Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2007 07:53:54 -0700 (PDT) From: David S Subject: John and Mateo chapter 31 college... Hello my dear readers. Here is another chapter of John and Mateo. I do hope that you enjoy the continuing saga of our cute, sexy, and loveable boys. As the year is coming to an end please know that work will increase for me. I'll try my best to release another chapter as soon as I can. Thank you for being patient with me. Disclaimer: This is a story of love between men. If you're reading this then you must enjoy the stories of gay men and their lifestyles. Please be legal in age. John and Mateo Chapter 31 That night and into the early morning hours both Jacob and Curtis talked. The old saying was true; time did fly when you were having fun. At certain points in the conversation the fun became a little painful. They both opened up to each other that night and into the early morning hours. Each took their own time to share about themselves and their lives. The fact that they had met each other only hours ago meant nothing to the men as they shared about their lives. Jacob began sharing with him some of the things that he vowed never to share with anyone. It seemed so easy to talk to Curtis. Jacob, a person that was used to keeping things to himself opened up like a book to Curtis. He realized that this night was the first time that he ever opened up to anyone besides his beloved mother. He didn't fear that he would be judged by Curtis. He felt very safe in talking about his feelings. He shared with Curtis about his mother. "She was the recipient of my tantrums and fears about life. She was a saint when it came to listening to my problems. She never stood in judgment of me, but often gave me sound advice about life. She was a great listener. She was the only one to stand by my side when I finally decided to come out of the closet. Coming out in my senior year of high school wasn't my plan. It just seemed to happen. I had lost many of my friends as a result of coming out. It almost seemed to happen over night. One day I found myself without any of my so called `friends' she was my friend and confidant." "What happened in high school?" Curtis asked. "Those ever present teenage hormones took over. I met this kid that had transferred from another school. We hit it off, became friends and one day we were in the restroom at school." He shook his head, "I still can't believe how asinine it became. We were kissing and someone walked in on us. It didn't take long for it to spread around campus." He looked down at his hands which were slightly shaking. Jacob crossed his arms over his chest to steady his hands. "All my friends were gone. When I tried to talk to them I got the cold shoulder." "That must have been hard on you." Curtis spoke with tenderness in his voice. He nodded, "Yes, it was. But mom was there for me. She lifted my spirits." He shared his recent feelings about Christopher. He didn't have any intentions of sharing this little information with Curtis but words just flew out of his mouth like an air mattress losing air. He prayed that he wasn't talking too much. He was afraid that by talking too much he would some how push Curtis away. When he finally finished he held his breath. Jacob had never felt so exposed in his life. He felt as if his heart was exposed to Curtis. He hoped that it wouldn't be crushed. "I'm sorry; I think I may have talked too much. I hope that I didn't scare you." Jacob said in a small voice. Curtis cleared his throat and Jacob waited for him to say the first words since he had stopped talking. "Thank you Jacob." Curtis said. "Thank you for sharing from your heart." His mouth cracked a small smile. "It takes courage to share from your heart like you just did. To be transparent about who you are, and how you feel about life." He looked down at the floor and then lifted his head once again. Jacob could see a little moisture in his eyes. "I'm so glad that you felt comfortable enough with me to share. It's an honor and it means so much to me. It's been a long time since I've had a heart to heart talk with anyone," he confessed. "The last person I had a heart to heart talk with was Harriet." Curtis went on to share about Terrance, and what his life had been like ever since his death. He talked about the nights he spent crying. The nightmares were the worst part. He would hope to wake from them and everything would be fine, the way that it should be, only to find that nothing had changed. He was still alone and Terrance was still gone. "He used to finish my sentences for me. Isn't that wild?" He continued sharing with Jacob about the struggle they both endured as a couple when it came to Terrence's family. "There were so many times that he would just break down." Curtis' mouth frowned as he recalled the memories. "I would try to console him but it never seemed to be enough. He never wanted his father's money. All he ever wanted from him was his love and acceptance." Jacob could still see the anger on his face when he was sharing the details. He wanted to hold him and tell him that he needed to let go of the past. That Terrance was in a better place. He wanted to take away the pain that seemed to be etched on his face. Silence finally broke as Curtis looked around the living room. Jacob took that time to move closer to him. He placed his hand on Curtis' bare shoulder. "Would you mind if I gave you a hug?" "That would be great." Curtis said as he turned his body towards Jacob. They embraced. The two men enjoyed the warmth that surrounded their bodies. It felt so comfortable, so right. Jacob rested his head on Curtis' shoulder. He felt Curtis' hand move to his neck and then to his head. He released a sigh as he felt Curtis' fingers running through his hair. He in turn began to massage Curtis' back. He slowly moved his hands across the cords of muscles of his back. Jacob thought he heard a sigh come from Curtis. They both withdrew from the embrace. Jacob looked into Curtis' almond shaped eyes. Both were lost in each others eyes as they began to move closer. They closed their eyes as their lips met for the first time in a tender kiss. As they kissed their bodies leaned together back into couch. They finally broke the kiss. Jacob laid his head upon Curtis' chest. He listened to the rhythm of Curtis' heartbeat. He felt Curtis' hand as he rubbed his back. They both were content to sit there. They shared an understanding that there was no other need to do anything that night except to be in each others company. That seemed to be enough for both of them. Moments after their shared kiss they fell into a restful sleep. *** Sunday afternoon found John and Mateo in their favorite booth in Dominick's restaurant. They always choose the same booth by the kitchen. It was the booth where they shared their first meal together. Every time they ate by themselves they would choose to sit in it. They knew that none of the other customers were ever seated there. The hustle and bustle was a little too much to ask a patron to endure. The table was usually used by the family when they ate. John and Mateo were certainly considered family when they were there. There were times when either John or Mateo would go into the kitchen and tell Pappa what they wanted to eat. He would always return a toothy grin and tell them that it would be ready for them shortly. They always enjoyed it when Pappa's voice would bellow from the kitchen indicating that the food was ready. They would go into the kitchen and bring out the food. There was no need to have one the restaurant workers wait on their table when they could do it themselves. Many times Mamma Anna wouldn't take their money. She would always tell them that they were family and family never paid for their meal. Rather than argue with her they would slip Gino money as they left the restaurant. They knew never to argue with Mamma Anna. They would never win. On this particular afternoon the restaurant was buzzing with business. John let Mateo get their lunch. He didn't want to get caught up in the chaos in the kitchen. Dominick's was famous for their family style dinners. To most of the patrons it was like another home. Mamma and Pappa prided themselves in making everyone feel like family. As John and Mateo were going to start eating Snake came into the restaurant and joined them at their table. "What's up Bro?" Mateo asked as Snake sat down. "Not much. I thought I would grab some lunch. What are you guys eating?" He asked as he looked at the dishes that were place around the table. John quickly stood and went to the kitchen for another plate for his friend. He came back and placed it in front of Snake. "Help yourself. But do it fast. You know that with him around its every man for himself. All I've managed to snag is a piece of garlic bread." John chuckled as he pointed towards Mateo. John and Snake laughed as Mateo gave them a dirty look. "You know I love you." John said. Mateo smiled, "Yeah, I know. Mateo turned to Snake, "Speaking of love, where is Aaron? "He's studying for a test. I was hanging out with him but I didn't want to bother him. This is a big test for him and I didn't want to distract him from his work. I told him I was coming here to eat." "Yeah I know how that is. I have a test in econ coming up and I need to study or else I might not pass the class." John said before stuffing a piece of garlic bread in his mouth. Snake spoke, "My two dads have been on my back about my grades. I mean, my grades aren't that bad but they could be better. They're threatening to pull me from the team unless I raise my GPA." "Coach would blow up if you were pulled from the team." Mateo said. "I know but what can I do?" Snake put down his fork and pushed his plate away. "I lost my appetite." "You need a study buddy someone to help you and to motivate you. What about Aaron?" John asked. "That what my dads were saying. But I don't know I don't want to put all this on Aaron's shoulders." "Put what on Aaron's shoulders?" Aaron asked standing next to the table. Snake stood up. "Hey baby." He pulled him into a hug. He looked down at the floor as he spoke, "I was telling Matt and John about how my dads have been on my ass about my grades." "Patrick, they only have your best interests in mind." Aaron looked into his boyfriends eyes. "We suggested a study buddy. Someone who can keep him motivated and make things more interesting for him." John spoke to the concerned Aaron. Aaron looked into Snakes green eyes. "I want to help." "But you're so busy babe. You have all your classes to worry about. I know that you're taking a full schedule." "Patrick, I will always have time for you." He looked as if he wanted to cry. His eyes were moist as he continued, "Don't you know how much you mean to me?" Snake felt like a heel as he drew Aaron into his arms. He chocked up himself as he spoke, "Oh Aaron you mean the world to me. You're the one who keeps me sane." He hugged him tighter, "I just don't want to be a burden to anyone." John and Mateo watched as their two friends talked. Without knowing they both found each other's hands. They latched on and shared the love that was being displayed by their friends. "You are not a burden to me Patrick." Aaron looked up into Snake's eyes. "You could never be a burden to me." Snake lean down a kissed Aaron. "Thank you." He blushed. "I don't know what else to say." This time Aaron reached up and placed his smaller hand around Snake's neck and pulled him into a deeper kiss. "You're very welcome." They remained in their hug for another moment and then Aaron spoke, "Time to go. We need to get your books and then head to the library. Come along Patrick." "See you guys later." Snake said to John and Mateo as he was led away like a little puppy. Both young men saw the love in his eyes that he had for Aaron. "Don't work too hard." Mateo warned as he waved good bye. *** Officer Carl Collins (chapter 15) walked into the ER lobby. His love and partner Ted Stewart had called him to the hospital. Carl had the day off and had come to take his boyfriend out for a nice lunch. He walked into the ER and was greeted by mayhem. An ambulance had just arrived and two gurneys were wheeled into separate rooms. Carl could see Ted across the room as he started to work on the first patient. He really couldn't see the condition of the man from his point of view. Carl stopped one of the ambulance workers. "What's going on Stan?" Stan adjusted the cap on his head. He looked a little weary as he spoke, "Hey Carl, truck verses car. The trucker had pulled an all nighter and fell asleep at the wheel. Witnesses say that he veered into oncoming traffic. We had three passengers in the car when it was hit." Stan nodded in the direction of the room in which Ted was working, "The male over there with Dr. Stewart, a female, and a teenage male. The teenager was in the back seat and surprisingly wasn't injured too bad. I think he has a broken arm and some bruised ribs. "Where's the female?" Carl asked. "She didn't make it." Stan shook his head, "She wasn't wearing a seat belt. She was thrown from the car and didn't survive. She'd probably still be alive if she had her seat belt on. At that moment Carl looked over and saw Ted as he turned away from the male patient. Ted's shoulders slumped when he saw Carl. His eyes looked tired as his locked eyes on his partner. He slowly shook his head. Right away Carl knew that the man had passed. In the next room, James Warner was getting fixed up. The male nurse stood taking his vitals as another ER doctor walked in. "Hello young man I'm Doctor Rob Kraft." He stopped to look at the paperwork on his clipboard. He noticed the discomfort on the boy's face. "We'll give you something to make you feel better. We're going to take some x-rays, a cat scan to check your head, and take some blood to check you out. "What about my parents?" He asked while trying to be brave and endure the pain. "I'll check on your parents and let you know. Try to relax. As soon as I see your x-rays we're going to set the bones in your arm and then put on a cast. How old are you?" "I'm 16 years old." "OK James. Let me check on your mom and dad and I'll be right back." "You can call me Jimmy. That's what my parents call me." Doc Kraft placed his hand on the boy's good shoulder. "OK Jimmy." He wrote something on Jimmy's chart and handed it to the nurse. The nurse looked at the orders and left to begin the treatment. "I'll be back to check on you in a little while. Try to relax and get some rest." Jimmy nodded as the doctor left. After learning about Jimmy's parents Rob Kraft was upset. He talked to Ted, "That's rotten luck about Jimmy's parents. I hope he has some family. If not he'll have to be turned over to the state. I'd hate to see another kid in the system." He turned to Ted, "Will you go with me to tell him about his parents? I hate this part of the job." Ted nodded, "Let's go." They entered Jimmy's room just as the x-ray tech was finishing up. "Thanks Raul." Ted said to the tech. "Jimmy, this is Doctor Stewart." Ted gently shook the young man's hand. "Hello Jimmy." Jimmy smiled, "Hey Doctor Stewart." Rob sat on the edge of his bed, "Jimmy we have some bad news." Jimmy's eyes watered as he looked back and forth between the two doctors. He knew right away. His face crumbled as tears began to roll down his face. "Mom and Dad?" Rob slowly nodded his head. "Your mother didn't have her seat belt on and was thrown from the car when it was hit by the truck. Your father lost a lot of blood and his body was so badly damaged by the accident that we couldn't save him. I'm so sorry." "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! This is not happening! They can't be dead! You're wrong! NO! PLEASE GOD NO! Sobs racked his body as he continued to deny the death of his parents. His body began to thrash around the bed in an effort to get up. Both doctors tried to keep him in bed. Ted actually had to lie down on the teen's legs to hold him down. "Jimmy! I know this is a blow to you but you need to try and stay calm. We still need to cast your arm. You may end up hurting yourself even more." Ted tried to explain as he finally pinned Jimmy's legs down. The nurse came in. "Nurse bring me a sedative STAT!" Rod ordered. The nurse turned on his heels and returned within seconds with the sedative. As soon as it hit Jimmy's system he was out. Carl heard the commotion and came over to the teen's room. He saw Ted sitting on the edge of the boy's bed. "Everything OK in here?" Ted looked up and smiled as a large tear rolled down his face. He quickly wiped it away. Carl was beside him in a flash. "What's wrong?" "This young man is Jimmy Warner." Ted looked at the sleeping teen. "He just lost both his parents in that accident." Another tear rolled down his cheek. Carl placed a strong arm on his shoulders. "C'mon, let's go get some coffee." Ted didn't resist as he was taken from the room. Carl knew that Ted had a tender heart and he hated to see him in his current condition. Carl told the staff that he was taking him to lunch and left the ER. *** Snake and Aaron sat in the library studying together. They didn't have any classes together but Aaron had taken many of the subjects that Snake was struggling with. He was finally feeling that he had some hope of passing at least two of his classes with Aaron's help. He placed his hand on Aaron's hand. "Thanks babe. I don't think I could have done this without you." Aaron's face lit up as he looked into Snake's eyes. "You did all the work yourself. You just needed a little encouragement." Snake knew for a fact that if Aaron hadn't helped him he's still be in a bad situation with his school work. He looked into Aaron's deep brown eyes. "But anyway, thank you." Aaron leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "I'm sure you would have done the same for me." He turned his covered his hand over and laced his fingers into Snake's fingers. Snake's cell phone took that moment to vibrate. He looked at his caller ID. "It's dad." He said as he flipped open his cell phone. "Hey dad, what's up?" He asked in a quiet voice as to not disturb the other people in the library. "OK, I'll be right there. Aaron is already with me. OK, see you in a few." He shut his phone, "That was Carl, he's at the hospital. He wants us to come and see him." "Is everything OK?" Aaron asked. "Yeah, he said he wants to see me and to bring you along." "OK, I think you've studied enough for one day." "Thanks teach," Snake smiled. "You're too good to me." Aaron returned the smile, "Ah, Patrick it is you who is too good for me." Snake grabbed his boy in a tight hug. He planted a huge kiss on him. His hand cupped Aaron's ass cheek and gave it a nice squeeze. "I think we're both very blessed. Let's go, dad's waiting." Aaron was still trying to recover from the kiss and grope as he followed Snake out of the library. *** "Sandy? It's Teddy. I need to know if you can do a background check on a patient of mine. His name is James William Warner. He's sixteen. He just lost both his parents in a car accident and I need to know if you can locate any family. His parent's names were Roy and Betty Warner. Thanks let me know as soon as you can." Ted hung the phone up after talking to his sister who worked in the DA's office. He hoped that she would be able to locate any family for Jimmy's sake. What he needed right now was love and compassion. No drug could substitute the love and care of a family. Ted walked down the hospital corridor towards Jimmy's room. Although he didn't have injuries that need admittance to the hospital Ted felt that it would be best to keep the young man there until they could figure out the next move for him. As he neared the door to Jimmy's room Amanda Walker, the hospital social worker was exiting the room. "How's he doing?" Ted asked. "He hardly said a word. I think he's still in shock. I tried to ask about family members that I can call but he told me he didn't have any family. He said that it was only the three of them." He shook his head, "I called my sister and I gave her the names of Jimmy and his parents. I hope that she can come up with something." "I hope so. I'd hate to see him go into foster care." Amanda smiled, "Speaking of foster care, how is you're handsome son doing?" "He's great Mandy, thanks for asking." Ted smiled. Amanda had actually help Ted and Carl with the paperwork of becoming foster parents for Snake. "That's great to hear. I'm always glad to hear a story of success when it comes to the foster care system." She pulled Ted into a hug. "I have to get going. I have a mountain of paperwork waiting for me on my desk." "OK, see you soon. We'll have to have you over for dinner. I'll talk with Carl and give you a call." "That sounds great. See you later." Ted resumed his walk to Jimmy's room. He gently knocked on the door before opening it. The room was dark. The shades to the window were closed. The only light came from the cracked door from the restroom. "Jimmy, are you awake?" Ted could see Jimmy in a fetal position on the bed. His body was turned toward the wall and away from the doctor. Ted walked to the bed and gentle sat down. When his eyes adjusted to the darkness he spoke, "You know, sometimes if you talk about things it helps you to deal with them. I know you're going through a rough time right now." He paused and placed his hand on Jimmy's shoulder. "If you need to talk about anything, I'm here for you." Jimmy's body finally turned and straightened out. He pointed his face towards the doctor. Ted could tell from his swollen eyes that he had been crying. "May I turn on the light?" "If you want, I don't care," replied a small voice. Ted turned on the light over the bed. "There, that's better. Now I can see your face." Tears began to roll down Jimmy's cheeks. "It's my entire fault. My parents are dead because of me." "Jimmy, it's not your fault. It was an accident." Ted tried to reassure the teenager. "I was fighting with my parents right before the accident. I was trying to convince them to buy me a car for my 16th birthday last week." His blood shot eyes looked at Ted, "If only I were happy with what I had they'd still be alive." His body shook, "I killed my parents." Ted was quick and moved toward the teen as his body was going down. He held him as he once again shook with sobs. He caressed him as best he could before the teen slipped off into sleep. Ted gently placed him back on the bed before turning to leave the room. He vowed to himself that if no family could be found that Jimmy Warner would become his new foster son. He left the room to call his sister. Carl sat in the hospital lobby waiting for Snake and Aaron to arrive. Finally his foster son and his boyfriend made their appearance. "Hey pop, what's up?" Snake asked. Carl loved to be called pop. He grinned as he stood up. He grabbed both Snake and Aaron into a hug. "Boy's I think I might need your help." He explained the reason he called them to the hospital. He was hoping that they could talk with Jimmy since Snake and Aaron were closer to his age. "We'll do anything we can to help him out Pop. But I think we might need some help. Let me call the guys." Snake left to call John, Mateo, PT and Gino. As Snake was returning to Carl and Aaron, Ted had walked up to the group. "Are there any new updates on Jimmy?" Carl asked. "I just got off the phone with Sandy. It turns out that Jimmy was correct about it being only the three of them. She did an extensive background check and nothing came up." Ted moved into Carl's arms. "He's all alone babe." Carl surrounded Ted with his strong arms. "Let's go to cafeteria, it's time for a family meeting. *** Jimmy lay in his bed. His mind raced as he replayed the images of the past few hours of his life. This morning he woke up with a mom and a dad that loved him. Now he was alone. He was alone and he didn't have anyone to turn to for help. All of the different scenarios ran through his mind. What if he had taken two more minutes to brush his teeth that morning? Or if only his mom had allowed him to sleep that extra 10 minutes that morning. He began to turn over so many things he could have done to prevent the accident. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door. He wondered who it could be. "Come in." The door opened and in walked six young men. It seemed odd that they would be there to visit him. They all looked different, as if they had no connection to each other. The first to enter was a tall red headed guy followed by a much smaller Asian guy. Next was a very handsome Latin man followed by a blond. Next was a tall dark haired Italian guy and the last to enter was a guy that looked like he was a surfer. Jimmy wondered if they had the right room. "Can I help you." He asked in a timid voice. The red head spoke, "You're Jimmy right?" "Yes, who are all of you?" Snake smiled, "Please excuse my manners. My name is Snake. This is Aaron. The Latin stud is Mateo. The blond cutie is John. The Italian guy there is Gino. And last but certainly not least is Pierce Turner, who we all call PT." PT gave Jimmy a little wave and a smile. Jimmy looked around the room once more before he spoke, "I'm James Warner, but you can call me Jimmy." "Excuse us for barging in here but my dads told us to come in and they would be here shortly," Snake said as an explanation as to why they were all in the room. As he was finishing his sentence there was another knock on the door and it open. In walked Carl, Ted, and Amanda Walker. "Hello Jimmy, I see you've met the mod squad." Ted said as he gave the teen a smile. "How are you doing?" "I'm doing OK I guess. What's going on Doctor Stewart?" Jimmy asked with a look of confusion on his face. "We did a little back ground check on you and your parents and came up empty on any family. We wanted to make sure you didn't have any family that we could call on your behalf." "I could have saved you some time. It was just the three of us. My parents were only children on both sides. Both sets of grand parents are gone." The reality of his situation seemed to sink in, "I'm totally alone." "That's what we are here to talk to you about." Amanda spoke. "Officer Collins and Doctor Stewart would like to be your foster parents." "I know who Doctor Stewart is but who is Officer Collins?" Jimmy asked. "That would be me." Carl said as he raised his hand. "My last name is Collins and I'm a police officer." Jimmy looked at the two men. "Wait a minute, you two live together?" Carl stepped up, "Let me explain. Ted and I are partners. We're both gay. We talked it over with Snake our foster son and we want to take care of you. If that's what you want. Jimmy looked over at Snake, "Now I get it. You said that your dads told you to come in here. You were talking about these two." He said as he pointed to Ted and Carl. "Yup, those are my two dads and I love them." Snake said as he stepped closer to Jimmy's bed. He leaned over and whispered into his ear, "I have to tell you that you're surrounded by gay people." "What?" another confused look passed on Jimmy's face. "Aaron is my boyfriend." Snake pointed to John and Mateo. "These two, are a couple as well." John and Mateo waved their hands, "Guilty." John said. Snake continued, "PT and Gino are a couple as well. So you see you're surrounded by gay people on all sides of you." Amanda spoke next, "Jimmy I'm here if you have any questions about the Foster Parent system. I do hope that you think about the offer that you were just given. Both Ted, Dr. Stewart and Officer Collins are good men." "Thank you Ms Walker. I will think about it." Jimmy replied. Carl spoke, "Well, we'll leave you younger people to talk and get to know each other better. Jimmy we'll be back later and you can give us your decision. We both know that we could never replace your parents and we don't want to. We only want to help you. Jimmy answered, "Thank you, sir. I will think about your offer." The three adults left the young men. Mateo spoke, "Jimmy can you tell us a little bit about yourself? What are some of your hobbies? "Well, I turned sixteen last week. I like to skate board. I like reading, and writing. I like playing with my play station 3. I pretty much like all kinds of sports. My dad and I used to go fishing. We would take off weekends just by ourselves. We'd come home with all kinds of stuff for the freezer. We used to sit in the back yard and clean fish. Man, it was gross." He stopped talking and his eyes watered up, "I'll never get to do that again. I don't know what I'm going to do. Mom and Dad are gone. I'm alone." He closed his eyes to try and block out the hurt that seemed to surround him. "You're wrong. You're not alone. You have six big brothers in this room that will always be there for you." Snake spoke as he tried to comfort Jimmy. "I know what you're going through too. I lost my mom to cancer. After her death I became bitter. I went through a lot of rough stuff since then. But you know what? With the help of my friends and Ted and Carl, I made it." He paused as he looked around the room, "My friends mean the world to me. I wouldn't have made if it weren't for them." John spoke up this time as he moved towards the hospital bed, "I know you don't know us. We're total strangers to you but we're willing to try and be your friends. And just as Snake made it through some hard times, you can do the same thing. Just remember you can try to get through this hard time by yourself or you can have the love of six big brothers and a couple of older dudes that care for you and only want what's best for you. PT spoke, "Little dude, John couldn't have said it better. Just know that we're here for you. Jimmy smiled, "You look like a surfer dude and you speak like one too." PT smiled, "That's nothing. Wait till you see my kick-ass VW Van" "Oh no, here we go again." Gino laughed. "Don't get him started on that rusted bucket of bolts." "I'm so hurt." PT said as he tried to put on a fake sad face." Jimmy smiled, "You guys are funny." At that moment the hospital attendant brought in a tray of food. "Dinner time, I hope you like meatloaf. Dr. Stewart took the liberty and ordered it for you." She placed the tray on the stand and uncovered it. There was something that resembled meat on the plate. It was grayish in color and was covered in dark brown gravy. "I don't think I can eat this." Jimmy said as he poked the meat with his fork. Next to the gray meat were shriveled green beans. Jimmy frowned, "They expect me to eat this? I wish I had a pizza." "Did someone say pizza?" Gino asked. "Your wish is my command." He took out his cell phone and called the restaurant. Within twenty minutes four large pizzas were delivered from Dominick's. All the boys chatted and shared about themselves as the pizza's disappeared. They were so busy talking and laughing that they didn't noticed Carl and Ted enter the room. "Well, well, look what we have here." Carl grinned. "A pizza party and we didn't get invited." "Hey pop, there might be some stale crust left" Snake laughed. "There is some pizza left in this box if you are hungry Carl." Aaron said as he handed the box to Carl. "Thank you Aaron. At least one of you has manners." Carl chuckled. Ted came over and grabbed the piece of pizza from Carl's hand. He gave him a dirty look. "Yes at least one of you has manners." This sent the room into laughter. Ted gave him back the pizza. He turned towards the bed and Jimmy. "Jimmy, have you come to a decision?" The room went silent. All eyes turned on Jimmy. Ok guys, if that's not a cliff hanger then I don't know what is. I know, I'm evil. Hehe Will Jimmy join the ranks of our boys? What about Curtis and Jacob? Stay tuned to find out all the answers. Thanks again for reading. Please let me know that you read my story. I didn't get a lot response from my last chapter. Should I continue? Let me know. Thanks, David