Date: Wed, 7 May 2003 07:36:24 -0700
From: Dan Kirk <dkstories@cox.net>
Subject: Phone call:  It's never easy 6

Legal Stuff: I don't know NSYNC or any other celebrity mentioned.  While
real people are the basis of characters, they are characters here and do
not represent the real lives, thoughts, or feelings of the real people.
Again, these are characters based on them, not the real people themselves.
If you are too young, or live in a location where it is illegal to read
stories that include love between men, read no further!  Like that would
have ever stopped me...


It's Never Easy -- Chapter 6

You want to know what hell is like?  Try winning, and then losing at the
same time.  We'd managed to have the court case thrown out, but Nathan
still wasn't home.  I will admit, I lost it then, even passing out against
James.  Luckily he had caught me and lowered me to the floor gently.

When I came to, I prayed that this had all been a nightmare.  Too bad this
wasn't some story I'd written because then I could just make it all go
away.  Instead, as I regained consciousness I knew I was embedded in
reality and would have to face the situation.

Which is why I started asking questions.

"Where is his Uncle and the rest of them?" I asked.

"Right now the deputies are watching their home for any activity.  We
searched it from top to bottom.  Nathan just isn't there.  With their
claims of him going on a religious retreat, well they are keeping quiet."
Steven said slowly, looking me in the eyes as I stood back up.

"Can they be charged as accessories to kidnapping?" I asked.

"Probably, but we'd have to get the DA..."

"Tell him that unless I see those two arrested on television, in front of
cameras sometime today, I will be on national television tonight
complaining about how they are handling this case, and I will be slapping
them with a civil lawsuit."

"You may not have grounds for a..." Steven started to interject.

"Let me make something crystal clear for you, Steven." I said in a soft,
dangerous voice.  "They helped someone kidnap my son after I followed the
system, followed the rules.  I beat them in court fair and square.  I
promised Nathan that if he went with that bitch, everything would be all
right.  Right now, I don't know if he's okay, I don't know what they may be
putting him through.  I am a parent who has had his son kidnapped.  Now,
right now, if the State of Florida doesn't want me to start tearing this
state apart with every tool my money can buy, I suggest you get those
assholes in your government to do their damn jobs."

"Yes, Mr. Young." Steven said formally, pulling out a cell phone and making
a phone call. I turned back to the assembled friends and family.  James was
holding my arm, looking at me weirdly.  I was in a pissed off son of a
bitch mode and he had never really seen me like this before.  My
grandmothers had seen me in this mode before, and they were grinning.

"Justin, get that picture of Nathan there on the mantle." I ordered in a
voice that was not to be argued with.  "You and Lynn take it to the nearest
Kinko's.  Put a sign on it that says `Kidnapped' in big, bold letters.  Put
Nathan's name and description on there and list his last known whereabouts
as his Uncle's place.  Also, put `Reward for information leading to his
safe return to anyone not participating in his kidnapping' and put
`$500,000' in big bold letters.  Have 10,000 color copies made and bring
them back here."

Justin and his mother immediately moved towards the 8'x10' picture of a
smiling Nathan that I pointed to and took it out of its frame.  He headed
upstairs to where my computer and color printer was.  While he was moving,
I looked at the faces of the forty-odd people who were still there, staring
at me. James was clutching my arm tightly.

"As for everyone else, I would like to ask for your help." I continued in a
softer tone.  My words were met by immediate answers of `Yes!' from
everyone.  "When Justin gets back with the posters, I want everyone to
split into groups of two or three.  Joey, Chris, you've both been in this
town for a while.  Get some maps and divide the city up into fifteen grids.
We'll form fifteen groups and distribute the posters to every store,
business, church and public space we can find.  I want this town plastered
with them."

Joey and Chris immediately said they were going to a store and buying some
maps.  As they ran out the door I looked at everyone else, and noticed
eagerness in their body languages.  They were all onboard and ready to go
into action.  Good.

"Johnny, can you get your Public Relations people in on this?" I asked
Johnny Wright.  "I'll pay for the expenses.  I want them to start booking
us onto every news talk show in Orlando and try to arrange appearances via
satellite on the national level as well.  I want James and I on everyone's
television screen."

"WE will pay for it." James said beside me, making me smile.  "I also think
we should have Grandma, Nanny, Robin, Whoopi, Chad, and a few others show
up on the news programs, with us and by themselves."

The people he named all started nodding immediately.  That was when I let
out a big sigh.  There's nothing that contributes to feeling helpless like
inaction.  Doing something that can be construed as constructive always
helps.  That was when Steven hung up his phone and smiled in my direction.

"The DA heard every word you just said." He informed me with that smile
plastered on his face and growing.  "When you mentioned plastering the town
with posters, he suddenly got very agreeable.  He's going to have the
Killmer family brought in for questioning, and have some of his people talk
to the children in their home.  He's starting a full-court press on them
immediately."

"That's what I want." I told him firmly.  "Now, would you mind if we asked
you to watchdog the DA's work?"

"It'll be my pleasure." He said, smiling even more.

"Good." I answered, my smile a grim one.

"I also want to hire some private investigators." James said after a
moment.  "I want to investigate everyone involved in this case here, in the
paternity case, and the libel case as well."

"Jive will start on that immediately." Johnny told him, as I nodded my
agreement.  James and I sat down on the couch, and had Nanny and Grandma
immediately sit on either side of us.

The next few hours, as night approached, saw a flurry of activity.
Everyone was busy.  Justin and Lynn returned with the first batch of 2,000
posters at the same time that Joey and Chris finished their dividing the
city up into sections.  Groups of people took off, all hugging us or
stating their intentions to help us find Nathan.  Television crews began
appearing outside the home, and Johnny decided that the first thing we'd do
would be an impromptu press conference.

Or at least it would look like an impromptu press conference.  There was a
Jive employee who was letting herself be talked into giving the gate code
to get into the subdivision, and another calling to remind people of where
we lived.  When the number of reporters had grown to over a hundred and
included every national network, James and I had Johnny announce that we'd
be giving a short speech.  We received word from Steven that the DA had
actually arrested Nathan's Uncle and his wife based on some information
which he relayed to us.  The phone number at Jive that we had put on the
posters was starting to ring as well with tips.  Most of them I knew
wouldn't pan out, but every call was a potential find of Nathan.

At 10:00 p.m. Eastern daylight time, James and I exited the front door of
our home and approached a stand of microphones that had been set up
hastily.  We had just finished a tense phone call with the District
Attorney that left James and I so furious we had to calm ourselves to
speak.  My grandmothers, Johnny Wright, and Robin Williams flanked us.  The
rest of NSYNC, their families and our other friends also came out, forming
a half-circle behind us.  Everyone had returned from distributing posters,
having posted about 3,000 of them total.  Tomorrow, we'd be starting again.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the press." James began, stepping up to the
microphones and speaking from memory the statement that we had prepared
over the last two hours.  "I want to thank all of you for being here, and
for the concern and care you and the public have shown to us so far.

"As you are aware, Nathan Killmer has been a part of my family for over a
year now.  He came to us after a great tragedy took the life of his mother
and his father.  The road we have traveled has not been an easy one, but
with love and care for each other, it has been a good one.  However,
Nathan's family conspired to end that happiness and set about a diabolical
plan to take him away from the people he loves, and who love him.

"Tonight we have learned that the District Attorney's office has discovered
frightening information about Nathan's treatment over the last few days and
has arrested his Uncle and the man's wife for child abuse and neglect.
Their children are being placed into protective custody and our prayers and
thoughts go out to them.

"However, we are still pained by the continued disappearance of Nathan.  We
have learned that he was taken by a Reverend Eugene Morrow of a cult-like
group called `Exodus Ministries'.  Upon hearing the verdict this morning,
Nathan's uncle called his home and advised that Nathan was going to be
returned to us.  At that time, the Reverend Morrow took Nathan from that
home and disappeared.  It is unclear still if this was done on his own or
in collusion with the Killmers.

"We are concerned based on the reports we have received of Nathan's
treatment at that home.  Our main concern at this point in time is to get
Nathan home where he belongs.  To that end, we are offering a reward of
$500,000 for information leading to the safe return of Nathan.  This reward
will go to anyone who provides us valuable information unless that person
was part of the kidnapping or torture of Nathan while his Uncle held him.
We have discussed the matter with the District Attorney, and he has agreed
to consider leniency if a person involved steps forward and helps us
recover Nathan.  That is all the reward we are willing to offer to someone
in that situation.  Now, my partner would like to say a few words before we
open this up for questions."

"Good evening." I said somberly, stepping up to the platforms.  "I have to
beg your forgiveness if my speech is not as refined as Lances'.  He's far
more use to speaking with reporters than I am."

It worked, there was a moment of chuckling in the crowd.

"This has been a hard day for us, but as James mentioned, it has been an
even harder day for Nathan.  We have learned that immediately after being
delivered to his Uncle by the State of Florida, he was subjected to a
religious ritual where he was surrounded by dozens of people.  They chanted
at him, prayed over him, touched him and called him a spawn of the devil.
After several hours of this, he was locked in a small room somewhere in
their basement and isolated with only water to drink.  There's reason to
believe that the water also contained some type of drugs to make him
compliant.

"Several times during the night, he was woken up by different members of
the household and forced to listen to them preach at him and pray over him.
He was given no choice on this matter.  The next day, he was given two
pieces of bread to eat, and water to drink.  Nothing else.  Again, we have
reason to believe he was continually being drugged as well.

"They shouted at him, berated him, ridiculed him, and demanded he renounce
James, me, and his life with us.  They attempted to force him to sign a
document stating that he wished to live with his Uncle.  He refused despite
his drugged and hungered state.  He was characterized as being defiant
throughout their attempts to brainwash him.  Now he has been kidnapped from
that home at the hands of Reverend Morrow and is likely continuing to
experience their torture under the guise of religious counseling.  The
District Attorney has filed, and been granted a warrant for the arrest of
Reverend Morrow.

"Let me say this right now, I have never been so proud of anyone as I am of
Nathan right now.  He is only sixteen, but he is not succumbing to the
brainwashing and torture these people are inflicting on him. They attempt
to hide their cruelty behind the guise of religion, but their actions brand
them little more than a cult like Jim Jones and his ilk. They do not
represent the good, god-fearing people of mainstream America, just the
fanatical religious zealots who are no better than the Muslims who
terrorized this nation on September 11th.

"Finally, let me give this warning to anyone involved in the kidnapping and
torture of our son." I began, my voice going deeper and much more menacing.
"Turn yourselves in now, and tell us where Nathan is being held.  If you
turn yourselves in, the DA might go easier on you, and we won't file a
civil claim against you.  Don't turn yourselves in, and the DA will find
you, or the army of private investigators we are hiring will find you.  The
government will prosecute you, and then my lawyers will descend on you
until your home is taken away, your cars are auctioned, your savings
accounts stripped, and everyone around you knows of the vile deeds you have
done.  You have hurt my son.  He will spend the rest of his life with the
nightmares stemming from his torture at your hands.  I will not let you
live your life without legal reminders of the evil you have done.

"Turn yourselves in now, because the moment Nathan is recovered, my offer
of mercy will end."

"Mr. Young!" A male reporter near the front shouted.  "Aren't you worried
that your threats will cause the kidnappers to harm Nathan more?"

"No." I said more calmly.  "Nathan's already being harmed in the worst way,
and every further mistreatment of him only seals the perpetrators fate
further.  Their best bet is to give up now, because we will never stop
looking."

"Mr. Young!" a female reporter this time.  "Don't you think that not
offering the money to someone involved reduces the likelihood of their
turning themselves in?"

"Not if they know what's good for them." I said firmly.  "I will not see
money go towards these people or their organizations for doing the right
thing, returning Nathan home.  I will however consent and even support
leniency for those that do turn themselves in.  I am also hiring several
lawyers to begin preparing civil lawsuits against those participants that
have been identified, and will be identified.  It is my intent to make
everyone involved who does not surrender themselves and fully admit their
roles as well as helping us recover Nathan, pay the highest price both
criminally and civilly.  However, I want to make it clear, we will not
partake in any illegal acts of revenge, nor do we condone any such actions
by people on our behalf.  There are laws on the books that provide for
punishment of these criminals, and we fully support the enforcement of the
law, not vigilantism."

"Mr. Bass!" Another reporter shouted.  "How will this affect NSYNC's tour?"

"We haven't really discussed that yet," James began, stepping up beside me.
"To be honest, we'll probably have to postpone some dates even if Nathan is
returned immediately.  I am going to need to spend time with him and Dave
after this over, reestablishing our family and making sure Nathan knows he
is loved."

"Mr. Young!" another reporter shouted.  "How do you feel about the support
you are being given by your family and friends?"

"I've learned that NSYNC really is family." I said with a wan smile.  "I've
also never been so grateful for my friends and my family as I am at this
moment.  Both James and I are heartbroken over this whole affair and it is
only their strength, their love, and their support that is keeping us
going."

"Thank you for your time." James said quickly as more questions were
shouted.  "It's getting late, our friends and family need to rest tonight,
as do we.  We're meeting at the law offices of our attorney tomorrow
morning to organize the distribution of more posters throughout town. I ask
that you be considerate of our neighbors and don't leave your lights on all
night. Thank you and good night."

James and I led the way back into the house as everyone hugged us.  About
ten minutes later, enough time for the talking heads outside to wrap up
their comments to the studio, our friends and family began to head to their
own homes.  Yes, the entire press conference had been carried live on every
network, and on every cable news channel.  We flipped through the channels
and discovered that several Republican congressional candidates who were
calling us `perverts' were suddenly being ripped new assholes by callers
and by the hosts.

You bet I was encouraged.

The tide of public opinion was starting to turn our way.  With any luck,
Nathan would soon be home.  We went to bed feeling a little better that
night, and actually slept a little more, wrapped into each other's arms,
crying softly.

We were woken by a phone call the next morning.  I answered the phone
sleepily, and was surprised at the crisp, female voice with a British
accent.  She was far to chipper for me this early.

"Please stand by for Her Majesty and His Royal Highness." She said happily.
I groaned and James leaned in so he could hear the receiver as well as I.

"Hello, David." The Queen's voice said through our phone.

"Good Morning your majesty.  James is here with me as well." I responded as
politely as I could for still being half asleep.

"We are calling to express to you our deepest sympathies in your current
situation.  Nathan is a fine young man, and young Harry is absolutely
distraught at what his happening."

"Thank you, your Majesty."  James said for me. I had tears in my eyes.
"Your phone call is immensely appreciated."

"Very well, my son wishes to speak to you for a few minutes, so I shall let
him continue from here.  Please, gentlemen, do not hesitate to call if
there is anything our family can do for yours."

"Thank you your majesty." I said softly.  Soon the more familiar voice of
Prince Charles came on the phone.

"How are you two holding up." He asked after our greetings.

"As well as can be expected." I answered honestly.  "We have a busy day
ahead of us."

"Am I to understand that you are going to attempt to keep public attention
and pressure on this case?" he asked us.

"Yes." James answered immediately.  "We want him back."

"Harry is quite upset with all of this." Prince Charles told us calmly.
"We've had to pull him out of his school because of how upset he has been.
He insists on flying to Florida and being there when his friend gets back."

"Uh, wow." I said after a moment.  James and I shrugged at that.

"Do you believe that some royal attention might help you keep the press
hounding this issue?" he asked us in that same calm tone.

"More than likely." James said after a few minutes.

"Good, then we'll have Harry on a plane in a few hours.  I assume he will
be able to stay with you?  He will have a ten-person security detail from
here and of course a US Diplomatic Service security detail."

"We'll find room." James whispered, his eyes as wide as mine.

"Your highness," I began after a moment.  "Are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely, and the Queen agrees.  You are friends of our family, and
Nathan has been an exemplary friend to Harry.  Besides, he is causing a row
here and we would rather channel his energy in a more positive path.  He
will, of course, be under your supervision while in the States and you
shall have full authority to discipline him as you would your own son.
That will also be made clear in our statements to the press when they ask."

"Thank you, your highness." It was my turn to whisper.

"Very, well.  Now, one thing I do ask, when Nathan is back home with you,
why don't the three of you return with Harry and spend a few weeks with us
in the countryside?  I do believe that it would be good for all of you."

"That, sir, is a deal." James said, smiling at me. Okay he'd agreed without
asking me, but the only reason I hadn't done the same was he beat me to it.
Damn singers.  Always quick with the words.

"Very well, then.  I will have my staff contact you when Harry's arrival
time is known.  Take care of yourselves and bring your son back with you."
Prince Charles said before hanging up.  James and I just sat there for a
moment, then we started giggling.  Nanny found us like that and asked what
pills we'd taken.  She didn't believe us about the phone call, but warned
us to get down for dinner.  People were already arriving.

Yes we showered.  No we didn't have sex.  But we did spend a half-hour
touching each other.  Those soft, gentle caresses confirmed our love for
each other, and how much we were supporting each other in this rough time.
God how I loved him!

I spent a few minutes after we dressed typing on some talking points for
those of us that would be going on camera, then I headed down for
breakfast.  Talk about organized chaos. The house was buzzing with
activity.  Lynn, Grandma, Nanny, and Kelly were in the kitchen cooking.
Joey was watching Briana and some of the other children whose parents had
arrived while Justin and Chris were organizing people into groups for
passing out the posters.  Josh and Manuel were both on cell phones with
staff at Jive and arranging meetings with various private investigators.
James was helping get a buffet table ready for all the food that was being
cooked.  I looked at the clock on the wall and noticed it was just now 6:15
a.m.

By 7, we were out the door and en route to various television stations and
of course Steven's office.  There were two cameras outside that filmed the
convoy of cars, all equipped with posters plastered on the sides and rears
of each vehicle.  We had the radio on, and I was surprised to hear the
radio station morning show asking everyone to turn their lights on in
support of Nathan's safe return.  Almost every car I saw had its light on.
At stoplights, people were asking for posters and wishing us well.

I couldn't help but let the tears run quietly down my cheeks.

The morning show was nerve-racking.  Most of our comments from the night
before ended up being repeated, and some of the questions were
quite...inane.  Nevertheless, we suffered through them.  After that, we met
with the private investigators we had hired so far.  Then it was over to
Steven's office for an update on the District Attorney's investigation,
then walking neighborhoods hanging posters everywhere we could and talking
with people.  Most were very supportive.  The rest we just walked away
from.

By night, we were exhausted and back on television for some evening and
night shows. By the time we went to bed that night, most of the nation had
at least heard about Nathan's kidnapping.

We woke up to find out that the US Attorney General had canceled the Amber
Alert for Nathan.  Apparently he was too old for such a national alert.  Or
at least that was the official reason.  Nathan's kidnapping was bumped by a
news story issued from the White House about some potential conflict in
negotiations within the Middle East.  I was immediately suspicious, but
James reminded me that the world did not revolve around us.

The next few days saw us meeting with the private investigators, making
whatever appearances we could get on television, and walking the streets.
Harry's trip out had been delayed because the US State Department would not
be able to provide security for him immediately.  The detectives were
making decent progress, but Nathan was still not home.  NSYNC announced a
one-month delay in their tour start date, postponing at least 6 shows.  The
rest of their shows were now sold out.  It was on the fifth day that things
began to change.

For the worse.

Nathan's uncle and aunt were released from jail.  In the paternity suit,
the court ruled that based on the religious belief of the mother, blood or
DNA samples could not be taken from the child she claimed was mine (we were
appealing, but that would take another week), and the Attorney General of
the United States made a very vicious speech denouncing James and I as poor
parents.

The conservative Christians in the Republican Party began a massive media
campaign that used James and I as evidence of everything that was wrong
with America.  On the same day they started this campaign, a letter arrived
at our home.  It was a typed letter, purportedly from Nathan stating that
he did not want anything to do with us and that he was a born again
Christian now, having renounced the homosexual lifestyle.  It was signed,
but we agreed it was not his signature.

Even though we had eight handwriting experts confirm our belief, the media
still snapped on the letter as if it was gold.  That gave the conservatives
time to insist it was real and public opinion began to sway their way.  The
DA dropped the kidnapping charges, and the state and federal investigators
closed their files.  No one seemed to care about my piece of paper that
said Nathan was supposed to be with us, and no one cared to look into it
anymore.  To make matters worse, many of our friends and family had to go
back to their every day lives, and their help became more sporadic.

We felt like things were falling apart.  We hadn't even had sex since
Nathan was taken from us.

Yes, it was that bad.

It wasn't until the fifteenth day after the court hearing that things began
to improve.  Nathan had now been gone from us for seventeen days and we
were starting to see hope dim.  That was when one of our investigators
called.  He had a lead from a very unlikely source.  It was a child who
lived in a poor area of town.  His mother had heard him talking about
Nathan on television and laughing about the situation.  When she asked him
about why he was laughing, he stated that a friend at school had been
bragging about how his daddy had helped the church hide him in a nuthouse.

That was the start.

The Queen of England told the Prime Minister to tell the US President that
her grandson was coming to Orlando with or without security from the
Diplomatic Service.  Somehow, this story was leaked to the British press,
who immediately questioned why it was taking two weeks for the United
States to provide security.

Our house was inundated with security people the next morning.  A few hours
after that; Prince Harry's flight landed at Orlando International.  He
descended from the plane and spoke to the press about how concerned he was
for his friend, and at how much he appreciated the friendship of our
family.

The conservatives on the television expressed their shock that the royal
family would be so supportive and friendly of homosexuals.  It also
propelled our story into the forefront once again, and we were making
several television appearances after that.  Our detective said that the
timing couldn't have been better because it led to the break we needed.

The father of the boy who was heard bragging about Nathan being in a
nuthouse liked to sneak out to a bar every now and then.  Our detective
managed to get him drunk that night (the poor fellow was nervous that the
story had not gone away).  He got all the information we needed, and we
were about to go to the police when we got a very disturbing phone call.

"Hello, this is Dave Young?" I answered my cell phone, not recognizing the
number with a New York area code.  I was in my car with the detective
heading to Steven's office.

"Mr. Young, this is Barbara Walters." The woman's voice told me.  Yes, I
recognized her.

"Ma'am, I'm kind of busy at the moment, is there something I can do for
you?" I asked her as politely as I could. Adrenaline was flowing and I
could practically feel Nathan in my arms again.

"Yes, well, I was wondering if I could get some comments from you, on or
off camera, but on the record about a story we will be running tonight."
She said.

"What's the story?" I asked, immediately suspicious.  I was now pulling
into my lawyer's parking lot and parked the car.

"We've received a copy of an e-mail that was sent from the Republican
National Committee to the White House immediately after the kidnapping of
Nathan.  This e-mail details a planned political campaign featuring your
family as, and I quote. `One of the reasons for the decline of America.'
End-quote.  It also requests whatever assistance the White House could
provide in removing your story from the prominent news status and limiting
any activities that might reflect negatively upon the positions of the
conservative support base.  We will be highlighting questionable actions by
the federal government and the State of Florida that could be construed as
the requested assistance.

"Barbara," I said slowly, not really believing what I was hearing.  "If
what you are saying is true, and this e-mail is genuine, I don't know what
to say.  I'm offended, I'm angry, and most of all I'm disappointed at the
implication that our government could use a 16-year old boy as a pawn in an
election cycle.  I hope the voters will remember this when it comes time to
vote."

"Is that something I can quote?" She asked me.

"Yes, ma'am, it is." I said. "If you will excuse me, I have to go now."

"What's going on?" the detective asked as I hung up the phone, pulled out
of the parking space and began heading home.

"I can't trust that the police will do anything." I replied honestly, then
sharing with him what I'd just learned.  He whistled appreciatively.

"What are you going to do?" he asked next.

"We're going to get into this facility and find out if Nathan is there." I
told him.  "Then we will go back with a police escort and demand they
enforce my custody order."

"How will we get in there?"

"Your drunk said that they give tours to parents who consider putting their
kids in there, right?"

"Yes."

"Then I'm going to be a conservative parent who wants to cure his kid." I
said.

"They'll recognize you."

"You forget, I know a few of the best make-up artists in the business." I
said smugly.

It took two days to make all the arrangements.  It even took a lot of money
to get everything we needed and to fool a very suspicious hospital staff
that I was legitimate.  Guess where the hospital was that he was reportedly
being held in?  Ten miles from my own front door.

I seriously considered hiring some mercenaries and performing a full
frontal assault the first day.  James talked me out of it, but he didn't
talk me out of being the guy who goes in and look at the facility.  I
managed to keep the gun hidden from him as well.

Two days after my talk with Barbara, the national press was in a furor.
The Diplomatic Service detail was pulled away in an attempt to force the
Queen to call Harry home since the story of the delay was becoming a
sticking point in the charges of obstruction by the government.  It didn't
work.  Instead we now had British security only, and they were keeping
their mouths shut about our plans.  For some reason they were pissed at the
American government as well.

James made me adopt a strict policy of `no comment' regarding the fuss that
was brewing, and Harry supported his opinion.  I ended up giving in to them
and kept my mouth shut after that first comment to Barbara Walters.  We
also stopped giving interviews.

There was a riot in West Palm Beach when a spontaneous demonstration
against the State Attorney General turned into chaos.  The conservatives
had a field day trying to blame all those evil homosexuals down there.  For
some reason I think it backfired.

It was amidst this mess that we set out plan into action.  You know, it
really is amazing what money can buy.  An equipment van with listening
equipment was expensive, but James dished out the cash for it.  I bought
the miniature wire taps and two-way radio equipment as well as the smallest
camera I'd ever seen.  When the makeup artist was done with me, neither
grandmother could recognize me.

We were ready.  I had my appointment to see the head psychiatrist at this
facility.  It was actually a lock-down unit on the fourth floor of a
hospital that was having hard financial times.  From the reputed cost of
treatment at this lock-down facility, it was a good deal for the hospital.
The stated purpose of this facility was to treat drug-using teenagers in a
`Christian' environment.  What we learned is they took special cases and
tried to help cure them of their sexuality in a sectioned off area of the
fourth floor.

I pulled up in an older car that we had borrowed from Joey's brother.  The
hospital staff directed me to an office on the third floor where I met the
`Admitting' doctor who would be giving me a tour.  We chatted for a bit, me
expressing my concern over my son's harmful ways, and we even prayed before
continuing.  I guess I passed the test when he had me lead the prayer.

Hey, being the son of a Baptist minister means that you DO know the jargon.

We were walking through the `public' area of the locked-down floor when I
noticed how spaced out these kids look.  They were all doped up pretty
heavily.  The crosses every few feet made my spine tingle.  Or was that the
cold metal pressing against it?  Didn't matter, I was doing my best to nod
appreciably and give a few "amen, brother's" as the doctor showed me
around.  Finally, we entered the back part of the floor and he keyed a code
into a door with an electronic lock.

The rooms in here were small, but each had a bed and small nightstand (with
a bible on it).  He showed me the treatment rooms where the `counselor'
would lead bible discussions on how to leave the evil life of the
homosexual, and he finally showed me to the common room.  There were five
boys in the room, ages ranging from maybe 14 to 17.  I saw Nathan
immediately and suppressed the urge to rush to him.  His hair had been
shaved very short and he looked right at me with very dull eyes.

He was as drugged as every other kid in here.

"This is the room where we allow them to communicate with each other and
teach them how to interact in a proper way with each other." The guy was
saying to me.

"Who is the kid with the red hair?" I asked.  "He looks familiar"

"He's the son of one of our out of state members.  He's a particularly
tough case.  We've had to up his dosage lately and will have to be taking
extreme measures soon.  In fact, I think he's due for his treatment soon."
The `doctor' told me.

As he spoke two orderlies came over to Nathan and rudely informed him it
was time for him to experience `the rack'.  I saw some life come into his
eyes, but it was fear.  He tried to cower away from them, but they grabbed
him and began to drag him out of the room.

What would you do?

"Let Nathan go, now." I said, my voice low, but full of suppressed anger.

"What?!" the doctor next to me reacted with surprise.

"I said," I began, loud enough for the orderlies to hear me.  As I spoke, I
removed the $3,000 wig I was wearing as well as the stocking cap over my
hair, then my fake nose, and my fake sideburns.  "LET MY SON GO YOU SON OF
A BITCH!"

"Who are you?" the doctor stared at me aghast.

"My name is David Ray Young, and as these papers will show you, I am the
legal guardian of that young man, Nathan Killmer.  You have been holding
him here illegally, and I will take him home now!"

The orderlies had stopped at my voice, and I saw Nathan staring at me out
of the corner of my eyes.  He shook his head a few times, then screamed out
"Dad!" and tried to run towards me.  Unfortunately, the orderlies had a
good grip on him and wouldn't let him go.

"I should have you arrested for trespassing!" the doctor said angrily,
staring at me and the papers I held in my hand.  "You are mistaken about
the young man's identity.  He is William Jeffers from Arkansas."

"No!" Nathan started to shout, but his mouth was soon covered by one of the
orderlies.

"Nice try, doctor." I said.  "We'll wait for the police to show and match
his fingerprints to those on file."

"We'll do no such thing." He said angrily, then waived at the orderlies
holding Nathan with one hand, and at something behind me with the other.
"Orderlies, take the young man to his treatment immediately. You two,
remove this man from the facility."

That was when two sets of hands grabbed my arms and started to force me
around.  Do you remember me mentioning I was in the Navy?  Guess what I
did?  Security.  That's why one of the orderlies who grabbed me ended up
with my foot breaking his kneecap.  As he let go of my arm, I swung at the
second orderly and broke his nose easily.  Then my hand whipped under the
sports coat I was wearing and pulled out a small 9mm.  I loaded a round in
the chamber and pointed it at one of the orderlies who was starting to drag
Nathan away.

"Let him go or you die." I said simply.  Yes I meant it.  This was my
son. They saw the look in my eyes, and knew I was about one second from
pulling the trigger.  Nathan came running to me, and to my horror was out
of breath by the time he reached me. He hugged me tightly as I glared at
the orderlies on the ground, the two standing up, and the doctor.  More
staff were appearing, and I knew we had to leave.

"You can't leave without the codes to open the door." The doctor said
snidely.

"9648" I replied, and his eyes went wide.  "The elevator code is 1952.  I'm
glad you are so inept at entering the codes, Doctor.  Gave me plenty of
time to memorize them."

I led a now sobbing Nathan out of the room, careful to keep my distance
from staff members.  I entered the code to the main door at that point and
we exited the hallway.  Then we were down the elevator.  That was when the
alarm went off.  I had put the gun away when we got into the elevator and
was telling Nathan, "Yes, I'm really here." He was sobbing that question
"Are you real?" over and over.  As we exited the elevator, hospital
security was there and tried to apprehend me.

Since they didn't know about the `special' unit on the fourth floor, they
thought I was helping a drug-addicted teenager escape.  That's when I
showed them my custody papers, my identification, and the court documents.
They handed them to the hospital administrator who showed up.  He took one
look at me, then a look at Nathan and went white as a ghost.  That's when
the press arrived, right ahead of the police.

I walked with Nathan out of the building, followed by a Hospital
Administrator demanding to know what was going on, and some very nervous
security people. James rushed towards me, as did the detective who had
broken the case.  They both hugged me and Nathan.  I smiled as they pulled
back and James leaned down to take Nathan's crying face in his hands.
Nathan let me go and held onto James like a lifeline.

I suddenly felt very empty.

The press managed to reach me with their cameras about two steps ahead of
the police.  The first reporter stuck her microphone in my face and nearly
shouted a question as to what was happening.

"As you can see," I said, wiping the tears from my eyes and pointing to
Nathan and James. "I have recovered my son from where he was being
illegally held prisoner in a psychiatric facility within this hospital.  I
used a disguise and managed to get myself a guided tour by posing as a
religious man who wanted his son cured of homosexuality.  The doctor giving
the tour was effusive in his promises of how good their treatment was.

"When they showed me the common room, I saw Nathan sitting there, obviously
drugged.  While I was there, two orderlies came into the room and began to
take Nathan for treatment with something they called `the rack.'  He
reacted in total fear.  At that point I removed my disguise, identified
myself as Nathan's legal guardian and demanded they release him
immediately.  They refused, saying he was someone else, and threatened to
call the police.  I accepted that proposition and was confident that when
Nathan's fingerprints were compared to those on file with the police
department, the matter would be solved.  That was when the doctor ordered
Nathan removed for treatment and ordered me removed from the premises.

"I was worried about Nathan's security and utilized force to remove him
from the facility.  He is now safe, and James will be taking him to another
hospital for treatment.  I would like to thank those friends and detectives
who have helped out with this situation, and I would like to express my
disappointment in the inability of the government to solve this crime."

"Nathan!" the reporter shouted, sticking the microphone towards him. "Did
you sign a letter stating that you don't want to be returned to Dave Young
and Lance Bass?"

"NO!" Nathan shouted, his face angry.  "I BEGGED THEM TO LET ME GO HOME BUT
THEY WOULDN'T LISTEN!  THEY DRUGGED ME, THEY FUCKING TREATED ME LIKE SHIT!
I JUST WANT TO GO HOME WITH DAD AND POPS!"

"Enough." I said, grabbing the microphone as James led Nathan away to a
waiting vehicle.  The police didn't try to stop him.  "I ask that you give
Nathan time to recover."

"What happens now, Mr. Young?" The reporter asked.

"Now, I go answer the questions of these officers over here." I told her,
walking away.  The lead officer immediately grabbed my arm and took me back
towards the squad cars.  We talked for about fifteen minutes and my
detective showed back with the audio and videotapes.

They questioned me for a while, then asked for the weapon I had.  I not
only showed them the weapon, but the Concealed Weapons permit I had
received gotten when the death threats started a few months ago.  The
police lieutenant that showed up on scene reviewed the tape and the
officer's report, then asked me some more questions.  By this time, Social
Services had shown up, demanding to know where Nathan was.  After they
watched the tape, instead of rushing to the hospital was, they went
upstairs to investigate this facility.  That was when they discovered that
`the rack' was an electro-shock therapy table.

They weren't too happy.

All the remaining kids in the facility (both the back facility and the drug
facility) were immediately moved to another hospital, and the facilities on
the fourth floor were closed pending a full investigation.  Naturally, more
press had arrived by this time and were flooding the area with lights and
cameras.  Yes, most of them spent a lot of time focusing on me.  Meanwhile,
I stood there while the police milled around and tried to look important.
Finally, they escorted me into the back of a car and we headed downtown.

I wasn't under arrest, but I wasn't free to go.  It's called `being
questioned.'

I was surprised that the County's District Attorney was waiting for me when
I was escorted into an interrogation room.  I sat down at the table across
from him and met his eyes without a trace of fear.  He just stared at me
for a long time.

"You've opened a mighty big can of worms, Mr. Young."  He said at last.

"You left me no choice if I wanted to get my son back." I replied.

"We were under...pressure to let the case go." He said softly.

"Your problem, not mine."

"You violated several laws today and assaulted two orderlies." He said.

"And I rescued my son who was illegally being held against his and my will.
Despite several attempts to discuss the situation and operate without
violence, the doctor ordered my son to be taken to a room and given
electro-shock therapy and to have me forcibly removed from his location.
He also attempted to deceive me as to the identity of Nathan.  Considering
his illegal actions, mine are insignificant."

"I thought you said you wanted to settle this within the law." He sighed.

"I did, but the law was under pressure to let the case go." I said, quoting
him.

"What do you plan on doing from here?" He asked me, eyeing me sharply.

"If I were you, I'd either resign or reveal who was pressuring you and why
you caved in to them." I said bluntly.  "Whether you have me arrested and
charged, or let me go, I'm going to make sure that every man, woman, and
child in this nation knows what happened, in full detail.  Every person who
worked in that facility, supported that facility, or was connected to it in
any way is going to be faced with a civil lawsuit.  Every person who was
connected to Nathan's kidnapping or illegal imprisonment is going to face
me in court and I'm going to do everything I can to bankrupt them.  That's
regardless of whether you prosecute them criminally."

"We are already preparing charges against the doctors in that facility." He
said.

"Don't forget the nurses and orderlies." I cautioned him.  "If you hang
enough of them, maybe the public will forgive you at election time."

"You know those orderlies you assaulted will probably sue." He said softly.

"Let them.  I'll get better lawyers."

"Are you always this full of yourself?" He was exasperated now.

"Only when I'm right."

"Fine, okay.  I'm not having charges pressed against you.  You are free to
go, and Mr. Young, I really am glad that Nathan is home." He said, throwing
his hands in the air.

"He's not home yet.  He's in a hospital."

"I'll have an officer take you there." He told me as we both stood up.  Ten
minutes later, I was pushing my way through the press and into the
hospital.  That was when I realized how awful I looked with only about 2/3
of my disguise gone.  I laughed anyway and headed upstairs to where Nathan
was.  I found his room by asking some questions and soon found about fifty
family and friends (as well as some British Security people) waiting in an
overfilled waiting area.  There were hugs, kisses, and cheers all around.
I went into a bathroom there and finished removing the disguise, using my
Nanny's brush to get my hair looking decent.  Then I went back into the
waiting room and rang the nurse's desk in ICU.  Thirty seconds later I was
being led into a room where Nathan was in the hospital bed.

I started crying and rushed over to where James was sitting.  We switched
positions so that he was sitting in my lap, both of us looking at Nathan in
the bed, and I held onto him tightly.  James quieted down after a few
minutes, his sobbing stopped.

"He was so full of different drugs that the doctors were amazed he was
conscious." James whispered eventually.  "He went to sleep as soon as we
got him here and hasn't woken up yet.  He's also suffering from
malnutrition.  They have him on liquid nutrients through the I.V. and their
talking a feeding tube if he doesn't wake up tomorrow."

"He'll be fine." I whispered, and Nathan chose that moment to partially
open his eyes.

"Dadda, Poppa?" he whispered like he disbelieved it.  "Are you real?"

"Yes, son." I said, leaning forward with James to hold his hand in ours.
"We're real.  We are both here for you."

"Where am I?" he whispered.

"A real hospital." James answered.  "As soon as you get better, and we get
those drugs out of your body, you can come home.  Until then, we'll stay
here with you."

"Don't leave me, please."

"Son that will not happen." I said softly, holding back the tears.


***


Author's Note: As much as I might wish otherwise, this chapter of the story
is based on a true story.  Such centers, and religious zealous really do
exist. Many years ago, a young man in my hometown was kicked out of his
home by his parents when they found out he was gay.

His boyfriend's family took him in and were in the process of getting
custody when his parents decided they were going to `cure' their son.  They
had him kidnapped from school and sent to a similar type of facility.  I
became involved at that point when his boyfriend came to PFLAG for help.  I
used a family friend who was a lawyer to begin a legal case to take away
custody from his parents.

So long as they had custody, it was legal for him to be held in this
`center' and drugged, electrocuted, etc.  We won the case, and it took
another two weeks for him to be returned as they appealed in the court of
the state in which he was being held.

Remember, when minor children are involved, the STATES have primary
jurisdiction and traveling between states can result in the loss of certain
rights depending on each state's laws.  It's a fact of life.

The young man was eventually returned.  However he was not unharmed.  He
suffered what I would describe as severe depression and several physical
side effects of the drugs and treatments he was subjected to in that
center.

Life sucks, and it is never easy.  I hope you will continue to read as we
find out where Dave, James, Nathan, and the other guys go from here.

dk