Avery's Desire Pt. 18

"Hanson seems pretty sure about the evidence against you."

Mikey shrugged as he leaned back in his seat and scowled. "It's buyers remorse. I fucked him and he doesn't want Rick to find out that he wanted one more ride on my stallion." He smirked. Mikey was cocky and convinced of his own innocence. Jackson wasn't too sure though.

"If Avery Duprey takes the stand and tells his side of things, the jury could side with him. Especially if the prosecution gets a sympathetic jury. They'll try to get people on the jury that will identify with him as the victim. Women, mothers, people who have homosexual family members or friends. It all comes down to the jury, which one of you they can relate to more, and if I'm going to be completely honest with you Mike, there aren't a lot of people that are going to be very sympathetic to you at this point."

"I don't care." Mikey growled. "I'm not pleading guilty. I want a trial."

Jackson took a deep breath, rubbing his temples, then shook his head. "Okay. If we're going to trial then we need to start thinking up a defense. You can't just walk in and say 'I didn't do it.' We need to develop a strategy. We need to convince the jury that you're innocent and that Avery and his friends are lying."

Mikey raised an eyebrow. "And just how are we going to do that?"

Jackson reached into his briefcase and took out a legal pad and a pen. "The first thing we have to do is find a way to discredit Avery. So, what I need from you is details. Every detail you can think of. How you first met, the first time you slept together. Anyone that he was seeing or sleeping with in the time that you've known him. I want to know when he and Rick Meyers first got together. Anything that you can remember."

A devious smiled snaked across Mikey's face. "Oh I've got the dirt on Avery, trust me. I'll show that jury just what a little whore he is."

___________________________________________________________________

Avery got out of the cab and stood in front of the large medical building while Rick paid the driver.

He turned and looked at Rick as he walked up and stood beside him.

"You ready?" Rick asked him.

Avery shook his head. "I don't know. Can we really afford this?"

"Didn't your dad say he would cover all your medical expenses for right now?"

"Yeah he did, but I hate to keep expecting him to pay for everything."

"I'd think you'd still be on his insurance. Doesn't it expire when you're twenty-one?"

"Only if I'm still living with him." Avery said. "Once I moved out I was no longer eligible."

"That sucks."

Avery sighed, "Yeah, it really does."

Rick put his arm around Avery's shoulders and pulled the boy close against him. "Come on. This is a necessary thing. It's not as if you're spending his money frivolously. Plus, he offered and I think it's more than just like he's your dad and it's his job to take care of you. I really think he enjoys helping. Maybe enjoy isn't the right word, but I think that it's his way of making up for the past couple of years, you know?

Despite your differences and the things that happened in the past I think that your parents really do love you Ave. When you almost died it put things into perspective for them. This is their way of trying to do whats right by you now, maybe it's their way of trying to keep you safe. I'm not a parent so I can't really say what they're feeling, but I imagine hearing that your child has gone through what you went through, well, it's got to be rough. A parent doesn't ever want to think of one of their kids suffering. They couldn't protect you before but they're trying to now, so let them."

What Rick said made a lot of sense to Avery and he had to agree. Plus, he knew his father. He didn't do things thoughtlessly. If he offered to cover Avery's expenses then he meant it and there was a reason for it. Grayson had a good heart and he was a kind man. He didn't always show it and he had a reputation of being a ruthless and aggressive attorney, but he was also fair and typically liked to root for the underdog. Most importantly though, he was honest and his moral character was impeccable.

As imposing and awe inspiring as his father was, and no matter how much he feared and respected his father growing up, Avery had to admit that he loved the man. If Avery ever looked up to anyone then it was his father. He may not have agreed with his politics and lord knows they didn't always see eye to eye, but Grayson Duprey was a man that Avery had always looked up to. He was the type of man that Avery had always worked hard to be like. Honest, dependable, loyal, and kind. Without those qualities, nothing he'd ever accomplish would have merit, and his life would have no meaning.

He nodded and smiled at Rick. "Alright." He said softly. "Lets do this before I change my mind."

Rick grinned. "Yeah, even if you did, I'd still drag you in there."

"There's one place I can think of you drag me to." Avery winked at him.

"Oh, you're getting naughty there boy." He laughed.

"Yeah," Avery agreed, "But you love it."

"Definitely." Rick smiled. "Nothing wrong with being a naughty boy once in a while."

"Only for you." Avery took Rick's hand in his and squeezed it gently. "I'd do anything for you."

"Same here baby boy. Anything and anytime. I live to make you happy."

Avery blushed and hugged Rick. "I love you so much." He said. "You have no idea."

"I love you most." Rick teased. "So there!"

Both men laughed at each other as they entered the building.

Avery walked up to the reception desk. A middle aged woman with curly blond hair smiled warmly at him as she slid the glass window open.

"Can I help you?" The receptionist asked him.

"Yeah, I have an appointment with Doctor Martin."

"Have you been here before?"

"No." Avery told her. "I was referred."

"No problem sweety." The woman handed him a clip board and pen. "Just fill out this form and then bring it back here and I'll get you all checked in."

Avery nodded, thanked her, then he and Rick sat down in the waiting area so Avery could fill out the form she'd given him.

"Damn." He said as he read over the paper. "They practically want my life history."

"Yeah, half the time I don't think they even pay attention to those things. Once the doctor gets you back there he's going to ask you the same stuff over again."

Avery glanced over the page again and smirked. "Well, maybe not all of it. I doubt that he'll ask me if I'm pregnant."

Rick laughed. "Probably not. Hey, mark yes just to confuse them."

Avery snickered. "If I did that they may refer me to a psychiatrist."

Avery had finished filling out the paperwork he'd been given and returned it as he was told to do. No sooner had he returned to his seat then the door beside the reception desk swung open and a portly looking nurse in pink scrubs stepped out holding a small file folder.

"Avery Duprey?" The woman called out, looking directly into the near empty waiting area. Avery looked around and smirked. The women acted as though she were staring at a large number of waiting patients yet only Rick and Avery were there at the moment. Still, he stood up and walked to the woman.

"That'd be me." He said with a friendly smile.

The nurse looked from him to Rick. "Is this your ride?" She asked Avery.

"He's my partner." Avery told her.

"I see." The woman said, indifferent to them. "He's welcome to come back with you if he wants."

Rick looked at Avery and raised an eyebrow with a slight chuckle. Obviously that was why he was standing behind him, but neither of them felt the need to point this out to the woman.

"Well, come on." The nurse said. She turned around and marched down the hallway with Rick and Avery following closely behind her. Her long brown hair swung side to side as she bounced along. Avery had a hard time keeping up with her. She was short and round but she could move fast.

She took them to a room four doors down and ushered them both inside. She walked in after them and proceeded to take Avery's vital signs, jotting everything down in the file as she went. Next she weighed him and wrote that down as well.

"So what are we seeing you for today?" She asked him in a monotone voice.

"I was referred by the doctor at the hospital." He told her. "I had some trauma to my throat."

She took a flash light out of her pocket and told him to open his mouth. He did as instructed and she shined the light into his mouth while pushing his tongue down with a tongue depressor.

"Alright," She said when she was done. "The doctor will be in shortly."

Avery nodded and the nurse took the file then left the room, closing the door behind her.

Rick couldn't hold it in anymore and suddenly burst out laughing. "Well, that was interesting."

Avery laughed, nodding in agreement. "I was trying to figure out if she was near sighted or just nuts."

"She was something alright." Rick laughed.

About five minutes passed before the doctor finally came in. He was a younger man, probably in his mid to late thirties. He had short, spiky blondish-brown hair and a bit of a goat-tee. He was a little on the heavy side but not really over weight. He was stocky and maybe had a bit of a gut but despite all that he wasn't too bad looking.

He wore glasses and wasn't dressed like Avery would have expected a doctor to dress. Instead of the usual dress shoes, suit pants and dress shirts with ties that they normally wore, this doctor was wearing jeans and a casual yet nice looking button up shirt. He also had an ear ring in one ear which Avery found amusing. The man looked more like a pop star than an actual doctor.

He walked in holding Avery's file in his hands and reading through it as he kicked the door shut with his foot.

"So, Avery." He said as he looked up. He pointed to Avery and Avery nodded. "Nice to meet you." He said, shaking Avery and Rick's hands. "I'm doctor Martin, but you can call me Rod, everyone does. Who do ya got there with you?" He nodded his head in Rick's direction.

"This is Rick." Avery told him, "He's my partner."

"You guys live together then I take it?"

"Yeah we do." Avery said.

"That's good." Rod said as he looked over the file again. "Not a good idea for you to be alone right now. With everything that's happened. I got your medical records from the hospital and been looking them over. I'm very sorry about what happened to you. Have you been seeing anyone about it?"

"Like a shrink?" Avery asked.

Rod nodded. "It would help. If you haven't seen anyone yet I'd suggest that you make an appointment. Just being able to talk things through can do a lot to aide in the healing process."

"I'll think about it." Avery told him.

"Good deal. So, I see from your records that you're a musician, a singer."

"That's right. I'm the lead vocalist in our band."

"Well let's check you out. As long as there's no scarring in your throat you should be able to make a full recovery."

"I hope so." Avery told him. "I've been worried about that."

Rod pulled a small flash light out of his coat pocket and walked to where Avery was sitting. "Alright kiddo, open up and stick that tongue out."

Rod checked out Avery's throat, then the roof of his mouth as well as the tissue around it. He ran his fingers down each side of his neck, feeling the throat muscles. He had Avery lean his head back.

"Sing a chord for me." Rod said. "What are you, a high tenor? Try an A."

Avery did as he was told and Rod pressed his fingers into the center of Avery's throat. As soon as he hit that high note his voice cracked.

"Yep, just what I thought." Rod wrote down a few notes in Avery's records.

"What is it?" Avery asked.

"Muscle fatigue." Rod told him. "There's also some bruising along the esophagus but nothing that won't heal. You're lucky there. I didn't see an scar tissue and there doesn't seem to be any internal injuries related to trauma but you're definitely going to have to rest those muscles."

Avery felt his heart jump. "Does that...does that mean I can't sing?"

"Oh you'll be able to sing again." Rod told him. "When those muscles heal."

"How long will that take?" Rick asked him.

"That's difficult to say. Everybody is different. This type of injury is usually caused by over working the vocal muscles. It can be caused from long term use of your voice like from singing but at your age that's not likely. Given your history and from what I've read about your assault, I'd say that most of the damaged was due to screaming or yelling, and dehydration."

"So what can I do to get my voice back to normal?" Avery asked.

"I can give you a print out with some vocal exercises that you can start doing. The most important thing though is rest. No screaming or yelling for the foreseeable future. If your not using your voice for singing then try and speak softly. Keep hydrated. You should be drinking about eight glasses of water each day and stay away from alcohol and anything that's caffeinated."

"Is there anything he can take that would help speed up the healing process?" Rick asked.

"Medications aren't really advised for this type of injury. They can actually do more harm than good. If your throat feels raspy or dry you can try chewing gum or sucking on a mint. Stay away from cough drops though because they can dry your mouth out. I'd also avoid clearing your throat or coughing if you can. If you have to swallow your spit then do that. It's better than clearing your throat."

He jotted down a few more notes then closed the file folder and tucked it under his arm. "Alright, I'll get those printouts for you and some home care instructions. I'd also like to schedule you for a hearing test. I just want to make sure there's no permanent damage to your inner ear. Other than that I think we're good to go." He smiled at Avery and shook his and Rick's hands again, telling them that it was a pleasure to meet them both. "The nurse will be back in with those papers." He told them.

Avery and Rick thanked him, he nodded and then stepped out of the room.

Avery was a little let down by the diagnosis. He was glad that it wasn't anything more serious, anything that would be a career killer, but he also wasn't happy about needing to rest his voice. If they were going to be ready in time for the concert then they needed to rehearse and that meant Avery had to get up on that stage and sing. He couldn't just sit on the side lines while the rest of the band played.

Still, if he didn't follow the doctors orders he may never sing again. It wasn't an easy decision to make. He didn't want to let the band down but he also had to think about his future. Was pushing himself now worth it if it meant that he could do more irreversible damage later? It seemed like a no brainer. His voice was his money maker and he had to protect it, but hearing the way it had cracked in the doctors office really made him worry. He hoped that the damage wasn't permanent. If he couldn't sing, Avery just didn't know what he was going to do.

___________________________________________________________________

The warm afternoon sun was a welcome contrast to the cool November air. As Avery stepped out of the medical building and into the parking lot he lifted his face to the sky and let the rays of the sun bathe his skin.

"Trash should be here soon." Rick told him, having already made the arrangements prior to their appointment to have Trash pick them up. Avery wanted to take a cab home but Trash wouldn't hear of it. The only reason he hadn't driven them to the appointment in the first place was because his father had a run he wanted him to make before he took off for the day.

As if on cue, Trash pulled into the parking lot driving his dads old beat up yellow ford. It backfired as he drove in, leaving a cloud of dark smoke behind him. Rick laughed as he opened the door. "Damn bro, I think it's time you changed the oil in this thing."

"She's on her last leg." Trash told him. "But she's had a good run so no regrets."

Avery crawled in first and sat between Trash and Rick.

"Hey there baby boy." Trash greeted him. "How was the appointment? What did the doc say?"

"He gave me vocal exercises to do and wants me to stay hydrated." Avery told him. "All in all it went pretty well though. It's nothing too serious, nothing to worry about really."

"He has muscle fatigue of his throat." Rick slid in beside Avery and closed the door.

"Not serious though?" Trash asked.

"Not as long as he follows the doctors orders. He's supposed to rest his vocal cords as much as possible. If he's not singing then he isn't supposed to talk loud or use his voice much unless really necessary."

Trash smirked. "So I guess if you piss him off he can't scream his head off at you."

"I don't scream my head off at anyone when I'm pissed." Avery rolled his eyes. "And I could never be pissed off at Rick."

"Yeah yeah, he walks on water." Trash snickered.

"Actually he does." Avery winked at Rick.

"Um-hm." Trash put the truck in gear and pulled out, leaving another cloud of smoke behind him.

"So what does this mean for rehearsals?" Trash asked.

Both men glanced at Avery. Avery smiled at them assured of himself. "Oh, I'm fine to rehearse." He said, noting the look on Rick's face.

"I think you should take a day or two more off and start doing those vocal exercises that the doctor gave you before you do any singing Ave."

Avery clenched his jaw then slouched down in his seat, annoyed.

"Oh, don't start pouting." Rick told him. "I just care about you and well, lets face it Ave, YOU are Desire. Without you and your amazing voice, we wouldn't have a band."

"I tend to agree with Rick there." Trash chimed in. "We were good before you joined, but we were great after. We wouldn't be near as popular as we are now if it wasn't for you. If there's a chance that you could lose your voice for good, then you need to do what the doc says. You don't want to take the risk of damaging that instrument. I mean, what else are you going to do?" Trash laughed some, "God knows you suck on the guitar."

"Gee, thanks." Avery rolled his eyes.

Rick nudged him with his shoulder. "We're just trying to be honest with you Ave. Your voice is a gift, take care of it."

Avery knew that they were just trying to help but still, he felt like he was letting everyone down. Another day or two was more time lost and time that they really needed to get ready for the concert. Avery felt that he'd had enough rest while he was unconscious in the hospital. Now was the time to get to work, but with Rick watching over him, that wasn't likely to happen.

Rick cared more about Avery then he did about winning the competition. Avery respected and appreciated that but he didn't want what had happened to him to hinder their chances of winning. They had worked too hard and come too far to quit now. They had to play to in that concert and they had to give it their best.

Anything else was just not an option. There was no way that Avery could back out now, no way that he was going to give Mikey what he wanted. He was determined to sing and he was determined to win. Anything less than first place just wasn't good enough.

___________________________________________________________________

Avery was standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, the sheet of vocal exercises laying on the edge of the sink. He'd gone through the first two of the listed exercises and was trying to figure out the third. It had him making soft throaty noises repeating the word ah several times starting in a low range and working his way up to a higher range while breathing through his noise and keeping his shoulders straight.

Slouching decreased the amount of air that could pass through the lungs and kept the diaphragm from rising and falling properly. Keeping ones shoulders straight, staring ahead with your head slightly tilted back allowed for a clear and open air way and didn't obstruct the singer form achieving the desired vocal range.