Date: Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:44:52 +0000
From: Jacob Latson <jacob_latson@hotmail.com>
Subject: Agony & Ecstasy Chapter 34

Please don't be upset with references to Federal Agencies as these might
not be accurate.  The same applies to sex between adults and younger
people. Remember please, this is fiction NOT reality.

Thanks to Bill for his editing skills.

**************************

John woke up the next morning with his ass still sore from the anal probing
with the wine bottle, Nicklas and Yuri, but he was very happy.  He had
challenged the river and had won, and the entire village had shared in his
success.  He extricated his body from the tangle of legs of Nicklas and
Yuri and headed into the bathroom to drain his bladder and shower.

Nicklas and Yuri were exhausted from their night of intense sex with John
Miller, and slept in late.  When they finally woke up, they giggled and
laughed about their perfect plans for intimacy.  They realized that John
had already left the master bedroom and showered together before heading
downstairs for breakfast.  They were happy to see John in the living room
with two of the Czech bodyguards, and ran up to give John hugs and kisses.

"Are you ready to take a trip with me?" John asked Nicklas and Yuri.  "The
helicopter will be here very soon and we'll fly to Prague to get ready for
the dinner party with the President of the Czech Republic."

Yuri and Nicklas had never dreamed that they would go to such an important
dinner party, and were excited, but scared.

"What can I wear?" Yuri asked.

Nicklas had the same concerns, but John was ready.  "A tailor in Prague is
waiting for us to arrive so he can fit both of you with tuxedos." John
replied.  "After what you two did to me last night, I should make you go to
the party nude!"

The two boys laughed and were thrilled that they would go with John to this
important political event.  They listened to John explain that he had
already called the President's office and asked to bring two of the boys
from Proud Les Domo to the event.  The office manager was excited when she
learned that John would be providing 10 kilograms of light blue caviar for
the event.

John and his two boys spent the night in the Prague apartment, and toured
the beautiful city before getting ready for the evening event.  When they
arrived at the palace, the President was waiting to greet them.

"Mr. Miller.  Welcome to the party!" Vaclav Parkov, President of the Czech
Republic said excitedly.  "Your wonderful gift of caviar was unexpected,
but very much appreciated!"

"President Parkov, thank you for your welcome." John said.  "I brought my
son and his friend; I hope you don't mind having them join us for this
special event."

"Please call me Vaclav," the President said.  "You have done wonderful
things for my country, and I hope that we can be close friends.  My
assistant told me that you asked to bring two boys from Proud Les Domo with
you, and I'm anxious to meet them."

"It would be disrespectful for me to call you by your first name," John
replied.  "You have a very important job and I'm only a man who wants to
make this a better world for unfortunate children."

"You're much more than that." President Parkov replied.  "Please come with
me to my office so we can talk to some people who know exactly what you've
done for our country."

John left the two boys with his bodyguards, but was wearing his body armor
and had his Beretta ready in case of trouble.  When they had arrived at the
front door of the palace, John knew that the metal detector had buzzed from
his weapon, but he was surprised when the security officers ignored the
alarm and let him pass along with his four armed Czech bodyguards.  His
bodyguards had whispered to him that the guards were all INTERPOL members
and had been their team members in the past.

When John followed the President into his private office, he was pleased to
see Butch Mendez standing with Andrei Datsyuk, INTERPOL Inspector, and
Pavel Pekar, bank manager at the Expat Center in Prague.

Butch hugged John and explained that he wanted to be present when the men
told John about the results of INTERPOL's efforts.

"With the immense amount of money that you donated to my cause, we crushed
the child pornography operations and rescued over 40 boys and girls!"
Andrei said excitedly.  "Unfortunately, many children died in the snuff
films, but all of the perpetrators have been arrested."

"I'm authorized to transfer over one billion euros back to your account,
now that INTERPOL's investigation's complete," Pavel Pekar said.  "The
remaining operations under the CPC umbrella are legitimate, and will
provide a very substantial income to you."

"I'm so sad to hear about the children who were the victims of a terrible
organization that was owned by CPC and ultimately, my company or me," John
replied.  "I will never accept a cent from any of the CPC operations!
Andrei, I gave you complete ownership of the CPC Operations, and I won't
change my mind.  Butch knows that I have a lot of money, and I sure don't
need any money that might have been generated by killing innocent children.
Please don't insult me or my company by insisting that I take the money in
that bank account back."

"I told you!" Butch said to Andrei before he hugged John.  He loved his
boss and was overcome with respect when John insisted that over a billion
euros would remain under the control of INTERPOL.  "Now you know why I love
this man.  He saved my life in Michigan, and now you know why I'll put my
life on the line to protect him."

"I have to ask you where you got the caviar that you sent here for my
party," President Parkov asked.  "I know that it's impolite to ask about a
gift, but this gift was worth a fortune."

"I'll tell you the truth if you don't tell anyone else," John replied.  "I
took a very dangerous trip up a secret river to a hidden pool that was full
of huge sturgeon.  I caught the fish that supplied the light blue caviar,
and the fish was over 6 meters long.  Caviar from that fish will be
smuggled into the United States for a special meeting of the Hidden Harbor
Yacht Club and for a wedding in Novi, Michigan.  Now that you know that I
have admitted to being a smuggler, I'm ready for you to arrest me."

Andrei Datsuk laughed and hugged John Miller.  He would never arrest the
man who had helped him crush the child pornography operations.  "You'd have
to do something far worse for me to even give you a parking ticket!" Andrei
joked.

"You may not know it, but I visited the Proud Les Domo orphanage,"
President Parkov said.  "I've never seen a more beautiful area in my entire
life.  The children were happy and running around having fun; I wish that
more children could be so happy."

"Christina Karpov is a Vice President of my company, and she's going to
establish similar orphanages around the world," John replied.  "My company
makes billions of dollars in profits each year, and my entire organization
is dedicated to helping the unfortunate in this world."

"If there is anything that we can do for you, please let us know,"
President Karpov said.  His offers were seconded by Andrei Datsuk and Pavel
Pekar.

John hugged Butch Mendez knowing that his security chief had been
intimately involved in the international investigations of the murder of
James Stanton and elimination of the child pornography operations.  He was
ready to again make some organization changes to ensure the future of his
company, and Butch would be a part of his plans.

John returned to the ballroom and rejoined Nicklas and Jan.  He hugged his
two boys and went to the table where the guests were raving over the
wonderful caviar.  John just smiled when he listened to the guests trying
to guess where the Czech President had found the delectable snack.  John
was describing the different grades of caviar from red to black and then
light blue or gray.

Nicklas and Yuri had both tasted the caviar at the orphanage, and didn't
like it.  They had both spit it out and had run to wash out their mouths.

"Good caviar is only served with a spoon made from a shellfish," John said
to the two boys.  "A metal spoon can react with the caviar and change the
flavor."

"You know a great deal about caviar," one guest said to John.  "This is the
finest caviar that I've ever tasted, but President Parkov won't tell anyone
who gave him this extremely valuable gift."

John realized that the guests would be suspicious if he didn't take some of
the caviar, especially after displaying his knowledge about the special
treat.  He took a thin slice of bread, added a thin coating of butter and
topped the caviar with a sprig of parsley.  The popping of the sturgeon
eggs filled his mouth with the wonderful flavor, and his enjoyment was
obvious to the other guests.

"You must be Russian," another guest said after watching John's way of
preparing the expensive treat."

"Actually, I'm an American," John said in perfect Czech.  "I've had Beluga
caviar from the Caspian Sea, but it can't compare to this."

The guests quickly realized that this American was the guest of honor that
President Parkov had told them about.  They all introduced themselves and
thanked John Miller for the wonderful orphanage near Ceska Skalisce.  Their
president had told all of them about the wonderful place for unwanted
children, and had encouraged them to contribute to the Miller-Zednik
Foundation.

John and his two special boys spent a wonderful evening and were treated to
a truly fabulous meal at the head table with the Czech President.  After
the meal and cocktails, John found the President and said goodbye before
leading his boys out of the castle.  He was pleased that his bodyguards
were waiting with the limousine to take them to his Prague apartment.

Mike Mahon was waiting when John opened the door to his spacious apartment,
and hugged his boss and the two tired boys.

"You could have gone with us to meet the President," John said to Mike.
"He's a wonderful person and he's dedicated to helping us provide a better
home for the unfortunate children of this country."

"These two are about to fall over," Mike laughed.  He helped John undress
the two exhausted boys and put them in bed.

John and Mike sat and talked about their plans for the rest of the trip and
agreed that they wanted to relax and tour more of the country.  They
cuddled together in the huge bed and joked about the two sleeping boys and
how much they could eat.


Back in Michigan, Margaret Miller and her two sisters raced away from a
serious car accident and headed home.  They knew that Johnny Miller, his
wife and son were involved in the accident, and knew that they had caused
Johnny to speed away from their confrontation.  Liz Williamson was driving
her car and ignored the speed limit to get away from the horrible accident.
She looked in the rear view mirror and saw a police cruiser with the
emergency lights flashing, and pulled over to the side of the road.  She
hoped that the cruiser would go past, but was furious when the police car
pulled behind her car and stopped.  She saw the officer using his radio and
knew that she was going to get a speeding ticket.

Officer Sean Randall walked up to the driver's side of the vehicle and saw
that none of the occupants were wearing their seat belts.  He looked into
the back seat and saw an open bottle of vodka and immediately radioed for
backup.  He talked to the driver and quickly realized that she had been
drinking by the way she was slurring her words.  He asked for her license,
registration and proof of insurance then stepped away to determine how long
he would have to wait for backup to arrive.

Two more cruisers arrived, and Officer Randall was ready to take action.

"Step out of the car please," Officer Randall said to Liz.

Margaret was riding in the passenger seat and she immediately unleashed her
anger in a string of vulgar expletives at the police officer.

"Search the vehicle," Sergeant Alvin Metzler ordered.  "We have probable
cause to search the vehicle with the open bottle of alcohol."

When Margaret got out of the vehicle, a Glock semi-automatic handgun fell
out of the pocket of her coat.

Sergeant Metzler immediately put Margaret in handcuffs and asked Officer
Crystal Crosby to search the woman.  When he saw the identification for
Margaret Miller, he used his radio to call the dispatcher.  When he learned
that Margaret Miller was on probation, he made the arrest.  "You're under
arrest for carrying a concealed weapon," He said to Margaret.  "That's a
violation of your probation, and you're headed back to jail!"

Liz failed the field sobriety test and refused to take the breathalyzer
test.  She was immediately arrested for driving under the influence of
alcohol along with speeding, having an open container of alcohol and not
wearing her seat belt.

Margaret struggled with Officer Crosby and kicked the officer several times
before she was loaded into the back of a cruiser.  She unleashed her anger
and kicked out the side window of the cruiser before three officers subdued
her and shackled her.


When they returned to the orphanage, the adults and children were waiting
to welcome John, Mike, Nicklas and Yuri back home.  Nicklas and Yuri
bragged about going to the important political function and showed the
digital pictures to prove that they had met the Czech President.

John was enjoying a glass of wine with Sasha when Kvetka rushed into the
room.  "John, Helen's on the phone and she sounds very upset," Kvetka said
in a mixture of English and Czech.

John ran to the phone and was shocked at what he heard.

"John, you need to come home immediately!" Helen said.  "There's been a
very serious car accident!"

"NO!  NOT MY FAMILY!" John pleaded.  "Please tell me it's not my family!"

"Johnny, Kirsty and Little John are in the hospital, and they're hurt bad!"
Helen choked out.  "I have one of the company jets waiting for you at the
airport in Prague and a helicopter will pick you up in about 20 minutes.
John, they're still alive, but all of them are in critical condition!"

John broke down sobbing.  His life had settled down after the turmoil of
cleansing the company of shitheads and after the deadly altercation at the
Yacht Club.  Now he was devastated by the reality that he might lose what
he valued the most.  He listened to Helen tell what she knew about the car
accident, and sobbed openly when he thought about his loved ones possibly
dying.

Mike Mahon heard only parts of the phone conversation, but realized that
his friend was devastated.  He ran to John's room and started packing
John's clothes and then packed his own things.

When the phone call ended, many of the adults and children were anxiously
waiting for John to tell them what had gone wrong back in the United
States.

"Johnny, Kirsty and Little John are in the hospital," John choked out.
"They were in a car accident and all of them are in critical condition.
I'm leaving immediately to fly back there."

"Take me with you!" Nicklas demanded.

"NO!" John sobbed.  "You stay here!"

"HE'S MY BROTHER!" Nicklas screamed at his father.  "YOU HAVE TO TAKE ME
WITH YOU!"

"John, please listen to Nicklas," Kvetka pleaded.  "He will go crazy with
worry if you don't take him with you.  You made him part of your family,
and now is the time for the family to be together!"

John held his sobbing son and agonized over the decision.  He had adopted
Nicklas and the boy WAS part of his family.  He listened to Kvetka's pleas
and decided that Nicklas needed to be with him during this tragedy.

Kvetka was relieved when John agreed to take Nicklas with him and she ran
to pack clothing for the sobbing boy.  When she returned with the clothes,
she begged John to call every day with news.  She prayed that the news
would be good.

During the long flight over the ocean, John paced back and forth in the
plane and made constant phone calls to Michigan.  He talked to Helen and
Jeff and Karen Walker, Kirsty's parents, and hoped for good news.  During a
phone call to Butch, John learned more about the tragic accident.

"They were driving on Novi Road when a pickup truck blew through a traffic
light," Butch began.  "The pickup hit Johnny's Escalade broadside and the
Escalade rolled over.  The pickup truck was being chased by the Novi Police
and they reported that the driver was speeding and ran the red light.  The
pickup truck driver's dead or I would have taken him out with my bare
hands!"

"Why were the police chasing him?" John asked.

"The driver's name is Herbert Winkelman, and from what I've heard, he had
beaten up his wife and son," Butch said.  "They live in a trailer park and
the neighbors said that the man just got out of a mental hospital and was
arguing with his wife to get her paycheck to buy drugs.  The neighbors
called the police when they saw him beating his wife and son, but it took
too long for the cruiser to arrive at the trailer park.  Several police
units joined the pursuit because the truck was weaving all over the road."

"Have you heard anything from the doctors?" John asked.  He was praying for
good news, but he didn't get what he wanted.

Mike and Nicklas listened to the phone conversations, and joined John in
praying for good news.

When the plane landed at Detroit Metro Airport, Butch was waiting along
with three vehicles filled with security officers.  Butch had pulled
strings to bypass the customs inspections and quickly drove the anxious
people to Mercy General Hospital.

John, Mike and Nicklas ran into the hospital and up the stairs to the
Intensive Care Unit.  When they ran into the waiting room, they saw Aunt
Betty, Aunt Martha, Helen and Kirsty's parents waiting for them.

"Have you heard anything?" John asked while hugging everyone.

"All three of our loved ones are in surgery and we're waiting for the
doctors to come out to talk to us," Jeff Walker choked out.

It was three hours later when Dr. Cameron Barger came into the waiting room
and asked for the family of John Walker Miller.  He saw the anguish on the
faces of the adults and chose his words carefully.

"Whenever an infant is involved in a car accident there's a risk of spinal
and brain injuries," Dr. Barger began.  "In this case the patient suffered
internal injuries and we had to remove his spleen.  He's badly bruised and
unconscious, but it appears that the child seat saved his life.  With
infants we've experienced remarkable recovery rates but we never know the
extent of any possible brain damage.  The next 24 hours are critical for
his survival.  Please know that we will do everything in our power to keep
him alive."

"If you need any specialists, please call them in," John pleaded with the
doctor.  "Money is no problem!"

"We have specialists taking care of all three of your loved ones,"
Dr. Barger replied.  "I'd trust our specialists with the lives of my own
family, and know that they're doing everything in their power to save these
lives.  I know that you call my patient, Little John, and I'm staying with
him throughout the night."

Everyone thanked the doctor and prayed for the lives of their loved ones.

Butch came into the waiting room and took control.  He could tell that the
two elderly ladies were exhausted, and he insisted that a security officer
take them home to rest.

"We'll call you when we hear anything," John promised his two aunts.  He
hugged both of them and insisted that they leave the hospital and get some
rest.

Butch walked with the two ladies to the elevator and promised them that he
would call them if there was any news about their loved ones.  He told
Derek Kaufman to stay at the farm house with the women to make sure that
they were safe.  When he returned to the waiting room he was surprised to
see another doctor talking to his friends.

"Your daughter has internal injuries and head trauma," Dr. Christine Somers
said to Jeff and Karen Walker.  "She has two broken ribs and a broken arm,
but our main concern is possible kidney and brain damage.  Seat belts save
lives, but they can cause severe kidney and liver damage from car accidents
when the belts compress soft tissues.  My specialty's urology and I'm
optimistic that I was able to repair the damage to her bladder and kidneys.
We'll run more tests to determine her brain activity in a few hours.  We
suspect that her head impacted something hard that caused her brain to
swell, but we focused on her internal injuries because they are life
threatening."

Nicklas was trying to understand what the doctors were saying, but he was
frustrated by the strange words and his limited English skills.  When each
doctor left, he begged John to explain everything in Czech to him.

Dr. Julius Schumacher walked into the waiting room and tried to remain
positive when he talked to the family of Johnny Miller.  "My patient has
numerous fractures of his extremities, but my main concern is his fractured
skull," Dr. Schumacher began.  "His head trauma is very severe, and I have
to be honest with you that his chances of living are very slim."

John collapsed when he heard this terrible news.  The fear of losing his
son was too much for him to comprehend and he passed out.

Dr. Schumacher was ready with smelling salts, and cracked open the vial and
put it under the nose of the father of his patient.  He waited for John
Miller to regain consciousness before he continued.  "With head trauma,
there's always hope.  I did what I could to relieve the pressure on his
brain and have sedated him.  He has internal injuries that we can't treat
with his head trauma.  The brain scans still show some activity, so let's
all pray for him.  Just know that we're doing everything possible to keep
him alive.  During the surgery, he arrested, and we have him on life
support right now.  I wish that I could give you some more positive
information, but I've never seen anyone with his injuries survive for more
than 24 hours."

Nicklas hugged his father and sobbed after listening to the doctor.  He
still didn't understand everything that was said, but he understood enough
to know that his brother was going to die.

Mike hugged John and Nicklas and shed his own tears at the thought of
Johnny Miller dying.  He knew that there was nothing that he could do to
comfort John and Nicklas, but he hugged them and cried with them.

"John, you should take Nicklas home and get some rest," Butch said to his
boss and friend.  "I'll stay here and call you if there is any news from
any of the doctors."

"I'm staying here!" John insisted.

"I'm not leaving!" Nicklas insisted.

Butch knew that he would do the same thing, so he went to the nurses'
station and asked for blankets and pillows for the grieving family.  He was
relieved when the nurses brought in simple cots and tried to comfort the
family members.

"I have some things that I need to do," Mike said to Butch.  "I'll be back
later with some clean clothes for John and Nicklas.

Butch insisted that one of his security officers drive Mike to the home on
Peninsular Drive.  He knew that his men were still staying in the home next
door, and made Mike promise that he wouldn't try to drive anywhere.

Mike went into the house and immediately fired up his personal computer.
He was a computer genius, and he started using his expertise to hack into
restricted databases to find out more about the Winkelman family.  His main
concern was that Herbert Winkelman was connected to the Colombian drug
dealers or the Walker and Longhurst families from near the Arrowhead Lodge.
He was drinking strong coffee to stay awake and continued compiling
information.

Butch had left the hospital after getting a call from one of his security
officers, and he unlocked the door to John's home and ran to Mike's room.
When he burst into Mike's bedroom, he saw his young friend try to unplug
his personal computer.

"You can't hack into the database for the FBI!" Butch yelled at Mike.  "You
could end up in prison for even trying!"

Mike knew that he was busted, and decided not to lie to Butch.  He could
see that Butch was furious, and he was afraid that he was headed for
prison.

"I had to know if Herbert Winkelman was connected to the Colombians or
those shitheads near the lodge," Mike admitted.

Butch was relieved that Mike was being honest with him and wasn't trying to
lie about his computer hacking.  He calmed down and asked, "What did you
find?"

Mike showed Butch the research, and they read the information together.
Butch was shocked that Mike had hacked into the Detroit Police and FBI
databases to get information about Herbert Winkelman, his wife, Karen, and
son, Cole.

"How the fuck did you get into those databases?" Butch asked.

"Every programmer sets up protocol to prevent hacking," Mike began.  "A
while ago I researched the history of the programmers who built the
databases for all of the law enforcement agencies in the state and federal
government.  Every programmer puts in a back door so he can get into the
protocol without going through all of the security blocks.  It took me a
long time, but I found the back doors and kept guessing until I had the
secret codes.  Most of them are simply the names of one of the programmer's
children or the name of their pet dog or cat."

"So Herbert has multiple convictions for cocaine, breaking and entering and
assault and battery," Butch said after reading the files that Mike had
accumulated.

"He just got out of Oak Rest Mental Hospital," Mike said.  "I read the
entire file from his psychiatrist, and I don't see any connection to any of
the people that I was concerned about."

"Now you have to promise me to NEVER hack into the FBI database again!"
Butch insisted.  "L. Brooks Hardison is the FBI Director, and he gave me
access to their database if I need information about anyone.  If you ever
need to do any hacking, call me and I'll let you use my home computer.
It's legal for me, but not you!  Neither one of us can legally hack into
those other databases that you infiltrated."

Mike was relieved that Butch was letting him slide on his illegal hacking
and promised not to do it again.  He sat with Butch and read all of the
information about Karen and Cole Winkelman, and realized that they were
innocent victims of a mentally ill husband and father.  Before he left to
return to the hospital with clean clothing for John and Nicklas, Mike
deleted all of the files that he had copied.

John and Nicklas were sleeping together on one of the cots when Mike and
Butch returned to the hospital.  Jeff and Karen Walker took Butch and Mike
outside the waiting room and said that there had been no improvement in any
of their loved ones.

For five minutes of each hour, the family members were allowed to see their
loved ones.  The hardest visits were to see the tiny child with tubes and
monitors attached to his little body.

John and Nicklas woke up and were still exhausted from the long vigil, but
wanted to see Johnny.  It was agony for each of them to see the gray
complexion of their beloved son/brother and all of the medical devices
connected to his body.

John was wearing the prescribed protective gown, latex gloves and mask when
he touched the forehead of his son and talked softly.  "It's me, your
father," John began.  "I'm here with Nicklas and we both pray that you'll
recover and come back to us.  I don't know if you can hear me, but Kirsty
and Little John are still alive and they need you to fight to get well.
Nicklas and I will be here until you wake up."

Nicklas touched his brother's arm and leaned over and whispered to Johnny.
"I love you and need you to get well for me.  We're all praying for you,
Kirsty and Little John, and we won't leave you now or ever!"

The grieving family members rotated who they would visit when the hour
changed, and they returned to the waiting room with no good news to share.

Hours passed and the family members were exhausted from the tension and
anxiety.  Jeff Walker insisted that his wife go home to shower and rest.
He suggested that John and Nicklas do the same, but they refused.  Karen
had just left when Dr. Cameron Barger came into the waiting room.

"I have some very positive news for you," Dr. Barger said excitedly.
"Little John is awake!"

John, Nicklas and Jeff screamed with joy when they heard the wonderful
news.  They begged the doctor to let them see Little John.

"He's in pain so we had to sedate him," Dr. Barger said.  "Infants can't
communicate with us like adults, and they get very frustrated and cry.  I'm
so happy that he awakened and I'm cautiously optimistic about his recovery.
A nurse was giving him a sponge bath when he woke up and started crying.  I
was in the next unit and ran in to see him crying and moving his arms and
legs.  That's wonderful progress!"

"When can we see him?" Nicklas asked.

"Right now, but you have to promise not to try and wake him," Dr. Barger
cautioned.  "His body is badly bruised and he has to be in a lot of pain.
We have to be very cautious with how much pain medication that we
administer."

John, Nicklas and Jeff followed Dr. Barger into the room to see Little
John.  They all shed tears from the wonderful news that he had regained
consciousness, and they prayed for his continual recovery.  After their
brief visit, they made phone calls to tell their friends some positive
news.

Cell phones were banned inside the hospital because of potential
interference with the sophisticated monitoring equipment, so John, Nicklas
and Jeff went outside to make their calls.

John's first call was to the home of his two aunts.  It was 10:00 a.m. and
he correctly guessed that his aunts would be awake.

Aunt Betty and Aunt Martha were thrilled with the good news from the
hospital, and said that they were coming to sit with the family.  Before
they left their home with the security officers, they called their friends
with the positive news about Little John.

John's next call was to the NAO Headquarters to talk to Helen.  She had
made several trips to the hospital to support John and she promised to
return again soon.

Mike and Butch were walking from the parking lot to the hospital entrance
when they saw John, Nicklas and Jeff outside making phone calls.  They
celebrated the good news and made calls of their own.

John dialed the number for Proud Les Domo and then handed the cell phone to
Nicklas.  "You can tell Kvetka the good news," John said to his son.  He
put the speaker phone on so he could join in the conversation.

Nicklas had tears of joy flowing down his face when he started talking to
Kvetka.  He wanted to talk in English, but he was too upset and reverted
back to his native language.

Kvetka was happy to hear about Little John's progress and promised to
continue to pray for Kirsty and Johnny.

When they returned to the waiting room they were surprised to see
Dr. Christine Somers talking to Mike and Butch.

"Here they are now!" Mike said excitedly.

"Your daughter is showing signs of waking up." Dr. Somers said to Jeff
Walker.  "We saw activity on the monitors and I was able to examine her
just a few minutes ago.  I detected some eye movement and heard her moan,
so I'm very pleased with her progress.  We've reduced her pain medications
in the hope that she will regain consciousness soon.  When you visit her,
please only give her positive information about her son and husband."

Two hours later, Karen and Jeff Walker came into the waiting room after
visiting their daughter.

"She opened her eyes!" Karen sobbed.  "We talked to her, but she didn't
seem to hear us.  We told her that Little John has been awake and that
Johnny is still alive."

Everyone hugged and celebrated the news about Kirsty.  John asked Mike to
make phone calls to spread the good news while he and Nicklas went in to
see Johnny.

"Kirsty and Little John are awake," John said to his unconscious son.  "Now
we need you to wake up and get well for all of us.  You've always been a
fighter, and now you have to fight for your life.  I love you, and I need
you to wake up and start breathing on your own."

Nicklas added his own words of encouragement, and John was proud of his
adopted son.

Friends came to the hospital to give moral support to the exhausted family
members.  Mario Genovesi came in with Michael Costanza and Paulo Carpetti,
and the three men hugged John and Nicklas and listened to the positive news
about Kirsty and Little John.

Jeff and Karen Walker took a turn going to see Johnny and they both prayed
for his recovery.  They were getting ready to leave the room when Jeff saw
Johnny's eyes flicker and then open.

"KAREN RUN AND GET JOHN!  JOHNNY'S AWAKE!" Jeff screamed at his wife.

A nurse rushed into the room after seeing the change in the monitors, and
pushed Jeff aside to examine Johnny.  She was just starting her examination
when Dr. Julius Schumacher rushed into the room to take over.

"You've been in a serious car accident," Dr. Schumacher said to Johnny.
"Your wife and son are still alive and making progress towards recovery.  I
know that you can't talk, so blink your eyes once for `yes' and twice for
`no'.  Can you hear me?"  When he saw Johnny blink his eyes once, the
doctor was elated.  He was still asking Johnny questions when John and
Nicklas ran into the room.

"Johnny, I'm here with Nicklas," John said to his son.  "I just visited
Little John and he was awake."

John saw tears flowing down his son's face and realized that Johnny had
heard and understood what he had said.  He continued talking to his son and
let Nicklas add words of encouragement to his brother.

"You need to rest," Dr. Schumacher said to Johnny.  "I'm releasing pain
medication into your IV now.  I know that the ventilator is uncomfortable
but it helps you breathe.  Rest now and we can decide when we can remove
the ventilator when you wake up again."

John, Nicklas, Jeff and Karen stayed in the room until Johnny was asleep.
Only then did they follow Dr. Schumacher out of the room and into the
hallway.

"I have to admit that I never expected him to make such dramatic progress,"
Dr.  Schumacher said.  "I'm just so thrilled that he's able to hear us
talk.  I asked him many questions, and he communicated that he can't feel
anything other than the pain in his head.  He may have some permanent brain
damage and loss of motor skills, but we'll wait for the cerebral swelling
to dissipate before we can know his prognosis."

"I don't understand your big words." Nicklas said in his broken English.
"Is my brother going to live?"

"Yes, I believe that Johnny Miller will live," Dr. Schumacher said directly
to Nicklas.  He then repeated the same words to John Miller.

Nicklas hugged the doctor and thanked him for saving the life of his
brother.  He sobbed openly and felt John join in on the group hug.

"What can we expect now?" John asked.

"He will be asleep for at least six hours," Dr. Schumacher replied.  "I'm
still concerned about his broken ribs, collapsed lung and any other
potential internal injuries."  Remembering that the small red haired boy
was a foreigner and might not understand what he was saying, he looked
directly at Nicklas and said, "Johnny might have damage to the other parts
of his body."  He knelt down and used the boy's body to describe the known
injuries.  He touched Nicklas' ribs and said that two of them were broken.
He explained that one of the broken ribs had put a hole in Johnny's lung,
and that hole had to be repaired.

John was amazed that the doctor was talking directly to Nicklas and
touching parts of the boy's body to explain where each organ was located
that might be damaged.  Dr.  Schumacher was wonderful with Nicklas, and
kept asking the boy if he understood what he was saying.  Even when the
doctor was describing the broken bones of his son, the doctor touched
Nicklas' body to explain where the fractures were.  Then the doctor told
Nicklas what to expect in the next few days.

"When we feel that Johnny's strong enough, we'll open him here and here and
fix the damage to his lung and bladder," Dr. Schumacher said, still using
Nicklas' body to explain everything.  "The urine that came out of him has
blood in it, so we know that his bladder has been damaged and possibly his
kidneys.  I think that you and your father should go home and get some
rest.  Your brother will be asleep for at least six hours and I can tell
that you are both very tired."

When the doctor finished describing the multitude of injuries, Nicklas gave
the doctor another hug of thanks for the detailed explanation.

John thanked the doctor and agreed that they should go home to shower and
rest before returning to the hospital.

Outside the hospital, Nicklas wanted to call the orphanage to tell Kvetka
that Johnny would live.  John tried to convince his son that it would be
the middle of the night in the Czech Republic, but Nicklas insisted on
calling Kvetka.

"She told me to call if we heard anything," Nicklas said.  "She said to
call no matter what time it was!"

John relented and dialed the number for the orphanage.  A sleepy Kvetka
answered and was quickly awake when Nicklas gave her the positive news
about Johnny.

Kvetka thanked Nicklas and John for calling and begged them to call at
least once a day.  She promised to spread the good news when the children
woke up for breakfast.

Lou Williams drove John and Nicklas to the home on Peninsular Drive and
decided to stay in the home to answer the phone.  He didn't want to disturb
John and Nicklas so he turned off the ringers on the phones and took the
portable phone into the living room.

Five hours later, John woke up and looked at the beautiful boy sleeping
next to him.  He stared at his son and realized that the boy was becoming a
young adult.  Some of the freckles were fading away and the hair on his
son's head was getting darker.  Nicky was gaining weight and his voice was
constantly breaking.  John smiled when he thought about the changes in
Nicky's voice and how the boy was frustrated that he couldn't sing without
his voice cracking.  John pulled down the sheet that covered Nicky's body
and marveled at the increase in muscle mass.  He pulled the sheet lower
until Nicky's package was revealed.  With his son still sleeping, John was
able to examine the erect penis carefully.  Nicky's balls were getting
larger and his penis was longer and thicker.  The stringy red hairs at both
sides of Nicky's pubic mound were increasing in number and were longer and
thicker.  It wouldn't be long and his son would have a full patch of red
pubic hair to contrast with his extremely white skin.

When John got out of bed to drain his bladder, he was surprised when
Nicklas joined him in the bathroom.  They stood together and joined their
streams of urine in the toilet and laughed.  It had been many days since
either of them had laughed, and it was a refreshing break in the tension.
They showered together and went into the kitchen.

"I made some soup and sandwiches for you," Lou said.  "A lot of people
called here while you were sleeping and I gave them the news about Johnny,
Kirsty and Little John.  You need to eat something before you go back to
the hospital."

"Thanks Lou," John said.  "We haven't been hungry with all of the worry,
but now I finally can have hopes that my family will survive.  God is
answering our prayers!"

John and Nicklas went back to the hospital and talked to Jeff and Karen
about any progress with their loved ones.

"Kirsty was awake again and we were able to communicate with her," Karen
said excitedly.  "She still can't talk, but she moved her arms and legs.
Dr. Somers said she's encouraged by Kirsty's progress so far."

"Wonderful!" John exclaimed.

"Little John is making wonderful progress too!" Jeff said excitedly.  "When
we went to see him, he was awake and talked!  Dr. Barger let Karen hold
Little John, and it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!  Here are
the digital pictures I took of Karen holding him."

"I should have been here," John blurted out.

"No, you and Nicklas needed to rest," Karen replied.  "Now that you're back
I want Jeff to go home to shower and rest.  Our doctors changed the
visiting times so we can see all three of our loved ones each hour.  We
decided to visit them in the same order that they regained consciousness.
In 15 minutes we can go visit Little John and then see if Kirsty is awake.
Johnny hasn't been awake since you left, but we hope that he will wake up
soon."

Two hours later, John and Nicklas were in the room with Johnny when they
saw him open his eyes.  They both cried tears of joy and Nicklas ran to get
the nurse.

John talked softly to his son and said, "You're alive and in the hospital.
Kirsty is going to be okay and Little John is being spoiled by Grandma
Karen right now.  You were in a serious car accident and you have internal
injuries that will require surgery to repair.  Blink your eyes once if you
understand what I said."

John was thrilled when his son blinked his eyes once.  He started asking
Johnny questions and watched Johnny's eyes for answers to `yes' or `no'
questions.

Dr. Julius Schumacher rushed into the room and took over asking Johnny
questions.  He was still asking Johnny questions when a team of doctors
came in and asked John and Nicklas to leave the room.

When John was allowed back in the room, he was very relieved to see that
the ventilator had been removed and Johnny was breathing on his own, but
with a steady flow of oxygen.  He talked softly to his son and kept telling
Johnny to fight to live and be re- united with his family.

Nicklas added his own positive comments to his brother.  He was pleased
when Johnny actually turned to face him and tried to smile.

John was shocked that Johnny had actually moved his head.  Seeing the bond
of love between his two sons brought tears of joy to his eyes, and he
remained silent so Nicklas could continue talking to Johnny.

The visit was interrupted when Dr. Schumacher came into the room.  He
talked directly to Johnny and said that he was going to sedate him again so
he could gain strength for the impending surgeries to repair his internal
injuries.

John and Nicklas went back to the waiting room and shared the wonderful
news with their friends.  Everyone was elated that Little John was gaining
strength and Kirsty was starting to talk.

Butch joined in the celebration and asked to talk to John in private.  He
wasn't surprised when Nicklas and Mike insisted to be included.

"Herbert Winkelman wasn't connected to the Colombian drug dealers or the
Walker and Longhurst families," Butch said.  "His wife was working two jobs
to pay the bills while he wasted his time and money on booze and crack.  He
had arrests for assault and battery, drug possession, and breaking and
entering before he spent two years in a mental hospital.  The wife, Karen
Winkelman, was a hard worker and their son, Cole, has never been in any
type of trouble with the law or at school.  Herbert knew that his wife had
a paycheck from her job at a motel and he demanded the check to buy drugs
instead of paying their utility bills or rent.  Karen refused and ran out
of the trailer where Herbert attacked her.  Cole is only 12, but he tried
to protect his mother and was beaten and kicked by his father.  Both Karen
and Cole are here in this hospital being treated for broken bones and
internal injuries.  They were behind in the rent for their lot and their
power had been shut off.  The city inspector condemned their trailer and
they were being forced out on the street."

"How did you get so much information on their family?" John asked.

"Ask your travel assistant." Butch laughed.

John looked at Mike and saw that his special friend's face was red with
embarrassment.

"I did something that I promised Butch that I would never do again," Mike
began.  "I had to know if there was any connection to the Colombians or
those assholes up near the Arrowhead Lodge."

John still didn't understand, and looked at Butch to explain what Mike had
done.

"Your travel assistant is a very talented computer hacker," Butch said.
"Mike hacked into the databases for the Detroit Police Department, the
Michigan State Police, Oak Rest Hospital and even got into the FBI's
restricted areas to get confidential information on the Winkelman family."

"JESUS, MIKE!" John exclaimed.  "You could go to jail for computer
hacking!"

"He actually did it using a series of shell accounts from several personal
computers across the nation," Butch said.  "I don't think anyone could ever
trace the hacking back to Mike, but he promised me that he would never do
it again."

"I don't understand what you just said," Nicklas admitted.

John tried to speak in Czech to his son and was finally able to explain
that Mike had broken the law by getting secret information using his
personal computer.

Nicklas finally understood and surprised everyone by asking, "What are we
going to do about the boy and his mother?  We can't let them live on the
streets!  Who will pay their hospital bills?"

John looked at his son and realized that Nicky was remembering his own past
when he was living on the streets of the village and trading his body for
food.  He hugged his son and decided to take his son to the Cashier's
Office of the hospital, with Mike and Butch following along.

"My name's John Miller and I want to pay the medical bills for Karen and
Cole Winkelman," John said to the man in the office.  "I want them to have
the best care that money can buy and I'll pay for everything."

Adam Kelly was on duty and knew the connection between the Winkelman and
Miller families.  He was shocked that John Miller was offering to pay for
the treatment of Karen and Cole Winkelman and called his supervisor to come
to the office.

When Megan Martin came in to the office, she listened to John Miller make
the same offer to pay the bills for the Winkelman family.

"I want this to remain confidential that I'm paying their bills," John
said.  "This is my son, Nicklas, and he convinced me to help two other
victims of Herbert Winkelman's wrath."

Butch Mendez picked up Nicklas and hugged the small boy.  He praised
Nicklas for thinking of others and rescuing them from life on the streets.

When the group returned to the waiting room, they were excited to hear that
Kirsty had actually talked to her parents.

"She can't remember anything that happened that entire day," Karen said to
John.  "Dr.  Somers said that is common with head trauma, and she may never
get those memories back.  We're just thrilled that she can move her arms
and legs and can see shadows.  Dr.  Somers said that her vision will clear
in the next day or so, and then she will be moved into a room with Little
John!"

"Wonderful!" John exclaimed.  "God has answered our prayers!"

Everyone celebrated in the waiting room and waited for the next visits with
their three loved ones.

Tom Jeffries came into the waiting room with his wife, Judy, son, Jamie and
Jamie's boyfriend, Hunter.  The two boys immediately ran to hug Nicklas and
presented him with a bag of food from MacDonald's.

"Thanks for calling us with all of the wonderful news," Tom said while
hugging his best friend.  "Jamie and Hunter wanted to bring a snack for
Nicklas, and it looks like our boys are going to spend some quality time
together."

John glanced over at the corner of the waiting room and saw the three boys
in an animated conversation.  Knowing the hormones of young boys, John
wasn't surprised when Nicklas dropped the bag of food on the table and left
the waiting room with Jamie and Hunter.  Ten minutes later the three boys
returned, and the flushed look on the face of his son told John that
Nicklas had just unloaded his sexual tensions in the nearest restroom.
With his white complexion, Nicklas always displayed the release of his body
fluids with bright red cheeks and vivid green eyes.

Nicklas blushed even brighter when he realized that his father knew where
he had gone with Jamie and Hunter.  He shrugged his shoulders and turned
his attention to the American junk food that he loved.

Four hours later, Dr. Schumacher came into the waiting room to talk to John
and Nicklas.  John insisted that his friends be included in the discussion
with the doctor because he just knew that Dr. Schumacher had news about the
surgeries on Johnny.

"Things went better than we expected in the surgeries," Dr. Schumacher
began.  "We were able to pin his two broken ribs in place and repair his
punctured lung.  The lung is now inflated and working properly."

"What about the blood in his urine?" John asked.

"We were able to repair the damage to his bladder and we believe that his
kidneys escaped any serious damage," Dr. Schumacher said excitedly.  "If I
had dreamed of the best possible set of circumstances, today would surpass
my wildest dreams!  When your son came into my Trauma Unit, I would have
given him less than a five percent chance of living, but today, I'm
confident that he will live."

"I know that you haven't left this hospital since the first time that you
treated my son," John said.  "Words can't express my gratitude for your
devotion to my son's treatment.  I've done some checking with my friends,
and I understand that this hospital needs some new equipment and larger
facilities.  I heard that you proposed an entire new wing to treat
children, and I have the connections to make your dream a reality."

"It's not necessary for you to make any contributions to this hospital,"
Dr. Schumacher said.  "My associates and I are dedicated to providing the
best care possible for our patients and people don't realize that we take a
very personal interest in the lives of our patients.  Now that I'm
confident that you son will survive, I'll get some rest and spend some
quality time with my own son and family.  When I see the agony that
families suffer when their loved ones are hurt it makes the time I spend
with my family very important to me."

John was determined to contact Robert Ducharme, Philippe's son who was in
charge of World Wide Investments, Limited.  He would fund the costs of the
new equipment needed for Mercy General Hospital and would also commit the
funds to build and equip the new wing of the hospital.

The waiting room had a constant flow of concerned friends who came to
support John, Nicklas, Karen and Jeff while they waited for improvement in
the condition of their loved ones.  Each time they visited Kirsty and
Little John, they were excited about the improvements.  Kirsty was now
awake and her vision had returned.  She was able to move all of her
extremities and she was anxious to hold Little John again.

John and Nicklas went in to see Johnny and were thrilled when he responded
to their comforting words.  He opened his eyes and struggled to say the
names of his wife and son.

"They're both doing fine," John said excitedly.  "The doctors fixed all of
your internal injuries and put casts on your broken bones.  You'll need
some physical therapy, but you're gonna be fine too, and back with your
family as soon as possible."

Johnny was frustrated that he couldn't speak clearly to his father and
tears flowed down his face.

"I love you." Nicklas said to his brother.  "We're all praying for you,
Kirsty and Little John.  I want you to get well so we can play soccer
together."

Johnny turned and looked at his brother.  He tried to reach his arm to
touch Nicklas, but the large cast prevented any movement.

Nicklas leaned over and gave his brother a kiss on the forehead and
continued praising how Johnny was fighting to get well.

John had never been more proud of Nicklas.  He watched his two sons
together and knew that their love was deep and genuine.

Each time they visited their loved ones, John, Nicklas, Jeff and Karen saw
the improvements.  They celebrated and shared the good news with their
friends.

During one of the visits to his son, John was alone when Nicklas had
returned to his home with Mike to shower and rest.  John was pleased when
Johnny was finally able to talk plainly.

"It was her." Johnny choked out.

"WHO?" John asked.

"Margaret and her sisters," Johnny struggled to say.  "They blocked our
Escalade at a gas station and Margaret pulled a gun on me.  She demanded
that I pay her legal fees and threatened to kill Little John if I didn't
agree.  I slapped the gun out of her hand and jumped in and drove away.
They chased after us in Aunt Liz's car.  I was driving too fast, but I had
the green light when we were hit by that truck.  My family will never be
safe with those three bitches coming after us!"

"Son, I'll take care of everything." John promised.  "Kirsty can't remember
anything that happened that day, and I want you to promise me that you
won't tell anyone else what you just told me.  Just lie and say that you
can't remember anything.  With your head injuries, the police will believe
you."

"I have to protect my family!" Johnny insisted.  "I want her arrested!"

"Do you trust me?" John asked.

"Of course I do!" Johnny replied.

"Then do what I asked," John said emphatically.  "They will never threaten
you again; I promise you and you know I NEVER break a promise."

Feedback is appreciated to Jacob_latson@ hotmail.com