Real Love Ch. 25

Writer's Notes:

'Real Love' is my personal tribute to JammyJimmy's (JJ) story, 'Threads: The Island'. I give JJ credit, because credit is due, for this story and for my own inspiration and entrance into writing. 'Real Love' is actually the first story I wrote, even before 'Tale of Two Teens', my first published story.

As I was writing this story way back when, I was hoping JJ would be the editor. Having been unable to make contact with him, I have been reluctant to release it. Some say JJ has passed away, but I don't know. JJ, if you read this and want this story removed, please contact me. Several readers have relayed to me, both publically and privately, that they would like it released.

Therefore, 'Real Love' is an unauthorized, reimagined rewrite and sequel to JJ's story, 'Threads: The Island'. The general storyline in JJ's story is embedded in this story. Several of the character names have been changed because this is my story. Anyone who has read JJ's story will identify the characters quickly, starting with my main character, Bradley Weber, formerly known as Kyle Watson in JJ's story.

This story is long, but tolerant and filled with several emotions. If you stick with it, you will experience euphoria, happiness, sadness, sorrow and it will make you horny. You'll be disgusted, pissed off, scared and you'll grieve, cry, frown, smile and sometimes, you'll laugh, I hope.

'Real Love' starts off slow, but gains speed with age. Feel free to leave comments about what you like and what you dislike about the story. Feedback is a good thing for those writers who want to know what reader's like and dislike about their stories.

Please don't be mean in the comments because those that put in many hours over a period of several months, and thought into designing and writing these stories don't appreciate it, nor do they deserve it.

I do hope you enjoy the 'Real Love' series. Just don't forget one important detail -- it's fiction. Please do give us 'not so professional' writers a little slack.

JJ, wherever you are, whatever you're doing, fair winds and following seas my friend.

Let the saga of Bradley Weber continue...

MDSW

* * * * *

The end of one day seems to cause the beginning of another, but today will challenge the team way beyond the norm.

As Monday morning dawns on the Island, Brad is dragging as he returns from his early morning workout. It didn't go well, so Julian cut his workout short due to his lack of energy. He barely makes it back to his suite, dripping with sweat and is unusually weak. Julian calls Kelly to let her know he released him early.

"Into the shower you stinky monster," she says with a smile, disposing of his sweaty clothes as he removes them.

She's planning to give him some special attention due to the early release. He laughs and goes into the shower as ordered, tired and slow as hell. Kelly strips off Brad's football shirt, gets in the bath and waits for him.

Coming out of the shower, Brad says, "Waiting for me in the bath now? Miss me?"

"Yes, now get your ass in here. I want you, pleeease," she says in her best girly voice, smiling at him.

Kelly still loves her time in the bath with Brad. It always feels so intimate. He gets in, a little wobbly, and she begins to soothe his aching body as he rests his weight on her.

"I love you Angel."

"I wouldn't have it any other way Baby."

Brad leans his head back to rest it on her shoulder, but it drops the last inch or so. His body is completely limp and his jaw falls open.

"Brad," she says without hesitation.

When he doesn't answer. She turns his head to look at him and goes into immediate shock. She reaches for her phone and calls Doctor Kerr, then calls Julian to help out, drains the bath, gets out and puts some clothes on. She shakes him with no response.

Doctor Kerr arrives in a minute with Julian right behind her. She does her diagnosis thing on him, then she gets her paddles out and zaps him once. He jumps, then comes to, with his eyes open wide.

"What the fuck is going on?" he says as he relaxes and feels weak, the quick rush of adrenalin suddenly gone.

"Brad, your heart stopped for some reason. Have you a history of heart problems?"

"None. Feel weak," he says as he closes his eyes and rests his head back.

"Okay, we're going to help you out of the bath very slowly so don't get energetic on me," the Doctor says as Kelly gets a pair of shorts for him.

"Doc, no strength, no energy, barely move arms," he says, barely able to speak.

Julian puts his arms under Brad's armpits and pulls on him with help from both girls. Terry goes to the far side while Kelly and Julian lift him out of the bath. They dry him off, put a pair of shorts on him, then Julian carries him to his bed and sits him on the edge, but he falls to the bed, unable to sit up. Brad can't even stand on his own, or walk.

Doctor Kerr tells Kelly we need to get him to the hospital and evaluate his physical condition. Julian runs to the med center and pulls a stretcher up to his suite as Kelly helps Terry with Brad.

Minutes later, Kelly is in tears as Debi walks in, wondering what all the commotion is about. Brad isn't in any frame of mind to speak. He's still very weak.

After speaking with Terry, Debi takes over and calls for Betsy to take him to the hospital, arranges for a ambulance and an SUV to meet them at the pier. She also calls the hospital and lets them know they're coming with the emergency. She goes to Peggy and Stacy's suites and quickly tells them what's going on and calls John to get help with the stretcher going down the stairs. Then she cancels all Brad's appointments and meetings for the day. They all pile onto Betsy and race to the big island.

It only takes twenty minutes to get to the big island cause the Captain forgot to reduce the throttle, leaving it in the 'full steam ahead' position. Debi is trying to console Kelly and comfort her as the fear of losing her man is in the forefront of her mind. Peggy and Stacy are crying and Nikki and Rick are consoling them. Terry is continuously monitoring Brad as they race to the hospital.

At the hospital, three doctors spend six hours with him trying to figure out what caused his heart to stop when Terry notices a dark spot just above his right elbow. As it turns out, a tick has burrowed its way inside his body undetected by everybody, including Kelly. The doctors remove the insect with surgical precision and send it to the lab for evaluation.

At the conclusion of the hospital visit, the doctors all agree there is no immediate major medical problem with him and he is released to return to the Island. They conclude he had an abnormal reaction to the tick and the doctors aren't worried about any problems with the concussion he recently had.

As it turns out, the tick came from the west coast area of the US so there's no threat to the Island. Terry tells them she'll work on the lyme disease problem herself.

The boat ride back to the Island takes about three hours because they travel at a slow speed to reduce the bumps Betsy creates riding the waves, returning around six that night. Brad is still strapped to the stretcher, to weak to walk as they arrive in his suite. Brad is assisted to his bed, he's awake and everyone begins to relax somewhat. His sisters are grateful to Doctor Kerr and Julian for acting as rapidly as possible.

Doctor Kerr says he's okay for fruit but he doesn't eat much of anything. Kelly asks him if he wants a burger and he says no, then she gets him a water. He's still tired and weak. She's never seen him this weak before and is very concerned about his health.

Stacy and Peggy turn to Kelly and gives her an emotional thank you. Something she'll never forget.

"I thought we were going to lose him," Kelly says crying. "I couldn't do anything for him."

Stacy puts her hands on Kelly's shoulders and tells her, "Kelly, what you did do, saved his life, so don't you dare say you couldn't do anything for him."

Then she hugs her tight and Peggy joins them.

Stacy thanks her again, adding more pressure to her tight hug, which she really needs. Then Debi comes to her and gives her a hug, Nikki the same.

Doctor Kerr walks over to Kelly and says, "He will be weak for another 24 hours, but he will recover from this completely, depending on the lyme disease he may get as a result. Not to worry Kelly, I will stay on top of this... I'm not expecting anything bad to happen, but for the next 24 hours, just to be on the safe side, we shouldn't leave him alone."

Kelly says, "You can sleep in the vacant en-suite bedroom tonight, Terry. I will stay with him."

"I gave him something to keep him physically drained until morning so you shouldn't have any trouble with him. Don't arouse him and I will evaluate him again in the morning," Terry tells Kelly.

About two hours later, Rick and Julian assist Brad to his bed, with Kelly close by. He's out to the world seconds later. They thought he crashed for the rest of the night, but Brad isn't all that predictable.

Stacy and Peggy both tell Kelly they will stay with him for the next 24 hours so Kelly has plenty of help and support, not that she needs it, but she's grateful it's available. Rick and Nikki also volunteer to help in any way needed and Rick takes a seat away from the bed as Nikki remains with Kelly.

"Kelly, we're here for you, too. We understand what you're going through. We feel it too," Peggy says.

Kelly, Peggy and Stacy all join in a group hug. Debi and Nikki also join them. This incident has drawn them closer, personally.

"Thank you all. I can't explain to you what your support means to me," Kelly says, fearfully.

Seeing no immediate need, Debi returns to her en-suite, but doesn't sleep hardly at all. Rick and Nikki do the same and worry about Brad.

Stacy and Peggy take a seat near the bed as Kelly gets on the bed next to Brad and spoons into his lifeless body, which stresses her to no end, even though he's sleeping on his side, breathing normally. She drapes her arm over his body so she'll wake up if he moves, she hopes.

Kelly doesn't think she will be able to sleep, under the circumstances. She can feel his breathing so she's watching out for him, but to her surprise, she does fall asleep, but it took a long time before she succumbed.

Peggy wakes up some time after Kelly falls asleep and checks on Brad. He's still among the living so she returns to her chair, turns downs her emotions and falls asleep some time later.

Just after midnight, Brad wakes, asking for Kelly. His sisters also wake up, but they just listen as long as they aren't needed. Kelly is still spooned into his back and wakes up instantly. She slides her hand into his and tells him to hold it tight. He does, but it's not very tight. She tells him she's with him, loving him.

Brad struggles to turn and face her so she helps him. He gives her another weak hug, thanking her for being there for him. They talk for about twenty minutes and say they love each other. He's weak, not really able to do much and that really scares her. He can barely lift his arm to Kelly, but just holding a living Brad is enough for Kelly, for now. She holds him tight, until he drifts back to sleep. She leaves her arm draped over him and has difficulty getting back to sleep herself, still with tears in her eyes, still nervous about what the morning will bring. As her emotions drain her, she falls asleep again.

With tears in their eyes, Stacy and Peggy also fall asleep, but Stacy wakes about an hour later and checks on Brad, noticing Kelly sleeping too. Once satisfied he's still okay, she returns to her chair and falls back asleep herself.

Debi appears around 3:30, unable to sleep. She walks into the suite and sees Stacy and Peggy sleeping in chairs near his bed. Kelly is on the bed facing Brad with one arm draped over him. She goes to check on Brad and he's okay. Debi picks up her phone and clears his schedule for the day, sending a note that he'll begin his normal schedule in a couple days. Until then, Brad is recovering and will keep a low profile.

Kelly wakes suddenly, about an hour later. She checks him over and seems satisfied he's okay. She kisses him and runs her fingers through his hair. She's glad he's still with her, but concerned he may be different because of this incident.

Then she looks around the room and sees Peggy and Stacy asleep, and Debi sitting, still awake and watching out for them. Kelly works herself free from Brad and slips off the bed. She heads toward Debi, who stands and walks toward her, and they embrace each other like never before, saying she thought she was going to lose him, and they cry for the longest time. That wakes up Peggy and Stacy, and they all join in, all crying.

They talk with each other and bond as they wait for Brad to wake up, checking him frequently. It's early Tuesday morning and Brad wakes about four hours later. He struggles to sit up and finally gives up trying. Frustrated, he rolls to his side and looks around, wondering why everybody is standing in his room at such an early hour looking at him. It isn't early in the morning, however.

Surprising everyone, Terry enters and walks over to Brad, "How are you feeling Brad?" the doctor asks.

"Tired, weak, no energy, barely able to move myself, can't sit up, but other than that, I'm perfectly fine," he says as he rolls back to his pillow. "I'm hungry enough to eat a horse. Feel like I haven't eaten in a week. What are you doing here and why can't I sit up?"

Terry smiles and says, "Let me start at the beginning. While you were in the bath with Kelly yesterday morning, your heart stopped. Kelly called me and Julian and we raced you to the hospital where we eventually discovered a tick had burrowed into your body above your right elbow. It was removed and you were released from the hospital. We brought you back to the Island, put you to bed for the rest of yesterday and last night, and with the help of a sedative, and here you are. Now I need to check you over to see if you're still alive. Okay?"

"Wow. Of course Doc. Do what you gotta do. I have no memory of this."

Kelly, concerned about is memory, wanders over to him and says, "Remember me?"

"No. Who are you?"

Kelly is stricken with panic.

Then Brad smiles and says, "Oh my god Angel, it's impossible for me to forget you. I'm so in love with you."

She recovers as she crawls on the bed and hugs him like she never has before. Then she cries into his neck... Then Brad begins to cry.

"Why are you crying Baby?"

"I can't lift my arms to hug you and I want to so bad."

"I forgive you and you will be able to do that soon enough... But, I'm going to beat on you later for doing that to me. But right now, I'll let Terry finish what she has to do, then I will come back, okay?"

"You're not leaving are you?"

"No, silly, I'm just getting out of Terry's way so she can tell me if you're still alive or not."

"Okay. Feel dizzy though. Weak."

Doctor Kerr speaks up saying, "You will for another two or three hours, Brad. The sedative will start wearing off after that. The good news is, you haven't lost your sense of humor... Kelly, can you help me get him to a sitting position please?" she asks as Kelly assists, then stays on the bed to help him stay in a sitting position.

Terry performs several tests, then steps away from him. Kelly, still behind him, puts her chin on his shoulder with her arms still around his torso.

"Brad, after precise testing, intense evaluation and careful deliberation, I have diagnosed that you are still alive," she says with a big smile on her face.

The team laughs and cheers. Kelly is squeezing him and biting his earlobe. Stacy and Peggy come to the bedside and hug him as Terry backs farther away. Debi joins in too. A cheerful reunion.

Terry tells them she'll be back in three hours to check him again, to make sure he's getting stronger. She clears him for a fruit breakfast and Debi gets on her phone, calls it to the kitchen, telling them to bring it to Brad's bedroom. Terry also warns the team it may take as much as 48 hours for him to get all the toxins out of his body before he returns to full form.

Kelly adds two and two and determines he will not be in full form until Thursday morning and the first training class begins that morning.

Rick and Nikki come in a few minutes later and gets caught up. Nikki gives Brad a hug and Rick shakes his hand, then gives him a hug as he grunts for the first time.

"Welcome home Brad," Nikki says.

Brad can't walk because he's still weak so he remains on his bed. Hours later, after Terry checks him over again, Rick, Julian, Kelly and Debi help him off his bed and escort him to his favorite chair on the balcony. He still feels weak and dizzy still, but is slowly getting back to normal. He can move his legs, but isn't able to walk or support his own weight, yet.

Kelly is with him every second. She literally pampers him to death.

It's a lazy day for the team. The only thing that gets accomplished is eating. The whole team stays with Brad all day. They have many discussions and jokes to boot. The team is becoming a close knit machine as the laughter, sadness, jokes, tears and happiness change their hopes for the future.

"Stacy, would you get me a smoke please?" Brad asks.

"No, I'm not getting..."

Brad's face lights up with a smile and she knows she's been duped.

She gives him a kiss and tells him she owes him one.

Later in the afternoon, Brad is feeling stronger and wants to take a shower. He feels kind of gritty, so Kelly accompanies him to his bath. He walks to the shower, with a little support from Kelly. Rick follows behind them just in case. Brad thanks him and he returns to the balcony.

In the shower, Kelly does all the work cleaning him. Brad stands there and turns when ordered. He thanks his fiancée for the special treatment. He takes her into his wet arms and kisses her passionately as his cock unexpectedly rises and makes its presence known. He caresses her body, but Kelly stops him from advancing any further without doctor approval.

"Doctor's orders Brad, no arousal just yet," Kelly tells him.

She does, however, grab his cock to make sure it's strong and remains intact. Satisfied, she strokes him a few times, then ushers him out of the shower, eventually to dress and join the group again.

As darkness falls on the Island, the team goes off to their own suites, satisfied he's out of danger. Kelly asks Debi to be prepared for anything, just in case. The engaged couple go to bed early and just hold each other until they drift off to sleep, fully clothed. That's a first for them. Brad feels good with Kelly in his arms and isn't complaining. Kelly is happy he's still with her. She will cherish every moment with him for weeks to come.

Wednesday morning, Brad wakes up before Kelly. She looks so beautiful laying beside him with her hair all messed up and covering most of her face. He's feeling stronger now, but doesn't have the heart to wake her so he gets up, goes out on the balcony and sits in his favorite chair.

Brad stares off in the distance. He has no memory of what happened to him on Monday, in the bath, or his time at the hospital. That time is lost. He wonders if he'll be his normal self again, or will his memory be affected by what happened to him.

Terry pays him an unexpected visit and sits down with him, talking to him about his physical condition. She tells him his memory loss is nothing to be concerned about. Then she says he can resume a limited work schedule but no workouts until Monday, well after the training class concludes, then he can get back into a normal exercise routine. He asks about having sex and she's fine with that as long as it's low intensity for the next two days. After that, your choice.