When Luis mentioned this, Alec set the book down on the tray beside his table and asked, “How on earth did you know about Betsy's swimming party? She's never forgiven me for not going. I wound up getting drunk the night before at another graduation party and I was hung over the next day. I should have gone; I wasn't that hung over. For some reason I didn't feel like going. She's never forgiven me.”
Luis laughed. He was so glad to see Alec wasn't in a wheel chair he wanted to jump out of bed and hug him. Though Luis would never know for certain, maybe he had been able to alter fate for at least one person. “Trust me, you didn't miss much. Betsy's parties suck.”
Jase asked, “How would you know?”
“Never mind,” Luis said. “I was only thinking aloud.”
“I have a plane to catch,” Alec said. “But I'll be in touch soon. It was good seeing Jase again and I'm looking forward to getting to know you guys better.”
Then Jase and Alec hugged and Alec shook Luis's hand. When he left, Luis glanced down at Alec's novel and a chill passed through him when he read the title: Guys Riding on Motorcycles with Guys. He smiled and said, “How do you like that?”
Jase shrugged. “Looks like a good book. I can't wait to read it.”
Luis couldn't wait to read it either. But when he started to wonder about whether or not he'd changed anything else about the future his first thoughts ran to Hunter. “Have you heard anything from your mother and Isabelle in Florida? Is Hunter okay?”
Jase hesitated for a moment. He didn't say anything. He stared at Luis with a blank expression a minute too long.
Luis felt a lump in his throat. “What's wrong? Is Hunter okay?” Luis's biggest fear was Jase would reply with, “Who's Hunter?” If Luis could alter Alec's future in such a powerful way, maybe he'd altered Jase's.
Jase went back to the bed and leaned over so he could hug Luis. He put his arms around him, kissed him on the lips, and said, “I had to let them know. Big mouth Betsy Melchiorri called the newspapers, sold the story, along with photos from her cell phone, to tabloids. She told them what happened to you and it went viral within hours. I didn't want Hunter and my mother and grandmother to find out by watching TV so I called them immediately.”
Leave it to that fucking Melchiorri bitch to do something so underhanded. She was probably hoping Luis would drop dead so she could try to get back with Jase. “I hope it didn't ruin their trip,” Luis said. “I know how much they were looking forward to Disney World.” At least Luis hadn't altered Jase's life. Everything seemed normal.
“Everything is fine with Hunter,” Jase said. “I told them not to come back and reassured them you're going to be fine. The only problem is there's a video of you unconscious floating around the Internet and it's not the most flattering image. I'm sorry. There was nothing I could do. Betsy was always like that. She could never be trusted, always a back stabber.”
The last thing Luis cared about was an unflattering video. “I'm so sorry I caused you so much trouble.”
“I'm fine,” Jase said. “But I even got a call from Elena in France. She was panic stricken when she heard about what happened to you. She was ready to fly over here.”
Luis smiled. Elena was the woman in France he did guest blog posts for on a gay web site called, Elena's Romantic Treasures and Tidbits. “I'll send her an e-mail when I get out of here.”
Jase sat down on the edge of the bed and wrapped his arms around Luis. “I'm sorry I drove you so crazy these last few months. I don't know what got into me. I guess I panicked when I started thinking about getting older. I've been an asshole. And it took a life and death crisis to wake me up. I'll never do it again.”
“You don't have to apologize to me, Jase,” Luis said. He reached for the back of Jase's head and guided it slowly to his chest. He glanced at a small metal tag attached to the machine next to his bed that read, Ashton Fletcher Medical Equipment, Palo Alto, California, and smiled. “I want to go home as soon as I can.”
Jase rested his head on Luis's chest and closed his eyes. While Luis caressed the back of Jase's head, he wondered about the future. “Do you think it's possible to alter fate?”
“I don't know,” Jase said. “Sometimes I do.”
For a moment, Jase's head remained on Luis's chest, and then he rose to his feet and walked to the door. “I have to find the doctor and see about getting you discharged. I'm hoping we can get you out of here soon.”
Luis smiled. “I'd like that, because first thing Monday morning I want to look into adopting a child. I think you're right about Hunter needing a brother or sister. And I'd like to help alter a child's fate if I can. Maybe we'll adopt several children.”
When Luis said this, Jase's face lit up and he ran back to the bed. He threw his arms around Luis and hugged him as tightly as he could. While Jase whispered how much he loved Luis and cried on his shoulder, Luis held Jase's arms and thought about the all the wonderful possibilities that went along with adopting a child. Hunter would finally have a sibling. An innocent child would be given privileges beyond what most people could only imagine. And there would be so much love within their home nothing else would matter. If there was one thing Luis had learned from his journey back in time it was that the only thing that really mattered was love. The love of family, the love of life, and the love of a good man like Jase. And when Luis adopted a child, in his own small way, he would be changing the world.