This review originally appeared at BDSM Book Reviews.
Jonesy is a nurse’s assistant working the graveyard shift at a hospital when a new comatose patient is brought in. The young man, named Michael, has been the victim of a gay bashing and the doctors aren’t sure if he will ever come out of his coma, or if there is any brain damage even if he does wake up. It soon becomes clear that the young man has nobody who really cares about him. His religious parents threw him out on the street when he told them he was gay, and after one visit to him in the hospital, they tell the doctors to take him off life support.
To everyone’s surprise, Michael breathes on his own when the ventilator is shut off. Bit by bit, he starts to improve and Jonesy spends as much time with him as possible, taking extra care to talk to him and keep his body healthy. When the hospital plans to move the uninsured patient to a state long term care facility, Jonesy makes plans to care for Michael in his own home.
In Michael’s own mind, he is trapped in a dungeon right out of his “Lord of the Rings” fantasies, alone for the most part. He spends his time trying to find a way out, but the dungeon is a maze and he isn’t sure which exit to take.
This is a sweet short story that you will almost certainly finish in a single sitting. There is no kink to this tale. There is almost no sensual contact between the two men at all. It’s just a ’nice’ little story, which could be the start of something longer and more interesting but is complete enough on its own.
“Before I Wake” is available from the publisher, Torquere Press, or from Amazon
