by Smith,T. M.
“You know this is just the tip of the iceberg, right?” William took a sip from his steaming mug of coffee, watching Beau work that out and shoot him a questioning look.
“We have to tell my parents and Dusty, speaking of, what are your plans for our living arrangements?” William watched as the questioning look morphed into one of confusion. He laughed. “I know it seems fast, but we’ve been dancing around each other for months. So, I know what I want to do, the question is what do you want to do?”
“About…what, Cher?” Beau leaned back on the couch, stretching out and laying his legs in William’s lap.
“About our living arrangements babe, do you want me to stay here sometimes then go back to Dusty’s place? Or what, how do you want to handle that?” William already knew what he wanted to do, as far as he was concerned he only needed to have a conversation with Dusty, pack his bags and claim a permanent spot on Beau’s big, comfy couch. Unfortunately, a relationship consisted of two people, with two opinions, so he needed to allow Beau a choice in the matter as well.
Beau didn’t answer him; he simply swung his long legs down and stood, walking over to his pants that were still in a pile of clothes next to the front door where they’d landed the night before in his rush to get naked and buried inside William’s welcoming body. Rummaging through the pockets, he pulled out a key ring, turning and walking back over to the couch. Pulling a lone key off he tossed it at William then tossed the key ring onto the coffee table.
“What’s this?” William was pretty sure he knew what he held, but he needed Beau to say the words.
“It’s your key to the apartment, Cher, our apartment.” And that was the extent of their conversation about living arrangements.
William grinned, sitting his mug down on the coffee table before crawling over and lying across Beau’s long body. “And you’re okay with all this? I mean, you’ve kept your status to yourself for so long.”
Beau wrapped both arms around him, staring up at William intently. “I don’t want to take out a billboard or stamp it on my forehead Cher, but I tink the people dat are important to you have a right to know.”
Their day was spent lazing on the couch, talking, watching TV and making out like teenagers. When it came time for Beau to head downstairs to open the bar, William got dressed and headed over to the apartment he shared with Dusty. Again, the conversation was painless and welcomed. Dusty had a few questions about the HIV issues, as everyone probably would, but for the most part he was cool with everything.
“This is great news Will. You’ve been after him for a while now, I’m happy that you’re happy, and don’t let anybody tell you it’s too soon or you’re moving too fast. Fuck that shit, life is too short. You do what makes you happy, okay?” Dusty pulled him down into a tight hug then helped him pack up some clothes, books and other small items he wanted to take over to Beau’s.
“Beau and I will come back this weekend with both trucks to pack up the rest.” They each grabbed a bag and carried them out into the living room.
“Want a beer before you head out?” Dusty asked. William nodded, following him into the tiny kitchen.
“So, is David living here with you full-time now?”
“Yeah, he is. That’s part of the reason I’m good with you moving out, we’ve been talking about moving to a smaller apartment once the lease here was up. I was going to talk to you about that the next time I saw you. Guess that’s pointless now.” They both chuckled.
His friendship with Dusty was solid, and it seemed like Dusty and David were solid, so William took a chance and asked the question he’d wanted an answer to for the past year. “Why won’t you introduce him to Kory, Dusty? He’s your best friend. You are obviously in love with David, so, what’s the problem?”
Dusty stared down at the bottle in his hand, picking at the label. “Dusty?”
He looked up and William could tell his friend was struggling with what to say. The question was, why?
“If I tell you, you have to promise me you won’t say anything, to anyone. David is still very fragile, one wrong word could send him spiraling again and I can’t let that happen.” Dusty trembled, which worried William.
“Not one word D, but you’re scaring me.”
“David’s last name is Thompson,” was all Dusty said.
William’s brow furrowed, was he supposed to know… wait… “Thompson as in Dale Thompson. The guy that fucking shot Jon and murdered Gio? That Thompson?”
Dusty nodded. “Oh my fucking god, Dusty, was Dale Thompson David’s brother?!”
Dusty nodded again. “Jesus, no wonder you won’t tell Kory. He’s going to be livid Dusty, livid.”
“I know Will, just, please don’t say anything. What no one seems to consider is the fact that David was damn near beat to death, by his own fucking brother, simply because he was gay. He was just as much a victim that night as Jon and Gio.” Dusty drained his beer, opening the pantry door and tossing it into the recycle bin with enough force to break. He jerked the fridge open and pulled out another beer, twisting the cap and throwing it into the pantry, hard.
“He was in a coma for months Will, months. He still has nightmares about it, wakes up in the middle of the night screaming. Oh, and his eye, he lost the sight in his left eye when that piece of shit brother of his caved in his eye socket with his fist.”
Tears were streaming down Dusty’s face and he was pacing in the tiny kitchen, getting more and more worked up with every word he said. William grabbed him by the arms, holding him still. “Hey, Dusty, I won’t say anything okay, I promise. But sooner, rather than later, you’re going to have to tell everyone who he is. You can’t keep secrets of this magnitude for long; they only come back to bite you in the ass.”
“No, you’re right, I know I have to and I will. No we will, David and I, I’m just waiting for him to be in a place where Kory’s anger won’t affect him.”
William pulled Dusty into a hug, the two of them still holding onto each other tight for a few minutes before they each grabbed a couple of bags and left the apartment, heading toward the elevator. David was walking into the lobby of the building right as William and Dusty were stepping off the elevator. David and Dusty stood out on the sidewalk with William’s bags while he pulled his truck around. The bags were tossed into the bed of the truck, William turning and giving each of them a hug before he drove off.
Arriving back at the building that housed BB’s bar and Beau’s apartment…no, wait…their apartment; William went straight up the back stairs to the apartment, using his key to let himself in. Beau would be downstairs for a few more hours at least, so William had the time he needed to unpack what he’d brought. Having never lived with anyone as boyfriend, only ever having roommates, William sort of expected the same issues as he’d seen in the movies, or heard his friends bitching about; space.
Opening Beau’s closet though, he saw that the right side was completely empty, all Beau’s things hung on the left. On the floor, shoes and some boxes were all stacked to the left leaving the right side empty. Backing out of the closet and taking the few steps to the dresser, William found the same thing, the four drawers on the left held underwear, socks, T-shirts, shorts and the like. The drawers on the right were all empty, aside from a single sheet of paper. William shook his head and sighed. “You jackass.” He muttered, unfolding the piece of paper.
I bet you cussing me right now, ain’t ya. Know that I’m laughing inside. Roni is downstairs watching the bar long enough for me to make room for you, Cher. William couldn’t help but smile. Moving over to the right side of the bed, he opened the small drawer and saw it too was empty. Laughing out loud, he read the last few lines of Beau’s note. Yep, dat one is yours too, now come downstairs and gimmie a kiss.
Locking up and taking the stairs down two at a time, William came into the bar from the back through the entrance at the bottom of the stairs that came out next to Beau’s office, using his key he unlocked the back door, closing a
nd locking it back once he was inside the bar. Obscured from view where he stood in the hallway, he watched Beau interact with the customers. He was a gorgeous man and he belonged to William. Someone must have said something funny because Beau guffawed, his laughter deep and tantalizing and his smile wide and bright. And then, as if he sensed William’s presence, he turned his way and looked directly at him, his smile softened and he motioned William over with his hand.
As soon as William was within arm’s reach, Beau pulled him in for a kiss. “How did tings go wit Dusty?”
“Good, we talked for a little while and I brought most of my clothes, some electronics and few other things back. I got your letter.” William pulled the piece of paper out of his back pocket, smacking Beau on the arm with it.
“We go see the doctor in the morning, then head out to Victor’s tomorrow night.” William reminded him.
“You tink dat gonna go okay?” Beau asked.
William nodded, “Yeah, I’m sure it will. Everyone we’ve told so far has had questions but been okay with it, I don’t see why any one of them would be upset, aside from me having to bail on them without notice.”
Chapter 18 | The Clinical Side of Love
The walls in Dr. Carter’s office were full of pictures, degrees and awards. Most of the pictures were of the same group of four guys. Hawaii, Mexico and Ireland were only a few of the places Beau’s doctor and his three friends had visited over the years. A handful of the frames held various images of the doctor and the same guy, both of them looked to be in their thirties. William assumed this was the good doctor’s boyfriend as they were kissing in a couple of the pictures. The door opened and the man from the pictures walked in, much taller than William had imagined from the pictures, he was the same height as Beau.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Beau, how are you?” the good doctor asked.
“Still on dis side a the grass Doc, you?”
“Good, good. Ah, and you must be William; it’s so good to meet you finally.” The good doctor held his hand out to William. His grip was strong, his eyes genuine.
“Nice to meet you too, Doctor Chase.”
“Call me Adam; or Doc like Beau does. So, you are here today to start PrEP, or anti-viral therapy, right?” William nodded. He watched the doctor rearrange a couple things on his desk, obviously looking for something. He was a very good looking man, in a clinical sort of way, much older than he was in the pictures with his boyfriend. Tall with sandy blonde hair that was cut neat and bright, blue eyes; William thought he was actually somewhat attractive for an older guy.
“Ah, here we go.” Adam pulled a folder out from under several others, opening it up and pulling out a packet of papers, passing them over to William.
“That is your bible going forward William, everything you need to know about being intimately involved with someone that is positive. I’m confident Beau has already at least glossed over the majority of the information, but just to set my mind at ease, we are going to go over it all again today.” William nodded absent mindedly while flipping through the sheets in the packet.
“Good. Now, before we start, do you have any specific questions for me that I might address?”
“No, not really…well, actually yes. What kind of doctor are you? And why did you choose this type of medicine?” While William was pretty sure Beau wouldn’t continue to see a doc in the box, or a doctor that was only in his field for the money, he wanted to hear why the doctor chose to work with HIV and AIDS patients from the man himself.
“That is a very good question William. I think in my twenty-five years in medicine only a handful of people have asked me that. Aside from my medical degree I’m an Immunologist that specializes in Infectious Disease.” Adam leaned forward and picked up a small frame that sat on the corner of his desk. When he turned it around, William saw Adam with the same guy that was in many of the pictures on his wall. “He was my husband, Patrick, he was HIV positive when we met in college. Thirty years ago medicine was nowhere near where it is today.”
William watched the smile on the doctor’s face slowly fade the longer he stared down at the picture. Several minutes passed in silence before Adam sat the frame back in its original spot, looking up to face him again. “He died not long after I graduated from medical school. We were married in the hospital a few weeks before he passed by a friend of ours that got a license online, probably wasn’t even legal but we didn’t care. I vowed to him at his funeral that I would do everything in my power to help other people living through what we lived through.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”
Adam shook his head, waving a hand in the air. “No, you’re fine. He’s the reason I’m sitting here with you two today, so why not talk about him? Much like Beau and Izaiah, in a way, when we talk about them, remember them, we remember why we fight as hard as we do, right Beau?” William’s lover smiled, nodding his head.
“Anyway, sadly I’m on a time crunch today, so let’s get down to business. The medicine that I am going to prescribe to you today is Truvada. It is commonly referred to as PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis. It’s also the same medication that Beau takes for his HIV. Now, this does not in any way prevent the spread of the disease. You two must always, I cannot stress that word enough, always practice safe sex.” The way Adam looked at him reminded William of the look his father gave him the night of senior prom after quietly slipping him a couple of condoms and whispering into his ear, so his mother and date wouldn’t hear. If you just can’t help yourself make sure to wrap it and make sure to park somewhere that you won’t get arrested.
Shaking that thought off, William told him, “Yeah, Beau and I have already talked about precautions and what we can and can’t do without a condom. We are also seeing our friend Tristan for couples counseling as far as all the HIV awareness stuff goes and any issues we may face because of that.”
“That’s fantastic. I expected as much though, Beau is very proactive and probably one of the most diligent positive patients I have.” Adam smiled again, the sadness from moments before gone for the time being. William wondered if he had anyone new in his life. It was highly doubtful with an office that looked like a shrine to his husband Patrick. William did a mental calculation of older gay men he knew. Beau and Victor, well, that list was short, and both men were taken; so much for that idea.
“Do you need a new script as well, Beau?” Adam asked.
“I just filled my last one, so yeah, give us both one den.”
Adam continued to talk and ask questions as he wrote out the prescriptions. “In that packet is a list of Dos and Don’ts while you’re on the medication William, side effects and contraindications. I already read through your medical records you brought with you and you’re in perfect health so, aside from some normal side effects until your body regulates the dosing, you should be fine.” Adam held the prescriptions out and Beau grabbed them.
“I’ve also written you a prescription for Phenergan as the most common side effects are nausea, dizziness, vomiting and diarrhea.” Adam chuckled when William frowned. “Beau is very familiar, I’m certain you are in capable hands with him. But just to be safe, fill both prescriptions. There is also a discount card in that packet in case your prescription coverage doesn’t cover the medication.”
William flipped through to page with the drug name printed at the top in bold letters, skimming the words.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is a way for people who do not have HIV but who are at substantial risk of getting it to prevent HIV infection by taking a pill every day. The pill (brand name Truvada) contains two medicines (tenofovir and emtricitabine) that are used in combination with other medicines to treat HIV. For the positive partner, the Anti-Virials help keep the T cell count up, the viral load undetectable. An undetectable Viral Load greatly reduces the spread of the virus but does not completely stop the transmission. However, both the positive and the negative partner have to remember that even though you are on PrEP,
you still need to use a condom and practice safe sex. PrEP helps to prevent HIV infection due to less virus in case of accidental exposure.
Either partner can have side effects from the medications. Less serious side effects may include,
mild diarrhea. mild nausea or stomach pain; headache, dizziness, depressed mood; strange dreams; mild itching or skin rash; or changes in the shape or location of body fat (especially in your arms, legs, face, neck, breasts, and waist).
Already overwhelmed and a bit freaked out William closed the packet, tuning back in to the conversation Beau and Adam were having. “That’s so great Beau, I’m glad that you were finally able to recognize how much he meant to you and that you were able to be honest about things. That goes for you too William, not many men would enter into a relationship with someone that is positive. It does my heart good to know that you have finally opened yourself up to love again, Beau.”