by Brynn Stein
“If you have another heart attack,” Daniel continued, “you won’t be able to give your own history or sign for medical treatment.”
Elliot shook his head and gave Daniel’s knee a squeeze. “The pacemaker is supposed to prevent that, isn’t it? It shocks my heart any time it gets out of rhythm. I shouldn’t have another heart attack.”
“Have you researched that?” Daniel finally laid a hand on Elliot’s where it still rested on Daniel’s knee. “Because I have, and pacemakers don’t prevent all heart attacks. It’s still very possible for you to have one, especially since the doctor thinks your arteries are in such bad shape that it’s only a matter of time before you need bypass surgery.” He paused. “Anyway, I think you should do the medical proxy thing, and probably should get a medic-alert bracelet too. To be on the safe side.”
Elliot patted Daniel’s hand with his other, then moved away a little more. “I wouldn’t begin to know how to do either of those things.”
“I’ve looked it up. I’ll tell you all about it on the way.”
Apparently Daniel declared the discussion over and himself the winner. He scooted to the edge of the sofa and smacked Elliot’s knee with the backs of his fingers. “Come on. We need to get going if I’m going to get this to Barrett in time.”
THEY DROVE to the art exhibit, and Elliot hopped out of the car as soon as it stopped, heading toward the building.
Daniel closed his door and called over the roof. “I was just going to drop this off and we’d get on the road. You don’t have to go in.”
“Oh no,” Elliot flung back over his shoulder. “I’ve got to see the real things now. I’m hooked.”
“You’re just looking for more reason to ridicule me. That’s what you’re doing.”
“Of course it is.” Elliot never slowed his progress toward the door.
Elliot was impressed with the paintings. They spent a few minutes talking to Barrett, then strode back out to the car. Once they were both belted in and Daniel had turned onto the main street, Elliot admitted it. “Those were actually really good. Much better than the snapshots of them.”
“Thanks.” Daniel nodded without taking his eyes off the road. “I don’t make money from these. Not sure what I’d get into with copyrights and such if I tried. But it’s fun and relaxing.”
“Hey.” Elliot thought of something and smacked Daniel’s leg to get his attention. “How about ‘The Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati’?”
“Not an alien. But hey, I can work with that for the next series, Monsters in Songs.”
Elliot nodded and said in a ‘see, I told you so’ voice, “Cockroach….”
“‘Monster Mash.’” Daniel spared a quick glance at Elliot.
“Too obvious.”
“Okay, then, how about ‘Werewolves of London’?”
“Better.” Elliot looked out the front window as they slowed to a stop at a traffic light.
“‘Thriller’?” Daniel had a huge smile as he looked at Elliot. He seemed to be having as much fun with this silly conversation as Elliot was.
“Uh, uh, uh.” Elliot waggled his finger at Daniel. “There’s a video of that.”
“Hey, it’s Michael. I’ll make an exception.”
Chapter 12
ELLIOT MADE numerous more day trips in the next several weeks, sometimes with Daniel or Sheri along, but more and more often alone. He ordered a medic-alert bracelet and went with the Quick Response model that linked to Internet access of all of his medical records. He also asked Sheri if she could be his medical proxy and took care of that paperwork. Lastly he checked in with the doctor one more time and made sure he thought it would be safe for Elliot to go to Pennsylvania.
In the meantime, Elliot had called various contractors in PA and had gotten some of the basic work started to make the house livable as soon as possible. Carpenters, electricians, and plumbers were already working on the house and should have been just about finished by the time Elliot arrived.
Sheri, Malcolm, and Daniel all tried countless more times to convince him not to go that far away. Quite vehemently on occasion. But after trying to explain numerous times to all concerned that it was something he felt he absolutely had to do, it was finally the evening before he planned to go.
“YOUR LAST night, huh?” Ben asks Elliot as they cuddle, naked, in front of the fire. No, the fireplace in the living room isn’t actually usable in the real world, but it’s Elliot’s dream and he wants a fire. “You’re going away tomorrow.” Ben seems to be trying to stay as cheerful as he can be, but he isn’t managing it very well. He won’t meet Elliot’s eyes. Instead he’s intent on watching his own hands run up and down Elliot’s chest.
“Not forever, Ben.” Elliot smooths Ben’s hair back out of his face, then caresses his cheek, watching the reflections from the fire dance in intricate patterns over Ben’s body.
“Make sure you take it easy.” Ben roams his hands down Elliot’s arms. “Don’t overdo it. Go to a doctor up there if you start having symptoms. Take your meds, wear your alert bracelet.” Ben’s voice is quiet and sincere, and Elliot hates worrying him like this.
“Yes, Mom.” Elliot steals a quick kiss as he tries to lighten the mood.
“And if you start feeling real bad, please come home.”
He’s obsessed with that. He’s said it before. Numerous times.
Elliot pulls him in close and whispers into his ear, “I will, Ben. I’m going to be okay.” He lets his hands wander over Ben’s back as if trying to memorize the landscape. “You all are treating me like I’ll die if I step out of South Carolina. Like I’m going to disappear at the border.” He hooks a finger under Ben’s chin and lifts his gaze until they’re looking directly into each other’s eyes. “I’ll be back.”
Ben kisses Elliot, then wiggles even closer and buries his nose in Elliot’s neck. “The last time… a lover told me that, he died on the battlefield.”
Elliot is poleaxed. Why had he never thought of that? Not once. He squeezes Ben closer, as if he can absorb him and take him with him. “Oh, Ben. I never thought of that. No wonder you don’t want me to go.” Ben cries in his arms. Elliot can feel him shaking. “I’m coming back. I am. It won’t be like with Patrick. The doctor said it should be safe. I’m not going to do anything I shouldn’t do. I’ll be back.”
Ben holds on to him as if he can physically keep Elliot here, by sheer force of will. “Why do you have to go?”
Elliot slowly turns onto his back, bringing Ben with him, not letting him go for a second. “I’m not sure I know myself, Ben. I feel like I need to go back and work on that house. It’s something I feel compelled to do. It’s important somehow. It’s like it’s calling to me. Like I left something there, and the only way to get it back is to… well… go back.”
“Okay.” Ben slides to the side a little so he can see Elliot. He trails a finger down Elliot’s cheek, continuing down his neck and slowly to his navel. “I think I might understand. And maybe it’ll even help. I just don’t like it.”
“Duly noted.” Elliot closes his eyes and just luxuriates in the feel of Ben’s caresses.
“Roll over,” Ben whispers, helping Elliot roll over onto his stomach, then straddles his behind. Suddenly warm lotion appears in his hand and he’s rubbing Elliot’s back in slow, smooth circles. Elliot has always thought Ben gives the best massages. He slowly melts into the carpet as Ben kneads muscles that are probably truly knotted in the waking world. Elliot finds himself wishing that these back rubs would translate to his actual, real-life muscles, but it feels good here. That’s enough for now.
Elliot understands that Ben’s not trying to be erotic, but he gets hard anyway. Before long he’s rutting against the rug. “Ben.”
Ben’s firm, massaging strokes slowly soften and become sensual. He moves lower and lower until he’s caressing Elliot’s glutes. He spreads the cheeks of Elliot’s ass and dips an oily finger into him. Then two. Elliot doesn’t really need stretching here, but the sensa
tions themselves feel good and Elliot wriggles around Ben’s fingers.
“I love you.” Ben whispers as he removes his fingers, and Elliot raises his butt, chasing after him as if, once gone, Ben will stay away forever. He needn’t worry, though, because Ben is right back with something even better.
He slides home, where he belongs, where Elliot wishes Ben could just stay. Ben starts to move slowly and reaches around between Elliot and the rug and lazily rubs what he finds there. His movements inside and outside match perfectly and Elliot rides the bliss Ben’s creating. It’s not frantic or aggressive. It’s probably the most loving sex Elliot’s ever had, and they both leisurely climax. Ben eases himself down until he’s draped over Elliot’s back, nuzzling his neck.
Elliot has never felt such utter contentment.
THE NEXT day, Elliot packed up the rest of his things, except for the laptop, and carried his duffle to the car. Sheri and Malcolm were there to see him off. Daniel had been by earlier, but Ben had not wanted him there, so he had gone again. Now all there was left to do was to say good-bye to Ben.
“Ben, you around?” It had become a running joke, but that morning there was no answer. “Really? You’re not talking to me?” There was a long pause, and Elliot started shifting his weight back and forth, looking around the foyer. Ben wouldn’t really be so upset that he couldn’t say good-bye, would he? “I’m—” He paused again and stared at the keys. “—I’m going to close the laptop, Ben. I’m taking it with me. Please say good-bye.”
Just when Elliot thought Ben was truly not going to say anything, and he reached toward the laptop, the keys moved.
NO.
“No what?” Elliot asked, stroking the screen. “No, don’t leave? No, you’re not talking to me? No, don’t take the computer? No, you’re not saying good-bye?”
Yes
Elliot smiled and smacked the top of the laptop. “You playing with me?”
Maybe
Elliot put his hands on his hips. “Ben, for these kinds of responses, we don’t need a laptop. All we need is a Ouija board.”
LOL
“That’s a little more like my Ben.” Elliot chuckled and flicked the corner of the screen. “Thank you for saying good-bye. I know you don’t want me to leave, but I will be back.” Elliot put a hand on either side of the computer screen, as if holding Ben’s face in his hand. “I will.”
A silence fell over them; then, finally, the keys clacked.
I love you. You know that, right?
Full sentences with no abbreviations. Elliot interpreted that as meaning this message was especially important to Ben. “I know. I love you too. Two weeks, then I’m coming back. I promise.”
A long pause, then I know you always try to.
Elliot shook his head, not exactly sure what Ben meant by that. “I’d kiss you good-bye if I could.”
:-*
“What’s that?”
A kiss.
“Where do you get all these?” Elliot chuckled and shook his head, still looking toward where Ben might be. “You know more about them than I do.”
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He finally recognized what Ben was creating. It was a full-page heart. “I love you too.” He chuckled. After a short silence, Elliot couldn’t justify staying any longer. “Bye, Ben.”
Bye.
Elliot closed the laptop and put it in the case, then went outside to where his friends were waiting to say their own good-byes. He hugged Sheri, shook hands with Malcolm, then put the laptop in the passenger’s seat, leapt into the car, and pulled out of the driveway before he could change his mind.
HE GOT to the private airport with no trouble and transferred his belongings. Not long after that, they were touching down at a small airport in Pennsylvania. He rented a truck, then went to the hotel he had booked. After luxuriating in the huge plantation house all this time, he was almost claustrophobic in the cramped hotel room. He had already planned on moving into Ben’s small house as soon as possible, but as he took in the worn carpet, thick, light-sucking drapes, and a comforter even uglier than the one he’d yet to replace, he knew he’d transfer his residence to the little house even if the contractors weren’t completely finished. The roofers had been working for a while and should be finished soon if they weren’t already. He’d buy a small bed and maybe a chest of drawers, pick up some groceries and supplies for the jobs he wanted to do himself, and that was really all he would need. He couldn’t wait to move in. In addition to not wanting to stay at the hotel longer than he needed to, he felt drawn to the little place. Even more so now that he was this close.
Once settled in the hotel, he couldn’t resist driving over to the house to have a quick peek at the contractors’ progress. Besides the roofers, he had hired people to fix the porch and front steps, as well as a plumber and an electrician. They were all nearing completion of the preliminary jobs he had approved sight unseen. In fact, a balding man in his fifties or sixties, whom Elliot assumed to be the plumber, was crouched down, tightening the outdoor hose hookup he had added.
The little cottage sat nestled in a small clearing that seemed to be magically protected from the encroaching scrub pines. He had hired a local guy recommended by the carpenter to mow the grass and would get around to having him plant flowers in the abandoned gardens on either side of the three steps. The poor house itself was run down and pleading for attention, but there was a welcoming vibe there. Elliot felt like the house itself was calling to him to come home, like it knew him and missed him and wanted him to visit.
Elliot was still in silent awe, standing at the base of the newly repaired stairs, when the plumber walked up and stuck out his hand. “Mr. Graham, nice to meet you in person, sir. I’m Clint Wilmington, plumber.”
Elliot didn’t bother to tell him that he had figured that out already from the pipe wrench hanging from his belt and the plumber’s crack he had flashed Elliot just a moment ago while he was tightening the outdoor pipe.
“The bathroom pipes are repaired and the ones leading up to the floor of the kitchen are fine.” The plumber shifted from foot to foot as he filled Elliot in on the progress. “The pipes to the sink itself need work. I thought I’d wait till you got here to ask what your plans are for remodeling.” Clint punctuated each word with wild gesticulations. “If you’re going to keep the small sink, I’ll go ahead and put back exactly what’s there, but if you were going to enlarge the sink/counter area, or put in a dishwasher, it would be more efficient to run the pipes differently.”
Elliot hadn’t given it much thought. The house was small to begin with, so it didn’t have nearly the historic air about it that the plantation house had. And over the years, new families had remodeled it and added onto it until it really didn’t look exactly like the house Ben grew up in—didn’t look the way Elliot imagined it wou
ld have looked back then at least.
“Yeah, I’ll probably go with a dishwasher.” He thought his modern ghost would like that, not that he was going to explain that to the plumber.
Clint perked up and started dancing around like he had to pee. “Okay, I’ll get started on the new fixtures tomorrow.” Elliot thought he looked like a kid on Christmas. Of course, for the prices he was charging, it probably really did feel like Christmas, getting word that there would be even more work to do. “If you want new bathroom fixtures, we can put them in anytime; the pipes are the same either way.”
“Yeah, I’ll want to update everything.” Elliot found that he was subconsciously holding himself extremely still, maybe to compensate for Clint’s incessant motion. “I planned to go into town and see what I could find there. Keep the money local.”
The plumber looked genuinely pleased. “Thank you, Mr. Graham. That sure would help our little economy.”
Elliot just smiled and shook the man’s hand when he stuck it out again.
The plumber made his way to his truck, and Elliot continued toward his original destination, the inside of the house. As he stood in the front doorway, his fertile imagination conjured up a scene of how it might have been all those years ago.
Ben is standing in the doorway to the kitchen. “About time you got here. We still going fishing?”
Mrs. Myers comes out and hands Ben two pails that somehow Elliot knows contain their lunch for the day. “Be careful, you two. The river is up with all the rain we had. Old man Miller lost a dog in that river the other day. Poor thing got too close, fell in, and was swept away before Mr. Miller knew what was happening.”