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Kelly was sound asleep within minutes of hitting the road, just as Jim had hoped. As he drove, Jim called Matt first, to check on his son's condition. All was well there and Matt said they would be at the base hospital by 1100 hours. Next he called Finn, who also reported that all was fine. Finn also told him that he had done as Jim instructed. Linda's body was to be cremated and her remains sent to her parents. To Jim, it seemed the best way to handle the situation, considering how things had ended. Finally, the call he dreaded-to his parents, now living in Florida. When his mother answered the phone, Jim asked if his dad were around. Luckily, his dad was just leaving for the golf course. Jim asked that he please wait and to put the phone on speaker. Deciding it were best not to simply blurt out "Linda's dead," he chose to tell them the entire story, from moving day until the present. His mother reacted as he expected: from shock, to hysterics of concern for Matty, ending with tears of joy for her new grandson. She insisted, over Jim's objections, that they would be on the road within two hours. They wanted to come and stay for a bit and help with the baby and Matty until things settled. Jim reluctantly agreed and they ended the conversation. After he hung up and thought it through, however, he decided it might just be the best plan. Kelly slept for more than an hour and a half, before Jim had to stop to change and feed the little guy. While holding his son and feeding him his bottle, Jim finally had the opportunity to study the boy. His eyes were light green and he had a head of light brown hair but his skin was fair. As he drank his bottle, his little eyes never left Jim. It was if he was doing some studying of his own. Bottle finished, then rocked and burped, Jim strapped the boy into his seat and continued down the road. He muttered a prayer of thanks that the boy was so content. As he looked out across the miles of farmland, horse farms and suburban crawl that had been steadily creeping in along the eastern shore of Maryland, he began to reflect on Linda's actions over the last few months. She had been a bit higher strung than usual. He chalked that up to the move and being pregnant. One thing jumped out at him, though, something that should have been a big clue to him early on. Instead of making a nursery out of the spare bedroom, she had set it up as a guest room and simply put a crib in there. At the time, it didn't make much sense to Jim, especially since it was a rental. He thought it best not to push the issue. Now, it made complete sense. Then another thought hit him like a thunderbolt. Linda had been right. He was paying so much attention to his job and the corps that he didn't even notice what she was doing at the time. He didn't notice that future baby plans weren't being made. She wasn't out buying clothes and supplies like she had done with Matty. Now that he thought about it, she hadn't even bought a car seat. Jim made a vow to himself, right then and there, that he would pay more attention to everything around him, especially now that he would be raising two boys on his own. Just before crossing the Chesapeake Bay bridge-tunnel, Kelly started to fuss. Jim stopped at the rest area to change him and give him another bottle. Anticipating what he would need for the trip home, he and Jane had prepared several bottles for the baby. She loaned him her travel bottle warmer, which worked off the cigarette lighter in the car. It was ideal for Jim's needs. While changing the baby and putting cream on his little cock, Jim was pleased to see that Kelly had not been circumcised. Linda must have wanted Kelly to be like his brother Matty, even though she had been totally against leaving Matty uncut. Back on the road, Jim checked in with Matt and found everything to still be in control at that end. Matt and Matty were at the base hospital. Matt told him that Matty's arm received only a Greenstick fracture and was not as serious an injury as they originally thought. The arm would be in a cast for only about four to six weeks. His leg injury, however, was more serious. Matty would be in a cast for at least eight weeks and another eight weeks in a brace. The good news was that the doctor told Matt that Matty could go home the next day. Matt mentioned that he had called Jim's CO to explain the situation. The CO had initially granted Jim a thirty-day leave. Just as Jim had instructed, Matt told the CO that Jim would only need one week to square things away. Matt also told Jim that he had sent Frank to Wal-Mart to stock up diapers, supplies and formula, and some food for him and Matty. "Thanks buddy, you're a lifesaver," Jim said, leaving out the 'and I love you' that he really wanted to say. And then they finalized the plans for his return. It was decided that they would wait until Matty was home from the hospital before they would tell the boy about his new baby brother, thinking it might be easier that way. He told Matt that, with stops for feeding and changing, he probably wouldn't be rolling in until about 2100 hours. Since it was too late for visiting the hospital he would just call Matty on the phone tonight and plan to see him the next day. Continuing on his way Jim began to think about how he felt about Matt. There was a lot to think about. From the moment he saw Matt that first day just a few short days ago, he was all Jim could think about. When Frank forced him to open up his mind, and think about what had happened the last day that he had seen Matt many years before, it also allowed long buried feelings and desires to re-emerge. In retrospect, he had always been kind of in love with Matt. He couldn't allow himself to admit it. And if he was really, really honest with himself there were many times when he was making love to Linda, especially in the early years, that he was thinking of Matt. It took quite a lot of work to push those thoughts into the deep corners of his mind. That's where they would have to stay. Matt was a married man with a wife and a son. Jim would have to be content with having Matt back as his best friend. So lost in his thoughts, Jim drove on and before he knew it he crossed over the Virginia/North Carolina line and was speeding towards the Dismal Swamp rest area. That meant he would be soon passing the scene of the fiery crash that took the life of his wife, and changed his forever. As he passed the intersection, he was surprised how little it affected him. All he could think about was getting home and seeing his son, and of course Matt. That made him smile. His reverie was broken when his mom called to say they had decided to stop for the night and wouldn't be arriving until around noon the next day. When he hung up, Jim said a silent prayer of thanks for that bit of news. At his next pit stop, he spoke with Matty at the hospital and told his boy that he would be there first thing in the morning to bring him home. Matty was, of course, thrilled at the news. Jim kept the call short because he could tell that Matty was sleepy from the pain medication, and needed his rest. When Jim finally pulled into his driveway, he was exhausted. Lights were on in the house. He figured Matt, Frank and Jimmy were waiting to greet him and the baby. He was right. He had no sooner stopped the car than all three of them, plus Ian, were streaming out the door and walking swiftly towards the car. First, it was hugs all around. Then Jim got Kelly out of his car seat while the rest of the gang grabbed something from the car to bring into the house. Jim stood in the middle of the living room holding a squirming Kelly, and with his voice choking with emotion, said, "Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to James Kelly Flannery, Jr." He then handed the baby to Matt saying, "And I think his Godfather should be the first to hold him." Matt cradled the baby in his arms. He was so overcome with emotion that he had to sit. "Hey there, Kelly! Welcome home, little buddy." As he kissed the boy's forehead, Kelly grabbed Matt's finger and began to coo, just as he had with Jim. Jimmy hovered over the baby, taking a close look at the new little brother of his best buddy. "Hey, wait a minute; I thought you said his name was James," he said giving Jim a questioning look. "It is, sport. But, we already have a Jim and a Jimmy. So, to keep it less confusing, I thought we'd call him by his middle name," Jim said. "Yeah, okay that's cool," was Jimmy's answer. As Frank took the baby into his arms, he volunteered to do the changing and feeding so Jim could eat dinner. Jim sighed gratefully and followed Matt into the kitchen and to his waiting dinner. Changed, fed, and rocked to sleep by Frank, Kelly was placed gently into his crib. "Jim," Frank said as they made their way back to the family room, "you must be exhausted. So, Matt, why don't you stay here tonight and help with the baby so Jim can get some sleep." "Good idea, Dad," Matt replied, "If that works for you, Jim?" Matt asked, looking at his friend. "Works for me fine," replied Jim. Frank and Jimmy said goodnight. Before leaving, Jimmy turned to his uncle, "I'll even take Ian, Uncle Gunner, so he won't bark and wake the baby," Jimmy said, obviously proud of himself for thinking of something to contribute. Jim gave him a hug, "Thanks, sport. That will be a big help," Jim said as he ruffled the boy's hair. When the front door closed behind the three, Jim looked into Matt's eyes and Matt new instinctively what Jim wanted. Actually, what Jim needed. He pulled Jim into his arms and hugged him tightly. That simple gesture of love and friendship from Matt opened Jim's flood gates. The past three days had been insane for him and, in true Marine fashion, he dropped the bullshit and completed the mission. But now the enormity of it all hit him like a ton of bricks. He laid his head on Matt's shoulder, sagged gratefully into Matt's strong body and began to cry tears of anger, anguish, and relief. They stood for a moment and Matt gently rocked Jim on his feet. "Come on, buddy, let's sit," Matt said quietly, and the two men sank onto the couch, sitting closely together. Jim leaned into Matt, who placed his arm around his old friend and held him tightly to himself. Jim let it all spill out. He needed this, someone to listen to him and not judge, just understand and be supportive. But most of all, just be there for him. Matt listened quietly and patiently as Jim told him about all the recent events, leaving nothing out. Finally, emotionally and physically drained by it all, Jim yawned hugely and said to Matt, "I don't know about you, bud; but, my ass is draggin'. Whadda ya say we hit the rack, before the 'devil pup' wakes up and wants to eat again?" he asked tiredly. Matt agreed and followed Jim into the bedroom. "Would you mind sleeping in here with me?" Jim asked, hesitantly. "It might be better than waking the baby," he added quickly. Matt agreed without hesitating at all. After hitting the head and taking care of their nightly routines, the guys stripped and slipped under the covers, just as they had done as teenagers, naked and comfortable. They both fell into sleep. A little later, Kelly's crying awoke Matt instantly. As he started to rise and tend to the baby, he realized quickly that Jim was spooned against his back. He tightly held onto Matt with his legs wrapped firmly around him. Jim's hard cock was pressed firmly against Matt's ass. For a brief moment, Matt enjoyed the warm, comfortable feeling of Jim's body against his, after being gone for so many years. But, the fretting baby's crying quickly broke the spell. As Matt gently untangled himself from him, the exhausted Jim stirred awake and muttered sleepily, "it's okay, Matty, I'll get him." "No, I'll go. You just go back to sleep," Matt whispered softly to the already slumbering giant. Matt made his way into the baby's room, picked Kelly up and held him to his chest, soothing the crying baby. He quickly realized the main source of Kelly's problems; the diaper was sopping wet. After he changed the baby and cleaned him up, he carried Kelly into the kitchen, where he began warming a bottle for the tot. Then, as he had done hundreds of times with his own son, he sat down, fed the baby, burped him, rocked him to sleep, and placed him gently back into his crib. Satisfied, Matt quietly and carefully climbed back into bed with Jim and lay there, pondering not only the events of the past couple of days, but also the relationship between him and Jim. His thoughts stretched all the way back to when they were young boys, sharing a special bond. Here I am, he thought nervously to himself, a happily married man in a successful marriage with a successful woman, and sharing a beautiful son. So, what could possibly be better than that? However at that critical moment in his search for understanding, the truth within his heart that had been struggling to break through finally burst forth. He almost gasped from the effort it took to admit it to himself. Matt struggled hard to cope with the inescapable fact that now squarely faced him. The beautifully muscled, naked man lying next to him was the true love of his life. Immediately, his entire body and thought processes seemed to settle back into a steady rhythm. That's weird, thought Matt ; I feel one helluva lot better, now. Even though his epiphany had brought himself a step closer to true happiness, Matt realized fully that the path ahead could be a rocky one. Even so Matt smiled to himself and drifted into a contented sleep. * * * When Jim awoke suddenly a few hours later, he noted the time was 0200. He was surprised that Kelly was still sleeping. He also realized that he was spooning Matt from behind and holding his friend tightly, with both his arms and his legs. He felt his hard cock pressed into Matt's ass and couldn't resist a slight move forward with his hips. The pleasure of that simple act made his body quiver with excitement. And just like in the movies, with the image of huge waves crashing onto the shore, the long buried desire for Matt roared once again into his conscientious from deep in his heart. But as he lay there, holding the man who was once the boy he loved, his promise to himself to be content with having Matt as his best friend evaporated. Jim knew for sure this is where he belonged. He wasn't sure how he could make it happen, but he knew he wanted it. The sound of Matt's voice interrupted his thoughts. "If you cum on me, I'll make you lick me clean, doggie," Matt said in a gruff, playful voice. "Excuse me, sir! I forgot I was sleeping with a superior officer, sir," Jim replied mockingly. He pressed his cock harder into Matt's ass. He slid his hands downward, grabbed Matt's equally hard cock, and skinned it back a few times. "My advice to you, dog-face, is don't start something you ain't gonna finish," Matt said, desperately hoping that Jim would continue. "Oh, I'll finish it alright, sir," Jim said, with equally-mixed determination and passion. Quickly, without actually thinking much about it, he rolled Matt over onto his back, and swallowed Matt's cock to the root. All the times they had sucked each other as kids, came rushing back into Matt's over-heated mind. The long-missed feel of Jim's hot mouth made Matt quiver with excitement. He couldn't hold back any longer, and maneuvered himself into a sixty-nine position with the man who had always been in the back of his mind. And now, here was that man, actually before him, and devouring Matt's body and senses, in all of his splendid glory. After more than twenty years apart, both men attacked each other in a frenzied passion. Their hands roamed and caressed each other's body, re-familiarizing themselves with the other's needs and desires. Far too quickly for both of them, they each heaved mightily into each other's eagerly-awaiting mouth and shot simultaneous loads of cum. They lay there, unable to move and gasping for breath, their slowly softening cocks reluctant to leave the warm mouth that encircled it. Then both sighed contentedly and began to drift into sleep once again. Kelly's crying quickly interrupted the moment. Affectionately, Jim patted and caressed one of Matt's legs and said, "I'll go this time." He arose and left the bed to tend his son. Matt laid on his back, savoring the afterglow of the intense orgasm he had just experienced and the long-remembered taste of Jim's cum in his mouth. Suddenly, what they had just done impacted him, and his thoughts began to scream. What the fuck are you doing, you idiot!? After a brief, panicky moment, though, he remembered his earlier self-reflections. He smiled to himself as he realized it was time to be totally honest with himself about his feelings for Jim. He knew that, in the long run, it would save himself considerable aggravation. If all those years ago, their last conversation had been Jim saying to him, Matt I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, what would have been his answer? Man that was that the rhetorical question of the century! In his heart, he now knew his answer would have been a resounding YES! As much as he loved his wife, he realized fully that it had never matched the intensity of love he had for Jim. So, assuming Jim felt the same for Matt, which now seemed to be obvious, they were left in an equally puzzling quandary. Where do we go from here? Matt wondered to himself. Matt got out of bed and hit the head. He walked to the baby's room and found Jim standing over the crib rubbing the baby's back, he went over and stood next to Jim, trying not to intrude in the incredibly beautiful bonding moment. After a few moments, Jim turned and said quietly to Matt, "I'm sorry Matt, I should have never done that." "Somehow I don't think you were alone back there." "It's just that I had a lot of time to think today driving home." He paused gathering his courage, "and I was finally able to admit to myself that I had made a giant mistake all those years ago by letting you go. My marriage was a huge mistake. The only good thing to come of it was my son, well sons. Now I've gone and fucked us up again…" Matt interrupted Jim by pulling him into a hug and kissing him deeply. After the initial kiss, Jim wrapped his arms around Matt and pulled him closer and kissed him deeper. When they pulled apart and looked at each other, they just laughed. "Come on," Matt whispered, "let's go back to bed and talk." The guys walked back to Jim's bed, they climbed in and snuggled close to each other. Matt started. "Look, this is what I'm thinking. I know how I feel and I don't want to play the games like a bad TV show. You know how they drag things out, 'Will they get together or not? One wants a relationship, the other doesn't. The other decides they do and the other changes his mind.' That is not what I want. We're grown men and I know I love you. I always have. I spent all those years trying to forget it but I only succeeded in pushing it deep inside myself and moving on." As he was talking he was rubbing Jim's chest. Matt had never felt so at peace and he never felt so complete or as in sync. In fact he couldn't prove it but he could almost swear that their hearts were beating in sync as well. "Matty, I can say this now. It's what I should have said that fucked up day long ago. I love you so much it hurts. I loved you then and I was just too scared to admit to myself. I was young and stupid. Remember what it was like back then. Gay men were not accepted very well, especially boys in high school. Then Joe started in on me, pushing me and Linda together, telling me that people would think I was gay if I didn't have a steady girlfriend. Like an idiot I believed him. It wasn't long after we were married that I knew I had made a mistake. She still wanted me then and kept bringing me back in with sex. Then when Matty was born, that was it, I could never leave my boy," Jim said with glassy eyes. They looked deep into each other's eyes and slowly moved into a deep and breathtaking kiss. The energy that moved between them was palpable. Matt was left shaking from the experience. Pulling back, Matt said, "Look buddy we have come a very long way in a very short time. From now on, we need to take it slow and figure out how we can move forward without any collateral damage." "Shit, what about your dad? Matt, he's going to have a shit fit. I mean hanging out naked is one thing but what's he going to think about this?" Jim asked, sounding a bit scared. Jim then got a pissed off look on his face when Matt started laughing. "I'm sorry," Matt said and he gave Jim a quick kiss, "there are a lot of things I need to explain. For now let's just get some sleep." And they did fall asleep quickly and didn't wake until Kelly started to cry. Jim looked over at the clock. It was 0530. He eased himself away from Matt and headed off to attend to the baby. He was sitting, feeding Kelly his bottle when he smelled coffee brewing. He walked out into the kitchen with the baby and found Matt leaning on the counter, looking out window in deep thought. "Morning captain, how about holding the devil pup while I take a shower? The morning is going to fly by and before you know it, my parents will be here," Jim said, handing the baby to Matt and kissed him on the cheek. Matt planted one right on his lips. They did a little tongue dueling with the baby between them. "Well ain't that sweet, the newlyweds are sharing a kiss," Frank said and then laughed. "Dad!" Matt said, "Uncle Frank!" Jim said looking like a kid again. "Relax boys, I'm surprised it took this long," Frank said. "Come on, Matt give me the devil pup and you two go get a shower." Matt and Jim headed off to the shower. Once in the bedroom, Jim turned to Matt, "I can't believe he caught us, but he was so cool about it," Jim said. "I told you doggie, I'll explain everything, but all in good time," he said heading for the shower. "Let's get cleaned up and ready for the invading hordes," Matt said. They made it through their shower without giving their hard cocks any attention. They dressed quickly and went back into the kitchen and saw the baby sitting in a new infant seat, looking all around and just enjoying himself. "Wow Uncle Frank where did that come from" Jim asked. "Jimmy and I took a quick trip to Wal-Mart last night after we left here, he'll be over later with his gift. He's so excited I just hope he got some sleep" Frank said, "but listen boys about earlier." Matt and Jim both got very worried looks on their face. "Calm down guys. Listen, I knew in my heart this would happen. I just want you both to take it slow and work thorough it with as little damage as possible. My suggestion is that you try and keep your relationship under wraps until Denise gets back. That way Matt will have a chance to speak to her in person. Matt while Jim's parents are here, you should try to limit your visits. The way you two are looking at each other, I'm sure his mother will pick up on it PDQ," Frank said. "Okay Dad, I agree. We'll work it out but we really do love each other," Matt said. "Me too Uncle Frank," Jim added. "I know guys. I've always known it and I'll help as much as I can," Frank said and going over joined the guys in a three way hug. Later that day after Jim's parents arrived, Jim and Matt went to pick up Matty from the hospital. Jim asked Matt to be with him when he told Matty about the baby. When they got to the room, the boy would have been bouncing off the walls wanting to get home, if he didn't have two casts on his body. He couldn't wait for Jimmy to be the first to sign his cast and to see his grandparents. Jim told him to settle down and that they needed to talk. "Listen sport, you know how sometimes people say things that aren't really true," Jim started. "Yeah, you mean lying," Matty said. "Correct, that is something I never want you to do. It would be the only thing that would truly disappoint me. But there is something else that I want, well me and Uncle Matt want to talk to you about before we head out. Go ahead captain, you take over," Jim said. "Matty, this is something that my dad taught me when I was about your age and also your dad. Now you know who Jesus is right," Matt asked the boy. "Sure Uncle Matt," he said with a look that said 'what, do you think I'm dumb?' "And you know about the Ten Commandments," the boy shook his head 'yes'. "Well this is about what Jesus said was the greatest commandment 'Love your neighbor as you would Love yourself''. That means treating others the way you want to be treated. Well sometimes you will hear people say if you do this or that God will punish you. Your dad and I agree that it's not like that. We think that when you do the wrong thing, you're really punishing yourself by making the wrong choices. See a long time ago your dad and I didn't treat each other the way we would want to be treated. Our punishment was that we lost our friendship for a very long time," Matt said. "And then," Jim said taking over, "there are times when someone lies to the people they love and make wrong decisions. Then something bad may happen and they never get a chance to apologize and fix there mistake. Like what your mom and uncle Joe did. She should have never tried to take you away from me..." Matty cut Jim off in mid-sentence, "I didn't want to go Dad, she made me and I tried to run but Uncle Joe caught me and made me get in the car," Matty said with tears streaming down his face. Jim went over and kissed him while wiping his tears away, "I know sport, you've always been my good boy. Your mom was not herself. She wasn't following the commandment, not just with trying to take you, but when she told us that your new baby brother had died. That wasn't true either. He was in Jersey with your grandmother and now he's home waiting to meet you," Jim said. "Really! Why would she do that?" the boy asked looking both happy and confused at the same time. "Well I'm really not sure buddy. Like I said, she really hadn't been herself lately," Jim said trying not to speak ill of the boy's dead mother. "Wow, this is so cool. I have a baby brother, what's his name?" he asked excitedly. "It's James Kelly Flannery Jr., but we're going to call him Kelly," Jim said. "Thank God, we have too many Jimmy's already," Matty said with a smile. That got a laugh out of Jim and Matt. Then Jim hugged him and said, "just remember what me and uncle Matt have told you. Don't ever lie especially to us and always treat everybody the way you want to be treated," Jim finished and kissed his son again. "That is the best advice you could ever give your son," a voice said from behind the curtain. It opened to reveal a doctor carrying a chart. "Good afternoon Gunner, I'm Dr. Chang and your boy is ready to go. We'll just go over his discharge instructions and an orderly will wheel you out." "Great, I can't wait to go home and meet my new brother," Matty said.
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