The House at the Far Corner of the Lake
Chapter One
Brian had been in a slump for weeks and hadn’t written a credible word in that time. It wasn’t for the lack of trying. In the beginning, he sat to his computer daily, the way he always did when he was working on a book. He’d never had trouble before. The words usually flowed out of him easily. With twelve best sellers to his credit, Brian was used to the books leaping out of him. Suddenly though, he was a dry well. For someone whose identity was so closely linked to his achievements, Brian was struggling to cope. It took fourteen weeks to complete the most difficult of his earlier novels. Now, sixteen weeks later, he barely moved away from his computer, the most used key on his keyboard was ‘delete’, and he had nothing to show for the time he’d wasted. Rather than come up with excuses, Brian avoided his agent. Admitting he was struggling directly impacted on his self esteem and was unacceptable.
In contrast, Justin had never experienced so much success and attention. His talent poured onto each and every canvas with the critics hailing each work a masterpiece.
Both men had been equally successful in the past, but the attention Justin was receiving lately left Brian feeling resentful. He didn’t want Justin to fail, but Brian was used to both of them achieving. Now, Justin was the only success and he wasn’t able to string a simple sentence together. Initially, Brian blamed everyone and everything for his lack of inspiration, but the crunch really came when he started to blame himself.
Justin watched his lover retreat more into himself every day. As the weeks passed, they barely talked and rarely touched. Justin reminded Brian of all the things he wasn’t anymore, making Brian retreat further.
To complicate their situation, after sitting to his computer for hours and getting nowhere, each time Brian left their apartment, everywhere he went, people asked him how much longer before his book would be completed. When he refused to discuss his work, they talked about Justin. Preferring not to constantly hear about Justin’s latest stroke of genius, Brian began to avoid going out at all. Writing had been his life and where once it was a simple enjoyable task, now the pressure of being Brian Kinney weighed like an albatross around his neck.
Eventually, he refused to leave the apartment. Twelve books in eight years left Brian and everyone around him with high expectations. Instead of resting on his laurels and taking a well deserved break, Brian became obsessed with finishing the book he couldn’t start.
As more time passed, Brian’s agent became increasingly worried. He asked Justin to join him for lunch to see if there was anything he could do to help. Max was concerned. Brian wasn’t returning his calls and no one had heard from him in weeks.
“Max, I don’t know,” Justin sighed. “He won’t talk to me either.” He shrugged.
“What happened? You were always so close?”
“Honestly, I haven’t a clue,” Justin continued. “Ever since he started this book, he’s been strange.”
Max laughed. “Brian has always been strange.”
“No Max, he’s usually egotistical, self absorbed, and narcissistic, but now he’s just strange,” Justin sighed.
“What do you mean?”
“He just sits there, staring at the screen for hours. He doesn’t talk; he barely eats… he looks like hell. Christ, he doesn’t even want to fuck anymore,” Justin sighed.
“Is he still tricking?” Max was shocked at what he was hearing.
Justin frowned. “No, I don’t think so. I don’t see when. He won’t go out. He won’t let anyone come in. He’s so tense; I don’t think he’s even jerking off. He’s like a fucking alarm clock when I try and have a conversation with him,” Justin snapped.
“Can’t you do something? Jump on him and attack him or something?” Max exclaimed. Brian had always been the most sexually driven person he knew. It was part of his presence, his identity. Brian oozed sex appeal. If Brian wasn’t getting any…….either, the world was coming to an end or he had gone insane.
“I wish,” Justin sighed. “I can’t even get close to him. He doesn’t come to bed; he stays in his office with the door locked,” Justin growled in frustration.
“I’m going to put the release date for the book on hold. Brian needs to take a break or he’ll go nuts, if he hasn’t already,” Max sighed. “You have to get him out of that apartment and away for a while.” Writers were usually volatile, but Brian was normally so level headed. He was the last person Max ever expected to crack.
“How am I supposed to do that?” Justin snapped again.
“If you love him, you’ll find a way. You’re the only one who can. He won’t see me or take my calls. Let me know where you are.” Max pushed his chair back and stood up. He was visibly upset. Brian’s novels were guaranteed to leap off the shelves and Max prayed Brian would be able to get through whatever it was and come back. Without thinking, he hurried to his next meeting, leaving Justin at the table with the check.
“Thank god one of us is working,” Justin muttered bitterly under his breath. His lover had been even more of an ass than usual lately and Justin was well and truly over it. He hailed a cab and went home. “Why me?” He grumbled as he walked up the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Once inside, Justin flopped onto the sofa and sighed loudly. Brian wasn’t exactly warm even when he was successful. “Because there isn’t anyone else,” he sighed again, answering his own question.
As usual, Brian’s office door was closed.
He dialed his agent. “Hamish, its Jus.”
“Jus, how are you?” Hamish replied cheerfully. “What’s up?”
“Listen, I can’t come to the opening on Friday.” Justin took a deep breath and waited for the explosion.
“What?” The man gasped. “You must.”
“Well I can’t,” Justin sighed. “Brian…….”
“What’s that fucker done now?” Hamish growled. “You should leave his ass, before he fucks up your career too.”
“Don’t start,” Justin warned. “I’m sorting it out, but it means I can’t come to the opening.”
“You are fucking crazy,” Hamish roared. An artist, no matter how hot he was, who didn’t attend his own show was deranged.
“Brian and I are taking a break. We’re going out of town for a while. Don’t take any orders from this show. I want a rest.”
“Jus, you can’t,” Hamish pleaded. “You’re so hot at the moment and now isn’t the time……”
Justin interrupted him. “And I’ll be even hotter when I get back. I’ll let you know where I am. Please Hamish, I need this time.” He disconnected before his agent could object further. Justin sighed loudly again and slumped deeper into the sofa. That was a lot easier than he thought. He hoped Hamish wouldn’t come over and try and talk him out of it and fuck, he still had to convince Brian. Justin rolled his eyes and turned on his computer. He needed to find a place for them to go. Somewhere away from everyone and everything, somewhere peaceful, he thought. Somewhere he and Brian could sort it out once and for all. Back to basics, somewhere without electricity, no, he wouldn’t get away with that, he chuckled. At least with Brian locked away in his office; it would be easy to pack for him, but where would they go? He scrolled down the listings and stopped suddenly. “Hey, this place looks great,” Justin mumbled as he reached for the telephone. He dialed and was surprised when the phone answered so quickly. Small town, he thought.
“My name is Justin Bennett. You have a house listed, the reference is AS208, yeah, the one on the lake. Do you have a virtual tour? Hang on; I’ll put it up while I have you there,” Justin prattled as he typed in the ‘addy’ and watched the camera pan through the house. “How long has it been empty? Really?” He wondered why a place like that hadn’t been snapped up. “It does look like the tour doesn’t it?” Justin asked suspiciously. “If I get there and it’s a piece of shit,” he paused. “Okay, fine I’ll take it, yeah a month, okay six months then, fine. Okay, throw in the option, we’ll see.” He didn’t care about the details. He just wanted somewhere private he and Brian could fight it out. “How much? Yeah that’s fine. Meet me on site and I’ll give you a check,” he paused. “No way until I see it,” Justin laughed. This guy must think he came down in the last shower. “We’ll be there tomorrow. I’ll call you when I’ve made the arrangements. Yes,” he sighed. “Yes… that Justin Bennett. Thank you, but please don’t mention that when we meet tomorrow. I would prefer you respect my privacy,” he growled softly. “My partner is Brian Kinney, yes, the novelist. His privacy is important to him as well,” he added quickly. “Thank you, I’ll call you with the time.” Justin hung up the phone.
He knew he’d been rude, but the last thing he needed was this guy ooo’ing and ahh’ing in front of Brian when they got there. Brian being Brian, at best he would devour the guy for invading their privacy, but at the moment though, Justin thought Brian might just turn around and come straight back to New York. Justin knew Brian resented the attention he was receiving lately and was pissed off with his partner for it. Brian had two books under his belt when he first started painting and it had never affected him at all. He’d never been jealous of Brian’s success. Brian did his thing and he did his. Justin remembered the realtor’s insistence he take a six months lease. Fuck, he thought. He only wanted a month, hell he’d know in a week if it was worth bothering with anymore. Oh well, he thought, it was only money. Another six months with Brian the way he’d been lately and Justin was sure he would go insane.
Getting Brian out of their apartment was the first step. Justin’s mind wandered back over the last few months. It had been a never ending nightmare. A month should do it, he thought. That would be about all he could stand if Brian dug in and wouldn’t listen. Justin pondered the moment when it all fell apart. It was that new fucking book. They used to be so happy, but in the last few months, Brian was gone and he’d been alone. He was used to it now. Justin knew he’d be okay. Being with Brian while they were so far apart was even more painful than not being with Brian at all. It had to stop and this was the first step.
After booking the tickets and the limo to the airport, Justin packed their bags and piled them near the front door. He wondered how long it would take to get Brian out of his office as he packed his art supplies into a crate. He looked at his watch. It was nine thirty. The car was coming at eight in the morning so he had a little over ten hours to convince Brian to come with him. Fuck, now for the fun part. Justin went straight to the medicine cabinet and retrieved his back up plan. Dalmane, every home should have some, he smiled. If reason failed, drugs would do the trick. Here goes, he thought.
Justin tried Brian’s door, but it was locked as usual. He knocked and there was no answer. When he knocked again, he called out to his lover “Brian” and received was no reply. “Brian, please open the door?”
“Go away,” Brian growled.
“Brian, I need to see you,” Justin persisted.
A muffled voice called back. “Fuck off.”
“Brian, open the door, now,” he roared.
The voice spat back. “What part of ‘fuck off’ don’t you understand?”
“Open the fucking door or I’ll break it down,” Justin yelled louder.
“I said fuck off,” came the sharp reply.
Justin was furious, but he was prepared. Never expecting this would be easy, he calmly strolled to the phone and dialed the super. “Fred, I need you to open a door for me. No, it isn’t stuck, it’s locked. I don’t care, break it down if you have to, yes now,” Justin insisted. While he waited, Justin listened at the office door for movement. What the fuck was Brian doing in there? It didn’t even sound like Brian. Sure, the expletives were very Brian, but there was something about the voice. Justin couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
Ten minutes later, Fred arrived with an axe. “You sure, Mr. Bennett?” He asked cautiously.
“I’m sure, Fred. Mr. Kinney and I will be out of town for a month. You can repair it while we’re away.”
“That’s a mighty expensive door,” Fred drawled.
“Get a new one later, but break this one down now,” Justin demanded.
Fred rolled his eyes and started to chop away at the solid oak door. It took about twenty minutes before he was ready to force the door open. “The frames shot now too,” Fred sighed. “Do you want me to open it?”
“No, I’ll do it. Just replace whatever you need to replace, but do it while we’re gone,” Justin answered abruptly. He walked Fred and his axe out. It was unwise for it or Fred to be there when he went into the office. Justin knew by Brian’s tone, he’d have a fight on his hands. He looked at his watch again, eleven o’clock, hmmm he thought as he shoved the door open with his shoulder.
Brian was sitting at his computer. “You didn’t have to ruin the door.”
“Yes Brian, I did,” Justin said coldly, unable to hide his annoyance. “I asked you to open it more than once.”
“I didn’t know you were gonna destroy it,” Brian sighed.
Justin walked around to the front of the desk and for the first time really looked at his lover. He hadn’t seen Brian in three weeks. His once beautiful partner was thin and haggard with his eyes surrounded by large black circles and sunken into his head. Brian mustn’t have shaved in days, Justin thought and by the smell of him, he hadn’t showered either. He blinked, unable to believe his eyes. There was no way anyone would recognize Brian this way. Justin barely recognized his lover himself.
Brian slumped over his computer. He was exhausted from their earlier exchange through the door.
Justin’s anger was replaced with concern. He moved behind Brian and wrapped his arms around him, disregarding Brian’s dislike of affectionate display. He could tell his lover was too weak to fight him off. Brian was freezing. “Baby, have you eaten anything?” He said softly. Brian felt like a limp rag and Justin was scared. Suddenly, he was grateful to Max for putting him on the spot at lunch. Shit, if he had left it much longer, Brian could have been dead.
“I can’t, Jus,” Brian whispered.
“What about some tea? It will warm you up.” Justin tried to smile.
Brian stared blankly into space and didn’t respond.
Justin went to the kitchen to make the tea. He didn’t dare give Brian sleeping pills in his current condition. He grabbed the phone and dialed frantically. “Toby, its Jus. Listen, Brian is having some sort of episode. I don’t think he’s eaten in days. Yeah, I guess he’s dehydrated as well. I haven’t been able to blast him out of here lately. I was thinking about giving him some Dalmane and taking him away for a while. I don’t dare give him the usual. What do you think?”
“What do you mean he hasn’t eaten in days… maybe I should come over,” Toby offered. It didn’t sound like Brian should take anything until he saw him.
“Please hurry, but you know what he’s like,” Justin paused. “He’ll need to be out first, so how many?”
“Don’t give him anything, I’ll be there in an hour,” Toby warned. He didn’t like the sound of this one bit. Brian Kinney was the biggest asshole he knew. Toby couldn’t imagine Brian not thinking about himself first, and as far as not taking care of his precious body… it didn’t make sense.
“Thanks Toby.” Justin returned to the office to find Brian still in the same position over the keyboard. He handed Brian a half cup of tea, but when Brian tried to grasp the cup, he couldn’t.
Fuck, Justin thought. He lifted the cup and held it to Brian’s mouth so he could drink.
“I’m cold, Jus,” Brian whispered.
“I’ll run you a bath.”
“No, I don’t…..” he grumbled. “I can’t leave this.”
“You smell awful,” Justin sighed.
“I’m sorry,” Brian whispered again. He sipped slowly and Justin patiently waited until all the tea was gone.
“I’ll be back in a minute.” Justin sprinted to the bathroom and turned the faucet on full. Brian was too weak to stand in the shower so he wasn’t sure how he was going to get his lover in and out of the tub. He decided he’d deal with that when he got to it and ran the bath half full. Justin hurried back to the office, helped Brian to his feet and walked him to the door.
“I can’t go out there.” Brian struggled to get away and back to his chair, but he was no match for Justin in his current condition.
“Close your eyes,” Justin ordered. “You need to wash.”
He dragged Brian out of the office to the bathroom where he undressed him. Brian’s eyes were tightly closed. Christ, thought Justin. Brian was so thin and his clothes would need to be thrown out. “Lift your leg and step in, that’s right, the other one, now let’s sit you down, there,” Justin smiled. Good, he was in. He picked up the sponge and lathered it, soaping Brian’s back, arms and chest while Brian sat shivering in silence with his eyes still closed. Justin soaped his legs and as the sponge passed over Brian’s cock, his eyes shot open and the fear on his face was obvious.
“Don’t, please,” he said so softly Justin had to strain to hear.
“I’m just washing you, I won’t hurt you, I promise,” Justin replied almost as softly.
“I don’t want you to,” Brian pleaded. “I can’t, Jus, Please?”
Justin looked at his lover almost in disbelief. Surely Brian didn’t think he would make him. He sighed; this wasn’t the time for a queen out. “You don’t have to; I just want you to be clean.”
Brian sighed. “Tired.”
“I know, baby, let’s just wash your hair and then you can get out, okay?” Justin said tenderly. The sight of his normally independent lover being so vulnerable had Justin petrified.
Brian closed his eyes again.
Justin soaped up his lover’s hair, but when he looked down at the water, it was already black. At least Brian should be cleaner now than he started out, well maybe, Justin thought. “Lean back so we can wash the soap out.” Oh god, the water was even worse now. “Wait a minute and let me rinse your hair with clean water. Can you sit while I get something?” Without waiting for an answer, Justin sprinted across the room and grabbed a jug from the storage closet. He filled it with clean, warm water. The water in the tub was so putrid he had no choice but to rinse Brian off.
Justin only left him for a few seconds, but as he turned, Brian was slipping under the water. “Fuck,” Justin cried out as he rushed to his lover’s side. He pulled out the bath stopper and let the filthy water drain from the tub.
With the murky water gone, he rinsed Brian’s hair with clean, warm water and then did the same with Brian until the water ran clear. Good, he thought. Now how to get him out? Justin dried his lover’s hair and all the parts he could reach. Brian was almost asleep.
“Baby, we have to get you out of here. Can you stand?” Justin asked gently.
Brian shook his head as the doorbell rang.
“I’ll be back.” Justin covered him with a dry towel and kissed Brian on the cheek.
Brian nodded, sleepily.
Justin bolted to the door. “Toby, thank god. I got him in the tub and I can’t get him out,” he blurted out.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Toby demanded. What did Justin mean… he put him in the tub?
“Just help me get him into bed and I’ll tell you,” Justin said as he sprinted back to the bathroom with Toby in hot pursuit.
Brian was fast asleep.
Toby took one look at Brian and gasped. “Fuck Jus. What happened to him?”
“Help me,” Justin ordered. Both men lifted Brian out of the bath and carried him to bed. Brian didn’t stir as Justin covered him. Justin motioned to Toby to come outside and closed the door.
“Now, are you gonna tell me what the fuck is going on here?” Toby bellowed.
“He’s been in a slump for a while now,” Justin tried to explain. “Six weeks ago, he refused to come out of his office when I was home. He locked the door and wouldn’t open it. I haven’t seen him for three weeks. Tonight, I got Fred to break down the door and that’s the condition I found him in, only filthier.” Justin nodded in the direction of Brian’s office. “I had trouble getting him out of the there. I had to bathe him, Toby, he reeked. By the color of the water and the smell of him, he hadn’t moved from in front of his computer in days. I guess he hasn’t been eating, he’s dehydrated, I dunno,” Justin babbled.
“He looks like he should be in a hospital. Let me examine him.”
Justin nodded. He had never been so thankful his cousin was a doctor before.
After examining a sleeping Brian, Toby sighed. He debated calling for an ambulance, but dialed the pharmacy instead and organized an IV.
Justin was still sitting on the sofa when Toby came out of Brian’s room, an hour later.
“Jus, he should be in a hospital,” Toby frowned.
“Well you know how long he’ll stay there after he wakes up.” Justin shrugged. Brian hated hospitals and doctors. In the last five years, Brian had barely even spoken to Toby.
Toby knew Brian would check himself out as soon as he was able. “Okay, what were you planning?”
“I’ve leased a house in the country. We’re leaving tomorrow. There’ll be no pressure and he can relax and get his strength back. I’ll look after him. Our flight is at eight.”
“No way can he fly.” Toby interrupted as he shook his head. “He shouldn’t even be moved. Brian is dangerously dehydrated, Jus. I put him on an IV. We’ll see in twelve hours, maybe then you can move him in an ambulance.”
“Toby, it’s a six hour drive,” Justin gasped.
“Well, he can’t fly.” Toby shook his head again. “I’ll stay here tonight; the bag will need to be changed in three hours. I’m giving him a combination of saline and antibiotics. His immune system has shut down; he could catch anything at the moment. Maybe you can fly later? We’ll see.”
Justin finally felt the tears falling. “Why didn’t I get him out of there earlier? It’s my fault,” he sobbed.
Toby put his arm around his cousin. “He’ll be okay. Its obvious Brian has had some sort of breakdown. You artistic types are a worry,” he frowned. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Justin answered feebly.
“While I’m here, you get some sleep. If you intend to look after him yourself, you better get some rest while you can.” Toby smiled, trying to put Justin’s mind at ease.
“Is he okay?”
“He needs to rest and eat and sleep and he’ll be fine. I don’t need another patient, so, you get some rest too.”
“I’d rather sleep here on the sofa,” Justin suggested.
“No, I want you to shower and then sleep in a bed,” Toby insisted and when he noticed the bottle on the table, he handed it to his cousin. “Take two Dalmane, yourself,” he ordered. He wanted Justin out of the way. Brian’s condition was serious.
Justin knew by Toby’s tone there was no point in negotiating. “Wake me in a few hours?”
“Sleep,” Toby ordered.
Justin nodded as he walked to the guest room. Just coping with Brian for a few hours was exhausting. How was he going to manage him full time?
********
When Justin woke, it was nearly two in the afternoon. As he opened his eyes, his first thoughts were for Brian. He threw back the covers and ran to check on his lover. “Oh, um hi, I’m Justin,” he said nervously to the nurse in Brian‘s room. Brian was still sleeping and now he was hooked up to a series of machines.
“I’m Susan. Dr. Bennett had to go to the hospital for a while, but he’ll be back later,” she smiled.
“How is he?” Justin asked, nodding in Brian’s direction.
“Much better,” she smiled again. “Look, the color is coming back into his face. He’s been very ill; we almost lost him.”
“I know,” Justin said softly, remembering the condition Brian was in when he found him.
“How are you feeling?” She asked.
“Okay.” Justin shrugged.
“The airline called when you missed your flight. Dr. Bennett spoke to them. He talked them into changing you to a later one,” she smiled. “Mr. Kinney should be okay to fly in possibly a week.”
“When will he wake up?” Justin knew Brian was ill, but a week.
“Dr Bennett has him sedated. It’s better if he sleeps. Can I get you something to drink, tea?”
Justin nodded. “I’ll sit here with Brian for a while.”
Susan smiled. It was obvious Justin cared a great deal about the sleeping man in the bed.
Justin sat by their bed and took Brian’s hand. At least now Brian was warm again, he thought. He remembered how cold Brian felt when he first held him. When Fred broke down the door, Brian was like ice to touch. It was one of the reasons he’d been so scared. It couldn’t be good for Brian to be so cold. Justin felt guilty for all the unkind thoughts he’d had over the last few months. He loved Brian. How could he not know how much pain his lover was in? Brian would be okay now; he would make sure of it.
Susan returned with Justin’s tea and a sandwich. “You need to keep up your strength if you are going to look after him,” she smiled. “Go outside and relax while I change this bag.”
Justin took his tea and the sandwich to the living room and ate. He rang the realtor about the house, letting him know they weren’t sure of their new arrival date. He was reading Brian’s last novel when Toby returned.
After he checked Brian, Toby came into the living room and flopped down on the sofa beside Justin. “That was one hell of a night.”
“Thanks for letting me sleep,” Justin said. He felt guilty. Toby looked exhausted.
“He had a seizure after you went to bed.”
“What?” Justin gasped.
“It was touch and go there for a while.” Toby shrugged. Before Justin could queen out on him, he added quickly, “But he’s better now.”
“What do you mean?” Justin stammered.
“I nearly lost him, Jus. He should have been in the hospital. It was a rough night, but he’s doing better.”
“You mean he could have died?” Justin gasped.
Toby nodded his head. “He did. I had to give him an injection to get his heart started again. I’m glad you got him out when you did. If Fred hadn’t opened the door, Brian probably would have been dead this morning.”
Justin buried his head in his hands and cried. Toby patted his back and let him get it out. Justin would need all his strength to help Brian back onto his feet. When the tears slowed, Justin looked at his cousin. “Thanks,” he said softly.
“You’re welcome kiddo,” Toby smiled. “I know how much you love him.”
“I do. I forgot for a while, but I never will again. I don’t think I’d make it if I lost him,” Justin said softly.
“Well he’s back now, bad moods and all. You know him. He’s gonna be hard work.” Toby shook his head. “He’s hard work when he’s well let alone when he’s sick,” he chuckled.
“Brian is worth it,” Justin smiled.
Toby couldn’t see it. He’d never understood Justin’s feelings for Brian, but now, wasn’t the time to discuss it. “A nurse will be here round the clock for the next few days and I’ll stay here at night with you.”
“Thanks Toby.”
“Now I want you to take it easy because in about a week or so, he’ll be all yours. I’ll come down and check on him on the weekends for the first few weeks and if you need help, we’ll get you a nurse.”
Justin nodded. “How long will it take before he’ll be back to normal?”
“He’ll tire easily for a while and it will take him some time to get his strength back,” Toby sighed. “Probably three months.”
Justin nodded. Three months, fuck.
********
The next week passed slowly, but Brian improved steadily. He didn’t need the machines anymore and IV was out. There was color in his face and although he was thin, he was starting to look like Brian again. His eyes weren’t black and sunken into his head and Toby decided it was time for Brian to wake up. A few hours later, Brian opened his eyes for the first time in a week.
“Mmmm,” Brian moaned. “Where am I?”
Justin smiled and squeezed his hand. “Hey, you’re awake. How do you feel?”
“Like I’ve been run over by a truck,” Brian moaned again. “What happened?”
“You’ve been really sick. You nearly died.” Justin tried to explain.
“What?” Brian gasped. “How?”
“Not now, you need to think about getting well. We’re going away in a few days. You have to rest and get your strength back. I found a place with a lake and you can sit and watch the water for a while,” Justin smiled.
“Jus, I can’t go anywhere I have a book to finish,” Brian objected.
Justin scowled. “Stop, no book, do you hear me?” He snapped. “It was that fucking book that put you here. Max has put it on hold until you recover.”
Brian tried to sit up. “Max did what? He can’t…..”
Justin pushed Brian back down gently. “He can and he did. We need to get one thing straight, Brian. You died. Your heart stopped beating and you died. I had to get Fred to break the door down with an axe. You hadn’t showered in days and you were filthy. You were so badly dehydrated your heart stopped. It’s only thanks to Toby you aren’t in the hospital or the morgue so if you even mention that fucking book again before you are fully recovered, I will kill you myself,” Justin yelled. “Now get some rest while I make you something to eat.” He stormed out of the room, slammed the door and promptly burst into tears.
Brian swallowed hard and decided he wouldn’t mention the book again to Justin. He couldn’t remember very much about what happened, but it must have been bad for Justin to take his head off that way. Justin had never even raised his voice to him before.
Toby heard Justin screaming, but decided not to interfere. When his cousin emerged from the bedroom and sat beside him, Toby put his arm around him. Justin was crying. “Come on, he’s okay.”
“I can’t believe him. The first thing out of his mouth was that fucking book again,” Justin sobbed.
“Jus, Brian has missed the last week. He doesn’t know how serious his condition was. He’s an artist and his work is important to him. Imagine you had something overdue, how would you react?”
Justin stopped crying. “Okay.”
“Listen, it isn’t advisable to scare him into a relapse,” Toby laughed. “From what I heard, you were pretty rough on him. I’m gonna see him now and you make him something light. Clear soup will be fine.”
Justin nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.
Toby went to face Brian.
“Hey, how are you feeling?” Toby asked.
“Did I die?” Brian gasped.
“Yep,” Toby responded casually. He’d never liked Brian Kinney. Justin was a far too caring person to be committed to someone with ice in his veins. “If Justin hadn’t gotten you out of your office and called me, you would have been buried four days ago.”
“I don’t understand,” Brian whispered. “Justin freaked at me.”
“He’s lived through the last week while you’ve been asleep. Cut him some slack. He nearly lost you and it scared him to death.”
“What happened?”
“You deprived yourself of food and water until your body shut down.” Toby shrugged.
“I don’t remember.” Brian whispered.
“Probably a good thing. Now it is a long road back and you will need to take good care of yourself until your strength returns. That means food, water, rest and in a few weeks, mild exercise, Brian.”
“How long?”
“Three months.”
“Fuck, you’re kidding right,” Brian gasped.
“No, Brian I’m not kidding. Now if you don’t intend to follow the program tell me now. I’ll transfer you to the hospital and you can die there where Justin won’t have to watch you. Which will it be?”
Brian was shaken by the things Toby had said. Did he actually die? No wonder Justin was so freaked. He was jolted out of his thoughts by Toby demanding his answer.
“Brian, tell me, live or die?” Toby demanded. Some patients were very difficult and his experience with Justin’s lover told him Brian would be one of them. He was a self absorbed, narcissistic asshole who didn’t care about anyone but himself.
“Live,” Brian stammered.
“Good, then do as you’re told and you’ll be fine,” he paused. ”Listen to Justin and try not to be too much of an ass. Justin loves you enough to want to take care of you. Can you at least pretend to love him enough to let him?” Toby sighed.
Brian nodded. He knew he’d always been a tad selfish, but he wondered if he deserved this. Wasn’t he the patient? Should everyone be yelling at him like this?