Doctor Bechtel

by tim the story guy

Before I begin chapter three, I would like to tell about something that happened a few weeks ago. My youngest brother was killed in an accident in North Carolina, and my older brother and I went down for the funeral. When we checked into the Fairfield Inn by Marriott in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, my brother checked into a double room along with his girlfriend and son. He paid for his room in cash when he checked in. I was quoted a lower rate for a single room by myself, and paid using my check card. When I received the billing slip at check-out, I had been charged the same rate as my brother and his group, which practically emptied my account. After contacting Marriott headquarters, the hotel finally returned my calls, and explained that it was their policy to charge the same rate to one person in a single room as three people in a double room. I just want everyone to know how Marriott treats their guests in time of grief.

I would like to thank everyone for the tremendous response to this story. It has been very well received by the widest range of readers of any of my stories. Thank you to everyone who has read this story. This story is © 2005 by tim, and is protected by copyright law. Please do not copy to distribute, or post this story to other sites without the author's permission. This is a fictional story. Any similarities to actual people or events are purely coincidental. This story contains sexual situations between consenting males of different age groups (man/boy). If this subject offends you, or you should not be reading this type of story, you assume all responsibility for continuing. Please send all comments to: timthestoryguy@yahoo.com. Thanks, and enjoy the story.

Stories on Nifty by tim the story guy:
Doctor Bechtel - in the adult/youth section (Last update 10/12/05. Update in progress.)
Training Day - in the adult/youth section (Completed 9/17/04)
What A Gas! 1 & 2 - in the adult/youth section (Last update 9/25/05)
Orgasmia - in the sci-fi/fantasy section (Last update 10/02/05)
Sweet Sixteen - in the sci-fi/fantasy section (Last update 9/29/05)
Allen 1, 2, & 3 - in the high school section (Last update 10/12/05)
City Mouse, Country Mouse - in the high school and rural sections (Last update 10/09/05)
Fate - in the high school section (Completed 5/21/04)
No One Else 1 & 2 - in the high school section (Last update 10/16/05)
Starting Over 1 & 2 - in the high school section (Last update 10/18/05)



Doctor Bechtel

by tim

Chapter 3

From the last chapter:

Kieran finally caught his breath enough to say, "You made my little dick stiff Doctor Tom!"

"So I did!" replied Tom as he smiled. "I think it looks even more beautiful like that too."

"I already know that you're the only person that I'll ever let do that to me." said Kieran softly.

"And it will be a joy to make your dick stiff anytime you want." said Tom, as Kieran laid his hand on Tom's cock, through his pants. "If you still want to tomorrow Kieran, we'll talk about letting you make me orgasm."

"I can't wait until tomorrow then!" replied Kieran.

Tom let Kieran rub and kiss his cock once more, then stayed with the boy until he became tired. Tom tucked Kieran into the bed snugly, then kissed Kieran lightly on the lips. The only thing Tom could think about on the way home that night was the beautiful little boy who had stolen his heart.

The next day, Tom stopped at the hospital to take care of Kieran, which included some playing and a warm kiss, then went down to the clinic. Tom hadn't noticed it yesterday, but he now seemed to be seeing boys almost every day that showed some signs of needing help.

Yesterday it had been the boy who claimed to have fallen off his bicycle. A visit by a social worker had determined that the boy had not even been on his bicycle that day. His father had come home late after a long night of drinking, and when the boy woke up the next morning, he did something minor to attract his father's wrath. Since this was a first offense, the man was booked and released. Then he was told that in order to keep his son from being removed from the home, he immediately had to attend anger management and substance abuse sessions. If he failed to report to his sessions, or harmed the boy again, he would be placed back in jail and lose custody of his son. Once the man had been sobered, he cried heavily as he apologized to his son, and swore that he would cooperate with anything that family services wanted him to do. When Tom heard that, he was happy that he could help that boy too.

Today was a bit different though. Tom was seeing a twelve year old boy who was complaining of a cough. When Tom started asking the boy a few harmless questions about how he might have become sick, the boy stopped talking. Tom then told the boy that he needed him to lift his shirt so he could listen to his lungs with a stethoscope. The boy didn't want to at first, but reluctantly agreed. Tom was shocked to see bruises on the boy's ribs. The boy definitely didn't want to talk about that, so Tom sat on the table with him, and put an arm around the boy. The boy began to cry, then he told Tom what happened.

"I was sitting at my desk, talking to an older friend about things I liked to do." said the boy. "I guess I got carried away, and took my dick out and began rubbing it while I talked. It feels good to do that, and I didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Then my mom came into my room, and caught me talking to my friend while I was rubbing myself. She said she had to punish me because what I was doing was wrong."

Tom looked into the boy's face compassionately and said, "I want you to listen to me for a minute, okay? It's perfectly natural for young boys like you to be curious about things that make their bodies feel good. Every last boy on this planet has done what you did, and there's nothing wrong with it. The only thing wrong here is for your mother to beat you the way she did because of it. Your mother is the one who needs help because of doing something wrong. She has to learn to control her temper, and that what you did was absolutely normal. Do you understand that, and want to help her?"

When the boy said yes, Tom called the police and asked for a female officer to come talk with the boy. Then Tom stalled the mother who had brought him in, until the police could speak with the boy. The female officer immediately called family services to the clinic after talking to the boy, then went out to speak with the mother. Meanwhile, Tom examined x-rays that he had taken of the boy's ribs. When the family services social worker had finished talking to the boy, Tom suggested that he be admitted to the hospital for three fractured ribs. The social worker agreed right away, and the boy's mother was placed under arrest in the clinic lobby. The social worker thanked Tom for being concerned enough about the boy to call them, and complimented him on explaining things to the boy.

Tom had the boy, named Davey, admitted to the hospital. Then he finished his day at the clinic, which went much less dramatically from that point on. Then Tom wanted to get upstairs to check on Davey, and see his boy Kieran. Tom had had Davey placed in the general children's ward, so he wouldn't be scared about being in the hospital alone. Davey seemed to be doing well after having his ribs fixed, and he was happy being with the other children. Once Tom had made sure Davey was okay, he headed to Kieran's room. First, he stopped at the nurse's desk to get Kieran's medicine.

"You aren't going to believe this Doctor Bechtel!" exclaimed the nurse. "Kieran's dad stopped by for ten whole minutes today, before dragging his wife off to,... wherever! I swear doc, I thought Kieran's mom was bad until today. You have to get that poor boy away from them. I know he would be so much better off with you taking care of him."

"I'm working on that, I promise." replied Tom. "It's just that unless they do something outright illegal concerning Kieran, we have to be careful how we handle it. Nothing will please me more though than the day I get him away from them."

"Hi Doctor Tom!" said Kieran brightly when Tom entered the room. "I love this bear you got me, although not nearly as much as I love you!"

"I love you too Kieran." smiled Tom. "You're a very sweet and beautiful boy."

"I heard from some of the kids out in the ward that you had some excitement today." said Kieran.

"Yes, there was a young boy that came in with some broken ribs, and I needed to have him admitted to the hospital." replied Tom.

"Is it true that you had his mom arrested and everything?" asked Kieran.

"Nothing gets past the children's ward grapevine, does it?" chuckled Tom, as he lifted Kieran's gown to examine him. "His mom was the one who broke his ribs, so I had no other choice. How does your penis feel today Kieran?" Tom rolled Kieran's dick between his fingers as he asked that.

"It's feeling better by the second now!" giggled Kieran. "Really though, it hasn't hurt at all today."

Tom leaned down and kissed Kieran's dick, then said, "I was afraid something like that might happen."

"What is it Doctor Tom?!" asked Kieran.

"The infection is going away." replied Tom. "Soon I'll have to release you and your beautiful little dick from the hospital."

"Kiss it again then Doctor Tom." said Kieran.

By this time Tom had cleaned and wiped the end of Kieran's dick off, so he put the end of it between his lips and kissed it gently. "Have you had your supper yet Kieran?" asked Tom after he leaned back up.

"It should be here any minute!" replied Kieran breathlessly.

"Then I'll just go ahead and clean you off good for now, and give you your shot." said Tom. "We'll wait for your supper tray to be removed before we do anything else. We have to be very careful about not getting caught doing anything."

"Okay, I guess you're right." said Kieran. "What is it that you don't want to get caught doing though?" Then Kieran let out a very cute giggle.

"We'll talk about that later." smiled Tom, as he began flushing out underneath Kieran's foreskin.

Once Kieran had been flushed out and rinsed, Tom had him roll over. Tom listened for the door carefully as he gently massaged both of Kieran's cheeks, and listened to the boy sigh cutely. Tom gently slipped the needle into Kieran's cheek, then dispensed the contents into Kieran. As he was ready to slide the needle out, Kieran's supper arrived. The nurse smiled as Tom slid the needle out of Kieran, then lowered his gown. Kieran rolled over carefully as the nurse set his food down on the tray.

"How was that Kieran?" asked Tom.

"You get better at giving shots every time Doctor Tom!" replied Kieran happily. "I didn't even feel it at all that time!"

"Is the doctor trying to set a goal that we nurses can't match?" snickered the nurse.

"Nah, you nurses are pretty good at it too." replied Kieran. "I don't mind you giving my shots either."

"You are a very diplomatic and charming boy!" smiled the nurse. "I'll be back for your tray in about fifteen minutes. Then we'll leave you two alone so Doctor Bechtel and you can plan on how he'll become your daddy."

Once the nurse had left, Kieran asked, "Do all the nurses know that you want to be my daddy? Are they all okay with it?"

"Unfortunately they've all met your parents, and they think I could do a much better job raising you." replied Tom. "We haven't given them any reason not to be okay with it, and I don't want to either."

"My parents seem to have that effect on everyone." replied Kieran. "That's why we have to be careful, huh?"

"Yes Kieran." replied Tom. "If we were caught doing anything, it would hurt both of us. I don't want to see my beautiful little boy get hurt either."

"Is there any way we can do stuff then?" asked Kieran. "I really want to make you orgasm tonight."

"Are you sure you want to do that Kieran, even though it will most likely mean that you're gay?" asked Tom.

"I don't care what it means." replied Kieran. "I want to do it. I don't see anything wrong with being in love with you, and wanting to make you feel good."

"Then we'll find a way." smiled Tom. "I love you Kieran, and I'm so happy that you love me too."

Kieran went ahead and finished his supper, and the nurse came in to get his tray a few minutes afterward. "Is there anything you need tonight Doctor Bechtel?" asked the nurse.

"No, I'm fine." replied Tom. "I was going to go ahead and bathe Kieran tonight at some point. He's been handled so much over the last few days though, that he's starting to feel a little shy. Can you make sure we're not disturbed this evening?"

"Is that what you want Kieran?" asked the nurse.

"Yes ma'am." replied Kieran, knowing what Doctor Tom was up to now. "It's nothing personal, it's just that I've been having to show myself to so many people that I would feel better if Doctor Tom did that for me. He wants to be my daddy anyway."

"There's no need to explain." smiled the nurse. "Even though you are the best looking boy here right now, I understand. As long as you know that we don't mind taking care of anything for you, I can give you some privacy tonight."

"You really think I'm the best looking boy here?" smiled Kieran.

"Without a doubt Kieran." replied the nurse.

"If Doctor Tom bathes me tonight, would you like to bathe me tomorrow?" asked Kieran.

"You're a beautiful little boy Kieran." said the nurse. "It would be an honor for me to bathe you anytime. If you do need anything tonight, just ring. Otherwise I'll make sure no one bothers you two."

"Thanks." smiled Kieran. "And we have a date for a bath tomorrow afternoon!"

Once the nurse had smiled at Tom and Kieran and left the room, Tom looked at Kieran quizzically and asked, "You're not developing feelings for your nurse, are you Kieran?"

"Eww, that's yucky Doctor Tom!" giggled Kieran. "If she likes my cute little body though, that's a small price to pay for being alone with you."

"I was hoping you would say something like that." snickered Tom. "Now, let me get my boy bathed first, then we'll see if anything else comes up. Go ahead and take your pills while I prepare your bath."

Kieran took his pills, then Tom came back with a bath tray. Tom placed a nice thick towel underneath Kieran, then began rubbing him down with a wet washcloth. Tom lightly soaped one area at a time, then rinsed off the area with a washcloth. When Tom had done that with Kieran's crotch, he leaned down to the area with his face. Kieran smiled as Tom held his little dick in front of his mouth. Instead of kissing Kieran's dick though, Tom parted his lips. Kieran gasped as he watched Tom put his mouth over his dick. Tom sealed his lips around the base of Kieran's dick, then massaged it lightly with his tongue. Kieran moaned lightly in joy, as he had never felt anything that felt this good before. When Tom felt Kieran's little dick stiffen in his mouth, he began to massage it with his lips.

"Don't ever stop doing that Doctor Tom." moaned Kieran softly. "That feels so good that I can't believe it!"

Tom made love to Kieran's little dick for about ten minutes before he decided to continue with the bath. When he looked up at Kieran, the boy had the most blissful smile that Tom had ever seen plastered on his face. Tom finished Kieran's front side, then had his beautiful boy roll over on his tummy. Tom continued cleaning Kieran's backside until he had cleaned Kieran's cute little rump. Then Tom leaned down again and began licking both cheeks lovingly. Tom soon heard Kieran sigh contentedly again, and kissed both of Kieran's soft cheeks. Then Tom spread his cheeks apart, and ran his tongue up and down Kieran's crack. Tom's tongue finally stopped on Kieran's pucker, and began prodding at it gently.

"Can your tongue go in there?" asked Kieran breathlessly.

"I'm trying, but your hole is very tight." replied Tom, who then continued trying to get his tongue into the boy.

"Can you put your finger in there then?" moaned Kieran dreamily.

Tom leaned up and licked his finger good, then placed it at Kieran's hole. Tom had never heard such moans of pleasure, as he watched his finger go into Kieran. Tom gently slid his finger in and out of Kieran, as the boy writhed and moaned softly. After a few more minutes, Tom took his finger out of Kieran, and licked the boy's hole clean. Then Tom looked at the finger that had been inside Kieran, and stuck it into his mouth. The taste of Kieran's insides was more wonderful than Tom could have imagined, and his cock was now rock hard. Tom finally came around enough to finish Kieran's bath.

Tom then applied the cream to Kieran's dick before pronouncing the bath completed. Kieran smiled impishly at Tom and said, "Now it's my turn!"

Tom put Kieran's gown down, then walked up to the head of the bed and asked, "Are you sure about this Kieran?"

"Absolutely!" smiled Kieran.

Tom lowered his pants and underwear, giving Kieran access to his cock. Then Kieran pulled Tom closer to his head. Kieran held onto the large and stiff cock as he kissed it sweetly over and over. Then Kieran pulled back on it like Tom showed him, until the head of Tom's cock was exposed. Kieran kissed that several times too. Then Kieran opened his mouth and tried to put Tom's cock inside it. All he could get in was the head, until his teeth would scrape Tom's cock. Tom didn't seem to like that as much, so Kieran settled for just the head in his mouth. Then his hands began to gently rub Tom's cock.

"Oh my God Kieran!" moaned Tom. "You're going to make me have an orgasm really soon like that!"

That was what Kieran wanted to hear, so he continued exactly what he was doing. After a few minutes, Tom warned Kieran that he was going to have an orgasm, and that he may want to let his cock out of his mouth. Kieran ignored Tom until he felt something shooting into his mouth. Kieran immediately pulled back and watched as quite a few shots of thick milky cream shot from Tom's cock, hitting him in the face. Kieran just smiled as Tom's cum ran down his face. The taste that Kieran had got was a little strange, but Kieran liked it. Tom was going to clean Kieran's face off, until he saw the boy scooping his cum down into his mouth. Tom let Kieran finish that before wiping his face off good. Then Tom cleaned his cock, pulled his pants and briefs back up, and sat down in the chair next to Kieran's bed to relax.

"That was so awesome!" giggled Kieran. "I can't wait until you're my daddy so we can do that all the time!"

"That was very wonderful." replied Tom softly as he smiled. "I think I'm going to enjoy being your daddy."

After Tom rested a few minutes, he cleaned up Kieran's bath water and towels. Then he sat back down, and the two talked for hours. It was now getting very late, and none of the nurses had heard from Tom. Although the young head nurse had promised she wouldn't bother them, she was becoming worried. When she opened the door carefully and looked in, she couldn't help but smile. Tom was leaning in the chair against Kieran's bed, with his head resting on the bed. Kieran had his arm draped around Tom's neck, and the two were sound asleep. The nurse closed the door carefully, then told all the nurses to follow her if they wanted to see the sweetest sight they'd ever seen. All of the nurses smiled when they saw Tom and Kieran asleep.

"He really needs to be that boy's daddy." smiled the head nurse. "That boy deserves someone who cares about him that much."

The nurse let Tom sleep, with instructions to wake him early enough to go home and change. Amazingly, Tom did sleep until the nurse came to wake him in the morning. Tom was a little started at what the nurses probably thought at first.

"All of the nurses told me to tell you that if you need any help becoming Kieran's father, to just let us know." said the nurse, when Tom was fully awake.

Then Kieran's eyes fluttered open and he stared into Tom's face smiling. "Good morning daddy." said Kieran sweetly.

Tom had to hold back a few tears as he replied, "Good morning, my beautiful son."

"You have to be his daddy now doc!" cried the nurse lightly. "We won't stand for anything less!"

"I will be, I promise." said Tom. "I have to go home and change son, but I'll be back before I go to the clinic. You be a good boy for me, okay?"

"I will, I promise." Kieran almost sang. "I love you daddy."

"I love you too son." smiled Tom.

The nurse followed Tom out and said, "I'm sorry I cried in there doc. You two were meant to be a family though."

"There's no need to apologize for having feelings." smiled Tom. "I almost cried myself!"

Tom and the nurse laughed, then Tom went home to shower and change. Once he got back to the hospital, Tom called his lawyer to see if they had found anything yet. Tom didn't want to do it, but when Kieran's mother came in today, he was going to have to tell her he was releasing the boy tomorrow. Tom checked Davey first, then he went to see his boy before going to the clinic. Tom and Kieran had a nice talk while Tom was cleaning him and giving him his shot. Then Tom told Kieran that he was going to discontinue the penicillin. Tom told Kieran that he loved him, then went off to the clinic.

Tom finally got a call from the lawyer before seeing his first case. "We have quite a few illegal activities that both parents are involved in Tom." said the lawyer. "Right now it's just a matter of tying up the evidence enough to convince them that it would be best to give the boy up."

"Well, work on it as quick as you can." replied Tom. "I'm going to have to let Kieran go home in the morning."

"Well, we can't be ready that soon." said the lawyer. "He may have to spend a few days to a week at home."

"I'll set up his first follow-up two days after he's released." said Tom. "Please see what you can do."

Tom then went ahead and saw his patients until he received the call he had been dreading. Kieran's mom was at the hospital. Tom turned the rest of his patients over to the other doctors so he could go talk to her.

When Tom went into Kieran's room, his mother was standing impatiently at the bed. "I have some news for you today." said Tom. "Kieran's infection is clearing up very well, and we're going to release him in the morning."

"Oh,... okay." replied Kieran's mom hesitantly.

"He will need some special care for a little while." said Tom. "First, he's going to be on antibiotics for another week, to make sure his infection is completely cleared. Also, he will need to use a steroid cream on his foreskin for about a month, to ensure that it doesn't try to close back over. All you have to do is put a half inch of cream on a swab, and spread it around the inside of the foreskin until it soaks into the skin. He also needs some applied to the outside of the foreskin too, but we can show him how to do that."

"Can you show him how to use the swab too?" asked Kieran's mother. "After all, he is a bit old for me to be handling his private parts like that."

"I suppose we can, but I thought you might like to take an active role in his post hospital care." said Tom.

"Heh, I was going to ask you if you were sure that you had to release him tomorrow." replied Kieran's mom uncaringly.

"I personally would like to keep him here, but he no longer requires hospital care." replied Tom, trying to hold his temper. "If this is too much, I can try to arrange an aftercare program for him. I'm not sure that sends the proper message to Kieran though."

"Oh, alright!" replied Kieran's mom. "I'll pick him up in the morning."

"Thank you ma'am." replied Tom. "I'll be back to check you later Kieran, okay?"

"Okay Doctor Tom." replied Kieran, more sadly than Tom had seen since he first saw the boy.

It hurt Tom quite a bit inside, but that was how he had to leave. He couldn't tell Kieran the way he felt with his mother standing there. Tom went back to the clinic, and couldn't wait to finish his day there. As soon as he saw his last patient, he practically ran back up to Kieran's room. Tom got Kieran's medicine, and went into the room.

"I thought you loved me Doctor Tom." said Kieran, when he saw Tom. "I thought you wanted to be my daddy."

"I do love you Kieran!" replied Tom, as he wrapped the boy in a hug. "I want to be your daddy so bad that it hurts! We knew that you would have to be discharged from the hospital before that could happen though. I talked to my lawyer today, and he said that he has so much on your parents that you shouldn't have to spend more than a week with them. Then I will take you home with me and be your daddy forever. We can love each other as much as we want then. I would have told you how much I love you earlier, but you know how your mom would have taken that. Please hang in there for a few days for me Kieran, and I promise that I'll make it up to you."

"I'm sorry daddy." cried Kieran. "I should know you love me more than anyone else has before."

Tom kissed Kieran and dried his tears. He made sure to stop kissing the boy before his supper came though. After supper was finished, and the tray had been removed, Tom and Kieran talked some more.

"I can't even tell you how much I love you Kieran, because those words just don't exist." said Tom. "You are the reason the sun rises every morning. You are the reason for every breath I take. Without you I would be nothing, and I would sacrifice anything for you. I will never stop loving you that much Kieran."

"All I've ever wanted was for someone to love me like that." replied Kieran. "I love you too daddy, and I can't wait for your lawyer to get us together forever."

"So then son, how was your bath today?" asked Tom.

"It wasn't the same as when you bathed me daddy." giggled Kieran. "The nurse really seemed to like doing it though. She did a really good job on my little boy parts, and pulled the foreskin almost halfway back on the head of my dick. I had to stop her there though, it just wasn't going to go back any further."

"Well, as long as she didn't kiss your beautiful little dick like I do." laughed Tom.

"No, she didn't." smiled Kieran. "I'll bet she would have if I asked her too though. I wouldn't let anyone but you do that though. When you kiss my dick, it makes me feel so good."

Tom then pulled Kieran's gown up, and kissed his dick. Kieran let out a little coo, so Tom kissed it for the next few minutes. When Tom felt that Kieran's beautiful dick had been properly kissed, he straightened back up.

"My turn!" smiled Kieran.

Tom opened his fly and pulled his cock out, then stood near Kieran's head. Kieran licked his lips, then placed them against Tom's cock. Tom enjoyed watching the beautiful boy lovingly kiss his cock for a few minutes, then he drew back and put it away.

"I have to clean you now Kieran, and show you how to take care of yourself for the next few days." said Tom, slightly blushed. "It doesn't sound like your mother is too interested in helping you."

"That's normal for her." replied Kieran. "Did I almost make you have an orgasm again Doctor Tom?"

"Very close, but we should wait a few days now." replied Tom. "Once we're in my home, we can do whatever we want."

"Okay, but I'll hold you to that!" giggled Kieran.

Tom went ahead and cleaned Kieran, then carefully showed the boy how to apply the cream to his foreskin. Kieran told Tom that he understood while Tom gently rubbed Kieran's dick.

"It'll be fun to sit in your lap naked, and let you do this to me all evening long." said Kieran softly.

"I'm looking forward to it son." smiled Tom.

The two talked all evening, and Tom did his best to prepare Kieran to go home tomorrow. It finally came time to leave, and Tom gave Kieran a long and passionate good-night kiss.

Tom got to the hospital the next morning a little before his mother would be there, and gave his boy a kiss while the nurse was out of the room. Then Tom told Kieran to hang in there just a few days, and he would have him out of his home as soon as he could. Kieran's mom didn't look like she was in a good mood when she got there, but Kieran was use to it. Kieran got dressed and grabbed his bear, then sat in the wheelchair the nurse had brought for him. Tom almost cried when Kieran was wheeled away from the room.

Tom thought checking in on Davey would help, but that didn't do him much good. Then he went down to the clinic, where his day seemed to drag on forever. At the end of the day he went back up to check on Davey, then almost went to Kieran's room out of habit.

"You look lost Tom." said the nurse. "We all kind of miss him around here. Have you heard anything about getting him out of his home?"

"We want to make sure we have enough evidence to do it right." replied Tom. "I just wish it would hurry up and happen."

"It will Tom, just give it time." said the nurse. "After all, you two were meant to be together."

Tom went on home and moped around his house for the evening. Suddenly the house seemed way too large for him. It was as if it were missing something, or someone. When Tom went to bed that night, he cried himself to sleep.

The next morning when Tom awoke, he was feeling a little better. He still wanted his boy with him though. Tom thought to himself, "This must be why they say not to get involved with your patients." Then he pushed that thought from his mind. Kieran needed someone who cared to get involved. He was an angel that didn't deserve the bum deal he was handed in life. Tom knew that he had to be involved with this patient, because this patient was HIS boy.

Tom cleared his mind and went to work. He was in a good mood when he checked on Davey, then he went down to the clinic. The morning part of his shift wasn't too bad at all, and Tom thought he finally had his mood under control. At about two o'clock though, one of the ER doctors rushed into the clinic.

"Tom, there's a patient in ER that you need to handle." said the doctor. "He's one of yours, and the nurses think you should take care of it. His injuries aren't life threatening, but he's been beat up pretty badly."

Tom's heart sank to his feet as he asked, "What's the name?"

"It's a seven year old boy named Kieran." replied the doctor. "I'll cover for you here, just go."

Tom ran to the ER as fast as he could, then looked Kieran over. Kieran was still unconscious, and had quite a few bruises on him. Tom was getting madder than he had ever been in his life, and wanted to rip Kieran's parents apart with his bare hands.

"What happened to this boy?!" Tom asked loudly.

One of the nurses handed Tom a report, and Tom read it over. When he read that Kieran's mother said the boy fell down a flight of stairs, Tom wanted to kill her. Tom took a few deep breaths to calm down, then went back to Kieran. Tom rubbed Kieran's forehead and said, "I shouldn't have let you go my angel. I promise to never make that mistake again."

Tom then ordered a complete head series for Kieran, then called his lawyer. "This is Tom Bechtel." said Tom. "I need you down here at the hospital right away."

"What's wrong Tom?" asked his lawyer.

"Kieran has just been brought into the ER." said Tom. "His mother claims he fell down a flight of stairs, but that lie was invented ten minutes after the stairs were. I'm going out right now to find out where that bastard husband of hers is, and I may need someone to keep me from killing both of them!"

"Calm down Tom, I'll be there in ten minutes!" said the lawyer. "How much is it worth to you to get Kieran?"

"I'd give anything for him, you know that." replied Tom.

"We may not have enough for a court yet, but we have enough for a bluff until we get more." said the lawyer. "I did find their soft spot though, and I'm talking about the one besides their heads. They are very greedy people apparently, and are susceptible to being swayed by money."

"Can you draw up papers when you get here?" asked Tom.

"I certainly can!" replied the lawyer. "I'll be right there Tom."

Tom then went out to the lobby, and cornered Kieran's mother. "Okay Mrs. Jones, I want to know where that husband of yours is right now!" said Tom. "Did you really think he could get away with beating Kieran just because you used that lame excuse about falling down stairs?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" snapped Kieran's mother.

Tom had started with a bluff, so he decided to play it for everything it was worth now. "I'm talking about your husband's fist, which left an imprint in Kieran's abdomen. We can do this two ways Mrs. Jones. You can call that weasel down here right now, and we can settle this quietly, or I can call the police, and have you both thrown in jail for a very long time."

"I'll call." said Kieran's mother quietly.

"Very wise decision Mrs. Jones." said Tom. "Let me know the instant he gets here, and tell him not to take too long!"

Kieran was being wheeled back into the treatment room as Tom got back there. Tom looked into his eyes with a light several times, and Kieran's pupils responded well. "At least that's one thing going right today." thought Tom to himself.

Then Tom's lawyer made his way past the nurses and asked, "What's going on Tom?"

"They beat him." replied Tom sadly. "I don't know why yet, but I know they did. I ran a bluff on his mother, and she fell for it. His father should be here soon."

Then Kieran began to come around. "What,... where am I?" asked Kieran weakly.

"I'm right here Kieran." said Tom. "You're going to be okay. What did they do to you son?"

"My dad got a bill from the hospital today, and I guess he took it worse than I thought he would." replied Kieran, still weakly.

"Did he hit you with his fists Kieran, or did he use an object?" asked the lawyer.

"Just his fists." moaned Kieran. "He's never hit me that hard before."

"Well, he won't ever hit you again either." said Tom. "You're not going anywhere until I take you home with me."

"Thanks daddy." replied Kieran, as he tried to smile through his bruised face.

"Doctor Bechtel, Kieran's father is here, and he looks upset." said a nurse.

Tom looked at his lawyer and said, "Let's nail the asshole!"

Tom and the lawyer went out to the lobby, and had Kieran's parents follow them to a private conference room. Once the door was shut, Tom's lawyer came out swinging.

"First thing Mister Jones, I suggest you lose any attitude you have right this second!" barked the lawyer. "My office has been doing an investigation into you and your wife, and we have enough to put both of you away for a very long time. That doesn't even include the statement we just took from your son, describing how you beat him into unconsciousness over a hospital bill! If you really want to go to jail today, just say one smart thing, I dare you! I can have the police here in five minutes, cuffing both of your disgusting asses!"

It was amazing how that speech changed the attitudes of Kieran's parents. Both of them slumped in their chairs, looking totally defeated.

"I see I got your attention." said the lawyer. "That's much better. Now I'm going to be completely honest with you two. We don't give a damn what happens to either of you. The most important thing to this hospital and Kieran's doctor is his well being. We know that you don't care about that. I have a string of reports of suspicious doctor visits, and neglect calls from where you have both been passed out from too much crack, leaving the boy to fend for himself. Today can end one of two ways now. You can walk out of here free after giving up custody of Kieran, or I can call the police and have both of you taken out of this building in cuffs, and you will lose your son anyway."

"I can make it worth it to both of you." said Tom. "How much would it take for you to sign Kieran over to me right now?"

"Are you asking us to sell you our son?" asked Kieran's mother.

"No, I'm offering you financial compensation to do what's best for Kieran." replied Tom.

"If you want him, it ain't gonna be cheap mister." said Kieran's father. "I'm thinking one hundred thousand."

"I won't give you a penny more than a quarter million, and that's my final offer!" replied Tom. When Tom saw Mister Jones's eyes bulge, he continued, "All you have to do is sign the papers my lawyer has, and he will deliver the money this afternoon. I have to warn you that there is a clause stating that this will be permanent. If you attempt to change your mind after signing, all charges against you will be filed, and you will spend a very long time behind bars. Do you understand that?"

"Where do we sign?" asked Kieran's father eagerly.

Tom's lawyer had quite a few papers for Kieran's parents to sign. He intended to cover his client very well though. By the time it was over, Kieran's parents were wringing their hands from signing so many papers.

"Congratulations everyone." said Tom's lawyer. "Tom, you are now Kieran's legal guardian. I will file for adoption of Kieran right away. Mister and Mrs. Jones, you are not to disclose the arrangements made here today. If you are called for an adoption hearing for Kieran, you will cooperate fully. If you fail to meet either of these conditions, as well as others outlined in the papers you signed, you will be in forfeit of our arrangement, and criminal charges will be filed. You will be delivered two hundred and fifty thousand dollars within two hours, as compensation for signing this arrangement. You are both free to go, and try to stay out of jail please."

That was a long one! I had to keep going though, as I did not want any irate readers hunting me down for sport. Please send all comments to: timthestoryguy@yahoo.com. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you in Chapter 4.