Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2016 11:59:53 -0800 From: Tigerpaw Subject: Can You Spare a Quarter (Adult/Youth) =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Announcement Approximately fourteen years ago I began writing this story. It was clearly the work of an amateur, well-intentioned but amateur nonetheless. I always promised the young fellow it was about that some day I would do a better job of it. I finally completed that effort this (2016) spring, but the revised version was given only limited release as I did it primarily as a gift to him. For those that may remember the story and the young fellow it is about, I regret to have to inform you all that 'Jamie' died on Sunday November 6, 2016. He was stricken with cancer in his stomach. The symptoms came on suddenly and without warning, and it was over before much could be done. To say that I and everyone else are shattered does not even begin to touch the matter. Any light in the world for me has gone out. In his honour and his memory I now release the revised/expanded version. Can You Spare A Quarter by Tigerpaw =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Acknowledgements Very few things in life are conceived of or produced in isolation - this story is no exception. The initial version began as a solo effort to tell a very special young fellow something. I knew that the more traditional ways of saying what I wanted to express would not have worked, so I hit upon this as my way of doing it. After I was about three chapters in I told him what I was doing, showed him the early drafts, and asked permission to continue. He agreed, then slowly began to open up and helped by telling me more about some of the things that had happened to him. Once the story began to be published many kind people wrote with comments as well as suggestions for improvement. I also promised that special young fellow that someday I would revisit the story and try to do a better job. The requirements of life and work interfered for quite a while, but finally the time has arrived. To him, I once again rededicate this work, and I hope he knows that this edition is saying the same thing that the original was trying to say so many many years ago. To all those that gave their time and kind help I express my thanks and appreciation. And finally to those that have graciously assisted in the publication of this story on their websites I give particular thanks, for without you the struggle and eventual triumph of a young boy over abuse and despair would never be known. =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Disclaimer and Copyright Notice All people, places, and organizations described are completely fictional. While this story draws inspiration from real events that involved real people it is nevertheless a complete work of fiction. Copyright (c) Tigerpaw 2016. All rights reserved worldwide. =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Comments If you'd like to correpond please write to: TgrPaw at gmail.com All notes, with the exception of flames, will be responded to. =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Thank you for bringing meaning into my life, Thank you for allowing me to make the journey with you, But most of all thank you for just being you. =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Chapter 1 - Accidental Meeting The morning dawned clear and cold over the city. Frost clinging to the bricks on the sides of the buildings sparkled in the rays of the rising sun as it peeked through the thin wisps of fog that lay in isolated patches over the city. Beneath the unblemished blue sky down in a back alley a pile of discarded newspapers began to shift as a small figure stirred beneath them. At first the movements were subtle, but then a tattered running shoe appeared from under the mound of newspaper. Then another foot appeared and finally a small dirty young hand came into view and moved the upper layers of newspaper to one side. Blinking his eyes against the morning sun, Jamie shivered as he slowly stretched his legs to get some sensation back into them. The temperature at night was getting far too cold for him now to be sleeping outdoors but as his stomach growled he knew that was the least of his problems. There had been nothing to eat yesterday but the day before that Jamie had been lucky and found a cold discarded hamburger in the dumpster behind a fast-food restaurant. Not exactly haut cuisine but Jamie had been in no position to be discriminating. Perhaps today he might do better. Christmas was rapidly approaching and he hoped that meant people might be more approachable to a plea for some spare change. Jamie knew, however, that soon he was going to have to get money for food - one way or another. The prospect made him shudder as it always did. Jamie picked up his old battered canvas backpack that held everything he owned and checked inside. His things were still there. One never knew on the streets what might happen during the night. Twelve years old, short, and slim, Jamie did not provide the intimidating presence that might deter those in even more desperate circumstances than himself. Although lacking in physical size, Jamie had one advantage that most people living on the street did not, he kept his eyes open and he used his head. There were ways to keep out of trouble other than busting heads and Jamie made full use of his innate intelligence. Jamie had never heard of Sun Tsu but nevertheless he instinctively understood the value in remaining invisible and observing. Yesterday he had tried the business district downtown, but that had not proven very fruitful. It had been a long hard day of working the passersby and Jamie only had fifty-eight cents to show for it. Together with what he already had in his pocket that came to a total of seventy-two cents. It was clear that food in any meaningful sense was still going to be some time off in the future. Jamie decided that today he would try his luck at the North Road Mall. He knew that the best time to catch people was midday when they were in a hurry to get something to eat and then get back to work. If he appealed to their sympathy, he would often be able to convince them to part with a coin or two. Jamie had learnt quickly that the best way was never to ask for too much at one time, but instead to try for something small. While the amount he might get from any one person would not be very large, the chances of making a successful appeal were much better. If not the Christmas shoppers then maybe some of the business traffic from the office tower next to the mall might be willing to be generous with their spare change. Jamie had managed some success at the mall in the past and so he decided to try it again. Shouldering his backpack Jamie began to walk in the direction of the mall. It would take a couple of hours at least to get there, but time was the one commodity that Jamie had in abundance. Taking a bus to cover the distance more quickly was not even a consideration. The price of a bus ride would more than cover the cost of getting something to fill the aching hunger inside him, but Jamie knew from long experience that he had to conserve his meagre funds for absolute necessities. Luxuries like bus rides might come some day, but not today. Jamie had no idea how or when things might change for the better, but he was determined that one way or another he would survive. The cold winter wind was picking up speed, but unfortunately his jacket was thin and had seen better days. This, combined with his hunger, chilled him through to the bone. Jamie tried to walk faster to warm himself up, but the lack of food meant his energy level was quite low. Wrapping his arms around himself to try and keep warm, he pushed on against the blowing wind. The clear sky meant that it would warm up a bit during the day, but tonight when the sun went down it was going to be bitterly cold. Jamie realized that he was going to have to find somewhere warmer to stay at night very soon. He had tried a public shelter once about a month ago during a particularly cold night, but that had just led to them calling the Department of Child Welfare. In Jamie's experience, Child Welfare's solution to everything was to simply send him back home and suggest that the family get counselling. With what had been happening to him at home being the reason that he had originally run away it hardly made things better. Passing by a school Jamie could see children his own age running and laughing as they headed into the building for their classes. He briefly considered going in to get warm, but with so many people watching and monitoring the children Jamie knew that he would be spotted very quickly and therefore it would be pointless. Jamie walked on through a residential district and continued heading east. Another hour and he would finally be at the mall complex. King Edward Park was only a few blocks ahead now. Jamie loved the tall trees in the park that seemed to reach all the way up to the sky. The oasis of green was like an island in the middle of a vast sea of concrete and asphalt. The city lapped at the edges of the park, but was kept at bay by the small protected remnant of what remained of the original forest that had once covered the area where the city now stood. Jamie walked into the park and the dense underbrush combined with the canopy provided by the trees began to gradually deaden the sounds of the city until eventually it became totally silent. The stillness of the park was broken only by the occasional cries of birds or the scurrying about of squirrels and other small animals. Sometimes Jamie liked to stop and watch the squirrels as they ran about hunting for food. A few times he had tried to approach them, but they had always been too skittish and ran away whenever he would get too close. Going along a narrow pathway through the park Jamie could see the sun peeking through, casting faint beams of light between the trunks of the great towering trees. Walking along the meandering pathway through the park he wished that he could live in a place like this. To be able to live somewhere far away from the noise of the city, far away from the problems he dealt with every day, far away from the back alleys that he slept in at night, far away from where he was hungry, but most especially far away from certain other things. Eventually Jamie emerged on the other side of the park and he could finally see the outline of the mall and the office tower next to it in the distance. As Jamie got closer, he turned and walked towards the subway station that adjoined the mall rather than the actual mall itself. Jamie had learnt the hard way that if he were actually on mall property, he would have problems with the security guards there. However, Jamie knew a good spot on the overhead walkway that connected the subway station, the office tower, and the mall with each other. In addition to plenty of foot traffic, which increased the chances of finding someone in a generous mood, it was on transit property. Transit police only complained if you caused a disturbance or obstructed foot traffic. The security guards at the mall, however, would often go after someone simply as a means to liven up their otherwise boring and tedious jobs. Jamie found his spot, let his backpack slip off his shoulder onto the ground, and sat down next to it. These days all too many bored teenagers from the suburbs viewed panhandling as simply an alternative source of income or lifestyle and were found on many a street corner with their hands out. Jamie could spot these with just a casual glance and viewed them with disdain. While they might think it an interesting way to while away the day, for Jamie it was not a reaction to boredom or his way of rebelling against parents, society, or some other perceived oppressor. In Jamie's case it was simple survival. A bit of change coaxed from a passerby was quite simply the difference between eating and going hungry for another day. If that failed and Jamie could find nothing to eat in the dumpsters, then he had to resort to other methods in order to eat. If he was unsuccessful today he might have to do that again. The knowledge of what might lie ahead of him did nothing to warm Jamie's heart as he sat down on the cold cement at the entrance to the subway station. He put his hand out and began to scan the crowds of people walking past him. *** *** *** *** *** Graham Martin picked up his briefcase and headed for the elevator. His computer's appointment calendar had beeped at him and it was time to get moving if he was going to make it on time to his meeting downtown. Graham straightened his tie and put on his overcoat as he walked towards the bank of elevators that would take him down from the twenty-third floor of the office tower to ground level. Graham had never been a big fan of meetings, but ever since he had been moved into his new position a year ago as senior consultant at National Computer Systems, life seemed to have turned into an endless series of them. At times it seemed to Graham that some people seemed incapable of working on even the simplest tasks without calling a meeting. While Graham did not always like it, meetings were a fact of life in the corporate world and Graham knew that if his career were to continue they were just one part of the price he had to pay. From time-to-time Graham wondered what the point of it all was. Did he need more money? Graham's tastes were not extravagant and he had saved his money all his life and had enough in the bank to take care of himself if he were to make the final decision to retire. In fact, he had just finished paying off the little retirement house that he had bought in the fall of the previous year. Was he interested in the power or the prestige of having a corner office some day? While Graham did not especially like being the object of manipulation by his boss, he had no desire to exercise that sort of control over others. As for an office, Graham had long since become used to the cubicle maze that was a permanent feature in all companies. Despite this, however, Graham knew that something was missing and work did not seem to be providing the answer. Unfortunately, he had not been able to figure out what the answer was - yet. The weekends he spent out of town at his retirement house were certainly calm and relaxing. Perhaps spending the Christmas holidays there would help clear his mind and he could finally figure it all out. The elevator doors opened on the ground floor of the office tower and Graham went out of the main lobby through the revolving doors and into the cold mid-morning December air. The tall black glass office tower loomed large behind him and cast a sharp shadow on the ground from the weak winter sun that hung low in the sky. Graham stopped a moment to slip on his gloves to keep his hands warm against the cold and adjusted the scarf around his neck. Then he began to move towards the walkway over the street that would take him to the subway station so he could get to the offices of NCS's newest client where the meeting would be held. A new deal was brewing and Graham's boss had sent him off to complete negotiations on the final terms before it was signed off. Yet another company was going to sign over their computer operations to NCS in the hopes of saving money and Graham had been assigned one of the key roles in bringing the final deal together. Some of the client company's employees would be offered positions and continue in their present jobs, others would be laid off and their functions handled by already existing centralized NCS staff. All to the greater glory of an enhanced corporate balance sheet. Hopefully, this would be the case for the client, but definitely and always for NCS. Graham had been on the receiving end of the same change several years ago at the company where he had previously worked. Fortunately, Graham had been one of the lucky ones and had been offered a position with NCS that enabled him to stay on. Now it was going to be someone else's turn in the corporate sausage grinder. Part of Graham knew that this was how the business world operated, but part of him also felt uncomfortable at being a part of something that was shortly going to cause distress for the people working in the client's computer operations division. The walkway from the office tower to the subway station was crowded, as it always was, but Graham was not worried. Being the perennially organized type, he had left early so no matter what might happen, there was little chance of being late. Graham's view was that it was better to arrive early and perhaps have to stroll around a bit before presenting himself at reception rather than to dash at the last minute and likely forget something. It also meant that he could walk at a regular pace and not have to run and arrive out of breath. With Graham now on the cusp of retirement age, the latter reason was also taking increasing precedence over the former. Graham moved along the walkway through the throng of foot traffic. He was not hurrying, but not moving slowly either, when he heard a young- sounding voice say, "Please, sir, can you spare a quarter so I can get something to eat?" Graham groaned inwardly and sighed. Graham felt he had heard that phrase or its equivalent a thousand times in the past few months - well, a dozen times anyway. Lately it seemed practically every corner in town had someone sitting on it with their hand out. He had business to do and wanted to get going, but something about this particular voice commanded Graham's attention and his eyes briefly flicked downwards and to the right. He could not have been more than eleven, perhaps twelve years of age, although it was difficult to actually say. Crouched down on the cement, he was mostly hidden by a jacket that was clearly not suited for the season. The ubiquitous baseball cap, that all boys seemed to own, was pulled down over his eyes. Most people would not have known exactly what to make of this youngster with his hand held out. Street urchin or panhandler-in-training, there was something about Jamie that instantly captured Graham's full attention. Graham quickly took in the youngster before him. He was young, far too young to be asking for money for food - that alone was out of place. There was, of course, the dirty face and the streaks on it running downwards from long-dried tears, but what Graham noticed, above all else, were the bruise marks on the left side of the boy's face. This was clearly not the usual bored teenager from the suburbs trying to squeeze a bit of money out of soft-headed passers-by. The customary indicators were missing here: the relatively clean clothes, the designer running shoes in good repair, and instead of the paper coffee cup sitting on the sidewalk with a few stage-prop coins already in it, there was a small, empty, dirty hand being held out. Graham's mind shifted into emergency high speed for a split-second and a decision was made. It was going to make him late for the meeting and he would have to come up with some excuse to explain it, but a youngster who clearly needed help, and who had been hurt was something that Graham could not ignore. Something he could not simply walk past and later be able to look at himself in the mirror. Graham had no illusions about his significance in the grand scheme of things, but there were some basic fundamentals if one wanted to remain a member of the human race. Graham stopped and knelt down next to Jamie. As he did, Jamie moved back sideways along the cement wall he had been sitting next to, unsure what Graham's motives were. Seeing Jamie's nervousness Graham backed up slightly and said gently, "Hi there. Can I help you?" Jamie did not see any menace in Graham's face and so he repeated his forlorn plea, "Could you spare a quarter, please, so I can get something to eat?" "Has it been a long time since you've eaten?" Graham asked. "I had something on Tuesday," Jamie said with a sniffle. Graham did the mental arithmetic - two days ago. Immediately, Graham knew he had made the right decision. Was it likely to be the officially supported corporate decision for a businessman on his way to an important meeting for a potential new seven-figure contract? Hardly, but it was the only decision that a man like Graham could make. The only one he could accept and be able to sleep at night. "Instead of just a quarter, how would you like to come with me and I'll buy you something to eat?" Graham asked Jamie, while placing his hand against the cement wall and slowly standing back up. Jamie looked up and Graham got his first good look at him as Jamie's face came completely into view. Peeking out from underneath the old stained baseball cap, Graham could see dark brown hair with blond highlights and a face that was gaunt. What was most noticeable about Jamie, however, were his piercing blue eyes. Jamie appeared scared, but at the same time, he looked back at Graham with a strength that might have been interpreted by some as defiance. Grimy he might have been and definitely in need of a good meal, but ordinary he was not. Graham saw Jamie look him over carefully before nodding and standing up next to him. After Jamie stood up, Graham could see the full extent of the bruises on the side of his face and there were some around his neck as well. The bruising looked recent and painful. "You've been hurt," said Graham, as he took a closer look. "I'll be OK," said Jamie, putting his hand up to cover the side of his face. The bruises had come only a few days before from a man that had promised Jamie a meal if he came along with him. While Jamie knew that there were some things he had to endure in order to eat, being choked to the point of unconsciousness was not one of them. Fortunately, a delivery truck had driven into the back alley while Jamie was struggling to get loose, and the man had run off to avoid discovery. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you. I was just concerned," said Graham. "Please come, and I'll get you something to eat." Jamie relaxed a bit and put his hand down but remained wary and ready to run if it became necessary. Graham sensed this and smiled while motioning with his arm for Jamie to come along with him. Jamie slipped his arms through the straps of his backpack, adjusted it, and began to follow Graham towards the entrance of the mall. The North Road Mall, which was connected to the subway station and office tower by overhead walkways, was a massive shopping complex, complete with the traditional food court. Food courts exemplified the concept of modern mechanized cuisine in Graham's opinion. Everything standardized, homogenized, vitamin-enhanced, and pre-packaged for your convenience, but nevertheless lacking the essence of what real food was. However, in a pinch overly processed calories, even from a factory, were better than nothing, and the need was clearly urgent. While they walked towards the mall, Graham took a few more glances at the boy walking next to him and suspected that proper food and regular meals were not something Jamie had been acquainted with for some time; his face was far too thin. Once they had passed through the bank of glass doors at the mall's entrance, Graham noticed Jamie's eyes darting about as if watching for something. Suddenly, as they were walking along, Jamie huddled into himself, his head turned down into his chest, and it was quite clear he was trying very hard to be invisible. Graham carefully looked about and quickly spotted the cause. A mall security guard was cruising in the vicinity and was walking in their general direction. Surmising that security guards had harassed Jamie on more than one occasion, Graham moved quickly to position himself between Jamie and the approaching danger. Shifting position smoothly as they walked along, Graham succeeded in providing cover for Jamie as the guard passed by them only a dozen feet away. After the guard had passed, Jamie relaxed and looked up. Graham wiggled an eyebrow in recognition of what they both knew he had done. "You'll be OK," said Graham. "I'll take care of you." A smile and a quick flash of gleaming white teeth were Graham's thanks and he felt amply rewarded. As smiles went, it was not a big one, definitely not the kind that would ever get into the record books. Nevertheless, it was an authentic one, and Graham sensed that the boy next to him had had little to smile about lately. Did he mean what he had just said to Jamie? It was only five little words, but, at that moment, Graham knew that he meant it more seriously than anything he had said to someone in a long time. They soon arrived at the food court, a glaring spectacle of neon, noise, and confusion as the outlets began to open for the shoppers wanting breakfast before emptying their wallets in the stores. Graham looked around the large open area and then followed Jamie's gaze towards a hamburger outlet. "Here we are," said Graham. "What would you like to have?" "Just an ordinary hamburger is OK," Jamie replied carefully, while looking back towards Graham. The internal conflict on Jamie's face was all too apparent to Graham. Jamie clearly needed something substantial to eat, but, at the same time, he was worried that if he asked for too much, Graham might get upset and walk off and leave him with nothing. "Sounds good to me. Let's get in line," said Graham, trying to put the nervous boy next to him at ease. They walked over towards the counter of the local burger chain that Jamie had been looking at and stood behind several people who were already waiting. Jamie hung slightly behind Graham so he was not totally visible, but kept a close watch on what Graham was doing. When they got to the front of the line, Graham proceeded to order a deluxe breakfast as well as a double-beef hamburger combo, both of which were advertised on a sign hanging overhead. "Do you want that jumbo-sized?" asked the counter clerk automatically, while ringing in the order. "Yes please," replied Graham, while handing over a twenty-dollar bill and then, moments later, collecting the change. The clerk disappeared into the back and shortly reappeared with a filled tray and slid it across the countertop. Graham thanked the clerk, picked up the tray loaded down with food, and moved away from the counter. He looked over towards the seating area and mentally picked out a table towards the back that was up against a wall. Graham nodded towards the location, and then Jamie and he navigated their way through the sea of people towards it. Sensing Jamie's nervousness, Graham had selected the spot so they would be away from the crowds and the noisiest part of the food court. Graham sat down and motioned for Jamie to take the seat against the wall so he could watch the activities in the food court. Graham had watched enough old movies to know the importance of the so-called gunfighter's seat, and he judged from Jamie's nervousness that it was likely that Jamie would not be comfortable with his back to the crowd. Jamie nodded, removed his backpack, and sat down with it positioned safely in between himself and the table. "Help yourself," Graham said with a smile to Jamie as he pushed the breakfast plate towards the young boy who was staring with ill-disguised hunger at the collection of food laid out before him. Jamie hesitated for a moment, then not sensing any disapproval from Graham, grabbed the plastic knife and fork and attacked the breakfast in front of him. He had inhaled approximately half of it in a matter of moments when politeness finally managed to catch up with hunger. "Thank you very much, sir," he said, in between rapid mouthfuls. Graham smiled at Jamie and nibbled on a couple of french fries while he watched the youngster make short work of the rest of the breakfast that he was eating. All too soon it had vanished and Jamie proceeded to make his container of orange juice evaporate. "Would you like some more?" Graham asked while pushing the hamburger combo towards Jamie. "But, that's for you, isn't it?" asked Jamie surprised at being offered the burger that he had assumed Graham had bought for himself. "No, I was actually on my way to a meeting. I got it all for you," Graham replied. "Gee, thanks a lot. I was so hungry. I guess you could tell, couldn't you?" said Jamie, lowering his head with some embarrassment while reaching for the hamburger. "I thought you might be," said Graham, smiling back as Jamie grinned in between bites as he slowed down his eating slightly. "Besides," he continued, "I couldn't go on and just leave you sitting there like that. I could never do a thing like that to a nice boy like you." The words had come out of Graham's mouth without thinking and the moment they had Graham realized he had said the wrong thing. This was a boy on the streets that he was talking to and every word Graham spoke was being weighed and measured for hidden meanings. Hearing Graham's words, Jamie looked at him closely and Graham felt Jamie's eyes drill deep into him. It was as if he was being X-rayed and both Graham and Jamie knew it was taking place. Graham realized that Jamie was suspecting his motives and was examining his soul but then Jamie relaxed and the moment passed. Jamie had dealt with men before and he knew what they were like. In his experience they were frequently abusive and always, always, wanting something from him and the possibility of food or money would be dangled to get it. For a moment he felt certain that this sudden gift of food from a stranger he had just met was simply the same old pattern again. Jamie looked at the man across from him and stared carefully into Graham's eyes, but there was nothing there. Not the barely concealed lust he had seen many times in the past nor the look of contempt and disgust that others tried unsuccessfully to hide from him while professing to care. All that he could sense was worry and concern. This was not the usual sort of man that he had dealt with since he had first been forced out onto the streets. "I'm sorry, but I can't stay any longer. I have a meeting downtown that I have to go to," said Graham, and he regretted saying it the moment he did. Jamie's face, which had brightened somewhat as he ate, clouded over once again. "I was on my way there when I saw you and I just couldn't keep going," continued Graham trying to explain. "That's OK," mumbled Jamie through a mouthful of french fries as he now hurriedly tried to finish up the remains of the food in front of him. He knew if he ate fast enough, he might be able to get it all down and then be OK for another day or two before he would have to find food again, perhaps in another much less pleasant way. If only he could eat fast enough. Watching Jamie rapidly pushing the food into his mouth Graham suddenly realized what was happening and quickly said "No, please don't rush. Take your time." Jamie slowed a bit but did not cease his chewing and swallowing of the french fries. Graham then took a deep breath and put into words what had been bubbling inside him since he had taken Jamie into the mall. "I have to do this for my job or I'll be in big trouble with my boss. I'll be back in about three or four hours, probably late in the afternoon. If you were waiting where I first saw you, then maybe we could talk when I get back. Perhaps I might be able to do something to help you." Jamie looked up from the table and looked Graham over carefully, but once again he did not sense any hidden agenda at work. Jamie did not believe that Graham was sincere in wanting to help him, but he had learnt to gauge men fairly quickly, his life often depended on it. He had not been wrong very often, but something about Graham appeared to be different. Graham did not seem like the others that Jamie had been forced to endure in order to survive. "OK, maybe," Jamie mumbled, while looking down again and continuing to eat. "I do want to help, but I also have to run or I'll be late," said Graham. "It's OK," Jamie said. It was not like it was the first time men had given him something and then wanted to vanish. Although something about Graham's manner did feel different to Jamie. Graham rose up from the table. He felt like a total heel. Here was a boy who was obviously in distress and needing help. How could he go and leave him like this? Certainly there was the business meeting he needed to get to, but what was that compared to the life of a youngster? Graham knew rationally that he had no choice, but his emotions were tearing at him. He knew he was not going to be able to live with what he was about to do, but at the same time he knew he had to live up to his responsibilities at the office. "Please be there when I get back. I'll do whatever it takes to help you," Graham pleaded, as he left. However, Graham felt in his heart that he would probably never see the boy again. Graham also knew that he was never going to be able to forgive himself for leaving, even if he did not really have a choice. He hoped that the boy would be there when he returned, but he knew that it was a forlorn hope as he hurried back towards the mall exit. As Graham ran out of sight, Jamie remained sitting at the table and watched him dodge through people as he headed towards the exit doors. While Jamie watched and finished off the last of the french fries, the streaks beneath his eyes grew wet once again. =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Chapter 2 - Work Intrudes Graham ran out of the mall and down the walkway that went over the street towards the subway station. He reached into his pocket, fumbled with his ticket, finally managed to stick it into the validating machine correctly, and then ran down the escalator towards the train platform. He was going to be late for his meeting downtown and he was never late. Graham prided himself on always being on time, even early if possible. Nevertheless, being late was the last thing on his mind right now. Graham reached the platform while a train was still in the station and just managed to squeeze into one of the subway cars as the doors began to close. Standing in the subway car Graham could see his reflection in the glass window staring back at him. It might have been his imagination, but the reflection seemed to be looking him over and was not impressed with who it was seeing. Graham's business conscience was battling with his moral conscience and was losing the fight badly. Finally, Graham had to look away, seeing those reproachful eyes glaring back at him was just too much to take. Graham knew that he did not have much of a choice, but that did little to relieve the turmoil he was feeling inside. He had been entrusted to take care of the business deal at the meeting and Graham always did his best to live up to his commitments. On the other hand, he had walked away and left a youngster who obviously needed help. The conflicting business and moral obligations were not sitting well inside Graham, and his stomach was in knots. After the long run from the suburbs to the downtown core, the subway train finally pulled into the central city station, and Graham emerged from the car, looked around, and spotted the exit he wanted. He quickly ran over to the escalator leading up out of the ground and became stuck in the middle of a large crowd of people and had to ride up slowly to street level. The offices of the company where the meeting was to be held were two blocks away, and Graham, despite having recently turned fifty-five, ran most of the way. Arriving at the entrance to the Haida Forest Products building, Graham paused for a moment to catch his breath. He was not in poor physical condition, but running like this was more than someone his age could handle easily, particularly when he had spent most of his life sitting behind a desk. Once he was breathing normally again, Graham entered the building, and walked into one of the elevators that were waiting on the main floor. During the ride up to the 27th floor, Graham composed himself and pasted a smile on his face in place of the conflicted look he had been wearing since leaving the mall half an hour earlier. Graham emerged from the elevator when the doors opened and walked quickly up to the reception area and presented himself. The receptionist was busy on the telephone and while he waited for her to finish, Graham looked up at the large cedar relief carving of an Orca that hung on the wall behind her. The new company logo had been unveiled only a few months ago and the level of artistic skill in it was quite striking. Graham had heard that the company had contracted an artist from a local Indian band to create it for them and the very impressive results were obviously worth the cost. "Good morning," said the receptionist, after putting down the telephone and seeing Graham waiting. "They've been asking about you." "Sorry I'm late, but it couldn't be helped," said Graham. "I'll let them know that you've arrived," she said picking up the telephone again. A few moments later a door at the side of the reception area opened and out strode a tall grey-haired man. Spotting Graham, he quickly walked over and stretched out his hand. "You made it," said the man with relief. "Sorry I'm late, Ron," said Graham trying to quickly think of a plausible excuse. "The boss wanted to talk to me about a couple of things just as I was leaving." "That's OK," said Ron. "You're always on time, so we knew something out of the ordinary must have happened. Come on into the conference room; everyone is already there. Hopefully, they haven't eaten all the danish yet." "I really shouldn't, you know," replied Graham. "I have to watch my expanding waistline." "Oh please," said Ron laughing. "You're packing less weight than anyone around the table." Walking into the conference room Graham breathed a sigh of relief that he had managed to successfully deflect the issue of his being late. Before sitting down, Graham went around the table shaking hands and greeting the people who were attending the meeting. The box of breakfast muffins in the middle of the conference table was passed around one final time to give everyone a last chance at a morning snack before the meeting started. It was the final review meeting for the services contract being proposed by NCS to handle computer operations for Haida. If Graham could steer the proposal through this final meeting, it was going to be possible to get it signed off. It would require a deft hand and careful attention to the personalities of the people in the room and their own individual agendas. Graham knew that his boss wanted him to push to get a signature on the deal if he could, but Graham also knew his mind was not as alert as it needed to be. Part of Graham was still sitting with Jamie back in the food court at the mall. Graham picked up the muffin sitting in front of him, took a bite, and tried to clear his head. While chewing the bit of muffin, Graham looked around the conference room table and saw everyone else doing the same thing. At the same time, an image of Jamie asking for money to get something to eat came to his mind. Graham looked at the half-eaten muffin in his hand, put it down, closed his eyes for a moment, and felt completely ashamed of himself. Graham sighed inwardly, reopened his eyes, pulled a handful of papers out of his briefcase, caught Ron's attention, and the meeting was called to order. After the minutes of the last meeting had been read out, everyone turned to look at Graham. Clearing his throat and consulting the notes in front of him, Graham began to read out the sections of the proposal that were updated since the last meeting. Similar to previous meetings, disagreements between different factions around the table began to surface - once again - over how the sections in the agreement should be worded. Graham had been through this many times before over the last few months, trying to find compromises that would satisfy everyone. Normally, Graham could almost enjoy the verbal jousting, the deflecting of problems, turning requests for changes back into questions for the customer to make a decision on, and otherwise handling the situation. It was like a game of tennis, with the ball constantly being volleyed back and forth across the net between two opponents. By ensuring that he always took each point raised with visible interest and seriousness, Graham found he could usually obtain the cooperation of the person asking the question, and thereby also gained a reputation for listening and being approachable. Graham had learnt over the years, by observing others handling similar meetings. Taking a more combative approach with difficult customers might eventually result in a signed deal, but also tended to damage relations which often made work in the future much more difficult. This time, however, Graham did not have his heart in it. He felt his mind wandering, and he was constantly battling to stay focused on the discussions taking place in the meeting. More than once Graham asked for something to be repeated and knew he was not at his best by a substantial margin. Graham simply could not get those eyes out of head - those eyes that had looked right inside him. Graham felt certain that if Jamie were to look at him now, he would turn and run in the opposite direction. Despite his inner struggle, Graham tried to maintain an outward appearance of calm business efficiency. Like a tidal wave rolling almost invisibly through the deep ocean, the calm exterior belied the turmoil taking place within Graham. The meeting carried on through the lunch that was brought in, and it dragged on into the afternoon, but finally Graham managed to resolve the final differences of opinion between two holdout factions sitting on opposite sides of the conference table. Once he obtained their mutual agreement, Graham took a laptop computer out of his briefcase and quickly typed up the agreed upon changes for the three clauses that they had spent the last several hours debating. He then transmitted the final version of the document to a printer just outside the conference room and it was then passed around the table for final review. "Does anyone have any final comments?" asked Ron, after everyone had had a chance to read over the changes. "Any more issues that we need to iron out?" Receiving assent from everyone attending, Ron said, "Great. I think we've done a wonderful job here today. Finalizing this agreement will enable us to move forward with implementation first thing in January. If you can just wait here a moment Graham, I'll step out and go get this signed by our VP of Finance so you can take it back with you." Ron stepped out of the conference room, and everyone stood up and stretched. It had been a long meeting, but finally, it was over. Graham breathed a sigh of relief that he had been able to make it through to the end. Graham knew his boss was going to be delighted everything had been agreed to and signed off, but that did little to alleviate the fact that Graham was feeling physically ill. That he had been able to negotiate the deal successfully only seemed to make matters worse, and despite knowing that his mind was simply being overly active, did not make the symptoms any less real. It might have felt better, Graham thought grimly, if the deal had not gone through. Ron came back into the conference room a few minutes later with the signed papers in his hand. "Congratulations, Graham," said Ron. "That was a fine bit of stick- handling you did today. Getting everyone here to agree on something that detailed is quite a feat. You should come and work for us." "I'm not sure my boss would be too happy with me if I did that," said Graham with a smile. "Something to think about," said Ron with a meaningful look. "Someone will have to manage this implementation when it gets started." "Thanks for the suggestion," said Graham. "I appreciate the confidence. I'll think about it while I'm on vacation over Christmas." "You do that," said Ron. "We can talk again in the new year. In the meantime, thanks again for all your help with this. It's been a pleasure and regardless of what you decide, I know I can say, for everyone here, we're looking forward to working with you again." "Thanks very much," said Graham, as he shook Ron's hand. "I'd better get back to the office now; they're going to wonder what happened to me." "Keep in touch," said Ron, as Graham headed out the door. It was a huge compliment to have received the not very subtle job offer, but all Graham could see as he put on his overcoat and picked up his briefcase to take the subway back to his office was the face of the boy he had left at the table in the food court. Those blue eyes boring into him, reading what was inside him, and examining his soul. Would changing jobs be the answer to what had been eating at him for the past year or so? While the real answer still eluded him, Graham felt quite certain that a new job was not it. Waiting for the elevator to take him back down to street level, all Graham could think of were those eyes and he pondered how it was that a youngster was almost always more perceptive than an adult. Graham got out of the elevator when it arrived down in the lobby, went outside, and began to walk back towards the subway station. However, unlike the trip downtown earlier in the day, he was not hurrying on his way back. He knew what was going to be waiting for him when he got back. The boy was going to be gone, and his boss was going to congratulate him for a job well done. Graham avoided looking in the glass windows of the shops as he walked along the sidewalk. He knew who would be looking back at him, and he was not ready to face that. *** *** *** *** *** Back in the shopping mall's food court, Jamie wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his tattered jacket and nursed the last of the orange juice that Graham had bought for him earlier along with the breakfast and hamburger. All too soon it would be time to go back outside into the cold winter air, and he was trying to delay that for as long as possible. Jamie knew that he would never see the man again. He had just been an anonymous stranger who perhaps had felt a bit guilty, and therefore, had bought him something to eat in order to whitewash his conscience. On occasion, Jamie sometimes got lucky and could get a free meal that way, but for the most part he had to earn his meals in other ways. At least the meal Graham bought him meant he would be able to forestall that possibility for a couple more days, before hunger would once again force that situation upon him. No one had ever cared about him. No one ever would. Why else would the people at Child Welfare have refused to listen when he had tried to explain to them what was happening at home? Why else would he have had to finally run away from home just to survive? Jamie had tried his best to endure it, but eventually he could no longer take what was being forced upon him almost daily. Then there had been that final terrifying night when the drunken midnight visit had left him brutally torn, bruised, and bleeding. No, nobody would ever want damaged goods like him. Jamie knew what he was; he knew what people said about him behind his back; he knew what he was forced to do in order to survive. No one would ever want someone like him. He was for using and tossing aside like so much crumpled newspaper. Still, Graham did not seem quite the same as the other men Jamie had been around. That had been obvious almost immediately, and Jamie was puzzled by it. Sizing up a man quickly was a necessary survival skill for living on the streets, and while Jamie had dealt with a variety of men in his short life, he had not seen such a gentle look on a man's face before. What could it mean? While he sat there pondering the mystery, something caught Jamie's eye, and he glanced up and spotted what it was instantly. Far across the food court, one of the mall security guards was moving straight in his direction. Jamie had developed a sixth sense that alerted him to danger, and now it was urgently buzzing within him. Get away! Now! Jamie dropped the now-empty orange juice container he was holding, grabbed his backpack tightly, and bolted. For better or worse, he had gained a lot of practice in taking care of himself during his time on the streets. The streets taught you quickly, and if you did not pay attention and learn the lessons fast enough, then you were dead. Being alert and quick was what had saved him countless times in the past, and Jamie knew that depending on himself was the best and only way to survive. He was small, thin, and undernourished, but his legs and his brain knew how to keep him safe. Jamie dove straight into the nearest crowd of people for cover, but did not slow down for an instant. The moment the tiniest gap opened up amongst the throngs of holiday shoppers that had begun to fill the mall, he was through it and picking up speed as he went. Dodging mothers pushing strollers, avoiding collisions with people carrying packages, Jamie wove his way through the crowd at breakneck speed. Shifting direction constantly as opportunities presented themselves, Jamie never slackened his pace. The security guard however was hot on his trail. He had tried to catch Jamie before, but Jamie had always managed to elude him. It made the guard angry that a street boy like this always seemed to be able to get away, and it frustrated him. It angered him because kids like that should not be allowed in places like this, places where decent people and families came to enjoy themselves; it was just not right his self- righteous worldview insisted. Seen from above, the chase was between a large, heavily-laden semi- trailer truck and a tiny sports car. Jamie had speed and manoeuvrability on his side, but the security guard had bulk and raw horsepower. Where Jamie dodged quickly in between people and deftly avoided collisions at the last second, the security guard simply plowed on through, pushing people aside as required. Both methods worked. One could admire Jamie's skill and deftness, but the security guard relied solely upon his size and weight to bulldoze his way towards his intended target. Jamie quickly worked his way through the crowd of people, the exit doors of the mall finally becoming visible, and was still ahead of the lumbering security guard. It was a pure race now, and Jamie switched into high gear and sprinted for it; two hundred feet and he would be safe. Jamie knew the rules. Once you were past the door, the security guards could not touch you. Not legally, at least. However, Jamie had also learnt the corollary: legal niceties were only observed when there were witnesses in the vicinity. If a boy were caught alone, even outside the doors, it would not go well for him. So his feet flew and Jamie hit the doors at a full run rattling the glass. Once he had cleared the door, Jamie kept on running into and through the crowds of people outside and did not look back or slow his pace. Once he was far enough away and could finally be sure that no one was following him, Jamie slowed to a walk, and finally stopped and looked about. The crowds were beginning to thicken and the air was getting colder. Jamie did not have a watch, but the darkening winter sky told him that a mid-afternoon storm was brewing which would mean rain or perhaps even snow. His stomach was full, which was better than he had been able to say for a couple of days, but he had no particular goal in mind. With nowhere to go, time and destination were meaningless things for him. Walking aimlessly, Jamie eventually found himself back at the subway station once again. He had not headed there out of any definite plan, it just turned out that his escape and subsequent wanderings had taken him in that general direction. It was also a relatively safe place to pass time and with the weather getting colder being inside the station, being protected from the elements, was a definite advantage. Suddenly Graham's words came back to him, asking that Jamie wait for him to return later in the afternoon. Why did that come back into his head just now? Jamie knew that he would never see the man again. Certainly he was glad about getting the meal, but at the same time Jamie knew that a meal was all there ever would be, and that the man had totally forgotten about him already. Nonetheless, something in Jamie's mind told him that he should wait here. He definitely could not go back to the walkway that connected the subway station to the mall where he had first seen Graham. The security guard, angry that Jamie had managed to escape, would, by now, have alerted the others, and they would all be watching for him. They had lousy boring jobs; Jamie knew it and they knew it. The only pleasure they got out of it, if one could call it that, was harassing someone and having fun bullying those that they could. Jamie knew these kinds of people well. He had been dealing with them ever since he could remember, at home and elsewhere, and knew there was no reasoning with them. One could only keep out of their way or suffer the consequences. Jamie decided to wait in the subway station. Assuming that the man returned to his office the same way that he went downtown, Jamie ought to be able to spot him when he got out of the subway train. Being an expert at making himself invisible, Jamie was confident he would be able to see the man and watch him without being spotted himself. Jamie sometimes fantasized he was a secret agent. It was a game he played with himself - to see without being seen - and, if he got spotted he lost the game. The streets were a harsh teacher, but Jamie was a fast learner out of necessity, and now Jamie never lost the game. When he wanted to be invisible, he was invisible. He would watch for the man, follow him, and see what happened. He would see if the man would go back to where he had first asked him for money to get something to eat. Jamie knew the man would not go back there, he probably would not show up at all; maybe not even to go back to the office he had talked about, if there even was an office. Jamie knew it was just a story to enable the man to get away from him and leave the food court. This man was like all the others; Jamie knew that, but he would watch anyway. Then he would leave and find somewhere to sleep for the night - maybe underneath the bushes in the park; that might be OK, even if it was getting too cold to be outdoors at night. Jamie leaned against a pillar in the subway station, bent his head down, and wrapped his thin coat around himself for warmth against the rapidly cooling winter air. He looked like any other boy might look in a subway station on a cold day. That is, unless one looked closely. The coat was ragged, the running shoes were in very rough shape, and the pants had not seen the inside of a washing machine in over a month. Most people these days, however, did not give each other a second glance, let alone a thoughtful look. Jamie knew the routine well: look like he belonged, disappear into the crowd, blend into the background. No one in the station even noticed him, but Jamie saw everyone and everything; nothing escaped his watchful eyes. He would wait. *** *** *** *** *** Graham reached the downtown station of the subway and went down the escalator to the platform to catch the train back to his office. It was already mid-afternoon, and after everything that had happened today, he was going to be relieved when the day was finally over. A subway train pulled in, and Graham was pushed - along with the rest of the crowd - into one of the cars. Graham ended up stuck next to a window, and once again he could see his reflection looking back at him in the glass. He tried to move away from the window, but the car was crowded, and he was unable to shift position. Graham was going to have to ride out the journey back to the office where he was. Once again, Graham felt like his conscience was staring back at him. The sick feeling in his stomach was increasing by the minute, and Graham could almost see his own reflection come to life and shake its head reprovingly at him. His inner battle over having left the boy in the food court raged on within him, and it seemed like everything around him was reminding him of it. He knew the boy would not be there when he returned. It was rank insanity to think he would be or that he would have waited. Who was he that the boy should wait for him? Graham pleaded inwardly with his conscience that he had no choice and had to leave because of his work obligations, however, the face looking back at him in the glass remained impassive and unforgiving. He tried to console himself with the thought that, at least, he had bought the boy something to eat, but he knew that tonight when he ate his dinner and laid down in his own warm bed to sleep it was going to be of little comfort. Graham knew there was not going to be any sleep tonight or, likely, for many nights to come. After what seemed like a torturously long ride on the subway, the train finally pulled into the station next to the NCS office tower. Graham managed to squeeze himself through the people in the crowded subway car and popped out of the door and onto the platform. The ride back to the office had an unpleasant feeling of anticipation about it, not unlike sitting in a dentist's waiting room, but that had definitely been the easy part. Now came the hard part for Graham, facing the consequences of his earlier decision to leave and go the meeting downtown. Graham's feet felt like lead, but there was no way to avoid what was coming. He would check for the boy everywhere he could think of, but Graham knew he would be long gone. When the subway car came to a halt in the station and the doors had opened, Jamie spotted Graham in an instant, even before he had completely exited the subway car. Jamie raised himself from his slouched position against a pillar and riveted his eyes onto Graham while remaining concealed amongst the people in the station. Jamie would follow him, satisfy himself that Graham was the same as all the others, and then go off into the night to fend for himself, as he had so many times before. Graham looked about carefully as he walked through the subway station. The boy was nowhere to be seen. Graham knew he would not be here, it was ridiculous to think the boy would have waited for him. However, Graham had to look. His very soul - or rather, the now tattered remnants of it after the events of today - demanded that he look. Graham went out towards the entrance to the subway station, retracing his path each step of the way that he had used earlier in the day. He went back over the walkway that connected the station with the shopping mall. When Graham got to the place where Jamie had been sitting, he stopped and looked around. Graham looked up and down the walkway, but to no avail. The people going along the walkway moved around Graham and continued on past him like an endlessly flowing river, but Graham just stood there and stared at the spot where Jamie had been sitting. There was no trace of Jamie remaining, not even a mark or smudge on the concrete: nothing that would prove he had ever existed. Graham knew - even before he looked - there would be no signs to be found. How could there be? Despite this, however, Graham had to be certain. Graham looked about at the crowd of people as they moved relentlessly past him, but with so many people moving at once it was impossible to see clearly. It was a forlorn hope, and Graham knew it was hopeless to be looking for one small boy amongst the hundreds of people, but he kept looking nevertheless. He walked onwards with a slower step and paused again a few hundred feet further along and looked around again. Suddenly, thinking that Jamie might have thought Graham meant to meet him next to the mall, Graham walked quickly to the doors at the mall's entrance where they had gone in together. Graham looked around again - still nothing. Graham's shoulders fell as he now slowly walked back towards the black tower that his office was in. Graham knew he would never see the boy again. It tore at him, and he ached deep inside. He had walked away from a boy who needed help, all for the sake of a business meeting to keep his boss happy and add a few more dollars to the year-end company profits. Graham knew it was likely he would get an extra bonus for having managed to get the deal signed. He also knew it would burn his hands the moment it was handed to him; those same hands that had had the power to change a youngster's life for the better, but had done nothing. He felt like throwing up. Jamie's eyes had never left Graham from the moment he had emerged from the subway car. With skill that would have made a spymaster envious, Jamie followed him, watched him, all the while keeping himself invisible within the crowd. Jamie saw Graham return to the exact spot where he had sat earlier and had been asking for change from the passersby. Jamie saw Graham go to the doors where they had entered the mall together and again look around. Jamie saw how at the end Graham had finally given up hope and had started to slowly walk back to the office tower with his shoulders slumped and his head hanging down. Jamie saw Graham looking for him, and he was uncertain about what he should do. This was not what he had been expecting. He was surprised Graham had shown up at all, let alone was actually making an effort to look for him. Should he leave? Or should he let Graham see him? Was this man like all the others or was he different? He had known boys who had gone off with a man but had never returned. He definitely did not want to end up like that. It was Graham's reaction at the end that decided it for him. Jamie could tell that Graham was very disappointed at not finding him and the disappointment appeared to be authentic. While Graham had walked quickly to the spots where he thought it most likely that he might find Jamie, it was obvious that his steps were now laboured and not at all happy. That, plus what Jamie had seen in Graham's face earlier in the food court, made his decision for him. =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Chapter 3 - Fate Takes a Turn Once he had made his decision, the rest was easy for Jamie. Staying invisible was what took skill whereas being seen was simple. Jamie moved to the edge of the crowd he was staying hidden within and looked about rapidly. He quickly spotted a woman overloaded with shopping bags rushing along not watching where she was going and bumping unapologetically into people as she went. Knowing at once that she was the type that would provide the necessary source of excitement required to draw attention to himself, Jamie watched her direction through the crowd, picked out a spot slightly ahead of her, and moved to stand in the woman's path. Moments later just as Jamie had planned the woman, never once noticing Jamie, went barrelling straight into him. "Watch what you're doing," snapped the woman as her bags went flying. "I'm awfully sorry ma'am I guess I wasn't looking where I was going," said Jamie as he bent to help her pick up the bags strewn about on the ground. "Pay attention next time. Kids like you shouldn't be allowed around here. Get away from me," complained the woman bitterly, as she took off again at breakneck speed without looking back still bumping into people as she went. Jamie unfortunately had become used to being spoken to in that manner, but he did not mind this time. The commotion resulting from the collision with the woman had done the job that was needed. Graham had turned around to see where the shouting was coming from. Jamie looked up as Graham turned and saw him. Their eyes met and Graham knew at once that Jamie had staged the accident with the woman for his benefit. They both looked at each other intently for a long moment. Then Graham took a step towards Jamie and Jamie took a step towards Graham. What would come from this neither of them knew, but somehow they both realized that from this moment on, everything in the future was going to change. Graham did not want to frighten Jamie away, but he also did not want to lose sight of him again now that he had found him. At the same time he knew that if he rushed towards Jamie he might scare him and Jamie might change his mind and run off. Graham smiled with relief at finding Jamie and took another step towards him. Jamie was watching Graham warily but then took another step towards the man he had met only a few hours earlier. When Graham saw that Jamie had moved in his direction again, he abandoned his initial caution and quickly moved across the open space between them, not quite walking, but not running either. "I didn't think I would ever see you again. I didn't think you'd come back," said Graham speaking first. "I didn't think you would either," said Jamie. "No one ever came back for me before." "I'm sorry I had to rush off like that. I've been feeling horrible all day for leaving. I didn't actually have a lot of choice though. My boss would've eaten me alive if I'd missed the meeting," said Graham. "It's OK. You have to do your work. I mean it's not like you know me or something," said Jamie. "I think I would like to though, if you let me," replied Graham. The moment that he said this, Jamie again searched Graham's face. However, finding nothing other than concern Jamie then allowed a brief shy smile to flicker across his face. "I need to go up to my office for a few minutes to drop off my things and report to my boss, but then I'll come right back down. Maybe after we can go and have dinner or something. Would you like that?" he asked Jamie. "I'll be here," replied Jamie. Graham turned to go over towards the office tower but then reversed direction and said, "My name is Graham. I'm so pleased you decided to come back." Jamie gave Graham another one of his stroboscopic smiles and said, "Jamie. My name is Jamie." "I'll be back as quick as I can, Jamie," said Graham. He smiled at the youngster and then turned and ran quickly over to the doors at the base of the office tower. Whereas a few minutes before Graham's heart had been heavy and his footsteps laboured, he now felt lighter than air and the knots his stomach had been tied in previously had totally disappeared. Graham rushed into the office tower and once in the elevator waited impatiently for the doors to open on the twenty-third floor. Graham's entire mood had changed and it felt for him like the sun had suddenly broken through a thick layer of cloud on a rainy day. The elevator doors finally opened and Graham stepped out. Opening the main door to the office he smiled at the receptionist and hurried through the aisles of cubicles over to his desk. All that was needed now was to quickly drop the signed agreement off with his boss and then leave. Laying his briefcase on his desk, Graham pulled out the agreement and went to the photocopy machine. In less than a minute he had a copy made for himself and stapled it together. Walking over to his boss's office, Graham saw the open door and empty desk and realized that his boss was out. Graham quickly picked up a piece of paper from off the side of the desk and jotted down a note saying that he would write up a full report on how the meeting went overnight and have it ready for him in the morning. Graham then attached the note to the front of the signed copy of the agreement with a paper clip and went back to his desk. Graham's boss being out of the office was actually a stroke of good luck. In fact it was a big relief for Graham. His boss was not a bad sort when it came right down to it, but he loved to talk. What for anyone else would take five minutes of discussion would last twenty with him. While normally that did not bother Graham, after everything else that had happened today, being delayed was not something Graham wanted. Fortune had handed Graham a second chance and he was not going to let go of it for anything. Nothing short of wild animals was going to stop him from getting back down to Jamie, and if the wild animals were not too big or hungry he might even try tackling them too. One did not tempt fate more than once in a day and Graham had no intention of doing so. With everything now taken care of at the office, Graham went back to his desk and placed the photocopy of the agreement in it along with a few other papers to help him write the report tonight. Instead of wending his way back through the cubicle's to the front entrance, Graham went out the back way and shortly was standing in front of the elevators waiting once again to go back down. This time Graham did not feel nearly as anxious as he did earlier feeling certain that Jamie would be waiting for him. Graham emerged from the elevator when the doors opened on the ground floor and quickly spotted Jamie waiting for him outside. While he had felt confident that Jamie would be there, seeing him standing and waiting just outside put a big smile on Graham's face. Graham quickly walked towards the revolving exit doors and moments later he was standing beside Jamie. "Sorry I took so long, I had to drop off some papers and leave a note for the boss," said Graham, as he smiled at Jamie. Jamie smiled back briefly, "I wasn't worried," he said. "This time I knew you'd be coming back." "It's a little before regular quitting time, but I'm done for the day," said Graham. "Would you like to come home with me? We can get something to eat and maybe we can talk a little." At the mention of Graham's home Jamie once again regarded Graham with some suspicion, but his acute eyes told him that nothing was hiding behind the suggestion. All that he could sense coming from Graham was concern. It was very strange to him given his experiences to date with men, but there it was nonetheless. "I guess ... where do you live?" he asked cautiously. "I have a small basement apartment near here that I stay in during the week, but I have a little house on Valdez Island and I fly back and forth so I can stay there on the weekends," Graham explained. "You live on an island?" Jamie exclaimed. "Yes, but it's not just me of course. There's lot of other people there too," Graham replied. "Wow. Why do you do that? I mean it's got to be difficult getting to the city being so far away and all," asked Jamie. "When I don't have to be at work, I like to get away from all the people, the noise, and the city. Also I'm getting older now and I wanted to get myself a nice place I could retire to," Graham elaborated. "I wish I could get away from everyone like that," Jamie muttered quietly to himself, although not quietly enough to avoid Graham hearing it. "To get to my apartment we'll have to use the bus. I hope that's OK with you. I don't bother to bring a car to work usually," explained Graham. "It's OK, but I don't have enough money for a bus," said Jamie getting worried. "That's alright, I was going to take care of that for you," said Graham with a smile. They went along the walkway between the office tower and the subway station and then took an escalator down to the street level where the bus terminal was located. Graham reached into his pockets and found a book of bus tickets and tore off two handing one to Jamie. "Just pop that into the machine on the bus when you get in," said a smiling Graham. "Thanks Mister," said Jamie, taking the ticket from Graham. Graham felt a bit embarrassed at the honorific and said gently, "Graham. Call me Graham." "Yes sir ... Graham," Jamie replied, feeling rather uncomfortable. He could remember clearly times when he had been belted across the room by his father for forgetting his manners and it felt scary to call this man he had only just met by his first name. A bus pulled into the loading bay where they were standing and they got on. The driver looked sternly at Jamie, but then looked away when Jamie showed him the ticket that he had in his hand and the validating machine had beeped its assent when Jamie put it into the slot. Graham followed right after and they walked along the aisle down the centre of the bus and sat in the first empty pair of seats they came to. "It's a short trip. We'll only be on here for just a few stops," said Graham. Not sure what to say, Jamie nodded. He knew that he was heading off into an unknown adventure, but he was not sure yet exactly what sort of adventure it was going to be. Hopefully, it would be one where he would still be around after it was over. There had been the meal earlier of course and it sounded like there might be another one tonight. It would be the most he had eaten in a single day for a couple of weeks. That part was clearly good. He also knew, however, that eventually there would be the inevitable. He was going to have to pay for the food and the kindness being offered. There would be no escaping that part of the deal. Still, this man seemed a bit different than the others and perhaps it might not be too bad when it came to that. Jamie stared out the window at the passing cars and shops along the road and tried not to think about what would come later in the evening. Graham peeked at Jamie while he sat next to him and noticed that he appeared lost in thought. His face had a completely blank look on it and was totally expressionless. Graham was about to say something, but then realized that Jamie was not on the bus with him, but instead had escaped to somewhere in his mind. Watching Jamie while the bus made its way along the street, Graham found himself speculating on how Jamie had come to be asking for spare change in order to eat. No matter how he looked at it, none of the likely answers were comforting. A few minutes later an automated voice announced their stop. Graham gently touched Jamie on the elbow, jerking him back to reality. "Sorry for startling you," said Graham. "This is our stop. We need to get off here." Jamie shook his head, focused on his surroundings, and obediently followed Graham to the rear exit of the bus and out onto the sidewalk when the bus came to a halt at the stop. Graham indicated with his hand the direction they needed to go and they started to walk. Graham took the opportunity to look Jamie over, while trying to be discrete about it, as they walked along the street towards Graham's apartment. Jamie definitely needed a good wash. It was obvious that he had not cleaned up for quite a while. Even in the cold weather, Graham had rather quickly noticed an odour which lingered about Jamie. He could also see that Jamie's clothes were not in very good shape either. Of course they could be laundered. Graham would see to that while Jamie gave himself a good scrubbing in the shower. However, something told Graham that he was going to have to suggest all this very carefully. He was quite sure that Jamie might get the wrong idea if he did not phrase it just right. Graham readily admitted to himself that he was not entirely sure what he was getting himself into. All he knew at this point was that he could not leave Jamie to fend for himself out in the cold. Graham had rather vague ideas of what boys on the street had to do in order to survive, but he was aware enough to realize that what he knew was probably only the tip of the iceberg. How closely his suspicions reflected reality was something that he did not want to think about right now, if he could possibly avoid it. While they walked the couple of remaining blocks to the apartment Graham tried to engage Jamie in some conversation to learn more, "So how old are you?" he asked. "Twelve," responded Jamie who was looking down at the sidewalk as they went along. "Have you been ..." Graham was not exactly sure how to put it, "... on your own for very long?" he asked. Jamie looked up and said, "Since early in the spring." Nine maybe ten months on his own! How could a youngster survive for that long by himself, Graham wondered. How could that be? Perhaps something had happened to his parents and the Child Welfare people simply were unaware of the problem. That had to be the reason. Graham's mind was still not quite ready to fully embrace other much darker explanations. "It must have been hard to lose your parents," Graham said after a pause. "Lose?" asked Jamie uncomprehendingly. "What do you mean?" Graham started to feel that he was moving onto shaky ground and attempted to regain his footing. "I'm guessing that something bad must have happened to them and that's why you're on your own," suggested Graham. "Nothing happened to them," said Jamie with anger. "Unfortunately," he then added quietly. Graham realized that he had made a big mistake at that point. He obviously did not know the details, but there was clearly much more to this than he had initially guessed. He had no way of knowing what exactly had happened, but he knew it was important to try and mend the damage he had just caused. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I was just wondering if that might have been why you were on your own," Graham offered in explanation. Continuing Graham added, "I'd like to help if I can. Perhaps if we talk about whatever it is that happened, then maybe there is something that I could do to help." "I doubt it," replied Jamie bluntly. "No one is ever interested in really trying to fix things!" Graham tried to restart the conversation onto a different track, "It must be difficult taking care of yourself all on your own." "I get by," Jamie said. "But what if you get sick or something?" asked Graham. "Then I get sick," replied Jamie harshly, getting irritated with the questions. Jamie began to realize that Graham had pretty dim ideas as to what his life was actually like. The bit about losing his parents was beyond hilarious, thought Jamie. If only he could lose them. That would solve a lot of his problems in one stroke. At least out here on the street Jamie had a choice in whom he was going to have deal with. A choice of sorts at least. Fortunately the awkward situation resolved itself temporarily by their arrival at Graham's apartment. Graham's in-town home was a small apartment located in the basement of an older house on a quiet side street. It was not a palace by anyone's standards, but it was clean, warm, and dry. Jamie looked at the door to the apartment as Graham opened it and wondered if Graham's claim of a house on Valdez Island was just a story and this was his real home. It did not really matter of course. It would be warmer than outside and Jamie had been in many places far less appealing. It was enough for now. Graham unlocked the door and he and Jamie went through it and into the apartment closing the door behind them. Graham took off his coat, hung it on a hanger inside a small closet next to the door, and then took off his shoes. Jamie, watching closely, followed suit immediately afterwards. He slipped off his backpack, but kept a tight hold on it. He put his coat in the closet next to Graham's and removed his shoes. Unfortunately, removing his shoes merely exposed his dirty socks to Graham's view. Jamie looked down to where Graham was staring and felt embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I don't get to wash very often," Jamie said with his head hanging down in shame. "It's my fault," Graham replied quickly, feeling bad that he had embarrassed Jamie. "I should have realized. How about you go on into the bathroom, shower, tidy up, and so on. While you're doing that, you can put your things outside the door and I can stick them into the washing machine for you. Then they'll be all nice and clean for you by the time you're done. I'll look around here for something you can put on while you're waiting for them to be finished. That way you won't get cold while you're waiting. "Thanks, that'd be great," said Jamie unenthusiastically. He knew the routine, and today it looked like it was going to be work first and then something to eat afterwards. Nevertheless, Jamie was thankful for the chance to clean up. It did not happen too often, but some of the men he went with would let him wash and get cleaned up. 'First you need to wash the chicken before cooking and serving it,' one of them had said roaring with laughter thinking himself a great wit. That was also a time Jamie did not relish remembering. He had limped for a week afterwards. "Once you get your things off, just slip them outside the door and I'll get busy washing them for you," said Graham, completely ignorant of the fact that he was unwittingly repeating almost word for word the same thing that others with baser motives had said to Jamie many times in the past. Jamie disappeared into the bathroom still clutching his backpack firmly. He put it down on the floor next to him and emptied the contents of his pockets into it. Then he quickly took off what he was wearing. Shirt, pants, socks, and underwear, none of it was in good shape and most of it had holes in more than one place. Reaching into his backpack Jamie took out the couple of spare things he had in it and added them to the small pile of clothes on the floor. It was not much, but it was all that he had to call his own. Despite this rather sad state of affairs, he was alive and Jamie knew that was an achievement given everything he had dealt with in his short life. He would never give up and he hoped that someday, somehow, things would get better. He was not sure when and he had no idea of how, but someday they would. If he had nothing else Jamie at least had hope. Admittedly, it was a faint hope most of the time, but there was a stubborn streak inside Jamie. A faint flickering flame that he would not let anyone extinguish no matter what he had to do in order to survive. Jamie listened at the bathroom door and heard Graham moving about in the other room. He quietly cracked the door slightly to look and saw that Graham was putting things away in the little kitchen that was at the side of the main living area. Jamie quickly slipped his dirty clothes just outside the door and closed it again. He then opened the cupboard under the sink and stashed his backpack at the very back out of obvious sight. The sounds of running water coming from the shower alerted Graham who spotted the neat little pile of clothes just outside the bathroom door. He picked up the clothes and took them through a side door into a utility room and dumped them into the washing machine. Graham turned the water setting to hot and poured in a double dose of laundry detergent. Given the state of Jamie's clothes, Graham figured they could use all the help they could get while being washed. Graham turned the dial around on the timer, pressed it in, and the machine roared to life. Graham went back into the apartment's living area and looked about in his dresser and the clothes closet. Graham reasoned that Jamie might be able to use some of his things at least for a little while until the clothes, now in the washer, were dry and ready to wear again. He selected an old pair of sweat pants and a large T-shirt. Graham knew that his underwear would never fit Jamie, but that was not a vital problem at the moment, however, one of his pairs of socks would certainly do. He placed the clothes on the floor just outside the bathroom door where Jamie's dirty ones had sat only a few minutes earlier. Eventually Graham heard the sounds of water ceasing in the shower and someone getting out. Graham waited a couple of minutes and then called out to Jamie. "I've put some things just outside the door for you so you'll have something to wear until your clothes are ready," said Graham. "OK, thanks," came a muffled reply from behind the bathroom door. A few minutes later Graham heard the washing machine buzz a warning that its cycle was done. He went through the side door and opened up the washing machine to move the clothes into the dryer. While pulling the clothes out, Graham could see that despite the extra soap they still did not look very clean or fresh. Inside the bathroom Jamie continued to be surprised with Graham. This was not how it usually worked out. He knew that usually he was expected to come out with a towel wrapped around his waist and then ... events would take their course. Jamie reminded himself, however, that he had not yet seen what Graham had planned for him. For all Jamie knew Graham was into something weird and when he opened the bathroom door he was going to get a big surprise. It might be diapers or something even stranger for all Jamie knew. Whatever the price was, he knew he had to pay up and Jamie never went back on his part of a deal, no matter what it was. Once he had dried himself off with a big fluffy bath towel that he found in the bathroom, Jamie opened the door just a crack and looked out. Seeing no sign of Graham, Jamie looked down and saw the promised clothes. Sweat pants, a T-shirt, and socks - exactly as advertised. Jamie opened the door a little bit wider, quickly picked up the clothes, and then closed the door again. Jamie was becoming more and more baffled by Graham and what was happening, or more particularly by what was not happening. Jamie could deal with a known situation, even when it was unpleasant, but the usual pattern was not unfolding and that did not make any sense to him. Jamie knew what was expected of him and he knew his part in it all, but it did not seem to be happening the usual way and he felt confused. Why would Graham provide him with clothes when Jamie knew very well that he would be expected to be out of them in only a few more minutes? Despite being perplexed Jamie put on the clothes that Graham had left for him. They did not fit especially well, but they came reasonably close. Jamie realized of course it was because they were Graham's. Graham was not a tall man, he was on the shorter side actually, but he was naturally much heavier set compared to Jamie. Consequently, while the shirt fit Jamie, the sweat pants were rather loose on his thin frame. Jamie debated as to whether he should bother retying the pants and then decided that he would. Graham seemed to be laying out a role for Jamie to play and he figured it would be best to try and fit into whatever it was that was being planned for him in order to make Graham happy. The clothes would do, at least until Jamie was told to take them off again. After putting the clothes on Jamie looked at himself in the mirror in the bathroom. The accumulated grime and dirt was gone and the transformation from his previous state was quite dramatic. In place of the grubby youngster that had entered the bathroom earlier, now stood a boy that would catch anyone's eye. In addition to physical appearance, there was an unfortunate secondary reason that would cause attention to be drawn to Jamie. Now that the dirt had been washed away, the bruises on his face and neck were much clearer and easier to see. A couple of the bruises were fresh and dark, but others were clearly older and had turned colour and faded somewhat. While the bruises obviously marred his looks, there remained a certain indefinable quality about Jamie that could not be hidden by dirt or anything else. Opening the cupboard under the sink again Jamie retrieved his backpack and gripped it tightly. Bracing himself, Jamie took a deep breath and reached for the doorknob. Jamie knew that it was time to pay for his lunch and the shower. Perhaps if things went well he hoped that he might be able to earn some dinner and a warm place to sleep for the night. Jamie turned the doorknob and wondered what Graham would be like. He appeared to be a decent man, but it was hard to know sometimes. In his experience, Jamie had learnt that the most ordinary of men could transform radically once he was alone with them. Something in their minds would snap and in a matter of a few seconds they could turn into worse than a wild animal. He wondered if Graham would be one of those. Often the better they seemed to be at first, the worse it would turn out later. On the other hand, Jamie had also discovered that some of the toughest and roughest looking men could turn out to be surprisingly gentle. There was simply no way to know for certain, but Graham did not appear to harbour a hidden beast. Jamie pulled the door open and prepared to accept whatever was in store for him. =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Chapter 4 - Harsh Reality Sitting in the living area of the small apartment, Graham awaited Jamie's emergence with trepidation. Graham had heard the shower turn off and then while putting Jamie's clothes into the dryer he had also heard the bathroom door open and close. Graham knew that this would be Jamie retrieving the clothes that he had laid out for him just outside the door. It could not be more than a matter of a couple of minutes now before Jamie would be finished and would open the door. Graham was uncertain what he was going to say when Jamie came out, but Graham knew that if he was going to help Jamie that it was crucial to establish a good rapport quickly. Graham's mind was a whirling mass of thoughts and emotions as he quickly debated how to do this. At a minimum, he knew that Jamie did not have a decent home and had run away, that much was obvious from the little that Jamie had said and the state of his clothes. The lingering question that needed to be answered was why Jamie was living on the street. As for how Jamie had managed to survive on his own, Graham had vague ideas that he preferred not to visualize in too much detail. Graham suspected that the things he had read about in newspapers and elsewhere only scratched the surface of what was involved. Jamie's demeanour combined with his appearance had only enhanced those fears. Lost in thought Graham was startled by the sound of the bathroom door opening once again and as he looked up Graham saw Jamie walking slowly towards him. Jamie had his backpack clutched tightly against his chest and a look of anxious resignation on his face. The streaks of dirt that had been apparent previously were gone. The now clean and combed hair lightly reflected the light from the room. Jamie's blue eyes, though fearful, sparkled. All this, combined with his lightly bronzed complexion, added up to a rather remarkable total. Jamie would indeed capture anyone's attention in spite of the bruises and scrapes that were evident in a number of places. "Why don't you come and sit down on the sofa?" Graham suggested to Jamie, as he motioned to the opposite end from where he was sitting himself. Jamie slowly moved past Graham and sat down at the far end of the sofa. He continued to clutch his backpack in front of him tightly and regarded Graham warily. When Jamie sat down, Graham noted that the clothes he had picked out for Jamie seemed to fit not too badly. Admittedly, the short-sleeved T- shirt hung a bit loosely, but this was simply due to the fact that the openings for the arms and neck were somewhat big for him. At first Graham noted this merely from the point of view of the shirt's fit, but then his face clouded slightly as he noticed something. Once Jamie had sat down on the sofa, the neckline of the T-shirt had sagged and a portion of the upper area of Jamie's back had become visible. Graham could see a mark on Jamie's skin and it appeared to him that perhaps Jamie had not been quite as diligent with the soap as he ought to have been. "It looks like you missed a small spot," Graham said jokingly, while smiling and motioning towards Jamie's neck area. "What do you mean?" asked Jamie, not understanding the comment. "I can see there's still a little smudge near your neck. You must have missed that spot with the soap," Graham chuckled. "Oh," said Jamie slowly his eyes dropping suddenly. "That ... that's not dirt." A cold weight suddenly grew within Graham's stomach. "May I?" he asked Jamie gently. Jamie nodded and turned his back partially towards Graham. Moving a little closer to Jamie on the sofa Graham reached out and pulled the neck of the shirt slightly away from Jamie's back to get a better look. What he saw took his breath away - there seemed be lines in the flesh on Jamie's back. Unbelieving he closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head. Looking once again, the lines were still there. Jamie's back had on it what appeared to be whip marks and they were not recent. The deep angry red scars were still very visible despite being healed. Graham let go of the shirt and tried to speak but while his lips moved his voice failed him. Pausing for a moment to take a breath he said croaked, "Who did this to you?" "My father," said Jamie whispered faintly. "Your father?" gasped Graham uncomprehendingly. "How could anyone do something like this to anyone ... and to their own son? It's unforgivable. Why?" Jamie stammered, "Sometimes I didn't do what they wanted and ..." "I don't want to embarrass you or make you feel uncomfortable," said Graham kindly. "But if you can tell me what happened, I might be able to help you." "It's a long story," replied Jamie avoiding looking directly at Graham. "For you, I have all the time in the world," said Graham warmly. Jamie smiled shyly and began to tell Graham a little bit about what had happened to him when he had last been living at home. Graham's face went white as a sheet while he listened to Jamie's description of what passed for his home life. Jamie related a small portion of a particular occasion when his father had abused him, how his mother had helped, and how they both had let and encouraged others to do things to him as well. "After a while I started to run away sometimes," continued Jamie. "It would just hurt so much from ... the things they did and sometimes I just couldn't take it anymore. I had a friend and sometimes I was able to hide out at his place. He would sneak me into his bedroom at night and let me sleep there with him. He'd also get me some food from the kitchen at his place when he could. He was the only one in the world that ever cared about me. Other times I'd hide out downtown but then something would always go wrong. The police or the Child Welfare people would find me and take me back home. I tried to tell them sometimes what was going on, but no one would believe me. Once they took me home, after my dad was finished with me, I wouldn't be in any shape to run again for a while." Graham sat listening with his mouth hanging open as part of the story of Jamie's short life poured out of him. Running away from home, being taken back repeatedly by the police or Child Welfare caseworkers, only to be abused and beaten again. When this happened, Jamie would wait until he had healed and then try to run away again. Sometimes Jamie was lucky and was able to get something to eat from a friendly man with no strings attached, but those occasions were rare. When he was unable to get food any other way and he could not endure the hunger any longer, he had been forced to resort to letting men do the same things to him that he had run away from home to try and avoid. One big lesson that Graham learnt, much to his surprise, was that the police and the Department of Child Welfare were often as much the enemy for children on the street as whomever they had initially run away from. Jaded from years of overwork, insufficient manpower, and with an uncaring public unwilling to provide more resources for the most part they simply went through the motions oblivious to the underlying details. When caught, children would invariably be sent back to wherever it was that they had been trying to escape from - back for another dose of whatever particular hell had driven them to the streets in the first place. It did not seem possible that anyone could hold up under the weight of suffering and abuse that Jamie had endured, and yet there he was sitting next to Graham on the sofa. Not only had he survived where most others would have been driven to the point of insanity, Jamie had managed to hang onto his essential dignity and the hope that one day somehow he would finally be free. Completely overwhelmed by the revelations, Graham had not been able to say a word, but was suddenly shaken out of his speechlessness as Jamie then continued, "But I'm better now and stronger. So I can take it now. Anything you want. You won't be disappointed with me. Honest! I can handle whatever you're into. Really!" The full depth of what Jamie was now saying, what he was in fact offering, broke through Graham's shock. Graham moved over on the sofa and reached out to put his arms around Jamie to comfort him, but as he reached out he could see that Jamie was trembling in fear. Graham put his arms down and instead took one of Jamie's hands in his and held it comfortingly. While holding Jamie's hand Graham said gently, "No one will ever hurt you like that again Jamie. You will never have to do that sort of thing to survive ever again. Those days are over and will never, ever return." Jamie sat stiffly watching Graham fearfully, but slowly as he studied Graham's face and saw that there was no threat he began to relax slightly. Graham continued to hold his hand as he spoke and looked into Jamie's eyes with a gentle smile. "You will never have to take anything like that from anyone ever again Jamie," continued Graham. "Never again will you have to endure that kind of life." While Graham spoke he held Jamie's hand in between both of his gently and suddenly Jamie began to cry. Deep wrenching shudders ran through him as he sobbed while Graham tried to comfort him. Taking care not to scare Jamie by putting his arms around him, Graham pulled Jamie towards him and offered his shoulder for Jamie to lean on. Jamie looked up from Graham's shoulder through watery bloodshot eyes and cried, "But if I don't then how will I get anything to eat? How will I be able to live?" Graham looked into Jamie's tear-filled eyes and found himself promising, "No Jamie, you will never have to earn a meal or a place to sleep that way ever again. I won't let that happen to you anymore. That's a guarantee from me to you. Never again." The dam burst and Jamie wept uncontrollably. Words tumbling out in between the sobs giving Graham glimpses into life on the street and other things better left unimagined. Jamie told Graham about how drugs and alcohol were used by the boys to deaden a miserable existence and to help forget things best not remembered. Graham heard about boys that Jamie had known who died on the streets from intentional overdoses when they could not endure the misery any longer or had been taken by a man and then never seen again. One learnt to spot the dangerous men, Jamie told Graham, and the boys would help and warn each other, but there was no way to ever be completely certain about a man. Life and death were intermingled on the streets Graham learnt. Quick action and a watchful eye were the only tools that a boy had to help him survive and sometimes tragically they were not enough. Graham finally put an arm around Jamie, despite the youngster's earlier fears to help comfort him. At the same time in between Jamie's tears Graham received a rapid education into how abused children on the streets were actually handled by the agencies supposedly tasked with looking out for them. The reality, compared to the public perceptions, was significantly different. Every time that Jamie had been found on the street and his parents called, they had come down to the office and played the part of happily relieved parents who had been worried about their missing son. Counselling, when suggested, was agreed to and then Jamie was released into his parents' custody. Dragged out of the office screaming Jamie was sent back home to face the living hell that he had simply been trying to escape from. The last time he had been caught Jamie had tried once again to explain to the caseworker what had been happening, but it had all been dismissed as an over-active imagination on the part of a young troublemaker. Once his parents had him alone at home, he had then paid a terrible price for having attempted to expose the details of what had been happening to him. "They used to tell me all the time that I was an accident, an 'oops baby', and that I needed to pay them back for the food and everything," said Jamie tearfully. "They said it was the only thing I was any good for. They always used to laugh about how they wished they'd not forgotten to use the pill or a condom so then they'd not have to put up with me." "They were lying Jamie," said Graham strongly. "That's not true and that's not what you are. You can be or do anything you want and they had no right to force you into doing things like that. Anyone that would say things like that to you should never have been allowed to have a child in the first place." "I got used to hearing it after a while," said Jamie. "I always wished that I'd never been born, but it was too late to change. So I just tried to put up with everything. As bad as the streets are, it was always better than when I was at home." Gradually the tears lessened and then finally stopped. Jamie's declaration that the streets were always preferable to home shook Graham to his core even after everything else that Jamie had told him. For anyone to have been forced to lead a life that would drive them to that conclusion was just beyond Graham's ability to comprehend. Nevertheless, Graham did not doubt Jamie's sincerity for a moment. The details that had come out in between the tears were too detailed and too authentic to be anything other than the complete and terrible truth. Once Jamie had calmed down he pulled back from having Graham's arm around him and Graham reached into his pocket for a handkerchief. He passed it to Jamie who proceeded to wipe his eyes and face and then blew his nose. After he was finished Jamie started to hand the handkerchief back to Graham. "I think we should probably just put that into the laundry," said Graham with a grin. "I guess you don't really want it now," said Jamie with a shy smile. "I'll get another one out of the dresser I think," Graham agreed and chuckled. This definitely was not turning out the way that Jamie had expected. Not only had Graham not made any advances towards him, he had not seemed put off by the tears either - quite the opposite actually. Jamie was also rather surprised with himself. He usually kept his emotions bottled up and on a very short leash and it was not like him to let anyone know how he was feeling inside himself. What was it about this man that made him feel this way? It was hard to pin down exactly what it was that he was feeling. Something he had not felt in untold months if not longer. It was like a faint almost forgotten memory but the feeling was growing stronger inside him. Graham suddenly remembered that Jamie's clothes were still in the dryer and he excused himself to check on them. Graham opened the dryer and found the clothes were still semi-damp. He cleaned out the clogged lint trap on the dryer, adjusted the timer to a longer drying cycle, and restarted the machine. Looking at his watch Graham made a mental note to come back in twenty minutes when the clothes would hopefully be ready. Returning to the living area, Graham found the bathroom door closed and the sounds of water running and nose blowing coming from within. Jamie emerged shortly thereafter looking much better than he had only a few minutes before. "Sorry about all that, I'm OK now," Jamie announced to Graham obviously rather embarrassed with himself. "Your clothes aren't completely dry yet so I added more time to the dryer so they'd get done properly," added Graham. "I guess I should take this off now, right?" Jamie asked while reaching for the bottom of Graham's T-shirt that he was wearing. "No, you just wait until your things are ready," replied Graham realizing that Jamie was testing him. "It's OK really. I can handle it," pressed Jamie while looking into Graham's face carefully and starting to lift the shirt up. "No," said Graham with finality, while sitting down on the sofa and indicating that Jamie should sit down as well. Jamie relaxed and sat back down on the sofa. Things were definitely not happening the way they were supposed to. Jamie had no complaints about that, but it did mean he was unsure what was going to happen since none of the predictable patterns were evident. Jamie was not prepared yet to truly believe Graham's words from a short time ago, but at the same time he was starting to wonder if it was possible that Graham was different from the other men he had dealt with. Jamie knew that the likelihood of Graham being different than the others was marginal at best. Nevertheless, a slim chance was better than no chance and Jamie decided that he needed to test Graham further to find out if the image that Graham was presenting was a faade or not. "I don't know about you," said Graham, "But I'm starving and it's long past dinnertime. How would you like to go out and eat dinner with me? We could talk and get to know each other a little better maybe. Also this sofa pulls out into a bed and you could sleep here tonight. The weather forecast says that there is snow on the way and it's not very warm outside." Jamie considered this for a moment and decided that perhaps this was how it would happen. Still dinner had been mentioned, a warm place to stay, as well as a bed for the night all appeared to be on offer and that would make it worth it. "Thanks, that'd be great," Jamie replied after assessing the ledger. "You've had a chance to wash off but I haven't. So how about you watch some TV while I go and scrape off the barnacles? By then your clothes should be dry too and we can go and find something to eat," said Graham. Graham looked around and found the TV remote and passed it to Jamie. For a moment he wondered if he should explain to Jamie how it worked, but within seconds the TV was on and Jamie was working the controls like a pro. Graham went into the bathroom to clean up. Partly Graham wanted the opportunity to freshen up after the long work day, but also partly he needed a few quiet minutes to digest and contemplate what he had learnt about Jamie and the life he had been forced to lead. He was not totally sure of what he was getting himself into, but he did know that he had sincerely meant it when he had told Jamie that he would never allow him to be hurt again. Graham shook his head as he climbed into the shower. What could he do? He had no experience with youngsters, knew next to nothing about their needs, nor how to take care of one. For a brief moment Graham considered whether he should call up the police or Child Welfare, but he dismissed that thought almost immediately. It was only a few minutes ago when Jamie had told him how when he escaped and was subsequently caught that they had simply handed him back to his parents without any attempt at an investigation whatsoever. As he was thinking about what to do, Graham felt a cold draft of air pass over him in the shower. He reached across to the faucets to turn up the hot water when he heard a voice. "Do you want me to help you?" Jamie asked from just outside the shower curtain. Graham quickly spun and grabbed for the washcloth while water flew into his eyes and he spluttered, "No. No, I'm fine. You just go back and watch the TV." The bathroom door closed and Graham sighed with relief and smiled. Jamie was definitely persistent, he thought, but at the same time he also knew that he was being tested once again. Graham did not know a lot about psychology, but he suspected that this was something that was rather to be expected given the circumstances and also due to what Jamie had been forced to do in order to survive on his own. Graham hurriedly finished up in the shower without any further offers of assistance, climbed out, and dried off. While it was usually his habit to do this with the bathroom door open to let the humid air out and then wander about looking for something to put on, he realized that today his normal routine would have to be changed. He slipped on his pants and shirt again, went out and took a casual shirt and pair of pants out of the dresser, and then returned to the bathroom to finish dressing. Exiting from the bathroom, Graham dropped his dirty clothes into a clothes basket that was sitting in the corner and went to check on Jamie's things. The dryer was just completing its cycle, so Graham stopped it and pulled out the now dried clothes. Graham looked at them and he realized that frankly they were not worth putting on again. They were threadbare in many places, torn, ragged, and while he had put in extra soap, they were still significantly short of what would normally be considered clean. Graham knew that something would have to be done about the clothes but first he had to get them back to Jamie so he would have something to wear. Graham quickly folded them, went back into to the living area, and passed them to Jamie. "Oh gee! Thanks a lot!" Jamie exclaimed as he took the clothes. Graham smiled and plainly felt embarrassed by Jamie's gratitude for what was to him the simple convenience of being able to wash clothes. Graham motioned towards the bathroom and Jamie picked up his backpack and ran to it holding his things close to his chest which were still warm from the dryer. Emerging a couple of minutes later Jamie looked markedly better than he had when Graham first saw him, even if the clothes clearly needed something done about them. Despite this, however, Jamie seemed very pleased with the results and was beaming when he came out. "Mmmm, that feels way better than before," he said, running his hands over himself still enjoying the warmth coming from his freshly laundered things. "How does some dinner sound to you?" Graham asked Jamie. "Sure, I'd like that a lot," replied Jamie. "But ... I don't have any money to pay." "Don't you worry about that. It's going to be my treat. Let's get our coats on and see what we can find out there," Graham said, while rummaging in the hall closet for his overcoat. After Graham had his coat Jamie reached in and pulled his jacket out of the closet and while putting it on Graham could not help noticing that it was very thin and obviously of little warmth. Knowing how cold it was outside, he paused for a moment and looked in the closet once again. With the apartment just being a place that Graham stayed during the week, it was not overly stocked with clothes. Nevertheless, he felt sure that he could find something that might do for Jamie. Finally in the back of the closet, Graham found what he was looking for. He pulled out a leather jacket that he had received several years earlier at a computer trade show. It was a bit old now, but it was heavy and warm. "If you don't mind being an advertisement for a computer company, why don't you give this a try," he said while offering it to Jamie. "A leather jacket? Are you sure? Can I?" asked Jamie with wonder in his voice. "Of course. The temperature is way down out there and I don't want you to catch cold," replied Graham. "Wow," said Jamie trying on the jacket, zipping it up, and then slipping his backpack on over top of it. "This is really warm!" "Yes, it's pretty good that way," said Graham. "I've not used it in a while, but it's just the thing for a night like this." Jamie admired himself in a nearby mirror. He had never worn a leather jacket before or, for that matter, had a new jacket of any type. Getting clothing for Jamie had always been a total afterthought for his parents and even then it was thrift shops because they did not think it worthwhile spending any money on him beyond the barest of minimums. With each passing event Graham became more and more of a conundrum to Jamie because of his apparently generous and non-predatory nature. Jamie had offered himself to Graham several times and had been turned down firmly each time. Jamie reasoned it was best not to complain or ask too many questions. The time would come soon enough when he would have to pay up and Jamie knew that it was best to enjoy things for as long as he could before it came to that. "That looks much better on you," Graham said happily. "Oh yes, way better! Thanks a lot," replied Jamie gratefully. Then after a pause he continued, "You know you don't have to do stuff like this for me." "I might not have to, but I definitely want to," Graham said, with a smile. "Shall we go?" Jamie nodded and they went out the door of the apartment and Graham locked it securely. Both Jamie and Graham were unsure what lay ahead of them. Neither was finding this day turning out quite as either of them had initially expected, but at the same time neither of them regretted the day's events. Walking out towards Graham's car, they looked at each other and smiled. In that moment, Jamie suddenly knew what it was that he had felt inside himself earlier, the feeling that he had almost forgotten that he had. It was faint and fragile but it was still there burning inside him. It was hope. =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Chapter 5 - First Steps Graham led Jamie along the side of the house towards his car. Once again, just as when they had first arrived at the apartment, Jamie was completely underwhelmed as Graham stopped next to an old white two-door subcompact and began to unlock it. Jamie did not say anything, but, just like Graham's small apartment, this did not look like the sort of car that someone claiming to have a house on Valdez Island would be driving. In addition to being rather small the car was quite old. Once they got in, similarly to the apartment, Jamie could see that it was simple, clean, and in good working order. In this regard, the car matched the small basement apartment and Jamie concluded that whatever else Graham might be, he did tend to exaggerate his lifestyle somewhat. That Graham seemed prone to exaggeration did not trouble Jamie overly much. Jamie was not always completely accurate himself when people questioned him about his own life. Although, he was still surprised by how he had let his guard down with Graham earlier and cried. Graham was an unusual and apparently inconsistent mixture of things, mused Jamie, who was suddenly shaken out of his thinking as he heard Graham speak. "What kinds of food do you like, Jamie?" asked Graham, as he backed the car out of the driveway and onto the street. "I'll eat anything," Jamie replied rather vaguely. Then after thinking about it for a moment he added, "I can't eat peanuts and onions. Sometimes they do weird things to me." "I guess that rules out peanut and onion casserole au gratin. Darn shame too, I really had my heart set on it," joked Graham. Jamie giggled and added, "Honest, I like almost anything." Graham suspected that while Jamie was likely speaking truthfully, his answer probably also tended to reflect the fact that Jamie most likely ate anything he could get his hands on as a result of being unsure when the next meal might arrive. Still, Graham was a bit of a food buff and knew a variety of places in town that were excellent, yet moderately priced. While Graham's attempts to reproduce certain dishes at home occasionally turned in mixed results, he knew good food and did not like frequenting places with mediocre fare. Considering Jamie's age and likely irregular meal schedule, Graham decided that he would probably be quite hungry and so after thinking for a moment, decided upon a restaurant, and turned the car to the right and began to drive towards the south. The storm clouds that had been gathering in the afternoon had moved off after a brief sprinkling of snow and the sky was now completely clear. While this revealed a beautiful crescent moon just beginning to rise in the sky, it also removed the insulating effect that the clouds had been providing and the temperature was now turning bitterly cold, which was making the roads slick with black ice. Jamie could see his breath hanging in the cold air in front of him and he was glad of the leather jacket that Graham had lent him and also hoped that he would be able to convince Graham to let him stay the night. If he failed, it was going to be very difficult for Jamie to avoid frostbite or worse tonight if he had to go back onto the streets and try to find a place to sleep. Graham used the back streets to avoid traffic lights as much as possible and about ten minutes later they turned into a parking lot behind a somewhat dirty orange pastel-coloured building. It did not look especially inviting and definitely needed a coat of fresh paint. The area the building was located in was also not the best. Next door was a small abandoned gambling casino, the parking lot while full of cars had asphalt severely cracked in multiple places with grass growing through it, and the entire city block was surrounded by busy streets on three sides while on the fourth side water lapped at an unkempt riverbank. Graham noticed Jamie's questioning look and smiled. Those not familiar with the place would never guess it was a restaurant and a very good one. Graham knew that one of the most important rules to always keep in mind was that ostentation in a restaurant was often an advance indicator of low quality. The rule tended to apply to people as well Graham had found. Graham parked the car and they both got out. Walking towards the entrance to the building, Jamie saw the name of the restaurant on a sign that was hanging precariously by a hinge from the right side only: Saltwater Pete's Bone Yard. Jamie flashed a questioning look at Graham. Seeing the look Graham said, "Trust me Jamie. I know you've never been able to trust anyone before, but believe me, you're going to really like this I think." Jamie could not miss Graham's emphasis on trust. Trust was something that Jamie never gave anyone, he had learnt long ago not to. Despite that, however, Jamie found that he was at least starting to relax a little around Graham. Nevertheless, trusting someone to pick a restaurant was one thing, for the rest Jamie only trusted himself. Graham opened the door to the restaurant, which creaked and protested, and they went in. Entering the foyer, a variety of new scents introduced themselves to Jamie. He sniffed at them, but they were not familiar and he could not quite place them. Graham walked up to the reception area to ask for a table while Jamie warmed his cold hands over a heat register. "Yes sir, may I help you?" asked the Ma”tre D'. "I'd like a table for two please," replied Graham. "Perhaps over this way?" suggested the Ma”tre D' gesturing to one side of the room. "Yes, that would be great. Preferably something off to the side a bit," replied Graham. While they were escorted into the main dining area, Jamie's head moved back and forth scanning the interior of the restaurant. Then suddenly at one of the tables he spotted what it was that had been tantalizing his nose. Ribs! Winding their way through the tables scattered about on the floor towards their destination, Jamie keenly checked out the plates of the other seated customers and his mouth watered. Jamie had never had ribs before. These were not the tiny little pathetic excuses for spareribs that one often found in westernized Chinese restaurants either, the kind where one basically just licked the sauce off and then put them back onto the plate. No, these ribs were big and they were covered in meat and dripping with sauce. Everyone was wearing a bib around their necks and they were licking their fingers in between biting off large chunks of meat from the ribs that covered their plates to overflowing. On each table there was a small galvanized metal bucket that the polished-off bones were being dropped into in addition to a stack of serviettes for when the licking of fingers proved insufficient. Jamie's stomach began to make its desires known to him in completely unmistakable terms. Graham sat on a seat on the left side of a table near the back of the room while Jamie slipped off his backpack. He placed it under the table on the side opposite to Graham and then sat on a chair directly over it keeping his legs tightly against it. Once they were seated, the Ma”tre D' placed menus in front of each of them and then walked away. Graham looked across at Jamie and asked, "Did I do a good job in picking?" "Oh yes!" replied Jamie with obvious excitement. No matter what might happen later he thought to himself it was going to be worth it now. Graham picked up the menu and encouraged Jamie to do the same. Looking down the list of selections Graham contemplated the same difficult decisions he always did here. Beef or pork? Montreal-style, Virginia- style, BBQ, honey-mustard ... and of course the key question of all - how big a plateful? Graham completely ignored the obligatory hamburger and pasta dishes that all specialty restaurants had to include at the bottom of their menus for those that for whatever reason could not or would not have the house specialty. "What do you see that looks good?" Graham asked Jamie. "I don't want to cost you a lot," said Jamie, seeing the prices listed in the menu while simultaneously staring with eyes big as saucers at the plates of ribs on tables nearby. "I don't know what to pick." Seeing Jamie's hungry gaze as he looked at the food on the tables near them Graham said, "How about you let me do the ordering then, OK?" Jamie nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. He would kill to have some of those ribs, but the prices he had seen next to the selections in the menu worried him. He did not want to annoy Graham and lose out completely. At the same time he could not help himself and kept stealing glances at the other tables and the people at them eating. Graham signalled to a passing waiter and began to recite off items from the menu. Jamie was not sure exactly what Graham was ordering, but the names all sounded wonderful. Ordering a medium-sized edition of the Montreal-style ribs for himself Graham thought for a moment and picked out a large-sized combination platter for Jamie so he could try a bit of everything. As an afterthought, Graham also added an artichoke and cheese dip with tortilla chips appetizer that he knew was good. Sitting back after ordering, Graham noticed that some of the people in the restaurant were watching them and whispering to each other. At first Graham was uncertain about the reason behind it, but then noticing the direction of their interest he took another look at Jamie. Cleaned up Jamie looked quite good aside from the bruises on his face, but even after being washed his clothes were pretty much beyond salvation. Graham decided that he would have to do something about that before he returned home with Jamie after dinner. "After dinner I need to do a bit of shopping," began Graham. "Would you like to come along with me while I take care of it?" "Sure, I don't mind," replied Jamie. "Great," said Graham. "It won't take too long and then we can go back to my place." While they sat there and Jamie looked about the restaurant with obvious anticipation Graham considered Jamie's predicament. Sitting before him was a clearly intelligent, decent, and thoroughly normal boy. How could his parents have hurt him like they had, abused him so severely, and finally forced him into deciding that escaping to life on the streets was the only viable option left in order to survive? The idea that the streets could ever be a preferable place to live was something completely out of Graham's life experiences. Still, Graham considered, perhaps it was time to expand his horizons if he was going to try and help Jamie. Graham was stirred out of his introspection by the arrival of the appetizer. Arrayed around a central cup of warm artichoke and cheese dip were layers of tortilla chips in multiple colours. The various chips were each made from a different variety of corn and the white, yellow, red, and blue chips made for a very attractive display. "So, are you hungry?" Graham asked Jamie with a smile. "I'm always hungry," replied Jamie with a shy grin. "You'd better dig in then or I might just eat it all," said Graham, as he took a chip and scooped a bit of the dip onto it and then popped it into his mouth. "Hey this is good!" exclaimed Jamie as he tentatively tried his first chip with some of the dip. Graham smiled broadly and noted that after the initial cautious tasting of the dip, Jamie now dug in with determined vigour. Graham got in several good turns at the chips and dip and then sat back and let Jamie have most of it. Graham watched happily while chip after chip made the journey from plate to dip and then finally into Jamie's mouth. Much to his surprise Graham found himself enjoying this meal far more than the others he had recently. "Do you have any interests Jamie? Things you used to like doing before you had to go out on your own?" asked Graham. Jamie paused and reflected a bit before replying, "A long time ago my uncle took me fishing once. We went to this big lake up north that was full of fish." "What kind of fish did you catch?" asked Graham. "I caught three trout," said Jamie with obvious pride. "Say that's pretty good. I've tried fishing a few times but I'm not that good at it," said Graham. "My uncle was the best," said Jamie but with a touch of sadness. "I miss him a lot." "Did something happen to him?" asked Graham gently. "Just before last Christmas he got killed in a car accident," said Jamie sadly. "He was really nice and never tried to hurt me. I always hoped that maybe I could somehow go and stay with him one day, but after he was gone I knew it was hopeless. That's when I finally decided that I had to run away on my own. I waited until the end of February, though, so the weather wouldn't be so cold." Further details were interrupted by the arrival of a busboy who removed the well-polished appetizer plate that was sitting in the middle of the table. While the busboy tidied up the table, a startled Jamie almost leapt out of his chair as a waiter coming up from behind put his arms around Jamie to tie a bib around his neck. Jamie settled back into his seat though when he saw another waiter doing the same thing to Graham. Just coming into view Jamie spotted yet another waiter coming in their direction, while carefully balancing two large plates of food on his arms. As the main course was being laid out on the table, Graham saw Jamie's face brighten and smiled. Finger bowls, filled with water and a lemon wedge, were placed next to each of them. An empty bone bucket was placed in the centre of the table, and a stack of serviettes was added before the waiters departed. Jamie had a look of desperation about him and Graham could sense the youngster's conflict between decorum and the desire to attack the food now sitting in front of him. "Let's see how this tastes," suggested Graham, and Jamie did with gusto. Despite having ordered the large-sized platter for Jamie, Graham began to wonder if it was sufficient as he observed the speed with which Jamie ate and the ribs that were being polished clean. At the very least, Graham considered with amusement, it might be a good idea to keep a good hold onto his own plate. Approximately halfway through the ribs, salad, and curly french fries, a slightly sauce-speckled Jamie paused for a moment, looked up at Graham, and smiled. "This is wonderful," Jamie said in between mouthfuls. "I'm glad you like it," replied Graham, while dropping a polished bone of his own into the bucket in the middle of the table. "Do I ever!" said Jamie, with obvious delight. Graham smiled back at Jamie and nodded. The food here, which had always been very good, seemed even better tonight, thought Graham. It was unlikely the cooking had changed and Graham wondered to himself if it might be the addition of Jamie and his enthusiasm that was making the difference. Before too long, the bottoms of the plates began to become visible and eventually shone, particularly so in Jamie's case where not a trace of sauce remained on the plate. Graham was not quite as diligent and there were some hints of colour still remaining here and there. Graham looked over to the other side of the table at an obviously happy, albeit somewhat sauce-stained, Jamie. Jamie looked back with a big smile as he licked his fingers and then wiped his face with a serviette. Having run out of soda pop Jamie, who was still thirsty, reached for his finger bowl and took a drink. Graham smiled inwardly as he remembered the old tale of Queen Victoria under similar circumstances. Graham decided that if she could do it then it certainly was not beneath him, whereupon, he picked up his own finger bowl and took a sip out of it. "I think I probably don't need to ask this question," joked Graham, "but how did you like it?" "That was incredible," replied Jamie. "I've never had anything that good before." "Then we'll have to make sure we do this again one day," said Graham, with a smile. Graham waved at a passing waiter and passed his credit card to him. A couple of minutes later after signing the receipt that the waiter brought back to him, Graham nodded to Jamie and they got up. After slipping on their coats, Jamie picked up his backpack, and they went back out to the car. Once they were inside the car Graham started it up and they drove back out onto the road. In addition to talking to Jamie during the meal as he occasionally came up for air, Graham had been doing some thinking. Graham had decided that the first order of business was going to be doing something about getting Jamie some replacements for his clothes before they went back home, but there was something more on Graham's mind. He was not certain, but it felt like he might be getting closer to discovering the solution to his dilemma regarding work versus retirement. If he could just bring it into focus and figure out what it was. Jamie too was absorbed with his thoughts and was silent as they drove along. Dinner had been absolutely wonderful and strange all at the same time. Of course there was the meal itself - delicious and so very filling. Graham had ordered so many things for him. Jamie sensed that Graham probably was not the type to have ordered so much food normally and he was grateful for that. He had also seen how much it had cost when Graham paid the bill. At the same time, he had on rare occasions gotten lucky like this in the past, finding a man who would treat him to a good meal. However, such meals were normally accompanied by constant suggestive jokes about what would come later. There had been none of that tonight, not even a trace. Graham turned off the main road and pulled the car into the underground parking lot of the North Road Mall. Graham normally like to avoid shopping malls in December, crowds were not something that he enjoyed very much. Still it was early in December and also being a Thursday night the crowds were not getting too bad yet. Getting out of the car Graham said, "There's only one store that we need to go into, so this should be fairly easy. I hope that's OK with you?" "No, I don't mind at all," replied Jamie shouldering his backpack once again. "That's great. We should be out of here in less than an hour," said Graham somewhat cryptically. While they were heading towards the escalators that would take them from the parking level up to the mall itself Jamie suddenly realized that it was the same mall where he had met Graham. Jamie also remembered the run-in with the security guard after Graham had left and started to get nervous. Stepping off the escalator and onto the main floor of the mall Graham noticed that Jamie was almost clinging to him. At the same time, Graham saw Jamie's head moving back and forth as if scanning for someone in the crowd. From the combination of the two Graham knew that Jamie was worried about something, but he was not sure what it was. Graham was about to ask when the answer suddenly supplied itself in the form of a booming voice that shouted out, "You there! Stop! What are you doing in here again?" Feeling Jamie suddenly grabbing hold of him tightly, Graham turned towards the source of the voice. Graham saw a tall burly man in a uniform coming towards them at a run. Jamie jumped behind Graham and continued to cling to him for protection even though they had only met just that afternoon. "Please, please, don't let him take me," whimpered Jamie. Graham's hair stood up on the back of his neck as the guard approached, but he stood his ground and found himself saying to Jamie, "Don't worry. I said that no one would ever touch or hurt you again and I'm not going back on that promise now." "What are you doing in here again? Why are you bothering this man?" bellowed the guard at Jamie who was now quivering while trying to hide behind Graham. "And just who might you be?" demanded Graham in a calm voice that was nevertheless loud enough to attract the attention of passing shoppers. "Mall Security, sir. This ... boy ... has been causing problems and I won't have him in here bothering decent people," replied the guard. Graham heard the dramatic emphasis being placed on the job title by the guard, but at the same time noted the honorific form of address and analyzed the situation rapidly. Graham, while knowing he was no physical match for the man, was no longer worried. He knew this type all too well from his business career - self-important, oversized ego, and probably in a position at least two levels beyond his abilities. The guard outweighed Graham by at least sixty pounds and was at least a foot taller, and yet Graham smiled. "This boy? Bothering me?" inquired Graham, with innocent sounding politeness. "Yes. He's been causing problems here and I won't tolerate ..." the guard began. "You? You, won't tolerate?" interrupted Graham suddenly, with a slightly menacing tone while staring directly at the guard. "What I mean is ..." the guard began again. "Yes indeed. Do tell me what you mean. My son and I would love to know what you mean," continued Graham, making a point to emphasize a relationship between himself and Jamie. "Your son?" asked the now thoroughly confused guard. Hearing the relationship claim Jamie looked up at Graham with an astonished look on his face that quickly turned into a smile. The guard took a single step backward and at that moment Graham knew that he had him. Graham took a matching step forward towards the guard with Jamie still clinging to him, but now looking up at him with a surprised and admiring look on his face. "It looks to me like you are engaged in the harassment of two legitimate customers," said Graham in legal sounding tones. Digging into his memory urgently for the name of the managing director of the mall complex, Graham continued, "I believe Mr. Saunders would be very interested in how his employees are treating the general public, don't you?" Seeing the look of surprise appear in the guard's face, Graham was thankful that his company handled the computer services contract for the mall. Saunders was a stuffed shirt, in Graham's personal opinion, and had been a royal pain while NCS had been negotiating the agreement with the mall's management company. If Saunders was known for one quality above all others, it was his lightning quick temper. Graham then pushed his advantage even further by pulling out his mobile telephone and began dialling as he spoke, "Yes. Let's just see what Bob has to say about how you treat a father and his son on their night out together to do some Christmas shopping shall we?" That was the final blow for the guard. Believing that this short little man in the overcoat knew the director well enough to call him by his first name and even had his telephone number completely shattered the guard's self-confidence. "I ... I'm terribly sorry sir. I must have been mistaken ... I mean, I think it was another boy ..." stammered the guard, now fearful for his job. "Yes, I think we both know what you mean," pressed Graham with force. "Really sir, I'm terribly sorry," pleaded the guard, backing away. "I hope that it won't be necessary for you to have to ...." "Yes, I certainly hope that when I meet Bob at our breakfast meeting tomorrow that I will have forgotten this unfortunate incident," said Graham darkly. Then pressing home the dagger with a twist Graham added, "Oh, and should my son ever mention to me in the future that you or any of your cohorts have bothered him again ... I will suddenly remember tonight very clearly." The guard took off almost at a run and as he disappeared into the crowd Graham breathed a big sigh of relief and then began to chuckle. Jamie had released Graham when he saw that the guard was being demolished by Graham, but now hugged him tight. Graham began to feel a little like he was about to become the main course of a boa constrictor, but at the same time felt warmed by Jamie's heartfelt hug. "Oh wow. Thank you, thank you!" Jamie said, while continuing to hug Graham. "I told you that I'd look after you and that no one would hurt you," replied Graham with a big smile. "But he was so much bigger than you. How did you know he wouldn't go after you?" asked Jamie with wonderment. "After you've been in as many business meetings as I have been, Jamie, you start to learn how to size people up. The key is to do or say something to see if you can throw them a little bit off balance and then watch how they react to that. You look to see if they back off and retreat at all or instead if they come right back at you. If they back off even just a little that's the signal you watch for. Once you see them crack that first little bit, then you know you have the advantage and you can move over to the attack. You never push too far or too fast, but once you are on a roll you just keep going and don't give them a chance to think too much. If you do it right, you can end up with them eating out of your hands. You and I both know in a physical fight he'd make mincemeat out of me, but the best way to fight is always using this," said Graham while tapping the side of his head. "But weren't you afraid of him?" asked Jamie. "He's so big." "Oh, of course I was," replied Graham. "But I just made sure that he didn't know it." Graham paused a moment to take several deep breaths and Jamie then knew that Graham was telling the truth about being worried during the confrontation even if he had totally hidden the fact from the guard. "You really know his boss?" asked Jamie while grinning. "The company I work for handles the computers for the mall and I saw him once at a meeting from the far side of the room," said Graham. "You never saw anyone complain like he did. Fortunately my boss was the one that had to deal with him. At the meeting, I just sat quietly for the most part." "So you don't really know him then?" continued Jamie. "I doubt he'd even remember me and I certainly don't know his telephone number," laughed Graham. "That was a pure acting job on my part." Jamie giggled and said, "He thought you were going to get him fired I bet." "In a case like this, a convincing story often works wonders," said Graham with a broad smile. "Shall we get back to doing what we came here for now?" Jamie nodded and they resumed their journey through the mall. From time to time as they went along Jamie looked at Graham with a new expression on his face. Jamie had never before seen anyone deal with someone like the security guard without using violence or at least the threat of it. Jamie knew just from Graham's size that the guard, or anyone else for that matter, could have polished off Graham in seconds and yet this short unassuming man had made a guard bulging with muscles back down in fear without ever raising his voice. There was definitely more to Graham than was apparent at first glance. The fact that Graham had claimed him as his son during the confrontation also struck Jamie. None of the other men that Jamie had been with before had ever been willing to do that. At best, if questioned, they had explained him away as the child of a neighbour that they were helping out or as a distant relation of some sort. None of them had ever been willing to profess anything resembling close kinship. As they walked along through the mall, Jamie suddenly jumped over to the side and bent down to pick something up. Graham could not see what it was that Jamie had found, but he could see a big smile on Jamie's face over the discovery. "What did you find?" asked Graham. "I found a penny," said Jamie proudly, while quickly sticking the coin into his pocket. "Once I even found a whole dollar and was able to get something to eat." It hurt Graham to hear how Jamie's life could turn on something as small as finding change on the ground. The reduction of life to such fundamental terms was something that Graham had never had to understand before and it brought into focus for him the slender thread by which Jamie clung to daily existence. After a couple of minutes, they came to the entrance of a large department store that was attached to the mall and entered. Jamie followed Graham as he went up to the second floor on the escalator and shortly discovered himself standing beside Graham in the boy's department looking at a rack of underwear in various sizes. When Jamie realized what Graham was up to, the cold feeling in the pit of his stomach that he knew all too well instantly came back to him. Of course it all made sense now. Graham wanted to dress him up right so he would look more attractive to him. Jamie would not deny that Graham had treated him very well so far, fed him, and even protected him, so in Jamie's view Graham had more than earned the right. On top of everything else, he was going to get the added extra bonus of some underwear to replace his old worn out pair. Jamie looked at the balance sheet and accepted the inevitable with quiet calm. "What size are you?" inquired Graham, completely unaware of Jamie's accountant-like analysis of the situation as he looked over the various colours and styles of boy's shorts and briefs with some embarrassment. Knowing the role he was supposed to play Jamie turned his back towards Graham and peeled the back of his pants down a little bit revealing his cartoon-character embossed underwear and said, "What does the label say?" Graham, taken completely by surprise, was overcome by a fit of coughing. It was not just the unexpected visuals but Jamie had added a distinct wiggle while providing Graham with the impromptu display. When Graham caught his breath, he quickly pointed towards the first package of briefs that his eyes spotted and managed to say, "How about these?" Jamie still could not quite figure out Graham. He knew what was expected of him, but each time he tried to play his part Graham either did not respond or as now was completely caught off-guard. Smiling at Graham's discomfort, Jamie pointed instead at a camouflage-patterned package that was the correct size and countered, "How about these instead?" Happy to put the question of underwear in the past, Graham nodded quickly and picked up the indicated package, while at the same time quietly hoping that Jamie was not planning on an encore performance. Moving along towards the undershirts Graham looked at the size on the underwear in his hand and selected a package in the same pattern and size from the rack. Graham knew that Jamie also needed socks and the running shoes that he had were in very poor condition as well. "Do you know your shoe size?" asked Graham. "No, not really," replied Jamie. "Why?" Jamie understood why Graham wanted new underwear for him, it was important to look nice for later. However Jamie could not make any sense out of why Graham was asking him about shoe sizes. Shoes were not needed for what would come later in the evening. Looking up, Jamie saw Graham motioning to one of the store clerks who eventually came over. "Can you tell me what shoe size we need please?" Graham asked the clerk. "This will only take a moment," said the lady as she knelt down to measure Jamie's foot while motioning for him to take a seat. Jamie removed his left shoe and placed his foot on the measuring stick that the clerk has brought. Jamie flinched as the clerk reached down and adjusted the slider to determine the measurement and she could not help noticing the general condition of Jamie's old running shoes, his socks, and his pants. The clerk did not say anything, but Graham noticed the turn in her face as she worked. "It looks like you're a size six," announced the clerk as she looked up. Turning to look at the huge display of running shoes that covered one full wall of the store, Graham felt at a complete loss. He had absolutely no idea what was practical, let alone what looked decent by current fashion standards. Feeling at a loss against the inescapable forces of marketing, Graham pointed vaguely towards the left side of the display where some of the more subdued pairs of shoes were located. "What about something like those?" suggested Graham hopefully. Jamie looked towards where Graham was pointing and tried to conceal a bit of a groan. Graham might be trying to be a nice guy, but he definitely needed to learn something about what was in style. Jamie looked at the clerk and the clerk looked at Jamie and they both grinned. The clerk, having more experience with current trends, was in instant unspoken communication with Jamie and rescued the situation. "How about a pair like these instead," suggested the clerk, as she walked over and picked up a pair of running shoes that were currently on sale from a display counter. Graham looked on unconvinced at the rather brightly coloured shoes being held up. However, one glance at Jamie's hopeful face settled the matter. Graham nodded affirmatively to the clerk knowing as he did that his own ideas of what constituted fashion were rather out of date as well as generally being limited to ensuring that he was dressed warmly. When the clerk left to find a pair in the correct size, Jamie was trying hard not to show his excitement too much. New shoes! Jamie had heard talk of boys who had gotten lucky and found a man with money and the desire to spend it on a boy. Maybe this time he had hit the jackpot and found one of these men by pure chance, although Graham's car and basement apartment somewhat argued against that prospect. Still, things were turning out well so far. Jamie considered the possibility that maybe Graham might want to keep him at least for a little while. That would help a lot with the winter temperatures going down to freezing at night now. Jamie decided that he had better turn up the intensity a notch or two to let Graham know he was agreeable to his part of the bargain. The clerk returned and Jamie sat down to try the new shoes on. After taking off his right shoe as well and putting on the new ones, Jamie ran to stand in front of a mirror to check out how they looked on him. Moving to and fro in front of the mirror admiring the new running shoes, Jamie's beaming face let Graham know in no uncertain terms that these were the right choice. Noting the clerk's strange looks at them and feeling somewhat uncomfortable with her scrutiny Graham tried to deflect her attention. "We'll take the shoes, but first we need to look at a couple more things," he said. "Would you like him to wear them or should I put them back into the box?" asked the clerk. "It looks like he wants to wear them," replied Graham with a happy smile, as he watched Jamie still admiring himself in the mirror, his worries momentarily forgotten. Still feeling under observation by the clerk Graham added by way of explanation, "My wife's been neglecting our son while I've been away and I'm trying to rectify that." The clerk nodded and smiled, although it was very obvious to her that Jamie was suffering from more than just simple neglect. One saw many things working in a department store and she had long since stopped trying to make sense out of what people did to each other or why. While Graham was talking to the clerk Jamie had come up to stand next to him and hearing what he had said looked at him with a surprised expression. This was the second time tonight that Graham had covered up for Jamie by speaking of him as his son. It felt strange to Jamie for this man that he had only just met to refer to him in that way, but it felt good at the same time. Jamie could not even remember the last time that his own parents had talked about him as being anything other than a nuisance or a waste of time and money. "OK, I think we need some socks to go with those new shoes of yours," Graham said to Jamie. The clerk following Jamie's gaze took down a large package of ankle socks and Graham nodded saying, "You'd better make that two of those." "We also need to get some new pants as well," continued Graham. "Could you check on his size so we can pick something out?" The clerk walked away to find a measuring tape whereupon Jamie nudged Graham and with a flirty grin and an exaggerated look of innocence quietly asked, "What's the matter? Afraid to check the size yourself?" Once again Graham was convulsed with a spasm of coughing. Jamie giggled at Graham's discomfort, however, Graham was saved from having to reply by the clerk's return. The clerk busied herself with the tape measure and shortly announced, "Your waist is twenty-three inches". "Let's get two pairs," said Graham. Then turning to Jamie he added, "You go with the lady and find some that you like." Jamie followed the clerk excitedly and shortly was running to a change room to try on the new camouflage-pattern jeans he had picked out. While Jamie was busy Graham inquired about shirts and after the clerk pointed out a couple of possibilities in warm flannel, Graham asked her to drop them off with Jamie in the dressing room. A few minutes later Jamie emerged from the change room, his backpack dangling from one hand. Graham was taken aback when he saw the complete transformation. The formerly scruffy-looking street boy now looked positively spectacular. The smile on Jamie's face was as bright as day and Graham basked in the glow that shone from Jamie's eyes. It still did not fix the fundamental problems of Jamie's life, but at least now he could walk along and not be starred at and commented on by people. "I see you like camouflage a lot," commented Graham seeing the style of jeans and shirts that Jamie had chosen. "I like to be invisible, it's safer that way," said Jamie rather reservedly compared with his earlier exuberance, and Graham nodded realizing that there was significance behind Jamie's statement. "We'll take the lot," Graham then said to the clerk, while handing over his credit card. "Thank you, sir. I'll ring this up right away," she replied, while walking over to the cash register. Jamie ran over to Graham and threw his arms around him, "You didn't need to do all this you know." "I know, but I wanted to do something nice for you," said Graham, lightly returning the unexpected hug. "I'd have let you have me without you doing all this," said Jamie with frank sincerity. "Jamie, I know it's probably something you're not used to," began Graham. "I want you to know that I'm not doing this in expectation of anything from you. There's no catch and nothing that I'm wanting from you in return. You just needed help and so I'm helping you." "No one does anything for free," Jamie stated simply. "That might be how other people have treated you in the past," said Graham. "But that's not how I operate." "OK," said a not entirely convinced Jamie. Seeing the clerk returning Graham added, "Now you'd better change back into your old things so we can buy everything and then go back home." While Graham checked the total and then signed the slip Jamie ran back into the change room returning a couple of minutes later in his old clothes. As Jamie passed the new clothes to the clerk to be put into the bag Graham noticed that they had been carefully folded. The clerk then placed them in the bottom of a large shopping bag along with the underwear, socks, and the running shoes box that now contained Jamie's old shoes. The clerk pushed the now filled shopping bag over to Jamie who, wearing his backpack and now struggling to carry the large bag, appeared to be completely overloaded. Graham was about to offer to help, but then seeing the enormous smile on Jamie's face he decided that it would be better not to interfere with Jamie's enjoyment in carrying away his new things. When they got back down to the parking lot, Graham unlocked the car and they both climbed in. Graham started up the car and navigated his way out of the underground parking maze and back onto the street to return to his apartment. Graham looked over at Jamie who was sitting quietly with his arms tightly wrapped around the oversized shopping bag that held his new clothes. Jamie's smile had not abated one iota since they had left the mall and the light from the streetlamps reflected off his white teeth as they drove along. Graham thought to himself for a moment with a grin that it might be possible to drive by the reflected glow coming from Jamie's happy face, but decided against giving the theory a try. Jamie turned towards Graham and said, "This is really great of you getting me all these things." "I could see that your clothes were starting to get a tiny bit rough around the edges," replied Graham. "So I thought it would be nice if you could have something new to wear." "It's kind of hard to keep things clean and in good shape out there," said Jamie. "I don't have money to spend on stuff like that." "I expect that it's rough out there just in general," offered Graham. "You don't know the half of it," responded Jamie. "Especially now with the weather getting so cold." "Would you like to stay for the night?" asked Graham. "The sofa in my place pulls out into a bed and you can sleep there." Here it comes finally thought Jamie. Graham's claims of no payment needed were just stories after all. Nevertheless with only a momentary hesitation Jamie replied cheerfully, "Sure, I'd like that a lot." Graham was not entirely sure that he should completely believe Jamie's last statement, but he did not say anything. Now was not the time. Graham was beginning to feel certain however that Jamie's flirting back in the store was because Jamie felt that he had to in order to be able to stay. Keeping his concerns to himself Graham turned into the driveway next to the house his basement apartment was located in and shut off the car's engine. They got out and walked down the sidewalk alongside the house with Jamie clutching the shopping back tightly like he might lose it at any moment. When they reached the door, Graham unlocked it and let them both inside. Once they had their coats and shoes off Graham suggested, "Let's take another peek at how your new things look." "Can I?" said Jamie excitedly. "Of course you can. They're yours. You can do anything you want," replied Graham. Jamie paused for a second, looked at Graham, and then began to reach for the bottom of his shirt to pull it off. Seeing this Graham said, "You should probably take everything into the bathroom to change." "Oh. OK," said Jamie still not understanding Graham's reluctance as he took the bag of clothes with him and went into the bathroom. A couple of minutes later the door opened and Jamie once again looked absolutely smashing. After taking a moment to admire the new outfit Graham decided that Jamie definitely had a much better sense of style than he did. Between getting cleaned up and now the new clothes the results were clearly worth every penny. Graham reminded himself that tidying up the outside was the easy part. Torn clothes were replaceable and bruises would heal, but only provided that the root causes of the underlying problems were dealt with and eliminated. That part would not be so easy nor as quick. Especially now that he knew from Jamie that the government agencies devoted to such things were often as not part of the problem rather than part of the solution. After a few more moments of admiration Graham finally declared to Jamie, "You look spectacular. Did you know that?" Jamie blushed and stammered and looked down at his feet saying, "No one ever told me that before." Graham felt bad for having embarrassed Jamie and said, "Perhaps I shouldn't have said spectacular but you're definitely handsome." "Thanks a lot for these, Graham. I've never had anything as nice as this before. Even at home if I got something to wear it was only stuff from the thrift shop," said Jamie. Now it was Graham's turn to be embarrassed. He was only doing the decent thing. The thing that Jamie's parents should have been doing for him instead of what they had been. It was not something he should be thanked for. Graham covered up his discomfort by changing the subject, "I've got a lot of work to do for the office tonight. Would you like to watch some TV or would you like to get some sleep?" "Going to bed would be nice," suggested Jamie, with a smile that promised thanks of a less verbal variety. Graham noticed, but purposely ignored the hint coming from Jamie. He cleaned things off from the sofa, removed the cushions, and shortly was showing Jamie the bed that pulled out from inside it. "I admit it's nothing special, but I only stay here Monday to Thursday," said Graham. Jamie nodded, but did not comment on Graham's rather spartan accommodations. An old car, a small basement apartment, and now a sofa bed; luxurious it was not, but it was clean and warm and that was all that really mattered to Jamie. Nevertheless, the image presented by the accommodations did not quite square with that of a man who less than an hour ago had paid a couple of hundred dollars to buy him new clothes without even blinking. In Jamie's mind Graham was a mass of unresolved contradictions. It suddenly occurred to Graham that Jamie did not have anything to sleep in. He thought for a moment and then said, "I don't have any pyjama's to offer you to sleep in but perhaps that T-shirt I gave you earlier this evening would be OK?" The question seemed rather pointless in Jamie's opinion. He knew full well what was going to be expected of him, but replied, "Sure. Anything at all is just fine." "OK. So why don't you brush your teeth and change then you can climb into bed," said Graham, while nodding towards the bathroom. "I don't have a toothbrush," said an embarrassed Jamie. Once again Graham was struck by the lack in Jamie's life of what seemed like basic essential items and quickly said, "Look in the drawer next to the sink and you'll find some new ones. Just take one of those." Jamie went into the bathroom, washed up, and finally came out wearing the T-shirt that Graham had given him earlier. Graham once again noticed that Jamie was carrying in his arms the new clothes and that they were folded with care. They were sitting on top of Jamie's old clothes that had also been folded, both sets sitting on top of Jamie's outstretched arms. Jamie came over and stood next to Graham. Looking about for a moment Jamie then moved the now empty shopping bag to a spot next to the sofa with his foot and then placed the stack of clothes on top of the bag on the floor. All the while Jamie continued to hold onto his backpack which dangled from one hand, it was clear that nothing would separate him from it. Graham pulled the blankets and top sheet back on one side of the bed and held them for Jamie to get into the bed. Jamie put his backpack down right next to the bed and then climbed in. After Jamie got into bed, Graham pulled the covers back over him and turned off most of the lights in order to make the room darker. Leaving only a small light on over the kitchen table, Graham came back and stood looking down at Jamie. "Will you be OK now if I do a bit of work on the table over there? Will the light bother you?" Graham asked. "You're not coming to bed now?" asked Jamie, moving slightly sideways in the bed clearly suggesting he was making room for Graham. "No, I've got lots of work to do and tomorrow is going to be a busy day," replied Graham. "Alright then, I'll be fine. The light won't bother me," said Jamie. "Great. You sleep well and get a good rest for a change," said Graham kindly. Jamie smiled at Graham and visibly relaxed as it appeared that nothing was going to take place tonight. "No one will hurt you here Jamie. You're going to be perfectly safe. Good night," Graham quietly added, and then walked towards the table on the other side of the room. Jamie rolled onto his right side so he could watch what Graham was doing. Still unable to quite believe that Graham was not going to try something, Jamie watched as Graham pulled out his briefcase, removed some papers, and a laptop computer. Graham plugged the computer's power cord into the wall socket, sat down, turned it on, and shortly began to type away while reading and shuffling through his papers. After watching Graham for a while, despite being tired, Jamie was finally convinced that Graham was going to leave him alone, at least for tonight. Jamie rolled over in the opposite direction and yawned. Closing his eyes, Jamie began to think about the day's strange course of events. Sighing at the luxury of having a soft warm place to sleep he pondered the mystery that was Graham. Jamie was exhausted however and having a real bed to sleep in for the first time in a couple of months he soon fell asleep to the sound of tapping computer keys. =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Chapter 6 - Taking Flight Jamie suddenly came awake and for a moment did not remember where he was. For a brief moment fear overtook him but then his eyes focused and he recognized the small room where he was. Remembering the previous day's events and how he had met Graham at the North Road Mall Jamie relaxed and luxuriated in the warm softness of a clean bed. It had been a long time since he had slept this comfortably and had not had to pay for it beforehand. Looking over to the other side of the small living area, where a single overhead light still burned, Jamie saw Graham seated at the kitchen table. His head was lying in the middle of a sea of papers scattered around his laptop computer and the light sound of snoring confirmed that he was fast asleep. Jamie began to worry because he had slept in the only bed available. Graham had opened up the bed for him and clearly wanted him to use it but nevertheless Jamie felt uneasy at having deprived Graham of a proper place to sleep. It had been his expectation that Graham would have joined him after he had finished with his work. Now Jamie was concerned how Graham was going to react at not having had a bed to sleep in for the night. Jamie got up out of the bed and walked over to stand next to Graham. Placing one hand on Graham's shoulder Jamie spoke softly while shaking Graham gently to wake him up. "Graham, you can sleep in the bed," Jamie said gently. Graham shifted his head slightly and grunted as Jamie spoke. "I don't need any more sleep. You should get into the bed now," added Jamie a little bit louder. Graham's eyelids began to flutter and he slowly began to raise his head up off the table's surface. "Oh! Oh my goodness! My neck ... my back," moaned Graham as he felt like what seemed to be every last muscle in his back and shoulders voicing their complaints at the same time over having been mistreated. Finally sitting up completely Graham looked at Jamie with sleepy eyes and smiled. Standing there in just a wrinkled T-shirt with uncombed hair Jamie looked so innocent, not at all like the distressed youngster Graham had befriended only yesterday. It did not seem possible that this could be the same boy that Graham had seen sitting on the sidewalk hoping to get some food to eat. "How did you sleep, Jamie?" asked Graham. "Oh I slept great," replied Jamie. "But you should have come to bed too so you wouldn't get all sore like that." "I'll recover don't worry," said Graham with a groan as he staggered to his feet and took a few tentative limping steps around the room to try and get his legs working and his muscles unknotted. Glancing at the clock on the stove and seeing that it was just after five o'clock in the morning Graham decided that he might as well get busy and put together some breakfast for both of them. Shuffling towards the kitchen Graham began opening cupboards and the refrigerator to see what was available. He had not been planning on having an extra mouth to feed but a little hunting and imagination would solve the problem. "I think I'll just go into the office early today and then I'll be able to get out early too. How would you like to have some breakfast now? I can stir something up for us both if you like." "Anything at all would be fine," replied Jamie believing that his time was now up. Somehow he had not been what Graham was looking for and it was now time for him to leave. Jamie could not think of anything specific he had done to make Graham decide against keeping him but it was obviously too late now. Maybe if he had stopped Graham from buying so much food at the restaurant, or spending so much money on clothes last night, or maybe he should have been more persistent at trying to get Graham to get in bed with him. Whatever it was he had failed and now it was going to be back into the cold on the street. "I promise I'll do better for you on the weekend," said Graham as he started putting things onto the kitchen counter. "There's not a lot here right now because I usually pick up groceries on Monday evening." Jamie turned from picking up his things at Graham's words. The weekend? Maybe it was not over. Maybe he would still have a chance to make Graham want to keep him for a while. Jamie quickly put his backpack down so Graham would not see that he had been starting to get ready to leave. "Do you like eggs?" Graham asked looking over towards Jamie. "Yes I do," said Jamie with interest. "I haven't had eggs in a long time." "Let's see what I can do then," replied Graham as he laid several strips of bacon into a pan to start frying. After tossing out the waxed paper that the bacon had been wrapped in Graham began to chop up some tomatoes and green pepper that he had discovered in the bottom of the refrigerator in addition to some leftover cooked potatoes. Graham turned the bacon over and then added the chopped- up potatoes to the pan and stirred them around to let them begin to cook. A couple of minutes later he added in the tomatoes and green pepper and stirred it all again. Reaching for a bowl Graham cracked the last of the eggs into it and stirred them up with a fork. Taking a large pepper shaker from the cupboard he sprinkled some into the egg mixture and stirred a bit more. After checking that everything was cooking properly Graham then poured the eggs into the frying pan and gave the pan a swirl to spread the egg mixture evenly. Jamie watched with fascination as Graham worked. Breakfast at home, when it had happened at all, came out of a cereal box. Jamie could not remember when he had last had a hot cooked breakfast. After satisfying himself that everything was well on its way Graham covered the frying pan with a lid and then popped some bread into the toaster. Graham went over to the table and shifted the papers and laptop computer making room for Jamie and himself to eat. The toast popped up and Graham immediately put two more slices into the toaster and began to butter the ones that he had just taken out. Soon Graham had buttered toast ready on each plate and then peeked under the lid of the frying pan to check how the eggs were doing. Satisfied with the results Graham removed the lid off the frying pan with a flourish, picked up a knife and divided the impromptu omelette into two, and slid half onto each plate along with several slices of bacon. Taking the pepper shaker Graham then added a healthy sprinkle on top and handed the plates one at a time to Jamie who placed them onto the table. "There you go," said Graham as he poured orange juice into two glasses. "It's not exactly a Spanish omelette but it's as close as I could come this morning." "It looks wonderful," said Jamie very impressed with Graham's rapid assembly of a full hot breakfast. "Have a seat and dig in," said Graham as he moved to the table and sat down. "This tastes great," said Jamie in between mouthfuls. "I'm glad you like it," said Graham with a smile. "I managed to get almost everything I needed to do finished off last night while you were sleeping but I do need to go into the office this morning for a few hours. That way I can complete a couple of things that are left over from yesterday. After that however I can leave and if you're interested maybe we could spend the weekend together. What do you think of that for an idea?" Although Jamie had initially thought that Graham was going to send him back to the street after breakfast things were definitely sounding like that was not going to happen now. While still unsure what Graham had in mind for him based on everything that had happened so far, Jamie felt that staying, at least for a while, was the right choice. "Yes that would be nice," Jamie replied after a momentary hesitation. "You can wait here where it's warm if you like while I'm at work," continued Graham. "Sleep some more, or watch TV, or whatever else you like. There's a couple of books around that you can read and there's a few DVDs in the cupboard over there if you can't find anything worthwhile on the TV." "Stay in here while you're gone?" asked Jamie with astonishment. "Don't you want me to stay outside so I can't wreck or steal anything?" "Why would I want you to do that?" replied Graham. "If I'm asking you to trust me on something big like letting me try to help you it's only fair that I first show you that I have trust in you on something small like letting you stay here." "OK," said Jamie still not believing that Graham was actually going to let him stay inside his place. Although Jamie had occasionally been allowed to stay for a few days with a man, they had always made him go out while they were away from home not trusting him sufficiently to leave him alone in their homes. "I should be back by about ten o'clock roughly. While I'm gone you can clean up and get dressed in your new things. Then when I get back we can go and have a little adventure this weekend." "An adventure?" Jamie asked dubiously. "You'll like it I promise. But I want to surprise you so no details right now," added Graham secretively. "But you don't need to worry. Nothing will happen to you and no one will touch you or hurt you." Jamie did not totally believe that it was going to be something he would like but he was willing to go along with whatever Graham had in mind. Things had been pretty good so far and Graham had certainly been generous with everything up front. With any luck perhaps it would continue like that for a while before Graham got too rough with him. "OK, I'll wait here for you," said Jamie. "Great," replied Graham. "I'll get changed and head for the office then. In a few hours I'll be back and then we can go." Graham went into the bathroom and started to get ready for work. While looking at himself in the mirror and shaving Graham wondered what he was getting himself into. Letting a street boy stay in his place while he was away? That was not like himself at all. Would he return to find the place had been trashed or cleaned out? It was certainly possible but on the other hand there was something about Jamie that suggested to Graham that everything would be fine when he returned and that it was worth the risk. Jamie was quickly growing on Graham and again there was the feeling that something was coming together. Graham was not completely certain about it but doing this felt right somehow. Showering quickly Graham threw on a fresh shirt along with the suit and tie he had worn yesterday. Once finished in the bathroom Graham went over to the kitchen table and collected up the papers that had been his pillow during the night putting them into his briefcase. Unplugging the laptop computer from the wall he added it to the top of the pile and closed the briefcase. "I don't have a spare key to give you," said Graham. "Do you think you'll need to go out for anything?" "No, I don't need to go out," replied Jamie still not quite believing his ears but feeling sure now that Graham did not mean to dump him, at least not right away. "I'm sorry I have to leave you but you know how it is. If you don't keep the boss happy he gets on your back," joked Graham. "It's OK. I understand," replied Jamie. Walking towards the door Graham said, "I'll see you in a few hours then Jamie. Remember to get ready for when I get back," and then he opened the door and went out closing it behind him. Jamie looked at the closed door and was completely perplexed at this man. How did Graham know that it would be safe to leave him alone in his place? How did Graham know he would not steal something and run? Jamie knew himself that he would not do that but how did Graham know that he could trust him? Why had Graham not tried something last night after spending all that money on him? None of it made any sense at all. While Jamie pondered the mystery that was Graham he picked up the remote control for the TV set and began to flip through the channels. It would be several hours before Graham said he would return so Jamie hoped that he could find something interesting to watch. *** *** *** *** *** Graham decided to take the car to work this morning rather than the bus. Since he was planning on it being a short day he did not want to waste time waiting for buses and the introduction of Jamie into the equation added to that desire. The early morning traffic was very light and before long Graham was pulling into a spot in the parking lot underneath the NCS office tower. Graham went up the elevator to his floor and hoped that with a bit of luck he would be able to finish up everything that needed to be done fairly quickly. Graham normally worked a short day on Fridays so he could catch the afternoon flight over to Valdez Island for the weekend and he was now planning on this being an even shorter day than usual. Graham threaded his way through the maze of cubicles until he found his own desk. Sitting down he opened up his briefcase and pulled out the papers and laptop computer that he had put into it back at his apartment. He connected the small machine to the large display screen sitting on his desk and pressed the power button. After waiting a couple of minutes for the system to finish beeping and playing the inevitable start-up music, Graham was finally able to begin working. His fingers rapidly picked up from where they had left off last night and the conclusion to his status report on yesterday's business meeting began to take shape. Other people in the office were gradually beginning to arrive just as Graham was putting the final touches on his report. He carefully proofread it and then satisfied with how it looked he ordered the machine to send it off for printing. By the time Graham's boss arrived at nine o'clock the report was completed and ready for presenting. After waiting about ten minutes for his boss to get settled Graham walked into his office with the report tucked under his arm. "Good morning, Alex," said Graham cheerfully as he entered. "Good morning, Graham. I saw your note on my desk late yesterday afternoon along with the signed agreement. Is that your report there?" asked Alex. "Yes, this is it. Full details on the final agreement with Haida Forest Products," answered Graham. "You've got it all wrapped up?" inquired Alex. "Yes, it's all here. Revenue versus cost projections, service level descriptions, response time agreements, the whole thing," said Graham. "What do the financial numbers look like?" asked Alex. "I did a two-year projection on that and payback for the client starts after eleven months and after only six months for us," said Graham. Graham's boss took the report and thumbed through it. A few minutes later he smiled broadly, "This is superb. This is going to make both sides happy and it's going to give a nice boost to the numbers for this department just at year-end. I'm not going to forget this when it comes to bonus time in January either." Graham smiled and said, "Thanks very much, I really appreciate that." Knowing that all pay for managers was directly tied to the financial results of their divisions Graham knew that the figures in the report were going to make his boss happy. By closing one final deal just before the end of the year his boss was going to get a significantly larger bonus than he had been expecting and as a result it sounded like some of that happiness was now going to flow downhill to Graham as well. "You deserve it. I can always count on you to do a thorough job when you tackle something and that's why I knew you were the right one to push this proposal through to completion," Alex added. "Now that this is out of the way I need to ask for a bit of time off," began Graham. "I have some personal business that needs looking after and I'd like to advance my Christmas vacation so it starts now if you don't mind." Graham's boss leaned forward in his chair and asked, "You've got everything tidied up? No loose ends anywhere?" "No, this finishes off the last project I was working on for the year and it's all complete now," answered Graham. Knowing Graham to be a man of his word and always meticulous Alex agreed, "Fair enough. You have a good vacation and I'll see you back here at the start of January then." After leaving Alex's office Graham went back to his desk. For a minute he busied himself putting away the papers that he had used to finish off the report that were scattered all over the top of the desk. Graham's hands moved quickly and most of the papers went into the filing cabinet next to his cubicle, the remainder then went into the recycling bin underneath the desk. Once he had everything put away and the desktop was cleared Graham reached for the telephone and dialed. "Bear Lake Air, how I help you?" came a woman's voice over the telephone. "Is David Greene there please?" said Graham. A few moments later a voice came over the telephone, "Dave Greene speaking." "Graham here, how are you doing Dave?" said Graham. "Oh pretty good. I'm just getting loaded up for the morning run over to Valdez," said Dave. "What's up?" "I was wondering if you'd have any room on the eleven o'clock flight today?" asked Graham. "I'm finished early at work and if you have the room it'd be great to be able to leave this morning. Also I need a second seat. My sister dropped her son off with me for the weekend so I want to bring him over with me." "It's mostly cargo this morning with only a couple of passengers so I still have room left," said Dave. "If you need two seats though it'll depend on the weight. How big is he?" "Not very big," said Graham. "Under a hundred pounds." "Oh that's no problem at all," said Dave. "I can leave the back seat down to fit more cargo in and he can sit up front with me." "I think he'd like that a lot," said Graham with a chuckle. "Besides your insurance company might appreciate you having a co-pilot keeping an eye on you." "Watch it there," laughed Dave. "If you don't behave there might be an unscheduled water landing and then we'll find out just how well you swim." "OK, you win," said Graham surrendering. "I'll be good." "Think you'll be able to make it here in time for the morning run?" asked Dave. "It'll be tight but we'll be there," said Graham. "I'm just about to leave the office now. Then off to my place, pick up Jamie, and then we'll head straight for the airport." "No problem," said Dave. "Since I know you're coming if you're a couple of minutes late I'll hold the flight for you." "Thanks a bunch Dave," said Graham. "Just tack the extra fare onto my bill." "I'll tell Ida and she can figure it out," said Dave. "See you soon." Graham hung up and looked at his cleaned off desk for a moment. Then for reasons he did not quite understand he reached into the top drawer of his desk and removed the mug he used for drinking tea. The mug went into his now empty briefcase and he closed it. Putting on his overcoat Graham picked up his briefcase and took a couple of steps away from his cubicle. He paused for a moment and then looked back at his desk and chair and then around the office as a whole. Graham did not know why but he had a strange feeling that things were going to be quite different by the time the holiday season was over. Finally he turned on his heel and strode out of the office to the elevator. When it arrived he got in and punched the button for the parking level. *** *** *** *** *** Back at Graham's apartment Jamie was getting ready to give up on the television set. It was true what they said, ninety-nine channels and nothing on. Morning television did not exactly provide a lot of choices that were interesting to a youngster. Between right-wing political pundits ranting on about how they would solve the latest world crisis given a free hand, yet another interview with a pseudo-psychologist on how to have a more fulfilling life, and lesser fare seemingly designed to encourage people to humiliate themselves to win prizes it was pretty bad all around. Jamie finally settled on a detective movie that was on a channel that specialized in old programs. Jamie could tell that the show was somewhat dated but it had a lot of subtle humour that he found enjoyable. The main character was tracking down a murderer and was gradually backing the suspect into a corner through a combination of deception and skill rather than through the usual car chases, fistfights, and gunplay that were now used as substitutes for a plotline. While he was watching the movie the image of Graham flashed into Jamie's mind from last night as he managed to stand down the security guard simply by using his wits. For almost all of Jamie's life those around him had always resolved problems or disputes through physical force - it was all that he had ever known and frequently he had been the target of the attacks. Nevertheless the movie and Graham's actions the previous night fit in with what Jamie had learnt once he was out on the streets. Unlike what he had seen at home Jamie's experiences taking care of himself once he had run away had taught him that having an alert mind was worth far more than having a large fist. This also fit with Jamie realizing that there was more to Graham than was visible on the surface. It would take time however to find out what was underneath and whether it was something for Jamie to fear or not. Nevertheless Jamie had the feeling that if he was given the opportunity he would like to learn more about Graham. Preoccupied with his thoughts about Graham, Jamie suddenly heard a key opening the door to the apartment and he leapt off of the sofa. Quickly running into the kitchen area he peeked back around the counter to see who was coming though the door. "Sorry I startled you," said Graham noticing Jamie's reaction to his opening the door. "How are you doing?" "Pretty good," said Jamie. "There wasn't much on TV but I found this old movie that was interesting and I've been watching it." Graham glanced at the TV screen for a split-second and smiled as he recognized the rumpled raincoat that was the signature of the main character. The movie that Jamie had settled on was one of a series that all involved the same classic detective, the choice raised Graham's already positive impression of Jamie even higher. "Sometimes the best way to catch someone isn't by trying to shoot them," said Graham with a grin. "I was just thinking the same thing and how you handled that guard last night," said Jamie. Graham smiled at Jamie's appreciative comment and said, "We'll be able to go soon. I just need to pick up a few things and throw them into a bag." Jamie who had already gotten washed and dressed earlier looked back at the TV as Graham got a small suitcase out of the closet. It only took a couple of minutes to throw the couple of things that Graham needed into it. "Did work go OK?" asked Jamie. "Pretty good. No job is great but this one is tolerable," Graham replied as he went into the kitchen area meaning to tidy up the dishes from breakfast that he had forgotten about in his rush to get to the office. Much to his surprise, however, the plates, glasses, and other items were already washed and dried and were sitting carefully laid out on the counter. Graham's eyebrows went up in surprise seeing that Jamie had carefully cleaned everything already. "Thanks very much for washing up everything for me. I wasn't expecting that," said Graham as he put the dishes and cutlery away in the cupboards. "It's only fair after everything you've done," said Jamie. "I've not done that much," said Graham feeling a bit uncomfortable. "To me you sure have," said Jamie with marked sincerity. Feeling embarrassed Graham changed the subject and asked, "So are you ready to go on our weekend adventure?" Jamie was not at all certain that he was but given that Graham had been nothing but kind to him thus far he replied, "Sure. What are we going to do?" "You collect your things together and then I'll show you," said Graham. Jamie got up off the sofa and picked up his old clothes from where they had been sitting and pushed them into his backpack. Jamie's old running shoes went into a plastic bag and Graham put them into the suitcase he was packing. Lastly Jamie passed Graham the extra new clothes that they had bought last night and Graham laid them on top of everything else inside the suitcase and then closed it. Graham then cast a quick look around the place to check nothing had been forgotten. "Need anything else before we go?" asked Graham. "No, I'm ready," said Jamie getting up, shutting off the TV, and picking up his backpack. "We'd better get moving then. We don't want to be late," said Graham. "Late for what?" asked Jamie. "You'll see," said Graham with a twinkle in his eye. Jamie accepted Graham's comment quietly despite still feeling nervous about what Graham was planning. Jamie was beginning to feel a bit more at ease with Graham but was still rather skittish. They headed out and after putting the suitcase in the back of the car Graham unlocked the doors and they got in. A few moments later Graham had the car moving down the road. "So where are we going?" asked Jamie. "If I told you that it wouldn't be a surprise now would it?" replied Graham with mystery. However, seeing the troubled look on Jamie's face added, "Don't worry Jamie. You'll like it, I promise you will." Jamie decided to wait before making up his mind. Things with Graham had been good so far. Actually far more than simply good Jamie admitted to himself. The question was how long would they remain that way before he would have to run again? He knew all too well that no matter how good things might appear at first they would eventually change - they always did. Graham quickly navigated his way through the city, in, around, and through the traffic doing his best to get from the suburb where he lived during the weekdays to the opposite side of town with a minimum of delay. It seemed to Graham at times that there were traffic lights almost every block but gradually they made their way through the tangle of city traffic. When Graham got closer to the west side of town Jamie recognized the suburb they were headed for and was perplexed. What was out here that could be classified as an adventure? Then Graham made one more turn and Jamie saw the big blue sign on the side of the road pointing the way to the airport. "We're going to the airport?" asked Jamie with surprise. "Sort of," replied Graham somewhat cryptically. The car then made a turn to the left off the main route to the airport and went along a side road that was adjacent to a small river inlet. Graham then turned off that road and pulled into a parking lot next to a small building perched on the side of the riverbank. "We're here," announced Graham opening the car door and getting out. "Here?" said Jamie picking up his backpack and getting out of the car. "There's nothing here. The airport's back over that way." "Oh I think there is," said Graham with a big grin. Picking up the suitcase out of the back of the car Graham pointed towards the little building next to the river bank and they began to walk the few hundred yards towards it. Approaching the building Jamie looked above the door and saw an old sign with the paint peeling off and a name carved into it: Bear Lake Air. The name certainly did not sound like any airline Jamie had ever heard of and the rundown look of the building and the sign did not exactly inspire confidence. Graham opened the front door to the building and waited for a hesitant Jamie to pass through. "You'd better hurry if you don't want them to leave without you," Graham said with a smile. "What kind of place is this?" asked Jamie with some apprehension in his voice. "Just a moment and I'll show you," said Graham. Going up to a Dutch door that had the top half open Graham announced himself. A woman inside the small office recognized Graham and waved. "You made it," she said. "He said you would." "I'm sorry we're a couple of minutes late Ida. We got here as quickly as we could," replied Graham. "You'd better go down right away," Ida added as she ticked off Graham's name on a clipboard attached to the wall. "We don't want the other passengers to start complaining." Graham motioned for Jamie to join him as he walked towards a door on the opposite side of the little building. Opening the door Graham let Jamie go through first. Stepping through the door and back into the bright winter sunshine outside Jamie found himself looking down at a white floatplane with green markings sitting at the edge of the river inlet. It was tied up to a small wharf just below the level of the building and the native-inspired emblem of a bear on the tail shone as the sunlight reflected off it. "We're going in that?" Jamie asked with astonishment. "You can't get to where we're going in an ordinary plane you know," replied Graham smiling. Jamie looked down at the floatplane as a large burly man hopped out of the door at the front of the plane and came up to Graham and Jamie. Taking the suitcase out of Graham's hand he went back down towards the plane with Graham and Jamie following him. "We're only a couple of minutes off schedule," he said while putting the suitcase into the back of the plane after which he secured the latch on the cargo door. "Sorry for making you wait Dave," said Graham. "I had to finish a couple of things at the office before I could leave." "It's no problem. I knew you'd get here. Ida just gets her feathers in an uproar if things aren't exactly on time," said Dave with a laugh. "She keeps everything running efficiently even if I forget sometimes." Dave held open the side door while Graham climbed up and into the plane. Then Dave helped Jamie climb up into the passenger cabin. After they were both inside Dave closed the door from the outside. Graham had sat down in the only remaining seat in the passenger cabin and Jamie was looking about puzzled because there was nowhere left to sit. While he was trying to figure out what to do Dave had untied the floatplane, pushed it off from the wharf, and climbed in the door next to the pilot's seat. "Hey, where's my co-pilot?" called out Dave after giving a wink to Graham. Graham grinned at Jamie and motioned towards the seat in the front next to the pilot. "Me?" asked an unbelieving Jamie. "Better hurry up, I'm not allowed to take off without someone at the controls over here," continued Dave in a mock gruff voice. Jamie looked towards Graham for support but found him completely engrossed in a close examination of the air safety pamphlet. Graham peeked over the top of the card to watch while Jamie nervously climbed into the seat at the front of the plane on the right side of Dave. After getting into the seat, Jamie took his backpack off and put it down on the floor between his feet. Jamie looked back at Graham hesitantly but then seeing a big smile on his face realized that this must have been the plan all along. Jamie put on his seatbelt after seeing Dave buckle himself in and then looked over all the gauges and switches on the console wondering what they all did. "You'd better put these on too," said Dave handing Jamie a set of headphones that he had just plugged into an audio jack on the side of the bulkhead overtop of the young boy. Once Jamie had the headphones on Dave said into his microphone. "Can you hear me OK?" "Loud and clear," said a smiling Jamie into the microphone attached to the headphones while adjusting the headset for a better fit. Calling out loudly to the people sitting behind him Dave said, "OK everyone my name is Dave and I'm going to be your co-pilot. For a change we're lucky today and actually have someone with us who's been properly trained on these new-fangled flying machines. So instead of hanging on by your knuckles while I'm reading the instruction manual I'm going to turn the controls over to our Captain here. If you have any questions just read the safety card, all the pictures are in English for your convenience. So hold on tight and if anything goes wrong remember that the passenger next to you can be used as a flotation device." Jamie blushed as he heard the chuckles coming from the passengers behind him but he was still pleased to have such a good seat. From where he was sitting Jamie could see everything not to mention the fact that he would get to watch Dave up close as he flew the plane. He wondered if Graham knew that he had never been inside a plane of any sort let alone sitting in the cockpit of one. Whatever kind of adventure Graham had in mind it was certainly starting to look interesting. Looking out of the plane's front windscreen Jamie watched as the floatplane slowly drifted to the centre of the river inlet, but when the plane remained silent he looked over at Dave curious why he was not starting the engine. When Jamie finally turned in his direction a placid Dave sitting with his arms folded said, "You'd better start the engine up pretty soon or we'll drift too far. After all that is part of the captain's job you know." Jamie's mouth opened and he did not know what to say at first but eventually he managed to say in a very small voice, "But I don't know anything about flying a plane." "What?" said Dave with overemphasized shock, "I was told you were certified on the de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver." "No, I don't know anything about floatplanes," said Jamie with worry showing all over his face. "Oh dear. I suppose that also means you don't know why this red light is blinking do you," said Dave pointing at the power light on the GPS navigator's display on Jamie's side of the console. "No I don't," said a nervous Jamie in a very small voice. "That's OK, neither do I. We'll just have to cross our fingers that it's nothing important. I still need your help though; I want you to move the red mixture lever up to about here and then pump the white throttle lever up and down twice while I hit the ignition switch," said Dave pointing towards the three engine controls located in the middle-top of the console. "Hopefully there aren't any union reps around from the International Brotherhood of Airline Pilots and Skateboard Technicians to register a complaint." Realizing now that Dave was only joking with him Jamie reached over and slowly pushed the mixture lever up as Dave had directed and pumped the throttle. The engine sputtered once and then roared into life when Dave flipped the red ignition switch up and Jamie looked towards Dave and grinned. "You want to do the takeoff yourself or do you want me to give it a try?" asked Dave. Now feeling more confident and into the flow of things Jamie giggled, "You probably need the practice so I'll let you do it." "Oh a wise guy eh?" laughed Dave. "All right everyone, it looks like you're stuck with me. Hang onto your hats, here goes nothing!" Jamie looked back towards Graham who grinned at him and winked and Jamie gave him a big smile. It was clear to Jamie now that Dave, their pilot, was a total character. However despite his fondness for humour he was obviously very well trained. Dave quickly guided the floatplane up the inlet away from the boats that were alongside the banks, and then smoothly turned it around getting it into takeoff position in the centre of the river inlet. Jamie looked back towards the front of the plane just as Dave was throttling up the engine to full and the plane began to pick up speed rapidly. In a matter of seconds the plane was soon skimming along the surface of the water at high speed. "Oh wow!" exclaimed Jamie as the floatplane then rose up out of the water, banked slightly, and headed out over the marshy river delta and away from the coast. =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Chapter 7 - A Visit to Paradise After they were a few minutes outbound from the coast Jamie looked back and he could see a brown haze hanging over the city. He knew that the air back in the city could be dirty sometimes from all the vehicles on the roads but as they flew further and further out it looked more and more like a brown blanket was suffocating the buildings. Looking downwards Jamie could see the tidal line between the outgoing silt laden river water and the much darker ocean water while seagulls circled lazily beneath him over the calm sea. A couple of minutes later they passed by a warning marker on a rocky outcropping and Dave dipped the plane and banked it sharply so Jamie could see the couple of seals that were laying on the rocks below sunning themselves as they flew over. To the right Jamie could see a ferry plying its route between the mainland and the outlying islands, its white wake trailing along behind it. Still further off in the distance there were barges heavily laden with freight being towed by tugs and moving slowly up the strait. Compared to the life he had been leading and what Jamie normally saw daily in the city the view from the plane as it headed out away from the coast seemed almost magical if not surreal. Dave gradually decreased the altitude of the plane down from five hundred feet and it flew low over the sea as it approached Valdez Island. Faint whitecaps could be seen now on the crests of the waves as they rolled gently through the strait between the mainland and the rapidly approaching island. As the floatplane approached the small island the shoreline which was covered in old-growth trees became clearly visible. Except for the occasional house here and there poking out through the trees the island appeared totally undeveloped and pristine. Reaching and then crossing over the shoreline Dave pulled back on the controls and directed the floatplane up and through a small gap and into the entrance to Salish Bay. Jamie looked down as Dave banked the plane and he could see that the small bay was filled with sailboats of various sizes, most at anchor but a few of which were in motion. "You're going to land in the middle of all those boats?" asked Jamie excitedly. "This isn't so bad," said Dave. "You should see it in the summer when there's a lot more of them moving about. It can be a real tight fit sometimes." "See the wharf sticking out from the pub over there on the shore?" said Dave while pointing with his hand as he banked the plane. "That's where we're headed. We'll touch down in the middle of the bay and then taxi our way over to it." Dave circled once to get a good look at where the various boats were located and picked his spot. Then he banked the plane sharply to the right and pointed down to where he was going to land for Jamie's benefit. Finally he aligned the plane with the open spot in the water that he had selected and swooped in for a landing. The regular passengers for whom the trip had become somewhat routine despite the world-class scenery found themselves enjoying the trip much more than usual and were smiling at each other. Like Graham they were discovering the infectious excitement that a youngster can bring to life. The floatplane skimmed across the surface of the water and then there was a brief light shudder as the plane's pontoons touched down. Pulling back on the throttle and adjusting the propeller pitch Dave slowed the floatplane quickly and then began to guide it towards the wharf that he had pointed out to Jamie as they were coming in. About ten feet away from the wharf Dave cut the engine completely and let the floatplane drift up silently to the wharf and then jumped out. Grabbing a tie rope attached to the front of the floatplane's pontoons he looped it around one of the dock cleats positioned along the edge of the wharf and then did the same again with the tie rope at the rear of the pontoons. After checking that the plane was safely secured Dave then opened the passenger door. "OK everyone. You can unbuckle now," Dave called into the open door. Jamie waited until Dave had helped the other passengers to climb down out of the plane and then grabbed his backpack, squeezed out of the co- pilot's seat, and climbed out too. Dave then opened the cargo door at the rear of the plane and began removing the suitcases that had been stowed there for the passengers. Once the passengers had all of their bags he began lifting out the boxes of cargo that he had brought over and stacked them up in the middle of the wharf. When Dave had finished unloading the plane he noticed Jamie standing patiently off to one side and watching. Seeing that Dave had finished taking out the cargo Jamie came up to him and said with enthusiasm, "Thanks a lot sir. I'd never been on a plane before. It was great being able to sit up front and see everything." Dave smiled and put out his hand and shook Jamie's while saying, "You can pilot with me anytime, Captain." Jamie smiled back at Dave and then walked over to the edge of the wharf to look down into the clean clear water at some tiny fish that were circling next to a wooden piling that was covered in barnacles. Meanwhile Graham came over to retrieve his suitcase. Picking up the bag he said quietly to Dave, "That's a big one I owe you." "Hey that's the most fun I've had on the run in ages," replied Dave. "Just one thing, you haven't seen your sister in years have you?" Graham looked at Dave and hesitated briefly before saying, "It's a long story." Dave smiled at Graham and said, "I saw the bruises Graham and the new clothes. I just hope you know what you're getting into. If I can do anything at all to help just let me know." "I'm not sure if I know what I'm getting into either," said Graham, "but I couldn't just ignore him." "You always were a soft touch weren't you," replied Dave with a gentle smile. Carrying the suitcase Graham began to walk towards Jamie when suddenly a large white dog began to run down the ramp leading to the wharf while barking loudly. The other passengers who were walking up the ramp quickly moved to one side as the dog barrelled past them. At the sound of barking Jamie looked up and watched horrified as the dog reached the bottom of the ramp, leapt into the air, and landed almost on top of Graham. Jamie tried to shout at Graham to warn him but it all happened too quickly. Jamie was about to run over and help but then realized that the dog was not attacking Graham but instead was licking his face and that Graham had his arms around the dog and was petting and hugging her. "Cindy! I've missed you girl," Graham said to the overly excited large white Labrador Retriever as she continued to kiss and jump on Graham. Finally Graham managed to calm Cindy down a bit and she stood in front of Graham as he knelt and continued to hug and pet her. Dave walked up beside Jamie as he watched and said to him quietly, "When Graham first came over to the island here a year ago Cindy belonged to the people that owned the place that he was thinking of buying. While looking the place over, he found out that they had been abusing her. So he told them that either they let him have her along with the place or he would call the police and SPCA on them. So they let Graham have Cindy and she's been his faithful friend ever since he nursed her back to health. She walks all the way from his place down to the bay here every Friday to meet him." "He really did that?" asked Jamie looking up at Dave. "Yes he did. Graham's a very kind and gentle man," replied Dave. "It took a lot of hard work on Graham's part to help Cindy stop being afraid of people but as you can see she's doing fine now." "How does she know when it's Friday?" asked Jamie. "I have no idea," replied Dave. "But she always knows. The only reason she wasn't sitting waiting for him here on the wharf today is that you came over a bit earlier than usual." Dave walked down the wharf and then went up the ramp that connected it to the land to organize the pickup of the cargo that he had brought over. Jamie looked on thoughtfully at Graham while Cindy was still excitedly bouncing around next to him. "Jamie," called Graham. "I want to introduce you to a very special friend of mine. This is Cindy. She looks after my place when I'm away in the city during the week." Jamie walked towards Graham and the large white dog rather hesitantly. He had seen how the dog had almost knocked Graham over in her enthusiasm and Jamie was nervous about getting too close. Jamie had not known any dogs closely and there had been a few unfortunate experiences being chased by guard dogs on occasion while trying to find a place to sleep for the night. Consequently he tended to think of them as being aggressive and dangerous. However as Jamie slowly approached Cindy sat down next to Graham and held up one paw as if to shake hands. "Cindy, this is Jamie. Jamie, this is Cindy," said Graham doing the formal introductions. Cindy barked loudly once to give her own greeting and then got up and sniffed around Jamie a little. She then proceeded to rub against his leg with her head and shoulder. "I think she likes you," said Graham. "Maybe," said Jamie as he gingerly began to pat Cindy on her head. Graham picked up the suitcase he had dropped during all of the excitement and then he, Jamie, and Cindy went over to the ramp and began walking up it. When they got to the top of the ramp Cindy led the way towards a blue jeep parked next to a tree much to Jamie's surprise. The jeep was a total contrast in style to the car that Graham had been driving back in the city. Graham pulled the door open on the driver's side and Cindy immediately jumped up inside and moved over to sit on the passenger seat. Seeing Cindy sitting in the front Graham said to her gently, "Come on now we have a visitor today. You go and sit in the back." Cindy obediently moved into the rear jump seat making room for Jamie who then opened the passenger door and climbed in. "This is yours?" asked Jamie. "Do you like it better than the little roller skate back in the city?" said Graham. "This is way better," said an impressed Jamie as he sat down and put his backpack on his lap. "You need something like this on the island especially in the winter. If it snows out here there aren't any snowplows to clear the roads like in the city," said Graham. Graham turned the key that Jamie noticed had been left in the ignition and started the engine. After checking for people nearby Graham stepped on the gas and they drove up the hill away from the bay and onto the main road that circled the island. "Why were the keys were already in the jeep?" asked Jamie. "Oh I left them in when I went over to the city last Sunday," replied Graham. "Aren't you afraid someone will steal it?" asked Jamie hardly believing his ears. "No not at all. You'll find things are quite different here than back in the city," said Graham. "People don't lock their houses, there's not even a policeman here. Although I think there's one that comes over about once a month or so just to shake a few hands. Besides if anyone did steal it don't forget this is an island. You can't get off it without using the ferry and if someone tried that the ferry workers would start wondering why I wasn't doing the driving." Jamie looked around as they drove and saw that Valdez Island was almost completely forested. Periodically there were side roads leading off to the left or right but Jamie did not see a single traffic light anywhere or even a stop sign. By looking through the gaps in the trees when they occasionally passed a gravel access road Jamie could see that they led to houses and cabins that were nestled in amongst the trees. Some of the places were very small and somewhat rundown while others were large and clearly belonged to people that were very well off. Still others could not be seen at all and were completely hidden by the tall trees and underbrush. The forest was thick and unkempt and Jamie realized that this was not remotely the same as the park he had walked through back in the city. This was the forest primeval in all its dense lush green glory. The road the jeep was following was full of curves, twists, and hills as it wound its way through the trees that covered the island. They had not encountered a single car since leaving the parking lot at the bay and to Jamie it looked so peaceful and tranquil compared to the city that they had left behind. Overhead in the clear blue winter sky Jamie could even see an eagle circling. While they drove along Cindy was licking at Jamie's ear and he moved around in the seat trying to get away. "I was right. You've got a new friend," said Graham as he noticed Jamie squirming in his seat. "It tickles," giggled Jamie as Cindy continued to nuzzle and lick at him. Passing a cluster of mailboxes set in a clearing next to the road Graham turned to the left onto a side road then a few hundred feet further along he turned off into a barely visible gravel path that headed directly into the centre of a tall stand of fir and cedar trees. Jamie looked around but could not see anything through the dense underbrush but then as the jeep continued slowly through the trees they came out into a cleared area and onto a gravel driveway with rose bushes growing alongside it. The driveway led to a carport that was attached to the side of a small split-level house. The outside of the house was clad in thin layered wooden shakes that were stained a medium brown, and the frames around the windows on the back of the house were painted in white making an attractive contrast with the brown exterior. Graham guided the jeep into the carport and as he did Jamie could see what appeared to be a large grass area with a garden in the middle of it out the other side of the carport. Graham turned off the engine, climbed out of the jeep, and said, "Welcome to my little piece of paradise." "This is your house?" asked Jamie anxiously. "Can I get out and look?" "Why don't you and Cindy walk around see everything together? When you're done just come inside and bring your things with you," said Graham as he walked over to the door at the side of the house and opened it without the aid of a key once again surprising Jamie with the casual atmosphere of the island. "Let's go and see everything, Cindy," said Jamie eagerly and Cindy followed Jamie out to the front side of the house. The rear of the house was fairly basic in appearance but the front side of the house was where the builder had put the main effort. Large picture windows on both the main and second floors covered almost the entire front of the house providing a panoramic view of the large garden area and the fruit trees that were laid out in a large U-shaped area which was surrounded at the back by tall fir and cedar trees several hundred feet away at the edge of the maintained area of the property. A covered deck extended out from the front of the house and there was a sliding glass door that connected the deck to the kitchen inside the house. The flower beds that were currently dormant due to the winter weather sloped gently downwards and a pair of small cobblestone paths led across the grass away to the trees in both the left and right directions. Cindy barked once and Jamie followed her as she walked down the path going to the right and discovered that halfway along there was a small fishpond. Cindy lowered her head and took a drink out of the pond while Jamie watched goldfish swimming to and fro in the water as a tiny waterwheel circled off to the side and spilled recirculated water back into the pond. The combination of the relatively modest house and the wide expanse of property that it was situated on were breathtaking to Jamie. He had spent all of his short life in the city and had never seen anything like it. The wooden house, while obviously a work of man, blended smoothly into the natural surroundings. Its green-coloured roof seemed like an extension of the green of the trees around the perimeter. Looking back up at the house Jamie could see Graham moving around inside the kitchen through the glass door on the deck and went back up the path with Cindy following alongside him. They both went back into the carport and then entered the house through the side door. Jamie took off his coat and shoes in the small anteroom that was just inside the house and then followed Cindy through the connecting door into the kitchen carrying his backpack over his shoulder. "So what do you think?" asked Graham with a grin. "It's fantastic," said Jamie. "All this is yours?" "The property line is actually a hundred feet or so into the trees but leaving all that wild keeps everything nice and private," said Graham. "Of course the place didn't look this nice when I first arrived. A lot of work has been done on it since I bought the place." "You did all the work yourself?" asked Jamie. "Oh no, it's not all my doing," said Graham. "The house was here when I bought the place but it was badly rundown and needed a lot of fixing up. I hired some people here on the island to do that for me. The people who live in the next place over introduced me to a native friend of theirs and he connected me with a group of men in his village that were interested in helping me renovate the place. They worked really hard on it and did a wonderful job. The kitchen was completely redone, all the walls were painted, new carpets were put in the bedrooms, the siding on the house had to be all redone and then stained. It was a really big job. The garden I worked on some myself and the people next door's son helped me a lot too. He still helps me out by looking after the place when I'm away in the city and takes care of Cindy when I'm not here. When the weather gets warmer this year I want to make some changes to the flower garden and see if I can learn how to do some woodworking, maybe put up a greenhouse or something like that." "You're lucky," continued Jamie. "I've never seen a place like this before. You have so much space and a fish pond even." "The pond was Jason's idea," said Graham. "I didn't know how to do it but he told me what I needed to get and then he did most of the work during the summer. I think he did a really good job." "Who is Jason?" asked Jamie. "He's the boy that lives in the next place over that I was telling you about," replied Graham. "He's helped me a lot with fixing up the landscaping around the house. He's around your age so I'll have to introduce you. I think you'd like him. You might like to have a friend your age to do things with." "Maybe later," said Jamie tentatively. "Let me show you around inside now so you'll know where everything is," said Graham giving Jamie a tour around the main floor. "This is the kitchen of course, that room over there is my office when I'm at home, there's a bathroom over here, and through this way is the living room." Entering into the main living room Jamie could see out the large picture window to the garden area outside. The nearest wall was covered by a couple of large bookcases full of books and the wall on the opposite side had a large stone fireplace set against it with a black woodstove that was connected to it sitting directly in front of the fireplace. At the back of the living room was a wooden staircase that led up to the floor above. "When it's cold at night the woodstove makes the whole house toasty warm," said Graham. "I'll fire it up after dinner and you'll see what I mean." With Cindy leading the way up the stairs and Jamie following close behind Graham continued the tour, "Then upstairs there's a big bathroom and of course the bedrooms." Hearing Graham speak of bedrooms put Jamie partially on alert but it did not completely quash his amazement with the house. The partial open- plan design meant that Jamie could look down from the upstairs and see all of the living room area laid out below in addition to being able to look out the large picture window to the garden outside. The house while small was open and airy and so completely different from anything that Jamie had seen before. "This can be your room," announced Graham as they stood next to one of the bedrooms. Jamie looked around the bedroom while Graham opened up the suitcase he had been carrying and laid Jamie's things out on the bed. "There's a dresser over there that you can use and of course the clothes closet over here," said Graham. "I'll let you get settled and go down and see about fixing us some lunch. Inside the bathroom you'll find a cupboard that has towels and face cloths, just take anything you need." After Graham left the room Jamie looked out the large bedroom window at the garden and trees below and felt like he had entered a strange new world. It was so unlike anything he had experienced before. It was quiet here on the island, it was peaceful, and despite his constant wariness Jamie felt calm. Opening one of the drawers in the dresser Jamie took his new clothes that Graham had put on the bed and carefully placed them inside. Opening a lower drawer he took his old clothes out of his backpack and laid them out. His old clothes looked so inadequate in these surroundings and the large dresser seemed to swallow them up whole. Then Jamie took the box containing his old worn out running shoes and placed it on the floor inside the clothes closet. Lastly Jamie took his backpack and slid it under the bed where it could not be seen. The entire operation of organizing all of his worldly belongings had taken less than a minute. After putting his things away Jamie once again stopped at the window and looked out of it. He wondered to himself what it would be like to live in a place like this, away from the city, away from the things that he had to deal with on a daily basis. Green trees everywhere, fresh air, no traffic noise, and no police. Jamie still could not get over the last of those - no police, people not locking doors, and leaving keys in their cars. Jamie turned and looked down at Cindy who was sitting next to him and watching him closely. He wondered what it would be like having a dog to play with. Graham had mentioned a boy that lived nearby and Jamie wondered what it would be like to have a friend. What would it be like to be able to go to sleep in a proper bed and not have to worry about who would show up and what would happen in the middle of the night? Jamie shook his head to clear his mind from his reverie. He knew it was foolish to dream like that, it could only lead to disappointment like it always did. Jamie knew that this place was all too good to be true. He decided to just live for the moment because he knew it would all end soon enough. There was no telling how long it was going to last before Graham revealed his true nature and he would have to run again. "I hope we can be friends for a little while," Jamie said to Cindy. "At least until I have to leave. I wonder how long Graham will keep me and put up with me?" Cindy whimpered and rubbed her head against Jamie who knelt and hugged her close. Cindy settled into Jamie's arms and they understood each other in that moment and what had happened to them both in their pasts. *** *** *** *** *** While Jamie was familiarizing himself with his bedroom upstairs Graham was working on preparing lunch. When Jamie came downstairs and into the kitchen Graham looked up from the pot he was stirring. "Thanks a lot for letting me come over here with you Graham," said Jamie. "This is a beautiful place." "Now you can see why I live in such a tiny little cave in the city," replied Graham with a smile. "I'd never want to leave if this was my place," said Jamie wistfully. Graham explained, "I saved my money for years and years so I could have a little place to retire in. I got this a year ago and I've been fixing it up and trying to decide when would be the right time to pull the plug and just stay here permanently. Things are pretty much ready now though. I've just not been able to make up my mind when to do it." Jamie nodded with understanding and added, "I guess it's hard to make a decision like that. Wondering if you'll have enough money to live on or not." "Are you hungry?" asked Graham. "I don't know about you but I could definitely use something to eat." "Yes I'm hungry," said Jamie with enthusiasm but then suddenly added in a worried tone, "I'm hungry a lot I guess aren't I?" "It's all part of growing up. You're supposed to get hungry," said Graham cheerfully. "I used to get in trouble when I got hungry," Jamie said very quietly. "That will never happen here," said Graham kindly. "You open that fridge or the cupboards any time of the day or night and take anything you want. Food, juice, pop, anything at all. No one ever goes hungry in this house." Graham opened up one of the varnished wood cupboards over the counter and pulled out plates and bowls and handed them to Jamie who then took them and put them on the small table off to the side of the kitchen. Graham put some glasses and spoons onto the counter and a few moments later Jamie had them laid out on the table as well. "I'll do up something special for us for dinner but how does soup and sandwiches sound for now?" asked Graham. "That sounds great," replied Jamie. "I like soup. What kind did you open?" "Oh this isn't out of a can," said Graham. "I'm making this from scratch." "You make your own soup?" asked an astonished Jamie. "It's actually pretty easy," replied Graham. "Once you have the soup stock made the rest is just a matter of having the right things in the fridge and cupboards. Today it's going to be chicken vegetable." Jamie watched closely while Graham finely diced up some celery and carrots and added them to the pot that was simmering on the stove. Tasting the soup stock Graham then reached into an overhead cupboard and added some additional salt and pepper to the pot. Lastly he opened a cupboard underneath the counter and pulled out a package of tiny pasta shells and added a handful into the soup pot before giving it a good stir. After putting the lid back onto the pot and lowering the temperature so the soup could simmer Graham moved on to making sandwiches. Taking a big loaf of pumpernickel from the refrigerator he cut thick several slices from it and began to butter them. With periodic interruptions to stir the soup and check the seasoning the sandwiches gradually took form. Cured smoked ham, hand cut slices of aged white cheddar cheese, tomato, and green leaf lettuce began to take their place upon the large slices of bread. "I never saw anyone make soup without a can before," said Jamie. "And I've never seen sandwiches that looked like that." "I hope you'll like it," said Graham. "I made the chicken stock last weekend just before I left to go back to town. Do you want mustard or mayonnaise on your sandwich?" "Mustard please," said Jamie as he continued breathing in the aroma coming from the pot on the stove. After cutting the large sandwiches in two with a bread knife and putting them onto plates he handed them to Jamie to take over to the table. Turning back to the soup and tasting it Graham decided that it was ready and transferred it into two large bowls. Jamie watched as Graham pulled a small brick of beige-coloured cheese from the refrigerator and grated fresh Parmesan over the tops of the steaming bowls of soup. Graham handed the bowls one at a time to Jamie who placed them onto the table. Finally Graham took out some milk and filled the glasses on the table. "Oh dear I forgot the crackers," said Graham as he quickly took the crackers out of a cupboard and then sat down next to Jamie. "We can't have soup without crackers." Graham crushed a few crackers in his hand and added them to the soup before saying, "Let's see how this tastes." Jamie picked up his sandwich and took a big bite and grinned. Graham smiled back and took a bite of his own sandwich. "Mmmm," Jamie said between swallows. "You're a good cook." "Oh this isn't cooking. Wait until tonight then you'll really see something," said Graham with a wink. When they finished lunch Graham picked up the plates and bowls and took them into the kitchen and put them in the sink. Jamie helped out by picking up the glasses and silverware and put them on the counter next to where Graham was standing. "That was wonderful. Thank you very much," said Jamie. "You're very welcome," replied Graham. "Milk tastes a lot better this way than when you have to steal it," added Jamie. Graham's eyebrows rose at Jamie's sad commentary on his life but he only nodded as he rinsed off the dishes and placed them into the dishwasher. While Graham was getting the dishes ready to wash the sliding glass door in the kitchen that led out onto the deck suddenly began to open and Cindy who had been laying quietly on a mat during lunch looked up and barked once. Jamie startled by the noise and the door opening quickly jumped next to Graham and then hid behind him keeping a close watch on the door as it slid open. "Hi Mr. M., how's it going? Everything OK here?" called out a young voice as a boy Jamie's age came in through the sliding door and into the kitchen. "It's OK Jamie. That's Jason, the boy I was telling you about that helped me with the garden," said Graham reassuring him. Jamie looked on as a short slim dark-haired boy with a tanned complexion and soft grey eyes came into the kitchen. Cindy went up to Jason and nuzzled him like an old friend and the boy rubbed her along the top of her head. After greeting her Jason then stood and leaned back against the kitchen counter. "Hi, Jason, everything is perfect as always. Thanks a lot for looking after the place, taking care of Cindy, and putting fresh groceries in the refrigerator for me," said Graham as he wiped off his hands on a towel. "I'd also like to introduce you to a new friend of mine. This is Jamie." "Hi Jamie," said Jason with a big friendly smile and a wave. "Hi," said Jamie rather timidly, looking the smiling boy over with suspicion. "Jamie's family had to go away for a few days so he's going to spend the weekend with me," Graham said to Jason. "Great. Do you like video games? I've got this really neat skateboarding game that runs on my computer. Maybe you'd like to try it," suggested Jason. "Um, maybe. I don't know," stammered Jamie, unsure of himself. He looked up at Graham while continuing to stand partially hidden behind him. "I'll be back in a second. I'm going to get Cindy a dog biscuit," said Jason picking up on a subtle nod sideways from Graham. After Jason left the kitchen Jamie looked at Graham with a conflicted look on his face and said, "Why do you want me when you have him already?" Graham did not fully comprehend Jamie's meaning for a moment but then suddenly realized what he meant and replied, "Oh no, it's nothing like that. It's like I was telling you, Jason lives in the next place over with his family and he helped me out with the garden during the summer. When I'm away in the city working he also takes care of Cindy for me and just before I come back on weekends he makes sure that I have fresh food waiting in the refrigerator for me. He helps me out and I pay him for the work. Just like if he was the paperboy for example and delivered the newspaper at night." "You mean he's not your boy?" asked Jamie with a meaningful stress on the latter part of the question. "No Jamie he's not. It's nothing like that at all. He's just a friend who helps me and nothing else," replied Graham carefully. "So you and he aren't ..." Jamie hinted. "No we aren't. Never have and never will," replied Graham evenly. Jamie breathed an obvious sigh of relief. He had thought that he was going to have to compete with Jason over Graham but that fear was now allayed. While Jamie accepted Graham's assurances he also dismissed Graham's denials of any involvement with Jason as simply being pro forma for the sake of appearances. Unfortunately due to past experience it was going to take time before Jamie could accept that a man would not automatically take advantage of a boy. While Jamie was thinking everything over Jason came back into the room and sat down on the floor next to Cindy and fed her a dog biscuit. "Why don't you let Jason show you around a bit while I clean up things here," suggested Graham. "OK," said Jamie still feeling rather uncertain about Jason. "You can use the bathroom upstairs to get tidied up and there are spare toothbrushes in one of the drawers that you can use," suggested Graham. After Jamie went upstairs to get ready Jason turned to Graham with a questioning look and Graham said to Jason quietly, "Remember Cindy?" Jason's face went pale and he nodded, "That's why he's so scared. What are you going to do?" "I don't know yet. You should have seen him. He was sitting there on the sidewalk just outside where I work asking people for change so he could get something to eat. He was hungry and cold and the weather was freezing. I couldn't just walk on past him," said Graham sadly. "Does he need clothes or anything else?" asked Jason in a serious tone. "You noticed the new clothes," said Graham with a smile. "I only got him a few things. I probably should have gotten more but I didn't think of it then. If you had a few things you could spare that would really help a lot if you wouldn't mind. I wasn't thinking too far ahead right then I guess. Actually I haven't had much of a chance to think ahead at all yet. I'm going to have to sit down and try to figure out what to do and start making some decisions." "We'll disappear for a bit and give you some time," said Jason. "Thanks. Thanks a lot Jason," replied Graham quietly as Jamie returned. "We'll go now Mr. M.," said Jason cheerfully. "You guys have fun," replied Graham. Walking up to Jamie, Graham looked at him and said, "You'll have a good time I promise. And by the time you get back I'll have something special for dinner cooking. Sound OK?" "I guess so," said Jamie sounding only partially convinced. "Thanks again for the great lunch." Jamie went into the anteroom just off the kitchen and picked up his running shoes and his coat and then came back into the kitchen. Graham noticed that Jamie had not put his shoes on yet however. Whatever else Jamie might be Graham thought to himself, thoughtful and considerate were definitely on the list. Graham watched as Jamie followed Jason over to the sliding glass door and then went out, waiting until he was outside before putting on his shoes. Graham wondered silently why a boy like Jamie should ever have ended up with parents like those he had. While he watched Jamie and Jason walk out across the grass Cindy came up and rubbed her side against Graham's leg. "What have I gotten myself into girl?" Graham asked Cindy as he ran his hand over her head and then finally knelt down beside her putting his arms around her. "You already can feel what happened to him can't you? He's going to be needing your help a lot I think." Cindy snuggled close into Graham's embrace and licked at the single tear that began to run down Graham's face. =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Chapter 8 - New Friends Jamie followed Jason away from the deck at the front of the house and down the cobblestone path going to the left. They went down along the edge of the garden and then out towards the tall trees at the edge of the grass. Walking along Jamie once again looked around and marvelled at the surroundings. Other than their footsteps it was totally quiet, so quiet in fact that Jamie almost imagined that he could hear his own heart beating. Jamie had never experienced such peaceful surroundings as these and he wondered to himself how long his stay here was going to last. "Where are we going, Jason?" asked Jamie. "I want you to meet Tails," replied Jason. "And by the way call me Jay." "Tails? Who's Tails?" said Jamie. "You'll see. You'll like Tails," answered Jason with a big smile. The paving stones that the pathway was made from ended where the grass of Graham's garden area met the trees and a thin bare trail took them straight into the middle of the forest. Fallen tree branches crunched under their feet as they walked along and Jamie looked about with interest as they went. The forest floor was strewn with large bright green ferns everywhere Jamie looked and moss hung from the lower branches of the trees in addition to growing on the fallen limbs laying scattered about on the ground nearby. Here and there Jamie could hear birds occasionally calling out in various tones from the branches overhead. It was a completely different world from the city. Jamie thought he knew what a forest was like from walking in the parks back in the city but this was quite different from the small managed bits of forest he had encountered before. Of course the reason for going into the forest was different this time as well. Today Jamie was going on an adventure and not searching for a place to sleep. The change in purpose gave the walk through the tall trees a whole new feeling and Jamie was enjoying the sensation immensely. After they had been walking steadily for a couple of minutes Jason stopped next to a large fallen tree and sat down on it. Then much to Jamie's surprise Jason began to look around and started making strange almost kissing-like noises with his lips. "What are you doing, Jay?" asked Jamie. "Shhh. Watch and you'll see," said a smiling Jason. Then as Jamie watched with amazement a large brown squirrel came down a nearby tree and ran up onto the log that Jason was sitting on. Jason continued to make the sounds and the squirrel stopped about two feet away from him, sat up on its hind legs, and began to twitch its bushy tail. "Oh wow," whispered Jamie. "This is Tails," said Jason with a grin. "I named him that because of the way he twitches his tail all the time." Jamie watched open-mouthed as Jason reached into his coat pocket and pulled out some peanuts and began to feed them to Tails. When Jason offered each peanut in turn Tails took it in his front paws and carefully ate it while sitting up. Jason moved slowly and shifted himself to sit on the log cross-legged and put a peanut on the top of one of his knees. Tails promptly came over, reached up, and took the peanut and ate it. Then Jason put another peanut a bit further up his leg. Tails then climbed up on top of Jason's leg, took the peanut, and sat there while eating it. Jason grinned at Jamie who was absolutely amazed by what he was seeing. Jamie had never managed to get this close to a squirrel before and the idea of having one climb up on him to eat astounded him. He watched closely as Jason continued to feed peanuts to Tails who promptly ate each one as he took it from Jason's hand. "Want to try feeding him?" asked Jason while holding out some peanuts to Jamie. "Can I? Really?" said an excited Jamie. "Sure. Just hold one out to him and don't make any sudden moves or you'll frighten him," replied Jason. Jamie took the peanuts from Jason's outstretched hand and held one out to Tails. The squirrel moved over on Jason's leg a bit and plucked the peanut right out of Jamie's hand and began to eat it. As soon as Tails finished it Jamie held out another and the squirrel took that as well. When Jamie finally ran out of peanuts the squirrel sat up and sniffed in Jamie's direction looking at him expectantly. Then Tails jumped down off Jason's leg and ran over to where Jamie was standing. The squirrel moved up and stood on Jamie's foot, placed his front paws on Jamie's pant leg, and looked up at him hopefully. "Here's a couple more," said Jason handing Jamie the few remaining peanuts from his pocket. "Thanks," said Jamie. Jamie took the peanuts and kneeling down began to feed them once again to Tails. While the squirrel waited for each peanut he rested his front paws on Jamie's pants and then reached up to take the next peanut from Jamie's hand. After the last few peanuts were exhausted Tails sniffed around Jamie's hands to check if there were any more. Realizing that was the end of the treats Tails ran over to the tree he had come down and then went back up it. "What do you think of Tails?" asked Jason with a grin. "That's the most amazing thing I ever saw," said Jamie with delight. "They always ran away from me whenever I'd see them in the parks back in the city." "They do here too mostly," said Jason. "Tails is used to me though. I've been feeding him peanuts for a long time so he knows me and feels safe around me. Let's go this way and I'll show you the stream where I go fishing sometimes." Jamie followed Jason on a small detour away from the trail they had been following and soon they were standing on a dilapidated footbridge going over a small stream that flowed along gently through the forest. Here and there along the edges of the stream were eddy pools that trout could be seen swimming in. While they watched the head of a fish briefly popped up out of one of the eddy pools to catch a bug that had landed on the surface of the water. "Sometimes I like to come here to fish, the trout here are really great," said Jason. "Other times though I also like to come just to watch the fish in the water and to just listen to the wind in the trees." "Wow look at them all," said Jamie. "It's beautiful out here. So different from what I'm used to seeing every day." "Come on, let's get going over to my place and I'll show you my computer," said Jason. The two boys walked back towards the trail that they had been following. After another couple of minutes of walking through the forest they came to a cleared and grassy area with a small house situated in the middle of it. There were a few small empty flower beds and there were a number of currently bare fruit trees scattered about as well. "This is my house," announced Jason. "Does everyone live like this here?" asked Jamie. "I've never seen places like this in the city. You have so much room." "No, there's one part of the island near the bay where the houses are all close together like in a city. But most people live here because they like having a little more space so they don't feel all squished together," replied Jason. "I've gone over to the city sometimes but I don't like it there and I'm always glad to get back to the island." "I sure wish I could live in a place like this instead of ..." and Jamie's voice trailed off. Suddenly Jamie spotted something and pointed and said excitedly, "Look over there, I don't believe it!" Jason looked where Jamie was pointing and smiled, "Oh, that's Kushe- suksi." "What does that mean?" asked Jamie. "It's an Indian name. It means Great Deer," replied Jason. "He comes here to eat the grass and in the summer sometimes the flowers too. Dad chases after him and tries to stop him from eating the flowers but he just keeps coming back anyway. Be completely quiet, don't move suddenly, and follow me slowly." The large white-tailed deer was busy nibbling away at the grass as Jason slowly led Jamie towards him. Walking very carefully Jamie followed Jason as he moved closer. The deer looked up and watched Jason intently but did not run away as they approached. "Watch this," said Jason softly as he slowly reached out and ran his hand gently over the deer's flank. While Jason stroked his hand gently over the deer's side it lowered its head and resumed nibbling at the grass clearly unconcerned about Jason being close or touching him. "That's incredible. How do you get him to not run away?" asked Jamie quietly so as not to frighten the deer. "Animals have a strong sense of who is dangerous and who isn't," answered Jamie. "They know I would never hurt them and they're used to seeing me around. That's why they aren't afraid of me. A wise Indian man I know taught me how to talk to the animals and if you do it right then they aren't scared of you." "Talk to the animals?" said Jamie incredulously. "That's crazy. No one can talk to animals." "Sure they can if you know how," continued Jason. "Haven't you said something to Cindy and didn't she understand you?" "Yes, but that's different," said Jamie. "Not at all, it's all in how you do it," explained Jason. "My friend Pony Twofeathers is an old medicine man and he taught me how people don't pay attention to nature any more. How if you listen to the sounds of the forest and what the animals are saying to each other you can tell what kind of weather is coming, who else is in the forest, and all kinds of things." "But it's quiet out here. You can't hear anything," said Jamie. Jason replied, "You're still using your city ears. You need to unlearn those ways and then you can begin to hear the sounds in nature. Nature is never quiet if you know how to watch and how to listen. Once you open yourself to it you can hear it inside you and communicate with it." While Jason explained Jamie looked on and was profoundly impressed with the wisdom of a boy who was no older than himself. Jamie wondered if he might be around long enough to learn some of the things that Jason was describing to him. Although it initially sounded far-fetched, after giving it some thought Jamie realized that what Jason was telling him did make sense. Surviving on the streets Jamie had learnt to read the signs, to hear the sounds, or notice things in people that made the difference between surviving and becoming a victim. The language and signals here were going to be very different but the basic concept was the same. Jamie then realized that it would be a matter of being taught, getting to know the environment, and not being oblivious as most people usually were to their surroundings. Leaving the deer behind Jamie followed Jason up towards the house and they went through a door in the back. After taking off their coats and hanging them on hooks in a tiled area just inside the door, Jason led Jamie down a hallway and into the kitchen where his mother was busy stirring something in a large mixing bowl. "Hi Mom," said Jason. "This is Jamie. He's a friend of Mr. M's." "Nice to meet you Jamie," said Jason's mother as she added some chocolate chips into the bowl while looking up from the cookie dough that she was mixing with a smile. "Hello, ma'am," replied Jamie quietly while looking slightly downwards and avoiding direct eye contact. "You don't have to call me ma'am," said Jason's mother in a friendly tone. "If you're a friend of Graham's that means you're now a friend of ours. So just call me Kathy." "Um, yes ma'am ... Mrs. ... Kathy," stammered Jamie feeling very uncomfortable and still avoiding looking directly at Jason's mother. "I'm going to show Jamie my computer," announced Jason as he took Jamie by the hand and went out of the kitchen. Walking up the stairs to his bedroom Jason said, "You're going to love this game I've got, it's really great." "Are you sure your Mom won't mind me being here?" asked Jamie hesitantly. "No way, she'll think it's great I've got a new friend," replied Jason happily. Jamie smiled as he heard Jason refer to him as a friend. It was hard to have or keep friends while living on the streets and the few he did manage to make tended to disappear without a trace after a period of time. Jamie often wondered what had become of the boys that had vanished but he tried not to think too much along those lines. The answers he knew all too well were not particularly pleasant. "You've got a TV in your room!" exclaimed Jamie as they entered into Jason's room. "It's an old one but it's mine," replied Jason. "That way if Mom and Dad are looking at a movie I can watch something else if I don't like it." "Wow," said Jamie taking in the other things in Jason's room, then adding slowly, "But ... don't you have to do stuff to get all these things?" "I've got chores to do sometimes," said Jason not understanding Jamie's question. "Just chores?" asked Jamie dubiously. "Nothing else?" "What else would I have to do?" asked Jason not following Jamie's line of questioning. "Oh nothing," replied Jamie quickly covering up and not completely believing the answer that Jason had given him. "Look at this," said Jason as he turned on the display screen for his computer and then started the machine up. "It's the latest model. Mr. M. talked to a sales guy at a computer company he did some work for that owed him a favour and helped my dad get it at a discount for me." After the machine was running Jason started up the game program and grabbed the hand controls that had been sitting on the side of the desk and gave one to Jamie. Jamie sat next to him on Jason's bed and watched closely as Jason showed him how to play the game. Watching Jason closely Jamie quickly picked up on how to play the game and after a couple of solo demonstration runs Jason then switched the game into dual-player mode so they could play against each other. At first Jason was beating Jamie handily but in short order Jamie was catching on to the subtle tricks needed and began to give Jason serious competition. Totally absorbed in the game neither boy noticed right away when Jason's mother entered the bedroom. However within a few seconds the smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies collected their attention away from the game. "Here you go boys. I thought you could use a little treat," said Kathy as she passed over the plate of cookies she had balancing on top of two glasses of juice. "Thanks a lot Mom," said Jason taking the plate of cookies from his mother. "Thank you ma'am ... I mean Kathy," replied Jamie quietly still avoiding Kathy's eyes. "You didn't need to do this." "Oh it's no trouble at all. I know you boys need lots of brain food when you're hard at work," Kathy chuckled as she left the bedroom to go back down to the kitchen. The game continued and as it did the cookies on the plate gradually disappeared along with the juice. Eventually Jamie completely caught up to Jason and was just about to overtake him when out of the corner of Jamie's eye he saw a large shadow appear at the door at the bedroom door. "Hi there boys. Who's winning?" boomed a deep voice from a tall muscular broad-shouldered man standing in the entrance to Jason's bedroom. "Hey Dad, you're home from work!" said Jason happily. "This is my new friend Jamie. He's staying over at Mr. M's place." Looking up and suddenly seeing the big man standing in the doorway Jamie's face blanched. In a flash he had dropped the game controller he was holding and was moving fast. He leapt from the bed as if struck by lightning and now was standing with his back against the wall and was facing the man with his eyes locked onto him. "Hello Jamie, I'm Frank Tomlinson," said Jason's father pleasantly while walking fully into the room and extending a large hand towards Jamie. The abject terror in Jamie's face was plain to see but nevertheless the petrified boy slowly put his hand out and let Frank shake it. The moment that Frank let go of Jamie's hand the frightened boy snatched it back while remaining glued against the wall. Jason saw that Jamie's eyes remained trained on his father watching his every move. Jason had seen this kind of look before but only in a wild animal that was cornered and knew it was about to be attacked or killed. It was the same reaction Cindy had when Graham had first introduced her to Jason after he had rescued her from her previous owners. "Is everything OK Jamie?" asked Frank with concern. "Yes sir. I'm OK," stammered Jamie his body visibly trembling. "I didn't do anything, honest I didn't. I was just sitting quietly and not touching anything." Jason and his father exchanged a glance with each other and were not quite sure how to respond to Jamie's panic stricken reaction. Frank backed away a couple of steps from Jamie and knelt down so he did not appear as large from Jamie's point of view. Despite this however Jamie remained plastered against the wall and watched Frank's slightest movements like a hawk. "Everything is OK Jamie. I just wanted to say hello to Jason's new friend," said Frank gently. "Yes sir," replied Jamie formally like a soldier facing a firing squad. The blood had drained from Jamie's face and its whiteness clearly attested to his continuing deep fear. Frank could also tell Jamie did not believe his good intentions for a split-second. Realizing that the best course of action for now was a retreat Frank stood up and backed out of Jason's bedroom and as he did a visibly relieved Jamie let out his breath. Jason looked over to Jamie with concern and patted the bed next to him to indicate to Jamie that he should come back and sit down next to him. "It was really bad at home wasn't it," said Jason gently after Jamie hesitantly sat down again next to him. "Bad enough I finally had to run away in the spring," replied Jamie still shaking from fear. "It was your dad that hurt you," said Jason as a statement and not a question. Seeing Jamie nod silently Jason added, "I guess that means you're kind of scared of Mr. M. too aren't you?" "Yes, but I have to do what I have to do if I want to eat," answered Jamie. Not quite understanding Jamie's answer Jason asked a final question, "Where have you been living since you left home?" "The corner of Knight Avenue and Wharf Street," whispered Jamie with his head lowered. Jason's eyes opened wide as a full understanding of Jamie's life finally came to him. Hearing the well-known pickup spot being provided as a home address was not quite what Jason had been expecting. Jason realized when he first saw Jamie that things in the boy's life were not what they should be, but he had not been expecting this. It explained a lot but opened up an equal number of new questions. Seeing the look of shock on Jason's face Jamie started to get up and said quietly, "I'd better go now. You don't want me around anymore now that you know what I am." "No, no. Don't go," said Jason putting his arms around Jamie. "You're my friend and I don't care about any of that stuff." "But what about your parents? They're going to get mad when you tell them," said Jamie. "No they won't. Besides I'm allowed to have whoever I want for a friend. And I want you," said Jason with finality. Getting up off the bed Jason picked up the dropped game controller and handed it back to Jamie and said, "Here you play a game yourself for a minute, I'm going to go and get us some more cookies." *** *** *** *** *** "I can't believe what just happened up there," said Frank to his wife. "That boy was absolutely terrified of me Kathy. I walked into Jason's bedroom and you wouldn't believe how he reacted. You'd have thought I was about to murder him or something. He couldn't have been any more scared of me than if I'd walked in carrying a knife dripping blood. It was unbelievable, like he'd just seen the devil himself walk in." "You are a bit of a devil sometimes you know," Kathy said elbowing Frank. "This is no joking matter," continued an exasperated Frank. "That poor boy was frightened out of his mind." "I know," said Kathy softly. "He wasn't exactly thrilled to see me either when Jason brought him over. Something isn't right at home with his parents I can tell you that much without even asking any questions." Just then Jason slipped quietly into the kitchen and said, "Mom, Dad, I need to talk to you for a second." Frank and Kathy looked on with pain as Jason told them what he knew of Jamie while leaving out Jamie's mention of what he had been doing in order to survive. Frank looked at Kathy and both could tell that Jason had not told them everything he had learnt but they trusted their son and did not prod Jason to reveal everything. "Mr. M. said that he found Jamie asking people for change to get food to eat. He was also wondering if maybe he could borrow some of my old clothes for Jamie," added Jason after briefly outlining the fact that Jamie had run away from home and had been living on the streets. "Oh of course he can," said Kathy. "Oh my goodness the poor little dear. It's no wonder he acted the way he did. Whatever it was that happened at home it must have been terrible for him to have to run away. He seemed awfully shy with me but given how he reacted to your father it's a safe bet that his own father must have been at the heart of whatever it was." "I don't know what it was he did to that boy but I think I want to meet this father," said Frank darkly. "If Jamie's reaction to me is any indication of what the guy is like it's going to be a very short conversation." "Jamie's had to do some things to be able to eat and I don't want him to have to do that anymore," said Jason sadly. "Do you mean ...," asked a horrified Frank. "I really want to help him if I can," said Jason avoiding answering the question. Frank and Kathy exchanged a shocked look and both understood what Jason was telling them while nevertheless avoiding a direct answer. Frank swallowed heavily as his mind started down the path that Jason had indicated and the obvious conclusions that followed where not happy ones. "Make sure that Jamie knows that we'll do anything we can to help him," said Frank. "And let Graham know too." "I have to get back now. I don't want Jamie to start worrying," said Jason quickly grabbing a couple of extra cookies to take back with him. Jason walked back into the bedroom and sat down next to Jamie on the bed. Jamie was engrossed in the game on the computer and Jason could see that Jamie had learnt fast and was quickly racking up the points. "Sorry I took so long," said Jason as he handed Jamie one of the cookies he had brought from the kitchen. "Mom wanted me to help her with something in the kitchen." "That's OK," said Jamie putting down the game controller and taking the cookie Jason was offering him. "You catch on fast," said Jason in between bites of his cookie. "It took me a month to get that good." "Sometimes playing video games is all there is to do," said Jamie. "That is if I have any money. The arcade is also a good place to maybe find someone that'll ..." "You won't have to do that any more now that you're over here on the island with Mr. M.," said Jason as he picked up one of the game controllers and started a new game so they could play together. "It'd sure be nice," said Jamie wistfully. "Things are going to different for you now," said Jason. "I just know they will be." Jamie and Jason played a few more rounds and after ending up virtually tied Jamie was once again smiling and happy. Jason looked out the window and saw that it was beginning to get dark. With the coming of winter the sun went down much earlier than in the summer and it would not be long before the stars would be visible in the cold and cloudless night sky. "I should probably show you the way back to Mr. M's place," said Jason. "You're new here and you might get lost in the forest trying to get back at night." "Oh right, I hope Graham won't be mad at me. He didn't say how long I could stay away," said a worried Jamie. "Oh don't worry about Mr. M.," said Jason with a laugh. "He's the world's biggest pussycat." Jamie looked at Jason with a doubtful look even though everything that Jamie had seen of Graham to this point supported Jason's assertion. Nevertheless Jamie's past experiences with men were hard to ignore and the fact that Graham had not become mad thus far did not prove anything. Jamie knew what men were like and he knew that they could change character in an instant. Getting up off the bed and turning off the computer the two boys went back downstairs. Soon they were standing in the tiled area next to the back door putting on their coats and shoes getting ready for the walk back to Graham's house. Jamie heard the sound of feet and looked up to see Kathy standing in the hallway holding a large package wrapped in brown paper. She smiled at Jamie and said, "Could you take this over to Graham for me, Jamie?" Jamie walked over slowly and still avoiding direct eye contact took the package from Kathy saying, "Yes ma'am ... Kathy. And thank you for the cookies they were really good." "I'm glad you liked them," replied Kathy. Then taking a second small package from Frank who was standing behind her she added with a smile, "And here's a little something just for you." Jamie looked puzzled but then he smiled as he detected the aroma of more freshly baked chocolate chip cookies coming from the slightly warm package. "Oh thank you. This is wonderful," said Jamie with an enthusiastic smile looking up at Kathy directly for the first time. "I hope you'll come over and visit Jason and us again soon," said Frank cheerfully while standing back behind Kathy. "Yes sir," said Jamie quietly while backing up towards the door to the house, the smile on his face vanishing as quickly as it had come. With Jason's parents watching on with concern Jason led Jamie out the door and back towards the forest for the return walk to Graham's house. "I think you should call Graham," said Kathy after the door closed behind the boys. "Yes, I think you're right. I'm not sure what we can do but that boy needs help," replied Frank. =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Chapter 9 - The Fear Within Jamie and Jason walked back along the trail between Jason's and Graham's house. With the sun now almost gone the forest was rapidly cloaking itself in dark shadows and seemed very different than it had earlier in the day. The sounds of the animals and the air moving through the tree branches earlier in the day had seemed so inviting but now seemed a bit intimidating to Jamie. "Don't you get scared walking around out here when it gets dark at night?" asked Jamie. "No, there's nothing to be scared of out here," replied Jason simply. "But what about wild animals?" asked a somewhat nervous Jamie. "What kind of wild animals? You mean like a bear or something?" asked Jason. "I guess you think I'm being silly don't you?" said Jamie feeling a little embarrassed. "Not at all," said Jason. "There's nothing on the island like that though. No dangerous animals at all. Well except the one kind ... but you already know all about that sort I think." "I sure do," sighed Jamie. "Jamie, you don't ever have to tell me anything, not ever, but ... you really got scared when my dad came into my bedroom," Jason said carefully. "Did your father hurt you a lot?" Jamie stopped walking and looked off into the darkness for a minute and then said quietly, "He used to ... do stuff to me and when I'd try to stop him he would beat me until I gave in. He's kind of big like your dad is and I just ... I'm sorry. I didn't mean your dad is like bad or something. It's just that whenever mine would show up I knew it was bad news for me." "Didn't your mom try to stop him?" asked Jason. "She was too busy holding the camera," whispered Jamie with his head lowered. Jason's heart ached as he listened to Jamie's words and he sat down on a nearby log and motioned for Jamie to sit beside him. Putting his hand on Jamie's knee Jason looked at him said, "Don't ever feel ashamed about it, not ever. It wasn't you. You were forced into it. They're the ones that should be ashamed. I just want you to know that my dad and my mom won't ever do anything like that to you. The same goes for Mr. M. My dad looks big and tough on the outside but he's really just a big fuzzy teddy bear on the inside. I guess you've not seen many nice guys though have you?" "You don't living the way I have to," said Jamie quietly. "Now you know two of them. Mr. M. and my Dad," said Jason. "They're both great, just in different ways." "I guess. It's just so hard to trust anyone," said Jamie not completely convinced. "Even the ones that seem nice at the beginning always turn out mean eventually and then I have to run again." "I'm your friend now and you'll always be able trust me," replied Jason with a big smile. "I won't ever let you down. If you ever think that you need to run again please tell me and I'll help you. I want you to be happy here for a long time." "I've never been able to stay anywhere for very long," said Jamie. "I think this time will be different," said Jason. "I'm sure that we're going to be friends for a long time." They got up and walked along in silence for a few minutes and then noticing how Jason always seemed to know which way to turn Jamie said, "Don't you ever get lost out here?" "No, I know my way around the woods. After a while you recognize the different trees and things just like in a city you recognize the brown house or the yellow house when you're walking along a street. And even if you do get lost nature tells you where you are and how to find your way around," said Jason while pointing up towards the stars that were just starting to peek through the treetops in the rapidly darkening sky. "You don't see many stars in the city," said Jamie. "That's because there are too many street lights and because the air is dirty. You'll like it here better. The sky has so many stars it almost looks like it's on fire when it's totally dark," said Jason. "Have you ever seen the Northern Lights?" "What's that?" asked Jamie. "It takes your breath away the first time you get to see it," answered Jason. "I saw it when I was visiting my cousins down east during the Easter holidays. There are these big ribbons of colour that hang from the night sky. They can be blue, green, yellow, red, or gold. It's from the sun's rays hitting the magnetism of the earth but that makes it sound boring. Pony says it's the 'fire from heaven that soothes the mortal soul'. I think that's a lot nicer way to describe it." "It sounds really neat but I don't think I'll ever be able to go there to see it. I don't even know how long I'll be allowed to stay here," said Jamie quietly. "Don't give up hope Jamie," said Jason taking Jamie's hand in his. "We'll figure out something I know we will." *** *** *** *** *** "He did what?" said Graham into the telephone. "I'm telling you Jamie was absolutely petrified when I popped into Jason's room to say hello when I got home from work," came Frank's voice over the telephone. "His face was as white as a sheet and he was literally trembling. All I did was walk in for just a minute to shake his hand." "I'll bet it's because of his father," said Graham. "Jamie has told me some of what happened to him and between what he's said and what he hasn't said it's obvious that he was badly abused at home. He ran away and I found him begging for quarters on the sidewalk yesterday next to the office. He was dirty, hungry, and you should have seen the old torn clothes he had on." "If his reaction to me is any indication it must have been pretty bad," said Frank. "I think you can safely assume that," said Graham. "After he finished washing up at my place in town I could see scars on his back." "Scars?" said an astounded Frank. "What kind of scars?" "The kind you used to see on the slaves in old movies," said Graham slowly. "The kind you get from being whipped." "Whipped?" said an astounded Frank. "That would explain it then. His father must have been doing it. No wonder he was terrified of me. He must have thought I was going to tear into him." "That's my best guess," said Graham. "Probably the father is a big guy like you are and the vague resemblance was all it took to set Jamie into panic mode." "Kathy said he wouldn't even look up at her so I'll take a guess the mother was part of it too," said Frank. "You know we have to do something about this." "Oh I'm going to," said Graham. "I just thought I'd let Jamie have a few days of peace and quiet first. He doesn't know me at all and I want to let him get to know I'm not a threat to him before I stir the pot and get him upset by poking my nose into his life." "When the time comes you let me know when you're going back to town and I'll come with you," said Frank. "I've been mulling it over in my head about what I can do," said Graham. "Somehow I have to get the authorities involved but from what Jamie's told me they're on automatic pilot and when he's been picked up before all they've done is just hand him back to his parents for more of the same treatment. They didn't listen to anything he tried to tell them. There's got to be a way though to get them to wake up and pay attention." "Let me have a talk with Kathy tonight," said Frank. "Maybe we can come up with some ideas that might help. We can't let him get sent back for any more of that." "That's what's been stewing in my mind," said Graham. "Trying to figure out an angle so he won't get hurt anymore. That and so he won't have to live the way he has been." "Jason hinted that Jamie mentioned something about that," said Frank. "Is it on the level?" "From the way he looked when I first saw him and the little he's told me unfortunately begging for quarters wasn't the only thing he's had to do in order to eat," said Graham sadly. "Oh no," said Frank slowly. "I'm glad you brought him home with you if that's what he's had to do. No one should ever be forced into a life like that just to survive and especially not a youngster." "When I first saw him sitting on the sidewalk I was only thinking about getting something for him to eat but the more I saw and the more I learnt I realized that I couldn't just stop there," said Graham. "I have no idea where this is all going. All I know is that I have to do something." "You know you can count on us all the way," said Frank. "Thanks. That means a lot to me," said Graham. "I haven't a clue what I'm getting myself into yet but I'm not going to let him go back to that life if I can possibly help it." "We'll figure it out together don't you worry," said Frank. "I'd better let you go now. They'll be getting back to your place in a few minutes. I just wanted to let you know something was up in case you didn't already know." "Thanks for calling," said Graham. "It's another piece of the puzzle and it fits in with what I already knew. Once I figure out what I'm going to do I'll let you know." "You bet," said Frank. "Take care and good luck." "Give Kathy my regards," said Graham. "Talk to you later." Graham hung up the telephone and tried to digest what Jason's father had just told him. Putting the pieces together, Graham knew for certain now that Jamie's parents were the focal point of Jamie's troubles. The mother was part of it but the father was the key. Graham made up his mind in that moment that one way or another that the scars on Jamie's back were going to be redeemed in full someday. Suddenly Cindy who had been laying on the floor next to Graham while he talked on the telephone sat up, barked once, and looked towards the sliding door off to the side of the kitchen. Graham looked out the kitchen window and as he did he could see Jamie and Jason walking up towards the house. Graham went into the anteroom next to the kitchen and opened the outer door and Cindy ran out to greet Jamie and Jason like they were long-lost friends. Jamie knelt down and hugged the dog and Graham smiled seeing that Jamie's earlier concerns about Cindy were fading. They were starting to become good friends and that pleased Graham. Jamie and Cindy had both had a lot in common and Graham knew that they would understand each other better than anyone else. "Hi Mr. M.," called out Jason as the two boys entered the house and Graham closed the door behind them. "Hi Jamie. Hello Jason," Graham replied. "Did you guys have a good time today?" Jamie looked Graham's face over carefully before replying but seeing nothing but a smile relaxed, "We did lots of things." "Did you like going to visit at Jason's house?" asked Graham. "Oh yes," said Jamie gradually becoming more animated. "There's this squirrel that Jay knows who sits on him, and we fed him peanuts, and there was this deer at Jay's place and he petted him, and Jay's got this fantastic computer, and his mom makes these incredible cookies! Look, she even gave me some to bring back with me. It was great!" Graham smiled and said, "It sounds like you both had a wonderful time then. Would you like to stay with us for dinner tonight Jason?" "No, I'd better get back. I want to finish up my homework tonight so I don't have any to do on the weekend," said Jason. Jason turned to go and Jamie stopped him and said, "Thanks for letting me visit your house Jay. I liked it a lot." "It was great you came to visit," replied Jason. "How about I come over tomorrow and maybe we can do something else?" "I ... I don't know if I can," said Jamie looking hopefully towards Graham. "Of course you can," said Graham encouragingly. "Why don't you come over about ten o'clock Jason. We should be done with breakfast by then, unless of course Jamie decides to sleep in." Jamie giggled and said, "I won't sleep in." Jason smiled and said, "OK, so I'll see you around ten then," and he went out the side door after giving Cindy another hug. After Jason left Jamie turned to Graham and handed him the large parcel he was carrying and said, "Jay's mom said I should bring this to you." "Oh thanks a lot," said Graham who upon feeling the parcel knew what was in it. "While I'm putting this away why don't you go into the kitchen and check out what's bubbling in the pots on the stove and see what's in the oven." Running quickly upstairs Graham tore open the package and inside found T-shirts, socks, underwear, a couple of pairs of blue jeans, and some pyjamas. The 'Instant Adoption Kit - just add boy' Graham chuckled to himself as he quietly slipped the contents into the dresser in Jamie's room while also a bit surprised at himself for thinking of Jamie in those terms. Looking at Jamie's old shirt and pants so forlornly laid out in one of the drawers of the dresser hurt Graham profoundly. For a youngster to have nothing beyond the clothes on his back strengthened and reaffirmed Graham's resolve to try and do something even if he was still not sure what exactly that something should be. At least for now however Jamie would have a bit of variety in clothes to wear and Graham smiled at the thought that Jamie would get a nice surprise the next time he checked the dresser. Graham came back down the stairs and walked into the living room while folding up the brown paper that the clothes had been wrapped in. Opening the tempered glass door on the firebox of the wood stove Graham pushed the wrapping paper in and closed it again. Coming back into the kitchen Graham said, "Do you think you're going to like what's for dinner?" "It smells great but I don't know what everything is," said Jamie. Graham moved over to the stove, began to lift pot lids, and turned on the light in the oven while saying, "In this pot we've got Brussels sprouts and this one is cauliflower in cheese sauce. Then in the oven we've got baked potatoes on the top rack." "What's that big thing wrapped up in foil on the bottom rack?" asked Jamie. "Oh that's the main course. It's a surprise," said Graham with a grin. "It sure smells good whatever it is," said Jamie. "At home a fancy dinner was Hamburger Insta-Meal that was dried-out and usually burnt." Graham shuddered and replied, "You won't find anything like that here. I'm not a gourmet chef but I think you'll like what's in the oven. For real gourmet food we'll have to talk Frank into firing up his smoker and barbecue. You've not had meat until you've had it done by Frank. It's to die for." "I've never had anything like that before," said Jamie simply. "Don't you worry we'll fix that real soon," said Graham. "There'll be lots of it at the Christmas Barbecue next week and you can go crazy." "What's the Christmas Barbecue?" asked Jamie. "That's something Frank organizes each year for all of their friends," explained Graham. "Everyone that comes brings something different like vegetables, potatoes, or desserts. Frank usually provides several different types of meat and cooks it all up outdoors on his deck. He starts early in the day and by the time its late afternoon everything is ready and it all just melts in your mouth. It's a really nice way for everyone to get together for the holiday. Jason will be there of course too and you'll have a lot of fun." Graham took out some dinner plates and laid them down on the countertop. Using a pair of oven mitts Graham pulled the potatoes out of the oven and placed one each plate. He slit both potatoes open, pushed a chunk of butter into each, and then after waiting a few seconds for it to melt used a knife and cut the flesh of the potato in a diagonal pattern to allow the butter to soak in. Then Graham finished the potatoes off by adding a large dollop of sour cream from a container he took out of the fridge. Next Graham put the oven mitts back on and opened the oven again to pull out the aluminum foil-wrapped main course and placed it onto a serving platter. Picking up a fork Graham then started to coax open the folded seam on the aluminum foil while taking care not to burn himself. Steam started to emerge and momentarily obscured Graham's fingers as he continued to unwrap the foil, while Jamie's nose was on overdrive trying to figure out what it was that was smelling so good. "Et maintenant, la pice de rŽsistance," said Graham using an atrociously exaggerated French accent which caused Jamie to giggle as he pulled back the aluminum foil revealing the main course - stuffed baked salmon. "Oh wow!" said Jamie as he now saw the large fish clearly laid out before him on the platter. "I've never seen a fish that big before, it's huge! It smells wonderful too." "Just wait until you taste it," said Graham reaching for a dinner plate and a knife. Graham ran the knife along the back of the fish and then using a fork lifted off a large piece of meat from the bones and moved it onto the plate that he was holding. Then Graham added a large spoonful of the cauliflower and some of the Brussels sprouts onto the plate from the pots that had been simmering on the stove. "Would you like some of the stuffing?" asked Graham looking towards Jamie. Seeing Jamie's rapidly nodding head Graham realized that an answer was unnecessary. He spooned out a generous amount of the fragrant stuffing onto the plate before finally handing it to Jamie who stood next to him watching carefully. "Think you can handle all of that?" asked Graham. "Absolutely," said a beaming Jamie as he walked over to the table carrying the heavily laden plate. Graham began serving himself and then noticing that Jamie was waiting for him said, "You go ahead and eat it'll get cold." A few moments later Graham also sat down at the table with his own plate, although not piled quite as high as Jamie's. After a couple of minutes where silence reigned supreme Graham paused and asked, "So what do you think of dinner?" In between mouthfuls Jamie replied, "This is amazing! You're a super cook. You always eat like this?" "Maybe not quite this fancy but today is a special day and I wanted to do something extra impressive for you," said Graham. "You're the nicest guy I ever met," said Jamie with total sincerity. Graham blushed and covered his embarrassment by busying himself with offering Jamie some more of the salmon in addition to more of the cauliflower and sprouts. Jamie did not slow down eating and it did not take long before his plate was looking bare again. Graham grinned and nodded when Jamie began to look longingly towards the half eaten salmon sitting on the counter. Graham had heard about the appetites that boys possessed from Frank and Kathy but hearing about it and seeing it firsthand were clearly two different things. At this rate, mused Graham with a smile, he might have to get a bigger freezer. Eventually Jamie reached his limit and Graham was no longer able to entice him into having any more. Graham then got up and showed Jamie how to put Cindy's dinner together. After the dog biscuits were in the bowl and a few chunks of fish had been added onto the top as a treat Graham gave the bowl to Jamie who put it down onto the floor for Cindy who had been waiting patiently. A couple of minutes later Jamie could see that Cindy was making short work of her dinner so when he turned to help pick up the dirty dishes off of the kitchen table Jamie reached over to the remains of the fish and snuck a couple of extra pieces from the serving platter. Lowering his hand down with the fish pieces hidden inside it, Cindy who had been watching Jamie closely, quickly made them disappear and then rubbed her head against Jamie's leg appreciatively. Once the dishes were in the dishwasher and everything cleaned up everyone moved into the living room. Graham built up a good fire in the woodstove that stuck out from the fireplace and very quickly they were enjoying the warmth that spread throughout the room. While he had been putting the fire together Graham noticed that Cindy who normally liked to lie close to the woodstove was instead laying at Jamie's feet as he sat on the sofa. Any time that Jamie would shift position she would look up at him carefully and then settle back down again up against his feet. Periodically Jamie ran a sock-clad foot over Cindy's back and Graham smiled at the bond that was clearly forming between them. Graham knew that there was always something special about boys and dogs but the usual friendship was forming very quickly in the case of these two. Graham sensed that two kindred spirits were beginning to realize things about each other without words even being spoken. "Is it true that Jay knows an Indian medicine man?" asked Jamie. "I thought that was just in movies." "Oh no," Graham replied. "Medicine men still exist. They're a respected elder of the tribe and people seek out their advice on a lot of things. Jason's told me lots of stories about his friend and Frank has told me some too. Jason is becoming very attuned to nature and he's taught me a lot of things about how to relax and hear the sounds of the outdoors." Jamie sighed and said, "I wish I could live on an island like this. Far away from the city, away from them, ... far away from everything." Graham felt the pain in Jamie's statement and wanted to say something but he knew he could not, at least not yet. A plan was half-forming in his mind but he needed to find out if it would work first and until he did he did not want to get Jamie's hopes up by speaking too soon. At this point false hope would simply be cruel and Graham did not want Jamie to feel betrayed if something were to go wrong. In any case Graham wanted to let Jamie have some quiet time before he stirred things up by taking action. This was not the time to be giving Jamie anything new to worry about. Noticing Jamie yawning Graham asked, "Would you like to go on up to bed? I don't mind if you're tired. I usually have a cup of tea before I do." Jamie looked at Graham suspiciously but seeing nothing laying behind the suggestion said, "Is it OK?" "Sure," Graham replied. "Today has been an exciting one for both of us and you probably could do with a good rest. Besides don't forget that Jason is coming back over tomorrow and you'll be able to do more things with him." "That's going to be great," said Jamie getting up off the sofa. "I like him a lot." "Why don't you run upstairs then and change for bed," said Graham. "I don't have anything to put on," said Jamie matter-of-factly. "But I can just take this off and sleep in my underwear." "That sounds good. Just make sure that you put your clothes away in the dresser before you climb into bed," said Graham knowing that his suggestion would cause Jamie to discover the clothes that he had unknowingly brought back when he returned from Jason's house. "Don't worry I will," said Jamie as he got up to walk upstairs to the bedroom with Cindy following along right at his side. A few minutes later Jamie came racing downstairs and gave a rather embarrassed Graham an almost rib-crushing hug. Graham blushed furiously but was pleased nevertheless that Jamie had found the surprise clothes waiting for him in the dresser. "Thanks for the extra clothes," Jamie said with a big smile while showing off the pyjamas he was now wearing. "I thought you might need some extra things to wear," said Graham. "I guess I should've gotten you some more stuff when we were in town but I wasn't thinking far enough ahead." "These are great," said Jamie with enthusiasm. "When did you buy them? I never saw you go out anywhere. Did you get them today when I was over at Jay's?" "They aren't brand new," said Graham. "I talked with Jason and we arranged it between us." "They're Jay's?" asked Jamie with concern. "He's not going to like it that I've got his stuff." "Yes they're his but you don't need to worry because he wants to help and doesn't mind at all," said Graham. "Jason and his family want to help you just like I do." "You guys are so nice to me all the time," said Jamie a bit sadly. "What's with the sad face?" inquired Graham. "When Jay's dad showed up today I got pretty scared and ...," Jamie trailed off. "Oh don't worry about that," said Graham with gentleness. "I know he understands. The first time I saw him I was a bit intimidated too. He's a big guy but you will find that he's also very friendly and kind once you get to know him better." "I guess," said Jamie. "It's just that he surprised me and I started to remember what used to happen at home and got scared." "You'll see. Everything will be fine," said Graham. "You go on back upstairs and finish getting ready for bed and I'll check in on you in a few minutes." Graham eventually heard Jamie finish washing up and after waiting a couple of minutes more to give him a chance to get into bed Graham walked up the stairs and peeked into Jamie's bedroom. Jamie had climbed into bed and pulled the covers up so his head was barely visible. Jamie's backpack was sitting on the floor next to the head of the bed where he could easily reach it, and Cindy was laying on a mat near the bed blocking access from the doorway in an almost protective fashion. She looked up but did not move as Graham stood in the doorway. "I see you guys are all settled in now," said Graham with a smile. "All finished," replied Jamie with his voice slightly muffled by the bedclothes. "It looks like Cindy is going to sleep here tonight," chuckled Graham. "Is that OK?" asked a concerned Jamie. "Absolutely. I think it's great that you two are getting to know each other better," said Graham. "I'm starting to like her a lot," said Jamie feeling slightly embarrassed. "It's great that you are. She'll always take good care of you," replied Graham. "Goodnight to both of you then. Sleep tight and pleasant dreams." "Good night Graham and thanks for the wonderful day," said Jamie. "You're very welcome Jamie. I'm glad that you enjoyed everything," replied Graham as he left the room and turned off the light. Graham came back downstairs after saying goodnight to Jamie and went into the kitchen to make himself a cup of herb tea. Graham often liked to enjoy a cup of tea before he went to bed and with all the excitement of the day the Chamomile was going to help him sleep soundly tonight. Adding some honey into the cup after removing the tea bag Graham gently stirred it with a spoon and then walked back into the living room to relax on the sofa while he drank it. Cindy had remained in the bedroom with Jamie and it felt strange to Graham to be sitting on his own in the evening without her for the first time in a long while but he did not mind. He recognized the growing bond between Jamie and Cindy and hoped that maybe it could help both of them to deal with their past. Graham contemplated the rapid series of events that had taken place over the last two days as he luxuriated in the warmth from the woodstove while sipping at his tea. Cindy suddenly came racing down the stairs and was very agitated. She whined and pawed at Graham indicating that something was seriously wrong. "What's the matter girl?" said Graham trying to understand what the problem was. Cindy began to bite at Grahams pant legs, tugging at them, and Graham got up off the sofa. Cindy immediately ran back up the stairs and Graham followed along behind her. Going up the stairs Graham started to become worried and even before getting to the top of them Graham realized that Cindy had been trying to tell him that something was wrong with Jamie. Graham stood at the entrance to Jamie's bedroom and from the light in the hallway he could see that the bedclothes had been thrown aside and that Jamie was thrashing about violently in the bed. In the full grip of a nightmare jumbled words came out of Jamie's mouth despite his still being completely asleep. Graham entered the room, approached the side of the bed, and reached out to comfort Jamie. "No, I don't want to," Jamie cried out still locked in the nightmare and his eyes tightly shut. "I won't do it. You can't make me!" Graham bent down and touched Jamie gently on the arm while softly saying, "Jamie. Jamie, it's OK. You're safe here." "No! Please! You can't! I won't let you! Get away from me!" yelled Jamie as he fought against the unseen menace. "Jamie," said Graham speaking a bit louder and taking a firm hold of Jamie's shoulder and shaking it. "Jamie, no one is going to hurt you." "No!! I hate you!!" screamed Jamie as his fist shot out and connected against the side of Graham's head sending him flying across the room. =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Chapter 10 - Island Life "We're running out of waffles down at this end of the table," called out Frank banging his knife and fork on the table while grinning. "What's taking so long?" "The next batch is just about ready," replied Kathy. "But you're not getting any until you get Jason and Jamie some more sausages." "I guess that means I have to get up doesn't it?" said Frank in mock horror as he got up and walked over to the stove to pick up the frying pan. "Only if you want more waffles," said Kathy as she headed over to the table and put the steaming hot waffles she had just taken out of the waffle iron onto Jamie and Jason's plates. Jason immediately reached for the butter and using his knife spread some over Jamie's waffle and then his own. Jason then passed Jamie the maple syrup. Frank came back to the table with the frying pan and popped two more sausages each onto Jamie's and Jason's plates and then offered some to Graham. "Thank you but I couldn't eat any more even if I tried, I'm ready to burst," said Graham. "I wish I could though, it's been a fabulous breakfast." "That doesn't seem to be stopping the boys," laughed Kathy watching both Jamie and Jason still eating with gusto. "These sausages are fantastic," said Jamie between mouthfuls. "I've never had ones like these before." "Those are Bratwurst sausages," said Frank. "Brats for short. We get them from a butcher down at the village here on the island. He makes them up special for us the old-fashioned way. They're not like the ones you see at the big supermarkets back in town that are made from leftover scraps. Good sausages like these are just the thing for hungry boys." "And what's your excuse for eating so many?" asked Kathy with an innocent looking smile. "Well I'm a growing boy too," said Frank with a feigned expression of injury. "Looks to me like you're mostly growing sideways," laughed Kathy as she poked a finger at Frank's stomach. Jason and Jamie both started to giggle at Kathy's quick-thinking response. Frank frowned at Kathy and then stuck out his tongue which only caused the giggles to turn into full-blown laughter. After he stopped laughing Jamie glanced around the kitchen and quickly picked up the last sausage that was still sitting on his plate and hid it inside his hand. Then watching carefully that he had not been spotted he looked over towards Cindy who had been laying on the floor off to the side. Her alert eyes had not missed anything and she was now looking at Jamie and licking her lips. Very slowly Cindy stretched herself as if she was getting up after a nap and walked innocently in the general direction of the breakfast table. Jason who realized what Jamie was about to do distracted his mother at the crucial moment by asking for a refill of his orange juice and in an instant the sausage in Jamie's hand had disappeared. "What are you and Jamie going to do today?" asked Kathy bringing the orange juice over to the table for Jason her eyes twinkling having not missed noticing Cindy's lightning-quick unofficial breakfast. "I'm going to take Jamie over to the stream to fish today," said Jason. "Then we can have trout for dinner tonight. He told me that he did that once a long time ago with his uncle." "I guess I'd better go to the grocery store then and get some things that go with trout," said Graham. "Bring the fish over to my place afterwards and I'll make dinner for everyone." "We'd better get moving Jamie," said Jason. "Let's go and get cleaned up and then we can pick up the fishing gear." "Thank you very much for the wonderful breakfast," said Jamie. "It was really great. I never had anything like that before ever. Thank you for inviting me to come over this morning." "I'm glad you liked it," said Kathy with a smile. "You're always welcome here anytime at all." "Let's go get ready Cindy," said Jamie as he got up and she followed the two boys out of the kitchen. After Jamie and Jason had left the kitchen Frank said with a sigh, "I guess Jamie's speaking the literal truth when he says he's never had anything like that before based on what you were telling me on the phone the other day." "I'm afraid it is," said Graham sadly. "Eating like this or the salmon that we had at my place his first night here is like a dream for him. On Friday morning in town I didn't have much left in the refrigerator and I just stirred up some eggs and leftovers for breakfast and he thought he was in gourmet heaven. When I found him asking for change outside where I work he told me that the last thing he'd had before that was something that he'd found in a dumpster a couple of days earlier." "That's just horrible," said a shaken Kathy looking up from the sandwiches she was making for the boys. "We can't let him go back to that. We have to do something." "I'm going to," said Graham. "I just want him to have some time first so he can see that we're not all like his parents or the people that have taken advantage of him on the street." A few minutes later Jamie and Jason were standing by the back door putting on their coats and getting ready to leave while Cindy stood close by waiting for them. Jason had collected his fishing gear from the garage and it was sitting beside the door ready to be picked up. While they were dressing for the walk up to the stream Jason saw that Jamie was putting on his new running shoes and quickly went back up to his room and grabbed his old pair of hiking boots and brought them back for Jamie to wear. "Use these then you won't get your nice new running shoes all wet and dirty," said Jason handing the boots to Jamie. "They'll also keep your feet warmer too." "Thanks a lot," said Jamie. "Are you sure you don't mind if I borrow them?" "You go ahead and keep those Jamie," said Frank looking down the hallway from the kitchen at the boys while they were getting ready. "That's an old pair that Jason doesn't use anymore. You'll need boots like those now that you're over here with us and away from pavement and concrete sidewalks." "Thanks," said Jamie with a big smile while lacing them up. "I never had boots to wear before." "We're going now," said Jason as he opened the back door. "We'll be back when we catch enough fish for dinner." "You'd better take this with you," said Kathy coming down the hallway and handing Jamie a small bag she had just finished assembling. "You and Jason will be wanting something to eat when it gets to be lunchtime." "You didn't have to do that," said Jamie. "Breakfast will last me a long time." "Perhaps it used to," replied Kathy with a smile. "But now it doesn't have to. I also put in some of the cookies that I made a couple of days ago and there's an extra sausage for Cindy too." Jamie blushed realizing that he had been spotted sneaking food for Cindy and said, "Thanks, that's going to be really great." Jamie closed the door after him and followed Jason and Cindy across the grass to where the trail into the forest began. The day was partly cloudy and cold but with the gloves and scarf that Graham had found for Jamie earlier in the morning added to the leather jacket he had given him back in the city Jamie was warm and comfortable. "Your mom must have seen me give my last sausage to Cindy," said Jamie as they started walking through the forest along the trail. "She doesn't usually miss very much," laughed Jason. "I sneak stuff for Cindy too when she stays with us while Mr. M. is at work during the week but Mom usually spots me." "Doesn't she get mad when she catches you?" asked Jamie as he walked along the path with Jason and Cindy. "Not really," replied Jason. "She knows I only do it when I've eaten everything I can and it's going to be leftover anyway. She only gets upset about the things that really matter and even then I usually know that she's right about whatever it is." "That's so different," said Jamie wistfully. "My parents would blow up over almost anything and then I'd really get pounded." "Mr. M. is like my mom and dad so you don't need to worry," said Jason. "The only time I ever saw Mr. M. get upset was when he first came over to the island and found out that the people that had Cindy were hurting her. My dad didn't know they were doing it either and when he found about it he got really upset too. He made sure that the people knew that if they messed with Mr. M. they were going to have him to deal with too. That's when they finally gave up and let Mr. M. have Cindy. That's also when we first met Mr. M. and got to be friends with him." "This morning before we came over to your place for breakfast we had some grapefruit juice and I accidentally dropped the glass and it broke," said Jamie. "I thought Graham was going to kill me and I got really afraid but he didn't do anything except help me pick up the pieces. I was sure surprised, I thought I was dead for sure." The boys continued to talk as they headed for the stream that Jason had shown Jamie when he had first arrived on the island. Cindy occasionally got the scent of a rabbit trail and would bark for the boys to follow but Jason would shake his head and she would then come back and follow along the path that they were taking. After about ten minutes of hiking through the forest Cindy and the boys arrived alongside the trout stream. It was quite full due to the runoff from the mixed rain and snow that had come down heavily overnight and Jamie could see a fish swimming lazily in one of the eddy pools along its edge. Jason put down the tackle box that he was carrying and proceeded to slide the two sections of a fishing rod out of the long case that he had also been carrying over his shoulder. Jason carefully aligned the two pieces and then pressed them together firmly before handing the completed rod to Jamie. Taking the parts to a second fishing rod out of the case Jason repeated the assembly procedure. Handing the second rod to Jamie, Jason then leaned the case up against a nearby tree and knelt down to open the tackle box. Taking two reels from the box Jason attached them to the handles of each of the fishing rods in turn as Jamie exchanged them with him. Jason then strung the rods with fly line from the reels and added a tippet to the end of each line carefully showing Jamie how to tie a nail knot in order to join the uneven sizes of line together. Jason then looked at the stream and the surrounding ground carefully before checking the selection of flies that were lying in a tray in the tackle box. Since it was winter there was very little insect or nymph activity evident and so Jason selected a couple of Hendrickson dry flies from the tray in the top of his tackle box. They were a rusty brown in colour and had a wispy tail at the hook end. Jason showed Jamie how to tie a blood knot as he attached first one and then the other fly to the tippets at the ends of the line on each of the fishing rods. Jason passed one of the fishing rods back to Jamie and took his place at the edge of the stream. With careful deliberate motions he then showed Jamie the proper way to cast the fly. "You go back and forth with the fishing rod from ten 'til two like a metronome then make sure you snap it slightly so the fly stays in the air and then watch the line for a figure-eight shape. That way you know you've got the right rhythm. Slowly strip line from the reel and then let it slip through your fingers a bit to get the distance you want," explained Jason carefully while demonstrating the technique for Jamie. Jason cast the line smoothly and his movements as he did so were graceful as if it flowed naturally from within him. "Make sure you have just a little bit of snap in it so the fly doesn't land too hard on the water's surface or you'll spook the fish," Jason continued and as he did this the small fly landed deftly on the water right in the middle of the eddy pool that he had been aiming for and began to drift slowly in the water. "The big key to it is your wrist and forearm action. You need to feel like the fishing rod is a part of you when you're casting." "How do you do that without catching yourself on the hook," said Jamie as he watched Jason repeat the procedure with the second fishing rod before handing it to Jamie. "My friend Pony is a good teacher. Of course I did catch myself in the ear once and that taught me even faster," said Jason with a grin. "That must have hurt a lot," winced Jamie in sympathetic pain. "You better believe it," said Jason. "It was dug in good and the barb didn't want to come out. It didn't hurt nearly as much as when I got my ear pierced." Jamie shivered as he listened to Jason describe the gruesome details of the incident and getting the hook out of his ear. Smiling Jamie admired the skill with which Jason spun out the second fishing line and settled its fly down onto the surface of the water in a second eddy pool. "So what do I do now?" asked Jamie. "Just wait for a fish?" "No," replied Jason. "You let it drift for a bit in the eddy pool that you've landed the fly in, then you make a quick jerk which pops the fly off the water, and then you start casting again. The idea is that you're trying to make the fly on the end of the line look like a real fly to the fish. Insects land on the water, take a drink or rest, and then fly off again. So you want the fish to think that's what you're doing. Trout eat insects and so you want them to try and take a bite at you. When they bite they'll get caught on the hook and that's how you catch them." "How long should I let it sit before I wind it back in and try again?" asked Jamie. "No more than thirty seconds," said Jason. "The exact amount of time isn't too important, just as long as you don't do it for too long. Take a look at the eddy pools along the stream and watch for any fish that might be coming up towards the surface of the water. If you see one, try and aim for that spot. They might see your fly land and try to grab it." Jamie reeled in his line and prepared to try casting. Remembering how Jason had done it Jamie swung the rod back and forth a couple of times letting the line out as he did. On the final swing towards the stream he held the rod steady and the fly dropped down into the middle of the stream about five feet away from the eddy pool that he had been aiming for. "That's pretty good for a first try," said Jason with a smile. "As you keep doing it your aim will gradually get better and better." Jamie let the fly drift for a bit in the stream and then jerked on the line again and began to swing the fishing rod back and forth letting the line feed back out. This time Jamie's aim was better and the fly landed close to the edge of the eddy pool that he was aiming for. "I'm getting closer," said Jamie with a grin. "You're doing great," said Jason. "You keep going like that and you're going to be an expert before long. Another thing that you can do when you get really good at it is what's called Shadow Casting. That's where you hover the fly as long as you can over the same spot. You keep doing that until you see the trout start to surface and then you let the fly drop down gently onto the water. If you're lucky sometimes they'll think it's an insect that just landed and they'll go after it." Seeing that the boys were going to be fishing for a while Cindy walked over, circled once, and then settled herself down on a pile of soft leaves that were laying on the forest floor underneath a group of currently barren Alder trees. She yawned and then put her head down between her paws and kept a careful watch on Jamie. "Has Mr. M. told you about the Christmas Barbecue that's coming up in a few days?" asked Jason while they fished. "He said your dad cooks up some meat and then you have friends come and bring other things to help out," replied Jamie. "You're going to love it," said Jason. "This year dad has three different things planned. He's going to do a brisket in the smoker plus prawns and steak on the barbecue. Dad marinates the brisket for a whole day ahead of time, then on the day of the party he gives it a spice rub and puts it into the smoker early in the morning. Later in the afternoon he starts putting sauce on it and it slow cooks the entire day. When it's done it's just incredible." "Sounds really good," said Jamie with enthusiasm. "Graham took me to a place the night before we came over here that had ribs and they were fantastic." "It's not just going to be just meat either," said Jason. "My mom makes a really great potato salad, Pony came over last year and brought some salmon, Mr. M. made a couple of really incredible cakes for dessert, and there'll be other people coming too with other stuff. Everyone shows up in the middle of the afternoon and it usually goes on late into the night. I'll ask Mom if you can sleep over too then you don't have to worry about going back after and you can stay all night." "Are you sure that'll be OK?" asked Jamie skeptically. "They know that I was ..." "None of that matters," said Jason firmly. "You saw how everyone feels about you when you came for breakfast this morning, and you're starting to relax around my dad now too. You're going to love it. It'll be great and we'll have a lot of fun, you'll see." Jason continued telling Jamie about the people that would be showing up at the barbecue and the food that everyone brought last Christmas. Despite having just finished a big breakfast, Jamie's stomach was making its interest in the upcoming barbecue unmistakably clear to him. While Jamie was listening to Jason he suddenly felt his fishing rod wiggle slightly. At first Jamie did not pay attention but then it happened again and he looked over towards the end of the fishing rod which he saw jiggling. Finally the line in the fishing rod jerked hard and Jamie shouted, "I think I've got one!" "Be careful you don't jerk the line too much, you don't want to lose the fish," cautioned Jason quickly. "Can you help me do it?" asked an anxious Jamie offering his fishing rod to his friend. Jason quickly reeled in his own line and put his fishing rod down. Jason then went over to Jamie, took his fishing rod, and showed Jamie how to slowly let out some line so the fish would not break free, "You loosen the drag on the side of the reel here and then you hold your palm against the side of it to slowly let some of the line go when the fish pulls. Then as the fish moves back in your direction again and the line goes slack you wind it in slowly. If he starts to yank too hard don't keep reeling the line in, instead let it go again. Get the net and you can help me land this one." Jamie quickly picked up the net and went over to the side of the stream and Jason gradually guided the fish into towards where Jamie was standing. When Jason got the fish close enough Jamie put the net down and then lifted the fish up and out of the water. "We got it!" said an excited Jamie. "We got a fish!" "Can you get the bucket over there and fill it with water for me?" asked Jason as he put down the fishing rod and reached into the net to quickly remove the hook from the fish's mouth. Jamie picked up the bucket, dunked it into the stream to fill it, and then put it on the ground next to Jason who then gently let the fish go into it. "Wow," said an impressed Jamie. "It's a big one." "Looks like about a twelve inch brook trout," said Jason. "It's a good sign to catch the first one that fast." The boys continued to fish and took a break around noon. Digging into the lunch bag that Kathy had prepared for them Jamie found a sandwich for them both. They sat down on an old log near the stream and began to eat. After a few minutes Cindy got up and came over beside Jamie and looked up at him with her deep brown eyes whereupon Jamie dug into the bag again and found the sausage that Kathy had put in for Cindy. Jamie tore the sausage into several pieces and gave them to Cindy in between taking bites of his own sandwich. When the sausage had completely disappeared Cindy licked her lips and rubbed up against Jamie. Jamie looked into Cindy's eyes for a moment and then tore off a bit from the last part of his sandwich, gave that to Cindy as well, and then popped the rest into his own mouth. "You'd better be careful or she'll want all of your sandwich next time," said Jason with a smile. "She looked hungry and I know how that feels," said Jamie wistfully. "You don't have to worry about that anymore," said Jason putting his arm around Jamie. "Those days are over with now that you're safe here." "I hope so," said Jamie. "It would really be nice to not have to worry about that and everything else any more." "I'm sure Mr. M. is working on a way to make sure that you'll be able to stay and I know my parents have been talking about it too," said Jason. "Now that I've got a special new friend I don't want to lose you." "No one has ever listened before or tried to help me," said a doubtful Jamie. "Even when I tried the last time to tell them nobody would listen." "Things are going to be different this time I just know it," said Jason. "Should we try and get more fish?" asked Jamie putting away the lunch bag. "Let's see how many we've got now," said Jason getting up and walking over to the bucket that was sitting next to the stream with Jamie and Cindy following along close behind. "Looks like five so far," said Jamie. "Let's get another one." "No," said Jason. "We only need five. Taking any more would be wrong." "Why not?" asked Jamie with a puzzled expression. "My friend Pony taught me that we should never abuse nature," said Jason as he sat down on an old tree stump next to Jamie and motioned for Jamie to join him. "Nature will give us what we need but we should never take anything more than what's absolutely necessary. Some day it'll be our turn to give ourselves back to nature but until then it's up to us to look after it. We have to always remember that we're just one small part of something that's much bigger than we are. A lot of people think that we're special or different and can do anything we want to the world or the people and things in it but that's not true. We aren't any more important than any other part of nature." "I never thought about it that way before," said Jamie. "That's a really different way of looking at things. All my life it's always been the other way around - people just taking and doing whatever they wanted and whenever they wanted to do it. I never had anything to say about it." Jason looked deep into his new friend's eyes and put his hand on top of Jamie's and said, "I think it's time you did the deciding and choosing yourself." Jamie hesitated and then looked down while slowly saying, "I've never been able to choose before." "You can now if you want to," said Jason very softly as he moved his head closer to Jamie's. "It's a lot better this way," said a breathless Jamie a few seconds later. "When I first saw you I knew that you were special," said Jason after another brief pause. "Has there ever been someone special ... I mean, have you ever had a friend that ..." stuttered Jamie. "No," came Jason's muffled voice. "I knew I wanted to wait until I found the right one." "You know that I ..." began Jamie almost inaudibly. "No," said Jason with determination while putting his arms around Jamie. "You've never had someone special in your life before either." "You're right," came Jamie's voice a few seconds later. "It was never like this before." A few minutes later Jason said reluctantly, "I guess we'd better get these fish back to Mr. M's house or everyone will be wondering what happened to us." Cindy who had been sitting next to Jamie watching barked her agreement and got up whereupon Jamie giggled and said, "I guess it wouldn't be the best way to explain why dinner was late arriving." "Yes, and we'd get scolded for having had dessert first," said Jason with a twinkle in his eye. After disassembling the fishing rods, picking up the tackle box and the bucket with the fish, the boys began to hike back towards Graham's house. Jamie looked at the trout in the bucket he was carrying and over at Jason as they walked along with Cindy leading the way. The only sound to be heard in the cold crisp air was the crunch of their hiking boots on the forest undergrowth and fallen tree branches. Overhead patches of blue peeked out from behind the clouds scattered across the winter sky. It had only been a few days since Jamie had been sleeping in a back alley in the city and already it seemed as if that life was a million miles away. Jamie could feel the heaviness that always weighed on him lifting but at the same time he wondered how long the current state of calm would last. What would it be like to be able to live like this every day? What would it be like if Graham let him stay and he could sleep in a warm bed every night? What would it be like to have a special friend like Jason to spend time with? Jason noticed Jamie was lost in thought and decided that it was time for a distraction and said, "Don't forget this afternoon we're going to help Dad look at Mr. M's jeep." "Sorry I was daydreaming and didn't hear you," said Jamie self- consciously. "What did you say?" "That's OK," replied Jason with a smile. "I know you've got a lot on your mind. I was just saying when we get back remember that we're going to help my Dad change the oil in Mr. M's jeep." *** *** *** *** *** "Can you hand me the five-eighth's socket wrench please," came Frank's voice from underneath the jeep. "Wrench coming down," said Jason as he passed the requested tool down into Jamie's hand which came up from below. "Put the wrench on the oil plug here," said Frank as he showed Jamie who was laying alongside him under the jeep. "Then you pull on it this way to loosen it. Only loosen it about one turn, don't take it all the way out yet." Jamie pulled on the wrench and grunted with the effort but the plug was stuck and refused to budge. Frank reached over, put his hand on the wrench as well, pulled with Jamie, and the plug gave a squeak and began to loosen. "Now you have to be careful at this point or you'll get your face covered in oil," said Frank. "Pass that tray over here and put it just off to the side of the oil pan. Always put it about six inches or so off to the side because the oil will arc out instead of coming straight down, that way you don't end up with oil all over the ground or on yourself. Now that you've got the tray positioned and yourself out of the way, take the plug the rest of the way out." Jamie put the wrench back on the oil plug and gave it another turn. When the plug felt loose, Jamie removed the wrench and undid the plug the rest of the way with his fingers. Just as Frank had explained the oil immediately sprang out of the drain hole and curved down into the tray that Jamie had put in place. "Wait until the oil stops flowing completely and all you have left are drips," said Frank. "In the meantime take this rag and clean the plug off and make sure that it's in good shape. Sometimes if you go to those quick lube places they don't pay attention and next thing you know you've got a bolt that they've slammed in too quick and its cross-threaded. That's probably why it was so hard to get this one started, they screwed it in too tight." Jamie listened carefully and then took the cleaning rag and wiped the accumulated grime off the plug and checked its threading carefully. Then seeing that the flow of oil had reduced itself to a trickle Jamie got ready to put the plug back into the bottom of the oil pan. When the trickle turned into slow drips a few moments later, Jamie reached up and hand-threaded the plug back into the drain hole. Jamie then took the socket wrench, flipped the ratchet lever on it, and tightened it up. "I think you've done this before," said Frank impressed. "How did you know that you needed to flip the lever on the wrench?" "It just made sense," said Jamie as he tightened up the oil plug. "The wrench was set to loosen the bolt the way it was so I knew there had to be a way to change it and that's the only thing on the wrench that could be adjusted." "I think we have a budding mechanic on our hands here," said Frank with a smile while Jamie blushed. "Now all we need to do is change the oil filter and then refill the crankcase." Jamie and Frank slid themselves out from underneath the jeep and looked down into the engine compartment together. Frank reached up and adjusted the position of the work light to illuminate the area where the filter was located. "You can see it right there," said Frank pointing to the dirty cylindrical oil filter. "We'll need the oil filter wrench to get it off." Jamie walked over and looked into Frank's toolbox and examined the selection of tools for a moment. He then reached in and selected a tool that had a thin metal band joined at both ends to a handle and brought it back. "You are a born mechanic," said Frank happily. "How did you know that's the right tool?" "It had to be something that could grab onto the case of the filter and this is the only tool that could do that," said Jamie matter-of- factly. "Did you hear that Jason?" asked Frank. "I think I'm going to leave taking care of the house and garden to you and hire Jamie here instead as my new apprentice down at the gas station." "Sounds good to me," said Jason with a grin. "I like the outdoors more than working on cars anyway." Jamie was pleased with the unaccustomed praise from Frank although somewhat embarrassed at the same time. At home before he ran away being complimented was something that had been completely foreign to Jamie. Anything Jamie had ever attempted had invariably brought him an endless barrage of withering criticism. Long before he had finally given up and run away Jamie had ceased all attempts to do anything knowing in advance that he would be attacked over it. "Think you might like to give it a try when the weather starts getting warmer?" asked Frank. "When the tourists begin showing up on the island I'm always run off my feet trying to take care of everything myself." "You really mean it?" said a shocked Jamie unable to believe that Frank was serious. "You want me to come and work for you?" "Absolutely," said Frank. "I think you'd do well. You can start with the easier things and work your way up gradually. I'd pay you and then you'd have money of your own to spend on whatever you want." "But what about Jay?" asked Jamie with concern. "He's your son not me. I shouldn't get in the way between the two of you. You don't want someone like me taking his place." "Go for it Jamie," said Jason. "Dad's tried to turn me into a mechanic but I just don't have the knack for it. I'm better at working with plants and things like that. I can help Mr. M. do the changes he wants to make to the flower garden next year." "That would mean I'd have a real job instead of having to ...," said Jamie softly with amazement and then he started to cry. "What's the matter Jamie?" asked Jason quickly putting his arms around Jamie. "No one ever trusted or wanted me to do anything before," cried Jamie. "They always said I was a useless idiot and only good for ..." "No you're not Jamie," said Frank kneeling down next to Jamie. "I'm completely serious. I think you'd be a great helper for me at the station. I wouldn't be making the offer or be willing to pay you if I didn't think so." "You aren't an idiot Jamie," said Jason looking into Jamie's face. "You're a wonderful person and I'm really glad that you've come here. I've always wanted a friend like you." "You really mean it?" asked a still doubting Jamie wiping away his tears. "I wouldn't have told you what I did earlier if I didn't think so," said Jason meaningfully. "Oh right," said a now completely embarrassed Jamie. "Things have changed Jamie," said Frank. "Graham will figure out a way for you to be able to stay and we're going to help him. The bad old days are over and it's going to be different for you from now on." "It's hard to believe sometimes," said Jamie. "It all seems like a dream here and then I start worrying that I'm going to suddenly wake up back in the city hungry and shivering in an alley." "No more going hungry and no more having to sleep in alleys," said Frank. "That's over with now for good. Graham won't let that happen to you anymore and neither will I. You come and work for me and I'll teach you everything that I know about cars. How about a handshake to seal the deal?" Jamie thought for a moment and then shook Frank's extended hand with a smile and said, "It's a deal." Just then the door at the side of Graham's house opened. Graham came out into the carport to see a smiling and slightly oil-stained Jamie shaking Frank's hand. "How are things going out here?" asked Graham. "Jamie just got himself a job for the summer working at Dad's gas station," said Jason happily while Jamie smiled shyly. "Now I can help you enlarge the flower garden like you want and maybe we can try to draw up and plan out that greenhouse you've talked about building some day." "That's right," said Frank. "Jamie's going to be my new apprentice. He's a natural and I think he's got the makings of a great mechanic." "That's wonderful," said Graham with a smile. "Does that mean I'll get a discount if I bring the jeep into the station now?" "I don't know about that," laughed Frank. "Now that I'm going to have a new employee to pay I might have to raise prices." "So how is the jeep doing?" asked Graham. "Did you come across any problems while you were changing the oil?" Frank's eyes sparkled and he nodded to Jamie with a serious look on his face. Jamie looked over at Jason who nodded back while trying not to grin. "It's mostly in good condition," began Jamie. "But it looks like the buckle on the fan belt is loose and Frank noticed that the muffler bearings were out of alignment." "Oh no," said a worried Graham. "Is that going to be expensive to fix?" Frank fought to keep a straight face and took over saying, "Well it's a good thing we caught it early or it could have been pretty bad. However with Jamie's help we've been able to take care of everything so you should be OK now." "I always try to be careful when I drive," said Graham. "Is it something that I did?" "This model has always been prone to those kinds of problems," said Frank in a grave tone while catching a glimpse of Jamie and Jason out of the corner of his eye biting their lips to try and not burst out laughing. "After you're finished out here let me know if you find anything else," said Graham. "You're probably hungry after all the hard work you've done out here so I'll go back in and get started fixing up a snack for all of you." A few seconds after the door closed behind Graham the giggles began and within seconds turned into peals of laughter. "I didn't think he'd believe it," laughed Jamie. "I thought he'd know we were pulling a joke on him and then get mad." "I told you he'd fall for it," said Frank while continuing to laugh. "Graham's a great guy and is incredible with computers but he doesn't know anything about vehicles." "But he'll figure it out eventually and then get upset," said Jamie with concern. "Oh we can take care of that," giggled Jason. "We'll hide a little box in the back of the jeep with some small rocks in it and then he'll start wondering where the rattling sound is coming from." =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Chapter 11 - The Christmas Barbecue The day of the Christmas Barbecue finally arrived. Jamie had been watching Graham working hard in the kitchen for the last couple of days and helping out where he could. The oven had been on most of the time filling the house with wonderful aromas and out of it had been coming several different varieties of cookies and squares, pound cakes, and now Jamie was watching Graham put the finishing touches on a gingerbread house that he had made. Jamie observed closely as Graham piped icing along the sides of the house's foundation and then along the edges of the roof to decorate it. Jamie could not help feeling a bit sad at the thought that eventually the house would be broken up and eaten but in the meantime it was going to be a beautiful centrepiece for one of the tables at the Tomlinson's house. The quantity of food was staggering to Jamie as he contemplated the fact that he was only seeing the dessert portion taking shape in front of him. What would the main courses be like? Graham had assured him that he would get to taste many different kinds of food but that the main event was going to be the meat that Frank would be cooking. Jamie remembered the restaurant that Graham had taken him to for ribs on their first night together and his mouth watered at the prospect of what the day would bring. Jamie's initial suspicions that Graham was likely no different than the other men he had known had now started to recede and he was beginning to feel quite comfortable around the man he had met only a half dozen days ago. It was a strange feeling - safety - but Jamie was slowly starting to consider that perhaps Graham was not going to make advances as the rest had always done in the past. In the entire time that Jamie had been with Graham he had not once been on the receiving end of a leering look or even a veiled suggestion. From time to time Jamie still attempted to flirt with Graham to test what kind of reaction he would get but Graham either did not notice or chose not to. Regardless of the reason for the lack of reaction on Graham's part Jamie was now beginning to let down his guard and was starting to feel more relaxed than he had been in a long time. Nevertheless Jamie simultaneously knew that all was not well within him. He still had horrible dreams about the past and sometimes he would awake suddenly in the middle of the night terrified and in a cold sweat. He hoped that eventually the night terrors would leave him in peace but for now while Jamie might have control during the day, his nightmares still ruled while he slept. "So what do you think?" asked Graham as he finally stepped back from the counter on which the completed gingerbread house was sitting. "Do you think it sort of looks like the Tomlinson's place?" "It's beautiful," said Jamie with amazement. "I've never seen anyone do something like that before." "The funny part of it is that I can make something like this but I wouldn't have a clue on how to put a real house together," laughed Graham. "If I ever tried to build a real one it'd probably fall down on top of me the second I opened the front door. Now that everything is finished we need to get out some plastic tubs and put all the things we've made into them so we can take it all with us to the barbecue. Can you help me with that?" "Sure," said Jamie happily as he opened up the kitchen cupboards and started hunting for containers while Graham worked to fill them up as quickly as Jamie found them. In short order everything was made ready for the trip and all that remained was the gingerbread house itself. Jamie watched as Graham brought out a medium-sized Styrofoam cooler. Graham put a layer of crushed tissue paper in the bottom of it for a cushion and then gently picked up and laid the gingerbread house in the cooler on top of it. He then carefully secured the house by encircling it with a number of thin wooden skewers that he pressed down into the bottom of the Styrofoam cooler to ensure that it could not shift position during the trip over to the Tomlinson's. "Just in case we have an accident I'll also take some extra icing along with me so I can make repairs if I need to after we arrive," said Graham once he was satisfied. "Normally I'd head over in the middle of the afternoon but Jason said we should come right after lunch today because he has something he wants to show you." "What is it?" asked Jamie. "I don't know," replied Graham. "I guess you'll just have to wait and see." Jamie helped Graham carry the plastic containers of cookies and cakes out to the jeep and stacked them up on the rear jump seat. After they had put on their coats and shoes Graham then slowly walked the cooler out that held the gingerbread house. Jamie got into the passenger seat of the jeep and Graham placed the cooler carefully onto his lap. Closing the passenger door beside Jamie, Graham then walked around to the driver's side of the jeep and held the door open so Cindy who had been patiently waiting could jump up into the back of the jeep. Once she was sitting down next to the plastic containers that were also in the back Graham got in and closed the door. The trip to the Tomlinson's would only take a couple of minutes given their place was so close but rather than trying to walk the gingerbread house along the path through the forest between their homes Graham felt that driving was the best way to ensure that it would arrive safely. As Graham slowly drove the jeep back through the trees and onto the road Jamie observed him closely. Over the past week as Jamie grew more and more comfortable with Graham he was learning to enjoy the company of a man that he did not fear. It was still a sensation that was new to Jamie but he now found himself wondering what it might be like to live in a home like this all the time. Jamie had always shied away from thinking along these lines in the past because it had inevitably led to disappointment. Nevertheless, the thoughts kept swirling around in his mind. They went just under half a mile down the road and then Graham turned the jeep off onto a gravel driveway that disappeared into a stand of fir trees. Graham pulled the jeep up tight behind a red pickup truck that had the name of Frank's gas station written on the side of it and shut off the engine. While Jamie waited Graham quickly got out of the jeep, went around to Jamie's side, opened the door, took the cooler off of his lap, and stepped back so Jamie could get out. Jamie then ran to the front door of the Tomlinson's house and knocked. "It's so good to see you Jamie. Merry Christmas," said Kathy as she opened the door. "Merry Christmas," replied Jamie happily. "Graham's got something he needs to bring in right away and put on a table." "Certainly," said Kathy holding the door open wide for Graham to walk through. "Just go right in and don't worry about your shoes." Graham walked up to a coffee table that was covered with a Christmas tablecloth on the far side of the Tomlinson's living room and gently placed the cooler down on it. Meanwhile Jason and Frank had appeared and were watching closely. "What do you have in the cooler?" asked Jason. "I need something to use as a base before I take it out so you can see it," said Graham taking the top off of the cooler. "Do you have a serving plate that I can borrow?" "I'll get one for you," said Frank who returned a few moments later from the kitchen and handed a rectangular glass serving dish to Graham. Graham positioned the dish in the centre of the table and then reached into the cooler and lifted out the gingerbread house and put it on the plate. The careful packing and transportation had been successful. The house had arrived in perfect condition. The Tomlinson's all watched with surprise as they saw Graham's creation for the first time. "It looks just like our house," said Kathy with a smile. "That's amazing. I didn't know you could make something like that." "Neither did I actually," admitted Graham. "But with Jamie's help I got everything else done sooner than I expected so I thought I would experiment with the extra time I had. It turned out pretty good I think. We'll go and get the rest of the things out of the jeep now." Jamie and Graham went back outside and let Cindy out of the back of the jeep whereupon she promptly went inside the house to greet Jason. They then started to carry in the filled dessert containers while Jason helped by getting some more plates from the kitchen. While Jamie and Graham were taking off their coats and shoes Jason began opening up the containers, filling up the plates, and laying them out on the table around the gingerbread house centrepiece. "That's sure a lot of desserts," said Jamie as he looked over the table which was soon covered in goodies. "If you think that's a lot of food you should go into the kitchen and see what's happening in there," said Jason with a laugh. "Mom and Dad have been going crazy cooking for the last couple of days." After giving Jamie a quick peek into the kitchen Jason took him up to his room. No longer nervous around Jason's parents, Jamie had emerged from the kitchen with a sandwich in one hand that Frank had just made for him. Jamie was smiling as he bit into the thick sandwich of sliced roast pork that had been the Tomlinson's main course for dinner the previous evening. "Before everyone gets here there's something that I want to give you," said Jason holding a small box out to Jamie that was wrapped in Christmas paper. "You didn't have to get me anything," said Jamie surprised by Jason's unexpected generosity. "I don't have anything to give you." "That's OK," said Jason. "You only just arrived on the island." Jamie popped the last of the sandwich into his mouth and then sat down on Jason's bed to open up the present that Jason had given him. He removed the paper around it carefully, lifted the lid off the box, and looked inside. "Oh wow," said Jamie as he looked down on the beaded friendship bracelet that sat curled up inside the box. "You made this yourself?" "I've been working on it every night for the last few days," said Jason. "Do you like it? The big beads along the middle of it are called Pony beads, the alternating medium-sized ones are called Crow beads, and the little ones that are along the edges are called Seed beads. I picked the orange ones to represent you and the blue ones are me." "I think it's wonderful," said Jamie with sincerity looking at the intertwining zigzag pattern the two colours made with each other and understood what Jason was saying with the bracelet. "No one ever gave me anything like this before. Last Christmas my father threw a pack of cigarettes on my bed when he was walking out of my room." "You won't ever have to have a Christmas like that again now that you're here," said Jason saddened at the example of casual abuse and disregard that Jamie had endured at the hands of his father. "You're supposed to make a wish when you first put it on and then wear it until it falls off on its own - that's when the wish comes true." "Can you help me put it on?" asked Jamie holding out his wrist. Jason took the bracelet out of the box and went over to his desk and picked up one of the needles that he had used to help thread the beads for the bracelet. Jason then put the bracelet around Jamie's wrist and began to sew using the two loose ends until they were completely woven together. "I know what I'm going to wish for," said Jamie hopefully. "If it's what I think it is maybe I shouldn't have sewn the ends together so well," replied Jason with a smile. "I don't want you to have to wait that long for it to fall off so the wish will come true." "Thank you very much," said Jamie holding his arms out towards Jason. "It's the nicest present I ever received from anyone." A few moments later a breathless Jason replied, "You're not as shy now as you were on that day when we first went fishing together." "I never used to know anyone that made me feel this way either", said Jamie. "Before we go back downstairs I think I'd like to say thank you one more time if that's OK with you." "You can say that to me any time you want," said Jason with a big grin. "I asked my mom if you could stay over tonight after the barbecue and she said 'yes'." "That's great," said Jamie as he put his arms around Jason again. "This is going to be my best Christmas ever." While the boys were upstairs Frank was in the kitchen getting ready to give the brisket in the smoker outside its first basting with sauce. Frank did not believe in using bottled sauces from the grocery store and instead made his own. He took the same approach when it came to the spice rub that he had put on the meat earlier in the day before it went into the smoker. Certainly store-bought items were a part of Frank's recipe, but supplementing that were herbs from the garden outside, homemade tomato sauce, and other things that he added to make a creation that was well- known all over the island and uniquely Frank's. He was stirring together the various ingredients for the sauce in a large bowl when Jamie and Jason came back into the kitchen. "How much do you know about cooking brisket Jamie?" asked Frank while testing the sauce's flavour using a teaspoon. "I've never had it before but I bet it tastes good," said Jamie with a giggle. "I only had barbecue once when Graham took me out to a restaurant before we came over to the island." "In that case it's time for you to learn how it's done," said Frank picking up the now ready bowl of sauce off the counter and a small cooking brush. "You can't live on the island here and not know how to cook outdoors. I'll show you how to do steak later in the day but the key to doing brisket right is long slow cooking. You start it really early in the day, give it a good rub with fresh spices before you put it in the smoker, and then baste it with sauce all day long to make sure it never dries out. People try to cook it too fast and that's when it ends up tough. Long and slow is the secret. The other important thing is to make sure that you use your own home-made sauce and never touch anything that comes out of a bottle." Frank continued explaining the secrets of outdoor cooking as Jamie followed him out the back door of the Tomlinson's house and in the direction of the smoker which was set up on the deck outside at the back of the house. Graham watched from inside the Tomlinson's house out the kitchen window as Frank raised the top on the smoker and Jamie was partially obscured for a moment by a cloud of steam that formed around him as the heat from the smoker met the cool outdoor air. "You'd better watch out," said Kathy with a laugh. "Frank is going to turn Jamie into a chef in addition to an auto mechanic." "It's amazing how much he's come out of his shell in just the little time that he's been here," said Graham watching Jamie observing carefully how Frank was applying the sauce to the meat. "He was almost afraid to say anything when I first found him. This environment seems to be just what Jamie's needed but I think a lot of the credit has to go to you, Frank, and especially Jason. Jamie's never seen how a normal family operates and you guys have to be the best example there is for that." "Don't forget to put yourself on that list too," cautioned Kathy. "If you'd not found Jamie and then shown him that not all men are like his father none of this would have been possible." "Maybe you're right," admitted Graham. "Mostly I just think I've done what anyone else would do." "Except they didn't," pointed out Kathy. "I've seen how Jamie looks at you when he thinks no one else is watching. Believe me, he doesn't think you're just like everyone else." "Mom's right," said Jason who had been standing nearby listening. "You've become very important to Jamie very quickly. I don't think even he realizes how much." "I'm not very observant about things like that," said Graham now feeling very self-conscious. "I've never tried to help anyone like this before. This is all completely new to me. I don't even know what to do most of the time." "It may be new to you but I think you're doing a great job," said Kathy giving Graham a quick hug. Looking out the window and seeing that Jamie and Frank were on their way back into the house Kathy and Jason smiled at Graham's embarrassment and busied themselves with the final preparations for the party. The first guests would be arriving soon and there was still a lot to do. *** *** *** *** *** The Tomlinson's house was starting to fill up with guests and some of them were spilling out onto the deck in the rear on lawn chairs that were scattered about so people could enjoy the warmth of the sun on the mild winter day. There was a giant cooler filled with ice off to the side of the deck stocked with bottles and cans of soda pop and other drinks. Next to that was a long table covered with appetizers of all types that various guests had brought with them to the party. People were milling about chatting, catching up on the happenings in each other's families, talking about the year past and the year to come, and Jamie who was still quite shy around strangers was helping by monitoring the plates of food and bringing more from the kitchen whenever anything started to look like it was running low. While Jamie did his best to keep a very low profile the presence of anyone new on the island was always cause for notice. It did not take long for word to discretely get around that Jamie was staying with Graham due to unspecified unfortunate reasons. Jason came up to Jamie and said, "There's someone in the house that I want you to meet." "Who's that?" asked Jamie as he followed Jason back in the house and into the living room. "Jamie, this is my friend Pony Twofeathers," said Jason stopping in front of one of the guests. "Pony, I want you to meet my new friend Jamie. He came over from the city last week and is staying with Mr. M." Pony was a large powerfully built man with long dark hair that was beginning to turn grey. He stood as Jason introduced Jamie and was clearly the tallest man in the room. "I am very honoured to meet you Jamie," said Pony formally with a slight bow of his head. "It's nice to meet you too sir," replied Jamie apprehensively but nevertheless meeting Pony's gaze directly. Sensing almost immediately Jamie's nervousness Pony avoided offering his hand but simultaneously noted Jamie's courage in standing his ground and looking straight up at him. Pony then also noticed the friendship bracelet on Jamie's wrist and the glow that was on Jason's face. "I have heard many good things being spoken of Jason's new friend and the great help he is being to our hosts," said Pony. "I can see that their compliments are justified. I have also heard it said that certain of the cookies on the dessert table are particularly good." "Graham did most of the work I only helped a little bit," said Jamie with a shy smile. "You have made a contribution," said Pony kindly. "Everyone gives and therefore everyone receives. That is the essence of this occasion." "We should go back and help Mom in the kitchen now," said Jason tapping Jamie on the shoulder. "I look forward to when we next meet Jamie," said Pony still quite formally. "Anyone that Jason picks as his friend is someone worth knowing." "Thank you very much sir," replied Jamie as he followed Jason back to the kitchen. Sitting back down Pony watched the two boys leave the room. Pony had felt an undercurrent of wariness in Jamie but at the same time he also was left with a distinct impression of hidden inner strength. Despite their relatively short introduction Pony knew that Jason's new friend was going to be someone that he would want to know more about. The friendship bracelet around Jamie's wrist clearly attested to Jason's feelings about his new friend and this only confirmed Pony's opinion. Frank came into the kitchen from welcoming more guests that had arrived at the front door and said, "Has anyone seen where my bowl of basting sauce went? I forgot about the brisket and I need to go out and put some more on it." "I think you should take a look outside," said Kathy. "It looks to me like things are well in hand." "Well I'll be darned," said Frank looking out the window onto the deck only to see Jamie standing in front of the smoker carefully using the brush to paint the meat with sauce exactly as Frank had shown him when he had first arrived. "You've been busy talking with the guests but Jamie hasn't missed a beat all afternoon," said Kathy. I don't think that meat's ever been basted better or more consistently and the appetizer plates are being restocked as soon as they even start looking empty. When it's summer and he's helping you at the gas station I think you're going to be pretty impressed." "I'm already impressed," admitted Frank. "It's pretty hard not to be where that little guy is concerned. He's never been anything but polite, friendly, and helpful. I just don't understand how anyone could have ever wanted to hurt him." "Why don't you show Jamie how to do the prawns?" suggested Kathy handing a heavily stacked plate to Frank. "The guests always like them and it'll give you a chance to show Jamie how to use the barbecue." Frank took the plate from Kathy, headed out the door, and met Jamie on the deck. Once Jamie lowered the cover on the smoker Frank steered him over to the barbecue that was set up on the opposite side. Putting down the large plate of prawns that Kathy had been marinating Frank lifted the lid on the barbecue and then removed the grill inside it. Picking up the sack of chunk charcoal that was leaning up against the side of the house Frank then poured a layer into the base of the barbecue. "Always use chunk charcoal Jamie," advised Frank. "Those round briquette things give off a chemical smell and it always makes the food taste funny. The other thing that's important is to never use starter fluid because that also puts a funny taste in the air that the food picks up." "How do you get it going then?" asked Jamie. "I thought everyone always uses fluid." "Most people do but I've got a better way and it's faster too," said Frank picking up the small propane torch that was sitting on the floor of the deck next to the barbecue. "This doesn't leave any odours and it's much quicker." Frank used the striker and then adjusted the flame on the torch until it was an almost invisible blue. He then laid the torch in the bottom of the barbecue with the flame pointed directly on the left half of the bed of charcoal. In only a minute or two the coals were already starting to turn red and before long were turning white in spots. Frank then quickly picked up the torch and pointed it at a different section of the bed of charcoal. Once most of the coals on the left side were turning colour Frank picked up the torch and played it over the right side of the charcoal bed that he had laid down. Less than ten minutes after starting the entire bed of coals was a characteristic off-white colour and they were emitting a significant amount of heat. Frank then turned off the torch and put it back down next to the barbecue. "That was fast," said an impressed Jamie. "I thought it was supposed to take a long time to get a barbecue ready." "It does if you do it with starter fluid or by using paper and wood chips to make a small fire under the charcoal," said Frank. "I learnt this method a long time ago from a friend and I've used it ever since. Once it gets hot like this don't put the grill back on with your hands or you'll get burnt badly. Always be sure to use a pair of pliers to protect yourself." Demonstrating for Jamie, Frank then picked up an old pair of pliers that were sitting on the tray underneath the barbecue and used them to reinsert the grill over the now hot bed of coals. Frank then lowered the lid over the barbecue to allow it to heat thoroughly. "It'll be ready in no time at all now," said Frank. "Prawns don't take very long to cook because they're fairly small. See if you can spot Jason and ask him to find us a plate to put the cooked ones on and then we can begin." A couple of minutes later Jamie reappeared with a large serving plate and a small egg cup that was filled with toothpicks. Jamie put the plate down on the table next to the barbecue and positioned the egg cup in the centre of the plate. "What are the toothpicks for?" asked a puzzled Frank. "I thought it would help so people wouldn't get their fingers sticky when they're picking up the prawns," said Jamie. "Jamie, I've done a barbecue here every Christmas for ten years now and I never thought of doing that even once," laughed Frank. "I've always put out stacks of serviettes for people to use. I think we'll have to promote you." Jamie watched as Frank lifted the lid on the now hot barbecue and started to lay the prawns out all over the grill. Jamie could feel the heat from the coals on his face as he smelled the prawns starting to cook. By the time Frank had the grill covered the prawns that he had first laid out were almost ready to turn over. "You have to watch prawns carefully because they cook fast," explained Frank. "You also don't want them to get overcooked or they're tough. All you have to do is watch for them to turn colour and then flip them so both sides get done evenly. Then once they're nice and pink all over they're ready to come off the grill and you can put more on. Can you look after these for me? I should go back inside and see what Kathy and Graham are up to in the kitchen." "You can trust me," said Jamie with a smile holding out his hand for the tongs. Walking back into the kitchen Frank found Kathy laying out a large plate of fresh fruit while Graham was putting together another plate with vegetables and dip. Jason was standing nearby and as soon as Kathy was finished he took the completed plate from his mother into the living room for the guests that were in there. Returning almost immediately Jason then picked up the plate that Graham had completed and headed to the deck outside for the guests that were out there. "I thought you were going outside to barbecue the prawns," said Kathy. "I was but they're now in the hands of an expert," explained Frank. "Have a look for yourself." Graham looked outside and saw Jamie expertly laying the cooked prawns on the serving plate in a circular pattern around the cup of toothpicks he had put in the centre. As the cooked prawns came off the grill Jamie added more of the fresh ones always keeping the grill fully covered. A few people were already trying out the prawns and from their enthusiastic reactions Graham could tell that Jamie was doing an excellent job. Throughout the entire afternoon Cindy had been keeping a watchful eye on Jamie. Initially she had been following Jamie as he moved around the house helping monitor the plates of food but now that Jamie was mostly helping with the cooking outdoors she had settled down there to observe. Whenever Jamie would go back inside the house for something she would sit up and if Jamie remained inside for more than a minute or two she would go in herself to check on him. While Jamie was cooking the prawns on the barbecue one guest accidentally backed up into him. Initially perceiving this as an attack Cindy's usual friendly disposition suddenly vanished, she jumped to her feet, her lips pulled back baring her teeth, and she prepared to defend Jamie. Profuse apologies were given to Jamie immediately for the accidental collision whereupon Cindy relaxed but she stayed on her feet and watched the situation closely. None of the other guests had noticed Cindy's rapid change in demeanour but Pony who had wandered out to the deck a few minutes earlier noticed instantly and smiled. Pony had first met Cindy when he had been supervising the renovations being done to the house that Graham had bought. He had seen how Graham had worked long and hard to calm Cindy's fears from the abuse that she had suffered at the hands of her previous owners and now Cindy's reaction to the momentary collision combined with Jamie's earlier guardedness started Pony thinking. It shortly became clear that Jamie had not missed noticing Cindy's reaction either. Jamie picked up two prawns off the barbecue that were finished cooking and blew on them carefully to help cool them down. He then went over to Cindy and knelt down next to her. Breaking off the tail section from each of the prawns Jamie fed them to her while speaking in a quiet voice that only she could hear. After getting a big hug Cindy gave Jamie a lick on the face and then laid back down again while Jamie went back to the barbecue to continue grilling the rest of the prawns. Once back in position Jamie took a quick look around at the guests on the deck to see if any of them had been watching and he noticed Pony smiling. Jamie returned the smile shyly and Pony nodded back in recognition of their shared knowledge of Cindy's protectiveness. By late afternoon the sun was starting to disappear and it was getting cold outside. Frank had turned on the outside lights and lit a warm fire in the brazier that was in the middle of the deck to provide heat but most of the guests had already migrated back into the Tomlinson's house. Jamie had long since finished grilling the prawns to rave reviews from everyone at the party and had quietly accepted the praise with a very shy smile. While Jamie had been enjoying the party the strain of meeting so many new people in such a short period of time had finally taken its toll. Jamie had curled up by himself in a chair off to the side of the deck and was shivering even though the heat from the fire in the brazier was keeping him physically warm. Cindy who had been watching Jamie finally got up, went over, and nudged him several times with her head but after getting no response she realized that he needed help and went into the house to locate Jason. Finding Jason in the kitchen Cindy began pawing at him repeatedly until he followed her outside once he understood that she was trying to alert him to a problem. Seeing Jamie curled up alone outside Jason quickly realized that he needed to have a break from the excitement of the party. He took Jamie's hand, pulled him to his feet, and led him into the house telling his mother on the way past the kitchen that Jamie needed a rest and to call them when it was time for dinner. With Cindy following close behind Jason immediately took Jamie upstairs to his bedroom. Jamie did not speak or react while Jason took him into the house and up the stairs but simply went along quietly wherever Jason guided him. Once inside the bedroom Jason sat Jamie down on the bed, took off his shoes for him, pulled the blankets to one side, and helped Jamie to lie down on the bed. Cindy who had been watching closely went up and sat next to the head of the bed and looked at Jamie carefully as he laid unmoving in the bed. Jason then turned off the lights, got into the bed next to Jamie, and pulled the blankets over them both. Putting his arms around Jamie to comfort him Jason gradually felt Jamie's body stop shivering and begin to relax. A few minutes later as the dark quiet atmosphere began to relieve Jamie's tension Jason felt him start to breathe more regularly. Finally less than five minutes after being put to bed Jamie was sound asleep. Seeing that Jamie was now safe and comfortable Cindy laid down on the floor next to the bed. Holding Jamie close Jason laid his head on the pillow next to Jamie's and joined him in a late afternoon nap. Back downstairs Graham who had been looking for Jamie without success went into the kitchen and found Kathy putting a load of dishes into the dishwasher. Graham helped by collecting and rinsing the plates and then handing them to Kathy who put them into the bottom section of the dishwasher. Once it was full Kathy shook some soap into the soap dispenser and then closed the door and switched it on. "Have you seen Jamie?" asked Graham while drying his hands off. "I've looked around the house a couple of times but can't spot him anywhere. Jason seems to have disappeared too." "Jason took Jamie upstairs to his room for a rest," said Kathy. "He looked like he'd had a bit too much excitement from being around all the people at the party." "I should have been keeping a better eye on him," said Graham now feeling guilty. "I didn't realize. Maybe I shouldn't have brought him." "No, you did the right thing," said Kathy. "I've been watching out the window periodically and Jamie's been enjoying himself. It's just been a bit too much for him I think. This is probably the first time he's been in a situation like this and he's not used to it. Jason took him upstairs for a little nap to help him get refreshed. He'll be OK after he's had a rest. Also the crowd is starting to thin a bit and once we start serving dinner things will get a lot quieter when people start eating. Jamie will be fine, you'll see." A couple of hours after Jason took Jamie upstairs to nap Frank went outside, opened the lid on the smoker one last time, used a knife to cut off a small portion, blew on it to cool it, and then popped it into his mouth. It was cooked to total perfection - tender, moist, and delicious. The periodic basting with sauce that Jamie had been doing throughout the afternoon had paid off handsomely. Frank cut off a second small piece to sample the meat again and could not remember a time when the brisket had turned out better. Lowering the lid on the smoker Frank went back into the house and got the steaks out of the refrigerator so he could start preparing them for grilling on the barbecue. Frank had selected both strip loin and rib eye cuts when he had picked up the steaks at the butcher the previous day. After many years of barbequing he had found that they gave the best results over other types of steak. Frank prepared them by sprinkling salt and pepper on both sides of each piece of meat as well as giving them a small dash of olive oil to prevent them from sticking to the grill. After each steak was ready he added it to the growing stack on the platter next to him that he would use to take them outside. "I think you'd better tell Graham to go and wake the boys up," said Frank. "It won't be much longer before these will need to go on the grill and then it'll be time to eat." "I'll go up and let them know," said Kathy. "Graham is busy in the living room right now refilling coffee cups." Kathy walked out of the kitchen, went up the stairs, stopped just outside Jason's bedroom, and gently tapped on the door. From inside the bedroom Kathy could hear the sound of paws on the floor and when she pushed the door open gently she saw Cindy on the other side of the door standing protectively between her and the boys who were fast asleep on the bed. Kathy smiled as she looked at the boys in the bed together. The bedclothes had moved around as they had slept and Kathy could see Jamie's arm draped over Jason as their heads laid side by side together on the pillow. Although Kathy knew that Jamie had had a difficult life in the past, at this moment with his eyes closed and breathing softly, he now looked the picture of peaceful happy innocence. "It will be dinner time soon," said Kathy very softly from the doorway. Almost immediately Kathy saw Jason's eyelids flutter and Jamie twitch whereupon she chuckled. There were certain things guaranteed to always catch the attention of a growing boy and mentioning food was one of the most effective. Kathy also noticed that Cindy had not missed the topic of her wake-up call. Cindy looked up at Kathy licking her lips and then went up to the bed and started to lick Jamie on the face to help him wake up. "Mom!" said Jason suddenly coming totally awake and realizing that she was watching Jamie and him laying next to each other on the bed. "What's the matter?" "Nothing at all Jason," said Kathy with a gentle smile. "I just wanted to let you know that your father is going to be starting the steaks in a few minutes." "Jamie was tired and needed to rest," said Jason attempting to explain. "He was worn out from seeing all the people at the party." "Hi," said Jamie now fully awake and feeling self-conscious at being found in bed next to Jason. "I'm sorry I don't remember coming up here. I hope you're not angry." "Everything is just fine Jamie," said Kathy softly. "Jason brought you up here so you could have a break from all the excitement. When you're both ready come downstairs, it's almost time for dinner." Kathy closed the door to Jason's bedroom and headed back towards the kitchen. As she went down the stairs she had a big smile on her face. While it was too soon to know for certain, the way the two boys were snuggled up together it seemed to Kathy that Jason might have found more than just a new friend to go fishing and hiking with. Given what she had seen of Jamie's personality so far the prospect did not disappoint her at all. A few minutes later a refreshed Jamie walked into the kitchen along with Jason. He was acting quite reserved and Kathy realized that he was feeling embarrassed at her having found him in bed with Jason. Knowing that quick action was called for Kathy picked up a small appetizer off a serving tray next to her and offered it to Jamie. "You both looked so happy when you were sleeping upstairs", said Kathy quietly so only Jamie could hear. "I'm glad that you and Jason have become such good friends so quickly." Kathy was pleased when she saw Jamie give a shy but now more confident smile in reply. Jamie then helped Kathy get out the plates and cutlery that would be needed shortly when dinner was served. *** *** *** *** *** It was late in the evening when the last of the guests had left the Tomlinson's home. It had been the best party that anyone could remember in years and the compliments on the food had been flowing constantly. Jamie's attentive helpfulness had been noted by many of the guests despite his shyness. His quiet friendliness had caught the attention of several of the guests who, having heard vague comments to the effect that there were difficulties in his past, had discretely mentioned to Kathy to let them know if any help was needed. For having just hosted a party the size and length of the Christmas Barbecue the house looked remarkably clean. Graham wandered through the house picking up the few remaining cups and other dishes and took them back into the kitchen. In the kitchen an efficient assembly line was in full operation with Kathy at the sink, Jamie and Jason unloading the dishwasher and putting cups, plates, and cutlery away, along with Frank wrapping up the leftover food so it could be put into the refrigerator. Finally the few remaining dirty serving trays had been washed, the final load of pots and pans went into the dishwasher, and the last of the food had been put away. Everyone paused a moment to take a breath and then they all sat down on the chairs around the kitchen table. Cindy who had been sitting off to the side moved to lay down in front of the chair that Jamie was sitting in whereupon he began to slowly run a sock-covered foot along her side in a gentle massage-like motion. "I think a round of applause is in order for everyone here," said Frank. "You all helped out incredibly today and I want to thank you for everything you did. But I think extra thanks needs to go to the newest member of our extended family, Jamie. I've never seen anyone work as hard as you did today." "I just tried to help out a little bit," said Jamie embarrassed by the compliment. "Oh you did more than just a little," added Graham. "I noticed and so did everybody else. You made a wonderful impression on everyone at the party. Everyone was talking about how great the meat was this year." "I just did it the way you showed me," said Jamie clearly trying to diminish his role. "You made it extra special this year by being here with us," said Kathy with a smile. "We hope that from now on you will always be able to come to our Christmas Barbecue." "I think it's time for us to go to bed now," announced Jason standing up. "I'm tired out and so is Jamie." "Sounds like a good idea," said Graham seeing Jamie looking towards him for permission. "I'm just going to finish this cup of tea and then I'm heading back to my place. You guys go ahead and I'll see you in the morning." Jamie stood and then hesitated for a moment. Suddenly he came up to Graham and gave him a quick hug. Graham was taken by surprise as Jamie had never been this forward before but he put his arms around the boy and gently returned the hug. "Thanks for letting me come with you today Graham," said Jamie. "It was really nice being allowed to see everything." "I'm glad you were able to come too Jamie," replied Graham. "You made it extra nice for me just by being here." "And thanks for all the wonderful things to eat," said Jamie turning towards Frank and Kathy. "I've never been to a party before and never saw so many different kinds of things out on the tables." "I'm going to put you in charge of the meat next year," said Frank. "You did a wonderful job and it really helped me out a lot." "You're part of the family now Jamie," said Kathy. "We want you to know that you're always welcome here. Just to visit, or come for breakfast, or stay over with Jason whenever you'd like." "Thanks very much," said Jamie now starting to accept the comments a bit more easily. "I'd like that a lot." Jason rescued Jamie from having to deal with any more compliments by taking his hand and leading him out of the kitchen. Cindy got up and followed the boys who then headed upstairs to Jason's bedroom. The day had been a long and tiring one for Jamie but at the same time it had given him another chance to observe Graham and the Tomlinson's in action. The contrast between what Jamie had grown up experiencing at home and what he was now seeing on the island could not have been more different. As the two boys got ready for bed Jamie once again wondered what it would be like if he could stay here far away from the city and his troubles. The two boys got into bed and Jason snuggled up behind Jamie and put his arms around him. "I'm really glad you're here with me tonight," said Jason. "I'm glad too," said Jamie. "Being with all of you is almost like a dream. I keep wondering if I'm going to wake up somewhere else and none of this has actually happened." "You're a dream for me," said Jason sleepily giving Jamie a final hug. Jamie reached out and turned the light off next to the bed. The two boys snuggled close together and only a few minutes later both of them were fast asleep. =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Chapter 12 - Nightmare Run Graham held the bag of ice against his temple as he picked up the telephone and dialed. This was getting to be too much of a habit Graham thought wearily as he listened to the telephone ringing. At least this time it did not feel like his teeth had been shaken loose like they had on other occasions while trying to calm some of Jamie's nightmares. "Hello?" asked a voice on the other end of the line. "Hi Frank," answered Graham. "How's it going with you?" "We're just getting ready to make breakfast here," replied Frank. "You don't sound so good though. What's up?" "Not so great," answered Graham. "It happened again last night." "Another nightmare?" said Frank with concern. "Yes," replied Graham. "I got a black eye this time too. He's also got Cindy a couple of times in the past without knowing it but she never gets mad at him because of it." "You're both going to have to learn to duck faster," chuckled Frank sympathetically. "I was really hoping it would start to settle down after a couple of weeks," said Graham, "I try to duck but for a little guy he sure packs quite a wallop. I can't take much more of this. I'm getting too old to be a punching bag." "I know you've been hoping that things would improve with time," said Frank. "But I think you're going to have to do something about it before you end up getting badly hurt. You're not a youngster any more you know." "You've got that right," replied Graham. "The weird part about it all is that he doesn't have any idea that he's even doing it." "It'll be best for everyone to get some help for Jamie," said Frank. "Even if you don't want to get all mixed up with the legal issues yet you should talk to a psychologist or someone like that about what's happening. They might be able to give you some ideas that might help." "Yes I'm going to have to," said Graham with resignation. "I'm going to make some phone calls today and see if I can't get something started now that the holidays are over to get this whole thing settled once and for all. That's why I called you actually. Do you suppose you could ask Jason to come over and take Jamie out somewhere and keep him busy for a few hours? I don't like to presume like this on Jason but I don't think it'd be a good idea for Jamie to overhear me talking on the phone about him. He might get the wrong idea about what I'm trying to do." "I agree completely," replied Frank. "I don't think it'll be a problem, wait a minute while I talk to Jason." "Thanks I'll wait," said Graham as he adjusted the bag of ice and looked out the window at the tops of the trees as they swayed gently in the morning breeze. "I just checked with Jason," said Frank coming back on the line after a minute. "He's OK with it and he'll be over in just a few minutes. He'll bring Jamie back here for breakfast and then go off on a hike with him. Kathy's making waffles and you know how Jamie likes those." "Oh that's great," said Graham. "You tell Jason I owe him one and thanks a lot for listening Frank. If I don't get this resolved soon I'm going to end up needing false teeth." "I don't think a boxing career is what you want for Jamie," said Frank. "It will work out better all around this way Graham. I know you've been trying to do the best you can but I think getting some help now will be a lot better than waiting any longer." "You're right," said Graham. "I was just trying to put off the inevitable for a bit I guess. Give Jamie more time to be settled before things had to happen. Anyway I'd better get going here. I think I can hear Jamie getting up. Say hello to Kathy for me." Graham hung up the telephone and stared out the window. A few minutes later Cindy announced Jamie's impending arrival by coming into the kitchen and rubbing up against Graham's leg. "Hi there girl," said Graham as he knelt and gave the large white dog a hug and petted her. "How are you this morning?" "Good morning Graham," said Jamie cheerfully as he came into the room a minute later to find Cindy standing with her feet against Graham's chest giving him a quick face-washing kiss. "Hi Jamie. How are you doing today?" said Graham as he stood back up. "I'm feeling pretty good. What happened to you?" asked Jamie as he noticed the swelling and darkness forming around Graham's left eye and the bag of ice on the kitchen counter. "I knelt down to pick up a fork I dropped and when I stood back up I forgot I had the cupboard door open and I smacked myself pretty hard," answered Graham in an attempt to cover up what had taken place the night before. "You've got to be more careful," said a concerned Jamie. "That's been happening to you a lot lately." "Hasn't it though," sighed Graham to himself but not quietly enough that Jamie's alert ears didn't pick it up. While Graham took the dishes out of the dishwasher and put them away Jamie looked him over carefully and with concern. He knew Graham was older and close to retirement age and he wondered if perhaps something was wrong with him. While Jamie had not actually ever seen it happen Graham had been having a lot of accidents lately and always seemed to be getting bumps and bruises on his head. Jamie did not want to invade Graham's privacy by asking questions too directly but at the same time he felt like he wanted to help somehow. While Jamie was pondering what he should do or how he could possibly raise the subject he looked up just as a familiar smiling face appeared standing just outside the sliding glass door leading to the outside deck. "Hello Jay!" called out Jamie while waving his hand. Jason slid the door open and stepped into the kitchen sliding it closed behind him. "Hi there," said Jason as he came in and stood on a mat just inside the sliding door. Cindy came over to greet him and he patted her on the head and got a wet kiss in return. "Good morning Jason. You're up early today," said Graham providing Jason with an opening. "I came over to invite you both for waffles and sausages. Mom has them cooking up right now," replied Jason. Graham saw Jason looking him over carefully and replied, "I've got a bit of a headache this morning and need to rest. Why don't you go Jamie and I can come another time." "Are you sure you don't want to come too?" said Jamie with obvious disappointment. "Don't worry about me," replied Graham. "I'll take an aspirin and be fine in an hour or two. You guys go and have fun. Afterwards you can go hiking or something. I'll have lunch ready for you when you get back." "Alright if you're certain," said Jamie. "Can Cindy come with us?" "Of course she can. We can't break up the Three Musketeers now can we?" chuckled Graham. "You're sure you'll be OK if I go?" asked Jamie still worried. "Yes I'll be just fine, you'll see. Everything is going to be great," replied Graham. "Alright," said Jamie not entirely convinced. Cindy following along as he went out of the kitchen to his room upstairs to get changed for the trip to Jason's house. "He sure got you good this time," remarked Jason quietly once Jamie had left the room. "Yes, I've been putting things off hoping the nightmares would decrease if he had some calm and quiet surroundings for a while but it looks like I'm going to have to take action sooner than I wanted to. I can't keep waiting and have this continuing to happen," said Graham. "And you're not getting any better at ducking either," said Jason with a wry grin. "I'm getting too old to be a sparing partner," said Graham. "He still has no idea he's doing it?" asked Jason. "He was fast asleep when he got me the night of the Christmas Barbecue." "Not a clue," replied Graham. "He's totally asleep but the nightmares seem to just take complete control of him. Cindy's gotten hit a couple of times too but it just seems to make her cling to him even more. She follows him around like glue everywhere he goes." Graham and Jason stopped talking as they heard Jamie and Cindy coming back down the stairs. Graham busied himself getting some orange juice out of the refrigerator and offered a glass to each of the boys who promptly finished it off. "We'd better get going Jamie," said Jason. "Breakfast is going to get cold and we don't want dad to eat all of the sausages on us." "You think you'll be as big as your dad one day?" asked Jamie while doing up his coat. "Probably eventually," replied Jason. "But not for a while. I'm still growing." "You guys have a good time and I'll see you later then," said Graham as the boys and Cindy went out the sliding door and closed it behind them. Watching them run off along the path over to Jason's house through the kitchen window Graham smiled as he put a couple of aspirins in his mouth and swallowed some water. The headache should go before too long but the bruise around his eye was going to take a bit longer. After having a quick breakfast of a muffin and some tea Graham walked into his study and sat down heavily. He had been trying to put off having to take decisive action with regards to Jamie but the nightmares Graham had hoped would decrease seemed as bad as ever. It was time to do something about them although Graham knew that this was almost certain to make things much worse in the short term. However it was the longer term that mattered the most and Jamie could not be allowed to suffer like this any longer. When he had first stopped on the walkway leading to the subway to help Jamie all he had in mind was giving a distressed youngster a meal. Now Graham was contemplating something on a vastly larger scale. How would it turn out? Would he even be allowed to keep Jamie? Everything was against it - he was older, single, and contemplating retirement. The only thing that he could offer to bolster his side of the argument was the environment here on the island, but was that enough to tip the scales in his and Jamie's favour? Graham pulled his address book from his desk drawer and began to thumb through it looking for his friend Scott's work number. Graham picked up the telephone and dialed. "Hello, this is Scott Eldrich. How can I help you?" came a voice over the telephone. "Hi there Scott. It's Graham calling," replied Graham. "Graham! Long time no see. What's this I hear about you taking an extended vacation?" asked Scott. "Rumour around the office is that the boss was pretty annoyed when your request came in." "I've got bigger problems to worry about than Alex getting upset with me," said Graham. "In fact he might even end up being more annoyed with me very soon depending on what happens in the next few days." "What do you mean?" asked Scott. "Is something wrong over there?" "Yes and no. I've gotten myself mixed up with a problem that's rather complicated and I think I need some legal advice. You see I picked up a young boy from off the street and he's been living at my place over the Christmas holidays and ..." began Graham. "You picked up a boy off the street?" asked a totally bewildered Scott. "What do you mean?" "It's difficult to explain. Maybe I should start at the beginning," said Graham. "I've always found that helps," said Scott with a laugh. "I've never been good at picking up the story when I walk in on the middle of a movie." "A few weeks ago I was walking out of the office to a meeting to finish that last project I was working on. I was heading over the walkway to the subway station and there was this boy sitting there begging for money. We've all seen teenagers all over the place trying to bum a quarter off of people but this little guy was so young. He was dirty, banged up pretty good, and obviously not one of those bored middle-class teenagers squeezing people for change thinking it's an entertaining way to spend the day. "So I stopped. I don't know why I stopped, but I stopped. You know me I never look twice at panhandlers hanging about on the street but he looked so vulnerable. Anyway I took him into the mall and bought him something to eat, sat with him for a bit, and then had to leave for my meeting. You should have seen the way he attacked the breakfast I bought him. I mean it was just a fast-food breakfast, but the way he went at it I don't think he'd eaten in days. There was something about this little guy that got to me and I just couldn't walk off and forget about it. Anyway he was there again when I got back later in the afternoon and after I got off work I took him home to that little cave I use in the city, let him wash, took him out again for some dinner, got him some new pants and a couple of shirts, and then let him sleep there that night. "When the weekend arrived I brought him over here to the island with me since it was either that or back onto a frozen street corner for him. He's been living here with me now for a few weeks. From the few things that he's told me it's pretty clear that he's been badly abused. At home of course which is why he ran away in the first place, but also on the streets now since he has no other way to survive. He's even hinted pretty strongly at me more times than I can count and a couple of times he's even come right out and suggested something point blank. I'm pretty sure that he thinks he owes me for letting him stay here. So I'm being very careful to be totally dense and not notice the hints and suggestions, and naturally I'm turning down the direct offers as gently as I can. "Scott if you could just see the poor little guy. He's so sweet, gentle, and polite. At the same time in the middle of the night he has the worst nightmares I've ever seen. I've tried to comfort him to calm him down when it happens but more than once I've been decked by him without his even realizing it. In fact I've got nice black eye warming up right now as we speak from another nightmare last night. I was hoping the bad dreams would settle down and fade with some quiet time away from everything but they haven't. It's as bad as it ever was. "I've been reluctant to question him very much. I don't want him to think he's on trial or something, but it's pretty obvious to me what the source of most of the nightmares is especially after hearing some of the stuff that he's shouted out in the middle of them. Sure it's not proof from a legal point of view but it's enough for me. His father raped him over and over, beat him, and a lot of other stuff I'd rather not get into or think about, not to mention the fact that his mother helped out. Finally of course he ran way and took to the streets. So you know what that means he's had to do in order to survive. "But I can't delay it any longer and I need to know what to do. What can I do? What am I allowed to do? What will the system do to him? I mean he's grown on me incredibly fast in a very short period of time. I'd love to have him stay here but I can just imagine the looks on the faces of the Child Welfare caseworkers. Single older man thinking about retiring wants to have a young boy come and stay with him - I can just hear the laughter already and see the rolling eyes and leering looks." Scott paused for a moment before replying heavily, "You certainly don't pick easy problems do you?" Graham replied, "It just kills me to know what's happened to him. He's such a good kid. How can people do things like that to a boy? I mean this guy that's his father, he just doesn't deserve a nice kid like this but he's got one and he's hurt him so horribly and treated him like dirt. And the nightmares - it's getting too much for me to handle. I mean I'm not getting any younger and he's throwing all his strength into it when he thrashes around and fights in his sleep. I've been telling him that I've smacked myself into the cupboards and things like that to explain the bruises. I think he's starting to believe I'm turning into a senile old man who's losing his marbles and needs to be watched so I won't keep hurting myself." "You always were a bit touched you know," joked Scott. "I probably am but this is serious stuff Scott and I want to help him if I can," replied Graham. "I just don't know what I can do or if they would even let me." "I know you do and I know what you're like. You're not going to take 'no' for an answer on this and I don't blame you because I wouldn't either," began Scott. "I can help a bit but this isn't my specialty as you know. I'm more the contract law type, helping companies figure out new ways to double-cross each other and get away with it. To find out how this sort of thing works you need someone who really knows his stuff and has a long list of contacts in all the right places. On top of that however what you also need is someone on your side who works for the Ministry of Social Services in the Department of Child Welfare. This is all way outside of what I normally do. I'll have to make some phone calls and try and find out who would be the best person to give you a hand. I can sketch out the details for them to see if it's something they can help with and if they'd be interested and then get them to call you. Are you going to be home for the next few hours?" "I don't care about the cost, I've got a little bit of money stashed away for emergencies and I think this genuinely qualifies," said Graham. "I'll be here for the rest of day so you can call back any time. I sent Jamie off with Jason next door to get him out of earshot while I talked to you on the phone. That's his name by the way, Jamie." "Alright, give me your number there. I've only got the one for your place in town," said Scott. "Thanks a lot Scott," said Graham. "He's really worth it you know. One look into that hopeful face of his and I just go to pieces." "Graham you're the world's biggest marshmallow and you always have been," said Scott. "But that's what we like about you. Don't you worry, we'll figure out something for you and that boy of yours. I won't let you down. Once I find out who the best people are for something like this I'll call you back and let you know their names so you can expect their calls. One way or another we'll figure out how to make this work for you and Jamie." "Thanks a bunch Scott," said Graham. "Next time I'm in the city the drinks are on me." "I'll hold you to that," laughed Scott as he hung up. Graham put the telephone down and looked out the window. The die was now cast. Hopefully it would work out the way he wanted it to. *** *** *** *** *** Jamie and Jason emerged from the forest alongside the stream that they had visited a couple of times before. Ever since their first fishing trip out together Jamie and Jason had gone hiking all over the island, often taking a packed lunch with them and disappearing for the entire day. Cindy as always stuck close to Jamie wherever he went never letting him out of her sight. Cindy had become Jamie's constant and faithful companion and much more than a close friendship between the two boys had also grown and developed. While Jamie's nightmares might still be taking control of him during the night, in the daytime Jamie was beginning to make progress in reasserting his own personality and had begun to feel comfortable with his new friends on Valdez Island. Jason and Cindy had hiked up to the top of Whalebone Hill on the east side of Valdez Island together many times before, but for Jamie it was a totally new experience. He found himself getting winded from the climb as he followed Jason and Cindy up through the rocks, trees and brush that dotted the slope. Although his strength was improving now that he was eating regularly, Jamie still did not have the same level of stamina that Jason or Cindy had. As they went up the hill every few feet Cindy protectively turned her head back to check on Jamie's progress and if he appeared to be slowing down she waited until he caught up before continuing. Eventually at a level spot approximately two-thirds of the way up Cindy barked once and then Jason called a halt to the ascent. They all sat down and looked out from the hill over the sea towards the mainland. "That's a hard climb," said Jamie breathing heavily. "I'm not used to doing something like that." "You'll get stronger the more we go out," said Jason taking a couple of granola bars out of his day pack and giving one of them to Jamie. "When Mr. M. first came over to the island and rescued Cindy she couldn't do a climb like this either but you can see she's in really good shape now." Cindy woofed her agreement and then nudged Jason with her head. Jason understanding Cindy's meaning reached back into his day pack, took out a large dog biscuit, and gave it to her. Cindy then settled down on the ground with the biscuit between her paws and joined the boys in a well-earned snack. "You can really see a long way out from up here," said Jamie as he munched on the granola bar and looked out over the water in the direction of the city. "The view is even better a bit further up," said Jason. "Sometimes if the air is clear and you have a pair of binoculars you can even see the big cargo ships going in and out of the harbour back in the city." "It looks really brown over there right now," said Jamie observing the thick haze in the distance hanging over the city like a storm cloud. "I guess I was breathing that in all the time when I was there." "I'm afraid so," said Jason sadly. "It gets worse every year too as the city gets bigger and there are more and more cars being driven around. If people could see what it looks like from this point of view they might realize how they're destroying the air that they need to breath." The two boys and Cindy sat and finished their snack while looking out at some seagulls that were flying along the shoreline down at the base of the hill. Jason got a bottle of water out of his day pack and took a drink from it and then offered it to Jamie. Jamie poured some of the water into the palm of his hand and then held it up for Cindy who promptly lapped it up. Jamie did this repeatedly and only after Cindy had her fill did Jamie take a drink out of the bottle himself. "Do you want to go up any higher?" asked Jason. "Sometimes if you're lucky you can spot Dave flying over to the city." "Sure," replied Jamie jumping up with a smile. "I'm rested now and ready to go again." While they continued hiking up the side of the hill Jason could tell that Jamie did not have his mind fully on what they were doing. Jason had learnt to spot the signs early on. Jamie tended to get a blank look on his face like he was gazing off into empty space and not seeing anything. It worried Jason at first but gradually he realized that this was because of what Jamie had been through. Jason had told his father and Graham about it and agreed with them that lots of quiet time fishing, going on hikes, and generally being out in the fresh air was probably the best thing for Jamie. Time to think, peace and quiet, and away from the city and what had happened to Jamie there. Jason had also talked to Pony about Jamie after introducing them to each other at the Christmas Barbecue. Afterwards Pony told Jason a story about an old man that had gone to fight in the Great War many years ago before Pony had been born. Before he left for the war the man had had a family, had been happy, and loved to laugh. However after he returned he would just sit, often for hours at a time, looking off into the distance like Jamie sometimes did. When Pony was a small boy he had often seen the old man just sitting and looking out towards the ocean and had asked his father why the man did that. Pony's father told him that this was because he had seen too many evil things in the war and that the man had lost part of his spirit. Ever since then his father said, the man had been looking to try and find it again. "Jay, do you think that maybe there is something wrong with Graham?" Jamie said finally. "What do you mean?" asked Jason not understanding. "I've been noticing that he seems to be getting banged up a lot lately. Like maybe he's getting old and he's falling down a lot because there's something wrong with him," replied Jamie. "I've never seen it actually happen but he didn't look very good this morning." "He's getting older but I don't think there's anything wrong with Mr. M.," said Jason carefully. "He gets these really bad bruises on his head sometimes," continued Jamie. "I asked him and he always says he bumped into the cupboard or something like that but I don't think that's what it is." "I'm sure if something was wrong with him he'd tell you," Jason temporized. Despite knowing full well what was causing Graham's injuries Jason did not feel that it was his place to reveal the full explanation behind them. He knew that Graham was trying to help Jamie and that he had been hoping that the calm of the island lifestyle would help Jamie's nightmares to decrease. He also knew that Graham was concerned how Jamie would react if he found out that he was the cause of the bruises. After seeing Graham's appearance this morning however Jason realized that things had not improved much if at all since Jamie had come over to the island. *** *** *** *** *** Graham leaned back in his chair in the study and listened to the music coming from the stereo. He tried to let the music flow through him and wash away his worries but it was not working very well today. It was an older disc that Graham had playing, one of his favourites when he needed to think. The guitar strains coming from the speakers reminded him of the cries of whales in the deep ocean. It was plaintive and yet profound all at the same time. Graham closed his eyes and although he felt uneasy about what lay ahead he simultaneously knew that what he was doing was what Jamie needed. Perhaps if everything worked out right it might even be what he needed too. The telephone rang. Graham sat up, focused on the study once again, and picked it up. "Mr. Graham Martin?" asked a woman's voice. "Yes this is Graham Martin," replied Graham guardedly. "Hello, my name is Madeline Thompson or just Matty for short," came the friendly voice over the telephone. "I'm with the Department of Child Welfare and I just finished talking with Scott Eldrich and he asked me to give you a call." "Thank you for calling," said Graham. "Scott said that he'd try to find someone to help me out." "Yes, that's why I called," said Matty. "I understand you've gotten yourself mixed up into a bit of a situation." "You see I was going along the walkway near where I work and ... that is to say I ..." stuttered Graham unsure of how to explain the circumstances of how he had first met Jamie. "Don't worry, Scott explained everything," interrupted Matty. "You have nothing to worry about in fact I should be thanking you. Would the Jamie we're talking about be about twelve years old, kind of scruffy but cleans up nicely, dark hair, amazing blue eyes ..." "You know about him?" asked Graham with surprise. "Yes I do," sighed Matty. "Back in the spring I was about to look into his file when it was taken away from me and given to another caseworker. I didn't get a chance to investigate but my initial impressions were that something was definitely wrong." "He's been hurt," offered Graham carefully. "You mean he's been abused," corrected Matty. "Yes I do mean abused," confirmed Graham. "And very seriously I might add." "That's what I had suspected," responded Matty. "I was going to investigate the case because it looked suspicious to me but then I didn't get a chance and it was taken off my hands. The caseworker it was given to didn't investigate and so there was no proof of anything being amiss. Without proof our hands are tied and so I couldn't do anything." "What do you mean you have no proof?" exclaimed Graham. "He has nightmares almost every night! Last night I got a black eye trying to calm him down. That wasn't the first, second, or even third time that's happened. I've got the bruises to prove it!" "It's a lousy story," began Matty. "I pulled the file on Jamie just before I called you. He's had two different caseworkers so far and I'm familiar with both of them. Neither of them cares anymore about the kids they handle and I can tell from the notes in the file that they just took the word of the parents and ignored everything else to the contrary. It's easier that way and then they didn't have to dig hard to prove something was going on. It's the old story of too many files, not enough caseworkers, not enough time, not enough funding, and the kids are the ones that fall through the cracks and end up suffering as a result. He's written up here as being difficult to manage and that he's being returned to his parents who need to apply more structure and discipline. Sounds like the father gave them a story about being too permissive and that he'd have to crack down on him." "Too permissive?" said an incredulous Graham. "You should see the whip marks on his back for crying out loud! Can't they use what the children tell them as evidence?" "They often won't tell us anything," said Matty sadly. "Sometimes despite everything that has happened to them kids often feel they still have to be loyal to their parents which can make finding out what's happened difficult. In other cases they've been terrorized into being quiet, often by threats against their siblings or a pet for example. Or as in this case what Jamie did say obviously wasn't listened to because the caseworker just wanted to close the books on the matter. Some of the more devious parents actually take advantage of the overworked situation by deliberately coming in late in the day when they know the caseworkers are tired and then offer up a convincing story that'll make it easy to wrap up the case quickly. Not to mention the fact that the system is stacked in favour of the parents and not the children which is what also happened here. Of course even if a complaint is sworn out, followed up on, and then action taken where the children often end up isn't exactly paradise most of the time." "You mean that Jamie hasn't got any chance at a decent life then?" sighed Graham. "No, I just want to be honest with you and let you know the facts and what you and Jamie will be up against if you want to pursue this," said Matty. "But he's got two big things in his favour this time." "And what are those?" asked Graham with a sense of hopelessness. "You and me," Matty replied with conviction. "How is that going to help?" said Graham. "You have to follow the system and I don't even know if I'm up to looking after a youngster. Even if I am I'm not exactly what the brochures would consider as the ideal candidate in any case." "Jamie's been staying with you now for a few weeks now," began Matty. "During that time he's come to know what you're like and that could help a lot because it would help make him feel secure enough to tell us the details of what's been going on. Next, Scott's told me the kind of person you are and assuming that bears up under some checking we might be able to get Jamie assigned to you as a foster child - if you were willing of course. Or it could just be temporary until we found him another home. Finally, there's me. I'm interested in what's best for the children. Not their parents, and not anyone else - just the children. I'll do whatever it takes to get them somewhere safe. Jamie's not had me for a caseworker before. If he had it never would have gone on this long." "What would happen if I said to go ahead?" asked Graham. "First you'd have to give me a lot of personal information about yourself and your background," said Matty. "Then I'd have to get a description of where you live, where you work, financial information, and personal references. In other words basically everything about you, including where you got your laundry done last week and what you had for breakfast this morning. There are personal onsite interviews that need to be done and periodic inspections. It sounds invasive and it is but the idea is to protect the children." "But that's just the easy part," continued Matty. "Jamie has to come in and give us a statement of complaint that we can use. And I can tell you right now that that's actually going to be the hardest part. Most youngsters clam up tight when we try to talk to them either because they're afraid or because, as in Jamie's case, of a previous bad experience with the department. I'm hoping that if we can approve you ahead of time and if he knows that he would be able to stay with you, at least for a while, then he might be willing to talk. Without something from Jamie though he'll be returned to his parents and we both know what that means." "If it comes to that I won't let you have him," said Graham with defiance. "Let me talk with Jamie and then depending on how that goes we can decide how to proceed. In the meantime Scott's finding me a lawyer that's experienced in this kind of thing to help me out and I'll start getting you the information you need so you can begin your investigation of me." "That's a good start," said Matty. "Just remember that things can't stay the way they are right now. I know you're a decent fellow Graham and mean the best for Jamie but you could get into a big heap of trouble if this came out the wrong way. With him being a minor, and despite what's been going on at home, his parents remain Jamie's legal guardians unless and until it can be proven in court that they have been unfit parents. So until that can be done things have to be done completely by the book in order to protect everyone. Also keep in mind lawyer's aren't magic wizards, all they can do is ensure that no one cheats and that everything is done according to the book." "Yes I know," replied Graham with resignation. "I was just hoping that Jamie might be able to have some time to settle down a bit and relax before anything like this had to be done." "It's a wonderful thing you're trying to do Graham and more than anyone has ever done for him before, but Jamie needs professional help in addition to love and caring," said Matty. "You may not know it but the government has funding programs to help pay for that sort of thing and even offers a monthly subsidy for people who'll take on a child like Jamie. But before we can do anything for him we've got to do something about his parents. To do that we have to be able to legally prove what's been happening as that's the only way their guardianship can be suspended. Of course they'd also get locked up but that'd just be the icing on the cake. What matters most is getting Jamie into a healthy home environment." "I'm not doing this to get any money for helping Jamie," replied Graham. "But you're right the situation does have to be resolved permanently. I just don't have to like it and I know that Jamie won't either. He's out right now on a hike with the boy from the place next to mine but I'll talk to him when he gets back home." "OK," said Matty. "Give me a call after you've spoken with him and then we'll set up a date and time so you can come in and I can meet with both you and Jamie. Then we can get things moving on the official level. That can take a bit of doing but once everything is in motion and in the right direction then it will be a lot better for everyone." "Thanks very much Matty," said Graham. "I really appreciate your help on this and I'll be talking with you again soon." "Once I can get everything started off on an official basis I'll make sure this comes out right," replied Matty. "I'll talk to you later." Graham hung up the telephone and breathed a heavy sigh. He had set the wheels in motion now he had to hope that they would roll the way he wanted them to. Graham walked out of his study and into the kitchen and began to assemble lunch. Jamie would be back soon and Graham knew that he would be hungry when he returned. Just as he finished putting the sandwiches together Graham looked up and saw Jamie and Cindy just outside the sliding glass door getting ready to come into the kitchen. "We're back," said Jamie as he and Cindy came through the door into the kitchen. "Did you have a good time with Jason?" asked Graham. "We went and climbed up to the top of the hill overlooking Salish Bay," said Jamie. "We could see for miles from up there. I could even see Dave flying over towards the mainland in his plane doing his morning run." "It's a beautiful view from up there," said Graham. "After I came over to the island Jason took me up there once during the summer to have a look but it was a hard climb for an old guy like me. Are you hungry after your hike?" "I sure am, " said Jamie happily no longer being afraid of admitting when he was hungry. "My clothes got a bit wet while I was out so I'll just go up to my room, change, clean up, and be back in a minute." Graham put the oversized sandwiches that he had made onto a couple of plates, put some chips beside them, and took them into the living room and put them down on the coffee table. He then went back into the kitchen and poured two glasses of orange juice and took them into the living room as well. A few minutes later Jamie came down from upstairs. He had changed into a sleeveless tank top and some knee-length shorts. As he sat down in an armchair on the opposite side of the coffee table Graham could not help noticing that regular meals were beginning to have a positive effect. Jamie was starting to fill out and no longer looked undernourished. Once Jamie was settled in the chair Cindy as usual laid down at his feet and snuggled up close against him. "I made us some lunch while you were out with Jason," said Graham handing Jamie one of the sandwich plates. "I thought we could eat these in here today and talk at the same time." Graham chewed on his sandwich for a minute while watching Jamie doing the same as he tried to think of the right words to say. Graham had been putting off this moment unsure of how to broach the subject but he knew that the time had finally come and he could not delay the issue any longer. Finally Graham began, "Jamie, we need to talk a little bit about you and me and ... us." Jamie stopped eating, slid himself to the edge of the sofa, and said carefully, "What did I do wrong?" "No, you've not done anything wrong," replied Graham hastily. "You've been absolutely wonderful and I love having you here. I think we're getting along incredibly well and I'm very happy that you and Jason and Cindy are such good friends now too. So please don't worry, you haven't done anything - I think you're great." "It's because you're sick isn't it?" said Jamie still feeling apprehensive and trying to think ahead. "Sick? What makes you think I'm sick?" asked a puzzled Graham. "You've been getting hurt a lot lately," said Jamie slowly. "I mean ... I couldn't help noticing." "Yes, in a way it does have something to do with that," said Graham. "But it's not that I'm sick. The explanation is a little bit more complicated than that." Graham looked out the window at the trees for a moment before continuing, "Jamie, I know that things were very bad for you at home and that's why you ran away." "Yes," said Jamie cautiously. "And ... sometimes you have some bad memories about those times," continued Graham. "Yes, sometimes," agreed Jamie. "And sometimes the bad memories make it hard for you to sleep," added Graham. "A bit ..." said Jamie now starting to feel even more uncomfortable. "Even though you've been here away from everything and safe for a little while sometimes your sleep still isn't that good," continued Graham. "I have some bad dreams sometimes," admitted Jamie cautiously. "I was thinking that perhaps I could talk to someone and try to get you some help for that," suggested Graham. "How can you do that?" said Jamie. "I'm a throwaway street kid. No one is going to want to help me." "I'd like to help you if I can," replied Graham. "If you'll let me, that is. I also want to get some other people involved to help you too if you'll allow me." "It won't work anyway," said Jamie angrily. "They'll just send me back home like the other times and then it'll start all over again. I won't let them do that to me again." "But what if there was a way to convince them about what had been happening so they'd take action this time and then it couldn't happen ever again?" asked Graham. "I tried to tell them once but no one listened and it didn't do any good. It always means going back there and I'd rather be dead," said Jamie with finality. "I probably will be dead if he catches me again." "Jamie I know you've had more bad breaks than anyone deserves in a lifetime but what would you say to staying here with me if it could be arranged?" asked Graham. "But they wouldn't let me even if you did ask. You know they always say that children should stay with their parents," said Jamie repeating the long-standing government policy regarding troubled families. "I know they'll send me back. You know they'll send me back. Why can't we just leave things like they are now and not tell anyone?" "That's the problem actually," said Graham with difficulty. "Things can't keep going the way they have been. You know how you have nightmares and you know these bruises that I've been getting lately?" "Yes," said Jamie swallowing hard and now fearing the worst. "When you get the really bad dreams did you know that you pack quite a punch?" said Graham with a wry grin. "I did that to you?" exclaimed Jamie with panic written all over his face. "Yes," replied Graham gently. "Whenever you have a bad nightmare Cindy comes and finds me. Then I come up to your bedroom and try to calm you down. Sometimes though it doesn't always work out too well for me as you can see. That's why I think we need to find someone to help you. I'm not very good at dodging fists unfortunately." "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! Honest!" exclaimed a completely terrified Jamie as he leapt to his feet and began running for the back door the plate with his half-eaten sandwich falling to the floor. "Jamie! Stop! Don't run! I'm not mad, I'm not going to hurt you!" shouted Graham but it was too late. Despite not having a coat on or even shoes, and paying no heed to the freezing cold weather outside, Jamie ran down the hallway to the back of the house, flung open the door, and in only a moment had sprinted across the grass and quickly passed from sight running into the trees. Graham tried to catch Jamie as he ran from the living room but the terrified youngster was too fast for him. When Graham got to the open door at the back of the house he called out to Jamie but to no avail. Finally Graham turned to Cindy who was standing next to him looking up and said, "Go after him Cindy. Go find Jamie!" =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Chapter 13 - A Decision is Made After sending Cindy out to run after Jamie, Graham moved quickly and put on his coat and shoes. Quickly grabbing Jamie's hiking boots Graham put them into a shopping bag and he then took Jamie's coat from the hook on the wall where it still hung next to the door and tucked it into the bag as well. Only a couple of minutes after Jamie had left at a dead run Graham was out of the house and looking for him. Graham ran down to where the grass met the edge of the forest and then hurriedly followed the trail through the trees towards the Tomlinson's house. Graham was hoping that perhaps Jamie had gone to be with his friend Jason but that was just a faint hope. While moving along the trail Graham called out periodically to both Jamie and Cindy but there was no reply from either of them and Graham could not hear anything in the forest other than the sound of his own ragged breath and pounding heart. Much quicker than he usually managed the trip Graham was soon coming up the path to the Tomlinson's house and knocked frantically on the back door. The door opened and Graham gasped almost out of breath, "Is Jamie here?" "No, what's the matter?" asked a surprised Kathy as she looked on at Graham panting heavily. "He's run off," said Graham while trying to catch his breath. "I was trying to tell him that I wanted to get him some help for the nightmares and when he realized that he was the reason I've been getting banged up he took off and ran. He must have thought I was going to beat him like his father used to do." "Oh no!" exclaimed Kathy as she quickly went back into the house followed by Graham. "Frank! Jason! Come quick!" Frank and Jason dropped what they were doing and ran to find out what the problem was. Moments later they were both in the kitchen seeing an exhausted Graham holding himself up against the kitchen counter still panting heavily. "Jamie's run away," said Kathy excitedly. "You've got to get your coats on right now and help Graham find him." "What happened?" asked Frank and Jason simultaneously while they began getting dressed for the cold winter weather. "I was trying to tell him that I could get him some help for his nightmares and he got scared when he realized that he was the one that's been belting me," said Graham. "He probably thought that I was going to react like his father would. He's going to freeze out there, he was just wearing a t-shirt and some shorts - he doesn't even have shoes on. I sent Cindy off after him hoping that she might be able to find him." "Oh boy it never rains but it pours. OK, let's do this logically," said Frank quickly taking charge of the situation. "Jason, you run up to the stream where you and Jamie go fishing together, I'll go east, and Graham you try towards the west. We'll all meet back at Graham's place in about an hour. Kathy you burn up the telephone line and get everyone you can out looking. Now remember, the temperature outside is almost at the freezing point so we have to move quickly. Whoever finds Jamie remember that the most important concern is exposure, you will especially need to check his fingers and toes for frostnip. When you find him, make sure you get him dry and protected against the weather as quickly as you can. Re- warming should be done slowly and preferably after you get him back home where we can call for help if there are any complications." Jason started tying up his boots while he listened to his father but then pulled them off quickly and ran back up to his room calling out, "I almost forgot my day pack!" Quickly returning Jason put his arms through the straps of his day pack and centred it on his back, bent down and laced up his hiking boots, and then went outside. After taking a quick look around, Jason ran into the forest at full tilt heading in the direction of the trout stream. The moment that Jason closed the door behind him Kathy went back into the kitchen and sat down with the telephone and began to dial. The more people that were on the lookout for Jamie the better and Kathy knew almost everyone from having lived on the island for years. She'd start with Dave, the weather was getting too bad for him to use his floatplane but he would be able to borrow a boat to check along the shoreline. Jason ran into the forest at full speed in the direction of the stream where he and Jamie had gone fishing several times. Crashing through the trees and jumping over fallen logs and branches he moved quickly. While running along however Jason could not help but feel that he was going about the search in the wrong way. Despite his feelings of misgiving, however, Jason pushed his worries to one side and kept going, calling out to Jamie and Cindy as he went. Less than ten minutes after leaving the house Jason arrived at the trout stream. He ran around the area frantically looking behind trees and shouting out to Jamie and Cindy. Jason first ran upstream and then down again but there was nothing to find. Jamie was not there and Jason suspected that he had not come in this direction at all. Once again the feeling that he was missing the obvious came to him and this time Jason listened to his inner voice. He then remembered what he had told Jamie when they first walked through the forest together - something very basic that Pony had taught him but in his panic had forgotten: 'The forest is never quiet if you know how to watch and listen'. Jason rebuked himself and vowed not to forget again. Too much was at stake and Jamie's survival might depend upon him using his head instead of running off without thinking. The inner voice in Jason's head was that of his Indian friend Pony who had often remarked to him how people could not see the obvious for lack of paying attention. Jason realized now that he and the others were going about the search for Jamie all wrong. The trail that Jamie took was going to be easy to find but at the same time Jason knew that he needed someone much more experienced than himself to lead the search. Jason looked about for a moment to orient himself and then started out north at a fast run. Jason was now moving rapidly in the direction of the small fishing village on the island where his friend lived. It was a poor village as many reserve settlements often were and Jason knew this was the result of many factors. Years of interference by the government, forced cultural assimilation, simple racism, encroachment by land-hungry people, and admittedly a few bad choices on the part of the tribal elders in the past had all reinforced each other with unfortunate consequences. Despite it all however they had always maintained their dignity and most still carried on their traditions in the old ways even though times had changed. Also many of the elders still carried the wisdom of their ancestors within them. Jason always felt a comfortable sense of calm and friendship whenever he visited the village. Today however Jason's mind was preoccupied and he did not feel calm at all. When he reached the village Jason ran to the small house that Pony lived in and found him sitting outside on a log. Pony was concentrating carefully as he worked on carving the figure of a bear out of a small block of cedar wood. His strong hands moved the blade of his carving knife carefully but deliberately and he planed off thin shavings of wood from the block producing a natural smoothness on the surface of the emerging figure. Pony was not an overly talkative man but Jason had learnt that whatever Pony said was well considered and always worth listening to. Normally Jason would have sat and watched carefully for a while before speaking but today was not a normal day and Pony could sense the agitation in Jason. "Hello Jay," said Pony. "You're in a very big hurry today." "Pony! My friend Jamie that you met at the barbecue, he's run off scared and we're trying to find him. I need your help please." "Do you know where he went?" asked Pony as he stuck the end of the knife firmly into the log he was sitting on and put down the half-carved block of wood. I first ran to the stream where we go fishing because we thought he might be there," said Jason anxiously. "When I saw he wasn't there I ran up and down along the stream looking for him and calling out to him but there was nothing." "And then?" prompted Pony. "Then I finally remembered what you taught me," said a sheepish Jason. "I should have looked before I ran and then it would be easier to find him. I panicked and forgot. Can you come and help me? I'm still learning how to do it and you'll be able to help me find Jamie faster. He doesn't have anything warm on and he's going to freeze in the cold weather." "You knew to stop and think so means you are learning my friend. That is good," said Pony. "We will go together and look at the signs. Then we will find your friend." "Thanks," said Jason as he hugged Pony. "I knew you would be able to help me. "Your friend is special to you isn't he?" said Pony as they began to walk quickly up the hill back towards the forest. "You know?" asked a surprised Jason. "I didn't say anything because I didn't know what you'd think about that." "I can feel your pain now and I could see the happiness that you were both feeling sitting next to each other at the Christmas Barbecue," said Pony. "Don't worry we will find him and then you will be together again. The Creator makes one special person for each of us and it is not for anyone to question who that special person might be. First we will go to where your friend started running and look carefully. Then we will be able to see in what direction he went. Once we know that then we will know what to do." The two began to walk swiftly away from the village and back towards the southern side of the island. Despite being much older Pony moved as quickly if not quicker than Jason through the forest. Jason always was impressed how his friend, despite his age as indicated by his greying hair, always outlasted him on hikes. Even at the rapid pace they were maintaining it took them about fifteen minutes to cross back to the other side of the island. Eventually however Pony and Jason came out of the trees next to Graham's house. They stood outside the back of it and looked around. Pony walked out into the middle of the grassy area behind the house and stood perfectly still while looking the area over slowly and carefully. While Pony was scanning the area for signs of Jamie, Jason ran inside the house and wrote a short note for Graham explaining what they were doing. Writing quickly he indicated that he was going to continue looking with Pony's help and that they would be back before nightfall. Jason put the note in the centre of the kitchen table where Graham would be sure to see it and then went back outside. Joining his friend in looking carefully at the grass and the bush at the edge of the forest Jason began to get suspicious about one section slightly to the left when Pony raised his hand and pointed to the same location. "There," Pony announced simply after seeing that Jason had focused on the same location. "Are you sure?" asked Jason feeling embarrassed almost as he spoke the words. "Don't doubt your senses because you are worried," said Pony kindly as he led Jason towards the spot they had both picked out. "Look at the grass here and here leading up to the underbrush. Then look at the small branches there at the edge of the grass." Jason looked and what he had only intuitively sensed before now became easy to see. There were several small impressions of what could only be feet along the soft dirt and grass leading up to the underbrush where they appeared to end. There was only one possible conclusion - it had to be Jamie. Jason in his haste to rush off to the stream to check if Jamie might be there had not bothered to check. Of course neither had his father or Graham but Jason felt that he ought to know better. "Do you think we'll be able to find him in time?" asked Jason with concern as they started into the forest after Jamie. "Your friend is scared and running fast," said Pony pointing out disturbed areas on the ground and ferns that had been obviously stepped on as they began to follow Jamie's track into the forest. "You can see his trail easily. Don't worry we will find him." "He gets frightened easy," said Jason. "When he first saw my dad he got scared because he reminded him of his own dad." "The one that dishonoured him," said Pony with obvious disdain. "I could see the pain in the back of his eyes. He has endured a lot but still remains unbeaten." "Yes," confirmed Jason. "Jamie's told me a little. Not a lot, but some. It was pretty bad." "A person that hurts a boy like that wounds us all," said Pony. "Your friend's spirit must be very strong to have survived. We had a boy in our village like that once. His father had been hurting him but we didn't know." "What happened? Did someone call the police?" asked Jason. "Once we knew about it and we were certain about the facts we took care of it," said Pony. "What did you do?" asked Jason. "We held a council about it and the facts were discussed," replied Pony. "Afterwards the father was brought before the council and made to confess to what he had been doing. Finally a decision was made and he was taken to one of the distant islands far up north and banished for life. All of the tribal bands along the coast were informed and if he ever tries to leave none of them will allow him to stay within their lands." They continued to talk about Jamie and how Jason and he had become close so quickly as they moved through the forest. Jamie in his flight had not thought to use any of the many pathways that wandered through the trees and underbrush and this made the tracking much easier. While following the trail that Jamie had left Pony pointed out the signs to Jason who watched carefully and learned. It began to rain and then got colder still. Soon the rain began to change into a wet sticky snow and wherever the forest canopy opened up even slightly the boughs of the trees below began to get lightly dusted in white flakes. If the situation had not been so dire the scene might have been beautiful to behold, however under the circumstances it merely added to the urgency because they knew that Jamie was not wearing anything warm. *** *** *** *** *** Jamie ran blindly through the trees not seeing where he was going and without thinking. His head was rushing with a mixture of thoughts and fears. He remembered how when he did something at home or refused to submit how his father would beat him almost senseless in rage. When Jamie suddenly realized that he had been responsible for Graham's injuries he knew that he had to run because he knew what the penalty was going to be. His father would probably have beaten him to death if Jamie had done that to him even if it had been purely by accident. Jamie knew that Graham would not react any differently. All men were the same, if something went wrong or did not go the way they wanted they would lash out and anyone nearby would suffer the results. As Jamie ran his mind was filled with a constantly shifting swirl of emotions. Large images of his father in blind rage fought for dominance against much smaller images of Graham's calm face. Crashing through the tree branches Jamie was getting scraped and cut on his arms and face. He had lost one of his socks some distance back and the remaining one was wet and dirty. Detached from what was happening or where he was going however Jamie did not notice and hurriedly continued to push on in fear. He had no idea what his destination was; he only hoped that if he could get far enough away maybe he would not get beaten this time. If only he could keep going and keep ahead of what he knew was coming after him. Jamie ran hard and fast but eventually began to tire and as he did his pace began to slow down. When the rain gradually turned into snow the ground over which Jamie was running began to get icy and became increasingly slippery. In his flight Jamie ran straight over a ledge of flat rock that was covered in wet moss and slipped. "AHHH!" cried Jamie as his legs slid out from under him and he began to fall. Landing heavily just below the moss-covered section of rock Jamie paused briefly to get his breath and then tried to get up. "OWWW!" screamed Jamie as he put weight onto his left ankle while trying to get up. Crumpling down in pain after a second and failed attempt to get up, Jamie realized that he was not going to be going any further. Jamie began to cry because he knew now that he was going to be caught and his father was going to beat him again. However as the pain began to push back against Jamie's fears he began to think more clearly and then he remembered that his father was far away back in the city and had no idea where he was. It was Graham that Jamie needed to worry about, but the question was did he actually need to worry? Jamie then thought back and could not remember Graham having ever been anything other than kind and gentle with him. Even when Jamie had accidentally dropped a glass on the tiled floor in the kitchen and it had broken the most that had happened was a calm suggestion that Jamie not carry too many things at once. "Graham wasn't going to hurt me and now I've ruined everything," Jamie sobbed aloud to the forest. "He's going to send me away for sure now. How could I have been so stupid and screw up like this and ruin the only decent chance I ever had?" Unable to move without great pain Jamie slowly pulled himself over to a downed tree that lay partially under the cover of the forest canopy to help shelter himself from the weather. He tried to get comfortable and rubbed his cold hands on his tender ankle. "How dumb can I be running off like that," he said to himself with his head hanging down looking at the ground. "My dad is right. I am a good-for-nothing useless idiot. Now I'm lost, wet, and cold. I don't know which way to go to get back to Graham's house even if I could walk." Jamie began to cry but was shaken out of his reflections on his misery and the freezing weather by a cool damp nose that was nuzzling up against his chin. A startled Jamie flinched back, wiped away his tears, and then seeing it was Cindy he wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Oh girl, you came to be with me," said Jamie with tenderness as he hugged the big dog who then started to lick his face. "I'm glad you're still my friend. But we're lost now and I'm hurt and scared. What are we going to do?" Cindy immediately moved in close and Jamie feeling her warmth against him hugged her all the more tightly in the slim protection provided by the forest against the worsening weather. Cindy laid down on the ground and snuggled up right against Jamie so his cold wet feet were underneath her. With no shoes, one sock missing, and the other only a tattered remnant Jamie's feet felt like two icebergs. Jamie kept his feet underneath Cindy and the big dog's body warmth soon had the circulation returning to his feet and slowly the feeling also began to return to his toes. However Jamie's lack of warm clothing could not be so easily taken care of and his teeth were chattering non-stop due to the early stages of what would shortly become hypothermia. Jamie sat talking softly to Cindy who looked up at him thoughtfully as he spoke, "I've completely blown it haven't I? I'm going to be back on the streets now for sure. If I manage to live through this and Graham still wants me I swear I'll never run off again." Getting a lick of reassurance from Cindy that they would be found Jamie huddled closer to her warm body. In spite of Cindy's warmth Jamie continued to shiver violently because of the freezing cold weather. Nevertheless Jamie tried to think about what he should do to try and get out of his predicament. He quickly realized however that he was not going to get very far with his ankle in its current state. Jamie could not tell if it was broken or just badly hurt but he concluded his best hope was to wait and hope that someone would find him. Resigning himself to his predicament a half-frozen Jamie clung to Cindy who licked his face and pushed herself up firmly against him. *** *** *** *** *** "He's slowing down now," Pony said as he pointed to the depressions on the ground that had been made by Jamie's feet. Jason could see how they were gradually getting closer and closer together as Jamie had slowed down from a dead run into a fast walk. Coinciding with the slowing of Jamie's pace however the number of signs of his flight had decreased as well. Jamie was now pushing branches out of the way as he went rather than them snapping off as he ran into them. The falling snow was not helping either as it was starting to cover up the tracks on the forest floor consequently Jason was having difficulty seeing the evidence of Jamie's movements now. Pony's experience however kept them on the trail, his keen senses picking out the subtle clues, although even he now sometimes stopped in order to look carefully. "Look!" Jason suddenly cried out as he spotted a dirty white sock on the ground just ahead. Jason quickly picked it up and he and Pony could both see bloodstains on it. "Jamie's hurt," said Jason fearfully. Pony looked at the bloodstains closely and said, "The blood is fresh but not dark. That means it is not a deep wound which is good. It also means that we are only a few minutes behind him now." Jason and Pony continued following Jamie's trail through the forest as quickly as they could and eventually Pony stopped and crouched down and motioned to Jason to do the same. Jason knelt down and looked around but could not see anything. Pony pointed towards Jason's ear indicating that he should listen carefully. It was very faint but Jason could just barely make out something, a sound that was not quite natural in the forest. Jason and Pony began to move forward carefully and quietly. Watching where they put their feet and what they brushed against to ensure that they remained completely silent they crept forward. After a few minutes of silently moving forward they could now hear the sound more clearly. It was the sound of a young voice crying - they had found Jamie! Jason was about to jump up and run towards the sound of the voice but Pony put his hand on Jason's arm and held him back. Knowing it would be all too easy to scare Jamie and thereby cause him to run off again in fear Pony whispered, "You will scare him if you rush out too quickly and he could start running again." Pony pointed at a location further along to the left of Jamie's position and then to Jason's ear. Jason then moved towards the spot that Pony had indicated carefully and quietly. At the same time Pony moved in the opposite direction stopping when he and Jason were positioned on opposite sides of Jamie but still remaining hidden. Once Pony was in position he made a bird call to alert Jason by putting one of his hands over his mouth and gave a short wavering whistle. Hearing the familiar sound Jason then stood up, made sure to step on several dead tree branches laying on the forest floor to make some obvious noise, and slowly moved out into the clearing in front of Jamie as if taking a casual stroll. Jamie looked up in fear as he heard the bushes in front of him rustle and then felt a sudden flood of relief wash over him as he saw Jason coming out from behind the branches of the trees. When Jason emerged from the brush he could see Jamie shivering and sitting on the ground leaning up against a fallen tree partially sheltered by a tall Douglas Fir towering overhead. Cindy was snuggled up against Jamie to help provide warmth while the snow continued to fall down onto and around the two of them. "Jay!" cried out Jamie. "Jamie!" replied Jason as he then ran up and hugged Jamie and Cindy with obvious relief. "Are you OK?" "I'm really cold and I hurt my foot but I'm OK," said Jamie through chattering teeth. "Cindy helped to keep me warm. How did you find me? I got lost and didn't know how to find my way back." "Pony helped me," said Jason indicating his friend now stepping out from the trees behind Jamie. "Oh hello again, sir. Thank you for helping Jay to find me. I'm sorry I've caused so much trouble but I got scared and ..." said Jamie who began to cry again. "I've totally ruined everything haven't I? Graham's going to throw me out now for sure." "No way Mr. M. would do that," said Jason comfortingly as he knelt down beside Jamie. "And you would always be welcome in our village," added Pony. "They wouldn't want someone like me there," said Jamie sadly. "You have struggled and fought against an evil opponent yet remain undefeated," said Pony with great formality. "There is no one more worthy of respect than that. If you were unable to go back you would be very welcome amongst my people. I would be proud to call you a member of my family and you would do honour to my house." "Thank you very much," said Jamie shyly, clearly affected by Pony's solemn declaration. "No one ever said something like that about me before." "You don't have anything to worry about Jamie," said Jason. "My dad, and Mr. M., and everyone have been looking for you all over the island. They're going to be so relieved when they find out that you're OK." "I don't know what I'm going to say to Graham though," said Jamie sadly. "He's always been so nice to me and I ran away when I found out I was the reason he'd gotten hurt. I thought he was going to beat me like my father used to do." "The only thing Mr. M. is going to do is be really happy when we bring you home," said Jason. "You should have seen how worried he was when he ran over to our place to ask us to help look for you." "I guess you're right but I was so scared," said Jamie shivering from the cold. "My father would have killed me if I ever put a mark on him like the bruise that Graham has." While they talked Jason was checking Jamie over quickly and carefully. Opening up his day pack Jason pulled out and unfolded an emergency thermal blanket and wrapped it around Jamie. Jason then took off his coat and removed the thick flannel shirt he was wearing and helped Jamie to put it on in place of the thin and how soaking wet tank top he had. Jamie's fingers were too stiff from the cold to button it up so Jason helped him and then wrapped the thermal blanket around him once again. After he had Jamie taken care of Jason put his own coat back on again. "You're taking really good care of me," said Jamie gratefully. "Won't you be cold without your shirt?" "I will always take good care of my special guy," said Jason with a smile. "I'll be fine on the way back. My coat is really warm and we'll be back home before it gets to be a problem." "Thank you both for coming to find me," said Jamie. "I didn't know what I was going to do." "Come on Jamie we need to get you back now," said Jason feeling Jamie's ice-cold hands. "You're stone cold and you're going to freeze out here." Jamie tried to rise up but immediately cried out and fell back again in pain, "Ohhh my ankle!" "You better sit down again so we can check it out," said Jason. "How did you hurt yourself?" "I was running and slipped on the rocks over there and my feet went out from under me. I couldn't stop because it was slippery and I fell on it really hard," replied Jamie still wincing. Pony knelt down beside Jamie and felt his foot and ankle carefully with his hands before saying, "It's not broken but you have twisted it badly. You are not going to be able to walk on it for a while." "What am I going to do?" said Jamie as he started to cry again. "Don't fear brave young one," said Pony. "We will take you back to my village and get your ankle looked after. Then we will take you back home safely." While Pony calmed Jamie's fears Jason was once again at work and had pulled out a bottle of water and washed off Jamie's feet so he could check them for additional injuries. There were several fresh cuts but none of them were serious. Jason used a towel that he pulled out of his day pack to dry Jamie's feet and then he took out a small bottle of antiseptic and cleaned the cuts that Jamie had received. Once that was done Jason took off his own boots and removed his socks so he could put them on Jamie for partial protection against the cold. With Jamie now readied for the journey to Pony's village, Jason put his boots back on and laced them up. "We're all ready to go now," said Jason standing up. "But I still can't walk," said Jamie. "How are we going to get there?" "I will take care of that for you," said Pony as he reached underneath Jamie and picked him up in his strong arms. Jason adjusted the thermal blanket around Jamie so it would keep him warm and then with Jamie comfortably settled in Pony's arms and with Cindy and Jason leading the way they all began the hike to Pony's village. After about ten minutes of breaking trail through the forest they came upon one of the narrow pathways that meandered about the island and then they made good time. When they finally emerged from the trees into the cleared area around the village, Jason ran ahead to find the village doctor. Pony carried Jamie to the small clinic that was in the centre of the village and as he was entering Jason arrived with the doctor. A quick examination by the doctor confirmed Pony's onsite diagnosis and shortly Jamie had his ankle wrapped up securely with an elastic bandage. "OK let's see how that feels," said the doctor as he and Pony helped Jamie off of the examination table and helped him balance on the floor with his good foot. Jamie took a tentative step and gritted his teeth as he put a little weight on his hurt ankle. "It still hurts a lot but it's better than before," he said after a moment to let the pain subside. "You will have to be careful with it for a few days and not walk on it very much," said the doctor. "After that, though, you should be fine. Your ankle just needs rest and not too much activity. I'll give you a couple of these pills to take right now and that'll help with the pain. Here's a couple of extra ones that you can take with you for later tonight before you go to sleep." "Thank you very much," said Jamie as he took the pills and the glass of water being offered by the doctor and swallowed them. "You should start to feel better soon now," said the doctor putting his things away. "In about twenty minutes the pain will start to die down." "Are the pills expensive?" asked Jamie with concern. "I don't have any money." "You're Pony's friend and Jason's," said the doctor. "That makes you an honourary member of our tribe as far as I'm concerned. This clinic is maintained for any of our people that might need help and since they brought you here that includes you now. When you are feeling better just come back and visit us again." "I'd like that a lot," said Jamie with a smile. "Thanks very much for helping me." Pony had gone over to his house while the doctor was examining Jamie and had now returned with a thick coat for Jamie to wear for the journey back across the island. After Jamie had the coat on Jason rewrapped the thermal blanket around Jamie's legs and feet to help keep them warm during the trip back. After thanking the doctor one last time Jamie let Pony pick him up and the trio left the clinic and began to head for Graham's house. Even with the added weight of carrying Jamie, Pony's pace did not slow down or slacken and he kept right up with Jason and Cindy as they hiked back up the sloping hill for the trip back across the island. The winter sun sank down into the horizon and the trail gradually became more difficult to see but Jason and Pony both knew the route from memory and they arrived at Graham's house just before night fell completely. As they approached up the pathway the sliding glass door on the front of the house slid open Graham, Frank, Kathy, and Dave ran out to greet them. Speaking all at once to Jamie who was still being carried by Pony their relief over his safe return was clear for anyone to see. "Jamie, you're OK!" cried Kathy as she came running up. "We were so worried about you." "I found Jason's note saying he was going to ask Pony to help look for you but that's all we knew," said Graham with relief. "Then about half an hour ago Kathy got word over the phone that you had been hurt and were at the village clinic. What happened to you?" "We were looking everywhere but we couldn't find any sign of you," said Dave anxiously. The comments and questions were pouring out of everyone while they stood in the middle of Graham's backyard when suddenly Cindy barked loudly twice to interrupt and Jason who had prompted her then said, "We need to get Jamie inside now. All these questions can wait for a few minutes. Jamie has been out in the cold for way too long and needs to get in the house so he can start warming up." Frank smiled broadly at his son seeing him taking charge of the situation and then helped by going ahead of the crowd and opening the sliding door leading to Graham's kitchen so Pony could take Jamie inside and sit him down on a chair. Prompted by Jason's example Kathy started opening cupboards in Graham's kitchen and said, "Frank go and get the comforter off the sofa for Jamie, I'm going to make him a cup of hot cocoa to help warm him up." "Jason, what happened to your shirt?" asked Graham seeing that Jason was bare-chested when he started taking his coat off. "I'd better go and find you something to put on you must be cold too." As Graham rushed off to find Jason a shirt Frank and Pony both saw Jamie and Jason exchange a knowing look and smiled. The mother hens were in full feather now and both boys were about to get an overdose of fussing. Frank wrapped the comforter that he had taken off the sofa around Jamie to help warm him up and then walked over next to Jason. "Before your mother completely smothers you with concern I want to tell you how impressed I am with you son," said Frank while giving Jason a hug. "What you did today is what makes the difference between a man and a boy. You kept your head in a crisis and knew when to do things your way and not to worry about what my ideas were. We're all very proud of you for how you handled this." "It wasn't just me," said Jason. "Pony was the one that did the tracking." "Jason knew what to do and how to do it," said Pony modestly. "He just wanted a little company from an old man while he was finding his friend." "The thing is you knew that the approach I was taking was wrong, you knew what was needed instead, and then you went to ask for help," continued Frank. "If we'd just stuck with my plan Jamie would still be out there shivering or worse. You're the one that used his head and was thinking clearly." Coming back into the kitchen with a shirt for Jason to put on Graham said to Pony and Jason, "This isn't the first time that the two of you have come to my aid and I can never thank you enough for what you've done. I don't know what I would have done without your help today." Jason looked at Pony and nodded whereupon Pony then answered for them both saying, "You are helping our new young friend here and it is our honour and privilege to assist if we can. It was written long ago by men in another land that whomsoever would save a life it is as if he had saved the entire world. We are grateful that we have been able to be a very small part of what is happening." "Cindy helped too," added Jamie as he ran his hand over her head petting her. "When I was running I wasn't watching where I was going and I slipped on some rocks and fell. I twisted my ankle and it hurt too much after that to keep going and that's when Cindy found me. She helped me to keep warm until Jay and Mr. Twofeathers found me." "I knew you could find Jamie and help him. You're the smartest girl there is," said Graham to Cindy as he knelt down and gave her an enormous hug. The sparkle in Cindy's eyes and the rapid wagging of her tail clearly showed that she understood why Graham was thanking her. "I'm really sorry I screwed up and ran," said Jamie nervously. "I was remembering when I accidentally hit my father once and after he was finished with me I wasn't able to move for a week. When you said it was me that hurt you I was so scared you were going to beat me like he used to. I'm sorry Graham, I really am." "You don't have to worry about anything like that with me," said Graham kindly. "I could never do something like that to you." Jamie looked at Graham's face carefully and then those of everyone clustered around him. There were no signs of anger or displeasure to be found anywhere, only happiness and enormous relief that Jamie had been found safe and sound. Jamie took the cup of cocoa that Kathy handed him and sipped at it for a minute feeling the warmth spreading through him while continuing to look closely at everyone. Finally Jamie said, "I know that now. I was just so scared that you were going to do the same things to me that he would have done." "Oh Jamie," replied Graham gently. "I could never hurt you. That's what I was trying to tell you. I want to help you so it can never happen again." "I feel bad because you've been so good to me," said Jamie tearfully. "All of you have. Please don't send me back. I like it here a lot. I won't be any more trouble I promise." "I'm not going to send you back so don't you worry about that," said Graham. "That's the other part of what I was trying to tell you earlier. I'm going to try and fix it so you can stay for as long as you want. I can't make any promises right now but I'm going to try and make it work somehow." "Really?" asked Jamie hopefully. "I can stay here?" "If you can be brave and tell them what was happening to you I think we can make sure that it never happens again," said Graham. "We have to get a complaint from you on the official record so we can get the police to investigate." "But he'll kill me if I tell everything," said Jamie now shaking with fear. "He always told me that. And if it doesn't work they'll just send me back to him, I know they will. That's what they always do and then it just starts all over again." "Don't you worry about that happening," said Frank with determination. "He'll have to get through me first." Jamie looked up into Frank's face and saw a gleam that had not been there previously. When Jamie had first met Frank he had been scared of him because of his commanding size and appearance. However during his stay on the island, and with the time that Jamie had spent with Jason and his family, Jamie had learnt that Frank was in fact a very kind and gentle man and had come to view him as a friend. Seeing the look that was now on Frank's face however Jamie suddenly realized that if a confrontation were to take place this was not someone that his father would want to tangle with. "If there are any problems I will be there for you as well," said Pony placing his hand on Jamie's shoulder. "My people and I will not leave you to face danger alone." "And don't forget me," piped up Dave. "First sign of any trouble and I'll whisk you away in my plane and no one will ever find you." "You won't let him get me?" asked a still fearful Jamie. "I talked to a friend of mine back at my office who's a lawyer," began Graham. "He did some phoning around for me and found someone at the Department of Child Welfare that honestly wants to help you. Then he did some more searching and found me a lawyer that specializes in family custody cases. I've been talking with them both and we think that together with your help we can try to make things better for you." "How would you like to live next to us permanently and have full family barbecue privileges?" asked Frank with a big grin. Jamie got a confused look on his face and then his mouth hung open as he realized what was being said. "You mean ..." "You see Jamie, you have friends now that care about you," said Kathy who knelt down beside Jamie as he sat in the chair taking his hand in hers. "We're all going to help you so you don't have to be afraid any more. We don't want you to ever have to go back to living the way you did before." "And I'm not going to lose my best friend to anyone now that I've found you," added Jason with a special smile that was meant only for Jamie. Jamie looked around the room and saw so many people that he'd become friends with in only a short period of time. They all knew his past and what he had been forced to do in order to survive and yet none of that mattered to any of them. Each of them were smiling at Jamie, showing genuine concern and caring, and each of them declaring in their own way their unwavering support and willingness to help. For the first time in his life Jamie began to feel that maybe things might be able to be different, that a change for the better might finally be possible, and the flame within him that had always refused to die began to burn brighter. "Can Cindy come with me if I go?" asked Jamie quietly. "Of course she can come," said Graham. "You won't let them take me again?" said Jamie trembling. "Over my dead body," replied Graham. Jamie looked around at everyone again, took a deep breath, and then said with determination, "OK, I'll do it!" =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Chapter 14 - If You Love Something Set it Free It took several days before Jamie's ankle was sufficiently recovered before the trip back to the city could take place. During that time Graham talked on the telephone several times with Matty at the Department of Child Welfare to keep her updated on Jamie's recovery after his panicked flight into the forest. He also spent a number of hours on the telephone with Timothy Smythe the lawyer that his friend Scott had found to assist them when they went in to make their case. Engaging a lawyer would not speed things up, nor would it open any doors automatically, but from the things that Jamie had told him Graham knew that Jamie's parents would fight hard. The consequences if they gave in and an investigation took place were too grave for them to let go easily. Having a lawyer present and monitoring everything would however ensure that nothing was missed, no shortcuts were taken, that Jamie's interests were protected, and that the authorities would not be able to simply go through the motions. As a result expensive as it was going to be, Graham viewed the cost as money well spent if it could help ensure Jamie's future. Jamie had related to Graham how in the past he had attempted to convince various caseworkers that things were not quite right at home. However the combination of outwardly concerned parents, Jamie's officially spotty record of runaway attempts, plus the lack of investigation on the part of overloaded ministry staff had meant that Jamie's attempts to obtain help had always been rebuffed with terrible consequences once he had been taken back home. The last time it had been weeks before he had recovered sufficiently to even contemplate another escape. Graham wanted there to be no chance of repetition this time. Additionally Matty had indicated that because of Graham's age supporting statements as to his character would be very beneficial. While times were changing and age or personal preferences were no longer an official barrier to fostering or adoption it was still all too easy for a malicious person to take advantage of stereotyped thinking and make something decent look bad. A long discussion with Frank and Kathy had ensued and the group decision was that Frank as a parent himself would come along with Jamie and Graham. In addition to being able to make the case for Graham stronger by appearing in person it would help Jamie to feel more comfortable with an extra friend and familiar face present. Kathy had also been busy with the telephone once again. In Graham's briefcase were a dozen testimonial letters written by people from all over the island, a number of them very well placed with income levels that Graham could only fantasize about and could not recall ever having met. Graham marvelled at how Kathy managed to know people at that level of society but as Frank said to him, once Kathy put her mind to something it was best not to get in her way or ask too many questions. Finally the big day arrived and Graham drove himself, Jamie, and Cindy back to Salish Bay where Dave's plane was moored. They parked up on the hill and saw that Jason, Frank, and Kathy had arrived before them and were waiting expectantly. While Graham and Jamie climbed out of the jeep Jason ran up to greet them. "Hi Jamie, Cindy, Mr. M," Jason called out as he came up to the jeep. "Good morning Jason," said Graham as he reached behind the driver's seat to pull out the suitcase that was sitting behind it. "Hey Jay!" said Jamie picking up his backpack which had been sitting on the floorboard of the jeep as Cindy jumped out to greet Jason enthusiastically. After retrieving the suitcase Graham closed the door on the jeep and then walked over to where Frank and Kathy were waiting. The morning sky was a beautiful blue with only a few white puffy clouds dotting the horizon and Graham took a deep breath of the cool winter air. "It's going to be a beautiful flight over to the city today," said Graham putting the suitcase down on the ground next to them. "I must confess however to feeling rather anxious." "Today's the big day that's for sure," replied Frank. "I hope it goes well for you and Jamie," added Kathy. "So do I," said Graham in reply. "I was a nervous wreck last night and didn't sleep a wink." "Don't worry nothing will go wrong at the meeting," said Frank. "I'm coming along to help say all the right things about you. Not to mention that Kathy's got you signed letters from everyone on the island who has any influence back in the city." "I know. It's just that I'm worried something will go wrong," replied Graham. "I don't want anything to happen and Jamie ending up getting hurt again." "It's going to work out fine you'll see," said Kathy giving a somewhat embarrassed Graham a hug. Still standing near the jeep Jason said to Jamie, "You watch yourself when you're in town and stay close to Dad, Mr. M., and Cindy." "Don't worry I'm always careful in the city," replied Jamie hearing Jason's concerned voice. "Is something wrong?" "I had a bad dream last night about you and I'm worried," Jason said hesitantly not wanting to scare Jamie. "I just want you to be extra careful. You're very important to me and I want you to come back so we can go fishing and do other stuff together." Jamie found himself in the rather unusual position of trying to reassure Jason despite the fact that he was the one scheduled to meet with the Department of Child Welfare in just a couple of hours. The prospect of the meeting did not exactly fill him with positive feelings but he knew it was the only way. To date such meetings had always been the prelude to being sent home and being beaten over and over again. Despite feeling more confident with Graham, Frank, and Cindy going with him it still sent a shiver down Jamie's back. Jason looked up and saw Graham and Frank coming towards them and so Jason suddenly put his arms around Jamie and gave him a quick hug. "You come back to me," said Jason with marked emphasis. "Everything will be OK. You'll see," replied Jamie with a smile as he returned the hug. Jason went and stood next to his mother and waved as Jamie, Cindy, Graham, and his father walked down the ramp to the wharf and then went over to the floatplane and climbed into it. In spite of Jamie's reassuring words Jason still felt a lump in the pit of his stomach that ate at him and it would not go away. Shortly Dave cast off the lines from the plane then stood on the pontoon next to the pilot's door while pushing the plane out and away from the wharf and then climbed into the plane securing the door behind him. A few moments later Dave had the engine started up and the sound filled the bay as the plane began to taxi out into the middle of the water in preparation for take off. Turning to face east the plane began to pick up speed and soon was skipping across the surface of the water. Just as the plane lifted into the air Jason saw Pony coming out of the forest behind him at a half-run. Looking around for a brief moment and then spotting Jason, Pony came up to him quickly. Despite having just come all the way from his village Pony was not out of breath. "Have they gone?" he asked anxiously. "Yes, the plane's just leaving," replied Jason pointing at the receding floatplane in the sky. "What's wrong?" Pony's usually stoic face fell as he heard Jason's words. "What is it, what is it?" asked Jason anxiously seeing Pony's reaction. "What's happened?" "I had a vision," said Pony simply. "You know something. What do you know?" asked a worried Jason. "It is going to be a very long day for Jamie," said Pony who refused to say anything more but stood silently next to Jason and his mother as they all watched the plane fly out of sight. *** *** *** *** *** Graham turned the steering wheel and the little white car pulled into the parking lot next to the dull cream coloured concrete building that housed the offices of the Department of Child Welfare. Graham, Frank, Jamie, and Cindy climbed out of the car and looked around for a moment. Jamie slung his backpack over his shoulder and knelt down to give Cindy a back rub. Cindy pushed back against Jamie's fingers and arched her back as she enjoyed the massage after the cramped trip in the little car. "You know one of these days I'm going to end up being stuck inside that little sardine can of yours permanently," said Frank after barely managing to squeeze out. "I didn't actually plan on it turning into a family car," said Graham with a chuckle. "I got it just so I could get back and forth to the airport. You're just too big is what the problem is." "I can just imagine trying to drive it. My knees would be in my chest," said Frank while Jamie giggled. Graham looked around carefully and said, "Can any of you spot Timothy Smythe, he's the lawyer we're supposed to meet here? I've talked to him on the phone but I don't know what he looks like in person." "That's got to be him over there," said Jamie quickly spotting a man in an expensively tailored three-piece suit on the far side of the parking lot who clearly did not fit in with the surrounding environment. They all walked over and Graham said, "Are you Timothy Smythe?" "Yes that's me. You must be Graham Martin," replied Timothy stretching out his hand. "Yes after all these meetings over the telephone we finally get to meet in person," said Graham stepping forward to shake hands. "Pleased to meet you at last," said Timothy. Then turning to Jamie he smiled and said, "You must be the brave young man I've heard so many good things about." "Yes sir," said Jamie very quietly standing back close to Frank while Cindy stood in front of him watching with alert eyes. "We're going to do our very best to help you today. I've had a lot of experience at this sort of thing and I've not lost a case yet," said Timothy. "It's good that you've brought your friends with you to help out. Graham told me that you also wanted to bring your dog along so I've got something in my briefcase here that will make sure they let her in." With that Timothy opened his briefcase and quickly pulled out what looked like a folded-up piece of cloth and handed it to Jamie. "Put this on her, follow my lead, and I'll take care of the rest." "What is it?" asked Jamie. "Oh I think I know," said Frank with a grin. "Let me give you a hand with that Jamie." Together they unfolded the cloth and as they did they could see it was a jacket for a dog. On the sides of it was the logo 'Paws For a Cause'. Jamie looked up as he realized what was going on and smiled at Timothy saying, "Oh wow! This'll work great." "It's important in this business to always be prepared for everything," said Timothy while he watched Frank and Jamie help Cindy into the jacket. "Now that we're all properly dressed shall we go in?" After Jamie and Frank fastened the jacket onto Cindy using the tie straps the group walked into the office and Graham announced their arrival at reception, "I'm Graham Martin and we have an appointment with Madeline Thompson for one o'clock. Would you please let her know that we're here?" "Have a seat and I'll let her know that you've arrived," replied the receptionist. Then noticing Cindy added, "You'll have to take that dog outside. We don't allow them in here." Graham could sense the worry in Jamie but Timothy immediately stepped forward and said, "My name is Timothy Smythe from the law firm of Mason and Smythe. This dog is a certified assistance animal and is required by my client here. If you deny them access to this facility you will be in violation of chapter 29 of the Assistance Animals Act 1990. Any discrimination against my client in that regard by any individual or entity is punishable under section 8 of the act upon summary conviction in a court of law." Jamie's mouth fell open and face of the receptionist blanched. Catching her breath she quickly replied, "No, that will be OK. Please take a seat. I'll get Madeline right away." "That was close," said Jamie with a sigh of relief as soon as the receptionist was out of earshot. "Hit hard and fast and don't give them a chance to think," said Timothy with a grin. "The Assistance Animals Act?" said Frank dubiously. "The Blind Person's Act 1979 actually," said Timothy with a laugh. "Of course no one noticed that Jamie isn't blind." The group chuckled at Timothy's quick thinking and Graham knew that while the bill he was going to see later would be eye-watering, it was going to be worth the pain. Jamie sat down on one of the seats in the waiting room while the others stood next to him and Cindy sat in front of him moving her head to and fro watching everyone in the office carefully. "Hello, I'm Matty Thompson," announced a voice coming from behind Graham. Graham turned and shook the hand being offered by a tall heavy-set woman with dark hair and brown eyes. "I'm Graham Martin. It's good to finally get to see you in person. Allow me to introduce my next door neighbour Frank Tomlinson," began Graham. "This is our lawyer Timothy Smythe, and of course ..." "You must be Jamie," said Matty completing the sentence as she smiled and knelt down facing Jamie. "Yes ma'am," replied Jamie very quietly as he held Cindy close in front of him and refused to look up. "Who's your friend here?" asked Matty. "Cindy," said Jamie softly. "Hello Cindy," said Matty cheerfully. Cindy who was normally somewhat indifferent to meeting new people took her cue from Jamie. Both Graham and Frank were surprised when they saw the hackles on the back of her neck rise while she remained perfectly motionless and looked straight at Matty with cold eyes. "Why don't we all go into my office and see what we can do," suggested Matty as she stepped back and stood up. The group walked down the hallway to Matty's office and went inside. Jamie picked a chair in the middle and put his backpack on the floor underneath his chair. Timothy sat on his right, Graham and Frank on his left, and Cindy sat right in front of Jamie and watched Matty carefully. After everyone was settled and the office door was closed Matty started by saying, "I've reviewed the old case files on Jamie and as you all know I've been talking with Graham and Timothy on the phone for the past week or so. There are only two main items that we actually need to worry about. The first of these is Graham's fitness to be considered as a temporary guardian for Jamie. Thanks to you both I have received all of the financial and personal background information needed, I've had it checked, and as expected it's all in order. I've also had the required background check performed by the police and that of course has also come back completely clean. So there remains the second matter of certification by our department of the home that Graham could provide for Jamie, and his standing in the community. Once we have all of that information then we can make the final determination as to whether Graham can be considered as a temporary guardian for Jamie while things get looked into." "With regards to Mr. Martin's standing in the community he has brought with him a number of sworn statements," said Timothy taking the letters from Graham and counting them up. "Twelve of them to be precise. Additionally, Mr. Tomlinson here, who is Mr. Martin's neighbour and a parent in his own right, has travelled here at his own expense to attend this meeting in order to appear as an additional character witness." "Twelve statements?" asked Matty a bit taken aback. "My wife is rather industrious," said Frank with an embarrassed grin. "Particularly when it comes to the welfare of this young man here." Matty took the statements that Timothy offered her and her eyebrows rose several times as she briefly looked them over and noted some of the names signed on the statements. Looking up with a smile she said, "You seem to have made a good impression on a lot of people." "You see ... that is ...," stammered an embarrassed Graham. "That's OK, I understand. We both want what is best for Jamie and statements like these always help," said Matty reassuringly. "With all of the information that has been provided there shouldn't be any problems but I do have to make sure that we follow all of the required procedures to the letter so if there are any disputes everything will work out the way we want it to. I have the authority to waive the requirement for a pre- determination onsite inspection as long as we schedule it to take place by the end of next week. That takes care of the issues regarding Graham being certified as an acceptable caregiver but of course that only leads to the final but much larger issue. We now need to address the matter of Jamie and the swearing out of a complaint regarding what has been happening to him at home." "Jamie, Timothy, and I have talked about that and we think we can make fairly short work of it," said Graham while nodding to Jamie. "It's a bit embarrassing but it'll save Jamie having to answer a lot of even more difficult questions at least for a while. If you'll just look at this ..." At that moment Jamie stood up, dropped his coat, turned away from Matty, and pulled his shirt up exposing his back. Jamie remained motionless for a few moments as Matty's face whitened upon seeing the scars and then lowered his shirt and sat back down again. Jamie looked away as he sat down and Cindy who had stood up while Jamie had been showing the scars turned, put her paws up on Jamie's lap, and began to lick his face. Jamie then put his arms around the big white dog and buried his face against her while hugging Cindy close. "Bear in mind," continued Graham with difficulty, "that Jamie has been living with me at my place for a few weeks now and his back has had time to heal. Those scars are permanent, the result of being beaten and whipped at the hands of his father and other people as well. Jamie has told me that there are scars in other places in addition to what you've just seen. I have not invaded his privacy to check personally but a doctor would be able to verify the facts if that were to become necessary. Lastly it needs to be remembered that the beatings that produced those scars usually happened when Jamie would refuse to submit voluntarily to his father or to the people that his parents would periodically give him to. Once again I've not invaded Jamie's privacy to ask about the unpleasant details." Matty's face had turned white and she briefly stuttered before collecting herself, "I ... I'm so sorry Jamie. I want you to know that I believe everything that your ... Mr. Martin ... Graham has told me. You understand though that I am required to ask you a few questions for the official records." "Yes ma'am," said Jamie in a barely audible whisper. "Mr. Martin and Mr. Tomlinson," said Matty with her professional demeanour now restored, "I know it's not necessary in this case but regulations require that I ask you both to leave the room for a few moments while I ask Jamie these questions." "We understand," said Graham as he and Frank rose to leave the office. Seeing the look on Jamie's face he added, "We'll be just outside the door. Cindy and Timothy will stay right here with you to protect you. Timothy will tell you if it's OK or not OK to answer the questions and help you. It'll only be for a couple of minutes. You'll be fine." Graham and Frank went out into the hallway and closed the door behind them. Graham's hands were shaking and Frank despite his obvious physical strength did not look any better. "That's one brave boy you have there Graham," said Frank. "In his place I don't know if I could face down something like this." "I know what you mean," replied Graham. "Having to deal with the questions, what people are thinking, how they look at you, I know I couldn't find the courage that he has." After approximately ten minutes Frank was called back into the office. Graham paced in the hallway and kept wringing his hands and biting his lip. The clock on the wall seemed to be moving in slow motion and it felt as though time was almost standing still. Finally the door to the office opened once again and Graham was called back in. After giving Graham a moment to sit down Matty began in official tones, "I now have a sworn complaint in my possession which I will be delivering to the Attorney General's office as soon as we wrap up this meeting. I also have in my possession an order for temporary guardianship for Jamie by Graham Martin. Although it's not strictly required, I will now ask Jamie to give his agreement to this arrangement." "Jamie," continued Matty, "Do you request and accept that I should appoint Graham Martin as having temporary guardianship over you until such time as the matters contained in the complaint have been investigated and a final determination obtained?" Jamie looked up at Timothy inquiringly and after receiving a nod said in a clear voice, "Yes ma'am." Matty then continued, "Having received the additional consent of Jamie, this office having verified that Mr. Graham Martin is of suitable character and sufficient means to provide the necessary care required, I hereby grant temporary guardianship while the now duly registered complaint is under investigation. This order for guardianship will be reassessed when that complaint has been resolved at which time it may be modified, continued, made permanent, or cancelled." "What that all means Jamie," said Matty in a more casual tone, "is that we are going to start an investigation into what your parents have done to you. That will take some time but once it's completed we will then be talking to the police about what we have learnt. That will eventually mean that your parents will be arrested, charged, and then a court trial will be held to present the evidence before a judge. Until all that is over with you will get to stay with Graham. Once everything is finished then we will meet here again and you can tell me what you'd like to do. Does that sound OK with you?" "You bet," said Jamie with a big smile and a sigh of relief. "Thank you very much," said Graham as he rose to shake Matty's hand. "I appreciate very much everything that you've done for us." "I know it hasn't been a very fun day for you today Jamie," said Matty. "But I'm going to do my best to make sure that this is the last time you ever have to worry about things the way you have in the past." "I sure hope so," said Jamie picking his backpack up off the floor. "I really want to be able to stay on the island if I can." After they all filed out of the office and went back outside, Timothy pulled Graham off to one side to speak to him. "I don't know quite how to say this," began Timothy. "I just want you to know that you won't be seeing a bill for this." "You don't need to do that," replied a surprised Graham. "I'm able to cover the cost." "I know you are but I want to help a bit if I can. I thought it would be a dramatic way to help Jamie avoid a lot of the questions as well as to make sure they'd take things seriously. When he lifted his shirt up ... I mean you said he's been abused ... but I never dreamt it was remotely in that kind of league," said Timothy. "His back ... I've never seen anything like that in my life and believe me I've seen a lot." "It's very kind of you," said Graham. "I wasn't expecting this at all." "You'll be needing to get Jamie a lot of things to get him set up and to try and make up for the past. If you don't have my bill to deal with as well it'll help you out," said Timothy. "I'm not always a money- grabbing ambulance chaser but don't you dare let anyone else know, it'd ruin my reputation." "Your secret is safe with me," replied Graham with a chuckle. "If anyone asks I'll tell them your heart is as black as they come." While Graham and Timothy had been talking Jamie had taken the assistance jacket off of Cindy. Seeing them shake hands Jamie then came up and offered the jacket to Timothy. "Thanks very much for helping me," said Jamie. "It was great that you were able to make them let me keep Cindy with me." "I'm glad I could help. I know that today was very difficult for you but it's going to be worth it," said Timothy. "And later when the trial for your parents comes up I'll be back to help you again." After Timothy left to drive back to his office Jamie looked up at Graham and said, "What happens now?" "Now we go back home while Matty gets the investigation started," said Graham. "That will keep you safely out of the way and once that's done she'll let us know when we need to come back to town." "If we're going back to the island then I should go and get something first," said Jamie. "I can get you anything that you need," replied Graham. "No it's nothing like that. I've got something hidden away that I need to pick up," said Jamie. "Sure we can go anywhere you want," said Graham unlocking the doors on the car. "No, I have to do this alone," said Jamie slowly. "You don't want me to come?" asked Graham clearly taken aback. "It's not like that, it's just something that I have to do on my own," said Jamie. "It won't work otherwise and I have to get it. This might be my only chance after today." Graham started to protest again but Frank motioned him to one side, "I don't know what it is that he's after but you have to let him do this," said Frank quietly. "Jamie probably does have something stashed away but he also needs time to think. He's making a big decision that will change his life and he needs time to feel OK with it. If he comes back then you know for sure that he wants to go through with it. You also need to show you trust him. You have to let go and let him do this." "I don't like it but you're right I suppose," Graham finally said reluctantly. "Everything will be OK," replied Frank. "You'll see. This is just one of those hard moments of parental trust where a son needs to spread his wings on his own and you can't help him do it. You'll get used to them in time." Graham looked at Jamie and asked, "You remember how to find my place?" "Yes I remember where it is," replied Jamie. "It's not too far from where I need to go. Don't worry it should only be a couple of hours at most and then I'll be back." "I'll be waiting for you too," said Frank as he smiled and held out his hand to Jamie. Jamie shook Frank's hand and looked up in surprise as he felt some money being pressed into his own hand. "Just in case you get hungry or thirsty on the way back," said Frank. "And remember to be careful." Unsure what to do Graham extended his hand as well but Jamie ignored it and hugged a very surprised Graham tightly. Graham gently wrapped his arms around Jamie and felt his eyes beginning to tear up. Jamie did not look at Graham as they hugged and Graham feared that this might be goodbye. Jamie reluctantly let go of Graham and knelt down and gave Cindy a big hug and whispered into her ear while she licked at Jamie's cheek. Graham could not hear what Jamie was saying but he could see that Jamie's eyes were cloudy with tears as well. "I better get going," said Jamie huskily having some trouble getting the words out. He then took a last look at everyone before turning and starting to walk away quickly. Graham stood motionless watching Jamie leaving and wondered if he would ever see him again. When Jamie turned the corner Cindy barked and lunged to follow him but Frank held her fast by her collar and she howled plaintively. Once Jamie was out of sight he wiped his eyes and then looked in his hand at what Frank had given him. Seeing the thick bundle of money and even a few bus tickets he realized that Frank must have given him everything he had in his pocket. Jamie decided that if he used the bus tickets he could get what he needed to do completed faster but he hoped to be able to give the money back to Frank untouched later in the day. Jamie found a bus stop and climbed onto the first bus going to the lower east side of town. Ten minutes later he got off and was back where he had started out from less than a month ago. The difference between the streets of the city and the island where Graham lived could not have been starker. It was like night and day and it was very definite in Jamie's mind which of the two was the night. Jamie wanted to see his old friends one last time and began walking towards the intersection of Knight Avenue and Wharf Street where he knew they'd be. It was where Jamie himself had spent many months trying to eke out an existence against formidable odds. Turning the corner he saw a boy only slightly older than himself leaning back against an old brick building watching the cars going along the street watching for any that might slow down. A cigarette dangled from his mouth and the clothes he was wearing were ragged and dirty. Watching the boy Jamie felt like he was looking into a time machine and seeing himself. "Hey Mike!" called Jamie. The boy leaning against the building looked up at Jamie without recognition and said in a challenging voice, "Who're you shouting at?" "It's me, Jamie. Don't you recognize me?" said Jamie unaware of the magnitude of his change in appearance since he had last been in the city. "I'll be darned," said Mike suddenly. "Look at you! We all thought you were lost for sure. Where'd you disappear to? What's with the new clothes?" "I got really lucky," said Jamie. "A man found me that's going to help me get off the streets, his name is Graham. I've been staying at his place with him for the last couple of weeks. We just left the Child Welfare office and they're going to investigate my parents and then call the police on them." "For real? You're going to be able to get them put away?" asked Mike. "If we could get your dad out of the way that'd sure help everyone down here." "It sure would," said Jamie. "The woman at the Welfare office is really nice and Graham got a fancy lawyer to come and make sure that they can't ignore it like they did before." "Taking care of this new guy will be way better for you than having to be stuck with your old man no matter what he's into," said Mike. "Oh Graham's not like that," said Jamie. "The whole time I've been with him he hasn't touched me once. I dangled the bait, hinted, and teased - everything I could think of to test him to see if he'd bite. Nothing happened at all. Graham just wants me to live at his place as if I was his kid." "Wow," said Mike astounded. "Hang onto him like glue. That's gold you've found there. If you change your mind let me know and I'll see if he'd like to take me instead." "No way Mike," laughed Jamie. "Say have you seen John around?" Mike paused and looked down at his dirty running shoes before answering, "Sorry Jamie, but 'The Blade' got him a couple of days ago. Andy found him in the alley behind the arcade. It wasn't pretty. He was already gone when Andy found him." "No he can't be!" cried a shocked Jamie. "He helped me when I first got here. Showed me how things work, how to keep safe, who to avoid, safe places to sleep ..." "Sorry I had to be the one to tell you Jamie," replied Mike sadly. "I know you two were friends. He was careful, but in this business you never know. If we can't figure out who's doing it soon probably it'll be my turn one of these days. I just hope it'll be quick when it happens." "Did the cops do anything?" asked Jamie. "Oh they came and took some pictures just like they always do. Then they put John in the wagon and left," said Mike. "You know how it is. We're just throwaways and they don't really care. That's like nine of us now and they still haven't got any better ideas on who's doing it than we do. The only time anyone sees the guy, it's the last thing they ever see." Jamie suddenly began to sway on his feet and his eyes started to lose focus. The news of John's death had hit him like a body blow and his knees felt like they were about to collapse. "Jamie, snap out of it!" shouted Mike as he took hold of Jamie's shoulders and shook him hard. "Don't fall apart when you're so close to the finish line. You've got to finish this for yourself, for all of us!" Jamie shook his head to clear his mind, steadied himself and thought for a moment, and then decided that Frank would approve and reached into his pocket and pulled out the money that Frank had given him. "I'm going to give you this," said Jamie handing over the bundle of cash. "Try and make it last as long as you can." "Wow," said Mike with surprise. "You're serious about this? Where'd you get all the money from?" "The man who lives next door to Graham came with us this morning to the Welfare office to help out," said Jamie. "He gave it to me when we left the office just in case something came up. I know he'd want me to do this to help you." "Thanks a lot Jamie. John always said you were something special," said Mike gratefully. "I won't have to work for a long stretch now. Maybe I'll have a chance now to look for a plum spot like you've got instead of fighting just to eat." "It's good to see you Mike," said Jamie. "I need to get going. I'm going to get my stash out from my hiding place at the house. I've got names and stuff written down that I'm going to hand over. My dad and my mom aren't the only ones that are going to pay." "Be careful Jamie," said Mike. "That dad of yours is a crazy guy. If he finds you, especially with a list of names on you, you're going to be one dead kid." "I know," said Jamie. "But I'm going to make sure they pay for what they did to me and all the other boys. I'm going to take them down and their creepy friends too. I always hoped and dreamed that this day would come eventually and now it's finally here." "Want me to come with you and help?" asked Mike. "No," said Jamie. "I've a better chance of pulling it off by myself. If the two of us try to do it the chances of getting caught are higher." "Keep safe Jamie," said Mike. "Now that you've won the lottery don't lose everything by trying to be a hero." "You be careful too," said Jamie giving Mike a hug. "Remember to make the money last." "You can count on that," said Mike. "I'm not blowing this chance out of here." The two boys looked at each other for a moment knowing that they would not likely see each other again and then hugged one last time. Afterwards they split up and both started walking in opposite directions each heading for a different destiny. Jamie began walking to the east. After a few hundred yards he stopped and looked back around the old neighbourhood one last time. Bad as the area was and as dangerous as the life here had been, the streets and the other boys living on them had been his home and his family. They had lived, laughed, cried, and sometimes died together. Jamie knew that it would be different living with Graham, he would not have the total freedom that he had had on the streets. He would have bedtimes, schoolwork that needed to be done, chores to complete - but he would live. The streets were bad, very bad, but there had been a few good times mixed in with everything else that Jamie would always remember. Friends made and friends lost. A part of Jamie would always remain here no matter what the future might bring, but it was the future that Jamie was looking forward to now for the first time in his life. It all still seemed like a dream and he feared at times that he would wake up from it only to find himself shivering in a back alley. However there were things to do before the future could become reality. Jamie had one more stop to make before going back to Graham's place. Hearing about the death of his friend John only made him even more determined to see it through. Jamie pulled another one of the bus tickets that Frank had given him out of his pocket. He stood at the bus stop and did not have to wait long for the one that would take him to the northeast side of the city. Just as the door for the bus was about to open, for a split-second in the reflection of the glass, Jamie thought he saw something. He was certain his eyes were playing tricks on him, but it looked like a young boy dressed in a camouflage-pattern hunting outfit carrying a bow was on the opposite side of the door waiting to come out. The boy had a determined look on his face and it seemed as if he was preparing himself to march into battle. The look of the boy made Jamie feel certain that in some strange unfathomable sense it was a reflection of himself and what he was about to do. Jamie even had the impression that the boy had looked at him and nodded. As the bus door opened Jamie shook his head to clear away the strange vision, deciding that it was the worry of anticipation and the fact that he had been reading too many of Jason's fantasy novels. Jamie was heading for his old home now, although he did not think of it in those terms. It was simply the house that he had grown up in, and then later escaped from. It had not been a home in the normal sense to Jamie for most of his life unfortunately. Jamie had one goal in mind when he arrived at the house, if he could manage to pull it off. Under the floorboards in his room he had hidden a notebook. In it were names, dates, and events that he had written down. Jamie knew that the names were the big prize and he was determined that he was now going to pay everyone back for the things that they had done to him for so long. His teeth were gritted and his stomach knotted as he rode the bus and looked out the window, the only question was would he be successful? Jamie's house was in the same part of town as Graham's apartment. Once Jamie had retrieved the notebook his plan was to run as fast as he could to Graham's place and then get Graham to drive for Dave's plane right away. Once safely out of town with his notebook that listed the names of people that his parents had let hurt him Jamie knew that he would be safe finally and at last. Jamie got off the bus and looked around carefully and began to walk the last couple of blocks to where the house was. The hair stood up on the back of his neck but Jamie forced his feet to keep moving. When Jamie reached the corner of the street that the house was on he pushed himself inside a large hedge that was growing alongside the sidewalk and hid while watching the street closely. His father's car was parked outside the house alongside the curb. That was bad luck but not seeing any activity Jamie slipped out of the hedge and crept closer using the other cars parked along the street as cover. When he got close enough to the house he could see that the curtains were drawn across the window at the front and Jamie sprinted to the walkway that went up along the right side of the house. Jamie paused for a moment to try and calm his heavy breathing but he knew that every minute he remained in the area increased the danger so he moved quickly. He reached up and tested a window at the side of the house and it was unlocked. Taking a quick peek and seeing the room on the other side of the window was empty he slowly pushed the window up and then jumped up and slid into the room. Jamie did not waste time and immediately went to the loose board in the floor at the back of the closet and pulled out the notebook he had hidden underneath it. He wrapped it in an old shirt that he picked up off the floor and quickly pushed it into his backpack which he then tossed out the window into the bushes at the side of the house. Jamie lifted his leg up to begin sticking it out the window to leave when he suddenly heard the floor creak behind him and he looked up. "You think you can run off on me and get away with it?" said an ominous voice. Jamie turned his head to look up into the eyes of his father and his heart sank. *** *** *** *** *** Graham looked at his watch for the tenth time in as many minutes as he continued to pace back and forth in his apartment. Cindy was laying on the floor unmoving with her head between her paws with her eyes locked on the closed door. Frank continued to pretend he was reading an article in a magazine while trying to ignore Graham's constant pacing. Finally realizing he had read the same paragraph five times he gave up and put the magazine down. "Here why don't you have another one of these," said Frank offering the candy dish to Graham again. "Wearing a hole in the rug and giving yourself an ulcer isn't going to make the time pass any faster." Graham took a candy from the dish, unwrapped it, and began to suck on it noisily. "He said he wouldn't be long and it's been more than four hours now. What am I going to do? Something has happened to him I just know it." "Don't jump to conclusions," said Frank carefully. "It hasn't been that long yet. I'm sure he's fine. We have to do the hardest job there is to do; we have to wait. Jamie has to make this decision himself. You've provided him with the opportunity, he's seen what you're like at home, and he knows pretty much what it'd be like to live on the island. Nevertheless, he has to make the decision to come back and walk through that door. None of us can make that decision for him as much as we might like to." "But what if he doesn't come back?" asked Graham plaintively, finally sitting down in despair. "If he doesn't come back, then he doesn't come back," said Frank. "You can't force yourself on Jamie or make him want to be with you. If it's meant to be, it will happen. He probably just needed to walk around and think things through. I know I would if I were him. Remember this is probably the biggest decision Jamie's ever had to make except for running away in the first place. Besides you don't know boys as much as you might think. Remember I have one at home, there are times when Jason completely loses all track of time; a few hours is nothing when something big is on his mind." "Yes, yes. You're right of course," grumbled Graham. "It's just that it's driving me crazy." "Why don't we look and see if we can't stir something up in the kitchen," suggested Frank. "It'll keep your mind occupied and you could do with something to eat." "How can you even think of food at a time like this?" exclaimed Graham. "Jamie's out there who knows where and you're thinking about your stomach!" With great patience Frank replied, "It will give you something to do and you need that right now." "I can't think about eating or food! Not right now," snapped Graham irritably. Frank was about to comment when he suddenly motioned for quiet, "Did you hear that?" "Hear what?" asked Graham skeptically although noticing Cindy's ears had perked up. "It almost sounded like something scraping on wood," said Frank with a fearful look on his face. "There it is again!" Frank and Graham looked at each other and just as they were about to say something they both heard it again. This time it could be clearly made out as a knock on the door, very faint and trailing off almost instantly. Cindy began to whine and slowly crawled towards the door. Graham's complexion suddenly changed and he looked white as sheet. Frank's blood ran cold and they both ran for the door. Reaching the door first Graham threw it open, looked down, and then exclaimed, "Jamie!" =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Chapter 15 - Fight For Life Graham's legs turned to jelly and he fell to his knees as he looked down at Jamie's crumpled body laying just outside the door. Jamie had managed to limp and drag himself there with the last of his strength but now was laying motionless on the ground. There was fresh blood on Jamie's swollen face where he had been beaten and his nose was bent to one side. Graham reached down and tried to lift Jamie up but pulled his hands back in horror as he suddenly realized that Jamie's shirt and jeans were covered in blood as well. Clutched tightly in Jamie's left hand was his old ragged backpack that he carried everywhere. For Graham it felt as if time had frozen but in only a second or two he found his voice. "Call an ambulance!" shouted Graham but even as he was saying it Frank was already running for the telephone. Graham frantically felt along Jamie's throat for a pulse and eventually found it although it was very weak. Jamie's breath was faint and shallow and Graham looked up at Frank helplessly who had just returned from calling for help. "What can we do?" asked Graham shakily as he tried to brush the blood-encrusted hair away from Jamie's forehead. "I don't know exactly," replied Frank uneasily. "But let's move him inside out of the cold. Leaving him laying on the ground out here won't help him any." Frank moved next to Graham and together they carefully took hold of Jamie, lifted him gently through the doorway, and laid him on the floor just inside the door. They both knelt down on opposite sides of Jamie and Cindy crept up close to Jamie and began to lick at a bloody hand that lay limply at his side. "Jamie, can you hear me?" said Graham gently while bending his head down towards Jamie's. Jamie stirred slightly and said weakly, "I'm sorry ..." "You've nothing to be sorry for," said Frank gently. "We're getting help for you." "He ... he caught me," said Jamie barely above a whisper. "Who caught you Jamie?" asked Graham. "Who did this to you?" "Couldn't get away ..." said Jamie struggling, his hand reaching out and falling on top of Frank's. "My backpack ... notebook inside ... don't let him win ..." "Your backpack is here Jamie," said Frank opening the backpack, looking inside, and finding a notebook wrapped in a T-shirt with fresh blood stains on it. "I found your notebook." "Get him ..." said Jamie his fingernails suddenly digging into the back of Frank's hand in a violent spasm of pain. Frank glanced inside the notebook and saw a page filled with names and dates in Jamie's roughly printed script. He understood then why Jamie had gone back, made a decision, and said, "I'll take care of this for you Jamie." "Couldn't get away from him. My f..." said Jamie as he finally fainted trying to get out the last words. Silence lay heavy as Graham and Frank looked down at Jamie. Frank spoke first, "Did you make out what he said at the end there?" "I'm not sure," replied a shaken Graham. "Did it sound like the word 'father' to you?" "That's what I thought I heard too," said Frank bitterly. "I'll lay odds that's who did this," said Graham angrily. "He's going to regret this day," said Frank darkly. Glancing down at Jamie's backpack Frank spotted an address tag and turned it over to look at it. Seeing that Graham was concentrating on Jamie, Frank yanked the tag off with a quick jerk and pocketed it. "I'll go out and lead them in," said Frank getting up as he heard the distant wail of an approaching siren. Less than a minute later Graham looked up to the banging of feet as the ambulance crew led by Frank burst through the door. Frank moved Graham and Cindy back so the paramedics could work and they began to assess Jamie's condition professionally. "What happened here?" demanded one of them with suspicion in his voice. "The boy dragged himself here after being beaten," said Frank seeing Graham was not able to speak. "We were waiting here for him to return when we heard something at the door. When we opened it we found him like this. We just moved him inside out of the cold." "Did you call the police?" asked the paramedic obviously unconvinced. "At the same time that I called for an ambulance," replied Frank hearing a second siren rapidly approaching. "That's probably them now." The paramedics worked rapidly trying to stabilize Jamie and prepare him for transport. At the same time Graham and Frank quickly tried to explain what they knew to the police who had rushed into the small apartment in response to Frank's urgent telephone call. Fortunately one of the patrolmen recognized Matty's name when Frank mentioned it and showed him the guardianship papers that Graham had received earlier in the day. "Please I have to go with you," said Graham as the paramedics made ready take Jamie out to the ambulance. "We don't normally allow that," said the paramedic on the left as they both lifted Jamie onto the stretcher. "But he needs to have someone with him that he knows and trusts," pleaded Graham. Seeing a nod from one of the patrolmen the paramedic relented and said, "All right but keep out of the way and don't interfere. If he gets into trouble on the way I might have to do some things that will upset you." "Don't worry I won't cause any problems," replied Graham. "Let's move it then," said the lead paramedic as they ran out of the door pushing Jamie along on the stretcher ahead of them. "Give me the key to the place Graham," said Frank he followed Graham and the paramedics out. "I'll wrap up things here, take care of Cindy, and then meet you at the hospital afterwards." Graham threw the keys to Frank and got into the ambulance after Jamie had been loaded. Frank watched the ambulance leave its sirens blaring and then answered a few more questions for the police. "Do you know who might have done this?" asked one of the patrolmen. "I know Jamie's father has beat him in the past. I would be willing to bet that this is probably another sample of his handiwork," replied Frank. "Did you say 'Jamie'?" asked the older of the two patrolmen. "Yes, his name is Jamie," repeated Frank. "Do you know him?" "I didn't recognize him at first with all the blood," said the patrolman that had recognized Jamie's name. "But I've seen him around before. We've had suspicions that there's been something going on with that family for a while but we've never been able to get anything solid on them. Every time we've had them downtown for a talk the parents have been the picture of sweet innocence, telling us about how the boy is a problem and won't stop running away. And then the kid's got a record of petty stuff from while he's been on the run and so naturally it looks like he's the problem. You know how it goes." "Perhaps instead of talking with the parents downtown you should go and see them at their place this time," suggested Frank. "You might find something that would help make a case." "Jamie's injuries mean that we have solid cause for suspicion this time and that makes a big difference," replied the patrolman. "We're going to go over to the hospital now and get more details on Jamie's injuries and what happened to him. We'll also write up a report and get the duty sergeant to request an investigation be initiated. Once that gets going they'll pay a visit to the parents and get to the bottom of this. I sure hope Jamie's going to make it he didn't look very good." "How long is all that going to take?" asked Frank. "By the time you get reports written up they could be long gone." "Writing a report doesn't take as long as you think," said the patrolman. "I'll have it done on the computer in the car by the time we hit the hospital and it's all transmitted electronically now. You're going to see uniforms coming out of the woodwork less than an hour after I press the button." "I'll see you at the hospital then," said Frank. "I need to close up here and do a couple of things and then I'll be there. Thanks for all your help." "We'll see you shortly," said the patrolmen and they walked out the door. Frank went over to the bookcase at the side of the living area and pulled out Graham's address book. After quickly looking in it Frank picked up the telephone and dialed. "Dave, is that you?" asked Frank. "Yes, what's up?" came Dave's voice over the telephone. "Something's happened to Jamie," said Frank. "Looks like his father caught him and he's been beaten up pretty bad. The ambulance just took him to the hospital." "Oh no!" gasped Dave. "Is there anything I can do to help?" "Yes," replied Frank. "I need you to come out to Graham's place and meet me - fast. Cindy is here with me and I need you to take her back to the island for me. We're not going to be able to handle having her here now with all this happening." "No problem at all. I'm actually just at the mall near you so I can be there in just a few minutes," said Dave. "Make it as fast as you can," said Frank. "I don't have a lot of time. When you get back to the island Jason will look after Cindy until we get back." "Alright Frank," said Dave. "I'm running for the car now and I'll be there as quick as I can." Frank put down the telephone. He paused for a moment and then picked it up again and dialed. "Kathy?" said Frank. "What's wrong Frank? Something's happened, I can tell from your voice," came Kathy's voice anxiously over the telephone. "It's Jamie," said Frank slowly. "His father caught him and ... well the ambulance just left for the hospital." "Is he going to be OK?" asked Kathy in a scared voice. "What happened?" "He looked really bad, there was blood everywhere," replied Frank. "I think you'd better say something to Jason. Jamie didn't look good at all." "Oh no," said Kathy softly. "On top of everything else that's happened to him ... that poor, poor boy." "I'm not going to leave until I know what happened," said Frank determinedly. "Then I'm going to the hospital and I'll stay there with Graham. I've called Dave and he's coming here to pick up Cindy and bring her back to the island. Tell Jason so he can pick her up when Dave flies in and take care of her while we're away." "Frank ..." began Kathy with a note of warning in her voice. "Don't you do anything you're going to regret." "It'll be OK," said Frank. "I'm just going to see what I can find out." "Please be careful," said Kathy hearing something unsettling in Frank's tone of voice. "Jason and I need you too." "Don't worry," said Frank. "I'm coming back but not until Jamie is able to come back too. I have to go now. Tell Jason I love him and I love you too." "We love you," said Kathy. "Please come back to us soon." After putting down the telephone Frank moved about Graham's place quickly and located an old pair of gloves and squeezed his large hands into them. He then picked up Jamie's backpack up off the floor, made sure the notebook that Jamie had retrieved was inside it, and then went outside with Cindy locking the door behind them. Frank walked over to Graham's car, pulled out the street map that Graham kept in the glove compartment, and spread it out on the hood of the small car. Frank referred to the address tag in his hand and then checked the map again. The address was only a few blocks away. Dave drove up in his car while Frank was refolding the map to put it away. "Any news Frank?" asked Dave as he jumped out of the car. "No, the ambulance just left a few minutes ago," replied Frank. "Thanks for coming to pick up Cindy. I called Kathy and she's going to talk to Jason and tell him what's happened. He'll pick Cindy up from you when you get over to the island." Dave noticed the folded map laying on the hood of the car and said, "You're not going to do what I think you're going to do, are you?" "I can't let this ever happen again," said Frank avoiding Dave's eyes. "You're not going to be able to live with yourself if you do it," warned Dave. "It won't be anything that permanent," said Frank. "He's not worth it. But I'm going to make sure that Jamie is safe from now on." "Sounds like the right thing to do to me," said Dave nodding agreement. "Need any help?" Frank looked up at Dave with surprise and then replied, "No I can manage." "OK," said Dave. "Later when you've taken care of things if you want to get it off your chest remember that I'm a good listener." "Thanks," said Frank. "I'll probably need to do that." "When it's all done and you're ready just let me know and we'll sit down over a few pints," said Dave as he opened his car door to let Cindy jump in. Dave got back in the car, started the engine, and then drove off down the street and quickly disappeared. Once Dave had left with Cindy to take her back to the island Frank opened the door to Graham's car and climbed inside. After adjusting the driver's seat back so he could fit Frank started the engine and backed the car out onto the street. The tires squealed as Frank gunned the engine and a few minutes later he pulled over to the side of a street lined with rundown houses one block short of the address that was on the tag in his pocket. Frank parked the car and shut off the engine. This was not something that Frank was particularly looking forward to but it wounded him to know that after all the effort that everyone had made trying to help Jamie that it might be in vain. Frank knew that he would not sleep for several nights afterwards but he was determined that Jamie would never again have to worry. Frank got out of the car and moved to the sidewalk on the wrong side of the street and began to walk. Frank approached the address that was on the address tag from Jamie's backpack from the opposite side of the street in case anyone in the house was watching so he would have an opportunity to look it over without appearing suspicious. It was an old decrepit bungalow that desperately needed a coat of paint. There were shingles missing on the roof and in a couple of places the eavestroughs were hanging loose. Carefully looking about Frank checked that no one was watching and then walked up to the end of the block. He crossed the street and then headed back down toward the house this time on the correct side of the street. Just as he approached the house Frank saw a walkway that went down beside the house towards the back. Checking once again that he was not being observed Frank quietly slipped along the side of the house. Approaching an open window Frank peered in and saw what he guessed to be Jamie's bedroom. There was a small bed that was messed up, a couple of torn posters on the wall, and a few clothes strewn randomly about on the floor. Frank then noticed the dark stains on the bedclothes and the smears along the floor leading in the direction of the window. There were stains on the windowsill as well and Frank could see the outlines of small fingerprints in the now dried blood. Frank realized that the stains on the bed marked where Jamie had lain after being attacked and the others traced his escape route afterwards. Frank pushed the partially open window up higher in the wooden frame slowly to avoid making any noise and then carefully climbed through the window into the bedroom. He tried to avoid disturbing the marks Jamie's fingers had made on the windowsill but he smudged one partially. Frank quickly looked about and saw Jamie's name on a few scraps of paper laying on an old TV tray which confirmed for him that this was Jamie's bedroom and the blood stains were silent witnesses to what had taken place here not long before. Moving quietly to the bedroom door Frank slowly turned the doorknob, pushed the door open slightly, and peered out. Loud snoring sounds could be heard coming from outside the bedroom. Frank pushed the door open further and saw the back of a man's head leaning off to one side of a reclining chair in the living room. An empty bottle lay on the floor just below an arm that dangled down over the side of the chair. Frank crept quietly across the badly chipped hardwood floor and as he got closer to the man the smell of alcohol assaulted his nose. Realizing that the man would be out cold for a while Frank decided to do a quick survey of the rest of the house. It only took a couple of minutes in the main bedroom to discover what Frank was hoping he would not find but nevertheless felt certain that he would. In the closet of the master bedroom were box after box of DVDs, as well as a collection of CDs, all of them labelled in black felt pen in the same crude handwriting. Frank did not want to look but he knew he had to in order to be certain. Moving over to the computer that sat on one side of the bedroom Frank popped in one of the CDs and quickly had a list of files displayed on the screen - they were all image files. A few seconds more work with the computer confirmed Frank's feared expectations - the pictures were of Jamie. The face in the pictures was not smiling in the couple of images that Frank checked but there was no doubt as to the identity of the boy that they showed. Returning the CD to where he had found it Frank pulled out one of the DVDs at random and inserted it into the player located next to the desk that the computer was resting on. Turning the sound down to zero and then switching on the TV attached to the player Frank pressed fast forward for a minute and then hit the play button. Frank felt his stomach begin to heave the moment the DVD began to play on the screen and he quickly stopped the player. Removing the disc from the player Frank returned it back to where he had found it in the closet. Standing up Frank walked to the doorway in the bedroom that led back to the sleeping figure in the living room and then paused for a moment. All that Frank could see as he contemplated what he was about to do was Jamie lying beaten and bleeding on the floor of Graham's apartment. While it was wrong by conventional standards of measurement Frank also knew that this was something that needed to be done, that the time had now come for a balancing of the books where Jamie's life was concerned. His eyes dark with anger, Frank pushed the bedroom door open and began moving towards the living room. *** *** *** *** *** When the ambulance arrived at the emergency entrance to Children's Hospital the paramedics pushed Graham aside in order to get Jamie's stretcher into the building quickly. Once they were through the doors of the hospital the already alerted and waiting trauma team took over from the paramedics and began to quickly determine the extent of Jamie's injuries. One glace at Jamie's ghostly pallor and his blood soaked clothes was all they needed and he was rushed through the swinging doors of the arrivals area and into one of the available trauma bays. Graham attempted to follow along behind but found his path quickly cut off by a polite but firm nurse wearing a tag that was engraved with the name Melody Schrader. "I'm sorry sir but you will have to wait out here," said Melody in a serious tone pointing towards the chairs in the waiting room. "But I need to be in there," pleased Graham. "He'll be afraid if there isn't someone that he recognizes with him." "The doctors will do everything needed for the boy," replied Melody calmly as she escorted Graham over to the waiting room and then went back through the doors into the trauma ward. One look at the boy lying on the stretcher had told Melody that he was in no condition to be scared or anything else. The quantity of blood on Jamie's clothes and her experience told her that this could easily be over within a matter of a couple of minutes. The logical side of Graham knew that Melody was right and that there was not anything he could do, nevertheless Graham could not sit still. He got up and began to pace back and forth just outside the doors to the trauma ward and as a result could overhear the urgent orders coming from within. "His blood pressure is 60/palp ... It's the blood loss. Hang four units of O-negative on the rapid infuser and get a central line going. Type and cross-match for six, he's going to be needing a lot more from the looks of this." "Where the hell is all the blood coming from? It's everywhere!" "Respiratory arrest! Intubate and bag him until you get the oxygen going - 20 litres!" "Look down here it's just pouring out of him. Get another four units on the infuser now!" "Pack it off and get me an OR! He's got to go in NOW or we're going to lose him." "What about the arm?" "It looks like a clean break. We'll worry about it later." "We'd better do a head series." "I said later! We've got to get that haemorrhaging stopped or the only X-rays he's going to need will be for the autopsy report." "Look at his back. Are those ... some of them look fresh ..." Graham peeked through the glass on the swinging doors of the trauma ward and saw one of Jamie's arms dangling over the side of the stretcher at a odd angle. Blood was running down his fingers and a small red pool was forming on the floor below. Graham finally could not take it any longer and moved away from the doors back towards the waiting room. Graham heard the entrance doorway to the emergency department slide open and looked up to see the patrolmen that had arrived at his place coming through the doorway. The patrolmen began to ask Graham questions and disturbing as the questioning was it was almost a relief for Graham compared to what he had just seen and heard coming from the trauma ward. As predicted more police began to arrive quickly, some in uniform and others while not in uniform might as well have been since their bearing fooled no one. One of the newly arrived police officers, who was wearing sergeant's stripes, went up and talked to the admitting nurse but received a firm headshake to his request to enter the trauma ward. He then looked through the glass in the middle of the doors. A few moments later he stepped away shaking his head and stood motionless breathing heavily. After a moment the sergeant began issuing orders to organize the police to begin the investigation into what had happened to Jamie. The gathering crowd of police was beginning to interfere with passage through the corridors and finally the duty nurse picked up the telephone and made a short call. A couple of minutes later Melody came out of the trauma ward and walked up to the police sergeant. "You're going to have to move somewhere else," said Melody to the sergeant. "You're clogging the hallway and we can't move patients with all of you in the way like this." "Excuse me?" said the sergeant towering over Melody by at least a foot and obviously trying to impress her. Not intimidated in the least Melody pressed on, "You know the rules as well as I do so don't try any of that stuff on me. Now all of you get into the waiting room right this minute. As soon as we have any information for you about the patient we will let you know." Hearing the commotion Graham paused and looked up from answering questions and smiled. He was taking an instant liking to Melody and how she was handling the police. Physically it was a total mismatch but in just under a minute powered solely by the authority of her white nurse's uniform she had the corridor cleared. The job completed, Melody then went back through the doors into the trauma ward. Graham got up and began to pace while continuing to field questions from the police officers. The fact that he did not have many answers did not slow the police down. The questions were asked repeatedly with slight changes in wording and all designed to trip Graham up and find out if he knew more than he was saying or to see if his story would start to vary. From time to time Graham glanced over towards the doors of the trauma ward and saw nurses running in and out almost constantly. Sometimes it was extra equipment being rushed into the room and other times it was a nurse running out with a vial for analysis. The level of activity however was not decreasing and everyone was moving at a dead run. That alone said everything - Jamie was still hanging on and fighting but nevertheless Graham's fears only grew. A couple of minutes later the doors to the trauma ward burst open and Melody ran all the way to the end of the corridor to call the elevator. A few seconds later the stretcher bearing Jamie came out of the trauma ward with doctors running alongside and followed rapidly along right behind her. Jamie lay on the stretcher his lower body covered by a blue sheet that showed bloody stains in several places. His upper body was uncovered but was also bloodied and dark-coloured bruising could be seen in multiple locations. Jamie's face was almost completely obscured by a ventilator with two hoses leading away from it and both arms had intravenous lines leading into them connected to plastic bags hanging overhead filled with blood. A monitor hooked up to Jamie was sitting between his partially spread legs and beeped very slowly. As the stretcher with Jamie went past the chatter amongst the police died down and one of the older officers closed his eyes and looked away. The questioning ceased and a silence hung over the entire room. Graham tried to follow after the stretcher but was immediately intercepted by a doctor that had come out of the trauma ward just behind the stretcher. "You're the boy's father?" asked the doctor as he gently took Graham by the arm and led him back into the waiting room. "I'm Graham Martin," replied Graham. "Just this morning I was made Jamie's guardian." "Do you understand what has happened to Jamie?" asked the doctor kindly as he encouraged Graham to sit down next to him. "Not precisely," said Graham slowly. "But I think I can guess at least some of it." "There is no nice way to tell you what I need to," began the doctor as two of the police investigators took out their notepads, stood nearby, and began to take notes rapidly. "The only way to do this is to just come right out and tell you. Jamie has been raped and beaten and very severely so. That however is not the worst of it. The bruising, the broken arm, the nose, at least one of his ribs ... everything that you can see - none of it is life threatening even though it looks bad. If there is time we can fix those things and he'll heal." "What do you mean by 'if there's time'?" asked Graham picking up on the significant undercurrent in the doctor's tone. "Jamie is suffering from massive internal hemorrhaging," continued the doctor. "It looks like his colon has been torn open, most likely by a foreign object having been used on him. With damage like that frankly it's a miracle he even made it to the hospital. We started blood transfusions right away but almost immediately it just began to flow out again. His blood pressure is very low and his pulse is extremely weak. He's now being rushed up to an operating room to try and repair the damage in order to stop the blood loss." "Is he going to ..." said Graham unable to complete the sentence. "I'm sorry to have to say this but I think that if there is anyone that should be notified you need to get in touch with them right away," replied the doctor. "His chances of survival are not good at all." Graham's face turned even paler and his shoulders slumped. The sergeant, who had arrived to take charge of the investigation and had been standing nearby listening, handed Graham a glass of water. After a moment Graham managed to collect himself and asked weakly, "There's no chance at all?" "There is always a chance," said the doctor kindly. "For Jamie to have made it this far is amazing. However I'm not going to deceive you about the danger. Nevertheless some people can fight back against incredible odds. I hope as you do that he will make it but I want to be honest with you about how things stand. It's always much worse if we tell you a happy story and then later have to give you bad news." "I don't have to like hearing it but I appreciate the honesty doctor," said Graham. "It isn't any fun having to tell you all this," replied the doctor sadly. "But I think the worst part is seeing a youngster who has been brutalized like that. Does anyone know who did it?" "I'm pretty sure it was his father," said Graham angrily. The doctor shook his head, sighed, looked up at the sergeant, and said, "We have some evidence that your people will be wanting to have analyzed. You're not going to have any trouble doing a comparison against a suspect when you find them." "Are you sure?" asked Graham looking up. "Oh yes. The evidence that we collected will be conclusive even if Jamie is unable to testify," said the doctor. "We'll organize everything related to that with the police. I have to go now to help out in the OR but I promise you that I or the emergency surgeon will let you know immediately when there is any news to give you." "Thank you very much doctor," said Graham as the doctor shook his hand and left running quickly for the same elevator that Jamie had gone into only a few minutes before. Graham slumped back into the chair and cradled his head in his hands. The police continued to mill about and converse quietly but gave Graham a respite from their questioning. They too had heard the doctor's bleak prognosis and knew what it meant. After a few minutes Graham got up and went up to the patrolman that had first arrived at his place. "Excuse me ... Constable Murphy," said Graham reading off the name tag on the patrolman's uniform. "Logan," replied the patrolman. "Call me Logan." "Logan," began Graham again. "I think we need to notify the Department of Child Welfare. The lady to get in touch with is Matty ... Madeline Thompson I mean." "We already have," said Logan kindly. "She should be here any time now." Graham went and sat back down. He tried drinking from the glass of water that was sitting next to him but choked on it sending water spraying in all directions. No one laughed. Most of the men had sons or daughters of their own and many were considering how well they would be handling the situation if it had been them instead of Graham. Graham tried looking through an ancient issue of National Geographic that was laying on a side table. He also tried a Time magazine from two years ago but he was only turning the pages and not actually reading them. The minutes stretched like hours and Graham kept looking up at the doors to the elevator but they remained closed. Graham felt certain that at any moment the doctor was going to reappear with the news that would destroy him. Graham heard running footsteps and his stomach lurched as he looked up to see someone running towards him. He breathed a sigh of relief and stood up - it was Matty. "Have you heard anything?" she asked breathlessly as she skidded to a halt and then gave Graham a supportive hug just before they both sat down. "Not a thing since they took him up for surgery," replied Graham. "It's been almost two hours." "Waiting is always the worst part isn't it?" said Matty. "I've had to come down here far too often in my job and it never gets any easier." "It's killing me," said Graham. "If only I had insisted that he not go off by himself. If I could've somehow talked him out of it." "You can't blame yourself," said Matty gently. "This isn't your fault at all. There'll be plenty of time later to deal with whoever did this. All that matters right now is Jamie." Just then the elevator door opened and a doctor still wearing his green scrubs walked out and looked around for a moment before walking towards Graham. Graham's stomach twisted itself into knots and he tried to read the doctor's face to determine what the news was. The doctor however kept his face clear of all signs and Graham was unable to guess what the news was going to be. "You're Jamie's guardian?" asked the doctor. "Yes," said Graham anxiously. "Is he ...?" "He's alive," replied the doctor with a tired sigh. "I didn't think he'd make it through the surgery but somehow he did. His heart stopped twice and we revived him both times. As far as the injuries are concerned his lower rectal area was torn open badly. It took over an hour to do the repairs that were needed. If he hangs in there and stabilizes we will need to go back in later and tidy things up but for now we've just tried to deal with the worst of it. He also has extensive bruising over his abdominal area and head, a fracture of the left arm, broken nose, two broken ribs, and a hairline fracture of the skull. The latter of those injuries while very graphic sounding are not life threatening. The major concerns we have right now are shock, the massive loss of blood, and especially peritonitis. The next twenty-four to forty-eight hours are going to be critical. He's in the intensive care unit now and under constant watch." The doctor's words detailing the injuries each impacted upon Graham like body blows. He looked up into the face of the doctor wanting to see some hope but found none. "Do you think he'll make it?" asked Graham fearfully. "I would like to remain optimistic," replied the doctor carefully. "However, the injuries are so severe and the blood loss so great that the chances are not in his favour at the moment." "Can I see him?" asked Graham. "Not just yet," replied the doctor. "In a few hours if he remains stable we can maybe let you in for just a minute but absolutely no more than that." The doctor rose from the chair he had sat down in and Graham stood up and thanked him for helping Jamie. After shaking Graham's hand the doctor walked down the corridor towards the trauma ward and Graham slumped back down into his chair. Eventually after giving Graham a few minutes Matty suggested that they go over to the cafeteria and have a cup of tea. Several cups of tea and a few hours later found Graham and Matty pushing the crumbs of a half-eaten muffin back and forth across a cafeteria table absentmindedly. Melody walked into the cafeteria, spotted Graham, and came over and sat down next to him. "If you would like you can come and see Jamie for just a minute now," said Melody with a smile. "How is he doing?" asked Graham. "He's very weak and is still in critical condition but he's holding on," replied Melody trying to cheer up Graham. "He must be a very determined young man. Most people wouldn't have gotten this far." "He's strong deep down inside where it counts," said Graham with conviction. Melody led Graham and Matty to the intensive care unit that was located several floors up in the hospital. In the observation room Melody assisted Graham as he donned a gown and mask before being allowed inside the restricted area. Matty waited outside and watched through the glass as Graham and Melody went inside. Graham followed Melody past a number of beds, each of them an individual tragedy for some family, but he was not focusing clearly on the surroundings. Graham almost missed Jamie's bed because he did not recognize him underneath all the tubes, wires, and bandages that covered a significant portion of his slim frame. "Has there been any change?" said Melody quietly to the nurse standing next to Jamie's bed watching him closely. "None at all," replied the nurse evenly. "You can stay for just a minute," said Melody as she backed off a couple of steps to give Graham a symbolic sense of privacy while remaining in fact only a few feet away. The nurse watching Jamie did not move at all and continued to check Jamie and the slowly beeping monitors on the wall above him regularly. Graham approached the bed and looked down at Jamie. Jamie's eyes were closed and his face was swollen. There were IV tubes going into both arms supplying him with blood and other fluids, most of his face was still covered by a ventilator which was helping Jamie to breath, and there were bandages seemingly everywhere. Graham was not a doctor but even he could understand some of the numbers on the overhead monitors that beeped slowly and knew that Jamie was in bad shape. Graham collected himself and gently touched Jamie's hand. "It's me Jamie," said Graham softly. "It's Graham. You're safe and the doctors have fixed you all up. You beat him. You made it." Jamie did not move or react at all and the heart monitor display did not register the slightest change in its abnormally low readings. Graham knew that Jamie probably could not even hear him but despite that Graham hesitated only for a moment and then continued talking to Jamie. "You're going to get better soon," said Graham. "When you're back on your feet we'll go back to the island and you'll be able to have fun with Jason again. You'll be able to go fishing and out for walks with Cindy. Now that we have the papers from the Department of Child Welfare you don't have to go back to your parents and can stay with me if you want. Everything is going to be fine, you'll see. You just need to be strong right now and hang on. Please Jamie, hang on." Graham lips moved but he found he could not say anything more and looked up helplessly at the nurse watching Jamie and she tried to smile back at Graham but failed. There had not been a single visible reaction on Jamie's part to Graham's presence or his words. Melody moved back beside Graham and taking his hand led him out of ICU and back into the observation room. "How is he?" asked Matty anxiously when Graham came through the doors. "It's like he's completely lifeless," said Graham fighting back tears. "He didn't blink. He didn't move his hand. Absolutely nothing." "That's to be expected at this point," explained Melody gently. "He's so weak right now that what seems like something very minor to you and I like moving a hand or just his fingers is completely beyond his ability. His body is totally concentrating on just staying alive. It's unlikely that we will see any reaction from Jamie for a number of hours still. My recommendation is that you go home, rest, and then come back in the morning." "But I need to be here just in case he needs me," protested Graham. "There's no chance at all of him coming around for some time yet," said Melody kindly but persuasively. "I'm not leaving," said Graham defiantly. "I'm going to wait right here no matter how long it takes." Seeing Graham's determination Melody led Graham and Matty back down to the waiting room. Graham's reaction was not unusual in a case like this and Melody understood. In order to retain her objectivity it was necessary to try and maintain a sense of detachment with each of the individual tragedies that passed through her department. Despite this however Melody knew that Jamie was going to be one patient that she was not going to be able to forget anytime soon. What she had seen in the trauma ward and then later the operating room was not something soon forgotten. "I should get back to the office now," said Matty. "There are several reports that I need to file about this so we can get the right people involved. I need to coordinate the police investigation with the Attorney General's office and ours, make sure the doctor's statements are filed correctly, and of course check that everything is done up nicely in triplicate to keep the auditors happy." "Thanks for coming," said Graham. "I really appreciate it a lot. It's good to know that someone does care." "I always do," said Matty. "It's just too bad that sometimes things go this badly before we find out or can do something about it." Graham shook Matty's hand and then watched her leave. Graham walked back to the waiting room and pinched a doughnut from a box that had materialized in the middle of a table that formerly had only been covered in old magazines. Graham could not remember seeing the box arrive but he smiled and mused wryly to himself that there was definitely some sort of deep-seated symbiosis between policemen and doughnuts. After eating it while pacing about Graham then walked over, stretched out on a sofa, and closed his eyes. He did not expect to be able to sleep but he was exhausted and the bright fluorescent lights were giving him a headache. The police presence in the hospital had not decreased and in fact was now almost mounted as a guard around the waiting room. Some officers were writing up reports while others were on telephones or radios checking with colleagues in the field or back at headquarters. All of them made sure that Graham was given space and quiet in which to rest and all discussions were carried out at a respectful distance and volume in recognition of the stress that Graham was undergoing. Graham managed to doze fitfully for a while but then came instantly awake when he heard footsteps approaching and opened his eyes to find Frank standing in front of him. "How is he?" asked Frank as he sat down heavily next to Graham. "Just barely alive," replied Graham. "They let me see him for just a minute a while back." "How bad is it?" asked Frank. "Broken nose, broken arm, broken ribs, a skull fracture, cuts, bruises ..." began Graham. "And ...?" asked Frank slowly. Graham hesitated and then broke down saying, "The bastard tore him open inside!" After a moment Graham continued describing the details to Frank but then suddenly noticed Franks hands. They were cut and swollen around the knuckles. Then Graham looked at Frank more closely and saw a large bruise forming on the side of his face. "Where were you? What happened to you?" asked Graham quietly so the police would not hear. "Can I see Jamie," asked Frank quickly changing the subject. "I don't know," said Graham realizing that Frank did not want to discuss the subject. "I'll go and ask. I don't know if they'll let you or not." "Tell them I'm his long lost uncle," said Frank with a poor attempt at humour. Graham went up to the admissions desk and asked the duty nurse if he could speak to Melody again. Graham then went back and sat down again with Frank. About fifteen minutes later Melody came in and stood next to Frank. "I hear that Jamie's uncle wants to see him," said Melody with a slight grin and a questioning stress on the word 'uncle'. "Please if it's at all possible," said Frank standing up. "We usually only allow immediate family," said Melody completely unfazed by Frank towering over her. "I am immediate family," said Frank. "As close as Jamie has except for Graham. We live right next door to them and my son will never forgive me if I don't see Jamie. It's very important that I see him. And I have something that I must tell him." "He's non-responsive right now," said Melody still unconvinced. "I have to see him," pleaded Frank. "It will only take a minute." "All right but only for a minute," said Melody finally giving way. "Jamie is being examined by one of the doctors right now but wait here and I'll come back and get you in about half an hour." When Melody returned three-quarters of an hour later she led Frank from the waiting room to the elevator and once upstairs they went down the corridor to the intensive care unit. When they arrived in the observation area Frank quickly dressed in the required gown and mask. Melody then led Frank into the restricted area and down to Jamie's bed. A quick visual inspection told Melody that nothing had changed in the couple of hours since she and Graham had come to see Jamie earlier. "Jamie's uncle," said Melody in reply to the unspoken question on the face of the nurse keeping watch over Jamie. Melody saw the nurse's eyebrows rise and smiled back. Frank was not fooling either of them but they both understood. Melody moved to stand next to the other nurse and they both saw the large frame of Frank move very carefully alongside Jamie's bed. Frank placed his hand next to Jamie's and leaned over him. "Jamie, it's Frank," said the large man with surprising tenderness. "I want you to know that you're safe now. He'll never be able to hurt you again. I've made certain of it. It's over for good now and it will never happen again. Rest and get strong and you'll soon be out of here and back on the island with all of us." Frank raised his head back up and then quickly looked down as he felt something brush against his hand. The heart monitor machine suddenly beeped slightly faster and both nurses looked up and saw the digital display of Jamie's heart rate begin to rise. Then they followed Frank's sudden glance down and watched with astonishment as they saw Jamie's hand move ever so slowly and deliberately before finally coming to a rest on top of Frank's hand. Frank felt Jamie's fingers close on his hand with the strength of a feather and he looked up with amazement at Melody while tears rolled down his cheeks unashamedly. =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Chapter 16 - A New Beginning By the time that Frank had been returned to the waiting room by Melody the number of police had thinned somewhat but Logan was still there along with the sergeant overseeing the case and several corporals that were assisting with the investigation. Working with the hospital staff they were coordinating the various reports that had to be filed on Jamie's case, cataloguing evidence samples for analysis, and ensuring that the necessary statements were taken from the doctors that had initially examined Jamie and those that were with him in the operating room saving his life. Frank saw that Graham had laid down and fallen asleep on the sofa and sat down in a chair next to him. About twenty minutes later another corporal ran into the waiting room the group had appropriated and went up to the sergeant and began talking quietly but urgently with him. The corporal was arguing with the sergeant in heated but quiet tones and this caught Logan's attention and he went over to listen. Several times they glanced in Graham's and then Frank's direction while continuing to argue. At one point the corporal pointed directly at Frank but the sergeant shook his head and it was clear that the corporal did not agree. Finally, his efforts to convince the sergeant exhausted, the corporal left. Logan spoke to the sergeant for a moment then looked at Frank and finally motioned him off to one side with a sideways nod of his head. "I thought you might be interested to learn that a raid was just carried out on Jamie's parent's house and the investigators found something very curious inside," said Logan quietly. "What would that be?" asked Frank innocently. "Seems they found Jamie's father there. He was beaten up pretty thoroughly, knocked out cold, and whoever he was fighting gave him a busted jaw," began Logan. "In one of the bedrooms they found a big collection of movies and pictures with Jamie in them being abused by his father as well as other people. They also nabbed the mother who was making a break for it out the back way with a fully packed suitcase. A nice tidy package all wrapped up like it was still Christmas. They're not going to have a prayer at trial between what we found and what the doctor's here have for us." "You don't say," remarked Frank. "That is good news." "I don't suppose you would know anything about any of that would you?" asked Logan gently. "The father was a very big guy I've been told. It would have to have been someone that was pretty strong themselves to be able to manage doing that to a guy his size." "I'd never do anything that wasn't appropriate to the situation," said Frank keeping his face expressionless. "That's what the sergeant thought too," whispered Logan. "By the way, did you know that soft earth retains footprints? Unfortunately however it seems that one of the fellows didn't watch where he was walking and messed them up so it wasn't possible to get a proper set of impressions." "That's too bad," said Frank looking at Logan with surprise. "You might also want to get your hands looked at. You don't want to get an infection from having touched anything unpleasant," added Logan. "Yes I'd better go talk to one of the nurses," said Frank. "I cut myself shaving this morning." "If it'd been my boy I'd have cut myself shaving too," said Logan quietly as he walked away to get himself a cup of coffee. Frank breathed a sigh of relief and looked up to see the sergeant looking pointedly at him. Frank nodded nervously at the sergeant who smiled, returned the nod, and then turned back to the report he was working on. After a few more hours of pacing, dozing, and leafing aimlessly through old magazines Melody and Frank finally managed to convince Graham that he needed to go home and get some rest. Graham only relented when Frank pointed out that when Jamie did finally awake it was not going to do Jamie any good if the first thing he saw were Graham's bloodshot eyes from having had no sleep. Graham was emotionally as well as physically exhausted from the traumatic series of events and he let Frank drive him back to the small basement apartment. *** *** *** *** *** "Wake up," said Frank shaking Graham's shoulder. "I'm tired ... what do you want?" said Graham groggily. Then suddenly remembering everything Graham sat up and said quickly, "What's happened? Is Jamie OK?" "You better believe he's OK," said Frank with a big smile. "He's awake and we're going to go and see him." Hearing the news Graham stormed out of bed and set a new record for getting ready. While Graham was organizing himself Frank folded the sofa bed back together and then rolled up the sleeping bag that he had used during the night which had been laying next to the bed. Then Frank picked up Jamie's backpack which was sitting on the floor next to where he had slept and took it outside and put it in the back seat of the car. "Where'd the sleeping bag come from?" said Graham coming out of the bathroom. "You were out like a light when we got here," said Frank. "So after I opened up the sofa and dumped you on it I called up Dave and he had a spare sleeping bag he brought over for me. He keeps one tucked away at the office for emergencies." Less than half an hour after being woken up Graham and Frank were out the door and getting into the car. Graham fired up the engine and the little car's tires screeched as they turned onto the street and then headed for the hospital. "Take it easy! We want to be going in the front door of the hospital and not end up being taken in the rear entrance," joked Frank. In less than ten minutes Graham was pulling into the parking lot at Children's Hospital and parked the car. Frank reached into the back seat and grabbed Jamie's backpack and then Graham locked the car up. "Why are you bringing that with you?" asked Graham. "Jamie is going to want it," said Frank simply without further explanation. The two men then ran towards the hospital entrance. Less than a minute later they were both standing in front of the admitting desk slightly out of breath. "Is Melody on duty today?" gasped Graham. "Yes she is," replied the duty nurse. "I'll page her for you." Graham paced back and forth while waiting for Melody to come downstairs and seeing that he was preoccupied Frank walked over to the waiting room and spoke quietly to a police investigator who was still sitting inside the waiting room cataloguing the various reports related to Jamie's case. The investigator listened carefully to Frank and then picked up his radio and made a quick call. Frank then walked back to the entrance to the hospital and waited just outside. Several minutes later a police car pulled up and the sergeant in charge of the investigation got out and talked quickly with Frank. Both of them then went back into the hospital and waited with Graham for Melody to arrive. About ten minutes later the elevator doors opened and Melody emerged. "How is he?" asked Graham anxiously. "The improvement is remarkable," replied Melody with obvious pleasure. "He's off the ventilator and breathing on his own now. He's still very weak but he's awake and responsive. We still have a nasal cannula attached but that's just to give him some extra oxygen to make his breathing easier. He's a hundred times better than he was when he was brought in." "Oh that's wonderful!" exclaimed Graham while Frank and the sergeant stood nearby with big smiles on their faces. "Can we go and see him?" asked Frank. "If you don't he's going to drive the staff in ICU crazy," joked Melody. "He's pressing the buzzer every couple of minutes asking if you've arrived yet." "Sounds to me like he's definitely on the mend," said the sergeant with a grin. "It's when they don't say anything that you have to worry." "Jamie's voice is going to sound a bit raw," cautioned Melody. "It's nothing to worry about however, it's just a temporary side effect of him having been on the ventilator." The group walked to the elevator and went up to the intensive care unit. While they were putting on the protective gowns and masks they all looked up as an electronic tone sounded. "You'd better get in there," chuckled the watch nurse. "He's going to wear out that button if you don't." Melody led Graham, Frank, and the sergeant into the restricted area and they walked down the row of beds. This time Graham had no problems knowing which one was Jamie's. It was the only bed where there was a patient who was trying to sit up, let alone moving at all. Approaching the bed they could hear a nurse admonishing Jamie to not move around so soon after surgery. "You've got to be still," she said anxiously. "Your doctor's going to skin me alive if he sees you moving around like this." "Jamie!" said Graham, perhaps a bit too loudly for the environment. "Graham! Frank!" said Jamie with a very hoarse voice which while weak was only slightly less enthusiastic. "How's it going there Tiger?" asked Frank. "They've got me all wired up," said Jamie huskily. "If I move my fingers just right I can change the channel people are watching on the TV in the waiting room." "That's so they can monitor you while you get better," said Graham with a gentle laugh. "You look just like the back of the computer in Jason's bedroom," chuckled Frank. "The way they've got you hooked up if I get you a headset I think you'll be able to help take our police calls," said the sergeant. "We're so relieved that you're doing better," said Graham. "If you keep on improving like this it won't be long before you'll be able to leave." "The doctor said he has to do a couple more things but he wants to wait for a few days before he does them," said Jamie. "They need you to be a bit stronger first," said Graham. "Then you'll be able to handle it OK." "It won't be too bad," said Frank. "They just want to give you a new coat of paint and polish up the chrome on your bumper." "I think my bumper could use some polishing after what happened," said Jamie with an embarrassed smile. "I brought this for you," said Frank pulling Jamie's backpack out from underneath his protective gown. "I think there's something in it that you meant to give to the sergeant here." "You have it!" exclaimed an enormously relieved Jamie. "I've been scared that I'd lost it after everything that happened. Can you get it out for me?" Frank reached into the backpack and pulled out a dog-eared notebook and passed it to Jamie. Jamie took the notebook, quickly opened it, and checked inside briefly. Then he closed it and held it out towards the sergeant and said, "When you talk with my dad ask him about some of the people that I've got written down in here. That should keep him busy trying to explain everything." The sergeant took the notebook from Jamie and opened it and read the first few entries and his eyebrows went up. He then flipped a few pages and read some more. "You made these notes?" asked the sergeant. "These entries are records of what these people were doing to you?" "Yes sir," said Jamie. "I wasn't able to all the time, but when I could I tried to write down the people's names and what happened." "This is why you went back isn't it," said the sergeant clearly impressed. "I wanted to make sure he knew I hadn't forgotten him", said Jamie darkly. "I hoped that one day I'd be able to pay him back for what he did to me." "You're an incredibly brave young man," said the sergeant. "I'll make sure that this is put to good use immediately." "I think Jamie needs to rest now," said Melody. "You take it easy Jamie," said Graham with a smile. "We'll have you up and out of here before you know it." "And stop flirting with the nurses," said Frank with mock seriousness. "We're getting complaints from their husbands." "Awww," said Jamie with a good imitation of a pout. Graham, Frank, and the sergeant began to leave when Jamie said, "Can Frank stay for just a minute? I need to ask him something." "Only for a minute," said Melody putting just strong hint of mother- knows-best into her voice as she escorted Graham and the sergeant out towards the observation room. "What is it Jamie?" asked Frank leaning over Jamie's bed. "I heard one of the nurses talking and I sort of remember something but I don't know if I was just dreaming or not," began Jamie. "Did you ... I mean, did ..." Frank understood what Jamie was asking and placed one of his hands on Jamie's and said, "You will never have to worry about him again now." Looking down at the cuts and scrapes on Frank's hand, which was resting on his own, and his bruised face, Jamie said softly, "You didn't have to do that. I know you're not that kind of person, not like he is. You're going to feel bad about it later." "I wanted to make sure it would never happen again," said Frank. "It's worth it to know that you're safe and that it's over with for good." "Thanks," said Jamie feeling a massive weight lifting from his shoulders. "It's going to be good to not keep wondering when the next time is going to be." "Never again Jamie," said Frank with kindness. "Never again." *** *** *** *** *** Jamie's progress was rapid and word spread quickly through the hospital staff about the newest patient in ICU. When he had first arrived the staff that had worked to save him had fully expected the worst but now it was as if a dark cloud had lifted from hanging over the hospital and the positive feelings quickly spread throughout the entire facility. With Jamie improving each day and now able to receive visitors for short periods of time he was being visited frequently by police investigators. Graham or Frank always sat with Jamie while the questions were being asked so he would not feel alone and it hurt them to hear what was being said but they never left his side. Even some of the older well-seasoned officers sometimes had to pause as they took notes based on the information that Jamie was giving to them. After a couple more days in intensive care with no signs of complications appearing Jamie was transferred to a private room. This afforded him with more privacy and also gave more space for visitors. The morning after Jamie had been moved, Graham and Frank arrived at the hospital only to find Pony and several other members from Pony's tribe all standing just outside the door to Jamie's room. The men were all tall, well-built, and had stern expressions on their faces. They scanned the hallway with their eyes constantly watching everyone that was walking on the floor. "Hello Pony," said Graham. "I didn't know you had come over from the island. Have you been in to see Jamie?" "We came last night after we were alerted," said Pony. "Then this morning we went in to see Jamie after he was awake." "What's going on?" said Frank immediately sensing that something was not right. "We're here to make sure that Jamie remains safe," said Pony. "We won't let one of our own stand alone against danger." Just then the door to Jamie's room opened and out came a police superintendent in full dress uniform, brown boots shining, and buttons blazing. Inside the room Graham could see three other officers in regular uniform, one talking with Jamie, and the other two standing off to the side, one taking notes while the other was talking on the telephone. "What's happened?" asked a worried Graham. "Something isn't right here." "You are Graham Martin?" asked the Superintendent. "Yes, I'm Graham Martin and this is Frank Tomlinson my neighbour," replied Graham. "You have a very brave boy in there," said the Superintendent. "I came in this morning to congratulate him personally. I thought putting on the full uniform with all the bells and whistles would be a nice touch for him after everything he's been through." "That's very kind of you," said Graham. "Can you tell me what's happening?" "That notebook that Jamie gave us a couple of days ago is causing quite a stir," said the Superintendent. "We got right on it and began quietly investigating and identifying people based on Jamie's notes and from the things that we found at the house. Starting last night we began to pick people up for questioning and now charges are starting to be laid. Some rather important people in this town are beginning to get very nervous and we don't want anything to happen to Jamie. Your boy has helped us to uncover a very nasty mess. I was going to assign a couple of men to stand guard outside the door as well but your friends arrived last night and after talking with them we feel comfortable that they will handle things appropriately. I'll also have one of my men stay here for a few days as well, just in case." "Is it that dangerous?" asked Graham anxiously. "You're expecting that someone might do something to Jamie?" "No, you don't need to worry," replied the Superintendent in a reassuring tone. "By us making a big show like this, no one will be silly enough to even think about trying anything. Besides the big fish are too busy now trying to cover up their tracks and come up with explanations for their involvement. It won't help them however. We've already got a couple of the key figures and they are trying to save their skins by talking. That combined with what your boy has given us means that it's not going to take very long to get to the bottom of what's been going on." *** *** *** *** *** The following couple of weeks were active ones for the police, Graham, and Jamie. The police were no longer stationed inside the hospital but that was because they had cast a wide net over the community based on the information they had collected from Jamie and elsewhere. The danger to Jamie had passed because those that might have been in a position to do something were now in windowless rooms trying to explain away their activities to unsympathetic ears. In more than one instance there had been desperate offers to trade information for leniency but the police and the Attorney General's office knew they had the upper hand and no lack of evidence. What some former pillars of the community failed to realize is that they had very little with which to bargain and those on the other side of the table were in no mood to go easy. They had all seen the pictures of what had happened to Jamie and other boys and several of the officers now asking the questions had been at the hospital. A few days after Jamie had been attacked Graham took a couple of hours and went to his office to request an extension of his vacation time. While the request had been granted it had also been the source of a significant amount of grumbling on the part of Graham's boss. Later that same night after leaving Jamie at the hospital Graham and Frank had talked over dinner. The last lingering doubts were swept away and Graham finally knew for certain what he wanted after so many years of sitting behind a desk. All that remained was whether or not Jamie would ask. If he did Graham had his resignation written out and it was ready to be sent in. Jamie had been kept busy as well during this time. While he had been moved out of intensive care Jamie was still being watched closely. Each day there were tests, dressings being changed, examinations, and yet more tests. At first Jamie submitted without complaint but over the last few days he had become increasingly irritated with the constant poking and prodding. For the doctors however this had been the final sign they were waiting for before scheduling the necessary follow-up surgery. Once a patient was well enough to start complaining that confirmed they had regained sufficient strength to handle a second procedure. The initial hasty job of internal repairs to Jamie had done the job of keeping him alive but now it was necessary to tidy things up so there would be no difficulties in the future as Jamie grew into a young man. The next morning after being moved back into his room after the follow-up surgery Jamie was resting in his bed with Graham and Frank sitting next to him. Jason had sent over a card which Frank had picked up from Dave and Jamie blushed as he read it but refused to let Graham or Frank see it. "You know you're probably going to be able to be out of here very soon now," said Graham. "Yesterday was the last of the surgery that they needed to do." "I hope so," said Jamie. "Everyone here is really nice but I'm getting tired of just laying here all the time and being a pin cushion." "I talked to Jason on the phone last night," said Frank. "He said he's been getting in a lot of practice on that computer game you both like and he said he's going to finally beat you when you get back." "No way," said Jamie with a laugh. "I'm going to toast him good." While they were talking the door to Jamie's room opened and in came Jamie's doctor and a nurse. Jamie looked up and groaned as he realized that he was going to have to submit to the inevitable once again. Graham and Frank got up and stepped outside of the room to give Jamie some privacy while he was being examined. After about twenty minutes the doctor and nurse came out of the room. The doctor stopped to talk with Graham in the corridor while the nurse continued on towards the elevator. "So how is Jamie doing Doctor?" asked Graham as they stepped away from the door and stood nearby. "The sutures are healing very nicely," said the doctor. "I'm very pleased with his progress. He has excellent recuperative powers especially considering everything he's been through." "We've been doing our best to keep his spirits up," said Frank. "It's not always easy of course." "I just told Jamie some good news," said the doctor. "We just received the final results of the second set of STD tests we did and they're all negative. So there won't be any lingering issues like that for him to worry about." "Oh that's wonderful," said Graham with a visible sigh of relief. "I've been afraid to ask about that." "He will have ongoing nutritional issues however," said the doctor. "He's been mistreated for many years and then when he was on his own, his food was irregular and not at all well balanced. So he'll need nutritional supplements for some time to come in order to try and make up for those years of neglect. Overall however I think he should do quite well. I'll be giving you some prescriptions and a list of the things you'll need to get for him." "He's going to be eating properly from now on," said Graham. "I'm going to do my very best to make sure things are completely different for him." "I have no doubt at all about that," said the doctor kindly. "If the next few days continue like this I think we're shortly going to be able to consider when Jamie can be released." "Really?" said Graham. "It will all depend on Jamie's progress continuing as it has after this final bit of surgery and of course where he's released to," said the doctor. "What do you mean?" said Graham. "He's going to go back home with me isn't he?" "Yes of course he is," said the doctor hastily. "I didn't mean that. It's just that for the first little while Jamie's progress will need to be monitored regularly and so it will be important to have a doctor nearby." "That's going to be a bit of a problem then," said Graham with disappointment. "I live on Valdez Island and it's not exactly the big city there." "I had a brief chat with Mr. Twofeathers about that and we think that we might have a solution to the problem figured out for you," said the doctor with a smile. "What's that?" asked a mystified Graham. "He told me about how Jamie hurt himself a few weeks ago and then had to go to the little clinic that they have in their village," said the doctor. "That's right," said Frank. "He hurt his ankle and the village doctor fixed it up for him." "Exactly," confirmed the doctor. "I've already had a talk on the phone with the doctor there and he's indicated that they would be pleased to have Jamie come and stay there for a couple of days for some extra observation before he goes home with you. He could also do all of the required follow-up examinations in the weeks to come. That way you wouldn't need to come back here for those." "Are the facilities there adequate for what Jamie will be needing?" asked Graham. "Mr. Twofeathers and I talked about that as well," said the doctor. "That was one of the reasons that he went back to the island after things settled down here. We both wanted to make sure that the clinic had everything that might be necessary before Jamie is released. Neither of us has said anything to Jamie yet however, we did not want to presume or force the situation on you. We simply wanted to check that it would be possible if you were willing." "I think it's a wonderful idea," said Graham with a smile. "It's only about a twenty minute hike from where my house is to the village. When would Jamie be able to come home then?" "First he would have to be transported from here to the island," advised the doctor. "Then he will need to stay at the clinic there for a few more days just to make sure everything remains OK. After that he could go home with you. The important thing to keep in mind is that Jamie is still quite weak physically and needs a lot of rest. His injuries are all healing well but his body has been through a great deal of trauma and I don't want him exerting himself for a while yet. So that means initially at least you will have to find another way to get back and forth to the clinic than by hiking." "That won't be a problem," said Frank. "We've both got vehicles and we can drive him down to Salish Bay and then go around to the village by boat from there." "That should work just fine," said the doctor with approval. "But when can he go?" asked Graham sounding very much like an anxious child pestering a parent. "What do you think of this coming Friday?" asked the doctor with a smile. "That's just five days from now!" exclaimed Graham happily. "He's doing that well?" "All indications are that he's bouncing back even better than expected," replied the doctor. "When I examined him just a few minutes ago everything was looking great." "This is wonderful news," said an excited Graham walking over to the door to Jamie's room. "I'm going to go in right now and let him know." *** *** *** *** *** Late Thursday afternoon a gentle knock came on the door to Jamie's room. Graham got up from his chair where he was sitting next to Jamie and went to check. Matty was standing outside in the corridor with a distressed look on her face. "Why are you knocking?" asked Graham surprised at seeing Matty's discomfort. "Come on in." "Can I talk to you for a minute out here?" asked Matty quietly with worry written all over her face. Graham turned his head back in towards Jamie and Frank and told them he would be just a few minutes and stepped out of the room and into the corridor. Matty walked down the hallway a dozen or so feet, stopped, and then finally looked back at Graham. "I don't know how to tell you this exactly," said Matty haltingly. "What is it?" asked Graham getting worried. "Is Jamie in danger? They're not going to give him back to his parents are they?" "Oh no, it's nothing like that," said Matty. "But it is something that's going to upset him." "What is it?" demanded Graham. "What's happened?" "His parents were brought into court today for the preliminary hearing," said Matty. "The charges were read out and on the advice of their counsel they've agreed to plead guilty to most of them. The mother has also agreed to assist with testifying against some of the others that have been picked up." "But that should be good news," said Graham. "That means Jamie probably won't have to testify." "Yes that is good of course," said Matty. "With all the physical evidence, the depositions we have from the doctors here, the lab results, and everything else that the police have found their lawyer is basically going to plead for the mercy of the court. They'll try to bring extenuating circumstances into play for the sentencing hearing, how their clients had a bad childhood, and all that sort of thing." "Are you worried that they're going to get off easy?" asked Graham trying to think ahead. "Oh no. I'm familiar with the judge who's presiding," said Matty. "He'll throw several books at them. I've also talked with the fellow that's leading the prosecution and he said that he's going to apply for dangerous offender status on the father. So that'll basically guarantee he'll never see daylight again in this lifetime." "Then what is it?" asked an exasperated Graham. "Everything you've said sounds like it's going better than expected." "It's this," replied Matty holding a sealed envelope in her hand. "What is it?" asked Graham. "It's a letter from his mother," said Matty. "After she wrote it her lawyer gave it to the court and the court has ordered that it be delivered to Jamie." "Oh no," gasped Graham now understanding. "He'll just get scared all over again. Can't we just get rid of it or something?" "Unfortunately I can't," said Matty almost in tears. "I'm a servant of the court and I've been ordered to deliver it. I don't want to do it and I feel horrible knowing what this will do to him but I have no choice." "So Jamie has no choice then and has to read it," said Graham with resignation. "No, I didn't say that exactly," said Matty somewhat coyly. "You've got an idea then?" asked Graham hopefully. "I have been ordered by the court to deliver the letter," said Matty with careful precision. "Those are my instructions." "Wait a minute now," said Graham slowly starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. "You're saying that you have to bring the letter here. Jamie has to know you've brought it to him." "I am required to deliver the letter to Jamie," said Matty treading very carefully. "I think I understand now," said Graham with a knowing smile. "Let's go back in and see Jamie." Graham and Matty both took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked into Jamie's room. They sat down in the chairs that were on both sides of Jamie's bed. Graham sat up at the top of the left side and Matty sat next to Frank on the right side near the bottom of the bed. "Jamie we have a bit of a problem," began Graham. "Matty here has been given an envelope containing a letter written by someone. That someone's lawyer gave it to the court and the judge has ordered that the letter be delivered here." "It's from them isn't it?" said Jamie like he was spitting out poison. "Yes I'm afraid it is," said Graham. "Matty didn't want to bring it but she was ordered to and so she doesn't have a choice." "I have to read it?" asked Jamie with obvious disgust as his eyes grew dark looking at the envelope that Matty was holding. Graham looked straight at Jamie and said, "She was only ordered to bring it here, nothing more." Jamie quickly noted Graham's phrasing and suddenly his eyebrows went up. Jamie then looked over to Frank who smiled back at him with a devilish grin. "Get me some matches," said Jamie with a voice that could barely be heard. Matty opened her purse, reached inside, produced a book of matches, and handed them over. Frank got up and fetched a wastebasket from the other side of the room bringing it around to the side of Jamie's bed. "Do you need any help?" asked Graham gently. "No," said Jamie firmly while striking a match. "I'm going to do this myself." Matty held out the envelope while Jamie put the burning match underneath it. Once it caught fire she let go and the flaming envelope fell into the wastebasket. Jamie, Graham, Frank, and Matty watched as the fire on the surface of the envelope spread and then the sheet of paper inside it began to curl and burn. Graham looked up as he heard Jamie's teeth grinding and saw his lips twisted into a snarl while the envelope continued to burn in the bottom of the wastebasket. Jamie's eyes did not blink once as he watched the flames completely consume the envelope. When the flames died down and the envelope and its contents had been reduced to ashes Jamie said angrily, "Get that thing out of here." Frank picked up the wastebasket and began to walk to the door with it. At the same time Matty stood up moving her chair out of the way and held open the door for him. "How did you happen to have matches with you? I didn't think you smoked," said Frank as he went out into the corridor. "I don't," said Matty with a meaningful smile on her face. "I just like to be prepared." *** *** *** *** *** The floatplane touched down gently on the surface of the water and Dave guided the craft towards an old wooden wharf that extended outwards from the small native village located on the north side of Valdez Island. Taxiing in Jamie could see out the side of the plane that there were people clustered all along the shoreline and on the wharf itself. "What is everyone doing out there?" asked Jamie. Graham looked over at Frank and smiled before saying, "I think they're out here for you." "For me?" said Jamie with surprise. "But why?" "Oh I don't know," said Frank with a grin. "Maybe it's because they think something important is about to happen or because someone special is arriving." The plane slowed and then finally bumped up gently against the side of the wooden wharf. Dave jumped out and tied the plane up securely and then opened the passenger door on the side. Dave helped Graham out first and then Frank. Finally Dave stepped up into the plane, lifted Jamie up, and passed him down to Frank who then helped Jamie to stand up on the wharf. Once Jamie was steady on the wharf, Dave passed Jamie's backpack out to Frank who then held it for him. Jamie got his footing and looked up to see that the entire village and a good portion of the other residents of the island had turned out and were gathered around the wharf and were also spread out along the shoreline in both directions. Just as Jamie was looking everyone over wondering what was happening, the large crowd of people parted in the middle and Pony began to walk very slowly through the crowd and onto the small wharf where Jamie was standing. Pony was wearing a blue ribbon-shirt that had yellow and red coloured bands going horizontally across it while others hung down. He also had on a black Navajo-style hat with a beaded hatband that went around it with intricate workings displayed on it; an eagle feather was sticking up from the hatband. In addition Pony wore a hair-pipe choker that went around his neck. When Pony finally arrived in front of Jamie he stopped. "We are here today to welcome you back from your difficult journey," said Pony in a loud voice that carried and the large crowd immediately went silent. "You were taken against your will to the darkest of places. The Windigo tried to steal you away from us but you fought back. It tried to destroy you but you fought back. You almost left us but you still fought back. You have proven yourself to be strong and courageous and have returned from a place where no man should ever be taken." Jamie looked up at Pony as he spoke the words and felt their rhythmic tone calm his nervousness at being the centre of attention. There was something about Pony's manner that made Jamie feel as if Pony knew everything about him and his past and respected him all the more because of it. Despite feeling that Pony could look inside him and knew the terrible things that had happened to him Jamie nevertheless felt no shame. "It is given to a very few of us by the Creator to face a supreme challenge," said Pony. "This is how the great leaders of tomorrow are selected and tested. Out of difficulty comes strength, out of struggle comes understanding, and out of victory comes compassion. It is only with all of these qualities that a leader has the wisdom to counsel the people. You have shown that you have all of these and we honour you." "Yesterday you left us as a boy," continued Pony. "Today you have returned as a man. You have proven your bravery and beaten that which tried to conquer you. We now invite you to join us and become one with our tribe. We ask you to honour us by adding your name to the long list of those that have gone before. We ask you to add your experience and wisdom to ours in council. Will you accept to join with us?" Pony's words were unlike anything Jamie had ever heard before. Despite everything that had happened, everything that he had been forced to do in order to live, everything that others had done to him - despite it all and in fact specifically because of it, Jamie now realized that these people looked up to him for having survived. Shame at what he had been forced to live through had always lurked in the background for Jamie but looking into the smiling faces all around him the feeling now left him. Jamie with the unspoken question on his face looked up at Graham who was standing behind him. Graham smiled back at him and nodded. "I accept," said Jamie with a voice filled with new-found confidence. Pony then took out a necklace made of glass pony beads. The beads were in alternating colours of white, yellow, red, and black. Hanging from the necklace was a small circular pendant with regularly spaced spokes that radiated out from the centre of the pendant to its edge. "With this necklace of the medicine wheel as token of your bond with us I declare you now and forever a member of our tribe," pronounced Pony as he placed it around Jamie's neck. "You are of us and we are of you. An offence against you is an offence against us all. We are now one and will stand together." "You began your walk on the trail of life alone. It was a long and difficult journey filled with danger and enemies. But now you have friends who will walk with you. You will no longer face the dangers alone. You will no longer struggle without help. The days of pain are at an end. "We welcome you today as one of our own. From this day forward you will be known as Myeegun, Great Wolf. Your days of walking the Red Road alone are now at an end." After Pony spoke the final words he whispered into Jamie's ear explaining the background behind his new name and why it had been chosen for him. Pony then placed his hand on Jamie's shoulder and the deep echoing sounds of a drum began to be heard. Jamie looked about for the source of it and saw four men near the shoreline beating on a large drum with what looked like oversized wooden drumsticks. As the men began to beat on the drum the entire village began to chant in rhythm. "Turtle Island is happy again," said Pony as the drum continued to sound rhythmically and the villagers sang along with the drum. "His heart beats strong as our brave one comes home at last." Jamie looked around and everyone was smiling at him and he smiled back. Jamie who was normally shy with people he did not know felt comfortable and at ease. Graham put his arms around Jamie from behind in a gentle hug and he could feel the tension leaving Jamie as the sounds of the drum and the villagers continued. "What's Turtle Island?" whispered Jamie. "It's what the native people call the North American continent," replied Frank quietly. "According to legend the land is a living being, a great big turtle. We all live on the back of the turtle as it swims along through the universe which is a vast ocean. The beating of the drum represents the turtle's heart beating." Listening to Frank's explanation Jamie could feel his own heartbeat keeping time with the drum almost as if the drum controlled it. Jamie felt his breathing calm and he looked up at Pony with a surprised look on his face and Pony touched his hand to his heart, nodded knowingly, and smiled. Jamie looked back towards Graham a bit overwhelmed by all the attention but proud at the same time of the honour that had just been done to him. Graham returned the smile and hugged Jamie again. Just then there was the unmistakable sound of loud barking accompanied by confusion as a young boy in the middle of the crowd standing along the shore finally lost his struggle to contain a large white dog. "Cindy, come back here!" called Jason but to no avail. In an instant Cindy had broken out of Jason's arms and went bounding through the crowd of villagers. She ran out onto the wharf barking frantically, rushed up to Jamie, leapt up placing both front feet on Jamie's chest, and began licking his face enthusiastically. Graham quickly put his arms up to support Jamie so he would not fall backwards under Cindy's weight as Jamie was still weak. Jamie for his part returned Cindy's greeting in kind by petting her using his unbroken arm and attempted to hug her with his other arm even though it was in a cast. "It's good to see you girl," said Jamie happily as he rubbed his one free hand up and down Cindy's back as she continued washing Jamie's face. While Cindy was busy greeting Jamie, Jason came down and gave his father a hug to welcome him back. Jason's mother Kathy also came out and down from the crowd, gave Frank a kiss, and stood close by. When Jamie finally managed to get Cindy settled down Jason came up to him and at first stuck out his hand but then seeing Jamie's right arm was in a cast lowered it again. Jason then tried a couple of times to say something and getting more and more flustered finally gave up and wrapped both arms around Jamie in a big bear hug. "I'm so happy that you're OK Jamie," said Jason while still hugging him. "If you'd been ... I don't know what I would have done. I'm not going to ever let you go away alone again." "I'm really glad to be back Jay," said Jamie happily. "I lost the bracelet that you made for me though. It got torn off when my dad caught me at the house. I'm really sorry about that." "That's why you're back here now and safe," said Jason. "It came off so your wish came true. So now you can stay here with me always." "Well that part is extra special," said Jamie with a smile. "I don't ever want to have to go back there again." "And I don't want you to ever get hurt again. You're too important to me," said Jason softly as he gave Jamie a kiss right on the lips. Then realizing what he had just done in front of everyone Jason blushed furiously and ran over to his father and hid his face against Frank's stomach. Frank looked down at his son with surprise while putting his arm around him and then looked over to Jamie who now had a calm happy smile on his face. Then Jamie blushed when he noticed Frank looking at him in a curious yet pleased sort of way. "Maybe it's about time I had the father-son talk with you," said Frank quietly to Jason. "Awww Dad," replied Jason now completely embarrassed as Jamie looked up at Frank with a shy grin. "On the other hand perhaps it's too late," reflected Frank with a smile. Finally the village doctor that had looked after Jamie when he had hurt his ankle came up and announced that Jamie needed to rest. The drumbeat reached a crescendo along with the villager's chants and then the ceremony was over. Jamie was a little shaky after all the excitement and Pony quickly moved to his side and picked him up in his strong arms and began to carry him off the wharf and towards the clinic. "Can you teach me the things you taught Jason about your ... our people?" asked Jamie as Pony carried him along. "Now that you are one of us that is my great honour," said Pony. "I will teach you the ways and stories of your new people. Our history and traditions will become yours and we will be a part of your new family. You have come through a great struggle and bring great honour to us by joining our tribe. Our fathers and our forefathers before them have fought many battles against evil and now your victory will be remembered as theirs have been." "I've never had a family before," said Jamie softly. "At least not what you'd call a proper one." The doctor opened the door to the clinic and Pony carried Jamie through the doorway and set him down on the bed that was waiting for him just inside. Jamie's strength was not fully recovered yet and everyone could see that he was starting to get shaky from the exertion and stress of the trip back to the island. It was going to be many weeks yet before Jamie regained his former strength and everyone realized that Jamie needed rest and they all got ready to make their way back home. Cindy settled down on the floor next to Jamie's bed. Graham tried to convince her to leave but she refused to move. Graham put his hand on Cindy's collar to give her a little tug but her lips pulled back slightly and she showed her teeth to Graham along with the gentlest of growls. Graham understood then and let Cindy stay. Now that Jamie had returned Cindy would never leave his side again. "I guess I should go and get some rest too," said Graham. "I hope you won't mind if I go home and get some sleep. All the excitement this past month has taken a toll on this old guy." "That's OK," replied Jamie. "I never had a chance to say it before but thanks a lot for looking after me and getting me to the hospital Graham. I knew if I could just get back to your place somehow everything would work out." "Everything is definitely going to be OK now," said Graham. "I'll ask the boss at work for some more time off so I can be here to help you while you get better. He'll probably get upset about it but you're more important to me than keeping him happy." "You don't have to do that," said Jamie worried that he was going to be a burden on Graham. "I don't want to cause any problems for you." "It's no problem and I'm looking forward to it," said Graham reassuringly. "I've been waiting a long time trying to find something that I really cared about but I think that what I'm looking for is sitting here right in front of me. I wasn't positive at first but I knew it for sure when I opened the door to the apartment back in the city and saw you lying there on the ground hurt. Now that everything has been settled do you think you could get used to having me around helping you?" "I was doing a lot of thinking while I was in the hospital and I was kind of wondering if ... like well maybe if you could ..." stammered Jamie. "What I mean is ... no you'd never want a kid like me. Not after all the stuff I've done." "Go ahead Jamie," said Graham softly. "Ask." Jamie took a deep breath and with his head looking down said softly, "Could you like ... be my dad maybe?" Graham had hoped that Jamie might ask, he had even thought of what he might say if Jamie did ask, but now that the moment had arrived Graham found the enormity of the situation had left him speechless. Graham tried to speak but found that he had to pause for a moment. Clearing his throat and finally finding his voice Graham said, "It'd be the most wonderful thing in my life Jamie. Matty said that I shouldn't be the one to suggest it to you. She said that I had to wait and let you bring it up if you wanted to. She did say though that if you did ask that it shouldn't be hard to arrange now after everything that's happened." "I'll be really good," said Jamie tentatively looking up at Graham finally. "Please? Pop?" Graham's self-control totally left him in that instant. He put his arms around Jamie, held him tightly, and with tears in his eyes said, "Yes Jamie, I'd love it if you were my son." =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Chapter 17 - Epilogue It was mid-afternoon and Graham was lying on the sofa with Cindy sitting on the floor next to him. Graham was caressing her head gently as she laid it on Graham's chest. The stereo was playing one of Graham's favourite discs and he closed his eyes while listening to the music. It was an old disc but Graham was getting older now too. He still found the music profound however even if had not been current for a number of decades. As he listened the melody burst forth out of deep slow guitar chords and interleaving drumbeats and the music filled Graham's mind. He turned his head and looked out the window at the cold winter wind blowing the barren tree branches to and fro. When Graham went out for walks now he felt the cold wind more than he used to. That was the way of things however, time passing and never stopping, always moving forward, and never standing still. Where did all the time go? It seemed like only yesterday that his second life had begun when a light had come along and had shown Graham the way and in doing so changed everything for him ... but that was eight years in the past now. Graham and Cindy looked up as Jamie came into the room. He was carrying a tray with cookies on it. "I've invited Jason and a few others to come over for tea," said Jamie as he placed the tray on the coffee table. Graham was about to respond but Jamie was already walking out of the living room. It had been the same every day for the last couple of weeks. Graham could sense that something big was brewing inside Jamie but he did not know what it was exactly. Jamie had grown and come out of his shell enormously during the years since he had first come to live with Graham permanently as his son. There had been the terrible trauma at the beginning when everything had almost ended before it had even begun. Then later there was the adoption and the two of them slowly getting used to each other and both learning how to be a father and son and then becoming a family. There were the trials as they both worked to exorcise the demons that had been planted deep into Jamie's psyche by his parents, working to reduce the nightmares, and to lay to rest Jamie's terrors at night. All of these steps had been hard, sometimes exceedingly so, but through them all they had always stood by each other. Each time difficulties had come up Jamie worked and overcame them, making yet another positive step in his journey towards adulthood. Suddenly however that gradual but always positive trend had seemed to reverse itself in the last several weeks. Jamie had become much quieter, keeping to himself a lot more, talking less, going for long walks by himself, and also withdrawing from Jason. Even Cindy had noticed, no longer being allowed to go along when Jamie would go out and hike sometimes for the entire day alone. Cindy was getting older now too but she had helped just as much as Graham while Jamie was growing, maturing, and learning to move past what had happened to him. Jamie had been somewhat hesitant with Cindy's boundless enthusiasm at first but once they got to know each other they had become inseparable friends soon afterwards. Graham was worried for Jamie but at the same time he had seen these reflective periods before. They were the norm at the beginning and then gradually less so over the following years. Now the moodiness seemed to be coming back again and stronger than it had ever been previously. Graham sensed a turning point was arriving and for the first time in a long while he felt scared. Not for Jamie this time however but for himself. Jamie was not a boy anymore. Indeed Graham had realized from early on that Jamie had never truly been able to be a boy - that part of his life had been irretrievably stolen from him. Graham noticed quickly that Jamie seldom laughed and played with the same carefree abandon that the other youngsters who lived on the island did. Once he started going to school with them, even while enjoying being with them, he was always much more reserved in his demeanour and watchful of his surroundings and people that might only be casually walking by. Jamie had always shown a maturity far in advance of his years from the first day that Graham had met him and Graham knew that this was the result of Jamie having had to fend for himself from a very early age. Graham now suspected that the time was fast approaching when Jamie would complete the final and much more difficult transformation into manhood. Much as he wanted that success for Jamie, Graham knew that when it happened he would hurt inside. The scared, hurt, young boy that he had met, helped, and then taken care of since that time would be gone forever when that day arrived. Despite the difficulty however there was nothing that could be done. Only Jamie would know when the time had arrived for his transformation. The day could not be hurried and it could not be delayed - nor should it be. Graham knew that the most important job for him at this point was to do nothing. Nothing - the hardest thing of all to do when someone you cared about was troubled. Graham knew however that all things came in their time. It was a lesson that he had learnt while living with Jamie. A knock on the front door stirred Graham out of his contemplation and he got up to open it. "Frank, Kathy, Jason," said Graham seeing the Tomlinson's standing just outside. "Please come in." "Do you know what's going on?" asked Jason in a concerned tone. "There was a note from Jamie under our door when we woke up inviting us to come over for tea this afternoon." "No, Jamie won't talk about whatever it is," replied Graham. "He's in one of his quiet phases so I've been trying to give him time to work through whatever it is." "He won't talk to me about it either," continued Jason. "He's got me worried. Whenever I try to ask what's going on he refuses to talk about it." "He's not usually like this," said Kathy. "Jamie's had good times and bad ones too but he's usually so positive and happy." "He'll let us know when he's ready to," cautioned Frank. "We just need to give him space and let him know we care." "I'll go up and let him know we're here," offered Jason as he went upstairs to Jamie's room and knocked on the closed door. "Please come in and sit down," said Graham. "Jamie's put out some things and I'll go and see about making tea for everyone." Graham went into the kitchen and busied himself with making the tea. He filled a kettle with fresh water and put it on to boil. Then he filled a large brown earthenware teapot with hot water from the tap to warm it up. Graham finally opened a cupboard and took out a tin of Earl Grey. Jason came down from Jamie's room and walked into the kitchen where Graham was pouring the warm water out of the now heated teapot and spooning in some of the Earl Grey tea. Jason wordlessly picked up the cups and saucers that Graham had laid out and took them into the living room. Just then there was another knock at the front door and in the living room Frank got up off the sofa to open it. "Dave, Pony, how are you doing?" said Frank letting them into the house. "What brings you over to this side of the island today?" "Jamie left a message on my phone machine saying that I should come," said Dave. "There was a note under my door this morning when I got up," said Pony. "Do you know what this is about?" asked Dave. "We were talking with each other as we walked over from the village and neither of us knows what's going on." "Right now you know as much as we do," said Frank. "Whatever it is though I think we're going to find out shortly." Jason went back out into the kitchen, collected two more settings for tea, and brought them into the living room. Hearing the kettle whistling Graham took it off the stove and poured the hot water into the teapot over the tea leaves. Graham then set out cream, sugar, and some teaspoons that Jason then carried into the living room. Graham finally came out carrying the teapot and put it down onto the coffee table. Graham and Jason sat down heavily after the tea was laid out. Silence hung heavy over the room and everyone looked at each other but no one spoke. "Shall I be Mother?" said Frank finally as he reached for the teapot and began to fill the cups and hand them out. The plate of cookies was passed and all that could be heard was the ticking of the clock on the wall as everyone sat quietly and drank their tea. "Pop?" said Jamie. Graham turned along with everyone else and looked towards Jamie who was standing at the foot of the stairs at the back of the living room. Pop. Graham loved when Jamie called him that. He thought that name to be the highest honour that he had ever had bestowed upon him. At the same time however Jamie never used it unless something very big was on his mind. Then Graham noticed that Jamie was holding something in his right hand - the backpack. The same backpack that Jamie had had with him when Graham first met him, the same backpack that Jamie had kept with him through all the years that he had lived with Graham, the same backpack that had been clutched tight in his hand on that terrible day eight years ago when Graham had found him collapsed outside his door almost dead. A cold chill ran down Graham's back. The time had arrived. "Yes, Jamie?" replied Graham sitting up in the armchair. "We're all here." Jamie came fully into the room with the tattered backpack clutched tightly in his hand. Cindy sensed the tense mood in the room and moved close to Graham and began to whine. Graham placed his hand gently on her head to comfort the big white dog. Jamie placed the backpack on the floor between himself and his adopted family and looked down at it. All through the years that Jamie had been with Graham he had always kept his old backpack. It had been Jamie's safety net whenever he had needed to run in the bad old days. It had saved him several times in those days when things had become unbearable and he had had to flee. When that happened Jamie would grab his backpack and run. Run as far and as fast as he could. No matter how safe he might have felt for a period of time somewhere, Jamie had always ended up having to run and then his backpack and its contents had taken care of him. Whenever people or events had turned on Jamie his wits and his backpack had saved him. After he had come to live with Graham he still kept it and it laid underneath his bed, ready and waiting in case it was needed. It had been a long time now without any need for Jamie to worry or run but he had still kept it. Now it was sitting on the floor of the living room and everyone was looking at it. "Thank you all for coming," began Jamie. "Eight years ago the world totally changed for me. I was lucky enough to get a second chance at life. I gained a new family - a real family - something I'd never had before. Since then all of you, each in different ways, have become that new family for me. It hasn't always been easy for me and each of you have helped me through a lot of difficult times and there is no way I can ever say everything I want to for what you've done. "When I initially came here I thought at first that I would be free from the past. But the chains they used were still inside my head holding me down. Over the years you have all helped me to gradually break the links in those chains one by one. Sometimes without meaning to I lashed out in anger while you were helping me to do it and I'm sorry about that but through everything you all stood by me and never left. I never knew anyone before that didn't leave when things got difficult. "This house has been my home since I arrived here. I never had what you would call a real home before. I never had a place where I felt safe and wanted, a place where I didn't have to sleep with one eye open, or a place where I could actually relax and not have to watch my back constantly. This has been a place where I wasn't afraid for my life if I broke a plate or forgot to take my shoes off and got dirt on the kitchen floor. It's been a place where I learnt that a man could be a friend and a father, not an enemy to be feared. Instead of those things it's been a place of healing and caring. It's been a place where a very special man gave me something that I had never experienced before - understanding and kindness. "Each of you has given me something that has meant more than anything else to me, your time and your love. Being paid attention to before only meant one thing and so it was always my hope to be invisible and forgotten. I was never invisible for very long but it was what I longed for, to be forgotten so I wouldn't get hurt anymore. That all changed though when I came here. You've all helped me and there was never a bill waiting to be paid at the end of the road. That was the hardest thing of all for me to learn, that there wasn't a bill waiting for me. There always had been before, absolutely nothing came for free. It took me a long time to learn that you weren't quietly tallying up the price and eventually going to want to be paid back. You gave your time and your love without thinking or counting and that was something that was so different for me. "And of course on top of all those things that have been so precious to me I found something that I never dreamed I would in my entire life. I found love and someone special. I found someone that doesn't care about my past, what I had to do, or what was done to me. Someone that never takes, never demands, is always patient, and makes me complete." As he spoke Jamie stood in the centre of the room and in turn looked upon each of the people that had become part of his new family. Graham who had first taken him in and then later given him a home, the Tomlinson's who had shown him by example what being a family really meant, Frank who had given Jamie his first real job which allowed Jamie to learn self-confidence as well as a trade, Pony who had given him new roots to call his own in place of those that he had lost, Dave who had listened endlessly when Jamie needed to talk as well as given him adventure by teaching him how to fly a plane, and of course Jason who had taught Jamie that love meant accepting a person as they are regardless of their past or their problems. Kathy and Graham wiped at their eyes openly while Frank and Jason swallowed hard and breathed heavily. Only Pony remained an oasis of calm. He smiled back at Jamie while watching the amazing growth in spirit that was happening to the former youngster that he had first met at one of the Tomlinson's Christmas Barbecue's years before and then once again a few days later in the forest when Jamie had hurt his ankle while running away from his fears. "The time has come to take one more step," said Jamie as he knelt down and unzipped the top of the backpack. "This backpack was my old life. It held everything that I had in the world. I always kept it close to me just in case I had to run again. For a long time, even here, I didn't let it get out of my sight." Everyone sat frozen in place and could hardly breathe. Cindy was motionless, alertly watching Jamie's every move, her muscles tensed, and her ears up. Jamie reached into the backpack and pulled out a small old pair of blue jeans. Tattered and shabby, torn in spots and dirty, they had a distinct odour about them that instantly took Graham's mind back in time, back to a walkway leading to a subway station. Looking at the jeans distantly for a moment Jamie wordlessly set them down onto the floor. Reaching again into the backpack Jamie removed an old jean jacket that he then placed on top of the blue jeans on the floor. A couple of pairs of underwear emerged and joined the small pile. Then an old T-shirt came out of the backpack with dried bloodstains covering one side of it. Jamie looked at it for a long time, his eyes staring right through the stained shirt and into the past. Putting his hand into the backpack again Jamie brought out a couple of instant photographs of a young boy. Graham caught a glimpse of one of them and the boy looked like Jamie when Graham had first met him. Kathy noticed the same face on another of the pictures. The boy in the pictures was naked and the face was not smiling. Jamie dropped the pictures on top of the pile of clothing. Silence hung heavy in the air as Jamie got to his feet and then bent down to pick up the collection of items up off the floor. He carried them over to the far side of the living room next to the woodstove and put them down again. Jamie opened the glass door on the front of the woodstove's firebox and took the pictures from the top of the pile and looked at them one more time. After a long and silent minute Jamie dropped them into the woodstove. The images on the pictures faced outwards as they landed in the smouldering embers of an earlier fire. For a fraction of a second Frank saw the pained face of a hurt boy in one of them before they shrivelled up and then burst into flame. One by one Jamie slowly dropped into the fire the old clothes that he had taken out of the backpack. Clothes from when he had been that hurt young boy in the pictures. First the old jeans went in, then the jacket, and finally the underwear. When only the T-shirt remained Kathy broke the silence when Jamie started to move his hand to add it to the flames. "Please Jamie, could I have that?" asked Kathy. "I'd like to keep it so I will never forget what it means if a child is hurt." Jamie looked back towards Kathy and saw tears rolling down her face. He smiled at Kathy and then walked over towards her and placed the shirt in her hands. Turning back towards the now empty backpack that was sitting on the floor Jamie walked over to it and picked it up. Jamie walked slowly back over to the woodstove and hesitated for a moment and then pushed it too into the flames and closed the glass door on the front of the woodstove. He stared into the fire as the flames licked over the surface of the backpack and then engulfed it in a bright burst of light. Jamie stood in front of the woodstove a long time looking into the fire, watching the flames erase the final traces of the life he had been forced into leading long ago. The flames were taking with them the final traces of the demons that had haunted him for so long and now Jamie was consigning them to the past for good. Jamie knew now finally and completely in his heart that he no longer needed to be ready to run, that finally he was safe at last. Jamie walked back towards the armchair that Graham was sitting in and then sat down very carefully on Graham's lap. Jamie was no longer the short thin undernourished boy that he had been when Graham had first met him. He was six feet tall now and a strong muscular young man. Graham barely came up to Jamie's shoulders when standing next to him and with advancing age was depending more and more upon Jamie even as Jamie became increasingly self-sufficient. Graham could not recall Jamie ever having sat on his lap before, even when he was much younger. For this one moment however, despite their size and weight difference, Jamie felt as light as a feather to Graham. Cindy pushed her muzzle against Jamie's leg and looked up at him with her deep brown eyes. Jamie reached down and petted her affectionately on the head. Then Jamie put his arms around Graham and said, "It's good to be home, Pop." =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Chapter 18 - Afterword (written Spring 2016) The story of 'Jamie' that you have just read, is based upon the true- life experiences of a real young man. Many of the events described actually occurred (with suitable adjustments for dramatization and privacy), while others were inspired in general terms by what took place. The main characters in the story aside from Jamie (i.e., Graham, Kathy, Frank, Jason, Dave, and Pony) are composites of the various people who were involved. The author would like to salute the real-life young man upon whom the story is based. In the author's eyes he truly embodies the virtues of courage and bravery. Although the story ends here, the real-life inspiration for 'Jamie' continues to live on with his new family and friends. He has gone on to accomplish many wonderful things along with his life-partner 'Jason'. While still troubled at times by the past, it grows continually weaker and dimmer as the years go by. Even though as all survivors of abuse can attest it never completely leaves, the shadows and demons are no longer in control. Jamie has moved far beyond anything he ever expected he might accomplish and continues to impress those of us privileged enough to know him each and every day. =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Addendum (written Nov 10, 2016) The story you have just read was finally completed in the spring of 2016 but only given limited circulation. I regret now to have to let you know that 'Jamie' of the story died on November 6, 2016 of cancer in his stomach. He was two days short of 32 years old. The symptoms came on suddenly and without warning, and it was over before much could be done. To say that I and everyone else are shattered does not even begin to touch the matter. Any light in the world for me has gone out. Ironically this year had been his best, he had put behind him finally the lingering nightmares of his youth, and had even begun to try his hand at writing with impressive results in my own and the opinion of others. Sadly the couple of works he began were not completed as none of us knew what was coming. For those that might ask what else I have written or might write, the answer is that this is the only thing I have ever done, and now ... I shall never write again. 'Jamie' was the most wonderful, brightest, and beautiful soul I ever encountered. I was honoured beyond all measure by the title that he bestowed upon me and used until the last. "He was a man, take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again."