Opposites attract - 7. Chapter 7

The next weeks passed by in no time. Courses had started, lots of work was the result. Kev had taken up his job at the spa. The situation between Kev and Rob had finally calmed down and there was even a budding friendship between the two. Befriending Rob wasn't easy, but rewarding. At last, she was convinced that Kev meant no harm for me. We spent the evenings together, sometimes all three of us, more often just Kev and me. Our friendship deepened every day and it seemed that we were still far away from hitting rock bottom. Likewise, my other feelings for Kev grew stronger. Every time I thought that I possibly couldn't like him more, he did something, a small friendly act or it was a thing he said, that made him even dearer. Our daily lunches were something to look forward to, when a course dragged on. The running training, which Kev and I carried out meticulously, was most important for me. My progress there made me feel good. The training gave me something I was good at beside mathematics. During all the time we spent together, not once did we speak about relationships or love interests. For me the reasons were obvious, but I couldn’t come up with an explanation, why Kev was avoiding that subject. Given his looks, there had to be someone interested. Ignorance was bliss. Repeatedly, I had been close to coming out to Kev. But telling him about me being gay was inseparably intertwined with me admitting my feelings for him. So I kept silent.

It was now the first week of October, a Wednesday. Kev had just returned from the spa. And he looked like hell, deep dark rings around his eyes, he was pale and beads of sweat glistened on his forehead. He went straight for his bed; he didn't even bother to change his clothes.

“I think my head will burst any time now.” He moaned.

Again and again, he had fits of coughing. The sound of his coughing terrified me to the bones: it was a dark and hollow bellowing sound. By ten o'clock in the evening, his breathing was accompanied by a rattling noise. I panicked. I fetched my cell phone and with shaking fingers, dialed the number of the doctor, who had an office in the city.

“Do you have any idea, what time it is?”

He wasn't too delighted about my call.

“It's my friend, he's coughing and there is this rattling sound, when he breezes.”

“You are aware that a house call this late is rather expensive?”

“Money's no problem.” I said coolly.

It was beyond me, how the doctor could barter with me for dollars, when there was something terribly wrong with Kev.

“Okay, okay. Can you give me the address, please?”

I described in detail, where the doctor would find us on campus. It would take him 45 minutes to get here. I grabbed my wallet, took out the credit card and left our room, heading for the ATM on the ground floor.

Expensive? How much is expensive?

I chastised myself for not having inquired about the exact rate. I settled for $1000, which should be more than enough to cover even the most exorbitant invoice and the most exotic treatments. In hindsight, it was ridiculous to get so much money, but in the state of mind I was in, sober thinking was not an option. I returned to our room.

“Kev, can you hear me? The doctor is on his way.”

He didn't answer me; he barely awoke from his fitful rest, nodding an acknowledgement, just to fall back in this half-state between sleep and consciousness. I waited; waited for an eternity, so it seemed.

Finally, the doctor arrived. His unfriendly demeanor on the phone had made place for a more professional kindness. He examined Kev, while I stood right beside the bed, watching terrified.

“I have to apologize for my reaction on the phone. It is good that you called me. Your friend is suffering from a severe bronchitis. The earlier we start the treatment, the better. I can inject him an antibiotic, which is fairly new on the market. It will help to get a fast response from the immune system and support it in the fight against the illness. The therapy is then continued with standard antibiotics.”

“Okay.”

“Problem is: even if I charge you the wholesale price for the shot, it will be $250. That's just the injection, being students that might be too…”

“Do it, Sir. As I told you on the phone, money is no problem.” I interrupted the doctor, looking at him pleadingly.

“Sure.” He gave me an encouraging smile.

He prepared a syringe with a liquid that had a blue tinge in the dim lighting of Kev's bed-side lamp. He disinfected Kev's right crook of the arm and injected the content of the syringe into one of Kev's veins.

“Don't worry. Your friend will be alright. Apart from the bronchitis, he is strong and healthy. Here, I prepared the prescription for you. There is a pharmacy on campus. They should be able to order that special drug. If you go there early in the morning, they should have it by noon.”

“Thanks, Sir.”

“You are welcome. The shot I gave your friend contains a strong sedative; he will probably sleep straight for the next 16 hours. Idea is that the self regeneration of the body works better that way. As soon as he awakes, start giving him the other antibiotics. One pill, three times a day. There should be at least six hours between two pills. Make sure that he uses up the entire package, even if he doesn't show symptoms anymore. And give him lots of mineral water, at least two liters. Any questions?”

“Is there anything else I can do for him?”

“Love and chicken soup. That's what my grandma always gave me, works wonders… no kidding.” He smiled at me and I managed a small smile myself.

He wrote the invoice and I paid him cash. Considering the price of the shot, the overall amount seemed ridiculously small. The doctor seemed to have refrained from charging any extra for the house call.

“Thank you again, Sir.”

“He should thank you for looking out for him.”

We shook hands and said goodbye.

Though I knew that I couldn't do anything, I stayed awake and watched beside Kev's bed.

In the morning, I went to the pharmacy and to Prof. Smyth. I told him that I would not be able to attend his course today explaining to him the situation.

“Leon, you are such a good student. You can easily catch up, what you'll miss today. Take care of that friend of yours. Mathematics can wait, friends sometimes can't.”

He clapped my shoulder. I called Kev's employer, Dave, and told him that Kev was seriously ill and wouldn't make it to his job for the rest of the week. Dave was sympathetic and ensured me that that wasn't a problem at all. Finally, I informed Kev's coach and his professors of his illness.

Around twelve o'clock, I fetched the antibiotics and bought a thermos jug at the campus store. With the jug I paid a visit to Deng Long's and he filled it with his famous chicken soup.

Love and chicken soup. I can give him both.

Back in our room, I resumed my position at Kev's bed. He was still fast asleep, as the doctor had predicted. The time between his coughing fits had already lengthened notably. The coughing itself wasn't as severe as the night before. He had regained some color and he didn't sweat any more. I laid my head on his bed and fell asleep at once.

“Leon?” Kev's voice was frail, his hand touched my head.

“Shhh. You are still weak.” A glance at the watch told me that it was a quarter past three.

“I am thirsty… and hungry.”

I poured him a glass of mineral water and helped him drinking it. Another one followed. I fetched the thermos jug and put some of the soup into a cup. It was a considerable effort to rise Kev into an almost upright position, his back resting at the bed's head. He weighed at least twice as much as I did. I held the cup in one hand and a spoon in the other. I fed him spoon by spoon, encouraging him like a little child to take just one more. He managed to eat the entire cup. I smiled at him and he returned my smile weakly. I poured him another glass of water and gave him the first dose of antibiotics. I helped him to lie down again.

“Don't leave me alone.” He sounded desperate.

“I'll stay right here.” I took his hand.

He closed his eyes, smiled and fell asleep at once.

Two hours later, Kev awoke again. He was shivering now.

“I am feeling terribly cold.” he muttered.

I fetched my blanket and wrapped it around him. But it didn't seem to help much. His trembling didn't subside.

There was only one thing left in this room that could warm him… me. I lowered myself down on him, tried to cover as much of him with my tiny body as was possible. He wrapped his arms around me bringing me close to him. After some minutes, the shivering stopped. We both fell asleep as we lay.

“Leon?” His voice was stronger than it had been some hours ago.

“Um?”

“I don't know how to say… I need… I have… to go to the restroom.”

It was eight o'clock now. I hadn't considered that, obvious as it was. He hadn't been to a restroom for 24 hours. Moreover, I had made him drink three glasses of water and fed him one cup of soup.

“Can you make it there, if I support you? Carrying you is not an option, I fear.”

“It'll work.” He gave me an encouraging grin.

I helped him to sit up in bed and he moved his legs out of it. Considering our vast difference in height, I couldn't lay my arm around him and support him this way. We settled for me to walk upright and Kev rested with his forearm on my shoulder. Kev tried to carry as much of his own weight as he could, but half of it still pressed down on me. Half of him was still a full me. The restrooms were on the floor, directly right to our room, but it took us five minutes to get there and to place Kev in one of the stalls. Same procedure for the way back. I realized that Kev was still wearing yesterday’s clothes. When we were back in our room, I asked him

“Can you stand another 5 minutes?”

“Sure.”

“Do you mind, if I change your clothes and wash you?”

“Of course not.”

I undressed him as quickly as I could, rubbed him with a damp wash cloth, strictly avoiding his pubic region, and redressed him in pajamas. It felt especially awkward putting on his underwear. In less than the five minutes I had requested of him, he was back in bed. Time for another glass of water and another cup of soup, I decided. He did comply. The coughing had almost stopped by now. I wrapped him into the two blankets and he went back to sleep. My grumbling stomach reminded me that I hadn't eaten anything this day. I went for cup noodles, checking for emails on my cell phone while eating. Only one message sent by Prof. Smyth was of interest: he described the content of today's course, gave me some pages in a book as a reference and told me that he had excused me from Prof. Hallman's course, which would be tomorrow. I thanked him in a short reply. So, I had the whole of tomorrow for caring for Kev. Since all my papers for this week had been ready the day before yesterday, I could fully concentrate on him. I sent the paper for Prof. Hallman by email, thanking him for the sympathy regarding the situation. Kev was still sleeping. At ten o'clock, we had to manage another visit to the rest room. Kev had regained some more of his strength, so it went more smoothly than before. It was time for more soup, water and the next pill. I spent another night half-cradled on the side of his bed.

“Leon?”

It was the next morning and Kev's voice showed only the slightest hint of weakness, a small slur.

“How are you doing?”

“Still a little dizzy, but way better than yesterday. Don't you have to attend a course at 10:00?”

“Took a day off.” I joked.

“The spa…training…courses…” he bolted up, but I stopped him.

“I phoned Dave, your coach and your professors. You are excused for the rest of the week. Relax.”

“You thought about everything.” he smirked. A good sign.

“Tried to.” I managed a grin myself.

I fetched us breakfast from the cafeteria, bringing along some sandwiches for lunch, completely ignoring Kev's nutrition plan for once.

He didn't sleep, but he was drowsing most of the time. I made use of this time by reading the material Prof. Smyth had pointed out. Complex analysis was a really interesting subject, so it was almost fun working. I even read some chapters in advance. Kev managed to go to the restrooms alone now, which was quite a relief.

So the day just went by.

In the evening, we ordered pizza. Kev's appetite had returned, definitely an excellent sign. I made sure that he didn't forget the antibiotics and the water.

In the evening, as so often, we listened to some music together, lying in our beds.

“Leon, I don't even know how to start to express my gratitude.” Kev began.

“Was nothing.” I waved it off with my hand.

“Nothing? Leon, you got the doctor…oh… I owe you money, don't I?” That hadn't occurred to him until then.

“You owe me nothing, Kev, do you understand? Nothing. One thing there is: you owe me to get well again.”

“But…”

“End of discussion.” My gaze made clear that I meant it.

“Okay, for the moment. But besides money: you watched over me, fed me, warmed me, carried me to the restroom, washed me, dressed me…That is quite a lot of nothing!”

“It's what a best friend is supposed to do, isn't it?”

“I am your best friend?”

“The best I ever had.” I added softly.

It was the truth. Even Josh or Rob couldn't rival with Kev, not anymore. They were good friends, very good friends, but in comparison to Kev the relationship with both of them seemed shallow. The added dimension of my other feelings for Kev made our friendship more profound. It was that very moment, when I had realized that. Kev had called me his best friend on our first weekend, now I was able to return the sentiment.

Kev's answer was a smile that went straight up to his eyes and didn't even seem to stop there.

Of course, we did not resume our running training on Saturday, Kev was still not at his best. But I realized, how attached I had become to running, how much I missed it. Though Kev hadn't fully recovered yet, he was close enough. His cheerful manner had returned, together with his irremovable grin. I was reading again in one of the books that Prof. Smyth had suggested to me. It was pretty advanced stuff, but I could handle it. One problem, which regularly returned during terms, was the stiffness in my neck. When I had to read and write most of the day, the muscles in my neck just cramped. I absentmindedly rubbed my neck.

“Do you have problems with your neck?” He approached my desk.

“It's okay. Just a little overstrain.”

“Lemme see.”

“It's okay.”

“Hey. I am the physical therapist in training here. I'll decide, whether it's okay.”

That left no space for arguing. His hands touched me; softly in the beginning, applying gradually more strength over time.

“You are all tense. I can feel the knots. Lie down on your bed. I'll give you a massage.”

“You don't need to.”

“Yeah, and you didn't need to call the doctor, watch over me, feed me, warm me, carry me around.”

Again my possibilities for arguing were severely limited. Reluctantly, I lay down on my bed.

“Um, Leon. You normally take your clothes off for a massage. At least get rid of the sweater.”

I had seen that coming.

So, I was lying there with my bare torso on my stomach. Kev straddled me at the height of my butt, but due to the vast difference in size, Kev's legs or groin didn't even touch me. I neatly fitted beneath him. His hands touched my neck again. Like before he started softly, but increased the intensity of his touches. His hands moved slowly down, his kneading movements covering more and more of my back. His touches sent bolts of electricity into my skin. I realized with relief that he stopped the treatment at the small of my back. His tender (and not so tender) treatment had had its effect on my groin: I was sporting a rock hard erection that pressed painfully against my underwear, pants and, ultimately, my bed. If his hands had ended anywhere near my ass, I would have come at once, no need for touching anything in the front. It took all my strength not to moan out.

“Done. Better now?” Kev got off my back.

My neck felt much better now, which could not be said of the lower parts of my body. I realized with a start that I could not get up from the bed without him noticing my ‘predicament’.

Think of Mom in swim wear, flowers, little kittens, ‘Every function, which is holomorphic on the entire complex plane and is bounded, is constant.’

That was the most creative application of Liouville's theorem that I was aware of. But it did the trick. Sadly, I would never be able to share this special application with the mathematical community.

“Much better, thank you.” I turned around very slowly to give me a little more recovering time. But Kev was standing at my desk, his back to me, very interested in one of my math books.

“We'll repeat this for the days coming.”

I had been afraid to hear exactly this.

“Just looking at your books… could you explain to me what convergence of a sequence and a series is? I didn't exactly get that in the Calculus course.”

“Sure.”

After some more days, Kev had fully recovered. He had insisted on the massages, re-creating the same reaction of my cock every single time. At least, now I was sure that I knew most mathematical theorems by heart.