What Happens on the Cruise

83. Ain't No Mountain High Enough

"The other option... and, frankly, the best option... is amputation."

A stunned silence fell on the room as Tim and Austin struggled to take in the  words. Austin scrabbled till he found Tim's hand and grabbed it hard. "No. No no no. Fuck, no! I'm leaving. Where are my clothes?"

"Austin," Tim said gently.

"No! I don't know what kind of damned Franken-Austin they're creating, but they're not getting any more parts. I'm done. Tim, don't make me stay here."

"Mr. Foust, MRSA is an aggressive and fast-growing infection," the doctor warned. "You can't just ignore it."

"I wanna go home. Please, just take me home. Please, Tim. Please!"

Tim pulled his husband into his arms. "Shhhh, Austin, it's going to be okay. We'll figure this out."

"I don't want to be here anymore!" Austin cried, burying his face in Tim's shirt front and dissolving into sobs.

"How long have we got to decide?" Tim asked the doctor as he rocked Austin.

"We'll start an antibiotic cocktail IV drip to try and give him time to come to terms," the doctor said, "but the sooner we know, the better -- and, assuming he does go with amputation, the more lower leg can be saved."

Tim nodded grimly. "Give us a little bit."

"Understood." The doctor rose and left them to deal with their decision.

***

"Thanks for everything," Adam said to the construction crew, then headed back into the kitchen where Leigh was loading the dishwasher. "You don't have to do that."

"Hey, you bought me lunch. I'm just repaying you a little bit."

Adam smiled and chuckled as he saw Cerise nodding off to sleep. "Guess I best get her down for her nap."

"Ah, ah, ah!" Leigh stopped him. "You're not picking her up with that arm. Let me get her."

Adam watched the other man carefully extricate Cerise from her booster seat and carry her in to her bed. "You're really good with kids."

"My dad remarried. My little brother's only a few years older than Cerise."

"You had to babysit a lot?"

"Yeah, until my step-mom kicked me out for being queer."

"How old were you?" Adam asked.

"Fifteen."

"Fifteen! What did you do?"

"Couch surfed. Slept in the street. Traded a good suck or a handjob for a warm place to stay."

Adam shut his eyes and shook his head.

"I hope that doesn't hurt my chances. I don't usually tell people that."

"You did what you needed to do to survive."

"Yeah. It's funny. My step-mother kicked me out because she didn't approve of my 'lifestyle'." Adam could hear the air quotes. "But I was a virgin when she did. I only became the sinner she thought I was because I had so few options on the streets."

"I'm sorry that happened to you."

Leigh shrugged his shoulders. "Shit happens." He looked from Cerise's sleeping form to Adam. "And for the record, there will be no sordid affairs with the nanny." He grinned.

Adam chuckled. "Noted. I'm assuming you're staying at the university now."

Leigh shook his head. "My scholarship doesn't cover room and board over the summertime."