Thomas hugged Cory’s mother and apologized so many times she finally patted his wrinkled hand and smiled sadly to let him know she didn’t blame him.
By the time Luis returned to Cider Mill Farm it was well after midnight. He walked Thomas to his front door and told him to get some rest. Then he walked Jasper to his car, which was still parked at the end of the easement, and hugged him tightly. “He’s going to be fine,” Luis said. “He’s strong. I know he’ll be fine.”
Jasper smiled and said, “Thank you for everything. If we had waited for the paramedics he might not have made it.”
Luis shrugged and smiled. “Cory would have done the same thing for us. All I knew was we had to do something fast.
It was the weirdest feeling I’ve ever had in my life. And I hope I never have it again.”
“I can’t thank you enough.”
“Go home and get some rest. If there are any changes in Cory’s condition, call me at any time. I’ll see you at the hospital tomorrow.”
“I’ll call if I hear anything.”
When Luis pulled up to the house, he noticed the lights in the kitchen, which appeared strange at this late hour.
He figured Jase would be sitting up waiting for him, but in the bedroom not the kitchen. He unfolded his tired body from the truck and crossed to the back door. But as he reached for the door handle and looked inside, he saw Jase sitting at the kitchen table in his boxer shorts and Darius walking around in a plaid shirt with no pants. The plaid shirt almost covered his hips. But it was obvious Darius wasn’t wearing any underwear. Luis waited for a moment and watched, wondering why Darius would be up this late at night. Luis couldn’t hear what they were saying, but they were having a conversation and looking into each other’s eyes. Every so often, Darius would turn and gesture with his hands. And when he did, the back of his shirt rose up and exposed his bare ass. Jase didn’t look down at his ass and gape. He didn’t reach for it either. They weren’t doing anything wrong, not exactly. But Luis did notice Jase’s eyes dart up and down very quickly, as if he were trying a little too hard not to look at Darius’s bare ass.
Luis couldn’t keep his eyes open and all he wanted to do was fall into bed and sleep. But when he opened the door and walked into the kitchen, Jase and Darius stopped talking and stared at him as if he’d interrupted something important. Luis crossed the room, without looking down at Darius’s naked legs, and he kissed Jase on the mouth. Then he sat down on Jase’s lap and put his arms around Jase’s shoulders. He kissed him again and said, “This has been the longest night of my life.” He looked up at Darius and smiled, caressing the back of Jase’s head to claim his territory. “I’m glad you’re here, Darius, to keep Jase company this way.” It was a lie. He felt like throwing a sheet around his half-naked body. But he decided not to jump to any conclusions.
Darius set his palm on Luis’s shoulder. “How is he? We’ve been so worried.”
“He’s stable and they think he’s going to live,” Luis said. “But they can’t say much more right now. They won’t know anything for certain for at least a few days. He’s in an induced coma and everyone is hoping for the best.”
Jase put his arms around Luis and frowned. “It must have been awful. Were there any witnesses? Does Thomas know how it happened?”
Luis sent Darius a somber glance. “Thomas doesn’t have a clue. And there are no witnesses. All Thomas remembers is seeing Cory running toward the car with a terrified expression.”
Darius placed his palm on his shirt. The shirt rose up and exposed part of his genitals. Not much. But Luis could definitely see the tip of his dick. “The poor man.”
Luis sighed, wondering if Darius knew his dick was exposed. He told them about the accident, about how badly Thomas was taking it, and about how they’d had to drive Cory to the emergency room in the back of the truck because Thomas screwed up with the paramedics. Darius stood there gaping down at them, listening to every detail, legs spread wide. He didn’t say a word until Luis asked, “Did you see anything, Darius? You were on your way to get the mail when all this happened. We can’t figure out why Cory was running so fast.”
Darius shrugged. “I didn’t see a thing. By the time I got there Thomas had already hit him.”
“Well, I’m sure we’ll find out what happened as soon as Cory regains consciousness, which I’m sure he will,” Luis said. He smiled at Darius, trying hard not to look down at his naked legs, and said, “You can go to bed now, Darius. We’ll see you in the morning.” He said this with his driest tone, letting Darius know he was the boss and Darius was intruding now.
Darius backed up and nodded. “I’ll go right now and leave you both alone. I’m sorry. I should have known better.
I’m such an idiot sometimes.” Then he quickly went back to his own bedroom off the kitchen and shut the door.
When he was gone, Jase said, “That was awfully abrupt. You basically dismissed the poor guy from the room. I hope Darius isn’t insulted now.”
Luis sighed again, now wondering if Darius’s self-deprecating remarks were sincere. He rested his head on Jase’s shoulder. “There’s something about him sometimes that bothers me. He’s always trying so hard. Why wasn’t he wearing any pants tonight?”
Jase laughed. “He thought he was alone. When I came down here to get a glass of water, he was looking inside the refrigerator for something to eat. He thought I was upstairs sleeping. He had no idea I was coming downstairs. It was all very innocent.”
“I’m sure it was,” Luis said. He thought it best not to argue the point. Jase seemed very fond of Darius and Luis knew when it was time to end a conversation that could have been harmful. In fact, Luis could have been all wrong about Darius. “Let’s go upstairs now. I want to sleep. I want to go to the hospital early tomorrow morning.”
Jase rubbed his back and said, “I’ll stay home tomorrow and go to the hospital with you.”
Luis stood up and stretched. “I’d like that. We can take Thomas with us. I’m worried about him. He’s distraught over all this. I’d hate to see him get sick.”
“Does Cory have health insurance?” Jase asked.
Luis frowned. “No. But Thomas told me on the ride home he has good insurance and he’d pay for everything. He assured me he plans on taking full responsibility for all Cory’s costs. I’m sure his auto insurance will cover it.”