A Decision for Jarren - 27. Chapter 27

Tuesday morning Jarren woke early, partly because he was accustomed to it and partly because Nash’s internal body temperature was turned up to Dante’s Inferno level and Jarren thought he was melting. Nope, not melting, just covered in sweat. Reminder to self, do not cover with blankets at night when squooshed up against Nash! Jarren figured another shower was called for. He tried to slide out of bed, but as soon as he sat up, Nash reached over, grabbed him and pulled him down. Jarren smiled as Nash’s lips fused onto his. Damn, that was a good kind of heat. Nash chuckled as Jarren moaned.

Jarren felt himself pushed onto his back and then his brain registered the fact that Nash’s head disappeared under the covers. Whoa! There it is, Nash’s heated mouth descended over the head of Jarren’s dick, which was wide awake by this time. Jarren threw the covers back, exposing the sexy view of Nash’s attempt to swallow him whole, which he managed to do quite well. His red lips were stretched out around the thickness of Jarren’s cock, bobbing up and down, leaving a trail of shiny wetness in its wake as the minutes passed in pure bliss. Jarren felt the blood surging through his veins at the sight. His ears heard Nash’s moan as pre-cum was forced out onto his waiting tongue. Jarren was not going to last and he warned Nash, “Gonna cum,” right before he shot the milky fluid straight down his throat. Fuck, he could get used to mornings like this.

Nash scooted back up and shared Jarren’s cum remnants with him in another ardent kiss. Finally Jarren had to pull away. He scooted over a little, putting a little distance between him and the furnace that Nash had become.

“How do stand your own heat? Jarren asked.

Nash was covered in a light sheen of sweat as well. He answered “I’m used to it, come on wussy, take me to the shower and blow me to pieces. I’ll even let you adjust the water.”

Jarren jumped up, grabbed the crutches and poked Nash’s ribs with the rubber end. “Be careful or I’ll bite.” he threatened.

“That might be kinky,” Nash retorted.

Jarren flipped him off and sauntered off into the bathroom. He was already under the barely warm spray when Nash hopped in. Jarren teased him by ignoring him while he washed up. He made to step out and stopped at the sad puppy look Nash gave him. Taking pity on his lover, Jarren dropped to his knees and engulfed the dick that had been standing at attention the entire time, begging for attention as Nash braced himself on the wall. Attention is now what it got and it didn’t take long before Nash yelled Jarren’s name and Jarren felt the first shot hit the back of his throat. After milking out the last drop, Jarren reciprocated and shared the remnants with Nash.

Drying off, Jarren suggested, “Let’s go out for breakfast. I have no idea what’s in the house. We can make a list before we go and hit the store after we eat.”

Nash agreed and they hustled to get dressed, get their list made and get out the door. Jarren drove Nash to Betty Anne’s. The diner-like restaurant served breakfast and lunch and had been a cornerstone of the local community for many years. The original Betty Anne was long gone, some believing she never existed. The restaurant had changed hands several times over the decades, but the pastries for which the restaurant was known had their recipes handed down as part of each and every sales agreement.

Jarren parked in the front near the door, not having to utilize the open handicap space. He figured that soon enough an older, local resident would be in need of it. Nash was more than capable of getting around on crutches for all but really long distances. They entered the establishment and saw that it was a little more than half full. The waitress motioned for them to sit anywhere. Jarren picked a table for two about halfway back and they had barely sat down when a young waitress came over with two cups and asked it they wanted coffee.

“Yes, thank you, and just keep them coming. We have a busy day and need the caffeine jolt.” Jarren chuckled, smiling as she filled the cups and then handed them menus.

Nash looked over the top of the menu and asked “So what do you recommend?”

Jarren leered at him and wiggled his eyebrows, “You really want to know?”

Nash laughed at his antics and shaking his head retorted “Nevermind, horndog.”

Jarren snickered back and took pity on Nash, saying “I usually get the Berkshire 1-2-3-4 Combo. The pancakes are huge and they’re good with blueberries or bananas.”

Nash looked at the description, choice of one potato item, either regular hash browns, hash brown casserole or pan fried potatoes, two eggs, three pancakes and four pieces of bacon or sausage.

When the waitress returned they both ordered the Combo, and Jarren added two cinnamon buns as well. He promised Nash that they were pastry heaven.

The guys enjoyed their breakfast when it was brought out and Nash saw that Jarren was right, the pancakes were huge. They covered an entire plate all on their own. Nash had ordered the banana pancakes, while Jarren got blueberry. They swapped out one pancake each, sharing automatically. Nash savored every bite, it wasn’t often that he had the chance to eat a leisurely breakfast.

They saved the cinnamon rolls for last and Nash actually moaned out loud as the still warm, flaky, sugary pastry melted on his tongue. Jarren laughed and shot him a heated look. Nash merely licked his lips seductively, not really caring who saw. The damn thing gave his taste buds multiple orgasms.

When they were done, Nash insisted on paying the bill. They headed over to the grocery store with the list that Jarren had made prior to leaving the house. It had been fun making the list. They both found out a few little food quirks that the other one had. Jarren discovered that in addition to bread Nash also hated most condiments. Mayo and mustard were both a hard no. Ketchup was only acceptable on french fries, and only in small quantities. Salad dressing was limited to Italian or most types of vinaigrette. Blue cheese was allowed on hot wings only. Barbeque sauce was OK, useful on some red meat, particularly ribs. Other than that Nash could consume almost anything.

Nash found out that Jarren would eat nearly any fruit, but was picky with his vegetables and how they could be consumed. Raw tomatoes were an absolute no, but cooked or canned tomatoes were alright. Same was true for onions. He wouldn’t touch peppers of any color, or anything that the peppers may have touched. There would be no picking peppers off of pizza and then eating it. He said they left their offensive taste behind, ruining everything else. Mushrooms were labelled gross fungus. Squash was on the good list as was cauliflower, carrots, peas, corn and green beans.

The grocery store saw them stocking up on fresh fruit, a few vegetables that would keep well, cereal, chicken, fish and beef, as well as frozen vegetables for when they needed something quick. Jarren had an adequate supply of non-perishables, as well as seasonings and spices at home. In the end they had plenty of food to get them through the next couple of weeks without having to order out unless they wanted to.

Jarren unloaded the groceries when they got back to the house and Nash started putting them away. Jarren had packed the grocery bags so that things that went in the same cupboard were together so he set the bags on the counter in the appropriate places to make it easier for Nash. While Nash put the stuff that went in the cabinets away, Jarren put away the things that were destined for the fridge or freezer. He left a few bags next to the cellar door to bring down there. The cellar was only half finished, with an area that the kids utilized when they were over. There was a TV and some old furniture set up for them to watch movies when they got underfoot too much. The rest of the cellar was mostly storage and laundry, and Jarren had a full size freezer which came in handy, especially in the summer when he and Mazen did a lot of entertaining.

Once the groceries were put away Jarren saw that it was nearly noon and no sooner did he think that his Dad would be there soon, did he see Dad’s truck pull up behind his. He watched out the window as his Dad and Mazen got out and made their way to the door. They stepped in and greeted Jarren and Nash enthusiastically.

Bill had his tablet with him and said “Let’s sit at the table and discuss what needs to be done to get your boy home.”

Jarren and Nash both smiled at that.

Jarren’s Dad took notes as Jarren explained what he wanted to do.

They would need to take care of Lex and Ian’s house first. He had spoken with his two friends and instead of a temporary ramp, they decided to build a loading ramp into the existing deck. A loading ramp was what moving trucks came equipped with. The ramp was stored under the truck and pulled out when needed. Ian and Lex had a large deck and while the ramp itself would be permanently attached, it could be easily rolled back and stowed under the deck when it wasn’t needed. It should take them a day to get it installed. Jarren had already ordered the ramp and the rollers and hardware needed to get it set up. Those materials would be delivered tomorrow.

Lex had measured the doorways in his house and Liam should be able to manage just fine. Lex had already ordered a double bed with storage underneath as well as a low six drawer dresser for the extra bedroom they were going to have Liam use. He and Ian were almost excited as Jarren and Nash.

Looking at Jarren’s house they knew that building a permanent ramp up to the deck and also into the house was a must. Jarren and Nash decided that they should completely redo the bathroom that Liam would be using. They wanted to reconfigure it so that Liam would be able to access the bathroom from his room which would require removing some of the wall to put in a door that could accommodate an adult size wheelchair eventually. Most inside doorways were 30 or 32 inches wide. Liam’s door would need to be at least 36 inches. Jarren was thinking that they should do 44 inches, which would leave room for nice trim. He knew the space would allow for it, he had already measured it. He suggested replacing the toilet with an ADA compliant one. It may seem counterintuitive to put in a raised toilet, but Jarren was looking ahead to Liam getting prosthetic legs. The higher seat would make it easier for him to use the commode while standing. Grab bars along the wall were a must as well.

Jarren grabbed a notebook and sketched out the new layout. The toilet would be next to the wall adjacent to the bedroom. They would gut the current setup and in the end there would be a roll-in shower with a built in bench, dual handheld showerheads, one at a lower height for Liam to reach and one at standard height for when they had guests. They would put in a vanity with dual sinks, one would be a little lower, making it easier for Liam to use when he was in his chair. The other would be at the usual height.

Bill and Mazen took the sketch and went to take proper measurements. While they were doing that Nash looked at Jarren and said “This is going to be expensive. I think we need to contact the lawyer and make sure that these costs will be factored in to any settlement that’s offered. I can chip in to cover the costs for the time being. Liam needs to be able to get around safely, that’s what’s most important.”

Jarren smiled grimly and replied “You’re right. I’m not really worried about the upfront costs. Dad has already said that our company can front the costs. He knows we will pay him back once everything is settled. We do need to keep track of everything. I’m not sure how we delegate how much of the costs will be for your benefit, but I guess that’s what Grant’s job is. I need to talk with Dad. He should be billing us for this as a consult. I don’t want to be petty, but I do want it to be fair. All we can do is keep track of everything and let the lawyers hash it out.”

“Hash what out?” Mazen asked as he and Bill came back to the kitchen.

Jarren explained what he and Nash had been discussing and Bill agreed to keep track of the hours that everyone would put in, as well as the cost of materials.

Bill showed Jarren and Nash the revised sketch he had done based on the measurements he took. The shower area was larger than Jarren had initially thought so Bill suggested a longer bench and a built in trapeze grip that Liam could use to make it easier to transfer to and from his chair. They brainstormed for another hour, fine tuning some of the details, occasionally going online to check what ADA regulations suggested for one thing or another.

By midafternoon they had done as much planning as they could. Measurements were rechecked and it was decided that the ramps should be done first. Mazen would go pick up the material from the lumber company in the morning so they could start as soon as they were done with the ramp at Lex’s house. Bill would go down to City Hall to file for the permits they would need.

When Bill and Mazen were gone Nash said “Let’s call Liam. He should be home from school. We can ask him what he likes for colors and stuff. I want him to feel like he’s part of the process too.”

Jarren kissed him saying, “You are so thoughtful. I’m sure he’ll appreciate being a part of the decision making. I’m going to see if it’s OK with John to get him his own phone. That way we can text him pictures and let him pick out colors and stuff.”

Jarren pulled out his phone and hit the contact for John. When John answered he explained what they wanted to do and John readily agreed that Liam could have his own phone.

Liam was so excited when John handed him the phone. “Jarren! I miss you! Where’s Nash?”

Jarren put the call on speaker and Nash said “I’m right here Buddy. We miss you too.”

“”Did Jarren shake like a girl on your flight?” Liam teased.

Nash snorted and Jarren bit back a laugh as well. Smart ass kid.

“No, he just needed his hand held when we took off and landed.” Nash tattled.

Jarren changed the subject and asked “So Liam, how much can we trust you?”

Without hesitating Liam answered “As far as you can throw me!”

Another bark of laughter shot out of Nash. They may have bit off more than they could chew with the budding comedian they were about to take in. Nash was positive Liam was going to keep him and Jarren on their toes. They could hear Liam giggling on his end.

When the giggles stopped Jarren said “Keep it up Joker and we won’t bother to send you a cell phone so you can help us with your room and bathroom.”

Liam got serious pretty quickly when it was a cell phone on the line. “I’ll be good! I promise! Are you really getting me a cell phone?” Wow! Thanks guys! Wait. How do I get help with the bathroom and my room when I’m down here?”

“We’re going to send you pictures and you can go online too. That way you can help decide on tiles and stuff, the hardware for the shower and sink. Plus you get to choose the colors you’d like. When you get here we can go shopping for new furniture for your bedroom, that way once we get approved to take you in, you'll be all set.” Jarren informed him.

“YASS!” was the cry from the other end of the phone. Liam was certainly an enthusiastic kid. The three talked for another twenty minutes about the planned renovations and at the end of the conversation Jarren promised Liam that he would order a phone for him and have it delivered in a few days.

Reluctantly they ended the call, Jarren and Nash really missed the kid. Next Jarren called Lex and let him know that they would be over there tomorrow to work on the deck. The materials were supposed to arrive between eight and nine.

“That will work for us. You’ll get to meet Keon. He’s a good kid, but he’s really shy. He’s still extremely self-conscious about his scars. Most of them are covered, but his neck and hand bother him. He’s come a long way, but he still has quite a way to go. He was seeing a therapist a couple of times a week when he was in Boston, we have someone here, but I think that we might just bite the bullet and drive to Boston once a week. The guy Keon was seeing was great and Keon was comfortable with him.” Lex told him.

“Change can be hard, especially for kids. You and Ian are doing the right thing. It’ll be worth it in the long run if it helps him. So we’ll see you in the morning. Want me to bring muffins?” Jarren teased. Lex had an aversion to muffins. He considered them cake for breakfast.

“You wanna know where you can shove your muffins?” Lex retorted.

“I’ll see you in the morning, I’ll get donuts too.” Jarren promised.

Lying in bed later that evening Jarren was pondering what Ian had said about Keon seeing a therapist and wondered if they should consider doing something for Liam as well. John told them that Liam had seen someone in the hospital and it had helped.

Knowing that this wasn’t a decision to be made lightly he lifted his head from Nash’s chest saying “Nash? You still awake?”

Nash opened his eyes and answered, ‘Yeah, what’s up?”

“When I was talking with Lex earlier and he mentioned that Keon was seeing a therapist to help him with all the changes that have happened. Do you think we should, maybe, consider something like that for Liam?” Jarren asked.

Nash thought for a moment before answering, “I think we should ask Liam if he would like to join us for some family therapy. It’s going to be a big change for all of us. You’re used to being a part of a big family, but Liam and I aren’t. I think if we sit down with someone and lay out all of our expectations of each other on the table it will help. To tell you the truth, I’ve been really nervous about all of this. The doctor that I saw at the hospital was good and helped, and I think it would be good to continue with some therapy, at least for a little while. Don’t get me wrong, I want this more than anything, I’m just not sure I’m going to be any good at it.”

Jarren smiled and told him, “I think you’re going to be great at it. I also think you’re right about needing to go over expectations. I believe all three of us bring some kind of baggage to the table and it would be helpful to have someone impartial to give us some guidance. Asking Liam to be a part of it is the right move. If he says no, then we honor his wishes and don’t push. I think you and I might also benefit, even if he doesn’t want to go. You’ve had to deal with some pretty heavy shit and while I’m now comfortable with myself, there’s always going to be that nagging voice in me that brings out the negativity. I could use some pointers on how to deal with that whenever it happens.”

Nash pulled Jarren close and kissed the side of his head. “We’ll deal with it together. Love you.”

“Love you too,” Jarren replied as he put his head back down on Nash’s chest and let the steady heartbeat lull him to sleep.

Wednesday morning rolled around pretty early. Jarren and Nash were out of the house by seven, stopping at Betty Ann’s for takeout. In addition to muffins and donuts, Jarren got a selection of breakfast pastries which were a specialty. They were round and the crust was a sort of a cross between a croissant and a phyllo dough crust. The pastries were stuffed with egg and various fillings like ham and cheese, spinach and artichoke, bacon and sausage. They were about six inches in diameter and were better than any croissandwich you could find anywhere else.

They arrived at Ian and Lex’s house at a quarter to eight. Ian pointed to the counter as they came in to indicate they should put the food there. “Hey guys!” Ian greeted them as he started brewing a second pot of coffee. The first was already in an insulated carafe, ready to go. Halo came over to sniff at the bags curiously. You can’t hide bacon or sausage from a dog. Keon was still sleeping, Ian said he rarely got up before nine or ten. He was finishing this school year online. It was easier for him to take classes that way with all of the time that he needed to miss because of appointments with various doctors. They were hopeful that he would want to enroll in a brick and mortar school in the fall.

Nash returned the greeting while Jarren put the stuff on the counter. Lex came into the kitchen soon after, his hair still damp from his shower and said good morning. The four men fixed coffee and plates for themselves and got down to the business of eating. As is true with most guys, the food disappeared rather quickly. Lex left a note for Keon to help himself, there was still plenty leftover.

There was a rumbling noise from outside at eight-thirty. The truck with the materials for the ramp had arrived. Nash oversaw the unloading of the truck, as he still couldn’t carry much while dealing with crutches. It didn’t take long to get everything they had ordered off of the truck. Lex tipped the driver and Nash resumed the lead. The four of them worked well together and in short order had everything laid out that they would need.

There was nothing wrong with Nash’s hands so he crawled under the deck with Jarren to help install the brackets that would hold the ramp in place when stored. Halo crawled under as well. She seemed to want to ‘supervise’, and watched them intently as they worked, occasionally thumping her tail as if she was telling them they were doing a good job. Lex went inside and a few moments later 80’s rock came flowing out of the speaker system that had been installed for their wedding the previous fall. Nash wasn’t much of an 80’s fan, he preferred more indie stuff, but he found that Lex’s tastes weren’t horrific. There was more rock than pop shit, with some hair band metal thrown in as well.

Jarren and Nash made sure all the measurements were correct before permanently attaching any hardware. Neither one of them enjoyed having to redo a project because something was off by an eighth of an inch or less.

The ramp itself was fifteen feet, which would allow for a gentle incline from the ground to the deck. They were installing it so that it would slide over the stairs, negating the need to take down some of the railing. While Jarren and Nash worked together under the deck, Lex and Ian installed an adjustable threshold ramp that would allow entry from the deck into the house via the slider going into the large enclosed porch. They would do the same for the kitchen slider when they were finished.

When Jarren emerged from under the deck, helping Nash scoot out from underneath as well, he noticed a boy’s face watching them from the other slider going into the kitchen. Ian saw why their attention was diverted and smiled. He nudged Lex and then went inside. A moment later the kitchen slider opened and Ian came back out with Keon and made the introductions.

Jarren was surprised, but only for a brief nanosecond. Keon was barely thirteen, and he was already stunning. He had obviously hit puberty a little early as he was not much shorter than any of the guys, who were all in the six foot range. Jarren thought he must’ve been about 5’10”. He would definitely top out over six feet when he was done growing. His shoulders had just started to broaden and his chest was starting to fill out as well. His face was absolutely beautiful, and his eyes, Jarren had never seen such a riveting green before. It reminded him of that famous picture of the Middle Eastern girl from the cover of National Geographic, only Keon’s eyes were brighter.

Keon was obviously a descendant of mixed heritage. His poker straight hair was shoulder length all around, most definitely to cover his neck, Jarren thought. It was an amazing dark auburn color that was rarely seen on guys, and that most girls got out of a box. His features were a veritable potpourri of races. He had somewhat almond shaped eyes associated with Asian heritage, his nose was reminiscent of African Americans, flaring slightly, he had high cheekbones, indicating Native American somewhere in his past as well. Individually the features didn’t shout out for attention, but together they painted a picture of a drop dead gorgeous boy. His skin was a light cafe au lait, kind of similar to someone with a nice tan.

Keon smiled slightly as he watched Jarren and Nash assess him. Most people stared when they first saw him. He was well aware that his looks were unusual. He didn’t see himself as beautiful, he still had a hard time seeing past the scars.

Keon greeted the newcomers politely and then put their curiosity to rest by saying “My mom was half white, a quarter Black and a quarter Indian. Probably some Asian thrown in too. My father was pure off the boat Irish, he had the accent and everything. One of their junkie buddies used to call me their Heinz 57 mutt.”

“Keon, you are definitely NOT a mutt. You may have a bunch of Heinz 57 variety thrown in, but most people do. If they tell you otherwise, don’t believe them. You are a very handsome young man.” Nash told him.

“Thanks.” Keon replied shyly. “I need to get some online stuff submitted for school before noon. It was nice to meet you.”

The young boy turned and went back into the house. Lex looked at his friends and told them “He’s working on his self esteem in therapy. This was actually a really good encounter for him, he normally doesn’t speak much when we introduce him to new people. His therapist told us to let him make the first move. Thanks for being patient with him.”

Nash replied, “He seems like a good kid. You’re gonna have your hands full when he goes back to school. You’ll have to beat the girls off him, and probably a few guys too. He’s stunning.”

“Don’t remind us. It’s gonna be a challenge, that’s for sure. Now, come on and let’s get this finished up before Mazen gets here. You know Cassie will probably be with him. Do you really want her anywhere near power tools?” Lex laughed.

Jarren scooped up the power drill and answered “No fucking way!”

There wasn’t much left to do and by the time Mazen pulled in by himself, they had everything put away. Cassie was busy with work so they lucked out in not having to deal with her and power tools. Nash was a little disappointed, he was actually looking forward to meeting the adult Cassie, but today was not the day.