Chapter Four
Dane barely made it through dinner. He hated food. He wanted nothing to do with it, but they had threatened to put a feeding tube in him if he didn’t eat. He was so tired. He wanted to sleep, and maybe never wake up.
Tommy hadn’t come back, though Dane had asked the nurse to call him. He sat in his room glaring at the walls, wishing for something other than this meaningless life in which he’d found himself stuck.
The nurse opened the door without knocking and stared at him.
“What?” he said after a minute of her silence.
“Your guest came back.”
“Who?” Dane sat up. “Tommy?”
“Not him. The other boy.”
That guy. Dane still couldn’t believe that Tommy would let someone like that fairy close to him. Sure Ru was gay, but no one ever knew until he told them. He’d never been like that guy. Swishy and glittery, like a girl should be, not a boy. Dane could hear his dad scream at him about all the horrible things gay men did as clearly as if he were standing right there. His head hurt just thinking about it.
“Tell him to go away.”
“Dr. Zander thinks you should spend some time with him.” She approached the bed. “I’ll walk you down to the kitchen.”
“I’m not eating anything.”
“No one said you had to. That’s merely where your friend is.”
“Why is my therapist talking to him? Don’t I have doctor-patient confidentiality?”
“All of Mr. Axelrod’s questions were very general. I think he sincerely wants to help you.” She pulled him to his feet and nudged him toward the door.
“That’s why he pretty much said I can go die, right? ’Cause he wants to help me so much.”
“I imagine you could make a nun condemn you to hell,” the nurse told him unabashedly. “You lash out like your tongue is a whip, ready to draw blood and hurt where you can. Ever since Sandy died...”
“Don’t say her name. You guys couldn’t save her.”
“She didn’t want to be saved, and right now, neither do you. Walk.”
Dane growled and let her lead him down the empty halls, through the cafeteria, and into the kitchen. Bas sat in a chair at the counter surrounded by bags of groceries. He smiled when Dane came into the kitchen.
“Thanks, Nurse Hansen.”
“Certainly, Mr. Axelrod. I will have a couple orderlies hang out in the cafeteria so they’re close in case either of you need them.” She eyed Dane like he was suddenly going to jump across the counter, grab a knife—like they weren’t all locked away—and start hacking Bas to pieces. When she finally walked out, he let out a deep sigh of relief.
“She’s a tough one. My gran was a lot like her,” Bas said.
“Not sure how a ball-buster could have had anything to do with a fairy like you.” Dane wanted to slap himself as the words tumbled out before he realized they were. He put his hand up before Bas could return with a nasty reply. “Sorry, sorry. Didn’t mean it. It just comes out that way sometimes. It’s nice to have a visitor, even if it’s just you.” He groaned. “Sorry.”
“You did mean it. But it’s all right. We’ll work on it. Gran didn’t raise me. She took me in two years ago when my folks kicked me out for being gay. She didn’t care who I might someday love, how I act, or what I look like. I was just her grandson. That’s how familyshouldbe. My best friend actually has a family like that. So it’s not some a fantasy I made up.” Bas got up and rounded the counter, then pulled out a chair and motioned Dane to sit. “Sit, sit. No pressure. I wanted to apologize. I shouldn’t have said the things I said. You’re hurting, you’re sick. I want to help. Tommy wants to help.”
Dane shrugged.
“I was thinking since you and I both care about Tommy, we have something in common. See, Tommy is stressed, and I thought we could do something nice for him.”
Dane sat but glared at the man suspiciously. “What sort of nice thing?”
Bas motioned to the bags. “We’re going to make him cookies.”
Dane gulped. “I don’t like food.”
