Date: Sun, 23 Aug 2009 21:45:29 EDT From: Bwstories8@aol.com Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 2, chapters 13 and 14 Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 2 by BW Copyright 2009 by billwstories Chapter 13 -- A Time of Mixed Emotions. **Author's Note:** Please read the disclaimer in Chapter 00 before you read this. By the time Kevin and I arrived home, all of the boys were up and had a zillion questions about Dustin. I answered them as well as I could, before informing them that Kevin and I were going to my room to get a little sleep. The two of us then went upstairs, got undressed and crawled into my bed. We were both exhausted, so I wrapped my arms around Kevin, to help ease his concerns, and we soon drifted off to sleep. We awoke a few hours later and showered, dressed and grabbed a bite to eat, before leaving for the hospital again. We drove there in absolute silence. I was hoping Kevin might initiate a discussion about what was troubling him the most, but he didn't and I didn't feel it would be wise for me to push him in that direction, so I also said nothing. When we arrived at the front lobby, I inquired as to Dustin's room number. The volunteer manning the desk took forever to retrieve that information and then stopped to question us, before giving it to us. "And you are?" the elderly volunteered screeched. "I am Dustin's father and this is his brother," I responded, only slightly irritated. I understood they needed to take such precautions, but I was also in a hurry to see how my son was doing. "May we please have his room number now?" "Just one second, while I check with his floor nurse," she parroted, afterward. "For what reason?" I insisted. "We are family and want to find out how he's doing. Dustin's doctor told us we could come back after we got some sleep, seeing we'd been here with him most of the night." She just held up her finger to shush me, while she chatted with the nurses' station. "I have Dustin Currie's father and brother here at the front desk," she whined. "May I send them up to see him?" It seemed as if it took an eternity to get a response, but she finally hung up the phone and looked at us. "He's in room 247. Take the second elevator to the second floor and then turn left, as you exit from it. The nurse at the nurses' station will direct you from there." "Thank you," I mumbled, as we rushed off. I was beginning to wonder if there had been a note attached to his information, due to something else happening while we were gone. I didn't have to rush Kevin in order to find out, as he wanted to get to Dustin's room as badly as I did. When we arrived at the nurses' station, I quickly asked if there had been any improvement and they informed me there had been little change in his situation. Dustin was still unconscious, but his vital signs were stable, and they were currently giving him medications to counteract the effect of the drug. Kevin and I went to his room and I sat down in the chair beside Dustin's bed. Kevin apparently felt more comfortable sitting on my lap, but I didn't mind. We just sat there and touched Dustin's arm, while speaking to him softly. "Dusty, I'm here now," Kevin told him, he voice choked with emotion. "You've got to snap out of this soon, because I'm very worried about you. You know I love you." "I'm here too, Dustin," I added. "We're both here for you and want you to get well as quickly as possible. The rest of the boys send their love and will come to see you, once you wake up." We continued to talk to him, as he lay there motionless on the bed. It was a mind- numbing vigil at his bedside, only made worse by seeing all the tubes that were sticking out of him. We sat there for hours with him, but nothing was happening. We kept touching him and trying to do little things to make him more comfortable, while encouraging him to try to pull himself out of his stupor, as we watched for any sign of improvement. As dinnertime approached, I finally decided that Kevin and I needed to eat. "Why don't you come with me?" I pleaded. "We'll come back after we eat and stay with him as long as the hospital allows." "No, you go and you can just bring something back for me," Kevin replied, while his eyes pleaded with me to let him stay there. "I'll be all right, but I can't leave Dusty again." I finally gave in and left him by Dustin's side, while I went down to the cafeteria. I didn't eat much, not because it wasn't good, but because I had no appetite. I brought some things back for Kevin too, but worried he'd suffer from the same problem I did -- a lack of hunger from too much worrying. After Kevin picked at his meal, we ended up staying with Dustin until nearly midnight. That's when the nurses urged us to go home again, for a few more hours. "Nothing is going to change before the doctor arrives in the morning," the nurse informed us. "He'll be kept him sedated over night, and then the doctor will let us know how things will go from there. You won't do him any good by staying awake and jeopardizing your own health, so go home and get some sleep." After agreeing with the logic of her argument, we left and headed home. By the time we arrived there, it was already Sunday and I suddenly remember we had Cole's party ahead of us. I didn't want to ruin his special day, so the party would go on as planned. I wasn't certain as to how I was going to pull everything off, but I'd worry about that, after we got a little more rest. Kevin slept with me again that night, but he had a very restless slumber. Even though I held him against me as much as I could, he tossed and turned the whole evening, even waking up screaming on a couple of occasions. We did manage to get six or seven hours of interrupted sleep, before planning another quick trip to the hospital. While Kevin was cleaning up, I talked to Danny and asked him to call Aunt Sally. I hope she would be willing to pick up the cake from the bakery for me and bring it to the house, while Kevin and I took Cole with us to the hospital. That would give the rest of them time to get things ready before we got back. Danny asked me how I was going to pull that off without making Cole suspicious, so I told him I had worked it all out in my head earlier. As usual, Danny agreed to do everything I asked, so I went off to find Cole. While looking around, I also ran into Brandon and Jay. I had forgotten they had stayed over, but they both gave me a hug and a kiss and told me how sorry they were about what happened to Dustin. I thanked them, told them I loved them too and then continued my search for Cole. He was in the family room with Ricky and Graham. Surprise. "Cole, may I see you for a minute?" I asked. My voice startled all three of them, since no one saw me enter the room. "Sure, Dad. What's up?" he wanted to know. "Cole, I need a favor from you," I told him. "I want you to go with Kevin and me to the hospital for a while. Kevin gets bored with just me there and I think you could help him more than I could at this point. I need Danny and Ricky to stay and take care of things, here and Pat and Trey are too new to be able to relate to Kevin. I would ask Graham, but I think he's just too young for such a responsibility. Do you think I can count on you to do this for me?" Cole looked surprised, but pleased that I had singled him out to perform such an important duty. "Sure, Dad. Anything," he agreed. "I was already thinking I'd kind of like to see Dustin, too." "Great. Go get cleaned up and changed and I'll do the same," I advised him. "We'll leave the house within the hour." As soon as Cole raced upstairs to get ready, I informed Danny that everything was set. I also told him to explain everything to Ricky and Graham too, but not until after Cole and I left. I was afraid they'd give it away by their actions, if they were informed before then. Danny said something like, 'he shouldn't have doubted my ability to get one of them to do something like that,' before telling me to let Dustin know they were all praying for him. I told him I'd do that and then went up to my room to get ready. I passed Kevin on the way and told him that Cole would be joining us, but I'm not sure if it registered with him. He was moving around the house like a zombie, making all the motions without any conscious thought. I joined my two companions downstairs and we said our good-byes to the others, before leaving for the hospital. When we got up to the floor where Dustin's room was located, I sent the boys on ahead, while I stopped at the nurses' station to see if there was any news. While I was chatting with the nurses, the doctor came by to make his rounds. He told me we could go down to the room together, he'd check Dustin over and then we could slip out for some privacy, so he could interpret the information for me. He was well aware of Kevin's attachment to Dustin and didn't want to say anything in front of him that might make it more difficult for him to continue to deal with the situation. When we walked into the room, the boys were on opposite sides of the bed, holding Dustin's hands and talking to him. The doctor smiled at both boys, before asking them to kindly step outside for a few minutes, so he could examine their brother. After he pulled the curtain around the bed, the doctor checked Dustin's heart, lungs, pupils and other vital signs, and then signaled me to follow him. We sent the boys back in with their brother, while we walked down to a small conference area, where we could discuss Dustin's condition. "Mr. Currie, Dustin did have an allergic reaction to the drug," the doctor informed me. "It caused his heart to palpitate and his brain to swell. We were able to get his heartbeat under control almost immediately and performed several other procedures to relieve the pressure on his brain. I believe he'll regain consciousness once the swelling goes down more, but I can't guarantee this is what will happen. We're not sure if his allergic reaction caused other problems that we couldn't detect or if there will be any lasting effects from this incident." "Lasting effects such as?" I lead him. "Brain damage would be one," the doctor stated quickly. The swelling in his brain would have restricted the flow of blood, which is responsible for carrying oxygen to the brain cells. We're not sure how much deprivation there might have been, nor for how long." "He's going to live, though? Isn't he?" I pressed. "He should, but I can't give you a definite response about that, either," he warned me. "There are still too many other variables that could still come into play concerning his condition. Let's just say I'm cautiously optimistic about his chances." "Please don't tell the boys that," I begged him. "I don't want them to get any more upset over their brother's situation than they already are." "I understand, and this is just between you and I," he assured me. "I promise I will do everything I can to give him back to you in good condition, as quickly as I can." I thanked him, shook his hand and then went back to Dustin's room. The boys quizzed me on what the doctor had said, so I told them what I could without alarming them. We stayed in Dustin's room through lunchtime, but I suggested it was time to leave, around twenty minutes of two. Although Kevin wanted to stay, I insisted we all leave for now, but promised him we'd return again later. Disappointed, he walked between Cole and me, as walked back to the van. We drove home in silence, and I was surprised when Cole didn't even notice Sally's car parked along the street as we arrived. I grabbed Kevin's shoulder to slow him down as we headed for the door, because I wanted Cole to enter first, by himself. We were about two steps behind him when he opened the door and went inside, followed by shouts of 'surprise' and 'happy birthday,' as he entered the foyer. Cole lit up like the red bulb on a string of Christmas lights, as he was swarmed by his well-wishers. When I walked into the house, I was impressed with what the others had done to prepare for this. The house was decorated nicely, the table was set, with the cake placed at the center, and Danny and Pat had even started barbequing the food. Cole's two friends from school, whom I had made sure to invite again, were on either side of Cole, giving him their own special birthday greeting. We were soon sitting down to eat and Cole was beaming from all of the attention. At one point his smile began to fade and I asked him what was wrong. "I feel guilty about having such a good time while Dustin's in the hospital," he admitted. "Well, you shouldn't," I countered. "I'm sure everyone would agree that Dustin would be among the first to insist you have a good time and enjoy your birthday. You shouldn't have to feel guilty or lose out because something like this happened at nearly the same time as your party. You spend this time enjoying yourself and forget about everything else for the time being. We all need a mental break from the emotional stress we've been under." "He's right Cole," Kevin added. "I think I know Dusty better than any of you and he'd want you to enjoy your party and have fun. I'm sure his only problem with this would be that he wasn't here to help you celebrate." That seemed to alleviate Cole's concerns, so for the next couple of hours he let himself go and got into the festivities. After we ate, we sang to Cole, had cake and ice cream and then Cole opened his presents. When the party had ended, Sally offered to take Brandon and Jay home, so Kevin and I could go straight to the hospital. I took her up on her offer and thanked her from the bottom of my heart for being so thoughtful and such a good friend. It's at the lowest points in your life that you discover who your most loyal friends are. When Kevin and I arrived at Dustin's room, we discovered there was no still no change in his condition. Undaunted, we sat by his bed and talked to him until it was nearly 10:00 p.m. Seeing there was school tomorrow and we both needed our sleep, I insisted it was time for us to go home. Kevin wasn't happy about leaving and argued with me briefly about letting him spend the night there. When I wouldn't give in, he gave me the cold shoulder as we walked to the van. On the way home, Kevin came up with a new tactic. "Dad, can I take tomorrow off from school and stay with Dusty?" "No, Kevin, I don't think that would be wise," I informed him, drawing an immediate scowl in return. "This could take days or even weeks until Dustin is back with us and you can't afford that much time off from your studies. I want all of you boys to attend classes and I'll stay with Dustin. I'll have someone pick you up and bring you to the hospital if there is any change." "But, Dad, I won't be able to concentrate on what we're doing anyway," he pleaded. "I'll be thinking of Dusty no matter where I am, so why can't I just be with him?" "Kevin, you'll have to force yourself to concentrate on school during the day," I responded, "but I will allow you to go to the hospital after classes are over and you can do your homework there." "But, Dad..." I cut him off. "Kevin, you're not going to win this one," I informed him, showing him I could be just as stubborn. "Just accept it, because that's the best offer you're going to get. I know you love Dustin and want to be with him, but that is only going to be after school and on the weekend, if it takes that long." Kevin jerked his body around, so he wasn't facing me, to let me know how upset he was. He continued to pout throughout the ride and I knew he was probably cursing me under his breath. By the time we got home, most of the boys were already in bed, but Danny was waiting up for us. He wanted to know how Dustin was, so we talked about the whole situation. Kevin even interrupted our conversation to try to get Danny on his side, hoping he could still talk me into letting him spend the whole day with Dustin tomorrow. Fortunately, Danny was smart enough not to get involved. Finding no help there, Kevin continued to plead with me, but I ignored his mild protest and headed to bed. Kevin stormed off in the other direction, announcing he was going to sleep in his own room tonight, which mildly surprised me. "Are you sure you want to do that?" I asked him, thinking a simple question might be enough to make him see the absurdity of his actions. Maybe I could hint that he might sleep with one of the other boys instead. "It's hard enough to deal with what's happened, without isolating yourself from the rest of us. Danny might let you bunk in with him, if that would help." "Nah, I'll be fine," he snapped, before heading down the hallway. As I watched him leave, I wondered if he was going to be able to handle being alone in the room he shared with Dustin. He had been sleeping with me since before this whole thing began, but I was determined to let him do it, if only to prove he wasn't going to get his way. I knew this was his form of protest and done solely out of spite, but I was willing to wait and see if he could actually last out the night on his own. After we all turned in, the house seemed unusually quiet -- unnaturally so. I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination or if there truly was a difference. I lay there for quite some time, thinking about it, listening to the unusual calm and doing some serious tossing and turning, before I finally fell asleep. However, it was not a good night's rest. My sleep was troubled and Dustin's situation never left my thoughts. Sometime during the night I felt my bed jiggle and opened my eyes slightly, only to discover Kevin crawling in beside me. In the faint glow of the moonlight filtering into the room, I could see him smile, when he saw me lift my head slightly. "As always, you were right," he informed me. "I just can't sleep in there without Dusty. You don't mind if I come in here, do you?" "You know I don't," I assured him. "Come here and I'll see if I can't make you feel a little better," I added, while reaching out my arms toward him, so I could hug him. "I'm sorry about earlier too, Dad," he added, before allowing himself to cuddle against me. "It's forgotten," I told him. "I understand how hard this is for you, so we don't need to discuss it any further. In fact, we'd both better get some sleep, if we're going to function tomorrow." "Thanks, Dad," he whispered, as he hugged me. Good night and I love you." "I love you too, you little monkey," I replied. "Even if sometimes you are more than a little stubborn." I heard him giggle in response to my comment and then we snuggled together, until we drifted off. Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 2 by BW Copyright 2009 by billwstories Chapter 14 -- A Time of Healing. Monday, I took all of the boys to school, before I went off to the hospital. I sat with Dustin all morning, but there was no change in his condition. The good thing was, he wasn't any worse either. During the lunch hour, Judge Shay even came by to visit. "Judge Shay, what brings you here?" I asked, not sure if he also had someone in the hospital. "First of all, please call me Steve," he began, "and I just learned about what happened to Dustin, so I wanted to see if there was anything I could do for you." "Steve, thanks for your offer," I replied, "but other than a small miracle from God, I don't think there's much anyone else can do." "Then I'll pray for him tonight," Steve responded. "A few extra requests might just get the big guy's attention." After we talked a little more about what had happened to Dustin, I filled Steve in about how Patrick was fitting in with the family. He seemed please to hear that things were going well with Pat and thanked me for helping him out with that situation. We also managed to discuss a few other topics, before Steve glanced at his watch. "Josh, I hate to run off like this, but I have to get back to work," he apologized. "Court will be back in session in about a half hour and I need to be there." "I understand completely," I assured him, "and thanks for stopping by. I'll be sure to let Dustin know you were here, once he recovers." "Josh, just do me one small favor," Judge Shay added, as he was about to leave the room. "Don't hesitate to contact me if there's anything I can do to help out, even if it's just to stay at the house and keep an eye on the boys for you, while you're here." "Thanks, Steve, and I'll keep that in mind," I told him, "but Danny and Pat have been very good about taking care of things for me, while I've been away." "They're a great bunch of boys, Josh," he responded, "and I know you are very proud of everyone of them. Just remember, even the best of kids make mistakes, and I'm certain that's what happened with Dustin. He just made a little mistake, and then it mushroomed, so don't be too hard on him. I'd be willing to bet he won't repeat this blunder any time soon." "I know, but thanks for caring about him," I replied, and then he exited the room and disappeared down the hallway. Shortly after Judge Shay left, I did too. Like I had told Kevin, we couldn't afford to take off the entire time Dustin might be in here. I was going to work the second half of the day and then pick Kevin up, once his classes were over. Then he and I would stay with Dustin for a while longer. Brenda O'Hara, Brandon's mother, had called and offered to take the boys home for me once they finished all their activities, so I could stay with Dustin longer. I thanked her for helping out like that, but she insisted it was only a minor repayment for all we'd done for her son. It was nice to have such good friends. Kevin and I sat with Dustin for about three hours, but still there was no change in his condition. I suggested we go home and grab a bite to eat, but Kevin wanted to stay. He told me I could go home and make sure everyone was fed and then bring him back something when I returned, and then he'd go home with me when it was bedtime. I found that to be an acceptable compromise, so I left him there with his Dusty. By the time I got home, things were running very smoothly. Danny had ordered pizza for everyone, had it delivered and someone else had made a salad to go with it. The table was set and the boys were just coming into the dining room to eat. My heart swelled with pride at seeing their maturity and independence. I was extremely proud of these young men, who were now helping to take care of me when I needed it most. "Come on in, Daddy," Graham yelled to me. "Dinner's ready, so you come sit here beside me and eat." "Yes, sir," I replied in a child-like voice. "Will you cut it up for me?" I teased. Graham smiled, came over and grabbed my hand and pulled me to the table. "Stop being silly, Daddy. You must be tired and hungry, so sit down here and eat. We'll do everything else." "Thank you, kind sir," I looked around the table at all of my boys. "I'm very proud of all of you. You've done an excellent job." "Dad, what would you like to drink?" Danny asked. "I made coffee for you, if you want a cup?" "That would be very nice," I told him. "Thank you very much." "How's Dustin?" Ricky asked. "Are you going back to the hospital after dinner?" "There has been no change," I informed him, "and yes, I'm going back after dinner. I told Kevin I'd bring him back something to eat, so would one of you mind wrapping something up for him." "I'll do it, Dad," Pat offered. "I'll put it on one of the disposable plates and cover it with aluminum foil. That should help keep it a little warm for Kevin." "Thank you, Pat, that's very thoughtful of you," I told him. "By the way, Pat, Judge Shay came to the hospital to see Dustin, but he asked about you too?" "To see if I was getting into any trouble?" He asked, with his eyes bulging open and a look of concern plastered across his face. I think he was worried the Judge might be considering removing him from our home. "No, it was nothing like that," I offered, to comfort him. "He just wanted to know how you were doing here and if you were fitting in." "What did you tell him?" Pat quickly followed. He looked worried about what might have been said during that meeting. "I told him you thought we were all a bunch of homos and hated it here," I stated, as a joke, but Pat looked like he was about to pass out. "You told him that!" he screamed. "No, Pat, I was just joking," I assured him. "I told Steve you were doing fine and that you were now a very important member of our family." He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, upon hearing that. "Did he say anything about the other stuff?" he pressed, still concerned. "Do you mean about your court case?" I followed. "Yes, that thing," he responded, while looking as if he couldn't believe I really didn't know what he meant. Now, he looked at me with great anticipation. "He did happened to say something about that," I added. "Let me see if I can remember what it was." "Oh, come on, Dad," he pleaded. "You're killing me here." I looked up and smiled at him. "He wanted me to tell you he was adjourning your case, in contemplation of dismissal," I announced, "upon the condition that you stay out of trouble for a year." "What does that mean?" He thought it was good, but he was still slightly puzzled. "It means this," I explained. "If you can stay out of trouble for a year, the charges will be dropped and there will be no record that you had ever been arrested at all." "And I can stay here to live?" he asked, almost pleading. "If that's what you want." I informed him. "YES, I do!" he exclaimed. "I want to live here with you and my brothers." "Do we have a vote in this?" Ricky asked, with an evil smirk on his face. "You're just mad because he got even with you," Danny shot back. "You just don't want any competition in the house." By now, all of the boys were joking around and getting some playful jabs in. "No, this is my decision," I announced. "Patrick is now officially a member of this crazy group, whether he likes it or not." "I like it!" Pat nearly screamed. "Hey, what about Trey?" Cole asked, looking at our newest addition. Trey blushed, as he looked up at me. "He's a member of this nuthouse too, if he wants to be," I explained, and then looked around the room, before I added, "but I can't imagine why anyone would want to be shackled with this group." "I do," Trey answered, meekly. "You guys are kinda nuts, but you're fun. I like it here." "Then it's official. I now have eight sons. Isn't anybody going to give me a cigar or something?" I teased. "How about another slice of pizza?" Trey offered. "I think that will do nicely," I replied. "And an extra piece for each of my new sons," I added. The jovial shenanigans continued until I looked at my watch. "Well, I hate to be a party pooper and run off from my wonderful family, but I have to go back to the hospital now. Kevin's probably starving and I don't want to leave him alone for too long" "We understand, Dad," Pat countered. "We know you're not leaving just to get away from us." "Are you sure about that?" I teased, which elicited a round of raspberries from the boys. I returned to the hospital and Kevin and I sat with Dustin until 10:00. I did leave Kevin alone with Dustin for about twenty minutes before we left, because I felt he might have some other things he wanted to say to Dustin, without me being around. He actually started saying his good-bye to Dustin before the door closed behind me, so I heard some of what he said. "Dusty, you've got to get better. I need you. I'm sorry if I was the one who made you do this. I want you back, Dusty. I want to be with you again..." I couldn't hear anything more, as the door closed behind me. I walked around the hallway for a while, and when Kevin didn't come right out, I strolled down to the waiting room on Dustin's floor. I figured I'd be able to kill some time there. I watched television for a few minutes, before I decided to go back to Dustin's room, to see what was holding Kevin up. When I walked in, I noticed Kevin was still sitting on the edge of the bed beside Dustin, stroking his hair, looking lovingly into his eyes and telling him stories about what had happened at home earlier. Unable to interrupt this touching moment, I merely sat in the chair and waited quietly for him to finish. After seeing me reposition myself several time, Kevin reluctantly got up to leave, but not before giving Dustin one final kiss and informing him he would see him tomorrow. My heart was aching as I bore witness to Kevin's pain. No matter how many times we had discussed it or what I told him, Kevin was still silently blaming himself for Dustin's decision to try that drug, and seeing him doing that was just tearing me up inside. By the time we got home, all of the other boys were in bed, asleep. Kevin and I sneaked quietly up to my room and decided to just go to bed and leave our showers until the morning. Kevin spooned back into my body and then reached back and found my arm, so he could drag it across his chest. Before he finally settled in, he also searched under his pillow for his little treasure pouch. Once he located it, he quickly fell asleep and we stayed cuddled together until morning. Tuesday started off just the same as Monday. I dropped the boys off at school and then went to the hospital to spend a few hours with Dustin. Once again, there was no change in his condition and I spent most of the morning just holding his hand, talking to him and praying. This time, Sally Swarthout came by at lunchtime and brought me something to eat. We were sitting there talking, when Sally pointed at Dustin. "Josh, Dustin's eyelids are moving," she informed me. We both concentrated on Dustin's face, until I discovered she was right. Dustin's eyes were fluttering, although only slightly, but something was definitely happening. It might not be much, but I felt it was a sign that he was trying to break out of his prolonged stay in the arms of Morpheus. Excitedly I pushed the call button that hung next to his bed, hoping to get someone in there quickly. When no one responded right away, I asked Sally to go out and ask them to page the doctor to Dustin's room, before sending a nurse in to see what she could do to help. Before long, the room was abuzz with activity and I heard a weak voice say, "Where am I? What's happening?" It was Dustin. "You're in the hospital," I told him. "It seems you tried taking ecstasy and had an allergic reaction to it." Although it took a few seconds for this to register with him, suddenly a look of panic began to cover his face. "Don't worry about that now," I urged him. "Just try to get better. You've been completely out of it for a few days now." "Why? What day is this?" he asked. "It's Tuesday," I informed him. "Tuesday! It can't be," he argued. "It was just Friday." "It was Friday when you went out with your friends and did a little partying," I explained, "but it is now midday on Tuesday." It took a minute or so for Dustin to adjust to this fact. "What do you remember?" I asked him, after giving him time to think about what I had told him. "Not much," he admitted. "I remember my friend giving me something to try, and other than that, not much. I guess I must have dreamed that Kevin was telling me stuff." "No, you weren't dreaming that," I explained. "Kevin has been here every moment I would allow him to be. He would have stayed the whole time, but I forced him to go to school, because we weren't certain how long it would take you to recover." Dustin merely nodded his acknowledgement, before I turned to Sally and asked if I could speak to her outside the room. "Sally, would you do me a huge favor?" I asked, once we were out of Dustin's hearing. "Certainly, Josh, anything," she replied. "Would you mind driving to the high school and picking up Kevin for me. I'll call and tell them to have him out in front, if you'll do this for me. I promised him I'd let him come back, if there was any change in Dustin's condition." "Josh, I'd be glad to do that for you," she assured me. She quickly popped back into the room to say good-bye to Dustin, explaining that she had to return to work. After he thanked her for coming and the two of them exchanging kisses on the cheek, she departed. As Sally was saying her farewell, I ran down to the waiting room to phone the high school, to make sure Kevin would be allowed to leave and waiting out in front of the school for his ride. By the time I returned to the room, Dustin's doctor had also arrived. He was already examining Dustin when I entered, and soon informed me that my boy appeared to be doing fine. I almost collapsed from the sheer relief I felt, so I sat down with Dustin, while the doctor answered all of his questions. Once Dustin was finished, I asked the doctor a series of my own queries. After the doctor finally convinced me that he believed Dustin was going to be fine, he added that he still wanted Dustin to spend a little more time there, just so they could observe him during his recovery. Dustin wasn't happy with that news, but I told him that was only a small price to pay for the stunt he had pulled. "Dustin, what made you mess around with that stuff anyway?" I pressed him. "I'm not sure, Dad. I guess I just wasn't thinking," he confirmed. "I guess I was kind of feeling sorry for myself, about Kevin and all, so when one of the guys offered some to me, I just took it. Yes, I admit I really knew better than to mess with it and I'm sorry for letting both of us down and causing all of these problems. If it will make you feel better, I promise I'll never do anything this stupid again." "I hope you mean that," I replied, watching his reaction as I did so. He didn't flinch, so I guess he really did mean it. "I'm just happy that you lived through it and will be able to learn from this mistake," I confirmed. "It was really touch and go for a while and I was afraid we were going to lose you. I hope you know I love you, Dustin, and so does Kevin. More than you could ever know. He's been here by your side nearly the entire time, while blaming himself for what happened. He would never have left you, if he could have convinced me to let him stay. He was also willing to try to talk the hospital staff into letting him practically move in here with you." "Wait," Dustin mumbled. "Why does Kevin think this was his fault?" "He thinks that you took the drugs because of him," I explained. "He feels the only reason you would have done it was to get over the pain he caused you, so he's been blaming himself for this the whole time you were unconscious." "I've got to let him know it wasn't his fault, Dad," he expressed, deeply concerned. "When can I see him?" "I asked you Aunt Sally to go pick him up and he should be arriving here shortly. I hope you two will talk your problems out now and get everything back to normal." Dustin nodded, but he still didn't look convincing. "Dustin, even if he were physically attracted to someone else," I explained, "he's emotionally connected to you. Don't sell him short. He loves you deeply. He would willingly have switched places with you, if it were possible, even when he believed you might die. He would have sacrificed his own life, just to preserve yours." I think the message was finally beginning to sink in. Just a few seconds later, Kevin burst into the room. He sported the biggest smile I'd had ever seen and he rushed over to the bed and wrapped Dustin up in a mammoth bear hug. "Easy, sport," I warned him. "We don't need you to crack any of his ribs or do any other damage to him, now that he's feeling better." He just looked up and smiled, before he looked at his brother. "I love you Dusty. I really do," he blurted out, not caring who else heard him. Dustin and Kevin took the next few minutes to straightened things out between them. I offered to leave, but they insisted I stay. They were adamant that I hear what was said as well. Dustin started and explained his position to Kevin, so they both knew where he stood. "Kevin, it's important you understand that I'm not sure if I'm gay, because I like girls too," he began. "I have even had sex with a couple of them." I think this comment shocked both Kevin and I, and I wasn't sure if this might have happened while he was living with me or before he arrived. However, I didn't have long to ponder that question, because Dustin continued speaking. "I do know one thing, though, and that is I do love you. I know it's more than just loving a brother, but I'm not sure if it's enough for a lifetime commitment. I'm sorry that I acted jealous and I'm sorry about the things I said to you and Trey. Dad told me you thought I tried the drugs because of you, but I don't think that was it. I was feeling bad because what had happened to us, but that wasn't all. I was confused about my sexuality and just stopped thinking when they offered it to me. I did it, because it seemed right at the time and I wanted to go along with my friends. I can't blame anyone but myself for what happened Friday, and the last person I'd ever blame would be you." I think Kevin was about to burst into tears at this point. "Kevin, I love you, I really, really do," Dustin continued, "and I have to admit I hate thinking of you being with anyone else, but I'm no longer certain if I'm actually IN love with you." "I love you, too, Dustin, but I understand," Kevin replied. "I think I can handle anything, as long as we're not fighting. I don't care about you and the girls, that's your business, but I don't want us to argue or shut each other out ever again." That was basically the crux of their discussion, although it took them nearly an hour to get the entire thing worked out. Dustin began to tire at that point, so we left him alone for a while, so he could get some sleep. I told him that I'd bring all of the boys back later, because they were all worried about him as well. Dustin looked down at the bed and said, "I guess I worried everybody, didn't I? I guess I'm lucky to have such a wonderful and forgiving family." None of us responded to his comment, because we didn't feel we needed to. After leaving Dustin, Kevin and I both went back to school feeling much better. Later, once I had everyone together, I told the boys the great news. Most of them had already figured out Dustin's condition must have improved, because I had sent for Kevin and he seemed like a different person when he returned. The two of us filled them on in some of the other information, but just enough to give them a better understanding about what had transpired. Against my better judgment, we stopped at a fast-food place to eat, then drove home and cleaned up quickly, so I could take everyone to the hospital this time, so they'd all have a chance to visit with their brother. We looked like a parade moving through the corridors and the nurses on duty in Dustin's ward questioned the number of visitors showing up at once, until they discovered the boys were all his brothers. We instantly became the topic of conversation for the rest of our visit, and each of the boys answered questions about our merry little band. When we eventually left that evening, I told Dustin I was taking the rest of the week off from work, so I could spend it with him. He assured me that wasn't necessary, but I told him it was what I wanted to do. He only responded with a "thanks," before I herded my flock out of there. As we were leaving, Dustin called Trey back, so he could speak with him privately and apologized for his childish behavior. He told Trey he was glad to have him as a new brother and made Trey give him a hug before he left. Trey had a new spring in his step as we left the building, which let me know this simple apology had an enormous impact on him. That one simple act had bolstered this shy-boy's self-esteem and helped him learn that the last of the boys had finally accepted him as a brother. From now on, he would always be an integral part of our nutty little group. E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other 'constructive' comments or advice may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com - but please put the story title in the subject line, so it doesn't get deleted as junk mail.