Healing Gabriel (BoyxBoy)

✣ Chapter Forty-Four ✣

      The others cracked up at what they thought was a joke, but really it was nothing more than my first-hand experience of the truth. I just smirked with them, and though it'd hurt, it hadn't hurt nearly as much as being physically unable to turn off that damned audio recording of someone preaching about a Savior who'd never been there to save me to begin with.

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      "You never told me that you were Catholic," I brought up to Evan the following Saturday afternoon. His parents, along with Dylan, Mihael and his mother were all there as well, but Dylan and the adults had gone downstairs for coffee, leaving Mihael, Evan and I to ourselves. "I mean, you must be, still being in a Catholic hospital and all."

      "He's not," Mihael said, dark eyes mischievous as he played with one of his lip rings. "He's a Satanist. Viva la Lucifer, Satan will rise."

      "Cut it out," Evan laughed, shoving Mihael's elbow in an attempt to stop him from making devil horns with his fingertips. Then Evan turned his attention on me, brown eyes soft and adoring, everything I ever wanted.

      "I am," he confirmed, squashing Mihael's attempt at getting into the devil's good books. "I mean, only because my parents are. It's not like I go to church every Sunday. Or pray every night. Or say a Hail Mary every time I sin."

      "Which is often," Mihael jumped in again. "He may be following in the Virgin Mary's footsteps, but the whole 'man shalt not spill thy own seed upon thy ground' rule? Pfft. He's the biggest sinner you'll ever encounter, next to me."

      Evan's face went pink, mirroring my own, though I had on an amused expression while he looked to be terribly embarrassed.

      "If I didn't have these IVs in right now, and if Gabriel weren't in my lap, I would've definitely punched you in the mouth by now," Evan seethed, shaking his head, but Mihael only laughed and scooted backwards on the bed, away from him.

      "Gabriel, thank you for being here with us. If it weren't for you and those IVs, my face would look like Evan's fist, and for that I really appreciate you."

      Talking with the two of them made me feel a lot more like a normal teenaged boy than I ever thought was possible. I was relatively okay with the sexual innuendo that came with Mihael's personality, and with Evan's consistent glances towards me to monitor my reactions in order to know when to cut Mihael off, I felt like I was actually not as much of a freak as people--mainly myself--labelled me as.

      Currently, the three of us were situated comfortably in each others' presences, with Mihael claiming Evan's hospital bed and Evan sitting upright in the recliner chair next to it. I was squared between Evan's thighs, my back resting against his chest as his arms locked protectively around the middle of my stomach to keep me from slipping. I only tuned in occasionally to their naive exchanges, preferring to preoccupy myself with the small needle connected to the IV that was pumping liquids into Evan's veins. There were three IVs in his right hand, but only one held my attention the most, which was the one centered between the other two.

      The center IV was the smallest of the three, held down by a clear tape that kept it from budging each time Evan moved his hand to brush through my hair. The liquid it was pumping was clear and ran continuously, no air bubbles attached to the sides to disrupt its smooth flow. It was the area around the IV, though, that really made me curious. The small area of skin that it had punctured was turning a yellowish-greenish tint that splayed out around the edges, looking like the Grinch's long fingers reaching out for presents--or, in this case, the other two IVs.

      I ran my thumb carefully across the light-colored bruise, noticing the way Evan tensed up against me when I touched too closely to the tape. He continued his conversation, though, and I took it as a sign that meant he wasn't in too much pain and continued. I looked closer at the needle, noticing particularly that the place it punctured was beginning to develop purpling spots that vaguely resembled tiny blueberry stains.