Asleep in His Arms

by Junco

FROM THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER

I felt the full force of a slap across my face, knocking my head against the cabinet door. I didn't realize I was going down, not till I hit the floor. I crashed into the floor so hard that it knocked the breathe out of me. The side of my face was stinging from his hand, and my ear was ringing too, probably from hitting the cabinet door. I was on my stomach, trying to breathe, while he sat on the back of my legs, and then spit on my ass. He had his hand on my back, holding me down, and was trying to get inside me again. I squirmed for all I was worth, and it seemed to be working for the moment, but I needed a better plan. I cried out, as he grabbed my hair, pulling my head back, and he yelled at me, "hold still boy."

The last thing I wanted to do was hold still, but he was too strong for me, and outweighed me, putting me at a serious disadvantage. He yanked on my hair even harder, and I felt him go in me. It was the worst pain I had ever felt in my life, and I cried out louder this time. I tried to fight him, but he had let go of my hair, and his hands were on my back, holding me to the floor. I felt it, hot and searing, as he went in me further. I picked my chest up off the floor, and tried turning to my side to throw him off, put he didn't like that, and he let me know it too. He grabbed my shoulders again, pulled them back off the floor a little, and slammed me back down on the floor. My head hit the floor when he did that, and it stunned me for a second. That's when he forced his way in me, all the way this time, and I thought I was going to die. I was screaming at him, no, over and over, and I started crying, because I hurt so badly.

I heard a sound, faintly but familiar. It was the click click sound Teddy made when he walked across the floor. His nails always made a distinctive sound on a hard surface, and I was hoping that it was him.

I heard another scream, louder than mine, saying "get him off me, get him off me." He was out of me quickly, and I felt instant release as I managed to pull myself forward, away from him. I turned my head to see Teddy with his teeth baring down on Scott's ass, and not letting go.

Scott swung at Teddy, but he didn't hit him very hard, seeing he had to reach backwards to hit him. The next swing looked like it was going to hurt, but Teddy was too quick, and let go of his ass, then grabbed Scott's wrist in his teeth before he ever made contact. Scott was up on his feet, trying to pull his pants up with one arm, while he had a Golden Retriever attached to the other arm. I had played with Teddy, and knew he was strong, but this was serious business, and Teddy wasn't playing around. He bit Scott so hard, that blood was dripping on the floor.

It looked like Scott had enough, and I just wanted him out. "Teddy," I yelled through my tears, and he let go. Teddy stood right beside me, as Scott pulled his jeans up on his way out the door. I heard tires squealing, and I knew it was over. I was still crying, but managed to run my hand along Teddy's soft fur, as he lay down beside me. I was so happy that he had come to my rescue, but I was hurt, and my head was ready to explode. My head hurting was nothing compared to the pain I was feeling inside me.

Teddy turned his head, back to the door, and started growling. "Shawn." I heard Ethan's voice, and I put my hand on Teddy, letting him know it was okay. "Shawn are you alright?"

I was crying too hard to answer, and Ethan knelt down beside me, as he pulled out his cell phone. "What happened?" He asked. "Yes, I need a rescue unit at 307 Kinsey Street." He paused for a moment, and said, "Ethan Quinlan. No, I'm still trying to find out, just get them here, now!" He was looking back at me, "Shawn, what happened?"

"He...he...", but I couldn't get out much more than that. The thought of what Scott did to me, made me cry that much harder.

He was back on the phone, "My friend was attacked," Ethan said, "and I think he may have been raped. Okay, he's shaking his head yes. Hold on a minute," and Ethan broke away from the phone to speak to me, "don't move Shawn, I'll be right back." Ethan went to the other room and brought a blanket back and covered me. "Shawn sweetie, the police will be here in one minute, rescue is two minutes away." He was back down in front of me again. "Are you hurt bad?"

I could only shake my head yes. The pain was unbelievable. I saw Ethan, his eyes were right there, like he was with me. He was back on the phone, "Yes he's gone," Ethan said. "I saw someone leave in a dark colored Blazer, probably late 80's." Ethan ran his hand through my hair, and I saw big tears streaming down his face. He was back on the phone, "Yes, well there's blood on the floor, but I'm sure he's hurt worse than it looks."

Ethan stood up and looked out the window. "Yes they're here now," and he folded up his phone. I could hear a siren in the distance, and see flashlight beams hitting the stairs, and the outside door.

An officer knocked on the door and walked in. Teddy growled again, but only once, then he was quiet.

"Who's Ethan?"

"I am."

"Are you related to him in any way?" The officer asked as he nodded toward me.

"No I'm a neighbor, I live downstairs."

"My name is Mark," said the officer as he knelt down beside me. "We got help on the way, you just try to relax. Can you talk?"

"I think so," I said through my tears. I did feel better knowing help was here.

"What's your name?"

"Shawn."

"Where do you hurt Shawn?" Mark was a nice looking guy, in his thirties, and very professional. I wasn't sure how much I wanted to say given how embarrassing my situation was, but at the moment I hurt too much and ended up being honest.

"My head hurts bad, and...and I hurt inside me too."

"Okay, we'll get you checked out in a minute. Just relax, take easy breathes, everything is going to be okay."

A second officer came in, and the both of them checked the other rooms of the apartment, they said it was for our safety and theirs. The second officer asked Ethan to join him in the other room, while Mark came back to me. He was kneeling next to me again, and gave Teddy a pat on the head.

"What's your dogs name?" The officer asked.

"Teddy."

"He's a good dog."

"I know, he saved me."

"How did he do that?"

"He bit this guy on the ass, and then on his wrist."

"Can you tell me who did this?"

"All I know is Scott."

"What's Scott look like?"

"He's about your height but heavier, with brown hair."

"Do you remember what he was wearing?"

"Blue jeans, and a black tee shirt."

"You say Teddy here bit him?"

"Yeah."

"How hard, just a little or do you think he broke the skin?"

"He bit him hard. Real hard."

"There's some blood over here on the floor, are you bleeding anywhere else, other than your ear?"

"I don't think so."

Mark turned around, as a third officer and the paramedic came in. "I think this is the suspects blood over here, everyone try to stay out of it." The kitchen wasn't big enough for everyone, and Mark went to the officer at the door and talked to him. The paramedics were real calm, and their questions were more about where I hurt, and what exactly happened to me. As embarrassing as it all could have been, I was shocked at how I easily I was able to tell them the whole story. They wanted to check my head out first, but then they checked on the rest of me too. I wanted someone to tell me I was going to be all right. They said until a doctor saw me, they couldn't say for positive, but they did give me lots of words of encouragement.

Mark came back to me. "Shawn, what's your last name?"

"Mason." He wrote that down in his book.

"I've got officer Braxton, looking around outside, and we'll get some detectives here in just a few minutes. We're going to do everything we can to catch this guy. Now these people here are going to take you to the hospital, and I'll be there as soon as I can.

The emergency room was much busier than I thought it would be for that time of night. Lots of people on the move, and I had two of them looking at me right away. They were very thorough about how they checked out my head, but it didn't stop there. I never had so many people look at my ass before. If I had any pride when I came in, I was certain it would be gone by the time I left. There were things they did, stuff they said was standard procedure when someone gets raped.

When I described my pain to the doctor, he asked if it was like a spasm, and I told him yeah, that was kind of how it felt. I told him I felt better and that most of the hot sensation was gone, but that I still hurt some. He said that the patch on my ear looked good, that he would give me something for muscle spasm, and for the pain, and keep me overnight. He also said that I should get an HIV test soon, and that it would be a good idea to get checked out again later, but that I was probably okay. He did reassure me that I was going to be fine.

Ethan and Mark showed up together, and both of them waited a minute till everyone cleared out.

"How you doing Sunshine?" Ethan asked while he came over and held my hand.

"I'm better. Thanks."

"I need to ask you some more questions."

"Whatever you say officer Mark."

He smiled at me. "That's cute."

"I'm glad you came back. I wanted to tell you that this guy Scott had a tattoo on his arm, I think it was a dragon."

"That's good. Do you remember what arm?"

"No."

"What else?"

"I remember his voice, it was a little bit high pitched."

"That's really good Shawn. Now let's start from the beginning." As I started talking, Mark kept asking me more questions, and I was surprised at how much I remembered, like stuff that was in his truck, where he was heading, and a ring he was wearing. He even got to questions like did I lead him on, or had I met him before, and the big question, did I say NO to him. I described the struggle, every detail, and he showed lots of interest in anything that Scott touched.

Mark told me that they had pulled over two dark colored Blazers that fit the description, but neither driver had marks on their wrist.

"I know you're tired," he said, "but if you think of anything else you call me. My name is Mark Sanchez, and I left my card on your refrigerator. Ethan has one, and I'm going to leave one here with the nurse. The card on your refrigerator has my cell phone number on the back. I want you to call me, anytime, day or night. If you remember something, or you think you see him again, let me know. I'll be there as quick as I can, and if you need somebody right away, call 911. We'll get the closest officer to you, but also while you're talking to dispatch, have them alert me."

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Your friend Ethan is going to keep a close watch on you, and I'm going to ask my Sergeant about having patrols stepped up on your street, just in case Scott comes back."

I felt tears again, but not because I hurt, but because I was touched by his level of concern. Ethan was holding my hand the entire time, and asked if there was anything he could do for me.

"No not really. I'm just real tired now."

"Okay, "Ethan said. "Well Mark is going to take me back home and I'll take Teddy out for a walk in the morning. I just took him on one before we came here." I didn't respond. I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open, and I felt like I could barely hear him. Whatever the doctor gave me was working fast. "If it's alright with you, Teddy can spend the rest of the night with me."

"Yeah. I think he would like that." I started going blank, and my eyes went shut. I felt him squeeze my hand one last time, and I think I squeezed it back.

When I woke up, I was in another place, much quieter than the emergency room. I felt a hand in mine, and a voice that sounded like Ethan, but I couldn't get my eyes open to see him. I felt so out of it, but I did hear what he said.

"I've got someone here that wants to see you."

"Okay," I said, but I'm sure it was a delayed reaction.

"They're going to have to sit with you in bed, is that okay?"

"Yeah sure."

All I could make out was a person on crutches before my eyes went shut again. I felt the bed shift as the weight of a person sat next to me. "Hi baby boy."

That voice, it sounded so familiar, but it took me a minute before anything registered. I felt a hand stroking my hair, gently touching me. "Hunter?" I said.

"I'm right here baby." I heard that voice again. It had to be Hunter.

"You're okay?" I asked.

"I'll be fine. I just want you to rest," he said. I was trying to wake it up. I wanted to see his eyes, and know for sure it was him. Before I could though, he kissed my eye, gently, just like he did on Sunday, a week ago, and that let me know it was him.

I had to force my eyes open, and when I did, I saw his beautiful face "Hey sweetheart," I said in a quiet voice.

"I'd give you a hug if I could," and he squeezed my hand tighter. He wasn't in a position to move, and could only sit there with his bandaged up ankle, next to my feet.

Ethan had walked over to us, and was holding Hunter's hand, and Hunter was holding mine. "What happened to your leg?" I asked Hunter.

"I was in a car accident last night. I was almost home, when this lady spun out right in front of me, and I missed her, but the car behind me hit me right in the side. Didn't break anything, but my ankle is real sore."

"Dam. We both had a rough night."

"I'm alright," he said. "My car is totaled, but I'm here." I squeezed his hand tighter, and said a quick prayer to myself, thankful that he was alive, and not hurt bad.

"I was worried about you last night, and now I see I had a reason to."

"I didn't have any way to get a hold of you last night," Hunter said, "and had to leave a message."

"Hope you don't mind," Ethan said, "but that's how I found him, when I listened to your messages."

"How's Teddy doing?" I asked him.

"I think he misses you, but physically, he's just fine."

"He's a good dog," I said, but then turned back to Hunter. "Teddy saved me last night."

"I know! That's what I heard," Hunter said. "I cried when Ethan told me about you, but he said we needed to be strong for you today. So if I'm not, just know I'm trying to be."

"I think I'm okay. My head doesn't hurt."

"How about inside you?" Hunter asked.

"Not bad. Just a little sore, but that's it."

"That's good. What about emotionally?"

"I'm upset with myself for letting that guy in the house."

"If I had been there, none of this would have happened to you," Hunter said.

"Can I say something," Ethan interpreted. "The fault doesn't lie with either of you. It's the guy that did this, so don't blame yourselves." He was right. But I knew I was going to be more careful too. A whole lot more.

"I missed you last night," I said. "I danced some, but it wasn't the same."

"You were all I could think about driving back from my moms," he said. "I couldn't wait to see you again, and I know we would have had such a good time."

"We always do," I said looking at the side of his face, till he turned to look at my eyes.

"Your eyes," he said. "I can never stop looking at them."

He had pretty eyes too, but when I looked at them, I could see all of him. It was pure love shining out, and reaching out to me. I was in love with that boy, but something deep within me was in love with the person inside him. I felt so connected to him, and suddenly my emotions were riding high.

"Are you hurt bad?" I asked.

"My ankle was twisted...and I'm sore everywhere, but that's it.

"I don't want anything to ever happen to you," I said and turned to my left. "Ethan, thank you so much for last night."

"I wish I could have done more," he said. "I heard something hit the floor above me, but I thought it was a chair or something. Then I heard something else, so I turned the music down, and heard you. By the time I got outside, he was pulling away."

"I know, it all happened so fast."

"So it didn't last long?" Hunter asked.

"No baby, it was over quick." I could see his distress. "I'll be okay," I said. He closed his eyes, and I saw a tear run down his cheek. I knew he loved me, and I was so in love with him. It felt like everything within my whole being, my heart, soul, everything that was me, was in love with him. I squeezed his hand tighter, and felt a tear from my eye.

He looked at me. "Are you okay? Do you hurt?" He asked.

"No baby, I'm just in love." That's when the tears poured out of him. We had our moment together. It was all Hunter and I, but Ethan was there too, as a witness to our love. We were all there together, or so I thought, when I realized Teddy wasn't with us. I looked around the room, and decided I didn't want to be there anymore. "I'm ready to get out of here."

"I'll go see if I can find somebody," Ethan said. We were in a double occupancy room, but no one was in the other bed, and now it was just Hunter and I. He had difficulty, but turned toward me so we could kiss. I was so glad he was all right, and now kissing his lips, I felt his life and his force within. The spirit that was Hunter came alive on my lips, and we kissed each other, like it was our first kiss. He was the sweetest person, with even sweeter lips, and we didn't stop until we heard a person clearing their throat. It was the nurse, and we became a little embarrassed.

"You're going to have to move young man."

"Don't go," I said. "He won't be in the way. Besides, he's hurt too."

The nurse couldn't resist me, and smiled at us as she came around to the other side. "Is this your boyfriend?" She asked.

"Yeah. Isn't he sweet?"

"He is pretty cute."

"I think so too," I said, and then turned to him and looked in his eyes. He was a lot more than just cute. His inner beauty had my attention for the moment, and that's when he kissed me once, but right on the lips. He was incredibly sweet, and I was happy knowing that another boy loved me, and wasn't afraid of showing it out in the straight world. We had kissed at his car a few times, but it was dark, and I'm sure no one saw us. We had kissed at the club, but that was our world, and we had a lot of freedom there. It was a great feeling to be loved by another boy, and not having to hide it. He held my hand while the nurse took my temperature, blood pressure, and other stuff. Hunter had to move when the doctor came, so that he could check me out properly. After that we were free to go.

We ended up in Ethan's part of the house. The first floor was bigger than my little apartment, plus getting Hunter up the stairs on crutches wasn't something we wanted to tackle right away. Ethan brought Teddy downstairs, then fixed us lunch. I had a new respect for the dog I loved so much. I kissed his soft golden fur, and he promptly liked me in the face.

"I suppose you want to kiss me now," Hunter said. I acted like I was going to, but backed away. I gave Teddy lots of attention, but when I stopped he laid down at my feet. None of us got much sleep that night.

Hunter and I were on the couch resting together. He had his foot up on a chair in ice packs, so the swelling would stay down. That didn't keep me from playing around with him. We always did seem to have a good time.

After lunch, Phillip and Trent came over. I didn't expect to see them so soon, but Ethan had called them early in the morning, and they left from Virginia shortly after that. I got warm hugs from both of them.

We all sat down, and got very comfortable, but the conversation was a little uneasy. It wasn't tension, but more an awkwardness than anything. Ethan took charge, and said he wanted to come up with a game plan.

"First of all," he said, "Mr. Mason here can't have any visitors unless it's somebody he knows well. You agree with that Shawn?"

"Yes, I know, that was stupid of me."

"Second, you can't go to the club by yourself. At least one of us needs to be with you."

"I don't think he should be by himself after dark," Phillip said.

"Not a bad idea," Ethan said.

"Dam. You guys aren't going to let me do anything." I got no sympathy from my comment, only a bunch of faces that meant business.

"My sister carries pepper spray with her," Hunter said.

"Good idea," Ethan said. "I'll pick some up tomorrow."

"I got you a cell phone," Trent said, and got up and handed it to me. "It's not a monthly plan, you buy minutes for it."

"Thank you Trent."

"You can call us if you're stuck somewhere and need a ride."

"That is so nice of you." Their generosity and concern was very apparent, but they all had their own lives, and couldn't watch me every second.

"You need to keep your doors locked too," Phillip said. "Even when you're home. It's different here, not like it was in the mountains." I agreed with him, and knew I had to change my ways. After that our conversation relaxed, and we started talking about other things. It was enjoyable having all my friends together, but the love I felt from everyone sunk deep into my heart.

"We have to go," Phillip said. "Is there anything we can do before we go?"

I looked at Hunter. "What are you going to do the rest of the day?"

"I'm going to be stuck to you like glue."

"You going home later?" I asked.

"I could I suppose. I don't want you to be alone though."

I didn't want to be by myself, not at the moment, and probably not during the night. I thought about it for a second. "Do you want to spend the night with me?"

"Yup."

"What about work tomorrow?" I asked.

"My classes are over with, and I can't stand up too long, so I'm not going to work either. You're going to stay home tomorrow, aren't you," he asked.

"I hadn't thought about it, but yeah I guess I should call Lisa, and let her know."

"If you guys can just get me upstairs, I won't have any problem staying with Shawn." Hunter looked at me after he said it, and I felt his love all over again.

"We can do that," Phillip said. Hunter easily made it to the door on his crutches. From there, Phillip and Trent carried him up the stairs. They asked where to set him down, and I suggested that they lay him down on the bed. Both of us were tired, after not sleeping much the night before, and the bed seemed to be the place we were heading to. Ethan took Teddy for a walk, and after he returned, left the three of us alone. Teddy curled up on his pillow, while I curled up next to Hunter. He held me tight at first but then relaxed his grip, and gently held me till I fell asleep in his arms.