Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 09:27:20 +0000 From: Chris Salter Subject: How I Met Jake: Chapter 36 If you're under the legal age, it's illegal in your area or homosexuality offends, leave now. Disclaimer: I don't claim to know Jake Gyllenhaal, nor his sexuality, relationship status or sexual preferences. This work is entirely fiction. Chapter 36: It was still early in the morning when Danny arose to the feeling of Chris shaking behind his body. Turning over painfully, he switched the light on and saw the sweat stains all over the white sheets. His eyes were immediately drawn to the sweat dripping off Chris' body. Gently slapping Chris on the cheek, Danny tried to arouse him. "Hey, wake up!" "Urgh," Chris replied while completely out of it. Scooting up, Danny placed his hand on Chris' forehead. It was extremely hot and clammy. "Holy shit, you're burning up!" Danny exclaimed as he jumped out of the bed. As he'd lived in Chris' house since they first moved in, he knew where most things were located, including the medicine cabinet. Finding the thermometer and grabbing a towel, he doused it in water and stumbled back towards the bed. Jumping back onto the bed, Danny switched the thermometer on and stuck it into Chris' ear. While waiting for the reading to finish, he began rubbing Chris' body down with the cold, wet towel. Suddenly it beeped. 104 degrees. "Is that bad?" Chris murmured as he began shivering from the fever. Danny nodded, "It is." Standing up, he kissed Chris on the head. "Does Aaron still live downstairs?" Chris turned and pulled the blankets back over his body, "I think so." "I'll be back then." Danny responded before disappearing out the door and down to the second floor. Opening his eyes, Chris glanced at the clock and noticed it was just after 4am. "I need you Jake." He murmured as he thumped around for his phone. Unfortunately, it was in the other room. Dejected, he leaned his head back on the pillow and collapsed. A short time later Danny padded his way back into the bedroom followed by a young African American man bearing a small bag, "Hey, we're back." Placing the bag on the bed, Aaron opened it up and pulled out his magical bag of diagnosis equipment. "When was the last time he drank something?" He asked when he double-checked Chris' temperature. "Dinner time I think." Danny replied still groggy. "I've been pretty out of it, but I seem to remember he was drinking Gatorade." Aaron smiled and pulled out his blood pressure equipment. "I suppose that's better than nothing, but it sounds like he's dehydrated." Checking the pressure, he concluded, "You're going to have to get him to hospital. He's going to need a drip." "Do you want me to call the ambulance?" Danny asked. "I can drive you there. It will be quicker anyway." Aaron replied. "Let me go get changed first." Sitting on the bed, Danny gently stroked Chris' head. "Thank you so much." "It's the least I could do." Aaron replied before heading back outside into the crisp night. Chris grasped Danny's bruised hand. "Call Jake, please." Standing up again, Danny kissed him on the cheek, "Okay, I'll find the phone." ********** ************* ********** ************ ********** ************** Jabbed and stabbed by various needles, Chris was incredibly groggy and absolutely freezing. Why they felt the need to make the saline drips so cold was beyond him. Luckily, for him, he had Danny sitting on the bed piling more and more blankets on him. "You okay now?" Danny asked as Chris began to wake up again. He could see Danny was equally as exhausted, but the protective nature brought out a warm feeling that was beginning to replace his chill. "Well, I'm not shaking, so I guess that's a good thing." Carefully turning so he couldn't pull out the IV line, he muttered, "I hated emergency room beds last time, and I hate them even more this time. They're so fucking HARD." "I know." Danny replied as he spotted someone's feet rushing up under the curtain. "But I think you've got a visitor." Turning again, Chris lifted his head up. The curtain began to slowly open as he heard a female voice. "He's in here, but he has a visitor at the moment." Chris could hear a male voice reply, but the loud moaning coming from the curtained area next to him muffled it. Finally, the curtain opened. "Hey cutie!" Jake exclaimed in a slightly muffled tone. He didn't want to annoy the other patients. Immediately sitting up in the bed, Chris beamed with pride and wrapped his free arm around Jakes waist. "I missed you so much!!!!" "I'll leave you to it," Danny replied sheepishly as he felt like a complete third wheel. Extending his IV hand out to him, Chris whispered, "Stay, I want you both here with me." "How unconventional!" Jake laughed as he sat down on the bed and pulled Chris close to his body, kissing him on the cheek, followed by the tip of his nose and finally on the lips. Danny blushed as he saw the couple being affectionate. "He got pretty bad, but he doesn't seem as bad now that you're here." "Except for my back being in searing pain!" Chris yelped. He hated the bed, even if it was covered in his boys. "I want to get out of here." He sighed. Standing up, Danny excused himself, "I'll see when they will let us take you home." Fighting his way through the curtain, he finally burst out of the area. "I love you baby." Jake whispered as he shifted himself so he could lie on the bed looking into Chris' eyes. Chris smiled and moved his free hand to gently stroke Jakes cheek. "How long are you back for?" Jake sighed. He wanted to stay forever, but he still had work he had to do. "I'm going to be here for a few days, and then I'm going back for another few days. I should be back by next Thursday." "Well, at least I have you for a few days." Chris giggled as the love of Jake beamed all over his body. "You're such a sweetheart." "I love you." Jake yawned, "I'm not going to stay on the other side of the country when you're in the hospital!" Hearing the curtain pull open, Jake jumped slightly. He wasn't interested in being spotted by a doctor or nurse, they generally had other things on their mind. "They'll be back in a minute guys." Danny whispered as he sat behind Chris and hugged him. "You had us worried, you naughty boy." He joked. Chris was absolutely freezing. He couldn't wait to get home. All he wanted to do was curl back up in his new bed within Jakes familiar arms. Finally, he conceded, "I guess I'm just a bit of a drama queen." "Whoa, what have we here?" The doctor asked as he spotted the three boys lying on the small hospital bed. "Don't worry doc, we're not into that kind of thing." Jake joked. "We're just worried about my boy." "Well, I want to stick another few liters of fluid back into you." The Doctor replied as he examined the readings on the monitor. "I say about another hour and then you can go home." Looking at the three boys on the bed, he asked, "So who's the lucky one to look after him?" Danny answered before Jake could open his mouth, "Jake over there, he always will." The doctor smiled, "Looks like he needs to look after both of you actually." Signing a piece of paper on his notes, he excused himself to continue his rounds. "I didn't realize I was such a burden on you all." Chris grumbled as he began shaking from the cold again. "Never!" Jake exclaimed, reaching for yet another blanket. Rubbing his hand on Chris' cold paw, he pulled his head in closer, nuzzling him into his own neck. "Undomesticated equines couldn't keep me away from you." Danny looked over Chris' shoulder at Jake, "You stole that from Stargate didn't you?" "No, what are you talking about?" Jake replied sheepishly before finally grinning. "Okay, he's made me watch every episode so far." "Oh shut up you two." Chris moaned as he snuggled into Jakes warm shoulder. He loved the feeling of the warm skin beneath the shirt fibers. The scent of Jake was all too welcoming. It didn't take long for him to begin to doze off. "How did you get here?" Jake whispered as he looked over at Danny. Stroking the back of Chris' head, Danny replied, "Chris' neighbor. He drove us. I obviously couldn't drive." Still keeping Chris' head nuzzled into his neck, Jake continued to stroke his arm. "I really wish I was there for him, this is twice now." "You're here now." Danny continued, "That's all that matters really." Smiling over at Jake, he explained, "He knows you love him so much, I mean you dropped everything and flew across the country." "It wouldn't matter if I had to fly from the other side of the planet, I'd be on the first available flight if something happened to him again." The curtains bursting open again, this time with a young woman dressed in white suddenly broke Jakes train of thought. "Sorry guys," The nurse apologized. "I need to hook this up to him." Looking over at Jake, she smiled warmly, "Sorry, you're going to have to move." Jake looked sheepishly at the nurse and continued to hold Chris. "I don't want to wake him up." She could obviously see he was fast asleep. Knowing how important it was for Chris to sleep, she made an exception, "Okay, maybe if y'all slide on over, I can connect this up." Taking his cue, Danny slid off his side of the bed and gently helped Jake ease Chris over further. He smiled proudly as he saw Chris lying within Jakes arms in complete comfort. After their breakup, he was worried about Chris ever finding love again. Obviously, he had. ***** ************* *************************************************** "You have a nice car." Danny commented as he jumped in the drivers seat. As he pulled Chris into the back seat of the SUV, Jake smiled, "It's not that special really." Buckling the seatbelt around Chris' waist, he placed his arms around him and held him close. "Are you sure you're okay to drive?" Starting the engine, Danny pulled the engine into gear. "I think I got it." "We going home now?" Chris murmured as he kissed Jakes neck. Jake smiled and squinted out the window. The morning light was hurting his eyes and his sunglasses where behind him in a bag. "Yeah, going home now." Taking it slowly to drive back to Chris' apartment, Danny managed to safely get back within an hour. He was tired, but felt it was the least he could do. Pulling up in the parking space, Danny helped Chris out of the car and placed an arm around one side of him with Jake on the other. Chris was still dressed in pajamas, and felt completely underdressed in between the magnificent specimens of men either side of him. Eventually the three boys managed to get up into the apartment and into the bedroom. Holding Chris close to his body, Jake kissed him on the forehead as Danny pulled the sheets back once again. "He can lie down now I think." Danny commented as he looked over at Jake. He was slightly jealous that Chris had someone who was so tender with him. He wished he had someone who shared the feelings. Alas, he was alone now, and he was happy for Chris. Curling up on the bed, Chris watched as both Danny and Jake began to head out of the room. He didn't want either of them to leave, but he was more concerned with sleeping right now. "I think we should let him rest for a while." Jake commented as he closed the door and was greeted by Boo Radley who was jumping up and down around his legs. Kneeling down, he picked him up and kissed him, "And I missed you too!" ********************* ****************************** ******************* A few hours later Chris arose from his drug induced slumber and unsteadily peeled himself out of the bed. Using the bathroom facilities, he washed his hands and then stumbled his way out into the living area. "Evening sleepyhead." Danny commented from the dining table. He was sitting adjacent to Jake, eating what looked like some kind of salad. Chris grumbled and stumbled towards Jake, playfully messing with his hair again. "What time is it?" Swatting Chris' hand away from his hair, Jake replied, "Just after 9." He missed the feeling of Chris playing with his hair, but he wanted to play a bit longer. "Are you hungry? You haven't eaten anything all day." "Well, since last night," Danny interjected. "This is a new record for you." Sitting down next to Jake, Chris rested his head on Jakes shoulder, "I'm a little hungry, but not enough to eat a full meal." Extending his hand, he then picked up a salad leaf off Jakes plate and stuck it in his mouth. "I'll get you something...." Jake whispered as he pushed Chris off his body and stood up. Wandering to the refrigerator, he pulled the door open and began making something for Chris to eat. Danny glanced over at Chris, who was resting his head on his folded arms on the table. "Does Jake do this kind of thing all the time?" "Huh?" Chris asked, slightly confused. "You mean looks after me? Yeah, he does." "You're lucky." Danny replied. "Not everyone has the kind of guy that would drop everything to just look after you." "Mmmm" Chris replied into the table. "Maybe." Suddenly Jake returned with the extra plate of food that he'd secretly stashed away incase Chris was hungry. "Here you go." Taking his seat, he noticed Chris still had his head on the table. "Am I going to have to feed you?" Chris let out a snort and slowly lifted his head, "No I'm fine." Grabbing the fork, he harpooned a piece of the food and stuck it into his mouth. "I might leave you two to it." Danny announced quietly. Chris smiled and nuzzled himself back into Jakes neck while continuing to eat. "Goodnight Danny, I love you." As Danny slipped down the hallway into the spare bedroom, Jake shot Chris a concerned look. "Don't worry," Chris sighed. "I love you more." Jake smiled and rested his head on Chris' bed-hair. It smelled like the familiar shampoo he fell in love with the night he first came into contact with Chris. Every time he smelled something familiar, he thought of Chris and it left him with a warm feeling in his heart. Pushing the half-empty plate aside Chris sighed, "I think I'm done." Yawning, he nuzzled back into Jake. Sitting there for a moment, Jake allowed Chris to rest before asking, "What do you want to do now, go back to bed?" "I think I want a bath." Chris replied sleepily. Jake thought for a moment. He didn't ever remember seeing one in the main bathroom. "Have you been hiding it from me?" Chris murmured for a moment before becoming audible, "It's in the guest bathroom." "That's right." Jake suddenly recalled the two times he'd actually used it, both times had been spent preoccupied with how to tell Chris about his feelings. He smiled as he recalled the nervous moments before he kissed Chris for the first time. He was so nervous at the time, but he was glad he overcame his own nerves and fears and took the leap. "I'll go get it ready, you wait here." Chris slumped himself back into the position where he was leaning on his arms again as Jake disappeared for a few seconds. He then appeared again as he darted into their bedroom, before running back to the guest bathroom. Finally, after several minutes, Jake returned and placed his arms around him. "Bath time cutie..." Jake whispered as he pulled Chris up. Kissing him briefly, he waddled with him towards the bathroom. Reaching the door, he pushed it open, allowing Chris to see what he'd been up to. The around the bath were several candles, and the bath was already full and brimming with bubbles. Chris smiled proudly, even though he only wanted a simple bath, he thought the idea was absolutely romantic, he only wished he was feeling better. Jake continued to waddle inside the room with Chris and kicked the door shut with his foot. "Do you like it?" "I love it, as usual." Chris replied. Breaking free of Jakes grip, he tried to peel the clothing away from his body. Luckily, Jake helped him. Now completely naked, he eased himself into the warm water, rested his head on the edge of the bath, and stared at Jake. Throwing a towel on the ground, Jake promptly took his seat on the tiled floor near Chris' head and leaned in to kiss him. "You're not going?" Chris asked. "Not unless you want me to." Jake responded as Chris pulled his soap covered hand out of the water and placed a handful of bubbles on his head. Chris smirked, "There, now, you're the bubble queen." Deciding to leave it on the top of his head a while longer, Jake grabbed Chris' arm and playfully wrestled him. "I'll give you bubble queen." He knew Chris was extremely weakened, but he felt like losing the battle. Surprised by the actions, Chris burst out with laughter as Jake fell into the bath completely clothed. "Oh now you're all wet." "I suppose I'd better get out of these clothes then." Jake conceded with a cheesy grin. Grabbing the extremely heavy water-laden top, he peeled it off and flopped it onto the floor outside the tub. "Oh man, now that is hot." Chris whispered. Danny was in the next room sleeping and he didn't want to wake him up. Still, the sight he had in front of him was one of the hottest things ever. Jake was shining from the soapy water on his body, which was reflecting the glow of the candlelight, it was made even sexier by the fact Jake was sitting in the bathtub in a pair of jeans. Splashing his way over to Chris' glistening body, Jake ran his hands up Chris' waist and torso as he passionately kissed him. At the moment he didn't care if he caught what Chris had, he just wanted to kiss him all night long. "You're so cute." "Get the hell out of those." Chris smirked as he looked down at Jakes soaked jeans. Grabbing the waistline, he undid the buttons as Jake attempted to pull his legs out of the overly heavy fabric. Finally, they were both naked. Moving back over to Chris, Jake was amazed at the size of the bath. It wasn't a bath, more like a small pool. He kissed him once more before whispering, "Come back over this side, there's more room." "Fiiiiine......." Chris grumbled as he was pulled through the sea of bubbles into Jakes waiting arms. Immediately he found himself leaning on Jakes chest, playing with the hair once more. ********** ********************************************* **************** "Morning cutey..." Chris slowly opened his eyes and saw the most beautiful sight in the world. There was his boyfriend back in the bed once more. "I love you." Jake smiled. "I know, we say it multiple times a day." He secretly knew the reason why Chris had said it. "Are you feeling better today?" "Well, I'm tired, but I feel better." Chris replied. "I just don't want to lose you again. Jake sighed, "I have to, but I will be back by Tuesday." "Come back earlier," Chris whimpered, "Like Sunday." Pushing Chris over onto his back, Jake passionately kissed his boyfriend before standing up. "Go back to sleep, I will be back as soon as I can." Sighing, Chris closed his eyes and succumbed to the sleep once more as Jake padded his way out of the room. Just before he left the room, Jake turned around and exclaimed, "I love you baby." Chris responded by smiling and puckering his lips lightly before turning back over. --37 soon-- It's been a rough week or so, but I thought I might as well post this for you all. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading, Chris.(chezmoi_ou_cheztoi@msn.com)