Page 23 of Swimming With the Sharks
“Welcome to our home, Foster.How about we getyou two inside.Calista has been cooking nonstop since you calledus, son.”
Foster didn’t know if he could eat a thing.Hisappetite had retreated from him severely once again, and just thethought of eating had Foster’s stomach turning.
Thankfully Jabari saved him.“I think it mightbe best if I get Foster settled in.He’s really tired from the longride, and I’m sure he wants to shower off the hospital smells.”
“Of course!Noran you should know that Fosterneeds his rest.Any food can be brought to him once he’s settled.”Calista said, with a light slap to her husband’s chest.
It took a bit, but Foster was able to make itinside and couldn’t help but notice the inside was just asbeautiful as the outside.The furnishings were elegant, but lookedreally comfortable.The dining area had a long oakwood table withsix chairs and a hutch filled with sea shells and what looked likedriftwood pieces.Double glass doors opened to a swimming pool witha hot tub, and just beyond that was the most beautiful sight Fostercould ever remember seeing.“Oh wow!”
“Magnificent isn’t it?”Calista softly said.
Nodding, Foster replied, “The ocean has alwayscalled to me in one way or another.Until I chartered that fishingboat I never had been able to be near one, and the second I saw itfor the first time...the smell of the salt water, the sounds ofthe seagulls mixed with waves slapping on the shoreline, and when Iwalked out a bit and looked around, I realized at that moment justhow small we really are in the scheme of life.”
“Are you ready to go get that shower?”Jabariasked.
Nodding, Foster followed his mate into theirbedroom.Jabari had already put out some sleep pants, “These aremine.My mom bought them for me a while back.They were a bit toosmall for me, but with the drawstring they should fit alright.”
“It’s good.Thank you.”Foster replied.
Jabari kissed Foster and left him to shower.
* * * *
Foster didn’t take a lot of time to shower.First off he had learned a long time ago that bathing wasexhausting in itself, and secondly, he needed to be with Jabari.The idea of spending even this short amount of time without the manwas unacceptable.
Hearing voices in the kitchen, he made his waythere, only to stop.The sound of sobbing froze Foster where hewas.
“What am I going to do, Mom.I don’t know whatto do.I can’t lose him.I just can’t.”
Foster listened to Jabari’s soul-deep cries andhis heart broke.
“It’s going to be alright, son.You’ll see.Thefates wouldn’t bring you your mate only to take him from you.”Hismom said.
“I don’t understand why you two don’t just mate.If you did, this wouldn’t be happening.It’s something we learnedfrom creation.”His father argued.
“I tried to tell him this, but Dad, he won’trisk it.He worries that if it doesn’t work that way and he dies,then I will follow behind him.What he doesn’t understand is that Iwouldn’t want to be on this earth without him, bonded or not.”Jabari rasped.
Foster heard someone sigh, and then Calistasaid, “Maybe you can continue to woo him and get him to change hismind.”
Jabari softly replied, “He loves me, Mom.Thereisn’t much more I can do to change his mind.The thing is, I don’tknow if I can just stand by and watch him waste away.You twodidn’t see him like I did out there in the middle of the ocean withFormaci and Polaris.He just passed the fuck out, dad.I mean, onesecond he was showing Formaci the troubles of the ocean world, andthe next he was floating face down in the water.”Jabari’s voicebegan to break, “I...I...thou...thought he...he...I thought hewas dead.”
The sobs grew in intensity and Foster had tostep away.He needed to think.As quietly as he could, Foster madehis way to the back door and slid the door open, stepping outside.He walked to where the waves were breaking on the shoreline andlooked out to the vast sight before him.His heart was hurting andhe didn’t know what to do.No that wasn’t true.He knew exactlywhat he had to do.The good news was Foster wouldn’t suffer long,because after he finished doing the right thing, Foster was goingto die.The funny part of it was it wasn’t the cancer that wasgoing to kill him.No...it was a broken heart.
Foster knew immediately who was walking upbehind him so he didn’t bother turning around.Instead, hestiffened his spine and said the words that needed to be said.“Youneed to go back to Atlantis.”
Jabari gasped, “What do you mean, Ican’t...”
“You have to.I don’t want you here.I don’twant you to be here when it happens, and I don’t want you to watchas I waste away to nothing.”
“Foster...”
“No!I mean it Jabari.”Turning, Foster walkedto his mate and cupped his cheek, softening his tone.“Please.Ilove you.God help me I love you.I wish so hard things could bedifferent...but they can’t be.I don’t want to be a burden toyou.”
When Jabari opened his mouth to argue, Fostersaid, “I know you don’t see it that way, but I do.I don’t want youto remember me wasting away.I want you to remember us walking handand hand along the roads of Atlantis.Swimming and racing withPolaris and the others.I want you to remember watching moviestogether, laughing and talking and cooking dinners together.I wantyou to remember us dancing together in your living room as we sangalong to the love song we were moving to.Please Jabari.Please, dothis for me.”
Jabari leaned in and kissed Foster until theyhad to come up for air.Foster watched as Jabari stepped backwhispering, “I love you” and then walk out into the ocean, his skinturning darker and his wings extending, then he let out a sound sofilled with pain and sorrow, it had Foster dropping to his knees ashe watched Jabari disappear into the waves.
“What the hell is going on?”Noran snapped.