FREE FLYING HEARTS -- A collection of short stories from Tonig73

..... 7 .....

Warning  --  I rarely do an author's note at the beginning of a chapter, but I feel with this chapter, I really should warn you guys.  This has proven to be an emotional story, more so than even I  thought.  I love you, you know I do.  So, how many boxes of tissues do you have ?  Love you, T x

They spent the next few days in San Francisco with Larry's family.  Pierce and Larry didn't want to leave Laurent's side, as much as he kept telling them he didn't want to be coddled.  He secretly loved it, but he would grump and complain at their constant attention.  He and Larry's mom would exchange sly glances, like she knew exactly how he felt and what he was up to.  When they caught each other's eyes, for more than a second, she would just smile that all knowing, motherly smile and mouth two words at him, --  let them  --  .

When they all got home, though, that was when the tough stuff began.  Laurent was now at the 3 month threshold that the doc had warned them about.  Borrowed time, for sure.  The nurse still came every day, and both Larry and Pierce stayed close.  Too close.  Sometimes they wouldn't even leave him in a room alone, and though he found it stifling, he knew why they were doing it.  They were trying to carry on as normal, but they were all finding it so hard.  What about this situation, was anywhere near normal ?  So Larry and Pierce just decided they wouldn't even try.  

"Go out and skate."  Laurent would tell them.  He knew they wanted to, they were antsy, pacing the apartment like prowling wild cats in a cage, looking out of the window at the glorious day outside, wishing they were out there too.

"Go !  I'll call you if anything happens, for fuck's sake.  You're 30 seconds across the road.  Go !"  Larry looked at him guiltily, Pierce too.  Laurent whispered in Larry's ear as he kissed his temple.

"Please, Larry.  It's just as hard for me to see you two like this.  It'll take Pierce's mind off it too.  Please."  He looked deep into Larry's eyes at close quarters, trying to convey just how serious he was.  Larry tilted his head slightly, his eyes flitting around his far too beautiful face, thinking about what he had just said.  

"You sure ?  You'll call at the slightest twinge.  You'll call if the hospital calls.  You'll call if .... "

"No, Larry.  I'm just gonna sit here if I hear anything, and ignore it.  What the fuck ...."  They touched foreheads, laughing.  

"I'm sorry, I'm just .... it's the waiting .... it's ..." 

"I know, but staying cooped up in here, isn't gonna make it happen any quicker."  Larry straightened up.

"OK, c'mon then Pierce, lesssss go !"  They picked up their boards, both kissing Laurent on his cheeks as they left, clicking the door shut behind them.  Laurent got up and walked across to the window, in time to see them dodge and weave in between the four lanes of traffic below him.  Throwing their skateboards onto the sidewalk, jumping on and skating away, laughing and joking, trying to shove each other off their boards, as giant children do. 

It hit him again, then, and he doubled over in agony, the pain knocking the breath out of his lungs, as he clutched at his chest.  It had happened this morning too, when he was in the shower, and he'd found nothing to clutch at, nothing to hold on to as the pain took a grip, feeling like his chest was on fire.  He hammered on the tile wall with his clenched fists as he slid to the floor, his eyes squeezed shut, waiting for the pain to subside.  It hadn't lasted long, but he could feel his heart clenching in his chest, just like a muscle would with cramp.  It stopped beating for a few seconds, and besides the sheer panic that it wouldn't start again, it made him feel sick and dizzy.  He sat shivering on the shower floor for few minutes, and after a while he felt reasonably OK, and he carried on with his hygiene routine.  But it had scared the shit out of him.  This time, he lurched to the bathroom, making it to the toilet bowl just in time to vomit.  The pain was worse than this morning.  He sat on the bathroom floor, shaking violently.  He knew he should call Larry, but he didn't.