Disclaimer: All acts depicted in the following story are strictly fictional and consensual.
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Second Chances
By Pony Boy 1984
Chapter One: The Accident
I'd been waiting in traffic for about ten minutes, stuck in a sea of belligerent motorists honking in annoyance at the perpetual red light in front of us. I frittered the time away by making calls to the office and checking my email. With each passing moment, one brave or frustrated soul would chance pulling into the intersection, allowing me to advance that much closer to my goal.
I looked over at the time and sighed. I really didn't want to go into the office. It's not so much that I hated my job, but rather I loath the pandering, the faux friendships and the backstabbing by those who value climbing the corporate ladder over the camaraderie and closeness of our youth. Don't get me wrong, I can be as competitive as the next guy can. I just feel as though something was missing from my life.
Perhaps part of me just never really grew up. Whenever I think of those special friendships of my youth, I can't help but feel waves of regret and loss. I've not felt those feelings in years, and I can't help but dwell on those missed opportunities. I was thwarted by a combination of my own fears and my parents' abusiveness. Despite all that, the friendships I was blessed with could not be replaced once I graduated college and entered the so-called `real world'.
I glanced out the driver's side window and that's when I saw him. He was a youthful angelic freckled-faced vision staring back at me through the window. At first, he looked bored, but quickly his countenance brightened as he turned to face me. He flashed me a toothy grin that immediately reversed my mood, and brought a smile to my own face. A slender lock of hair dangled haphazardly across the boy's forehead, which he brushed aside as he watched me curiously.
The traffic advanced another car length, and I couldn't help but sigh at the thought that soon he'd disappear, just like everything else in my life. I looked back at him and he gave me an oddly sympathetic look as our vehicles became flush with the stop line ahead of us. I had heard the blast of an air horn from a trucker, and caught a glimpse of a rig revving his engine across the opposite side of the intersection. Cars were strewn in every direction, working around once another as the cars in front of us tried to force their way into the intersection.
Suddenly, the lights flickered and then turned green. The boy's mother didn't hesitate to take the opportunity to pull into the intersection, nor did I. I suspect the boy was probably as late for school as I was for work. He looked over at me just one more time and he mouthed something at me. I'm not good at reading lips, but I swear he said, "I'm sorry. It will be alright."
As I flicked my signal indicator and began turning to the left, as the white SUV began turning to the right. There was one more blast of an air horn, followed by the revving of a powerful engine. Before my consciousness could really deduce what was happening, I saw only a massive shadow looming over both my vehicle and the SUV. Neither of us had any chance to react to oncoming truck. There was the sickening crunch of metal and shattering of glass. The last thing I remember was the driver's side door disappearing and that terrible visage of a small body falling on to the pavement. I don't know why, but I reached out for him, but our worlds went black just as he looked up at me and smiled....I woke up with a start, leaping up from the uncomfortable red chair in the hallway of Saint Xavier's Hospital. The hallway was oddly empty, and the glare of the overhead fluorescent lights made it difficult to see anything. In the distance, I could hear the staticky call of the intercom calling for a crash cart to the OR.
"Are you alright?" A small voice called out to me.
I looked down and never felt so relieved in all my life. I kneeled down so that I could look directly into the boy's glistening emerald eyes. I couldn't help myself; I reached out and took him into a tight embrace.
"Thank God you're OK." I said, barely able to contain my tears. I guessed from his height and slender body that he was somewhere between eight and eleven years old.
He didn't make any effort to push me away, if anything he returned my outpouring of relief. "I told you, everything will be fine." He assured me.
"What's your name?" I asked him.
"We're Daniel." He replied with a grin.
I began to tell him my name, when my sub-conscious finally registered the boy's odd response. "Wait, what did you say?" I asked.
He took me by the hand and smiled. "Try not to get into too much trouble. Well at least don't get caught, OK?" He said with a mischievous giggle.
At this point, I was baffled by Daniel's odd phrasing. "What's going on here? What do you mean?" I queried with growing concern as I looked up and down the empty hallway. I was unnerved by the sensation of something brushing by me that I couldn't see. "I have to go now, goodbye Daniel." He said, before disappearing.
"Wait, don't go!" I called to him, but in an instant, I was alone.
"He's crashing. Hit him!" I heard a gruff male voice shout in my ear. "Again!" The same invisible voice called out.
I washed in an intense white light and became flushed with heat. I heard that terrible air horn again, and cringed as that terrible shadow overtook me. I glanced to my right, and saw my red Camero starting to make the turn. "Wait, how can that be?" I wondered to myself as I felt the impact of the truck. In an instant, I watched myself die just a few feet away. Yet, how could that be possible unless I was watching the scene from...
"Again!" The surgeon commanded as a jolt of electricity surged through my body, prompting me to awake with a shot.
"Whoa, hold him down!" The doctor shouted. As I tried to lean up, the world began spinning and my vision smeared with red.
"Settle down Danny. Everything is going to be OK." He said in a harried tone, though the sound of relief was palpable. "You've been hurt, but we're going to make everything better. That's a promise." He said, holding me down gently.
"But I'm Charlie, not Daniel." I tried to say, but my lips resisted my attempt to move them. I felt the briefest sting of a needle, as the doctor assured me that everything would be fine. I drifted off to a fitful sleep, where conflicting dreams afflicted me. I saw my own childhood pass me by, but then I encountered other children that I had no recollection meeting before and yet there seemed oddly familiar to me. I could almost place names and locations, but I chalked it up to my fevered imagination as the doctors worked on my broken body.
I had no idea how much time had passed before my eyes slowly opened. Even that process seemed to take forever, as the world seemed to slip in and out of view as I adjusted to the light. There was a little electronic sounding beep formed a rhythmic pattern to my right. I saw up, looked across the beige sheets, and noted the lack of bumps where my legs should be. My heart leapt into my throat, "Oh my God, they've amputated my legs!"
Yet, I could reach out and feel something there that I was able to move. That's when I realized something was wrong with my hands. I held them up to my face and realized they weren't my own. "What the fuck!" I exclaimed, as I tore off the electrodes from my chest and climbed out of bed. This prompted a squealing protest by the heart monitor beside my bed, but I didn't care. As the scampering of feet approached the door, I stepped in front of the full-length mirror that was built into the bathroom door and gasped in shock when I realized that the reflection was not my own. Instead, the visage staring back at me was Daniel's.
"That's not possible." I said, as my fingers touched the cool reflective surface.
"Daniel, what are you doing? Are you alright?" The nurse gasped in a panic.
"I just feel a little woozy, but I'm OK. Well, I'm real hungry." I said in a high-pitched prepubescent voice that was not my own.
The nurse's face broke into a wide grin, as she cast a sidelong glance at the doctor beside her. "I think we can take care of that, but why don't you get back into bed for now." She said, gently guiding me by the hand. It's then I realized that my bed was surrounded by teddy bears, toys, plastic soldiers and pictures of people I only vaguely recognized, but not as my own friends and family. Of course, then again I really didn't have any. One of the pictures had Daniel standing between two boys that were positioned a man and a woman. I'm not sure what came over me, but suddenly I thought of Daniel's mother. "Where is mom? Is she alright?" I gasped.
"Your mother is fine. She got some bumps and bruises, and is looking forward to seeing you." The doctor said gently.
"What happened to Charlie Dawson?" I asked next.
The doctor looked over at the nurse in confusion. "Who?"
"The guy in the red car, the Camero." I replied.
The nurse leaned over and whispered something into the doctor's ear. The man grimaced, and then forced a smile before responding. "I'm sorry Daniel. I'm not sure who you're referring to, but I'm sure he's just fine." He responded tentatively.
A small part of me sank, "I died then." I said, before realizing I had articulated that aloud.
"Oh no honey, you're just fine! Your family will be so happy to see that you're awake. They've been here every day the past two weeks." The nurse assured me, placing her hand against mine to comfort me.
"Two weeks!" I exclaimed in shock. My mind naturally jumped to the thought of the piles of work awaiting me. That was of course assuming they didn't fire me since then. "I need to get to a phone." I sighed.
The nurse shot me an inquisitive look then laughed. "Don't worry Danny. I'm going to call your mom and dad right now and let them know you're awake." She said.
I nodded my head politely and thanked her, before asking, "Can I have some ice cream?" I really have no idea what triggered that impulse. It just escaped my lips before reason or priorities could intervene. "And I need my laptop." I added, my more adult side prevailing for a moment.
"I'll start a list." The nurse said with a smirk, shaking her head. The doctor sat on my bedside after the nurse disappeared. He took my vitals and began asking questions about what I remembered from the accident. Needless to say, I skipped the part about my adult life and recounted what I could, trying to recall the visions from Danny's perspective. I was overcome by an intense wave of fear, as I thought about that truck baring down on me. It occurred to me that somehow, Daniel knew he was going to die, before the accident even occurred. It's almost as if he planned to give his life away, and he chose me. I fear I'll never know why, nor can I even be sure any of this is real.
"What is your full name?" The doctor asked.
I knew exactly what the man was doing. He wanted to test my cognitive functions and memory. This wasn't going to be easy, because everything was still mixed up in my brain. "Uh Danny Daws...I mean..." I stuttered for a moment as I struggled to put things together. "Danny Andrews. I live at..." I looked up and saw the nurse walk in with a small bowl of ice cream. "Yay! Ice cream!" I shouted, completely forgetting about the question.
The doctor sighed a little, before passing me the bowl. As I devoured the ice cream, he urged me to take my time, prodding me to answer his question. I remembered that my apartment was on Willow Avenue, but Danny lived in a small house on the southwest corner of town. I could almost picture the street sign, and tentatively answered "Bramble Vine Lane."
He nodded approvingly, and then inquired about my brothers. I instinctively looked over at the picture of Danny's family. I envisioned Danny playing tag with his younger brother, and distinctly heard Danny's voice calling out the name Mikey. I remembered Danny saying good-bye to his older brother as he climbed into the SUV. I'm not sure why, but this memory brought tears to my eyes. I guess it was the last time Danny would ever see his brother, and I sensed an intense connection between the two.
"Are you alright Danny?" The doctor asked, placing his hand on my shoulder.
I felt scared and alone suddenly, but I managed to respond. "My brothers' names are Mikey and Paul." As I uttered their names, their images burned more brightly in my mind. I felt overcome with sorrow and guilt, because the boy they knew was gone.
"Come now, everything is fine." The doctor said, wiping my eyes with a tissue. "Why don't you lay back and rest for a little while. You've been through a lot and need your rest." He said, pushing me back down gently. The world faded almost the instant I closed my eyes, until I heard oddly familiar voices bringing me back to an awake state.
"Hi Honey. It's so good to see you awake." Daniel's mother said, giving me tight hug. I looked up at the parents who I've met only for the first time, and yet have known all my life. It was at that moment that an emotion took hold of me. For the first time in my life, I felt safe.
A few moments later, an eager face peered around the corner of the door. The curly blond hair emerged first, before two perfect azure eyes smiled over at me. "Paul!" I said excitedly. He was followed by a smaller boy with short black hair, by shared my freckles and a large dimple when he saw that I was indeed awake and alive. I couldn't help but notice that Paul got his looks from mom. He shared the same soft facial features, hair and jaw line. I guess both Mikey and I took a mix of genes from both of parents, though I suspect I inherited more from her side.
Both the brothers gave me a big hug, Mikey planting a slobbering kiss on me that caused me to giggle and blush as the nurse walked in on our little reunion. "How would you like some company the next few days?" The nurse asked me.
"What do you mean?" I replied.
"Well, since you're doing so much better. We thought we'd move you to the main pediatrics ward. There is another boy named Ryan who is about your age, who is all by himself and he'd love some company." She said.
I should feel guilty that the mention of pediatrics ward immediately caused a stirring between my legs, and I couldn't help but sense that Paul noticed because I saw a funny smirk appear on his face. "Uh, sure!" I responded, as I re-positioned myself to hide my sudden stiffy. "Oh, not now!" I mumbled to myself, hiding my imposition with a teddy bear.
"You alright sport?" My father asked.
"Uh fine dad." I replied sheepishly, as Paul's funny faces caused me to giggle. The nurse brought me a wheelchair as everyone in the family grabbed the bounty of toys and mementos and tagged along behind us. I retained custody of the teddy bear as Paul poked my shoulder. "Quit it!" I whispered to him, though his attention made me smile. Mikey tagged along on the opposite side as we turned the corner and entered my new room.
I didn't see any sign of my new roommate, but the nurse informed us that he was undergoing some tests. Fortunately, my stiffy had finally settled down and I was able to interact with the family as I gradually pieced together more of Daniel's memories. Danny's mom had brought his little laptop, which I prayed had wireless. The grownups left us kids to talk and play, while they consulted with the doctor in the hallway. Looking into the faces of my new brothers, the lingering feelings of grief and guilt had begun to dissolve.
While the Daniel they knew had left this Earth, there was clearly still a piece of him alongside the man once known as Charlie Dawson. I pledged that I would let them know just how much they meant to him. "I missed you guys a lot. I love you." I said.
Mikey just smiled and hugged me, "I missed you too!" He said, before he scampered off in pursuit of a soda. Paul just stared at me for a moment before punching my arm.
"Ouch, what was that for?" I demanded.
"For scaring the fuck out of me." He said, suddenly looking misty eyed.
"Everything will be OK." I assured him, just as Danny had assured me. It was then I understood that this was no longer his family; it was going to be our family.
"You're going to owe me." Paul said with a grin.
"I know." I said, understanding immediately what he meant. Naturally, this caused my stiffy to return, which I made no effort to hide.
"Get better quick, alright?" He said, as Mikey bounded back into the room with a cold soda.
"What are you guys doing?" He asked curiously, hoping up on the bed. Once again, I forced to conscript "Mr. Honey Bear" into the undignified duty of covering my hard-on. I wasn't sure whether it was my adult desires coming through, of if Daniel was a natural horn dog. However, based on my brief interaction with Paul and my fragmented memories, I was quite certain it was a potent mix of both. Compounding my woes further, my roommate was wheeled into the room and introduced.
Ryan was nothing short of stunning. He was a little shorter than Paul, but taller than I. His hair was nearly platinum blond, and his shy smile alone was an instant turn-on. We shook hands and shared introductions, exchanging names and that sort of thing. As he got out of the chair to get into his bed, I was treated to the sight of his two perfect smooth white mounds. I'm not sure whether he realized that we could see it, but I felt the heat wash across my face. He shot me a curious gaze, and then likewise began to blush as he realized his hospital gown had come loose. I returned the smile to let him know that he had no reason to be embarrassed, despite Paul's incessant prodding.
Once visiting hours had concluded, my new family departed for the evening, leaving Ryan and I to converse in the relative solitude of the room. The hospital transitioned to night shift, which meant interruptions from the nurses would become less frequent. Although the strain of the afternoon had left me weary, I desperately needed to address my intensifying horniness. The situation was made worse when Ryan decided to show me the scar on his abdomen, which resulted in my getting a glimpse of his hairless crotch and perfect ass.
I had begun discreetly rubbing myself underneath the blankets, but Ryan's curious gazes and smiles weren't making the task any easier. As my fingers dove under my hospital gown, I was pleasantly surprised to feel that Daniel was uncut. I needed to see more, but didn't want to be overt. Therefore, I decided to excuse myself to the bathroom.
I closed the bathroom door and took advantage of the full-length mirror inside. I untied the gown and allowed it to slip to the floor, revealing my pale, smooth complexion to the mirror. I gasped in delight at the extent of Daniel's beauty. My hands explored every inch of his body, gliding across the warm flesh and tummy. After which I began manipulating the foreskin and moaning as I licked my lips. So many strange emotions and memories, trapped between my adult longings and Daniel's own experiences and fantasies. I turned around so I could stare at my ass, before running my fingers down the crack. Daniel's tummy wasn't perfectly flat, but he had relatively impressive muscle tone for a boy his age.
When I turned around to jerk off in the mirror, I was rather surprised to find Ryan staring at me, his jaw wide-open in shock."Uh, are you OK Danny? You were making funny noises." He asked in concern, as he stared down at my fingers that were still clutching my two-inch cock.
I could feel my face flushing as I stuttered my reply. "Umm... I had a real bad itch."
Ryan likewise turned red and laughed. "Oh, I get that kind of itch all the time." He replied.
I could feel my face turn even redder, as the heat swept across me. "Do you?" I asked curiously.
"Yeah, see?" He asked, as he pulled his own gown aside to show me his perfectly smooth three-inch cut cock. "It happens all the time now." He complained, though the wry grin on his face told me that he's done a little experimenting before.
"Yeah it happens with me more and more now." I said, spreading my legs a little further apart to give him a better view. I couldn't imagine ever doing this as a kid, and yet I felt so at ease doing it now. I had this strange sense of daring that I never possessed at any time in my life.
"Yours is different than mine." Ryan observed, pointing at my foreskin.
I stepped closer to him and pulled the foreskin back, revealing the small purple head. "It's not that different. He's just hiding behind this extra skin." I said.
"Why do you have all that skin?" He wondered, as he began manipulating his own cock.
"Everyone is born with it, but some parents have the doctors cut it off and others don't. Would you like to feel it?" I asked him.
Ryan bit his lower lip and nodded. I could see the gears turning in his mind as he looked back up at me. "Would you like to see how mine feels too?" He asked. He didn't need to ask me twice, within seconds my fingers were gliding up and down his shaft. That was all the encouragement he needed to begin playing with my foreskin and rubbing his thumb on my cock head. I indicated that he should pull the bathroom door closed as we both began moaning and rubbing one another in front of the mirror.
"That feels real good." Ryan moaned sweetly. We had stepped closer to one another, our bodies just making contact with one another as our fingers probed and explored.
"How old are you?" I asked, as I began feeling his ass with my free hand.
"I'm eleven. How about you?" He asked, as he began mimicking my movements.
"I'm uh..." I started to panic for a moment and needed to concentrate. "Ten and a half I think." I replied.
"You think?" Ryan asked, his eyes raising in concern.
"I'm just kidding. I'm ten and a half." I said trying to sound more confident.
"That must have been some bump on the head you got." Ryan said with a grin.
"Yeah, no kidding." I said, leaning closer to Ryan and standing on my toes so that my lips could make contact with his. Ryan offered no resistant and allowed our lips to touch as we began jerking our cocks a little faster. I started to feel like I had to pee, it was an unusual sensation I was unaccustomed too even though it shouldn't have been entirely unanticipated. "Oh Ryan!" I whispered, allowing myself to get lost in the sensations but also fearing I might pee on him. He began gasping for breath about the same time I did, and he pressed his tongue into my mouth.
"Ryan? Daniel? Where are you boys?" The night nurse called out from inside the room.
"Crap!" I whispered, as we both jumped away from each other. I placed my finger to my lips to keep Ryan quiet. "I'm in the bathroom; I'll be done in a couple minutes. Ryan went out to stretch his legs." I said.
"Oh, alright I'll check back in a few minutes." She said softly.
Both Ryan and I had cooled down a bit. "Man, cock-blocked by a nurse." I lamented aloud.
"What's cock-blocked mean?" Ryan asked curiously.
"Oh, it means when you want to use your thingy on someone, but something happens or someone shows up that interrupts you before you can put it in them." I clumsily explained.
"You wanted to put it in me?" Ryan asked pointedly.
I suddenly felt a little ashamed and lowered my head, "Yeah, I guess."
Ryan smiled, "I guess I got cock-blocked too then." He replied, prompting us both to giggle.
"We better get back into our beds. She's going to be back any minute." Ryan sighed.
As I opened the door and peered around the corner, I signaled to Ryan that the coast was clear. I knew that the nurses followed very fixed rounds that could be timed. So we plotted and schemed to keep track of the nurses rounds, so that we could plan some alone time the next day. We both had a couple of days left in the hospital, and I was very pleased to discover that Ryan lived fairly close to me. As I nestled back into my bed, I grabbed the laptop and established connection to the internet. I logged into my bank account and was relieved to discover that none of my assets had been frozen. I began transferring money from savings, checking and my 401-K to a PayPal account I established for my new identity, and arranged for several large donations to my new family. Regardless, I thought it would be wise to keep a little stash for myself. I didn't have any large outstanding debts, so the IRS shouldn't attempt to reconcile the transfers that technically occurred after my time of death.
I bid Ryan goodnight, sank back into my pillow, and began thinking about my new family and friend. For the first time in years, I felt as though I had finally found something that eluded me for years, an overwhelming sense of joy at being alive.
To be continued...