Zeke knew Gavin was tired by the way he lay limp atop him on his office couch. They had returned home merely hours before. It was late Tuesday evening, and Gavin had another round of chemo the next morning.
Olivia had returned to the hospital Sunday morning before her flight. She forwarded some documents her assistant had emailed to her to Zeke. She asked for a month to get things in order. Zeke was all too happy to do as she asked. Hopefully they can make something happen soon.
Anderson had been happy with the effects of the transfusion. In total, they had to give Gavin two bags of blood. His color was so much better. His fingertips and lips weren't purple which made Anderson happier than anything else. The bandage on his head had been changed several times because it wouldn't stop bleeding long enough for them to stitch it up. After two days, it finally stopped and they were able to stitch it.
The nurses had oohed and ahhed over their young patient. Gavin had been a model patient. He had listened when they'd spoken to him and had done what had been asked of him. They'd pitched in and had bought him another beanie with the hospital logo on it. He had argued with them about it but had accepted it when they'd said it was a gift. It had covered the bandage on his head again which made him feel better.
Dr. Wright had been happy when she'd come to check on him Tueday morning. She had taken a blood sample and had checked all of his counts. When she had told him the chemo was working, he'd beamed at her. She still wanted him to finish his rounds before they decided on a bone marrow transplant just to make sure they got as much of the cancer now. The transplant should help grow new cells that would overtake the cancer.
She discharged Gavin with a new schedule. He would have his final three rounds of chemo then have two weeks off for the holidays. In the meantime, they would search for a donor who was a match. Once they found one, they would harvest the bone marrow and transplant it to him. That would be the hardest process because he had to have a specific match to do so.
Gavin shifted, pulling his knee up into Zeke's groin. He shifted his head and his hand bunched Zeke's shirt in his first. The bruise on his head looked worse than it was. Anderson said it was mostly from the impact with the floor and not from hitting his head on the end table. Gavin hadn't been going to classes so it wasn't like he was going to see anyone.
"Mr. Daniels?" There was a knock at his office door. He tilted his head back to see Sampson walk through. He smiled fondly at the young man on his chest. "Emily Ray is here."
"Send her in," he whispered. He set his tablet on the coffee table and wrapped his arms around Gavin. The young man made a noise but didn't otherwise stir.
Emily walked in and dropped a couple of books to Zeke's desk. He knew it was Gavin's work. His professors would compile his list of assignments and either email them or send them by Emily. She always brought them by. The professors had made video lectures for him to watch as well. They had all been really accommodating since his diagnosis had occured in the middle of the semester.
The woman sat across from them, eyes watching Gavin steadily. Zeke was most grateful to her. She had kept his secret and had taken him to his first few appointments. Though he was and had been upset about it, he had completely understood. At the time, Gavin hadn't fully trusted Zeke and had been scared of what he would do once he'd found out. Emily had taken the brunt of that frustration, and she had launched it back at Zeke when she'd had the chance.
"He looks better," she mused. Zeke brushed his fingers over Gavin's head. He didn't move. "Has he withdrawn for next semester?"
"Yes, he did it before he ended up in the hospital," Zeke replied. "They say they're trying to find him a donor and are hopeful to find one by the holidays. But I know how this can go sometimes. I don't want to get his hopes up that he'll return to school next semester and they can't find one."
"We were all tested. We aren't a match for him." She leaned back in the chair. "What about his family?"
Zeke shook his head. "Olivia said none of them are a match either. They're having to look through their lists now."
Emily frowned as anger stole through her eyes. "I'm surprised she showed up after the way she's acted towards him."
"It's not what you think, Emily, but we're working on it."
"Do you trust her?"
They looked at each other as the question hung between them. His instantaneous response would be no, but as he actually thought about it, he realized Olivia had just reacted to the news she had been given. Anyone else would have done the same. They may have reached out to talk to their loved one first, but he knew it was hard when someone did something he didn't understand. He'd learned the hard way with Gavin.
"I don't trust her fully, but I can begin to if she shows she's trustworthy," he replied. It was as diplomatic as he could get. He just couldn't tell her what was going on. "Gavin needs to go to the clinic tomorrow afternoon."
Emily waved away his obvious question. "Say no more. What time?"
Zeke told her, and they made plans to get Gavin to and from his appointment. Zeke didn't tell her, but he had already made plans to compensate her for everything she had been doing over the last several months. She would undoubtedly argue with him. He didn't have anything else to give her, but he would make sure she got something worthwhile. He'd ask Gavin for help with it.
Emily said her goodbyes and asked Gavin to call her when he could. Zeke called for the first aid kit and pulled Gavin's beanie off. Carefully, he peeled the tape from his scalp, bringing the gauze with it. Martin came in and opened the box. Zeke carefully cleaned around the stitches then bandaged it again. Gavin never moved.
"He's so peaceful," Martin mused.
"He's exhausted," Zeke corrected.
"He's awake," Gavin croaked. Zeke laughed a bit as he pulled the beanie back over the bandage. "That hurt."
"Imagine if you had hair there." The older man helped the younger sit up on the couch. "Emily is going to take you to your appointment tomorrow."
Gavin nodded. "I thought I heard her voice but I thought I was dreaming." He rubbed his eyes with a yawn. "Martin, can I trouble you for something to drink?"
"Certainly," Martin agreed. "Would you like something to eat?" Gavin shook his head slowly. "I'll be right back."
Zeke ran his hand over Gavin's face, fingers curling under his jaw. "You need to eat."
"Not right now. I have cotton mouth." He made a face as he tried to moisten his tongue. "It feels like I've taken metal and grated them along my tongue."
"It's probably from the pain medications." He watched him yawn again. "You scared me, Gavin. I thought you were dead."
"I'm sorry."
The older man sat up and shifted towards him. He pressed his forehead against his and sighed shakily. Gavin's hands came up, and he ran his fingertips over his face.
"Now that your mother knows the truth," Zeke said, "if you want to leave, you're free to do so."
Gavin pulled away from him, mouth slightly ajar in shock. That shock changed to sadness. He dropped his hands into his lap and looked down. Zeke saw his bottom lip started quivering, but he held any emotions back.
"Do you want me to leave?" he whispered. His brown eyes lifted to meet Zeke's blue-green eyes, and there were tears starting to brim. His breath shuttered out. "If you want me to leave, I will. I won't… I won't overstay my welcome."
When his voice broke, Zeke felt his world starting to collapse around him. He never wanted to make Gavin cry again. He had done enough of that early on. He had seen him cry over his diagnosis, and he didn't want to be the reason he shed tears.
He shifted forward until his knee was pressed into his groin. He pulled him into him, making sure their mouths connected as deeply as he could. Gavin made a strangled noise but he kissed him back. They heard the door open but didn't pay any attention to the one who came in.
"Don't make me go," Gavin whispered against his lips. "Please don't make me go."
"Alright, alright. Shh. Shh." Zeke lifted his face and pressed his lips against his forehead. "You don't have to go. You can stay as long as you want."
Gavin's hands gripped his thighs, his nails digging into his skin. "I hated you at first. I hated that you bought me and subjugated me to your crazy rules. I hated when you touched me. I hated when you wanted to be intimate with me." He sniffled, snot dripping on Zeke's bare knee. "But somewhere down the line, things changed. You became softer, more attentive. You let me choose how we had sex and when. When I thought of leaving, I didn't want to. Not because I had anywhere else to go, but because I didn't want to leave you."
"You don't have to leave me. Ever. You can stay as long as you want to."
The younger man lifted his head. Zeke's throat clenched at the huge tears rolling down his face. "I won't stay if you don't want me to. If you don't want me, I will pack my bags and leave."
Zeke shook his head adamantly. "No, don't leave. Don't ever leave." He wiped the tears from under his eyes. "Gavin, I want you to stay with me. I have never loved anyone like this."
A sad smile spread over Gavin's face, and he laughed through his tears. He wiped his nose and dropped his head. That was all he needed to say. Zeke hadn't realized until that moment how much the kid had meant to him. He'd known he had felt something different for him than he had any of his other lovers, but until now, he hadn't realized how strong it was.
"I want to make you cum," Gavin whispered.
Zeke couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out. "There's plenty of time for that. Right now, I want you to rest. You're going to go through a lot in the next few weeks. I want you to be as strong as you can be."
Gently, Gavin tackled him back to the couch. Zeke pulled his feet out from under him and once again lay with the boy on his chest. Gavin's arms wrapped around his waist and he lay with his head pressed into Zeke's neck. The older man felt several kisses followed by a biting, erotic pain. Gavin's tongue lapped at the spot, soothing him. The young man had just given him his first hickey.
Desire flooded through him, but he held it back as best as he could. He desperately wanted to show Gavin how much he meant to him, but he wanted him to rest as much as he could. He would hold him for as long as he needed. He would do whatever it took to prove to the kid how much he truly loved him.