Life Anew Chapter 7

Warning: This story does not contain any sex. None of the characters are based on real people, nor are they meant to resemble any living or dead people.

Let me know what you think of the story by emailing me at Hnstskr4@aol.com

Thanks to everyone who has emailed me. It means a lot hearing from you. Please continue reading! There is a lot more to come. I own all rights to this story.

If you do not like this type of story or you disagree with the issues in this story, then please feel free to read elsewhere

Characters in this chapter:

Cody Gaines – Father to Chase, Future Boyfriend to Andrew

Chase Gaines – Son to Chase, future stepson to Andrew

Andrew Brock – Future Boyfriend to Cody, future step-dad to Chase

Mr. Jacob Gaines – Father to Cody and Mia, Grandfather to Chase

Mrs. Ella Gaines – Mother to Cody and Mia, Grandmother to Chase

Mia Montoya – Sister to Cody and Aunt to Chase

Jennifer Cross – Nurse to Cody and Co-worker to Andrew

Lisa McCall - Nurse to Cody and Co-worker to Andrew

Susan Bridges – Office Manager for Cody , Co-worker to Andrew

Life Anew

Chapter 7

Mom Can't Watch

It's 10 p.m., and Cody is about to call it a night when his phone rings. Looking at his phone, he sees that his mom is calling him. She wouldn't be calling unless it was a real emergency. He accepts her phone call as his heart races.

"Mom, what is wrong?"

His mom can hear the worry in his voice, so she has to ease his anxiety quickly.

"Cody, I can't watch Chase tomorrow. I had something come up today that I have to take care of; I am so sorry."

She isn't sure that he'll relax. After all, he now has to figure out how to take care of his son for tomorrow. Cody doesn't like to use babysitters or daycare.

"Mom, I'll have to figure it out. I can handle this; I have to be creative and think outside the box."

Cody's mom is worried sick that her son will not figure out how to take care of Chase. She knows that he'll figure it out, but she is worried.

"Cody, can you tell me what you are planning on doing with Chase?"

Truthfully, he has no idea what he is doing with his son tomorrow. He has to figure it out quickly because he only has an hour before it will be too late to call anyone.

"Well, I don't know, Mom. I honestly have no idea what I'm going to do. I'll figure it out; no worries."

She doesn't like this, but it has to be this way.

"I wonder if he would be okay at work."

His grandma thinks, but who knows what Cody will end up with his son. It would be better if she just lets it go for now and lets her son worry about Chase, but this is her grandson that we are talking about.

"Cody, I am sorry for messing all this up, but I need to go and finish planning for tomorrow."

He doesn't need her to apologize; what she needs to do is stop feeling horrible about not babysitting for him.

"Mom, don't sweat it, okay? I'll figure out and use the office only if I have to."

She responds right away.

"Okay, Cody!"

Cody has to figure that out because he has to.

***

Cody has no choice but to show up tomorrow because he has patients to see; the first person he calls is Jennifer. She wastes no time in accepting his call. Cody doesn't usually call this late at night unless there is an emergency.

"Cody, what's going on?"

She is worried that either Cody is sick or that Chase is ill.

"My mom just called me, and she can't watch Chase tomorrow. I'm not sure what to do with Chase. I can't just put him in daycare for the day, and I can't call off tomorrow. I had a thought that maybe Chase could come into work with me. A couple of our patients need to see me tomorrow, so any ideas?"

She considers his situation. Jennifer doesn't want Cody to feel like Chase can't be at the office, but Chase really shouldn't be in the office.

"Cody, I know you need to be at the office tomorrow. We can figure out what to do with Chase."

He was hoping that Jennifer would know what to do with the little guy while his daddy is working. Would the other co-workers be okay with the little guy being at work? Susan loves Chase, so that shouldn't be an issue. Hopefully, Andrew and Lisa won't mind having Cody's son around tomorrow.

"So, do you think I should bring him in tomorrow?"

She is pretty sure that Chase can handle being at work with daddy.

"Yeah, I say bring him in. My only concern is him being bored."

Cody looks around for Chase's wrong that he takes to Grandma's house. It's loaded with stuff like coloring books, colored pencils, blank paper for doodling, his favorite books, a few cars, and his kiddie tablet. There is also some dot to dot pages, and he also has a few activity books that Cody bought for him. He can facetime with his aunts, uncles, and his cousins too.

"He'll be okay; I have two bags of stuff for him to do already loaded up, so all I have to do is grab them as I walk out the door.

Cody tells his friend.

"Cool!"

Jennifer tells his boss, and she smiles at the thought of her boss being so organized. He doesn't always come across that way. Cody feels a bit more confident about bringing in the little guy.

"One last thing, can you call Susan and Lisa and let them know what's going on tomorrow?"

She knows why; he wants her to call Susan and Lisa; she wants him to say it.

"I am going to call Andrew and let him know what's going on tomorrow."

Cody tells Jennifer, who chuckles a bit at his attempt to hide the real reason he is calling Andrew.

"You go ahead and call Andrew."

`Call Andrew, and then go to bed, happy boss.'

She thinks to herself.

"Okay, Jennifer, thanks for everything. I'll see you tomorrow."

Cody ends the call and just stares at the phone. He knows there is a chance that Andrew might be sleeping, but he needs to talk to him.

***

Cody immediately calls his crush. Andrew's phone rings a couple of times, but it's the fact that Cody is calling him that makes him answer the phone.

"Cody, good evening! Is there something you need? I mean, how can I help you?"

Andrew asks but, he is also a little nervous. Cody is quiet for a second.

"I have a bit of a problem involving Chase for tomorrow. I have to bring him into the office tomorrow. Would you be okay with sitting with him for a couple of hours tomorrow? I'm asking everyone to do it. I promise it won't be all day long. My mom can't watch him, and I didn't have time to line up anyone else."

Andrew loves kids, but this is the boss' kid.

`Is Chase going to be okay with me sitting with him?'

It's a thought that is concerning, but there isn't a kid on the earth that Andrew can't win over given a chance. Hopefully, Chase will be okay with him because what happens if he isn't okay with Andrew watching him.

"I'm okay with it if you think Chase will be okay with it."

Andrew hasn't forgotten about meeting Chase; he's concerned that with Cody out of sight that things might be different.

"With as much as he talks about you, I think you'll be fine. I'm the one who's going to be in trouble. He keeps asking to see you, and I have to keep dodging the bullet and making up excuses so that you'll have time to yourself. Are you sure about this?"

Hearing Cody talking about him like this gives Andrew a confidence boost.

"I'm sure about it."

Cody is glad about it.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Andrew. Thanks for doing this; I'll have to take you all out for lunch at some point."

Andrew's boss says to him.

"You don't have to do that."

Andrew tells his boss. He doesn't want Cody putting himself out for him.

"Well then, I will think about another way to thank you, guys."

Andrew chuckles.

"I'll think about what you can do and then get back to you, but I'll see you tomorrow."

Hearing Andrew's voice is exactly what Cody needed to hear. Andrew didn't know he needed to listen to it until Cody called, but he too needed to listen to the voice of the guy that he also needed to hear the voice of the guy that he is beginning to bond with, and it's fantastic.

"I'll be there. Bye, Cody!"

Andrew lets his guy go even if he doesn't want to.

***

Andrew arrives early at the clinic, and he heads straight to the break room for the morning. Cody comes early on most days. He arrived a few minutes earlier than Susan did, which was nice because it gives him a chance to relax. A few minutes later, Cody, Chase, and Jennifer arrive at the office. Once they get settled, Cody and Jennifer enter the break room. Jennifer passes out the schedules for today. Cody spends a few seconds looking over the plan for the day. When Cody is done looking over the information, he stands up, and as he does, Chase enters the room.

"Daddy, can I color in here?"

Chase stares at his dad as he waits for an answer.

"Sure, Bud, but you have to be quiet. I'm in a meeting, okay."

Chase sits down on the floor and colors in his book while Cody begins the meeting. First, he goes over the patients and why they are coming into the office today. He spends several minutes reviewing the patients and their health concerns. When Cody is done reviewing the patients, he invites Jennifer to stand up. Jennifer goes over exactly what the plan is for Chase today. When the little guy hears his name, he perks up and pauses his coloring for a second to listen to what Jennifer is saying. When Jennifer ends her part of the meeting, Cody officially ends the meeting, and the crew heads out to get work done.

***

Jennifer starts the day with Chase so that at least Andrew and Cody have a couple of hours to get patients seen. Andrew thinks that he gets a lot of kids on his schedule. He knows that isn't true, but it sure does feel that way. It's okay, though, because he loves kids, and the kids like having him as their nurse, and some parents like having him as their kid's nurse. Cody smiles when he sees Andrew doing something sweet, but he has to control himself because he doesn't want any patients knowing that something is going on between him and the nurse. Meanwhile, Jennifer is, for the most part, just watching Chase entertain himself. There were a few times when Chase decided that he wanted her to read to him. He's a pretty easy kid to watch. Andrew thinks that the first hour at work flew by, but the second-hour sort of dragged. Time at work can be funny, and it only takes one patient to affect the flow of time. Sometimes, it happens without the patient or patients even noticing that time has slowed. Andrew is about to replace Jennifer, but before he does, he washes his hands and then heads to the break room.

"You're up, Jennifer."

Jennifer nods her head and walks over to the sink to wash her hands before leaving the room. Meanwhile, Chase is all smiling because he's excited to see that Daddy's date is in the room with him.

***

Seeing that smile even makes Andrew smile.

"Are you watching me now?"

Andrew looks at Chase, walks over to the chair that the boy is sitting in, and looks at what the boy is doing. Chase is working on one of the activity books, and he's working on a maze. He's not doing it correctly, but he's having fun.

"I'm going to watch you for a couple of hours while daddy works. Is that okay?"

Chase gets up and moves next to him so that Andrew can sit next to him. Next, Chase gets out his colored pencils and gets a piece of paper so he can draw. Andrew watches as Chase draws one tall stick figure that has yellow hair that is clearly his daddy. Next, he draws a shorter stick figure whose smiling and holding hands with the more towering figure. Next, he draws one taller figure than the shorter stick figure that is also holding hands with the shorter figure. Andrew isn't exactly sure who the other figure is, but something inside of him tells him that the figure is a drawing of him. Chase looks up at Andrew and smiles. Chase places the colored pencils down, puts the picture in his activity book, picks up the other pencil, and goes back to working on the maze. Andrew has questions about the drawing.

"Hey, Chase, who were the guys in the picture that you did?"

Chase looks at daddy's date with a surprised look on his face. He pulls the drawing out from the activity book. Starting at the last figure, he begins to tell Andrew who he drew.

"This is you, me..."

Andrew knows who the last figure is without even being told who it represents, but he'll let Chase tell him who that final drawing represents.

"and this is Daddy."

Andrew's suspicions were right, and hearing the little boy say who the figures are touched his heart. He doesn't know what Cody will think of it, but the big question is, why did Chase draw it. Andrew wants to grab Cody so that he can talk to his son. He watches as Chase places it right back into the

`Is Cody putting ideas into Chase's mind?'

No, Cody wouldn't do that; he wouldn't do that to Andrew or himself. This picture came straight out of Chase's mind. Andrew isn't about to ask any more questions to the little boy about it. He doesn't want to pull anything out of the kid's mind. Still, he would love to know where the inspiration came from to draw this picture.

***

Andrew finds himself looking at Chase, and he is amazed at what he sees. Andrew didn't pick up on this the first time they met, but today, he sees a lot of Cody tucked away inside this kid. Chase seems to have his dad's compassion. He also has his dad's charisma, and anyone who meets him can see it. Chase has a glow about him when he smiles. Anyone who meets Cody knows how sweet his smile and Chase's smile is just as warm. Chase starts coloring in one of these coloring books and seeking Andrew's approval on each finished page. Andrew is enjoying his time with his boss' son.

***

There is a book sitting on the table in the room, and it catches Andrew's eyes. It happens to be one of Chase's books.

"Chase, would you like me to read this book to you?"

Andrew shows him the book, and then a big smile breaks out on the kid's face. It doesn't matter that Jennifer read the book to him because it's the kid's favorite book. Andrew watches as Chase gets out of the chair he was sitting in and climbs up into Andrew's lap so he can hear the story. Andrew starts reading the book. Andrew and Chase both lose track of time. It isn't long before it's Cody's lunchtime. Cody isn't sure what he is going to see as he gets ready to enter the room. The scene in front of him warms his heart. He's never thought that he would see his son comfortable sitting on anyone's lap besides family and Santa Claus. Neither his crush nor Chase sees him as he stands there listening to words as they leave the nurse's lips. For a minute, Cody finds himself getting lost in the book too. Finally, he breaks the spell and speaks.

"Are you guys hungry?

Chase and Andrew look up at Cody with surprised expressions on their faces.

"When did you come into the room?"

The other adult asks, looking up at the hunk standing over his shoulder.

"About two minutes ago, you had me in a trance with your reading. Did you like Andrew reading to you?"

Cody asks his son, but he can tell by the expression on his son's face that he loved having the nurse reading to him.

"I did like it. Andrew reads good. He has funny voices too."

Cody heard Andrew using different voices for different characters, and it makes the story come alive just a little bit more. Cody almost forgot that he was supposed to be taking his son to lunch.

"Hey, we need to head out for lunch. Are you coming with us, Andrew?"

Cody asks his crush, and as if that wasn't bad enough, he then had Chase giving him puppy dog eyes.

"How could I even think of saying no, but before we leave, I need to talk to you."

Andrew said to his boss and the boss's son. Chase is a little excited. Cody is a bit nervous about what his nurse needs to talk to him about, considering he's been with his son for two hours.

***

Cody is a little anxious, so he readies himself for whatever Andrew is going to tell him.

"Chase, can I see your drawing that you did, the one in your activity book? I want to show your daddy how nice it is."

Chase pulled the picture out of his book and handed it to Andrew. Chase's little heart sank a bit.

"Am I in trouble?"

Chase asked, looking at Andrew and then to Cody. Andrew smiled and shook his head no.

"Is this something that we should move to my office?"

Cody asked, not wanting to upset his son any more than necessary in case this picture isn't something that he needs to worry about.

"Yeah I think, we should go to your office to talk."

Andrew answers his boss. Chase is not happy at the moment; even with Andrew's reassurance, he's afraid that he's in trouble.

"Chase, stay in here and color. We'll be right back, and then we will go to lunch. Stop worrying about the picture, okay?"

Chase didn't respond to his dad. Instead, he glanced up at Andrew and then looked at his daddy. He then watched the picture as his father and Andrew left the room. Andrew followed Cody into the doctor's office. The doctor waited for his nurse to sit down, and then he closed the door and sat down behind his desk.

"Let's see this picture."

Cody says to Andrew. Andrew hands the drawing over to his boss. Cody scans the picture and then looks at Andrew. He places the image on the table and turns it so that Andrew can see it.

"Are these two tall figures people that I know?"

He asks his nurse, hoping that the figures aren't who he thinks they are.

"Well, Doctor Gaines...I mean Cody, one of them is you, and the other guy is me. I was not sure what to think of it."

Well, it confirms what Cody has been worried about this whole time. Chase is bonding with Andrew. For all Cody's worry about his son connecting too quickly with the guy in front of him, it seems to be happening. Does Chase see what's underneath the surface of this budding relationship?

"Andrew, I'm going to have to talk with him. I don't want it to be a bad thing, you know?"

Andrew can see the turmoil in Cody's eyes. Cody gets up.

"Andrew, give me a minute to speak with Chase, and then we can figure us out later."

Cody's man would rather talk to Chase and try to help him understand what's going on around him. He leaves the room and heads to the breakroom.

***

When Cody enters the room, he can see Chase looking for Andrew. Cody walks into the room and sits down next to his son. He hands the picture back to his son.

"Hey Chase, daddy needs to talk to you. First of all, Daddy and Andrew are not mad at you. We just want you to understand something. Daddy and Andrew love your drawing. Right now, we are just friends. We've only had one date so Daddy needs time to get to know Andrew, and Andrew needs time to get to know us. Do you like Andrew?"

Chase is glad that he's not in trouble. Andrew is friendly to him, so why wouldn't he like him.

"Andrew is nice to me."

Cody reaches across to his son and roughs up his son's hair. Chase laughs, and Cody smiles.

"He is nice, isn't he."

Cody says to Chase. Chase shakes his head yes.

"Right now, Daddy and Andrew are just friends. We aren't boyfriends just yet, okay? I'm telling you because Andrew and I might decide not to date each other, and I don't want you being upset."

Chase is listening to his dad, but his stomach is gurgling, and he's hungry.

"Daddy, can we go eat?"

Cody knows his son is hungry, but he needs him to understand that things may not work out between Daddy and his date.

"Let's go get Andrew, okay?"

Cody and Chase get up and head towards Cody's office.

***

Chase, Andrew, and Cody are all headed out to eat.

"Where do you want to go eat?"

Cody asks Andrew. Andrew picks a place that Cody's son also wanted to eat and where they hear each other talk.

"How has your day been?"

Cody asks the nurse.

"Overall, it's been a pretty good day."

His boss is happy that his crush has had a good day so far. With any luck, he'll have an even better day.

"I'm glad that you had a good day."

Cody says with a smile.

"How has your day been, little man?"

Cody asks Chase; he likes to include him in conversations as much as possible.

"I like being at Grandma's better."

Andrew feels a bit of a sting at those words. What Andrew hears next changes those stings.

"Can you come to my house?"

Chase asks Andrew. Cody isn't sure if Chase means babysitting, visiting, or reading his son's stories. Andrew is watching Cody to see his reaction. Instead of showing a response, Cody decides to ask his son a question.

"Why do you want Andrew to come over to the house?"

Chase gives his dad the "duh" look and then says.

"So he can read to me."

Chase isn't a kid who is quiet when he wants something or when he thinks something is unfair. Cody hopes that he doesn't lose the latter. Someday, he's going to make his daddy proud.

"I guess he likes listening to you read."

Suddenly, a light goes on in Andrew's head. He isn't sure how the boy's dad will react to the idea that just popped into his head, but it should make the little guy's day.

"If you're good for the rest of the day, maybe your daddy and I can come up with a surprise for you. What do you think? It won't be today though, your daddy and I need a chance to plan it."

Andrew talks directly to Chase, never once looking at Cody until he is done speaking to Andrew. Chase's eyes get huge as he listens to Andrew talk.

"Okay!"

The boy says with a very excited tone to his words. Cody silently nods his head. He likes the idea, but he's not sure what kind of surprise his nurse is thinking of, but he likes the idea. There is nothing wrong with using a little bit of bribery when it comes to kids. For a few minutes, they enjoy their meals, and then the butterflies return to Andrew's stomach. It's entirely possible that it wasn't such a good idea. Andrew is worried that Cody might think that he's doing this to get Chase to like him.

"Why was the baby crying?"

Cody didn't realize that Chase could hear the six-month-old little boy's cries. The baby was getting shots, and he didn't like it even though Andrew was doing his best to make it as painless as possible.

"He had to get shots, and he was scared."

Cody answered his son's question as honestly as he could. As Chase's dad, he wants his son to always come to him when he has questions. Yes, there have been times when he didn't have an answer for his son, and on those occasions when he doesn't know the answer, he will call his mom and get a response, which usually does the job.

"Did it scare you when you heard the baby crying?"

Andrew asked the little guy.

Chase looked at his dad's friend and said.

"I was worried."

Now, it's Cody's turn to be a little concerned.

"Why were you worried?"

Cody wants to know in case he needs to do more explaining.

"I didn't want the baby to be sick."

Cody didn't have to worry after all. Chase is showing his compassionate side.

"I guess we need to finish up our meals so we can get back to the office."

Cody says to his nurse, his son, and himself as well. Cody doesn't like to rush his son when he eats so that he doesn't choke, but they do need to be heading back. Luckily, they finished their food pretty quickly, and since they paid for their meals already, they can head back. Andrew wonders if the ladies will give tease them for going out to eat together.

***

When they get back to the office, it's Lisa's turn to watch Chase. Chase has a bit more energy than he did earlier, but he is behaving great. Lisa watches him draw some more and play with his cars. Chase eyes the book that Andrew had been reading to him, and quickly grabs it and brings it to Lisa so that she can read it. Lisa reads the book the way she would read it to her son, but after having Andrew read to him, it's just not the same. Although he doesn't say it, Chase is bored with the book, so he gets up and decides to color some more. He gets out a coloring book and starts to color a picture of an alligator.

"Alligator starts with "A."

Chase tells Lisa, which makes the twenty-five-year-old nurse smile. She is glad that he knows his letters. Her time with Chase goes a little slower than it did for the other two staff members. She loves kids but watching other people's kids well can be a hassle. Lisa loves her job, and she is good at it, but she's also very serious at times when it comes to her job. Chase eyes the book from eyes the book again, but this time Lisa can see the young man's wheels turning.

"Do you want me to read the book to you?"

His face says it all.

"No, I want Daddy's nurse to read it."

She is trying to figure out which nurse he might be talking about. If it isn't her, then it has to be either Jennifer or Andrew. Only Chase knows for sure which nurse it is that he is talking about for sure.

"Who do you want to read to you, Jennifer or Andrew?"

He doesn't even need to think about it. He simply says.

"Andrew!"

Chase moves to his activity book when the picture is all colored.

***

It's now the end of Lisa's time with Chase, and now Susan has the young man. Cody helps corral his son into the office area. He gets down to his son's level as best as possible and then talks to him.

"Listen, Susan can be mean to Daddy, so don't touch her computer, okay. There is really important stuff on them that can't get messed up. If you ask her nicely, she will help you with your tablet, and you can watch a movie on it, okay?"

Cody digs out his son's tablet and sets it on Susan's desk. Then he moves over by Susan, puts it on her desk, and tells her that Chase can finish off the day watching a movie if it's okay with her. Susan is okay with that, so with a little help from Cody, she gets the movie playing, and Chase climbs up into the extra computer chair and begins watching his movie. Not quite halfway through the movie, Chase asks to use the bathroom. Susan takes him and then finds Doctor Gaines to let her know. She wasn't sure if Chase would need help in there or not. There are apple slices and water for him to snack on, compliments of Susan. A happy kid is a kid who isn't thirsty or hungry. Chase really didn't touch the apple slices, but he did drink the water and then asked for more. One of the things that Cody has taught Chase is manners, so it's no surprise that he's a very polite young man. It's now the end of Susan's time with Chase and Cody again making a brief appearance to check in with Susan to see how his son behaved for her and see if Chase was having fun at Daddy's work.

"How is he doing?"

Cody asks Susan to make sure he didn't need to correct his son quietly.

"Except to get a drink of water or to use the restroom, he's been glued to that movie. My youngest son likes it too, so does his older brother."

Cody loves to have the boys over at the house. Susan's youngest is an excellent play-mate for Chase. Her oldest is a great example to Chase and a bit of a hero in the younger kids' minds. Cody gives his son a fist pump for being good and then returns to his patients. Jennifer walks into the office area and begins coming through the appointments that have been set up for tomorrow.

***

Jennifer gets another couple of hours of work to spend with the young man. She admits that it's not been terrible having the young man here at work, but she wouldn't want to do this every day. Luckily, it hasn't happened in a long time. Things were a little harder when Chase was younger, but he's growing up a lot since those days. Chase again entertains himself really well. A couple of times, Chase asked for printer paper to draw on them, and Susan gave Jennifer three sheets to finish up his day. Chase thought that was nice of her. He was starting to get a little tired, and a couple of times, he would see his daddy and want to go running to him. Susan looked at his tablet and loaded up another movie for him to watch with Cody's permission. It didn't hold his attention for very long, but it did allow Jennifer and Susan to get some work done. Chase is pleased to have the movie to watch, but he really wants Andrew to watch it with him. He quietly set the tablet down and snuck off to find Andrew. Andrew is sitting quietly in the break room working on some paperwork when Chase appears in the room.

"Can you watch a movie with me?"

Chase sounds like a kid at Christmas time talking to Santa Claus. Andrew hates to disappoint him, but he had to get this paperwork done before the next patient is due to enter the exam room.

"Chase, I'm sorry, but I have work to do. Why don't you go back where you were sitting and ask Jennifer to read to you?"

Chase seems defeated as he returns to the office area. Cody spots his son returning to the office area, and he also saw where he came from, so he peeks inside the breakroom really quick.

"Was Chase just in here with you?"

Andrew wasn't expecting to see his boss in the room.

"Yeah, he wanted me to watch a movie with him, but I have to get this report done. I told him that he needed to go back to the office and ask Jennifer to read. He seemed kind of bummed."

Cody looked at his watch and then looked at Andrew.

"He hasn't had a nap, so I'm guessing he's going to struggle just a little bit. I hope he's not too bad, though."

Cody says as Andrew finishes up his report.

"I can check on him after I get the next patient's vitals wrapped up. Maybe I can even read him a couple of pages or something."

Andrew says as he puts the report on his clipboard and then walks out breakroom so he can meet the final patient of the day.

"You know, you are already spoiling my son. You are making it very hard to keep him from getting attached to you."

Cody says quietly, so the patients don't hear him. Andrew nods his head, and then he walks out into the waiting room. Chase sits down and does some more coloring in his book. Andrew couldn't check on Chase like he said because things went from calm to hectic. The teen in the exam room sees that Doctor Gaines for the first time, and Doctor Gaines has reason to believe that the young man is sixteen and might have a heart issue, but he needs to confirm it. Doctor Gaines ordered some additional tests, and one of them is an EKG, so rather then have the teen come back for the test, Doctor Gaines has Andrew set it up and run it. Andrew can't read the test, but he is pretty skilled with the machine. He's that way with all the equipment. This teen is one example of Cody's thoroughness when it comes to his patients. This teen isn't happy to hear that his condition could leave him on the bench, but he agrees it's better to be safe than sorry. Now, the day is done, and Cody goes to check on his son.

***

Cody finds his son curled up in one of the computer chairs, doing his best not to fall asleep. When Chase saw his dad, his tired eyes disappeared, and he quickly jumped up and ran to hug his dad.

"Wow, I should bring you to work more often, Chase, if you are going to greet me this way at the end of the way."

Chase did not look too happy at his dad's comment.

"No, Grandma will miss me."

The little guy isn't wrong. Grandma Gaines would miss him.

"I think it's time to get ready to go home. Daddy has all his paperwork filled out already, and I've been told to get out of here."

Lisa came out of the back and looked at the two Gaines' guys.

"You guys need to head out. Cody, if you have paperwork left to do, you can come in early to do it if you have to. Someone seems pretty tired."

She can see it in Chase's eyes no matter how much he's fighting being awake.

"Daddy, we can't leave yet?"

Cody doesn't get why they can't leave, but he's sure Chase has it all figured out.

"Why can't we leave yet?"

Chase looks sad, and that has Cody feeling all kinds of sad as well.

"I need to tell Andrew bye."

It's a simple request from his son, who is Cody, to say no to that.

"Hurry up, go tell my nurse bye-bye."

Chase takes off looking for Andrew. He checks all six exam rooms, checks his daddy's office, and finally sees him filling out some paperwork in the break room. Chase walks up to where Andrew is sitting and taps on his arm.

"What's up, Chase?"

Andrew sets his pen down as he looks into the kid's eyes.

"I have to say goodbye. Daddy is taking me home. Thanks for reading to me! I was good. Bye!"

Chase can't help but smile.

`Think I have a friend.'

"Bye, Chase, be good!"

Cody showed up in the break room loaded down with all of Chase's stuff.

"Chase, we need to make sure that you have all your stuff, so I want you to check in here and then check in the officer area by Susan and Jennifer. Hurry up!"

Chase didn't say a thing; he circled the table, grabbed a couple of things, and then left the room to check in the office area. When he had gathered up his stuff, Chase came back to his dad and Andrew. Chase, Cody, and Andrew leave the breakroom and head towards the office. The young man took turns, saying goodbye to the ladies who are busy in the office.

"Daddy, I'm ready to go."

Chase said goodbye to Andrew again, and then Cody said goodbye to Andrew. Cody and Chase left the office, headed for their next stop.

***

Cody didn't make it very far before his son fell asleep. He knows, though, the minute that the car stops, that Chase will be wide awake. When they get home, his son might go up to his bedroom for a nap, or he might curl up on the couch and finish his nap. Today though, they have to stop by Cody's parents' house long enough to give Grandma and Grandpa a chance to get their daily dose of their grandson. After spending all day with Chase on an average day, Jacob Gaines and Ella Gaines love it when Chase goes home, but they would never pass up a chance to see him. When they pull into the driveway, Chase wakes up and looks out the window at his surroundings

"This isn't our house."

In Chase's nap haze, he doesn't realize where he is at, and Cody doesn't get it. Any other time, his son would be out of the car already and running up to the front door. Today both Grandma's and Grandpa's cars are in the driveway.

"Where are we, Chase?"

Cody's son looks out the window again and realizes that he is at his grandparent's house. Cody unlocks the door and then comes waits for a second for Chase to undo his seat. Chase is at the front door before Cody could get up there. When Cody reaches the front door, he opens the storm door and then knocks on the front door. Chase gets excited because he can hear someone coming to the door. The door opens, and there stands Grandpa Gaines.

"Well, get inside; I want to see how tall my grandson has gotten in the last couple of days."

Cody's dad is sure that his grandson is growing by inches every day. It's not true, but Chase loves it. Chase runs to the entryway into the dining room.

"Hey Dad, how was work?"

Cody asks his dad.

"Your mom and me and had an appointment with the retirement planner today, so I only worked a half-day today. Ends up, I could almost retire early.

Cody doesn't understand why his mom didn't just tell him that is what she was doing today instead of keeping it to herself. He needs to speak to his mom about Andrew.

"Grandpa measure me."

Chase says as he stands next to the spot where Grandpa keeps track of his grandkids' heights.

"I'm coming, young man."

Cody can go see his mom without having to worry about his son overhearing anything. She is hanging out in the laundry room, getting a load ready to be washed.

"Mom, can we talk while you get the laundry ready?"

He asks as his mom places some shirts into the washer. Now that he thinks about it, this could be a big mistake. His mom tends to be very opinionated.

"Mom, you know about the guy that I'm seeing; Andrew, well, something happened that has changed the whole dating dynamic."

She gives her son a questioning glance, and he knows that's a sign that means she wants answers.

"Do I even want to know what has changed?"

She is afraid to find out what has changed, but she also knows that he will tell her.

"Well, Chase and I were in the grocery store, and we ran into Andrew and one of his friends. Ever since then, all I have heard from your grandson is when he can see my nurse again. He already knew that I had a date with my nurse, and then today, he spent the day with my staff, which honestly went really well. However, Chase told me that he doesn't want to do that every day because you would miss him and back to the whole dating thing. I walked into the break room today and caught Chase sitting in Andrew's lap listening to my nurse reading a book to him. Chase was absorbed into the book. I think Chase fell in love with Andrew or at least his reading ability. I have to say that I think Chase has worked his way into Andrew's heart as well. I don't know how to address the wanting to see my "nurse." I'll have to sit down with Chase and then with Andrew and talk about it."

Listening to her son, Ella Gaines starts to wonder if her fear over this potential boyfriend of Cody's is warranted. Still, she can't stop her worrying, though. Worries and fears can be a good thing or a bad thing, all depending on how things go.

"Cody, what do you want me to say?"

He isn't sure what he wants or what he needs his mom to say to him. Is there something else going on with her son, grandson, and this nurse? Is there a chance they might make it?

"Do you see this guy going the distance with you and Chase?"

If Andrew is going to be good for her son and grandson, then she'll accept him, but she will not ignore the danger that this guy represents

"I don't know where Andrew and I are going, but I think there is a tremendous chance that we will succeed."

He wants to be optimistic about the odds of their relationship moving forward.

"Daddy..."

Chase's voice ends the conversation between Cody and his mom.

"What do you want, dude?"

Cody can hear the sound of his son coming closer to his location.

"Grandpa said that I could spend the night on Saturday."

Cody is glad to have a break. It gives him a chance to get stuff done that would bore his son to death.

"Um...did you ask Grandma?"

Grandpa Gaines shows up right behind Chase and gives Cody a look.

"He doesn't need to ask his Grandma; you know she is going to say yes."

Chase stares at his dad, then at this grandpa, and finally, his eyes lock on his grandma. Grandma Gaines smiles at her grandson, and Cody knows that his son has permission to spend the night.

"Chase, we need to go give Grandpa and Grandma their hugs."

Grandma and Grandpa Gaines get their hugs and kisses. Grandpa and Chase walk away for a minute, and then Chase returns with a small bag of candy, and a dollar sandwiched between the pieces of candy. It's a tradition in the house to spoil the grandkids. The grandkids always leave the house with a little remembrance. After getting hugs and candy, it's time to head home.

***

After arriving at home, Dad and son enjoy playing in the backyard for a little bit; then it's time for dinner and a chance to relax. For Cody, it's time to make some phone calls. His first phone call comes from one of his nurses, Jennifer Cross.

"Hi, Jennifer, what's going on?"

She wants to talk to him about something that she observed earlier in the day.

"Cody, I got to see the most amazing thing today. I was walking between the exam rooms and the supply room when I passed by the breakroom. I saw your son grab one of his books and climb right up onto Andrew's lap. I mention this only because when he read the book with me, he sat in one of the other chairs. I walked by a second time, and Chase was focused on whatever was coming out of Andrew's mouth. I thought it was adorable."

Cody agrees with Jennifer the scene that he walked in on was amazing to see.

"Andrew is a master when it comes to reading. I am just happy that they seem to like each other. It makes the possibility of dating Andrew so much brighter. I don't think I need to worry about Chase not liking him or Andrew not liking him. If that is how they'll treat each other when I'm not around, then you imagine what life will be like when I am around them?"

Cody's question warms his soul and Jennifer's as well.

"Well, that is what I wanted to say. Oh, just one more thing, I was wrong about you dating Andrew. Just know that I've got your backs. With that, I'll let you go."

She did, too; she immediately let him go. Cody is on cloud nine after hearing from Jennifer. Instead of setting the phone down, he immediately calls his sister, Mia.

***

Mia was in the middle of doing something for her daughter when Cody called. She missed the call, but being the good sister she is, Mia called him back the minute she was free.

"Thanks for calling me back, Mia; I appreciate it."

Cody said to his sister.

"Sorry I missed your call. What's going on?"

Mia loves when Cody calls because; the two of them share a special connection. Cody is excited to share the news.

"So it's important that you know that Mom and Dad had something to take care of today, and she couldn't watch Chase for me today. I wasn't sure what to do with him, so I brought him in to work with me. My staff agreed the night before that they would take turns watching him. I was worried about Chase spending time around Andrew. It ended up being great. Chase loved spending time with Andrew, and Andrew seemed to enjoy it too. At the end of Andrew's time with him, I walked into the breakroom and saw Andrew reading a book to him. Mia, I kid you not, Chase had climbed up into Andrew's lap. He was glued to that book; Andrew was reading that book using different voices for the characters. There were several times during the day when Chase would ask when he could see Andrew again. I invited Andrew to lunch with us, not only for Chase but also for me. Chase told us that he wanted Andrew to come to the house so he could read to him. I think I could talk Andrew into coming over to read to him. Overall, the day was super successful. What do you think?"

Mia was quiet for a second or two, and then she gave her opinion, which Mia is good at, which is why he called her.

"Cody, I think Andrew and Chase are developing a bond. If I know my little nephew, I know that you are stuck with him if you read to him. He loves books. I also think he's picked up on your feelings for your guy. Does Chase want to be friends with Andrew?"

Chase knows that Daddy likes Andrew and that Cody went on a date with him.

"Well, he knows that I had a date with Andrew, but I am not exactly sure what he knows and what he doesn't know. I know that he likes Andrew, and I think that bond has grown a little bit today. I could ask Andrew to babysit Chase, and Chase would be okay with it."

Mia is listening to everything her brother is saying.

"I say go for it. Don't let your heart tell you that this won't work because then it will fail. In orders, don't allow doubt creep in about you and Andrew.

Cody is doing his best not to let anything or anyone get to him. He hopes that Andrew is finding some solid footing so that; he sees only good things about the possibility of a relationship.

"I am doing everything I can to keep things from getting in my way. I'm also trying to take it slow for Andrew's sake because I know his last relationship was not a good one. He made some mistakes, and the other guy made some mistakes. I won't allow that to destroy us."

She is proud of her brother for two major reasons; one, he is getting himself out there and dating again, and two, he has someone who is okay with Chase.

"Don't lose this one, Cody! He sounds perfect, but I think you should continue taking it slow and have some more dates before moving it to the next stop."

Cody plans on letting Andrew dictate the speed at which things move in this relationship. If Andrew gives the right signals, he might move forward only after talking with Andrew first. He doesn't want to lose Andrew either, because that would hurt his son, which can't happen again.

"I don't want to lose him either, Mia."

Mia's heart gets warm, and she knows that is a cue to speak her mind.

"Cody, Andrew needs you to be strong even when he isn't. Know this, he has been the cause of other's misery, he's suffered through hardships and a broken heart, and now there is hope, but he is still scared, broken, and nervous, despite how brave he may come across to you now. I think, if you were honest with himself, he would tell you that he already loves you and Chase. It may not be a strong love, but I know it's there."

She sounds more like a psychic than a sister, but that is why Cody loves her. Her wisdom is unmatched. Mia and Cody spoke for a few more minutes, and then Chase was allowed to talk with his aunt before Cody got him ready for bed.

***

Cody wants to tell Andrew what everyone said about him. He isn't sure that the time is right for him to speak up on his opinions. Maybe when Andrew and him have a more solid foundation, he can tell his nurse what Mia said about him. She is right about him being scared and broken. Someone did a number on his favorite guy. No one should carry the hurt that Andrew is carrying around inside of himself. Andrew needs to let go of the pain; only then can he genuinely have happiness.

***

Cody is relaxing at home after speaking with Mia when his phone begins to chirp, signaling Andrew's call.

"Andrew, what is going on?"

Andrew just wants to hear Cody's voice. For some reason, he's been craving it ever since he came home from work.

"I just wanted to talk."

He didn't want to discuss any issues in their budding relationship; he just wants to talk.

"Oh, okay, how has your day been after work?"

Cody asks because he genuinely cares about Andrew.

"I had some errands to do and then came home to relax before starting dinner. What about you?"

Cody doesn't know if he wants to tell the guy all the details of his day.

"After work, Chase and I went to my parent's house, came home and spent some time outside, and then I made dinner. After dinner, Chase brought me a book to read, and then, he went upstairs and played for a little while, and when it was time for him to go to bed, he came and got me so he could get ready for bed."
Chase enjoys reading at bedtime. Andrew's name came up a couple of times during the reading.

"I know Chase wouldn't want to spend every day at the clinic, but it was cool having him there. I'm sorry if my reading caused any issues."

Andrew's reading didn't cause any issues. It did make a certain little boy want his dad's friend to read to him.

"Okay, so if I'm honest, if I let him have way, he would have you reading to him instead of him. I want to thank you for being kind to him."

Cody wants Chase to like Andrew, and Andrew needs a chance to get to know Cody's son, but he doesn't want to overdo things.

"Andrew, I mean it. I don't want you worrying about Chase. I want to focus on us, okay?"

Cody doesn't know how that is going to go over with Andrew.

"I like that idea."

Andrew loves the idea of getting to know his boss and hopeful boyfriend.

"I think it's time to say goodbye so that we can get to bed."

Cody says to Andrew, who knows that it's time to say goodbye. They both have stuff to do before bed, and Cody deserves a chance to relax after putting his son to bed. For Cody, it means playing a video game, and for Andrew, it means putting his thoughts on paper.

***

Andrew pulls his journal off the shelf. He grabs his pen and then thinks about what he wants to write about for today. He decides to write about work and his feelings of being around Chase. One thing is for sure; Andrew's bond with the boy has grown stronger.

"Today was a very different day at work. Cody didn't have anyone to watch his son, so he was forced to bring him to work. His staff, myself included, spent time watching Chase. I spent two hours with Cody's son. I watched as he colored, drew pictures, but what the young man liked the best was the time I spent reading with him, and he loved it. He wasn't the only one who loved it. Cody liked my reading too. My time with Chase didn't end when my two hours were up. Cody took Chase and me out to eat, and I got the impression that Chase wanted me to read with him again, which made me smile. I don't know what will happen between his dad and me, but I hope that; I don't screw this up. I wouldn't mind being the kid's step-dad. Whoa, did I just write that down on paper? Up until today, I never wanted to be a dad before, but the more time that I spend with Cody and with Chase, the more I feel that maybe I could be a step-dad."

Andrew puts his pen down, put the journal away, and goes to bed.

***

Guys, when you go to join the Facebook page, please read over the rules and agree to follow them. You must agree to the rules.

For you Facebook users, join us in the Blake's Saga group and share your thoughts on what you would like to see happen in future chapters. Discuss the latest chapters, and mention any other stories of Chuck's that you have read and would like to see him return to. We're only a small group now and would like have to more members.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/BlakeSagaandMore

Remember to write me at Hnstskr4@aol.com and let me know what you thought about the chapter.