Back in the waiting room, Ian told his mother that Stephen and Jessie were in town and on their way. She moved to tell his father. Ian sat back down on the loveseat-no-more and Andrew flopped into one of the remaining recliners pushed back and tried to look relaxed.
The waiting room was deathly quiet. Most of the other families were asleep or trying to sleep. Ian kicked off his shoes once more and curled up under the blanket and closed his eyes. Even with his eyes closed he could still see the image of Andrew sprawled in the recliner and still the scent of him lingered in Ian’s nostrils. Perhaps it would be best if he just disappeared once he had talked to Stephen and Jessie. What was the point in hanging on here? Frank had screwed up what was shaping into a great ball-busting weekend. He hadn’t had this much sex offered to him in a long time. He also liked Andrew a lot, so leaving would reduce the chance for—for—shit!—for everything.
He heard Jessie’s voice before he saw her. Mara went to the door of the waiting room and stepped into the hall. Andrew got up and went out as well. Ian hunkered down into the little sofa and tried to block all the questions that were swirling just outside in the hallway. The voices moved away and Ian did drift into a light sleep. He felt floating but was aware of conversations far off in the distance of his mind. He didn’t want to acknowledge the invasion into his well-ordered life.
Andrew was a potential bomb and blessing at the same time. What did he want to happen? He wanted to be alone with the young, oddly handsome Marine and see if what he was feeling was real enough. Ian couldn’t get Andrew out of his mind and that scared him as much as it excited him. Ian had been a loner always and had quick, down and dirty anonymous sex—when there was sex at all. Was his favorite dildo sex? No. Not after feeling Andrew inside him. And he was sure the dildo wouldn’t satisfy him much after this either.
He felt the gentle pull and soft purring voice of his mother trying to wake him up, Ian roused a bit and looked up into Mara’s eyes feeling very much like he overslept on a school day. She smiled. “They’re here.”
Ian smiled and thought of the little girl from the movie Poltergeist. Yes, haunted is how he felt at the moment. Looking at his mother, he waited for her to say something. “Wake up, dear. Stephen said he wanted to speak to you after seeing Frank and talking to the doctors.”
“I won’t be able to tell him much more than the doctors. It’s a wait and see game till in the morning.”
“It’s after four in the morning. How much more morning does it need to be, Ian?
“I would say if he hasn’t died in twelve hours they will do the cath—so what is that—seven in the morning? Another three hours or so?”
“Good Lord! I hope they don’t put it to him that way.” Mara looked shocked by Ian’s bluntness.
“They won’t and I won’t, but that is the reality we are dealing with. It all hinges on Frank’s ability to stay alive.”
Andrew popped his head into the waiting room. “Ian? Stephen is asking for you to come in and hear what the doctors are telling him. He’s having a hard time following all the assorted issues.”
Ian looked at Andrew, then at his mother, and even considered saying no and walking out the doors of the hospital. But in the end, and in a flash of the moment, he was stuffing his feet back into the dress shoes he was going to throw out once home. Hugging his mother and following Andrew, why did he have a bad feeling for all this?
Ian and Andrew didn’t speak on the way back to the examining area. What was there to say? The less they interacted the better for right now. Ian smiled an ironic smile as he realized they were headed for the same room where he and Andrew almost—- but didn’t. The room felt even more cramped with Jessie, Stephen, the doctor and now Ian and Andrew.
“Okay I think I understand, but go over what’s going to happen so Ian can hear,” directed Stephen. Ian looked at his new brother-in-law and saw the usual calm, arrogant reserve gone. Stephen’s eyes were bloodshot and his nose was dripping. Damn, Ian may have to feel sorry for him after all.
The doctor carefully maneuvered through the words not saying anything about death and dying outwardly but even Stephen had to be reading through the lines on this one. Ian asked a question or two, making sure the doctor went over the extent of what could happen in the next few hours.
“I guess I am fuzzy on why you can’t just go in and fix what’s wrong. Why are we waiting?” demanded Stephen.
The doctor looked at Ian, who smiled and nodded. “Let the doctor go back and look over your dad, Stephen. I can go over what’s going to happen.” The young and handsome doctor looked relieved as he left the room and Ian sucked in some fresh air and once more tried to tell Stephen what was what without scaring him. But the look Stephen gave him was hard and Ian saw the cold come back to his blue eyes as Stephen faced Ian.
“So, what are YOU going to tell me?” it was a challenge as much as a question. Jessie put her hand on Stephen’s arm as her eyes implored Ian not to react.
“What is it you don’t understand first? Then we can go from there.”
“They are just sitting around doing nothing as far as I can see. Why are they waiting?”
Ian took a deep breath and tried to be calm and earnest. “Frank had a bad heart attack. Massive. He was revived in the lobby of the hotel but I’m told he crashed at least twice once he got here.”
“Crashed?”
Oh, for God’s sake.
“His heart stopped—he crashed—his heart was restarted and he managed to hold his own for a while. We were told about six hours ago that they were having trouble getting his vital signs stable. They cannot do anything until he has been stable for a set time period. They do not want to trigger another heart attack or a stroke.”
“He could still die,” was all Stephen could muster.
“Yes, Stephen, he could still die. Nothing is a certainty right now. All you can do is wait and hope and pray. For right now, it’s up to Frank’s body to decide.” Ian watched as Stephen clenched and unclenched his fists. But Ian quietly sat there waiting for another question or an explosion. He wasn’t sure which one was coming. “Have you seen Frank?”
Stephen nodded. “He was sleeping. But he looked awful. He didn’t look that bad at the wedding…”
“His body has gone through a terrible trauma, Stephen.” Ian tried to sound noncommittal. “And it has put further strain on his body’s resources. This has been building for a long time.”
Stephen stood there with his hands in his pockets and Ian said to Jessie, “Try and talk Mom and Dad into going back to the hotel.”
Stephen bristled and suddenly was angry. “Why? What’s your point here?”
“Try and think a moment, Stephen,” Ian almost snapped. “For God’s sake, Mom is in her late sixties and Dad is seventy-two. They’ve been through a strain here, too, with the wedding and waiting for you. They need their rest.” Ian was trying hard not punch the daylights out of Stephen.
Andrew stepped in and suggested Stephen go and see if Frank is awake. Andrew went with Stephen leaving Jessie with Ian.
Ian sighed. “Is he always this much of an ass or am I just the lucky one to set him off?”
“When we’re together and it’s just us, he’s a different person. For some reason you rub him the wrong way.” Jessie dropped to the little sofa beside Ian. “So this is serious?”
“I don’t think he’ll survive the surgery, which is another reason I think Mom and Dad shouldn’t be here for Stephen’s meltdown. In fact, I’m not either. When they take him to surgery, I’m going back to the hotel. You and Andrew can handle the wreckage.”
“You’re going to leave me here alone?” Jessie pouted.
“This is real-life marriage, sweetheart. And fortunately I’m not married to the ass. If Frank dies, Stephen’s going to blame me…I can feel his rising anger at me as we sit here. Better to be far away.” Ian stood and stretched, pointed to his parents and gave her a look. Jessie nodded and went over to talk to her parents.
Ian was able to herd his somewhat reluctant parents out of the hospital and back to their hotel room. They seemed to understand what was happening and while upset to leave Jessie there, what more could they really do? He stayed with them as they ordered breakfast from room service. They didn’t eat much but talked about who was leaving when.
They were scheduled to leave within a few hours, but Ian had already decided to hang around until things were settled with Frank. Ian had extended his room from the hospital even beyond the weekend he originally planned and Mara called down to the desk asking about extensions for them. That settled, Ian left his parents and ordered them to rest. Once in his own room, he collapsed on the bed and was almost asleep when his phone went off.
“This better be good,” Ian snarled into the phone without looking at the screen.
“My, aren’t we churlish?” asked a bemused Andrew.
Ian sighed and realized how glad he was to hear Andrew’s voice. “I’m even more aroused by the fact you know what churlish means.”
Andrew laughed his low and sexy laugh further making Ian ache for the young Marine, “I’m hoping this is a ‘missed me’ call and nothing has happened.”
“I miss you for sure but I wanted to let you know that the doctors will be doing the heart cath in an hour or so. Frank is more awake and aware since Stephen arrived.”
“Let me know what shakes down. Mom and Dad are resting so I’ll see about bringing them over later. How are you holding up?” Ian asked.
“Actually, I’m having a hard time with Stephen. I always knew there was some of Frank in him but this whole thing has managed to bring it out in him full force,” sighed Andrew. “I thought I knew him better.”
“He’s under a lot of stress right now.”
“He’s a fucking Marine, for God’s sake. We are trained to live with stress and stay calm.”
“And it’s his father. Even I can have sympathy for the ass. How’s Jessie?”
“She’s great. I love her even more seeing her maneuver through the minefields Stephen has put up around us all.”
Ian smiled. His sister was indeed a special person and he hoped love would win out but the “first husband” remark his mother made kept coming back into his head.
“I called the hotel and asked them to take my bags and stuff to your room. I hope I’m not overstepping?” There was a smile in his voice.
“What about Stephen?”
“He’s not moving in and they have an apartment here in town?”
“Jessie has a small house. They stayed at the hotel for the wedding,” offered Ian.
“And we are far enough away from your parents’ room?”
“Well, the door locks.” Andrew laughed. “When Frank comes out and if he—well, you know—I’ll want some sleep so I’ll be there at some point. I’m not wasting any more of my leave here. Not with you there.”
Ian felt a bit overwhelmed. This was moving fast and furious and where was this going to end up? For once in his life, Ian was ready to only focus on the here and now and enjoy whatever this thing happened to be—and maybe it wouldn’t end.
“I need to go. Wait for me?”
“As long as it takes,” and Ian hung up the phone before he said anything romantically stupid beyond that.
Jessie approached Andrew as he put away his phone. “Is everything okay back at the hotel?” She didn’t look pleased as Andrew was taken aback by the question and the attitude. Andrew decided to meet it head on—geez, this was getting strange.
“Your mom, dad, and brother all seem to be resting now.’
“You spoke to Mom?”
“No,” was the only answer Andrew gave her as he moved to go back to the waiting room.
“Are you sleeping with my brother?”
“Slept. Once. We haven’t had the opportunity for more but I intend to occupy space with him at some point again.” It was a flip answer but he was tired of both her and Stephen. It was good that Stephen had requested a reassignment. It would go into effect when he got back to duty from the honeymoon. Andrew was staying with the covert team and Stephen was slated for duty in Washington, DC.
“What is going on here?”
“Is it really any of your business? When this is over—if this is ever going to be over—there’ll be time for Ian and me to figure some things out. And given your connection I am sure he’ll disclose all, but for now, all I can tell you is I’ not sure.”
“It is my business where Ian is concerned.”
“But not where I’m concerned. You are the very new wife of someone I thought I knew well enough and that is all we have in way of a connection.” Again Andrew turned to leave but Jessie pulled on his arm. He gave her a look that made her remove her hand, and he went back into the waiting room.
Andrew plopped on the two-seater sofa, laid back his head, and closed his eyes in an attempt to clear his mind. He hadn’t had to deal with family since his mother and stepfather threw him out of the house. Stepfather told his mother Andrew had tried to molest him. In fact, Andrew had bloodied the older man’s nose to get him out of Andrew’s pants. He and his mother never reconciled before her death.
The Marines had been the only place to go, and it in the long run, had made him into the man he was today. He took no guff off anyone and fucked who he wanted. And he had proved to himself he was indeed every inch a real man. He had lived through Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and had even felt more comfortable under the more inclusive nature of the service. He still kept mostly to himself in terms of sexuality. While it may be more inclusive in theory, he still had to serve with a bunch of testosterone-driven colleagues.
Stephen had been the first and only person since he joined the Marines that he started thinking of as a friend. They had been through a few very hairy missions together and he had been there when Stephen met Jessie. And it was Jessie and Stephen’s reaction to Ian that had precipitated the conversation about his own sexuality.
The scene with Stephen started to play across the blackness of his closed eyes. It came unbidden and unwanted but there it was. Stephen had returned from a Thanksgiving from Hell apparently and he was all wound up about Jessie’s brother.
“It was supposed to be the time for both sides of the family to get to know each other, but her brother was such an asshole!”
“This is the brother Jessie seems to text every ten minutes?” The few times he had been around her it seemed she was always texting someone. Later he was told it was her brother.
“Yeah, they’re close. It’s like they have some connection. Their mother said they should have been twins. They just look at each other and laugh as if there is some secret message between them,” Stephen said as he paced their rooms they shared. “The little faggot kept going after Dad. It was tense most of the time there.”
“So, Frank didn’t know this guy was gay? And this guy just out of hand verbally attacked your dad?”
Stephen just looked at him and Andrew could see the anger rise. Andrew decided to just go back to reading the paper and ignore the whole situation. Stephen went ahead and slammed through the unpacking and making the general atmosphere unpleasant. Finally, he came back to Andrew. “You know how Dad is about them.”
“Yeah, I know, which is why I don’t think it was all one-sided.”
“But he wouldn’t let up.”
“The guy or Frank?”
“Okay, yeah, Dad was wrong, too, but Christ, couldn’t he have just walked away from the argument?”
“And Frank would let him?” Andrew was getting pissed over an incident he wasn’t even involved in but he knew Frank. Admittedly, Frank was fun to play with and wind up but Andrew also didn’t have to take anything off him. And true, as long as Frank thought he was straight as an arrow Andrew could get away with it all. But Stephen had to understand what an ass his dad was about everything.
“Why are you defending the little faggot?”
“Don’t use that language a
round me. You’re smarter than your dad.” Now Andrew was pissed. “Or at least I thought you were.”
“First Jessie, now you! For God’s sake, this douche of a brother was wrong, too.”
“You and Jessie went around about this?”
“When he packed and left after the Thanksgiving dinner she and I argued,” Stephen sat next to Andrew and he did look stricken. “She said if I couldn’t get along with her brother it was a deal breaker between us.”
“Wedding still on?”
“Yeah, I’m just pussy-whipped around her. I do love her and I want to be with her. Hell, I’m giving up the unit because I don’t want her getting a visit from the chaplain one day because an assignment gone wrong.”
Andrew nodded and it was that fact that had shown him how committed he was to this woman. He had seen a change in Stephen and it had been a good change, but Frank’s influence was apparently just as strong.
“I’m told he stays away from the hometown, and Jessie and he don’t live in the same town. And when we move to DC, she’ll work out of her firm’s Washington office. So, it’s not like he’ll be up my butt.”
Andrew let the obvious joke just lay there and smiled. “I’m going to go and fuck something. This conversation has me all worked up.” Andrew grabbed his coat and headed for the door.
“Yeah, Broad Street will be full of fuck hags this time of night.
Andrew was never really sure why he said the next thing.
“Hell no. I’m going to Gunther’s.” Which was the big notorious gay bar in town and known for the backrooms. The door slammed behind him and he knew there would be hell to pay when he returned.
He was roused out of memory by Stephen’s voice, “He’s out of surgery. They did a quintuple bypass. He’ll be sedated until late tomorrow. Doctor told me to go home and get some rest. They’ll call us when he wakes up.”
The knock on the door caused Ian to put down his book and crawl out of the massive bed to answer the door. Jessie had texted they were going home to rest so he was hoping the knock on the door was—
My Best Man Page 4