Broken Bones, Mended Hearts | William Cooper

2

Broken Bones, Mended Hearts

I

SLOWLY

started to open my eyes. I couldn’t move my body,

and all my senses felt dulled. I shook my head to try to lose
some of the grogginess. I tried to stretch, but my body
wouldn’t cooperate—my legs in particular felt like they were
encased in cement.

“’Bout time you woke up,” I heard a familiar voice say.

“Mark?” I asked as I opened my eyes and blinked away

the blurriness. I turned my head slightly and saw him sitting
in a chair across the room. “Where am I?”

“You’re in the hospital,” my best friend told me. He

stood up and stretched before walking to stand over me.

I blinked again. Why am I in the hospital? I looked up at

Mark, his blond hair was a mess—like usual—and his dark
blue eyes were full of concern.

I tried to speak again, but my mouth was too dry.

“Water?” I croaked out.

Mark grabbed a cup of water from the tray next to my

bed and carefully put it to my lips. I swallowed a mouthful.
“Thanks.”

Mark nodded and set the cup back down. “Anything

else?”

I hadn’t seen Mark this concerned about me since I fell

off the trampoline and broke my arm when I was nine. “Why

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am I in the hospital?” I asked him. I immediately felt bad
when I saw the concern on his face get worse. I hated
making Mark worry.

“You don’t remember?” Mark shook his head. “A bunch

of guys cornered you and whopped your ass the other day
when you left the library. Someone saw and called campus
security. You took quite a beating, you know; you scared the
crap out of Hannah and me.”

I clenched my fists under the blanket. Oh yeah. Now I

remember. “How long have I been out?” I asked.

He glared at me. “About three days. They brought you in

Thursday night, and it’s Monday morning now.”

“Oh.” I managed to get my head up and look down at my

body, taking inventory of my injuries. Both of my legs were
in casts and so was my left arm, which explained why they
felt so heavy. My right arm was covered in cuts, and it felt
like my ribs were bandaged as well.

“Oh? Is that all you have to say?” Mark rolled his eyes.

“Come on, Noah, you gotta give me more than that. Why did
those guys come after you?” He folded his arms across his
chest and narrowed his eyes.

“I don’t know,” I lied. I knew perfectly well why those

guys had ambushed me outside the library. That didn’t
mean I wanted to talk about it.

Mark crossed his arms in front of his chest and glared

at me some more. “Dude, don’t give me that shit. We’ve been
best friends since kindergarten; I thought we could tell each
other everything.” When I didn’t say anything, Mark sighed.
“Whatever. Oh, before I forget, I called your dad and sister to

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let them know what happened. They’re all worried as shit
about you. Hannah’s gonna come out here to see you, so you
better have some kind of answers for her when she gets here
tomorrow morning.”

“Ugh,” I groaned. “Did you really have to call Hannah?

She’s going to hound me for weeks about this and insist on
mothering me until I heal.” Hannah was my older sister.
When our mother died giving birth to me, Hannah took over
the role as the mother in the family. Hannah was six years
old when I was born, and she hasn’t stopped mothering me
since.

I could see the smirk appearing on Mark’s face. “See

what happens when you won’t tell me things? Now, if you tell
me what happened, I may be able to get her to back off a
little. If not….” Mark shrugged. “I may just decide to take a
trip back home and see my own family for a couple days.”

“Dude, you’re freaking evil,” I said, closing my eyes.

“Why are we friends again?”

Mark started laughing. “Because you’d do the same

damn thing to me if you were in my shoes right now.” I could
hear him pulling up a chair. “Now, are you going to tell me
what the hell you’re keeping from me?”

“You won’t like it,” I warned him. Ever since we’d met,

Mark was always standing up for me. I thought back to
when we were eight. A sixth-grader had tried to bully me and
steal my lunch money at recess. When Mark saw, he came
over, hit the kid in the nuts, and then beat the crap out of
him. I tried to fight back a grin as I recalled the incident.

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Mark crossed his arms in front of himself again. “I’ll deal

with it, now spill,” he said, jaw clenching.

“It started with this guy in one of my classes. I guess I

kinda made a couple moves on him….”

Mark raised an eyebrow. “You guess?” he asked

sarcastically.

I raised my uninjured hand in defeat. “Okay,” I said. I

turned my head and looked at the wall while I related my
story. “I was making passes at him, and I’m guessing he
didn’t appreciate it much. I had to get that paper done for
my psych class, so I stayed at the library until it closed.
When I left, he caught me outside with his buddies. And,
well, I guess you know the rest.”

Mark sighed. “I thought I told you to be careful about

that shit.” He shook his head and groaned.

I looked down, too ashamed to even look at him. “I’m

sorry, Mark.” I hated it when he was disappointed in me.

He grabbed my hand and squeezed. “You don’t have to

be sorry, dude. Just be more careful. Not all guys are as cool
about you being gay as I am.”

My mouth twitched and I smiled at him. Mark had been

a lifesaver over the years. He was the first person I ever came
out to, back in the eighth grade, and it’s never mattered to
him one bit. He never once freaked out about changing in
front of me or sharing a bed when he slept over. But the best
thing he ever did was help me come out to Hannah.

I smiled at the memories. “So, are you gonna talk to

Hannah for me?”

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His grin returned. “Yeah, I’ll get her to relax a bit. But

you know she’s still going to try and mother you to death.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I know. What about Dad and

Stacy? Are they going to bring Aaron up?” Aaron was my
little brother, and Stacy was his mom and my stepmom.

“Don’t know, man. They said they might try to fly up

here this weekend. I think Aaron has Monday off from
school.”

I nodded. The little brat was always getting days off

school. “Thanks for calling them for me.”

“No problem. I talked to your professors for you too.

When you get out of here, they said they’d work with you on
the material you’re missing.”

“Thanks, dude, you’re a freaking life saver.” That was

Mark all right, always trying to help me out. I don’t know
what I would’ve done without him all these years.

Mark smiled again. “Yeah, I know.”

Mark ended up keeping me company for the rest of the

day. Around eight, a nurse came in and told Mark that
visiting hours were almost up. He stood up to leave and
stretched.

“You gonna come by tomorrow?” I asked. I’d be bored as

hell if he didn’t.

He nodded. “I’ll be here right after I get out of class.” He

stood over me and gave me an odd look for a moment.

“What? Do I really look that bad?” I grinned at him.

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Mark was silent, then leaned down and pressed his lips

to mine. My eyes went huge. The kiss only lasted a few
seconds, but it seemed like time stopped when he kissed me,
as corny as that sounded.

“W-W-What was that all about?” I stammered out. Never

in a million years did I expect Mark to kiss me. Mark had
always been the straight one, always dating different girls
and usually having sex with them.

He just shrugged. “Just wondered what it’d be like to

kiss you.”

I raised an eyebrow. That was such a Mark response.

“Yeah? And how was it?”

He seemed to consider it for a moment. “I’ve had better,”

he finally decided.

“Try again once I’m out of these casts, and I’ll show you

how to really kiss,” I said with a smile.

Mark smiled back at me. “I just might.” He grabbed his

jacket and walked toward the door. “See ya tomorrow, Owl.”

I grinned. Owl was my nickname from when we were

children. Mark always used to call me that because I liked to
stay up all night and sleep all day. “See ya later,” I called
back. I sighed and lay back on the bed, hoping that wouldn’t
be the last time we kissed.

I

WAS

sitting in my excellent bed, eating my not-so-excellent

food, when Mark came in with a bouquet of balloons. Each
one had a variant of “Get Well Soon” written on the front. He

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smiled when he saw me and let the balloons loose in the
room.

“Thought I’d bring something to liven up the room a

little bit,” he said as he took a seat next to me again.

“Thanks. They look great.” I pushed away the food I was

eating—if it could even be called food. “God, I can’t wait until
I can eat McDonald’s again.”

Mark started laughing. “And give up this yummy-

looking food?” he replied.

I rolled my eyes. “So, any good gossip for me?”

Gossiping was definitely something I’d picked up from
Hannah; she was always gossiping with her friends while we
were growing up.

Mark stopped laughing. “They got the boys who

attacked you locked up. The police will probably come by to
talk to you today too. Oh, and Hannah should be here
sometime today. She called me this morning to tell me she
was driving up.”

I groaned and threw my arm over my face. “Ugh. I was

hoping she’d change her mind.”

“You

know

her,”

Mark

said

before

chuckling,

successfully pushing away thoughts of exactly why I needed
to talk with the police. “She won’t give up until you’re back
at full health.”

“I know. I think she has some kind of mother complex,”

I said with a laugh. Not that I’d change anything about her—
not much anyway.

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“I heard that you know,” a strong female voice said from

the doorway.

I jumped when I heard her speak, causing pain to shoot

through my body. Once the pain subsided a bit, I looked up
at the tall brunette standing in the middle of the doorway,
glaring at me with her arms crossed in front of her. “Hey
Hannah,” I said sheepishly. “You know I was just joking.”

She rolled her eyes and walked over to me. “Jeez, little

brother. You haven’t been away from home for two months
and you’re already in the hospital. What’re we going to do
with you?” Hannah leaned down and hugged me gently.
“How’re you feeling?”

“Considering everything?” I shrugged. “Not too bad. But

ask me again when the morphine wears off.”

She smiled. “I’m glad. You’ve got Dad and Stacy worried

sick, you know.” She walked over to Mark. He opened his
arms, expecting a hug; instead, he got a slap on the back of
the head. “You were supposed to be watching him,
dumbass.”

Mark blushed and looked down at the floor. “Sorry,

Hannah,” he said, jaw clenching. “Won’t happen again.”

She looked him in the eye. “It better not or I’m gonna

kick both your asses.”

I couldn’t help but grin. That’s my sister, all right. She’s

always been the most protective sister in the world, but if
one of us fucked up, she was always the first to tell us. She
sighed and gave Mark a hug.

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“You didn’t have to leave your practice and fly all the

way out here,” I said. Hannah was a veterinarian in northern
California.

She waved that off easily. “Aika said she could cover

everything for me while I’m out here nursing you back to
health.”

“You really don’t have to worry about me,” I insisted.

“Mark can take care of me.” She’d already spent so much of
her life on me. She deserved to live her own life now.

“Yeah, I can take care of him just fine,” Mark put in.

Hannah silenced him with a look. “Nonsense,” she said

to me. “You act like a silly puppy; you need a nurse who
knows how to handle a silly puppy.” She gave me a wolfish
grin.

I gulped. “I’m dead,” I muttered.

Hannah disappeared into the hallway, returning a few

minutes later with another chair. She set it on the other side
of me and sat down. Hannah held my hand almost the entire
time she was there. Even though she was acting brave, I
could tell she was still scared.

Great, another person I’ve let down.

T

HAT

evening, Hannah and Mark were sitting next to me.

The three of us had just finished eating our dinners when we
heard a knock on the door. I looked up and saw two police
officers standing there.

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“Are you Noah Martin?” the one asked.

Hannah held my hand and I nodded.

The two men walked in slowly, eyes darting around the

room. “We’re here to get your statement.”

Hannah squeezed my hand. “Do you want me to wait in

the hall?” she asked. I looked away and nodded. I didn’t
want Hannah to hear this yet. She stood up and kissed me
on the cheek. “I’ll be right out in the hall if you need me.”

I nodded again and watched her leave. Mark took my

other hand and squeezed. “Want me to leave too?” he asked
when I looked over at him.

“No,” I said after thinking a moment. “I need you here.”

Mark nodded and squeezed my hand again. I took a

deep breath and told the police everything I knew. They
asked me a bunch of questions and wrote down everything I
said. By the time I was finished, my hospital gown was
soaked in sweat.

When the police left, Hannah came back in and sat next

to me, holding my hand. “I love you, you know. You can
always talk to me.”

I nodded and closed my eyes, trying to fight back tears. I

felt like such a jerk for making her worry about me.

T

HE

next day, the doctors released me into the care of Mark

and my psychotic sister with nothing but a prescription for
painkillers to keep me whole. They wheeled me out to Mark’s

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SUV, and we headed back to the apartment the two of us
shared.

I looked around the apartment. It felt good to be back in

my own place and out of the hospital. Things looked just like
they had when I went to the library that night, although the
apartment was certainly neater. That was definitely
Hannah’s doing. As I looked around, I noticed Hannah’s bags
weren’t there. “Where’s your stuff?” I asked.

“I was just kidding about watching you 24/7,” she said.

“I’m staying at the Holiday Inn down the road.”

“You could’ve just stayed here,” I told her. That’s the last

time I flirt with a guy I barely know, I vowed silently. First it
lands me in the hospital, and now Hannah is spending all of
this money to come up here. And she had to take time off
work! How much more would one mistake cost?

“That’s what I told her,” Mark said before handing each

of us a soda and giving me my pain pills. I took one of the
small, white pills out and swallowed it, glad for something to
numb the pain after riding in Mark’s SUV.

She shook her head and sighed. “I’m not going to baby

you, Noah. As much as I hate to admit it, you’re not seven
anymore. I’ll help out around here a little until you’re better,
but you and Mark will be fine on your own. Plus, Dad is
flying out here with Aaron tomorrow.”

I

raised

an

eyebrow.

“Tomorrow?

Tomorrow’s

Thursday… doesn’t Aaron have school?”

“Dad’s letting him skip some school to come see how

you are.” Hannah took a gulp of her soda before continuing.
“He’s worried sick about you. He’s been calling me every

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13

night since this happened, asking for news since Dad won’t
really tell him anything.”

I sighed. I hated making Aaron worry. Aaron and I were

really close. When I was ten years old, most of my friends got
puppies to take care of to learn responsibility. I got a baby
brother to help look after. Unlike me, Aaron had a mom, but
I still wanted to be the one to take care of him. I thought it
was awesome to be the older sibling for once. Hannah and
Stacy had spent a lot of time teaching me how to take care of
a baby: changing his diaper, feeding him, and bathing him.
It definitely helped me learn maturity early on.

“What’d you tell him?” I asked her.

“I told him not to worry, that you were fine,” she said,

leaning against the breakfast bar.

I nodded. “Thanks. I’ll call him tonight and let him know

I’m all right.”

H

ANNAH

stayed most of the day, walking around the house,

muttering about us being slobs as she cleaned everything
up. We actually weren’t that messy, but it wasn’t up to
Hannah’s standards of cleanliness—which basically meant
hospital room clean. She left not long after dinner, giving
Mark and me a chance to adjust to things.

“So,” Mark said as we sat on the couch watching TV,

“how are you going to take a shower?”

I blushed and picked at the fabric of the couch. “I think

you’re going to have to give me a bath.”

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Mark burst out laughing. If I could have, I would have

hit him. It was already embarrassing enough that he had to
help me go to the bathroom, but now he had to give me a
bath like I was a baby.

I glared at him, eyes narrowed until they were almost

closed. “If you say a word to anyone about this, I’ll kill you.”

Mark nodded. “Your sister bought a stool thingy to put

in the shower so you can sit down.”

“Let’s just get this over with,” I groaned.

Mark grinned and picked me up, carrying me to the

bathroom. If he hadn’t been in such good shape from all the
years of martial arts, he probably wouldn’t have been able to
do it. It probably also helped that he was a good six inches
taller than me. He sat me on this weird chair-like
contraption and started undressing me. My heart started
beating faster in my chest. Normally the only time Mark was
undressing me was in my masturbation fantasies. Once he
was done, Mark grabbed three plastic bag-like things that
slid over my casts to keep the water out.

Thankfully, my dick decided to behave itself for once.

Unfortunately, I didn’t stay soft for long. As Mark worked his
way down my body with a soapy washcloth, my dick seemed
to take on a life of its own. By the time he reached my
thighs, it was standing straight up, throbbing in need of
release. It had been about four days since I had gotten off,
and my dick seemed to think that was way too long.

After Mark finished my legs, he gently began to wash my

genitals, slowly caressing them. As he slid the washcloth up
and down my shaft, I let out a soft moan.

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15

“Want me to get you off?” he asked.

I nodded. “Please.”

Mark set aside the washcloth and squirted a bit of

shampoo in his hand. I let out another moan as I felt his
fingers wrap around me. Mark hadn’t jerked me off since we
were teenagers looking at porn together—but it seemed he
hadn’t forgotten what I like.

My heart rate sped up and my body temperature rose as

I neared my orgasm. It took no more than a minute or two
before my come was coating my stomach and Mark’s hand.

“Thanks, dude,” I said when my orgasm subsided.

He picked up the washcloth and wiped up the sticky

mess I had made. “It was no big deal; it’s not like it was the
first time.”

I looked up into Mark’s eyes and smiled at him. He

smiled back and leaned down, pressing his lips against
mine. This time it wasn’t a quick kiss like in the hospital; it
was a full on kiss. When Mark pressed his lips against mine,
it was again almost as if time stopped. I eagerly pushed back
against his lips, never wanting the kiss to end. By the time
Mark finally pulled away, it felt like we had been kissing for
hours. Since the water was still warm, though, it couldn’t
have been more than a minute or two.

“Wow,” I said as I panted, desperately trying to pull

more air into my lungs. I raised a shaking hand and pressed
it gently on my bruised ribs.

“Yeah, wow.”

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“I told you I was a pretty good kisser.” I couldn’t keep

the smugness out of my tone. I loved proving him wrong, or
maybe it was that I loved proving myself right.

Mark laughed and hit me with the washcloth. “Shut up

and let’s finish this shower.”

I nodded and closed my eyes, letting Mark wash my

hair. After that, he toweled me dry. As he was drying my legs
and genitals, my dick sprang to life again. He looked up at
me with his eyebrow raised. “Damn, horny again?”

I blushed a bit. “I’m always horny when I have a hot guy

touching me.”

This time it was Mark’s turn to blush. “Let’s get you into

your bedroom, and then I’ll help you out again.”

Just as he had before, Mark carefully carried me into

my bedroom. He laid me on the bed and looked me over
approvingly. He smiled again and began to take his clothes
off.

“I thought you were straight,” I said while he undid his

pants. Not that I hadn’t hoped he was at least bi more times
than I could count.

Mark shrugged. “I thought so, too, but this is fun.” He

dropped his pants. I could see his boner straining the fabric
of his boxers. “And my dick seems to like it.”

I laughed. “Maybe you’re bisexual.”

He lowered his boxers and crawled in bed next to me.

“Maybe. But I don’t really care. I just wanna have some fun
tonight. We can figure out the rest tomorrow.”

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Mark lowered his lips to my neck and began to slowly

kiss his way to my mouth. By the time he finally reached it, I
was ready to explode. My tongue eagerly explored the inside
of his mouth. Mark reached down and started stroking my
hard-on, the edge of his nails barely scratching the tender
skin. Using my good hand, I reach down and began to stroke
him; firm and slow, just how he liked it. We moaned into
each other’s mouths, and it wasn’t long before the two of us
covered each other’s hand in our warm, sticky milk.

“That was awesome,” I said as I lay next to Mark.

He pulled me into his arms and held me. “Yeah, it was. I

didn’t know being with a guy could be that good.”

I chuckled and snuggled into Mark’s arms. “Now you see

why I like it so much.”

“Yeah, I do,” he said as he wrapped his arms firmly

around me.

“Do you know how long I’ve waited for this moment? The

two of us cuddled together in bed?” I thought back to all the
times I wished we could do this. It felt like forever since I’d
realized that I cared about Mark as more than a friend, but
I’d never thought that he might feel the same way.

Mark nodded. “You know I’ve always loved you, right?

No matter what, I always will love you.”

“I know. And I’ll always love you too. But do you think

you can love me… as a boyfriend?”

“Yeah, I do.” Mark kissed the top of my head. “I think I’d

like being your boyfriend.”

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18

I released a breath I didn’t even know I was holding. “I’d

like being yours too,” I told him, “but you already knew
that.” Was this really happening? After all this time….

This time, it was Mark’s turn to chuckle. “I love you,

Noah.”

I closed my eyes and enjoyed the warmth of our bodies

wrapped together in my bed. “I love you too, Mark.”

It didn’t take long for the two of us to fall asleep, with

me still wrapped securely in Mark’s arms. I don’t think I’ve
ever had a more peaceful night of sleep than I did that first
night Mark and I spent as a couple.

T

HE

next morning, we both woke up to the sound of Mark’s

cell phone ringing. Groggily, he reached around on the floor
until he found where his jeans were and fished the phone
out of his pockets.

“Yeah?” he asked.

“Wake up, dumbass,” the annoyed female on the other

end said. “And wake that lazy brother of mine up too. I’m at
the airport, waiting for Dad and Aaron, and we should be at
your place in about an hour, hour and a half.”

“Uh huh. See ya later,” Mark said before closing his

phone.

“What’s up?” I asked him.

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19

Mark rolled over and pulled me closer to him. “Your

sister’s at the airport picking up your dad and brother. She
wants us out of bed and waiting when she gets here.”

I nodded, nuzzling my face into Mark’s neck. “I guess we

better get up, then.”

“Yeah, I guess so. You know how bossy she can be.”

Mark sighed and got out of bed and stretched. “God, I hate
getting up early.”

I looked over at my clock. “Early? It’s eight o’clock! Now

hurry and get dressed so you can dress me; I’m getting
chilly.”

Mark smiled and went into his room to get some clothes.

When he came back, he was fully clothed, while I still lay in
bed stark naked. It took quite a while for Mark to dress me—
getting clothes on over casts really is a pain in the ass.

Once I was dressed, Mark carried me into the kitchen

and balanced me on a stool at the breakfast bar. “Try not to
fall,” he said with a smirk. He walked over to the fridge and
started getting things out. He handed me a bottle of water
and my painkillers. “Think I should make extra for your dad
and brother?”

“That depends. What are you making?”

“I’m thinking pancakes, sausage, and eggs. Sound good

to you?” he asked as he glanced over the refrigerator door.

I nodded. “Sounds delicious. And I’d make some more if

I were you. Especially for Aaron—he’s probably going to be
starving unless Hannah takes them out to breakfast first.”

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20

Mark pulled out his cell phone and slid it across the bar

to me. “Call her and make sure she doesn’t,” he instructed.
“I’m not cooking a crapload of food to have her stop at
McDonald’s and ruin it.”

I laughed and made the phone call. After she promised

not to feed them, I turned my attention to Mark as he walked
around our small kitchen and cooked. I fidgeted on the stool,
trying to find a way to sit comfortably to no success. Taking
a deep breath, I said, “Hey Mark.”

He looked up from cracking eggs into a bowl. “Yeah?”

“What’s up between us? I mean, are we boyfriends, or

was last night some kinda one night thing?” I asked
tentatively. I really hoped he’d choose the first option.

Mark set down the eggs and sat on the stool next to me.

“It’s up to you. I told you last night I’d like to give being
boyfriends a shot, but it’s whatever you wanna do. I mean,
I’ve never had a boyfriend before. Heck, I’ve never really liked
another guy before.” He was rambling; we both knew it.
Mark tended to ramble when he got nervous.

I smiled. “I’d like to give being boyfriends a shot too. But

under one condition.”

Mark arched an eyebrow. “Oh, and what condition is

that?”

“That no matter what happens; we’ll always be best

friends. Even if we break up.”

Mark smiled and leaned over, planting a kiss on my lips.

“I promise we’ll always be best friends. No matter what.”

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21

I breathed a silent sigh of relief. “Good. Then I guess

we’re boyfriends.” I grabbed the hand towel that was sitting
on the bar and whipped him with it. “Now get back to
cooking so you can feed your crippled boyfriend.”

Mark chuckled. “Yes, master,” he said and went back to

making eggs.

I watched Mark carefully for a few seconds before

speaking. “You know what would look good on you?” I asked.

He eyed me suspiciously. “What?” he asked.

“A collar. A nice red and black collar.”

Mark arched an eyebrow, and I have to admit, he looked

sexy standing there like that. “I didn’t know you were into
that kind of stuff,” he said.

I smirked. “There’s a lot of things you don’t know about

me,” I said, adding a hint of seduction to my voice.

Mark walked around the counter and started kissing me

again, only to be interrupted by the front door unlocking.
Mark had given Hannah a spare key when she came down so
she could get in while he was in class without me having to
unlock the door.

“Looks like they’re here,” he said before pulling back.

Mark went back to cooking and the door opened.

I spun around on the stool, careful not to topple over.

“Hey, Dad,” I said when he came in. “Hey, squirt, welcome to
Seattle,” I said to the eight-year-old boy who came in after
him.

As soon as he saw me, Aaron ran over and gave me a

hug. “Careful,” I said as he squeezed me. He let go and

Broken Bones, Mended Hearts | William Cooper

22

looked up at me. I could see tears in his eyes. “Aww, don’t be
sad. I’m gonna be fine. Nothing to worry about.” I put a big
smile on my face and pulled him into another hug with my
good arm.

“Hey Mr. Martin,” Mark said from the stove. “I hope

you’re hungry.”

Dad smiled and sat down at the breakfast bar. “I’m

starving.”

“Me too,” Hannah said, taking the seat next to Dad,

leaving the last seat for Mark.

Mark gave everyone plates and put a big plate of

pancakes in the middle for everyone.

“Where am I gonna sit?” Aaron asked.

I smiled. “You can sit on my lap, if you want,” I told him.

“He can sit on my lap, Noah,” Hannah told me.

I waved her off. “I’m not gonna break. Come on, squirt,

hop up. Just be careful you don’t hit yourself on one of the
casts.” Aaron nodded and climbed up on my lap.

Mark handed us another plate and put out a plate of

sausages. Aaron got to play “big brother” and help me load
up my plate with food and put butter and syrup on my
pancakes.

“I remember doing this for you when you were little,” I

told him while he buttered my pancakes for me.

Hannah laughed. “Yeah, and I seem to remember doing

the same thing for you when you were a kid, too,” she told

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23

me. “And I also remember giving you a bath when you ended
up with butter and syrup all over yourself.”

I could feel my face heating up. “You can forget that

second part.”

Dad started laughing. “Oh no, no one’s forgetting

anything. I have pictures of her giving you baths somewhere
at home.”

I groaned. “It’s up to you to find those pictures and hide

them,” I told Aaron. “You’re my only hope!”

Mark laughed at me. “You’ve gotta send me copies of

those pictures, Hannah. I think the guys here would love to
see them.”

Hannah pointed her fork at Mark. “Don’t be laughing at

him. I seem to remember giving you a bath on more than one
occasion too,” she told him. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if
there were a couple pictures of you around somewhere,”

“Sorry,” he told her, blushing.

The rest of breakfast went pretty much like that, with a

lot of playful banter going on. Aaron was having a blast—not
only did he get to play big brother for me, but he also got to
hear a bunch of embarrassing stories about Mark and me
growing up.

“Hey Noah,” Hannah said, “do you remember when

Mark slept over a couple days after your eighth birthday?”

I groaned. “Please don’t tell that story. It’s so

embarrassing.” Besides, it’s not like I could ever forget it.

My pleas fell on deaf ears, though. “It was getting close

to your bedtime, so I went upstairs to tell you guys to put

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24

your pajamas on and get in bed. But when I walked in your
room, the two of you were standing there in the middle of the
room. Your T-shirts were on the bed, your pants and
underwear were pulled down to your ankles, and you were
comparing your penises. The look on your faces was
priceless as you both scrambled to cover yourselves up and
get your pants back on without me seeing anything.”

Aaron started laughing even harder. I looked over at

Mark and his face was bright red.

After the laughter died down, Mark and Hannah got up

to do the dishes.

“Where are you staying?” I asked Dad.

Dad passed his plate over to Hannah. “I’ve got a room

for me and Aaron at the same hotel that Hannah is staying
in.”

“Aww,” Aaron complained. “I wanna stay here with

Noah!”

“Aaron can stay here, if you want, Dad,” I told him.

“There’s room for his shrimpy butt.”

“Hey!” he protested. “I’m not shrimpy!”

“Oh? I guess there’s no room for you, then,” I teased.

Dad laughed. “It’s all right, Noah. I don’t want to put

you guys out. Aaron can stay with me at the hotel.”

“But Dad!” Aaron whined. He crossed his arms in front

of his chest and gave Dad a pouty look.

I smiled inwardly. I definitely taught this kid well. “It’s

fine, Dad. He can bunk here. Mark’s going to be staying in

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25

my room with me for a couple days anyway, in case I need
something in the middle of the night. I doubt he’d mind if
Aaron took his bed.”

“I wouldn’t mind at all,” Mark said.

Dad looked at both of us. “Are you sure it’s all right with

you guys?” he asked again.

I nodded. “He’ll be fine here with us.” It’d be nice to

spend some time with the shrimp.

Dad sighed. “All right, I guess he can stay here with you

guys.”

“Yes!” Aaron exclaimed, bouncing on my lap.

“Oomph. If you’re going to bounce, you’re gonna have to

get down. You’re too big and I’m too injured.”

He stilled quickly. “Sorry, Noah.” He wilted in my lap,

voice quiet, as if my words had sucked the exuberance right
out of him.

I ruffled his hair. “It’s all right, no harm done. Now why

don’t you run out to the car and get your bag and put it in
Mark’s room.”

Aaron hopped down, grabbed the car keys from

Hannah, and ran out to the car to get his things. When he
came back with his suitcase, Mark showed him his room and
helped him put things away.

“So, while he’s gone,” Dad said, sipping a cup of coffee,

“are you going to tell me how you ended up like that?”

“It’s no big deal,” I told him. “I just got into a fight with

some guys. That’s all.”

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26

“That’s all?” he said. “Noah! They put you in the

hospital!”

I shrugged. “It’s not really that big of a deal. The doctors

already said I’ll make a full recovery. Plus, the police already
arrested the guys.”

“They did?” he asked. “Are you going to press charges?”

I nodded. “Mark said if I didn’t he’d put me back in the

hospital for being an idiot.” I smiled, thinking of how upset
Mark had been. It was nice to know he cared enough to
threaten me.

Dad sighed. “I know there’s more to this than what

you’re telling me.” Dad looked over at Hannah who was still
putting away dishes. “Are you going to tell me what
happened?” he asked her.

She didn’t even turn around to answer him. “I know

nothing,” was her only response.

Dad rolled his eyes. “Just like when you were both

kids,” he said, sighing. “One of you lies and the other one
swears to it.”

I smiled, thinking off all the times Mark and I had done

something stupid and Hannah had covered for us. She may
have been the only mother figure I had growing up, but she
was a pretty cool one.

Dad stood up and stretched. “I guess I’ll head to the

hotel and get checked in. Are you going to come with me or
am I just going to steal your car?”

Hannah turned around this time. “You guys mind if I

stay here and hang out with you?” she asked.

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27

I shook my head. “You know we don’t mind.”

“Then you can get the keys from Aaron.” She turned

around to put the last of the dishes away. “And don’t wreck
the car,” she told him sternly.

Dad blushed and looked away sheepishly. “I haven’t

wrecked a car in over two years.”

She closed the cabinet and gave him a stern look. “Then

you’re overdue to wreck one. Just make sure it’s not mine!”

Dad laughed. “All right, all right.”

He disappeared into the hallway and came back a few

minutes later with the keys. “I’ll see you guys later, then.
Dinner at seven?” he asked.

Both of us nodded and Dad walked out with a wave.

Hannah fixed me with a look. “So, are you going to fill

me in on all the details now or later?” she asked.

“Later,” I told her sincerely. “Once Aaron’s asleep.” The

last thing I needed was for Aaron to overhear that
conversation.

“Speak of the devil,” Hannah said as Mark and Aaron

came walking down the hallway. “What were you guys doing
in there? Rearranging the place?”

Aaron giggled. “Yeah! Mark took his clothes out of one of

his drawers so I could put mine in,” he said beaming at me.
“And I helped him change the sheets and everything.”

Mark ruffled Aaron’s hair. “So, what do you say we hook

up my PlayStation 2 and I whop your butt in some video
games?” Mark asked him.

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28

Aaron nodded, eyes shining. “Yes! I’m totally going to

beat you, though! I’ve been practicing a lot!”

Mark laughed, got the PS2 out of the cabinet under the

TV, and told Aaron to hook it up. While Aaron set everything
up, Mark helped me over to the recliner. Hannah sat on one
end of the couch and Mark sat on the other. Aaron sat on
the floor in front of them and passed Mark his controller. I
leaned back in the recliner, a content smile on my face, and
watched as Aaron and Mark tried to outdo each other in
game after game.

N

OT

long after dinner, Dad left for the night and Mark put

Aaron to bed. Once he was asleep, Mark, Hannah, and I sat
in the living room. Of course, now that Aaron was out of the
way, Hannah was demanding the real story—all of it. I
sighed and told her everything that had happened before and
after my trip to the library. When I finished the story, she
looked both pissed and concerned.

I took a deep breath. “You’ve always been cool with me

being gay, right?” I asked her.

She nodded. “Yeah, you know that.”

I glanced over at Mark who was sitting to my right. “I’m

kinda seeing someone now,” I whispered.

Hannah’s face lit up. “Really? Who?”

Mark put his arms around my waist and scooted closer

to me. “He’s seeing me.”

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29

I don’t think I’ve ever seen her eyes get as wide as they

did then. “No way! I didn’t even know you were gay!” she
practically yelled. She leaned over and punched Mark in the
arm. “That’s for keeping things from me.”

“Shh,” Mark said. “Aaron’s sleeping. And I didn’t even

really know I was gay either.”

“Aww, you two make such a cute couple, too,” she said.

Hannah hopped off the couch and ran over to hug and kiss
us. “I’m so happy you guys finally got together.” She looked
at me before continuing. “Especially since someone here has
had a crush on you since he was about six.”

I could feel my face turning redder as Mark laughed.

“You’ve had a crush on me since we were six?” he

asked.

I nodded, too embarrassed to talk.

Mark kissed the top of my head. “That’s so cute. You

should’ve told me sooner. Maybe we would’ve started dating
a while ago.”

Hannah stood up and yawned. “Would you mind giving

me a ride back to the hotel?” she asked Mark. “I don’t wanna
have to ask Dad to drive all the way back out here.”

“Just take my car,” I told her. “I’m not going to be using

it for a while.”

“Are you sure?”

I nodded. “Like I said, I’m not going to be using it for a

while; if I need to go anywhere, Mark will have his car.”

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30

Hannah leaned down and gave both of us a kiss on the

cheek, just like she did when we were kids. “Thanks, and I’ll
see you tomorrow for breakfast. And no cooking this time,”
she told Mark sternly. “I’m going to take everyone out to eat.”

I smiled. “Good night, sis.”

“Night, Hannah,” Mark said as she walked out.

I relaxed into Mark’s arms, just enjoying the warmth

and feeling of being close. “She’s awesome, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, she is. She always has been too. She always

treated me like I was her brother too.”

“You’re practically family,” I told him. “You spent most

of your time at our house growing up. And plus, who helped
me take care of Aaron when he was a baby?”

“Hmm….” He scratched his chin and pretended to think

about that. “It sure wasn’t Hannah, since you yelled at her
every time she tried to help. Must’ve been me.”

I laughed. “Yep. He was my little brother; I wasn’t letting

Hannah get the credit for raising another one of us.”

I heard a giggle come from the hallway. Sitting up, I

looked over the back of the couch to see Aaron hiding in the
hall.

“Why are you awake?” I asked him.

He looked down at his feet. “I couldn’t sleep.”

I let out a sigh and watched him. No matter how hard I

tried, I just couldn’t be mad at him. I motioned toward the
couch. “Why don’t you come and sit down; I guess we need
to talk about a few things.”

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31

While Aaron walked over, Mark stood up and stretched.

“I’m going to go get a shower and let you two talk.” He leaned
down and kissed me. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

I smiled up at him. “Okay,”

Aaron came over and sat next to me, looking like he was

about to face an executioner.

“You’re not in trouble,” I told him. I figured I’d better let

him know that so that he’d stop expecting to be punished.
“Now, how much did you overhear?”

Aaron’s face grew even redder. “All of it.”

I nodded. “You heard everything I told Hannah?”

He nodded, but didn’t say anything.

“You know that Mark and I are gay?”

Again, he nodded.

“Do you know what being gay means?”

He nodded.

I smiled. “Why don’t you tell me,” I suggested.

“It means you like boys instead of girls,” he said shyly.

“Yup, that’s what gay means. Are you okay with me and

Mark being gay?”

He looked up at me with an odd look on his face: a cross

between confusion and curiosity. “You’re not going to be any
different or anything, are you?”

I shook my head. “I’m going to be the same person I’ve

always been. Now, you’ll just know me a little bit better.”

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32

Aaron looked relieved. “Then you’re still my big brother

and I love you.” He reached over and gave me a hug. “Just
don’t try and make out with me.”

“I love you, too, and I won’t try and make out with you. I

promise,” I said, hugging him back and, barely able to keep
from laughing at the comment.

Aaron giggled and pulled away. He looked up at me like

he had another question but was afraid to ask.

“Go ahead and ask whatever you want,” I told him.

He nodded, but hesitated. “Is it okay if I still like girls?”

he finally asked.

I laughed and tickled him. “Yes, Aaron, you’re still

allowed to like girls. I’ll love you no matter who you like.”

A smile broke out on his face. “Phew. That’s good, ’cause

I don’t like boys.”

I ruffled his hair. “Now why don’t you go back and get

some sleep. Hannah and Dad will probably be here bright
and early.”

He hopped up off the couch. “Can I have a glass of water

first?”

“Sure,” I said as he went into the kitchen. “Just don’t

wet the bed. I don’t think Mark wants his bed covered in pee
when he wakes up.”

“Noah!” he exclaimed, shocked. “I haven’t wet the bed

since I was five!”

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33

I laughed. That look on his face was as priceless as I

remembered—all childish indignation. “I know, just making
sure you’re not planning on doing it again.”

Aaron stuck out his tongue like he had a bad taste in

his mouth. “No way, it’s nasty.”

“I’m glad you feel that way. Now go get some sleep.”

Aaron nodded and got himself a glass of water from the

kitchen. After he drank it and put the glass in the sink, he
gave me another hug and kiss and ran to bed.

I

RELAXED

on the couch, watching TV, waiting for Mark to

finish his shower. When he finally came back to the living
room, he was only wearing his boxers and was drying his
hair with a towel.

“So, how’d things go with The Rugrat?” Mark asked.

Ever since Aaron was born, Mark’s nickname for him has
been “The Rugrat.” since The Rugrats was one of our favorite
TV shows at the time.

“It went fine,” I told him. “He heard pretty much

everything, but he was okay with things. I think he’s still a
little young to understand most of it, though.”

“That’s good,” Mark said. “So, you ready to get your bath

now?”

I nodded and lifted my arms, eager to be in Mark’s arms

again—even if it did mean being treated like a kid. “Let’s get
it over with.”

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34

Mark laughed and carried me into the bathroom where

he had already set up the shower seat. He helped me
undress then turned the water on and started to clean me
with a washcloth. After a few minutes, there was a knock on
the door.

“Yes, Aaron?” Mark yelled.

“Can I come in?” he yelled back. “I gotta pee.”

Mark snickered and told him to come in.

“Thanks,” Aaron said as he practically ran to the toilet.

“I think I drank too much water.”

Sure enough, I could hear a loud stream of pee hit the

toilet. I shook my head and let Mark continue washing me. I
closed my eyes and just enjoyed the feeling of being taken
care of. A minute later, I felt a shadow fall over me. I opened
my eyes to Aaron standing there, trying not to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” I asked him.

“You’re getting a bath like a little kid,” he said as his lips

twitched.

“I wouldn’t be laughing if I were you,” I told him. “I

remember giving you baths not too long ago.”

Despite my warning, Aaron still couldn’t stop laughing.

“And you’ve got a stiffy,” he informed me.

I looked down and, sure enough, my member was

standing straight up, begging for attention. I blushed and
took Mark’s washcloth and threw it at Aaron.

“Go away, you dork,” I told him as he ran from the

bathroom laughing.

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35

I looked over at Mark as he retrieved the washcloth. He,

too, was trying to fight back laughter.

“You’re a dork too,” I said.

Mark grinned at me. “How about I finish washing you

and then we head to the bedroom so I can take care of that
‘stiffy’ for you?”

I rolled my eyes before smiling. “Sounds good.”

It didn’t take very long for Mark to take care of my

“stiffy” as Aaron called it. His sensual washing had me
extremely excited. After he finished himself off, too, he pulled
me close and held me.

“Hey, Mark,” I said.

He looked at me. “Yeah?”

“I think I’m going to tell Dad tomorrow,” I said as I

picked at the sheets.

He raised an eyebrow. “Tell him what?”

I gulped. “That I’m gay.”

“Oh.”

I looked up at him, trying to read his emotions. “I won’t

tell him that we’re together, if you don’t want me to. I just
don’t want to hide who I am from him.” Not anymore.

Mark nodded. “Okay, we’ll tell him, then.”

“We?”

He nodded again. “Yeah, I’ll tell him I’m gay too,” he

said.

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36

I smirked. “I don’t think you can call yourself gay; you

do like girls, after all.”

Mark stuck his tongue out at me. “Fine, bi, whatever.

The point is I’ll be right there next to you when you tell him.”

I nodded and leaned into Mark. “Thanks. That really

means a lot to me.”

He wrapped his arms around me tighter. “You know I’ll

always be here for you.” The two of us lay there in silence for
a while. “Hey, Noah, how come you want to tell him all of a
sudden?”

“I don’t know. I guess I don’t really see any reason to

hide it anymore. I mean, Hannah and Aaron both know
already, and they’re both okay with it. I think that’s all that
really matters.”

Mark nodded and kissed me. “I’m glad you’re finally

going to tell him.”

“Me too,” I said as I closed my eyes.

T

HE

next morning, a bouncing eight-year-old demanding

food and attention woke us. After sending him off to go
watch cartoons, Mark dressed us and we went out to the
living room. Mark and I both sat on the couch with Aaron
while we waited for Dad and Hannah to show up.

We didn’t have to wait long since they showed up within

half an hour. Mark pulled me close to him while Aaron ran
to answer the door.

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37

“Hey, boys,” Dad said.

“Hey, Dad,” I said from my seat on the couch. “How’d

you sleep?”

“I slept like a baby,” he told us.

Hannah followed in a few seconds after him with Aaron

right behind her. “Are you guys ready to go to breakfast?”
Hannah asked.

“I guess,” I said. I took a deep breath and then exhaled

slowly. “But I think there’s something I should probably tell
you first, Dad.”

Dad looked at me curiously. “Okay, what’s up?”

I looked over at Hannah and she nodded. “Come on,

squirt, let’s go get you dressed,” she said to Aaron, leading
him to Mark’s room.

“Dad… the reason I was attacked by those guys….” I

took a deep breath and felt Mark wrap his arms around my
waist. “Dad, I’m gay.”

“You’re… gay?” he asked, eyebrow arching skeptically.

I nodded, looking down at the floor.

He sighed. I looked up to see him pinching the bridge of

his nose. “Does anyone else know about this?”

“Hannah and Aaron both know. And so do most of my

friends,” I admitted softly, wincing at the implication that he
was last to know.

Dad looked over at Mark. “You’re okay with this?” he

asked.

Mark nodded and held me tighter. “He’s my boyfriend.”

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38

The shocked look on Dad’s face was priceless; I thought

his eyes might pop out of his head. “You’re serious?” he
asked.

Both of us nodded.

Dad sighed and rubbed his temple. “Your brother and

sister are okay with this?” he asked.

“We are,” Hannah said from the hallway. “Noah’s our

brother and, hell, Mark is practically family; we wouldn’t
turn our backs on them. They’re still the same annoying
brats they’ve always been.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be defending us?” I asked

sarcastically.

Hannah smiled. “You guys may be annoying brats, but

I’ll always be here for you.”

“Me too!” Aaron piped up.

“Thanks guys,” I said with a smile. I was lucky to have

such a great family. Hannah in particular was always there
for me, even when I didn’t deserve it.

Dad walked over to the window and sighed. He was

silent for a moment as he looked out at the parking lot. “I’m
not going to pretend that I understand this. But I’ll try. And
no matter what, you’ll always be my son, Noah.” He turned
and faced us. “And you’ll always be part of the family, too,
Mark.”

“Thanks, Dad,” I said. Mark nodded his agreement.

“Good!” Hannah said, clapping her hands in front of her.

“Now that that’s settled, I’m starving!”

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39

“Me too! I wanna go to IHOP!” Aaron was bouncing with

all his pent up energy.

Dad smirked. “Is IHOP good for you, boys?”

I laughed at Aaron’s energy. Even at 8:30 in the

morning, the kid was still bouncing. “Yeah, IHOP is good for
us,” I said. “I could use some real food. After three days of
eating hospital food and then two days of eating Mark’s
cooking, I feel like I’m going to die.”

Mark punched me in the arm. “If you weren’t injured

right now, I’d totally kick your ass.”

I laughed and punched him back. “If I wasn’t injured,

there’s no way you’d be able to kick my ass.”

Hannah coughed. I looked up and saw her standing

there with her hands on her hips in classic mother pose. “If
you two don’t stop acting like eight-year-olds, I’m going to
kick both of your asses.”

Once everyone stopped laughing, Mark and Hannah

helped me outside and into Hannah’s SUV. Mark and I sat in
the backseat with Aaron between us while Hannah drove
and Dad sat in the passenger seat. I looked over at Aaron
and he looked up at me with a goofy grin on his face. I put
my arm around him and hugged him.

“Love you,” he said, leaning against me.

“Love you, too, bro,” I said. “Always.”

About the Author

Thank you to Hannah Rose for all the encouragement and
cattle-prodding. Also thank you to Kamerra R. Foster for the
helpful beta-reading advice that made this story readable.

W

ILLIAM

C

OOPER

began writing when his seventh grade

teacher had her students rewrite the ending of their favorite
book. He currently resides in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
When he’s not spending his time writing, he’s earning his
bachelor’s degree in English or reading a book on the beach.

You can contact William at [e-mail].

Copyright

Broken Bones, Mended Hearts ©Copyright William Cooper, 2010

Published by
Dreamspinner Press
4760 Preston Road
Suite 244-149
Frisco, TX 75034
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the
authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead,
business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover Design by Mara McKennen

This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is
illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon
conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. This eBook cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No
part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. To
request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press at: 4760 Preston Road, Suite
244-149, Frisco, TX 75034 http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

Released in the United States of America
May 2010

eBook Edition
eBook ISBN: 978-1-61581-459-6