Fall From Grace
Ch. 10
by: Tina & Danielle
rated:  R & (c) by us
standard death threats apply for stealing

***************************

Nick turned over in bed and reached for Kevin.  When
his arm fell onto the cold silk sheets instead of a
warm body, Nick jerked awake quickly and sat up in
bed.

"Kev?"

No response.  The light was off in the bathroom so
Nick knew he wasn't there.  He got up and went
downstairs.  He heard the sounds of music coming
from the back of the house and headed that way.

The doors that lead to the enclosed patio where the
jacuzzi was were open.  Nick walked through them and
saw Kevin sitting in the jacuzzi with his head laid
back against the side of it.  The radio was sitting on
the floor, tuned to the only "light" rock station in
the area.  There were lighted candles around the deck
of the jacuzzi.

Nick walked closer and said, "Bumpkin?"

Kevin opened his eyes and raised his head to look at
Nick.  He smiled, "Hey sexy."

Nick said, "Hey yourself.  It's 2 o'clock in the
morning.  What are you doing out here?"

"Couldn't sleep.  Figured coming out here might relax
me enough so I could sleep later.  Why don't you get
naked and join me?"

Nick studied Kevin's face for a moment.  He wasn't
sure exactly what he was expecting to see - perhaps
the face of a man who felt like he'd gotten a death
sentence earlier that day with the diagnois of cancer.
But what he did see was a man who's face was flushed
with love, desire, passion, and a need.  Nick's heart
swelled with love and happiness as he realized that
all
that emotion Kevin was feeling was all for him.

Nick walked closer to the jacuzzi.  Suddenly Max
walked around from the other side of the jacuzzi and
plopped down on the floor in front of Nick.

Nick made a face at the dog and said, "I should have
known you were lurking around.  Why don't you go chase
your tail or something?"

Max raised his head and snorted.  Nick rolled his eyes
and put his hands on his hips.  He leaned down and
said to Max, "Do you know what "neutered" means?  It
means I take you to the nice vet and she takes a big
knife and
cuts your balls off.  You'll feel like you are on fire
it hurts so bad.  Does that sound like fun?  If you
don't get your ass out of here right now, you're going
to find out ASAP how it feels." Max snorted at Nick
again but he got up and padded off towards the door to
go back in the house.  Kevin giggled as Nick muttered,
"Damn beast from hell."

Nick turned back to Kevin and said, "Where were we?"

"You were gonna get naked and join me in here.  I'm
lonely in here all by myself."

"Now, we can't have that can we?"

"No we can't."

Nick slid his boxers off.  Kevin held his hand out to
him.  Nick took his hand and stepped into the jacuzzi.
Kevin gently manavered Nick so that he was standing
over him.  Kevin slid his hands over Nick's hips and
around to his ass, cupping the fleshy mounds as he
nuzzed his cheek against Nick's thigh.

Nick hissed through clenched teeth, "Jesus!  What are
you doing to me?"

Kevin raised his head up and peered into Nick's
sparkling blue eyes.  "Nick, I need you tonight. No
pun intended.  I really need you baby."

Nick gently stroked his husband's, his lover's, face.
He understood Kevin's need.  Kevin felt like he was
dying with the words "cancer" racing through his head.
He needed Nick to help him feel alive and in control
of things.

Nick smiled at Kevin and said, "I'm all yours,
Bumpkin."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kevin was sleeping soundly when Nick eased out of bed.
A glance at the bedside clock told him it was just a
little after 8 in the morning.

Nick bit his lip and stiffled a groan as he got to his
feet and stretched.  He was a bit sore.  Kevin had
given him quite a "work out" in the early hours of
that morning.  They had made love in the jacuzzi and
worked their way upstairs to the bedroom about 5 am.

Nick wasn't sure "making love" was the right words to
describe what had happened.  Nick had given himself
completely and totally to Kevin.  Kevin had kissed
him, held him, stroked him, sucked him, and finally
fucked him.  Afterwards they collapsed exhausted into
the bed and Kevin had thankfully fallen into a deep
sleep.

Though he'd only slept for 3 hours, Nick felt
reasonably rested.  He grabbed some clothes and headed
to the bathroom to shower.  After he was dressed, Nick
headed down to the kitchen to make some breakfast.

He'd gotten the eggs and bacon cooked.  He was waiting
for the toast to toast.  He stood at the kitchen
window over the sink and looked out at the beautiful
day.  The sun was out and shining brightly, sparkling
on the water.  It still didn't seem right that things
around them were so bright and beautiful when their
whole world had been turned upside down.

Nick didn't hear Kevin come into the kitchen so he
jumped a bit when Kevin slid his arms around him and
kissed his ear, "Morning Nick."

Nick smiled and leaned back against Kevin, "Moring.
Breakfast is just about ready.  Waiting for the toast
to finish."

Kevin turned Nick around to face him and said, "Thank
you for last night, Nick.  I really needed that.  Are
you okay?  I mean I didn't get too rough did I?"

Nick shyly smiled and said, "I'm fine.  I needed that
almost as much as you did, Bumpkin. Today I have
renewed hope that everything is going to work out and
be all right."

Kevin said, "So do I.  Cancer research has come a long
way since 10 years ago.  There are some forms of
cancer that can be cured now."

Nick nodded his head. The toast popped up then and
Nick said, "Go sit down.  Breakfast is served."  Nick
fixed them both a plate, poured them each a cup of
coffee, and he joined Kevin at the table to eat.

Kevin asked Nick, "Why are you dressed so early?
Going somewhere?"

Nick looked down to where Max was laying on the floor
by Kevin's chair and said, "Yeah, furface there has an
appointment with the vet this morning for a check-up.
I might just schedule him to be neutered too."

Max raised his head and looked at Nick, promptly
sticking his tongue out at him.  Nick stuck his own
tonuge out at Max and said, "See I can do that too."

Nick felt Kevin's eyes on him and looked up at him.
Kevin was giving him a stern look and trying hard not
to laugh but Nick saw the corners of his mouth
twitching.  "What?", he asked Kevin innocently.

"You look very much the grown, mature man sticking
your tongue out at our dog, Nickers."

"Well, yeah, he started it.  I swear that mutt is not
a mutt at all.  Wanna go with me to the vet?"

"Nah, I'm gonna stay here.  I wanna start reading that
stuff that Dr. Sullivan gave us to read.  Oh, can you
get my prescriptions filled while you are at?"

"Of course.  You sure you're gonna be all right here
by yourself, Kev?"

Kevin smiled reassuringly at his husband and said,
"I'll be fine, babe.  Now go take furface to the vet.
I can't wait to hear you tell me all about it when you
get back because I know it's going to be an
adventure."

Nick stood up, gave Kevin a kiss on the lips, and went
into the living room to put on his sneakers.  He'd
kicked them off by the sofa when him and Kevin had
come home yesterday from the cave and just left them
there.

Nick was humming to himself when he slid his right
foot into his shoe but suddenly he stopped.  He pulled
his foot back out and look at the big wet spot on his
sock.

"GOD DAMMIT MAX YOU PISSED IN MY SHOE.  NEUTERED YOU
DAMN BEAST. NEUTERED!!!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Dr. Sullivan, here are the results of Kevin
Richardson's blood test."

Dr. Sullivan looked up from the paperwork that was
spread across his desk that occuppied his attention
for much of the last hour and took the file from his
nurse, Mary.

After she left out of his office, he opened up the
file and read over the results.  And he read them
again and again.

Mary and the receiptionist, Kim, where startled when
Dr. Sullivan flung the door to his office open and
came rushing out saying, "I have to go somewhere.
I'll be back as soon as I can."

Kim said, "But Dr. Sullivan you have patients
scheduled all the way through lunch."

"Reschedule them.  This is important."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the vet Max was having an very unpleasant check-up.
Lisa and her assistants were putting him through the
ringer while Nick stood there grinning.

Lisa asked Nick, "So how is this fellow doing?  Is he
eating okay?  Normal behavior?"

Nick laughed, "Normal behavior?  No, I don't think
so." He proceeded to tell Lisa all about Max's recent
behavior.

Lisa frowned and said, "Hmmm, that's kinda weird.
Most dogs only act that way towards someone who is
very sick and is dying."

Nick paled as he stared at Max, who stared back.  Nick
could have swore if that dog could have talked right
then he would have called Nick a dumb ass. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kevin had grown frustrated reading the cancer litature
and had put on some old home movies of him and his dad
together and started watching  them.  Of course his
mom was in the movies too. 

Those were such innocent, care free times.  Kevin sat
there on the sofa and cried for all  he had lost
in his past and all he stood to loose now.

When the doorbell rang he muttered, "Shit" to himself
as he struggled to get himself composed. 

When he opened the door and saw Dr. Sullivan standing
there his heart began to pound.

"Dr. Sullivan, what are you doing here?"

"I got those test results I was waiting on, Kevin."

Kevin gripped the door with all his strength.  He
said, "Well, it can't be good for you to actually be
here at my front door.  Come on in."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nick kept glancing at Max, who was sitting in the
passanger seat beside him, as they headed home.  Nick
was shaking and a sense of doom had settled over him

"How could you know?  You're a dog.  I'm his husband.
His lover.  His soul mate.  I should have known
something was wrong with him but I didn't.  You're a
dumb dog and you knew.  This just isn't right.   If I
had know sooner, maybe it wouldn't be too late to save
him, ya know?"

Max lay across the seat and lay his head on Nick's leg
and whinned.

Nick had to choke back the wail that threatened to
escape from his lips right then.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as Nick walked in the house he knew something
was wrong - bad wrong.  He found Kevin sitting on the
floor of their bedroom just staring off into space.

"Kev?"

No response.

"Kevin?"

Still no response.

Nick knelt down in front of Kevin and said, "Bumpkin,
I'm home. What's wrong?"

Kevin didn't even look at him.  Hell, Kevin was even
barely blinking.

"Dr. Sullivan got my results from the rest of the
blood work back.  He found out why my Leukemia has
spread so fast."

Nick's heart was beating so hard he thought it was
going to jump out of his chest.

"Why, Kevin?  God, you are scaring me."

Kevin finally looked at Nick and said, "I have AIDS,
Nick."