The next morning
Aaron knocked on the door to the Station Chief’s office. “Chief, have you got a
minute?”
“Sure. Come on
in. What’s on your mind, Aaron?
“Well,” he
began. God I hope this works! He
silently prayed. “Doing the crash training over at Barber’s Point got me to
thinking.”
“You know, I
warned you about that.” The Chief interrupted, teasingly, causing Aaron to look
a little bewildered until he realized that the Chief was just joking.
“I got to
thinking that what if God forbid, a flight control computer malfunction causes
an F-16 to crash say, over Diamond Head or The Pass or somewhere else on the
island. Would the local fire departments know what to do? Would they know how
to handle the hydrazine if the tank should rupture? I know this is the first
time this type of joint exercise has happened, but I have a feeling it won’t be
the last.”
“That’s a very
good question, one that I don’t have the answer to. I suspect, however, that
you do. I’m willing to bet that you’re thinking of having training sessions
with the locals.”
“That’s part of
it, but there’s more to it than that. We don’t know their protocols and they
don’t know ours. I’m suggesting that we have some joint training exercises to
learn how each other operates. In fact, I think it would be a good idea also to
have like a picnic or luau or something and invite our local brothers and
sisters. You know, get to know them on a personal level, not just a
professional level.”
The Chief sat
back in his chair with a thoughtful look on his face. “Hmm. You might be onto
something here. It certainly is a good idea. Do you know any of the locals?”
“I had one in
one of my candle-making classes.”
“Do you know how
to get a hold of him?”
“Probably, I
might have his contact information on one of the class registration forms.”
“If you do, I
want you to get a hold of him and see if he can get you their Battalion
Commander’s phone number. Get it for me and I’ll contact him or her and see
what can be arranged. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were all for it. Like you
said, a crash can happen anywhere and they need to know how to deal with it.
They would also need to know how to contact the weapons sections on all of the
military installations on the island in case the plane is carrying live
armament, and how to tell the difference between live and practice bombs,
missiles, et cetera, which I have to admit is something that has not occurred
to me before. Let me run this by the brass and see what they have to say. It
wouldn’t surprise me to find out these scenarios never occurred to them either.
Good job, Aaron. This is the type of forward thinking I like to see in a
Firefighter. Is there anything else?”
“Nothing I can
think of at the moment, Chief, except that any training we provide them would
have to, by necessity, include weapons identification training.”
“Absolutely; why
don’t you write something up along those lines? I have a feeling that, if
nothing else, we’ll be going forward with the training sessions, and I want you
to be prepared for when it happens.” The fact that the Chief said ‘when it
happens’ and not ‘if it happens’ was not lost on Aaron.
As soon as Aaron
went to lunch he got right on the phone to Iukekini. “Baby, it worked. My Chief
wants me to get the phone number for your Battalion Commander so he can discuss
not only training, but joint training exercises. I also mention having like a
picnic or something so we could get to know each other on a personal level.”
“What did he say
to that?”
“He’s in favor
of everything. He’s going to run it by the brass to see what they have to say.”
“That’s really
awesome Aaron. What did you tell your Chief about how you know me?”
“I told him the
truth, that I met you during one of my candle-making classes. I told him I
could get your number from the class registration, which is also the truth,
because I could get it from there it I didn’t already have it.”
Iukekini
laughed. “That works!”
“I have to get
back to work. Will I see you later?”
“I hope so. Why
don’t you come over as soon as you get off work? I’ll grill some steaks if you
will make one of your fantastic salads.”
“Sure, sounds
great to me. I get off at four today so I’ll meet you at four-thirty. I’m not
working at Candle Crafts so we can spend the whole evening together.”
“Awesome. See
you later. I love you.”
“Love you too.
Bye.” As soon as he got back to the station house Aaron was informed that the
Chief wanted to see him. He knocked on the Chief’s door.
“Oh, Aaron. Come
on in. I talked with the brass and they’re in favor of the joint training, so
as soon as you can get that number for me, I’ll contact the HFD Battalion
Commander and see if we can get something set up.”
“I already have
the number, Chief. I went by Candle Crafts on my lunch break and called the
guy. Here’s the number.” He gave the surprised Chief the number.
“That was fast.
You must be bucking for NCO of the month!” The Chief joked.
“Just doing what
I can to save lives, Chief.” No sooner than the words came out of Aaron’s mouth
the alarm went off. By the time Aaron got back to the station house it was
almost five-thirty. He quickly showered and changed, jumped into his car and
headed out, calling Iukekini on the way.
“Aaron where the
hell were you? I thought you were going to be here by four-thirty.” Iukekini
demanded.
“I’m sorry baby.
We had a structure fire in base housing, a total loss. Fortunately nobody was
home at the time. I’m on my way now. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“Okay, baby.
I’ll start the charcoals and have a cold beer waiting for you.”
“Thanks, baby.
I’ll need it. I have some good news to share when I get there. See you soon. I
love you.”
“I love you too,
Aalona.” Iukekini responded, using the Hawaiian equivalent of Aaron’s name.
A few minutes
later Aaron joined Iukekini on the balcony of his apartment. After a long hug
and passionate kiss, Aaron shared his good news. “The top brass are all in
favor of the joint training. He’s going to call your Battalion Commander about
it.”
“That’s great
news. That’ll give us the excuse to hang out together in public without raising
any suspicions.”
“Something
occurred to me on the way over here. We didn’t need to go this route, although
I think it’s a needed thing. Remember where we first met?”
“Yeah, we met at
Candle Crafts my first time there…ah, I see what you’re getting at. We met
under legitimate circumstances that no one can be suspicious of. We struck up a
conversation over the candle you had been given with your Firefighter badge
number.”
“That’s true. I
had forgotten that it was on my desk that day as an example of one of the many
things you can do with candles.”
“Tomorrow’s
Friday. Are you working this weekend?”
“I’m off
tomorrow and Saturday, but I have duty on Sunday. What do you want to do?”
“Have you ever
been waterskiing?”
“No, I haven’t.
I’ve always wanted to try it, though.”
“I’m going
Saturday. You should come along.”
Saturday turned
out to be a typical beautiful day and Aaron excitedly drove to Iukekini’s
apartment ready for some fun in the sun. Both men were excited that they
figured out how to spend time together openly without any worries. Arriving at
the pier where Iukekini’s friend Derek, also a Firefighter, had his boat ready
for some water sports. Onboard were snacks, water, fruit juices and soda, but
no alcohol. Being a very responsible boater, he never allowed alcohol on his
boat, not even non-alcoholic beer. If someone wanted alcohol, they had two
choices: stay ashore or go without. No
arguments, no compromises. Once onboard, Aaron took his shirt and shorts off,
leaving himself clad only in a pair of skimpy speedos which showed off his
firm, muscular ass and huge package. Iukekini had to will himself not to get
hard.
While cruising
around the islands, Iukekini taught Aaron the basics of waterskiing, then
donned a pair of skis and showed him how to get into the water with the skis on
and then the boat took off so Aaron could see how to get up on the skis. After
a few minutes Iukekini dropped the tow line and fell back into the water. Then
it was Aaron’s turn. Being an avid surfer, he had no trouble at all and really
enjoyed himself. Since that day, every time Aaron, Iukekini and Derek had a day
off and the weather cooperated, they went waterskiing. It wasn’t long, though
before trouble brewed on the horizon.
Iukekini, one
day while waterskiing, decided to show off a little. He told Derek to open the
throttle wide once he was up on the skis. Since there weren’t a lot of boaters
out and Iukekini was an accomplished water-skier, Derek had no problems
complying with his wishes. Once he was up on the skis and the throttle was wide
open, Iukekini tied the tow line around his waist, raised his hands above his
head and let out a long, loud whoop. Aaron looked back and couldn‘t believe how
reckless Iukekini was being. His anger rose so high he was seeing red. He
tapped Derek on the shoulder who, after looking in the rear view mirror and
getting pissed, slowed and eventually stopped the boat near Iukekini while
Aaron reeled in the tow line. Neither man spoke to him as he got into the boat
and they headed back to shore.
After helping
Derek clean up and secure the boat, Aaron rounded on Iukekini angrily. “How
often to you ski like that?”
Iukekini looked a
little stunned, not understanding why Aaron was so angry. “Quite often. It’s a
lot of fun.”
“You know, one
of these days you’re going to either end up in the hospital or get killed doing
that stunt” Aaron said to Iukekini angrily, stalking off. If he only knew how
prophetic those words were going to be, he would never have uttered them.
“Aaron, I…”
Iukekini said to his retreating back. Aaron just got into his car and drove
back to base.
“WHAT THE FUCK
WERE YOU DOING OUT THERE? DO YOU REALIZE HOW EASYILY YOU COULD HAVE BEEN HURT?
AS THE OWNER OF THE BOAT I’M RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYONE’S SAFETY. AS LONG AS
YOU’RE OUT WITH ME YOU WILL NEVER DO
THAT AGAIN, OR IT WILL BE THE LAST TIME I TAKE YOU OUT WATERSKIING!” Derek
ripped into him. “Get your stuff and I’ll drive you home. You better think long
and hard about what you’re going to say to Aaron. He really loves you and you
scared the shit out of him.”
Iukekini took in
a deep breath and let it out slowly. Lowering his eyes to the ground he said in
a quiet voice, “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry. I’ll give him some time to cool down
then I’ll give him a call and see if we can meet and talk it out. I really love
him and I don’t want to lose him over something like this. I’ve seen him mad
before, but never this mad.”
“I think there
was more than just anger. I think he might have been hurt a little that you
think so little of him and your relationship with him that you’d do something
as stupid and dangerous as that.”
“You think so?”
“I don’t know
him that well, but yeah, I do. He’s a great guy and I don’t want to see
anything split you two up.” Derek replied, placing his hand on Iukekini’s
shoulder briefly before they got into the car and headed out.
Aaron looked at
the caller ID display on his ringing cell phone and seeing that it was
Iukekini, let it go to voicemail. He wasn’t ready to deal with him yet. Maybe this would be a good time to go see
Mitch. He thought to himself. He missed talking to his best friend. I could talk with him about that
stupid-assed stunt Iukekini just pulled. I could tell him it was Cameron that
did it. God I hate lying. I had to do so much of it before I came out, and to
some extent I still do, switching pronouns and all that shit. I just don’t want
to do it anymore, but I don’t have a choice. God how I wish I could talk with
Andrea. I know, if I still have her card I’ll give her a call later. Armed
with a solution to his dilemma, or at least a way to find a solution, He drove
to the hospital to visit Mitch. He walked into the hospital room only to be met
by a sleeping Mitch. He decided to wait for him to wake up, so he sat in the
chair. With all the sun, exercise and emotional outbursts, it didn’t take long
for him to fall into a deep sleep.
A short while
later Mitch awakened to find Aaron sleeping in the chair next to his hospital
bed. He reached over and placed his hand on Aaron’s thigh then moved it up his
leg, across his crotch, up his abdomen and across his nipples. A strange look
of confusion crossed his face briefly just before Aaron woke up and stretched.
“Hi, Mitch” he said gently, “how are you feeling today?”
“Happy now that
you’re here.” He reached up and pulled Aaron down to give him a gentle kiss.
Again, the look of confusion crossed his face briefly. “Honey, what’s wrong?”
Aaron proceeded
to tell him about the events of the day, but didn’t mention Iukekini’s name,
just that he was out with friends. “I don’t know what to do about it. I mean, I
got so mad that he would endanger his life like that, and risk getting the rest
of us in trouble.”
“You need to
talk with him about it, baby. If he did that to you guys, and really enjoyed it
like you said, he might do it to others, and one time might end up hurt or
worse.”
“That’s what I
told him.” Aaron replied as the psychiatrist walked in.
“I’m sorry, but
it’s time for Mitch’s therapy. Would you mind coming back later?”
“Sure no
problem; I’ll see you later.” He gave Mitch a quick kiss and left.
“Okay, Mitch,
how’s your day going?” Dr. Mahuani asked.
“It’s really
weird, Doc. When I woke up from a nap, Aaron was here, but he was asleep. I put
my hand on his leg then moved it up his body. It felt weird, wrong somehow.
When he kissed me, it didn’t feel right.”
“Why do you
think it felt wrong?”
“I don’t know.
It was almost like kissing my best friend. It shouldn’t have felt that way. It
should have felt wonderful, but it didn’t.” He answered in a worried voice.
“Could I be falling out of love with him?”
“It’s possible.
Things like this have been known to happen. Maybe you’re starting to remember
something from the day of the accident and it’s making normal things feel
strange. It’s been known to happen. Do you remember anything from before the
accident?”
Mitch thought
hard. “Yes. I remember something happened between me and a friend I who had
stayed overnight in my guestroom. I don’t remember what happened, but it upset
me so much that I needed a drink to settle down. I remember going to a bar and
getting a drink. Then I remember waking up here. Could someone have slipped
something in my drink?”
“No, there were
no illicit substances in your blood, only alcohol. Your blood alcohol level was
way, way over the legal limit, 0.23. It’s a wonder you were even able to walk
out to your truck and drive off. Any ideas as to what happened between you and
the friend that stayed with you?”
“No.”
“Well, I’m sure
it will come back to you in time.”
“I hope so. It’s
driving me nuts that I can’t remember. One thing I do remember is that I rarely
drink, and you can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been drunk.”
“So getting
drunk is not normal behavior for you?”
“No. Whatever it
is that I can’t remember must be really bad. Doc, don’t get me wrong, I’m no
stranger to alcohol, but I swear I’ve never, ever been that drunk, and I’ve
never gotten behind the wheel after drinking.”
“So what made
you do it this time?”
Mitch thought
hard for a few minutes. “I’m not sure, but I think I might have seen something
that really upset me, but I can’t be sure.”
“What would
upset you that much?”
“I don’t know.
There’s nothing I can think of.”
“Did something
happen at work or home?”
Mitch beat his
fists against the side of his head a couple of times in frustration. “WHY CAN’T
I REMEMBER?”
Doctor Mahuani
grabbed his wrists. “Mitch, Mitch, Mitch, I understand you’re frustrated. I
know I would be in the same situation, but beating yourself up physically is
not going to help anything.”
He sighed
deeply. “I know. It’s just so damned frustrating.”
“I understand.
It will come in time. Don’t try to force it. You’ll only get more frustrated.”
As Doctor Mahuani said that, his pager went off. “I’ll come back in a little
while and we’ll talk some more. In the meantime, try and relax. Watch a comedy
on TV. The more you struggle to remember, the more frustrated you’ll get. See
you in a little bit.”
Shortly after he
left, Aaron returned. “Aaron,” Mitch started slowly, “we have to talk.”
Previous chapter | Chapter index | Next chapter
No comments:
Post a Comment