The Angel By My Side

We sat, staring at each other, for several moments, just soaking in the sight of each other. Then a though occurred to me. "Is there anything else I need to show you?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I have a long list."

"Like?"

"I need to learn to drive a car. Laundry. Street maps. Microwaves--"

I put my hand over his mouth. "Lots of things. Gotcha. We'll start as soon as I go home." I looked towards the door. "Has anyone said when that might be?"

Mason nodded. "The doctors want to keep you for a few more days."

The door opened and a delivery of flowers arrived. The orderly set them on my table, by the window and left us alone. Mason stood and got the card, sniffed the flowers, sneezed, then sat down by my side again. he handed me the card. I pushed it back into his hands. "Come on. let's start teaching you to read."

Mason ran his finger under the seal of the envelope then dropped it and cried out. "Ouch."

"What's wrong?"

Tears welled in his eyes, his lip quivered. "I don't know."

I took his hand in mine and saw a small paper cut. Was he serious? This was nothing. But as I looked in Mason's tear-filled eyes, I realized that someone who had never felt pain before, the slightest twinge would be nearly devastating. "You'll be okay. I promise."

He nodded and pulled the card out of the envelope. He looked at it, as if it held the secrets of the universe. I pointed to each word. "That's a 'g'. It makes a 'gu' or a 'ju' sound."

He looked down and said "Gu... eee... t. Get?" He looked to my face and when I nodded his smile lit the room. "Get."

I pointed at the next word. "That's a 'w'. It's a 'wa' sound."

"Wa... eeee... llll." He looked at me. "Well?"

"Yes."

"Get well?"

I nodded. His smile was like warmth and comfort all in one. He took my hand in his and nearly bounced off the bed. "I can read it."

"Yes. You can." I pointed to the last word. "Who is it from?"

"Ju... iiii... m. Jim."

Yeah. Jim Shipman may not have been my choice for a first sexual encounter, but it seemed he wasn't a complete asshole either. "Yeah. Jim sent these."

Mason frowned as he looked at the card. "What's wrong?"

Mason looked at me and shook his head. "Does this mean Jim is…?"

I shook my head. "Jim isn't who I came back for."

He smiled and nodded. A few days later, I got to go home. I was supposed to take things easy, and for the most part I did. But not before I saw to a few things first. I took Mason's hand and hobbled to the bathroom. "We need to shave you, hon."

He sat on the toilet as I wetted down a washcloth in warm water. I applied it to his face, took the scissors, and cut away at his beard. "You have to trim it with scissors when you let it grow so long, or else you damage the blade."

After I'd trimmed up the beard, I wetted his face again before I applied the shave cream. "This makes things slick so the whiskers come off without burning the skin."

I made quick strokes with the razor, baring his face, uncovering the beauty underneath hidden by the mountain man look of hair. When I was done, Mason stood and looked at himself in the mirror. "Thank you. I didn't know how to take care of it." He turned his head from side to side, as if to see his ears. "I don't care for the beard."

I chuckled and wrapped my arms around him and kissed the side of his neck. "However you like it. It's your body."

He placed his hand over mine and turned to brush his lips against mine. "Yes. It is. But I want you to like it too."

I deepened the kiss before answering. "Mason, I'll love you no matter what you look like."

He shut his eyes and squeezed my hands. "I love you too. No matter what."

I kissed him again, staying behind him, using the pressure against his back to brace my newly knitted ribs together. When Mason began to fidget, I pulled away. "That problem back again?"

He nodded and moved my hand down his belly to rub against the distended fly of his jeans. "Make it better?"

I kissed his nose and led him to the bedroom. I felt bad, but I couldn't move that well. "Mason? Will you help me undress?"

He grinned before he undid the buttons on my shirt and loosened my belt. I ran my hands under his tee shirt, reveling in the silky hair along his belly and up his chest. When my pants and underwear had fallen around my feet, he stepped back and quickly doffed his own clothes and had me sit gently on the bed. He pulled my clothes off me and lay back with me against the pillows. "What now?"

I took his hand in mine and kissed his palm. "We're going to be limited for a while, until I'm fully healed." I took his hand and wrapped his fingers around my shaft, holding him in place. I took my free hand and wrapped my fingers around him, amazed at how thick he felt in my palm. I stroked him once, and smiled when he shut his eyes and shuddered along the length of his body. I kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear, "Do the same for me."

With slow, careful, deliberate motions, we lay, half facing each other, staring into each other's eyes as our hands brought us pleasure. Hearing Mason moan and gasp, was like sweet music to my ears. But as his body tightened and readied itself for release, the near panic of his face made me kiss him, brushing my lips against his. "It's okay. Let it happen."

I watched his face for every nuance, each innocent, new expression as his body climbed higher and higher. When his pleasure grew too great, his hand fisted around me, nearly crushing my cock in his hand as he cried out, coating my belly with his release. Copious amounts of semen left his body, decorating me in ropy, pearly excitement. As his body calmed, I kissed his sweaty brow, murmuring nothing words to him as he fell asleep. Even though he left me unfulfilled, I'd never been more content in my life. Still slumberous from my injuries, I soon joined him in dream land.

As my body healed, the forays into our sexuality became bolder, more intense. When the doctors finally pronounced me as fully healed, we took the final steps to bond us together. Over time, Mason learned to read, drive a car, handle a microwave, find and hold down a job, and all the other things that human beings need to do to get through life.

Many months later, on a lazy Saturday morning, Mason was lying beneath me, accepting my thrusting, clutching my ass as my hips pounded into him. Our moans and cries filled the room, our passion climbed higher and higher. I looked into Mason's eyes and smiled around a pant. "I love you."

His whimpered response of, "I love you," made me quicken, riding harder and faster. I could tell Mason teetered on the brink, nearly at the point of release when he stopped and stared at nothing. I paused and stared into his eyes. "What's wrong?"

Mason shook his head. "Who are you?"

I didn't hear anything but pulled his face to mine. "What's going on?"

Mason looked at me and started laughing. "I'm sorry about what I did to you all those months ago. You must have hated being interrupted."

My excitement withered as I rolled off him, lying by his side, grabbing a blanket to cover us. "Another angel?"

Mason nodded. "Yeah." He looked at me and laughed. "He watches the fallen angels." He looked off to the corner and grinned. "He wanted to know why were doing this."

I chuckled. "Did you tell him?"

He shook his head. "I told him he shouldn't eavesdrop in the bedroom."

I looked around the room and shuddered. "How many angels will watch over us?"

Mason shrugged. "I don't know. But I doubt they'll bother us again."

"Why?"

"Because I told them I was happy and healthy. And I never expect it to change."

I swallowed back the tears his simple words brought and crushed my mouth to his. Rolling him under me, I found myself nearly instantly ready to take up where we left off. Within moments, we were joined, rocking gently this time towards completion. At that moment, at the point of no return, I heard the voice in my head, the same as from the church in New Orleans.Why do you care?

Because I love him.