A Decision for Jarren - 17. Chapter 17

Monday morning did not start out well and it turned out to be an omen of how the entire week was going to be. The day started out with Nash cracking the screen on his phone when he dropped it in the kitchen. He had a protective case for it, but it hit the corner of the counter just right and a star burst pattern scattered across the screen. Jarren stubbed his toe on the coffee table hard enough to bring tears to his eyes. When they left for Macon, Nash had forgotten that they needed gas and the first two pumps that they tried at the gas station had card readers that were out of service and a third pump had an out of order sign on it. They were later than normal heading out of Atlanta and hit heavy traffic which further delayed their long commute.

The conversation was constantly interrupted by colorfuls swears coming from both men as they were cut off more than once. When they finally reached the plantation, the foreman informed them that three of the labor crew were arrested for drunk and disorderly charges over the weekend and no one had posted bail so they were short three laborers.

Jarren looked over the schedule of what needed to be done and managed to rearrange it according to what had priority and what the current crew was able to handle. On top of all of this, two of the remaining guys couldn’t stand each other and were refusing to work on the same task. Jarren was ready to kill somebody. He was able to separate them for most of the day, but he needed everyone to help tear out the old plaster from the remaining walls on the first floor. He ended up ripping both men a new one when they started arguing about something not even related to work.

Jarren stormed into the trailer at the end of the day and called the company that was providing the labor. Nash was thankful he wasn’t at the other end of that call. When Jarren was pissed nothing would get in his way. He quickly bypassed the receptionist who answered the phone and went straight for the big guns. He demanded to speak with the manager and when he was finally connected to the right person he proceeded to chew him up one side and down the other about the incompetence and unreliability of the guys they employed. The manager promised to send a new crew out to them the next day, which really wasn’t much help as the new crew would need everything explained to them which would take time. At least the old crew was familiar with the job duties. Jarren resigned himself to basically losing half a day watching over a new crew and essentially babysitting.

Nash sympathized with him and offered to call Andre. Jarren just shook his head and picked up the phone again. Nash sympathized as he listened to Jarren relay to Andre the difficulties they were having with the crew. Andre was paying for the service and needed to know that it was subpar.

The icing on the cake happened when they got to the hotel that they had stayed at the past few weeks and found out that their reservation had been cancelled by mistake. Jarren hung his head, rolled his neck, looked at Nash and said “You deal with it. I’ll just end up getting arrested.” Jarren turned away from the desk and went to sit in one of the oversized chairs in the lobby.

Nash was informed that they did not have a two bedroom suite available, not even a one bedroom. The only thing they had to offer was a standard room with two double beds, and they wouldn’t be able to move them to anything larger until Wednesday. Knowing that Jarren was tired and sick of bullshit, Nash agreed to the arrangements, and after speaking civilly to the manager he was assured that they would be comped for the two nights and the remainder of the week would be at a discounted rate once they were moved to a suite. He and Jarren would just have to suck it up and deal with sleeping in two beds, as he had no idea how two six foot something, muscular guys were going to fit on one double bed. A queen bed they could have dealt with, but a double? That was going to be tough.

“Come on, good news, we have a room. Bad news, it only has two double beds, but it’s only a couple of nights.” Nash tried to keep an even keel to his voice, but he was annoyed as well.

Jarren got up and grabbed his bag. “Lead on. I need a shower and food, not necessarily in that order.” he said with a sigh.

The room was on the third floor and of course it was next to the elevator. Where else could it possibly be but the noisiest place on the floor? Nash opened the door with a bang, and as expected the room was your garden variety hotel room with two double beds, one dresser, one desk and a cabinet with a small dorm fridge below and TV sitting on top. Oh, and you couldn’t forget the mini coffee maker that held roughly four swallows of generic brew.

Jarren threw his bag in a corner and flopped onto the nearest bed face down. Nash dropped his bag next to Jarren’s and pulled up the pizza place that they had ordered from a couple of times and delivered to the hotel. He placed an order for a large meat lover’s and a double order of hot wings. They might as well go whole hog with the unhealthy shit, especially after the day they had. Nash smacked Jarren’s jean covered ass and told him to go take a shower, the food would be there in 20-30 minutes. Jarren merely grunted as he got up and trudged into the bathroom that had shit for water pressure, as he quickly discovered. The only saving grace was that it was at least hot enough and lasted for the entire time it took to rinse the soap and shampoo from him.

Jarren had just pulled on clean shorts and a tight tank top when there was a knock on the door. The young guy delivering the pizza barely contained his drool as Jarren opened the door. He heard Nash chuckling behind him as he signed for the charge and handed the wide-eyed teenager a ten dollar tip. Jarren flexed his arms and chest as the kid handed him the pizza and wings, then closed the door in the poor dude’s face.

“Oh come on, you could’ve invited him in for some fun.” Nash snickered.

“He wouldn’t know what to do with two of us. We probably would’ve killed the poor thing. Can you picture him tied up and being pounded by both of us? He’d freaking break!” Jarren finally smiled for the first time that day.

“You’re right, besides, I don’t wanna share. I’m keeping your cock sucking skills classified. Top Secret clearance only.” Nash joked. He handed Jarren a plate with two slices and a beer from the twelve pack he bought at the convenience store next to the hotel while Jarren was in the shower. Jarren immediately tipped the bottle back to his lips and drained half of it. Nash merely watched as Jarren swallowed rapidly.

They were both starving and the pizza and wings disappeared rapidly, along with three beers apiece. When the last slice was gone, Jarren let loose with an appreciative belch that rumbled out from his toes. Nash answered with one of his own, both of them laughing like teenagers. Jarren cleaned up while Nash took his shower.

Nash came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist to the sight of Jarren laying face down on one of the beds wearing just his shorts. He had pulled the covers all the way down, burying just his bare feet under the sheet and blanket. Nash quickly went back into the steamy bathroom and grabbed the complimentary bottle of body lotion. Dropping his towel he straddled Jarren’s thighs and uncapped the bottle, squirting some of the lotion across the tight back muscles splayed out before him. He proceeded to massage Jarren’s neck and back using long firm strokes, pressing down and kneading the tightly knotted muscles. Jarren groaned and moaned like a whore trying to score a huge tip. Nash smiled at the sexy sounds his ministrations were spawning. His slippery hands slid easily along the smooth skin beneath them. Nash was enjoying the feel of Jarren’s muscles and let himself relax with the knowledge that they both were benefitting from the intimacy.

Jarren was finally lulled into an easy stupor and had drifted into that semi-conscious state and was just barely aware of his surroundings. Nash continued rubbing Jarren’s back until he heard a soft snore come from the man. He slowly eased himself off of the bed and pulled the covers over Jarren’s lower half, careful not to wake him. Nash washed his hands and gave his teeth a quick brushing before pulling back the covers of the unoccupied bed. Jarren was sprawled across the other one and there was no way both of them would fit comfortably. They would just have to endure a couple of nights in separate beds, but at least they were in the same room.

Tuesday morning came all too soon and Jarren had to spend most of it instructing the new crew. They seemed better than the last group, but he knew better than to get his hopes up. Nash was having his own share of problems as well. The truck that was delivering the new windows had been in an accident and nearly all of their order had been destroyed. They were custom made and it would be at least three weeks before replacements could be delivered. Nash pinched the bridge of his nose as he and Jarren looked over the timeline and tried to figure out how to rearrange the schedule to work around the latest glitch.

By the time Thursday rolled around Jarren and Nash were up to their eyeballs in delays and material mishaps. In addition to the window fiasco, Nash discovered that the wrong wood flooring had been ordered. His order sheet that he had the owner’s signature on it showed five inch, dark, mahogany wood planks had been ordered, and what had been delivered was three inch, light oak. It was Nash’s turn to rip the manager of the flooring company a new one. By the end of the conversation Nash had been assured that the correct flooring would be delivered on Monday.

Friday afternoon couldn’t come soon enough. The entire week had been hell and they both were looking forward to going home. John had called and told them they passed the background check easily and they could take Liam for a few hours after his therapy lesson and spoil him rotten. It was the brightest spot in an otherwise dismal week. They had been moved to a one bedroom suite on Wednesday so at least they were able to sleep together in a king bed for the last two nights. When they checked out on Friday the day manager assured them that they would have a two bedroom suite ready for them on Monday when they returned.

Saturday morning was there before they knew it and both Jarren and Nash went over to greet Liam when John pulled up in his van. Liam was bouncing in his chair as it was lowered to the ground.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” he cried out as he rolled his way over to them. Jarren, and then Nash bent down to give the excited youngster a hug.

“Now, Liam, you have to behave and not give Jarren or Nash any problems. When they say it’s time to go home, no whining OK?’ John reminded the boy.

“I know! I know! You’ve only told me a thoooooouuuuuusssand times!” Liam exaggerated.

Jarren laughed at his enthusiasm and said “Come on, we’re going to have to start calling you Pogo if you keep bouncing up and down like a pogo stick. Frosty is saddled and waiting for you, so let’s go. You can tell us what you’d like to do this afternoon while you ride.”

Liam rolled himself over to the ramp and let Nash push his chair up and then lower him down onto the saddle Frosted Flakes had on. Jarren secured the straps that went over his thighs, helping to hold him in place. Nash handed him a helmet and he quickly snapped the chinstrap into place. Liam shifted slightly and then told Jarren he was ready. Jarren led the gentle horse around the corral, reminding Liam to sit up straight whenever he caught the boy leaning to one side or the other. Liam’s balance seemed to be getting better, he wasn’t swaying as much as he did the first time Jarren had worked with him.

Nash led one of the other kids around and they bantered back and forth about silly things. Liam and Jester got into a debate on who was the better superhero, Captain America or Iron Man. Jarren personally liked Thor, let’s face it Chris Hemsworth was fucking hot. When he looked over at Nash he could tell that he was thinking the same thing. Nash shook his head and laughed.

The hour passed quickly and Liam had asked if they could go to Zoo Atlanta. He really loved exotic animals and he hadn’t been to the zoo yet. Jarren and Nash found out that Liam and his mom had planned to go to the zoo for Liam’s birthday, but never made it. The accident had happened two weeks before he turned twelve. Jarren and Nash both agreed that it was a perfect day for the zoo. The sun was out, hiding behind an occasional puffy cloud and the air was warm, close to 70. They should be able to spend at least three hours there and then have plenty of time to get something to eat before Liam would need to return to the group home.

They got Liam situated in his chair and Maddie told them to go, she would make sure the horses and tack were taken care of. She had witnessed firsthand Liam’s excitement and figured if he had to wait any longer he would explode. She didn’t want to have to explain that kind of mess to John or the police, she joked as she told them to leave.

It wasn’t long before Liam was buckled in the back seat of Nash’s truck and his chair was tied down in the bed. Liam was a chatterbox on the ride to the zoo and the guys discovered that he loved science and nature and was really good at history too. He hated math and tolerated English. Before he lost his legs he loved to play baseball and was hoping to someday see a major league ball game. Jarren and Nash grinned at the not-so-subtle hint he dropped with that statement. The Braves were currently down in Florida for Spring Training, but regular season started up in a couple of weeks. Jarren made a mental note to look at the schedule and get tickets for the first Saturday game that would fit their schedule. A day game would mean skipping riding lessons and a night game would need permission from John to keep Liam out late. Jarren didn’t think that would be a problem.

They arrived at the zoo and Nash purchased tickets for them. Jarren and Liam got a map and Liam looked it over carefully and quickly plotted out their route. The rest of the afternoon was spent going from exhibit to exhibit learning all about the different species that the zoo housed. Zoo Atlanta emphasized conservation and research and they all learned something new. By the end of the day Jarren knew that they would in likelihood be getting annual passes and coming back often. Liam was still lit up like a Christmas tree when they stopped at a local family restaurant for supper. Jarren tried a bison burger with blue cheese and caramelized onions, while Nash ordered a double cheeseburger with no bun. Liam ended up with a bacon cheeseburger, fully loaded. The burger was nearly as big as the kid’s head. He ended up having to cut it up to eat it. Jarren didn’t think that any human mouth was capable of chomping down on a burger that size. On second thought, if anyone could do it, it would be Cassie. Jarren could picture her sinking her teeth into that burger and enjoying every bite.

They all got the sweet potato fries and they were served with soft, cinnamon butter. Jarren was in heaven. Liam managed to finish a respectable 2/3rds of his burger and a little more than half his fries. Nash finished off the fries, he had the room as he didn’t get the bun with his burger. Jarren finished all of his meal, but was rather full by the end of it. None of them had room for dessert.

It was almost eight o’clock when they left the restaurant and it was eight-fifteen when they pulled into the driveway of the group home. John met them at the door after they pushed a tired Liam up the ramp onto the big verandah of the huge house.

“This was the best day ever. Thank you guys so much! I had a lot of fun. Can we do something next week too?” Liam’s words nearly tripped over themselves as they tumbled from the still excited boy.

Nash laughed and told him “We’ll let you know at the end of the week. I don’t see why not, BUT, we have to get a good report from John. No slacking off in school, you keep your grades up and stay out of trouble and we can make this a weekly outing, unless one of us has something else come up.”

Jarren added “Things are going to come up Liam, so don’t pout if there’s a Saturday that we can’t do something with you. Don’t worry though, we look forward to this as much as you do.”

“OK Liam, say good-bye and go get ready for bed. You can stay up until ten, reading or video games, but keep it down, the little ones will be turning in soon.” John told him gently.

Liam grabbed Nash’s hand and pulled him down for a hug. Jarren was next and the boy’s skinny arms wrapped around him in a tight hug. Jarren smiled and kissed the top of the boy’s head and then ruffled his hair. Liam spun around and wheeled himself into the house.

“Thank you guys for doing this for Liam. I haven’t ever seen him smile so much. I think this is exactly what he needs.” John told them.

“We’re happy to help. I think we both enjoyed the day just as much as he did. He’s a great kid. I wish there was more that we could do. I’d take him in a heartbeat if we had schedules that would allow us to care for him. I don’t know if the state would agree to that however. I hope something works out for him soon.” Jarren replied.

Nash added “I agree. Thanks for letting us take him John. We’ll call you at the end of the week and don’t forget that Liam can call either of us if he wants to . He has both of our numbers. This was exactly what Jarren and I needed after the hell week we just went through.”

John nodded and they said their good-byes. Jarren saw Liam’s face at the window of the bedroom on the corner of the house and he waved. Liam was still waving back as they backed out of the driveway and headed home.

“This was a fun day. I really am glad we decided to do this for Liam. He's a wicked awesome little dude.” Jarren commented.

“I totally agree with you. Thanks for asking me to do this with you. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed doing stuff like this.” Nash replied.

Jarren gave him a small smile and then looked out his window, a pensive look descending over his face. After a few minutes of silence Nash glanced over and said “Spit it out. I can tell you want to ask me something. I’ve told you before that you can ask me anything. If I don’t want to answer I’ll let you know.”

Jarren’s cheeks turned pink as he blushed. “I know, I just don’t want to seem like I’m prying or nosy, or moving too fast. I was just wondering if you ever thought about having another kid?” he asked quietly.

Nash reached over and took Jarren’s hand and replied “I’ve thought about it. I don’t think I could ever go through having another baby. The doctors all said that Juju’s cancer probably wasn’t genetic, but there’s always that fear in the back of my mind. I don’t think I could survive losing another child the same way I lost Juju. I have thought about adopting an older child. I think that is something I’d be willing to consider at some point. What about you? Do you want kids of your own?”

Jarren squeezed Nash’s hand and answered “I never really thought I’d be in a position to have kids. My siblings have already given my parents enough grandkids to field a baseball team, and I’m sure there will be a few more added after Mazen and Cassie get married. They only need two more to make a football team!” Jarren laughed. “I never considered the possibility of contributing to the family’s team building efforts, but I think I agree with you. I can see myself adopting an older kid, like Liam. Babies? Not so much. They’re a lot of work and I know that I’m capable, hell I’ve had enough practice with all the nieces and nephews, but at this point in my life, it’s a responsibility I’d rather not take on. There are a lot of kids like Liam who need a forever home.”

“Speaking of which,” he continued “ Lex called me yesterday and I forgot to tell you, he and Ian are in the process of getting licensed to foster. There’s a boy that they met through their new foundation that they pretty much clicked with the first time they met him. His parents were both drug addicts and damn near killed him. They were cooking meth and of course things went very wrong and there was a big explosion. They both were killed and the boy, Keon, was severely burned and ended up in the burn center in Boston where Lex’s stepdad Seth works. Seth is a doctor and he’s been treating Keon. The poor kid has spent the last ten months in the hospital. He’s already endured ten or twelve surgeries. Lex told me that the burns covered about 40% of his body, mostly his right side. I guess he was lucky in that his face was spared, but the side of his neck is a mess. Ian has already told him that he would do a cover up tattoo when he gets older.”

“Wow, that poor kid. Did Lex say how old he is?” Nash inquired.

Jarren responded “Yeah, he’s about the same age as Liam. I think Lex said he’s going to be thirteen next month. They’re hoping to have their approval by then as Seth told them he should be able to be discharged in a couple of weeks. He just had another graft done and they need to see how it takes.”

“I hope everything works out for them. Your friends seem like amazing people.” Nash told him.

“They are, and so are you. I’m looking forward to introducing you at some point. Maybe when this job is done, we can take a trip up there?” Jarren commented.

Nash smiled and as he pulled into his driveway he replied “I’d love that.”

The two men made their way into the house and of course ended up in the bedroom rather quickly. Jarren’s new toys had been delivered and Nash was eager to show him exactly how much a cock ring could enhance his pleasure and endurance. Nash brought Jarren to the edge over and over until he was practically weeping. The explosion that followed when Nash finally let him come was volcanic. Jarren’s muscles were like goo for the rest of the night and Nash, well let’s just say he wore a self satisfied smirk right up to the point he fell asleep, and even then his face remained content.

The next couple of weeks followed the now familiar pattern. The plantation renovation was finally going smoothly, the snags having been resolved. The window and flooring issues were resolved to everyone’s satisfaction. Jarren and Nash took Liam to see the Braves play the second Saturday in April. The joy that was plastered on the boy’s face all night was something that Jarren and Nash wanted to see more often.

The third week of April started off the usual way. Monday they found themselves overseeing the installation of the plumbing and electrical throughout the huge house. All three floors had been gutted, non-load bearing walls removed, framework for the new rooms was now in place. The third floor would have three bedrooms, each with its own ensuite. Two of the rooms would connect, making it ideal for a family of four or five. The owners were going to install a built in Murphy bed that would look like a closet door at first glance. There would be two twin beds as well so that the room could accommodate three easily, yet not feel crowded during they day when the Murphy bed would be closed up. The adjoining room would have a queen bed and there would also be enough room for a portable crib or small rollaway for a child. The third bedroom was going to have two double beds, ideal for non-couples to share. The floor would also have a common area with a couple of couches and chairs, television and game system, along with a refrigerator and microwave.

The second floor would have two large suites, perfect for honeymoon couples. The bathrooms would each be fitted with a large sunken tub as well as a double shower. Each suite would have its own sitting area, mini-fridge and microwave. The first floor would house a large kitchen with an adjoining dining area that would be able to accommodate a table for sixteen when fully extended. The owners had shown them the design for the custom made piece of furniture. Solid oak, with a beautiful inlaid herringbone pattern. The remainder of the first floor would be a large common area which would house a sitting area as well as a pool table and built in bookshelves for a small library. An annex would lead to a one bedroom apartment that the owners would occupy. There had been a lot of thought put into the overall design of the huge house and both men knew it would be stunning when finished.

The week was busy and by Friday afternoon they were ready for a break. It was Easter weekend, not that it made a difference to either man. Religion was not high on their agenda. They were nearly to Atlanta when the skies, which had been overcast all day, finally opened up. Rain fell in a torrent and traffic started to slow. Nash was in the center lane and it wasn’t until much later that they were told another large truck hauling a forty foot camper, lost control when it started to rain, the camper fishtailing and sideswiping Nash’s truck. All that Jarren remembered was feeling like he was caught in a washing machine. The truck skidded sideways, lost traction and tumbled across the pavement. The last thing Jarren recalled was seeing Nash hanging upside down, not moving. Then his whole world went black.