Date: Sun, 7 Aug 2005 04:03:44 GMT From: Snwdemon Subject: Rodie's Story: Playing the Game Chapter 2: (M/b, b/b, M/F as, no sex) WARNING: This story contains descriptions of sexual acts involving MINOR boys. I wish to explain that this story is not true! Further, it is not intended to promote illegal acts against minors, but to demonstrate that young boys can love each other even when adults believe that they are too young. The sexual acts described in the story are the result of my imagination. I have not performed these acts, and I do not encourage others to perform them with minors. If the subject of boy/boy or homosexual love between minors offends you, or this material is illegal to possess in your place of residence, or if you are under the legal age to possess such material, do not read further! By downloading this story: You implicitly declare and affirm under penalties of perjury that you are not a minor or in the company of a minor and are entitled to have access to material intended for mature, responsible members of society capable of making decisions about the content of documents they wish to read ." The story is copyrighted under my pseudonym, Snwdemon. A copy has been placed in these archives for your enjoyment. The story cannot be used to derive monetary gain. However, if you want to place a copy of this story in your free access archives please email me for my permission. The story cannot be placed in archives that require payment for access, or printed and distributed in any form that requires payment either directly or indirectly. Any similarity to individuals, living, or dead, is partially accidental. Reference is also made in context to locations, businesses, characters, and people to define the story line. No other implication about the true sexuality or actions of the people, or places mentioned is intended. Author's note: As you can see, the first chapter of this story was pretty heart wrenching. In truth, the first and second chapters of this story were supposed to be the real ending of Rodie's Love. I had to cut the story short because of my son's cancer surgery and subsequent chemotherapy. So the actual continuation of Rodie's story begins with Chapter three. However, I do not intend this story to be as heart shattering as the first story. Also, you now know that I modeled Rodie after my own son Eric. My son does not see his looks to be as "beautiful" as everyone tells him they are. This is because he has suffered through his own heart shattering dramas in his young life as Rodie has. It is why he does not see himself as "beautiful" while I have strived to heal his wounds and open his eyes to the truth. He has made great progress since I adopted him seven years ago, and he now feels comfortable within himself as well as with others. It took all of my love, and my natural son's love a very long time before Eric was able to love himself again. Through out his recovery though, Eric remained a remarkable child. Not because of his physical appearance, but because of his extraordinary capacity for compassion. I remember one of his acts of compassion that gave me my first glimpse inside his boundless heart. It happened when he was 10, and he had only been with me for a few months. I was doing my best to get him to open up just a little bit in order for me to understand how deep his emotional wounds were. I had been taking him to counseling (Note: While I am a licensed Psychologist and aChild Psychologist now also, the first thing we learn is to not try and counsel our own family or children because we are to emotionally attached thus losing our objectivity.) and on our way out to the car we passed a homeless man. The man saw me and said "Charity Please" and Eric stopped, emptied his pocket, and gave the man everything he had. It was only 97 cents, a small piece of multi-colored yarn, and a pink rock he had picked up. The man took his offering and said "God Bless you son," then Eric hugged the man. Watching this brought tears to my eyes, because Eric was so quiet and fearful of all adults at the time. He was having nightmares every night, and would flinch or cringe when anyone would try to hug him. Yet, when he saw anyone in need, he would give them what he could, or try to help them even if it was to only give someone a hug. This is why I chose him when I created the character Rodie, and while Rodie's tragedies and life experiences are not nearly the same as my son's, his emotions and compassion are. So now, it is time for the pendulum to swing the other way as it always does in life. It is time to let Rodie experience some happiness for a change, just like my son Eric has done. Once we knew what his emotional problems were, I made sure that he experienced the exact opposite of the things that caused his problems. Having to experience the ups and dows of his recovery, I can truly say that the old saying is true. Love does overcome all obstacles. It took time for this to happen though. It took over a year before I heard him laugh for the first time, and almost two years before he called me "Daddy", but it has been worth it. To me, to see a child who cannot laugh, or smile unless it is forced, then to me, that child is just an empty shell mimicking the semblance of life, and it hurts me deep inside when I see this. Children should be happy, and enjoy their life experiences as they grow, because this will produce a caring, compassionate adult who will cherish their childhood life lessons and pass it on to their children. Eric's wounds are deep, and many I believe will never be fully healed. The best I can hope for is that I am able to provide enough happy, caring, and loving experiences for him now so that they will drown out his negative ones of his past. Some people tell me that I should write his story, and maybe I will one day. However, I will only do it if he gives me permission to do so. By writing about the bad experiences he has endured in his past, if Eric has not come to grips with them and put them to rest permanently then my story would only force him to relive those horrors again. So for now, there will never be a story about him, which is why I only used his physical appearance, emotions, and compassion for Rodie and nothing else. Thank you all again, for the responses to the story, I received 80 on the 1st day after posting the first chapter. I wish to thank everyone who included my youngest son Simon in their prayers when I informed people that I was ending Rodie's Love due to his cancer. I also want to tell them that God was listening and has answered their prayers. Because my son Simon is now in full remission and I do hope that he will remain that way long after I have left this world. God Bless everyone, Damion. Playing the game: Rodie's story cont. I would like to thank Miguel Sanchez for his help with proofreading and correcting my grammar errors for this chapter. Chapter 2: Rodie's Gift 4 days after Rodie opened his eyes the first time. Rodie felt as if he was underwater. It felt like he was floating in utter darkness, yet he managed to break free from the darkness once. However, he had slipped back under the water and into the darkness again, until now. As he became more aware once again, he struggled against the darkness. Just like being underwater, Rodie began to swim towards the surface. He could see the light above the surface and swam towards it, but he was deep under the water. He continued swimming towards the light and he could see it coming closer even though his chest burned as he struggled upward. Just when he thought his chest would burst from his struggle, his head finally broke through the surface into the light and he took his first ragged breath while completely aware of his surroundings. Cathy was very concerned about Rodie now. Since he had awoke four days ago, and complained of his chest hurting, he had shown no signs of waking again since while his temperature had climbed steadily as the infection in his lungs worsened. Nell had shown her how to do his chest therapy and how to suction his throat to clear the mucus brought up by the therapy. She had started doing this the morning after he had woke, and has since performed it every two hours since. She was suctioning his throat again when Rodie's thought came into her mind. "It feels like you are trying to suck my tonsils out mom!" He said to her, and then he gagged because she dropped the suction tube causing it to go further down his throat. She quickly pulled it out but he had to struggle for a few minutes to stop gagging. He could sense her, and Jim, Marco, and Mark in the room unlike the last time when he could only hear and see them. Which he found unsettling since it was the first time he had been unable to do that in his whole life. "Oh my God! Rodie, can you hear me honey?" Cathy said after pulling the suction tube out of his throat. His thought had startled her because it was so clear unlike the other night where she could tell that he was struggling to communicate even with her. She stood up over him while looking at his face only to see his eyes still closed while his small body twitched. The others had all turned towards her when she had spoken out. It was obvious that they had heard nothing in their minds, but all of their attention was now on small form that now twitched a few times as if he were trying to cough. His body stopped moving again after a few moments and he lay still again like before. "Rodie?" Cathy said again as she put her hand on his forehead feeling how hot it was. She watched his face looking for any sign that he was waking again, but there was nothing at all. After a minute, her hope was beginning to fade when his eyes popped open real wide. "BOO!" Was all they heard in their minds and Cathy almost jumped out of her skin while the others were startled. "Jesus! Do not ever do that to me again!" Cathy exclaimed in an angry tone of voice while Rodie smiled mischievously at her. Cathy looked at him with an angry expression, but it quickly faded to one of extreme relief and happiness as she saw Rodie's green and gold eyes sparkling at her. They were clear and alert as he grinned at her, and she realized that he had come back to her. Bright Eyes was finally back for good. "Hi Mommy, you're not mad at me are you?" He asked her when he saw her angry expression, but it quickly softened to one of relief and happiness. He watched as her eyes filled then as her tears spilled down her cheeks. "Don't cry Mommy, cause then I will cry too." He said to her while his own eyes watered. "Ok, Rodie. I won't cry." She told him as she quickly brushed away her tears before gently wiping away his. Cathy then looked around to the others who were watching them, and it was clear that they had only heard what he let them hear. She looked at each one of them before speaking to Jim. "He is awake Jim, and he's come back to us for good this time." She said to him before looking at the others once more then turning her attention back to Rodie. When she said that, the others got out of their beds and rushed over to his. Jim was there beside him, holding Rodie's hand to his face as he looked into Rodie's eyes. They all could see them sparkling as he looked at each of them and made contact with his mind. "I know I've been sick but you all act like I've been gone for like forever," he said to them in their minds while dripping with sarcasms. Everyone looked to Cathy when he said that, and from the look on Jim's face Rodie realized something was wrong. Rodie reached out to the others sensing them as he normally did; only now this was his only way of communicating to them so it became more important to him. While he had never taken his talents for granted before, he now realized how vitally important this ability was to him now. He looked at him mother while projecting his worry to her, but she neatly sidestepped it. "How do you feel honey?" Cathy asked him as she put her hand to his forehead again. "I'm hot Mommy, but cold too. My chest hurts, and my throat too," he said but this time including all of them. "How are you doing Mark?" He asked with concern as he looked at Mark's arm and shoulder cast. His bed had been raised up to a 45-degree angle to help clear his lungs, and he could see the others gathered around his bed along with his mother. "I'm better Rodie; Dr. Mike put this brace on the cast to support my arm so it doesn't hurt as bad when I get up now." Mark said to him as he leaned over his bed into his view. Mark could see how clear his eyes were and how they sparkled now. He leaned down carefully and kissed him on the nose before smiling. "Welcome back Bright Eyes. I love you." "I love you more," Rodie thought to him as he smiled back. Rodie then looked back at his mom while reaching out to all of them again. He started to say something to Jim, but Jim gave him a slight shake of his head before glancing towards Cathy. When Rodie reached out to Jim, he discovered that Jim had found a way to shield his mind from him. Rodie could feel the tremendous amount of pain that Jim had pushed to the front of his mind, and Rodie had to pull his mind back from it as the room began to spin. It took a moment after he pulled his mind back to get things settled down again while he frowned at Jim before shifting his eyes back to his mother. "Is Jim hurt real bad Mommy?" He said to his mother with a very concerned look on his face after what Jim had just done. "Yes he is honey, but he will be ok once he gets his surgery though. He has been putting it off while you slept." Cathy said to him while she held his hand. Rodie could feel her holding his hand, but it took almost all of his concentration to make his hand squeeze hers just a little. Cathy sensed this also and a concerned look came across her face. "Don't exhaust yourself Rodie, I know what you are trying to do, but your daddy hurt your neck really bad. So do not try to move right now because you may make it worse. Not until Dr. Mike tells you that you can move ok. I will go have him paged in a moment so that he can come see you. We have all been waiting for you while you were sleeping honey." She told him in a firm but concerned voice. Rodie sensed her concern and relief, but it confused him. He let them all feel his confusion while his brow furrowed. "Cathy, I don't think he knows. I will call and have Mike paged." Jim said to her after seeing Rodie's confusion before he hobbled over to his bed and picking up the phone. Cathy looked over at Jim, and then back at Rodie. She realized that he did not know how long he had been sleeping or how bad he was hurt. She then shielded her thoughts from him also so that he could not discover it by accident. She saw him frown while she could feel his confusion grow when she did this. She sat on the bed and leaned over him protectively to ease his growing uncertainty while Marco and Mark moved away back to their own beds. "Honey, now listen to me carefully ok. Do you remember what happened that night your daddy came?" She asked him gently. Rodie tried to nod his head and discovered he could not move. His fear began to grow faster as he discovered this. She had said that his neck was hurt, but now he was beginning to understand that it was much worse than he had thought. "I think so Mommy, he shot Mark and he was choking me and...I...don't remember anything after that except the darkness." He said while letting them feel his confusion and fear. "Ok, it is ok honey. Your daddy cannot hurt you ever again, but he hurt you very bad that night when he shot Mark. You remember him choking you, well he crushed your throat. That is why you cannot talk normally right now. He also broke a bone in your neck, which is why you cannot move your head. Dr. Mike had to put a halo brace on your head to hold it in place so the bone can heal. Just as he put Mark's shoulder in a cast until the bone heals. Do you understand honey?" She told him as she caressed her face with his hand. Rodie had grown even more concerned as he felt her block him out of her mind as well. Now he listened to what she told him and his fears increased ten fold. His eyes began to fill again as she told him that his neck was broken. He knew that when someone breaks their neck that they would be in a wheelchair for the rest of their life. He tried hard not to cry but he was afraid of what she would say if he asked her if he was paralyzed. He was confused by what she had told him and without thinking about it, he squeezed her hand. When he saw his hand move this only increased his confusion and fear even more. Just then, Mike came into the room. Cathy looked up and a look of relief came across her face. "Thank goodness you are here Mike, I think I have been only making things worse for him." Cathy told him as he came up alongside her. Mike looked down at Rodie only to see his tears flowing down his cheeks with a confused, fearful expression on his face. He could also see that Rodie was awake and fully aware of his surroundings this time. "It's ok now Rodie, I am here and I can explain things better to you so don't cry anymore. We have all been waiting for you to come back to us, so welcome back Bright Eyes." Mike told him before smiling as Cathy got up and moved to the other side of the bed. Mike gently wiped Rodie's tears away with his handkerchief before pulling the chair beside the bed over to him and sitting down. Rodie lost sight of him for a few moments when he sat down in the chair, but Mike lowered the bed's overall height down closer to the floor until Rodie could see him clearly again. "Ok Bright Eyes, from the look of those beautiful eyes of yours, I think it is safe to conclude that you are fully awake now correct?" Mike asked Rodie. Rodie then sent him a barrage of questions that came and went so fast that he could not grasp onto them let alone understand them. "Whoa there Bright Eyes, I know you are scared, and I am going to answer all of your questions that you have in a moment ok. This just answered my first question though as to whether any of your talents did not work. It is obvious that you have regained all of them. I want you to listen to me for now, and once I have finished, then I will answer all your questions ok." Mike told him as he took out a mirror and laid it beside Rodie before taking his small hand into his own. "Ok Dr. Mike," Rodie said to him after looking at his mother who nodded her head reassuringly to him. "Alright, then let's get started. I am going to tell you each of your injuries, and what exactly was done to fix those injuries as well as what I expect once they have healed. I brought this mirror here so you can see what I am talking about. I will start with your most serious injury first, and work my way down to the least serious injury. Now can you tell me what today's date is?" Mike asked him. Rodie's brow creased slightly as he thought for a moment trying to remember. "Monday or Tuesday I think? The 4th of July is this weekend." Rodie responded after a few moments. Mike and the others could feel his doubt and confusion as he said this in their minds. "No Bright Eyes, it is not. Today is Wednesday, July 15th. You have been asleep for over two weeks now. When you spoke to us the first time, I could tell that you were not completely awake yet. Honey, your daddy choked you so hard that he damaged you Carotid artery. You were practically dead when I got to you. I was able to bring you back though, not just once Bright Eyes, but four times. We were all very scared because we all thought that you were going to leave us for good. When you woke up right after I had brought you back the first time, you were crying because you found out Jim had to kill your daddy in order to save you and Mark. You passed out again right after that and coded. That means your heart stopped and you stopped breathing again. I brought you back again and had x-rays and a CT scan done, but you coded once more just as the scan started. For the third time I brought you back Rodie, and did the scan discovering that your neck was severely injured, as well as the Carotid artery. So I took you to surgery to fix the artery that you can feel here," Mike told him while touching his own neck. He then held up the mirror for Rodie so that he could see himself. Rodie could see his small neck covered with bandages while a tube protruded out of them that was connected to a "V" shaped joint that connected to two blue tubes. Rodie then realized what was making the whooshing sounds he was hearing, it was the machine connected to him to make him breathe. He had seen a show on TV before about the man who played Superman in the movies who had broken his neck, and he had the same tubes and machine. His fears increased more when he saw his image in the mirror, and his eyes filled with tears again. He also saw that his head was covered in bandages and his hair was cut shorter now to almost shoulder length. He looked at the Halo brace that encircled his head with screws going into his skull on each side of his head in front and back. Tears began to slip down the sides of his face again as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. His fear that he was paralyzed finally overcame him, and he looked away as his tears coursed down the sides of his face. Cathy gently wiped his tears and caressed his face to reassure him after Mike set the mirror down. Mike knew what Rodie was thinking when he saw the look on his small face when he moved his eyes away from the mirror. "I know it looks bad Bright Eyes, but it is not what you are thinking. The machine only helps you when `You' breathe so you do not waste your strength trying to breathe on your own. It is not breathing for you because you are paralyzed. You showed me that you were not paralyzed four days ago when you woke up for a little while. Even while you slept, your body responded to pain and touch. If you were paralyzed you would feel nothing at all. This is a Respirator, not a Ventilator, understand now Bright Eyes." Mike explained gently to him while Cathy wiped away his tears. Mike then held the mirror again, but angled this time so Rodie could see the machine. There were blue-stenciled letters on the front of it that said "Respirator – Hospital Use Only." Looking back at Mike, and sensing no deception, Rodie relaxed once again. "While your daddy was choking the life out of you, you fought him like a tiger as you tried to save yourself and Mark, and that caused your brain to bounce against the inside of your head bruising it. Your Carotid artery was blocked from being compressed while your daddy choked you, and that prevented oxygen from going to your brain. Rodie, the lack of oxygen, and the bruising to your brain is what caused your brain to swell, and this caused you to code all those times, not because of the broken bone in your neck. However, you kept coming back when you coded because you were not finished fighting because you were not ready to leave us. You kept fighting to live, so I kept fighting to help you live. If you had stopped fighting honey, then I would have known. I would have stopped fighting also, and let you go no matter how much it hurt us to lose you." Mike told him as tears formed and spilled down his face. "Please don't cry Dr. Mike, you have to promise not to so I won't cry. So don't cry please, for me?" Rodie said to them all as tears welled up in his eyes once again as he sensed all of their pain at the thought of him dying. "I promise Bright Eyes. Are you ready for me to go on?" Mike asked him as he and Cathy had wiped away his tears once again. Feeling his need, the others, including Jim and Nell Rodgers, came over surrounding his bed so that he could see them all and know that they were there for him. He looked at each one of them in turn and smiled as best he could as he sensed their love for him. Although when he saw the nurse help Jim over into his range of view, he grew concerned. "No Jim, you will hurt yourself. I will never forgive myself if you get hurt because of me." Rodie said with alarm as he sensed all the pain Jim was in as he leaned heavily on his cane. "It is ok, my love. You remember what I told you that morning when you took my pain away?" Jim asked him while taking his small hand in his. Rodie saw his mother move down to his foot so Jim could sit next to him in the chair. While Marco had Mark sit in a chair behind Dr. Mike, and got some pillows to help prop up his cast. Marco then stood at the foot of his bed beside the nurse who Rodie did not know, yet somehow he did know her. "Yeah, you told me not to do it `cause I would hurt myself." Rodie said to them all. Cathy knew that when Rodie became distressed or excited that he would forget about talking to just one of them as he broadcast his thoughts to them all. "No love, after that. When you asked me how I could stand the constant pain. Remember what I told you my love?" Jim asked him softly before kissing his hand, which almost caused Rodie to beg Jim to hold him as the kiss made his heart yearn to be close to him now while knowing he could not be. They all felt his desire as Rodie's emotions poured out of him, and Jim responded to his emotions. He stood with a grimace before leaning over and kissing Rodie on his lips. Rodie relaxed when he sensed Jim's thought to him, "Not until you are better," then savoring his kiss. Rodie thought back "You promised! So don't forget," and then he remembered what Jim said that day. "You said that it was hard at first, but as the months stretched into years that it was now like an old friend. That you hardly notice it most of the time now." Rodie said to him as he managed to give Jim's hand a weak squeeze as he sat back down. "That is right, and it is the same for me now as it was back then. So don't worry so much about my pain." Jim told him while at the same time Rodie sensed his thought to him, "I will not forget and will talk to you later alone, I promise." Once Rodie knew this, he relaxed even more although his desire did not go away completely. Mike then spoke and got Rodie's attention. Rodie let his eyes linger on Jim for a moment longer before turning them to Dr. Mike. "Bright Eyes, there is someone I want you to meet because she will be caring for you while you are here. She knows and understands about your unique and extraordinary talents. Therefore, I want you to meet her, and she will let you see that she can be trusted. Nell, this is Rodie, but we just call him Bright Eyes because of how they sparkle." Mike first told Rodie then spoke to Nell as she stood at the foot of bed where Rodie could see her. "Hello Rodie, I am Nell Rodgers, and I the head nurse here in the CCU. I have been taking care of you while you slept, and now I understand why everyone thinks you are so wonderful. They are right too, because you are wonderful. You are a special young man, and I will be right here to take care of any problems you have." She told him while trying to stay as open and honest as possible while he looked at her. Rodie's small brow creased slightly as he stared intently at her for a few moments. Then she heard his voice in her mind again. "Hi Nell, I can feel how you feel about me. Don't worry `cause I trust you." Rodie told her. Nell smiled at him and came up beside Mike before leaning down and kissing Rodie on his forehead and thanking him before returning to the nurse's station. She moved Rodie's chart over to a slot under her name. Letting the other nurses know that Rodie was her patient only and they would leave his care to her now. Once Nell had left the room, the others again closed ranks around his bed. This action allowed Rodie to draw a little strength from each of them so that he could go on. He looked at each one of them, letting his eyes linger on their faces for a few moments before finally settling his eyes once more on Mike's face. "Doctor Saunders is a Pediatric Neurosurgeon here at the hospital, he had to put in a small shunt to relieve the pressure inside your head from the swelling. I tried to save as much of your beautiful hair as I could Bright Eyes, but I had to cut most of it off so that Dr. Saunders could put in that shunt as well as fix your neck. I am sorry for that, but there was no other way. See, when the brain is deprived of oxygen while being banged around inside the skull like your daddy caused yours to do; it goes to sleep so that it can heal itself, and that is why you have been asleep for so long. Once the swelling stopped 7 days ago, you started trying to wake up. You did manage to wake up enough to talk to us four days ago, but you went back to sleep again because it wasn't time yet for your brain to wake up." Mike explained carefully to him. He waited until he could see in Rodie's eyes that he understood all of this before he continued. "Now we come to this contraption that is screwed into your head. It is called a Halo brace. I could see in the x-rays that you had a bone that was fractured in your neck down close to your shoulder blades, but that it did not appear to compromise the spinal cord though. Dr. Saunders was able to fix the bone by joining it to the bone above and below it. However, we had to wait until you woke up before we knew for sure if there was any permanent damage to your spinal cord. Now I know this will be hard for you, but I want you to squeeze my hands Bright Eyes." Mike instructed him as he took both of Rodie's small hands into his. He watched Rodie's brow crease as he concentrated on doing what he had asked of him. Mike then felt Rodie squeeze his hands, although it was weak. "Now tell me if you can you feel this, and wiggle your toes." Mike said as he leaned back and tickled Rodie's feet. Mike could see how Rodie smiled and hear his giggles in his mind as he felt the tickling sensation, then Mike saw Rodie's brow crease again in concentration as he wiggled all of his toes slightly. Mike then ran his hands up and down Rodie's legs, tickling them, and was relieved to see him grin and hear his giggles as he did this. He continued up Rodie's body and down his arms with the same results. "See, you can feel it as I tickled you and moved both your hands and feet, so your giggles and wiggles tell me that there does not appear to be any long term damage to the spinal cord. The Halo brace is used to just to keep your head and neck stationary until the bone heals. However, the nerves have been shocked; it means that they were bruised is all. Because of that, you are having trouble moving your hands and legs, but it should get better as the bones heal and as you use them more. You will need to do a lot of physical therapy in order to recover fully and walk again, but for now, I see no reasons as to why you should not be able to. I will not lie to you Bright Eyes, your recovery will be hard, and maybe even painful for you. You will also not be able to turn you head to the sides as much as you used to, but you will learn to compensate for this just as Jim has learned how to deal with his pain. However, I know that you can and will do all that you can to recover because you have four special people here to help you." Mike told him gently while Rodie was able to glean exactly who Mike had meant. Rodie took a couple of minutes as he absorbed all of the information. He felt that the tension from his fears leaving his body now that he fully understood and had seen from Dr. Mike's tickling that he was not going to be paralyzed. Rodie then focused his eyes on Mike again and tried to smile as his tears began again. Only this time they were happy tears. "No Dr. Mike, I don't have four special people. I have eight, Jim, Mommy, Marco, Mark, Eddie, John, Eric, and you." Rodie thought to all of them as he named them while he looked at them, and then he managed a weak smile. Mike wiped away some more of his tears as he looked at Rodie. "Thank you Bright Eyes, I am honored to be included in your heart, I know that you have filled mine. Now to continue, your larynx, or throat area where your vocal cords are, was crushed, which is why you have the tracheal tube in your neck. I think we can start weaning you off the respirator soon though as you get a little stronger, but you still will have the tracheal tube once you are off it. It will stay in until your throat heals. However, your vocal cords were torn so right now you are unable to talk except like you are doing now. This was my fault Bright Eyes, I had to force the airway tube down into your lungs to allow you to breathe when I got to you. This was the night Jim saved you and found you not breathing. I am normally much more careful when I put in an airway tube, but I just did not have the time that night because your survival depended on every second. However, you will talk again, but you will need surgery to repair your damaged vocal cords. Jim has spoken with one of the best Pediatric ENT surgeons here on the east coast. He is going to come here to see you in a couple of weeks and then fix your vocal cords, so you have to concentrate on getting stronger between now and then. You do not have to worry about him though because he knows all about your talents and he thinks that it is wonderful, just like you are. The last problem you have is that you have an infection in your lungs right now. This is also my fault because the original respirator I put you on had not been cleaned properly and it caused the infection. Your lungs are a little better though, and once we get you off the respirator you should be able to cough and that will help you get stronger faster. That is it, now do you have any questions or confusion Bright Eyes?" Mike asked him while Rodie absorbed this last bit of information. Rodie looked intently at him for a moment and sensed Dr. Mike's guilt he felt about his damaged vocal cords and having to cut his hair. He also realized now how all of them had helped him more than once since that night. "It is ok Dr. Mike, I know you didn't mean to hurt my throat or cut my hair. I'd rather not to be able to talk out loud and be bald than not be here with all of you. All of you have saved me, so many times since daddy hurt me. Not just from that night, but also since the first time my daddy hurt me so bad. I love all of you for that and I always will." Rodie told them all while his tears flowed faster. He let them all feel and see in their minds how many times they had each saved him, from his father, and from himself, but he made sure that his mother and Jim knew how many times they had saved him alone. He then opened his heart to them showing why he loved each of them and how much he needed all of them. Rodie let all of his defenses crumble away, exposing himself completely for the first time in his life to anyone other than Jim. He held nothing back from them and put all of his love and trust into his gift to them by linking each of them to each other and in a special way to himself. All of them in the room as well as Eddie, John and Eric, could feel his outpouring of emotions as he shared with them a small part of his talents and himself. Now when one of his extended circle of the people he trusted most was in need, the others would know and would come to fill that need. He then thanked each of them in the most intimate of ways, by touching each of their hearts, while letting them all feel how boundless his love for them truly was. They all began to cry as they realized how truly special Rodie really was, and what his gift to them meant. They were all now his family, and would always be his family no matter what happened in the future. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Eric awoke when he felt his best friend's special thank you to him as well as his special gift to them all, and his tears started to slip down his cherubic face. He quickly got up and ran to his father's room where he found John crying also. He ran to his dad who lifted him up into his lap and hugged him close. He kissed and hugged his father before looking at him with a frightened look of uncertainty. "You feel it too Daddy. Does this mean something bad has happened to Rodie? Did he just go to heaven to be with Mommy?" Eric asked him as he buried his face into John's chest and cried harder because he did not understand what had just happened. He also feared that he had just lost his best friend in the whole world. John understood what had just happened to them though, and he hugged Eric a little tighter and kissed him while he smiled to reassure him. "No son, Rodie did not just go to heaven to be with Mommy. This is a good thing Eric, because Rodie has come back to us. He woke up, and he is awake for good this time. Now Rodie is thanking us for saving him in his own special way. Rodie is telling us how much he loves us and why he loves us, and he opened his heart to each one of us letting us know how important we are to him. Most of all, he has given all of us a very special gift, that now binds all of us together as a single family. Come on Eric, let's get dressed so we can go see him now because he wants and needs us to be with him right now." John told Eric with a big smile on his face as he kissed Eric's forehead. He lifted Eric up and hugged him while spinning him around with joy before setting him down on his feet. "Ok Daddy," Eric said as he wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his pajamas, then he scampered out of the room to go get dressed. He felt his sadness leave him now that as he felt the others responding to his need of understanding. He understood what Rodie's gift was to all of them now, also that his best friend was awake, and was telling him that he needed him. John went to Mark's room where his mother was staying, knocking lightly before opening the door. When he entered the room he found her sitting up on the side of Mark's bed and crying too, and he realized she had also felt Rodie's outpouring of emotion although she had not received Rodie's gift as he and Eric had. "What does this mean John?" She asked him while wiping her eyes with a tissue as he came in. John came over and sat beside her. John had told her all about Rodie and his talents when she had arrived 5 days ago. "Rodie has awakened Mother. He is awake, and he is telling all of us how much he loves and needs us right now." John told her with a happy smile as he put his arm around her shoulders and embraced her. "Thank the Lord! I know you told me he was special, but I did not realize that he could do something like this. We are thirty miles away from the hospital, and he is still able to reach us. He is an extraordinary little boy to be able to touch someone like this." She told him, now believing what John had told her about Rodie. "Go to him John. He is telling you that he needs you and Eric, so go be with him and make him well." "I want you to come also Mother. Rodie is part of my life now, and that means that now he will be a part of your life too. You have to meet him sometime, so come with us please." John told her before standing up and then helping her up. "You are right John, and I want to meet this wonderful little boy you have told me all about. So let's get ready and go see him," she said before kissing John on the cheek. They both stopped though as Rodie sensed that his special family had grown, so he bestowed his special gift onto her including her in his family now. John's mother felt and accepted Rodie's special gift while John thanked Rodie for what he had just done. Then John kissed his mother and left the room, closing the door behind him, and going back to his bedroom to get ready also. At that moment, John was feeling better than he had felt since his wife had passed away. In Nags Head, Eddie was in his office catching up on all of the work he had been putting off for two weeks when he felt Rodie's gift to him. Tears slipped down his face as the warmth of Rodie's love spread through out him. After a few minutes, he wiped his eyes and stood to leave when his assistant came in. She too had reddened eyes that showed she had felt Rodie's gift to Eddie also. He and Chiari were the only ones at the restaurant today because Eddie decided to give everyone the day off while he caught up on the paperwork for ordering supplies and doing inventory. "What just happened Eddie?" Chiari asked him while she saw that he was crying also. Eddie came around his desk and motioned to her to sit down on the couch in the office. He took her hands and looked at her, while fresh tears spilled down his face. "It means that Rodie has come home again. You are feeling his love for me and for all the rest of us. This is a wonderful moment, and a great relief to me. I did not know if he was strong enough to come back to us, and I have been dreading the moment that he would leave us for good. Now he has come home again, and he is telling me how important I am to him, how important we are all to him. You now know how special he is, and how God has answered all of our prayers by sending him back here to us. I need to go now because he needs me, he needs all of us right now to help him be strong. I do not know when I will return, so the restaurant is yours until then. You know what to do, and how to handle things." Eddie told her, before standing up with her and kissing her on the cheek. He then felt it as Rodie sensed his feelings for Chiari and her family, and as his way of thanking Eddie, he included her and her family into his special family. Chiari was Eddie's closest friend other than Jim, and if he were not gay, he probably would have married her long ago. Again, Rodie sensed her love for his first real friend and bestowed his gift upon her and her family. Chiari felt his gift to her as well as his thanks for her love to his first true friend he had ever had. Rodie then asked for her help with something very special to him, and Chiari understood now that the wonderful little boy she had met weeks earlier was indeed very special. "Go then, and make him well again," she told Eddie with true love, compassion, and understanding. She now realized how deeply Rodie had touched them all. Not just with Eddie and the others closest to him, but everyone who he had met and accepted as a friend as well as all of the people that they loved. She reached up and wiped Eddie's tears away caringly. She had known him for 12 years now, and he was part of her family along with being her best friend. When she had confided in him about her marriage troubles after only four years of marriage, he quickly discovered the problem between her and her husband Dennis, who was the head chef here. She would have never guessed that the problem was that her husband Dennis doubted his manhood when he began experiencing sexual dysfunction problems. Dennis had started avoiding all intimate contact with her, and all she could think was that he was having an affair with another woman. When Eddie had insisted that Dennis go out for a drink with him, he quickly learned of his problem and insecurities. Eddie told him to talk to her about everything, and then recommended him to a great Urologist who discovered that Dennis had an enlarged prostate. This had led to the early discovery of Dennis's prostate cancer. It not only saved his life, but their marriage as well as giving them the twins. Therefore, it had pained her greatly to see Eddie as he suffered with his worries and fear of losing Rodie, and she now could return his caring and compassion now that he was in need. "Eddie, you are like the sister I never had, and you saved my love's life as well as my marriage by giving us the strength to endure our troubles. You enabled us to have our twins, Eddie and Isaac, and we both will always love and include you as part of our family. Now we are truly family because of Rodie, so I get to return the favor to you now. That little boy has used all of his strength to come back from the abyss. Now he is counting on all of us to give him the strength to continue and recover. Jim will not be here to help him do that because of his injuries. I know that you are very worried about him, as we all are. However, Rodie needs you more right now, and Dennis will take care of the business for you. I promise you Eddie that I will take care of Jim, and see him through this while you take care of Rodie for him." She told him while letting her understanding and caring be known to him with Rodie's gift. "Oh Chiari, you are a doll, and I wish I were your sister, but God chose to slip in a `Y' chromosome for laughs. Sis, you just solved my problem of being in two places at once. I love you babe, and I always will. Thank you so much, and I promise to not let you down, or let Rodie down." Eddie said as new tears spilled down his face before hugging her in a tight embrace. Eddie then kissed her on the cheek again before looking at her again while holding her hands as they faced each other. "Alright, tell Dennis to handle things here, while you take care of Jim and I take care of Rodie." Eddie told her with a look of relief. "I will, now go, and don't you dare let him down. He has put his life into your hands, so be there for him and guide him through the troubled path ahead of him." She told as she let go of his hands. Eddie started to leave, but stopped and reached into his pocket. He tossed her keys to the `Gator', but she gave him a confused look as she caught them. "It is a long drive between here and Charlotte so it will be easier if you use the `Gator' because it is more comfortable." He told her while he took out his wallet and handed her two credit cards. "Give this card to Dennis ok, it is for the revolving account for the restaurant. This one is for you, to cover all of your expenses as well as allowing you to get whatever Jim will need. Both of these do not have a limit. I want you also to withdraw $25,000 from the bank and put it in your account. I know that you will have your mother watch the twins while both of you are busy, and the money should cover any expense and emergency she may have. I trust you Babe, and I am in debt to you." He told her with a sincere expression as he handed the credit cards over to her. "No you are not Eddie, you helped us in our time of need, and I am just doing what a friend has asked me to do. I will do as you said, now go because you are wasting time." She told him as she took the cards from him. Then she watched Eddie as he left before picking up the phone and calling her husband to inform him of the decisions made as well as to explain the gift Rodie had given them. Once Dennis understood what had happened to him and the boys, and she gave him a quick rundown of the decisions made, she then closed the restaurant and went to the bank. She withdrew the money as Eddie told her to do and deposited into their `house' account. Dennis and she both had personal accounts, but the `house' account was their account they used for all their bills and expenses. She added her mother to the account as an authorized user in order to give her access to the money. Once she finished she went home to get Dennis to drive her back to the restaurant so she could get the `Gator' as Eddie told her and to do what Rodie had asked her to do. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back at the hospital, Mike and the others were comforting Rodie when Nell came in with a slightly bewildered expression on her face. Mike gently guided her out of the room before speaking to her. "From the look on your face Nell, I am assuming that you felt it also." Mike told her in a quiet voice. "Yes I did, as well as many others here in the ward. I had no idea that he could do things like this Mike." Nell told him with a look of utter awe on her face. "None of us knew Nell, not even his own mother Cathy. The only one who was not surprised by this was Jim. He has given us all a wonderful glimpse into his heart, and of his own talents. However, with his gift of love that he has given us comes a responsibility too. We have to protect, strengthen, and guide him, and make him whole once more. He has opened his heart and let us inside while putting his life into our hands, and we cannot let him down." Mike told her and Nell agree completely with him. They both went back into the room and Mike resumed his place beside Rodie's bed while Nell moved beside Marco. Cathy was awed when Rodie opened himself up and gave them all his love while linking them all together as one special family. At the same time, she was so proud of him at that moment too. She was more proud of him than she had ever been in her entire life. She knew that John, Eric, and Eddie as well as Eddie's closest friend and her family and John's mother had received his gift of love also, although she did not understand how he could do this. She had watched him grow so much over these last two months. She also saw how he had opened up more, and shared his deepest fears and traumas, as well as him learning how powerful his talents really were. Rodie had been able to do this all of this because of one person, Jim. All because Jim had accepted Rodie as he was, and enabled the others that Rodie had given his trust to do the same. She could see how his confidence in himself had grown a little more each day because of Jim's love and all of their love too. Her little boy was growing up, but he was still only 10, and he knew that he needed them all now in order to get better. Cathy just met his sparkling gaze and told him what he needed to hear from each one of them. "I love you honey, and I always will no matter how old you get." She said to him as she watched him relax a bit. Then Marco came over and told him how much he loved him, as did Mark, Nell, and Mike also. Jim reminded him that he would talk to him in a bit, and told him how much he loved him too. Rodie relaxed and let his tension and fear ease away as he heard each one of them. Mike then excused himself to attend to his other patients. Mark lay back down because his shoulder was hurting, and he pushed the button for his pain medicine. Marco packed up his belongings after getting dressed because he was going home since he had been discharged, although he did not plan to stay there once he had taken care of Brutis. Cathy could see that his outpouring of love had tired him, so she had Nell give Rodie his medication and told him to rest. Another twenty minutes passed while she sat beside Rodie as he dozed before John, Eric, and his mother came into the room. Eric went and stood by Rodie's bed and holding his hand while John went and hugged Cathy about the good news. Rodie woke up as he sensed his best friend next to him, and they heard him in their minds. "Hi Eric, I've missed you." He told his best friend sleepily while Eric held his hand with a sad yet happy expression on his face. "What's wrong Eric?" Rodie asked him when he saw Eric's expression and sensed his conflicting happiness and sadness. "Oh Rodie, I am so happy you are awake again. When I felt you this morning, I thought you had gone to heaven to stay with Mommy. Just thinking about you going away to heaven makes me cry." Eric told his best friend as his tears started to flow again. Rodie cried with him, and everyone heard what he said to Eric. "Please don't cry Eric, I didn't mean to scare you when I sent my feelings to you. I just wanted you to know how much all of you mean to me, and how much I need you now. You are my first and only best friend that I have ever had and I need you to help me to be strong so I can get better. So do not cry anymore, please for me." Rodie told them, and Eric nodded to him and sniffled before wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "I love you too Rodie, and you are my first and only best friend too." Eric told him before leaning over and kissing Rodie on his forehead. Eric then moved over and sat next to Mark on his bed. Mark draped his left arm around his brother and wiped his tears away. Everyone could see how proud of Eric he was as he gave his little brother a hug. John came over to Rodie next and welcomed Rodie back before kissing his forehead. He then introduced his mother to him who told him how extraordinary he was. She too kissed him on his forehead. Then Eddie arrived and went directly to Rodie's side. Rodie could not help it when he saw his first true friend he ever had, and his tears rolled down his face again. "Now, now, Bright Eyes, lets have no more of that. Remember what I told you before, you need to accept our love for you, just as we accepted your love you have given us. I am here now buddy, and I will be here with your mom from now on until you come home. You need to get well so Brutis will stop being so sad because you are not there. So calm down and save your energy so you can come home and see the surprise Jim and I are making for you." Eddie told him as he brushed away his tears, kissed him on his cheeks, and rubbing his nose against Rodie's nose. Rodie smiled when Eddie did that, because that was his special greeting to his special friends. "I love you Eddie. With you and the others to help me I promise that I will get better soon." Rodie told them. Eddie then looked over at Jim who was still sitting beside Rodie, then at Cathy and realized they had not told Rodie yet. "I have some things to take care of for a few minutes so I will be right back ok." Eddie said softly to him. Rodie told him ok in his mind. Eddie then stood and asked them all to step out of the room for a moment except Mark and Eric. "Why haven't either of you spoken to him." Eddie demanded of Jim and Cathy once they were out of the room. "You need to tell him that you will not be here for the next month or two. I know you both are worried about Rodie, but he is under the impression that you will be here with him also. Now you go in there and tell him now." Eddie told both of them as he pointed at Jim. Cathy nodded her head in agreement, while looking like a school-girl being reprimanded, as Eddie chastised them for not telling Rodie that Jim was leaving and would not be here with him. Jim told Eddie that he had promised Rodie to speak to him alone, so that he would tell him. Eddie was about to argue when Jim explained his reason for wanting to do it alone. Eddie and Cathy both agreed with him once he had explained. Eddie went over to the nurses' station and brought Jim a pair of crutches. "These should help you more instead of you using that cane of yours. Now zap yourself a couple of times with your medicine pump then you go tell him. I will be waiting out here with Cathy, and the others until you are done." Eddie told Jim before going and asking Eric and Mark to come out with him. He had Eric help Mark by guiding the morphine pump for him while he grabbed a couple of pillows from Mark's bed to prop up his arm. Everyone took a seat by the nurse's station to wait until Jim was done. As Eddie left the room, Jim came in closing the door before going over to sit down beside of Rodie. Rodie could sense that they were alone, and his fear began to grow again while his tears welled up in his eyes again. "It is ok my love, I just need to talk to you for a little while is all. Remember, I promised to talk to you alone. So don't cry now," Jim said to him as he gently wiped away his tears. "What's wrong Jim? I can feel it?" Rodie thought to him while somehow managing to put a quiver of fear into the thought also. "Yes there is something wrong, my love. I have waited until you woke up, and now that you have awakened, I cannot wait any longer. I am not going to be able to help you right now as you begin to get well. That is because I will not be here for the next two months, maybe longer." Jim told Rodie gently and was surprised when he saw him visibly relax. Rodie could sense Jim's surprise and confusion, so he looked at Jim and smiled. "I know that you will not be here with me because you have to get surgery, but you will always be with me no matter where you are." Rodie thought to Jim while showing him what he meant. He watched as understanding came across Jim's face, and then he grinned bigger as Jim blushed. "I totally forgot about that part of your talents, my love. You got me this time. So you will be ok with me not being here for now?" Jim asked him while he kissed his hand and held it against his cheek. "Yeah I will be Jim. Eddie will be here with Mommy, and the others will visit me. I will probably have to make them drag Mark out of here and take him home though. {giggle} It will not be like being in your arms at the beach house Jim, but it will be ok for me until you get better. You really need to shave too," Rodie said with another giggle. "I just wanted to be sure is all," Jim told him. Rodie's brow creased with concentration and he very slowly opened his hand. Jim let go of his hand as he sensed what Rodie was doing. Rodie continued to concentrate hard and his arm did not fall when Jim let go of his hand. Slowly he turned his hand, he then moved it across Jim's cheek in a slow caress. Jim could feel Rodie's strength beginning to give out, so he caught Rodie's hand just as it was beginning to fall. He then pressed Rodie's fingertips to his lips, kissing each one before putting his hand down. "I love you with all my heart, my bright eyed surf boy." Jim said to him with all of his love in those words. "Kiss me!" Rodie said to him. Not understanding completely, Jim got up, and once he steadied himself, leaned over and kissed Rodie on his lips. As their lips touched, Rodie gave Jim his special gift that Rodie had for him only that was filled with all of his love. Jim felt Rodie's gift as the ecstasy from his love filled his heart. When Jim broke the kiss, both of them were panting, but now he could sense all of Rodie's emotions and thoughts as he straightened up. He looked down into Rodie's sparkling green and gold colored eyes knowing that Rodie had linked the two of them forever. "Now where ever we go Jim, or where ever we are, and no matter how far apart, we will always be together. I love you forever Jim." Rodie said with a smile on his face while a single tear slipped down the side of his head. Jim brushed away the tear and echoed Rodie's thought. Rodie had just given him a very special part of himself that now had them connected for the rest of their lives. Jim was honored by his gift, and he knew that he would never lose it, and that he would never leave Rodie no matter what the future held for them. "I love you forever too Bright Eyes. Now let me go get the others before someone thinks I am in here mauling your helpless young body." Jim thought to him with a smirk while Rodie giggled at the thought. Rodie got a mischievous grin on his face while thinking that some selective mauling involving a certain part of his body and Jim's tongue would be rather nice right now. Jim feigned a look of shock while gasping before promising him that once they were both better that they could again discuss the matter at length. All three inches of it too, and that caused squeals of laughter to echo in his mind. He then left the room to tell the others everything would be fine now. End of Chapter 2. Send responses to snwdemon@yahoo.com or snwdemon@hotmail.com. Please include the word NOSPAM someplace on the subject line in order to get past my spam filters.