"Alright, let's go. Let's go. Get your lazy ass up. Come on!" came the loud shout, startling Andre right out of his sleep with an expletive, his eyes shooting wide open even as he searched the small room for a possible intruder, his heart racing.
"Whaa...?" he mumbled sleepily, finding no one there as he moved his head to broaden his search. He saw nothing and rolled his eyes in irritation. "Go away, you...I know karate fool..."
With one last lazy cursory look to the side of the bed just in case, he closed his tired eyes with a content sigh and snuggled deeper into his body pillow, his mind drifting away on clouds into the peaceful abyss of a beautiful-.
Slap!
Nearly screaming in his surprise, his body shot straight up from his prone position only to fall right back down in regret as sparks of pain, radiated from his ass and spread to his lower back with a vengeance he was not quite expecting.
"What the fuck!" he roared, trying not to make any further, sudden movements as his eyes watered. "I said I knew karate dammit!"
So much pain.
He should have known better than to let Rafe come within five feet of his precious, healing booty. After their first bout of lovemaking and a slight doze, Rafe was up and ready to go for round two and who was he to say no to that sexy hunk?
His pain not withstanding, Andre was able to let everything else dissipate while he lay in his lover's arms and surrendered to the magic of his touch, to the heat of his tongue, to the delicious sweet pain of his every thrust.
Rafe had been gentle, unbelievable so, his eyes mirroring the concern he must have felt towards his body's sensitivity. He was as caring as he had ever been, the way he made love so very slowly to him, nearly making him weep.
It had been so beautiful that he'd wished they could stay that way forever and never have to let the moment go. He had wanted nothing more than to stay in that bed and show Rafe all of the ways he could please him and be pleased in return.
Then, round five came and all he wanted to really do was cry his ass off at the injustice of being bottom for a fucking robot who had no off switch. What was wrong with that man?
"Boy, you either get yo self up outta that bed and get ready to go or imma take you out myself."
His head jerked in alarm towards the chair in the corner of the room at the sudden warning, his eyes squinting to see. Then, he practically hissed at a pissed looking Wanda, her arms crossed over her double z chest. What the hell was she pissed about now? He was the one who'd just got woken up from a good ass nap. And slapped too!
Crazy person. Slapping people and shit. Hmph...
"I thought I told you yesterday that I was not going with you, Wanda." he growled lowly, his voice gruff and scratchy from sleep. "I'm not going to let them come near my hair like last time. I don't give a damn how much I need this. Find another way or leave."
"There ain't no other way and you know it." came the reply as Wanda shot up out of the chair so fast, Andre thought he might pee himself and he very nearly did when she approached the bed to glare down at him. "This is the last one ya dumb, dummie. You gon' dead ass try and refuse it all on the strength of some dag on hair when the shit can just grow back? Da fuck!"
What the hell was up with this lady?
It's like he didn't even know her anymore. The god fearing, scripture reciting, screeching woman he had always come to both fear and admire was gone and in her place was this crazy lunatic gangster who screeched even louder with a vocabulary to rival any truck driver's.
Suddenly, demon possession wasn't as far fetched a concept to accept as he thought it would be when it came to her behavior. As of right here, right now, he was accepting the living crap out of it and he was never going to question the unknown or deny it ever again.
The unknown had swallowed poor Wanda.
Looking up at her stern, stone face, Andre cocked his head and reached up to take her clenched hand. "Wanda...I'm worried." he said softly, his eyes focused on her face. "Why are you acting like this? One treatment isn't going to make a difference and yet, you're practically foaming at the mouth. Why are you riding me so hard about this and flinging epitaphs all over the place? This is not you."
She seemed to panic due to his questions because she loosened her hand from his and stepped back, her head lowering even as her eyes looked at everything but him. "I-I don't know what you mean by that." she stuttered, clasping her hands together and twisting her fingers.
"I mean, that you're different Wanda." he replied firmly. "You hardly ever sick jesus on me and Rafe like you used to and I haven't seen you slapping people in the hall with your giant bible, trying to perform exorcisms. Quite frankly, I'm fucking scared for you. You don't even correct my language anymore by threatening to drown me in the nearest sink."
Her shoulders slumped and she looked up but not at him. She seemed to be busy staring at something on the wall over his head. "I'm still the same. I...haven't changed in that way." she said quietly, sighing loudly when even to her ears, it sounded like a blatant lie. "There's just so much going on, ya know? I'm just...I'm trying to make sure you don't leave here tomorrow and go home without getting the all clear."
He raised a brow at that and would have scoffed at the way she was trying to redirect the subject away from her but the miserable, lost look in her eyes, stayed him. There was just something there. She was battling with problems he would much rather not delve into right now.
Later, there would be time to talk.
Sighing in defeat, he ignored the roaring pain that lanced through him when he attempted another run at sitting and hauled his weak body out of the bed, bringing the blanket with him so he wouldn't traumatize her by flashing his goodies.
"You win." he said lowly as he dragged his poor body across the room to the bathroom door. "I'll go to the stupid chemo, if that will make you happy. I'll be cordial and polite and I'll try not to threaten Peterson with a scalpel for trying to maim my head again. Heck, I'll even refrain from trying to jump on Montrose and giving him a matching bite tattoo on his other arm."
Wanda shot him a skeptical, disbelieving look as she crossed her arms over her chest again. It almost sounded too good to be true. "Really, now?" she asked, raising a brow. "And, you would do all of this because...?"
His mouth twitched upward and Andre winked slyly, knowing he had already won.
"I will do all of that because I know that if I do, you will want to reward me for being such a good boy by telling me what the hell is causing this change in you and why your eyes always look so sad even when you're trying to act all tough."
She straightened her shoulders and puffed her chest out in indignation, her head tilted up as she glared down her nose at him like he had greatly offended her. "I told you there was nothing wrong with me, boy." she seethed through clenched teeth only to slump her shoulders again with a shake of her head, her act revealed. "But...I guess I shoulda known you ain't gon just leave me alone. You always were a pest like that."
"I'm glad you remembered that, then. Makes it easier." he said happily before opening the door and partially stepping in. "I look forward to that talk. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take horse tranquilizers and bandage the gaping hole in my ass with duct tape before getting dressed. I'll meet you over there soon so keep an eye out for me. I'll be the one in a butt cast sobbing quietly in the corner."
It was funny to see the way her face transformed into all kinds of horrified poses with the way he just said that and he had to stiffle his laugh for fear she would go through with her constant threats and actually drown him in the tiny bathroom sink.
Eeek!
Closing the door behind him, Andre let the blanket fall away to pool around his feet before approaching the mirror and staring into it at the man reflected there, not recognizing his vibrant eyes or his high colored cheeks at all.
He'd never seemed to glow this way before. But, as he'd come to know and love Rafe, he'd noticed almost subtle changes to his being that he thought could only be seen if he chanced to look more closely when the truth was, they were so visible, he fairly glowed from the inside out.
And all it took was love. Crazy right?
Smiling to himself, he parted the shower curtain and turned the knob for the hot water, needing to feel its heat pounding down his back more than anything, hoping it would ease his aching body so he could try to walk right.
Or at least limp for mercy sake.
Stepping in, he turned his back to the spray and leaned forward a bit, leaning his hands against the tiled walls to hold himself there as he let the hot spray provide some healing, burning heat till he felt his lower back start to numb deliciously.
"Ah, that's better." he moaned in relief before turning to finish the rest of his shower, some of his earlier tension and aches temporarily gone, no thanks to that automaton with the rhino penis. "Stupid Rafe." he grumbled, shutting the faucet and stepping out to dry himself quickly, his eyes wandering to the door in thought.
Hmm...If he knew Wanda, and, Andre knew her quite well, she had probably never left and was actually waiting in that damn chair right next to his bed to make sure he didn't drag his feet and waste precious time. She probably had her arms crossed over her chest too.
Hehehe...
The woman was a constant in his life, someone he had come to care about, count on. Just like Rafe. Except, she didn't plow unceremoniously into him trying to find the secrets of the universe like Rafe did.
Wanda was an angel in 'gangsta' disguise and she hid it so well you would never know it until she did something like save your life and then she would be so appalled that anyone would even consider her soft that she'd threaten to baptize them in molten lava.
Nevertheless screw loose or not, Andre wouldn't trade the day he met her for anything. That day, he'd met a fierce friend, a reluctant confidant and caregiver, a psycho who had once tried to smother him with a pillow and someone he knew would lay her life down for him.
Wanda was family.
Chuckling softly, he wrapped the towel around his waist and took one last look into the foggy mirror, liking what he saw before opening the door and stepping out. What he encountered, made him burst with laughter, earning himself an even fiercer glare from the eyes meeting his.
Wanda, was in fact, still in his room, waiting in the chair right next to his bed as he'd thought and...her arms were crossed over her chest. Aw, old people are so cute when they scowl. Her eyes were almost crossed and everything!
"You know you said that out loud right?" she asked with a huff as she stood and walked toward the door, slapping him on the back of the head as she passed him. "And thirty nine aint old boy. Im still firing on all cylinders. Now, hurry and get on out. It's two o' clock already and Peterson and Montrose keep calling my pager. It's annoying."
He was dressed and out the door in five minutes after a quick text to Rafe, a new record for him, actually and before he knew it, forty five minutes later, after a final, tiring chemotherapy session, he trudged back into his room with a struggling Wanda whose arms were around his weakened frame, helping to keep him upright.
"That was fucking brutal." he whispered tiredly, wishing he'd never gone. "I thought it would be easier on me since it was the last one. So wrong. I wish to never go through that again. The only consolation is that Peterson steered clear of my hair and let me keep it this time."
"He let you keep it because I done told him you was gon' shove the clippers up his ass if he touched it." Wanda said nonchalantly like she was discussing the weather, to which Andre could only gape at her. She just kept surprising him lately with all that vulgarity.
"You know, Wanda." he said conversationally. "I'm starting to get an inkling that you actually care about me. Might even love me. And I don't blame you, of course. I am pretty awesome. Hehehe...Oomph!"
The unceremonious shove from the older woman as she threw him onto the bed, told a different story however and he glared up at her from his weird twisted position on the bed, trying to relearn how to breath due to the amount of air he lost as he fell onto his poor pummeled ass.
"Damn, Wanda. What was that for?" he pouted, his eyes watering as he tried to un-twist his poor limbs from their crooked position. A futile attempt at best but at least, he had been near the bed when she'd flung him. Had he landed on the floor, he'd be full on crying with no hope of getting up. "You're so mean to me." he grumbled, wishing Rafe was there to comfort him.
"Mean, would have been, to throw you on the floor like I was planning to but I miscalculated and dropped you on the bed by mistake instead."
Did she just...? Ugh...She is so evil!
Finally managing to arrange himself in a way that didn't look unnatural, Andre sent a quick mushy text to Rafe before he cleared his throat loudly and folded his hands in his lap calmly, trying to regain his dignity like he wasn't just a discombobulated pretzel a few moments before.
"So...uh...you ready to tell me why you've become so irritable lately? And why your mouth rivals a sewer hole? Aaand...why you look so lost and miserable all the time even when you're trying not to show it?"
Wanda tensed beside him and moved away to sit in the chair across from him, her face suddenly pale and it took all within her not to crumple in front of Andre. He was just sitting there, patiently waiting for her to speak, his eyes already showing concern and pity.
Letting out the breath she'd been holding, she leaned forward in the chair and buried her face in her hands. "It's Nathaniel." she whispered lowly, refusing to look at him again for fear she would see condemnation in his eyes. "He...I...I like him, Andre. I'm...I'm so sorry. It just happened. Please don't hate me!"
The words had barely left her lips when a wail left her mouth and rent the air around them, startling Andre and making him wish he'd never asked her anything. From the looks of it, this would not be a conversation he was going to enjoy.
"I don't hate you, Wanda." he said softly, wishing he had more strength to pull himself up from the bed and go to her if for nothing else than to give her the much needed hug he knew would put her at ease a little. "I could never hate you and you know it. I can't even believe you would think that."
"But, I thought that..."
"That, because he was my father, I would feel some type of way if you hooked up?" I snorted at that. "Puh-lease, I feel nothing of the sort. I don't even know the guy and I don't even think I'm the only reason you feel this way so admit it. You feel guilty for liking another man that isn't Harold."
At the mention of her deceased husband, the woman wailed even louder into her hands, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. "Oh, Harold." she cried out, her sob muffled by her fingers. "I'm so confused. I don't know what to do. I'm so sorry!"
Ah, hell with it.
Wincing like mad, Andre forced his resistant, protesting body up from the bed with a strength he was far from feeling and nearly fell twice as he limped to where Wanda sat hunched over, still crying into her hands.
Poor thing. He hadn't meant to blurt that out like that. He should have been a little more sympathetic to her feelings and thought his reply through more carefully before speaking so bluntly. And frankly, that scared the bejesus out of him.
Shouldn't he know better than to underestimate Wanda? She may be crying now but later she wouldn't be and that would be the perfect time for her to try and crazy glue him to a wheel chair, drive down to the beach and roll him right into the fucking ocean for being such an ass.
Yay! This day just keeps getting better.
Crouching as low as he could to the best of his abilities without crying out in pain, Andre reached out his hand and placed it over both of hers, trying to move them from her face. "I'm sorry, Wanda." he began softly, his voice almost a whisper as he removed her right hand. "I shouldn't have said that. It was unfair of me to be so callous. Please forgive me?"
Sniffling loudly, the old woman moved back away from him a little and removed her other hand before swiping her tear drenched face with both. "Forgive you for what?" she asked. "Forgive you for being right?"
Eh? "But I'm not right." he tried to argue. "I don't even know what I'm saying half the time!"
She shook her head and sighed wearily. "I ain't no delicate flower, Andre and I ain't gon wither and fall apart just 'cuz my feelings is hurt or I can't take the heat. You can tell me like it is without tip toeing over the bigger issues like you afraid of me or something. It's not like I'm gon' crazy glue you to a wheel chair and roll yo ass into the ocean."
You see? That didn't sound crazy at all! Nope.
Shaking his own head, he chuckled lightly and swooped down to give Wanda a big bear hug, knowing that even if she didn't want or need it, he sure did. Rafe had left the bed at five that morning without a by your leave and he hadn't even called to check on him, something he needed more today.
"It's going to be alright, Wanda." he whispered near her ear. "God works in mysterious ways and even though we may not understand every purpose for everything that happens, we have to trust that everything will fall into place."
She sighed again and just when Andre thought she was going to push him off of her, she lifted her arms and placed them around him, returning the hug. "Thank you, Andre." she said lowly. "You ain't so bad after all."
"I guess not." he answered back before releasing her and straightening to his full height, much to the protest of his poor aching muscles. "So..." he continued, his eyes twinkling down at her. "Does that mean you do care about me then?"
Without a word in reply, Wanda stood up from the chair and placed it back to its original position against the wall behind her before turning and smiling sweetly at him. "Do people who care about you do this?"
And with that little ditty, she hauled back and slapped him upside the head again, rushing past him to get to the door before he even had the chance to glare at her or retaliate in some way and regain his manly honor. She was out the door before he even turned toward it!
Brookoff, you sure know how to pick them.
Shaking his head even as he chuckled at the odd woman's antics, Andre made his way slowly back to his bed and fairly threw himself down on it, knowing that going down slow and careful would probably hurt his body more.
"Ah, time for a nap." he said happily as he stared up at the white ceiling, waiting for sleep to come claim him, something that was taking a heck of a long time because after what seemed like only minutes of waiting for drowsiness to overcome him, he chanced a glance at his clock and saw it was actually two hours!
It was now five thirty seven for the love of god and now he really didn't feel so sleepy as the realization hit that Rafe hadn't even called him at all today. It was so unlike him, that, now that he thought of it, it only brought worry.
Reaching over, he plucked his phone from the bedside table, hoping the phone had been on silent the whole time and that Rafe, had, indeed tried to reach him but it wasn't and that only made him frown all the more. So, flicking to the menu, he pressed the text smiley and decided to check on him.
Hi, my love. Just wondering if you're okay since you haven't called all day or answered my texts. Hope, you're not working too hard and forget all about little old me. Call me so I don't worry, k? I love you, my heart. Hurry back so I can show you how much. XOXO
He pressed send before he could even contemplate how needy the message sounded. Then, cursed aloud once he actually read through it again. Heh. Probably shouldn't have put that middle part in there.
Or that last part either. Damn.
Shrugging it off as sounding rather sweet instead, he lay there and stared at the phone screen, waiting for a ping. "Come on Rafe." he told the phone as he glared at it. "Call me or...or...No sex for a week, mister!" his nostrils flared as he stared at the phone some more, angry that it wasn't ringing yet.
He'll call. he told himself. He's just really busy with all types of things now that he's CEO of such a big company. Yeah, that's it. He's busy. Let the man do his job. He'll get back to you when he's not so swamped.
And he would have listened to that little voice of reason except, since when has Rafe ever been too busy to call?
Anxious now for his reply, Andre sat up and swung his legs to the floor, his intent, to put some clothes on and take a walk to Rafe's office in the hopes he would find him there. It was as if he had this sudden compulsion to see him so badly, like his heart hurt and was beating too fast in his chest for no good reason.
"Please be there." he whispered as he started to dress slowly with small winces now and then. His shirt was missing a couple of buttons that were ripped off last night but at this point, buttons were the least of his worries. He had to see Rafe now. The battering ram that was his heart kept palpitating with alarming thumps. It was scaring him now.
Something was wrong.
His breath hitched as the thought evolved in his mind, took root and even as his heart seemed to beat threateningly fast, he knew not to question what his heart and mind were feeling. He'd never felt this way before, like his heart was crying out somehow.
The fact that Rafe had not called at all today when he usually would without fail should have been his first sign to start his subsequent panic but how was he to suspect anything amiss with the man if Rafe was known to disappear without a word and show up days later with a billion apologies and a marathon of lovemaking that he didn't deserve for making him worry?
He promised ...remember?
The whisper into his subconscious wiped the doubt that tried to surface as he thought back to Rafe's solemn vow to never worry him again and with that thought, came realization, a conclusion. He needed no further urging to do what he did next.
Fiddling with his phone, he scrolled through his contacts till he found who he was looking for and only hesitated half a second before he pressed the call button. He was probably jumping the gun here and being over dramatic but dammit, it was better to be safe than sorry.
And he would not be sorry!
It rang twice before Andre heard the booming, slightly british accent and just that alone, brought him a semblance of some calm that if anything had indeed gone awry, it would get better. It would be better and Rafe would call. Rafe would come back.
"I assume you didn't call me to talk about my day. So, let's skip the pleasantries, shall we? What happened?"
That was Sheldon. Straight to the point as always. "I'm not even sure something did happen, Sheldon. I just...it's Rafe. He's been gone since this morning and he hasn't called once all day. It's not like him and I'm...I'm worried about him."
"Worried about what?" the detective chuckled lightly. "Rafe is the last man you should worry about, mate. He can take care of himself quite well I do imagine. Have you perhaps called him to inquire as to his well being before you decided to interrupt my day off with this rubbish?"
Ugh! Rude much?
"I didn't exactly, uh, call him...?" Now, why did that sound like a question? "B-but I did text though. Lots of times and he never misses a chance to call me right back and tease me about how much I miss him." his face reddened at the slip. "Not that I do miss him or anything! Hehehe..."
Yeah, good save, idiot.
Sheldon sighed loudly through the receiver. "Little man, I am quite certain you are going to need much more than a mere missed call or two to spur a search investigation. That is, if this is in fact one at all, which I highly doubt."
"But I just-?"
"You're worried. I get that, Mr. Phillipe. I completely understand the need to worry when your partner does not call but all in all, we must both abide by the twenty-four hour period of waiting. I'm sorry but that is all I can advise at this time."
Andre wanted nothing more than to reach into his phone and wrap his fingers around the burly man's fat throat for being such an ass. "Thanks, Sheldon." he spat. "Thanks a fucking lot. I'm glad I called you. You've been a big fat help!"
And with that, he slammed the phone down onto the receiver so hard, he swore he heard a little crack. Stupid Rafe always disappearing. Stupid Sheldon who did nothing but eat donuts and sit on people. Stupid chemo that left him so weak he was practically useless.
What was he going to do now? "Ow! Fuck!"
Tears seeped into his eyes as he stubbed his toe on the edge of the bed in his struggle to pull his pants up his noodle legs and he cursed even as he felt the urge to kick the damn thing for hurting him. Which would be a pretty dumb move when he thought of it.
Sighing, his tears now running down his cheeks, he gave up the battle to force his pants on and just let them fall to the floor, his weary body, once again falling to the bed. He needed sleep so badly that he was conjuring all kinds of fears.
He realized that maybe his paranoia came from lack of proper sleep but who could sleep when they were worried? He need to calm down. He couldn't think straight right now and he only hoped that while he did sleep, Rafe would come back and make him look stupid for going mental.
Laying on his back, he stared at the white ceiling till he felt his eyes closing, succumbing to the same lethargy his body had been feeling all day and he smiled even as he floated away into worriless slumber to dream of Rafe.
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