This story contains homosexual themes. If you are offended by such topics or you are not of legal age to read such stories, please read no further. All the characters in the story (so far) are fictitious, any resemblance to actual individuals are purely coincidental. I'm gonna be working out of town next week, so I hope this keeps you guys entertained until I can post again.
Comments are welcome at ghostwriter@si.rr.com
Chapter 24
"Do you know how many points you scored tonight?" Hunter asked Jerric in amazement, as they lay cuddled on Hunter's bed.
"Yeah, 32 I think."
"35 actually. You had a great game."
Jerric wrapped his arms around Hunter and kissed his neck. "Let's not talk about basketball, please.
Hunter immediately felt the heat emanating from Jerric's body. "Jesus Jerric, you're burning up."
"Yeah, it always takes me a while to cool down after the games." Jerric explained. " I'll be fine."
"Bullshit, the game's been over for 3 hours. You shouldn't still be hot now. I'm calling Mike."
"Hunter, its no big deal. I'll take a couple of Tylenol. That should do the trick."
Hunter conceded, but four hours later Jerric's fever hadn't subsided. If anything he felt hotter than before and slept little even though it was now close to 4:00 am.
"Look Jerric, you're really sick. I'm calling Mike."
"Maybe you better, Hunter. I'm not feeling so good."
Chapter 25
"How long has he been like this?" Mike asked as he sat on the bed next to obviously very ill Jerric.
"I noticed it a couple of hours after the game." Hunter answered nervously. "He was really hot, but nothing like this. He took a couple of Tylenol, but he just got worse. I guess I shouldn't have waited so long, but I kept thinking the medicine would kick in."
Mike patted Hunter's leg. "It's okay Hunter, you did everything right. I'm just glad you called me when you did. His fever has to be pretty high for him to be out of it like this."
Mike looked at the digital readout on the thermometer and immediately picked up the phone and dialed 911. "This is Mike Anderson. I'm the athletic trainer at Duke University. I need an ambulance sent to Washington Hall, room 315. I have a student with a fever of 105. He's conscious, but not really responding to anything around him."
"What the fuck is going on?" Hunter screamed.
Mike's attention was still focusing on his conversation. "Yes, I'll do what I can to cool him off until you get here. Thanks."
He hung up the phone and turned to Hunter. "I can't help him much here. The ambulance is on the way and once he's at the hospital they can get his temperature back down."
"What's wrong with him? He was fine a couple of hours ago. Look how he played in the game."
"I'm not sure Hunter, but he's obviously pretty sick. For now all we can do is grab a couple of wet towel and try and keep his body as cool as possible. Did he have any other symptoms?"
"No, nothing. He was fine. We were gonna go out after the game but decided just to come back here and watch a movie."
Mike was searching for answers as he draped the cool towel over Jerric's forehead.
"What did you guys eat after the game?"
"We stopped by Wendy's. Jerric got a salad and a baked potato."
Mike shook his head. "I was thinking maybe it was an allergic reaction to something he ate, but I doubt that's it. Jerric lives on Wendy's food and its never bothered him before."
When the ambulance crew arrived a few minutes later, Hunter made a call to Jeff.
"I'm sorry to bother you Jeff. I know it's the middle of the night, but Hunter's really sick. The ambulance is here to take him to the hospital. Mike's gonna ride with him, but I don't have a way to the hospital."
Jeff was groggy, but could easily pick up the anxiety in Hunter's voice. "No problem. I'll be there in five minutes"
Mike met them near the entrance of the emergency room moments after Hunter and Jeff arrived.
"The doctors are with him now. They're gonna do some blood work and see if they can't determine the cause of the fever."
A doctor interrupted their conversation. "There's not gonna be any need for blood work. We know what the problem is. I put one hand on his lower abdomen and he just about went through the ceiling. He's got a very bad case of appendicitis. The surgeon on call has ordered a operating room and hopefully we can get that thing out of there before it ruptures."
"What happens if it ruptures? Hunter asked cautiously.
The doctor did his best to explain it in laymen's terms. "The appendix is a useless organ. Unfortunately, sometimes it becomes inflamed and fills with toxins. If it ruptures before it's removed the toxins enter the bloodstream. It's like being poisoned."
Hunter really didn't want to hear any more, but the doctor continued. "Normally, with an appendicitis there are other symptoms. Severe stomach pains, nausea, vomiting and of course the fever. I'm very surprised that this kid managed to get this sick and no one knew. As tender as his stomach is, I image he's been dealing with this for a while."
Hunter turned to Jeff trying his best to blink away the tears. "Why didn't he tell me Jeff? He played that whole damn game and never said a word. Even after we got back to the dorm he never complained once."
Jeff gave Hunter a brotherly hug. "That's just Jerric. Nothing gets in the way of basketball. Never has, never will."
"I'm gonna kill him!" Hunter said emphatically.
The doctor patted Hunter on the back. "How about you wait until he's out of surgery and at least give him a fighting chance?"
Hunter managed a weak smile. "When can I see him?"
"They've already sedated him for the surgery, so there's no point in seeing him now. He's pretty much out of it."
"I want to see him anyway." Hunter voice made it obvious that his statement was more than a request.
The doctor was less than impressed with Hunter's tone. "Hospital policy only allows immediate family in the emergency room. Do you qualify?"
Hunter lied without blinking an eye. "Yeah, so can I see him now?"
The doctor looked over at Mike for some indication that Hunter was telling the truth.
"Let him go. It's kind of stretch, but they're roommates. That's as close to family as any of these kids have while they're at school."
Agreeing, the doctor led Hunter back to the small emergency room where Jerric lying sleeping. Being there made Hunter feel uneasy, but at least Jerric looked better.
"He's gonna be okay, isn't he?" he asked the doctor while playing inadvertently with Jerric's hair.
"Yeah, he's gonna be fine son. We'll have him out of here in a couple of days and two weeks from now he'll be back to his regular routine."
"Thanks" Hunter said sincerely.
Chapter 26
"What the hell is taking so long?" Hunter complained loudly. "The doctor said and hour, maybe an hour and a half. It's been nearly three hours."
"Hunter, they may have gotten a late start." Mike tried to explain. "Don't assume its bad news."
"I know. I just don't wait very well."
"Well, you don't have to wait any longer" a voice said from behind Hunter. The doctor still dressed in his scrubs filled the three of them in. "He came through the surgery just fine. The appendix was still intact, fortunately. The reason it took so long is that we had a couple of problems in the recovery room, but we've taken care of that and he's resting now.
"What kind of problems?" Hunter asked immediately.
"Well, initially we had a hard time waking him up. It's nothing to be concerned about. It's just that everybody responds differently to anesthesia. Then once we got him awake we were all ready to put him back out."
The doctor shook his head. "He's a handful. He didn't want the IV, didn't want the catheter, tried to take off the oxygen mask, and basically was just being a pain in the ass."
"Why am I not surprised?" Jeff whispered to Hunter.
"We got him settled down now and he seems to be a bit more cooperative." The doctor grinned. "It's amazing what a little Demerol in the IV will do."
Anticipating Hunter's next question the doctor continued. "Give us about another half an hour and we'll have him out of recovery and into a regular room so you can visit him. Then I suggest you all go home and get some sleep. I know it's been a long night of all of you."
Hunter had only stayed with Jerric a few minutes when he was moved to his room. Jerric was sleeping peacefully and Hunter thought it was best to let him rest and visit him in a couple of hours after he woke up. He gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead before heading back to the dorm for a quick nap and a hot shower.
Jerric was wide-awake when he returned 3 hours later and evidently his cooperation with the hospital staff had not improved. As he entered Jerric's room he was in a heated argument with one of the surgery ward nurses.
"This is bullshit. If you need the doctor's permission in order for me to get some food them then fine, call him."
"Mr. Donovan, we have rules in this hospital. I'm reading your chart and you're doctor's orders are that the IV stays in and you are to have no solid foods until he checks you later today. If you have a problem with that then I suggest you talk to him personally."
"Could he have some Jello?" Hunter suggested after slipping in unnoticed.
Jerric smiled widely when he heard Hunter's voice. "I'm so glad you're here. I'm starving and they bring me some watered down broth. I can't survive on that."
"Mr. Donovan, patients "survive" for days on an IV and at this point I'm about ready to let you give it a try."
Jerric gave her a disgusted look, but said nothing.
"That's better. Now would you like me to bring you some applesauce, which you really aren't supposed to have, or some jello?"
"Gee, that applesauce just sounds too good to pass up" Jerric said sarcastically.
Hunter smiled politely at the young nurse. "I'm sure he'd love some applesauce, he just get a little cranky when he's hungry."
"Evidently!" she said as she passed Hunter and left the room.
Hunter turned his attention to Jerric. "Making new friends I see" Hunter mentioned sarcastically.
Jerric totally ignored the comment. "Can I have a kiss?"
"Can you be a bit more civil to the staff?"
"Hunter, I'm not trying to be an ass, but damn I wake up and I've got some plastic mask covering my face, tubes stuck in me and people checking my blood pressure every five minutes. You wouldn't have been in a very good mood either."
Hunter shook his head. "Jerric they do all those things for a reason, and speaking of not being in a good mood, what do you think my mood was like when the doctor told me you had probably felt like shit all day yesterday and never you said a word."
Guilt covered Jerric's face. "I really didn't think it was anything serious. It was just like a stomachache, so I took a couple of Tums and I thought it would go away. Guess I was wrong."
"Yeah, I guess so. Will you promise me that won't happen again? That if something's wrong you'll tell me about it?"
Jerric smiled. "I promise, now can I have my kiss?"
Hunter leaned over to kiss Jerric and the intoxicating scent of his cologne filled Jerric's nostrils. As their lips touched Jerric closed his eyes, wondering what it was about Hunter that touched him so deeply.
Chapter 27
Hunter checked his watch and figured he had about a half an hour before practice, plenty of time to check on Jerric. He had been released Monday morning a little more than 24 hours after his surgery and keeping him quiet had not been any easy task. Hunter had skipped classes on Monday and Tuesday, but knew Wednesday he had to go back. Playing catch-up with his classes was close to impossible. Fortunately, Krista had taken a small tape recorder to the classes they had together and he was able to listen to the lectures after Jerric had fallen asleep at night. Still, there was plenty of make-up work that had to be done.
He opened the door to find a dejected Jerric sitting at the desk. "Have you seen the paper this morning?" Jerric asked before Hunter could say a word.
"No, why?"
Jerric tossed the sports page to Hunter. "I can't believe they printed this. Where the hell did they get this information? Certainly, not for our athletic department!"
Hunter read the bold headlines:
"Blue Devils Prepare To Play Without All-American"
Durham, NC. With the thoughts of the final four berth always on their minds, the Blue Devils of Duke took to the practice court this week without their starting All-American guard Jerric Donovan. Donovan, who scored 35 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in their game last Saturday, was hospitalized and had an emergency appendectomy only hours after the game. While Donovan has been released from the hospital, it is unknown when he will be cleared to return to practice. This development is a huge setback for the Blue Devils who have lost not only their leading scorer, but also their highly motivated team captain.
Donovan who was last year's College Athlete of the Year, appeared to be at the top of his game again this year, and had hopes of taking his team to the "final four". With Donovan out for an undetermined period of time, Blue Devil fans my have to wait another year for a shot at a national title.
Donovan himself has a lot to loose, being one of the few players ever with a shot at being and All-American all four years of his college career. Members of the press select All-Americans, with scoring and rebounding statistics weighing heavily in their decision.
There was more, but Hunter didn't bother to read any further. "I don't know what to say Jerric. I know you're disappointed."
"I'm not disappointed" Jerric corrected him "I'm pissed! This report is totally false. No one ever said I wasn't playing. They assumed that, and I have every intention of clearing this up."
"Clearing it up how?"
"I'm having a press conference in an hour. I'm telling them I'm playing this week-end."
"Are you nuts? You can't do that!" Hunter yelled. "First of all you can't just hold a press conference without permission from the University. They'll have your ass for that. Secondly, what the fuck makes you think you're playing this week. I know Mike or Coach Jackson haven't agreed to that."
"Settle down Hunter, I've actually put some thought into this. First of all, about the press conference. It's better just to do it and apologize later, than to ask permission and get turned down. Once its done, it's done. There is nothing they can to about it. As far as the game goes, I know I'm not ready to compete, but I have to start. I need to show the guys we're not out of this and I'm not gonna let them down. I'm not out there to score points. It's strictly motivational.
Hunter couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Jerric, no one thinks you're letting the team down. You had surgery for Christ sake."
"Did you read the paper Hunter? That was the most negative article I've ever read. Don't you see the effect its gonna have on the team? I have to do something to counteract that."
Hunter checked his watch. "Damn, I have to go to practice" he said as he grabbed his shoes. "Is there anything I can say to stop you from doing this?"
"No, nothing."
Hunter knew better than to even try. "I love you Jerric. I think this is a huge mistake, but if this is what you want then I'm behind you. I'll see you after practice."
Chapter 28
When the Dean stormed into the arena during the middle of practice, Hunter knew all too well what was on his mind.
"Coach Jackson, did you have any idea that one of your players had scheduled a press conference for this afternoon?"
"What are you talking about? We don't have any press conferences scheduled for today."
"Apparently Jerric Donovan doesn't know that and his starts in 5 minutes. Perhaps you and the team would like to watch it with me. I'm sure it will be very enlightening." The sarcasm in his voice was evident.
With the camera's flashing as he took his place behind the podium, Jerric smiled slightly. He had the press in the palm of his hand, and he knew it. His boyish charm and charisma had made him a favorite and Jerric used it to his advantage. He was dressed casually in a long sleeve-shirt with the sleeves rolled up slightly and a pair of well fitting jeans; evidently choosing his clothes to enhance is his all-american persona.
With ease Jerric addressed the reporters.
"First of all I want to thank you for coming today. I know your time is valuable."
Hunter had to smile "Lord, he's good!"
Jerric continued. "I want to make a brief statement regarding some rumors that have been circulating about my status for this week's game. There have been erroneous reports that I will not be available to play. Let me clear that up by telling you those reports are false. While I don't expect to see a lot playing time, I fully intend not only to dress out for the game, but to be in the starting line-up. I want to assure Blue Devil fans that myself, and my teammates will do everything in our power to bring a national championship to Duke University. Thanks again for your time." Jerric waved to the cameras as he stepped away from the microphone.
Loud cheers went up in the locker room as Jerric's teammates heard the news. Hunter had to admit Jerric had been right on one point. The team knew how badly Jerric wanted to win and that no matter what, he would be there, if not with his body, then with his heart. Now it was there turn not to let him down. The determination was evident in their eyes.
Everyone was smiling. Everyone except for the Dean.
An hour later, with Coach Jackson and the Athletic Director in attendance, the Dean began his tirade.
"Donovan, I should suspend you from this University for that stunt you pulled!"
"But you won't" Jerric countered.
"What makes you so damn sure? What you did today is a direct violation of University rules."
"Look Dean, you know as well as I do that I bring in more publicity to this University than you've seen in years. Publicity and a winning team means money for Duke. You want a National Championship almost as much as I do. It's a feather in your cap and you know it. You're not gonna suspend me."
Unfortunately for the Dean, he knew all too well Jerric was right.
"You think you have all the answers, don't you Donovan? Well answer me this. You know that if by some miracle we actually let you get in the game this week, players on the other team are gonna be gunning for you. What happens when one of these hot shots give you an elbow and you end up being out for the season? What happens then?"
Jerric chuckled. "Oh please, that's not gonna happen. Much to your dismay, the majority of college basketball fans and some people that don't even follow college ball find me appealing. They don't see me in the same light you do. I'm not saying I deserve it, but it's a fact.
Pausing only to catch his breath, Jerric continued.
"Now what player in their right mind is gonna take a cheap shot at well-liked guy who is playing injured for the sake of his team? That was would be a public relations nightmare. Academically, I may not the sharpest, but when it comes to street smarts you guys can't hold a candle to me. Do you think I'd actually risk my professional career without thinking it through first? If you do, then you don't know me very well."
The Dean exhaled deeply. "You're loving this, aren't you Donovan?"
"Yes sir I am. Almost as much as I love the game." Jerric rose to leave, knowing there was really nothing more to discuss.
To Be Continued.......