Author, A. J. Llewellyn

 

The 12th of Never by A.J. Llewellyn

Cover Art: Sara York

Link to chapters 1-7: http://www.ajllewellyn.com/site/2014/07/10/2260/

 

Chapter 8

“Most people go through life dreading they’ll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They’ve already passed their test in life. They’re aristocrats.”

–          Photographer Diane Arbus

Johnny hurried to visit a distraught and feverish Julia in the Staro-Ekaterininskii Hospital with Argo, the strongman, who initially hailed from Russia but now lived in England, and Rosalia Griffray, the circus fat lady, who was very nice, but spoke only Spanish and Portuguese. They were accompanied by Mr. T.A. Naumann, the show’s one-legged castanet player, who didn’t seem to speak any language but clapped his ever-present castanets in his hands. A lot.

Julia had been to the hospital by horse and cart, but he and Argo had trouble finding anyone they could speak to. It took Johnny several long minutes to realize he was in Moscow, Russia, and if memory served him right, Julia would soon give birth to a baby boy who would die within two days. She herself would die within a couple of days of losing her baby. Her husband would then embalm her and her child and prop them up in a glass cabinet and ferry them around the world as dead circus freaks.

It would take a century and a half for a kind woman in Julia’s native Mexico to fight for the poor woman’s disintegrating remains to be removed from public display/ridicule and given a proper burial.

Johnny April hoped to change all that and prevent her death, but he was allowed nowhere near her and the complicated birth resulted in her baby’s death.

Why am I going back in time if I can’t do anything to alter the course of history?

A few more of Julia’s fellow circus friends showed up at the hospital, some of them sporting red-rimmed eyes as they sat beside Johnny, all of them outcasts. He was surprised when Argo, the strongman, bawled like a little kid when news came from a kindly nurse that Julia had developed a strange fever and was unconscious.

“I’ll give you any news I can,” she told Argo and the only other Russian-speaking performer,  Vladimir the half-man, half-leopard who really didn’t look like one without all the smoke and mirrors of a circus show. He just looked like a guy with a bad hair problem who kept one side of his body smooth and the other in its natural state. He walked with a large cat’s grace though. Vladimir translated to the others huddled on the lonely bench in the waiting room. It was strange to see a Moscow hospital way back in the day with candle-lit sconces on the walls and a strange smell of something earthy on the air.

Johnny and the others sat, isolated in the chilly waiting room.

I think I’ve always been an outcast. Just like Argo and the others. Where is Mike? Johnny’s head hurt and he was certain he could feel a tender spot on the back of his head. Not touching it stopped him from descending into complete and utter panic.

“Let’s get some food,” Argo said, nudging Johnny in the ribs. Argo didn’t know his own strength and sent Johnny scuttling to the floor. His head hit the wall and it was the last thing Johnny remembered…

****

When Johnny awoke, he was starving and when he slowly looked around, he wasn’t in Moscow, he was in a bed. A nice, warm bed, in the sun. Relief washed over him like a tidal wave. He was in Mike’s bed in Ventura. Man, what a wild dream he’d been having. He reached out for Mike, but the space beside him was empty. The sun baked the white sheets, making the throb in Johnny’s head a bit worse. He craved the warmth, and the light, but he felt like shit.

“Ah, you’re awake,” a voice said, an amused lilt to it. Johnny tilted his head and looked to the foot of the bed.

“Mike,” he croaked.

Mike looked instantly concerned. “I have no idea what the hell you did to yourself, but something or someone caved I the back of your head. You have seventeen stitches and you’ve been asleep for a day and a half.”

“Sorry,” was all Johnny could think of in response.

“Don’t apologize. Do you remember anything that happened?” Mike leaned over to him, brushing a hair from Johnny’s eyes. He couldn’t remember anyone being so tender with him, ever. Then he remembered Julia Pastrana and her lonely life. She was far from him now. Far from life, from pain. She had been given a proper burial finally. He wanted to visit her, to honor her.

I wish I could have saved her.

“What do you remember?” Mike prompted again.

“Not much.” I remember sitting with the one-legged castanet player, and Argo the strongman, and the fat lady. Now what was her name again? Rosalia! We waited for news. People call them freaks but they were the kindest I’ve ever met. Apart from you. “I dreamed of you,” he said.

Mike smiled. “Are you hungry?”

Johnny hesitated. Admitting to hunger had brought him nothing but pain and humiliation all his life, but he could no longer stand the pain he was in. He needed to eat. When was his last meal? The coffee and toast he’d swallowed the morning all of this weirdness started seemed like months ago.

“Yeah,” he said, finally. “Very.”

“Good. Because it’s Valentine’s Day.” Mike reached across the bed to the bureau beside it and retrieved a takeout menu from it. Johnny had seen enough of them billowing across the beaches he’d visited over the years. Strangers left them, but the April family never spent money on things like takeout.

Suddenly he was hungrier than ever.

“I thought we’d order Chinese, watch a couple of movies I downloaded from Netflix and” —Mike’s expression turned impish—“make love for the rest of the day.

Johnny’s breath caught in his throat. He’d never spent a day doing any of these things and he wished and hoped and prayed God wouldn’t interrupt this dream or whatever it was and whisk him away before it all happened.

“Sounds like a plan,” he said, sounding confident and excited, surprising them both.

Mike gave him a lopsided grin. “You want to take a look?” He passed the menu over.

“Nope. I trust you.”

“Awesome. I’ll be right back.”

Johnny dozed, the pain ebbing and flowing. He would drift off, then a sharp stab of pain would awaken him. A naked Mike paced the hallway outside the bedroom ordering what sounded like a mountain of food. Johnny began to drool at the notion of honey walnut shrimp, beef with black bean sauce, fragrant chicken and vegetables. He wondered what that was and why it had to be called fragrant.  Mike sat beside him on the bed, flicking around channels with his remote.

“I thought we’d watch Shelter,” he said as Johnny huddled closer and put his head in Mike’s lap. Mike stroked Johnny’s face and shoulders, invoking both peace and a pang of carnal thrill through Johnny’s body. “You said you dreamed about me.” Mike muted the TV. “”What did you dream?”

Johnny didn’t want to tell him. How could he say, “We were circus freaks together.” He couldn’t. Just couldn’t. Nothing could spoil the mood.

“I don’t remember. My head hurts really bad. But you were there and you made me feel better.”

“Aw.” Mike squeezed his shoulder. “You wanna cup of coffee?”

“Yes, please.” Johnny’s whole body tingled with pleasure as mike stroked his back, letting his fingers linger along Johnny’s butt crack. How did I get naked? The thought tumbled around his head like loose change. He fell asleep somehow, waking up again to Mike coming to the bed with a laden tray.

“Sorry it took so long. I have to call the restaurant twice.”

“You did? How long has it been?”

“An hour. You keep falling asleep.” Mike gave him a gentle smile and put the tray on the bed. He then tossed some pillows from the closet against the headboard and as Johnny sat up, he handed him a cup of coffee. Johnny noticed the aspirin bottle and shook out a couple of pills into his hand and gulped them.

Mike seemed to enjoy watching Johnny pick up each takeout carton and inhaling the fragrance of each dish. With each passing the second the creepy smell of the Russian hospital receded. Johnny learned that fragrant vegetables were prepared with a pungent mix of spices; cumin, red pepper, and ginger. He helped himself to a little of everything, savoring each bite as though it were his last.

“You eat like you’ve never eaten Chinese food before,” Mike remarked, plucking at a piece of shrimp from his own plate.

“I haven’t.” Johnny shrugged.

Mike stared at him, incredulous. “Are you kidding?”

“Oh, Mike. I never joke about food.” He pointed at one of the cartons with his fork. Johnny wasn’t talented with chopsticks. He was barely adequate with a fork. “I don’t know what I want first, you or one of these cool-looking toasties.”

Mike laughed. “Those are appetizers and they’re good. They have shrimp in them.”

“I’ll compromise then. One of these and then I want you.”

Mike seemed so happy. He bounced off the bed as Johnny chewed the billowy fried pocket of deliciousness and moved the tray to the floor.

Johnny was still hungry and licked his fork as Mike wrestled it from his fingers.

“Let me,” Mike said. He knelt on the bed beside Johnny and gave him the kind of toe curling kiss that almost made Johnny come…Mike put his hand to Johnny’s cock and grabbed it, sucking it into his mouth. Mike was still kneeling when Johnny moved to lie across the bed and give Mike an oral workout he would not forget in a hurry. Mike groaned when Johnny squeezed his balls with his left hand, using them as leverage to get him into his mouth. They bounced against Johnny’s chin. He came hard and fast, grabbing Mike’s head as his cock erupted down Mike’s throat.

Mike took everything Johnny had to give him. Mike seemed reluctant to release Johnny from his hot, wet lips.

Johnny took Mike’s face in his hands and kissed him. Their kisses intensified, hot, and thirsty passion. “My turn,” Johnny whispered into Mike’s mouth. “Give me that ass. It’s mine.”

Mike’s brows shot up. Yeah, Johnny was surprised too. He’d never been this aggressive. Mike seemed turned on, judging by his raging erection and lay back, opening his legs wider as Johnny went berserk licking and kissing his chest. His tongue reached Mike’s sacred space between balls and cock and went wild. He loved the way Mike flailed around the bed…

“Oh suck my ass, Johnny,” he implored. “Suck me hard, baby.”

Johnny took his time, enjoying the sounds Mike made as Johnny sucked and licked him…fuck he tasted good and hot. Mike’s feet bounced on Johnny’s shoulders and Johnny held his ass in his hands…afraid he would come before Johnny could get what he wanted. Too late. Mike erupted in a searing tide, wave after wave of pleasure coursing through them both. Johnny had never experienced anything so dramatic and so damned exciting. He released Mike’s cock with a pop and looked up.

Holy crap. Johnny was no longer on the bed with Mike. He was in a hospital bed strapped down, a piece of wood in his mouth. Johnny screamed, but it was a long silent one. A dark shadow fell over his face. Johnny looked up, tears blurring his vision.

Oh, God no. Not him. Of all people…