"Oh, I see how it is."
"—and it's Tuesday," he continued. "I thought we'd head over to B.J.'s after for some tunes."
"Now, I'm jealous."
"You'll be back to the groove in no time, Sister Sledge."
"Yeah? Well, save me some money. I'm going to need it to pay for all of this."
"Oh! I forgot to tell you... my agent is going to be there tonight too. I'm going to let him know that we're tight."
Demarco looked at Jack.
"You're going to get a book deal out of this D. The story is smoking. My agent will be dumbstruck when he finds out that I not only know you but spoke with you this very evening. He's a smart guy. He'll get an auction going... and there will be plenty of bidders."
"But, Alec—I can't write. You know that... and it's not your... uh, your—"
"—genre? No. But it's all good, D. They'll get you a ghostwriter. You'll meet a few times... tell the story... they do the rest. Easy money. And you need to take advantage of this while it's hot."
Demarco looked at Jack again.
"I know you think I'm behind this," Jack said. "But this is all Alec. He knows that business, not me."
Demarco looked up at the ceiling, and let out a long reflective sigh. "I ain't mad," he said, relenting.
"No," said Alec. "You shouldn't be. You could have died, D."
This time, Jack went to Demarco on the opposite side of the bed. He took his hand. "We'll talk more about this later. Right now, you look tired. We need to let you rest."
"I'll be back tomorrow," Alec said. "I'll let you know how everything goes."
Demarco gave a small smile and nodded. "You two have fun tonight. Jack, why don't you go with them?"
Jack gave Demarco an incredulous glare. "Because I'm not leaving you."
"I knew he'd say that," Tyler whispered in Alec's ear.
"I'm not going anywhere. Now that you're out of critical care—" he pointed. "—that chair over by the window is my bed until you're released."
"Yes, sir," said Demarco, hands up, submissive. "Whatever you say."
"Uh, that's new," Alec said, pointing at Demarco. Tyler was pulling him toward the door. "I've never seen that behavior before. That's uncharted territory, Jack. Congratulations."
"Bye Guys," Tyler said, waving... and they were gone.
Later that evening, after the skies had darkened and Jack had fallen asleep in the chair, Demarco opened his copy ofTrueand read what Alec had written...
This book is for both of us, D. Although my crossroads may have preceded yours by a couple of months, the message within these pages can easily be applied to your situation right now. Jack is one of a kind. He may be the quiet type, but his love for you speaks volumes. I saw this daily for two weeks while you were unconscious, via various forms... text, e-mail, phone, and Skype. He's hurting, D... because he's a good man—a strong man—and yet he feels he failed you for not being there when you needed him most. It's going to take a while for you to convince him otherwise—but you better do it... because guys like Tyler and Jack don't come along often and you know it. You convinced me to hang on to mine, and this is me returning the favor. He's a keeper, D. He's true.
Love,
Alec
21
3 months later...
Demarco opened the door with his key and then stepped back, allowing Wilson to enter the condo with two bags of groceries. Wilson headed straight for the kitchen, while Demarco hung his keys on the peg next to the door and his cane on the doorknob.
