Long Pass Chronicles 02 - Canning the Center (30 page)

“I’m honored to be asked.”

“Thank you.”

“So, hmmmm. What shall we do until then?”

Trevor laughed and started unfastening his jeans.

Jamal grinned. “Hey, why didn’t I think of that?”

“S
O
I
finally get to meet your mom.”

Trevor looked at Jamal with some sadness in his big eyes. “Try to be ready, Bunny. It’s not easy.”

He smiled. “Hey, nine hundred pounds of monsters run at me and I don’t run away.” Sounded like he finally believed it.

Trevor smiled, but he looked as nervous as Jamal felt. Linebackers were one thing, but there were so many things that could go wrong today.

They sat outside the Alzheimer’s facility in the Cadillac, both dressed to the teeth in dark suits and ties. They wanted to look impressive. Jamal checked the backseat. They had plastic pads and a blanket to keep Mrs. Landry warm. “You think we won’t need an ambulance?”

“When I called, they said no. They thought I was my brother, and I didn’t change their minds. I just told them I was taking her to another facility. When I named Ventain, they couldn’t object. It’s so much better than here.” He rubbed his hands together. “God, I hope Rance doesn’t show up.”

“We’ll move fast.”

Trev held up his tote bag. “I brought a dress. She may make a huge fuss if she doesn’t recognize me.”

“Okay, you ready?”

Trevor looked at him with the big eyes. “God, Bunny, I’m all scared again.”

“Rich, important guy like you? No need. Come on.”

They both climbed out like a scene from a cop movie and moved side by side toward the entrance. Jamal heard Trevor take a deep breath as they pushed open the door. Inside, he flashed the pearlies. “Good afternoon, I’m here to pick up Mrs. Landry for her move to Ventain. I hope she’s all ready.”

The woman behind the desk looked up, smiling, and then her face clouded with confusion. “Oh, uh, you’re Mr.—”

“Landry. I’m transferring my mother to Ventain. Here are the doctor’s orders.”

“Oh my. Well, I wasn’t aware—”

“Is she ready?”

“Yes, but—”

“Excellent. You’ve all done such great work with her. Jamal.” Trevor started walking down the hall. The woman came out from behind the desk and followed them.
Good
. That meant she wasn’t calling the brother.

Trevor walked into a room, and Jamal followed.

A woman with long fair hair and a face almost as beautiful as Trevor’s sat in a chair staring blankly at a television. But she was dressed for travel, and suitcases sat by the door.

Trevor said, “Mrs. Landry, hello. I’m a friend of Trevor’s. He asked me to come and fetch you for a lovely afternoon. He has a caller.”

Wow
. That was quite a story.

Her eyes turned toward Trevor, and she frowned. Not just displeasure, but intense fear. “Who are you? Why are you here? Don’t touch me. Why wouldn’t Trevor come? Don’t—” Her eyes focused a little, and she looked straight at Jamal. “Elmer? Oh, Elmer, did you come to fetch me?”

Trevor looked at him frantically. Very softly he said, “Her favorite orderly.”

She smiled and waved her hand gracefully. “Yes, you are my favorite, Elmer. They keep sending this awful woman.”

Jamal smiled. “Well, ma’am, I’m here to take you for a lovely outing. You all ready?”

“Oh yes. I love going places with handsome men.”

Trevor giggled and grabbed her two suitcases.

Jamal moved her from her chair into a wheelchair, and she took his hand. “Will there be strawberry shortcake?”

“I’m sure there will, ma’am.” Pushing hard, he hurried her past the woman from the desk, out the door of her room, down the hall, and through the lobby toward the entrance. Trevor ran interference ahead of him with the bags. He should be carrying those, but Mrs. Landry only wanted Jamal at the moment.

“Wait!” A woman came running out of a room. “You can’t take her anywhere. Mr. Landry will be here in a minute.”

Trevor stopped. “I’m Mr. Landry, and she’s leaving with me.” He glanced at Jamal.
Okay, keep going
. Jamal pushed to the front door and opened it, then guided her through.

Mrs. Landry clapped her hands. “This is fun.”

“Good. Want to go fast?”

“Oh yes.”

He pushed at top speed toward the car. She was a little thing. He could have carried her faster, and she might have liked it, but rules said she had to be in a wheelchair. He heard Trevor dragging the bags behind him.

He opened the car door.

“Where the hell do you think you’re taking her?”

Okay, that bullshit voice had to be Trevor’s brother. Jamal turned. Rance Landry had brown hair and an inch or two in height on his slimmer brother. Easy to see why he hated Trev. The guy had all the same features, but the assembly came out homely.

Trevor sighed. “I’m taking her to a better facility.”

“Like hell you are. This already costs me an arm and a dick.”

Trevor stood a little straighter. “I hate to see you dickless, Rance. That’s why I’m taking over responsibility for Mother’s care.”

“You? What a joke. You can’t pay to hem your dresses, you pervert.”

Jamal clenched his fists, but Trevor slipped a hand on his arm. “Actually I can, and I’ve paid the next six months in advance. So go away. You never loved her. I’m grateful you paid for what you did. Your tenure is up. Thank you.” He turned. “Please put her in the car, Jamal.”

“Nice you brought your own orderly. But isn’t he a little overdressed?”

Jamal straightened up over the wheelchair and stretched to his full height. He took three steps toward Rance. The man backed up. “Your brother may be grateful to you, but I know what kind of slimy little snake you really are. Come anywhere near Trevor or his mother ever again, and I’ll be disorderlying your features for life. Do you understand?”

Rance stared at Jamal with hatred but more fear. “Why would I ever want to see either of them?”

“Do you understand?”

“Yes.” He clenched his teeth.

“Then why are you still here?” Jamal stepped closer.

The guy turned and about tripped on himself getting back to the facility.

Trevor watched him go. “How could someone who scared me so badly disappear so fast?”

“I think they call it letting go of fear.” Jamal walked back to Mrs. Landry.

She reached up and patted his chest. “Well done. Very well done.”

He laughed as he slid her into the car and fastened the seat belt. She took to it like a duchess to a carriage. Trevor crawled into the backseat, and Jamal started the car. She startled and gave a whimper. He put a hand on her arm. “It’s just fine, Mrs. Landry. I have this all under control.”

“Yes, I can see you do.”

She stared out the windows with fascination, never once sliding back into the stupor he’d seen her in while in her chair inside. Jamal glanced at her. “Would you like to go for another drive soon?”

“Oh yes.” She smiled. “Could we get ice cream?”

“Absolutely. Would you like some now?”

“Yes, please.” Her smile looked like Trevor’s.

In the backseat, Trevor said, “Wow.”

Jamal pulled into a strip mall, and Trevor ran into a shop with an ice cream sign. He came out with two cones of chocolate and a dish of strawberry. He opened the car door and knelt down beside it. He handed her the dish. “Here you are, Mrs. Landry.”

“Thank you, Trevor. You always have known what I like.”

The tears sprang from his eyes like someone had turned on a faucet, but he wiped them away, then rested his cheek against the doorjamb and watched her eating the ice cream, occasionally licking at his cone. When she finished, he took her cup and threw it away along with most of his cone, then got in the backseat again and hummed all the way to the new facility.

Ventain didn’t look like a hospital. More of a good hotel that happened to have a lot of old guests. As they pushed her down the hall, she watched with interest but didn’t seem very afraid. Trevor walked beside the wheelchair. “This is your new place, Mommy. You’re going to love it here.”

“I am?”

“Yes, it’s elegant and graceful like you.”

“Who will take care of me?”

“There will be nice people—”

“Who? Who will it be?” Her voice rose with an edge of hysteria.

Trevor looked around frantically. Coming up the hall, carrying a clipboard, was a large black man. Trevor grabbed his arm. “Here’s the man who will take care of you, Mommy.” He smiled up at him pleadingly. “Won’t you? This is Mrs. Landry.”

“Actually, I will.” The man knelt down beside her chair. “Hello, Mrs. Landry. I’m Doctor Halbert. I’m very happy to have you with us.”

She flashed her dimples. “Thank you. I’m so happy to be here. I’m looking forward to many gentlemen callers.”

He stood up and looked at Trevor. “Why don’t you let me take it from here? We’ll get her settled.”

He frowned. “Oh, all right. Do you think?”

“You can come back tomorrow. She’ll be more comfortable in her surroundings by then.”

The doctor glanced toward the door like Trevor should sneak away.

Trevor looked at his mom longingly but started toward the door. Jamal slipped an arm around his shoulder.

“Trevor?” Her voice sounded steady and strong.

He turned like she’d pulled his string. “Yes, Mommy?” He ran back to her.

She put a hand on his cheek. “I like your young man.” She looked toward Jamal, then up at the doctor with a smile, and he pushed her away.

Trevor sat on the floor and cried.

Jamal gathered him up. “Let’s go home.”

He smiled through his tears. “I like my young man too.”

Chapter 19

W
HEN
J
AMAL
came out of the bathroom wearing his sweatpants and nothing else, Trevor was sitting with his back against the brand-new headboard, staring into space. A quick shopping trip and some serious move-out at Trev’s apartment meant they were now officially living together.

Jamal flopped on the bed, which bounced Trevor up an inch. He pointed at Trevor’s head. “What’s going on in there, my pretty?”

“I’m trying to transition.”

“From? To?”

“From a guy who never dared to dream, to one who has all the things he couldn’t bring himself to dream of.”

“Sounds like a good transition to me.”

“It is, but a little disorienting.”

“And in just a few days, you’ll be at your new job and having fun. But before then, we’ve got a few special events.”

“Your first game as an out and proud gay football center.”

“And your return, after a brief absence, to the stage. Are you looking forward to it?”

“Yes. I always love being Trixie.” He smiled. “You like her too.”

“You kidding? One look at her and I was done. I knew my life would never be the same.”

He laughed. “Hell, that’s an understatement.”

“Hey, I’ll be right back.” Jamal hopped off the bed and went in the walk-in closet. He’d brought it home, hadn’t he? Sure enough, from his jacket pocket he pulled the pink garter belt the rooks had worn for hazing. He shoved it in the pocket of his sweats, ran out of the closet, and waved at Trevor. “Just a second.”

Jamal walked quietly into the second bedroom they’d set up for Trixie. He sat on the chair by the dressing table and surveyed the goodies. If he messed it up, he’d have to deal with an irate Trixie.

Slowly and quietly, he opened the drawer.
Pay dirt
. Man, what did she do with all this stuff? The lipstick he identified. Okay. Red. He looked in the small magnifying mirror and drew the red stuff over his lips.
She-it.
On his skin with lips that full, the effect was startling—and not half damn bad. He wiped a little of the red color on his finger and dotted it on his cheeks, then smoothed it in. Again, pretty—pretty. Chuckling, he figured out which tube was mascara and swiped some on his curly lashes, which promptly made black marks above his eyes. He wiped them off and batted his eyes, then laughed.

Trevor’s voice came from the other room. “Getting lonely in here.”

He yelled, “Hang on for another minute. It’ll be worth it.”

“Promises, promises.”

He stripped off his sweats. The cock was already getting interested, which complicated putting on the pink garter belt, but he managed it. Then he glanced in the mirror.
Holy mother of crap
. Maybe not girly, but he sure as hell looked wanton. Especially with his giant dong sticking straight up over the frilly lace.
Okay, here goes
.

He stepped back into the hall. “Are you ready?”

“I’ve been ready.”

“Paying attention?”

“Uh, yes.”

He leaped into the doorway. “Ta da!”

Trevor’s big eyes got way bigger and matched his open mouth. “Oh my God. You’re kidding me. Where did you get that lascivious piece of apparel and will it fit me?”

“Remember I told you about the hazing of the rookies? This was it. We had to wear it under the uniform. Sadly, I expect it might slide around your ankles.”

Trev hopped up on his knees, revealing nudity to match Jamal’s, minus the lingerie. His erection matched too—minus a few inches. “Well, it certainly looks scrumptious on you. I don’t know whether to laugh or come.”