Pete restlessly squirmed in his hospital bed. He hadn't been out of bed for a week. The doctor had removed the drainage tube from his head three hours ago. He was restless and more than ready to get out of bed and get on with his life. He'd finished the homework assignments that Jason had brought. He was totally bored with TV, so he stared at the ceiling. He was despondent that Dave hadn't dropped in for three days. He knew Dave's sister was visiting, but still.... Dave was so good at keeping his mind off his discomfort.

He needed to pee and the stainless steel handheld urinal had been removed from the room. He hated to have to call for help. His arm was itching inside the cast, about four inches up past his wrist, and his left shoulder blade itched so badly he felt like he had a flea bite on it. He could move his right shoulder, but that didn't help one damned bit, with the full left arm cast that wrapped around the middle of his chest, immobilizing his whole left side. He wanted to scream in frustration as he finally gave in and pushed the button.

He insisted on getting out of bed to go to the bathroom, and then insisted that the nurse had to leave the room while he relieved himself. She helped him off the bed and into the bathroom, but insisted that he sit on the bowl rather than stand. After she closed the door leaving him alone, he was glad that he was sitting for he was very light headed. He managed to get back to the bed by himself and was just attempting to climb back onto it when Dave popped in to see how he was doing.

"Do you need help there, Cute Butt?" Dave asked.

Cherry red, Pete grinned as he tried to hold the back of his gown closed. "Fuck you, Man." They had become close friends in the last three weeks, despite their age difference. Pete was on his knees in the middle of the bed. The cast held his left arm out in front of him. He couldn't figure out how to get turned around and over onto his back and still keep his gown closed with his other hand. Like the proverbial monkey gripping the bright coin inside of the milk bottle, he was not about to give Dave another view of his naked butt. "Would you please turn around so I can let go of this damned gown and get onto this bed?"

"Grouchy this morning are we? I've seen a few buns in my life. You've got nothing new. Although yours are awfully cute," Dave said as he turned his back to Pete. He was in a good mood this morning. The doctor had removed the stitches from his cheek and though there would be a scar it wouldn't be terribly noticeable once the redness went away.

"Dave..." Pete whined. He let go of the gown and managed to get laid back down.

"Okay." He was breathing hard from the effort. "You can turn around now."

"So when will they release you, Pete?" Dave asked walking up to the bed.

Pete looked a little down as he answered. "I could leave now if I had someplace to stay besides the dorm. Plus I have to have someone near by to make sure I don't hurt myself trying to do things. This stupid cast is so awkward."

"I see. So what time does Jason come around to see you today?"

"He should be here any time now."

"Oh, good. Listen, Pete, I'll stop back by later if I can. Relax. You'll be back in the grind in a few days."

Exasperated and disheartened Pete glumly watched Dave leave.

Dave waited outside Pete's room for Jason. He spoke with him for a couple of minutes and then Jason went in to see Pete. A few minutes later he emerged from the room and gave Dave a rueful look. "He's not happy that I'm not staying my usual time. He was bitching about you leaving so quickly, too."

"So what did you tell him?"

"Just that I have a special project I have to work on."

"Good, you didn't lie to him," Dave responded as they left the hospital together.

An hour later, the two of them walked back into Pete's room together. They looked like they were up to something and Pete's suspicion flared. "What have you two been up to?" he demanded.

Jason looked at Dave and then back at Pete with a devilish smile.

"I can't lie to you, Pete. Dave took me over to his house."

Pete's smile fell as he looked from Jason to Dave and back to Jason. His imagination scared him.

Dave glanced at Jason. "You want to tell him or shall I?"

"You better tell him, Dave."

"Tell me what? Are you playing around with my boyfriend, Dave?" He was on the verge of tears.

"George Peterson, Jr.," Dave scolded, "I'm old enough to be his father. Do you think I'd do a thing like that?"

"Well... no.... but you're both acting awfully weird."

"Tell him, Dave, before we get into trouble here."

"Alright, Pete, Jason and I uhh...., well we thought it would be good if....."

Jason couldn't stand the suspense. "Pete, Dave is going to let you stay in his house while you recuperate. He's even hired a nurse to look after you during the day while I'm in school. I'll stay with you at night. And we'll have the whole house to ourselves."

Pete's expression went from suspicious to incredulous. Dave grinned like a Cheshire.

"You mean I can get out of here? Oh, Dave you're the best. How can I ever thank you enough."

"Pete, let me remind you. You're in here because of me. If I'd had my wits about me when I stepped into the street, you wouldn't be in here to begin with. Anything I can do to make your life better, I will."

Pete discovered that having his arm in a cast that stuck out in front of him was a bigger handicap than he'd first imagined. Jason, kneeling on the floor, held his jeans for him to step into. Pete tried to help pull them up, but Jason batted his hand away and pulled them up around his hips. Pete started tucking his goodies in while Jason was straightening out his boxers in the back and accidentally goosed him. Pete jumped and turned striking him in the head and knocking him down. He was sure that he had decapitated his little boyfriend. Jason got up and let Pete 'kiss the booboo,' then he attempted zipping up Pete's pants. Pete got hard and that made it an impossible task. Jason teased Pete making him even more excited in spite of his embarrassment while an embarrassed Dave just grinned.

Dave had foreseen that a regular shirt wasn't going to work as long as Pete was in the cast so he'd purchased several large football jerseys. They still had to cut it up the side to get past the support that held his arm up. But at least it covered the fact that his pants weren't zipped.

"Maybe I'd better wear elastic banded sweats until I can use both hands again."

"You'll get the hang of it," Dave said. Pete blushed again and as Dave caught on to what he'd just said he blushed too. That tickled Jason and he laughed. Dave grinned at the little imp and said, "Jason will just have to keep his distance until you do."

Jason wasn't ready to let it go. "I'm just thankful that you didn't break both your arms. Pete, I love you, but I don't know if I'm ready to wipe your butt for you."

"Jason!" Pete scolded and turned to Dave. "Dave, are you teaching my boyfriend how to embarrass me?"

"Gee, Pete. It seems to me he doesn't need any lessons. He's pretty good at doing it all by himself. I would never have imagined having to wipe your cute little butt."

Jason fell backward onto the bed laughing.

"Oh God," Pete groaned, "my face is never going to be anything but red with you two taking care of me."

When they got into the car Pete attempted to fasten his seat belt, in twisting his body around he managed to conk Dave on the shoulder. It was a good thing that Jason was already buckled up for he would surely have rolled off the seat from laughing so hard.

"Dave? Can that nurse take care me at night, too?" Pete asked glaring over the seat at Jason. "Otherwise, I won't ever get any sleep with Jason laughing at me all the time."

"Sure, but what happens if he finds you funny, too?"

"Well....HE?"

"I thought you'd be more comfortable with a man."

"Oh God, this is going to be worse than I thought. A female nurse would have put a damper on you two, but with a male nurse....." Pete ran out of words as he considered his fate.

"I'm sorry Pete. I promise I'll try not to laugh again," Jason said, and then smirked. "Besides, I know you'd really rather have me take care of you rather than some old man."

They managed to get Pete into the house without further incidents. There was a recliner in the livingroom that he immediately headed for. He lay back with a sigh.

"I'm bushed."

There was a knock on the door. Jason was closest so he opened it. His mouth fell open when the big muscle-bound man dressed in whites smiled at him.

"Hi, I'm Jim Provost. Is Mr. Gates here?"

"Y-Y-Y-yeah. Come in."

Dave walked over and greeted the nurse. "Hi, I'm Dave Gates, come over and meet your patient. Pete, this is Jim, Jim this is Pete Peterson."

Pete's eyes nearly fell out of his head as he took in the sight of Jim's muscles.

"Hi, Pete, I'm going to be taking care of you for the next few weeks," Jim said, his perfect white teeth sparkling as he spoke.

"Cool," was the only word that Pete could get his mouth to form as he stared with a foolish grin plastered across his face.

Jason stood transfixed by the door. He watched Pete's reaction to the big man and felt totally inadequate. He felt that his small compact body couldn't compare to the big muscular nurse. How could he compete with a six foot three giant that was perfect in every way?

Dave offered to show Jim the layout of the house. "When I moved out, I left nearly everything here. So there's sheets, towels and------"

Jason was barely aware of Dave's dissertation as he disappeared down the hall with Jim. He realized that he hadn't been introduced and felt even more diminutive and inadequate as he watched Pete staring at Jim's muscular butt until it was out of sight.

Pete turned to him grinning. "Man, he's something, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he is something," Jason bitterly agreed. "I've got to get to class." He ducked out the door before Pete could object that he didn't have a class that afternoon.

Pete had difficulty making the chair move into an upright position so he could get out of it. He struggled to his feet and trotted to the door. Jason was already a half block down the street when Pete yelled, "Jason, come back."

Jason stopped. He didn't want to leave. He really had no idea why he had fled. He turned to look back as Pete stumbled on the bottom step and fell. He ran back, his heart in his throat, afraid that Pete had hurt himself.

Dave and Jim had heard Pete's yell and both had hurried back to the livingroom to find it empty. Jim rushed to the door, saw Jason kneeling with Pete's head in his lap and sprinted out the door

"Don't leave me. Please, don't ever leave me, Jase," Pete groaned.

"You don't need me. You've got a big muscleman to take care of you now."

"Yeah, but I don't love him. I love you, Babe."

They gazed into each other eyes, oblivious of Jim standing over them.

"Besides," Jim said, "I've got a very jealous boyfriend and he's even bigger than me."

The two looked up at the big muscle man in awe, not believing he was gay.

"Come on, let's get you back inside." Jim scooped Pete off the ground as if he weighed nothing, carried him back inside and laid him back into the lounger.

"And you," he glared at Jason, who had followed them back in, and then picked him up and deposited him on Pete's lap, "stay put. I can't be having my patient running out the door every time you decide to leave." He grinned to take the sting out of the command.

Dave stood to the side watching with a worried grin on his face. He wondered how the two young guys were going to get along with the big abrasive nurse.

Pete grinned at Jason's shocked expression. "I like that guy."

He lay back exhausted from the exertion. Jason swivelled his head around to see that Jim and Dave had disappeared into another part of the house. He relaxed against Pete and laid his head onto his chest. "Yeah, he's kind of a take charge kinda guy, isn't he? I can't really believe he's one of us. I sure will be glad when you get this cast off. It doesn't make a very good pillow," he grouched.

"Jase? Why did you run off like that?" Pete had his good arm around Jason holding him tight. His kissed the top of Jason's head.

Jason was quiet for so long that Pete thought he might have gone to sleep. "Scared, I guess," he finally said. "I can't take care of you like him. I couldn't even drag you into the house. He can take care of you a lot better than I ever could."

"So?"

Jason didn't respond.

"Jase, don't you realize that you've become more important to me than my family? I was willing to lose them when I told them I was gay, but I don't think I could survive losing you. I just don't think I could, Jase."

"But why? I'm just a scrawny little runt with nothing much to offer."

"You've listened to your dad too much. You may be diminutive in stature, but you are not a scrawny runt. You're beautiful. I love looking at you, with your big Lapis Lazuli eyes. I love touching your hair. It's so shiny, so soft. It's blacker than a raven's wing. Your skin is nearly translucent, it glows with vitality. You're so alive. You wake people up and make them see the world around them. You have a beautiful voice. You're so talented, you're going to be a great architect one day or a famous artist. You see the beauty in everything. You have so much to offer. But the best thing I like about you is that you chose me to love. When you are near me my heart sings with joy. You make me happy. I love you, Jason."

"I love you, too, Pete, and you're going to be a great poet and author one day. I've never heard anyone who can sweet talk like you."

Pete smiled as he lay there with Jason on his lap, the top of his head under his chin. They both fell silent. Jason noticed that Pete's breathing had evened out and he was quietly snoring. He relaxed into sleep, too.

"They can't be comfortable like that," Jim commented as he and Dave walked back into the livingroom.

"I know Jason's got to be exhausted with the schedule he's been keeping. He's been by Pete's side every moment that he's been able to spare from school and his studies."

"If you will carry him, I'll take Pete, and we'll just put them to bed." Jim said as he picked Jason up and deposited him into Dave's arms. Jason sighed and snuggled his head against Dave's neck.

Pete awoke and watched as Jim picked him up. "You make me feel like a child. I can walk you know," he grumbled.

Jim grinned at him. "Just shut up and enjoy it."

In the bedroom Jim laid Pete in the middle of the big queen size bed and stepped back. Dave laid Jason's sleeping form next to him. Pete maneuvered Jason's head onto his shoulder with his good arm as Jason rolled up against him, flinging an arm over Pete's chest. After pulling their shoes off, Jim laid a blanket over them, tucking an edge of it under Jason's chin where it lay on the edge of Pete's body cast. Pete smiled a 'thanks' to him and contentedly closed his eyes and was soon back to sleep.

Hours later Jason moved his head and raked the roughness of the cast against his face. Awakening, he realized he was sleeping against Pete. He became aware that Pete had his arm wrapped protectively around his shoulders. He slowly raised his head, looked into Pete's smile and murmured. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself you horny little bugger."

"Why are you calling me that?" Jason asked, stretching.

Pete chuckled. "You've been humping my thigh for the last half hour."

"Oh my God, I'm sorry, Pete."

"Hey, don't be. I loved every second of it. As soon as Jim leaves tonight I'd love to make love to you."

"But I thought we had agreed to wait until we got a place of our own, next semester."

"We have a place of our own now."

"But what about our commitment vows?"

"Jason, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy."

"You know that I feel the same about you, Pete."

"Then as far as I'm concerned we are married. We can still have a ceremony if you want, but it won't make us any more partners than we are right now."

"I love you so much, Pete. Shall I go tell Jim to get the hell out of here and let us fuck our brains out in private?" Jason grinned slyly up at Pete.

"Nah, He's fixing dinner for us. Let's at least wait until we've eaten."

"I'm not hungry for anything except you." At that moment Jason's stomach loudly disagreed with what he'd said.

Pete laughed. "You can't lie worth shit, Jase."

Jason sat up and moved off the bed. "Alright, I'm starved, but I'd still rather munch on you."

He padded into the bathroom to relieve himself. Pete struggled to get over to the edge of the bed towhere he could roll off onto his feet, and then followed Jason.

Pete rolled back onto the bed as Jason put his shoes on.

"I'm going to go see if I can help with dinner," he said as he left the room.

"Well, it's about time you woke up," Jim said, before Jason could open his mouth as he entered the kitchen. "Peel those potatoes in the sink. And then cut them into one inch chunks."

Jason glared at Jim. "I don't know who the hell you think you are. Just because you're a nurse doesn't mean you get to boss me around."

"Feisty little bugger, aren't you? Now if you will do as I ask we'll all have dinner a little sooner."

"You're worse than my father. You didn't ask, you just told me to peel the damned potatoes."

Jim towered over Jason with his huge hands on his narrow hips. "So, do it and stop hassling."

Jason had felt demeaned every time Jim looked at him. He'd be damned before he put up with this; being told to peel potatoes as if he were a servant. It was too much. Damned arrogant asshole. Just because Jim was so big and he was so small was no reason to put up with this kind of treatment. "You may be five times bigger than me. And you may scare the shit out of me, but... Fuck You. I am out of here. You can explain to Pete why I left." Jason stormed out of the kitchen, grabbed up his books and back pack off the dining room table and left the house, leaving an astounded nurse staring open mouthed at the door.

A couple of hours later, Jason lay on his bed in the dorm staring at the ceiling, still fuming. He regretted leaving without telling Pete, but he wasn't going to put up with that monster male nurse. And that was that!!

There was a quiet knock on his door. Jason's heart jumped to his throat as he wondered if Pete had come clear across campus. He leaped off the bed and flung the door open, ready to scold him for doing something so stupid. His eyes bulged out as he realized he was staring into a man's belly. He did a mental check to see if he was still standing or kneeling. No, his feet were definitely on the floor. He raised his eyes to look up at the rest of the man, and connected with a kind gentle handsome face.

"Hi, my name's Jake. May I come in and speak with you?"

Jason let go of the door knob and stepped back.

Jake ducked his head through the doorway and stepped over to Pete's bed and sat down. He knew that his height and size intimidated people, so by sitting he didn't tower over them, except with Jason's diminutive size he still did. Jason crept back to his bed and sat down across from him.

"Jim can get kinda bossy sometimes. It comes with the job. And I guess he kinda looked on you as a kid 'cause of your size." Jake saw the anger flare in Jason's eyes. "He didn't want to leave Pete by himself, so he called me and asked if I would come apologize for him. He said to tell you he will treat you with respect when you come back. And that Pete needs you back there. So will you come with me and we'll go back to the house?"

Jason nodded his head, but didn't move. Jake held out his arms to him. "Come're, let Jake give you a hug. You look like you really could use one right now."

Jason slipped off the bed, feeling like he was ten years old, and stepped between the big man's legs. Jake gently enfolded him in his arms. For the first time in his life he felt what it would be like to have a father's loving embrace. His dad had never hugged him, even as a child. A pat on the head or a brisk rub on his back was all the touch he had ever gotten from him, and seldom did he get that. He relaxed into Jake's chest and hugged him back. "Yep, I could tell you needed this. I think you and I are going to be great pals."

Jim met them at the door. "Jason, thank you for coming back. I was totally out of line speaking to you like that. I promise I will respect you from now on. I guess that I'm just a bossy ol' nurse. Please, forgive me?"

"That's alright. I'm used to being treated like a little kid." Jason voice was resigned.

"Well you shouldn't have to be used to it. I'm sorry that I treated you that way. I admitted to Pete what I had done and he's pissed at me, too."

"I'm not mad any more. Thanks for realizing I'm not a child."

Jake was standing behind Jason with his hands on his shoulders, watching his lover apologize. He squeezed Jason's shoulders lightly. "You're more of a man than I would be," he said, "I would've punched his lights out."

"Yeah, right. Like I could do that. Maybe I could kick him in his shins." Jason grinned up at him. "I'd better go see Pete. He's such a worry wart."

A couple of hours later, Jim and Jake had cleaned up the kitchen and left after sharing a delicious, but simple dinner. Jason and Pete sat at the kitchen table doing their home work.

Jason glanced at Pete and asked, "What did you think of Jake?"

Pete raised his eyes and studied Jason a moment. "Next to you, he's the handsomest man I've ever seen."

Jason blushed and with a grin said, "Most handsome."

Pete shrugged. "Whatever. You're still the best looking man around."

Jason stared at the book opened before him then looked up to find Pete still looking at him. "Do you really think of me as a man?"

Pete's expression turned to consternation. "Damned right I do, Jason. You are not a boy, you're my man."

"I love you, Pete."

"You know I love you, Jase. So why were you asking me about Jake?"

"I really like him. Even if his size makes me feel like a dwarf, he treated me like you and Dave do. He's kind and gentle, not abrasive like Jim. He even hugged me when he came over to the dorm."

"He better not be putting any moves on you."

"Pete, he's like a big brother. I like that."

"Yeah, he is a good guy."

They went back to studying. Soon Pete had slipped his shoes off and was rubbing Jason's leg with his bare feet. He didn't have any socks on because someone else had to put them on for him; the shoes - he could just slip into without help. He started to get a hardon feeling the hair on Jason's leg with his toes.

Jason was doing his best, and not succeeding very well, to ignore the effects of being touched by Pete. He reached down and grabbed one of Pete's feet, propped the heel between his thighs on the chair seat, and commenced to massage his toes with his fingers. Jason slid his forefinger between his two biggest toes as he intently studied the book in front of him. Pete lay back and moaned. "Oh, man, I can't concentrate with you doing that."

Jason glanced at him with a devilish grin, stuck a finger in his mouth and then slid the well-wetted finger back between Pete's toes.

Pete let out a guttural groan. "To hell with studying. I want you so badly. Let's go to bed, Jase."

Jason slammed his book closed and stood up. "I've just been waiting for an invitation."

"You don't need no invite. Let's go."

Pete lumbered to the bed room with Jason following like a little puppy. He was so excited he was bouncing. Having played the devil's advocate, when Pete had earlier expressed his desire, was only to make sure that he wouldn't have any regrets not waiting until they had made public vows. He'd dreamed of making love to Pete since they first met in Freshman orientation. Now it was going to finally happen.