“Bas?” I called into the apartment, dropping my bag onto the counter, “Sebastian where are you?”
We had been in Denver for a few weeks now, adjusting to the move, and finding that it had been easier than we expected. Our jobs hadn’t changed, the way we treated each other hadn’t, making living in the new apartment simple as it was exactly the same as the one in New York, down to the blankets on the beds and the towels in the closet. However, there was one difference today. Sebastian had asked to stay home from work, something that entirely shocked me as he seemed to love bouncing around our shared office, helping me with whatever I needed. Of course, I told him that was fine and blocked all of my meetings, catching up on paperwork but my worry for him had been distracting and I came home at noon, needing to ensure he was okay.
“In my room,” Sebastian croaked and I rushed over, slowly opening the door to find him lying in bed with Aldo.
Sebastian was deathly pale, sweat pouring down his body and he waved weakly before allowing his arm to flop onto the bed next to him. It was clear that the wave had taken all of his energy and he started to cough loudly.
“Oh Bas,” I started to come to his side of the bed and he shook his head rapidly.
“I do not wish for you to get sick.”
“I don’t care,” I closed the distance and pressed my hand gently to his forehead, “you’re burning up.”
“Oui. I have a fever. 41 Celsius.”
“That… Sebastian, you're boiling your brain! That’s 106! Why didn’t ya call me to take you to the hospital?”
“I will be fine. I just need rest.”
“Ya need medicine and soup and a cool bath,” I wiped more of his sweat away, “ya can’t sweat out a fever,” I slowly pulled his blankets off and realized he was wearing four different pairs of pajamas, “I know you’re cold. It’s the fever but you’re fryin’ yourself. Come here,” carefully, I helped Sebastian to sit up and slowly pulled three pairs of the pajamas off, each of them more covered with sweat than the last, “oh sweet boy…”
“It’s okay,” he limply hung his head and I picked him up, carrying him from the apartment after grabbing my car keys and phone, “where are you taking me?”
“To the hospital. I can’t fix this at home. I want to,” I elbowed the elevator button and Sebastian buried his face into the side of my neck, “trust me I do. But this is clearly some kind of serious infection and I can’t fix that. Ya need antibiotics and fluid.”
“Okay,” he whispered gently, “I’m sorry.”
“I’m not mad at ya,” against my better judgment I softly kissed Sebastian on the forehead and we finally reached the parking garage where I gently placed him into the passenger seat of my car, “I could never be mad at you.”
“I don’t… feel very good,” Sebastian slurred, “everything feels weird.”
“I know.”
Rushing around, I climbed into my seat and drove us as quickly as possible to Saint Joseph Hospital, my hand never leaving Sebastian’s thigh.
He’s as stubborn as my Dad.
Gray didn’t want that knee replacement until we forced him to do it.
Can I combat someone so stubborn?
Yes.
I have to.
For his own health.
Sebastian didn’t call because he didn’t want to bother me.
I have to teach him to depend on me.
Parking outside of the emergency room, I scooped Sebastian into my arms and carefully carried him inside, “excuse me?” I called a passing nurse and she rushed over to us, “My friend is incredibly sick. I don’t know what he’s got but he has a 106-degree fever.”
“Come on,” she ushered us to a room, “I need him in a gown. We have to undress him and drop his temperature as quickly as possible.”
“Miss?” Sebastian finally roused from his fever-induced fugue state, “Will you assist me?”
“I’m not supposed to undress men,” she shook her head.
“Oh. I am not comfortable with Oliver seeing me nude. He is my boss. Is there a male nurse then? I am transgender I do not care either way.”
“If you gave me permission and your friend stays in the room with his back turned then I am able to assist you, yes.”
“You have my permission.”
“Alright. Put him here,” she pointed to the hospital bed and I laid Sebastian down before going to a corner of the room and turning my back.
Grabbing my phone from my pocket, I sent a quick text to Serenity.
-O: Sis I need you to call Silas for me.
-Nita: You literally live in the same city, call him yourself.
-O: I’m at the hospital with Bas. I need him to go to the penthouse and take Aldo for a few hours. He’s allowed in. Tell him I’ll call in a bit but I can’t leave the room.
-Nita: What the hell happened!
-O: I came home from the office early because he didn’t come with me today and found him literally cooking in his bed. 106-degree fever. Stubborn as Dad. I had to carry him to the car to bring him here.
-Nita: Oh fuck! Okay, I’m calling Si. You might wanna call Dad. Something is up with Daddy.
-O: Something is always up with Hunter. But okay. I will. Love you.
-S: Love you too. Silas is on his way now.
-O: Thank you.
“Sir?” The nurse called softly and I turned to find her holding a vomit bag up to Sebastian, “I need to get the doctor as soon as possible. He’s too weak to hold this on his own. Can you please do it? I’ll give you gloves.”
“Of course,” nodding, I rushed over and grabbed a pair of gloves before sitting on Sebastian’s bed and taking the vomit bag, “It’s okay, Bas. I’ve got ya.”
“I do not know if I will,” he whispered as the nurse ran out of the room, “but I feel like I must.”
“It won’t bother me if ya do.”
“Merci,” his entire body shivered and he began to vomit, crying gently as he did. Doing my best to not make a face, I took tiny breaths, the smell bothering me, “I am so sorry.”
“Stop apologizing. Vomit is fine. You clearly needed to. When did you start feeling this way?”
“Ce metin,” he gagged, “I have no idea why.”
“Food poisionin’ wouldn’t hit this hard. It could but your fever means infection,” I sighed softly as a doctor came into the room.
“Hey there,” the doctor nodded, “I’m Dr. Bright. I have a few things I need to do before we can get down to diagnosis. First,” she gestured to the nurse that had assisted Sebastian before, “Nurse Alexandra is going to give you an IV to boost your fluids as well as anti-nausea medication and a fever reducer. Then we’ll draw your blood and see if we can’t get to the source. I just need some information so we can pull up your insurance.”
“Um…” Sebastian looked at me and I smiled.
“Sebastian is on a work visa until next week when he takes his citizenship test. So for now, I’ll be payin’ out of pocket. You can send the bills to the HR department of Parallel Publishing,” I nodded, “I’m Oliver Hope. I own the company and Mr. Aubert is my roommate and assistant.”
“Oh… oh my goodness,” Dr. Bright gasped, “I remember you!”
“It’s nice to see ya, Dr. Bright. I hope that Sebastian bein’ on a visa still doesn’t change anything.”
“Not at all. We treat everyone. I’ll make sure to bill it to your company,” she slowly began to look over Sebastian, pressing softly on his stomach and he groaned loudly, gripping the bed.
“Thank you for that. Means a lot.”
“Of course,” she sighed gently, “there’s not much I can do without a blood test but try to bring the fever down. It’s not your appendix or anything. So let me see what I can find.”
“Merci,” Sebastian whispered and I gently took his hand, “I am scared. I made many mistakes before I came to America. If one of them is catching up with me then… then I…”
“You’re going to be fine,” Dr. Bright shook her head, “I am a newer doctor but a good one. I won’t let anything happen to you. We will figure it out and get you out of here.”
“Merci,” he whispered again, closing his eyes.
Dr. Bright left after Alexandra drew 8 vials of Sebastian’s blood and handed me a damp cloth that I used to slowly clean the sweat from any part of Sebastian that was visible.
“Oliver?” he swallowed thickly, “I need to share something.”
“Alright.”
“I did commit a crime,” he whispered gently, “I was a… what do you call them here? Escorte.”
“Escort?”
“Oui. I did sex work for 3 years before I came here. I was a camera model and I would allow men to pay me for their affection. I… I am not ashamed of this. Even when I worked at la banque, I still made money doing it. I… I needed affection and I was very cautious but… this is who I am.”
“Okay?” I tilted my head confused, “do ya think that bothers me?”
“Oui… it is filthy. Goes against God and what I was taught in the church.”
“Sex before marriage,” I whispered and he slowly nodded, “sex work is nothin’ to be ashamed of, Sebastian. Ya did what ya needed to do and then kept doin’ it because ya liked the way it made ya feel. Wanted and accepted. I would never fault ya for that and I don’t think it makes you disgusting or filthy. More than anythin’ it surprises me. But again, I don’t judge. Was it worth it?”
“Oui. It kept me in my flat, kept me fed, clothed, all of that.”
“Then yes. It was absolutely worth it. Is that what you were worried Skylar would find?”
“Oui. But I have not done it in a year.”
“Okay,” I gently kissed his forehead again, “but now you’re scared one of your… one of the men gave ya somethin’?”
“C'est possible,” he sighed, and I kissed his forehead again, “but I had a test before I came to America and I was clean.”
“Then there ya go. If someone did give ya somethin’, the doctor will see. Tell us how to treat it if it can be. Okay?”
“You… aren’t running away from me now that you know…”
“Of course not. Bas, I have had a string of lovers since Skylar. Not been in a relationship or fallen in love, but I have been with people. Does the fact that I’ve been with… quite a few since him bother ya?”
“No. How many?”
“Um… enough to feel shame for hurting them.”
“That is not an answer,” he smiled, clearly feeling a bit better due to the medications.
“15,” I whispered, moving away to look at our linked hands.
“Same as me then,” he reached up with a shaky hand and pushed my hair from my face, “You are not disgusting either. The circumstances may have been different, but we are the same.”
“So if I don’t disgust you, then you have to get that ya don’t disgust me. Okay? Sex work or just wanting that attention, I won’t fault ya for that.”
“Why did it never work out for you with past lovers?”
“I have particular… needs that they weren’t willing to deal with. They also only wanted to be with me for my money. Not because of who I am as a person.”
“That is stupid,” he laughed before coughing loud enough for blood to suddenly pool in his mouth, “I bit through my cheek.”
“Oh sweet boy,” I sighed and looked around, finding gauze pads and grabbing one, “open your mouth.”
“No.”
“You’re bleedin’. Just do it and I’ll call the nurse in.”
Sebastian slowly opened his mouth and I quickly slid the gauze in, using my gloved hand to hold it in place before pressing the nurse call button. She came rushing in and after I explained, called back Dr. Bright who let out a gentle sigh.
“No need to stitch it but we will clean it. I also know what’s going on with you,” Dr. Bright smiled and had the nurse gather supplies.
“What is it?” I swallowed, rubbing Sebastian’s arm gently as I held the gauze in place, trying to ignore the way he was staring into my eyes, a strange mix of pain and lust.
“How long have you felt sick, Sebastian?”
“A few weeks,” he mumbled as I moved my hand away and threw the gloves out, “I have been taking medication and cough drops to help.”
“Well, they were never going to be enough to combat pneumonia” she sighed gently, “you have a bacterial form. You simply would have needed to be sick and then someone with it would cough or sneeze near you or on your food. Spreads just like that. I’ll give you antibiotics and fever reducers but my main recommendation is rest and fluids. You also can’t eat anything solid until the inside of your mouth heals. So stick to soups and things.”
“Whatever he needs,” I smiled and tucked Sebastian’s hair away from his face, “his color is back.”
“He's severely dehydrated but his fever has gone down some,” the nurse smiled, “I’d say it’ll break in the next two days if he follows the doctor's instructions.”
“Perfect but we ain’t goin’ into the office for a while. We can work from home.”
“But-” Sebastian started to interrupt and I gently placed my hand over his mouth with a smile.
“Be a good boy and listen, yes?”
“Oui,” he nodded, “whatever you tell me.”
Ah fuck.
That still sends a shiver down my spine.
“Good.”
Sebastian was allowed to go home after three hours and I helped him to the car, carrying the medications we had been given by the hospital pharmacy. I ordered a grocery delivery while we were waiting, getting plenty of ingredients for soup and smoothies as well as things to keep Sebastian hydrated.
“Bas?” I whispered softly as I wrapped him around my front, carrying him to the elevator. He was too tired and weak to walk on his own and I was more than happy to carry him, wanting to feel him pressed close to me to know that he was here.
“Yes?” he muttered, his head on my shoulder.
“You need to take a bath when we get inside.”
He whined softly and I nuzzled his hair, his natural scent stronger than usual due to his sweat, “will you help me?”
“How about you leave your underwear and a tank top on and I’ll use a washcloth? I just want to get the sweat off your body.”
“Okay.”
I opened the door to the apartment, surprised when Aldo came running and even more shocked when I saw who was standing in my kitchen, cooking something in a massive pot.
“Silas?” I whispered.
“Hey, little bro!” My older brother laughed, tossing a dish towel over his shoulder, “Nita told me what was going on, and seeing as I’m a professional chef, I thought it was better I took the time to make soup for your… Do you always carry your assistant like that?”
“No,” clearing my throat, I slowly took Sebastian to his room as I realized he had fallen back asleep before I even opened the apartment door. Tucking the blankets around him, I pressed a soft kiss to his nose and he giggled before starting to snore.
Such a cute boy…
I have to be honest with you soon.
Don’t I?
No.
Shaking my head, I closed the bedroom quietly behind me and sat at the island, watching Silas cook.
“Hello in there?” Silas rapped his knuckles on my forehead, “Jesus what the fuck is going on with you?”
“Si,” I groaned, “Si I fucked up.”
“Uh oh. What did you do?” He grabbed a bottle of juice from my fridge and handed it to me.
“Fell in love,” I whispered, taking a long drink, “with someone I shouldn’t.”
“Guessing it’s the drop-dead gorgeous man you carried in here?”
“Yes.”
“What’s so wrong with that?”
“He’s 23. My assistant. My best friend outside of you.”
“Okay? I have a husband after all. He’s 10 years younger than me.”
“Fuckin’ excuse me!” I shouted, spilling juice but ignoring it to stare at Silas, “You’re married?”
“Yeah,” he shrugged, “have been for a few years.”
“And why haven’t we met him?”
“He was 17 when we met, Ollie. I was 27.”
“Oh…”
Oh fuck Silas.
That’s bad.
Really, really bad.
Dad is going to kill you.
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