Clouds and Rain

whether Gable actually registered his presence or not. It didn‟t matter, because he didn‟t do it for Gable, at least not entirely. He needed to be there for himself, so he would never again have to beat himself up for not taking the time to be with his lover in his final hours.
    Flynn started staying in between the two visiting hours, and although it was a battle of wills for a few days, eventually Dr. Isaacs officially gave him permission.
    In the following days, they moved Gable away from the large ward into a single room in the ICU, and although the alarms going off around Gable‟s bed every few minutes were driving Flynn crazy, he couldn‟t tear himself away from his lover‟s side. He found himself doing only the most necessary work at the ranch, so he could speed to the hospital to sit in vigil for endless hours. At first he counted those hours, cherishing every moment that Gable survived, but as the fever started going down and Gable became more stable, boredom started taking over and Flynn began bringing in a newspaper, which he read aloud, then a book. He became friends with the nurses and continued helping them take care of Gable as they washed him and turned him from side to side.
    One afternoon, after three weeks of barely sleeping and eating even less, Flynn had dozed off, sitting by the bed. He was awakened by Gable‟s hand moving against his face. When Flynn looked up, at first not sure if he had dreamed it, Gable looked like he was simply asleep, but then his fingers moved again.
    “Gable, love. Open your eyes for me?” Flynn asked gently. At first Gable didn‟t respond, but then his ventilator started beeping. Three weeks ago, this would have sent Flynn into a panic, but he was much calmer now, since this noise was not so unusual and he‟d heard it before. But then Gable started coughing and pulling at his bound hands.

    78

    Clouds and Rain

    “Gable, calm down. You‟re in the hospital,” Flynn echoed the words he‟d heard the nurses use more than once. “Let the machine breathe for you.”
    This time the words didn‟t seem to have any effect on Gable, and as the machine protested louder, two nurses rushed into the room. They adjusted some settings on the ventilator and repeated Flynn‟s words as Flynn took a step back. He felt helpless as he watched Gable struggle against his bonds and against the ventilator, and he simply wanted the torture to stop. When the alarms didn‟t stop, Dr. Isaacs joined them in the room.
    “I think you better wait outside, Flynn. I promise we‟ll take good care of him.” Dr. Isaacs nodded in the direction of the hallway, but Flynn was reluctant to leave. He was worried something was seriously wrong and Gable had taken a turn for the worst. “He‟s fine. I‟ll come get you as soon as he‟s calmer.”
    Flynn had little choice but to walk outside. He wanted to hold Gable‟s hand and tell him everything would be okay, but he knew he‟d only get in the way, so he walked toward the waiting area at the entrance of the ICU and bumped into Calley.
    “You look like you‟ve just seen a ghost. Flynn, is everything okay?”
    Flynn nodded. “I think he‟s waking up, but he was fighting and trying to break free.”
    “That‟s what the restraints are for. He‟d do himself a world of harm if they let him.”
    “I know,” Flynn murmured. He was glad Calley was here, like she had been almost every day. She‟d kept him fed and had kept his hopes up, even in the most bleak of times, and he was grateful that he didn‟t need to sit and wait for news on his own. As she was getting them coffee from the machine in the waiting area, Flynn realized that, despite all the time they‟d spend together in the past three weeks, he still didn‟t know if there was more to Calley‟s relationship with Gable than her supplying him with items from her store. He couldn‟t believe how selfish he‟d been, talking only about Gable and never showing any interest in Calley.

    79

    Zahra Owens

    “You know Gable pretty well, don‟t you?” Flynn asked Calley as he took the cup of coffee from her.
    “Oh, the stories I could tell!” Calley laughed. “But I won‟t. I don‟t tell other people‟s secrets. One day Gable will want to tell you.”
    “He‟s not the most talkative person,” Flynn reminded her.
    “I know,” Calley agreed. “But one day he will tell you more, I‟m sure. He just takes a long time to trust someone enough to open up. He told you about