Jaiden Chapter 172

Gregory Patrick

07/03/2022

Jaiden – Chapter 172

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"Well, guys, the children are enrolled at the Montessori School and are scheduled to begin classes on 15 July." "How much do Charley and I owe you, Jaiden?" "Nothin, Dale. I registered the children as one big family, and you would not believe the discount we get for doing that." "How much, dude?" "Let's just say it is a hefty discount." "Hefty?" "Yep, less than half what it would cost for a family of five; they were all over themselves to register the children when they realized who they were – children of prominent citizens." Interesting; they think we are prominent citizens, do they?

"Apparently so. The discount was so good I paid for the entire school year for all of the children." "Jaiden! Charley and I need to pay for our kids." "No, you don't; I already paid for them. Peyton and I look at the children as if they are all ours, and we will do whatever is necessary to ensure they have the best in life. Besides, you have six months left on the agreement before you contribute to anything." "I know, but we are working now." "True, but you are keeping all ten children two nights a week so Peyton and I can get our master's degrees in engineering." "I know, Jaiden, but you two have done so much for us over the past 6 years and then some."

"OK, Dale, let's stop it there. I have told you before, and I will tell you again, brothers take care of brothers, and family takes care of family; that's how I see it and will always see it." "Well, thank you, Jaiden; Charley and I appreciate everything you have done for us over the years." "I know, Dale, and that's what makes it fun for me: knowing you genuinely appreciate everything good that happens for you. Whether you realize it or not, you and Charley have taught Peyton and me more than you know about helping people realize their potential and overcome their fears of trying to learn something new."

"You're right about one thing: I don't see where we have taught you that, considering how you and Peyton helped me and Charley stay together at Wellstone. We will always be grateful and owe you for that. And then there is Jenny and her friends who did so much so we could father our own children; that's something I don't think we can ever repay in kind – at least nothing that I can think of right now." "Dale, Jenny has told Peyton that you and Charley have more than repaid the ladies who were your surrogates by being the Dads that you have been and are." "Jaiden, do you think Charley and I have done well in that regard?" "Dale, you and Charley have more than done well; I will stand you against anybody to teach others how to be great parents. Fortunately, your children bear Peyton and me out on that thought."

"I appreciate you saying that Jaiden; it goes a long way in helping me to feel good about our family." "Do you have any doubts about that, Dale?" "Sometimes, when I hear people make snide comments about two gay guys in a same-sex marriage having five children." "Dale, stop listening to bigoted people and stick with what you know is the truth: you and Charley are great parents; ask my mom, Peyton's mom, and Dad. Ask Jenny. Peyton and I better never hear any comments about you and Charley being gay and having children; if we do, heaven help the individual making such a comment. You think I got the two preachers told in the Erie restaurant; you haven't seen anything yet. I even think those two ministers will also come to your aid since they have become close friends of ours and understand our relationships." "You really believe that, Jaiden?' "Yes, I do, Dale; I have no doubt about that."

A couple of weeks later, the guys were at the mall with the children when someone behind them remarked about queers getting married and having children, knowing full well who Jaiden, Peyton, Charley, and Dale were. Peyton and Jaiden were about to turn around and take care of the situation when they heard the guy who made the comment hit the wall. When they turned around, they saw Pastor John Stevens, their pentecostal minister friend, holding the guy against the wall while giving him a loud pentecostal sermon about respect and dignity. The pastor was going full force with what he had to say and was drawing a crowd. The group applauded and shouted approval when he finished what he had to say to the bigot. Sunday, most of those people were in Pastor Stevens' church – and so were Jaiden, Peyton, Dale, and Charley. What made things even more exciting was that the young man who made the bigoted comments toward the guys was in church – with his family.

The young man, Derrell Simpson, was involved in a horrific automobile accident the next day and was brought into the emergency room by ambulance. Jaiden had seen a patient in the emergency room and was still there when Derrell was brought in, so he tended to Derrell, cleaned him up from the blood all over his face, and had him X-rayed to determine if more severe injuries were present. Derrell had a fractured jaw, a broken arm, and a break in each leg. Jaiden called in an orthopedic and oral surgeon to repair Derrell's injuries. He sutured the facial and other cuts and would check on Derrell the next day since he was admitted to the hospital for surgery.

It turned out that the injuries Derrell suffered were worse than initially thought, and his recovery would be long and slow. When he went into surgery, Jaiden made arrangements with Peyton and Richard to handle his patients during Derrell's surgery. He went into the surgical suite to assist in the surgeries. It was a learning experience for Jaiden since he would be doing pediatric surgeries on patients to remove and replace cancerous bone material as his dad had done. When the surgeries were over, Jaiden went with the other surgeons to the waiting room to talk with Derrell's parents. When he walked into the waiting room in his scrubs, Linda and David Simpson's mouths hit the floor; they had no idea Jaiden was a doctor - a surgeon at that. Jaiden talked with the Simpsons for a while before showering and returning to his office. He would see them again that night since he intended to check on Derrell before going home.

That evening, when Jaiden and Peyton walked into Derrell's room, he realized Jaiden was one of the surgeons who repaired his injuries and had taken care of him in the emergency room; he cried. Jaiden and Peyton consoled Derrell as he asked why they had helped him after he said what he did at the mall. "Derrell, people make mistakes; you made a mistake and apologized, and we forgave you. We hoped you would realize that when you came to our home that night for dinner and when we saw you in church the next day. We're Jewish, but Pastor Stevens is our friend, and we sometimes go to his church to support him and teach our children to respect those who are different. Believe it or not, we met him the same way we met you. Like you, he and his wife came to our house a few days later, and we have been friends ever since. We hope we will also be friends with your family and you."

"Doctor Jaiden, I am so embarrassed! I wasn't raised to act the way I did at the mall; it's the way my friends are. They don't like blacks or Jews." "Derrell, are you saying they are skinheads?" "Kinda sorta." "Then let me ask you this: do you think you need to redefine who your friends are; maybe find better friends like the young people in Pastor Stevens' church?" "Yes, sir, I do." "Then do it; it's not hard to do when you set your mind to it." When Jaiden had said that, Pastor Steven's walked into the room, so Jaiden and Peyton excused themselves so Pastor Stevens could talk to Derrell and his parents.

"Derrell, I was standing outside the door and heard what you had to say to Dr. Peyton and Dr. Jaiden; I am incredibly proud of you for what you had to say and how you said it. I look forward to being your pastor and seeing you involved with the youth at the church."

"Really, Pastor Stevens?" "Really, Derrell. God works in mysterious ways, and He did a good work on you this past weekend." "That's kinda what Dr. Jaiden said, Pastor Stevens. He said he met you kinda the same way he met me." "That is right, Derrell, and he got me told the way I got you told, and we have been friends ever since. He's Jewish, but he comes to our church once in a while and has even preached to the congregation." "He didn't tell me about preaching in church." "Well, he did, and his sermon was most excellent.

"I bet he didn't tell you the church fired me when the news reported what I had said and how Jaiden reacted, did he?" "No, sir, he didn't." "I did lose my job as pastor of the church, but Jaiden spoke in the Methodist church one Sunday when the pulpit committee from our church was in attendance. He spoke on forgiveness and asked them to restore me to my ministry and help me become a better pastor. Of course, I was recalled as pastor as soon as that service at the Methodist church was over. As I said, God works in mysterious ways, and I am a better person for having met Peyton, Dale, Charley, and Jaiden. I hope you will also become a better person for meeting them, Derrell." "I already am, Pastor Stevens." "Good, son, that's all that matters now."

"Pastor Stevens, do you think God may be calling me to be a pastor through all this?" "Why do you ask that, Derrell?" "I don't know, Pastor Stevens, that is all that has been on my mind since the incident with the guys and since I have been in the hospital. I can't do anything but sit here and listen to God right now. I feel like I keep hearing Him speaking to me." "Perhaps He is, Derrell, and if God calls you to ministry, you won't be successful at anything else. You will be miserable if you don't answer God's call."

"Pastor Stevens, will you please pray for me and with me so that I get well quickly and can start working toward being a pastor like you?" When Derrell asked the good pastor to do that for him, tears fell from the pastor's eyes. He took Derrell by the hand and formed a prayer circle with Derrell and his parents. He began to pray for God's will to be done in Derrell's life. As he did, the room took on a bright, white glow: The Holy Spirit was there to touch Derrell in a way that there would be no doubt he would answer God's call to ministry.

Pastor Stevens was so moved that he drove to the Riley-Reynolds house on his way home. He told the guys what happened with Derrell after they left his room. When he finished the story, everyone had tears escaping their eyes. The next day, Dale and Charley visited Derrell and then had lunch with Peyton, Jaiden, and Richard. The guys spoke about how odd it was to them that God made lemonade out of lemons every time they were in a nasty encounter. Richard said he thought it was how God used the guys to reach people to bring them to where He wanted them to be. His example was Seth and himself and how Hashem brought them out of a horrid life. Not much was said after that comment.

When the guys were back in the office, Richard and Peyton were standing near the front office when Peyton said, "Richard, you have no idea how proud I am of Hashem bringing you and Seth out of your situation and you two becoming a part of my family. You and Seth are the brothers I always wanted, and the love the two of you give to the family is amazing to me." "Peyton, I should be thanking you and Jaiden every day for what happened for Seth and me; without the two of you, I don't know if our lives would have taken such a turn for the better. We have been immensely blessed to have become members of the Riley family, and I can tell you we are truly happy for the first time in our lives."

Ashley, Carol, and Maidie heard what Richard said to Peyton; all three had tears streaming down their faces. They knew they worked for extraordinary men, but didn't know just how special they were until they listened to Richard's and Peyton's conversation.

Jaiden walked into the front office to hand Carol some files and saw that all three women had tear-stained faces. "Ladies, is something wrong? I can tell you have been crying, which bothers me; if something is wrong, I will fix it." "Ashley turned and said, "Dr. Jaiden, nothing is wrong. We had no choice but to hear a conversation that took place in the hallway, the story of Drs. Peyton, Richard, and you is so beautiful. We all feel you three are extraordinary men, but today, we have realized just how special y'all are." "I don't know what you three heard, but we are simple people who choose to love instead of being uncaring. I'm happy you think we are remarkable men, but I don't know that we are unique; we just try to be good to others and not be stuck on our titles or profession."

As Jaiden walked back to an exam room to see a patient, his mother called. "Ashley, this is Jaiden's mom. Excuse me for asking, but have you been crying?" "Yes, mam, all three of us ladies have been having a melancholy moment." "May I ask why?" "Your son and his husband and brother-in-law. We heard their story today, and it is so unbelievably loving." "Yes, it is, Ashley; when I heard about Seth, I immediately flew to Erie to see Seth and be with him, Richard, and my boys. I went to court with them when Seth was well enough to attend his bio donor's sentencing. Listening to everything that happened was gut-wrenching, and it left me wanting to kill Richard and Seth's bio-dad. Peyton's mom and dad had arranged with the judge to adopt the two as soon as their dad and mom were sentenced to prison. A lawyer had already drawn up the papers the weekend before court. You could physically see years of fear and anxiety drain out of Seth and Richard when Jim and Phyllis adopted them; I cried all weekend, but I had to hide it from Jaiden. Ask Jaiden to call me when he is free."

"Dr. Reynolds, hold on just a second; we have standing orders to put you through any time you call." "Dr. Jaiden, Dr. Reynolds is on the phone asking to speak with you."

"Dr. Reynolds, this is Dr. Jaiden; what's up? "Jaiden, I haven't heard from you for a few weeks, and I wanted to ensure everything is OK." "Everything is fine, Mom. This past weekend, we had a replay of the situation with Pastor Stevens and his friend, and the result was incredible. Pastor Stevens was behind a young man who had quite a bit to say about Peyton, Dale, Charley, and me. The good pastor grabbed the boy by his collar, pushed him against a wall, and gave him a sermon that drew applause and amens from others standing around watching and listening."

"What happened afterward?" "Mom, the boy, and his parents came to the house and apologized for how he acted. Pastor Stevens and his wife also came over, and we all had dinner together. The following Sunday morning, the boy and his parents accepted Pastor Stevens' invitation to visit his church, and they accepted. They were in the church that Sunday morning. What was so amazing was that most of the people in the mall who saw Pastor Stevens dress down the boy were also in the church – and they've been attending every Sunday since. I don't understand it other than to say every time something like that happens, the offender and his family are in church the following Sunday morning. It has to be Hashem working in their lives, like Granddad's picture speaking to Charley so strongly that Saturday morning when he was at your home."

"That was a day when the epiphany was strong, son; look what came of it. How is the boy doing now?" "Mom, don't laugh, but the boy came into the emergency room the following morning right after I finished treating a patient. He had been in a horrendous traffic accident. Since I knew him and was in the emergency room, I cleaned him up, sutured the wounds on his head, arms, and chest, and then had films run to ensure there weren't any serious injuries from the wreck. But unfortunately, he had a broken jaw, a broken arm, and a lateral fracture in his right thigh. I called in an oral surgeon and an orthopedic surgeon and then assisted in reparative surgery the next morning. Richard and Peyton covered for me in the office."

"My, you've had a busy week, Jaiden." "Yeah, I have, but I have enjoyed every minute of it. I got some experience in orthopedics, helping the surgeon work on the boy's leg. I see him every day, and every time I see him, things are a hundred times better than the day before. Pastor Stevens visits him twice daily, and the boy seems headed for ministry in the church. He's been in the hospital for three days and has already read all of the Torah and three books in the Christian New Testament." "Goodness, he is being a busy boy while in the hospital." "He has, Mom; I wish you could meet him. He is an intelligent, dedicated young man who has learned two hard, valuable lessons in one week." "Well, Jaiden, that is why I called; I am off for vacation the next two weeks and would like to come up and see my grandbabies." "Mom, there is plenty of room, and there is plenty of food in the refrigerator. I'll let Ginny and Granny know you are coming; when are you coming?" "How about Friday night? I'll rent a car when I get there and be at your house by 8 p.m." "No, mam, you won't! I'll pick you up at the airport, and you can use our Lincoln Navigator. That way, you and the ladies can go out for lunch and shopping before the children get home from school. Peyton and I can take one car to work."

"Jaiden, what do you mean by saying when the children are in school?" "Mom, we enrolled the children in the pre-k program for 4-year-olds in the Montessori School. They go to school from 8:00 each morning until 1:00 pm. Peyton and I, or Dale and Charley, take them to school each morning, then a van brings them home, blows the horn at the garage doors, and Ginny and Granny go outside to get them into the house."

"When did all this start, Jaiden?" "Unexpectedly, Mom, after Carolyn Spencer spent some time with the children this week and recommended the program. She said they needed the program to assess their abilities and keep them on the correct learning path to be successful when they start regular school and learn to behave in a learning environment and not get into trouble."

"Without getting into trouble?" "Yes, mam, Alaina Noelle has a mean left hook that Dale taught her, and she doesn't mind using it if her brothers get too protective or if someone is picking on one of the boys. For example, a boy in the synagogue nursery was picking on Chuck something fierce several weeks ago. Chuck is perfectly able to take care of himself. Still, Alaina Noelle took all she was going to take over the situation, walked by the boy, put him on his butt with a wicked left hook, and followed it up with a right punch. The ladies in the nursery had to tell us what happened, but they said they were elated that a girl let a boy know she wasn't going to take any crap from him. The boy's parents said the same thing when they called to apologize for the boy picking on Chuck."

"It sounds like Alaina Noelle is one tough little cookie." "More than that, Mom; if I didn't know better, I'd say she is a mean, temperamental little Jewish girl in your mold." "Remind me not to make her mad, son." "I won't have to remind you, Mom; she'll let you know to leave her alone up front if she is irritated. Then, of course, the adults in the house must correct her behavior, but I swear, it is the hardest thing in this world not to bust out laughing when you see her stick up for herself or one of her brothers. We've all said we will pity whoever she chooses to date when that time arrives. Alaina Noelle knows what she wants and will put up with, and she isn't going to compromise her position on either." "Good girl, Jaiden; it's about time girls start standing up for themselves!" "We agree, Mom, but there has to be a limit on who she puts on the ground." "Good luck on teaching Alaina that. I'll see you Friday night between eight and nine."

"Guys, my mom will be here Friday night by 9:00 p.m. She'll be here for two weeks for vacation. Peyton, I told Mom she could use the Navigator unless you wanted to use it; in that case, she can use the Nautilus." "The Navigator is OK, Jaiden; she always fills it up with gas when she is finished using it." "You cheap turkey, you!" "Hon, I learned it from you." "Damn!" "What do you mean by saying damn, Jaiden?" "I can't argue with you about what you said, Peyton, because it was true – and as usual, you made sense saying that!" "I love you too, Babe." "And I am grateful for that, my love."

"You two guys are funny, do you know that?" "What do you mean, Charley?" "You two are the only two people I have ever known who can amicably agree to disagree while disagreeing to agree. Common ground is found in the middle of whatever the two of you do, and, incredibly, neither of you knows where the middle ground is." "Yeah, it's neat, isn't it? Life is more fun when you do that." "More fun or more confusing, Jaiden?" "Yes!"

Jaiden entered Derrell's hospital room and found him in the best of moods. "My, you sure do seem chipper this morning. I figured you'd be in pain and not wanting company." "Doctor Jaiden, do you see this infusion pump? "I do; why?" "It is filled with butorphanol tartrate, and I can push the button and get a small dose every four hours. It only takes five seconds to start working, and, after it does, you don't care if you hurt." "Tis true, my young man, but it is also incredibly addictive." "I know that Dr. Jaiden, so I make sure I don't abuse it. You can check it to see how much I have used since they put it in last night."

"Derrell, you haven't used any pain medication; didn't you need something for pain?" "Doctor Jaiden, Pastor Stevens told me to start praying when I start hurting, and he told me to pray the scriptures and then showed me the scriptures to pray. So, I started doing that and haven't had any bad pain. I never knew you could pray like that." "Derrell, you know that now, and I am proud of you for learning to control your pain without medication. How much sleep did you get last night?" "A couple of hours. I have been enjoying reading the bible and learning new things." "That is fine and good, Derrell, but you must get enough sleep every night for your brain to grow and function correctly."

Jaiden walked around Derrell's bed, rechecked the infusion pump, and then took the control button and pushed it. Derrell felt the medication making him unbelievably sleepy and said, "Dr. Jaiden, you punched the button, didn't you?" "Have a good nap, Derrell; I'll come to see you again before I go home." Jaiden went to the nurse's station and documented what he had done and why, and made sure the nurses knew to ensure Derrell gets enough sleep every night. Afterward, he danced toward the staff elevator while whistling the theme of the Wizzard of Oz.

The head nurse on the floor turned to her work-mates and asked, "don't you wish every doctor who came to the floor could be like Dr. Jaiden?" One of the nurses replied, "Don't you know it? Even when Dr. Jaiden is in a bad mood, he's in a good mood." Then, another nurse turned and said, "And Dr. Peyton and Dr. Richard are just like him. I once asked Dr. Richard how he and Dr. Peyton are always happy like Dr. Jaiden, and he said he learned to be that way by being around Drs. Peyton and Jaiden.

When Jaiden returned to his office, Peyton asked how Derrell was doing. "Peyton, he is sleeping right now. He'd been up most of the night reading the bible and praying the way Pastor Stevens instructed him to control his pain. He must have done an excellent job since he hadn't used pain medication. He told me to check the pump and see how much he had taken during the night. Zero, so while I was checking the infusion pump, I pushed the control button and gave him a dose of the medication. He has a very strong narcotic the orthopedist prescribed and was asleep before I could walk out of the room. Everything in the lab reports looked good, and the nurse's notes were complimentary, so I'll check on him again before we go home." "Jaiden, don't forget your mom is flying in tonight and should arrive around 8:00 pm."

"I am so glad you reminded me about Mom coming; I had forgotten all about that. Please don't tell her I forgot, or I'll get a two-week-long lecture." "And where did you say you were taking everyone for dinner tonight, love?" "I think I said anywhere you wanted to go." "That's what I thought I heard. How about the seafood buffet; the children will have a good time eating seafood. We can try them on the broiled options and see if they like those instead of having everything fried." "That's not a bad idea. I bet they'll love the shrimp scampi and baked cod."

"We'll find out tonight, and if they don't like the broiled seafood, we can always refill their plates with fried shrimp and catfish; we know they love that. But, of course, they're not the only ones who like fried shrimp and fish; watch Charley's eyes when he enters the restaurant and sees the buffet; he'll be like a kid in a candy shop." "Agreed, he loves seafood of any variety. He's mentioned getting some crappy and grilling it at the house. He said his dad grills it with Kraft's onion barbecue sauce. I told him it didn't sound good, and he told me he thought the same thing when he first heard of fish being cooked that way, but when he tried it, it was delicious."

When the guys got to the Wharf Seafood Bar, the children were excited as their dads prepared their plates. Jaiden had fetched his mom from the airport, and she got a kick from seeing her grandchildren's reactions when they saw the buffet. Jaiden was preparing the plates for the boys when he spotted a grilled fish with barbecue sauce. He put a little on each boy's plate and was surprised when they all asked for more after trying it. Charley saw the grilled fish and asked Jaiden where it was on the buffet. When Jaiden told him where it was, Charley got a plate full of barbecued crappy. Jaiden and Peyton also decided to try the fish and discovered they loved it. "Charley, you've done it again!" "Done what, Jaiden?" "Gotten me to eat something I've never had before – and it is delicious." "Told ya it was."