Rat Tale Ch.9 Tachycardia
The week went by so quickly. It's hard to explain how time forces you to deal with your problems by moving the days. One minute it was Friday the next minute it was next Friday like the days in between had melted away. It was time. Gerald was going to have his first "appointment" with Faris. We decided that while he might have been an odd character, he wasn't an asshole, he was comfortable, and he was less clinical about the situation than Husk95. We never learned Husk95's actually name by the way.
Originally I planned to be in the room when the act happened, but the whole situation had grown to be too real. I didn't think I could handle watching everything unfold. I decided to go to work like usual. It was my last court ordered appointment with Mason, so I had something planned for the lion. After having lunch the week prior I felt it only right to extend a branch and let him know I would still be available if he needed my help even if the situation was non-medical.
Before I left the house I had to do something though.
Gerald's parents were gone , which meant we were just waiting for Faris to show up. Rather than pay for a hotel we agreed that Faris could pick Gerald up and they could go back to his place. But I wanted to have a word with him before I let him take Gerald off to wherever he lived. I heard the sound of his car pull up out front or I thought it was his car. I walked outside and left Gerald inside while he finished getting ready. Faris could have had a clown car or a motorcycle, but those would have been better than what he pulled up in. It was a school bus. A small one, but still. And there were kids on it.
He got out of the bus and I met him on the porch.
Parker- what the hell
Faris- I'm sorry I know it's not the most covert , but my car is in the shop so
Parker- so a school bus?
Faris- Tucker, the driver , is a friend of mine , he's gonna drop me and your BF off at my place after he takes these kids to a museum or some shit
I looked over Faris shoulder and watched Stan get on the bus. After palming my face I pulled Faris inside to talk in the living room.
Parker- I need to know that I can trust you, and that's really hard to do when honestly I don't know much about you and you showed up to our house in a school bus
Faris- look man , I'm gonna treat Gerald right like you would
Parker- no one can treat Gerald the way that I do
Faris - I just mean. .. I respect you guys , and I'm grateful and thankful that you picked me for this , I'm not looking to piss you off or man handle your boy ... unless he wants me to
He was already hiding a hard on under his shirt, it was making a wet spot. I sighed and tried to relax before stepping closer and holding him by his shoulders.
Parker- he's mine , and if I even think that you ... if you...
I couldn't find the words. Faris stepped in closer and hugged me. It caught me off guard. It wasn't a fake hug ether he held me until I hugged him back. Of course it was then that Gerald came downstairs, and from the corner of my eye I saw him laughing.
Gerald - did I miss something
Faris let me go and I was still uncertain but he kept his happy go lucky exterior.
Parker- nothing at all
I pulled Gerald near and kissed his forehead.
Parker- I'll see you after work
Gerald - alright
Faris- see you later man
He was a nice guy and I know he wasn't trying to be an ass , but I wanted to punch him in the face so hard. It wasn't like me to be so territorial. I had to leave before I called the whole thing off.
Walking back outside I noticed Stan on the bus. He pulled down a window and poked his head out as I walked to my car.
Stan- who's the other ape
Parker- he's a monkey, and it's none of your business Stan
Stan- you and the Rat fucking around now , I knew you guys were gay , but I didn't know you were that gay
Parker- I didn't realize you were special needs
Stan- what!?
Parker- the short bus suits you
Stan- we're going on a field trip dumb ass
Parker- sure you are, on a short bus though
Stan- Shut up
Parker- you know what keep your head right there so I can take a picture
I pulled out my phone as if to take a picture and he finally retreated.
The drive to work was short. Thinking about Faris and Gerald together was so distracting I'm surprised I avoided a car crash. It seemed as though having my talk with Faris that morning took up too much time because when I finally made it into the clinic I was about thirty minutes late. Mason was nowhere to be found as I walked through the waiting room to my usual examination room.
I scratched my head wondering why he would miss his last appointment until Tyra came by. She knocked on the door and it startled me out of my thoughts.
Tyra- hey I took care of the movie star for you
Parker- oh , I thought he missed his appointment
Tyra - no he got here pretty early, said he had to get to work so I figured
Parker- yea , thank you
Tyra- are you OK , you seem ... I don't know, out of it
Parker- I didn't get much sleep last night
Tyra- well you should never skip out on beauty rest , you know I keep a tight sleep schedule and just look at me , flawless
Parker - right
I spoke sarcastically before I laughed.
Tyra- whatever, you should get to work you have a long day ahead of you
Parker- long day?
Tyra- people have been calling in all morning to speak with you , and most of the people in the waiting room are here for you too
Parker- what?
Tyra- I know right, it's like half the city suddenly wants "monkey boy" checking them out
Parker- I'm sure some of them are here for you too "tiger girl"
But they weren't. It was amazing as if over night the clinic had grown to be a land mark or a tourist attraction. Most of the people I saw that day didn't need serious medical treatment. In fact most of the people I saw that day didn't seem interested in medical treatment at all. It was odd. But what really caught my attention was the age range of the patients. They were all relatively young. Most of them were also male. Something had to be up , but I was seeing more patients in an hour than I'd usually see in a week.
By the time I took my lunch break I had almost completely forgotten about Gerald and Faris. By the end of the day I was exhausted, and there were still people coming in. I had to schedule a number of people to come back on Monday or later the next week , which was fantastic.
It was my job to lock up for the night so I saw the last patients out of the building before I started to lock up. The night was on and I was ready to go home. I was in the back room cutting off lights when I heard someone walk inside through the main entrance. I walked back to tell whoever it was that we were closed for the night. It was Mason.
Mason- hope I'm not too late
Parker- Mason? What are you doing here
Mason- thought I'd come see you one last time before I have to go
Parker- go where , what's going on
Mason- I took a job, it's a big one , not as big as my last one but still pretty big
Parker- that's good , that's really good, keeping busy is a good way to help with your sobriety
Mason - my X was almost killed by a street gang
Parker- what?
Mason- you never asked why I did drugs , you never asked what pushed me over the edge, but everyone else does. My boyfriend almost died because he got involved with stuff that he wouldn't tell me about
Parker- I'm sorry, but why are you telling me this now
Mason- because I want to tell someone before I leave, I wish he were dead ... I wish they had just killed him , it would have been easier... easier than seeing him in a hospital bed, easier than his parents getting a restraining order so I couldn't be by his side, easier than wondering if he'll ever wake up , there were a few times I almost couldn't take it but
He paused. He was getting choked up. I closed the distance between us and found myself resting a hand on his shoulder. He looked away from me , wouldn't make eye contact at all while he continued.
Mason- but I knew I had to be here to get checked out every week, seeing you gave me a reason to leave my house, it gave me a reason to give a shit , and I needed that, I needed you , and I know it's not healthy, I know it's not right to put so much responsibility on you but you helped me in ways that no one else could have
Parker- I just did my job Mason, nothing else
Mason- I know, but I wanted to say thank you so I did something
Parker- you didn't have to do anything, I actually had something set up for you , it was a cake I order from the shop across the street... unfortunately my coworkers ate most of it already
Mason- that's fine but
He took out his cell phone and opened a video.
Mason- I know you don't have many patients so I got together with a few people from my last job to put together a little something to help you out
As the video played it became clear why I suddenly had so many visitors that day. Mason posted an ad online promoting not only the clinic, but myself as his personal doctor.
Parker- you did this for me
Mason- people need to know that there's someone like you around
Parker - this... I don't know what to say
Mason- I posted the video online last night, so you should get more people in a while , but I was hoping you'd let me treat you for a change and take you out to dinner
Parker - I should probably get home , Gerald has been out all day and
Mason- then a quick drink
Parker- your not supposed to be drinking
Mason- I'll watch you drink then
Parker -Mason
Mason- I'm not taking no for an answer here, it's my last night in town , indulge me
Parker - you know nothing can happen between us right?
Mason- I would never ask anything of you to hurt your relationship with Gerald, I promise, just have one drink
Parker- Just one?
Mason- just one , and then I can leave town with a good memory in mind
I thought about it. It was already late ,so I figured what would one more hour hurt.