“Jeordi,” his brother said, trailing along after him.
“Not now,” he said. Then, “Babe?”
Instantly Tom’s head rose and whipped around toward him.
“Jeordi? Oh, thank God,” Tom said, jumping to his feet. “Are you okay?”
“No. I’m a mess, actually,” he said, grabbing on to a pillar. “But I heard something happening, and the nurse told me my family had been involved in the commotion. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out. I’ve been asking them about you ever since I got here, telling everyone to call you. I couldn’t figure out why you weren’t here.”
“I’ve been here. I couldn’t…. They wouldn’t—” Tom started to say, cutting himself off in midsentence. “I’m here now, babe. I want to hug you, but I don’t know if I should. You’re a mess. What are you doing out here? You need to be in there so they can fix you up.”
“Help me?” Jeordi said.
“Of course. How?” Tom asked.
Once they had it arranged, they carefully took each step until they were back inside. Tom tried to move him along, but Jeordi insisted they stop at the front desk. The woman behind the counter looked up as they approached.
“Do you see this man?” he asked her sharply.
“Yes, sir,” she answered.
“Good. He’s my family. He’s my only family. He’s the one I want with me. He’s the one that gets to make decisions about me if I can’t make them myself.”
“Does he hold your durable power of attorney?” she asked.
“What’s that?” Jeordi said, never having heard the term before.
“You’ll need to see a lawyer to get that paperwork prepared. We cannot have nonrelated individuals making any decisions without the appropriate authorized paperwork in hand.”
“Fine. When I save the money, I’ll see a lawyer and get the paperwork. If he was a woman, would you be telling me the same things?” he asked sharply.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“I mean, if we were a male-female couple.”
“Of course not. Those are real couples.”
“We are a real couple,” Jeordi started to lecture, but they were interrupted by a man that neither of them recognized.
“Excuse me,” he said, addressing the woman behind the counter, “but you are incorrect. The president issued an order back in 2010 to ensure that same-sex couples had full visitation rights in hospital settings.”
“He says lots of stuff. We’re a small country hospital. We have our own way of doing business.”
“Thank you,” Tom said to the stranger, “but I need to get some help for Jeordi.” Turning to Jeordi, he said, “Let’s get you back to your room and fixed up so we can get out of here.”
They turned to leave, but the woman behind the counter felt compelled to have the last word.
“I’ll pray for you and your sinful souls.”
Jeordi stopped in midstep, but Tom urged him on.
“Never mind the bigots, babe. Let’s get you fixed up and then get out of here and go home.”
“You’ll do no such thing,” Jeordi’s father announced. “He’s going home with us, where he belongs, where we can take care of him. We’re his family. We’ve had enough of this horseshit.”
Both Tom and Jeordi were startled, not realizing anyone else was that close to them.
“No,” Jeordi announced to anyone who cared to listen. “I have a home. I have a boyfriend. I’m going home to that place with this man when this horrible nightmare is over.”
Despite a lot of sputtering and muttering and complaining all around them, Tom urged him onward once again, gently but forcefully.
“You gonna make it?” Tom whispered to him.
“Now that you’re here, I will,” he said softly, giving Tom a quick smile.
Tom grabbed a nurse and instructed her, “Help me get him back to his room. Can you tell me what’s happening and what needs to happen next?”
Together they got Jeordi settled on his back before summoning the doctor. By the time he arrived, she had a fresh set of sterile cloths draped over him and had a fresh tray of instruments prepared.
When the doctor did something that caused Jeordi to wince, Tom immediately spoke sharply at him. “Hey! Be careful. How would you feel if that was your husband or wife lying there?” He wasn’t sure if there was some homophobia at play, but regardless he wanted to nip it in the bud immediately either way.
“Sorry,” the doctor told him. “Okay, Mr. Boone, you’ll feel a sharp pinch for a second. I’m injecting a local anesthetic so that you don’t feel me working. Let me know if it feels uncomfortable for more than a moment or two, okay?”
“Okay.”
Tom watched Jeordi’s face and detected no signs of sudden pain.
“Okay, the anesthetic is all on board. I’ll wait just a moment for it to fully take effect.”
“While we’re waiting for that, do you have anything for a headache?”
“Yes. Let me take a look at the last scans to see if they show anything unusual.”
Tom watched him pull up a series of images on a nearby computer monitor and study them intently for a moment.
“They are unremarkable, so I think we can give you something.” Turning to the nurse, he ordered, “Let’s give him fifty milligrams of tramadol and see if that takes care of it.”
“Right away, Doctor,” she said, then retrieved and administered the medication.
“Wow,” Jeordi commented. “That stuff works fast.”
“Your headache easing a bit?” the doctor asked.
“Yes, it is. Wow, that feels so much better. Thank you. The headache was the worst part.” Jeordi audibly exhaled in relief.
For the next forty minutes, the doctor worked on the many scrapes and cuts that covered the front of Jeordi’s body. Jeordi was quiet, and at one point Tom even thought he had fallen asleep. When the doctor finished and the nurse cleared away the sterile cloth, he handed Jeordi two prescriptions and a sheet of printed instructions.
“Let’s get you up, big guy,” Tom told Jeordi, helping him to his feet. “Where are his clothes?” Tom asked the nurse.
“They were all torn up by the accident. Let me get some scrubs for him to wear home.”
A moment later she was back with the promised clothes, and Tom helped Jeordi get dressed. The usual activity gave him lots of trouble that day, despite the fact that he’d done the same thing thousands of times before. The stitches and dressings made movement difficult, at least as far as bending and stretching to pull on clothes.
Leaning heavily on Tom, Jeordi walked out of the room and toward the desk.
“Hi, we’re leaving,” Tom said decisively to the previously difficult person. “Do you need anything else from us?”
“How would you like to settle your bill?” she asked, retrieving a copy of Jeordi’s statement from the printer beside her desk.
Both men leaned over to look, their eyes going wide with shock at the number that greeted them.
“Holy crap,” Tom said first.
“Do you have insurance?” the woman asked.
“No,” Jeordi answered.
“I need to get him home and off his feet. Can I deal with this another time?”
“Give me your address so we can bill you,” she said with no emotion over the clear anxiety this bill was causing them.
“I’ll take care of the bill,” Jeordi’s father said.
“No,” Jeordi said sharply. “I don’t want your money. I’ll deal with it myself.”
“Just how the hell are you going to do that?” his father demanded.
“I don’t know, but I will not owe you folks a penny. I don’t want your help because I know how many strings come attached to any offer of help.”
“Stop being so goddamned stubborn,” his father ordered, tossing his credit card down on the counter.
Jeordi reached out to grab the card back, but the woman behind the counter was faster,
swiping the card through a reader and producing a sales slip for signature. Jeordi used the opportunity while his father was distracted to start walking away, with Tom holding tightly to his side.
It was only when they got outside that they confronted the next issue. How the hell were they going to get home? They didn’t own a car, and they didn’t have the money to take a cab. Jeordi’s family was not giving up, though.
“Baby, we’ll drive you home,” his mother said, appearing by his side.
“No, thank you,” he said without looking. “I told you before, I’m not going to your home. I’m going to our home.”
“Stop being so damned stubborn,” she ordered. “We will drive you.”
“No, thank you. I know how you work. You’ll get us in the car and then do what you want and to hell with what I already told you.”
His mother sighed in exasperation, although it was unclear whether she was frustrated with arguing with her son or that he was that much onto her style and techniques.
Jeordi’s brother stepped up next. “Come on. I’ll give you a ride,” Jerry told them.
“Where?” Jeordi asked.
“To your place. That’s where you live. Don’t worry. I don’t play Mom’s games.”
“Good. No one is as good at them as she is,” Jeordi said.
“Stay here. I’ll go get my truck and come pick you up.”
“We’ll be waiting here,” Tom answered for him.
Unfortunately, though, not fifteen seconds after Jeordi’s brother went off to get his truck, Jeordi’s mother descended upon them again.
“What in the name of all that is holy are you doing?” she demanded angrily.
“What?” Jeordi asked, not understanding what she meant.
“Get your hand out of that other man’s hand. Men do not hold hands, especially not out in public where anyone could see you.”
“Get over it,” her son told her, holding fast to his boyfriend’s hand.
Not satisfied with their lack of activity, though, she put a hand on her son’s arm and Tom’s arm and tried to separate them.
“Get your hands off me,” Tom ordered loudly, the first time anyone of Jeordi’s family had ever heard him raise his voice and speak sharply to anyone.
“Sandra.” Her husband tried to distract her.
“What?” she demanded.
“Leave the boy alone,” he said simply.
“Not until he stops acting like such a blooming idiot and takes into consideration someone else’s feelings than his own,” she angrily told him. “I didn’t raise my son to be so ignorant of other people’s feelings.”
Jeordi ignored her, which became easier about thirty seconds later when his brother drove up and Tom helped Jeordi into the truck, then slid in after him.
“You take him home,” his mother yelled, but Jeordi’s brother waved a hand dismissively at her as Tom pulled the passenger side door closed.
Chapter Four
TWENTY MINUTES after leaving the hospital parking lot, Tom helped Jeordi up the three steps into their living room. At Jeordi’s encouragement, his brother didn’t come in but went on to his own home.
Jeordi moaned as Tom helped him to sit back on the sofa.
“Lock the door,” Jeordi ordered while Tom took off his coat.
“Why?” he asked.
“Just do it, please,” Jeordi said.
“All right,” he said, doing as Jeordi asked. “All done.”
“Good. Thank you.”
“You hungry?” Tom asked.
“Yes, I am, but I don’t know why. All I’ve done is lie around all day.”
“Don’t forget the body surfing on the asphalt part.”
“Trust me,” Jeordi said. “I’m not going to be able to forget that anytime soon.”
When the food was ready, Tom brought it to Jeordi where he sat on the sofa, then sat down beside him. They rested their heads against one another. Tom sighed.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Tom said.
“I’m not sure I would use the word ‘okay’ to describe my condition right now,” Jeordi said with a chuckle between bites of the pasta. When they had finished eating, Jeordi continued. “Um, babe, I’m worried.”
“What about?” Tom asked.
“Money. I’m pretty messed up, and I don’t think I’m gonna be able to get myself to work tomorrow. And I obviously didn’t make it today. If my boss didn’t fire my ass for not showing up, he’s gonna be mighty pissed at having me out for two days in a row. And then of course there’s the problem that I don’t get paid when I don’t work. But the bills keep coming in. The rent’s got to be paid. There’s an electric bill sittin’ there on the table.”
Tom sighed in understanding. “I know.” He sat quietly for a moment. “I’ll ask tomorrow if I can take some extra shifts at work.”
“You know they won’t do that,” Jeordi said. “It’s the same with me. If we work too many hours, we have to have benefits or overtime, or something else they don’t want to pay.”
“Until you’re back on your feet, maybe I can find a second job.”
“Babe, no,” Jeordi pleaded. “You’d wear yourself out, and that’s no good. I’ll get back to work as quick as I can.”
“You haven’t seen how you look yet, J. Trust me. You need more than a day. I’ve seen how torn up you got. You’ve got a whole lot of stitches, and those all need some time to heal. If you try going back to work too quick, you’ll rip everything open and only make it all worse. You need time to heal. Let me think a bit and see what I can come up with.”
“We’re not taking money from my parents,” Jeordi said.
“Hell no,” Tom said in complete agreement.
Jeordi nodded but stayed silent.
For twenty minutes they were both quiet, Jeordi watching something mindless on TV. Tom sat beside him, but his mind was clearly not on the television.
Jeordi clicked off the television and turned to Tom. “What are you thinking?”
“What do you mean?” Tom asked, caught off guard.
“Come on, babe. Talk to me. I know you. I can see you’ve got something on your mind. Talk to me.”
Tom hesitated for a moment.
“That good, huh?” Jeordi said.
Tom sighed and leaned back, his gaze on the wall across the room. “I’ve been thinking,” he said.
When he didn’t go on, Jeordi said, “’Bout what?”
“Ways to make some money.”
“And you’ve got something that’s gonna upset either you or me?”
“Damn, babe, you’re good.”
“So spit it out. What’s your idea?”
“I…. This is not ideal… but… I could… maybe… you’ve said I have a good body… maybe I could make some money using it.”
“How?” Jeordi said tightly.
“You remember last month when… that guy… asked me to… pose for him so he could take some pictures of me?”
“Nude pictures,” Jeordi shot back.
“Yes,” Tom said simply. “Remember he offered to pay me a hundred dollars to pose. We need the money. It would make some money for us.”
“No,” Jeordi said.
“You got any other ideas?” Tom said.
Jeordi was quiet before he said, “No. But I can’t stomach the thought of you… degrading yourself in that way. I hate that. I can’t handle that.”
“Jeordi, we’re two guys in rural Kentucky. We’ve got our high school diplomas, but we don’t have that many doors open to us. You know as well as I do that what I’m talking about is something I can do without some advanced degree.”
“The idea of some other guy or guys looking at you naked, is… it’s not something I can stomach.” He was quiet for a moment. “Would you mind if I lie down for a little while?”
“Of course,” Tom said quickly. “Let me help you up. In bed, I assume?”
“Yeah, I want to lie down there.”
Together they made their
way into their bedroom and the bed they’d shared for several months now, the same bed that had his parents so much in an uproar. Very gently, Tom got Jeordi down onto the bed and covered him with a blanket.
“Lie with me, babe?” he asked. “Just for a few minutes?” He carefully rolled onto his side so Tom could get behind him.
“Of course. I never turn down the opportunity to hold you and touch your body.”
“You may not think that way after what I did to myself today.”
“Hey,” Tom said. “You didn’t do anything. The fault is with that car that hit you. You are not to blame unless you did something I wasn’t aware of.”
“What happened to the car that hit me? Did the person stick around?”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t at the scene of the accident, and by the time I got to the hospital, the police, if they had been there, were long gone. Maybe someone in your family got the information. We can find out.”
“I hate this,” Jeordi said. “Can we just not talk about this for a while?”
“Absolutely,” Tom said.
“Oh, fuck,” Jeordi said suddenly. “My bike. Crap. That’s more money. Fuck.”
Tom stroked his arm and said, “Shhh. We’ll worry about that tomorrow, babe. Focus on the here and now. Just you and me. Together. No one else. The world is out there. In here, it’s just you and me.”
As much as his injuries allowed, Jeordi pushed back against Tom in an effort to draw him closer. All was quiet, and then Jeordi slept.
Chapter Five
THE SOUND of raindrops hitting the roof of their trailer was the first thing Jeordi heard when he woke up. While he’d slept the rain had changed once again from drizzle to a flat-out downpour. The sound of drops hitting the windows in their bedroom told him the wind had picked up along with the rain.
A More Perfect Union Page 11