Larry awoke to find the tent almost empty and looked around to see if he
was alone. He wasn’t! Spyke was sitting on his pallet and looking over a piece
of paper.
When he noticed his partner was awake, Spyke pounced on him with his
usual abundance of enthusiasm.
“Hey, Larry, I’ve just been looking over the list you made for yourself
last night. Are you sure you aren’t going to be overdoing it today?”
“It just seems like a lot, Spyke, but I’m sure it’s doable.”
“Yeah, right! By you and a legion of others. For shit’s sake, Larry, you
don’t have to take on all this by yourself!” the younger man admonished as he
waved the sheet of paper in the air.
Feeling his stomach lurch but blaming it on being hungry, Larry grabbed
the list from the other man’s hand. Although he didn’t mean to, he snapped, “what
do you know about it? I’m just trying to make sure everything goes as smoothly
as possible, so mind your own business and leave me to this.”
“Fine! But you know what will happen when you get in over your head,”
Spyke warned him, crawling off the bigger man.
“I know, but this is just to remind me of all that has to be done,”
Larry answered in a friendlier manner. He felt contrite for how he had spoken
moments earlier. “Now if you don’t mind, hand me my clothes so I can get
dressed and then we can get ourselves something to eat.”
“Yes, Sir!” Spyke teased him with a mock salute.
Larry jumped off his pallet, grabbed the younger man and began to tickle
him until Spyke was doubled over with laughter. Larry stopped his torture and
once again looked around the tent. “By the way, where is Aiden?”
“Oh, he left a few minutes ago. He said to meet him in the mess hall.”
“Well let’s not keep him waiting any longer,” Larry commented as he
finished dressing and slipped the list into his shirt pocket.
Larry tried to ignore the burning pain in his stomach as he followed
Spyke across the compound and into the large communal tent. They both filled
plates and made their way over to sit next to Aiden.
The ex-marine’s stomach made another lurch as he forced himself to
swallow the last of his food, while trying to carry on a conversation with
Aiden as if nothing was bothering him. However, he knew he was fighting a
losing battle. Using the excuse of needing to check on the various crews; Larry
bid his partners adieu and made a quick retreat.
Larry took a few deep breaths and soon found himself feeling a little
better. That feeling only lasted until he pulled out the paper and began going
over the list. Spyke was right! How could he even begin to accomplish all he
had written down? But with organizational skills in demand, he felt compelled
to do so in order not to disappoint anyone. He no sooner put the list back than
his breakfast began to make its way up his throat.
“Damn!” Larry cursed as he quickly ran for cover so no one, especially
his older partner, would notice him losing his meal. When he was done being
sick, Larry pulled out his handkerchief and wiped his face free of sweat.
A little voice began to carry on a two-way conversation in his head:
‘You better tell Aiden you were sick’ ‘No, he has enough to worry about and
besides you handled it and you’re better now so what he doesn’t know won’t hurt
anyone.’ ‘But it’s one of the rules Aiden laid down and if you don’t tell there
will be consequences.’ ‘I’m twenty-seven years old and an ex-military man so
surely Aiden would never really physically discipline me.’
Having convinced himself he was in the right; Larry took another few
deep breaths before heading toward the tree-cutting site. If he didn’t feel any
better by noon, he’d ask Lakota for some more of the herbal medicine the doctor
had given him some time ago. He knew he was safe going to Lakota because after
all, there was such a thing as doctor-patient confidentiality.
Shortly after seeing Spyke off for the morning, Aiden caught up with
Larry halfway to the work site. He quickly picked-up on Larry’s lack of
participation in the conversation he tried to initiate and noticed how pale the
younger man was. As they made their way down the path the Scotsman pulled his
partner aside and asked him if he was alright.
Larry looked up at the big man and gave him one of his most convincing
smiles as he tried to assure him he was fine.
Aiden didn’t believe it for a second. “Ye best not be lying, lad!”
“Lying? Ah no, Aiden, I …er….I…um…I….” Larry was unable to meet his
partner’s eyes.
“Dinnae be digging yerself in any deeper than ye already have. Now I’m
going to ask ye one last time. Are ye feeling okay?” Aiden demanded, his eyes
turning cold.
Knowing the ruse was up, Larry gazed down at the ground and shook his
head. “No, Sir!” he reluctantly murmured. “I guess I’m a little shaky.”
“Aye, and why would that be?” Aiden asked, fairly certain he knew the
answer.
“I….well….I….sorta was sick this morning”
“Ye were sorta sick?” Aiden’s voice became edged with
firmness
“Okay, okay! I threw up this morning because my stomach was unsettled.”
“And just when were ye planning on telling me about this?”
“Never,” Larry shamefully mumbled. “I didn’t think it was important.”
“Och, so ye didn’t think ’twas a need to tell me. Do ye also believe
there’s no need to tell me what brought about yer stomach ailment?”
“I’m not sure,” Larry muttered unconvincingly.
“And ’twould have nothing to do with ye over-burdening yerself, now would
it?”
Larry put his hand into his pocket and withdrew the list he had written
out. “Just look at all that has to be done, Aiden. We don’t have time to be
standing around talking!” he said a little belligerently.
Aiden raised one eyebrow at the younger man’s tone. Reaching for the
sheet of paper, he quickly scanned the two dozen or more items on the agenda
and sadly shook his head. He tore the page into several pieces and stuffed them
back into Larry’s pocket. “Ye’ll be throwing that in the stove when we return
for our noon meal. Ye should have talked it o’er with me long afore getting
yerself so worked up. ’Tis no need for all to be accomplished in so short a
time. Ye not only made yerself needlessly ill, but ye fully intended to keep it
from me, thereby breaking one of the rules I laid out for ye.”
“Come on, Aiden. We both know the talk of consequences was for our
younger partner’s benefit,” Larry replied with just a touch of doubt in his
voice as he dared a furtive glance at the other man’s face.
“Oh, ye think ’tis so, do ye?” Aiden calmly questioned. He stood there,
feet apart, hand on hips, and contemplated how this man in front of him could
have possibly misunderstood anything that had been spoken about such a short
time ago. He nodded his head slowly as he wrapped a big paw around Larry’s arm,
marched him over to a fallen log, took a seat and determinedly pulled the
younger man face down over his well-muscled thighs.
“I believe ’tis time to make things crystal clear in order to avoid
future misinterpretation.” Aiden punctuated every other word with a hard swat
to his partner’s backside.
Just as suddenly as Larry had found himself over the big man’s lap, he
found himself back on his feet and folded in a comforting embrace. “You…you..”
he sputtered, unable to formulate a coherent thought so surprised was he by the
unexpected spanking.
“Mean what I say?” Aiden completed the unfinished sentence.
“Yes,” Larry whispered, leaning against the strong broad chest and
rubbing at the burning sensation on his rear end. “I know I want boundaries and
that you promised to provide them, but I-I never fully believed you’d actually
wallop me.”
“Och, but I’m a mon of my word, lad,” Aiden assured him. “But ’twas only
a final caution I was giving ye. If the infraction is repeated, the consequence ’twill involve skin-to-skin reparation. And, Larry, I will always treat both my
partners equally. Let this be a warning to ye!”
Larry gave Aiden an ardent hug before pushing himself out of the big
man’s encircling arms. A new feeling began to creep into Larry’s subconscious
as he smiled at Aiden. A feeling he’d never had before.
All his life, Larry had carried an almost crushing weight on his
shoulders, a self-prescribed encumbrance to prove himself. One, which at first
drove him to excel in the hopes of winning his father’s approval. But no matter
what he did, he was never able to please his abusive parent. Later it was to
win his commanding officer’s validation, which he did. Most recently, he had
felt the need to drive himself in order to be worthy of Aiden’s admiration.
In the past, everything was piled on him and Larry was expected to do it
no matter what the cost to his body, either mentally or physically. But this
man before him was giving him a new direction in life. One, which involved
teamwork and the acknowledgement that he
didn’t have to carry the load alone. He didn’t know if Aiden was aware of it or
not but along with the lesson he had just taught him, the older man had also
begun to chip away the life-long, self-imposed burden from his shoulders.
Larry fell into step beside Aiden as they continued on their way to the
work-site and although his butt still felt the result of its encounter with the
big Scot’s right hand, he felt better than he had in years.
‘God, how I love this man!’ he thought as his grin widened and his
footsteps lightened.
Galen, Raythe and Kelby
leaned against the fence, excitedly watching the activity being carried out by
Thomas and Henrik. One by one, a ram or ewe was lassoed by Hendrik and carried
over to Thomas who would carefully shear each animal of its wool. Each time a
freshly sheared animal was let loose, the three young men would let out a
rousing cheer.
The weather had been steadily
warming over the last week or so and Thomas had decided that he and Hendrik
would have to take a few days from their regular assignments to get this job done
in order to maintain the health and well-being of their flock. It had been a
new experience for at least two of their audience.
But for Galen, it was another opportunity to watch his mentor at work. Their plan to spend more time together by working side by side had not met with a great deal of success.
But for Galen, it was another opportunity to watch his mentor at work. Their plan to spend more time together by working side by side had not met with a great deal of success.
Lakota entered the ward of the infirmary to find his patient sitting
impatiently on the edge of his cot.
Due to having been held over an extra couple of days, Dallas was far
from happy about it. “When do I get out of here?” the young man demanded
“You seem anxious to depart, Dallas. Are you tired of being at
our tender mercies?” the doctor asked with a smile.
“I feel fine now,” Dallas stated. “I just want out.”
“Well from all reports, you had a good night. No more pain or
nausea?”
“Nope! Even if I had pain, you wouldn’t give me anything for it. Besides
it’s not as though my caregiver,” Dallas glanced at Kevin from under
his fringe, “would let me get away with anything anyway.”
“You got that right!” Kevin said with an easy grin.
“You’re correct, Dallas. However, I also would want you to remain in our
care a little longer if you were still in pain, especially after your slight
decline. Despite your dislike of them, you know the herbal teas have
helped you rest more comfortably,” Lakota replied.
“They taste horrible!” Dallas shuddered. “Honestly, I feel
fine. I just want to get out,” he pleaded.
“I’ll make sure he’s looked after,” Kevin promised. He was also keen to
see Dallas released. “Any sign of another relapse and I’ll bring him
straight back.”
Dallas opened his mouth to say something and shut it again when he
saw a determined glint in Kevin’s eyes.
The doctor laughed at the sour face on the young man. “I’ve
actually grown very fond of the some of the herbs as the taste does grow on you
with time. Now I know you’re anxious to leave, so let me have one final
look at you and give you the list of instructions which I expect you to carry
out.”
Dallas looked sideways at Lakota. “What instructions?”
“In a minute,” the doctor replied and proceeded with a cursory exam,
listening to his patient’s heart and breathing, carefully checking his pulse and
looking into his eyes. “Okay, I will agree to your discharge, but I do
expect you to take care. I want you to eat three full meals each day so you can
build up your strength, and drink plenty of water. You need to get at
least eight to ten hours of sleep every night and I want to approve whatever
duties you take on. Keep to something light at first with plenty of rest
periods. Also, if you’re feeling any pain or nausea, I want to know about it
immediately. Am I clear on this?”
“Yeah,” Dallas muttered.
“One last serious issue I want you to be aware of. Just because you
are through with this last unpleasant reaction to the cessation of an addictive
substance does not mean that you will not have cravings for it. It will be
hard, Dallas. You must fight those feelings and ask someone to help you
through them, so you don’t end up doing something foolish which will only set
you back again.” The doctor admonished this to both his patient and the
man who had taken such an interest in him.
Kevin nodded. “Don’t worry. I’m sure between us we can arrange to help him deal with those cravings.” Kevin’s eyes darkened as he remembered a
past team-mate he hadn’t been able to help. “What about work?” Kevin asked. “I
think we’ve been assigned to the fields; getting them freed of rocks and
ploughed.”
Lakota shook his head. “No, that will not do for him right
away. He needs to do something a little less strenuous at first until his
strength has returned. Maybe in a week or two he’ll be able to handle such
work. I’ll talk to Thomas and see about getting Dallas a
different assignment for the next little while. I know that Thomas and Hendrik
recently finished shearing the sheep and will in all likelihood be needing help
in cleaning the wool for spinning.”
Dallas was quiet. He wasn’t sure he liked being talked about as if
he wasn’t here.
“Sure,” Kevin agreed and then suggested, “I’d like whatever assignment
he’s given to be somewhere near me but still outside. I think we can both
benefit from a little sunshine.”
The doctor smiled at that. “I’m sure something can be arranged.”
“I don’t need a bloody care-giver,” Dallas angrily
interjected.
“No, not exactly a care-giver,” Kevin assured him, smiling to Lakota.
“You just need someone to keep an eye on you once you’re released from here.
Then you and I need to have a talk.” Kevin’s blue eyes met Dallas’ equally
blue ones and sparks flew.
Dallas was the first to break eye contact. Confused, he wondered when he
had fallen so hard for this man.
“I’ll leave the two of you to work this out. In the meantime, Dallas,
please remember what I said.” Lakota stood and left the two men to discuss
their differences and the future he was sure he could see them building
together.
Dallas had been out of the infirmary for only a couple of hours. He’d
eaten his first meal in the presence of the others since he’d been hospitalised
and had not found it as awkward as he had feared it would be. Although he had
received a few speculative glances from some of the younger men, he’d not heard
a derisive word uttered about him or his predicament.
He was still shaky on his feet and Kevin was keeping a close eye on him;
too close in Dallas’ opinion. He was unsure what Kevin’s agenda was. After
all, didn’t everyone have a hidden agenda? After three months of enforced
celibacy, Dallas wouldn’t mind if the agenda proved to be sexual.
Sex wasn’t the furthest thing from Kevin’s mind, but at the moment it
was secondary to other issues. There was a need to enforce structure and
boundaries on the young man he was steadily falling in love with. There were
times he thought Dallas reciprocated his feelings and other times he
despaired of any response from him. The younger man had a bad habit of mentally
escaping a situation when he didn’t want to deal with it.
“We need to talk!” Kevin’s blue eyes were as hard as ice.
“What for?” Dallas felt uneasy. “I’m all better now. You don’t
need to nursemaid me anymore.”
“Rubbish! You’ve just gone through a debilitating illness and that was
the easy part. Now you need to face life without using opiates.” Dallas just
shrugged and Kevin resisted the impulse to smack his backside. That wouldn’t
help things. “We need to talk somewhere privately.”
“Down at the beach?” Dallas suggested, keen to put enough
distance between them and the rest of the guys, guessing it was not going to be
a very enjoyable experience. He might as well get this conversation out of the
way. He was feeling very unsettled and uncomfortable.
The two of them settled under a large tree. “You need boundaries,” Kevin
decided to be blunt and to the point. “And someone to help you deal with life
without the morphine or other drugs. I want to be that person!”
“Why?” Dallas was puzzled and slightly bitter. No one had ever cared
before. “Why now? Why you?”
“Because I care for you, and I think I’m in love with you.”
Dallas was stunned by the thought of this handsome man being in
love with a skinny street lout like him. He silently admitted to himself that
he wanted someone to care for him, someone to look out for him and yes, even
someone to love him.
“You’re out of control, mate.” Kevin had been reading Dallas’ expressions.
“So let’s start with what you need; mainly boundaries, rules and consequences.
The two of them spent the next two hours talking themselves hoarse. A
good deal of the time was spent arguing the finer points of the rules. Dallas
pointed out that when it came to consequences, he couldn’t write very well and
so lines wouldn’t work. Kevin countered that by pointing out Dallas would be
attending classes at least part-time once Troy had a school program set up, so
his writing would improve. Dallas said he’d been sick so he couldn’t
do extra chores. Kevin pointed out he was recovering, so collecting firewood or
picking up rocks would not be overly fatiguing once the doctor had given his
okay. Dallas said he was too old to be spanked. Kevin just looked at
him. Dallas blushed uncomfortably, but resignedly.
Dallas thought over all he and Kevin had just talked about and felt a
bit uneasy.
“Are you alright with all this, Dallas?” Kevin was keeping a close eye
on him and sensed the other man’s uncertainty.
“No, still a little confused,” Dallas shyly admitted. “Kevin, this rules
and consequence thing doesn’t make you my master or something, does it?”
Kevin choked “Good grief, no!” he exclaimed. “You are not my servant or
subordinate or whatever it’s called. You need some help in certain areas so
we’ve agreed I can help you with those. I want you as a full partner, not as an
underling.”
“Guess I’m tired. It’s all been a bit much,” Dallas murmured. “But I’m
okay with it, I think.”
“We’ll take our time, Dallas. Heaven knows we have plenty of that.”
Lakota looked at his pocket watch; Gille would still be working in the
fields and it was nearly forty minutes before supper would be served. He had
just enough time to write up his patient notes for the day. Pulling out his
notebook, he began with his recently discharged patient.
Dallas Carter, eighteen years old, height five feet and ten
inches. This young man has shown more strength these last few days than I
would have given him credit for. With the help of Kevin McCaw, he has
moved through the pains associated with his morphine addition and has come out
the other side stronger and with good hope for the future. I have ordered
light duties until he builds up his strength again, but with good nutrition and
healthy exercise I believe he will be fine.
Kevin McCaw, twenty-five years of age, six feet tall. This muscular
young man is in excellent health. His genuine esteem and care
for Dallas have proven him a most decent person. I believe that if
anyone can keep Dallas Carter from further troubles, it will be this man.
TBC….
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