"Wow.. That was great. Thank you. Best burgers I've ever had, beats hospital food hands down, that's for sure." Dave smiled appreciatively, pushing away his plate.
Jackie stood, clearing the plates "You're welcome, Dave. See boys? Our guest knows how to be polite and thank his host. If only you could follow his fine example and thank your mother for slaving over a hot st-" Jackie replied with a gleam in her eye as her sons chimed in.
"Thanks Mom. That was grea-" Their chorus of praise was cut off by Dave stumbling away from the table and onto his knees. The family watched him concernedly before Peter pushed away his plate and helped the man to the bathroom.
"Jess go see if he's okay... Please.." She hissed urgently, as she walked to the sink and dropped in the plates with a clatter of cutlery and cheap stoneware.
Jesse pushed away his plate and walked nervously to the door and rapped on it hard with his hand. The pounding increasing till his hand was raw and swollen. Slowly the door swung open with a click and Dave was hunched over the toilet. "Waddya want kid?" Dave mumbled thickly. Peter moved away from the toilet as he saw Jesse.
"You can handle this, Jess?? I'm going to help your Mom do the dishes." Before Jesse could even reply, his uncle exited the bathroom and left the two alone.
"Mom wanted to know if you were okay. I mean.. You tell her that her burgers are the best in the State then you run off to blow chunks.. Doesn't exactly make her feel appreciated y'know?" Jesse kidded, biting his lip.
Dave groaned, lurching forward into the toilet, gasping for breath in the fumes of the contents in the bowl and the lingering stench of past visitors. He could feel his stomach contract and churn, his knuckles whitening around the rim.
"I 'blew chunks' as you put it, because of the medication I'm on.. They make me a little queasy.. I guess I ate too fast.. My own fault." Dave mumbled as his stomach flipped again and the dinner decided to make a return trip. Grimacing, he struggled to breathe and swallow at the same time, causing him to gag.. Knuckles whitening around the bowl, Dave shuddered and gasped and Jess wrapped his arms around the man's middle.
Placing his littlest finger in Dave's navel, he used his other hand to count up four fingers, before planting his fist and jerking back in upward thrusts. "C-come on Dave.." Jesse grunted, suddenly grateful of what his uncle had taught him and his brothers. "UNCLE PETER!! HELP!"
Jackie and the rest of the boys came running, "Clear the room. He might have aspirated into his lungs.. I need room.." Suddenly Dave started to cough and spewed the contents all over the toilet. Laying on the floor in a soggy, sweaty mess, Peter walked in and stared down at the young resident. "Dave, we're going to County to get you checked out." He said sternly as the surgeon and his nephews carried him to the sofa.
"No.. I'm fine.. Really.. Food just came up and went down the wrong pipe.." He smiled hollowly, his face gaunt and drained from the effort. "That's all." Dave muttered, exhausted, wiping his mouth with an unsteady hand. "I'm not going back."
Peter sighed heavily rubbing his temples. "Malucci, fine. Sometimes you are a real pain in the ass. You want to stay? You can stay, but it's against my better judgement. If anything happens.."
"I know, I know.. It's my ass. I'm tired. I just need to rest. I just need some sleep. That's all I need, sleep.." He replied as Jackie began shooing the boys from the room.
"Time for bed." Jackie announced, corralling the boys and leading them towards the stairs.
"But Mom! It's only eight o'clock!"
"I said BED! Dave's sleeping here. If you want to watch tv, then go to Jesse's room. I don't want anyone in here disturbing him." Jackie stopped. She'd had enough. The man was sick. Sicker than Peter had let on when she'd agreed to do this. While she had the urge to tell her brother to stuff it and take Malucci someplace else, she knew she had promised him a place to stay.
Taking her oldest son aside, she lead him from the room. "You know that polar fleece sleeping bag you're so fond of? I'll let you use it if you sleep down here and keep an eye on Dave tonight." She said quietly.
"Mom!? You serious?!" Jesse hissed in disbelief. He'd actually planned to ask his mom and uncle Peter if he could sleep down stairs with Dave, now he got Mom's sleeping bag, access to the good tv and a free-for-all on the fridge.
He nodded. "No problem Mom.. I'll keep Dave company."
"Thanks. I knew I could count on you. Do you think you can manage? Will you be able to help him to the bathroom when he needs to?" She asked concernedly, remembering the tumble down the stairs earlier.
Jesse rolled his eyes. "Yes, Mom.. It's only a few feet away."
"Okay then.. I'm going to clean it up and then I'm going to go to bed.
If you could get his things from upstairs.." She paused, looking back into
the room, Peter bent over the man and checking him over.
"I'll get your Uncle Peter to do it." Jackie said quietly. It was bad
enough the man had to be baby sat by a kid.. But to have him suffer that
sort of indignity.. "Just bring me Dave's clothes.. His belongings.. Go..
Hurry.."
***
Jesse ran up the stairs, puzzled. What was so important that he couldn't help Dave with it? Shoving the magazines down in the bottom of the duffle bag, he dragged it down the stairs and over to the bed. "Leave the stuff here.. Go help your brothers get ready for bed, Jesse.." Jackie said quietly as she pulled out the undershirt and boxers.
"Mom!"
"GO!" She shouted at him as Peter started to unbutton Dave's shirt and pull it off.
"FINE!" Jesse said tearfully as he stomped upstairs.
"Come on, man.." Peter murmured, wrapping Dave's arms around his neck and standing the man's shaky legs as Jackie pulled off his jeans and helped him get changed into the undershirt and boxers.
Laying back on the couch, sweaty and already out of breath from standing up as Peter and Jackie had undressed him and redressed him, Dave swallowed, closing his eyes. "F-fuck... I.. I can't e-even change my own clothes.. C-can't go to the bathroom b-by myself.. Th-this S-s..SUCKS!" He panted as he angrily wiped away a tear.
Jesse had snuck downstairs after tucking his brothers in, watching Dave.. Seeing the scars.. The bandages.. The utter mess the man was in. His mom had wanted to get the man changed.. She'd wanted him to do it.. Then decided against it.. He understood now.
As he crept back into the room, he stood by the tv, grabbing the remote off the top. "Hey.. I was thinking.. Being the guest and all.. You deserve the remote.." Jesse smiled slightly and Jackie nodded in agreement.
"That's a good idea Jess.. I'll go get the sleeping bag, then you two can go to bed.. Okay?" Jackie said quietly. She was right.. She'd been more than right. Dave was very ill.. But they said a setting out of the hospital was good for healing.. She hoped they were right.
***
"Go fish.." Jesse murmured sleepily as Dave threw down his cards in
disgust.
"This is boring.. Don't you have anything more exciting than cards?" Dave grumbled.
"Well..." Jesse said slyly.. "There's your magazines.."
Rolling his eyes, Dave pointed to his bag and requested that it be laid across his legs. "Thanks, kid.." He mumbled, digging through it and throwing the Playboy at Jesse. "Enjoy.. Don't tell me you never got anything from me.."
Sighing.. Dave looked at the remote on the coffee table. "So do you guys get any decent channels?" He muttered, picking up the clicker and flipping through.
"We just get basic cable. My Dad... He... Left.. Mom scrapes together what she can.. Cable's included in the rental of the house.. But we don't get anything fun." Jesse grumbled as his eyes slowly started to goggle out of his head, a grin forming as he turned the magazine... Siiiiiiiiiide-waaaaaaaays...
"Did you want anything fun??" Dave replied cryptically.
Jesse didn't seem to hear him as he found a 'scratch and sniff' pin-up.
"Did you WANT anything FUN!?" He prodded again, before Jesse rose his head from behind the already tattered magazine.
"Fun? What do you m-" Jesse broke off, a grin widening.. "Ohhhh..." Giggling nervously, he nodded. "Yeah.... But what about my Mom?!"
"Tell her I paid for it to make up for her letting me stay here.. My treat.." Dave's eyes twinkled with mischief. "Now.. Kid.. I can't get back there.. First of all I can't fit behind that thing, and second, I'm afraid if I move, I'll fall off this couch and on my face.. Not a good thing.."
Carefully, step by step, Dave lead his little prodigy through the important lesson on how to steal cable television. "Finally.. Can you get onto the roof??"
Jesse looked at the doctor like he'd lost his mind. "You're nuts. I'm not climbing on the roof.. I'll stick to the magazines.. Thanks though.." He muttered, grabbing a Maxim and flipping through it.
"I'll do it then.. I need wire cutters, needle nose pliers and a..." Dave stumbled off the couch and narrowly missed falling on his face and plowing into the corner of the coffee table.
"OKAY!" Jesse groaned.. "I'll do it!" He stomped off to the shed in the back yard, and retrieved the needed items.
Dave smiled. Good kid. "Okay.. First.. Your cable lines?? There's a red one.. a green one and an orange one.. You want to connect the green one and the orange one.. Splice them together.. Then viola.."
Minutes later Jesse could be heard crashing around on the roof and when Dave was certain that they were all going to be sent down the river for stealing cable, the boy stumbled back into the house, a huge grin plastered on his face and his arms raised over his head in a triumphant show of victory.
"Okay then.. Let's see if this works kid." Dave chuckled, picking up the remote control.
As the man and boy fell asleep, surrounded by dirty magazines, popcorn, and chips, the light glow of Bunny McFuckerson and Dick Touchme going at it like a sweaty, perverted filly and stallion flickered over the two, making odd R-rated shadow puppets on the living room wall.
It wasn't till the next morning though that anything remotely R rated
happened, when a tired and caffeine deprived mother stumbled into the living
room and let out a string of curses that would make a sailor blush.