Chapter Fifty-one

Wayne looked worried as his twin walked past without even noticing his presence, much less acknowledging him. 

Wes’ head was dipped, shoulders hunched and he presented an overall picture of dejection. He had been quiet throughout the wedding last weekend; in fact he had kept pretty much to himself the past couple of weeks, hardly saying anything to anyone. 

Wayne smiled when a big hand descended on his shoulder and squeezed. “Oh hi, Samuel,” he said, leaning back into the older man. “Didn’t see you come up.”

Samuel wrapped one arm across Wayne’s chest and pulled him close. It had taken a while but Samuel had finally begun to lose his self-consciousness about such public displays of affection. There had been a time when he would have flushed if they had been seen just holding hands, but now he thought nothing of hugging his partner in full view of the others. Kissing though; now that was a harder hurdle to cross. Samuel had seen other couples do it openly since coming here, but he still felt a shy reluctance about kissing Wayne when others were present. 

Samuel looked around and saw that they were quite alone. He leaned down and gave Wayne a quick peck on the cheek, then turned the young man around and planted another one on his lips.  “You are worried about your brother?”

Wayne snuggled against Samuel’s chest. Ever since the wolf hunt well over a month ago, Wayne had been more clingy than usual and he noticed that Samuel too had been more open in his affections. He had been surprised when Samuel had not only pulled him close but also petted him openly during firesides. And at the slightest opportunity, they would disappear into the woods for some private recreation. Things were going very well between them indeed, which made it all the sadder for Wayne to see his twin so distraught and unhappy.

 “Have you talked to Nathan?” Wayne asked. “Can’t you find out what happened?”

Samuel shook his head slowly, putting Wayne at arms’ length so they could look at one another. “No, my pet, I told you already that I will not broach the subject with Nathan unless he brings it up. This is a private matter between him and your brother and he would not appreciate my interference.”

“But what if he needs someone to talk to?”

“Then he knows how to approach me or whoever he feels comfortable talking to. I am always willing to listen and he knows that without me having to say so. I am sure he would not appreciate me barging in on his privacy uninvited,” Samuel said firmly as they had had this conversation several times already.

“But what if he does not know? What if he is waiting for you to say something first? What if ...”

Wayne got no further as Samuel swatted him smartly on the side of his thigh. “Wayne, hush! We’ve been through this and I am not arguing with you on this subject again. Enough said!”

Wayne pouted but knew he would only be pushing Samuel too far by pursuing the subject. “Oh alright, but I just want to say that you are being very unreasonable. What if I am right and you are.... “

This time Wayne gave a shout as Samuel assaulted him in quite another way. “Alright, alright,” Wayne gasped as he tried to escape Samuel’s tickling fingers. “I’ll shut up. I promise no more! No more!”

Levi and Gille had become quite good friends over the past weeks. Their shared adventure in fishing and the catch of a crate of rum had cemented the friendship. Levi kindly helped Gille with his reading and writing skills and in return Gille regaled Levi with stories of his life on the streets and the many things he’d seen. Levi had been raised the son of a wealthy man and had been sheltered all of his life; even now Troy sheltered him from so much.  

Each morning Levi stood in the field with his hoe in hand watching as Gille went off to work on the lodge.   Weeding Walker’s vegetable patch seemed so boring in comparison to the work of construction. On a calm day the often occasionally heard faint sound of hammers and saws and the shouts of the men as they worked together to create their new home seemed to Levi an interesting and exciting way to spend the day. 

He’d discussed his desire to join the construction team with Troy and had been given an out and out ‘no’ for an answer. He was told his seizures made him a poor candidate for working around the dangerous tools and the moving of heavy logs. So he continued to spend his mornings weeding and his afternoons working alongside his husband. At least he rarely had to do the laundry, although now and again he’d wonder if it would be an improvement over garden work. Troy had been assigned the duty of making sure the fresh water supply and piles of firewood were maintained. Thank heavens there were plans to dig a well at the site of their new home as it would make the daily treks to the lake redundant.

Gille enjoyed the physical labour involved in working on the construction of the lodge and he was very pleased with the skills he learned each day. However, he felt a bit alone amongst the work crew. Sure they were all friendly, but he just didn’t feel he fit in with many of the older men he was assigned to work with. He longed for the lightness of companionship he’d share with the other younger guys, most especially Levi. He had never had a best friend before and now that he had one, he wanted to work alongside him. 

Lakota had been encouraging Gille to make friends and was very pleased that he and Levi had become so close. The doctor watched with pride how hard his young partner worked at both his studies and his new occupation. He’d praised Gille for his efforts and also reminded him that he should show his appreciation to those who had helped him in achieving his new skills. 

So it was, that when Levi expressed his interest in construction and had told Gille that Troy wouldn’t go along with him joining the team, Gille began to think that he could teach Levi some building skills as Levi had been teaching him reading. He thought this would be a very good way to show his gratitude. Once Levi proved to Troy that he could handle the tools and work without getting hurt, Troy would surely let his husband join the construction team, thus making Levi happier in his work and giving Gille the companionship he longed for. 

‘Yes,’ Gille thought, ‘it would be the perfect solution for all.’ Now he had only to figure out a way to do this without Troy finding out what they were up to. Gille knew that Levi was expected to go back to the camp site with Troy each day after they were finished with their field work. What reason could they tell to the school teacher that would allow his partner to stay behind?   

The answer suddenly came to him. He’d overheard Troy talking to Levi just the other day when classes had ended for the week. The older man had been concerned that Levi was overdoing things and had sent him off for a nap. Perhaps he and Levi could convince Troy that it would be good for Levi to go swimming with Gille after they finished for the day, allowing him to relax rather than stressing over other matters. Then when they were out of Troy’s sight, Gille could begin teaching his friend some of the carpentry skills he had learned. 

When the lunch break came, Gille went to talk to Levi and carefully explained what he’d been thinking and how they could pull it off. “So what do you think?” Gille asked when he had spoken his piece.

Levi thought through Gille’s plan and though he was reluctant to lie to Troy, he certainly wanted to give this a try. “Okay, let’s go for it. I’ll go and talk to Troy now. But what of Lakota; won’t he be expecting you to come back to camp when all the other construction workers return?”

Gille frowned. He hadn’t considered that. “Do you think we could ask Troy to let him know of our plans to go swimming?”

Troy was somewhat reluctant to agree to Levi going swimming with Gille and the others after work, but he remembered that Lakota had made him promise to allow his younger partner some more freedoms. So after giving a stern lecture about staying away from the rocks and being careful, he agreed to the venture.

Wes could not decide which part of the day was worse: the mornings without Nathan lying beside him or mealtimes when he had to watch Nathan talk or eat with someone else at another table or the nights when he lay awake for hours wondering what had gone wrong.

Late morning and already sighing for the hundredth time that day, Wes made his way slowly down the trek that led to the swimming hole, currently his one place of solace. For one thing, Nathan never came here and for another, Hendrik would likely be there to swim as a way to cool off and clean up before the noon meal. He heard splashes before the water came into sight and he smiled at Hendrik as he rounded the corner. 

Without a word he shed his clothes and walked into the pool, delighting in the coolness of the water. There had been a time he had felt awkward swimming in the nude with another man, but he had come to know Hendrik pretty well these last few weeks and there was an easy understanding between them. Besides, Hendrik thought nothing of their nudity and his casual manner made it easy for Wes to dispel any lingering shyness.

Hendrik swam over lazily and grinned at Wes. “I thought you weren’t coming today. It’s still hot enough to swim but it won’t last forever, so best to make the most of it while we can.”

The ex-rancher was such a charmer; good looking, nice manners, great personality and so at ease that Wes was able to relax and forget his troubles for a little while. Wes sighed and for the first time that day felt a little happier. At the pool, he could pretend he was in another place.

As he chatted with Hendrik about the weather, the animal sounds they heard, the progress of the lodge and the crops in the field, he slowly felt the tightness in his chest lessen. He even managed a grin at one of Hendrik’s jokes.

Hendrik squinted upwards and said, “I figure we’ll have enough time to work on a little tan before we head to the mess tent. Wanna sunbathe for a bit? I brought two towels.” He waited expectantly for Wes’ response, his eyes smiling warmly.

“Sure,” Wes said, shrugging his shoulders. Activity of any kind was good. He didn’t have to think and brood as long as he was doing something or talking to someone.

Hendrik spread out both towels and the two men laid down side by side. Hendrik moaned slightly and then turned his head to look at Wes. “Hey Wes, can I ask you a question?”

Wes stiffened. He lived in constant fear of anyone asking him about Nathan. He couldn’t talk about it; it hurt too much. Steeling himself, he said as lightly as he could, “Depends on the question.”

Hendrik raised himself on his elbow and rested his head in the palm of his hand. “It’s pretty obvious something has happened between you and Nathan. Are you two ... that is…. well, it’s rather difficult to keep things hidden when we are all confined to this tiny island.”

Wes swallowed uncomfortably. He was lying on his stomach, his newfound confidence about his nudity not quite extending to exposing himself so openly by lying on his back. He kept his eyes averted from Hendrik, staring at the blades of grass in front of him. “Yeah, the island’s not overly large.”

Hendrik was unabashed by Wes’ reply. “I mean, there are just us guys here and everyone is bound to know when something like this happens. Like Kelby and Quentin, I bet everyone thought they had something going on even though nothing ever came of it. Look, what I want to say is, you don’t have to feel ill at ease, at least not with me.”

A lump formed in Wes’ throat. Slowly he turned his head and looked into Hendrik’s green eyes. “Thanks.”

Hendrik’s lips curled into a smile. “Hey, we are friends, aren’t we? I can see you are much more relaxed when you come here than when you are back at camp.”

Wes’ eyes became brooding as he pondered on his answer. “You are right, I do feel better here. It is hard to avoid Nathan at camp and it can get awkward.” He flushed at how pathetic his words must sound.

Hendrik picked it up without difficulty. “I wouldn’t worry too much about what people say. You can’t stop them from talking, assuming they are so inclined to do so.”

Wes was silent and after a long pause, Hendrik softly commented, “I lost a partner before and I understand how hard it is.”

Wes’ lashes flickered and he stared at Hendrik. “Before you came here?”

“Yes, and sometimes it seems like a lifetime ago.” Hendrik sounded sad, so Wes automatically reached out to touch him. Hendrik mischievously snagged Wes’ wrist and pulled him over. Wes was startled into a grunt and a bark of laughter, and suddenly their naked bodies were touching and their faces were inches away from one another.

Neither spoke. Hendrik moved closer and ran a finger down Wes’ cheek, tracing his jaw-line. They could hear one another’s breathing; feel the heat from one another’s naked bodies. Wes stayed very still as Hendrik leaned into him; he didn’t respond but neither did he shy away.

The kiss lasted not more than five seconds. Then Wes was pushing Hendrik firmly away, his lashes dropping over his eyes in embarrassment. “No,” he whispered.

Hendrik smiled easily and pulled back, rolling onto his own towel. He let out a small sigh. “It’s no big deal. I am not offended. Just that I thought we could enjoy ourselves a bit, no strings attached. But I understand.”

Wes turned his eyes away, his lips burning with guilt. After a moment’s silence, Wes glanced at Hendrik. “I have never felt this way. Before I came here, I had lots of relationships but none of them mattered like this.”

Hendrik leaned his head on his folded arms and looked sideways at Wes.

Because the other man did not push him to continue, Wes found a way to finally get things off his chest. “Nothing has been this hard in my life. I feel the pain all the time but I can’t get a hold of it and I can’t make it better. I don’t even know how to make it better.”

Hendrik’s eyes flickered with a touch of sadness. “I know,” he murmured.

“Do you? I don’t even know what happened between us or who is to blame.”

Hendrik regarded Wes solemnly. After a long silence, he muttered, “Well Nathan is still here. You still have a chance to make things right. At least you have that.”

Wes put his head down on his folded arms and for a few brief second felt a ray of hope as he privately acknowledged that there was truth ion Hendrik’s comments.

“Hello, Nathan,” Quentin greeted as he lifted the flap and entered the tent. He was carrying a couple of shirts and held them up. “If it’s alright with you, I thought I’d work in here today rather than the mess tent. Even though I lack your proficiency, I hope I’ve been of assistance to you.”

“You most certainly have. I appreciate any help I get with what appears to be a never-diminishing quantity of mending that needs doing.” Nathan’s laugh didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Quentin sat down on the only available makeshift chair and began threading a needle. He glanced surreptitiously at the other man and sadly shook his head at the very noticeable air of melancholy surrounding the community’s tailor.

“You know, Nathan, it might help to talk about it. A wise friend said similar words to me not too long ago and I found them to be true.” Quentin spoke in a laid-back manner as he focused on the job at hand. He wanted to give his friend an opening, but he had no intentions of brow-beating Nathan into doing something he was uncomfortable with.

Nathan grunted. “I’m not doing a very good job at keeping my misery a secret, am I? It’s why I spend as much time as I can in here. But it’s not helping,” he honestly admitted. “Thing is, I don’t know exactly what happened. Somehow, I failed the most important person in my life and I have no idea how to make amends.”

“I think it all boils down to communication or the lack there of.” Quentin concentrated on making small stitches to the ripped seam he was repairing. His voice was neutral when he finally responded. “I certainly learned that the hard way. I believe all of us arrived here emotionally damaged to some degree. Each of us reached out to one another for support and friendship. For many of us, that camaraderie developed into love and those most fortunate found their life-partners. A handful of us haven’t yet been blessed with finding our soul mates.”

Quentin was silent for a moment or two as he gazed into space. He couldn’t help but think of a special young man whose companionship he still missed desperately. He cleared his throat and continued. “It was a lack of communication that caused me to hurt someone I cared deeply for, but who was never meant to be the love of my life regardless of how much we may have wished for it to be so.”

He studied the other man for several minutes in silence, each caught up in their own thoughts. “Exactly how do you feel about young Wes?” Quentin was bold enough to softly inquire. “You need not answer if it distresses you, Nathan.” 

“I still love him with all my heart,” Nathan whispered despairingly. “It is all I can do to get up every day only to face it without him, knowing he is no longer mine. I had so hoped we’d build a life together; dream, laugh, cry, work and play together, and grow old together. I dreamt of going to sleep with him in my arms each night and waking each morning with him beside me. But somehow all that is lost for reasons I am unable to comprehend.”

“Go after your dream, Nathan,” Quentin urged; his whole demeanour suddenly animated and urgent. “Your young man is still here and from all appearances is as miserable as you are. Don’t waste any more time and don’t let the opportunity go. You need to make the first move. Wes is younger than you. He is too confused, lost and wretched to even consider approaching you.” Quentin paused, wondering if he had gone too far. “I will say no more on the subject except to wish you well, my friend.”

“Thank you, Quentin,” was Nathan’s heartfelt reply. “Your advice is sound and I will most certainly give it every consideration,” he solemnly promised.  

Quentin nodded and placed a hand on the other man’s slumped shoulder. “Good; and while you’re doing that why don’t you join us all for the noon meal. I just heard the clanking from the mess tent, summoning everyone.”

When quitting time arrived, the majority of the men headed back to the campsite with some heading off to the swimming hole to cool down and wash away the day’s worth of sweat. Gille and Levi saw Troy off and began walking along the path that led to the pond. Once they were sure Troy had lost sight of them, they turned back towards the lodge site. 

Gille showed Levi to the storage shed that had been constructed to hold all the tools. He gathered an assortment of hammers, saws, chisels, axes, and such for them to carry over to where a log was waiting to be notched out for fitting into the new structure.

“This log has already been cut to length and the bark all trimmed away. What we have to do next is to notch out near the ends here. We do one on each side of the log and then go down to the other end and notch it as well.  We have to be careful that the two sides align at both ends or it won’t fit properly against the one next to it.  Understand?” Gille asked his friend.

Levi nodded his head. “Yeah I understand what you mean, but I don’t know if I am actually able do it,” he added with a laugh.

Gille went on to carefully demonstrate each step of the first notch then encouraged Levi to attempt the first part of the second notch. Levi raised the axe as Gille had shown him and brought it down with a thud against the hard wood. He was beyond pleased when a satisfying crack formed in the correct spot. He proceeded to do the rough chop in good fashion for a man who had never held an axe before. 

They continued working on the log, using the other tools to finish the notch to its precise size. Gille marked off the area for the next notch and stepped aside as Levi raised the axe. Gille noticed at the last second that Levi’s stance would bring the tool down in the wrong place. “Stop! Levi, you need to move,” he yelled.

At the sound of his friend’s voice yelling at him to stop, Levi swung around to look at him, not realising he was swinging the axe with him until the butt of  it came into solid contact with the side of Gille’s head. The young carpenter went down hard from the impact and did not move.

“Gille!” Levi shouted as he dropped the axe to the ground and knelt by his friend’s side. Blood was oozing from a gash just above the fallen man’s temple and he made no response to Levi’s frantic pleas for him to open his eyes or move. Levi placed his hand over Gille’s chest and was relieved to feel it moving as he breathed. He looked frantically around the small valley where they were building the lodge but no one else was to be seen. It was getting late and the others would be at the campsite preparing for the evening meal.

He was torn between wanting to stay with his friend who may need him and going for help. In desperate hope that someone might be near enough to hear him, Levi stood and yelled as loudly as he could. “Help! Someone please, I need HELP!” He called out several times but no one appeared. He tried to lift Gille up into his arms in hopes of carrying him to the camp, but the young man had put on weight since his arrival here. Between the good food and physical labour, Gille had filled out quite a bit. Levi gently lowered Gille back to the ground, knowing it was impossible to carry him.

Levi removed his shirt and with strength he did not know he possessed, he tore several strips off it to wrap around the bleeding wound then balled up the rest of the shirt and placed it carefully under Gille’s head. He brushed the blood soaked curls off the injured man’s pale face. “Gille, I don’t know if you can hear me but I have to go and get help. I’ll be back as soon as possible. Please don’t move.” He ensured Gille was positioned as comfortably as possible then set out running towards the campsite.

In the mess tent, Troy had packed up the books from the history lesson he’d just finished teaching. This class was mostly attended by the older men who had an interest in such things. Lakota and Thomas took time to thank the teacher for giving his time to share his knowledge with them. While they were speaking, Troy became aware of a voice in the distance. He looked to the other men. “Do you hear that? I thought I heard someone calling for help.”

They all walked out of the tent and listened carefully. “There, I heard it too,” Thomas said. “It sounds like it’s coming from down towards the valley. Let’s go.”

“If they are calling for help, they may need medical assistance. I’ll get my bag and join you,” Lakota said as he ran towards the infirmary tent.  

Thomas and Troy set off down the path with the doctor only a minute or two behind them. They were three quarters of the distance to the building site when they spotted Levi running towards them. 

Levi saw the men and yelled out. “Please hurry! It’s Gille, he’s hurt!” The young man turned and headed back to where his friend lay. 

Though he was trailing behind, when Lakota heard Levi exclaim that Gille had been injured he managed to move faster than he believed possible. By the time the men entered the clearing, the doctor had caught up with them. “Where is he?” Lakota demanded.

Levi, though nearly breathless, managed to lead them to the scene of the accident, the whole time praying that Gille would be alright. When they got there, Gille was waking and struggling to sit up. “Thank God,” Levi whispered when he saw his friend moving. 

Troy pulled Levi into his arms, holding him tightly. “Are you alright?” he asked, worried that whatever had happened to Gille might have affected his husband. 

“I’m fine. It’s my fault; I could have killed him. Oh please, Troy; let him be okay.” Levi was shaking like a leaf but all Troy could do was hold him tightly and whisper calming words as they waited to hear what the doctor had to say.

Lakota knelt down beside his lover. “Lay back now, Gille,” he instructed, gently lowering his partner down. “Just be still and let me look you over.” 

“My head hurts,” Gille groaned out. “I feel dizzy.”

“Hush,” Lakota instructed as he set about examining the most important person in his world. He carefully stripped away the rough bandaging Levi had created and looked at the bleeding wound. Though deep, the cut was not too long and would take only half dozen or so stitches to close. He put a clean compress over it and wrapped it up with fresh gauze. 

Lakota looked into each of the younger man’s eyes, pleased to see equal pupils. “Gille, look at me.” He held up two fingers. “How many do you see?”  He smiled when he got the correct answer and took Gille’s hands into his. “I want you to squeeze both my hands as firmly as you can.” Though not terrible strong, the grips were even and steady. 

Turning to the worried men beside them, the good doctor smiled. “He’s going to be fine. I’ll close up the wound back in the infirmary and a couple days of rest will find him good as new.”

Thomas sighed in relief. He’d been worried that they could have lost another wonderful young man. Something like that would have devastated the whole community. 

Levi quietly cried, thanking God for his friend’s life. 

Lakota insisted that Gille was not to walk, so between the four of them they carried the young man back to the infirmary. Along the way, the full story of what the two had been up to and how Gille had become injured was revealed. 

Troy did not want to add to his husband’s distress by discussing the lie and disobedience that had led to what could have been a tragedy. That would come later when Levi had calmed down and they had a chance to talk alone. 

Once they got Gille settled in the infirmary, Thomas, Troy and Levi left him to the doctor’s care and headed to the mess tent. Several of the others had seen them carry the young man into camp so by the time they got there, everyone was talking. Thomas took a moment to address the rest of the community and let them know that Gille would be fine. The news was met by a round of applause as Yancey left for the infirmary to assist the doctor. 

In the infirmary tent, Lakota carefully cleaned the cut while talking as soothingly as he could. “Gille, with a head injury like this there is a chance of concussion. It means I cannot give you Laudanum for the pain as we have to make sure you can wake up and be alert for the next few hours.” He stroked Gille’s head gently. “I need to put in a few stitches to close the wound and I need you to try and be strong and lie very still while I’m doing it.”

Gille nodded once but thought better of doing that again as it made him feel dizzy and a bit nauseous. “I can take the pain, Lakota. I’ve been hurt before and had no one to comfort me. With you here, I know I will be fine.”

Lakota wiped a tear from his eye as he thought of the lonely life his lover had led before coming here. “I know you will be fine, my love, and we have each other. I’m going to give you this to bite down on as I work.” He gave Gille a small tightly rolled up cloth to bite on and accepted the sutures his nurse had ready. “If you need me to stop for a minute while you rest, just raise your hand, okay?”

Though more painful than Gille expected, he managed to get through the procedure without having to stop Lakota once. He soon found himself settled into a bed in the infirmary. He had argued to go back to their own tent but the doctor made it very clear there would be no chance of that. Lakota fed him some clear broth and allowed him to sleep but woke him every hour throughout the night to confirm his lucidity. Yancey had offered to take over the vigil for a while but the doctor would not leave his lover’s side. 

After having a dinner which Troy had to coerce Levi to consume, the teacher took his lover for a walk to the small clearing they had visited before. The younger man knew he was in trouble and felt he deserved every bit of punishment his husband would give him.

Troy took a seat on the log that he had come to realize was the site of more than a few young men being taught a somewhat painful lesson. He did not know exactly how many of the couples here were using discipline but it was becoming apparent that there were at least several. He patted the spot beside him and Levi sat with his head hanging as it had been throughout the time since they brought Gille back.

“I am very disappointed in you, Levi. I had thought we had moved beyond the telling of lies and such disobedience as you showed today.”

“I know!” Levi yelled. “I’m horrible and you should thrash me within an inch of my life.” He got up and ran over to a tree. Pulling out his pocket knife, he began to cut a switch. “I’ll cut it and you can switch me first then take your belt to me. I don’t care ‘cause I deserve it.”

Troy leapt to his feet and took his distraught partner into his arms, carefully taking the knife from his hand.  “Hush now, stop,” he said, trying to calm the young man. 

“No, you don’t understand. I almost killed him. You were right, I should never be allowed around tools! Just do it, Troy. Whip me, I deserve it!” Levi was getting to the point of hysteria.

Troy brought his hand down sharply against Levi’s bottom in hopes of startling him out of his current state. “Levi, calm down right now. I want you to sit and listen to me.” He pulled his husband back towards the log, rubbing comforting circles on his back and repeating the calming instructions until Levi began settle.

“I want you to listen to me very carefully and do not interrupt me until I am finished.” Troy looked at Levi’s eyes to be sure he was understood. “You are not here because of Gille’s injury, nor will I punish you for it. It was an accident, a pure and simple accident.” He put his finger over Levi’s mouth to silence the words he could see coming. “You both described what happened and I have no doubt of this. You will be punished for lying to me and defying me and that is all, alright?”

“Troy, you were right though. You told me no about working with the building crew and I defied you and look what happened. That makes it my fault!” Levi sobbed. “It is my fault. If I had obeyed you, it would never have happened.”

Troy sighed; this was going to be difficult. “Levi, the reason that I told you no about working with the building crew was because of your seizures. If you should have one while handling that type of equipment, it could be very dangerous to you and yes, possibly to someone working with you. You did not have a seizure while you were working with Gille, did you?”

“No, but I…”

“No is all you need to think about. You did not have a seizure, you had an accident. There is no reason to punish you for that. Accidents happen around building sites; it is a fact of life. Yes, if people were more careful then accidents would be less common but nonetheless, they will still happen. I also want you to understand something else. Even if this were your fault, which it is not; I would never punish you in the manner you described. I love you, Levi, and I could never do that sort of thing to you.”

Levi searched his partner’s face to be sure of the sincerity behind his words. “I love you too, Troy, and I am sorry for lying to you and defying you today.”

Troy drew Levi to him and held him close for a while. “Alright, my love, let’s get this done with.” He helped Levi out of his britches and pulled him over his lap. He spent the next several minutes giving his husband a spanking he would not soon forget. Though he did not use a switch or his belt, Troy left the young man with a scalding hot backside that would be most uncomfortable for the next few days. The older man’s hand would be mighty sore for some time after as well, but he was gladly willing to accept the pain if it helped his beloved.

Levi sobbed in his lover’s arms for a long time after it was over, letting out his sorrow and guilt.

Unknown at that particular moment, it would be five days later when a fully-recovered Gille would also find himself sobbing in his lover’s arms. Lakota would be no less forgiving of Gille’s backside, also wanting him to learn a serious lesson about lying and going against what he knew was right. 

TBC….