treading lightly

Spencer was so excited when they told him Gage was awake. But then, Spencer didn't know what he was hoping for. Exactly. It wasn't like Gage was sitting up waiting for a milkshake and happy to see him.

Yes, he knew, it would take baby steps to get him back to where he was. But Gage wasn't talking. Words seemed to irritate him. But of course, this was nothing to be alarmed about. Well, that's what he was told.

"What if he never speaks?" Spencer had set with Gage for hours, already. It was as if Gage wasn't really there. Spencer didn't think so. "Maybe he's still in a coma." He told Keith on his cell. He was crushed.

"Just don't give up. You, keep talking to him. All right." Keith told him. He and Benny were on their way. They were going to figure this out. Soon.

But there was the matter of Gage being a ward of the state. There were good things and bad things about this. On the upside, his medical bills would be taken care of. But then he might end up in a nursing home too. This upset Spencer the most.

"What if they just stick him somewhere and let him waste away?" This was the part that scared Spencer.

"It hasn't happened yet." Keith kept telling him. "Just keep trying."

Spencer didn't know what to try. What was he suppose to do?

"He never coded blue." A nurse assured Spencer, that was a plus. But these sort of things took time. Gage might have to learn to talk. To walk.

"But do you think he'll remember me?" He asked her after he got off the phone with Keith.

"Hard to say. It might take awhile for memories to come back. Or, they might never come back." She was a thin older woman who looked as if she lived on caffeine. She was there when Gage arrived at the emergency room. She knew how bad his injuries were. And here she was, Spencer's only hope.

He wanted to ask her if she thought it were possible for Gage to change. Would he still be gay? He knew she wouldn't know. Perhaps, he was selfish that way. To wonder what the future held. But he knew he still loved Gage. If only that were enough.