Chapter 8

Zeke had to go out of town at the last minute so Gavin's birthday dinner had been pushed back two weeks. He didn't argue with it. He had more things going on in his head than his birthday.

He'd done a bone marrow biopsy that Friday afternoon, and the results had come back rather quickly. It was confirmed as chronic myeloid leukemia. They determined it was in the chronic phase which meant his symptoms were fairly mild. He'd been put on the bone marrow transplant list, and the doctor had started him on chemotherapy. He had opted to do the intravenous route because he didn't want to take pills.

Gavin sat in the chair at the clinic with an IV sticking out of his arm. His veins burned as the machine pumped the chemicals into his system. Never in a million years had he thought this would happen. He had only felt a little tired and had some bruises that hadn't fully healed. He hadn't thought anything about them, but yet here he was. He was sick and he needed treatment to heal him.

He looked at the little old lady sitting across from him. She was in a chipper mood as she crocheted a colorful blanket. She chattered to the woman beside her as they talked about different stitches and who the blanket was for. Each round of chemo she went through, she made a blanket and donated it to the children's hospital. It was her way of giving back.

Gavin listened to the woman next to him talk about how good her son was. He had brought her to her last treatment since she had gone into remission. The nurse cried and hugged her tightly. They had grown close over the last year since she had started her treatment, and they were excited for the next phase in her life.

"How are you doing?"

Gavin looked up as Anderson Reed walked up to him. He sat in the empty chair beside him and checked the machine. It was probably out of habit, but he was grateful for the little check.

"I'm okay right now," Gavin answered. "Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be in your clinic?"

"I wanted to check in on you. But in all seriousness, I had a patient I was checking on. You just happen to be one floor down." He looked around. "Where's your friend?"

"She went to turn in an assignment. She'll be back shortly." He leaned his head back against the chair. "What should I expect?"

"You'll be tired. Very tired actually. And you'll probably experience some nausea. Ginger ale and Sprite will help with that. Keep hydrated and eat as much as you can. Don't overdo it. You'll feel worse if you do." He paused for a long moment. "You need to tell Zeke. You can't hide something this big from him."

"I will, but he's not in town right now. If I tell him over the phone, he's going to drop everything and come back. He may miss something."

"You're a strange kid. How can you put up with all the bullshit he puts on you?"

Gavin shrugged. "It's better than the alternative."

Anderson chewed on his lip as he watched the somewhat annoying kid. Out of all the people Zeke had dated that he had met, Gavin was by far the only one who could truly deal with Zeke and his weird idiosyncrasies. He didn't let the older man bully him too much, and he actually did as he was asked without any arguments. If Zeke took advantage of his gentle nature, he was a dumbass.

Emily returned, and Anderson said his goodbyes. The girl sat down next to Gavin and handed him his homework. She'd gotten his assignments from his professors so he wouldn't be behind from missing one day. They sat quietly and did their work while the machine pumped him full of the drugs that would hopefully save his life.

~~~~~~~

Zeke knew it was late when he got home, but he was jonesing for some affection. He handed his briefcase off to his assistant and headed straight for his bedroom.

The lights were off as he opened the door. He turned on his phone's flashlight and found his way to the bathroom. He showered quickly then dried off. He wanted to feel the warm body pressed against him. Maybe he would get to do what he wanted. If not, he was just as happy holding him.

Gavin had answered every call and text he'd sent. From what it sounded like, nothing was going on. He was still going to class and doing what he was supposed to do. Sampson took him to and from school, and he did his homework every night. He'd passed his latest tests and quizzes. He had done well after being left alone for a week.

Zeke felt bad for having to go out of town on Gavin's birthday. The investment he'd been working on for the last three weeks had started to unravel and he'd had to travel to Chicago to keep it afloat. Luckily it had been only a miscommunication, but Zeke had made sure the contract was signed when he was there.

Gavin had been good about changing the plans. He hadn't put up a fight. He'd heard from Sampson that his friends had treated him to lunch that day and Mrs. Morgan had made his favorite meal for him. His family hadn't called him, but they had expected that. After the last weekend, he was going to have a talk with Raoul Duquesne about what he told his family when his grandson moved here.

The steam rolled out into the darkened room. He dried off as quickly as he could and climbed in the bed. There was no need to wear clothes because hopefully they would be coming off soon.

Gavin's skin was warm to the touch. He noticed it when he slid in behind him. He didn't think too much of it since he was sleeping under the heavy comforter. Gavin was a heater, and he got hot easily. He usually only slept under a sheet and a light blanket. Tonight it was colder than usual so the heater probably wasn't enough for him.

The younger man didn't stir when he pulled him against him. Even when he kissed his shoulders in hopes of enticing him, Gavin didn't move. Slightly annoyed, Zeke turned his head and covered his mouth with his own. The lack of air woke him up, and he grunted unhappily. Zeke urged him to kiss him back, which resulted in a little bit of tongue action.

"When did you get home?" Gavin asked. His voice was husky and he stretched a little bit.

"I just got home," Zeke replied. Gavin hummed at him and closed his eyes. "Can I ask for a proper welcome home?" He wiggled his hips against Gavin's backside. "We haven't done anything in a while."

Gavin shook his head and turned back onto his side. "Not tonight. I just want to sleep."

Zeke looked at him in shock. Gavin had never denied him what he wanted especially after a business trip. Was it because he had been gone for a week, or that he had missed his birthday?

He kissed his shoulders again in an attempt to get him in the mood, but Gavin didn't budge. He was already asleep. Annoyed, Zeke rolled him to his back and swung a leg over him until he straddled him. He lowered his mouth to his chest and started dragging his tongue down his fevered skin.

Gavin pushed at his shoulders. "Zeke, stop. I said no."

"Why are you denying me?" he demanded. He sat up on Gavin's hips and glared down at him. "You don't have a choice in this. It's part of the rules you agreed to follow. Whenever I want to have sex, you have to let me."

The young man didn't give up. He pushed tiredly at the older one's hips. "Please just get off. I really can't tonight."

Zeke leaned down and pressed his nose into Gavin's neck. He inhaled sharply, taking whatever scent he could find into his lungs. "You don't smell like anybody else."

"Are you insane? I haven't been with anyone else."

"Then why are you being like this?"

Gavin's eyes widened before he shoved Zeke off and scrambled from the bed. He slammed into the bathroom door and barely made it to the toilet in time. Everything he had eaten at supper came back up. He gagged as he felt the bile flow over his tongue. The more he gagged, the more he threw up. He coughed as he tried to catch his breath, but the vomiting kept happening.

Zeke got up and walked into the bathroom. He wet a washcloth in cool water then wrung it out. After folding it, he pressed it to the back of Gavin's neck and held it there.

He was sick. That was why he was denying him. He was sick enough that he was throwing up in the toilet. He couldn't do what he wanted because he was sick. Zeke felt like an asshole for asking the impossible of him when his body wasn't able to do the deed.

He sat there until Gavin was done. He tossed the washcloth into the tub and bent down. In one fell swoop, he lifted the young man up and carried him back to the bed. He returned to the bathroom for a glass of water. It wouldn't be cold since he didn't have any ice in his room, but he hoped it helped with the awful taste in his mouth.

Gavin drank slowly as Zeke held the glass to his lips. When he was done, he coughed a little as he watched the older man put the glass on the bedside table. Zeke carefully covered him up with the blankets then slid underneath them with him. He gathered Gavin and held him tightly.

"You should have told me you were sick," he scolded. He pressed a kiss to his warm forehead. "Go back to sleep. I won't bother you."

Gavin relaxed against his pillow and let himself drop off to sleep again. Zeke watched him, worried about how he would feel the next morning. He had a test, but if he was in no condition to go, what would it mean for his grade?

Sighing, he knew they would have to deal with that when it came up. Right now, the only thing Zeke could do was make sure he was comfortable. He needed to get well, and to do that Zeke would have to leave him alone. It would be hard, but he could manage as long as Gavin was well.