Birthday Dare

by Rick Masters

Chapter 27

By Friday I had all my chores done and everything that I had planned to get done during the holiday completed as well. To achieve that I had missed getting to see Mike during the morning visiting hours. I had to catch the bus in to see him for the afternoon time slot so that I would have time to get home and get ready for Carrie's party. When I got to Mike his bed was curtained off. At the nurse's station they informed me that he would be ready soon and suggested I just sit and wait. I had only been sitting for about five minutes when they pulled back the curtains and took away a dressing trolley. When I went in to see him, Mike was not looking too happy, and I asked what was wrong.

"I've only gone and got an infection. They won't let me go home until it's sorted," he complained.

"Shit, Mike. I'm sorry. I was so looking forward to being able to come and visit you without having to catch a bus," I said, hoping my silly comment might help to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, and old Bob kicked the bucket this morning too," Mike added.

I looked over and only then realised that the bed next to Mike's was empty. "Oh. Shame. Were any of his family with him when he went?" I asked.

"I don't think he had any family. At least none came to visit him. He only ever had that one guy you saw, who was his carer, and the vicar come to visit him." I think Mike had grown quite fond of the old man; he had chatted with the old man a bit while they were lying in their beds. I was never quite sure if his name was Bob, or Robert, or if that was just a name Mike used to refer to him after he had passed away.

With the old man gone it was easier to slip a hand under the covers and help Mike out once more. Like before, I got my head into play when the time came so that there were no tell-tale signs left behind. When I had finished I asked Mike about the male nurse and if he had been bathed by him yet. Mike said that as he was on nights he had only been able to speak to him a little bit and had no idea how he would react if Mike showed his interest while being bathed.

"Anyway, you go and have fun tonight and don't worry about me. The infection will clear up in a day or two, they say. Then I should be ready to have the stitches out before I go home, so I won't have to return for that," Mike informed me.

"Well, that would be a help. I could always come and give you a bed bath if you want."

"I am not sure I spend that much time every day on making myself look beautiful," Mike said with a grin.

"Look, I know I'm not that fast doing the make-up, but if you let me practice on you I will get faster," I teased.

"Shut up, you dufus," Mike retorted.

"Anyway, look, I'll come and see you tomorrow morning if I manage to escape from Carrie's clutches. We'll talk about what we can do when they eventually let you out of here." I stood up, because they had rung the bell to signify that visiting hours were over. I bent down and gave Mike a kiss full on his lips. As I straightened up I saw one of the nurses looking at me; she smiled as soon as she saw that I had noticed her and then turned and went on her way. I told Mike about the nurse, then left to catch the bus home.

It didn't take me long to pack my bag for the night, then I went and had a good long shower. I took advantage of the shower to let my hand take care of the need I had built up with Mike. I thought doing it beforehand might help me to last a bit longer if anything happened at the party. Remembering the agreement we had made, I pulled on my jeans without underwear and started looking through my cupboard to pick a shirt. Making my selection, I got out a pair of trainer socks and put on my socks and shoes. I was ready to go as soon as Dad got home from work. Dad would take me over as soon as he got home so that I could get my sleeping arrangements sorted before the party started and have some time to relax with Carrie before the other guests arrived. I think the latter part of that was Carrie's idea. One of Carrie's parents would take me to the hospital the next day to visit Mike, and Mum or Dad would pick me up from the hospital. Originally they were going to take me home, but with Mike still being in hospital the plans were altered slightly. I was okay with most of the plan but wasn't too sure about relaxing with Carrie before the party started. But those arrangements had been made by our parents and I didn't get much say in them. I could agree or I could plan on getting a bus with my overnight bag in tow. For the first time in my life I was kind of hoping that Dad would get held up in traffic or have to work a bit later than usual, but alas that was not to be. Dad actually got home about fifteen minutes earlier than usual. After a quick greeting to me and Mum he had me get my stuff in the car and we were off. What I didn't know at that time was that with the house to themselves for the whole night, Mum and Dad planned to take in a show and enjoy each other's company without fear of interruption for the rest of the night. While I am pretty sure that included some passionate if not wild sex, I cannot really say. I never asked for details and none were ever offered.

My arrival at Carrie's house was met with some relief and some joy. There was mild pandemonium as they all ran around trying to get things ready. Kevin stopped whatever he was doing. After greeting me, he took me through the kitchen and the utility room. Opening a door off the utility room he showed me into another room that was small but had a bed and a little bathroom off it. The bathroom had a small shower and wash hand basin with a toilet bowl so crammed in that you basically had to straddle the toilet bowl to reach the basin if you wanted to lean over it to brush your teeth and, while sitting on the bowl you could use the side of the basin as an armrest. "This is where you will be sleeping. If you feel like going for a walk, this door leads directly outside and you can get some fresh air. I want to thank you for still sleeping over in the circumstances. It means a lot to Carrie. I know that the two of you are good friends and it's never going to go further than that, but as much as I would approve if the two of you did start dating, I also appreciate that Carrie has a male friend who is not expecting her to put out all the time for him. Oh and don't worry about how sex starved she appears to be. I know that she and the other girls have had some fun with you guys; they can't seem to keep their voices down to a whisper that can't be heard over the roar of a jet engine." Kevin smiled as he said that and I burst out laughing.

"I told her the other day that her whisper could be heard in the next ward of the hospital," I said, to let Kevin know that I understood where he was coming from and that he had not eavesdropped so much as had the information forced on him.

"Oh and because Carrie needed someone to talk to, she confided in me that you and Mike might be in a relationship. You don't need to tell me anything, I just want you to know that if that is the case it will not make a blind bit of difference to the way we feel about you. Carrie's mother and I have seen how kind you have been to Carrie and how much she enjoys being with you and talking with you. We appreciate that and are grateful for it too," Kevin said, holding up his hand at the appropriate part to stop me answering his unspoken question.

I was blushing at the praise and thanks from Kevin and wasn't sure what to say other than "Thank you", so I just moved over to the bed and dropped my bag there.

"Well, I'll leave you to get settled in. Thank you for providing me the opportunity for a little break from two organising women who seem to contradict both themselves and each other with every decision and order given. I guess I had better get back out there to try and make some sense out of some of it," Kevin said, smiling.

I patted the top of my bag and said, "I'm settled in; I'll come and give you a hand. Maybe two logical brains can get it sorted a bit faster."

"Ah, thank you, but you might regret it." The two of us left the room and headed back into the maelstrom that only two people who have not planned together can cause.

When we got out there the two girls were in a proper panic. It took Kevin banging a bottle down on the table to get them quiet enough that we could find out what still needed doing and get on with it. It turned out they were in more of a panic over getting themselves ready than over having the party stuff ready. Kevin told them to go off and start getting ready and to leave the party stuff to him and me. He said we would get it sorted while they made themselves look prettier than they already were.

Once the two girls had gone, Kevin said we should open the sliding doors between the lounge and the conservatory, then we could move the furniture around to get all the seating around the walls and leave some space in the middle for dancing. We worked together to manhandle the settees back against the walls and pulled the armchairs and dining room chairs along with some folding chairs into the available gaps. There was enough room for seats against the walls that there didn't need to be any in the middle of the room. The stereo system that was going to provide the music was quite compact and fitted in between two chairs comfortably. Kevin put on some music for us to listen to while we carried on with the work. I didn't know what it was he had put on but found that I really liked it, even though it was not modern and up to date. I asked him what it was.

"Ah, Steve, your education is sadly lacking if you have to ask me that. This is some of the finest music from my favourite classical composer, Johan Strauss. This particular piece is a waltz known as the 'Blue Danube'," Kevin told me.

"It's beautiful and very restful," I said.

"I'm glad you appreciate it and haven't just turfed it out because it's more than two years old." As the next piece of music started he told me it was a polka and went on to explain a bit about classical music and some of the composers. "There are some pieces of music you might recognise because you've heard them used on the radio or television and in commercials and not know that they are part of a larger composition. Other pieces are more famous because they are so pleasant to listen to, like Vivaldi's Four Seasons Concerto. If there's time I'll play that for you and you can tell me if you recognise it and if you like it too." By this time we had moved from the lounge into the dining room and were setting out disposable plates and cups along with serviettes. Kevin explained that there would not be so much washing up and all the food would be things that could be eaten with the fingers. Next we carried in a large plastic tub, putting a load of cool drinks into it and then dumped in several bags of ice. There wasn't going to be any alcohol, which was fine by me. I thought I would cope better if I remained sober. All that was left to do was put out the eats, and the girls had insisted that they would do that, so we moved out to the conservatory to sit for a bit while the girls finished getting ready. Kevin excused himself and left the room. A few moments later he returned with two beers in his hands. He offered one to me and said, "Here, you can have a drink before the party starts, as a thank you for the help. Once other guests get here there will be no alcohol. I am not risking some underage binge drinkers on my property."

Kevin put on the Vivaldi CD and we listened to the first of the Four Seasons Concertos played beautifully by the Austrian philharmonic orchestra. I found I could not stop myself from moving my hands in time to the music. Like the Strauss we had been listening to while we worked, this music was soft and relaxing. It was a new experience for me, but one that I would now pursue and introduce Mike to.

Carrie's mother was the first to emerge from the bedroom end of the house. She was surprised that we were sitting down with all the work done, and she moved off into the kitchen to set about getting the eats sorted. We had finished our beers. I stood up and took Kevin's empty bottle from him, to carry it through to the kitchen to put it in the recycling. I offered to give Carole a hand with the food. She thanked me and told me what she wanted done, and we set to working together on it. A few minutes later Kevin came into the kitchen and told me to go sit down, that I had done enough and needed some time to relax before the party started so that I could enjoy it more. I said I was ok, but he would not have it and literally ordered me out of the kitchen and into the conservatory again. Obeying, I sat down on one of the cane two seater settees in the conservatory to relax and listen to some more of Vivaldi's Four Seasons. I slouched down on the cushions with my head tipped back over the top edge of the cushion and my eyes closed, letting the music waft over me and fill my senses with its beauty.

I felt the settee move as someone sat down beside me but was so into the music that I kept my eyes closed and let the music relax me and put me at peace with myself. I felt her breath before I heard Carrie ask in, thankfully, a very soft whisper,

"Have you dressed as we agreed?"

"That's for me to know…" I began.

Carrie finished it off with, "And for me to find out!" and I felt her hand on my jeans working at my zip.

I jolted into a more upright position and put my hands down to stop her. "What if your mum or dad comes through?" I hissed.

"They're tied up for a few minutes with a tricky part of the food preparation. They're waiting for me to go help them. I'll just find out and then leave you to sleep to this crap," Carrie said as she struggled my zip down under my hands and slipped her hand into my fly. Satisfied that there were no underpants in the way, she gave my cock a couple of brief strokes and slipped her hand out, leaving me with my fly still open. I quickly made sure my cock was not going to get caught, did my zip up, and returned to listening to my new-found taste in music as I waited for the other guests to arrive.