FOLLOW THE LEADER - Chapter 84

 Chapter 84



While Colin and Chief Holloway were at SF General, I was up in Petaluma, visiting with Terry. Or I should say, watching Terry.  He was sound asleep. It had been touch and go with him, since he had lost a lot of blood. Still, he had been lucky. Other than a bullet to the ribs, there was no major damage. No vital organs were affected.

I had been going through his stuff at home to bring him a change of clothes when I discovered an appointment slip. He had been receiving hormone treatments to change his sex. And they were not free, of course. Thus the secret nightly trips to the Haight, where he could turn a few tricks. 

I promised myself to warn him about the danger in his nocturnal cruising. Being a kid, he would probably ignore my advice. Then again, this brush with death might turn him around. Hopefully he would tell me about the treatments in his own good time.

The nurse entered and said, “The doctor’s coming in, so…”

“I need to leave. Got it.”

“Hey.”

The nurse and I stopped in our tracks.

“You’re awake,” said the nurse and went to his side. 

Duh.

“You have a visitor.”

I stood beside her.

“It’s about time!” I joked.

That got a smile.

“What happened to Reggie?” Terry asked.

“Safe and sound in the pound. Hey, that rhymes!”  

“Time to go,” said the nurse.

“We should adopt him,” Terry said.

“Splendid idea,” I said. “We’ll discuss it later. Hang in there, bro.”


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