Broken Toys

Chapter 5

As soon as he tried to roll over Billy knew he'd made a mistake. He clamped his mouth shut and directed what little coherence he had towards calming his stomach. His head would just have to wait and explode later.

Something heavy was pinning his legs and there was a line of damp heat along his back.

From somewhere behind him there was a groan.

"Man, what kind of lighter fluid were we drinking last night?"

Billy lay very still and tried not to think about it. His mouth felt fuzzy and disgusting and his head was still planning to explode, probably soon.

A few more minutes of stern do-not-throw-up messages to his stomach and Billy was ready to risk moving. He sat up slowly, closing his eyes against the sight of everything wobbling.

Another round of instructions to the stomach and he was ready to risk gravity and other hazards by standing.

So far so good. Another 20-30 minutes and he might even be able to risk taking a step or two.

Somewhere off to his left, there was more groaning, followed by the sounds of movement. Finally Billy risked activating that explosion by turning his head.

Zeke was sitting on the edge of the bed, head in hands, and a definite green tinge to what Billy could see of his face.

Note to self: never ever drink vodka again.

Another groan and Zeke launched himself upright. He looked miserable.

Forcing himself to pull it together, Billy managed to get to the desk and retrieve the breath mints and the aspirin.

He downed the aspirin, then started chewing some mints. He'd need a lot of them today, and just had to hope that...

Someone knocked on the door, then called, "Mr. Tepper, are you awake?"

Dean Parker!

Billy popped more mints into his mouth and chewed fast. He shoved the tin of mints and the bottle of aspirin at Zeke and motioned for him to take them.

While Zeke complied, Billy shoved the empty bottle and dirty glasses into his dresser and closed the drawer.

As soon as Zeke shoved the aspirin and mints under Casey's pillow, Billy walked over and opened the door.

"Morning, Dean. Is something wrong?"

Parker took two steps past Billy into the room and frowned. "Do you mean something other this mess and," he sniffed and made a show of leaning closer to Billy, "whatever it was that you've been drinking?"

Billy took a step back and looked at Zeke, who shrugged.

"I didn't come here for an inspection, fortunately for you, Mr. Tepper. I received a call from the hospital; Casey is being released this morning. I thought you and Mr. Tyler might want to give him a ride. I have a meeting at the hospital that may take a while and didn't want Mr. Conner to have to wait. He's very anxious to come back to school."

Parker looked sternly at Billy. "I will expect you to be on your best behavior, Mr. Tepper. Casey needs rest and the next few weeks may prove difficult for him. I do not expect there to be any problems or I will be forced to relocate you. Is that understood?"

Billy nodded carefully.

"And you, Mr. Tyler. I have no objections to your staying here during break, but as of Monday morning the term resumes and guests are not permitted during the week. Mr. Tepper, see the custodian about getting a cot in here for Mr. Tyler."

Parker paused in the doorway and turned, adding, "and get this room cleaned up, Mr. Tepper. How do you expect someone on crutches to navigate in here?"

The dean pulled the door closed behind him.

*****

"Casey?" Billy walked into the hospital room first while Zeke hung back, standing just inside the door.

The two of them had barely talked since Dean Parker's visit. Billy wasn't sure if it was hangover or embarrassment that kept Zeke silent and he couldn't read his body language well enough to tell.

"Hey, you came to spring me from this place?" Casey smiled at Billy, then looked over at Zeke, the smile faltering a little.

"Zeke?" He held out a hand. "I'm sorry about yesterday." He waited, then started to draw back his hand, sadness darkening his eyes.

Billy turned, wanting to do something to make Zeke realize that he was being a jerk, but the other boy's expression stopped Billy cold. So much fear, confusion and longing.

Slowly Zeke moved towards Casey, stopping just out of arm's reach. His voice was rough when he finally spoke. "Don't apologize, Case. I was acting stupid."

Casey held out his hand again, and smiled. This time Zeke reached out to him, just holding his hand, savoring the warmth.

"So, what do we need to do to get you out of here?" Billy asked after a moment. He busied himself with retrieving the crutches.

"Gotta use the magic escape button," Casey replied, pressing the call button by his bed. After a few minutes, the nurse arrived.

"Ready to go, Casey? Ok, just wait here and I'll have someone bring a wheelchair."

As soon as she was gone, Billy slipped out of the room. A minute later he returned, a little breathless, pushing a wheelchair.

"Ready to make a run for it?" he asked, making a show of being secretive.

Zeke scooped a laughing Casey up out of the bed and set him in the wheelchair. Billy snatched up the crutches and played lookout with exaggerated motions.

Ten minutes later they were running through the parking lot, laughing. An orderly was chasing after them, but by the time he caught up Zeke had already settled Casey in the car. Billy smiled his most charming, innocent smile and thanked the orderly for the use of the wheelchair. They were still laughing as Zeke drove away.

*****

"What did you do?" Casey demanded, looking around the room, appalled.

"Don't worry, Case. We didn't really clean, we just stuffed everything in the closet."

Casey maneuvered awkwardly over to the bed and eased down onto it. His leg was throbbing and his arms were shaking with fatigue, but he'd insisted on walking rather than letting Zeke carry him. It was going to take some practice before he'd be able to get to his classes like this, so he might as well start now.

Zeke sat down beside Casey and drew the smaller boy close. "Rest a minute, Case, then we'll help you get changed and you can sleep if you want."

"No," Casey said tiredly. "Could use some food, though."

"Pizza's on its way. I'll be getting frequent buyer points or something this week." Billy said, laughing as Casey eyed the empty pizza box beside the trashcan.

"Don't worry," Billy added, grinning. "I told them to skip the anchovies this time."

Casey just groaned and settled more comfortably against Zeke.

*****

"He's sleeping. No, I.... No. No. I can't do that. I'm sorry, Mr. Conner. I'll give him the message." Billy hung up slowly, looking over at Casey. He'd woken up during the call and now he was looking at Billy expecting answers.

Zeke was nowhere to be seen, probably out for a smoke. Casey was just as glad he hadn't been there to hear the phone conversation. It would just upset Zeke, and Casey couldn't deal with that right now.

Billy pulled the desk chair over and dropped into it, looking a bit battered. Casey knew the feeling; talking to his dad had the same effect on him.

"They're still in Hawaii, Casey. They're trying to rearrange their flight to bring them directly here rather than Ohio. They'll arrive on Sunday afternoon."

Half a week. Casey felt a little of the tension go out of his back. He'd half expected them to show up any minute.

Billy seemed to know what Casey was thinking. He reached out and touched Casey's arm. "You ok? Need anything?"

Casey thought about it for a moment before responding. He blushed lightly and looked away, shaking his head. "No, I'm just gonna... you know... I'll be back." He winced as he pulled himself up awkwardly, struggling a bit with the crutches. "Might take a while," he added with a rueful grin.

Billy watched him move slowly across the floor, biting his lip hard to stop himself from asking if Casey wanted help. To distract himself, he straightened Casey's bedding.

*****

Casey was halfway back from the restroom when Zeke returned, triumphantly waving a brown paper bag. "Field trip, Case?" he asked, matching his pace.

Casey rolled his eyes. "Yeah, world tour of school restrooms. Really fascinating."

"Somebody's grumpy," Zeke said, a glint in his eyes. He shoved the bag at Casey then scooped him up, ignoring Casey's protests. One of the crutches fell, echoing noisily and Zeke left it behind.

"Stop complaining," Zeke scolded as he deposited Casey on his bed. "I'll go get it in a minute. Just couldn't wait all day for you to hobble down the hall. The ice cream would melt."

"Ice cream?" Casey stopped his protests immediately and started to open the bag. "What flavor?"

"It's a surprise," Zeke countered, snatching the bag away. He set it on the desk and went to retrieve the lost crutch.

When he returned, he opened the bag and took out three styrofoam dishes and spoons. He handed one to Billy before carrying the other two over to Casey's bed and taking a seat. He made a show of choosing which container he wanted before handing the other to Casey.

"Sundaes?" Casey dug into the treat immediately. "Mmmm," he said through a mouth full of marshmallow and vanilla ice cream.

"Well don't get used to being waited on," Zeke teased. Billy nodded in agreement and kept eating.

*****

"You sure about this, Case?" Zeke eyed the narrow steps nervously. "I don't want you to break your other leg."

"So one of you walk in front, one in back. That way you'll either catch me or I'll land on you."

"Gee, thanks Casey," Billy griped with good humor. Taking one of the crutches he led the way down the stairs to the darkroom. Casey had insisted on going, and walking rather than being carried, calling it practice.

"I'm not going to let a little thing like a broken leg keep me away from the darkroom," he'd insisted, and neither of his friends had the heart to refuse him.

Casey gripped the railing hard, his face set as he concentrated on moving from one step down to the next. Billy kept pace in front, Zeke in back, both staying just far enough away that they could catch Casey if he faltered.

By they time they reached the bottom of the staircase, Casey was sweating and his face was pale. He refused the suggestion to rest and the offer to be carried, insisting he had to do this himself to build up his strength.

Zeke was ready to argue, but a sharp reminder from Billy that he'd be leaving in a few days stopped Zeke cold. He trailed along behind them in silence, barely aware of where they were going.

"Here it is." Casey's enthusiasm pulled Zeke out of his dark thoughts. He'd give anything to see that smile more often.

"Okay Billy, ready for darkroom techniques for beginners?"

Zeke snickered, his eyes locked onto Casey's and Casey blushed. "Didn't know you had a title for it, Case." Unable to resist one second longer, Zeke closed the distance between them and claimed Casey's mouth.

Billy watched them for a moment, a spike of envy hard in his chest. They looked beautiful together, and he felt ugly and dirty for intruding. He turned to leave when a hand reached out to stop him.

"Don't go," Casey pleaded, looking ashamed. "I'm sorry."

Billy saw a look of anger flash across Zeke's face, but as Casey turned towards Zeke it was replaced by a half-smile. "Yeah, no more distractions. Promise."

Casey stepped back, looking at them a bit uncertainly, sensing something different than what he was seeing and hearing. After a moment he shrugged and busied himself with the necessary equipment.

As he started explaining the film developing process to Billy, Zeke slipped out of the room unnoticed.

*****

"I feel like I've been run over by a bus," Casey confessed, dropping down onto his bed. It was late and he hadn't taken his pain medication.

"Hey," he greeted Zeke who was sitting at Casey's desk reading a magazine. "Where'd you disappear to? I thought you'd want to see Billy's pictures."

"Maybe later, Case. I needed some quiet time."

"Snuck out for a smoke," Casey translated. "Maybe next time?"

"Yeah," was the neutral reply, but Zeke was looking at Billy when he said it.

"I forgot to ask the custodian for a cot." Billy said suddenly, not catching Zeke's look. "I guess somebody gets the floor."

"No way." Casey protested. "Can't sleep on a cold hard floor." He thought for a minute, then looked up, smiling. "Zeke, help me out here." He levered himself up and moved away from the bed towards Zeke. "We could put the two beds together. Plenty of room for the three of us. Tomorrow we can arrange for a cot."

Oblivious to the tension between the other two boys, Casey started rummaging around in his desk drawer for some string. Finding it, he turned to Billy, who was closest. "Here, we can tie the bed legs together with this so they don't slide apart during the night."

When they were finished, Casey nodded his approval. "Plenty of room." He yawned widely.

"I gotta crash," he told them before heading down the hall to brush his teeth. The others followed along without speaking.

When they returned, Casey had Zeke brace him as he pulled off his t-shirt and struggled with his jeans. The one pant leg had been cut to allow for the cast but it was still tricky getting them off. Between the three of them they finally managed it and Casey dropped into bed clad only in his boxers. The other boys stripped down as well and turned out the lights, settling in with Zeke in the middle.

He leaned over and kissed Casey good-night before lying down. Behind him he felt Billy shift restlessly and sigh. A few minutes later, Casey was sound asleep but Billy was still restless. Slowly Zeke turned and reached out, resting his hand gently against Billy's back. He felt the boy tense and waited. After long minutes, the tension eased. Zeke stroked Billy's back until Billy fell asleep.

Turning over again, Zeke leaned his head against Casey's shoulder. He watched the younger boy sleep for a very long time until Billy shifted and moved closer. Surrounded by warmth, Zeke finally slept.

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