I'm a Sucer for You

The practices continued for the rest of the week, and Coach was working all of them hard, but especially Carter because of running out on the workouts at the end of the day when the court stuff was happening. Ethan worked on keeping himself busy, usually with books, which he hadn't had as much time to delve into while he was throwing himself into work and only work.

The day of the game was finally here. Ethan was feeling a bit stronger, and felt confident in driving to the game on his own. He wanted to prove he could do it himself. He watched as Carter got on the bus with the rest of his team, already dressed for the game in his uniform. He smiled at the team as they got on and then went over to the car and got into the driver's seat. He didn't need to adjust the seat much, and once he was ready, he drove to the venue.

The playoffs meant that more people were at this game, for all of the real hardcore sports fans would take part and try to go to it if they could. Ethan paid for his ticket and went inside to find a good seat that he could get to and from easily with the cane. While he waited for the game to start, he fiddled around on his phone. He had eventually turned it back on and worked on blocking everyone that was harassing him from his family. It left him with only three cousins, two aunts, and one uncle who weren't blocked, because they so far mostly hadn't said anything about the whole thing. He wasn't going to dwell on it though. One cousin did privately message to say that she stood by Ethan's decisions and thought Peter should have gotten more jail time.

Carter seemed very focused on the game, though he found Ethan visually and shot him a toothy grin while warming up. Ethan sent back a warm smile, putting his phone back in his pocket so he could watch Carter warm up. Each team took turns warming up on the court, getting used to it, even if most courts had the same layout. When Carter's team took a break, he got some water and stretched, limbering up and preparing for what could be the biggest game of his life thus far. Ethan saw him eyeing a particular section of the seats and looked over at them himself. He saw the three scouts he had seen before, watching and taking notes.

He turned back to where Carter was, and when he caught his eye, he gave him a thumbs up to remind him that he had this. They didn't call him the Candyman for nothing. Even though Ethan knew he had been working on his layups, Carter hadn't used them during games yet, the perfectionist in him wanting to get it right before showing that it was no longer a weakness. During warmups, he went consistently into free throw shots that he probably shouldn't have even attempted and landed each one, still finding the sweet spot.

"He's an impressive specimen of an athlete, isn't he?" Ethan heard from behind him. He turned around to take in the sight of a reporter he knew fairly well. He was likely one of the only reporters Ethan hadn't, at one point, told to go fuck himself.

"Marcus Walker, as I live and breathe," Ethan said with a smile, which turned into a wicked smirk. "How's your sister?"

Marcus chuckled as he moved down in the seats so he could sit next to Ethan. "She's married with a child and pregnant."

"She did always say she wanted a family," Ethan replied with a smile.

"I believe that's why you two broke up," Marcus pointed out.

"It's one reason, yes," Ethan replied before looking back out at the court.

Marcus looked out to where Carter was standing. "You know, I'm not sure I would have believed it if I didn't see it with my own eyes, despite the photographic evidence. I thought you planned to die as a slut?"

"It was my intention, yes," Ethan replied, chuckling. "Let me guess, you're here to report on the game?"

"I was, yes, but you being here is actually far more interesting," Marcus commented. "Any comments about your relationship with Carter Evans?"

Ethan sighed as he watched Carter warming up and talking with his teammates, considering what his best course of action was. He didn't want to just tell Marcus to stuff his reporter antics up his ass, but he was considering it. Still, Carter had made his comment recently about the cat already being out of the bag. What did they need to hide?

"Still the master of the no comment?" Marcus asked him.

Ethan chuckled at that, with a shrug. "Make me a deal. I'll give you a real answer if you wait to publish it until after the NBA makes their offers."

Marcus smirked at that, looking back out at Carter, who had noticed the two of them speaking. "That, in and of itself, is an answer, Dr. Morrow, but alright, you have my word."

Ethan gave him a withering look, which only made the smirk deepen on Marcus' face. "The rumors are true. The photos are not faked. We're together, but we've tried to keep things to ourselves, mostly out of privacy but also for his career."

"An openly gay member of the NBA," Marcus mused for a moment, watching Carter. "And one who has a steady relationship they won't keep quiet. That's kind of refreshing for this sport." Then he looked Ethan over for a moment, the light air he'd kept through the conversation disappearing. "You've lost weight and muscle mass."

"I recently had the distinct pleasure to see my own profession from the other side of the curtain," Ethan replied. "It was an eye opening experience. I have much more respect for the patients and what they are going through now."

The game started during the lull in their conversation, and Carter had been in the starting lineup. He very quickly gained control of the ball and Ethan was marveling at his ball-handling skills with a different eye than he would have been before their relationship had started. As soon as he got possession of the ball, he drove down court and went up for a layup right away, which obviously shocked the other team. They had spread themselves out to protect the various places on the court he would have been likely to end up taking a shot from and had left the corridor to the basket wide open.

Ethan let out a whoop when the ball went into the basket, and he looked over at the scouts to see that they were taking notice of Carter going for the layup instead of what he normally did. They were talking excitedly among themselves and taking notes quickly but turned back to the game with renewed interest once their pens were still.

"I think we're definitely watching the next NBA big league player," Marcus said to Ethan. "My advice? Don't bother to hide what you are to each other. They either want him as he is, or they don't. He's skilled enough for them to overlook their prejudices. Besides, even gay, someone who is serious about their partner is family friendly. I've never heard any rumors of Carter Evans being a wanton slut. He's like the opposite of you."

Ethan laughed. "I worked hard for that reputation, I'll have you know!"

"Hard indeed," Marcus replied with a sideways glance at Ethan that made him laugh again.

The other team exchanged control of the ball with Carter's team a few times before anyone else scored, this time one of the other players in the Charge managed to land a basket from the three-point line and the game was underway. It seemed the other team realized that Carter was a well-rounded player now and they adjusted accordingly. His next layup was not uncontested and he ended up missing the shot, but he didn't drop back into old habits. He simply dusted himself off and pressed on, taking good shots when he had them and layups when he saw an opening.

By the time the first quarter was over, the Charge was ahead by ten but that hardly mattered with such skilled players on both teams.

Ethan and Marcus kept up their chatting, both about the game and about life stuff. Marcus asked about the court stuff, and Ethan was forthcoming with what had happened and how bad it got. It was nice to have someone familiar with him in the stands while the game went on.

The next quarter saw the Charge lose the lead by 3 points after some intense play from both sides. Carter remained focused on the game, though he did periodically glance at Ethan, mostly while taking breaks from the action on the bench every now and then. At one point, during a break, Ethan borrowed Marcus' pad of paper and wrote a little sign that he only held up when he saw Carter looking at him from the bench.

"You can find my sweet spot," it said.

Carter laughed and nudged the person next to him on the bench, filling him in on the joke. Marcus was chuckling beside Ethan, shaking his head a little at his antics. It seemed to give Carter a little extra pep, though, which was what Ethan had hoped would happen. He needed to be focused, but also relaxed and ready for anything.

By the time they got to half time, the Charge was behind by 6 as they filed back into the locker room for a pep talk. Whatever Coach said to them must have done the trick, because they took to the court and re-established their 10 point lead shortly after the third quarter got underway. Ethan happily cheered the entire time. Marcus was right; there wasn't much point in pretending or holding back at this point.

"So, if they win and he gets an NBA deal, what are you going to do to celebrate?" Marcus asked with a smirk.

Ethan grinned. "That, my friend, is absolutely none of your or the press' business. But rest assured, I'll wear him out."

"You do need to find a way to use those slut skills for good," Marcus said to him with a chuckle.

When the game had started, Ethan had been sitting just to the left of the opposing team's goal, so he had seen quite a few of their drives to the basket but after half time, the teams switched sides and he had to say it was impressive to watch Carter charge the basket. He wore a determined expression that Ethan had only ever seen a handful of times outside of games and practice. It was hot to watch him like that, and he used his phone to take some photos.

"Kick their ass, Charge!" Ethan yelled as the fourth quarter started. If only Jimmy and Wayne could see him now. They'd be so proud.

He was quietly considering one of the hospital's annual traditions of sports games against other hospitals. It was meant to keep up morale, but Ethan hadn't taken part in it much. That might change now, just so Carter could get a chuckle at being the one watching a much less skilled Ethan on the court or in the field.

The game continued on. By the end of the fourth quarter it was tied with a little over a minute to go and Carter managed to get the ball. He drove down-court as if he was going for a layup, which caused the other team to scramble to guard the basket. He pulled up at the last minute, found his sweet spot, and shot, scoring three points, but leaving enough time on the clock for the other team to make a play.

Ethan jumped up to cheer when Carter got the three-pointer, which caused him to stumble back into his seat. Luckily, Marcus grabbed his shoulders and steadied him but Ethan grabbed his cane while looking a little sheepish for a moment. He was just hoping that Carter had missed that particular moment because he still was fairly self-conscious about being this weak. He had to remind himself that Carter wasn't judging him for it, even if he judged himself.

Carter was too focused on the game to have noticed, fortunately, or he would have reacted and probably would have lost the game. Just as Ethan was falling back into his chair, the opposing team passed the ball back into play and Carter had taken two backward steps toward the basket when one of them threw the ball down-court and he intercepted it. He saw his opening and charged the basket again, this time making the layup he had faked earlier.

Ethan was out of his seat again as the buzzer sounded, and this time he ended up on the floor, causing Marcus to tumble over trying to keep him upright. Marcus motioned to the cane in exasperation and Ethan just laughed, sitting on the ground near his seat and looking back out at the court where the team was celebrating.

Carter had seen Ethan go down the second time and pushed his way into the seating area. He stole a glance at the seats the scouts had been in and they were leaving. He focused on pushing through the crowd and got to Ethan just in time to see Marcus pull him to his feet and frustratedly thrust his cane into his hand. "Ethan! Are you okay? I saw you fall!"

Marcus rolled his eyes. "You mean you saw him fall the second time."

"I'm fine," Ethan said as he steadied himself with the cane. "My head just got a little ahead of my body."

Carter nodded, "Okay, just be careful! Wait for the crowd to clear out before leaving, they don't have much sympathy for the disabled, generally." He made his way back onto the court, where his team had lined up to shake hands with the other team in a tradition that went all the way back to peewee leagues for all of them.

"Listen to your boyfriend," Marcus grumbled to Ethan, who was smirking. "You keep getting ahead of yourself, and you'll end up trampled. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again soon."

"Oh, I expect so," Ethan replied, leaning on the cane which he held in front of him. "Just try to not get too annoying. You're one of the only press people I haven't told exactly where they can stuff those cameras and voice recorders. Say hi to your sister for me."

Marcus flipped him off as he walked away and Ethan grinned in response. He watched as most of the fans left the building, and both teams had disappeared into the locker rooms to get cleaned up. The team would be heading back to Ohio, and the two of them had already cleared it with the coach that Carter could get Ethan back to New York and then drive the over seven hours home to Ohio.

The drive back was pleasant and they talked about the game, as well as Carter jokingly asking Ethan if the guy he was with was his next crush. Ethan laughed at that and explained that Marcus used to write for the society section but now he had jumped ship over to sports, which seemed to be a far better fit for him. He always seemed rather bored and miserable at the events. He also admitted to dating Marcus' sister for a month after a particular article he had put out about some of the events surrounding Jeremy's trial. They had gotten along well but she wanted the whole shebang: marriage, kids, and the house with the white picket fence and Ethan, at the time, just didn't.

"At the time?" Carter asked.

"I'm honestly not sure if I want kids," Ethan admitted. "I could see it, but I think it just depends. Marriage is becoming far more agreeable to me now, though. We'd need the right house for you anyway, so might as well add the white picket fence, right?"

"That's... no, no pickets. Maybe not white either. I like natural wood tones," Carter said with a wink.

"Well, whichever type of fence you want, I'm just saying my views of the whole settling down, marrying, having a family have changed," Ethan said with a wave of his hand as he named each one. "It doesn't seem like a chore when I picture it with you."

Ethan kept his eyes on the landscape as his face blushed red in embarrassment for being that up front about it. Carter, meanwhile, was very quiet. So quiet, in fact, that Ethan began to wonder if he'd finally said something wrong. He looked over at Carter in trepidation and just then Carter pulled the car over to the side of the road. As they came to a stop, he put the car in park and put the emergency flashers on and sat there staring at the steering wheel.

"Don't do that," Carter said suddenly, not looking at him. "Don't fill my head with normal people dreams for the future if you don't mean it. I used to dream about relationships developing the way everyone else's gets to and one of my first partners told me that's not how the gays do it. The longer I've been dating, the more I've wondered if he wasn't right. So please, I'm asking you, think about what you're saying and don't get me excited that my dreams could come true unless you really mean it, Ethan."

Ethan could tell he was very emotional just then. He was also dead serious. Normally, he could count on Carter to keep things light but just then he seemed to be facing something dark from his past. Ethan swallowed hard as he considered what Carter had said.

"I believe that Jeremy was told something similar at one point," Ethan commented carefully, trying to pick his words. "That his life was meant for being in the shadows. He's married now, though, and they are considering having kids, whether by surrogate or adoption. I may make a lot of jokes and I can be sarcastic, but I don't talk about things like this lightly. It's not a joke to me. If I didn't mean it, I wouldn't have said it."

Carter scrubbed at his face before looking at the mirrors and taking the flashers off and signaling his intention to get back onto the highway. Ethan was quiet for a while, not sure what to say now. Carter apologized for getting upset and told Ethan about a few of his relationships that had turned out to be abusive because he wanted more than they were offering. He explained that he had slowly adjusted his thinking to match better with the culture he found himself in but some small part of him had never given up hope that someday he might find someone who believed like he did.

Ethan could understand why he felt that way, and admitted to being particularly bad at this whole relationship thing. His longest relationship had been around six months long, and he had left it because he felt bad for the woman because he just wasn't looking at life the same way she was. He liked her company, but his parents' constant talk of settling and creating heirs had turned him off of the whole thing. He found himself rethinking some of his old opinions now, though he definitely didn't want to pass on the Morrow genes thanks to Peter's actions.

One of those opinions was that he liked his space and he liked his alone time. The idea of anyone living with him, other than one of his close friends like he had lived with Chloe during college, irked him. He didn't want anyone intruding on his solitude. Long distance with Carter had been difficult though, in a way he'd never experienced before, and he had been considering whether his solitude was worth more than the comfort of knowing he was there.

In fact, since his dad had hurt him and the hospital stay, he had been putting serious consideration into selling his house. It was partly because it brought back a lot of memories, and partly because he'd rather live where his family didn't know the address to, plus Carter didn't like ducking down to go to the basement, and due to trying to keep up with his exercise, he spent a lot of time in the basement. He had also decided he wanted to look for a home with more land between neighbors, for Carter's comfort.

And before he met Carter, he never would have considered someone else's needs when buying a home. The drive back to New York was over far too quickly and Carter was holding Ethan close on Ethan's couch before they really knew it. Carter clearly didn't want to leave, but the team had some celebrating to do and the scouts would not chase him down to offer him a contract. He had to go home.

Ethan finally had to make Carter get up and go to the door where they kissed and hugged goodbye. "We'll celebrate together soon. I promise. Just go and get that contract."

As it turned out, Carter went through an entire month of the post-season without an offer, but he noticed no one else got one either. He called and texted Ethan constantly and they arranged to meet up a couple of times, but Ethan eventually convalesced enough to go back to work. They started off by having him take it easy, working with smaller cases that he wouldn't need the full use of his body for, but eventually he fell back into the swing of emergency medicine.