Hey, Operator (Sean)

[Joshua Bernstein]

Every year Hammel held a retreat, and every year Sean attended as a chaperon.

This was nothing new; the telepath had done this long before they had reconciled, and he had continued to attend even after they had begun living together once again.

Josh was aware of this. He was aware of how important Sean's job was to him -- and he had some idea that his partner was important to the students. He didn't resent that his partner left for a week, because occasional trips were simply part of being a professional. After all, there were conferences and continuing education retreats for almost every profession. He had them himself, and he had taken a great deal of personal time the past two years on the campaign trail.

He understood, and he couldn't fault Sean for going -- which, although it had yet to occur to him, was a very good sign, as it meant that the codependence they had exhibited as youth was much abated. In their first relationship together he wouldn't have been able to stand being apart for so long.

But just because he understood didn't mean he didn't miss the other man when he was gone. In fact, he missed him very much. Sean was a much better cook, to begin with, and so meal time during times Sean was busy tended to mean a great deal more eating out. And of course he missed the physical aspects, as well: holding hands, cuddling up beside one another in the evenings while Sean worked on a crossword puzzle, massages after work. And he missed the ability to discuss his day, or his opinions, or even his feelings, because Sean was there and available. And he missed hearing about Sean's day and Sean's opinions and Sean's feelings.

But at least they lived in the modern age, with conveniences such as telephones. It wasn't exactly the same as having his partner present with him, but it had served them well in years past.

And so as soon as he had arrived at home for the day he had placed his paper bag of Chinese takeout on the counter, dug his cellphone out of his pocket, and dialed Sean.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean chaperoned for two reasons: first, it was expected of him, and second, he was good at it. He liked the Hammel dances well enough, and, as the advisor for the Student Activities Council, his presence was required. He liked doing the fundraisers, and the international dinner, and alumni events. His least favorite activity was the camping retreat, born from the fact that he disliked camping; the accommodations were uncomfortable, he had no ability to control the food served, and he had to be away from Josh.

At least they were able to speak every day with cellphones, even with the spotty coverage. It was better than it had been in the 1990s, when the psychiatrist had been out of communication with everyone for five days, since the camping location was too far from Pilot Ridge for his town to remain within his range.

He had set the students up around the campfire with graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate, and had been about to toast his own marshmallow when his cellphone rang. The ring belonged to Josh, so he needn’t even check the number before excusing himself and passing duties off to Ferris while he took the call.

Sean began walking towards the woods while he answered. “Hello, Josh.”

[Joshua Bernstein]

"Sean!" Josh's tone contained all the delight he felt at hearing his partner's voice. "I miss you."

He nestled his phone between ear and shoulder as he reached into the cabinets for a plate. "How has camping been? Nobody's burned anything down, have they?"

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“I miss you too,” Sean responded reflexively, although he was as sincere in that statement as he would be had he spent ten minutes mentally composing it. He missed Josh. He wished that Hammel would change the rules about allowing non-Hammel spouses along, although he understood their reasoning. Perhaps if they instituted some sort of background check system...

That proposal could wait until they had returned to Vermont.

He continued to walk towards the woods, putting as much distance between himself and the students as possible with his stride against the rougher terrain. “Nobody’s burned anything down yet, and I aim to keep it that way.”

Unfortunately, he didn’t possess ultimate control over that, but he could do what he could to monitor along with the other staff members. “If someone does, you’ll find out since I’ll have to come home early to take them back to campus.”

That was the oft used threat against the students, which, thankfully, had rarely been used in practice.

[Joshua Bernstein]

"As much as I would enjoy seeing your face again sooner, I hope nobody does."

Whatever discipline Hammel decided on for burning down a camp would undoubtedly end up falling onto Sean's capable shoulders, and he certainly didn't wish for his partner to have any more student troubles than were necessary.

Even if it was part of his job.

The attorney began to pull containers out of the paper bag, setting them all in a row.

"Have you done any fun camp activities yet?"

[Dr. Sean Neville]

The only positive, if one could attribute a positive to burning down a campground, was that it would be such a severe scenario that it would fall outside of Sean’s purview. He would have to testify at whatever disciplinary hearing occurred, and his opinion might be sought, but such a heavy infraction would be Yvette’s responsibility as Headmistress, rather than his as the first-tier disciplinarian and school psychiatrist.

Not that the telepath wanted to deal with such an occurrence in any capacity. That would involve too much harm to others, too many problems, for him to want to experience. Certainly when ostensibly on a retreat.

“You and I both,” he promised his partner. Sean had no more desire for an early bus ride than Josh did, or did the students for that matter.

The fire slowly faded into the background as he trekked towards the familiar hiking trail. “That would depend on whose definition of ‘fun camp activities’ we use. Mine? Or the students? Or society’s at large?”

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh laughed, opening a carton of rice. "I hope we aren't using my definition! There's not much I enjoy about camping. Your presence would be required for anything fun. But surely there are camp...games...and....things?"

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“When have you ever seen me enjoy camping?” Sean asked, as he walked up the path until he could find a large stone or a tree stump to use as a seat; he had no desire to sit on the ground, as it was far too dirty, somewhat damp, and most likely crawling with bugs.

His question was rhetorical, although only partially so. The telepath had never enjoyed camping. He had learned how to camp with the Boy Scouts, but if he never camped again, he would not mourn for a moment. Still, he did what Hammel required of him in order to ensure that the students had a bit of a vacation.

“I’m going to try to kayak tomorrow. I can teach any of the students who might be interested. And we were making s’mores when you called.” Not that Sean minded the interruption. The staff didn’t have to abide by lights out, which meant that he could start another fire and roast marshmallows later. He would rather talk to Josh.

[Joshua Bernstein]

"I interrupted S'mores?" Josh gasped in horror as he began spooning rice onto his plate. "Don't let me keep you from the best part of camping!"

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Finally, Sean found a tree stump, and he sat down, sighing softly to himself in contentment at being able to sit once again.

“The best part of camping is coming home to you,” the telepath pointed out. He didn’t say it to be romantic, although it was a romantic statement, and he meant every word of it. Rather, it was a simple fact. The best part of the retreat was coming home to Josh at the end of the five days. Absent that, he took pleasure in their phone calls, knowing that Josh would call him, and if the attorney didn’t for some reason, then the psychiatrist could call.

While he wasn’t a technophile by any stretch of the imagination, Sean valued the freedom that cellphones had given them. It made these retreats far more bearable now that he and Josh had reconciled.

“Besides, I have all night. I can make s’mores later.”

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh beamed at the telephone. "That's so flattering," He observed as he opened his box of General Tso's Chicken. "I almost regret that I don't have the ingredients for S'mores. Maybe I'll pick some up at the store tomorrow, and we can make them together. I'll light a fire in the fire place."

It wasn't quite cold enough for the fire place just yet, but he didn't think it was possible to make S'mores with the grill, and he wasn't daring enough to find out.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Despite hundreds of miles separating them – and the fact that Sean couldn’t read the other man’s mind at this distance – the telepath still had a reply on point, and, since it had to do with cooking, unsurprisingly it was one that the attorney likely didn’t know. “We can use the grill; there’s no sense lighting a fire in this weather.” In fact, it had been unseasonably warm and humid for September in New England, and Sean didn’t want to waste the resources or have to cope with the additional heat.

But, he liked the idea of making s’mores with Josh. They had done that several times together in the past, including when they were first dating. “Do we not have marshmallows?” Sean knew for a fact that they had both graham crackers and a plethora of chocolate at the house, and so, if they lacked the ingredients, then it had to be the marshmallows.

They needed to stock up before the weather turned, since they would need them for hot cocoa.

[Joshua Bernstein]

"You can grill S'mores?" Josh dropped his serving spoon onto the floor in surprise. "That's not too dangerous?"

The grill was, as far as he was concerned, for meat and veggies. It had never occurred to him that it might be able to cook other types of food.

"Can you hold a stick over it like you would at camp?"

He bent down to retrieve his spoon and added, "I used the last of the marshmallows last night. My hot cocoa was lonely."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

The question reminded Sean that his adventures in teaching Josh how to cook would remain at a slow pace. Baby steps. At least Josh was comfortable with the oven and he could bake a variety of recipes without supervision. Someday, the telepath would teach his partner to be comfortable cooking – apart from baking – dishes that extended beyond soup, sandwiches, and cereal.

“The grill runs on charcoal,” he reminded the other man. The attorney should know that, since he had come along with Sean to buy supplies for cookouts. “Charcoal works like a campfire. You can hold sticks over it the same way you do with a campfire, except it’s already contained which makes it somewhat safer.”

He chuckled lightly at his partner’s description of what had become of their marshmallows. “I can’t fault you for wanting to avoid lonely hot cocoa. At least marshmallows aren’t a scarce resource, so we should be able to restock quickly.”

[Joshua Bernstein]

"I'll buy some more tomorrow," Josh promised as he unwrapped a spring roll. "And I'll try not to eat them all."

Perhaps he would buy two packages.

"I hope they're nice and sticky so I can help you clean up after." He added this in his suggestive voice, guessing that no students would be close enough to overhear Sean's conversation.