Date: Sun, 8 Aug 2010 10:25:37 EDT From: Bwstories8@aol.com Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 8, chapters 33 - 34 The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 8 - by BW Copyright 2009 by billwstories Chapter 33 -- A Confession and a Revelation. After we exited Andrew's room, Jake closed the door and I assumed he did it so Jesse and Sammy wouldn't overhear what we were discussing. Little Ricky had come out with us too, but he still hadn't looked up at me. He was standing there like he was inspecting his shoes or the floor, so I thought it best to get things started. "What's up?" I asked Jake. "I thought we agreed to only bring Jesse and Sammy here for the time being." "We did," Jake conceded. "But after speaking with Little Ricky, I thought it would be best to modify our agreement slightly," he added, before giving a sideways glance at Little Ricky. I knew this was some type of signal, although I wasn't sure exactly what it meant. I looked at both of them, hoping for an explanation, but there was a long silence before anyone spoke again. "Little Ricky asked to come, so he could speak with you," Jake finally informed me. "There is something he feels he should tell you." "And this couldn't wait until I got home?" I asked, thinking it odd. "No, absolutely not," Jake assured me. "He feels this is very important, so he needs to do it now." He gave me a look that let me know I shouldn't question this further, so this definitely piqued my curiosity. "All right," I conceded, looking toward Little Ricky. "Do you want to do this alone or do you want Jake to hear this too?" Hesitantly he lifted his head and spoke. "Both of you," was all he said, simply, and then he went silent again. "Okay, so what's up?" I asked, in an effort to prod him into telling me what was on his mind. I wanted to do this quickly, so I could get back in with Andrew. However, Little Ricky was hemming and hawing, as he tried to get up the nerve to say something, but he just couldn't seem to come up with the words. Growing frustrated, I thought I should attempt to urge him into action once more. "I think it might be easier if you just come out and say what's on your mind," I suggested, while looking at him closely. I wanted to see if my words had any effect oh him. Little Ricky swallowed hard and began to lift his head. I could see the tears flowing from his eyes and down his cheeks, which sent a chill down my spine. Why was he acting this way? What was wrong? Finally, he began to speak. "It's all my fault," he sobbed, which caused me to wonder what his words meant. "What's all your fault?" I asked, in order to gain some clarification. "Andrew's accident," he choked out. "It's my fault he got hurt." I was totally confused by Little Ricky's confession and thought I needed more details, if I were going to understand what he was trying to tell me. "Wait a minute," I began. "You weren't even with him when the accident happened, so how could you be responsible for it?" Little Ricky was sobbing quite hard now, as his guilt continued to build and consume him, yet I couldn't understand what he was trying to tell me. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around his upper body and gave him a big hug, to ease his pain and let him know that no matter what he said, I wouldn't love him any less. After shedding many more tears into my chest, which quickly soaked into my shirt, he finally lifted his head and spoke again. "I messed with Andrew's bike and that's what caused him to get hurt," he admitted, which threw me into an even more confused state. "Why would you do anything to his bike?" I blurted out, before taking time to think about the best way to approach this topic. Little Ricky had the saddest expression on his face that I'd ever seen and his eyes were all red and puffy. This told me he'd been crying far longer than the short time he'd been at the hospital. "I loosened the front wheel on his bike," he finally responded. "Why in the world would you do a thing like that?" I responded, before thinking again. Little Ricky looked up at me, with a scared expression on his face. It almost appeared as if he expected me to attack him, after I'd heard what he'd said. "It was meant to be a joke," he admitted, anxiously. "I just wanted to get back at him for the pranks he pulled on me. I didn't think he'd get hurt." I was beginning to understand what had been going on here, so I hugged him again, to reinforce the notion that I wasn't going to beat him or love him any less. He had been through a lot too, with his father's death and his mother's illness. The last thing I wanted to do was to add to the pain he was already dealing with. "It's okay," I said soothingly, as I hugged him even tighter. "I know you didn't mean to hurt him." Little Ricky's head jerked upward and he stared at me, as if he didn't believe what he'd just heard. "I only thought the wheel would come off and he'd have to walk back home," he admitted. "I figured the bike would start to wobble when the nut got looser and he'd stop. When he saw what was wrong, I figured he'd just push it home, since he wouldn't have any tools with him to fix it." After telling me this, he began weeping hysterically. "I understand," I said, comfortingly. "I know you didn't want anything like this to happen, but I've warned you boys before that practical jokes can go awry, and that's what happened here. It went very wrong." I looked at him, to see if this was starting to sink in. "Pop, I feel so bad," he informed me. "Even though I didn't mean for it to happen, I'm still to blame. I never wanted to hurt him. I just wanted to get even." "I understand," I reiterated, "and Andrew will too. He knew his jokes might possibly cause problems such as this as well, but he was just fortunate nothing of this nature ever happened with one of his pranks. Maybe this will finally put an end to you boys pulling pranks now." "I'll never do anything like this again. I promise," Little Ricky assured me. My heart was breaking for him, because I recognized the inner turmoil he was going through. "Okay, I forgive you and I know Andrew will too. Do you want to sit with him for a while?" I asked, and he responded with an almost terrified look on his face. "Do you think I should?" he wondered. "I mean... if he knows I caused his accident, maybe he'll get so upset that he'll just get worse." I wasn't sure I followed his logic, but I had to respond to it or else he'd never get past it. "Not if you apologized," I urged him. "I'm positive he'll understand and forgive you." Little Ricky thought about this for a little while and then slowly made his way into the room and over to Andrew's bed. I called Jesse and Sammy out of the room, to wait with Jake and me in the hall. This would give Little Ricky the privacy he needed, so he could find the courage to apologize to Andrew. Jesse wasn't happy about the change of events, but I told him it wouldn't be for long. I explained that Little Ricky wanted to spend some time alone with Andrew too, like he had done. Reluctantly, Jesse stepped into the hallway. He was fidgety, like a racehorse standing in the starting gate, but accepted the fact that other members of the family might also want some time alone with his best bud too. I'm not sure what was said in there, but Little Ricky remained alone with Andrew for about twenty minutes. He might have stayed even longer, had one of the nurses not gone in on her rounds. When Little Ricky came back out into the hallway, he didn't look as haggard or as troubled as he did when he went in. He didn't say anything to any of us, so I didn't press him to find out what had happened. However, he did flash me a weak smile, when he looked in my direction. This let me know some of his burden had been lifted. Once the nurse finished her duties, we all went back into the room with Andrew and stayed with him until dinnertime. Jake suggested he would take the boys home and fix a meal, but he also noted he was concerned about me. "Josh, come home with us," he almost pleaded. "You need to eat too." "I'm fine," I told him. "I'll just grab something from the cafeteria or the vending machines." "No, you won't eat that crap," he informed me. "We'll be back later and I'll bring you something good," he added, with a little extra emphasis. I thanked him for his offer and for the way he took care of me, and then I gave him a hug and a kiss, before he and the boys took off. Once again, this led up to another little hassle with Jesse, because he wanted to stay with me and have some food brought back for him too. However, I told him he should go home for now and then he could return later and stay with me until bedtime. Hesitantly, he did as he was told, but that lower lip was sticking out about a half inch further than normal, as he walked out the door. Jake and the boys had been gone for nearly two hours, so I was expecting them back at any moment. I knew it would take some time for him to drive home, fix dinner, eat and then return, so I realized they wouldn't be back quickly. While I waited, I sat beside Andrew, held his hand and watched a little television. I also continued to stroke his hair and speak to him during the commercials. It was during one of these times that I noticed his eyes began to flutter and then they finally opened. I was stunned and I'm certain my mouth dropped open at that point. I was unsure if this meant Andrew was back with us or if this was just a temporary improvement in his condition. I thought about going to get someone, but I didn't want to leave him just yet, so I just pushed the call button. I knew it set off a signal at the nurses' station and let them know I wanted or needed something. After staring into space for a few seconds, Andrew's eyes focused on me and I smiled at my boy. "Daddy," he said weakly, which caused my heart to leap with joy and a lump to form in my throat. This lump delayed me from responding to him for a few seconds, and during that time Andrew's eyes came completely into focus. He looked about the room briefly and then spoke again. "Where am I?" he asked, innocently and in a hoarse tone. "You're in the hospital," I told him. "You had an accident on your bicycle. Don't you remember?" I could tell he was thinking about what I had just said. "Oh, yeah," he replied, after a brief delay. "The front wheel on my bike started to wobble and came off. When it did, it sent me flying down an embankment," he continued, although his voice was hushed and it seemed to be taking a great deal of effort for him to respond to my questions. Therefore, I thought it best to end our discussion. "Yes, that's right," I advised him, "but you're going to be fine now. Just lay back and rest. You don't need to say anything more, but it will take you a while to recover completely." Andrew began to close his eyes again, but then his eyelids shot open once more and he looked back at me. "Where's Jesse?" he wanted to know. "He's home, but he's fine," I assured him. "He went home with Jake for a little while, so he could eat, but he'll be back shortly. He didn't want to leave you, but I made him." A few seconds later, a nurse opened the door. When she saw what was happening, she smiled. I told her I thought Andrew needed a drink, to moisten his throat, so she turned around and left to get something for him. While she was gone, Andrew closed his eyes again, so I guessed he'd learned what he wanted to know and was content. When the nurse returned, she handed me a glass with crushed ice in it. I held in up to Andrew's mouth and let him take a chunk in, so it would melt and moisten his throat. While I was doing that, the nurse checked Andrew over quickly. I'm not even sure Andrew even knew what she was doing, but it didn't matter. A few minutes later, the nurse finished noting his vital signs and returned to her station, A short time later, Andrew opened his eyes again. When he saw I was still there, he gave me a small, but forced smile, and then let his eyes close again. The doctor entered the room several minutes later, to talk to me about Andrew's condition, but I beat him to the punch. "Andrew came to and spoke to me," I told him. The doctor nodded. "That's what the nurse told me, when she paged me," he confirmed. "Did he seem to understand what was going on?" "Yes!" I replied. "He asked me where he was, and after I told him, I asked if he remembered what had happened. He thought about it briefly and then told me what had happened," I replied. "That's great news," the doctor conceded. "I was going to come by soon to tell you the swelling was continuing to go down and he was progressing nicely, but I thought it might still take another day or two before he regained consciousness. This, however, is absolutely fantastic," he added, while finally letting a grin form on his lips. "I can't tell you how grateful I am, Doctor. I was afraid I might lose him, or at least lose the boy he was," I admitted, now that I felt fairly positive that wasn't going to happen. The doctor was just about to respond, when Andrew opened his eyes again and spoke. "Daddy, when can I go home?" he asked, in almost a whisper. I immediately moved back to his side. "Why don't we let the doctor answer that question," I responded, as I turned toward the physician. "Let me give you a quick examination," the doctor informed him, "but I think you should stay here until at least tomorrow afternoon, just to be safe." Andrew grimaced at the news. "A day," he whined, but I could tell he was also thinking about something else. It wasn't long before we both discovered what was on his conniving little mind. "Can Jesse stay with me then?" he pleaded. "Who's Jesse?" the doctor asked, confused. "That's his younger brother, the one who's stayed here with us most of the time," I told him, hoping that's all I'd need to divulge, but then I thought of something else I should probably add. "Remember, I told you he was the one who was with Andrew when the accident happened and was responsible for getting Andrew help as quickly as we did." "Ah, so Jesse was the little hero whom I met earlier," he reiterated. "Yes, you could say that," I told him, "and the two of them are very close. They even share a room at home right now." "Well, if Jesse will make Andrew more relaxed," the physician added, "I guess I could leave word that they could stay together tonight. I'll have another bed wheeled in for him." "Can't he just sleep with me?" Andrew pleaded, which caused the doctor to give him a quizzical glance. Due to Andrew's age and size, though, I'm sure the neurologist wasn't thinking about anything of a sexual nature happening between them. I believe he was merely considering how it might affect his patient. After thinking it over, he spoke to Andrew again. "Would you promise that you'll take it easy and get plenty of rest?" the doctor pressed, seeking Andrew's reassurance. "I promise," Andrew told him, instinctively crossing his heart as he did so, which caused the doctor to smile. "Then I guess it will be all right," the physician announced, "as long as I don't find any more medical problems during my examination." Once that stipulation had been added, the doctor began to check my son over. The examination was fairly thorough, as he inspected Andrew's eyes and ears and checked his reflexes. The doctor was just about to listen to Andrew's heart and lungs, when I saw Jake open the door. He was holding Jesse's hand firmly, to keep him from rushing into the room, so I signaled him to remain where he was. I then excused myself, so I could go speak with him. Once I was outside the room, I suggested we move to the waiting room, so we wouldn't disturb the doctor and I could explain what was going on. Jesse didn't want to go with us, and kept indicating he wanted to go in with Andrew, but I told him the doctor needed to be alone with Andrew for a few more minutes, so he could complete his examination. Reluctantly, Jesse gave in once more. "As you probably noticed," I began, speaking to the both of them, "Andrew has regained consciousness. He only came to a short time ago and I haven't had a chance to call you at home yet," I added, as I noticed a mixture of excitement and relief washing over them, "The doctor felt he should look Andrew over, to determine how well he's doing and see if there are any other problems. He'll let us know what he thinks shortly, just as soon as he finishes his examination." "I seeeee Anndoo," Jesse managed to say, looking hopeful. "Maybe even more than that," I responded, which caused Jesse to give me another quizzical look. Before I had a chance to explain, the doctor came out to speak with us. "Your son is doing remarkably well and I think he's going to be just fine," he began, and I heard us all release a sigh of relief. "When will he be able to go home?" I asked the neurologist, once I regained my wits about me. "If he's doing this well in the morning, then there's a good chance I might be willing to release him after lunch," the doctor advised me. "How does that sound to you?" he asked, while giving us a knowing grin at the same time. "Absolutely wonderful," I replied, while bursting with joy inside. "And I see Jesse has returned," the physician added next, while staring at my newest addition. This caused Jesse to wonder how the doctor knew who he was, since he'd forgotten they had met before. He was too concerned about Andrew at the time to remember their previous, brief encounter. "Yes, it's been tough to get him to do anything else," I informed the doctor, before turning toward Jesse. "Andrew told the doctor all about you, when he was being examined," I continued, while watching Jesse's eyes grow as large as saucers. "Yes," the doctor confirmed. "I heard you were the hero who saved your brother's life," he added, which caused Jesse's eyes to bug out from his head even further and his mouth to drop open. "The doctor said Andrew's injuries would have been much more serious," I explained, as I tried to answer some of Jesse's unasked questions, "if you hadn't gotten help for him as quickly as you did." "Exactly," the doctor agreed. "Had Andrew gone unattended for even another fifteen or twenty minutes, the swelling in his brain might have expanded to the point where it could have caused permanent brain damage or possibly even death." This was not only sobering news, but it made us all realize how close we came to losing Andrew and how important Jesse's actions were. I think Jesse was now starting to appreciate his importance in this as well. That news did not go unnoticed by Little Ricky or Sammy either. Even though I hadn't realized they were standing in the background before, they were now looking at their newest brother in a different light. Both boys began to realize the significance of the role Jesse had played in this little drama and how vital his actions were. Jesse had made it possible for Sammy to still have his only biological brother and prevented Little Ricky from carrying a great weight around with him for the rest of his life. That would have happened, if Little Ricky had actually caused Andrew to be seriously injured or been responsible for his death because of the prank. Suddenly, Jesse was thrust into the limelight as a hero and was now getting a great deal of attention from Sammy and Little Ricky as well. "I'm sorry, but I have to leave you now," the doctor advised us, and then paused slightly, before continuing to speak. "I also imagine Jesse and Andrew will want to get settled in." This comment caused everyone else to turn in my direction and flash me a very puzzled look, so I thought I'd better explain. "Yes, I suppose they will," I told the doctor, before turning toward the others. "Andrew got the doctor to give him permission to have Jesse spend the night with him," I explained, "as long as he agrees to let Andrew get his rest." A huge smile burst across Jesse's face and his head began to nod up and down vigorously. We almost had to hold him back, as he was ready to race into the room and jump into bed with his buddy. Jesse was extremely excited that he'd actually be spending the night with Andrew, but I had to make sure he understood everything, before it happened. I picked him up and held him in my arms, until I had explained the entire situation to him. When I finally put him down, he raced to Andrew's side and climbed up, so he could sit on the edge of the bed. He was staring lovingly at Andrew, as the rest of us followed into the room. Andrew was very excited about seeing Jesse again too, but we had to make sure he kept his enthusiasm under control. "Yuuuuu bettttt errrr?" Jessed asked, which caused Andrew's eyes to bulge from their sockets. "He spoke!" Andrew exclaimed. "Dad, Jesse spoke!" he reiterated. "Did you hear him?" "Yes, I did," I told him, "but he's done that before." Andrew furrowed his brow, as he tried to understand what I was telling him. "Jesse uttered his first words, after he rushed home to tell me about your accident," I clarified. "It was how he let me know you were in trouble and the first thing he said was that you were hurt." Both boys were beaming now. Andrew was proud of Jesse's accomplishment and Jesse was pleased that Andrew was going to be fine. It was a wonderful moment. "I'll arrange for Jesse to start getting some speech therapy, as soon as possible," I added, "to help him keep improving his language skills. With a little luck, he'll be speaking just like the rest of you within a few months." This news was also received enthusiastically, and then we let Sammy and Little Ricky have some time with Andrew too. Jesse wasn't about to leave Andrew's side, but the other two didn't seem to mind. I guess they figured after all he'd done to save Andrew; he deserved to stay beside him. I had also taken a moment to pull Little Ricky aside before we entered, so I could suggest that he not say anything about what he had done to the bike, I thought it best if he waited until Andrew came home and was feeling better first. Little Ricky readily agreed and I think that removed a little pressure from him as well. The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 8 - by BW Copyright 2009 by billwstories Chapter 34 -- The Worst is Over.. While the boys were still in with Andrew, I took Jake for a walk, to give us some time alone. We told the boys what we were going to do before we left and they didn't have a problem with it. As Jake and I strolled down the halls, I began to unburden myself to him. "I was so scared I was going to lose him," I began. "I could tell," Jake responded, simply. "Jake, I'm not sure I could have handled it if something terrible had happened to Andrew," I continued. "I'm not sure I can continue doing this any longer." Jake looked shocked. "What are saying? Are you planning on kicking them all out?" he asked, rhetorically. "Or will you just keep them locked up in the house from now on?" I knew he was being facetious and trying to get me to see the absurdity of my position. "Jake, I understand I can't do that and I wouldn't want to anyways," I explained, "but I also know I couldn't have handled it, had things not turned out as they have." "Josh, I also know you couldn't live if you didn't have these boys in your life," he reasoned. "When you love someone, you also take some risks. I think we both are wise enough to know that. I lost my wife through divorce and you lost yours through death, and we've also lost a couple of boys too. The thing is, if you knew that when you first met them, would you have refused to take them in?" "No, I wouldn't have sent them away," I admitted, "but it doesn't mean it didn't hurt to lose them." "I know that," Jake confided, "but Brent and Cody both benefited from the time they were with you and you also gained a great deal from them as well, didn't you?" "Yes, I did," I told him, as I thought back upon the wonderful times I'd had with both Brent and Cody. "Then just remember those moments," Jake continued. "Over the years you've taken many chances and there were a great many positives that came from these choices, but only a few bad things have happened. Yes, they were severe, but I don't think they outweigh all the positives that have come out of what you've done. Overall, you've done so much good by taking care of these boys, even though the losses sometimes seem to overshadow those other accomplishments. Do you think Trey would have written and produced his play if he didn't live here and have your encouragement and support? Would Dion have shone vocally and now be taking vocal lessons, if he lived in a foster home. Would Andrew have developed his artistic talent, without your guidance and motivational support? Would Pat have received the care after his injury or Frankie come back to turn his life around under someone else's tutelage. Would Ricky or Nick have wanted to become exchange students and made the most of that experience or Peter have come to stay with us without your help and leadership. I could go on and on, but I think you get the point." Jake paused briefly, before continuing. "I'll agree, we dodged a bullet today, but it won't prevent something else from happening in the future. We have to take each day as it comes, accept the good with the bad and continue to look toward the future -- and not dwell on past setbacks. You've done a great deal of good by taking these boys in and I'm sure none of them regret what you did. "Even though they've also been affected and suffered from those losses," Jake continued, "I'm positive none of them would have stayed away, even knowing what awaited them in advance. We'll all survive and be better for it, no matter what else happens. Come on, let's go back and enjoy this moment for what it is and not for what it might have been." After a few more seconds of reflecting on his advice, I realized the wisdom in his words and accepted the fact that I might have been overreacting. To show Jake how much he meant to me, I threw my arms around his chest and gave him a tremendous hug, which caught him completely off guard. After a few seconds of hesitation, he hugged me back, and then we broke our embrace and walked back into Andrew's room. However, as we did, I made sure to thank him again and tell him how much he meant to me. A little while later, Jake suggested it was time for him to leave and said he'd take Sammy and Little Ricky home with him. Sammy looked a little panicked, although I wasn't sure of the reason, but that ended when he asked if he could speak with me alone before they left. I told him we could go down to the waiting area, if he wanted to, and he said he thought that would do just fine. Once we were alone, Sammy used the opportunity to thank me again for helping him out of his situation and apologized for not coming to me sooner. I told him I understood his reasons for not wanting to confide in me, but then went on to explain that I wouldn't have gotten involved in the situation, if he had told me that's what he wanted. I may have tried to convince him otherwise, but if I saw he was still positive it would be best, after hearing me out, I would have honored his wishes. The only exception would have been if I felt his safety was in jeopardy. I also reiterated that he should always at least talk things over with me, to see if I had any ideas he might find acceptable, even if he didn't want me to take direct action. He said he would do so from now on, so I gave him a hug and was ready to send him on his way. However, I soon discovered there was even more he wanted to discuss with me. "Dad, I want to thank you for helping Andrew too," he continued, "but there's something else." I was a little confused. "Oh, and what would that be?" I asked. Nervously, Sammy began to look around, as if he didn't know how to continue, so I gave him some time to work it out on his own. After a fairly lengthy pause, he continued. "Richard told me what he did and said he'd told you too," Sammy explained, since the boys call him Rickard, not Little Ricky. "I don't know what to do now. I wanted to beat the crap out of him, because of what he did to Andrew, but I also know he didn't mean to hurt him. What do you think I should do?" "I think you should forgive him and then forget about it," I suggested. "It was an accident and a mistake any one of us could have made. It was the same way with many of Andrew's practical jokes. Some of them could have turned out just as badly, but I don't think we'd have beaten him up if they did. I think we would have understood he didn't mean it and then forgiven him. Hopefully, we'll all learn from it and nothing like this will happen again, in the future." "But won't I be letting Andrew down, if I don't get even for him?" Sammy wondered. "No, not at all," I answered, "and I think Andrew would tell you the same thing. In fact, if you want to check with him when we go back, you can." "But he doesn't know about what Richard did, does he?" Sammy asked, concerned. "I think he might," I confirmed. "Richard told Andrew about it that night he spent time with Andrew alone. Even though Andrew wasn't conscious at the time, I think it might still have registered in his brain. If not, he has the right to know what happened, and I'm sure Richard will apologize to him again, now that he's awake." "You really think I should just let it go then?" Sammy wondered, because he still wasn't certain he knew what to do. "Yes, I do," I confirmed. "I know it takes a big man to walk away without getting even, but I think you're big enough to do that. Is there anything else?" I pushed, hoping this was now settled. "No, I guess not," he told me. "Thanks, Dad." "You're welcome," I replied, before I gave him another hug. We walked back to Andrew's room and I made sure Sammy got to spend a few minutes alone with his brother, before Jake took him and Little Ricky home. A few minutes later, when I went in to check on how they were doing, Sammy spoke. "You were right, Dad," he announced. "Andrew told me not to do anything to Richard. Andrew said it was mostly his fault, because it wouldn't have happened if he hadn't played all those jokes first, so I won't do anything." "I'm glad to hear that," I agreed. "Andrew also said he didn't know that's what happened, so he didn't realize what Little Ricky had said to him when he was knocked out," Sammy continued. "But even after I explained it to him, it's still the way he feels." "You're brother is very wise, for a little man," I confirmed, which drew a bashful grin from Andrew. I had intentionally called him a little man, because I didn't want him continuing to think of himself as a baby, and maybe it was finally starting to sink in. Now that we had Jesse, who was younger, and Andrew had taken on a mentoring role with him, I believe he was no longer considering himself to be a baby. God DOES seem to work in strange and mysterious ways. Once the others left and Andrew, Jesse and I were alone, I let the two boys spend most of the evening on their own. I stayed out of the spotlight and allowed them the time they both needed to be with each other. It was obviously much more important, and more cathartic, than spending the time with me. As it began to grow late, I had Jesse slip on one of the pairs of pajamas I had brought down for Andrew. Even though the boys generally sleep nude or in their underwear at home, we keep pajamas on hand, to take with us when we're away from home. Once they were both ready for bed, I tucked my boys in together and kissed each of them on the forehead. As I observed them getting comfortable, it was almost as if I were watching a broken toy mend itself and come together as a perfect whole again. I could also tell it was something both of them had sorely missed. It didn't take long before they fell asleep, snuggled against each another. Seeing how they were so tightly curled against one another reminded me of a litter of puppies or kittens. It was just so damn cute to see the way they had bonded and I was fairly certain this connection would never end. After I was convinced they were going to be fine, I left and went home too. There were things I needed to get done before morning, but I was also looking forward to sleeping in a bed again. Although I was still a little worried about Andrew, he was doing much better and in the very capable hands of the medical staff at the hospital. Therefore, I thought he would do fine without me and felt I could leave him temporarily. Besides, he also had Jesse to keep him company. On the other hand, I haven't been able to spend much time with Jake in a while, and I also wanted to make sure both Sammy and Little Ricky had completely gotten past what was bothering them. When I arrived home, everything seemed to be going smoothly, at least for our household. The other boys did have a lot of questions about Andrew; even though I'm sure they asked many of the same things of the others, after they returned from their visit. After I answered all their queries, I took Sammy and Little Ricky aside, one at a time. I just needed to ask them a few more questions, before I let this drop. After doing it, I was convinced Sammy had forgiven Little Ricky and put his other problems behind him too, since his tormentors were now in jail. Little Ricky was also doing better. He didn't appear to feel quite as guilty about what he had done, because it appeared that Andrew was going to be fine and had forgiven him. Little Ricky did promise, once again, that he'd never pull another prank on anyone, for as long as he lived. This made me feel better too and it was nice to see things returning to normal. Since that had been taken care of, Jake and I went off to watch a movie in the family room. Even though we weren't alone, we only paid attention to each other and the movie, for a change. When the show ended, we went to bed, so we could have a little more time together. It didn't take Jake long to begin to feel frisky and soon I had a wild animal on my hands. He was as eager to satisfy me, as I was to satisfy him, and once our romantic session ended, we turned in. I still had to get up early in the morning, because I wanted to be at the hospital by 7:00. This wasn't just so I could check on both boys, but I also wanted to catch the doctor when he made his first rounds. Seeing I didn't know what time he would be doing that, I wanted to makes sure I was at the hospital before he was. When the alarm went off, I felt better than I had in a few days. It seemed as if most of our problems were now behind us, so I began to think ahead, to our vacation. I concluded we all needed a break about now, so this vacation was coming at the right time. I just hoped everything went off as planned, because I intended for us to do a great deal, as I usually do. We would have Barry joining us too, so I felt it should prove to be interesting, besides fun and relaxing. As I considered this, I also remembered something else I needed to take care of. By the time I got to the hospital, Andrew and Jesse were both awake and the staff had just brought their breakfast. I was expecting to have to take Jesse down to the cafeteria to eat, but someone had thought ahead and ordered something for him too, so both boys were digging in to their cereal, scrambled eggs, toast, juice and milk. They both flashed me a huge grin as I walked in the door, so I knew they'd had a good night. After I spent a little time with them, I also made sure Andrew was feeling okay and Jesse was doing all right as well. Then, I went out to the nurses' station and asked if they knew what time the doctor would be by or if he had left word about discharging Andrew. One of the nurses told me the doctor should be arriving within the hour, but nothing was noted on Andrew's chart concerning discharging him. I thanked her for the information and then went back to Andrew's room. Both boys were just lounging on the bed, still in their pj's. It looked as if Jesse wasn't planning to get dressed unless Andrew could go home, so I didn't push the issue, since I didn't see any harm in them both staying this way. When the doctor arrived, he checked Andrew over carefully, but did so under Jesse's watchful gaze. The doctor didn't seem to mind this scrutiny. In fact, he explained everything he was doing to his young 'assistant' and Jesse would nod his understanding or force out a word or two in response. When the doctor finished, he turned toward me. "It appears he's doing well and will be fine," he informed me. "I'll go and fill out his discharge papers now. Andrew, you may get dressed, and you too, Jesse," he added, "and an orderly will arrive with a wheelchair to take you down to your dad's car." Both boys were glowing. Andrew was finally going to get out of this place and return home. Now that the doctor had finished, I asked to speak with him alone, out in the hallway, and he consented. Once we were out of range of prying little ears, I asked the questions that were weighing on my mind. "Doctor, I need to know a few things before we leave." The physician nodded his understanding. "First of all, I realize the boys will eventually want to go out riding again, so I need to know if Andrew will be able to do that. If so, how long should I wait before I let them go?" The neurologist took a few seconds to think about this before responding. "Yes, he may go riding again, as long as he wears his helmet," he advised me, "but he'll have to wait until that leg heals, so let's leave that up to his orthopedist." I nodded slightly, but it led to my second question. "That brings me to something else," I told the physician. "I've been planning our vacation for several months now and we're scheduled to leave in a few days. Should I cancel the trip, or will it be all right for Andrew to go too?" The doctor then asked me specific questions about what our plans were, exactly what we'd be doing and then made several observations about what we should or shouldn't include. He also suggested some options, where he thought there might be some problems. "If you follow those guidelines," he added, "I don't see a problem with him participating." This made me feel good and I breathed a sigh of relief. I thanked the doctor before he left and then reentered Andrew's room. I was thoroughly overjoyed. Not only did Andrew have very few restrictions, but I also wouldn't be forced to cancel our trip. If I'd had to do that, it would have affected several other impressionable young men as well and that might have caused even greater problems. Besides protecting Andrew and making sure he recovered, I certainly didn't want to disappoint the other boys either. It would have been a tough call, had I been forced to make it. We actually waited about thirty minutes before the orderly showed up to take Andrew down to the main entrance, but it only took a few more minutes before we were on our way home. I noticed that Andrew was getting Jesse to talk more and more, although you could tell it took an enormous amount of effort on Jesse's part to do so. However, Andrew encouraged his efforts and then praised him afterward. This seemed to be all Jesse needed to give it his best effort. It seemed he was willing to do almost anything to make Andrew happy, so if it meant he had to talk, he would do just that. As we pulled into the driveway, I was surprised to see the bike Andrew had been riding out in front of the house, all fixed and polished, with Jesse's lined up beside it. Little Ricky was the first one out of the house, with Sammy and the others following closely on his heels. He raced to the Yukon to greet us and opened the door for Andrew and Jesse. He helped Andrew get down from his lofty seat in the SUV and did everything he could to make sure Andrew didn't fall and injure himself further while using the crutches. Andrew seemed to be enjoying this special attention, and when they approached the bikes, Little Ricky made an announcement. "I hope you know I'm really sorry about that dumb trick I tried to pull on you," he explained, while oozing out every ounce of sincerity he could muster. "I fixed the bike and cleaned it up, so it's better than it was before. I don't imagine you'll be able to go riding again very soon, but it's all ready to go when you are." Andrew understood this was meant as an additional apology, but he wasn't going to make Little Ricky grovel forever. "Hey, it's okay," he told him. "You didn't mean for me to get hurt and I don't blame you for trying to get even. Heck, I did things to you first." That seemed to be enough to remove the final feelings of guilt that had still been nagging at Little Ricky. I looked over at Sammy and gave him a wink, once I got his attention, because I wanted him to realize that's exactly what I told him about Andrew. He didn't want revenge, so what I told Sammy had been accurate. He just nodded his head, to let me know he understood that now. "Thanks. I'm glad you feel that way," Little Ricky told him, while I was communicating silently with Sammy. "I really feel bad about the way it turned out. I never thought anything would happen to you, other than you'd just get stuck somewhere and maybe have to walk home." "I know, so let's just forget it. Okay?" Andrew countered, since he was ready to put this behind them. "Okay, I can do that," Little Ricky agreed. He was also glad it was finally over. The boys went into the house and quickly disappeared. I knew the three of them were spending time together, as Little Ricky was still trying to make up for his blunder, even though Andrew had let him off of the hook. I guess it was just his nature, but now we could all move on with our lives again.