Consumed Pt 12

Author's Long-Winded Note:

Hello all! Well, I feel like I owe everyone an apology and an explanation. First, I'm sorry that I've dropped the story. Secondly, as for an explanation, my mom, some time ago, was diagnosed with Progressive Supria Nuclear Palsy, which is a degenerative neurological disorder. I had to move her closer to me and also had to take away her car. Anyway, she's really starting to rely on me a lot more and it's just sapped my energy. At this point, I've been able to juggle things so my time is a little more my own now and I plan to finish this story (as promised).

Additionally, I want to thank everyone for sending me emails and constantly reminding me that I've got dedicated readers. I just noticed that I have been, thanks to all of you, voted as one of 5 finalists in

Literotica's 10th Annual Reader's Choice Awards

. I'm so stoked. You guys are so awesome and I feel I've really let all of you down and I hope that you'll forgive me and I hope that all of you will take the time to vote for your favorite story (hopefully that will be mine). In the gay male section, so far, there have only been a total of 37 votes, and I think this genre deserves higher numbers than that. Let's show all of the writers out there that you appreciate the stories they post by voting. Also, if I see the number of gay male story votes go up (doesn't matter if you vote for my story of one of the others), I promise I will post another chapter within seven days. And, I have to tell you, we are getting close to finding out who-done-it, so you'll want the next chapters coming quickly.

Okay, sorry this is so winded, but I have a lot to communicate to you guys. In order to communicate with all of you about upcoming chapters, I will start posting communications in my profile, under the biography section. This will hopefully prevent you guys from having to constantly check for chapter updates. That way, if there is going to be a delay, you can go to my profile and find out what's going on and when you should check back.

Please vote and comment. I like to know what you think. Even if it's to tell me I'm a total loser for making you guys wait so long. Thank you!

*

After leaving the grocery store, they drove over to the local yard and garden store so Chris and Cassie, along with Rick's help, could select a variety of vegetables for the garden. Well, actually, it was only Chris helping. Cassie had fallen asleep in the car and, unable to be woken up, was still asleep in Liam's arms.

"So, have you ever planted a vegetable garden before? Do you even know what you are doing?" Liam asked.

"Yes, I've planted a garden every year since I moved into the house. My mom used to make all of us kids help in the garden when we were little. Most of her cooking involved fresh vegetables and she usually cooked in bulk, since we are such a large family. Most of what my garden produces goes to my mom. She still cooks bulk, only now she breaks it down into smaller portions and sends us all home with food whenever we visit. My parent's house is like a mini grocery store and my freezer is full of her food," he replied. "I'm also pretty good at canning too, believe it or not," he added as an afterthought.

"Wow, quite the Suzie homemaker, aren't we?" Liam asked, facetiously.

"Yes, I plan to make someone a very good wife someday. It's been my life's goal," Rick said, graciously assisting Liam in his razzing.

"You can't be a wife. If you were a wife, you would have to be a mommy too, and you can't be a mommy, only a daddy," Chris said, interrupting their banter.

Both Liam and Rick cracked up laughing at Chris's statement. "Yeah, you're right Chris. I guess no matter how you look at it, my masculinity is safe," Rick replied.

"You know what? Are you guys just about done? I feel like my arms are about to fall off. How much does this kid weigh? Must be a ton. Do they have diets for two year olds?" Liam said.

"Here, let me take her for a while. You can push the cart," Rick said, as they switched.

"Cassie's always weighed a ton. Mommy says..." Chris started, but suddenly stopped, dropping his eyes to the floor. "Mommy used to say she was like a fifty pound sack of potatoes when she was asleep," he finished, almost in a whisper.

"Oh, hey now, come here," Liam said, as he walked over to the cart and picked Chris up, their arms encircling each other in a tight embrace. "It's okay Chris. I know it's hard," Liam said, as Chris started weeping.

"Why don't you take Chris back to the car? I think we have everything we need. I'll take Cassie and check out and meet you out there," Rick said, as he shifted Cassie over to one arm, settled her on his hip and then took the cart.

"Okay," Liam said.

When Rick reached the car, Liam was sitting in the back seat with Chris curled up in his lap. He came around to the other side of the car and strapped Cassie in her car seat, and then loaded up the trunk with the plants, having to shift some of the groceries and camping gear to the back seat with the kids to make room for the plants.

"You want me to go ahead and drive?" Rick asked, as he came around to where Liam was seated.

"Yeah, that would be great, thanks," said Liam, as he shifted Chris into the seat next to him and buckled him in.

"So, we going to dinner now?" Liam asked, also buckling himself in next to Chris.

"Yep. Chris, you ever been to Frankie's Diner?" Rick asked, flipping the rear view mirror down and angling it to look at Chris from it.

"No," Chris replied, meekly.

"Well, you're gonna love it," he said, as he proceeded to pull out of the parking lot and head to the diner.

Frankie's was a 1950's style silver bullet railcar diner. Their menu included original American dishes like pot roast, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, and chicken potpies. They also had an old fashioned soda fountain bar. You could get flavored sodas, milk shakes, and malts. It was a great place for both adults and kids.

While they ate, they talked about camping and the garden. The talk helped bring Chris out of his funk and before long, he was animatedly participating in the conversation. As they finished dinner and were starting on the ice cream sundaes they'd ordered, Rick proceeded to tell Liam what to expect at the hospital.

"Sam has third degree burns on the right side of his body, including his face. He's gone through some pretty extensive treatment, but is making good progress. When they first brought him in, they had to worry about keeping the burns clean and infection free and keeping him hydrated. The body loses a lot of fluids through the burned areas, so hydration is important. He also spent time in a hyperbaric chamber. At this point in his treatment, his burns are well on their way to healing and are lightly bandaged," Rick said, before he paused and then continued with an update on Mike.

"Mike's back was fractured when a large piece of the ceiling collapsed on top of him. He's doing much better and it's likely he'll be released in a day or two. He initially had some complications that resulted in surgery to relieve some of the pressure that the fracture was causing against his spine. They've got him in a back brace, so he can actually get out of bed now," Rick said, finally.

"I'm glad that I know what to expect. I was starting to get pretty nervous. Heck, I'm still nervous, but at least I'm a little more prepared. I can't help but feel some sort of responsibility for them being in the hospital. I know it's stupid, but that's just how I feel," Liam said.

"You're right, that is stupid. It's not your fault. These kinds of risks are inherent in this job and we all know that. It could just as easily have happened at some other fire. No one blames you or anyone else in your family. In fact, I think the guys are more worried about these kids here, than they are about themselves," Rick said, nodding to Chris and Cassie, who were both more involved in eating their sundaes than anything else going on in the room.

"God, Cassie, look at you. I think you got more of that sundae on you, than in you," Liam said, as he picked up his napkin and started working to clean Cassie up. "Man, she's got it all over her, and this napkin isn't working very well. Your clothes are a mess," Liam said, indicating the napkin. "I think I need to take her to the bathroom to get her cleaned up."

"Well, you're in luck, because I brought a change of clothes for her. They're in the car. I'll just run out and get them," Rick said, as he stood and quickly headed to the car.

"Man, Cassie, you did a really good job," Liam said, as he wiped another blob of melted ice cream from her eyelid and then leaned down and gave her a kiss. "Was the ice cream good?" He asked.

"Ice keem good. Choc Ice Keem," she said, as Rick came back with the clothes.

"God, Rick, you're a lifesaver. I guess I'm still trying to learn the dad stuff," Liam said, sheepishly.

"That's okay. Believe me, I learned the hard way too. Although Stacey always carries a diaper bag when she brings her kids over, it only took one time of forgetting it. I learned that lesson real quick. Even though both Bren and Jacob aren't in diapers, Stacey still carries it around. She keeps a change of clothes, wet wipes, a little first aid kit and a few snacks and stuff in it. It's actually quite useful," Rick said.

"Well, I guess I need to start carrying one too. Anyway, I'll just take her into the restroom and get her changed," Liam said, as he picked Cassie up out of her highchair.

"Uh... Liam, you might have one small problem," Rick said.

"Yeah? What problem?" Liam asked.

"What restroom are you going to take her into? You can't go into the women's room and you can't really take her into the men's room," Rick said.

"Shi..." Liam started, but stopped, looking back and forth between the kids. "You're right. I hadn't thought about that," and, almost in unison, both the kids piped in.

"Pee pee," Cassie said, as her hand suddenly went between her legs and she started squirming in her seat.

"I got to go too, Uncle Liam," Chris added.

"Oh, God," Liam mumbled, pressing his index and forefinger against his temples, trying to stave off the oncoming headache. "Okay, okay, let me think just a second." After a few moments, he pulled out his wallet and dropped a couple of twenties on the table, and then picked up Cassie from her highchair. "Okay, let's go."

Liam, carrying Cassie in his arms and with Rick and Chris following close behind, walked in the direction of the restrooms. When they arrived, Liam handed Cassie over to Rick. "Wait here, I'm going to check the bathroom," Liam said to Rick and then turned to Chris. "Come on Chris."

When they stepped into the bathroom, Liam motioned Chris over to one of the stalls, completely avoiding the two urinals. He then proceeded to check the rest of the bathroom. Finding it empty, he went back out to Rick.

"The bathroom is empty. Can you keep watch while I take her into the restroom and get her cleaned up and changed?" Liam asked.

"Sure," Rick offered, as he handed over Cassie and her change of clothes.

Liam quickly took Cassie over to the handicap stall and closed and latched the door. "Okay sweetie, let's get you on the potty," he said, as he helped get her panties down and set her on the potty. "Chris, how you doing over there?" He asked, as he turned his back to give Cassie some privacy.

"Okay, I had to go number two, Uncle Liam."

"Okay," Liam chuckled, almost laughing out loud, but thinking to himself, 'thanks for that extra little bit of information, Chris'. This whole situation just couldn't get much more awkward and the thought that he only had to survive another sixteen more years of this almost made him want to cry.

He turned back to Cassie as he heard her pulling on the toilet paper roll. "All done?" He asked.

"Mmm hmm." She said, nodding her head vigorously as Liam helped her down and then proceeded to get her changed. After Cassie was dressed, he took her over to the sink and helped her wash her hands and face. While he was trying to get the hot fudge out of the crevice of her neck, he made a mental note to avoid hot fudge sundaes in the future. In fact, he started to wonder if S'mores tonight would be such a good idea.

When they stepped out of the bathroom, they found Rick, gallantly guarding the bathroom door.

"All done?" He inquired.

"Yes, now let's just get out of here," Liam said, as he picked up Cassie, grabbed Chris's hand, and swiftly walked out of the restaurant.

When they arrived at the hospital, Liam's apprehension really kicked in, his guilt and worry hitting him full force. He hesitated slightly as they stepped into the hospital lobby. Rick was on the phone with his sister, letting her know they had arrived, but was watching Liam. He could see the apprehension in Liam's eyes and the tension in his body.

Disconnecting with his sister, Rick walked up to Liam. "Hey, don't worry. The guys are really looking forward to seeing the kids. You really don't have to stress," Rick said, reassuringly.

"That's easier said than done," Liam responded. "Can we go into the gift shop?" he asked, pointing to the shop just inside the lobby doors. "I think I'll let the kids pick out something to take up to the guys."

"That would be nice," Rick said, as he turned and headed for the shop, with Liam, Chris, and Cassie following.

Cassie ended up picking out two stuffed animals, while Chris decided on something more practical and picked out a couple of crossword puzzle books and two decks of cards. Finally, Liam grabbed a couple of junk food baskets that the shop had already put together. He figured it would be nice to have something outside of the hospital food.

Once they had paid for their items, Rick led them to the elevator. "We're going to see Sam first. Angelica says that Mike just got back from physical therapy and is eating dinner," Rick said, as he stepped out of the elevator onto the third floor.

Angelica met them at the nurse's station and escorted them into Sam's room.

It turned out to be a great visit. Liam realized that Rick was right; both of the men needed to see the kids in person to put closure on the whole incident. It was a way of reassuring themselves that their injuries weren't in vain. Sam was an older man, probably in his mid forties. He was married with three kids, all boys, and it was obvious he had a sweet spot for kids. Unfortunately, they couldn't visit with Sam too long, as he still tired easily and was on light pain medications that made him drowsy.

Cassie seemed especially to like Sam and spent most of the hour curled up with him in bed while he told her how the stuffed elephant she brought him was good luck. Cassie was mesmerized by the bandages that Sam had covering him. She would lightly touch one and look up to Sam and ask, "owie?" and then lean over and kiss the spot, saying, "all better," and then move on to the next bandage. It was quite endearing.

When they arrived at Mike's room, he was up and in a wheelchair. It was obvious that he was getting tired of being cooped up in the hospital room and was ready to go home. Mike was probably in his mid twenties. Not much was holding him down and both the kids really took a liking to him. They spent their time going for rides with him on his wheelchair. Actually, Chris was pushing, while Cassie was riding, but either way, they were all having fun. They were tearing up and down the hallway, earning dirty looks from the nurses, who, in the end, didn't really have the heart to tell them to stop.

When they left the hospital, Liam actually breathed a huge sigh of relief. That actually went much better than he'd thought.

Back at home, Liam took Cassie upstairs for a bath, while Rick and Chris headed out back to set up the tent and camping gear.

Turned out the camp out was a lot of fun. The kids enjoyed the popcorn, even if it was little on the well done side, and the s'mores, undoubtedly, were a big hit. They obviously didn't get to try everything they had purchased from the camping store, but Rick promised them they would camp out again and would eventually get to try everything. After the dog helped them burn off their sugar high, they all settled down in their sleeping bags, both Chris and Cassie snuggled up between Rick and Liam, with the dog working his way somewhere in the middle of the pile. It took the kids all of ten seconds before they were out to the world.

"Well, I guess we wore them out today," Rick chuckled, as he looked over the kid's heads to Liam.

"I think I wore myself out today," Liam replied, "but it was definitely a good day. You're very good at helping me forget my troubles."

"Well, mission accomplished then," Rick said.

"God, if I could find some way to duplicate, bottle, and sell you, I'd make a fortune. You truly are amazing."

"Well, unfortunately for you, it's impossible to duplicate me. But, fortunately for you, I'm all yours," Rick responded. "So, tell me, how old were you when you came out?" Rick asked, deciding he wanted to know everything he could about Liam.

"Oh, Jeesh, I don't even want to think about that. It was actually kind of embarrassing. Let's see, I was sixteen and a sophomore in high school. My sister figured it out first, but my mom says she always knew, that a mom just knows these things, but I'm not so sure about that. One of my friends, Jason, and I became more than just friends, and I guess my sister figured it out by watching the way we interacted with each other. It was young love and I guess we were a little more obvious about our feelings than I thought. We weren't touchy feely in public or anything, but we were always smiling at one another and watching each other. My sister said it was pretty obvious and that we looked like stupid idiots," Liam said, snorting a small laugh as the memories brought a smile to his face.

"My mom ended up walking in on us in my bedroom while we were making out. We were sprawled out on my bed, Jason on top of me and we were kissing pretty heavily, grinding into each other. Luckily we were dressed. We had just gotten home, tossed our stuff on the floor, ran upstairs and collapsed together on the bed. She walked in to yell at us for just leaving our stuff lying in front of the door. Now that I think about it, I don't know whose face looked more shocked, mine, my mom's, or Jason's. It's pretty funny, now, when I think back on it. She sent Jason home and then we sat down and talked. In a nutshell, she basically said that although she didn't understand how I could choose to be this way, she still loved me and nothing would change that. We didn't tell my dad for several months. My sister was my staunchest ally. She helped my mom come to terms with my sexuality. She helped her find online support groups. In the end, between my mom and my sister, my dad didn't have a chance in hell of being anything but supportive. My mom, to this day, swears she already knew, but it was pretty obvious by the shock on her face that she had no clue," Liam concluded.

"So what happened to Jason?"

"We stayed together through high school but, in the end, we wanted different things. He wanted to get out of our small town. Couldn't wait to move to the big city and really start his life. He ended up going down south to California and going to school there. We kept in touch for a while, but I suppose life around us became more important than trying to keep in touch."

"How about you? It must have been tough being gay and in the Marines," Liam said.

"I honestly didn't know I was gay until I was fully entrenched in the Marine life," Rick said, his eyes fixed on Liam's as he continued talking. "I had always liked girls well enough, and I didn't ever give my attraction to other boys a second thought. I had a fairly active sex life in high school and I enjoyed it, so I never really questioned it. I always admired and thought about other boys at school. Especially in the locker room, but I always chalked it up to normal curiosity. It was in the Marines that I met someone that opened my eyes. I found out that sex with men was way better than sex with women," Rick said, a smirk settling on his face, and his eyes now settling longingly on Liam's lips.