Alaska, With Love

by Sandrine Gasq-Dion

  “ Were you in that line?” Cormick laughed softly. He liked his sessions with Mark Patterson, he was sweet. He genuinely wished he could heal him somehow, in time for him to get to Josh, but Mark was on his own schedule.

  Mark needed to healhimselffirst.

  “ Why yes, as a matter of fact I was. I took them out like a professional linebacker. Those women can’t give him what I can.”

  “ Do I even want to know?” Cormick covered his face with his notepad to cover the blush in his cheeks, and to hide his smile.

  “Probably not, but it would make forgreatdaytime TV.”

  Mark waggled his eyebrows.

  “You’re one special man, Mark.”

  “Like special as in, I need a helmet and medication?” Mark cracked up.

  “Okay, not familiar with the helmet.” Cormick smiled. “Medication, maybe.”

  “I don’t want the drugs.” Mark shook his head. “But I’ll take the helmet.”

  “I don’t think there’s a prescription for helmets.” “Could you imagine the pharmacists face if there was?” Mark giggled.

  “Do you still want to try hypnosis?”

  Mark sat back uneasily. “I’m not sure, what if you try shit while I’m under?” Mark grinned mischievously. “ I assure you, I am the epitome of professionalism.” Cormick read Mark’s face easily. “I’ll bring you out as soon as I see it becoming too much. I promise Mark.”

  Mark thought about it. Really, what did he have to lose at this point? “Alright.” ~~

  Josh.”“

  Josh was pulled out of his daydream by Wayne’s old west drawl. He was standing with a bear trap in his hands, frowning. “Huh?”

  “Ya wanna keep yer fingers?”

  “ Oh! Shit, yeah.” Josh dropped the trap in the basket in the back of the four wheeler. This was the fourth trap they’d found this morning alone. They’d also found a few where the wolves were known to hunt.

  “What the hell is on your mind, son?” Wayne ran his arm across his forehead, wiping the sweat off. Josh looked Wayne Maccon over; he was a man’s man. Josh didn’t know if he felt comfortable telling him about Mark. “I don’t know if you can relate, Wayne.”

  Chicks or dicks?”“

  “What?” Josh almost fell over on his ass in surprise. Did he really just hear that question? “ Well, the way I see it, confusion such as yours only comes from pussy or dick. So which one is it, Montgomery? I’m leaning towards the dick, since I’ve never known you to have a lack of pussy.” Wayne grinned over his shoulder as he ambled towards the four wheeler.

  “It’s the latter.” Josh blurted out before he could stop himself. “ Well, no wonder you got your boxers in a bunch.” Wayne sat on the seat and smiled. “First time finding a man attractive?”

  “Sort of.” “ Let’s head to the lodge, I got a big ole’ bottle of Jack needs a shot glass. You can tell me all about it while we put our feet up in front of the fire. Ain’t nothing new to me, son.”

  Josh had to shake his head and smile, Wayne, just knew how to fuck you all up. “Fine smartass, lead the way.” Josh looked at the setting sun, when he wrapped up work in Denali; he was headed to find Mark. ~~Chapter Five~~

  “Do you think about me? You know? Sexually?” “Yeah, I do.”

  Lips so soft covered his own, and then the sweep of a tongue licking inside; tasting, probing, searching and then the heat was gone. That’d been all it took, just that one fleeting kiss and Mark had been down for the count. No one had ever kissed him like that. It was the single most erotic kiss he’d ever had, and it stayed with him for over six months. He dreamed of it, felt his cock filling from the lingering memory of that one kiss. Now he was cold and wanting that touch, that spark, that fire that welled within him whenever he thought about those lips touching

  his. Needed it? Shit, hecravedit.

  He stared at the white ceiling and brought Josh’s face back into view as he stroked his cock slowly. Blonde hair in a buzz cut, those piercing green eyes that stared right into his soul; hands so strong, yet so gentle touching him lightly. And then a kiss that knocked him for a loop, and sent his whole body up in a raw mess of nerves, and his senses into overload. His hand stroked faster now making its own rhythm. The hands slid down and gripped Mark’s cock stroking, teasing as his lips and teeth nibbled at him, fuck but he could almost feel…

  “Doctor Patterson to second floor nursing station.” The

  ceiling spat at him. Mark groaned and released his leaking cock. He wiped his hand on his scrubs and threw his legs over the side of the harsh uncomfortable cot and stood, stretching his back. In a few hours he’d be on a plane to Alaska to find the man that had kept him up at night. The same man that had him jacking off night after night, the one that was in his very soul. Mark threw his coat back on, grabbed the stethoscope off the chair and exited the on-call room. The halls were filled with the sick and needy, and Mark made his way to the nurses’ station looking for Annette; because the ceiling spit had been her oh-so happy voice bringing him out of his cock gripping haze.

  His eyes fell on the multiple charts that threatened to spill over onto the floor and he sighed, picking them up and righting them. What the hell, might as well check and see what was on the menu. He had a few hours to kill. This time of the year was the flu. Almost every chart had someone with flu like symptoms, and Mark put half of them back. The third to the last held a name he really didn’t want to deal with, the ex. Raoul.

  “Hey Doctor Patterson!” Mark turned to see Annette’s over excited face, and smiled. She always looked like she’d snorted coffee through a straw. Annette’s eyes were huge and brown, and her equally brown hair was in a ponytail, whapping her in the face as she bobbed. She was so cheery all the time, that Mark wanted to slap her and tell her that Santa Claus didn’t exist, the tooth fairy was her mama; Oh, and the Easter bunny was a crock of shit! “Hello Nette.” And Cadbury eggs were fattening. Straight to your ass, fattening!

  “ There’s a guy in room two says he knows ya.” Annette studied him. Doctor Patterson was pretty, his huge blue eyes made you want to get on your knees and suck his— “So I told him I’d get you personally.”

  Mark pretended to look seriously at his watch, he frowned at it as if it’d stopped working, or was working and now he was late, anything to get out from underneath Annette’s I-want-to-fuck-you’ look. He wasn’t oblivious to women. He just didn’t want them in that way. The thought of having to sit in the same room as Raoul and pretend to care about him, would be about as much fun as sliding down a wooden banister bare assed. “Could you tell him I left for the day?” Mark gave his best, I’d-love-to-fuck-you look and smiled slyly. What the hell, if it worked. It did.

  “Oh….yeah sure.” Mark looked at her. Annette’s mouth had dropped open just a tad, and saliva was pooling out of the side. She snapped her eyes shut and licked her lips, swallowing. Her eyes went huge again, reminding Mark of his effect on women. Shame it hadn’t worked so well on one guy. Well no, he guessed it had, since said guy had fled to Alaska and left Mark to wonder what the hell he’d done. Mark snapped back to the present and smiled. “Great, well I’m off.”

  “Hey that’s pretty, is it new?” Annette ran a finger over Mark’s wrist.

  “Yes, it is.” Mark looked at his wrist where the silver tracking bracelet sat shining in the harsh lighting of the hospital hallway. Yes it was new, a gift from Mateo and Riley. After telling them he was going off on his own to find Josh, Mateo had gone through the roof and forbidden it; which had Riley in a fit of laughter, smacking him upside the head. Mark couldn’t help but love Riley. Riley was so sweet you couldn’t help it. No wonder Mateo had caved so fast. Mark smiled and turned to leave.

  When he heard an accent, his skin broke out in bumps and his heart rate went through the roof. As many times as he’d told himself that that part of his life was over, it still kept him up some nights. He knew Manuel was dead and his whole house and business had gone up in flames the minute Josh Mont
gomery had set foot on the property. The early morning hour when Josh had found him cowering in the shower, thinking Manuel was back to rape him again. All those memories came flooding back. The thick Spanish accent oozed along his spine and into his ears; and his hands curled into fists.

  “I knew you would try to leave.” Mark turned slowly and met head on with Raoul Rodriquez. They had dated. Well not dated, they had fucked over the course of two weeks. Raoul had come in with a gash in his head and Mark had patched him up. From there they’d gone out to dinner and fucked. After that it was just a series of stolen kisses here and there and a quick fuck on his way to work. So why Raoul was here now, Mark didn’t understand. It’s not like they had professed their love for one another.

  Raoul’s hair was longer now, but the brown eyes still looked at him the same way. Like he was naked, and it made Mark’s skin crawl. He could try to rationalize it, but the beatings and rapes had hurt him both mentally and physically. The only man he felt safe with and wanted in a sexual way was in Alaska, where he was headed to in less than two hours.

  “I’m leaving, Raoul. I’ll get another Doctor to look you over.” Mark turned his back and started walking. “Ah, and where is it you are going?”

  “I’m taking a trip to Alaska. I’ll have someone come

  down right away, it was nice seeing you.”Bullshit.

  Mark practically ran down the hallway and grabbed his bag out of the locker room. The faster he could get away, the better. He’d tried to put in his notice with the Hospital administrator and was told to take a nice long vacation. His job would be there when he got back. The funny thing was he didn’t know if he did want it back. He wanted Josh, and wherever Josh was, is where he was going to be. The double doors opened and Mark stepped out into the warm humid Columbus air. Even in December, Georgia was in the seventies. Mark sighed and threw his bag in the trunk of his car. He had time, and it wasn’t like the security line at the Columbus airport was long. It was non-existent.

  Mark pulled onto the freeway and watched the landscape fly by. He hadn’t really had time to go out over the last six months; he’d been in therapy for most of it. All his blood tests had come back negative and Agent Pruitt had told him that Manuel’s blood tests had been negative as well. Mark asked to have the tests run during Manuel’s autopsy, and Agent James Pruitt had it done for him right away. Agent Pruitt was sweet and cute as all hell, but Mark had his eye on someone else. He parked his car in the long term parking lot and walked into the small airport. There were maybe ten other people at the most, and Mark handed the TSA agent his ticket and ID.

  “Have a good flight Doctor Patterson.” “ Thanks.” Mark smiled and stepped through the detector. He took his seat up front and closed his eyes. Josh’s face was instantly there, his smile, his laugh and Mark drifted off thinking about Josh’s kiss. A while later, the sound of the Captain’s voice over the loud speaker jostled Mark out of his sleep. They were in descent into Dallas Fort Worth. Mark stretched his legs and got ready to grab his bag. As soon as he stepped off the plane he made a bee line for the nearest Starbucks. He sat with his coffee, twirling the stick in the golden brown liquid.

  “Wow, you look almost sad, in a way.” Mark looked up to see a woman in a flight attendant uniform. Her black hair was swept into a French twist and smokey grey eyes were looking right at him. The woman had the most beautiful skin, like a porcelain doll, with just a hint of gloss on her perfectly shaped lips. The name tag said Sabine. “Hi.”

  Sabine took a seat and tilted her head. “One that looks like you should not look so lost. You are having girlfriend troubles?”

  Mark chuckled softly and raised his eyes to hers. “No, more like boyfriend, although he’s not my boyfriend.”

  “Merde…” Sabine sighed and took Mark’s hand. “All the good ones are married or gay. Or they are gayandmarried.”

  “Isn’t that the same thing?” Mark smiled at her. Her accent wasn’t thick, but he could tell she was French. “ No, they are gay but married to women and keeping their vows.” Sabine rolled her eyes. “What a waste of time.”

  Mark giggled and she took his hand smiling at him. “I… there is a man.”

  “Oui? So, tell me why he is not yours.” Shaking her

  head, Sabine chuckled. “Where are my manners?” She put her hand out and smiled at him. “I am Sabine.” “ I’m Mark, nice to meet you Sabine. It’s a long story, but to make it short he wasn’t gay. Or he thought he wasn’t, until he met me and kissed me and ran off to Alaska. I tried telling him it was okay and everything, but Josh freaked out—”

  “Josh?” Sabine’s eyes went wide. “You say he went to Alaska? Josh Montgomery?”

  Mark sat back flabbergasted. “Well, yeah.” “ No wonder.” Sabine sat back, sighed, and looked at Mark. “So it is you.” Sabine saw the look of confusion on Mark’s face and took his hand. “I have known Josh in the, biblical sense? Is that the word?” Sabine saw Mark nod his head, and a blush hit his cheeks. “I have seen him. Six months ago he took a flight I was working and I thought it would be like always, but when I touched him he told me he couldn’t, that his heart belonged to someone else.” Sabine squeezed Mark’s hand. “It is you his heart belongs to.”

  Mark felt hope blossom in his heart as he looked at Sabine. “Thank you, you have no idea how much better I feel now.”

  “ You, go get your man.” Sabine stood and looked at her watch. “I must go, but you must find me and let me know what happens, eh?”

  Mark nodded and stood up to hug her tightly. “Thank you so much.”

  “Au revoir, Cheri.” Sabine blew him a kiss and smiled.

  Mark sat through the next flight in a state of utter happiness. He didn’t even feel them touchdown in Anchorage, and was in a daze as he went to collect his suitcase from baggage claim. He stepped out into the cold Alaska air and sucked in a breath of ice. His lungs immediately began to scream in protest, and Mark zipped his jacket up, covering his mouth. Clear blue skies greeted him, and Mark realized Alaska smelled clean. No smog, just snow. He rented a jeep and hit the highway on his way to Denali National Park, to Josh Montgomery, to safety.

  ~~

  Josh’s biceps hurt, yet that didn’t stop him from swinging the ax again and again, the heat shooting up his arm with every swing. The burn felt good. It reminded him he was alive. Well, that and the puffs of white air around his mouth. It was twenty below and Josh’s gloves were trying to keep his hands warm. He had shoved those little warmers in them an hour ago, as well as putting some in his boots. The Alaskan wilderness spread out before him. Snow covered mountains and trees dotted the landscape as far as he could see. Josh had come here to put his head back on after kissing Mark Patterson, the man he’d rescued from a raping drug dealer in Peru. And then kissed, like an idiot.

  Josh had been straight, or so he’d thought, until he’d laid eyes on Mark. Everything he thought he’d know about himself had fallen away at the touch of Mark’s lips on his. Even now he couldn’t stop thinking about him. What the fuck had he been thinking, kissing a guy that had endured three months of brutal beatings and rapes? Josh swung the ax low and struck the last blow sending the white spruce down swiftly. The sweat dripped from his brow, almost freezing, before rolling down the side of his face. His eyelashes were white, and he knew it was time to head back in for a bit.

  Josh had been camping out for a while now. It was relatively peaceful, and no one bothered him except for the stray fox that would come around and visit during dinner time. Well, and occasionally his buddy Wayne, the park ranger. He hadn’t dealt with too many bears, but the Bull Moose was definitely curious about the man in the small cabin. Josh had a beautiful view of Wonder Lake and his very own light show at night, there was nothing like it on God greens earth. The Aurora borealis was a

  sight to see, and no one could just say. “Yeah, it’s cool.”

  Unless they were an asshole. The green, purple and orange flowed; suspended in the sky, and Josh always sat out
at night to watch it.

  The light was fading fast. The winter months brought nothing but darkness, as opposed to summer where it was light all the time. Even at two in the morning it looked like the sun was just setting during summer. Winter was what brought some people to their nervous breakdown point, because at the most, you had maybe a good six hours of daylight before being plunged into total darkness. Josh grabbed his shit and made his way back to the small cabin, dropping firewood on the small rickety porch in front.

  Inside was one room that made up the living room, kitchen and bedroom. The lone couch pulled out, but Josh didn’t bother. By the time he was done for the day, he fell on it fully clothed and was out for hours. He threw some logs on the fire and went about making coffee. A look at his watch said it was only three in the afternoon. Damn, and he was already hungry. Sometimes it made Josh feel like he was in Florida at the retirement home, because come four in the afternoon it was dark, and he felt like it was time to make dinner.

  Josh’s radio piped up and he heard Wayne coming through loud and clear.

  “Montgomery?”

  Josh smiled and picked up the radio, Wayne’s voice always sounded like Hoss from Bonanza.

  “What’s up, ya lily livered chicken?” Josh said. “ Ah fuck off, just got a call from up the trail. Seems we got a tourist done got lost along the way. Says he ain’t, but you know how them lower forties are.”

  “ Well I reckon I’ll go check it out, Hoss.” Josh bit back a laugh as a stream of obscenities came through the radio. “Yee haw.” Josh laughed as Wayne told him to shove it where the sun don’t shine. He grabbed his jacket and gloves. The wind was picking up now and he knew it was going to be brutal tonight. What kind of idiot walked around outside in this shit? Oh that’s right, he did. Just because some damn tourist decided to stray off the beaten path. Somebody was slacking up top, because there weren’t supposed to be any tourists at the lodge this late in the season, that ended in September and it was almost Christmas. “Fuck.”