DISCLAIMER:

 

M/M, m/m, M/m

 

This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

This story contains descriptions of explicit sexual acts of boys and men discovering their sexuality. It contains graphic scenes of sex between consenting underage boys, consenting adult males and boys with adult males (eventually). If this type of content offends you or you are under the age of 18, do not read it.

 

If it is illegal to read such material where you live or if you find the topic distasteful, then please stop reading now. You have been warned.

 

This story is the property of the author. It can be downloaded for personal reading pleasure or sending to a friend, but if you wish to re-post them at your own site, please contact the author for permission.

 

Copyright 2016 WSC, all rights reserved.

 

A copy of the story has been assigned to the Nifty Archives under the terms of its submission agreement. Comments on the story are appreciated and may be addressed to enderwiggin61@outlook.com

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Author's Note:

 

I started writing this story, never intending it to grow into what it has become. It seems to have taken on a life of its own. I hope you enjoy.

 

I have created a Tumblr site with pictures of what the story's main characters look like in my mind. If you would like to see them, they can be found here:

https://enderwiggin61.tumblr.com/

 

 

Also, if you are enjoying this story, my first story can be found here:

https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/moments

 

Chapter 31 – Big Trouble

 

Time seemed to crawl as I sat there, dark thoughts swirling through my brain, and I simply couldn't focus on the movie. When `Cars' ended, the boys asked if they could watch another. Since we had nothing but time, I let Andy select the movie this time. He chose `The Spiderwick Chronicles' and I got it started, then retook my seat and sat in a daze waiting to hear from Tom or Carol.

 

 

"So, you and Max are getting serious pretty quick, aren't you, Tom?" Dylan asked while we waited for our backup to arrive.

 

"I know it seems like it, Sarge, but we really do feel we've known each other our whole lives. Everything just seemed to click between us and fall into place."

 

"I am truly happy for you, Tom. Maybe, someday, I'll get lucky and find the right guy, too."

 

"If it can happen for me, Sarge, it can happen for you."

 

"From the mouths of babes... Ah, here's our backup. Let's have a chat before we go get this scum." We got out of our cars and met for a short discussion. "Afternoon, Doug, Neil, you ready for this?"

 

"Afternoon, Sarge, Tom. What do we got?" Neil asked.

 

"We have a suspect, Russ Weder, holed up in a house in town here. We've been trying to find him for months and got a tip this afternoon that he'd been located."

 

"Where'd the tip come from? Is it a reliable source?"

 

"Anonymous to you guys, but I know the man and believe his information is good. Tom and I will attempt to come in through the front door. I want you two to take positions at the back corners of the house so you can see everything that goes on back there and keep sight lines up each side, also. I don't want this guy getting away, again. And I want him alive, got it?"

 

"You got it Sarge."

 

"Ms. Ward will be waiting in her car while we get the suspect under control."

 

"What's she doing here?" Doug asked.

 

"Well, in addition to all the other problems for Mr. Weder, she's adding child abuse to the pile. It turns out our felon likes to beat on women and kids, too."

 

"Well, let's quit wasting time and go get him."

 

"Okay, let's move out. No sirens or lights. No sense announcing our arrival before we have to."

 

"Got it, boss. Lead the way."

 

We climbed back in our cars and took off. When we arrived at the house, Doug and Neil took their positions at the rear and once they were set, Dylan pounded on the front door. A voice from inside yelled, "Who's there and what the fuck you want?"

 

"Police, Russ. Come outside so we can talk, please." We immediately heard loud crashing from inside the house like a herd of buffalo had been turned loose. Dylan kicked the front door open and we charged inside just in time to see Russ darting through the kitchen on his way to the back door. As soon as he flew out into the cold, sunny afternoon, we saw Russ raise an arm and a flurry of gunshots ensued. We continued on through the house and met Doug and Neil in the back yard, with Russ writhing on the ground and holding his right thigh.

 

"What the hell's goin' on back here? I said I wanted him alive."

 

"Look, boss, he's still alive. Can't you hear his pitiful moaning?" Neil asked with a grin. "Besides, when he hit the door, he had a gun. When he raised his arm like he was gonna shoot Doug, I took the shot and hit him in the leg. He lost his gun when he collapsed and it flew over there," the deputy recited as he pointed to the gun laying on the ground ten feet away.

 

"All right, good work, Neil. Now, put cuffs on that piece of shit and find something to tie off his leg. I don't want him bleedin' out. Doug, call an ambulance. Tom, why don't you get Carol after you check inside and make sure there's no other bad guys in there."

 

"You got it, Sarge." I turned to follow my instructions and just as I did, another male in camouflage burst through the door, gun raised, aimed directly at me. I pulled mine just as he fired his first shot and managed to get a shot off before I collapsed to the ground, then heard another flurry of shots as my partners dispatched the late arrival. Then, the lights went out.

 

 

I still hadn't heard anything from Tom, Dylan or Carol and was getting antsy. They'd left only 45 minutes ago, but they didn't have that far to go. I should have heard something by now. The boys were engrossed in the movie, but I couldn't concentrate on what was happening on the screen.

 

"You guys want a drink or anything?" I asked in a lame attempt to distract myself from the nasty thoughts swirling around in my head.

 

"Juice sounds good, dad, you want some help?" Alex asked as he turned in his chair.

 

"You bet, big guy, thanks." We headed to the kitchen and I retrieved seven juice boxes of assorted flavors from the fridge.

 

"When's Uncle Tom coming back home?" Alex asked as we stabbed the little straw into each box.

 

"I don't know, Alex. Soon I hope," I answered as we carefully carried the juice boxes back to the theater. We handed out one to each boy and, again, I took my seat behind them to stew in silence.

 

 

The next thing I knew, Dylan was crouched over me, one arm reaching to the left side of my head and his hand holding it still, yelling, "Wake up dammit. You ain't dyin' on my watch."

 

"Whoa, Sarge, I'm here. And quit screamin' would ya', my head's killing me."

 

"As it should, mister. You got a hell of a crease down your left temple and just above your ear. Good thing you got a damn hard head."

 

"How bad is it? Will I still need to part my hair when I comb it?"

 

"You'll end up with a nice scar once they get you stitched up, but I think you'll be okay. They'll have to shave this mop you call hair to fix you up, though."

 

"Who gives a shit about that, it'll grow back. As long as I'm still in one piece, more or less, that's all that counts. Crap, I gotta call Max and let him know what's happened."

 

"Don't worry `bout that, Tom, I'll take care of it. By the way, good shootin', Tex. You plugged that bastard right in the heart."

 

"Nice to know all that practice was good for somethin'. Five years on the job and I've never had to pull my gun, and then it has to happen in my last week. Just my damn luck. Go figure."

 

"Now that you're awake again, you hold this compress to your head while I deal with the mess we've created."

 

"Thanks, boss, I'll just lay here and bleed all over the yard."

 

"Best thing you can do right now, Tom." He stood and got on his radio, "Dispatch, this is Brock, we need another ambulance and a meat wagon at this location, pronto."

 

"On the way, Sarge, Neil already called it in," the dispatcher replied.

 

"Good." He turned to Neil and said, "Neil, check the house for any other idiots who think they want to die today. If it's clear, get Ms. Ward so she can check out the house and see if the young man who lives here can come back home tonight."

 

"On my way, boss."

 

The first ambulance finally arrived, and as the paramedics came around the house and headed towards Russ, Dylan directed, "Oh no you don't, that scum can wait for the next one. You take care of this man, first. And you better do it right. He's got a man and four boys waiting at home for him."

 

The crew exchanged confused looks but headed my direction anyway. They gently lifted me on the gurney and took a quick look at the crease in my scalp. "Sergeant Brock," one of them began, "we better get him to the emergency room. They'll want to do some scans and make sure there's no internal damage."

 

"Then load him up and get him the fuck outta' here!" Dylan screamed.

 

"Yes, SIR! You got it." The paramedics started wheeling me through the yard and when we rounded the corner at the front of the house, we met Neil leading Carol inside.

 

"Oh, my god Tom, what happened?" she cried as she ran over to see me.

 

"Just a scratch, Carol, I'll be fine," I managed to mutter through teeth tightly clenched from the pain gripping my skull.

 

"You better be fine or I'm gonna' kill ya'. You got a wedding to plan."

 

"Damn right I do. You take care of Andy and make sure he's gonna' be safe."

 

"I will." She turned to the paramedics, "What the hell are you two waitin' for, an engraved invitation, get him outta' here."

 

"Well, we just heard something about a wedding, so, yeah, we're waiting for our invite."

 

"I'll personally hand-deliver it to you, if you get going? Happy?"

 

"We're gone, lady." With that, we were on the move again.

 

Once on the road, the paramedic in the back with me asked, "You feelin' okay, Deputy?"

 

"You mean besides feelin' like my melon's been split in half and throbbin' to beat all hell. Yeah, other than that, I'm just peachy dandy fine."

 

"Good, we'll be at the ER shortly. Just lay back and enjoy the ride."

 

"Yeah, right. No siren though, okay, I don't think I could take that right now," I joked as my lights went out for the second time.

 

 

"Come on, Ms. Ward," Neil called, "let's get inside so you can see what you need to, just don't touch anything you don't have to. We have more units on the way with a search warrant. We need to keep any disturbance to a minimum."

 

We stepped inside and I immediately retched at the stench that permeated the house. "How can anyone live in a hellhole like this, Neil?"

 

"Not a clue ma'am."

 

"Well, I can tell you right now there's no way I'm allowing Andy back in this house, not tonight anyway, this is despicable. Even without his abuser being here, this place isn't fit for anybody to live in."

 

"No arguments from me, ma'am," Neil answered.

 

"I need to find his room and get him more of his clothes and some other things. Can you help me with that, please?"

 

"Those are my instructions, ma'am, let's get on with it."

 

 

"Doug," I started, "Get a sheet or something from the house and cover that up," I said, hooking a thumb over my shoulder to the lifeless body sprawled on the ground behind me. "I'll keep an eye on Mr. Weder. Not like he's in any shape to run away, is it."

 

"You got it, Sarge."

 

I pulled my cell phone from my pocket and dialed Max's number for the call nobody ever wants to make.

 

 

I heard the phone finally ring, jumped from my chair and ran to the kitchen to answer. I didn't recognize the number on Caller ID and felt my worst fears welling up from deep inside.

 

"This is Max, who's this?"

 

"Max, it's Dylan."

 

"This can't be good news. Not with you calling."

 

"Not the worst possible, but not great, either. We got the scumbag we came for and one of his pals will be worm food soon."

 

"I don't give a shit about them, tell me why Tom isn't making this call."

 

"Well, these morons must have thought they were at the OK Corral and came out with guns blazing. Tom took a crease to his temple, but the paramedics say he should be okay. He's on the way to the ER to get checked over and stitched up."

 

"Fuck, I just knew something bad was gonna' happen today. Which hospital, Dylan? I'm on the way."

 

"Memorial, but you can't really go anywhere, Max. You got seven boys out there with you, and three of them aren't yours."

 

"Shit, I wasn't thinking. What am I going to do?"

 

"You stay there with the boys. I'll go to the hospital take care of Tom when I'm done cleaning up this mess."

 

"Okay, fine, what about Andy? Is Carol there?"

 

"Hang on one sec, here she comes now." Dylan handed his phone to Carol.

 

"Max, is that you?"

 

"Yeah, what's the story with Andy?"

 

"He's not coming back here tonight. This place is a pigsty."

 

"What's gonna' happen with him?"

 

"This late on a Saturday, I don't know. I'll have to find an emergency placement for him for the weekend and then something more permanent on Monday."

 

"What if he just stays here? Would that solve your problem?"

 

"Sure, it would, but don't you have enough to deal with already?"

 

"Oh, what the hell, Carol? I'm just a glutton for punishment and love a challenge. Besides, he's already here and if that place is as bad as you say, it sounds like he won't be going home tomorrow either. If he stays here, he won't have to miss any school."

 

"Yeah, okay, I guess that'll work, Max. Let me call Anna, get her input, and I'll let you know, okay?"

 

"I'll be here. For a while anyway. I'm gonna' call my sister and see if she'll come watch the boys so I can get to the hospital and be with Tom. And I have two other boys here who still need to get back home."

 

"Tell you what, Max, I'm about the head your way with more of Andy's things. You call your sister, and when I get there, you can go on to the hospital. I'll stay with the boys until your sister can come out. Then, when she gets there, I can take the other two back home for you."

 

"I like the way you think, Carol. Thanks, you're lifesaver. See you soon."

 

I hung up with Carol and called Lee.

 

"Lee, thank god you're home. I need some help and hope you have the time."

 

"What's going on, Max? You sound stressed."

 

"Too much to tell you right now. Is there any way you could come out and stay with the boys for a while? I need to get to the hospital."

 

"Hospital? You sick?"

 

"No, not me. It's Tom. He went with Dylan and two others to arrest a local loser and Tom ended up getting shot. I need to get there to be with him."

 

"Oh, lord, Max! I'm so sorry. I hope he'll be okay."

 

"Dylan, his boss, says it's just a crease and he should be fine, but I don't want Tom there alone."

 

"Good, glad to hear it. We'll be right there, Max. I'll drag Carl along, too. He needs to get the hell out of the house, anyway."

 

"Good idea, Lee, especially since there's three extra boys here this afternoon. Carl will be good help. See you soon, and thanks." I hung up before she could ask any other questions and headed to the theater to tell the boys what was going on. I was not looking forward to this conversation.

 

I paused the movie and pulled a chair around in front of the boys.

 

"What's going on, dad?" Joey asked with a scared tremor in his voice.

 

"Well, good news first, I guess. Russ is gone, Andy, but it looks like you won't be going back home for a while."

 

"Why not?"

 

"Because Ms. Ward won't allow it. Part of her job is protecting kids from bad homes. She said that until your house is cleaned up, you're not going back there."

 

"But where `m I gonna go?"

 

"It looks like you'll be staying here until she thinks it's safe for you to go back home or finds another foster family for you to live with."

 

"That'll be cool. I like it here."

 

"What else is going on, dad," Alex asked warily.

 

"God, this is hard," I mumbled as I looked down to the floor for a moment. I looked back up, took a deep breath and continued, "Okay, I don't know all the details, but Tom's been hurt and is on the way to the hospital."

 

"C'mon, we gotta' go!" T.J. yelled as he jumped out of his chair.

 

"No, we can't, T.J. Tom will be in the emergency room and there are too many of you take in there. And Mark and Billy need to go back home shortly."

 

"What're we gonna do, dad? We can't leave Uncle Tom all alone," Mike cried.

 

"We're not. I've called Aunt Lee and she and Uncle Carl will be out soon. I'm going to the hospital to be with Tom while they stay here with you."

 

"But what about Mark and Billy? How're they gonna' get home?"

 

"Carol's bringing some things for Andy from his home. She'll stay here until Lee and Carl get here, then she'll take Mark and Billy home."

 

"What are we supposed to do? Just sit around with our thumbs up our butts?" Joey asked.

 

"Maybe Lee and Carl will let you swim for a while, or you can play some Xbox, or Uno, whatever. I'm confident you'll find something to do to entertain yourselves. I want you to be good for Lee and Carl while I'm gone. Understood?"

 

"Yeah," the twins grumped, upset at having to stay home.

 

"Good, now I have to get ready to leave." I resumed the movie and headed to the bedroom to change clothes to something more suitable for a hospital. Just as I pulled on a clean shirt, I heard the ding of the drive sensor. I met Carol at the door and took the bag with Andy's things from her.

 

She gave me a hug, then asked, "Where're the boys?"

 

"In the theater watching `The Spiderwick Chronicles'. How was Tom?"

 

"Tryin' to joke about it, but you could see the pain in his eyes."

 

"So, at least he was conscious."

 

"He was when I saw him. Dylan told me he was out for a bit right after it happened, but he was awake when I saw him."

 

"Thanks, Carol, I appreciate everything. I'm gonna get out of here. I'll call you when I know something. Lee should be here soon."

 

"Go be with Tom, Max, we'll be fine. Oh, and I spoke with Anna after talking to you and Andy will be staying here until we can find another foster home for him."

 

"Thanks, Carol. I just want to make sure he stays safe." I gave her a kiss on the cheek, hopped in the Shelby and took off for the hospital.

 

 

"Hey, Sarge," Doug called from inside the house, "You need to see this."

 

Since Russ had been taken away in the second ambulance with Neil as his chaperone, and I was just waiting for the coroner to show up, I headed inside. That poor schmuck wasn't going anywhere. "What do ya' got, Doug?"

 

"A whole stash of drugs and guns in the crawlspace. This dude was into some serious shit. Probably dealing both to support his own bad habits."

 

"Wonderful. Tag it all and get it out of here. Make sure you have pictures of everything that comes out of there."

 

"Will do, boss. Glad we finally found him."

 

"Yeah, me too. Any word on the boy's mom yet?"

 

"Yeah, good idea to put out a BOLO for her. Last I heard, she'd been spotted at Walmart and was leaving the parking lot, assumed to be headed home. Could be here anytime."

 

"Let's stash our cars where they won't be seen until she's in the driveway. I don't want her rollin' by and us miss her. She had to know what Weder was doing here. No way you have that much shit under the floor and not know it's there." We moved our cars to a more hidden spot and I waited quietly at the back of the house while Doug resumed his work inside. It didn't have to wait for long until Ms. Cox pulled in the drive. As soon as she got out of her car, I stepped away from the corner of the house and announced my presence.

 

"Afternoon, Ms. Cox. How are you today?"

 

"Fine. Who the hell are you?"

 

"I'm Sergeant Brock of the Sherriff's department."

 

"What're you doing here, pig?"

 

"Well, just waiting for you. Seeing as Russ is on his way to the hospital and his buddy is laying in the back yard with a sheet over him, I had nothin' else to do."

 

"Russ, is at the hospital? Cal's dead?" she asked, then abruptly changed her tune, "Don't know `em. Was they robbin' my house? And where the hell is my son?"

 

"Oh, no, nothing like that. But you already know that. You ain't got nothin' in there worth stealin'. And don't you be worrying yourself about Andy. He's safe and sound. You won't have to worry about him for a long, long time, lady."

 

"What're you talkin' `bout? I want my son."

 

"Shit in one hand, wish is the other and let's see which gets filled first. You're in deep shit and apparently don't have a clue."

 

"What? I didn't do nothin'."

 

"Including protecting yourself and your son from lowlife scumbags like Weder and `Cal', you said? You can't expect me to believe you didn't know what your man was doing. What with all the drugs and guns in your crawlspace, and his beating you and your son whenever he felt like it. Now, you get to join him in jail, `cause that's where you're both going. Well, after he gets out of the hospital, that is."

 

"I ain't goin' nowhere."

 

"You really don't have a choice. Put your purse on the ground and your hands on the hood of the car. Be gentle, now, we've already shot two people here today, one more won't faze me a bit." She did as she was told and I carefully rounded the car to put cuffs on her. Just as I cleared the front bumper, she struck out at me like a demon possessed. Now, I don't normally condone hitting women, but when they're coming at you, spitting and hissing, claws extended and aiming for the eyes, there's only one thing you can do. I clocked that bitch right on the chin and she crumpled to the ground like the lifeless heap of trash she was. I rolled her over on her front side and cuffed her. "Doug, get your ass out here," I yelled.

 

"What's up, Sarge?" Doug asked as he exited the house.

 

"Put this lady in the back of your car with leg irons and get her outta' here. I want her booked and locked up, ASAP."

 

"Gladly, Boss."

 

"You guys about done in there?"

 

"I think so. We're still checking out the crawlspace and the boy's room, but I think that about all that's left."

 

"You think the others got a handle on it?"

 

"They should. Why?"

 

"I want to get to the hospital, check on Tom and see how the scumbag who lived is doing."

 

"Go ahead, boss. I'll stay long enough to meet the coroner, then I'll head out to get her to the county building and processed."

 

"Excellent. Good work today, Doug. Appreciate your help."

 

"Well, except for Tom getting hit."

 

"Yeah, except for that. We'll have to sit down and discuss what happened today and see what we can do to avoid situations like that again. I'm headed to the hospital. Get things wrapped up here and I'll see you Monday." I hopped in my car and took off for the hospital.

 

 

It was a good thing I knew where most of the Sangamon county cops were this afternoon as I arrived at the hospital 20 minutes after leaving home, a trip that would have normally taken 35-40 minutes. This felt like a good time to let the Shelby stretch its legs for a bit. I found a parking spot and headed inside to find Tom. After a few wrong turns, I finally found the ER check-in and walked up to the counter.

 

"Good afternoon, sir, how may I help you?" the receptionist asked.

 

"I'm Max Sanders and I'm looking for Tom Wright. He's a Sangamon County cop who was brought in a little while ago with a gunshot wound."

 

"One moment, sir." She tapped on her keyboard a few times and came back with, "Yes, sir, he's here, in treatment room 1."

 

"Thank you," I said and started to walk away from her.

 

"Hold on, sir," she called as she stood up to block my way and stop me from proceeding. "Are you family, or with the Sheriff's department?"

 

"Not yet, no."

 

"What, exactly, does that mean?"

 

"Well, if you must know, it means we're getting married, so we'll be family soon."

 

"Sorry, sir, you're not allowed into the treatment area. Only family members are allowed in with patients."

 

"Look," I said, trying to hide the frustration that building inside me, "his parents live down by St. Louis and can't be here right now. Hell, I haven't even had time to call and let them know their son's been hurt. I'm the closest thing to family he has in the area and I'm going back there." I started to move around her and as I did, she moved to block me again and wiggled a finger over her shoulder. She was soon joined by a hulking man in uniform and a name badge signifying he was hospital security.

 

"What's seems to be the problem, Mabel?" he grumbled.

 

"This gentleman is attempting to enter the ER when he has no family in there."

 

"I'm sorry, sir, you'll have to wait out here. Only family members are allowed in with patients."

 

"Look, I just told her that Tom and I are going to be married soon and his parents aren't in the area. I'm going in."

 

"No, sir, you're not. You are going to sit in a chair over there and wait. If the patient is admitted, you can go to his room, otherwise you'll have to wait out here until he's released from the ER."

 

Fuming internally, I acquiesced and took the nearest empty seat I could find to the ER doors. Apparently, these morons had not moved into the 21st century just yet.

 

 

I sat in the theater with the boys, waiting for Max's sister to arrive and take over. When I heard the ding of the drive sensor, I headed to the front door to meet her. Upon opening the door, I was met by a lovely looking woman with short brown hair and a handsome man with short and spiky blonde hair.

 

"Hi, I'm Carol Ward, you must be Max's sister. Thanks for coming out so quickly."

 

"Hi, I'm Lee Nichols and this is my husband Carl. It's nice to meet you Carol."

 

"Nice to meet the two of you, too. Too bad it had to be like this."

 

"Tell us, have you heard anything about Tom?"

 

"I was there when it happened and talked to him before they took him to the hospital. He should be okay."

 

"Thank god, Max didn't have time to tell me much of anything, just that he'd been shot and he needed to get to the hospital. We jumped in the car and headed right out. Thanks for waiting for us."

 

"Oh, no problem, Lee. Well, let me get the two extra boys out of here so I can get them home."

 

"Wait, Max said there were three extra boys here this afternoon? Did one go home already?

 

"Unfortunately, no, he's staying here with Max and his boys. It was his house where Tom got hurt and the inside of it looked like a bomb had gone off. Absolutely disgusting. I can't let him go home and Max volunteered to let him stay here for the time being so he won't miss any school or anything."

 

"And the hits keep coming, don't they?" Carl asked.

 

"Well, the boys are watching a movie, why don't we interrupt them?"

 

"No time like the present."

 

"Boys, Your Aunt Lee and Uncle Carl are here," Carol called after opening the door to the theater.

 

"Yay!!" my four yelled and ran to smother Lee with hugs.

 

They shied away from Carl until he knelt down to their level and said, "Come on guys, don't be strangers, I don't bite, ya' know. I've been wanting to meet y'all since Lee told me you were here. Besides, every hug is worth a buck to ya'."

 

"Carl, stop that," Lee reprimanded, smacking him on the back of the head. "Make a promise like that and they'll never let go and we aren't that rich."

 

"Bah, what's a few bucks for some hugs?"

 

"Mark, Billy, let's get your things and hit the road," Carol called out. "I'd like to get back home sometime tonight."

 

"We're coming." Mike followed them to his room to make sure they got everything.

 

Once they had all their belongings, Billy said, "Mike, thanks for having us over. We had a great time and I hope we can do it again sometime."

 

"Yeah, we really were jerks to you and we're sorry. I hope we can be friends," Mark added.

 

"Sure thing, guys. I'm glad we had fun, too, and we'll do it again, for sure. Remember, you can't say nothin' about the naked thing."

 

"Lips are zipped, Mike. We want to be able to come back," Mark said.

 

"Yeah, my ma would have a cow if she knew `bout that," Billy added with a conspiratorial grin.

 

The three boys headed to the front door to meet Carol and after waving goodbye to Carol and his new friends, Mike headed back to the theater to rejoin the rest of the family.

 

 

25 minutes after taking my seat, Dylan stormed into the ER and headed to the reception counter. I got up from my chair and joined him.

 

"I'm here to see two people, Tom Wright and Russ Weder. Where can I find them?"

 

While Mabel retrieved the info from her computer, I tapped Dylan on the shoulder to get his attention. He spun around in surprise.

 

"Max, what the hell are you doing out here, you should be in there with Tom."

 

"I'd love to do just that, but miss Mabel, here, and that rent-a-cop over there don't agree with you, spouting some silly shit about me not being family."

 

"We'll see about that." He turned back to Mabel. "Would you please explain to me why this man is not in there with his fiancé?"

 

"He's not family and only family members are allowed in the treatment rooms."

 

"Did he tell you they're getting married?"

 

"He did, but that means they're not married yet and, therefore, not family yet."

 

"If Mr. Wright's fiancée was a female, would she be allowed in the treatment room, or if Mr. Sanders' fiancée was a female would he be allowed in?"

 

"But, of course."

 

"So, tell me why the fuck he's still sitting out here like he's got the fuckin' plague or something."

 

"Sir, I don't care who you are, you will not speak to me like that."

 

"Do me a favor, Mabel. Remove your stuck in the middle-ages head from your fat, fuckin' ass and let this man be with his fiancé. And I'll talk to you any god damn way I fuckin' want to."

 

"Well, I never..."

 

"Obviously, lady, get with the modern world. C'mon, Max." Dylan turned and headed for the treatment rooms leaving a stunned Mabel in his wake and I fell in step beside him. As we approached the doors separating the waiting area from the treatment area, the rent-a-cop stepped over to block our path. "Don't think you're stopping me, buddy."

 

"You can go anywhere you like, sir, but he's not going in," he said, pointing his finger at me.

 

"Look, asshole, I've had a really bad fuckin' day. I've already shot two assholes who deserved it and punched a lady in the face. Get the fuck outta' our way."

 

"As I said, you're free to go where you like, but he's got no business in there."

 

Dylan looked at me while shaking his head in disgust and then turned back to the guard. He extended himself fully and dwarfed even the hulking silhouette of the guard, who seemed to suddenly shrink in stature. Dylan then put his face inches from the guard's and quietly said, "You really think you want to take me on, mister? My dog takes shits bigger than you, but if you want to try it, feel free to take the first shot. I'd love to throw another asshole in jail today." The guard shrank even further under Dylan's withering stare and he swallowed hard. He apparently decided common sense should prevail today and stepped aside to allow our passage.

 

As we passed through the portal into the inner sanctum, I said, "Thanks, Dylan."

 

"Don't mention it. I was dead fuckin' serious about being tired of dealing with assholes today. Also, just to clear up a wild rumor that's been making the rounds, I don't have a dog," he snickered. "Now, let's go find our man."