The Castaway Hotel: Next Generation - 53. Interesting Times

When everyone arrived home later on Wednesday, I was very surprised that it wasn’t Elliot who came home all excited. Although he had received considerable attention from his schoolmates about his final dive, it turned out that one of his fathers showed up even more excited than he was. As soon as Danny walked through the door, he immediately let us know that he had something he wanted to share with the rest of us. Surprisingly, he hadn’t even taken time to fill Brandon in about this first, but he eagerly told us about his day as we began to eat.

“I was working at my office… well, I didn’t have a patient or anything at the time, but the obstetrician from across the hall came over to speak with me,” he began. “He told me that he’d just learned that a pediatrician he knew had recently passed away – more precisely, the man had suffered a coronary the previous day.

“As it turns out,” Danny continued, “that pediatrician’s office is only about five miles from the health center and the two of them had several patients in common. The obstetrician dealt with the mothers, while the pediatrician took care of their children. To make a long story short, the obstetrician wants me to go with him to the funeral home tomorrow night. He says he’ll introduce me to the man’s widow, so I can give her my business card.”

“Danny, it might be a little too soon to approach her right now,” I advised him.

“That’s what I thought, but my friend says if I don’t do it then someone else will,” Danny replied. “He said there are probably others who will be eager to take advantage of this situation and will offer to buy his patient list before I have a chance to. He insists it’s imperative that I act now, if I want a shot at acquiring those patients.”

“But she’s just lost her husband,” I reiterated.

“I know and losing her husband must be difficult, but his patients are still going to need a doctor,” he responded. “I’m just going to give her my card and tell her that I’m interested in helping her husband’s patients. I’ll also tell her I’m willing to pay her for her husband’s patient list and records too. I’ll be very sensitive about her situation and will try not to do anything to upset her. It’s just that my obstetrician friend has convinced me that I just can’t afford to pass up this opportunity.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing then,” I warned.

I was still skeptical about his plans, but I had stated my objections, so now it was up to him as to how he was going to proceed. Nothing more was said about it, either that night or the next morning, but I was interested in seeing what he was going to do. He’d had all day to think about it and consider the various viewpoints.

After dinner that evening, Danny left to meet up with his obstetrician friend, so they could ride to the funeral home together. It wasn’t a very long ride, but Danny spent his time trying to make certain he had decided on the best way to handle this meeting. By the time they got there, he hoped he was going about this the right way.

After walking up to view the body in the casket, Danny and the obstetrician walked over to the receiving line.

“I’m not sure if you remember me,” the obstetrician told the widow, “but you’re husband and I were colleagues. Although we had different specialties, we had collaborated on a couple of cases, since I’d handled the births and he was going to take care of the children once they’d been born.”

“Thank you so much for coming,” she replied. “I’m not sure I recall ever meeting you, but if you dealt with my husband, then I’m certain Oscar felt you were a very good man.”

“Thank you. It is very kind of you to say that,” the obstetrician replied. “This is a good friend of mine, Daniel Currie. He’s opening a pediatric office in the same building where I just started my new practice.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Currie,” she said, while extending her hand. “Did you know my husband too?”

“No, ma’am, but since we’re in the same field, I came to pay my respects,” Danny answered.

“That’s very thoughtful of you,” she stated.

“I know this isn’t a very good time for you, but since your husband’s patients are going to need someone to take care of them,” Danny began, “I just wanted to let you know I’m interested in doing that. I’ll be happy to pay you for your husband’s patient lists and records, so I can fill the void his passing has created. Even if you’re not interested, I’m still glad I came to offer my sincerest condolences.”

“I thank you for coming and I appreciate your offer. It’s something I might be willing to discuss with you further, once everything settles down a little,” she agreed.

“That would be wonderful. Let me give you my business card then,” Danny stated, as he pulled one out of his pocket. “Just call me any time. My office phone number is on the card and I’ve written my cell number on the back, so you can also reach me at home.”

After this exchange, the two men moved on so the others waiting to speak with her could. When he told me about their conversation, I thought he’d done quite well in broaching the subject with her. Now, I just hope it also brings him some business.

On Friday, Elliot had another swim meet, but this one was away. It was also a lengthy drive to get there, so we informed him that we were sorry, but we wouldn’t be able to attend this meet. He said he understood and it was fine, but I promised him I would go to at least one of his away meets, as soon as there was one that wasn’t too far from home. He seemed to be fine with the situation.

Elliot didn’t arrive home until quite late Friday night, but he still took time to tell us he’d done fairly well, but he hadn’t won a medal this time. We advised him we didn’t expect him to win one each time he had a meet, but we were still proud of him either way. He seemed satisfied with our response.

Saturday morning, I was feeding the troops breakfast when Danny came bursting into the kitchen to find me.

“I just got a call from the wife of the pediatrician whose calling hours I went to the other night,” he announced. “She told me she was interested in my offer to take care of her husband’s patients and wants to talk to me about this further. She informed me she’s going to be moving to another state in the very near future and staying with one of her children, rather than remaining in the area and living alone. Before she does that, she said she’d feel better if she knew for sure that her husband’s patients are going to be taken care of.”

I think we all knew where this was going, but we eagerly listened as Danny continued on.

“She asked me if I’d be willing to meet at her husband’s former office in an hour to see what I’d be getting into. She also advised me that her husband’s staff would meet us there, so if we reached an agreement they’ll help pack up all of his medical files so I can take them to my office. If this works out, then I’ll have my staff start calling his patients on Monday and inform them I’ll be taking over the practice.”

“Impressive,” I agreed. “I was obviously wrong when I suggested you shouldn’t go to the funeral home and confront her so soon after her husband’s death. I’m glad you didn’t listen to me, because I’m probably more sensitive and conservative about such things than you younger guys. I’m just pleased it appears to be working in your favor.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Danny replied, “but do you think I can borrow the Suburban to do this? I’ll be able to get a lot more in it than in my car.”

“Yes, of course,” I told him. “Would you like me to go with you to help?”

“No, Brandon and I should be able to handle it,” he replied.

“But don’t you have to go in to work at the hospital today?” I wondered.

“Yes, but not until this afternoon,” he replied. “We should be able to get everything done before then and I’ll still have time to come back here to clean up and change first.”

“All right, but don’t try to do too much,” I warned him. “Remember, you now have two boys that are depending on you.”

“I know, Dad, and I’m doing this for them, as much as for Brandon and me,” he clarified. “By building my practice, I’ll have enough money coming in to support them the way I should and have more time to spend with them by not having to work at the hospital too. That’s why I kind of jumped on this as quickly as I did, even though you weren’t in favor of what I was planning to do.”

“I’m actually glad you did now,” I confirmed. “Here are the keys to the Suburban and I’ll keep an eye on the boys while you’re gone. Just give me a call if you need anything.”

“I will and here are the keys to my car, just in case something happens where you’ll need a vehicle,” Danny said, as he handed me his keys in return.

Brandon and Danny left a few minutes later and I silently prayed that most of the other pediatrician’s patients would agree to transfer to Danny’s care now. If they do, it might give him enough patients so he can give up his weekend job at the hospital much sooner than anticipated. It would be much easier on him and give me some peace of mind, but it would also allow Danny a chance to spend his evenings and weekends with his lover and sons. I think that would be a major advantage for all of us.

When Danny and Brandon arrived back home later, Danny had to hurry to get ready to go to the hospital, so Brandon filled Jake and me in about what they’d done. He told us that after Danny had looked everything over, he and the widow negotiated a price and Danny wrote her a check for the files. Danny and he then moved quite a few boxes filled with patient records to the Suburban and took them over to his new office. Danny will ask his receptionist and one of his nurses to start calling the patients next week and advise them of the change.

It may not be much, but it is another step toward a new future for him. I only pray that everything works out just fine.

When Danny’s receptionist and nurse began contacting the families of the children whose records he had purchased, most of the parents weren’t ready to blindly commit themselves to a new pediatrician. Quite a few of them said they would be willing to give it a try and see how their children liked him first, since his office wasn’t too far away from their old pediatrician’s office. That, however, was as far as they were willing to commit at the present time. Danny’s nurse and receptionist assured them this would be fine, so some of the parents even set up appointments for their children to have physicals, so they could test the waters. This way, they and their children would be able to meet Danny and decide if this was what they wanted to do.

As Danny put it later, this would be the same as going through an interview process with each new patient he hoped to gain. Regardless of this fact, he still felt it would be worth it in the end, even if only half of the patients decided to come with him. That would give him a lot more patients than he currently has.

During the week, Noah had another soccer match and Elliot had two meets. We attended Noah’s game and one of Elliot’s meets, and each of them did very well. We didn’t attend Elliot’s other meet, because it was at another location that is quite far away. In fact, since this meet was being held on Friday evening, Elliot’s team was even going to stay there overnight because of the travel distance.

Even though this meet was taking place so far away, we still feel badly when we miss any of the boys’ activities. Although we feel guilty about not being there to support them, the boys seem to take these minor setbacks in stride and refuse to let it bother them. I’m certainly glad they don’t get all emotional whenever we can’t make it to one of these events.

In between these sport outings, I received some unrelated, yet very important news. Frankie’s troop commander called to invite the family to the award ceremony being held to honor Frankie’s actions. It is scheduled to take place next Saturday at 2:00, outside of the Troop M Barracks, weather permitting. If the weather is inclement, then the ceremony will simply be moved indoors.

I called and told the rest of the family about this event, since I felt some of them might want to attend as well. I also advised them not to worry if they couldn’t make it, because we understood that not everyone would be able to fit this into their schedules. In order to make them feel a little better about it if they couldn’t attend, I informed them that I would be taking my video-recorder with me, so they could view the events of the day later, at their convenience. I also let them know that I felt the news stations might cover this ceremony as well, so there is a chance they might be able to watch at least part of the proceedings on TV. The only thing I’m not sure of is if the coverage will only be regional or if it will be shared with a broader market.

All of us at home are planning to go to the ceremony, except for Danny and Brandon. Danny is working at the hospital on the weekend and Brandon has appointments until noon on Saturday. He was considering rescheduling them, but then he had second thoughts about doing this. Since he’s rescheduled appointments a few times before, so he could see the boys’ sporting events, he didn’t want to irritate any of his patients and possibly lose their business by doing it again. For that reason, he opted to stay home as well. He did, however, give me permission to take Elliot and Noah with us, if Jake and I were agreeable. Danny and he were willing to lift Elliot’s grounding for this purpose, seeing it was nearly the end of the month anyway. Besides, they felt it might do the boys good to witness their uncle receiving this very special recognition.

When Friday came, we all loaded into the Suburban and set out for Allentown. I’d reserved rooms at the same motel we had used when we went to see Frankie in the hospital, because I wanted us to have some time with him before this event was held. We will also spend Saturday night there, so we can take Frankie out to dinner after the presentation, and then we’ll return home on Sunday.

We stopped to eat on the way to Allentown, because the boys were starving, so we didn’t arrive there until quite late. After checking into the motel, I called Frankie to let him know we’d made it. I also told him we were all tired and wanted to get a good night’s sleep first, but we’d be happy to meet him in the morning and take him out for breakfast. He agreed that would be fine and we ended the call.

The next morning, Frankie drove over to the motel so he could direct us to a place where he liked to eat. It was a locally owned establishment, not one of those chain restaurants, and it offered an interesting selection of breakfast dishes. We all ordered something different, and from the comments I heard afterward, everyone thought the food was delicious and each of them seemed to enjoy his meal.

Once we finished, Frankie took us to a park where we could sit and talk for a while, before we headed over to the barracks. While we were talking, Frankie told us he thought people were making far too big of a deal out of what happened. He said he’d only done what he’d been trained to do and was getting paid for, so he didn’t feel he should be getting special recognition for it too. He was even more uncomfortable because he’d heard rumors that some pretty important people were also going to be there today, even though he hadn’t been told whom that would include. He also confided in us that he was actually beginning to feel embarrassed over the fact that they were doing all of this solely for him.

As a father should, I tried to explain to Frankie that even though he might feel a little uncomfortable from the attention he was getting, all the indicators pointed to the fact that he had probably saved many lives when he stopped that truck and confronted those individuals. I also strongly urged him to accept the idea that what had been accomplished after he derailed their plans deserves to be honored. I suggested he should be willing to accept this award to recognize the outcome, which prevented the loss of many lives, even if he didn’t feel he deserved it for his actions. He finally agreed to do this and we drove over to his apartment next, so he could change into his uniform.

We arrived at the State Police barracks a little early and discovered that everything had been set up at the rear entrance to the building. Those in charge felt it would be too disruptive to hold the ceremony at the front entrance, so they moved it to the opposite side of the building. This location is very similar to the main entrance, but this way they wouldn’t interfere with the primary access to the station.

The podium had been placed on the top landing, so everyone in attendance could see the speakers while they made their remarks. Chairs had been arranged across the sidewalk and lawn for the spectators, so we took seats in the front, where we could see everything, and got comfortable. Frankie, however, was required to wait inside and we were told he wouldn’t come out again until he was formally introduced. Shortly after he left us, the reporters and television crews began to arrive and set up their equipment, so they would be ready to cover this event when it started.

At 2:00 sharp, the ceremony began with Captain Dalton, the troop commander, welcoming the crowd and thanking them for coming. After doing this, he introduced Colonel Frank Noonan, the Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police. Colonel Noonan began his remarks by explaining the events that took place on the day in question and followed it up by praising the actions of the young trooper who managed to prevent a major tragedy. He then called Frankie to the podium, so he could present him with a citation.

After pinning a ribbon on Frankie’s uniform, he handed him a plaque that had been inscribed to recognize his accomplishment. The Commissioner then announced the awards were to honor Frankie for his role in stopping a group of domestic terrorists who had been determined to commit an act of violence on U.S. soil. He then added that the suspect, the one who had survived the gun battle after being cornered later, had actually confessed about what they’d planned. He admitted that he and his partner were heading to New York City to shoot down commercial aircraft and then they were going to open fire on the first responders and spectators, once they began to gather.

After hearing this, we were in total shock. This was the first time any of us had heard that the man who survived had confessed, so this just added weight to the fact that Frankie deserved this recognition. Even though Frankie also appeared flabbergasted by this revelation, he maintained his composure, as the Commissioner shook his hand.

As those in attendance applauded Frankie for what he’d done, I remained focused on my son. I couldn’t help but think about all the lives he’d saved, not to mention how extremely handsome he looked in his uniform as he held the plaque out for all to see. I was extremely proud of what he’d accomplished, but more importantly I was in awe of the wonderful young man he’s become.

Frankie was then asked to remain a few extra moments so some additional photos could be taken with him and the Commissioner. Once that had been done, Frankie stepped off to one side, as Colonel Noonan stepped back to the podium and introduced the next speaker. This time it was a representative from the Department of Homeland Security and a woman quickly emerged from building and walked briskly toward the microphone.

After introducing herself, she informed us that she had just flown in from Washington, D.C. solely for the purpose of presenting Frankie with the ‘Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor’ from a very grateful federal government. She explained that this award was the civilian equivalent to the military’s ‘Medal of Honor’ and was presented for ‘actions exhibiting exceptional courage, extraordinary decisiveness and presence of mind, regardless of personal safety, in an attempt to save or protect human life.’

This was obviously a great honor and Frankie received another nice round of applause as she presented this to him. Since he was so much taller than she was, Frankie had to bend at the waist so she could lift the ribbon with the medal over his head. Once he was able stand upright again, Frankie looked slightly embarrassed over this dual recognition, but I’m not certain if anyone else noticed his predicament.

After she’d presented this award, the woman from Homeland Security then offered a few observations about how Frankie’s exceptional performance of duty had prevented a major disaster. She also told the audience that it was people like Frankie who kept our nation safe and will eventually lead us to victory in the war on terror.

Once she finished speaking and another round of pictures had been taken, she stepped off to the side with Frankie. When they did that, Colonel Noonan returned to the podium and informed the crowd there was one final presenter. To our complete surprise, he then introduced New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and we watched as he walked out of the building and stepped up to the podium.

Mayor Bloomberg began by thanking Frankie for his acute attention to detail while performing his duty and stated that because of Frankie’s actions, New York City had been able to avoid another horrific act of violence. He went on to state that he believed the terrorist plan was to diminish the city’s importance to the country and leave another scar on the psyches of all Americans. He then presented Frankie with a Key to the City and invited Frankie and our family to join him for another celebration, which would be held at Gracie Mansion at a future date.

Not only was Frankie surprised by this generous offer from Mayor Bloomberg and the additional recognition, but the rest of us were also absolutely floored by this news. Yes, Frankie had prevented a terrorist attack from taking place in New York and we understood the City officials were grateful, but to make this offer on top of everything else was truly unexpected and a bit overwhelming. Frankie had already received a citation from the State of Pennsylvania, a medal from the federal government and the Key to New York City from the Mayor, but now he was also given an invitation to attend another ceremony to honor his accomplishment. This was absolutely fantastic and more than any of us could ever have anticipated.

When this ceremony concluded and more pictures had been taken, Captain Dalton pulled Frankie aside and told him his name had been submitted for consideration to the B.C.I. Captain Dalton explained that a position had recently opened up and others in positions of authority felt that Frankie’s previous military training and experience more than qualified him to have his name added to the list. They felt Frankie’s actions had also proved he has a good eye for detail, which is another necessary attribute. Captain Dalton also told him that although he didn’t want to lose him as one of his troopers, he was willing to make this sacrifice and let Frankie move on, because he felt it would be best for Frankie as an individual and the department as a whole.

Once they’d finished their discussion, Frankie was released to deal with the press corps. They had been waiting patiently to interview him since the ceremony first began and were now asking him questions, as their cameras and microphones recorded everything he said.

During this process, they wanted to know how Frankie had spotted the terrorists to begin with, what happened when he pulled them over, how badly he had been wounded and if those wounds were healed now, as well as how he felt about preventing the terrorist from being successful and what he thought of the honors he had received today. I thought Frankie handled the interview extremely well; he was very articulate and showed great dignity while doing this. I was not only proud of what he’d done and the recognition he’s received, but I was also extremely proud of him as a person. After a shaky start, he has certainly developed into one terrific young man.

Once we were able to rescue Frankie and get him away from there, he wanted to go home and get out of his uniform. He said he’d been in it long enough and didn’t need any further attention drawn to him because he was wearing it. We happily gave in to his request and took him to his apartment. It was kind of a tight squeeze with all of us being there, but it wasn’t going to be for very long, because we were taking him out to eat in a couple of hours.

While we waited, the boys were eager to let Frankie know how proud they were of him too.

“Uncle Frankie, that was incredible,” Elliot began. “Not only did the State Police give you an award, but so did the federal government and the mayor of New York City. I’m so proud of you and I know my friends will probably ask me questions about this, because I’m sure it’s going to be all over the news.”

“All the people gave things to Uncle Frankie and shook his hand,” Joshie added. “He must have been a very good boy.”

“Indeed, he was,” Dion assured him, as the rest of us tried to stifle our humor over his comment.

“Yeah, Frankie,” Jesse chimed in, “you’re the family hero now. I bet nobody will badmouth the Curries after they hear about this.”

“Uncle Frankie, I know I just met you,” Noah added, “but I want to tell you I’m very proud that you’re my uncle too.”

Damn, who could improve on that?

As it neared the time for our reservation, Frankie gave us directions on how to get to the restaurant. Nearly as soon as we walked in and announced our arrival, we got an unexpected reception. Obviously, the owner or manager had recognized our name on the reservation list and connected it to events he had seen on television, so we were given the royal treatments when we arrived. After escorting us to our table, the waiter announced he had been instructed to give us our drinks, plus desserts after we finished eating, all compliments of the house. He also informed us that the management and staff were honored that we had chosen to eat at their restaurant to celebrate Frankie’s accomplishments.

I can’t even begin to tell you how many people stopped by our table to offer Frankie their congratulations and thank him for doing such a wonderful job. It’s a good thing he wasn’t in uniform, if this many people recognized him without having it on. However, we later discovered that a couple of the employees had been actively going around the restaurant telling the other patrons about Frankie. Once their customers heard what he had done, they came over to let him know how grateful they were for the difficult, and sometimes thankless, job he was doing.

Even with the endless interruptions, we still managed to enjoy a very nice meal. I believe we were all eager, and even somewhat relieved, to get out of there when we were done eating though. I will say we can now appreciate how celebrities and politicians must feel about getting so much attention when they’re out in public. Too much of a good thing can definitely end up being bad, even if it is merely too much praise and recognition.

Frankie went back to the motel with us and decided to spend the night there as well. He was afraid some of his neighbors might come over to congratulate him too, once they saw him arrive home. Therefore, he thought he’d rather avoid it, if at all possible.

Since Dion and Trey, and Jake and I had our own rooms, it meant Frankie would have to bunk in with the boys. It was quickly determined that Frankie would sleep with Noah, since he was the smallest, and Noah seemed excited to agree to this arrangement. I think it was a case of hero worship in full bloom, which meant Noah was thrilled to share a bed with the super-cop he was now related to.

The next day, we wanted to take Frankie to church with us, but he was afraid members of the congregation would recognize him and then create a scene similar to the one he had endured at the restaurant. Therefore, he merely wished to go to his place and try to remain anonymous for the rest of the day. We could all appreciate his feelings, so we honored his request and said farewell to him. Before he got in his car, which he’d left at the motel when we went to the ceremony together, I told him to take it easy and keep in touch, and then he left for his place. A short time later we did likewise, except we still had quite a lengthy drive ahead of us.

That evening, we played the video of the ceremony for Danny and Brandon and they were blown away by what they observed. They had seen snippets of the events on the news, but after viewing the entire footage, from start to finish, they were even more impressed than they had been before. In fact, Danny also commented that while he was working at the hospital earlier several of his co-workers had questioned him about what Frankie had done. They told him they had seen it on the evening news and were proud that Frankie had grown up in our small community and had gone to school here. I guess this means Frankie truly is a hometown hero.