Date: Sat, 13 Nov 2004 10:29:08 EST From: Bwstories8@aol.com Subject: The Castaway Hotel - book 9, chapter 3 Legal Notice: The following story contains descriptions of graphic sexual acts. The story is a work of fiction and has no basis in reality. Don't read this story if: **You're not 18 or over, **If it is illegal to read this type of material where you live, **Or if you don't want to read about gay/bi people in love or having sex. The author retains copyright to this story. Placing this story on a website or reproducing this story for distribution without the author's permission is a violation of that copyright. Legal action will be taken against violators. I wish to extend my thank you to Emoe57 for his editorial assistance with this chapter, and Art, the real Vinnie and John for their additional input on each chapter. E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other 'constructive' comments or advice may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com. * * * * * * * * Although the boys in these stories have unprotected sex, I strongly urge all of you out there to be smart and protect yourselves from various sexually transmitted diseases by using condoms when having intercourse. * * * * * * * * The Castaway Hotel-Book 9-by BW (Yng-Frnds). Copyright 2004 by billwstories Chapter 3 - The worst is over. July 2004 Jake and the boys had been gone for over an hour, but I was expecting them back almost any time. I knew it would take some time for him to fix dinner, eat and then return, so I had figured they wouldn't be back quickly. While I waited, I sat beside Andrew, held his hand, watched a little television and 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 sure my mouth dropped open at that point. I wasn't sure if this meant he 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 that set off a signal at the nurses' station. After staring into space for a few seconds, Andrew's eyes focus on me and I smiled at my boy. "Dad," he said weakly, causing my heart to leap with joy and a lump to form in my throat. This lump delayed me from answering him for a few seconds, and during that time, Andrew's eyes came completely into focus, and he looked about the room briefly. That's when he spoke again. "Where am I?" he asked, innocently. "You're in the hospital," I told him. "You had an accident on your bike. 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 wobbling and came off. When it did, it sent me flying down a bank," he continued, though 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 lie back and rest. You don't need to say anything more for now, 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, to eat, but he'll be back shortly. He didn't want to leave you, but I made him." Andrew gave mme a small, but forced smile, and then he closed his eyes again. I guess that was all he needed to know and now he could relax once more. 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, which caused the doctor's eyebrows to rise. "He spoke to you?" he questioned, possibly imagining that it was just wishful thinking on my part. "Yes, he asked me where he was and what happened, and then he told me about the accident," I replied. "That's great news," the doctor conceded, once he concluded that it probably did happen. "I came to tell you that 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 is terrific news," he added, 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 feeling relieved that I wouldn't have to live through anything like that. The doctor was just about to respond, when Andrew opened his eyes again and spoke. "Dad, 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 told him, turning 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 he 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." "Well, if Jesse will make Andrew more relaxed," the physician added, "I guess I could leave word that they could stay together for tonight. I'll have a bed wheeled in for him." "Can't he just sleep with me?" Andrew pleaded, causing the doctor to give him a quizzical glance. Due to Andrew's age, 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 me that you'll take it easy and get plenty of rest?" the doctor asked, 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 of you." 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, ears, reflexes, and was just about to listen to his heart and lungs, when I saw Jake standing in the doorway. He was holding Jesse's hand firmly, to keep him from rushing into the room, so I signaled him to remain there and I excused myself, so I could go talk to him. I suggested we step back out into the hall, where we wouldn't disturb the doctor and I could explain what was going on. Jesse didn't want to go with us, and he 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. Reluctantly, Jesse gave in once more. "As you probably noticed," I began, speaking to the both of them, "Andrew regained consciousness. He only came to a short while ago," I added, seeing a mixture of excitement and relief washing over them, "so the doctor's looking him over, to determine how well he's doing. He'll let us know what he thinks shortly, as soon as he's finished." "I seeeee Anndoo," Jesse managed to say, looking hopeful. "Maybe even more than that," I responded, causing 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. "Is this Jesse?" the physician asked next, looking at my newest addition and causing Jesse to wonder how the doctor knew who he was. "Yes, this is him," I informed him, before turning toward Jesse. "Andrew told the doctor all about you, when he was trying to get him to agree to let you spend the night with him," I continued, while watching Jesse's eyes growing 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, trying 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 of his brain might have expanded to the point where it could have caused permanent brain damage or possibly even killed him." 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 too. That news did not go unnoticed by Little Ricky or Sammy either, whom I hadn't noticed standing in the background either, and they began to look at their newest brother in a new light. Both boys began to realize the significance of the role he had played in this little drama. Jesse had made sure Sammy got to keep his only biological brother and prevented Little Ricky from carrying a great weight around with him for the rest of his life - if he had actually caused Andrew's death because of his prank. Suddenly, Jesse was thrust into the limelight as the hero and he was getting a great deal of attention from Sammy and Little Ricky as well. "Well, I'll leave you all alone now," the doctor advised us, and then he took a slight pause before continuing to speak. "I imagine the two boys will want to get settled in now." This comment caused everyone else to turn in my direction and flash me a very puzzled look. I thought I should explain. "Yes, I suppose they will," I told the doctor, before turning toward the others. "Andrew got the doctor to give him permission to let Jesse spend the night with him, 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 so excited that he'd actually be spending the night with Andrew. To make sure he understood everything before he went in the room, 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, sat on the edge of the bed and stared lovingly at Andrew. The rest of us followed closely behind. Andrew was very excited about seeing Jesse again, but we had to make sure he kept his enthusiasm under control. "Youuuuu bettttt errrr?" Jessed asked Andrew, causing 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. "The first time he spoke was after your accident," I clarified, "when he raced home to let me know you were hurt. The first thing he said was that you were hurt." Both boys were beaming now, Andrew over Jesse's accomplishment, and Jesse because he knew 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 talking just like the rest of you within a few months." That news was also received enthusiastically, and then we let Sammy and Little Ricky have some time with Andrew too, although Jesse wouldn't leave Andrew's side. I had pulled Little Ricky aside before he entered, to suggest he not say anything about what he did to the bike, until Andrew came home. He readily agreed. While the boys were 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 walked down the halls, I began to unburden myself to him. "I was so worried I was going to lose him," I told Jake. "I could tell," Jake responded, simply. "Jake, I'm not sure I could have handled it if something terrible had happened to him," I continued. "I'm not sure I can do this any more." Jake looked shocked. "What are you going to do, kick them all out?" he asked, rhetorically. "Or will you just keep them all locked up in the house from now on?" I knew he was being facetious, trying too get me to see the absurdity of my position. "Jake, I understand I can't do any of that," 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're both 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 that way 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 you also gained a great deal from both of them too, didn't you?" "Yes, I did," I told him, thinking back on the wonderful times I'd had with Brent and Cody. "Then just remember that," Jake continued. "Over the years you've taken many chances and there were many positives that came from them, not just the bad. Overall, you've had many more good things come from taking care of the boys, even though the weight of the lows sometimes seem to out balance the other times. We dodged a bullet today, but it doesn't mean something bad might not still happen 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 toward the past. You've done a great deal of good by taking these boys in and I'm sure none of them regret that you did that. Yet, they've all suffered from those losses too, but I'm positive none of them would have stayed away, even if they knew something like that was going to happen. We'll all survive and be better for it, no matter what happens. Come on, let's go back and enjoy this moment for what it is, not for what it might have been." I realized the wisdom in his words and accepted the fact that I might have been overreacting. To show him how much he meant to me, I threw my arms around his chest and gave him a tremendous hug, catching him completely off guard. After a few seconds of hesitation, he hugged me back, and then we broke our embrace and walked back to Andrew's room. However, I did make sure to thank him again and tell them 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 and quickly asked if he could speak to me alone first. 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 concerns for not wanting to tell me, but then went on to explain that I wouldn't have gotten involved in things, if he had told me that was the way he wanted it. I would have honored his wishes, unless 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 from now on, so I gave him a hug, ready to send him on his way. However, I soon discovered there was more he wanted to discuss. "Dad, I also 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 him. Sammy began to awkwardly look around, like he didn't know how to continue. I gave him some time to work it out on his own. Eventually, he continued. "Little Ricky told me what he did, and he said he told you too," Sammy explained, "but I don't know what to do now. I wanted to beat him up, because of what he did to Andrew, but I 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 told him. "It was an accident, one any of us could have made, just like with any of Andrew's practical jokes that might have turned out just as badly. Hopefully, we've all learned from it and nothing like this will happen 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 told him, "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 that, does he?" Sammy asked, concerned. "I think he might," I confirmed. "Little Ricky told Andrew about it that night when he spent time alone with him. 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 Little Ricky will apologize to him again, now that he's awake." "You really think I should just let it go then?" Sammy wondered, as he still wasn't certain if he knew what to do. "Yes, I do," I confirmed. "Is there anything else?" I asked, hoping this was over. "No, I guess not," he told me. "Thanks, Dad." "You're welcome," I told him and then 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 back home. Once Andrew, Jesse and I were alone, I let the two boys spend most of the evening on their own, with me staying out of the limelight. I did that because I realized they both needed time with each other, more than 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, we keep pajamas on hand, to take with us when we're away from home. Once they were both ready for bed, I tucked them in together and kissed them both on the forehead. Observing them getting comfortable was like watching a broken toy mend itself and come together as a perfect whole again, and I could tell it was something they had both missed. It didn't take them long before they fell asleep, snuggled tightly against each another. After I was certain they were going to be fine, I left and went home too, as there were things that I needed to do before morning. I was still worried about Andrew, but he was doing much better now and in the very capable hands of the medical staff, so I thought he would do fine without me. Besides, he also had Jesse with him. On the other hand, I haven't been able to spend much quality time with Jake for 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, but everyone did have a lot of questions about Andrew. After answering all their queries, I took Sammy and Little Ricky aside, one at a time, just to ask them a few more questions. After doing that, I concluded that Sammy had forgiven Little Ricky and had put his other problems behind him now, since those who had been bothering him were in jail. Little Ricky was also doing better. He didn't appear to feel quite as guilty about what he had done, because it was easier to forgive himself, now that he could see Andrew was going to be fine. Little Ricky did promise me, 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. Once the boys had been taken care of, Jake and I went off to watch a movie in the family room. We weren't alone, but we only paid attention to each other and the movie, for a change. When the movie ended, we went to bed, to give us a little more quality time together and then we turned in. I would have to get up early in the morning, because I wanted to be at the hospital by 7:00, not only to check on both boys, but also to catch the doctor when he made his first rounds. Seeing I didn't know what time that would be, I wanted to makes sure I was there before he was. When the alarm went off, I felt better than I had in a few days. It seemed like most of our problems were now behind us and I was beginning to think ahead to our vacation. I concluded we all needed a break about now, and this vacation was coming at the right time. I just hope everything went off as planned, because I had planned a lot, as I usually do, and we had others joining us too. It should prove to be interesting, but it also reminded me about something else. By the time I got to the hospital, Andrew and Jesse were both up and the staff had just brought their breakfast. I was expecting 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, making sure Andrew was feeling okay and Jesse was doing all right as well, I went out to the nurses' station. I asked them 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 concerning a discharge. I thanked them for the information and 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. I didn't push the issue, as I saw no harm in them both staying that way. When the doctor did arrive, he checked Andrew over carefully, but was constantly under Jesse's watchful gaze. The doctor didn't seem to mind this intrusion, 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 going to get out of this place. Now that the doctor was finished, I asked to speak to him alone, out in the hallway, and he consented. Once we were out of earshot of prying little ears, I asked him the questions that were 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 do that?" 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 this up to his orthopedist." I nodded slightly, but that led me 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 asked me specific questions about what our plans were, exactly what we'd be doing and then he 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 see no problem with his participating." That made me feel good and I breathed a sigh of relief and thanked the doctor before he left. If I'd been forced to cancel the trip, it would have affected several other impressionable young men too, and that might have caused even more 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 actually 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, and this seemed to be all Jesse needed to give his best effort. It seemed that he was willing to do almost anything to make Andrew happy. 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 at his heels, and he raced to the Yukon to greet us. He opened the door for Andrew and Jesse, helping Andrew to get down from his lofty seat in the S.U.V., to make sure he didn't fall and injure himself further while using the crutches. Andrew seemed to be enjoying this special attention, and when they approached the bike, 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, oozing 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 Little Ricky. I looked over at Sammy and gave him a wink, once I got his attention, because I wanted him to realize that what I told him about Andrew not wanting revenge 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 asked, trying to put this behind both of them. "Okay, I can do that," Little Ricky agreed, glad this was finally over. The boys went into the house and 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. * * * * * * * * **** Author's Note: I appreciate everyone's continued support with this series, and I have appreciated all feedback I have received. Due to the fact that I don't know when or if I'll be able to get back to this series, I have decided to tie up the loose ends and provide three additional chapters for that purpose. I will try to continue with book 9, if I can, but my personal and financial situation is such that I have to focus on those issues first. I will do my best to try to get back to this story, but I cannot make any promises. In the meantime, I would like to thank everyone who has contacted me throughout the four plus year run of this story and hope that you have enjoyed the time spent with the Curries. * * * * * * * * If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me at 'BW's Rainbow Youth Connection,' at http://bwsryc.gayauthors.org/ You can also locate my stories by clicking on the Nifty author link and scrolling down to "BW". This will give you the links for everything I have posted there. I also love to hear from my readers and get their reaction to my stories. If you don't mind, please share whatever information you feel comfortable with, because it helps knowing my readers better when I decide what to write or how to gear it. Please email me at bwstories8@aol.com and let me know what you thought, so I can do even better in the future. Thanks, Bill.