“All set. According to my monitor here, you have just a small heart murmur. Nothing too concerning, I’ll schedule a follow-up appointment so we can look at it in detail.” Nurse Jackie went over to the large monitor on the wall and pointed to an unusual looking peak on the ECG screen. In a whirlwind of activity, she had printed a number of medical forms and removed her gloves. “Here, I’ll need you to sign these and then we can schedule for next time. Just take it easy on the physical activity, and tell us right away if anything changes.” She lifted her eyes to meet Ryan’s, who was the subject of this hasty medical visit.

“Ok. I’ll show these to Jake in the lobby, we can talk about the best time to come back in there.” Currently sitting on the hospital bed in nothing but tight-fitting boxer briefs, Ryan was a 26-year old athletic trainer. With dark brown hair, a lean build, and clocking in at just above 6’3, he was easily one of Nurse Jackie’s most handsome (and well-endowed) patients.

Jackie had often fantasized about Ryan, especially after today; this checkup, she had had the privilege of seeing him naked on her table. Jackie worked in the cardiac ward, and today was examining Ryan for a detected heart murmur; his weekly checkup had discovered it, and she had just confirmed it by sticking electrodes on his muscular chest and running diagnostic tests. The papers she had just handed to him laid out the details of the medical process they would eventually use to fix the irregular heartbeat - a cardioversion.

“Thanks for everything, nurse. I’ll get home and we’ll be back to see you soon.” Ryan was actually quite upset by this news. A heart murmur at age 26? Unheard of, especially for somebody of his build and fitness level.

Ryan pulled on a pair of blue jeans and a blue jacket, leaving it unzipped. With his tan pectorals and abs still exposed to the cold hospital air, he exited into the lobby to meet with his boyfriend, Jake, and explain the cardioversion process that he would be subjected to in a few weeks.

At age 25, Jake and Ryan had met four years prior at the University of Southern California. A bit of a technical genius, Jake had pioneered a gay dating application and later the first application of the same type for transgendered people. Both apps were now featured on the Apple store, and were cash cows for both Ryan and Jake. A millionaire by graduation, Jake had started dating Ryan and now shared a villa with him in Glenbrook, Nevada on Lake Tahoe. Both were able to pursue their athletic passions with all the resources money could buy; Jake was a local swim coach, and taught swim and diving classes at the local pool, while Ryan owned and ran a gym in nearby Carson City.

“So, how’d it go? Did Jackie tell you everything?” Jake asked. He could see that Ryan seemed a bit down as he entered the lobby of the Carson-Tahoe Cardiology Center.

“I don’t know. I’m having a hard time with this. I need to stay in shape, but apparently my heart isn’t up to the task…” Ryan trailed off, lost in thought.

“Look bud, let’s get you home. Tomorrow we can call Pam to take your clients at the gym for a week, we’ll get it all worked out. Right now you just need to rest easy and let that big red pump of yours get ready for the cardioversion.” Jake placed his hand on Ryan’s chest over his heart; since all he had on was an unzipped jacket, his chest was bare, and Jake could feel the resounding thud-thud of an athletic heart, almost as if it was straining to beat its way out of Ryan’s ribcage.

The pair exited the clinic into the warm Fall air, and climbed into Jake’s Black Toyota 4Runner. The pair was quiet until they reached the mountain pass that would take them to Lake Tahoe.

Ryan whispered, “I hope everything’s ok.” He had shrugged off the blue jacket and was now leaning back shirtless in the passenger seat, the elastic waistband of his American Eagle boxer-briefs peeking above his jeans. Jake couldn’t help but picture his boyfriend as some sort of model. Though attractive himself, he couldn’t believe that Ryan had decided to settle into a domestic life with him when he could be off somewhere with a big name clothing company or agency.

“Bud, I can’t tell you enough how much I’m behind you on this. It’s just a heart murmur, a lot of people get those. You may need to take it easy but it’s only temporary. And when You’re laying on that table, with all those electrodes attached to your chest, I’ll be right by your side through the whole thing.”

“I know man. I love you, I know you’ll be with me. That makes me feel better about it. I just… hope this is the end of it. You know, with my dad and everything…” Ryan trailed off depressingly.

“Ryan, your dad may have had heart trouble, but he was also a heavy smoker. You know what kind of crap that did to his heart and lungs. You don’t do that kind of shit.” Jake felt sad for his boyfriend. If he had to take a three-week hiatus on swimming like Jackie told Ryan to do with working out, he’d be upset too. Especially if his family had the history of heart problems that Ryan’s did. But, hey. His boyfriend was fit, hot, and aside from a small heart murmur, healthy.

The sun lowered itself behind the western peaks along Lake Tahoe, sending sunshafts spouting out in all directions, before bathing the serene landscape in the afterglow of dusk. There was still light in the sky, but the 4 runner’s lights were on as it pulled onto the gravel drive that led to Jake & Ryan’s secluded villa on the lake. Within two minutes, they pulled up to the car court, a concrete slab ringed by garage doors. Jake opened one of the doors from a clicker within the cabin, and the door crept open, revealing an orange Subaru Crosstrek. Jake smiled. Ryan was so proud of this car, it was his father’s gift to him before he left home for college. Jake remembered the day he had met Ryan; it was at a party, at one of the many Socal frat houses. The two had hit it off pretty quickly, and had escaped the house to partake in a slow, passionate fuck in the backseat of that car. That night he had truly fallen for Ryan, but it wasn’t a year later until they started dating steadily.

College memories, some good, some bad, washed back. Jake looked lovingly to his right, where Ryan was laid back sleeping. His chair was tilted back as far as it would go, and his big, muscular chest heaved up and down with each breath. Jake lovingly brushed Ryan’s solid abs, and caressed the bottoms of his pecs. His hand brushed Ryan’s right nipple, and came to settle on the left side of his chest, over his heart. He could feel the resounding beats of Ryan’s heart. Jake thought about waking Ryan, but then decided to let him sleep there for a few minutes longer. His mind was already wandering back to his wild college days, when any and everything was new and exciting. One of the only things that Jake held back from Ryan was the number of people he had slept with his sophomore year of college, before the two became a steady couple. Jake remembered waking up in many different beds, sometimes women, but mostly other men. Feeling Ryan’s heartbeat took his mind back to one of his “sexcapades,” one that would never quite leave his mind, even now, years later.

Jake had run into a guy named Juan. A grad student, Juan was a huge gym rat, and had a commanding presence about him that had at first enthralled Jake. They had met at the gym, Jake was on the treadmill and Juan had been pumping iron in the corner. Jake remembered it vividly. The two had been eyeing each other across the floor for quite some time, until Juan made a pass at Jake by nodding towards the hot tub room down the hall. The horny college kid he was, Jake decided to follow. Entering the space, he found Juan stipped naked, sprawled out in the tub. Mind racing, Jake remembers how he had climbed into the tub, and removed his gym shorts and tank top, leaving them to float on top of the bubbling water as Juan turned his naked body around and had his way with him, under the water. Jake still vividly remembers Juan’s rough hands, and being alarmed as the massive cock penetrated his supple cheeks and into his flooded ass. After the first encounter, Jake didn’t see Juan for awhile, until another day at the gym, where Juan was lifting again, same corner, shirtless. This time, he had slipped jake an apartment address and winked, then went right back to lifting as if nothing had happened.

Looking back, Jake kicked himself for how stupid he was by actually going to the guys apartment; Juan could have turned out to be some kind of killer, for all he knew. But stupid college kid he was, and Jake found himself on the third floor of a freshly built apartment complex, knocking on a nondescript yellow door. Juan answered after an uncomfortable minute, wearing a pair of sweatpants and no shirt. His torso was oiled, and gleamed in the yellow glow cast by the ceiling pot lights.

“I have something to show you.” Juan told Jake, in a seductive-sounding Colombian accent. He led Jake into the apartment, through a narrow kitchenette, past a big TV blasting a WWE fight, and into a small bedroom. On the bed were a few bottles and a pill jar, and on the wall hung a number of unusual instruments. Shock pens, stethoscopes, what looked like ecg wires. On a bedside table sat a fat monitor, currently turned off but hooked up to a few wires splayed out on the bed. Next to the monitor sat a small platform, with what looked like two cylinders with springs on them. Whatever it was, it looked old, like it was from the 1960s or even 50s. Juan told Jake to sit down on the bed, and his commanding presence overtook him. As the subservient twink he was at that time, Jake sat down on the bed, his heart pounding in his chest. He told Jake to remove his tank, then his shorts. Laying down on the bed in nothing but tight white briefs, Juan explained to Jake the beauty of the human heart. “The heart” explained Juan “is the most beautiful, sensual organ in the human body. It is like none other.”

Jake was about to continue deeper into that memory but right then, Ryan stirred in the passenger seat. He stretched, ran his fingers through his tousled brown hair, and yawned the yawn of somebody who desperately needed to get to bed.

“How long were we out here?” Ryan’s tone implied that it had been for too long.

“Just a few minutes,” Jake replied. He shut off the SUV and the two stepped down and out, onto the concrete. The driveway where they stood had a great view of the lake beyond, just an acre down a hill. Ryan ambled over to Jake and snugly placed his hand onto the small of his back.

“Thanks for being there for me today. I think it’s time we got our mind off of things and worried about ourselves for a little,” Ryan said, as he placed his head on Jake’s firm shoulder.

“True that brother. Let’s head inside.” The two walked into the house. Jake flicked on a few lights, while Ryan made a beeline for the bathroom. Their delightfully modern villa featured a wall of windows, through which the couple could feast their eyes on the beauty of Lake Tahoe and surrounding countryside. The one-story house came complete with a swimming pool, well-equipped kitchen, a concrete patio with all kinds of potted plants, and a pathway down to the sandy lakeside beach.

“You ok, Ryan?” Jake inquired.

“Yea! Just really gotta go. My chest feels a little mucusy, probably a cold setting in. I think I’m gonna take a shower, mind if I stay in here?” Ryan answered.

“Sure! Just don’t lock the door, I need my toothbrush.” Jake had another idea. He needed to take Ryan’s mind off of things. He set out all of the things they had picked up while in Carson city on the glass coffee table, and entered the bedroom right as he heard the shower turn on. He stripped down naked, and tip toed into the bathroom. He cracked the door and saw Ryan’s perfect form outlined against the foggy glass. Jake rushed to the shower door and threw it open, and Ryan looked at him in surprise, and then his eyes fell to Jake’s magnificent cock.

“Surprise love! I hope this is enough to distract.” Jake entered the shower, and dropped down low on the floor. He worked Ryan’s head, first rubbing his hands up and down the shaft, then kissing it, then thrusting it in, and out, in and out of his mouth.

“Yes, Jake, YES!!” Ryan moaned, still surprised at this sexy turn of events. The shower filled the room with a white mist, droplets of water running down their smooth backs and chests. Jake worked his way up Ryan’s front, kissing and licking the hairs below his navel. Jake grabbed Ryan’s pecs, kissing them and playing with his nipples. Jake threw open the door to the shower, sending water flying all over the bathroom.

Ryan jumped down out of the shower, and laid down onto the smooth tile; it felt cool against his moist, naked skin. Jake Climbed on top of Ryan, grabbing the lube from the top of the counter, and spread the substance first on his growing cock, then into Ryan’s supple ass. With a slow insertion first, then with a faster pace, the swimmer fucked the athlete on the bathroom floor. Some would find this style of lovemaking hostile, or at least uncomfortable; but this excitement, this spontaneity, was what Ryan and Jake constantly craved.

Jake awoke with a startle. He glanced over at the clock; 7:04 AM. He was in bed, naked, wrapped up in piles of sheets. The morning light was starting to hit the bedroom, where he assumed his lover had carried him after their passionate lovemaking session in the bathroom. He glanced over at the tan, muscular body of Ryan next to him. He watched the short breaths lift his chest, then let it go again in powerful waves. Ryan looked tense, though he was always alert and a little bit on edge; this health problem probably made it more so. Jake rolled over Ryan’s sleeping body and put his face next to his broad, bare chest, exposed from the sheets down to the navel; Ryan was wearing nothing but a tight pair of white briefs; he had put them on before getting in bed, surmised Jake. The cool air had lifted goosebumps up on his tan skin; In the light shining on Ryan, Jake could make out the beat of Ryan’s heart. Thump thump. Thump thump. Thump thump.

He placed his hand on Ryan’s chest again, then placed his ear over where he had seen the skin vibrating. He could hear the pump working, sending blood flowing all across his fit body. He could even perceive a slight third beat; maybe it’s the heart murmur, or maybe it’s just my mind tricking me, thought Jake. The beat of Ryan’s heart soothed him, and he was soon back to sleep.

Jake dreamed. It all came back. Juan had just laid me down on the bed. He hooked my chest up to the monitor, which displayed the green lines of an ecg machine. It didn’t take me long to realize that it was my own heartbeat on the screen. He gave me pills, they looked like advil tablets but they made me feel strange. My heart started beating faster and faster, until it was a dull buzz in my chest. The ecg told the same tale. I thought I was going to die. I thought if I moved even an inch, my heart would explode and I would be no more.

Jake awoke with a start. He was still laying his head on Ryan’s chest, but could feel that same buzzing from the dream. But it was in his head… actually, his ear. Jake lifted his head and looked at Ryan’s chest. The steady thud, thud, thud had turned into a faster, more irregular beat.

“Ryan!!” Jake yelled.

“Jake.” Ryan grunted, waking out of what seemed to be a painful half slumber. “My chest feels tight. Is it my heart?” He asked weakly. Jake responded by placing his hand on Ryan’s chest. It felt like his heart was about to explode, it was beating so fast, every once in awhile interrupted by a terrifying break in rhythm, as if it was trying to quit. It was a different beat now. Thud thud THUD thud. Thud thud THUD……..THUD THUD THUD thud.

“Jake? Jake!” It hurts man, it hurts!” Ryan sat up in bed, both hands clutching his chest in agony.

“Just stay put. I’ll call Jackie,” Jake replied.

“It feels like my chest is falling apart.” Ryan moaned. He climbed out of bed, his hand pressed firmly over his heart. Jake suddenly realized that Ryan’s torso was slick with sweat, even though it was cold inside the house.

“Hold on! Don’t move! Don’t make your heart muscle work even harder!!” Jake yelled from the kitchen as he dialed the number for the clinic. Rather than listen to Jake, Ryan limped over to the open sliding glass door, where he exited the house to try to get some fresh air. He was starting to have trouble breathing. Jake, on the phone with Jackie, followed him outside. He saw Ryan stiffly leaning onto the side of the house, with a vacant look in his eye. He could tell Ryan was in a lot of pain.

“Just hang tight buddy,” Jake said. At that moment, nurse Jackie picked up.

“Hi!! This is Jake from yesterday. Ryan woke up and is having severe chest pain… yes, he’s complaining of tightness over his heart… sweating. Ok.” Nurse Jackie had informed Jake that Ryan was probably having a heart attack, and to stay with him until the ambulances arrived.

“I can’t breathe, Jake” Ryan gasped. He crumpled to the ground, both hands wildly grappling his heart. “MY

HEART!! MY HEART! MY CHEST IS FALLING APART! AUUUGH… Ryan’s screaming stopped, as he writhed around soundlessly on the ground. His eyes opened, and he started to seize wildly, his back arching and then relaxing, as if he was being electrocuted.

“RYAN!” Jake lunged back through the door, into the kitchen, throwing around implements in drawers until he pulled out a stethoscope. He ran back to the patio, where the sight took his breath away. Ryan laid completely motionless, sprawled out on the ground, eyes closed and arms above his head. His glistening, sculpted body was stretched around a potted plant. “It’s ok buddy” Jake whispered. He knelt down and fixed the stethoscope into his ears, and put the cold metal bit on Ryan’s chest. He was no longer breathing, his lips were already turning a bit blue. Jake couldn’t even make out a heartbeat. No comforting thuds, no loud beats, no murmur. Ryan’s pump had stopped beating, and it was up to Jake to save him.

Jake had only tried to save a life once before. He had been lifeguarding, a senior in high school, when a 14-year old boy had gone under in the deep pool. Jake had followed lifeguard protocol, dragged the kid out of the water, and had pushed on his chest over and over again. He remembers the kid’s colorful board shorts, and his blue face. It was a horrifying experience. He was unable to save that kid, later he found out his name had been Issac; the memory had lingered in his subconscious, only to be brought out by the sight of his bare chested boyfriend lying dead on the ground. Jake hoped that Ryan would not meet the same fate at his hands that Isaac did.

Jake tilted Ryan’s head back, to open his airway. He placed his head over his mouth, looking down his sculpted body, trying to catch the sight of a shallow breath, even a slight rise in Ryan’s chest. Nothing. Shit. Jake ran his finger between each of Ryan’s nipples, coming to rest in the center of his chest. With the heel of his palm, he braced his arms and pushed down into Ryan’s lifeless chest, hard. Thirty times, he pushed down into Ryan’s heart, getting the blood flowing again, at least manually. After that, he pinched Ryan’s nose shut and locked his lips over own, breathing deeply into his lungs two times. Jakes then moved back to his chest, working away, trying to find a beat or at least a gasp.

Jake continued for five cycles, still nothing. “One, two, three, four…” Jake yelled each number as his hands pushed deeper and deeper into Ryan’s sternum. In desperation, Jake removed Ryan’s underwear, exposing his limp, naked penis to the cool air. Jake turned Ryan’s body over onto its stomach, where he sat on top of Ryan’s supple naked ass, to drive his hands into Ryan’s muscular back where he surmised his heart was.

“One, two, three, four, five…” He turned his lifeless boyfriend back over, his cock pointing straight up into the air. The blood that Jake was pumping through Ryan’s body was going everywhere, even into his penis.

“C’mon, bud, don’t die on me!!” Jake slapped Ryan on the face. Once, twice, three times. He balled his hand into a fist, and hit Ryan in the sternum. With each punch, Ryan’s muscular pecs jiggled, sending flecks of sweat flying up into the air in every direction. Jake continued compressing his chest, forgetting about rescue breaths. He just had to keep the heart beating until… until when? Jake rubbed Ryan’s muscular legs rapidly, his chest, his cock, and his shoulders. Trying to rub life back into him.

Just then, the wailing of an ambulance came within earshot. Jake continued compressions until the paramedics burst through the open doorway, surrounding Ryan. Jake took a step back and watched silently as they hooked Ryan up to various machines, one of which measured his heart rate. They placed two AED pads, one above his heart, and one on his side. They read a flatline, and started fast and hard compressions between the pads. They all stepped back, and the female medic shouted “CLEAR!” Ryan’s chest thrust up in the air, his naked body bouncing as he hit the ground again. The medics continued this cycle for about five minutes. Jake’s vision started to blur. His heartbeats became loud in his ears. He reached down to grab a chair, and the male medic looked at him and shouted, “Are you ok sir? Sir?” Jake found it hard to answer. Then, everything went dark as he blacked out and crumpled to the ground.

Jake saw a white light come and bathe him. He was laying on a bed of silk, surrounded by white, flapping curtains. He couldn’t see beyond them, but this was a very pleasing environment to him. He looked down, and saw that he was naked; this didn’t bother him. Suddenly, one of the curtains parted, revealing the tanned, muscular body of Juan, wearing nothing but a tight speedo. “The heart,” started Juan, “is the most beautiful thing in the human body.” In a flurry of motion, Juan had reached out and pulled a stethoscope from around his back. He placed it on Jake’s chest, and felt around. It felt cool to his skin, and made goosebumps rise up all over his naked body. Jake felt numb as Juan poked and prodded him all around. Juan then pulled out a pair of the ancient looking defib paddles, the kinds that looked like big metal circles attached to cylindrical springs. “Are you ready, my friend?” Juan inquired.

“Yes. Stop my heart.” Jake realized that his penis was erect. Juan slammed the paddles down on Jake’s chest, sending painful but exhilarating volts pulsating through Jake’s lean, athletic body, meeting up in what felt like his heart muscle. Juan lifted the pads, but to Jake’s disappointment, he was still alive, panting, but alive. His heart felt ready to burst in his chest. “Again,” he implored Juan. Juan slammed them down again, one right over Jake’s heart, the other on his cock. This time, Jake’s whole body lept up into the air, but he was still alive. Juan then asked, “are you ready to die, my friend?” He pulled out a screwdriver from the bottom of the bed.

“Yes. Give it to me.” Jake couldn’t understand why he was so horny. This was weird. He didn’t want to die. But he did. Juan thrust the screwdriver into Jake’s chest, in between his ribs. It penetrated Jake’s heart, letting the muscle flop around uselessly then stop beating. Blood spurted up as if from a geyser. Jake was in horrible pain, but couldn’t help but appreciate Juan’s beauty. He then slowly lifted from the bed, lifting higher and higher, until the light turned dark. It felt like he was going faster. He could hear voices in the void above, as he was pulled faster and faster to meet them. They sounded urgent.

“CLEAR.” Nurse Jackie yelled. She threw the defib paddles down onto Jake’s chest. With the largest gasp of his life, Jake threw his eyes open and realized that he had been hearing Jackie’s voice. He took deep breaths. “Alright, he have him back. Give him space. Jake, we thought we lost you for a second. Can you hear me??”

Jake nodded weakly.

“You’re at the clinic in Carson City. You coded right next to your boyfriend. The paramedics here say they’ve never seen anything like it; having to revive two muscular guys at once. This really threw us through a loop.”

“Where’s Ryan?” Jake asked.

“He’s in the bed next to you. We got his heart started back at the house, but he had another heart attack in the ambulance. He was in cardiac arrest for about seven minutes. We thought his heart was gone for sure, but turns out he came back. We had to implant a defibrillator on his heart, but he’s back for good.” Jake sat up and looked over to Ryan. Sitting up hurt; he felt like he had a rib or two broken, and his heart felt numb.

“Easy, soldier.” Jackie implored. “Your own heart stopped for about three minutes on the patio. Sudden cardiac arrest. You and your boyfriend were both dead for that period of time. Good thing we got you both back.” Ryan was sleeping soundly in the bed next to him, his chest hooked up to various monitors, displaying a consistent, albeit weak, beat.

Later that night, Jake crept over to Ryan’s bed. He snuggled down into the sheets, pressing himself against the warmth of Ryan’s naked body. He reached out his hand to feel the heart that had caused his own to stop working. He felt a small box next to it with his hand, then reached and felt the pump, pulsating stronger than ever before. The murmur was even gone.

“See you in the morning, bud.” Jake laid his head on the pillow next to Ryan’s, and let the beeping of the heart monitor lull him to sleep.