Bill W

Castaway Hotel
Next Generation

Chapters 40-46

The following morning, Elliot called Hayden to see if he could come to the house, because he wanted to introduce Hayden to his two cousins. When Hayden agreed, Elliot went in to ask Dion and Trey if Jesse could borrow their car, so they could go down to get him. When they agreed, the two of them took off.

Nicky and Jordan stayed at the house, since they would have made the car too crowded. Elliot and Jesse returned about twenty minutes later and brought Hayden in and introduced him to the others. After they chatted for a while, they decided to go out for a swim. Elliot had Hayden bring his swimsuit with him, but he had also made sure to tell both Nicky and Jordan to pack theirs, when they'd been in contact on the Internet and arranged their two weeks together. That's because Elliot had planned to invite Hayden to join them while his cousins were here.

The boys ran upstairs to change and it was my understanding that they all changed in Elliot's room. Obviously, even Hayden wasn't shy about doing this, so I wonder if the others got a good glimpse of what he is packing. They came back down a few minutes later, headed out the backdoor and raced to the pool.

Once Joshie saw where the boys were going, he wanted to swim too. Therefore, I told him to go put on his swimsuit and we went out to join the others. The boys were roughhousing in the water when we got there, but the minute they saw Joshie, they stopped and he suddenly became the center of attention. First, everyone wanted to give him a ride on their shoulders and then they played tag. Joshie always caught the other boys easily, but they usually had trouble catching him. I haven't seen so many pratfalls since the Keystone Cops stopped making movies. However, Joshie thought it was pretty special and enjoyed his time with the older boys.

The six of them stayed in the pool until lunchtime. After they ate, they opted to chill out for a while and watched a DVD. I don't know which one they selected, because I didn't go in there with them, but it must have been an action film. I say this because I heard a lot of commands shouted, meaning they were urging the characters on.

Once their movie ended, it was time to take Hayden home. However, before he left, I had another invitation for him.

"Hayden, we're going 4-wheeling tomorrow and have an open slot, if you want to go with us," I told him.

This opening is because Jake will be working and unable to go with us this time.

"Yeah, I'd love that!" he exclaimed. "I'll ask my parents when I get home and then call Elliot later, so I can tell him."

"If you come, either bring your swimsuit with you or wear it underneath your shorts," I advised him. "There's a dammed up stream out there where we'll swim and eat lunch."

"Neat. It sounds cool," Hayden replied.

Jesse then drove Hayden home and Elliot rode with them. When they got back, Elliot had questions about this little adventure that I'd planned for tomorrow, since he hadn't been with us the first time we went. I also asked Andrew to go with us, to even up the numbers.

That night at dinner, Danny and Brandon asked the boys about their day. They not only told them about what they had done, but they also informed them of our plans for the next day. Danny and Brandon merely smiled and told the boys it sounded like fun and they were sorry they'd miss out doing it with them.

After dinner, Hayden called and said he could go with us tomorrow, so Elliot was thrilled. After that, the boys took Joshie outside and played hide-and-go-seek until it got dark. Once they came back inside, Dion and Trey got Joshie ready for bed and the older boys went to the rec room to play air hockey and table tennis. They did that until they went upstairs, about an hour later.

I was informed the following day that the boys enjoyed another round of anal sex the previous evening, although this time Elliot got his first opportunity to be on the bottom.

"I'm glad I got to do that," he told the others afterward. "I like being on top more, but I enjoyed that too."

Elliot had Nicky stay with him after they'd finished and Jordan stayed with Jesse again. Those combinations didn't surprise me, since they are the pairs that are closer in age, but I wondered if maybe there wasn't more going on than the eye could see.

The next day, I got up early and packed a picnic lunch for all of us and put it in a soft-sided cooler. I made several different types of sandwiches, threw in bags of two different kinds of chips and paper plates for good measure. Then I packed another soft-sided cooler with beverages, so now I had everything ready to go.

Once the boys were up, dressed and fed, I loaded them into the Suburban, along with the other things I had already placed in the back. We then drove down to pick Hayden up and made our way to my friend's farm, where he had the 4-wheelers out and waiting for us to use. After welcoming the boys and me, he went off to do some work, since this is a busy time of year for him.

I quickly handed out the bicycle helmets to Andrew, Jesse, Joshie and myself, while the others put on the motorcycle helmets. Then I let Jordan and Nicky ride on the ATV behind Joshie and me, with Jesse and Elliot after them and Andrew and Hayden on the last one. Since Hayden and Elliot hadn't done this before, I wanted them to be paired up with an experienced driver. Jesse and Andrew were also going to let Elliot and Hayden do all the driving, but Jordan and Nicky would have to share – one on the way out and the other on the way back.

"Wait, that's not fair. Nicky and Jordan have to share, but Hayden and I are going to get to drive the entire time," Elliot commented, since he thought he'd spotted an inequity.

"It's all right," Jordan told him. "Nicky and I have done this with Papa before and Jesse and Andrew let us do all the driving then."

Since that pair didn't have any qualms with the arrangement, Elliot dropped his objection too. Once we started out, I took them on quite a roundabout route to the dammed up portion of the stream, where we got off the vehicles. I let the boys go swimming then, but made them keep on their running shoes, to protect their feet. I took this precaution because I still wasn't certain if there was anything on the banks or in the stream that they might get cut on.

The boys frolicked in the water for a couple of hours and were really having a great time. They started with chicken fights and Joshie won most of those battles against the older boys, because they enjoyed watching Joshie's reaction after he'd won. Then they played tag in the water again and finished by floating or swimming in the small pool.

As far as I was concerned, I was having a good time just watching them having so much fun. Even though I got in the water with them at various times, I didn't get involved in their activities. Joshie did drag me into their game of tag at one point and I had a hell of a time trying to catch anyone to end my turn. Thankfully, someone took pity on the old guy and let me touch them.

I really hated it when I eventually had to pull them out to eat, because they were having so much fun, but I knew they were getting hungry too. Therefore, we sat on the bank and ate our lunch, as our bodies and swim trunks dried in the warm air and gentle breeze. The boys ate everything and there was only a drink or two left in the one cooler on the way back, although the other was filled with our garbage. Nicky and Jordan switched places on the 4-wheeler they were using and then I took them on another lengthy and circuitous ride back. I did this because I didn't want either of that pair to feel they had been shortchanged while driving. After putting the vehicles away, I left an envelope containing money on one of the vehicles. I'd call my friend later, to let him know it was there.

"That was super," Hayden said, as we headed back.

"Yes, it was really fun," Elliot concurred. "Do you do that often?"

"We did it a couple times last summer, when Nicky and Jordan were with us, but that's it," I admitted. "However, since they had enjoyed it so much when we did it with them, I thought we'd do it again with you."

"Thanks, Papa," Nicky squeaked out. "I really like doing it each time you take us out."

"I had fun too," Elliot agreed. "Thank you for bringing us."

When we got back to the house, the boys asked permission to go on a hike around the property. Since I figured they were doing this to show Elliot and Hayden how much land we owned, I agreed. Of course, Joshie wanted to go with him, so I sent him to ask his fathers first. Once they gave him permission, the boys took off.

They were gone until nearly dinnertime. When they got back, I took Hayden home, after sending the other boys off to clean up before we ate. Hayden thanked me several times for including him on our day out and I told him he was very welcome. He's a nice boy and I'm glad he became friends with Elliot.

By the time I got back, the boys had finished showering and were playing the Wii in the family room. A short time after that, Brandon showed up, but he was impatient for Danny to arrive, because he had some news to share with him. Brandon greeted him at the door when he entered.

"Hey, honey, I've got some news for you. The snack bar opened today," he told Danny.

"What? How can he make any money if not all the offices are open yet?"

"Well, the guy put a neon sign in the cafeteria window, next to the exterior door, and that helped him attract some people off the street," Brandon explained. "The construction guys ate there too, and they eat more than the boys, so he made a bundle off of them."

Danny just laughed at that observation.

Once they'd finished their discussion and asked Elliot how he'd enjoyed his day, he eagerly told his dads all about the ATV trip. He went on for quite a while about how much fun he'd had and told them everything he and the others had done. After hearing this, Danny and Brandon looked pleased that he'd had so much fun.

After dinner, the boys went outside and did things together and then they came inside to watch a DVD, once it got dark. When the movie ended, they went upstairs and started to figure out who would do what tonight.

"I want to try it with Jordan tonight," Elliot announced.

"Are you sure?" Jesse questioned. "He's quite a bit bigger than what you've taken so far."

"I know, but I think if he works me with his fingers first then I should be fine," Elliot confessed. "If it hurts, I'll tell him to stop and then he can go with you again."

"Are you positive you want to try this," Jesse asked, to be certain.

"Yeah, I'm absolutely positive," Elliot confirmed.

"Okay, but we'd better do that first then," Jesse suggested. "That way, if he has to stop then someone won't be getting nailed twice or not at all."

The boys agreed to this suggestion, so that's what they did. Jordan was very careful with what he was doing and treated Elliot very tenderly. Once he felt Elliot was sufficiently loosened, he got behind him and began to enter. Jesse told him to go very slowly, to make certain Elliot had time to adjust as he penetrated him, and Jordan was very careful to follow Jesse's directions. Elliot did whimper slightly, but after he was asked if he was all right, he quickly told Jordan to keep going. Once Jordan was all the way in, Jesse told him to stop and give Elliot a few seconds to adapt to the intruder first, and shortly thereafter Elliot told him to go ahead and do his thing.

Jordan began sliding his penis in and out, but very slowly at first, to be certain this wasn't hurting Elliot. When he saw it wasn't, he started going faster and Elliot began moaning. This caused Jordan to stop again to see if Elliot was okay.

"Do you want me to stop?" Jordan asked, concerned.

"Hell, no! That feels good!" Elliot exclaimed. "I don't know what you're doing, but it didn't feel this good the last time. I mean, I liked it before, but this is a lot different."

"Since Jordan's dick is so much bigger and thicker," Jesse responded, "he must be rubbing against your prostate. That's probably you think it feels so good."

"You mean that thing Andrew rubbed with his finger that one time?" Elliot asked.

"Yep, the very same thing," Jesse confirmed.

Elliot was moaning and panting as Jordan really got into rutting him. He was going like a deer at mating season and really hammered Elliot's butt now. When he finally exploded, Elliot collapsed on the mattress, which inadvertently disconnected him from Jordan. The departure was so quick that it left him feeling empty, but he was more than satisfied.

Now that they were finished, Jesse had Nicky do him, and then Elliot did Jordan. Once those boys had all cum, Nicky got Jesse off orally. When they finished, Jordan looked over at Jesse.

"I want you to do me tomorrow night," Jordan announced. "Whoa, I'm too big for you to take," Jesse demanded.

"If Elliot could take me, then I'm sure I can handle you," Jordan pressed. "I want to see what Elliot felt, with that prostate thing."

"Not everyone reacts to it in the same way," Jesse warned.

"I don't care, I want to try it and see," Jordan insisted.

Even though Jesse nodded his head, he knew he would have to ask me first, so he wouldn't create a problem or get into trouble.

Now that everyone had climaxed, Elliot shared his bed with Jordan tonight, possibly as a way of thanking him for what he'd done. That left Nicky to sleep with Jesse, but that wasn't a problem for them either.

Elliot enjoyed the sax he'd had with Jordan, but once they went to sleep his dreams were all about Nicky. For some reason, Elliot seemed to favor Nicky right now.

The next morning, the boys wanted me to take them to see the new health center. They were all interested in what it was going to look like, so I agreed we could go. I showed them the old blueprint first, so they could see the way the school looked before the work on the health center had started, and then I showed them one of the copies of the current blueprint that Danny kept at home. I think they were all impressed by what they saw.

I didn't notice that Jesse had picked up our basketball before he hopped into the Suburban, but maybe that was because he didn't bring it inside with him when we first got there. I had no idea he also had plans of his own.

Once we went through the main entrance, I took them to Brandon's office first. Brandon was surprised to see us, but he showed the boys around. Even though he had some patients already, he wasn't really very busy yet, because he was still getting settled in. I think the boys were all impressed with his new place.

"Man, this is nicer than my dentist's office," Jordan told him. "You've got much nicer and newer stuff."

"That's probably because this suite was just built and we couldn't find enough used equipment to fill all the rooms. It is one of the adjustments I was happy to make," Brandon agreed.

When we came out to the reception area, the receptionist stopped Brandon and asked him a question.

"I've got a woman on the phone and she wants to know if you'd accept her daughter as a patient, even though she's sixteen," the receptionist told him. "She said her daughter doesn't like her current dentist and feels you'll be much gentler with her, since you're a pediatric dentist."

"Right now, I'll take patients up to twenty-one," Brandon confirmed. "If we get too busy later, I may have to try to encourage some of them to move on to another dentist, but for now any new patients would be great."

After the receptionist told the lady he would take patients up to twenty-one, the woman told her that she knows several of her daughters friends are also looking for another dentist, so they might be in touch with the office as well. Brandon was thrilled.

Brandon then took us over and showed us Danny's office suite and explained that the other suites would look very similar. Then he showed us the small offices, for those professionals that didn't need a large suite.

We were amazed when we entered there. It was the location the psychologist and speech therapist would use. We were surprised they had a joint reception area and there were three professional offices jutting off from the common area. There was an office on each end and another one next to the receptionist's desk and small work area.

"We decided that since these professionals will most likely start out part time, we figured it would help them cut their expense by sharing a receptionist," Brandon explained. "Even if they go full-time later, neither practice will be able to keep her busy by itself, so doing this will also help keep her from getting bored. The third office is there just in case we forgot another important professional in our planning."

Brandon then excused himself because he knew he had a patient coming in, so I took the boys down to the gym area and showed them the physical therapist's office. When we came out, we were fairly close to the snack bar, so I decided to take them there to eat and help support one of my sons' tenants.

The boys enjoyed what they'd ordered and we sat and talked in the dining area for a bit. I couldn't believe how impressed the boys were with what they'd seen so far.

"This is really great and my dads own it," Elliot stated, proudly.

"Them and the bank," I teased.

"Can we see the rest of it?" Nicky wanted to know.

"Brandon said we probably couldn't get into the other areas right now, either because those practices have already moved in or the construction crews are working in there," I advised them. "We can come back on the weekend and then Danny and Brandon can show you some of the other areas."

The boys seemed to be okay with this suggestion, but Jesse had another question to pose.

"Dad, can I have the keys to the Suburban?" he asked me. "I want to get something I left inside."

Although I was curious, I didn't ask him what it was. I was surprised, yet amused, when I saw him come back carrying the basketball.

"Come on guys," Jesse began, "we'll shoot baskets in the gym for a while, until Dad is ready to leave."

"Is that okay, Papa?" Jordan asked next.

"For a while," I agreed, "but how did you know they still had the gym?"

"It was on both sets of blueprints, so I figured they must have left it," Jesse confirmed, with a grin.

I was impressed that he'd paid that much attention when I showed them the blueprints.

As the boys shot hoops, I walked around and checked out the locker rooms and the physical therapist's office. I was impressed by what I saw and surprised the locker rooms still had showers in them. I thought the school might have discontinued using them, but they might come in handy now, if Danny and Brandon allow sport teams to use the gym.

When I came back out, the boys were just horsing around, so I asked them if they were ready to leave. When they confirmed they were, we went out and got into the Suburban. I wanted to take them to see Kevin's pharmacy too, but I knew he'd still be at his day job, so we went over and peeked through the windows.

"Wow, this looks nice too!" Nicky confirmed. "Can we come back when Uncle Kevin is here?"

"Sure, we can do that this weekend too," I agreed, as I got them back in the vehicle for the ride home.

At dinner, the boys happily told Danny and Brandon that they loved the health center. They were all aglow and full of superlatives as they commented about what they'd seen. They even admitted they were impressed with Kevin's Pharmacy too, but they wanted to get inside, so they could see it better.

"It even has our name on the outside wall," Jordan gushed. "Currie Pharmacy."

Everyone got a kick out of his statement.

After dinner, the boys amused themselves until they went upstairs. Jesse had already asked me about Jordan's request and I was more than a little leery to agree, but I told him to go slowly, and if Jordan didn't complain or seem to be in pain, then he could keep going. I didn't want to make Jordan feel badly if I nixed his request, but I feared this might come back to haunt us later. Jesse said he'd check with Jordan again, to see if he still wanted to do this first, before he agreed. I thanked him for being so considerate and then waited for the report about how things went.

"Jordan, do you still want to do this?" Jesse asked him, showing his concern.

"Positive," Jordan agreed. "I really am curious about how this might be different."

Since Jordan was still willing, Jesse began to prepare him. Very carefully, he rimmed Jordan first, and then he lubed and stretched Jordan's rectum with his fingers, until he felt he had done all he could.

"Be sure to tell me to stop if you feel any pain," Jesse told him. "You'll really have to push out this time, because I don't want to tear my way in. Do you understand?"

Jordan nodded that he did, so Jesse got ready. Jesse placed the knob of his dick at Jordan's entrance and ever so slowly began to push his way inside.

"Push out," Jesse advised him again, when he felt resistance.

Jordan did and Jessie's mushroom head popped through the ring. "Ahhh," Jordan moaned.

"Did it hurt? Do you want me to stop?" Jesse asked him.

"No, I'm fine, now that the head of your dick is inside me," Jordan confirmed. "I just didn't realize that my butt would have to stretch that far."

"Shall I stop?" Jesse asked again.

"No! Keep going," Jordan urged him.

Slowly, Jesse kept inching his way into him. Every couple of inches he would ask Jordan if he wanted to stop, but Jordan kept urging him on. Finally, Jesse bottomed out inside of Jordan, with his pubes rubbing his partner's ass cheeks. Jesse stopped and waited for a while, before he began to drive his dick in and out of his willing partner.

As he started, Jordan began to moan. Jesse stopped immediately and asked if he wanted him to stop.

"No fucking way," Jordan stated. "I think I see what Elliot was talking about. You're hitting something in there that is sending all kinds of tingling sensations throughout my body and up my dick. It's wild and sure as hell feels good. It doesn't hurt at all."

Hearing that, Jesse started again. Slowly, he worked his way back and forth in Jordan's anal tract and he even began to enjoy listening to Jordan moan and watching his body quiver and tremble. Gradually, Jesse picked up speed and began to go faster. As he did, Jordan's moaning increased and his body was vibrating on Jesse's cock. Jesse was nearing the moment when he would unload in Jordan, when suddenly Jordan's body shuddered more noticeably and Jordan moaned the loudest he had so far. Jesse was just too close to stop, so he pumped a couple more times and drained his seaman in Jordan's bowels.

Once Jesse recovered, he looked down at Jordan, whose body was covered with sweat.

"Did I hurt you?" Jesse asked.

"Holy shit, no, just the opposite. I shot my load without even touching my dick. You hit something in there and I shot all over the bed. That was freaking incredible."

Suddenly Jesse understood. It doesn't happen often, but there are times when guys come just from the friction on their prostate. Obviously, Jordan was one of those guys.

"I don't think I'm going to switch sides just because of that," Jordan joked, "but that was totally amazing."

Since the other two had gotten off, Nicky and Elliot agreed that they would do each other now. It didn't take either of them too long to do this, since they were both so worked up from watching the first pair. However, after they finished and recovered, Elliot made an unexpected announcement.

"I want Jesse to do me tomorrow night," he stated, quite frankly.

"I don't know," Jesse countered. "I'll have to ask Dad first."

"He let you do it to Jordan, didn't he?" Elliot asked and Jesse nodded his confirmation.

"Then why wouldn't he let you do it to me?" Elliot persisted.

"I don't know, but I just want to check with him first," Jesse replied. "He's probably got to check with your dads too."

Since Elliot knew he wasn't going to change Jesse's mind, he figured he would just have to wait and see what happens. He then spent the rest of the night in his bed with Nicky.

"I like spending this time with you, Nicky, you know, afterwards," Elliot confessed. "There's something special about you."

"What do you mean?" Nicky asked.

"I don't know how to explain it," Elliot responded. "I'm just glad we have this time together."

"Well thanks, that's really nice of you to say," Nicky answered, and then surprised Elliot by giving him a peck on the cheek.

Elliot may have read a little more into Nicky's innocent gesture than was intended, because Nicky was stunned when Elliot leaned over and kissed him full on the lips.

"Whoa! What made you do that?" Nicky asked, shocked.

"I, I, I don't know," Elliot stammered. "You kissed me and I just thought you liked it. Didn't you like it?"

"I don't know. I was so surprised that I didn't really have time to think about how it felt," Nicky replied.

Nicky rolled over on his stomach and propped himself up on his elbows, so he was looking at Elliot.

"Have you done that before?" he asked.

"Yeah, with Jesse," Elliot blushed.

"And you like it?" Nicky questioned.

"Yeah," Elliot admitted. "I like it better than all of the other things we've tried."

Nicky thought about it for a moment. He'd also enjoyed the things he'd learned with his young uncle and cousins.

"Well, I didn't really get to think about that last kiss much to know if I liked it or not," Nicky confessed. "Would you do it again?"

"Sure," Elliot readily agreed.

He then leaned over and gave Nicky another quick peck on the lips. It caused Nicky to chuckle.

"Not like that," he said, between giggles. "Give me a real kiss."

Elliot was glad they had the lights off, so Nicky couldn't see him blushing again. Before they started though, he gave Nicky the same instructions Jesse had shared with him the night of their first kiss.

This time, Elliot leaned in and pressed his lips against Nicky's. The contact sent shivers through his body, as the boys shared their breath and a little bit of their souls. Nicky was a natural and didn't need the corrections Jesse had given Elliot their first time. He parted his lips ever so slightly, inviting Elliot's tongue inside and then pushed back with his own. They kissed for quite some time, before coming up for air.

"Wow! I can see why you like that," Nicky stated, breathlessly. "That felt amazing."

Without warning, Nicky pushed Elliot back against his pillow and kissed him gently, but as before, their contact grew more passionate. Elliot wrapped his arms around Nicky and gently stroked his back, while their young tongues gently struggled for dominance. When they finished, Elliot draped his arms around Nicky's shoulder and Nicky rested his head on Elliot's chest. After a few moments, Nicky broke the silence.

"Elliot, that was great!" he exclaimed. "Do you think this makes us gay?"

"No gayer than sticking our dicks in each other," Elliot joked.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Nicky laughed. "Seriously though, what do you think about all of this?"

"Well, before I give you my answer, let me ask you this. Do you still want to do things with girls?"

"Sure! I think about girls all the time," Nicky confessed. "I'm always afraid one of them is going to catch me checking them out in class and notice I have a stiffy. I don't what them to think I'm a perv."

Elliot let out an imperceptible sigh and gave Nicky a little squeeze.

"No, I don't think it makes you gay, Nicky," Elliot reluctantly confessed. "I think it just means you're able to experience and enjoy sex just for the feelings it gives you."

"That's good," Nicky yawned. A few moments later, Nicky was resting peacefully.

'Maybe he's bi,' a small voice inside of Elliot seemed to say.

'Maybe you just wish he's bi,' anther voice offered, in response.

Elliot stroked his blond partner's hair briefly and then kissed him on the forehead, before letting out another sigh.

"Good night, Nicky," he whispered, as he closed his eyes.

When Jesse told me about Elliot's request the next morning, I had my doubts. However, since Jordan had handled him and had actually had a hands-free orgasm, I began to think it might be possible. In Elliot's case though, I'd need to get Danny and Brandon's permission first. Since they were at work, I'd have to wait and ask them later, but it would still be way ahead of when Jesse would need an answer.

The boys spent the day in the pool and playing games, so I let them enjoy their time together. After checking on them throughout the day, I was amazed that the older boys are still willing to find a way to work Joshie into their plans, so he doesn't feel left out. I mean, it's not every group of teenage boys that would take a five-year old under their wings and try to make him feel like part of the group. I was really proud that they were willing to do this and I would make sure to let them know this later.

After dinner, I talked to Danny and Brandon and explained about Elliot's new request. After discussing it between themselves, Danny and Brandon felt that since Elliot had been able to handle Jordan so well, they'd allow him to try it with Jesse too. They knew Jesse would stop if it was hurting Elliot, so they gave them the green light to do this. I relayed that information to Jesse and he was going to tell Elliot shortly after that. I think we could all tell that Elliot was thrilled about our decision, even though he didn't say anything to us directly.

The boys spent some time with us in the family room after Elliot got the good news and I think everyone in there with us could figure out that Elliot was a bit antsy and could hardly wait to get upstairs to try this. However, the boys did keep him distracted until their normal time to turn in, even if it wasn't easy.

Once they got up to the room, Jesse told Elliot they'd go first, in case they had to stop. Elliot agreed and then got on all fours in the center of the bed, so Jesse could get him ready. Jesse was very thorough while doing this, since he didn't want to hurt him. In fact, instead of stopping at three fingers, Jesse used four on Elliot, to make sure he could handle the additional girth. When Elliot didn't complain, Jesse concluded he was as ready as he could be.

Slowly, Jesse entered Elliot and paused after each gasp or groan that was emitted from Elliot's vocal chords. After each of these hesitations, Elliot would urge Jesse to keep going, until he was fully seated in Elliot's anal tract. After giving him a couple more minutes to adjust, Jesse began pumping in and out and gradually built up a rhythm.

Elliot was no longer groaning, although it was obvious he was at his limit for how much he could take. Gradually, Jesse kept increasing his speed, but because Elliot was so tight, it didn't take long before he was making his final charge to the end zone. Elliot was moaning now, at least that's what Jesse hoped he was doing, but he never indicated that he wanted Jesse to stop or slow down. Finally, Jesse drove his penis completely into Elliot's intestines and whitewashed the condom with his creamy load. When he pulled out, he looked at Elliot, to see how he was doing.

"Well, what did you think?" Jesse asked him, when he felt Elliot had sufficient time to recover.

"It was really good and I felt you hitting my prostate, just like Jordan did," Elliot confirmed, "but you didn't make me cum."

"I told you it doesn't happen for everyone," Jesse advised him, "and it might not happen like that for Jordan again either. It's just something you appreciate when it does occur."

Elliot accepted the information for what it was worth, although he was slightly disappointed that he hadn't experienced a hands-free orgasm too. He was proud of the fact that he was able to take Jesse though, because he knew it meant that Jesse and he could continue to have fun, long after the other two had returned home.

Nicky wanted Jordan to do him next, since everyone seemed to enjoy taking the bigger cocks. Jordan wasn't sure if he should do this, so he looked at Jesse for his cue. After getting Jesse's nod of approval, Jordan got Nicky ready and then slowly entered him. Nicky did experience a little pain as Jordan eased his way in, but not enough to cause him to want to stop. Once Jordan had completely penetrated Nicky and given him time to adapt, he began to stroke his dick back and forth inside Nicky's anal cavity.

Nicky was grunting and making some very guttural noises, but whenever Jordan asked if he wanted him to stop, Nicky always refused. Since the fit was so tight, it didn't take long for Jordan to orgasm and he filled the condom with his creamy load.

"Okay, that was a lot different than when I did it with Elliot," Nicky acknowledged. "If you want to know the truth, I felt like I was the Thanksgiving turkey when it was being stuffed. Damn, that felt like a baseball bat going in me. I think I'll stick to doing it with Elliot from now on."

If I were a betting man, I'd be willing to wager that Elliot was grinning from ear-to-ear after he'd heard Nicky say that. As I said before, I think Elliot might have a crush on Nicky, even though he still enjoys doing things with Jesse and Jordan too.

The other boys agreed to honor Nicky's request, but they didn't keep question whether he was hurting at all, after taking on his larger cousin. Nicky continually assured the others he was fine, although he did admit he was a bit looser than before. He just hoped it didn't cause him to have an accident later, seeing his rectum was now much wider than when the evening started.

The rest of the week went about the same for the boys, but I was busy double and triple checking our vacation plans. I was also making certain a little surprise I had planned for the boys was all set as well. They didn't seem to mind that I wasn't spending as much time with them and happily entertained themselves until the weekend.

On Saturday afternoon, Danny, Brandon, Jake and I took all the boys over to the health center, so the proud owners could show the rabble the areas they didn't have a chance to see before. Although some of the offices were occupied and we didn't go in them, we did see a couple of the other vacant ones, as well as taking a tour of the two-story addition.

When we reached the first floor in that area, Danny explained where the laboratory would be and pointed out the area where the diagnostic and imaging center will be located.

"So this is where I'm going to be working?" Jesse asked.

"If you get your degree, than I'll make sure this is where you have your first job as a radiologist," Danny confirmed.

Jesse's chest seemed to swell a little, as the other boys looked around and nodded their heads in approval.

The elevators weren't installed and operating yet, so we had to walk up the stairs to the second floor. Once we were there, Danny pointed out where the two operating rooms, the recovery room and the employee lounge would be located. The boys were impressed that they were even going to have their own operating rooms and thought this was even more impressive than they'd first imagined.

After we finished seeing everything there, I took everyone over to the pharmacy again. I had arranged with Kevin to make sure Vinnie and he would be there this time, so we could actually get inside and look around. Kevin let us in when we knocked at the door.

"Hi, guys. Welcome to my pharmacy," he greeted us, as we entered. "Let me give you the grand tour."

The boys agreed they were eager to look around, so they followed Kevin.

"Right here by the entrance is the security room," he told them. "Frankie helped me put an ad in some law enforcement publications so I could hire a few retired officers to work security for me. This will be their office. It has monitors so they can view what's going on in the store by manipulating any of the security cams that we are installing.

"They will also have their own private entrance," Kevin continued, "so they can come and go without the other employees being able to see them. That should help keep the employees on their toes and make them less like to participate in employee theft, since they'll never be sure if someone is working security or not. The men working security will also be able to have the police pick up any person up they stop for shoplifting without having to come into the pharmacy. It should create less of a commotion for us that way."

We were all impressed with this area and agreed it was probably wise that it had its own entrance. From there, Kevin took us to the vault and showed the boys how it would be used to store the drugs and cash whenever the pharmacy was closed. It was very impressive. He also showed them the drive through window and explained how that would help customers who didn't want to run inside to pick up their prescriptions.

Kevin then took us back and to see the stockroom, which even had a receiving dock where they could accept deliveries. The four doors (the main entrance, security room, receiving and overhead door) would each have their own key, but Kevin and the security guards would have master keys that would open any of them.

Although we didn't go up and down every aisle, Kevin told the boys about what types of items he'd be carrying. They'd have the typical 'over the counter' drugs and medications, pain relievers and rubs, first aid supplies (which would include such things as enema bags and hot water bottles), health and beauty aids, and pediatric and geriatric supplies.

In the back corner, Kevin would also feature some other items most pharmacies don't carry, such as crutches, walkers, neck braces, air splints and soft casts, portable commodes, wheelchairs, a hospital bed, therapeutic devices and traction equipment. I think the boys were very impressed with the broad range of items he would have on hand or could get for his customers within a couple of days.

Once we finished our tour of the pharmacy, the boys thanked Kevin, Vinnie, Danny and Brandon for showing them around their new places. I think the time we spent taking a tour of these two places might have even given at least some of the boys ideas about possibly opening their own businesses some day.

When we got home, I told the boys to pack a bag with enough clothing to last them for three days, as well as any other items they might need, such as their toothbrushes. When they wanted to know why, I merely told them I was going to be taking them on a trip. I wouldn't tell them where we were going, but I did mention that I thought they'd like it and we'd be leaving tomorrow afternoon. Since nearly everyone else would be working during the time we'll be gone, this was going to be merely for the four boys and me.

Elliot wanted to know if he could ask Hayden to go to, so I explained what it would mean for them if he did that.

"You may, if you want," I began, "but if you do, you boys won't be able to do any fooling around in the motel at night."

After thinking it over and discussing it among themselves, the boys quickly decided it might be best if they didn't invite Hayden after all. If he were a little more open-minded about things then I'm certain they'd have been more than willing to ask him to tag along too.

Once the boys went to pack their things, I gave Mark a quick phone call. I had some concerns about our investments and hoped he could briefly clear up the situation for me. Once he was on the line and we'd exchanged greetings, I got right to the point.

"Mark, I'm a little worried about our investments," I began. "This looming debt ceiling debate has me a bit jumpy and concerned about our future."

"I think you can relax," Mark replied. "I've been switching your money out of market driven funds and into more stable and less volatile investments."

"Oh, when did you start doing that?" I wondered.

"It began after the first of the year," Mark answered. "After the fall elections, I did some research on the Tea Party's objectives, since they were the ones that made the biggest gains, and was struck by their agenda and resolute determination to advance their cause. Since they seemed adamant and unlikely to budge from their position, I began to worry about how that would affect the situation in Washington.

"At about the same time," he continued, "I was reading information from analysts, whom I highly respect, and they were concerned about the budgetary dilemmas many municipalities and states are currently facing. They're worried their current financial woes of those governmental bodies could cause them to either default on their debt or put them in a position where they would have to file for bankruptcy. If either of those things happened, it would have a very negative impact on the markets as well. For that reason, I began to alter the distribution of your investments."

"Wow, you're really on top of things," I acknowledged. "So our money is pretty safe now?"

"I try to keep up with the economic situation," Mark agreed, "and I'm making sure your money is as safe as possible. I moved about half of it out of the markets by June and I've been moving even more since then. By the end of this month, you'll have very little still tied up in market driven securities."

"Thank you for watching out for us," I added. "I should have realized that you would have already taken care of this."

"It never hurts to check though, just to make sure," Mark confirmed. "Some day you might catch me napping and notice something I might have missed."

"Oh, I doubt that," I confessed, with a chuckle.

After thanking him yet again, we ended our call and I felt much better about our financial situation.

Later that night, after the boys retired to their rooms, Jordan had Jesse do him again, and Elliot had Jordan do him. Nicky then opted to let Elliot be his partner this time, so Nicky ended up doing it to Jesse. Jordan didn't have another hands-free orgasm, but they all enjoyed themselves and went to sleep wondering where I was going to take them.

The next morning, the boys kept pestering me to find out what my plans were, but I still wouldn't divulge our destination. I merely told them they didn't have to go if they didn't want to, but none of them decided to stay behind. We left shortly after I prepared them a big lunch and then we hopped in the Suburban and set out.

We spent several hours on the road and stopped only for gas, toilet breaks and drinks. When we arrived at the hotel and checked in, the boys had even more questions.

"What the heck is in Cleveland?" Jordan challenged.

"I think I know," Jesse answered. "I think I saw it on 'American Idol' one night, when they went to the 'Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.' I'll bet that's where we're going."

"Is that it, Papa?" Nicky asked next. "Is that where you're taking us?"

"Could be," I responded. "I guess you'll just have to wait and find out."

I knew this was mildly frustrating the boys, but I wanted them to have a certain amount of doubt that it was where we were heading. I still prefer to utilize the element of surprise, even if this time they had guessed where we were going.

I had reserved two rooms, one for the boys and another for me. I figured they'd want to fool around at night and I didn't want to cramp their style or make them feel I was perving on them. Once we checked in, we took our things up to the rooms and cleaned up for dinner.

After I took the boys out to eat, we went back to the hotel to get a good night's sleep. I told them I'd be getting them up early in the morning, so we could eat breakfast and get an early start. They agreed that would be fine and went to their own room.

Once the boys had gotten off, it calmed them down enough so they were able to get to sleep. Jesse and Nicky slept in one bed, and Jordan and Elliot in the other. Although it's not exactly what Elliot was hoping for, they larger pair thought it would be better to split up, so one bed wouldn't be too crowded.

The next morning, I took the boys out to eat and advised them it would be wise to consume a large breakfast. That's because I didn't plan on eating again until dinnertime, so we'd have plenty of time to enjoy what I had planned in between.

When we got to the 'Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,' I immediately drew a mental correlation between this place and the Louvre. I guess it's because of the two glass pyramids out in front that reminded me of the modern addition to the famous museum in Paris.

As soon as we got inside, we were immediately blown away by the vast quantity and diversity of the items contained there. We also quickly learned that the Hall of Fame tries to give you an understanding of the evolution of Rock and Roll by explaining that country, folk, blues, blue grass, gospel, jazz and R & B all helped to influence the development of the genre. This fact because very evident when we saw the various individuals who have since been inducted in this famed hall and had acknowledged that they'd been influenced by one or more of those musical styles, as they were developing their own niche.

The Hall of Fame is spread out over several levels and consists of both permanent and temporary exhibits. Within these displays is a collection of instruments the artists actually used, mannequins displaying the costumes and other outfits the individual artists wore, hand-written song lyrics and many other interesting artifacts, which also includes a few cars. You can even witness some of the earliest performances by the solo acts and groups, such as when they appeared for the first time on television or in a concert.

There are also several film features, which are displayed on a three-screen viewing area. In another location, there is a wall that contains the collective autographs of the inductees. There is also a list of the 500 songs that shaped Rock and Roll. The Beatles have the most songs on this list with seven, while Elvis Presley and The Rolling Stones each have six songs and the Beach Boys and Bob Dylan have five songs each. Those are the artists with the greatest influence on the list.

I think we were walking around star struck, as we toured the hall featuring the inductees. Believe it or not, the first group wasn't even inducted until 1986. That first group included James Brown, Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Sam Cooke, The Everly Brothers (Phil and Don), Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis. What a star-studded group that was.

The boys were really getting into the things they were seeing and I was getting a kick out of their conversations. Some dealt with the inductee's abilities, while others had more to do more with the inductee's quirks.

"Here's someone you guys will recognize. I'm sure you've all heard of Michael Jackson," I stated, as I gestured toward the display.

"Yeah everyone knows him," Nicky agreed,

"Look, they've even got one of his Jackson Five outfits in here too, along with the stuff he wore when he performed solo," Jesse mentioned.

"That's because he's a dual inductee," I responded. "He was inducted once with the Jackson Five in 1997 and then again as a solo artist in 2001."

"He was pretty weird, but he could really sing and dance." Nicky added.

The rest of the boys nodded their agreement then Elliot started to laugh uncontrollably.

"What's so funny," Jordan wanted to know.

"You guys aren't going to believe this," Elliot told them, when he caught his breath. "When I was little, I thought that Michael Jackson was something grownups invented to scare kids about what could happen to us, you know like the boogeyman."

Now that the rest of us were let in on his story, the boys began to understand why he'd been laughing.

"Where did you come up with that?" Jesse demanded, looking confused.

"I don't know. I mean all you heard about him for a while was how he was into touching kids, so I thought he'd get me too, if I left the closet door open or something," Elliot explained.

"Dude, you need many, many, many years of therapy," Jesse stated, before breaking into a fit of giggles.

"Keep that door shut or I'm gonna get you Elliot," Nicky teased, in his best Michael Jackson voice. "Come here little boy. I'm got something I want to show you."

He then added a very evil and sinister laugh for effect, which meant the others were laughing hysterically by the time he'd finished saying this.

I think Elliot must have shared that story because he felt it was funny also. At least I hoped that was the case, so I was glad to see he was laughing at Nicky's impression too. In fact, he was laughing so hard that he had tears rolling down his cheeks. I have to admit, it was pretty funny.

"Yes it's unfortunate that in his later life there were many accusations that he had behaved improperly with children, but the man did have a talent," I stated, before guiding them along to the next exhibit.

A little while later, another inductee caught their attention.

"Hey, check this out. It's Ozzy Osbourne," Jesse said, as we came to an exhibit for the band Black Sabbath.

"I didn't know that guy played music. I just thought he had a TV show," Nicky confessed.

"You probably wouldn't know him unless you're into classic rock, because his group, Black Sabbath, was way before our time, but Ozzy rocks," Jesse stated.

"I watched that show on MTV with my babysitter sometimes, but there was only one word I could ever understand," Elliot offered.

The four boys looked at each other then shouted in unison, "SHARON!"

I jumped at the noise and asked, "What the hell was that all about?"

"You can't understand anything he says on the show, unless he's yelling for his wife and he does that a lot," Jordan informed me, to explain their antics.

"Yeah he's crazy, I saw him get into a fight with his car one time, because it couldn't understand his voice commands," Nicky added, with a chuckle.

"I'll admit I was never a big Black Sabbath fan," I said. "It sounds to me like old Ozzy's brain got fried from taking too many drugs, but they do consider him the 'godfather of heavy metal music' now."

As we continued our tour of the various exhibits, the boys found several artists that they were more familiar with. Jesse was particularly interested in Eric Clapton's signed guitar.

"Wow, you know even though he's been around for ages they still say Clapton is the greatest guitarist in the world," Jesse said, as he looked on Clapton's guitar with a sense of awe.

"Yes, Clapton has been a major influence on rock music and he learned from some of the blue's legends," I informed them. "You've probably heard many of his songs, even if you didn't know they were his. Did you realize that he's a three-time inductee into the Hall of Fame? First, with the 'Yardbirds,' then with 'Cream' and finally as a solo artist."

"Damn, I didn't know that," Elliot admitted, while the others nodded in agreement.

"I love that song 'Tears in Heaven,' but it's so sad," Jesse stated.

"Well that's no surprise, as it resulted from a great tragedy in Clapton's life," I explained. "He wrote it for his little boy who fell out of a window on an upper floor and was killed."

The boys gave a collective gasp at my revelation and quickly agreed that would be a terrible thing for a parent to experience. They also thought it was fitting that Mr. Clapton had honored his son by writing such a beautiful song.

Elliot then led us over to see Little Richard's display and reminded us that Dion and he had performed some of Little Richard's songs for us on New Year's Eve. As we looked at some of his pictures, I noticed a few questioning looks from my troops.

"Why is his hair so drippy looking?" Nicky asked.

"That was a popular style for African-Americans many years ago," I answered. "As I'm sure you've learned from your history classes, black people haven't always been treated fairly and for a time some felt that by doing this to their hair it would make them blend in more with the white community."

"That's pretty chicken shit," Jordan stated, rather forcefully. "He was obviously really talented, so he shouldn't have had to do that to his hair just to fit in. People should have been grateful he shared his gift with them."

Although I didn't approve of his choice of words, I appreciated Jordan's sentiment and was pleased to see the rest of my boys nodding their heads in agreement.

As we moved along, I spotted something else I wanted to bring to their attention. We had come to the 'Crosby, Stills and Nash' exhibit.

"This is one of my favorite groups," I told the boys. "Each one of these guys is a multiple inductee too. They were not only inducted for being in this group, but they also got in with the other groups they'd performed with. David Crosby was also inducted with 'The Byrds,' Stephen Still with 'Buffalo Springfield' and Graham Nash for his stint with 'The Hollies.'

I'm not sure how interested the boys were with this piece of information, but they listened politely. Then, a short time later, I spotted another exhibit that caught my attention.

"Now here is an exhibit featuring one of my favorite solo artists. Elliot you should know who he is, since you played one of his songs for me. In fact, all of you should know who he is," I stated.

Elliot looked back at me with a blank expression on his face and some of the others also appeared to be scratching their heads.

"It's Jerry Lee Lewis," I offered.

The boys looked back at me as though I was talking about one of our neighbors or the mailman, rather than a rock legend. I felt there was only one way for them to figure out who he was.

"GOODNESS GRACATIOUS GREAT BALLS OF FIRE," I shouted. It also earned me a few strange looks from the other patrons.

"That's who sang that song?" Elliot wondered, amazed.

"You didn't know that?" I asked, incredulously.

"How would I know?" Elliot replied.

"You played that song on New Year's Eve. Didn't you have to read the music first," I inquired.

"No, Uncle Dion asked if I knew it, when I pulled him aside to talk him into singing those Little Richard songs," he explained. "He said it was one of your favorites and I had heard it enough times, so I was able to play it by ear."

"Yeah, I didn't know who wrote it either," Jesse stated, "I think we've all just heard it so many times that we've just sort of memorized the words."

"Well Jerry Lee Lewis was very famous. In the early days he used to tour with Elvis and Johnny Cash. You guys remember them right," I asked.

They nodded their heads and I filled them in on a few of Jerry Lee's other hits, like 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On' and 'Breathless.'

"His popularity hit the rocks after his 1958 London tour," I informed them. "A British reporter discovered that Lewis, who was twenty-three at the time, had married his third wife, his thirteen-year old first cousin. She was the daughter of his bass player, who was also his cousin. They tried to claim she was sixteen at the time, but that didn't work. Suddenly, he was blacklisted from the radio and almost vanished from music altogether."

"Wow, he married someone that young!" Jordan exclaimed, "and she was his cousin too."

"He must have been from the south," Jesse joked.

I chose not to respond to Jesse's comment and directed them to the next exhibit. I also made a mental note. I hadn't previously known that Elliot could play by ear. Usually, a musician can't play a new song unless he has the sheet music to read beforehand. Remembering what he did on New Year's Eve, I thought Elliot had played that song like a professional. What can I say? He continues to amaze me with the things he can do on that piano and I am so glad we were able to provide a prominent place for it in our home.

From there, we moved to the upper floor, where they had a collection of permanent displays. In this room were the exhibits for Elvis Presley, The Who, The Beach Boys, Beatles, U2, Queen, Bob Dylan, The Clash, The Doors and Roy Orbison.

"Damn, look at that," Jesse shouted, while pointing at something he just noticed. "They've even got one of Elvis' cars in here."

Sure enough, there was an old, huge Cadillac cordoned off by those brass stands and fancy cords like you might see at a theater.

"Papa why is Elvis considered the King of Rock and Roll?" Jordan asked. "Most of his music sounds like country to me,"

"Well, he did have a major influence on both of those forms of music," I began "You see, Elvis grew up listening to country music and singing gospel music in church. He was also greatly influenced by some of the early African American performers, like B. B. King, Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup and Joe Hunter, but he was also intrigued with the music of Chuck Berry and Fats Domino as well. Black artists weren't big in the south at the time, but because he liked what they did, Elvis blended all three of those types of music together and came up with his own, unique sound. The music he performed in his early career was much different than the country music of that time, so many of the traditionalists didn't like him."

"Well, I don't like country much," Jordan mentioned.

"Me either," Elliot interjected, "it's just rap for rednecks. If you play it backwards, then the people in the songs usually live happier lives. They get their dog back, their wife doesn't screw their best friend and the twister goes clear around their trailer, instead of through it."

"And what do you have against rap," Jordan inquired.

"It's just not music to my way of thinking," Elliot replied. "It sounds more like angry speeches set to a heavy bass."

"Would you guys shut up before some angry redneck or pissed off rapper kill's us?" Jesse suggested, sarcastically.

"You mean lynched by rednecks or have a rapper bust caps in our asses?" Elliot asked.

Jesse rolled his eyes. "You are such a music snob!" he chastised him.

"Besides," Elliot continued, "they wouldn't kill us, we're just little boys."

"Right," Nicky chimed in, "they'd kill Papa, because he couldn't get his brats to shut up."

The boys thought that comment was particularly funny, but didn't end up laughing too hard after I reminded them that it would be a long walk back to Pennsylvania, if an angry redneck or rapper killed me.

"Damn, here is another of my all-time favorite groups," I advised them, as we approached the Beatles display. "They set the world on its ear when they broke onto the music scene. They were so damn creative and talented. Did you know John, Paul and George are all dual-inductees? They were also inducted for their solo careers too, as well as for being part of this remarkable band."

The boys were listening to me rant on, until I saw something else.

"Look there," I urged, while pointing at a streaming video. "That's the Beatles performing on The Ed Sullivan Show. It was during their first American tour. Wow! That sure brings back some memories. It was in 1964 and I was a little younger than all of you boys are now when I watched this show. It was hard to hear them, with all the girls in the audience screaming and crying."

"Yeah, girls can get carried away when they see guys they like on stage," Nicky observed. "You never see guys do that when some hot chick is performing."

"Nah, they're too busy drooling and panting to scream or cry," I teased. Nicky merely rolled his eyes at me.

"Hey, what's that cub scout uniform doing here?" Jesse asked, to distract us away from our previous discussion.

"I'm not sure what it has to do with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but that's Jim Morrison's uniform," I informed them. "He played with 'The Doors,' so I guess they felt it would be nice to show he wasn't always hooked on booze and drugs."

After saying that, I happened to look at my watch and was surprised to notice how late it was. I guess there has just been so much to see that the time has flown by and we still haven't seen it all. I guess the Hall's hours of 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. just aren't long enough to see everything, because we were one of the first people to enter after it opened and now it was nearly closing time. I'm not sure the boys will want to come back tomorrow to see more, because I have something else planned for them that they might find even more enjoyable.

After spending all day Monday at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I thought it might be good to do something totally different today. With that in mind, I opted to take the boys to Cedar Point Amusement Park on Tuesday. For thirteen straight years, 'Amusement Today' has deemed Cedar Point the 'Best Amusement Park in the World,' so I knew we couldn't visit the Cleveland area and not check it out.

This place is also referred to as the 'Roller Coaster Capital of the World' and for good reason. It has seventeen different roller coasters in all, three of which are geared toward the younger and less adventurous riders. It is also the only park in the world to have four roller coasters that are taller than 200 feet (61 m). Since I already knew these facts, I realized my stomach is going to be in for one wild experience, but I felt it was going to be worth it. I was willing to suffer a little, in order to make sure the boys have a blast.

I tried to get the boys to start off on some of the less frightening roller coasters and thrill rides, and then gradually build up to the ones on which I might need to buy some Depends before I went on them, but I had trouble convincing them. After haranguing them a little longer, I finally succeeded in getting them to agree this might be a wise move. For that reason, our first hour at the park was fairly tame, as we rode on some of the water rides and tamer thrill rides, which didn't attempt to rearrange our internal organs.

We went on the Dodgem next, which is basically a bumper car ride. I won't claim I was surprised when all of the boys began to target me much of the time, but I gave back as good as I got. They also went after each other, so I wasn't their only target, just the primary one. I'm glad I didn't have to get back into the Suburban and go somewhere after finishing this ride, because I might have been tempted to crash into some of the other drivers along the way. Once you get in the mindset of smashing into the other vehicles, it's kind of hard to break that urge afterward. I wonder if demolition derby drivers have that same problem.

After we left there, we went on the Scrambler next. You're probably familiar with this type of ride, because it seems there is something similar in every amusement park. This ride spins clockwise, but your car spins counter-clockwise and gets your insides all scrambled up – hence the name. My first memory of riding a similar ride was back when I was about eight years old, so this type of ride has been around for a while.

If that didn't do enough to get my internal organs in an uproar, once we got off of that ride, we went over and rode on the Troika next. This is a ride similar to the Scrambler, but this time your car rises 25 feet (7.5 m) above the ground as it's spins you around. Now, you're not only going around and around, but you're also going up and down, so it did wonders for my stomach.

When that ride ended, we hit two of the milder roller coasters next. The first was the Blue Streak, which is a traditional wooden roller coaster, and we followed that with a spin around the Cedar Creek Mine Ride. This one simulates a runaway mine train adventure and made me think of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom movie, where the main character and his companions were involved in a wild chase scene that took place in mining cars.

From there, we returned to some of the other rides that merely spin you around in circles or swing back and forth, as they lift you higher into the air. It was a nice change of pace, but I knew it wouldn't last for very long. I was correct in my assessment and my little reprieve ended when the boys dragged me off to take on one of the big guns.

This time, they ushered me over to the Millennium Force roller coaster, which rises to a dizzying height of 310 feet (94.5 m). When I agreed, Elliot said he wanted to ride next to me. I was a little surprised by his announcement, since he had ridden with me on the ride just before the last one we were on, but I didn't push the issue. Since there's an uneven number in our group (five) and the ride seats two across, Jesse offered to be the odd man out and ride next to a stranger.

As the roller coaster started out, I noticed that Elliot had a firm grip on his safety harness. I looked over at him again a little while later, as we started up one of the first really high inclines, and noticed that his knuckles were totally white from his death grip on the safety bars. When I looked at his face, I noticed his complexion was completely pale, so I knew he was doing all he could to keep from losing it.

I continued to keep an eye on him as we went around the track, just to make certain he didn't pass out. I was also hoping he wasn't going to vomit, because it would fly back on him, as well as end up hitting Jordan and Nicky, who were seated immediately behind us. After seeing his reaction, I concluded Elliot must suffer from acrophobia, since he didn't exhibit any other signs of distress until we went on this very high roller coaster.

Even though I knew it wasn't possible, it still made me wonder if he might have inherited this problem from Brandon. If you remember our trip to Arizona when the boys were younger, Brandon experienced a similar situation when we rode the mules down into the Grand Canyon. He ended up doing all right, but it was a struggle for him and he admitted to me later that he had a definite problem with heights. It appears that Elliot suffers from that same condition.

When the ride ended, I pulled Elliot aside, so I could speak to him privately and see how he was doing.

"Are you all right?" I asked. "I take it you don't like heights, huh."

"Not really, but I'm able to handle things like roller coasters," he agreed, "as long as I concentrate on what's happening."

"Hey, as long as you're sure," I told him, "but just let me know if there's any ride you're not comfortable with. Don't worry about what the other boys might say or do, because I'll take care of them."

"It's okay," Elliot replied. "I can deal with anything they have to dish out."

We did a couple of easier rides next and then the boys wanted to try the Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster. This is one of the tallest (410 feet / 125 m) and fastest (120 m.p.h. / 193 k.p.h.) roller coasters in the world. I quickly looked toward Elliot and asked him very quietly if he wanted to do this and he told me he would be fine.

"I want to go with Papa on this one. Okay?" Elliot announced.

The others said that would be fine and I was glad he had done this. Otherwise, I'd be very worried about how he was doing.

Once again, it was another white-knuckle ride for him and I noticed that he had his eyes screwed shut most of the time. I was worried this was too much for him, but then remembered that he was the one who said he wanted to do it and hoped he knew his limitations better than I did.

Elliot's legs seemed to be a little wobbly, once we got off that ride and began to make our way to the next one, but otherwise he appeared no worse for wear, or so I thought. Elliot and Nicky were a few steps behind the rest of us, as we made our way through the crowd, when I heard Nicky tell Elliot that he didn't look good. I turned just in time to see Elliot double over and throw up, right on Nicky's shoes.

"Oh gross," Nicky moaned.

Jesse and Jordan couldn't contain their laughter, but Elliot looked absolutely miserable. He not only felt terrible for vomiting on Nicky, but he was also totally embarrassed about the way the passersby were looking at him.

Noting Elliot's discomfort, I suggested we sit down for a minute. When we stopped, Nicky ran off to the restroom to clean his shoes and I sent Jordan and Jesse to get a bottle of water for Elliot. Once the boys came back, Elliot rinsed out his mouth and apologized profusely to Nicky for what had happened.

For his part, Nicky was very sympathetic and told Elliot he wasn't mad, because accidents happen. I could tell that Elliot still felt a little embarrassed, so I explained that he probably just had too much adrenaline in his system after the ride and that had been responsible for what we would later refer to as 'the incident.'

This seemed to make him feel better, and when he was ready, I told the boys I thought Elliot would appreciate it if they would select an easier ride next. They quickly agreed, but the break was short lived. After that ride ended, the other three began pleading for me to let them go on the Power Tower next.

This is a ride that definitely appeared as if it was going to be something Elliot might have difficulty with. You see, there are four towers to this ride and two of them are used to first shoot the riders up into the air a total of 240 feet (73 m) until they reach the top. Then it then gives you a fairly gentle trip back to the ground.

The other two towers are used for the second part of the ride. This time the riders are taken up gradually and then it thrusts them back down to the ground in a faster-than-free-fall plunge. Of course, three of the boys were very eager to try both of these rides, while the remaining one was conspicuously silent.

"I think I'm just gonna sit down here and watch you guys this time," Elliot stated.

"You've gotta come on this one," Jesse pleaded. "Come on. Don't be a wuss."

"Leave him alone," Nicky chastised Jesse, "unless you want to wear the rest of his breakfast."

"I think Elliot should sit this one out and let his stomach rest a bit, before he goes on another aggressive ride like this," I interjected, in an effort to take the pressure off of Elliot.

The boys didn't say anything more after I'd said my piece, but I could see Jesse and Jordan's expressions pleading with Elliot to reconsider and give in. I was glad he stuck to his guns about this and I elected to sit out this ride as well. When Elliot saw I wasn't going with the others, he told me he didn't need for me to stay behind with him. I assured him it wasn't a big deal, but he insisted I go on the ride with the others. After trying to convince him otherwise, his continued persistence finally convinced me to give in. It seemed important to him that I not sit this ride out, so I went off to catch up with the other three boys.

Once I was on the Power Tower with them, I didn't actually think the rate of ascent or descent was too bad, but I could see where Elliot would have difficulty with how high it went and how quickly it came down. I think he might have been able to handle it, if it took place in a closed car, but since we had to sit in a harness with our legs dangling below, it didn't give us that added feeling of support that being in an enclosed car might. I'm fairly certain this ride would probably have affected him, so it was good that he'd decided not to try it.

Once we'd tried both sides, I suggested we take a short break and grab something to eat. I advised them not to stuff themselves, because I didn't want one of them to puke his guts out on the rides later, when we continued to make our way around the park. Elliot seemed particularly cautious after the earlier incident and merely picked at his food. In fact, Jordan ended up wolfing down most of Elliot's lunch for him.

Since I thought it might be wise to take it easy right after we'd eaten, I suggested we should head over to Challenge Park next. This is a separate area of the park, but it also has some activities that will provide us the needed time for our lunch to settle. I suggested we start off on one of the two miniature golf courses, but I let the boys check them out first and then choose which one they wanted to try.

Damn! I don't know if the other course was as difficult as this one, but it was not an easy course. It was eighteen very challenging holes with extremely sloped hills and difficult water hazards, along with a variety of caves, ramps and other obstacles we had to overcome to score well. I'm not really a golfer, but I usually do fairly well on a miniature golf course. However, this one was definitely the exception to that rule.

I was happy to finish this activity and leave the area. I'll admit I didn't do as well as the boys, so I guess being younger and more agile might have made some of the shots a little easier for them to make. However, there were exceptions to that rule too. Even though he was doing better than I was, Jesse lost his balance taking one of his shots and fell to his knee in one of the water hazards. Fortunately, he was wearing shorts, so there wasn't a lot of fabric to get wet, but it did sort of look like he'd pissed himself. I'm fairly confident that more than one passerby also came to that conclusion when they saw him.

Another time, Nicky went to take his shot and knocked the golf ball completely over the restraining devices that where meant to keep the golf balls on the course. When he ran to retrieve his ball, he slipped and did a nosedive into the turf. Needless to say, the other three razed him for a while about his coordination and gracefulness.

In the end though, Jesse and Jordan finished with identical low scores, so I just declared them co-champions and then urged them to move on to the next ride. The others seemed fine with this, since I think they were also mildly frustrated by the difficulty of the course.

From here, we went to the Challenger Racing area, where two go-kart tracks are located. The first is the Sprint track, with tight turns and fast straight-aways, and the other is the Grand Prix track, which is designed primarily with speed in mind. Since you have to be sixteen to go on the Grand Prix course and Nicky and Elliot are only fifteen, we all opted to go on the Sprint karts instead. The boys had argued we could sneak the other two in to the Grand Prix area and claim they were sixteen, but the sign stated that valid identification was required. Once they realized this, the boys gave up their protest, because Jordan didn't have a valid ID with him either.

I knew the boys would want to challenge me on the track, but I didn't want to risk them getting too competitive and then take crazy chances that might end up putting them in a bad wreck. However, I quickly became aware that they weren't going to let me do this and I had little option but to teach them this old man was no slouch. I think they were a little surprised when I finally gunned it and quickly left them in the dust. Once the ride ended, they claimed I had cheated, because they'd been holding back until I agreed to race them. Oh, well. Live and learn, I guess.

Once we left this area, three of the boys selected the next two rides they wanted to go on, but I could tell that Elliot didn't want to go with them. Therefore, I told the other three boys they could go on those rides together, while Elliot and I went back for another spin on the Sprint track. I even made an exception to my previous rule and raced Elliot from the start. I must admit he put up a good battle, but being an experienced driver I was able to out maneuver him and won our little competition.

While Elliot and I were racing, the others went to the first of the new rides they wanted to try. It was called The Ripcord and I think the name gives you a pretty good idea about what it is. Actually, it hooks together three flight-suited riders at a time and hoists them into the air on a stainless steel cable, which takes them to the top of a 15-story (150 feet / 45.5 m) tower. Once they come to a stop, the designated person is instructed to pull the ripcord. When this is done, all three riders began plummeting toward the ground at 65 m.p.h. (104.5 k.p.h.), until they come to a stop just six-feet (2 m) above the ground.

You would think that would have been the end of the ride, but it wasn't. Once they were dangling at the bottom, the next part of the ride kicked in. At this point, the suspended riders began to move again and were soon gliding through the 310-foot (94.5 m) long 'zoom zone' and experiencing the sensation of flight, before being returned to the launch pad. I'm certainly glad Elliot was wise enough not to try this, because I think the free-fall would have done him in.

Once the other three got off the ride, they were all eager to inform me that Nicky started screaming like a little girl just as soon as the ripcord was pulled and they started their dive toward the earth. Needless to say, he received more than a little razzing over that too.

Once they calmed down again, they walked over to get in line for the Skyscraper next. Elliot and I watched as they studied the ride and chatted with each other. Then, they suddenly came racing back to where we were.

"Papa, this ride takes four people at a time and we all what you to go on it with us, rather than have one of us ride next to a stranger," Jordan told me. "Won't you please do this for us?"

"Guys, I think I'm going to sit this one out…" I began, but Elliot cut me off.

"Go with them," he urged. "You don't need to stay with me. I'll be fine. Please, go with the rest of them and enjoy the ride. I'll feel badly if you don't do it, because I'll know you're not going on it just because of me."

"Elliot, are you sure?" I pressed. "I've been to a bunch of amusement parks and ridden tons of rides, so missing one of them isn't going to deprive me of anything."

"Maybe not, but they want you to go with them," he countered. "Just do it for me. Okay?"

"If that's what you want," I replied.

For some reason, this seemed very important to Elliot and I didn't want to make him feel badly by staying behind. I also didn't want to make him feel responsible for my missing out on this experience. After making certain he would be all right by himself, I went and joined the other three.

This ride is basically a huge propeller, consisting of two arms, and you sit in open-carts, with your feet dangling, as it spins you around in a full circle. Each arm of the propeller takes two riders, so there is room for four in total. I suggested that Nicky ride with me on the one side, which was my attempt to balance the weight distribution with the two on the other side. I was positive Nicky and I would still weigh more than Jordan and Jesse, but it would be the least amount of difference than any other combination.

Once the ride started, we were spun around at speeds of up to 55 m.p.h. (88.5 k.p.h.) and the propeller rose up 16 stories (160 feet / 48.5 m) in the air. We continued going around, as well as up, so it was quite a thrilling experience. When the ride ended, we went back to join up with Elliot again and he had a huge grin on his face as we approached.

"What are you smiling about?" Jesse challenged.

"I was watching you on the giant screen and the looks on your faces told me I was glad I didn't go on that ride with you," Elliot stated, when we were close enough that he didn't have to shout. "Papa didn't look too bad, and I guess Jesse didn't either, but Nicky and Jordan looked like they were about to crap their pants."

"Hey, at least I went on it," Jordan shot back, defensively.

"I know I chickened out, but I'm willing to bet none of you would have wanted to sit by me, after what happened to Nicky," Elliot chuckled.

The others conceded this point and we started off for the next ride.

"I wasn't worried about crapping my pants," Nicky announced, "but I do think I might have wet myself a little."

This caused us all to laugh, even Nicky. When we finally stopped giggling, Jordan spoke next.

"Okay, I wasn't so brave either," he confessed, "I screamed like one of those chicks in a horror film, but I wasn't worried about Jesse saying anything about me doing that. I don't think he could hear me over his own screams."

We were all laughing again, as Jesse punched Jordan in the shoulder, although he did so lightly.

"Yeah, I think my dad was the only one who was able to handle the ride fairly well," Jesse confessed. "I'll admit I've never been on a ride quite like that before."

"I appreciate your confidence in me," I responded, "even though your statement isn't quite accurate. Let me just say that I'm glad I remembered to wear my Depends."

"No way!" Nicky shouted. "You're really wearing one of those adult diapers?"

"No, Nicky," I confessed, "but just because I'm not wearing one is no indication that it wasn't needed."

This comment sent the boys into another fit of laughter.

After they calmed down again, we returned to the main part of the park, so we could go on more of the rides. We did stop for a while to fill our bellies at dinnertime and then we stayed at the park until closing. Each of the boys told me he really had a great time, even Elliot, and then each one thanked me for bringing them here.

Jesse hopped in the front passenger seat and the others got in back, with Nicky in the middle. Sometime during the drive back, Jordan's stomach decided to pay him back for the large lunch he'd eaten and the later dinner he'd filled up on. When I pulled into the parking space, the tire hit the parking bumper and that was enough of a jolt to cause Jordan to toss his cookies all over poor Nicky.

Jesse, Elliot bolted from the car as fast as they could and ran a few feet away to clear out of the danger zone. The smell was horrendous and I think they were afraid that inhaling the foul odor would cause us to blow chunks too. For that reason, they didn't come near the Suburban again.

At this point, Jordan was looking a little sheepish, yet relieved that everything that had been building up in his stomach was no longer causing him discomfort. When I looked in the backseat, I discovered Nicky was covered in vomit, a shocked expression on his face.

"Nicky, are you okay?" I asked. "AHHHHHH," he screamed.

I could hear the others busting up with laughter, as I gently coaxed Nicky out of the car. I hate to say it, but I've never seen a more pathetic sight, and that doesn't even begin to take into account the smell. Fortunately, I was able to have the motel's handyman hook up a hose, so I could hose Nicky down first, and then I sent him and the others to shower and hop in bed.

While they were doing that, I attempted to clean out the back seat. It was not an easy job and I found myself gagging and having to fight back the impulses that would have made an even bigger mess. Needless to say, I left the windows open about an inch, so it could air out overnight. I certainly wasn't worried about anyone stealing the Suburban, because the smell alone would have driven them off. What I was concerned about was that it might rain before morning and drench the interior. Otherwise, I would have left the windows all the way down.

Nicky was still furious, but not just because Jordan had thrown up on him. He was also pissed at Jesse and Elliot for laughing about it. Nicky didn't even take time to stop before he charged into the bathroom and jumped into the shower. He was eager to wash the smell and anything else off his body, as well as being able to get away from the rest of them for a while.

After Nicky finished, Jordan went in next, followed by Jesse. Elliot was the last to shower and when he came out of the bathroom, Jesse and Jordan were already sound asleep. Seeing that, Elliot slipped into bed behind Nicky and put his arm around him.

"I'm sorry I laughed at you," Elliot offered. "I know I shouldn't have, because I wouldn't have liked it if that had happened to me, let alone twice in the same day."

Nicky didn't say anything but Elliot could feel the tension in his shoulders subside a bit. Sensing this, Elliot leaned in and kissed Nicky gently on the neck. Nicky rolled over and kissed Elliot back, on the lips. The boys kissed softly and gently for several minutes and Elliot thought it was very romantic. It also gave him the courage to do what he did next.

"Nicky, I want to tell you something, but I'm afraid if I do you might not like me anymore," Elliot confessed.

"I didn't get mad when you puked on me, so what could you say that would make me not like you now?" Nicky laughed, but stopped when he realized Elliot was being serious.

"What is it Elliot? I'm sorry I just made a joke about it, but you can tell me," Nicky urged.

"I love you, Nicky. I think I'm IN love with you," Elliot confessed.

There was total silence after he finished and Elliot felt that awkward moment lasted for hours. He held his breath and waited for Nicky to say something – anything.

"Elliot, that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me," Nicky finally responded, as he leaned in and kissed Elliot on the cheek.

For a moment, Elliot's heart soared, but Nicky's next comment brought it crashing back to Earth.

"I mean it, Elliot, but well, I'm not gay," Nicky told him.

"Oh, I just thought that with the things we've been doing and the kissing and stuff that maybe you might, you know, like me," Elliot blushed.

"I do like you. I even love you, but just not like that," Nicky explained. "I love you like I love Jordan and Jesse, you know, like family."

"But you never kiss them," Elliot objected.

"I know, but I just figured that was something special between us," Nicky confessed.

"Wow. I'm sorry, Nicky. I like you a lot and you're so cute that I guess I just let myself get carried away," Elliot reasoned. "I should have realized you weren't gay that night we first kissed."

"You don't have anything to be sorry about," Nicky admonished. "I'm glad you told me and I think that was a really brave thing to do. I think what I have with you, Jesse and Jordan is really special, and this won't change anything between us.

"Do you mean that? I don't want this to ruin our friendship, because it means a lot to mean," Elliot confirmed.

"Does this answer your question?" Nicky asked, as he pressed his lips against Elliot's and pushed his tongue gently into his mouth.

The boys kissed for some time, before Nicky rolled onto his side, snuggled up against Elliot and pulled Elliot's arm around him. He had been sincere when he said nothing would change, because he loved the closeness he had with his cousins, especially Elliot. The problem is, he still couldn't deny or change who he is – and who he is isn't gay.

Once it was quiet and he'd had time to think about it, Elliot eyes welled up a little. He was heartbroken that he wouldn't be able to be with Nicky the way he wanted, but he was also relieved that his confession hadn't ruined their friendship. They would continue to be close and enjoy their sex play, but it would never be more than that. Elliot dried his eyes and tried to get some sleep, since he was determined not to let this ruin the rest of his time with Nicky and they fun they will have.

I didn't arrange a wake-up call for the next morning. After the long day we'd had, I thought I'd let the boys sleep in. However, I did have to get them up and moving around by lunchtime, because I had something else planned for the afternoon.

The boys seemed to be in good spirits as they filled their bellies again. Nicky even made sure to tease Jordan about eating such a large breakfast and then insisted that Elliot sit in the middle this time. When we left the motel, I took them to the Ghostly Manor Thrill Center next. I figured the boys would get a kick out of going through a professionally done haunted house, but I also hoped it would give them some ideas for next Halloween's version of our own haunted house.

I'm afraid the boys went into this thinking it was going to be lame, but they humored me and went in without giving me too much flak. As we walked along the dimly lit corridors, some of which were engulfed in a thin fog, we passed by numerous creatures, while at other times ghosts and monsters popped up or leaped out in our path. We could hear the sounds of recorded thunder, intermixed with the screams of others going through, either in front of or behind us.

In fact, we watched the kids directly ahead of us jump and scream at various times, as something surprised them. At one point, it even seemed as if they were too scared to continue on, so I began to wonder if we might have to pass them by or even take them with us, so they didn't end up stuck in this one spot.

Some of the professionally done monsters were very scary looking and one of them even reminded me of the creature in the Alien films. Where the hell is Sigourney Weaver when we really need her?

I have to admit that I kind of lost it at one point. It was when we were going through an area that was designed to look like a meat locker, filled with plastic covered bodies hanging from hooks. We were about halfway through it when something grabbed my shoulder. Since the boys were all in front of me, I instinctively turned and swung. My fist connected with some guy who was working there and directed to scare us as we went through.

Of course, I apologized and told him I was just reacting and didn't mean to hurt him, but he just shrugged it off and told me to go on. He also admitted it wasn't the first time he'd been hit, so he just considered it one of the hazards of the job. He confessed that since I appeared older, he didn't think I'd be as likely to deck him, like a twenty or thirty-year old might do, so he had singled me out on purpose and grabbed me. I merely shrugged and told him I was sorry to ruin his preconception about the elderly.

From there, we went through another area that appeared to be either a morgue or possibly an illegal operating room. It was filled with bloody and cut up corpses lying on slabs and either fully or partially covered with sheets. As I was going through this location, I realized it was probably a good thing that I hadn't decided to become a doctor or mortician, since the sight of the blood and the bodies were a bit unsettling.

I think the decomposing corpses in the coffins that popped up next got to some of the boys, but I could also tell that each of them had received a bit of a fright on more than one occasion, as we made our way through the mansion. I have to admit that whoever did the makeup on the live ghouls we saw along the way was very talented and it was extremely well done. Some of them were so gruesome looking that they either made you stop dead in your tracks or jump back in fright when you came across them.

After that, we went to the 4-D theater and watched a couple of movies on the 4-D simulated ride. As you watched the screen, you were assaulted by the surround sound and wind-effects, as well as experiencing up to 2 Gs of acceleration. I felt it was very well done.

By the time we'd finished, I think the boys really enjoyed their time here, and from their conversation in the Suburban on the ride back to our motel, I think they'd also come up with a few new ideas for this year's haunted house.

I'd previously decided that we'd spend another night here and then begin the drive home early the next morning, because it's such a long drive and I was kind of tired. I didn't want to risk the boys' safety and I was pretty sure they wouldn't mind spending one more evening here either. They might even have enough energy left to fool around before they went to sleep tonight.

Anyway, after dinner we all went back to our rooms and settled in. I watched a little television in my room before I turned in, but I left the boys to entertain themselves and each other. Hell, I've done enough to keep them busy already, what with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cedar Point Amusement Park and the Ghostly Manor Thrill Center. That will have to last them until we go on our vacation with Nicky and Jordan's parents and some of the other family members.

Speaking of that upcoming event, it reminds me that I will have to check to make sure that everything is set for the trip when we get back. We'll be having quite a crew going with us and I know the boys will be sharing a room the entire time again. That's because their parents will be happy to get them out of their hair, plus they don't realize the boys are having some fun during their time alone. In fact, I hope their parents never discover this fact, because it will make life a whole lot easier for all of us if they don't.

I retuned home with the boys on Wednesday. The drive back had taken a lot out of me, so I was glad I'd waited to make the trip. As tired as I was by the time we'd left Ghostly Mansion, I'm afraid I might have fallen asleep at the wheel, if I hadn't taken this precaution.

It was past noon by the time we reached the house, and as soon as we pulled in the driveway, Joshie came racing out to greet us.

"Papa, I've missed you," he yelled.

"I've missed you too, little man," I told him, as I scooped him into my free arm. "I'm sorry we couldn't take you with us this time, but I didn't think you'd have had much fun. I don't believe you'd have been interested in most of the things we did, since it was primarily stuff for the older boys."

"It's okay, but can we go swimming now?" he wanted to know.

"Why? Wouldn't your daddy and poppy take you in the pool while we were gone?" I asked in return.

"Yes, but it's more fun when you and the boys are here to go in with me," he replied.

I think the boys were touched when they heard Joshie make his comment. They all grinned, grabbed their bags and quickly dragged them inside. Joshie's not so subtle hint definitely had an effect on them, because they hurried to their rooms and put on their swim trunks. They figured the least they could do was to go in the pool with Joshie, since he hadn't been able to go on the trip with them.

"Damn, I'm glad you're back," Dion greeted me, after Joshie had gone upstairs to get his swimsuit too. "He's been driving me crazy asking where you'd gone and when you'd be back."

"I believe he was more interested in when the boys would be back, not me," I confessed. "He'll be better now, because the others are changing so they can go in the pool with him."

"Good! That will give me a breather," Dion responded. "By the way, Danny's got something he wants to talk to you about. He didn't give me the details, but it sounded kind of important."

"Do you have any idea what it's about?" I asked.

"I think it has to do with something Brandon and he have been doing the past couple of nights," Dion replied. "They didn't elaborate, but they went out a few times and I got the feeling it was urgent. I think it all started when Danny got a call a couple of nights ago from one of the doctors who's going to move into the health center."

"Damn, I hope it's not a problem with the building or he isn't backing out of moving there," I offered. "Things have been going very well for them so far and they certainly don't need a setback now, especially before Danny opens his office."

"Yeah, I was kind of wondering about that myself," Dion agreed.

I was extremely curious now, but I didn't want to call Danny at work and bother him just to discover what he wanted. I decided it would be better if I waited until he got home to talk with him about it. If it really is a crisis of some sort, as Dion suspects, it will take time for him to explain it and for us to determine what we should do next. I don't want to disturb him for as long as that might take, especially while he's working. I'm sure he'll tell me as soon as he walks in the door – at least I hope he does.

I have to admit, it was hard for me to concentrate on anything from that point on. I was definitely curious and anxious to find out what was going on, but as it turned out, I didn't have to wait for Danny to come home. I got an inkling of what this was all about when Brandon filled me in briefly, after he got home from work.

"Dad, I'm so glad you're back," Brandon announced, the second he saw me. "I don't want to go into all of the details right now, but there's another boy that needs our help. He's a little younger than Elliot, but he's going to be an orphan soon and will need a place to live."

"So he's not an orphan yet?" I responded. "I'm not sure I understand."

"No. His mother is dying of cancer and is only expected to last a few more days," he explained. "She asked her oncologist if he'd help keep her son out of the foster care system by finding someone nice to take him in, so he turned to us. He heard we worked with a foundation that might be able to assist him with this problem, so he called Danny and talked to him about it."

"I understand," I agreed, "but do you guys think you can handle taking in another boy right now? You have a lot of irons in the fire and things are quite hectic for you at the moment. It might not be a good time for you to make a move like this right now."

"Danny and I realize this won't be easy and we've already talked about all the issues you've brought up," Brandon confessed. "That's why we wanted to talk to you first, because we think we can do it, but we'll need your help to pull it off."

"I think we'll need to sit down and talk about this in detail," I suggested. "Let's plan to hash this out later, once the boys have gone up to their rooms for the night."

Brandon agreed and said he'd advise Danny that's what we were going to do. He'd tell him about this privately, after Danny pulled in, since I told him I thought it would be best if the boys didn't know about this until after we'd made a decision. We certainly didn't need them pressuring us one way or the other.

While Danny was parking the car, Brandon went out to greet him. They talked briefly first, before they came inside, so when they entered, Danny came over and assured me we'd talk later.

During dinner, the boys filled everyone in about what we'd done and seen at the Hall of Fame. I had previously let them know not to mention the other things we'd done in front of Joshie and they'd agreed. I'd done this, because I didn't want him to hear about the amusement park or the haunted house and then get upset that we hadn't taken him too.

I had left Joshie behind for two reasons. First, I didn't think he'd be interested in seeing the Hall of Fame, and second, I knew it would create problems at the amusement park. Since I was the only adult and didn't want to leave the others to go off by themselves, we'd have had to spend time on the kiddie rides with Joshie, which would have limited the amount of fun the others would have had on the other rides. Not only that, but one of us would have had to sit out on the rides that Joshie wasn't old enough or tall enough to go on as well.

Fortunately, since Joshie wasn't very interested in the things he heard the boys telling the others about the Hall of Fame, he wasn't pouting about missing out on the fun.

As soon as we finished our meal, Danny and Brandon asked if we could possibly have our conversation now, because they didn't want to put this off any longer. Even though I thought we should wait until the boys went upstairs, I eventually gave in. I then went to ask Jake to join us, but he told me he'd been briefed already, while I was gone. Instead of going over the same information again, he offered to make sure the boys didn't interrupt us or try to eavesdrop on our conversation. Since that was settled, the three of us went into my bedroom to chat.

"Okay, Brandon gave me a hint concerning what this is about," I began, "but I think I need the rest of the details. From what I've heard so far, I'm not convinced taking on more responsibility would be in your best interest right now."

"Dad, let me start at the beginning and bring you up to date, because I think what we have to tell you will change your mind," Danny suggested. "Sunday, after you left with the boys, I got a call from an oncologist I'd been negotiating with about opening an office at the health center. Since there won't be enough of a demand for him to work there full-time, he was thinking he could do this a couple of days a week or possibly just two afternoons to start, so he would also be able to keep his current practice too. He has another office that isn't very far from the hospital, but his practice deals primarily with adults, as you can imagine.

"Well, I guess this all began when he was talking to some other people at the hospital about a situation he'd found himself involved in," Danny continued. "After explaining his problem to them, one of the others told him that our family had founded the Castaway Foundation and it helps kids in tough situations. That's why he called me, so he could ask if we could help him with this problem. He said he got dragged into it through one of his patients, well actually one of his patients and a former patient."

Danny paused at this point, so I decided to say something to fill the awkward silence.

"Okay, I take it this is leading up to why we need to take this boy in," I urged.

"Yes, and I'm getting to that," he confirmed. "It seems the oncologist has a female patient who's in the final stages of breast cancer. She was in the late stages already when he first examined her, so there wasn't much he could do by then. She hadn't sought professional help sooner, because she didn't have any health insurance or the money she would need to pay for treatments. He only saw her after she collapsed in a grocery store and the employees called for an ambulance and had her taken to the hospital. Once she was there, they quickly discovered her problem and the oncologist was brought in to consult on her case.

"When he asked her why she hadn't taken care of this matter sooner," Danny continued, "she informed him about her reasons. She also reminded him that he had treated her husband a few years earlier, when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. That's when the oncologist finally made the connection. He remembered her husband had also put off being seen until he was in the latter stages of cancer too. Her husband had shrugged off the early symptoms as something minor, but he also failed to go in for regular screenings, even though he had reached the age when he should have. Although the oncologist did everything he could to save the man, he still wasn't able to do much for him and the guy died.

"It was a tragic case, because he could have survived, if the cancer had been discovered sooner," Danny explained. "What the doctor didn't know at the time was that his death set into motion a bunch of other circumstances that now contributed to this woman's situation. When her husband died, their health policy lapsed, because the coverage was through his job. If that wasn't bad enough, while they were doing their best to save his life, the couple also used up all their savings to cover the doctor and hospital co-payments, as well as to pay for the prescriptions he needed during chemo.

"This leads us back to the present situation," Danny continued. "The oncologist confided to me that he feels she only has a few days left to live. She has an eleven-year old son whom she's worried about, because she doesn't know what's going to happen to him when she's gone. They have no family and her friends aren't able to take him in, because they can't handle the financial burden of another mouth to feed. Since she and her husband spent all the money they had trying to cure his cancer, there is nothing left to give to someone to help raise her son.

"Out of desperation," he continued, "she turned to the oncologist and asked if he'd be willing to adopt her son. She figured she had nothing to lose and thought he probably would have enough money to be able to take care of him. The problem is, the oncologist has just gone through a rather messy divorce and is finding it difficult enough to arrange visitations with his own children. That's why he turned to us, after he heard about the Foundation. Dad, this kid is in desperate need of our help."

"Danny, I understand the boy's problem, but might you just be compounding it if you take him in?" I asked. "You two have enough on your plate already and won't be able to devote the time needed to give him the attention he'll require. Not only that, but you both need to concentrate on your practices right now, so they don't fail. If that happens, you're going to quickly discover that you won't have the funds necessary to do what you want. Don't you think you might be risking not just your future, but Elliot's future too, just to help one more boy? What will happen to both boys if you fail?"

"I don't think the situation is that dire and we believe we can pull this off, but we will need your help," he stated. "We just can't turn our backs on this poor kid and we're already kind of involved. We went to see his mother in the hospital Monday night, so we could get some more information from her. We also got her permission to meet with her son on Tuesday, so we could see if we thought he'd fit in. Dad, we really need to do this. His name is Noah and he seems like a fantastic kid, but he's quite shy and looks pathetically sad. I think that's to be expected though, since he's been through so much already. Dad, he desperately needs our help and we've just got to take him in."

"Did you discuss the gay issue with them?" I wondered. "I'm only asking because it might become an issue for either of them."

"We explained this to his mother, but it didn't seem to bother her," Danny answered. "She just wanted to make sure we were nice guys who would take good care of her son and treat him well. She also wanted to make sure we had the financial resources to do this with.

"As far as Noah is concerned," Danny continued, "we didn't discuss the gay issue directly. We merely told him that he would have two dads and two grandfathers. Since he didn't react badly to this news, we moved on to other things."

"That's good to hear, but what about his mother's funeral expenses?" I asked next. "Will there be any insurance money to cover the cost or will you have to pay for that too?"

I know this comment probably seems a little cold and calculated, but it is something else they'll need to consider. They've pretty much tied up all their resources in the health center and that coupled with the reduced income they'll have coming in while they establish their practices might be a concern. That's why they need to look at all potential factors.

"She's going to be cremated," Danny quickly answered. "She says she doesn't want to be buried in her current condition, since she's had both of her breasts removed trying to stop the spread of the cancer. She's said she'd rather have her body burned than be buried looking like she does now. Since she doesn't have life insurance either, the oncologist has agreed to pay for the cremation, if we're willing to take the boy to live with us."

"Well, it appears you've covered all of the bases then," I observed. "I'm also getting the feeling that you've already made up your minds too. Therefore, I guess there's nothing left to discuss."

"But there is, Dad. Brandon and I realize we won't be able to do this without your help," he told me. "You did a lot to assist us with Elliot and you're still doing it even now, like taking him on this trip with the other boys. If you can help us with Noah and do those types of things for him as well, then Brandon and I want to take him in and provide him with a loving home. He's going to need that, once his mother is gone."

"You'll love him," Brandon jumped in. "He's cute as a button, although he doesn't smile much right now, but I think we can all understand why. The poor kid has already lost one parent and is about to lose the other. He shouldn't be too difficult to handle, because he's pretty quiet and kind of shy. The big thing is that he'll need someone to help him cope with his mother's death and then to adjust to living with us. Since you helped Elliot through a similar transition, we figured you'd be perfect for the job. What do you say? Will you help us with Noah?"

"I have a feeling Jesse and Elliot will be able to help him more than I will, since they've both lost parents too," I admitted, "but I'm willing to do what I can."

"We couldn't do this without you," Danny reiterated, "and we're convinced this will be the best possible solution for Noah too."

"Well, I guess since you've put it like that and are certain you want to take on more responsibility, I'll do whatever I can to help you with him," I agreed. "So when will I get to meet him?"

"We'll set up a time soon," Danny offered. "The oncologist has arranged for someone to stay with him right now, because he didn't have any other option after his mother had to be admitted to the hospital, except for putting him in foster care. For now, the boy stays with one of his mother's friends during the day and with the oncologist at night, but the oncologist is not prepared to deal with the boy on a long-term basis. He's told me that whenever he looks at Noah, he thinks of his own children and it reminds him that he doesn't get to see them very often any more, which makes him depressed. He feels that once Noah isn't there any longer, he won't be reminded about missing his own children on a daily basis and then have to deal with his remorse."

"Okay, we'll make this work then," I agreed, "and you can start setting things up. Are you going to tell the boys about this?"

"Not until we know for certain when he'll be coming here," Brandon added. "We'll fill everyone else in about it then, so they can help us out when he first arrives."

I still have some concerns about this, because there's just so much going on at the moment. I understand we don't have any control over the situation or a choice about the timing, but I'm not sure if we need another distraction right now. The thing is, I'm also not about to turn my back on a kid who desperately needs our help. Damn, I suddenly remembered something else.

"Have either of you heard from Kevin and learned how the pharmacy opening went?" I asked.

"Yes, I went over to see him during my lunch break on Monday," Brandon answered. "Kevin was beaming and there was quite a bit of traffic in there already. I imagine most of the people were just curious and checking the place out, but I did see quite a few people making purchases too."

"So he's hired the employees he needs to cover the other areas?" I followed.

"Yes, he's hired a half-dozen or so cashiers, who will also help stock shelves," Danny responded. "He also hired a couple of women to help him at the pharmacy counter, as well as a couple of retired cops to handle the security. He has enough employees to cover each of the shifts he needs to fill throughout the week and he's also arranged for a cleaning company to come by every morning to take care of the floors."

"Well, it sounds as if he has everything covered then, so I hope he can make enough money to keep it afloat," I responded. "I'll check with him this weekend, to see how the first week went."

"I think he'll do fine," Brandon assured me, "especially once all the offices are open at the health center."

"And how's that going?" I wondered.

"Great!" Danny answered. "The contractor's nearly finished with the work and should be out of there in a week or two max. Some of the offices are already up and running, so I'm thinking maybe I'll be able to open up my office in September. I might try to keep my job at the hospital on the weekends for a while, so we have some guaranteed income coming in until I build up my patient list."

"So you're planning to work seven days a week?" I countered. "Damn, don't kill yourself doing this."

"Dad, I'll probably only be working part-time during the week, at least until I get enough patients," Danny explained. "When I have enough to work full-time there, then I'll quit the hospital altogether."

I guess his plan makes sense, but I'll watch him to make certain he isn't biting off more than he can chew.

My mind was spinning for the rest of the night. I was thinking about this new boy moving in with us, concerned about Kevin doing well at the pharmacy and worried about Danny and Brandon taking on too much. I hope they know what they're getting into and aren't setting themselves up to fail. They've taken a big enough gamble with the health center and starting their own practices, but now they want to take in another kid. I guess I can take most of the responsibility for Noah off their hands for now and give them some breathing room, but I'm wondering if that will be enough. Elliot's pretty much settled in and doesn't need a great deal from us right now, except for the usual attention, so that will help too.

On top of everything else, we're also going on our family vacation next week and my older children will be coming here to join us in a couple of days. If that isn't enough, Dion and Trey's new son should be joining us sometime in the next couple of months as well. There is a lot going on, so I hope we can make it all work.

The next morning, I got up and fixed breakfast for the boys when they came downstairs. After that, we began discussing what they wanted to do today. Since Dion and Trey had gone somewhere with Joshie and the only vehicle here was the Suburban, Jesse and Elliot asked if I'd drive them down to school, so they could see if their new class schedules had been posted yet. They felt that since we'll be on vacation next week and the school will open a week after we return, they don't want to wait until the last minute to see what classes they will be in and what teachers they'll have. This way, they can call their friends and see if they're in any of the same classes before we leave on our trip.

About an hour later, I drove them to the high school and they picked up their schedules. They were happy about most of their classes, but both were grousing about at least one of their teachers. Once we got back, Elliot called Hayden, and Jesse called his friends to compare notes. They wanted to see how many classes they might be sharing this year.

When the phone rang a short time after the boys made their calls, I assumed it was for one of them, so I let them answer it. Before long though, I heard Elliot calling for me.

"Papa, the phone call is for you," he stated.

I went out and took the receiver from him. Elliot then took off to find Jesse, so they could talk more about their schedules. He was hoping Jesse could give him a bit of information about some of his teachers.

"Hello, this is Josh Currie," I answered.

"Mr. Currie, this Captain Dalton. I'm the troop M commander for the Pennsylvania State Police," he began. "I'm sorry to have to inform you about this over the phone, but your son, Frank, was wounded on duty today. He's presently in surgery at the Allentown Hospital."

My heart felt as if someone was squeezing it and it had just skipped a few beats. I wasn't able to speak right away, so it took a few seconds for me to respond.

"How seriously is he injured and is it life threatening? Can you give me any other details?" I wanted to know.

"He was shot while making a traffic stop," Captain Dalton explained. "I was told he was hit in the femoral artery of his left leg and lost quite a bit of blood before the emergency vehicle arrived on the scene."

"But he's alive, right?" I pressed.

"Yes, he's alive and in surgery," the Captain reiterated. "I thought you might want to make arrangement so you can come and be with him. I'm so sorry that this happened and I've had to tell you about it over the phone. Frank is a fine young man and an up and coming officer. I pray that he'll recover completely from this incident and will be back with us before long."

Once he finished, I asked him for the name and address of the hospital, and he gave it to me. I told him I'd be there as soon as I could, but it would probably take me a few hours to drive there. Once I hung up, I went to tell Dion and Trey first, and then I began making a few phone calls.

"Jake, it's Josh," I announced, when he answered his cell phone. "I just got a call telling me that Frankie was shot. He's in the hospital and I'm going to Allentown to be with him."

"Oh, my god," Jake responded. "Look, wait for me to get there. I'm going to tell my boss I have to leave now and I'll be home shortly. That way, you can drive the car to Allentown and leave me the Suburban. If we do that, I'll be able to bring everyone else to see him this weekend."

"Oh, damn," I uttered, when another thought crossed my mind. "Everyone will be showing up tomorrow for our vacation. Will you call and tell them I won't be able to go now. They can use the reservations I've made or you can call and cancel everything, if they're not interested. I can't believe this has happened on top of everything else. Just get here as quickly as you can, because I need to go be with Frankie."

Jake agreed, so I called Danny and Brandon and left messages for them too. They'd need to know because of the boys. Dion and Trey can keep and eye on them during the day, but I won't be around to watch Elliot for them for a while.

Once I'd left them both a message, I went to my room and started throwing some clothes in an overnight bag. I was just putting the final items into my shaving kit, when Jesse and Elliot walked past.

"Are you going somewhere, Dad?" Jesse asked.

"Yes. Frankie's been shot and I'm going to the hospital to be with him," I answered.

"The hospital where my dad works?" Elliot asked next.

"No, this hospital is in Allentown," I told him. "Frankie is in surgery right now and I'm leaving just as soon as Jake gets here with the car."

"Why don't you just take the Suburban?" Jesse asked.

"Jake wants me to leave it, so he can bring the rest of you to Allentown this weekend. I just hope Frankie's injuries don't turn out to be too serious," I responded.

"Wasn't Frankie the one who was shot in the army?" Elliot wanted to know.

"He was hit with shrapnel from a grenade," I corrected. "I hope this isn't a pattern he's starting to follow, or I'm going to insist he change professions."

Jake showed up a little while later and I greeted him at the door.

"Thanks for getting here so quickly and for taking care of everything else," I told him. "I'll call you, once I learn anything."

I gave Jake a kiss, grabbed my bag and jumped in the car. It would take me a few hours to get to Allentown and I had a whole lot of my mind at the moment.

I arrived at the hospital Thursday evening and went directly to the main desk, to ask where Frankie was currently located. After I gave the lady Frankie's name and told her what he was in for, she informed me they had just moved him from recovery into a room. She gave me the room number and directions for how to get there, so I set out for the elevator she indicated I would need to take.

When I got up to the correct floor, I went in the direction the sign indicated I'd need to go in order to get to Frankie's room. I stopped at the nurse's station on the way by, so I could inquire about his condition. The nurse on duty asked if I was related, and when I told her I was his father, she told me she'd have the doctor come out and fill me in concerning his status. About three minutes later, the doctor approached my location.

"Mr. Currie, I'm pleased to advise you that your son is no longer in danger," the doctor announced. "I think his quick thinking is what saved his life or I might have different news to share with you now."

"I haven't heard anything about what happened, except he'd been shot in the femoral artery," I replied.

"I'm afraid I don't know much about how it happened," the doctor explained, "but I can inform you as to what the emergency crew told me when they brought your son in. They said that when they reached the scene, your son had removed his tie and used that in conjunction with his baton to make a tourniquet. He then tightened it around his leg to cut off the flow of blood, so he didn't end up dying out on the interstate. Since the femoral artery is a major blood supplier, I can tell you that if he hadn't reacted so quickly and appropriately, it would have only taken minutes before he would have lost enough blood to cost him his life."

"I didn't know that," I told him. "Thank you for the information, Doctor, and thank you for everything you've done for him."

"It was my pleasure," he responded. "I hear he's a hero for making the stop in the first place, although I wasn't told any of the specifics about it. However, I do know the nurse has called the local State Police barracks to report that your son is out of surgery and out of danger. She also told them you've arrived, so I think someone might be coming by here before long to fill you in about what happened."

"Thank you for the information, Doctor. May I go in to see my son now?" I asked.

"Certainly, but he won't be conscious for a while yet," he advised me. "It will be another half hour or so before the effects of the anesthesia wears off completely. After that, he may still be a little groggy and incoherent, but it should clear up fairly quickly."

The doctor then left and I went in to see Frankie. He had some tubes sticking in him, but he didn't look too bad. Hopefully, he'll come to in a bit and I'll be able to let him know I'm here. In the meantime, I sat beside him, held his hand and began to talk to him. I wasn't sure if he could hear me, but I wanted to let him know he was no longer alone.

A short time later, a gentleman in a gray State Police uniform entered the room. He quickly walked over to me and extended his hand.

"We spoke earlier, on the phone," he began. "I'm Captain Seth Dalton. I'm in charge of your son's troop."

"It's nice to meet you, sir," I replied, as I shook his hand. "Can you tell me anything about how this happened?"

"I certainly can, but let me start off by telling you that your son's actions might have helped to prevent the loss of many lives in a terrorist attack," he began. "Let me give you the details, so you can appreciate what your son did."

"Yes, I would appreciate you doing that," I agreed.

"Frank was patrolling I-78 at the time and radioed in to report a suspicious vehicle and run a license check," Captain Dalton continued. "He saw what appeared to be a moving van with the U-Haul logo on, but Frank reported it didn't look like an authorized vehicle. He said there had been some kind of poster applied to the vehicle, instead of being painted on, and a large section of the corner of this temporary logo was beginning to peel off and was flapping in the wind. When the license check was run, it came back that the plates had been reported stolen off of a real U-Haul vehicle."

"But surely that situation doesn't sound very dangerous," I observed.

"You'd be surprised," the Captain replied, "because a truck like that could be used to transport any number of things, including drugs and illegal aliens. They obviously stole the license from a real U-Haul vehicle hoping that it wouldn't be discovered right away and the could get by with the deception."

"I can see that now, but the types of uses you've just mentioned would never have crossed my mind," I replied. "I would have just thought that someone was using an unregistered or stolen vehicle to move with."

"Unfortunately, that wasn't the case," he confirmed. "Once this information came back, Frank radioed that he was going to stop the vehicle. He activated the dash cam and turned on the cruiser's lights and siren, as he attempted to pull the truck over. Once the truck was stopped on the side of the road, Frank pulled in behind them and got out of his cruiser. As he began to approach the other vehicle, the driver got out of the cab of the truck and started toward him. Frank immediately told him to keep his hands where he could see them and get back in the truck.

"As he was watching the driver," the Captain continued, "Frank told the emergency crew that he noticed movement on the other side of the truck. When he glanced in that direction, he spotted a second occupant coming around the rear of the vehicle. Frankie then pulled his weapon and focused on that person briefly, to make sure he wasn't planning to attack and didn't have a weapon. When Frank focused on him, the driver must have pulled a gun from somewhere and started shooting. Frank immediately returned fire, but he was hit in the leg during this exchange and dropped to the ground. At this point, the two suspects jumped back into the truck and took off."

"I'm glad they didn't try to finished him off," I observed.

"I believe they were hoping to get away and I'm fairly positive they knew a manhunt for them would only intensify if they'd killed a police officer," Captain Dalton observed.

"Why did they feel they had to start shooting in the first place?" I wondered. "Were they transporting drugs or was the truck a large bomb, like the one used in Oklahoma City?"

"It was neither of those things, but the vehicle contained a threat just the same," the Captain confirmed. "Anyway, Frank fired at the vehicle as it was leaving and punctured both tires on the left rear side. The truck continued on, even though it had two flat tires, and left Frank alone, lying on the ground in front of his cruiser. Frank then used his shoulder radio to report that shots had been fired and an officer was down. Then, he took off his tie and used that, along with his baton, to stop the bleeding until we could get an emergency vehicle to take care of him. They arrived a few minutes later."

"I'm glad they got to him quickly," I agreed. "That probably saved his life."

"The doctor says Frank saved his own life with his quick wits," Captain Dalton confessed. "And his same quick thinking also helped us capture the two men and prevent them from carrying out their plot. Since we already had the license number, vehicle description and knew what route the truck was on, we dispatched several other cruisers in pursuit. The truck was forced to pull onto the shoulder a couple of miles down the road, because the rear tires had completely shredded and they were driving on the rims. The men were trying to replace the shredded outer tire with one they were taking off the other side, so they could continue on with their mission.

"Upon arriving at the scene, the other officers quickly surrounded the vehicle and used their cruisers for cover," he continued. "The suspects opened fire and tried to shoot their way out again, so my men fired back. One suspect was killed and the other was seriously wounded. Once they'd been subdued, one of the officers opened the cargo door to the vehicle and discovered why they didn't want to be stopped. It was filled with all kinds of weapons, including numerous rocket launchers.

"We suspect they were heading to New York City to carry out a terrorist attack," Captain Dalton added. "It's possible they were planning to shoot down something, with those weapons, but whether it was for planes, ships or trains we don't know. They might have even had some other target in mind, possibly a bridge or tunnel, the Statue of Liberty or even the stock exchange. Whatever they were planning, Frank's keen instincts and quick actions probably averted a major disaster."

"Wow, I didn't realize the details surrounding how he'd been shot," I confirmed, "but I'm certainly proud of what he did."

"You should also be aware that he'll probably receive a citation for his heroic actions," the Captain replied. "He is one of my best men, even though he hasn't been on the force very long. His military background has served him well though and I suspect he might even get a promotion out of this. After all, he is the major topic of discussion amongst all my superiors."

This left me totally flabbergasted, but I still managed to keep my wits about me long enough to shake hands with him again before he left. Prior to taking off, Captain Dalton also informed me he would swing by from time to time, so he could see how Frankie was doing. I thought that was very considerate of him and told him so.

Now that I had time to consider everything I'd been told, I was even more impressed by Frankie's accomplishments. Don't take me wrong, I'm still very concerned about him and wondered if more things like this were going to keep happening in the future, if he stayed on the force. I know he's performing a vital service for the state and nation, but I don't know how many more circumstances like this I can take. I've lost two sons over the past few years and I'm not sure if I'll be able to deal with losing another.

As these thoughts were going through my mind, Frankie was slowing starting to regain consciousness. He was groaning lightly, his eyes were beginning to flicker open and he turned his head slightly to one side. I moved over to him and spoke.

"Frankie, you're going to be fine and I'm here for you," I told him.

I don't think he understood what I'd said, because it appeared as if he was still confused and his eyes weren't focusing yet. Concerned, I went out to get a nurse to come in and see if she could help.

"He's starting to come around, but it's going to take time," she informed me. "Let me give him something to help out."

She then went out for a few moments and then came back carrying a syringe. She injected whatever was in it into his IV tube and then disappeared again. A few minutes later, Frankie started to shake off the lingering effects of the anesthetic.

"Dad?" I heard him ask, groggily.

"Yes, Frankie, it's me," I assured him. "How are you feeling?"

"Confused," he responded. "I vaguely remember being shot and some guys taking off in a truck, but it's all kind of fuzzy."

"Yes, they had to sedate you, so they could patch you up," I confirmed.

"Yeah, I remember I got hit in the leg and had to stop the bleeding," he confessed. "Did they get the guy who shot me?"

"Yes, they killed one of the men and the other was badly wounded," I informed him. "Your troop commander thinks you foiled a terrorist plot when you pulled the truck over."

"Really?" Frankie asked. "I knew something wasn't quite right, but I wasn't sure what. Damn, I'm glad I trusted my gut and called in the plate number. I could have easily just passed them by, but I got suspicious when I saw the logo peeling off the truck. I just called in the plate number to be sure and it came back stolen. I didn't think the situation was going to go so badly or I would have called for back-up."

"Maybe you should start playing it a little safer then," I suggested. "I don't know if I can handle you getting injured like this again."

"Dad, I wasn't being reckless," Frankie insisted. "I just thought maybe they were hauling stolen merchandise or maybe using the truck in some sort of scam, but I never thought it would be anything that would erupt in gunfire."

"Well, I guess it was filled with weapons, including some rocket launchers," I advised him. "Your Captain said they suspect the men were heading to New York to pull off some kind of terrorist attack."

"Holy shit!" Frankie exclaimed. "That would explain a few things. I immediately suspected the driver was trying to hide his identity, because he was wearing a ball cap pulled low and had reflective sun glasses on. When the second guy came around the other side of the truck, he looked as if he might be wearing a wig and false beard. I didn't get a chance to study him for very long, before the driver started shooting."

"Other than you getting shot, it turned out pretty well," I confessed. "Your Captain thinks highly of you and told me you'll probably get a citation for this, and maybe even a promotion. I'm extremely proud of you, but I'm just worried that one of these days it won't turn out quite this well."

"I promise to be more careful from now on, Dad, but I really love this job and don't want to give it up," Frankie responded. "If I get in the B.C.I., then it won't be as dangerous, so I'll just have to hang in there until then."

Since I knew he really did like being a trooper, I accepted his promise to be more careful in the future and left it at that. I stayed at his bedside and filled him in about the other things going on at home, until I saw he was getting tired. At that point, I told him to get some rest and I'd check into a motel and be back in the morning. He thanked me for being here with him and then I went to find a place to stay. I did check in with the nurses again before I left and gave them my cell number. They told me not to worry and that Frankie is going to be fine, as they sent me on my way to get some rest. Since I had their assurance, I left the hospital and went to find a motel close by.

As soon as I checked into a room, I called Jake, so I could fill him in about everything. We talked for nearly an hour, as I told him what I'd learned and answered all of his questions. During this time, Jake also helped to keep me calm and grounded, so I didn't let my fears grow out of proportion. I desperately needed that at this point and I was glad he has such a calming effect on me. I also knew he could fill everyone else in about what had happened as well, without panicking anyone. This knowledge not only prevented me from worrying about everyone back home, but our little chat also helped me relax enough so I was able to get some rest.

Frankie was doing much better when I arrived at the hospital the next morning. He told me the doctor wanted him to stay there over the weekend, for observation. The doctor wanted to make certain the patch job held and there was no sign of infection. I told Frankie that was great and informed him I'd stay with him the following week, so I could help out until he was able to do things on his own. He insisted that wasn't necessary, probably because he knew we were supposed to go on vacation next week, but I told him I was staying with him, whether he liked it or not – and that was an order.

Frankie just laughed at my little joke and assured me the army and the state police had taught him to follow orders from his superiors and never question them. He then added that since I outranked him in the family, he'd do as I commanded, even if he thought I was being overly protective. I told him that was a father's prerogative and I was glad he wasn't fighting me on this one.

We spent the day chatting and watching television in his room. Frankie was in very good spirits, although still in a little bit of pain, but the nurses took care of that with some medication. I only left his bedside to go eat and to use the toilet.

Before I left for the evening though, his troop commander came by again to see how Frankie was doing. They chatted for a while about the stop and what happened afterward, and Captain Dalton filled him in about what homeland security and the F.B.I. thought was going on. After they were filled in about what the State Police had discovered in the truck, they had their own observations to share.

From the information the Captain had received back from federal officials, he discovered the two men belonged to an anti-government militia and the F.B.I. suspected they were trying to carry out a terrorist attack and make it appear as if al Qaida or other Muslim jihadists were responsible. They thought this because when the other officers searched the truck, they discovered grease paint, wigs, false beards and mustaches that could be used to make the men appear to be from an Arab country. They suspect the men were trying to make the government look bad and bring down the current administration by making it appear as if they had been asleep at the wheel and allowed another attack on American soil.

Frankie was amazed by this news, but thrilled that he had played a part in stopping it. After they discussed this further, Captain Dalton left, but not before telling Frankie how proud he was of what he'd accomplished. I thought that was a very nice touch.

Shortly after he left, I got a call on my cell phone from Jake. Since I couldn't answer it in Frankie's room, because cell phones are prohibited, I went out to find a pay phone. When I located one, I called him back to find out what he wanted. He told me he and the others were just entering Allentown and asked for direction to the hospital and for Frankie's room number. Once I'd given him that information, he said they would see us shortly.

When they arrived, Frankie was glad to see each of them, but insisted they shouldn't have come all this way to see him. He said he'd be fine, but the others said they wouldn't have dreamt of not coming and being here for him. They even snuck Joshie in to see him and he went over to his uncle and tried to make him feel better.

"Are you sick, Uncle Frankie?" Joshie asked.

"Yes, something like that," Frankie agreed.

"Will you feel better soon?" Joshie asked next.

"I'm already feeling better, now that you're here," Frankie assured him.

I could see Joshie's little chest puff out, since he thought he might have made his uncle feel better. Once their conversation had ended, we filled the rest of them in about the information Captain Dalton had shared with us.

"Damn, Frankie the hero," Trey stated. "I always knew you had it in you."

"After the rough start we had, I'm glad you're willing to give me that much credit," Frankie acknowledged. I think Trey's comment had made him feel very good.

"Everyone else will be here tomorrow," Jake informed us. "Jordan and Nicky's parents will be coming and they'll pick the boys up here, but everyone wanted to see you too and let you know they hoped you'd recover quickly."

"They don't have to do that," Frankie insisted. "I know you were all supposed to go on vacation next week."

"We decided we might do a few things, but we'd rather be here for you," Jake replied. "Hell, we didn't even know you were a hero then, so now we have something to celebrate, as well as trying to make sure you get better soon."

I think Frankie was a little embarrassed by this news, but he did enjoy talking to everyone. We all stayed in with him until visiting hours ended, and then we told Frankie we'd see him again in the morning. After that, I led everyone over to the motel I was staying at. Jake would be staying with me, but we got everyone else a room and then they all went to settle in, clean up and go to bed.

Before we turned in though, I called Michael, Marie, Elizabeth and Robert to let them know about Frankie's condition and to give them directions. They each thanked me and said they'd see us tomorrow, and I apologized that our vacation plans had run into this glitch. They all told me not to worry about it and they were just glad Frankie was okay, before we hung up.

The rest of the family showed up the next day and we took turns going in to see Frankie. There were just far too many of us to go in at one time, but the hospital staff did find it amazing, and maybe even humorous, as to what a large group there was.

In between our shifts in with Frankie, we also discussed the vacation plans. I told the others there was no way I would be going with them, but I hoped the rest of them would take advantage of the reservations and the plans I'd made. Eventually, I talked Jake into going with them too, although he had wanted to stay with me, but I told him to do this for the others, especially the kids. I even emphasized that he worked hard and needed to relax on his vacation and not baby-sit with Frankie and me, so he finally relented and agreed to go.

Everyone stayed in Allentown until Monday morning, because they were going to be staying at the house with us during that time anyway and didn't have any other plans until Monday. Before they left, I said goodbye to each one and thanked them for coming together as a family to support Frankie. They each said they'd never consider doing anything else and reiterated that's what family was for. I couldn't agree with them more.

After they took off, I went to the hospital and stayed with Frankie until the doctor came in and released him. I then drove him over to his apartment and helped him get comfortable. I was surprised that Frankie wanted to get up and do so much on his own, even though I told him I would wait on him and take care of everything for the rest of my time there. He just stated that it wasn't necessary and he didn't like feeling like an invalid. I just hoped he didn't break his stitches or do any further damage than what had already occurred.

Some of his co-workers stopped by from time to time to see how he was doing and a couple of them got his car keys from him and went back to the station house to get his car. It had been at the barracks since he signed out the cruiser on Thursday, and although they returned the cruiser after he had been taken to the hospital, they didn't have his keys to bring his car here. Therefore, they happily did that for him now. He wouldn't be able to drive for a while, but at least he'd have his wheels when he was able to get out of his apartment again.

Before the end of the week, Captain Dalton showed up again and told Frankie there would indeed be a formal ceremony to honor and award him with a citation. It would be a joint ceremony, since the federal government wanted to do something for him too. I think that came as a total shock to both of us and we wondered what that would possibly entail.

Captain Dalton told us this probably wouldn't happen for a month or more, since there was a lot to do to plan an event of this nature. He did assure me though, that our family would be included, along with some of Frankie's co-workers and some notable state and federal officials. It appeared as if this was going to be a much larger event than I had first suspected. I merely thought it was something they would do at the troop barracks, possibly with some reporters on hand, but it appeared they might be planning to make a much larger event out of this.

On their way back from vacation, the others stopped back to check up on Frankie again, before they returned to their homes. I thought it was extremely thoughtful that they did this and Frankie was eager to show them that he was on the mend and would be back at work again, just as soon as he could get the doctor to release him for duty. I think we all wondered if he might be pushing this a little, but Frankie was adamant. He was eager to get back to work.

When Michael, Marie, Elizabeth and Robert left, along with their families, we gave them a nice send off. I also told them I was sorry that I hadn't been able to join them on their vacation, but they assured me they understood. They also told me that they'd had a wonderful time and appreciated all the work I had done to make it so enjoyable for them.

As the rest of us prepared to return home, we said goodbye to Frankie and went out to our vehicles. That's when Elliot announced that he wanted to ride back with me. Since his fathers hadn't gone on this vacation, because they had to work, he decided to go tag along with me, so I wouldn't be driving back alone. Jesse and Joshie quickly decided they wanted to join me too and the others rode home with Jake in the Suburban.

On the way back, the boys filled me in about everything they'd done on vacation, although I was well aware of what was planned. After all, I was the one who made all of the arrangements. That didn't seem to matter to them though, and they eagerly recounted everything they had done. They told me that even though they'd had a great time, Jesse and Elliot insisted they'd had more fun with me in Cleveland. I wasn't sure if they were just telling me this to make me feel better or if it was the truth. Maybe I'll never know which is correct.

When we arrived at the house, I was in for another surprise. Danny and Brandon quickly announced that Noah's mother had succumbed to the cancer the previous Wednesday and they were just waiting for us to come back before they brought him here to live with us.

They had contacted Aunt Sally even before his mother had passed away and explained the situation to her. Danny and Brandon did this because they realized Social Services would need to take custody of Noah first and then Aunt Sally could make certain they were assigned as his foster parents. They needed to do it this way, because Noah's mother didn't have an opportunity to arrange for the legal transference of custody of her son to Danny and Brandon before she died. I believe including Aunt Sally in on this, since she's the director of D.S.S., was a very wise move on Danny and Brandon's part.

Since they hadn't discussed this with the boys yet, we called Elliot and Jesse into the room with us. We thought we should break the news to them first, before Noah suddenly showed up one evening.

"We called you in here because we have something we'd like to discuss with you," Danny began. "While you guys were on vacation, we met a boy whose father died a couple of years ago and his mother passed away a few days ago. He doesn't have anyone else to take care of him and we were thinking he might like to be part of our family. What would you think of that?"

For a minute or so neither of them said a word, but then Jesse broke the silence. "Would he be my brother or Elliot's?" he wondered.

"He would be Elliot's brother," Danny admitted. "Elliot, what do you think about this?"

"It will take some getting used to," he responded. "I've never had to share parents before, but I guess I'll just have to adjust. You took me in when I didn't have anyone else, so it would be selfish of me to hog you guys for myself when this boy needs you too."

"We're glad you feel that way," Brandon told him. "His name is Noah and he's eleven-years old. Does that make you feel any differently about doing this?"

"Nope. It might be fun having a little brother," Elliot stated. "Jesse can give me some pointers."

"Yeah, and he's close to Joshie's age too, so maybe they'll hit it off as well," Jesse offered. "That way, if he isn't interested in what we're doing, he'll still have someone else to hang out with."

"That would be good," Brandon added.

Brandon then quickly went over some of the background information on Noah and brought the boys up to date on what he's been through. They also asked Jesse and Elliot if they'd mind helping him cope with what's happened, since they both had suffered a similar loss. Jesse said he'd do what he could, but Elliot was more reluctant.

"I don't know what I'll be able to do," he admitted. "I still have trouble talking about what happened and if I dwell on it too much then I have those stupid nightmares."

"We certainly wouldn't want you to do anything that might upset you or cause you to have bad dreams again," Danny told him. "Just do what you're comfortable with, but if you begin to feel the need to excuse yourself, try to make certain Noah knows you're not upset with him."

"Okay. I think I can do that," Elliot agreed.

Once that had been cleared up, Danny and Brandon announced they wanted to bring Noah home with them tomorrow evening, if that was okay with the rest of us. Once we gave them our approval, Danny quickly called his oncologist friend and gave him the good news.

Now that this had been taken care of, they filled Dion, Trey and Joshie in about Noah's anticipated arrival too. Danny and Brandon watered the information down for Joshie first and then sent him off to find Elliot and Jesse, before telling Dion and Trey the detailed information. Everyone seemed to be fine with this news.

After that, we grabbed a quick bite to eat and then sat down to chat for a while, before we went to bed. Elliot and Jesse were quite eager to tell Danny and Brandon about their vacation, and then Danny and Brandon filled us in about what else had happened while we'd been gone. Kevin was thrilled with how things were going at the pharmacy and he'd had a fairly good first couple of weeks. Not only that, but most of the offices at the health center had opened, except for Danny's, so things were going fairly well there too. Not only that, but some of the other funding has been approved and started to roll in, so Danny was ordering the equipment needed for the lab. He plans to open it up in a couple of weeks, so things seemed to be going quite well and I hoped this trend continued.

Eventually, everyone began to head off to his bedroom, but Jesse was surprised when Elliot showed up in his room instead. Elliot looked a little down as he walked over and wrapped his arms tightly around Jesse.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Jesse asked, as he rubbed Elliot's back soothingly.

"I miss Nicky," Elliot admitted.

"Yeah, I miss them too," Jesse comforted, "but we'll see them again soon."

"I told him I loved him," Elliot confessed.

"Wow! How did that go?" Jesse asked.

"He said he's not gay, but he didn't get upset or anything and it didn't change anything between us," Elliot stated. "I've just felt a little down about it and needed a hug is all."

"I'm sorry, buddy. I know you like him a lot. When did you tell him?" Jesse inquired.

"When we were in Cleveland," Elliot confirmed.

"That was weeks ago!" Jesse replied, confused. "How come you didn't tell me sooner?"

"I didn't want to talk about it while they were still with us," Elliot explained.

"I understand," Jesse commiserated. "It will be ok though. I didn't notice any difference in how you guys got along while we were on vacation and I'm sure you'll find a nice guy. Even better, it will be one who lives here in town."

"Yeah, Nicky really is great and he didn't treat me any differently after I told him how I felt," Elliot stated. "When they left, he hugged me and said it would always be our little secret."

"See, I told you he was a great guy," Jesse concurred. "Do you feel better now?"

"Yeah, I'll be ok, but can I sleep with you tonight?" Elliot asked.

"Sure, I'd like the company," Jesse agreed, with a smile.

Elliot snuggled close to Jesse and Jesse wrapped his strong arms around him. He was genuinely sorry that things hadn't worked out between his nephews, because he thought they would have made an adorable couple, but he was proud of both of them. He was proud of Elliot for finding the courage to tell Nicky how he felt and he was proud of Nicky for being so considerate of Elliot's feelings and not letting the situation cloud their friendship. Jesse knew that in time Elliot would find someone special.

When Danny's car pulled in the driveway the following evening, the rest of the family hurried into the foyer. We knew he was bringing Noah with him, so we wanted to be in place to greet them and enthusiastically welcome Noah into our family. Even though the mention of Noah's name conjures up specific images, he didn't come in an ark, nor were there any floodwaters. Instead, Noah and Danny merely came inside carrying a suitcase each.

Noah is about four and a half feet tall and has an average build, which means he isn't skinny, nor is he fat. If I had to guess, I'd say he probably weighs around ninety pounds. He has medium brown hair, with long bangs that fall haphazardly across his brow, a button nose and steely gray eyes, although those eyes don't seem to have any sparkle in them. This might be due to the fact that he's already seen a great deal of sadness in his short life, so the sparkle has either temporarily gone out or never had a chance to develop.

Danny and Brandon were correct when they'd informed us that Noah is really cute. As I studied his features, I felt it was a shame that his current expression made him appear so pathetically sad. It led me to conclude that there probably wasn't any way we were going to get him to smile, at least not any time soon. This bothered me deeply, because no child should be this unhappy or have his innocence taken from him at such a tender age. I hope we can turn this around for him, as happened with both Jesse and Elliot.

"Welcome home, Noah," Brandon greeted him, as soon as he set down his suitcase. "This is your new grandfather, but all of his grandkids call him Papa, and this is your other grandfather, whom the boys call Papa Jake. The boy with the black hair is your new brother, Elliot, and over there is your Uncle Dion, Uncle Trey and their son, Joshie. This guy here is Jesse. He's another one of your uncles, even though he is a lot closer to you in age and only a little older than Elliot."

"They all live here?" Noah asked, surprised.

"Yep, we told you we have a very large family," Danny confirmed. "These are just the ones who still live at home with us."

"You mean there's more?" Noah asked. He seemed to be shocked by this revelation.

"Yes, there are a lot more," Danny advised him, "but don't worry about them right now. You'll meet the others eventually, but for the time being, these are the guys you'll be seeing every day."

Noah just nodded his head slightly in response, as he studied everyone's faces.

"Noah, do you want us to give you a tour of the house?" Elliot asked, now that there was a lull in the conversation. "If you do, Jesse and I would be happy to show you around the place."

Before he responded, Noah glanced up at Danny and Brandon first. After receiving their nod of approval, he looked at Elliot again and spoke.

"Okay," he answered, simply.

The three boys headed out to the rec room first, with Joshie trailing right behind them. I was convinced he wanted to be involved with this tour too and would stick with the older boys as they showed Noah the rest of the house. A few seconds later, I heard someone playing air hockey, but it lasted only a couple of minutes before they came back out.

On their way by, the boys pointed out my bedroom to Noah and then they took him into the kitchen, through the dining room and crossed through the living room, before reentering the foyer. Once they were there, they took a quick right, went past the front door and headed into the family room. A few minutes later, I heard Elliot playing the Peanuts Theme on the piano, so I figured Joshie had either requested it or Elliot was just showing off. Who knows? Maybe it was a little bit of both.

After they came back into the foyer, the boys headed up the stairs, so they could show Noah the bedrooms. While they were doing that, Danny, Brandon, Jake and I sat down to chat, and a few minutes later Dion and Trey came in to join us.

"I've told Noah that he's going to be living here with us from now on and Brandon and I are his new parents," Danny began. "I've also told him he now has a brother, two grandfathers and a bunch of uncles. I didn't bring up the gay issue though, because I wasn't sure if he was old enough to understand what I was talking about. Brandon and I are ready to address that issue with him however, if he starts asking questions."

"I'm glad you cleared that up for us," I replied. "So how did he take the news that he was coming here to live?"

"When we first mentioned the idea, after Danny and I had talked to his mother and then met him, he wanted to know if he was coming to live with us because no one else wanted him," Brandon explained. "Hearing him say this made us feel badly and nearly broke our hearts that he had phrased it that way. After thinking about it very quickly, I told him he was coming to live with us because it's what we wanted. I then modified a line I'd heard before and told him that he'd lived with his parents first because he'd been born their son, but he was coming to live with us because we'd chosen him to be our son. I think hearing me say this made him feel a little better. I think it also reassured him that he was coming to live with us because we wanted to be his family."

"That was good thinking," I agreed.

"Yes, that was quite ingenious," Jake concurred. "I don't care whether you'd heard it somewhere before or not. It was still very smart of you to use it to comfort him."

"Thank you," Brandon replied, "but I didn't have much time to put a lot of thought into it. I was just feeling so badly for him. I felt I had to do something to put his mind at ease and that just came to me."

"Well, I'm sure it did the trick," I agreed. "Whether you thought it through first or not, it was a good choice as a response."

"I agree," Dion added. "I'm going to have to try to come up with something like that when Wyatt is old enough to be told why we adopted him."

"If you'd like, there's another one I've heard before that would be more appropriate for a younger child," Brandon responded. "You can tell him he was born in his mommy's tummy, but he was born in your hearts."

"Wow! I really like that," Dion told him. "I'll be sure to write it down, so I don't forget."

"I like it too," Trey agreed. "I just wish I'd been smart enough to come up with it first."

"I think it took a mother to come up with that one," Brandon told him, with a wink.

The six of us continued talking for a while longer, before the boys came back downstairs. The others were all smiling, but Noah still looked as sad as he did when he took off with the rest of the boys earlier.

"What did you think of our house?" I asked, when they came in to the living room.

"It's big," was Noah's answer.

"That it is," Danny agreed, "and now that you've seen everything, it's time for you to choose which bedroom you want."

"You aren't going to just put me in one?" he wondered, somewhat surprised.

"Nope, it's your choice," Danny confirmed. "I'm sure the boys must have pointed out which rooms are being used, but other than those, you can select any of the open bedrooms for yourself. Did you like any of the rooms you saw?"

"I liked two of them," Noah answered, shyly.

Since he didn't elaborate, Danny had to prod him a little.

"Okay. Which ones did you like?" Danny prompted.

"The ones with the animals and the one with old cars," Noah confessed.

"Good choices," Brandon agreed. "Which one did you like more?"

"I don't know," he answered.

"Didn't you like one more than the other?" Brandon followed.

"I like them both," Noah replied.

"Well, one is bigger than the other, so why don't we go up and look at them again," Danny suggested. "Then you can decide which one you want for your room. Is that all right with you?"

"Yeah, okay," Noah answered, simply.

Noah then followed Danny and Brandon upstairs, with the other boys tagging along behind them. I think they were all interested to see which room he was going to choose, so they watched him curiously, as he deliberated over his choice.

Watching Noah as he made up his mind was somewhat amusing. He was extremely serious as he inspected each room very carefully. In fact, it almost appeared as if he was in the process of making a life-changing decision, such as where he was going to college, what his major would be, where he was going to live or whom he was going to marry. It just seemed that he was making this much more involved than simply choosing a bedroom.

As it turned out, Noah felt the jungle room was geared more toward someone younger, so he opted to take the other. The room he chose only had a single bed in it, but it was plenty big enough for him. The bedroom was located in the rear corner of the house and across the hall from Elliot's bedroom. While Brandon was getting the sheets and pillowcases, so he could make Noah's bed, Danny came down to retrieve Noah's suitcases. After taking them upstairs, both fathers helped him put his things away.

Once they got Noah settled in, everyone came back down to the family room and we all watched television for a while. Danny and Brandon had Noah sit between them, so they would be in physical contact with him and hopefully begin the bonding process. They felt that doing this would also help to make him feel more comfortable in his new home.

When bedtime rolled around a couple of hours later, they had a few more questions for him before they sent him upstairs.

"Noah, do you normally take a bath or shower?" Brandon asked.

"Mostly I shower," he answered.

"Do you need help with setting the water temp or can you do that yourself?" Brandon followed.

"Do it myself,' he replied.

"Okay, that's fine, because it's time for you boys to head up to bed," Brandon told him. "Elliot will show you which bathroom you can use and where we keep the towels and other items. He'll also grab a toothbrush for you out of our supply."

"I brought my own," Noah responded.

"Then I guess you're all set," Brandon replied. "Elliot will show you where we keep the toothpaste then."

The boys went upstairs and pretty soon we heard the shower going. I guess it confirmed that Noah was able to take care of everything after all. At least we didn't hear him scream because he'd scalded himself.

"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling he going to be a tough nut to crack," Danny suggested. "He certainly doesn't seem to want to tell us very much."

"Maybe not," I countered, "but that might change. Once he gets over the fact that both of his parents are gone and we're now his family, he may start to loosen up a bit and begin talking more."

"I hope that's what happens, because it certainly doesn't appear it will be the case as of now," Danny responded. "It's difficult to learn very much about him, because his responses to our questions are extremely limited. I don't remember him ever answering us with more than a single sentence and none of those have consisted of much more than a half-dozen words."

"It might be that he's just overwhelmed. Have you forgotten how long it took Elliot to overcome the trauma resulting from his father's death and begin to fit in?" I asked. "Noah may not have witnessed his parents being murdered, but he did watch both of them suffer in excruciating pain and for an extended period of time before they died. I'm convinced that seeing this happen was just as devastating as either Elliot or Jesse's experience, so it might take a while before he comes to terms with losing his mom and dad."

"You're probably right about that," Danny agreed, "and it's precisely the reason Brandon and I are glad you're here to advise us and help with the boys. I think Noah will really benefit from your experience and compassion."

"As well as Brandon and yours," I offered.

A short time later, Danny and Brandon went upstairs. They wanted to see how Noah was doing and find out if he needed anything, before they tucked him in. After all, it was his first night in a strange place. As they walked into his room, they quickly discovered he was dressed only in a pair of underpants.

"Hey, sport. Is that what you normally sleep in?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, is it okay?" Noah wondered.

"Sure it is," Brandon assured him. "Most of the boys sleep in their underwear during the warmer months, but they generally wear pajamas when it starts to get colder."

"Yeah, me too," Noah confirmed.

"Are you all set then?" Danny asked.

"I guess so," Noah answered.

"Would you like a nightlight?" Brandon asked. "We have some that Papa's younger grandchildren use when they come to visit. I'm not saying you need one, but I thought that since you're unfamiliar with the house you might want one. It will make it easier for you to recognize where you are, if you wake up in the middle of the night, and it will also help you see where you're going, if you get up to use the toilet. We don't want you bumping into things or stubbing a toe."

"You don't mind then?" Noah wondered.

"Heck, no," Brandon assured him. "Just a second and I'll get one for you. It's not very bright, but it will let you see the room well enough to find your way around."

"Thanks, that will help," Noah confirmed.

After Brandon plugged the nightlight in, he asked if it was okay. When Noah agreed it was fine, Danny and Brandon each bent down and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"Sweet dreams," Brandon told him, before they left. "Just yell if you need anything. One of us is bound to hear you. Elliot's room is just across the hall and we're only at the other end, in the opposite corner from you."

"Okay and thank you again," Noah told them.

Brandon turned off the room light and shut the door as they left. They stood in the hallway for a minute or so, in order to be certain he didn't have a problem. When they felt he'd had time to get adjusted, they came downstairs and rejoined us in the family room.

As soon as they sat down, they quickly filled Jake and me in about what had taken place upstairs. They did this so we'd be aware of how Noah was doing, but I also felt they might be looking for some feedback. I believe they just wanted a little reassurance that they had handled the situation correctly, so I immediately confirmed they had.

About an hour later, Elliot was in his room puttering around a bit before he went to sleep. When he turned off his music, he thought he heard something. Curious, he opened his door, stuck his head into the hallway and listened. He was right. He had heard something.

Now, he tried to determine exactly where the sound was coming from and what was making it. It only took him a moment before he realized the disturbance was emanating from Noah's room. Cautiously, he walked over to Noah's door and listened. A few moments later, he concluded that Noah was crying.

Instinctively, Elliot knocked on the door once, opened it and stuck his head inside. Since Noah didn't say anything, Elliot walked over and sat on the bed next to his new brother.

"Are you okay?" he asked, in a very concerned tone.

"I just miss my mom," Noah admitted.

"I'm sure you do," Elliot agreed. "I still miss my parents too."

"What happened to them?" Noah wondered, so Elliot gave him the brief version of his story.

"I'm sorry," Noah offered, after hearing Elliot's tale.

"Thank you," Elliot replied.

Noah merely looked at Elliot for the next minute or so, as if he was studying him. Finally, he broke the silence again.

"Do you think we'll ever see them again?" he wondered.

Elliot understood where this question was coming from, so he thought his response through very carefully.

"I'm not sure, but I certainly hope so," he confessed. "Many people believe we'll see our families again when we die. Even the show 'The Ghost Whisper' says so. Every time she helps a ghost crossover, the ghost usually tells her it sees its spouse, parents or other loved ones waiting for it. I hope that really does happen, because I'd love to see my mom and dad again."

"Yeah, me too," Noah agreed.

"Then just keep believing that and it will happen," Elliot suggested.

"But why did they have to die?" Noah asked next.

"We're all going to die one day," Elliot began, "but I don't know why they had to die so soon. None of them were very old, so they should have lived a lot longer, but it doesn't always work that way. I know my father died because some scumbags shot him, but I don't know why my mother or your parents ended up dying before they had a chance to get old."

"I hope it doesn't mean we'll die young too," Noah confessed.

"I'm sure it doesn't work that way," Elliot assured him. "I'm positive you're going to be around for a very long time and you're also going to love living here. I know I'm glad I came here to live after my dad was murdered."

"It's nice, but it's also really different being in this big house," Noah announced. "There's just so much more going on."

"Yeah, I know how you feel," Elliot confessed. "I had the same problem when I first came here too. It seems like you can always hear someone moving around, and that was kind of spooky for me. Before I came here to live, it was just my dad and me, so I was used to it being quiet."

"Yeah, it was just my mom and me too," Noah agreed.

"Tell you what. Would it make you feel better if I stayed in here with you tonight?" Elliot asked, in order to give Noah a way out of his problem.

"You won't think I'm a baby if I say yes?" Noah wondered. Elliot could tell Noah was worried he might.

"No way," Elliot responded. "Dad Danny and Dad Brandon stayed with me a few nights when I first got here too. I really think it helped me get used to living here." "Okay, if you want to," Noah answered, without confirming that he might be a little scared.

"Move over then and I'll spend the night here with you," Elliot agreed.

Noah scooted to the other side of the bed and Elliot got in behind him. They were both lying on their sides, facing the wall, and before long Elliot draped his arm over Noah's side. Almost as soon as he'd done that, Noah began to relax and then slowly drifted off to sleep. It appears he just needed to be reassured that he wasn't alone.

The following morning, after Elliot and Noah woke up, they came tromping down the stairs and made their way into the kitchen. They were hungry and looking for something to fill their tummies. Since their fathers had already left for work and Noah was unfamiliar with the choices, I gave him a quick rundown of his options.

"We have several kinds of cold cereal, toast, bagels, eggs or I can whip up a batch of pancake batter," I announced. "What would you like?"

"Um, scrambled eggs and toast," he stated, somewhat hesitantly.

"Would you like bacon or sausage links to go with your eggs," I followed.

"Bacon sounds good," he replied.

"Okay, coming right up," I advised him. "I'll butter your toast, but if you want jelly then Elliot can show you what kinds we have."

I then took Elliot's breakfast order too and set about making their meals for them. Before long, Jesse and Joshie came down to join us, so I got their breakfast as well. Once everyone was eating, I sat down to chat with them.

"Did you sleep okay, Noah?" I asked.

He glanced at Elliot quickly, before he answered.

"Not at first," he reluctantly admitted.

Noting Noah's discomfort and the questioning expression on my face, Elliot decided to clarify this for me.

"I stayed with him last night, to help him get used to this big place," Elliot offered.

"Did that help, Noah?" I followed.

"Yeah, I slept real good after that," he confirmed.

I think Elliot was glad that Noah hadn't reacted badly when he admitted they'd spent the night together. Elliot wasn't originally planning to bring it up, because he didn't want to embarrass Noah, but since Noah hadn't elaborated on his comment, Elliot felt he should. Once he did, he was concerned that Noah might be worried we were going to treat him like a baby now. Noah did look a little leery as he glanced at us, but when no one reacted to this news, he immediately began to relax. When I noticed this, I gave Elliot a wink to let him know I approved of what he'd done for his little brother.

After the older boys had finished their meals, Jesse and Elliot took their dishes into the kitchen, as I went to grab a little more orange juice for Noah. They had done this so they could corner me and ask a question, without Noah or Joshie overhearing.

"Dad, would you mind if we take Noah for a walk and show him around the property," Jesse asked. "If you say it's okay, we'll take Joshie with us too, if his dads give him permission to join us. If he goes, we'll stop by the tree house for a while too."

"That sounds like a great idea," I concurred.

Jesse and Elliot then went off to ask Dion and Trey if Joshie could go with them, while I went back to the dining room to give Noah a refill of juice. When Joshie's fathers agreed to let their son go too, the boys came back and told Noah and Joshie about their plans. Before long, the four of them were tearing out the back door and heading into the woods.

Jesse told me later that they took Noah around the entire perimeter of our property. They even showed him the ravine, but made certain that neither Noah nor Joshie got too close to it. Elliot also kept his distance from the edge of the ravine as well, because he was concerned his fear of heights might suddenly kick in. After Noah had seen everything else, the boys finished up at the tree house. To say the least, Noah was impressed when he saw it.

"Wow. Who built this?" he asked.

"Your papa, your dads and some of your older uncles originally built it," Jesse answered, "but I come out here every couple of years and coat it with water seal, so it doesn't rot."

"It's huge and goes all the way around the tree," Noah announced. "Can we go up there?"

"Sure we can," Jesse confirmed. "In fact, Joshie loves to play up there too."

Joshie was energetically nodding his head in agreement.

"How do we get up?" Noah wondered.

"We have to use the ladder," Elliot announced, as he pointed it out to Noah.

Elliot had Joshie go up the ladder first and then he followed behind him. Once they reached the top, then Jesse urged Noah to go ahead of him next. When they were all up in the tree house, the boys told Noah some of the things they'd done before, such as using the fort as a pirate ship, turning it into Tarzan's tree house and making it into the Swiss Family Robinson fort. Noah thought those were all great ideas and immediately wanted to try them too. Since he was willing and eager to do this, the others spent part of their time pretending to do each of these things with him. They wanted him to get a chance to experience everything and have a good time.

After they'd finished their youthful play, they climbed back down the ladder. Once they reached the ground, Noah quickly let them know what he'd thought about the things they'd done.

"That was fun," he offered. "I'm glad you brought me out here. Thank you."

The boys told him he was welcome and then they made their way back to the house. When they came in, they had another question for me.

"Papa, would it be all right if we went swimming now?" Elliot wanted to know.

"Let me ask Noah a couple of questions first," I replied. "Noah, can you swim?"

"Yeah. I don't do it often, but I can swim," he answered.

"Okay, and do you have a swimsuit?" I followed.

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure it's up in my room," he replied. "I can go up and see, if you want."

"Sure, if you want to go swimming. I'll even go out and play lifeguard for you then, in case there are any problems," I agreed. "Run upstairs and change into your trunks and I'll meet you boys back here in a couple of minutes."

As the boys raced off to change, I thought back upon our brief discussion. I think Noah had just offered more information about himself than he had at any other time. I hoped it was due to the fact that he was beginning to feel more comfortable with us now.

A few seconds later, the thundering herd came flying down the stairs. They all had their swim trunks on, so I passed out the towels and led them out the backdoor. Once we were outside, they all rushed past me, in an attempt to be the first one in the water.

From what I could tell, they all seemed to have a good time in the pool, but I also noticed one thing that troubled me a little. Noah could swim, but he wasn't a very strong swimmer, so we might have to work with him to improve his skills. It's too bad the summer is just ending or we might have been able to enroll him in a swim class. However, school will be starting in a few days, so we probably won't be able to do anything like that for a while.

Once I had a chance to consider this further. I began to worry about it a lot less. First of all, it isn't very likely that Noah will go swimming without the other boys, and second, Jesse and Elliot are both capable of looking after him. Jesse's a fairly strong swimmer and Elliot's practically a fish, so I'm convinced they will do a good job of taking care of the younger ones when they're with them in the water.

Later that evening, as I was watching the news, I listened to the announcer talk about the financial roller coaster the markets have been on. After the last minute deal to avoid default, the long downward spiral in the markets, the downgrading of the U.S. credit rating and intermittent market upswings, I was glad Mark was handling our finances. Somehow he'd managed to protect us during the 2008 downturn and now he's managed to shelter us from the recent market volatility as well. I owe him a huge debt for doing this and for keeping the family financially solvent.

As I said, school is starting on Monday, so when Danny had a day off from work before then, he took Noah down to the middle school to enroll him. After introducing him to the principal and his secretary, Danny filled out all the appropriate paperwork and signed the forms to have Noah's records transferred from his previous school

Noah will be entering seventh grade this year, and when Danny asked him how he did in school, Noah would only say he did okay. Even when pressed, he was still unwilling to offer any more details. This left Danny wondering if he was a C student, or possibly better or worse than that. I guess we'll find out shortly, whatever the case.

Over the next few days, Noah slowly began to adjust to us, and we to him. I won't say he was suddenly all smiles and much happier than he'd been when Danny first brought him home, but he didn't seem quite as sad as he first had. He also wasn't what I'd call gregarious either, but he would occasionally tell us more than he had previously been willing to divulge. Basically though, he would speak when spoken to, but the majority of his responses were still minimal, at best. He has yet to be the one to initiate a conversation, at least with the adults, and he usually only responds to questions or situations. For the most part, he does this without making any additional comments or asking questions about other matters.

Danny, Brandon and I also went through his clothing and decided he needed quite a few things before he started school. On Friday night, his fathers took him shopping and let him pick out some new clothes. I'm not sure he was used to doing this, especially after they told me about his reactions and the comments he'd made, but now he was set for the first day of classes.

Since Elliot hadn't gone to the middle school, Jesse filled Noah in about what it is like. He even told him a few anecdotes about some of the teachers he might have, without turning them into horror stories. He also mentioned to Noah that he'd be seeing Uncle Dion there, since he taught music at the middle school. We weren't sure if Noah thought this was a good or bad thing. I think he was still trying to decide if having an uncle in the building, who might be able to keep track of what he was doing, was something he could live with.

On the weekend, Little Ricky returned home from college. He was finally finished with his coursework and had just completed the last of the requirements for his M.S.W. degree. We were glad to have him back with us, but after welcoming him home there was a question I needed answered.

"Richard, have you contacted your Aunt Sally yet," I wanted to know. "I told you she had a possible job she though you could fill."

"I haven't yet, but it's the first thing I'm going to do now," he confirmed. "You said the job wouldn't open up until September, so I felt I had time."

"You should have done it already and not procrastinated," I chastised him. "She has to find someone to fill this opening and if she hasn't heard from you, she might just decide you're not interested and begin looking for other candidates."

"Okay, I get your point," Little Ricky agreed. "What if I give her a quick call at home, just to let her know I'm back? I won't mention the job issue, since I'm calling her outside of work, unless she asks me about it first. I imagine she will, but if not I'll call her at the office on Monday to discuss it."

"That will work and I'm positive she'll bring the job opening up, even if you are calling her at home," I agreed. "I think she just needs to hear from you."

Once Little Ricky made his phone call, I pulled him aside. I wanted to introduce him to Noah next, before he went off to unpack his belongings and put everything back in his bedroom. He was one of the uncles Noah hadn't met yet and another warm body that would be living in the house. I'm not sure how long Little Ricky will be staying with us, or even if he considers this is a temporarily or permanent situation. Whichever the case, I'm glad to have him back again, no matter how long it lasts.

When the weekend arrived, the boys understood this would be their last opportunity to enjoy themselves before school began. They spent their time swimming, going for walks and playing games in the house, but they also spent time with the rest of us. No matter what they were doing, you could still tell they were all a bit subdued about the idea that they'd soon be sitting in a classroom again. In fact, Joshie seemed to be the only one who was excited about school starting. He'll be in first grade this year, so we'll see if his attitude changes at all after his first month in class.

During this time, we also learned that Noah was thinking about going out for the soccer team. He told us he played in a soccer league where he used to live and enjoyed it a lot. After learning this, we all encouraged him to sign up and try out. Danny and Brandon even shared some stories about when they'd played soccer on the school teams. I think after hearing what they had to say, Noah decided to give it a try, especially since his fathers had played and were being so positive about him getting involved.

The only other thing that will be happening soon is that Elliot will be joining the swim team as a diver. This means we'll have his meets to attend, along with Noah's games, so this will keep us busy. Not only that, but I'm convinced Joshie will want to go to the football games with Jake and me again this year, and some of the others might want to go with us too. So much for my peaceful retirement, but I guess I won't be complaining about being bored.

School started on Monday. Under normal circumstances, the boys would ride in with Dion, Trey and Joshie in the morning, but with Noah's inclusion this year there were just too many of them for one vehicle. Therefore, Joshie rode with his fathers and Brandon took Noah, Elliot and Jesse down and dropped them off, before he headed off to his office.

It seemed very strange to be alone in the house again, because the boys had been around and kept me company for most of the summer. Since I didn't want to just sit and feel sorry for myself all day, I debated about how I wanted to fill my newly acquired free time. After thinking it over for several minutes, I finally made up my mind. I went outside, hopped in the Suburban and took off down the road. I'd decided to go to Kevin's pharmacy and see how he was doing.

As soon as I passed through the main entrance, I noticed he was busily working behind the pharmacy counter. Since I didn't want to bother him, I chose to walk around and look for some things we needed at home, instead of going over to speak with him. Eventually, he must have noticed me and came out to chat.

"Hey, Dad," he greeted me. "I'm glad you stopped by. How's Frankie doing?"

"Much better than he was," I answered. "I was thinking I should stay with him longer, so I could help him out, but by the end of the week he was doing almost everything on his own. He's so stubborn. He just can't stand having others do things for him, because he says it makes him feel like an invalid. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't keep him down. Against my objections, he kept doing more and more things for himself, so it made my staying with him any longer unnecessary. Then, when he went for his next appointment, the doctor said his wounds were healing nicely and he was coming along very well, so I guess whatever he's doing must be working out okay. I just wish he'd have let me take care of him a little longer."

"Yeah, he's always been the tough guy in the family," Kevin agreed. "He never liked the rest of us doing too much to help him either, but whenever any of us had a problem Frankie was always there to take care of it or back us up. I think that's why he joined the army and is a cop now. He likes protecting people. Seeing how well he's done, I guess it's not a bad trait."

"No, I would have to agree," I responded. "I think it all began after his little problem with Trey, when he first came to live with us. I think he's always felt badly about that incident and has done everything possible to make up for it ever since."

"Yes, that was a tough time for him, especially since you felt you had to send him away for what he tried to do to Trey," Kevin agreed. "After he came back though, he was totally different. I think that's why he likes to feel in charge of things now, especially when it comes to his own life. It's his way to make certain nothing like that ever happens again."

"I totally understand why he does it, but it can be frustrating at times, especially when he won't let us help out," I replied. "I guess we aren't going to change him though, so we'll just have to learn to live with him being this way. Did I tell you Frankie is going to receive a citation for his actions? They're claiming he prevented a terrorist attack when he stopped those two men."

"Brandon told me how he got injured," Kevin confessed, "but I hadn't heard anything about Frankie stopping a terrorist attack. Damn, that's impressive."

"I agree," I replied. "Frankie has done some pretty remarkable things already, both in the army and now with the State Police, and I'm very proud of him. It's just that I'm a little concerned about his safety."

"I understand, but I guess it comes with the territory," Kevin stated.

"So how are you doing? Is everything going all right here?" I wondered.

"Actually, it's going very well," Kevin confirmed. "The pharmacy is actually doing more business than I'd anticipated for this soon after we'd opened. I've even been getting a lot of prescriptions to fill from the health center. I'm really glad Danny and Brandon suggested I open a pharmacy near them."

"Hey, they were just repaying the favor, because you were the one who first brought up the idea about the health center to them," I countered. "I'm just happy that all of you seem to be happy and are doing so well."

"Thanks, Dad," Kevin replied, "and we all appreciate your support. I've also had some good feedback from the customers, especially those coming over from the health center. They appreciate the fact that everything they could need for their children is all in one place now and conveniently located. They've also mentioned that one of the things they like about the pharmacy is the drive-through window to get their prescriptions. Some of them came inside first, before they learned about it, but now that they know it's here, they've been using it a lot."

"I'm sure they are," I agreed. "It certainly makes it easier for them to pick-up their prescriptions, even if they aren't dressed appropriately to come into the store, are having a bad hair day, in a hurry or even if they just don't feel well enough to run inside to get their meds."

At this point, Kevin's assistant let him know he was needed, so he went back to work and I finished walking around and picking up the things for home. After I paid for the items, I went over to the health center to see how Brandon was doing. He was with a patient when I got there, so I waited around and chatted with his receptionist for a while first. When he came out a little while later and saw me, a worried expression came over his face.

"Is something wrong? Did something happen?" he asked, in rapid succession.

"No, I was just bored at home, so I went to see how Kevin was doing and then came over to see you," I assured him. "How are things going here?"

"Actually, pretty well," he told me, after he'd breathed a sigh of relief. "We've had quite a few walk-ins over the past couple of weeks, as well as a bunch of people calling in to make appointments. To tell you the truth, I'm very pleased with how well word is spreading about the practice."

"What about your new partner? Is he also doing as well?" I followed.

"It's taking him a little longer to get established, but his client base is beginning to grow too," Brandon replied. "He knew it would take some time, but he's starting to pick up a large group of patients who previously had to travel long distances to have their orthodontic work done. They seem to appreciate having someone in the area that can do the work for them."

"That's great!" I concurred. "I'm so happy things are working out for you guys."

"Thanks, and Danny will be opening his office in a few more weeks," Brandon confirmed. "He's already hired two nurses, who are going to start setting things up next week. He's also hired a receptionist, but she won't start until the Thursday before he opens. Since my billing clerk was only working for me part-time, she's agreed to work for both of us. That way she'll have a full-time job.

"We're even working with a company about setting up a benefit plan for all the employees at the health center," Brandon added, "and we're trying to see if we can include Kevin's pharmacy employees too. We're all 'health' related and interdependent, so I think we might be able to do it."

"That's great and I'm so pleased this is working out for all of you," I replied. "It's nice to see you guys are all getting yourselves established."

"Thanks, Dad," he offered. "So have you heard anything about the boys yet?"

"No. They've only been in school for a couple of hours and I'd only have heard something if there was a problem," I answered. "Calm down, Daddy. I'm sure they're all doing fine."

"Yeah, I guess I am just a little worried about Noah," he confessed. "He's barely had enough time to adjust to living with us and now he's being thrust into a new school setting too."

"I understand, but I'm sure he'll do well," I stated, while trying to soothe Brandon's concerns.

"You're probably right," he agreed.

"Okay. I'm going to let you get back to work and I'm going to walk around and see how the remodeling is coming, if that's all right?'

"Of course it is, Dad," Brandon replied.

"Thanks. I'll see you tonight then," I told him. "Try to have a good day and don't worry so much."

Brandon merely flashed me a grin and nodded his head, before he disappeared into the back again.

After I returned home, I puttered around the house for the rest of the day, while I waited for school to end. I wasn't exactly sure how things were supposed to go tonight, other than I knew that Elliot was going to call me when his practice was over. So, for now, I will just bide my time and wait to pick the boys up from practice.

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