A Tragic Love - 14. Chapter 14 – From Independence Day to Memorial Day

Our surprise for Patrick was planned to happen over the summer vacation. I had found out about Pat’s favorite group and David made all of the arrangements. At first we planned to send Pat off by himself, but then we decided he would have more fun if there were others with him at the time, so we included ourselves in the plans, since we were his closest friends. David told his dad that he was going to this concert with two of his other friends, who were going to be conveniently out of town at the same time. This way, David was able to use his father’s credit card to pay for everything once again.

We didn’t give Pat the details about what we were going to be doing and merely advised him about the date and that we had something special planned. We told our foster parents that we were going to campout, just the two of us, for the weekend. Now, we had covered all of our bases and our little plan could go forward.

On Friday evening, David took the bus to our town and we met him at the bus station, before we all got on the bus into New York City. After checking into our hotel, we went out to dinner, before going back to the hotel to turn in for the evening. Of course, David and I shared a room and Pat had one of his own.

Saturday morning we went down to breakfast, which was provided by the hotel, and it was when we told Patrick about the concert we would be attending that evening. Since we had quite a bit of time before the concert began, we used the opportunity to take in many of the normal tourist attractions and gave Patrick a lot to remember. David had been to the city several times before with his father, so he was actually a pretty good guide and knew exactly where to go. We grabbed lunch from a sidewalk vendor, but went out for a nice dinner before the piece de resistance.

The concert was quite good, but Pat enjoyed it much more than David or I, since it was his group. He knew the words to nearly every song and was totally overwhelmed by the fact that he was almost close enough to the stage to touch his idols. I’ve never seen Pat so happy or animated, so I was glad to be a part of making this happen for him.

David and I were giddy at the concert as well, but we were wound up because we had some really heavy-duty action planned for when we got back to the hotel. We started out with a shower, in which we cleaned every nook and cranny on each other’s teenage frame, but then we enjoyed a little anal action as well. We did this under the showerhead, while bent up against the wall, while our lover passionately took us from behind. We each released a major load when it was our turn and once we had each shared our love in this fashion, we adjourned to the bedroom again.

After we were settled on the bed, we swung around to enjoy a slow, loving sixty-nine. How I reveled in the feel of his powerful erection filling my throat and it was just as awesome to feel my mighty oak buried deep into his oral cavity. We used every bit of knowledge we possessed on oral sex to bring each other the maximum pleasure and acknowledged our partner’s efforts by filling him with the most generous load we could offer. Once we finished swallowing the other’s sweet, creamy treat, we mutually agreed to take a short break from the action.

When we felt we had recuperated sufficiently from our previous efforts, I pushed David back onto the bed, greased up his pole and recreated the love making session during which his father had discovered us and proved to be the catalyst for all of our sorrows. Even though this was the second time we’d done this since we’d gotten back together, I did everything I could to prove my love and let him know I didn’t regret what we had done that day. I only regretted that we had forgotten to lock the door before we began our lovemaking and had been discovered.

Slowly, David got more and more into the physical aspects of our current union and was soon bucking his hips off of the bed and ramming his rod as far into me as was possible. After many minutes of this hectic action, I felt his penis swell within the confines of my warm lining, so I tightened my rectal muscles to hasten his release. I felt every volley of his hot sauce as it spewed into my abdomen and soon we were both lying crumpled and panting on the bed.

Many minutes later, we switched positions yet again and I took David on his magic carpet ride, although he was forced to sit on my gearshift lever to accomplish this task. He didn’t seem to mind that fact, however, and between our joint efforts we were soon soaring above the clouds. We reached new heights during the session, at least I did, and blinding flashes of light cascaded across my eyes, as my orgasm exploded from my erection and painted my lover’s bowels.

What we accomplished that evening may not have risen to the level of a da Vinci, Botticelli or Michelangelo masterpiece, but I felt our efforts would have ranked up there with the works of some of the lesser masters. We had created an act of love that was so wonderful that we were sure it should be considered an artistic marvel. We were also totally exhausted by the effort, so we crawled into position, spooned together and passed into oblivion until our wake-up call roused us.

Sunday morning we went down to enjoy our last breakfast, again compliments of the hotel, before boarding the bus for home. It was during our bus ride back that we sprang the announcement of the second part of our surprise on Pat. He was looking out the bus window, watching the world go by, when I got his attention and filled him in on our next endeavor.

“Pat, there is more to our little gift to you than just this past weekend,” I announced, and a surprised look came over his face, as he began to understand what we were telling him.

“Listen up and we’ll tell you the rest or your surprise,” David added, as he took over from me.

“More?” Pat interrupted. “You’ve done more than enough already and I’ve had more fun over this past weekend than I’ve ever had.”

“Well, I’m not sure if the second part can be considered fun,” I interjected, “but it may give you even more freedom and put you in a place where you are deeply loved.”

A look of bewilderment appeared on Pat’s face after he heard this. After seeing his reaction, I hoped he was prepared for what we were about to spring on him.

“This February, Billy and I turn sixteen,” David resumed. “That means, at least as far as we’re concerned, we’re old enough to be on our own. Billy’s lawyer has agreed to help him become legally emancipated, so he will no longer have to be in foster care, and we’re planning to move in together. To get ready for this, I’ve done some really sneaky stuff. I got a computer application from a guy I know at school that captures keystrokes made on the computer and I’ve used it to get my dad’s account information and passwords for the bank.

“As soon as Billy gets emancipated, he’s going to open a new bank account in both of our names,” David continued, “and then I’m going to go online and transfer the money out of my bank accounts, both the one my dad set up for me and the other one that contains the money my grandfather left me when he died. I’ve also been skimming a little extra cash from my dad’s credit cards, which I’ve kept hidden, so we’ll have enough money to start out.

“Billy and I are then planning to move to another town and get our own place,” he added, “but we want you to join us. We both love you like a brother, not only because of what you’ve done for us, but we also get along great and enjoy each other’s company. It’s up to you and we’ll honor whatever decision you make, but we’re inviting you to join us. If you want, maybe Billy’s lawyer will be able to help you get emancipated at the same time.”

“Before you answer,” I interjected, “I just want to tell you this. David and I are also going to get jobs, so we can work after school and on weekends, to help pay the bills. If you join us, you’d need to do the same thing. It’s not going to be easy, but at least we’ll no longer be treated as though we don’t matter or don’t exist.”

Patrick looked at us with love in his eyes and we could tell he was totally surprised by our announcement, but also deeply touched by it. We let him have a few minutes to think about it, but it didn’t take very long before he gave us his answer.

“I’m very honored that you even thought to include me in your plans,” Patrick began. “I love you two like brothers as well and couldn’t think of anyone else I would be happy to join on such a venture. I don’t like the idea of using all of David’s money to pay for everything, so I hope we can all get part-time jobs to cover expenses. I want you to know that this is the first time I have felt loved or needed since my mother and I were separated. I hope that God will bless both of you for your thoughtfulness and generosity.”

I reached out and took Pat’s hand and then David placed his hand on top of mine. It was a symbolic gesture that showed we were committed to each other from here on out and pledging to do this together. Seeing David would probably be considered a runaway when he did this, since he wouldn’t be emancipated, he would have to keep a lower profile than either Pat or I, but we were still eager to do this. We would be the ‘Three Musketeers’ of teenage independence and it would be ‘All for one and one for all!’ The three of us would become a family, not in the traditional sense, but one that consisted of three young men who put each other’s needs and welfare ahead of his own. Although none of us were related by blood, we were as close as any three siblings could possibly be and were bound by the mental and emotional abuse, physical pain and multiple obstacles we’d been forced to endure and overcome in our lives.

Shortly after David and I celebrated our sixteenth birthdays, I contacted Mr. Gardner and asked him to get things started on the emancipation for Pat and me. Since Pat was a few months older than we were, this wasn’t a problem and Mr. Gardner said he’d take care of everything. We just had to wait until he was able to fill out the paperwork and schedule a hearing in court. He said Pat and I wouldn’t need to be at the hearing though, since he had arranged for the judge who had sent me to juvy to handle this matter. The judge still felt badly about having to send me that place, especially after Mr. Gardner informed him about what had happened to me over the course of my stay. For that reason, he willingly offered to hear this case and would eventually sign the decrees.

After we received the paperwork to prove our new status, I went to the bank and opened a joint account, with David’s and my name on it. David then used the computer at home to transfer the money from his accounts into it. He did this over multiple days and in a series of transactions of a few thousand dollars at a time, so the activity wouldn’t trigger any alarms. Once he had nearly emptied the other accounts, we were ready to make our move, but there were still other factors to be considered first. One of our concerns was that we all wanted to finish the current school year before we moved, since we didn’t want to waste the many months we had already invested in it.

For that reason, we delayed making the move. Even though our emancipations went into effect in April, we didn’t start looking for a place to live until May. In order to do this, Pat and I rode our bikes over to look at some places, until we found the one we thought would suit us best. I then went to the bank and withdrew some of David’s money from our joint account and paid the first month’s rent and gave the landlord the security deposit. Even though we weren’t actually renting the place until June, he said we could start moving in at the end of May, if we wanted.

Mr. Gardner even drove over to assist us the last weekend in May and rented a truck. He used that to help us buy some furniture, lamps and a few other items from the thrift store, but he insisted we purchase new mattresses for the beds. He then helped us move it all into the apartment and then took us shopping for other things we needed, such as bedding, towels, cookware, a microwave and various other sundries. Once we had everything, Mr. Gardner drove us back to the apartment and helped us carry everything inside. He then loaded our bikes in the truck and drove us back to our foster home, before he returned the truck.

Pat and I rode the bikes from our foster home to our new place the first couple of weekends in June, so we could get everything organized. This way, it would be ready for us when we moved in at the end of the month, since school let out in the middle of the June. Pat and I planned to move in the weekend after classes ended, but David wouldn’t be joining us until July, because his cover story wouldn’t work until then. Once he showed up, we’d finally be on our own and determined to make it work, no matter what other obstacles we had to deal with along the way.

When school ended for the year, Mr. Gardner drove back out to help us move our personal belongings from our foster home. Since Pat and I more or less had everything packed up, since we didn’t own a great deal, this didn’t take long and we only needed to make one trip. He stayed around and visited for a while after we’d finished and we happily showed him how we had it set up.

Pat and I knew living on our own wasn’t going to be easy, especially when you consider that neither of us knew how to fix more than a couple of simple meals, so we ended up becoming each other’s guinea pig when fixing various dishes. Mr. Gardner had given us a fairly simple cookbook to guide our efforts and we used it to whip up what we thought looked like promising meals. Luckily, most of them turned out ok, although sometimes we ended up eating some slightly disgusting concoctions, since we didn’t feel we could afford to waste any food. Neither of us a job yet to help contribute to expenses and we didn’t want to use up all of David’s money, so we kind of held our noses and took one for the team.

Even though Pat and I were now pretty much settled in, it wasn’t going to be as easy for David. He not only had to pack up his belongings, but he also had to sneak them out of the house, since he had both his father and the old guy his dad had hired watching over him. David worked out a plan to do this and told his father he was going on a camping trip, shortly after summer vacation began. This would not only give him time to disappear before anyone started looking for him, but he would also be able to take some of his things with him without raising suspicion.

Before school let out though, David was also putting some of his things in his backpack every day and then dropping them off at another friend’s house on the way to school. He had asked this boy if he’d store some of his belongings for him for a few weeks and the boy agreed. Over time, David had smuggled out nearly all of the things he wanted to take with him when he moved, so all he had to do now was collect them before he joined us.

On the day he was supposedly going on his camping trip, he took his duffle with him and left the house. He told his dad he was walking over to his friend’s house and they were giving him a ride there. Instead, he went to this other kid’s house, picked up the rest of the items he’d stored there and then lugged everything to the bus station. He then took the bus to the city where we were living and Pat and I met him at the bus station, so we could help him carry it all to his new home. Pat and I were thrilled to see him again and we knew this was going to work out.

Our life together from that point on went fairly smoothly. We had our little disagreements every now and then, and sometimes we even lost our temper with one of the others, but that was to be expected. Things like that happen when people live so closely together in a small apartment, especially since we were on our own for the very first time. I have to admit that I was impressed by how willing we all were to make sacrifices and compromise for the good of the group and I grew to love the other two more every day, although each in a different way.

Pat and I had been looking for work ever since we first decided on where we were going to live and eventually got hired. I got a job at a local grocery store and a week later Pat got hired to work at the Wendy’s, which was just down the street from where we lived. Neither of us made a lot of money, but the jobs were within walking distance and we could also continue working at each place after school started in the fall, so we no longer felt like freeloaders living off of David’s money.

We never pushed David to look for a job though, since we had already used a lot of his money, but he wanted to work and contribute too. Since we were already past the summer hiring binge, he didn’t find a job until just before school started again in the fall, when he accepted a position at a department store. We all liked our jobs and collectively made enough money to cover our expenses, so all was good.

In August, we all went to enroll at the local high school together too, and since Pat and I went first and showed the secretary our emancipation documents, it appeared as if she thought David was probably emancipated too. That was because she didn’t ask him for his paperwork, yet eagerly enrolled him with the rest of us. We were now all officially juniors at our new school.

Now that this had been taken care of, we took great pleasure in helping each other with our studies, but we also enjoyed being able to celebrate the various holidays together as well. The first of these happened almost immediately, when we threw a big party for David’s and my anniversary on September 2^nd. We included Pat in the festivities too, just not the bedroom activities later, but we all went out for a nice meal first and then had cake and ice cream when we returned home. Believe it or not, this was the fourth anniversary of the day we had met back in seventh grade.

Halloween was a gas too and we all went trick-or-treating together, even though we were older than most of the others roaming about that night. This simple activity took us back to our youth, which was a period that the three of us, especially Pat and I, never really got a chance to enjoy, at least not the way we wanted or should have.

We celebrated Pat’s seventeenth birthday on November 12^th and David and I took him out for dinner. We felt it was only fair the he have a decent meal on his special day and David and I split the cost of his dinner. We also had a birthday cake and ice cream for him at home and bought him a couple of small gifts.

Next up was Thanksgiving and we did our best to enjoy this holiday too, since we all felt we had a lot to be thankful for this year. Dinner wasn’t bad, but we only prepared a turkey-breast roll, Stove Top Stuffing, mashed potatoes, canned cranberry sauce and for dessert we had a pumpkin pie that I had purchased from the grocery store where I work. Even though the meal was nothing special, we still enjoyed it, as well as the entire day together.

Christmas was a really special time for us as well. David bought Pat a chain, complete with charms, just like he had done for the two of us. David also bought each of us a charm with Patrick’s zodiac sign on it as well, which was Scorpio, for his November 12^th date of birth. These charms were embedded with a citrine, which was Pat’s birthstone, and his initials were engraved on the back, so it was just like ours. These were designed to show our closeness and commitment to each other. We exchanged other gifts as well, but none as meaningful as the ones David had provided.

We spent New Year’s Eve alone at home and celebrated the event quietly. The three of us played cards and board games, plus we watched the big New Year’s Eve celebrations on television. New Year’s Day was spent watching college football games together and we even made bets on the games, such as the loser had to do the winner’s chores for a specific period of time, just to liven things up a bit. It all ended up pretty even, but we each had to do some things we weren’t accustomed to for a short time.

A week after we returned to school after the holiday, David came home and asked me to go with him to the teen chapter of a gay and lesbian group that met the following Wednesday. He said they got together at a local church, obviously a very progressive one, and he hoped that by attending the meetings he would be able to find a way to get through to his father and finally convince him to accept us as a couple. I told him I was willing to give it a try and we went to our first meeting together.

The meeting was fairly interesting and we got to meet a bunch of other gay and lesbian teenagers. We were also able to discuss the problems associated with being gay or lesbian and learned how the others were dealing with these issues as well. David and I were very honest with the group, so over the course of a few meetings, we had told them most of our story. None of them had been through quite as much as I had, but some of them had faced far worse problems, some of them even life threatening.

I was really glad that David talked me into going to the meetings, since it felt good to discuss these things openly with others who had faced similar problems, but it was also nice that we were able to be affectionate with each other in public, well sort of in public. We felt a strong bond with some of our new friends and over the next few weeks we even went to some of their homes for meals. We even included Patrick in a few of these excursions, since he was open-minded and supportive, plus we didn’t want him to feel left out. He wasn’t always into the conversations we were having, but he did seem to enjoy the company and camaraderie.

It was now February and we were only a few days away from David’s and my seventeenth birthdays, so we wanted to plan something special for our combination party. This would take considerable thought though and wouldn’t just include the ‘Three Musketeers.’ We also invited a group of our new friends to help us celebrate, and since Patrick had a girlfriend now, we included her too. He had met her where he worked and asked if she wanted to join us, after briefing her about all of us. She seemed nearly as cool and unfazed by our friends and us as Patrick had always been, so we were really happy he had found someone too.

Things continued to go really well for us and the days seemed to fly by. We had just slipped into the month of May and this meant there was only a little over a month left to the school year. There was one thing, however, that we’d still be involved in and looked forward to, because it provided us with a sense of continuity. It was the gay/lesbian group we had been attending. David and I had just finished up the weekly Wednesday session, which had run a little later than normal, so we decided not to hang around and socialize afterward. We both had school and work the next day, so we left the church and had just started to walk toward our apartment when we heard something.

“There’s a couple of those faggots!” one of the guys shouted. “Get ‘em.”

When they charged us, the speaker ran straight at David and hit him with something he held in his hand, while I was forced to struggle with the other guy. I was able to break free from him long enough to move closer to my lover, since I wanted to protect him, but before I could do anything I was clobbered in the head from behind. I wasn’t sure if the guy I had just been struggling with had stuck me or if there was a third individual involved, but he threw everything he had into the blow. The force of it knocked me to the ground, but I was able to roll over and fend off his continued assault. Fortunately, he was only using his fists, so I stood a chance of warding off my attacker.

During this struggle, I was able to glance over at David and saw the other guy continuing to beat and kick David, even as he was bleeding and lying motionless on the sidewalk. Some of our friends happened to come out of the church about that time and witnessed the attack, so many of them rushed over to assist us. One of the girls raced back into the church to get more help and called 911. Once the others came to our assistance, the guy attacking me got scared and ran off, but I’ll never forget his face. Once he had disappeared, the rest of us went after the second aggressor, as he continued to pummel David. As he was beating him with the object in his hand and kicking him with his boot, he also kept spewing a string of homophobic slurs.

“I’ll teach you fucking faggots a lesson that you’ll never forget,” he shouted. “Hey, you gay fucker, how do you like dealing with a real man? Which one of you fairies wants it next? How about you, you homo bastard, what do think of your boyfriend now?”

He directed that last comment at me as he pointed down at David’s limp body on the pavement. About that same time, several police cars suddenly surrounded us, with their lights flashing and sirens blaring. They quickly subdued the attacker and took him into custody. I quickly told one of the cops which direction the other assailant had fled, so he and his partner drove off to look for him. The driver of the third car radioed in for an ambulance for David, as I moved over to his motionless form and bent down next to him. I held David’s limp form in my arms, cradled his head, and whispered words of encouragement into his ear. When the ambulance arrived, they put David on a stretcher, started taking his vital signs and hooked him up to IV’s.

I wanted to ride in the ambulance with him, but I was told that wouldn’t be possible. The police wanted to take some of our friends and me down to the police station, so we could fill out reports, but I didn’t care about that. I wanted to stay with David and go to the hospital with him. After I promised that I would give the my statement later, they allowed me to ride to the hospital in one of the patrol cars, since one of the policemen had to go there to get a report from the doctor treating David.

After we arrived at the emergency room, I could see David was already being worked on. I wanted to go in with him and told them he was my boyfriend and roommate, because I hoped that would convince them. After receiving some strange looks, they explained it wouldn’t be possible and told me I had to remain in the waiting area. Before they forced me away, however, I heard someone say David’s vitals were weak and I noticed the doctors working furiously over him. David was covered in blood and I heard one of the doctors explain that he suspected David had multiple internal injuries and they needed to rush him to the operating room. I was allowed to following along, but then I had to stay in the OR waiting room.

Time dragged on, as I waited to hear how my lover was doing. Time dragged on and I continued to wait there alone. One hour, two hours, three hours and now four hours had passed, yet I’d still heard nothing. We were just into the fifth hour when one of the doctors came out and spoke to me.

“He sustained a vicious beating and has multiple injuries,” he explained. “In addition to numerous broken bones, he also has a punctured lung and a ruptured spleen. One of his broken ribs also nicked a major artery, which caused a great deal of blood loss and weakened him substantially. Although we won’t be able to evaluate this until later, it appears he may have also suffered some degree of brain damage.”

“Will he live?” I pressed, deeply concerned.

“The next twenty-four to forty-eight hours will be crucial,” the doctor replied. “We’ve repaired as much of the damage as we could and he’s been given several units of blood. We’re also pumping antibiotics into his system to fight infection, but we’ll have to continue to observe him until the swelling in his brain goes down. If the pressure on his brain isn’t responding to treatment over the next twenty-four hours, we might have to call in a specialist to operate, in order to relieve the pressure.”

“Where is he now?” I continued, since I wanted to see him.

“He’s in recovery, but he will moved into intensive care as soon possible,” the doctor replied.

“Can I see him?” I wanted to know.

“When they get him to the intensive care unit, I’ll leave orders with the nurses so you can be with him,” he stated. “Should you call anyone else?”

I knew I should call his father, but I didn’t know how I was going to do it. “Yes, I should call his dad and our other roommate.”

“Come with me and I’ll take you to a phone you be able to use in private,” he offered.

I dreaded the call to his dad more than anything I’d ever done, but I knew it was something I had to do.

“Hello, Mr. Michaels?” I asked, when he answered the phone.

“Yes, who is this?” he responded.

“This is Bill Maynard,” I explained, but before I could continue, he cut me off.

“What the hell do you want?” he shouted in response.

“I don’t know how to tell you this, sir,” I replied, “but David has been severely injured. He just came out of surgery and he’s in really bad shape. The doctors aren’t sure if he’s going to make it, so I think that you’d better get here as soon as you can.”

“Which hospital?” he demanded, this time not sounding quite as harsh.

“St. Ann’s in Bakersville,” I answered.

“I’ll be there as quickly as I can,” he stated. “Thank you for calling.”

That went better than I’d expected, but as much as I dreaded the call, I dreaded seeing him in person far more.

Once that was behind me, I called Patrick and told him what had happened and he said he was on his way over too. I went back to the waiting room and stayed there until a nurse came to get me. She then led me down to intensive care, and when I walked into the room, I was horrified at the sight before me. David’s beautiful face was bruised, swollen and covered with bandages. He had tubes sticking out of every part of his body and was connected to a whole bunch of machines and monitors. I walked over and sat in a chair next to his bed and slowly stroked his hand nearest me, while I wept uncontrollably the entire time.

After twenty minutes or so, Patrick arrived and found his way in. He came over and attempted to comfort me by gently massaging the tension from my shoulders. He suggested I should go get some rest or maybe just a drink, but I couldn’t leave David’s side. I sobbed out the story of what had happened and told him all the terrible things the maniac had been screaming. As I finished my story, I looked up and saw the tears streaming down Patrick’s face as well.

Since I didn’t want to leave, we had another chair brought into the room for Pat and he kept me company during my vigil. We had been sitting there for about half an hour when all sorts of alarms started going off. People began racing into the room and ordered us to go out to the waiting room. Instead, we stood in the hallway and watched the action going on in the room. One of the nurses started CPR, while another came racing in with a crash cart. When the doctor arrived, he started zapping David’s body with the paddles that would send an electric current into his heart to get it started again. My lover’s body leapt skyward with every jolt, and after a lot of frantic effort, the doctor looked up, shook his head and glanced at the clock on the wall. I knew at that instant my David was dead.

I raced out of there with Patrick hot on my heels and kept running until I was standing in the doorway of the main entrance to the hospital. I was gasping for air and Patrick grabbed me by the shoulders, spun me around and pulled me into his chest. His arms were wrapped tightly around my body, as he let me cry into his chest. He encouraged me to release the sorrow and pain I was feeling at that moment and I cried like a baby, as I mourned our loss.

When I heard the automatic doors open behind us, I turned around and saw David’s father standing there. Without any forethought, I blurted out to him through my tears.

“He’s gone, Mr. Michaels. Oh, God, I’m so sorry. He’s gone.”