Zero walked inside and threw his keys to the glass table. The sound it made seemed to echo in the empty apartment. Zero put his hands on his hips and looked around. He noticed unwashed dishes in the sink, opened cereal package left on the table and an unchosen tie hanging on the sofa's back rest. Everything they had hurriedly done in the morning only two days ago were visible.
"What's your plan?" Zero asked a bowl of cereal in his hands as Jude rushed from the shower, wearing only towel around his waist. Zero watched as he discarded that too and started to pull his trousers on, enjoying the view.
"I'll go straight at work. The meeting starts…" Jude looked at his wristwatch. "…in an hour. In two, I promised to meet Lionel." Jude turned around as he was fastening his belt. "You?" He asked and put on his blouse.
"Practice." Zero answered between mouthfuls of his breakfast. "Then we have a meeting where Pete tries to get everyone's attention before the big game. You'll be there, right?"
"Sure." Jude said without looking at him. He was staring between two ties, trying to decide which one to wear.
"That one." Zero said and pointed his spoon towards the dark blue with white stripes.
"This?" Jude lifted it and Zero nodded. "Thanks." He quickly put it on. Hands skillfully tying it. Zero wished he knew how to do that so easily but he guessed it was enough if only one of the other knew how to do it properly.
"Thanks. I got to run." Jude put his suit coat on and walked to Zero. He gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "I'll be watching you." Jude added with a wink, referring to the coming game, and he walked out.
Zero stared after him for a moment but got dragged back to reality when a spoonful of cereal dropped to his trousers. He had forgotten to put in his mouth when Jude had kissed him. Zero cursed and went to clean it up.
Zero felt exhaustion hit him and he dragged himself to the bedroom. He slumped to the Jude's side of the bed. Every muscle on his body ached. Slowly he took his trousers off and slid under the covers. He lowered his head onto the pillow and breathed in the smell of Jude and sex they had in that morning, which caused them to be late in the first place.
Zero woke up as Jude traced patterns around his bellybutton. He pretended to sleep until Jude's hand started to go even lower and he couldn't help but smile.
"I knew you were awake." Zero felt a huff of breath against his ear as Jude laughed. He then opened his eyes to look at Jude: there were imprint from the pillow on his cheek and his hair were sticking all around and Zero couldn't help but think that he was the most beautiful man in the world.
"You're handsome, you know that, right?" He didn't plan on saying it aloud but he had become used to the idea that he couldn't control all his actions and words around Jude. And it was totally worth it when Jude looked embarrassedly away and smiled. Jude shut Zero up, however, when he wrapped his hand around his cock.
"You were saying?" Jude teased Zero, completely aware how much the other man enjoyed as his hand traveled along his length.
"…and sexy." Zero breathed out and pulled Jude to a kiss. He rolled them around so he was on top and leaned against Jude, knowing that the man could take his weight. They enjoyed the feeling of their bodies pressed together before Zero started to kiss his way down on Jude's chest.
Jude reached for the bedside table and took a tube of lube from the drawer. He tossed it to the bed near his hips were Zero was now. Zero grinned up at him before taking the lube and starting to work on Jude.
Jude moaned silently and let his head drop back to the pillows. He looked up at the ceiling and his vision blurred whenever Zero hit a right spot. Zero knew when he was doing it right since Jude's body tensed momentarily every now and then. When it became more frequent, Zero traveled back up again.
"Turn to your side." Zero said as he was facing Jude. The man did as he was told and turned to his right side. Zero slid behind him and started to kiss Jude's neck and shoulder, adjusting himself to a better position at the same time. "You comfortable?" He asked when settled on letting Jude lean his head against his arm and wrapping the other around his chest.
"Yeah." Jude nodded and looked over his shoulder. He took hold of Zero's neck and pulled him forward for a kiss. Zero entered him slowly, knowing full well how Jude enjoyed it and he watched, mesmerized, how Jude's eyes closed and how he bit his lower lip. Zero let out of a moan as well when he started to move inside Jude.
Zero closed his eyes and muffled the sob that escaped his mouth to the pillow.
Zero woke up to the light shining from the window. He hadn't remembered to close the curtains. Subconsciously he reached out for Jude but his hand found only cold air and it fell from the side of the bed. It stirred him up completely and he realized he was still curled up on Jude's side. Zero reached for the nightstand, searching for the clock. He managed to knock it down with a loud thud before he was able to take hold of it. It took him a moment to actually understand what time it was. But when he did, he sighed in relief. The visiting hours wouldn't start until another hour, which gave him enough time to get ready.
Lionel had been chased from Jude's side last night when the visiting hours ended. She hadn't slept well but if she was honest with herself, she had done a hell of a good job at hiding the tiredness with make-up.
Jude had started to breath on his own late last night and the respirator had been taken away and replaced by an oxygen mask. Lionel wished she could've told Zero the good news but last night Oscar seemed to follow her every move so she had tried to keep the call as short as possible.
As she walked into the room she half expected to see Jude awake and greeting her with a tired smile, but he was still sleeping. The doctors said it was a good thing that he rested and collected his strength and he was still in high pain medication. But she couldn't help feeling disappointed. She missed their conversations.
"Morning Jude!" She still chirped as she went and gave him a kiss onto his cheek. "I bought a piece of that delicious looking chocolate cake from the bakery we went last week. For myself, sorry, but the doctors said that you can't eat anything solid for a while. I hope it fills my expectations. I promise I won't eat it under your eyes." She sat down and looked at Jude. There were no reaction. She sighed and looked around for something to do but the only entertainment were the changing numbers in the monitors and the TV. She settled for TV.
Heather arrived after noon. She had stayed in a hotel last night. She looked as weary as Lionel felt right now. They watched television together, exchanging only few words.
It wasn't long after when someone entered the room. Lionel was surprised to see Zero walk in. He was wearing a different shirt than yesterday, which indicated he had at least been home and changed before coming to the hospital.
Lionel was just about to ask him whether Pete had paid him out when Zero interrupted her by asking how Jude was. She didn't bother to answer, however, when Zero spotted Heather. His expression told more than a million words: who the hell is she?
"Heather, this is Zero. Zero this is Heather, Jude's mother." Lionel smiled to Zero's expression as she waved her hand between them. Zero's eyes shot towards her immediately when she said the word 'mother'. He looked like a teenage boyfriend who wasn't ready to meet his mother-in-law.
"And you are?" Heather asked from Zero, who frowned at her.
"Zero's the star basketball player in L. ." Lionel said but realized it didn't say anything to her by the blank expression she had.
"Oh, I don't really follow basketball. Sorry." Heather smiled politely to Zero. "But I did thought you looked familiar somewhere."
Neither Lionel nor Zero couldn't believe their ears when she said that. The woman really didn't follow basketball, let alone her son's career… or life for that matter. Zero and Jude's relationship had been all over the sports news when they had come out as a couple.
"So are you Jude's work colleague?" Heather asked and Zero looked at Lionel for guidance.
"Look at the time!" Lionel pretended to look at her watch. "I should get something to eat. I'll bring you both coffees from the cafeteria." She quickly picked up her purse and tiptoed out.
Zero cleared his throat and tried to think some decent way to tell his relations to Jude. "I umm…" He stuttered and prayed that Jude would wake up at that instant. Then a thought occurred to him: why was he so nervous telling this woman he loved her son? It wasn't like he owned anything to her, besides Jude had barely even mentioned her. "I'm Jude's boyfriend." He eventually blurted out and waited for her reaction.
Heather seemed surprised and looked between Jude and Zero. "I didn't even know…" Instead of disgust or shock Zero had been expecting, she looked sad. "I didn't know he was gay." She finally said and smiled at Zero but it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"I'm not surprised." Zero said and sat at the chair Lionel had occupied just a minute ago. "He hasn't been out for that long." He nearly added that after all Jude never even contacts her, but managed to swallow it down.
"But I should've known. Mother should always know." Heather sighed and then she smiled at him. "How long have you been together?"
Zero was put back by the question and his mind started to ponder from which moment he would calculate for them being together. "Nearly three months." He decided on to the moment he had kissed Jude on the courtside.
"You're still in the early state when the other seems perfect in every way." Heather sounded nostalgic and she gazed at Jude.
Zero smiled and shook his head. "We've known each other over a year now. I don't think Jude's perfect, but I still…" He fell silent. It wasn't like him to tell anyone else how he felt about Jude, but Heather seemed to catch up with his unspoken words and she nodded in understanding.
"I'm glad to hear that. I haven't been a very good mother to Jude lately. I've been busy with my husband and once you put off contacting, you find yourself unable to just pick up the phone and call."
Zero wasn't sure what to think of the woman. He had always pictured Jude's mother a kind soul, from whom Jude had inherited his caring nature. But this woman seemed distant and warm at the same time. Zero had no feelings towards her. He didn't particularly hate her, since he had no idea about her and Jude's past nor did he feel sympathy towards her. Zero knew she had neglected her son at some point but nowhere near as much as Oscar had.
"How did you two meet?" Heather asked then, clearly curious about her son's life.
"Jude was my agent when I moved back to L.A." Zero answered vaguely, not really wanting to discuss their relationship with her.
"Oh, yeah. Is he still your agent?" She remembered Jude mentioning that at some point.
"No." Zero felt angry by even thinking about Lucas, which he was still trying to get rid of, but it seemed they still hadn't found a replacement for the cocksucker. But it didn't matter anymore, when Jude woke up he would become his agent again.
Heather seemed to get his unwillingness to reply, so she changed the subject. "If you want my help of getting Oscar convicted, I'll do anything. I won't let him get away for hurting my son." She said with determination which reminded Zero of Jude, who was able to summon great strength to protect the ones he cared about.
"I appreciate it but right now there's nothing, I can think about, that you could do." Zero said. He had been thinking about how to get Oscar responsible of what he had done but his overwhelmed mind hadn't come up with nothing.
"I understand. Even though being a single mother has been the hardest time of my life, I'll never regret leaving Oscar. I felt like he managed to corrupt Jude, even when he saw his son only couple times a year." Zero heard sincerity in Heather's voice as she looked at Jude while she talked. For a while they just stared at his sleeping form. Then Heather looked at the watch and started to gather her things. "My train leaves in less than an hour. I have to go." She was about to walk out but then turned around. "Please, tell Jude I was here. And if something happens…"
"I'll be in contact." Zero agreed but he wasn't sure if he truly meant it. He thought it was Jude's decision to make.
"Thank you, Zero. My husband will return in the evening and I promised to be home." Heather hesitated. She looked like she wanted to come and hug Jude, but decided not to. "It was good to meet you."
Zero spent the day changing between different positions, just staring at Jude. He had gotten the color back to his face and Zero hoped he would wake up soon. He wanted to be there when he did. Lionel had brought him bread and coffee several times. At four p.m. she had to leave to meet with Oscar. She didn't want him to know that she spent her time at the hospital.
"I told him yesterday that I had to visit my sister so I could be by Jude's side. If he had only known I haven't spoken to her in ten years." Lionel had said before leaving. Zero hoped that Oscar didn't read gossip magazines.
The first time Zero noticed something was wrong when one of the machines, which told Jude's breathing frequency started to alarm more than usual. After it went on for the third time in the past fifteen minutes, one nurse decided to stay in the room. Zero had asked what was wrong but she had only smiled and said it was probably nothing but the doctor would come and check Jude out anyway.
Zero had to listen to the ear piercing sound go on and off for the next half an hour before the doctor had the decency to arrive. He was just listening Jude's lungs when the alarm sounded again, but this time it didn't stop. All hell broke loose; the doctor started to bark orders and the nurse drove Zero out of the room, ignoring his protestation. Soon another nurse walked pass him and entered the room. Zero tried to have a glimpse at what was going on but he didn't have a time to see anything when the door was slammed shut.
"Zero, what's going on?" Lionel walked towards him. She stopped on her tracks when she saw the look on Zero's face. "What's happened?" She asked again, this time demanding his answer.
It could've been only a quarter, but to Zero it felt like hours, until the doctor asked them to come back inside. Zero hurried to Jude's side, relieved beyond words to see him alive.
"Jude's capability of breathing weakened rapidly. We have to install the respirator back. We're still going to take some tests but it seems Jude has gotten pneumonia." The doctor, whose name Zero couldn't remember, not that he even cared, explained. It took all Zero's willpower to concentrate on what he was saying. "Normally for a man at his age and physical state, it wouldn't be dangerous but at the state Jude's other lung is right now, it doesn't look good."
"What do you mean?" Lionel asked, walking closer to the doctor, as if he wouldn't tell her the truth if she didn't try to intimidate him. Zero unconsciously took Jude's hand on his, trying to prepare himself for the bad news.
"We have to keep him unconscious until the pneumonia cures, but I'm afraid he's hanging on a threat until we find the right antibiotic." The doctor fumbled with his hands while speaking, clearly hating to break the news.
"You mean… Jude could die?" Lionel's face went pale, even though it was hard to notice from behind the foundation on her face.
"That's very probable. We will give you unlimited visiting hours, of course." The doctor said it as if it could fix everything.
Lionel turned towards Zero, who was unnaturally quiet. He had taken a step back from Jude's bed and was looking at his boyfriend like he could draw his last breath in any second. She saw only terror in his eyes, like the whole world was crumbling around him. "Zero?" She stepped forward and tried to reach out to him but the man didn't even look at her before turning and almost running out of the room. She tried to call after him but in vain.