Simpatico

The nurse signaled and moved into the corridor. When the door to the hall was shut and Rich was assured there was someone on the lookout, he rose from the deep, vinyl-upholstered chair where he had been keeping vigil while reading a Gore Vidal novel and moved over to the hospital bed.

He looked down at his older partner of the past six years, Miles Trent, and reminisced a few moments on how good their life had been. And it reminded him how well Miles had taken care of him up until his recent series of strokes that had left him entirely incapacitated in some ways but fully functional in others. Life could be so cruel. It had been good to them for over half a decade, but now this.

He supposed it could be worse. Miles might have resented having different appendages that wouldn't work.

Miles was fully awake, his eyes following Rich around the hospital room, his oxygen mask burbling merrily in the rhythm that Rich had come to be able to interpret over the past couple of weeks as wakefulness rather than repose—excitement even. Miles knew what was coming next. They did this two or three times a day when Rich could manage it—when he was able to arrange enough private time.

Rich moved around to the side of the bed facing the window wall, drawing a round-seat metal stool with him, which he rolled in line with Miles' thighs and sat on. Reaching under the sheet, he gently rolled Miles' pelvis toward him. Miles had a hospital gown on under the sheet, but it was fully open in front, the ties having come undone. He was in full erection, as Rich knew he would be.

Miles made a muffled sound through his oxygen mask that Rich had learned was encouragement rather than anger. Miles hadn't been able to speak for weeks. He probably never would be able to speak again. His whole left side was paralyzed, and, ironically, he was left-handed. All attempts to get him to communicate through writing, using his right hand, had gone for naught other than unintelligible scrawl. And now he had grown so weak that it was an effort for him even to raise the right hand. At fifty, entirely too young to be dying, Miles nevertheless was dying.

It was, perhaps, a curse that it was happening in stages. Rich wondered if he would fight it—or if he'd welcome the emptiness if he'd gotten in this condition. Thus far Miles was fighting it—fighting it as if there was something he had to do before checking out.

He'd always been so alive. He had had no trouble keeping up with Rich, who was barely twenty-six now. He had had no trouble, in fact, in dominating Rich and keeping him satisfied, even though Rich had a condition of needing attention frequently—several times a day to keep him from some form of withdrawal symptoms. If anyone had suffered more in that way over the past few weeks, it was Rich rather than Miles. But Rich had made sure Miles, at least, was regularly satisfied, just as he proceeded to do now.

He encircled the base of Miles' cock with his fingers, cupping the older man's ball sac in the palm of his hand, licked up one side of the erect phallus and down the other, and then opened his mouth over the bulb and started to suck. Miles' oxygen mask was gurgling merrily. There was nothing wrong with Miles' mind, and there had been no damage to the connection between his cock and the pleasure zones in his mind.

There also was nothing wrong with his ability to create and expel cum.

Miles was enjoying the blow job as much as he did earlier in the morning or last month or last year or when he originally picked Rich up in a bar on the Norfolk waterfront. Rich had been a Navy sailor just mustered out and celebrating that, but with little idea where to go from there. Miles had moved in on him, taken him back to his Hampton home, and fucked him three times during the night. As it happened, he had quickly discovered Rich's special needs—he needed to be dominated, and he needed to be fucked three or four times a day to be humming along at cruising speed. He'd had no trouble getting that in the Navy—sometimes from more than one sailor at a time. Miles had been able to satisfy both needs. Right up to his first of several strokes in the past three weeks.

Somehow Miles managed to move his pelvis, toward Rich and then away—then back—enough to be participating in the blow job. He was gently fucking Rich's mouth, and he managed to bring his right hand down and lay it on Rich's cheek to express his gratitude at his younger lover's loyalty and sustained attention to the need his strokes had not yet taken from him.

Miles managed an ejaculation, his oxygen mask merrily bubbling away. Rich swallowed the cum, cleaned the cock with his tongue, and kissed the palm of the hand that had been cupping his cheek. Then, almost reluctantly, knowing there should be more but also knowing there wouldn't be, he rose, pulled the sheet back from Miles' chest, kissed him on the nipples, and kissed up to the older man's cheek. It had been more than a week since Miles had been able to tolerate a kiss on the lips. He would be gasping for air and turning blue if they tried that now.

Rich sat back down on the stool, took Miles' right hand between his hands and looked into Miles' face, conveying all the love that he was able to put into an expression, but also fighting not to let Miles see his tears. It was a special day. Valentine's Day. At one point the doctors had said Miles wouldn't be here to mark the day. But he had proved them wrong. He was hanging on for some unknown reason. Although he'd never voice it, Rich wished Miles would just give up—for his own sake.

For the first week in hospital—not the initial few days, but the week following that—Rich had managed, with the nurses' help as a lookout, to climb onto the bed, hold his body over Miles' body, and fuck himself on Miles' cock, to the satisfaction of them both. They had done this three or four times through the day and night just as they would do at home. But eventually the private-duty nurse had said this was too much for Miles, and Rich had had to scale back to giving Miles regular blow jobs.

This met Miles' need, but not Rich's.

"Happy Valentine's Day, lover," Rich murmured, impressing upon the older man that he had made it to February 14th. "Or, should I say," he whispered after a moment, "Happy Valentine's Day, Daddy?" It occurred to him that this was the day the adoption papers went into effect.

He wasn't just Miles' younger live-in lover anymore—the personal assistant to the prolific pop-song music composer, which was the fig leaf thrown out to the public. He legally was Miles' son now.

"And thank you for that, Daddy," Rich murmured. A change in the bubbling of the oxygen mask assured Rich that Miles had heard and understood the conveying of the thanks. It had been something Miles had put into train many months ago, when the doctors first told him what likely was coming in his failing health. He'd gone as far in the process as he could without Rich knowing, because, his lawyer had told Rich, Miles was afraid Rich would leave him when he learned of his failing health. But at some point an adoptee needs to know and accede to the process.

To Rich's credit, he hadn't hesitated in hanging in there with Miles. As Miles' strength had lessened, he'd had to force Rich to go out to the bars again in those months of Thanksgiving into January to be serviced when Miles was having a bad day. Rich had an equally bad day on any day he wasn't fucked at least once. But even when Rich went out, he always returned to cuddle with Miles and give him a blow or hand job.

He had always thought of Miles as his daddy—but not literally until today. Miles had taken care of everything for him since picking him up in the Norfolk bar. Of course, Rich had taken on a full share of household chores and had functioned fully as a personal assistant. The world at large had no opportunity to question whether he was doing that job. And he'd always put Miles first and lived in his shadow.

What was he going to do now, without Miles? Could he live anywhere but in a man's shadow? What was he going to do without a man who took care of his need several times a day?

Could he—should he—even reveal that over the past four years, many of Miles' most popular song tunes actually were written by Rich? No, he couldn't—he wouldn't—do that to Miles' reputation—his legacy—especially not now when Miles had arranged for him to inherit everything the songs had provided. Luckily, there was no immediate family to challenge the move.

So, was what he'd just done incest now, he wondered, with a jolt that brought him off the stool and moving around the bed to go to the door and let the nurse know the deed was done—again—for at least the next several hours. If it was, he didn't really give a shit, he decided. Let others worry and ruffle their feathers about that, if they wished.

Opening the door, Rich signaled to the nurse, Dave, a strapping, big-boned, ruddy-cheeked, redhead.

"He's done. Now me," Rich said.

Dave grinned, unbuttoning his white hospital tunic as he followed Rich into the hospital room's bathroom and shut the door behind them. They couldn't lock it, but as Dave was Miles' daytime full-duty nurse, it was unlikely they'd be discovered or disturbed.

Naked, Rich stood, angled into the wall over the toilet, his arms spread and the heels of his hands pressed into the tiled wall behind the toilet. His feet were spread. They had the routine down on this, having done it once or twice a day since the schedule had been established of giving, first, Miles, and then, Rich, release. Dave was being richly compensated for this—beyond enjoying fucking Rich.

Dave went down on his haunches behind Rich, pulled the not-much-older man's cock and balls back through his spread thighs, and gave them and Rich's hole slobbery attention until Rich was moaning, writhing slightly, and open to Dave's oversized cock.

Hearing the familiar snap of the condom setting in place, Rich steeled himself and held his breath for the always-challenging entry of the nurse's cock inside him. Then, fully saddled, Dave grabbed Rich's hips initially to start the pumping and swinging of Rich's buttocks back to meet the thrusts of the cock. Moaning, Rich arched back and nestled the back of his head into the hollow of the bigger man's shoulder until, the rhythm of the fuck established and quickening, the two men turned their faces to the other and went into a deep kiss.

Knowing that Rich's condition prevented him from taking care of himself—requiring the partner to bring his cock to ejaculation—Dave reached around Rich's waist with one hand, grasped Rich's cock, and jerked him off. When Rich ejaculated, the cum arced neatly into the open toilet. The two had become experts in this.

Dave pumped for a couple of more moments before tensing, jerking, and releasing with a shared sigh.

The arrangement wasn't optimum, but it was minimally satisfactory. And it was, Rich knew, better than he was facing once Miles had died. Dave had come with the package Miles had prearranged, and Miles, not Rich, had initiated the way for Rich to obtain release.

What was he to do then, when Miles was gone? Sure, he would have sufficient income and a place to stay that he owned, but what did he know of maintaining any of that? His parents had taken care of him, then the Navy had taken care of him, and, since then, Miles had taken care of him. He and Miles had been so simpatico, each with his own function. Rich had never really had to deal with life itself.

He needed someone to take care of him—and not just sexually. But sexually was most important, of course.

* * * *

"Rich, I have someone out here I want you to meet." It was spoken softly and brought Rich awake smoothly from the doze he'd gone into in the arm chair near Miles' bed. He somewhat reluctantly came out of the comfort of the doze, though, as he'd been so jittery that it had taken some time and effort to reach a state of calm. Rich looked over to ensure that Miles was still breathing before he turned his head to Dave, the nurse, at the door.

Dave wasn't alone. Next to him stood a distinguished-looking man in a doctor's coat. He looked to be in his fifties, European, extremely good looking, and trim, but with a broad chest and narrow waist. He looked like elegance and money. His hair was of auburn shade, with graying at the temples; his eyes were hazel. His smile was easy, friendly. If he was here to give Rich bad news about Miles, Rich was glad it was someone like him to deliver it.

"Dr. Charbeneau," Dave said simply and then withdrew. The doctor reached a hand out. Long, sensuous fingers. Curly auburn hair on the knuckles. Rich melted to pelted men. Miles had considerable body hair as far as Rich could ascertain. Wondering to what extent that was true was arousing to Rich—especially as he was in need of attention.

"Are you here to tell me something about Mr. Trent's condition?" Rich asked.

"No, not really," Charbeneau said a smile. "I came to talk with you about your condition."

"My condition?"

"Yes. How all of this is affecting you. How well you are coping. The private duty nurse suggested that we should talk."

"Dave brought you in to talk to me about me?"

"Concerns about you brought me. It goes beyond that, but Dave reported that it's time."

"I'm not sure I understand."

"Perhaps we could go for a coffee and we could discuss it."

"I'm not really all that wild about the hospital cafeteria coffee."

"Neither am I. So, my suggestion is that we go to my apartment. It's an easy walk from here. I assure you that my coffee is good. And we'll have complete privacy."

"OK, I guess so. I could use the exercise."

"I agree. Dave says that, other than going home to sleep at night, you haven't been out of this room for more than an hour or so since Mr. Trent was brought here. That you haven't been getting enough exercise."

Well, Dave has been exercising me, Rich thought, with an ironical little smile. But he did welcome this chance to stretch and be away. There was no guilt in it. Doctor's orders.

The apartment, indeed, was just a couple of blocks away, in a swanky high rise building. And the apartment itself was large and expensively furnished, big floor-to-ceiling windows providing vistas out over the city. Of course, he was a doctor. He probably could afford it, and being this close to the hospital was a distinct convenience.

"You don't really want coffee, do you?" Charbeneau said, when he'd directed Rich to a long, deep sofa set beside a floor-to-ceiling plate glass window overlooking the city. He'd taken off his doctor's jacket and hung it around the back of a Chippendale side chair. Going even further, he'd unbuttoned his sports shirt and pulled it open, revealing a tanned, muscular, and hirsute torso.

Rich felt himself going hard. The man's torso was pelted, just as Rich had fantasized.

It had been nearly eight hours since Dave had fucked him in the hospital room bathroom, and, by what had been his normal schedule, he was overdue. To top this off, the doctor was a hunk. Older, the way Rich liked men, but in great shape—and with curly auburn hair swirling around his pecs and cascading down into his trousers. Rich wouldn't have been surprised if he found the man groomed his chest hair for best effect. Of course Rich immediately wondered about the man's pubic hair. Trimmed? Shaved?

Dr. Charbeneau was standing next to the island between the living area and the kitchen, leaning into the counter casually, supported on an elbow. To a Rich in sexual need, he looked great.

"You find you don't have coffee to offer?" Rich responded. "That's OK. I could have anything you—"

"No. I meant you're not really in the condition to have coffee, are you? You're all keyed up and jittery. You almost bounced on your way over here. Couldn't walk a straight line. And you are slurring your words a bit. Coffee wouldn't help with that. Just the opposite."

"Yes, well, it's—"

"I know, it's your condition. Nothing to be ashamed of. It's a medical condition."

"You know about—?"

"Yes, I know about your need—your medical need—and that you need help with that. Dave is helping you with that in the hospital, but it's not enough, is it? You're jittery because you need to be fucked."

"I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say much of anything. I'm here to help. Look up at me. Am I someone who could help you with your condition? Would you let me put my dick inside you and give you release?"

Rich had been looking anywhere but at the doctor, embarrassed that they were even discussing this, but unable to deny that he was keyed up or what was causing this. Now, when he did look up, he gasped. Charbeneau had dropped his trousers and kicked them to the side and was standing there just in the open sports shirt. His body was beautiful. His cock, in half erection, was thick and long.

"Oh shit, oh fuck," Rich muttered, feeling himself shuddering and going full hard.

"Your condition is that you need to be fucked several times a day," Charbeneau said, in a low voice. "And you can't take care of your need on your own. How many times have you been fucked today?"

"Once," Rich responded, the utterance coming out like a croak. God, the man's body was something to behold. And he was going harder. Longer, thicker.

"Once obviously isn't enough. Dave tries, but he says you aren't getting all that you need. Interestingly enough, my condition is the flip side of yours."

"The flip side of my condition?" Rich's condition was causing him to be slow on the uptake.

"Yes," Charbeneau answered, giving Rich a glittering smile, not at all embarrassed that he was standing before Rich nearly naked. "I have to have a man's ass a couple of times a day. I've been wanting to have yours ever since I saw you moving about the hospital. We both need frequent release. But whereas your need is for a man to possess you to bring release, I need to top a man to get there. Yin and yang. We're simpatico that way, wouldn't you say? You needing to get it and me needing to have it—frequently. Isn't that what you and Mr. Trent had before his strokes? Does that give you any ideas here?"

"But I'm—"

"You wouldn't be betraying Miles Trent, you know. You and he were simpatico in this way. You and I could be. Miles knew that—about the potential for you and me. Miles and I used to hunt together . . . before he became besotted with you and settled down. Do you find me repugnant or therapeutic? This is all according to the plan, you know."

Rich was draped over the side of the sofa, facing the window out onto the city, his belly on the sofa's arm, his arms and head dangling down toward the thick carpet, his knees buried in the cushions of the sofa, as, mounted on his pelvis and grasping his hips in long, sensuous fingers, Charbeneau's thick, long cock worked its way deep inside Rich's channel.

Embarrassed to be thinking it, nonetheless Rich panted heavily at the thickness and length of the man, reveling in how much more possessing it was than Miles' had ever been or than Dave, the nurse's, was. Throwing a hairy, muscled arm around Rich's neck, the older man drew the younger man's back up to his chest, drawing Rich's head into the hollow of his shoulder. Rich arched his back, luxuriating in the feel of the soft hair on his shoulder blades, buried the heels of his hands into the arm of the sofa, and gasped at the hard, deep possession. He cried out as the cock slid out to bulb at rim and then dove deep. Out and in. Again and again. Rich writhed in ecstasy as Charbeneau pump, pump, pumped him to a mutual cry of victory. Two needs being gloriously met.

Simpatico.

* * * *

"What did you mean when you said this was all according to plan?" Rich asked of the ceiling in Charbeneau's bedroom. "You said you knew Miles before he had his strokes—before I met him."