Bill W

Castaway Hotel II

Chapters 11-20

Chapter 11
Many Issues to Deal With

The next morning, there was still considerable tension between Dustin and Kevin, but I could see they were constantly checking what the other was doing, whenever they thought that person wasn't looking. Trey coyly watched them both and went about his morning in total silence, although you could still read the concern on his face.

Danny cornered me in the kitchen when I went back to get my second cup of coffee and asked if we could go to the office to talk. I agreed and we were soon alone behind a locked door. "Dad, Pat decided to go further last night. I was a little surprised he was willing to move on to other things so quickly, but I think he's mostly trying to prove some things to himself from all of this. I'm not sure what it is, but I can tell that there's something more to this than just getting some enjoyment and relief. I wanted to talk to you about this last night, but I heard the argument between Kevin and Dustin and knew you probably had more important things to deal with."

"You were right," I agreed. "The other boys did need me last night, especially Kevin, but I think that will soon blow over. So what happened with Pat?"

Danny began explaining to me about his time with Pat the previous evening. The two boys went to use my bathroom together, as they had been doing for a few nights now, since Pat wanted to shower together again. Danny said he figured Pat might be up for another jack off session, but that wasn't quite what Pat had in mind. Pat suggested they wash each other first and Danny agreed that would be fine with him. As they took turns washing each other's body, they were also managing to fondle every square inch of flesh, when Pat suddenly asked Danny if he'd ever had another guy's dick in his mouth. Once Danny overcame his shock at the bluntness of the question, Danny said he had and Pat confided that he had too.

Pat went on to explain that his mother's boyfriend had made him do that as well, but would never return the favor to Pat. Pat said he tried to fight him and get out of doing it sometimes, but would usually just end up giving in, because it wasn't as bad as what would happen if he didn't. Danny tried to find out what Pat meant by that comment, but Pat suddenly looked horrified that he had already disclosed too much and clammed up.

After their little discussion ended, the boys finished washing each other, before Pat got up the courage to share the rest of this information with Danny. Pat explained that if he refused to give his mother's boyfriend a blowjob, the guy would force himself on Patrick anally. Pat quickly assured Danny that he never enjoyed it and that it usually hurt like hell, so Danny attempted to console Pat about what had happened to him. However, that's when Patrick surprised Danny with his next comment. Pat confided that he often wondered what the guy felt when he sucked him off and figured it must have been pretty good, because the guy wanted it done to him so often. Pat then asked Danny if he would suck him off, so he could find out why that guy had enjoyed it so much.

Danny agreed to do this for him, so he bent down and took Pat's tool into his mouth. Patrick was already rock hard when he got into position, so Danny began to kiss and lick the head of Pat's penis, before he ran his tongue up and down the length of his rod. After finishing that activity, Danny moved lower and took Pat's 'nads into his mouth, one at a time, and sucked on them tenderly, while bathing them with his copious salivary juices. Patrick started to get weak-kneed again, which caused Danny to move him slightly, so he was able to lean back against the shower wall and stay propped up between Danny and the tile. Soon, Danny finished the preliminaries and engulf Pat's entire rod in his mouth and throat, taking him all the way down to his pubes. Patrick gasped as Danny's hot mouth surrounded his meat, as he felt a pleasure that was previously unknown to him.

Danny began a slow, steady, bobbing motion on Pat's lance, letting his tongue and lips stimulate every fraction of it within his reach. Pat was moaning quite loudly at this point and began to instinctively thrust his hips in and out of Danny's mouth. Danny decided that he better bring him off as quickly as he could, before Pat tried to ram his penis through the back of his head.

Applying maximum suction on Patrick's boner, as it slid hectically to and fro, it only took a couple of dozen strokes before Patrick's body went rigid, his tool swelled, his nuts drew toward his body, his back arched and his penis was thrust deeply into Danny's mouth. It stayed embedded there, while his hot, creamy production gushed forth and coated Danny's oral lining. Danny continued to suck and drain his hose, while Pat yelped and whimpered in delight above him. Danny felt Patrick's body begin to slump forward, so he reached up with his arms and helped support his weight, so he wouldn't collapse and hurt himself. Once Danny completed his ministrations on Pat's groin, he stood up and held his brother tightly to his own body, clinging to him until he could stand unaided again. Even then Danny continued to hold onto him, to let him know he had also enjoyed what they had just done.

Pat's head was swimming, as he came down from his post-orgasmic bliss, because he had been totally overwhelmed by the intensity of his climax. It had been the most powerful he had ever experienced. He now wrapped his arms around his partner and squeezed the air from Danny's lungs, with this sudden bone-crushing embrace.

"That was absolutely wonderful," he told his struggling partner. "Now I know why that guy wanted me to do it to him all of the time. I don't agree with how he got what he wanted, but now I know WHY he wanted it. Thanks, Danny, you were just great."

Danny broke free of the bear hug and gasped to refill his lungs with air. When Pat saw what Danny was doing, the realization of what he had done began to hit home. "Damn, I'm sorry, Danny. I was just so happy, but I didn't mean to hurt you."

"You didn't hurt me," Danny gasped out, "you just made it a little tough for me to breathe. I'm fine, though, and I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Enjoyed it? I loved it," Pat enthused. "Thanks, man, that was incredible, but now it's my turn to do it for you."

"You don't have to, Pat," Danny told him, especially after hearing what had happened to him in the past. "I know you never enjoyed doing it with that other guy, so you don't have to do it now, just because you think you need to pay me back."

"No, Danny, I only hated it because he MADE me do it and didn't give me a choice," Pat explained. "This isn't the same thing. This time I WANT to do it. That's the difference. Right now I want to give you the same pleasure you gave me, and I don't look at it as sick or perverted, as I did when he forced me to do it to him. Now, it's just my way of saying thank you and letting you know that I think you're really special. Please, Danny, just let me do this for you."

"Hey, I won't argue with you if you really want to do it," Danny conceded, "but I just wanted you to know that you didn't HAVE to do anything."

"Thanks and that makes a whole world of difference," Pat confessed, "but this time I want to, so are you ready?"

"Oh boy, am I!" Danny exclaimed, looking forward to his own climax.

With a definite purpose and urgency to his actions, Pat knelt down in front of Danny and stroked his semi-hard penis into a full-blown erection. He stuck his tongue out as he began to play with Danny's helmet and teased his slit. Pat manipulated Danny's ball bag with his fingers, but never approached this area with his mouth. Danny wasn't certain as to why he never did, but it just never happened. Instead, Patrick slid his lips over Danny's dickhead and slowly slid down his shaft. He was nearly two-thirds of the way down the length of his two-by-four, when his gag reflex took over and forced him to pull back a bit.

Danny immediately assured him he didn't have to take the whole thing into his throat and could use his hand to stimulate the lower part, if that was easier. Pat quickly informed Danny he never let himself be forced to take more than just a inch or two [5 cm] for his mother's boyfriend, because he hated it and wasn't going to give that guy any more pleasure than he absolutely had to. However, he now admitted to Danny that he really wanted to try to take all of him, but Danny warned him that might not be possible at this point. Danny went on to explain that in time, and with practice, he might be able to do it, but for right now he should just do what he was comfortable with.

Happily, Pat went back to work on Danny's love mast and slid up and down on it, like a kid trying to climb a greased pole. Soon he had Danny panting and then took him over the edge. As his orgasm approached, Danny began to thrust his pelvis forward, but not deeply into Pat's throat, until he filled Patrick's gullet with his male-milk. Spurt after spurt of that rich, creamy liquid slid down Pat's digestive tube and he sucked greedily on this boy-teat, until he had extracted every drop of Danny's seed.

Weary from the effort, they broke apart and Pat sat on the floor of the shower stall. Within seconds, Danny bent down and took Pat in his arms and caressed him and thanked him for what he had done. Both boys smiled at each other and hugged again before they got up, rinsed off and stepped out of the shower to dry. Before they left the room, however, Danny took a chance and gave Pat a quick kiss. It wasn't the opened mouthed, tongue swallowing variety, but it was more than just the peck on the lips that you'd give your mother or your aunt. Pat smiled, but blushed, and they each went to their own room for the rest of the evening.

After Danny told me this story, he left and finished getting ready, while I went up to my room to do the same. I was amazed by what Danny had just told me. That was quite some turn of events for a boy who was angrily calling everyone 'homos' not that long ago.

Once the boys were ready, I took them to school. When I dropped the group off at the high school, I noticed that Kevin still looked pretty depressed and Dustin still appeared upset. I guess a good night's sleep, if that's what they got, didn't help very much. I hoped things might settle down by dinnertime, but I wasn't sure.

That wasn't the only thing on my mind, though. Next Monday was also Cole's birthday and I was planning a party for him on Sunday and doing this, while still being able to keep it a secret, was very difficult. I think Cole was beginning to believe we'd all forgotten about his birthday and he became moodier as his special day drew near. I felt bad that he was taking it this way, but I knew if we could hold off until then, the surprise would more than make up for any depression or feeling of rejection he might be experiencing now.

Of course, the rest of the boys knew about my plans and had also arranged for Brandon and Jay to come over and spend the night on Saturday, so they'd be there for the party on Sunday. I didn't think their being there would make him suspicious, as they stayed over quite often, and I wanted to pull this off for him. Cole told me sometime after he had come to live with us that he couldn't remember ever having a birthday party, except for those at school, so I knew there was no way he'd ever had a surprise party either. Realizing the thrill he would feel when everyone shouted 'surprise,' caused me to be as excited about this little bash as any of the boys. However, I didn't have any more time to consider this now, as I had to shift my attention to running my school.

I was currently dealing with a major glitch in our public address system, which we'd been trying to correct for some time, but the major obstacle was that the system was old. At present, it was working poorly and the messages kept coming out garbled, like you were speaking underwater. However, there was no money in the budget to replace it until next year, so we'd had several different members of the custodial staff trying to repair it, but none of their attempts brought any lasting results. That's why, when a page come for me over the intercom, I knew it meant there must be a problem. None of the faculty or staff liked to use the intercom while we were experiencing these difficulties and resorted to utilizing it only for emergencies.

It was the middle of the day and the older children in my school were at lunch. I was going over some reports in my office, when a page came for me over the intercom. However, I could barely even make out my name.

"Mr. C… e?"

"Yes."

"Could… come… Cafeteria? Cole… caught… mas… ate… and … hit… aide… head."

"He did what?" I nearly screamed, in response. The person on the other end repeated the message, but it was more garbled than before.

"I'll be right there," I informed them, hoping they were able to understand me better than I had understood them.

I rushed down to the cafeteria, where I quickly found two of the teacher's aides standing beside Cole, one on either side, and he was looking very sheepish. "Jo Ann and Terry, would you please step out here into the hall with me, so we can discuss this. Due to the problems with the PA system, I'm not sure I understood what you were saying." As they started to move toward me, I added, "Cole don't you dare move from that spot."

The three of us walked out into the corridor and I turned to the aides. "I'm not sure I understood what you were trying to tell me. You know how the intercom is."

"I hope you're not going to pull the typical parent thing and try to protect Cole, just because he's your son," Jo Ann said. "He can't get out of this one. I saw him do it."

"Do what? I couldn't understand what you were saying," I repeated.

"We said that Cole was caught slinging mashed potatoes in the lunchroom and hit Terry, the other aide on duty, in the back of the head." I immediately started laughing, but then fought hard to control my outburst.

"You think that's funny?" Terry shot back, as they both gave me the most disgusted look they could manage at the time.

"No, I don't," I apologized, "but I'm relieved it wasn't what I first thought you said he did."

"Why, what did you think we said?" Jo Ann wanted to know.

"I'm not sure if I should even try to explain this, but I guess you deserve that much, after I laughed at your explanation. With the breaking up of the message over the speakers, it sounded as if you said that Cole had been caught masturbating and it hit the aide in the head."

As soon as I finished that sentence, both aides looked at each other, trying to picture what I had just described, and both immediately began to turn red and snort, as they tried to stifle their own laughter. It didn't work though, and we were now standing in the hallway and laughing hysterically. The teachers and students passing by, as well as the kids still in the lunchroom, thought we had all flipped out or gone completely crazy, but it took a while for us to regain our composure. When we did, Jo Ann spoke again.

"Oh, Josh. I'm so sorry I spoke to you like that earlier. I was afraid you were going to brush this off, just because he's your son."

"I think both of you should know me better than that by now," I replied. "I would never protect any of my boys, if they were in the wrong. If anything, I would be even harder on them than anyone else. Send Cole out here and I'll deal with him now. He'll be going back to my office with me, so we can discuss this incident further."

They both apologized to me again, but when they saw Cole and thought back to what I thought they'd said about what had happened, they both started giggling again. This really confused Cole, because he didn't understand what they were laughing about and thought this meant he was going to be a dead man. From that point on, he shuffled toward me with his head down and his shoulders slouched, almost looking like a submissive puppy.

"Up to my office, young man. We'll discuss this situation there," I informed him.

He walked beside me up to my office, never glancing at me even once, and the entire walk was done in complete silence. When we entered my office, I closed the door and told him to sit. "Now I'd like to hear your version of this story."

"I shot some of my mashed potatoes at one of the other kids," he admitted, "but it hit the aide instead." He never looked up at me during that whole sentence.

"Do you want to explain WHY you were shooting potatoes at another student?" I enquired.

"Not really," he shot back, quickly.

"Well, I'd like to hear it, anyway," I persisted.

Cole looked up at me, with this sad puppy-dog look on his face, but he wasn't crying. He gazed into my eyes for the first time since I went down to get him and I could tell there was more than just a little embarrassment that was causing his reluctance.

"Please, tell me," I prodded him. "I know you well enough to understand you wouldn't do such a thing without reason. I'd just like to know what it was." He studied my face for a while longer, which also gave him time to choose his words carefully. Finally, he spoke.

"A boy at the other table was saying that I was dumb and so stupid that I wouldn't be in this school, if you weren't my father." He almost spat out the words, rather than speak them, and I knew the other boy's taunts had hurt him deeply.

"You know you're not stupid or dumb," I assured him. "You just have some trouble learning. Even Albert Einstein had a learning disability, but look at what he accomplished."

"Was that other kid right?" Cole challenged, after it appeared that he had failed to listen to what I'd just said. "Would I be sent to another school if I wasn't your son?" He was obviously concentrating more on what the other kid had said, rather than what I was telling him.

"No, Cole, you wouldn't," I stated adamantly. "There isn't anything wrong with you that we can't compensate for. It's just that you need to learn using different techniques than most of the others, that's all. It's not that you can't learn the material, it's just that you need to approach it differently." At this point I paused, to see if he was digesting what I'd just told him.

"I'd like to know who this other boy is?" I pressed, once I thought he'd understood my message.

"I can't tell you," he insisted, after a horrified look came across his face.

"Can't or won't?" I challenged.

"I guess it's won't," he admitted, reluctantly. "Please, let me handle this myself. I don't need my dad taking care of my problems. That would only make it worse. I'll either learn to ignore him or I'll prove to him that he's wrong." Cole was determined to do this his own way.

"I guess that proves it," I responded, admiring his stance.

"What do you mean? Proves what?" he asked, not understanding. "Proves that I can't do this myself?"

"No!" I acknowledged. "It proves you've already solved your problem all by yourself. You looked at the situation, decided what would be best for you and then made your decision. A stupid kid would have taken the easy way out and let me handle the problem for him. You didn't do that. That proves to me that you're not stupid."

Cole flashed me a little grin and then began to walk toward me. "Thanks, Dad. You made me feel better without doing anything to interfere. I really appreciate that."

"Well, don't start feeling too good," I warned him. "You'll still have to be disciplined for the mashed potato thing. You knew better than to do something like that."

"I know," he admitted, "but I just lost my cool. I'll accept whatever punishment you say and won't complain. I know I deserve it, although I wish my aim had been better."

"Very funny," I remarked, sarcastically. "You are assigned to three after school detentions, starting today, and you are barred from attending all after school functions for that same period. You will also write a note to the aide, explaining your actions and apologizing about what happened." He just shrugged slightly and nodded.

"Now, go out and take a seat in the waiting area until your next class," I advised him. "It will only be a few more minutes until the bell sounds."

"Okay, dad," he agreed, as he started to leave my office, but then he stopped at the door and turned back toward me. "I'm sorry I did that. I know you're disappointed in me and that I embarrassed you by what I did. I will try to do better from now on. Okay?"

"Come here, you little stinker," I told him, proud that he had taken that additional step. After he walked over to me, I gave him a big hug. "You didn't embarrass me, although I was disappointed that you didn't resolve your problem with the other student a better way. I love you and understand we all make mistakes from time to time. As long as those mistakes are minor, you learn from them and you're willing to take responsibility for your actions, then I can live with that." I kissed him on the forehead. "Now get out of here, you rascal, before I change my mind and decide I need to paddle your bottom." As he turned and started to leave the office, I couldn't resist the opportunity and gave him a playful smack on his rear. Cole immediately spun back around.

"What was that for?" he asked, laughing.

"For making me forget I was the principal and causing me to slide into my father mode. I don't usually kiss and hug the other students." He merely smiled at me, before he turned and went out the door. He barely had time to sit down before the bell sounded, but he did wave to me as he headed off to his next class.

Chapter 12
A Problem Out of Control

Friday night I could still see the tension between Kevin and Dustin. After dinner, Dustin came to me, to ask for a favor. "Dad, do you mind if I go to the football game with some of my other friends. I really need some time away from Kevin, until I sort things out."

"No, I don't mind," I told him, "but first I need to know whom you'll be going with?"

Dustin quickly told me the other boys' names, and since I didn't hear the names of anyone I wouldn't want him to hang around with, I decided to give him permission to go.

"Will you be coming home with us or will they bring you back here?" I asked, in order to clarify the situation.

"I'd like to hang with them for a while after the game too, if that's okay," he told me. "They said they would bring me home later, if that was all right with you." Although I still had some reservations about the situation, since I wasn't able to put a face with any of the names he'd mentioned, I reluctantly agreed.

"Alright, but just be home by midnight," I advised him.

"Thanks, Dad. I love you," he told me, before leaving to get ready for his big night out. After he walked away, I continued to make sure the others were fed and then I hurried them along, so we wouldn't be late for the game.

Before long, we packed everyone into the van and headed for the school's football stadium. This was our big high school rivalry game, against the team from the community closest to us. It has been our school's biggest rivalry for well over thirty years. Our team wore their jerseys to school that day and most students dressed in school colors, because the school also sponsored a pep rally for this game. It was held just before school let out for the day and was a really big event in our small town.

As planned, Brandon and Jay met us at the game and then the high school boys went off on their own to look for some of their other friends. I thought the younger ones were going to stay with me, but they quickly found a group of their fellow students and asked if they could sit with them instead. After giving them permission, I went up into the stands alone and found a group of teachers and other administrators to sit with. In a way this worked out nicely, as it was nice to sit and chat with adults for a change, about things other than just the boys.

We got through all the pre-game hoopla, which included both schools' bands performing and the teams racing out onto the field for their introductions. Then there was a great deal of noise, a whole lot of action and one hell of a game on the field. At halftime, our team was leading by a single point, since the other team had failed to convert one of its extra point attempts. I was reliving some of the highlights of the game with those I was sitting with, when the boys started showing up, looking to hit me up for some money. They wanted to go to the concession stand and chow down again, so I complied. After doling out a few dollars to each of them, they took off, leaving me alone with the adult crowd, who eagerly joked about me being a soft touch.

The second half was just as exciting, even though our team lost the game on the next to last series of plays. It was obvious there had been a mental breakdown in the pass coverage on one particular play, which allowed the other team's quarterback to find one of his receivers completely open, about thirty yards downfield. He hit him with a perfect pass and it only got worse for our team from there. The receiver did the rest of the damage by avoiding one would-be tackler and sprinting into the end zone, thus completing the sixty-seven yard scoring play. After the extra point was successful, the other team was leading 33
28.

As they kicked off to us, there was still a chance we could pull the game out. The ball was caught by our fastest back and he returned it to just over mid-field. With some great play calling and outstanding ball handling, our team drove another thirty-plus yards, putting them in the red-zone. It looked as if we were going to score again, when one of the running backs fumbled the ball on the fourteen-yard line. The other team recovered the fumble and then ran out the clock. It was a tough loss, but an interesting game to watch.

After it was over, I met the boys at the main gate, where we had agreed to meet. Of course, Brandon and Jay were with them and we talked for a few minutes and discussed what time they'd come over tomorrow, since they were spending the night. Once that had been decided, we said our good-byes and went our own way.

When we got home, the boys cleaned up and goofed around for a couple of hours before they went to bed. I, on the other hand, sat up and waited for my last son to join us. However, midnight came and went and there was no sign of Dustin. I stayed in the family room and continued to watch the tube to help pass the time, while I waited for him show up.

When that program ended, I realized it was now one a.m. and there was still no sign of Dustin. I was beginning to panic, because this wasn't like him. Since he'd been with me, he'd been fairly responsible, so I wasn't sure what to think. Before I knew it, it was after two and the phone rang.

"Hello," I answered, hoping to hear Dustin's voice on the other end of the line.

"Hello. Is this Mr. Joshua Currie?" the voice asked. I didn't recognize it and began to panic slightly.

"It is," I confirmed.

"This is Sgt. Mulligan from the police department," he informed me, rather brusquely. "Do you have a son named Dustin?"

My heart sank. "Yes, I do," I admitted, while my mind raced with various thoughts about why the police would be calling me about him. I didn't have to wait long to get my answer.

"Well, I'm sorry to inform you that we've just rushed him to the hospital," Officer Mulligan told me. "We're not certain what's wrong with him, but he was unconscious when he was discovered."

"Discovered? Will he be all right?" I pressed, gravely concerned.

"I'm not certain as to his current condition," he informed me. "The doctors are checking him over now and they asked me to call you. They need you to come down to sign some forms and get your permission to treat him."

"I'll be right there and thank you," I told him, before hanging up and racing off.

I went upstairs and woke both Danny and Kevin. I told them what was up and asked Danny to look after the others, because I figured Kevin would want to go with me to the hospital. I knew he'd most likely be deeply hurt if I didn't do this for him, even though the two of them were currently having problems. We both dressed quickly and then drove off.

We talked a little on the way down and Kevin kept envisioning the worse case scenario. I told him to think positively until we talked to the doctors, to which he responded he'd try. When we arrived at the emergency room, we announced our presence to the nurse at the desk and were immediately rushed over to the intensive care unit, where we could see Dustin lying on one of the beds. Kevin walked over to stand beside him, while I discussed the situation with the doctor who'd just joined us.

"What's the matter with him, doctor?" I asked, hoping to finally get some answers.

"We're not positive," he began, "but it looks as if your son has overdosed on drugs or at least had some sort of adverse reaction to them." I think my mouth must have hit the floor after hearing that.

"No, it can't be!" I responded. "I don't think he's even tried drugs before." The doctor gave me that look which said, 'how naïve can some parents be?'

"I'm sorry, sir," he countered, "but parents are often the last to know when their children start experimenting with such things. The police are currently questioning some of the boys who were with him and alerted us to his problem. We're running blood tests in order to determine the exact nature of his problem."

"Where are these other boys?" I wanted to know, hoping they might be able to give me more details about what happened to Dustin.

"They've been transported to the police station, to fill out reports," he explained. "One of the officers should be back shortly and will advise me as to any relevant information they've discovered."

"Will you inform me about it also?" I asked, hoping there wasn't going to be some confidentiality issue with it. "I'd really like to know what he tells you."

"Certainly. I don't think that will be a problem," he assured me. "You may stay here with your son and I'll let you know whenever anyone contacts me."

"Thank you, doctor," I replied, before going to be with Dustin and Kevin.

I walked over and put my arm around Kevin's shoulder and looked at Dustin's prone body on the gurney. As was typical, there were multiple tubes attached to his body carrying oxygen, fluids and who knows what else into his system. Kevin was crying softly.

"What happened, Dad?" he sobbed. "What's the matter with Dusty?"

"The doctors think it's a drug overdose," I explained. "They're running tests and talking to other people to try to determine what happened."

"But he's never used drugs," Kevin responded. "If he did, I'd know, but if he just started now, then I'm the one who drove him to it. It's my fault, Dad. I'm the one who did this to him."

"Hang on there, champ," I urged him. "First of all, we're not absolutely certain as to what caused this, and even if it is from drugs, you're not responsible for it. Dustin's a big boy and is quite capable of making his own decisions. He knows the danger of drugs, and if that's what this is all about, he'll be the one to accept full responsibility for his actions."

"But I drove him to it, Dad," Kevin insisted. "If he used drugs, he did it because he thought I didn't love him any more."

"Did you stop loving him?" I asked.

"No!" Kevin exclaimed, shocked that I'd even asked such a question.

"Well, then, you didn't do anything to cause this," I reiterated. "Dustin saw what he wanted to see, even though we all tried to convince him he was wrong. You didn't do this to Dustin. Dustin did this to himself. You can feel bad about what has happened and worry about his chances of recovering, but you absolutely cannot blame yourself for his actions. You did nothing to cause this. His problems were all in his mind, but he just wouldn't admit or accept that." Kevin just buried his head into my chest and wept.

"I love Dustin too," I continued, "and I want him to be all right, but we can't beat ourselves up over what he chose to do. Dustin's teachers and I made certain he knew the dangers of using drugs and understood the possible consequences of abusing them. If he chose to ignore that information, then we can't blame ourselves. We'll all make mistakes, but hopefully we can learn from them. I just pray Dustin will have the chance to learn from this mistake and become a better person for it."

We continued to sit by his side, hold his hand and stroke his hair. We both spoke to him softly and lovingly, letting him know we wanted him to get better, while making sure he could feel we were there for him. Some time later the doctor came by to get me, so I told Kevin I had to leave for a few minutes and asked him if he'd be all right.

"Where are you going?" he wanted to know.

"I have to go speak with the Doctor," I informed him. "Hopefully, he will have something more to tell me about Dustin's condition." Kevin nodded his understanding, so I slipped out of the room, but not before I saw him bend over and kiss Dustin's forehead, as I walked out the door.

"Mr. Currie, this is Detective Mark Foreman," the doctor informed me. "He is the person in charge of investigating what happened to your son." We quickly exchanged greetings and Detective Foreman proceeded to tell us what he'd learned.

"I've interviewed several of the boys who were with your son this evening," he began, " but I still don't have all of the specifics about what took place. It is apparent the boys are scared about what might happen to them, as a result of this, but I think I've managed to get most of the basics. Before I share those with you, however, I have a few questions I'd like you to answer first. When was the last time you saw your son?"

"It was somewhere between 9:30 and 10:00," I replied, "just after the high school football game ended. He came up and asked if he could go out with his friends for a bit, and after checking on who he was going to be with, I told him to be home by midnight."

"That pretty much agrees with what the others have told me so far," he commented. "However, after they left the game, it seems at least one of them got their hands on a drug called ecstasy. Due to the extreme peer pressure, it appears each of the boys decided to give it a try." My heart sank at that point, as I realized Dustin had given into temptation, possibly due to his recent depression. I was now kicking myself for letting him go earlier.

"The other boys informed me," the officer continued, shaking me from my thoughts, "that your son was acting strangely and seemed depressed. They think that's why he agreed to it. They also admitted they were surprised by his decision, since he'd turned down many similar chances to try other drugs at various times. I'm not certain as to what impact it might have, sir, and I'm sorry about what you're going through, but do you happen to know what your son was depressed about?"

"Let's just say that it was a lover's quarrel," I advised him, "and it happened within the past couple of days. That's one of the reasons I let him go out with these friends, hoping it would snap him out of it."

"I understand," the officer commiserated, "and that fills in another piece of this puzzle. Anyway, the boys all tried the ecstasy, but at first none of them noticed that something was different with Dustin. They admitted they had no idea Dustin was in any trouble, until they all started to come down from their high. They explained that when they saw him, they kind of figured he must have had some strange reaction to it. The doctor tells me he now suspects it was some sort of allergic reaction to the drug. Your son was lucky that one of the boys had a cell phone and called 911, before they worried about how much trouble they might all be in."

"Did they tell you anything else?" I pressed.

"You've heard everything I've learned so far," he answered, "and you most likely know more about what led up to this better than I do."

"I appreciate the information, Detective," I offered, "and I'm positive it will help the doctors to be better able to treat him, but I want to get back to my boy. Before I leave, though, I want to thank both of you for everything you've done and hope we can join forces to combat this problem of drugs together, once Dustin is doing better."

They both concurred, so I went back into the area where Kevin was keeping vigil. We sat beside Dustin's bed for much of the rest of the morning. The doctor came in sometime between 9:00 and 10:00, to advise us that they were transferring him from the intensive care unit and into a private room. He explained that his vital signs had begun to stabilize and that from here it would just be a waiting game to see how his body reacted to the continuing treatment.

"Will there be any lingering effects from this?" I asked, hoping for a favorable response.

"Much of that is still uncertain," he informed me. "Drug reactions can limit the amount of oxygen getting to vital organs, so there is always a chance of organ damage or other side effects. However, we won't know for certain, until he is fully stabilized." I just looked at Kevin, knowing he wouldn't like the sound of what we were just told.

"Why don't you two go home and get some rest," the doctor suggested, to which both Kevin and I began to object. "He'd probably prefer to see you alert, rather than sleepy-eyed when he comes to, and I doubt that will be anytime soon."

Although Kevin and I both began to speak, the doctor managed to halt our protests, even before they began. "Look at it this way," he explained, "we're going to clean him up now and put him into a hospital gown, before we move him to the other room, and then the nurses will need time to set his equipment up and get him settled, before you'd be able to rejoin him. Then, when Dustin does come to, we'll have plenty of questions to ask him, tests to run and we'll need to examine him again, before you'd be allowed to be with him, so why don't you just go home and get some rest. You'll all be better off for it, when you can spend time with each other again."

The doctor then added that Dustin would probably also prefer it if we brought him back some pajamas when we returned, so he could change out of the hospital gown, once he regained consciousness. He told us the gowns weren't particularly good for modesty and most patients preferred their own garments, when possible. After agreeing with all of his various points, Kevin and I reluctantly gave in and went home to catch a couple of hours sleep.

Chapter 13
A Time of Mixed Emotions

By the time Kevin and I arrived home, all of the boys were up and had a zillion questions about Dustin. I answered them as well as I could, before informing them that Kevin and I were going to my room to get a little sleep. The two of us then went upstairs, got undressed and crawled into my bed. We were both exhausted, so I wrapped my arms around Kevin, to help ease his concerns, and we soon drifted off to sleep. We awoke a few hours later and showered, dressed and grabbed a bite to eat, before leaving for the hospital again.

We drove there in absolute silence. I was hoping Kevin might initiate a discussion about what was troubling him the most, but he didn't and I didn't feel it would be wise for me to push him in that direction, so I also said nothing. When we arrived at the front lobby, I inquired as to Dustin's room number. The volunteer manning the desk took forever to retrieve that information and then stopped to question us, before giving it to us.

"And you are?" the elderly volunteered screeched.

"I am Dustin's father and this is his brother," I responded, only slightly irritated. I understood they needed to take such precautions, but I was also in a hurry to see how my son was doing. "May we please have his room number now?"

"Just one second, while I check with his floor nurse," she parroted, afterward.

"For what reason?" I insisted. "We are family and want to find out how he's doing. Dustin's doctor told us we could come back after we got some sleep, seeing we'd been here with him most of the night."

She just held up her finger to shush me, while she chatted with the nurses' station. "I have Dustin Currie's father and brother here at the front desk," she whined. "May I send them up to see him?"

It seemed as if it took an eternity to get a response, but she finally hung up the phone and looked at us. "He's in room 247. Take the second elevator to the second floor and then turn left, as you exit from it. The nurse at the nurses' station will direct you from there."

"Thank you," I mumbled, as we rushed off. I was beginning to wonder if there had been a note attached to his information, due to something else happening while we were gone. I didn't have to rush Kevin in order to find out, as he wanted to get to Dustin's room as badly as I did.

When we arrived at the nurses' station, I quickly asked if there had been any improvement and they informed me there had been little change in his situation. Dustin was still unconscious, but his vital signs were stable, and they were currently giving him medications to counteract the effect of the drug. Kevin and I went to his room and I sat down in the chair beside Dustin's bed. Kevin apparently felt more comfortable sitting on my lap, but I didn't mind. We just sat there and touched Dustin's arm, while speaking to him softly.

"Dusty, I'm here now," Kevin told him, he voice choked with emotion. "You've got to snap out of this soon, because I'm very worried about you. You know I love you."

"I'm here too, Dustin," I added. "We're both here for you and want you to get well as quickly as possible. The rest of the boys send their love and will come to see you, once you wake up."

We continued to talk to him, as he lay there motionless on the bed. It was a mind-numbing vigil at his bedside, only made worse by seeing all the tubes that were sticking out of him. We sat there for hours with him, but nothing was happening. We kept touching him and trying to do little things to make him more comfortable, while encouraging him to try to pull himself out of his stupor, as we watched for any sign of improvement.

As dinnertime approached, I finally decided that Kevin and I needed to eat. "Why don't you come with me?" I pleaded. "We'll come back after we eat and stay with him as long as the hospital allows."

"No, you go and you can just bring something back for me," Kevin replied, while his eyes pleaded with me to let him stay there. "I'll be all right, but I can't leave Dusty again."

I finally gave in and left him by Dustin's side, while I went down to the cafeteria. I didn't eat much, not because it wasn't good, but because I had no appetite. I brought some things back for Kevin too, but worried he'd suffer from the same problem I did – a lack of hunger from too much worrying.

After Kevin picked at his meal, we ended up staying with Dustin until nearly midnight. That's when the nurses urged us to go home again, for a few more hours. "Nothing is going to change before the doctor arrives in the morning," the nurse informed us. "He'll be kept him sedated over night, and then the doctor will let us know how things will go from there. You won't do him any good by staying awake and jeopardizing your own health, so go home and get some sleep." After agreeing with the logic of her argument, we left and headed home.

By the time we arrived there, it was already Sunday and I suddenly remember we had Cole's party ahead of us. I didn't want to ruin his special day, so the party would go on as planned. I wasn't certain as to how I was going to pull everything off, but I'd worry about that, after we got a little more rest.

Kevin slept with me again that night, but he had a very restless slumber. Even though I held him against me as much as I could, he tossed and turned the whole evening, even waking up screaming on a couple of occasions. We did manage to get six or seven hours of interrupted sleep, before planning another quick trip to the hospital.

While Kevin was cleaning up, I talked to Danny and asked him to call Aunt Sally. I hope she would be willing to pick up the cake from the bakery for me and bring it to the house, while Kevin and I took Cole with us to the hospital. That would give the rest of them time to get things ready before we got back. Danny asked me how I was going to pull that off without making Cole suspicious, so I told him I had worked it all out in my head earlier.

As usual, Danny agreed to do everything I asked, so I went off to find Cole. While looking around, I also ran into Brandon and Jay. I had forgotten they had stayed over, but they both gave me a hug and a kiss and told me how sorry they were about what happened to Dustin. I thanked them, told them I loved them too and then continued my search for Cole. He was in the family room with Ricky and Graham. Surprise.

"Cole, may I see you for a minute?" I asked. My voice startled all three of them, since no one saw me enter the room.

"Sure, Dad. What's up?" he wanted to know.

"Cole, I need a favor from you," I told him. "I want you to go with Kevin and me to the hospital for a while. Kevin gets bored with just me there and I think you could help him more than I could at this point. I need Danny and Ricky to stay and take care of things, here and Pat and Trey are too new to be able to relate to Kevin. I would ask Graham, but I think he's just too young for such a responsibility. Do you think I can count on you to do this for me?"

Cole looked surprised, but pleased that I had singled him out to perform such an important duty. "Sure, Dad. Anything," he agreed. "I was already thinking I'd kind of like to see Dustin, too."

"Great. Go get cleaned up and changed and I'll do the same," I advised him. "We'll leave the house within the hour."

As soon as Cole raced upstairs to get ready, I informed Danny that everything was set. I also told him to explain everything to Ricky and Graham too, but not until after Cole and I left. I was afraid they'd give it away by their actions, if they were informed before then. Danny said something like, 'he shouldn't have doubted my ability to get one of them to do something like that,' before telling me to let Dustin know they were all praying for him. I told him I'd do that and then went up to my room to get ready. I passed Kevin on the way and told him that Cole would be joining us, but I'm not sure if it registered with him. He was moving around the house like a zombie, making all the motions without any conscious thought.

I joined my two companions downstairs and we said our good-byes to the others, before leaving for the hospital. When we got up to the floor where Dustin's room was located, I sent the boys on ahead, while I stopped at the nurses' station to see if there was any news. While I was chatting with the nurses, the doctor came by to make his rounds. He told me we could go down to the room together, he'd check Dustin over and then we could slip out for some privacy, so he could interpret the information for me. He was well aware of Kevin's attachment to Dustin and didn't want to say anything in front of him that might make it more difficult for him to continue to deal with the situation.

When we walked into the room, the boys were on opposite sides of the bed, holding Dustin's hands and talking to him. The doctor smiled at both boys, before asking them to kindly step outside for a few minutes, so he could examine their brother. After he pulled the curtain around the bed, the doctor checked Dustin's heart, lungs, pupils and other vital signs, and then signaled me to follow him. We sent the boys back in with their brother, while we walked down to a small conference area, where we could discuss Dustin's condition.

"Mr. Currie, Dustin did have an allergic reaction to the drug," the doctor informed me. "It caused his heart to palpitate and his brain to swell. We were able to get his heartbeat under control almost immediately and performed several other procedures to relieve the pressure on his brain. I believe he'll regain consciousness once the swelling goes down more, but I can't guarantee this is what will happen. We're not sure if his allergic reaction caused other problems that we couldn't detect or if there will be any lasting effects from this incident."

"Lasting effects such as?" I lead him.

"Brain damage would be one," the doctor stated quickly. The swelling in his brain would have restricted the flow of blood, which is responsible for carrying oxygen to the brain cells. We're not sure how much deprivation there might have been, nor for how long."

"He's going to live, though? Isn't he?" I pressed.

"He should, but I can't give you a definite response about that, either," he warned me. "There are still too many other variables that could still come into play concerning his condition. Let's just say I'm cautiously optimistic about his chances."

"Please don't tell the boys that," I begged him. "I don't want them to get any more upset over their brother's situation than they already are."

"I understand, and this is just between you and I," he assured me. "I promise I will do everything I can to give him back to you in good condition, as quickly as I can."

I thanked him, shook his hand and then went back to Dustin's room. The boys quizzed me on what the doctor had said, so I told them what I could without alarming them. We stayed in Dustin's room through lunchtime, but I suggested it was time to leave, around twenty minutes of two. Although Kevin wanted to stay, I insisted we all leave for now, but promised him we'd return again later. Disappointed, he walked between Cole and me, as walked back to the van.

We drove home in silence, and I was surprised when Cole didn't even notice Sally's car parked along the street as we arrived. I grabbed Kevin's shoulder to slow him down as we headed for the door, because I wanted Cole to enter first, by himself. We were about two steps behind him when he opened the door and went inside, followed by shouts of 'surprise' and 'happy birthday,' as he entered the foyer. Cole lit up like the red bulb on a string of Christmas lights, as he was swarmed by his well-wishers.

When I walked into the house, I was impressed with what the others had done to prepare for this. The house was decorated nicely, the table was set, with the cake placed at the center, and Danny and Pat had even started barbequing the food.

Cole's two friends from school, whom I had made sure to invite again, were on either side of Cole, giving him their own special birthday greeting. We were soon sitting down to eat and Cole was beaming from all of the attention. At one point his smile began to fade and I asked him what was wrong.

"I feel guilty about having such a good time while Dustin's in the hospital," he admitted.

"Well, you shouldn't," I countered. "I'm sure everyone would agree that Dustin would be among the first to insist you have a good time and enjoy your birthday. You shouldn't have to feel guilty or lose out because something like this happened at nearly the same time as your party. You spend this time enjoying yourself and forget about everything else for the time being. We all need a mental break from the emotional stress we've been under."

"He's right Cole," Kevin added. "I think I know Dusty better than any of you and he'd want you to enjoy your party and have fun. I'm sure his only problem with this would be that he wasn't here to help you celebrate."

That seemed to alleviate Cole's concerns, so for the next couple of hours he let himself go and got into the festivities. After we ate, we sang to Cole, had cake and ice cream and then Cole opened his presents. When the party had ended, Sally offered to take Brandon and Jay home, so Kevin and I could go straight to the hospital. I took her up on her offer and thanked her from the bottom of my heart for being so thoughtful and such a good friend. It's at the lowest points in your life that you discover who your most loyal friends are.

When Kevin and I arrived at Dustin's room, we discovered there was no still no change in his condition. Undaunted, we sat by his bed and talked to him until it was nearly 10:00 p.m. Seeing there was school tomorrow and we both needed our sleep, I insisted it was time for us to go home. Kevin wasn't happy about leaving and argued with me briefly about letting him spend the night there. When I wouldn't give in, he gave me the cold shoulder as we walked to the van.

On the way home, Kevin came up with a new tactic. "Dad, can I take tomorrow off from school and stay with Dusty?"

"No, Kevin, I don't think that would be wise," I informed him, drawing an immediate scowl in return. "This could take days or even weeks until Dustin is back with us and you can't afford that much time off from your studies. I want all of you boys to attend classes and I'll stay with Dustin. I'll have someone pick you up and bring you to the hospital if there is any change."

"But, Dad, I won't be able to concentrate on what we're doing anyway," he pleaded. "I'll be thinking of Dusty no matter where I am, so why can't I just be with him?"

"Kevin, you'll have to force yourself to concentrate on school during the day," I responded, "but I will allow you to go to the hospital after classes are over and you can do your homework there."

"But, Dad…"

I cut him off. "Kevin, you're not going to win this one," I informed him, showing him I could be just as stubborn. "Just accept it, because that's the best offer you're going to get. I know you love Dustin and want to be with him, but that is only going to be after school and on the weekend, if it takes that long."

Kevin jerked his body around, so he wasn't facing me, to let me know how upset he was. He continued to pout throughout the ride and I knew he was probably cursing me under his breath. By the time we got home, most of the boys were already in bed, but Danny was waiting up for us. He wanted to know how Dustin was, so we talked about the whole situation. Kevin even interrupted our conversation to try to get Danny on his side, hoping he could still talk me into letting him spend the whole day with Dustin tomorrow. Fortunately, Danny was smart enough not to get involved.

Finding no help there, Kevin continued to plead with me, but I ignored his mild protest and headed to bed. Kevin stormed off in the other direction, announcing he was going to sleep in his own room tonight, which mildly surprised me.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" I asked him, thinking a simple question might be enough to make him see the absurdity of his actions. Maybe I could hint that he might sleep with one of the other boys instead. "It's hard enough to deal with what's happened, without isolating yourself from the rest of us. Danny might let you bunk in with him, if that would help."

"Nah, I'll be fine," he snapped, before heading down the hallway.

As I watched him leave, I wondered if he was going to be able to handle being alone in the room he shared with Dustin. He had been sleeping with me since before this whole thing began, but I was determined to let him do it, if only to prove he wasn't going to get his way. I knew this was his form of protest and done solely out of spite, but I was willing to wait and see if he could actually last out the night on his own.

After we all turned in, the house seemed unusually quiet – unnaturally so. I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination or if there truly was a difference. I lay there for quite some time, thinking about it, listening to the unusual calm and doing some serious tossing and turning, before I finally fell asleep. However, it was not a good night's rest. My sleep was troubled and Dustin's situation never left my thoughts.

Sometime during the night I felt my bed jiggle and opened my eyes slightly, only to discover Kevin crawling in beside me. In the faint glow of the moonlight filtering into the room, I could see him smile, when he saw me lift my head slightly.

"As always, you were right," he informed me. "I just can't sleep in there without Dusty. You don't mind if I come in here, do you?"

"You know I don't," I assured him. "Come here and I'll see if I can't make you feel a little better," I added, while reaching out my arms toward him, so I could hug him.

"I'm sorry about earlier too, Dad," he added, before allowing himself to cuddle against me.

"It's forgotten," I told him. "I understand how hard this is for you, so we don't need to discuss it any further. In fact, we'd both better get some sleep, if we're going to function tomorrow."

"Thanks, Dad," he whispered, as he hugged me. Good night and I love you."

"I love you too, you little monkey," I replied. "Even if sometimes you are more than a little stubborn." I heard him giggle in response to my comment and then we snuggled together, until we drifted off.

Chapter 14
A Time of Healing

Monday, I took all of the boys to school, before I went off to the hospital. I sat with Dustin all morning, but there was no change in his condition. The good thing was, he wasn't any worse either. During the lunch hour, Judge Shay even came by to visit.

"Judge Shay, what brings you here?" I asked, not sure if he also had someone in the hospital.

"First of all, please call me Steve," he began, "and I just learned about what happened to Dustin, so I wanted to see if there was anything I could do for you."

"Steve, thanks for your offer," I replied, "but other than a small miracle from God, I don't think there's much anyone else can do."

"Then I'll pray for him tonight," Steve responded. "A few extra requests might just get the big guy's attention."

After we talked a little more about what had happened to Dustin, I filled Steve in about how Patrick was fitting in with the family. He seemed please to hear that things were going well with Pat and thanked me for helping him out with that situation. We also managed to discuss a few other topics, before Steve glanced at his watch.

"Josh, I hate to run off like this, but I have to get back to work," he apologized. "Court will be back in session in about a half hour and I need to be there."

"I understand completely," I assured him, "and thanks for stopping by. I'll be sure to let Dustin know you were here, once he recovers."

"Josh, just do me one small favor," Judge Shay added, as he was about to leave the room. "Don't hesitate to contact me if there's anything I can do to help out, even if it's just to stay at the house and keep an eye on the boys for you, while you're here."

"Thanks, Steve, and I'll keep that in mind," I told him, "but Danny and Pat have been very good about taking care of things for me, while I've been away."

"They're a great bunch of boys, Josh," he responded, "and I know you are very proud of everyone of them. Just remember, even the best of kids make mistakes, and I'm certain that's what happened with Dustin. He just made a little mistake, and then it mushroomed, so don't be too hard on him. I'd be willing to bet he won't repeat this blunder any time soon."

"I know, but thanks for caring about him," I replied, and then he exited the room and disappeared down the hallway.

Shortly after Judge Shay left, I did too. Like I had told Kevin, we couldn't afford to take off the entire time Dustin might be in here. I was going to work the second half of the day and then pick Kevin up, once his classes were over. Then he and I would stay with Dustin for a while longer. Brenda O'Hara, Brandon's mother, had called and offered to take the boys home for me once they finished all their activities, so I could stay with Dustin longer. I thanked her for helping out like that, but she insisted it was only a minor repayment for all we'd done for her son. It was nice to have such good friends.

Kevin and I sat with Dustin for about three hours, but still there was no change in his condition. I suggested we go home and grab a bite to eat, but Kevin wanted to stay. He told me I could go home and make sure everyone was fed and then bring him back something when I returned, and then he'd go home with me when it was bedtime. I found that to be an acceptable compromise, so I left him there with his Dusty.

By the time I got home, things were running very smoothly. Danny had ordered pizza for everyone, had it delivered and someone else had made a salad to go with it. The table was set and the boys were just coming into the dining room to eat. My heart swelled with pride at seeing their maturity and independence. I was extremely proud of these young men, who were now helping to take care of me when I needed it most.

"Come on in, Daddy," Graham yelled to me. "Dinner's ready, so you come sit here beside me and eat."

"Yes, sir," I replied in a child-like voice. "Will you cut it up for me?" I teased.

Graham smiled, came over and grabbed my hand and pulled me to the table. "Stop being silly, Daddy. You must be tired and hungry, so sit down here and eat. We'll do everything else."

"Thank you, kind sir," I looked around the table at all of my boys. "I'm very proud of all of you. You've done an excellent job."

"Dad, what would you like to drink?" Danny asked. "I made coffee for you, if you want a cup?"

"That would be very nice," I told him. "Thank you very much."

"How's Dustin?" Ricky asked. "Are you going back to the hospital after dinner?"

"There has been no change," I informed him, "and yes, I'm going back after dinner. I told Kevin I'd bring him back something to eat, so would one of you mind wrapping something up for him."

"I'll do it, Dad," Pat offered. "I'll put it on one of the disposable plates and cover it with aluminum foil. That should help keep it a little warm for Kevin."

"Thank you, Pat, that's very thoughtful of you," I told him. "By the way, Pat, Judge Shay came to the hospital to see Dustin, but he asked about you too?"

"To see if I was getting into any trouble?" He asked, with his eyes bulging open and a look of concern plastered across his face. I think he was worried the Judge might be considering removing him from our home.

"No, it was nothing like that," I offered, to comfort him. "He just wanted to know how you were doing here and if you were fitting in."

"What did you tell him?" Pat quickly followed. He looked worried about what might have been said during that meeting.

"I told him you thought we were all a bunch of homos and hated it here," I stated, as a joke, but Pat looked like he was about to pass out.

"You told him that!" he screamed.

"No, Pat, I was just joking," I assured him. "I told Steve you were doing fine and that you were now a very important member of our family." He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, upon hearing that.

"Did he say anything about the other stuff?" he pressed, still concerned.

"Do you mean about your court case?" I followed.

"Yes, that thing," he responded, while looking as if he couldn't believe I really didn't know what he meant. Now, he looked at me with great anticipation.

"He did happened to say something about that," I added. "Let me see if I can remember what it was."

"Oh, come on, Dad," he pleaded. "You're killing me here."

I looked up and smiled at him. "He wanted me to tell you he was adjourning your case, in contemplation of dismissal," I announced, "upon the condition that you stay out of trouble for a year."

"What does that mean?" He thought it was good, but he was still slightly puzzled.

"It means this," I explained. "If you can stay out of trouble for a year, the charges will be dropped and there will be no record that you had ever been arrested at all."

"And I can stay here to live?" he asked, almost pleading.

"If that's what you want." I informed him.

"YES, I do!" he exclaimed. "I want to live here with you and my brothers."

"Do we have a vote in this?" Ricky asked, with an evil smirk on his face.

"You're just mad because he got even with you," Danny shot back. "You just don't want any competition in the house." By now, all of the boys were joking around and getting some playful jabs in.

"No, this is my decision," I announced. "Patrick is now officially a member of this crazy group, whether he likes it or not."

"I like it!" Pat nearly screamed.

"Hey, what about Trey?" Cole asked, looking at our newest addition. Trey blushed, as he looked up at me.

"He's a member of this nuthouse too, if he wants to be," I explained, and then looked around the room, before I added, "but I can't imagine why anyone would want to be shackled with this group."

"I do," Trey answered, meekly. "You guys are kinda nuts, but you're fun. I like it here."

"Then it's official. I now have eight sons. Isn't anybody going to give me a cigar or something?" I teased.

"How about another slice of pizza?" Trey offered.

"I think that will do nicely," I replied. "And an extra piece for each of my new sons," I added. The jovial shenanigans continued until I looked at my watch.

"Well, I hate to be a party pooper and run off from my wonderful family, but I have to go back to the hospital now. Kevin's probably starving and I don't want to leave him alone for too long"

"We understand, Dad," Pat countered. "We know you're not leaving just to get away from us."

"Are you sure about that?" I teased, which elicited a round of raspberries from the boys.

I returned to the hospital and Kevin and I sat with Dustin until 10:00. I did leave Kevin alone with Dustin for about twenty minutes before we left, because I felt he might have some other things he wanted to say to Dustin, without me being around. He actually started saying his good-bye to Dustin before the door closed behind me, so I heard some of what he said.

"Dusty, you've got to get better. I need you. I'm sorry if I was the one who made you do this. I want you back, Dusty. I want to be with you again…" I couldn't hear anything more, as the door closed behind me.

I walked around the hallway for a while, and when Kevin didn't come right out, I strolled down to the waiting room on Dustin's floor. I figured I'd be able to kill some time there. I watched television for a few minutes, before I decided to go back to Dustin's room, to see what was holding Kevin up. When I walked in, I noticed Kevin was still sitting on the edge of the bed beside Dustin, stroking his hair, looking lovingly into his eyes and telling him stories about what had happened at home earlier. Unable to interrupt this touching moment, I merely sat in the chair and waited quietly for him to finish. After seeing me reposition myself several time, Kevin reluctantly got up to leave, but not before giving Dustin one final kiss and informing him he would see him tomorrow. My heart was aching as I bore witness to Kevin's pain. No matter how many times we had discussed it or what I told him, Kevin was still silently blaming himself for Dustin's decision to try that drug, and seeing him doing that was just tearing me up inside.

By the time we got home, all of the other boys were in bed, asleep. Kevin and I sneaked quietly up to my room and decided to just go to bed and leave our showers until the morning. Kevin spooned back into my body and then reached back and found my arm, so he could drag it across his chest. Before he finally settled in, he also searched under his pillow for his little treasure pouch. Once he located it, he quickly fell asleep and we stayed cuddled together until morning.

Tuesday started off just the same as Monday. I dropped the boys off at school and then went to the hospital to spend a few hours with Dustin. Once again, there was no change in his condition and I spent most of the morning just holding his hand, talking to him and praying. This time, Sally Swarthout came by at lunchtime and brought me something to eat. We were sitting there talking, when Sally pointed at Dustin.

"Josh, Dustin's eyelids are moving," she informed me.

We both concentrated on Dustin's face, until I discovered she was right. Dustin's eyes were fluttering, although only slightly, but something was definitely happening. It might not be much, but I felt it was a sign that he was trying to break out of his prolonged stay in the arms of Morpheus.

Excitedly I pushed the call button that hung next to his bed, hoping to get someone in there quickly. When no one responded right away, I asked Sally to go out and ask them to page the doctor to Dustin's room, before sending a nurse in to see what she could do to help. Before long, the room was abuzz with activity and I heard a weak voice say, "Where am I? What's happening?" It was Dustin.

"You're in the hospital," I told him. "It seems you tried taking ecstasy and had an allergic reaction to it." Although it took a few seconds for this to register with him, suddenly a look of panic began to cover his face.

"Don't worry about that now," I urged him. "Just try to get better. You've been completely out of it for a few days now."

"Why? What day is this?" he asked.

"It's Tuesday," I informed him.

"Tuesday! It can't be," he argued. "It was just Friday."

"It was Friday when you went out with your friends and did a little partying," I explained, "but it is now midday on Tuesday." It took a minute or so for Dustin to adjust to this fact.

"What do you remember?" I asked him, after giving him time to think about what I had told him.

"Not much," he admitted. "I remember my friend giving me something to try, and other than that, not much. I guess I must have dreamed that Kevin was telling me stuff."

"No, you weren't dreaming that," I explained. "Kevin has been here every moment I would allow him to be. He would have stayed the whole time, but I forced him to go to school, because we weren't certain how long it would take you to recover." Dustin merely nodded his acknowledgement, before I turned to Sally and asked if I could speak to her outside the room.

"Sally, would you do me a huge favor?" I asked, once we were out of Dustin's hearing.

"Certainly, Josh, anything," she replied.

"Would you mind driving to the high school and picking up Kevin for me. I'll call and tell them to have him out in front, if you'll do this for me. I promised him I'd let him come back, if there was any change in Dustin's condition."

"Josh, I'd be glad to do that for you," she assured me. She quickly popped back into the room to say good-bye to Dustin, explaining that she had to return to work. After he thanked her for coming and the two of them exchanging kisses on the cheek, she departed. As Sally was saying her farewell, I ran down to the waiting room to phone the high school, to make sure Kevin would be allowed to leave and waiting out in front of the school for his ride. By the time I returned to the room, Dustin's doctor had also arrived. He was already examining Dustin when I entered, and soon informed me that my boy appeared to be doing fine.

I almost collapsed from the sheer relief I felt, so I sat down with Dustin, while the doctor answered all of his questions. Once Dustin was finished, I asked the doctor a series of my own queries. After the doctor finally convinced me that he believed Dustin was going to be fine, he added that he still wanted Dustin to spend a little more time there, just so they could observe him during his recovery. Dustin wasn't happy with that news, but I told him that was only a small price to pay for the stunt he had pulled.

"Dustin, what made you mess around with that stuff anyway?" I pressed him.

"I'm not sure, Dad. I guess I just wasn't thinking," he confirmed. "I guess I was kind of feeling sorry for myself, about Kevin and all, so when one of the guys offered some to me, I just took it. Yes, I admit I really knew better than to mess with it and I'm sorry for letting both of us down and causing all of these problems. If it will make you feel better, I promise I'll never do anything this stupid again."

"I hope you mean that," I replied, watching his reaction as I did so. He didn't flinch, so I guess he really did mean it.

"I'm just happy that you lived through it and will be able to learn from this mistake," I confirmed. "It was really touch and go for a while and I was afraid we were going to lose you. I hope you know I love you, Dustin, and so does Kevin. More than you could ever know. He's been here by your side nearly the entire time, while blaming himself for what happened. He would never have left you, if he could have convinced me to let him stay. He was also willing to try to talk the hospital staff into letting him practically move in here with you."

"Wait," Dustin mumbled. "Why does Kevin think this was his fault?"

"He thinks that you took the drugs because of him," I explained. "He feels the only reason you would have done it was to get over the pain he caused you, so he's been blaming himself for this the whole time you were unconscious."

"I've got to let him know it wasn't his fault, Dad," he expressed, deeply concerned. "When can I see him?"

"I asked you Aunt Sally to go pick him up and he should be arriving here shortly. I hope you two will talk your problems out now and get everything back to normal." Dustin nodded, but he still didn't look convincing.

"Dustin, even if he were physically attracted to someone else," I explained, "he's emotionally connected to you. Don't sell him short. He loves you deeply. He would willingly have switched places with you, if it were possible, even when he believed you might die. He would have sacrificed his own life, just to preserve yours." I think the message was finally beginning to sink in.

Just a few seconds later, Kevin burst into the room. He sported the biggest smile I'd had ever seen and he rushed over to the bed and wrapped Dustin up in a mammoth bear hug.

"Easy, sport," I warned him. "We don't need you to crack any of his ribs or do any other damage to him, now that he's feeling better."

He just looked up and smiled, before he looked at his brother. "I love you Dusty. I really do," he blurted out, not caring who else heard him.

Dustin and Kevin took the next few minutes to straightened things out between them. I offered to leave, but they insisted I stay. They were adamant that I hear what was said as well. Dustin started and explained his position to Kevin, so they both knew where he stood.

"Kevin, it's important you understand that I'm not sure if I'm gay, because I like girls too," he began. "I have even had sex with a couple of them." I think this comment shocked both Kevin and I, and I wasn't sure if this might have happened while he was living with me or before he arrived. However, I didn't have long to ponder that question, because Dustin continued speaking.

"I do know one thing, though, and that is I do love you. I know it's more than just loving a brother, but I'm not sure if it's enough for a lifetime commitment. I'm sorry that I acted jealous and I'm sorry about the things I said to you and Trey. Dad told me you thought I tried the drugs because of you, but I don't think that was it. I was feeling bad because what had happened to us, but that wasn't all. I was confused about my sexuality and just stopped thinking when they offered it to me. I did it, because it seemed right at the time and I wanted to go along with my friends. I can't blame anyone but myself for what happened Friday, and the last person I'd ever blame would be you." I think Kevin was about to burst into tears at this point.

"Kevin, I love you, I really, really do," Dustin continued, "and I have to admit I hate thinking of you being with anyone else, but I'm no longer certain if I'm actually IN love with you."

"I love you, too, Dustin, but I understand," Kevin replied. "I think I can handle anything, as long as we're not fighting. I don't care about you and the girls, that's your business, but I don't want us to argue or shut each other out ever again."

That was basically the crux of their discussion, although it took them nearly an hour to get the entire thing worked out. Dustin began to tire at that point, so we left him alone for a while, so he could get some sleep. I told him that I'd bring all of the boys back later, because they were all worried about him as well.

Dustin looked down at the bed and said, "I guess I worried everybody, didn't I? I guess I'm lucky to have such a wonderful and forgiving family." None of us responded to his comment, because we didn't feel we needed to.

After leaving Dustin, Kevin and I both went back to school feeling much better. Later, once I had everyone together, I told the boys the great news. Most of them had already figured out Dustin's condition must have improved, because I had sent for Kevin and he seemed like a different person when he returned. The two of us filled them on in some of the other information, but just enough to give them a better understanding about what had transpired.

Against my better judgment, we stopped at a fast-food place to eat, then drove home and cleaned up quickly, so I could take everyone to the hospital this time, so they'd all have a chance to visit with their brother. We looked like a parade moving through the corridors and the nurses on duty in Dustin's ward questioned the number of visitors showing up at once, until they discovered the boys were all his brothers. We instantly became the topic of conversation for the rest of our visit, and each of the boys answered questions about our merry little band.

When we eventually left that evening, I told Dustin I was taking the rest of the week off from work, so I could spend it with him. He assured me that wasn't necessary, but I told him it was what I wanted to do. He only responded with a "thanks," before I herded my flock out of there.

As we were leaving, Dustin called Trey back, so he could speak with him privately and apologized for his childish behavior. He told Trey he was glad to have him as a new brother and made Trey give him a hug before he left. Trey had a new spring in his step as we left the building, which let me know this simple apology had an enormous impact on him. That one simple act had bolstered this shy-boy's self-esteem and helped him learn that the last of the boys had finally accepted him as a brother. From now on, he would always be an integral part of our nutty little group.

Chapter 15
Mending Fences

I finally let Kevin take the day off and we spent all of Wednesday with Dustin. He was improving more rapidly than we ever imagined. Even his doctor was surprised by how well he was doing, when he came by to examine him.

"I must say his recovery is just short of remarkable," the physician admitted. "I don't know what brought it about, but I wish I could prescribe it to all of my patients."

"I think it was just a brother's love that did it," I told him, although I'm not sure if he thought I was pulling his leg or not. Then he noticed Kevin totally focused on Dustin and smiled.

"Maybe you're right," he conceded. "Whatever precipitated his progress, I'm pleased to inform you that it appears as if I can release him from here tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Really?" I couldn't believe the good news. "What time do you think that will be?"

"I think we'll watch him up until lunchtime, and if there are no other problems, you can take him home then."

I quickly informed both boys about the good news, since they had not been privy to the discussion, and they were both thrilled. Dustin immediately informed me as to which of his clothes he wanted me to bring for him, so he could wear them home. I quickly explained that I probably wouldn't be doing that tonight, since I also needed to spend some time with the rest of the boys. I had been neglecting them for nearly a week, but I would bring everything in with me tomorrow morning and stay with him until I could take him home.

Once that was settled, Dustin made another request. "Dad, will you come over here, please?" he asked. Immediately, I moved over beside him. He reached out and pulled me to him, first giving me a hug and then pulling me down, so he could also give me a kiss on the cheek.

"And what was all that about?" I asked him.

"It's just my way of saying thank you for not going ballistic on me," he said, with a wry grin. "I really thought you'd go off on me and rip me a new one, because of the stupid thing I did. I was really expecting you to keep telling me how stupid I was or what a dumb stunt I pulled, but you didn't. You just told me I needed to learn from my mistake and not do anything like that again, and I won't. I promise!"

"I believe you, Dustin," I confirmed, "and I was quite amazed that you even did it that once, but I guess there were mitigating circumstances. Next time, let's just talk things out, before they get that bad."

"Okay, I will," he agreed, before he pulled Kevin against him on his other side.

Kevin and I stayed until late afternoon, and then I informed Dustin that I had to go pick everyone up. After I reminded him what they were like if they weren't fed, he just chuckled and encouraged me to go fill their empty bellies. Kevin and I kissed him good-bye and promised to see him bright and early again tomorrow.

The boys were glad to hear about Dustin's improvement and were excited that he'd be coming home the next afternoon. They asked me a bunch of questions as I was preparing the meal, including what they could do to help Dustin, once he returned. I told the high school boys they could go to Dustin's teachers and get the work he'd missed while he was out, but they quickly countered they didn't think Dustin would appreciate that kind of help.

After explaining to them that I had warned Dustin he'd have to make up all his missed assignments, I told the younger boys Dustin might need them to get things for him for a day or two. I warned them that he might try to take advantage of them, but they were to judge if they felt he really needed them to do those things or if he was just being lazy. I was certain they would help, until they thought they were being taken advantage of.

After dinner, the boys finished their homework and then we watched some television, mostly those new game shows. While we did that, the boys managed to slip out at various times, to get cleaned up and ready for bed. I was pleased to hear Kevin ask Trey to join him, since Dustin had hinted he no longer would let that bother him. Before long, the two of them slipped off to the upstairs bathroom.

They were gone longer than was normal, and when they came back down, I was surprised to see Trey was joining us, au naturel. Up until tonight, Trey had always donned a worn a pair of shorts after his shower, but no one ever said a word about it, as we all knew he was extremely modest. I think that's why we all did a double take as he entered the room, which Trey might have interpreted as us taking the opportunity to check him out.

After seeing him naked, I wondered why he had been so shy about exposing himself. He had a decent package and I was surprised he had opted to hide it for so long. He was fairly well hung for a boy his age, I figured he must be about 6" erect, which would rival or surpass some of the older boys. He was also uncut and maybe that explained more about Kevin's fascination with him, since Kevin shared that additional connection with him, as well. Trey's cute face also didn't hurt the magnetism Kevin felt for him either.

After a couple of minutes, Graham also noticed the fact of Trey's natural state, and he quickly crawled up on Trey's lap and whispered something into his ear. Trey then whispered something to Kevin and almost immediately the trio was giggling. The rest of us looked over to see what was going on and they told us that it was nothing important, but then they all giggled again. The rest of us didn't pursue it and left it at that, but I understood these three had the own special bond, as our minority faction.

Part way through the evening Trey excused himself. He said he was going upstairs to play around on the computer and then he was going to his room to read for a while. We all said goodnight to him and then he disappeared. Graham just switched from Trey's to Kevin's lap and we went back to watching our program.

Later, Kevin told me he was going to sleep in Dustin and his room tonight. At first I suspected that Trey might be joining him, so I was surprised to learn that he was letting Graham sleep with him tonight instead. I was glad to see them interacting, although I was still somewhat amazed. Although a two and a half year age difference may not seem like much at my age, it can often be insurmountable to young people their age. However, what made it seem even larger was the fact that Graham was also a year behind in school. Therefore, a tenth grader being close to a sixth grader seemed even more awkward. I guess the fact that they are also brothers lessened some of that impact.

Even though I anticipated sleeping well that evening, knowing Dustin was now out of danger, I didn't. I only slept for short periods at a time, while getting up in between and checking on the boys. Everything was fine and they were all sleeping peacefully, so I concluded it was just my anticipation about bringing Dustin back home. At least I hoped that was all it was.

Thursday morning, I was up early, but didn't wake the boys until their normal time. I also prepared a special breakfast for them, which caused them to wonder why I would go to all that trouble on a school day. I usually only did something like this on the weekend, so they thought something might be up. When nothing more came of it, they figured it must be due to my joy about Dustin coming home. Therefore, they sat down to enjoy this modest feast and stuffed themselves accordingly.

After dropping them off at school, I continued on to the hospital. Dustin was just finishing up his own breakfast when I arrived, even though it wasn't as good as the one I made for the others. He smiled at me as I walked in. "I didn't think you'd be this early, since the doctor said he wouldn't be making his decision until lunchtime."

"Hey, I couldn't wait to be with my boy," I told him, eliciting an even larger smile.

"But you didn't let Kev come this morning?" he wondered, looking around.

"No, he can spend time with you once you get home," I assured him. "He missed more time from classes than he should have, and I can't let him get used to doing such things." Dustin let out a little chuckle.

"Yeah, I guess I'm going to pay for that too," he quipped.

"As soon as you get home," I warned him. "I'm having your brothers pick up all your work and you can start on it tonight and work through the weekend, to make up what you missed."

"Gee, thanks," he lamented. "And I thought you loved me," he added, while looking at me slyly.

"I do," I assured him, "so that's why I'm doing this. I don't want you wasting the chance to make the most of yourself and end up being a dummy."

"Hmmm, maybe I don't want you to love me then," he teased. "Okay, forget I said that," he said, changing gears. "No matter how hard you are about things like that, I'm glad you love me and I'm your son."

"I'm glad you're my son too," I agreed.

The doctor came in and examined Dustin right after lunch and then filled out the paperwork to discharge him. He told me to keep him home until Monday and to try to keep him calm this weekend, but after that he was free to continue on normally. Dustin and I both thanked him for all he had done and Dustin promised to follow his instructions. Happily, he was wheeled to the front door and then hopped into the van, eager to get back to his life.

Dustin was the center of attention that evening, from the minute the boys got home from school. They all welcomed him home and made him feel very special, but Kevin was never far from his side the entire time. Dustin was glowing from all the good feelings he was getting from his brothers and it was easy to see the unique bonds he shared with each one of them.

At one point he was sitting on the sofa, with Kevin on his right side, when Trey started to pass by. Dustin quickly reached out and pulled Trey down beside him, so he was sitting on Dustin's left. Then Dustin lifted his arms and draped one over each of their shoulders, pulling them snuggly against him. You could immediately see that all was forgiven and forgotten.

When Dustin and Kevin started to get up later, in order to head to the shower, they were almost to the stairs when Dustin came back and took Trey by the hand and dragged him along to join them. This time, it was Trey's turn to glow. There was no doubt the whole incident was well behind them and none of us would have to think about it again.

After all of the boys had returned to the family room, I made a suggestion that we invite Brandon and Jay back for another weekend, but this time we would ALL spend time with them and have some fun. I told Danny and Ricky to call them and ask if they might be able to come home with them Friday after school. That way, we could all go to the final home football game together. I told Danny and Ricky to let them know they could stay over both Friday and Saturday nights and return home sometime Sunday, if that was agreeable with their parents. Almost as soon as I finished my comments, Danny and Ricky went to make their phone calls and came back later to say everything was set. That's when I asked the boys for suggestions about what we could do on Saturday, but they merely responded they'd have to think about it and let me know later.

That evening I went to bed alone. I guess I'd kind of gotten used to Kevin sleeping in with me for a while and it was going to be hard adjusting to sleeping by myself again. I was just getting comfortable, when Kevin ran into my room, but only to retrieve his special little pouch. Once again, I suggested he should explain to Dustin what was in it and why it was so special to him, as it might give Dustin a better idea about how strong Kevin's attachment to him was.

This time, Kevin didn't even have to think about it before he nodded in agreement, admitting it might be a good idea, and then bent down to kiss me goodnight. He told me I could come join them if I got lonely, but quickly added that I should give them at least an hour alone first, because I was sure they'd need the time for making-up. Thanking him for the offer, I told him I'd be fine and he shouldn't worry about me and just go be with Dustin. He smiled, wished me sweet dreams and then headed off to his own room. I just hoped they wouldn't keep Danny up with their making-up, or was that making-out, session.

That night, in the bedroom in the far front corner of the house, Kevin and Dustin proved that all was well with the world. The first thing Kevin did was to finally admit something to Dustin. "Dusty, I know you think I've been hiding something from you," he began, while looking very nervous, "and up until now I haven't wanted to tell you about it. I thought you'd think it was childish and make fun of me for clinging to it, but I think now's the time for me to tell you about it." Kevin paused now, trying to summon his courage to continue.

"Okay, so what is it?" Dustin asked him, after becoming impatient with Kevin's lengthy delay.

"It's this little pouch, which I make sure I have with me every night or I can't get to sleep," he explained, while holding it up for Dustin to see.

"Yeah, but I still don't understand," Dustin admitted.

"It's not the pouch, but what I keep inside it that's important to me," Kevin explained, "and they're all things that have to do with you." Kevin paused again, but this time Dustin was more than eager to find out what he kept in it.

"So are you going to tell me what's in there?" Dustin pressed.

Kevin swallowed hard, before he pulled the drawstrings open and reached inside. He pulled out a folded, wrinkled, yellowing piece of paper.

"What's that?" Dustin asked, as soon as he saw it.

"Do you remember the poem you wrote for me after we started getting close, about three years ago?" Kevin asked, and Dustin thought for a second, before he nodded his head in response. "Well, this is it. I've kept it all this time, because it was so lovely and so very special to me."

Dustin looked shocked that Kevin had gone to all that trouble. After all, it was just some childish little rhyme about liking him, although he really meant what he had put in it. I think Dustin was deeply touched to realize that Kevin had kept it for so long.

When Dustin looked at him again, Kevin reached inside an extracted a small coin envelope, which was also folded and crinkled. "So what's that?" Dustin asked.

Kevin reached into the opening of the envelope and extracted a small wad of hair. "I cut this from your head one night while you were sleeping," he admitted, "so I'd always have a part of you near me."

Hearing this touched Dustin even more deeply than learning about the poem. His eyes began to water, as he finally began to understand how deeply Kevin felt about him. "And that's what you been sleeping with every night?" Dustin asked him.

"Yes, but there's more," Kevin added, as he reached back into the pouch, extracted the last item and held it out for Dustin to see.

"It's a ring," Dustin remarked.

"Not just any ring," Kevin informed him. "It's the ring you gave me about a month after you wrote the poem for me." Suddenly, it dawned on Dustin why Kevin had held onto it.

"It's the ring I gave you when I told you we were now a couple, isn't it?" Dustin asked, and Kevin nodded his head in response.

"Oh, Kevy, I didn't know you cared this much about me," Dustin explained. "I'm so sorry I've hurt you so badly."

Having admitted that, he grabbed Kevin and began smothering him with kisses. The kisses were very passionate and rapidly growing stronger. At the same time, their hands and fingers began to dart over each other's bodies, like a blind man trying to read a Braille emergency flight card, as his plane was going down. Dustin now understood how much he meant to Kevin and both of them were really getting into it, when Dustin stopped and looked at Kevin.

"Is something wrong?" Kevin asked, deeply concerned.

"No, not at all. In fact, it's just the opposite," Dustin admitted. "It's just that there's something I want to do." Dustin hesitated after saying this, but Kevin was anxious to find out what it was.

"Okay, so what is it?" Kevin pressed.

"I kind of feel funny admitting this," Dustin admitted, "because up until now I've never wanted to do this before. In fact, I even swore I'd never allow this to happen, but I think I've changed my mind." Dustin hesitated again and Kevin was getting very antsy waiting for him to continue.

"Yeah, so what are you talking about?" Kevin prodded.

"Kevin," Dustin began, looking slightly embarrassed, "I… I want you to make love to me."

"What?" Kevin responded.

"I want us to be one. I want us to make love," Dustin informed him.

"You want ME inside of YOU?" Kevin asked, since he wasn't certain he'd heard Dustin accurately.

"Yes, I want us to be joined together that way, if just for a short time," Dustin admitted.

"Wait, aren't you the guy who always made fun about gays doing shit like that?" Kevin tried to clarify.

"Yes, I did, but I've changed my mind," he explained. "At least for the moment."

"Dustin, you don't have to do this just to show me you care about me now," Kevin told him. "I know you've been opposed to even thinking about such things and I've accepted that. You don't have to do it for me. Really, I don't mind."

"Maybe not, but I have to do it for me," Dustin answered, which confused Kevin even more. Dustin saw this and thought he'd better explain what he meant. "Look, I need to do this for a couple of reasons. First, I want to do this to prove to you how sorry I am for jumping to conclusions and getting jealous of you and Trey. Secondly, I want us to be joined in more ways than just in spirit. I want you inside me and I want your seed to coat my insides. That should prove to you that I'm finally willing to meet you part way."

He studied Kevin's face and could see he was still a little hesitant about agreeing. "Please don't say 'no'," Dustin pleaded. "Please do this for both of us."

Kevin thought about this for a few more seconds and then answered him. "If you're sure this is what you want, I won't argue with you," he agreed, "but I don't want you to get upset about it later and then hate me, if you change your mind."

"Kevy, don't worry, I won't do that," Dustin assured him. Kevin suddenly felt slightly relieved that this might work out after all.

"You know, when we first came here, I often thought about doing this with you," Kevin admitted. "Not just me doing it to you, but you doing it to me too. In fact, I thought about it so much, I almost began to think we had done it." Kevin blushed after telling Dustin this. "Are you still sure you really want to do it?"

"Positive!" Dustin exclaimed, without hesitation.

"All right. Just give me a minute and I'll go get some baby oil from the bathroom, to make it easier," Kevin explained, before leaving the room.

Kevin hustled down the hallway, retrieved the bottle of liquid and was back it the room in a matter of seconds. It hadn't taken very long at all. Now, Kevin was going through the process of loosening up Dustin's love canal, as Danny had taught him. He began by using one, then two, and finally three fingers to stretch his virgin hole, while constantly making sure that Dustin wasn't in any discomfort and hadn't changed his mind. After Dustin assured him he still wanted to do this, he also told Kevin that he thought he was ready for the real thing. With his heart pounding in his chest, Kevin quickly coated his own prick with the baby oil and then positioned Dustin on all fours in the middle of the bed.

"Can't we do this and face each other?" Dustin asked. "I really want to be able to kiss you too, while we're doing this."

"It will be easier for you to take it this way the first time," Kevin informed him, "but once you get used to it, we can switch to the other way, if you want." Dustin nodded that he did, so they were both happy.

Kevin crawled into position behind his lover and aimed his penis at Dustin's puckered opening. He touched his exposed head at the entranced and used enough pressure to push it past the muscular guardian. Dustin never reacted to this intrusion, nor did he show any signs of discomfort. Encouraged by that fact, Kevin slowly worked the rest of his rod down the warm chute, until he could feel his and Dustin's nut sacs rubbing against each other. At this point, Kevin paused and asked Dustin how he was doing.

"I'm doing fine and it actually feels better than I could have ever imagined," Dustin admitted. "I would never have believed it if someone had told me I'd end up doing this one day, but knowing it's you makes it seem all right."

"So it didn't hurt at all?" Kevin wondered.

"Well, there was a bit of a burning sensation at one point, but it didn't last long," Dustin replied. "I'm fine now, so go ahead. I'm ready." Although Dustin hadn't admitted it entirely, he thought it actually felt good to have Kevin's hot, pulsing cock shoved up his butt.

Having been assured he could proceed, Kevin started his thrusting motion, but nearly made the mistake of pulling out completely the first time, before shoving his rod all the way back in. On about his third thrust, Kevin's dick grazed Dustin's prostate, and Dustin explained later that he thought his whole body had short-circuited, because a whole bunch of impulses suddenly radiated from that area and shot in all directions, throughout his body.

As his confidence built, Kevin worked himself into a smooth, steady rhythm, easily sliding his cock in and out of Dustin's warm slippery tunnel. After a short time like this, Kevin spoke to Dustin. "I think we can do it with you on your back, if you still want to try it that way," he informed him.

"Oh, yes. I'm looking forwarded to changing," Dustin agreed.

Kevin quickly pulled out and Dustin flipped onto his back and pulled his legs to his chest, so Kevin could reenter him. Once they were joined again, Dustin pulled Kevin's face toward him and smothered him in extremely passionate kisses, as Kevin humped in and out of his backside.

Kevin got a good rhythm going and never changed his pace, until he began to feel the pressure building in his lower abdomen, which let him know his climax was approaching. Instinctively, he quickened his stroke, while his breathing grew louder and more ragged, and sweat began to pour from his brow. His body was on fire with a barrage of pleasurable sensations, with each one seeming more enjoyable than the one that preceded it, as flashes of light and colors seemingly filled his brain. He pumped faster and harder now, until he knew he had reached the point of no return. Kevin made one final thrust, deep into Dustin's canal, arched his back and released several strings of his rich boy cream inside his partner. He made a few final thrusts, to drain his one-eyed monster, before collapsing on top of Dustin. They stayed that way for a couple of minutes, as Dustin continued to kiss Kevin and hug him as firmly as he could.

The boys continued embracing and kissing, until Kevin announced that he wanted to do the same thing for Dustin. "You know, you don't have to do this just because I did it for you," Dustin informed him.

"I know, but I really want to," Kevin explained. "I've dreamed about this day for forever." Dustin merely smiled and nodded his understanding.

Dustin didn't know that Kevin had done this before, so he was worried about hurting him. Since Kevin didn't want to tell him about his session with Danny and possibly evoke Dustin's jealousy and ire, he merely gave Dustin step-by-step instructions as to how to get them both ready. After Dustin lubed both of them up, Kevin got in the same position he had placed Dustin in when they first started. He didn't want to assume the other position and then have Dustin question why he thought he could do that so quickly, since he'd explained it was easier to do it this way the first time.

After they were in position, Kevin urged Dustin to go for it. Even though Dustin had admitted that he'd had sex with a couple of girls before this, he'd still never done this with another boy and was slightly apprehensive. He was as nervous now, as he had been on that first night he had lost his virginity with a girl, who was two years older and much more experienced than he was. Consciously, he tried to force himself to calm down a little, so he wouldn't spew his load the minute he entered Kevin's tight boy chute. Once he felt he had himself under control, he got into position to complete the act.

Carefully, Dustin placed his dickhead at Kevin's rosebud and cautiously forced his helmet past the sphincter. Kevin moaned, but only in delight, and assured Dustin as to that fact. He then urged his hesitant partner to keep going until he was all the way in and then he coaxed him to start his lovemaking.

Dustin slowly began to thrust back and forth, while his thick cock rubbed against Kevin's love button on nearly every stroke. It didn't take long before Dustin lost himself in the incredible feelings this was giving him and began to find his rhythm. It was at that point, Kevin urged him to pull out, so they could get into the more romantic position, where they could also kiss. Eagerly, Dustin complied.

Once they were in the modified missionary position, Dustin continued his lovemaking. He thrust repeatedly into Kevin's narrow passageway, until the overpowering stimulation caused him to shift into overdrive, frantically pummeling Kevin's backside. It was only a matter of seconds more, before he reached his crescendo and his juices burst from his crown. Wave after wave of his slimy spunk erupted from his cock and filled Kevin's bowels. When the last of his love juices had stopped flowing from his body and into his partner's, Dustin wrapped his arms around Kevin, enveloping him in a powerful and affectionate embrace. They continued to hug, kiss and stroke each other's body, until Dustin rolled off of Kevin and they drifted off into a deep, relaxing and satisfying slumber.

Chapter 16
Sex, Sex Everywhere

Friday morning, the other boys immediately noticed the mystical aura that surrounded Dustin and Kevin, as they came down and joined us for breakfast. All of them guessed, with the exception of Pat and Trey, that Dustin and Kevin had shared a sexual penitence to absolve them from the guilt generated by their squabble. No one bothered to say anything to the duo, since it really wasn't necessary, and they just let the boys have this extra time to themselves, to enjoy the memories of their union.

As I took the other boys to school, Dustin rode along with us, but he and I came back to the house alone. He was supposed to utilize Friday and the weekend to recuperate, before returning to classes on Monday. However, that didn't mean he had to lie quietly in bed all of that time. I had already concluded he'd probably had a workout the evening before and seemed to be doing fine after that, so I was willing to take it a step further.

Before we picked the others up from school, I explained to him that I'd let him go to the game that evening with us, but only if he promised to sit with me and not spend the evening roaming around with his brothers or friends. He agreed to do as I requested, so I took him at his word.

When I picked the rest of the boys up, they informed me Brandon and Jay would join us at the game and come home with us afterward, but their parents wanted them to have dinner at home. They'd also stay until Sunday, but their parents wanted them home after lunch. This meant the boys could attend church with us and go out to brunch afterwards, and then we'd take them home.

We had a quick dinner and then I had everyone bundle up for the game. Dustin and I went up to find a place to sit in the stands, while the boys went off to find their other friends, and I was a little surprised to see Kevin following behind us. In fact, he even stayed with us throughout the entire game. During that time, many of Dustin's friends, including several cute females, came over to say 'hello.'

I was also more than a little surprised when many of the boys who had been with him the evening he tried the ecstasy also came by. After introducing themselves to me, they apologized to both of us and let Dustin know they were never going to mess with drugs again. Dustin's close encounter with death had scared all of them straight and I was convinced of their honesty concerning this matter. Maybe some good had come out of what we went through.

After the boys left, I told Dustin I wouldn't interfere or place any restrictions on him, should he wish to remain friends with those boys. I believed before, and I still do, that they were all good kids. Even good kids do dumb things, but I was confident these boys had learned a lesson and I needn't worry about a reoccurrence of such behavior. Dustin thanked me for trusting him and we went back to watching the game.

Late in the fourth quarter all of the other boys returned and joined us, including Brandon and Jay. We were all together when the game ended, but this time we got to celebrate, as our high school team won by ten. Happy with the outcome, we squeezed into the van and made our way back to the house. Within an hour, all of the boys were merrily frolicking about the place naked and I had enough eye candy to last me a lifetime. Even my shy little Trey had bared himself in front of my other quasi-sons and seemed to be enjoying both the freedom and the view. I think he was also pleased to see that Jay was also a member of his select little group, along with Kevin and Graham – our uncut brigade.

I offered Jay and Ricky my bedroom for the night, so it wouldn't be so awkward for them if they wanted to mess around a bit. I told them I'd sleep in the family room on the sofa, so they could have my bed, but they quickly informed me they had planned on sleeping with Cole and Graham. I explained that four of them on two twins beds would be a tight squeeze, so I finally convinced them to switched bedrooms with me for the night. The four boys would stay in my bedroom and utilize my king-size bed, and I would sleep in the jungle room. I also told them they would have my bathroom to use as well and I'd tell Danny, Brandon and Pat to use the bathroom downstairs. Everyone was happy and I still had a bed.

I found out later that this was not the only extended group in the house tonight. Danny and Brandon had also asked Pat to sleep with them, and Dustin and Kevin had done the same with Trey. The boys were more farsighted than I was, realizing everyone would be pairing up tonight and they didn't want to leave our newest members out of the fun. Dustin and Kevin had already agreed to forgo any sexual activity if Trey wasn't interested, but they were not about to let him be the only one sleeping alone, not including me. They figured most boys like to fool around a little, regardless of their sexual orientation, and they would make him that offer and give him a chance to decide whether or not he was interested.

The boys didn't even need someone to say 'lights, camera, action' in order to get started. Although there were no cameras and only some of the lights stayed on, while others were turned off, there was still plenty of action. I think it started first in my bedroom with my three little monsters plus one. Graham immediately claimed Jay for his partner, because it would be his first chance to do things with another uncut boy. There were other uncircumcised boys in the house, but Graham had never done anything sexual with anyone besides Cole and Ricky. He felt this was his big chance to explore another body like his own. He was thrilled and Jay looked forward to his first encounter with Graham as well.

Immediately, the two boys began to fondle each other, teasing the foreskin back and forth and exposing the shiny head momentarily, before covering it once more. After some of the novelty began to wear off, Jay leaned over to kiss his little friend and let his tongue roam freely, seeking the taste and texture of his new companion. During this oral exploration, Jay pulled the smaller Graham on top of his body, their cocks hard and rubbing against each other, and Jay started to hump his groin into that of his young partner. Graham caught on almost immediately to this new experience and soon both boys were thrusting their hips into each other at a frantic pace. It wasn't long before Graham stiffened, as his body went into spasm, and threads of his thin, watery boy juice squirted from his prick, wetting down both bodies. The feel of the warm spunk landing on his skin was the final straw that sent Jay over the edge. His own body arched skyward, as he let out a low groan and his penis ejaculated five strong waves of his pearl-colored cream, which quickly formed a seal between their two bodies. Neither boy moved after the throes of their orgasms subsided, and Graham rested his head on Jay's chest, just before they started to drift off to sleep.

On the other side of the bed Ricky and Cole began their kissing and petting, and were quickly getting each other very worked up. When they broke their kiss, Ricky slid down and began to suck on Cole's nipples, running his tongue over and around them, before he playfully nipped the one on the left. Cole moaned and jerked away slightly, so Ricky worked his way down his body, until he reached his cock and balls. He sucked on Cole's balls for a couple of minutes and then he licked his way up the shaft, until he reached the tip. Slowly he lowered his mouth over and around the head, as he let Cole's dick slide into his mouth, until it touched the back of his throat. Once he had swallowed the entire member, Ricky began to bob up and down the slender shaft, dragging his lips along the outer surface, while also flicking his tongue at the slit when he reached the top and adding enough suction to pull a hard-boiled egg into a bottle. Being new to these games, it didn't take Cole long to reach his climax and fill Ricky's mouth with his gooey offering. Ricky continued to slurp on the teen cock until he had drained it completely, before sliding upward, so he could kiss Cole again and let him have a taste of the load he had just received.

After Cole recovered, he eagerly switched places with our class clown, so he could return the favor. Being somewhat inexperienced yet, Cole merely tried to mimic all of the things that Ricky had done to him. He kissed his partner vigorously, sucked on his fleshy nubs, including returning the playful nip, and worked his way down his chest to his crotch. Intently, Cole bathed Ricky's balls with his saliva, but he had trouble getting the hang of sucking on each individual testicle, so he just gave up and moved on to Ricky's boy monument. After sliding his mouth over the head, he eased his way down the shaft, until he nearly reached the pubes. Then he pulled back up, until he reached Ricky's coronal ridge and kept repeating this action, while letting his tongue dart around as much as possible at the same time. He continued this action, until Ricky's juices boiled over and his hot magma spewed from his rod and coated the lining of Cole's mouth and throat. Ricky's seed was a little more bitter than Cole's, but Cole managed to swallow the entire load. Before long, he had crawled back up beside Ricky, squeezed their bodies tightly together, and they fell asleep. There, on my king sized bed, lie four spent, but satisfied young men, who would not move again until morning.

Down the hall, in one of the front bedrooms were Danny, Brandon and Pat, and they were busy discussing what they were going to do. Brandon really wanted to make love to Danny, because they put it off last weekend, in deference to Dustin's condition. Pat was hesitant to go along with such an extreme suggestion, mainly due to his past. He wouldn't mind trying to do it to one of them, but he just couldn't convince himself to let one of them do it to him, in return. Under those circumstances, he didn't feel he should do it either way, unless he was willing to return the favor.

Danny took it upon himself to serve in the role of mediator, trying desperately to see if he could make both boys happy. To make it work, he agreed to let both of them do it to him and then he would do Brandon, so Pat wouldn't have to be entered, if he didn't want to be. Pat offered to just stay out of it altogether, but Danny wouldn't hear of that. He said they'd all abstain from sex for the evening, if that were the case, which brought a look of horror to Brandon's face.

Hoping to end the stalemate, Danny spoke to Pat again, telling him he wouldn't mind substituting for Pat this one time, so Pat could at least find out what it was like to do it, without being forced to also do something he wasn't ready for. Brandon excitedly sided with Danny and even offered to let the two of them do it with him, because he was the one who had suggested it in the first place. Not only that, but he was the one who really wanted to do it and enjoyed it the most. After several more minutes of discussion, the boys convinced Pat to join in the fun and then they decided to do it in the shower downstairs. That way, it would be easy for them to clean up after the workout.

The boys moved into the downstairs bathroom, adjusted the water and climbed in. They decided they would let Pat go last and Brandon would do Danny first. They started by lathering each other up and playing with each other's body. Danny started tickling both of the others, to get them to relax and lighten the tension that had built up during their previous discussion. Soon they were laughing and horsing around like a group of ten-year-olds and this also helped Brandon and Pat bond on a completely different level. Once all of them were wet and their bodies well lubricated, Danny leaned against the wall under the showerhead and Brandon moved in behind him. Pat was trying to watch everything the other two were doing, so he sat on the side of the tub to improve his view.

Brandon pushed his cock down until it was lined up with Danny's puckered opening and placed his helmet against the muscular ring. He pushed forward until his dickhead slipped past the sphincter and then eased his way in, until their bodies were pressed tightly together.

"Oh, wow," Pat yelped. "You're in him. You're actually in him."

Danny and Brandon chuckled at Pat's surprise and enthusiasm, but tried not to let Patrick notice their mirth. Brandon began to withdraw his rod and then drive it back home before it slipped completely free, as he established his pace – one he knew would please both his lover and him. They continued like this for many minutes and Pat was nearly ready to shoot his own load from just watching them. Danny and Brandon were both moaning and panting and enjoying themselves totally, when Brandon made his final thrust, burying himself as deeply into Danny's tunnel as he could possibly go. At that moment, his erection exploded into Danny's bowels and Brandon collapsed onto Danny's back, totally spent from his release. They stayed that way until Brandon's penis wilted and plopped from his lover's rectum, of its own accord. When the two boys finally separated, they looked at Pat and saw how excited he was.

"We'd better let Pat go next," Danny suggested, "because he's not going to last through another one. Actually, I don't think he'll last long no matter when he goes. Pat stand up," Danny commanded.

Pat did as requested and Danny immediately grabbed his dick and started to furiously jack him off. Both Patrick and Brandon were surprised by his action, but Danny's hand kept flying back and forth until Pat groaned, stiffened and his seed was splattering all over the tub and shower wall. Brandon stood up and supported Pat, when he noticed Pat's knees begin to buckle, and then both he and Danny helped Pat sit back on the side of the tub.

"Why did you do that?" Brandon asked Danny, still confused.

"This way, he can get worked back up watching me and you, but he'll last longer when it's his turn." Brandon thought about it for a second and then agreed that Danny was right. He kissed Danny energetically and told him he was glad he was so smart. He then took up his position against the wall, ready to return the favor.

Pat was still flushed from his recent release, but didn't miss a second of this new coupling. Danny lined himself up with Brandon and gently guided his massive tool past the gatekeeper and down his tunnel of love. He gave Brandon a few seconds to adjust to the intrusion, before he started pounding his lover's boy cunt. Long, quick, steady strokes were his method of choice and both boys began their caterwauling, as the pleasurable currents overtook them completely. An unknown urgency now took control of Danny's body, as he began a frantic assault on Brandon's teen pussy. It wasn't long after that before Danny crossed over the line in the sand, which sent his seed shooting up from his loins and made his lover a Twinkie – cream filled. Danny thrust a few more times, until he had completely drained his tool, and then they staggered apart, while using the wall for support.

"That was intense," Brandon panted. "I don't think it has ever been that wild before. You were great."

"Thanks but you weren't so bad either. I don't know if it was because it had been so long since we've done it or because we had an audience, but that was totally wicked. Thank you, Brandon. I'm glad you suggested this." They kissed deeply for a couple of minutes, before turning again toward Pat.

"How about it, bud? Are you up to taking your turn?" Danny asked him.

'Uh huh," was all he could get out in reply, but it was obvious he was up for it. He was rock hard and physically ready to begin. Once he got started, his primal instincts would take over and he'd just simply follow the embedded code Mother Nature had programmed him with. They were certain he'd do fine.

As Brandon pulled Pat to his feet, Danny assumed the position. Brandon verbally urged Pat on and slowly guided him, as he pushed his missile forward and readied it to enter the slicked-up launch tube. Pat slid in easily, as Brandon had loosened Danny up earlier, and both sets of legs were soon rubbing against each other, as they began the fornication two-step.

Like a horny dog attached to an available leg, Pat started humping Danny with short, rapid thrusts. His eyes quickly glazed over and rolled back into his head, as he clung on to Danny's bony hips, in order to keep from falling backward. He continued his machine gun assault on Danny's backdoor, until his nuts began to ache and his muscles began to tighten. Somewhat reluctantly, he made one final, long thrust and launched a handful of slimy rockets into the depths of Danny's intestinal tract. Pat managed to arch his body so far backward as he unleashed his payload, that Brandon had to catch him, to keep him from falling into the tub and possibly injuring himself.

The boys gave Pat a few minutes to enjoy the lasting effects of the rockets' red glare and the pleasures of his experience with anal intercourse. When Patrick had completely collected his senses again, the boys rinsed themselves off and did a quick cleanup of the shower area, before they dried off and went back to Danny's room. They squeezed together on Danny's double bed, kissed each other goodnight and drifted off to a land filled with dreams of sugarplum fairies, trips through the universe and the wonders of boy-to-boy sex. They slept deeply and peacefully the entire night and woke up refreshed, relaxed and sporting the biggest smiles imaginable the following morning.

In the other front bedroom, things were progressing even more cautiously, as Dustin and Kevin were groping with how to ask Trey if he wanted to have a little fun. Finally, it was Kevin who took the bull by the horns. "Trey, have you ever done anything with another boy before?"

"No. Never," he responded. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, sometimes Dusty and I do some things with each other," Kevin explained. "It feels so much better that way and we were just wondering if you might want to join us. You don't have to if you don't want to, and then we won't do anything tonight, but we just wanted to give you the chance, in case you were interested."

Trey had to think this over for a few minutes, before he responded. He knew he really wanted to join them, because he'd longed for an opportunity like this for a couple of years now, but he was still somewhat reluctant. He wasn't sure if doing things with them would encourage the other boys to pin a label on him or expose his secret. He'd been trying hard to avoid being exposed, at least at school, even though he realized he was more than a little obvious. He just hoped that others would ignore his effeminate mannerisms and not relate the two issues. However, the more he thought about their offer, the sillier he realized he was being. If they already did this to each other, they certainly wouldn't label him or tell anyone else what they'd been doing, especially anyone they didn't feel they could trust or who might expose their activities. He was just about ready to answer when Dustin spoke.

"Really, Trey, you don't have to do it unless you want to," he assured him. "Nobody forces anybody else to do things they don't want to do here. We just wanted to see if you might be interested."

"I am," Trey responded, in a barely audible whisper.

"You are?" Kevin asked, to make sure he had heard the boy correctly.

"Uh huh," Trey confirmed. "I'd really like to give it a try."

That was all the encouragement the other pair needed. They pushed Trey back onto the bed and went to work. They had already decided who would do what to Trey, when they talked about the possibility earlier, so Dustin moved to his breast and worked on his tits, while Kevin fondled his groin. Kevin massaged Trey's scrotum and tugged at his walnut sized nuggets, before palming his boyhood and massaging it gently, between his hand and Trey's firm gut. Trey became erect almost immediately, so Kevin began to slide his fingers up and down the shaft, working Trey's foreskin back and forth, over his knob.

Trey had never felt anything so wonderful in all his life and was immensely enjoying both boys' attention. He could hardly contain himself, as his body twitched and jerked involuntarily. He couldn't believe all of the electric-like currents that were coursing through his body from their various efforts, and it wasn't long before he was on full overload and spraying his rich cream all over the three of them. Kevin worked Trey's cock a little longer before releasing it, but knew that too much attention to it could begin to turn painful.

Trey was still lying prone on the bed, his heart racing, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps and his head slowly rolling from side to side. The other two allowed him sufficient time to enjoy his wonderful afterglow and were delighted when they saw signs that he was recovering.

"Well, what did you think?" Dustin asked him.

"Oh, wow!" Trey gasped. That was the most incredible feeling I've ever had. Thank you, both of you. I'm glad that you took the chance and asked me to join you."

"So are we," Kevin answered. "We're going to let you do both of us, if you want, and Dusty and I will just kiss and work on each other's chest while you do your thing." Trey nodded his understanding. "So whose prick do you want first?" Kevin prodded.

"I'll do you, because you're like me," Trey responded, referring to the fact that they were both uncircumcised, "and I'm used to that."

There were no arguments from either of them, so Kevin readily assumed his position on the center of the bed. With some trepidation, Trey reached out and touched Kevin's boner, while Dustin and Kevin shared a long and extremely passionate kiss. After some tentative exploration, Trey started to manipulate Kevin's foreskin, easing it back and forth, while allowing the dark red head to play hide-and-seek with its benefactor. When Trey had tired from this game, he grasped Kevin's pole and began to pump away.

Trey was a little rough at the start and Kevin had to give him a few little pointers. After listening to Kevin's suggestions, Trey used his other hand to reach out and play with the fleshy bag that hung between Kevin's legs, and was immediately consumed with the wonders of the moment. Due to the pace that Trey was using, Kevin didn't last very long, and soon strings of his alabaster wad were flying from his slit and landing everywhere. Undaunted, Trey kept going, until Kevin stopped him, but he couldn't hide the fact that he was now aglow with delight from the pleasure of this new experience.

"That was wicked," Trey squealed. "It was really neat holding your prick and it was awesome watching you shoot all over the place."

"Well, it's my turn now," Dustin reminded him. "Are you ready to do me?"

"Yeah. I've never touched a cut prick before," he admitted. "Heck, Kevin's was the first dick of any kind I've ever touched, besides my own. Do I need to do anything different with you?"

"Not really," Dustin answered, "unless you want to put some Vaseline or baby oil on your hand. That makes it slide up and down easier."

"Okay," Trey agreed, "but I want you to tell me if I do anything wrong."

"You'll do fine," Dustin assured him. "Now, get over here and get started. I'm horny as hell and need this really bad."

Trey smiled and moved over to lie by Dustin's side. He quickly reached out and grasped his penis, being much more aggressive this time around. It was due to the fact that he gained some courage and experience while doing Kevin and was eager to see if there was any difference between the two types of cocks. Trey was using both hands to simultaneously explore Dustin's crotch and tug on his scrotum. While his left hand played with Dustin's testicles, his right hand was eagerly stroking Dustin's larger and thicker dick.

Trey was really getting into this, especially seeing the other two kissing again, and then he watched in fascination as Kevin sucked on Dustin's brownish nipples. Trey's hand flew up and down Dustin's thick mast and he began to release little giggles as his excitement grew. Soon he felt Dustin's pecker swell in his hand, just before Dustin's nuts pulled away from his fingers, as they were sucked back toward his body. Trey's eyes were focused on the gaping slit, when the first rope of semen exploded into the air. Trey hesitated briefly, totally in awe of what was happening, before he resumed his pumping. Dustin quickly unloaded a few more, less forceful blasts, before the last drops of his cum oozed from his weapon. When it was over, Trey squealed again and thanked both his hosts for including him in the fun.

"Trey?" Kevin began tentatively. "Would you mind if Dusty and I gave you a kiss before we went to sleep?"

"Heck, no," he responded. "I was hoping you'd let me try that, too. It looked hot when you two were kissing each other."

Encourage by his comment, Kevin moved forward and gave Trey his first open-mouth kiss. It took a few seconds before Trey relaxed enough for Kevin to take advantage of the moment, but then he eagerly pushed his tongue into Trey's mouth. At first Trey didn't know what to do, but eventually his own tongue started to duel with Kevin's, as they swapped mouth juices and enjoyed the pleasures such a kiss could bring. After a few minutes of this action, Kevin turned Trey over to Dustin and they did the same thing.

Trey got into this kiss early, having learned a great deal from his kiss with Kevin, and this lip-lock became almost immediately satisfying for both boys. They continued like this for a while longer, before they all scooted under the bedding to sleep. They positioned Trey in the middle of this sandwich, while both Kevin and Dustin draped their arms across his body, to show him affection and still be able to touch their soul mate at the same time. Soon the room was filled with the slow, soothing buzz of their gentle snoring and the three drifted off into oblivion until the early morning sun stirred them awake.

Unfortunately, good old Dad slept alone, surrounded by the sounds of all of this youthful lovemaking. It wasn't until well after midnight that I was finally able to calm down enough to fall asleep.

Chapter 17
New Woes on the Horizon

Monday, November 5th, was the date of Kevin's next check-up with the doctor. I drove him to the office, went into the examination room with him, at Kevin's request, so I was there for moral support as the doctor began to finger his testicles. I caught a look of concern as it crossed the doctor's face and was nervous about what that simple gesture might imply. The doctor continued his examination of Kevin's scrotal sac and then turned to speak to me.

"I'm afraid there's seems another small lump on the testicle," he announced. "I think we'd better run more tests, so we can better determine the nature of this growth."

A look of fear covered Kevin's face and I had a good idea what was going through his mind. "How soon can we do that?" I asked the doctor.

"I'll set it up for first thing tomorrow morning," our physician informed us. "Can you have him at the hospital by seven?"

"We'll be there, so don't worry," I replied. I happened to look over at Kevin as the doctor left the room, and his face was drained of all blood. He was very pale, his eyes were moist, his body was trembling and I could only guess that his heart was beating at a supersonic rate.

"Relax, Kevin," I suggested. "We made it through this before and we'll do it again. I promise."

"But why does this have to happen to me again?" he wanted to know. "Why am I the one that these things keep happening to?"

"You aren't the only one," I countered, "but I agree that you've had to deal with more than your share of problems. You mustn't panic or let this affect you to the point where you also begin to suffer from other problems. Your brothers and I will be by your side through this whole ordeal, just like we were before, and you're going to beat this again. Heck, it may just turn out to be another cyst."

"Yeah, okay. I guess you're right," he hesitantly conceded. "I promise I won't panic until we get the test results back, but I'm still going to be a little scared."

"I'll can live with that," I informed him, "but don't forget that you have more support than most kids in your situation would have. Take advantage of that fact and it will make things easier for you."

"I will, Dad, and I know you're right. It's just that I can't help myself sometimes," he admitted, shyly.

"I understand that too, and you'll be fine, as long as you don't overdo it." I was trying to get him to relax, but I was more than a little nervous about what this might portend for him.

"Okay, I'll try not to," he agreed, but I wondered if it was just to humor me.

"That's my boy," I offered, in hopes of showing him my support. "Now, let's go home and fill the others in about what's going on."

"Do we have to?" Kevin whined. "I mean, couldn't we wait until we get the test results back?"

"We can, if that's what you want," I agreed, "but they're going to notice when you don't go to school with them tomorrow."

"Yeah, I suppose they will," Kevin realized. "Let's just tell them it's normal precautionary testing and not let them know the doctor found another lump. Dustin's just getting better and I don't want him to worry, unless we know it's serious. Okay?"

"Yes, I'll go along with you, if that's what you want," I agreed. "You know, besides being quite brave, you're also a pretty smart kid, Kevin. I guess that's what makes me love you even more." We hugged and then Kevin got dressed. We left the medical office and drove directly home, but the ride home was very quiet. I wished there were something I could do to take away his fear, but realized only he could do that. I might be able to ease those fears slightly, but only he could eliminate them completely.

When we arrived home, Pat told me that Judge Shay had called to speak with me. He left a number for me to call him back. I dialed the number and the judge answered the phone on the second ring.

"Josh, I'm sorry to bother you at this time," he began, after we exchanged greetings, "since I know you have many other things going on, but I really need the kind of help that only you can provide. I have a sixteen year old that I'm getting a mixture of reports about. The professionals are severely split over this kid's potential for rehabilitation. I was hoping you might be able to take him in for a couple of weeks, so I could also get your take about him, before I have to make a final judgment about what to do with him. What do you say?"

"This is really not the best time," I began, "but I've told you before that we won't turn down any boy who truly could benefit from our help. I might have to rely on input from my sons about him, but we will give you our honest interpretation of how we view his attitude and actions."

"Thanks, that's all I could hope for," Steve acknowledged. "Would it be possible for me to bring him over shortly? He's been seated in my outer office all afternoon."

"Sure, bring him on over," I agreed. "I'll fill the boys in about his arrival and we'll expect you, say in forty minutes or so?'

"Excellent. I'll see you then."

I hung up the phone and called all the boys together in the living room. After the last one straggled in, I explained to them about the new guest who was on the way and then I let them know about Kevin. I merely told them that he was be having some precautionary tests run tomorrow morning and they would all have to get up early and go with us, as I wouldn't have time to make two trips. I would drop Kevin off at the hospital, go in with him briefly, to make sure that he was all set, after which I'd come back out and drive them to school. Once I dropped them off, I'd come back to stay with Kevin until his tests were completed.

There were a few questions, but everyone took our explanation at face value and no alarms went off. I asked Danny to call and order pizza to be delivered, seeing it was getting too late for me to try to make dinner, especially since we would soon be having another visitor. Ricky and Cole offered to make a salad, and Trey and Pat said they would set the table. I told them to add two extra places, just in case we could talk the judge into joining us.

Steve and the new kid arrived just about on schedule and I greeted them at the door. The judge introduced the boy as Frankie Hopkins and I made introductions all around. However, Frankie didn't seem to be interested in learning the other boys' names, as the introductions were being made. He seemed more than a little aloof.

Frankie had black hair and brown eyes, stood about 5'11" tall, with broad shoulders and a solid, but not muscle-bound body. He definitely wasn't a boy. The only one from my group who could rival him for build was Dustin. My first impression was that he was a tough, street-wise kid, but I would try not to form any preconceptions about him and continue to give him the benefit of the doubt. When Frankie went back out to the car with the judge to get his things, I held a quick meeting with the boys.

"Something tells me you'll need to curtail your after-shower nudist romps, at least until we can gauge how he might react to something like that. I'll let him have my room for tonight and I'll sleep down here."

"Dad," Kevin spoke up. I was hoping to sleep with you tonight, if you didn't mind. I know it's just routine check-up, but I'm still kind of nervous about tomorrow."

"And if Kevin sleeps with you," Dustin added, "Trey can come in with me and Frankie can use Trey's room."

"Do all of you agree with that?" I asked, just to make sure.

The three of them nodded, just as Frankie and the judge reentered the house. I looked up at Frankie and spoke. "I guess we've just settled the sleeping arrangements, so the boys will show you where to put your things and then they'll show you around the place."

Danny and Dustin soon became the official welcoming committee, seeing they were the oldest and nearest to Frankie in age. I was going to include Kevin in on that too, but he was clinging to me and didn't seem to want to break free. Instead, we sat down in the living room with Judge Shay and chatted briefly. Steve even accepted our offer to stay for dinner.

"That sounds fine with me," Steve admitted. "Tonight is my wife's bridge night and I'd have to fend for myself anyway, so pizza and salad sound just fine."

Those of us who'd stayed behind continued our discussion, until the others came in to join us. They explained they had taken Frankie's things to the room and had also given him a quick tour of the house, finishing just as the doorbell rang, signaling the pizza had arrived. After paying the delivery guy, we all went into the dining room and sat down to eat.

Frankie wasn't very talkative and I wondered if it was because Judge Shay was still with us. After we finished off the pizzas, I excused myself and went out to the kitchen to retrieve the butterscotch pudding I had thrown together the previous evening and put in the fridge to set up. Fortuitous maybe, but I like to think of it as good planning. Graham ran to the cupboard for me and pulled out the dessert bowls and I dished the pudding out to all those who wanted some. The judge stayed and chatted for a while longer, before he bid us adieu and thanked me once again for everything. The boys and I walked him out to his car and then waved at him as he drove away.

Now that Steve was gone, the rest of us adjourned to the family room for some down time. Pat, Trey and Cole offered to clean up and I accepted their help gratefully. I tried to engage Frankie in conversation, so I could find out more about him, but he was pretty close-mouthed and wouldn't divulge much information. I warned him about the unusually early wake-up call for tomorrow and he didn't seem very pleased about that news either. Even though it seemed particularly early, I chased the younger boys off to bed at eight and the older ones at nine, because of our earlier wake up hour.

Frankie balked at going, so I let Dustin, Danny and him stay up for another hour, after getting their promise they wouldn't give me any hassles when I went to wake them up in the morning.

I chose to go up when Kevin did, because I didn't want to leave him alone at this point. We undressed and got into bed. I was just getting comfortable, when I felt Kevin sidle over against me. Without hesitation, I wrapped my arm around his upper body and pulled him into my chest.

"What do you think is going to happen, Dad?" he asked, softly.

"I think we're going to wait and see, just like we did the last time," I told him, honestly. "I don't want to start speculating about possible outcomes, because that could lead us in all directions. Like I said in the doctor's office, you beat this before and you'll do it again. We're all going to be there for you, so you won't be going through this alone. No matter what happens, Kevin, I'll be by your side and holding your hand."

"I know you will; otherwise I don't think I could do this again," he replied, still looking extremely nervous. "Just hold me tonight, will you Dad? I always feel safer when I'm wrapped up in your arms."

"Most definitely. I'll hold you forever if that's what you need," I assured him. "Good night, Kev. I'll see you in the morning."

I held Kevin tightly to my body throughout the night. I know he didn't fall asleep right away and neither did I. We were both worried about his situation, although I wasn't about to let him see my deep concern. We did eventually drift off and I think we both managed three or four hours' worth of slumber, before my alarm rudely woke us again.

I hurried the boys through their morning routines and then drove to the hospital. After directing Kevin back to the area where he would be having his first test done, I had the receptionist logged him in. After that had been accomplished, we went over to the waiting area. Before he sat down, I gave him a hug, told him I'd be back shortly and then left to drop off the others at school. I told them I'd pick them up at the regular time and encouraged them to try and have a good day. They all exited in silence, until Trey turned back and spoke to me.

"Tell Kevin that we're all thinking about him and praying for him," he told me. I hoped that would mean as much to Kevin as it just did to me.

"I will, Trey, and thanks," I responded.

When I got back to the hospital, Kevin had already been taken in for his tests. Even though I couldn't have gone with him for this anyway, I was still disappointed that I missed him. Quietly, I sat in the waiting area and half-heartedly looked at a magazine I'd picked up from one of the tables. It was a couple of hours before I saw my boy again. When he came out after being poked, pricked, prodded and pictured, I took him out to lunch before we returned to school.

"Trey wanted me to tell you they were all thinking about you and praying for you. It seems you've made quite a friend there," I remarked.

"Yeah, Dusty and I have sort of included him with us for now," Kevin admitted. "Dusty is really pretty cool with Trey now and it gives us the numbers to defend against the terrible trio." He said the last part with a sly grin and I laughed at his comment.

"I suppose safety in numbers is a prime consideration, especially when it comes to the junior devil brigade," I teased, "but I'm happy that you and Dustin worked things out so you can also include Trey. He's so shy that I was worried he might end up being a loner here."

"Are you kidding me? Nobody can get away with being a loner at our house," Kevin mocked. "One way or another, one of us will bring him into the group. Just look at everything that's happened, if you don't believe me. Ricky took Cole and Graham under his wings, even though we've all paid dearly for it. Danny roped in Pat and we took in Trey. You don't have to worry, Dad, we'll find a way for everyone to fit in. Danny and Pat have already asked Frankie to hang with them, although we think we're going to have to cool the sex for a while, until we learn more about him. He's not willing to open up to any of us yet or tell us anything about himself, no matter how hard we try. We'll find a way though. I know we will."

"I hope so," I replied, still worried about how this new guy was going to fit in. "Let's get going. We both need to get back to our schools."

We got in the van and Kevin asked me another question. "Dad, how long do you think it will be before we hear from the doctor?"

"Most likely it will take a couple of days, just like last time," I explained. "We should probably hear something by Friday. If not, I'll call the doctor's office Monday morning." He seemed satisfied with that answer, so I didn't comment further.

I dropped Kevin off at the high school and then proceeded on to my own school. It seemed with everything that had been going on, I've had to leave my assistant principal or the head teacher in charge more than I would have liked to. I guess I'll have to buy them both a special gift for Christmas, along with one for my secretary, to let them know how much I appreciate all the times they've covered for me, while I took care of my boys.

The afternoon went quickly, as my desk was loaded with work from while I was away, and it seemed like I had only just begun to get into the stack, when I discovered it was already time to pick up my sons. After loading the younger ones in, I drove to the high school to pick up the rest. Everyone was there except for Frankie.

"Where's our new boy?" I asked, as the others hopped inside.

"He told me to tell you that he'd have some of his friends bring him home," Danny reported.

"Did you tell him he should be home by dinnertime?" I asked.

"Yeah, I did," he informed me. "I told him you insisted we all eat together, except for when we have games or emergencies."

"Well, I hope he listened to you," I mumbled.

We drove home and raced into the house, as it was beginning to rain. I sent the boys off to do their homework, while I started dinner. Tonight we'd have meatloaf, mashed potatoes and corn. It took over an hour before it was ready, and Frankie still wasn't home by the time I was putting it on the table. We ate and the boys cleaned up afterward, but Frankie still wasn't home. After we went in to watch some television, the boys began slipping off, a few at a time, to get ready for bed. Just as I was about to send the last of the boys off, a car pulled up and dropped Frankie off. It was a little after nine, so I went out and met him at the door.

"Let's go into the office to talk," I told him.

Frankie rolled his eyes and then followed me to the office. Once we entered, I pointed toward a chair, as an indication that I wanted him to sit in it, while I shut the door. Once we were alone, I walked over and sat in the chair at my desk. "Frankie, I don't have a zillion rules here, but there are some things I expect from all of the boys. One of them is that everyone will be home for dinner. I think you knew that."

"We had car troubles," he responded, while looking bored.

"So how come you didn't call?" I wanted to know.

"I couldn't remember the phone number," he mouthed. His answers seemed much too simple and rehearsed.

"What about looking it up in the phone book?" I pressed.

"Didn't think of that," he replied.

"Let's put it this way," I stated, succinctly. "I do give you boys enough room to make your own mistakes and the opportunity to learn and grow from them, so count this as your mistake. I don't want this to be repeated and I encourage you to learn what is expected of you here and then act accordingly. Any questions?"

"I guess not," he answered dryly.

"Then go get ready for bed and you can turn in for the evening," I suggested. "If you have any questions about what I expect from you, then ask me and I'll explain everything to you. Otherwise, I don't want any more problems. Am I clear?" Frankie merely nodded his head in reply, while making a face showing his disgust.

He left the room, but I could tell from just watching his body language that most of what I said went in one ear and out the other, that's if it even entered at all. This boy was going to be a challenge. I just hope I'm up for it. I went back to the family room to join the older boys and watch the end of the program we had been viewing. Now that it had ended, we all turned in.

The week had been quite trying and I was happy when Friday finally arrived. I was in my office at school, just before lunch, when I got a phone call. It was Kevin's doctor and he told me he had the test results back. He wanted me to bring Kevin by after school, so we could discuss them. Although I pressed him to share the details with me now, he refused to give me even the slightest clue over the phone. If I wanted to learn what he'd discovered, I'd have to come to his office and then he'd explain it to both of us at the same time.

The lack of information concerned me, but I didn't want to push the panic button prematurely. I called the high school and asked them to tell Kevin to meet me out in front of the school right after his last class and they said they'd do that for me. As anticipated, for the rest of the school day I was consumed with thoughts about Kevin's situation. I informed the assistant principal and head teacher I would be leaving a little early again, so I could take Kevin back to the doctor's office, and they both wished us luck.

I pulled up in front of the high school, just as the first wave of students was exiting the building. It wasn't long before I saw Kevin heading in my direction and then enter the van.

"What's up, Dad?" he asked me.

"The doctor called and said your test results are back," I explained. "He wanted me to bring you down after school."

"Did he tell you what he found?" Kevin asked, with a look of concern suddenly appearing on his face.

"No, he said he'd tell us both at the same time," I informed him.

Our trip to the office was in total silence. I think we both had various scenarios running around in our heads, as we tried to mentally prepare ourselves for what was to come. When we finally entered the waiting room, we announced our presence to the front desk and then took our seats. We sat there for about twenty minutes, before we were led into one of the examination rooms. We ended up having to wait at least another ten minutes for the doctor to arrive.

Kevin didn't really sit down to wait, once we were in the examination room. Instead, he paced around the small area like an animal in a cage, until I pulled him down into my lap and wrapped my arms around him. He looked at me and I could tell he was on the verge of tears.

"I'm scared shitless, Dad," he confessed

"I know. I guess I am too," I admitted. "However, it won't be much longer before we know what the doctor discovered. Just breathe deeply and try to relax. It won't do you any good to get all worked up beforehand."

"I'll try, but I can't promise I'll be able to do it," he replied.

"Just try, then," I urged.

We sat there for a couple of more minutes, before the door opened and the doctor walked in. We exchanged greetings and then got down to business.

"I've gone over the results of Kevin's tests and I've even shown them to two of my colleagues," he began, which I interpreted to mean he thought he had discovered something serious. "We've all reached the same conclusion. It appears this new lump is a tumor and we collectively recommend that we remove the diseased testicle as soon as possible. It's the same one that caused the problem previously."

Kevin's mouth fell open and the tears started flowing down his cheeks. I hugged him tightly, as he was still on my lap, and leaned my head against his.

"I know this is scary, Kevin" the doctor continued, "but I think we've discussed all the important facts before, which is it won't make you any less of a man and you can still function normally with only one testicle. We do feel it is imperative that we remove it in the very near future, though, before the cancer begins to metastasize and spread to other parts of your body. We've tentatively scheduled your operation for a week from today, if you agree to go through with it. This will give you a few days to consider your options, before you have to make a decision, but I don't want this to linger longer than a week. Go home, talk it over with your dad and brothers and you can let me know your answer by noon on Monday," he emphasized.

"Kevin, I don't want to mislead you," the doctor added, in a soothing tone. "This is dangerous, but at this point, it is not life threatening. I believe that by removing the offending testicle, it will eliminate your problem and you will be able to live a long and healthy life. You've been very brave already and I have confidence you will continue to face this with the same courage and make the right choice."

We thanked the doctor and left his office. Once we were in the van, I asked Kevin if there were someplace special he'd like to go. He declined, explaining he was too emotional to be seen in public. For that reason, I merely drove him around for a while, before we went back to pick up his brothers and head home. No one said a word, as I surmised each had guessed the results of the tests after seeing Kevin's face, as he sat in the front seat. You could have heard a pin drop at any time during the entire ride home and that's something, considering there were nine boys involved.

As we entered the house, Kevin bolted up to his room and the other boys cornered me in the living room, demanding to know what was up. I explained to them what the doctor had told us, and then I also informed them about the option the doctor had recommended. I could see them all mentally crossing their legs as I said it and then Dustin rushed off to comfort his brother, his friend and his lover. I made the other boys stay downstairs, so the two of them could have some time alone. Frankie wanted to know why they were so close, so I explained they had been together for a long time, having been in the same foster home before they came here, and were also best friends. He accepted that explanation and let it drop without further comment.

Up in the bedroom, Dustin was holding Kevin and they were both crying. When they had both achieved a modicum of control, he whispered in Kevin's ear. "It will be all right, babe. We're all here for you. You'll still be the same man I love and nothing will change, except you'll have one less part. I love you, Kevy, and I'll be here for you, not matter what you have to go through."

Chapter 18
Worries and Disappointments

It was a very long weekend and there was a great deal of tension in the house. The boys all tried to let Kevin know they were there for him, but were leery about what they should say, because they didn't want to make matters worse. Kevin continued to sleep with me each night, so Trey stayed in with Dustin. That was good, too, because they were able to comfort and help allay each other's fears without Kevin being there. All in all, however, it was a very trying time.

Unfortunately, the week that followed wasn't any better and that wasn't the only problem we faced. Tuesday night Ricky, Graham and Cole came to me and told me that money was missing from their bank. They explained that when they went to get the money out, so they could buy something for Kevin to take with him to the hospital, they discovered it wasn't there. They told me all they found in there were the coins, but all of the bills were gone. I asked them if they knew when this might have happened and they said 'no'. The last time they had seen the bills in the bank was a month and a half ago. I informed them I'd see what I could do about figuring this out, but I wasn't optimistic. There had been numerous people in and out of the house during that period of time and it would be hard to pinpoint who might have taken the money. I suggested that, in the future, they give their money to me, so I can put in the safe, and then I also gave them $20.00, to replace at least some of the missing money. The boys had good intentions and I didn't want to penalize them for someone else's action.

On Wednesday, the problem deepened. Danny came up to me and asked if I'd seen the gold chain I'd bought him for one of his birthdays. He thought he might have misplaced it, but after asking him several questions about it and with the knowledge about the missing money, I suspected otherwise. I was now concerned that I either had a thief in my household or someone close to us was less than honest. I knew something would have to be done, I just wasn't sure yet what it was.

Later Wednesday, things got worse. Dustin was going around asking everyone if they had seen the boom box that belonged to Kevin and him. It had suddenly come up missing in action. This was the straw that broke the camel's back. Now, I had to do something. Thursday after school I called all the boys into the living room for a discussion.

"Boys, I think that we've got a serious problem here and I feel that I need to do something to counteract the effects of what has been happening," I began. "I'm not sure how long this has been going on, but things have been disappearing from various rooms. At first, I thought I could just lock up a few things to keep them safe, but now I'm afraid that small effort won't be enough. I hate to do this, but I called my contractor earlier today and asked him to install a key-entry deadbolt lock on each room. He'll be here Monday to do the work."

The boys all began to look around, suddenly realizing there might be a thief among them. As they looked at each other, trying to figure out if it might be one of them or someone who came there frequently, I continued.

"I will give you each a key to your own door, so you can keep your valuables safe, but I will keep a duplicate key in my safe, just in case you lose yours. I hope we won't need to use these measures forever, but for the time being, I don't see any other option. I'm sure that whoever took these things has either disposed of them or hidden them. I hate to accuse any of you without proof and I don't want to include the innocent in a random search, so none will be conducted."

I'm not sure how the boys were reacting to that comment. I think some of them wanted me to start searching for the missing items, yet they would have been hurt if I'd searched their room, figuring I suspected they might be the thief. I think they all began to realize I couldn't search one room without searching them all, unless I had some proof about who might have done it. Now they went back to listening to what I had to say.

"I've always tried to make sure that each of you had what you needed and most of what you wanted. Of course, I had limits on the reasonableness of what you could have, but I've never felt any of you were being treated unjustly or deprived of what you needed. You don't know how bad this makes me feel to have to go to these extremes, but I want to protect those of you who are innocent from the one or ones who are not. If the guilty party wants to own up to what he has done, I will be fair about a suitable punishment and not expose him to the rest of the others. If I haven't heard anything by tomorrow morning, I will let the contractor install the locks on Monday and then I'll pass out the keys. Any questions?"

I think most of the boys were still too shocked to respond. After a couple of minutes I sent them on their way and I went to sit alone in my office. Some of the boys stopped by, one at a time, to offer their sympathy or thoughts about what had happened, but I never got a confession. I was sorely disappointed by the time I went to bed. Kevin was still sleeping with me, and it he seemed that he wanted to talk about it, before we turned in.

"Do you think it's one of the three new boys?" he asked, although I wasn't sure if he believed it might be one of them.

"I have no idea, Kevin, and I don't want to speculate or accuse anyone unjustly," I explained.

"But who else could it be?" he countered. "The rest of us have been together a long time and this has never happened before. It's got to be one of them, right?"

"Not necessarily," I confessed. "It could be one of the others who had a change in their situation or maybe just a case of good, old-fashion greed. Maybe someone needed something for who knows what reason and thought that was the only way to get it. I don't know who did this, nor do I know why, but I've got to discover who it is and put a stop to this."

"Do you really think one of your sons would do that?" Kevin pressed, in an effort to convince me it wasn't one of them. "Come on, Dad. None of us are afraid to come to you with a problem. If one of us needed something, we'd just ask you. It's got to be one of the others."

"The odds are probably greater in that direction, but I don't want to accuse any or all of them without good reason," I conceded. "I don't consider the fact I don't know them as well the rest of you as sufficient justification to suspect them or search their rooms. I will definitely keep my eyes open and take precautionary actions, but I will not blame or accuse anyone without some kind of proof. Enough talk about that, though. How are you doing?"

Kevin hesitated before he answered, so I took it he wasn't happy about my not agreeing with him or with my putting a halt to the discussion. After a minute or so, he finally answered me.

"Fine, I guess. I've tried not to think about it much," he confessed. "Everyone has tried to keep me busy so I wouldn't have time to consider it much. I guess it's worked, because I haven't thought about it hardly at all. I'm still nervous and scared about what the doctor might do to me, but I guess I understand now that I'll have to do it or I might lose more than just one nut. I'm okay, Dad, mostly because you and my brothers have been so great about helping me through this. Thanks."

Kevin gave me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek, placed his head on my shoulder, and we remained that way until we fell asleep. Actually, we remained that way until we woke up the following morning. I awoke first, before the alarm, so I lay there looking at him as he rested so peacefully against me. When the alarm eventually went off, Kevin began to stir. I reached out toward my nightstand, without looking, and shut off the annoying device. Kevin looked up at me and smiled.

"How long have you been awake?" he asked me.

"How did you know I was awake?" I countered.

"Because you always jump a little when the alarm goes off," he told me, "and you didn't do that this time." I didn't realize I had such an idiosyncrasy or that he was so observant.

"Think you're smart, don't you?" I teased and he just smiled. "I was only awake for a few minutes before you."

"And you were staring at me, right?" he followed.

"Guilty as charged, your honor," I confessed. "You looked so peaceful this morning that I couldn't resist."

"And because you love me, right?" he added.

"Of course you're right. I love all my boys," I admitted.

"And we love you too," he quickly countered, "and I'm glad we have you."

"And I'm glad I have all of my boys," I added. "You've each brought so much to my life."

"Yeah, like medical problems, constant running around, thieves…" Kevin mocked, while giving me one of his special smiles, but I had to interrupt him.

"And the love, the good times and the memories I shall cherish forever." We looked at each other, knowing there was much more to our lives together than just the good times and the bad. I ruffled his hair, pushed him out of bed and chased him into my bathroom.

"You get showered and I'll go down and start breakfast," I yelled behind him.

"Okay, Dad. I'll see you downstairs," he confirmed.

This was Kevin's big day and I was pleasantly surprised at how well he was dealing with it. Throughout the morning, no one said anything to him about his upcoming operation, although they did all wish him well when we dropped them off early at their schools. They agreed to wait around outside their buildings until school started, so I wouldn't have to leave Kevin at any point. I had also reminded them once more, at breakfast, that they were on their own tonight for dinner. I would remain at the hospital with Kevin the entire day, and one of my friends would drop Dustin off at the hospital after classes, so he could join us. Everyone knew I wouldn't be home until very late, so the older boys were to help look out for the younger ones until I returned.

Just before we were ready to drive away, the terrible trio came back to talk to Kevin. "Kevin," Ricky began, "we all bought you something for today, but we didn't want to give them to you in front of the others. We thought they might feel guilty they didn't get you anything or they might get mad at us for not including them in on our gift."

"We wanted to give you something that might help you through the day," Cole added, practically cutting Ricky off.

"So we got you these," Graham said, in his tiny little voice, while handing something to Kevin. Kevin quickly held it up to examine it. It was a simple chain on which hung a rabbit's foot, a four leaf clover in a round plastic pendant, and, as was explained to us later, a piece of the Blarney Stone, crisscrossed in a metal frame with a connecting loop. Each of them had given him one of the best-known symbols for bringing luck that man has ever known, in hopes that their combined powers would bring him successfully through his ordeal. Kevin and I were both touched by this simple, yet extremely thoughtful, gesture.

"We just thought they might help," Ricky added, in explanation. "I mean they can't hurt."

Kevin immediately unsnapped his seatbelt and leaped out of the van, so he could hug his three brothers, as a way to thank them for their thoughtful.

"You know, you guys aren't really devils after all," he whispered to them, which drew smiles from each of them. However, Ricky couldn't let it go, without one additional comment.

"And who said we were?" he shot back.

When Kevin got back into his seat, I saw the tears streaking down his cheek. I tried to wipe the tears from MY eyes, hoping he wouldn't notice what I was doing, as he refastened his seat belt. Things remained very serious and quiet for a while, but that did change. We were nearly to the hospital when Kevin started joking around.

"Well, it won't be long before I'm your only one-balled son," he quipped. "It's a good thing I know both you and Dustin will still love me when my voice starts getting higher."

I looked at him and tried to determine if there was more to this jocularity than met the eye, but he seemed to be doing just fine. "It doesn't quite work like that," I responded, in case it wasn't a joke. "You won't be singing soprano any time soon and your body will still produce enough testosterone to keep you maturing just as you are. The only way anyone will ever notice the difference is if they're playing around down there."

"Then I guess there won't be many people knowing about this then, will there?" he quickly countered, before letting out a little giggle.

"That's entirely up to you," I responded. After saying that, I looked over at Kevin again, to see how he was doing. He just sat there smiling at me.

"I'm very proud of you, young man," I informed him. "I don't know many boys or men who could go through this and take it as well as you are doing. I'll stay with you as long as I can today and then I'll be there for you when they bring you back out. I love you and everything will be fine. I promise."

"Thanks, Dad," he replied. "I just want to live and I know I probably won't be able to do that if I keep this diseased nut. Knowing that made me realize I'd rather have them take it out, rather than lose everything else. I guess going through this before, with the cyst and all, and knowing that none of you will treat me any differently afterwards helps. I know I'll be okay with all of you around to help me through it."

"My brave little soldier. I'm so proud of you," I told him, just as I pulled into a parking space.

We sat there looking at each other for a few more seconds before we got out, and then I walked around to his side of the van, put my arm over his shoulders and walked with him toward the main entrance. We had only gone a few steps before I felt his arm come up wrap around my waist, and we walked like this into hospital, ready to face the challenges ahead.

I was allowed to go with him, while he changed into his hospital gown. It's a damn good thing he isn't shy about his body, with that thing to wear. Once he was ready, he climbed up on the stretcher and I was able to walk beside him, as they wheeled him down to the operating room. When we stopped and one of the orderlies explained that was as far as I could go with them, I kissed Kevin on the forehead and told him I'd still be here when he came back out. I watched as they wheeled him through the doors of the O.R.

Once they were out of sight, I walked down to the waiting area and tried to occupy my mind with other thoughts. However, I wasn't succeeding. Although I first tried to get interested in the television program that was on, when that didn't work, I picked up some of the ancient magazines that adorned the various tables and tried to find something interesting to read. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to help distract me from worrying about my boy.

It was about an hour later when the doctor came in and called my name. I jumped up and went to meet him. "Everything went fine," he reassured me. "He's in recovery now and they'll take him to his room once he's alert. I want to keep him overnight, just as a precaution, and you may take him home tomorrow, if everything goes well. We're sending the testicle away for testing and I'll let you know the results from that, when I get them."

"Thank you, doctor. I appreciate everything you've done for him," I told him, while hoping it was enough.

"You're welcome and it was my pleasure," he replied. "I'll see to it that someone comes out to get you when they take him to his room, since I know you'll probably want to stay in there with him. I'll be around later to see him and evaluate how he's doing."

I'm not sure how much longer it was before another orderly came in and called my name. Eagerly, I jumped up and followed him out to where Kevin's stretcher waited for us in the hallway. He and the nurse then guided us through the corridors, into an elevator and up to Kevin's room. I was able to talk to him at various points along the way and happily told him that the doctor said everything went well and he was doing fine. He flashed me a weak smile, so I knew he understood and I said no more.

When we arrived at his room, I waited outside the door until the orderly and nurse had him situated. Once I was told I could enter, I went in and sat down in the chair beside his bed. Kevin kept drifting in and out, as the drugs were still making him very drowsy, so I merely held his hand and stroked his head as I sat with him. I lost all track of time until Dustin walked in, which gave me a rough idea about how late it was. Dustin came over and stood by me, before sitting on one of my knees. We continued to sit like that and talk to Kevin, whenever he was awake. We were having a conversation about something inane when meals on wheels rolled up outside his door.

"I think I'll run down to the cafeteria and get Dustin and me something to eat," I informed them, "and then I'll bring it back here, so we can eat with Kevin." Both boys seemed to approve of my suggestion.

As I left the area, I asked one of the nurses if I could bring Kevin back a milkshake as a treat. After looking at his chart, she said that would be fine. I only left the boys alone for a brief time, just long enough to retrieve the food, but Kevin had already finished his meal by the time I got back. Without hesitating, I handed him his chocolate shake, which caused him to smile and lick his lips. Dustin and I began eating our food and we both had shakes as well. It wasn't bad, for hospital food, but the shake made it seem even more enjoyable.

Once Kevin had finished his shake, he dozed off again and slept for a while. By the time he came to, we had finished our meal and were watching television. Kevin joined us and we were soon shouting out and debating answers for one of those early evening game shows. I think the nurses all thought we were all a little nuts.

Even though Kevin kept drifting in and out with us all evening, he was alert enough to discover a problem. It happened just after nine. "Dad, I forgot to bring my pouch!" he exclaimed, panicked. "I meant to put it in my pocket this morning, but I guess I forgot it. I'm going to need it, after you guys leave."

"Why don't I just run home and get it for you now?" I suggested. "I know right where it is and Dustin can stay with you while I go retrieve it. Then we'll both stay with you until the nurses kick us out, when visiting hours end."

That idea mollified Kevin, so I went home to retrieve his teen 'pacifier.' On second thought, maybe 'security blanket' is a better description of the purpose his pouch serves. As long as it made him feel better once we were gone for the evening, I had no trouble getting it for him. As I pulled into the driveway, I noticed there were other cars parked along the street and in our driveway that I didn't recognize. I walked into the house and was shocked by what I found. There were a number of teens, both male and female, walking around my house, drinking beer and making out.

"Party's over," I yelled out. "I want everyone who doesn't belong out of here." Only a few people started to move toward the door. "I will notify the police in ten minutes to remove anyone who still remains," I added. Now, there was a mad dash to the exits and soon everyone was gone, except for my boys. I must admit I made one mistake, which was I hadn't thought beforehand about people driving after they had been drinking. I only hoped it would not prove to be a fatal mistake. I concluded I had been concentrating so much on Kevin that I failed to recognize this problem, before I evicted all of our unwanted guests.

Concerned and upset by what I had just walked into, I summoned all of the boys to the family room.

"I want to know who's responsible for this NOW?" I announced, shocking them all by my forcefulness. They all looked down at their feet and there was no response, until Danny spoke up.

"I guess that really isn't important, because we all went along with the idea," he admitted.

"Then you are saying you're all responsible?" I asked, in order to clarify what he was saying.

"Yeah, I guess I am," he confirmed. It took a while for me to accept that they had collectively thought up the idea to throw a party at the house, while Dustin and I sat with Kevin at the hospital.

"Not only am I disappointed you would do this behind my back," I chided them, "but to do it while Kevin is in the hospital recovering from surgery is even worse. You boys know you are allowed to drink in the house if you wish, within reason, and that I'm generally willing to give you the chance to try such things, as long as it's controlled in our own home and there is no chance of it harming others. It's just that I don't expect this to include others from outside our home or for it to happen without my knowledge. I don't know what to say, except there will be repercussions from this, but I can't deal with it now. I just came back to get something for Kevin, so I'll retrieve it and return to be with him for a while longer. I will definitely be home earlier than I had originally planned, now that I've learned I can't trust any of you any longer."

"You can trust us, Dad," Ricky answered. "We just made a mistake. Please, stay with Kevin. He needs you now and I don't want to mess that up too."

"You already have," I informed him. "I've told you boys many times that I will trust you until you prove to me you can't be trusted, and tonight you've proven just that. I've also told you repeatedly that once you lose my trust, it will be very difficult to earn it back. I'm afraid you will not have my trust again, until you can demonstrate to me that you once again deserve it. I will be back shortly and I only pray you won't mess up again. I wouldn't leave at all, if I hadn't promised Kevin to get this for him and didn't need to pick up Dustin. I want you all to get ready for bed and we'll talk more about this tomorrow."

"This really sucks, man," Frankie added from the background. "What's the big deal anyway?"

"The big deal is that you're all underage and this took place in my home, which makes me responsible. Not only that, but I don't approve of what you boys did. Do you need more?"

"Nah," Frankie answered me. "This place is just like every place else. No one wants to see teenagers have any fun."

"You're wrong," I corrected him. "We don't mind seeing teenagers having fun, it's just a difference of opinion on what they need to do to have fun. Beer blasts are not an acceptable choice and such things will not happen in this house. This will also mean there will be greater scrutiny on your whereabouts at other times now, as well. If you'd do this here, then I can only imagine what you'd do elsewhere, so from now on I will demand specifics about where you will be and whom you will be with. I might also check up on the information you give me, just to make sure it is accurate."

"Man," Frankie yelled again, "this is turning into a big jail."

"Does anyone, besides Frankie, think that I'm being unfair?" There was no response.

"Shit. They're all scared of you," he told me.

"I've never known these boys to stop speaking their minds or fail to argue with me when they thought I was wrong," I informed him. "Unless they tell me otherwise, I will assume you are the only one who thinks my actions are unjust."

"Come on, you wussies," Frankie urged them. "Tell him what you really think."

"He already knows," Danny answered him. "We all know what we did was wrong and now we have to answer for it. The rest of us are man enough to take our punishment and we think you should be, too."

"You guys are hopeless," Frankie shot back, before storming out of the room and heading up to his bedroom. Once he was gone, the other boys all apologized to me, as they passed by to go to their own rooms. Once they had all gone, I went up to my room to retrieve the object that led me to discover this clandestine gathering in the first place.

A short time later, I was back at the hospital and in Kevin's room. I handed him his little pouch and then I told the two of them what I had discovered at the house when I arrived. They both looked at each other, and I understood there was some sort of silent communication going on. I just waited to see what was going to happen, but I had the feeling they knew about this before I told them what I had discovered.

"Dad, I don't want to be a snitch," Dustin began, "but we knew Frankie was trying to talk the others into having a party at the house. We didn't get involved, because we knew we wouldn't be there, but we thought the others were going to talk him out of it."

"Well, I guess they didn't, so they're all equally guilty," I explained. "In a way, I am kind of proud of the rest of them for not trying to pin the whole thing on Frankie and accepting some of the blame themselves, but I'm still upset about their lack of judgment. There are so many things that should have made alarm bells sound in their brains, so they wouldn't have gone along with the idea." Kevin and Dustin were both looking at me, not having seen me this animated before, but I was on a roll and not about to stop.

"First, they should have thought about your little bout with ecstasy, for one. Allergic reactions can happen to alcohol as well, not including the chance of alcohol poisoning. Second, I work for the school district and deal with children on a daily basis. How would it look to the other parents, if they discovered keg parties were being held at my house and given by my sons? Then, there's the liability question. If anyone were injured at our place or as a result of what they did there, they'd sue me for everything I had. That means the house and all the money that is supposed to be used to raise you boys and give you a good start in life would be gone. We would all lose big time, if anything had happened. Last, there's the question of legality and acceptance. Every one of you knows it's not legal for minors to drink and they definitely should have known that I wouldn't approve. That's why they did it behind my back. I won't be able to put this behind me until I'm certain they understand how wrong they were and I'm positively convinced there will be no repeat performances."

Once I finished my little tirade, not another word was spoken about this issue. We sat with Kevin for a little while longer and then informed him I had to go. I needed to get back home to make certain the partiers hadn't returned. Kevin told me not to worry about leaving early, because he understood. I thanked him for his mature attitude and informed him I would see him again in the morning. I said my final good night and then kissed him on the forehead, before leaving Dustin alone with him for a brief time, so they could say their good-byes in private

By the time Dustin and I got home, everyone else was in bed. We soon joined them, but sleep didn't come easily or quickly for me. A multitude of things were racing around in my mind. until I finally slipped off into a dream-filled slumber. These were neither good dreams, nor were they nightmares. They were just disturbing visions of different situations the boys might get into, and that alone made it difficult for me to enjoy a decent night's rest. Actually, I was kind of glad when the alarm went off the next morning, because instead of startling me awake, it just brought my troubling visions to an end.

Chapter 19
An Unusual Thanksgiving

Hardly a word was spoken during breakfast, amongst those of us who were already up. After Dustin and I finished eating, we cleaned up and were off to the hospital. We were eager to pick Kevin up and bring him home, so we hoped the situation hadn't changed overnight. We arrived at his room just as Kevin was finishing his breakfast.

Kevin was actually looking well, considering what he had just been through. His color was good and he didn't appear to be weak, and he smiled at us when we walked through the door. I took that to mean he was in good spirits as well. We asked him how he was doing and he responded, "I feel great and can't wait to go home."

"I assumed you'd be ready to go home, but how do you actually FEEL," I persisted.

"Fine, like I said," he repeated. "I haven't really felt any pain, although I am a little sore down there," he added, while pointing in the direction of his family jewels. "And I don't feel any less of a man now, than I did when I had both of my balls."

Dustin and I were first shocked by that comment, but then we both grinned. We were glad he had managed to keep a positive outlook about things. We continued to chat with Kevin and kept him company, until the doctor came by a short time later. It was about ten when he arrived, and Dustin and I planned to step outside the room, so he could check Kevin out in private. However, the minute we stood up, Kevin insisted we stay. The doctor looked up and winked at us, before telling us that would be fine.

When Kevin's physician removed the bandages and examined Kevin's scrotum, he also had me look at the area too, so he could show me what to expect and explain what I would need to do for Kevin once we got home. I guess I had expected it to look much worse than it did, but there was only a modest amount of discoloration from the surgery and then I saw the scar. I guess that was actually the worst part about it.

The doctor was explaining to me about the incision, when Kevin decided it would be a good time to make a wisecrack. "I think you're taking a little longer than is professionally necessary to check me out,' he insinuated, before releasing a modest giggle.

The doctor seemed unfazed by his comment and immediately quipped back, "When they're this small, it's hard to see and takes longer to show someone else what they'll need to do."

While Dustin and I chuckled at the physician's retort, Kevin made a hurt face and surrendered, knowing he had been beaten at his own game. After the doctor left, Kevin said, "That guy must really be hung, if he thinks I'm small." We all laughed at his comment and then Dustin playfully punched Kevin in the shoulder.

When we arrived home, all the boys came down to greet Kevin and welcome him back. Seeing Kevin walk from the van to the house was the first I had seen him walk any distance since the operation, because he was taken out of the hospital and to the car in a wheelchair. I had to admit he looked and moved like a cowboy who had just spent a month in the saddle. I was certain he must be very tender in that area, even though I had brought him loose fitting sweatpants to wear home, but it was really comical to watch him waddle up to the front door. Once inside, we guided him to the family room and let him stretch out on the sofa, while many of the boys took turns waiting on him, hand and foot, for the rest of the day.

After lunch, I had another meeting with last night's offenders in the living room. I let Kevin and Dustin stay in the family room, as they weren't involved in this particular problem. I looked at the others and asked if there was anything more they wanted to say to me, before I began. None of them spoke up, so now it was my turn to speak.

"I've decided on your punishment for what happened last night," I announced. "None of you will be allowed to go anywhere, other than to school and certain school functions, approved by me in advance, for the period of one month. In addition to that, no one will be allowed to come here during that same period of time and, reluctantly, that will have to included Brandon and Jay as well. The punishment will end on December 17th. Any questions?"

Pat had one. "How are we going to do any Christmas shopping, if we're grounded for all of that time?"

"You'll either have to go with me, when I offer to take you, or you'll have to wait and do all your shopping from December 17th to the 24th."

Although they weren't happy with the information, there were no other questions. so I went into the family room to explain to the other two what I had just told their brothers. Although they weren't included in the punishment, I wanted them to know what I had done to the others for two reasons. First, they might think twice before they did something like that in the future, and second, so they wouldn't make plans that might include some of the others, until the punishment was lifted. They thanked me for giving them that information, which put an end to that episode for now.

The next week was Thanksgiving, which created a whole new set of problems. My older children were planning to come home for Thanksgiving, which meant my grandchildren would be there as well and would want to spend time and sleep with their uncles. Due to the punishment, that wouldn't be allowed and I was certain my grandsons wouldn't understand why they couldn't be with the others. With that in mind, I decided to call Michael and Marie, so I could discuss the situation with them. I made it a three-way call.

They both began laughing, when I told them what had happened. "And why do you think this is so comical?" I wanted to know.

"Because now we're not the only ones who mess up like that," Michael replied.

"Yeah, we were beginning to think our new brothers were angels and never did anything wrong," Marie added, startling me. They had seen what pranksters and little devils they could be.

"You can say that with a straight face, after having been with them for a week?" I challenged.

"Oh, they liked to pull pranks and got in trouble with Robert, but I think that was mostly Robert's doing," she mused. "It's just that we'd never heard or seen them do anything really bad, until this," she clarified.

"Yeah, now it makes what I did, letting my friends surf-ride on the top of our car, not look as horrible," Michael added, before breaking out in hysterics.

"Okay, but what are we going to do about Thanksgiving," I pressed. "They are being punished and I don't want to punish my grandsons too."

"What if we don't come home for Thanksgiving and then take extra time off at Christmas," Marie offered.

"Yes, since Christmas falls on the weekend, we could take off the extra days during the week and go back home the following weekend," Michael agreed. "I think your grandsons will be a little disappointed, but the extra time with their 'super uncles' will more than make up for it later." I had never heard Michael use that term before, so I had to question him about it.

"Super uncles?" I repeated. He and Marie both laughed.

"Yes, Marie and I coined that phrase, after constantly hearing our sons tell how Uncle Cole, Unka Gwam or Uncle Ricky would do this or that for them. They have them up on a pedestal so high, even you would get a nosebleed from standing on it with them." I had to chuckle at his remark.

"Okay, I understand and I guess it's agreed," I summarized. "I will miss seeing you at Thanksgiving, but in the same light, I look forward to seeing you for a longer time at Christmas."

After they agreed to also inform Elizabeth and Robert for me, we finished our conversation and hung up. However, I intentionally withheld this information from everyone else. I planned to use it to reinforce their punishment and add another element to make them think twice about doing something like that again.

Seeing the number we'd be having for dinner had suddenly changed, I quickly calculated how many I would have to feed and started planning our Thanksgiving meal. I went grocery shopping on Sunday, to pick up everything I was going to need, but it seemed very strange going to the store without having at least three boys in tow. I had left them all home this time, as they were just beginning their punishment and I wasn't about to make an exception to my own rule and take them out with me so soon. I did make them help me carry the groceries in and put them away when I got home though.

Monday, I took everyone to school, but then came back home to stay with Kevin. I felt bad about taking so much time off from school, but I had more than enough leave days accumulated, so I had taken off the three additional days, along with the two for the holiday. That's why I was there when the contractor arrived.

He quickly went about his business and added the locks to the bedroom doors. When he was finished, he gave me four keys to each door and two master keys, which could be used to unlock any of the rooms. It took him about a half a day just to install them and then he started another job for me, one that I had kept secret from the boys. He was turning the downstairs office into the master bedroom again and was adding a new master bath to it by taking some of the area away from the rec room. The old master bathroom, upstairs, would now be accessible for all the boys to use. Not only that, but we could split the old master bedroom into two decent sized smaller rooms, giving us even more flexibility.

This wasn't just a whimsical idea on my part, though, it was done out of necessity. With this many boys in the house, an additional bathroom wouldn't only be welcomed, but it was a necessity! At the same time, the contractor also split off the plumbing for the two downstairs bathrooms and my new master bath and connected them to a new hot water heater, separate from the ones that would supply the kitchen and two upstairs bathrooms with hot water. Both of these hot water heaters were the largest, quickest recovering and most energy efficient models he could find.

In my new master bedroom, I was having the contractor panel the bottom half and paper the top half, similar to what we had done to some of the upstairs rooms. It would be a dark walnut paneling for the bottom half and a nice 'nature' pattern wallpaper for the top, showing rolling hills and green fields. This would also help at Christmas time when my other children came home, making more rooms available for them to use as well. The bedroom reconstruction would take most of Thanksgiving week, Monday thru Wednesday, and then much of the following week to complete.

On Wednesday, the three stooges approached me with a question. "When are our other brothers and sisters getting here," Graham asked. Apparently, he had been made the spokesman for the trio.

"They aren't," I answered, very simply. However, my response caused all of their eyes to bulge from their sockets.

"They aren't?" Ricky parroted. "But why?"

"Since you boys are being punished and I told you there would be no visitors coming to the house," I began, "I called and told them we'd have to change our plans."

"So you're punishing them too?" Cole quipped.

"I guess that's one way of looking at it," I responded, "but they all agreed it would be best if they didn't show up, as it would be difficult to explain to Nicky and Jordan why they weren't allowed to play or sleep with you boys." Suddenly, they all looked crestfallen. After standing there pouting for a few extra moments, they slinked out of the room, like three whipped puppies. I felt badly, yet knew I had made an indelible impression.

Later, some of the other boys came by to verify this was indeed the case, as they couldn't believe I'd made my older children and their families stay away, just because they had gotten into trouble. I guess this was something they never expected from me and it gave them a new insight into just how upset I was about what they had done.

Thanksgiving morning I got up early to start the turkey and slowly worked on the other dishes. Most of the boys came in at different times to offer assistance, which I accepted gratefully. By 2:00 we had our dinner and the boys stuffed themselves with this special fare, but we didn't have dessert until an hour or so after the meal. I not only had a selection of pies and whipped cream, but also several flavors of ice cream and cheesecake with a choice of toppings. Due to this extensive selection, the boys weren't hungry again until later in the evening, but when they were, I told them just go back and nuke what they wanted or they could make turkey sandwiches for themselves. They all took care of their own needs and I got a brief chance to rest.

Friday it was just the boys and I, all alone in the house. Some of the boys watched sports on television, while others went outside to throw the football around. Trey was upstairs on the computer and Frankie was in his room, although I wasn't sure what he was doing. Trey had been on the computer for a couple of hours when Frankie decided he wanted to use it. He asked Trey how much longer he'd be and Trey told him to use the one in the office. Frankie told him that it was a mess in there with the construction going on and he didn't want to have to clean everything off first. Trey said he'd be off in a few minutes, so Frankie waited. Finally, Trey left and went to his, actually Dustin and Kevin's room, to read. That bedroom was right next-door to the computer room.

Frankie got on the computer and started checking to see what he could find on there. He went into MS Office and looked in a bunch of the files, mostly school reports, song lyrics and things of that nature, but there wasn't much there to interest him. Then he tried to look in the downloaded files, to see if anyone had downloaded anything of interest. Finally, he searched the recycle bin and that's when he struck gold. Trey had deleted one of his files, but he forgotten to go in and empty it from the recycle area. He was planning to do it, but Frankie's anxiousness to get on the computer made him forget. Because of this simple mistake, Frankie became privy to his deepest, darkest secret. It was a journal entry, which he usually kept in a password-protected file, but this was just a rough draft he meant to delete. Frankie read it with great interest, as it told him things about Trey that no one else in the house knew and information Trey had kept hidden for his own reasons. This is what Frankie read:

"November 23rd,

I'm not sure what to do. I've enjoyed spending time and doing things with Dustin and Kevin and I think they really accept me for who I am. All the others have accepted me too, but not like Dustin and Kevin. I want to tell them I'm gay, and I would also like to have them to make love to me. I would like to see what it would feel like to have one of them inside me. I've thought about it for so long, but I don't dare say anything to them. I'm a chicken, because I don't want them to get mad at me or hate me, but if I don't tell them, then I'll never be able to enjoy that type of sex with them either.

I was thinking about talking to Mr. Currie (I still can't get myself to call him dad, because I still feel close to my own dad, even though he's dead now) but I'm not sure how he'll react either. I had almost worked up the courage to do it a few days ago, but then the thing happened with the party at the house and now I'm afraid again. I don't know what to do. I think they'll accept me for who I am, because they're pretty good about accepting things that other people wouldn't, like going naked around the house, but I want to be sure. I don't want to ruin things, because I really like living here. I wish someone could tell me what to do."

Although it didn't have his name on it, there was enough information in it for Frankie to know who wrote it. Trey was the only one, beside himself, who didn't call Mr. Currie 'Dad'. Trey was also the one who hung around with Dustin and Kevin, and Frankie remembered that someone had told him that Trey came here when his parents died in an accident. Yes, he knew who had written it. Immediately, he turned off the computer and stepped out into the hall. He could see Trey lying on the bed, on his stomach, reading his book. He was only wearing a pair of shorts and a tee shirt and Frankie knew he wouldn't mind dipping his stick in the little fairy's butt. He quietly slipped into the room behind Trey and reached for his shorts. He had a hold of them before Trey even knew he was there.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Trey screamed.

"I'm going to make a little queer's dream come true," Frankie snarled. "Just relax and you'll find out what a real man's cock feels like inside you."

Trey was scared and began to struggle. "Get away from me!" he screamed.

Frankie put his weight on Trey's back so he couldn't get away and kept pulling at his shorts, to get them down. Trey kept trying to struggle and, when that wasn't getting him anywhere, he started screaming.

"Get away from me! Leave me alone! Get out of here!" he screeched, as loudly as he could.

Luckily, the boys who had been tossing the football around outside had just come in to wash up for lunch. Not only did THEY hear Trey's screams, but so did the group that was watching the football game in the family room. Suddenly there was a whole herd of boys flying up the stairs and moving toward the shouting. Pat was the first one there, followed by Ricky, Cole, Graham, Danny and Dustin. As they reached the door to the room, the boys could see Trey, belly-down on the bed, his shorts pulled down to just below his knees, and Frankie was fumbling to get his own jeans open.

Chapter 20
The One Who Slipped Away

"What the fuck are you doing?" Pat shouted at Frankie.

"I've got a little fag who wants to be butt-fucked," Frankie growled back at him. "I'm just helping him out."

"Get away from him," Danny said coldly, as he pushed his way through the crowd.

"Now," added Dustin, following Danny in and adding some muscle to the request.

"Hey, he's a fag and he wants this," Frankie tried to reason. He was becoming a little nervous that everyone else seemed to be ganging up on him.

"We don't care what he is," Danny came back, "and it certainly doesn't sound like he wants it, from all the screaming and fighting he's doing."

"He does want it," Frankie insisted. "I could show you on the computer where he even said so."

"I don't care what it says in the computer!" Dustin screamed. "He's obviously changed his mind and we don't force people to do anything that they don't want to."

About that time I arrived on the scene. I had gone out and told the boys to wash up for lunch, as I got into the van to make a quick run to the store. Just as I was pulling back in, Cole and Graham rushed out to meet me. They were all excited and quickly relayed the story about what was happening upstairs. I raced into the house and stormed up the stairs, but by the time I got there, the other boys had already brought Frankie's actions to a halt.

Before sending the rest of the boys downstairs, I asked Pat and Dustin to escort Frankie to my room, telling them I'd be there shortly to discuss the situation with him. I also asked Danny and Kevin to stay with me, so they could help me calm Trey down. I wanted their help, because I wasn't sure Trey would want to open up to me and I thought that pair might be able to help me convince him he could be honest with me.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked Trey.

"NO! You heard it all already," he sobbed.

"Well, I didn't," I informed him. "Would you please fill me in about what was happening here?"

"Why? So you can throw me out?" Trey challenged, thinking the worst was about to befall him.

"No one's going to throw you out," I assured him. "I just need to find out about what Frankie was up to and why he was trying to do what he did to you."

Trey started crying even harder and buried his head in the bed. The three of us tried to console him and convince him we were there for him, no matter what he said. Eventually Trey lifted his head and looked at me with his tear-streaked face.

"I'm gay. Okay?" Trey sobbed, figuring this would be enough to make us turn on him. "Frankie must have found one of my journal entries on the computer, so he figured that gave him permission to come in here and try and fuck me. Is that what you wanted to know? I'll bet now you don't still want me to live in your house?"

"Trey, why would I want you to leave?" I asked him. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"But I'm gay. I'm queer. A fag, a fairy, a fruitcake or whatever else you want to call it. I know you don't want me here, because I might corrupt the rest of them. Right?"

I looked at Danny and Kevin and let them know that I thought it would be best if they answered this one. "Trey," Kevin said, "I'm gay too and Dad knows it."

"And I am too," Danny added. "Some of the other boys might be gay, bi or even straight, but none of us really cares about that, as long as you don't try to force them to do something they don't want to do."

"Really?" Trey asked amazed, as he flipped over on the bed and sat up. "You guys aren't just saying this to make me feel better, are you?"

"No, they're telling you the truth," I confirmed. "We don't flaunt it, but we don't hide it either. Nothing has changed for you and no one is going to ask you to leave. This is your home, as long as you want to live here. Understood?"

He looked up with tears still streaming down his cheeks. His chest was still heaving, but he was smiling weakly and maintaining most of his composure. "Yeah," he whispered. "Thanks."

"I'm going to leave Danny and Kevin in here with you, while I go and speak with Frankie. You guys get him calmed down and then go down and eat lunch. You'll just have to pick up from where I left off with the food until I get back down to the kitchen. I think I need to handle this first, though."

I walked down the hall to my room. Dustin and Pat were in there with Frankie and they all had scowls on their faces. I'm sure Frankie's was because he'd already guessed how I was going to react, while the other pair were really pissed off about what he had tried to do to Trey. I went over, sat down next to Frankie and began to question him about his take on the incident.

"Do you want to tell me what happened in there?" I began.

"What difference would it make?" he snapped back. "It looks like you're all going to protect the little fairy anyway."

"We're not protecting anyone," I informed him. "All we're doing is enforcing one of the most important rules we have in this house, and that is no one forces anyone else to do anything they don't want to do."

"But he wanted it," Frankie insisted, with a hopeful look creeping across his face. "He even said so, in that thing he wrote on the computer."

"What thing?" I asked, having not heard the details of this part of the story earlier.

"I found something he wrote in the recycle box on the computer and read it," Frankie admitted.

"And this document said that he wanted you to have sex with him?" I pressed, still somewhat confused.

"Not exactly," Frankie confessed, although still not giving up hope of clearing himself. "It just said he was gay and he really wanted Dustin and Kevin to fuck him. It also said he was too shy to tell them, so I was just helping him out."

"But I was told he was screaming for you to stop," I countered.

"Hell, he was just being shy," Frankie tried to rationalize.

"Or maybe he didn't want you to force yourself on him?" I offered.

"See. You're sticking up for the damn queer," Frankie insisted, disgusted.

"Are you trying to tell me that you weren't forcing him to do this?" I asked, trying to clarify his take on the situation.

"Maybe I was, but he wanted it," Frankie claimed, thinking he had implied consent.

"He might have wanted to have sex with Dustin or Kevin," I offered, "but that obviously didn't include you. Why didn't you stop when he started screaming?"

"Cause I was horny and wanted to get off in his cute ass," was Frankie's cocky, macho response. "No big deal."

"When you're forcing someone to do something they don't want to do, it is a big deal," I assured him.

"Whatever," Frankie snarled. "So are you kicking him out, now that you know he's just a little cock sucker?" Frankie smirked, after completing his statement.

"No. He's staying here," I informed him, which caused his expression to change drastically.

"Fine. Then I'll just nail him some other time," he mocked.

"Frankie, I don't think you're listening to what I'm saying," I emphasized, trying to make him understand. "You can't force people to have sex with you."

"Then I'll just have to persuade him," he sneered. "I'll get his little faggot ass sooner or later."

"Let's put it this way," I stipulated, with much more force. "Unless Trey tells ME he wants to have sex with you, then you don't get near him. Understood?"

"Why the fuck do all of you care what happens to the god damn homo?" he challenged, astonished by our stance. "They like to get fucked in the ass, so I'd be doing him a favor. Why is everyone getting so bent out of shape about me doing it for him?"

"It's because you're forcing him to do it," I reiterated. "Unless he tells me those are HIS intentions and what HE wants, then I want you stay away from him – totally."

"Then you better hire an armed guard to protect his ass, because it's mine the first chance I get," Frankie informed me, indicating he wasn't going to listen to anything I said.

"Then I guess that I'll have to make sure you never get that chance," I warned him, before I left him sitting there and walked downstairs. I picked up the phone and began to dial.

"Hello."

"Hello, may I speak with Judge Shay?" I asked.

"Whom might I say is calling?" the other person replied.

"This is Josh Currie," I informed him.

"Josh, it's me," he finally admitted. "Will you please stop calling me Judge Shay outside of court and simply refer to me as Steve?"

"Sure, if that's what you want," I agreed, although still focused on the reason for my call.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you that immediately," Steve confirmed, "but I don't like taking calls at home over the holidays, unless it's an emergency. May I take it this isn't a social call and is a matter of some importance?"

"You may," I agreed. "I've had some major problems with Frankie and I think it would be best if you removed him from here immediately."

"Josh, what happened?" Steve responded, aghast.

"There have been a couple of things and I think this would be best to get him out of here before the situation gets any worse," I informed him, without giving too much away.

"Josh, I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me what went wrong," Steve stated, emphatically. "I really need that information to know how to deal with Frankie, from this point on."

"Steve, I feel I might be partially to blame, because I've been so wrapped up in Kevin's problem and his surgery. Maybe if I spent more time with Frankie when he first arrived…"

Judge Shay cut me off. "Josh, you know better than to beat yourself up when a kid doesn't work out," he told me, reassuringly. "Just tell me what happened, so I'll know what to do next."

"Well, I think he was responsible for arranging a party here at the house when I was at the hospital with Kevin. They were even serving beer."

"And?" Steve pressed.

I really didn't want to tell him, but he did need to know. "Today he tried to force himself sexually on one of the other boys. He thought the boy was gay and wanted it to happen, even though the boy was trying to fight him off."

"I'm sorry," Steve apologized. "Is there anything more?"

"The other thing I can't prove, but things have come up missing around here, ever since he arrived. I'm not sure it's him and I wouldn't be able to offer any proof of this, so I really hate to lay that at his feet too."

"That's not necessary," Steve assured me. "That was one of the charges against him, when I placed him in your care. I guess I probably should have warned you about that, before you agreed to take him. In fact, there were several counts of petty larceny in his file. I know that's not proof, but if you haven't had the problem with the other boys, I'd say his being guilty was a fair bet. Look, I apologize for this and I'll have him picked up within the hour. I'll take care of him from here."

"I really hate to do this to you, Steve," I admitted. "I feel like I failed all of us."

"Balderdash," Steve responded. "I'm sure you did what you could and I just hope this won't affect any future relationships we might have."

"Of course not," I assured him.

"Fine. I'll take care of everything then," Steve replied. "Just let me apologize again for any problems this might have caused you."

"It's not necessary, Steve," I repeated.

"Just the same, I am. Thanks for what you did for him, but I'll have him out of there soon. Good-bye."

"Good-bye," I repeated, ending our conversation.

I hung up the phone and then sought out Danny to help me. "Danny, Frankie is going to be leaving us, but I don't want you to tell another soul, at least until he's gone. I want you to act as a lookout for me, as I go up and pack Frankie's things up. Would you be willing to do that for me?"

"Sure, Dad," Danny chirped, gleefully. "I kind of expected that was going to happen, since Frankie didn't seem to be sorry about what he'd done."

I really felt it would be best if Frankie didn't have any advance warning about what was going to happen, because I was afraid he might just go after Trey again or try to run away. I went up to his room and packed everything he owned in the satchels he had brought with him when he arrived. I was nearly finished, when I made another discovery. High up, on the top shelf of the closet, buried behind paper bags filled with junk, was a boom box. I assumed this was the missing boom box, seeing Frankie didn't bring one with him when he arrived. I'm afraid this also confirmed my belief that he might be our thief.

After confirming where Frankie was, I sneaked back down, carrying his things and placed them in the closet in the foyer. Once everything was safely put away, I just sat and waited. It wasn't long before a car drove up, two men in suits got out. All the boys rushed out to greet them, not knowing who they were, including Frankie. I think Frankie thought the car belonged to one of his friends.

"Mr. Currie?" one of the men asked.

"Yes, that would be me," I confirmed.

"Steve sent us to collect something," the other man stated. I think a casual observer might have thought this sounded like lines from a cheap Hollywood mobster film.

"Yes, I know," I agreed, as I put my hand on Frankie's shoulder. "This is Frankie."

Before Frankie understood what was happening, both men grasped a hold of one of his arms and led him to the car. They placed him in the back seat, while Danny and I went back into the house to retrieve his things. I handed them to the second man, who put them into the trunk. While that was happening, the first man told me they were both detectives. They were at the station when Judge Shay called, so they signed out an unmarked car and drove here to do this favor for him. I thanked them for their help and the timely manner in which they arrived.

When we finished our discussion, I walked up to the still open rear door, so I could speak to Frankie before he left. "Frankie, I'm sorry I had to do this, but you didn't leave me any choice. You wouldn't admit that what you did was wrong and even threatened to do it to Trey later. I also pretty much knew you'd planned that party and I found the missing boom box in your room when I went in to pack your things. I take it you already sold the other missing items and spent the cash. I really wish this would have worked out and you could have fit in here. I think it might have benefited each of us, if things had gone better."

"Shit, it's no big deal," Frankie stated, shrugging off what was happening. "I don't give a fuck where I live. I'll be fine, man. Don't worry about me. I guess if I were you, I'd get rid of me too."

I guess that answered all of my questions and I just stood in the driveway with the other boys, as the officers got back into their vehicle. We all watched as they backed out into the street and drove away. I only prayed that Frankie would be able to turn his life around or he'd been spending much of it locked away from others.

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