Taking On Dreams

Chapter 1

“Class, today I would like you to draw something to represent your deepest desires. It can be anything you like. There are no limits here, and no rules. The only thing you are forbidden from doing is nothing at all!”

As the teacher spoke, she paced swiftly back and forth at the front of the room. Her long black hair bounced behind her following every step she took. Her colorful skirt twirled as she moved. Her mahogany eyes shone with exuberance.

Chris looked around. All the other students were busily working at their easels. Their faces were deep in concentration. Chris leaned back in his chair and heaved a great sigh. He had no idea why he had ever signed up for this class. He had no artistic abilities whatsoever.

He stared at his still blank easel. Maybe it was more of a lack of creativity than it was a lack of talent. Professor Gartner had often praised him for his excellent work on still life. But whenever it was time the class to use their imaginations, Chris could sense that he fell short from the rest of them.

The sweet smell of flowery perfume reached his nose. He looked up to see the art professor standing beside him. He braced himself for some sort of lecture.

“Chris, what’s wrong?” she inquired instead. “You are usually eager to begin your work. What’s changed?”

“The subject,” Chris muttered. But the teacher heard him, and smiled.

“This may not be your thing, Chris. But I know you can do it.”

“But how?” he asked with eager eyes.

“Here is a little tip to get you started. Look around this room. Note the things you see that stand out to you. The things that you enjoy the most, or that are special to you personally.”

“Okay…I’ll try,” he mumbled.

“Now that’s what I like to hear,” she replied cheerfully, her smile growing wider. She gave him a little pat on the back then continued her stroll about the room.

Chris sat and thought about what she had said. He supposed it couldn’t hurt to look around and see what there was to see. He realized that he had always been so engrossed in his work that he had never really noticed anything in the room.

He started with the floor, because, well, why not? It was tiled and very clean. But there was nothing special about it. He moved his eyes around and found the sun to be a shocking presence throughout the room.

It poured in through the large glass windows on the westward side. The reds and yellows and oranges and especially the golds of the sunset splashed upon the floor and walls and the objects and the people in the room.

Chris was especially taken in by the golds. They were bold, but not too bold. They
were just right. They didn’t hurt the eyes, like the other colors tended to. They were warm and friendly and inviting.

Chris thought that the gentle color would be a lovely addition to any of his deepest desires, whatever those might be. He kept it in mind as he continued his studies.

Professor Gartner was back at the front of the room now. She was at her desk, buried in some sort of novel. Chris squinted to see the its title. He couldn’t make it out, but the glint of something else caught his eye. A necklace hanging loosely from the teacher’s throat. It was adorned with beads, most of them tiny.

However, one stood out among the others. A large stone the color of an emerald. It made up most of the weight that weighed the necklace down. Anyone who laid eyes upon it would be impressed. But to Chris it was more than that.

He was stunned, stupefied. It was the most gorgeous gem he had ever seen. He had a sudden, strong urge to rip it off the unworthy little silver chain and find it a better home, perhaps in a museum. But instead of doing that he added it to his mental list.

Next his eyes strayed towards a corner of the room, where one of the students kept their guitar during class. Chris could never forget that kid, whenever he saw him around campus he was always lugging around the guitar on his back no matter where he went. He had even wanted to wear it during the class, but Professor Gartner would not allow it.

So there the instrument sat every day, for the two hour long stretch of time that the class used up. Looking at its deep brown wood and its curves, Chris thought it showed a quiet defiance. He could only imagine what level of boldness it would express when actually played.

Chris had always found an interest in musicians, specifically guitarists. In fact, it was a secret childhood dream of his to become a famous musician. But unfortunately, he never did manage to gain the skill necessary. So instead he chose to admire from afar those who could play.

He had a passing thought that it would be lovely to view close-up the way a guitarist operated; the way his mind worked and the way he turned his thoughts and feelings into chords of music. Guitar playing, he decided was definitely something that should be included somehow in his art piece.

The final idea that became the foundation for Chris’s inspiration was a framed photo sitting on the teacher’s desk. It was a candid photo of two lovers. Chris assumed that one of them was his teacher.

The couple looked genuinely happy. They were all smiles and their eyes expressed a deep caring and love for the other person.

He felt a bit intrusive for staring at it, but at the same time he found it hard to look away. His heart ached a little. This was always something he had wanted. Someone to love. And more importantly, somebody to love him.

Or at least someone he could talk to with eyes as caring as those in the photo. Man or woman, it didn’t really make a difference, but he wanted someone.




Chapter 2

Thinking about those things he had taken special notice of, inspiration suddenly struck him. He began furiously drawing on the easel. In what felt like no time at all his object began to take shape. It was a human form….a head to be precise.

Chris didn’t know how it happened, but slowly he created the body of a person, a man who looked to be about his own age. It was no one he knew, but somehow the image had been locked inside of him somewhere.

When the drawing was complete, he moved back a bit to view his work. Chris had drawn the man sitting on a porch of some sort, with a guitar beside him. It was strange how detailed it was. But he liked the way it looked.

The face gave him a good feeling inside. There was, however, something missing, he noted. He decided it needed some color, to distinguish this man from any other.

He eagerly grabbed some colored pencils and once again began to work. When he was finally finished the easel held up a drawing of a man with golden blonde hair and caring green eyes.

Chris thought that it was strange that his mind had combined all of the things on his list together in such a way. But at the same time he was quite pleased with the result.

Smiling, he removed the large canvas from the easel and stood up. It was only then he noticed that the room was empty but for the teacher, who still sat at her desk, reading. When she heard him get up, though, she put down the novel and smiled.

“Glad to see you resurface,” she joked.

Chris blushed. He had no idea that he had been working on the drawing for so long. “I’m sorry,” he said sheepishly. “Why didn’t you make me leave?”

“I didn’t want to interrupt you when you were finally having a creative flow. I knew you could do it.”

Chris rubbed his head shyly. “Yeah, well….I took your advice and it worked I guess.”

She just smiled again. “May I see it?”

“Sure,” Chris replied, holding up the canvas. Professor Gartner’s eyes widened when she saw it.

“Chris…that is stunning. I am very proud of you!”

“Thanks,” he replied with a shy smile.

“Go on and take that home with you, dear! Hang it up somewhere, be proud of it!”

Chris’s smile got a little wider. “I’ll do that Professor.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Chris stood in his room, arms crossed and a frown on his face. The portrait of the unknown man was leaned against the wall. He didn’t have a way to hang it yet. He wasn’t quite sure he wanted to. He felt weird about hanging a random person on his wall.

He looked at it closely, and he shivered. It gave him an odd feeling. It felt like the man’s eyes were staring into his soul. He quickly looked away. It was almost as if the man was real.

Once in bed, he squeezed his eyes shut tight and tried not to think about the staring eyes on his canvas. He drifted off into sleep, but it was a light sleep and he often dreamed that someone else was in the room with him. One of these dreams woke him up, he was sure he heard the creak of the hardwood floors where a person had stepped.

He sat up abruptly and fumbled around until he found the light switch. He pulled it and light flooded the room. He gave it a quick inspection. He didn’t see anyone. And there were no signs that anyone had been there. He reached for the light switch again and his heart stopped for a second. He had sworn that the portrait looked different.

Slowly he turned his eyes and looked at it again. He began to shiver uncontrollably. One of the man’s hands seemed to be stretching out towards him. He rubbed his eyes, but the image remained the same. He never knew why he did it, but slowly he got out of bed and crept over to the canvas.

Those green eyes really did feel like they were staring straight through him. Again he shivered. But he wasn’t afraid this time. He was stunned. The man’s eyes seemed to glow with life. And they seemed to be trying to tell him something. The hand reached out to him, calling him, craving the touch of another’s hand.

Hesitantly, Chris reached out. He placed one hand flat against the rough canvas, on top of the hand of the man. Nothing happened. Chris flushed with embarrassment. Of course nothing was going to happen. He started to move away when a sudden, strong pull stopped him.

He looked at the portrait and his eyes widened with shock. His hand was being held tightly by the hand of the man he had drawn. Chris swallowed nervously. Surely this couldn’t be real. It felt real, though. It felt like an actual human being’s hand was gripping his. He could feel the warm flesh of another person wrapped around his own.

But he didn’t know what he was supposed to do. What happened next? What was this strange and maybe not so imaginary man trying to tell him? The caring eyes of the man called out to him. Chris thought they might be telling him to come and join this strange world which he seemed to have stumbled upon. But he wasn’t sure, so he hesitated. He decided to ask a question.

“Do…y…you want me to go…in there?” He whispered so quietly it was almost inaudible. He felt silly talking to a drawing. He raised one shaky finger and pointed towards the canvas as he spoke. The man’s head seemed to nod.

Chris wasn’t quite sure what to do. He inched closer and closer to the rectangular board. The tips of his sock feet grazed the canvas. Ever so carefully, he kept walking.

Instead of being met with resistance, his foot went right into the board. His heart skipped a beat. The green eyes of the man seemed to cheer him on. Chris stepped all the way into the canvas, and into a world he never knew existed.



Chapter 3

The first thing he did was look at himself up and down. His body was composed of sketchy, yet somehow neat black lines, shaded in by the bright tones of colored pencil, which were identical in style to the ones he had drawn the mysterious man out of. The colors were a stark contrast to the background, which was completely white with the exception of the step that Chris had drawn.

He turned to the man then, who still had a firm grip on his hand. The man didn’t speak, but he flashed an encouraging smile. He picked up his guitar and swung it around his shoulder. Then he pulled Chris through a strange world of white until they reached a small door.

The man dug around in his pockets and pulled out a key. He inserted it into the lock and the door swung open slowly, revealing something that amazed Chris more than anything he had ever seen before.

There was a grassy hill. The long, healthy green grass swayed back and forth gently in some magical breeze. The sky was a beautiful mix of all the colors Chris could think of and more. The hues and shades were swirled around like ice cream, maybe chocolate swirl, but much more colorful.

Beyond that though, Chris could see more plain white. And he knew this spot must be very special. The man led Chris up the hill.. He stumbled numerous times, distracted by the beauty of the little patch of sky, or whatever it might have been called there.

He noted that as soon as he stepped on a section of the grass, it would disappear like magic. This led him to believe that this place was probably temporary and certainly very fragile. He was a bit nervous being here.

When they reached the top of the hill, the man stopped and Chris stopped beside him. The man looked at him and gave him a sideways grin. Then he pulled out of his pocket a thin, black writing utensil of some sort.

He began to draw the foundations of some sort of building. Somehow, it was inferred what the man wanted to create and after only a few sketchy lines, the drawing began to take shape on its own.

The lines twisted and curved and stretched until they all formed a single object, a fancy looking thing that Chris determined that it was a gazebo of some sort, like the kind of architectural piece one would place in their garden. It was beautifully designed and looked spectacular. But it seemed to be missing something.

Chris quickly realized what that one thing was when the man again began to draw. This time the lines joined to together in such a way that they formed a ladder. Its rungs went high up into the air, if there was air here at all.

Releasing his grip on Chris’s hand for the first time, the man speedily climbed the ladder. Chris wondered what he could be up to.

The man gave him a thumbs up. Then he reached out and touched the sky, or whatever it was, and took an armful of the color, then tossing it to the ground below. It slowly floated down in swirls to land gently on the plain gazebo. Then Chris knew what had been missing; the colors.

They splashed down from every angle and completely covered the white surface of the gazebo with bright and cheery colors. Once it was caked in the lovely hues, it began to give off a strange but not unpleasant glow.

The man carefully climbed down again, leaving a gaping white hole above him where colors had once been. Then he took Chris’s hand again, and with a smile led him up the steps and into the odd little gazebo.



Chapter 4

A thick mist filled the structure as the two men entered to stand under its roof. Upon first glance it was colorless, but if you looked closely you could see hints of soothing pastel colors contained in it. Perhaps these were the leftovers of what the mysterious man had taken from above.

The mist grew thicker and all Chris could really see were the brilliant green eyes of the man. They stood opposite one another, arms stretched out, holding hands, fingers intertwined. Chris could feel more and more of the fog pressing in from somewhere on the outside.

It was an almost unbearable presence in the little shelter, and soon Chris felt compelled to step closer to the center in hopes of escaping the force of the mist on his back. The man’s green eyes grew closer, but startlingly so. Chris realized that the man must have had the same idea, and now they were both standing quite near the center of the gazebo.

Even as they moved closer, their hands remained interlocked tightly. Soon they were so close that they had no choice but to press their forearms together, letting their entwined fingers rest on each other’s shoulders.

The strange pastel tinted mist seemed to have other powers too. Or maybe that was what Chris told himself, to excuse himself for his next actions.

He found himself staring at the sketched outline of the man’s beautiful pinkish lips. And suddenly he had to know just how they felt. Could they be real? Were they a tangible thing?

Using his feet for leverage, as he was an inch or so shorter than the man, Chris leaned in to test out those lips. They were real alright. But they felt better than that. It was like experiencing wave after refreshing wave in the ocean after spending a boiling hot afternoon on the sands of the beach.

The man didn’t mind this at all. In fact, it seemed that this had been what he waiting for all along. He flung Chris’s arms away, and took to gripping Chris’s shoulders instead of his hands, pulling him in closer and wrapping his arms around Chris’s slender frame.

It was as though he was holding on for dear life as Chris’s kisses grew more and more passionate, nearly drowning the poor man in a storm of pure ardent emotion.

Chris didn’t like the way his hands felt at his sides and he instinctually reached out to grab the shoulders of the man in a similar way as the man had gripped his. But that just didn’t feel right either.

Perhaps it had to do with the cold aura given off by the clothing which covered the man’s skin. Despite its soft feel, it was not inviting.

Chris gave the shirt a little tug, and broke off the kiss just long enough to give the man a pleading glance with his eyes. Might he get permission to remove that unpleasant piece of clothing? Those beautiful green eyes shone ever so brightly. Permission granted, they uttered fervently.

Slowly, savoring every bit of soft skin as it was revealed, Chris removed the shirt. He stroked the man’s chest, lingered on his abs, and slowly slid his fingers down is sides, memorizing the depth and length of each curve.

He wrapped his arms around the naked top half of the man. He wanted to feel his muscles move as he began to kiss him again. But a firm shoulder grip stopped his lips from making contact this time. Now the green eyes were the ones doing the begging. Chris smiled in a way that let the man know he was free to do whatever his heart desired.

So the shirt was stripped just moments before the man began working on Chris’s pants. All the while the two kissed each other with a burning passion that could not seem to be extinguished. Their chests rose in and out at a high speed. Each could feel the others muscles ripple with effort. They were both still trying, to some extent, to control their desires.

But they were failing, and failing fast. Chris felt like he was falling; cascading down through a dark sky at top speed. He didn’t have a parachute. But he didn’t need one. He wanted to hit the ground hard and fast, and feel everything.

When the man finally rid Chris of all the offending fabric he pressed his body up against the naked, smooth skin and kissed it fervently. Chris bit his lip and squirmed with pleasure as the man moved down lower and lower and began to stroke Chris’s thighs with his fingertips. He wished his vocal chords worked in this world. He wanted to voice his appreciation for this experience.

Instead he opted to show his gratitude by way of action. But just as he was reaching for the pants of the man, two hands gripped his wrists firmly. Chris looked up, half in surprise and half in disappointment.

But the man’s eyes didn’t look unwilling or regretful. They looked scared. Releasing one of Chris’s wrists, he slowly pointed to the outside.

It was only then Chris noticed that the mist had almost completely dissipated. Another thing he noticed is that the bright colors of the sky like area were melting down and down. When it hit the grass it turned into black and white. The grass shriveled up and died. And behind the melting colors, stood hundreds of men in uniforms, carrying some kind of weapon.

Chris couldn’t move. He stood there, naked and shaking, until the man threw his clothes at him, his eyes pleading that he hurry. He stumbled into the clothing as fast as he could then looked to the man again. He pointed towards the door. Chris took his hand though, showing that he wanted to stay here with him.

But the man would not allow it. He ripped his hand away and shoved Chris down the stairs of the gazebo and towards the door. Chris ran up to it, but was reluctant to leave. He turned around again, in time to see the entire gazebo collapse. His eyes widened in horror. The man had still been inside it.

But to his relief, one strong arm poked through the rubble, followed by another, and then man pulled himself out. Then he pulled out his special black utensil and hurriedly sketched a weapon, much like the ones the men in uniforms carried, only this one was far bigger.

He gripped it tightly with both hands and aimed it at the men. He was about to pull the trigger when out of the corner of his eye he noticed Chris still standing there. He glared at him, gesturing wildly for him to leave. But Chris had decided that he just couldn’t leave the man alone like this.

Frustrated, the man strode over to Chris and gave a long kiss on the lips. Then he opened the door and shoved Chris through it. Chris stumbled backwards and began to fall. He kept falling and falling through white nothingness until finally he landed with a hard thud on what felt like a wooden floor.

He looked around and realized with heartbreak that he was back in his room. Immediately he turned to the canvas. He got a sinking feeling in his stomach when he saw that it was blank. Tears began to well up in his eyes. His one true desire had been in his grasp, and he had lost it.

He could still feel the man’s warm and strong hands on his body. The feel of that final kiss was still a tingling sensation on his lips. He reached up and touched them lightly with his fingertips. It hadn’t felt like a goodbye kiss. But he figured it was crazy to think otherwise. So with a heavy heart and tear streaked cheeks, he crawled into his bed.

He was startled awake by a sharp knock on his door. He stumbled out of bed to answer it, shaking his head. He recalled a weird, but wonderful dream he had last night. It was only a vague recollection though, and it faded from his mind quickly as he opened the door and felt the warmth of summer’s heat.

And then it the memories did a quick reverse and came straight back to him when he looked up and saw who was at the door. His eyes filled with tears yet again and he began to shake uncontrollably.

Standing on his front porch was the man from the canvas. The man who was his deepest desire. He reached his arms out and gripped Chris’s shoulders to stop his shaking. Then he took one hand and wiped away Chris’s tears.

“Hello. My name is Jonathon, but you can call me Jonny.”

Chris thought he had the most beautiful voice in the world. Jonny smiled and it took his breath away, because this time he knew it was real. He took Jonny’s hand in his own and held on tightly.

“You might already know this, but I’m Christopher, better known as Chris. And I do believe we have quite a bit of catching up to do. So many missed hours…”

He drifted off, and gave him a sly wink. Jonny returned the gesture. Then Chris lead him inside his house (and inside other things too), and to the beginning of the rest of their lives.




THE END

Gnomes

Part 1

“Where are those two!!?? They have been gone for hours!”

“Of course they have Chris! That list you gave them was nearly a mile long!”

“It was not! That was just the basic essentials necessary for starting your very own garden. I read it all in the book!”

Jonny rolled his eyes as Chris picked up the large red book from the table he stood beside and waved it around wildly in the air. Chris had hardly put it down since he had begun reading it. Jonny almost regretted ever pointing it out to him.

He had just been trying to do a nice thing for the poor man. About a month or so ago his long time girlfriend had dumped him, and Chris had been feeling under the weather ever since. Jonny hated to see him so down. Chris had often mentioned a long time dream he had for starting his own garden one day. But after the breakup he had seemed to forget all of his quirky dreams.

Jonny decided that Chris needed a hobby, something to take his mind off of his aching heart. And one day while at some old bookstore which Guy had dragged them to, Jonny noticed the book. It was like a bright red sign. It seemed to speak to Jonny. “This is what Chris needs,” it said.

So Jonny grabbed Chris by his skinny little arm and pulled him over to it. Chris didn’t seem interested at first. The whole month since the breakup he had been much more distant. But after shoving the book into his hands Jonny somehow convinced him to actually open it. And once he started he didn’t stop. He read that book cover to cover. Jonny thought he might even have eaten or breathed in the words.

Because now he was certainly eating and breathing gardening. It was all he ever thought about, all he ever talked about. And there wasn’t even a garden yet. Jonny was actually beginning to get worried. But he figured that this was better than all the moping.

He was taken from his musings by the sound of Chris grumbling. He looked up to see the man pacing wildly back and forth on the patio of the home he shared with Jonny. It was technically Jonny’s place, but ever since the end of the relationship Chris said he couldn’t bear to live in his apartment anymore.

Jonny was more than willing to open his doors to the man. He had plenty of space, and if he was being honest, more times than not he felt lonely in the large place. It was nice to have another person there.

Someone to come home to. And even someone to fight with. Yes, he even enjoyed arguing with Chris. It was better than arguing with himself, which he had a tendency to do when he was alone with nothing but his thoughts.

Sometimes he still did argue with himself. Lately the arguments were worrying him. They were all centered around Chris. About whether or not he should do certain things. Should he ask him to go to the bar with him when he was looking particularly depressed? Should he hug him when he shivered with the cold? Would it be okay if he sat so close to him on the couch that their legs were touching?

He didn’t know what to think anymore. He had never wondered about these kinds of things before. Or maybe he had, just less frequently. But now that Chris was always around there were always questions like that nagging at him.

At one point he had become so troubled that he had brought the matter up with Guy and Will. They weren’t much help. They barely even said anything in reply. They just exchanged looks and then turned to him and shrugged. That was just a few days ago. And it left Jonny more confused than ever.

Once again Jonny was pulled sharply away from his thoughts when Chris uttered a cry of frustration. “Where are they!? The sun is setting! Look at it Jonny! It’s sunk more than halfway down the sky already!”

Jonny took a deep breath and prepared to try calming the excitable man. Then he let it out again in a sigh of relief when he saw Guy and Will coming through the back gate, large boxes filled with supplies in their arms.

Grunting, Guy set his box down hard on the table. “Geez Chris, why didn’t you just ask us to buy the store for you?”

“Don’t be such a little baby, Guy. So Chris wants a garden. I don’t think it’s much to ask, especially considering what he’s gone through recently.” He whispered the last part through clenched teeth so Chris couldn’t hear.

Guy grumbled loudly, but then went back to the front where the truck they had taken was parked. There were still several more boxes to unload. Most of them were filled with soil. Some contained various gardening tools. There was one box that was filled to the brim with all kinds of seeds, both for flowers and for vegetables. Chris had made it clear he wanted to start this garden from scratch.

Jonny helped Will and Guy to carry the remaining boxes out back. Chris was too busy panicking. At one point he actually began to yell at the sun. Then Jonny sat him down and gave him a lecture. That didn’t do much. Then Will gave him a harsh glare. He calmed down considerably after that. He even came around to the front and stood still long enough to overview the unloading of the boxes.

Everything was going fine until Guy grabbed the last box. When he walked by Chris, Chris saw the contents of the box and let out a shrill screech. Guy screamed in response and dropped the box on his foot.

“Fuck!” he yelled, hopping up and down. “What the hell Chris!”

Will hurried around front, followed by Jonny. “What’s with all racket over here?” he asked, not sounding too pleased. Jonny just watched the scene, trying not to chuckle.

Chris had a look of pure terror on his face, and Guy looked absolutely furious, yet at the same time it was hilarious to watch him bouncing around on one foot while Chris stared at the box with his eyes bulging out of his head as if he had seen a ghost.

Guy pointed at Chris and spoke through clenched teeth. “CHRIS happened,” he growled. “I was carrying the box and he started screeching like a fucking howler monkey during mating season! So I dropped the damn thing on my foot. I think it’s broken….,” he whimpered.

“Enough of your whining Guy. You sound like a little girl. Your foot is about as broken as that brand new record player I just bought.”

“Yeah…..about that. It might have had….an accident yesterday.”

Will’s face turned red. He looked like he was about to explode. “Take a deep breath,” Jonny advised him. He did, multiple times, before he managed to calm down again.

“Chris, why did you scream like that?” he asked, turning to the horrified man. “You act like you just got stabbed!”

“Oh Will….it’s FAR worse than that,” he replied, shakily.

“What, Chris?” Will rubbed his face with frustration.

“There…there…..there are GNOMES in that box!!!!”



Part 2

Will just stared at him. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He opened his mouth to say something, anything. But he was cut off by Guy.

“What’s wrong with gnomes!?” he asked. “I LIKE them!” He turned up his nose in a smug expression. “And that is why I bought them. They will make a great addition to the garden.”

“I will NEVER forgive you for this!” Chris declared, jabbing one long finger into Guy’s chest.

“YOU will never forgive ME!?” Guy exclaimed indignantly. “YOU’RE the one who broke my damn foot!”

“Your foot’s not broken! You’re standing on it!” Chris cried, pointing at Guy’s feet, both now planted firmly on the ground. “I’M the one with something broken! My poor little innocent spirit….utterly destroyed upon looking into the eyes of those horrible creatures!”

He fell dramatically to the ground and moaned. Guy rolled his eyes. Will shook his head. Jonny bent down and stretched out his hand to Chris. “Stand up, man. You are embarrassing yourself.” Reluctantly, Chris stood. He crossed his arms and continued to glare at Guy. Guy glared right back.

“Alright…..enough!” Will said. “You are both acting like children. “Now what we are going to do here is compromise. There are two gnomes in this box. We will put one of them in the garden. And the other one we can take back to the store.”

Both Guy and Chris opened their mouths to protest. But a serious glare from Will made them think twice. Reluctantly, Guy bent down and picked up one of the gnomes. “I’m sorry little guy, you’re going to have to go back to the store tomorrow.” He cradled it in his arms. Then he noticed the stares he was receiving.

“What!? I love this little guy!” Then he turned on his heels and brought it back to the truck.

“We really need to get that man a girlfriend,” Jonny whispered to Will. Will nodded.

“Take that box and put it on the front porch,” he told Jonny. If we even have any time to do any gardening today, thanks to Dumb and Dumber.”

“Hey!” Chris exclaimed. “I heard that! And for the record, Guy is Dumber.”

“Whatever, Chris. We need to get started on this if we are going to get anything accomplished before dark.”

“I guess you are right,” Chris admitted. “Come, Jonny! Let’s make magic happen!”
Jonny shocked himself by wishing Chris meant that in some other way. But he pushed those thoughts out of his mind and followed Chris to the backyard.

The four men worked hard and even in the few hours that had left to work that day they accomplished quite a bit. More than half the soil had been evenly distributed on top of the rocky surface that Chris had deemed the sight of the garden by the time the last sliver of sun slipped behind the horizon.

“Well I think we’ve done all we can do for today,” Will said.

“Yeah….I’m beat,” Guy added.

“I should probably be getting home now.”

“Don’t be ridiculous Will, it’s already pretty late, and my house has plenty of room. Why don’t you just stay here for the night? As a matter of fact, why don’t you both stay? That way we will be able to finish the garden bright and early tomorrow morning.”

“Thanks Jonny, that would be great.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Guy added.

“Alright, well if you give me a few minutes I will prepare the guest room, and one of you can take my room. I will sleep on the couch.”

“Don’t be silly Jonny! I am just a guest in your house too. I will take the couch, and either Guy or Will can have my room.”

“No, it’s okay Chris.”

“Jonny,” he said fervently, “I would really like to sleep on the couch.”

“What’s the big deal?”

“Because…..there’s no lock on the window in my room. What if the gnome gets me!?”

“Chris, if the gnome comes after you, you can come sleep with me. But if it would make you feel better, you can have the couch.”

They tried to whisper, but Guy and Will both heard them and exchanged looks. A plan was quickly forming in their heads.

“Guys, we’ll be right inside. First we will clean up the yard a little,” Will said.

“Yeah, it’s the least we can do, since you are letting us stay here and all,” added Guy.

“Alright,” Jonny said. “But don’t take too long, or the gnome might get you.”

“Hey!” Chris exclaimed.

“Kidding. I know the gnome is a serious threat.”

Once they were out of earshot, Guy rolled his eyes. “I don’t know how that man can tolerate Chris. I wouldn’t be able to call that piece of plastic a threat without laughing.”

“Well, he is in love with him,” Will noted. “Love messes with the mind.”

“That’s true,” Guy agreed.

“Now….if you are thinking what I am thinking, we need to-“

“Grab the gnome and place it in the living room for Chris to see!” Guy completed.

“Yes, exactly. And then he will go running to Jonny, taking his earlier statement completely seriously. Which, I’m sure, he did mean seriously, in some distant corner of his mind. By the way he acts around him, it’s pretty clear to me that Jonny would love nothing more than to share a bed with Chris.”

“Yeah, really,” Guy said. “It’s actually kind of revolting, the way he looks at him.”

“Oh stop, Guy. You’re just jealous because the only relationship you have had recently is with a plastic garden decoration.”

“Fuck off,” Guy told him. Then he stalked off to the front porch, picked up the gnome out of the box, and tucked it carefully it in the large front pocket of his sweatshirt.

Later that night, Jonny was sleeping peacefully in his room. Chris was tossing and turning on the couch. Will lay wide awake in the guest room, waiting to hear the plan go into effect. He heard the slight creak of the wood in the hallway as Guy crept out of Chris’s room, carrying the gnome in his hands.

Quietly, Guy placed it by the couch in a place where Chris would be sure to see it if he was woken up suddenly by, say, a loud noise. Perhaps like a spoon hitting a pan. Guy crept towards the kitchen, but stubbed his toe on some piece of furniture in the dark.

“Shit!” he whispered, but loud enough to wake Chris. Guy could hear him stirring. He hadn’t intended for things to turn out this way, but it worked just as well, and he quickly snuck back to Chris’s room before Chris noticed him standing there.

Not a minute after he was back in bed, he heard a loud cry from the other room. Then he heard the pounding of two feet, running, no, sprinting, down the hall and into Jonny’s room. Guy and Will heard whispers of exclamations, but they couldn’t make out what was being said.

Then there was nothing but silence. The two men decided there was nothing to do but wait until morning when they could see once and for all if their plan had been a success.

Early the next morning both men crept out of bed and down the hall to Jonny’s room. They peeked in through the door and grinned. Jonny was sleeping on his back with Chris’s head lying on his chest. His arm lay across Chris’s stomach. Both of them slept peacefully with smiles on their faces.

“Ahhh, gnomes” Guy whispered appreciatively. “I knew you wouldn’t let me down.”




THE END

Dressed To Please

I was late
For a very important date.
This was one I could not miss.
I had to see Jonny.
On this I did insist.

So to my room I go
And under a pillow
Was a shirt.
I put it on.
Sure, that’ll work.

I grab a pair of pants
And I do a little dance
Because they’re black,
And black goes with everything.
Unless I’m on crack?

Now I needed shoes
But I found it hard to choose.
It was muddy outside,
And I needed to look nice.
So the sandals I denied.

Now with boots on my feet
I stepped out onto the street.
But weather was not warm.
So I went back inside
To give my dress a quick reform.

I wrapped a scarf around my neck
And was toasty in a sec.
For good measure I added a hat.
I felt much better now
And was out the door in seconds flat.

Hurriedly I made my way
Down London streets by the light of day.
Soon I reached the desired place.
I moved my eyes around
And they it lit up when they saw his face.

He was just standing there
His beauty more than I could bear.
He smiled at me.
Then held me close.
“You’re just the man I’ve been waiting to see.”

He looked me up and down then laughed.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to chaff.”
“Your clothes just look so funny.”
I frowned and so he kissed me hard.
“But it’s okay, I still love you honey.”

Parks and Recreation

Part 1-Parks

Spring fever was running rampant throughout the body and soul of every human being in my little town. Everyone was affected by it. All the retired folks were lounging on their porches, sipping lemonade and chatting amiably. Homeowners everywhere were proudly mowing their lawns for the first time that year. Happy gardeners were tending to their prized gardens, trimming bushes and pulling weeds. And I could already smell the first of the year's barbeques.

But no one here was ever more affected by the changing seasons than the children. Kids of all ages relished the chance to enjoy everything that spring had to offer them. Toddlers giddily stomped around in the freshly cut front lawns of their parents. Elementary school children rode around on bicycles and skateboards. Some young teens on my block organized teams and played rugby in the street, as they do every year.

And me? Well, I didn't really enjoy any of that stuff. But I loved to be outside all the same. As soon as I caught that first whiff of springtime air I had to surround myself in it. I've always hated being cooped up indoors. Fresh air was my best friend. Well, fresh air and Jonny. Thus Jonny was the unfortunate soul I dragged along with me after school hours on the first warm day in months.

"Where are we going?" he asked with mock annoyance.

I grinned rather widely in his direction. "The park, obviously."

He rolled his eyes. "I should've known."

Yes it's true, I was a sixteen year old boy who loved nothing better on a spring day than to visit the park. Jonny always told me I was like a giant five year old. I can't say I disagree with him. I loved the park more than any other place. I felt kind of bad dragging Jonny along with me. But I really needed this today. School had been rough.

It had started off quite well. I found out that I had gotten the lead role in our school's musical. Apparently Jonny wasn't lying when he told me I was a great singer, although I still wouldn't go so far as to say I was great. But I was good enough for my school, and that filled me with joy.

I was elated. No one could bring me down. Well, until some gang of senior guys did, literally. They saw me in the hallway, merrily humming a little tune as I walked to class. They surrounded me with surprising speed and knocked my books onto the ground, shortly followed by me. The warning bell rang and they scurried away, laughing.

I tried hard not to cry, but I was really hurting. My knee had made contact with the floor, hard, and left it bruised and swollen. I couldn't keep a few tears from sliding down my cheeks. I suppose I should've known this would happen. I was accustomed to being bullied at school. Jonny always told me that he wished I had never admitted being gay, because he couldn't stand to see me getting abused this way. But I wanted people to know. Even if it meant getting beat up on a near daily basis.

But boy was I lucky to have Jonny. That time, like so many other times before, he helped me up and gave me some comforting words, and I forgot all about my injury. They were always along the lines of how I was better than they were and that they were just jealous. It was all so ridiculous, but it made me feel better. Without him I don't know how I would have survived a single school day.

I think my bad experience that day was a large part of the reason that Jonny agreed to accompany me on my crazy park visit. We walked side by side, not saying a word. With us it wasn't always necessary to communicate verbally. Some things we just knew, like our mutual desire to silently enjoy the lovely weather. I felt the warm sun on my face and the gentle breeze on my skin. In what felt like no time at all, we had walked the up the path that lead to the quaint little park.

It was quiet and secluded. All around us were trees with brand new leaves, freshly cut grass, and flowers. But I set my sights immediately on the swings, my absolute favorite thing there.

"Race you!" I shouted playfully at Jonny. I saw him roll his eyes again, but he nodded and after my five second countdown we were off. I won easily as I had always been an excellent runner. I had already made myself comfortable on a swing by the time Jonny caught up, breathing heavily.

"Chris," he gasped, "your energy level astounds me." I just grinned and began to pump my legs. Jonny hopped on the swing beside me and did the same, although much slower. Jonny had always been a more laid back person than me. I was just a big ball of hyperactive energy. And swinging was an excellent way to get it out.

Soon I was flying high above the ground, stretching my feet up towards the clouds, only to be whisked back down by gravity moments later. Pathetic as it sounds, this was a real thrill for me. I loved the feel of the wind on my face and the pull of my muscles as I exercised them further and further. Sometimes I would close my eyes and lean my head back so that my curls nearly grazed the ground below.

This would really freak Jonny out. His eyes would widen and he would beg me to stop. I would just laugh. Jonny acted like a doting parent towards me. He was so cautious. I guess that made us perfect for each other; one man careless and the other careful.

A perfect example of our contrasting personalities was later on that day, when off in the distance I saw the same group of guys that had pushed me down earlier. I called out to them, stupidly. I mocked them and called them names, shouting insulting things to the heavens. Jonny tried to shut me up, but I was on top of the world.

In one dramatic motion I jumped off of the swing and landed with a graceful thud on the dirt below. I waved my arms wildly and beckoned to the guys, daring them to come over. I should probably take this opportunity to point out that I do really, really brainless things-a lot. I must really stress Jonny out with all of my ridiculous antics.

On that day I could see how anxious he looked. His brow was creased into a deeply worried line that stretched across his forehead. He finally managed to convince me to shut my big mouth, but by then it was already too late. The guys were already approaching us. I suddenly began to sweat. I didn't' feel so cool anymore, that's for sure.



Part 2-Recreation

Soon the biggest of them was right in front of me. He grinned nastily.

"Oh look, the little girlie wants to play." The other guys snickered. "Well okay, Chrissy. Let's have ourselves little fun, shall we?"

He raised his fist and I braced myself for the blow. But it didn't come. I cautiously opened my eyes and was shocked by what I saw. The guy had been forced backwards on his feet and into his friends when his face came into contact with a fist. Jonny's fist. Bleeding from his upper lip, he shot us looks of pure hatred. We looked at each other and our eyes said the same thing. "Run!" they cried, and we ran.

I got ahead of them quickly, but Jonny was much slower and soon the gang was catching up with him. In a panic I ran back to Jonny and tried to pull him along. But it was too late. They had surrounded us. The main guy didn't waste any time. He raised a fist towards Jonny.

"No!" I cried, and jumped in between the two of them. I had some sort of strange delusion that this would make them go away and leave us alone. What happened instead was me receiving a fist square in the face. It was so forceful that I fell back and landed on the ground in the dirt and the mud. Moments later Jonny was sprawled beside me, having met the same fate.

Then the guys left, cackling like hyenas and high fiving each other. We had mud all over us. Both of our faces sported red marks that were quickly darkening into bruises. Slowly we turned to look at each other, bruised and lying in the mud, and we began to laugh.

We laughed and laughed, and soon our laughter turned hysterical. We laughed until we cried and until our sides ached with the effort. Then we just lay there, the sun warming our bruised faces and drying the mud on our bodies. Again we turned to look at each other.

I am not sure what came over me then. I had never been attracted to Jonny before. But at that moment the green of the surrounding foliage was nothing compared to the green of his eyes. And I don't know, maybe it was the injury keeping me from thinking clearly, or maybe it was the warm weather that was making me loopy, but I leaned in and kissed him passionately on the lips.

He didn't respond negatively. He didn't pull back, or even hesitate. And maybe it was his own bruised face, or the nice weather, but he wrapped his arms around my neck and forcefully kissed me back. It could have been a number of things, but whatever it was, it was empowering.

Our kiss stretched out to fill seemingly endless lengths of time. All the while we grew more forceful and more passionate. Our tongues intertwined. Jonny let out a soft moan, and I pushed myself onto him, so that I was on top of him completely. Still there was no protest. I took that as a green light, a go ahead signal.

Still kissing him, I slowly began to unbutton his shirt. I was glad he had worn this shirt today, and not some regular t-shirt, or I might have had to stop kissing him to remove it. And that was the last thing I wanted to do. The shirt was off now; I had thrown it into the mud. I slid my hands down his sides and he shivered. I began to move my lips down from his mouth to his neck, and finally down to his chest, stomach, and abdomen.

I grabbed at the button on his pants. He grabbed my hand. "Wait," he gasped. He reached out and unbuttoned my own shirt, throwing it casually to the side.

"I want to know how you feel too," he whispered. He gently skimmed my chest, stomach, and sides with his fingertips.

I shivered with pleasure and then could wait no longer. I forcefully grabbed at his pants. It began to rain. It was to be expected. It was England, after all. The precipitation didn't stop us though. The increasing mud made it easy for me to strip Jonny of his jeans. The motion also caused him to slide closer to me. He grabbed at my own pants, and soon we were pressed close to each other, only our undergarments between us.

"Are you sure you want to do this, out in public and everything?" Jonny asked.

The rain answered his question by suddenly coming down much harder. We could hardly see each other's faces, with the already dimming light of the evening made even less by the sudden downpour. To anyone else around we were invisble.

"Yes," I replied and immediately reached down to remove the last bit of clothing from Jonny. Jonny followed suit immediately.

"I want this," I whispered in his ear.

"I need this," he whispered back. And then we were rolling around with each other, completely naked, yet clothed in mud. The rain soaked my hair and it hung down in my face. Jonny brushed it aside and pinned me down with a kiss.

I don't know just how or why, but on that evening we not only wanted to have each other, we needed to have each other, in this way and every way. Maybe it was hormones, maybe it was the fever. The spring fever. I'm sure if anyone else had known about our actions that time in the park, they would all have their thoughts, their speculations.

I've got my money on the fever. In fact, I think I've still got it to this day because ever since then, whenever I look at Jonny I feel things I never thought I would feel. Yes, I believe on that night I caught the spring fever. And over the years I've learned something. This kind of fever isn't something that goes away after a few hours or a few days. No, this fever burns forever in your heart.



THE END

Mirrorball

Chapter 1

It was another busy day. The emergency room was chaotic, especially now that it was summer. Nurses ran around, tending to the needs of the demanding patients. Most of them had injuries and illnesses that could be considered minor. A broken leg here, a low grade fever there. Work in an emergency room for one day, and you will be aware of a human's expert ability to exaggerate.

Jonny knew what to expect when he volunteered to help out that day. Although he was now the head doctor of traumatic injuries, he had once been an average staff member working in the emergency room twelve hours a day, back when he was still in college. He still worked up to twelve hours a day sometimes, but he found his new position to be considerably less stressful.

He was well-liked at the hospital. People respected him for his kind demeanor. When the hospital was short on staff, he would always be the first to volunteer to cover another position. He understood the tension that all of the workers in the ER faced, and was glad to give them a break when he could. Secretly, he actually enjoyed working the ER. Sure the people there were generally just crazy, but they were interesting.

Although he was rarely stressed at his current position, he was often bored. Trauma was not a very captivating field, if you were to ask Jonny. He would much rather examine people's heads the way a psychiatrist would, instead of the way doctors did.

But no one else knew this. To them, he was just the pleasant doctor with a gentle smile who was willing to lend a hand where it was needed. They had no idea that the things he did were for selfish purposes. Jonny was just searching for something to intrigue him during his long hours of monotony. And these were still his goals when he was working in the ER on a brutally hot day in summer, and he came across a certain patient who sparked his interest.

He came into the emergency room the correct way, through the two large doors in the back, on a gurney being wheeled in frantically by three paramedics. He looked pretty bad, even for the ER, especially in the area above his neck. Blood dripped down from his nose and made its way down and around his mouth. Some had dried there already and formed a crusty outline around his lips.

One of his eyes was basically swollen shut, leaving only a small slit where the actual eye could become visible. He had a few cuts on bruises on his forehead and chin, but those were minor. The biggest problem came from a deep gash above his left ear. The paramedics had covered it with a temporary bandage. But Jonny knew the wound must be deep, because a good deal of blood had already seeped through the white dressings, leaving them stained a deep red.

Jonny couldn't even begin to imagine what this man had gotten himself into. But he did know that this was the kind of person he was specifically trained to treat. He needed a trauma doctor, and he needed one now. Jonny hurried over to the paramedics to get a hold on the situation. He was shocked by what he heard.

Apparently, this man had gotten these fairly severe injuries from falling down two flights of stairs. Jonny decided he wasn't shocked by this. He was completely disbelieving. He did not see how someone could simply fall down two flights of stairs. Surely no one could be that uncoordinated.

Jonny came to the only reasonable conclusion one could come to after working in the ER for so long. This man must be seeking attention. Nobody could fall down that many stairs by accident. Even done on purpose, it was a little extreme. Jonny whispered a question into the ear of one of the paramedics.

"Does he have Munchausen's?" The paramedic just shrugged. Jonny was sure that he must. But he let the matter drop for now. Either way, this man needed an immediate examination. "I'll take it from here," Jonny said. The paramedics nodded and quickly made their way back to the ambulance outside.

Jonny beckoned to a few of the nurses. "Get this one to room 420B right away. He needs an MRI immediately."

"Yes doctor," the nurses replied in unison, and hurried off with the gurney.

The scan itself only took a few minutes, but the results would take much longer. The nurses set the man up in an intensive care room, where he could be closely monitored at all times. Now it was time for Jonny's real duties to begin. He briskly entered the room to examine the man's head. The man moved his eye towards the sudden movement. He was responsive. That was a good thing.

Jonny gently laid his fingers on the bloodied bandage. The man winced. "I am sorry," Jonny said. "But I must get a good look at it." The man didn't put up any sort of fuss though, and allowed Jonny to remove the bandages. Jonny stared at the wound intently.

"This is a pretty deep gash you have here. How did you manage this?"

"I.....fell," he said. He sounded absolutely humiliated by the fact. But he also said it with a certain amount of nonchalance, like he was well-accustomed to falling and giving himself severe head wounds.

"I need you to answer a few questions for me. What is your full name?"

"Christopher Anthony John Martin."

"When were you born?"

"March 2nd, 1977."

"Very good. Now, can you please write that information down for me?" The man took the paper and pen that was handed to him and wrote the responses out correctly.

"Good, good," mumbled Jonny. "That's all for now." As he began to leave, he glanced over his shoulder. The man's one good eye stared back at him. He was clearly in a good deal of pain. Jonny decided to ask one more question. "How are you feeling?" he questioned softly. Since this man was clearly crazy, he fully expected to receive a response along the lines of "I'm dying." Instead, he received the most shocking answer of his life.

"I am fine, just unlucky," was Christopher's reply. He actually attempted a smile as he said this. His mouth turned slightly upwards, still surrounded with dried blood, and although his jaw shook with pain, he managed a small grin. Jonny had never seen or heard anything like it before.



Chapter 2

Some hours later, the results of the MRI came in. This was always where the skills of Jonny's profession were truly used to the fullest. A nurse knocked on his office door, and handed him the scans. He thanked her, and began to take a look at them. After only a few moments, he pinpointed the problem, and frowned. It appeared that Christopher had suffered a concussion. It wasn't as major as he had thought it would be, but it was still serious.

He made his way to Christopher's room to deliver the news to him. But he arrived there to find a room without a bed. A nurse was busy hooking up a heart monitoring device to the wall.

"Excuse me, where is the patient? I have to tell him about the results of his MRI."

"Oh, he is just getting some x-rays."

"X-rays?" Jonny found himself oddly worried about that.

"Yes, it looked as though he may have had a broken arm. He should be back soon."

"Okay." Jonny waited in the room feeling awkward, even though he had no reason to feel that way.

After a few minutes a couple of nurses wheeled the bed, with Christopher in it, back into the room. Christopher noticed Jonny right away and tried to smile at him again. Jonny wanted to tell him to stop, that he was going to hurt himself. He wanted to tell him to feel sorry for himself, like a normal person would. Instead he gave a small smile in return. He grabbed a chair and pulled it beside the bed. Sitting down, he began explaining the situation.

"I got the results back from your MRI, and it appears as though you have a concussion. It is not very serious, but it is not a mild one either. We will need to keep you here for at least three nights to monitor you."

"Okay," Christopher replied agreeably. He showed no signs of irritation or non compliance. He seemed to have no problems accepting the consequences of his actions. Jonny was stunned. This man was dodging every stereotype Jonny had formed about people in all his years as a doctor. Although ruffled considerably by Christopher's strange demeanor, Jonny did his best to continue the explanation.

"The first night will probably be the most difficult for you. You will not be allowed to sleep at all. If you were to fall asleep, there is a possibility that you could slip into a coma, so it is very important that you stay awake. A nurse will be in the room at all times to ensure that you stay conscious. And....we'll see how it goes from there."

Jonny noticed Christopher's good eye enlarge in a manner that expressed sadness. He thought this crazy man was finally about to have a normal reaction to this less than ideal news. It wasn't anger, but at least it was something. Or it would have been, had Jonny not been incorrect in judging him once again.

"I'm sorry," Christopher said quietly. "I have caused you and the other staff members so much trouble with my clumsiness." Jonny couldn't even fathom a reply to that. He thought this had to be some kind of joke or something. He searched for a trace of laughter in Christopher's eye. But all he found was regret.

"You're....sorry?" he mumbled these words so incoherently that he was sure that Christopher had not heard him. But he must have, because he nodded in reply, an act which was not the wisest one to perform. He immediately flinched with pain.

Jonny frowned with concern. "That reminds me. We have you on only mild pain killers right now. In these early stages after your injury, we cannot risk giving you anything stronger. So I am sorry, but you are going to be in a lot of pain for a while."

"That's okay. I deserve it anyways, for being so clumsy."

Jonny stared at him incredulously. He felt like telling Christopher that he was being completely ridiculous, that a man as decent and kind as he did not deserve anything but happiness. He had no idea where that was coming from, because he didn't even know this man. Instead, he said "Christopher, you seem like a nice guy, even if you are clumsy. You don't deserve anything like that."

"Just call me Chris, doctor," he replied, ignoring the rest of what Jonny had said.
"Chris then." He looked at him for a few moments. "I hope you feel better soon," he said quietly and then left the room. Once outside in the bustling hallway, he had an urge to slap himself a couple of times in the face, to ensure that he was still sane.

Never in all his years as a doctor had he told a patient he hoped they would feel better soon. It wasn't that he didn't hope that. It was more along the lines that he couldn't say it, because it might give the patient false hope. Either that or it might make them become hopeless; hearing a doctor use a word like "hope" instead of "I know" or "of course".

But now he had said it. And he was beginning to question what was going on in his head. Especially because he was beginning to form an ever increasing desire to walk right back into Chris's room and sit down in that chair and just stay there with him. He wanted to sit there and just look at him. And maybe pick his brain a bit.

He looked down at his watch. Three o'clock. Past lunch time. No wonder he was acting so oddly. He decided to go down to the cafeteria. He had some spare time on his hands, a rarity when working as a doctor. Surely he could clear his head after a good meal.



Chapter 3

Ten minutes later Jonny felt his beeper go off. He threw out his half eaten bag of chips and dashed to the ER. There would be no lunch break today. The chaos was evident as soon as he entered the area. Nurses and doctors ran around frantically. Among the crazy mass of people Jonny pinpointed the one other person besides Chris who he found at all interesting at the moment.

Will was busy giving some scared looking people checkups. He was a cardiologist, but like Jonny did he not mind lending a hand once in a while, even though trauma was not his field at all. The people looked a bit banged up, they sported some nice bruises and some were a bit bloody. But their injuries didn’t look too severe.

However, there was another group who looked to be in much worse condition. After a quick update on the situation from Will, Jonny hurried over to the group that was in poor shape. Apparently there had been an accident a few miles down the road, and a small bus had turned over sideways. The people lying before him were the passengers, clearly.

“All of them are going to need MRIs,” he said immediately. “We can’t take any risks with accidents like this.”

The nurses within earshot nodded and soon patient after patient was whisked away for head scans. Looking around, Jonny decided that there was nothing left for him to do here. He thought about getting a decent meal, but found he was no longer hungry. Instead he slinked off to his office for a little relaxation time before the streams of paperwork from the new MRI scans started to come in.

A few minutes later there was a short knock on the door of the office. Will entered immediately without waiting for a response. He knew he didn’t need to, he and Jonny had been close friends since they first met in college and invasions of privacy was just a part of the package. Jonny looked up and met the serious eyes of his friend. He swallowed nervously. That expression meant one thing. Will was going to give him one of his famous interrogations.

“What gives Jonny? There is definitely something going on with you today, you’re not yourself.”

Trying to deny these accusations was completely pointless. Besides, they were true. “I know I’m not. I have been doing strange things all day. I thought it was because I was hungry or something, but now I am beginning to doubt that.”

“What happened?” Will asked with concern. Jonny was usually so clear headed.

“I think it’s all because of this…..this one patient we got today. His name is Christopher. He told me to call him Chris, but I think Christopher sounds much better.”

“So you two struck up a conversation then? You seem to know a lot about him.”

Jonny blushed. “What, his name? No Will that was on his chart.”

“But the nickname wasn’t. And it’s not like you to remember such trivial details. What did he say to you that is affecting you so much?”

Jonny frowned at his desk. “It was the strangest thing Will. He fell down two flights of stairs. Naturally I thought he must’ve wanted the attention. But when I asked his how he was doing, he said he was fine. Even as his mouth turned up in a pained smile, he said he was fine.”

“Oh you and your stereotypes. There are exceptions to every rule you know Jon. What interests me far more is that you asked him how he was doing in the first place. That is not like you.”

Jonny lowered his head in shame. “I know it isn’t. I don’t know why I did it. I just…. looked into his eyes, well, his one good eye, and it just slipped out.” He sat there for a moment’s time then suddenly slammed his hand down on the desk. Will didn’t so much as flinch. “And then later I told him I hoped he would be okay! How ridiculous is that!?”

“This is very interesting. Not so much what you said as the way you are reacting to having said it. So you slipped up and used that god-awful word hope. So what? It happens to the best of us every once in a while.”

“But now he’s either going to think he will definitely get better or that he definitely won’t! I don’t want him to have to go through that.”

“Why not?”

“Well, because both are horrible states of mind in a hospital!”

Will leaned in and eyed him curiously. “Jonny,” he said softly, “I know why it is wrong in the eyes of a doctor, but what I want to know is why it is wrong in your eyes specifically.”

Jonny didn’t reply. He just stared at his desk.

“Mull it over for a while. Then, in a couple of hours, check on how he’s doing. See what happens, see how you feel.”

Jonny nodded. He could swear he saw Will smirking as he left. He wondered what farfetched reasons Will had thought up. It was too bad these interrogations were always one-sided. He rubbed his head and laid it on his desk. He did not mull anything over that afternoon. Instead, he slept.



Chapter 4

There was an echo in Jonny’s head. At first it was faint, but it steadily grew louder until it was a constant, pulsing beat. And it sounded familiar. It reminded him of Will. He jerked his head up. It was the sound of knocking.

“Come in,” he called with uncertainty. He was disoriented and had no idea who could want him right now.

A nurse entered carrying a large stack of paperwork. Jonny could tell that she noticed he had been sleeping, because she looked embarrassed and remorseful about interrupting his nap. “These are for you to look through, when you have the time,” she stuttered. “It’s from those bus crash patients from earlier.”

“Thank you.” Jonny gave her a tired smile and she backed out of the room in a hurry. Jonny hated the place in society that his name tag gave him. He had everyone’s respect, but not their friendship. This was why he was glad to have Will, at least.

He spent a good hour or so looking everything over. None of the patients had any major head trauma. This was good news. Jonny wanted to believe that he was happy that those poor people weren’t badly hurt. In reality he was just happy that he would have only one patient to check on tonight.

Right on cue, it seemed, his beeper went off. He looked at is watch in surprise. He had no idea it was six o’clock already. He left his office quickly and there was a bounce in is step. Finally he would be escaping the mundane duties of his job and could be entertained. It was time to check on Chris.

He couldn’t help his shocked expression when he entered the room. Chris’s arm was covered in white plaster that went from his hand all the way up past his elbow. But his face had been cleaned of blood, so that was an improvement, although small. “What happened to you?” he asked with a smirk.

“My two left feet happened,” Chris replied sheepishly. He grinned. “So what have you got in store for me this evening doctor?”

Jonny ignored the question. “You can call me Jonny.”

“Okay, Jonny then. What are you here for?”

Although Jonny knew Chris meant no harm by it, he couldn’t help feeling a little hurt by Chris’s words. “Well….” He stuttered, trying to keep his professional manner intact. “I would like to check on the looks of that head wound again. We’ve got to be careful to monitor for any signs of infection.”

“I got it stitched up a bit.”

“Yes, that will help it heal faster. But I still need to check it out.”

“Okay,” Chris said feebly.

Jonny looked straight at him, the way he would if he were relating horrible news to the relatives of a patient. He didn’t know what made him do it. But he spoke in a soft and comforting voice. “I know it hurts. I really am sorry about that. It will only take a second, okay?” And now he was acting like he was dealing with a young child. He rubbed his face with frustration. He needed to get a grip.

“Okay,” Chris said, sounding more assured. He actually did sound a bit like a little kid, and it made Jonny want to smile. Gently lifting the bandages away from Chris’s head, he did a quick examination. The stitches had indeed made the injury look a lot better. And there were no signs that might point to infection. He gingerly covered it with the bandages once again.

“You’re all set for now, it looks just fine. No sign of infection at all.”

“That’s good.” Chris was visibly relieved. Somewhere deep inside, Jonny was disappointed. He couldn’t explain why, but secretly suspected that it had something to do with the fact that an infection meant he would be staying there late. Chris cleared his throat. “Thank you for being so kind to me. I appreciate it. I know I might not be the easiest person to deal with.”

“Don’t mention it. You are a fine patient. Better than most actually.”

“Oh….good!” Chris exclaimed happily. “I was so worried I was being a burden.”

Jonny shook his head at him. “You are quite a character you know.”

Chris grinned widely. Caught up in the moment, he sat up energetically to give Jonny some sort of clever reply. But he forgot an important factor. He immediately fell back down on the bed, wincing in pain.

Instantly Jonny was worried. “What’s wrong? Where does it hurt?”

Still wincing through the pain, Chris gave a raspy reply. “Oh don’t worry, it’s nothing. Just a few cracked ribs.”

Jonny’s eyes widened. He forgot all about being professional. “Cracked ribs!? My god you did all that damage falling down some stairs?”

“Hey, it was two whole flights,” Chris defended.

“True,” Jonny chuckled. He watched Chris with pity as he tried to make himself comfortable. “I’ll have one of the nurses bring in some extra pillows. Since you can’t have any more medicine, you need all the help you can get.”

“That would be nice,” Chris said wistfully.

Jonny went into the hall and walked up to a nurse and gestured to where Chris was. “No one told me the patient in this room had cracked ribs.”

“Well…it was on his chart,” the nurse replied nervously, not wanting to seem disrespectful.

“Oh I never….I mean….I guess I must’ve missed it.”

“We all make mistakes,” the nurse said, forcing a small smile.

“Yes,” Jonny agreed. “Now, is there any chance we can get the man in that room some more pillows? He’s in a good deal of pain.”

“Right away.”

Jonny stood in the hall like a zombie. He hadn’t checked the chart. He couldn’t believe how careless he was being. It was scaring him. The blinds of the glass-walled room were open. Jonny watched as a nurse came in carrying a few fluffy white pillows. She helped Chris position himself with them. He watched as she left the room. And he watched as a contented smile crossed Chris’s face as he finally became more comfortable.

He felt an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach. He didn’t know what to do with himself. He checked his watch. Much to his relief, it was now seven o’clock. His shift was over. He could finally escape this place and the hopefully the weird way he had been acting. It was time for an evening of relaxation and a full night of sleep.



Chapter 5

As Jonny headed out the door, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Will right behind him.

“Want to get a drink?”

“Uh…sure.”

“Thank you for making this easy on me. If you had said no, I would have had to use force,” he laughed.

Jonny laughed too, but Will could hear that it was strained. “I know you haven’t been yourself today. And whatever the reason for that, I thought you could use a break.”

“Thanks,” Jonny said, a genuine smile crossing his face. “It has been a weird day for me.”

“Well now you can forget about it for a little while. Come on.”

They went to the usual place. Will ordered them both drinks. Jonny protested, but Will insisted on paying, repeating that he “could use a break.” Jonny gave up on the argument. Will always won. And besides, he really could use a break.

But after a couple of drinks, Jonny was ready to leave. He had never been much of a drinker, and after only a small amount of alcohol he was already sick of it. Will didn’t protest this time. He thought Jonny looked marginally better than he had earlier, and that was enough for him, for the time being at least.

“G’bye Will. See you tomorrow.”

“See ya Jonny. Get some sleep, okay?”

“I’ll try.”

Normally he would walk home, since it was only a few blocks. But tonight he wanted to collapse on his couch as soon as he could, so he hailed a taxi. In five minute’s time he was unlocking his front door. He headed to the couch and grabbed for the remote, without even bothering to change his clothes first as he usually did. He blindly flipped through the channels until deciding on some old movie he had never heard of.

He tried to focus on it, but soon his thoughts turned to his day at work. Actually, they went straight to Chris, much to Jonny’s dismay. He searched in vain for some sort of explanation for this, and for his previous actions. It was sometime during this thought process that he fell asleep.

His sleep was deep, but unfulfilling. He dreamed in bits and pieces that he couldn’t put together, or even remember when he woke up. He woke up feeling like he had never slept at all. He groaned and squinted to read his watch by the still-flickering light of the tv. It was three thirty in the morning. Three thirty in the morning, and yet he was wide awake.

He lay there, trying to decide if he should bother trying to fall back asleep. He got up. It was hopeless. There was no way sleep was going to come again. Instead he decided to get himself some food. He turned on the kitchen lights and had a look around. He decided on cereal. It was quick and easy.

As he ate, he listened to the silence around him, if that was possible. He surprised himself by feeling lonely. He had always been quite content living alone. But now he wasn’t so sure. He wanted to see another face.

He decided he wanted to go back to the hospital, even though his shift didn’t begin for another five hours or so. Surely he had patients he should be checking on anyways; urgent cases that needed his immediate attention. At least, that’s what he told himself as he headed out the door.

He didn’t even realize that he was walking until he was halfway there. And by that point, he thought it was pointless to get into a cab. By the time he reached the hospital he was sweating. It had somehow gotten warmer overnight. He took some deep breathes once he was inside and felt the cool air conditioning on his skin as he walked to a destination that was undisclosed even to himself, until he arrived there.

Somehow he was standing in the hallway by Chris’s room. There were chairs in the hall, so he sat. The blinds were closed but for a small area, where a small break in them allowed Jonny to see into the room. All he could make out was a shadowy figure lying on the bed. Jonny assumed that Chris would be sleeping. He considered walking in, but was afraid of waking him, because that would mean coming up with an explanation for his actions.

Unfortunately he had to give that explanation anyways, because just then Will turned the corner and saw him sitting there. His eyes were full of questions. But he only asked one. “Jonny, what are you doing here?”

Jonny panicked. He had no idea how to explain himself. He truly did not even have an explanation to give. “Uh…well….why are you here?” he asked sharply.

Will narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t going to let this go. “I just finished giving emergency surgery. But I asked why you’re here.”

“I…um…well…I got a call to come in for an emergency examination, but the person…um…died…I guess.” He knew it was a weak reply, but it was all he had.

Will sighed in frustration. “That’s crap Jonny, and you know it. You don’t get called in for emergency anything.” He softened his tone. “Please, just tell me what is actually going on with you.”

“I don’t know Will!” was Jonny’s rueful reply. “I already told you everything I could. “Chris is just….really interesting. But it’s making me lose my concentration.” He put his head in his hands and sighed loudly. “I don’t know what the fuck is happening to me.”

The look Will gave him showed Jonny that even though he didn’t understand it himself, Will certainly seemed to. “Jonny, listen to me. You wait for him to wake up. Then you go in there, and you tell him how you feel.”

“But I don’t know how I feel!” Jonny replied indignantly.

“Yes you do. You told me you found him interesting. Tell him that.”

“And then what!?” he asked, frustrated.

“I don’t know, see what happens. See how it goes.” But Will’s tone said that he did know what would happen.

“What do you mean?” Jonny asked skeptically.

“You’ve got to figure this out for yourself, Jon.” Jonny was then left to wonder what Will could be talking about, and decide whether or not to punch him. But one thing he did decide on was that he would indeed go talk to Chris later that morning.



Chapter 6

“Later” came sooner than he had expected because of two important factors, the fact that Jonny could not restrain his curiosity and the fact that Chris was a light sleeper. After only a few minutes of sitting, Jonny just had to go into the room. He didn’t know what he planned to do there. He figured he could, at the very least, view Chris up close instead of from the hallway.

But the door was louder than he thought it would be, and his own footsteps were hopelessly noisy. Within seconds Chris eyes fluttered open, and he looked straight at Jonny. Jonny froze like a criminal who had been caught red-handed. Chris shifted around, trying to sit up. Jonny moved to help him.

“Thank you,” Chris replied, still sleepy. “Why….why are you here?” He asked slowly. He blinked a few times, trying to become alert. Succeeding, he sat up further, widening his eyes to their usual size.

“I…um…was just checking up on you.” He tried to smile, but he could tell he was failing miserably. Chris seemed to buy it though.

“Oh, okay.”

Jonny instantly regretted his words. He thought of what Will had told him. “Listen, Chris, I didn’t come here to check up on you. I mean, it is necessary for me to do so, at some point anyways. But this time I just came here because I wanted to.”

“You…wanted to?” Chris asked in confusion.

“Um….yeah. I woke up in the middle of the night, and I didn’t feel tired at all so I didn’t try and go back to sleep. I was bored…and….lonely,” he admitted. “And the first person I thought of, strangely, was you.”

Chris didn’t look creeped out by this, as Jonny thought he would. Instead he looked distraught, like he just couldn’t fathom it. “Why me?” he asked in a whisper.

“Because you’re interesting.” Jonny thought for a moment and decided that he was glad he admitted it. It felt good.

Chris laughed, and it sounded almost rude in the quietness of the early morning. “You think I’m interesting? I’m sorry doctor, I don’t mean to laugh, but that is hilarious. I am one of the most boring people you will ever meet.”

“I told you to call me Jonny,” he replied almost angrily. “And you’re not. You’re not, Christopher. You are, in all honesty, the most interesting person I have ever met. I mean that.”

“And I told you to call me Chris,” he said with another laugh.

“See, it’s things like that which make you so interesting to me.”
Chris rubbed his eyes. He scratched his head. He stretched his good arm. And he stared. Then finally, he spoke.”What else did I do?”

“Huh?” Jonny asked stupidly.

“What else did I do that made me so interesting to you? Please. I’d really like to know. No one has ever said anything like that to me before.”

“Oh, well, it’s hard to explain. Maybe you’d have to be a doctor to truly understand, but you don’t act like other patients do. You aren’t dramatic and you don’t exaggerate your injuries. Actually, you understate them. You shrug them off, like they are no big deal. And you don’t put up a fuss. You are compliant and understanding. But the craziest thing about you is you actually blame yourself for everything that’s happened to you since you came here.”

“Oh so now I’m crazy?” he asked, his eyes smiling.

“And that. That thing you do, where you ignore any compliment given to you. Even now, when you basically just asked me to tell you some of them.”

“Oh. Well, I figure I’m not all that great. I mean, I live with myself every day, so I should know. Right?”

Jonny just smiled. “Well I find you interesting, Chris. Maybe you can’t understand why, but that’s just how it is.”

“You know you’re pretty interesting yourself. You want people to call you Jonny, even though you are a doctor.”

“Well, I’d rather be treated like an average person, not an authority figure,” Jonny responded quietly.

“I understand.”

Jonny looked straight at Chris for no real reason, and Chris smiled widely just for the heck of it. Jonny just had to smile back. The craziness was contagious, it seemed. Eventually though, Jonny decided that he had made the situation sufficiently awkward.
“I’ll leave you be now. You need your rest, I’m sure. I feel bad for waking you up in the first place.”

“No worries. I’m a light sleeper. A flea’s sneeze could wake me up.” Chris laughed as he realized the ridiculousness of his statement. Jonny laughed right along with him. This made Chris laugh even more. He was truly enjoying Jonny’s presence. Unfortunately, he forgot about his injuries again and as he laughed even harder, he suddenly cried out in pain.

Jonny was hovering over him instantly. He eyes were wide with fear. “Are you okay?”
Chris swallowed and gripped his sides. He held back the tears that were building up in his eyes. “Yes,” he gasped. “I’m…okay.” But his voice could not lie. He was clearly experiencing harsh pains due to the cracked ribs.

Jonny was filled with pity for him. He was so kind, and so innocent. He was, at that moment, the last person Jonny thought deserved to be in any kind of pain. He tried to reason things through in his mind, but he couldn’t keep himself from saying the unthinkable. “Hold on. I will tell one of the nurses to give you a stronger pain killer.”

Chris immediately showed relief. “Oh…thank you. Thank you so much.”

“Of course,” Jonny said with a stupid smile on his face. He wanted to kick himself. Instead he called over a nurse and had her replace the medicine. Jonny felt all of his ridiculous stupidity was worth it, however, when he saw Chris’s body become less tense almost instantly.

“I feel so much better, thank you Jonny.” He smiled wider than Jonny had ever seen before. Jonny regretted nothing. He could lose his job because of this, but he didn’t even care. And he gave no thought whatsoever before answering a semi-random and ridiculous question of Chris’s.

“The sun is coming up. I usually like to watch the sunrise. But I can’t see it very well from here,” he said sadly. “Do you think….maybe….you could take me outside? Just for a little while?”

Jonny knew he should say no. He told himself to say no. He tried to force himself to say no. But he couldn’t help it. “Yes” he replied.



Chapter 7

“Thank you so much for doing this. I really do appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome.”

“But I don’t understand why I have to sit in this stupid wheelchair,” Chris grumbled.

“Standard hospital policy,” Jonny replied simply. “That, and the fact that I want to make myself feel like what I am doing is not quite so wrong.”

“What’s wrong about it? You are helping me. Doctors are supposed to help their patients, right?”

“Well yeah, but you are really not in any sort of condition to be going outside, even for a little while.”

“Oh,” Chris said quietly. He looked up at Jonny with big, worried eyes. Jonny assumed he was going to ask what potential risks there were to his health by going outdoors. But Jonny realized that he should know Chris better than that by now. So he wasn’t quite so surprised to hear Chris ask in a small voice, “Jonny, are you going to get into trouble for doing this?” He sounded like a small child. It made Jonny even more willing to do anything for him, and much less willing to admit the risks he was taking himself by taking Chris outside.

“No, it’s fine Chris,” he lied. “Doctors do this all of the time. I just wanted you to know that there are dangers in doing this. I sure don’t want a lawsuit on my hands after all,” he laughed. “Not that I think you are the type of person who would file one of those.”

“Okay good. I don’t want to put your position at risk or anything.”

Jonny rolled his eyes. Once again, Chris had skillfully dodged a compliment. “Don’t worry about it,” he told Chris. By that time they had reached the doors that would lead them to a little garden in the middle of the hospital grounds. Small though it was, it was perfect for viewing a sunrise, because none of the buildings blocked the eastern horizon from being visible.

Once outside, Jonny noticed that there were benches too. He pushed Chris over next to one of them and sat down. He realized that he had never been out here before. And he regretted it. The view was gorgeous. The sun had not even become visible yet, but it still gave off enough light so that the sky lit up in stunning pinks, oranges, and reds. This limited light also produced a certain hue on the ground, giving all of the plants an interesting color.

“Jonny, isn’t it just lovely how the sunrise makes the clouds look like cotton candy?”

Jonny looked back up at the sky. It was true; they did resemble the sugary treat. Jonny was ashamed for never noticing before. He realized that all his life he had never really focused on details. He only saw the big picture. And now he regret that. “Yes, it is quite lovely indeed.”

Now Jonny found himself searching for more details. He started by looking at the sky, but after only a few moments he found his eyes wandering to Chris sitting beside him. His facial expression clearly expressed his awe for the sights before him. His eyes were wider than should be possible for a human being, and bluer than they should be capable of being. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed before.

Jonny knew in the back of his mind that he should be keeping track of the time. It would not bode well for him if someone found Chris missing from his room. But he slowly began to realize that he truly did not care. For the first time in a long time, he was doing something interesting with someone interesting. Details in themselves were quite interesting, he began to find. If he had been looking at the big picture, he never would have realized how little he actually cared about his job.

It was the little details that were the telltale signs of the general contempt he had for his position. He never laughed, he rarely smiled, and he was constantly aching to get home so he could watch some mind numbing television show he didn’t even like. At least that’s how it had been until Chris. He felt he could separate his life into eras. B.C., for Before Chris, and A.C. for After Chris.

But there was no A.C., at least, not yet. But Jonny was determined that there would be. He suddenly had an urge to change. But what he should change, he did not yet know. He decided he had time to figure that out, though, and went back to taking in the scenery.

Not long after that, he heard Chris sigh happily. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement. His eyes widened as he saw Chris trying to ease himself out of the wheelchair. He jumped off the bench. “Chris, what are you doing? You shouldn’t stand up yet, you’re in no condition-“

“I just want to get a better view,” Chris insisted. He managed to stand firmly on his two feet. Jonny sighed with relief. He began to make a joke, but the words got caught in his throat when he saw Chris’s eyes suddenly widen in pain. He clutched his chest and Jonny could only stare in shock. There was a dull thud. And then Chris was lying in an odd position on the ground, unconscious.

Jonny continued to stare foolishly at him for a few seconds. Then he felt his legs go week, and he collapsed to the ground in front of Chris. He tried feeling for a pulse, but his hands were shaking so badly that he couldn’t manage it. He forgot everything. He forgot about the consequences of his actions, he forgot that he was outside, and he forgot that he was a doctor. Instead he just screamed for someone, anyone to help.



Chapter 8

Out of pure good fortune a nurse happened to glance one of the windows that faced the little courtyard and notice the scene. She sprinted out immediately to where Chris lay and where Jonny was staring blankly at him. She tried in vain to get any sort of information from Jonny. He was in a state of shock.

However, although the nurse didn't know it, Jonny was aware of her presence. But he simply could not find a way to make his mouth move, or any part of him move for that matter. He was frozen in time. All he could think was that Chris was hurt. Chris was injured, there was something wrong with him. And he had a sinking suspicion that it was all his fault.

Jonny just watched, still as a statue, while the nurse felt for a pulse. Apparently she didn't find one because her movents became more frenzied. She took out her beeper and paged someone. Soon there was a team of three doctors rushing outside with a defibrillator. Then they were kneeling over Chris. One of them charged the paddles, and another gave the okay.

Again Jonny could do nothing but watch as the paddles made contact with Chris's chest, forcing it up with the powerful electricity being emitted. The third doctor held Chris down to prevent further injury as a result from the jolting. This process was repeated several times as Jonny looked on with cold, dead eyes and no expression whatsoever.

After a seemingly endless period of time, one of the jolts finally had the desired effect. Chris opened his eyes with a start and gasped. The relief in the air was almost palpable. The three doctors gave each other small smiles, which were basically like high-fives in this field of work.

Jonny melted then. His muscles returned to proper working order. Or at least fair working order. Tears slid down his face and he slowly managed to stand. Seeing Chris's eyes open and his chest moving without the help of any machine, although slowly, was like winning the lottery to Jonny. Dozens of thank yous pushed past his lips.

The thank yous were not just as a result of the saving of Chris's life. Jonny thought they were also in order because the revival of Chris had made him realize what his true feelings had been all this time. Chris was indeed the most interesting person he had known, though only briefly. But he recognized now that his feelings stretched further than that.

This single patient was now Jonny's lifeblood. Chris had quickly become the main supplier of blood and oxygen to Jonny's heart. Without Chris, Jonny might as well have an actual heart attack. He needed this man now. He did not understand how this was possible to achieve in such a small length of time, but here was no use denying that it was true.

He dried his eyes as he followed the three doctors and the nurse back inside the building as they pushed Chris on a gurney that the nurse had retrieved. Soon Chris was safely back in an intensive care room. A heart monitor was quickly hooked up to him, and with every little beep of the machine Jonny's joy increased.

Chris looked around slowly, quite disoriented. But it wasn't long before he noticed Jonny standing before him. Their eyes met, and Jonny couldn't retain his smile.

"Chris, you don't know how glad I am that you are okay. You should have seen the state I was in. I couldn't even remember any of my medical training."

Chris's eyes filled with tears that quickly spilled over. "Oh doctor, I am so sorry!" he cried in despair. "That was such a stupid, irresponsible-"

"What's with all this doctor stuff?" Jonny interrupted. "I thought we agreed that you'd call me by my name."

"Well, I assume that my actions have caused me to lose my friendship with you. I was so selfish, doctor. I could have cost you your job!" His crying intensified and he began to sob.

Jonny glared at him so fiercely that Chris immediately quieted down and the tears stopped flowing altogether. "Fuck my job," he said quietly. "There is nothing of interest for me in this job."

Chris gaped at Jonny. "You...you don't mean that do you!?"

"Of course I mean it," Jonny replied simply.

Chris continued to gape at him and Jonny just shrugged. Chris wanted to say more, but at that moment a doctor breezed into the room. He sat in a chair with his clipboard covering all of his face but his eyes. His eyes just barely peered over the top, and they gave Jonny disapproving looks. Jonny ignored them.

"Let's see here...Mr. Martin. The results of your tests are in and it seems that you had a heart attack, as we suspected. It was caused by a combination of an overly strong pain medication and an already present heart problem." When he mentioned the pain medicine he glared at Jonny and Jonny suddenly felt the weight of guilt upon him.

"So...what does this mean?" Chris asked in a small voice.

"Well, the underlying heart problem seems to be a defect you have had since birth. It was somehow never noticed until now. But it is a fairly serious defect, and open heart surgery will be necessary to resolve the problem."

"Okay." Chris seemed to be shrinking by the second.

"I will get you a form to sign, and the surgery should begin in about four hours." With that he exited the room. Chris shriveled up among the sheets.

"Jonny?" he whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I told you I was unlucky."

* * * * * * * * * * *

Some hours later, Chris was wheeled out of surgery and into the recovery room. Jonny jumped up from the seat he had been sitting on in the waiting room. He hurried down the hall, but not to Chris. Instead, he caught Will just as he was exiting the surgery room.

"Thank you for doing this last minute Will."

"That's what I'm here for. It is my job, you know."

"I know. But still, thanks. Okay...honestly I came here to thank you for something else."

Will smiled knowingly. "I figured that."

Jonny blushed. "Well...just...thanks for the advice. It really helped me figure some things out."

"That's what friends are for Jon."

Jonny smiled and hurried back the other way, to meet Chris in the recovery room. He sat beside him until Chris finally opened his eyes.

"Jonny....you're here?" he asked sleepily.

"Of course I am." He shifted his eyes around the room. "The doctors say that you shouldn't be left to care for yourself for a while. Is there anyone you can stay with?"

"I'm sure I can find someone." But his worried eyes gave him away.

"Stay with me, then."

"What? No way! I couldn't intrude like that. I've caused you enough trouble as it is, what with your job and all."

"Oh shut up Chris. You should know by now that I would be willing to do anything for your sake."

Chris smiled. "I do."

"Well then, it's settled. You will move in with me as soon as you are discharged."

Chris was silent for a while. "What about your job?"

"I told you already. Fuck this job. They are going to fire me anyways for this incident. But I don't care, mind you. I welcome it. I don't need that shit anymore. I have you."

Chris grinned from ear to ear. "I was wrong. I am not unlucky at all. I am very lucky indeed."

Jonny smiled in return. He didn't say it out loud, but deep down he knew that he was the lucky one.




THE END

The Master Plan

"Look at them."

"I know, they're so obviously in love."

"Well duh."

"But they're never going to do anything about it."

"Unless..." the first girl said with a devious smile.

The second girl finished her sentence for her. "Unless we do it for them!" They turned to each other and grinned.

"Chris's birthday is tomorrow," the second girl said.

"Again, duh."

"Well that's a perfect opportunity to get them together!"

"Oooh you're right!"

No more words were spoken between them. The two girls could basically read each other's minds. They simply exchanged another grin and hurried off to begin their master plan.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The doorbell echoed throughout the flat at eight o'clock in the morning. Someone might have awoken as a result of the sound if the only person living there had not already been awake since the crack of dawn, as he was every morning.

Chris hurried to answer the door. He wondered who it could be. He wasn't expecting any visitors, at least not until the evening. He put one blue eye up to the peephole in the door. On the porch stood a delivery man in an ugly brown delivery man's uniform. He was holding an oddly shaped white box and a clipboard. He tapped his foot impatiently even though he hadn't even been waiting thirty seconds.

Chris opened the door with an overly excessive amount of gusto. At least, that's what the man must've thought, by the irritated expression on his face.

"Oooh, a present, for me? What could it be, I wonder?" Chris's eyes sparkled with excitement. The delivery man, who according to his nametag was called Albert, rolled his eyes.

"Just sign here," he stated grouchily, pointing to the clipboard. Chris dug around in his pockets.

"Hmm, sorry. I don't have a pen." He smiled sheepishly. Albert heaved a great sigh and pulled a pen out of his pocket.

"Here," he grouched. "Now sign the damn thing." Chris scribbled his name onto the paper and handed the pen and clipboard back to Albert, who in return handed him the box. "Enjoy," he said sarcastically.

Chris paid no attention to Albert's less than kind demeanor. He was overwhelmed with excitement that someone had given him a gift. He shouted out a goodbye to Albert and hurried back inside. He set the box on his kitchen table. For a while he just stared at it with big, bright eyes, letting his childlike imagination run wild as to what it might be.

Finally he reached out gingerly and opened it. His eyes grew wide as saucers . Inside the box was a cake. And this was no ordinary cake. It was triple chocolate death cake, Chris's favorite. He jumped around the room squealing. "A cake, a cake!" he shouted to nobody. "A cake on my birthday!"

He finally stopped bouncing and just stared at it. "A cake...I wonder who it could be from?" He scraped some of the rich chocolate icing off with his finger and stuck it in his mouth. "Mmmm. Well whoever it was, they sure do know what I like!" Suddenly he noticed something taped to the inside cover of the box. He pulled it off. It was a typed note.

Chris-

Happy Birthday! I ordered this cake especially for you. I hope you'll enjoy it. You deserve it. You are an amazing person and an even better friend. So when I woke up one morning loving you, I wasn't surprised. You are the person who makes me feel complete. You are as rich in good qualities as this cake is in sugar. I just thought you should finally know. Call me later, okay?

-Jonny

Chris folded up the letter and slipped it in his pocket with a smile. His eyes wet with tears, he called Jonny on the phone. "Come over please. I think we should talk."

Jonny, oblivious to any cake gifts or love notes, agreed. Half an hour later Chris once again ran to answer the door. He didn't even wait for Jonny to come inside before he blurted out what he had been holding in for so long. "Jonny, I love you. But I was too scared to admit it. But now it's all okay right? We can be together."

Jonny managed to hide his complete shock and even formed a coherent sentence. "I...love you too."

"Well I know that, silly!" he said, pulling him inside. "Now come on, I want you to share the cake with me."

"Chris, is your head okay?" Jonny questioned, as he was dragged into the kitchen and forced to sit down.

"Of course it is, why wouldn't it be? I just got the best present ever from the best man ever."

"Oh," Jonny said. he tried to hide the pain in his voice. "Well, what's his name then? I hope he is good to you."

Chris stared at him like he was crazy. Then he burst out laughing. "I'm talking about you Jonny-boy! Who else would I be speaking of?"

Jonny wasn't sure. He had no idea what was going on. But he decided to play along. He knew from experience that it was better not to question Chris's odd behavior. It was better to just go with it. "Oh. Well I'm glad you liked....my present," he said slowly.

"Of course I did! Now let's eat!" he proclaimed. Jonny shrugged and helped himself to a piece of the cake. He found it so funny that Chris had bought himself a cake for his birthday, even though he was going to get one at his party later.

He watched him with adoration as he stuffed bite after bite of cake into his mouth. He laughed out loud when Chris missed his mouth completely and cake ended up all over his face. He didn't have the slightest clue what Chris had been talking about with gifts and all that, but he couldn't have been more glad that Chris had confessed his love. Otherwise he never would have had the guts to admit his own feelings.

"Chris."

"Yes?" he looked up form his plate. Chocolate was smeared all over his mouth. A dab of chocolate frosting sat on the tip of his nose. There was even a streak of sugary icing across his cheek and forehead.

"You've got a little cake on your face," chuckled Jonny.

"Oh," he replied, frowning.

"Here, let me help you." He leaned in and lightly ran his tongue across Chris's cheek to lick the icing away.

Chris gasped, then stuttered. "Jo...Jonny?"

"Yes?"

"There is chocolate on my lips too."

"I was getting to that," he mumbled, and pressed his lips gently onto Chris's. A few seconds passed this way, then Jonny pulled back just enough to whisper in Chris's ear. "Chris, I do believe this is the best birthday you've ever had."

Chris smiled. "I believe that too."

* * * * * * * * * * *

Two girls crouched in the hedges, peering into the kitchen window. The first remembered the receipt she was holding and stuck it into her pocket. "Thirty five dollars for a cake!" she exclaimed. "But it was worth it."

"Of course it was," the second girl replied, fingering her dark brown curls. The first swept her thin, brown bangs out of her eyes. They both smiled. "Success," they whispered in unison.



THE END