Author/pseudonym: MonaCK and Cathy Roberts
Email address: monaCK2@yahoo.com and huntersglenn@yahoo.com
Rating: NC-17
Status: Finished
Pairing: John Carter/Luka Kovac/Dave Malucci
Date: December 28, 2003
Archive: Please ask first
Series: 34/?
Category: "E.R."
Disclaimer: "ER" and all its characters belong to Warner Bros. No infringement of their copyright is intended. This story was written for the enjoyment of "ER" fans everywhere, and may be downloaded for your own pleasure. The title of the story was inspired by the Jimmy Buffett song of the same name, and no infringement is intended. The story can be found on the following web sites: http://www.heresmona.com/fanfic.html
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Boutique/7087/, and
http://www.errealmofslash.com
Summary: It's a slashy A/U story about how Season 8 might have been and contains no spoilers for the current season.
"Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes, Part 34"
By MonaCK and Cathy Roberts
John sighed deeply when he felt Dave's fingers touching his skin. It was as if it had been a million years and not just a little over 24 hours since they had last been intimate with each other. "Well, I did the best I could. Maybe you should give me another lesson or two...or three?"
"Yeah, yeah, I think I should," Dave said, his eyes roaming the man's body -- and specifically his groin area, once again. "I...I think this should be a regular thing again. Me shavin' you, maybe I should come into your room every mornin' with my razor? After all, I don't want ya to start itchin' or anything."
Dave picked up his razor from the bed. "When you're really careful.. you can do this without shavin' cream, you know...but you have to really trust the person doin' this for you..." Dave brought his eyes upwards once more. "Do you want me to get shaving cream...or do you trust me?"
John reached out and touched his fingers to Dave's lips. "I trust you with my life and my heart, so I think it's safe for me to trust you with my groin as well," he replied.
That was pretty much the answer Dave had been looking for. And after kissing the tip of John's finger, he smiled softly and set out to work. Focusing his eyes downward, he began to shave, slowly and smoothly running the razor over John's soft skin. His fingers followed the path of the razor, and Dave smiled further as he felt the softness under his hand.
Soon the skin was clear of stubble, and he managed to do it without any nicks. He pulled out a bottle of baby oil out of his medical bag and smiled. "When ya don't use shavin' cream, you need to put something on to keep the skin from chafing."
He poured some of the liquid into his hand, letting the oil warm before applying it to John's dick, balls, and the surrounding area. He was really enjoying it -- the intimacy, and when they were like this, it was as if they didn't have any problems, and it was just the two of them. The way it was supposed to be.
John closed his eyes as the razor skimmed over his skin, the touch of Dave's fingers directly behind it. He hadn't thought he could be any further aroused, but as Dave continued with the shave, John felt his cock swelling a tad bit more.
John opened his eyes when Dave spoke, and he nodded his agreement when Dave mentioned needing something to keep the skin smooth and healthy. God, but the oil felt good as Dave rubbed it into John's skin, yet he couldn't help but ask, "Don't you need to rub that in a little bit harder?"
Dave's smile grew broader. "Yeah, yeah...I think I do," he said, as his fingers moved seemingly on their own to work the oil into John's already smooth skin. Dave's own cock was growing harder with each stroke he planted on John's body. And bringing his eyes up towards John's his grin grew broader. "Is this better?"
"Getting there," John replied with a smile. "But I think it would be even better if I could see as much of you as you're seeing of me, don't you?" He reached out and tugged on the waistband of Dave's pants, wanting very much to see just how hard Dave's cock was.
"I certainly wouldn't complain if you wanted to let the monster out of it's cage," Dave teased as he shifted his position to give John better access to his pants button. This was near perfect for Dave. Just the two of them pleasuring each other. Just like it used to be. No thoughts of anyone else, at least on Dave's end. Just the two of them loving each other..
In some ways, it was like they had never been apart. But in other ways...Dave now knew all too well what life would be like without John in it. And Dave never wanted to feel that way again.
"I was hoping you wouldn't," John replied as he scooted around on the bed so he could easily reach Dave and in no time at all he had the pants undone and pushed down. But he had left the boxers up and as John pressed his hand against the length of Dave's erection, he could feel a wetness there from where the precum had already escaped. Lowering his head, John placed his mouth there, using his tongue to wet the cotton material and mold it against Dave's flesh.
Dave shut his eyes as John's mouth found his cock -- and somehow the feeling of his boxers still being on, with John's mouth surrounding him, added an even more erotic element to what John was already doing. Dave's hand gripped John's cock, and he began to move his hand up and down, mimicking the other man's movements as he continued to try to stay standing. It was almost too much for him to take.
"Whoa..John, man...do you know what you do to me? You...wow...God...you're amazing..."
John looked up at Dave and grinned. "Oh, yes, Dave, I know exactly what I'm doing to you...it's the same thing you do to me every time you touch me. Shall I continue right here or would you like to lie down and get comfortable?"
"I...I think I'd better lay down or I'm gonna be a puddle on the floor," he said, as he climbed onto the bed. "Do...do you want me to keep my boxers on, or should I take them off? I mean, what you were doin' just then...pretty damned interesting, John...pretty damned interesting..."
Once Dave was settled on the bed, he reached out his hand, wanting to touch some part of John's skin. Oh, how Dave had missed this -- missed his touch -- missed the effect that John had on his body.
"I'll take them off when I'm done with you," John said as he settled himself between Dave's legs and lowered his head once more to Dave's cock and balls. As John bathed them through the material, he could feel Dave's fingers touching his shoulders and hair -- these small things were what he had missed the most while they were apart -- the little tender touches that showed how much Dave cared.
A moan escaped Dave's lips as he felt John's mouth on him tenderly licking and suckling. And his hands continued to stroke John's skin. At that moment, nothing else in the world existed except for the two of them. And as Dave arched his head back, as far as he was concerned, he could die at that moment, and he would die the happiest man in the world. He was in love, and the person that he loved was giving him ultimate pleasure. It was as if he was awakened anew. It was as if they hadn't made love in years instead of hours.. and every motion brought emotions anew to the surface.
"God...John, I love you, so...fucking much. God, yes..."
John grinned around Dave's member, then raised his head enough to tease his lover. "Not yet, but you will be...and soon, if I have anything to say about it." Getting to his haunches, John grabbed the waistband of Dave's shorts. "Lift your hips and I'll get this out of our way." God, but Dave looked so good spread out before him, John thought. So incredibly sexy and handsome, and John felt as if he were the luckiest person on earth to be sharing that moment with Dave.
Dave did as he was told, his eyes fluttering closed as the feeling of John's hands brushed against his skin. He was aware that his shirt was still on, but Dave didn't care. He knew eventually they would get around to taking it off. "How...what do you wanna do next? I...God, I'm so turned on..,and I want you so much..."
Dave was beyond rational thought -- pure instinct and lust had taken over his body. On some level Dave knew it was somewhat wrong -- but on a whole other level, the level that wanted to do nothing more than show John how much he loved him, Dave knew that this was really more than right.
John reached for the bottle of baby oil and he poured a generous amount into his hand. "The next thing I want to do is to slowly lower myself on your hard cock, Dave. I intend to enjoy each and every centimeter of you as I descend upon you until I'm so full of you and nothing but you that I think I'll burst wide open. And then...then I'm going to ride you until you scream out my name, just the way you always do." As John spoke, he allowed time for the oil to warm slightly so that by the time he had finished speaking, he was ready to smooth it over Dave's trembling cock.
Dave's eyes stayed locked on John's, and a slow smile spread over his lips. His dick grew harder still, motivated by John's words as well as his hands spreading a liberal amount of oil over his balls and cock. God, but did it feel good. "Yes. Yes...I wanna be in you...thrusting in and out of you. And I...I wanna make you come. I wanna...God, I wanna make you happy...so fucking happy...I want to possess you..."
Dave thought he would die from waiting to be inside of John, he wanted the other man so badly.
"You already possess me," John huskily said as he moved until his ass hovered over Dave's cock. "Hold yourself steady for me," he instructed, definitely not needing any stretching prior to their lovemaking. He was more than ready for Dave and was thrilled to see that Dave was more than ready for him.
Dave did as instructed, John's words filling him. Dave already possessed him. The younger man tried to not read too much into those words -- that that meant that John had made his decision. He couldn't dwell on it, or Dave was going to end up blurting out that he hoped that was the case, and that would surely ruin the moment.
As John impaled himself onto Dave's throbbing cock, Dave moaned. "God...Yes...oh...yes..."
John closed his eyes and flexed his lower muscles around Dave's cock. His thighs were straining against the effort of holding himself in place just barely past the cockhead. That felt good enough, but John knew that a few more inches and he'd be in Heaven. Moving ever so slowly, John began to let gravity take over and he moved downward, each centimeter, each inch creating an entirely new sensation within John's body.
John finally came to rest atop Dave and he moaned with pleasure over the incredible fullness he was feeling. Dave's cock was pressing hard against his prostate and John's world had narrowed down to nothing more than sensations -- the pleasure against his gland, the fullness inside of his own body, the way Dave stretched him -- even the way that Dave's pubic hair tickled John's balls was a source of pleasure, as was the feeling of the material of Dave's shirt under John's hands as he began to unbutton it, needing and wanting to touch even more of Dave's skin. There were no words to describe how Dave made him feel and the only way John could think of to let Dave know how good it felt was to make Dave feel just as good.
Dave was vaguely aware of the fabric of his shirt falling away from his body. And as he shrugged out of it, he instinctively wrapped his arms as well as he could around the other man, needing to feel John's skin under his fingers as Dave continued to find his motion inside of John's body. Gasping in pleasure, he felt sensations of pure lust and emotion build inside of his body. And he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that it wouldn't be long before he burst in an ultimate sensation of love. But first, first he wanted to make sure that John felt it -- felt moved enough to erupt in his own passion.
Reaching a hand down, Dave gripped Carter's cock with his fingers, and he began to stroke it, his motions mimicking that of his own dick.
"God, Dave...don't stop, yes..." John was panting as he rode Dave's cock while being stroked at the same time. Keeping one hand trailing over Dave's belly, John closed his eyes and simply let himself feel what was happening. Usually he was consumed with making sure his lover was reaching climax, but this time he knew that Dave was enjoying himself and it felt oddly relieving to not have to worry about being responsible for making that happen. Very similar to the way John felt all those times when he had been tied down to the bed and couldn't control what was happening around him and to the person he was with.
"Yes..." he repeated as he and Dave both increased their movements. The ultimate release was quickly approaching, at least for John, and he had no thoughts about trying to prolong it. Showing Dave just how wonderful it felt to be possessed by him was too important at the moment for John to even think about making himself ride out his own orgasm.
Dave's cock pressed firmly against John's prostrate, and the man literally exploded in his hand. As John screamed out, Dave wasn't even sure what he said because he was too absorbed in reaching his own climax which happened only moments after John's. Dave screamed as well, yelling out for the man that he loved as wave after wave of pleasure took over his body. And as the waves subsided, Dave still had wild eyes as he looked up towards John. "Amazing," he managed to say. "I love you so, so much..."
John slumped over Dave's body, enjoying the skin to skin contact as he waited for his breathing and heart rate to return to normal. The sound of Dave's voice rumbled in his ears and John slowly smiled, and then he managed enough energy to raise his head to kiss Dave's chest. "I love you, too."
Dave laid there with John, happy that the man wasn't going to be leaving him yet, and that morning was still pretty far off. If nothing else, they had that night to reconnect, and that night for Dave to show John just how much he loved him -- and how no one would care for John the way that he did. Though, as the waves of passion left the both of them, Dave couldn't help but feel that perhaps they had rushed things. Dave had promised himself that he wasn't going to have sex with John, wasn't going to let it go to the next step, but one kiss, and all of that went out the window.
Dave sighed, and continued to hold John close, wishing that this loving act could solve all of their problems. But, it simply wasn't that easy. Dave tried his best to push any doubt out of his head as the two of them held each other. It wasn't a good idea to dwell on the negative. There would be plenty of time for Dave to do that when he was spending lonely nights by himself.
"You'd better be careful," Dave said, his voice soft, but teasing. "If you're not careful, I'm not gonna be able to wait until you come to see me, and you'll find me knockin' on your door in the middle of the night cause I miss ya so much.."
John smiled against Dave's chest. As they had lain there in the quiet, he had found himself thinking once again how nice it was that he and Dave didn't need words in order to be comfortable with each other -- they were that attuned to each other. It would be so easy to choose Dave at that moment, but John knew that his life would consist of more than the afterglow of love making, or sitting by lakes having picnics. Dave's words had interrupted John's train of thought, and he was quite happy with what was said, as well as the fact that those self-defeating thoughts had been stopped. There would be time to think about Dave and Luka in the morning. Right then was the time for John and Dave.
"Would you really do that? I wouldn't mind it at all, especially since on the nights when I'm not here, I'll be sleeping alone as well," he said.
Dave furrowed his brow. What about the Croatian? Wouldn't Luka want to spend his nights sleeping with John when John wasn't over at Dave's place? Dave wanted to spend every possible moment with John, so he jumped at the words when John spoke them. "Hell, yeah, I'd do that. But...okay,I haveta ask. What, what about Luka?"
Dave didn't want to step on any toes. And if that time was supposed to be Luka's, then Dave didn't want to intrude, any more then Dave would have wanted to have Luka come over to intrude on Dave's time.
John frowned, he wasn't pleased with Luka's decision, but he was determined to honor it. "Luka doesn't want to get used to having me sleeping next to him and waking up with me there, just in case I don't choose him. We can still make love, but there won't be any true sleeping together," John admitted as he used his finger to trace designs on Dave's chest. It hadn't passed John's notice that Dave was still inside of him, and he wanted to remain as still as possible so he could keep Dave right where he was for a long time.
Dave returned the frown. He realized how upset John was by this declaration, but Dave couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope that that was one more thing in Dave's favor. "Well...I think it's a damned shame that you'll be sleepin' by yourself. For me, I'll take any and every moment I can get with ya. And uh, if you're sure it'll be okay, I certainly wouldn't mind comin' and spendin' alternate nights with you back at the main house. Cause, I really love wakin' up next to you in the morning, and even if it's not for the rest of my life, I'll take whatever time I can get."
John rested his chin on Dave's chest and looked into his eyes. "I feel the same way about you, which makes it so damn unfair that I have to even consider never having you in my life like this again." Then John shook his head. "Let's not talk about that, okay? I've got plenty of hours in the day to think about what I've got to do and I really don't want to waste away my evening talking about it. It's only..." John quickly checked his watch and grinned, "...a little after eight, so we have the entire night still in front of us, and I'm not feeling very sleepy at all. Would you like to stay here like this or do something?" John was hoping that Dave would opt for staying in bed, and that he wouldn't talk about the possibility of there not being a them in the future -- John was hoping that his solution would work, but he wanted to have both Dave and Luka present when he presented his idea about tossing a coin to decide his future.
Dave grinned a half grin when John mentioned what time it was, and it turned into a full fledged smile at the thought of how to spend their time together. Bringing a hand to the side of John's face, he caressed the skin beneath it gently before bringing his lips up to John for a brief kiss. "I think," Dave said as he leaned his head back down onto the pillow. "I think that I wanna spend as much time with you as possible. I don't think I can make love again just yet, but, I sorta like layin' here, holdin' you. No reason to ruin any of that yet, huh?"
John chuckled. "No reason as all. I'm quite content to stay here just like this -- I'll let you know when my back starts to tell me that I need to move, but I'm good here for now. Unless I'm too heavy for you?" John asked, worry in his voice. "I'm not hurting you any am I?"
Dave thought about this. At that moment, John was not hurting him in the slightest -- not mentally, not physically, not in any way. "Nope, you're doin' just fine, John. And I like havin' you on top of me like this. But yeah, make sure to let me know if your back starts to bother you cause you know that I don't wanna cause ya any pain...ever."
Smiling, Dave brushed a stray hair off of the top of John's forehead. "I can't think of a better way to spend the first night in my new home."
"I guess I should say 'welcome' to you, shouldn't I? So...tell me about the cruises you were on. What was your favorite trip and what was your worst? What did you like best about being in California?" John rested the side of his head against Dave's chest. He wasn't able to see Dave's face from that position, but it was definitely easier on his neck, and he really did like listening to the rumble of Dave's voice when he spoke. They had missed so much time together and John wanted to catch up on all those lost moments.
"Do I even *have* to tell you which cruise was my favorite?" Dave said, smiling despite the fact that at that moment, John could not see his face. "My favorite cruise was my last one, when I met you again. But I can tell you about the most interesting cruise I ever went on. There was this time where there were a bunch of singers on board, something called a "Cruise in Harmony". Kinda neat, actually. They had singers all over the place, all hookin' up and singing with each other, even when they hadn't met before. It was entertaining, but by the end of the week, I woulda been quite happy not to hear another a-cappella song for as long as I lived. So I guess that was the most interesting, and worst, all rolled into one."
Dave thought for a moment before answering his question about California. "I didn't get to spend much time on shore, but I really enjoyed any time I was able to spend with my brother. I...he's really the only family I've got now, and I haveta say that that's the *only* thing I miss about California. Other than that, it's kinda...superficial. Much different than New York. And definitely different than here."
"I can understand that about your brother. I'd really enjoy being able to spend time with Barbara, but it just never seems to work out that we can get together, especially since she lives in Europe," John admitted. He wondered if Dave had yet had a chance to call his brother to talk about the message mix-up, but asking Dave about that would only bring all of that fiasco to the surface again and John didn't want that. So, he'd wait until later to ask -- much later.
Dave furrowed his brow. "Barbara? Who's Barbara?" Was that another maid that Dave didn't know about? The only sibling that Dave was aware of was the brother who had passed away when John was young. Maybe Barbara was a cousin?
"She's my sister. I told you about her, didn't I? She's about four years older than I am, and no jokes about me being the 'baby' of the family," John said with a chuckle. "I've heard more than my share of those, believe me."
Dave shook his head. "Nope. You never told me about your sister. Trust me, I'll never tease you about that, since I was the "baby" myself," Dave said, as a grin crossed his lips. "So what's your sister like? It sounds like you guys get along pretty well when she's in town."
John shrugged. "Barbara is...Barbara. She wasn't too thrilled over having two younger brothers, and didn't really have much to do with us, except for bossing Bobby and I around. I think that when Bobby died she felt more than a little guilty about ignoring him, but she never really tried to be closer to me. Not that she had much of a chance since she was already attending boarding school in Europe and then I was sent off to school here in Illinois. We get along okay when she decides to visit, but I can't really remember the last time she was here. I know she was there when I graduated from medical school, and that was six years ago, but she only stayed for two days, and since I wasn't at the graduation ceremony I didn't see her there anyway. She called me a lot when I was in the hospital, both here and in Atlanta, but I really wouldn't mind seeing her again."
"Maybe you should try to give her a call...or maybe we should take a trip to Europe at some point so you can visit her. I wouldn't mind goin' to Europe. I've never been, and it might be fun to visit. " But then again, Dave wasn't sure how John would feel about his sister finding out that John was not exactly living the straight and narrow lifestyle.
"But, uh...I guess we don't have to, if you're not comfortable with that." Dave certainly didn't want to start a conversation about being out to family members. He still wasn't sure how Steve was going to react when Dave eventually told him that he was in love with another man...
"We could do that. It's been a long time since I've been to Europe," John admitted. "She's living in Geneva, which is a pretty place to visit. All of Switzerland is nice, though." But it saddened John to think about planning a trip with Dave that might not ever happen and he hoped to cover up his sadness by diverting Dave's attention. Moving his head, John began to lick small circles around Dave's nipple. Even though he knew it wouldn't lead to anything, it was still fun to play with Dave's body.
"Uh, yeah...Switzerland...land...of uh...chocolate...and uh...cheese. Yeah...we...could go...uh...yeah...that feels good," Dave said, as the feel of John's tongue on his body distracted him from talking about parts of Europe further. "You...uh...tryin' to...get me...to stop talkin' about...vacation plans?"
The fact that Dave might not be with John long enough to plan a vacation was something that Dave really didn't want to think about. It was much better to not think about the negative, and only think about the positive.
John shook his head. "Not at all. You can keep on talking about chocolate and cheese. Maybe warm, melted cheese, nothing hot enough to burn the skin, though. And I'll stay right here and pretend I'm licking you clean," John said, and then he did just that.
"Maybe I should...heat up some cheese...and then melt some chocolate...then...we can play...just like...we've done in the past. With...with chocolate syrup...you know...usin' it...as lube...so we...can have a delicious...cleanup...yeah..." Dave was recalling a time when they had used various food substances in their bed play. That seemed like ages ago, but it had only been the previous year -- when they were first together. So much had happened since then, that it was amazing that the two of them were still talking, let alone in bed together. But Dave was not going to dwell on that. All his mind could focus on was how good John's tongue felt against his skin.
"I don't remember you buying any of that at the store or else I'd be ahead of you in the kitchen right now," John said with a grin as he looked up at Dave. "Although, there's probably some in the house, if you're brave enough to go over to get it. I'd offer to go, but I seem to have hurt my feet and my personal physician doesn't want me to be on them."
Dave thought about this for a moment, and then shook his head. "Nah, I need to go to the store to get your gourmet meal supplies -- I can pick up the fun stuff then," Dave said, as their eyes locked once more. "And you're damned right that your personal physician doesn't want you on those feet right now. Tonight, I'm gonna wait on you. You know, before I was a doctor, I was a waiter when I was workin' my way through college.. I'm experienced in these things," Dave teased as he planted a light kiss on John's cheek. "Once we're ready to go again I"m sure that we can think of some fun things to do that don't involve food for the time bein', don't you?"
"Gee, I don't know," John replied, trying to sound serious. "I was starting to look forward to some licking action."
"Yeah, well..,there are some things that can be tasted that don't necessarily involve food," Dave said, as he moved his fingers from the side of John's face, to his shoulder. As he worked his fingers down to John's chest, his grin grew broader. "You have a magical tongue, and you're so friggen sweet, that you don't need any kinda food at all for me to think you taste good."
It was talk like this that began to have an effect on Dave -- and though he was far from hard, that didn't stop him from feeling quite emotionally turned on by the pillow talk that the two of them were engaging in. It was going to be far too easy for Dave to get in over his head again. And he found that he wanted to do nothing to stop it from happening. No. It was what Dave wanted, since he already knew without a shadow of a doubt that John was 'it' for him.
"So now I'm 'sweet', huh?" John replied as he moved to make it easier for Dave to keep touching him. "And just what about me is so sweet? My kisses?" John knew that he'd be able to use Dave's answers to find all kinds of new and innovative ways to please the man.
"Yeah, your kisses are sweet. Your skin, and the taste when you come in my mouth...that's pretty damned sweet, too...kinda a sweet and salty flavor...it's my favorite," Dave said, not caring in the slightest that he was being crude. This was John he was talking to -- if he couldn't talk like this to John, who *could* he share this with?
"Well, I'll be sure to not to ever change my toothpaste, my soap or what I eat then. After all, I wouldn't want to suddenly go sour on you," John said. Again he was struck by the differences between Dave and Luka. Dave enjoyed the way John tasted and Luka would never even be able to say he didn't enjoy it because he'd never swallowed. To Luka, if one guy tasted bad then they all tasted bad, at least that's the way John saw Luka's reasoning.
"I think no matter what you ate, how you washed, how you brushed your teeth, you'd always be sweet. I can't imagine any part of you ever not tastin' sweet to me. Cause.. well, it's part of *you*." Things were beginning to get way too emotional for Dave. And because he really wasn't sure how much further he wanted to take the conversation, Dave brought his hand back up behind John's neck and then lifted his head up so his lips met John's. It was a tender, yet slightly passionate kiss, and one that Dave hope conveyed everything he was feeling, without him having to put it all into words.
John was nothing but smiles when the kiss ended. It still amazed him that someone as rambunctious as Dave could be so tender at times. And then John realized that he really needed to go to the bathroom, no matter how much he wanted to stay right where he was. "I feel the same way about you, you know. But, as much as I love you, I really need to leave you now because my bladder is about to burst." he placed his hands on either side of Dave's body and pushed himself upright before slowly lifting off of Dave's still limp cock.
"I'll be right back," John said, and he leaned over to give Dave a quick kiss, then got to his feet. And promptly sat down again as pain shot up though his legs from his feet. "Oh, fuck! That hurts." He as just going to have to do his best to ignore the pain while trying to make it across the hallway to the bathroom.
Dave sat up in bed quickly when he realized just in what shape John was in. "Let me help you...okay?" Concern laced his face, and reached up to his eyes. Dave had pushed John too far, and now he was in too much pain to walk. Swinging his own legs over the side of the bed, Dave stood, and then reached out his hand towards John.
"I can do this," John quickly replied. He appreciated Dave's offer of assistance, but he wasn't an invalid and he didn't need anyone to hold his hand just so he could go to the bathroom. "I just have to take my time, that's all." John once again stood, his mouth shut tight against giving voice to his pain. One foot in front of the other, taking it nice and slow, just as he had back in physical therapy -- as long as John kept concentrating on the destination, then he could hopefully ignore the pain, although the more he walked, the more it hurt.
John wasn't even halfway to the door when he felt the bitter sting of tears in his eyes, adding yet another element to be ignored. He could make it to the bathroom on his own, he knew he could. But, God, it hurt so much. John came to a stop and held out his hand to the side as he decided to finally accept the help Dave had offered, provided he was still in the mood to help. "I can't do this alone. Please?"