Date: Mon, 18 Jul 2016 16:55:56 -0700 From: Tim P Subject: Jordan's Tale Chapter 19, Gay Stories, Adult - Youth All rights reserved. Other than downloading one copy for personal enjoyment, no part of this story may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, except for reviews, without the written permission of the author. Comments on the story are appreciated and may be addressed to the author Tim Price at privatetimm@gmail.com All the usual disclaimers apply. This is a work of pure fiction that contains descriptions of consensual sexual contact between male minors. It is written for the entertainment of mature adults. If this is illegal to read this where you live, don't read it. If you are under legal age where you live, don't read it. Passing through Nifty's main page to get here is your way of saying it is legal for you to be reading it. If you enjoy this site please show your appreciation by making a donation to the Nifty Archive. Go to http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html 19 Jordan's Tale By Tim Price "Tim Price," I barked into the phone. "Mr. Price, this is Paul Laret from UCSF Medical Center, you are listed as Marianna Felix's emergency contact." A chill runs down my spine. "Yes," I barely get out. "I am afraid she has been in a very serious accident." I sucked in a breath and steeled myself, "what can you tell me, how bad is it?" "We don't know the extent of any internal injuries, the ER doctors are doing a CT scan to check that, but she has broken bones in both legs and probably her pelvis as well. Once the results are in on the CT scan we will probably be operating." "I'll pick up her son and get down there right as soon as I can, maybe forty minutes. Dr. Laret, I want her to have the best doctors possible. If it means flying someone in from back East or Rochester, I don't care, just do it." "It is Mr. Laret, Mr. Price and you can call me Paul, I am an MBA, not an MD. I can assure you Marianna will get the best care in country right here. UCSF Medical Center doesn't take a back seat to any trauma center and Marianna is a valued member of this community." "Thanks Paul, call me Tim and I'll be there shortly." I hung up and my mind was racing a mile a minute. I had so many calls to make. "I assume you heard all that Dorothy; I have to go right now. Can you close up my office for me and cancel all my meetings. I doubt I'll be in Monday so clear my calendar as much as you can, maybe even for the early part of next week." "Don't worry, Tim, I'll take care of everything here. And don't drive too fast to San Francisco, you aren't a doctor; the people who can help Marianna are, you just get there safe, Jordan is going to need you safe and calm." My office at work had pictures of Jordan, Marianna and Marco on my desk. Anyone who didn't know me might have assumed they were my wife and kids, but Dorothy, being my assistant knew who everyone was, even if not the exact nature of the relationships. I also knew she was right, I needed to slow down my breathing and thinking and stay calm so I could get things accomplished. I did drive fast on the 280 Freeway, but not overly fast and not swerving in and out. My first call went to Teresa; she was going to meet me at St Ignatius and get Frank out of school to be with Jordan. St Ignatius itself was my second call; I went straight to Pat, the principal, and explained I was coming to get Jordan and why. I told him Teresa would be by soon to get Frank as well. My third call went to Marco, or rather a text; I sent him a `call me, 911' text and I picked up his call thirty seconds later. He wanted to leave right then and head to San Francisco. "Go to your last class and then come up to the hospital; Teresa, Frank and I will be with Jordan and you can join us in the waiting room when you are done." I debated calling `the other Frank', Marianna's brother, but they'd had scant contact since he moved to LA after finding out Jordan was gay. I decided to wait until I knew more before placing a call to him. By the time I got done with my calls and deliberations I was already exiting the 280 onto Highway 1 and then with a quick turn on Lake Merced Blvd and Sunset I was in front of St Ignatius. I double parked on 37th St to enter the administration building. Teresa and Frank were in the lobby; Frank immediately came over to me and threw his arms around me and started crying a little. "Hey, hey, none of that," I admonished him gently, "Jordan is going to need you as a pillar to lean on." Frank nodded an acknowledgement as he broke apart from the hug. I greeted Teresa and told the secretary in the office to go ahead and send for Jordan. Oh how I was dreading this. When Jordan came into the office he saw my first and immediately lit up into a smile and started to say hi until he saw Teresa and Frank and he knew something was very wrong. "What is it," he asked, with panic creeping into his voice, "is it my mother?" As casually as I could, I nodded, "yeah, she has been in a traffic accident so we are going to go to the hospital to see her." "Is she okay?" I couldn't lie to him and make it seem like it was nothing, but neither did I want to make him overly concerned. "We don't know the complete details, she has some broken bones, but we won't know everything until we see her." That might have been a white lie since I was implying we'd see her when we got to the hospital, but I was pretty sure that wasn't happening. She'd either be in surgery or casting. Jordan looked uncertain, even grim, but he just nodded. "You take Jordan and Frank Tim and I'll follow you to the hospital," Teresa spoke up, galvanizing us to move. Frank and Jordan both climbed in the backseat of my BMW and Jordan proceeded to pepper me with questions. I sloughed off most of the questions by being vague with what the CEO had told me, but I dropped the first hint that we might not see her right away if they were having to set bones and such things. That set off a period of silence. I checked my rear view mirror and Frank had a protective arm wrapped around Jordan, Jordan has his head lying against Frank's chest. It was only about a ten minute drive from St Ignatius to the UCSF Medical Center where Marianna worked and where she was now a patient. I pulled into the parking area for the emergency center and waited for Teresa to join us before we entered the lobby of the emergency room. "Jordan, you stay here with Teresa and Frank while I find out what is going on." He immediately started to protest, but calmed down when Teresa stepped in to support me. That left me free to go to the front desk. "I'm Tim Price, Paul Laret said Marianna Felix was here." That was all I needed to say. "Yes Mr. Price, Mr. Laret will be down immediately with an update." I relayed that information to Jordan, Frank and Teresa. Three minutes later a distinguished looking man in a suit approached us. "Tim?" he inquired, "Paul Laret, let's go where we can be more comfortable." That worried me, but I didn't press and stilled Jordan when he started to make a fuss. "You must be Jordan," Paul said with a gentle smile, "I see your mother's eyes in you." Paul led us to a small private waiting room and we all sat on the couches that were in there. He addressed Jordan directly once we were all settled. "Your mom is in surgery right now to fix some of the broken bones; I'll let the surgeon come explain more once he is done, but we did a CT scan on her and there are no internal injuries. Her blood pressure and vitals are all strong so there are no worries on that front. I am not sure how long it will take to put the pins in the bones in her leg that were broken, but I'd guess a couple of hours at most. Know that your mom is a very important person to us here at UCSFMC and everyone is doing everything they can to patch her up good as new. Any questions?" Jordan had giant pools of water in his eyes, but couldn't say anything, he just shook his head. Paul handed Jordan one of this cards, "this has my cell phone number Jordan, if there is anything you need or any question you have call me. Tim, there are some papers you'll need to sign, if you want to come with me." I made sure Teresa could handle the boys while I was gone and then walked out the door with Paul. "Is it really that simple Paul?" I asked, once the door shut behind me. "Walk with me," he instructed. "Yes and no, it is that simple. The yes is, there are no internal injuries and she is in no real danger. The no is that her injuries are serious and she'll have to be in bed probably at least six weeks, maybe as long as sixteen weeks. She can either do that is a long term care facility, or at home if she has the proper facilities, but she won't be able to take care of Jordan very well in either case." "Not a problem Paul, I'll get it all arranged. Thanks for everything on this. Who can I talk to about what happened in the accident?" "It is like I told Jordan, his mom is a valued part of our family here. I also thought once things settled down you might want to know what happened. Here is the card I collected from the police officer who came in with the ambulance, a conversation with him might be interesting and here is the same card I gave Jordan with my cell phone on it. You hit any roadblocks, call me." Paul had raised an eyebrow when giving me the policeman's card and that said to me there was a bigger story. The card for the policeman listed him as Sgt. Robert Walker, SFPD Accident Investigation. I stuffed it into my pocket; I'd call him when I was done with Marianna's paperwork and after I'd checked back with Teresa and the boys. Jordan looked at me expectantly when I reentered the private waiting room. "I was just filling out the formal admission papers," I said, raising my hands defensively, "no updates on anything." Jordan settled back down on the couch, leaning into Frank. Teresa caught my eye and I nodded subtly my acknowledgement that everything was okay, there was no reason for great concern. "I do need to make a lot of phones call though so I'll step outside so I don't disturb anyone. If you need me, I'll just outside since they don't allow phones inside the hospital." I went back to my car, pulled out my briefcase with my iPad, a yellow notepad and started to organize myself. I wrote down `police, lawyer, medical supply, nurses, helper, office, Stickam'. I decided `office' would be my first call, Dorothy would be worried. "Tim Price's office," was the chipper greeting I got. "Dorothy, Tim here, Marianna is banged up pretty good, but nothing life threatening." I heard a big exhale, "oh I am so glad." "But," I continued "I'll need at least through Wednesday cleared on my calendar." "Done," she replied and I knew it would be, "give my best to Marianna." Next I dialed the police investigator "Accident Investigation, Walker speaking." The voice was gruff, no nonsense and efficient. "Sgt. Walker, my name is Tim Price, I am Marianna Felix's guardian. Mr. Laret as UCSF said you could fill me in on the circumstances of her accident." The gruff, no nonsense and efficient voice continued, "I can't comment on an ongoing investigation." I didn't have time for this, it was time for my gruff, no nonsense and efficient voice, "Sgt, I don't mean to be a prick, but I will be if I have to. I have a lot to do and a lot of decisions to make. I have Chief Fong's cell phone and home phone on my cell phone. When we hang up I'll either have what I need or my next call is to Heather." Using the chief's first name was an extra incentive and given her reputation as a ball buster I figured Sgt. Walker wouldn't be willing to bring the heat down on himself too much. "Fine," he grumbled, "I'll tell you what I can. What do you want to know?" "Give me the circumstances of the crash." He blew out a breath, "this is all unofficial and preliminary; we won't know until we've seen the tape from the video cams in the area and compiled all the witness statements, but it appears that Ms. Felix's car was traveling westbound on Fell St with a green light when a late model Mercedes Benz broadsided it at Masonic Ave." "And who was the other driver?" The policeman didn't answer right away. "Sergeant?" I pressed him. "It was a car driven by Supervisor Mendoza," he said finally. "Mendoza," I exploded, "the same one who is in trouble for getting a DUI three weeks ago?" "The same," was the resigned answer. "Is he in custody?" "He was taken to the hospital to be checked for injuries and have a blood test administered. He has an officer with him." That must have been the message Paul was trying to send me. My next phone call went to my lawyer. I laid out for him what was going on and what I wanted him to do. My third call went to a medical supply company to order the things I thought Marianna would be needing in her recovery. After making all these calls I returned to the private waiting room, where nothing had changed. Jordan and Frank were huddled on one couch, with Teresa in a chair opposite them. We sat mostly in silence for another tense ninety minutes, by which time Marco had arrived and taken up the seat on the couch the other side of Jordan from Frank. "Mr. Price," a doctor in scrubs asked as he entered the waiting room. I raised my hand to identify myself. "I am Dr. Fruchtbaum, if you'd like to step into the hall I can give you an update." "I am Ms. Felix's health care proxy, you can waive HIPAA and just tell us all the latest." "Very well, she is out of surgery and in the recovery room. We inserted pins in two sections of her right leg, one pin in the left and three pins in the pelvis bone. It was pretty simple actually. Her recovery may take awhile until she is walking normally, but there is no reason to assume she won't be as good as new when all is said and done. If you like you and her son can sit with her in the recovery room." I thanked Dr. Fruchtbaum for the information and everyone gave Jordan hugs and words of encouragement over what sounded like pretty good news. I wasn't sure if the part about a long recovery went past them or not. In any case, Jordan and I followed a nurse down to the recovery room where they had wheeled Marianna. She just looked asleep to me and I've seen enough people in the hospital that I wasn't shocked by all the things plugged into and around her, but Jordan did look shocked. She had an IV in, a respirator, and various other things to monitor her vitals. He started to tear up, but before he could get himself really worked up I walked him out the curtained off area and spoke quietly to him. "Your mom looks great and everything looks normal," I began, "when she comes around, what is the first thing she is going to think about?" He looked at me as he processed the question. "Me?" "Correct," I answered back. "If you look all terrified and panicky, it is going to stress her out. You have to be sunny, positive and maybe even crack a few jokes. That is what is going to give her peace and let her relax. Do you think you can do that?" Jordan set his jaw and nodded. I knew he'd be able to buck up so we stepped back inside the curtained off area with Marianna and sat there in silence. Every few minutes a nurse would come by and glance at the monitors to be sure Marianna's vitals were where they belonged. They all had smiles for Jordan and me plus a few comments on how well she was doing and even when the comments were casual ones their calm demeanor and confidence gave Jordan more confidence about his mom. After about twenty minutes Marianna started to stir. Jordan took her free hand and held as she came around slowly. Jordan was standing over her looking down, as her eyes fluttered and finally opened. "Hey baby," she said in a sleepy voice. "Hey," he replied with a big grin on his face, "what time do you want to leave for the game tonight." That got a small laugh out of Marianna, which was good. It convinced her that Jordan was okay and not overly stressed over her injuries, even though I knew deep down he was suffering mightily. "Give me a few minutes to put on some make-up and do my hair," she joked back. She greeted me, I gave her a peck on the cheek and made my exit to let the two of them chat. I had some more matters to get handled. I knew what I was looking for, I just need to find the right person to help me. I spied a nurse who I thought could probably help me. Rosario Torres was what her name tag said. "Nurse Torres," I addressed her, "I wonder if you could help me?" "Yes sir," she smiled back, "If I can." "I am Marianna Felix's guardian for all intents and purposes. I am going to move her into my place since she can't be home in her place. I wonder if you know where I can find some LVN's I can hire to take care of her while I am at work and her son is at school." "Oh, we are all so happy she is doing so well," Nurse Torres intoned, "she is one of the best admins we have in the hospital. As to LVN's, as it happens I have a couple of cousins who are LVN's that just arrived a few months ago from the Philippines and haven't found work yet. I can get you in touch with them if you like?" "That would be perfect; here is my card, have one of them call me ASAP. I am not sure when they are going to discharge Marianna, but I want to have my ducks all lined up." I crossed off nurses on my list, which was growing shorter. Out of `police, lawyer, medical supply, nurses, helper, office and Stickam', only helper and Stickam remained. I pulled out my iPad and sent out notifications to the guys in the inner circle of the Stickam and explained what I wanted. Everyone at St. Ignatius would know what had happened, but the guys like Dylan, Matt and Ryan would be in the dark. I knew that they would be an important source of support for Jordan and this played out. As I was finishing up Jordan came out of the recovery area. He walked over to me and buried his head in my chest. "It is so hard being funny and casual with my mom. I just want to cry and curl up into bed next to her." "I know babe," I answered, kissing the top of his head, "but you have to stay strong for your mom's sake so she can just work on getting better. Did they kick you out?" "Kinda," he answered stepping back, "they are moving her to her room, 803A they said. We can meet them there in five minutes or so." Jordan and I walked back to the private waiting room to update the others. Everyone was relieved to hear she was doing well and had spoken to Jordan. "We can all probably head up to her room, she should be in it by now," I explained. So I led a little procession up the hall to the tower elevators to find her room. A nurse was just coming out of it as we entered. "Well this is quite the welcoming committee," she said by way of acknowledgement. "Try not to stay too long, she'll still be sleepy from the anesthetic." We all piled into 803A, Marianna had her eyes closed, but opened them at the commotion of five people entering her room. "Wow, is there a party someplace?" she joked. Jordan went to her side immediately and Frank went to his side. "Hi, Frank, thanks for keeping Jordan company." Frank was mute, but nodded. He looked like he could cry at any minute. There had been a lot of stress on everyone so emotions were pretty raw. Teresa stepped up and changed topics to redirect the conversation. "What can I bring you from home Marianna?" "Oh Teresa, thanks for offering; I'd love to get my travel make-up kit from under the sink in my bathroom and my hair brushes so I can at least look presentable." Teresa smiled, "you look terrific already, but I'll swing by and get it." Next Marco stepped up, gave Marianna a kiss on the cheek and they exchanged hugs. I excused myself and said I'd be back later in the afternoon after finishing off some errands. I gave Marco some cash and told him to be sure he got Frank and especially Jordan fed. I was afraid Jordan wouldn't want to leave his mom's side and I knew that she needed rest more than anything. Teresa, after getting Jordan's keys from him, left with me. "What did the doctor have to say Tim?" she queried me after we left the room. "He said that she is going to be essentially on her back for about three months." "Oh dear, how will she take care of herself, let alone Jordan?" "She doesn't know it yet, and I know she is going to protest, but I am moving her into my place. I've already got a hospital bed being delivered; I've reached out to two practical nurses and I may engage a cook/housekeeper too." "You are right, she is going to protest, but it's just something she'll have to accept. I'll help where I can and I know the ladies from the church and St. Iggy's will help out too." "You might want to grab some clothes from Marianna's as well. I have her purse and wallet from the accident, but her clothes they just cut off her, so there is nothing to wear when she gets discharged. We may have to buy things like sweat pants that will go over her casts." We parted on our errands and agreed to meet later back at the hospital. I went over to my lawyer's office and hired one of the partner's to be Marianna's advocate. I thought it wise for her to have her own lawyer for the lawsuit, possibly multiple lawsuits, she'd have to file in order to cover all the expenses of her care and recovery. I had my lawyer make sure all the paperwork was up to date on me being Jordan's guardian. Even with Marianna recovering, she was going to be incapacitated so a lot of tasks like taking Jordan to doctors, the dentist, school issues, etc was going to fall on me. I finished up with my lawyer and then swung back by my condo to meet the medical supply company that was delivering the bed, bed pans, walker, wheelchair and all the accoutrements that Marianna would need the next few months. They even took the existing beds in the rooms and said they'd store them until I needed them back. I was also by this time fielding phone calls from the St. Ignatius people. I got calls from the president, principal, VP of campus ministry, Jordan's coaches and a lot of moms. St. Ignatius was truly a community and even though Jordan had only been there a short time, a lot of people knew him already from church and sports teams. I got back to the hospital a little after 6PM and the crowd in Marianna's had grown a little. There were colleagues from the hospital stopping by to wish her well, Tina Barker from the baseball team and Aileen Murphy from baseball too. She is Dillon's mom, which made me feel a little guilty, but also made me think about Dillon and how much fun we'd had. By 7PM the room had thinned out. Teresa went home to take care of the other kids, I sent Marco home to give him a break and that left just Jordan, Frank and me. At 7:15 my iPad went off indicating I had an incoming call. Knowing that the hospital frowned on cell phones I figured they wouldn't be any happier with live feed on a tablet, I stepped into the bathroom in Marianna's room to answer it. I smiled when I saw who it was. I stepped back out of the bathroom. "It's for you," I said to Jordan, handing him the iPad. He looked puzzled until he saw what it was, then he burst out laughing. "Hi guys," he said and a chorus of hi's greeted him back. One of the things I'd done earlier was send out an all points bulletin to Jordan's Stickam crew, who were all dear friends now, including Dylan, Ryan, and Matt. I'd also invited Jon, Madison, Bryce and Devon since I knew they'd be worried. "We wanna see your mom, not your ugly mug," said Dylan, taking the lead. Jordan leaned over the bed so the camera could catch Marianna too. "Hi Ms. F," they all said, if not in unison, than close to it. "Oh, I look frightful boys! But hello back." "You look terrific," Dylan said sincerely, "we are so happy you are okay. My parents and I are going to come over and see you tomorrow." The boys who lived in San Francisco also declared that they would be by the hospital soon and Matt from Pasadena and Ryan from Seattle said they wished they could be there. They all chatted on Stickam for a little over thirty minutes until a nurse came in and busted them, then farewells were said. Around 9PM I could see Marianna fading, a nurse checking in saw it too and chased Jordan, Frank and I away. "Shoo now," she admonished, "Marinna needs a good sleep. You boys all do too. Go home and comeback tomorrow." Jordan was very reluctant to leave, but his mom was the final authority. Frank was positive and upbeat on the short drive home. I knew he was trying hard to relieve Jordan's stress. Even though he knew his mom was going to be okay eventually, Jordan still seemed troubled. Marco welcomed us home, and gave Jordan a reassuring hug and kiss. Marco had cooked up some spaghetti for a late dinner and we watched TV for a little while in the Great Room before Jordan announced he was pooped and turning in. Frank went with him and Marco and I decided to turn in as well. I was in a sound sleep when I was shaken awake. I turned to glance at the clock and it was 1:13AM. The person shaking me was Frank. "Timmy, I'm scared, I can't get Jordan to stop crying." Frank must have been shaken up because he almost never calls me `Timmy'. Marco woke up too and I told him what was going on. I went down to Jordan's bedroom alone to see what I could do. Jordan was curled up into a ball under his covers sobbing gently, but sobbing nonetheless. I sat on the bed next to him and rubbed his back lightly. "What's wrong bud, your mom will be as good as new soon." Jordan didn't answer, but just continued to cry. I got what was worrying Frank, Jordan wasn't even communicating. I pulled the covers off him and scooped up his naked form and carried him back to my bedroom. When I got to my bedroom I sat on one of the couches and cradled him and rocked slowly. Jordan was approaching fifteen years old in a few weeks and I'd been marveling at what a young man he'd become. Now he seemed younger and smaller than the twelve year old Jordan I'd first met. I just rocked back and forth until he cried himself out. Frank didn't know what to do to help and Marco sat down next to me and rubbed Jordan's back. When the crying seemed to subside I again broached the subject of what was wrong. "Talk to me Jordie, what is going on inside your head? Your mom is fine." "I... know... she... is... fine... this... time... but... what... if... something... else... happens...I'd... be... all... alone..! The words came out between sobs and just broke my heart. "I know your mom and I have never discussed this with you and we probably should have, but if anything ever did happen to your mom, I'd become your legal parent." I didn't use the word guardian, which would have been more accurate legally, but I wanted Jordan to know I would be more than a mere guardian. "And you know that if anything ever happened to me, Teresa would take you in in a heartbeat and so would the Fouts, the Matsons, the Cruttendens and the Buchanans. The Buchanans might make you change your name to Carter or Reagan so you fit in, but I think you'd be cute as a Reagan." The joke about the Buchanan kids all being named for presidents got a little smile out of Jordan. Marco reached over and took Jordan from my lap, into his. "Does this feel like alone to you Jordan?" He asked with his big, dark eyes boring into Jordan's. "No," was Jordan's feeble answer. Frank sat down next Marco and pulled Jordan into his lap next. "Yeah, does this... ugh... you are fat!" the 110 pound Frank teased the heavier Jordan. That broke down the last of Jordan's melancholy as he giggled, "I'm not fat, you are just puny." The four of us were all naked of course since that is how we slept, but no one had really noticed until Jordan cracked a joke. "Wow, I must be losing my touch. You all three had me naked in your lap and not one of you is hard." You could see the relief spread over Marco and Frank's faces as the regular Jordan reappeared. "But I am tired," Jordan yawned, "I am going to bed." And with that he crawled into my bed. "Works for me," Frank declared as he dove in after him. I looked at Marco who shrugged, "looks like we have company for the night." I got under the covers on one side next to Jordan, Marco got in on the other side next to Frank. I turned off the bedside light and snuggled close to Jordan. I awoke five hours later after a pretty good deep sleep and Jordan had his head on my shoulder and one arm draped over me. I also had a raging piss boner to take care of so I tried to gently extricate myself from him without waking him. As I moved away his arm gripped me tighter. "Where are you going?" was the sleepy inquiry. "To take a piss and unless you want me to pee all over you I suggest you ease your hold a little." "Hmmm, sounds fun and kinky to me," was the chuckled reply. I was happy to hear Jordan was still jovial this morning. Last night had really worried me. Jordan always seemed so happy and secure; I guess I'd forgotten that there might be lingering scars from his Uncle Frank's abandonment. I'd have to ask Marianna if she wanted me to contact her brother or not. As I moved to the bathroom Jordan followed me and stood next to me at the commode with a morning wood of his own. We both pushed them down and let the stream start. It is amazing how great the release can be in the morning as your bladder shrinks and moves away from the prostate. "So would I really live with you if anything happened to my mom?" Jordan asked as he shook the last drops away from his now soft penis. "Not only would you, but you are going to. Your mom doesn't know it yet, but she can't be on her own in your house; not for a few months probably. I've ordered a hospital bed for the guest bedroom and I'm interviewing two nurses who'll be with your mom while I am at work and you are at school. The two of you will be living here full time at least three month probably." "Now you know your mom," I continued, "she is going to protest and complain, but it is the only logical solution so I need you to back me up." "No worries, I'll do my sad eyes and she'll wilt like lettuce on a hot August day." "Go wake up the Bisignani boys and we'll go to Sears before seeing your mom this morning." I turned on the shower and stepped in. Jordan came back from the bedroom and joined me, followed by Marco and Frank. Marco and his mini me brother stood shoulder to shoulder at the toilet like Jordan and I had as they too took their morning leak. We showered, dressed and head to Sears Fine Food, hoping there wouldn't be a bad line yet and there wasn't. Marco and I ate like normal human beings, Frank and Jordan ate like three normal human beings, consuming bacon, sausage, fried eggs, hash browns, toast and a full stack of Sears famous pancakes each. We also got an order of pancakes to go for Marianna. She was awake and sitting up in bed with her hair nicely brushed and make-up applied. She'd used the make-up to conceal the bruises on her face from the accident. Other than the IV in her arm and the monitoring equipment, she looked very much like herself. She gratefully accepted the pancakes from Sears and ate them while Jordan and Frank talked about all they had eaten for breakfast. Overall it was a scene that could have been in Marianna's kitchen nook. About an hour later Teresa showed up and she had Frank's and Jordan's school backpacks with her. "Good news," she smiled, "I got your weekend homework boys." Both boys groaned and rolled their eyes. "That was very considerate of you Teresa," Marianna gushed, knowing the boys would be less than thrilled. "Yeah, very considerate mom," Frank grumbled under his breath. Marco and I left because I knew Marianna was going to have a full slate of visitors today and Marco had schoolwork of his own to do. Teresa said she would bring the boys by my place later. Other than Marianna being in the hospital, it seemed like a normal Saturday. A few guys from the circle showed up either before or after seeing Marianna. I ordered lunch in for those who did show up and then Marco and I headed back to the hospital, but Marco and I drove separately so he could take Jordan and Frank out to dinner while I spoke with Marianna about the immediate future. The Fouts family was just leaving as Marco and I arrived. We stayed and chatted with them for a bit before they left and Dylan and I exchanged water polo gossip and scuttlebutt. Once they were off Marco pulled Jordan and Frank out to dinner leaving Marianna and I alone. "How are you feeling today?" I opened. "Tired, but good," she responded in weary voice, "they still have me on good slugs of painkiller so that makes me sleepy too." "Do you remember or know anything about the accident?" She shook her head slowly, "one minute I was driving to work, the next minute I was in the hospital with an orderly cutting off my favorite pair of slacks. The police came by today and took a statement, but I am afraid I wasn't much help." "Was it a man named Walker? Serious and no sense of humor?" Marianna laughed gently, "I'd say he was professional and efficient, but he didn't give me a lot of information." "So let me bring you up to speed a little. I've hired a lawyer for you from the firm I use. If you don't like him you can find a different one obviously, but I thought we needed to get someone working on it right away and keeping the pressure on the police to be forthcoming with the information." "Why wouldn't they be," Marianna asked in a puzzled voice. "The driver who hit you was Supervisor Mendoza," I replied flatly and let that sink in. After a moment the light went on for her, "the one who got a DUI last month?" "The same," I acknowledged, "which is why I wanted competent eyes on it from the beginning." "Did you see Dr. Fruchtbaum today?" I inquired, changing the topic. "He came by a couple of times. I sent Jordan and Frank down to get lunch in the cafeteria the second time so Paul could speak frankly. I've been so elated about not being hurt worse, I hadn't really thought about how I am going to manage at home once they discharge me." "Oh well," she sighed, "I'll manage; I mean I have to, I have Jordan to take care of. Maybe the insurance will cover a helper a couple of days a week." I sucked in a breath of air in anticipation of broaching my plans to her and she noticed. "What?" she exclaimed, "Is there something I don't know?" "You aren't going home." "What, what do you mean?" "Marianna, you won't be able to do much more than get out of bed to use the bathroom the first couple of weeks, let alone care for Jordan and your household," I paused here before plowing ahead, "you and Jordan are moving in with me." "No," she protested, "Tim, we can't possibly, that is way too much, we'll manage." "It is a done deal, I have the hospital bed for you, I am hiring two LVNs who are cousins of Rosario Torres' to help you while Jordan and I are out and Jordan agrees with me it is the best solution." "He does, does he?" a defiant Marianna rejoined, "I know you are well off Tim, but you've already done too much for us, paying Jordan's tuition and being there for him the way you have when my brother skipped out on him. I can't let you do this." She looked like her mind was made up. "If it makes you feel better, you can pay me back out of the settlement." "What settlement?" "The settlement your lawyer is going to get from the City and County of San Francisco, from Supervisor Mendoza's insurance company and possibly from Supervisor Mendoza himself. I understand he made a bundle in his development company. I expect the final amount to be considerable once the dust settles. "Still, we can't impose." "You forget you made me your health proxy." "So?" "See that device," I said pointing, "I can have them unplug that on you." "That is the television," she pointed out. "Precisely," I agreed in a triumphant voice, "you wouldn't last forty-eight hours in here without a TV." I folded my arms across my chest as if that settled the discussion once and for all. She just laughed and shook her head, "you really are a gem Tim Price. I don't know what Jordan and I did to deserve you, but I light a candle for you every Sunday." I sat down on her bed and took her hand, "I am the lucky one Marianna. You have no idea the joy Jordan has brought to my life and how he has changed it." We were in the same position when Jordan, Frank and Marco retuned from dinner. "You ain't hittin' on my gal are you?" Jordan challenged with the best stern look he could manage. "Nope, but we did make it official that we are roommates for the next few months." A grin broke out on Jordan's face, "and I didn't even need to use my sad eyes on her!" Marianna rolled her eyes, "I am getting wise to the sad eye routine." "We need to go by your house tomorrow and move more of your clothes over Jordan and Marianna, you can start thinking about what you want from the house with you." I moved off the bed and Jordan moved in. The five of us didn't talk much; we just watched some television and enjoyed the presence of each other until the night nurse chased us out so Marianna could go to sleep. When we got back to my place I did a quick check with Jordan to see if he wanted to sleep with Marco and me again tonight. Jordan looked a little sheepish as he replied, "no, I have some stress to burn off tonight." Given how beat red Frank turned I didn't need to ask how he intended to burn off that stress. "Don't be up too late tonight, we still have church tomorrow, you two have homework, time with your mom and we need to go get more clothes for you from your house." After they'd gone off to Jordan's room Marco looked at me. "I'm feeling a little stressed myself." I grinned back at him, "better lock the door so we don't get walked in on." Sunday was packed with things to do, but somehow everything did get done and Marianna and I agreed that everyone should return to their normal weekly schedules. Jordan tried to protest, but Marianna reminded him how important his school work was and his obligation to the freshman football team. So Marco went back to Stanford Sunday night and come Monday morning we started our altered routine. Normally I left the house very early so I could get in a swim at Stanford before I went to the office, but I had to adjust that to get Jordan to St. Ignatius everyday around 8AM since the first bell was at 8:20AM. That meant if I wanted to swim I'd need to use Koret at USF and then get back home to take Jordan to school. Teresa offered to pick him up in her car pool, but I actually was enjoying my adult in Jordan's life role. I didn't want Marianna alone too much though so I arranged for Margarita and Angelica Antipolo, the LVN cousins of Nurse Torres to start work on that Monday so they could get to know Marianna and her, them. I also arranged for the lawyer I'd hired for her to visit and go over what would be entailed in getting a settlement for the accident. After football practice I picked Jordan up from school and we went to the hospital to have dinner with his mom. Sometimes Frank joined us, other days he went home. We did this routine for a bit more than a week until the hospital had weaned Marianna off the intra venous pain killers and finally she was discharged from the hospital the second Saturday after her accident. Marianna was still a little apprehensive about moving in with me, but overall she'd come around to the notion that it was the most logical solution. Even though she was heavily casted she still fit pretty comfortably in the back seat of the Range Rover if she sat sideways. We'd bought a wheelchair for her so we could move her easily and Jordan was adept at getting it set up and helping her into it. He also got good at helping her from the wheelchair into the hospital bed I'd put in the guest room. Most of that Saturday was spent a lot like the previous Saturday; a lot of visitors coming by to say hello and offer help and sympathy. A new wrinkle occurred on Sunday afternoon; after church Teresa and Maria came over to my condo to work on preparing the Sunday Bisignani family dinner. Teresa insisted that it would be easy and she didn't want to miss including Marianna in the tradition. So Teresa and Maria would work in the kitchen with Marianna in her wheelchair nearby so they could talk and share the newest gossip. Most of the Bisignani kids came over five-ish, except David and Frank who came over after church so Devon Sheets could tutor them along with Michael and Jordan. That was also when Teresa decided to include the Best family, Russ, Amy and Michael, into the family dinner. More often than not Devon stayed after tutoring to join us for the family meal unless the Cruttendon's had special plans that night. The introduction of Marianna into the household didn't really change things all that much. Margarita and Angelica went above and beyond in their LVN duties by cooking dinners before they left, which replaced the willy nilly combination of take out, grilling and eating out at restaurants, which had been my previous norm. Jordan would do his homework at the dining table while Marianna and I watched television in the Great Room. Margarita and Angelica were also great about getting Marianna out of the house during the day. They took her for jaunts around the neighborhood and around Golden Gate Park during the day when the weather was nice and also up to the roof to sit in the sun. One of the things that did change with Marianna and Jordan living with me full time was me getting exposed to Jordan's other friends and classmates besides Frank and the cadre of gay kids that used my condo as a refuge. During the week friends from school would come over including a Wednesday group of freshman study buddies that included Frank, two boys off the football team, a water polo player, a boy from the drama club, two of Jordan's baseball buddies and a boy who was in the orchestra. Overall they were a very eclectic group, but they all exhibited the same traits I'd seen in other St. Ignatius boys; they were unfailingly polite, had good social graces and were bright. Despite the differences, some jocks, some not, I didn't see the divide I saw from other schools between those groups. I got to know these new boys better. The baseball players, Adam and Luke I knew already, along with Nate Murphy, Dillon and Tommy's older brother, who was playing football too; Payton from the football team I'd met since he was the starting quarterback, but the others were new to me. Lance Biggins, the boy from drama might have been the most interesting. Despite the name "biggins" he was quite small, only around 5'1" or so and quite slight, I'd guess barely 100 pounds, but he had an outsized personality. He was the comedian of the group and I guessed probably of any group he was in. He had a razor sharp quick wit, but his quips were never unkind or cutting so he was immensely popular. We were two weeks into the routine, three weeks after Marianna's accident when I got a phone call from my real estate lawyer. I'd been so wrapped up with the accident and in my new routine that I'd let my attention on the property on Conn Valley Road in St. Helena slip. I was afraid he was going to tell me we'd lost the property, instead he told me the seller was sweetening the deal. For the original asking price of $15.9 million the owner was willing to throw in the remaining fifteen hundred acres of vineyard that he owned, but wasn't part of the property the first time we'd looked at it. "Buy it," I decided instantly. "Should I counter lower?" John my real estate lawyer asked. "Talk to the realtor in Napa, the price sounds fair to me, but if she thinks we can get it all at a better price, then follow her recommendation." That was how I'd suddenly become a wine maker with a sixteen hundred fifty acre vineyard and winery. We settled on a final price of $15.6 million. I knew I wouldn't be able to devote much time to it right now so I hired a manager for the vineyard who'd live in the barn with the apartment in the loft. His job would be to hire workers and take care of the vines and then sell the grapes to other wineries until I was ready to really operate a winery of my own. He was young, just 25 years old, but he had his masters in oenology from UC Davis and Lance, that was his name, Lance Rutherford; had grown up in St. Helena and a wine making family. It was after his great, great grandfather, Thomas Rutherford, that the area known as Rutherford was named and I knew Lance was anxious to prove himself a worthy successor to the family name. He and his new bride Susie moved into the barn loft and went to work. The fall rolled on with our new living arrangement. Marianna was able to make Jordan's football games with the assistance of her nurses and then for the varsity games it seemed like the whole freshman football team wanted to take turns wheeling her around J.B. Murphy Field. Several of the moms from the football team and baseball team came over during the week to keep Marianna company a few hours. Even so I knew Marianna was bored and restless, which prompted a call from me to Paul Laret. "Tim, nice to hear from you, how is Marianna doing?" he greeted me. "She is doing okay, but I think boredom is starting to wear on her which is why I called. How are you guys getting on without her? Are there tasks for work she could be doing at home?" "It is an interesting idea; I don't see why she couldn't be working remotely. She can't do everything she used to do here, but there is probably a lot she could be helping us with." Paul came over that afternoon to visit and present the idea of her doing some work from home as his idea. Marianna was not only thrilled with the idea of doing something besides sitting around watching TV or reading, I think she was also relieved to know the hospital still regarded her well and that her job was still there. So Marianna began to resume part of her normal work life and recovered and grew stronger by the day. We had a massive Thanksgiving celebration in my condo that taxed even its vastness. Besides the Bisignani clan and the Best family, my parents flew up for the long weekend as well. It was a hectic four days of feasting, football and family time. The week after Thanksgiving Marianna got her casts all removed and she told me she thought she was ready to return home. I convinced her to stay on though December and see how physical therapy went. It was good that she decided to stay because walking and standing were a lot harder than she'd anticipated. She tired quickly. But doing physical therapy at the hospital convinced her she could return to work, even if she wasn't quite ready to move home yet. December 10th was her first day back in her office since the accident thirteen weeks earlier. Margarita and Angelica had been absolutely amazing workers for the whole time of Marianna's recovery and they'd become more than just hired help to all of us. I was sad to be releasing them and even though I paid them for the entire month of December, I still felt guilty. My guilt turned to relief however when they were both able to get hired at San Francisco General Hospital, partly on the very strong recommendation of Marianna. 2007 was ending on what seemed a happy note for everyone. Marco had done well at Stanford his first semester, Frank and Jordan were doing well at St Ignatius, Michael Best had joined David at Sts, Peter & Paul School when Russ and Amy decided he'd be happier there than the San Francisco Day School and work was going well for me too. Cisco continued to grow exponentially so not only did my stock increase in value every year, but the steady dividends threw more cash at me than I knew what to do with so I plowed some back into the stock and some into buying more land in the Napa Valley as the real estate slowdown was starting to turn into a real estate crash. I was looking forward to what 2008 would bring our way.