Gregory Patrick

09/24/2022

Jaiden – Chapter 180

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Greg Patrick

 

"Peyton, what's wrong with Jaiden; he looks upset?" "Dale, the Queen's death caused him to think about how much he misses his dad being in his life, and he is having a hard time right now. I have kept eyeing him since he started crying and went onto the deck." "Is there something we can do to help him?" "Right now, I think the best thing we can do for Jaiden is to give him some space and time. I have some of the medicine his mom left for us when we had so much stress, and I will get one of those pills into him one way or another if I think he needs it."

 

"Dang, Peyton, I hate seeing Jaiden like this; it's unusual for him." I agree, Charley, but I have thought this was coming for a long time, and now, it's here. His mom and I have talked about the day this would happen, and I promised her that when it arrived, if he didn't snap out of it reasonably quickly, I would call her. He may fuss with me about taking some medication to calm his feelings, but he won't dare argue with his mother; she wouldn't listen to him anyway." "What would she do that you couldn't – or wouldn't?" "Charlie, I'll do what I have to do, like it or not, when it comes to Jaiden or our children; I'd do the same for you, Dale, and your children too." "I appreciate that, Peyton."

 

Jaiden was crying hard now, looking up and seemingly talking to the sky. That bothered Peyton and Charley, so Peyton cracked the door to the deck just enough so he could hear Jaiden.

 

"Dad, I'm missing you so badly right now, more than I ever have. I wonder what it would have been like if you had been here when I was growing up. I wonder if my being gay would disappoint you, if you would be angry that your son is gay and if you would approve of my marriage with Peyton. Would you love our children, your grandchildren, as much as I hope you would? I have so many questions I have no answers to; it would be much easier for me if you were here and we could talk. Mom says everything on my mind wouldn't matter to you, that you would love me, Peyton, and the kids without any reservations. I hope she is right. Oh, God, how I hope she is right."

 

"Sometimes it feels like you are with me, that your arm is around me, and that your presence is helping me to stay calm in the face of things I can't control. What I wouldn't do to hear your voice telling me everything is OK, that you are not disappointed with me being gay. It isn't something I would choose for myself. I can't help my feelings, and I see no way I could be happy living any other way. I love Peyton and my boys with all my heart, and there is nothing I wouldn't do for them. Mom says you would be the same way."

 

"When I saw Harry at his grandmother's funeral, standing in the middle of the road walking behind her body; and saw him walking to the church, and put his face in his hand and cry, that made me think of how I would feel if it was your funeral and I was walking behind the caisson; my heart was crushed. And seeing Meaghan stand there and do nothing to try to help Harry broke my heart. Peyton would never do that to me, nor would I do it to him; I couldn't."

 

"Dad, if you can hear in Heaven what I am saying, thank you for giving me life; thank you for sharing the genes that help me to care for and love others as you did; thank you for loving my mom and giving her so many good memories that help her to have a heart of gold. If you are ever around as our guardian angel, Dad, please give us a sign, so we know you are here with us, that your presence is blessing us because Hashem allows it. Dad, even though I didn't get to know you, I feel close to you because of what people who knew you tell me; you are so far away yet so near. I love you, Dad, and I always will. I will see you one day, I promise!"

 

"Charley, would you and Dale play with the children upstairs for a while or take them for a walk in their prams; I don't want them to see Jaiden like this; I don't want them to be worried and scared because they don't understand what they are seeing." "Let me get Dale, and we'll go around the corner and see Richard, Sally, and their boys for a couple of hours. I'll let them know what is going on on the sly, so the children won't hear what I tell them." "Thanks, Charley; I love you guys." "We love you and Jaiden, too, Peyton – and our nephews."

 

Peyton walked onto the deck and wrapped Jaiden in a warm and tender hug. He stood there and held the love of his life and let him cry his hurt out of his system – and he cried with Jaiden. It was taking all Charley had not to lose his composure as well, and that was something Dale clued into when they got the children together to walk to Richard's house. When they arrived at Richard's and Sally's, Charley told Richard what was happening, and he took off in a hard run to get to Peyton and Jaiden. He was not going to let them hurt alone. While he was headed to his brother's home, Leon called him, and he filled Leon in on what was happening. Leon said he and Peter would be there as quickly as they could. Three minutes later, they heard Peter's tires squealing as he pulled into Peyton's and Jaiden's driveway; two seconds more, they were in the house, headed to the deck.

 

Everybody gathered on the deck and began softly talking to Jaiden. Peter slipped into the house and was joined shortly afterward by Richard in the kitchen. Peter fixed a pot of coffee the way Dale had taught him and poured a cup for everybody. Before he took the coffee to the deck, Richard dropped one of the tablets Jaiden's mom had given them into Jaiden's coffee and made sure it dissolved. Then he added the cream and Stevia as Jaiden liked his coffee. Fifteen minutes later, Jaiden was so sleepy that Peyton and Richard took him to his bedroom, undressed him, and put him to bed. There Jaiden lay and slept until early Saturday morning when Peyton woke him up to see if he wanted to go to the synagogue services with the family.

 

Jaiden got out of bed, quickly showered, dressed, and got ready to go to the temple for Shabbat services. While eating breakfast, he looked at the guys and asked, "How did I get undressed and into bed last night; I don't remember doing that?" "Sweetheart, you don't remember it because you weren't awake when Richard and I put you to bed." "What do you mean when you and Richard put me to bed?" "Sweetie, do you remember anything about last night?" "Not really; why? " "You don't remember being upset and talking to your dad?" "Kinda, but that is all I remember." "Do you remember Richard preparing a cup of coffee and handing it to you on the deck?" "Vaguely, but after that, I don't remember anything." "Good, Richard and Peter thought you needed something to help you calm down, so Richard put one of the pills your mom left for us in your coffee before he gave it to you. Fifteen minutes after you finished drinking your coffee, you fell so hard asleep that we had to take you to the bedroom to get you in bed."

 

"Peyton, is that when you jumped my bones?" "When I did WHAT!" "When you jumped my bones." "Love, that didn't happen. When Charley and Dale got home with the children, we got them to bed, and then I lay down and cuddled up to you; that is all that happened." "I know, babe. The one thing I do remember is you putting your head on my chest and my smelling your hair. That helped me to relax and go back to sleep. I'm glad Richard and Peter slipped me a Micky; I wouldn't have taken it otherwise, and I wouldn't feel as good as I do now.

 

Jaiden grabbed Peyton, hugged him tightly, and sweetly and gently kissed his lips. He looked at Charley and Dale and said, "Guys, thank you for what you did last night; I love you guys to Mars and back." Charley and Dale smiled, and Charley winked at Jaiden. Somehow, everybody knew it would be a good day for all.

 

Rabbi Kravitz stopped Jaiden after the service and asked if he was all right. "Rabbi, what do you mean?" "Jaiden, I was on our deck last night when you were on yours. I heard your distress, and it greatly concerned me. I would have come over if I had not seen Richard, Peter, and Peyton go on the deck to help you." "Rabbi, was I that upset?" "Bro, you were more than that upset; you were wailing." "Rabbi, I am so sorry; I didn't mean to cause you that much concern." "I know you didn't, Jaiden. I have known you for some time and have never seen you upset about anything. I am next door if you need to talk; call me anytime." "Thanks, Rabbi; I'll store that offer in the back of my mind. Things just built up in me when I watched the Queen's funeral. Her sudden demise brought back thoughts of how badly I had wished my dad had been a part of my life, and I lost it." "I understand, my friend; know I am here for you if you need me, and so is Rabbi Belson. Call us anytime you need to talk; I don't care what time it is as long as you call if you need us." "Thanks, Rabbi; I love you guys." "We love you and your family too, Jaiden, and I will be davening for you."

 

The guys and the children joined Sally, Richard, their children, and Peter and Leon at the country club for lunch. When Jaiden got to the club's dining room, he walked up to the manager and said, "Jake, do you all have a private dining room where the family can eat together? I need to be in a quiet place right now, and I would like to have a room with low light and no people around it." Jake told Jaiden he did have a small, private dining room available, and it was already set up, so all the guys and the children needed to do was go in, sit down, and order what they wanted for lunch. Andrew was with his mom and dad, who had already told him what was happening, so he was reticent. The one thing he did do, however, was walking up to Jaiden, give him the Riley family kiss on the forehead, and say, "Uncle Jaiden, I love you, and I always will; I hope you feel better soon." "That got Jaiden once more, and he grabbed Andrew, kissed him on the forehead, and said, Buddy, I love you to Mars and back, and I always will. Thank you for helping me to feel better already."

 

Richard was watching Andrew from the corner of his eye and trying his hardest not to show the emotion he was feeling about his wonderful, empathic, loving son. He thought about what Peyton had said about having a one-in-a-million son. Andrew isn't a one-in-a-million son; he is a one-in-a-billion son whom Richard and Sally could not be prouder and more blessed to have. Andrew is more loving than any ten-year-old she and Richard had ever seen.

 

When everybody was leaving the club after lunch, Richard tossed Peyton the keys to his Lincoln and said, "Sally, Leon, Peter, and I are taking the children for a walk on the beach. You and Jaiden have a date to sit in front of the falls and have some quiet time together - and don't even think of arguing with me about it. If you do, I will call Jaiden's mom and our dad and let you have a conversation with them."

 

"Richard, that's mean!" "Maybe, but you and Jaiden are going to take some time together today, and I am not taking no for an answer." You get your butts to the park and sit in front of the waterfall, and take a long nap. Oh, by the way, there is a bag in the back of the car with a loaded .45 caliber pistol in case the bear comes up. Shoot him, run like hell to the car, and come home before someone sees you." "I'll shoot him if I have to, but we won't run. Remember, our cousin is the chief judge here and knows the trouble we've already had with bears." "Man, sometimes I can't believe you!" "Yeah, you can; you just don't want to admit it!" "Jenny, Jenny Jr, and Seth – I just can't win!"

 

"Jaiden, this way." "The van is over there, Peyton." "I know, but you and I are borrowing Richard's car at his insistence, and we are going up to the waterfall in the park and taking a nap, Richard's orders. He said if we tried to argue with him about it, he'd call your mom and our dad and let us have a conversation with them." "And you said we'd be at the waterfall at what time, Peyton?" "That's what I thought you would say. Now let's go."

 

Twenty minutes later, Peyton pulled into the state park, looked over at Jaiden, and noticed he had fallen asleep. "Why you dirty dog; wake your butt up and walk to the waterfall with me. I want to lay my head on your shoulder, hold your hand, and feel as blessed as I am." "You know, Love, I'd like to do the same thing with you. If we have enough time left over, maybe we can take a barefoot walk on the beach. When they stepped out of the car, Jaiden said, "Babe, forget the barefoot walk on the beach. The temperature is dropping fast, and it feels like we are fixing to get some snow.

 

When they got to the waterfall, it was crowded, but they could still get a seat on the bench. There was much commotion around the waterfall, so Jaiden asked what was happening. A man said, "that little old black lady over there shot a bear that charged her and her husband, and she shot him one time and dropped him in his tracks." Jaiden replied to the gentleman, "No, it can't be!" "Can't be what, sir?" "It can't be Ginny who shot that bear." "I don't rightly know her name, but I heard it was Martha and her husband's name was Ezra." "I don't believe this; her name is Martha Stuart, and her husband is Ezra Stuart. They raised me when I was growing up in Virginia, and they are helping raise my five boys here in Erie."

 

"Five boys! Damn, son, don't you know what a condom is; or a vasectomy?" "Yes, sir, I do; besides, my spouse and I are pediatricians and pediatric surgeons." "Geez, son, someone as smart as you and your spouse should have known how to cut it off at two children!" Jaiden laughed and told the older man that his children were born from in vitro fertilization, and they didn't have the heart to do away with the extra embryos. "Well, young man, I have to respect you for that; you did the right and Godly thing by your children." "Thank you, sir; we try hard to be good, Godly parents."

 

"Young man, you said you and your spouse are pediatricians; what is the name of your practice?" "It is The Riley-Reynolds Andrews Pediatric Clinic in the doctor's building at the hospital. We are pediatricians who specialize in diagnosing and treating pediatric cancer and general mechanical and environmental pediatrics. Though we are young, our practice has grown exponentially since we opened it before specialized training at St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Memphis."

 

"Do you guys do general pediatrics as well?" "Yes, sir, we do. Most of us are earning a Master's degree to assist us in our specialty areas. My spouse and I focus on the mechanical and environmental issues involving children and causing various pediatric illnesses and disabilities. We identify and work on taking the antagonists out of the child's environment so they can lead healthier lives. I specialize in pediatric Oncology and surgery, as does my spouse. His brother and my brother-in-law do general pediatrics and surgery, and our brother-in-law specializes in emergency and general pediatric medicine." "You guys must be swamped with business." "We are swamped, but we are extremely focused on the children we see, and we don't let being incredibly busy affect us; we're incredibly focused." "Sir, excuse me for a moment."

 

"Officer, Mrs. Stuart is the godmother and caretaker of my children. She also raised me until I entered senior high school. If I may ask you to do one thing, please call Judge Stanislauski about this matter. I believe he can shed much light on what has happened here." "Sir, you talk like the judge is familiar with you." "He is very familiar with me, officer. Just mention my name, Jaiden-Riley-Reynolds, to him, and he will take it from there."

 

"Ginny, are you OK?" "We both are Jaiden. We were going to go to the waterfall to sit and relax, but that bear came charging out of the woods like someone put cayenne pepper pellets in some food he ate. He was like the bear at your mom's when you were a toddler. I'll have him dressed out and ready for the freezer in about an hour. Don told the Game officers to get rid of the carcass for me, and they said they would as soon as I called them. They are even hauling the bear to the house for me." "OK, Ginny, we'll take what you don't want. It will be interesting to see if the children, Dale and Charley, enjoy well-cooked bear meat."

 

"Jaiden, if I cook it for them, they won't know it's bear meat; they'll swear it is beef, I guarantee it." "If they do, Ginny, that will be so funny. If anyone knows what it is, it will be Dale; he is a great chef and knows his food. Charley, on the other hand, will eat anything hot and sitting on the table. I have never seen anyone who loves to eat more than that man; how he stays so slim is a mystery to me."

 

"Jaiden, you and Peyton really love those two boys and their children, don't you?" "As much as you love Peyton, me, and our children." "Son, I don't know if you can love someone as much as I love you, Peyton, and those babies; better not nobody mess with my grandchildren – or you and Peyton and let me see it." "I told Don that's how you felt about us." "Well, he better listen to you about that." "He does, Ginny. He has more respect for you than others he knows; he thinks the sun rises and shines in you." "He's a smart man, Jaiden; he's right!" "Ginny, I can't believe you said that." "Sure, you can, son; you know it's true; just ask yourself." Ginny, Jaiden, and Peyton died laughing at Ginny's last comment.

 

"You know, Ginny, you and Granny, are worth more than the $36 thousand per year that you get paid; you do more than we want you to, and our children are way ahead in their education because of you and Granny." "Jaiden, we do what we want to do and what you pay us has no factor for us when it comes to keeping an always clean house clean and watching children that never give us a problem. Besides, Granny and I get paid only $24,000 per year." "SAY WHAT! Your pay was supposed to increase to $36,000 per year when the children were born! "Well, son, it didn't, and since we didn't know that, we didn't say anything."

 

"Ginny, excuse my language but damned if that doesn't piss me off!" "Jaiden, calm down before you have a stroke." "Ginny, I'm not going to have a stroke. I am, though, going to have one hell of a conversation with our accountant, and I will hire an audit firm on Monday to check his books against what I know he is supposed to be doing every month. He is under contract to immediately pay for any accounting discrepancies that are found, and this mistake will cost him or his insurance company dearly."

 

"Jaiden, the money doesn't matter to Geraldine or me." "I know that, but it matters to me. Even at the amount you are supposed to get, I think you are worth a lot more. You have been my substitute mother, confidant, and spiritual advisor, and you are a grandmother like no other for my children, not to mention Dale's and Charley's children." "Jaiden, Geraldine, and I love you to Mars and back, and you know that; don't get your accountant angry at you over this." "Oh, he's going to be more than angry when the audit team goes in to check his books. Mistakes like he is making can cost Peyton, Dale, Charley, and me a fortune in payments, interest, and penalties."

 

"Dale, Charley, can Peyton and I see you in the dining room." "We're here, Jaiden; what's up?" "Have a seat; I don't want you to hit the floor when you hear what I have to say!

 

"UH-OH, this can't be good." "Dale, you can say that again. I had an audit team go in and examine the accountant's books when I heard certain payments weren't being paid as he was directed to pay them. Do you remember when we sat in this dining room and discussed the increase in Ginny's and Granny's salary?" "Yeah, we agreed they would get $3,000 per month; why?" "I discovered for the past two years that the accountant has been paying the ladies the original amounts they had been paid." "HE WHAT?" "You heard me, Charley. His firm owes the ladies $60,000 each, and he will pay it. He has shorted our office staff $500 per month for the same period and owes them $24,000. I haven't told them yet, but they will find out when his insurance company pays the claims on the errant amounts that should have been paid."

 

"Charley, calm down; your face is redder than your hair." "CALM DOWN...CALM DOWN! The hell I will. If I knew I wouldn't go to jail, I would find him right now and beat the shit out of him." "Charley, language; the children are in the living room!"

 

"Sorry; I should say I want to go find him and kick his gluteal muscles so badly that he craps himself; how dare him do that." "Charley, CALM DOWN! I am taking care of it. Thanks to Dale's dad, I took the precautions he recommended, and the accountant's errors are insured by Lloyd's of London. They have to pay for his errors, and when they do, there is no doubt his errors and omissions insurance will be canceled. In short, he will essentially be out of business – especially when this debacle hits the news – and believe me when I say - it will hit the news."

 

"So, Jaiden, what is the total payout Jerry owes?" "Oh, it's not that much; the total payout owed is about $120,000 to Granny and Ginny and $54,000 to each of the ladies in the office. You might as well say he owes the paltry amount of $175,000 – and he will pay it one way or the other!" "Jaiden, are you serious?" "Dale, do I look serious?" "I guess; you really look like you are mad as hell!" "My anger goes way above that, believe me, guys."

 

Riley Reynolds Andrews Pediatrics, this is Ashley; how may I help you?

 

Ms. Ashley, this is Randy Jacobson with Lloyd's of London Insurance; would it be possible for me to speak with Dr. Jaiden Riley-Reynolds?" "Yes, sir, he is expecting your call; please hold for a moment; Dr. Jaiden is finishing up with his last patient before lunch."

 

"Dr. Jaiden, Mr. Randy Jacobson with Lloyd's of London is on line 3." "Thank you, Ashley."

 

"Mr. Jacobson, I hope you are doing well today and have good news for me." "Dr. Jaiden, I have excellent news for you. I am downstairs with the results of our audit of Jerry Spangler's office. I would like to show you the results of what we found." "Sure, come on up; I'll let the staff know you are on your way and have them show you to my office when you arrive." "Very good, sir."

 

Ashley, you and the ladies can't go to lunch until the insurance rep gets here to speak with me. But, Dr. Jaiden, I had something I wanted to do at lunch. I'm sorry, Ashley, it will have to wait for about thirty minutes; then we'll all go to lunch, and you can have the rest of the afternoon off, all three of you!" "Dr. Jaiden, what brought this on?" "You'll find out soon enough. None of you will be worth anything for the rest of the day when you find out. If what I expect happens, all three of you will be in shock. Just hold on for a half-hour or so, please." "Yes, sir, as you direct. Rule one: the boss is always right! Rule two: if the boss is wrong, see rule one!"

 

"Dang, Ashley, you're a pretty smart lady." "If you say so, boss." "You're the boss, Ashley, not me. I just work here enough to pay the bills and ensure you are paid well – at least as well as the hospital will let me."

 

"Hello, I'm Jerry Spangler to see Dr. Jaiden." "Yes, sir, let me show you to his office."

 

Ashley knocked on Jaiden's door, and Mr. Spangler was quickly ushered into his office.

 

Mr. Spangler, Jaiden Riley-Reynolds; it is nice to meet you." "Likewise, Dr. Jaiden."

 

"So, what is the result of your audit?" "In short, the amounts your personnel were shorted were the amounts you calculated. Here are the company's checks to cover those errors. The audit showed that, outside of the pay errors, your accountant is the best we have ever audited, and we lowered his insurance rates based on our audit. He has made some changes in his office that are pretty radical, so I am sure this kind of error will never happen again. All the accounts we audited were very accurate; your account is the only one where we found any mistakes, and we sincerely apologize for what happened." "Mr. Spangler, that is indeed great news, and I appreciate the efforts of Lloyd's. We are about to go to lunch at the Country Club if you would like to join us." "Dr. Jaiden, I would love to join you and your staff." `Great, if you will, have a seat in the lounge and let me speak with my staff for a moment." "Yes, sir." "It is just across the hall outside the door."

 

Jaiden walked to the front office and told the ladies to lock the front door and meet him in his office. The doors being locked and the office closed, Ashley, Carol, and Maidie met Jaiden in his office. Ladies, I am so sorry to have to tell you that there has been a severe discrepancy in your pay that involves $54,000 for each of you. I don't know how it happened or why, but it did." "Dr. Jaiden, was it a mistake we will have to repay?" "Ashley and ladies, it is an amount you will have to spend the way you want to. Here is a check for each of you in the amount of $54,000 that you were shorted each month from a pay raise I ordered for you. I found out about it last week and had the insurance company audit our books at the accountant's office." Jaiden handed the ladies their checks, and they all cried in disbelief.

 

"Now, as I said earlier, you won't be worth a crap for the rest of the day until you each get over being in shock. So, let's go to lunch at the Country Club, my treat, and then I expect the three of you to take the rest of the day off since we don't have any more patients to see due to it being a school night for Peyton and me."

 

"After a grand lunch for his staff, Jaiden took the checks for Ginny and Granny and headed home. On the way home, he telephoned the ladies and asked them to call their husbands and have them meet him at the house. The ladies called their husbands, and Ezra and Taylor were at the house when Jaiden got home.

 

"Jaiden, why did you call and tell us to have Ezra and Taylor at the house when you got home?" "Ginny, when I discuss what I have to cover with you, I'll probably need help picking you up off the floor. As you know, my accountant had a couple of errors in his books involving shortages in your pay. Ginny, you and Granny, were shorted excessive pay, and I want to give you a check from the insurance company to cover what you each were shorted." Jaiden handed the ladies the checks he had for them, and both fainted. When Jaiden and their husbands revived them and got them to the couch in the den, they started crying. They had no idea that today, they would each receive a check in the amount of 60,000 dollars plus interest.

 

"When Peyton and I get out of school tonight, we'd like to take y'all to the little bistro the ladies like for dinner. Leon and Peter agreed to watch the children while Jaiden, Peyton, the ladies, and their husbands went to dinner.

 

While everyone was enjoying their meal, Ezra's telephone rang, and it was the new pastor at the church calling to inform him and the Reverend about the cost of an organ the church wanted to purchase for the new sanctuary. "Pastor, let me talk to Martha and Geraldine, and then Taylor or I will call you right back." "Yes, sir, Deacon Stuart."

 

"Martha, Geraldine, that was the pastor calling about the organ the church wants to purchase for the new sanctuary." "How much is it going to cost, Ezra?" $35,000, and it is the organ the company demonstrated for the church. They are giving the church a great price on the instrument." Ginny looked at Geraldine with questioning eyes, and Granny nodded yes.

 

"Ezra, call the pastor back and tell him he will have a check to pay for the organ first thing in the morning."

 

"Pastor, this is Deacon Ezra; you will receive a check to pay for the organ first thing in the morning. Don't try to work out a finance agreement to pay for it; the bill will be paid in full."

 

"Deacon Ezra, are you kidding me?" "No, Pastor, I am not kidding you; you'll have the money first thing in the morning."

 

When the pastor hung up his phone, he was crying and shouting hallelujah to the heavens. The church has once again been blessed because of a Jew and his synagogue; Hashem indeed is awesome with the blessings he has bestowed on the growing, primarily black, Baptist church. It truly is no longer a church of mostly black folks, but a church comprised of members from all segments of Erie.

 

The pastor raised his hands and prayed, "Father God, we lift our hands toward the sanctuary of the synagogue and the church, and we ask that you bless all who have blessed You and Your house. Give them love and acceptance only You can give to them; forgive any trespasses they may have against anyone! In Jesus' name, I pray."

 

The prayer was accepted, and the sanctuaries and their members were blessed beyond belief. What a blessing has been received; what a day it has been and what a night it will be."

 

"God is so good!"