kiss became passionate. Lane’s free hand moved to Terry’s back and held him close. The two men continued to share an emotionally passionate kiss as they became reacquainted. Needing some air, Terry broke the kiss but kept his face inches from his lover’s. “I love you so much. My heart broke the night of the accident. Not knowing if you’d ever be back in my life was earth shattering. Then when you had no memory of us, my heart melted.”
A tear dropped from Terry’s face as he continued to look into Lane’s eyes. He moved down and kissed him again with even more passion than before. As the kiss deepened, Terry’s body slid further onto the bed until he was on top of his lover, a move that was not well received. Lane’s body stiffened as his eyes became wide. He yelled through the kiss, “No, that hurts, Terry that hurts!”
Terry all but jumped off the bed realizing what he had done. He saw Lane panting in pain as he tried to regain a level of comfort. Not knowing what else to do, Terry stood next to the bed, wide eyed, as the man he loved writhed in agony. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t even realize I was on top of you until you screamed. What can I do to help you Lane?”
The door opened allowing Hallie to see the situation in front of her. Knowing the look of pain, she rushed to the nurses’ station and asked for help.
Hallie pulled her son away from the bed as the nurse and resident assessed their patient. “What happened? When I left he seemed fine,” asked Hallie as she held her son’s arm. Then she saw the look of terror in her son’s eyes. “Tell me what happened.” She stated in a tone only a mother could use.
Terry related the incident to his mother in a hushed voice. “I didn’t even know I was lying on top of him. It just happened.”
Hallie quietly laughed her signature laugh at the pain she saw; both in her son and his lover. Then patting Terry’s arm, she said, “He’s fragile right now, Terry, in more ways than his broken body. You have to be more alert and careful. He’ll be okay. Let them help him get settled again,” she said pointing to the nurse and resident.
The resident administered a pain med directly into the IV as the nurse helped Lane get more comfortable. “He’ll be fine in a few minutes when the meds kick in,” said the resident as he looked at Terry’s fear stricken face. “I heard what you told your mother Terry. Please be more careful. Lane’s body needs time to recover and start to heal.”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t even know I was on top of him until he screamed in pain,” said an agonized Terry as he looked at his lover beginning to relax.
“I do understand Terry. Let me offer this one piece of advice - Love him gently, please!” said the resident as he moved to the door. “Love him gently, Terry.”
Chapter 9
“Your father insisted that we bring your laptop and some folders from your desk, Reade,” said Ellissa as she placed the items on the bedside computer desk. “Shall I plug it in for you?” she asked.
“Stop babying him Ellissa,” said Harrold as he stood by his son. “We have work to do, so why don’t you do whatever it is that you do and leave us alone for a while.”
Having put up with Harrold’s arrogant personality for years, Ellissa ignored her husband and continued to connect Reade’s computer to the wall outlet. “I checked with the hospital about Wi-Fi connectivity. They assured me your room had good reception. The I.T. person wrote down the password for you to connect to their priority system,” she said handing Reade a paper with the instructions. “I’ll be around for a little while if you need anything sweetheart,” she said as she walked to the sitting area of Reade’s room.
Harrold watched patiently as his wife fussed over their son. Yelling at her would only cause another prolonged argument, which he did not want. When she moved away from Reade’s bed, he said, “We have a client who wants us to develop some very high tech products for sale in China and other Asian markets. I need you to do the research and find out whose influence we need, to make sure there are no tariffs or other limitations. I want this to happen. Do you understand Reade?” said Harrold as he opened the folder on Reade’s tray.
Before Reade could answer, Harrold continued his discussion about the company and what he wanted Reade to accomplish. “You have your laptop and your phone. Make some calls and send out some email inquiries. I’m told you are healing well so wasting your time lying here in bed is not part of the job description. I need you to get right onto this and make it happen.”
Reade reviewed the information in the folder as his father continued to explain their client’s requirements. He knew the limitations of exporting technology into the Asian markets. Most countries would be okay, but Japan and China had severe restrictions on products that might compete with those already manufactured and sold by companies based in their countri
es. Getting past those walls was already a high priority for US companies. How Reade was going to do it for this client, was beyond him.
“Every company in the world is trying to get around the import limitations of the Asian market. This should be handled by legal, not someone at my level,” said Reade as he closed the folder.
“Nonsense, I think it’s time you learned how to handle the tough stuff. You’ve been pampered too much, both at home,” he said looking at Ellissa, “and at Calan. I expect you to take on more responsibility and learn what running a company like Calan Industries entails.”
Harrold’s cell rang, abruptly ending his speech. “Calan,” said Harrold as he answered his phone while walking to the sitting area.
Reade opened the folder and started to scan the documents with dread.
When Harrold finished his call, Ellissa asked, “Whether you like him or not, Alex is Reade’s friend. Why can’t you let him see his roommate?”
“No! I don’t want Reade and that fag in the same room. I’ve already arranged for Reade to have his own place. A unit in a building near the office will be available at the end of the week. Reade will buy it and live there without the negative influence of that boy.”
“You’re assuming Reade will want to buy the unit. What if he doesn’t like it? What if he wants to choose his own place without your input?” asked a very annoyed Ellissa.
“You and Reade coerced me into allowing him to share an apartment with that f.. guy Ellissa. Had I known he was gay I would have put my foot down. No, he’s not ready to make that decision. I’ve already signed the papers. He’ll be the owner of that unit before he leaves this room.”
“You already signed them? Harrold,…” cried Ellissa outraged at her husband. “Harrold, there comes a time when parents have to let go. Reade is a grown man with two degrees. If you continue controlling his every move, you will lose him.”